Chapter 90

Facing Lu Mian's confirming question, Ryan nodded.

"That's one way to understand it, but if there are truly other anomalies worth investigating, we cannot let them go."

"Good." Lu Mian actually thought the same.

He didn't even plan to attend the Carnival, lest he be unable to stop himself from taking action when he saw the "performance" at the festival.

The four of them soon arrived at Lu Mian's house and were led upstairs by Aurora.

Aurora, who had changed into a pure white cotton dress to emphasize home comfort, pointed to Lu Mian's open bedroom and study and said to the three official investigators:

"You can choose either of these two rooms."

Ryan turned his gaze toward Forsythe, seeking his companion's opinion.

Forsythe thought for a few seconds, raised her right hand, and smiled as she pointed to the study:

"That armchair looks quite nice, let me sleep there. Ryan, you and Valentine squeeze into that room."

"Trusting us quite a bit, aren't you?" Lu Mian said aloud while Aurora thought it.

He had assumed the three outsiders would choose to sleep in one room on the floor to avoid being targeted one by one after separating.

Forsythe smiled and answered Lu Mian's question, which was half-mockery and half-inquiry:

"My divination results tell me that both of you can be trusted."

As she spoke, she walked into the study, and accompanied by the tinkling sound, she lay down on the armchair with a look of comfort and ease.

Aurora found this version of Forsythe quite interesting and approachable, so she smiled and reminded her:

"A friend once told me to believe in divination but not to be blindly superstitious about it; divination is not omnipotent."

"My mentor said something similar, but in this situation, and with everyone in the same house, what else can we do if we don't trust each other?" Forsythe shifted her body on the armchair and answered with a smile.

Aurora didn't mind her exclusive spot being taken and pulled over a chair to sit down.

—Their study also served as a small living room and occasionally hosted afternoon tea, so the space wasn't small and there were enough chairs.

Ryan looked around the hallway for a while, returned to the study door, and said to Aurora and Lu Mian:

"I have some suggestions."

"Please go ahead." Aurora politely adopted a listening posture.

Ryan nodded gently:

"First, when sleeping at night, do not close the doors to any rooms, so that everyone is effectively in the same space. This way, no matter where an anomaly occurs, we can react in time.

"Second, considering we destroyed the altar, someone might try to deal with us before the Carnival. Starting tonight, everyone will take turns on night watch. Hmm, from 10 PM to 8 AM the next morning, two hours each..."

So professional... Aurora muttered almost silently.

Lu Mian looked at her, as if asking why she hadn't thought of that.

Aurora spread her hands slightly, meaning she didn't have much experience in team operations.

She then looked at Ryan and Valentine and said with a very certain tone:

"Lu Mian will be responsible for the time from 10 PM to midnight."

Forsythe and the others had no objections to this arrangement.

In their view, this was very reasonable because among the five people present, Lu Mian had the lowest Sequence and the least experience, making him the most prone to mistakes during night watch. And from 10 PM to midnight, there were definitely others still awake who could back him up.

Lu Mian understood that his sister's intention wasn't just that:

He had to explore the dream ruins after falling asleep and couldn't be interrupted.

After confirming the first time slot, Valentine volunteered:

"I'm used to going to bed early and waking up early. I'll take the time from 6 AM to 8 AM."

"Waking up so early to welcome the sunrise?" Lu Mian instinctively mocked.

Valentine's gaze toward him suddenly became gentle:

"Yes, I want to welcome the rising sun and praise the radiance of the light."

His eyes seemed to be saying, "As expected, only you, a devout believer of the Eternal Blazing Sun, understand me."

Hey, I'm mocking you, brother! Lu Mian was a bit defeated by Valentine.

In the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, "brother" was a common form of address among fellow believers, used by their two most mainstream organizations, the "Missionary Brotherhood" and the "Little Brotherhood."

"I'm not used to being woken up in the middle of my sleep," Forsythe followed up. "I'll take the shift from midnight to 2 AM."

Aurora nodded:

"I like waking up late. I can take 2 AM to 4 AM. Hmm, don't call me for breakfast tomorrow; I'll probably wake up around noon."

"The remaining time slot belongs to me." Ryan was quite satisfied to take on the worst time slot.

He also entered the study and found a chair to sit on.

Everyone chatted casually. Although Aurora rarely went out, she was knowledgeable about everything from astronomy to geography, and could effortlessly discuss the fashion trends, gossip, and paranormal events of major metropolises like Trier and Backlund, leaving Forsythe, Ryan, and the others secretly impressed.

"As expected of the famous author Aurora Li," Forsythe couldn't help but praise. "No wonder you can master any genre."

