An unexpected encounter

After cursing Termiboros, Lumian saw Franca tie up the bag containing the Spoils of War and hang it on her person.

He suddenly remembered one of the abilities of "Miser" and asked, "Aren't you afraid that those ' Miser ' will find us based on the lost items?"

When he told Franca about the Old Pigeon Cage, he had already mentioned that the group of Evil God followers seemed to be able to sense where items that once belonged to them and were lost were.

Unlike the psychopathic Hedsey who acted on his own, Rentas was carrying out a mission under orders and might have something given to him by Maip Meyer to help pinpoint his whereabouts and the location of the Destroyers should something happen to him.

Franca scoffed:

"That kind of ability definitely has limitations in time and range. Once the people in the Old Pigeon Cage discover that Rentas has disappeared, it will be very, very difficult for them to track us down."

"Besides, with Charlie around, they can find us anytime they want, whether they take these things or not. Charlie is like Suzanne Matisse's lost possessions, no, her lost lover."

Charlie was confused, not understanding what Charles and "Red Boots" were talking about, until his name came up in Franca's mouth. Only then did he roughly grasp his "situation," and with a bitter face, he said, "She and I aren't Couple..."

"There's nothing we can do; she's powerful enough to unilaterally decide," Franca said, offering Charlie a somewhat insincere consolation.

Lumian was persuaded by Franca to stop worrying about the "Miser's " abilities, and drew his Ritual Silver Dagger to quickly and easily treat his wound.

Then, he bent down, grabbed Rentas's Corpse, carried it to the Cavern whose entrance was blocked by rubble, and stuffed it into the passage that the "Actor" had dug himself.

Charlie initially looked on in fear, marveling at how Charles truly lived up to his reputation Gang who had instilled fear in the Stinger Gang. He then focused his attention on Rentas's shirt, vest, trousers, and boots.

They looked pretty new; if you took them off and pawned them, you could at least get two Felkine... Charlie opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Franca nodded approvingly:

"Good, you know how to clean up the scene and delay the enemy from realizing something is wrong."

"My current concern is that Maple Meyer is being cautious. If he hasn't waited for Rentas to return by midnight, he might bring his men here and find the Corpse. In that case, without knowing whether Rentas has been Spiritism, he might choose to abandon the Old Dovecage Theater and move with the remaining members of the Bliss Society. Hmm, maybe it won't even be midnight. If Suzanne Matisse can't wait for Charlie, she'll urge him, if they have a way to communicate."

In this way, any subsequent Official Beyonder will be ineffective, leaving hidden dangers.

Franca immediately added:

"Fortunately, Suzanne hasn't been able to leave the Altar for the past two days, and since the Altar can't grow legs and run away on its own, the Official Beyonder can at least solve Charlie's problem."

"Not necessarily," Lumian retorted. "The Altar the Evil God cannot be deduced using normal logic, just as I never thought men could give birth before."

"Huh?" Charlie was increasingly confused as he listened.

He could hear every Vocabulary that Charles and "Red Boots" said clearly, but he didn't understand what they meant when put together.

Franca paused for two seconds, then nodded solemnly:

"That's true. The Altar itself resembles a giant tree stump, and tree stumps can potentially come alive. If it pulls itself out and becomes a tree-man, it can then take Suzanne and run away."

At this point, Franca clapped her hands lightly and said, "That's right, a tree spirit, a tree spirit. How can it be called a tree spirit without trees?"

Lumian felt that Franca's guess might actually be close to the truth to some extent.

He recalled seeing huge brown-green roots extending in all directions from Underground soil when he wore the "Mystery-Peering Glasses" at the Golden Rooster Inn.

Suzanne Matisse's tree stump Altar might just be a part of that brown-green root system extending outwards. If there's a crisis, it can just retract... In a flash, Lumian crawled into the passage and pushed Rentas's Corpse into the Cavern blocked by rubble.

