Chapter 188: Strange Footprints (Asking for monthly tickets)

Seeing Fu Lan Ka, who was holding an iron-black calcium carbide lamp, looked at the road sandwiched between stone pillars and asked the smuggler Fei Nan De Zi, who was leading the way in front, with some confusion:

"This is the road to the Observatory District, right?"

Although no one could fully grasp the full picture of underground Trier, the tunnels on this level were all marked with street names, corresponding to the ground. Seeing Fu Lan Ka recalled slightly and discovered the direction was wrong.

—Smuggling must be from outside the city to inside the city, and the Observatory District is closer to the center of Trier compared to the honest Market District, separated from the Boulevard District by only the Sailunzuo River.

Fei Nan De Zi, a smuggler belonging to 'Rat' Ke Li Si Tuo, turned his body slightly and explained with a smile:

"That hidden route must first go to the Observatory District. We always get the goods to the warehouse over there."

"I see." 'Red Boots' Seeing Fu Lan Ka slowed down and pulled a greater distance from Fei Nan De Zi, who was wearing a brown felt hat.

Because they hadn't entered that smuggling route yet, she had nothing to do, so she lowered her voice and chatted with Lu Mi beside her:

"I remember you exchanged the 'Fighter' Beyonder characteristic for 18,000 Fei Er Jin from Ga De Na.

"You know it's a Beyonder characteristic, or rather, you understand the true meaning of a Beyonder characteristic, right?"

"My sister taught me." Lu Mi attributed the origin of this knowledge to Aurora's teaching.

Seeing Fu Lan Ka was tall and long-legged, and didn't need to work too hard to keep parallel with Lu Mi.

She sighed sincerely:

"It's really good to have someone to lead. Back then, we were all a group of blind people, relying entirely on our own exploration. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen..."

Her voice lowered, eventually turning into a long "Hey."

This made Lu Mi think of a famous quote from Emperor Luo Saier, whether it was said by Aurora herself or relayed by her:

"Once a serious mistake is made, it will become a lifelong regret."

Seeing Fu Lan Ka quickly collected her state of mind and reminded Lu Mi in a low voice:

"You just entered the occult field, and you lack more than just knowledge.

"You'd better not be stingy with that money, take it to buy a magical item or Beyonder weapon to make up for the 'Hunter's' lack of occult means. Otherwise, if 'Black Scorpion' Luo Jie really wants to retaliate against you, he doesn't need to be too troublesome, just drive a few undead to find you.

"If you have any intention in this regard, I will help you keep an eye out."

Lu Mi laughed immediately:

"I've already bought it."

"So fast?" Seeing Fu Lan Ka almost couldn't control her voice, causing the smuggler Fei Nan De Zi to look back.

The two sides were far apart, and the calcium carbide lamp brought interlaced light and shadow, making it impossible for Lu Mi to see clearly what expression Fei Nan De Zi had, not knowing what associations he would have.

Lu Mi answered 'honestly':

"Before joining the Savar Party, I used the occult enthusiast gathering information published in *Spirit Medium* magazine to find a circle with real Beyonders, where I exchanged for a magical item using the Fei Er Jin given by the boss."

"No wonder..." Seeing Fu Lan Ka revealed a look of realization and praised Lu Mi, "Your brain is more flexible than I imagined. Hmm, is it an item that can enhance your occult means?"

Lu Mi said 'frankly':

"A pair of glasses from a 'Lawyer,' but it seems to have been contaminated by some strange power."

He said as he took out the tea-colored 'Peeping Secret Glasses' and showed them:

"It can help me see many things I can't see normally..."

"This is very dangerous." Seeing Fu Lan Ka's brown eyebrows, which flew into her temples, frowned, interrupting Lu Mi's words.

"I know." Lu Mi explained with a smile, "But as long as you choose a good environment and do enough protection, its danger is not that great, and it can also provide good disguise and occult means..."

Lu Mi briefly explained things like the urge to paint after wearing the 'Peeping Secret Glasses.'

Seeing Fu Lan Ka's ponytail tied at the back of her head nodded bit by bit:

"It is indeed very useful. If I were in your situation, I would also choose it.

"That is to say, those gang leaders and bouncers of the Thorn Gang haven't come into contact with you in a real sense. Their impression of you is only your strange hair color. Otherwise, they would have recognized your true identity. They wouldn't need to take action themselves; just sending your information and the wanted order to the Police Headquarters and the two churches would complete the revenge."

Lu Mi smiled:

"That's right. I can now pick a time to invite Officer E Fu Rui Te for coffee."

A smile bloomed in Seeing Fu Lan Ka's bright, lake-colored eyes as she turned and said:

"You actually told me about the occult gathering and your trump cards. Jian Na has been saying in front of me that you are cunning and treacherous, good at deception, but you are clearly very sincere and frank! Hmm, this also has the reason that our relationship is different from others.

"I just said, 'Muggle's' brother wouldn't be that kind of person!"

Lu Mi actually felt a little guilty and said sincerely:

"That's right, she completely misunderstood me."

The two chatted for a while and finally arrived at the edge of the underground area corresponding to the Observatory District, turning into a tunnel extending to the south.

Not long after, Fei Nan De Zi stopped in front of a secondary shaft belonging to a quarry hollow.

He placed the calcium carbide lamp at the wellhead and pointed downward:

"Let's go in."

