Lumian glanced at the shattered mirror in Franca's hand, relief and confusion evident on his face.
"But I don't feel like I was being attacked."
His Summoning Dance still had five to six seconds left before Franca grabbed his wrist.
Franca cleared her throat and assumed the stance of a teacher.
"Some mysticism techniques are undetectable. The moment you feel attacked is the moment of your death."
Could it be that the monster secretly influenced me when I paused the Summoning Dance to enter the mirror for those brief seconds? Lumian nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes, the bleeding in that space caught us by surprise. We had no idea how to prevent it."
As he spoke, he looked at Franca's face and noticed her smooth skin, devoid of any scars. It was impossible to tell that blood had seeped out from multiple places.
Franca touched her face and pondered before saying, "It's indeed very bizarre. But we did lose some blood. As a Witch, I have a mystical perception of the amount of my blood. In other words, the damage we suffered in the special mirror world isn't fake. It's just that we didn't leave any wounds. Damn it, I didn't bring the carbide lamp!"
As she spoke, she turned around and searched through a pile of gravel on the side of the dim tunnel.
Lumian didn't have time to retrieve his carbide lamp either. He could only observe Franca's every move with the help of the distant light.
In less than ten seconds, Franca pulled out a mirror from the rubble.
The mirror appeared to be made of pure silver. The patterns on both sides were mysterious and sinister, and its surface was dark and lifeless, as if time had eroded it.
"As expected, there's a corresponding mirror in reality." Franca did her best to avoid being reflected in the silver mirror with its classic design. She also instructed Lumian, "In unsafe places or when encountering strange occurrences, try not to look into the mirror if you can. Otherwise, something terrifying might happen. We mustn't touch such mysterious and evil objects of unknown origin!"
Lumian, who hadn't mentioned to Franca that he couldn't look in the mirror after using the Mystery Prying Glasses to disguise himself, nodded.
"I understand that the exit is a mirror. What I can't figure out is how we entered that space without noticing. We didn't come across anything along the way."
"That baffles me too." Franca covered the surface of the classic-styled silver mirror with a handkerchief and other items. She stood up and said, "This thing seems to be closely related to the Demoness pathway. How about you give it to me? I'll find something valuable to compensate you later."
"No problem," Lumian chuckled. "You don't have to ask. I can't beat you."
Franca clicked her tongue and said, "No, the spoils of war must be distributed fairly. Otherwise, there will surely be conflicts within the team. I used to be taken advantage of like this in the past. If it weren't for my good nature and not holding grudges, I would have sought revenge long ago."
Why does it sound like you're cussing me, Madame… Lumian silently muttered.
If someone took his spoils and exploited him for no reason, and his strength was inferior to the other party, although he wouldn't say anything on the spot, he would definitely find a way to seek revenge later. He wouldn't simply "forgive" the other party so easily.
Stowing away the classic-styled silver mirror, Franca gestured toward the source of light.
"Let's go and have a look over there. We might come across the quarry police or other smugglers. We can ask for directions.
"Getting lost in Underground Trier and being unable to find a way out might be even more perilous than being trapped in that peculiar mirror world."
That's right… Lumian agreed wholeheartedly.
If it weren't for that, the Montsouris ghost would have been eradicated long ago by the official Beyonders.
The two of them proceeded through the tunnel, guided by the faint glow, staying alert for any potential attacks.
Before long, they reached a quarry cave. In the center of the cave stood a figure wearing a felt hat. The light emanated from the carbide lamp he held in his hand.
"Uh…" Franca recognized him and called out, "Fernandez!"
She realized that the figure was Fernandez, the smuggler who had been leading the way for them.
This appeared to be the quarry cave where they had arranged to meet him.
Fernandez turned around, surprised, and asked, "How did you come from there? I've been waiting for nearly half an hour, but you didn't show up. I even went to the spot where the footprints vanished to search for you, but you were nowhere to be found."
Lumian and Franca exchanged glances and nodded.
Indeed, they had spent nearly half an hour in the special mirror world.
Franca approached Fernandez and casually explained, "We stumbled upon some clues and pursued them. However, we ended up circling back here and encountered an ambush on the way. We lost our carbide lamps."
"What clues?" Fernandez asked, pleasantly surprised.
Franca smiled.
"We'll discuss it with Christo directly."
Fernandez knew his place well and didn't pry any further. He led the two of them back along the same path they had taken before.
They ascended the secondary well and entered the underground section corresponding to Le Marché du Quartier du Gentleman, finally arriving at the exit on Rue Anarchie.
Only when Lumian and Franca laid eyes on street peddlers, children picking up fruit peels, homeless people huddling in corners, and the bustling crowd, did they truly feel as though they had escaped from that strange realm and returned to the real world.
