Chapter 927: Words Within Words

Nina, holding Ludwigh’s hand, deliberately directed her gaze toward Anderson’s face:

“I heard Teacher Da, who gave us the flyers, has gone missing—has there been any news?”

Miss Anderson, whose English name is Advena, her eyes darkened instantly:

“He was murdered.”

“Oh my god, he really did?” Nina had rehearsed her reaction to inquiries like this, even using the colloquialism favored by ordinary people in the Dream City.

Before stepping out, she had deliberately applied makeup to dull her appearance, avoiding becoming the center of passersby’s attention.

The dark-skinned receptionist nodded heavily:

“We went to the police station to identify the body. Though he was a bit showy, impulsive, and eager to impress, he was truly a wonderful, wonderful person—why would anyone kill him?”

"Robbery?" Nina casually suggested.

“His phone and all his valuables were still on him,” Miss Anderson dismissed the possibility. “Wait for the police investigation results. Hopefully, the killer will be brought to justice soon.”

Her expression was slightly sorrowful; she clearly didn’t want to discuss this further.

The foreign teacher Anderson said:

“The night before last, before he left, he told me he’d come back to ask me how to court a girl. I waited for him until midnight. I sent him WeChat messages—he didn’t reply. I called him—he didn’t answer. I thought then, he couldn’t possibly have had a romantic encounter unless he paid for one, but he was stingy—he saved every penny, saying he wanted to buy a house…”

“You felt something was wrong, so you called the police?” Nina’s face lit up with sudden understanding.

At the same time, she couldn’t help muttering inwardly:

It’s a tragic subject—why does it feel like you’re mocking the dead?

Is this really Anderson Hood, the strongest hunter of the former Mist Sea?

—The Major Arcana cards’ data mentioned that the Dream Tutoring Center’s principal, Anna, corresponds to the pirate general “General Ice Mountain,” Advena, years ago; the foreign teacher Anderson Hood corresponds to the real-world strongest hunter of the Mist Sea, Anderson Hood—though this title is now contested, with Louis Berry having many supporters.

Anderson nodded:

“Yes, reporting promptly is essential. If he truly encountered trouble, the police might have still saved him. If he was just paying for company, they could’ve caught him in bed. Who knows, sigh…”

Are you concerned for the Messenger—or do you hate him? Nina couldn’t tell if Anderson was joking.

And such a tragedy isn’t something to joke about!

Nina asked a few more indirect questions and confirmed Anderson had reported the Messenger’s death within an hour, and the police had taken it seriously—no excuse about the forty-eight-hour missing-person rule; they arrived at the late-night snack stall area just after midnight.

This matches our prediction: the Fool’s subconscious must consider this matter important—or the Messenger is deeply significant to him—hence the police, unusually, launched an immediate investigation… Nina didn’t dwell on the Messenger’s death; she paid and filled out forms, enrolling Ludwigh in the weekend’s introductory English class.

She knew that in such situations, one must avoid prying into others’ grief, especially regarding death, unless they choose to speak.

Leaving the Dream Tutoring Center, on the way to the bus stop, Nina glanced at Anthony, who had barely spoken and whom Miss Anderson, Anderson Hood, and others seemed to have completely ignored:

“Did you notice anything unusual?”

“The key figures at the Dream Tutoring Center match the descriptions in the files, and their attitude toward the Messenger’s death is normal,” Anthony had prepared his response. “But I felt Anderson Hood’s remarks earlier were excessive—he concealed subtext, as if trying to tell us something…”

Before Anthony finished speaking, a voice suddenly came from behind:

“I heard you mention my name.”

Nina and Anthony turned simultaneously and found Anderson Hood had quietly exited the Dream Tutoring Center and stood only four or five meters away.

Nina thought for two seconds, then deliberately said:

“We were talking about how you didn’t seem particularly saddened by Teacher Da’s death—almost as if you mocked him.”

Anderson smiled, glancing left and right:

“Because I’ve felt everyone around me has become a bit strange lately.”

“Strange?” Nina asked, puzzled.

Anderson lowered his voice:

“Haven’t you ever had a moment where you suddenly feel this way?

“That everyone around you is acting from different scripts, cooperating with you—but sometimes they overact, or lack subtlety, making you sense something’s off, something terrifying, unreal.

“Before, they performed perfectly. But lately, flaws have multiplied noticeably.”

This… Anderson Hood sensed the true nature of this Dream City? But he’s only a dream image—not a real-world projection. The Major Arcana cards said the real Anderson Hood owns no special items and has no special connection—he can’t enter the Fool’s dream…

He’s like a character in a book who’s realized he’s merely a story’s creation… Nina’s heart jolted in disbelief.

