Chapter 377: Gathering Place

Finally here... Lu Mi let out a breath, folded the letter paper, turned, and left the Golden Chicken Hotel.

He didn't go to find Franca; they had already communicated many times about the gathering, so there was no need to waste time confirming.

Lu Mi walked all the way to the new safe house on Nightingale Street and threw the bag containing the "Torture" gauntlets onto the bed.

He didn't prepare an extra iron cabinet, because with the several traps hidden in the room, ordinary thieves couldn't get close to the core area, and forcing their way in would only bury their lives, while for extraordinary thieves, an iron cabinet wouldn't stop them either.

When the time was almost up, Lu Mi put on the wizard-style black robe with a hood, according to the description of Lady "Hela" and Franca regarding the appearance of his sister when she attended the gathering.

Immediately after, he took out "Lie," turned it into a silver-white earring full of simple beauty, and clipped it onto his right earlobe.

In the full-length mirror, Lu Mi looked calmly at himself as he suddenly became a head shorter, his hair turning pure gold, thick and long.

His facial features also changed, completely approaching the Aurora in his memory, with a high and delicate nose bridge, red lips neither thick nor thin, and light blue eyes that were clear, condensing a faint light.

Lu Mi used to always feel that his sister was a person whose appearance and inner self were very different. She seemed bright and sunny, cheerful and generous, but in reality, she was a woman who liked to stay at home and was not very willing to go out and communicate with others. Only he, who had truly gained her trust, could see her casual and relaxed side, full of strange words, loving to laugh and loving to bully people.

And if such an Aurora really went out, she wouldn't show any fear. Just like Lu Mi, she could naturally communicate with the old ladies in Cordu Village, could vividly tell stories to the children, and gain their love.

Ever since he knew his sister's background, Lu Mi began to understand why Aurora's inner self was not quite the same as her appearance and temperament. Of course, many people had similar situations, but Aurora's was more obvious because of her own special nature.

Recently, Lu Mi often thought about what his sister was like originally and what kind of life she lived.

Gradually, he saw the light blue eyes of the Aurora in the mirror become blurred, as if she had fallen into a recollection of the past.

Lu Mi still remembered the first time his sister mentioned her hometown, which was the second year after he arrived in Cordu Village.

At that time, the shepherds had returned to the highland pastures. Aurora took him to stroke the lambs that had just been born, and then "cruelly" bought their relatives, went to the green pasture growing with white or yellow wildflowers, organized an area that wouldn't affect the surroundings, set up a grill and charcoal, and started a picnic.

When night fell and the stars in the high sky stood out, like countless diamonds forming a brilliant river, Aurora suddenly became dazed and raised her hand to wipe her eyes.

Lu Mi asked her what she was thinking about, and she said she was thinking about her hometown, thinking about home.

The Aurora in the mirror lost her focus, reflecting the yellowish-blue light of the calcium carbide lamp, flashing with a little crystal.

That mountain village by the green pasture under the bright sunshine could never be returned to.

After a while, Lu Mi opened the gold-cased pocket watch he borrowed from the Breeze Dance Hall and confirmed the time.

Then, he put on a silver-white half-face mask, with his beautifully curved lips and line-like chin exposed.

Immediately after, Lu Mi took out a piece of paper written in ancient Futhark with the word "Muggle" and stuck it on his left chest.

According to Franca, the members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" numbered in the hundreds, and they all made different disguises when gathering. Unless they were extremely familiar with each other, no one knew who was who.

And although the members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" all came from the same world, their hometowns were different, and their languages were not the same. After crossing over to this side, they were naturally not in the same country, which inevitably led to obstacles in communication. At the beginning, they relied on members who mastered multiple languages to translate, and later, they gradually used the source of the languages of the Northern Continent countries, ancient Futhark, as the common language.

—For members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" living in different countries, this language was close to the mother tongue that came with the body, making it easier to learn and master.

Of course, there were also members whose body's mother tongue was quite different from ancient Futhark, but the number was small, so they could only follow the majority. Anyway, before they mastered the corresponding language, someone would help them translate.

Lu Mi himself had a foundation in ancient Futhark, and after arriving in Trier, he had been studying this language in depth with the help of Aurora's wizardry notes, so normal communication and exchange were no longer a problem.

When the time was almost 10 o'clock, Lu Mi adjusted the details of his figure in the full-length mirror, put various ritual materials and the wine flask containing the "Decent" brooch into the hidden pockets of the wizard's black robe.

After doing these things, Lu Mi held Lady "Hela's" letter and chanted the incantation to request participation in the gathering in Hermes:

"The extraordinary being from the ancient era, the master of the Kingdom of Night, the noble Mother of Heaven, please allow me to enter your kingdom."

