Chapter 236: Sincerity

Gardner Martin looked at Lu Mian with some surprise and pondered:

"Let's talk on the carriage."

Hearing this, the butler Faustino took the initiative to sit in the front of the carriage, close to the coachman.

Lu Mian followed Gardner Martin onto the carriage silently and sat opposite him.

After the vehicle started moving slowly, Gardner Martin looked at Lu Mian and said:

"Why did you withdraw such a large sum of cash?"

Lu Mian answered frankly:

"Because there is an opportunity to improve my strength, and I want to become a Sequence 7 'Pyromaniac'."

Gardner Martin didn't expect this guy to be so frank and asked with a smile after two seconds:

"Is 12,000 Vergold enough?"

"There is also the 18,000 Vergold you gave last time, and previous savings." Lu Mian answered without blinking.

Gardner Martin nodded slowly:

"You encountered someone selling the main materials for the 'Pyromaniac' potion elsewhere? Do you have the 'Pyromaniac' potion formula?"

"Yes." Lu Mian didn't hide it.

Gardner Martin laughed:

"You actually told me all these things. Shouldn't they be hidden as secrets?"

Lu Mian said extremely sincerely:

"I feel I am ready to consume the 'Pyromaniac' potion and might advance to Sequence 7 before long.

"At that time, if I really encounter any conflict, it will be impossible to hide the change in my strength, and you will know it soon, boss. Since that's the case, why not tell you now?"

Moreover, the dance hall manager Rene is Gardner Martin's person, and the matter of withdrawing 12,000 Vergold will inevitably be reported.

Lu Mian paused and added:

"This is one of the reasons.

"Another reason is that I have wandered, stayed in the countryside, and been wanted. Now I only recognize one truth, that is, whoever treats me well, I will treat them well."

This sentence of his wasn't to show his loyalty. According to Jenna, in the situation of only meeting Gardner Martin once, such loyalty seemed too exaggerated and not credible enough. His real purpose was to show his attitude of wanting to pledge allegiance to the other party.

Similarly, Gardner Martin couldn't fail to understand the reason for his advance confession. The real purpose of his words just now was to show that he was a person with a brain.

Gardner Martin tilted his head back and laughed:

"Very good.

"Brignais, Christopher, who among them doesn't have their own secrets? They just thought I didn't know.

"You can correctly recognize your situation, future development, and my attitude, which shows you are smarter than them. Many times, sincerity is the most effective means."

Sincerity? Lu Mian said extremely sincerely:

"Boss, I have clues to the main materials, but I don't know where to find the auxiliary materials.

"Can you help me keep an eye on Fire Salamander blood, Magma Bright Stone powder, and Red Crown Balsam?"

In Lu Mian's view, Gardner Martin, who was suspected to be a Sequence 6 or even Sequence 5 of the "Hunter" pathway, should be easier to find auxiliary materials for the "Pyromaniac" potion than Franca.

Perhaps he still had auxiliary materials left over when he advanced to "Pyromaniac"?

According to the records in Aurora's witchcraft notes, as long as the method is appropriate, auxiliary materials with spirituality can be preserved for a long time.

Gardner Martin was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Charles to make such a direct request.

His original plan was to care a few words, understand the needs, and then take the initiative to offer help, so as to buy people's hearts.

After two seconds, Gardner Martin nodded lightly:

"No problem."

Seeing that he didn't ask for the amount of the three auxiliary materials, Lu Mian increasingly believed that this Savard Party leader was a mid-sequence Beyonder of the "Hunter" pathway.

Gardner Martin looked out the window and asked in a tone of examination:

"You observed for a while outside the MP's office. Did you find any suspicious people?"

"No." Lu Mian shook his head, "They are all people whose photos occasionally appear in newspapers."

Gardner Martin laughed indifferently:

"Indeed, there are the president and vice president of the Savard Chamber of Commerce, the boss of the Goodwill Chemical Plant, Bono Goodwill, the manager of the Nova Mechanical Limb Company, Clement, and Etienne of the Saint-Germain Phlogiston Plant... I was invited as a shareholder of the Lister Wharf, the owner of the Lister Freight Company and the Savard Construction Company, not as the leader of the Savard Party."

Speaking of this, Gardner Martin sighed lightly:

"But we can only be considered barely squeezing into Triers' upper class. In the business world, the real big shots are the chairmen and owners of banks like Triers Bank, Souhait Bank, and Asset Credit Bank, and the shareholders of giants like Souhait Textile Group, Delis Coal and Steel Consortium, Anubis Steel Company, Southern Wine Merchants Association, Falga Weaponry Group, and Bairong-Pass Import and Export Company."

Lu Mian had seen these terms in newspapers and magazines, and the one that left the deepest impression was the Bairong-Pass Import and Export Company.

To protect its interests in West Bairong and the Pass River Valley in the Southern Continent, it was even allowed to keep a huge private army and a fleet, existing in the form of mercenaries.

