Chapter 309: Agitation

Hearing Lu Mian's question, Anthony Reid, whose face was already fat and whose skin was shiny, stared at him with deep brown eyes for a few seconds:

"I don't understand what you mean."

This information peddler's emotions were stable, and his expression was normal, seemingly really not caring about the death of Yu Ge Artois.

Lu Mian smiled and didn't make further inquiries, pointing downstairs:

"I'll treat you to a drink.

"You helped me before, and we fought together. Treating you to a drink is a farewell."

Anthony Reid touched his receding light yellow hairline with his right hand that wasn't carrying the suitcase, thought for a moment and said:

"Okay."

The two walked into the basement bar along the stairs with only one gas street lamp and sat at the bar counter.

"What do you want?" Lu Mian said in a tone of being at home.

"Fennel absinthe," Anthony Reid replied concisely.

"Absinthe, huh..." Lu Mian laughed, took out a silver coin of 1 Felkin and four copper coins of 5 Kopeks, and threw them to the bar owner Paval Nisen, who was tying a ponytail.

"Two 'Somersaults'."

"Somersault" is the underworld slang in the bar, referring to double fennel absinthe, while a single is a "Little Mummy."

The latter needs 7 Ricks, and the former is 12 Ricks.

Paval Nisen opened a normal cup and poured the green liquid that had a dreamy feeling into Lu Mian and Anthony Reid's cups.

Lu Mian had just taken a sip, feeling the familiar bitterness and freshness, when he saw Paval Nisen, who had dark brown whiskers by his mouth, somewhat ingratiatingly lower his voice and say:

"Charles, do you have that kind of medicine?"

This bar owner and amateur painter believed that "Lion" Charles, as a well-known underworld boss, must master two or three channels to get contraband medicine.

"What medicine?" Lu Mian's thumb rubbed the cup body, and he asked with an unchanging smile.

Paval Nisen knew that Anthony Reid was an information peddler and often came into contact with various illegal events, so he didn't avoid him, lowering his voice to explain:

"Mental contraband medicine. Hey, before being affected by the strange tree, I drew my most satisfied draft. No, that was not only the most satisfied, but also the aesthetic level I have always pursued but never reached. It perfectly expressed my thoughts and ideas. After that, I never had that feeling again. What I drew were all, all dog shit! I want to try mental medicine, hoping to let me find back that experience."

Lu Mian took another sip of the dreamy absinthe, and his smile was sarcastic:

"If I were you, I would choose to never paint again. You don't have the talent of a painter at all."

Before Paval Nisen could respond, he laughed "hehe":

"Relying on drug stimulation to draw works that are just okay proves that you have no talent!"

"But many famous painters have used..." Paval Nisen hadn't finished his words before being forcibly interrupted by Lu Mian.

He "tsk" and said:

"That shows their creative ability has begun to decline, and inspiration is no longer abundant.

"Isn't this cheating? Comparing works drawn with drug stimulation with works drawn normally by other painters, barely winning, being selected for the exhibition, hanging in the exhibition hall, and loudly declaring to every visitor 'Look, I am a despicable person, I am an inferior person, drugs are my talent, and the devil is my parent'."

Seeing Paval Nisen's face gradually turn gray, Lu Mian opened his arms slightly and asked further:

"Will you be very proud like this?

"If you had talent, you wouldn't be an amateur painter long ago. Even if you couldn't pass the review and couldn't be selected for the exhibition of works by living artists, there should be private galleries looking for you. And what is the reality? You know better than me."

Paval Nisen's lips moved for a while, unable to speak.

His expression was dim, and he took two steps back and sat down, his soul seeming to have left his body.

Anthony Reid had been drinking fennel absinthe quietly, and only then did he turn his head to look at Lu Mian:

"You don't seem to approve of using mental contraband medicine."

"Otherwise?" Lu Mian sneered.

Anthony Reid looked at Paval Nisen, who was caught in a self-struggle, and said thoughtfully:

"You seem to have persuaded him."

"I just ignited the sense of shame in his heart," Lu Mian replied in a flat tone.

Anthony Reid nodded slightly:

"What if you didn't persuade him?"

Lu Mian laughed suddenly:

"I am not his godfather."

If you don't persuade him, you don't persuade him.

Anthony Reid was silent for a few seconds and looked at Lu Mian again:

"The way you dissuade is somewhat different from your usual style. Is this acting?"

