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He was concerned about one thing:

“Does that mean my mission is over?”

Clearly, combined with Count Poufer’s fondness for creating wax statue heads for friends he knew and the fact that a wax statue had attacked him, Lumian believed that he was now under suspicion by the other party. It would be very dangerous to interact with him again.

Gardner Martin shook his head slowly.

“No, you have to continue.”

Holding the cigar, he stood up and paced towards the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“The fact that you became the king after Poufer will undoubtedly make him suspicious of your origins, but he will be more eager to find out the real reason for that incident. The subsequent wax statue attack was mainly attributed to this.

“Therefore, he will still invite you over to test you in different ways and extract your hidden secrets. For us, this is an opportunity to confirm the true state of Vermonda and the Sauron family’s ancestors.

“And through this, we can grasp the reason for the gradual decline of this once exceptionally powerful family. This is of great significance to us, who are also mainly from the Hunter pathway. It is our primary mission now.

“To put it simply, the Sauron family is like Red Swan Castle. They’ve been in disrepair for a long time, but they hide many secrets. They have guards that can deter spying. What we need to do is figure out the castle’s defense flaws and confirm if those secrets pose a fatal threat to us. Then, we can find an opportunity to break through the guards, bypass the traps, and take the treasure.

“Don’t worry, I’ll covertly provide protection for Poufer’s future invitations. The risk you’ll take won’t be significant.”

Lumian pondered for a moment and said, “Commanding Officer, you mentioned before that our primary mission is to find the true entrance to the Fourth Epoch Trier.”

How could the primary mission change so easily?

Gardner Martin took a puff of his cigar and smiled.

“These two matters are connected to a certain extent and serve the same purpose, but you don’t need to know for the time being.”

What’s their motive? In other words, the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s current focus is on exploring the underground, finding the entrance to the Fourth Epoch Trier, investigating the Sauron family’s decline over the past 200 to 300 years, and securing something precious from them? According to Mr. K, one reason for the Sauron family’s decline is their descent into madness and the loss of many important members over time. Gardner Martin and I are mainly responsible for the Sauron family aspect. Are the other members, including Supervisor Olson, exploring the underground? Lumian had a clearer understanding of the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s recent plans.

This was also his primary mission.

Of course, he only knew what to do and didn’t understand why.

“Yes, Commanding Officer,” Lumian agreed without further ado.

He had a hunch that this would be an opportunity for him to digest the Pyromaniac potion and advance further on the Hunter pathway.

According to Madam Magician, the Sauron family was once a powerful faction with a Hunter angel.

Gardner Martin didn’t inquire about how much gold Poufer had offered to the “king,” hinting that Lumian could leave and await the Count’s future invitation.

Passing through the renovated hall, Lumian spotted Faustino, the butler, who was also an official member of the Iron and Blood Cross Order, leading a black-cloaked figure in.

The man was of average height, barely 1.75 meters tall. His attire was loose, and he was tightly wrapped, obscuring his exact appearance and physique.

Lumian could only determine that it was a man based on his walking posture, height, and strides.

Faustino nodded at Lumian as a greeting before leading the mysterious man through the hall and into Gardner Martin’s study.

Who could it be? What brings him here so late at night for a discussion? Lumian averted his gaze, his thoughts racing as he left 11 Rue des Fontaines.

…

In the market district, Rue Anarchie, Auberge du Coq Doré.

Upon reaching the second floor, Lumian suddenly gave weight to his pace, producing thumping sounds.

He leisurely returned to Room 207, ignited the carbide lamp, turned around in the armchair, and sat down. He smiled at the unlatched door.

After 20 to 30 seconds, soft footsteps echoed from Room 201.

The footsteps hesitated before showing determination. Soon, they arrived outside Room 207 and gently knocked on the door.

“Please come in,” Lumian said, raising his chin slightly.

As expected, it was Laurent. He wore a linen shirt and black pants, completely different from whenever he headed out.

After closing the door, Laurent looked at Lumian and said, “Monsieur Dubois, I wish to borrow 500 verl d’or from you.”

Lumian was taken aback, not expecting this development.

He thought the man was here to plead with him not to expose his true identity.

Unexpectedly, he came to borrow money!

“Why 500 verl d’or?” Lumian’s expression remained unchanged.

Laurent’s voice deepened as he said, “I’m about to become one of the deputy editors-in-chief of Le Petit Trierien. Although I’ll be the most junior-ranking editor, I can’t continue living here. I have to invite my colleagues to gatherings at home regularly to build a good relationship with them.

