From San Francisco to Los Angeles, it is more than 600 kilometers and takes five to six hours; this is not a distance that can be driven directly without stopping. 69🅂🄷🅄🅇.🄲🄾🄼
At around three o'clock in the afternoon, it was another time when the sun began to set in the west. Xiang Qian They stopped at a gas station on the way. Just like ordinary people's journeys, people have three urgent needs: eating, drinking and diarrhea.
Xiang Qian was leisurely looking for snacks in the convenience store. Speaking of which, during the four years he went to college here, he actually had a few favorite snacks that he couldn't buy in China.
It's not that Xiang Qian's financial resources can't handle trivial things like air transporting snacks, but the security system doesn't allow it; as his personal role in the field of scientific research becomes more critical, the higher the security level, the less he can reveal his preferences and habits at will – especially what he eats in his mouth.
There were no other customers in the convenience store. The girl who was looking at the store was scrolling through her mobile phone and suddenly stared at Xiang Qian with bright eyes, lowering her head from time to time to compare with the photos on her mobile phone.
The gossip from San Francisco is spreading wildly on the Internet.
"She recognized you." At some point, an old man in his sixties stood on the other side of the shelf, talking to Xiang Qian across the shelf.
Xiang Qian waved his hand to stop the bodyguards from making any further moves, while looking at the old man across the shelves expressionlessly.
The old man wore a top hat, an old-fashioned suit and casual clothes, with a silver chain of a pocket watch hanging on his chest; he looked like an antique from the 1940s who had just stepped off the Broadway stage.
"I'm really not surprised to see your face with ravines." Xiang Qian continued to look for food. ░▒▓█ █▓▒░
The old man sneered, "I haven't seen you for so many years, but you are still so disgusting. I heard that in your country's legend about Hell, there is a tongue-pulling Hell, which is specially prepared for people like you, right?"
"So, do you plan to introduce this kind of punishment?" Xiang Qian discovered his goal with joy, "If that is the case, it will be a cultural export to our country."
The old man waved his hand. "Forget it, this method is too direct and has no artistic beauty at all; I prefer my own method."
Xiang Qian walked to the cashier to pay, and a pile of snacks was spread all over the counter.
"Judging from your clothes, I dare say your ways have long been outdated - both in terms of lifestyle and work style."
"Yes, he looks like he stepped out of a black and white movie." The cashier girl interrupted boldly.
Xiang Qian raised his eyebrows. "Be careful, this old man is very scary, and he is also petty. I think you'd better apologize to him."
The cashier girl was stunned for a moment, until Xiang Qian asked the old man again, "You should be able to accept the skirt-lifting ceremony, right? It's like holding up the skirt in the movie..." The cashier girl burst out laughing, and then she realized that the other party was still trying to bury the old man's obsolescence.
After paying the bill, Xiang Qian walked out of the store with his things in his arms, and the old man followed closely behind him. Strangely enough, Xiang Qian was tall and fast, and walked with long strides. The old man walked slowly and swaying, so he could keep up.
The unusual sight alerted "Red Star"; he suddenly stood behind Xiang Qian, separating himself from the old man who was never leaving.
"Xiang Qian, do you know him?"
Xiang Qian poured a bunch of snacks into the car first, then turned back slowly. "Oh, I forgot to introduce to you, the master of Hell - at least one of them - Mephisto!"
Seeing "Red Star"'s surprised expression, Xiang Qian responded with a affirmative look.
"Yes, that's the one written in <Faust>. Among those Hell Lords, he is the one who likes to run into the world the most. In the future, you must remember that when you get to United States, you must read the almanac before going out every day. What a hell with this daytime life!"
Yes, the devil can be considered a kind of ghost... right?
"Red Star" was facing a formidable enemy, secretly making tactical gestures, and a group of bodyguards surrounded him, ready to draw their guns at any time.
"Don't be nervous, gentlemen. James and I are old friends. I just came to catch up with him." Mephisto stood among a group of bodyguards as if nothing had happened.
No one paid him any attention. The bodyguards all opened their holsters and could draw their guns at any time.
"Okay, put your guns away. Weapons are useless against him. Don't worry, as long as you don't sign a contract with him, he can't hurt anyone." Xiang Qian comforted the bodyguards, "I studied at United States for four years. This old guy comes to see me once a year. I am really familiar with him."
"Red Star" looked at Xiang Qian, and after receiving another affirmative signal, he waved the bodyguards to retreat; but he himself was more than ten meters away, standing in a position where he could not hear normal speech and was within the range of a pistol, still staring at Mephisto.
However, Xiang Qian knows that "Red Star"'s worries are not necessary.
Dimensional Barrier of Kamar-Taj has an absolute suppressive effect on big devils like Mephisto, including its devil body and real power, not even a trace can penetrate the barrier. On the contrary, some little ghosts may be missed by Dimensional Barrier.
The old man in front of me is just a projection. He does not even have the slightest real power of the Great Devil. He can at most deceive ordinary people with a little blindness. Of course, as a projection, he will not be harmed by weapons on the physical level.
For a big devil like Mephisto, the only loophole in Dimensional Barrier is the contract.
Only after a contract is signed, can the soul of the contractor be used as a guide and bridge to draw a trace of the power of the body into the world. Moreover, the power drawn is extremely subtle, and in principle, it can only be used on the contractor himself or people closely related to the contract.
Before signing the contract, the only thing Mephisto could use was a mouth that could lie to people with lies.
"If you have anything to say, please tell me quickly. I'm very busy." Xiang Qian said impatiently, "Don't tell me it's because of that deal."
"It's still for that deal." Mephisto looked at Xiang Qian with a half-smile, Xiang Qian rolled his eyes, turned around and was about to leave.
"Don't you listen to my terms?" Mephisto raised his voice, "I no longer require exclusive cooperation, I only require that my geographical dimension be connected with your soul. As far as I know, this is much looser than the contribution contracts of some websites."
Xiang Qian stopped and turned back curiously and asked, "It's really interesting, why have you lowered the price again? Since we first met ten years ago, you have been giving in every time you offer a new price."
"When doing business, you always have to bargain to find a price acceptable to both parties." Mephisto shrugged.
"Can you accept this new price? You don't need to do anything, and my Hell Dimension will not have any impact on your Soul Universe; after all, there must be a kingdom of the dead in every world."
Xiang Qian doesn't believe Mephisto's nonsense at all; the power of rules in the universe has put great pressure on his soul, and it took him twenty years to establish a basic balance; connecting another Hell Dimension will not have any impact? You might as well go back to Hell to lie to ghosts!
"Before I answer your question, I have a question to ask you first; this question has troubled me for a long time, but you have never given me an explanation." Xiang Qian looked at Mephisto, "How did you know my Soul Universe's secret?"
"Is this a test of sincerity before the transaction?"
"Just take it as such!"
Mephisto showed a mysterious smile, "Your Soul Universe is certainly a little-known secret in the world, but in Hell Dimension, it has long been widely circulated. Not only a few Hell Lord, but also most of the powerful lords know about it."
"In other words, this is not a secret among the top leaders of Hell Dimension. It's just that some people are not interested and are too lazy to come to you; but I am more interested."
Xiang Qian frowned. "How did this secret spread?"
"I don't know, I really don't know!" Mephisto spread his hands helplessly, "It just spread like this, as if we should know."