119 COI

Jenna left the window and sat back on the couch, temporarily pushing thoughts of Luo Shan out of her mind.

If the interview went well today, Lumian or Franca would move in with her, and their group would proceed with subsequent actions in pairs—Ludwig was temporarily an accessory.

Sometimes Jenna hoped it would be Lumian, other times she prayed it would be Franca. During their time in the dream city, she wanted to spend more time with Franca, to encourage her, treat her better, and show how much she valued her, making her feel needed, not alone.

Though Jenna hadn't explicitly discussed this with Lumian, she felt they shared an unspoken understanding, as some of their daily behaviors were very similar.

As her thoughts wandered, Jenna suddenly chuckled at herself.

Actually, the best option would be for Lumian and Franca to live here together.

That way, Franca wouldn't lack the feeling of being needed, Lumian could do more, and Jenna would inevitably find herself wondering what Lumian and Franca were talking about, how they were interacting, whether they had grown closer, or if their relationship had evolved.

This made her feel a little bitter, a bit uncomfortable, but it also helped her further digest her Affliction potion.

When it came to causing others pain, Jenna's potion digestion was progressing rapidly thanks to Ludwig's presence; it wouldn't be long before she completed it. But when it came to her own pain, she still had a long way to go.

She murmured softly, "Imagination and suspicion are more painful than reality, and they eat at the soul even more."

This was a principle she had developed for her role-playing, more refined than "causing others pain" or "causing herself pain." If she were an evil Demoness, she could use this principle to subtly manipulate someone, appearing normal on the surface while fostering jealousy in their wife or girlfriend, gradually driving them both into a pit of pain.

Of course, she also hoped that Lumian and Franca's relationship would improve, that they could save each other to some extent.

She was all for it, as long as she wasn't left out.

Jenna gradually reined in her thoughts, unlocked her phone, and opened her photo gallery.

She looked at the sketch of a self-portrait Luo Shan had sent her yesterday, zoomed in on it, and selected the "Delete" button.

She felt that keeping a Painter's artwork on her phone was risky.

She hadn't deleted it yesterday because she wanted to see if anything would happen, but nothing did. However, she couldn't stay on alert about the picture on her phone forever; she still needed her phone to contact Lumian, Franca, and Anthony!

After deleting the photo, Jenna idly scrolled through her phone, flipping through news stories, novels, funny videos, and shopping tips.

Time passed quickly. Jenna straightened her back slightly and stretched without moving her hands.

She felt it might be a good time to message Franca and check on their situation. But before that, she cautiously checked her phone for any strange apps or statuses.

Suddenly, Jenna froze.

She found Luo Shan's sketch still sitting quietly in its original spot in the gallery, lifelike, with a smile on its lips and eyes full of spirit!

For a moment, Jenna felt uncertain.

Did I really delete it earlier?

Was I influenced and hallucinating?

Jenna quickly calmed herself down and deleted the photo again.

She spent the next few minutes staring at the gallery, watching to see if Luo Shan's sketch would reappear.

After a while, the phone screen naturally dimmed, and Jenna quickly reached out to reactivate it.

The photo with Luo Shan's sketch was back in its original spot.

Jenna confirmed there was a problem but didn't know how to solve it. She didn't even dare to use her phone to search for a solution online.

At that moment, she heard the doorbell ring.

Startled, Jenna quietly stepped behind the door and looked out through the peephole.

She saw Lumian and Franca.

With a sigh of relief, Jenna opened the door.

During this process, she remained somewhat cautious until Lumian and Franca appeared vividly before her eyes, with no warning from her spiritual intuition.

"Perfect timing," Jenna said in a hushed voice.

Franca immediately showed concern, slipping the key card into her loose pants pocket as she walked into the room and asked in a serious tone, "What's going on?"

The elevator in the Dechuang Garden required a card to access, and the landlord had provided two cards. Jenna kept one, and Franca had the other.

Once Lumian closed the door and set up the Bottle of Fiction, Jenna carefully recounted everything about Luo Shan.

She concluded, "I remember the Purifiers telling me that one of their colleagues once encountered a painter undergoing mental treatment. The painter always claimed to Spirit Body walk at night, entering a space similar to but distinct from the spirit world, where they fought monsters and enemies trying to invade reality from that space, protecting the peace of their neighborhood.

"This is very similar to what I saw with my Astral Projection when I was asleep."

"You mean Luo Shan's protective actions might just be another aspect of her corruption by the boon?" Franca understood what Jenna was getting at.

Jenna tersely acknowledged. "That was my initial guess. But after talking to Luo Shan and hearing her describe those monsters to my Astral Projection, I think she genuinely holds a belief in protection. This likely stems from Mr. Fool's subconscious perception and expectations of her."

"So you think Luo Shan's protective behavior is not only a requirement of the boon but also a reflection of her humanity and will, a result of Mr. Fool's subconscious clashing with the Fantasy Association's evil god's influence?" Lumian's gaze flickered as he made the connection with his own experience.

Jenna nodded. "What I'm worried about now is that if our investigation agitates Luo Shan, it might push her into complete corruption, plunging her into the abyss. And that could also signify a small defeat for Mr. Fool in this particular matter. The loss is minor, but if enough minor losses accumulate, it could irreversibly tip the scales."

Lumian agreed, "Our priority now is to delete that photo."

"Right. If it stays on your phone, it's like a ticking time bomb," Franca said as she took Jenna's phone and focused on trying to delete the sketch, but it stubbornly reappeared.

Franca frowned. "Do we really need to use one of those nuclear-option antivirus programs?"

Lumian glanced at the gallery on the phone, reached out, and tried to enter the screen to see if he could find Luo Shan's sketch in the world behind the screen and destroy it in both physical and mystical senses.

At that moment, Franca stopped him.

"Hold on. Even if you can enter the phone's internal world, that would be like facing Luo Shan's sketch head-on. It would likely alert Luo Shan, agitate her, and confirm our suspicions."

Franca then smiled. "Didn't you add that Stiano on WeChat? Since he's a dream manifestation of a high-ranking member of the Church of Steam, and his WeChat nickname has 'Information Technology' in it, and he's studying at a university, maybe he knows how to delete a mystically infected photo."

"I'll ask." Lumian nodded thoughtfully.

He dismissed the Bottle of Fiction and had Jenna send Luo Shan's sketch to his WeChat.

Then, Lumian messaged Stiano:

"Can you help? My phone has a weird virus."

Within seconds, Stiano, whose nickname was "Electric Power Energy and Information Technology," replied: "Send me a screenshot."

"He responded quickly. Does that mean he's interested in this kind of thing?" Franca muttered.

Lumian opened the photo, had Franca take a screenshot, and sent it to Stiano.

"This photo won't delete; it keeps reappearing."

A moment later, "Electric Power and Information Technology" sent back a compressed file.

"There's a small program inside. Use it to load the image and delete it, and you should be fine."

Is there really a way to solve this? Franca and Jenna both wondered as Lumian followed the instructions, extracting the file and launching a program called "Information Shredder."

He used the program to load Luo Shan's sketch, pressed the built-in "Delete" button, and then exited the program, locked his phone for a couple of seconds, and reopened it.

He saw that the photo was gone from the gallery, not reappearing.

After testing it several times, Lumian sent the compressed file to Jenna.

Jenna also successfully deleted Luo Shan's sketch, without it returning to her gallery.

"He's really an expert…" Franca said, gazing at Lumian's WeChat contact, "Electric Power and Information Technology," with genuine admiration.

Lumian used voice input to thank Stiano.

"Electric Power and Information Technology" replied: "This virus is worth studying. If you encounter similar problems again, feel free to contact me."

Only with similar problems? Lumian mused as he sent a nodding emoji in response.

Finally, Jenna relaxed.

Suddenly, Franca hissed, "In modern society, or rather, in the dream city, some Sequences and Beyonder powers have become even more terrifying and harder to guard against…

"As we've seen, if a Painter's artwork has mystical powers, then the corresponding photo can carry some of that too. And if it spreads online, seen and downloaded by thousands, how horrifying would that be…

"Even the surveillance world we encountered before isn't something we'd face in reality."

Before Lumian and Jenna could respond, Franca had another idea.

"Computer viruses and phone viruses are still viruses. Can they be controlled by a Demoness?

"Probably not… But a higher Sequence of the Mystery Pryer pathway should definitely be able to."

-x-X-x-

Lumian and Jenna could deeply relate to Franca's concerns.

They had encountered a Pixie in reality before, a higher Sequence Beyonder of the Painter pathway, but they had never imagined that something as simple as a photo sent through the information network could carry such terrifying supernatural power.

"Yes." Jenna nodded. "We need to think more about what different pathways of Beyonders can achieve in the dream city that they couldn't in reality and prepare accordingly."

Though the dream city suppressed all Beyonder powers to the level of Sequence 7, its unique characteristics and the details of its social functioning had brought about possibilities that exceeded their previous expectations.

Of course, Lumian and the others had already begun to discuss how certain Beyonder powers from the Demoness and Hunter pathways could interact with the dream city in unexpected ways. However, they had yet to thoroughly explore the potential changes other pathways might undergo as a result.

