120 COI

Amon? Jenna, standing beside the car, was stunned.

She vaguely understood why she had been able to arrive at the Star Dream Provisions Store early and escape that deadly "hallucination" at the most critical moment.

In this matter, Amon had provided help, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!

She and Franca had already estimated the risks to the greatest extent possible, but they still hadn't anticipated that the real situation would be so terrifying that she wouldn't even have a chance to exit the dream!

This was even with her being a Demoness, with survival abilities and life-saving skills among the top of same-Sequence Beyonders.

Indeed, Amon and His father are on the same side as us in awakening Mr. Fool, just with different desired paces of progress, so He only provided help once until now. Hmm, this help was aimed at that evil god of the Fantasy Association. If I had failed my mission today and died, would the painting have returned to Luo Shan on its own, leading to developments that Amon and His father don't want to see? In an instant, Jenna thought of many things, not even having time to feel fear in hindsight.

"Please help close the car door," Amon, with the monocle clasped in His right eye socket, reminded Jenna with a smile, just like a real ride-hailing driver.

Only then did Jenna return to normal, closing the car door with her free hand.

Watching the white sedan drive smoothly away from the street, Jenna, hugging the precipice painting, rushed into the Star Dream Provisions Store without any regard for her image.

Feeling the light suddenly dim considerably, Jenna immediately relaxed.

Only then did she feel a surge of confusion.

How could Amon accurately accept my order?

How did He know we had obtained this painting and were going to send it to the Star Dream Provisions Store today?

With everyone being suppressed to Sequence 7, it's impossible to be so precise with prophecies and divinations…

Could it be that true gods are a bit more special in the Dream City, subject to different restrictions than us?

So, did Amon "coincidentally" save me with the help of His father?

This could also explain why this painting was so difficult for me to resist, not even giving me a chance to save myself. If we were all at the Sequence 7 level, it shouldn't have been like this. Or perhaps I actually had a chance to break free from its influence, but being my first encounter with this type of attack, I made mistakes in my response and failed to notice details that could have been utilized? Jenna looked at the oil painting in her arms, suppressing her thoughts, and walked to the cashier at the very back of the Star Dream Provisions Store.

This could also explain why this painting was so difficult for me to resist, not even giving me a chance to save myself. If we were all at the Sequence 7 level, it shouldn't have been like this. Or perhaps I actually had a chance to break free from its influence, but being my first encounter with this type of attack, I made mistakes in my response and failed to notice details that could have been utilized? Jenna looked at the oil painting in her arms, suppressing her thoughts, and walked to the cashier at the very back of the Star Dream Provisions Store.

"Do you buy items with mystical elements?" Jenna politely asked the shopkeeper who was playing with her phone.

The shopkeeper slowly raised her head, and the blazing sunlight outside suddenly appeared to be obscured by clouds.

"Yes, we do," she said with a slight smile at Jenna.

They really buy them? Jenna's heart leapt with joy, and she quickly placed the oil painting on the counter.

"Could you take a look and see if it meets your requirements? How much is it worth?"

The shopkeeper reached out a hand, bringing the painting in front of her, and after looking at it for a few seconds, said, "Thirty thousand."

How much? Jenna instinctively doubted her ears.

It wasn't that she thought this bizarre oil painting had no mystical value or wasn't worth thirty thousand dollars, but rather that for her and Franca, this painting was a burden, a danger, something they would pay to get rid of.

If the shopkeeper had said she would take the painting for thirty thousand, Jenna thought that after discussing with Franca, they would grit their teeth and pay.

As thoughts raced through her mind, Jenna considered a possibility.

The shopkeeper of the Star Dream Provisions Store was clearly an ally, and her current behavior was to provide more funds for their team!

And money had a very important symbolic meaning in the dream city.

Not giving it directly, but using this opportunity of buying mystical items as the method… Is this because certain rules of the dream city have to be satisfied, rules that even gods can't violate? Equivalent exchange? If that's the case, it must have been quite difficult for the Major Arcana card holders to provide two thousand in startup funds for each person… As Jenna pondered this, she subconsciously thought about whether she should haggle and try to raise the price a bit.

Since they were allies, they should be happy to see such behavior, as it meant they could provide more help.

After brief consideration, Jenna abandoned this idea.

The person across from her was the manifestation or projection of a true god. The price She quoted must have been carefully considered to be the most suitable, appropriate, and least likely to cause anomalies.

In terms of dream consciousness, every item has an estimated price. If the transaction price is too high, it would be considered problematic and might involve illegal activities, inevitably leading to reactive changes later? Thinking of this, Jenna responded to the shopkeeper, "Alright."

When the shopkeeper actually transferred thirty thousand yuan to her, she suddenly regretted letting Ludwig eat all the other paintings.

Those might have been worth some money too!

However, those were just painted by Luo Shan, probably not worth much, maybe just equivalent to Ludwig's late-night snack fee…

"Thank you," Jenna thanked the shopkeeper again and turned to walk out of the Star Dream Provisions Store.

The bright and brilliant sunlight from high above fell on her, finally giving her the feeling that the danger had completely passed.

Only then did she begin to feel fear in hindsight.

She still had many things she wanted to do, and several people she couldn't bear to part with.

…

At the entrance of the Tech Building.

Franca, wearing low-heeled shoes, carefully ascended the steps.

Her current attire was something she had never worn before, instinctively giving her a sense of insecurity and embarrassment.

This also made her more sensitive to the gazes and appraisals around her. She felt that the admiring ones were still acceptable, but those she previously considered impolite and a bit disgusting seemed to have increased, or perhaps she just noticed them more. Some people hurried past her, then turned back to look after taking a few steps, thinking they were being discreet, revealing slightly disappointed expressions.

This seemed to be because her makeup, attire, and appearance didn't quite match what they had imagined after seeing her figure and clothes.

Why are you being disappointed, asshole!? Franca secretly gave the middle finger and cursed under her breath.

She finished climbing the stairs and looked towards the security guard at the entrance, but didn't see Lumian.

I thought we could communicate with eye contact at the entrance, pretending not to know each other on the surface, just like in some spy dramas… Franca muttered silently, entering the lobby and walking towards the elevator area.

Inside the surveillance room.

Lumian sat in front of several large screens divided into multiple scenes, carefully scrutinizing each image from a not-so-short distance—yesterday's minor incident had given the security director Grimm an excuse to arrange for him to watch the surveillance cameras and patrol floors on rotation, no longer needing him to guard the main entrance.

Lumian quickly noticed Franca in the elevator area.

Although she had deliberately made herself less attractive, wearing old-fashioned black-framed glasses and clothes she had never worn before, he still recognized her.

It's a pity that Lie now only equates to top-level makeup skills and can't adjust height and figure to a certain extent, otherwise the disguise effect would be better. As it is now, it's still too eye-catching… Lumian commented inwardly.

Seeing him watching so intently, the security guard sitting next to him rolled his eyes and said, clutching his stomach, "Li, my stomach hurts. I'm going to take a dump. Keep an eye on things yourself."

Is this what they call getting paid to poop online? Lumian chuckled inwardly and said, "Okay."

This couldn't be better, maybe there's even a chance to check yesterday's surveillance footage and see how Zhou Mingrui reacted to my employment in private, what he did!

After his colleague had really gone to the bathroom outside the surveillance room, Lumian saw that Franca had finally managed to squeeze into an elevator after two failed attempts.

Suddenly, on the big screen, several images showing the situation inside the surveillance room went black.

Wh— Lumian didn't move.

Just two or three seconds later, there was an additional person beside him.

It was security director Grimm, wearing a thin blue suit.

Grimm, looking at the big screen, said in an seemingly casual manner, "Be careful of Huang Tao."

Be careful of Huang Tao? What relationship could Mr. Huang have with me, a male security guard? Lumian was puzzled and asked calmly, "Why?"

Maintaining his posture of watching the surveillance footage, Grimm explained briefly, "He has betrayed Mother and is no longer Mother's child."

No longer… He was before, but not now? Madam Magician mentioned that in the Vortex event, although Emperor Roselle perished, he also severely injured the strongest Broker, breaking free from the corruption of the Great Mother and retaining hope for resurrection… This and Amon obtaining Mr. Fool's consent to reborrow power from His past self are different components of the same event… So, Mr. Fool learned about Emperor Roselle's status, his subconscious cognition changed accordingly, causing Huang Tao in the dream city to no longer secretly harbor the corruption of the Great Mother? Lumian preliminarily sorted out the logic.

