Ranobes » Circle of Inevitability » Chapter 981: Wrapping Up
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Chapter 981: Wrapping Up
Circle of Inevitability

At a table near the stage, Zhou Mingrui had been observing Zaratulstra and the unknown beautiful woman ever since they walked out from the screen.

Unlike the majority of people who were drawn to the woman with blood on her face, a dazed look in her eyes, and an strangely alluring beauty, he was more focused on Zaratulstra's state and actions.

Of course, during this process, he still used his peripheral vision to keep an eye on the woman, to see her condition and what she would do next.

After just a few seconds, he noticed a strange child appear from behind Zaratulstra, take the hand of the blood-faced woman, walk off the stage, and head towards the resting area for the face-changing performers. Meanwhile, Zaratulstra also looked confused, slowly following them off the stage and approaching the stairs leading to the second floor.

Zhou Mingrui noticed that Zaratulstra's pace quickened as he walked, his expression gradually becoming relaxed and showing a hint of joy.

Just then, he heard a "bang" and saw Zaratulstra's head explode like a watermelon dropped from a great height.

As red and white matter splattered in all directions, the applause, cheers, and chatter in the hot pot restaurant seemed to have been muted, disappearing instantly.

Everything froze or solidified in that moment, except for the fragments of Zaratulstra's head mixed with red and white liquid, blossoming like fireworks.

Thud!

Zaratulstra's corpse fell not far from the stairs.

Zaratulstra is dead… shot to death… In that moment, Zhou Mingrui was extremely confused and bewildered, feeling as if a movie special effect had intruded into daily life, making it all seem very unreal.

In all his life, this was the first time he had witnessed someone being shot to death.

He usually had full confidence in public safety and felt very secure.

The next second, Zhou Mingrui thought of the Li Ming, Luo Fu, and Luo Shan group who had been constantly reminding him to be careful of Zaratulstra. He also remembered that Luo Fu, who had been eating hot pot here just a few minutes ago, had gone to the restroom.

What a coincidence, she just happened to not be in the dining hall…

It couldn't have been her, could it?

Just as this thought flashed through Zhou Mingrui's mind, he heard screams and felt the entire hot pot restaurant in an uproar.

Just as this thought flashed through Zhou Mingrui's mind, he heard screams and felt the entire hot pot restaurant in an uproar.

People had finally reacted.

A bloody shooting had just occurred right before their eyes!

Some people immediately called the police, some tried to leave the hot pot restaurant, fearing there might be more gunfire, while others, both nauseated and terrified, wiped the stains from their faces…

"What happened?" Zhou Mingrui suddenly heard Luo Fu's voice.

This beautiful woman wearing a black T-shirt with sequins and black-framed glasses had returned to her original position.

Luo Shan abruptly stood up, pointing at where Zaratulstra had fallen, and said in a terrified and stammering voice, "S-someone died!

"Zaratulstra was shot dead!"

Seeing Luo Shan's reaction, Zhou Mingrui doubted his earlier judgment: Luo Shan seems completely unprepared for Zaratulstra's shooting…

"Huh?" Franca, taking advantage of her height, stood on tiptoes to look towards where the body lay.

After seeing the corpse with its head blown apart, her face gradually turned pale, and she hurriedly averted her gaze.

"It's really Zaratulstra?" she asked Luo Shan.

At this point, Luo Shan also suspected it was Luo Fu's doing, because inviting Zhou Mingrui to this hot pot restaurant and sitting near the stage were both Luo Fu's instructions. And just minutes before Zaratulstra was shot, Luo Fu had gone to the restroom and wasn't at her seat.

But Luo Fu's reaction and the change in her complexion made Luo Shan uncertain.

Luo Shan nodded with a grave expression. "Yes."

She was indeed scared. Since becoming a Beyonder, at most she had only killed monsters in the Shaman's world and subtly influenced a few people in reality through her paintings. She had never truly fought with any human, let alone killed one.

She knew Luo Fu and the others' purpose and target, but she hadn't expected them to use such drastic measures.

As she spoke, Luo Shan leaned closer to Franca, wanting to sniff her to check for any lingering gunpowder smell, like they did on TV. But she only caught a whiff of a pleasant, intoxicating fragrance.

Franca's face seemed to pale even more as she murmured, "How did he just die…"

Amidst the commotion in the entire hot pot restaurant, Zhou Mingrui's gaze moved from Luo Shan and Luo Fu's faces to the resting area for the face-changing performers.

He hadn't forgotten about the beautiful yet dangerous woman who had walked out of the screen along with Zaratulstra.

Inside the hot pot restaurant's rest area.

Lumina was led by Ludwig to a corner, where he drew a curtain, as if they were about to change clothes.

The face-changing performers present were all attracted by Lumina's beauty, aura, and dazed expression. No one questioned why she had come in.

After blocking the surrounding gazes, Ludwig took out a mirror from his pocket.

Inside the mirror, Jenna was already waiting.

Jenna reached out with both hands, grabbing Lumina and Ludwig, and pulled them into the mirror world.

Lumina didn't resist; she remembered this was Li Lu's mother.

What confused her was that she thought she was Li Lu's mother, so why did Li Lu have another mother? Yet her memories and consciousness told her this was the truth.

Smack!

As the mirror fell towards the ground, it burst into quiet and eerie black flames, then shattered into pieces.

Having already traversed to a mirror near the Dechuang Garden, Jenna began cleaning the makeup off herself and Ludwig, and removed the Lie earring from Lumina's ear.

