They all call me an Outer God.

Chapter 236 Hephaestus

Ria ignored him. It seemed that because it was too cold, the young man's body had completely lost sensation, and only a few scattered tentacles were still weakly extending, trying to snatch the meme card back from Bucklove's hand.

"It seems you have amnesia. You are very unwilling to recall what happened before. What's wrong? Was everything that happened before very painful for you? So painful that you directly sought help from the dark and reckless Lord of the Gale and the Abyss."

So you're really unwilling to accept a guardian with your original memories? It seems you yourself understand that the black marketeer's solitary, self-centered nature makes it impossible for him to guard anyone.

Bucklow squatted down, staring at Ria's almost motionless remains: "Now that you've successfully performed the act, your previous memories should be able to return as well."

"Or do you need my help?"

As he spoke, the man held the meme card so that the back side was almost pressed against the back of Ria's neck and eye, and the meme pattern representing "Guardian" on top gradually blurred and distorted, eventually turning into a clown's smiling face that was half black and half white.

At that moment, Ria reacted as if startled. He hesitated and raised his head, his empty gaze watching as the mask of the person in front of him slowly went blank, and then the person took off the mask.

Long, wavy hair, dark skin, and striking features—

"Please allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Bucklove, Bucklove Hephaestus, and I am your most devoted follower, Faceless."

I sincerely invite you to stand on my side. That guardian meme is completely unsuitable for you. See, now we have the new meme "Idiot," isn't that much better?"

"Praise without face!"

"Praise the leader!"

The audience below the stage sang in unison, their masks mocking Ria as if all his efforts had been in vain.

At this moment, the expression on Ria's face gradually revealed confusion, and the patterns of the abyss ritual array appeared on his body. The next second, those patterns shattered, and at this moment, the young man unexpectedly spat out a mouthful of pitch-black tentacles.

He was like a pitiful, abandoned animal: "Hephaestus..."

The faces of those people in the white mask reappeared in his mind, and the words "giant, pure black mythical creature," "endless tentacles," "maddening hospital," "stripped vision," and "mental pollution in the new vision" all merged into one person.

Garn Hephisgetu.

The person in front of you is named Bucklove Hefishgtu. What is his relationship with Garn?
"You look alike, are you Garn?"

"Hahaha, I'm so touched, my lord, that you still remember him!"

But I am not him. In essence, he is me, and I am him, yet I am not him.

Barclay's words were vague, but Ria immediately guessed: "You are Garn's clone... no, that's not right, you are both clones, Garn did indeed die back then!"

“Smart! Of course he died, though the price was too high. But how could you enjoy the fun of the idiot meme if that individual didn’t die? Now that you have the idiot meme, we White Masks can fully support you.”

"So, you've been plotting this since back then."

Ria gritted her teeth: "I knew you wouldn't disappear so easily. I won't believe a word you say again..."

"But so what? You're already an idiot. You've erased the sacrificial text from the believers' minds, but even if we can't offer sacrifices, can't we still find you?"

"Praise be to Faceless!" The audience below continued their frenzy. They were all actors, disguised under the influence of the White Mask, just as Lia had guessed. As long as Gain lived, these people could return at any time. However, it seemed now, a different condition needed to be met—

If the original body and its clones are immortal, these things will keep appearing. They can be called not just the white mask, but also the black mask, the green mask, or the purple mask.

This person's understanding of life is beyond anyone's imagination.

“It seems I should call you ‘Hephaestus’.”

Ria's voice trailed off: "That clown mask is your means of influencing people's minds. Ordinary people simply cannot resist such extraordinary abilities."

The young man's disguise had been destroyed; not just his disguise, but his entire face was now unrecognizable.

"So, I have to admire your skill... You won."

Ria's voice stopped abruptly; he seemed to have fainted. Bucklow grabbed him by the collar, intending to take him away.

The audience below the stage became increasingly excited, chanting Bucklovey's name. Bucklovey closed his eyes and listened to the crowd's shouts.

Something seems off.

Based on his understanding of Ria, this person was definitely not so easy to compromise or show weakness to others; this matter was far too easy.

And, if he wasn't mistaken, old Charlie had also come here.

And now, what about Ivande Charlie?
Bucklow picked up Ria and examined her, confirming that this was indeed the real Ria. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he took the Faceless God away almost instantly.

The stage became empty again.

The audience below the stage continued their revelry, even happier than during a festival. They hugged each other, punched each other, and pulled out guns to shoot each other. But then, a person suddenly walked out from behind the curtain on the stage.

The man was dressed in a black tuxedo, top hat, and monocle; his movements were impeccable, even flawless.

He rested on his cane with one hand and used the other to remove his hat in a gesture of deference to the people below.

"I'm back--"

"Ahem, quiet down, everyone."

"My magic show is over. Thank you all for your support. I hope everyone here, including your team leader, enjoyed it."

"By the way, I hope everyone will support the performance fee. After all, my partner and I put in a lot of effort to achieve such magic effects."

Ria looked around at everyone present. It was estimated that Barclay would never have guessed that the person he took away was actually Little Swarth in disguise. And because his prophetic abilities were affected by Ivand, he was completely unaware of the problem and instead revealed his identity prematurely.

To be honest, escaping death and avoiding an explosion is nothing special for a magician. Ria had been hiding in the shadows, quietly listening to Buckloves explain everything. The meme card was also fake; it was a counterfeit provided by Ivand as a favor.

Ria felt that Bucklove would soon discover the truth: the circus was under some kind of spell, and he couldn't escape.

(End of this chapter)