Star Dream Provisions Store.
With Ludwig tagging along, Anthony received the reply letter from the Major Arcana card holders from the shop owner.
"In reality, Rozanne is under strict protection from the Church of Evernight Goddess. As long as she's asleep, there will definitely be Beyonders monitoring her dream state. The Church of Evernight Goddess are experts in this area…"
"On the Future, Frank Lee hasn't shown any more abnormalities so far. He's the same as before. Regarding Li Keji in the dream, our bottom line is that we can't let him be corrupted by the power of the Great Mother, nor can we let him become a puppet of the Celestial Worthy through death and rebirth…"
Reading this, Anthony seemed to hear the inner thoughts of the Major Arcana card holders: "If necessary, you can actively eliminate Li Keji and destroy the body. In any case, we can't let him be corrupted or exploited. Death won't affect the real person in reality."
Lumian thought the same… Anthony hadn't personally witnessed Li Keji's mushrooms, he had only heard Lumian recount the other's ideas, which he found somewhat reasonable but also permeated with bewildering madness.
He continued reading the rest of the letter.
"We can only confirm that Anderson Hood is currently in Anderson, the capital of Lenburg, but we can't find him. We will communicate with the Church of Knowledge later."
The fact that even the Major Arcana card holders from different pathways can't find him proves that Anderson Hood is hiding very well. Perhaps he has even received protection from higher powers… Is the communication with the Church of Knowledge a way to confirm if they had provided help to Anderson Hood? If not, things would be even more complex and troublesome… Anthony folded the letter and stuffed it into his jeans pocket.
He then immediately dropped the letter he had written in advance into the silver-trimmed black mailbox.
…
Tech Building.
Lumian was already at work. While patrolling the floors, he pondered how to more effectively monitor Zaratulstra's situation, and where to go tonight to observe this enemy's state—Lumian wanted to see if Zaratulstra would still encounter hostility in his dreams at night after Luo Shan reminded Zhou Mingrui again, deepening the latter's impression of Zaratulstra.
Reaching the seventh floor, taking advantage of Old Xia's trip to the bathroom, Lumian took out his phone, opened the online shopping platform Franca had mentioned, and typed a few words using voice input: "Pinhole cameras…"
He felt that although Zaratulstra was also suppressed to Sequence 7, he was essentially still an Angel with many mysterious and bizarre abilities. Relying solely on the mirror world to spy on him was obviously unrealistic; this could only be done occasionally.
So, Lumian planned to try scientific methods, to try pinhole cameras and bugs. Even if Zaratulstra later discovered these little devices, as long as he couldn't trace them back to Lumian, there wouldn't be any problem.
After completing the input, Lumian didn't press the "search" button.
He remembered Franca saying this was illegal, part of the black and gray industry.
Let's not even mention whether regular platforms sell these, but as a Child of God, why should I personally get involved in the black and gray industry? I'm a law-abiding citizen… Lumian half-jokingly, half-mockingly closed the app and switched to WeChat, entering the conversational window with "Intis Group Grimm".
He calmly input: "Prepare some pinhole cameras and bugs for me, preferably with user manuals.
"Also, give me Zaratulstra's itinerary for the next two days."
Zaratulstra's safety in the dream city was jointly managed by his personal bodyguards and the Intis Group's security department, so Lumian knew last night that Zaratulstra was most likely at the hotel, and headed straight there to observe the situation. Of course, this wasn't entirely certain; Zaratulstra could change his itinerary at any time. He was the one in control, just like when he suddenly decided to visit two tutoring centers, Lumian hadn't received any warning from Grimm beforehand.
"Alright." Grimm quickly replied to Lumian.
By the time Lumian finished patrolling the floors and returned to his office, opening the drawer that belonged to him, he immediately saw two sets of pinhole cameras and bugs quietly placed inside.
Lumian pulled out the paper placed on top of them and memorized Zaratulstra's itinerary from 5 pm to 10pm today.
As the sky approached complete darkness, he found an excuse to go to the bathroom and teleported away.
He first used the mirror world to hide the pinhole cameras and bugs in inconspicuous places in Zaratulstra's room, erased traces of his presence, and completed anti-divination using Mirror Substitution. Then he returned to the Tech Building and arrived at Mr. Huang's exclusive 16th floor through the mirror.
Tonight, Mr. Huang would host a business dinner here to entertain Zaratulstra and his entourage.
Lumian was very grateful for Mr. Huang's fondness for mirrors and gold foil decorations, which allowed him to easily find the best position to observe Zaratulstra from behind a mirror-like object on the ceiling.
The elderly man had just toasted a glass of red wine with Mr. Huang and appeared completely normal, while outside the window it was truly night.
Time ticked by, and Lumian quietly watched them drink wine, eat, and chat casually.
Suddenly, Mr. Huang leaned back in his chair, raised his head, and as if pondering a question, cast his gaze towards the mirror-like object where Lumian was hiding.
Lumian instinctively withdrew his body, moving away from the mirror surface.
Did Mr. Huang sense me?
Can he detect spying from behind mirrors?
He's just a dream projection, not Emperor Roselle… Was that just a pure coincidence just now, or in Mr. Fool's subconscious cognition, is Mr. Huang hiding Beyonder powers? Thinking of this, Lumian suddenly remembered a piece of information Franca had told him: Louis Gustav of the Emperor faction has been very irritable lately because he couldn't contact a key figure, and that key figure was suspected to be the mirrored Emperor Roselle.
There's a whiff of conspiracy… Lumian's Conspirer's intuition immediately gave him a suspicion: Could it be that the mirrored Emperor Roselle has also entered the dream?
She had previously cooperated with the subordinates of evil gods and Celestial Worthy, did She enter the dream with the help of the Celestial Worthy's side? After all, She's not a true god, hasn't accommodated the Uniqueness, and doesn't have special items, so it's unlikely She could come in on Her own…
Is She working with Zaratulstra, attempting to erode and influence Emperor Roselle's dream manifestation, Huang Tao, until they control and replace him?
She is essentially a Mirror People, so it's only natural that She can detect someone spying from behind mirrors…
If She and Zaratulstra control the Intis Group, given the Group's influence and terrifying cash flow, the balance of victory will surely tilt rapidly!
While we focused on Zhou Mingrui, Li Keji, and An Xiaotian, Zaratulstra quietly raided our vault…
Normally, given that Princess Bernadette seems to still be able to enter the dream, Mr. Huang should be on our side…
But why did Mr. Huang so obviously look in my direction?
She could have pretended not to notice and waited for an opportunity to suddenly attack…
The more Lumian thought about it, the more he felt cold sweat breaking out on his back.
Zaratulstra isn't a Conspirer, but he's as good as one!
Indeed, my initial idea wasn't wrong—we should actively attack, assassinate him, or trade one for one, kick him out… As these thoughts raced through Lumian's mind, he pressed against the mirror surface again, looking down.
At this time, Mr. Huang had already withdrawn his gaze.
But Zaratulstra noticed his previous behavior and glanced at the ceiling, asking, "What were you looking at?"
Mr. Huang gently swirled the red wine in his glass and smiled, answering, "Thinking about some things."
Zaratulstra didn't ask further and started talking about other matters.
Lumian observed for several more minutes, confirming that Zaratulstra showed no abnormalities after nightfall.
In other words, after being punished once, Mr. Fool's subconscious will consider this person completely marionettized. Even if Zhou Mingrui hears the corresponding name again, deepening his impression, it won't alert the dream's subconscious, unless Zaratulstra does something new to stimulate him, bringing new changes? Lumian speculated about the reasons for the current situation as he left using Mirror Traversal.
"What took you so long?" Old Xia casually asked when he saw him walk back into the office.
Lumian sighed and said, "Ah, I'm the kind of person who gets diarrhea when I eat excessively spicy stuff, and gets constipated when I don't eat spicy food."
Old Xia enthusiastically started chatting about the topic of "spicy food".
…
Late at night, Lumian teleported to the vicinity of Crimson Moon Hospital, continuously flashing between the glass windows of different special wards through the mirror world.
After a minute, he stopped.
Before him was a dark hospital room with only a bit of moonlight, and his spiritual intuition told him that the person in the room was An Xiaotian, whom he was looking for.
Lumian looked down at the hospital bed from above and saw a person connected to many machines and tubes.
The person's head was immersed in darkness, only vaguely showing decent facial features, but the beard seemed to have been only trimmed short due to not being shaved for a long time, growing up to just below the cheeks, thick and black, in tufts.
Lumian observed for a while, then walked out of the glass window and approached the bedside.
He saw that the comatose patient's head was shaved bald, with multiple suture marks on top that looked like giant centipedes.
A scene spontaneously formed in Lumian's mind: the head forcibly split open, the brain violently extracted, then something unknown placed in the emptied space before suturing shut…
A symbol? Just as this thought flashed through Lumian's mind, he saw on the monitor that the heartbeat became intense, with peaks and valleys rapidly alternating, bringing a beeping alarm sound.
Lumian instinctively stepped back, moving to the window, ready to leave at any moment.
At the same time, he saw that all of the patient's monitoring data had changed, becoming very active.
As soon as I arrive, there's an anomaly? Is it caused by something on me… There are too many possible reasons, I don't even know which one it could be… Lumian once again turned his gaze to the patient himself.
The patient's fingers suddenly moved imperceptibly.
-x-X-x-
In the dark hospital room lit only by a bit of moonlight, Lumian saw An Xiaotian, who had been in a vegetative state for over a year, move his fingers ever so slightly.