Seeing Nina frozen, Anderson laughed:

“You believed me?”

“Looks like my story’s decent, and my acting’s not bad…”

With that, Anderson waved and walked toward the nearby convenience store.

Behind him, a flood of students poured out of the Dream Tutoring Center.

Nina and Anthony exchanged glances. Neither was angered by Anderson’s prank; instead, they felt he truly had something unsaid.

This dream-image person seems somehow special.

Watching the students leave the Dream Tutoring Center building, Nina turned her gaze away and continued toward the bus stop.

While waiting for the bus, she curiously asked Ludwigh:

“When you saw Miss Anderson, you seemed afraid?”

Ludwigh mumbled:

“She was one of my former teachers.”

Ah, Ludwigh’s teacher from the Church of Knowledge—no wonder… Nina understood.

…………

Inside the rented apartment.

After hearing Nina and Anthony’s account, Lu Mi considered and said:

“We’re still in the observation phase of key figures. Don’t approach Anderson further yet. Wait until observation ends, then find a moment when no other teachers or students from the Dream Tutoring Center are around, and test him.”

Fu Lan Ka, now fully recovered, regained her normal cognitive ability:

“You suspect the Fool’s enrollment at the Dream Tutoring Center caused issues among some teachers and students, and the Messenger’s death is a continuation—not the beginning—of these problems? Anderson suspected it because he noticed minor inconsistencies?”

“That possibility is significant,” Lu Mi stood up. “I’ll go cook.”

He walked toward the kitchen; Nina naturally followed to assist.

Lu Mi had already steamed a full rice cooker’s worth of rice; now he transferred it into several large bowls and added Laoganma and other spicy sauces.

“After Ludwigh finishes this, he’ll be about seventy to eighty percent full—then he can join us for dinner normally,” Lu Mi said casually to Nina.

Nina carried two bowls, nodding seriously:

“Yes, Ludwigh’s food must be divided into filling and flavorful types—he can’t only get filling food.”

“You care about him quite a bit?” Lu Mi picked up the remaining bowls and chuckled.

Nina gave a self-deprecating smile:

“A bit guilty, maybe.”

After delivering the rice to Ludwigh, Lu Mi cleaned the rice cooker and steamed another batch for themselves using the quick mode.

“When we have money, we need to buy another rice cooker…” Lu Mi muttered as he took out vegetables and meat from the fridge.

Nina took them, rinsing the vegetables under the tap while using her “Witch” power over frost to thaw the meat.

She washed one item, handed it to Lu Mi; he used a blade formed of frost to chop with steady, rhythmic taps.

They chatted intermittently, sometimes falling silent to listen to Fu Lan Ka teaching Ludwigh how to watch cartoons, yet their vegetable-preparation motions never slowed.

Nina glanced at the sky outside, stained with golden-red afterglow, and said:

“We probably won’t go out tonight—what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

During observation, caution must be extreme. Since the Magic Mirror Arloes warned of problems at night, we won’t go out after dark for now.

As Lu Mi swiftly sliced the growing pile of meat strips, he said without hesitation:

“In the morning, go to Star Dream Grocery to collect the Major Arcana cards’ reply, and observe the police station nearby.

“In the afternoon, observe one of the most critical targets.”

“Peng Deng, the Fool’s friend?” Nina knew who Lu Mi meant.

Peng Deng is unusual in the Dream City—he is the Fool’s, or Zhou Mingrui’s, friend, yet there is no corresponding person in reality.

Logically, characters closer to the Fool should be more important; Peng Deng’s real-world status and position must be high—but the Major Arcana cards and other Coin Holders have never identified who he represents or symbolizes.

Meanwhile, they’ve found no issues with Peng Deng in the Dream.

Lu Mi nodded:

“From my experience, a character in such a position must carry strong symbolic meaning—we just haven’t found the right interpretation method yet.

“The Star’s emergence as a key focus, and his expulsion from the Dream by the Celestial Sovereign, may stem from his strong connection to the Fool’s ‘Angel of Time’—that one is a decryption expert. If he truly meets Peng Deng, he might uncover something.”

“Mm.” Nina finished washing all the vegetables, shook her hands, letting water droplets freeze and drift away.

…………

The next morning, outside Star Dream Grocery.

Fu Lan Ka entered with Lu Mi, both fearful and curious.

The Magic Mirror Arloes had left her with psychological shadows, yet she was deeply intrigued by the brass book—far more expensive than the mirror—and the shopkeeper’s true identity.

PS: I selected the wrong volume—updated to the previous one. Oops.

(End of Chapter)