The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 402. Astute

"Hahahaha... This is going to be fun..." the Clown cackled from above, his voice sharp and twisted like nails scratching on a glass pane.

With a theatrical snap of his fingers, the sky above the White Pearl suddenly darkened. A ripple of eerie energy pulsed outward, distorting the clouds. Then, in a flash of red and gold light, thousands of Queen of Hearts cards appeared in the sky, all pointed like knives toward the ship.

Each one glowed ominously, flickering with unstable magical energy. The hum of raw power buzzed in the air, like a swarm of insects gathering for the kill.

"Well, well, well... Like a butcher trapped in a chicken shop," the Clown mused with a tilted head, giggling uncontrollably.

"Isn’t it the other way around?" came a voice from the sea.

"Yeah, it’s supposed to be a chicken trapped in a butcher shop," said another voice.

Two bedraggled pirates were floating in the water nearby, drifting aimlessly after the massive King of Diamonds card had vanished. Their once flamboyant outfits were soaked and torn, and both were holding onto broken pieces of driftwood.

Suddenly, a playing card floated between them.

"Wait, what is this?" Pirate One blinked.

"It’s a Queen of Hearts...? Eh? NO! RUN! SWIM!!" Pirate Two screamed.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted in the water, sending a geyser of steam and foam high into the air. The shockwave knocked the pirates away like ragdolls. Even though they talked with low voice, the clown heard everything.

Back on the top of the White Pearl, the Clown floated serenely, completely unaffected by the chaos. His crimson eyes locked onto Lily, who stood firm on the deck, blood dripping from her cheek but her gaze unwavering.

"How about this," he said, tone turning cold. "Lily Gomes, right? You’re strong. I can give you that. But your captain—Tyler White—he’s already dead."

His words cut through the wind like daggers.

"Join the Circus. You and your crew. Hand over this magnificent ship. I’ll paint it with my own colors—turn it into a parade of madness worthy of the chaotic northern waters."

He wasn’t laughing anymore. Madness burned in his eyes like twin infernos. His smile was gone, replaced with something much more terrifying—intent, "This ship is made specifically for the Northern Waters. As expected Tyler, when he said he is Rich, he was not joking."

Lily scoffed. "Tch. Like hell you can kill the captain."

"HAHAHAHA! Are you his girlfriend?" the Clown sneered. "Too bad your boyfriend’s dead! Oh, you don’t believe me? Then allow me to show you."

He turned toward his battered ship in the distance. Most of the mast was cracked, and its sails were torn. The once vibrant paint had been battered by the Collision from the White Pearl’s impact.

"Tell the Ring Master to send the Candy Crush footage of their ex-captain," the Clown ordered. "And while you’re at it, summon three more ships. We’ll need help dragging this beauty."

He wanted three more ships to acquire the White Pearl. The reason why he didn’t attack is to acquire the Ship without any damages.

Dr. Juggler frowned. He was still on the Circus ship, bandaging his hand from a shard of wood.

"I’m sorry, Captain. The comms are down. The ship took too much internal damage from the collision. We... can’t contact the Tent." Then Dr. juggler poured some liquids on his wound.

At the same time, Darla whispered something into Lily’s ear. A smirk crept onto Lily’s lips. She glanced up at the Clown with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Looks like we got the signal," she said.

In a flash of blue light, Serena materialized near the mast. She raised her hand, and a massive 3D screen appeared in the air above the White Pearl, shimmering like glass.

Serena can appear and make holographic in any part of the ship because of the arrays in the White Pearl.

All eyes turned to it.

The screen flickered to life. At first, all that was visible was the top hat of the Ring Master. The angle began to shift downward, and a voice echoed across the sea.

"Ring Master? Good. Show them the state of Tyler White," the Clown called out, still hovering.

But a different voice answered.

"Ring Master? Nuh-uh. He’s... licking his wounds," the voice teased.

As the camera panned down further, Tyler White came into view, seated on top of the Circus Tent, looking incredibly smug. His white cloak fluttered behind him, and he was sipping something from a carved coconut.