While surprised, Lumian wasn't afraid. Instead, he smiled.
An anomaly is good; anomalies reveal more information!
How could I interpret the secrets hidden in this matter if there were no changes?
Lumian leaned against the window, staring at An Xiaotian on the hospital bed, waiting for more anomalies.
An Xiaotian's fingers moved again.
The darkness in the room seemed to deepen.
Lumian's gaze suddenly turned to the doorway of the hospital room.
The door opened silently, and a nurse wearing a white cap entered.
Lumian didn't immediately teleport away, but hid in the shadow cast by the curtains.
He saw the nurse, with a blank expression, busily moving around the bed, sometimes adjusting equipment, sometimes changing IV bags, but her hands were always empty, and there was nothing currently hanging on the IV stand.
Through the open door, Lumian noticed that the dimly lit corridor was suddenly filled with more than a dozen people.
There were nurses pushing empty carts, women in patient gowns walking back and forth, men walking while moving their arms, as lively as if it were midday.
But it was late at night, and they weren't making any sound, their faces completely devoid of expression.
Lumian thought for a moment, then deliberately walked out of the shadows.
The nurse busying herself by An Xiaotian's side didn't even glance at him, as if he were just a patch of air.
Lumian walked out of the hospital room at a leisurely pace, placing himself among the coming and going nurses and patients.
When the man moving his arms was about to bump into him, he naturally sidestepped Lumian, never looking at him.
Lumian stood with his hands in his pockets, watching them as if they were in different worlds.
The nurse pushing the empty treatment cart turned and walked straight towards Lumian.
Just as they were about to collide, the nurse suddenly stopped, opened her mouth, and said one word, "Be…"
Her voice abruptly cut off, and she walked around Lumian with a blank expression.
Behind her was the female patient who had been walking. She also came up to Lumian and began to speak, "Care…"
Be, care? Be careful of what? Lumian's spirits lifted, feeling that this trip hadn't been in vain.
The female patient also only said one word before walking around Lumian. Behind her was another nurse.
Just as that nurse opened her mouth, Lumian suddenly heard a buzzing sound.
The already dimmed lights at the end of the corridor began to flicker, alternating rapidly between bright and dark.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian felt a sense of being rejected by his surroundings, an uncomfortable feeling of being about to be squeezed out.
He saw the nurse in front of him rapidly step backward, the female patient who had just walked around him retreated to his front, then continued backing up.
In this way, the scenes Lumian had previously witnessed and the events he had experienced began to rapidly rewind, as if he had accidentally clicked a corresponding button while watching surveillance footage.
A strong fear suddenly erupted in Lumian's heart, which even the endurance of an Ascetic couldn't suppress.
He felt that if he stayed here any longer, he would encounter something terribly frightening, and might even be directly locked onto by that Celestial Worthy, after which he would no longer have the chance to come to the dream city!
Without hesitation, he activated the black mark on his right shoulder and disappeared from the hospital ward corridor.
Lumian's teleportation destination wasn't the rented apartment in Xinhong District, but the entrance of Star Dream Provisions Store.
At this time, Star Dream Provisions Store was already closed, but not far away was the Dream City Police Department, with quite a few rooms in the corresponding building still lit up.
Lumian calmly examined his own feelings and found that the fear was rapidly receding, and the uncomfortable sense of being rejected by his surroundings was gone.
Is it an anomaly, or rather, a gaze directed at that area? There's no problem once I leave?
Those nurses and patients were being controlled by An Xiaotian in his vegetative state, trying to tell me something, which resulted in triggering an anomaly in the dream?
What he wanted to tell me must be crucial, to have triggered such a dramatic change, not giving him any chance to continue… If Franca were to find Zhou Mingrui at night and try to tell him everything in detail, it would probably be like just now, only getting started before being forcibly rewound or kicked out of the dream…
What exactly was An Xiaotian trying to warn me about… be careful of whom?
There were too many potential subjects to guess, and Lumian couldn't find a train of thought for the moment.
He felt it necessary to "contact" An Xiaotian again, but the prerequisite was to find a way to bypass the restrictions and let him say at least two more words.
If the information An Xiaotian wanted to convey was crucial, Lumian wouldn't be stingy with the number of times he could be kicked out of the dream. Even if future opportunities would be consumed one by one, he was willing to do it.
It's no big deal if I'm completely kicked out; I still have teammates.
As long as we can get the crucial information, sacrificing myself is very worthwhile.
I must have trust in my teammates!
…
Late at night, in Room 2303 in Dechuang Garden.
Franca was awakened by the vibration of her phone.
She picked it up and saw that it was a voice call request from "The Idiot".
Uh… Before Franca could answer, Lumian had already hung up and sent a message instead.
The reason he did this was that messages and voice call records could be deleted using the Information Shredder, while the content of voice calls couldn't and might be monitored.
Glancing at the awakened Jenna, Franca began to read Lumian's message carefully.
As she read, Franca's expression changed.
She lowered her voice and said, "Mr. Huang might be problematic…
"While Zaratulstra has been seemingly trying to contact Zhou Mingrui lately, he's actually using the mirrored Roselle to erode and influence Mr. Huang… That's so damn insidious!"
Jenna leaned over and finished reading Lumian's message.
She also couldn't help but frown. "If Mr. Huang sides with the Celestial Worthy, things will get complicated…"
"It's more than just complicated. With people, money, and influence at their disposal, what can we even do? Should we take Zhou Mingrui to rent a place near the police station, where Mr. Huang can't influence those jobs?" The more Franca thought about it, the more her head ached. "How can we confirm whether Mr. Huang is showing any abnormalities? If he suddenly announces that he's had gender reassignment surgery, does that mean he's been completely controlled by the mirrored Roselle?"
Jenna thought for a moment and then said, "If Mr. Huang is really controlled and can't be saved, we can sacrifice one person to kill Mr. Huang and let Bernie Huang become the CEO of the Intis Group."
"Good idea…" Franca's mouth twitched slightly, "If Mr. Huang is really controlled, it means he's the mirrored Roselle, a Beyonder with an Angel-level Sequence, and moreover, he has Zaratulstra's help and powerful security personnel protecting him. It would be difficult for the four of us to assassinate him together, let alone just one person going to do it…"
At this point, Franca tried to find humor in the grim situation.
"Besides, Bernie Huang has two younger brothers, it's not certain that she would inherit the CEO position…"
As she spoke, Franca suddenly froze.
She and Jenna exchanged glances, their eyes lighting up as they blurted out simultaneously, "Bernie Huang!"
The best candidate to confirm whether Mr. Huang has shown any abnormalities was Bernie Huang!
By solely relying on Franca and Jenna, unless they forcibly infiltrated and secretly observed, it would be a matter of luck whether they could even encounter Mr. Huang, let alone test him.
"How do we contact Bernie Huang and persuade her?" Franca's first reaction was to find Luo Shan and ask if she had Bernie Huang's phone number or WeChat.
As her eyes moved, Franca's smile blossomed, her face full of pride.
"I have an idea!"
"What idea?" Jenna asked expectantly.
Franca cleared her throat and replied, "The one we should be looking for isn't Bernie Huang, but Bernadette.
"We'll write to the Major Arcana card holders tomorrow, asking them to contact Queen Mystic. If Bernadette still has a chance to enter the dream, she will naturally come to handle it. We don't need to persuade her or instigate her.
"The dream world and the real world, online and offline, can be linked!"
Jenna nodded slowly and said, "If Queen Mystic can no longer come in, we'll then consider how to contact and Instigate Bernie Huang."
"We can formulate the plan now." Franca was no longer sleepy.
Jenna thought seriously for a few seconds and said, "This matter is very important. I think we shouldn't wait until tomorrow to write the letter. I'll actively leave the dream now and tell the Major Arcana card holder on duty in the villa about Mr. Huang's problem."
Franca fell into a brief contemplative silence before replying, Franca pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, it's not frequent entry and exit from the dream, just an occasional instance. There shouldn't be any problems, and it won't affect the number of times we can be kicked out of the dream."
Jenna immediately changed her posture to sit up.
In her current situation, she couldn't rely on the dream's rejection to actively leave, so she had to use Cogitation to enter that state of emptying her thoughts, then imagine herself jumping from a high place.
In the sensation of weightless free fall, Jenna suddenly woke up.
She opened her eyes, got out of bed, and confirmed whether she had returned to reality.
Then, she went out the door and down the stairs.
Tonight, the one guarding them in the living room was Madam Justice, wearing a white dress with gold decorations.
"Is there an emergency?" Madam Justice stood up and asked.
Without Jenna needing to emphasize further, she already knew the seriousness of the issue.
Jenna nodded and recounted Lumian's guesses, Franca's intelligence, and Zaratulstra's recent interactions with Huang Tao.
Madam Justice nodded slightly. "We will contact Queen Mystic immediately."
She raised her right hand and quickly sketched a small bird in midair.
The bird was transparent and dreamlike. It chirped a few times, circled around and descended towards Madam Justice, entering her body and disappearing without a trace.
"This is a dream messenger I made. It can travel to specific targets through the collective unconscious sea," Madam Justice briefly explained.
She paused, then continued, "Since you've returned to reality, I'll tell you about An Xiaotian directly.
