Chapter 288: A Private Conversation

Olsen did not pay attention to Lu Mian's sudden tensing, his voice sounding slightly hoarse as he said:

"According to custom, as a 'Supervisor,' I must have a private talk with you once."

Lu Mian quietly let out a breath and said:

"Talk about what?"

Olsen placed the small, brownish leather suitcase beside his left leg:

"If you discover that your 'Superior,' that is, Gardner Martin, has any problems or shows any abnormalities, report it to me immediately."

That's what I should do; only if the boss has a problem can the position be vacated... Lu Mian muttered silently with a hint of mockery before saying:

"How do I contact you?"

Olsen looked into Lu Mian's eyes and said:

"Leave the information in the basement at 13 Market Avenue."

13 Market Avenue... The 'Iron and Blood Cross Order' really does have a connection to that burned-down building... It's possible Olsen has been to that Fourth Epoch Trier; he should belong to the type that is deeply corrupted. Does he have a way to utilize the 'abnormality' at 13 Market Avenue? Lu Mian recalled his experience from last night, feeling that 'Supervisor' Olsen was even more mysterious than 'Superior' Gardner Martin.

He suspected that the person secretly monitoring his every move inside 13 Market Avenue was Olsen—Gardner Martin was clearly unwilling to enter that place unless necessary.

Combining the information that 13 Market Avenue was burned down over a dozen years ago, Mr. K saying the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order' had distanced itself in recent years from other organizations that worshipped 'That One,' and Lady 'Magician' mentioning that the current vigil ceremony was not the usual test used by the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order,' a not-yet-perfected thread of events vaguely formed in Lu Mian's mind.

He believed that 13 Market Avenue being burned down was not done by the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order,' but later, they grasped the secret there and simultaneously suffered corresponding corruption, thus undergoing mutation.

Of course, it could also be the other way around: perhaps some members of the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order' suffered corresponding corruption elsewhere, and only then grasped the 'abnormality' of 13 Market Avenue.

"Alright." Lu Mian nodded and agreed.

As his thoughts raced, he looked at 'Supervisor' Olsen and asked without hiding his own doubts:

"Was the trader I saw in the Albet mine really you? Can your head leave your own body and survive independently?

"Or, was that an illusion you created?"

Olsen laughed hoarsely:

"Exactly, as a 'Supervisor,' I have three things to tell you:

"One, what the eyes see is not necessarily the truth;

"Two, we will all eventually enter the Trier of the Fourth Epoch; this is our destiny;

"Three, do not easily trust the words of others."

Do not easily trust the words of others... That's interesting. Should I believe your first sentence then? Was what I saw in the Albet mine actually real? Heh, talking about destiny in front of me—I don't mind, but Termiboros, can you tolerate this? Lu Mian forcibly controlled himself from raising his right palm to press against his left chest.

Seeing Olsen pick up that small, brownish leather suitcase again, seemingly intending to leave, Lu Mian asked with a hint of curiosity:

"What exactly is inside that, and why do you keep carrying it?"

Olsen revealed a smile:

"If I were you, I'd better pray that I never know the answer."

After saying this, the Supervisor opened the door of the moving carriage, jumped into the darkness outside, and vanished in an instant.

He did not deliberately use his abilities as he had when he arrived to deceive Lu Mian's intuition and senses.

"So mysterious..." Lu Mian muttered in a low voice.

After returning to the Market District by carriage, he did not rush to the Golden Rooster Tavern or the safe house on White Coat Street to summon Lady 'Magician's' messenger to report that he had officially joined the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order,' but instead went straight into the Breeze Dance Hall.

He was worried that those insidious guys from the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order' were still using his most relaxed stage to continue their secret, final monitoring.

Although they couldn't discover Lady 'Magician's' messenger, returning to Room 207 or the safe house at this time didn't fit Lu Mian's style and would easily invite suspicion.

Sitting at the bar, Lu Mian ordered a glass of light red wine, sipping it while enjoying the singing and dancing on stage.

Jenna was resting tonight; the performers were two other 'Flamboyant Girls' and a male underground singer known for his very dynamic songs.

…………

Hill District, outside the Deep Valley Monastery.

Jenna, who had put on a silver-white half-face mask, looked with a hint of worry at Franca, who was dressed as an assassin beside her, and said:

"What are we doing tonight?

"You don't intend to sneak into the monastery to investigate, do you?"

"Of course not!" Franca denied it flatly. "The Deep Valley Monastery is a rather famous monastery of the Church of the 'God of Steam and Machinery.' Not only are there powerful Beyonders, but it also hides mysterious artifacts made by those 'Artisan' monks. With our strength, going in is just serving ourselves up—no, delivering ourselves to the door..."

Speaking of this, a pile of scrap metal couldn't help but flash through Franca's mind.

She had heard that although the monks here didn't marry or have children and focused on researching steam and machinery, it didn't mean they were uninterested in women or men.

