Chapter 637: Carnivorous Flower

At the entrance of the "Carnivorous Flower" bar, a figure stepped inside.

She was a woman of average height, wearing a long, dark black, relatively conservative dress, her eyebrows meticulously drawn, her skin heavily powdered, her cheeks flushed with obvious rouge, her lips vividly glossy, and colorful hues around her eyes.

Although this woman suffered from excessive makeup, an overly heavy Zhuang, and an overall uncoordinated style, her gemlike brown eyes, high and elegant nose, beautifully sculpted lips, and curvaceous figure still radiated strong allure.

The vast majority of male patrons in the bar turned their gazes toward the entrance, and for a brief moment, no one spoke; only after the woman nodded slightly, with a hint of arrogance, to a few of the guests, did they seem to come alive—some attempting to strike up conversation, others shouting loudly to their companions to show off.

The woman did not pause; she moved through the crowd and sat down at the other side of the bar.

Quite a distinctive style—if Franca were here, she'd definitely go over to flirt… Lu Mi felt a slight pang of regret for his companion, then turned his gaze away and smiled at the bartender:

"That lady's quite popular."

The bartender shed the expression he usually wore toward new adventurers and said solemnly:

"She's my boss."

Boss… Lu Mi suddenly remembered the bar's name and asked thoughtfully:

"Carnivorous Flower?"

"That's her." The bartender lowered his voice, then walked over to the beautiful woman with heavy makeup, whose real age was impossible to guess, and poured her a glass of some unknown brand of Blackland whiskey.

When the bartender returned to this side, Lu Mi asked curiously:

"Why the nickname 'Carnivorous Flower'?"

"She seems very popular to me."

The bartender instinctively glanced sideways at his boss and saw she was intently sipping her drink, idly scanning the nearby patrons; only then did he whisper:

"In Pailos Port, women of her level of beauty usually enjoy male admiration and praise but never offer them real intimacy—but our boss is different. If she takes a fancy to someone, she truly invites them to spend a wonderful night with her, sometimes right up in the rooms above—we can even hear her moans from the main hall…"

Here, the bartender fell silent, his expression filled with nostalgia and longing.

Pleasure? Lu Mi faintly frowned, then smiled and asked:

"Have you ever been chosen by her?"

The bartender fell silent.

For a moment, Lu Mi suspected the man might hurl his glass at his head.

He changed the subject:

"Hasn't there ever been some crude, violent man who tried to force himself on your boss?"

The bartender exhaled and said:

"Just think again about our bar's name."

Carnivorous Flower… is that what it means? Lu Mi suddenly understood.

The bartender continued:

"Any man who tries to force our boss ends up severely injured, thrown off the upper floor, or vanishes mysteriously.

"Even those she chooses end up pale-faced, legs weak, barely able to walk after one night.

"That's why she earned the nickname 'Carnivorous Flower'—she doesn't mind at all, and later even adopted it as the bar's name."

This is somewhat different from the style of the "Pleasure Witches"… but then, all witches have their own styles—Franca, the "Pleasure Witch," is already quite unlike other "Pleasure Witches"… Lu Mi satisfied his curiosity, stopped asking about the bar's owner, and pulled out a ordinary deck of playing cards from "The Traveler's Satchel":

"In recent years, have you ever seen or heard of anyone using playing cards as weapons?"

According to Anthony Reed's analysis of "Siso," this core member of "April Fools' Day" has a strong tendency toward self-expression; after crafting the card capable of changing its face with "frost" and "cutting" properties, he could never have used it only in April Fools' pranks—he must have delighted in using that miraculous item to end targets' lives during regular fights or assassinations.

This is a lead worth investigating.

And both of "Siso"'s pranks were tied to Matanibang and involved some local, secretive, or important matters—only someone native to the area, or who had lived there a long time, would suddenly choose this region and possess sufficient intelligence to support it.

Lu Mi reasonably suspected that "Siso"'s original area of operation was Matanibang and its surrounding regions.

That's why, despite believing "Siso" had received Loki's warning and already fled and gone into hiding, he still came to Matanibang for a visit.

Only by understanding "Siso"'s past can you grasp his present and end his future!

The native bartender mocked Lu Mi:

"You think I'd know about that?"

"For something like that, you should ask the Patrol Squad—whether they'll answer you is another matter entirely."

The Patrol Squad… Lu Mi took no offense, giving a slight nod.

The Patrol Squad was a force of the extraordinary established by General Quilariel, primarily handling occult incidents and battles between extraordinary individuals.