This also made him realize a problem.

Previously, he only knew that accidents and encounters in the dream might reflect in reality, bringing about real death or problematic advancements, but at this moment, he believed that changes in reality could also affect the dream, provided that Mr. Fool truly perceived it.

The dream and reality are not one-way, they can interact… Lumian remembered this discovery, then turned to smile at Grimm.

"Don't you find it strange that as a Child of God, I'm not female?"

Grimm showed a confused expression.

"Mother's children can be of any gender, or even genderless, or multiple genders.

"These are not important. What's important is the ability to procreate and bring new life.

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

Grimm's brow furrowed slightly.

Of course, it's to test you! Lumian laughed inwardly in response.

He was testing whether Grimm only sensed that he was a Child of God, or if he knew more specifically that the current Child of God was Omebella, like Hand Bro.

If Grimm knew that he "was" Omebella, he would be confused about the gender discrepancy. Otherwise, it would indicate that he indeed lacked the necessary wisdom and was more like an NPC as Franca had said, but influenced by the Great Mother.

This also proved from another angle that there was a big problem with Hand Bro being able to call out the name Omebella.

Lumian smiled and said to Grimm, "I thought Mother had already let you know my true identity."

As he spoke, his hair gradually lengthened, and the lines of his face quickly softened.

-x-X-x-

Grimm's eyes suddenly reflected an indescribably beautiful face, but it vanished in an instant, like an intoxicating yet elusive dream.

Lumian had already transformed back into his male state, his gaze returning to the surveillance screens.

After a few seconds, Grimm remarked with some emotion, "When I was looking at the files transferred from HR, I was thinking that a 22-year-old with a 7-year-old son would be very suitable to be Mother's child, and could definitely be developed. I didn't expect… hehe, truly worthy of being a Child of God."

I didn't alter my background information and it still had this benefit… Who could have imagined this before… Lumian had to admit that some things were beyond even the Conspirer's expectations.

Suddenly, Grimm stood up and left the surveillance room.

In just a few seconds, the cameras inside the surveillance room resumed their normal operation.

Not long after, the security guard who had gone to defecate came back swaying and sat down next to Lumian.

He asked in a low voice, "The team lead didn't come, did he?"

This referred to Xu Xinyang, the team lead of Security Team 2.

"No," Lumian answered honestly.

Simultaneously, he silently added, The team leader indeed didn't come, but the director did.

Just then, Lumian's phone vibrated.

He turned his body, facing away from his colleague, discreetly took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and looked.

The vibration was caused by a WeChat friend request, the applicant was "Intis Group Grimm".

After Lumian accepted, he took the opportunity to look at Grimm's Moments.

The most recent post from this Intis Group security director was: "Children are more important than money, offspring are more important than work."

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

Lumian quickly scrolled down and found that Grimm's Moments had only one theme, which was sharing about his children.

As expected of Mother's chosen… Mr. Fool's subconscious cognition is still too conservative, only giving Grimm nine children. Well, it also has to conform to the daily situations of the dream city… Lumian locked the screen, put the phone back in his pants pocket, and thought about how to use Grimm's connection in the future.

He planned to inquire about what Grimm had been doing recently and how well he had been doing it, under the pretext of a superior's assessment next time.

…

Tenth floor, Intis Group Administrative Department, in a separate small office.

Franca, led by an HR employee, met Zhang Qing, the deputy director of the Administrative Department.

He was also one of the interviewers at the time.

Zhang Qing looked Franca over a few times, and actually felt somewhat amazed, of course, this was based on her state during the interview as a reference.

He could only say that her figure was indeed very good and suited this outfit well.

While feeling slightly amazed, Zhang Qing also started to feel a headache coming on.

He worried that this new employee, Luo Fu, might be blindly arrogant and set her sights on Mr. Huang. He hoped she would honestly and diligently do her job and share the work between himself and the others.

Thinking of this, Zhang Qing couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This was his daily state—facing beautiful women of various styles every day. As a man, it was inevitable to have some emotional and desire fluctuations, but thinking that any of these beauties might become Mr. Huang's mistress at any time, he had to restrain himself and not show any abnormality. Moreover, these beauties would occasionally quarrel and fight, coming to his office crying to complain, requiring him to spend a lot of energy mediating.

This made him physically and mentally exhausted every day, feeling a sense of spiritual impotence.

Namo Amitabha… After Zhang Qing muttered to himself, he began to explain the daily work and precautions of the office to Franca according to the procedure. Finally, he said,

"I'll find an experienced employee to guide you. Your position will be arranged near that experienced employee."

Franca took the initiative to say, "Can you ask Luo Shan to guide me? I live very close to her, we knew each other before, and it was she who made me full of longing for the company."

Before officially starting work, Franca had already thought about what image she wanted to establish in the Intis Group—a newcomer without much scheming, rather frank and cheerful, sometimes speaking without thinking.

She felt that as long as she didn't deliberately think about problems, following her daily life state, she could play this role well.

Zhang Qing nodded slightly, his expression relaxing considerably.

"Alright."

He stood up, led Franca out of the small office, and introduced her to other employees in the Administrative Department.

Franca saw a series of beautiful women, all striving to highlight their own characteristics. There were innocent ones, glamorous ones, and those going for the pure and sexy look, giving a feeling of a hundred flowers blooming.

These women were all alert at first glance of Franca, but after their gaze fell on her face and scrutinized for a few seconds, they relaxed.

Some of them perfunctorily greeted her, then picked up their makeup mirrors to touch up their makeup, while others enthusiastically chatted with Franca, thinking about dumping some of their work on this newcomer later.

Franca, having managed a large number of dancers before, was not at all unfamiliar with such occasions and naturally and appropriately followed Zhang Qing around the Administrative Department.

Seeing this, Zhang Qing imperceptibly nodded.

Indeed, she has three years of work experience, and the evaluation from her previous job is also very good…

Well, after seeing so many star-like beauties, she shouldn't have any unrealistic thoughts, right?

Franca noticed that about half of the employees in the Administrative Department were working seriously, and among them were also many good-looking women. Some of them were purely attracted by the high salaries of the Intis Group, not very interested in Mr. Huang, and had no hope for possible favor. Rather than becoming Mr. Huang's mistress, they wanted to develop in their careers and prove themselves. Others planned to establish the image of a capable woman, thinking that maybe Mr. Huang liked this type recently?

After introducing Franca to the employees of the Administrative Department, Zhang Qing stopped near Luo Shan's position and nodded slightly.

"Luo Shan has gone to the foreign trade department and will be back later. Since you already know each other, I don't need to introduce you.

"Well, Mr. Ed is currently entertaining distinguished guests and is not in the company. I'll take you to meet him later."

Mr. Ed referred to Edward, the vice president of the Intis Group, in charge of administration and business.

Entertaining distinguished guests? Zaratulstra mentioned in the information from the Major Arcana card holders? This person is most likely a subordinate of the Celestial Worthy, suspected to be a Seer pathway Angel who is currently possessing Loki… Franca pondered as she replied to Zhang Qing.

She then sat down at the desk not far from Luo Shan's position, hiding her legs under the table.

This gave her back a sense of security, and the faint shame subsided.

After Zhang Qing left, Franca sat in her position, looked around the bright and clean Administrative Department, and silently exclaimed, So this is what working is like?

During the time after her transmigration when she lived on the original body's savings, she naturally thought about not eating away at his savings. But she didn't understand the skills the original body knew, and the original body had no education, so she could only find jobs like waitressing and kitchen helper. Then, because she couldn't stand the conscience of those merchants and was unwilling to make counterfeit goods or help deceive innocent people, she couldn't last more than a few days before being fired either voluntarily or involuntarily. Almost no job lasted a full month, and there were a few times when she was almost beaten up.

In her view, this was no different from doing internships or summer jobs during college, and now was her first real job, especially in a dream city very similar to the world she transmigrated from.

While observing naturally, Franca saw those paintings on Luo Shan's desk.

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Luo Shan's paintings at home have been cleaned up, but there are still some here…

After some consideration, Franca stood up, walked to Luo Shan's seat, tore down all the paintings that could be torn down, and threw the ones that couldn't be torn down into the trash can along with the items.

Just as she finished doing this, she felt someone watching her. She quickly turned around and saw a young man standing in the aisle near Luo Shan's position.

