The familiar mockery and lack of a blank expression confirmed to Jenna that Ciel was indeed real.
"Dammit! Can't you speak properly?" Jenna cursed, waving the cloth in her hand.
Lumian closed the door behind him and smiled.
"You're quite energetic. You're not crying from fear."
Jenna cautiously looked out the window, confirming that the faintly glowing figures had long disappeared.
Suppressing her urge to argue with Lumian, she wasted no time and asked, "How did you get in here too?"
As she spoke, she reminded herself, As an adult woman with rich life experiences and many setbacks, I shouldn't argue with such an immature minor at such a critical moment!
Lumian's gaze moved over to Franca, who was sipping red wine by the window. He settled onto the divan and leaned back comfortably.
"First, tell me how you got in."
To be honest, he didn't know why he had suddenly arrived in this strange place resembling Hostel.
Jenna remained standing by the coffee table, ready to assume a dummy appearance at any moment.
She then recounted how she had received a dream revelation, came underground to deliver the mission item, and acquired a lucky gold coin.
Lumian listened attentively without interruption. Finally, he chuckled.
"Now, I can answer your question.
"I was sent here by Mr. Fool to save you."
He roughly understood why he had appeared in Room 207 of the fake Auberge du Coq Doré after waking up.
"Did Mr. Fool really send you? I don't even know His—his full honorific name. Did my prayer succeed with just the lucky gold coin?" Jenna had her suspicions, but she still found it unbelievable.
"Of course it's true," Lumian replied sincerely.
What puzzled him was something else.
Why did Mr. Fool send him and not Madam Magician?
If it were Madam Magician who had been pulled into the Hostel, the problem would have been easily resolved!
This could be explained by the seal of The Fool on him, but Madam Magician was a Major Arcana card holder, a key member of the Tarot Club who could participate in a meeting before a god. Furthermore, she definitely possessed similar marks in the three pathways of the divine controlled by The Fool. She could likely be "assigned remotely."
I'm afraid there's another reason I don't understand… Lumian pondered for a moment and focused on Jenna's description of the world, then asked for confirmation, "From the outside, the only difference between this place and reality is Salle de Bal Brise?"
Previously, Séraphine and Gabriel had only mentioned that there was a black hole on Avenue du Marché through which there was a chance of leaving, but it was also very dangerous. They hadn't specified its location. Although Lumian had a vague guess, he couldn't be sure until Jenna revealed her discovery.
"I've only explored a few nearby streets and less than one-fifth of Avenue du Marché," Jenna replied cautiously to prevent Ciel from making a misjudgment.
She then continued, "And inside, there are many differences. For example, here, the layout of the room, large pieces of furniture, and reality are the same. The other details are somewhat different.
"I suspect, I suspect…"
Lumian looked at Jenna and spoke before she could.
"A world in a painting."
"Yes, a world in a painting!" Jenna's hazy thoughts finally became clear.
Combined with the Painter Sequence and the paints and brushes she had found from the mutated monk, she believed that it was an oil painting that only copied some of the streets in the market district and possessed supernatural powers. It was called Hostel!
Jenna was both concerned and intrigued.
Drawing a painting seemed to create a world!
Lumian teased, "I'm glad you could also come to such a realization. It's no easy task. This painting world isn't considered advanced. The oil painting created by an angel of the Painter pathway might truly be a world with living beings inside."
Unlike the current one, there were many aspects with fakeness.
What was the purpose of such a relatively low-level painting?
Without waiting for Jenna's response, Lumian instructed her, "Check Franca's hidden pocket and see if there's a classic silver mirror."
"Why don't you search for it yourself? You know what that mirror looks like better than I do." Jenna suddenly chuckled. "Don't tell me you're shy?"
Lumian said nonchalantly, "If you're not here, I'll search for it on my own. But since I can instruct you, why should I tire myself out?"
Jenna gritted her teeth and wasted no time. She walked to the window and rummaged through the fake Franca's various pockets.
She quickly came to a conclusion.
"There are no ancient mirrors. Many of the hidden pockets weren't depicted."
Lumian nodded slowly and inwardly crossed out Plan 7.
He turned to Jenna and said, "Try Magic Mirror Divination and see if it works."
Jenna, experienced, knew that Lumian wanted to use this opportunity to confirm if the world in the painting was connected to the spirit world and determine if his "teleportation" could succeed or help them leave. Therefore, she took out a makeup mirror from her hidden pocket and prayed to one of the safer targets Franca had provided.