Their current conclusions were:

The Hunter and Demoness pathways, which symbolized calamity, could exploit the unique features of the dream city positively, like using the abundance of mirrors to set up Mirror Mazes and cast different mirror spells at any time and place, or utilizing screens as a medium to access previously unreachable or nonexistent surveillance worlds and other dimensional spaces.

On the negative side, there were many more uses, which, as Franca put it, involved actions that would violate criminal laws, and not just any violations, but those that would warrant severe penalties. Examples included using the Internet to seduce others and spread pleasure, amplifying the destructive power of a Pyromaniac by triggering natural gas explosions, or leveraging the dense buildings and population to better and faster spread diseases, among others.

There were countless other more detailed and everyday uses as well.

After discussing this for a while, Lumian said to Jenna, "For now, Franca will stay here for a while. She can observe Luo Shan during the day and approach her as a colleague."

Jenna had already had a hunch, and she looked at Franca with a delighted expression, asking, "Have you joined the Intis Group?"

Franca smiled nonchalantly. "Of course."

She then recounted how she had prepared for the interview and how she had adjusted her plan upon seeing Miss Huang also participating.

"When do you both start officially?" Jenna asked with concern.

Franca replied with a hint of pride, "I have three days to sort out my affairs. Lumian has to report tomorrow."

The identity that Madam Justice had created for Franca was that of a 25-year-old white-collar worker with three years of experience, someone who had changed fields right after graduation and no longer worked in her original profession.

Franca had been worried that the work experience on her resume might be an issue since it was fabricated. However, when she pretended to be a background checker from a certain company and made a phone call, she was surprised to find that there really was someone named "Luo Fu" who matched her profile closely.

This led her to suspect that the company might be secretly connected to Madam Justice or other Major Arcana card holders in the dream city. Alternatively, before Madam Justice was expelled, she might have used her ability to weave the dream and pre-embedded some identities that could be utilized. After identifying the bearer of the five lucky coins, she might have painstakingly and time-consumingly altered the names, appearances, and other information.

"Anything you need to prepare?" Jenna asked, intending to find out if she could help in any way.

Franca's expression suddenly fell. "I need to buy a skirt, stockings, and high heels…"

It had been a long time since she had consumed the Witch potion, and the most she had worn was a skirt-pants combination. She had never actually worn a skirt, let alone the other items!

"It's part of the dress code," Lumian explained on her behalf.

Jenna understood Franca's reluctance and, with a flicker of her eyes, said, "Have you forgotten the acting method? Forgotten the roles you've played before?

"This is just another form of acting. It's not about digesting the potion this time but about getting close to Mr. Fool's dream manifestation and secretly dealing with the lurking subordinates of the Celestial Worthy and the evil gods' followers, thwarting their schemes.

"Remember, you're just acting."

Franca had already made up her mind, and now she was just finding more reasons to justify it. So, Jenna's Instigation easily worked, and Franca's expression softened.

Jenna looked at her and smiled slightly. "I'll wear the same kind of outfit as you. If we're all dressed the same, there won't be any awkwardness or shame."

Franca's eyes lit up. "Sure!"

Since she had decided to make this sacrifice, getting some perks was a welcome bonus!

Lumian stayed silent, letting Franca and Jenna continue their conversation, wary of being roped into making a similar promise.

He checked the time on his phone and reminded the two Demonesses, "Even though we didn't confront Luo Shan's sketch directly, the fact that we managed to delete that kind of photo itself is suspicious. If Luo Shan notices it's gone, she'll likely test us again or even take more drastic action. You two need to stay vigilant."

"Mm, I was thinking the same thing just now," Franca and Jenna responded almost in unison.

Lumian waved them off and left.

Once he was gone, Franca plopped down on the couch, relaxing as she smiled at Jenna.

"Let's go shopping for clothes tomorrow. We have money now; the lottery winnings are in!"

Jenna visibly breathed a sigh of relief at this news.

She cautiously suggested, "Should we pay off those micro loans first?"

She had seen many people in Quartier du Jardin Botanique and Le Marché du Quartier du Gentleman who borrowed from loan sharks, only to eventually destroy themselves and their families, dragging down the ones they loved most. So, even after entering the dream city, she was always extremely cautious when it came to taking out micro loans.

"I was hoping to save up some money to rent those good items from Star Dream Provisions Store…" Franca hesitated for two seconds before saying, "Fine, let's pay off the loans first. This might even increase the credit limit, which could come in handy at critical moments when we need to go all in."

Before transmigrating, she had seen many cases of people borrowing micro loans and having their lives ruined as a result.

Now, as a fairly experienced Beyonder, she knew that money could be used to rent the magic mirror Arrodes, and she understood that in the dream city, money was likely a symbol representing valuable resources. The "offense-defense battle" that occurred during the prize redemption process further solidified this theory.

From this perspective, carrying outstanding micro loans indeed seemed risky. While it could serve as an emergency solution in the short term, dragging it out over a long period or relying on them to sustain daily life was not a wise choice.

Jenna also sat down on the couch and urged Franca to repay the online loan on the spot. She then transferred some money to her teammates to help them repay their loans as well.

"Only 120,000 left…" Franca sighed.

Jenna changed the subject, and the two of them chatted about their recent experiences, sharing their thoughts on daily life.

In the end, Jenna couldn't help but ask again, "How exactly can we awaken Mr. Fool?"

They had discussed this question many times before, but still had no concrete ideas. They could only observe and make contact, hoping to find clues and inspiration.

Franca shook her head and sighed.

"I don't know. The Major Arcana have tried everything they could think of, from directly reminding him of the existence of Beyonder powers to filming a movie that fully depicted his experiences in the hope of triggering his memory. None of it worked, and they were quickly expelled from the dream as a result…"

She hadn't known before, but now she understood that the movie they shot was The Great Pirate 3.

"It seems like no one has tried directly telling Zhou Mingrui the truth…" Jenna recalled.

"We're not sure if that would work, but it would certainly lead to being expelled from the dream quickly," Franca replied with a self-deprecating smile. "Still, if we have enough attempts left, we could isolate someone and let them give it a shot."

Late at night, the two Demonesses washed up and went to bed, each occupying a pillow.

They had already discussed how to deal with any probes Luo Shan might carry out next. Now, without saying much, they exchanged a glance and tacitly pulled up their blankets, closing their eyes in the cool air brought by the air conditioner.

Using ice to cool the room would be too easily detected by any potential watchers as an indication of Beyonder powers.

…

Once again, Jenna's Astral Projection ventured out and saw many spirits wandering around, along with the blurry, illusory buildings, the frozen storm, and the semi-transparent barrier.

She didn't immediately check on Luo Shan's situation. Instead, she kept her eyes unfocused and her gaze blank, floating and moving back and forth naturally under the guidance of her spirituality.

During this process, she saw Franca, who was also in a similar state.

Finally, Jenna's body turned toward the semi-transparent barrier adjacent to the deep darkness.

There was no one there.

Luo Shan wasn't there fighting off the monsters trying to invade!

Jenna's heart tightened, but she maintained her previous state, continuing to wander in her Astral Projection.

After a while, her gaze naturally rose, and she saw Luo Shan.

Luo Shan, dressed in a pale yellow skirt-pants combination, was floating high up, quietly watching her and Franca with deep eyes. It was impossible to tell how long she had been watching.

Jenna's nerves instantly tightened, but thanks to her acting skills, she showed no signs of abnormality. Franca remained just as natural.

After a long, intense stare, Luo Shan flew toward the area where strange creatures were attempting to invade. From behind the semi-transparent barrier, she blocked their attacks and drove them back repeatedly.

Neither Franca nor Jenna let their guard down. Like background characters, they dutifully repeated simple actions and irregular movements.

Suddenly, both felt a sense of danger and woke up instantly from their sleep.

They smelled a sickening, foul odor and saw a pair of brown-yellow eyes staring at them from the night clinging to the ceiling.

In the darkness, a pair of wings covered in brown feathers, like those of a giant owl, spread out.

-x-X-x-

It was a human being seemingly embedded within an owl. His eyes were perfectly round, with pupils that gleamed in brown and yellow, filled with undisguised malice.

Anyone who made eye contact with those eyes would inevitably experience a jumbled mind, tense emotions, and a soul-deep fear.

The half-owl, half-human abomination flapped its wings and, with a foul stench, swooped down toward Jenna and Franca, who were lying in bed.

Its mouth opened, releasing nearly tangible sound waves.

The sound waves struck the two Demonesses, passed through them, and hit the bedsheets, dispersing in all directions.

The bed was now empty. The air conditioner panel's screen, the glass top of the bedside table, and the dark glass embedded in the wardrobe doors all flickered with a dim, eerie light.

Behind the half-owl, half-human abomination, Franca's figure sprang up, clutching an almost invisible Wintry Blade and stabbing at the target with the speed of a gust of wind.

The transparent triangular spike pierced the abomination's body with precision, freezing it in an instant as if it had encountered an icy spell.

At the bedroom door, Jenna's figure appeared, holding a mirror that reflected the enemy's now stuttering movements.

With her other hand, she ignited a silent black flame and quickly ran it across the surface of the mirror.

The half-owl, half-human abomination ignited with an evil black flame from the inside out, but due to the Wintry Blade's effects, it couldn't even let out a wail or scream.

