Chapter 636: First Steps in a New Land

In the lobby of the Aurela Hotel on the ground floor.

Lu Jianuo held one hand in the grip of Ludwig, who was eating corn cakes, and carried his own suitcase, glancing around nervously; from birth until now, from becoming an adventurer to following Lu Mi southward, he had never stayed in a place with "Hotel" instead of "Inn" in its name.

He had only seen such places in newspapers and magazines: the famed Champs-Élysées Grand Hotel in Trier had cost 21 million Faeljin to build, with 800 rooms and 65 function halls, and even the most basic room cost 12 Faeljin per day during ordinary seasons—a staggering sum for Lu Jianuo, who had spent only 3. Faeljin weekly on inn stays.

It was these examples of luxury from the bustling metropolis of Trier that finally spurred Lu Jianuo to muster the courage and shamelessly approach Lu Mi to offer his services.

He needed to accumulate wealth quickly, buy alchemical ingredients, and ascend to the rank of "Physician"!

He wanted to become a member of high society!

Only when he truly became a "Physician" did he realize how vast the supernatural world was—and how little he had truly entered.

The male receptionist, with slightly curly black hair, deep brown skin, and a sharp-featured face, spoke to Lu Jianuo in fluent Intis:

"Do you want a suite or a standard room? Do you prefer a bed or a coffin?"

Lu Jianuo turned his head to look at his employer.

Lu Mi twisted a caramel-colored Dongbailang cigarette, rolled directly from smoked tobacco leaves, between his fingers, brought it to his nose, and inhaled lightly, catching the mingled scent of the tobacco, its internal spices, and various herbs.

It was slightly harsh, richly fragrant, and made him want to smell it again.

"A suite, standard, closer to the ground," said Lu Mi, who had already experienced coffin-shaped transportation and had no desire to sleep in one again.

It wasn't that he had developed a psychological aversion—it was that the coffin interfered with his perception of the surroundings and would hinder his initial response if attacked.

Hearing his answer, Lu Jianuo quietly exhaled, relaying his employer's request to the male receptionist.

"Eight Faeljin per day, with three days prepaid," said the clearly local male receptionist.

After Lu Jianuo completed payment, the receptionist glanced at his colleagues and added with a flattering smile:

"I'll escort you down."

Behind the lobby stood three mechanical elevators; Lu Mi and the others entered the middle door and pulled the brass handle down to the third basement level.

Chains tightened, gears meshed, and the clanking of metal parts began, while farther away, as if a boiler burned, white mist billowed forth.

The mechanical elevator began descending; the local receptionist glanced at Ludwig, forced a smile, and said to Lu Mi:

"Are you planning to settle in Pailos Port?"

"If you need information about local grammar schools or housing rentals in different neighborhoods, you can always ask me."

In his view, anyone bringing a child of seven or eight to the Southern Continent must be relocating, not traveling—children that young were too young for dangerous long-distance journeys.

If they were moving, they'd need to rent or buy a house, choose a good school—opportunities to earn money!

Upon hearing the word "school," Ludwig, who had been gnawing on a roasted corn cob, instantly stopped chewing, as if the food had suddenly lost its flavor.

Lu Mi knew exactly what the local receptionist was thinking, but he didn't mind—in fact, he admired the man's shrewdness.

He smiled and said:

"We'll see. We haven't decided yet whether to stay in Pailos Port."

At that moment, the mechanical elevator stopped at the third basement level.

As Lu Mi stepped into the corridor—rooms on the right, stone railings and a cold, deep ravine on the left—he asked the local receptionist:

"Do you know Tizamo Village?"

The local receptionist picked up Lu Jianuo's suitcase, bowed slightly, and led the way ahead:

"Yes, many gentlemen enjoy going to Tizamo for jungle hunting on weekends."

"There are still many secret temples and tombs left by old nobles in those jungles—don't go too deep if you visit; the indigenous tribes there are savage and cruel."

Lu Mi nodded slightly, asked no further questions, and upon reaching Suite 7 and entering the parlor, casually pulled out a one-Faeljin silver coin and tossed it to the local receptionist:

"What's your name?"

The receptionist's face lit up with delight:

"You may call me Ron."

Lu Mi smiled:

"I may trouble you often—say, what's the nearest decent bar, and where is it?"

Ron clutched the silver coin in his hand, smiling broadly:

"It's my honor to assist you."

"Go to the 'Carnivorous Flower' bar—it's where Intis is spoken, just behind our hotel on the same street."

Lu Mi gave Lu Jianuo a few instructions, then left the room with Ron, waiting for one of the mechanical elevators to arrive.

When they entered, a man was already inside.

