Chapter 456: Secret Honorific (Seeking guaranteed monthly votes at the start of the month)

Franca had actually always wanted to figure out what the item was that Gardner Martin had smuggled into Trier through "Rat" Cristos, but for the past few months, Gardner Martin had acted as if that matter had never happened, and nothing noteworthy had appeared around him.

It sounded like the Demoness Sect placed great importance on that item... That made sense; that item could cause the strange Mirror World to appear and was very likely related to the powers of the "Assassin" and "Hunter" pathways... Franca deliberated and said:

"I know about the matter you mentioned..."

She told Bronse Soren exactly what she and Lu Mian had explained to "Rat" Cristos back then. In short, she told her everything else, but simply didn't mention that the two of them had also been swallowed by the Mirror World, had relied on Lu Mian's special ability to find a chance to escape, and had gained a classic silver mirror that could lead to that Mirror World.

"According to that 'Rat,' his brother and several subordinates had turned into monsters, their left and right habits were reversed, which attracted the attention of the 'Purifiers' and they were wiped out." Franca deliberately spoke of the aftermath to test Bronse Soren and see how she would react to the appearance of the mirror people.

Bronse frowned slightly:

"How did the official Beyonders discover something was wrong?"

She knew of the existence of the mirror people and even understood their specific manifestations... Franca withdrew her gaze and shook her head:

"You need to ask the 'Purifiers' about this question, not me."

Bronse didn't say anything more and led Franca to a round pavilion surrounded by grapevines and a large number of vines.

Sitting inside the round pavilion was a lady wearing a black court dress. Her deep gray eyes held hidden sorrow within their brightness. Her jet-black hair was neatly coiled up, but a few strands had escaped; they hung down naturally, creating a touch of charm amidst the solemnity.

Seeing this lady with slightly upturned red lips, a graceful chin, and soft contours, Franca's first reaction was that pure beauty had shone directly into her eyes, followed by an indescribable feeling of pity.

In a state of astonishment and heartache, it took her nearly ten seconds to remember that she had met this lady before:

She and Lu Mian had seen her during that concert when they were tailing fake Delysia, that is, Beatrice Ankhur—she had been invited onto the stage as the most beautiful lady at the scene to take a commemorative photo with the band!

She was Bronse's teacher, a high-ranking Demoness? As expected, that operation had a high-ranking Demoness watching, not letting any accidents happen... Franca was startled at first, then immediately felt this was within her expectations.

The only thing she hadn't expected was that the other party had followed along so openly, and even gone on stage for a photo.

"This is my teacher, 'Black Demoness' Clarice." Bronse Soren introduced her.

"Black Demoness"... According to the "Judgment" lady, Demonesses with this type of color title were considered the best even among the demigods of the Demoness Sect, and some of them were even suspected to be angels... Franca pressed her hand to her chest, bowed slightly, and said very politely and gentlemanly:

"It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency 'Black Demoness'."

She didn't praise the other party's appearance. She knew that the vast majority of Demonesses in the Demoness Sect were both proud of this point and conflicted and pained by it. If an outsider were to praise them, they would accept it calmly, at most feeling a little awkward, but if it were said by Franca, who knew their original gender, it would mostly be seen as a provocation or mockery.

"Black Demoness" Clarice nodded slightly and said:

"Every one of our members needs to believe in the Primordial. You should have known about this more than a month ago. Now is the time to officially pray to Her."

Franca was not surprised by this at all. A secret organization that believed in an evil god would inevitably make every new member open their heart to their own god, thereby achieving a certain level of control and filtering out most unsafe factors.

Every time she came to find Bronse recently, she had followed the "Judgment" lady's requirements, held a ceremony in advance, and requested the protection of an angel from Mr. "Fool."

"We are all children of the Primordial." Franca answered piously and respectfully, according to Bronse's teachings during this period.

Clarice's expression became solemn, and her eyes revealed a touch of admiration:

"Recite the honorific name of the Primordial after me in Hermes:

"'Source of all disasters, symbol of destruction and doomsday, Demoness who holds chaos...'"

Although this "Black Demoness" spoke in Intis, the surrounding environment suddenly darkened quite a bit, and those grapevines squirmed gently, as if they had turned into poisonous snakes.

Franca composed her mind and repeated these three segments of the honorific name in Hermes.

Suddenly, she saw those grapevines really extending over.

They grew thicker and thicker, completely wrapping the area where the round pavilion was located inside.

One of the python-like vines reached toward Franca, and a deep blue vertical eye opened at the tip.

It then reflected Franca's figure.

That figure twisted rapidly, turning into a man covered in blood and filth.

The man had short, flaxen-colored hair, slightly thick brown eyebrows, and lake-blue eyes; his lips were thin, and his appearance was ordinary.