Soon, the abomination burned to ashes, leaving nothing behind.

"A type of spirit creature…" Franca understood that a Demoness's black flame mainly targeted spirituality and life, making it difficult to ignite a physical entity.

She gently descended from midair, as weightless as a feather.

Jenna quickly and quietly said, "That was a Morna, the creature from Luo Shan's painting, and the invader Luo Shan has been fighting."

"Luo Shan's aggressive probe?" Franca responded without hesitation. "We need to go to Luo Shan's room now and try to subdue her as soon as possible, or we might be kicked out of the dream."

Jenna had clearly considered this as well. She nodded and said, "You head to Luo Shan's room. I'll go to that spirit-world-like space. If necessary, I'll take Luo Shan's place and guard the barrier to prevent those invaders from getting through."

She thought Luo Shan might not be in her room and could still be at the semi-transparent barrier. She was also worried that without Luo Shan's protection, the invaders might break through the defense line and cause a disaster.

Franca didn't waste time and, with a slight nod, slipped to the other side of the curtains, opened the master bedroom window, and jumped down to the 15th floor.

She didn't use the Ice Amulet to cross through the mirror world, fearing that Luo Shan, who had sensed Jenna's previous probe, might have set some traps afterward.

Franca's body was as light as a feather, yet the wind didn't push her off course. She landed precisely on Luo Shan's bedroom windowsill and pried open the window with a thin layer of frost.

Franca didn't rush in. Using the faint pre-dawn light, she quickly scanned the room.

The bed was empty, and paintings of various subjects hung everywhere.

Hiding? Franca pulled out a mirror from the Traveler's Bag.

She intended to divine the level of danger and create an illusion of herself using the mirrors inside and outside the room to see if she could lure Luo Shan into making a move.

In the spirit-world-like space shrouded by the frozen storm, Jenna's Astral Projection emerged and immediately looked toward the nearby semi-transparent barrier adjacent to the deep darkness.

Luo Shan wasn't there.

Mornas and other bizarre creatures were attacking the barrier, gradually thinning it and causing the frozen storm to show signs of disintegration.

Jenna looked around, scanning up and down, but still didn't spot Luo Shan.

She sighed inwardly and floated to the area under heavy assault by the monsters. Dangerous black flames and crystalline ice spears formed around her, shooting outward and smashing many of the invaders.

After holding the line for fifteen minutes, the monsters retreated into the depths of the darkness, their attack fully repelled.

After a while, sunlight began to filter into the area, and both the frozen storm and the wandering spirits and illusory buildings faded away.

Jenna's Astral Projection also returned to her body.

Morning had arrived.

Franca had already returned, her expression serious as she told Jenna, "I couldn't find Luo Shan. She either hid early or left."

"Could she have hidden inside one of the paintings?" Jenna quickly suggested a possibility.

Franca gently shook her head in response. "I checked all the paintings. None of them had any human shadows, but the sketch portrait you mentioned is missing.

"There's a painting of a bridge that stretches from the edge of a cliff near the foreground over a bottomless dark abyss to another cliff in the distance, where there's a black forest.

"I suspect Luo Shan entered the painting and escaped into the black forest via the bridge. I couldn't pursue her, and I have a strong sense of danger about that painting. It probably wasn't painted by Luo Shan herself."

Jenna was about to say something when she suddenly realized. "We haven't been kicked out of the dream!"

"Nor have we been restricted," Franca noted, having kept an eye on this matter.

She mused, "Luo Shan was corrupted by that evil god from the Fantasy Association, not controlled by the Celestial Worthy. While that evil god might assist the Celestial Worthy in some matters, it certainly has His own agenda and won't help with everything.

"Perhaps He wants us to stay in the dream to hinder the Celestial Worthy at a critical moment, so it's concealing this matter?"

"This is what Lumian meant when he said that the goals of the evil gods and the Celestial Worthy sometimes align, but sometimes they don't," Jenna agreed with a nod. She then added, "It's also possible that Luo Shan hasn't been completely corrupted and hasn't fully fallen, choosing to deal with us on her own without informing that evil god."

"Struggling and resisting…" Franca sighed before saying, "Let's wait a bit longer and see what happens."

After waiting for more than an hour, the two Demonesses saw Luo Shan leave Building 5, dressed in the standard Intis Group administrative department uniform, heading off to work as usual. It seemed as if everything that happened last night had been just a dream.

Franca and Jenna still hadn't been kicked out of the dream, nor had they faced any restrictions.

"She must have hidden in that painting with the bridge," Franca concluded, withdrawing her gaze. "I'll send a message to Lumian, letting him know what happened last night and that we might be at risk of being kicked out of the dream soon."

"Won't that get him kicked out too?" Jenna worried that contacting Lumian now might leave a hidden danger.

Franca let out a soft laugh. "Isn't there that little app Stiano gave us? The 'Information Shredder.'

"I figure WeChat messages are also information, so they should be shreddable without leaving a trace. I'll shred the message when sending it, and Lumian will shred it when receiving it.

"Although I can't be sure the Information Shredder will definitely fool the Celestial Worthy's subconscious tracking, I think it's worth a try. If it really works as we hope, we'll have more room to maneuver in certain situations."

Jenna pondered for a moment and then said, "Okay."

Franca immediately composed a WeChat message, detailing Luo Shan's probe, her and Jenna's response, and the subsequent developments, finally reminding Lumian to use the Information Shredder to delete the chat record.

…

At the entrance of the Tech Building.

Lumian stood in the lobby, casually reading the message from Franca.

Then he made his way to the first-floor restroom, entered the men's section, and found a stall where he activated a Bottle of Fiction.

He then brought his phone close to his mouth and whispered, "You can try more probes. Franca should also start work as early as possible and get in touch with Zhou Mingrui.

"We can't rely entirely on Luo Shan's struggle or the selfishness of that evil god from the Fantasy Association. They could change their minds in half a day or a day, so you need to gather more information before that happens to prepare for the second or third time we enter the dream."

After sending the message, Lumian waited a few seconds before pulling up the Information Shredder app and selecting the chat history with Franca and Jenna, then clicked delete.

Once he finished, he terminated the Bottle of Fiction and took the elevator to the 13th floor, where the Intis Group's security department was located.

After completing the necessary paperwork, he was led into the security department chief's office.

The office was large, almost the size of a private gym, with space for practicing boxing.

The security department chief was a foreigner with black hair and blue eyes, of medium height, and a muscular build that seemed understated but exuded power.

His name was Grimm. According to the Major Arcana card holders, he had been one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who served Emperor Roselle faithfully. He died early, before he could witness Roselle's great achievements, and this was his dream manifestation.

"Have you practiced martial arts?" Grimm asked in broken local dialect.

"Yes." Lumian nodded sincerely.

"Then let's have a sparring match," Grimm pointed to the boxing ring on the other side of the office.

Still not in his security uniform, Lumian didn't refuse. He entered the ring and waited for Grimm to approach.

Grimm took off his light suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and stood in front of Lumian.

Suddenly, he threw a punch, the wind whistling as it cut through the air.

Lumian, appearing nonchalant, seemed to have anticipated the move. He sidestepped, avoiding the punch.

Snapping his waist back, he swiftly closed in on Grimm, unleashing a barrage of attacks with his elbows, fists, knees, and toes in a relentless onslaught.

Grimm maintained a tight guard, blocking Lumian's fast but underpowered strikes without allowing them to break his defense or land on his body.

Bang! Bang! Bang! After a few dozen seconds of furious assault, Lumian suddenly stepped back, panting heavily as he raised his hand in surrender.

"I'm out of strength."

Of course, he couldn't knock out his department head on his first day at work. It wasn't just a matter of workplace etiquette—he was concerned that revealing his combat prowess would expose him as a Beyonder.

"Not bad." Grimm nodded.

He walked straight to his desk.

As he passed Lumian, he suddenly lowered his voice as if not wanting the others waiting in the office to overhear and said, "Give my regards to the Mother."

Mother… Lumian's pupils dilated.

Grimm then added in a hushed tone, "I've recognized you, Honorable Child of God."

-x-X-x-

Child of God… Has he sensed the Omebella bloodline in me? This dream of a great existence is truly remarkable, even capturing the smallest details… Lumian had now realized the truth, and he gently nodded in response to Grimm's greeting.

He turned and took a few steps, then said to Grimm, "Director, I'll be heading out first."

Grimm's full title was "Director of Security for the Intis Group."

Grimm's face broke into a satisfied smile as he gave a barely perceptible nod.

"I'm quite pleased with your fighting skills. You should now follow Team Lead Xu to familiarize yourself with the different positions and procedures in the security department."

This was his way of subtly indicating to Xu Xinyang, the current team lead of Security Team 2 who was also in the office, that he valued this young man and did not want Xu to give him a hard time.

"Yes, Director." Lumian responded with a slightly excited tone.

As he followed Xu Xinyang out of the office, his expression gradually settled, and thoughts about Grimm flashed through his mind.

