As real as reality

Following Lumian's instructions, Franca quickly reviewed the surveillance footage from the Fourth Floor of the mall over the previous three minutes.

During this process, Jenna and Anthony hid in an area being burned by the "Flames of Destruction" to avoid the remaining Mysticism Pathogens and Decay forces.

The former also caused clusters of quiet Black Flame to erupt in other parts of the Surveillance Room, helping Lumian to eliminate necessary traces. The only problem was that she could only create six or seven clusters at a time.

Ludwig, taking advantage of the fact that he still had the "Mirror Substitute" unused, seized the opportunity to eat snacks—flesh and blood carrying Mysticism Pathogens and Decay power.

Franca quickly retrieved the corresponding surveillance footage.

In what should have been a dark, quiet, and deserted scene, two Daoist were engaged in a fierce battle, and Crimson Flames quickly ignited the area, sending thick smoke billowing into the air.

However, there seems to be some inconsistency between the fight scenes and the original scene, as if it was forcibly inserted using outdated special effects technology. Both Lumian and his enemies are quite blurry, showing signs of interference.

"Your battle in the Surveillance World has actually become part of the surveillance footage, while nothing like that actually happened outside. The Fourth Floor of the mall is completely undamaged..." Franca pulled up the current surveillance footage from the cameras corresponding to that area on the Fourth Floor of the mall and made a comparison.

She took a breath and said, "This... the Surveillance World really isn't just Mirror World; it clearly has characteristics of the Information World..."

Lumian nodded slightly and said, "Our understanding of the Mysticism knowledge related to Alternate Dimension and illusory worlds is still quite rudimentary. The abilities, Authority, and knowledge in this area seem to be scattered across Pathway such as ' Witch,' ' Mystery Pryer,' ' Apprentice,' and ' Painter.' Among these, ' Apprentice ' is the main path, and I'm not sure if the ' Painter ' Pathway can compare with the ' Apprentice.'"

"Pathway skilled in summoning should also have some understanding of Alternate Dimension and illusory worlds," Franca said, turning halfway around. "These surveillance videos won't allow the Police and the Celestial Worthy's Subordinate to reconstruct your image; we don't need to deliberately sabotage the surveillance equipment."

At this moment, with Jenna's help, Lumian had erased all traces left by himself and the others in the Surveillance Room, Franca also began to use the "Witch's" Black Flame to clean up the fingerprints she had left on the equipment.

"Let's go back. We need to hurry and Spiritism," Lumian said, turning his gaze away.

"Hmm." Franca withdrew her hand, which was covered in Black Flame.

Lumian immediately led his teammates back to the rented car through the Mirror World. Franca had just fastened her seatbelt and was about to start the car when she suddenly shivered.

She began to feel cold, as if all the heat in her body was being drawn out. Her head became dizzy, her vision would sometimes go black, and she would see Golden Stars. She felt like she might Past at any moment.

Franca understood that this was the Negative Effect of the "Certain-Hit Gun" taking effect—if either the "Certain Death" or "Certain Hit" effect was triggered, the user would inevitably become seriously ill, and if no effective healer was found, they might even die as a result. Even if a healer was found, the serious illness would continue for some time.

Similarly, after each use of the "Winter Is Coming" Revolver, Anthony would need to seek treatment from a "Apothecary" or "Doctor," otherwise he would inevitably suffer from an incurable disease that even Low-Sequence Beyonder could not cure.

Seeing Franca's face turn almost transparently pale, Lumian reached into the "Traveler’s Bag" and took out two bottles of Healing Potion.

These are action resources provided by the "Tarot Club," supposedly items that the Fool Pharmaceutical Company does not sell to the public and are produced in very limited quantities.

For this operation, the Major Arcana gave Lumian and the others a total of twenty-five bottles of general-purpose Healing Potion. Most of them were kept by Lumian, the Team Leader. Jenna, Franca, and Anthony each carried two bottles with them, while Ludwig did not.

Children need supervision, otherwise they might secretly drink it!

Franca's hands trembled as she opened the bottle of Healing Potion and gulped it down.

The cool liquid slid down her esophagus and into her Stomach.

Before long, the chill disappeared quickly, and a layer of sweat appeared on her skin.

"Much better..." Franca breathed a sigh of relief, "But my head is still a little dizzy, my forehead is hot, and I feel a bit weak."

Anthony, who hadn't yet developed symptoms, finished his Healing Potion and was perfectly fine.

"I'll drive," Lumian said.

"Can you... can you drive?" Franca didn't really feel like she was in the right state to drive, but Lumian, who had never learned to drive, made her even more worried. "How about we take a taxi?"

Lumian laughed and said, "I observed you driving carefully today. You've mastered the basics, and it's the middle of the night, so there aren't many cars around."

"More importantly, I also have the driver's license given to me by Lady. ' Justice '."

"Okay, Li Ming." Franca weakly unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door.

Li Ming is Lumian's alias in the Dream world.

Franca's knees buckled as soon as her feet touched the ground, and she nearly fell, but luckily Lumian was already waiting outside the driver's compartment and grabbed her arm in time.

"Is this what it feels like to be seriously ill... and this is with the Negative Effect suppressed to Sequence 7..." Franca muttered as she helped Lumian towards the passenger seat, preparing to give him guidance later.

