121 COI

Since Franca and Luo Shan had already pre-ordered the chicken and taro and requested them to be cooked immediately, the three of them soon began enjoying the steaming hot delicacies.

Franca asked the waiter to fill her dipping sauce bowl with a medium-spicy soup base. She added some minced garlic, chopped green onions, and cilantro, then poured in some oyster sauce. This combination provided saltiness and umami flavors, along with a hint of sweetness, nicely complementing the spicy taste. Franca particularly enjoyed preparing her hotpot dipping sauce this way.

She glanced at Zhou Mingrui and noticed his choices were similar to hers.

Great minds think alike… Franca picked up a piece of taro first instead of chicken. The taro had been pre-cooked to softness in a pressure cooker. After rolling it in the dipping sauce and blowing on it for about ten seconds, she took a bite. It was full of the fragrance of starch and the taro's own flavor. The taro had also absorbed the spiciness of the soup base and the deliciousness of the oil. Combined with the salty umami and slight sweetness of the oyster sauce, it made her salivate quickly, effectively reducing the residual heat.

Franca ate three pieces of taro before remembering to try a piece of chicken.

She would rank this as one of the top 3 vegetarian options in hotpot, along with potato slices and leafy stem lettuce.

The three ate quietly for a while. After filling their stomachs a bit, Luo Shan actively initiated various topics to prevent any awkwardness.

With her livening up the atmosphere, the three chatted quite happily, covering everything from company gossip and rumors to the recent job market and the current situations of former colleagues.

The handsome security guard naturally became part of the conversation, with Luo Shan expressing regret that he hadn't been guarding the entrance recently, preventing her from seeing him in person.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Mingrui asked about Franca's professional background, curious about why she changed careers right after graduation.

Franca shared her genuine feelings from her student days, "Working like a dog and earning little, while endangering my life; having to slog until your thirties or forties to barely have a decent income. I felt I couldn't endure that hardship, so I changed careers. How many times in life can you be in your twenties?"

Zhou Mingrui expressed understanding. "There's a saying online that those who encourage others to study medicine should be struck by lightning. However, being a doctor is a late-blooming career; the older you get, the more valuable you become. I have a childhood friend who also changed careers right after graduation, but even after working two other jobs, there wasn't much success…"

At this point, Zhou Mingrui suddenly paused, unconsciously frowning before continuing, "He used connections to return to his hometown hospital as an intern doctor."

There's such a childhood friend? The documents didn't mention this… It's clearly not Peng Deng, nor is it that female childhood friend who likes to travel… As Franca pondered this, Zhou Mingrui began discussing medical topics.

Franca perfectly played the role of a former medical student who had changed careers three years ago. She could still discuss basic concepts but had mostly forgotten the more in-depth knowledge.

She wasn't a Savant after all!

Her current identity was almost an exact copy of her actual history, making it easy for her to play the role. The only difference was that she hadn't actually graduated and had changed careers six or seven years ago.

As Zhou Mingrui nodded imperceptibly, Luo Shan glanced at Franca and asked with a smile, "Have you tried that new drink? The one with the great design and a unique name."

Franca smiled back and asked instead of answering, "Have you two tried it?"

Before Zhou Mingrui and Luo Shan could answer, Franca lowered her voice, "I recently heard an urban legend about a mysterious vending machine that randomly appears in different places. It sells gacha boxes of that drink. Some of the drinks in these gacha boxes have special effects, giving the drinker abilities corresponding to the drink's name. The ones sold in supermarkets and convenience stores are just ordinary, normal drinks."

After saying this in one breath without experiencing any abnormalities herself, Franca relaxed a little.

Zhou Mingrui looked at Franca, who had changed into a white T-shirt, loose pants, and white sneakers, with her hair tied back in a ponytail after returning home. He smiled and said, "I've also seen such rumors online."

Franca's gaze fell on Luo Shan's face.

Luo Shan bit her lip and said in a deliberate ghost story tone, "Actually, I've encountered that mysterious vending machine."

Suddenly, Zhou Mingrui also looked at her.

Luo Shan laughed. "I bought a gacha box, and the drink inside was Shaman, but after drinking it, nothing happened. I didn't gain any abilities.

"Honestly, when I went to look for that vending machine a second time, it was indeed gone, not in its original location…"

Luo Shan's voice became unusually deep for the last sentence, making even the bubbles churning in the hotpot seem to freeze for a second.

Zhou Mingrui looked at her without speaking, as if assessing whether she was telling a ghost story or speaking the truth.

Luo Shan then grinned at him and said, "Didn't you drink one too? Later, I saw a similar vending machine in the company lobby. I got a bunch and gave you one bottle, the Instigator drink, right?"

"It's not like I drank it." Zhou Mingrui laughed. "Someone had given me a pack of dried mushrooms earlier, saying they were great for infusing drinks and tea. I thought I'd try it, so I poured the Instigator drink into my cup and added the dried mushrooms. Later, I got busy with something else, and when I returned to my desk, the cup was empty.

"At that time, I thought nobody in the office would be so disgusting as to drink from someone else's cup. I wondered if the cleaning lady saw the mushrooms soaking and thought it looked gross, assuming the drink was no longer wanted and helping me dispose of it.

"Thinking about it now, it is a bit strange."

He and Luo Shan's back-and-forth made the urban legend seem increasingly real.

Franca didn't appear scared at all. She looked around and lowered her voice, "Since you're both being so honest, I'll tell the truth too. To be frank, I've also encountered that vending machine."

Luo Shan played along and asked, "What did you get?"

Franca looked at Zhou Mingrui, pushed up her black-framed glasses on the bridge of her nose, and smiled noticeably. "Assassin."

Zhou Mingrui quietly looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Franca added with a smile, "I'm a fan of 'Assassin's Creed.' Look, my WeChat name is even 'True Hidden Blade.'"

As she spoke, she took out her phone and showed her WeChat name to Zhou Mingrui, then continued, "I was very satisfied with the name of that drink. I imagined myself becoming an assassin, able to perform a real Leap of Faith and hide in shadows, undetectable…"

Franca deliberately described all the changes and abilities brought by the Assassin potion, wanting Zhou Mingrui to believe that she had either actually drunk the Assassin drink or was very knowledgeable about Assassin-related matters.

As she described this, her heart involuntarily began to beat faster, and she became tense, feeling as if she was about to be kicked out of the dream.

Zhou Mingrui tactically took a sip of his iced soy milk and ate a piece of taro.

After putting down his chopsticks, he smiled at Franca and Luo Shan and said, "That's my dream too."

Franca took the opportunity to warn, "Then you should be careful. I saw in the related rumors that there's a big problem with the follow-up drinks to Assassin. It's like leveling up in a game—after drinking to a certain level, terrible things happen."

"What kind of terrible things?" Luo Shan asked curiously.

Franca gently shook her head in response. "I don't know either.

"I've only heard that after the Assassin drink comes the Instigator drink, and the problems start after the Instigator drink…"

Her voice grew progressively lower.

Zhou Mingrui ended the topic. "Alright, alright, if we keep making things up, this will eventually become a complete urban legend."

"Indeed," Franca smiled, indicating that her previous content was all made up on the spot.

Luo Shan did the same.

The three chatted about other things until it was completely dark outside, each feeling very satisfied with their meal.

After saying goodbye to Luo Shan and Franca, Zhou Mingrui walked towards the other end of the street.

The smile on his face gradually settled as various thoughts surfaced in his mind.

They don't seem to be probing me, more like hinting, suggesting, warning me…

Is there really a big problem with the follow-up to the Assassin drink?

It's also possible that because I deliberately chose a crowded and lively place, they couldn't find an opportunity to use their abilities to influence me…

I'll observe for a while and see if there are any accidents or attacks…

If I can confirm their intentions or goodwill, I can find an opportunity to really talk later…

If avoiding doesn't solve the problem, then face it…

Lost in his thoughts, Zhou Mingrui turned into a small alley and walked into the shadows.

On the other side, Franca led Luo Shan towards the nearest shopping mall.

For the next hour, she wanted to stay in a place with more people and better lighting.

Just after leaving the vicinity of the Yizhou Roast Chicken restaurant, walking about a dozen steps along the roadside, Franca suddenly felt dizzy.

