Chapter 101: Guest (Seeking monthly votes)

In an instant, Lu Mi's mind was highly tense.

He turned his body, returned to the bedside, and used his left hand, wrapped in white bandages, to pick up the "Fallen Mercury."

Immediately after, he grabbed his hunting rifle and, amidst the "ding-a-ling" sound, went to the bedroom window, carefully looking toward the gate.

There was no one there!

At this moment, Lu Mi's heart felt as if it were about to stop beating.

He intended to activate "Spirit Vision" to take another look.

Because once he entered a meditative state in the dream ruins and maintained it for a few seconds, he would hear those crazy and terrifying sounds and show signs of losing control, so he couldn't use this ability smoothly and spent quite a while completing the corresponding operation.

But even after activating "Spirit Vision," he still didn't discover any figure at the door.

However, the sound of the doorbell echoed incessantly.

Amidst a surge of various thoughts, Lu Mi seriously considered whether to return to the bed, forcibly fall asleep, and escape the dream.

But thinking that the unknown danger had already arrived and could invade this semi-underground two-story building at any time, he felt that even if he returned to reality, he might not be able to escape the subsequent attacks.

"Two situations:

"If the one pulling the doorbell can come in, me going to bed is equivalent to giving up resistance;

"If it can't come in, as long as I'm not stimulated into opening the door myself, there shouldn't be any problem.

"No matter what, I have to go downstairs and take a look..."

Lu Mi quickly made up his mind.

He tucked the "Fallen Mercury" back into his waist, secured the axe, picked up the hunting rifle, stepped out of the bedroom door, and descended the stairs with extreme caution.

Just as he reached the first floor, a figure appeared in his eyes.

Beside the dining table that could seat six, in the position facing the stairs, sat the mysterious lady Lu Mi had been searching for everywhere earlier.

She wore a white short-sleeved top with a huge bow at the collar, and her lower body seemed to be dressed in pearl-gray loose trousers; the overall look was both casual and imbued with a unique sense of refinement.

At this moment, she was holding a glass of pale golden drink, sipping it gently, with a black bowler hat placed beside her hand.

Lu Mi instantly relaxed and walked toward the mysterious lady with brown hair and blue eyes.

While putting away the hunting rifle and axe, he pulled out the chair opposite the dining table and sat down, asking:

"You can enter here?"

The lady put down the glass in her hand and smiled slightly:

"Otherwise, how do you think those materials were sent to your room?"

As she spoke, the ding-a-ling sound subsided.

Lu Mi looked at the door and said with a lack of understanding:

"You've already come in, why did you still pull the doorbell?"

The lady smiled:

"This is politeness."

Politeness that could scare someone to death? Lu Mi only dared to mutter in his heart.

He went straight to the point:

"I've obtained the Beyonder material corresponding to 'Pyromaniac'. Hmm, it should be 'Pyromaniac'."

The lady nodded lightly:

"I know. That is also the purpose of my coming to find you."

"Are you willing to help me separate the 'Provoker' Beyonder characteristic and give me the corresponding potion formula?" Lu Mi suppressed the sudden surge of joy and asked, "I was just planning to go to the old tavern to find you."

As for what price he would have to pay for this, he no longer cared.

The lady smiled:

"With the current situation in Cordu Village, it would be very dangerous for you to go out, so I came here directly."

"I can indeed provide the help you want, but this time it is no longer free."

Lu Mi once again discovered that indescribable emotion in the lady's eyes, and the statement "no longer free" actually made him feel much more at ease.

The unknown was more terrifying.

"What do I need to pay?" he asked without hesitation.

The lady said in a calm voice:

"The separated 'Pyromaniac' and 'Hunter' Beyonder characteristics belong to me."

That simple? Lu Mi was quite surprised.

He didn't even feel this was a price; after all, for a very long time, he likely wouldn't be able to use the 'Pyromaniac' Beyonder characteristic.

The lady continued:

"Plus the help provided earlier, later on, if you still have a 'later on', you must do one thing for me."

Lu Mi suddenly felt that the unreadable emotion in the lady's eyes became increasingly obvious.

He asked tentatively:

"What if I don't have a 'later on'?"

The lady laughed:

"Isn't a failed investment a very common thing? Your sister uses divination to buy stocks, didn't she lose a little too?"

"What do you need me to do?" Lu Mi asked without any hesitation.

The lady sighed lightly:

"Survive first, then we'll talk."

"Alright, give me the Beyonder characteristic you obtained."

Lu Mi immediately stood up and walked toward the stairs leading to the second floor.

Before entering the stairwell, he managed to control himself, walking at a steady pace, but once the lady's gaze could no longer see him, he scurried up.

Not long after, Lu Mi returned to the first floor with the cloth bag containing the "Pyromaniac" Beyonder characteristic and walked toward the dining table.

The lady once again picked up the glass, sipping the pale golden liquid.

"What is this?" Lu Mi asked casually.

The lady explained simply:

"An aperitif originating from Trier, called 'Black Poka'. It is brewed by soaking ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in sweet wine for a long time. The taste is quite good."