"At that time, I had already been kicked out of the dream once and started planning to shoot 'The Great Pirate 3'. This was not only because I wanted to present Gehrman Sparrow's experiences to Mr. Fool's dream manifestation, trying to awaken his memories and make him wake up, but also because I was exploring how to realize a sentence Mr. Fool had told us: 'The awakening of The World spells The Fool's return.'"
-x-X-x-
"The awakening of The World spells The Fool's return…"
Jenna had seen this sentence in the materials provided by the Major Arcana card holders. It was considered the most important revelation made by Mr. Fool before he fell into slumber, concealing the direction to awaken him.
The Fool—Sequence 0 of the Seer pathway—was said to have authority over fate!
Jenna looked at Madam Justice without asking questions, waiting for her to continue.
Madam Justice pointed to the sofa area. "Let's sit down and talk."
After they each chose a sofa, Madam Justice began speaking in a gentle voice, "After our initial intelligence gathering in the dream city, we discovered a problem:
"There was no dream manifestation corresponding to Gehrman Sparrow.
"Among Mr. Fool's avatars, Klein Moretti's dream manifestation was merged with Zhou Mingrui. This can be seen from Zhou Mingrui's brother being called Benson Zhou and his sister Zhou Sasa, corresponding to Klein Moretti's real-life brother Benson and sister Melissa.
"Other manifestations, like the private detective and the wandering magician, could be found in the dream city, but they were scattered among multiple people. They either used half of their names or only exhibited corresponding characteristics."
Hearing this, Jenna nodded slightly.
These had all been mentioned in the materials, and their team had also secretly observed the corresponding manifestations, planning to make deeper contact with them in turn.
Madam Justice smiled with a sigh.
"We've confirmed those dream manifestations, and there were no issues or anything we could exploit.
"But Gehrman Sparrow, as one of Mr. Fool's two most important manifestations and The World mentioned in that revelation, had no corresponding manifestation in the dream city.
"At the time, this raised strong suspicions and made us a bit excited.
"It's not a problem if there are issues; it's a problem if everything is normal.
"After discussion, we decided to try to create the character of Gehrman Sparrow in the dream city. Only with Gehrman Sparrow could we talk about awakening The World."
Jenna listened with both surprise and excitement.
This approach was something they hadn't thought of before.
Of course, this was mainly because they had just finished observing important characters and were still experimenting with the results of different levels of contact with different characters. They hadn't yet compiled the intelligence or sought ways to awaken Mr. Fool.
Lumian had made some associations from the phrase "The awakening of The World spells The Fool's return," which was why he had Jenna apply for a job at Hall Film Company to observe the actor playing Gehrman Sparrow more closely.
What they hadn't realized was that filming "The Great Pirate 3" not only included the idea of stimulating Zhou Mingrui and awakening his memories, but also aimed to create the dream manifestation of Gehrman Sparrow out of thin air!
Madam Justice continued, "Our first attempt was to use my Dreamweaver ability and Hall Group's resources to directly create Gehrman Sparrow's dream manifestation and give him real identity proof and past experiences. The result was, well, I got kicked out of the dream.
"I got my gold coin from Madam Reinette, and later returned it to Her. She had already been kicked out three times before I entered the dream city.
"Being kicked out of the dream didn't discourage me. I even felt excited, believing this might truly be a meaningful direction. Otherwise, the Celestial Worthy wouldn't have turned His gaze to this place far from Zhou Mingrui.
"We started our second attempt, with Madam Magician using her identity as a, um, bestselling novelist to write 'The Great Pirate 3'."
"Was 'The Great Pirate 3' also deliberately written by you guys?" Jenna asked thoughtfully.
Madam Justice smiled in a way that made Jenna's eyes light up.
"Haven't you watched 'The Great Pirate 1' and 'The Great Pirate 2'? They tell stories about pirates, but the character Gehrman Sparrow doesn't appear. In other words, before Madam Magician personally wrote 'The Great Pirate 3', the dream manifestation of Gehrman Sparrow didn't exist even in the story.
"The completion and publication of 'The Great Pirate 3' also resulted in Madam Magician being kicked out of the dream.
"We felt we were on the right track, so I used Hall Film Company to purchase the film and television rights for 'The Great Pirate 3' and began preparations for filming."
It's great to have money… Jenna couldn't help but sigh.
For their small team, forget about filming a movie about Gehrman Sparrow, they couldn't even afford to buy the rights to 'The Great Pirate 3' without winning the lottery who knows how many times.
Madam Justice reminisced. "I personally served as the producer and personally selected the actor to play Gehrman Sparrow.
"Then, I discovered An Xiaotian. He was an actor and a star. It was such a coincidence, as if Mr. Fool had secretly set it up, waiting for us to trigger it.
"An Xiaotian's backstory in the dream was that he was an orphan, raised by his older sister. He dropped out after high school and entered the entertainment industry.
"His sister fell seriously ill and is currently in a vegetative state. To maintain hope for his sister's awakening, he worked hard to become a big star and earned quite a bit of money.
"I extended an invitation to him, offering a salary he couldn't refuse.
"At the time, I was actually a bit uneasy, wondering if having An Xiaotian play Gehrman Sparrow would cause any problems. You know, An Xiaotian corresponds to Antigonus in reality, who was The Half-Fool in the Fourth Epoch and hasn't perished yet. If we merged His spiritual imprint with the movie image of Gehrman Sparrow, it could potentially affect Mr. Fool's self-awareness or benefit Antigonus and that Celestial Worthy.
"To ensure there were no issues, we contacted Antigonus through the Church of Evernight Goddess. He told us we could try."
"Does Antigonus have close ties with the Church of Evernight Goddess? Can He be trusted?" Jenna asked instinctively.
Madam Justice's smile became somewhat complex.
"Being captured and imprisoned is also a kind of connection, I suppose…
"However, after the Goddess provided a revelation and promised Antigonus one thing, He began working for the Church of Evernight Goddess. His words are quite credible now.
"That's why I ultimately decided to invite An Xiaotian to play Gehrman Sparrow.
"On the day of the shoot, An Xiaotian had a very serious car accident and also became a vegetable."
Also… both he and his sister became vegetables… Jenna found it tragic.
"At the same time, that also caused me to be kicked out of the dream for the second time," Madam Justice said in a self-mocking tone. "Afterwards, I faced significant restrictions. By the time I entered the dream for the third time, Holly had already chosen the actor to play Gehrman Sparrow. The silver lining was that she decided to personally fund and establish a foundation to fully cover the medical expenses for An Xiaotian and his sister."
Jenna vaguely felt that Madam Justice was praising her own dream manifestation—Holly—for being a decent person, living up to her ideal image, but she didn't dare to say it too clearly.
Madam Justice skipped over this topic and said directly, "I couldn't find anyone more suitable to play Gehrman Sparrow, and the medicine provided by Mr. Moon couldn't wake up An Xiaotian. I had no choice but to let Jia Yu give it a try. Unfortunately, after Jia Yu finished filming, he couldn't merge with the manifestation of Gehrman Sparrow, and the movie didn't make Zhou Mingrui remember anything. It only created some character imitators of Gehrman Sparrow.
"Perhaps when An Xiaotian had the car accident, the goal that 'The Great Pirate 3' was meant to achieve was destined to fail.
"During the filming of 'The Great Pirate 3', I actually noticed that people were gradually forgetting An Xiaotian, no longer remembering this person, only able to recall related events.
"I wasn't affected, but I also gave myself psychological suggestions not to forget An Xiaotian.
"When I was in the dream city, I indeed remembered, until I was kicked out for the third time…"
Feels like you were somewhat Fooled… Jenna thought for a few seconds and said, "There might still be very useful secrets hidden in relation to An Xiaotian, which is why the Celestial Worthy would Fool everyone and make them forget about him."
"That's our guess too." Madam Justice nodded.
Jenna then said, "An Xiaotian in his vegetative state seems to want to warn Lumian to be careful of someone. Could you please contact Antigonus again to see if He has dreamed anything in reality or knows something?"
"That's our duty," Madam Justice looked around and said, "Don't rush back. Wait for the feedback from the Church of Evernight Goddess. It might come very soon, and you can take this opportunity to deepen your psychological recognition of reality, to avoid confusing reality and dreams in the end."
"Alright," Jenna politely nodded, stood up, and walked towards the garden at the back of the villa.
She wanted to take a walk there.
…
3 am.
When Franca saw Jian Na, who had fallen asleep at some point, suddenly wake up, she understood that the real Jenna had returned.
Jenna lowered her voice and recounted in detail what Madam Justice had said to Franca. Finally, she said, "Antigonus said He can sense Mr. Fool's dream, but He hasn't entered it and doesn't want to, so He doesn't know what the vegetative An Xiaotian wants to warn Lumian about."
"Is it possible to ask Antigonus to come in once, using the vegetative An Xiaotian? That way, He might know what An Xiaotian wants to warn about," Franca said thoughtfully.
Jenna shook her head. "After An Xiaotian became a vegetable, Antigonus can't come in even if He wants to."
"Do we need to find a way to treat An Xiaotian?" Franca mused to herself, "If we cure him and wake him up, there's no need for Antigonus to come in…
"But how to treat him? Medicine doesn't seem to work…"
After a pause, Franca and Jenna simultaneously thought of a possibility: Great Mother!
And Lumian was now disguised as the Great Mother's Child of God.