The next second, she felt like a deep-sea fish suddenly pulled out of the ocean, desperately trying to breathe but unable to inhale even a trace of air. Her head and body were bizarrely expanding, like a fragile balloon being constantly inflated.

She painfully grabbed her own neck, trying to pull her trachea out of her flesh to directly connect with the air.

Her legs began to weaken, and her body started to fall to the ground. Her thoughts stuttered, and her mirror avatar lost connection with her.

Has the Celestial Worthy noticed me? This thought flashed through Franca's mind.

In the gray sedan parked on the opposite side of the road, Lumian quietly watched as Franca's face turned extremely red, her lips turning blue-black, as she grabbed her slender neck, scratching bloody marks on her fair skin.

Luo Shan stood beside her, looking bewildered and helpless.

Lumian in the passenger seat remained motionless, still quietly watching.

He saw Franca half-fallen on the ground, struggling to open her handbag and having difficulty taking out her phone before she unlocked the screen.

On the screen was a pre-prepared interface, and along with the phone were cosmetics, multi-faceted mirrors, and a small black bag.

In Lumian's vision, Franca's eyes bulged out, her expression painful and fierce as she tapped the phone screen with her thumb.

Then, she completely collapsed, dropping her handbag on the ground.

The items from her bag rolled out, and the small black bag mysteriously disappeared.

After a few seconds, Lumian in the car across the street watched as Franca slowly stood up with empty eyes. He calmly said to himself and Anthony, "Contacting Zhou Mingrui at night and hinting at the existence of Beyonder powers will result in being quickly kicked out of the dream."

-x-X-x-

Trier, inside a luxurious villa.

Franca suddenly opened her eyes and sat up.

Her first reaction was to reach for her waist, feeling the Traveler's Bag about the size of a coin purse.

Phew… Franca let out an unconcealed sigh of relief.

At the last moment, she had proactively withdrawn before being completely kicked out of the dream. Her concern was that her personal items might be lost due to passive ejection, left behind in the dream city, and thus lost in reality as well!

In that situation, she couldn't pin her hopes on Luo Shan picking up and safeguarding her belongings, or on Lumian and Jenna, who were secretly observing, finding an opportunity to retrieve the items—that could potentially implicate them and subject them to the Celestial Worthy's scrutiny.

According to the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders, whether she left actively or passively, her dream persona, woven with the help of the lucky coin and Madam Justice, wouldn't disappear after her consciousness left the dream. The next time she entered, she would still be that person.

Of course, the current "Luo Fu" would revert to an NPC, following the subconscious manipulation of Mr. Fool or the Celestial Worthy, living her life according to her background settings and current social relationships, appearing normal on the surface.

As for whether this "Luo Fu" NPC harbored hidden issues or would contact companions, potentially implicating them in being kicked out as well, the Major Arcana card holders were currently uncertain, as they had always acted separately in their previous entries.

Based on these concerns, before actively exiting the dream, Franca struggled to take out her phone and unlock the screen.

At that moment, her screen was frozen on the "Information Shredder" mini-program, with her finger on the "Clear All Information on This Phone" button.

This was part of the contingency plan. Throughout the meal with Zhou Mingrui, except for the brief ten or so seconds when she showed him her WeChat name, Franca's phone screen had displayed the running "Information Shredder" program. In her own words, after leaving home that evening, she was prepared to "wipe the database and abscond" at any moment. She feared the Celestial Worthy might take the opportunity to scan her contact list, mark suspicious parts, and deal with them specifically.

Franca reached into the Traveler's Bag, unsurprised but still delighted to find that the Beyonder characteristic and corresponding body parts extracted from the reanimated female corpse Panatiya were inside, real and tangible, within reach.

Correspondingly, the Pride Armor had vanished, disappearing into thin air.

Damn, the boundary between dream and reality has really been fooled. I can barely tell which side is the dream and which is reality… Franca was equally unsurprised by this, but still shocked.

Is this the terrifying aspect of a great existence?

If Mr. Fool was willing to maintain it and received certain assistance, the dream city could completely become real, as long as one didn't leave on their own!

From this perspective, the real world might also be the dream of that initial being… Thankfully, It has awakened and split…

Franca, having read many foreign myths before her transmigration, naturally made some associations.

She got out of bed, intending to go to the bathroom to relieve herself.

This was the first thing she did every morning after waking up.

After a few steps, Franca suddenly stopped.

She didn't feel any urge to urinate at all, and instead felt full, as if she had just eaten a good meal.

Franca immediately took out a mirror and used divination to confirm the current date.

Reality had also passed several days, basically consistent with the dream, though there seemed to be a slight time difference—in this bedroom, the tightly drawn curtains let in a bit of twilight, it wasn't completely dark outside yet.

Is the dream city using Backlund time?

We've been in the dream city for over a week, it's impossible not to be hungry or need to use the bathroom in reality… Damn, does eating in the dream mean being full in reality, gaining the corresponding nutrients? Does using the bathroom in the dream equate to using it in reality?

But, but I don't smell bad, and my pants are normal…

Is this Grafting the excrement at the exit to the toilet and sewers?

Or, directly opening a door, sending it to another dimension?

Right, Ludwig seemed to have said that some of the food in the dream city was real… How could it be real?

My goodness, it's really hard to distinguish between dream and reality…

Franca was amazed, both shocked and amused.

After about ten seconds, her mind calmed down, and she began to think about the gains from tonight's probe.

Hinting at the existence of Beyonder powers to Zhou Mingrui at night, warning him about the risks following the Assassin potion, will result in being kicked out of the dream… But not immediately, there's a reaction time, close to an hour…

Perhaps later we can use this hour to do something, like directly telling Zhou Mingrui about the Witch's transformation…

But maybe just saying the word 'Witch' would result in an immediate ejection, we'll need experiments to confirm this…

Also, we can't rely on the assumption that the Celestial Worthy's reaction time for kicking people out in this situation is always an hour. It might be that as long as Zhou Mingrui is watching, nothing unusual happens, but as soon as we say goodbye and create some distance, we're quickly kicked out…

There were two influences at the time, one trying to kick me out of the dream, and one attempting to turn me into a marionette… But the speed of becoming a marionette wasn't as dramatic as described in the documents for High-Sequence Seer pathway Beyonders, as if it was being interfered with, resulting in a tug-of-war… Mr. Fool versus the Celestial Worthy?

If I found a way to hold on for a while before being kicked out of the dream, I might have already become a marionette. It's better to withdraw proactively to reduce potential risks…

Just as Franca was thinking this, she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" She tensed instinctively, though her spirituality hadn't given her any warning.

"It's us." Two voices came from outside, one belonging to Madam Magician, the other to Madam Judgment.

Franca relaxed.

If it had been only Madam Magician by herself, she would have harbored some worry, as the other was a High-Sequence Beyonder of the Apprentice pathway and could potentially be influenced or misled by that Celestial Worthy. But now, Madam Judgment was also present.

I can ask for an autograph now… Hmm, I can't ask Madam Magician why her pen name in the dream city is "Salted Fish Without Dreams"… Franca happily took out paper and pen, opened the door, and saw the two Major Arcana card holders who had already changed their clothes.

Madam Magician reminded her, "You need to wait a day and a night before you can re-enter the dream."

"Yes, I know." Franca nodded.

This was mentioned in the documents.

…

Dream city, Worker's Road.

As some passersby saw Franca fall to the ground and wanted to come help, Franca had already stood up, touched her neck, and bent down to pick up the items that had fallen to the ground.

Only then did Luo Shan come to her senses, helping to put some of the cosmetics and mirrors back into the handbag.

"What happened just now?" she asked Franca, puzzled, alert, and concerned.

Franca looked at Luo Shan and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, it's an old problem. I'll be fine after a while."

You never mentioned having such a condition before… Luo Shan fell silent.

Franca continued, "Let's not go shopping, shall we? I want to rest early."

That's not what you said earlier… Luo Shan made a sound of agreement.

After the two got into a ride-share car, Lumian's right hand loosened its five fingers, and he nodded at Anthony.

Anthony started the car, drove to the intersection, and stopped again.

From the shadows, Jenna emerged, walking towards the gray sedan as if she had finally waited for her ride-share.

Lumian lowered the car window and, looking straight ahead, said, "Try to minimize contact with her tonight, and it's best to find an excuse not to sleep in Dechuang Garden."

