Chapter 527

Lu Mian didn't know whether to attribute the fact that the banknotes, coins, and gold in the safe had all been taken by the "Devil Wizard" Burman to the bad luck brought by the "Dirge of Hate." After all, he hadn't arrived at 16 Correas Street at that time and hadn't used this blackened bone flute obtained from General Philip, and its ability shouldn't be strong enough to trace the past.

However, Fidel was worthy of the title of a wealthy merchant; he had quite a few wallets stuffed into different clothes. Lu Mian just searched simply and actually found a full 30,000 Vergold.

This initially soothed his "mental trauma."

Hearing a carriage approaching outside, possibly night patrol officers coming to this neighborhood to check what the explosion a few minutes ago was about, Lu Mian left Fidel's bedroom and turned to the room right next to it.

This place was kept very clean and tidy, but the air was filled with a faint, uncomfortable odor—the lingering smell of rotting corpses.

Lu Mian walked into this room as if entering a tomb, surrounded by dead peers and the traces they left behind. He felt a bit uncomfortable all over because of it.

"This should be where the 'Devil Wizard' Burman lived, able to provide protection for Fidel in the shortest possible time. Heh, in the end, it was he who killed Fidel... This story tells us that the most important condition for choosing a bodyguard is a stable mental state..." Lu Mian muttered to himself while examining every corner of the room.

At this time, the night patrol officers had already pushed open the house's front door and seen the splashed blood and scattered flesh.

One of them quickly drew his pistol, and another blew his whistle, letting the sharp, piercing sound soar into the sky.

Lu Mian's gaze lingered on some blackened traces in the room; they were suspected to be old blood, carrying a bit of an evil feeling.

"Did Burman kill a special creature in this room once to complete a resurrection experiment?" Lu Mian whispered to himself.

He didn't guess that this was the "Devil Wizard" Burman's own blood, feeling that the opponent wouldn't leave behind such an important thing when he had enough spare time.

If this were obtained by a Beyonder skilled in curses, he would be in great danger, unless he had a way to cut off the connection in advance.

By comparison, it was more likely to find Burman's blood and flesh in the master bedroom of Room 5, First Class, on the "Bird of Hermes"—that "Devil Wizard" had both encountered an explosion and been burned by flames for a while, so his injuries weren't light.

Of course, the covering explosion and subsequent intense burning there might have already caused the cursed materials to lose their activity.

Lu Mian half-squatted down, took a small glass bottle from the "Traveler's Bag," and scraped some of the blackened traces from the wall into it.

After finishing this, before more officers and official Beyonders could arrive, Lu Mian dealt with his hair, skin flakes, and other things, triggered the black mark on his right shoulder, and vanished from 16 Correas Street.

Returning to the "Bird of Hermes," he checked the previous battlefield for the first time. It had already turned into ruins, with charred and broken furniture everywhere, and metal walls that were twisted and had a few cracks.

The gas left behind by the burning of the carpet and other things was slowly diluting through the open window.

—After Burman stepped into the trap at the exit, the "Bottle of Fiction" had already been lifted.

Lu Mian focused his inspection on the windowsill area, seeing only patches of char.

*Hoo*... He exhaled, left Room 5, First Class, and went down to the deck.

Philip, the security chief, was enjoying the night view at the ship's railing on the side facing the port.

"Where's your lover?" Lu Mian walked to Philip's side and pressed his hands on the railing.

Philip sighed and said:

"Her destination is Faling Port; it's said she's going to help at a relative's plantation."

"A cause for celebration; this means you can have a new lover again." Lu Mian said in the tone of a Dandyism believer.

"Please allow me to be down for two more days for this." Philip didn't deny Lu Mian's statement, only emphasizing that he had indeed invested feelings.

Of course, just a little bit.

"Did you just come back from the port? How come I didn't see you board the ship?" Philip asked, following his professional instinct.

"I've been in my room the whole time, but there was a small accident at the party just now, which ignited the master bedroom and burned quite a few things. Have someone come to make emergency repairs tomorrow." Lu Mian was looking for Philip for this matter. Although the fire scene wasn't impossible to sleep in, since there was a way to improve the situation, why not do it?

"Party... ignited..." Philip turned his head and looked at Lu Mian in confusion. "What exactly did you do in your room? I didn't hear any noise..."

Lu Mian smiled slightly:

"An enthusiastic guest came, and his behavior was a bit extreme."

"Really?" Philip asked subconsciously.

"Fake." Lu Mian answered very crisply. He asked with a smile, "Do you want to hear the real reason?"

Philip fell silent immediately, and it was only after a few seconds that he said:

"Such damage requires compensation; we will report the repair costs to you.

"Fortunately, we are still in Faling Port, and all kinds of items can be replenished immediately, otherwise it would be quite troublesome."