"Also," he added casually, "this is the current state of Tyler White. Sitting on top of your precious Tent. Which, by the way, is loaded with more explosive charms than you can count."

The blood drained from the Clown’s face.

"Y-You... You’re alive?!" he shouted.

Tyler gave him a thumbs-up.

"Yeah. I really don’t get why you turned on me, though. But after experiencing your diary—yes, I experienced it—I guessed it was because you saw something, right? A future where I killed you? That’s it, isn’t it? So you decided to take me out first."

The Clown’s face twisted with rage and disbelief. He turned toward the sea as if expecting someone to explain this madness.

"Don’t you move! Don’t try anything, or I’ll... HAHAHAHA .... destroy your girlfriend and that shiny ship of yours!" the Clown shouted.

"HAHAHAH...." Tyler laughed again, this time louder and with a sharp edge.

"Seriously?" he said, his smile vanishing. "Just because you laugh like a maniac doesn’t make you a good Clown."

Then he leaned closer to the recording device.

"Also... I’ve actually got a new girlfriend now."

He casually turned the camera to the side.

On a nearby bed, a beautiful young woman lay asleep. Her entire body was clean unlike before painted like a clown. She is also not naked like before.

The Clown’s expression crumbled.

"D-Don’t! What are you doing!? Amber?! Run! Run away from him!" he shouted, panic overtaking him.

"’Amber’? What a good name," Tyler mused as he laid down beside her and winked at the camera. His hand entered her dress and squeezed her breast.

"Sooo soft." Tyler muttered loudly.

"STOP!!" the Clown cried. His face twisted in despair as he let out a deranged laugh and a broken sob at the same time. "HAHAHAHA... HA... HA..."

"Come quickly or else," Tyler said as he placed her before him and his hand entered her crotch area, "I will come in her Instead..."

The screen vanished.

The clown quickly disappeared. He shot across the sky like a meteor, flying toward the Tent.

The Queen of Hearts cards above the ship shimmered for a moment... then vanished all at once, dissolving into sparkles of red mana. A single Queen of Hearts card floated gently down and drifted towards the Clown.

On the White Pearl, the crew finally exhaled.

"So... we’re safe?" Lily said with a deep breath.

"How dare he... with another girl..." Mathilda muttered, her eyes burning with jealousy.

"He did it to save us... probably," Darla said with a faint blush.

"Who was that girl? Why didn’t he let me join the fun?" Mathilda pouted, her arms crossed.

"That’s your problem?!" Darla said, genuinely baffled this time.

"Once this is all over, I’m going to ask Tyler to lend her to me," Mathilda said with her usual shameless grin, a bit of drool escaping the corner of her mouth. "I’ll play with her day and night..."

"Huh... Hate to break it to you," Lily cut in, her tone flat and precise. "But I think she’s already dead. Didn’t see even a hint of breathing in that video. No chest movement, no subtle shifts—nothing. She’s gone."

Her voice was calm, but the chill in her words was unmistakable. Lily’s observations were as sharp and unsettling as ever.

"He was molesting a dead body?" Darla was shocked for another reason.

With the Clown gone, several dazed pirates looked around, uncertain of what to do. Even Dr. Juggler was dumbfounded.

"What now?" one of them asked nervously.

Dr. Juggler, still leaning on his cane, sighed and gave the order, "The Tent is under attack. We retreat and protect the Tent."

Just as they were about to turn the ship around, a voice rang out—sharp and confident.

"Did I say you could leave?"

Everyone turned.

A young girl now sat elegantly on their deck, legs crossed, sipping tea. She had fox ears, and multiple fluffy fox tails waved lazily behind her. Her golden eyes shimmered with playful malice.

Behind her, an entire red shrine had appeared out of nowhere, floating in the middle of the sea.

The air grew still. The waves crashing on the shrine which indicates the Shrine is not a mirage. The atmosphere turned divine—dangerous.

Dr. Juggler blinked. "Who... who are you?"

Su Fei smiled. "Oh? I’m just a little fox. My job is to step in when things get out of hand—but it looks like they don’t even need me."