After saying this, without waiting for Jenna's response, he raised the window, and Anthony drove the vehicle into the middle lane.

Jenna's lips bore the marks of her teeth, and her clenched fists finally relaxed.

After seeing Franca's abnormal situation, she knew she shouldn't go to her rescue to avoid implicating herself, but rationality was one thing and emotion was another, especially when Franca seemed on the verge of death during her struggle.

It took great willpower for Jenna to control herself, clearly discerning Franca's state, and waiting for her to withdraw on her own.

Dechuang Garden, Building 5.

Luo Shan said goodbye to Franca on the 15th floor and returned to her own home.

After a while, she heard the doorbell.

Outside the door was Jenna, known as Jian Na in the dream city.

The moment she saw Jenna, Luo Shan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but then closed it, remaining silent.

Jenna looked around and said in a low voice, "Minimize contact with Luo Fu for the next two days, and don't discuss anything related to Beyonder powers with her."

Luo Shan's expression immediately relaxed, and she spoke as if she had been holding it in for a long time.

"I knew something was off with Fu Fu. After we finished dinner with Zhou Mingrui, she suddenly wasn't right. First, she had a sudden illness, and then it was like she became a different person…

"What, what problem has occurred?"

Jenna considered for a few seconds before saying, "You can understand it this way: interfering with past history has limitations and comes at a cost. Otherwise, we could just go to Zhou Mingrui's house, control him directly, tell him everything in detail, then demonstrate some abilities, provide some evidence, and wouldn't that make him believe initially?"

"I understand now," Luo Shan had a sudden realization. "Fu Fu hinted at the existence of Beyonder powers and the problem with the Assassin potion tonight, and was affected by the self-correcting force of history, causing problems, her old condition flaring up?

"Is she now equivalent to another version of herself, similar to my previous situation?"

"You can understand it that way." Jenna nodded, not explaining in detail.

She returned to the 23rd floor and saw Franca sitting on the sofa on her phone. After some thought, she said, "I'm going to see Li Lu later, I won't be back tonight."

In the identity documents, Li Lu's father was Li Ming, and his mother was Jian Na.

Franca raised her head and said with a smile, "When will you bring Li Lu over to play? I can sleep on the sofa."

"It depends on his father's opinion," Jenna smiled, packed her toiletries, and left the apartment.

Taking the elevator to the first floor, she took out her phone and sent a message to Lumian:

"Luo Shan still remembers the story we told her, remembers the help we gave her, and shows no changes at present.

"Franca only knows about the things in the background information, remembering only the nominal social relationships."

-x-X-x-

Jenna didn't actually go to Xinhong District to find Lumian and Ludwig. Instead, she chose a nearby hotel, booked a room, and checked if she would also be kicked out.

Nothing happened overnight. After waking up, she immediately returned to Dechuang Garden and sat in a corner of the lobby, facing sideways towards the door leading to the interior of the residential complex.

After about ten minutes, she saw Franca.

Franca was still wearing her old-fashioned black-framed glasses and dressed in a relatively conservative office lady style.

Seeing this, Jenna breathed a sigh of relief, changed her sitting posture, and turned her back to Franca to avoid meeting her.

The purpose of her early return to the residential complex was to confirm whether the current "Luo Fu's" behavior style was consistent with the previous Franca. If she had removed her disguise and changed into makeup and clothes that best highlighted her features, maximizing the charm of a Witch, Jenna would have to consider finding an excuse to prevent "Luo Fu" from going to work, delaying her for a day.

Now it seemed that the style of the "Luo Fu" NPC would continue as before.

…

Tech Building, 10th floor.

Franca sat down at her desk and leisurely made herself a cup of coffee.

At this moment, she saw Zhou Mingrui walk in, so she smiled and said, "Are you looking for Luo Shan? She hasn't arrived yet."

"I thought you two would come together." Zhou Mingrui didn't hide his surprise.

In his view, whether on the surface or secretly, Luo Shan and Luo Fu had a very good relationship and a special connection. They should be the type to wait for each other and go to work together.

Franca smiled and said, "I asked her, and she said she had something holding her up and told me not to wait for her."

"I see…" Zhou Mingrui nodded and turned to walk out of the Administrative Department.

During this period, he had been coming to ask Luo Shan about various company news more frequently than before, leading to some idle people in the Administrative Department spreading rumors about him and Luo Shan.

Zhou Mingrui walked at a moderate pace to the entrance of the Administrative Department, unable to wait for Luo Fu to ask him to wait.

He actually came to find Luo Fu today, not Luo Shan. He originally thought she would take this opportunity to hint at something again, but unexpectedly, Luo Fu didn't even have the thought of chatting with him casually, being polite but somewhat distant.

Zhou Mingrui frowned slightly, not turning back to look again, and left the Administrative Department directly.

Something feels a bit off… He had just grumbled inwardly when he saw Luo Shan walking over with a pancake and a cup of five-grain soy milk.

"Good morning," Luo Shan greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning," Zhou Mingrui smiled, "I just went to find you, but you hadn't arrived yet. Luo Fu said you were held up by something."

Luo Shan looked around. "Want to ask me about something again?"

The two chatted casually for a few sentences, each walking towards their own department's office.

Suddenly, Zhou Mingrui's phone vibrated.

He took it out to look, and it was a message from Luo Shan, who he had just been chatting with: "Don't talk to Luo Fu about anything today, wait until tomorrow."

The moment he saw this message, Zhou Mingrui thought the two girls' relationship had suddenly broken down, and they were trying to isolate each other by forming cliques. But after reading it carefully again, he came to a preliminary conclusion.

Does Luo Shan mean that today's Luo Fu has a problem, don't contact her, and it will be fine tomorrow?

Why would there be a problem? She was still normal yesterday…

Is it because of our chat last night about the vending machine, the Assassin drink, and subsequent troubles? This seems a bit like, a bit like when The Star in the group suddenly went offline when mentioning key things…

What kind of problem could it be, who gave the problem, and why is it there today but solved tomorrow?

One question after another flashed through Zhou Mingrui's mind, but he couldn't find reasonable explanations for many of them.

…

13th floor, Security Department.

Lumian and his partner Old Xia had patrolled all floors once, finding no security risks.

After sitting in a room that looked more like a rest area for security guards than an office, Lumian took out his phone.

Since Franca had already left the dreamscape, she could meet with the Major Arcana card holders, so he no longer needed to pass yesterday's experimental results, along with the matter of the associate dean of Musha Hospital being suspected to be the matriarch of the Church of Earth Mother, Roland, through the Star Dream Provisions Store.

Most of the results of this experiment were within his expectations, with the only pleasant surprise being: Luo Shan's memories were still there, all the memories of interacting with Franca and Jenna were still intact!

This means we can 'cultivate' dream characters… but we're not sure to what extent understanding the truth will bring anomalies to dream characters…

In the future, there might be a situation where: all five of us, and even subsequent coin holders, are completely kicked out of the dream, only able to observe, yet there are quite a few dream characters who have inherited our will and cause, still striving to awaken Mr. Fool, and they are part of the dream, unable to be kicked out!

This is a change in thinking, it doesn't have to be outsiders, it doesn't have to be us, NPCs can also play a role…

At that time, well, these dream characters won't be kicked out, but they can be killed or corrupted, just like the Oracle.

When enough dream characters are killed, isn't that also a kind of stimulation for Mr. Fool? This also counts as a disaster for the dream city, with a large number of important characters dying or falling…

Demonesses and Hunters—are they really meant to bring calamity?

Lumian mocked himself, then selected "Intis Group Grimm" and opened the chat interface.

He slightly raised his chin, with a rather cold expression, using voice input to send a message: "How are you doing with the recent matters?"

Sitting in another chair two or three meters away, Old Xia heard this voice and these words, and suddenly shuddered, feeling that this kid Li Ming somehow seemed more like a team leader than Team Lead Xu.

After a few minutes, Grimm replied: "Haven't found a way to make Huang Tao return to the Mother's embrace yet.

"Without Huang Tao's cooperation and acquiescence, there are many things we can't do now. Currently, we can only use the authority of the Security Department to monitor Zhou Mingrui's actions. We've installed pinhole cameras and bugs at his seat, and planted a trojan on his computer. This allows us to discover problems immediately from his browsing history, search history, and call records, and prevent them in time.

