Resolve

As dawn broke, Lumian opened his eyes to the sound of the bells ringing from the Saint Robles Church.

That night, he slept at the Golden Rooster Inn.

He raised his right palm, touched his head, and found that his thick hair had returned.

Lumian then rolled out of bed, looked at the Full-Length Mirror in the room, and saw a self that was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.

That was when he was still in Cordou Village, before his hair was dyed Golden.

In the morning light, he smiled to himself, feeling much better than before.

At least, at least he doesn't fail at everything; killing and revenge are still within his reach.

After having breakfast from a street vendor, Lumian was planning to go to the Observatory District or the Memorial Hall District to find a barbershop to re-dye her hair Golden when she heard hurried footsteps approaching from below.

Just when he thought the other person was going to kick the door open, there was a loud knocking.

The person who arrived was Franca. She rarely got up this early and was about to say something when she saw Lumian's pure black hair.

"You dyed it back?" she asked in surprise.

"I suppose so." Lumian watched Franca walk into Room 207 and close the door behind her.

Franca stopped dwelling on the matter and said fiercely, "Did you kill Hugh Artois's assistant Secretary?"

"You rushed into becoming an ' Pyromaniac ' last night?"

Lumian stood up, smiled, and said, "Yes."

Franca was taken aback by his quick admission and was momentarily speechless.

After a few seconds, she hissed and said, "You little rascal, you promised you'd be patient, but you just went ahead and charged in. You really don't hold grudges until tomorrow, do you?"

"If you continue like this, I seriously doubt you'll live past this year, no, this month!"

Lumian explained simply, "I didn't actually plan to kill that guy named Tibert last night. I just intended to stake him out and gather more information to prepare for dealing with him with you later. But the opportunity suddenly appeared, and it was excellent. I couldn't convince myself to give it up."

"Yes, I've made preparations in all aspects, including Anti-Divination and counter-tracking."

Franca let out a sigh of relief and asked curiously, "Was that guy very weak? You seemed to have gotten away with him quite easily?"

"His main ability is to spread disease through contact, which is exactly what ' The Pyromaniac ' counters. If it weren't for the need to Anti-Divination and Spiritism, I could have killed him in ten seconds," Lumian recalled.

Franca exclaimed, "You're really lucky. Didn't you ever consider the possibility that your target was very powerful?"

"My initial assessment is that he's not particularly skilled. If he exceeds a certain limit, I'll just use my knife." Lumian then asked, "Why are you up so early?"

"Gardner woke me up!" Franca said through gritted teeth. "He told me to mobilize you leaders to find the person who killed Hugh Artois's assistant Secretary. As soon as I heard the details, I knew it was you! I just told you last night that I would adjust my condition before concocting the Potion, and you turned around and drank ' The Pyromaniac '."

Lumian said sincerely, "I felt that my condition was particularly suitable for advancing to ' Pyromaniac ' recently, so I quickly prepared the Potion."

Will the Boss suspect me?

"Not for now." Franca shook her head. "No one but yourself could have imagined that you would take Potion last night, and you cleverly framed the ' Aurora Order.' Well, in Gardner's mind, you clearly lack the necessary motive."

At this point, Franca glanced at Lumian's head:

"Come on, I'll help you dye it back to its previous color. Try not to make any changes at times like this, so as not to arouse suspicion."

"Great." Lumian was pleased to have saved some money.

The ward was much livelier in the morning than at night. Some people were carried away crying, some were helped home by their relatives, and some insisted on leaving the hospital despite the crying.

Jenna and Elodie, who had just woken up, remained silent as they witnessed these scenes, because they knew perfectly well what was happening:

Not everyone is willing to take on huge debts to pay for the treatment of their loved ones, nor does everyone want to plunge their family into Abyss because of themselves.

Sometimes the Patient gives up while the family persists; sometimes the family gives up and the Patient has no choice but to accept their Destiny; sometimes the Patient and family leave the ward at the same time without saying a word, and when they look at each other, they can't hold back their tears and either cry or shout.

Once the ward had quieted down somewhat, Elodie, who was struggling to sit up, asked in a low voice, "How much longer do I need to be treated here?"

After thinking for a moment, Jenna decided to tell her mother the truth. After all, it couldn't be hidden any longer. When the Doctor made rounds, treated her, or conducted further examinations, he would reveal some information. And if Elodie stayed for a few more days, she would be able to judge the truth based on her physical condition and the fact that she hadn't been discharged from the hospital.

Jenna organized her thoughts and said, "The Doctor said you'll have to stay here for several months, even half a year. Your external injuries aren't serious, but your body is severely damaged. If it's not completely healed, your condition may worsen."

