Chapter 907: First Steps In Town (Third Update, Requesting Base Monthly Votes)

On the top floor of an old building without an elevator, Francia stared at the rental apartment reeking faintly of mildew and muttered:

"For this location and this dump, even just renting the whole place costs 2, 00…"

The apartment had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room that doubled as a dining area—all cramped, with the master bedroom featuring a balcony and the building being at least thirty years old.

Even so, Francia had used the "Seduction" ability of the "Witch" to leverage her social strengths and negotiated the rent down to under 2, 00, with only a one-month deposit instead of the usual three-month advance.

"It's fine." Jianna was reasonably satisfied with the place.

It was far better than where her family had lived before her mother's death.

Lumian glanced at the cash in his hand and said to Francia:

"We only have three thousand left—add your loans, and we're still under six thousand, and we still need to buy a batch of ordinary clothes; we can't keep going out looking like this."

"It's fine," Francia said with calm amusement, no longer as anxious as before, now that she was in a familiar environment. "I can borrow again on every app—you can too. Together, we've got enough to feed Ludwig for months. With that much time, how could we not earn money?"

"Is borrowing this easy here?" Jianna asked in surprise.

In Triel, whether pawning items or borrowing from loan sharks, it was never simple—you needed something or someone of real value. Yet just now, she'd seen Francia tap her phone a few times and secure a loan effortlessly.

Was this normal for everyone, or did the beautiful "Witch" get special treatment?

Francia curled her lip:

"It's pretty easy. Even the poorest have residual value—if all else fails, you can always sell organs…"

Clearly, she disliked how effortlessly online loans were obtained, but right now she had to rack up dozens of small loans to support Ludwig and the whole team, so she left the rest unsaid.

Lumian pulled out the golden box returned by the "Magician" from his "Traveler's Satchel" and asked cautiously:

"Are there places here that buy gold?"

The space within his "Traveler's Satchel" had shrunk noticeably—it now held only as much as a storage closet, insufficient to stockpile much food for Ludwig.

"There are, but they're tightly regulated. Let's check later for illegal channels," Francia said; she'd read extensively and had some knowledge of gold trading.

"Illegal channels?" Lumian mused. "When we sell the gold through them, won't they see we're outsiders, think we won't dare report them, and just steal our gold without paying?"

Francia glanced at Lumian:

"You're planning to fish again?"

"This is called a kind person's gift," Lumian laughed. "This kind of black-on-black theft—they won't report it, right? Won't ruin our image as law-abiding citizens?"

Through long-term daily exposure from Aurora and Francia, and by being immersed in this environment, Lumian had gradually mastered the use of certain phrases and expressions.

"Can't you just get a real job?" Francia scolded with a smile.

"A job would only interfere with our observation of the people and events around Mr. Fool," Lumian replied with perfect logic.

"Not necessarily," Francia instinctively countered. "What if the job helped you become Mr. Fool's colleague? Wouldn't that make observation even easier?"

"True…" Lumian's gaze shifted from Francia's face to Jianna and Anthony, as if weighing who should apply for the position.

"By the way, the company Mr. Fool works for was founded by Emperor Rosel," Francia recalled from the files. "Could the Emperor's real name really be Huang Tao? According to the Major Arcana, he's occasionally a projection of the Emperor himself—but mostly, he's just a fictional figure Mr. Fool dreams up. Hmm, now it's probably only the latter possibility left. The Emperor probably doesn't have long before he gets a chance at resurrection…"

As she spoke, Francia suddenly laughed:

"The Emperor's eldest daughter, Princess Bernadette, is called Huang Beibei in Mr. Fool's dreams—ha! What an adorable name! Is this Mr. Fool's sense of humor?"

"Calm down, Huang Beibei—no, Princess Bernadette—she often projects her consciousness here. She seems to possess something similar to a lucky coin," Jianna reminded her with a smile, having read the description in the files.

At this moment, Lumian had made up his mind:

"Either I or Anthony should apply. The 'Witch' joining the Emperor's company might cause too many problems—we can't stay low-key."

Francia and Jianna nodded firmly, both recalling the Emperor's timeless maxim.

Lumian returned to the subject of gold:

"If I sell this golden box inside a dream, will the real one vanish?"

"If it doesn't, can we leave the dream and return to sell it again and again?"

"..." Francia, Jianna, and Anthony were all speechless for a moment.

Francia, Jianna, and Anthony were momentarily speechless.

Was this the effect of Amon's gift?

After a few seconds, Lumian muttered to himself:

"Probably not. Mr. Fool is the great entity who governs error and loopholes—he wouldn't leave such an obvious flaw. I suspect selling gold in the dream is equivalent to sacrificing it to him…"

"I think so too," Francia agreed.

