Hunting for prey

Lumian quickly skimmed through Lady "Magician's" reply and extracted the key points he needed to remember.

Clearly, the first and third solutions to the Montsouris Ghosts problem were just jokes. The only truly useful solution was the second one, which involved using "Fallen Mercury" to exchange one's Destiny of "encountering the Montsouris Ghosts."

To be honest, Lumian hadn't thought before that he could use "Fallen Mercury" to stab himself and actively change his Destiny. It wasn't until he was attacked by the Montsouris Ghosts and pushed to the edge of the cliff of death that he grasped the only chance of survival from the myriad of thoughts that he found it.

Due to time constraints, there was no time for careful selection. Luhe-Tu-Shumian only exchanged the Destiny of "being attacked by the Montsouris Ghosts" instead of "encountering the Montsouris Ghosts". This means that he did not completely escape the shadow of death, but only escaped the first danger.

Of course, when choosing the Destiny to be exchanged, even if he had enough time to discern and think, Lumian would probably have chosen "being attacked by the Montsouris Ghosts" rather than "encountering the Montsouris Ghosts," because the attack had already actually happened, and he had no idea whether it would stop once the Destiny "encountering the Montsouris Ghosts" was exchanged. He could only use the most certain option to protect himself first.

Simply put, what if the Montsouris Ghosts killed him only to realize he had never met him and had mistaken his target?

"Hmm, I need to find someone as soon as possible and use the fate of being 'attacked by the Montsouris Ghosts ' stored in the ' Fallen Mercury ' to Destiny for a better Destiny of his. Then, after making full preparations, when I'm in good condition, I'll stab myself to complete the exchange of that better Destiny and 'encountering the Montsouris Ghosts,' sealing the latter inside the ' Fallen Mercury '..." Combining his own experience with the reminder from the "Magician" Lady, Lumian quickly came up with a solution to the current predicament.

At that time, "Fallen Mercury" will also be called "Cursed Blade," and those who are stabbed by it will suffer the Destiny of "the death of their entire family, including themselves."

The downside is that it takes some time for the effects to materialize.

Lumian drew the "Fallen Mercury" from his waist and looked at its blade, which was wrapped in layers of black cloth. More than ever before, he felt the usefulness of this Beyonder weapon.

He seriously considered the possibility of finding a professional to repair the "Fallen Mercury," otherwise this magical Dagger would only last until the end of the year at most.

The extraordinary gathering convened by Mr. K might provide resources in this regard.

"My guess was right. The purpose Lady ' Magician ' in getting me to contact Aosta Roul was to use him to attend Mr. K's party and join the Concealment organization behind Mr. K..." Lumian put on a wide-brimmed hat, put on a black top that looked more like a suit, walked out of Room 207, and went down the stairs.

As a "Hunter," he must begin searching for prey.

As soon as Lumian stepped out of the "Golden Rooster Inn," he saw Charlie sitting on the three steps leading to the street and the Library, his face pale and his eyes melancholy as he stared at the sky, a lit white cigarette between his fingers.

"What's wrong?" Lumian Past and casually sat down next to Charlie.

Charlie didn't look away. He took a drag of his cigarette and sighed, "I feel like I've lost my soul; it's fallen."

He was wearing a white shirt and a red vest, with a black suit jacket draped over his left arm, as if he had put his Hotel uniform back on.

Lumian laughed and went straight to the point, asking, "You did that kind of thing with That One old lady?"

Charlie abruptly turned his head to look at Lumian, emphasizing earnestly, "Please call her Mrs. Lumian; she's only in her fifties."

He then took another drag of his cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring.

"You know what? She gave me a Diamond Necklace, worth at least 1500 Felkine. I couldn't resist; it was so sparkly, so alluring, it just went straight into my heart."

"It," Lumian corrected a Vocabulary.

Charlie chuckled sheepishly, "Mrs. Alice is very alluring; it's truly remarkable that she can maintain such charm at her age. She said she'll be staying in Trier for six months and will give me 500 Felkine each month..."

As he spoke, Charlie's voice deepened, and his eyes once again revealed a melancholy.

Just as Lumian thought he was about to lament that he had lost his soul, Charlie let out a long sigh:

"Why can she only stay for six months...?"

Lumian extended his left hand and patted Charlie on the shoulder, saying earnestly, "Take care of yourself."

Charlie's eyelids twitched slightly as he said, "I should really Temperance. Mrs. Alice is just too enthusiastic. I was so tired last night that I didn't even have a sweet dream."

Lumian then laughed and said, "You actually told me you got a Diamond Necklace worth 1500 Felkine. In the Messy Street, that's a fortune that can make many people lose their Rationality. Aren't you worried I'll steal it?"

Charlie chuckled and said, "I need to find someone to share with, otherwise I'll feel really uncomfortable."

