My skills have mutated again!

Chapter 273 The circus opens, various forces
The abandoned temple is built on the hillside. When you walk out of the temple, you will be greeted by the blazing starlight and the dry and endless sand dunes.

Being in a high position was perfect for observation. A faint light flashed in Xia Lin's eyes, and soon, everything in his field of vision became clear.

"No one, not even a living thing."

There was no sign of life as far as the eye could see.

The only strange thing is that this planet seems to have relatively rich metal resources, with a lot of iron filings mixed in the yellow sand.

The clown at the side said hoarsely: "There is life reaction, but it is very far away."

He also has a detection skill, and the range is longer than observation.

As he said this, the clown snapped his fingers, and the space in front of him folded. Soon, a fancy flying carpet that was ten meters long and five meters wide appeared in front of the clown.

The clown walked onto the flying carpet first, then turned around and looked at Xia Lin and Silver Axe, making an exaggerated invitation.

"Would you two like to have a fun and quick trip?"

Silver Axe didn't bother to pay attention to this guy, he just walked onto the flying carpet carrying the black flag. Xia Lin nodded to the clown and also walked onto the flying carpet.

Soon, with a whoosh, the flying carpet started up suddenly and shot towards the place where the clown sensed the life reaction.

Xia Lin was sitting on the flying carpet. The strong wind caused by the high speed blew in his face, but was blocked by the protective shield that rose spontaneously from the flying carpet.

And the speed of this thing is not slow either, far superior to the Dongfeng missile.

Standing at the front of the flying carpet, the clown seemed to be in high spirits. He opened his arms and hummed a playful tune.

[Red nose throws out comet tail
Hourglass with gold foil hanging upside down on camel hump】

Clouds suddenly appeared from under the clown's feet, and he stood on the clouds, spinning around happily.

[Shh! Compass drank honey wine secretly

The unicorn rolled the map into a trumpet.

Another colorful ball appeared in the clown's hand and was thrown up and down by him.

Faint sounds echoed on the flying carpet, as if someone in the void was accompanying the clown's performance.

【Hey! The world is a big shaky circus
I am the rebellious clown king wearing flowers on my head
Use the rainbow as a whip to lash the horizon

Turn the night into popcorn flying all over the sky】

The colorful balloons exploded, and the sequins in the sky looked like silver rain, falling on the shoulders of Xia Lin and Yin Axe.

A reminder tone sounded in my ears.

【You listened to the entire song of The Circus King. 】

[You get buff: The circus opens! ]

[Circus Opening (Racial Heritage Level Buff): All your skill cooldowns are halved. At the same time, your skills have a small chance of changing the opponent's behavior logic, causing them to unconsciously do weird and embarrassing things. The probability depends on the skill level, actual effect, and the strength of the opponent. This buff lasts for the entire Jhin Zone.]

[Unstable mutation takes effect! ]

[The circus opens, and changes to: Happy Hour! ]

[Happy Time (mutated buff): Your mental power recovery speed is accelerated! From the original 1 point/hour, it becomes 1 point/second! Your injury recovery speed is greatly improved! This buff lasts for the entire ember zone. ]

Xia Lin glanced at the clown who was bowing as a farewell gesture.

This guy really has something.

He looked at the silver axe beside him again.

But he found that Silver Axe's face was twitching, as if he had some bad memories...

He may be one of the victims of the circus opening.

Decisive choice not to retain the variation.

Just as Xia Lin made the decision, the flying carpet slowed down instantly due to lack of inertia.

"arrive."

The clown's voice returned to its hoarse tone, and Xia Lin and Silver Axe also stood up and looked under the flying carpet.

Below, a dilapidated town came into view of the three people.

……

Amidst the endless yellow sand, Xia Lin and the other two walked into the town.

I can sense the presence of life in the town, but not much.

And the small amount of life fluctuations in the town are all concentrated in the same place.

【Borderland Tavern】

The shaking wooden sign may fall off at any time.

The half-door was shaking and had several large holes in it.

Pushing the door open and walking in, the smell of cheap alcohol and stench penetrated Xia Lin's nose, making him sneeze.

