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nChapter 1026: Helper

nAfter Lumian, Jenna, and Franca had each left the rental house in Xinhong District, Anthony waited for a moment before saying to Ludwig, “Keep eating, I’m heading back to the real world for a bit.”

n“Mhm, mhm.” Ludwig, mouth full of food, didn’t have time to reply properly.

nAnthony leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

nAs a Dreamwalker, he didn’t need to perform any complicated actions to easily return to the real world.

nUpon opening his eyes in a room of the luxurious Trier mansion, Anthony instinctively rolled out of bed.

nAt the same time, Madam Justice’s voice echoed in his mind: “Come to Two of Cups’s room.”

nAnthony immediately left his room and headed to Franca’s bedroom, which was closer to the staircase. He lightly knocked on the wooden door.

n“Come in.” Madam Justice’s gentle voice came from inside.

nAs soon as Anthony pushed open the door, he was met with multiple figures:

nThere was Mr. Star standing in front of the bright window, wearing red gloves; a man sitting in a dim corner, his eyes crimson and his chin slightly raised; a rugged-looking man with bronze skin and blue hair, leaning against the mini-bar, holding a glass of Lanti Proof;

nOn either side of the long sofa were Madam Magician and Madam Judgment; Ma’am Hermit was sitting on a single-seater, wearing glasses and flipping through a book; Madam Justice sat by Franca’s bed with Susie nearby, and a young man, over two meters tall, with simple white robes, paced at the foot of the bed.

nAnthony scanned the room and respectfully said, “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.”

n“Do you have something to tell us?” Madam Justice turned her body slightly.

nAnthony repeated Lumian’s instructions in full, without leaving out a single detail.

nMadam Justice nodded thoughtfully. “I understand.”

nAt that moment, the tall, brown-haired young man shifted his gaze to the other Major Arcana card holders and said in a calm voice, “From now on, no one is to leave this room.”

nAs his voice echoed, the brilliant sunlight, brighter than the sky outside, flooded the bedroom, banishing all shadows and darkness, leaving no corner untouched.

n…

nInside the administrative department of the Intis Group at the Tech Building.

n“Haha, kids can be impulsive, Coming to Yangdu for y college?” Luo Shan sent Zhou Mingrui a message, holding her phone.

nThis was a continuation of their earlier conversation and also a way to “monitor” Zhou Mingrui’s current state.

nLuo Shan believed that chatting with Zhou Mingrui on and off would allow her to keep abreast of his movements in a timely manner.

nWhile waiting for his reply, Luo Shan found herself unable to sit or stand still. She walked around but couldn’t calm the waves of anxiety in her heart.

nShe sat back down, grabbed some paper and a pen, hoping to ease her complex, tangled emotions by drawing.

nScribble! Scribble! Scribble! Luo Shan scribbled on the paper aimlessly.

nAs time slowly passed, her sketch gradually took shape.

nIt depicted a girl, guarding behind a black barrier, fighting off childlike monsters.

nLuo Shan had drawn a version of herself deep into the night, standing as a protector.

nWhen she saw the half-finished drawing, Luo Shan froze.

nAfter a few seconds, she pressed her lips tightly together.

nShe stood up abruptly and rushed to Deputy Director Zhang Qing’s office, speaking urgently, “Director Zhang, I’d like to take half a day off!”

n…

nYangdu High-Speed Rail Station, arrival level.

nLumian and Jenna stood in front of the large display screen, checking the exit for Zhou Sasa’s train.

n“South Exit Three, arriving in six minutes,” Jenna said, referencing the Information Luo Shan had provided, locating the correct train.

n“I told you we had extra time,” Lumian, in his male form, chuckled and walked with Jenna toward South Exit Three.

nThey didn’t get too close, keeping a distance of about twenty to thirty meters, hiding near the taxi lane entrance while watching the target area.

nThe two Demonesses quickly spotted Zhou Mingrui.

nBecause the Intis Group had strong air conditioning and he had rushed out in a hurry. Zhou Mingrui was wearing a white T-shirt under an orange-and-black plaid shirt, looking as if he had been waiting for a while.

nNeither Jenna nor Lumian spoke, quietly observing.

nAfter two or three minutes, Jenna suddenly pointed in a direction and whispered, “Luo Shan… Why is she here?”

nFollowing Jenna’s lead, Lumian saw Luo Shan, dressed in a blouse and skirt, walking toward South Exit Three, glancing around as she moved.

n“Call her over, don’t let her disturb Zhou Mingrui.” Lumian instructed Jenna,

nJenna had already been thinking the same thing.

nUsing her Assassin footwork, she quickly and discreetly approached Luo Shan, appearing right in front of her.

nLuo Shan jumped in surprise, then opened her mouth in delighted shock.

nJenna raised a finger to her lips, signaling Luo Shan not to speak.

nLuo Shan immediately closed her mouth and followed Jenna to the taxi lane entrance by South Exit Two.

nWhen Luo Shan saw who was waiting with Jenna, she could no longer contain herself, pointing at Lumian and stammering, “You, you, you…”

nIsn’t this the dropout, Li Ming, who had a child when he was still a teenager?