The man wore plain glasses and a plaid shirt interwoven with three colors. His appearance was slightly handsome with a very clear chin. It was Zhou Mingrui.

Damn… I've directly encountered Mr. Fool's dream image… Seeing Zhou Mingrui's confused expression, Franca quickly explained, "Luo Shan asked me to help deal with it."

Zhou Mingrui looked at the paintings and items in the trash can and said as if talking to himself, "Luo Shan asked to throw them away?"

He then glanced at Franca's heel height and muttered in his heart,

With such low heels, she's still a bit taller than me…

Franca nodded repeatedly. "Yes."

Zhou Mingrui withdrew his gaze and smiled politely.

"Where did Luo Shan go? I have something to discuss with her."

"She went to the foreign trade department to coordinate something," Franca repeated Zhang Qing's words.

"I see…" Zhou Mingrui then asked, "Are you transferred from another department to the Administrative Department? I don't think I've seen you before."

"I just joined," Franca answered honestly.

Seeing Zhou Mingrui's gaze unconsciously move towards Luo Shan's seat, Franca controlled her inner nervousness and smiled naturally. "Luo Shan and I are neighbors, we knew each other before. Before she went to handle something, she asked me to help her throw away all these paintings. She doesn't want them anymore."

"Doesn't want them anymore…" Zhou Mingrui repeated this sentence softly, then asked Franca with a colleague's attitude, "Did Luo Shan give you an internal recommendation?"

"No," Franca said with a slight pride. "I relied on my own abilities."

Then, she said in a teasing tone, "Maybe the Administrative Department has been busier recently and needs more people who can really get things done."

She didn't want Mr. Fool's dream image to think she was a gold digger.

Zhou Mingrui exchanged a few more pleasantries, left the Administrative Department, and returned to the opposite side.

Franca sat back in her position and quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, I've been well-trained in front of the Demoness of Black. Mr. Fool, uh, Zhou Mingrui shouldn't have noticed that I was a bit nervous just now, right?

It's normal to be nervous; after all, being caught throwing away a colleague's belongings behind their back…

…

In the Security Department.

Lumian took the opportunity of going to the bathroom to take out his phone and clicked on the dialog box with Anderson Hood.

The chat interface was still on the initial greeting message.

-x-X-x-

Lumian waited until the Dream Tutoring Classes opened before sending a WeChat voice message to Anderson Hood: "Mr. Anderson, does your tutoring school have painting classes? A friend of mine wants to know."

Late last night, after receiving Jenna's message, Lumian had been thinking about how to probe Anderson Hood. Based on the premise that Luo Shan had been controlled and her personality alteration had been initially resolved, he felt this matter was not urgent. There was no need to screenshot the legal representative and shareholder information of "Colorful Hostel" and send it directly to Anderson, "teasing" him about having other businesses on the side, then observe the subsequent reactions and wait for any unexpected developments that might result.

He planned to start with the painting issue, making initial probes, preferably without alerting Anderson.

Anderson didn't immediately reply to Lumian, and Lumian didn't linger in the bathroom. After putting his phone in his pants pocket, he walked back to the surveillance room.

Looking at the large screens in front, his mind flashed through some "experiments" he had done and needed to do:

1. Observe Mr. Fool's dream manifestation Zhou Mingrui and the people around him;

2. First contact with Zhou Mingrui during the day, leaving a certain impression;

3. Contact people close to Zhou Mingrui, divided into multiple stages, eliminating the suspicion of one target before contacting the second, and so on;

4. Contact Zhou Mingrui again during the day, leaving a deeper impression;

5. Establish a relationship with Zhou Mingrui during the day where they can chat, hinting at the existence of Beyonder powers and his goodwill;

6. First contact with Zhou Mingrui at night;

7. Hint at the existence of Beyonder powers and his goodwill to Zhou Mingrui at night;

8. Based on the results of previous experiments and information gathered, formulate an official awakening plan.

This was the action outline for Lumian's team. Currently, the first four parts had been completed, without any members being kicked out of the dream or restricted—the third part was spread throughout all subsequent steps, and team members responsible for contact had to self-isolate for a day and night before continuing to advance.

The danger gradually increased in the later parts. Lumian didn't think about avoiding it, because determining the degree and source of danger was one of the purposes of the experiment.

Only by knowing what could be done, what couldn't be done, what would lead to immediate expulsion, and what would take time to explode, could their team officially enter the eighth part of the action outline and formulate a targeted awakening plan.

At this stage, Lumian wasn't worried or afraid of failure; he was worried and afraid of not being able to find the reasons for failure.

With this mindset, he approached many things with a "testing" attitude, including whether the Information Shredder worked, whether Stiano was trustworthy, what relationship Anderson Hood had with the Painter pathway, whether Grimm had become one of the Great Mother's tools to influence the dream, and so on.

After obtaining the "test" results, they would contact the Major Arcana card holders to compare accounts, which might reveal some interesting and useful details.

If they had consulted the Major Arcana card holders from the beginning, forming preconceived notions and fixed thinking patterns, they might not have "tested" some things, and thus wouldn't have obtained their own results. Their minds would only have the conclusions given by the Major Arcana card holders, which might cause them to miss key information.

As Lumian was pondering what to do next, he noticed an extra person in one of the surveillance footage on the tenth floor.

The camera was aimed at the entrance of Aurora Company, and a person wearing a black robe with a wide, deep hood, completely out of place among the nearby white-collar workers, walked out.

Suddenly, a bunch of things fell out from inside the person's robe, landing on the floor.

The person quickly crouched down, the hem of the robe covering the fallen objects.

When he stood up, the ground was clean again, without any items.

After watching this person walk out of the surveillance frame and seeing him enter the elevator through the elevator surveillance, Lumian silently said to himself, The corresponding image of a certain Aurora Order mister in the dream city?

The security guard sitting next to him followed his gaze and laughed. "It's fine; those clowns from Aurora Company are like that, it's nothing, it's nothing."

"I thought it was some kind of performance art," Lumian said as he saw Luo Shan walk out of the elevator and enter Intis Group.

…

In the Administrative Department, large office.

Luo Shan stood confused next to her position, seeing her desk with fewer items.

"I helped you throw away all those paintings," Franca walked up to Luo Shan and explained with a smile.

Luo Shan suddenly realized. "I had forgotten about that, I'll draw some new ones later…"

She paused, looked around, and asked in a lowered voice, "Can I, can I still paint later?"

"Yes, it doesn't affect your ability to use your power," Franca comforted her quietly, then raised her volume, "Director Zhang asked you to familiarize me with the work process."

Zhang Qing's full title was Deputy Director of the Administrative Department of Intis Group.

"Alright," Luo Shan pulled Franca over and openly chatted about various rumors within the company.

Finally, Luo Shan said, "I forgot to tell you last night, there's a very fierce young security guard recently, he even dares to confront those MCN company people. He's really handsome, but don't tell anyone, he already has a 7-year-old son, and he's only 22!"

Theoretically speaking, I am the child's mother, one of them… Franca's mouth twitched slightly as she echoed with emotion, "Doesn't that mean he had a child in middle school?"

After chatting about this for a while, Franca returned to her seat and entered work mode according to Luo Shan's guidance.

After familiarizing herself with the office system, she rotated her chair and stood up, wanting to help Luo Shan share some work.

She saw Luo Shan holding a pencil, focused on drawing on a white paper.

What is she drawing? Franca softened her steps and silently walked to Luo Shan's side.

She found that Luo Shan was sketching her own portrait, with the Luo Shan in the drawing having hollow eyes, a cold expression, and a curled mouth.

Wh— Franca's eyes focused, and she immediately reached out her right hand and patted Luo Shan's shoulder. "What are you drawing?"

Luo Shan was startled and quickly stopped drawing.

She turned her body, and seeing it was Franca, she visibly relaxed and pressed her chest saying, "You scared me! I thought Old Zhang had caught me slacking off."

As she spoke, Luo Shan glanced at the sketch on the table, and her expression quickly became terrified. "W-why would I draw this?"

Franca pondered for two seconds and showed a smile that made Luo Shan extremely reassured. "Don't worry, you can finish the last few strokes, I'll handle it."

Luo Shan, uncertain and frightened, leaned forward again and added the last few strokes, making the portrait more lifelike.

As soon as she finished drawing, the Luo Shan in the sketch presented a state as if about to come alive.

