Chapter 935: New Residence (Thank You, Old Koller, for the Baiyin Alliance Donation of Xia Zuo Saviou)

“Fuck, is this really that coincidental?” Franca blurted out after extracting the key points of the news.

Yesterday afternoon, Lumian first encountered the dream image of “The Fool” Mr. Zhou Mingrui, and last night there was a thunderstorm that caused the Intis Group’s security department to lose four people at once?

Is this a dream chain reaction triggered by the contact, or is someone pulling strings behind the scenes?

“I don’t know if this symbolizes good or bad…” Jian Na murmured with concern after finishing the news.

Lumian was remarkably calm:

“Whether it’s good or bad, becoming an employee of the Intis Group and Zhou Mingrui’s colleague is something we must do—no matter the problem, we have to go!”

Since the Intis Group interview was imminent, Lumian and the others left immediately after lunch to find a real estate agent and search for a new residence.

According to the planned strategy, their next actions would be carried out individually or in pairs, with no interference or influence on each other, to prevent one person’s failure from dooming the entire team.

——During the observation phase, the risk is low, so we can act together; but during the contact and probing phases, every step could draw the attention of the Celestial Lord.

This time, Lumian and the others chose Dechuang Jiayuan, a housing complex three stops away from their current neighborhood—a development only five years old, with all facilities still new, and surrounding shops including many big brands and internet-famous establishments.

They chose this place because the data provided by the Major Arcana cards indicated that Rosan, an Intis Group administrative department employee with a real-world counterpart, lived here.

She was also a target requiring contact and probing.

Inside the lobby, polished marble floors reflecting sunlight and gray-toned sofas complemented each other, radiating a clean, bright, and subtly luxurious atmosphere.

“Two thousand a month for a one-bedroom, one-living-room unit?” Jian Na muttered bitterly after watching the real estate agent and landlord leave.

That’s almost as much as what they’re currently paying for their three-bedroom, one-living-room place.

Rent differences between locations and building ages were this drastic!

“We have to rent it, no matter how expensive!” Franca gritted her teeth.

Tomorrow, we absolutely must cash in that lottery ticket!

That’s another six thousand in expenses!

——Although the landlord and real estate agent had both been male, Jian Na didn’t use “Enchantment” while haggling; instead, she used “Deception” and makeup skills to make herself appear ordinary, relying solely on her “Suggestion” ability to reduce the rent by two hundred and secure a one-month payment waiver.

Lumian nodded slightly, agreeing with Franca’s attitude.

In his view, as long as it was necessary to complete the mission and within their means, money had to be spent—no matter how painful, never be stingy!

As his gaze swept the room, he noticed a vending machine in the corner of the lobby, its beverage bottles designed with striking aesthetics.

Remembering the data’s hint, Lumian walked over and saw that aside from a few display bottles, all other items were sealed in boxes, requiring blind selection.

The names of these new beverages were eerily familiar to him:

“The Diviner, the Assassin, the Singer, the Insomniac...”

“All alchemy potion names…” Franca followed him over, took a breath, and whispered, “Could they actually be real?”

She also recalled the data’s mention of “Fully Automatic Vending Machines” and “Fully Automatic Wish Machines.”

Lumian studied the vending machine for several seconds, then chuckled:

“The highest is Sequence 7, and the selection is still limited—if there were ‘War Bishop’ or ‘Eternal Witch’ potions here, I’d spend thousands to empty the whole machine.”

“Even if there were, we couldn’t consume them,” Franca pulled out her phone, ready to scan the QR code on the screen.

She said eagerly:

“Let’s see what I get.”

“According to the Law of Anomalous Property Aggregation, you’ll most likely only draw items related to ‘The Witch’ or ‘The Hunter,’” Jian Na calmly warned.

Franca laughed:

“The point isn’t what I draw—it’s to get one bottle, test it on a rat, and see if it’s truly an alchemy potion.”

As she spoke, Franca completed the scan and paid five yuan.

Click. A blind box popped out and landed in the pickup slot.

After retrieving it, Franca opened it to find a bottle with a deep black body, raised sections forming the snarling face of a wolf:

“The Insomniac!”

“Huh? The Night Path?” Franca was surprised. “Not ‘The Hunter’ or ‘The Witch’?”

She quickly found her own explanation:

“My sequence is too low, and I lack divinity—the aggregation effect must be weak.”

After stowing the Insomniac beverage in her “Traveler’s Satchel,” Franca suddenly smiled:

“Actually, you could make a normal Insomniac drink just by loading it with caffeine and theobromine until it’s lethal!”

The group didn’t linger near the vending machine; they passed through the lobby toward Building Five—their rented apartment was there.

Before leaving the lobby, Lumian felt a sudden impulse and naturally turned back to glance at the vending machine.

The corner was empty.

The vending machine selling alchemy beverages had vanished!

“Of course…” he wasn’t surprised at all.