Their action plan for this operation was divided into three parts:

The first part was to attempt an assassination;

The second part was to immediately switch to an encirclement attack if the assassination failed;

The third part, if the encirclement attack still couldn't kill Zaratulstra, was to "bring" the enemy before Zhou Mingrui in a way involving mysticism and Beyonder powers. This would likely result in both Zaratulstra and the person who "brought" Him being kicked out of the dream on the spot. Then, Franca, who hadn't appeared or participated in the battle before, would seize the opportunity to covertly assassinate Zaratulstra's dream image—now an ordinary person without an Angel's rank and temporarily unprotected by bodyguards. This would force this character off the stage, no longer able to be used by the real Zaratulstra to approach Huang Tao and obtain money and resources through company mergers and restructuring!

Moreover, this might even prevent Zaratul from re-entering the dream city for a considerable time, until He had a new identity. Lumian and the others would use this window of opportunity to make more attempts.

Because there was a possibility of being exposed to the audience at the end, and also the possibility of the plan failing with Zaratulstra successfully escaping, so except for Lumian who could transform into a female form and Franca who would only carry out the covert assassination in the final stage, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig all used the Lie earring to adjust their appearances to some extent, applying near-perfect makeup. Additionally, they used Lumian's Mystery Prying Glasses to add suggestive power to their disguises, making everyone who saw them believe this was their true appearance.

The Mystery Prying Glasses itself was not above Sequence 7, so the mystical effects it produced were not discounted.

In the hot pot restaurant, Mr. Huang, who was on the phone with his daughter, heard the gunshot and commotion in the hall and specifically walked to the stairway to look down.

His face, which had been wearing a faint smile, instantly darkened when he saw Zaratulstra's nearly headless corpse.

He moved the phone from his ear to in front of his eyes, staring at the call interface displaying the words "Bernie".

After a few seconds, Mr. Huang brought the phone back to his ear and said in a gentle voice, "Something's happened at the scene, I need to deal with it. I'll call you back later."

As soon as he hung up the phone, Zaratulstra's subordinates rushed past him in fear, panic, and anger, surrounding the corpse.

Edward—the vice president of Intis Group—followed behind them, approaching Mr. Huang and saying in a low voice, "Besides Zaratulstra, one bodyguard and one negotiator are missing."

Mr. Huang nodded slowly, looking at the chaos in the hall, and sighed. "Call the police, let them handle it."

…

As soon as she resumed her daily appearance in the dream city, Jenna took Lumina and Ludwig back to room 2303 of the Dechuang Garden.

She had used her Ice Mirror Charm once again; now only one use remained.

She then placed Franca's Traveler's Bag on the coffee table.

Franca had gone to the women's restroom under surveillance, used a mirror placed on the water tank to lurk in the surveillance blind spot, shot and killed Zaratulstra, then immediately drank the healing agent provided by the Tarot Club to delay the negative effects of using the special ability of the Inevitable Gun. This would allow the severe illness to manifest after she had been questioned by the police. Of course, before that, her complexion would still show some changes.

After doing this, she quickly handed over the Traveler's Bag and all items related to Beyonders to Jenna, letting Jenna take them away from the scene to prevent the police from discovering any clues.

Jenna took out a bottle of healing agent and handed it to the confused Lumina, saying in a gentle voice, "First, let's treat your wounds."

Lumina took the agent and trustingly opened the cap, tilted her head back slightly, and drank it.

Watching this scene, Jenna was actually quite anxious inside.

She discovered a problem that hadn't been anticipated before.

Lumian had exited the dream in female form, leaving behind Lumina, but the identity woven by Madam Justice was Li Ming, a male.

Normally, when an outsider was kicked out of the dream, their remaining manifestation would maintain daily life based on the woven identity and memories not involving Beyonders, just like "Luo Fu". But now, Lumina and the Li Ming identity were clearly different, even in gender.

This would cause a conflict between Lumina's self-perception and the actual identity situation!

Does this count as actively creating a dream loophole? Seeing that Lumina had quickly recovered, Jenna carefully asked, "Can you still… transform into a male?"

Circle of Inevitability
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  1. Offline
    Good_Night
    Good_Night
    + 12 ⋅ 0 -
    Law of equivalent exchange in Fool's territory reigns supreme.
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  2. Offline
    Максим Довбняк
    Максим Довбняк
    + 34 ⋅ 0 -
    (110) Chapter 994: Dean

    Lumian thought about his previous encounters with the Mushu Hospital nurses and his visits there. From what he had observed, those who frequently went underground in Mushu Hospital probably couldn’t even be considered human anymore.

    More importantly, he was concerned that the underground section of Mushu Hospital was close to completing its “renovation.”

    When that happens, what changes will occur? And what could that signify?

    As these thoughts raced through Lumian's mind, he wished he could blow up the underground part of Mushu Hospital and be done with it.

    Unfortunately, leaving aside the question of whether he had the ability to infiltrate the underground section and blow it up, the surface part of Mushu Hospital still functioned normally. The regular flow of patients and the ongoing treatment and care made him hesitant to act rashly.

    He couldn’t destroy the underground section without affecting the surface!

    That would turn into an all-out terror attack, which would make the Dreamscape's consciousness reject him to the highest degree. After that, there would likely be no way for him to enter again.

