Banquet

Chen Miemie knocked on the door of Room 1805, carrying a small gift box.

When Joker opened the door, he was draped in a baggy trench coat, his left sleeve hanging empty.

"I heard you got hurt. As the floor manager, I'm here to pay you a visit." Chen Miemie had appointed himself to this new role.

"Come in." This time, Joker let Chen Miemie inside.

Inside Room 1805, there were almost no soft furnishings. It was a pure, concrete minimalist style.

There was no sofa, just two wooden chairs barely making up for it.

Glancing at the kitchen, it was obvious that it wasn't even in a usable condition.

Aside from proving that Joker wasn't someone who enjoyed the comforts of life, this also aroused Chen Miemie's suspicions.

Joker had moved in here half a year ago.

Since he was squatting illegally anyway, he should have chosen a place with a better environment. Why didn't he choose the fully furnished Room 1803, but instead chose to live in Room 1805, which was practically a bare shell?

And if Room 1803 was renovated after Joker moved in, the noise would have been loud and the process long; there was no way Joker wouldn't have known about it.

"You seem confused?" The injured Joker's perception remained sharp.

"Why didn't you choose my room?"

"With the way your room is set up, someone could move in at any time. I only need a bed anyway, and I don't like trouble."

It was a reasonable explanation. It seemed Chen Miemie was just overthinking.

"Sigh, you really don't know how to enjoy life. What happened to you? Did you run into an Anomaly?"

"A person did this."

"There's actually someone who could make you suffer such a huge loss?"

"It was mutually destructive, I suppose. They aren't from Sixiang City. Starting this week, people from other cities have been arriving one after another."

Chen Miemie sighed softly. "Yeah, the city's core has been damaged for a week now. It's about time all sorts of monsters and freaks showed up."

"Emergency repairs will take three weeks. We might still have some peace this week, but next week... heh."

"Even if they come, it's the City Hall and the Syndicate Alliance's problem. Why are you getting involved for no reason?"

"I didn't start it this time. It was the Mist Church. I attacked [The Chef] last time, so they assumed the subsequent deaths of [The Chef] and [The Painter] were my doing. They even claimed I embezzled 3,000 years' worth of their operating funds."

Chen Miemie almost shrank his neck back in fear.

"Hmph, their guess isn't wrong. [The Painter], who was in charge of their finances, most likely died by your hands." Chen Miemie quickly shifted the blame onto Joker.

While saying this, he mentally gave a thumbs-up to Joker, the ultimate scapegoat. In this world, only the person framing you truly knows how innocent you are.

Joker curled his lips into a smile. "Besides you, no one else knows that [The Painter] was the one managing the finances for this operation."

Chen Miemie froze.

Crap, I was careless.

I exposed myself.

I practically confessed without being interrogated.

Joker didn't mind taking the fall. "The one who came from the Mist Church this time is [The Smuggler] Roach."

"And what kind of bad guy is this [The Smuggler]?"

"Bad? Maybe. He has another, more famous codename: [Chivalrous Thief]. This guy once said a quote that became wildly popular among the lower class—'If the law won't give it, I'll steal it; if morality won't allow it, I'll scam it.'"

"Meaning, he likes to rob the rich to feed the poor?"

"Nobles, merchants, Mystics... he steals from anyone he sees. But it's true that he ultimately distributes it all to the poor."

"Interesting. Did he steal your hand?"

"No, he only stole my time. The one who actually did the deed was his partner, [The Sculptor]."

"And who might that be?"

"[The Sculptor] is named Sheng Su. He excels at sculpting objects using sound waves. Roach distracted me, and he successfully ambushed me with sonic waves."

"Two against one and an ambush? That's fighting dirty."

"It's fine. If they don't want to die, they should have already left Sixiang City by now."

"Looks like you didn't make it easy for them either."

"Of course. I played a game with them and accidentally swapped their hearts."

"You really know how to play. Having someone else's heart in your body should kill you instantly, right?"

"They have a mystical item that can temporarily keep them alive, but it'll be at least a few months before we meet again."

"Impressive. Seeing that you're in decent spirits puts my mind at ease. You rest up then, I'm heading home." Chen Miemie was just about to stand up.

"Wait."

"What is it?"

"When I retrieve my severed hand, can you have your house's cycle reattach it for me?"

"No problem." Chen Miemie prepared to get up again.

"Also..."

"Hmm? Something else?"

"I'm out of time. It was all stolen."

Chen Miemie stared blankly at Joker. He didn't even use the word "borrow."

Joker looked right back at him. If he hadn't known that Chen Miemie embezzled the Mist Church's funds, Joker wouldn't have been so righteous about it, but now he was brimming with confidence.

A few minutes later.

Chen Miemie returned to his own home, crying out about his miscalculation.

His secret stash had instantly shrunk by a tenth. It was enough to make listeners sad and onlookers weep.

Fortunately, Joker offered a word of comfort at the end: "Consider this his funding; you'll be able to get a lot of intel in the future."

A new day began.

Today at noon, there was a banquet to attend.

Yesterday, Madam Jin invited him to attend her son's school admission banquet.

At 11:40 AM, he arrived at the restaurant.

Madam Jin stood at the entrance, laughing loudly.

Seeing Chen Miemie, her eyes visibly lit up.

"Chen Miemie, you're here! I've been waiting for you forever. I was just telling everyone, this is my child's upperclassman, a genuine Mystic."

Chen Miemie was a bit overwhelmed. With an introduction like that, he couldn't maintain any sense of mystery.

Standing at the door for just a short while, Chen Miemie had already heard Madam Jin mention "my son" no less than six times, and "my husband" more than three times.

She tirelessly repeated her family's good news to every single person who arrived.

He hurried into the dining hall to get away from the lady.

Chen Miemie looked around the hall and actually spotted an acquaintance.

"Bie Shengtao, you were invited by Madam Jin too?"

"What else could I do? She would literally camp out in my old man's office, believe it or not." Finally finding someone he could vent to, Bie Shengtao immediately started complaining.

Uncle Bie sat to the side. He was much more seasoned: "Watch your mouth, kid. We're still at her banquet. Save your comments for when we get back."

Good lord, like father, like son.

"I know, I know, there are no outsiders here. Chen Miemie, did you know? A pineapple roast chicken shop opened in the building opposite ours this morning. That aroma... let me tell you, it stops you in your tracks from 200 meters away." As Bie Shengtao spoke, he even drooled a little.

"Is it really that fragrant? Smelling good isn't enough; it has to taste good too."

"Well, I haven't bought any. But let me tell you, even though the roast chicken smells amazing, I don't dare get close to the lady boss. She's a ruthless one."

"Oh? How so?" Chen Miemie leaned in with a smile, looking very interested.

Bie Shengtao lowered his voice:

"I'm telling you, she is definitely not an ordinary person. The city hasn't been peaceful lately, and two shops in our neighborhood just changed owners. She's definitely not there just to do business. Just wait until I dig out her ulterior motives, hmph."

Chen Miemie smiled even more brightly, casually throwing an arm around Bie Shengtao's shoulders.

"It's best not to be too curious about the truth. Come on, tell me. You mentioned two places changed bosses—what's the other one?"