Chapter 64 technical details

London, November 1, 1901 When Celia listened to Marco's steady heartbeat echoing the ticking of the clock, how she wished she could freeze time and stay in this moment forever, curled up in his arms, with his hands gently stroking her back.How she wished she didn't have to leave. At most, she could only slow down Marco's heartbeat and put him into a deep sleep. She could have woken him up, but the sky was growing light outside, and the thought of saying goodbye terrified her. While he was falling asleep, she kissed him softly on the lips, and then dressed quietly.She took the ring off her finger and left it on the mantelpiece, between two hearts printed on a playing card.

She paused as she put on her coat, looking at the books scattered across the table. If she has a better understanding of his operating systems, she can use them to make the circus more independent, relieve some of the burden on herself, and allow the two to spend more time together without overtly provoking the rules of the competition. It's not just a few hours of sneaking around to find time. That was the best gift she could think of for him, if they were powerless to force their respective mentors to pass judgment. She picked up the volume filled with names.Since she understood the rationale for the system's intended purpose, it seemed like an appropriate place to start.

When she leaves, she takes the booklet with her. Celia closed the door of Marco's apartment as quietly as she could, and slipped down the dark hallway, the leather-bound booklet tucked under her arm.The door locks closed behind her with a series of soft and indistinct clicks. She didn't notice the figure hiding in the nearby shadows until the other person spoke. You cunning little slut.her father said. Celia closed her eyes, trying to concentrate, but once he caught her, it was difficult to push him away.And there was nothing she could do this time. I'm amazed that you waited in the aisle just to insult me ​​like that, Dad.she says.It's ridiculous that the security of this place is so strict. Hector waved at the door and said, "Nothing can get in except the person that the kid has made it clear that he is willing to meet."

Very well, Celia said: You can stay away from him, and you can also stay away from me. What are you going to do with that?he asked, pointing to the brochure under her arm. Don't worry about it.Celia said. You cannot interfere with his work.Hector said. I know that stepping in is one of the few rules that clearly violates the competition.I'm not going to get involved, I'm just trying to learn his system so I don't have to carry so much circus stuff with me all the time. his system.You shouldn't waste your time with Alexander's system.You don't know what you are doing.I overestimated your ability to meet this challenge.

This is competition, isn't it?Celia asks: It's about how we deal with the reverberations of magic when it's put in a public place, in a world that doesn't believe in such things.This is a test of endurance and control, not skill. This is a test of strength, Hector said: And you are weak, weaker than I thought. Then let me lose, she said: I'm exhausted, Daddy, I can't keep going.It's not like gloating over a bottle of whiskey once the winner is announced. Winners are not announced, her father said: the competition has to be played to the end, not to call it quits.You should have figured out this kind of thing by now, you were pretty smart before.

Celia glared at him fiercely, but at the same time, she was also pondering his words in her heart, secretly gathering in her heart that when she asked about the rules for many years, his cryptic answers were irrelevant.The various elements that he had always avoided, now the whole outline suddenly became clear; the key unknown factor was also revealed. It turns out that the winner is the one who still stands when others can't bear it anymore.Celia said that she finally understood the overall situation with a bolt from the blue. This generalization is rough, but I think it's good enough.

Celia turned to face Marco's apartment and put her hand on the door. Don't act like you adore that brat, Hector said: You're way above this mundane thing. You are willing to sacrifice me for such a damn thing, she said quietly: To prove your point, you would rather let me destroy myself.You clearly knew the dangers, but you tied me into this competition, and you deliberately made me think that it was purely a challenge of skill. Don't look at me with that look, he said: It seems that he treats me very inhumanly. I can see right through you, Celia snapped. It's not particularly taxing to my imagination.

If I hadn't become what I am now, the result would not have been different. What happens to the circus when the competition is over?Celia asked. A circus is just a venue, he said: a arena, a very festive arena.After you win, you can continue to follow the circus, but without the competition, the circus loses its purpose. I thought, other people involved also lose their effect?Celia asked: Is their fate just a joint result? All actions have consequences, Hector said: That's part of the challenge. Why are you telling me everything now that you never mentioned before? Because in the past, I never thought that you might lose the battle.

You mean die.Celia said. That's technical detail, Hector said: the contest isn't over until there's only one competitor left.There is no other way to end the contest.When the whole thing is over, you can ditch your false dreams of continuing to undress that nameless kid who was just a little guy that Alexander fished out of some ghost place in London. Who stayed afterward?Celia said, ignoring his comment, you said Alexander's student won the last challenge, what happened to him? A mocking laugh trembled through Chuo Chuo's shadows before Hector answered. She twists her body into knots in your precious circus.