Chapter 910: First Encounter |
When it came to observation, although Lumian was already a demigod, all his abilities were suppressed to the Sequence 7 level. He felt he wasn't as professional as a Spectator, so he gave the back seat position closest to the target building to Anthony. Lumian relied on his eagle-like vision from the Demoness pathway and a Hunter's sensitivity to visual clues to observe from afar.
In the front seat, Franca had finally managed to complete her parallel parking. She rested her elbow on the car door, watching the target area while secretly feeling proud. Jenna turned around, leaning forward and squeezing her head above Franca's shoulder, also watching intently.
As time passed minute by minute, Franca suddenly smelled the aroma of meat stewed with spices until tender.
She turned her head and saw Ludwig quietly munching on a meat sandwich in the far corner of the back seat.
"It hasn't been two hours since breakfast, right?" Franca blurted out.
Why is he eating again?
Lumian simply replied, "No, it hasn't."
"I'm thinking, is this his eating frequency and portion size in reality too…" Franca muttered.
She didn't have a direct understanding of how much Ludwig could eat before, only a financial concept. But in the days before entering the dream, she often helped Jenna supervise Ludwig's homework and test papers. The two Demonesses got to witness what it meant to be a Glutton, leaving an extremely deep impression.
Hearing this, Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony's gazes suddenly turned to Ludwig.
Ludwig quickly stuffed the entire meat sandwich in his mouth and mumbled, "Because it's delicious!"
"You'd rather be stuffed than not eat?" Lumian raised an eyebrow.
"Mmhmm." Ludwig nodded vigorously.
Seeing Ludwig like this, Jenna couldn't help but laugh.
"It is really delicious."
Lumian thought for a moment and decided to indulge Ludwig for a couple of days, as he himself was eating more than usual.
"It's really good, isn't it?" Franca became proud again, "What I can't figure out is how none of you got diarrhea. Jenna and Anthony were even clamoring that it was spicy while eating!"
"My digestive system has endured the burning of flames, and Ascetic has strong resistance to extreme environments." Lumian indicated that spiciness was no trouble for a Hunter who liked self-harm like him.
"Swallowing a ball of fire" was an exaggeration for others, but for him it was an occasional objective description.
Anthony continued observing the entrance and exit of the building, calmly saying, "The Mythical Creature form of Spectator is a mind dragon."
Although there wasn't much improvement in combat abilities, one's physical toughness would significantly increase.
Just as Jenna was about to describe her feelings, Anthony and Lumian said in unison, "Mr. Fool is here."
Jenna hurriedly returned to her previous posture, turning her gaze to the dark-tinted car window.
She saw a young man wearing a black short-sleeved polo shirt, light-colored casual pants, and a pair of brownish sneakers. He was holding a cup of soy milk and carrying a bag of steamed buns, taking a few steps up the stairs towards the building.
This man had short black hair that was simply styled, deep brown eyes behind a pair of non-prescription glasses. His face was much thinner compared to the portrait in their files, with soft contours, giving him a somewhat handsome appearance.
He was precisely Lumian and the others' target, the dream image of Mr. Fool, Zhou Mingrui!
After Zhou Mingrui's figure disappeared into the building lobby, Franca took a breath and said, "Compared to the original sketch, Mr. Fool has lost quite a bit of weight and become a little better looking…
"Could the Major Arcana card holders' speculation be correct, that he was somehow misled by the Celestial Worthy into drinking the Assassin potion?
"Is the Celestial Worthy trying to use gender change to cause cognitive issues for Mr. Fool and thereby achieve victory?"
The Major Arcana card holders mentioned in the files that one of the most important phase goals for Lumian's team was to prevent Zhou Mingrui, who was suspected to have drunk the Assassin potion, from truly becoming a Witch!
"Does the Assassin potion also improve appearance?" Lumian asked Franca and Jenna.
He had switched from the Hunter pathway to the Demoness pathway and hadn't experienced the Assassin sequence in detail.
"It mainly adjusts body shape to make the user more suitable as an assassin, which brings about a slight change in appearance, but very little," Franca recalled. "Mr. Fool, uh, Zhou Mingrui probably succeeded in passive weight loss, becoming better looking mainly due to slimming down, and secondarily due to the minor improvements from the Assassin potion."
She felt it was better to refer to the target as Zhou Mingrui for now. Constantly using "Mr. Fool" made her nervous and afraid to discuss.
Lumian nodded and asked Anthony, "Did you notice anything?"
