Chapter 426

Abus Medici... Lu Mian repeated this name in his heart while looking at the member of the "Iron and Blood Cross Order," a bit surprised by the sudden appearance of his full name.

In the gatherings convened by Gardner Martin, Abus had never said what his surname was, and Gardner Martin hadn't introduced it either. Now, facing Pu Yifu Solon, he actually reported his full name.

Is this to make the disguise more real? Lu Mian's gaze swept across Abus's face and found that he didn't hide his mockery at all when Count Pu Yifu said the surname "Medici," as if he were sneering at this member of the Solon family.

"Xia Er Dubois." Lu Mian extended his right hand and politely reported his name.

Abus shook hands with him quite casually, his eyes carrying obvious smiles.

He said:

"I've heard your name, a generous art patron."

This member of the "Iron and Blood Cross Order" emphasized the word "generous."

"That's mainly thanks to my patron." Lu Mian used a double entendre.

To other guests, the "patron" he spoke of was his father, the wealthy family, while Abus, as a member of the "Iron and Blood Cross Order," would naturally understand his true meaning.

After Pu Yifu Solon and Lu Mian exchanged pleasantries, he led him to the sofa area.

There weren't many participants in this gathering, all familiar faces, including Pu Yifu's cousin Ailuo, novelist Anoli, painter Ma Lun, critic Anyong, and poet Yilaite.

After everyone chatted for a while and had some snacks with black tea, Count Pu Yifu looked around and suggested with a smile:

"How about we have an adventure today?"

"Adventure?" Abus looked up at the ceiling and asked back with a hint of mockery, "An adventure in the bedroom?"

He meant that although the Red Tianebao wasn't small and could house the main members of a family and station hundreds of soldiers in its heyday, it didn't have an area suitable for adventure. They couldn't all go to the bedroom and have an adventure with Trier temperament on the bed, right?

Such teasing made everyone happy. Pu Yifu Solon coughed lightly and said:

"You might not know that the Red Tianebao also has a huge underground area.

"In the era when it was built, the first thing to consider was its role in war. It was clearly unqualified not to have a large-capacity cellar and an escape tunnel for critical moments.

"In these few hundred years, every generation of my ancestors has repaired or expanded the underground part, making it more and more like a maze, more and more like the scene of some horror stories. Even for someone like me who grew up in the Red Tianebao, my understanding of it is limited to the commonly used parts.

"Our goal this time is to go deep into that 'underground maze,' find a Count's crown that one of my ancestors forgot in a room there. It is inlaid with many rubies, and you will recognize it at a glance.

"Whoever finds that Count's crown will be today's king."

Go deep into the "underground maze"... Scenes suddenly emerged in Lu Mian's mind:

People constantly self-mutilating in the Red Tianebao...

Screams of unknown origin...

A bronze coffin surrounded by countless white candles...

Palms with deep red, near-black blood vessels protruding...

A withered, blackened heart overflowing with a little blood...

The things behind seemed to be hidden in a large hall underground!

In a flash, Lu Mian had a clear realization:

Pu Yifu Solon's test had really come!

He controlled the urge to look around, didn't look for Gardner Martin who might be hiding, and cast his gaze at Abus Medici.

This member of the "Iron and Blood Cross Order" laughed and said:

"Sounds very interesting. This is a game for the brave!"

He seemed worried that others would oppose such an adventure and took the lead in squeezing them with words:

Those who are unwilling to participate are cowards!

Count Pu Yifu added:

"Don't worry. If you lose your way and can't find the road back, just pull the bell rope in the room, and there will be servants to look for you and bring you out of the underground."

"No problem." The short and fat novelist Anoli teased, "I'm actually looking forward to something happening. That way I will have excellent writing material."

"For example, 'Anoli's Last Day'?" Lu Mian made a joke.

He had participated in many gatherings of the "Black Cat" art organization and knew that novelist Anoli and poet Yilaite were people who could be teased and mocked. They wouldn't be angry because of this at all—the former's taboo was not to praise other writers, and the latter was only angered by the current social status and reality problems of Intis.

Anoli drank some black tea and muttered:

"The old guys at the Intis Academy of Literature would love this subject."

Seeing that no one opposed, Count Pu Yifu stood up and said to all the guests:

"We will divide into two groups for the adventure and can act alone on the way.

"One group will be led by me, and the other group will follow Xia Er. This is the person who has been king in the past three months.

"Those willing to be with Xia Er, please raise your hands."

"Me!" The first to raise his hand was actually Abus Medici. Lu Mian thought he would follow Pu Yifu Solon to complete the task of the "Iron and Blood Cross Order."