nIs he in league with Luo Fu, Jian Na, and Lumina?

n“What a coincidence.” Lumian smiled.

nHe gestured toward Jenna. “She’s the mother of the child.”

n“Oh, oh…” Luo Shan suddenly felt a bit excited.

nThat explains it.

nThat is their relationship!

nSuddenly learning this private detail about her friends dispelled much of Luo Shan’s tension and anxiety.

nJenna finally asked, “Why did you come to the station?”

nLuo Shan’s expression instantly darkened.

nShe bit her lip and said, “I wanted to help you.

n“I think, I think I can be of help.”

nAs she spoke, her tone grew firmer.

nLumian was silent for a few seconds before saying. “Okay.”

nHe glanced toward South Exit Three and casually added, “For now, there’s nothing else to do but observe.”

n“Okay.” This was Luo Shan’s first time taking part in an operation like this, so she had no objections.

nLooking back at Zhou Mingrui, Jenna thought aloud. “If Zhou Sasa really is a problem, if she’s meant to make Zhou Mingrui produce a stable Mirror Person in the special mirror world, what would she do?”

nHaving experienced the events relating to the Hostel and with Moran Avigny, Jenna had a deep understanding of the special mirror world. She knew that to produce a stable, long-term Mirror Person in that world, the person either had to be a descendant of the Primordial Demoness or certain Fourth Epoch Trier nobles, or they had to be exposed to the overflow of corruption from the special mirror world-namely, frequent activity in underground Trier.

nHowever, in the dream city, there was no real special mirror world-it was hidden deep within the mirror world, without any overflow of corruption.

nSo, making Zhou Mingrui truly come into contact with the special mirror world was no easy task.

nLumian thought for a few seconds. “I don’t know.”

nHis calm, steady tone made Luo Shan suddenly feel that things might not be as bad as she had imagined.

nA few more minutes passed, and passengers started coming through the gates at South Exit Three.

nJenna and Luo Shan’s nerves immediately tightened.

nBefore long, they saw Zhou Mingrui smile and walk toward the exit.

nThere, a young girl emerged, wearing a black dress that made her seem more mature than her age.

nHur suitcase was also dark-colored, without any fluffy toys attached like many young women would have, but instead, it had a mechanical-looking Transformer hanging from it.

nHer backpack wasn’t cute either-black, made of synthetic leather, and large enough to hang a silver- white pocket watch with vine and leaf patterns on one side.

n“Her style is very similar to reality’s Melissa Moretti…” Jenna muttered under her breath.

nLuo Shan couldn’t help but glance at her.

nWhen Zhou Sasa saw Zhou Mingrui approaching, she smiled brightly, waving her hand.

n“Mingruil” she called out sweetly.

nAt that moment, she finally showed a hint of youthful charm.

n“Perfect timing, I’ll take you out for a big meal!” Zhou Mingrui grinned as he took his sister’s suitcase.

n“Mingrui, I fixed the pocket watch!” Zhou Sasa pulled the silver-white pocket watch with vine and leaf patterns from the side of her black backpack, showing it off to Zhou Mingrui.

nClick. She pressed lightly on the top of the watch, and the silver-white cover popped open.

nAlmost simultaneously, Lumian and Jenna’s eyes narrowed.

nWith their eagle-like vision, they noticed that the glass on the watch’s face was dark, almost pure black, but still transparent enough to see the hands and numbers on the dial.

nThat glass gave both Lumian and Jenna a strong sense of familiarity, a familiarity rooted in their spiritual intuition and memory.

nIt was a fragment of the special mirror world!

nThey each possessed a piece of the special mirror world fragment!

n“Is Zhou Sasa planning to use that pocket watch and the fragment of the special mirror world to make Zhou Mingrui generate a stable Mirror Person?” Jenna whispered, but instinctively kept her voice low.

nShe immediately recalled something.

nThe fragment of the special mirror world that Lumian possessed had come from the reanimated Panatiya, who had originally been arranged as Zhou Mingrui’s lover, and eventually his wife.

n“Was her intended function not only to stabilize Zhou Mingrui’s mental state but also, after Zaratulstra’s frontal attempt failed, to use that fragment of the special mirror world to somehow ‘corrupt’ Zhou Mingrui, so that a stable Mirror Person could be born? No wonder she has a fragment of the special mirror world… The Celestial Worthy always prepares multiple -no, three, or even more-contingencies…” Jenna bop suddenly realized.

nShe quickly said to Lumian, “We need to find a way to steal that pocket watch. We can’t let Zhou Mingrui come into too much contact with it.”

nLumian also thought of the reanimated Panatiya and observed for a few seconds before saying. “That pocket watch seems to hold significant sentimental value for Zhou Mingrui. He’s holding onto it tightly. Taking it from under his nose won’t be easy.”

nAt this point, Zhou Mingrui had taken the silver-white pocket watch and was inspecting it repeatedly, looking very pleased.

nJenna understood Lumian’s concern.

nNot just difficult-nearly impossible, and extremely risky!

nWhat Zhou Mingrui wanted to protect was what the dream subconscious wanted to protect!

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