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Chapter 935: Interview

Lumian didn't try to greet Huang Tao, still looking ahead until one of the elevators opened its doors.

The rush hour had already passed, and only a handful of people were waiting in the elevator area, entering in sequence.

Today, Lumian only wanted to succeed in the interview, hoping for no other incidents. He didn't plan to observe Mr. Huang or make further contact, so he chose the position furthest from Huang Tao, only politely nodding when their eyes met.

Mr. Huang was a celebrity among celebrities. It was impossible for those working or planning to work in this building not to recognize him. The others in the elevator had already greeted him in various ways, so Lumian couldn't completely ignore him.

Huang Tao, hands in his pockets, was casually chatting with a middle-aged man who seemed to be a department head from the Intis Group headquarters, showing no air of authority as a big boss.

As the elevator ascended, the others, including Lumian, got off at their respective floors, while Huang Tao went to the sixteenth floor.

His CEO office was actually near the administrative department on the tenth floor. The sixteenth floor had been arranged as a luxurious club for entertaining VIP guests and for his own relaxation.

There was even an indoor swimming pool there.

The beautiful secretary standing guard at the private elevator turned and said with a helpless smile,

"Mr. Huang, why are you competing with the employees for the elevator again?"

The four employee elevators generally couldn't reach the sixteenth floor, but Huang Tao could make them go up using card swipes, fingerprint recognition, or facial recognition.

Huang Tao didn't speak, smiling as he looked at the mature and beautiful female secretary, his gaze sweeping over every detail of her face.

The female secretary's heart trembled, and her voice lowered as she asked,

"Mr. Huang, is my makeup not done well?"

Huang Tao smiled.

"Beautiful things are worth appreciating."

Without waiting for the secretary's response, he walked directly towards the swimming pool, silently saying to himself,

My aesthetic taste hasn't changed, yet I actually thought a man looked quite good just now…

Parking lot attached to the lottery center.

Franca, who was five minutes late due to traffic, turned to Anthony and said,

"No accidents so far."

She didn't say things like "This time it's really going smoothly" or "We should be able to claim the prize successfully today."

It's not too late to be happy when the money is in the account!

Anthony, who had been repeatedly educated by Franca about the prize-claiming process seven or eight times, nodded, opened the door, got out of the car, and walked towards the lottery center.

Franca, feeling a bit uneasy, tossed a lollipop to Ludwig.

"You wait for me in the car, don't go anywhere."

"Mm!" Ludwig bit down on the lollipop, first gnawing off the outer wrapper and swallowing it.

Franca left the vehicle in a running state to ensure the air conditioning continued to work.

She got out of the car, muttering,

"This is not good behavior. Parents, please don't learn from this. Don't leave children alone in the car. It's dangerous if you take out the key, and even more dangerous if you don't…"

But with Ludwig left in the car, it wasn't the child who was in danger, but the car and the surrounding pedestrians.

Franca then used the shadows cast by the morning sun to sneak into the lottery center, hiding behind an obstruction not far from Anthony.

She listened intently to the conversation between Anthony and the staff member, holding her phone, ready to call and correct his statements at any moment.

The staff member said to Anthony,

"First prize can't be claimed yet, but other prizes can be."

Is it really possible? The method of separating the ticket from the person really works… Or maybe the dream's tendency is actually targeting the person who won the first prize? Franca, hiding in the shadows, felt a surge of excitement as she listened.

After a few more exchanges, when the staff member asked for the lottery ticket, Anthony pretended to have something to do and took out his phone to call Lumian.

Tenth floor of the Tech Building, Intis Group headquarters, outside the "West Lognes" conference room.

Lumian sat on a chair with three other job applicants, waiting for the interview.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

Seeing that the caller was "An Ruide", he rejected the call and put his right hand into his trouser pocket.

There was a mirror about half the size of a palm and the second-prize winning lottery ticket.

Lumian first wrapped the ticket in layers of spider silk, then formed a layer of frost on the outside of the silk, and finally ignited Flames of Destruction on the surface of the frost.

After quickly completing these preparations, he pressed the ticket into the mirror.

The lottery ticket immediately fell into a tunnel of void darkness, plummeting towards the corresponding mirror.

Along the way, the quietly burning black flames, constraining destruction, slightly illuminated the depths of the mirror world, as if warning all unknown entities that dared to set their sights on the lottery ticket.

When the ticket reached the mirror carried by Anthony, the Flames of Destruction had already extinguished, melting the frost and the spider silk.

The intact lottery ticket emerged from inside the mirror, just as Anthony's extended hand pressed against it.

Anthony took out this lottery ticket and handed it to the staff member.

After receiving it, the staff member's hand retracted slightly, and he muttered to himself,

"It's been kept in a fridge all this time?"

Tenth floor of the Tech Building, outside the West Lognes conference room.

Lumian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems now that the dream tendency interfering with our prize claiming indeed comes from the Celestial Worthy. If Mr. Fool thought this matter was problematic and wanted to prevent Franca from claiming the prize, with the lucky coin for positioning, he wouldn't have been bypassed so easily…

After a while, Lumian's phone vibrated a few times.

He picked it up and saw that a friend with the WeChat name "True Hidden Blade" had sent several messages in a row:

"Successfully claimed the prize!

"We're rich now!

"Oh, by the way, the first prize can't be claimed yet."