A sound like metal rubbing against each other came from the greasy bar.

"This guest looks unfamiliar..."

The bartender got stuck before he could finish his sentence.

Because just behind Xia Lin, the Joker and Silver Axe walked into the tavern one after another.

So everyone's attention was focused on Silver Axe...and the black flag in his hand.

This made Xia Lin smile.

"It looks like we've found the right place."

Under everyone's attention, Xia Lin and the other two came to the bar and sat in front of the bartender.

Silver Axe placed the black flag on the bar counter, causing the bartender to shudder and seem to want to say something, but he didn't say it.

Instead, Xia Lin looked at the bartender and asked softly.

"Two questions. First, what exactly is this black flag we brought?"

"And second..."

He looked up at the bartender, then at the other patrons in the pub.

These people are generally human-shaped and should be human.

It just has many rusty metal parts on its body.

This is not some kind of mechanized modification... because those metal parts are in a chaotic state, and are fused with the flesh and blood in a disorderly manner, like a tumor. Instead of having a mechanical beauty, it is more like a malignant hyperplasia.

Observation clearly gives the results.

This is a contagious disease.

“What is rust?”

……

The atmosphere in the pub fell silent for a moment.

Soon, the diners got up and left, as if they didn't want to have too much contact with Xia Lin and the other two, or with the black flag.

But the bartender and boss in front of Xia Lin could escape, but the temple could not.

He swallowed hard.

This action caused the three electronic eyes on his face to glow slightly red.

The rusty turbine blades extending from the lungs made a creaking sound. The weird scene made Xia Lin squint his eyes, made Yin Axe's mouth twitch, and made the clown laugh meaninglessly.

Amid the clown's laughter, the bartender, who seemed like a disordered combination of human body and rusty metal, finally regained his spirit.

The fan at the throat sounded human voice.

"Rust is just rust, a very rare and untreatable infectious disease."

Hearing the word "infectious disease", Silver Axe stealthily distanced himself from the bartender, and the Joker stopped laughing.

Xia Lin didn't take it seriously and just listened to the bartender continue.

"And this thing in your hands is called the Black Flag. It is the national treasure of the former Black Iron Dynasty."

"This thing has been missing for several years. Both the Black Iron Rebellion and the Silver Empire are looking for it. You are showing up here with this thing in such a high profile. I'm afraid you are in big trouble..."

Xia Lin shrugged indifferently.

"You don't need to worry about this anymore."

"What about the Black Iron Rebellion and the Silver Empire?"

The bartender looked at Xia Lin blankly.

Neither the Dark Iron Rebellion nor the Silver Empire knows?

Which remote star region did you come from, buddy?

On the side, the Joker might think that Xia Lin’s method of gathering intelligence was too inefficient.

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A balloon appeared out of thin air, flew in front of the bartender, and then exploded with a bang.

The bartender's two human eyes and three electronic eyes were all blank, and he was stunned and motionless.

Instead, a faint stream of light seeped out from the bartender's mind, floated into the clown's hands, and finally turned into a red balloon again, with a faint stream of light glowing inside the balloon.

"This is much more convenient for me, you're welcome."

He gave Xia Lin an exaggerated grin, then turned and left.

Xia Lin shrugged indifferently and followed the clown and Silver Axe out of the tavern.

Just after the three people left, the bartender's eyes regained clarity, but he had forgotten what had just happened.

……

Outside the town, on a sand dune.

The clown opened his mouth, which stretched to an astonishing arc, and then swallowed the balloon whole.

A wonderful breath flashed through the clown's body, and soon, the clown licked the corner of his mouth.

"A very large world with a very simple worldview."

This ash area is very large.

It is as large as several star fields.

The mission site is not limited to one planet... The planet where the three people are now is called Borderland Star. It is remote and uninhabited. It is equivalent to a penal colony or a concentration camp, specially used to exile and detain villains and some difficult things.

For example, people with rust.

The mission requires three people to plant the black flag on the flagpole at the highest point of the ancient capital of Alderans.

And Alderans is three star regions away.

It takes a lot of time just to get there.

On the contrary, the worldview is simple and clear, without any unexpected problems.