Count Pu Yifu wasn't surprised at all by this; it seemed this was the development he expected.

The second to raise her hand was the host's cousin, Ailuo.

Ailuo, with long brownish-red hair, soft eyebrows of the same color, bright brownish-brown eyes, and a face with a bit of baby fat, smiled and said to Lu Mian:

"I have been Mr. Xia Er's companion every time before, and I don't want to be an exception this time."

Lu Mian looked at her and smiled, nodding.

In his cognition, this young lady who was not yet twenty years old was not as restrained and obedient, innocent and kind as she appeared.

He once had a dream, dreaming that the vast majority of the participants in the King Cake game were crazy, self-mutilating or harming others. There were only three exceptions, which were Lu Mian himself, Pu Yifu Solon, and this Miss Ailuo!

Such a lady with secrets actually chose to follow him to the "underground maze" for an adventure, making Lu Mian have to suspect her true intentions.

The third to raise his hand was the poet Yilaite.

His reason for holding the cherry wood pipe was very simple:

"This is my patron!"

The remaining novelist Anoli, painter Ma Lun, and critic Anyong could only be in a group with Pu Yifu Solon.

They then left the large living room, came to a statue wearing a full suit of armor, and went down layer by layer along the stairs nearby that could only accommodate two people walking side by side.

The walls of the stairs were mottled, gray-white and dim, constantly spiraling downward, and the surroundings became quieter and quieter.

After walking about three floors, Lu Mian and the others arrived at the entrance of the "underground maze."

There were a large number of wall lamps here, some connected to gas pipes, some with classical shapes, burning candles, illuminating the five passages quite brightly.

Lu Mian looked up at the ceiling and found that the water-black stone bricks on it were sleeping in the dimness, the gaps were clear, and the surface was slightly peeling.

"We choose this one." Pu Yifu took a calcium carbide lamp from the wall and led his team members toward the leftmost one.

After Lu Mian prepared the calcium carbide lamp, he didn't think at all, purely by instinct, and walked straight into the passage directly in front.

He felt that in this situation, carefully looking for the road was easy to miss the target. Relying on the aggregation of Beyonder characteristics and the hidden "Blood Emperor" aura, walking randomly had a better chance of encountering things of value.

"Reason for choosing?" Abus Medici's expression was always a bit annoying.

Lu Mian answered indifferently:

"I believe in the arrangement of fate."

"I like this reason." Ailuo smiled and agreed.

Poet Yilaite smoked his cherry wood pipe and said:

"I also believe, but the premise is that fate favors me."

The four went deep along the passage and saw rooms suspected to be storage rooms around them.

Not long after, they arrived at a large hall with dim light, where there were three large doors to choose from.

On each large door, a word was written in ancient Fusa:

"Hope," "Death," "Madness."

Lu Mian had long since given up thinking and walked toward the "Door of Madness" without blinking, pushing it open.

Behind the door was darkness. As the light of the calcium carbide lamp shone in, one lifelike wax figure after another appeared.

These wax figures were male and female, their clothes either ordinary or exquisite and gorgeous, all showing expressions of extreme pain.

"The level is not bad." Abus raised his right hand and patted the face of the wax figure at the door with a very contemptuous meaning.

Ailuo turned her head to look at him:

"Didn't your mother teach you what politeness is?"

Abus laughed:

"I don't have a mother."

Ailuo was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Poet Yilaite behind them muttered with appreciation:

"Someone once spread rumors that I had an affair with a widow, so I secretly spread rumors that I had abducted a congressman's daughter, was suspected of murdering a merchant, and had been linked to rumors of human meat pies. The neighbors around always disappeared mysteriously.

"As long as I don't care about my reputation and actively destroy it, no one can stand on the moral throne and point fingers at me."

Worthy of being a poet... Lu Mian praised secretly, carrying the calcium carbide lamp, and took the lead in entering this room full of wax figures, with the exit at the end of the room as the destination.

Under the yellowish light of the gas wall lamps, those wax figures seemed to have life, watching Lu Mian and the others with the silence of bystanders, creating an eerie and strange feeling.

Lu Mian recalled the wax figure attacks he had encountered before, feeling that every wax figure here could suddenly come alive and pounce on them.

In the indescribable silence, Abus Medici broke the atmosphere.

He said to Ailuo in a relaxed tone:

"You are Pu Yifu's cousin, you shouldn't be surnamed Solon, right?"

"Right." Ailuo admitted frankly.

Abus asked casually:

"Which family are you from?"

Ailuo turned her head, looked at Abus Medici, then looked at Lu Mian in front, and answered with a smile:

"My full name is:

"Ailuo Einhorn."

(End of chapter)