Franca was stunned for a moment; she was very familiar with this face.

Before she consumed the "Witch" potion, she could see it every time she looked in the mirror.

This was her former self, Franco Roland!

The expression of Franco Roland within the deep blue vertical eye instantly became ferocious, his eyes hiding hatred that was like substance, and his face was filled with viciousness that could make people have nightmares.

Franca's body had already become stiff, as if she had become a statue made of rock.

After gazing at her for a few seconds, the vine that had grown the deep blue vertical eye shrank back into the grapevines that covered the sky like a canopy, carrying the unwilling figure reflected in the pupil.

Franca finally felt her body. Her eyes just blinked, and she saw that everything around the round pavilion was as usual. Sunlight shone through the gaps in the grapevines and vines onto this place.

There were no python-like vines, nor were there any deep blue vertical eyes. All of this seemed to be Franca's hallucination, another kind of reality she had seen.

She lowered her head and completed the prayer.

Recalling what she had just seen, Franca felt that the "Primordial Demoness" and the Mirror World underground seemed to have a very close connection.

She had also encountered her former self in that Mirror World!

And this time, what was reflected in the deep blue vertical eye was also not Franca, but her former appearance, Franco Roland!

It seemed that the Demoness's mirror magic and the Mirror World in mysticism still hid many secrets. What the "Judgment" lady told me absolutely did not equal everything... Franca raised her head with this realization, opened her eyes, and looked at the "Black Demoness" and Bronse beside her.

Clarice, who was wearing a black veil, nodded:

"Now, you are a child of the Primordial."

"Thank you for your guidance." Franca smiled and raised a question, "I thought the honorific name of the Primordial would contain a description like 'Master of the Mirror World,' but who knew it didn't."

"Black Demoness" Clarice said coldly and indifferently, but in a way that made one feel pity:

"This is not the complete honorific name of the Primordial. There are two more segments that you are not able to know right now."

The "Primordial Demoness" still had two more secret honorific name segments? Franca suddenly felt that this detail revealed some problems, but she didn't know where the problems were or what they represented.

Clarice turned the topic and said:

"Every new member can receive a statue of the Primordial. It has anti-divination, early warning, and other abilities, and can also help you hold ceremonies.

"You must pray to it every day."

As this "Black Demoness" spoke, she took out a statue that looked like it was carved from white bone from somewhere unknown.

The statue was only the size of a palm, and one could vaguely see it was a beautiful woman. Her hair extended all the way to her ankles, each strand clear, like poisonous snakes. And at the tip of each strand of hair, an eye was carved. Some were open, some were tightly closed, dense and numerous, making one's heart palpitate.

Pray every day... Franca was very troubled and decided to be perfunctory about this matter.

After she put away the statue of the "Primordial Demoness," Clarice frowned imperceptibly and said:

"You need to keep a close eye on the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order' during this period, especially Gardner Martin. As soon as they have any unusual movements, you must immediately contact Bronse. If the situation is very urgent, you can take out the statue of the Primordial, set up an altar, and hold such a ceremony... After completing it, throw the prepared letter into the mirror on the altar."

Keep a close eye on... unusual movements... if the situation is very urgent... Franca extracted the keywords from the "Black Demoness's" words.

She immediately smelled the aura of an impending disaster, and her spirit tightened involuntarily:

Did the Demoness Sect think that the "Iron and Blood Cross Order" would have a major move recently?

…………

District 2, outside the Trier Art Center.

Lu Mian stood on the steps, the answers of those few writers flashing through his mind:

"Gabriel has been very fond of visiting art exhibitions and galleries for the past month or so."

"He doesn't look at every painting very seriously, as if he is searching for the one his soul has been waiting for."

"He has no abnormal behavior."

"He has never stared at other visitors."

"..."

The information revealed in these answers made Lu Mian lose the direction of his investigation, but he still chose to come to the Trier Art Center to see the art exhibition named "Future Impression" on-site.

It would end in two days.

Before taking a carriage over, Lu Mian found a hotel, rented a room for a short time, set up a ceremony, summoned the messenger, and told the "Magician" lady about Gabriel's encounter and his own investigation direction.

He had originally thought about just using the bar's restroom to pass information, but remembering that the "Doll" messenger had very serious mysophobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, he finally decided to spend some money to change to a clean place.

Looking at the brightly colored art center, whose roof seemed to be topped with a sun, Lu Mian exhaled slowly, took his ticket, and walked into the building.

"Future Impression" was not a large art exhibition, only renting three exhibition halls. Lu Mian walked forward, seemingly leisurely, while admiring the works hanging on the walls.

Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure.

PS: Seeking guaranteed monthly votes at the start of the month~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 457 =====