Chapter 469: Old Bones

When he heard the term "Room 1," Lu Mi, despite his vast experience and countless encounters, couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

Miss Safali and Gabrielle had said the "Inn" had thirteen "rooms," but "Room 1" had never appeared, as if it had never entered the "Inn"; Lu Mi had once found this mysterious, suspecting it concealed some crucial detail, yet now this painter-like man, suspected to be a "fairy," called him "Room 1."

This was utterly unbelievable!

Lu Mi was certain his symbols came from the "Fool" and the entity named Fate, with no connection to the "Painter"; though the demon angel Thermipolos indeed dwelled within him, it differed fundamentally from Miss Safali and the other "Inn rooms":

The source of power was different, and the manner of inhabitation was different!

In that instant, Lu Mi had no time to analyze why the suspected "fairy" called him "Room 1" or whether it concealed vital information—he knew only one thing: if he and Yu Jianna failed to eliminate or control the two enemies midair and seize the black hole within the Breeze Ballroom area, trouble would come when the "Inn" residents noticed the disturbance and sent their "rooms" to intervene.

Upon hearing "Room 1," Yu Jianna glanced at Lu Mi in shock but did not question her companion or waste time asking—she immediately pulled out the obsidian "Arrow of the Bloodthirsty" and, mere hours after its last use, plunged it once more into her chest.

There was no time to worry about the accumulating mutations in her body!

Similarly, if Xia Er truly had any issues, they could wait until they escaped this place!

As the "Arrow of the Bloodthirsty" sank in, thick black mist billowed from Yu Jianna's back, forming a pair of vast, ethereal bat wings.

The membranous black wings beat hard, lifting Yu Jianna into the air as she lunged toward the woman in the blue beret and the man in red trousers.

Simultaneously, the "witch" began gathering black flames in her palm.

The enormous bat wings rose from below, obscuring the two "Painters" from view.

The man in red trousers immediately spun his brush, dipped it in silver-white paint, and swiftly sketched a writhing bolt of lightning onto his shirt.

The silver-white lightning suddenly tore free from his white shirt and crackled toward Yu Jianna's ethereal, membranous black wings.

With a crackling sound, Yu Jianna was entangled by fine silver lightning snakes, her body numbing slightly, while the thick black mist forming the wings was eroded by the electricity, thinning considerably and no longer able to sustain her flight—she drifted gently downward.

At that moment, Lu Mi's figure materialized midair behind the man in red trousers.

He had no flight ability and could not hover—he chose direct "teleportation"!

Seeing Yu Jianna use the "Arrow of the Bloodthirsty" to summon the "Wings of Darkness" and launch herself with fierce momentum at the suspected "fairies," he knew his companion was drawing the enemies' attention to create an opening for him to ambush and swiftly eliminate one target.

—The "witch" rarely fought this way.

"Ha!" Lu Mi opened his mouth and uttered a sound.

A pale yellow light, resembling a gust of wind, shot from his mouth and struck the man in red trousers.

Before the "Painter," who had just drawn the lightning, could react—or even realize Lu Mi had appeared behind him—he shut his eyes and collapsed into unconsciousness.

He instantly lost his levitation and plummeted violently toward the ground.

The woman in the blue beret did not panic; within her eyes, which seemed to hold an entire world, countless figures appeared one after another.

One of those figures crossed between illusion and reality, stepping from the realm of fantasy into the painted world.

She wore a light blue long dress, her golden hair long and thick, her eyes pale blue, her expression serene.

Aurora!

It was Aurora!

Seeing this, Lu Mi did not hesitate or falter—instead, blazing fury ignited within his eyes.

Do you even deserve to imagine Aurora?

As he fell from the air, clusters of crimson fireballs erupted across his body, surging wildly toward the woman in the blue beret.

She extended her right hand and pressed it into empty air—her entire form instantly became insubstantial, her expression hollow and cold.

Numerous fireballs struck her, yet none exploded; it was as if nothing was there.

The fireballs passed straight through her figure and detonated with thunderous force some distance away.

At this moment, the man in red trousers hit the ground before Yu Jianna, landing with a distinct crack.

The intense pain jolted him out of the coma induced by the "Ha-Ha Technique," and he instinctively opened his eyes.

The woman in the blue beret, having dodged the explosions, immediately broke free from her strange state and shot toward Yu Jianna, who was nearly touching the ground, like a launched arrow.

In the blink of an eye, she collided with Yu Jianna—starlight scattered, sparks surged, like a meteor.