The worldview of the confrontation zone is generally simple, and there is almost no puzzle element.

"The Dark Iron Dynasty has ruled this star region for three million years, but there is no eternal monarchy in the world."

Three hundred years ago, the Silver King overthrew the rule of the Black Iron Dynasty and established the Silver Empire, thus changing the regime.

But the security war is endless and has not stopped yet.

The remnants of the old era, led by Scarlett, the former eldest princess of the Iron Dynasty, formed the Iron Resistance Army and secretly caused trouble.

"The Black Flag is the national treasure of the former Iron Dynasty. It is said to have incredible magic power. It was lost in the final battle. The Silver Empire wants this thing to destroy the spiritual pillar of the remnants of the Iron Dynasty. The Iron Rebellion wants this thing to obtain the power of the national treasure and rebuild the glory of the Iron Dynasty."

This is the worldview of this Ashes zone.

Silver Axe fiddled with the black flag, but couldn't figure out what magical power it had...

Instead, Xia Lin concluded: "It seems that this Black Iron Resistance Army is the force that our escort can borrow."

The intercepting party must be connected with the Silver Empire.

The escort party's helper is probably the so-called Black Iron Resistance.

Thinking of this, Xia Lin thought of the information he had observed before and snapped his fingers like the clown.

Two finger-length Dongfeng missiles appeared out of nowhere, accompanied by a faint sonic boom, and instantly shot towards the town.

……

In a simple house.

Vasily, who had just returned home from the border tavern, couldn't wait to go to the cellar.

Power on, turn on the military radio, dial, and wait for the connection...

A series of processes are skilled and professional.

After all, he was an intelligence agent of the Silver Empire...but because he suffered from rust disease, he had to be isolated on the border planet.

The appearance of the black flag at this moment made Vasily realize that this would be his chance.

As long as the intelligence is reported and the Silver Empire obtains the Black Flag, then the so-called rust disease may have a solution - there is only one incurable disease in the world, and that is poverty.

After a short wait, the radio was connected. Vasily had just reported his number when he suddenly heard a low whistling sound coming from far away, penetrating the wooden boards of the cellar and instantly falling into his ears.

"Bang" sound.

Blood, flesh and iron filings flew everywhere, and the headless body slowly fell to the ground. The only voice echoing in the cellar was the liaison officer's voice on the radio.

"Master Vasily? Are you still there?"

"Sir Vasily? Do you have any important information?"

"Corporal Vasily? If you hear me, please answer!"

……

In another residential building.

The intelligence officer of the Black Iron Resistance stood there with cold sweat on his forehead.

The radio station ahead had been connected, but the one communicating with the other side was not him, but a missile the length of a thumb...

The weird painting style makes the intelligence officer feel absurd.

The missile spoke in human language: "Yes, spaceship, the fastest spaceship, I will soon take a wonderful interstellar journey!"

"Remember to install the missiles! Maximum yield! I want to blow through the stars!"

"What? Speed and firepower can't coexist? Firepower! I want firepower! Firepower is justice, and art is explosion! Wuuwuwu~~"

Missiles spewing flames flew around like wild dogs on the loose.

Suddenly the tone of the missile changed.

"Don't listen to its nonsense. My summon has some brain problems... But I need a spaceship. The fastest spaceship. I don't need firepower."

"By the way, I have another request... Since I found the Black Flag, can I have a chat with Princess Scarlett?"

"No, no, no, we don't have to meet in person, we can just chat on the radio."

There was silence for a moment on the other side of the radio, and then a different voice appeared.

"I'm Scarlett."

Sitting on the sand dune, Xia Lin glanced at the clown across the radio and missile relays. When he saw the clown nod, he greeted him with a smile.

"It is a pleasure to speak to you, my dear highness."

……

The Iron Throne.

The main battleship of the Black Iron Rebellion and also the mobile base.

As the leader of the Dark Iron Rebellion, Scarlett is naturally the captain of this battleship.

In the captain's cabin.

After finishing the conversation with Xia Lin, a hint of excitement appeared on Scarlett's pretty face.

Another female voice suddenly sounded beside me.

