Chapter 1078

"3: Every three minutes, this mask will extract the wearer's vitality once;

"When the vitality of this mask drops to a certain limit, it will extract vitality from creatures within a five-kilometer radius to replenish itself;

"The rate at which this mask's vitality drops depends on the frequency of use. If left alone, it can last for up to seven days. If used frequently and unable to replenish vitality from the wearer, it can only last for three quarters of an hour;

"This mask possesses the characteristic of being alive. Even when in use, it must be strictly supervised; otherwise, it will attack the wearer and their companions;

"This mask longs to obtain a complete body; it will bewitch the wearer and those around them to gradually replace their bodies with mechanical constructs;

"Those bewitched by it will not have their vitality extracted by it, nor will they be attacked by it.

"4: The sealing method is to let it sleep, replenishing its vitality at regular intervals. The specific time depends on the usage situation;

"It can be persuaded."

A sealed artifact that can be persuaded and possesses the characteristic of being alive? After hearing Franca's retelling, Lu Mian reached his right hand toward the "Face of Mystery" she was holding.

During this process, he had already activated the remnant aura of the "Blood Emperor" in his palm, along with the seal of the "Netherworld Daoist" and that pitch-black, terrifying pinhole, all of which appeared.

On the mechanical mask that was only the left half of a face, the springs, mainsprings, rivets, gears, and other parts suddenly presented a state of losing elasticity and gradually stretching out.

It was like a snarling puppy quickly lying down, belly up, exposing its stomach.

Lu Mian rubbed it with his fingers twice and said with a smile:

"It can indeed be persuaded."

Just at this moment, Ludwig leaned over, looking eagerly at the "Face of Mystery," and asked:

"Can it be eaten?"

This was not asking if the mechanical mask could be eaten, but whether he himself could eat it.

On the "Face of Mystery," whether it was the springs, mainsprings, or the gears and bearings, they tightened with a snap, emitting the sound of a machine starting to run.

"No," Lu Mian answered Ludwig's question.

After becoming a "Sea Monster," Ludwig seemed to be able to eat Beyonder characteristics and magical items directly, and then use the corresponding power through some method.

He would not lose control because of this, but he would accumulate madness and appetite.

Ludwig took out a lollipop in disappointment, soothing his soul with sweets.

"Being able to be persuaded means it can be reasoned with. Isn't sleeping every day a normal living habit?" Lu Mian smiled and withdrew his fingers. "It won't be long before Anthony can become a Sequence 4 Manipulator. By then, if the child doesn't want to sleep, just 'hypnotize' it to sleep. Children who don't sleep will be eaten by Ludwig."

As for the requirement of replenishing vitality regularly, Lu Mian felt it was easy to solve—he now had to take Ludwig to the sea for a full meal every day.

After confirming that the "Face of Mystery" had coaxed itself to sleep, Franca handed this Grade 1 sealed artifact to Jenna:

"You are responsible for keeping it. Whoever needs it between us will use it."

Jenna did not refuse. While putting the "Face of Mystery" into the Traveler's Bag, she said thoughtfully:

"I know which pathway I should let Julian take."

"Which one?" Franca vaguely guessed the answer.

Jenna let out a breath and said:

"Knowledge Keeper."

She explained it earnestly, as if to convince herself:

"Knowledge Keeper is mainly about mastering scientific knowledge, improving memory, intelligence, and logical ability. It won't be like the Secrets Supplicant and many other pathways where spirituality is high, seeing things that shouldn't be seen, hearing things that shouldn't be heard, nor will it gather disasters. It is relatively safe in daily life.

"Moreover, Julian himself is a technical worker who likes machinery. After supplementing his knowledge for another month or two, he should be able to fully digest the potion. The subsequent Archaeologist is similarly simple. We can find some ruins that are not very dangerous for him to explore, give him screened historical items and corresponding literature, and guide him to do research.

"In this way, coupled with the premise that the apocalypse is approaching, he can become a Sequence 7 Appraiser in a short time. Although an Appraiser is not strong in itself, they can identify magical items and avoid the risks of using corresponding items to the greatest extent. By then, by giving him a Sequence 5 level sealed artifact, he can possess basic self-preservation ability, equivalent to a fast-tracked Sequence 5 Beyonder.

"In addition, among the mid-to-low sequence Beyonder characteristics and potion formulas I obtained from the Rose Redemptionist Order this time, besides those of the Wizard pathway, the most are those of the Knowledge Keeper pathway."

There was no lack of materials and formulas.

"Thinking about it this way, the Knowledge Keeper pathway is indeed the most suitable. It can effectively borrow external force, and without reckless archaeology, it won't involve him too deeply in the occult world." Franca agreed with Jenna's statement.

