Incitement

Upon hearing Lumian's question, Anthony Reid, whose face had become plump and whose skin gleamed slightly, stared at him for a few seconds with his Deep Brown Eyes and said, "I don't understand what you mean."

The Information Broker remained calm and composed, seemingly unconcerned about Hugh Artois's death.

Lumian smiled, didn't probe further, and pointed downstairs, saying, "Let me buy you a drink."

"You helped me before, and we fought together. Let me treat you to a drink as a farewell gift."

Anthony Reid touched his receding light blonde hairline with his right hand, which wasn't carrying his suitcase, and thought for a moment before saying, "Okay."

The two went up the stairs to the Basement Bar, which was lit by only one Gas Streetlamp, and sat down at the bar.

"What would you like a drink?" Lumian asked in a relaxed tone, as if he were back home.

"Anise Absinthe," Anthony Reid replied succinctly.

"Absinthe, huh..." Lumian chuckled, taking out a Silver Coin worth 1 Felkine and four Copper Coin worth 5 Kopek, tossing them to Pavar Nissen, the Bar Boss with a ponytail, "Two ' Flip '."

"Flip" is Bar slang for a double shot of Anise Absinthe, with the other being a "Little Mummy."

The latter requires 7 Rick, while the former requires 12 Rick.

Pavar Nissen flipped open the normal cup and poured a dreamy green liquid into Lumian and Anthony Reid.

Lumian had just taken a sip, tasting the familiar bitterness and refreshing sensation, when he saw Pavar Nissen, with a Deep Brown mustache around his mouth, lower his voice in a slightly ingratiating tone and ask, "Charles, do you have that kind of medicine?"

The Bar Boss and amateur Painter believed that "The Lion" Charles, as a well-known Gang leader, must have two or three channels to obtain illegal drugs.

"What medicine?" Lumian asked, his thumb rubbing the side of the glass, his smile unchanged.

Pavar Nissen knew Anthony Reid was Information Broker frequently dealt with various illegal activities, so he didn't avoid him. He explained in a low voice, "Psychotropic drugs... Sigh, when I was influenced by the Monster Tree, I drew my most satisfying draft. No, it wasn't just the most satisfying, it was the aesthetic level I'd always pursued but could never reach, perfectly expressing my thoughts and ideas. After that, I never felt that way again. Everything I drew was... Dog Shit! I thought I'd try psychotropic drugs, hoping it would help me regain that experience."

Lumian took another sip of the intoxicatingly colored Absinthe, and said with a mocking smile, "If I were you, I would choose to never paint again. You simply don't have the talent of Painter."

Before Pavar Nissen could respond, he chuckled and said, "The fact that you can only produce passable work through drug stimulation proves you have no talent!"

"But many famous Painter have used it..." Pavar Nissen was interrupted by Lumian before he could finish speaking.

He clicked his tongue and said, "That means their creative ability is starting to decline, and their inspiration is no longer plentiful."

"Isn't this cheating? A work painted with drugs is compared to a work painted normally by other Painter, barely winning, being selected for the exhibition, hanging in the exhibition hall, and loudly proclaiming to every visitor, 'Look, I am a despicable person, I am an insecure person, drugs are my talent, Devil is my parents.'"

Seeing Pavar Nissen's face gradually turn ashen, Lumian slightly opened his arms and asked further, "Would you be proud of that?"

"If you were truly talented, you wouldn't be an amateur Painter anymore. Even if you didn't Judges and weren't selected for Living Artists’ Exhibition, private Art Gallery should be approaching you. But you know the reality better than I do."

At this point, Lumian smiled:

"You can't succeed with drugs alone. If you know how to use it, everyone else will too. It's not like it requires any special skills. Once everyone's using it, it'll all come down to talent and skill level."

Pavar Nissen hesitated for a moment, but couldn't utter a word.

With a gloomy expression, he took two steps back and sat down, as if his soul had left his body.

Anthony Reid, who had been quietly sipping his Anise Absinthe, finally turned to look at Lumian:

"You don't really approve of using illegal psychotropic drugs, do you?"

"Otherwise what?" Lumian scoffed.

Anthony Reid, observing Pavar Nissen's internal struggle, said thoughtfully, "You seem to have convinced him."

"I merely ignited his sense of shame," Lumian replied calmly.

Anthony Reid nodded slightly:

What if we fail to persuade them?

Lumian smiled immediately:

"I'm not his Godfather."

If you weren't convinced, you weren't convinced.

Anthony Reid paused for a few seconds, then looked at Lumian again:

"The way you're trying to dissuade them is different from your usual style. Are you Acting?"