Crack!

Yu Jianna's body shattered into multiple fragments, reverting into countless mirror shards reflecting sunlight.

Her figure immediately reappeared beside the deep black expanse dominating the Breeze Ballroom area.

Lu Mi dropped swiftly, his feet slamming hard onto the ground, his body swaying slightly.

In that instant, both he and Yu Jianna, along with the woman in the blue beret, felt a premonition—they simultaneously turned their heads, gazing toward every entrance to Market Avenue.

One after another, women with detached demeanors, drifting eyes, and blank expressions approached from all directions—including Miss Safali, the "Room 12," and the "Room 7" Lu Mi and Yu Jianna had just encountered.

Gabrielle followed closely behind Miss Safali, his gaze increasingly hollow, his face twisted as if filled with countless agonies.

This sight sent chills down Yu Jianna and Lu Mi's spines—they felt as if falling into an abyss, irredeemable and irreversible.

Suddenly, a hand emerged from the deep black within the Breeze Ballroom.

It had no flesh or skin—it was composed of withered, yellowed bones stained with rust.

…………

Inside the mysterious cave adorned with giant murals.

The young painter altered his state, breaking free from the grip of the bony hand.

He seemed caught in the rift between reality and the spirit realm—untouchable by others, unable to touch anyone, forced to watch helplessly as the boundary between the blank wall and the ground turned dark and viscous, like a bottomless swamp.

At this moment, an incomplete skeleton, assembled from withered bones stained dark red and rusted iron, crawled out of the "swamp."

This ancient-looking skeleton reached its hand into the oil painting on the cave wall, into the section corresponding to the Breeze Ballroom that remained unfinished.

Beneath it, more yellowed skeletons emerged from the depths of the "swamp"—some clad in broken iron armor, some carrying rusted weapons, some missing a third of their bodies, some without heads…

…………

Beneath the Saint Luo Bosi Church in the Market District, within the Inquisition.

Angoulême de François, seated in his office wearing a golden shirt, watched as subordinates brought him report after report:

"Intense explosions detected near Deep Valley Monastery…"

"Anomalous activity detected underground…"

"Saint Vief Church has issued a command for maximum alert tonight…"

"Organizers at the docks are planning a mass strike tomorrow morning and distributing weapons…"

"Large demonstrations are being organized in several southern factories…"

The "Purifiers" had more informants than any intelligence peddler—the sheer volume of anomalies pouring in from across the Market District made Angoulême barely control his expression, his facial muscles twitching imperceptibly.

When silence finally fell and no more subordinates entered to report, Angoulême stood, tugged at his collar, seized the heavy dossier, and slammed it onto the desk.

With this motion, the "Purifier"'s steward silently cursed:

"'Sleeve Dagger,' are you trying to get me killed?"

Ever since "Sleeve Dagger" informed him that Gardner Martin collaborated with the Charcoal Party, and that the Charcoal Party was linked to the anomalies at Deep Valley Monastery and the "Inn," disturbances had erupted from all directions, pressing against his nerves.

Only hours had passed, yet Angoulême already felt a storm was about to break.

Huh… Angoulême exhaled, wrote down these reports, "Sleeve Dagger"'s intelligence, and the questions she had requested confirmation on, pinned them to the wall with thumbtacks, hoping to find hidden connections or overlooked details.

The "Purifier"'s steward paced back and forth in the room, his gaze shifting constantly.

After a long while, his eyes settled on one sheet of paper.

It was the record of "Sleeve Dagger" asking him about the secrets of the old cemetery of Saint Luo Bosi Church—without receiving an answer.

And that old cemetery lay beneath the current Breeze Ballroom.

A thought struck Angoulême—he decided to request the answer to this question once more.

It was one of the few things he could still do.

Damn "Sleeve Dagger," if you don't leave the Market District after this is resolved, I'll apply for a transfer! Angoulême cursed inwardly as he stormed into the telegraph room and began drafting his message in fury.

He would tell the higher-ups that, at a time like this, they shouldn't fuss over authority over intelligence.

The sooner the details were clarified, the sooner the truth could be uncovered and disaster averted!

After waiting ten minutes, Angoulême received the reply:

"The old cemetery of Saint Luo Bosi Church lies atop a sealing node from the Fourth Era. A leak once occurred, allowing some Fourth Era dead to emerge; after reinforcement, the situation was contained.

"Once the underground crypt sealing system replaced such nodes, the old cemetery lost its function and was abandoned."

(End of Chapter)