The man had a pale face, vacant eyes, and wore a wrinkled shirt and trousers.

Lu Mi glanced at him and said nothing.

As the chains tightened and the elevator rose steadily, it returned to the ground floor.

Once the man with vacant eyes stepped out and had put some distance between himself and the two, Ron leaned close to Lu Mi and whispered:

"I was just about to suggest you pretend you didn't see that guest."

"Who is he?" Lu Mi asked casually.

Ron glanced left and right, lowering his voice:

"He lives in a suite on the eighteenth basement level—he's a servant of Mr. Ivelista."

"All of that gentleman's servants seem… unusual."

Of course they were unusual—they were walking corpses… Lu Mi thought to himself.

He had already studied the servant closely and seen that his fate was utterly dark, belonging to the dead.

In a land that once worshipped the "Death God," such things didn't surprise Lu Mi at all.

He had seen the lingering shadow of the "Blood Emperor"—what were these undead compared to that?

…………

In the still-sweltering evening, Lu Mi circled the artificial ravine where the Aurela Hotel stood, entered a street whose name he couldn't pronounce, and found the bar with the exaggerated carnivorous flower painted on its sign.

He put on a golden straw hat, lit the Dongbailang cigarette he had bought in the hotel lobby, and placed it between his lips.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Lu Mi began coughing violently, two streams of white smoke bursting from his nose.

He had intended to use smoking Dongbailang tobacco to project an image of a seasoned adventurer, but hadn't expected the smoke to be so harsh—he, who had rarely smoked before, couldn't handle it.

In Kerdou Village, cheap wine was everywhere, but no tobacco was sold; Lu Mi had only seen a few people, like Pons Ben and Louis Longde, smoke.

After extinguishing the Dongbailang cigarette and tossing it into the trash, Lu Mi entered the bar, moved confidently to the bar counter, and pulled up a high stool.

Feeling the lingering taste of smoke in his mouth, he decided to start with something milder, tapped the bar counter, and said in Intis:

"A glass of sweet wine—the ordinary kind."

"Ten Ricks," said the bartender, a local man in a white shirt and black vest, his Intis thickly accented.

As Lu Mi paid and waited for the drink, he casually scanned the room and noticed no one was watching him; the wanted posters on the walls numbered only a dozen or so.

He took the amber-colored sweet wine thoughtfully, adjusted his golden straw hat, and smiled at the bartender:

"Do you know who I am?"

The bartender glanced at him and laughed:

"Every so often, some self-important adventurer asks me that—but sorry, I don't know you."

It seemed the tale of the great adventurer Louis Berry hunting the "Devil Wizard" circulated mostly over the Misty Sea; his later fame came from my constant activity within the "Earth Mother" Church's territory. Hmm, once you enter the Stormy Sea, Louis Berry's name loses its weight; in West Bailing, hardly anyone has heard of him… So "Siso" probably doesn't know I've arrived in Pailos Port—unless he's been waiting daily at the docks… Lu Mi didn't feel humiliated by the bartender's words; he sipped his sweet wine, pondering the details.

Seeing Lu Mi silent, the bartender chuckled as if chatting idly:

"You just arrived on the Southern Continent, right?"

"Yes, I crossed the Stormy Sea this morning," Lu Mi quickly slipped into the role of a regular, smiling as he spun a tale, "I encountered a ghost ship in the Stormy Sea, saw the mummified crew dancing under the moon, repelled a devilish attack, and praised the Mother of All Things—you'd never believe how strange and dangerous the Stormy Sea is…"

The bartender wiped the inside of a glass and interrupted Lu Mi:

"I know—it's where the 'Death God' vanished."

"The 'Death God' vanished?" Lu Mi asked in surprise.

He had suspected the Stormy Sea's dangers and weather anomalies stemmed from a god's fall, but hadn't expected the answer to come so easily.

The bartender looked at Lu Mi as if he were a novice:

"You've never heard the treasure legends of the sea?"

"The top one is the 'Key of the Death God.' It's said that at the end of the Fourth Era, during the Pale War, the defeated 'Death God,' fleeing back to Bailing, raised a furious storm to block his enemies, creating an impassable barrier that severed the two continents—but He never returned to His throne, vanishing forever. Only those with a special key can find Him, His lost treasures, and His blessings."

The bartender's tone was complex.

Lu Mi fell silent.

He had come to the sea for revenge, with no interest in treasure legends—and now he had missed such vital information.

Just then, he heard the heavy wooden door of the bar being pushed open.

The previously noisy, lively bar fell utterly silent.

Lu Mi turned his body, following the eerie stillness, and looked toward the entrance.

(End of Chapter)