"Useless conversations, vulgar demands..."

This caused Scarlett to turn her head and look at the person who made the sound.

Tall figure, smooth blonde hair, pretty face, and proud look.

It was his sister, Irene.

Although Scarlett is the leader of the Dark Iron Resistance, Irene is the strongest of the Dark Iron Resistance. The two of them, one civil and one military, support the last hope of the Dark Iron Dynasty.

Seeing Irene sipping her coffee with a straw, Scarlett shook her head: "It's really a meaningless conversation."

"It's nothing more than wealth and glory... But considering that they found the Black Flag, we can give them all of this as long as we can restore the dynasty."

"The key is to get the black flag as soon as possible..."

As she spoke, Scarlett looked at Irene with a gleam in her eyes.

"As long as you get the Black Flag, it will only take a few years for your bloodline potential to be fully activated. By then, even the Silver King will have to submit to the might of Black Iron!"

And Irene had already put down her coffee and stood up.

"A deserted planet, right? Arrange a spaceship. I will personally go there this time to ensure everything goes well."

……

On the deserted planet, on the sand dunes.

The clown opened and closed his mouth, perfectly retelling the conversation between Scarlett and Irene who were far away in the distance.

Even the tone and timbre of the voice are exactly the same.

It wasn't until the Joker finished his last word that he returned to his own voice.

"The Dark Iron Rebellion is not our kind."

"I can replicate their conversations and even their psychological activities... They will not bring the black flag to Alderaan, but will only use it to stimulate some blood power, the power of black iron."

Alderaans was originally the capital of the Iron Dynasty, and is now also the capital of the Silver Empire.

Going to Alderaan with the black flag is like venturing into a dangerous place.

Originally, Xia Lin thought that his side could get help from the Black Iron Resistance, thus completing the main mission more easily.

But after the three of them had a brief exchange and learned some of each other's skills, Xia Lin deliberately contacted Scarlett and used his abilities as a clown to find out Scarlett's background.

This touch revealed a pit...

As the Joker concluded, the two parties' goals are actually not the same.

Xia Lin and his team need to reach Alderlands within three months, but if Scarlett gets the black flag, there is absolutely no way she will go into danger.

Silver Axe was still drinking, and the black flag was placed at his feet.

Only after he finished the wine in one gulp did Yin Fu speak in a muffled voice.

"In fact, I am more curious about how useless the intercepting Cinder Walkers are, which has led us to the current situation."

Unable to take advantage of the situation, with only one force (lonely?), the fact that the Jhin zone has balanced the momentum that both sides can take advantage of only means one thing.

The level of the opponent's Jhin Walker is probably limited.

"But Xu Jie changed the balance of power."

Xia Lin murmured.

……

At the same time when Xia Lin and the other two finished their conversation with Scarlett, Xu Jie had already crossed the starry sky with the speed of Liuyi Yu and arrived at a life planet near the Bianhuang Star.

After taking the initiative to approach the local government and clearly stating that he knew the location of the black flag, and using his extraordinary strength to ensure that the Silver Empire would not dare to use force, Xu Jie finally met the person he was waiting for after a short wait.

Clear images are presented in interstellar communications.

He was an old man with completely white hair, dark eyes, a face full of wrinkles, but rosy skin.

Seeing this person, Xu Jie nodded in understanding.

"It seems that you, Nelson, are the only one who can intercept us."

The old man named Nelson nodded slightly: "Indeed."

Nelson was ranked 99th in the human race sequence in the previous session, but in the previous human race sequence ranking battle, he was kicked out of the top by Houlang.

This person's strength is slightly superior to Xu Jie's, but the gap in level is not too big.

Therefore, it is easy to determine the combat power distribution of this ashes area.

The five Ash Walkers are of similar levels, with some differences in strength but no gap in grade.

The four were on the escorting side, but they were unable to take advantage of the situation. Nelson was the only one on the intercepting side, and was deeply bound to the Silver Empire.

Thinking of this, Xu Jie showed an elegant and easy-going smile on his face.

"I wish to share the great cause with the gentleman."

Nelson frowned and said, "Speak human language."