    Maybe he should first find a way to stop Mushu Hospital from treating patients for a few days and evacuate the inpatients? But that would be extremely difficult... Lumian looked at Lu Yong’an and cautiously asked:

    “Are there still corpses waiting for ‘Rebirth’ in the underground morgue?”

    “Not at the moment. No bodies have been delivered for ‘Rebirth’ in the past two days,” Lu Yong’an answered truthfully.

    Have Zaratulstra and Mr. Cui been expelled from the Dreamscape, putting a stop to their related activities? If so, that would mean we’ve done well... In theory, the Celestial Worthy doesn’t only have a few underlings. Surely, they’ll find another way or mediator to allow their underlings to enter the Dreamscape... Could the ones expelled be like the Major Arcana cards and former holders of the Lucky Coin? That makes sense. There’s no way the Celestial Worthy would only recently have followers who could enter. And it’s not logical for only the Celestial Worthy to have the power to expel people, while the Fool doesn’t... Lumian nodded slightly and changed the subject:

    “Who is the current director of Mushu Hospital?”

    He wasn’t worried about arousing suspicion by asking this question since he had already asked and secretly inquired from Grimm, yet Grimm—the “Great Mother’s” child—didn’t know either.

    “You don’t know?” Lu Yong’an looked at Lumian in surprise.

    She then turned to Grimm and said, “You didn’t tell the Child of the God?”

    Grimm shook his head.

    “I don’t know either. No one told me.”

    Lu Yong’an was momentarily stunned but then showed an expression of understanding.

    “It’s normal that you don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. The previous director has already left, and knowing who the new one is won’t affect anything. The new director will arrive in a few days.”

    “Who’s the new director?” Grimm asked on Lumian’s behalf.

    Lu Yong’an shook her head.

    “I’m not sure yet, but we’ll find out soon enough. It might even be a pleasant surprise.”

    A pleasant surprise? More likely a terrifying one for us... Lumian nodded and asked:

    “Have you ever been to the underground areas beyond the morgue?”

    He wasn’t trying to extract specific information about the underground sections of Mushu Hospital. Rather, he wanted to see if Lu Yong’an, as someone blessed by the Great Mother, could freely access other parts of the underground.

    “I’ve been there, but I couldn’t go deeper. I couldn’t get to the second underground level,” Lu Yong’an answered without hesitation, not finding it strange that the Child of the God would ask such a question. After all, the underground areas of Mushu Hospital didn’t solely belong to the Great Mother; other great entities had influence there too.

    Even the Great Mother’s children can’t access the second underground level? What’s down there? Lumian thought to himself as he nodded in acknowledgment.

    “Are the followers of the Mother Tree also involved in something down there?”

    As the Child of the God representing the Great Mother, he deliberately showed a lack of respect for other entities.

    “Yes, but I don’t know what exactly,” Lu Yong’an replied, taking out her phone with a smile. “Child of the God, let’s add each other on WeChat! If I notice anything suspicious in the underground areas, I’ll let you know right away.”

    She really knows how to handle things... Lumian let Lu Yong’an scan his WeChat code.

    Her WeChat name was simply her real name.

    Lumian didn’t immediately check her Moments. Instead, he casually asked:

    “Have you found Zedus yet?”

    Zedus was the real name of the “Abscessed Hand.” Omebella’s remnant had called out this name to Lumian before.

    Lumian was trying to gauge whether the Great Mother’s followers had heard of Zedus.

    “Not yet,” Lu Yong’an lowered her head. “The Mother is very disappointed.”

    So Zedus really is closely related to the Great Mother... Lumian didn’t press further.

    Grimm, seeing this, respectfully asked:

    “Child of the God, you’re scheduled for the night shift tomorrow. If you’d prefer not to work it, I can find an excuse to switch it to an earlier shift for you.”

    “I’ll take the night shift,” Lumian chose not to switch. This way, he could make better use of his time during the day and early evening.

    Then, he glanced at the bright moon and said to Grimm and Lu Yong’an:

    “Let’s head back.”

    “Yes, Child of the God!” Lu Yong’an and Grimm responded in unison.

    Without looking back at them, Lumian teleported away.

    After about fifteen minutes, Lumian reappeared in a hidden and remote location. Grimm and Lu Yong’an were nowhere to be seen.

    Only then did he take out his phone and start browsing through Lu Yong’an’s Moments.

    Most of her posts were about sharing knowledge related to obstetrics, receiving praise for her work, and updates about Mushu Hospital and her children. Nothing particularly caught Lumian’s eye.

    Since she had only made the last month of her posts visible, Lumian scrolled to the top to check her background and personal signature.

    Her background image was a blurry silhouette of someone holding a baby, and her personal signature read:

    “Protector of women and children.”

    It all fit her role and nature perfectly... Lumian put his phone away and teleported to Li Keji’s hospital room.

    Li Keji wasn’t surprised to see this beautiful woman return. He hesitated for a moment and asked:

    “Are we really going to do this?”

    As the fetus grew, his maternal instinct seemed to intensify.

    Lumian smiled and said:

    “You’ve already felt the Evil God's offspring crazily absorbing your vitality and spirituality, haven’t you?”

    “Yes.” Li Keji nodded honestly.

    Lumian continued, “Besides, don’t you want to see what new traits will emerge from the crossbreeding between the Evil God's offspring and the mushroom?”

    He was now adept at manipulating Li Keji’s obsessions and weaknesses.

    This was the work of an “Instigator.”

    Li Keji’s eyes immediately lit up. “Alright, let’s begin!”

