Chapter 205: Cooperation

Lu Mian retreated to the area where the vagrants gathered, patiently waiting for Louis Lund to emerge.

Not long after, the information broker, Anthony Reid, returned having changed his clothes, seemingly intending to fulfill his promise and find an opportunity to tail Louis Lund.

At this moment, he was wearing a yellowish white shirt paired with a brown, formal-style jacket, no tie, and a bowler hat, looking like a low-level clerk who had just finished work.

If not for having a certain impression of his build, temperament, and walking posture, Lu Mian would have almost failed to recognize him.

After a brief moment of thought, Lu Mian stepped out from the gap between the two buildings and headed toward Anthony Reid.

His disguise had been removed shortly after leaving Varia Café; now, he was simply wearing a pair of non-prescription black-rimmed glasses and a brown wide-brimmed bowler hat. Anyone familiar with him could easily recognize him.

Sensing the change in Anthony Reid's gaze as he looked toward him, Lu Mian whispered as the two were about to brush past each other:

"I've returned. Go to the back door and wait."

Although the "Prophecy" stated that he would reunite with Louis Lund on Market Avenue, he still had to guard against accidents.

On one hand, this was because the "Prophecy Potion" came from his own resonance, so the effect wouldn't be very good, and the content of the prophecy likely contained certain omissions. On the other hand, with "prophecies," no one knew in what form they would be realized; perhaps the developments would be completely different from what he had anticipated.

Anthony Reid withdrew his gaze and nodded, indicating he understood.

He continued forward, passing the residence of "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie, heading into the distance, and turning into an alley.

Lu Mian did not turn around immediately; under the glow of the streetlights, he continued forward.

He had just arrived in a relatively dim area when he saw a person walk out from the shadows beneath a broken, iron-black, elegant streetlamp at the alley entrance ahead.

The person was tall, wearing a rather form-fitting black robe and a hood that nearly obscured their face, and they beckoned to Lu Mian.

Franca? Lu Mian had a guess in an instant and quickly approached.

That uniquely dressed, eye-catching fellow was indeed "Red Boots" Franca.

This time, she wasn't wearing her signature red boots, having swapped them for black ones.

"Aren't you afraid of being discovered like this?" Lu Mian couldn't help but question.

Although the people of Trier had a high tolerance for eccentric clothing and would even actively chase trends, brother, you are here to covertly stake out a target! Dressed like this, let alone "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie and the people from the Poison Sting Gang, even a passing coolie would take a second look!

Franca laughed, completely unbothered:

"You don't understand, this is called a sense of ritual!

"Didn't your sister teach you?"

She had taught him, but she hadn't said to use it in this kind of place for this kind of occasion... Before Lu Mian could say this, he saw Franca wave her hand:

"Don't worry, I won't be discovered."

As she spoke, she took a step back, and her entire figure seemed to merge with the shadows, disappearing from Lu Mian's sight.

Having such an ability really makes it possible to wear whatever one wants... Lu Mian once again envied the "Assassin" pathway.

If it weren't for the fact that one changes gender upon reaching Sequence 7, he would definitely feel it was more to his liking than the "Hunter" pathway.

Franca walked out of the shadows again and pointed to 126 Market Avenue in the distance:

"That coachman just now should be the Louis Lund you're looking for. Wait a moment, shall I help you tail him?

"I know, you Hunters have dog noses and eagle eyes, which are very suitable for tracking, but you aren't good at hiding yourselves. If you stay too far away, you're likely to lose the target, and if you stay too close, you might be discovered. It's better if I do it; it's safer that way.

"Don't forget, Louis Lund is also a Beyonder, and he believes in an evil god; he might possess some unique abilities."

Lu Mian didn't resist or push back this time, nodding and saying:

"Alright."

He currently had no way to mark Louis Lund with a special scent, and as it was nearing dusk, the road was crowded with pedestrians and carriages, with all sorts of traces mixed together. If he were to tail him from twenty or thirty meters away, he might lose the target at the slightest mishap.

Franca's rosy, thin lips, not obscured by the shadow of her hood, curled up, and she said with a smile:

"Your psychotherapy this afternoon was quite effective.

"A man should be broad-minded and not fear this or worry about that."

As she spoke, she patted her own chest.

Immediately after, Franca took out a small glass bottle.

The surface of the bottle was cut into small squares, reflecting the light from the nearby streetlamp and shimmering with psychedelic colors.

"Back when I was still a man, I thought these perfume bottle designs were very beautiful, but I was too embarrassed to buy them or carry them around. Now, I don't have those concerns. Sometimes, changing your gender can help you open the door to a new world," Franca said with deep feeling.

Does the door to a new world refer to sleeping with men? If it weren't the critical moment of tracking Louis Lund, Lu Mian would definitely have replied with that.

Franca removed the cap and brought the press-type small glass bottle to the front of Lu Mian's nose:

"Remember its scent."

This perfume was fresh and natural, just like walking in a forest in summer.

"Remembered." Lu Mian nodded gently.

