Chapter 661: The Poor

Seeing Kaimu's expression—as if someone had a gun pressed to his head and forced him to do something—Lu Mi didn't bother with politeness and replied with a smile:

"Sure."

He could guess with his foot: this was likely due to high-ranking Patrol members, even General Quilalir, being uneasy about Louis Berry wandering freely in their territory; Tizamo Town lay near the primordial jungle and had close ties to a Sequence 5 "Apostle of Desire," so they'd sent two Patrol members who knew Louis Berry somewhat to accompany him—even if they couldn't prevent accidents, they could at least relay information before the situation turned catastrophic.

As for why they didn't outright stop Louis Berry from going to Tizamo Town: first, when Lu Mi submitted Tewanako's head, he had already hinted at which power he represented, and since there was no fundamental conflict, General Quilalir had no reason to make things difficult for him; second, although Louis Berry's investigations and adventures seemed to bring disaster, they exposed the hidden dangers early—if left concealed and allowed to fester, in another year or two, neither Matanibang nor General Quilalir might be able to handle it, and blood might flow like a river.

The driver was Kolobo, who stared straight ahead, fished out a pair of sunglasses, and placed them on his nose.

His body showed no trace of injury.

Kaimu, one hand holding open the carriage door, watched as Louis Berry led a small boy aboard.

"He's going to Tizamo too?" Kaimu was startled.

He knew Louis Berry had come to Pailos Port with a servant and his godson, and assumed the great adventurer would leave both burdens behind at the Aurela Hotel, reuniting only after resolving the Tizamo Town issue—yet the man was actually bringing such a young child to Tizamo Town.

But this clearly wasn't a tourist trip—it was dangerous!

Lu Mi planted his left foot on the ground, his right foot resting on the carriage's edge, and said with a smile:

"My godson is fascinated by jungle fruits, unique game animals, and various spices."

During their earlier descriptions of local specialties, the three Tizamo men had all mentioned the grilled meat was exceptional—the blend of spices and the distinctive texture of certain jungle beasts created a uniquely Tizamo flavor.

As if echoing Lu Mi, Ludwig inside the carriage swallowed saliva audibly.

Is he truly unafraid his godson will be in danger? So confident in himself? Kaimu didn't press further, signaling Lu Jianuo to get in quickly.

Lu Jianuo glanced at the strange driver, trembling slightly under his black sunglasses, then stepped onto the carriage and sat opposite Lu Mi and Ludwig.

Kaimu shut the carriage door, circled around, and sat beside Kolobo, sighing:

"You can take off the sunglasses now. That must've been hard."

"D-d-d." Kolobo, as if struck by an arctic wind, chattered uncontrollably, shaking even more violently.

Kaimu turned his head, staring at him in shock:

"Didn't you already face-to-face deal with Louis Berry? Why are you still so terrified?"

You didn't even see him directly!

"D-d-d." Kolobo removed his sunglasses, taking over ten seconds to calm down.

He lowered his voice, face pale with fear:

"I feel my fingers were eaten, my arms were eaten, my organs were eaten, my head was eaten…"

"That, that…"

"That what?" Kaimu didn't understand why the "Monster" felt this unusual sensation, but knew the issue might be serious.

Kolobo swallowed hard:

"That, that child… he's dangerous too!"

"I didn't see him, but I keep feeling like I'm walking among lions, tigers, giant pythons—any moment I could be devoured."

"..." Kaimu froze, then hissed sharply.

So far, only three people had made Kolobo unable to look directly and triggered intense danger senses: the "Soul of Resentment"-wielding "Apostle of Desire," Tewanako; Louis Berry, who hunted Tewanako; and now this child was on par with them?

He's also a Follower—and reached Sequence 5?

No, it's not just about Sequence 5—our Patrol Captain is also Sequence 5, yet Kolobo never said he couldn't look at him or felt danger from him.

These three must possess something special!

But regardless, that child is definitely extraordinary—and dangerous!

No wonder Louis Berry wasn't worried bringing his godson to Tizamo Town—his godson might be even more dangerous… Kaimu finally understood his earlier confusion, suppressed his curiosity, and refrained from probing Kolobo further.

They were all in the same four-wheeled, four-seat carriage—even with the partition, their quiet conversation couldn't escape Louis Berry's ears!

—Kaimu, combining intelligence from the Mist Sea, reasonably suspected Louis Berry was Sequence 5 of the "Hunter" Path, whose Followers were famed for exceptional vision, acute smell, and superior hearing.