As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who served Emperor Roselle, Grimm had died on a primitive island in the Fog Sea, but later seemed to have been corrupted by the power of the Great Mother, and his corpse had been revived in a strange state…

The Omebella bloodline in me can only be sensed by those directly created by the Great Mother or obtained Her boon, and they would have to be ones that lack the necessary intelligence to mistake me as a Child of God…

The Grimm in the dream city is constructed based on Mr. Fool's subconscious perception, so the Great Mother's corruption hidden within him is understandable, but why did he mistake me for a Child of God? Is it because, as a dream manifestation, he fundamentally lacks the necessary intelligence?

I wonder if the Great Mother has truly, covertly corrupted the dream Grimm and is using this connection to have him help with her own matters…

Lumian found the situation somewhat amusing.

He truly was like a detonator for calamity, having triggered some issues that the Major Arcana card holders had been unable to uncover, and he had only been here for a few days.

After changing into the navy-blue security uniform, Lumian was assigned by Security Team 2's Team Lead Xu Xinyang to guard the main entrance, with the primary duty of maintaining order in the lobby, preventing suspicious individuals from entering the building, and stopping delivery personnel from taking the elevator, instead directing them to leave packages in the drop-off area.

Lumian and two colleagues replaced the previous security guards responsible for these tasks, standing at the entrance with their backs ramrod straight.

At this time, it was still before the official start of the workday, and employees from various companies were still arriving.

Some of them had a surprised reaction.

The new security guard is quite good-looking…

Is he new?

With that appearance, he shouldn't be a security guard, he should go do live streaming, auditions, or be an extra in movies!

Soon, a male employee from an MCN company on the 7th floor and a female employee from an Intis Group subsidiary company consecutively walked up the stairs and headed toward the entrance.

The latter's eyes suddenly lit up.

The security guard at the door is so handsome…

She picked up her phone, intending to take a photo and share it with her best friends.

The former, on the other hand, immediately became excited.

A handsome security guard, not at all sleazy… Handsome… Security guard… That's great material! It might even become a hot topic and miraculously attract eyeballs!

While a level of handsomeness that would only be considered average or slightly above average for regular people, when contrasted with identities in the lower strata of society, such as security guards, beggars, farmers, herdsmen, delivery workers, or construction laborers, it had the potential to generate a lot of attention online.

The MCN company employee quickly grabbed their phone, intending to record a video.

Sensing their actions, Lumian stepped forward, blocking their phones with his hand, and said sternly, "Please don't take photos of me without permission. Please respect others' privacy!"

The man and woman were both taken aback, not expecting to be stopped.

The male employee blurted out, "I think you have the potential to go viral, and I want to post a video online."

"No need." Lumian stopped them, not wanting to become an Internet celebrity.

The MCN company employee was dumbfounded.

Who doesn't want to go viral these days?

Lumian said seriously, "Did you happen to take any photos just now? If so, please delete them."

Hearing his words, Lumian felt the surrounding office workers all looking towards them, and the man and woman's faces flushed red, feeling a bit indignant.

"What right do you have to tell me to show you my phone? If you've got the guts, call the cops!" the woman retorted angrily.

The male MCN company employee suddenly had an idea and began shouting, "The security guard is beating me up! The security guard is trying to take my phone!"

I'll make you go viral in another way!

Lumian seemed amused by their actions, a smile appearing on his face.

This smile immediately calmed the man and woman, making them feel guilty for having yelled at someone so pleasant.

Maintaining his Charm, Lumian said sincerely, "I appreciate that you want me to go viral, but I really don't need that. Could you please delete the photos or video?"

The man and woman, forgetting about the people around them, dazedly showed Lumian their phones and deleted the photo and video in front of him.

"Thank you." Lumian kept smiling.

The man and woman reluctantly left for the elevators, glancing back at him every few steps.

Once they entered their own company and gradually regained their composure, one felt the security guard was handsome and cool, as well as polite, while the other suspected they might have awakened some remarkable inclination.

At the lobby entrance, many white-collar workers were looking towards Lumian due to the recent incident.

Lumian spotted Zhou Mingrui, who had changed into a dark polo shirt and was carrying a black briefcase.

Zhou Mingrui also seemed to recognize him, with a hint of surprise on his expression.

Lumian gave him a slight smile and gestured towards his security uniform.

Zhou Mingrui composed his expression and politely nodded.

Beneath his calm exterior, his heart was racing with shock and suspicion.

Why is it him, that young man who had an early romance and became a father at a young age?

How did he end up as a security guard at my company?

I only saw him a couple of days ago, and now he's a security guard… Isn't that too coincidental?

Is it because of the incident with the vending machine?

After becoming an Assassin, I feel like there's been someone secretly observing me…

Is this person trying to investigate my anomaly?

Zhou Mingrui maintained his usual expression as he stepped into the elevator, waiting for it.

He began to feel like he should resign and move away from his current residence, completely escaping the hidden observers…

The reason he hadn't done so before was that his acquisition of Beyonder powers had not been discovered, and the Intis Group's salary was quite plush, at the top tier in Yangdu. If he resigned, it would be very difficult to find a similar good job.

I'll observe for a little longer. If there really is a problem, I'll have to resign and move. If that doesn't work, I'll go look for jobs in Beijing or Shanghai…

Will it implicate my family and friends…

Thinking of this, Zhou Mingrui shuddered, not daring to imagine the worst-case scenario.

He could hide, but his family and friends couldn't.

And without any evidence, even calling the police might not do any good.

Reaching the 10th floor, Zhou Mingrui, still carrying his black briefcase, did not immediately head to the tech department, but instead turned towards the administrative department across the hall.

He wanted to find Luo Shan, the administrative staff member he was most familiar with, and ask about the new security guard.

Luo Shan was not at her desk, seeming to have gone to the restroom. After greeting a few other administrative staff, Zhou Mingrui made an excuse and stood by Luo Shan's desk, waiting for her.

His gaze swept over her desk, finding some familiar items but also a sense of unfamiliarity.

In addition to the cute decorations she had before, there were now strange paintings adorning the divider, the surface of her water cup, and the outer layer of her snack bags.

Next to the computer screen was an empty bottle of a beverage that seemed to have been kept as a decorative item due to its attractive design.

Zhou Mingrui's gaze landed on that beverage bottle, looking past the colorful and diverse abstract packaging to the two words that stood out: Painter.

Painter… Zhou Mingrui's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What are you looking at?" Luo Shan's voice suddenly came from behind him.

As an Assassin, he had failed to sense her approach in advance.

Zhou Mingrui quickly put on a smile and turned to face Luo Shan, acting casual.

"I have something to discuss with you.

"I saw a new security guard downstairs just now, and he was arguing with two people, saying they were taking photos of him without permission…"

Zhou Mingrui recounted the situation he had observed, without adding any speculation.

Finally, he asked, "Is he one of our company's security guards?"

"Yes, he just started today." Luo Shan had a look of sudden realization. "I heard from Feifei in HR that they hired a really handsome security guard, and I was thinking of finding an excuse to go check out the security department."

Lowering her voice, Luo Shan continued, "I'll tell you a secret, but don't tell anyone else—that security guard is only 22 years old and already has a child…"

I know that; he looks younger than his actual age… Zhou Mingrui murmured inwardly.

Luo Shan continued, "Guess how old the child is? 7 years old!"

"7 years old?" Zhou Mingrui doubted if he had heard correctly.

"7 years old, a junior high school student with a child. Tsk tsk." Luo Shan clucked her tongue.

Having a child at 15; so he did 'that' at 14… He's right on the edge of being illegal and criminal… I don't know how old the mother is… Zhou Mingrui suddenly felt the new security guard might not be after him.

If he had some scheme, why would he expose such an earth-shattering and attention-grabbing background?

How would he be able to carry out his covert operations?

That doesn't fit the logic of trying to be discreet!

Luo Shan rambled on, finally saying, "But he has a very ordinary, average name—Li Ming."

Li Ming… Why not Li Hua… Zhou Mingrui muttered as he left Luo Shan's desk and headed towards the exit of the administrative department.

He didn't look back, because he felt Luo Shan might also have some issues.

She might have already become a Painter.

Zhou Mingrui remembered Luo Shan previously bringing a bunch of beverages for everyone to draw, and at that time, he had drawn Instigator and fed it to the mushrooms, while Luo Shan had drunk Reporter.

Back then, he hadn't detected anything unusual about Luo Shan or the other colleagues who had drunk similar beverages in the office.

Now, the Painter beverage and the paintings that had appeared on Luo Shan's desk were making him suspicious.

-x-X-x-

At 4:30 pm, Lumian gathered his personal belongings, changed out of the security uniform, and prepared to leave work.

This job surprisingly had an 8-hour shift system, but he would have to take turns on night shifts later.

It had to be said that Mr. Huang Tao was not too strict in his treatment of employees, and was quite generous with the pay, even if some departments did require frequent overtime, for which Mr. Huang still provided overtime pay, and at a fairly high standard. If the overtime was too late, there were also reimbursements for late-night snacks and transportation.

So, although Mr. Huang was notorious for his womanizing, and some of the company's policies were not very friendly or respectful towards certain female employees, there were still many who were eager to join the Intis Group.

Today, Lumian had been stationed at the main entrance, not assigned to patrol the floors or monitor the security cameras. He had only encountered Zhou Mingrui once in the morning, and had not seen him since.

He was not disappointed about this, nor was he impatient—the pace was just right.

