She looked up at the clear sky, then at the unfamiliar surroundings bustling with people passing by. She still wasn't used to this situation, and it felt like a dream, the one she wished to wake up from.
But after several days, she became convinced that this wasn't a dream.
If it weren't for the snake bite that left her injured a few days ago, or the incessant chatter of the woman who claimed to be her sister, she might not have realized the truth of her predicament.
"Our troupe will be performing in Tingen City. Get those animals you've tamed ready. And remember one thing! Don't try to take over my role as the fortune-teller."
When she heard about "Tingen City," she thought it was just a coincidence that it had the same name as the city in her favorite novel.
However, when she actually arrived in Tingen and saw the identical street names and Mrs. Smiryn's bakery, she could no longer dismiss it as mere coincidence.
It seems I really am in the world of LotM. But why haven't I been corrupted for knowing too much?
She questioned this after coming to terms with her new life as Laurens.
While waiting for the tents to be set up, Laurens wandered the streets, wondering if she might accidentally bump into Klein.
Today was June 28, 1349, the exact day Zhou Mingrui was transferred into Klein Moretti's body at midnight. So, if the novel's plot holds, then Klein—who is Zhou Mingrui—will head out to buy bread and will stumble upon this very circus.
Laurens was just an ordinary person at this point, she is neither a Beyonder nor a transmigrator with mysterious powers.
Maybe my situation is similar to the transmigrators in the second book…
After organizing her thoughts and accepting her current reality, she wasn't as hysterical as she had expected. She did miss her original world, but she wasn't sure if it was a parallel world or the original Earth from the novel's story.
If her original world was a parallel one, she might still have a chance to return while helping Klein. However, if it was the latter, Laurens didn't want to think about it just yet.
It was too dangerous to dwell on it. Besides, it's not like she didn't have a cheat, just that it was something she hadn't expected.
She could recall every detail of the novel without being corrupted, as if she had some sort of special protection. In fact, this ability was quite extraordinary.
Maybe I can help Klein, change some of the plot, but I'm not sure if that would affect the future too much. If Captain Dunn doesn't die, would Klein still go to Backlund and kill Lanevus?
Once again, she faced the dilemma of whether to follow the plot or alter it to save lives. Laurens still felt like this world wasn't real to her, but she knew she couldn't keep treating it that way.
When her thoughts finally stopped wandering, she noticed a figure approaching the circus. If it weren't for the character's clothing as described in the novel, Laurens might not have recognized him.
The novel's description of his average appearance might have been an understatement, as Laurens was sure her eyes weren't deceiving her.
A smile tugged at her lips as she walked toward the young man dressed in a yellow coat and a matching flannel hat.
At this moment, Laurens was wearing the clown makeup she usually donned for performances, so she felt safe knowing Klein wouldn't remember her face.
"Sir, would you like to try a tarot reading?"
Laurens played the role of the passerby from the beginning of the novel whose part was merely to guide Klein to use the name "The Fool."
She knew her role well, but she also wanted to tease Klein, her favorite character, a little.
The young man with a rather handsome face finally nodded after a few moments of hesitation. He replied, "If the price is reasonable."
Laurens nearly laughed at the quirks of her favorite character but held it in, replying, "Sir, you're the first customer today, so it's free."
She noticed Klein's stunned expression, and a sense of satisfaction filled her.
Then, she turned and walked toward the fortune-teller's tent, leading Klein, who followed her inside.
Inside, the tent was dark, with only a faint light seeping in from outside and the flicker of a candle on the table, casting a mysterious atmosphere.
Laurens circled the table and sat behind it, waiting for Klein to sit across from her. She deliberately displayed a few tarot cards on the table before gathering them up and placing them in front of Klein.
"Shuffle the cards," she said, watching Klein's surprised expression.
"Me? Shuffle the cards?" Klein seemed to question why he was the one doing it and not the fortune-teller.
Laurens smiled as she explained, following the script she knew, "Of course, everyone's fate unfolds on its own. I merely serve as the reader."
As she expected, the young man looked cautious and asked her, "There's no extra charge for this reading, right?"
Laurens pretended to be shocked and replied in a muffled voice, "It's free."
She watched as Klein picked up the deck, shuffled it, and then placed it back on the table. "I'm done."
This time, Laurens didn't want to follow the script any further because she wanted to experiment—would changing small things affect the outcome?
She asked in a low voice, "What do you want to know?"
Klein was silent for a moment before replying, "The past, the present, and the future."
Laurens nodded and drew one card from the deck, placing it to Klein's right. "This is your past."
Then, she drew the next card and placed it in front of Klein. "This is your present."
Finally, she drew a card and placed it to Klein's left. "This is your future."
Laurens gazed into Klein's brown eyes and asked, "Which one would you like to reveal first?"
"I'll look at the present first," he replied, looking curious about the outcome.
Laurens felt a bit nervous because she had altered the script, so when she revealed the middle card and got the same result, she secretly felt relieved.
It was a card depicting a colorful character wearing a headdress and holding a staff over their shoulder, with a sack hanging from the end and a small dog following. The card was numbered "0."
"The Fool," Laurens read out, her grayish-blue eyes meeting Klein's.
The atmosphere subtly shifted, and Laurens truly felt the change. She pursed her lips, realizing that small changes wouldn't affect the final outcome. She grew more confident about altering things.
She counted the time in her head, just as Klein was about to ask a question.
Suddenly, the tent flap was flung open from outside, and her sister's voice, shrill like a parrot's, echoed, "Why are you pretending to be me again? It's my job to do the readings!"
She rushed in and scolded, "Get back to your place, and don't forget you're just an animal trainer!"
Laurens sighed, holding back her irritation. She said to Klein, "Don't mind her. I just enjoy doing this, but my readings and interpretations are sometimes very accurate, I'm serious."
She quickly got up from her seat and ran out of the tent. Her role was done. What happened next was up to her. How she would act to change the plot and save a few lives.
***