"A few days ago, Zhou Mingrui had thoughts of resigning and searched for specific procedures and precautions, but later he didn't do it and hasn't looked at articles or videos on this aspect again.

"Without Huang Tao's cooperation, we can't keep him through promotion and salary increase for now. We must solve this problem before he actually resigns."

Lumian read it carefully and felt that Grimm, or rather the children of the Great Mother in the dream city, hadn't thought about how to cooperate with the Celestial Worthy to turn Zhou Mingrui into a Witch for now. They were more focused on monitoring, observing, and trying to keep Zhou Mingrui staying within the Intis Group where they had great influence, not resigning and leaving.

It feels like what the children of the Great Mother are currently doing is maintaining balance and obtaining the latest intelligence changes at any time…

This basically matches the judgment of the Major Arcana cards and me regarding the intentions of the evil gods…

After muttering to himself for a couple of sentences, Lumian stood up and began pacing in the office.

He was thinking about how to use Grimm and other children of the mother, and also about the matter of Mr. Fool drinking the Assassin potion.

Frankly speaking, when he learned that the Celestial Worthy induced Mr. Fool to drink the Assassin potion, attempting to make him gradually become a Witch, change gender, and thus cause cognitive issues, Lumian felt it was a bit absurd.

In his view, gods were all divine, and except for a few pathways that needed to emphasize gender, they shouldn't care whether they were male or female. Those ancient beings who had lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years might be even more so.

Would Mr. Fool really have cognitive issues because of becoming female?

Recalling that Mr. Fool required to be referred to as "he" rather than "He," Lumian reluctantly accepted this reason.

At the same time, he also suspected that the Celestial Worthy wanted to use the conflict of symbolically non-neighboring pathway Beyonder characteristics to drive Mr. Fool mad, thus gaining the upper hand and achieving victory—the Demoness pathway was not adjacent to the Seer, Apprentice, or Marauder pathways.

After killing the reanimated female corpse Panatiya and learning about her mission, Lumian's internal balance leaned more towards the speculation that the Celestial Worthy wanted to use the conflict between non-neighboring pathways.

Panatiya was supposed to make Zhou Mingrui fall in love, and after he drank the Witch potion and changed gender, stay by his side. Wasn't this equivalent to helping Zhou Mingrui, helping Mr. Fool stabilize his mental state?

This was somewhat contradictory to the speculation of using gender change to cause cognitive issues for Mr. Fool.

And if stabilizing the mental state was for Zhou Mingrui to drink higher sequence Demoness potions, accumulating more madness, it seemed more reasonable.

Now, following this line of thought, Lumian had new questions: Why did it have to be the Assassin potion, the Demoness pathway?

As long as it was a potion from a pathway not adjacent to Seer, Apprentice, or Marauder, it could achieve the purpose…

Does becoming female early on indeed have its effect, bringing mental hidden dangers?

Combining this with the fact that most of our team are Demonesses, and the Celestial Worthy specifically brought a Demoness marionette into the dream city, does this indicate that inducing Zhou Mingrui to drink the Assassin potion, rather than other non-neighboring potions, has hidden reasons?

Lumian immediately went through various specialties of the Demoness pathway in his mind.

In just a few seconds, he thought of a term: "Mirror Person"!

Becoming a Witch not only changes one into a female but also creates a corresponding, fixed Mirror Person.

From this Sequence onwards, Demonesses can use mirrors to create avatars and use corresponding magic.

And from Lumian's current experience, Mirror People were more extreme, more vicious, more sinister.

What the Celestial Worthy actually wants is to make Mr. Fool have a Mirror Person, and then by doing certain things to the Mirror Person, or making the Mirror Person do certain things, achieve the goal of winning this confrontation? Confusing the real with the fake, turning the fake into real? Lumian fell into deep thought.

At this moment, his phone vibrated, and the new incoming message was from Anderson Hood.

-x-X-x-

"A name that leaves a deep impression on you" sent a "Hi" emoji: "Want another round of fun?"

"Hope it's more exciting than last night," Lumian replied using voice input, bringing the phone close to his mouth.

Nearby, Old Xia glanced at him, his eyes full of envy and longing.

Young people sure have exciting lives…

No wonder he has a 7-year-old child at just 22…

Too bad I don't dare…

Soon, Anderson replied to Lumian: "You pick the place, somewhere suitable for discussing secrets."

"Alright," Lumian didn't refuse.

"Let's set the time for 6 p.m., I like sunlight." Anderson sent an "OK" emoji.

After Lumian replied "No problem," the former strongest Hunter of the Fog Sea asked in text: "Why is your WeChat name 'The Idiot', do you think you're not smart enough?"

Lumian chuckled. "I really like tarot cards, and I think The Fool card is super cool. Calling myself 'Idiot' is a kind of an imitation."

"Sometimes, people like to use high-sounding reasons to cover up their own issues. This is a phrase I've been fond of lately, and I'll share it with you too." Anderson replied, sending a "Bye-bye" emoji.

Lumian didn't respond further.

After resting for a while, he and Old Xia started patrolling the floors again.

When they reached the 10th floor, while patrolling inside the Intis Group, Lumian saw Zhou Mingrui coming out of the public restroom.

As their eyes met, Lumian nodded slightly, as a greeting.

Zhou Mingrui hadn't run into him these past couple of days, and since security guards patrolling the floors was indeed routine work, he didn't show any alertness and responded with a nod.

As they passed each other, Lumian naturally checked the surroundings for any fire hazards.

He hadn't thought about using this opportunity to hint at the existence of Beyonder powers to Zhou Mingrui during the day. Firstly, they weren't close enough to chat, and even if he tried hinting, the other party might not be willing to listen. Secondly, he needed to wait until Franca being kicked out of the dreamscape truly ended, otherwise it would be impossible to distinguish whether subsequent anomalies were aftereffects of last night's reminder or caused by today's probing.

Seeing that Li Ming, this security guard, didn't make any strange gestures or say anything odd, Zhou Mingrui's doubts dissipated a bit more.

…

At 6 p.m., sunlight still illuminated the small square in front of the mall, lighting up those facilities for children to play.

Inside a glass-sealed cylinder, six sets of seats were slowly rotating.

In the middle of the cylinder, various colored plastic balls were constantly being sprayed out, flying in all directions. Ludwig was using a fishing net with a handle to catch them.

Lumian sat next to him, like a real parent, and the adjacent set of seats belonged to Anderson.

Anderson didn't have children, but he sat there at ease, occasionally raising his net to catch a ball, completely without the shame or embarrassment of an adult who had entered a children's ball pit without bringing a child.

At this time, except for the three of them, no one else was present; everyone else had gone home for dinner.

"It's very enclosed here, no one will disturb or eavesdrop, and I've checked the facility, there's no problem," Lumian said to Anderson with a smile. "I originally wanted to choose the carousel, but it's not private enough, not suitable for discussing secrets."

As they spoke, they followed the seats, constantly rotating around the middle of the cylinder.

"This effectively makes up for the childhood I lost." Anderson glanced at Ludwig, then turned to Lumian and said, "Do you sometimes feel that this world is unreal, that many people are like puppets in a theater, seeming normal at first glance, but some details make you fearful?"

"Why are you talking about this kind of thing with me and my girlfriend?" Lumian countered without answering.

The girlfriend referred to Jenna.

Anderson smiled and said meaningfully, "Because I feel that you are very real, more real than the people around us."

Lumian also smiled. "Yes, I sometimes feel that this world is unreal; it's like a huge dream. We seem to be making our own choices, but in fact, we are being pushed and guided by the subconscious of the dream owner. When he wakes up, everything will disappear like bubbles."

Amidst the music of spraying balls, the smile on Anderson's face became more evident.

"There's a time limit for this attraction, we can't stay here forever.

"Have you ever heard of the term 'Battle of the Gods Ruins'?"

Is this confirming each other's identity? Lumian glanced outside the glass cylinder and smiled as he answered Anderson's question, "I've heard of it."

Outside the door of this children's facility, Anthony was waiting there holding Lumian and Anderson's phones.

Anderson smiled and sighed. "It's indeed easier to communicate with you than with a certain someone.

"Some people, their brains might be spouting from their boxing gloves."

Anderson continued, "I've adventured the Battle of the Gods Ruins, come into contact with some dangerous things, which caused me to undergo some changes.

