Conditions

"Fake?" Lumian twitched his right eyebrow, as if he could hear Destiny mocking Charlie mercilessly.

Charlie abandoned his already fragile principles, slept with Mrs. Alice for a few days, got into a murder case, lost his job as an apprentice Waiter, and all he got in return was a fake Diamond Necklace?

For some reason, Lumian suddenly felt an urge not to simply succumb to Destiny.

Although it wasn't his own experience, he felt a certain empathy for it.

Fuck your Fate!

You mocked me, so I'll retaliate with ridicule and Provocation!

In that instant, Lumian vaguely grasped another Acting Method the "Provocateur," but it was still crude and inaccurate.

He looked at Charlie, pondered, and asked, "Do you think Mrs. Alice deceived you, or did the pawnshop staff see that you were down on your luck and unable to authenticate the necklace, so they deliberately used this excuse to drive the price down to the lowest possible level?"

"I... I don't know." Charlie was utterly bewildered and in Pain.

He paused for a moment, then added with difficulty, "I suspect it's Mrs. Alice. Look, so many people come here to pawn their items, Appraiser handle dozens, even hundreds, of things every day, most of them valuables. They couldn't possibly be trying to cheat just me, could they?"

"How could she...?"

Charlie couldn't continue.

"Why can't pawnshops cheat everyone equally, holding back as much price as they can, with higher prices for more expensive items?" Lumian thought to himself, then chuckled, "Why not?"

"Many wealthy people didn't get rich through kindness and hard work. If they can fool you with a fake, why would they give you the real thing?"

"Perhaps Mrs. Alice is such a wealthy person, or perhaps not so wealthy at all, who uses her stay at the White Swan Hotel to scam young people like you."

Lumian did not deny the existence of all wealthy people, because a large portion of that group did indeed become rich through talent, hard work, and opportunity, such as Aurora.

After being teased a couple of times, Charlie's facial muscles visibly Distortion.

He muttered resentfully to himself, "Yes, Mrs. Alice hasn't treated me to a single fancy meal in all this time; she just sends me to room service around seven or eight in the evening..."

"You're so easy to fool! Are you really a Lim?" Lumian couldn't help but raise his hand to cover his face.

He immediately stood up and said, "Let's get that necklace back and try another pawnshop."

What if it's true?

Charlie hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay, okay!"

He wasn't entirely resigned to it either.

Lumian added another instruction:

"Check carefully; don't let them switch the necklace."

"Hmm." Charlie tried to perk up. "I looked at that necklace every day for a while, and memorized every single detail!"

After retrieving the Diamond Necklace, Lumian accompanied Charlie to two other Pawnshop in the Observatory District.

The appraisal result was the same as before: the necklace was fake and could only be valued at 11 to 15 Felkine.

Charlie grew increasingly frustrated and devastated.

Lumian glanced at him and comforted him, "At least you can still earn a dozen or Felkine, enough to last you for more than a week, and you'll have some spare money to buy drinks for the waiters at the Café on White Coat Street and ask them to introduce you to a new job."

Charlie spends about 1 Felkine a day, including rent, and even less if he doesn't go to the Underground Bar for a drink.

"Yes..." Charlie sighed.

After being utterly devastated and accepting reality, these words actually made him feel that there was still hope in life.

Lumian thought for a moment and said, "We can't rule out other possibilities. For example, the pawnshops here might have connections and collusion to specifically scam people like you who aren't well-dressed and pawn valuable items without proper receipts. Should you take the necklace to a professional Jewelry store for appraisal?"

"That will incur a fee," Charlie said, looking troubled.

If the authentication proves it's genuine, that's fine. But if it's fake, his already meager assets could shrink by a third to half.

Lumian sighed and said, "Give me the Diamond Necklace, and I'll find a friend to appraise it for you, free of charge."

"You should still have some money on you, enough to last until today, right?"

"I still have 2.6 Felkine." Charlie handed the Diamond Necklace to Lumian with expectant eyes.

As Lumian put the necklace away, she chuckled and said, "Aren't you worried that the appraisal will find it's real, but I'll give you a fake one in return, and tell you that those pawnshops have no problems?"

Charlie's expression froze once again.

After a second, he exhaled and said, "I believe you, and I've already accepted it as a lie."

Lumian waved goodbye to Charlie and headed towards Inferno Square.

Near the Catacombs, Aosta Roul, dressed in a Hood Black Robe, sat in his usual spot facing the campfire.

"Aren't you going to find another place?" Lumian Past and asked, amused.

Aosta chuckled, "My Divination and interpretations are quite accurate, and many people have already recommended my friends. If I were to move to another place, wouldn't I lose the customers I've built up? They're all from Felkine!"

