Lumian quickly read the reply from the "magician" lady and extracted the key points to remember. Obviously, the first and third methods to solve the problem of the Montsouris ghost were just jokes. The only real way was the second one, which was to rely on the "corrupted mercury" to exchange the fate of "encountering the Montsouris ghost".
Frankly speaking, Lumian had not thought of using the "Corrupted Mercury" to stab himself and actively change his fate. It was not until he was attacked by the ghost of Montsouris and pushed to the edge of death that he grasped the only chance of survival from all the various thoughts.
Due to time constraints and the inability to make a careful selection, Lumian simply exchanged his fate of "being attacked by the ghost of Montsouris" instead of "encountering the ghost of Montsouris", which means that he did not completely get rid of the shadow of death, but only escaped the first danger.
Of course, when choosing the fate that needed to be exchanged, even if he was given enough room to distinguish and think, Lumian should have chosen "being attacked by the Montsouris ghost" rather than "encountering the Montsouris ghost", because the attack had already happened, and he had no idea whether it would stop after the fate of "encountering the Montsouris ghost" was exchanged. He could only use the most certain plan to protect himself first.
"Well, I have to find someone as soon as possible, and use the fate of 'being attacked by the ghost of Montsouris' stored in the 'Corrupted Mercury' to exchange for a good fate of his. Then, I will make full preparations, and when I am in a good state, I will stab myself, complete the exchange of that better fate with 'encountering the ghost of Montsouris', and seal the latter into the 'Corrupted Mercury'..." Lumian combined his own experience with the reminder of the "magician" lady, and quickly came up with an idea of how to solve the current difficulties. At that time, the "Corrupted Mercury" can be called the "Cursed Blade", and the person stabbed by it will bear the fate of "the whole family will die, including the person himself".
The disadvantage is that it takes some time for the effect to ferment.
Lumian pulled out the "Corrupted Mercury" from his waist and looked at its blade wrapped in layers of black cloth. He felt more clearly than ever the usefulness of this extraordinary weapon.
He seriously considered the possibility of finding a professional to repair the "Fallen Mercury", otherwise this magical dagger would only be useful until the end of the year at most.
The extraordinary gathering convened by Mr. K may be able to provide resources in this regard.
"My guess is correct. Ms. 'Magician' asked me to contact Osta. Trull's purpose is to use him to attend Mr. K's party and join the secret organization behind Mr. K..." Lumian put on a wide-brimmed round hat, a formal black top, walked out of room 207, and went down the stairs.
As a "hunter", he has to start looking for prey.
As soon as he walked out of the door of the "Golden Rooster Hotel", Lumian saw Charlie sitting on the three steps leading to the street, his face pale and his eyes looking at the sky sadly, with a lit white cigarette in his right hand.
"What's wrong?" Lumian walked over and sat next to Charlie quite casually.
"I felt like I had lost my soul, it had fallen."
He was wearing a white shirt and a red vest, with a black suit draped over his left arm, as if he was wearing the hotel uniform again.
Lumian laughed and asked directly, "Did you do that with that old lady?"
Charlie turned his head and looked at Lumian, and emphasized seriously: "Please call her Madam, she is only in her fifties."
He then took another drag on his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke. "You know what? She gave me a diamond necklace, worth at least 1,500 Fel gold. I couldn't resist. She was so shining and so attractive. She went straight into my heart."
"It." Lumian corrected a word.
Charlie smiled awkwardly: As he spoke, Charlie's voice became low and his eyes once again revealed melancholy.
Just when Lumian thought he was going to lament that he had lost his soul, Charlie sighed deeply: "Why can she only live for half a year..."
Charlie's eyelids twitched and he said, "I should be restrained at ordinary times. Mrs. Alice is really too enthusiastic. I was so tired last night that I didn't even have that beautiful dream."
Lumian smiled and said, "You actually told me directly that you got a diamond necklace worth 1,500 Fel Gold. In the streets, this is a fortune that can make many people lose their minds. Aren't you worried that I will snatch it away?"
Charlie chuckled and said, “I have to find someone to share it with, otherwise, I will feel very uncomfortable.
Lumian smiled. "Is it possible that I am deliberately pretending to be wealthy in order to lure people like you into lowering their guard?"