Seeing that the vehicle was about to drive out of Market Avenue, Gardner Martin signaled the coachman to stop the carriage on the side of the road and nodded to Lu Mian:

"Before consuming the potion, be sure to confirm your own state. It is better to delay for a period of time than to take risks."

After responding, Lu Mian left the carriage and walked toward White Coat Street.

He had to hide all the cash on him in that safe house.

After walking a distance, Lu Mian became a bit hesitant:

A safe house doesn't mean absolute safety, especially in places like the Market District and Botanical Garden District where there are many lower-class people, thieves are quite rampant.

If he really encountered someone breaking in to steal, Aurora's witchcraft notes would be fine, as they had no value in their eyes, at most flipping through to see if there were any hidden banknotes. But these 26,000 plus cash would definitely be taken away completely.

"Set up a few traps in the safe house to guard against thieves?" Lu Mian's thoughts turned, and he suddenly had a better idea.

That was to hand over the 26,000 Vergold to Madam "Magician" as a down payment!

In this way, there would be no problem of large amounts of cash being lost.

And that lady with a very high rank wouldn't deny receiving the down payment.

*Hoo*... After making up his mind, Lu Mian came to the safe house on White Coat Street, took out paper and pen, and wrote a letter:

"Respected Madam 'Magician':

"I have raised 26,000 Vergold, which will be given to you as a down payment. After I make up the 4,000 balance, you can give me the 'Pyromaniac' Beyonder characteristic.

"Looking forward to your reply."

Lu Mian didn't let Madam "Magician" give the "Pyromaniac" Beyonder characteristic now because he hadn't obtained the corresponding auxiliary materials, and the preservation of the Beyonder characteristic was relatively troublesome, and there was also the possibility of loss.

After summoning the doll messenger to take away the bag filled with cash and coins, along with a letter, Lu Mian felt much more relaxed, just a bit worried about whether the messenger would be robbed in the Spirit World.

Not long after, the doll messenger wearing a golden dress brought Madam "Magician's" reply:

"Received 26,000 Vergold.

"'Magician'."

It's like a receipt... Lu Mian muttered and thanked the doll messenger.

He then left White Coat Street and returned to the Golden Rooster Hotel.

As usual, after opening the door with a piece of wire, Lu Mian passed through the lobby that only had some light from the basement bar, and went all the way up the stairs.

Arriving at the second floor, he pursed his lips, continued up, arrived at the third floor, and came to room 310 where Flamant had lived.

The wooden door of that room wasn't closed, completely open, and the curtains weren't drawn either, letting the crimson moonlight penetrate the glass and shine in.

This was an unwritten folk custom relatively popular among the lower-class people in the Triers area:

Rooms where people have died must have doors open and curtains drawn for three days.

This seems to be a worry that the dead person's ghost is unwilling to leave.

Lu Mian stood at the door, looking at the room without any sundries, as if seeing the madman who held his head and shouted "I'm going to die" again.

After a while, he withdrew his gaze silently and walked toward the stairs.

He heard communication from room 302 that tried to suppress the voice but didn't control it well.

That room belonged to the couple Ruhl and Michelle, who were part-time scavengers and fake photo sellers.

They clearly hadn't lit the kerosene lamp or calcium carbide lamp, and no light spilled out from the door crack.

Lu Mian approached the stairs while listening instinctively to the couple's conversation with his powerful hearing:

"Old woman, look at these, look at these, they are all valuable! Those gentlemen and ladies just threw them away!"

"I think this bag of things can sell for 5 Vergold..."

"5 Vergold? At least 15!"

"Old man, if only we could pick up such valuable trash every day."

"That would require electing a member of parliament every day."

"Praise the Sun, let that member of parliament hold a banquet every day. If so, as long as one year, as long as one year, we can go back to Ormier and buy 10 acres of land to plant grapevines."

"You old woman are quite good at thinking.

"What's wrong with thinking? Don't you think? Even without a banquet, we have saved quite a bit of money. We should have enough in another four or five years."

"Yes, at that time we won't have to work so hard, and we won't have to worry about not being able to work..."

Lu Mian didn't listen anymore, smiled silently, went down the stairs, returned to room 207, washed up a bit, and went to bed.

Sleeping in the middle of the night, in a daze, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps.

Just as he turned over and sat up, looking toward the corridor, the door was knocked on.

Lu Mian walked over with half defense and half doubt and opened the wooden door.

Outside the door was Mrs. Michelle, who was wearing a yellowish cloth skirt, short in stature, and white-haired.

She said in panic and confusion:

"Ruhl is suddenly sick! Charles, Mr. Charles!

"That madman is dead!"

That madman is dead? Flamant is dead? Lu Mian was stunned for a moment, then rushed to the third floor past Ruhl and Mrs. Michelle.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 237 =====