Chapter 743 Beautiful Flowers

Chapter 743 Beautiful Flowers

That uneasy feeling crept back in, but I felt like my feet were glued to the floor, unable to move an inch.

My eyes were fixed on the scene unfolding in the center of the crowd, and I felt completely out of control.

"Then hurry it up already. We're here for the dinner party, not some show," the girl said, trying to sound tough, though it was obvious she was just embarrassed.

Others in the crowd chimed in.

"Quit stalling and get on with it. We've got other people to talk to."

"If you wanted to perform, why not just set up a show? Why go through all this trouble for a dinner party?"

"Looks like someone has too much money and no idea how to spend it."

Hearing these comments only made that eerie feeling grow stronger.

Were these people really not actors hired by the masked man?

What kind of trick was he planning?

Just then, the masked man snapped his fingers, and everyone went quiet.

"Magic takes preparation, so let's start with a little warm-up."

I frowned and instinctively tightened my grip on Royce's hand.

I still couldn't see Savannah and the others. Had they not made it into the party?

But they had invitations too.

The masked man's so-called warm-up turned out to be some very basic tricks.

For example, he made a flower appear at the top of a small iron rod and then handed it to the girl who had been cooperating with him.

Everyone clapped at this, and Royce and I joined in, albeit a bit late.

"Alright, warm-up's over," the masked man said, giving a formal bow to the audience, spinning around and repeating the gesture several times.

The unease in my heart grew stronger. I checked my phone, but there were still no messages from Savannah and the others.

Then the masked man invited the girl to the center of the room.

"Can anyone guess what kind of magic I'm going to perform?"

The crowd shook their heads. I stared at the masked man and the girl in the center, and a sudden realization hit me.

Could it be...

"That's right, it's the classic 'disappearing person' trick," the masked man said, a sinister smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

So it was that trick. But would he make the girl disappear or add another one?

I couldn't help but tighten my grip, then quickly let go when I realized I was still holding hands with Royce.

"They're planning to replace the original person with a magic trick," I whispered to Royce.

Royce's expression was equally serious. "Let's keep watching."

Even if my guess was right, we couldn't act rashly given the current situation.

"There's nothing here. How are you going to do the trick?" someone in the crowd asked.

The masked man looked over at the speaker. "That's exactly how I can show off my magical skills, isn't it?"

The crowd seemed convinced and nodded in agreement.

Royce and I stood on the outer edge of the circle, blending into the background.

We noticed the rest of the venue was eerily quiet.

If any troublemakers tried to sneak in now, they could easily trap us.

Thankfully, nothing happened.

"Come on, just do the trick already!" someone else shouted.

I kept my eyes locked on the center of the crowd, determined to figure out how he would perform this magic trick.

"Don't rush. My prop hasn't arrived yet," the masked man said just as a waiter pushed a cart over.

The masked man then asked everyone to make way.

"Please move aside, my prop is here."

Everyone seemed captivated, crowding around to watch, with no one thinking of leaving.

Even street magicians in the park couldn't hold an audience like this unless... something was off.

The masked man then took a red cloth from the cart and shook it out to show everyone.

"Please take a close look. This is just an ordinary red cloth. If you don't believe me, you can pass it around and feel it."

With that, he handed the cloth to someone, and it made its way around the crowd, eventually reaching me and Royce.

We felt it briefly before passing it on.

The fabric felt quite nice, very smooth, though I couldn't tell what it was made of.

Wait, that texture was very familiar.

I frowned, my mind racing through various scenes until I locked onto one.

I'd encountered this fabric in Kathy's studio.

Kathy had mentioned looking for a specific kind of silk to make such fabric, and then... that incident happened...

So this red cloth was made from that special silk fed on human flesh.

I swallowed hard, guessing the red color came from the silk's natural blood hue.

"Maybe we should leave," Royce whispered, his eyes full of concern.

I knew Royce was worried about me because I probably looked like a mess.

"I'm fine. I can hold on."

Seeing my determination, Royce nodded reluctantly.

Just then, the red cloth made its way back to the masked man. He shook it out again to show everyone.

"Everyone's seen it, right? There's nothing unusual about this cloth?"

"Nope, now get on with the show."

The masked man smiled and approached the girl.

"Miss, are you afraid?"

The girl shook her head, her eyes showing a hint of admiration. "Not at all. Just get on with it."

The masked man chuckled. "Then I'll cover you with this cloth."

He then tossed the cloth over the girl, covering her completely.

The cloth fit perfectly, as if tailored for her, covering her entirely.

"Everyone, take a good look. I'm not cheating," the masked man said, stepping back to show the girl covered in the red cloth.

From her shape and everything else, it was clear there was only one person under the cloth, and nothing had changed.

"Now, let's all say a magic phrase together," the masked man said, raising his hands. "Beautiful flower, how many petals do you have?"