Franca grabbed the drawing, and black flames burned discreetly in her palm.

The expression of Luo Shan in the drawing immediately became painful, full of resentment and hatred, as if she was being burned by flames.

In the blink of an eye, the drawing curled up, showed signs of spontaneous combustion, quickly turned to ashes, and fell into the trash can.

While completing this, Franca used the Mirror Maze through the transparent screen on the side of the desk, Luo Shan's phone screen, and the mirror being used by a nearby colleague for makeup touch-ups, to deal with the camera surveillance, not leaving traces of Beyonder powers in the corresponding footage.

Luo Shan stared blankly as Franca dealt with the portrait, and after a few seconds said, "I feel like my whole being is much lighter again; my mood is better…"

Franca nodded and said, "You can treat it as another release of negative emotions and desires."

She considered for two seconds and added, "Currently, we can only treat your symptoms, not solve the root cause of the problem. Simply put, we can only treat the symptoms, not cure the disease.

"So, you need to be vigilant about your own state, do self-examination from time to time, and if you find something wrong, immediately come to us for a new round of treatment. Don't delay, otherwise, behavior like just now will happen again, and the consequences are unpredictable.

"Power is a double-edged sword, it can harm others and also harm oneself, this will accompany us for life."

Luo Shan listened quietly, remained silent for a moment, then lowered her head and smiled. "I understand what you mean. I hope, hope I can hold on for a few more years, preferably until I retire, no, let me enjoy life for five more years after retirement."

Seeing Luo Shan's smile, Franca suddenly felt it was a bit dazzling, making her eyes ache.

She comforted in a gentle voice, "If you can hold on, you must hold on. It's like some diseases that were terminal in earlier years, but if you actively cooperate with treatment and try to prolong life as much as possible, with the development of technology, they can now be cured or better controlled.

"In the future, we might become stronger, or we might meet stronger people who have ways to solve the problem of power corruption."

Luo Shan nodded slowly and smiled at Franca. "I'll try hard, and you should work hard too, let's all work hard!"

Franca remained silent for a moment, deactivated the Mirror Maze, and returned to her own seat.

She picked up her phone and found that Jenna, with the nickname "Nana and Lily", had sent her a message describing the dangers encountered on the way to deliver the painting to Star Dream Provisions Store, the help received, and the final result.

Franca felt a wave of fear reading it, quite regretful that she hadn't accompanied Jenna.

She had anticipated great danger but thought that Jenna, who could actively exit the dream, would at most waste one opportunity. She didn't expect that the power representing the Fantasy Association's evil god could prevent them from returning to reality.

Jenna had almost really died.

Fortunately, Amon and His father are on our side… Jenna's experience also provided us with important intelligence. In the future, when encountering people and objects of the Painter pathway, we need to be careful about not being able to exit the dream… Franca, thinking of Lumian about to or already probing Anderson Hood, quickly forwarded Jenna's message to him and reminded him to remember to delete it using the Information Shredder.

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

It coincided with the time when that painting appeared abnormal and Jenna nearly died.

…

Inside the surveillance room.

After deleting the messages from Franca and Jenna using the Information Shredder, Lumian pinged Anthony.

He continued to watch the surveillance, looking for potentially abnormal people and events.

At this time, Xu Xinyang, the leader of Security Team 2, entered the surveillance room and patted the shoulders of his two subordinates. "After work this afternoon, let's go visit Old Wang and Old Ding together, they're out of danger now.

"After visiting the hospital, let's gather with all the folks who aren't on shifts. It's also to welcome Little Li to our team."

"Old Wang and Old Ding?" Lumian could guess who the team leader was talking about, but still had to put on a confused expression.

Xu Xinyang, with his burly build, square face, and very tanned skin, said with both amusement and helplessness, "Didn't you see the news? Several of our folks were struck by lightning. Fortunately, it wasn't people from our Team 2 who died. Damn, how did they get struck by lightning?"

"Oh, I remember now," Lumian then asked, "Which hospital are Old Wang and Old Ding in?"

Xu Xinyang answered simply, "Mushu Hospital."

-x-X-x-

It's really Mushu Hospital… Lumian wasn't surprised at all by Xu Xinyang's answer.

He grunted in acknowledgment. "Alright, Team Lead."

He had thought about it. As an important base for evil gods to influence the dream city, and with some degree of cooperation with the Celestial Worthy, Mushu Hospital might be unavoidable for many things to come. It wasn't a matter of cautiously avoiding it or not entering, pretending it didn't exist.

So, rather than that, why not take advantage of the daytime, while their actions hadn't yet reached a critical stage, while he still had another chance to enter, and while he had a reasonable and legitimate excuse, to go take a look and investigate in person. Of course, the underground floors that likely represented the Abyss and Mr. Fool's psychological dark side still couldn't be recklessly entered.

After seeing off Xu Xinyang, Lumian stayed in the surveillance room until almost noon. He and his shift partner Old Xia waited for their colleagues to relieve them, then went downstairs together to the Intis Group staff cafeteria located in the annex building of the Tech Building for lunch.

They didn't get meal allowances, and the cafeteria wasn't free, but it had a wide variety of dishes, and the prices were kept quite cheap through company subsidies. So, whether from headquarters or branch offices, employees in this building all liked eating in the cafeteria. Even Mr. Huang himself would come eat there occasionally to check the quality of the food.

The only problem was that during the lunch rush, the cafeteria was packed. Higher-income employees preferred to order takeout or dine at nearby malls.

As security guards, when they could go to the cafeteria depended on when their colleagues came to relieve them. Everyone tacitly agreed to come a bit earlier to avoid the peak hours.

Lumian got steamed eggs with minced meat, stir-fried yellow chives and meat with pickled peppers, fried chicken leg, cucumber and pork soup, and a big bowl of rice. He found a corner spot with Old Xia and listened to him chat about the antics of the Aurora Company folks while eating.

Old Xia clicked his tongue and said, "Their boss is an exhibitionist, or the M in S&M, often with whip marks on his body…"

Say more, slander some more, I love hearing it… Lumian nodded along while inwardly muttering.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated twice.

He picked it up and saw a message from "A name that leaves a deep impression on you", which was Anderson Hood: "Is that friend you mentioned actually yourself?"

Lumian smiled and replied using voice input: "You could interpret it that way."

He felt that in conversations between Hunters, whoever got anxious first, whoever got angry first, whoever felt guilty first, would lose.

Only by adjusting oneself to a state where nothing mattered could one stand undefeated.

After about 20-30 seconds, Anderson replied: "Painting requires talent, I hope you have it.

"Our tutoring school doesn't have painting classes, but I know a decent studio, that's where I learned. If you're interested, tomorrow night at 7, meet me at the entrance of Jinxiu Dongfang Community on Sifang Street, and I'll take you for a tour."

At night? Lumian pondered for a moment before replying: "Alright, thank you."

He remembered that Colorful Hostel was on Sifang Street, but the interior renovation and decoration hadn't been completed yet.

…

In the Administrative Department, large office.

Luo Shan stretched lazily, walked over to Franca's desk, and asked with a smile, "What are you eating for lunch? I don't want to join the crowd at the cafeteria."

Without waiting for Franca to respond, she lowered her voice and said, "Other departments all find time to have team dinners to welcome new employees, only our Administrative Department doesn't.

"Mainly because those ladies don't want to or think little of us, which is fine, but the worry is that they'll insist on going, wanting to find some free helpers. Tsk, can you imagine how that would develop? Sarcasm and veiled barbs are the norm, with people crying, arguing, or even wanting to get physical not being uncommon. It left a bunch of trouble to deal with afterward, so Old Zhang simply stopped organizing departmental dinners. Those who get along well just gather privately, however they want."

Franca listened with relish and said expectantly, "I wonder when Mr. Huang will next come to the Administrative Department."

The scene then would surely be spectacular; she wanted to witness it.

Demonesses inevitably tended to have a bit of a chaos-loving inclination, which was very justifiable when it came to watching drama.

"Mr. Huang probably won't come in the next few days. He has VIPs to entertain, and even if he comes to the company, he'll go to the 16th floor," Luo Shan disclosed Mr. Huang's whereabouts.

Zaratulstra? Franca was very attentive and serious about this matter.

Besides the items listed in the action outline, they also had to guard against the Celestial Worthy and evil gods doing bad things to Zhou Mingrui in the dream city. They needed to discover and prevent it early.