-x-X-x-
"Treat An Xiaotian by finding a bestowed of the Great Mother through Lumian?" Franca's thoughts began to wander, gradually becoming more far-fetched. "If that doesn't work, then have An Xiaotian conceive a child, with the child replacing the father, becoming the father, and help that child grow rapidly, one day surpassing others' ten years…"
Jenna remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "With everyone suppressed at Sequence 7, the Great Mother's bestowed probably can't make embryos form quickly or children grow rapidly. They're even hoping to rely on the Child of God's godhood to make Li Keji go through the pregnancy and childbirth process in one month.
"Moreover, if the Great Mother takes the opportunity to corrupt An Xiaotian or his child, symbolically speaking, the severity of the problem might not be less than the Celestial Worthy awakening."
Franca sighed and replied, "Indeed, but there's no other way. If we could wake An Xiaotian up and reshoot 'The Great Pirate 3', it might have unexpected effects."
Jenna tersely acknowledged. "Madam Justice said that ever since An Xiaotian became a vegetable and 'The Great Pirate 3' changed its lead actor, the filming became normal. She suspects that from that moment on, the true goal this movie was meant to achieve was destined to fail.
"Unfortunately, at present, there's no hope of An Xiaotian waking up, and we can't find anyone more suitable to play Gehrman Sparrow."
Franca opened her mouth, showing a thoughtful expression. "Actually, there's a better candidate, someone more suitable than An Xiaotian to play Gehrman Sparrow."
"Who?" Jenna asked in surprise.
The Major Arcana card holders hadn't discovered such a person?
Franca's eyes curved slightly as she smiled. "Zhou Mingrui."
"…" Jenna felt a bit stupid.
Is that even allowed?
What would you call this? Having Zhou Mingrui play Zhou Mingrui, letting Zhou Mingrui awaken Zhou Mingrui!
Franca said seriously, "If Zhou Mingrui plays Gehrman Sparrow, he could relive the life he's forgotten during the filming process. He might actually remember something and eventually immerse himself in the role, becoming one with the character. Wouldn't that be equivalent to The World awakening?"
At this point, Franca smacked her lips. "But the difficulty is too high. We don't have the money to reshoot 'The Great Pirate 3', nor can we convince Hall Film Company. If they were to shoot anything, it would be 'The Great Pirate 4', not Gehrman Sparrow's maritime adventure story.
"Even if you became a top star in the entertainment industry and actively proposed reshooting this movie, and even if someone invested, convincing Zhou Mingrui to film would be extremely difficult. Not to mention his personal willingness, I estimate that as soon as the invitation is extended, the relevant person would be kicked out of the dream. Whoever dares to discuss this matter would be kicked out."
"This can be considered as an alternative plan for future awakening actions…" Jenna felt a headache coming on as she thought about the troubles Franca mentioned.
Franca nodded thoughtfully. "Correspondingly, Zhou Mingrui's memories don't seem to be erased. As long as he knows about being asked to film 'The Great Pirate 3' and is interested and willing to try, the Celestial Worthy probably can't directly prevent it. For this, we can sacrifice multiple members' chances to enter the dream multiple times…"
At this point, Franca suddenly smiled. "What do you call this? It's called 'For the sake of saving the world, please debut Mr. Fool!'"
"The Celestial Worthy might not be able to directly prevent it, but subsequently, there might be incidents like the director having a car accident, the film crew experiencing a fire, or the female lead's reputation collapsing, preventing 'The Great Pirate 3' from even entering the filming process," Jenna calmly reminded.
Franca sighed. "I know, this is just proposing an idea. We'll see if it's feasible later."
…
The next afternoon, in the administrative department of the Tech Building.
Franca was busy making charts when she suddenly saw Luo Shan, who had just been called to the HR department, return with a dejected and confused expression.
"What's wrong?" Franca stopped typing.
Luo Shan spoke as if in a dream. "They want to fire me.
"HR said that Mr. Huang passed by earlier, saw me slacking off, and got very angry. He plans to fire me directly…
"I-I haven't even finished paying off my mortgage…"
What kind of reason is this? There are at least seventeen or eighteen people in the administrative department who slack off more than Luo Shan, why fire only her? Franca's first reaction was to help Luo Shan seek justice.
Her second reaction was: Dammit, is this Mr. Huang's purge of Zhou Mingrui's friends?
Has the mirrored Roselle completed initial control over Mr. Huang?
Has Zaratulstra targeted Luo Shan because of her previous warning to Zhou Mingrui?
If Luo Shan doesn't commute with me, the Mirror Substitution won't be able to work, unless Jenna follows her all the time, but Jenna might soon receive a contract from Hall Film Company…
This way, Luo Shan would be in danger…
Before Franca could comfort Luo Shan and think of a countermeasure, she heard her phone vibrate.
She picked it up and saw it was a friend request on WeChat.
The requester was: "Bernadette."
Queen Mystic has arrived? Talk about a stroke of luck! Franca quickly accepted the request, then said to Luo Shan, "Don't worry, there aren't many people working in the administrative department anyway. When Mr. Ed comes, you can plead your case to him, and he should be able to persuade Mr. Huang.
"If that doesn't work, try to negotiate for higher severance pay."
And I will seek justice for you from Miss Huang!
"Mm-hmm." Luo Shan walked back to her desk, dejectedly waiting for Mr. Ed to appear.
Meanwhile, Franca received a message from Bernadette: "Come to Room 101 on the 8th floor."
8th floor? That doesn't belong to any of the Intis Group companies… However, according to Lumian's interpretation, the companies on those floors symbolize the erosion and influence of different secret organizations and evil god cults on Intis, including Queen Mystic's Element Dawn… Franca stood up, didn't say anything to Deputy Director Zhang Qing, and used going to the bathroom as an excuse to leave the administrative department and take the elevator down to the 8th floor.
Half of the 8th floor belonged to Dawn Children's Publishing Company. The receptionist didn't even glance at Franca, allowing her to enter.
Franca found that the facial recognition access control wasn't activated, and no employees came out along the way, allowing her to easily reach Room 101.
Bernie Huang, wearing a spaghetti strap top with fringes at the hem and long jeans, sat in the sofa area, exuding a youthful aura.
This is the college student version of Queen Mystic… Franca walked over, greeted her, and sat down.
"What happened?" Bernie Huang's demeanor and posture were different from that of a college student.
Franca recounted how Mr. Huang seemed to be able to sense the gaze from within the mirror, how the mirrored Roselle in the real world appeared to be missing, and how Zaratulstra had been spending several hours with Mr. Huang every day recently.
Finally, she mentioned the trouble Luo Shan had encountered.
Bernie Huang listened quietly, then nodded gently.
"Regarding my father, I will observe and probe. This will take some time, maybe a few days, maybe a week or two.
"As for Luo Shan's problem, you'll have to solve it yourselves. If I intervene on Luo Shan's behalf, it could easily expose my connection with you.
"If you can resolve Luo Shan's trouble, at least prevent her from entering the handover process for a week, I'll give you a reward."
Isn't this our business? Why are you still paying me as a reward? It's me asking for your help, not you asking for mine… Franca instantly recalled the Star Dream Provisions Store incident and roughly understood that Queen Mystic was finding reasons and excuses to give money to her and the others.
"Alright," Franca agreed immediately.
After leaving Room 101, on her way back upstairs, she seriously considered how to prevent Luo Shan from being fired.
Instigate Mr. Ed to plead on her behalf? That only has a certain chance of success…
Make Mr. Huang's decision to fire Luo Shan disappear? I can't do that, but I can find a way to delay it for a few days…
Pursue both approaches simultaneously…
Franca, always capable of thinking out of the box, took out her phone and told Lumian her ideas and the potential aftermath issues.
Soon, she received a reply from The Idiot: "Plausible."
Franca immediately deleted the chat history using the Information Shredder and then returned to the administrative department.
When Mr. Ed entered his office, she stood up and accompanied Luo Shan to plead their case, spreading mystical pathogens along the way.
Yes, she was going to spread a disease.
She chose mystical pathogens that gave people a chance to get some sick leave, something they could recover quickly upon returning home!
Mystical pathogens that caused stomach flu!
After nearly ten minutes, Franca discreetly Instigated Mr. Ed, making him agree to plead on Luo Shan's behalf.
After the two left the director's office, they saw many colleagues looking pale, vomiting into nearby trash cans, while others rushed to the bathrooms on different floors.
"What's wrong?" Luo Shan asked a colleague with concern.
The male colleague, holding his stomach, said, "I don't know, everyone suddenly started vomiting and having diarrhea. Could it be food poisoning?"
Seeing this, Franca urgently called the police and dialed the emergency number for Crimson Moon Hospital.
While the administrative department staff waited for the ambulances and other department staff came to help, Franca covered her mouth and started dry heaving.
"I've been affected too…" she said to Luo Shan.
Luo Shan assessed her own physical condition. "I feel it a little, but I'm okay."
Soon, ambulances from Crimson Moon Hospital arrived and took the affected administrative department staff to the hospital.
The entire administrative department was suddenly left with only four people, one of whom was Luo Shan.
Mr. Ed looked at Luo Shan, his expression grave, and said, "You hold down the fort for now. Don't worry about the firing."
"Okay." Luo Shan was both confused and bewildered.
From earlier, Lumian, as a security guard, had been running up and down, helping the administrative department staff go to Crimson Moon Hospital.
During this process, he found an opportunity to get close to Franca, and they exchanged a glance.
As agreed, Lumian spread the mystical pathogen causing stomach flu to Franca, in case she went to the hospital later and nothing was found, making her a suspect.
