Chapter 367: Observation

The layout of the Red House Cafe had the temperament of a small town countryside, with enamel tableware, beamed ceilings, small checkered tablecloths, and decorative paintings with wooden frames, making it look simple and elegant, completely different from the gorgeous and fashionable exterior.

Franca ordered a cup of rich Intis coffee and sat by the window, bathing in the sunlight.

She scanned casually and observed the few customers and waiters:

Most were women, especially the waiters, not a single man, with neat dresses and elegant manners, obviously having received specialized training.

The only two men looked like visiting wine merchants, sitting opposite each other, discussing the impact of this year's abundant rain and sufficient sunlight on grape quality. Among the three female customers, one was elderly, white-haired, dressed simply, and occasionally greeted passersby outside the window, looking like a local resident; one was about thirty years old, with a black hat with a veil beside her, wearing a blue-leaning waist-cinching long dress, with relatively ordinary features; one had a beautiful appearance, clear eyebrows, and naturally draped brown hair with wave-like curls, her dress color was very plain, and her temperament was quite quiet.

Except for that local old lady, the remaining two were like participants in the pleasure party... Franca withdrew her gaze, feeling that the first floor with a dozen or twenty tables didn't look like a place for a private party.

She suspected it was either in the basement or upstairs closer to the red mushroom-cap-style roof.

From the position where Franca sat, she could easily see the situation at the door. The big brown-yellow dog Lu Mian had turned into lay quietly there, watching every human and customer/waiter entering and leaving the Red House Cafe like sunbathing.

No one cared about such a stray dog by the road, except for the stray dogs passing nearby.

It bared its teeth and roared continuously at Lu Mian, who had occupied its daily position.

Lu Mian was very helpless. He couldn't really fight another dog in the state of a dog, right?

For him, this wasn't a big problem, and he didn't care much about face, but the important thing was that 'Art of Animal Creation' sealed most of his Beyonder abilities, and even his strength was limited to the level of a dog.

Of course, with the size of this big dog he had turned into, bullying small and medium-sized canine creatures was easy, but the guy who was now baring its fangs at him was also very large, just thin.

Fight! Fight! Franca, who saw this scene through the window, suddenly became excited, a bit unable to control her emotions.

However, she didn't want to control it either. It was rare for Lu Mian to encounter such an awkward situation where fighting would be embarrassing and not fighting would be even more embarrassing. How could she not watch the fun?

Lu Mian, who was lying by the door, raised his right palm, no, right front leg. According to the experience last time, he spread a trace of spirit into his palm.

The slight feeling of madness and the bloody smell that only Lu Mian could smell appeared in this tiny range.

That thin brown-haired big dog, which could see its bones, froze, tucked its tail, and fled in a panic.

"Uh... have some backbone! Why did you run?" Franca in the Red House Cafe was disappointed.

She couldn't understand why that dog was suddenly afraid of Lu Mian.

That 'Hunter' couldn't use his abilities, at most he could emit an aura with a provocative meaning!

At the same time, Lu Mian laughed at himself in his heart:

"If the 'Blood Emperor' knew I was using His aura to scare a dog, would He peel my skin off?"

After such an interlude, Franca put her attention back into the cafe.

She learned from the descriptions in fashion magazines and her life experience over the past year, drinking coffee elegantly, occasionally making daily movements that could show female charm.

She felt that almost everyone in the cafe was looking at her, some quietly, very hidden, some openly, even showing her a kind smile.

That elderly local old lady smiled at Franca, picked up the honey-roasted chicken wings on the tray, and walked out of the Red House Cafe.

She stopped in front of Lu Mian and said to herself with some surprise,

"Changed to a new one..."

Lu Mian immediately had a bad premonition, watching the old lady squat down and bring the honey-roasted chicken wings, which were brown-yellow and oily on the outside, in front of his mouth.

He hesitated for a second, bit the chicken wing like a real dog, started chewing, and let the old lady stroke his furry head.

Honestly speaking, he was still not used to the eating method of canine creatures, but fortunately, the old lady stroked him twice and then got up and left.

Inside the Red House Cafe, Franca watched Lu Mian clumsily tearing the chicken wings and couldn't help but laugh, her body trembling a bit as she didn't restrain her amplified emotions.

If she hadn't been worried about her image, she would have been laughing her head off.

She also wanted to take some food out to feed Lu Mian!

Without deliberately imitating, Franca, who showed her natural state, appeared more charming in the eyes of others in the cafe.

The mysterious charm of black hair and brown eyes, elegant and casual behavior, made her have an attraction different from other women.

Just then, a woman wearing a light-colored hunting suit rode a brown horse and returned from the racecourse near the East Cilonie Forest, stopping in front of the Red House Cafe.

She flipped off the horse nimbly and took off the hat on her head.

Her orange-red long hair immediately broke free from the restraint, draping down like a waterfall, adding a bit of wildness to that clean, pure, and exquisite face.