Moreover, this could also accumulate inspiration to help them formulate an awakening plan—how the Celestial Worthy's subordinates did it, and they could try to do the opposite.

"What a pity," Franca said with a look of regret.

She then asked curiously, "Won't Mr. Huang bring the VIP to tour the company?"

"He has before," Luo Shan suddenly paused, her voice becoming even lower, "That day Zhou Mingrui happened to be on sick leave. Franca, could that long-named VIP be the destroyer you mentioned, sent from the future to the present by evil forces? Was Zhou Mingrui's sick leave arranged by your people?"

A Painter's spiritual intuition is quite strong… Franca smiled and said, "Is that VIP called Zaratulstra?"

Luo Shan nodded solemnly.

"Then it is," Franca confirmed her earlier guess.

Luo Shan was silent for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up and she said,

"Why don't I ask Zhou Mingrui to have dinner with us? That way you'll have a chance to meet and chat with him."

Holy crap… So fast? So direct? Franca felt a bit shocked.

She had thought it would take her and Lumian a week or two to naturally contact Zhou Mingrui through work matters before reaching a point where they could add each other on WeChat or have casual chats.

Who knew that on her first day of work, Luo Shan would invite Zhou Mingrui to have dinner together!

It's too, too fast…

This progress is too advanced; I'm not ready yet…

Seeing that Franca hadn't answered, Luo Shan smiled and said, "Zhou Mingrui owes me several meals. Every time he asks me for information, he says he'll treat me to a meal next time, but so far he's only done it once.

"Hmm, welcoming my bestie to the company is a good reason."

As she spoke, she picked up her phone and started tapping out a message to Zhou Mingrui.

After a while, Luo Shan waved her phone and said, "He agreed, but said it would be dinner tomorrow, because he has to work overtime tonight, and tech people have too little lunch break time to go eat something nice."

He agreed just like that… No stress reaction, no excuses? Franca suddenly recalled an old saying: The best way to get close to someone is to know the people around them.

Helping Luo Shan was indeed the right choice… This is karma rewarding kindness! Franca pondered for a moment, then said to Luo Shan, "Zhou Mingrui seemed a bit concerned about those paintings you had on your desk before. He didn't refuse your invitation, but agreed to it. Maybe he also wants to confirm or probe something…"

Without waiting for Luo Shan to respond, Franca added, "If that's really the case, it's a good thing."

The only question is, does dinner count as nighttime?

This goes against the plan in the action outline, and could lead to confusion and ambiguity in the experimental results…

It shouldn't count if it's not completely dark, right?

…

At 4:30 in the afternoon, after another round of patrolling the floors, Lumian and Old Xia came to the underground parking lot of the Tech Building. They saw Team Lead Xu Xinyang sitting in a dark gray SUV, reaching out from the passenger seat and waving at them.

"Over here."

Lumian and Old Xia walked over and sat in the spacious back seat.

"Just us few?" Old Xia looked out the window.

Xu Xinyang laughed.

"Who goes to visit patients at a hospital in a big group? The nurses wouldn't let us in!

"Just the four of us, Zhao is driving, the others will wait directly at the dinner place."

Zhao was the young man sitting in the driver's seat, looking a bit chubby from the side.

At this time, the roads were still fairly clear. Before 5 o'clock, Lumian and the others had arrived outside Mushu Hospital.

Two young men each carrying a box of fruit and a bag of nutritional supplements followed behind Xu Xinyang and Old Xia as they walked in.

The lobby of Mushu Hospital was no different from when Lumian last came, ordinary, with people coming and going. Only occasionally could one notice certain orderlies with indifferent gazes and slightly mechanical movements.

Lumian withdrew his gaze, confirming that his spirituality gave no warning and there were no abnormalities around, then entered the elevator going up and arrived on the 12th floor.

Exiting the elevator area and turning into the ward, after pushing open the door, what met his eyes was a quiet nurses' station and a corridor extending into darkness.

The light at the end of the corridor seemed to be broken, not yet repaired.

Led by a nurse who looked very normal, they entered a double patient room where Old Wang and Old Ding were.

Before Lumian, Zhao, and Old Xia could get a clear look at the patients' condition, two bedside family members rushed in front of Xu Xinyang, speaking one after another:

"Team Lead Xu, this is definitely a work-related injury for our Old Wang!"

"Boohoo, Team Lead Xu, our Old Ding almost died, look at him, look at him, who knows how long it will take to recover."

"…"

Xu Xinyang finally found an opportunity and pressed his right hand down.

"Ladies, this will definitely count as a work injury. Mr. Huang said that not only will there be compensation according to national standards, but the company will also give an additional sum, as well as cover all medical expenses beyond insurance, and continue to pay normal wages until Old Wang and Old Ding fully recover and can return to work. We won't let one of us bleed, sweat, and cry!"

While Xu Xinyang was comforting the family members, Lumian and the others turned their gaze to the hospital beds, seeing the two patients wrapped from head to toe in white bandages, with only their eyes, noses, and mouths exposed.

Old Xia couldn't help but lean close to Lumian and say in a low voice, "I don't mean to be unkind, but they really look funny like this. I thought only TV shows wrapped people up like this. Didn't expect to see it in real life too."

Lumian didn't respond to Old Xia, because he thought of mummies.

Mummies that were said to have close connections with the Wraith pathway controlled by the Mother Tree of Desire.

And this was Mushu Hospital.

-x-X-x-

Lumian looked again at Old Wang and Old Ding, who were wrapped from head to toe in white bandages, carefully examining their condition and the details around them.

"Don't disturb the patients," the nurse who had led Lumian and the others into the ward reminded them before walking out and returning to the nurses' station.

At this moment, the patient who was presumably Old Ding woke up, influenced by the conversation between his family members and Xu Xinyang, slowly opening his eyes.

Contrasted against the surrounding circles of white bandages, Old Ding's deep brown eyes were noticeably darker than normal, taking quite a while to regain focus.

Lumian didn't notice any abnormalities worth noting.

Xu Xinyang walked to the bedside and greeted Old Ding, who lacked energy and spoke indistinctly.

Lumian listened for about 20-30 seconds, then glanced at the still sleeping Old Wang, and stepped back gradually, inconspicuously and without drawing attention, to the doorway of the ward.

He then examined the doctor and nurse information posted outside the ward:

"Attending Physician: Huang Puda.

"Head Nurse: Qi Fang."

From the photo, it was clear that Qi Fang was the nurse who had just led Lumian and the others to the ward.

Names not mentioned in the files… The name style is that of "locals" in the dream city, not like "foreigners"… Doesn't seem to be any problem… Lumian returned to the ward and followed Team Lead Xu Xinyang in greeting Old Ding and the two family members again.

They didn't stay long to avoid disturbing the patients' rest.

Walking through the corridor, past the nurses' station, and towards the ward's main door, Lumian casually examined the bulletin boards on both sides of the wall.

One side featured scientific achievements and introductions to some diseases and injuries, while the other side had brief introductions of all the doctors and nurses in this ward, arranged in several rows.

Lumian's gaze fell on the topmost photo.

It was a female doctor with a plump appearance, fairly good features, and slightly brownish eyes, looking to be in her forties.

Her introduction read: "Roland, Associate Dean…"

Lumian's first reaction was "Isn't that Franca's last name?", followed by a sudden chill down his spine, almost making him shudder.

He remembered another Roland.

It was a prominent name he had heard about while investigating the sea prayer ritual in Port Santa of the Feynapotter Kingdom: Matriarch Roland of the Church of Earth Mother!

This was equivalent to the pontiff or pope in other orthodox churches!

The Planter pathway has the Doctor Sequence, and Roland, as the matriarch of the Church of Earth Mother, is most likely an Angel of this pathway, which is equivalent to one of the strongest doctors in the real world. Her corresponding manifestation in the dream city serving as the associate dean and chief surgeon of a hospital, certainly qualifies and aligns with Mr. Fool's subconscious cognition… But the problem is, this is Mushu Hospital… Lumian naturally withdrew his gaze and walked towards the ward exit with Xu Xinyang, his expression unchanged.

He remembered that the information from the Major Arcana card holders didn't mention Roland having a corresponding dream manifestation.

