Chapter 14
The young man who came to apply for the cleaning job and scared Six was naturally Aronfoss.
Aronfoss's admission to the branch was the result of Lu Mi's careful consideration.
Even if the demon didn't speak, he could tell that he had no intention of returning to the abyss.
This way, he couldn't let the devil hide in his shadow forever, that would feel... weird?
Besides, there were only a few people in the K8 branch, and they were constantly around each other, so there was no guarantee they wouldn't notice anything unusual. Rather than letting outrageous rumors of hauntings spread, it was better to let the demons generously disguise themselves as humans.
For this, Lu Mi even gave the other party a piece of cut refined blue steel——
This piece of blue steel came from the dark blue stone he picked up from the man in the small garden.
After Lu Mi's research, he found out that the stone was actually a crystal refined from countless blue steels, and it was amazingly effective in blocking breath.
What concerned Lu Mi was that even the current Blue Steel Empire couldn't achieve the purity of this refining technology. Later, through indirect inquiries, he got a surprising answer from Six.
"...You mean refined ore?" Six looked up in surprise, as if wondering why the silver-eyed youth would be interested in such a thing. However, after a moment's thought, he replied, "As far as I know, the only one who can truly perfect this kind of technology is the General Academy of Sciences."
Lu Mi: "General Academy? Are you talking about the one at the headquarters of the Transcendent Guild?"
Six nodded, his eyes narrowing with emotion. "It's the pinnacle of world science and technology, a paradise for scholars, a pilgrimage site for those seeking knowledge... It's where all the world's scientific research elites gather, allowing geniuses to find like-minded individuals. Those who go there will either continue to shine and reach new heights, or become obscured by the crowd and become mere assistants."
Lu Mi: "It sounds like the competition is fierce and cruel."
"Because that's the headquarters. It houses the General Academy, the General Operations Department, the General Assault Force, the General Medical Department, and even the Tartarus Prison... The world's top transcendents converge there, like drops of water merging into the ocean. Only the strongest and most talented can make a splash there."
Six paused, then said earnestly, "If you're interested in headquarters, it's best to keep a low profile. Once you've accumulated sufficient qualifications and resume, I'll write a recommendation letter for you... Where are you going?"
Before he could finish his words, the figure in front of him disappeared.
The silver-eyed young man waved his hand lazily as he walked away, still looking calm and relaxed, which made Xikes, who stayed behind, feel very disappointed.
"One after another, they're all so annoying!" Six held his forehead and looked back at the half-man-high pile of files on his desk. He'd thought returning to the branch would give him a break, but there was still so much overwhelming work.
Who can save the office slaves!
As Lu Mi walked into the hall, he was thinking about what Six had just mentioned.
I'm not entirely sure that refined blue steel came from the Academy, but I have a clue. I'll go back to the archives and look through the information. It would be great if I could find a market for this ore.
"Hey, Lu Mi, you're here! I was looking for you." Donald's eyes lit up when he saw the young man appear in his sight and he came towards him.
Lu Mi paused and looked up slowly, "Have you arranged things for Aaron... that new employee?"
Just like when Lu Mi was first hired, the task of leading the newcomers to move in fell on Donald this time.
"Oh, that's no problem!" Donald said this, his tone drawn out and his face helpless. "This new guy is really worry-free. Ah - another guy like you back then, too reliable for me to find any sense of accomplishment. Could you two be in cahoots?"
Lu Mi: “…”
"Hahahahaha, I was just kidding!"
Lu Mi looked at the other person's heartless smile and fell into silence.
You know what, they are really in the same group.
"Oh, right." Donald scratched the back of his head. "That new guy wants to live next door to you. Although I told him there are still many empty rooms here, he seems to like the light from that direction..."
"It doesn't matter. I just picked the empty room at random." Lu Mi didn't seem surprised at all. He turned around and asked, "Are you looking for me?"
Donald quickly replied, "Isn't it a raise? I remember when you first came here, your first meal here was a self-heating fast food. I've always felt bad about it, so I wanted to invite you to my favorite restaurant! I'm super familiar with the owner there. She's very nice and her food is super delicious! I originally wanted to take the new guy with us, but he said he had to clean up the room, so he declined."
That wasn't surprising. Lu Mi knew that while demons could perfectly disguise themselves as humans, they probably weren't keen on truly integrating into human society.
Looking at the young man in front of him who was eagerly waiting for his reply, Lu Mi remembered that he had not yet had a good look around the area, so he immediately agreed.
*
The store Donald mentioned wasn't far from the branch. After passing through the woods in front of the branch and driving for another ten minutes, we arrived at a relatively popular street. The store was at the end of the street.
This is a quiet and simple little shop.