Very keen... Observation ability is very strong... As expected of a middle-sequence Beyonder of the "Spectator" pathway... If I could ignite the flame in the heart of a "Spectator," it would be of no small help to my digestion... Lu Mian sighed inwardly, holding the wine glass with rippling green liquid, looking forward:

"I picked up some leaflets before, which said that in the war with the Loen Kingdom a few years ago, Yu Ge Artois abandoned his troops, causing a large number of people to die."

Anthony Reid didn't speak, drinking fennel absinthe quietly.

Lu Mian looked at the bar counter where there was no one else and continued:

"I remember you had post-traumatic stress disorder in that war a few years ago."

Gulp, Anthony Reid drank a large mouthful of green liquor.

Lu Mian didn't mention the election poster of the member of parliament in the room of this information peddler, looking at Paval Nisen, who had lost his soul, and said to himself:

"If you just hate Yu Ge Artois, after hearing that he has been assassinated, you should be very happy and get drunk in the bar.

"If you hope to figure out why Yu Ge Artois did that, figure out why he could enter politics and run for member of parliament after doing that, and figure out what kind of people were supporting him, then you have to find other clues and let the deceased of that year rest in peace underground.

"Official Beyonders should be doing this investigation, but they have too many constraints and don't have the unscrupulousness of wild Beyonders."

Anthony Reid maintained his sitting posture and drank another large mouthful of fennel absinthe.

Lu Mian laughed:

"This is indeed very troublesome, with too many obstacles and dangers. Giving up is a thought that everyone will have. Anyway, Yu Ge Artois is already dead, and the murderer who directly caused that tragedy is already dead. The deceased should also be able to get some comfort."

Anthony Reid stopped drinking, and there was no change in expression on his middle-aged fat face.

Lu Mian looked at him sideways and lowered his voice, smiling:

"Yu Ge Artois's death, I made a certain contribution.

"We are still investigating his problems."

Seeing Anthony Reid tremble slightly, Lu Mian straightened his body and left the basement bar without looking back.

He returned to room 207 all the way, didn't close the door, and lit the calcium carbide lamp.

He then reversed the chair, sat down, and looked at the dark corridor with a relaxed posture.

Lu Mian waited exceptionally quietly, as if certain he could wait for the person he wanted to see.

Time passed minute by minute, the couple started arguing again, and drunkards gradually appeared on the street.

Footsteps that were not heavy rang out, approaching the room 207 with obvious hesitation.

The corners of Lu Mian's mouth gradually curled up, leaning back against the back of the chair, looking at the door.

Not long after, Anthony Reid, wearing a military green jacket and trousers of the same color, stepping on unlaced leather boots, with very short hair, appeared there.

He stood in the area radiated by the calcium carbide lamp, looking at Lu Mian sitting in front of the wooden table with a smile, the muscles on his face distorted slightly.

He said in a low voice:

"I know you are stimulating me, I know you are acting, but, but you are right..."

Anthony Reid, who was already middle-aged, raised his right hand, pressed his left chest, and said with a ferocious expression:

"In these few years, my heart has been burned by the flames of pain and unwillingness."

Lu Mian laughed, closed his eyes, and sensed that the "Pyro" potion had digested a little more.

He then stood up and said to Anthony Reid:

"Facts are the most powerful weapon of persuasion."

After Anthony Reid said the words just now, the whole person seemed to relax, no longer having the struggle and contradiction in his heart.

He walked into room 207, closed the wooden door, and examined the situation around:

"Was Yu Ge Artois really killed by you? How far have you investigated now?"

"The person who assassinated Yu Ge Artois, Cheria Bellot, is my friend. The one who first discovered that Yu Ge Artois was supported by multiple evil god sects was me," Lu Mian first replied briefly, then said sincerely, "Sorry, I lied to you just now."

Anthony Reid was stunned:

"Which sentence?"

Lu Mian smiled:

"We actually haven't started investigating the people and forces behind Yu Ge Artois yet."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 310 =====

"The Chellia Bello who assassinated Yu Ge Artois is my friend, and I was the first to discover that Yu Ge Artois was being supported by multiple evil god cults." Lu Mian first replied simply, then said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I lied to you about something just now."

Anthony Reid was stunned for a moment:

"Which part?"

Lu Mian revealed a smile:

"We actually haven't started tracking down the people and forces behind Yu Ge Artois yet."

(End of chapter)