As soon as Lu Mi finished speaking, he felt the surroundings suddenly become gloomy and saw himself in the mirror being quickly erased like a pencil sketch by an eraser.

His eyes went dark, and he seemed to have entered the deepest and heaviest sleep.

Suddenly, Lu Mi remembered the gathering in a daze and heard the strong and powerful beating of his heart.

He woke up suddenly and found that he had arrived at a palace where the giant stone walls had many cracks and some weeds had grown.

Deep in the palace, there was a huge mottled stone chair, but no one approached. Through the cracks in the walls and the broken windows, Lu Mi saw that the night outside was deep and cold, filled with thick fog.

Starlight pierced through the fog and fell, bringing a gloomy environment to the palace, illuminating the blurry town that was shrouded in mist and looming.

There were no figures in the town, like a dream, and in the palace, the stone candle holders embedded in the walls had long since lit up groups of yellowish firelight.

At this time, more than a hundred figures had arrived, each dressed differently. Lu Mi scanned them and didn't find "Hela" for the time being, only recognizing "Sleeve Sword" Franca.

She was wearing her favorite assassin outfit, a black robe with leather armor, her hood not pulled too low, her face wearing a silver half-face mask, and she was gathered with several people dressed in the same way, chatting about something.

However, among these assassins, only Franca was a true "Assassin."

Lu Mi didn't go to say hello to Franca and, according to her guidance and the hints in Lady "Hela's" previous letter, walked toward the place near the huge stone chair.

This kind of gathering with a large number of people was no different from a market. It was unlikely to communicate and trade in a unified form, and they could only split into small groups, unless there was something particularly important, when the president "Gandalf" or vice-presidents like "Hela" would walk to the huge stone chair, gather everyone together, and announce it in the form of a speech.

Of course, when wanting to release a demand to everyone, one could also do so.

The gathering Aurora most often attended was the "Academy" group. Their fixed meeting place was in the depths of the palace, in the corner to the left of the huge stone chair.

Lu Mi walked toward that direction while sighing at the magic of the gathering form.

He just recited a paragraph of incantation, left the safe house on Nightingale Street in the Market District, and came to such a mysterious and ancient palace!

And the members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" here came from different places in the North and South Continents and were able to arrive within a period of time.

Such magic was something Lu Mi hadn't seen before, even more incredible to him than "teleportation," and only the "Sowing" of the "Great Mother's" gifted could compare.

What Lu Mi didn't understand was why Franca hadn't told him the method of entering the gathering before, saying that even if she said it face-to-face, he wouldn't be able to hear it, unless he had obtained Lady "Hela's" permission.

But wasn't this just a matter of reciting a paragraph of incantation? How could he not hear it?

According to Franca, such power was likely to come from a certain sealed artifact, a sealed artifact that Lady "Hela" couldn't master but could use to a certain extent.

Besides this way of convening gatherings, the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" had other methods, but those were all thought up by different groups themselves, used for internal or small-circle gatherings. Like "Sleeve Sword" Franca, she and some members with good relationships privately built a "Telegram Group," using miniaturized, simplified analytical machines to chat and communicate at fixed times.

Lu Mi thought about the rough description of Aurora's gathering state by Franca and "Hela," and according to his own speculation, his footsteps gradually became light.

He felt that with the point that the members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" all had a common, special background, even if Aurora thought about guarding against other people at the gathering, she would present the kind of wholehearted relaxation she had when she was with him, and even more obviously.

This was a state without heavy secrets.

Many more figures arrived, and they were quickly outlined in the air, like an oil painting that had been successfully rubbed.

These members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" were dressed in various ways: some wore classical iron-gray full-body armor, some painted red, yellow, and white oil paint, acting as clowns, some wore exaggerated makeup that couldn't see their original appearance at all, like vicious witches in some folk legends, some wore monster helmets carved from orange pumpkins, some turned into pale-faced, red-lipped vampires relying on homemade masks, some wore horse-shaped clothing, putting themselves into it...

This was more exaggerated and imaginative than the masquerade balls in newspapers and magazines.

Lu Mi had a slight smile on the corner of his mouth, passing through these members of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society," occasionally responding to those who greeted him with a nod.

Finally, he arrived at the corner where the "Academy" group was located.

Lu Mi's gaze scanned naturally, seeing the codes stuck on their bodies:

"Dwarf Star," "Professor," "Griffin," "Eagle," "Bear," "Principal," "Periodic Table," "Isotope"...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 378 =====