Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 466 Potato Mine Requests to Join the Simulated Universe
After another ten minutes or so of free discussion, the tarot gathering gradually came to an end.

Back in the real world, Hugh looked around his bedroom, his expression gradually becoming serious.

She felt a strange sense of urgency.

As Hugh stepped out of the room, he saw Fors also arrive in the hallway at the same time, no longer lounging around until dinnertime as usual.

She just stared at Fowles without saying a word.

“Uh…” Fors pretended to be normal.

Xiu remained silent.

“We should now prepare for the ritual of offering sacrifices and receive your potion and cell phone,” Fors tried to change the subject.

Xiu remained silent.

Fowles began to take the initiative to help, moving things and setting up ceremonies.

Hugh remained silent.

Fowles started sweating profusely.

“Well… tonight you’ll enter a simulated universe in your dream. The timing for each person is not fixed, it’s random, but since this is your first time joining the Tarot Club, you’ll definitely be there tonight.” Fowles said as he moved slowly toward his room.

After saying that, she turned and left.

"Gah!"

Hugh grabbed her long, messy hair that was hanging down her back.

Previously at the Tarot meeting, the nickname "potato mine" was given by Fowles.

"Potato mines, huh? I'll blow them up right now!"

"Gah! No!"

[Mission complete. You have received a bag of French fries.]

…………

After leaving the Tarot Club, Audrey straightened her clothes in front of the mirror, then pushed open the office door and began searching for Dawn Dantes inside the foundation.

In order to prevent Herwin Lambis from noticing anything amiss before the "assassination," Audrey had discussed it with Klein beforehand during the Tarot meeting, and had Audrey hypnotize Klein.

Klein will also be "hypnotized" like an ordinary person.

As she expected, she quickly found her target in the largest lounge there.

This area belongs to the board members who do not hold positions within the foundation. Before the Tarot meeting began, Audrey saw Mr. Dawn Dantes inside as she went up the stairs.

Upon seeing Audrey enter, Klein opened his closed eyes, smiled, and pointed to another sofa in the room.

“Okay.” Audrey found a single sofa and sat down, her mind racing with all sorts of thoughts.

She quickly gathered her thoughts and looked at the middle-aged gentleman in front of her.

Her emerald eyes were like ancient pools deep in the mountains, serene, profound, and clear, drawing people in without them even realizing it.

Klein, on the other hand, manipulated his pupils to become unfocused.

This is all an act, after all, no one knows if there are members of the Psychological Alchemy Society inside the foundation.

A few seconds later, Audrey clapped her hands and saw Dawn Dantes' eyes instantly regain their clarity.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Audrey took her leave, while Klein remained where he was, opening a copy of "Lune Beauty Weekly".

A sparrow flew past the window, paused for half a second as it passed the window not far behind Klein, then flapped its wings, changed direction, and followed Audrey away.

Time passed little by little, and soon it was evening.

After finishing dinner at the foundation, Klein glanced at the wall clock in the lobby, put down his magazine, greeted the few permanent staff members at the foundation, and left to go home.

After turning a corner and entering an empty alley, Dawn Dantes suddenly lost his footing, fell to the ground, and turned into a dead sparrow.

He had long ago swapped places and appearances with Miki.

…………

It's late at night. (In the simulated universe)

In the spiraling corridor, the whistling of hammers striking metal echoed continuously.

Xiu opened his eyes, feeling as if he had suddenly woken up from a dream, and as if he had been sinking but was suddenly pulled up.

This was her first time entering a simulated universe, and she felt a little out of place.

Before Hugh's eyes, a semi-real light screen appeared.

[Potato Mine requests to join the simulated universe]
It’s not over, right?
She turned her gaze away from the light screen with dissatisfaction and looked around at where she was now.

This was a spacious, circular hall, decorated in a peculiar way, with various instruments she couldn't understand, as well as retro decorations, plants, and potted plants.

The automated production line operates autonomously, with the constant clicking of gears and the ticking of intelligent prompts filling the air.

According to Fowles, Hugh knew she could move around freely here. She must have been assigned an identity, the specifics of which were unknown, but her status was certainly not low. Most likely, she was some minor leader.

Hugh strolled around the hall as if taking a walk.

I saw the rapidly expanding sheepskin air bladder of the stove pipe gushing out hot steam, and I saw the propeller coated with sugar oil making a pleasant creaking sound.

I saw cotton candy wrapped in a flying machine wobbling as it took off, and I saw pure white trees bound by ropes, each with a mouth, talking to each other.

As Hugh passed by them, he was amazed by the advanced and futuristic designs of the various mechanical creations, as well as by the pure white and pristine nature of the trees, which seemed like dancing statues.

Soon, she met the first person she had encountered since arriving in the simulated universe.

This was a scholar who looked about the same height as Hugh. She held up the blueprints in her hand, comparing them with the semi-finished device, pointing out areas that needed improvement.

This height made Hugh feel quite close to him.

That's great, they're peers I can look at as equals.

Xiu overheard the scholars muttering, "We should add a new lens here, deflecting it inwards to correct the observation error..."

"Hi, good evening, group leader." The scholar greeted Hugh immediately upon seeing him.

"Uh, good evening." Hugh waved back.

The scholar was wearing a clean white lab coat, with what appeared to be a handwritten identification tag on her chest, bearing her photo and the words "No. 50" written below it.

"Oh," noticing Hugh's gaze, Number 50 also glanced down at the name tag on his chest, "How is it? Pretty good, right?"

She sounded very happy: "You know, if I can complete this research, I swear, I can definitely get into the genius club."

As she spoke, she pointed to the name tag hanging on her chest: "Look, I've even made my ID card. I'll be seat number 50."

Not knowing what a genius club was, Hugh could only smile without changing his expression: "Of course, I believe you can definitely do it."

Number 50 reached out and grabbed Hugh's hand, pulling her towards a display case: "Team leader, come and see, I've found another ape. It seems like these things are quite popular in the academy lately."

Following his gaze, Hugh spotted a brownish-gray monkey.

It was a young ape, lying lazily on a stone in the display case. Its thick fur was soaked with artificial sunlight, swaying in the wind like waves on the grassland.

There was another person standing in front of the display case; he was a man wearing a cloak.

Seeing Number 50 pulling Hugh over, the man continued rambling without turning his head: "Let me tell you, this thing is really hard to deal with."

“Everyone’s collecting these now; it’s really not easy to find a wild one.” As he spoke, he turned around and saw Hugh. “Hello, you’re the head of this experimental group, right?”

Turning to the front, Hugh finally saw the man's full attire.

Beneath the black cloak was a man dressed in a gaudy outfit reminiscent of a circus clown, with a red-nosed mask covering his face. His features were obscured; all that could be discerned was that he was very tall, estimated to be two meters.

He extended one hand, making a handshake gesture.

Looking at the man who was at least close to two meters tall, Hugh stood on tiptoe, a little annoyed, raised his hand, and shook hands with him.

“My name is…” The man was about to introduce himself when he saw the name tag on number 50’s chest. “Never mind, the name doesn’t matter. Just call me 86.”

"As you can see, I am a phantom thief. If you want any rare gadgets in the future, you can come to me. Or the research results of your other project groups, you can come to me if you want them."

(End of this chapter)