"How did they get food poisoning?" Old Xia looked at the departing vehicles and asked confusedly, "Everyone ate at the same cafeteria, didn't they? Did they order some unclean takeout?"
"Who knows," Lumian said as he turned to walk back, receiving a message from Franca.
The message read: "You can go check out the administrative department. Those who can still maintain some health and continue working are likely to be Beyonders, like Luo Shan."
-x-X-x-
When Lumian arrived at the administrative department, several professionals were already there collecting physical evidence for analysis, including but not limited to leftover milk tea, liquid from the water dispenser, discarded takeout containers, vomit, and swabs from computers, desks, and air conditioning vents…
After they finished, another group of specialists began a full disinfection process.
During this time, Luo Shan and the other administrative staff who were still working could only wait in the hallway.
At a glance, Lumian noticed that besides Mr. Ed and Luo Shan, only two people seemed unaffected by the mystical pathogen. Their complexion and movements appeared quite normal.
One was a male, relatively tall by Yangdu standards, standing over six feet. The other was a woman in her thirties, with a round face, slightly overweight, not particularly attractive but not ugly either.
They don't seem to be after Mr. Huang… or rather, not after Mr. Huang's body… Why would Beyonders work diligently in the Intis Group's administrative department? Lumian tried to fathom their intentions based on his own thinking.
Of course, he couldn't be certain that there weren't any Beyonders among those who went to Crimson Moon Hospital. Perhaps there was a Demoness waiting for a chance to have a taste of Mr. Huang, but upon sensing the presence and erosion of the mystical pathogen, she feigned severe symptoms and went to the hospital to avoid being discovered?
Luo Shan also noticed the reportedly handsome security guard and felt he lived up to her expectations.
After a while, Mr. Ed received a phone call.
"The problems aren't serious, and the situation has stabilized?" Mr. Ed asked happily.
Then he heard Zhang Qing on the other end say: "The test results show a mild viral infection. The doctor said they can go home after finishing their IV drips, take medication for two more days, rest a bit, and they'll be fine.
"More than a dozen people have already applied for sick leave, planning to stay home for a couple of days to recover. They're also asking if this counts as a work-related injury and if there's any compensation."
Mr. Ed's temple twitched as he suppressed his emotions and said, "They should rest at home. We can't have them forcing themselves to work and risking more serious problems. As for whether it counts as a work-related injury, ask the legal department when you get back."
"Alright," Zhang Qing said, "But there are also more than a dozen people who say they want to come back to work, however…"
"However what?" Mr. Ed asked.
Zhang Qing replied ambiguously, "They're all the ones who like to dress up, except for Luo Fu."
Even sick beauties were beauties—Mr. Huang might feel sympathetic when he saw them.
Mr. Ed was momentarily speechless.
Is it only the new employees who are eager to work and take their jobs seriously?
Meanwhile, Lumian used the incident in the administrative department as an excuse to keep watch nearby, occasionally offering help.
This was also to guard against Luo Shan being eliminated by the Celestial Worthy's subordinates in the chaos—as a Painter, she had some ability to protect herself, but she clearly lacked experience and could easily let her guard down in crowded situations. Now, with Franca in the hospital, she couldn't rely on Mirror Substitution to escape a first strike.
After Franca returned from Crimson Moon Hospital to help Luo Shan and others deal with the backlog of work, Lumian and Old Xia went back to the security department on the thirteenth floor.
He continued to ponder how to treat An Xiaotian.
He believed that An Xiaotian becoming a vegetable was symbolic, representing the decline and disappearance of Antigonus's spiritual imprint within The Fool's Uniqueness. This couldn't be reversed through normal methods, so he had to seek a solution from the essence.
Find a way to strengthen Antigonus's spiritual imprint within The Fool's Uniqueness? But Antigonus can't enter Mr. Fool's dream now. Even if He's willing to provide the corresponding items, we'd have to corrupt Zhou Mingrui, the symbol of The Fool's Uniqueness, to achieve our goal. This would damage our image in Zhou Mingrui's mind, wasting all our previous efforts, and it's extremely dangerous.
Franca and Jenna's approach isn't wrong. Using the power of the Great Mother might awaken An Xiaotian, but it's not treatment or having An Xiaotian have a child. It's new birth, symbolically meaning that Antigonus's spiritual imprint within The Fool's Uniqueness is reborn. Whether the reborn An Xiaotian is a friend or foe is hard to say, but he would inevitably interfere with Mr. Fool's awakening…
Sequence 7 Heretic Spellmaster of the Villain pathway can perform rebirth rituals. Theoretically, Great Mother bestowed like Grimm can wake An Xiaotian, but it involves reversing symbolism. I estimate only a rebirth ritual performed by someone with godhood would be effective. In the dream city, Grimm and others believe only I, the fake Child of God, have this, while others don't. Well, there should be another place that has it, the basement of Mushu Hospital, but sending An Xiaotian there would be purely creating an enemy for ourselves…
After pondering for a long time, Lumian felt that both current approaches had significant problems. The hidden dangers and negative impacts far outweighed the gains, and it wasn't something he and his companions would choose.
He began to consider this matter from the perspective of finding loopholes.
Soon, he thought of someone: Li Keji!
Mr. Fool's subconscious understanding of Li Keji's mushrooms should come from Gehrman Sparrow's interactions with Frank Lee.
From what we've seen, he seems to think Li Keji's mushrooms are quite dangerous, with various possibilities, producing some incredible effects.
The essence of this city is a dream, and dreams are idealistic. As long as Mr. Fool truly believes Li Keji's mushrooms can achieve incredible things, Li Keji could create a mushroom to treat An Xiaotian and wake him up!
It's not the mushroom treating An Xiaotian, but Mr. Fool's subconscious being guided to reverse the symbolism.
Of course, that awakening would inevitably be distorted, abnormal, and horrifying, but if An Xiaotian could use this to say everything he wants to warn me, it would be acceptable… The more Lumian thought about it, the more he felt that using Li Keji might be useful.
He planned to find an opportunity to talk with Li Keji through the door of the hospital room.
The original of this biology teacher was really a Doctor!
…
Jenna, who was observing other incarnations corresponding to Mr. Fool, received a call from Hall Film Company, asking her to head over to the talent department tomorrow to sign a manager contract.
Phew… I have a job now too. Jenna breathed a sigh of relief.
She even looked forward to filming movies and TV dramas but felt that the matter of awakening Mr. Fool wouldn't drag on that long, not until she joined a production.
At the same time, she felt that Hall Film Company was managed quite well. She had thought some interviewer would call in advance, hinting that she needed to do something to have a chance at a good contract.
She was prepared to use Charm to make the relevant personnel lose themselves, but nothing happened.
This was different from some things she had seen and heard at the Théâtre de l'Ancienne Cage à Pigeons.
As expected of a film company founded by Madam Justice… Jenna felt relieved.
…
After dark.
Lumian, who knew the target's schedule, took advantage of Zaratulstra's absence from the hotel to cross over from the mirror world and retrieve the surveillance content stored in the pinhole cameras and listening devices.
After midnight, he returned to the rented apartment in Xinhong District and used his phone to play back Zaratulstra's activities in the hotel room.
This wasn't to spy on what Zaratulstra was plotting or planning to accomplish—though that would be a bonus. Lumian's main purpose was to observe Zaratulstra's behavior when alone, to find out how many marionettes he could currently maintain, how often he summoned Historical Void images, how long these images would dissipate on their own, and other such information.
This was preparation for an upcoming surprise attack and encirclement to kill Zaratulstra.
Although Zaratulstra was also suppressed to Sequence 7, he still had an Angel's rank. Many of his abilities' effects and ranges were somewhat different from a true Sequence 7.
Take the number of marionettes, for example. A normal Marionettist who had just advanced to Sequence 5 could only control one marionette. If restricted to Sequence 7 level, theoretically, they wouldn't be able to control marionettes at all, only using marionettization for killing. But this ability might qualitatively change at Sequence 4 and Sequence 2, reducing spirituality consumption and lowering control difficulty. After that, even if the ability was suppressed to Sequence 7, it would still essentially exist, just with less pronounced effects.
In other words, Zaratulstra could still control marionettes, but the number was very limited—perhaps two, perhaps only one. Lumian now needed to confirm these details.
Without grasping the relevant intelligence, if they directly launched a surprise attack and tried to encircle and kill Zaratulstra, given their superior numbers, they might have some hope of defeating or forcing him to retreat. But achieving their predetermined goal would be almost impossible. The Seer pathway was known for its strong survival abilities!
Lumian stared intently at the phone screen, not missing any detail.
For now, he was skipping through, selecting only scenes with human activity.
When the surveillance video reached 11 pm last night, Lumian saw Zaratulstra, dressed in a black robe, walk to the door and open it.
Someone entered from outside.
The person wore sunglasses even at night, dressed in a black T-shirt and dark jeans that wouldn't attract attention, about six feet tall.
Who could it be? Lumian's focus intensified.
After entering the room, the person looked left and right, then removed the sunglasses perched on their nose, revealing a face quite familiar to Lumian.
He had seen videos of this person being interviewed and participating in certain activities online.
It was Jia Yu, the actor who played Gehrman Sparrow!
He doesn't look too much like Zhou Mingrui, which shouldn't be a problem, so why is he visiting Zaratulstra late at night? What have we missed? Lumian's pupils dilated as he watched more intently.
He was grateful for the technology that provided him with assistance, but also worried that Zaratulstra might have already discovered the presence of the pinhole cameras and listening devices, deliberately staging this scene.
