Chapter 181: A Grand Feast (Last half-day, please vote for monthly tickets)

Watching the ashes of the paper drift away before his eyes, Lu Mi once again recalled the sense of oppression Mr. K had brought him:

"So, the core of a 'Shepherd' is 'Herding.' By herding the souls and characteristics of other Beyonders or supernatural creatures, they can use their abilities...

"In this way, veteran 'Shepherds' surely have no weaknesses. Whether it's close-quarters combat, long-range attacks, or various occult methods, they are all very proficient...

"Actually, a 'Contractee' is somewhat like a shrunken, simplified version of a 'Shepherd.' Each contract can only correspond to one ability. When the sequence is low, the number of contracts one can sign is also heavily restricted. Judging from the mouth-part monster, it's highly likely to be no more than three, with five being the most ideal. Once you haven't chosen the ability well, you might not even be able to beat an ordinary person holding a gun. This is unlike a 'Shepherd,' who can possess many abilities of a Beyonder just by herding them; there's no such thing as being 'crippled'..."

"Of course, at the level of the Parish Priest, signing a dozen or twenty contracts is a different experience. Moreover, the targets of the contracts are often Spirit Realm creatures. Their abilities are varied and very strange, which would make Beyonders encountering them for the first time feel very uncomfortable..."

The more Lu Mi thought about it, the more terrifying he felt Mr. K was.

Collecting his various thoughts, he stood up and sighed inwardly:

No wonder Lady 'Magician' believed Mr. K could contend with Su Shanna Ma Disi, who had turned into an evil spirit...

Leaving the room, Lu Mi walked up to Louis and Sa Ke Ta and said indifferently:

"Have the kitchen prepare dinner."

"Boss, what would you like to eat?" Louis asked before Sa Ke Ta could.

Lu Mi had no impression of the menu at the cafe attached to the Breeze Dance Hall. He thought for a moment and said:

"Get a set meal, and you two eat together."

"Understood." Louis signaled for Sa Ke Ta to go notify the cafe waiter.

Lu Mi sat down at the table Baron Bu Li Nie Er liked the most and picked up the day's newspaper.

Placed on top was the *Trier Daily*, followed by major newspapers like the *Reformist*, *People's Mouthpiece*, *Action*, *Intis Daily*, and *Friend of the People*.

Lu Mi couldn't help but tilt his head and ask Louis with amusement:

"Is this the kind of stuff Bu Li Nie Er usually reads?"

Was he still a gang leader who cared about national affairs?

Louis looked at Sa Ke Ta on the other side and answered with a smile:

"He doesn't read these. He just tells us that we can't offend those reporters and newspaper offices. If an influential newspaper can be subscribed to, we subscribe. From time to time, we spend money to take turns running an advertisement for the Breeze Dance Hall, saying there are plenty of hot dancers here."

"He usually reads the three newspapers and magazines at the bottom."

Not offending newspaper offices and reporters, huh... That's true. If the *Trier Daily* published news about a large gang appearing in the Market District, the Savar Party would be finished the next day. Those gentlemen still care about their reputation... Lu Mi learned another bit of knowledge.

He then pulled out the newspapers and magazines at the bottom.

They were: *Novel Weekly*, *Men's Aesthetics*, and *Grimace* magazine, which published various scandals, rumors, and the latest jokes in Trier.

Isn't this more interesting than the *Reformist* or *Action*? Lu Mi picked up *Novel Weekly* and began reading the latest installment.

He asked casually:

"Which account does the money for these newspapers and advertising fees come from?"

Louis thought for a moment. He hadn't even thought of an answer by the time cold sweat broke out on his forehead. At this moment, Sa Ke Ta said:

"It's deducted from the 100,000 Jin Bang used to build a good relationship with the police officers."

Lu Mi nodded with satisfaction.

As long as it didn't affect the earnings of him, the new leader of the Savar Party!

Not long after, the cafe waiter brought over dish after dish of food:

Onion minced pigeon, smoked Dungeness crab, hot bamboo chicken pie, stewed lamb brains, stewed veal slices, grilled oysters with herbs, two types of salad, scarlet cheese, roasted almond sauce, accompanied by a glass of red, white, and blue liqueur and a bottle of Cabernet wine.

Various aromas mixed together, drilling into Lu Mi's nostrils, making his saliva secrete even more vigorously.

"As expected of Trier, a set meal at an ordinary cafe has so many dishes. If this were in Ruen, there would only be choices like pan-fried steak or peas stewed with tender lamb..." As a pure Intis person, Lu Mi mocked Ruen's cuisine based on the impressions he got from various newspapers, magazines, and folk jokes.

He picked up the glass of tricolor liqueur, took a light sip, and pointed to the chairs on both sides of the table:

"Eat together."

"Boss, you eat well, and then we'll take turns eating." Louis bowed slightly and said with a smile.

Lu Mi didn't try to persuade them further and enjoyed his first grand feast since arriving in Trier, and it was free to boot.

It had to be said that the level of the Breeze Dance Hall's chef was quite good, making him nod frequently as he ate.

Among them, he was most satisfied with the stewed lamb brains. With the use of several spices, the fishy and gamey smell of the lamb brains was cleverly neutralized, leaving only a texture as delicate as Luo Saier tofu and a rich, alluring fragrance.

He finished the glass of red, white, and blue liqueur and a third of the bottle of Cabernet wine, then signaled to Louis and Sa Ke Ta that they could take turns dining.

He himself picked up *Novel Weekly* and *Grimace* magazine.

In *Grimace* magazine, Lu Mi saw a familiar name:

Di Wa Er.

That was the restaurant owner who invented Di Wa Er broth. He later had money, made a fortune, and moved to the Opera House District.