Xu Jie's smile froze, and he snorted, "Let's work together and make a fortune."

Before Nelson could say anything else, Xu Jie added: "I will make a gentleman's oath, and you will make a devil's contract."

This ensures seamless cooperation, and even if the main tasks conflict, mutual trust can be maintained.

Nelson slowly narrowed his eyes and looked at Xu Jie on the other side of the communicator.

He couldn't understand the purpose of this hypocrite, but the purpose didn't matter.

There was a traitor in the opposing camp, and this was a deal breaker for him, so there was no reason to refuse.

……

When it came to Xu Jie, Xia Lin and the other two fell silent.

With a "bang", the silver axe smashed the wine jar and said angrily: "It doesn't matter if he is a piece of shit. The three of us will do the same. If he dares to mess with me, I will kill him!"

Xia Lin likes this hot-tempered guy.

Without thinking about Xu Jie, he started thinking about the current situation.

"People from the Black Iron Resistance will arrive soon. We can choose to pretend to be friendly and temporarily rely on their power, but since our goals are different, it is impossible for us to give up the black flag. Sooner or later, we will fall out."

"And Xu Jie has probably already contacted the Silver Empire's Ash Zone Walker... Even if I killed the Silver Empire's liaison officer before, our location is likely to have been exposed under the Silver Empire's nose."

As Xia Lin muttered this, he heard the clown laughing strangely.

"It would be better if the natives came to attack. It would also help us to gauge the level of the high-level combat power in this Cinders area."

"So here's what I think. We'll wait for someone to come here on this deserted planet. They attack, and we defend. We'll find out the opponent's details and it would be even better if we can force out the opponent's Cinder Walker or Xu Jie."

Silver Axe clapped his hands: "Good idea!"

Xia Lin couldn't help scratching the back of his head...

He is not the resourceful type and is better at flipping the table.

After a brief contact, Xia Lin discovered that Silver Axe and the Clown were not good at analyzing and solving puzzles.

This team prefers to use super strength rather than super intelligence.

Moreover, this three-person team currently has no leader and no team leader has been elected.

Then the rule becomes: the minority obeys the majority...

Without waiting for Xia Lin to nod, the clown stood up, summoned the flying carpet and flew away alone.

Only the sound fell clearly into Xia Lin Yinfu's ears.

"I'll go make some preparations and prepare a big surprise for the upcoming guests. You two protect the black flag."

Just as the voice fell, the clown had disappeared on his flying carpet.

The burst of momentum beside him caused Xia Lin to turn his head, and he saw Yin Fu's hair and beard standing up with a high fighting spirit.

"The intense competition within the team has begun!"

Xia Lin: “???”

What do you mean?
Then I saw the silver axe's hand flip over, and the golden hammer and iron chisel appeared in his hand.

Facing Xia Lin's confused eyes, Silver Axe laughed: "The team needs someone to take charge. It would be even better if the Black Iron Rebellion and the Silver Empire come."

"Just think of it as a step and test to select the person who will take charge."

"Oh, just a reminder, in the current competition within the team, the Joker is currently ahead."

This can be considered the unspoken rule when strangers team up.

Whoever has the greatest ability and contribution will be the captain.

After saying these words, Silver Axe said no more. He just dived into the ground like diving, and disappeared into the yellow sand.

Then, faint sounds of hammering and chiseling could be heard from underground... Xia Lin couldn't understand what Silver Axe was doing...

He just glanced at the place on the ground where the silver axe disappeared, and then glanced at the place in the sky where the clown flew away.

Quickly he rubbed the stubble on his chin.

"This rule makes sense."

"It's this captain, and we can't let you two be the captain."

It's obvious at first glance that Silver Axe doesn't have much brains, while the Joker has outstanding abilities and hasn't shown any weaknesses so far.

But the way he's dressed doesn't look trustworthy...

In order to complete the main task, we must unite the people who need to be united.

Xia Lin didn't want to let go of Silver Axe and the Clown easily.

"In that case, I'll have to give you the whole big one."

While muttering to himself, Xia Lin walked towards the town not far away.

(End of this chapter)