First prize can't be claimed yet… Lumian suddenly felt puzzled, Is the first prize winner an ally or an enemy? Does the dream's obstructing tendency come from the Celestial Worthy or Mr. Fool?

His previous deductions suddenly became less certain.

Because it was also possible that Mr. Fool was obstructing Franca's prize claiming, but the purpose was to affect the person who won the first prize. He and his team were just caught in the crossfire. Today, whether the lottery ticket was separated from the claimer or not, it would have succeeded anyway.

As Lumian pondered, from the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Mingrui passing by from afar, but Zhou Mingrui didn't pay attention to the interview here, engrossed in discussing something with Luo Shan.

"Next, Li Ming," the interviewer called Lumian into the conference room at this time.

Lumian entered calmly, politely greeted the two interviewers, one male and one female, and sat down in the chair designated for interviewees.

After asking a few routine questions, the female interviewer, about thirty years old, looked Lumian over.

"Why did you drop out of high school?"

"Puppy love," Lumian answered without any shame.

"Puppy love shouldn't lead to dropping out, right?" the male interviewer, who had also experienced puppy love, asked puzzledly.

"We had a child," Lumian calmly added.

The two interviewers were momentarily speechless, both lowering their heads to write down a paragraph about this with their pens, for later evaluation reference.

Lumian's eyes suddenly took on a silver-black hue.

He discreetly extended both hands, touching and amplifying the streams of fate favorable to him.

The two interviewers then wrote down similar words:

"Decent image, height exceeds standard, young and strong, married and had a child early, needs to support a family, values money quite highly…"

After writing this, the female interviewer further asked,

"How old is your child?"

"7 years old," Lumian answered truthfully.

"7 years old? Aren't you only about 22?" the male interviewer blurted out in surprise, "Didn't you say you had puppy love in high school?"

"I only said I dropped out of high school because of puppy love, not that the puppy love started in high school," Lumian explained seriously. "I had a child in the third year of junior high. By the second year of high school, both my parents had passed away, and I needed to support myself, my girlfriend, and our child, so I had to drop out."

The two interviewers looked at each other, not knowing how to evaluate this situation.

After about ten seconds, the male interviewer asked,

"Have you learned martial arts?"

"Do you need me to demonstrate?" Lumian inquired sincerely.

As he asked, his whole demeanor became slightly sharper.

"No need, I can sense it," the male interviewer felt that the applicant looked quite capable of fighting.

After asking about expected salary and other questions, the female interviewer said to Lumian,

"That will be all. Wait for our notification. If you don't receive a call in the next day or two, it means you haven't passed."

She spoke very frankly because this young man seemed approachable. Although he had dropped out of high school and had puppy love and a child early, he was very polite and had the looks for the job.

Lumian, who had lightly used Charm, stood up and politely said goodbye.

"La la la, la la la, I'm a little newspaper seller…"

Franca hummed a nursery rhyme cheerfully as she drove.

She had received the prize money of over 156,000 yuan, and because each bet didn't exceed 10,000 yuan, no tax was required.

Now, the team temporarily had no financial worries. Next, apart from contacting and probing relevant individuals, they would find ways to earn more money to rent one or two items from the Star Dream Provisions Store.

However, the idea of buying similar lottery tickets would have to be postponed for a while, as the hidden struggle behind winning and claiming prizes seemed quite intense!

Of course, they could continue to buy scratch cards, but they would have to frequently change lottery stores.

While envisioning the future, Franca's phone suddenly rang.

Wearing earphones, she chose to answer.

The call was from the human resources department of the Intis Group, asking Franca to come for an interview tomorrow morning.

Haha, when things go well, everything goes smoothly! Franca muttered to herself, extremely happy.

Later, she would have to use Lie and makeup techniques to make herself moderately less attractive, to avoid catching Mr. Huang's attention and being forced to resign and leave, unable to complete the task of contacting Zhou Mingrui.

But making herself less attractive didn't mean becoming truly ugly, just reducing her beauty to a certain extent. Otherwise, if the appearance-focused Mr. Huang happened to wander into the administrative department one day and felt this employee wasn't good-looking, he might fire her on the spot. What then?

Dechuang Garden, Building 5, 23rd floor.

Jenna, who hadn't encountered any abnormal situations all day, leaned against the window, watching Luo Shan return to her residence wearing a women's shirt, pencil skirt with stockings and high heels, change into a casual dress, and leave the building again carrying a white handbag.

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  1. Offline
    Jack_Nat_Mikhail
    + 00 -
    Tyvm
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    (65) Chapter 949: Action Outline

    Lumian waited until the Dream Classes opened before using a sound method to input a message to Anderson Hood on WeChat:

    "Anderson, do you have painting courses at your academy? I have a friend who wants to know."

    Last night, after receiving news from Jenna, Lumian had been contemplating how to probe Anderson Hood. Considering that Rozanne had already been controlled and the issue of personality alteration had been preliminarily resolved, he decided that there was no rush. He didn’t need to collect the information about the legal entity and shareholders of "The Colorful Hostel" and send it directly to Anderson, thus subtly hinting at other ventures Anderson might be involved in. He intended to observe the reaction and wait for potential surprises.

    Lumian planned to start with painting as a way to probe Anderson without raising his suspicion.

    Anderson did not immediately reply to Lumian, but Lumian didn’t pause to check his phone. He put it back in his pocket and returned to his observation post.