The hunting-suited woman tied the horse, took the whip, entered the Red House Cafe, and walked toward the quiet young woman with brown hair.

Franca had stopped mocking Lu Mian. She felt that the newcomer was more like a participant in the pleasure party than anyone else here.

Although she was the most beautiful and had the most exquisite features, and looked very pure, she had a temperament that could play a male role.

In a female pleasure party, such a person must exist.

Franca raised her right hand, brushed the black hair falling to her lips, and showed female charm without a trace.

The woman with orange-red long hair, who was subconsciously looking at everyone in the cafe, was obviously stunned for a moment, as if she had been amazed.

But Lu Mian, who was lying quietly at the door, found that after being amazed, the hunting-suited woman frowned slightly.

She withdrew her gaze, continued to walk toward the quiet woman with wavy hair, and teased her in a low voice.

Then, the two chatted easily and walked toward the second floor along the wooden stairs.

Franca watched them with the corner of her eye, having some guesses in her heart:

These two were likely participants in the female pleasure party, but she didn't know if they belonged to the 'Present Society' or 'Narcissus'.

Franca drank coffee slowly without making any attempts.

After another half an hour, seeing that the two hadn't come down, she took the initiative to leave her seat and walked out of the Red House Cafe normally.

She planned to stop here for today; being too anxious to make contact would definitely lead to suspicion.

She planned to forge an identity of living near Lavigne Wharf, and then come to Chayot Town every two or three days, or even more frequently. After all, this is a famous wine-producing area, and the scenery is good. Every day, many tourists come here, which must have a very strong attraction for a lady who has just moved to the surrounding area.

Lu Mian still lay quietly at the door of the Red House Cafe, as if unrelated to Franca.

Almost at the same time, he, who was looking around, saw the orange-red long-haired beautiful lady standing behind a glass window on the second floor.

She watched Franca's back quietly, her expression not the longing of someone who likes the same sex, but serious, vigilant, and thoughtful.

Why would she have such a reaction? Did she discover that Franca had a problem? How did she discover it? Lu Mian, in confusion, stood up as if sunbathing enough and circled into the alley between the Red House Cafe and the side building.

This was closer to the direction Franca left.

Soon, the orange-red long-haired hunting-suited woman appeared behind the side glass window on the second floor.

She looked around, seeing no one paying attention here, only a big brown-yellow dog sleeping in the corner, and jumped into the alley after gently pushing open the window.

Immediately after, this clean-looking lady hid in the shadows.

Lu Mian, who was 'drowsy', watched this scene quietly, thoughts turning in his mind:

"Feather fall... shadow hiding... beautiful appearance... outstanding charm... Is this a 'Witch'?

"Is it precisely because she herself is a 'Witch' that she noticed a trace of abnormality from Franca's appearance and charm, and decided to follow and observe?"

Lu Mian stood up, moved his four legs, and followed Franca from a distance with the posture of a walk.

As for the orange-red long-haired hunting-suited woman, she was always hidden in the shadows, and Lu Mian had no way to determine her position, only knowing that she must be not far from Franca.

Franca didn't rush to leave Chayot Town, like a real tourist, visiting the nearest vineyard, tasting free red wine in the store, and buying some local specialties.

By noon, Franca disappeared from Lu Mian's sight, and then he saw the clean-looking hunting-suited woman walk out of the shadows in the corner of the department store, looking around.

She had also been shaken off by Franca.

A gratified smile appeared on Lu Mian's dog face.

Shaking off the hypothetical follower was the last part of today's operation. Franca, who had 'Lie' to assist and could counter-divination, did a great job!

She must have used the shoppers here just now, using trying on clothes as a cover to change her image and leave openly.

After the hunting-suited woman found nothing and returned to the Red House Cafe, Lu Mian also left Chayot Town and headed toward the Erato District.

He wanted to take advantage of the fact that he was still a dog to investigate the environment around Red Tianebao.

—Guillaume Bénet's 'Art of Animal Creation' can be maintained for seven days, and will naturally be lifted when the time comes, requiring a re-ritual.

As Lu Mian expected, Red Tianebao was the beige ancient castle stained with many ancient bloodstains in his nightmare. It stood quietly on the top of a small hill, surrounded by a small river.

Lu Mian circled around here several times, found several escape routes that could be used in an emergency along the way, some of which belonged to the main road with freight railways beside them, and some required crossing forests, lakes, or hills, which were not only relatively hidden but also had many natural traps.

Lu Mian had originally considered whether to mix into Red Tianebao in the form of a dog, but later found that the guards there were very strict, and if a stray dog dared to approach, it would inevitably be shot.

"What a pity, 'Art of Animal Creation' can only turn into larger animals, and the implicit requirement is that the fur can wrap the curled-up human, otherwise, I could turn into a mouse, I don't believe you could still defend against it!" Lu Mian sighed and left this area, finding a place with no one nearby.

Then, he used spirituality to vibrate the air inside the dog skin and said two Hermes words vaguely:

"Your Grace, Archbishop!"