Chapter 396 Pure Evil
Lumian expressed his gratitude and took the stack of papers. He lit the carbide lamp and quickly skimmed through the "confessions."
Hela had already thoroughly read through them and had made notes on the essential information. This saved Lumian a lot of time. Besides, he didn't know much about the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society's history. If he were the one making the choice, he might struggle to grasp the key points accurately.
After nearly an hour of reading, Lumian had a rough understanding of the overall situation.
"There aren't many April Fool's members, and they don't meet often or play pranks frequently. They mainly operate in three areas: Trier, the coastal province of Gaia in the Feynapotter Kingdom, and the West Balam region of the Southern Continent.
"The core members involved in the gatherings in Trier are Loki, I Know Someone, and Mad Lady.
"In the Gaia Province, during the sea prayer rituals at Port Santa, the April Fool's team members who pulled pranks were Bard, Ultraman, and Mad Lady. Bard and Ultraman incited local college students to march in Torres, the capital of Gaia Province…
"In the pranks that took place in the Southern Continent's West Balam, the core members involved were Hisoka and Mad Lady.
"At a private gathering in Trier, Loki jokingly mentioned that he had inherited an ancient castle.
"At another Trier gathering, I Know Someone suddenly felt inspired and wanted to hypnotize certain psychiatrists to make them 'conceive' a solution to treat certain mental illnesses by destroying the frontal lobe…"
Madam Susie's accusation of malicious treatment that would forever "calm" patients turns out to be a prank by I Know Someone… That's true. Only someone from another world could skip previous speculations and come up with such an idea…
His sole purpose was to see if the psychiatrists of this world were as foolish, bigoted, and despicable as to create an absurd tragedy that would leave a mark on medical history… The dozens or hundreds of patients who had completely lost their "souls" would never expect their tragic encounter to stem from an inhumane prank…
Loki and I Know Someone are worse than I imagined… Lumian couldn't help but shake his head as he read the last page of the "confessions."
He believed that he had already witnessed the worst side of humanity during his tramp days. People had committed heinous acts for food, to escape trouble, to vent their emotions—they had murdered other tramps, sold companions to the mines while they were asleep, abducted children from the streets, bullied the weak, and humiliated them in various ways. Some had formed gangs and chased away other tramps every day, turning a blind eye to their suffering.
But now, Lumian realized that these evils were clearly inferior to those of Loki, I Know Someone, and the other core members of April Fool's. They were on a whole other level.
"Even demons from the Abyss would have to address them as godfathers when they see them. Compared to them, the padre can be considered a saint," Lumian muttered, setting fire to these people repeatedly in his mind.
He exhaled and extracted useful information from these "confessions" and Madame Hela's markings.
At least eight members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society are suspected to have perished as a direct or indirect result of pranks by the April Fool's team…
I Know Someone, like Loki, participates in every private gathering in Trier, but he has never been to Feynapotter's Gaia Province or West Balam. This suggests he likely resides in Trier as well…
Similarly, Bard and Ultraman are suspected to be in Feynapotter's Gaia Province. Hisoka is located in the Southern Continent's West Balam…
Mad Lady participates in private gatherings everywhere, and these gatherings occur within a month after an agreement is made. This implies that Mad Lady has a teleportation-like ability or item…
The joke about Loki inheriting the ancient castle aligns with his dream. Perhaps I can start with investigating the appearance of the ancient castle to find Loki's whereabouts…
I Know Someone displayed extensive medical knowledge at gatherings, not limited to the psychological domain… He was either a formidable general practitioner before transmigrating or possessed the body of a senior doctor. Could such a person be usually a doctor in disguise? He has the qualifications and ability to impersonate and earn a large sum of money…
Bard loves to collect Emperor Roselle's diary pages and mock him in various ways. Could he have written Emperor Roselle's Secret Chronicles?
Ultraman and Hisoka keep a relatively low profile during the gatherings, leaving no details worth pondering…
Based on this information, Lumian finalized his next course of investigation.
Firstly, he wanted to find the ancient castle from Loki's dream. Secondly, he aimed to delve into the medical profession, seeking clues about I Know Someone. Thirdly, he planned to wait for the next gathering to confirm whether the author of Emperor Roselle's Secret Chronicles was among the current Research Society members before pursuing the original author.
As for the others, he would consider them after dealing with these matters and gaining something more valuable.
Lumian summoned the Rabbit of Knowledge and had it copy the information before sending it to Madam Magician.
…
"What's this?" Jenna looked at the pure silver skull emerging from the darkness, a little afraid to meet the pale-white flames in its eye sockets.