"In sufficiently special dreams, if I receive a strong enough stimulus, I can break free from the dreaming state and maintain a certain level of clarity within the dream."

Is this the reason you discovered the dream city isn't real? Lumian didn't ask Anderson this, but remained quiet.

He still wasn't clear about the exact relationship between the Colorful Hostel and Anderson.

Anderson smiled and said, "That adventure was very exciting, but unfortunately, I can't write it out in certain books; after all, I'm not the protagonist.

"In recent years, I often dream of living in a big city like this, which makes me look forward to sleeping.

"In that dream, sometimes I'm a language teacher, sometimes I'm an unsuccessful painter. They should be the same person, just in different states of life.

"Later, the painter became mute, and his painting skills underwent a qualitative change.

"I was stimulated, woke up in the dream, and gained a certain level of clarity.

"I found that someone was actually giving me money, helping me open an art studio, and even a hotel. Oh, the evil of knowledge, do such good things exist? Of course I had to accept, how could I let down their kindness?"

In other words, Anderson's dream manifestation was corrupted for some reason and became a real Painter, which also stimulated the real Anderson, allowing his consciousness to enter the dream using his own special ability? So, this Anderson dream manifestation split, sometimes he's the cram school teacher Anderson—formerly the strongest Hunter of the Fog Sea. And sometimes he's the mute painter Anderson. The cram school teacher Anderson contacted us because he discovered we're also outsiders? Lumian nodded with some understanding.

This was actually similar to Luo Shan's state, except that the real Rozanne didn't have any special dream abilities, so she couldn't come in person to fight against the power of boons and the corruption of evil gods.

"How was it, my story was pretty exciting, right? Give me a review," Anderson suddenly changed the subject.

Lumian applauded. "What about the sequel to the story? If the real Anderson doesn't actively enter the dream, the mute Anderson in the dream shouldn't affect him."

Anderson shrugged and said with a smile, "Can you be 100% certain it won't have an effect?"

"No," Lumian answered honestly.

Anderson nodded with a look of caring for an uneducated youngling. "Moreover, that dream is interesting and fun. As humans, we need to frequently change our forms of entertainment.

"I told Danitz in the dream to be careful of me turning into a mute at night, but unfortunately, he didn't understand my hint. If I could get some things and disguise myself as Edwina, he would probably be more proactive in using his brain to ponder what I said."

"You painted the mute painter in the painting? You also possess the painting skills that were qualitatively changed?" Lumian asked about last night's events.

Luo Shan also painted another self, and after Franca helped burn it, her condition improved significantly…

Is Anderson using me to "adjust" his own state?

Anderson clicked his tongue and said, "Don't you use the same body during the day and at night?

"The changes in the body are common."

Lumian pondered and asked, "In the dreamscape, the Painter shouldn't be able to make what he paints truly come off the paper, there are too many obstacles."

All abilities should be suppressed to Sequence 7 level, but yesterday's Anderson could freely move around the residential district and could still speak before entering the studio.

Anderson smiled and said, "Dreamscapes always have some special cases and exceptions. If the dream owner symbolizes loopholes, then his dream will inevitably have some loopholes. This is a manifestation of part of his symbolism in the dream, unless he consciously controls it, it can't be avoided.

"The mute Anderson originally didn't exist, he's just another state of mine, but he's also hidden in the dream owner's thoughts and cognition. So once I paint him, he doesn't need to invade from the outside to become real, but he can't leave the studio and is very weak."

Mr. Fool's manifestation once knew a mute Anderson, or imagined Anderson becoming mute? Lumian nodded slightly and asked, "So the one who led me into the studio was you yourself?"

Anderson smiled obviously and said, "Of course, after I entered the studio, while you were looking at those oil paintings, I left through a pre-prepared painting and activated the mute Anderson painting.

"That's my studio, equivalent to a Hunter's home ground, there would definitely be additional arrangements.

"I changed my clothes and pants afterwards, so you didn't recognize me?"

"Why did you change your clothes and pants?" Lumian probed.

Anderson smiled again. "Just kidding."

Is this Anderson's style… Do all successful Hunters have a tendency for pranks? Lumian accepted Anderson's explanation. If it were him, he might do the same thing.

Anderson glanced at the entertainment facility that was almost out of time.

"Now it's my turn to ask, right?

"What do you want to do by coming here?"

This didn't seem like a question, more like a confirmation.

"To wake up the dream owner in the best and most humane state," Lumian answered simply.

Anderson suddenly smiled. "A few days ago, a foreigner came to the cram school to visit. He was as real as you guys."

"What's his name?" Lumian asked, outwardly calm.

At this moment, the balls stopped spraying, and the rotation of the seats quickly slowed down until it stopped.

Anderson stood up and said with a smile, "Zaratulstra."

-x-X-x-

It's that Zaratulstra again… Did he go to the Dream Tutoring Classes to wait for Zhou Mingrui, or did he have another purpose? Lumian held Ludwig's hand as they walked out of the seating area. While waiting for the staff to open the door of the amusement facility, he smiled at Anderson and asked, "Did you chat with him?"

Anderson put his hands in his pockets and smiled. "He said he wanted to deeply influence one person and eliminate some people."

Is the one he wants to deeply influence Zhou Mingrui? And who are the ones he wants to eliminate? Why did Zaratulstra talk about this with Anderson? Was one of his purposes for going to the Dream Tutoring Classes to find Anderson, to find the mute Anderson representing the Fantasy Association? Does this symbolize the cooperation between the Celestial Worthy and that evil god of the Fantasy Association? Lumian walked towards the now-open door, casually saying, "People like Danitz?"

What he wanted to ask was whether the people Zaratulstra wanted to eliminate were dream characters like Oracle Danitz, or outsiders like himself.

Anderson gave a thumbs up, walking down the few steps at the entrance. "At the time, I couldn't understand why they dealt with Danitz first. What role could he play? Maybe he was just lucky, and they had to first finish off the lucky one."

In a situation where everyone is suppressed to Sequence 7, luck is indeed very important… From Anderson's words, was the death of the Oracle done by Zaratulstra and the mute Anderson together? The mute Anderson's involvement means he himself was also involved, with a chance to secretly sabotage and influence the progress of things. So, is that why we discovered the Oracle's body earlier, instead of it being sent to the morgue at Mushu Hospital according to the planned schedule, to "resurrect" and return? Lumian nodded thoughtfully.

He felt that Anderson had used the mute dream manifestation to interfere with Zaratulstra's actions, resulting in the other party only achieving the goal of eliminating Danitz, without successfully utilizing the Oracle's body.

Lumian was now unsure whether Zaratulstra was more Zaratul or more Loki, so he directly used the dream name to refer to him.

Damn, it was you, Anderson, who did it. No wonder you called the police immediately… This also explains why we stumbled upon the death of the Oracle. It wasn't a coincidence… Lumian cursed inwardly for a couple of sentences, passing by Anthony without retrieving his phone. Anderson did the same.

Taking advantage of the few people playing in the small square, he looked at the advertisement displayed on the mall's big screen and asked a question one would typically ask during a stroll.

"What do you want to do by opening the Colorful Hostel?"

"As soon as you come in, someone hands you a sum of money, hands you a hotel that's still under renovation, would you refuse? When faced with sugar-coated bullets, isn't it a normal choice to eat the sugar coating and throw back the bullet?" Anderson smiled and asked in return.

"But many times, the sugar coating can also be poisonous, or you might not have time to throw back the bullet. You wouldn't want it if someone forcibly put a child in your belly, would you?" The temporary Child of God of the Great Mother, Lumian, spoke from experience.

Anderson was stunned for a second, then smiled and said, "If it's really put in, you have to keep it even if you don't want to. If you can't get rid of it later, you can only cultivate a good father-son or father-daughter relationship."

Lumian changed the question. "What does the behind-the-scenes hand that made those people give you money and the hotel want to do?"

Anderson turned his head to look at him and said with a smile, "Isn't that why I've come to find you?"

Lumian's thoughts raced, vaguely understanding the meaning in Anderson's words: one of the goals of that evil god of the Fantasy Association was to hinder the Celestial Worthy and maintain the balance of the dream. It was precisely because Anderson grasped this key point that he actively contacted Lumian and others, speaking so plainly.

