Intruders

Back in his room, Cyril did not begin writing. Instead, he looked toward the full-length mirror in the corner.

After the incident with the rampaging Vampire, he had stopped going out at night to digest his potion. Over this period, the digestion progress of his Apprentice potion had slowed again, to the point where there had been virtually no progress.

He actually had a rather immature method for digesting the potion: taking a look around the Mirror World.

Reaching such a special place would most likely greatly accelerate the digestion of the Apprentice potion. He might even be able to complete that final bit of progress directly.

Unfortunately, the Mirror World was far too dangerous for him at present. Especially since, last time, merely opening a door on the mirror's surface had made him feel a terrifying gaze that was at least at the angel level. Nothing had happened afterward, but better safe than sorry.

Withdrawing his gaze from the full-length mirror, he went to the desk, sat down, and opened the manuscript before him.

This was the fruit of his work over this period—a potentially profitable venture. It was a novel adapted from the plot of a game he had played before transmigrating: Teyvat Travelogue.

"Roselle has already blocked off nearly all the paths a transmigrator could use to get rich. I just hope my writing isn't too terrible, and that people in this world can accept a novel with such a novel subject matter."

After sighing, he picked up the round-bellied fountain pen beside him and lowered his head to write.

Meanwhile, on the street below, a carriage slowly came to a stop by the roadside.

Inside the carriage, a woman in a beige dress and brown soft hat leaned her head out. Her slightly curled brown hair fell over her back as she leaned close to the coachman in front of her and whispered:

"Xio, are we really going to investigate like this? Miss Audrey said the target might be dangerous—the kind of danger that comes from contact with an unknown, hidden existence. What if there are remnants of an evil god's danger? We might not even have time to Teleport then."

Before her, the petite coachman called Xio raised a hand to press down her hat brim and said in a quiet, helpless voice, "That's why I told you to support me from a distance instead of coming here to take risks with me."

"If we run into danger, we won't even have anyone to call for help."

The brown-haired woman behind her retorted, "With me here, at least we can Teleport away at the first sign of danger. If you're alone, how would you escape?"

Xio, disguised as a coachman, nodded helplessly. "Remember to follow my instructions later."

"I've already investigated. The person in the portrait Miss Audrey gave us is called Cyril, a History student at Backlund University. Because he was involved in a serious incident before, he is currently on leave and recuperating at home."

"That was probably a Beyonder incident. It was handled by the Church of Steam's Heart of Mechanics team. Even my informant doesn't know the exact details, but it is certain that several Backlund University students died at the time."

The brown-haired woman casually sighed. "It was probably another group of mysticism enthusiasts conducting some dangerous ritual. It isn't common, but it isn't anything new either."

"As for Cyril, who survived, perhaps he was lucky enough to happen upon the one time the ritual succeeded. Or perhaps the hidden existence he encountered bore him no ill will and simply let him go."

Xio, seated in front, nodded lightly. Although she felt this guess was overly idealistic, it did fit the current situation.

For an ordinary person who had come into contact with a hidden existence to still live normally with his family afterward, either there was no problem, or the problem was enormous.

She personally hoped it was the former. It had nothing to do with kindness; she simply wanted to complete this commission in the safest, simplest manner possible.

After all, Miss Audrey was truly generous when it came to spending money.

On the second floor, Cyril, who had been writing Teyvat Travelogue at the desk by the window, suddenly stopped his pen and frowned toward the first-floor living room.

Though the thick floorboards blocked his view, he sensed a familiar spiritual fluctuation from that direction. An Apprentice was using the Opening Door ability to infiltrate his home.

"An Apprentice active in Backlund... the Aurora Order, or the Gnosis Society?"

"I shouldn't have any conflict with them. Some other reason?"

As he murmured, he turned his head toward the full-length mirror in the corner, frowning in thought.

If he only stayed behind this mirror and did not explore deeper, there shouldn't be any problems, right?

At the same time, two cautious, furtive figures silently emerged from the stairwell onto the second floor.

Xio, dressed as a coachman and wearing a beret and an industrial mask that concealed her face completely, reached out and patted the wrist of the woman behind her. Then she pointed at the nearest door ahead, signaling for her to open it.

The latter did not refuse. She walked up to the door and gave it a gentle push. The lock on the closed door seemed not to exist at all, opening with that light push.

This happened to be Cyril's room. On the desk by the window lay the round-bellied fountain pen and manuscript he had not had time to put away.

Xio entered the room first, cautiously surveying it. After confirming that no danger was hidden within, she turned to the woman behind her and whispered:

"There should have been someone here earlier, and it seems he or she only just left."

The brown-haired woman behind her said in surprise, "How is that possible? We didn't see anyone leave."

"Why don't we leave first? I keep feeling like a pair of eyes is watching us here."

In a corner they had failed to notice, Cyril's figure silently emerged within the full-length mirror.

"An Apprentice, and an Arbiter. Is the threshold for being a thief this high now?"

"We aren't thieves, we're—"

The brown-haired woman's defense abruptly caught in her throat halfway through, as though an invisible pair of hands had seized her neck, leaving her unable to make a sound.

Beside her, Xio already held an iron-black dagger in her hand. She warily examined the figure that had suddenly appeared in the full-length mirror, her gaze flickering as though she were considering whether to smash the mirror.

Cyril ignored their reactions and asked in the same tone, "Ladies, could you tell me why you trespassed into a private residence?"

"Of course, you may choose not to. But then I will consider this a malicious provocation."

As he spoke, his right hand fumbled around in his pocket before pulling out an iron-black dagger.

In the room, Xio looked at the dagger that Cyril had suddenly produced, then at her own hand, which had abruptly become empty. Without the slightest hesitation, she shouted:

"Run!"

Behind her, the brown-haired woman raised a hand and pressed it onto Xio's shoulder. Their figures rapidly faded and vanished from the room.

After watching the two people who had suddenly intruded into his home flee in a panic through Teleportation, Cyril looked at the dagger in his hand and shook his head somewhat regretfully.

Jacob's Wallet was not under his control. What it pulled out was random, though it had to be something within five meters of him, including items on his own person.

Money had a higher priority, but if no one nearby had any money on them, then he would pull out his own money from the wallet.

When no one around had any money at all, it would randomly activate its effect, such as the dagger now in his hand.

Though the dagger appeared to be of decent quality, he had actually hoped to steal some cash from the two intruders just now, or the string of stone bracelets on Fors's wrist.

Yes, Fors and Xio.

He had recognized them as soon as the two women, one tall and one short, entered the room. More accurately, he had recognized one of them.

For some reason, Fors had not concealed herself in any way while doing something like breaking into someone else's home.

With her unmistakable appearance, along with the Apprentice and Teleport abilities she had revealed just now, he had immediately identified them both.

"I just wonder why they broke into my home. Whose mission did they accept?"

After muttering softly, he looked behind him. There lay a dim, profound space, surrounded by tangible boundaries and unreal, illusory pathways leading to different mirror spaces.

After examining it for a few moments, he withdrew his gaze. The Mirror World was still too dangerous for him at present and was not suitable for exploration.

After restraining his curiosity, Cyril pressed his hand against the boundary of the Mirror World before him. A deep blue radiance spread from his palm, forming a vague, insubstantial door leading beyond the mirror.