*Grimace* magazine published an anecdote that happened recently:

Di Wa Er was madly obsessed with the theater actress and Trier socialite from Ruen, Pei Er Le. He spent a lot of money on her, and at a banquet held at Pei Er Le's private residence, Pei Er Le, in front of a dozen guests, lay naked in a huge silver platter and was brought out by servants.

This broke Di Wa Er's heart. He attempted suicide but failed.

This news, of questionable authenticity, left Lu Mi unsure whether to sigh at how wild Trier people play, mock that Ruen people aren't conservative at all and would be assimilated soon after arriving in Intis, or ridicule Di Wa Er for being so pure-hearted despite being a Trier man in his forties.

Sometimes, seeing such bizarre news, Lu Mi couldn't help but suspect that there were Beyonders acting out needs involved, or that it was a manifestation of evil god followers being unable to control themselves.

Of course, if Trier people didn't have similar tendencies themselves, many things wouldn't be a problem, and those guys would have been dragged out long ago.

When Louis and Sa Ke Ta finished their dinner, Lu Mi led them down to the first floor.

The dance hall was quite lively at night. Yu Jianna stood on a half-height wooden platform, singing a song with a light melody to the accompaniment of the band, while the people below embraced each other, stepping in constantly swirling dance steps.

Lu Mi took one look, withdrew his gaze, and walked toward the entrance.

"Boss, where are we going?" Louis asked.

Lu Mi laughed:

"Are you the boss, or am I the boss? Do I need to report to you where I'm going?"

Louis's expression froze on his face. He looked at the silent Sa Ke Ta and suddenly felt that wasn't bad either.

"I, I'm just concerned about what we're going to do next." He explained forcefully.

As Lu Mi walked out of the dance hall amidst the greetings of the bouncers, he laughed:

"When you need to know, I will tell you."

He walked all the way back to the Golden Chicken Hotel, but didn't go directly to Room 207 to get Mr. K's finger and the revolver. Instead, he turned into the underground bar.

Before Lu Mi had time to look around at the situation here, he heard Charlie's enthusiastic voice:

"Do you know? Xia Er now has a nickname, 'Lion' Xia Er!

"That was given by 'Little Bitch' Yu Jianna. Have you ever seen her? I bet you've never seen such a beautiful woman in your life. She has a hot body and a beautiful face. Everyone who hears her sing wants to change their faith for her, and such a woman took a fancy to Xia Er, took the initiative to invite him to dance, and stuck to him, twisting and turning! Oh, the dance hall lights are very dim, you can imagine what happened between them..."

"..." Lu Mi suddenly had the feeling of becoming the male lead in a piece of news in *Grimace* magazine.

Louis and Sa Ke Ta behind him felt both embarrassed for their boss and somewhat worried.

They were embarrassed because the guy lecturing at the small round table was likely helping their boss brag, and worried because if that were true, wouldn't their boss be giving 'Red Boots' Fu Lan Ka a green hat? And if that happened, the trouble would be huge. Fu Lan Ka was not only strong herself, but also the boss's mistress!

Charlie, holding a beer, saw Lu Mi, and his smile froze instantly.

He jumped off the small round table, came to Lu Mi, coughed, and said:

"Hi, Xia Er, you don't mind me talking about your romantic encounter, do you?"

"How did you know?" Lu Mi asked instead of answering.

Charlie laughed:

"Many people outside know. It spread from the Mill Dance Hall."

In other words, the people from the Thorn Gang knew I danced with Yu Jianna twice before assassinating 'Hammer' Ai Te? That's true. At that time, I only did a simple disguise, didn't even change my hair color, and provoked the people around me. Looking back, combined with the death of 'Hammer' Ai Te, they would definitely be able to recognize me... As 'Red Boots' mistress, Yu Jianna should have been suspected by them and might become a target for future retaliation... No need to worry too much about her, though. She has protection provided by 'Red Boots,' and Fu Lan Ka, as an experienced Beyonder and a powerful Witch, wouldn't be careless about such things... Lu Mi nodded with realization.

He smiled and said to Charlie:

"Feel free to talk about it."

The more widely this matter spreads, the more it can attract the attention of the "Red Boots," ensuring she does not harbor any wishful thinking regarding potential retaliation from the Poison Sting Gang.

Lu Mi turned to ask Charlie:

"Why didn't you go to the Breeze Dance Hall?"

Charlie piled on a smile and said:

"The manager named Le Nei asked me to officially start working tomorrow, giving me 80 Fei Er Jin a month."

As the two chatted, Lu Mi saw his neighbor from next door sitting at the bar:

That down-and-out playwright, Jia Bu Li Er.

He still had that messy, greasy brown hair, wore large black-rimmed glasses, and was dressed in a faded linen shirt and black suspenders.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mi bid farewell to Charlie and walked over to ask.

Jia Bu Li Er, who was drinking light green absinthe, tilted his head to look at him and smiled bitterly:

"My script was rejected again. Those managers didn't even look at it!

"I've already submitted it to dozens of theaters, and not a single person is willing to look."

Dozens of theaters... Lu Mi's heart stirred, and he asked as if casually:

"Did you submit the script to that Old Pigeon Cage Theater in our Market District?"

"Yes." Jia Bu Li Er sighed and said, "Their manager also rejected me, saying that the scripts for their theater are all written by themselves or ordered from others."

Lu Mi sat down and asked:

"Who is their manager?"

PS: Last half-day, please vote for monthly tickets.

PS2: Thanks to wz fast update, which is the friend from yesterday, 1488, for once again rewarding the Silver Alliance. There will be a first monthly ticket bonus update at 12:05~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 182 =====