An encounter

"How could it get lost?" Lumian asked, somewhat puzzled.

Baron Brignais was not only Gang leader but also Beyonder; how could a child possibly get lost if he wasn't kept in close watch?

Besides, who in the Market District would dare to kidnap his child?

Sakota shook his head:

"It wasn't specified."

Could it be the work of the "Rose School," trying to find out the true situation of the Savoie Gang from Baron Brignais? Lumian, combining recent events, had some speculations that could not be confirmed for the time being.

He thought for a moment and said, "Do you know what Brignais's illegitimate son looks like?"

Sakota nodded:

"When the Baron's Subordinate came looking for someone, they brought a portrait, a portrait that looked almost exactly like a photograph."

A portrait almost identical to a photograph... Was this created using Ritual Magic? Lumian recalled the contents of Aurora's Witchcraft Notes.

He glanced at the bright Sunlight outside the window and said to Sakota, "Take some men and go help Brignais."

Whether the child is being controlled by the "Rose School" or has genuinely gone missing, if he/she is not found for a long time, his/her fate will certainly be tragic.

At his age, even if nothing else happened, he wouldn't live long if he became a homeless child.

"Okay." Sakota didn't ask why his Boss had proactively sent people to help Baron Brignais.

Anyway, it's not noon yet, Breeze Ballroom has just opened. It won't get any real business until after three or four o'clock. Apart from the cleaning staff and those busy in the kitchen, everyone else is quite free.

Lumian ordered a glass of Sugar Wine with ice and water, and stood on the Café's balcony, watching several Gang members questioning homeless Vagrant along Market Avenue.

After a while, "Rat" Christo appeared. This short smuggling boss, with seven or eight dogs of different colors and breeds, came out of an alley and entered the alley diagonally opposite.

Before long, he approached the Breeze Ballroom.

Seeing this, Lumian finished the rest of the Sugar Wine, placed the cup on the railing, and jumped directly from the second floor to the street.

Christo, sporting a distinctive Rat, readily approached and greeted him with a fawning smile, "Good morning, Charles."

"Are you helping Brignais find his illegitimate son?" Lumian asked bluntly.

Christo nodded slightly:

"Yes, he came specifically to ask me for help, and these kids happen to be very good at finding people."

As the "Rat" spoke, it affectionately patted the heads of the dogs.

They sometimes gather together, sometimes disperse, searching for specific scents.

Baron Brignais really does like that bastard son... Lumian thoughtfully reminded "Rat" Christo:

"There might be something fishy about this. Be careful, lest you get lost yourself instead of finding the other person."

The "Rose School" abducting the little boy was always one of the possible alternatives.

Christo was startled and pondered for a moment before saying, "There is a problem. In the past few years, we haven't heard of Brignais having such an illegitimate son. Moreover, given how much Brignais values him, how could he have let him get lost?"

A suddenly appearing illegitimate child? Lumian instantly realized that this matter might be more complicated than he had anticipated.

After muttering a few words to himself, Christo said gratefully, "Charles, you are indeed more intelligent than me."

"Don't you have any medicine to improve your mind?" Lumian asked, half teasing and half curious.

As Christo let several large dogs rub against his trouser legs, he chuckled sheepishly, "There are some, but they're all temporary, and the effects are mediocre. They're far from being Potion. Damn it, drinking them too often will cause problems."

Lumian then asked, "Do you have real Mummy Ashes?"

Christo immediately gave a knowing look:

"How much do you want? I can give you the best results. That ' Little Slut ' Jenna is always hanging out with Franca, she's not so easy to deal with. The other day, Franca even came to ask me if I had real Mummy Ashes. Tsk, even the Boss can't handle it."

Charles also had many dancers and Actor mistresses, and even though they were young, they had to seek help from drugs.

"I mean real Mummy Ashes." Lumian raised his hand and touched his chin.

"No," Christo shook his head. "That stuff doesn't work, and I don't know who made that Lie. But I do have a potion that can satisfy all your Lover, made with other Herbs, and I claim the Main Ingredient is Mummy Ashes."

"Did you buy Franca?" Lumian asked with a smile.

"I bought it." Christo chuckled in good fun. "The Boss was probably too embarrassed to come to me."

"Well disguised, you didn't let the ' Rat ' realize that what you really wanted was ineffective Mummy Ashes..." Lumian breathed a sigh of relief and said frankly, "What I need is real Mummy Ashes. They have their own uses in Mysticism. You often deal with merchants who sell medicinal materials, so keep an eye out for them for me."

"No problem." Christo suspected that Charles was trying to save Dignity by not admitting that he was looking for that secret medicine, and was using the Mysticism as an excuse to find Mummy Ashes, but he didn't expose him, after all, it was just a small matter.

