Chapter 417: The Villain Accuses First

Memorial District, Spring Street No. 11.

Gardner Martin, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of his study, his skin glowing faintly golden under the brilliant sunlight.

He watched Lu Mi and Cristo standing before the desk, listening as they took turns describing the events of the Cavern Association.

Lu Mi handled the main account, briefly explaining the origin of the "Earth Blood" ore sample:

"When I moved into the Golden Rooster Inn, there was already a madman there named Flamant—he went insane after his entire family mysteriously died, supposedly after encountering the ghost of Monsouri."

"He'd occasionally regain clarity; we drank together a few times. Then one day, he hanged himself. The police took his belongings, saying they'd deliver them to his surviving relatives, but none of them would accept them—so they assigned me to collect them. Among the items was the 'Earth Blood' ore sample."

"Since I knew the madman, even if only slightly, and had shared drinks with him, I didn't throw the mineral sample away—I just tossed it into the iron cabinet of my safehouse…"

Everything Lu Mi said was true, not a single word false—he merely omitted his role in helping Flamant escape the Monsouri ghost and Thelmiopolos's warning about the "Earth Blood" ore.

Hearing this, Gardner Martin, whose eyes were tinted brown-red and whose black sideburns held a few strands of silver, asked with a confirming tone:

"Where is your safehouse?"

Lu Mi answered honestly:

"Room on the far left, third floor, White Coat Street No. 19."

It was not on the same side as the apartment emitting terrifying energy, and it was some distance away, so Lu Mi answered without hesitation.

Gardner Martin smiled:

"No wonder you're often at White Coat Street—not just because of Yu Jianna."

Boss, are you hinting that I shouldn't visit Franca so often? And are you also letting me know you're aware of this? Lu Mi thought to himself, then continued with the rest of the story.

He repeated exactly what he had told Joseph and Layang of the Cavern Association earlier.

Finally, Lu Mi deliberately asked:

"Could this cause trouble for our Sava Party? The Cavern Association might be hiding some official force behind it."

He was hinting that Gardner Martin might suspect his cover identity before Puyfer Soren had been exposed—he believed his boss, with his intelligence, would understand.

Gardner Martin gave a slight nod and turned to "Rat" Cristo:

"If you want to join the Cavern Association, go ahead—just don't let it interfere with the smuggling business."

"Rat" Cristo nodded repeatedly:

"Yes, boss."

He immediately received Gardner Martin's instruction to leave the study early, leaving only Lu Mi behind.

Gardner Martin smiled and reassured this official member of the Iron Cross:

"Don't worry about Puyfer—he may uncover your true identity, but he'll pretend he doesn't. After you became King in the King's Cake Game, his suspicions toward you have grown, and now he'll inevitably test and exploit you again and again."

His implication was clear: stay in the Market District, continue managing the Breeze Dance Hall, the Golden Rooster Inn, and the Mill Dance Hall.

"Understood. I was just worried this might interfere with the most important mission," Lu Mi replied with a smile, appearing to breathe a sigh of relief.

At the same time, he silently sneered inside.

He keenly sensed the irrationality in Gardner Martin's arrangement:

Replacing Lu Mi with another extraordinary person to manage the Breeze Dance Hall and other assets, while moving Lu Mi into covert concealment, would be effortless and risk-free for this Sava Party boss and Iron Cross "Officer."

Even if he felt he couldn't afford to neglect a subordinate entrusted with such a vital mission, he could fully compensate by continuing to share profits from the Breeze Dance Hall and other enterprises—instead of forcing a member already under suspicion to remain in place at some risk.

Though Lu Mi's withdrawal into secrecy might make him seem more suspicious and draw attention to the Sava Party, Gardner Martin had faced such problems countless times before—he'd surely have ways to handle them.

Lu Mi believed this "Officer" of the Iron Cross had developed some suspicion toward him, and now wished to use the Cavern Association to continue testing him.

His description and explanation contained no falsifiable details; normally, they should have convinced Gardner Martin. But the problem was, too many unusual events had clustered around him recently—too many anomalies. As a former or current "Conspirator," Gardner Martin would instinctively, intuitively suspect something was wrong.

Minor details could no longer mask the overall abnormality.

At this thought, Lu Mi suddenly felt murderous intent.

He looked at Gardner Martin standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, estimating their distance at roughly five meters.

At such close range, if he suddenly used the "Snort-Ha Technique," and Gardner Martin had not yet reached Sequence 4 to gain divinity, nor carried any artifact capable of defending against such abilities, Lu Mi could swiftly subdue and kill this Sava Party boss.

The current situation was like two ordinary people standing five meters apart—one noble in status, skilled in combat, the other lowly and physically weak—but the latter secretly carried a revolver with decent shooting skill.

Within five meters, no matter how high one's status, how strong one's combat ability, or how many guards surrounded him—he'd still be shot down with a single bullet!

Considering the tasks from the Tarot Society and the Aurora Society, Lu Mi restrained himself and instead asked:

"Officer, I'd like to purchase the 'Conspirator' potion formula from the organization."