Before Elodie could react, she smiled:

"I've secured the medical expenses, borrowed from Franca. She's not short of money and promised Julian and me she'd repay it in installments over two to three years. By then, Dad's accident compensation will definitely be in hand, and maybe yours will have a chance too."

Elodie looked dazed for a moment, and after several seconds she said, "Why is it taking so long..."

"Such a huge explosion, with chemical gases everywhere, it's amazing you survived," Jenna said, then asked, "What exactly happened?"

Elodie thought for a moment, then answered wearily:

"I don't know, the explosion happened so suddenly, and I was knocked Past."

"I think it started near the large metal tanks. A lot of the Factory's facilities are outdated; they often break down and need repair, but the Boss is unwilling to spend money on replacements. Sigh..."

After chatting for a while, Jenna noticed that her mother was getting tired, so she told her to rest for a bit and then went to the Washroom at the end of the corridor.

After seeing her leave the ward, Elodie struggled to get out of bed, pulled out the IV drip, and, leaning against the wall, walked breathlessly to the ward diagonally opposite—where Doctor and Nurse were checking on the injured one by one.

Elodie found the Doctor, gave him her ward and bed number, and asked, "How many more months of treatment do I need?"

The Doctor flipped through the Recording and said, "The test results aren't all in yet; we'll be seeing patients for five to seven months."

"How much does the treatment cost each month?" Elodie pressed.

The Doctor said cautiously, "It depends on the test results. If it's good, it will be about two to three hundred Felkine per week. In the later stages, it will be even less. But if the situation is not good, it will be four to five hundred Felkine per week. After that, even after you leave the hospital, you must pay attention to rest and absolutely cannot overexert yourself."

Elodie was speechless for a moment. She was helped back to her ward by Nurse and had the IV reinserted.

Around noon, Julian, who had come specifically to check on his mother, entered the ward.

After chatting with him for a few minutes, Jenna said, "I'll go to the hospital's Restaurant to buy you some food."

After saying that, she walked briskly out of the ward and down the stairs.

After being educated by Lumian several times, she truly realized that she was Beyonder and different from Ordinary Person. As long as she was willing to take certain risks, there were plenty of ways to make money.

Therefore, the treatment costs and huge debts are nothing compared to the fact that Mom was saved, which is something to be happy about and something to praise the Sun for!

Inside the hospital room, Elodie looked at Julian sitting beside her, her gaze softening as she asked gently, "You're almost 23, aren't you?"

"Yes," Julian laughed, "I'm already a worker capable of supporting a family, but in your eyes, I'm still just a child who hasn't grown up."

Elodie smiled faintly and said, "That's because my standard for true adulthood is different from others. I've always felt that only when you've mastered a skill that can make you money continuously can you be considered an adult. You're still a year away, while Celia has a year and a half left."

"You've suffered so much these past few years."

"You've had a tough time," Julian said with a touch of emotion. "Before I could really help, you worked three jobs every day for a whole year, leaving home at six in the morning and not getting back until midnight."

At this point, overcome with emotion, he blurted out:

We will definitely cure you!

Elodie laughed happily and touched her Linen-Colored hair:

"What a pity, my wig is gone."

"And your sister, she lied to us before, saying that the Theater needed her hair, and dyed it Brownish Yellow so that she wouldn't be recognized when she went to sing at the Dance Hall. There's just no way to deal with her."

"Sigh, I really don't want you to take on any more debt. That would waste several more years of your life, and by then you won't be young anymore..."

Julian quickly reassured his mother, saying that he was excellent at learning fitter skills and would definitely get a raise next year.

After rambling on for a few minutes, Elodie clutched her chest and said to Julian, "I'm not feeling well. Could you get me Doctor?"

"Hmm." Julian suddenly stood up and rushed outside.

Elodie immediately pulled out the IV needle, and, supporting herself on another hospital bed, walked unsteadily but resolutely to the window of the ward.

The first floor of Holy Palace Hospital.

Jenna, carrying a wooden lunchbox, came out of the annex Restaurant and headed towards the stairwell.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daoist fall from a height outside the hall with a thud.

Jenna felt a sudden panic, and without knowing what she was worried about, she turned around, rushed out of the hall, and went to the vicinity of the person who had jumped, squeezing through the crowd surrounding the scene.

The next second, she saw the flowing Blood-Colored liquid and that kind face with fine wrinkles.

With a thud, the lunchbox in her hand fell to the ground, and her eyes became blank and Cavern, reflecting a glaring crimson.

The deceased was her mother, Elodie.

The person who jumped to her death was her mother, Elodie.