"Very perceptive, with strong observational skills... No wonder you're Mid-Sequence Beyonder in the ' Spectator ' Pathway... If I could ignite the Flames within a ' Spectator,' it would greatly aid my understanding..." Lumian thought to himself, holding his glass of shimmering green liquid, and gazing ahead, he said, "I found some leaflets earlier. They said that during the war with the Kingdom of Loen a few years ago, Hugh Artiva abandoned his troops, causing a large number of deaths."

Anthony Reid remained silent, quietly sipping his Anise Absinthe.

Lumian glanced at the empty bar and continued, "I remember you Battlefield Trauma a few years ago during that war."

Glug, Anthony Reid took a big gulp of the green liquid.

Lumian didn't mention again the fact that there were Member of Parliament Campaign Poster in the Information Broker's room. Looking at the soulless Pavar Nissen, he muttered to himself, "If he only hated Hugh Artois, he should be very happy to hear that he has been assassinated and get drunk in Bar."

"If we want to find out why Hugues Artois did that, why he was able to enter politics and run for Member of Parliament after doing that, and who was supporting him, then we need to look for other clues and let the Seer rest in peace."

"The Official Beyonder should be investigating this matter, but they have too many constraints and don't have the same unbridled freedom as Wild Beyonder."

Anthony Reid remained seated and took another large gulp of Anise Absinthe.

Lumian chuckled softly:

"This is indeed very troublesome, with too many obstacles and dangers. Giving up is a thought that everyone would have. Anyway, Hugues Artois is dead, the murderer who directly caused that tragedy is dead, and the Seer should be able to find some solace."

Anthony Reid stopped drinking, his middle-aged, overweight face Change expressionless.

Lumian glanced at him, lowered his voice, and smiled, saying, "People with serious Psychological Disorder probably can't continue advancing in the ' Spectator ' Pathway. And even if they don't advance, they might suddenly Loss of Control due to the corresponding stimulus and become Monster. In this increasingly dangerous world, for Beyonder with obvious flaws and serious problems, a stable life is just a luxury."

At this point, Lumian composed himself, looked at Anthony Reid's profile, and asked in a deep voice, "Do you want to leave with regret and resentment, waiting to become Monster in Pain, afraid to face your former comrades, or do you want to risk your life to continue the investigation and become your own hero?"

Without looking at Anthony Reid's reaction, Lumian jumped off the Bar Stool, picked up the glass of Anise Absinthe, and drank the rest in one gulp.

Then, he leaned close to Anthony Reid's ear and whispered, "I made a contribution to Hugues Artois's death."

We are still investigating his case.

Seeing Anthony Reid flinch slightly, Lumian straightened up and left the Basement Bar without looking back.

He returned to Room 207, left the door open, and turned on the Carbide Lamp.

He immediately turned his chair around, sat down, and gazed relaxedly into the dark corridor.

Lumian waited with unusual quiet, as if certain that the person he wanted to see would finally appear.

Time ticked by, and the Couple started arguing again, while drunkards began to appear on the street.

Light footsteps sounded, approaching Room 207, which was bathed in light, with obvious hesitation.

Lumian's lips gradually curled up, and he leaned back in his chair, looking towards the door.

Not long after, Anthony Reid appeared there, wearing a military green shirt and matching trousers, with laceless leather boots, and very short hair that was only a thin layer.

He stood in the area radiated by the Carbide Lamp, looking at Lumian sitting smiling at the Wooden Table, his facial muscles Distortion slightly.

He said in a low voice, "I know you're provoking me, I know you're just putting on Acting, but... but you're right..."

The middle-aged Anthony Reid raised his right hand, pressed it against his left chest, and said with a ferocious expression, "For the past few years, my soul has been burned by the Flames of Pain and resentment."

Lumian laughed, closed his eyes, and sensed that the "Pyromaniac" Potion had been digested a little more.

He immediately stood up and said to Anthony Reid, "Facts are the most powerful weapon of persuasion."

After saying those words, Anthony Reid seemed to relax, his inner struggle and contradictions disappearing.

He entered Room 207, closed the Wooden Door, surveyed his surroundings, and asked, "Did you really kill Hugh Artois? How far have you gotten in the investigation?"

"Celia Bello, who assassinated Hugh Artois, is my friend. I was the first to discover that Hugh Artois was supported by multiple Evil God Cult," Lumian replied simply at first, then added sincerely, "I'm sorry, I lied to you about something I said earlier."

Anthony Reid paused for a moment:

Which sentence?

Lumian smiled:

"We haven't actually started investigating the people and forces behind Hugues Artois yet."