Chapter 405: Lessons Bring Experience

Yu Jianna reflexively wanted to turn her head away, afraid the suspected "I have a friend" lunatic would notice her staring.

But almost simultaneously, she remembered her own mindset and behavior when approaching Yu Ge Atlua, and restrained her neck, slowly and naturally withdrawing her gaze.

She maintained sufficient composure, following her original rhythm, stepping out of the gray-blue building under the afternoon sun, and putting on a light brown straw hat tied with a cloth flower.

Only after fully leaving Delta Asylum and returning to the street where she had met the boy did Yu Jianna quietly exhale.

Her expression unchanged, she boarded the public carriage bound for the market district.

…………

Evening, No. 3 White Coat Street, Apartment 601.

Lu Mi, summoned here by Yu Jianna, listened to her discovery.

Lu Mi made no effort to hide his shock and skepticism:

"Really?"

"Are you certain you didn't misidentify him?"

Isn't this too coincidental?

Yu Jianna saw the "I have a friend" portrait this morning, and this afternoon found the target at Delta Asylum—somewhere she'd only visited twice—while Lu Mi, Fu Lan Ka, and even the Major and Minor Arcana in Triel had found nothing!

This coincidence made Lu Mi smell conspiracy, felt orchestrated, and robbed him of any real joy.

"Yeah, this is way too coincidental…" Before Lu Mi arrived, Fu Lan Ka had felt the same way.

She muttered:

"Though it's a classic trope for someone with anti-human tendencies and decent intelligence to hide in an asylum—it lets him get close to doctors—but is it really bad luck that a visitor who'd seen his wanted portrait just happened to spot him? There aren't even fifty people in all of Triel who've seen that wanted portrait!"

That's even counting Anthony Reed and other license-holders' interview subjects today.

"I didn't even know this was a classic trope…" Yu Jianna muttered, then added, "But I really did see him—I'm absolutely sure. Maybe… I've just been lucky lately?"

After speaking, she saw disbelief written on Lu Mi and Fu Lan Ka's faces.

Deeply affected by coincidence and possessing sufficient experience, Lu Mi pondered and asked:

"Go back in your mind from this morning when you woke up. Think—any other coincidences? Anything unusual that happened?"

Yu Jianna, seated on the single sofa, fell into thought.

After nearly fifteen minutes, she swore:

"It's no different from usual!"

"Hmm, there is one thing I've never experienced before…"

She recounted in detail how she'd encountered a lost boy, bought him a vanilla ice cream, and arranged for a police officer to watch over him, then asked uncertainly:

"That shouldn't be abnormal, right?"

Fu Lan Ka murmured to herself:

"The boy said you'd gain good fortune?"

Lu Mi focused on another detail:

"He said he was brought by a lady who likes to drink?"

"Yes." Yu Jianna answered both questions with one word.

Lu Mi immediately had a suspect in mind.

Aside from a few dancers, he knew only two ladies who liked to drink; the rest merely sipped casually or out of obligation.

One was Lady Madame Hela, the other was Lady Magician.

The former always carried multiple flasks of strong liquor; the latter enjoyed sampling different alcoholic flavors—even pulling a glass of wine straight from empty air.

Since finding "I have a friend" was a public task of the Tarot Society, and this matter had not yet been reported to Lady Madame Hela, Lu Mi cautiously concluded the boy had been brought to Triel by Lady Magician.

Coupled with Fu Lan Ka's attention to the phrase "gain good fortune," Lu Mi believed the boy possessed an extraordinary ability to bestow luck, and that Yu Jianna's good fortune had simply led her to encounter "I have a friend."

Seeing Lu Mi and Fu Lan Ka fall silent for dozens of seconds, Yu Jianna grew increasingly uneasy:

"Is this really problematic?"

Lu Mi looked at his companion and said thoughtfully:

"Perhaps your luck really did improve—from the moment you bought the boy his ice cream."

Such exchanges of giving and receiving are common in the realm of fate, like the "Ritual of Fortune Shift"—the target must willingly accept the medium, take what they shouldn't, and consciously desire the change for the ritual to succeed.

So Lu Mi reasonably suspected the boy was a Unique from the "Monster" Path—the "Fate" Path—who, by accepting the ice cream, engaged in a hidden transaction of granting luck, causing Yu Jianna to encounter "I have a friend."

"I don't know how to help, so I'll just wait here," and "Buy me an ice cream, and you'll gain good fortune"—so typical of Fate's mysterious style!

"Yeah…" Fu Lan Ka clearly also realized this possibility.

Yu Jianna suddenly understood:

"You mean the boy is an extremely powerful Unique, and he gave me enough luck?"

"But besides meeting 'I have a friend,' I didn't feel anything—I didn't find money or get free gifts."

