Chapter 831: Mutual Deception

Cooperate? You want to use me as cannon fodder, right? Heh, it's just right to fish for information and understand what kind of item Zhu Li has... Lu Mian, who was blindfolded with white bandages, wore an expression of "Is that so? I don't believe it":

"How dangerous can it be?"

Albus, holding a lantern and also blindfolded, was leaning against the wall of a burial chamber, watching Lu Mian's every move through the eyes of the steel combat puppets twenty meters away.

At the same time, he sneered in his heart:

"You didn't put that tattered head into your bag after finding it, but held it in your hand regardless of whether it was in the way. You must be plotting something, right?

"And your right hand has been inside that bag made by a high-level member of the 'Apprentice' pathway...

"The other half of the body of the tattered head you obtained before should have been put inside. You don't want the head and body to reunite now, worried that it will bring some accidents, and you're waiting to throw it out at a critical moment as an indiscriminate attack method?

"This is just right to give Zhu Li and the others a 'surprise.' I won't try it myself to avoid consuming it prematurely.

"Cooperation is good; it can make dangers gather together and cancel each other out..."

Albus made the mouth of a combat puppet open and close, emitting a voice with a metallic texture:

"The item on that 'Demoness' was specially manufactured by the 'Primordial Demoness' before she fell into a deep sleep after the Pale Disaster of the Fourth Epoch. There are five of them in total, and it can make the wearer become a vessel for the 'Primordial Demoness's' descent."

"Vessel for descent..." Lu Mian repeated this term.

Does your Demoness Sect play so big?

He had previously thought that no matter how special Zhu Li was, she would only temporarily possess the power of a Sequence 4 "Despair Demoness" without the status of a demigod, in order to bypass the corresponding taboos generated by "0-01." He hadn't expected the opponent to be able to briefly become the "Primordial Demoness"!

Even if it were only one-thousandth of the original body's power, that was still the power of a True God!

Albus's laughter echoed in the metal cavity:

"Yes, a vessel for descent.

"Fortunately, that 'Demoness' named Zhu Li is not strong enough as a vessel for descent. If she were an Angel-level Demoness, she could bear the descent for one or two minutes without dying afterward. If she were a Saint-level Demoness, she could bear it for more than ten seconds, and her spirit and flesh would collapse as a result. But Zhu Li is currently only a 'Pain Demoness'; maintaining the descent state won't exceed three seconds, and it will also come at the cost of complete annihilation.

"Of course, even if she doesn't pray for descent, she possesses various special abilities relying on that item and can briefly use the power of Sequence 4.

"If the two of us don't cooperate, it would be quite difficult to confront Zhu Li in her normal state with our own power, but it's not without hope of winning. However, once we force her into a desperate situation and she attempts descent, neither of us will last more than three seconds.

"And if we cooperate and use our trump cards without reservation, it's possible to hold out until Zhu Li's descent state ends. At that time, we'll rely on our own abilities."

In front of a "Demoness"... holding out for three seconds... your words are so ambiguous. If this were in Trier and heard by those gossip reporters on the boulevards, they could absolutely edit out a meaning you wouldn't want to see and even question whether you're capable... Lu Mian, who had been long-term influenced by magazines and newspapers like "Grimace" in Trier and the vulgar jokes that Franca would occasionally spout, couldn't help but complain a few times in his heart.

He didn't believe Albus's talk of sincere cooperation at all. He felt that when the critical moment truly arrived, this descendant of the "Red Angel" would definitely throw him out to block a fatal attack.

This might be the biggest trump card the other party had to survive Zhu Li's descent state.

Just like the fable told by Emperor Roselle, when an ordinary person meets a giant bear in the forest, they don't need to run faster than the giant bear; running faster than their companion is enough.

Franca also often joked that in an adventure, companions are the most effective shields.

However, Zhu Li and Céleste should already know my true identity, know that I'm the lover of one of their colleagues, and once joined the "Iron and Blood Cross Order." Their emphasis on me definitely isn't as high as their vigilance toward the Medici surname. By then, who will be the first target attacked by them, and who will be the real shield, is still unknown... Lu Mian's thoughts raced, and he said in a hesitant, untrusting tone:

"I can feel Zhu Li's danger, but I didn't expect it to be this dangerous.

"Of course, I still don't really trust you."

"Cooperation and mutual vigilance are not contradictory. I can't truly trust you either." Albus replied with a smile in his voice, "When there are common interests, even the enemy who killed one's parents can cooperate temporarily, let alone us."

While speaking, Albus thought in his heart:

Cooperating to deal with those two "Demonesses" is better than having a fierce battle with you now and facing the trump cards you haven't used yet. If that were the case, even if I could win, the consumption would be very large. How would I deal with the "Demonesses" and Te Wanake afterward?