Anderson looked ahead again, walking towards the food gathering area behind the mall.

"I saw a funny saying online before.

"The saying goes, 'I'm afraid of my brother suffering, but I also don't want my brother owning a Range Rover.'"

"That's interesting." Lumian felt Anderson didn't need to hint so obviously, he could understand completely.

Anderson continued, "A hotel always has guests, coming from different places."

At this point, he suddenly pointed at the spray painting on a shop sign.

"Paintings are complex. They are both information and a door to a fantasy realm. If a complete and real order can be established in the world within the painting, wouldn't it become an almost real world?"

Is this hinting at something? Hinting at the possible goals of that evil god of the Fantasy Association? Lumian lacked key information and could only roughly understand what Anderson was saying, unable to figure out the true meaning of these words.

Based on the knowledge he currently possessed, he felt that the evil god of the Fantasy Association also wanted to occupy more pathways, just like the Great Mother and the Mother Tree of Desire. What He had His eye on were the Mystery Pryer and Savant pathways that symbolize information, the Apprentice pathway that represented the concept of "door", alternate worlds, and space itself, as well as the Lawyer and Arbiter pathways that could give the world within paintings a real order.

While Lumian was thinking, Anderson pointed at a shop and laughed. "I told you the world would have loopholes, look over there."

Lumian looked over and found it was a small shop named "Loen Delights", mainly selling sweet iced tea and Desi pies.

"How could Loen have anything considered a delight? This is definitely a loophole," Anderson said with a mocking expression.

Lumian nodded. "Yes."

On this matter, the two Intisians easily reached a consensus.

And Ludwig started to clamor.

"I want to eat!"

…

In an apartment on Rue du Chapeau Noir in Quartier de la Maison d'Opéra.

Witch Niceea sat in front of her dressing mirror, carefully and meticulously drawing her eyebrows and applying powder in the light of the gas wall lamp.

Suddenly, behind her, near the chair by the window, a figure appeared.

It was Franca, in a relaxed posture.

Franca quietly watched Niceea without making a sound.

After discussing with Madam Magician and Madam Judgment about why she was kicked out of the dream and the issue with the associate dean of Mushu Hospital, she rested for a day. Before returning to the dream, she specifically came to see her subordinate to ask about her recent progress.

She couldn't be the kind of superior who disappeared completely after arranging a task, showing no concern and effectively going missing!

After about ten seconds, Niceea finally noticed and subtly adjusted the direction of her dressing mirror.

Seeing it was her immediate superior, she quietly sighed in relief and turned around.

"Good evening, ma'am."

"Good evening, how have you been lately?" Franca didn't directly ask about the Emperor Party.

She hadn't contacted 007 yet, because 007 was recently undergoing special training, seemingly with hope of obtaining a spot to become a demigod.

Niceea's expression changed several times, showing some struggle and pain, and with a bit of a "might as well" attitude, she said, "I've become Grouès's mistress."

Grouès was one of the confidants of Louis Gustav, the leader of the Emperor Party.

This progress is a bit fast; you haven't been a Witch for long, haven't you… Franca didn't ask about Niceea's current feelings, and asked calmly, "Did Grouès say anything?"

Seeing that her superior didn't inquire about her journey and actual experience of becoming a mistress, Niceea's inner conflict, embarrassment, and irritation subsided considerably.

She recalled and said, "He said Louis has been troubled lately, seeming very irritable. The reason seems to be that he can't contact some important figure."

"Which important figure?" Franca asked.

"Grouès doesn't know either, only that there is such an important figure, an important figure that gives Louis a lot of confidence." Niceea shook her head.

Unable to contact the mirrored Emperor Roselle? Franca suddenly had such a thought.

She nodded slightly.

"Find a way to figure out who that important figure is, and grasp the substantial movements of the Emperor Party."

After saying this, her figure quickly faded and disappeared from the chair.

Niceea quietly watched the lady leave, raised her right hand, and slowly caressed from her cheek to her lips.

Franca directly returned to that luxurious villa, without going to report to the Demoness of Black that she had fully digested the Affliction potion.

Let alone whether the Demoness Sect would reward her with the Despair potion in a situation where she hadn't made new achievements, even if they would, she couldn't possibly really perform the ritual, so it was better to stall for now.

After dinner, close to midnight, Franca stood up and walked towards her room.

The slightly short Madam Judgment escorted her to the room while instructing, "For the second return to the dream, operating under the previous identity, the current experience is that there won't be much difference from the first time. But by the third time, we've found that some attempts that wouldn't have gotten us kicked out of the dream before will also result in being kicked out, as if we've been simply marked by that Celestial Worthy.

"So, you need to pay attention now to whether there are subtle changes compared to last time, to determine whether becoming an object of attention starts from the second entry into the dream or the third. Also, don't make any radical probes in the next few days, you've just been kicked out and need to wait a while."

"Mm, I'll be careful." Franca remembered that this had been mentioned in the documents.

After going upstairs and reaching the door, Madam Judgment further said,

"We can't give you many things to take into the dream, because we've used them in the dream and they've also been marked.

"If you want to make money, there's another way: have one person apply for a job at the Hall Film Company, a subsidiary of the Hall Group. Although Miss Justice can't enter the dream anymore, as a Dreamweaver and Major Arcana card holder, she can still exert a little influence on the dream."

"Understood," Franca responded with a smile, "Thank you all."

She then entered the room, lay down on the bed again, and gripped the lucky coin in her palm.

She had tried yesterday, if she didn't put the lucky coin beside her, she would just fall asleep normally and dream normally, occasionally flashing fragments of the dream city, like sights and sounds from "Luo Fu".

Franca closed her eyes and regulated her breathing.

-x-X-x-

Dechuang Garden, Room 2303.

Jenna accompanied "Luo Fu" as they watched TV in the living room, occasionally scrolling through her phone. The two conversed very little.

Suddenly, she noticed "Luo Fu" turn her body and say with bright eyes, "I'm back again!"

Jenna didn't respond immediately, because "Luo Fu" and Franca had very similar personalities.

Franca then picked up her phone and said to Jenna, "Quick, quick, send me another copy of the Information Shredder."

Hearing "Information Shredder", Jenna finally confirmed that it was really Franca who had returned.

At this moment, Franca unlocked her screen and found that WeChat had already been redownloaded by "Luo Fu", and Jenna, Luo Shan, and several employees from the administrative department had been re-added, but not "The Idiot", "An Ruide", or "Li Lu".

After a quick glance, Franca hurriedly tapped into her WeChat wallet.

Her expression suddenly froze. "The money, my money… it's gone!"

Jenna's pupils dilated as she quickly leaned over, discovering that Franca's WeChat wallet balance was "0.00 yuan".

"It didn't delete all the information on my phone, including the money in my online wallet, did it?" Franca hurriedly downloaded a banking app again, taking some time to complete the login and check her balance.

She let out a long sigh of relief, patting her chest.

"Thank goodness, the bulk of it is still there. That gave me such a fright."

After her exclamation, she explained to Jenna,

"The money in my bank account is still there!"

Jenna glanced at her bank card balance and asked thoughtfully, "How much money did you originally have in your WeChat wallet?"

"138 yuan," Franca answered smoothly. "I had over 300 yuan in Alipay too."

The Alipay app had already been downloaded back by "Luo Fu". She tapped in to check and found there was still over 100 yuan.

"Uh…" Franca flipped through the transactions and finally confirmed that this 100+ yuan was later transferred from the bank card by "Luo Fu", with some spent on takeout orders. The previous 300+ yuan had indeed vanished into thin air.

Jenna amusingly pressed her hand to her chest and said, "You only lost about 500 yuan, but you acted like you lost all 120,000+. You scared me to death."

The 60,000 earned from selling items was currently with Jenna, and she had transferred half to Lumian and Anthony.

"Don't say such unlucky things. 500 yuan is a lot, it's enough for us to buy so many things at the wholesale market!" Franca thought for a moment and said, "I need to transfer some to Lumian and Anthony. We should each keep some separately, in case it all gets exposed at once. I've realized that this is like a game—when you get kicked out of the dream, you might drop equipment and money, and you might not even be able to pick it back up. Mm, we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket."

"The money in the bank card is still there, but what was on the phone is gone?" Jenna pondered and said, "Because at that time you only cleared the phone information with one click, not the bank card information? The loss of money should be an issue with the Information Shredder, right?"