In this principality, after most of the Intis colonizers withdrew, none of the remaining churches of the "Eternal Sun" Church and the "God of Steam and Machinery," nor the newly built church of the "Mother of Earth," had been granted official law enforcement authority.

Although all three churches surely had small squads of extraordinary individuals stationed in their city temples, they could only use them to protect themselves and believers who took refuge inside—not to take over cases beyond the police's capacity or eliminate potential anomalies as they did in their original territories.

These powers were reclaimed by General Quilariel and entrusted to the newly formed Patrol Squad.

The extraordinary members of the Patrol Squad came from Quilariel's army, remnants of the former Baylang Empire, or former adventurers and bounty hunters.

What a simple, plain name… Lu Mi glanced at the few wanted posters on the wall and mused:

"General Quilariel doesn't want adventurers turning Matanibang into a hunting ground, and refuses to let them use the pursuit of wanted targets as an excuse to fight in the streets?"

The bartender looked at Lu Mi with slight surprise:

"Among adventurers, your mind is quite sharp."

"In Matanibang, we only post wanted notices for people who've committed crimes here—what you did elsewhere doesn't concern us."

No wonder it's one of the paradises for adventurers… Lu Mi lifted his sugared wine and drained the remainder.

He was about to order another drink with West Baylang's distinctive flavor to sample its unique taste when he suddenly felt someone watching him.

It was the owner of the "Carnivorous Flower" bar—the woman in the black dress with heavy makeup.

Lu Mi calmly nodded, then turned his gaze away and looked at the bartender.

Although this "Carnivorous Flower" was indeed beautiful, she couldn't compare to the "Witches," famed for their feminine allure—and Lu Mi disliked such heavy makeup.

At that moment, the woman stood up, walked over to Lu Mi's side, and curled her painted lips:

"I can feel it—you're like me: a living volcano, still unexploded, struggling to endure, suffering in waiting."

"Tonight, will you feel my passion?"

Lu Mi raised his right hand and touched his own face.

She's taken a fancy to me?

Come to think of it, I've always been popular with girls; since becoming a "Hunter," beautiful women have constantly appeared around me… Is this the hidden influence of the True Man Path? But no—according to the "Great Adventurer" novel series and recent rumors heard at sea, "The Fool"'s emissary Daniz is also of the "Hunter" Path, yet he's been rejected in secret and has no notable female companions…

Lu Mi muttered silently to himself, then stood up and smiled:

"What's your name?"

"Belotia." The woman's smile widened, making Lu Mi think she'd likely look even better without her heavy makeup.

Lu Mi removed his golden straw hat, pressed it to his chest, and bowed slightly:

"Lady Belotia, thank you for the invitation, but I already have someone I love."

As he spoke, he ignored Belotia's slightly stiffened expression, stepped past the "Carnivorous Flower," and walked calmly toward the bar's entrance.

Belotia did not call out to him; like many patrons in the bar, she simply watched as he pulled open the heavy wooden door and stepped out.

Amid the clang of the door closing on its own, Lu Mi smirked silently to himself:

"I can resist the charm of a 'Pleasure Witch'—why would I risk getting involved with a woman whose origins and intentions are unknown?"

"Using 'I have someone I love' as an excuse is already giving you face—if you still want revenge after that, I won't hold back…"

Lu Mi, having left the bar early, wandered the nearby streets, deliberately seeking quiet alleys to see if he could stumble upon any incidents or criminals to gather intelligence.

After turning several corners, he suddenly heard a clanging sound coming from a dark, empty alley.

Lu Mi crept silently closer, entering the alley, and saw two men locked in fierce combat.

One had distinct native features, not too old—perhaps in his early twenties—with a pale face, holding a sharp but heavy short knife in his right hand, his left palm slightly open, dark shadows swirling in his palm, the surrounding air growing icy.

The other was in his early thirties, with ordinary features, a blank expression, short black hair, and white sclera dominating his dark green eyes.

He wore a common white shirt and black trousers, each hand gripping a weapon resembling a surgeon's scalpel but longer and sharper.

The two were now locked in fierce combat, their weapons clashing rapidly with a ringing din.

Seeing this display, Lu Mi knew they were no ordinary men—they both possessed extraordinary traits.

Lu Mi halted his advance, hands in his pockets, right foot braced behind him, leaning casually against the nearby wall, openly observing the close-quarters battle between the two extraordinary individuals.

(End of Chapter)