Before long, the preparations for Magic Mirror Divination were completed. The palm-sized mirror turned gray, but there was no aqueous light.
"It failed, but there's still something supernatural about it," Jenna said, puzzled.
With a subtle nod, Lumian replied, "It's likely that there's a fake spirit world here. If you activate Spirit Vision, you might be able to see a few remnant souls, but this isn't connected to the real spirit world, so you can't find the entity you're trying to inquire about."
In other words, he could "teleport" within the world within the painting, but he couldn't leave it.
Lumian reached into his pocket, retrieved Mr. K's finger, and flicked it in front of his eyes.
There was no reaction, nor was there any change.
"What's this?" Jenna was taken aback.
Ciel actually carried a blood-stained human finger with him!
"It's a mystical item. It can't contact the outside world," Lumian explained patronizingly.
Simultaneously, he sighed inwardly.
Mr. K's finger seemed impressive, but it could never be used to its full effect.
Most of the time, Lumian had no use for it. When he needed it, the environment was often special, preventing him from using its connection to the true form to summon Mr. K.
Jenna didn't press further. She pursed her lips and said, "So, what should we do next?"
She couldn't think of any other way to leave this place. She could only consider starting with the black hole in Salle de Bal Brise, the edge of the painting world, and the situation with the two fake cathedrals.
Lumian chuckled.
"No need to rush. I still have eight plans left.
"But before we try them, we need to make a trip to Avenue du Marché and observe the black hole at Salle de Bal Brise up close."
"Are you planning to leave from there?" Jenna asked with a frown.
It seemed perilous.
Lumian stood up and walked towards Apartment 601's door. "It is my last resort, but it's also a necessary preparation. I don't want to try the other methods and fail, only to be discovered by the pixies and blocked by the tenants of the Hostel. When that happens, I won't even be able to approach Salle de Bal Brise even if I want to risk it."
Jenna looked out of the window again, only to see that the Sun was setting in the west, and the pixies' servants had yet to return.
Only then did she quickly follow Lumian down the stairs.
On the way, she inquired, "Why did those heretics create such a painting world to hide the Hostel's residents?"
Lumian pondered for a moment and replied thoughtfully, "I believe this is a secondary purpose. Overall, it seems more like a ritual.
"Think about it. This place resembles a phony market district. The Salle de Bal Brise should be the only place left without any correspondence. And I've already told you that beneath the Salle de Bal Brise are old bones from the Fourth Epoch. It's connected to the secret of Église Saint-Robert's old cemetery. It's definitely not a coincidence that the world in the painting left it blank."
"I also think that's the key to the problem." Jenna instinctively wanted to prove that she wasn't stupid by having a similar guess.
As Lumian descended, he pondered and said, "When the abnormality truly occurs, will such a painting world temporarily replace some streets in the real market district? Will only Salle de Bal Brise remain intact?
"Who and what is this to confuse…
"In mysticism, this represents the application of the Law of Similarity. When the similarity reaches a certain level, acts on the counterfeits can be reflected in reality…
"Could they be using this method to unravel Salle de Bal Brise's underground secrets and uncover the old bones of the Fourth Epoch?
"No, it's probably not just for the old bones… Are they trying to open the entrance to Fourth Epoch Trier?
"But it's not that simple. The entire sealing system hasn't been destroyed or weakened…"
Lumian gradually formed an idea, sensing that he was getting closer to the key plan of this disaster.
If he could ultimately grasp the truth, it would be an excellent performance for a Conspirer's observational abilities.
Jenna nodded slightly, agreeing with Lumian's guess.
As they conversed about the fake 3 Rue des Blouses Blanches, their gazes suddenly froze.
On the road diagonally opposite, a woman in a loose strapped white dress was staring at them!
The woman had a beautiful face, her slightly curly black hair cascading messily over her shoulders. Her blue eyes were rather vacant, and her entire person appeared detached yet real.
Lumian and Jenna had encountered similar auras and feelings in another person.
It was the human model, Séraphine, Room 12 of the Hostel!
Is this another room in the Hostel—another human model? Why is she here? It's as if she's waiting for Jenna and me. Lumian tensed up and instinctively reached out with his right hand to grab Jenna's shoulder.
Simultaneously, the beautiful woman's voice drifted with a smile.
"Fate predestined us to meet.
"Convergence always happens inadvertently."
