The Secret Code of Monsters

Chapter 173 Ch.172 Mud Ball Circus

Xander and Roland made an appointment at the door of the trial court.

(To be honest, Roland thinks that apart from the Tribunal, there really isn’t much ‘familiar’ interaction between them.)

Because it was a 'date', Roland did not wear the traditional teaching uniform today.

He wore a high-collared shirt with dark patterns, and outside the waistcoat, he wore a calf-length duffel windbreaker with soft fabric and a warm cloak that reached his hips.

A black silk flat top hat that is not too tall, a shiny black lacquered wooden cane, and sheepskin gloves of the same color.

A pair of dark brown leather shoes.

Elegant yet not too serious and formal at the same time.

Xander Kratof is the same as Roland.

Wool stockings paired with black leather low-heeled boots. Inner skirt, hip pad, outer hip pad, outer petticoat, corset, high-neck lace undershirt, outer skirt - of course, Roland himself didn't know much about these little secrets of girls.

When he looked out from the carriage, he could only see a well-bred gray-haired girl.

The turquoise outer skirt has the same pleat lace pattern as the neck;

The entire long skirt is cut with many layers, and the neckline, front chest and cuffs are all sewn with copper-colored fine yarn.

She was wrapped in animal furs, and her long gray hair was hidden in a tweed lace-trimmed Bonnet hat.

The slope of the head is also tied with a gray ribbon of the same color as her hair.

Not so much pretty, elegant.

Rather, her dress today is consistent with her original age.

Cute and innocent.

A carefree girl.

"Good day, Roland."

Roland couldn't remember exactly when she started calling herself 'Roland'. The young man sitting in the carriage was in a trance for a moment - as if the gray-haired girl with a beautiful face, sometimes angry and sweet, was not the same person as the one sneering in the slum.

"Good day, Miss Kratoff."

Roland got off the carriage, held the top of his hat against his chest, and bowed slightly.

"You are as beautiful today as an accidental creation of the best tailor."

"Oh?" This was a 'courtesy compliment' that Xander had never heard before. It was different from the boring compliments she was tired of hearing every day. "The tailor's creation? Me?"

"You are like a rose that he sewed out of a piece of precious gray gauze..." Roland smiled gently, and in the winter, the gold in his eyes looked even cleaner and clearer. "...And one day when I looked back, I was surprised to find that this hand-stitched rose had actually grown a new petal."

“Its beauty was pitied by the benefactor and given life.”

The girl was so happy that she stretched her nose and approached Roland affectionately: "Call me Xander, don't call me Kratof."

She breathed out white mist, and her body smelled faintly of freesia.

"Just like I call you Roland."

Recently, the city of London has been dressed up in a particularly 'fancy' way - to be honest, Roland rarely used the word 'fancy' to describe London and the people living in this city.

Both poor and rich.

They all abide by different rules of different classes, keep a straight face, eat and sit around every day.

But something has changed recently.

Because of two things.

First:

Christmas is coming.

Looking from the carriage, the streets were covered with branches of holly and mistletoe - more holly and less mistletoe (because it was expensive).

There are even many dealers wandering the streets with children, picking up holly branches that have fallen on the ground, and even breaking into other people's homes to 'pick' them up.

The police were kept busy all day by this ridiculous thing.

Christmas, that's one reason to be fancy.

The second is...

The Mud Ball Circus is coming!

This year-round event is extremely well-known in large circuses across the country. In addition to relying on the actual owner's publicity methods, the Mud Ball Circus itself is also far more interesting than other inferior sideshows——

To a certain extent, they are as popular as "Dalys the Benefactor".

It's just that one is in the ears of the public and the other is under the tongue of the upper class.

Roland has never been to the opera house to see with his own eyes the song and dance group named after the hero, but today, he will get to see another group that is equally popular.

"Mud Ball Circus, where did the name come from?"

In the carriage, Roland and Xander chatted all the time.

They passed through the city and headed to Hampstead Green, a suburb of London.

This place with convenient transportation and beautiful scenery is very popular among London citizens - of course, at least the 'citizens' who can afford better leather shoes.

People often come here to have picnics with their families during holidays. Including some upper-class nouveau riche, even they like to buy real estate and land here.

"That's what Mr. Lyle said."

Xander obviously liked the circus very much, and even remembered the words of its owner clearly: "Mr. Lyle's conversation at a banquet was published in the newspaper. He said-"

‘My children and I have all lived in the mud. ’

‘We are the scorned balls of clay. Mean, dirty, and unappreciated. ’

'But now, we can face these good or bad sights calmly...'

‘We started to be sought after and suddenly welcomed with open arms. A waterfall of gold pounds and flowers. ’

‘We become balls of silver, balls of gold, balls of precious stones in their eyes. ’

‘But tell me, should I admit that we are gems? ’

‘We are clay balls. Funny, wonderful, happy clay balls. We do not forget our origins, nor do we make up the past. ’

‘We bring joy to everyone. ’

Xander's tone was very subtle.

She said that Mr. Lyle was very active a few years ago, and his number of newspaper appearances was enough to catch up with those fancy serialized love stories - he first started to cry about the difficulties of the circus and the hard life, and sought funding in major newspapers.

Later, after gaining some fame, he boasted that he was "well-informed" - his experience of touring everywhere did give him a lot of topics to talk about.

For example, he once wrote in the newspaper about a "murder case" he had heard of in a certain place:

A drunkard attended a friend's banquet and went to the tavern to continue drinking. When he got home, he finally fell in front of the fireplace because he couldn't bear the alcohol - the hook of the hanging fork just hooked his collar and strangled him to death.

The local police studied this for more than a month, but couldn't catch the murderer, and the case became a sensation. In the end, it was one of his children who spoke up and gave Lyle an idea.

He immediately found the police and told them about it, and the truth of the case was revealed.

——Such anecdotes not only delight the public, but also make people think that he is indeed well-informed.

However, some people are not very happy.

Because Mr. Lyle especially likes to express his "unique" views on the news in the newspaper, under the name of "providing a little help" - for example, a young man in a certain place opened a coffee shop with all his assets.

But soon he went bankrupt due to poor management, and he was hit hard and committed suicide by taking poison.

Lyle immediately commented: "If he had a heart as hard as iron as mine, he would not have to die. Committing suicide by taking poison is really bad news - but as far as I know, his parents died of a cold six months ago..."

"His parents don't have to know that their son has died, so they are sad. '

'Look, this is another good news. '

For example:

An article warned that someone sold poisonous pickled rat meat in the slums, which had caused the death of more than a dozen children.

Lyle immediately commented: "I agree with the warning of this news - we can't kill rats indiscriminately anymore. ’

The indecent stories in most indecent newspapers, which are funny, or involve x-topics and family secrets, are called the sewer of humanity by some critics.

Similarly, Mr. Lyle was given a similar name by them.

Sewer rat.

But he never tires of it, and is loved by the general public year after year.

——Because he really fits the self that the citizens dare not express but is true to themselves in their hearts.

Roland now understands why Shandel's tone is subtle when talking about him.