    So you hesitated a bit, but you still have genuine maternal instincts? Lumian thought sarcastically but moved to Li Keji’s bedside and extended his right hand. In a calm yet eerie voice, he said:

    “This will hurt quite a bit. Brace yourself.”

    “Okay.” Li Keji extended his arm, letting it rest in midair.

    The fungal tendrils from the mushroom quickly coiled around his arm, piercing into his skin.

    “It has a mild anesthetic effect,” Li Keji happily explained to Lumian.

    Lumian said nothing, letting his hand ignite with a quiet, sinister black flame.

    He suddenly placed his right hand on the surface of Li Keji's stomach, and the Demoness black flame immediately penetrated inside.

    Li Keji's slightly protruding stomach started to move abruptly, as if something inside was struggling desperately.

    With each struggle, Li Keji's face twisted slightly, and even though he had been anesthetized, he could still feel the indescribable pain.

    Meanwhile, the Demoness black flame gradually dimmed and weakened. No matter how much Lumian continued to infuse it, the flame couldn't entirely destroy the evil entity inside Li Keji's womb.

    Luckily, from the start, Lumian didn't expect the Demoness black flame to accomplish his goal because a certain objective of his could only be achieved through burning life force and spiritual essence, something the Demoness black flame couldn't do.

    He was mostly using the Demoness black flame to probe.

    Suddenly, the calm black flame in Lumian's palm flared up, filled with madness, arrogance, and destruction!

    "The Fire of Destruction!"

    As the "Fire of Destruction" poured in, the clothes on Li Keji's stomach quickly caught fire. His skin and flesh also started to burn.

    The fetus inside his womb pressed upward, seemingly trying to escape the burning flame, but couldn't break free from its mother's constraints and eventually collapsed back inside.

    Almost simultaneously, Lumian heard an illusory sound of wailing and screaming. It felt as though a dark Grimm wasteland had appeared around him. Every flower and every blade of grass first grew healthy and strong, full of life, and then was devoured by the black fire.

    "Ah!"

    Li Keji let out a miserable scream. The burning pain in his abdomen was beyond what most people could endure.

    However, Lumian had already used "Bottle of Fiction" to seal the hospital room, so Li Keji's screams could only faintly leak out.

    In this psychiatric ward, such things were not something to be overly concerned about.

    Finally, the fetus in Li Keji's womb was reduced to ashes, and those ashes, heated by the flame, swirled in the air, dispersing in all directions.

    "Completely cleared," Lumian stepped back, preparing to take out a healing potion for Li Keji to drink.

    Looking at his charred abdomen, enduring the pain, Li Keji spoke with unusual disappointment, "Is everything burned? Nothing left?"

    "I originally intended to burn its life force and spirit, leaving the body intact, but as you saw, that didn't work," Lumian sincerely explained.

    "Sigh..." Li Keji reached out his hand, guiding the jellyfish-like mushroom strands to his abdomen, which began absorbing the burnt blackened flesh and promoting the growth of new tissue.

    Looks like I don't need to provide any treatment... Lumian thought as he glanced at the falling jellyfish-like mushroom strands.

    As Li Keji's wounds healed and the pain subsided, Lumian nodded gently and said, "Rest for the next couple of days, then speed up your research. My comatose friend might not be able to wait much longer."

    "I can start again tomorrow!" Li Keji's enthusiasm for experiments was rekindled.

    "Thank you," Lumian politely took his leave.

    Returning to his rented room in the apartment complex, he collapsed onto the bed and quickly fell asleep.

    In the middle of his hazy dream, he heard crying.

    The crying voice kept calling "Mommy, Mommy," filled with intense pain, unwillingness, and resentment.
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    1. Offline
      TempestUknow
      TempestUknow
      + 6 ⋅ 0 -
      Lu Yong'an would be the correct translation not Lu Vinh An
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    2. Offline
      Error404
      Error404
      + 4 ⋅ 0 -
      Well that's ended quite quickly..
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    Максим Довбняк
    Максим Довбняк
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    (109) Chapter 993: Important Person

    In the Dechuang Garden district, in a rented room.

    Franca brought Luo Shan to observe the results and spoke about the issues at hand, saying:

    "The more I think about it, the more I feel this is somewhat strange. The Major Arcana cards clearly mentioned that the sleeping Mr. Fool is to resist the Celestial Worthy's consciousness. How could one focus their mind and think about awakening Mr. Fool rather than helping to weaken the Celestial Worthy? We also did not consider this direction at all under the fully active conditions earlier, and thus we fell into the trap—no, into a cunning scheme..."

    At this point, Franca paused.

    Everyone here immediately thought of a word: "Deception!"

    Murray remained silent, while Ludwig was completely unaffected, awkwardly chewing on some corn.

    Jenna seriously contemplated and said:

    "Perhaps awakening Mr. Fool would inherently weaken the Celestial Worthy and strengthen the advantage."

    Lumian shook his head:

    "Even if this symbol is established, we shouldn’t have completely ignored the direction of weakening the Celestial Worthy to assist in awakening Mr. Fool."

    "So does that mean this direction is the correct one? Is that why the Dreamscape could deceive everyone, so we wouldn’t think in this direction?" Franca seemed a bit excited.

    "Not necessarily," Anthony replied. "That Celestial Worthy is the highest existing being on the master of deceit peak, and from the very beginning, they deceived us so that we wouldn’t consider weakening their power. Perhaps it’s precisely to guide us later on a path we believe to be correct, allowing us to jump downwards."