Heh, if a battle really breaks out with the two "Demonesses," it's not something you can hide if you want to hide your trump cards. The situation will inevitably become chaotic, everyone will do their best, and the dangers will consume each other, and I am best at achieving victory in chaos...

Lu Mian pondered for a while and gritted his teeth:

"Then let's cooperate until we solve those two 'Demonesses'."

"A very wise choice." Albus didn't hide his joy.

Lu Mian held the carbide lamp and the head of the "Abscessed Hand" and walked forward slowly.

He used a posture of "I am trying my best to show sincerity" and said:

"Besides the two 'Demonesses' and Te Wanake, we have another enemy.

"That is the 'Mirror Person' from the special Mirror World of Fourth Epoch Trier, whose name in Morora is Gei."

"'Mirror Person'..." The combat puppet in front chewed on this term and then laughed, "I'm not surprised. These are all problems left behind by that madman Alista Tudor."

"How so?" Lu Mian took the opportunity to ask.

Albus restrained his smile and said with obvious reverence:

"You should know that my ancestor is an Angel King. He told me that that special Mirror World should have been created by Tudor."

"'Red Angel'? Wasn't he killed before Alista Tudor became the 'Blood Emperor'? How did he know the origin of the special Mirror World?" Lu Mian expressed doubt.

"What do you mean by killed?" Albus sighed, "That's why I really don't like cooperating with 'Hunters.' If it weren't for the fact that there was really no other way today, I wouldn't have come to you. 'Hunters' really don't speak nicely."

"I also don't like cooperating with 'Hunters,' for example, you." Lu Mian agreed with Albus's statement.

Albus switched to another steel combat puppet:

"Before, my ancestor entered Fourth Epoch Trier and confirmed the various problems that existed there. He said that the special Mirror World might not be the product of those problems, but the reason why those problems appeared and were preserved."

The "Red Angel's" meaning is that that special Mirror World wasn't created by the fall of the "Blood Emperor" and the destruction of Fourth Epoch Trier, but existed long ago, and caused Fourth Epoch Trier to have to be sealed with a new Trier after it sank? Could the "Red Angel" be deliberately spreading false information to achieve some conspiracy?

But this initially matches the situation I discovered in the treasury of the "Blue Avenger"—the "Blood Emperor" might have been using the Mirror World to complete his own resurrection arrangements before he fell. Similarly, the Tamala family's connection to the special Mirror World was also before the 'War of the Four Emperors'... Lu Mian stopped walking, pondered for a few seconds, and said:

"Aren't there too many troubles left behind by Alista Tudor?"

Although the "Knight of Swords" said that among the mad ancient gods of the Second Epoch, the Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace was the one who liked to toss and turn the most and had caused quite a few things, and was quite similar to the 'Blood Emperor' Alista Tudor of the Fourth Epoch, Lu Mian had only come into contact with the Netherworld problem related to the Phoenix Ancestor so far, while he could run into the troubles brought by the "Blood Emperor" almost every once in a while. Therefore, in his mind, the "Blood Emperor" was the most troublesome one, much more troublesome than the Phoenix Ancestor.

Albus seemed to have similar feelings. He said with the mouth of a steel combat puppet:

"Because he is the symbol of disaster."

This... Lu Mian suddenly had a deeper understanding of the "Hunter" pathway.

Albus turned to ask:

"As a temporary collaborator, do you need me to share the vision of the combat puppets with you? That way, you don't have to continue playing the blind man."

There's such a good thing? Lu Mian was instantly vigilant.

Thinking that Te Wanake had to completely surrender to "0-01" to share a bit of power, and thinking that the combat puppets on the scene were all puppets of "0-01," Lu Mian pondered for a few seconds and said:

"No need."

In a situation where he didn't truly belong to Albus's team, he was worried that sharing vision would lead to him gradually becoming a puppet.

"Sometimes, being too cautious isn't a good thing." Albus Medici didn't offer more persuasion, and his tone seemed to contain a bit of undisguised regret.

For the next period of time, Lu Mian followed his mental map and walked around the underground mausoleum. Albus would occasionally use the steel combat puppets everywhere in this area to remind him a word or two, indicating that he hadn't fallen behind.

After a while, Lu Mian slowed his pace and muttered in his heart:

"In 'Examples of Underground Mausoleum Construction,' the front is blank, and nothing is marked...

"At a time like this, isn't Albus's role coming into play?"

Lu Mian didn't hesitate anymore, walked past the place that looked like a gate, and entered the blank area on his mental map.

The next second, he felt his skin become tingling all over, as if he were approaching fierce lightning but hadn't touched it yet.

Lu Mian immediately recalled the thunder forest in his nightmare before.

In his ear rang the voice Albus made using a steel combat puppet:

"Te Wanake has rushed over.

"Just ten-plus meters ahead."

Te Wanake? Lu Mian's mind instantly conjured up the most dangerous person in Morora, who had blood-red hair and iron-black eyes, and his spirit instantly became highly tense.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 832 =====