    He glanced at the large screens in front of him, and the thought of what he had done and what he still needed to do flashed through his mind, forming an "experiment":

    1. Observe the dreamlike image of Mr. Fool and those around him;

    2. Have an initial contact with Zhou Mingrui during the day to leave a certain impression;

    3. Get closer to people near Zhou Mingrui in stages, eliminating one suspect and then moving on to the next;

    4. Establish a deeper impression on Zhou Mingrui during the day;

    5. Build a relationship with Zhou Mingrui that allows for open conversation, hinting at the existence of supernatural powers and his friendly intentions;

    6. Make first contact with Zhou Mingrui at night;

    7. At night, hint again at the existence of supernatural powers and his friendly intentions;

    8. Based on the results of these experiments and the information gathered, develop a formal awakening plan.

    This was Lumian’s team’s action outline. So far, they had completed the first four parts without anyone being expelled from the dream or encountering limitations. The third part was dispersed throughout the entire process, requiring team members to isolate themselves for a day and a night after each contact before continuing.

    The subsequent parts, however, gradually increased in danger. Lumian did not plan to avoid it because determining the level and source of danger was one of the experiment's goals.

    Only by knowing what could be done, what couldn't be done, what would lead to immediate expulsion, and what might take some time to manifest could their team officially move into the eighth part of the action outline—devising a targeted awakening plan.

    At this stage, Lumian wasn't worried about failure. He feared not being able to find the cause of failure.

    With these thoughts in mind, he approached many things with a "testing" mentality. This included whether the Broken Information Box was useful, whether Stiano was trustworthy, what the relationship was between Anderson Hood and the Painter pathway, and whether Grimm was involved in influencing the Dreamscape related to the Great Mother.

    By connecting the "test" results with the Major Arcana cards and comparing notes, they might discover some interesting and useful details.

    If they had initially consulted the Major Arcana, they might have formed a predetermined mindset, avoiding the tests and thus missing out on results that were personally significant. Their minds would only hold conclusions drawn by the Major Arcana cards, potentially causing them to miss critical information.

    As Lumian contemplated the next steps, he noticed an additional figure in the surveillance footage from the tenth floor.

    The camera was aimed at the entrance of the Polar Light Company, where a person wearing a long black robe with a deep hood, completely out of sync with the surroundings, ran out.

    The person suddenly dropped something from their robe, which fell to the ground.

    They quickly squatted down, covering the fallen items with the robe's hem.

    When the person stood up again, the floor was spotless, with no items left behind.

    As Lumian watched the footage of this person exiting, he murmured to himself, "Is this a representative of the Polar Light Company in the dream city?"

    The security guard sitting beside him followed his gaze and laughed, "Don’t be afraid. Those nutcases from Polar Light Company are always like that—no need to worry."

    "I thought it was some kind of performance art," Lumian said while watching Rozanne exit the elevator and enter Intis Corporation.

    ***

    In the administrative department, inside the large office.

    Rozanne noticed that some items were missing from her desk and paused in confusion.

    "I helped you clear out all those drawings," Franca explained with a smile as she approached.

    Rozanne suddenly realized, "I completely forgot about that. I'll redraw them later."

    She paused for a moment, glanced around, and then asked in a low voice, "Will I still be able to draw afterward?"

    "You can; it won't affect your ability to use your powers," Franca reassured her quietly before raising her voice, "Manager Truong asked you to familiarize me with the work process."

    Truong Khánh's full title was Deputy Manager of the Administration Department at Intis Corporation.

    "Alright." Rozanne pulled Franca closer and began chatting openly about various company rumors.

    Finally, Rozanne said, "I forgot to tell you last night, but we recently hired a really fierce young security guard who even dares to hate on those MCN company people. He's really good-looking, but don't tell anyone—he already has a seven-year-old son, and he's only 22!"

    Technically, I'm one of those mothers... Franca's mouth twitched as she sighed in agreement, "He must've had a child in junior high, then."

    After chatting about this for a while, Franca returned to her seat and began working, following Rozanne's instructions.

    As she became familiar with the easily manageable system, she turned in her chair and stood up, intending to help Rozanne with some tasks.

    She saw Rozanne holding a pencil, intently sketching something on a piece of white paper.

    What is she drawing? Franca approached Rozanne silently, her steps light.

    She found that Rozanne was sketching a portrait of herself, drawing Rozanne with hollow eyes, a cold expression, and a sinister smile.

    This... Franca's eyes narrowed as she reached out and placed a hand on Rozanne's shoulder:

    "What are you drawing?"

    Rozanne jerked in surprise and quickly stopped describing.

    She turned her body and saw that it was Franca behind her. She clearly let out a sigh of relief, pressing her chest as she said:

    "You scared me to death! I thought I was caught by old Truong while sneaking around."

    While speaking, Rozanne glanced at the sketch on the table, and her expression quickly turned to fear:

    "Why, why did I draw this?"

    Franca pondered for two seconds, revealing a reassuring smile that made Rozanne feel at ease:

    "Don’t worry, you can finish the last few strokes, and I'll take care of the rest."

    Rozanne hesitated again, leaning forward to quickly add the final strokes, making the portrait even more lifelike.

    As soon as she finished drawing, the figure in the sketch began to exhibit a state as if it were about to come to life.

    Franca took the drawing, and in the palm of her hand, a black flame ignited.