Is it unknown, or considered unimportant, a mere NPC? Is Roland becoming the associate dean of Mushu Hospital woven by Mr. Fool's subconscious dream, representing some of his cognition, or has Roland's dream manifestation been exploited by the Great Mother due to issues with Her own pathway? Or is this one of the "achievements" of Mushu Hospital? If Mother Roland is the associate dean, then who is the dean? Lumian felt he needed to report this to the Major Arcana card holders.

This didn't contradict his idea of first "testing" on his own and gaining personal results. He was worried that if there was a problem with the dream image, it might affect Matriarch Roland in the real world, and wanted to remind the Major Arcana card holders.

Leaving the ward, Lumian curiously asked, "Team Lead Xu, what's the name of the dean of Mushu Hospital? I haven't seen any news about him."

Xu Xinyang entered the elevator area and thought for a few seconds before saying, "Strange, odd, I haven't heard of him either.

"I only know that Mr. Huang used to have a good relationship with this hospital, donated a lot of money to them, and helped establish them."

Money… a lot of money… donations… Lumian thought this must have been done when Emperor Roselle was still corrupted by the Great Mother.

This also made Mushu Hospital financially strong, seemingly not too worried about "money" issues, unlike the Colorful Hostel of the Fantasy Association, which still had to exploit its bestowed and believers for renovation.

While waiting for the slow elevator, Old Xia suddenly asked Xu Xinyang, "Team Lead Xu, do you think Old Wang and Old Ding can recover to their original state? They used to be such good fighters."

"Are you eyeing the positions they left behind?" Xu Xinyang asked with a smile.

In the Intis Group, the Security Department wasn't just about security guards, but also had real security personnel responsible for protecting Mr. Huang's family and important guests, providing security services for jewelry exhibitions, antique exhibitions, arms deals, etc. held by various companies of the group, and protecting important mining sites through cooperation with local armed forces.

Old Wang and Old Ding were security personnel, earning much higher salaries than ordinary security guards, with additional allowances if dispatched externally.

"I'll pass; can't take that risk, and don't have that ability," Old Xia waved his hands repeatedly, looking scared.

Xu Xinyang looked at Lumian and smiled, saying, "Originally, I wanted someone in their fifties or sixties, but the HR department sent me the youngest one. Fortunately, Director Grimm is satisfied."

"Why look for someone in their fifties or sixties?" Old Xia asked on behalf of Lumian, he himself looking to be only in his thirties or forties.

Xu Xinyang chuckled and said, "Security guard is a service position. You're all too young, not smooth enough, and can't bring yourselves to make a scene or throw tantrums.

"Think about it, if you had a conflict with an employee in the building, which one of you would be able to lie down on the ground without any burden, clutch your chest and cry out in pain, saying you can't breathe? A man in his fifties or sixties wouldn't have such concerns, they'd dare to lie down, dare to shout, dare to extort. In that case, would the employee on the other side dare to take it seriously and continue to make trouble? Having an elder is like having a treasure!"

Lumian understood that Xu Xinyang was reprimanding him, thinking that getting into trouble with someone on his first day of work showed inexperience.

Zhao, not catching Xu Xinyang's implied meaning, asked foolishly, "Then why not directly find someone over seventy?"

"What if they really fall ill on duty?" Xu Xinyang scolded Zhao impatiently, "You don't care when it's Mr. Huang's money, do you?"

Zhao giggled, not refuting Xu Xinyang.

At this moment, an elevator finally stopped on this floor, already crowded with people.

Entering the elevator and following its slow descent, Lumian suddenly had a feeling that he and the others were sinking into the dark seabed.

It was an illusion brought on by his spirituality.

The illusion quickly disappeared as the elevator stopped at the next floor.

As the elevator continued to stop at various floors, Old Xia grumbled, "It's a bit cold, isn't the air conditioning too strong…"

You didn't say that when we took the elevator up earlier… Is it because we're currently descending, getting closer to the underground floors? Lumian thoughtfully observed the other people in the elevator, noticing that they all looked slightly pale from the chilly air conditioning and cold wind.

There were no other unusual situations beyond this.

When the elevator stopped on the first floor, Lumian suddenly felt as if it would plummet in free fall, and instinctively stepped out quickly.

The feeling of overly effective air conditioning disappeared instantly.

Lumian raised his hand to pinch his nose, following Xu Xinyang and the others towards the main entrance of Mushu Hospital.

Just now, he had caught a whiff of blood.

Exiting the hospital building, the sunlight, only slightly weaker than before, instantly brought a sense of golden brightness and clarity.

"That's why I hate hospitals," Old Xia muttered.

Lumian half-turned his body, looking at the bustling lobby and the upper floors, summarizing in his mind, There are indeed some abnormal details, but most of the doctors, nurses, and patients here still seem fine…

If they all had problems, this city would have been corrupted to an unimaginable degree long ago, and Mr. Fool's subconscious would surely have reacted…

As thoughts raced through his mind, Lumian suddenly saw a face pressed against a glass window on the twelfth floor.

That face was bound with strips of white bandages, with only the eyes, nostrils, and mouth uncovered.

He seemed to have seen Lumian too, and began to struggle frantically, then was forcibly dragged away from the window area as if being pulled by one person after another from behind.

Before Lumian could react, he had disappeared.

But Lumian recognized him.

He was Old Wang, who had been sleeping the whole time during their visit.

Lumian turned back, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

If not for the appointment with Anderson tomorrow night, he would have wanted to storm the twelfth floor ward right now to rescue Old Wang and see what unexpected changes might occur.

For Lumian, this wasn't something he couldn't do, but it should be done after completing most of the experiments.

…

In a beef offal hot pot restaurant.

Having booked a large private room with two tables set up, Xu Xinyang held baijiu—a Chinese spirit—and beer, smiling at Lumian and asking, "Can you drink?"

"I can drink a little," Lumian answered somewhat fearfully.

"As long as you can drink, that's fine. Drinking style is working style, drinking etiquette is personal etiquette. Those who don't drink can't fit into our Security Team 2," Xu Xinyang pointed at the subordinates around and said, "Except for those on duty, dispatched, hospitalized, or on leave, everyone is here. Make a good impression."

Lumian had heard from Franca that many companies' welcome parties for new employees were mainly to test obedience and haze the newcomers, making them learn to be compliant, with drinking being the most common method.

"I'll… I'll try my best," Lumian squeezed out a smile with a heavy expression.

Two hours later, amidst various bottles of alcohol piled up on the table and in the corners, Lumian held a bottle of strong liquor, smiling broadly at Xu Xinyang and saying, "Team Lead Xu, drink up, why aren't you drinking?

"Come on, let's finish what's left."

Xu Xinyang, his face pale and movements uncoordinated, said, "No, no more drinking. Later, later I still need to go home and pay my dues to the wife."

Around him, some like Old Xia and Zhao were either slumped over the table or curled up in corners, already asleep. Some had just returned from vomiting in the bathroom, swaying unsteadily. Some gathered in groups, chattering endlessly. Others sat silently, motionless…

-x-X-x-

Seeing the situation, Lumian didn't insist; after all, Xu Xinyang still had the important task of paying the bill. He couldn't possibly cover for him, right? He hadn't even received his first month's salary yet!

Lumian then called over to the colleagues who had collapsed at the beginning but had now recovered, arranging for them to send the different drunks home nearby. If there was no one going in the same direction, they would call family members to come pick them up.

After finishing this task, Lumian pulled up a chair and sat down, taking a few sips of liquor as if it were a beverage. This made the few colleagues who were still somewhat sober twitch at their temples.

Is this guy the reincarnation of a wine vat?

Glancing at the still bustling main hall outside, Lumian idly took out his phone and began replying to messages and browsing trending topics.

As he scrolled, he noticed that the content being pushed to him now included a lot of alcohol-related topics, including but not limited to "Which brand of baijiu tastes best", "Beer tasting", "Legal liability for alcohol-related accidents caused by pressuring others to drink", "Civil compensation for alcohol-related sudden deaths by others at the same table", "Alcohol is a carcinogen"…

Does this count as a form of monitoring? Lumian pondered as his thumb slid across the screen.

When the last drunk was taken away, he stood up and left the hot pot restaurant. He searched for the location of Xinhong District and found it was just over two kilometers away.

Lumian decided to walk back.

It was past 8 p.m. now, and the sky had darkened completely. The scorching breeze had taken on a hint of coolness. The street lamps on both sides were bright, and there were many pedestrians passing by, brushing shoulders without disturbing each other.

Lumian savored this state of being immersed in the crowd yet detached from it, his mind gradually relaxing and unwinding.

