Chapter 555

Lu Mian didn't rush to summon the messenger of the Minor Arcana card "Knight of Swords" because he was still waiting.

After he showed a strong desire to investigate the Sea-Praying Ceremony and initially put it into practice, only three waves of people had contacted him today, either openly or secretly, and the person he most expected and felt was most likely had not appeared.

Perhaps Rubio Paco wanted to wait until the dead of night when no one was around? Lu Mian came back to his senses from his thoughts and said to Lu Jianuo with a smile:

"Bartner just got Norfi as a lover; he might want to play through all the villages, towns, grasslands, and vineyards around Santa Harbor before the Sea-Praying Ceremony. Tell me if you hear news of him later; no need to specifically inquire."

Lu Jianuo didn't think this was a big deal either and smiled with understanding:

"Maybe he also took on some tasks by the way, traveling and making money at the same time."

Once the translator and Ludwig had entered their rooms, Lu Mian leaned back in the armchair and, by the light of the gas wall lamp, leisurely flipped through the Highland language textbooks.

Time passed second by second, and the night became quieter and quieter.

Finally, Lu Mian confirmed that no one should be passing information to him tonight.

He rubbed his chin and pondered this matter:

"It seems more people are in a wait-and-see state. Unless the great adventurer's investigation has made breakthrough progress and he hasn't been killed, in other words, before I show higher reliability or more value, they won't easily place their bets."

"The three people who contacted me today each have their own specialties. One belongs to the Church of the Mother Goddess of Earth; even if the bet fails, there won't be any loss. Would the Fishery Guild commissioners dare to attack the Cathedral and the Life Sect?"

"One is the fake 'Sea Viceroy,' who will likely be killed at the Sea-Praying Ceremony. He will grasp any straw of hope with all his might. Moreover, he has no confidence in the Church of the Mother Goddess of Earth and the Santa Harbor government, so naturally, he values the great adventurer who can hunt down 'Devil Wizards' more. Also, the possibility that his plea for help is a trap by the Fishery Guild cannot be ruled out."

"The other one didn't truly come forward and didn't reveal the secret of the Sea-Praying Ceremony, just gave a clue that might be useful..."

Through repeated deliberation, Lu Mian had a further understanding of the mentality and choices of different people from different forces.

Conspiracies often play with human hearts and rely on the situation. Lu Mian now increasingly likes to ponder these two aspects of things.

This is both daily acting and a substantial need.

Lu Mian put down the Highland language textbook in his hand and returned to the bedroom.

As he closed the door behind him, a black mark on his body emitted a faint light.

"Bottle of Fiction"!

Lu Mian placed the entire room into the "Bottle of Fiction." The entry and exit conditions were very simple—be a spirit world creature.

Light like water waves suddenly appeared on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the bedroom and then disappeared in a flash. Everything looked so normal.

Only then did Lu Mian write a letter, set up a ritual, sanctify the dagger, create a "Wall of Spirituality," and light the candle representing himself.

He then took two steps back and said in Ancient Hermes:

"I!"

Then, he switched to Hermes:

"I summon in my name:"

"A peculiar creature wandering in the Upper Realm, a one-half fairy plucking the strings, the messenger belonging exclusively to the 'Knight of Swords'..."

That orange candle flame instantly took on a faint blue hue, swelling to the size of half a human.

Within the faint blue light, a blood-colored figure crawled out from the candle flame.

It resembled a female human and had corresponding organs, but like some kind of monster Lu Mian had encountered in the ruins of Cordu Village, it had no skin or the things attached to the skin, directly exposing bloody muscles, dark blue blood vessels, white tendons, oily yellow fat, and large patches of red or white fascia.

Lu Mian looked at the "Knight of Swords" messenger, which stood about 1.7 meters tall, and muttered silently:

"Does one-half fairy mean only the inner half?"

"I thought it would be the top half or the bottom half, or the left half or the right half..."

"Isn't it supposed to pluck strings? Where are the strings?"

As his thoughts turned, Lu Mian handed the letter folded into a square to the messenger and said very politely in Hermes:

"Please deliver this to the 'Knight of Swords'."

With the growth of his strength, he became increasingly clear that most of the messengers he had contacted so far could kill him, as long as they weren't afraid of releasing the contamination source that was Termiboros.

Although Lu Mian couldn't judge the strength of the "Knight of Swords," this "one-half fairy" messenger, all his experience told him that being polite wouldn't be wrong.

The black-and-white eyeballs embedded in the blood-colored face of the "one-half fairy" turned, nodded gently, and took the letter.

It said in a crisp, pleasant voice like a mountain stream:

"I will deliver it as soon as possible."

It sounds so good, just like a bard playing an instrument... Lu Mian was dazed for a moment before coming back to his senses.

He suddenly understood why this messenger had the prefix "plucking the strings."

"Thank you." He bowed politely.