    The expression on the Rozanne in the drawing immediately turned pained, her face filled with resentment and hatred, as if she were experiencing the same burning sensation.

    In just a moment, the drawing curled up, displaying signs of self-combustion, quickly turning to ashes and falling into the trash bin.

    As she completed this task, Franca used the transparent screen on the side of the desk to obscure Rozanne’s phone screen and the nearby mirror that colleagues were using for makeup.

    She exited the Mirror Maze, ensuring that no extraordinary traces were left on the security camera footage.

    Rozanne stared in astonishment as Franca handled the portrait, taking several seconds before saying:

    "I feel a lot lighter, and my mood has improved a lot."

    Franca nodded and said:

    "You can think of it as another release of negative emotions and desires."

    She paused for two seconds before adding:

    "At the moment, we can only treat your symptoms without addressing the root cause. Simply put, we can only treat the surface, not the core.

    "So, you need to stay aware of your condition, regularly self-examine, and if you notice anything wrong, come to us immediately for another round of treatment. Don’t delay, or else the behavior you just exhibited will happen again, and the consequences could be unpredictable.

    "Power is a double-edged sword. It can harm others, but it can also harm yourself. We will face this for the rest of our lives."

    Rozanne quietly listened, then after a moment of silence, she smiled and said:

    "I understand what you mean. I hope, I hope I can hold on for a few more years, preferably until I retire. No, let me enjoy five years of life after retirement."

    Seeing Rozanne’s smile, Franca suddenly felt it was somewhat glaring, piercing her eyes.

    In a soft, soothing voice, she said:

    "If you can hold on, you must keep holding on. Just like some diseases, which were incurable a few years ago, but if you actively cooperate with treatment and prolong life, with the development of technology, they can now be treated or better controlled.

    "In the future, we might become stronger, or we might encounter even stronger people, who have a way to solve the problem of power contamination."

    Rozanne slowly nodded, smiling at Franca and said:

    "I'll do my best. Hmm, you also have to keep going. We both have to keep going!"

    Franca was silent for a moment before undoing the Mirror Maze and returning to her place.

    She picked up her phone and noticed that Jenna, who was secretly called Little Minx, had sent her a message, recounting the dangerous experience of taking a painting to the Dreamscape shop on the street, receiving help, and the final outcome.

    Franca was shocked and a little annoyed with herself for not accompanying Jenna.

    She had anticipated significant danger but thought Jenna, being able to voluntarily leave the Dreamscape, was merely wasting an opportunity. She hadn't expected the force represented by that Evil God of the Fantasy Association to be able to prevent them from returning to reality.

    Jenna almost really died.

    "Luckily, Amon and His Father were on our side... Jenna’s ordeal at least yielded crucial information. In the future, if we encounter the Painter, we must be cautious about not being able to exit the Dreamscape..." Franca thought of Lumian, who was about to or had already gone to investigate Anderson Hood, and quickly sent Jenna's information to him, also reminding him to use the Shattered Information Box to erase it.

    After confirming that Lumian was currently safe and had received the warning, Franca glanced at Rozanne, roughly understanding why her condition had suddenly relapsed earlier.

    It coincided with the anomaly in the painting and the timing of Jenna’s near-death experience.

    ***

    In the observation room.

    After using the Shattered Information Box to erase the messages from Franca and Jenna, Lumian reminded Anthony.

    He continued to watch the surveillance, searching for any potential anomalies.

    At that moment, Captain Tu Tan Duong of the second security team entered the observation room, patted the shoulders of his two subordinates, and said:

    "After work this afternoon, let’s go visit Lao Wang and Lao Ding. They’ve passed the danger period.

    "After checking their condition, let’s have a gathering with the brothers who aren’t on duty, to also welcome Li Ming to our team."

    "Lao Wang and Lao Ding?" Lumian could guess who Captain Tu was referring to, but still put on a confused expression.

    The burly Tu Tan Duong, with a square face and extremely tanned skin, said with a mix of humor and helplessness:

    "Haven’t you seen the news? Several of our brothers were struck by lightning, but thankfully, it wasn’t any of our second team members. Damn, why do they keep getting struck by lightning?"

    "Oh, I remember now," Lumian replied, asking, "Which hospital are Lao Wang and Lao Ding in?"

    Tu Tan Duong briefly answered, "Mushu Hospital."
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    1. Offline
      Tимофей Кыркелан
      + 60 -
      Did the hanged Alger strike them with lightning to create an opportunity for Lumian? What happens if Klein goes to this hospital?
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      1. Offline
        darynbk
        + 80 -
        Maybe it's Leodero, who knows
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    (64) Chapter 948: The New Employee Orientation

    Grimm's eyes suddenly reflected an indescribably beautiful face, but it vanished in an instant, like a fleeting dream that leaves one yearning yet unable to grasp it.

    Lumian had reverted to his masculine state, and his gaze once again focused on the surveillance screens.

    After a few seconds, Grimm remarked with some emotion, "I was reviewing the personnel files, and I thought, a 22-year-old with a 7-year-old son would be a great fit as a mother. I didn't expect it, haha, but no wonder he's the son of a god."

    I didn’t distort the background information, yet there are still such benefits... Who could have anticipated this earlier? Lumian had to admit that some things were beyond the Conspirer's expectations.

    Suddenly, Grimm stood up and left the observation room.

    Within a few seconds, the cameras inside the observation room returned to their normal functioning state.