The Church of the 'God of Steam and Machinery' didn't forbid this!

According to rumors, a portion of the monks would find some streetwalkers every once in a while to relieve their spirits, and another portion would find colleagues or men who sold their bodies.

There was still a large portion left whose hobby was machinery, or who were truly practicing asceticism and could control themselves.

Of course, regarding similar salacious rumors, Trierans always liked to exaggerate the facts or add their own ideas, which was very different from the real situation. Franca didn't believe it entirely, but she couldn't not believe it at all.

She felt that there should be a portion of monks who had those problems, but it wasn't the mainstream. However, even if it wasn't the mainstream, sneaking into the monastery as a wild Beyonder was also a very dangerous thing: either be accidentally killed by machinery, caught and used as an experimental subject, or become a plaything for those few monks. There was only a very small probability of success.

In short, regardless of gender, if you haven't reached Sequence 4 or don't have enough certainty, don't even think about sneaking into the Deep Valley Monastery.

Franca, hidden under her hood, revealed a smile and explained in a good mood:

"We've turned the whole area around today and haven't found a single clue.

"But there is one place we haven't investigated yet."

Jenna recalled briefly and said:

"That Deep Valley Quarry?"

"Right." Franca laughed. "Tonight, we'll sneak in there and conduct a search."

Actually, she didn't think the two of them would have any gains; after all, official Beyonders had already completed the investigation. She just wanted to take Jenna through the process so she could become familiar with how to handle similar matters.

"Mm." Jenna nodded slightly.

Franca took the opportunity to teach:

"Before officially sneaking in, we still have some preparatory work to do.

"For an 'Assassin,' it's familiarizing with the environment, collecting intelligence, and observing locations and routes. But when you reach the 'Witch' stage, you also have to perform a divination in advance."

As Franca spoke, she took out a palm-sized mirror she carried with her.

Jenna immediately concentrated her spirit.

She had long been curious about the 'Witch's' mirror-related abilities.

—Previously, after she assassinated Hugo Artois and fled to the Golden Rooster Tavern, Franca heard she had left blood at the scene and hurriedly used a 'Mirror Substitute' to help her cut the mystical connection between her main body and that blood.

Franca looked around and, borrowing the cover of the night's shadows, said:

"Once you also become a 'Witch,' you will naturally master 'Magic Mirror Divination' and 'Magic Wand Divination.' As for other divination methods, they require learning, but for a 'Witch,' they are all very simple.

"When performing 'Magic Mirror Divination,' the most important thing is to choose a good object of prayer, because the essence of 'Magic Mirror Divination' is using the mystical symbolism of the mirror surface to connect to an unknown existence and obtain the answer to the question from the other party. If the unknown existence harbors malice or is itself in a state of madness, then whether it's directly exerting influence or giving a divination result hidden with traps, it will put you in danger.

"At that time, I will give you a few relatively safe objects of prayer. These have all been verified. Among them, the one with the most precise divination results requires you to pay a corresponding price. Unless the matter is particularly critical and the situation particularly dire, I generally won't pray to him."

"What price?" Jenna's curiosity was piqued.

Franca awkwardly cleared her throat and said:

"A price that might lead to your social death. It's not necessarily that serious, but it will definitely make you lose face."

She remembered the first time she prayed to that person and performed 'Magic Mirror Divination,' she was asked in front of Lady 'Justice'—"When you comfort yourself, do you occasionally fantasize about certain men and want to try it?"

That question almost made her smash the mirror used as a medium. At that time, she hadn't been a 'Witch' for long, and her self-perception was still completely that of a man, but her body had become a woman's. She was also a person who loved novelty and trying things, so it was inevitable she would occasionally fantasize. Every time, she felt very guilty and ashamed. As a result, she was exposed in front of a demigod just like that, and she had to answer honestly.

To this day, when Franca recalls that scene, she still has the urge to bury her head in the sand, listen to nothing, and see nothing.

What is social death? This is it!

Franca felt that she really tried to test Gardner Martin later, which was clearly influenced by this incident, leading to cracks in her psychological defenses and a bit of self-abandonment.

Lose face... social death... You seem to have a deep understanding of this... Jenna keenly sensed Franca's subtext.

After muttering two sentences in her heart, she didn't pursue the questioning.

Franca briefly explained the steps of 'Magic Mirror Divination' and finally performed a demonstration.

She gently stroked the surface of the mirror with her hand and chanted the name of a certain existence whose safety had been verified.

When the mirror shimmered with water, she asked solemnly:

"Is there danger in exploring the Deep Valley Quarry in Trier tonight?"

Because it was a question-style divination, the requirements for the divination phrasing were not strict.

In Jenna's curious and expectant gaze, an old voice that seemed to come from the bottom of a river came from the mirror:

"There is a certain amount of danger."

PS: Seeking monthly votes for the last three and a half days~

(End of chapter)