Lumian chuckled:

"If this were the real world, I'd probably have to carry you right now."

Franca imagined that scene for a moment, then suddenly said, "No, let's just memorize it!"

Lumian glanced at her but said nothing.

Jenna, who had already gotten out of the passenger seat, watched the two approach step by step, listening to their conversation. Her Eyes were somewhat Gloom, but her expression was also somewhat gratified.

After everyone was seated and the car doors were closed, Franca gave a brief explanation:

"This is the steering wheel, you turn it which way you want to go. This is the accelerator, used to control speed. This is the brake, used to stop, and also for emergency deceleration... In short, don't overtake, only change lanes when there are few cars, stop at red lights, go at green lights, and turn when you need to. Automatic transmissions are very simple..."

Lumian stepped on the brake, released the handbrake, and shifted the lever to the appropriate position.

The gray sedan slowly started moving and gradually sped up.

After passing two traffic lights, Lumian already looked quite skilled.

Franca stared, her mouth slightly agape, and weakly asked, "You've already learned it?"

You don't even need me to guide you anymore?

"It's very simple," Lumian replied with a smile, using Franca's words.

He then released one hand and pointed to his head:

"You have to trust the ' Hunter's' spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination."

Franca suddenly realized that being the one in the squad who could drive wasn't such a source of pride anymore.

And so, Lumian drove the car back to his rented old neighborhood, and then, with Jenna's guidance, spent quite a while finally parking the car, which made Franca feel smug again.

To save money, they rented an older model car that didn't have a parking assistance system.

Inside the Rented Apartment, Lumian led his teammates into the Mirror the Resurrected Female Corpse was hidden.

Apart from Lumian and Ludwig, Franca and the others didn't dare to look closely, fearing further Corruption. But even with just a glance, they noticed a faint Gloom light emanating from the tattered female corpse, slowly converging towards her right eye.

"Beyonder Characteristic extracted?" Jenna blurted out.

Because of her weakness, Franca was a step slower than her and exclaimed in astonishment, "This dream is too real!"

Can Beyonder also develop unique characteristics?

Before Lumian and the others could respond, Franca suddenly had a whimsical thought, "If I gained Beyonder Characteristic in this dream, concocted Potion, performed Ritual, drank it, and successfully advanced in rank, how would I Change in the real world?"

Upon hearing this question, the Mirror-Behind Region remained eerily quiet, with no one speaking.

"I can't answer you," Lumian said after a few seconds of thought. "Perhaps I should consult the Major Arcana, or take this Beyonder Characteristic out of the Dream and see if it 'follows' into reality."

After arriving in the city and the book, Lumian and the others no longer needed the help of "Lady Justice" to exit and re-enter the Dream. They could now reach it directly using Lucky Gold Coin, instead of by train.

"Frequent visits to Dream might attract the attention of the Celestial Worthy," Anthony reminded Lumian.

Lumian hummed in agreement.

"There are other ways. We'll try our best not to withdraw. We'll contact the Major Arcana first thing tomorrow morning."

Although the Major Arcana are subject to various restrictions in the Dream, and some cannot even enter it, there is still a way to penetrate the Dream and contact them; that requires going to a certain place.

As they spoke, Gloom and Beyonder Characteristic gathered in the Resurrected Female Corpse's right eye, turning it into a black with a faint blue glow.

During this process, the three "Witch," Lumian, Franca, and Jenna, have created multiple clusters of Black Flame, burning the female corpse and the Mysticism Pathogens spread by their special properties.

Following the instructions of the "Despair" Potion Formula, Lumian collected the black eyeball, the bile from the Resurrected Female Corpse, and a clump of thick, long hair that had turned Gray-White- white and had not yet returned to its original form. He then handed these items to Franca, asking her to put them in the "Traveler’s Bag."

Ludwig had been holding back for a long time, finally found his chance and pointed at the female corpse, saying, "May I have a few bites?"

He has already obtained the ability of "Mirror Substitute" through "Deprivation". After eating a few more bites of the female corpse's flesh and blood, he will have the opportunity to fix this ability onto himself.

Of course, limited by the Dream and the fact that "Deprivation" is currently only at Sequence 7, he cannot permanently obtain the "Mirror Substitute" and can only use it for two or three weeks.

"Okay." Lumian nodded.

Ludwig excitedly ran Past and approached the woman's head, his target being her delicate, small ears.

"After her death, the ' Witch's' Charm was concentrated on her ears, even Ludwig was attracted?" Lumian had just had this thought when he saw Ludwig lean down, bite off the ear with a snap, and start gnawing on it with his mouth full of blood.

Franca and the others remained silent, turning their bodies away and no longer looking.

After Ludwig ate the "Witch's " two ears and reluctantly returned to Jenna's side, Lumian began to set up the Ritual.

Because he lacked a target for his prayers, he could only use the simplest method of "Spiritism," while carefully guarding against any strong Corruption from the Celestial Worthy on the target's body.

Soon, the blurry, ghostly image of a female corpse appeared.

Lumian asked in a low voice, "What were you doing when you woke up in the Morgue of Mushu Hospital?"