    Before long, that wandering security guard returned, sitting down next to Lumian.

    He asked quietly, "Has the Captain not arrived yet?"

    This was the captain of the second security team, Tu Tan Duong. "No," Lumian sincerely replied.

    At the same time, he silently added in his mind:

    The Captain indeed hasn’t arrived, but the Chief Inspector has.

    At that moment, Lumian’s phone vibrated slightly.

    He leaned back, turned his back to his colleague, discreetly took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and glanced at it:

    The vibration was caused by a friend request on WeChat, from "Intis Group Grimm."

    After accepting the request, Lumian naturally checked Grimm's Moments.

    The latest post from the Chief Inspector of Intis Group's security department was:

    "Children are more important than money, descendants are more important than work."

    This was accompanied by nine photos, each featuring a different child.

    Lumian quickly scrolled down and found that Grimm’s Moments revolved around a single theme—sharing about his children.

    "No wonder she’s a mother chosen by the gods... Mr. Fool is still too conservative, only giving Grimm nine children. Well, it does fit the daily situation in the Dream City..." Lumian locked his screen, put his phone back into his pocket, and began thinking about how to use this connection with Grimm.

    He planned to ask casually in a future assessment tone what Grimm had been doing recently and how well it was going.

    ***

    On the tenth floor, in a small office within the administrative department of Intis Group.

    Franca was led by a staff member from the human resources department to meet Truong Khánh, the deputy manager of the administrative department.

    This was also one of the people who had interviewed her earlier.

    Truong Khánh evaluated Franca a few times, feeling a sense of amazement, of course, based on the reference of her interview state.

    He could only say that her figure was indeed extremely good, perfectly suited for this outfit.

    Amidst this amazement, Truong Khánh also began to feel a headache.

    He was worried that Luo Fu, the new employee, might be blindly arrogant, aiming too high for President Huang. He hoped she would diligently and honestly perform her duties, helping to ease the burden on the team.

    Thinking of this, Truong Khánh couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

    This was his usual state—facing different styles of beautiful women every day. As a man, it was hard to avoid some emotional and lustful stirrings. But knowing that any of these women could become President Huang's mistress at any time, he had to restrain himself, not showing a hint of abnormality. Moreover, those women sometimes argued and fought, running to his office to cry and complain, forcing him to spend a great deal of energy mediating.

    This left him mentally and physically exhausted every day, with a feeling of spiritual exhaustion.

    Truong Khanh said a few words to Franca, following the process about the daily work of the office and the issues that needed attention, and finally said:

    "I’ll assign an experienced worker to guide you. Your workstation will be arranged near theirs." Franca proactively suggested:

    "Can you have Rozanne guide me? We live close to each other, and I already know her; she’s the one who made me excited about this company."

    Before officially starting work, Franca had already decided what kind of image she wanted to establish at Intis Group - someone with no ulterior motives, relatively straightforward and cheerful, sometimes speaking without a filter.

    She felt that as long as she didn’t overthink things, and just acted naturally, she could play this role very well.

    Truong Khánh nodded slightly, his expression relaxing a bit: "That’s fine."

    He stood up and led Franca out of the small office, introducing her to the other staff members in the administrative department.

    Franca saw several beautiful women, each trying to highlight their own features—some fresh and pure, some glamorous, some going for a sexy look, creating a sense of a hundred flowers blooming.

    These women were initially wary when they saw Franca, but after examining her face for a few seconds, they relaxed.

    They casually greeted her, some taking out mirrors to touch up their makeup, while others warmly chatted with Franca, hoping to pass on some of their work to the new employee.

    Having managed a large number of dancers before, Franca was not at all fazed by such situations and naturally followed Truong Khánh around the administrative department.

    Seeing this, Truong Khánh nodded imperceptibly: She indeed has three years of work experience, and her performance in her previous job was also highly rated...

    Hmm, after seeing so many star-like beauties, she shouldn’t have any bad thoughts, right?

    Franca noticed that about half of the hard-working employees in the administrative department were outstanding in appearance. Some of them were purely attracted by the high salary of Intis Group, not too interested in President Huang, and didn’t have much hope for favoritism. They were more focused on developing their careers and proving themselves, while others were trying to establish a mature, dependable image, thinking that President Huang might prefer that type recently.

    After introducing Franca to the staff, Truong Khánh stood beside Rozanne’s desk and nodded slightly:

    "Rozanne has gone out on business and will be back later. Since you already know each other, I won’t need to introduce you."

    "Hmm, Director Ai is currently entertaining important guests and isn’t at the company. I’ll introduce you to him later."

    Director Ai is only the deputy general manager of Intis Group, responsible for managing administration and business operations.

    Entertaining important guests? The Major Arcana cards mentioned Mr. Zaratulstra. This person is likely a subordinate of the Celestial Worthy, suspected of capturing "Loki", the Angel of Seer pathway. Franca pondered for a moment and recalled a phrase from Truong Khánh.

    She immediately sat down at a work desk not far from Rozanne’s position, hiding her legs under the table.

    This allowed her to regain a sense of security, and the slight embarrassment faded away.

    Like Truong Khánh who had just left, Franca sat at her spot, looking around the bright and clean administrative department, quietly sighing:

    "So this is what work is like?"