After watching Christo and his pack of dogs continue their search for Baron Brignais's lost bastard son, Lumian turned and walked back into the Dance Hall.

Before he even reached the bar, the majestic, layered voice of Termiboros rang in his ears:

"Go to the cellar."

Go to the cellar... Lumian's first thought was, what trick is this Angel of Fate up to now?

"Which cellar?" he asked tentatively.

"A cellar for storing Ingredient," Termiboros replied.

So proactive, so eager... what exactly does He want to do? Lumian began to examine whether there was a hidden conspiracy.

Termiboros continued, "For you, it is a Destiny encounter."

"Even if you don't go, it will come to you on its own; this is Destiny that is Predestination to unfold."

What you said is making me a little scared... Termiboros shouldn't put me in direct danger right now... What could possibly be in the cellar...? Lumian pondered for a moment, thinking that it was close to noon, and the cellar where Ingredient was stored usually had a lot of traffic, so theoretically there shouldn't be anything unusual or dangerous.

After much deliberation, he decided to first go to the cellar entrance to take a look and listen. If he sensed something was amiss, he would then write to the "Magician" Lady to ask whether he should enter the cellar as Termiboros had suggested.

Amid greetings from the Cook, Kitchen Assistant, General Laborer, and Dishwasher, Lumian walked through the kitchen, down the stairs, and arrived at the cellar where the Ingredient were stored.

The Deep Brown Wooden Door to the cellar was tightly closed, just as usual.

Lumian tilted his ear to listen to what was happening inside.

A barely audible chewing sound reached his ears.

This isn't an exaggeration; it doesn't lead to the terrifying speculation that Monster is devouring flesh. It's more like a long-starved Vagrant munching on food.

There really is a problem... Lumian carefully pushed the cellar door open a crack.

A little light seeped into the stairwell, illuminating Daoist.

It was a little boy of seven or eight years old, with his back to Lumian. He had short blond hair, wore a Caramel jacket, white socks, and black lace-up leather shoes. Behind him was a dark red, heavy, hard-sided backpack.

This outfit looked strangely familiar to Lumian.

He instantly remembered where he had seen it before:

It's about that bastard Baron Brignais!

Had he gone missing and hidden in the Ingredient cellar of the Breeze Ballroom? Lumian had originally planned to take a quick peek inside, then quickly sew the door shut and leave to write to "Magician" at the Golden Rooster Inn. However, upon discovering that the person in the cellar resembled Lady Baron Brignais's missing illegitimate son, he frowned slightly and pushed the Deep Brown Wooden Door open even wider.

More light streamed in, and the little boy instinctively turned around and looked towards the doorway.

Lumian saw the brass buttons on his clothes, the black and white checkered shirt and Flax jacket, the chubby face, the brown Eyes that were not panicked but bewildered, and the mouth that was dripping with blood.

The little boy held several pieces of raw Steak, which were a dark Blood-Colored, in his hand. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as he chewed on a clump of flesh that looked like Rat, with a thin black tail swaying gently at his lips.

Lumian narrowed his eyes and put his left hand into his pocket.

The little boy didn't react. He stared blankly at Lumian, chewed a few more times, and then swallowed the bloody Rat, tail and all, with a gulp.

Lumian raised an eyebrow and said, "You're Brignais's illegitimate son?"

"No." The little boy took a bite of a raw Steak.

"So what is your relationship?" Lumian asked in a "calm" manner.

After eating the Steak for a while, the little boy said, "He's my Godfather, my guardian in Trier."

Intis language fluent English with little accent... Lumian looked at the unusual-looking little boy with suspicion and tentatively asked, "Are you running away from home?"

"Yes." The little boy gnawed on a raw Steak until his mouth was Blood-Colored.

Behind him was deep darkness, surrounded by dim light from the corridor.

"Why did you run away from your Godfather? Do you need me to send you back?" Lumian asked with a smile, seeing that the other party was able to communicate in a relatively amicable manner.

The little boy shook his head violently:

"Don't want!

"I don't want to go back to class, study, do homework, do practice tests, and take exams!"

This... the other party's reasoning left Lumian feeling inexplicably disoriented, as if she were seeing a glimpse of her former self:

He was intelligent and had no problem attending classes, reading, and taking exams. He also grasped knowledge quite quickly. However, he disliked doing homework and tests. He only managed to persevere thanks to Aurora's "education of love," and he wished he could have his friends Raymond and Ava do it for him.

Is this child, Rat and doesn't seem like a normal person, the Destiny that Termiboros spoke of? Lumian and asked, "You don't seem to be Intis?"

The little boy, with an honest and simple demeanor and blood on his lips, replied, "I'm from Lenburg."