After he came out, he retrieved the Carbide Lamp, picked up the enemy's Hurricane Lantern, and began to observe the structure of the Tunnel ceiling and the surrounding rock walls, occasionally patting and pounding them with his palm.

"What are you doing?" Franca asked, puzzled, as she was eager to leave the Underground Trier.

Lumian said, "Find a suitable place to put a bundle of explosives and bury the Corpse completely. Also, don't make too much noise, so that Suzanne Depths Underground and Maip Meyer in the Old Pigeon Cage above ground will notice."

At the same time, it is also necessary to ensure that the ground does not collapse, otherwise the building will collapse.

It is evident that when connecting the underground Quarry, Sewer, and various Tunnel, municipal workers effectively reinforced these areas and regularly repaired them. Occasional minor landslides do not affect the safety of the surface or the usability of the area itself.

Soon, Lumian, using his "Hunter" abilities, located a depression on the side of the Cavern and stuffed a bundle of Detonator there.

"It's a pity we didn't have the right tools and materials. Otherwise, we could have put some trigger-activated explosives under the Corpse, and when Maple Meyer came looking for it, he would get agitated and try to lift the Corpse, and then explode with a bang," Lumian said regretfully, squatting there.

Since taking his first Potion, he hasn't had the chance to practice the "Hunter's" bomb traps and showcase his own explosive aesthetics.

Charlie's heart pounded as he listened, realizing that Charles truly lived up to his reputation as the most notorious Gang boss lately.

"As expected of a ' Hunter '." Franca exclaimed.

Lumian then took out a match and lit the fuse.

Then he stood up and walked slowly toward Franca and Charlie, casually tossing the Hurricane Lantern into the dug tunnel as he passed the pile of rubble.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Charlie called out urgently to Lumian as he saw the fuse was about to burn out.

His calf muscles were taut, ready to dive behind the nearby rock wall at any moment to avoid the impending explosion.

Lumian, dressed in a simple suit and canvas trousers, had only walked about seven or eight meters away from the Cavern in front of him when the Detonator exploded behind him.

The entire Tunnel trembled slightly, and the stone walls on the side of the Cavern collapsed with a crash, burying most of the already unstable Cavern.

The flames lit up the sky, and rubble flew everywhere, but none of them pointed at Lumian's back; they only affected the area two or three meters away from him and the Tunnel in another direction.

Lumian walked up to Franca, who was smiling, and Charlie, who was completely stunned, without turning around or dodging.

Franca gave a thumbs-up and clicked her tongue.

Let's go.

After saying that, she turned around lightly and walked towards the Underground Trier exit she had just entered through.

Behind her, clusters of black Flames silently rose up, igniting the blood on the ground, the smell in the air, and all the red and white things.

Charlie stared, his eyes wide, as if he were lost in a mesmerizing Dream.

It wasn't until Lumian patted him on the shoulder that he turned around and followed, as if his soul had left his body.

On the way to the map and Library, Franca said with a smile, "Tomorrow or the day after, we'll see what happens to Charlie, and then we'll know whether Suzanne Matisse and that Altar have been completely eliminated."

"See if Suzanne Matisse has come looking for him?" Lumian, carrying Carbide Lamp, deliberately startled Charlie.

If that were truly the case, Franca would have said two days later, not tomorrow or the day after.

Charlie shuddered and stammered, "W-what do you think?"

Franca chuckled, "If the Official Beyonder don't come looking for you, it means you've truly escaped the Nightmare of Suzanne."

"If they specifically seek you out and offer you a very good job, then congratulations, and hopefully you'll be dancing with danger."

"What? What do you mean?" Charlie didn't quite understand.

Franca didn't explain, but instead asked:

"If you were offered the job of Quarry Police, with a monthly salary of 300 Felkine, but the daily possibility of conflict with Smuggler, Cave Adventurer, and Bounty Hunter, and a certain probability of death, would you be willing?"

