Chapter 457 Unexpected Target

Auberge du Coq Doré, Room 207.

After briefing Madam Magician on the situation, Lumian left and went to the second floor of Salle de Bal Brise.

His next objective was to ascertain whether the enigmatic ent.i.ty that had targeted him from afar, attempting to approach rapidly while he observed Séraphine"s oil painting with the Mystery Prying Gla.s.ses, would pay him a visit during the night, much like how it had dealt with Gabriel.

He lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Lumian had full confidence in Madam Magician. As a Major Arcana card holder in the Tarot Club, she appeared to possess the ability to launch long-range attacks and was skilled at dealing with untouchable and enigmatic creatures.

As his thoughts blurred and he succ.u.mbed to slumber, Lumian found himself in a hazy dream, returning to Auberge du Coq Doré. Dim light filtered through the gla.s.s windows on each floor of the slightly tilted building. Gabriel, attired in a white shirt, dark jacket, black pants, and strapless leather shoes, sat on the entrance steps.

The playwright"s visage was somewhat translucent, and an air of detachment lingered in his eyes.

Upon spotting Lumian, Gabriel stood up abruptly, a conspicuous smile crossing his face.

Lumian halted warily and looked at him.

"What are you doing here?"

Gabriel"s smile waned as he spoke urgently,

"Leave Trier immediately! This place is about to become extremely dangerous!"

Lumian frowned and inquired, "What have you discovered?"

Gabriel cast a wary gaze around before responding, "I"m not entirely sure what they"re planning, but I do know it will bring destruction to all of Trier."

They… Lumian pressed for more information. "Are you staying at the Hostel? Where is it?"

A hint of confusion appeared on Gabriel"s face.

"You need to be like me to enter or gain the approval of the pixies.

"I didn"t know how to find it. I found myself at the door as soon as I arrived."

As expected, the Hostel is closely related to the Pixies… Did Gabriel rely on the corruption to alter his existence and reach the Hostel like teleportation? Lumian"s thoughts raced as he asked in a deep voice, "Why did you choose to go to the Hostel? Were you coerced into it?"

"No," Gabriel shook his head, his voice softening. "I did it of my own accord. Séraphine came to fetch me personally, and I couldn"t refuse. It"s what I wanted."

A touch of happiness crossed his face.

It was Séraphine who corrupted Gabriel and led him to the Hostel… Lumian suddenly felt a pang of sorrow.

"Have you realized that you"ve become a monster?"

Gabriel fell silent for a few seconds before responding, "I know, but I won"t harm anyone!

He paused a beat before continuing, "My script has already achieved success. I have the reputation and income I desired most. I have no regrets in that regard. All I want now is to be with Séraphine, whether she"s human or a monster."

Lumian didn"t scold or berate him. Instead, he looked at Gabriel and let out a long sigh. "I understand your feelings and thoughts."

Gabriel"s face showed grat.i.tude, and he spoke sincerely, "After becoming a monster, I seem to have the ability to see a certain future. That"s why I knew you would come to me. I asked Séraphine to let me stay in the room for two more days to bid you farewell. She agreed. She"s not a pure monster!"

Lumian"s heart stirred, and he spoke in a bewitching tone, "Do you want me to rescue you and Séraphine from the Hostel?"

"Is it possible?" Gabriel"s face contorted, and his eyes revealed a mixture of yearning, as if his body and mind existed in different worlds.

Lumian took a step closer and spoke earnestly, "There is hope, but I need you to tell me all the details."

Gabriel"s expression shifted between blankness, coldness, excitement, longing, and rejection, each emotion expressed vividly.

In that moment, he extended his hand, his eyes filled with intense fear.

Silently, Gabriel"s form shattered, and the image of Auberge du Coq Doré disintegrated, along with the faint mist.

Lumian"s eyes snapped open, and he found himself gazing at the ceiling of the second-floor bedroom in Salle de Bal Brise.

It had all been a dream, but it had felt incredibly real.

…

Quartier de la Cathédrale Commémorative.

Franca, carrying the Primordial Demoness"s statue, followed the black-cloaked man while remaining invisible.

The man appeared to have extensive experience and skill in evading pursuit. He frequently changed direction and even doubled back on his path.

If Franca hadn"t relied on her invisibility and the a.s.sistance of the Primordial Demoness statue, she would have lost him several times.

Finally, the black-cloaked man came to a stop in front of an entrance to Underground Trier.

He half-turned and examined his palms under the crimson moonlight, leaving Franca perplexed.

What"s going on? Is he performing palm-reading on himself? Remaining hidden behind a gas street lamp pole, the invisible Franca observed his actions with curiosity.

