Chapter 272

"'Hela' lady? You know her?" Franca's first reaction was surprise and astonishment.

She quickly remembered that Lu Mian's sister "Muggle" was also a member of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" and added:

"Did your sister mention 'Hela' lady to you?"

Lu Mian nodded:

"Not only did she mention it, but she also gave me the incantation to summon 'Hela' lady's messenger."

"Did she ask you to seek help from 'Hela' lady when you encounter difficulties?" Franca guessed, "Are you planning to summon 'Hela' lady's messenger now to ask me if she is worth trusting?"

"You could say that." Lu Mian gave an affirmative answer, "I have actually established contact with 'Hela' lady and summoned her messenger, but I discovered today that in that disaster in Cordu Village, a few of my sister's behaviors were slightly abnormal, and that is suspected to be related to 'Hela' lady. I don't know whether to ask her directly."

Seeing that Lu Mian still didn't explain the process of the disaster in Cordu Village in detail, nor did he specifically talk about what Aurora's abnormal behaviors were, Franca understood his thoughts and didn't ask further, answering while thinking:

"I am personally willing to trust 'Hela' lady. Damn, you kid established contact with 'Hela' lady without a sound and didn't mention it to me!"

"Hmm... She is one of the people who has gone furthest on the path of god in the 'Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society,' suspected to be of the 'Corpse Collector' pathway."

"She not only likes to share knowledge and insights with us, but also provides help when she can. The items used for trading are only a little more than the cost price."

"For a large part of us, including me, including your sister, 'Hela' lady is a reliable sister, making us no longer so helpless, anxious, and hesitant. We all trust her very much."

"I understand." Lu Mian exhaled and said, "I will communicate with 'Hela' lady honestly, hoping to find the true root of the problem."

Speaking of this, he changed the topic:

"Does your Major Arcana card know about the existence of the 'Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society'?"

"I haven't told her, just said I also participated in another mutual aid secret organization, but she clearly knows the situation of the Research Society very well." Franca lowered her voice unconsciously, "I suspect that there are members of the 'Tarot Club' in the 'Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society,' not just me."

Lu Mian had no psychological obstacles at all, smiled, turned around, and waved his hand:

"I'm going to summon 'Hela' lady's messenger."

"Hey, it's still early. Do you want to fight evil for two hours before going back?" Franca, who didn't like going to bed early, tried hard to find entertainment items.

Lu Mian refused her without hesitation.

Returning to room 207 of the Golden Rooster Hotel, Lu Mian didn't rush to summon "Hela's" messenger, but spread out the paper and wrote a letter to the "Magician" lady again.

He briefly mentioned the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" and told the demigod that Aurora was willing to write anonymous letters to the official for help when she was clear-headed, but seemed to have never summoned "Hela's" messenger to seek opinions, which didn't match her performance in the dream. He didn't know if Aurora was restricted by other things or if "Hela" had a problem.

Not long after, the "Magician" lady replied, with only a simple line of words:

"From the information we have mastered so far, 'Hela' is worth trusting."

Whew... Lu Mian felt relieved and began to write a letter to "Hela" lady.

In the letter, he honestly put forward Aurora's abnormalities and asked if the other party missed any letters.

Lu Mian, who was already very skilled, slightly adjusted the altar, replaced materials such as pure dew, and quickly summoned the human skull that seemed to be made of pure silver.

Looking at the pale flame burning quietly in the eye sockets of the skull, Lu Mian, the "Pyromaniac," could feel its danger more than any time before.

This was no worse than the feeling that the "Magician" lady's doll messenger gave him!

The pure silver skull bit the letter and returned to the thick darkness around it.

Lu Mian didn't rush to clean up the "altar" and waited patiently.

Time passed minute by minute, and there was suddenly a letter on the wooden table in front of him, and he didn't have a certain perception until the end.

Of course, this was much better than before—in the past few times, he only had a premonition after the pure silver skull put the letter well.

Lu Mian unfolded the letter paper and quickly browsed through it with the two yellowish candles on the altar:

"Since February of this year, I have not received any letters from 'Muggle'."

"I know that one-sided statements lack credibility, but if you recall carefully, you should be able to find some details that can corroborate this."

"I suspect that some kind of power influenced 'Muggle,' making her give up seeking help from me based on some reason. Actually, if you had written to me before the disaster completely broke out, I should have been able to arrive earlier than the official Beyonders and had a certain possibility of saving 'Muggle' and preventing that disaster."

"Many times, letter communication cannot produce inspiration for us, and it is difficult to have broader and deeper discussions. I will come to Trier recently. If you are willing, we can make an appointment for a time and place to meet and talk in detail about your sister's encounter and the disaster in Cordu Village. By then, I might be able to provide you with some useful opinions."

