After 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."
"Mhm, mhm." Ludwig, mouth full of food, didn't have time to reply properly.
Anthony leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
As a Dreamwalker, he didn't need to perform any complicated actions to easily return to the real world.
Upon opening his eyes in a room of the luxurious Trier mansion, Anthony instinctively rolled out of bed.
At the same time, Madam Justice's voice echoed in his mind: "Come to Two of Cups's room."
Anthony immediately left his room and headed to Franca's bedroom, which was closer to the staircase. He lightly knocked on the wooden door.
"Come in." Madam Justice's gentle voice came from inside.
As soon as Anthony pushed open the door, he was met with multiple figures:
There 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;
On 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.
Anthony scanned the room and respectfully said, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen."
"Do you have something to tell us?" Madam Justice turned her body slightly.
Anthony repeated Lumian's instructions in full, without leaving out a single detail.
Madam Justice nodded thoughtfully. "I understand."
At 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."
As his voice echoed, the brilliant sunlight, brighter than the sky outside, flooded the bedroom, banishing all shadows and darkness, leaving no corner untouched.
…
Inside the administrative department of the Intis Group at the Tech Building.
"Haha, kids can be impulsive, Coming to Yangdu for y college?" Luo Shan sent Zhou Mingrui a message, holding her phone.
This was a continuation of their earlier conversation and also a way to "monitor" Zhou Mingrui's current state.
Luo Shan believed that chatting with Zhou Mingrui on and off would allow her to keep abreast of his movements in a timely manner.
While 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.
She sat back down, grabbed some paper and a pen, hoping to ease her complex, tangled emotions by drawing.
Scribble! Scribble! Scribble! Luo Shan scribbled on the paper aimlessly.
As time slowly passed, her sketch gradually took shape.
It depicted a girl, guarding behind a black barrier, fighting off childlike monsters.
Luo Shan had drawn a version of herself deep into the night, standing as a protector.
When she saw the half-finished drawing, Luo Shan froze.
After a few seconds, she pressed her lips tightly together.
She 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!"
…
Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station, arrival level.
Lumian and Jenna stood in front of the large display screen, checking the exit for Zhou Sasa's train.
"South Exit Three, arriving in six minutes," Jenna said, referencing the Information Luo Shan had provided, locating the correct train.
"I told you we had extra time," Lumian, in his male form, chuckled and walked with Jenna toward South Exit Three.
They 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.
The two Demonesses quickly spotted Zhou Mingrui.
Because 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.
Neither Jenna nor Lumian spoke, quietly observing.
After two or three minutes, Jenna suddenly pointed in a direction and whispered, "Luo Shan... Why is she here?"
Following Jenna's lead, Lumian saw Luo Shan, dressed in a blouse and skirt, walking toward South Exit Three, glancing around as she moved.
"Call her over, don't let her disturb Zhou Mingrui." Lumian instructed Jenna,
Jenna had already been thinking the same thing.
Using her Assassin footwork, she quickly and discreetly approached Luo Shan, appearing right in front of her.
Luo Shan jumped in surprise, then opened her mouth in delighted shock.
Jenna raised a finger to her lips, signaling Luo Shan not to speak.
Luo Shan immediately closed her mouth and followed Jenna to the taxi lane entrance by South Exit Two.
When Luo Shan saw who was waiting with Jenna, she could no longer contain herself, pointing at Lumian and stammering, "You, you, you…"
Isn't this the dropout, Li Ming, who had a child when he was still a teenager?
Is he in league with Luo Fu, Jian Na, and Lumina?
"What a coincidence." Lumian smiled.
He gestured toward Jenna. "She's the mother of the child."
"Oh, oh..." Luo Shan suddenly felt a bit excited.
That explains it.
That is their relationship!
Suddenly learning this private detail about her friends dispelled much of Luo Shan's tension and anxiety.
Jenna finally asked, "Why did you come to the station?"
Luo Shan's expression instantly darkened.
She bit her lip and said, "I wanted to help you.
"I think, I think I can be of help."
As she spoke, her tone grew firmer.
Lumian was silent for a few seconds before saying. "Okay."
He glanced toward South Exit Three and casually added, "For now, there's nothing else to do but observe."
"Okay." This was Luo Shan's first time taking part in an operation like this, so she had no objections.
Looking 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?"
Having 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.
However, in the dream city, there was no real special mirror world-it was hidden deep within the mirror world, without any overflow of corruption.
So, making Zhou Mingrui truly come into contact with the special mirror world was no easy task.
Lumian thought for a few seconds. "I don't know."
His calm, steady tone made Luo Shan suddenly feel that things might not be as bad as she had imagined.
A few more minutes passed, and passengers started coming through the gates at South Exit Three.
Jenna and Luo Shan's nerves immediately tightened.
Before long, they saw Zhou Mingrui smile and walk toward the exit.
There, a young girl emerged, wearing a black dress that made her seem more mature than her age.
Hur 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.
Her 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.
"Her style is very similar to reality's Melissa Moretti..." Jenna muttered under her breath.
Luo Shan couldn't help but glance at her.
When Zhou Sasa saw Zhou Mingrui approaching, she smiled brightly, waving her hand.
"Mingruil" she called out sweetly.
At that moment, she finally showed a hint of youthful charm.
"Perfect timing, I'll take you out for a big meal!" Zhou Mingrui grinned as he took his sister's suitcase.
"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.
Click. She pressed lightly on the top of the watch, and the silver-white cover popped open.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian and Jenna's eyes narrowed.
With 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.
That glass gave both Lumian and Jenna a strong sense of familiarity, a familiarity rooted in their spiritual intuition and memory.
It was a fragment of the special mirror world!
They each possessed a piece of the special mirror world fragment!
"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.
She immediately recalled something.
The 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.
"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.
She 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."
Lumian 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."
At this point, Zhou Mingrui had taken the silver-white pocket watch and was inspecting it repeatedly, looking very pleased.
Jenna understood Lumian's concern.
Not just difficult-nearly impossible, and extremely risky!
What Zhou Mingrui wanted to protect was what the dream subconscious wanted to protect!
