415 The Sinner Complains First
Quartier de la Cathédrale Commémorative, 11 Rue des Fontaines.

Gardner Martin, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black pants, stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Quartier de la Cathédrale Commémorative. Bathed in golden sunlight, he listened intently as Lumian and Christo shared the details of their encounter with the Trier Cave Association.

Lumian took the lead, briefly explaining the origins of the Earth Blood ore specimen.

“While I was staying at Auberge du Coq Doré, I crossed paths with a man named Flameng, a Lunatic who had a tragic encounter with the Montsouris ghost, leading to the bizarre deaths of his family.

“Occasionally, he regained lucidity. We drank together a few times. One day, he hanged himself. His belongings, including the Earth Blood ore specimen, ended up with the police. They said they were to hand them over to his surviving relatives, but they refused to accept them. Eventually, they asked me to retrieve them, which included the Earth Blood ore specimen.

“I knew that lunatic and had drinks with him. I didn’t throw away the mineral specimen and casually placed it in an iron cabinet of my safe house…”

Lumian spoke the truth, not a single word being false. He only concealed the fact that he had helped Flameng escape the Montsouris ghost and Termiboros’s reminder regarding the Earth Blood ore.

Gardner Martin, his brownish-red eyes reflecting wisdom and a touch of silver hair in his black hair, inquired, “Where is your safe house?”

Lumian replied honestly, “It’s in the leftmost room on the third floor of 19 Rue des Blouses Blanches.”

This wasn’t on the same side as Apartment 6, which had emitted a terrifying aura, and there was a distance between them, so Lumian’s answer was straightforward.

Gardner Martin smiled.

“No wonder you frequent Rue des Blouses Blanches so often. It’s not just because of Jenna.”

Boss, are you hinting at me not to visit Franca too often? Are you implying that you’re aware of this situation? Lumian grumbled and continued.

He gave the same story he had told Joseph and Rayan from the Cave Association.

Finally, Lumian subtly probed, “Will this pose a problem for our Savoie Mob? There might be an official faction hidden behind the Cave Association.”

He wanted to convey to Gardner Martin that his cover in front of Poufer Sauron might be at risk, trusting the boss’s intelligence to grasp the implication.

Gardner Martin gave a slight nod and turned his attention to “Rat” Christo, saying, “If you want to join the Cave Association, you can, but ensure it doesn’t interfere with our smuggling operations.”

Christo nodded repeatedly.

“Understood, Boss.”

Following Gardner Martin’s instructions, he departed from the study, leaving Lumian alone.

Gardner Martin smiled and consoled the official member of the Iron and Blood Cross Order.

“Don’t worry about Poufer. Even if he figures out your true identity, he’ll pretend he doesn’t know. Ever since you became the king in the King’s Pie game, he’s been suspicious of you. He’ll definitely probe and exploit you again and again.”

It was a subtle message, urging Lumian to remain in the market district and continue overseeing Salle de Bal Brise, Auberge du Coq Doré, Salle de Gristmill, and other businesses.

Lumian couldn’t help but smile with relief. “Alright, I was just worried that it would affect the most important mission.”

Simultaneously, he sneered inwardly.

He keenly felt the irrationality of Gardner Martin’s plan.

Transitioning control to another Beyonder to oversee Salle de Bal Brise and other operations, allowing Lumian to slip into the shadows, was a straightforward task for the boss of the Savoie Mob and the Commanding Officer of the Iron and Blood Cross Order. There were no downsides to this arrangement.
Even though he couldn’t afford to mistreat Lumian, a subordinate on an important mission, he could compensate him by continuing to share the profits from Salle de Bal Brise and other businesses. He couldn’t risk keeping an official member, who had already attracted suspicion, in his current location.

While Lumian’s retreat into the shadows might make him appear even more suspicious, potentially putting the Savoie Mob in the crosshairs, Gardner Martin had encountered such challenges numerous times before. There had to be a solution.

Sensing the Commanding Officer of the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s suspicion, Lumian aimed to use the Cave Association to keep testing him.

His account and explanations were entirely truthful. Normally, Gardner Martin would believe him, but the issue was that too many unusual events had occurred around him recently. As a former or current Conspirer, Gardner Martin would instinctively smell something fishy.

The detailed reasons were no longer enough to hide the overall abnormality.

With this thought in mind, Lumian’s determination to kill surged.

He stared at Gardner Martin, positioned by the floor-to-ceiling windows, and estimated the distance between them to be about five meters.

At such a close range, if he were to suddenly employ the Spell of Harrumph, and Gardner Martin hadn’t reached Sequence 4 and achieved godhood, lacking a mystical item to defend against such abilities, he could quickly subdue the Savoie Mob boss and eliminate him.

The current situation resembled that of two ordinary individuals without Beyonder powers standing within a five-meter radius. One held a high social status and excelled in combat, while the other held a low status and lacked physical strength. However, they both concealed a revolver and possessed exceptional marksmanship.

Within five meters, regardless of an ordinary person’s status or combat skills, they would succumb to a single shot!

Considering the missions for the Tarot Club and the Aurora Order, Lumian composed himself and inquired, “Commanding Officer, I wish to purchase the Conspirer potion formula from the Order.”