    After transmigrating, she lived on the savings of the original owner for some time. She knew she couldn’t just sit idle, but she didn’t understand the original owner’s skills, and the original owner didn’t have any qualifications. She could only find jobs like being a server, kitchen helper, and similar roles. However, because she couldn’t stand the unethical merchants, she didn’t want to participate in producing fake or harmful products or help deceive innocent people. After a few days, she would either voluntarily or involuntarily encounter dismissal, and almost never held a job for a full month. A few times, she was almost beaten up.

    In her view, this was no different from the internships or summer jobs she had during university, and now was her first real job in this world, which was very similar to the city she had seen before transmigrating.

    While naturally observing her surroundings, Franca noticed the drawings near Rozanne's spot.

    Her heart suddenly skipped a beat:

    "Rozanne’s home has been cleaned up, but there are still drawings here..."

    After a brief consideration, Franca stood up, went to Rozanne's seat, and pulled down all the drawings she could. The ones she couldn’t pull down were thrown into the trash along with other items.

    Just after finishing this, she felt someone watching her and quickly turned around, seeing a young man standing in the hallway near Rozanne's position.

    The man wore glasses with plain lenses, a shirt with three different colors, and had slightly handsome features with a clearly defined chin. It was Zhou Mingrui.

    Oh, shit... I just ran into Mr. Fool from Dream City... Franca saw Zhou Mingrui's puzzled expression and quickly explained:

    "Rozanne asked me to help clean up."

    Zhou Mingrui glanced at the drawings and items in the trash, and murmured to himself:

    "Rozanne asked you to throw them away?"

    He then casually looked at Franca’s shoes, mumbling internally:

    So short, yet she’s still taller than me...

    Franca nodded repeatedly: "Yes."

    Zhou Mingrui withdrew his gaze and politely asked, "Where did Rozanne go? I need to talk to her."

    "She went to connect with some outside business department," Franca repeated Truong Khánh's words.

    "I see..." Zhou Mingrui then asked, "Are you a transfer from another department to the administration? I don't recall seeing you before."

    "I just joined," Franca answered honestly.

    Seeing Zhou Mingrui's eyes unconsciously drift towards Rozanne's position, Franca controlled her internal nervousness and naturally smiled:

    "I'm Rozanne's neighbor, we knew each other before. She asked me to help throw away these drawings before she left for work. She doesn’t want them."

    "Doesn’t want them..." Zhou Mingrui muttered the words again and then asked Franca in a colleague-like manner, "Did Rozanne help you get in here?"

    "No," Franca said with a hint of pride, "I got in on my own merit."

    Then, in a teasing tone, she added:

    "Maybe the administration department has a lot of work recently, so they need more capable people who can really get things done."

    She didn’t want Zhou Mingrui to think she was just some gold digger.

    After some more small talk, Zhou Mingrui left the administration department and went back to the opposite side.

    Franca returned to her seat and silently breathed a sigh of relief:

    Fortunately, I was trained by the Black Demoness before. Zhou Mingrui, um, Mr. Fool, probably didn’t notice that I was a bit nervous just now, right?

    It’s normal to be nervous, after all, getting caught throwing away a colleague’s belongings...

    ***

    In the security department.

    Lumian took out his phone while taking a bathroom break and opened the chat with Anderson Hood.

    The chat interface still stayed on the initial greeting message.
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    1. Offline
      WebnovelSlave
      + 220 -
      Book 1 Klein: Amon being everywhere
      Book 2 Klein: Demonesses being everywhere
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      1. Offline
        Максим Довбняк
        + 230 -
        Book 3 Klein: Outer Deities being everywhere
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        1. Offline
          Tимофей Кыркелан
          + 140 -
          In this book, COI must meet a bad end. Perhaps some other External Deity will receive a fate like that of the Son of Chaos.
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      2. Offline
        Shuhmen
        + 200 -
        Book 2: Amon uses demoness everywhere
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        1. Offline
          Максим Довбняк
          + 190 -
          Book 3: Amon uses Outer Deities everywhere 🧐😅

          The end: Amon is everything, the world is Amon, you are Amon!
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          1. Offline
            Livario
            + 60 -
            The main twist of the story - all outside Gods always were Amon, all inner Gods Amon too. And Amon create his "Truman Show" with main charactets from books 1-3
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    2. Offline
      Aridoto
      + 60 -
      Lmao Klein's lampoon's
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    3. Offline
      Livario
      + 20 -
      In book 1 Klein recognized about conspiracies in the last moment, I think now it will be the same situation, and before enemies made all conspiracies. But now allies make one of them
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  4. Offline
    Watermelon Destroyer
    + 100 -
    "This is not good behavior. Parents, please don't learn from this. Don't leave children alone in the car. It's dangerous if you take out the key, and even more dangerous if you don't…"

    mimo
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  5. Offline
    (63) Chapter 947: Equivalent Exchange

    Amon? Jenna stood next to the car, a little stunned.

    She vaguely understood why she was able to arrive early at the Star Dream Provisions Store and escape the deadly Illusion at the most critical moment.

    Amon had provided assistance in this matter; without it, the outcome would have been unimaginable!

    Jenna and Franca had predicted the risks to the greatest extent possible, yet they still hadn't anticipated how terrifying the situation would be. They nearly lost the chance to escape the Dreamscape!

    This was despite Jenna being a Demoness, with survival skills and life-preserving abilities ranking among the highest in the list of Beyonders.

