Chapter 416: Reason

Joseph and Layang stopped, slowly turned their bodies, and fixed their gazes on Lu Mi.

Lu Mi watched them silently, offering no explanation.

Joseph maintained his slightly arrogant, condescending smile and asked:

"Mr. Xia Er, I'm afraid I don't understand your meaning."

Only then did Lu Mi speak calmly:

"I allowed you to come up and visit me—I never agreed to let you leave."

"This is my Wind Dance Hall, not your home. You can't come and go as you please."

He didn't deliberately activate his "provocation" ability, but his tone, attitude, and words dripped with naked contempt, as if he utterly feared their anger.

Layang, expressionless as ever, narrowed his eyes, turned back, and continued toward the staircase, as if Lu Mi's words had never been spoken.

Joseph, with his brown hair and hazel eyes, glanced at Lu Mi, then at Layang, his gaze flickering briefly—he made no move to stop him.

Lu Mi drew his revolver without haste and fired at the staircase entrance, with no hesitation or pause.

Bang. Layang froze in place again.

He turned slowly, his gaze pressing against Lu Mi as if it had physical weight.

A distinct rustle came from Christo's coat pocket; his expression twisted into something grim and wary, sensing imminent danger.

Lu Mi acted as if he noticed nothing, holding the revolver and sincerely apologizing:

"Sorry, I'm illegally armed."

As he spoke, he turned back to Layang and Joseph, a faint smile on his face, utterly unafraid.

Joseph's forced polite smile finally cracked; his eyes sharpened like a hawk's as he studied Lu Mi, assessing the gang boss's will, confidence, and strength.

Lu Mi wanted to snap, "What are you staring at? Fight or surrender," to fully enrage these Trier Caves Society liaisons—but he abandoned the idea, remembering Christo the "Rat" was still present.

It would expose his true intent—not mere provocation, but testing—and make it harder to explain to Gardiner Martin, the current or former "Conspirator."

He met Joseph and Layang's gazes without flinching, his right hand idly spinning the revolver's cylinder.

After fifteen seconds, as Christo the "Rat" began sweating at his temples, Joseph smiled again and politely asked:

"May we leave now, Mr. Xia Er?"

Oh? So you've figured out I wasn't looking for trouble—just wanted to stretch my muscles? Where's your pride and dignity? Lu Mi smirked inwardly and replied in the most infuriating tone possible:

"Not yet."

Layang stepped forward sharply—but Joseph held him back.

The young man, freckled with brown hair and hazel eyes, tilted his chin slightly and said to Lu Mi:

"What must we do to earn your permission?"

Lu Mi smiled with mild disappointment:

"Answer my earlier question: Why invite me and Christo to join the Caves Society? I don't recall ever having an interest in exploring or studying caves."

Joseph fell silent for several seconds before replying:

"Our society's cave explorers have encountered Christo multiple times underground. We noticed his deep familiarity with underground Trier—he seems to know many hidden routes. This meets our invitation criteria."

Christo the "Rat" had no doubts about this explanation. Though his main activity underground was smuggling, no smuggling route was entirely concealed—he always passed through tunnels and mines known to cave explorers and quarry police. Along the way, he inevitably encountered a few "passersby" or was spied upon from afar.

Lu Mi rubbed the muzzle of his revolver, not interrupting Joseph's account.

Joseph paused a few seconds, then continued:

"As for you, there are two reasons:

"First—the sample of 'Earth Blood' ore."

The 'Earth Blood' ore sample… Lu Mi had never imagined this was the reason.

He didn't immediately ponder its implications; instead, drawing on years of mischief and recent guidance from Anthony Reide, he blurted out:

"The 'Earth Blood' ore sample… ah, I remember now—I got it from a madman named Flamant. That thing's just a rock, worthless. I have no idea where I threw it."

As he spoke, Lu Mi's mind stirred, and he added, as if recalling:

"It was stolen, actually. I originally tossed it into one of the apartments I rented—haha, people like us never have just one place to sleep. My apartment was full of traps. Who knew a thief could slip in, open the cabinet, and take only that one piece of 'Earth Blood' ore—leaving everything else untouched? I was baffled at the time. I even wondered if I'd misremembered—maybe I'd already lost the rock and never put it there at all…"

Seeing Charles Du Du Buwa's account sound utterly genuine—with rich detail and a tone and expression proving he cared nothing for the ore sample, treating its loss like misplacing a trinket—Joseph and Layang exchanged glances, their demeanor subtly shifting.