Franca nodded slowly. "This mini-program is really powerful. I suspect it even deleted the corresponding information and backup information on the servers. Only in this way could it deal with mystical photos and prevent our chat records from being found…"

At this point, Franca frowned slightly and said, "I asked Madam Magician and Madam Judgment. They know every high-ranking member of the Church of Steam, but none of them is called Stiano."

"Anthony's feeling at that time must have been correct. Stiano should have a close connection with the Church of Steam." Jenna also showed a puzzled expression.

"They seem to have suspects. They said they would tell us through the Star Dream Provisions Store after confirmation," Franca suddenly looked around, pointed at the ceiling, and said in a lowered voice, "Could it be that one? Only a mini-program made by Him could be so powerful, and besides, He can enter with real consciousness."

"Maybe…" Jenna's voice also became low.

As a native of Trier, she had received religious education since childhood and still had considerable awe for deities.

She now wondered if she would one day encounter the Eternal Blazing Sun she once believed in within this dream city.

And if the Eternal Blazing Sun entered, what would the corresponding dream manifestation look like?

In the brief silence, Franca re-added Lumian and the others, completing the distribution of assets—she and Jenna kept 90,000, while Lumian and Anthony got 90,000.

Then, she and Jenna exchanged their feelings about her being kicked out of the dream and the details they discovered after she returned to reality.

She didn't edit all of this into a message to send to Lumian, planning to find an opportunity to meet face-to-face tomorrow to talk in person.

This was out of concern that sensitive information might bring about anomalies if sent out and not deleted with the Information Shredder in time.

Madam Judgment had said to behave and be careful for these few days!

Chatting until almost 1 a.m., Franca stretched. "Fortunately, Luo Fu didn't spend money recklessly, otherwise I'd be heartbroken.

"Alright, let's wash up and go to sleep. We still need to get up early for work tomorrow. Oh, you can check if Hall Film Company is hiring recently and apply. It matches your profession!"

The corners of Jenna's mouth turned up in a smile. "Have you forgotten that tomorrow is Sunday?"

"Oh, right." Franca was stunned for a moment. "Going back and forth between the dream and reality has confused me. Originally, Luo Fu should have the day off today, but because the group had important matters with VIPs, she worked an extra day… Well, tomorrow I have to take Ludwig to tutoring class again."

…

At Xinhong District, in a rented apartment.

Lumian wasn't supervising Ludwig's studies. After receiving Franca's gift and deleting the transfer information, he continued using his phone to search for keywords like "Intis Group" and "VIP".

"What are you looking up? Do you need help?" Anthony asked from the side of the table.

"Not for now," Lumian answered without raising his head. "I'm collecting information related to Zaratulstra, but I can't directly search using that name."

Without waiting for Anthony to ask further, he added on his own,

"I want to know which hotel Zaratulstra is staying at and what his recent itinerary is."

"You're planning to…" Anthony keenly grasped Lumian's intention.

Lumian raised his head, revealing a bright smile.

"Yes, to take him out.

"There's no reason for us to always passively respond to and dismantle the moves of the Celestial Worthy's subordinates. We can also be more proactive—infiltrate, assassinate, eliminate, make the hidden dangers disappear before they emerge.

"Now that we're all at Sequence 7, it's not impossible for us to win. And from our battle with the reanimated female corpse, we know that as long as we don't let the enemy escape, aren't recorded by surveillance, and there are no witnesses, the Celestial Worthy can't locate us."

Anthony nodded, indicating that Lumian's line of thinking was not wrong.

He just warned, "Even if suppressed to Sequence 7, that individual's essence is still that of an Angel. He's bound to have some mysterious, special, and bizarre abilities, and he's also skilled at using substitutes. He won't be easy to kill. Moreover, there might be other subordinates of the Celestial Worthy around him."

"I know," Lumian nodded with a smile. "Even if only left with Sequence 7 strength, some of Zaratulstra's Beyonder powers will still be very bizarre and terrifying. We need to consider this before taking action."

After collecting intelligence on Zaratulstra for a while, Lumian used the Information Shredder to delete the search records and used pen, paper, and his brain to organize the information.

After repeatedly reviewing the compiled data for a long time, he planned to find an opportunity to scout the location after accompanying Ludwig to tutoring class tomorrow.

For the rest of the time, he took out the new ice board he had made and, for the umpteenth time, scrutinized the information on each dream character and the preliminary findings from their team's observations and interactions with these characters.

…

The next day, at Dream Tutoring Classes.

Lumian escorted the slowly moving Ludwig to the door of the Beginner English class.

Anderson glanced at him and greeted, "Want to join for some enlightenment?"

"No need, I'd rather learn painting," Lumian replied simply, pushing Ludwig towards Anderson.

Anderson didn't speak to him further, taking Ludwig's hand and walking back into the classroom.

Lumian sat down opposite, patiently waiting just like last time.

Before long, he saw Zhou Mingrui again.

Zhou Mingrui was wearing a white T-shirt with patterns, looking much more youthful and sunny than when he was at work.

Zhou Mingrui wasn't surprised at all to see him here, as if he had been mentally prepared. He nodded slightly as a greeting.

Lumian didn't engage in small talk, only politely responding.

More contact, less closeness, to lower the target's vigilance!

Moreover, Franca's probing last night had quite good results, successfully making Zhou Mingrui wary of the aftermath of the Assassin beverage. Now he needed to give him some time to digest such bombshell news.

From this perspective, Franca being kicked out of the dream this time was worth it.

After watching Zhou Mingrui turn into the classroom, Lumian withdrew his gaze and started using his phone.

At this moment, he suddenly had a premonition and raised his head, looking towards the front desk of the tutoring center.

He saw Principal Ai Nana, wearing a white long dress, accompanying an elderly man inside.

Behind them were several employees of Dream Tutoring Classes and unfamiliar faces Lumian hadn't seen before.

Lumian's gaze fell on the elderly man, noticing he was wearing a black formal suit, his hair completely white, with long and dense white whiskers on his face, and blue eyes so deep they were almost without light.

Lumian's eyes narrowed slightly. He had seen a portrait of this elderly man before: Zaratulstra!

He's come to Dream Tutoring Classes again? Lumian quietly stood up, retreating along with other parents to avoid this group of people.

Ai Nana led Zaratulstra to stop at the door of the Business English class, introducing the relevant situation.

Zaratulstra's gaze subsequently turned towards those students.

At this point, Lumian had already retreated to the depths of the corridor, stopping next to the fire alarm, and glanced up at the surveillance camera that could capture this area.

He watched Zaratulstra from the corner of his eye. If the other party made any unusual movements or tried to talk to Zhou Mingrui, he would first knock out the surveillance camera from a blind spot, then punch the fire alarm to make the scene chaotic, causing everyone to rush out of Dream Tutoring Classes.

During this process, he would play the role of a panicked parent, constantly obstructing Zaratulstra's various actions while carrying Ludwig.

-x-X-x-

Using the cover of the parents in front, Lumian discreetly observed Zaratulstra's every move.

After listening to Ai Nana's introduction for a few minutes, Zaratulstra nodded, left the door of the Business English class, and turned to look at the other training classes currently in session.

He didn't do anything… Lumian was puzzled, but remained vigilant.

It wasn't until Zaratulstra finished touring Dream Tutoring Classes and Ai Nana escorted him and his entourage out, returning to teach the Business English class, that Lumian sat back in his original seat and silently said to himself, He's leaving just like that?

Was he simply here to recognize Zhou Mingrui, complete the initial contact, or did he secretly do something that I didn't notice? For example, has he already controlled Ms. Ai, or discreetly used some ability to achieve his predetermined goal from just a few meters away?

After thinking it through, Lumian picked up his phone and sent a message to Jenna: "Ask Luo Shan to remind the target via WeChat to pay attention to his condition today, not to drink water he brought to the tutoring class, and to buy new water later."

This was to indirectly and subtly remind Zhou Mingrui, and at the same time, it was an experiment to see if hints conveyed through dream characters during the day would bring any anomalies to themselves.

A few minutes later, Zhou Mingrui, who was listening attentively to the lecture, felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

He took out his phone, lowered his head, unlocked the screen, and saw a message from Luo Shan: "Remember to examine yourself three times a day, and don't drink water you've brought outside."