Jia Yu sat down in the sofa area and talked with Zaratulstra for nearly fifteen minutes, then stood up and left.
Lumian quickly stopped playing the surveillance video, deciding to first listen to whether the listening device had recorded any dialog during that time period.
-x-X-x-
Lumian quickly found the conversation between Zaratulstra and Jia Yu. The gist was that Zaratulstra wanted to poach Jia Yu for a newly established film and television company.
This company would be funded by the restructured Intis Group, which would also help pay the penalty for breaking Jia Yu's contract in the final year.
Additionally, Jia Yu would receive a hefty signing bonus, better contract terms, stronger resources, and endorsement deals with Intis Group's luxury goods company.
Lumian raised an eyebrow as he listened.
You're really discussing business cooperation?
Is this what I wanted to hear?
After Zaratulstra's repeated promises, Jia Yu was clearly tempted, saying he'd consider it and give a final answer in two days.
Lumian looked at his phone, hit pause, and replayed the conversation in his mind.
He turned to Anthony at the side of the table and mused, "Two key points:
"One, Jia Yu, the actor who played Gehrman Sparrow, is still useful. The Celestial Worthy's subordinates value him highly and want to bring him under their control, preparing for certain future developments.
"Two, Zaratulstra doesn't actually have much money. He only has an identity and company woven from dreams, which are outside this city and exist only as rumors. He needs the merger and restructuring with Intis Group to turn them into real money and resources. This can be deduced from the fact that all the benefits promised to Jia Yu can only be delivered after Intis Group funds the establishment of the film company, rather than writing an irresistible check on the spot.
"With Beyonder abilities restricted, the importance of money and resources is greatly amplified. I really want to know who won that unclaimed first prize earlier."
At this point, Lumian's expression turned cold.
"Another point we overlooked before is that once Intis Group completes the restructuring with Zaratulstra's company that's part of the plot background, Zaratulstra will gain access to a large amount of resources and money, which is very unfavorable for us.
"And whether or not Mr. Huang has been eroded and controlled by the mirrored Roselle, this merger will proceed. The only difference is whether Zaratulstra's benefits will be substantial or just average. As long as he's willing to compromise and give up some interests, the merger and restructuring will likely happen."
Anthony nodded slightly and said, "Contacting Zhou Mingrui, doing something in secret, and clearing out some dream characters; using the mirrored Roselle to influence Mr. Huang, eroding and controlling this tycoon; and promoting the merger of the two companies—these are the three main things Zaratulstra has done since coming to Yangdu. Some are overt, some covert, making it easy for us to focus on the first thing and overlook the latter two. By the time we realize it, he may have already created the momentum he needs, vast and unstoppable.
"Is this what an Angel who has lived for one or two thousand years is like?
"However, it's surprising that He knows how to use corporate mergers and acquisitions in the dream city to turn virtual wealth into reality. He doesn't seem like an old fossil at all."
He, Lumian, and Jenna hadn't even thought about this aspect before, nor had Franca, who was just an undergraduate student before her transmigration and had almost no exposure to the business world.
"Did you forget that his current body belongs to another transmigrator?" Lumian suddenly smiled, "The operation to eliminate Zaratulstra must be launched as soon as possible."
"But we need to be wary that it might be a trap to lure us in," Anthony reminded Lumian.
Lumian nodded and stood up. "I'm going to chat with a friend now."
After giving some of the food from his Traveler's Bag to Ludwig, he used Teleportation and Mirror Traversal to arrive at the psychiatric ward of Crimson Moon Hospital.
Li Keji was still confined there.
Lumian changed into a more feminine shirt and loose trousers, transforming back into the appearance of a Demoness of Despair.
He gathered his black hair behind his back, letting it fall naturally, then stepped out of the mirror-like object and gently landed at the door of Li Keji's room.
Knock, knock, knock. Lumian gently tapped on the steel door.
He and Li Keji were on opposite sides of the door, so he couldn't use the Bottle of Fiction to isolate the environment.
After a few seconds, Lumian saw a plump, white mushroom cautiously poke its cap out from behind the iron grate in the upper part of the metal door, then quickly retract.
I really want to throw a Fire of Destruction ball in there… Lumian grumbled as Li Keji's densely hairy face appeared at the window blocked by the iron grate.
"Who are you?" Li Keji asked, instinctively brightening.
"I'm here to rescue you," Lumian replied with a smile.
Li Keji shook his head. "No need, no need, I believe in the law!"
The law doesn't believe in you… Lumian thought to himself.
He took the opportunity to say, "Actually, I want to ask for your help."
"Do you want mushrooms?" Li Keji became excited, "I have many types of mushrooms here…"
He was about to start a lengthy introduction.
Lumian interrupted him. "I've heard about your ideas from someone, but I think they might be a bit too narrow."
"Too narrow?" Li Keji was taken aback.
Lumian nodded solemnly.
"For humans, food is indeed important, but it's not everything for survival.
"Diseases can also cause people to lose their lives prematurely. Haven't you thought about creating more magical mushrooms, each variety capable of treating one or multiple types of diseases?"
"That's too difficult." Li Keji fell into deep thought. "It's impossible to treat diseases by crossbreeding cows, fish, wheat, and mushrooms. Do we need to crossbreed with something else… implant my gene fragments into mushrooms, fusing the genes that produce healing power with the mushrooms? But gene fragments and transgenic technology alone are not enough…"
Lumian's eyelid twitched, and he said sincerely, "I have a friend who became a vegetative state due to a car accident, but I feel he still has a bit of consciousness.
"Can you think of a way to use your mushrooms to cure him, wake him up, but still retain that bit of his own consciousness?"
Li Keji was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Let me think about it. I can't guarantee it will work."
"Alright, I'll come back in a couple of days to hear your answer." Lumian stepped back two paces and disappeared into the shadows by the wall.
Throughout this conversation, he had been using Instigation with a hint of Charm.
…
The next morning, at the talent department of Hall Film Company.
Jenna entered an office, facing one of the female interviewers from before.
"Have a seat." The female interviewer pointed to the sofa area. "Let me introduce myself, I'm Mei Xin, head of the talent department at Hall Film Company. My English name is Christine."
She sat down and said to Jenna, "Before our legal colleague arrives, let me briefly explain the main terms of the contract.
"Your appearance and acting skills meet our requirements very well. In the industry, our Hall Film Company treats new actors the best. The contract is only for three years, with a monthly base salary of 4,000. You can keep 50% of all your income, including film fees and endorsement fees. We will also provide you with various training and professional makeup artists, and so on.
"The most important point is that the company's resources will be significantly tilted towards our own people.
"Once you've gained fame and have representative works, the contract can be renegotiated at any time to increase your profit-sharing ratio and gain some autonomy. And if this contract expires, we only ask for the right of first refusal for the new contract, under equal conditions…"
Jenna listened attentively, feeling quite involved. Although she didn't expect to stay in the dream city for a year or two, this might be her only chance to sign an actor's contract.
Finally, Mei Xin said, "After signing the contract, we will advance you 30,000 yuan to help you settle in and buy clothes. This amount will be deducted in installments from your future income, without interest."
30,000 yuan right after signing? Jenna didn't hide her change in expression.
Quick! I want to sign now!
With this money, plus the 30,000 yuan fee Bernie Huang gave to Franca yesterday, the team's savings would reach nearly 240,000 yuan. They could rent the magic mirror Arrodes from Star Dream Provisions Store!
Having such a magic mirror to help before launching the operation against Zaratulstra would be a major advantage!
During this time, whenever Lumian and the others visited Star Dream Provisions Store, they would try not to rent the mirror and instead ask questions directly on the spot to get answers. However, they were never successful. That first time when they got answers seemed to be just a coincidence, or perhaps such a benefit could only be enjoyed after a very long interval. Similarly, Franca's Magic Mirror Divination ritual aimed at Arrodes also failed to get any feedback.
Soon, an employee from the legal department of Hall Film Company arrived with the contract.
Jenna read all the terms carefully, albeit with some difficulty, asked a few questions, and then promptly completed the signing.
Before she left Hall Film Company, the advance settlement fee had already been deposited into her account.
To her disappointment, Jia Yu didn't seem to come to the company today, so she couldn't bump into him and make initial contact by pretending to be a fan asking for an autograph.
…
At 2 pm.
Jenna arrived at Star Dream Provisions Store.
Only after entering the shop did she send a message to Franca, Lumian, and the others: "You can transfer the money to me now."
She hadn't done this in advance for fear of encountering obstacles along the way.
If they lost all their money because of this, their previous efforts would have been in vain!
Lumian and the others, who had been waiting in different places, quickly completed the transfers, each keeping only enough for living expenses for the next week.
Jenna walked up to the cashier and said to the shopkeeper, "Hello, can I rent that mirror?"
She was referring to the magic mirror Arrodes.
Earlier, the team had already discussed what would be best to rent first. Considering that the magic mirror Arrodes was the only item Mr. Fool carried while sleeping, as well as the specific rental price and the symbolic meaning of Demonesses in the dream world, they finally decided to rent this mirror.
"220,000 for one day." The shopkeeper raised her head and smiled in the suddenly dimmed light.
"Alright." Jenna didn't haggle.
After she completed the payment through the store's POS machine and signed a very simple rental contract, the shopkeeper said while lowering her head, "You can take that mirror now. Return it by 3 pm tomorrow."