"Probably using up all your luck just meeting 'I have a friend,'" Fu Lan Ka sighed.

Lu Mi stood up abruptly:

"I'll go confirm."

He immediately entered Fu Lan Ka's bedroom and closed the door.

"How do you confirm?" Yu Jianna asked Fu Lan Ka curiously.

Fu Lan Ka replied with a guess:

"Write a letter."

"To Lady Madame Hela?" Yu Jianna only knew that lady had a messenger.

"Another lady," Fu Lan Ka couldn't say plainly.

Inside her bedroom, Lu Mi, having cleared the altar, soon received a reply from Lady Magician:

"So this is how you found 'I have a friend'? As an astrologer, I think this is way too superstitious."

"No doubt about it—that's the helper we brought in. We spent considerable favors and a whole lot of ice cream."

"Now that you've got results, take action. I'll keep watch and help you guard against accidents."

As expected… Lu Mi smiled.

From Lady Magician's words, he deduced the boy was not a Tarot Society member, so he wouldn't join a public task for free—he required favors and ice cream.

Ice cream? Could such a powerful Unique be swayed by ice cream? Lu Mi first found it absurd and amusing, then remembered Baron Brignol's godson—the idiotic fellow who was clearly unusual and possibly bribable by food.

This made him wonder if all Unique beings with childlike appearances shared this "weakness."

Lu Mi opened the door and returned to the living room.

Yu Jianna stood up nervously and asked:

"Confirmed?"

"A helper specifically sent to grant good fortune—but his meeting you was fate's arrangement, and your buying him ice cream meant you chose the correct fate branch," Lu Mi replied with a mystical air.

As a Unique with Fate-domain abilities, he still held some authority over fate.

"Phew…" Yu Jianna exhaled openly—she'd been worried she'd walked into a trap.

Seeing Fu Lan Ka rise too, Lu Mi pulled out the silver-white "Lies" earring and smirked:

"Let's go to the asylum now—I can't wait."

"Alright," Fu Lan Ka replied, sighing inwardly.

Ever since Xia Er arrived, she's been fighting people every few days.

It's only been a few days since the Loki attack!

…………

Inside the four-wheeled, four-seater carriage heading to the hot spring district.

Lu Mi stared out the window at the black lampposts, then suddenly frowned.

He murmured to himself in confusion:

"Did Yu Jianna really see 'I have a friend'?"

Fu Lan Ka and Yu Jianna turned to him, both remembering the same thing:

When hunting the parish priest Guillaume Bene, they'd first discovered two decoys—and the real Guillaume Bene was the big dog crouching nearby!

"You suspect that was a decoy?" Fu Lan Ka whispered.

One lesson brings one insight—it's good. After witnessing the parish priest's brilliance, failing to guard against such possibilities would prove one unfit for the "Hunter" and "Witch" Paths.

Lu Mi murmured thoughtfully:

"In a situation where his identity is exposed and he's likely to be hunted, wouldn't 'I have a friend' worry that his past months of pranks might become liabilities?"

"If I were him, since I couldn't erase the traces, I'd leave Triel quickly and return later—but he didn't."

"That suggests either he's confident we can't find him, or he has something vital keeping him in Triel—in which case, hiding himself in the shadows while putting a decoy in plain sight is a smart choice."

"Does he have 'Lies' or your 'Substitution Technique'?" Yu Jianna asked skeptically.

Lu Mi laughed:

He may not have "Lies," but the demon god he worships governs the "Fortune Teller" domain and is one of the greatest "Faceless"—with the proper ritual magic, he can ask the deity to alter a target's appearance.

Just as Tarot Society members can summon spirit-world beings using the name of Mr. Fool.

"Create a decoy via 'Faceless' ritual magic, while the real man watches from the shadows… but why not just change his own appearance? That way we'd never find him!" Fu Lan Ka realized a dangerous possibility.

Lu Mi nodded:

"If the man in Delta Asylum is truly a decoy, it means he's a trap, deliberately laid to lure us—and 'I have a friend' will closely monitor the outcome."

"So either the decoy holds extreme danger that will drag pursuers down with it and cause major disruption, or he and the decoy are very close—or mystically linked."

"The first scenario isn't a concern—we have a powerful lady guarding against accidents. For the latter possibilities… it's up to you, Fu Lan Ka."

If the one in the asylum is "a friend of mine," the problem becomes even simpler.

…………

Late at night, in a room on the third floor of Delta Asylum, near the eastern annex.

A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bedside table, reflecting the faint moonlight seeping into the room, while the patient on the bed slept deeply.

Suddenly, a black shadow opened the heavy door with its iron-barred window and slipped in silently.

He politely gripped the handle and gently closed the door, sealing off all sound.

The entire interior space seemed to be sealed off.

(End of Chapter)