Lu Mian pondered for a few seconds and remembered a detail in the dream:

Aurora, who tried to summon "Hela's" messenger, finally didn't do so, fearing to trigger the cycle and cause Cordu Village to restart frequently.

This should symbolize that she also gave up summoning "Hela's" messenger in reality, or tried but failed because of some reason.

After figuring this out, Lu Mian replied to "Hela's" proposal:

"No problem. When you arrive in Trier, we will make an appointment for a time and place."

Sending the letter, interrupting the ritual, and cleaning up the altar, Lu Mian saw that it was getting late, washed up quickly, lay on the bed, and fell asleep.

At six o'clock the next morning, he woke up naturally and heard the church bell ringing.

Lu Mian first went to the restroom, and then as usual, went for a morning run in familiar areas such as the chaotic street and Market Avenue to completely wake up his body.

During this process, he also found a place with no one outside St. Robert's Church and practiced fighting techniques for nearly an hour.

While biting a meat pie and drinking sour wine, Lu Mian passed the Suhit steam train station on his way back to the Golden Rooster Hotel.

There were already new vendors selling photos of "Street Academy Beauties" here.

In a sweep of his gaze, Lu Mian saw Baron Brignier.

This Savoyard gang leader, wearing a diamond ring and smoking a peach wood pipe, still dressed like a gentleman, wearing a half-high silk top hat, without any thugs following him.

He was holding a child of seven or eight years old, coming out of the steam train station, crossing the square, and walking toward the carriage parked on the side of the road.

The child was wearing a caramel-colored coat with brass buttons, inside was a black and white plaid shirt and a linen vest, and on his feet were black slip-on leather shoes and white thread socks. Behind him was a dark red hard schoolbag that looked a bit heavy.

He had yellow hair and brown eyes, a sturdy body, obvious baby fat on his face, and a temperament that was a bit honest.

"Baron Brignier's child? Usually living in the provinces and coming to Trier to play during the summer vacation? No wonder it feels not too close..." Lu Mian muttered a few words, withdrew his gaze, and continued his stroll.

No. 11 Spring Street, inside the gray-white three-story villa belonging to Gardner Martin.

Lu Mian, who arrived by the Breeze Dance Hall's exclusive carriage, passed through the hall full of various weapons and various armors, and arrived at the room full of bookshelves.

Gardner Martin, with a friendly temperament, deep facial features, and brown-red eyes, was sitting in the armchair behind the study, with "Mouse" Cristoff, who was short, gray-black hair, ink-blue eyes, and two mustaches, and "Giant" Simon, who was over 1.9 meters tall, had light yellow hair sticking to his head, and a black formal suit that was extremely tight, standing in front.

Sensing Lu Mian walking into the study, "Giant" Simon and "Mouse" Cristoff both turned their bodies halfway and looked at this colleague.

"Giant" Simon's eyes contained vigilance and dissatisfaction, and his head couldn't help but lift a little.

He both felt that Charles, who could kill "Hammer" Aite, could not be underestimated, and thought that he was definitely stronger than that idiot and might not lose to Charles.

"Mouse" Cristoff didn't have any obvious emotions, but the pocket on the right side of his dark brown short jacket moved suddenly, as if it contained something alive.

Cristoff put his right hand into his pocket, and his expression changed suddenly.

He looked at Lu Mian, and his gaze was filled with a few more fears, and his face couldn't help but pile up a fawning smile.

This... Lu Mian was a bit unaccustomed to it.

After some thought, he suspected that "Mouse" Cristoff used the thing in his pocket to "see" that he had been promoted to Sequence 7 and became a "Pyromaniac."

Comparatively, "Giant" Simon's intuition was clearly not strong, and he lacked sensitive perception of the subtle changes in his colleagues.

"Good morning, Boss." Lu Mian greeted Gardner Martin very energetically and actively.

A few days ago, he had told this Savoyard gang leader that he had consumed the potion and was promoted to "Pyromaniac."

Gardner Martin nodded gently, his gaze moving from Lu Mian's face to Cristoff and Simon.

After nearly ten seconds, he opened his mouth in a low voice:

"I have a task for you."

"At twelve o'clock sharp at noon, go to a certain place in underground Trier to take something and bring it to Spring Street."

Task? Lu Mian's eyebrows moved slightly, as if he smelled the scent of a trap.

As a Beyonder who had joined the Savoyard gang for not long, the trust between him and Gardner Martin should still be a long distance away. Why would he arrange for him to join such a critical and confidential matter?

As thoughts flashed, Lu Mian had two guesses:

Cannon fodder, or a test.

(End of chapter)