    "The enemy opposing us indicates we’re doing the right thing, but what if the enemy is deliberately opposing us? There could be traps laid out..." Franca grasped Anthony's meaning and said sadly, "How can we choose?"

    "Why do we need to choose?" Lumian chuckled. "Awakening Mr. Fool and weakening the Celestial Worthy can absolutely be done simultaneously."

    He stood up and walked leisurely around the small living room, speaking as he moved:

    "We now reanalyze what Zaratulstra might think to achieve:

    "Contacting Zaratulstra could be aimed at finding a way for them to drink the following potion and become the Demoness, thereby creating a fixed, long-term Mirror Person, which might also disturb Zaratulstra’s self-awareness to some extent;

    "Engaging in merger negotiations with the Intis group could aim to harvest more wealth and resources, with the likelihood of Mirror Roselle corrupting and influencing Huang Tao also being a goal;

    "Clearing and replacing Gehrman Sparrow’s life experiences related to the Dreamscape imagery could weaken the World, indirectly weakening Mr. Fool..."

    "At the moment, it seems there’s no indication of an intention to awaken the Celestial Worthy hidden within these plans, just a rough accumulation of wealth and resources."

    Jenna, Franca, and Anthony nodded lightly as Lumian began to deny himself:

    "No, having Zaratulstra become the fixed Mirror Person could also be to allow the Celestial Worthy to leverage the Mirror Person for greater autonomy, gradually gaining the upper hand, ultimately awakening and eliminating all ties to Gehrman Sparrow. Relating to the Dreamscape imagery could be intended to weaken Mr. Fool, but replacing the person atop it, also digging out Mr. Fool,might be to later create chaos from the fake to lead the World identity towards the Celestial Worthy rather than Mr. Fool. This could also be a form of awakening..."

    "However, these awakenings all seem to supplement the weakening of Mr. Foolб they can’t be separated."

    Lumian's implication was that weakening the Celestial Worthy and awakening Mr. Fool must both be accomplished; at times, they could indeed be two different sides of the same coin.

    Franca said, "How can we weaken the Celestial Worthy?"

    The Major Arcana cards also do not know the circumstances surrounding the Celestial Worthy, nor do they mention any figures in the Dreamscape closely associated with the Celestial Worthy. Franca felt that weakening the Celestial Worthy did not find a target or a means to act.

    "Currently, only Peng Deng is suspected to be related to the Celestial Worthy, but it can’t be confirmed," Anthony said.

    "What can be confirmed is that Peng Deng in the Dreamscape has distinct characteristics," Lumian nodded lightly.

    This conclusion stemmed from Anthony's encounter with Peng Deng and the rented Magic Mirror Arrodes.

    Lumian then stated:

    "In fact, there is a place that can be verified to have a close relationship with the Celestial Worthy."

    Seeing Franca and Jenna show a contemplative expression, Lumian directly revealed the answer:

    "The Mushu Hospital!"

    "If there’s no close relationship, there’s no way the Celestial Worthy would send Gehrman Sparrow’s body related to the Dreamscape imagery to the underground morgue of Mushu Hospital for them to ‘reincarnate’ there. Moreover, that kind of 'reincarnation' would also cause the corresponding imagery to thoroughly become the Celestial Worthy’s sole marionette."

    "The underground department of Mushu Hospital..." Franca gasped.

    That is a place where the shadow of a great existence is manifested, where another great existence channels power into critical points, a location created by the Celestial Worthy specifically for their secret dealings—no one from the list of True Gods would dare to casually invade!

    Lumian smiled:

    "I will contact an important figure from Mushu Hospital tonight to see if I can harvest any useful intelligence."

    ***

    Late at night.

    Luo Shan still chose to lie on the bed, attempting to drift into sleep.

    "If the world doesn’t explode, I won’t rest; even if this is truly a Dreamscape, it should still be done before the Dreamscape is destroyed..." Luo Shan muttered softly to herself, half in self-mockery, half in self-comfort.

    Then, she closed her eyes, finally suppressing her anxious thoughts and feelings after a while and fell asleep.

    This time, after she fell asleep, she didn’t immediately enter the Shaman world but continued to guard the faint barrier, becoming somewhat dazed, not at all like the extraordinary state she had before sleeping.

    She vaguely heard sounds swirling around her ears:

    "Can the fake really become real? The Blessing of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth..."

    "Can the fake really become real? The Blessing of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth..."

    ***

    At the border of the Crimson Moon Hospital, numerous mushrooms grew, hiding in the corners.

    Transformed into the "Demoness of Despair", Lumian patiently waited for a moment, seeing Grimm appear suddenly with someone not far away, as if stepping from another world into this realm.

    "Honorable Child of God, this is the head of the obstetrics department at Mushu Hospital, Lu Vinh An." Grimm introduced her companion. "She is also the child's mother."

    Lu Vinh An, in her forties, had fair skin, a beautiful face, and a gentle, maternal appearance.

    In her hand, she carried a medical kit and spoke to Lumian, slightly bowing:

    "Praise the Mother, and also praise you, Child of the God."

    Lumian had previously expressed the desire to meet a key figure from Mushu Hospital, and this obstetrics head, Lu Vinh An, was exactly that—Grimm kept his promise, notifying Lumian right on time, reminding him to go assist Li Keji with childbirth tonight, dealing with both mysticism and science.