He walked towards the bus stop, braving the scorching sun, and along the way, he took out his phone to send a voice message to Franca: "I think I've left a rather strong impression on Zhou Mingrui today. Although I didn't notice any obvious changes in his expression, if I were in his shoes, I would certainly suspect that it's not a coincidence that I just happened to meet him at Dream Tutoring Classes and then immediately started working at the Intis Group—that I must be tracking him, with some hidden, sinister purpose.

"Given Zhou Mingrui's caution and prudence, he will most likely think this way.

"Since he has formed such a deep impression, I won't be going back to Xinhong District tonight. I'll find a cheap motel to stay at, and see if there are any developments at night, whether it might lead to me being kicked out of the dream."

"Ludwig is being taken care of by Anthony."

Soon, True Hidden Blade replied: "Doesn't this risk Zhou Mingrui resigning? That's bound to be a contingency plan for such a cautious person.

"I haven't even started the job yet! I've already bought several sets of clothes, and spent quite a bit of money!"

Sensing Franca's concern about the money potentially going to waste, Lumian chuckled and replied: "It shouldn't lead to that for now. I deliberately didn't go and tamper with my background information or try to forge a fake identity before the interview, so that my personal life would be outrageous enough to not seem like I'm coming to investigate.

"Sometimes, a moderate degree of high-profile behavior can actually reduce others' suspicions of you.

"And even if Zhou Mingrui does end up resigning, you can still join the company normally. There's no rule that says Intis Group employees can't investigate Zhou Mingrui's movements after work. Plus, the Intis Group has a lot of issues hidden, like Luo Shan, and Grimm. If we can uncover them, it might give us some inspiration to find a way to awaken Mr. Fool."

He had informed Franca and the others about the problem with Grimm earlier that day.

Finally, Lumian added: "Remember to use the Information Shredder to delete the chat log."

He reached the bus stop and carried out the operation to eliminate any traces.

Soon, the bus arrived. Since it was not the usual rush hour, there weren't many passengers.

Lumian relaxed a bit.

When he had taken the subway earlier, there had been an incident where a man had tried to grope him in the crowded environment, nearly having his wrist twisted off by Lumian.

He wasn't afraid of such things, he just found it annoying and a waste of his time and energy.

If he was experiencing this as a male, what would happen if he switched to his Demoness state?

…

Dechuang Garden.

Franca played Lumian's voice message so that Jenna could hear it.

As Jenna was using the Information Shredder to delete the chat log, she was either folding the new clothes one by one or hanging them directly in the closet.

They had gone to the garment wholesale market again that morning, but this time they chose higher quality and more expensive items, spending nearly two thousand.

After washing, "baking dry", and ironing, the clothes were now ready to wear.

"I've already applied to start work tomorrow," Franca said contemplatively as she helped fold the clothes.

In her previous life, she hadn't even finished university, never getting the chance to experience work. After her transmigration, she had lived off the original body's savings for a while, then by chance became an Assassin, bidding farewell to a regular job.

Jenna smiled. "Just remember that you're going there to investigate the issues and interact with Mr. Fool's dream manifestations, not because you actually want the job. Then you won't care about how others view your work performance."

"Mm, I wonder when Zhou Mingrui will resign." Franca chuckled. "I hope I can at least get one month's salary!"

After tidying up the clothes, the two Demonesses leaned against pillows on the bed and started scrolling on their phones.

After browsing for a while, Franca clicked her tongue and said, "Mr. Huang really does have a lot of rumors surrounding him…"

Huang Tao himself rarely posted anything on social media, but it was impossible to avoid the many ex-girlfriends he had had, numbering in the hundreds, of all kinds—from famous actresses and singers to wannabe Internet celebrities who wanted to gain attention by sharing their love stories with the big company president, and even some who staged and acted out their own stories, despite having no real connection to Huang Tao.

So no matter what Franca and the others browsed, they would come across stories about Mr. Huang and his women every now and then, reinforcing the impressions they had formed from Roselle's diary and the corresponding legends.

However, Franca still wanted to say that Mr. Huang was truly generous with his money, and would not set traps to reclaim the gifts he had given, or have the women thrown in jail.

It was precisely because Huang Tao's many mistresses were verifiably from the administrative department of the Intis Group that Franca had discovered during her job interview that not many people were applying for the positions for the sake of the job itself.

Of course, she herself was not applying for the job for the sake of the job either, but to get close to Mr. Fool's dream manifestation.

Before Jenna could respond, Franca sighed again. "I can't even imagine what the state of the administrative department at the Intis Group must be, and for Mr. Huang to be able to manage such an administrative department and still have the company thrive, he must be really capable…"

Jenna also shared some of the other rumors she had come across about Mr. Huang, and by 11 o'clock at night, the two Demonesses put down their phones, turned off the lights, and fell asleep.

They once again found themselves in the strange space shrouded by a frozen storm, seeing Luo Shan, now in casual attire, floating at the edge of the semi-transparent barrier, having just pushed back the invasion of the bizarre creatures into the dark depths. Luo Shan turned and looked at them.

Franca and Jenna's planning had anticipated this scenario, so they did not immediately make a move, but instead returned Luo Shan's gaze.

Their eyes met, and Luo Shan's low voice spoke, "Are you also people with Beyonder powers?

"Are you here to investigate me?"

Her expression was full of wariness.

"Yes, and no." Franca responded in an ambiguous way.

Jenna used a touch of Charm and smiled amiably.

"You haven't left, and you're even willing to meet with us."

Luo Shan was silent for a few seconds before speaking, "Last night, I hid away, and discovered that you had taken my place, guarding the barrier and dealing with those monsters.

"I feel, I feel, that you must be a good person, and perhaps we can talk."

Before Jenna could respond, Luo Shan pressed on, "What do you mean, 'yes, and no'?"

Franca organized her thoughts and said seriously, "We want to approach you, to figure out the issues with you, and eliminate the hidden dangers, but we are not here to deal with you. The real target is not you."

Luo Shan became a bit confused.

Franca further explained, "We are from the future, using a time machine to return to the present, in order to find that Messiah."

"Messiah?" Luo Shan was bewildered.

What the hell are you talking about?

Franca nodded solemnly.

"In the not-too-distant future, humanity is under attack by evil forces and is on the verge of extinction. That's when a Messiah suddenly appears and rescues us, mitigating the dire situation.

"The evil forces, through some means, have created a time machine and sent some monster-disguised creatures to the present in this city, trying to eliminate the Messiah while they are still weak.

"Fortunately, the future Messiah detected this and found a way for us to also utilize the time machine.

"He exhausted the machine's last bit of power to send us back here, so that we can find and eliminate those monsters, and help the young Messiah overcome the interference and obstacles, truly awakening them.

"Our contact with you is actually to get closer to the young Messiah."

Jenna listened to Franca's narrative and was momentarily dumbfounded.

Although they had briefly discussed the general storyline beforehand, she never expected Franca to be able to present it so convincingly.

The story seemed to align quite well with the actual situation, yet there was a fundamental difference.

Luo Shan's expression fluctuated for a while, finding Franca's story too far-fetched to be true, yet strangely familiar.

As her thoughts raced, she suddenly recalled something and blurted out, "Is that future Messiah Zhou Mingrui?"

Franca was not startled. She had fabricated this story precisely to probe how much Luo Shan knew and what information she had access to.

She didn't expect Luo Shan to readily accept the ridiculous plot, but to accurately guess that the target was Zhou Mingrui.

Knowing she needs to deal with Mr. Fool's dream manifestations, but not understanding why? Jenna pondered and nodded, while Franca countered, "Why do you think so?"

Luo Shan's expression suddenly twisted in anguish.

"That voice, that voice made me give Zhou Mingrui the real Instigator beverage.

"That was the first time it made a clear demand, and promised to reward me with the Painter beverage afterwards.

"I felt having Beyonder powers was great at the time, and thought if Zhou Mingrui could also obtain them, it might not be too bad…"

At this point, Luo Shan's voice suddenly choked up.

"I-I didn't mean to harm him, I really didn't…"

Franca tensed up.

"Did Zhou Mingrui drink the Instigator potion, I mean, beverage?"

The information provided by the Major Arcana card holders did not mention Luo Shan giving Zhou Mingrui the Instigator beverage.

"I don't know." Luo Shan shook her head. "But there was some incident at the neighboring company that day, I'm not sure if it's related to this or not, I'm not sure…"

Seeing Luo Shan's mental state becoming unstable, Jenna changed the subject.

"How many times have you had those beverages?"

-x-X-x-

As Jenna asked the question, she glanced at Franca.

Franca nodded slightly.

Luo Shan recalled her past experiences, her emotions calming a bit. "Thrice."

"When and where was the first time?" Jenna asked in a friendly manner.

Luo Shan cast her gaze towards the slightly ethereal buildings around them, seeing the glass windows representing each household glimmering in the faint light from the frozen storm.

"It was in the lobby of the apartment complex. A vending machine suddenly appeared there, filled with beautifully designed beverages. I got a random one, and it turned out to be…"

Seeing Luo Shan suddenly pause, Franca, floating in front of a building, took a step forward with an eager expression, wanting to probe further.

