Chapter 948: Positive Review

After returning to Room 2303 with that painting, Jianna asked Franca:

"Should we have Lu Mian contact Cristiano? He should be very interested in how to handle this kind of painting."

The previous sketch self-portrait of Luo Shan couldn't be deleted after being photographed, and this painting of the cliff bridge couldn't even be photographed.

Franca deliberated for a few seconds, outlined a smile, and said:

"This is one of the contingency plans, but not the first choice.

"We currently only know that Cristiano is interested in occult photos that can be spread online and cannot be deleted. We aren't sure if he has any desire to study paintings that cannot be uploaded to the internet. Moreover, always owing someone a favor—owing too many—might not be a good thing. You'll always have to pay it back eventually; there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

"It's just like taking out a small loan: keep it moderate, keep it appropriate, and be prepared to pay it back from the very beginning."

Using a small loan as an analogy, Jianna immediately accepted Franca's reasoning.

"Then how should we handle it?" she asked.

Franca's smile grew wider:

"Wait until dawn, after the morning rush, and you take this painting to the Star Dream Grocery Store."

"Huh?" Jianna couldn't quite keep up with Franca's train of thought.

Franca had read widely before transmigrating, and her thinking was always broad. She laughed in a low voice:

"When you get to the Star Dream Grocery Store, ask the shopkeeper if they accept items with occult elements and what their offer is.

"If He is willing to buy it, this painting shouldn't be able to return on its own anymore."

It could be done like that? Jianna thought about it carefully and actually felt it had a certain feasibility:

Based on the premise that only true gods could enter Mr. Fool's dream—aside from those holding medium items or having special connections—and details like the method of contacting the Major Arcana card holders being to send letters to the high-ranking deacons of the Church of the Evernight Goddess at the Star Dream Grocery Store, and the gloomy environment of the store itself, Lu Mian's team could actually roughly guess the shopkeeper's identity in reality, but they all tacitly chose not to speak it out loud.

If the shopkeeper agreed to buy this strange painting, it meant He definitely had a way to control the corresponding anomaly and truly transfer ownership to His hands.

Besides, isn't it normal for a grocery store specializing in occult elements to acquire items with occult elements?

Jianna mulled it over for a few seconds and said:

"What if the shopkeeper isn't willing to buy it?"

"Then ask if He can put this painting in His store for consignment. We'll pay a storage fee and a final commission, which is equivalent to paying Him to handle the anomaly." Franca said with a smile, "If He still doesn't agree, then go through Lu Mian to find Cristiano. If Cristiano doesn't take it, then during the day, find an opportunity to dump this painting at the police station. Remember to hide your identity well."

Speaking of this, Franca's expression suddenly became serious:

"My spiritual intuition and occult experience both tell me that the process of you handling this painting won't be too smooth; there will be danger. If the danger is too great, you should actively withdraw from the dream. There are still two chances left, so there's no need to risk your life right now."

"Mm." Jianna nodded solemnly.

Afterward, she and Franca entered that strange space again and found Luo Shan guarding the translucent barrier once more, in quite good condition.

Franca revealed her identity as a colleague and chatted with Luo Shan, learning more detailed information about Zhou Mingrui's situation and which employees in the various departments of the Intis Group were worth noting.

The results of the conversation made Franca and Jianna very satisfied, feeling that saving Luo Shan was not only a choice of emotion and stance but also a very correct decision in the process of completing the mission.

The intelligence gathered from Luo Shan's mouth might have taken Franca and Lu Mian one or two months to collect on their own.

"How to convince Zhou Mingrui later, to make him believe he is the future savior, will still require your help." Franca said to Luo Shan with a flattering smile, "We can't tell him the truth directly; he definitely won't believe it."

"Definitely won't believe it. Normal people wouldn't believe it; they would only think it's a prank or a scam." Luo Shan nodded and added in a small voice, "I don't fully believe it yet either..."

Franca pretended not to hear Luo Shan's muttering and changed the subject.

When dawn broke and they automatically detached from that strange space, Franca rolled out of bed, took out the clothes she was to wear today from the wardrobe, her face heavy.

Without waiting for Jianna to speak, she took the initiative to say:

"There's a high probability you'll encounter danger and anomalies today, so it's better to wear something more convenient for movement."

Jianna nodded lightly, not refusing.

Franca washed up quickly, took off her pajamas, and while changing clothes with slow movements, she muttered:

"After I became a 'Witch' and adapted, walking on the street, sometimes I would also feel proud and happy because of others' gazes, feeling that I really am charming. This might be a manifestation of a 'Witch's' narcissism.

"But being willing yourself and being forced by others to do something are different. Besides, I'm not used to it myself, so I definitely won't like it. Just like before, when I was in school, the school always required us to wear uniforms on Mondays. Every class would have those rebellious teenagers who weren't happy about it and would rather accept punishment..."

Franca rambled on, as if wanting to distract herself and lower that sense of shame.

She hunched her back, clumsily put on the most conservative skin-colored stockings, stepped her feet into a pair of brand-new high heels with low heels, and then stood up, using the full-length mirror embedded in the wardrobe to tidy up her lady's blouse and light gray skirt that reached her knees.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Franca pursed her lips, feeling quite complicated.