    Lumian didn’t rush to eliminate the fetus in Li Keji’s womb; he planned to first deceive Grimm over here, avoiding the need to perform a play to hide the situation. Afterward, he would at least have two or three rounds of time to use for the abortion.

    Hearing Lu Vinh An’s kind inquiry, Lumian brushed back his long black hair and stroked his chin, saying:

    "Come in, let’s handle business first."

    He wasn’t in a hurry to ask Lu Vinh An about the internal affairs of Mushu Hospital.

    "This will take time to come; it will arrive when it should, and being able to arrive means that the Child of the God must know without needing to ask."

    "Yes, Child of the God," Grimm and Lu Vinh An replied in unison, their expressions serious.

    Lumian approached them and grabbed their shoulders.

    Then, he activated the black mark on his right shoulder and used Spirit World Teleportation, directly appearing in Li Keji’s hospital room.

    Feeling something in his stomach, Li Keji sat up straight, noticing the jellyfish-shaped light fixture on the ceiling drop slightly.

    Seeing Li Keji looking at him with a hint of surprise, Lumian winked with his left eye, suggesting that there was another reason and prompting a little cooperation.

    Li Keji's expression changed to one of realization: "Are you here to help me?"

    Upon hearing this, Grimm couldn't help but tilt his head, looking at the stunningly beautiful face of the Child of the God:

    When did they trick Li Keji?

    — Both Grimm and Lu Vinh An had anticipated using their abilities to control the target.

    Lu Vinh An, carrying a medical kit, sat down by Li Keji’s bed and began a serious examination.

    After about a minute, she tilted her head and said, "The fetus is extremely healthy, developing very well and very quickly."

    Grimm suddenly gave the child of the God a thumbs up, exclaiming again, "As expected of you!"

    Lumian had long since fallen silent, nodding slightly as he focused on Lu Vinh An, who took out a syringe, drew a certain medicine, and injected it into Li Keji’s belly.

    Immediately, Lu Vinh An’s maternal radiance became even clearer, her hands starting to move gently over Li Keji’s belly.

    Lumian saw Li Keji’s belly expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye, resembling a six-month pregnancy within just a minute or two.

    "I can feel her heartbeat," Li Keji said, gently stroking his stomach again.

    Lu Vinh An put away her instruments and medicine, smiling at Lumian, "Child of the God, in two weeks, he can enter the delivery state."

    "Very good." Lumian nodded, thinking one thing while saying another.

    Let’s destroy it soon! The sooner, the safer!

    "We’ll go ahead," Lumian signaled Li Keji with a glance.

    Then, he led Lu Vinh An and Grimm back to their hiding spot in the corner before teleporting back.

    Lumian didn’t give Grimm and Lu Vinh An a chance to say goodbye, looking at the latter and slightly raising his chin, asking, "What’s the situation inside the Mushu Hospital?"

    He intended to vaguely inquire first, gauging the tone of the Great Mother`s subordinates responses, then based on Lu Vinh An’s answer, selectively asking deeper questions.

    Lu Vinh An, with her amiable demeanor, replied with a clear respect for the divine: "The underground area is about to complete renovation; above ground, for now, it’s just us and those who frequently enter and exit the underground."

    The underground renovation is quickly "complete"? Those who frequently enter and exit the underground don’t count? Lumian raised an eyebrow.

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    1. Offline
      Error404
      Error404
      + 9 ⋅ 0 -
      Why didn't any Tarot Club pointed that out? Is CW really capable to messing with everyone Mind?
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      1. Offline
        Kanak
        Kanak
        + 10 ⋅ 0 -
        Fooling has authority over the mind domain. Blind Stupidity is just the simplest implementation of it.
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        1. Offline
          Максим Довбняк
          Максим Довбняк
          + 14 ⋅ 0 -
          It`s more about Deception (Error pathway) - "Their" power to Deceive order and rules are now capable of Deceiving and Misdirecting mysticism laws, even the laws that Angels are forced to obey.

          So it's no surprise that even Angels and perhaps even most Gods cannot resist the abilities of Fooling and Deception at a level above Sequence 0. We saw that the powers of the beings in the Dream are suppressed to the sequence 7, but the powers that support the Dream and rules itself are the power of the true Great Old One.
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          1. Offline
            Kanak
            Kanak
            + 3 ⋅ 2 -
            Deception is a mistranslation. The actual translation should be Fooling.
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        2. Offline
          Error404
          Error404
          + 2 ⋅ 0 -
          No, if CW can do it than why can't Fool do it? It's obvious Zaratual knows what he was doing and he is only seq 2, on the otherside many seq 2 and seq 1 Angels of Fool entered, and no one saw it?
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          1. Offline
            Максим Довбняк
            Максим Довбняк
            + 9 ⋅ 0 -
            Another theory - maybe Adam? It's not clear what he wants to achieve. Everyone doesn't notice the obvious thing, it's very similar to the power of the Visionary too
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            1. Offline
              Spectator_d
              Spectator_d
              + 9 ⋅ 0 -
              I am one hundred percent sure that Adam is preparing a plan to suppress the Celestial. Current activities are taking place under his supervision. This also explains the passivity of the other gods.
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              1. Offline
                alogran
                alogran
                + 1 ⋅ 2 -
                Providing resources is not inaction. It is not passivity. Stiano. Night. Storm.
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                1. Offline
                  Spectator_d
                  Spectator_d
                  + 5 ⋅ 0 -
                  They do not actively interfere with the events in the Dream. Only indirect assistance. I equated this with passivity.
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            2. Offline
              intermittence
              intermittence
              + 3 ⋅ 0 -
              The only people who seem to have been deceived seem to be people on Klein’s side. If so, then ig Adam succeeded in delaying Klein’s awakening.
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  4. Offline
    Максим Довбняк
    Максим Довбняк
    + 34 ⋅ 0 -
    (108) Chapter 992: The Unknowing Questioner

    Luo Shan was sitting near at a police station near a house inside a cafe, using a temporarily modified white dove to monitor the movements of Luo Fu and Jenna.