    Indeed, Amon and his father aligned with us on this issue concerning the awakening of Mr. Fool in the same faction, though their progress was different. That's why he only provided a single instance of help, aimed at that Evil God from the Fantasy Association. If today's mission failed, if I died, and the painting returned to Rozanne's hands on its own, would it lead to a development Amon and his father didn't want to see? In that moment, Jenna thought of so much, so much that she didn't even have time to feel afraid.

    "Help me close the car door." Amon, with a monocle in his right eye socket, appeared to genuinely invite the driver online, smiling as he reminded Jenna.

    Jenna finally returned to her senses, closing the car door with a casual gesture.

    Watching the white car drive smoothly away from the road, Jenna, without any regard for her image, quickly rushed into the Star Dream Provisions Store.

    As the light dimmed a bit inside, Jenna instantly felt relieved.

    It was only then that she began to have suspicions:

    How did Amon accurately pick up my order?

    How did he know we obtained this painting and planned to deliver it to the Star Dream Provisions Store today?

    Everyone is suppressed under the Level 7 situation, relying on predictions, relying on divination—how could he be so precise?

    Could it be that when a True God comes to the Dream City, they are somewhat special and not as restricted as we are?

    So, Amon's assistance was based on his father, and that’s why he "coincidentally" saved me?

    This might also explain why the painting was so difficult for me to resist, leaving me no chance to save myself. If we were all at the Level 7 stage, it wouldn't be like this—or perhaps, I had a chance to escape its influence, but my initial response to this attack was flawed, preventing me from noticing details that could have been exploited? Jenna looked at the painting in her arms, collecting her thoughts as she walked to the far end of the Star Dream Provisions Store, in front of the checkout counter.

    "Do you accept items with mystical elements?" Jenna politely asked the shop owner, who was playing with a mobile phone.

    The shop owner slowly lifted her head, and the blazing sunlight outside suddenly seemed to be obscured by clouds.

    "We do." She smiled faintly at Jenna.

    They really do accept them? Jenna was delighted and quickly placed the painting on the counter.

    "Please check if it meets your requirements? How much is it worth?"

    The shop owner reached out, picked up the painting, examined it for a few seconds, and said, "Thirty thousand."

    How much? Jenna instinctively doubted her ears.

    It wasn't that she thought this eerie painting lacked mystical value or wasn’t worth thirty thousand coins. Instead, for her and Franca, this painting was a burden, a danger, something they'd give away even if it meant spending money.

    If the shop owner had told her that thirty thousand was needed to accept the painting, Jenna felt she would have bitten her lip and agreed after consulting with Franca.

    As she considered this, Jenna thought of a possibility:

    The owner of the Star Dream Provisions Store is clearly an ally, and this action is meant to provide more funds for our team!

    Money holds incredibly important symbolic meaning in the Dream City.

    Instead of giving it directly, they're using this opportunity, purchasing mystical items. . . Is this because it satisfies some of the Dream City's rules that even gods cannot violate? Exchange at equal value? If that's the case, the Major Arcana cards offering each person two thousand funds to start is already quite generous. . . Jenna pondered this and unconsciously considered whether to negotiate and raise the price a bit.

    If they are allies, they should be happy to see such actions, as it could mean more help.

    After a brief consideration, Jenna abandoned this thought.

    Opposite her was the avatar or projection of a True God. The price given was likely deemed the most appropriate after careful consideration, not leading to anything unusual.

    Even from the perspective of the Dreamscape consciousness, each item has an estimated price, and excessive overpricing in transactions could result in questionable dealings, possibly involving illegal activities, which could lead to consequences later on? Thinking of this, Jenna responded to the shop owner:

    "Agreed."

    The shop owner really did transfer thirty thousand coins to her, making her suddenly regret letting Ludwig eat all the other paintings.

    Those might also be worth some money!

    However, those were just Rozanne's sketches, not particularly valuable, probably only worth Ludwig's midnight snack money. . .

    "Thank you." Jenna thanked the shop owner again and turned to leave the Star Dream Provisions Store.

    The bright and dazzling sunlight fell upon her, finally giving her a sense that the danger had completely receded.

    Only at this moment did she start to feel truly afraid.

    She still had many things she wanted to do, and a few people she couldn't bear to leave behind.

    ***

    In front of the high-tech building.

    Franca, wearing slightly high-heeled shoes, carefully ascended the steps.

    Her current outfit was unlike anything she had ever worn before, making her instinctively feel a little insecure and embarrassed.

    This also made her more sensitive to the stares and scrutiny around her, feeling that the appreciative gazes were still acceptable. But those she previously considered impolite, or a bit nauseating seemed to have increased, or perhaps she was just more aware of them. Some people hurried past her, only to turn around and glance at her a few steps later, revealing slightly disappointed expressions.

    This seemed to be a feeling that her makeup, clothing, appearance, and the figure she presented didn't match what had been imagined.

    "Disappointed with my legs!" Franca quietly gave a middle finger, cursing under her breath.

    She walked to the stairs, glanced towards the security gate, but didn't see Lumian.

    She had hoped to exchange a glance at the entrance, pretending not to recognize each other, like a scene from a spy drama... Franca muttered to herself, then entered the lobby and headed towards the elevator.

    ***

    In the observation room.

    Lumian was sitting in front of the large screens displaying several scenes, intently watching each image. Yesterday's minor incident had given the chief security inspector, Grimm, an excuse to assign him to surveillance duty, rotating between floors instead of standing guard at the main gate.