In the store that stretched to the end, more than a dozen wooden tables were empty.
Although the population of the K8 star region is indeed small and the consumption level is not high, it is still rare to see it so deserted.
Especially when Donald came in the past, the store was always bustling with activity. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but call out in confusion towards the kitchen, "Boss, are you there?"
The blue curtain separating the kitchen and the shop swayed, and a few seconds later, a woman in her thirties wearing a light blue cloth dress walked out from behind the curtain.
She was surprised at Donald's arrival, then hurriedly greeted him, "You're a busy man. It's not easy to see you. Did you bring friends this time? Come and sit down. Just tell me what you want to eat."
After asking Lu Mi for his opinion, Donald skillfully ordered a few signature dishes. After sitting down, he casually said, "Why are there so few people today?"
"Who knows what's going on?" The proprietress sighed. "There was a heavy fog last night. Maybe the elderly people thought it was a bad omen, so they didn't want to go out today."
Heavy fog?
Donald and Lu Mi looked at each other, wondering why they didn't see it.
It was quiet for a while, and the only sound in the store was the proprietress stirring the wok while cooking.
Then, Donald looked around and didn't see the little figure from the past. He couldn't help but ask, "Why isn't your daughter here today?"
Because he comes here so often, Donald can see a little girl of five or six years old almost every time.
After a few visits, he finally realized that the little girl was the daughter of the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper's husband had died early, and she had no other relatives. After settling down in this small town with her daughter, the shopkeeper usually let the girl stay in the shop so that she could take care of the child.
"Daughter?" The lady boss paused in her cooking and couldn't help but laugh, "You must have misremembered me. I don't have any daughter at all."
"..." When Donald heard the other party's words, he suddenly felt a dense patch of goose bumps all over his body.
He seemed to want to show an expression of surprise, but his cheeks froze.
No daughter? How is that possible? Clearly—!
By this time, the proprietress had already prepared the first dish, a homely stir-fried pork with green peppers. It looked so good, and the smell from afar was enough to whet your appetite.
Donald subconsciously stared at the dish, while Lu Mi had already picked up the chopsticks.
"Wait a minute..." He didn't have time to say anything.
Then, Donald saw Lu Mi put the dish into his mouth, paused slightly, and put the chopsticks back on the table.
"...Are you okay?" Donald stared at him nervously.
Lu Mi glanced at him indifferently and commented, "It tastes terrible."
"What?" Donald looked over, hesitated for a moment, and took a sip. The next second, he immediately jumped up and frantically looked for water. "Pooh! Pooh! Pooh! It's so salty! Why is it so salty? Did you pour the whole bag of salt in there?"
When Donald came back after guzzling a whole glass of water, he couldn't help but envy Lu Mi's calmness.
Just as he sat down and hadn't spoken yet, he saw Lu Mi suddenly look out the window and say in an ambiguous tone, "It's foggy."
Donald was startled and couldn't help but look over.
The white mist came from nowhere and spread around.
A light wisp of air floated from outside the door to his side. Donald couldn't help but be distracted. In a trance, it seemed as if something was slowly being pulled out of his body, and then...
When Donald came to his senses again, he was sitting at the dining table and the proprietress was calling him anxiously.
"You're finally awake. You were in a daze just now. I thought you were in a nightmare!" The proprietress breathed a sigh of relief.
Donald blinked and quickly woke up. He looked around and found that they were the only two people left in the store. All the doors and windows were closed, and even the gap in the door was blocked with wooden boards.
"Where's Lu Mi?"
"who?"
"That's the companion who came with me!"
"Oh, it's the man with the silver eyes... He couldn't wake you up just now, so he asked me to stay here and watch over you. He told me to block the doors and windows to prevent the fog from coming in. Then he rushed into the fog alone!"
"What!?"
Donald's pupils suddenly shrank, he quickly stood up and grabbed the transparent window beside him, but he could only see the fog gathering like the sea outside, covering everything.
After taking a few quick breaths, he frantically took out his terminal and immediately dialed, "Hello, is this Six?! This is Donald! An unknown abyssal creature has appeared in the town outside the branch!"
No one knows what is happening behind this fog.
On the other side, Lu Mi walked slowly in the fog.
It can be seen that a lot of "fog" wants to float towards him, but the protection applied to him prevents it from moving forward and protects the young man firmly.
Even some invisible force spread from his side, directly dispersing the fog.
Over time, the fog formed a vacuum zone around Lu Mi, and he could only stay a few meters away.
Lu Mi looked at it, or rather them, and said with emotion: "It really is an old acquaintance."
Yes, Lu Mi knew what these creatures were. Compared to the unfamiliar snake-headed pterosaurs and the like, this time he happened to encounter one he had seen in the abyss.