"Of course I would!" Charlie blurted out.

Quarry Police is dangerous, but most of them are still alive!

If Suzanne Matisse hadn't been completely purified, would the Official Beyonder have offered Charlie a job that would be easier for them to protect, and those jobs were often quite well-paid? Lumian probably understood what Franca meant.

The three of them left the Underground Trier, wandered through alleys, crossed Barricades, and came to White Coat Street from a quiet, deserted path, entering Franca's Apartment on the 6th floor.

Franca pulled down her Hood, tossed the bag of Spoils of War onto the Coffee Table, reclined in her Armchair, and gestured with her chin towards the sofa and chair opposite her:

"Next, it's just a matter of waiting until dawn."

After Lumian and Charlie sat down, the living room became extremely quiet.

This made Charlie very uncomfortable. He glanced at Charles and said, "You actually possess those amazing abilities."

"If not, why would I kill Margot and Ait, and become the protector of Breeze Ballroom and Golden Rooster Inn?" Lumian chuckled.

"That's true." Charlie thought about it and felt that this was more acceptable to him.

The three chatted idly as the Cuckoo Clock's hands gradually pointed to midnight.

The darkness outside the window remained quiet.

Just then, light footsteps approached from below, quickly moving upwards.

"Jenna... I forgot she was coming over tonight!" Franca sat up abruptly.

She glanced at Lumian, then at Charlie, hesitated for a few seconds, closed her eyes, and waited for Jenna to open the door herself.

With a click, Jenna, wearing a white crop top and Ivory puffy skirt, retrieved her spare Key and entered the Apartment.

She spotted Lumian immediately, and then she noticed Charlie.

"What are you doing?" Jenna didn't hide her confusion, her gaze constantly shifting between Lumian, Charlie, and Franca.

Franca forced a laugh and said, "This is so boring. We're thinking of playing ' Fight Evil,' do you want to join us? The kind with two decks of cards?"

Jenna stared at her suspiciously for a few seconds, sensing that Franca probably didn't want to explain the real reason in front of Charles, so she pointed to the guest room:

"Damn, it's so late, why are we still playing cards? I'm going to be busy until tonight tomorrow, I need to sleep now!"

She waved to Lumian and Charlie, then turned and went into the guest room.

Lumian looked at Franca and calmly asked, "Why don't we just tell her what we're doing?"

Jenna herself was also a victim of the Old Pigeon Cage problem; she was almost raped by the perverted Hedsey.

Franca paused for a moment:

"Yeah, why didn't I just say it directly...?"

There's nothing to hide!

She glanced at the closed guest bedroom door, intending to tell Jenna the truth later.

Lumian casually asked, "Jenna is usually very busy, what is she busy with?"

"You don't know?" Franca's face gradually revealed a look of joy and pride. "She's an acting Apprentice, studying drama. Ah, things aren't like they used to be. I heard that in the last era, as long as Apprentice signed a long-term contract, you could study for free, and room and board were provided. Now, not only do you have to pay tuition, but you also have to bear all the expenses yourself."

As they spoke, Franca noticed that Lumian's expression had become serious.

Lumian frowned and asked, "Which Theater is she Apprentice at?"

"I didn't ask..." Franca, also having some suspicions, answered softly.

At that moment, Jenna opened the door to the guest room, carrying a bunch of things out, and headed to the Washroom.

"Which Theater are you Apprentice at?" Franca asked, getting up.

Jenna's skeptical response:

Why are you asking this? You've never been curious about this before.

Seeing that Lumian and Charlie were also looking at her, she couldn't help but yell, "What the hell are you looking at me for?"

"Dog Shit, what does it matter to you which Theater I'm in?"

Upon noticing the serious expressions on Franca and Lumian's faces, she hesitated for a moment, then muttered, "Damn, it's not like it's something we have to hide!"

I'm at the Old Dovecage Theater.