Aurora asked curiously:

"You've read my novels?"

"I've been reading them since your first novel; I was just a young girl back then," Forsythe answered with bright eyes and a smile. "By the way, give me an autograph!"

As she searched for paper and a fountain pen, the small silver bells on her veil and boots made a tinkling sound.

"Is it a Sealed Artifact?" Aurora, having heard Lu Mian talk about the performance of Forsythe's four small bells, asked with slight curiosity.

Forsythe took out a stack of sticky notes and a fountain pen and answered casually:

"Yes, it can provide active warnings and also enhance my divination abilities. The bad thing is that it makes quite a lot of noise and isn't very discreet. Also, it has requirements for the wearer's attire—it must be fashionable, must be a dress, and must look good. Otherwise, not only will it fail to function, but it will also mislead you or lead you to bump into certain hidden, bad things."

"I suddenly can't guess whether this bell was originally male or female," Aurora laughed.

Lu Mian agreed deeply. If the bell originated from a woman, it was a lingering instinct for vanity; if from a man, it was a standard pervert.

Forsythe smiled faintly:

"Involving confidential files, I cannot say more."

She stood up and handed the sticky notes and fountain pen to Aurora.

As Aurora signed, she asked:

"Which genre of my novels do you like better?"

"Romance," Forsythe answered without hesitation. "What had a big impact on me was your first novel, 'Eternal Love'."

"That book was too early. I was too young back then, my writing level wasn't high enough, it was very green, many plot points were stiff, and many dialogues were overly sentimental and not realistic enough..." Aurora humbly criticized herself a bit embarrassedly.

Lu Mian habitually helped "supplement":

"But it wins in sincerity and novelty."

He had also read his sister's novel. It told the story of a couple separated by life and death, mixed with elements of adventure, misunderstanding, and terminal illness. It was a pioneering work in the Intis literary world at the time.

Of course, this also attracted criticism from many conservative writers and critics. As for the shortcomings, they were mainly the ones Aurora had just mentioned. They even thought it couldn't be considered literature, just a simple popular novel.

"Yes," Forsythe took back the paper and pen, looked at Aurora, and asked with a smile, "Great author, is it possible for you to become an informant for our Bureau 8?"

Seeing Aurora's surprise, she further explained:

"We crack down on wild Beyonders mainly because they are uncontrollable and could lose control or cause disasters at any time, or they use their supernatural abilities to do all kinds of bad things to satisfy their own desires.

"During these few days in the village, I have carefully observed you two siblings and confirmed that you are Beyonders who strictly follow order. And before we came to Cordu, the intelligence we gathered also showed that you have never openly done anything bad.

"This meets our standards for recruitment, and once you become our informants, you won't need to worry about being cracked down on by official Beyonders anymore."

Aurora felt her heart skip a beat. She glanced at Lu Mian and nodded gently:

"I will consider it. I'll answer you after the cycle ends."

Lu Mian, standing beside her, instantly understood what his sister meant by that glance:

I have no problem, but will you, a guy sealed with serious corruption, pass the test?

After chatting for a while, the siblings bid farewell to Forsythe and the others and returned to Aurora's bedroom.

Aurora sat on the edge of the bed, glanced at the door, and lowered her voice:

"Forsythe has high emotional intelligence."

"How so?" Lu Mian also felt that Forsythe had made the atmosphere very harmonious in the study.

Aurora said with a smile:

"She took the initiative to mention my novels and asked for an autograph to close the distance, and closing the distance was to propose the recruitment later. The recruitment was to resolve the distrust and defensiveness in our hearts, allowing for better cooperation in the coming days.

"The whole process wasn't abrupt at all and didn't make me feel repulsed or defensive. That is the manifestation of high emotional intelligence. You should learn more from her!"

Lu Mian recalled the chatting process just now and mocked himself:

"If it were me, I might have already been kicked out of here."

Aurora was amused by him and said, leaning back slightly:

"You have quite a bit of self-awareness!"

She then rubbed her golden hair and said:

"I'll sleep for a while first. My eyes haven't fully recovered and need more rest. When it's 10 PM, wake me up. I'll help you keep watch for a bit. It's better to be cautious for your first night watch."

Lu Mian had no objections and agreed without hesitation, watching his sister lie down on the bed without any avoidance, pull up the quilt, and close her eyes.

The room suddenly became exceptionally quiet.

Lu Mian quietly turned off the desk lamp and drew the curtains.

Then, he sat on the chair by the desk and quietly watched his sister's defenseless sleeping face in the crimson moonlight that seeped in, his heart gradually becoming peaceful.

ps: Seeking monthly votes~

(End of chapter)