——Forgetful bug.
Although its appearance gives the illusion of fog, in fact, the fog is actually countless insects as tiny as cotton.
The amnesia bugs do not cause physical harm to people, because they are bugs that devour memories. The longer you stay in this "fog", the more memories you lose, and the more important they are.
It starts with forgetting how to make a dish, forgetting the important people and things around you. Eventually, you even forget who you are and forget that you need to eat...
When Lu Mi first encountered it in the abyss, he was caught off guard and suffered a loss. However, after figuring out the ability of this creature, dealing with it became easier.
——Forget-me-nots are afraid of high temperatures.
"Knowledge, Yan." The command flashed through his mind.
A blue-silver spear appeared in his hand, not even needing enchantment.
Golden flames burst out from all around him.
The silver-eyed young man stood quietly in the thick fog, flames swirling around him, changing and surging, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a sea of fire like molten gold in the scorching sun.
At this moment, he was like a god born in fire, holding a golden flag high and walking step by step from the flowing flames.
Wherever Lu Mi walked, the thick fog would burn away.
The inaudible howling of insects wafted through the air, transforming into unique sound waves that spread sharply into the distance.
The thick fog began to shrink rapidly, turning into clouds and rising into the sky.
"Want to escape?" A soft voice sounded, and golden flames whizzed away.
At this time, as the thick fog dissipated, Lu Mi heard the faint cry of a child coming from the other side.
The white fog from the direction where the voice came from had not yet completely dissipated. Lu Mi turned his head slightly and walked over.
At this moment, in the white fog, a little girl of five or six years old was tightly grabbing the hem of a brown-haired man's clothes.
The brown-haired man wore a golden watch with an hourglass-shaped elephant emblem on the dial.
He was holding the little girl in his arms while looking around vigilantly.
The panicked cry of the girl in his ears gave him a splitting headache.
"Ooo ...
So annoying, so annoying! Why are children so troublesome?! A fierce red light flickered in the man's dark eyes, and he wanted to just throw the girl there and walk away!
Who the hell wants to care about other people's life and death? !
But—no!
Veins bulged out on the brown-haired man's forehead.
His mind was in a mess at the moment, and it took him a while to remember his own name.
...Yes, his name is Gaudi.
He held a piece of paper tightly in his hand, which he had finally taken out of his body: Recruitment for the K8 Branch of the Extraordinary.
The lost memories are difficult to piece together in my mind.
Gaudi finally remembered two things——
First, he was going to go undercover in that branch for a man to whom he had sworn allegiance.
Second, he must conceal his malicious intentions and try hard to be a good person. (This is actually to gain the trust of others.)
That's why he came to this small town close to the K8 branch, and that's why he chose to help the little girl crying in the middle of the road.
But before he could help the other person find home, this strange and inexplicable fog came.
"Damn, my head hurts..." Gaudi tried hard to recall the appearance of the adult he was loyal to, but for some reason he just couldn't remember.
It seems, is it blonde? No, it's gold, golden...
Just as he was thinking hard and in great pain——
Gold appeared.
At that moment, it was like the sun setting and the dawn rising.
The young man who broke out from the fog, carrying a sky full of golden flames, illuminated the world in an instant.
Raging flames surrounded him, perfectly unifying gentleness and brutality.
He walked in the swirling sea of fire, just like the sun in the sky descending upon the boundless earth.
The high and mighty god lowered his eyes, without saying a word, but those clear and calm eyes had a strange soothing power.
The little girl who had been crying suddenly became quiet. At an age when she was still too young to understand awe and reverence, she was the first to witness the world's greatest light and most flawless beauty.
The golden flames illuminated the child's panicked eyes, dispelling the helplessness in them, as if a bright sun rose in her eyes.
"Are you the god in the storybook who will come to save us in times of crisis?" The childish and innocent words echoed in the air.
Gaudi was completely stunned.
The feeling of being ripped out of my body and my soul being constantly pulled at since the thick fog appeared suddenly disappeared. My heart, which had been beating so fast in the fog that it was almost suffocating, suddenly relaxed.
He seemed to be caught in a brief, earth-shattering void, and then, an expression of half sadness and half joy suddenly appeared on his face, slightly distorted by the sudden shock.
——This is the master he is loyal to!
The vague image in my mind was completely replaced by the person in front of me.
At that moment, his splitting headache was immediately relieved, and he relaxed instantly, as if this was how it should be, and there was no problem at all!
Yes, it must be to shine in this unprecedented light that he turned from evil to good, choosing to suppress his true nature and be a good person! !
"Sir!" Gaudi rushed over, clattering to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "I have lived up to your trust and finally made it here!"
The author has something to say:
Gaudi: I was undercover, but not completely.
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