He walked past shops playing old songs, crowds dancing to lively rhythms, and a bustling bar street, hearing shouts of "Cheers! Cheers!" coming from inside.

Returning to the rental apartment, Lumian saw Ludwig in the kitchen, standing on a small folding stool, busy preparing food. Anthony sat by the dining table, writing down his observations from the day.

His task was to continue observing Zhou Mingrui and those close to him, watching for any abnormalities or subtle changes after they came into contact with Lumian, Franca, or Jenna.

Seeing Lumian return, Anthony looked up and said, "He insists on cooking himself. He finds preparing his own breakfast and late-night snacks more enjoyable than studying textbooks or doing homework."

"He's become more human-like," Lumian said with a chuckle.

He had just sat down when the door opened and Franca and Jenna appeared in the doorway.

"There's an urgent matter we need to discuss together, to complement each other's strengths," Franca explained succinctly.

Her interaction with Zhou Mingrui today was the kind that only left a certain impression, and this already had experimental results. It wouldn't cause her to be kicked out of the dream or face restrictions.

So before taking further action, she could discreetly touch base with Lumian and the others.

She and Jenna had taken a taxi to a stop one station away and sneaked over using the shadows.

"What's the matter?" Lumian sat up a bit straighter.

"I'm having a private dinner with Zhou Mingrui tomorrow night, thanks to Luo Shan!" Franca pulled out a chair and sat down, asking Lumian with a mix of excitement and nervousness, "This doesn't affect your experiment plans, does it?"

"A little, but it's not a big problem. Taking big steps to try things out first, then working backwards to eliminate possibilities one by one is also a method of experimentation," Lumian said after a few seconds of thought.

Franca let out a sigh of relief and said, "Then let's discuss how to give Zhou Mingrui hints. This should show some progress compared to before, but not excessively, otherwise we can't rule out options and would have to risk a second attempt later."

Lumian tersely agreed and provided several approaches from a Conspirer's perspective. He then evaluated Franca's contingency plans and explanations, while Jenna helped fill in any gaps from an Instigator's standpoint.

Anthony was responsible for empathizing with Zhou Mingrui's possible psychological activities and instinctive reactions, even role-playing as Zhou Mingrui during rehearsals.

After twenty to thirty minutes of discussion, Franca finally had two feasible plans that were likely to achieve her goals.

"Brainstorming really does work!" she exclaimed sincerely.

Jenna then recounted her experience of selling the painting at the Star Dream Provisions Store, not omitting a single detail.

After listening to the end, Franca thoughtfully took out the Beyonder characteristic obtained from the reanimated Panatiya from her Traveler's Bag.

She showed it briefly before quickly stuffing it back. "Can we sell this thing to the Star Dream Provisions Store?

"We can't use it for now anyway, so why not exchange it for money and find a way to rent useful items? Whether the mission succeeds or not later, the Major Arcana card holders should reimburse us or help buy it back."

"We can try, but I think that individual probably won't accept it," Lumian said as he also took out an item from his Traveler's Bag.

It was the corpse wax candle obtained from the Blue Avenger.

Looking at this pale yellow candle with a reddish tinge, Lumian thought for a moment before saying, "We discussed before that Demonesses might have symbolic meaning and special uses in the dream city. Now I want to say that Hunters might also have significance: I'm a Hunter, the first person killed was the Oracle who was also a Hunter, and Anderson, who is clearly abnormal now, is also a Hunter.

"Given this premise, items related to Demonesses and Hunters might prove useful later on, and we can't predict which ones. That individual will probably not accept them, instead letting us keep them and wait for the right opportunity.

"Hmm, we can try. If She doesn't accept them, it would provide initial validation for my theory."

Jenna, Franca, and Anthony all nodded thoughtfully.

The four of them then took out many mystical items they weren't currently using, planning to have Jenna take them to the Star Dream Provisions Store to sell the next day.

Looking at these items, Jenna pondered for a few seconds before saying, "That individual is a true deity… Isn't it somewhat disrespectful to bring such a hodgepodge of items of varying value?"

Anthony nodded in agreement with Jenna's statement.

Franca added, "Yeah, it feels like we're treating Her like a junk collector…"

As she spoke, Franca fell silent, as did Lumian and the others.

In the end, they selected only three high-value items.

After discussing everything, Franca stood up, stretching her arms and said, "I'm a bit excited and nervous thinking about substantially hinting at Mr. Fool's dream manifestation tomorrow night."

"What time is your appointment tomorrow night?" Lumian asked.

"Seven o'clock. Luo Shan said those tech folks rarely leave work on time, so we need to allow for extra time." Franca also mentioned the meeting place.

Seven o'clock, huh… Lumian raised his right hand and rubbed his chin.

At this point, Jenna carefully said, "Don't be too nervous. You might not even manage to meet up successfully. I've seen posts on those apps where people set a time and place for a date, but their busy boyfriends or girlfriends end up working overtime at the last minute and have to cancel."

"That's a possibility…" Franca was momentarily dumbfounded.

…

The next morning, Jenna once again arrived at the Star Dream Provisions Store.

She took a ride-hailing car as before, but this time encountered no obstacles or abnormalities.

Walking up to the checkout counter in the back of the Star Dream Provisions Store, Jenna politely asked, "Do you take this item?"

She placed the Beyonder characteristic from the reanimated Panatiya on the counter.

In the suddenly dimmed environment, the shopkeeper raised her head, looked at it, then shook her head and said, "We don't take this one."

So you really don't accept it… Does it need to be made into an item, or is it as Lumian speculated, that things related to the Demoness and Hunter pathways will have important uses later? After putting away Panatiya's Beyonder characteristic, Jenna took out the corpse wax candle in a small glass bottle. "Do you take this?"

"We don't take that either," the shopkeeper said without a trace of impatience on her beautiful face.

Not taking items either… Jenna thoughtfully put away the corpse wax candle.

Then, she took out an item from her Traveler's Bag.

It was a set of silver-white full body armor.

Pride Armor!

Jenna didn't try to hide the special nature of the Traveler's Bag as she placed the Pride Armor sideways on the counter.

The next second, she noticed a faint smile appear on the shopkeeper's face.

Almost simultaneously, the Pride Armor moved.

Like a crab, it moved sideways, clanking towards the entrance of the Star Dream Provisions Store.

However, the silver-white full body armor moved slower and slower, gradually turning upright.

When it was just two or three steps from the exit, it came to a complete stop, motionless.

It seemed to have turned into ordinary armor.

At this point, Jenna and the shopkeeper were both behind it, facing each other.

It showed no reaction.

In her astonishment, Jenna heard the shopkeeper say with a hint of amusement, "I'll take this item. 30,000 still."

So items like the Pride Armor can indeed be sold… But why did the Pride Armor react so strongly at first, and why isn't it even confronting the people behind it now? Though puzzled, Jenna didn't dare to ask.

…

Lumian, who learned he would be switching to the mid-shift next week, returned to the rental apartment.

He left at 6 p.m., arriving half an hour early at the entrance of Jinxiu Dongfang Community on Sifang Street.

He wanted to scout the environment first, as it might come in handy later.

As Lumian's gaze swept the area, he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

It was Anderson Hood, wearing a black T-shirt with abstract patterns.

Anderson also saw Lumian and walked over, smiling as he said, "I'm in the habit of arriving early."

Lumian responded with a smile, "Me too."

Anderson nodded. "Since we're both early, let's start the tour earlier. The friend you mentioned was indeed yourself."

"If that's what you want to think, I can't do anything about it," Lumian said with a smile, not arguing.

Anderson didn't seem to mind as he turned and led him into the Jinxiu Dongfang Community.

-x-X-x-

Sifang Street was located near a famous scenic spot in Yangdu, part of the old town area. The Jinxiu Dongfang Community was also quite old, with no building exceeding six floors or having elevators installed.

Lumian followed behind Anderson, turning towards the building closest to the community entrance.

As they climbed the stairs, he couldn't help but raise his right hand to pinch his nose.

A mixture of strong odors permeated the air.

Anderson turned sideways and laughed. "The whole building is being renovated."

He had somehow already stuffed two wads of white paper into his nostrils.

"Why is everything being renovated?" Lumian didn't hide his confusion.