Several Spirit Bodies of the apartment residents were wandering beside her, some wearing glasses, some with beautiful watches, some with shiny accessories on their clothes.

Jenna grabbed Franca's arm, giving her a look to not be hasty, and asked softly herself, "What did you get?"

"Shaman," Luo Shan named the beverage.

"Shaman… What abilities did it give you?" Jenna asked casually.

Luo Shan's mood lifted a bit.

"It allows me to choose an area and, by setting up totems and performing rituals, establish it as my domain. Then I can communicate with the sky, earth, water, trees, and creatures there, borrowing power from their spirituality to cast various spells."

That sounds so powerful… It's more impressive than any Sequence 9 I know of, almost on par with some Sequence 7 pathways… Jenna thought in amazement.

She curiously asked, "Can a Shaman only fight within their fixed domain? Can't they change territories?"

"They can change, but it requires a complex process and takes a long time, about three days," Luo Shan explained enthusiastically. "Outside their domain, a Shaman's power rapidly weakens, becoming weaker the further they are from their territory."

There are still significant limitations… Is the personal domain a manifestation of spatial authority? Jenna further inquired, "You guard the barrier to prevent those monsters from invading because they would destroy your domain?"

"That's part of it," Luo Shan sighed. "Another aspect is that a Shaman's power allows me to sense different spaces, higher worlds, letting my spirit make initial contact with them. This causes my soul to be noticed by the monsters, becoming a target for their invasion.

"This place you're in now is a unique space formed by the fusion of my spiritual world, the Shaman's domain concept, and the corresponding spirit world of Dechuang Garden. Those monsters want to use it as a stepping stone to invade reality, while also attacking my spirit and mind. If the barrier is breached, my soul will be controlled or even replaced by them."

A Sequence 9 has such high risks? No wonder Shaman sounds so powerful… Xinhong District doesn't have this issue while Dechuang Garden does because a Shaman lives here… Does Shaman essentially act as a beacon for those monsters to invade reality? Jenna roughly understood the basic situation of the Shaman sequence.

Luo Shan added with a self-deprecating smile, "I'm no longer just a Shaman. Now, even if this barrier is breached, it won't affect me much.

"The only problem is that everyone living in Dechuang Garden would be killed in their dreams, their abdomens torn open, their internal organs ripped out…"

As she spoke, Luo Shan fell silent.

After several seconds, she whispered, "This is my doing. I have to take responsibility…"

"If this wasn't a problem you brought about, and you encountered this situation, would you choose to guard the barrier in place of the Beyonder who fled?" Jenna deliberately used this question to reinforce Luo Shan's sense of guardianship.

Luo Shan's lips moved slightly. "I don't know… Maybe… Probably…"

Jenna didn't press Luo Shan for a definite answer, instead asking with concern, "You have to guard the barrier every night and still work during the day. Isn't it too exhausting?"

"No, you can think of this as my mind world or my dreamscape. Being busy here doesn't affect my physical rest. I just need to take a nap during the day," Luo Shan smiled.

This state made her feel like the protagonist of a novel or comic, saving humanity in an inner world at night while continuing to be a corporate drone during the day.

Jenna exchanged another glance with Franca before asking, "What was the name of the second beverage you drank? Was it also from the vending machine?"

"The second one I drank was Reporter," Luo Shan recalled. "Once, after being injured while guarding the barrier, I woke up feeling like I had a bad cold, coughing severely. I took a day off and went to Mushu Hospital. The doctor prescribed cough syrup, but the pharmacy gave me the Reporter beverage instead. I suddenly felt it must be the follow-up beverage to Shaman, so I didn't tell the pharmacist they'd given me the wrong medicine…

"Later I drank Reporter again, but that one was fake. Among that batch of drinks, only the Instigator for Zhou Mingrui was real… I shouldn't have listened to that voice…"

Mentioning this incident, Luo Shan's expression twisted, seeming very regretful.

Jenna didn't immediately inquire about the origin of that voice, instead discussing less sensitive matters. "What are the abilities of Reporter?"

"Observing, investigating, and uncovering the truth of the world, along with extreme speed," Luo Shan's mood became low again, speaking vaguely without giving specific examples.

She slowly raised both hands to cover her ears, mumbling as if in a trance, "After drinking the Reporter beverage, I sometimes felt I had changed. I began to hate this world, hate the details that didn't match my imagination, hate the people and things I was dissatisfied with. I wanted them all to explode, wanted to remake them, make everything here conform to my fantasies.

"And to remake these things, I had to pray for help from the truth of the world, from the true world above…

"Then, I heard that voice…"

Jenna pursed her lips, changing the subject once again. "After Reporter is Painter, what comes after Painter?"

"After Painter should be Literature Enthusiast, someone skilled in imagination. I haven't gotten that one yet…" Luo Shan briefly answered Jenna's question, then moved her hands up to pull at her hair. "That voice made me malicious, fierce, cruel…"

As she spoke, Luo Shan suddenly burst out, crying as if her heart was being torn apart, "I don't want to be like this! I'm not this kind of person!"

Crystalline tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

Seeing this, Jenna floated closer and said in a gentle voice, "I know you're not that kind of person.

"That kind of person wouldn't continue to guard the barrier, preventing monsters from invading Dechuang Garden and killing the adults and children here…"

"No, many of these monsters were drawn by me. Originally, they weren't so powerful…" Luo Shan was still in painful self-reproach.

She tugged at the collar of her shirt, seeming unable to breathe.

Jenna moved in front of her and continued, "Everyone makes mistakes. The difference between good people and bad people is that good people know how to make amends…"

Suddenly, Luo Shan raised her head.

The top two buttons of her shirt were undone, clearly revealing the painting on her neck and chest.

The painting looked like a tattoo, a vibrant, colorful flower.

The flower suddenly enlarged, opening its petals in a spectral form, revealing dense teeth and hidden pus inside.

The invisible scent it had been emitting, combined with the manifestation of its true form, made Jenna freeze, too dizzy to control her body.

The colossal flower suddenly enveloped Jenna's body.

Seeing this, Luo Shan's face showed a cold smile, silently mouthing, "That fool is just right for making people like you let your guard down…"

Just then, there was a cracking sound, like a mirror shattering.

Luo Shan's expression changed slightly. She was about to attack Franca and find out where the real Jenna was, when her body suddenly stiffened, as if frozen.

Stuttering, her Astral Projection quickly faded, leaving this space.

In reality, in room 1502.

Franca stood by Luo Shan's bed, thrusting the Wintry Blade into the sleeping Luo Shan's shoulder.

She had already actively left that spirit world-like space earlier, when Luo Shan answered that she had drunk the beverage three times.

The version of her before and after that moment was created and manipulated by Jenna using mirror magic, utilizing the surrounding glass windows, eyeglass lenses, and other mirror-like objects!

Upon realizing that Luo Shan's mental state was truly unstable and that she had acted against Zhou Mingrui, Franca and Jenna decided to initiate their contingency plan: one creating illusions to occupy Luo Shan, the other returning to the real world to find Luo Shan's body and fundamentally control her!

This might also eliminate the risk of them being kicked out of the dream.

After stabbing Luo Shan with the Wintry Blade, Franca immediately took out her phone and called Anthony: "Come to Dechuang Garden, Building 5, Room 1502 now. We need you to treat someone with personality alteration due to corruption.

"Remember to bring Ludwig."

Although the current plan was for Jenna, Franca, and Lumian, Anthony to operate in two separate groups with minimal contact, deleting chat and call records with the Information Shredder at all times, urgent situations called for flexibility. Anthony was the only person they could trust to treat Luo Shan now.

Of course, Franca or Jenna could use repeated Charm to make Luo Shan fall in love with them for a period of time, following their will, and do the same to her altered personality, thus controlling the stability of her mental state. But with other options available, there was no need for such distortion, which might lead to a "the disease is cured, but the patient 'died'" outcome.

After Anthony replied "Understood", Franca sighed in relief and used invisible spider silk to bind Luo Shan, who was struggling to wake up.

Then, she removed her hair tie, letting her long hair cascade down and strangely extend, touching Luo Shan's body.

This brought about a stone-like rigidity at the points of contact.

-x-X-x-

After a while, Jenna also came to Room 1502 by climbing through the window, and saw Luo Shan controlled by three methods.

"Were the invading monsters driven back again?" Franca asked with concern.

Jenna tersely acknowledged.

"By the time dawn breaks, they should attack again."

She then summarized the key points of what Luo Shan had said after Franca left that space.

Hearing that becoming a Shaman would cause one's own psyche to sense another space and higher realms, thereby attracting all sorts of strange creatures to invade, Franca couldn't help but mutter, "What kind of extraterrestrial demons is this…"

Jenna could understand every word Franca said, but did not grasp the specific meaning. However, she was already accustomed to Franca occasionally blurting out some strange words, especially after entering the dream city, so she did not ask further, and continued to relay the information she had gathered from Luo Shan.

As soon as she finished, the doorbell rang.

Jenna walked to the bedroom door, and cautiously, without approaching the main entrance, took out a hand mirror to reflect the view outside the peephole.

It was Anthony and only Ludwig's head visible in the image.

Jenna then opened the door, pointed to the bedroom, and said in a low voice, "The patient is inside."