Lu Mian then said to Jenna:

"Then your previous plan can be modified. The focus is on how to let your brother naturally and reasonably contact and choose Knowledge Keeper."

"Yeah." Jenna nodded earnestly.

…………

Thursday, afternoon, Trier North Train Station.

Julian, wearing a gray-blue worker's uniform, a duckbill cap, and carrying a suitcase, stood in the aisle of the crowded second-class carriage, moving forward slowly amidst the whistle of the arriving train.

Nearly 1.75 meters tall, with flaxen hair and regular features, he had gained great confidence in his technical abilities after half a year of exchange and study. From his temperament to his demeanor, he presented a state of being full of ambition.

He felt that he would soon be reused, obtain an increase in rank and salary, and before long, he could become the kind of high-level worker who could lead apprentices.

After his salary increased, he could move out of Pasteur Street and live in a better neighborhood. Cherie would no longer need to work part-time and could focus on studying drama performance... Thinking of a beautiful future, Julian stood tall, every step he took very solid.

Following the surge of the crowd, Julian exited the steam train and the fairly clean and tidy platform, entered the North Train Station, and passed through the turnstile.

He looked around, searching for his sister who had agreed to come pick him up.

As he searched, he noticed that many passengers were subconsciously looking toward one corner, reluctant to move their gazes away for a long time, and some even walked toward that place.

Julian was curious, but he didn't go to watch the excitement.

The most important thing right now was to meet up with Cherie!

After walking several more steps, he finally spotted a familiar figure.

That was also the person toward whom many gazes were cast.

Julian saw that his sister Cherie Bellova's flaxen hair had darkened quite a bit, tied in a simple bun. Her face had no makeup, yet she was fresh and clean, like a flower that had just been washed by rain.

Cherie seemed to have become even prettier, prettier than the photos of their mother when she was young... Julian squeezed over quickly, blocking a man who was hitting on his sister behind him.

"Welcome home!" Jenna gave her brother a hug.

At the same time, she complained inwardly:

If a Witch doesn't hide her appearance, it's really inconvenient to go out. Even if I used "Lie" to adjust my features to look more like before, and restrained my charm, I still attract attention, just not as exaggeratedly...

"Let's go." Julian glanced at the enthusiastic men around, protected his sister, and quickly exited the North Train Station.

Jenna pointed at the double-decker public carriage:

"This one is already full. Let's wait for the next one."

Julian looked around and pointed at a rental carriage:

"Let's take that one back. I've also saved some money during this time."

He originally thought his frugal sister would object and need persuasion, but who knew Jenna would nod and agree immediately.

Julian suddenly felt that in the past half year, his sister must have also undergone significant changes.

After getting into the two-wheeled, two-seater rental carriage, Jenna asked with a smile:

"How did you learn this time? You didn't say much in detail in your letters before."

Julian subconsciously straightened his back:

"I feel that my level is about the same as the master who taught me before."

He talked about many technical details, but Jenna didn't understand.

Jenna cooperated by praising him a few times, then turned to say:

"I met a very excellent technical expert before. She said she was a technical expert. I don't understand much, but when she repairs machines, she is really amazing, the kind that even I think is amazing.

"She said that when you come back, everyone can communicate."

She? Julian set his heart at ease.

He said with a smile:

"Okay, you can make an appointment with her."

He was very confident in his skills now.

"We'll go after putting away the luggage, and have dinner together tonight!" Jenna made a decision quickly, as if her previous words were just to lead to this matter.

Julian looked at his sister suspiciously, suspecting that she wanted to introduce him to someone.

However, since the siblings had been separated for a long time, he couldn't refuse.

After putting the luggage back in that rental house on Pasteur Street, Jenna brought Julian to a newly built factory south of the Botanical Garden District.

Inside the factory building, a young woman with short hair and goggles was holding tools like a hammer and pliers, knocking and tapping around a giant machine, constantly installing parts like rivets, levers, and bearings.

Her movements were smooth and unadorned, but all details were just right, not off by a single bit, without the slightest error.

As Julian watched, he was stunned, his originally high confidence gradually collapsing.

Is this something a human can do?

Even if machines are used to manufacture machines, it's impossible to achieve this level!

Could this be the protection of the God of Technology promoted by the Steam Church?

After the woman finished her work, Jenna stepped forward a few steps and called out with a smile:

"Miss Bella, good afternoon."

Bella's body trembled instinctively, then she turned around and said with a smile:

"Cherie, is this your brother?"

"Yes, my brother Julian." Jenna introduced him.

Julian nodded blankly, his previous ambition having completely disappeared.

(End of chapter)