Chapter 764: Flirting Performance (Thanks to Friend freyjun1552 for the Silver Alliance Reward)

Although limited by local ingredients, the menu of "Saint Milon Restaurant" looked thick but actually contained few dishes—though relatively speaking, the sheer volume of items listed in a full menu could never be considered small, enough to make twelve or thirteen adults sick from overeating.

The restaurant's waiters were locals but spoke fluent Fascan, Rune, and Intis languages, understanding Lu Mi's words without any misinterpretation.

He was about to confirm his suspicion when he saw the Intis guest pull out a thick stack of Gold Horns.

These were currency from the Fascan Empire, widely accepted in the Lacrey region—Lu Mi had exchanged some cash earlier that morning before "teleporting" to the Southern Continent, using the favorable rate of 4. Ferjin to 1 Gold Horn, but what he now produced wasn't his own—it was the activity funds provided by the "Sword Knight" Marichi.

"All of it?" the waiter asked dutifully, making his final inquiry.

"All of it." Lu Mi's reply earned Ludwig's approval.

After a while, dishes arrived one by one: beet soup, red wine-braised beef, butter-fried cod, caviar, skewered meats, appetizer salad, thick-cut steak, and Fascan pies.

Ludwig was completely immersed in the sea of food, and Lu Mi also let himself eat freely.

As a Sequence 5 "Harvester," his appetite was already considerable; similarly, Lu Jianuo, the "Harvest Priest" whose path began with "Farmer," had grown even more voracious.

After nearly satisfying his hunger, Lu Mi savored the burst of salty-sweet freshness from the caviar in his mouth, awaiting dessert, while replaying the earlier events in his mind:

"Why did Ludwig's faint sense of the Bird-Claw Monster Infant vanish the instant he sensed it?

"Could it really be that their distance was exactly thirty meters, and one step more from either side would break the sensing range?

"That's too coincidental… If it were arranged, the Bird-Claw Monster Infant should've remained detectable…

"Could the Bird-Claw Monster Infant sense its 'mother's' arrival too? Upon sensing its dead 'mother' appearing abnormally, it immediately fled the area or concealed itself, severing the connection?

"This explanation is more reasonable—it doesn't rely on coincidence…

"Now the question is, if not coincidence, why did the Bird-Claw Monster Infant appear on this street?

"It couldn't have just happened to pass by and bump into us. If true, that would imply either some law of convergence at work, or fate's gift… But if convergence, we still can't tell whether it's due to bloodline attraction or repulsion…"

Lu Mi picked up the napkin laid across his lap and folded it neatly.

Then he stood, pushing the stack of Gold Horns beside him toward Lu Jianuo:

"I'll stroll around nearby and see if anything's worth buying. Look after Ludwig. Remember to pay the bill."

"Got it." Lu Jianuo was happy to sit still and do nothing.

Lu Mi walked out of "Saint Milon Restaurant" with the pace of a leisurely stroll, taking in every shop and passerby on the street.

There were banks, candy shops, cafés, Fascan import stores—all visible, none suspicious.

Passersby were mostly Fascans and Lacrey locals; among the latter, several wore amulets made of relatives' skulls—some worn as hats, others strung as necklaces hanging on the chest, or sewn onto clothing at the shoulders.

He couldn't tell who might have drawn the Bird-Claw Monster Infant or its kin here, nor could he spot any building with anomalies… Lu Mi walked the street, thinking, hoping for an "encounter."

Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

Finally, he finished touring the entire street and returned to "Saint Milon Restaurant."

The two "Witches" were still leisurely enjoying their Fascan feast; their prominent seats and striking beauty drew involuntary glances from every passerby, some even deliberately looping past again and again.

Lu Mi also took the chance to admire the "Witches'" beauty.

Suddenly, a thought struck him:

"Ludwig only sensed the Bird-Claw Monster Infant when he got close to 'Saint Milon Restaurant'…"

"Furanka and Jianna are inside 'Saint Milon Restaurant'…"

"Could they have truly drawn Oseto's attention? Did the 'Witch King' personally carry or dispatch the Bird-Claw Monster Infant to track them, waiting for an opening?

"And upon sensing the corpse's 'mother' aura on Ludwig and the Divine Child's bloodline on me, Oseto abandoned his original plan, temporarily withdrew or fully concealed himself?

"This logic flows smoothly—no flaws—but how could the Moderation Sect's demi-god guarding Furanka and Jianna have noticed nothing of Oseto's presence?

"Does the 'Witch King' excel at preparing potions with miraculous effects, and possess special ritual elixirs that let him evade normal premonitions and intuition?

"Or did he use some other method?"

