Chapter 74: The Star Eclipse Announcer
“Sir, the path ahead is closed. Please turn back.”
At the sound of the voice, Mo Tu lifted his eyelids and stared at the mysterious figure that had appeared on the road ahead without his notice.
It was a young man in a black tuxedo, complete with a top hat and gloved hands gripping a cane. It was a typical gentleman outfit, poised and polite.
However, the aura surrounding him was unusual, something quite abnormal.
Mo Tu recognized him immediately.
This man was a Star Eclipse Embodiment, and a high-ranking one at that.
It was obvious this Star Eclipse had been lingering in Yun Chang City for some time.
As long as he didn’t emit Star Eclipse fluctuations, he wouldn’t trigger the Know Star alert; they seemed to possess a rather elevated sense of awareness.
After a moment of silence, Mo Tu smiled and asked, “Might I ask if you are a gentleman from the Rising Sun Theater Group?”
Upon hearing this, the gentleman’s expression showed a hint of surprise.
“Oh? Do you happen to know me, sir?”
“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you. To be honest, I’m quite curious about the Rising Sun Theater Group and have deep respect for its members.”
“I see. You’ve come because of our reputation? Perhaps you are interested in our performances?”
Mo Tu didn’t respond immediately, but continued, “Forgive my intrusion, could you take me to meet your group leader? We’ve met before, and if possible, I would like to discuss something with him.”
The gentleman studied Mo Tu for a while before nodding. “Then please follow me, sir.”
Mo Tu smiled.
“Thank you for leading the way.”
“No need to thank me, sir. You are the most polite person I’ve met in years, and I’m delighted to show you the way.”
“Really? It’s just basic etiquette.”
“Ah, but even basic etiquette is often disregarded by many. I’ve seen too much of it. Please don’t be humble; you are worthy of my respect.”
Mo Tu smiled but said nothing.
He could say he had prepared for this before coming, merely breezing through the plot with a guidebook.
After a while, Mo Tu drew closer to the singing, finally arriving at an open area.
At this moment, a terrifying Star Eclipse aura hit him like a freight train, enough to make the Sunlight Night Watchers pale in fear.
But Mo Tu didn’t react much. He simply stood still, staring at the pale-haired girl in the center of the clearing, lost in her song.
Who she was didn’t matter anymore.
Mo Tu just knew he had to stabilize her state.
As the song gradually subsided, applause erupted from the surroundings.
It came from the gentleman beside Mo Tu, a masked man sitting on an abandoned car, and… the group leader standing not far away.
Mo Tu clapped along, trying to blend in.
Even after the other three stopped, he continued clapping, seemingly trying to draw attention.
The gazes of the others shifted toward him, honing in on Mo Tu.
The group leader walked over slowly, soon standing right in front of Mo Tu.
“Sir, it seems we’ve met before.”
Mo Tu, unfazed by the thick Star Eclipse aura around him, smiled and replied, “Indeed, we’ve had a brief encounter, dear group leader.”
“You seem to be looking for me.”
“Yes, I have a request.”
Mo Tu nodded slightly, speaking as if already prepared in his mind.
“Do tell.”
“Could I… join the Rising Sun Theater Group?”
Mo Tu lifted his head slightly with a sincere smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere instantly fell silent.
No one said a word; only Mo Tu’s calm breathing could be heard.
All members of this theater group were Star Eclipses, which Mo Tu was well aware of.
The Star Eclipses present were nothing like the inferior ones he’d encountered before.
These beings warranted intervention from a Sunlight Night Watcher; each one was impressive.
Yet despite that, Mo Tu made a bold decision—to make secret contact with them.
If other Watchers found out Mo Tu had decided to join a Star Eclipse organization, they would surely think he had lost his mind, or worse, that he had been mentally contaminated by the Star Eclipses.
But in reality, Mo Tu was quite clear-headed, aware of what he was doing and what he needed to do next.
To avoid being sidelined, he had to act this way.
If the future Mo Tu was understandably cautious, then the current Mo Tu was incredibly radical.
His thoughts were unpredictable; as a youth, he would trust his first instincts and act quickly.
His pride wouldn’t allow him to be pushed out.
After a moment of silence…
The group leader finally spoke.
“May I ask, sir, are you interested in performing?”
“Not in the slightest,” Mo Tu replied honestly, realizing he’d fallen right into the trap.
The masked man wouldn’t let him lie.
But it was pointless; Mo Tu couldn’t be bothered with lying now.