Franca smiled awkwardly and said, "This is the messenger of that formidable lady. She helped us organize the accomplices' statements."
Franca snatched the thick piece of paper from the skull's mouth, not wanting Jenna to see the firsthand information.
Revealing it would expose the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society!
Jenna looked at the pure silver skull disappearing into the darkness and asked in confusion and curiosity, "What's a messenger?"
"It's like a postman in the world of mysticism. It's a postman for private use," Franca explained simply.
Jenna shifted her gaze to Franca.
"Do you have one?"
Franca fell silent.
"This can only be obtained by a specific pathway at a specific Sequence or with their help."
"Oh, you don't…" Jenna deciphered Franca's words.
Intrigued, she asked, "At which Sequence in the Demoness pathway does one need to reach before they can have a messenger?"
Franca fell silent again.
"Not even at Sequence 4 that I know of."
With that, she muttered under her breath, "You can switch to the Hunter pathway with your provocative abilities."
Jenna chuckled and thought for a moment.
"The last time I helped Ciel read about spirit world creatures, I seemed to have noticed a description of a few spirit world creatures that said they were 'suitable as messengers.' Can we summon them and sign a messenger contract?"
"No, uh, it's not impossible." Franca suddenly realized that she could use Mr. Fool's power to summon creatures from the spirit world and ask Him to be a witness to the contract, just like Ciel's contract ability.
Seeing Franca deep in thought, Jenna waited silently.
After a moment, Franca nodded slowly.
"I've come up with an idea. We'll try it later."
She then said to Jenna, "I'll sort out these statements. Don't stay up too late. You still have to go to Théatre de l'Ancienne Cage à Pigeons tomorrow morning."
Jenna didn't inquire further and left Franca's bedroom.
Franca let out a sigh of relief and took a telegram that had just been received.
It also came from 007.
"Hidden Blade, when are you moving out of the market district?
"Ever since you arrived here, all kinds of troubles have been happening one after another. I'm about to become a real 007. I suspect you're the walking source of disaster!"
"Pfft!" Franca spat and muttered to herself, "Is the problem me? It's Ciel!"
Ever since Lumian arrived in the market district, her life hadn't been as leisurely as before.
The incident with Loki had just subsided, and the small cracks on her skin had yet to fully heal. She had to go to Trocadéro tomorrow afternoon to interact with the participants of the Red House Café's female orgy and the woman suspected to be a member of the Demoness Sect.
…
Around 9 a.m., Lumian, having completed his morning exercise and breakfast, found himself with a rare moment of leisure.
On the Iron and Blood Cross Order's side, he awaited Poufer Sauron's next summoning. Concerning the Sinners organization, he patiently gathered information without alerting the occasional mysterious visitor. Anthony Reid would handle matters related to Hugues Artois, but his assistance wasn't needed yet. It proved challenging to discreetly tail Franca during the Bliss Society investigations as she needed to make contact with the Demoness Sect. Lumian had leads on Loki's ancient castle and I Know Someone, but lacked a clear breakthrough.
After careful consideration, Lumian decided that acting as a Pyromaniac was the best course of action. However, the market district was in a delicate state, closely monitored by numerous high-ranking individuals. Finding a safe opportunity was crucial.
Should I take the opportunity to report to Mr. K and inquire if he has a suitable mission for me to act as a Pyromaniac… Lost in thought, he walked past the Salle de Gristmill on Rue Anarchie's other side.
The establishment was under Lumian's ownership, currently overseen by the bounty hunter Lugano Toscano and Louis of the Savoie Mob.
After a brief moment of reflection, Lumian decided to enter the Salle de Gristmill.
The dance hall was closed at that time, and every waiter greeted Lumian respectfully but kept their distance.
Lumian quickly spotted Lugano Toscano, the well-built bounty hunter with sharp features, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He was dressed in a simple formal suit and a black top hat.
Holding a magazine, he smiled at Lumian. "Boss, what brings you here?"
Lumian didn't respond immediately. His attention was drawn to the magazine in Lugano's hand. "What magazine are you reading?"
"Basics of Medicine," Lugano replied, displaying the book.
Basics of Medicine… Lumian's eyebrows twitched. "Why are you reading such books?"
He could understand if it was the First Aid Manual.
Lugano smiled and explained, "My next Sequence is Doctor. Although the potion will directly grant me corresponding Beyonder powers, having more medical knowledge will enhance my abilities. Plus, I aim to pose as a genuine doctor to earn some extra income."
Stumbling on the acting method coincidentally… Doctor… Lumian's heart stirred as he asked, "Have you ever heard of frontal lobe removal surgery?"