With the help of the light dyed a bit blue, Lu Mi cast his gaze toward the bottom of the well and found that this secondary shaft had been abandoned for a long time, looking completely blocked by rubble.

Relying on the depressions on the well wall, the ropes hidden in the shadows, and the simple iron ladder nailed next to the moss, the three climbed down all the way and soon reached the bottom of the well.

Smuggler Fei Nan De Zi moved away several stones that looked heavy, letting the edge of the well wall reveal a tunnel that could allow a single person to pass.

After walking through this tunnel with relatively turbid air, the front suddenly became open, as if entering another quarry hollow.

It was even more dead and dark here, the cave roof was quite damp, and even moss was rare all around.

Lu Mi and Seeing Fu Lan Ka, each holding a calcium carbide lamp, slowed down their pace and carefully checked the various traces on this smuggling route.

After walking forward for an unknown amount of time, Fei Nan De Zi pointed to the tunnel not far away:

"Our boss and Baron Bu Li Nie Er were not completely without gains. They discovered that the merchant caravan's footprints disappeared out of thin air there."

That was a tunnel connecting two quarry hollows, full of rubble and pits on the road, with deep darkness in the distance and no light at all.

Lu Mi and Seeing Fu Lan Ka soon found the place where those relatively fresh footprints suddenly disappeared, squatted down, and carefully checked.

"There are only footprints from when they came. The ones returning broke off here.

"Most of the people returning were carrying heavy items, the footprints were deeper, and they were obviously different from when they came... We can rule out the possibility of them turning their bodies, stepping on their own footprints, and leaving step by step..." Lu Mi quickly made a series of judgments.

Seeing Fu Lan Ka withdrew her gaze from the surroundings, stood up, and said:

"No signs of fighting were found either.

"Very weird!"

Then, she signaled for Fei Nan De Zi to walk further away and wait in the quarry hollow they had just come from.

After Fei Nan De Zi's calcium carbide lamp light completely disappeared in the distance, Seeing Fu Lan Ka took out a small makeup box and a white-bottomed blue-checkered handkerchief from somewhere.

The latter was a handkerchief often used by 'Rat' Ke Li Si Tuo's brother, Ai Er Ken, who also went missing in this smuggling.

Seeing Fu Lan Ka then put down the calcium carbide lamp, opened the pale gold box, and reached out to touch the mirror inside.

At the same time, she, holding the handkerchief, repeatedly chanted in Hermes:

"Ai Er Ken's current location, Ai Er Ken's current location..."

The already dark tunnel became even more oppressive, the light of the two calcium carbide lamps was pushed back slightly by invisible power, and the palm-sized mirror quickly rippled with water, as if presenting the situation at the bottom of a gloomy river.

Before Lu Mi could count to three seconds, a scene stood out on the mirror surface:

Coolies carrying wooden boxes and smugglers holding pistols and rifles walked slowly in this tunnel. As they kept moving forward, the darkness behind them filled the places where the light was drawn away. By the end, the light of the calcium carbide lamp disappeared into the end of their vision, and the mirror surface was pitch black.

"They did go missing in this area." Seeing Fu Lan Ka stopped the divination and pursed her red, thin lips, "But nothing can be seen."

Lu Mi didn't suggest using the 'Peeping Secret Glasses' to test it. In his view, the underground of Trier was full of dangers, hiding all kinds of things. Whatever Fourth Era ruins, whatever smelly and dirty old bones, whatever underground tombs that must follow specific rules, whatever Montsouris ghosts that had been wandering for many years without being cleared, all belonged to things that people didn't dare to investigate the truth of. If he really used the 'Peeping Secret Glasses' to look around here, he would likely explode on the spot.

At that time, there would be another legend involving evil god power underground in Trier.

Therefore, Lu Mi would help out of the 'face' of the Savar Party boss, but he wouldn't go all out and take risks.

Anyway, this time the loss was 'Rat' Ke Li Si Tuo's, and what did it have to do with 'Lion' Xia Er?

The Breeze Dance Hall's alcohol reserves were still very sufficient!

Seeing Fu Lan Ka glanced at him, not intending to make things difficult for him.

This 'Red Boots' put away the makeup box and Ai Er Ken's handkerchief, picked up the calcium carbide lamp, and said to Lu Mi:

"Let's go back and find Fei Nan De Zi, let him take us forward. Maybe there are clues left in other places."

"Okay." Lu Mi felt that Seeing Fu Lan Ka was also just fulfilling her obligations as a Savar Party member.

The two turned their bodies, holding their respective calcium carbide lamps, and walked toward the original quarry hollow, toward the darkness in the distance.

After walking a dozen steps, Lu Mi stopped abruptly, his expression becoming solemn.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Fu Lan Ka asked suspiciously.

Lu Mi pointed to the ground, which had many rubble and pits, and said in a deep voice:

"No footprints anymore.

"The footprints of those smugglers leaving the city and the footprints of us coming over are all gone!

"But there's a pile of footprints of someone carrying heavy things forward!"

Seeing Fu Lan Ka was shocked, looked at her feet, and found that the ground was messy. The footprints of herself, Lu Mi, and Fei Nan De Zi entering this tunnel had all disappeared, while the footprints of the missing merchant caravan appeared out of thin air!

PS: Asking for monthly tickets~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 189 =====