He had gained valuable insights from his advancement to Pyromaniac. He didn’t want to go through the nerve-wracking process of searching for each Conspirer potion ingredient after digesting the Pyromaniac potion. His goal was to gather Conspirer ingredients in advance while continuing to digest the remaining Pyromaniac potion, thereby maximizing his time efficiency.

Gardner Martin responded with surprise, “Do you have that much cash for that?

“The Conspirer potion formula can command prices ranging from 70,000 to 80,000 verl d’or at the most mysticism gatherings, if not more. It’s unlike Pyromaniacs, who are constantly perishing as others advance. Conspirers understand the importance of self-preservation, and they’ve become more cautious about sharing their Sequence potion formulas.”

In Trier, the most common potion formulas available ranged from Sequence 9 to Sequence 7 of the Hunter pathway.

Without waiting for Lumian’s reply, Gardner Martin grinned and added, “If you can unearth even a portion of the Sauron family’s decline secret, I’ll reward you with the Conspirer potion formula. It doesn’t have to be the whole story, just a piece of the puzzle.”

“If you’re eager to advance and don’t want to wait, as an official member of the Iron and Blood Cross Order, you have the privilege of purchasing the Conspirer potion formula at a discounted price of 60,000 verl d’or.”

Lumian agreed without hesitation, “No problem. I’ll bring 60,000 verl d’or tomorrow.”

His initial plan had been to inquire with Mr. K and Madam Magician if Gardner Martin declined his request.

“Do you really have 60,000 verl d’or?” Gardner Martin chuckled.

Lumian’s heart raced as he replied deliberately, “Just about. I previously assisted a tenant of Auberge du Coq Doré in recovering a 100,000 debt owed by Salle de Bal Unique on Rue Ancienne in Quartier de l’Observatoire. I took a bit over half of it.”

In total, he had received 50,000 verl d’or in banknotes and gold, worth 30,000 verl d’or. After repaying Franca’s 25,000, he had 55,000 left. Combined with the original 1,000 gold, 1,000 banknotes, and 4,000 verl d’or, he had 61,000 verl d’or in liquid assets.

“Salle de Bal Unique…” Gardner Martin repeated, his expression growing more serious. “You really managed to retrieve the debt from Salle de Bal Unique?”

Evidently, the Commanding Officer of the Iron and Blood Cross Order was familiar with Salle de Bal Unique.

Lumian nodded, his demeanor open and honest.

“Yes.”

The members of the Savoie Mob at Salle de Bal Brise were more or less aware that he had helped Fitz collect his debt. Lumian couldn’t keep Gardner Martin in the dark, so he decided to disclose it directly to confuse the situation and divert the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s suspicions.

Furthermore, he could use this opportunity to put a little fear into Gardner Martin!

Gardner Martin scrutinized Lumian and subtly moved closer to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

After a few moments, he inquired with curiosity, “Have you never heard of the issues surrounding Salle de Bal Unique?”

“I have,” Lumian replied with a smile.

If he had a monocle, he might have playfully inserted it into his right eye socket at that moment, savoring Gardner Martin’s intriguing expressions and subconscious reactions.

After a pause, Lumian continued, “After accepting the commission, I conducted a thorough investigation of the dance hall and realized it wasn’t as simple as it seemed. It had a mysterious background and posed a significant danger, so I initially decided to abandon it. However, one day, while trailing an adversary, I noticed something unusual. One of the guards at Salle de Bal Unique’s entrance had inexplicably vanished. And upstairs, behind a window, their boss, Timmons, appeared to have lost his spirit.

“I saw this as an opportunity, so I made an attempt to enter and collect the debt. To my surprise, I succeeded!”

As Lumian spoke, he took a step forward and asked earnestly, “Commanding Officer, are there any hidden dangers I should be aware of?”

Gardner Martin discreetly took another step forward and smiled.

“Not at the moment. Keep an eye out for any future anomalies.”

Lumian seized the opportunity to express his bewilderment.

“Commanding Officer, something doesn’t quite add up. Why have there been so many events swirling around me lately? Some I initiated, while others just seemed to find their way to me. Am I truly a harbinger of trouble? Or has my recent fate been to rush around and handle things, leaving me constantly busy and weary?”

Gardner Martin regarded him with meaning and replied, “Perhaps, this is the destiny that every Hunter is bound to face.”

After Lumian departed, Gardner Martin shifted his gaze to the side.

A hidden door creaked open, and Supervisor Olson emerged, bearing a resemblance to a hungry bear.

“How is it?” Gardner Martin inquired.

Olson smirked and responded, “It’s natural for him to be discontent with your arrangements. His loyalty isn’t firmly established yet. He won’t be able to join your team for the time being.”

Gardner Martin shifted the conversation thoughtfully.

“The calamity on him is more conspicuous than any of us. Is it possible that he’s more compatible?”

Olson fell silent for a few moments before replying, “Let’s observe and wait.”

…

Meanwhile, as Lumian returned to the market district, Franca sat at Trocadéro’s Red House Café. Her gaze fell upon Browns Sauron, her long, flowing orange-red hair resembling a waterfall, as she asked, “When will you folks complete the audit?”

Browns Sauron didn’t provide a direct response. She studied Franca, who had black hair and brown eyes, for a moment before saying, “We’ve identified a suspected member of the Bliss Society.”