    She marked the dove with her own insignia and also added a hidden camera. As long as she wore her special sunglasses, she could receive the signal. At the same time, she could use her abilities of the Artist to control the dove by activating the corresponding symbol, commanding it from a distance.

    Of course, she needed to stay within a certain range for this to work.

    Seeing Luo Fu and Jenna leave the Star Dream Provisions Store, Luo Shan quickly had the white dove follow them.

    As it followed them, she realized that the two targets were heading toward the police station near her location.

    Luo Shan’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

    Luckily, her tension didn’t last long. Luo Fu and Jenna only walked down the street and didn’t actually enter the café.

    Phew... Luo Shan breathed a sigh of relief. But just as she relaxed, she noticed that Luo Fu and Jenna, after walking five or six steps away from the café, suddenly vanished into thin air.

    What the... Luo Shan's eyes widened in shock.

    A second later, two people sat down across from her.

    One was Luo Fu, and the other was Jenna.

    Luo Shan froze in place, like a statue.

    "Are you following us?" Jenna asked kindly.

    Franca then placed two mirrors on the café table, creating a "Mirror Maze."

    "I... I just wanted to see what you’re really doing, to see if you were hiding something from me, if you were actually bad people," Luo Shan’s voice gradually rose in volume.

    It seemed that the events in the Dreamscape had left a lasting effect on her... She wondered if the "Mirror Maze" could hide the truth from the Reporter and their investigative abilities. Probably not... How could she prevent this spying in the future? Maybe she should discuss important matters via phone, then use the Information Shredder to erase the records of their conversations? No, apart from herself, Lumian, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig don’t speak Chinese. Phone communication relies on voice conversion and could be overheard. Could the Bottle of Fiction help with this? Probably not, unless they were in the Realm of Mysteries... From now on, they could only talk in places far away from the Reporter? Franca quickly thought of many things.

    Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind, and she looked at Luo Shan, saying:

    "If you want to follow us, you can do so openly. You can watch us as closely as you like. But there are some things that are dangerous, and we might not be able to protect ourselves. If you’re willing to face such things, we’ll let you know in advance, and you can decide if you want to come along."

    Luo Shan didn’t expect Luo Fu and the others to be so forthright, and for a moment, she was speechless.

    Franca continued:

    "We’re about to go somewhere to confirm if some people have become even more fake. Do you want to come?"

    Confirm if they’ve become even more fake? Luo Shan suddenly felt a bit scared but didn’t want to live in ignorance forever without seeking the truth.

    After hesitating for a few seconds, she said, "I’ll go."

    Franca smiled:

    "Perfect. You have the ability to research the truth, and you can help us confirm things firsthand, sparing us from devising risky plans."

    At that moment, she still didn’t know whether Lumian’s Eye of Calamity could detect the issues with Huang Jia, Edwina, and the others. So, they planned to use the Reporter’s abilities instead.

    This way, they might even discover where the impostors were hiding and gather key evidence to report to the police.

    Additionally, Jenna had told Franca earlier that if Luo Shan already knew that the current world was a Dreamscape and was in a state of disbelief—full of doubts but unable to completely deceive herself—then it wasn’t wise to prolong things. Delaying might cause Luo Shan to do something foolish or suffer from mental instability, allowing the Evil God worshipped by the Fantasy Association to take advantage.

    Jenna believed that since they had chosen to be honest from the beginning, they should continue with this approach. On the one hand, they could stabilize Luo Shan’s mental state through psychological counseling. On the other, they could gradually reveal the truth to her under their control, ensuring that she faced the facts rather than being left to her wild imagination and dangerous actions.

    In other words, since the issue had already arisen and couldn’t be avoided, they needed to bring it under their control and release it with caution. This was much better than letting the problem grow on its own.

    That’s why, even though they could have used the Mystery Prying Glasses to complete the task, they chose to ask Luo Shan for help.

    At the Star Training School.

    Franca and Jenna took Luo Shan to a white car with no locks and no people inside.

    —Franca had received a WeChat message from Anthony, who was nearby, ready to assist if Luo Shan had a mental breakdown.

    "What is this?" Luo Shan didn’t expect such a car to be waiting by the roadside for them.

    "A friend of ours sent it, to help us observe," Franca simply explained.

    Luo Shan had an idea and asked, "Lumina from the card game?"

    "Something like that," Jenna said, not wanting to explain further.

    After a while, they saw Huang Jia leaving the Star Training School.

    "That’s her," Franca quickly reminded Luo Shan.

    From inside the car, Luo Shan raised her right hand and pressed her fingers against her temples.

    She immediately saw the target and the surrounding windows, trees along the road, and cars overlapping each other.

    She also saw a lot of invisible strings flying from the person, extending toward the sky.

    These strings were tied to the target’s joints, connected to her organs.

    Following the pull of these invisible strings, the target moved toward the nearest bus stop.

    This... is like a puppet being controlled... Luo Shan felt her whole body tense up.