The group leader continued to inquire, “Then why do you wish to join the group?”
“Because it’s interesting.”
At this, the Fraudster, who had been fiddling with a deck of cards, paused and looked over at Mo Tu.
Not a lie.
The Fraudster had long dismissed any notions of falsehood concerning Mo Tu.
Interesting?
Would such a reason persuade the group leader?
And Mo Tu awaited the group leader’s response.
Then the group leader said, “Not interested? That’s merely because you don’t yet understand. I agree to your joining the group. Since you find it interesting, you might just find yourself enchanted by the allure of theater. However…”
The group leader paused.
“You and we are not of the same kind, and you don’t seem to be interested in performing. How shall you integrate into the group?”
To this, Mo Tu smiled slightly and replied nonchalantly, “Then just make me one of your kind, won’t you?”
“Oh?”
At that moment, Mo Tu glanced toward the Fraudster, who was also staring back, their eyes locking.
“Mr. Fraudster, could you turn me into one of your kind? I know you have that ability.”
“I can. I admire you, but let’s see what you truly wish to do—to see if you’re trying to fool me.”
The Fraudster stood atop the car, looking down at Mo Tu, an invisible force radiating outward and taking effect on Mo Tu.
Concept replacement.
“Now, please don’t resist.”
“I won’t resist.”
“Good.”
Strong Star Eclipse fluctuations burst forth, and the Know Star in Yun Chang City quickly sounded an alarm.
“Alert! Alert! Ultra Star Eclipse concept interference detected, position locked, danger level extremely high. Please, Night Watchers, proceed with caution!”
Ultra Star Eclipses—this was a specification just below Supernova Star Eclipses and just as dangerous; requiring at least one Sunlight Night Watcher to suppress it.
Below ultra were medium and inferior, marking a significant difference.
If a Sunlight Night Watcher were to become a Star Eclipse, they would likely fall under the ultra specification.
All members in the Rising Sun Theater were, at the very least, ultra.
Mo Tu had already foreseen this outcome during his divination.
Then, Mo Tu calmly accepted the Fraudster’s modifications, allowing him to replace the concept of “Star” with “Star Eclipse.”
Such concept interference was extremely advanced; it could only succeed with Mo Tu’s consent.
Yet everything that was happening was perfectly in line with his intentions—why would he resist?
Seconds later…
Mo Tu’s human aura vanished, focusing instead on a pure Star Eclipse presence.
“Ha…”
Mo Tu opened his eyes, revealing slightly sinister ones.
Even upon becoming a Star Eclipse, he still recalled his purpose.
As expected, after undergoing the transformation, the interference from that power had diminished significantly.
Though this could potentially lead him to lose himself…
Night Watcher Mo Tu, uh, no, now he should be known as Star Eclipse Mo Tu.
He looked toward the group leader, smiling as he asked, “May I proceed now, esteemed group leader?”
“Welcome to the Rising Sun Theater Group. You possess no performance talent and cannot be a stage performer, thus your codename shall be: Announcer, serving as the host of our stage.”
“Understood,” Mo Tu accepted calmly.
At this moment, the Fraudster said, “While that may sound a bit disheartening, those troublemakers are on their way. Are you really not planning to leave?”
The gentleman tipped his hat lower.
“We’re not afraid of those rude aggressors. Why should we run away?”
“What does the group leader mean?”
The group leader stated calmly, “I respect your thoughts.”
The Fraudster grinned menacingly.
The gentleman’s gaze also turned cold, his warm demeanor retracting.
From their expressions, it seemed they were up for a scuffle.
As for the newly joined singer, she remained silent, merely wishing to sing.
Mo Tu figured he’d better intervene.
After all, with the current lineup of the Rising Sun Theater, bringing in a few Night Watchers would mean sending them to their doom.
Since his previous identity was a Night Watcher…
He felt a bit like a spy in enemy territory.
Thus, Mo Tu smiled and said, “Everyone, it seems we don’t yet have a proper theater; I could construct one for the group. Could we perhaps ignore those people for now?”
Upon hearing this, the scheming Fraudster and the gentleman’s focus shifted.
“A theater? I sense you’re not deceiving me.”
“A theater, indeed? If the Announcer can manage that, then I would appreciate your efforts.”
With that, Mo Tu smiled, eyes closing.
The Star Eclipse version of the River Diagram and Luo Book still retained its original three functions: divination, star map, and vein chart.