Jenna instinctively swallowed and walked to the shelf, picking up the silver mirror with black eyeball-like objects on both sides.
After placing the magic mirror Arrodes into the Traveler's Bag, Jenna quietly let out a sigh of relief.
It wasn't easy!
Saving money really wasn't easy!
-x-X-x-
Late at night, in room 2303 of Dechuang Garden.
Lumian, Franca, and Jenna sat side by side on the long sofa, with the silver mirror bearing ancient patterns and black gemstones on each side placed in front of them.
Anthony had taken Ludwig out for a late-night snack, politely avoiding the question-and-answer session with the magic mirror Arrodes.
Of course, they had already discussed and decided which questions to ask beforehand, focusing mainly on two parts: first, Zaratulstra's current situation, and second, matters related to the dream city.
They had listed over twenty questions, but considering the subconscious limitations of the dream on various aspects, they believed it impossible to keep asking until all their doubts were answered by the magic mirror Arrodes. They suspected that the mirror could only answer a limited number of questions at a time or in a day, just like how Magic Mirror Divination normally only allowed three questions. Therefore, Lumian adjusted the order of the questions, placing the most important and crucial ones at the beginning.
"Shall we start?" Jenna turned her head to look at Lumian.
Lumian nodded and said calmly, "I'll go."
"No, we'll take turns. We can't let you bear the mirror's questions alone," Franca emphasized. "It must be fair!"
She felt that she should also make some sacrifices and not always let Lumian face the terrifying questions of the magic mirror Arrodes.
Lumian glanced at her. "Alright, you go first."
Franca took a deep breath and looked at the magic mirror Arrodes.
"Great Arrodes, may I ask you a question?"
Since they had already rented the magic mirror from Star Dream Provisions Store, she didn't follow the mystical ritual procedure and directly inquired of the other party.
The surface of the ancient silver mirror instantly became dark, as if sinking to the bottom of lightless waters. Rows of blood-colored words in ancient Feysac then appeared: "I can answer any question you ask, but you must also answer an equal number of questions from me, in the presence of at least one witness.
"If you refuse to answer, or if you lie, you will face punishment."
Franca recalled the list of questions and carefully phrased her words, "My question is, what are the current manifestations of Zaratulstra's Beyonder powers in the dream city?"
This was one of the questions their team most wanted to know the answer to.
When Lumian watched the surveillance footage and listened to the wiretapped conversation last night, he only confirmed one point:
Zaratulstra's summoning of images from the Historical Void had significant limitations. He wouldn't always use historical projections to replace himself in activities while hiding in the fog of history—before going to open the door for Jia Yu, he pulled out a past version of himself from the Historical Void, and that historical projection then communicated with Jia Yu for nearly a quarter of an hour.
Based on this, Lumian speculated that Zaratulstra would only use historical projections to replace himself for a period of time when he felt danger or had to face certain problematic individuals. As for disguising marionettes as his true self, Lumian believed that the Sequence 7 Faceless ability probably couldn't achieve this, but he didn't rule out the possibility that a similar ability descended from Sequence 2 to Sequence 7 might be able to.
The blood-red ancient Feysac words on the surface of the magic mirror Arrodes writhed and changed, revealing row after row:
"Zaratulstra can currently manipulate two marionettes. Through Spirit Body Threads, He can initially control a target for 20 seconds, and completely marionettize them in 1 minute and 30 seconds;
"His marionette manipulation range is 50 meters. He can switch positions with the marionettes. The marionettes can use their own abilities as well as borrow all of His abilities, but all at the Sequence 7 level;
"He can only maintain the existence of one Historical Void image at a time, including people, objects, scenes, and spirituality;
"He can currently maintain summoned Angel-level Historical Void images for 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on His closeness to or understanding of the corresponding target. If He summons His past Sequence 1 self, it can be maintained for 1 minute and 30 seconds. If summoning His Sequence 2 self, it's 3 minutes. His past selves below angelic level can be maintained for up to a quarter of an hour. Other people, objects, and scenes below angelic level range from two to ten minutes;
"His Shapeshifting ability allows marionettes to disguise themselves as Him, surpassing any makeup effect. However, upon careful observation, differences can still be seen to determine authenticity;
"He can also Wish, creating some miracles, but the effects of these miracles are still restricted to the Sequence 7 level;
"His past Sequence 1 self could make the Spirit Body Threads of the dead or certain objects reappear, thereby marionettizing them. If one eats marionettized food, they will be corrupted and gradually become marionettized;
"His past Sequence 1 self could also Graft physical entities or abstract concepts that normally couldn't be directly connected, combining them to achieve incredible effects. However, these incredible effects are still only at the Sequence 7 level;
"His past Sequence 1 self could distort space and time, creating a Realm of Mysteries that surpasses the Bottle of Fiction and possesses concealed properties;
…
"His Air Straw is twenty meters long, potentially helping Him avoid areas densely populated with mystical pathogens."
The magic mirror Arrodes described all of Zaratulstra's abilities and their current manifestations, causing the blood-red words on the mirror's surface to change several times.
However, it didn't provide enough details about the Sequence 2 and Sequence 1 level abilities, only briefly mentioning them.
The mirror is really working hard to awaken Mr. Fool… Franca couldn't help but grumble inwardly after reading everything carefully.
Lumian, meanwhile, recalled the historical projection of Zaratulstra that had conversed with Jia Yu.
Judging from the fact that they had talked for nearly a quarter of an hour, Lumian deduced that it was a Historical Void image of Zaratulstra before he became an Angel.
This also indicated that Zaratulstra wasn't a born mythical creature, but had ascended step by step from lower Sequences.
After displaying Zaratulstra's current abilities, the blood-colored words on the surface of the ancient silver mirror changed again:
"Based on the principle of reciprocity, it's my turn to ask a question.
"If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished."
Franca gritted her teeth and nodded slightly.
What do they not know about me? There's nothing to be afraid of!
On the mirror, new words began to form, composing a sentence: "After entering the dream city, have you ever thought about doing something with Lumian when Jenna wasn't around?"
Dammit, that's harsh… Franca didn't dare look at Jenna and squeezed out a word through her teeth. "Yes…"
She immediately defended herself, "I just thought about it occasionally, never put it into practice! This is Mr. Fool's dream, how dare I do anything inappropriate? If Mr. Fool's subconscious remembers it, I'd be socially dead for real!"
Lumian glanced at the rapidly speaking Franca and the silent Jenna, suspecting that while making Franca feel ashamed and embarrassed, the magic mirror Arrodes might also have a hidden intention of helping Jenna digest the Affliction potion.
It's really going all out to wake up Mr. Fool…
Franca finally finished speaking and mustered the courage to look at Jenna, receiving an encouraging smile and slight nod from her.
Lumian spoke on Franca's behalf, "The second question is, has Zaratulstra discovered my surveillance?"
The ancient silver mirror with two black gemstones like eyes displayed new blood-colored words: "Zaratulstra discovered that someone was spying through mirror-like objects, but doesn't know who. He also learned about the existence of pinhole cameras and wiretaps, because He has a Saint-level Seer subordinate living next door who can marionettize mosquitoes and hide them in the room to observe the situation."
So, when I cautiously used the Fire of Destruction to burn all spiritually imbued things in Zaratulstra's room, it made him alert that someone had infiltrated his room. After a covert search, he discovered the pinhole cameras and wiretaps? But because his marionette subordinate died, he only knows someone infiltrated his room, not who it was… Lumian immediately analyzed the important information hidden in the magic mirror Arrodes' answer.
At the same time, he suspected that Zaratulstra knew Mr. Huang had concealed the fact that someone was spying through mirror-like objects but didn't expose it on the spot.
Moreover, knowing there was surveillance, Zaratulstra still had Jia Yu come to his room for a private conversation. Was this to mislead us, making us think Jia Yu was important and focus our attention there? But his plan to poach Jia Yu wasn't a sudden decision; it should have started before I went to spy on him in the hotel room… Does he think that deep contact with Jia Yu holds hidden dangers, and without knowing certain details, it could easily lead to him being kicked out of the dream? So he deliberately exposed his intentions to let us step on the landmine? Lumian's thoughts were in turmoil, feeling that Zaratulstra—this Seer—was really quite similar to a Conspirer, his mind full of conspiracies and schemes.
Now that he knew Zaratulstra had discovered his spying and had been acting all along, Lumian could design targeted action plans.
Demonesses had ways and abilities to evade the dangerous premonitions of a Seer!
After answering, the magic mirror Arrodes routinely displayed the corresponding prompt before posing a question to Lumian: "Is your feeling for Franca and Jenna love, or just valuing them?"
Lumian fell momentarily quiet before responding, "I value them."
After a few seconds of silence in the sofa area, Jenna moved forward slightly and said, "It's my turn to ask."
Lumian and Franca both nodded.
Jenna recalled the list of prepared questions and looked at the ancient silver mirror.
"The third question is, who was the last person to rent you?"
The blood-red words on the mirror's surface suddenly disappeared, leaving only a faint shimmer of water.
After several seconds, a few words appeared on the deep, dark surface of the mirror—the unique text of the dream city, all in a pale white color: "It's Peng Deng."
Peng Deng? The person who spent 220,000 to rent the magic mirror Arrodes for a day was Peng Deng? Lumian, Franca, and Jenna were all shocked.
-x-X-x-
Regarding who had previously rented the magic mirror, Lumian and the others had various guesses, but they never imagined it would be Peng Deng.