Seeing that the "one-half fairy" was about to shrink back into the faint blue candle flame, Lu Mian didn't hide his curiosity and asked:

"If there were a human skin for you, what would you do?"

The "one-half fairy" stared at Lu Mian with its black-and-white eyeballs for several seconds.

As it crawled into the faint blue candle flame, it left behind a melodious and winding voice:

"I would put it on."

Whoever's skin you put on, you become them? Is the "one-half fairy" always looking for the other half of itself? Lu Mian thought with a guess.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered that he still had a promise he hadn't fulfilled:

Help the "Abscessed Hand" find its body!

This matter involved whether Lu Mian could obtain divinity and advance to Sequence 4, but because he was only Sequence 6 now, he wasn't in a hurry at all.

…………

Late at night, Trier, Market District, inside an empty room.

Franca, who had put on her assassin suit, met "007" "offline" for the first time.

As time passed, "007," wearing a brown lion head mask and a matching double-breasted coat, walked in.

After Franca confirmed there were no mistakes, she lowered her hood and left the shadows.

"What exactly is so important that we have to meet in person?" "007" asked with a frown.

This made him instinctively want to refuse, but he also felt it might be a big deal. If he didn't take action in time, it might bring about a huge disaster.

In the end, he held his nose and agreed to "Sleeve Sword's" request for a meeting.

Franca laughed softly with complex emotions:

"It's a good thing."

"I don't believe it when you, 'Sleeve Sword,' say such things." "007" did not hide his worry.

"Really, I'm just asking you to help find someone. Telegrams can't transmit portraits, and I can't make a digital image using words and dots and lines, right?" Franca explained why she requested an "offline" meeting.

"007" scrutinized Franca a few times suspiciously:

"Just helping to find someone? No other purpose?"

Franca laughed "Hehe":

"I can't tell you the rest for now."

"You saying that makes me even more nervous." "007" keenly sensed that there might be a very important problem hidden under the matter of finding someone. Otherwise, "Sleeve Sword," who had witnessed high-level disasters, wouldn't attach such importance to it, insisting on an "offline" meeting and a hand-over, or more likely, putting the portrait in a certain place and notifying him to take it.

Franca took out the portrait of the target she had drawn using "Dream Divination" and ritual magic and handed it to "007."

After "007" took it, a light like sunlight shone in his hand, allowing him to see the picture that was just like a photograph in the dark night:

That was a black-robed man looking over with his head tilted. His hair was only a thin layer, like it had just grown out, and was deep black. His side profile lines were very soft, his skin was a sickly pale, and his deep brown eyes were not sunken enough.

"007" first felt that there was nothing special about this, but based on his trust in "Sleeve Sword's" ability to provoke trouble, he scrutinized it carefully for more than ten seconds.

The brow hidden under his lion head mask gradually furrowed, and he said in a low voice:

"This doesn't look like a person from any country in the Northern Continent."

Franca smiled, with a sense of teasing and faint self-mockery:

"Don't you think he looks a lot like what we looked like before we transmigrated?"

"007" froze suddenly, as if struck by lightning.

He looked at the picture repeatedly and was silent for nearly twenty seconds before saying:

"'Sleeve Sword,' do you know what you are saying?"

Franca raised her head slightly and said in a low voice:

"I suspect he ran over from that country in our world."

"I and 'Muggle' and the others discovered traces of interaction between the two worlds before!"

"When? What traces?" "007" blurted out, wishing he could grab "Sleeve Sword's" shoulders and shake her body hard to make her spit out everything she knew.

Franca laughed:

"This has to wait until I discuss it with 'Muggle' and the others before I can tell you. This involves many secrets; it's not something I can tell just because I want to. You should arrange for people to find the person in the picture in a low-key manner first. Hmm, I encountered him on the fourth floor of the catacombs."

"007" used a lot of effort to control the urge to directly kidnap "Sleeve Sword" and force her to reveal the corresponding intelligence. He said with itchy teeth:

"Can't you guys discuss it well before coming to find me?"

Isn't this because I'm afraid of giving you too much intelligence at once, stimulating your emotions, and causing you to have a loss-of-control crisis? Franca laughed dryly and said:

"Because it's not yet time to meet with 'Muggle' and the others, and I'm in a hurry to find someone, afraid that he will leave Trier."

"Calm down, calm down, the mood of wanting to kill someone can't be hidden."

As Franca spoke, she laughed awkwardly and retreated into the shadows.

"007" took the portrait, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

…………

Feynapot Kingdom, Santa Harbor, inside the Solo Hotel.

After breakfast, Lu Mian had just returned to the master bedroom when he felt the surroundings suddenly become cold.

At the same time, he saw a Tarot card appear out of thin air on the desk.

The surface of that Tarot card depicted a knight running with a sword.

Minor Arcana card, "Knight of Swords"!

PS: Requesting double monthly votes at the beginning of the month~

(End of chapter)