What does this mean? I can't make head or tail of the message. It's puzzling… Zhou Mingrui first grumbled to himself, then perceived the hidden reminder.

He hadn't yet fully determined whether Luo Shan was good or bad, whether she had more good intentions or bad intentions towards him, but the hint to frequently examine his own condition and not drink the current water wouldn't cause any harm even if he followed it.

In such matters, it's better to believe something existed than to doubt its existence!

Zhou Mingrui replied with an "Okay" and stuffed the phone back into his pocket, raising his head again.

He didn't look at the bottle of mineral water he had placed on the table again.

Outside the classroom, Lumian once again scrutinized Zaratulstra's recent behavior.

He just looked at Zhou Mingrui from a few meters away for a while, without trying to get closer…

Whether or not he did anything secretly, this behavior makes me feel that he doesn't dare to deeply engage with Zhou Mingrui, to do some things in front of that person…

Combined with Franca's morning description of the feeling of being kicked out of the dream and the overt and covert struggles in the lottery incident, it can be seen that Mr. Fool has a certain control over the dream, at least not much weaker than the Celestial Worthy. In this situation, if Zaratulstra stimulates him and his identity is discovered or locked onto, he is likely to be made into a marionette or kicked out of the dream…

In the dream city, it's not just us who need to be careful, the Celestial Worthy's subordinates also have to follow the same rules…

Thinking of this, Lumian's train of thought became much clearer.

He stood up and began pacing in the corridor, thinking about the details of some issues while waiting for the possible consequences of indirectly reminding Zhou Mingrui.

Walking to the end of the passageway, he casually glanced outside through the window.

He suddenly saw that across the street, Zaratulstra walked out of the building accompanied by a young girl, followed by his entourage and many unfamiliar faces.

Lumian was very familiar with the appearance of that young girl.

The Major Arcana card holder, The Hermit, Queen of Stars Cattleya!

In the dream city, Ma'am Hermit's role is Huang Jiajia, roommate of Miss Bernie Huang, and because she lost a bet, she always calls Bernie Huang 'dad'… Mr. Fool's subconscious weaving of relationships is quite interesting…

Huang Jiajia's family runs Star Tutoring Classes, which is a competitor to Dream Tutoring Classes, so she used high remuneration to ask Zhou Mingrui to enroll in Dream Tutoring Classes to scout the enemy…

Is Zaratulstra putting on a full show by examining Dream Tutoring Classes' competitors as well, or does he want to do something to Ma'am Hermit's dream manifestation?

Speaking of which, the dried mushrooms that prevented Zhou Mingrui from drinking the Instigator beverage came from Huang Jiajia, grown by the biology teacher Li Keji at Star Tutoring Classes, whose prototype is the 'Legendary Druid' Frank Lee… No wonder those dried mushrooms had supernatural properties. In Mr. Fool's subconscious, any mushroom products sent by Frank Lee might be problematic…

Lumian stood at the window, watching until Zaratulstra got into a black business car, with Huang Jiajia and others waving goodbye at the roadside, before preparing to walk back to the outside of the Beginner English class.

Suddenly, he heard a wee-woo wee-woo sound.

It was an ambulance, stopping at the entrance of Star Tutoring Classes. Not only nurses but also police officers jumped out.

What happened? Was it brought by Zaratulstra? Lumian stopped in his tracks and continued observing from afar.

Before long, the police and nurses brought out a person from Star Tutoring Classes. The person was wearing a white shirt and olive green overalls, with longish brown hair and dense body hair. His hands were handcuffed behind his back, and his legs and body were tightly bound.

This person was carried out and stuffed into the ambulance.

Lumian recognized this person.

He was Li Keji, the biology teacher at Star Tutoring Classes, corresponding to the prototype character "Legendary Druid" Frank Lee!

Why was he arrested? And arrested using an ambulance…

Did he cause problems with the mushrooms?

Or is this the problem brought by Zaratulstra? Is he trying to eliminate Frank Lee's dream manifestation to prevent some mushroom from ruining his plans next time?

Lumian quickly took out his phone and scrolled through local news and videos.

In just a few minutes, he saw related posts: "Guys, can you believe it? I just went to take some biology tutoring, and the teacher was arrested as a mentally ill terrorist!

"Is studying biology so dangerous?

"The teacher had said earlier that if we did well on this test, he would give us a bag of new mushroom strains!"

After scrolling through several similar videos, Lumian roughly confirmed that Frank Lee had been arrested by the Celestial Worthy's side on some pretext, first to be treated for mental issues, then to deal with other matters.

However, judging from the description in the latest issue of The Great Adventurer and the situation with Zhou Mingrui's bag of dried mushrooms, the probability that the mushrooms grown at 'Li Keji's' home are harmless is very, very low. What's this called… it seems to be endangering public safety by dangerous means? Arresting him seems reasonable… Just as Lumian thought of this, he received a message.

It was from "Intis Group Grimm": "There's a matter that requires your personal attention."

What matter requires the Child of God to handle personally? Lumian used voice input to reply: "Is it urgent?"

"Not too urgent." Grimm quickly replied.

Lumian pondered for a few seconds and replied: "Then wait until I've finished with the child."

In front of the Mother Goddess's believers, it was better to show more of the glory of motherhood, to make them more certain of one's identity.

"Alright, please attend to your matters first." Grimm replied quite humbly, completely unlike the security director of the Intis Group, while Lumian was just a mere security guard.

Lumian took this opportunity to inform Jenna about the Zaratulstra matter and Frank Lee's fate.

When the Business English class and Beginner English class ended one after another, Lumian politely said goodbye to Zhou Mingrui, took Ludwig, left Dream Tutoring Classes, and got into the gray sedan driven by Anthony.

Only then did he send a message to "Intis Group Grimm": "Time and place."

Just a dozen seconds later, Grimm responded: "I'll wait for you at the entrance of Mushu Hospital."

Mushu Hospital… Lumian frowned slightly.

…

Under the blazing sunlight, Lumian saw Grimm standing in the shade of a tree.

The security director of the Intis Group had changed into a light-colored striped shirt and was wearing sunglasses, disguising himself quite well.

"What's the matter?" Lumian walked past Grimm, heading straight into Mushu Hospital.

Grimm followed behind him to the side, saying with a smile in his voice, "You'll know when you see it. This should be one of the purposes Mother wanted you to come here for."

The way you're talking, it feels like you've dug a trap in front and are waiting for me to fall in… Lumian nodded slightly, not asking further.

Wouldn't asking too much reveal that there's actually no connection between me and the Great Mother?

Grimm quickened his pace, overtaking him, and led the way in front.

He led Lumian around the main building to a three-story building behind it, surrounded by high walls, with a lawn and garden.

"This is the psychiatric ward," Grimm introduced, verifying his identity with the security guard and passing through the iron gate.

Lumian nodded thoughtfully.

The two quickly entered the building, and just as they climbed to the second floor under the nurse's guidance, they heard a patient banging on the iron door and shouting, "Let me out!

"I'm not sick! I only lost after fighting with two supreme beings to the edge of the universe, and you caught me, I'm not sick!

"This is my marionette, this is my paper figurine, look, I have them all with me, I'm not crazy!

"I've divined it, there's no danger, really no danger. That voice is normal, haven't you heard it?

"Let me out! Let me out!"

Lumian raised his right eyebrow.

Which Seer pathway Beyonder is this? At least a Marionettist…

Lumian immediately associated this with the Marionettist who hadn't intervened when they killed the reanimated female corpse, and thought of the madman found in the garbage dump near Moon Plazal the next morning, who had been sent to the hospital.

Is this the Marionettist who went mad? So he was sent to the psychiatric ward of Mushu Hospital… What voice did he hear? Did that cause him to go mad? As Lumian pondered, his footsteps didn't stop. He followed behind the nurse and Grimm all the way to the end of an empty corridor.

The nurse stood at the door of the deepest ward and said to Grimm and Lumian, "The patient is inside. You can look at him through the window, but don't reach your hands in."

After saying this, she turned and left, without providing any further warnings.

After watching the nurse disappear at the stairwell, Grimm smiled at Lumian and said,

"Child of God, Li Keji is inside."

Li Keji… Frank Lee? Although Lumian had already anticipated this, he was still shocked.