Charlie's expression froze instantly, and his fingers were almost burned by the cigarette that was about to burn out. Lumian did not continue the topic, and asked casually: "Do you have anyone you particularly hate, the kind that you think deserves to die?"
Charlie put out his cigarette on the stone steps and asked in confusion, "Why are you asking this?"
He was about to put the extinguished cigarette butt into his pocket, but after thinking it over, he raised his arm and threw the cigarette butt out.
A homeless man nearby saw it, immediately jumped over, picked it up, and took a few deep sips while it was still warm.
"What I hate the most right now is our head waiter. You have no idea how hateful he is. Haha, but I haven't thought about killing him. I just hope that one day I can cover my face and beat him up.
“Yeah, if they even dare to commit suicide, why don’t they try to kill Baron Brinell and his men?” Lumian nodded slightly.
Charlie turned his head in astonishment and glanced at Lumian: "Your idea is a bit extreme."
He then added, "The second person who deserved to die was Maggot. He was the leader of the Sting Gang. He liked to hire people to deceive women who had just arrived in Trier. After draining them of their money, he forced them to become streetwalkers. That's how Miss Yin Sansi, who lived in Room 8 on the 4th floor, settled down in the hotel. Most of the money she earned was taken away by Maggot. She tried to escape several times, but she couldn't get out of the chaotic street and was beaten half to death."
There are quite a lot of gangs in the market area, no wonder it is so chaotic at night... Lumian glanced at Charlie and said, "It sounds like you sympathize with Miss Yin Sansi."
Charlie straightened his chest and said, “A true gentleman from Intis will sympathize with the tragic plight of the ladies and be willing to provide some help when appropriate.”
Lumian hummed, "Do you know where Maggot lives?"
"I don't know." Charlie shook his head. "But he often comes to the hotel in the evening and takes money from Miss Yin Sansi. If you hear women crying, shouting and cursing on the fourth floor, it must be Maggot and his men."
Lumian nodded slightly and asked thoughtfully, "Who else do you think should die?"
Charlie thought for a moment and replied with a slightly distorted expression: "Monette, the islander, he cheated me out of 10 filkins!
"Can you believe it? At that time, I had been unemployed for a while and hadn't found a new job. That was my last savings, and I almost starved to death because of it!"
"Where does he live?" Lumian asked casually.
After calming down for a while, Charlie looked at Lumian in confusion and asked, "Why is your hair different?"
Some are long, some are short, and some are gold with black.
“Don’t you think this is fashionable?” Lumian asked sincerely.
Charlie said "eh" and showed a doubtful expression.
The incident with the Fool Instrument made him instinctively doubt Lumian's intentions in similar matters.
After a few seconds, Charlie looked at the vendors hawking their wares on the street, waved his hand and said, "I should go to the hotel now. See you tonight."
Lumian did not stand up, but continued to sit on the stone steps outside the hotel, waving at Charlie's hurriedly leaving back.
In the afternoon, Lumian took a public carriage to the botanical garden, and then walked more than 300 meters to arrive at Mason Café.
This cafe is near the botanical gardens, located on the ground floor of a four-story off-white building.
The outer walls of the building are wrapped with green plants. The shops on the ground floor are not directly facing the street, but are set back nearly one meter, allowing pillars to support the outer corridor for passers-by to walk.
The walls of Mason Cafe were painted dark green, and there were many large windows. The sunlight penetrated through the glass, illuminating the tables and chairs all the way outside the door.
Lumian walked into the cafe wearing a dark suit and a wide-brimmed round hat.
The first thing that caught his eye was the various artistic plant sculptures on the wall, with some sentences written in Intis scattered among them: "Who holds the highest power in the country? The president or the parliament?" It was a cafe!
"Who hears the final appeal in judicial cases? The Supreme Court?" It's the coffee shop!
"Who is the authority in literature? The Intis Academy or the Debate
"No, it's a cafe, it's still a cafe!" (Note 1)
Note 1: Adapted from the opening of "A History of Parisian Cafes", which in turn is quoted from a document from the early 20th century. The original text is too long, so I simplified it. PS: Ask for double monthly tickets~