Anderson glanced at him and said with a smile, "This gated community is too old. Most owners have moved away and chosen to rent out their vacant apartments. Someone has rented all the rooms in this building, planning to…"

At this point, Anderson paused, his smile becoming more pronounced in the dim stairwell as his voice deepened. "Planning to open a boutique hostel."

Colorful, right? And that person is you, right? Lumian was somewhat mentally prepared for this and frowned slightly as he said, "Isn't there still an art studio in this building? How can you say all the rooms have been rented?"

Anderson tightened the white paper wads in his nostrils. "Is it possible that the person who opened the art studio is the same one who rented the other rooms?

"The boutique hostel he wants to open is adjacent to scenic spots, hidden in a gated community, with painting as its theme."

Lumian, still pinching his nose, feigned sudden realization and said, "I see."

Due to the strong renovation smells permeating the stairwell, the two didn't slow their pace as they conversed, quickly reaching the top floor, which was the sixth floor.

The doors of both units here were open, and on the wall facing the stairwell was a brightly colored mural. At its center were four characters:

"Mute Art Studio"

"That name is quite… special," Lumian commented sincerely.

By this point, the renovation smells had faded.

Anderson removed the white paper wads from his nostrils and explained earnestly,

"Painting is done with hands, not mouths. 'Mute' represents the studio's expectations for its students: focus, quietness, and dedication."

"That's a great explanation," Lumian applauded.

Anderson wasn't offended and said with a smile, "This isn't my forced interpretation, it's what the studio owner said."

"My sister once taught me dialectics, believing that even the worst words can have a positive side. Do you think that's right?" Lumian asked with a smile.

Anderson nodded. "If you think it's right, then it's right."

He led Lumian towards the door on the left.

Lumian didn't rush in, standing at the doorway to survey the fairly spacious living room.

There was a piece of darkness with only a hint of golden-red "Dawn" in the distance, a "Storm" with deep blue waves surging, "Pilgrims" with numerous blurred figures walking across a wasteland, and a grotesque "Monster" emerging from the seabed alongside "Pirates" trying to save their ship.

The "Pirates" painting suddenly reminded Lumian of the latest volume of "The Great Adventurer". He saw vines growing from the figures' heads, bearing watermelons, while milky white liquid sprayed everywhere on the deck.

Is this recreating Gehrman Sparrow's experience? As Lumian pondered this, he stared for two seconds at the sea monster that resembled a giant leech with its maw full of sharp teeth.

Anderson walked to the easel in the middle of the living room and turned around.

Lumian looked around once more before slowly following him in, "curiously" asking, "Where's the studio owner?"

Anderson raised his right hand and pointed at himself.

"You're the studio owner?" Lumian "surprisingly" confirmed.

Anderson nodded.

Lumian suddenly smiled. "Why aren't you speaking? Has your throat suddenly gone hoarse? Have you become mute?"

Anderson, wearing the black T-shirt, began using sign language.

Lumian couldn't understand what he was expressing even after watching for a while, and thoughtfully said, "I wonder if there's an app for translating sign language…"

Anderson picked up a paintbrush, took a piece of white paper from nearby, and wrote something in dark red.

Unlike Lumian and the others, he could write in the common script of the dream city.

Lumian focused his gaze and saw a sentence written on the white paper: "It's best not to speak in the studio, treat yourself as if you're mute."

Lumian raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, he saw Anderson grimly add another line in dark red paint: "You just spoke."

Lumian suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if a cool breeze had blown past.

He didn't turn around, seemingly feeling nothing.

Anderson wrote another passage, the dark red paint appearing to become much brighter: "Do you know this person?"

After writing, he turned the easel around to show the painting on it to Lumian.

It depicted a woman, tall with a slender face, light blue and clear eyes, strikingly beautiful with a peculiar sharpness.

This was Lumian himself.

It was his female form!

Lumian's face broke into a smile as he answered Anderson's question, "I don't know her."

As his voice echoed, something cold and wet suddenly pressed against him from behind.

Lumian quickly reached back to grab it, his palm suddenly erupting with crimson flames.

As the flames compressed layer by layer, he saw what had attacked him.

It was the giant "leech" from the "Monster" oil painting. Its pinkish, nearly transparent body had extended from the painting, its maw opened to its fullest extent, large enough to bite off an adult's head.

13:25

Looking at the densely packed, ghastly white teeth with blood-colored roots, Lumian directly slapped the fireball in his hand, which had turned from crimson to nearly white, onto it.

Boom!

The fireball exploded instantly, enveloping the sea monster that had emerged from the painting.

The shockwave carrying flames quickly swept outwards, threatening to ignite every painting, every easel, and every person here!

At that moment, from the "Storm" oil painting, the azure seawater surged out, pouring into the room with a splash, extinguishing all the flames.

Lumian's figure disappeared from where he stood, reappearing behind the mute Anderson.

His eyes had turned completely iron-black, reflecting a ghastly white.

Lumian clenched his right fist and thrust it out with a smacking sound, striking Anderson's back.

This punch, accompanied by a thunderous explosion, tore through Anderson's flesh, penetrated his body, and hit the oil painting of Lumian's female form and its easel.

The mute Anderson's body suddenly ruptured, quickly thinning and transforming into a portrait painting with a huge hole.

This portrait, along with the oil painting of Lumian's female form, was ignited by crimson flames, turning into black, light ashes in just a few seconds.

As the mute Anderson reverted to a painting, both the azure seawater that had poured into the room and the sea monsters eagerly trying to emerge suddenly vanished, leaving only the motionless oil paintings.

Lumian scanned the room and found that a giant "leech" was indeed missing from the "Monster" painting. The studio floor was covered with water stains and incompletely burned paper scraps.

The place became eerily quiet, with no living beings present except for Lumian himself.

Lumian then went through both rooms that made up the studio, finding no other abnormalities.

Those paintings were no longer eerie or mysterious.

He left the place, going down the stairs to see tenants of the community gathering in small groups, looking around.

They had heard the sound of an explosion earlier but couldn't find its source or any damage to the buildings in the community. They could only attribute it to a high-speed fighter jet passing overhead.

Lumian passed through the group and returned to the community entrance.

Suddenly, a figure was reflected in his eyes.

The figure had blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, with hands in pockets, looking like someone watching the commotion.

Anderson!

Anderson Hood!

Upon seeing Lumian, Anderson asked with a surprised expression, "You're already here? Have you already entered?"

Lumian smiled. "I'm in the habit of arriving early."

Anderson smiled as well. "Me too."

As Lumian walked up to him, he asked with a smile, "Did you enjoy yourself earlier?"

"Very much," Lumian maintained his smile, saying meaningfully, "I'd like to do it again."

Anderson Hood nodded slightly.

He was about to speak when he suddenly looked around.

"Maybe next time," Anderson said with a smile, shifting his gaze back. "Let's keep in touch via WeChat."

He raised his right palm, holding his phone.

He didn't mention visiting the art studio or ask if Lumian's friend was interested in taking classes. Lumian didn't bring up these topics either, waving his hand and saying, "I'll be going then."

"See you." Anderson waved back.

Lumian walked past the tutor towards the roadside.

A gray sedan pulled up and stopped in front of him.

Lumian opened the door, got in, and said to Anthony in the driver's seat, "Let's go to Worker's Road."

Anthony nodded and merged into traffic.

Franca, Luo Shan, and Zhou Mingrui had arranged to have dinner on Worker's Road tonight at a taro chicken hotpot restaurant.

As the car drove, chomping sounds continuously came from the back seat.

…

On Worker's Road, inside the "Yizhou Roast Chicken" taro chicken hotpot restaurant.

Franca and Luo Shan had arrived earlier, choosing a window-side table. They had ordered chicken and taro but hadn't selected any other dishes yet.

Each of them had ordered a bottle of iced soy milk, not finding any issue with Zhou Mingrui choosing such a noisy, lively place that wasn't quite bourgeois enough for a meal.

What mattered was whether the food tasted good!

At nearly 6:50 p.m., Zhou Mingrui, wearing a black shirt, walked in.

"Over here, over here!" Luo Shan waved cheerfully.

Zhou Mingrui weaved through the other tables, came over, and said as he sat down, "Some extra work came up just before clocking out."

"We agreed on 7 p.m.," Luo Shan said, not minding at all. She pointed at Franca and said, "This is my neighbor and colleague, Luo Fu."

Zhou Mingrui glanced at Franca and said with a smile, "We've met before. Let's order first."

Franca looked outside at the darkening sky, feeling a bit uneasy.