After boarding the carriage that "Rat" Christo had sent for them, Lumian glanced at Franca and asked in a low voice,
"What should we say later?"
Fernandez knew the carriage driver and had taken a seat beside him, so he wasn't in the carriage.
Franca chuckled.
"We'll simply say that we entered an unknown space, discovered some traces, and managed to escape using my mirror magic.
"The rest has nothing to do with Christo."
Lumian didn't say another word. He closed his eyes and recalled his encounters in the special mirror world.
The four-wheeled carriage swiftly turned onto Avenue du Marché, hurtling toward Suhit's steam locomotive. It veered into the alley that led to the depot.
"Rat" Christo awaited them in the nearby warehouse.
Before long, Lumian and Franca caught sight of the rat-like smuggler.
Christo approached them with a grin and exclaimed, "Thank you, by Steam! Erkin and the others are back!"
Erkin… Franca's eyes narrowed as she blurted out, "The missing caravan has returned?"
Erkin, Christo's younger brother responsible for the smuggling caravan, had vanished previously, and Franca still had his divination handkerchief.
And now he's back?
What the f*ck was going on?
Christo nodded, still smiling.
"Indeed, the goods have returned as well!
"They arrived over an hour ago."
Over an hour ago? Wasn't that the same time when we discovered the spot where the footprints vanished and entered that peculiar mirror world? Lumian frowned, a hint of confusion stirring within him.
It was only because he had already experienced unbelievable phenomena like the time loop and the vivid dream that Lumian managed to keep his composure, unlike Franca.
Observing the surprised and perplexed expressions of Franca and Ciel, Christo smiled and stated, "I'll let Erkin explain it himself."
He turned and headed a few steps toward the entrance of the warehouse, calling out, "Erkin, come out for a moment!"
Seizing the opportunity, Franca tilted her head slightly and whispered to Lumian, "This is highly unusual…"
Lumian's lips curled into a smile as he lowered his voice and replied, "I even suspect that Rat and the others conspired to set a trap for us. They used the disappearance of the goods as bait to lure us underground into that perilous realm."
Franca studied him, amusement in her eyes, and remarked, "You don't have much trust in others, do you?"
Lumian spoke candidly, "The dancers' salaries make Giant and Baron Brignais resentful, and I possess the coveted Salle de Bal Brise. Only 'Rat' has no conflict of interest with us, so he was made to intervene."
Franca fell into deep thought, seriously considering the possibility of being deceived.
In that moment, Lumian grinned.
"This is merely a conjecture. It doesn't account for the footprints and other traces in the mirror world."
As soon as he finished speaking, a man who appeared to be under 30 years old emerged from the warehouse.
He was not particularly tall, standing at about 1.6 meters. Apart from the absence of rat-like whiskers, he bore a striking resemblance to Christo.
"It is indeed Erkin," Franca whispered to Lumian.
Then, she turned her gaze to Christo and Erkin, who were approaching together, and inquired, "Erkin, what happened?"
Erkin's dark-blue eyes revealed a blend of fear and joy.
"We entered a peculiar world within a section of the tunnel and couldn't find a way out. In the afternoon, while we were searching in all directions, we suddenly found ourselves back on our original path."
Did our entry provide them an opportunity to escape? Franca had a suspicion.
Lumian stared at Erkin, his expression devoid of any emotion, as if assessing an adversary who might bring him calamity.
In his mind, he recalled the droplets of blood left behind on the ground of the mirror world. Gradually, they coalesced, staining a whole area crimson.
Could someone who had lost so much blood truly return alive?
Franca had evidently pondered this as well. She regarded Erkin and asked, "What happened to you there?"
Erkin couldn't help but tremble.
"We started bleeding inexplicably. Towards the end, many were on the verge of death.
"By Steam, we managed to find the exit in time. As soon as we emerged, we recovered."
Is that so? Franca felt that Erkin, adorned with the Sacred Emblem, was relaying his account in line with her own experience and could be explained. Thus, she could only temporarily set aside her doubts.
Beside them, "Rat" Christo cast a glance their way and invited them with a smile,
"Regardless of the circumstances, I must express my gratitude. Would you like to sample the most authentic Savoie roast chicken?"
"Alright," Lumian responded on Franca's behalf.
Christo produced a set of keys and tossed them to his brother, Erkin.
"Go to my office and bring all the spices to the kitchen."
"Alright." Erkin received the key and ascended the iron stairs embedded in the outer wall of the warehouse. With his left hand, he inserted one of the keys into the door of Christo's office and turned it to unlock it.
Franca was momentarily taken aback before muttering to herself, "I recall that Erkin habitually uses his right hand…"
Why would he awkwardly open the door with his left hand when he wasn't holding anything?
Hearing Franca's remark, Christo nodded and replied, "Indeed, he is right-handed."