Lu Mi quickly reviewed the Moderation Sect's intelligence on the "Witch King."

His steps moved slowly, as if drawn by the two "Witches'" beauty and aura, unwilling to tear his gaze away.

After analyzing the intelligence on the "Pharmacist" path up to Sequence 4 "Witch King," Lu Mi considered that Oseto might have received a boon and transformed into a woman, so he recalled the information he knew about the "Sorcerer" path.

In a flash of thought, a term surfaced in his mind:

"The Other Shore World!"

"The Other Shore World is grounded in the earth, self-contained—its movements cannot be detected from outside…"

"Did Oseto use some application of the Other Shore World to evade the Moderation Sect's demi-gods, secretly following Furanka and Jianna without being noticed?

"Could the Bird-Claw Monster Infants, after crawling out of their 'mother's' abdomen, have been absorbed into the Other Shore World?

"The Other Shore World clearly involves the domain of death—so were these 'mothers' killed first, then torn open by the infants?

"If so, they'd be born steeped in death's essence, easily blending into the Other Shore World…"

"Just now, the Other Shore World unfolded, observing Furanka and Jianna, waiting to strike—then, upon sensing the corpse's 'mother' aura and the Divine Child's bloodline, it immediately retracted, severing this closest link?"

"No wonder Ludwig's sense of the Bird-Claw Monster Infant was so faint… because it was inside the Other Shore World!"

"Also, the local Skull Blessing Festival clearly carries strong death-worship elements—this connects with the Other Shore World… Is Oseto's deeper purpose in Lacrey hidden here?"

With this hypothesis, Lu Mi walked to Furanka and Jianna's table like a true Trillian, smiling warmly and politely asking in Intis:

"Ladies, may I have the honor of joining you for a few minutes?"

Furanka replied with amusement:

"You're Intis too?"

She knew Lu Mi wasn't approaching for flirtation—he had another purpose—so she cooperated fully in the performance.

"Yes, so seeing you instantly felt familiar." Lu Mi fully deployed the pick-up lines he'd observed in daily Trillian life.

Several men seated at nearby tables, watching with sidelong glances and listening quietly, all thought the same:

Damn Intis man!

Bloody Intis playboy!

Jianna performed even more naturally, feigning cautious delight as she asked:

"Are you visiting Lacrey or here on business?"

As she spoke, Jianna signaled the waiter and had a chair brought over and placed beside the table.

Lu Mi sat down and looked at the two "Witches."

"Your beauty is like something from a dream—no, I've never dreamed of anyone as beautiful as you. You must have drawn countless stares on your journey?"

Fuck, this sweet talk makes my skin crawl! At this moment, Furanka wished Lu Mi would insult her instead.

Still, she couldn't help a faint, hidden joy—after all, she'd heard Bruns Soren say that every male-turned-"Witch" tended to have some self-obsession—liking and taking pride in their female selves.

Jianna too felt discomfort and amusement, like when she'd played a "Witch" and encountered drunken fools pretending to be cultured.

She performed well, showing no abnormality, smiling slyly:

"Really?"

"Dare you look me in the eye and say that again?"

Seeing the handsome young man actually sit beside two beautiful women and chat merrily, as if flirting, the surrounding men sighed in envy:

How shallow—judging only by looks?

You'll get cheated like this!

Lu Mi laughed and looked directly into Jianna's eyes:

"The moment I saw you, I understood what true beauty is."

"..." Does this guy really not find these words nauseating? Jianna averted her gaze from Lu Mi and answered his earlier question:

"You know, some stares make people uncomfortable."

"Any more unusual stares?" Lu Mi asked with a smile.

Furanka, understanding what he meant, shook her head:

"No."

Lu Mi nodded thoughtfully:

"The weather here is cold. Did you feel anything similar just now?"

Furanka recalled and pursed her lips:

"Since Qiaban Street, there's been a chill—until just now, when the beet soup arrived. It was warm, and we stopped feeling cold."

The Other Shore World, tied to the domain of death, made people around feel slightly colder? Lu Mi smiled at Furanka:

"Perhaps you're just missing the warmth of a reliable man."

Furanka's face twitched; she silently mouthed and glared at Lu Mi:

Please, stop acting like a playboy!

As the three conversed, a woman's shadow—wearing a small black soft hat and a pale golden bun—flickered faintly on the gold-leaf mirror embedded in the wall.

She propped her cheek with her hand, her gaze shifting between Lu Mi and Jianna, then between Lu Mi and Furanka, then studying Furanka and Jianna together.

ps: Thank you to friend freyjun1552 for the Silver Alliance reward~

(End of Chapter)