Chapter 281

After a few seconds, Franca forced a smile:

"Don't worry about him, he has his own occult gathering."

Jenna nodded gently and didn't say anything more.

The two brought camouflage clothing, masks, and a small amount of cosmetics, left 3 White Coat Street, walked to Market Avenue, took Subway Line 2, which connected the Suchit Steam Train Station in the Market District and the Trier North Train Station in the Cathedral District, and arrived in District 9, which was the Opera House District famous in the Northern Continent.

Here was the largest and most lively arcade street in the world. On both sides were department stores and high-end shops. The glass dome supported by steel brackets above was brightly colored, depicting sacred or epic scenes, making the sunlight shining through them dyed with a bit of magnificence.

To compensate for the lack of light brought by the stained glass, the new kerosene lamps on the iron-black street lamp poles were always on, and the white light was dazzling.

This was called a steam lamp. It used the heat after it was lit to turn kerosene into steam, spraying it on the surrounding hot gauze cover to create bright white light.

In terms of lighting effect, this was many times stronger than traditional gas street lamps and ordinary household kerosene lamps, coming from the transformation of the "God of Steam and Machinery" church.

Jenna followed Franca into the public washroom in the middle of the Opera House Arcade Street, each found a cubicle, changed clothes, and put on simple makeup, covering up her own brilliance.

Then, they entered the underground along the nearby entrance.

Unlike other areas of Trier, this underground street corresponding to the Opera House Arcade above was also crowded with people, full of cafes, art galleries, beer houses, and small commodity shops, without any feeling of darkness, coldness, or closure.

Only after walking out of here did the underground Trier return to the appearance in Jenna's impression.

As "Assassins," both she and Franca had the ability to see things in the dark, but in order not to be seen by the participants of the occult gathering, they each carried a calcium carbide lamp, letting the yellowish light dyed with a bit of blue project forward.

Jenna, who was observing Franca's every move, imitated the other party, put on a silver-white metal mask that could cover the upper half of her face, and walked toward the deeper part of the underground along the slightly damp tunnel with footsteps that were almost silent.

After walking for a while, Franca pointed to a fork in the road on the side and said with a smile:

"There is a legend of haunting there."

"What legend?" Jenna asked quite cooperatively.

Franca told with a smile:

"It is said that people in the Opera House often hear strange men's voices underground. They found several bounty hunters to investigate the reason, but as a result, they never returned."

"Did the official Beyonders not manage it?" Jenna asked suspiciously.

"Investigated, but there was no harvest, because this was originally a legend we made up." Franca laughed once.

Jenna was even more confused:

"Why make up such a legend specifically?"

Fun?

Franca laughed:

"To avoid those Trier people who like to drill underground from disturbing our gathering."

Jenna felt that she had already understood the reason and suddenly realized:

"Scare them and let them not dare to come to this area?"

"No." Franca shook her head seriously, "Let them only focus on that place and ignore several places around it. Simply put, it is to find something for the Trier citizens and college students who like adventure to do."

Jenna, who was born and raised in Trier, was suddenly speechless, and it took a few seconds to say:

"Fuck! The Trier people around me are not like this!"

Everyone works very hard, just likes to drink something in places like bars and ballrooms after finishing a day's busyness, singing and dancing, or using mutual abuse to vent the emotions in their hearts.

"Trier people and Trier people are also different." Franca shook her head while "tsk-tsking."

While speaking, they squeezed through a gap, turned into a new tunnel, and arrived at a quarry hollow with some dark green moss.

Outside the quarry hollow stood a white skeleton. The skeleton's face wore an iron-colored mask, and its eye sockets were empty and hollow, deep and dark.

Jenna, who had never been in contact with any occult things, saw this scene, and her heart couldn't help but speed up, instinctively feeling afraid.

Franca raised her hand to greet:

"You only send a skeleton over every time. Do you need to be so cautious?

"Damn, even making the skeleton wear a mask, is there anything that can't be seen?"

That white skeleton said with a voice like vocal cords rubbing against metal:

"I like a sentence in the 'Great Adventurer' series of novels very much:

"'This is politeness'."

After finishing, the eye sockets, which were dark and didn't burn any flames, looked at Jenna:

"She is?"

"My friend, brought her to see it." Franca gave a very simple answer.

That skeleton didn't pursue the question, moved its neck with a crack, and signaled that the two could enter the quarry hollow behind.

Inside, Jenna saw that there were already quite a few people. They were doing different disguises, either sitting on stones or standing in corners, no one speaking, extremely quiet.

After looking around, Jenna asked Franca in a low voice:

"Just let me in like this?"

This is too relaxed and too simple, right?

Don't worry about whether it's worth trusting, don't worry about safety issues?

Franca laughed in a low voice:

"I trust him, and he trusts me."

"Is that so..." Jenna just nodded, and suddenly felt that something was wrong. "How does that skeleton know it's you? Didn't you do a disguise?"

"He has a special way of recognizing people." Franca explained vaguely.

After a quarter of an hour, people arrived one after another. When the skeleton wearing the iron-colored mask announced that the trading meeting had officially begun, nearly twenty people had gathered in this quarry hollow.

