Chapter 640: Possible Enemies

My father's surname was Andrelad; he died in a failed ritual, cursed by a demon's projection.

I inherited his legacy and became an Exalted One. I don't know who my mother was—she may already be one of the names on my father's long list of victims…

On the dark, deep surface of the mirror, Bram Andrelad, his pale face caked in blood, spoke his origins with a blank expression.

Flanca, summoned by Lu Mi'an, stood before the full-length mirror, using her unique "Magic Mirror Spirit Communication" method to inquire about the Andrelad family and the "Rose Sect."

Unfortunately, Bram was clearly at the very edge of both the secret organization and his own demonic family, possessing only limited knowledge; moreover, to divert Lu Mi'an's attention and secretly prepare the ritual's preliminaries, he had told nothing but the truth—no lies.

As the spirit communication neared its limit, Flanca posed her final question:

"Who is the current head of the Andrelad family?"

Bram's increasingly transparent and sinister face twisted abruptly:

"He—he's dead."

"He became the sacrifice!"

Sacrifice… that's that intense? Flanca was about to press further when Bram's figure in the mirror rapidly faded and vanished.

The "Joyful Witch" ended the ritual while clicking her tongue at Lu Mi'an:

"The Andrelad family's situation is off—they're actually using their own head as a sacrifice."

"Have they been fully controlled by the 'Rose Sect'?"

Since the "Temperance" faction of the "Rose Sect" has now largely aligned with the "Fool" Church, Flanca didn't bother distinguishing or emphasizing the "Debauchery" faction—after all, all current members of the "Rose Sect" should be from the "Debauchery" faction.

Lu Mi'an responded thoughtfully:

"The Abyss's current situation is also off…"

Whether or not Naporedisli is a pseudonym for the Demon King Fabuti, the crimson devil deep within Hante Island reflects, in some way, the Abyss's own problems.

Here, Lu Mi'an laughed mockingly:

"We're used to cursing others to hell, to falling into the Abyss, thinking that's the worst possible place—yet who knew the Abyss could degrade further, that the Abyss itself is falling into the Abyss."

"That's a true hellish joke." Flanca glanced at the night sky, minimally polluted and remarkably clean and clear, feeling the Crimson Moon of the Southern Continent appeared sharper and brighter.

She brought the conversation back on track:

"If 'Siso' truly is an Exalted One of the 'Demon' Path, then some of his behaviors become explainable."

"Ah, the old Research Society was far too lax—almost no filtering or restrictions on members…"

Before this, Flanca and Lu Mi'an both knew the "Curly Baboon Research Society" publicly had no Exalted Ones of the "Demon" Path, but the real situation was unknown, since the society didn't force members to reveal or prove their Paths; everyone judged each other's Sequence through gatherings and exchanges, and "Siso" had always been mysterious—even many core members of "April Fools' Day" didn't know his Path or Sequence.

"Siso has always worked alone, rarely joining other April Fools' pranks—was he afraid someone would discover he was a Demon?" Lu Mi'an mused. "His preferred partner was the 'Madwoman'—a pure lunatic who wouldn't care about such things at all, and might even get excited, wondering if a Demon's blood is cold…"

I suspect you're mocking me for wanting to try everything… Still, calling him a "cold-blooded" one, the residual blood of this "serial killer," Bram, still had a bit of warmth… "Cold-blooded" mainly refers to being cold, calm, emotionless—not literally cold blood? Or perhaps it's because the Southern Continent is in summer, and the heat has warmed the blood of cold-blooded creatures… Flanca's thoughts began to drift.

She promptly reminded Lu Mi'an:

"If 'Siso' is truly a 'Demon,' then as soon as you find the key clue, he'll sense your hostility—and based on its intensity, he'll decide whether to launch a surprise attack or flee immediately, changing countries and going into hiding."

"Damn! Hunting a 'Demon' is such a hassle—when you can't beat him, he comes to kill you; when you can beat him, he vanishes somewhere you can't find."

"At times like this, we need a 'Demon Hunter.'" Lu Mi'an said half-jokingly.

From his copy of "Demonology," he knew the Sequence 4 of the "Warrior" Path was called "Demon Hunter"—an expert in slaying Demons, the bane of Demons, "Apostles of Desire," and even Devils.

The most important ability of a "Demon Hunter" is to conceal their actions and intentions, making targets who can sense danger unable to perceive them!

Flanca murmured "Hmm":

"Now I understand why the 'Magician' lady directly gave you a Spirit World coordinate to go to New Silver City and have Mr. 'Sun' clear the residual contamination—there, the Warrior Path dominates, and there are multiple 'Demon Hunters.'"