Lu Mian took out a stack of banknotes and handed them to Philip:

"This is the repair fee. I hope it can be fixed by tomorrow. If it's too much, consider it a tip; if it's too little, come find me for more."

Philip took the stack of banknotes, weighed them, and frowned:

"What exactly did you destroy the bedroom into?"

How could he give so much repair money?

Is this hush money?

Lu Mian smiled, turned his body, and walked back to Room 5, First Class.

Watching his back disappear into the cabin entrance, Philip then used the crimson moonlight and the port's gas streetlights to simply count how much was in that stack of banknotes.

"2,000 Vergold? Did he blow up that room?" Philip was both shocked and suspicious.

But I didn't hear a single sound...

That night, Lu Mian slept in the armchair in the living room.

He had originally wanted to summon Jenna's Xia Zuotu directly to write a letter to Franca, telling her about the "Devil Wizard" and asking her to use "Mirror Divination" to confirm what creature the old bloodstains in Burman's room came from. But then he remembered that at this time, Franca hadn't slept yet, but Jenna had.

Lu Mian waited patiently until early morning before setting up the ritual, using the "rabbit-shaped spirit wandering in the void, the runner chasing knowledge, the messenger belonging solely to the Holy Grail Seven" to summon that transparent creature that looked like a rabbit, had powerful legs, and held books.

Different from last time, today's Xia Zuotu wore a pair of blurry, intangible gold-rimmed glasses.

While handing the letter and the small glass bottle containing the bloodstain powder to the other party, Lu Mian asked curiously:

"Why did you suddenly put on glasses? Is this the bad side of knowledge?"

A sharp light flashed in Xia Zuotu's eyes hidden behind the gold-rimmed glasses:

"No, this is what I learned from the novel given by the Holy Grail Seven."

"What novel did she give you?" Lu Mian had a vague premonition.

"Last time I helped you deliver a letter to her, she didn't have any other books around, so she could only lend me one of her newly bought collectibles." Xia Zuotu pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of its nose. "That novel is called 'The Great Adventurer 1: First Appearance'."

As expected... So, you learned to wear glasses? Lu Mian didn't know how to evaluate this matter.

After Xia Zuotu left, another half hour passed, and Ludwig and Lugano woke up one after another.

The former glanced at Lu Mian's bedroom and lowered his head to eat his pre-breakfast snacks, while the latter had a face full of confusion and doubt:

"Was there a fire last night?"

How come I didn't know?

Lu Mian smiled:

"It happened when you and a certain lady were fully engaged; I solved it very quickly."

"Is that so..." Lugano suppressed his disbelieving expression.

Lu Mian didn't enjoy a sumptuous breakfast on the ship, choosing to go to Faling Port to taste the specialties of the Fog Sea Islands.

Not long after he got off the ship, Philip, the security chief, arrived along with the food cart.

Philip stood at the entrance of the bedroom, which was a mess and charred everywhere, his gaze fixed, his eyes blank:

This is called a small accident?

Even if it were hit directly by artillery, it wouldn't be worse than this, right?

Is this trying to dismantle the whole ship?

Uh, such destructive power didn't affect the outside of the room, and even the damage to the walls is within the range of repair... And I didn't hear any noise...

What exactly did Louis Berry do in the room last night?

No wonder he had to give 2,000 Vergold!

At this moment, Philip's blood rushed to his brain.

…………

Faling Port, in the open-air market of Sun Square.

Lu Mian held a tortilla wrapped with various fruit chunks, drank the peculiar salt-added coffee, and strolled leisurely in front of different stalls while eating.

Occasionally, he would have a grilled sausage, feeling the deliciousness of the sizzling oil.

When he was about to reach the end of the open-air market, Lu Mian saw Bartner Kong Tai.

This adventurer, who was dressed and groomed very exquisitely, had his eyes light up, and he walked toward Lu Mian, saying in a low voice:

"Your employer is in trouble!"

"What happened?" Lu Mian didn't hide his curiosity.

He wanted to know how the official Beyonders were promoting this matter.

"That 'Devil Wizard' did it; he killed the wealthy merchant Fidel's entire family and all the servants!" Bartner was very glad he hadn't found any clues the day before yesterday; otherwise, he might very well have been among the dead.

The traces at the scene could indeed point to the "Devil Wizard"... The authorities didn't hide it... Lu Mian smiled and said to Bartner:

"In other words, everyone in that building at 16 Correas Street was killed by the 'Devil Wizard'?"

"Yes." Bartner nodded heavily.

Lu Mian glanced at him and said in a joking tone:

"Do you remember the day before yesterday when I covered my eyes, wanting to rely on the guidance of fate to find the clues left by the 'Devil Wizard'?"

"Do you remember where we stopped in the end?"

Bartner was stunned for a moment, then muttered to himself:

"16 Correas Street..."

Having said this, he suddenly raised his head, looking at Lu Mian with both shock and fear.

(End of chapter)