Anthony said, "Mr. Fool's steps up the stairs were very light, consistent with the description of the Assassin potion…
"Mr. Fool is wearing non-prescription glasses to conceal eyes that are no longer nearsighted, indicating he doesn't want to change his life in the short term and will continue working…
"Mr. Fool's emotional state seems good, he probably hasn't encountered any major incidents yet…
"Can't tell if he's taken the Instigator potion yet…"
After hearing Anthony's observations, Lumian thoughtfully said, "Continue observing and recording the people mentioned in our files and those showing certain abnormalities…"
"Okay," Jenna responded first, then pointed across the street. "That's Rozanne, in reality she's a civilian staff member of the Church of Evernight, married with children. In the dream, she's Zhou Mingrui's colleague. Currently uncertain if there's anything abnormal…"
Franca followed up, "That one wearing a white tailcoat with a bowtie and long silver hair in 30-degree heat is Vice President Wu from the company next to Zhou Mingrui's, suspected to be…"
At this point, Franca glanced sideways at Lumian and saw that his expression remained calm, his gaze not changing much.
Only then did she continue, "Suspected to be Ouroboros, the Angel of Fate of the Aurora Order, a king from ancient times."
According to their files, the company next to Mr. Fool's should be a projection of the Aurora Order in the dream.
Until 10 a.m., Lumian and the others finished their first round of observation, matching many people with the information in their files, but not discovering any truly suspicious individuals.
"Roselle Emperor, uh, CEO Huang didn't come," Franca said with some disappointment.
Roselle Emperor's image in the dream was the CEO of the Intis Group where Mr. Fool worked, a business tycoon, a domineering boss.
Before Lumian could respond, Franca chuckled to herself. "He's probably still in bed with some actress, streamer, or singer."
Lumian was also a bit disappointed, but there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
He, who had never attended university, was already preparing to apply for a security guard position at the Intis Group.
"Now let's go buy clothes," Lumian said, looking down at his still normal shirt and trousers, then glancing at Jenna's blue waist-cinching long dress with classical charm.
At this point, Ludwig raised a question, "What's for lunch?"
Franca, currently responsible for the entire team's income, immediately said, "Who eats out every day?
"Later we'll go to a large supermarket and buy dozens of kilos of noodles and some side dishes. I'll cook noodles for you, all you can eat!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Franca saw the smile and anticipation disappear from Ludwig's face, replaced by a slightly aggrieved expression.
She felt no pity or guilt, but instead secretly patted her thigh.
Damn, I should have let Jenna say those two sentences! What a great opportunity to digest the Affliction potion!
After finalizing their itinerary, Franca carefully drove the car out onto the wide road.
…
Inside a large shopping mall.
Lumian and the others, with their appearance completely transformed, took the elevator from the underground parking lot to the first floor.
Franca looked at Jenna again, feeling that the simple combination of a white patterned T-shirt, light blue jeans, white sneakers, and ankle-length socks of the same color gave her a fresh and clean look. It retained a youthful, student-like air while adding a hint of natural allure in her glances, attracting the gaze of many passersby.
It's the type I used to like, no, still like! And Jenna with heavy makeup is another style altogether… Franca didn't hide her admiration.
Her tall stature and striking features made the ordinary black T-shirt and wide-leg pants look mature and confident, causing many people to only dare steal quick glances.
Lumian still wore a shirt with black pants, but with a more casual and relaxed feel. Walking together with the two Demonesses, they looked as beautiful as a painting.
Their clothes were all very cheap. Franca had given up on the bulk-priced ones and opted for the 10-yuan items, buying a lot.
Lumian's gaze swept every corner of the mall, feeling it was spacious, bright, and clean, even more impressive than the most luxurious department store in Trier.
Franca had no intention of letting Lumian, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig wander around here. She headed straight for the escalator going down to the basement, planning to enter the supermarket.
Money needs to be saved!
As soon as Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony arrived at the entrance of the supermarket, they were dazzled by the wide array of goods inside, the artistic displays, and the soft yet bright lighting.
Franca suddenly paused, instinctively turning her head towards Ludwig. She found the little boy's gaze already fixed, his eyes filled with burning desire.
"Let's go back!" Franca blurted out. "I'll buy the stuff online and have it delivered!"
In a place like a supermarket, kids simply can't control themselves!
Hearing Franca's words, Ludwig's expression immediately fell.
After learning the reason, Lumian and Jenna both agreed with Franca's decision.
Turning around and walking a few steps, Lumian's peripheral vision suddenly caught a figure.
The figure had their head slightly lowered, black hair hanging down, faintly revealing small and delicate ears.
She quickly disappeared into the depths of the supermarket.
Lumian suddenly stopped and said in a low voice to Franca, Jenna, and Anthony, "I may have seen that reanimated female corpse."
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