He had learned from his experience advancing to "Pyromaniac"—he didn't want to finish digesting the potion and then frantically hunt for the next sequence's formula, searching for materials one by one. He wanted to begin gathering "Conspirator" materials while still digesting the remaining "Pyromaniac" potion, advancing both paths simultaneously to maximize time efficiency.

Gardner Martin replied with mild surprise:

"Do you have that much cash?"

"The 'Conspirator' potion formula sells for seventy to eighty thousand Fierkins at most occult gatherings—sometimes even more. Unlike the 'Pyromaniacs,' who keep dying and being replaced, every 'Conspirator' understands the importance of self-preservation, no longer acts impulsively, and strictly controls the leakage of their sequence's potion formula."

In Trier, the most common potion formulas are those of the Hunter path, Sequences 9 to 7.

Before Lu Mi could answer, Gardner Martin smiled:

"If you can uncover the secret behind the Soren family's decline—even just a part of it—I'll give you the 'Conspirator' potion as a reward."

"If you're eager to advance quickly and don't want to wait, as an official member of the Iron Cross, you're eligible to purchase the 'Conspirator' potion formula at a discounted price of sixty thousand Fierkins."

"No problem," Lu Mi answered without hesitation. "I'll bring sixty thousand Fierkins tomorrow."

He had originally planned to ask Mr. K and the "Magician" lady if Gardner Martin refused.

"You really have sixty thousand Fierkins?" Gardner Martin laughed.

Lu Mi's mind stirred—he deliberately said:

"Just happened to have it. I helped a tenant at the Golden Rooster Inn recover ten thousand Fierkins in debt from the 'Unusual' Dance Hall in the Old Street of the Observatory District—I got more than half."

He had received fifty thousand Fierkin banknotes and three thousand Fierkins worth of gold. After repaying the 25,000 Fierkins he owed Franca, he still had 55,000 Fierkins left, plus his original 1,000 gold, 1,000 banknotes, and 4,000 Fierkins in remaining funds—totaling 61,000 Fierkins in liquid assets.

"'Unusual' Dance Hall…" Gardner Martin repeated the name, his expression growing serious. "Was that debt really recovered from the 'Unusual' Dance Hall?"

Clearly, this "Officer" of the Iron Cross knew something unusual about the "Unusual" Dance Hall.

Lu Mi nodded calmly:

"Yes."

The fact that he helped Fitz recover the debt was known to some members of the Sava Party at the Breeze Dance Hall—it couldn't be hidden from Gardner Martin. So he'd decided to reveal it outright, muddying the waters around himself and misleading the Iron Cross's suspicions.

And it might even scare Gardner Martin a little.

Gardner Martin studied Lu Mi, subtly stepping one pace closer to the floor-to-ceiling window.

After a few seconds, he feigned curiosity:

"You haven't heard about the problems with the 'Unusual' Dance Hall?"

"I've heard," Lu Mi smiled.

At this moment, if he had a monocle, he might have been tempted to slip it into his right eye socket and enjoy the dramatic shifts in Gardner Martin's expression and his involuntary reactions.

After a pause, Lu Mi continued:

"After accepting the task, I investigated the dance hall and realized it was far from ordinary—both well-connected and dangerous—so I decided to abandon it. But that day, while chasing an enemy, I passed by and blinked—and saw one of the guards at the entrance vanish strangely, while upstairs, behind the window, their boss Timons looked as if he'd lost his soul."

"I thought it was an opportunity, so I went in to collect the debt—and somehow, I succeeded!"

As he spoke, Lu Mi took a step forward, earnestly asking:

"Officer, could this pose any hidden danger?"

Gardner Martin subtly took another step back and smiled:

"So far, no. Just keep an eye out for any abnormalities in yourself."

Lu Mi seized the opportunity to raise his lingering doubt:

"Officer, I feel something's off. Why have so many strange things happened around me lately? Some I sought out, others came to me—am I really someone who brings misfortune? Or is my fate just constant running, exhaustion, and chaos?"

Gardner Martin gazed at him deeply, speaking with profound implication:

"Perhaps… this is the fate all Hunters must endure."

After Lu Mi left, Gardner Martin turned his gaze sideways.

A hidden door opened, revealing the bear-like "Supervisor" Olsen.

"How did it go?" Gardner Martin asked.

Olsen slightly curled his lips:

"He's not entirely satisfied with your arrangement. That's normal—he's not particularly loyal yet, not ready to join your team."

Gardner Martin changed the subject thoughtfully:

"His misfortune is far more pronounced than any of ours—could he be more compatible?"

Olsen fell silent for several seconds, then said:

"Let's wait and see."

…………

When Lu Mi returned to the Market District, Franca sat across from Bronce Soren, whose orange-red hair cascaded like a waterfall, inside the Red House Café in Xiazhen Town:

"When will your review be finished?"

Bronce Soren didn't answer directly. She studied Franca's black hair and brown eyes, then mused:

"We've identified someone who appears to be a member of the Eudaimonia Society."

(End of Chapter)