Ring of Fate

Chapter 1054 Protector

After considering the next direction, Lumian looked out of the carriage window.

At this time, the hired carriages had arrived at the gray-white city wall that surrounded the entire Trier and lined up to leave the city.

The newly built church of the "Fools" Church in Trier is located in the suburbs, close to the bend of the Serenzo River. The river is wide and the transportation is convenient. It has both a dock and a station. It is a picturesque town.

When Lumian arrived at the small town called Lambe, he found that it was not small at all. There were many steam ships at the dock, and the streets were crowded with people and very lively.

After asking the coachman, Lumian roughly understood the reason:

Most goods had to pay market tax if they wanted to enter Trier, but the tax rates were different. Therefore, many things that did not need to be sold in Trier or transferred through Trier were unloaded in Rambouille and sent to surrounding towns. This made the town gradually prosperous, and it also attracted many sea merchants, adventurers and sailors, bringing in the belief of the "fool".

Lumian had heard from Franca that the Church of the Eternal Sun had always wanted to abolish the market entry tax in order to boost commerce and increase circulation, but this tax was one of the main sources of income for the Republic of Intis, and Trier's market entry tax was equivalent to the sum of the market entry taxes of several large cities, so the government simply could not give it up.

Lumian put on a wide-brimmed round hat, let the black veil hang down, and strolled around the town of Rambou.

Soon, he found the location of the "Fool" Church, now called St. Lumian's Church, but he did not rush in. He just stopped on the street to admire the large glass windows and simple exterior walls.

“I hope that one day, no clergyman will ask Saint Lumian to bear with me…” After making a self-deprecating joke, Lumian continued on his way.

The town's main faith is the Eternal Sun, and the patron angel of Trier, Saint Vieve, is worshipped.

Lumian looked at the angel statue carved from white stone and walked into a bar diagonally across the square.

This bar does good business. On weekends, many people from Trier come here to enjoy a variety of alcoholic beverages without having to pay entry tax.

As soon as Lumian pushed open the heavy wooden door of the bar, he felt a lot of eyes cast at him, some were surprised, some were amazed, some were greedy, some were excited, and some were like poisonous snakes slowly swimming around his body.

Only then did he remember that he was now a lady, a lady who exuded great charm even though her face was covered by a veil.

This would never happen when he was a man. At most, a thief would observe and judge whether it was worth stealing and possible... Alas, there is no sense of harmony of "going home"... Lumian shook his head slowly and took out a revolver directly from the "traveler's bag".

He reached out and held the door frame, pointed the revolver at the ceiling, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"boom!"

The bullets knocked down clouds of dust, and the people in the bar ran in all directions quickly, like athletes hearing the starting gun.

This left Lumian with a wide path to the bar.

When the chaotic and noisy evasion scene died down, Lumian released the "Bottle of Fiction" and walked towards the bar with the revolver in hand, saying in a cold but gentle voice:
"I just want to drink."

He then sat on a high stool, knocked on the table, and said to the bartender who was looking at him in a daze:

"A glass of 'Green Fairy'."

The bartender finally came to his senses and quickly poured Lumian a glass of absinthe and added some lemon juice.

Lumian did not take off his hat or lift his veil, but slowly sipped the bitter and fragrant wine.

The other people in the bar gradually returned to normal. In this small town where pirates and adventurers often appeared, they were already accustomed to similar things, which was why they were so skilled just now.

Lumian quietly listened to their chats and whispers, trying to find useful information from them, especially those pointing to "sick education".

But unfortunately, what he heard was mainly the discussion about himself.

The most discussed topic is what is a person with a double body.

There are many literary interpretations, such as "it has a male body and a feminine side, it is fire and ice", and there are also vulgar and filthy ones, such as "it is swollen on top and hard on the bottom".

Lumian turned his gaze to the drunkard who said the latter sentence.

His eyes, like a plateau lake, were like a mirror, reflecting the other person's figure.

The drunkard was using obscene movements to match the description just now, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and lower body, as if they were burned by flames.

He screamed, fell to the ground, and rolled over in pain.

This stunned the people around him who were agreeing with his joke.

After more than ten seconds, the drunkard finally came back to life. He held on to the chair next to him and stood up trembling.

"What just happened?"

"acute disease?"

"Go to the clinic right away!"

The people around started talking at once.

The drunkard shook his head blankly:

"It hurt a little bit just now, but it's fine now..."

As he spoke, he lowered his head to check his physical condition and was surprised to find that his chest had swelled strangely due to an unknown burning sensation, and his lower body seemed to have turned into stone, with his crotch sticking out.

Almost at the same time, people around also noticed this situation.

"It's swollen on top and hard on the bottom..." Someone repeated the drunkard's words.