“Therefore, I wish to borrow 500 verl d’or to rent a good apartment in Quartier de l’Observatoire or Quartier de la Cathédrale Commémorative. I want to bring my mother there and use the time to teach her how to host a small banquet.

“Once I receive my salary, I’ll repay the debt in installments. How much do you think the interest rate should be?”

This is not only borrowing money to secure his job, but also taking the initiative to give me leverage and some benefits so that I won’t ruin his plans… Lumian thought a little higher of Laurent and nodded thoughtfully.

“I don’t need interest. You’ll definitely come into contact with some interesting news, information, and advertisements at Le Petit Trierien. I hope you can organize them regularly and give me a copy.”

As Lumian spoke, he took out his wallet and counted five banknotes worth 100 verl d’or.

“Just pay it back this year.”

Laurent heaved a sigh of relief and said, “No problem.”

After watching the speculator write the IOU and leave Room 207, Lumian took out the five heavy gold bars from Count Poufer’s pocket and tossed them in his hand.

With this unexpected windfall, he had amassed 75,000 verl d’or worth of gold. At the same time, he had 2,000 verl d’or that hadn’t been exchanged for gold and the remaining 4,000 verl d’or funds for his activities.

It won’t be long before I complete the Armored Shadow’s contract and summon it again… Lumian fiddled with the gold bars for a while before leaving the briefcase containing the Flog boxing gloves on the armchair. He washed up and went to bed, awaiting the inevitable nightmare.

…

In his daze, Lumian once again caught sight of Red Swan Castle, its beige outer walls stained with aged blood.

In a daze, he walked in and arrived at the large living room where he had played King’s Pie.

Miss Elros, Painter Mullen, Le Petit Trierien’s editor-in-chief, Cornell, and the other guests who often attended Count Poufer’s banquet sat on the sofa, as if awaiting Lumian’s arrival.

Laurent and the other guests’ temporary female companions were absent.

This made the scene seem like another salon or a past one.

As Lumian approached the sofa, Count Poufer and the others stood up and greeted him respectfully.

“Good afternoon, Your Royal Majesty,” they greeted in unison.

Instinctively, Lumian glanced at them coldly.

“Oh?”

Count Poufer and the others were taken aback for a moment.

“Your Imperial Majesty!”

Lumian nodded slightly and settled into an armchair, watching as the guests settled around him.

They chatted nonchalantly, their topics diverse and vague.

Suddenly, Novelist Anori raised his right hand and scratched his face.

With a tearing sound, he ripped off a large piece of skin, revealing squirming flesh and blackened tubes.

Almost simultaneously, Painter Mullen and the others either stabbed themselves in the heart or tore at their companions’ necks.

In an instant, the entire living room turned abnormally bloody, and there was a terrifying scene everywhere.

Lumian’s thoughts raced as his vision underwent an immediate transformation.

In another hall of the castle, surrounded by countless lit white candles was a coffin.

The coffin was made of bronze and its surface was rusted. It was unknown how long it had been there.

Lumian’s heart swelled with sorrow and helplessness, as if he had lost his kin and support. He slowly extended his right hand, attempting to caress the rusty bronze coffin.

At that moment, the coffin’s lid creaked open, revealing a deep crack.

Suddenly, a palm with dark-red, nearly-black blood vessels extended, holding an extremely withered heart with some blood seeping out.

The heart was still gently and indiscernibly contracting and expanding.

Upon seeing the withered heart, Lumian’s thoughts raced chaotically, tainted with a certain madness.

His right palm felt slightly warm, and he suddenly woke up from his dream.

He wasn’t surprised or flustered by the nightmare. As he calmed his racing heart, he recalled the details of the nightmare.

Gradually, Lumian frowned.

In the first scene, most of the King’s Pie game participants eventually went crazy. They either mutilated themselves or others, but there were three exceptions. Even when the scene changed, they were still normal.

One was Lumian himself, and the other was Count Poufer.

There was another one Lumian hadn’t expected: Miss Elros!

She’s not as reserved and obedient as she appears. She has her own secrets… Lumian smiled silently.

As for what the bronze coffin, dead body, and withered heart represented in the second scene, he couldn’t decipher them at all. He could only guess that it might be related to the Sauron family’s secret.

Just like the last time, Lumian had several nightmares that night, but the clarity and completeness of his dreams gradually decreased.

Just before dawn, the nightmare was completely gone.

After waking up, Lumian quickly wrote a letter and sent it to Madam Magician while his memories still remained fresh.