Anthony had driven himself to Dechuang Garden—after a few days of observation, he had learned how to drive to some extent.

Then, he "persuaded" the patrolling property management to help with parking and card swiping, and pressed the button for the 15th floor.

As Anthony walked towards the bedroom, Ludwig's gaze fell on the paintings Luo Shan had done.

"Can I… eat them?" he licked his lips, looking at Jenna with longing.

Jenna hadn't seen the child in several days, and seeing him still the same, she felt a warm affection and smiled.

"These are just paintings."

"But they still represent a certain reality." When it came to eating, Ludwig was always mature.

Jenna thought for two seconds and replied, "Okay."

She felt that these paintings were done by Luo Shan previously, and Luo Shan's condition at the time was unknown. There might be some contamination or hints left on the paintings. If Anthony managed to help Luo Shan recover, but the patient then saw some of her old paintings and the problem resurfaced, it would be a waste of her companions' efforts.

With the permission granted, Ludwig cheered and crumpled the unframed paintings, stuffing them into his mouth.

"Will eating these give you different qualities or abilities?" Jenna asked curiously.

Ludwig replied with a muffled voice, "I can temporarily acquire them, but the duration is very short, and I don't have anyone to deal with right now.

"Eating these is mainly to increase my spirituality limit…"

Jenna nodded in understanding, then looked at the back of Ludwig devouring the paintings and asked lightly,

"How have your studies been these past few days?"

Ludwig's back suddenly stiffened for a second.

Inside the bedroom.

Anthony had learned the full situation from Franca, lit some candles, and dripped on some pure dew.

After completing all the preparations, he signaled to Franca that she could retract the Wintry Blade.

Franca, who had been holding the almost invisible triangular spike for too long, had lost a lot of body temperature, and her lips were even a little pale. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly put the weapon back into the Traveler's Bag.

Of course, she was still far from becoming an undead. The negative effects of the Wintry Blade were also suppressed to Sequence 7 in the dream.

As the Wintry Blade was put away, Luo Shan's eyeballs rolled slightly under her eyelids and slowly opened.

She quickly recalled her ordeal, her expression twisting into an extremely hideous grimace.

Then she saw a pair of deep brown eyes, like a deep lake, and the flickering yellowish candlelight reflected in them.

At the same time, she smelled a soothing aroma.

Luo Shan immediately became calm.

Seeing this, Franca clicked to enlarge the words she had previously written on a memo and showed them to Anthony.

"Do not try to guide or suppress the corruption hidden in the patient's Beyonder powers. Trying to completely eradicate them is unrealistic and very dangerous for us now.

"What you need to do is treat the patient's mental problems, resolve the personality alteration, or reduce the impact of the personality alteration.

"If the patient relapses later, we will still handle it according to the current plan, until we find a way to thoroughly solve the corruption problem or find help."

Anthony gave an almost imperceptible nod and began to communicate with Luo Shan's mental self.

Franca stood by, ready to intervene if anything went wrong with Anthony.

After Ludwig finished eating even the paintings in the bedroom, leaving only the one with the bridge, precipice, abyss, and dark forest, Anthony finally completed the treatment, extinguished the candles, and led Ludwig out of the bedroom, leaving Room 1502.

After another dozen seconds, Luo Shan's long eyelashes fluttered, and her gaze gradually recovered its normalcy.

She looked at Franca and Jenna, her expression a mix of bewilderment and as if she understood everything, and said, "I feel like I've just woken up from a long nightmare…"

"We found a professional doctor and cured the problems caused by the corruption in the potion beverage you had to some extent. Of course, this is just the end of the first treatment course, and whether there will be more courses will depend on the situation," Franca explained vaguely, retracting her long hair and releasing the invisible spider silk bindings.

"I knew you guys would help me, even if you can't cure me, you'll deal with that demon properly." Luo Shan's spirit and mind had returned to the lively state before she drank the Reporter beverage. She smiled at Franca and said, "Actually, I noticed at the time that you seemed to have become less real, but I suppressed that feeling and deliberately didn't look at you again, so that she wouldn't find out."

She? Luo Shan had already started referring to the altered personality as "she"… Hmm, that altered personality also called her that… The situation seems to be more serious than we had anticipated previously, but at least we managed to control her and provide treatment in time… Franca nodded with relief.

Jenna then asked curiously, "You could tell that eh… Luo Fu became a mirror illusion, relying on the Reporter's ability to observe, investigate, and uncover the true world, right?"

They had not fully understood the Painter pathway beforehand, and their plan almost failed.

"Yes," Luo Shan quickly nodded, looking at Franca, "Your name is Luo Fu? It's so beautiful, even nicer than my name. You're all so beautiful!"

"We all have the surname Luo, maybe we were from the same family five hundred years ago," Franca joked.

Jenna thought for a moment, looking at Luo Shan.

"Why do you go out every evening?"

"Sometimes I go to find tasty food to treat myself, sometimes I go shopping with friends, and sometimes…" At this point, Luo Shan's expression changed slightly, "Sometimes I go to a hostel that's still under renovation and hasn't opened yet. That's the latest demand of that voice. It said that after the hotel officially opens, it will bestow the Literature Enthusiast beverage on me."

Hearing that the voice demanded opening a hotel, Franca and Jenna simultaneously thought of a term: Hostel!

For that evil god of the Fantasy Association, the concept of a hostel has strong symbolic meaning? Reflected in the dream, it's wanting to open a hotel? Franca asked, "Is the money for opening the motel from you, or is there another source?"

"I put in part of it, spending all my savings. Fortunately, I had already bought this apartment before, so the remaining money wasn't much. But lately I've been seriously considering mortgaging the house to get a loan and get the hotel open as soon as possible." As she spoke, Luo Shan had a look of lingering fear on her face.

Money… opening a hotel requires money… That evil god of the Fantasy Association didn't directly give money, but made the bestowed offer it themselves… In Mr. Fool's dream city, money indeed has a strong symbolic meaning, and the evil gods have to worry about it… Franca asked thoughtfully, "You only put in part of it, who provided the rest?"

"It's people similar to me, but I haven't met them. Different people go to oversee the hotel renovation every day, not contacting each other, and they're not even on the shareholder list. I'm not on it either. The hotel is owned by someone called Anderson."

"Anderson? Anderson Hood?" Franca and Jenna asked in unison.

"How do you know?" Luo Shan was surprised.

Franca laughed. "We know a lot more than you think."

She asked for the name of the hostel, opened her phone, searched it, and then saw the name "Colorful Hostel" with Anderson Hood's name clearly listed as a shareholder.

This was too direct and conspicuous, making Franca feel that the other party was challenging or boasting about a successful prank.

This needs to be told to Lumian, let him probe Anderson… Speaking of which, he hasn't had an excuse to communicate with Anderson… The Hunter hasn't been sending messages either… Jenna took out her phone, hesitating whether to contact Lumian now.

She was afraid of waking the other party.

After a brief consideration, Jenna still chose to step out of the bedroom and use the text input method to report the information about the Colorful Hostel to Lumian.

She couldn't let the softness in her heart hinder the communication of key issues. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before dawn, and she and Franca would be kicked out of the dream!

Luo Shan followed and came to the living room.

She looked around and asked, "Where are my paintings?"

"We've taken care of them all," Jenna honestly expressed her previous concerns.

"Okay." Luo Shan nodded in agreement, then pointed to the remaining painting and said, "What about this one? It's the most dangerous!"

Seeing Franca and Jenna both looking at her, Luo Shan's expression changed a bit as she said,

"It's not a painting I did. Soon after I drank the Reporter potion, I suddenly received this painting, I don't know who sent it. I feel that the other me, in my heart, is also in the dark forest in this painting!"

"Conventional methods can't get rid of it." Jenna did not hide anything from Luo Shan.

Franca changed the subject thoughtfully. "What about the self-portrait?"

"When you deleted all the photos, it self-combusted, so I knew you had a problem," Luo Shan said, worried and curious.

Franca immediately became eager to try, pointing to the painting with elements like the dark forest, precipice, and bridge, and asked Luo Shan, "Have you tried taking a photo of this painting? Did anything unusual happen at the time?"

If she could take a photo and the abnormality wouldn't immediately manifest, they could consider using the Information Shredder to handle it!

"I couldn't, the photos would turn out blank. I even tried throwing it away, but it mysteriously came back," Luo Shan shook her head.

As expected… Franca was not too surprised by this. She pondered and said, "Can you give us this painting? We have a way to deal with it, but we'll have to wait until morning."

-x-X-x-

After returning to Room 2303 with that painting, Jenna asked Franca, "Should we have Lumian contact Stiano? He should be very interested in how to deal with this kind of painting."

The previous self-portrait sketch of Luo Shan could be photographed but not deleted, while this precipice bridge painting couldn't be photographed at all.

Franca pondered for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "That's one of the backup plans, but not the first choice.

"We currently only know that Stiano is interested in mystical photos that can spread online and can't be deleted. We're not sure if he has the desire to research paintings that can't be uploaded to the Internet. Besides, always owing favors to someone or owing too many may not be a good thing. It will have to be repaid eventually. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

"It's similar to taking out micro loans. Do it appropriately and moderately, and be prepared to repay from the beginning."