As they spoke, dozens of quiet, sinister black flames coalesced around Francia, Jianna, and the male-form Lumian.

These twenty or thirty black flames flew to every corner of the room, burning away any possible insects.

Lumian could have flooded the entire apartment with the "Witch's" black flames to complete the cleaning—but now he could only manifest the power of Rank 7.

After the cleaning was done, Francia began teaching Lumian and the others how to use their phones, and guided Ludwig in playing with his children's smartwatch.

Unconsciously, dusk settled.

"I'm hungry!" Ludwig's voice suddenly rang out.

Francia tore her eyes from her phone and gazed at the twilight sky, sighing deeply:

"Phones are so fun…"

Deeply shaken, Lumian, Jianna, and the others put away their phones to avoid Ludwig causing trouble from hunger, then went out to find a restaurant.

Shocked and anxious to prevent Ludwig from causing trouble from hunger, Lumian, Jianna, and the others quickly put away their phones and headed out to find a restaurant.

They hadn't even decided who would sleep in which room yet.

Outside the old residential complex, Francia glanced at the row of shops lining the street and smiled:

"Based on my earlier observations, this city's prototype is one I once visited. The street-side eateries here might cook better than big restaurants—and suit people like us better."

"Let's eat here first—before Ludwig can't wait anymore."

She pointed to a small restaurant on the left side of the complex, whose business was decent, with several tables set up along the sidewalk.

Before leaving, Lumian and the others had used the "Lies" earclips to alter their hair and eye color and refine their faces. Though still strikingly handsome and beautiful, they now drew only hidden or bold glances—not the unmistakable stares of outsiders.

Francia chose one of the sidewalk tables, took the menu, and smiled:

"The specialty here is spicy. Can you handle it?"

"Didn't you say spice is just pain? What's there not to endure?" Lumian replied with complete indifference.

"Not all of them are spicy—some are sour and sweet, others emphasize umami. Take two dishes I love: Kung Pao Chicken and Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork—they can both be made without spice. The ratios of sour, sweet, and other flavors vary by restaurant; you need luck to find the one that suits your taste. My two most satisfying experiences were once at an old-established place, and another at a place just like this humble little eatery."

"Not everything's spicy—there's sour-sweet, and there's umami. Two of my favorites, Kung Pao Chicken and Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, can be made without heat. The balance of sour, sweet, and other flavors varies by restaurant—you need luck to find the one that suits your taste. My two most satisfying meals: one at a century-old establishment, the other at a place just like this fly-infested hole-in-the-wall. The old shop's Kung Pao Chicken was flavored like lychee paste, using only thigh meat—tender, juicy, never dry. The fly-infested place's Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork used only chopped green onions as garnish, with all the sweet, sour, salty, and pickled chili flavors infused into the sauce and stir-fried with the meat—a different approach, but incredibly appetizing and delicious…"

"Uh… should we get a few bottles of beer? We rarely all eat together like this. I don't like bottled beer, but I can tolerate it…"

Since introducing phones on the train, Francia had remained in a state of exhilarated enthusiasm, as if back in her own domain, endlessly explaining and sharing, her eyes sparkling as if holding a sliver of sunlight.

Lumian didn't mind this host-like enthusiasm—instead, he took over the captain's role, and in doing so, absorbed some of her calm, relaxed joy.

Summer nights darkened late; even now, past seven, the sky still held some light. A breeze from the restaurant and neighboring shops cooled the tables along the street, making diners even livelier—some laughed loudly, others ate while scrolling on their phones, completely at ease on the sidewalk.

Jianna observed quietly for a while, then whispered to Francia:

"There's a strange sense of relaxation…"

She'd seen people eating by the roadside in the botanical zone and market district before—but never felt this.

"This is one of the pasts I miss," Francia said, her eyes gleaming, having already ordered.

At that moment, a woman with smooth, glossy black hair tied simply into a ponytail, wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and gym shorts, sandals dragging, approached the restaurant entrance and asked the busy owner:

"How long until my order's ready?"

"Xia, you're late today?" the owner asked in a familiar tone.

Before the woman named Xia could answer, someone nearby shouted:

"Catch the thief! Catch the thief!"

A figure dashed between the tables, clutching a diamond necklace.

As he ran past the woman named Xia, she suddenly lifted her leg and delivered a side kick.

Thud!

The thief flew several meters, crashed to the ground, groaned in pain, and couldn't get up for a moment.

"This sister's tough," Francia said, eyes full of admiration.

Lumian studied the woman's profile and murmured:

"Is she the Xia Tasi who shares an apartment with Mr. Fool?"

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(End of Chapter)