Where did Peng Deng get so much money?
Why did Peng Deng want to rent the magic mirror Arrodes?
What exactly did Peng Deng want to do?
Lumian, Jenna, and Franca looked at each other, all feeling it necessary to adjust the order of questions and temporarily add some related to Peng Deng renting the mirror.
At this moment, the pale white text on the silver mirror's surface twisted and writhed, turning blood-red again and stretching into individual ancient Feysac words:
"Based on the principle of reciprocity, it's my turn to ask a question.
"If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished."
Jenna nodded slightly, beginning to think about what question to ask next.
The blood-red words on the mirror changed to new content: "Have you considered how you would intimately get along with Lumian and Franca if you switched to the Hunter pathway in the future and became male?"
That's quite a subtle way of asking… Jenna sensed Arrodes' goodwill.
Although it was still quite embarrassing, for someone who was once a Showy Diva, she could answer with her eyes closed. "I have thought about it."
Franca's mind suddenly flashed with a thought: Thought about being on top or on top?
She steadied herself and looked at the mirror.
"The fourth question, what did Peng Deng do with the help of the great Arrodes?"
On the surface of the ancient silver mirror, the blood-red words quickly faded away, the watery sheen receded, and it no longer had a deep, dark feel.
Franca's question went unanswered.
"So it's only three questions…" She sighed in disappointment.
Lumian thought for a moment and said, "Let's try asking again before returning it to Star Dream Provisions Store this afternoon. Perhaps the interval between inquiries is calculated by time, not by rental frequency."
"Mm." Jenna nodded.
Of course, she would be responsible for returning the rental.
…
Friday morning.
Zhou Mingrui, busy at his workstation, felt his phone vibrate beside him.
He picked it up and saw a message from Luo Shan: "I might be losing my job. Let me treat you to dinner again tonight."
"What happened?" Zhou Mingrui asked, both puzzled and concerned.
Luo Shan sent a "😂" emoji:
"I'll tell you when we have dinner. Oh, and Luo Fu will be there too."
"Alright, should I choose what to eat, or will you?" Zhou Mingrui politely asked.
"It's my treat, so of course I'll choose!" Luo Shan quickly replied.
After putting down his phone, Zhou Mingrui focused on his computer screen, as if seriously evaluating his previous work results.
In reality, he was thinking about Luo Shan's situation.
How could she suddenly lose her job? The last time we had dinner, Luo Shan was praising Mr. Huang for paying well and the relaxed work atmosphere. She didn't seem to have any intention of quitting…
Is it because of her special circumstances that she must change her workplace, or does the company want to fire her, or both?
About half of the administrative department came because of Mr. Huang. Luo Shan is considered a very qualified employee. There's no reason for the HR department to actively fire her. Moreover, the company's overall revenue and profits have reached new highs, and they even said the administrative department was short-staffed, specifically hiring Luo Fu…
Has Luo Shan shown any unusual behavior or done anything problematic recently?
Zhou Mingrui thought back and forth, feeling that after Luo Shan discarded those original paintings, everything seemed normal, except for secretly forming a group with Luo Fu and Li Ming, and warning him to be wary of Zaratulstra.
The group is in talks with Zaratulstra's company about a merger and restructuring… Luo Shan has warned me twice to be careful of Zaratulstra… Luo Shan then gets suddenly being fired…
Is there a connection between these events?
Well, after Luo Fu warned me last time, she was off for a few days. Tonight, she and Luo Shan might hint at something again… Because his previous interactions with Luo Shan and Luo Fu hadn't brought any abnormalities or led to attacks or difficulties, Zhou Mingrui wasn't averse to having another meal with them and listening to what they had to say.
Frankly, if it weren't for Luo Shan and Li Ming hinting three times since Sunday to be wary of Zaratulstra, he would have felt that everything around him was calm and normal, without any issues, as if he had never drunk the Assassin beverage.
But the more it seemed so, the stranger Zhou Mingrui felt, as if he were trapped in a cocoon, with various abnormalities lingering outside, waiting for a chance to invade, yet invisible to him.
So he was trying hard to probe, and contacting Luo Shan and Luo Fu was part of that effort.
…
Hall Film Company, Talent Department.
The young employee who had previously introduced various situations to Jenna smiled at her.
"I'm Jiang Yue. I'm responsible for helping you new recruits connect with various departments of the company. You can come to me for anything."
"What a coincidence." Jenna, who had changed into a short-sleeved chiffon blouse, smiled back.
Jiang Yue looked around and said, "This isn't a coincidence, it's destiny.
"Why was I waiting outside the conference room to take the interviewees out? It's because I'm responsible for these matters later on. Well, I'm not the only one in charge of you new recruits. When selecting, I chose you first. I have high hopes for you, keep it up!"
Whether Jiang Yue was sincere or not, these words made Jenna quite pleased, giving her a feeling of being valued and affirmed, naturally generating a happy mood.
Jiang Yue continued, "I thought you'd only report to work on Monday. The physical training courses and media response courses arranged for you are all next week. Well, today let's just chat casually. I'll give you a tour, and if we happen to meet a producer or director, you might get a chance to audition soon."
If I had come next week, Jia Yu might have already paid the penalty and left… Jenna followed Jiang Yue, walking forward in the Talent Department.
She glanced at Jia Yu's studio and said, "Jia Yu isn't here? I have a friend who's his fan. I wanted to get his autograph."
"He's not here. After The Great Pirate 3 blew up, he's been coming to the company less and less," Jiang Yue said with a complex tone. "Today he said he was going to attend a film-related event."
Jenna showed a disappointed expression on her face and nodded, saying, "The Great Pirate 3 is quite popular, with high box office numbers."
"Yeah, although those film critics all say it's just a qualified popcorn flick, audiences love watching popcorn flicks. What can those that don't even qualify compare with us?" Jiang Yue said, somewhat indignantly.
Jenna took this opportunity to ask, "So, is the company planning to make The Great Pirate 4?"
Jiang Yue lowered her voice. "There is such a plan, but the problem is that the romance queen is too slow. We've already finished filming and released The Great Pirate 3, but she still hasn't written The Great Pirate 4!"
After all, the person herself has been completely kicked out… After all, the dream manifestation's pen name is "Salted Fish Without Dreams"… Jenna continued Jiang Yue's conversation for a few sentences and then said, "Moreover, I see that The Great Pirate 3 is popular mainly because of the adventurer image of German Sparrow. If the next one doesn't have him as the main character, I think there will be big problems. The box office might even be a disaster, just like how The Great Pirate 1 and The Great Pirate 2 movies didn't have much fame."
This was laying the groundwork for the team's alternative awakening plan.
Jiang Yue was stunned for a moment. "The Great Pirate 1 and The Great Pirate 2 were never made into movies."
"Huh?" Jenna was stunned for two seconds and then said, "Then why is this movie directly called 'The Great Pirate 3'?"
"I don't know either," Jiang Yue answered with a bewildered face. "The big boss personally decided it, and no one else raised any objections. If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have remembered that the previous parts of 'The Great Pirate' series hadn't been made into movies…"
What's going on? How can they skip The Great Pirate 1 and The Great Pirate 2 and directly make The Great Pirate 3? Even if they skip, why not change the name instead of adding "3"? Amidst her confusion, Jenna vaguely grasped a key point.
This was related to one of Anderson Hood's reminders.
The master of the dream city is a symbol of loopholes and errors, so no matter how real this dream is, there will still be inconsistencies, loopholes, and places that make people feel terrified upon deep thought. It will still express the "dream" aspect!
A dream normally operates smoothly, but if outsiders do something beyond the norm and pointing to loopholes in between, could it create problems? For example, being illogically accepted by the masses, or being absurd and horrifying in the underlying realization of things…
After Madam Justice forcibly named this movie 'The Great Pirate 3' instead of 'The Great Adventurer', the dream manifestations naturally accepted it, and only outsiders could discover the discrepancy, while dream manifestations could perceive the problem after being reminded?
Madam Justice didn't mention this point because it was linked to An Xiaotian's car accident, and she forgot after being forced to leave the dream?
The reason for the loophole of The Great Pirate movie having 3 but no 1 and 2 is because Mr. Fool's subconscious believes this book series should indeed be made into movies? Jenna thought a lot in an instant.
She didn't delve deeper into this topic, fearing that Jiang Yue, as a dream manifestation, would become more confused and conflicted, leading to chaos in the corresponding dream and affecting herself.
"Since it can't be filmed later, The Great Pirate 3 can be made into stage plays, animations, TV series, games, and such, taking full advantage while the movie's popularity is still high." Jenna acted like an enthusiastic and kind-hearted audience member.
Jiang Yue nodded in agreement. "True."
She then said self-mockingly, "Is this something we can decide? Wait until the next meeting, and suggest it to our boss, Mei Xin. Let her whisper it to the big boss."
…
In a high-end hot pot restaurant with a proper stage.
In a private room on the second floor, Mr. Huang introduced to Zaratulstra beside him, "This hot pot restaurant has a unique feature. Later, there will be a face-changing performance, one of the local intangible cultural heritages…"
Zaratulstra, sitting next to the window, glanced at the large screens behind and around the stage, smiled and nodded slightly. "I'm looking forward to it."
Just as Mr. Huang was about to say something more, his phone suddenly rang.
The caller was "Bernie".
"Excuse me, I'll take this call first." Mr. Huang stood up with his phone and walked towards the door of the private room.