Lu Mi had brought up this topic just to build rapport, so he didn't ask further. He opened the cloth bag and dug out the burning "heart" from the soil.

The intense sensation burned his palm. He endured the not-too-severe pain, leaned forward, and handed the Beyonder characteristic to the lady across the table.

The lady opened her left palm, letting the "heart" hover in mid-air.

She looked at Lu Mi and laughed:

"When storing Beyonder characteristics in the future, remember to change its environment every so often. If this kind of thing contacts a certain object for a long time, it is very likely to combine with it and become a magical artifact that needs to be sealed."

Is that so... Lu Mi asked:

"How often should I change it?"

"Normally, every two to three days," the lady said casually. "But there are always all kinds of accidents. My suggestion is to change the environment every twenty-four hours. If you can find a suitable sealing and preservation method, then it might not need to be changed for months or even years. Also, if you have already formulated the Beyonder material into a potion, you must drink it as soon as possible, otherwise those liquids can easily combine with the bottle."

As she spoke, a light seemed to flash on her body, and the burning "heart" transformed into countless crimson fireflies.

The "fireflies" danced, circled, and condensed with each other, finally forming three things:

A mass of deep red substance with great elasticity and texture; a "burning heart" that had shrunk a bit compared to before and lost many of its holes; and a deep black "stone" that seemed to have liquid flowing on its surface and emitted a strong, foul odor.

The lady's right palm merely brushed lightly over these three items, and two of them vanished into thin air, not knowing where they went.

Only the deep black "stone," which was only half a fist in size, remained on the dining table.

"Is this the 'Provoker' Beyonder characteristic?" Lu Mi asked with anticipation.

The lady took out a notepad and a silver-cased round-bellied fountain pen, scribbling the potion formula while reminding him:

"You are still too lacking in mystical knowledge. After killing that monster, you actually only took the Beyonder characteristic."

"This kind of supernatural creature is rich in spirituality, and many things on its body can be used to make charms, potions, and serve as materials for certain spells and rituals. The simplest example is that its blood is one of the auxiliary materials for the 'Pyromaniac' potion."

"Although the 'Pyromaniac' potion requires fire salamander blood, that monster's blood would also work; essentially the same, and perhaps even better."

The more Lu Mi heard, the more he regretted it.

Although there were more or less scenes of hunting monsters and taking parts in the novels Aurora read that contained adventure elements, he hadn't connected such things to reality, thinking only that the Beyonder characteristic of the flame monster was precious.

And if he went to get it today, the blood would have dried up!

The lady didn't care about his reaction, tore off the top sheet of the notepad, and let it flutter toward Lu Mi.

Lu Mi reached out to catch it, looking impatiently at the series of words:

"'Provoker' potion formula:

"Main material: One 'Provoker' Beyonder characteristic;

"Auxiliary materials: 50 milliliters of distilled wine, 10 drops of honeysuckle dew, 5 grams of grapevine powder, 10 grams of water fern powder;

"Usage: Drink directly."

After reading it, Lu Mi asked with slight confusion:

"There are no materials rich in spirituality..."

Like the fire salamander blood.

The lady smiled:

"Different potions have different requirements. Yours mainly takes symbols in the mystical sense."

"For example, water fern is 'easily influenced by others' words', which is very similar to the essence of a 'Provoker'."

Is a "Provoker" someone who lets others be influenced by their words? Lu Mi put away the note and pondered where to obtain these auxiliary materials:

There was distilled wine at home; Aurora liked to use it when cooking certain dishes. Grapevine and water fern were everywhere in the Dalie region, but he might have to risk going out. Only the honeysuckle—he had to ask if there was any in Aurora's spell materials...

When Lu Mi raised his head again, the lady opposite, along with the black bowler hat and the "Black Poka" aperitif, had vanished.

He hadn't noticed when the other party had left at all.

This was while his "Spirit Vision" was still active.

Phew, Lu Mi let out a breath, carrying the "Provoker" Beyonder characteristic and the potion formula, with a mix of joy and anticipation, returned to the second floor, and entered the bedroom.

He quickly lay on the bed, intending to return to reality to ask Aurora, hoping to gather the auxiliary materials tonight.

He didn't even bother about the fact that "Spirit Vision" was still on; it would terminate automatically after he fell into a deep sleep anyway.

…………

In the middle of the night, with no light seeping in, Lu Mi opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Aurora beside him.

He joyfully wanted to tell his sister that he had obtained the "Provoker" potion formula.

Almost at the same time, he saw Aurora's mouth open slightly, and a blurry, transparent figure crawled out from inside.

It was a strange, lizard-like creature!

Lu Mi's gaze instantly froze. When the transparent, lizard-like creature scanned its surroundings, he subconsciously closed his eyes.

The "lizard" looked around, quickly crawled away from Aurora's mouth, and left the room.

Lu Mi opened his eyes again, staring blankly at his sister.

Aurora's face was covered by darkness, appearing very blurry.

Her mouth was slightly open, and she was sleeping very soundly.

Lu Mi watched without moving, as if he had turned into a statue.

In the thick night, his heart slowly slid toward the abyss.

ps: Seeking monthly votes~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 102 =====