Franca and the others followed his gaze and felt the same certainty—that the inevitable outcome had finally arrived.

………

In the evening, Jian Na sat on a chair in the entrance area of Building Five at Dechuang Garden, patiently waiting for her target to appear.

After some time, through the glass of the entrance door, she saw the same figure she had observed earlier.

Jian Na stood up naturally, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek behind her ear.

She paced back and forth until a twenty-something girl with light green casual dress, brown-dyed hair, and a lovely face entered, carrying a white handbag.

Jian Na “happened” to turn to a position where she could face the girl directly, her expression lighting up with surprise and a hint of shyness:

“Hi, do you know how to get to the community activity room?”

The girl in green was Rosan, Zhou Mingrui’s colleague and an Intis Group administrative employee; she kindly pointed:

“Go out the east gate, it’s on the left.”

“Thank you,” Jian Na replied sincerely, offering a faint smile.

She had removed her previous makeup and activated her suppressed Sequence 7 “Enchantment.”

That smile bloomed like a thousand flowers—Rosan’s eyes brightened.

Rosan blinked, her expression filled with admiration:

“You’re beautiful…”

Before Jian Na could modestly respond, Rosan asked warmly and earnestly:

“Could you be my model?

“I’m learning painting as a hobby—I’m pretty good at it, especially fond of painting beautiful people and scenery.

“I’ll pay you!”

Painting… Jian Na’s temple throbbed, stirring unpleasant memories.

To her, “Painter” was a terrifying profession.

She had once killed her own painted self within a painting’s world.

Had the Rosan in the dream been corrupted or influenced by the Xieshen of the Fantasy Society? Jian Na instinctively shook her head:

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any intention of being a model right now.”

“That’s such a pity—I’m quite skilled. Let me show you my work later; maybe you’ll change your mind.” Rosan pulled out her phone and smiled. “You’re new here, right? I’ve lived here for years and never met a girl as beautiful as you. Let’s add WeChat?”

Jian Na had planned to find an excuse to add Rosan’s WeChat—but not today. This was too fast, too suspicious!

After a few seconds of hesitation, she spoke hesitantly:

“I’m a tenant.”

“So what? I used to be a tenant too,” Rosan said it was no big deal.

“Alright,” Jian Na deliberately made herself seem weak, poor at refusing others’ kindness and enthusiasm.

When adding WeChat, she specifically selected “Chat Only.”

This was to make it appear she was reluctant to add strangers and hadn’t initiated the request.

After wandering around the activity room outside the east gate and eating a rice bowl with toppings, Jian Na noticed it had grown dark.

She returned to her rented apartment on the 23rd floor and closed the door.

For the next two days, she would be alone here.

After turning on the star-shaped main light, Jian Na’s gaze swept over the gray-and-orange sofa, the minimalist decor, the metallic window frames, and the faintly visible bed in the bedroom, covered in light-colored bedding…

Compared to the three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment Lumian and the others currently rented, this one-bedroom, one-living-room unit was clearly newer and better renovated—simple yet refined.

Jian Na walked toward the window, her fingers brushing across the white dining table, the fabric-textured wall panels, the artistic lamp, the long-necked vase with plastic flowers, and the cold window edge, then gazed outside:

Buildings of varying heights scattered along intersecting roads, most windows glowing warmly, mingling with the lights of cars flowing endlessly on the streets.

“So beautiful…” Jian Na gazed down at the scene, sincerely moved.

She returned to the sofa area, her steps slightly lighter.

Once she had money, she’d get Lumian and Franca to rent a place like this too!

Jian Na sat down, calmly waiting for any anomalies triggered by her contact with Rosan.

As time passed minute by minute, she scrolled through her phone.

She saw a review of the movie “The Great Pirate 3”:

“Three beautiful female pirates surround him, all with Aimei , yet he ends up taking only one dumb sailor? RNM, refund!”

Seeing this comment, Jian Na was momentarily confused.

She didn’t think the plot point was problematic.

From the very beginning of that scene, she knew the outcome would be this way:

Gelmán Sparr was an incarnation of “The Fool” and his divine emissary; his joining forces with another of “The Fool”’s emissaries, Dániel, and leaving together was perfectly normal and logically sound.

Moreover, in reality, Gelmán Spáro had never been with any of the three female pirate generals!

Jianna felt the flaw in that scene was actually that the Messenger Dánníz had failed to fulfill his proper role, like a supporting character among supporting characters.

Next, Jianna played on her phone for nearly two hours, and not a single anomaly appeared.

She glanced at the time, stood up, and walked toward the bathroom, planning to clean herself up briefly.

The moment she turned on the bathroom’s main light, she suddenly heard a zzzz sound.

The entire house plunged abruptly into darkness.

All the lights went out.

PS: Thank you, Old Kehler, for the Silver Alliance donation of Xiàzuò Sàviò!

(End of Chapter)