Franca then sprayed it on herself:

"Its top, middle, and base notes have some distinctions, but they aren't too great. You don't need to specifically distinguish them; you'll understand it's the one once you smell it.

"I'll stay three or four meters away from Louis Lund. He doesn't have a dog's nose and definitely won't discover this scent, which clearly doesn't belong in the Market District."

Lu Mian added thoughtfully:

"I'll tail your perfume scent from ten or twenty meters away?"

This was a good strategy.

"Yes." Franca suddenly took out a handful of fluorescent powder, sprinkled it on herself, and chanted a low incantation.

It seemed to be a combination of the two words for "hide" and "body" in Hermes.

Almost simultaneously, Lu Mian saw Franca's figure disappear inch by inch, as if a drawing made by a pencil were being erased by an eraser.

Apart from the faint fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose, he had completely lost the trail of this "Witch."

Lu Mian once again marveled at the performance of the "Witch" pathway at low and mid-sequences.

The next second, he felt the source of the fragrance moving away, approaching the three-story building with a garden at 126 Market Avenue.

Lu Mian followed and leaned in that direction, arriving in a shadow and pressing his back against the wall.

After nearly two quarters of an hour, Louis Lund, wearing a red vest and blue uniform, a white tie, and a waxed hat, walked out carrying a wooden box, together with "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie, who was dressed in formal attire with his black hair neatly combed back.

One of them sat in the coachman's seat, and the other climbed into the carriage.

Why is "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie following? Is he planning to go see Lady Pualis in person? Lu Mian frowned slightly.

This introduced a variable into his plan.

He had originally intended to find a suitable place to strike while Louis Lund was on his return journey. With his current strength, in a situation where he was prepared and the target was not, even if the opponent were also a Sequence 8, he could subdue the target quite easily. Moreover, he now had the help of the "Witch" Franca.

But if "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie were included, things would become very troublesome.

Judging by the performance of the midwife in his dream, a "Warlock" possessed numerous mystical means and was quite powerful, fully capable of rivaling a "Witch" of the "Assassin" pathway.

Although Lu Mian could have Franca hold off "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie while he dealt with Louis Lund, that would mean the battle between two mid-sequence Beyonders would certainly be difficult to end in a short time, adding to the possibility of being discovered and noticed.

"Hmm... If 'Black Scorpion' Luo Jie really goes to see Lady Pualis, then I'll just keep following and not launch an attack. Anyway, my goal is just to find Lady Pualis and make contact with her." Lu Mian quickly changed his plan and had a new idea.

The rental carriage began to drive toward the other end of Market Avenue, and the fresh, natural fragrance followed along.

Lu Mian kept a distance of nearly twenty meters, walking quite quickly past the gas streetlamp poles.

After a while, he first felt the perfume scent stop, and after moving forward nearly ten meters, he saw the rental carriage stop by the side of the road, and "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie got off carrying the wooden box.

Not far away was the Honest Man Market.

In just a few seconds, Louis Lund drove the carriage toward a side road that could bypass this bustling area, while "Black Scorpion" Luo Jie walked into the market on his own.

"Is Lady Pualis in the Honest Man Market? Or is 'Black Scorpion' Luo Jie just simply escorting Louis Lund for a distance, afraid he might be targeted?" Lu Mian guessed the reason while stepping up his pace.

No matter what, let's catch Louis Lund first!

Behind the Honest Man Market, pedestrians became extremely sparse, and in the sky that had completely darkened, one could only see one occasionally.

Many of the streetlamps here were broken, and the road, which could accommodate several carriages side-by-side, was filled with large patches of darkness.

Lu Mian looked around, no longer hesitating in the slightest, took off his black-rimmed glasses, and began to sprint.

Not long after, he caught up to the slowly moving carriage. While Louis Lund discovered something amiss, Lu Mian pressed his left hand against the carriage and leaped violently toward the coachman's seat.

At this distance, he could clearly see that black-haired, blue-eyed face.

Although the opponent had used some disguise, Lu Mian could determine without a doubt that this was Louis Lund!

Louis Lund reacted extremely quickly. Without bothering to distinguish who the attacker was or why, he pulled the reins with his left hand and clenched his right hand into a fist, blasting it like a cannonball toward Lu Mian, who was in mid-air with nowhere to leverage.

Almost simultaneously, he saw that face without any disguise, and his pupils dilated sharply.

Lu Mian didn't dodge, extending his right arm to block Louis Lund's fist.

Just as the two were about to make contact, Lu Mian pulled his right arm back, dissipating part of the force, and then whipped it forward, wrapping around Louis Lund's fist, wrist, and forearm as if he had no bones, thereby allowing himself to only be thrown backward without falling off the carriage.

The next second, Louis Lund saw the smile on his face.

Slap!

Franca's figure outlined itself on the other side of the coachman's seat, and her palm, charged with power, slashed fiercely at the back of Louis Lund's ear.

This used the "Assassin" Beyonder ability to store all power in a single strike, and Louis Lund fainted without even a groan.

(End of chapter)