Jianna watched the whole time without speaking.

After Franca finished applying makeup that made her look a bit uglier, tied up her long hair, put on glasses, and took her high-imitation handbag, she walked toward the door with a steady gait.

Before leaving, she turned around and smiled at Jianna:

"Thank you for not saying 'you look beautiful in this' or 'this really suits you.' However, you seemed to be a little bit amazed just now. Mm, that makes me feel a bit better."

"Yes." Jianna returned a positive smile.

Franca waved her hand and walked out the door.

What a person who is good at self-regulating emotions and is also very optimistic... Jianna sighed, withdrew her gaze, and patiently waited for the morning rush to pass.

Near nine o'clock, she hugged the painting, left Building 5, and arrived at the residential complex lobby.

She chose to take a ride-hailing car to the Star Dream Grocery Store instead of taking the subway and then transferring to a bus. She was afraid that the painting's anomaly would affect more people. By then, perhaps the hidden danger wouldn't have done anything to her, but a large-scale commotion would have brought about more serious problems.

After a while, Jianna walked out of the lobby, arrived at the roadside, and saw a white sedan already waiting for her.

After opening the car door with one hand, she glanced at the driver's seat, confirming that the driver wasn't wearing a monocle and had no other obvious features. It was someone she didn't know, and it didn't trigger her spiritual intuition.

Jianna sat in the back row, placed the painting on her lap, and hugged it in front of her.

After verifying the last digits of the phone number, the driver set the vehicle in motion.

Jianna's spirit was highly concentrated, vigilantly guarding against any accidents that might occur.

Suddenly, she felt her breathing become difficult, yet there was no anomaly around her.

It was as if another version of her had been pressed into the sea by someone, and the sensation of drowning was transmitted through an occult connection.

Jianna didn't hesitate; she took out a mirror, pulled out two hairs, tried to stick them to the mirror's surface, and burned them with a "Witch's" black flame.

She was performing a black magic spell related to a "Mirror Substitute," wanting to actively transfer that occult connection to the mirror.

Just at this moment, hallucinations appeared before Jianna's eyes. She saw gently rippling emerald green water waves and saw her own hands waving wildly uncontrollably, seemingly wanting to struggle to break the surface of the water.

However, a force was pulling at her legs, wanting to drag her toward the seabed.

Almost simultaneously, a pale, bloated palm reached out from nowhere and covered her mouth in one go.

"Mm, mm, mm...

"Glug, glug, glug..."

Jianna exhibited obvious drowning reactions; her nose, respiratory tract, and lungs became abnormally uncomfortable.

She wanted to use a substitute, but she couldn't sense those mirrors. She and they seemed to be separated in different worlds, and even the occult connection had been severed.

Suddenly, streams of quiet black flames flowed out from Jianna's eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, and other places. These black flames burned her body from the inside out, burning everything invisible that was trying to influence her.

Outside the black flames, frost condensed, sealing Jianna inside a thick sphere of ice and snow.

On the surface of the sphere, countless invisible spider threads retracted, winding layer by layer, forming a huge "cocoon."

Jianna finally no longer had the pain of being about to drown, but she still couldn't sense her own body or substitutes.

The next second, she found herself walking on a bridge.

Opposite the bridge were steep cliffs and a black forest located at the far end of the cliffs.

"Did I enter that painting?" Jianna tried to turn around to return to the start of the bridge and escape the world inside the painting from the entrance, but she couldn't control her body, watching helplessly as "she" continued forward along the bridge.

At this time, two people walked out of the black forest.

One was Luo Shan with a venomous face, and the other was Jianna herself.

Jianna herself with a charming smile!

Crack!

The bridge suddenly snapped, and Jianna plummeted toward the dark abyss with no visible bottom.

Huge fear and despair invaded Jianna's mind. Her consciousness blurred rapidly, making it difficult to save herself.

She seemed to be able to see the scene of herself falling into bloody, fragmented remains.

Taking advantage of the fact that her consciousness hadn't completely fallen into darkness and the unimaginable pain hadn't arrived yet, she mustered her last bit of clarity, intending to actively withdraw from the dream.

But it was useless.

Useless!

Useless... Jianna's pupils suddenly solidified.

She didn't give up; she was still trying to save herself. She gritted her teeth, trying hard to regain control of her body to use the "Witch's" Feather Fall technique.

Just at this moment, a ray of sunlight shone into the dark abyss, illuminating the cliffs high above.

All the scenes before Jianna's eyes instantly shattered and fell apart in the brilliant sunlight.

She opened her eyes abruptly and found herself still sitting in the car, hugging that painting.

"We've arrived." The driver turned his body halfway, reminding Jianna.

We arrived so quickly? Jianna felt as if she had walked for an entire morning in a stuffy environment; her clothes were soaked through with sweat.

She looked out the window, slightly dazed, and saw the Star Dream Grocery Store.

Jianna instinctively pushed the door and got out of the car, wanting to rush into that shop to avoid other anomalies that might follow.

"Remember to give a positive review!" the driver shouted at her back.

Jianna subconsciously turned her body and looked back at the driver.

The driver had a smile on his lips. He took out a monocle made of crystal from nowhere and placed it over his right eye.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 949 =====