With the analogy of micro loans, Jenna immediately accepted Franca's reasoning.

"Then how do we deal with it?" she asked.

Franca's smile widened.

"Wait until dawn, then take this painting to the Star Dream Provisions Store after the morning rush hour."

"Huh?" Jenna couldn't quite follow Franca's train of thought.

Franca, who had read extensively before her transmigration, always had a broad perspective. She chuckled softly.

"When you get to the Star Dream Provisions Store, ask the shopkeeper if She'd buy items with mystical elements, and how much She would offer.

"If She's willing to buy it, this painting probably won't be able to come back on its own."

Can it be done like this? Jenna thought carefully and found it quite feasible.

Based on the premise that only true gods could enter Mr. Fool's dream besides those who possessed medium items or had special connections, as well as details like contacting the Major Arcana card holders by sending letters to the Church of the Evernight Goddess's high-ranking deacons through the Star Dream Provisions Store, and the dim environment of the store itself, Lumian's team could actually guess the shopkeeper's identity in reality, but they tacitly agreed not to mention it.

If the shopkeeper agreed to buy this strange painting, it meant She definitely had a way to control the corresponding anomalies and truly transfer ownership to Her hands.

Moreover, wasn't it normal for a provisions store focusing on mystical elements to purchase items with mystical elements?

After pondering for a few seconds, Jenna asked, "What if the shopkeeper doesn't want to buy it?"

"Then ask if we can put this painting in Her store for consignment. We'll pay a storage fee and give Her a cut of the final sale. It's equivalent to paying Her to handle the anomaly," Franca said with a smile. "If She still doesn't agree, we'll contact Stiano through Lumian. If Stiano doesn't accept, you can take advantage of the daytime to find an opportunity to throw this painting at the police station. Remember to hide your identity well."

At this point, Franca's expression suddenly turned serious. "My spiritual intuition and mystical experience tell me that your process of dealing with this painting won't be very smooth. There will be dangers. If the danger is too great, you should actively exit the dream. We still have two more chances later, there's no need to risk your life now."

"Understood." Jenna nodded solemnly.

Afterwards, she and Franca entered that strange space again and found Luo Shan once more guarding by the semi-transparent barrier, in quite good condition.

Franca revealed her identity as a colleague and started chatting casually with Luo Shan, learning more details about Zhou Mingrui's situation and which employees in various departments of the Intis Group were worth noting.

The results of the conversation left Franca and Jenna very satisfied, feeling that saving Luo Shan was not only a choice of emotion and stance but also a very correct decision in the course of completing their mission.

The information obtained from Luo Shan might have taken Franca and Lumian one or two months to slowly collect on their own.

"Later on, we'll need your help to convince Zhou Mingrui that he is the future messiah," Franca said to Luo Shan with a flattering smile. "We can't directly tell him the truth; he definitely wouldn't believe it."

"He absolutely wouldn't believe it. No normal person would. They would just think it's a prank or a scam," Luo Shan nodded, then added in a small voice, "I don't fully believe it myself now…"

Franca pretended not to hear Luo Shan's mumbling and changed the subject.

When dawn broke and they automatically left that strange space, Franca got out of bed and took out the clothes she was going to wear today from the wardrobe, with a heavy expression.

Before Jenna could speak, she took the initiative to say,

"There's a good chance you'll encounter danger and anomalies today, so it's better to dress in a way that allows for easier movement."

Jenna nodded lightly, not refusing.

Franca quickly finished washing up, took off her pajamas, and while slowly changing her clothes, she muttered, "After I became a Witch and adapted, sometimes when walking on the street, I would feel pleased and happy with people's gazes, thinking how charming I am. This might be a manifestation of a Demoness's narcissism.

"But there's a difference between enjoying it yourself and being forced by others. And if you're not used to it yourself, you definitely won't like it. It's like when I was in school, they always required us to wear uniforms on Mondays, and there would always be some rebellious kids in each class who didn't want to, preferring to accept punishment instead…"

Franca rambled on, as if trying to distract herself and reduce the sense of embarrassment.

She bent over, clumsily putting on the most conservative flesh-colored stockings, stepped into brand new low-heeled shoes, then stood up and, using the full-length mirror embedded in the wardrobe, adjusted her blouse and light gray skirt that reached just above her knees.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Franca pursed her lips, feeling quite complex.

Jenna watched the whole time without saying a word.

After applying makeup that made her look a bit less attractive, tying up her long hair, putting on glasses, and picking up a high-quality branded replica handbag, Franca walked steadily towards the door.

Just before leaving, she turned back and smiled at Jenna.

"Thank you for not saying 'you look beautiful in this outfit' or 'this really suits you'. However, you seemed a little bit amazed just now. Hmm, that made me feel a bit better."

"Yes," Jenna returned with an affirming smile.

Franca waved and walked out the door.

She really is someone who's good at self-regulating her emotions and staying optimistic… Jenna sighed inwardly, turning her gaze away and patiently waiting for the morning rush hour to pass.

Close to 9 o'clock, she carried the painting and left Building 5, coming to the residential district's lobby.

She chose to take a ride-hailing car to the Star Dream Provisions Store instead of taking the subway and then switching to a bus. She was afraid that the painting's anomalies might affect more people. If that happened, the latent dangers might not do much to her, but the widespread commotion could bring about more serious problems.

After a while, Jenna walked out of the lobby and came to the roadside, seeing a white sedan already waiting for her.

After opening the car door with one hand, she glanced towards the driver's seat, confirming that the driver wasn't wearing a monocle and had no other obvious features. It was someone she didn't recognize and didn't trigger her spiritual intuition.

Jenna sat in the back, placing the painting on her lap and holding it to her chest.

After verifying the last digits of her phone number, the driver started the vehicle.

Jenna was highly focused, vigilantly guarding against possible accidents.

Suddenly, she felt her breathing become difficult, while there was no anomaly around her.

It was as if another her was being pushed into the sea, and the feeling of drowning was transmitted through a mystical connection.

Without hesitation, Jenna took out a mirror, plucked two strands of hair, trying to stick them to the mirror's surface and burn them with a Demoness's black flames.

She was attempting to cast a black magic related to the Mirror Substitution, actively trying to transfer that mystical connection to the mirror.

At this moment, Jenna had a hallucination. She saw gently swaying emerald-green waves and her own hands flailing uncontrollably, as if struggling to swim to the surface.

However, there was a force pulling at her legs, trying to drag her to the bottom of the sea.

Almost simultaneously, a pale, swollen hand reached out from nowhere and covered her mouth.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph…

"Glug, glug, glug…"

Jenna showed obvious signs of drowning, her nose, respiratory tract, and lungs becoming extremely uncomfortable.

She wanted to use her substitutes but couldn't sense those mirrors. She seemed to be separated from them in different worlds—even the mystical connection cut off.

Suddenly, silent black flames flowed out from Jenna's eyeballs, nostrils, mouth, ears, and other places. These black flames burned her body from the inside out, burning all the invisible things trying to influence her.

Outside the black flames, frost condensed, encasing Jenna in a thick ball of ice and snow.

On the surface of the sphere, countless invisible spider silk retracted, wrapping layer by layer, forming a huge "cocoon".

Jenna finally no longer felt the agony of nearly drowning, but she still couldn't sense her body or substitutes.

The next second, she found herself walking on a bridge.

On the other side of the bridge was a steep cliff and a dark forest at the far end of the cliff.

Have I entered that painting? Jenna tried to turn around and return to the starting point of the bridge, to escape the world inside the painting from the entrance, but she couldn't control her body and watched helplessly as "she" continued forward along the bridge.

At this time, two people walked out of the dark forest.

One was Luo Shan with a malicious face, and the other was Jenna herself.

A Jenna with a seductive smile!

Crack!

The bridge suddenly broke, and Jenna fell towards the dark abyss whose bottom couldn't be seen.

Great fear and despair invaded Jenna's mind, her consciousness rapidly blurring, unable to save herself.

She seemed to already see the image of herself smashed into bloody pieces.

Taking advantage of her consciousness not yet completely falling into darkness, before the unimaginable pain arrived, she mustered her last clarity, about to actively exit the dream.

But it didn't work.

It didn't work!

Useless… Jenna's gaze suddenly froze.

She didn't give up; she was still trying to save herself, gritting her teeth, struggling to regain control of her body to use the Demoness's feather-fall technique.

At this moment, a ray of sunlight shone into the dark abyss, illuminating the cliff high above.

All the scenes before Jenna's eyes instantly shattered and fragmented in the brilliant sunlight.

She suddenly opened her eyes and found herself still sitting in the car, hugging that painting.

"We've arrived," the driver turned halfway, reminding Jenna.

I arrived so quickly? Jenna felt as if she had been walking for an entire morning in a stuffy environment, her clothes soaked with sweat.

She looked out the window somewhat bewilderedly and saw the Star Dream Provisions Store.

Jenna instinctively pushed open the door and got out of the car, wanting to rush into that shop to avoid other possible anomalies that might come later.

"Remember to give me a five-star rating!" the driver called out to her retreating figure.

Jenna unconsciously turned her body sideways, looking back at the driver.

The driver had a smile at the corner of his mouth and somehow produced a crystal monocle, putting it on his right eye.