And what he’d be using next was the vein chart’s cave heaven.
Creating a theater-like mental space was far too easy for him.
Just a moment’s work.
“Vein chart.”
Mo Tu opened his eyes, watching as the surroundings rapidly morphed, the cave heaven taking form.
This was a large theater constructed by the Star Eclipse version of the River Diagram and Luo Book, filled with an ominous and eerie aura, solely a resting place for theater members, completely isolated from the outside world, impervious to detection.
This cave did not exist in any realm, it was a locked mobile space for members with only one entrance.
The Fraudster watched with interest as the Announcer crafted the theater.
“Let me add my touch as well.”
Concept replacement.
The only entrance that anyone could cross now transformed into one accessible solely for members of the Rising Sun Theater and the audience.
Once Mo Tu stabilized the cave heaven, he let out a breath.
Becoming a Star Eclipse had certainly bolstered his power, but constructing this grand theater in an instant was exhausting.
Mo Tu looked at the group leader and others, noticing that they seemed quite satisfied with the theater.
It appeared they wouldn’t be running around causing chaos.
At least this could spare the Night Watchers some trouble.
The group leader assessed the environment, eventually focusing on the stage in the center of the theater.
“Is this the stage you’ve prepared for us?”
“Indeed, you can perform on it from now on.”
“Announcer, you’ve brought change to our group. As the group leader, I appreciate your efforts.”
“No need for thanks; after all, I am the Announcer of the Rising Sun Theater.”
The gentleman gave Mo Tu a slight bow.
“I look forward to our future interactions, Announcer.”
“As do I, dear gentleman.”
Moments later, the group leader, gentleman, and Fraudster retreated into the shadows, the entire theater brimming with their presence as if they had adapted to this place.
Mo Tu paid them no mind, instead fixating on the singer on stage.
She hadn’t spoken a word to him since the beginning.
Now she seemed quite off.
With that thought, Mo Tu sat in the audience and said, “Singer, sing! Don’t forget your song, don’t forget your existence, don’t forget the ones who wish to hear you sing! Sing! Your existence will be reborn in your song, you will appear before the world renewed, breaking limits with your heartfelt voice. Sing!”
Hearing these words, the singer turned to Mo Tu, her gaze vacant, then slightly parted her lips, releasing a melodious note.
“Ah~♬”
Mo Tu simply listened quietly, not saying another word.
……
Night Watcher Base.
“What’s strange? Why did the Star Eclipse fluctuations just vanish all of a sudden?”
Wang Chao fell into deep thought.
After learning about an ultra Star Eclipse appearing, he had rushed over quickly.
With the specification of such an ultra Star Eclipse, no Sunlight could handle it alone.
But upon reaching the scene, he discovered there wasn’t even the slightest trace of Star Eclipse fluctuations, not even any residual aura left.
“Could the Know Star be broken? Xiao Jin, should we inform the higher-ups to send someone to fix it?”
Beside him, Xiao Jin didn’t respond.
He knew the Know Star couldn’t possibly be malfunctioning; the absence of Star Eclipses only indicated that the one they encountered was exceptionally skilled at concealing itself.
“Let’s not get off topic. Do you know where Mo Tu is?”
“No idea. Who knows where that guy has gone to wander off?”
“I can’t get in touch with him.”
“No way! He’s grown so big and can still get lost? Wait a minute—he’s only seventeen after all! He could very well manage to lose himself.”
Xiao Jin’s expression gradually turned serious.
If things went as expected, Mo Tu had gone missing.
As to why he was missing, it likely pertained to some unspeakable incident.
“Please don’t let anything bad happen…”
Xiao Jin recalled what Mo Tu had said earlier.
He had instructed him to keep an eye on Night Lan’s movements and support her from the shadows.
That was crucial.
So, what was Night Lan doing now?
……
In an empty room, Night Lan was practicing a song, trying to recapture its original essence.
It was a total failure; she just couldn’t imitate it perfectly.
Was it that she hadn’t fully sympathized with the song?
“Hmm… Qing Liao once said that to sing someone else’s song, you must first understand the creator of the song, only then can you empathize and reproduce the song’s essence…”
Qing Liao truly deserved her future title of world songstress; not only was she talented, but she also worked diligently and had all sorts of knowledge down pat.
It seemed she had chosen the right person to ask for advice.
“Phew…”
Night Lan gently exhaled, replaying the previously recorded song before starting to sing once more.
“Ah~♬”