After a moment, the man descended the steel staircase and disappeared into the dim entrance.

Franca followed closely behind, venturing deeper into Underground Trier.

Twenty minutes later, the black-cloaked man reached a sealed tunnel.

It was unclear what he touched, but a stone door immediately swung open on the rock wall next to him.

Franca, standing a few meters away, looked over and saw three lamps embedded in the stone wall.

Three cla.s.sic oil lamps, one high and two below, each with a flame burning inside.

Franca had been in Trier for a long time and had a good understanding of the situation here. This scene triggered a connection in Franca"s mind.

Carbonari!

She recognized this as one of the symbols of the Carbonari, an organization seeking to overthrow the government. Lighting three lamps was symbolic in their ranks—the one above represented the sun, while the other two below symbolized the moon and the stars.

The Iron and Blood Cross Order collaborates with the Carbonari? Franca was both surprised and unsurprised.

From her perspective, the Iron and Blood Cross Order aimed to seize power in Intis itself by toppling the government, but their current focus seemed to be on the underground and the entrance to Fourth Epoch Trier.

The black-cloaked man swiftly pa.s.sed through the self-opening stone door, and Franca noticed a thin, ever-changing white fog emanating from inside.

This fog looks familiar. There must be something wrong… Franca hesitated to follow when she felt a slight tremor in her hidden pocket.

Franca reached out and touched it, her expression changing slightly.

The cla.s.sic silver mirror had trembled slightly—the one connected to the underground mirror world!

Franca remained in her concealed position, watching the stone door slowly close without taking another step forward.

…

Beside the flowing underground river, the figure moved swiftly along the water.

He didn"t use lanterns, carbide lamps, or other sources of light, yet he moved through the darkness with ease, navigating around potholes, rocks, and obstacles effortlessly.

Jenna, hidden behind a mottled stone pillar, noticed a flickering red light in the target"s eye.

Taking a deep breath, she retrieved the ancient Arrow of the Bloodthirsty from her black coat and prepared herself for the confrontation.

Her combat experience wasn"t limited, but it wasn"t much either. In particular, she had never faced a Beyonder alone. All she could do was use everything in her a.r.s.enal to augment herself from the onset. She had to go all out to minimize any accidents.

Jenna plunged the obsidian arrow into her chest, letting it draw her blood and come to live.

Before the figure could approach, she sprinkled fluorescent powder over herself and chanted a Hermes incantation at an almost inaudible volume: "Body Concealment!"

With that, Jenna vanished completely, blending into the darkness, her movements masked by the sound of the underground river.

Moments later, the figure with the red eye arrived in the area. Jenna watched from the shadows.

Suddenly, the darkness came alive beneath the figure"s feet, forming inky black chains that wrapped around the legs, waist, and torso.

The figure stopped abruptly, a red light shooting from its eye.

From behind, Jenna"s form materialized.

Only then did Jenna get a clear look at her target. He was a man, holding a grayish-white cloth bag and wearing a dark gray robe similar to that of a monk. His face was a menacing sight, constructed with iron plates, gears, springs, screws, cranks, and other mechanical contraptions. There was a vivid red gem embedded in his right eye.

A monk from the Deep Valley Cloister? Jenna"s heart raced. She hadn"t antic.i.p.ated Will targeting a monk from the G.o.d of Steam and Machinery Church.

She and Franca had crossed paths with similar monks in the Deep Valley Quarry before. These monks had augmented their bodies with mechanical modifications, giving them an eerie appearance.

Confronted with a target whose skull had transformed into metal, Jenna abandoned her initial plan of striking behind the ears. Instead, she concentrated a dark flame in her right palm and pressed it against the mechanical monk"s head amidst the howling wind.

Simultaneously, a red beam shot forth, slicing through a few shackles resembling the Abyss. However, it only addressed the front. The other directions were already ensnaring the mechanically enhanced monk.

With a resounding impact, Jenna thrust the black flame into the target"s head.

The silent yet menacing black flames expanded instantly, consuming the monk"s Spirit Body and setting his spirituality ablaze.

Leveraging the high-speed agility granted by the Arrow of the Bloodthirsty, Jenna continuously shifted her position around the monk to evade counterattacks.

Simultaneously, she sought opportunities to weaken him to the fullest extent with the Demoness"s black flames, bolstered by dark, binding spells.

In less than two minutes, the monk, unable to break free, collapsed to the ground, rendered unconscious and weakened.

Jenna exhaled and lowered herself to the ground.

She picked up the grayish-white cloth bag, untied the rope, and inspected its contents.

Inside, she found an array of canned paints and oil paintbrushes.