The "Monster" Path Followers were intriguing—without seeing Ludwig or hearing his voice, they still sensed he was a terrifying glutton… Lu Mi, leaning against the carriage wall, toyed with his golden straw hat and glanced at Ludwig with a smile.

Did that "child" just now actually feel hunger toward Kolobo and Kaimu?

Of course—he was two uncorrupted Followers; Ludwig's brief drooling and subsequent restraint were plausible… Hehe, Kaimu noticed nothing, while Kolobo reacted instantly with fear? Lu Mi nodded at Ludwig:

"Well done. Your self-control deserves praise."

When children behave properly, praise must not be withheld—it helps them cultivate healthy mental habits!

Ludwig gave no response, his expression clearly saying: Don't treat me like a child.

His lips curled slightly as he pulled a box of biscuits from his red hard-shell bag and began crunching them.

Self-control… well done… Lu Jianuo across from them listened, utterly baffled.

Tizamo was the most remote town of Pailos Port, nearly at the edge of the primordial jungle—a full two hours by carriage.

Of course, to arrive sooner, one could take a steam train from the port to Kache Town at the southernmost tip, then hire a carriage or coffin to head northeast—total time: just one hour—but Lu Mi wasn't in a hurry.

Beyond Pailos Port, the road narrowed and deteriorated, yet the carriage still rolled smoothly—Kolobo, the driver, moved like a precision machine, controlling the horses and vehicle with no noticeable error.

An hour passed quickly; the carriage began circling a grove of trees.

Suddenly, Lu Mi, pretending to nap, opened his eyes.

His body instantly darkened and became insubstantial, merging with the shadow cast by the window.

"Shadow Transformation!"

The next second, gunshots erupted from deep within the woods.

Bullets flew from afar—some struck the ground, kicking up dirt; others targeted Kaimu, the carriage, and the horse.

With a scream, the horse bled out and collapsed sideways, dragging the carriage down with it.

Kolobo had already rolled clear of the driver's seat, unharmed; Kaimu had jumped off before the attack, crouching low, drawing his pistol, rolling and slithering toward the woods.

During this, he raised his right hand and fired—trying to suppress the attackers; at this range, many of his abilities were unusable.

Several crimson-to-white fireballs soared past Kaimu and plunged into the forest depths.

Boom!

With explosions like artillery fire, the gunfire ceased.

Soon after, shouts in Dutan echoed from deep within the woods:

"Die, you northern continent bandits!"

"Take your dog-children with you to death!"

"If you're real men, come chase us!"

"..."

The curses faded, swallowed by the forest depths.

Lu Mi stepped out from the carriage's shadow, not pursuing.

"Rebels! How did they get to Matanibang…" Kaimu frowned, muttering in confusion.

In the southern continent, many rebel groups existed—he didn't know which faction this was or what they wanted—but normally, since Matanibang had nominally seceded from the Intis Republic and was ruled by the southern native General Quilalir, rebels rarely came here, as their stated goal was to expel colonizers.

Could this be one of the "Death God"-worshipping rebels trying to restore the "Death God" faith in Matanibang? Please don't be those backed by the "Rose School"… no, those madmen… Kaimu, alarmed and uncertain, returned to the carriage.

But Lu Mi was pondering another question:

Though he was now Sequence 5, he still felt life was fragile.

He could be killed by a stray bullet.

If those rebels had even one sharpshooter, positioned just outside his observation range, sniping from over a hundred meters away, they could very well kill him.

After all, the "Harvester" isn't like the "Demons," whose bodies are armored—even without Malevolent Awareness, a rifle shot to a vital point would only injure, not kill; he lacks the long-range danger intuition of the "Fortune Teller" path, so he can't dodge in advance.

Of course, thanks to the "Penitent" trait, Lu Mi's spiritual perception was still strong—he'd received a premonition earlier.

But if the enemy weren't ordinary rebels, and could effectively disrupt this spiritual perception, regular rifles could indeed harm Lu Mi.

Hmm, "Shadow Transformation" can block bullets—normal rounds can't truly injure a shadow entity… Lu Mi snapped back to reality and told Lu Jianuo, who was just crawling out of the carriage:

"Go check on the horse."

If it's still alive, heal it quickly and get it pulling again; if it's dead, have Ludwig command its corpse to pull the carriage.

—Ludwig had gained the ability to command several low-level undead from the drink made of the "Xiso" eyeball.

(End of Chapter)