Countermeasures

Was Suzanne Matisse's attack imminent? Considering that Charlie had no other enemies and had recently been working as Waiter at Breeze Ballroom, unlikely to go to any dangerous places, Lumian quickly formed a clear deduction in his mind.

Of course, it's possible that Charlie might have some other misfortunes recently, but Lumian felt that one should never take chances in such matters.

As Charlie put down the tray and waited, he felt a little uneasy under Lumian's gaze.

Remembering the other person's amazing "Prophecy" abilities, he quickly leaned Past and asked in a low voice, "Did you see anything?"

Lumian smiled:

"It seems you'll have a romantic encounter soon, and will develop a relationship with a beautiful woman that goes beyond friendship."

"Really?" Charlie was both surprised and delighted.

The woman's name was Suzanne Matisse... Lumian took back the sentence and laughed, "You're too gullible! You actually believed that?"

"I knew it..." Charlie looked disappointed.

The existence of the Fool's Instrument left him with no doubt about Charles's ability to deceive.

As Lumian watched Charlie carry the tray full of wine glasses toward the edge of the dance floor, the smile on her face gradually faded.

His mind raced, one idea after another flashing through his thoughts:

"Am I just unlucky, or Predestination Destiny? The Official Beyonder are about to focus on Mr. Eve and the Old Dovecage Theater in the next day or two, arresting all those cultists who believe in the ' Mother Tree of Desire,' finding the whereabouts of that Evil Spirit Suzanne Matisse, and completely purifying her. And now, Suzanne Matisse might attack me and Charlie again today..."

"Damn it, that Termiboros, it must be his doing!"

"Based on my previous experience observing Fortune, the problem will erupt as early as late Late Night, or at the latest, midnight the day after tomorrow..."

"We can't place all our hopes on Suzanne Mattis not coming to Charlie and me until the day after tomorrow; we must prepare for the worst..."

Having somehow caught the swearing from Franca and Jenna, Lumian forced himself to calm down and made a rational assessment of the situation.

At the same time, he had a preliminary plan:

First, Concealment his identity, he reminded Charlie to go to the nearest ' Eternal Blazing Sun ' Church that night and stay there for three days.

Second, go to White Coat Street to find Franca, and ask her for help with the Library.

With Franca and Mr. K's fingers as her backing, Lumian was confident she could withstand Suzanne Matisse's first attack. After that, she wouldn't have another chance. Franca's Concealment warning to the Official Beyonder and Charlie's act of seeking Protection at the Church were enough to tell her that Suzanne Matisse of the "Eternal Blazing Sun" Church had reappeared!

Although with Mr. K's help, Lumian has a good chance of dealing with Suzanne Matisse on his own, since he already owes Franca a favor, why not owe her even more to make things more secure?

Without any hesitation, Lumian downed the rest of his Absinthe in one gulp, got up, and left the Breeze Ballroom.

He returned to Room 207, Golden Rooster Inn, took out the "Mystery-Peering Glasses," and put them on his nose.

Once again, the world spun around, and I plummeted to the Underground. There were those enormous, brownish-green roots again, and Insects and Rat huddled in various places everywhere...

Just as Lumian was about to take off his glasses and start Makeup, he saw a clump of long, bluish-green hair covered with Vines and branches.

Bang!

Lumian's head seemed to have been hit, and one after another, tiny Golden Stars appeared before his eyes.

He quickly removed the Mystery-Peering Glasses from his face, lowered his head, and gagged for several seconds.

After finishing all that, while the urge to paint something was still there, he took out his Makeup tools and started applying different things to his face.

Inside the dark Glass Window, Lumian felt increasingly like a stranger, like the kind of unkempt drunkard you often see in the Dance Hall, drinking cheap liquor.

After finishing the last bit of the drawing, he quickly looked away, afraid to look again, lest he encounter any cognitive obstacles.

Whew... After putting away her Makeup tools, Lumian let out a breath and mentally reviewed the scenes she had witnessed after putting on the "Mystery-Peering Glasses."

The clump of long, bluish-green hair with Vines and branches looked very familiar to him, and he quickly made a connection:

Suzanne Matisse also had long, bluish-green hair, which was Entanglement with branches and Vines that seemed to have sprung up from nowhere!

"Is Suzanne Mattis's ' Territory ' somewhere Underground in the Market District?" Lumian made a preliminary judgment.

He couldn't help but complain:

"Why is it Underground again?"

The Underground of Trier is so lively!

However, this also explains why the Official Beyonder failed to completely purify Suzanne Matisse last time; Monster involving the Underground are never easy to eradicate, like the Montsouris Ghosts.

Lumian remembered that the real Mr. Eve had gone to the Underground Trier Late Night, and that the perverted Hedsey had drugged Jenna and taken her to a certain Underground Cavern. He seemed very familiar with that area and felt very safe there.

This made him begin to believe that Suzanne Matisse was indeed hiding somewhere in the Underground Trier, and not too far from the Cavern Hedsey had chosen.

Where does that path leading Depths Underground? Lumi wondered as she changed her clothes, leaving Room 207 in a bizarre mix of a simple formal suit and canvas trousers.

Inside the Breeze Ballroom.