Only now, after completing his performance, did Lu Mi's thoughts race as he considered why the Trier Caves Society had come looking for him over a piece of 'Earth Blood' ore:

"The 'Earth Blood' stratum has existed beneath Trier for hundreds, even thousands of years. The trace minerals within it couldn't have just appeared recently—they must have been noticed by mineralogists like Flamant long ago…"

"Trier's official forces and some secret societies surely know these trace minerals are linked to the fallen 'Blood Emperor' Arista Tudo—but they've found no practical value in them, only that they subtly corrupt the minds of those who touch them…"

"That night, I activated the brand on my right hand, causing many high-ranking figures in Trier to sense it. Someone, using some method, must have recognized it as the aura of the 'Blood Emperor' Arista Tudo—and began investigating related items…"

"The whereabouts of those trace minerals in the 'Earth Blood' stratum became a lead. Flamant's belongings were registered at the Market District Police Headquarters…"

"The Caves Society has some connection to the authorities, so they accepted the task and tracked me down—the one who took Flamant's belongings…"

"Why didn't they just send police? The 'Purifiers,' 'Mechanical Heart,' and Eighth Bureau members all have official police identities…"

"Ah, right—the official apparatus isn't unified. On the surface, it's split between the government and two major churches; in practice, every faction has internal divisions:

"The 'Eternal Sun' Church's 'Brotherhood of Preaching' and 'Little Brotherhood' clash; the 'God of Steam and Machinery' Church's monastery and cathedral systems are at odds; the Eighth Bureau is practically a patchwork—its members come from secret societies recognized by the government, from remnants of noble houses like Soren, or from within the Bureau itself over the years…"

"That's why Eighth Bureau members can't join any political party—otherwise it'd be even messier…"

"Under these conditions, perhaps a subgroup within one faction noticed the 'Earth Blood' ore lead but didn't want others to know—so they bypassed the police and used the informal Caves Society to investigate?"

"Maybe it was someone within the Caves Society themselves who spotted this lead—they're among the most expert in underground conditions and mineral samples…"

"That's why they didn't just demand my cooperation—they tried to invite me to join the Caves Society?"

Lu Mi quickly formed a preliminary judgment, waiting for Joseph to reveal the second reason.

Joseph spoke:

"We also thought you were interested in underground minerals—perhaps a fellow enthusiast."

"Was it really stolen? Or did you just forget where you put it?"

"Definitely stolen," Lu Mi replied, speaking words too true to be false. "I found traces. Because of this, I worried my gold might be stolen, so I rented a safe deposit box at the bank."

Joseph gave a slight nod:

"The second reason: The underground cemetery's caretaker, Kenda, told us that among those who brought Flamant's ashes there for burial, you seemed unusual—you noticed anomalies others missed."

So they traced the 'Earth Blood' ore lead to the underground cemetery… Lu Mi suddenly understood:

"I don't know what you mean by 'unusual.'"

Joseph offered no explanation, asked no follow-up, and simply looked at Lu Mi:

"Mr. Xia Er, may we leave now?"

Lu Mi studied them for several seconds, then slowly nodded:

"Yes."

Things had changed—he abandoned his plan to provoke these two liaisons and openly antagonize the Trier Caves Society.

Though he'd angered Joseph and Layang, they'd gotten the answers they wanted—at least partially. Minor retaliation might come, but major purges likely wouldn't.

After watching Joseph and Layang vanish down the staircase, Lu Mi sat quietly for dozens of seconds, holstered his revolver, and turned to Christo the "Rat":

"This is more complicated than I thought—I must report to the boss."

He'd just realized a dangerous possibility:

If the Soren family was behind the investigation into the special 'Earth Blood' ore, and they learned that Charles Du Du Buwa, a gang boss, had once possessed such a sample—then discovered that the wealthy merchant's son who showed abnormal behavior in the King's Cake game was this same Saava Party member—they'd inevitably draw connections.

So he had to immediately report to Gardiner Martin—be "honest," disclose everything, eliminate the threat, and gain useful advice.

With the secret organization "Iron Blood Cross" as his backer, and this tied to Gardiner Martin's primary mission, Lu Mi would never act on his own.

Christo the "Rat" hesitated a few seconds, forcing a smile:

"Alright."

(End of Chapter)