Jenna, with an attitude of experience and curiosity, watched those transactions one by one, asking Franca a few words in a low voice from time to time, mastering many new terms.

In this process, she was inevitably shocked by the prices of potion formulas, magical items, Beyonder weapons, and various materials. Even the cheapest ones, she would have to be an underground singer for a whole week to earn enough. As for the expensive ones, she felt that she had no hope in this life.

The latter third of the trading meeting was mainly commissions. Jenna sat up straight unknowingly, wanting to see if there were any that she could complete and earn a large sum of money.

A man wearing a black robe, presenting the image of a "Wizard" in various horror stories, used a deliberately sharp voice to say:

"I have a mission, worth 20,000 Felkins."

20,000 Felkins? Everyone present cast their eyes on that commissioner.

Jenna was the same. She had lived until now and had never seen such a large sum of money.

That man looked left and right and said:

"The gatekeeper of the Deep Valley Monastery in the Hill District has been missing for three days. I hope you can help me find him or his corpse.

"I don't have the ability to identify the truth or falsehood of the clues, so only the person who brings him or his corpse back to the Deep Valley Monastery can get that 20,000 Felkins.

"Of course, you can also choose to bring it here."

The Deep Valley Monastery belonged to the "God of Steam and Machinery" church, gathering many ascetic monks (monks) who were determined to study machinery and steam, did not marry, did not have children, did not preach, and did not sermonize.

It was located in the Hill District, which was District 19. To the west was the Cathedral District where the "God of Steam and Machinery Church" archbishop's cathedral and the Trier North Train Station were located, and to the east was District 20, which was the Cemetery District.

Seeing no one respond, the man continued:

"The official has already investigated, and there was no harvest.

"Each of you can accept this commission, go to the Deep Valley Monastery to investigate in the name of a bounty hunter, and don't worry about being suspected. I will post notices about this matter in bars, ballrooms, and beer houses in every district next."

Can try it, anyway, not investigating anything won't lose anything, at most wasting some time to earn money... Jenna was quite moved and turned her head to look at Franca.

Franca also nodded, thinking that this task could be accepted.

On one hand, she was curious, and on the other hand, she felt that it could bring Jenna some training, so that she wouldn't only know how to assassinate at the cost of her life. And if she really smelled the breath of danger and discovered abnormalities, they could also withdraw in time.

Of course, the bounty being high enough was also one of the reasons.

After a brief silence, the participants of the gathering began to ask questions, one after another.

They wanted to master enough intelligence before the official investigation.

The commissioner answered very briefly, only telling everyone that the missing monastery gatekeeper was named Pink, in his fifties, a resident of the nearby Deep Valley Town, a devout believer of the "God of Steam and Machinery," unmarried for life, and had a fanatical love for machinery. This was also the reason why he went to the Deep Valley Monastery to be a gatekeeper when he had his own farmland.

He went home once a week, each time for one day, but he didn't disappear at home.

That night, when the monks who were obsessed with research were testing a steam creation in the courtyard, they saw Pink staying at the entrance of the gatekeeper's hut, watching with great interest. Who knew, the next morning, he was discovered missing.

Jenna recorded this information seriously, just like performing in normal times.

Not long after, this occult gathering ended, and the participants left in batches tacitly.

…………

A few days later at night, Lu Mian sat in front of the bar of the Breeze Ballroom, drinking his favorite absinthe while watching Jenna sing and dance again.

At this time, Louis walked over, leaned to his ear and said:

"Boss, the boss is here, waiting for you in the cafe on the second floor."

"The boss came over personally?" Lu Mian was slightly surprised.

He didn't say anything more, gulped down the remaining green liquid, got up, and walked toward the stairs.

At this time, Gardner Martin stood by the window, not wearing formal wear, wearing a dark brown jacket and a wide-brimmed round hat of the same color, as if he had just come from the pier or the yard.

He looked at Lu Mian with brownish-red eyes for a second, signaling everyone else to leave here.

Soon, only Gardner Martin and Lu Mian were left in the cafe.

This Savare boss smiled and said:

"I should have expressed my appreciation for you more than once, right?"

"Yes, thank you, boss." Lu Mian nodded.

Gardner Martin's expression gradually became serious:

"Are you interested in joining my circle? This can allow you to come into contact with more Beyonders, stronger power, and more sufficient resources."

This "test" is over? Lu Mian didn't hide his confusion:

"What is the price?"

Gardner Martin revealed a smile again:

"The price is that you might encounter more dangers, and you must follow orders to complete some missions.

"But as long as you do well, you will definitely be able to improve rapidly. Maybe it won't take a few years before you can sit in my position."

Lu Mian deliberately hesitated and pondered for a while before saying:

"I have no problem."

Gardner Martin nodded seriously:

"Before this, you need to accept a test.

"You go to 13 Market Avenue now and stay there until the sun rises."

13 Market Avenue? Lu Mian frowned and tried hard to recall.

Finally, he remembered what place that was:

That was the place considered by Osta Trul, the "Secret Prayer," to be the most dangerous place in the Market District.

That was the building that had been burned down and had never been demolished!

(End of chapter)