"What do you mean by 'accumulated customers'? They're clearly accumulated idiots," Lumian said, half-jokingly and half-sarcastically.

Aosta dared not refute.

Lumian immediately asked, "I need to speak with Mr. K. How can I contact him?"

So they weren't here to see me... Aosta breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, "Those who attended the gathering can go directly to the headquarters of ' Spiritism ' magazine, which is the building where we had the gathering, No. 19 Schell Street. Knock on the door of Room 103 in a rhythm of three long, two short, and one long. Then someone will take you to see Mr. K."

"If you don't want to go in person, you can send a letter to Room 103, No. 19 Schell Street, Boulevard District, to Guillaume Pierre."

What a fake pseudonym... The rhythm of his knocking is different from the rhythm before the party... Mr. K never told me any of this. Did he think Aosta would tell me? Lumian nodded, said goodbye to Aosta, and returned to the ground.

Pathway he passed the entrance to the Catacombs, he saw a group of visitors holding lit White Candles, following the caretaker through the naturally formed archway into the "Empire of Death."

Turning his gaze away, Lumian headed out and took Public Carriage to No. 19 Schell Street in the Boulevard District.

He pulled his Flat Cap down low and knocked on the door of Room 103 in a rhythm of three long knocks, two short knocks, and one long knock.

With a creak, the dark red Wooden Door opened.

Before Lumian stood a handsome young man with flowing brown hair, resembling an artist.

He scrutinized Lumian for two seconds with his Deep Brown Eyes:

Who are you looking for?

"I'm Charles, I need to speak with Mr. K," Lumian said directly.

That One young man tilted his head slightly, as if listening to the faint sound.

He quickly said to Lumian, "You come with me."

The young man walked to one side of the classically styled room and opened a hidden Secret Door in the dressing room.

There were staircases leading Underground, and Gas Wall Lamp enclosed by black grids were embedded in the walls on both sides.

Lumian went into the Basement, walked through a short corridor, and came to a rather spacious room.

He suspected there were other exits, perhaps even connecting to some area of Underground Trier.

At this moment, Mr. K was sitting in a Red-Backed Chair, his face hidden in the shadow of a large Hood.

The organizer of the gathering looked at Lumian without speaking, exuding a terrifying sense of oppression.

Lumian adjusted his Flat Cap and said with a smile, "Good morning, Mr. K. I need your help with something."

"You decide what price I need to pay."

Mr. K was silent for a few seconds, then asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Does the Stinger Gang know that you killed Margot?"

As expected... Lumian was not at all surprised that Mr. K had some information about him.

When he attended the party, he deliberately covered his face with bandages to recreate the state he was in when he killed Margot, all so that Mr. K would know about it and thus demonstrate his own value and somewhat impulsive and extreme Personality.

This will also "gain Mr. K's trust".

Lumian shook his head:

"That's a different issue..."

He then recounted in detail how he met Charlie, how he helped him out of his predicament but was hated by Suzanne Matisse, how he was almost killed by that strange creature, and how fortunate that the Official Beyonder arrived in time. He told the whole story without a single lie, but omitted many details.

This corroborates the information he wanted to buy at the party.

"You want to seek Protection?" Mr. K asked in a low voice after listening quietly.

"Protection? Aren't you overestimating yourself? A more accurate word would be 'protect'!" Lumian muttered silently for a few moments, then nodded solemnly, "Yes."

Mr. K said in a hoarse voice, "That should be a Soul Creature, much like Evil Spirit. Normally, if you move out of the Market District, it won't be able to affect you anymore. But the Official Beyonder have clearly taken notice of this matter. If you move now, you might be suspected. Moreover, if Suzanne Mattis remembers you or even marks you, you could be attacked anywhere. Many abilities can transcend distance limitations and don't need to actually leave the ' Territory '."

No wonder those two Lady didn't suggest I move out... Lumian nodded thoughtfully:

"Then what should I do?"

Mr. K said slowly, "I can provide some protection, but you need to do one thing for me."

"What is it?" Lumian asked "urgently".

Mr. K clasped his hands in front of him and said, "Join any Gang in the Market District and become their leader."

Mr. K's organization wants to indirectly control the Market District? Lumian answered without hesitation, "No problem!"

Mr. K nodded slowly, grasping his left index finger with his right hand.

Then, with a forceful tug, he ripped the finger off, revealing a bloody wound and the stark white bone.

Lumian felt a sharp pain just from seeing it.

Surprisingly, no blood seeped from Mr. K's wound or his finger; they merely hovered at the edges, Distortion and shrinking inward, gradually "healing."

"Take this with you; it might help you in a pinch." Mr. K tossed the severed finger to Lumian.

At the wound on his left palm, where a finger was missing, the flesh was writhing violently, as if a new finger was about to grow.