    Lumian quickly noticed Franca in the elevator.

    Although she had deliberately altered her appearance a bit, wearing outdated black glasses and clothes she hadn't worn before, he still recognized her.

    "Unfortunately, Illusions currently only works like top-level makeup, unable to adjust height or body shape to a certain extent. Otherwise, the disguise would be more effective. Right now, it still draws too much attention," Lumian evaluated silently.

    Another security guard sitting next to him noticed his intense focus and, rolling his eyes, clutched his stomach and said:

    "Li Ming, my stomach hurts, I need to go to the restroom. You keep an eye on things."

    Is this what they call a paid bathroom break? Lumian chuckled inwardly and said:

    "Alright."

    This couldn't be better, maybe I'll even get a chance to review yesterday's surveillance and see how Zhou Mingrui reacted when I joined, what he did!

    As his colleague actually left the observation room, Lumian noticed Franca finally managed to get into the elevator after two failed attempts.

    Suddenly, the images on the large screen showing the observation room's internal situation turned black.

    This... Lumian didn't move.

    A couple of seconds later, someone joined him.

    It was the chief security inspector, Grimm, dressed in a thin blue suit.

    Grimm, looking at the large screen, casually said:

    "Be careful of Huang Tao."

    Be careful of Huang Tao? How is Huang Tao related to me or this male security guard? Lumian wondered, calmly asking:

    "Why?"

    Grimm maintained his surveillance posture and simply explained:

    "He betrayed the Mother, no longer a child of the Mother."

    No longer... Was he once, but not anymore? Madam Magician mentioned that during the Project Vortex, although Emperor Roselle perished, he severely wounded the God of Broker pathway, freeing him from the Great Mother's corruption, preserving the hope of resurrection... This is similar to how Amon received permission from Mr. Fool to once again use borrowed powers, but it's a different part of the same story... So, Mr. Fool knows Emperor Roselle's state, subconsciously recognizing the subsequent changes, leading to Huang Tao in the Dream City no longer hiding the Great Mother's corruption? Lumian began to piece together the logic.

    This also made him realize a problem.

    Previously, he only knew that unexpected encounters in the dream could affect reality, bringing real death or hidden calamities, but at this moment, he believed that changes in reality could also affect the Dream, as long as Mr. Fool genuinely sensed it.

    The Dream and reality are not one-directional but can interact... Lumian noted this discovery, then smiled at Grimm and said:

    "Aren't you curious why, as a child of the God, I'm not a woman?"

    Grimm showed a puzzled expression:

    "A Mother's child can be of any gender, even no gender, or multiple genders.

    "None of this matters, what matters is the ability to bear offspring, to bring new life.

    "Child of the God, why do you ask such a question?"

    Grimm's brows slightly furrowed.

    Of course, it's to probe you! Lumian laughed inwardly.

    He was testing whether Grimm only responded to him as a child of the God or if he knew more, like recognizing the current child of the God as Omebella, like that one-armed brother.

    If Grimm knew he "was" Omebella, he would question the gender inconsistency, otherwise, it indicated that he lacked the necessary intelligence, more like an NPC as Franca said, influenced by the Great Mother.

    This also indirectly confirmed that the one-armed brother calling out the name Omebella raised significant issues.

    Lumian smiled and said to Grimm:

    "I thought the Mother had already told you my true identity."

    As he spoke, his hair lengthened slightly, and the contours of his face quickly softened.
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    1. Offline
      Максим Довбняк
      + 100 -
      Chapter 946 in comments to ch. 934
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    2. Offline
      Spectator_d
      + 40 -
      Lumian gives surprises.
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    3. Offline
      Peplum
      + 40 -

      Previously, he only knew that unexpected encounters in the dream could affect reality, bringing real death or hidden calamities, but at this moment, he believed that changes in reality could also affect the Dream, as long as Mr. Fool genuinely sensed it.

      This is not reassuring at all for Rozanne. I hope she is all right in reality...
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    4. Offline
      Thirsty Philosopher
      + 130 -
      Amon monopolized all taxis in the city. A real villain, now the fare will be calculated in years of life (
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      1. Offline
        Spectator_d
        + 70 -
        Comfort requires sacrifice.
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    5. Offline
      AnomanderRake
      + 00 -
      "A Mother's child can be of any gender, even no gender, or multiple genders.

      "None of this matters, what matters is the ability to bear offspring, to bring new life.


      wet peepo003
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    6. Offline
      Eskey
      + 00 -
      Is it you Amanis?
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  6. Offline
    Good_Night
    + 50 -
    There's some part missing. here's the full version
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    1. Offline
      Sunrize
      + 10 -
      Read more
      1. Offline
        panic
        + 10 -
        Thanks! #Good_Night#
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        --------------------
        only we
  7. Offline
    Warspoon
    + 20 -
    The staff member said to Anthony,

    The two interviewers were momentarily speechless, both lowering their heads to write down a paragraph about this with their pens, for later evaluation reference.

    Текст пропал
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    1. Offline
      Good_Night
      + 30 -
      see above comment peepo054
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  8. Offline
    My aesthetic taste hasn't changed, yet I actually thought a man looked quite good just now…

    Demoness detector works on 0.00000069% of its power
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  9. Offline
    WebnovelSlave
    + 140 -
    bro was unsure of himself for a moment, truly a man with unique tastes
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