    When she had researched the truth before, she hadn’t seen anything like this in the people around her. Or perhaps such situations weren’t clear enough for her to notice.

    With a little time left, Luo Shan observed the passersby.

    She saw that they also had a large number of invisible threads floating toward the sky, but these threads were much looser, not pulling their bodies in stiff movements.

    ...

    Luo Shan’s body tensed for a moment, then collapsed. She leaned back against the seat.

    She stopped observing and muttered, "They’re indeed more fake..."

    "Can you give us more details?" Jenna tried to ease Luo Shan’s emotions by discussing the matter at hand.

    Franca sent Anthony a message: "Closely monitor the target’s condition."

    Luo Shan, in a daze, described what she had seen, comparing the target with normal people.

    During this time, Anthony, pretending to be a middle-aged man smoking by the roadside, discreetly approached Luo Shan and used "Calm."

    After she finished talking, Luo Shan fell into complete silence.

    Jenna and Franca exchanged a concerned look, refraining from starting a new conversation for the moment.

    They were waiting for Anthony’s signal. When he said it was safe to continue, they would speak. If he indicated otherwise, they would change their approach accordingly.

    Finally, Luo Shan broke the silence: "I think... I want to go to the North Public Cemetery."

    "Okay," Franca immediately agreed.

    At the same time, she received a message from Anthony, who turned his back and used voice-to-text to send it:

    "The target's emotional state has initially stabilized, but there is still negativity, pessimism, and despair remaining.

    "Don't initiate any conversation. In the current situation, even a random remark could provoke the target. Only respond when she asks."

    Franca forwarded this information to Jenna and started the car, driving onto the main road.

    Inside the vehicle, it was silent, with only the faint hum of the engine.

    After crossing the bridge to the northern part of the city, Luo Shan, who had been sitting still like a wooden sculpture, quietly muttered to herself:

    "Is there really another version of me in that other world?"

    "Yes," Jenna replied.

    She strictly followed the therapist's advice, only answering Luo Shan's questions without elaborating.

    Luo Shan fell silent once more.

    Finally, the car arrived at the northern public cemetery and parked.

    Luo Shan pressed down on the door handle, pausing for a few seconds before saying, "I'll go in by myself. You don't need to follow."

    "Alright," Jenna and Franca responded in unison.

    Luo Shan opened the door and stepped out, hesitating for a moment before turning and asking, her eyes clouded, "Are you here to wake up Zhou Mingrui?"

    "Yes," Jenna didn't hide the truth.

    On this topic, she felt it necessary to say more, so she added:

    "If Zhou Mingrui doesn't wake up, when the apocalypse arrives, everything will be destroyed, including this Dream world.

    "And the apocalypse is only a few years away."

    Luo Shan stared blankly at the seat in front of her, seeking clarification, "Why did Zhou Mingrui fall asleep?"

    "To resist a dark and evil force," Franca explained concisely.

    This aligned with the story she had told earlier.

    Luo Shan remained in the same position and absentmindedly asked, "If that dark force is defeated, can Zhou Mingrui wake up?"

    This... Hearing this question, Franca and Jenna were taken aback.

    They looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for how to answer Luo Shan's query:

    That's right, if the dark force has already been defeated, wouldn't Mr. Fool be able to wake up on his own? If the force hasn't been defeated, then forcibly waking him up—what would be fundamentally different from the situation before he fell asleep?

    Or could it be that waking up Mr. Fool itself is akin to defeating the dark force?

    If Mr. Fool wakes up while the dark force remains dormant, would there be a shift in power dynamics, tipping the balance in favor of Mr. Fool"?

    If this speculation is correct, fine. But if it's wrong, does it mean our entire approach is flawed?

    The Major Arcana always emphasized "waking up," but in reality, shouldn't we focus on weakening the dark force first?

    "We're still in the process of figuring things out and aren't entirely sure whether that dark force has been defeated yet," Franca answered truthfully.

    Luo Shan bit her lip but didn't ask further.

    She got out of the car completely and walked toward the flower shop at the cemetery, purchasing two bouquets of white chrysanthemums.

    Slowly, she made her way forward, her figure gradually disappearing among the rows of gravestones.
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    1. Offline
      Error404
      Error404
      + 7 ⋅ 0 -
      Wonder what path Roselle and Rozanne gonna walk from here, In all honesty they are doomed anyway, if Fool didn't awaken then they can have few years of life, but when Apocalypse come it will also affect the dream, at that time it would be unknown if they survive or not.
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    2. Offline
      WebnovelSlave
      WebnovelSlave
      + 0 ⋅ 0 -
      finally, a possibility of CW's influence getting weakened, if Klein comes back, he could be more of 'himself' hopefully
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    3. Offline
      Tимофей Кыркелан
      Tимофей Кыркелан
      + 2 ⋅ 0 -
      The Earth will perish if Klein does not wake up, according to the Cards of the Senior Arcana. BUT Adam also strives to preserve the Earth, He should already have the power to subdue the Tyrant, the Sun and the Tower. Will these three obey Adam if, suppose Klein loses or continues to sleep until the Apocalypse?...
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      1. Offline
        Não é o Matheus
        Não é o Matheus
        + 9 ⋅ 1 -
        Adam alone is not enough, without a Lord of the Mysteries, who is also a Pillar, there is no possibility for Evernight for example to become a GOO, without 1 Pillar and any other GOO, Adam cannot defeat all those Outer Gods.
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