"I've observed you; you act as if you're not short of money at all, in fact, you're quite generous and magnanimous, and you wouldn't commit a crime for a thousand or two thousand Felkine."

Lumian smiled:

Is it possible that I deliberately pretended to be well-off to lure someone like you into lowering your guard?

Charlie's expression froze instantly, and he almost burned his fingers with the nearly Burning cigarette.

Lumian didn't continue the topic, but asked casually, "Is there anyone you particularly hate, the kind of person you think deserves to die?"

Charlie stubbed out his cigarette on the stone steps and asked in bewilderment:

Why are you asking this?

He had intended to put the extinguished cigarette butt in his pocket, but after thinking about it, he raised his arm and threw the cigarette butt away.

A Vagrant nearby saw it, immediately rushed Past, picked it up, and, while it was still warm, took a few deep sips.

Before Lumian could answer, Charlie continued, "The person I hate most right now is our Head Waiter. You have no idea how awful he is, haha, but I haven't thought about killing him yet. I just hope that one day I can cover my face and beat him up."

"I really don't think there are many people who deserve to die. One is Baron Brignais, the head of the Savoie Gang in the Market District. He colluded with many loan sharks, causing many people to go bankrupt. A friend of mine was driven to suicide by him, but what good did it do? His son mysteriously disappeared, and his daughter was sent to the Breeze Ballroom, supposedly to sing, but in reality, well..."

"Yes, they even dare to commit suicide, so why don't they try to kill Baron Brignais and his men?" Lumian nodded slightly.

Charlie turned his head in surprise and glanced at Lumian:

Your thinking is a bit extreme.

He continued, "The second damned one is Margot. He's the leader of the Stinger Gang. He likes to have Women who have just arrived in Trier scammed, and after squeezing them dry, he forces them into Streetwalker. Miss Ethanisse in room 8 on the 4th floor settled down in the hotel that way. Most of her earnings were taken by Margot. She tried to escape several times, but she couldn't get out of the Messy Street and was beaten half to death."

There are quite a few Gang in the Market District, no wonder it's so chaotic at night... Lumian glanced at Charlie and said, "It sounds like you have a lot of sympathy for That One Miss Ethanisse."

Charlie puffed out his chest:

"A true gentleman of Intis will sympathize with the Lady ' plight and be willing to offer assistance when appropriate."

Lumian hummed in agreement.

Do you know where Margot lives?

"I don't know," Charlie shook his head. "But he often comes to the hotel in the evenings to take money from Miss Ethanisse. If you hear Women crying, shouting, or cursing on the fourth floor, it's probably Margot and his Subordinate."

Lumian nodded slightly, and asked thoughtfully, "Who else do you think deserves to die?"

After thinking for a moment, Charlie replied with a slightly Distortion expression:

"Monet, that Islanders, he cheated me out of 10 Felkine!"

"Can you believe it? At that time, I had been unemployed for a while and hadn't found a new job yet. That was my last savings, and I almost starved to death because of it!"

"Where does he live?" Lumian asked casually.

"He was originally staying at the hotel, but after swindling my money, he moved away and I don't know where he went." Charlie still looks angry as he talks about it. "I was waiting for him to introduce me to a job at the bookstore..."

After calming down, Charlie looked at Lumian with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why does your hair look different?"

Some are long, some are short, and they are gold with a hint of black.

"Don't you think this is fashionable?" Lumian asked earnestly.

Charlie made an "uh" sound, looking doubtful.

The incident with the Fool's Instrument" made him instinctively suspect Lumian's motives in similar matters.

After a few seconds, Charlie glanced at the street vendors hawking their wares, waved, and said, "I should go to the Hotel now. See you tonight."

Lumian didn't get up; he remained seated on the stone steps outside the hotel, waving goodbye to Charlie's hurried departure.

In the afternoon, Lumian took Public Carriage to the Botanical Garden District, and then walked more than 300 meters to reach Mason Café.

This Café is located near the Botanical Garden, on the ground floor of a four-story Ivory building.

The building's exterior walls Entanglement with Green Plants, and the ground-floor shops are not directly facing the street, but rather set back nearly a meter, with pillars supporting the walkways for passersby.

Mason Café's walls were painted Dark Green, and it had many large windows that let Sunlight stream through, illuminating the tables and chairs that stretched all the way to the door.

Lumian, dressed in a dark suit and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, walked into the Café.

The first thing that caught his eye was the artistic plant Statues on the wall, among which were scattered sentences written in Intis language:

Who holds the highest power in the country? Is it the president or the parliament?

It's Café!

Who Judgement the final appeal in judicial cases? Is it the Supreme Court?

It's Café!

Who is the authority in literature? Is it the Intis Academy of Letters, or the Debate?

"No, it's Café, still Café!" (Note 1)

Note 1: Adapted from the opening of "A History of Parisian Café", which in turn is quoted from a document from the early 20th century. The original text was too long, so it has been simplified.