This... The people around quickly moved away from this area, looking at the drunkard with defensive eyes:
It was him, it was him who insulted the saint, it has nothing to do with us!
We are not standing next to him, so when the lightning strikes him, don't let it affect us!

In fear, everyone present couldn't help but have a thought:
Is the new patron saint of the Church of Fools so effective?

Lumian withdrew his gaze, allowing the figure reflected in his eyes to disappear.

This is a minor penalty that will not affect actual function or physical health.

For Lumian, he didn't care at all about being insulted, he would just find an opportunity to play a prank on him, but he couldn't insult Aurore.

Moreover, this is also an opportunity to use fear to spread faith.

At the same time, it can also digest the "witch" potion.

Lumian looked at the absinthe in his hand and saw his own veiled face reflected in the dreamy green liquid.

…………

The deep red wine swayed gently, and three wooden puppets with blurry faces were placed next to it.

Franka leaned back in her chair, leisurely admiring the blood that seeped into the texture of the puppet and the hair that seeped into the cracks.

After looking for a few seconds, she turned to look at the three men standing in front of the desk and said with a smile:
“I only ask two things of you:
"First, help me collect all kinds of information. Second, abide by the thirteen rules I set and treat those dancers and streetwalkers well."

After Franca finished speaking, Janna, who was standing next to her, took a piece of paper and read:

“First, there should be no coercion;
“Second, ensure adequate rest;
"...

“Thirteenth, provide basic medical care.”

"We are a gang, not a charity!" blurted out the one with the hottest temper among the three.

Franka laughed:
“Yes, I am not doing charity either.”

She then flicked out a quiet black flame and let it land on one of the puppets.

The puppet was immediately covered in black flames and began to burn quietly.

The gangster boss who had just spoken suddenly screamed, and evil black flames burst out of his body.

He knelt on the ground in pain, his face twisted as he shouted:
"I, I was wrong.

“I’m doing charity!

"I promise! I promise!"

Neither Franca nor Janna responded, but just watched in silence until the gangster boss collapsed to the ground, twitching and dying.

Franca then looked at the other two gang leaders and asked with a smile:
"Do you have any objections?"

"No." The two gang bosses seemed to be competing in shaking their heads.

After Janna posted the paper with the thirteen rules on the wall, Franka stood up and said:
"Remember to read it every day. If you violate it..."

Franka picked up the remaining two puppets:

"You should know what they represent. They are the curse medium of the 'witch'."

After becoming the "Witch of Pleasure" and being able to cast curses directly through mirrors, Franka no longer uses similar black magic in battle. However, the mirror curse is real-time and cannot be fixed. If she wants to control these two gang bosses and make them obedient, she still has to take their blood and hair to make puppet-like media.

As for the "Eternal Witch", mastering this medium can also influence the target's immediate family members.

"I know, I know." The two gangster bosses now started nodding in competition again.

Janna thought for a moment and said to Franca:
“Can I add a rule?”

"Of course." Franka smiled.

Janna picked up the pen and added another line to the pasted paper:
"Article 36: The annual interest rate for usury cannot exceed %, and no additional fees such as handling fees or service fees can be charged."

"Is it okay?" Janna turned around and smiled.

The two gang bosses who were questioned did not dare to object.

Franka put away the two cursed puppets and walked towards the door, saying casually:
“I know you have some supporters behind you. I don’t care what they think, and it won’t affect your fight for territory and making money here. All I want are the two things just now.

“If your supporters are dissatisfied, let them come and see this statue.”

As she spoke, grayish-white light spread and fell on the dead gangster boss.

The corpse quickly turned into a stone sculpture.

"Is this okay? If they want to do something bad to me, you will notify me quietly, right?" Franca looked back at the remaining two gang bosses and asked with a smile.

The two gangster bosses first showed an infatuated expression that could not be suppressed, and then hurriedly responded:

"Yes! Yes!"

After leaving the room, Franka walked towards the dancers and streetwalkers who were waiting fearfully at the stairs.

"Boss..." several of the girls shouted happily.

Franka nodded slightly and said:

“Then it will go back to the way it was before.

"But I still want to say that this is not a long-term career."

…………

Opposite the Old Dove Cage Theatre, Franca and Janna sat on chairs on the sidewalk, calmly watching the audience and actors coming in and out.

"Why don't you go over and say hello?" Janna asked.

Franka smiled:

"No, since they are doing well, there is no need to go."

"That's right." Janna nodded.

Franca then tilted her head and said half sincerely and half jokingly:
"This is for you. You have to be the protector of actresses in the future."

After looking for a while, they returned to the luxurious villa.

At this time, Lumian had returned and was saying to Anthony:

"Help me collect information about the 'Sick Teacher'."

"'Sick Teacher'..." Franka suddenly understood what Lumian wanted to do and said with a smile, "I also have an intelligence channel. I'll ask them to keep an eye on it!"

(End of this chapter)