Lumian looked around and spotted Charlie serving drinks to guests at the edge of the dance floor.

He moved Past, and as he brushed past Charlie, he whispered, "Suzanne Matisse."

Jenna's singing, the booming music, and the cacophony of voices couldn't drown out the name, leaving Charlie frozen in place as if struck by Lightning.

Lumian then whispered a reminder:

"I've received intelligence that Suzanne Mattis will reappear within the next three days. If you don't want to die, go to the Church tonight and come out again in three days."

Charlie's first reaction was horror, his second was to look for Charles, and his third was, "Will I be fired if I take three days off?"

Unable to find Charles, he swallowed hard and asked in a low voice, as if confirming, "Really?"

You may not believe me... Lumian restrained his habitual reply, lest Charlie make any inferences.

He kept his voice low and said, "If you go to Church tonight, someone will tell you whether it's true or false."

Charlie could no longer suppress his fear. He looked at the unfamiliar face and asked, his voice trembling slightly, "Who are you?"

Why would you specifically remind me?

"A kind person," Lumian replied, using a phrase her Older Sister sometimes used in jest.

He didn't say anything more, walked past Charlie, squeezed into the dance floor, and quickly disappeared from Charlie's sight.

Charlie felt as if he had encountered the dead of winter, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

During this time, he would occasionally reminisce about Suzanne Matisse's beauty, gentleness, and passion in his dreams, but each time he would be terrified by memories of Tree Burl, Flowers, and slime, losing all desire. Now, that Monster is coming back!

"Let's go to Saint Robles Church now!" Charlie had just taken a few steps toward the door with the tray when he stopped.

He realized that it was already quite late at night, and there would definitely be very few pedestrians on Market Avenue.

That kind of environment is far more dangerous than the bustling Breeze Ballroom!

"Suzanne Matisse always appears in my dreams, or in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep. I'm in the Dance Hall with so many people watching, she definitely wouldn't dare show up... When Charles comes back, I'll ask him to take me to Saint Robles Church..." Charlie withdrew his gaze from the doorway and decided to wait a little longer.

The Dance Hall, filled with various sounds and different smells, gave him a sense of security.

No. 3 White Coat Street.

Having removed her makeup, Lumian knocked on Franca's door.

Franca had already let her ponytail down, allowing her long, Linen-Colored hair to fall naturally, but tonight she wasn't wearing a nightgown, but rather Cotton Lady's Pajamas and pajama bottoms.

Wearing a pair of cool summer slippers, she stepped aside to let Lumian into the room, asking with a hint of doubt, "Are you here tonight to seek guidance on Mysticism knowledge?"

She and Lumian had only been separated for less than two hours, so she figured nothing else had happened.

After Franca closed the door, Lumian said seriously, "There's been some trouble with Charlie. I suspect Suzanne Mattis will reappear in the next couple of days, possibly Late Night tonight."

"So fast?" Franca made no attempt to hide her surprise.

She hadn't even had a chance to relay the questions about Suzanne Matisse, Mr. Eve, and the Old Dovecage Theater to "007" yet!

Lumian nodded:

"Although I find it hard to accept, all the signs indicate that my earlier speculation was correct."

"What do you plan to do?" Franca didn't waste time discussing the likelihood of success.

Lumian told Franca about the two solutions he had come up with, but didn't mention Mr. K's fingers.

Franca smiled and sized him up:

You're very calm.

"Didn't you tell me before that Suzanne Mattis is suspected to be Evil Spirit with Sequence 5 power? Even if the two of us teamed up, we might not be able to beat her."

"Tsk, are you too confident in me, or too confident in yourself?"

Lumian smiled:

"Yes, they all are."

"You're quite something to have escaped the Calamity in Cordou Village," Franca remarked, glancing at the wall clock. "If you can get through tonight, you should be fine. I'll hurry and get to the authorities through my channels. You wait for me in the living room."

She went into her Master Bedroom and seemed to be fiddling with something.

Lumian on the sofa, looked at the Cuckoo Clock hanging on the side, and silently counted the time.

Nearly half an hour Past, Franca opened the door and came out, now dressed in a close-fitting Black Robe with Leather Armor underneath, and wearing Hood.

"It's all settled. There'll most likely be action tomorrow," she said to Lumian, then asked, "Aren't you worried that Charlie might encounter something unexpected on his way to Saint Robles Church? You can run into Evil Spirit on the roadside late at night."

Saint Robles Church is the Bishop's Cathedral the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun in the Honest Market District, near the Susie Steam Train Station. Its attached Cemetery was originally located in the current Breeze Ballroom.

Lumian had already planned it:

"I plan to secretly follow him to the Church after Breeze Ballroom closes."

"I'll go with you." Franca suddenly frowned and looked at Lumian. "Won't Charlie be attacked inside the Dance Hall? Some Evil Spirit don't care if there are other people around, or how many people are there."

Because Suzanne Matisse's previous appearances hadn't affected anyone else, Lumian subconsciously assumed she would avoid crowded places, and the Dance Hall was far more crowded than the hotel.

Startled by Franca's reminder, he said in a low voice, "We need to get back to the Dance Hall right now!"