Hello I'm back, thy leg is healed but I don't have molars anymore.
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"Lynette?"
"Are you still there?"
"Don't go too far, or when the magic runs out, the trick will be exposed."
Lyney called out.
"Mm, I'm back."
In the span of those three brief calls, Lynette stepped out from the shadows of the stage, her clothes neat and completely dry, returning once more beneath the spotlight.
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience, accompanied by a wave of excited chatter.
At a moment like this, no one cared about the volume of their voice anymore.
"Eh? What just happened? Didn't Lynette jump into the water tank? How did she disappear, and how did she come out? Why didn't I see anything at all?"
Neuvillette replied calmly, "If it could be easily seen through, that would only mean Lyney's skills still require refinement."
Lumine nodded slightly. "As expected of a renowned master magician."
"Uh… fine. When Lynette reappeared, I was really shocked. That was amazing!"
Amid endless praise and discussion from the audience, Lynette exited the stage once again, leaving only Lyney standing alone.
"Thank you all for your applause. Are you satisfied with the performance just now? But our magical journey has only just begun. I've prepared an even more astonishing moment for you."
The hall gradually fell silent, until only Lyney's voice echoed through the venue.
"After watching the water tank escape trick, even if you didn't consciously think about it, you may still suspect that my indispensable assistant Lynette was cooperating behind the scenes."
"In that case, I would still have had sufficient time and conditions to prepare. So, for the next trick, not only will I elevate the art of transposition and disappearance beyond the water tank escape—"
"—but I will also select a lucky audience member on the spot to take Lynette's place."
"Come, my companions. Bring forth the enchanted boxes."
As he spoke, several assistants carried two large wooden boxes—one to the center of the stage, and the other to the central aisle of the audience seating.
"The keen-eyed among you have likely guessed it already. The next trick will involve an exchange through these two boxes."
"The selected lucky audience member and I will each enter one of the boxes. After one minute, we will walk out from the other's box."
"Everyone here, please keep your eyes fixed on the box within your sight. Do not grant me even the slightest opportunity for trickery."
"As for the lucky participant, she will be randomly chosen by this number selector beside me. Even I do not know who will receive this fortune."
"And now, let us begin—"
Lyney pressed the switch on the selector. The audience collectively held their breath. Some hoped to be chosen, others prayed not to be. In the end, the selector stopped.
"Oh? Row Five, Seat Three!"
Lyney looked up and saw that the seat belonged to a young girl.
From the edge of the VIP section, Victor Wang glanced downward. Though he could not see her face clearly from that angle, it was enough.
There was no issue with this choice. The trick could proceed. Otherwise, he would have had to ask Furina to request that Lyney "randomly" select another number.
"Congratulations to this audience member. You're about to personally experience this magical minute! Now, my companions, please escort her to the magic box in the audience."
At Lyney's signal, the box opened wide. Inside was a clean interior space, decorated overhead with ornaments and balloons.
"My apologies. The space inside the box may feel a little cramped, so we've carefully arranged decorations to help ease your nerves."
"Relax. You don't need to do anything. Even if you experience something strange, do not come out."
"Otherwise, if the magic is interrupted, I can't guarantee where you might appear. It could even be the Fortress of Meropide, hehe."
The girl nodded cooperatively.
"Alright, then I shall enter my box as well. However… there's one more thing I must trouble you all with—could you help me count down?"
"Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight—like that, counting down one by one. A little faster or slower is fine. Once I'm inside the box, I won't be able to see anything, so I'll rely on your voices to tell me the time."
"Oh, and don't play any tricks. If you count to sixty in just thirty seconds, you'll make things very difficult for me."
"You wouldn't do that, would you?"
Various responses rose from the audience.
"Ah, never mind… just looking at your expressions, I can tell. I can't quite trust you. Let's practice first."
Lyney guided them. "Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight. Come, repeat after me—"
The audience echoed, "Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight—"
"Yes, yes! That's the speed. Keep it steady, alright? When the countdown ends, we'll meet again inside the opposite boxes."
Lyney finally stepped into his box.
Victor Wang gave Furina a slight nod, then quietly turned and left the VIP section.
Once one understood the mechanism, this trick was actually quite simple.
Both magic boxes were double-layered structures. The box containing the audience member had both an inner box and an outer shell, while the box onstage had only the outer shell. Beneath both boxes were connected to the two ends of the same underground tunnel. Beneath the audience box was a liftable, rotatable platform cart.
After Lyney and the lucky audience member entered their respective boxes, Lyney would descend from the stage box into the tunnel, hurry to the audience box, and use the lift platform to transport the inner box—containing the audience member—beneath the stage box. He would then enter the audience box himself and wait for the countdown to finish.
Meanwhile, Lynette would enter the stage box and use a pre-recorded device to create the illusion that Lyney remained inside. In the final few seconds before the countdown ended, she could even change clothes—taking advantage of the siblings' similar appearance—to briefly disguise herself as Lyney and open the stage box once, heightening suspense for the audience.
When the countdown truly neared its end, Lynette would descend into the tunnel again, raise the inner box of the audience box into the empty stage box, conceal herself, and complete her exit.
At that point, the audience would witness a dazzling feat: Master Magician Lyney, after randomly selecting an audience member as his assistant, had seemingly swapped places with her in less time than it would take to run across the hall.
In reality, for the audience to count down sixty seconds would take approximately seventy-five seconds. Completing the exchange required only fifteen seconds for Lyney. The extra minute was the time reserved for his true objective.
Through the tunnel's ventilation shaft, he would head toward the underground area of the Opera Épiclèse—toward the chamber housing the core of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale—to investigate it.
Victor Wang could not understand why Focalors, who had hidden within the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale for five hundred years, would choose to speak when Lyney approached—exposing herself so easily.
The only explanation that seemed plausible was that she intended for Arlecchino to notice something unusual about the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, to realize that Furina did not possess power befitting a Hydro Archon, thereby placing pressure on Furina and hastening the arrival of her trial… though even that reasoning felt somewhat forced.
Now, with Furina's assistance, Victor Wang arrived openly and ahead of Lyney at the chamber containing the core of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
"Whether you can perceive the changes of the outside world or not, I will ensure that the prophecy proceeds smoothly. Let us cooperate."
"Hehe, how interesting."
From the core of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale—like a sapphire tear condensed into a gem, within which rested the Hydro Archon's Gnosis—came a voice identical to Furina's.
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