"But the cost of hiring a 'Demon Hunter' for full assistance may be beyond what we can afford."

They were genuine half-gods!

Of course, while hunting "Siso" is Lu Mi'an's personal vendetta, since "Siso" might also be a follower of that Celestial Lord, the Major Arcana cards would still pay attention and take it seriously.

Lu Mi'an smiled:

"We don't necessarily need a 'Demon Hunter' to act personally—do they even make talismans or potions that conceal hostility? If they can, we could use our 'Tarot' connections to buy some at great cost, or trade items for them."

"We can ask about it soon." Flanca added, turning serious. "If 'Siso' is an 'Apostle of Desire,' be careful—you've got too many strange things on you, and many miraculous items have negative effects that influence emotion and desire; he could easily trigger them all at once, instantly crippling you…"

As she spoke, Flanca's lips moved slightly, then closed again.

Lu Mi'an nodded solemnly, not stubbornly insisting he was a "Hermit."

He had barely experienced such an explosion of emotion and desire—he understood it wasn't something a "Hermit" could endure—it carried a certain physical damage to the brain.

Flanca shifted topics:

"The ones chasing the 'serial killer' are from the 'Spiritualist Sect,' not the Patrol Unit—the waters in Matanibang run deep."

The "Spiritualist Sect" was a secret organization on the Southern Continent, said to originate from the imperial descendants of the former Baylang Empire and Exalted Ones unwilling to abandon their worship of the "God of Death," with the ultimate goal of returning the "God of Death" to His throne and reuniting East and West Baylang under His rule.

Lu Mi'an walked to the window, gazed at the street outside, and smiled:

"This is the chaotic Southern Continent."

"Actually, I'm more curious why the 'Rose Sect' is collecting daily life data from the people of Port Palos—it looks like they intend to rule here."

"That's not their style."

Lu Mi'an didn't know exactly what the "Rose Sect" used to be like, only that in recent years they'd carried out numerous sacrifices—every place they seized turned into a river of blood, unlike the pattern of someone aiming to permanently govern a city or port.

"Who knows?" Flanca, having thought hard recently, pondered. "Regardless of the 'Rose Sect's' goal, given how many sacrifices they've performed these past years, they've likely received abundant blessings from the 'Mother Tree of Desire.' Now, with a member of a demonic family joining, if you ever encounter a significant member of the 'Rose Sect,' beware—he might be a dual Exalted One, combining a drug and a blessing: a 'Corpse-Ennobled,' a 'Soul-Tree,' a 'Sex Addict Apostle'—all similar to your 'Hunting Monk.'"

In inventing nicknames and letting thoughts wander, Flanca had always been better than Lu Mi'an—she jokingly called an Exalted One who was both a "Corpse" and an "Ennobled" a "Corpse-Ennobled."

Of course, her main purpose was to warn Lu Mi'an: some "Rose Sect" members might first trigger his desires using abilities like "Sex Addict," then detonate them entirely as an "Apostle of Desire," offering a full-service package.

That would be extremely hard to handle; for Lu Mi'an's current state, facing such Exalted Ones would be highly dangerous.

Lu Mi'an gave a self-deprecating laugh:

"Why do I feel like I'm a powder keg—touch me and I explode?"

"Still, I have no intention of meddling in the 'Rose Sect's' affairs—I'll write a letter to the 'Magician' lady, reporting that I spotted traces of the 'Rose Sect' in Port Palos. Someone else will investigate and handle it—aren't Mr. 'Star' and Mr. 'Moon' among the Major Arcana already responsible for the 'Rose Sect'?"

"My only target is 'Siso.' Now I can preliminarily confirm: even if he belongs to the 'Demon' Path, he has no connection to the Andrelad family—otherwise, the 'Rose Sect' wouldn't have sent Bram and others separately to gather intelligence, and Bram wouldn't have been unaware that family members once operated here."

"Mm, just be careful." Flanca opened her mouth, hesitated a moment, then said only that much.

…………

After escorting Flanca back to Trier, Lu Mi'an stored the "Serial Killer" Exalted Trait extracted from Bram.

It resembled a sharp-edged, prismatic ice block, within which thin streams of black vapor were frozen.

Back at the Aurela Hotel, Lu Mi'an walked to the three mechanical elevators, pulled the handle, and waited patiently for one to arrive.

With a creaking sound, both the hall door and cabin door opened simultaneously.

Lu Mi'an's figure, illuminated by the crystal chandelier behind him, cast a stretched shadow into the elevator.

Beside his shadow stood another tall, slender human silhouette.

(End of Chapter)