The red-haired beauty sighed helplessly. "Looks like the negotiations have broken down..."
As soon as she finished speaking, a strange black creature appeared beside her. In her hand, a purple thread materialized, as if she were controlling the creature.
The two groups clashed head-on. The Fractsidus members—one wielding a gun, the other a cannon—aimed at the beauty and pulled the trigger.
With a graceful dance-like motion, the beauty dodged their bullets mid-air.
Then, like a Dollmaker in a marionette show, she flicked her wrist, her fingers weaving intricately. The black creature surged forward, crackling with lightning, and struck the Fractsidus members.
Unable to evade in time, they were hit by the lightning. With a gentle tug of the thread, the creature unleashed a thunderous explosion on the spot, reducing the two Fractsidus members to charred husks.
The beauty retracted the black creature, her expression bored.
Lucian had originally planned to just watch the show, but the Fractsidus members were disappointingly weak, taken out in seconds by the red-haired beauty.
Just as he was about to leave, the beauty suddenly spoke softly, "Had enough of watching?"
Lucian: "?"
Did I fucking get spotted again?
Lucian reviewed the pattern of his recent exposures.
In short: Peek—get caught. Peek—get caught...
Finally, he concluded that it must be because his radiant humanity was simply too dazzling to ignore.
With no other choice, Lucian stepped out of the bushes.
The red-haired beauty raised an eyebrow when she saw his face. "Him..."
Lucian approached her. "Hello, I'm—"
[Ding! Option triggered!]
The system's voice suddenly echoed in Lucian's mind.
[Option 1: Join the Séance Society! Reward: Item 'Coin of Fate']
[Option 2: Cling to the red-haired beauty's thigh and lick it furiously! Reward: Item 'Undying Death Note']
[Option 3: Arrest the beauty and hand her over to Jinzhou City Hall to earn merit with Chixia. Reward: Skill 'Stellar Shift']
[Option 4: Discover and resolve a hidden event! Reward: Talent 'Cloud-Dancing Butterfly Steps']
Lucian thought to himself, "System, I thought you were dead since you've been gone so long. And now you drop this bomb on me?"
[System: I'm just old, not dead!]
"Oh really? May I ask how old you are?"
[System: None of your business! Get to work!]
"What kind of options are these?! Especially the second one—what kind of person do you take me for?!"
"Am I the kind of guy who'd throw himself at any pretty woman he sees?!"
[Aren't you?]
"..."
Lucian turned to the beauty. "Ahem, hello, fair lady. My name is Scar. And you are...?"
"Scar?" The beauty's lips curled slightly. "You can call me Yinlin. What do you want?"
Lucian scratched his head sheepishly. "Actually... I want to join the Séance Society!"
Yinlin arched an eyebrow, then chuckled. Slowly, she enunciated, "You want to join the Séance Society?"
Lucian: "That's right. Is there a problem?"
Yinlin: "No problem. None at all."
After saying that, she first made sure Lirong and the little girl Yuanyuan were settled.
Then she glanced at Lucian. "Follow me."
Lucian followed Yinlin into a tent.
Inside was empty except for a small wooden table and two chairs facing each other.
Yinlin took the seat at the head of the table, crossing her arms and elegantly crossing her long legs.
Lucian sat opposite her.
Yinlin: "Name."
Lucian: "Scar."
Yinlin: "Age."
Lucian: "Just turned eighteen."
Yinlin said flatly, "Why do you want to join the Séance Society?"
Lucian had no idea what the Séance Society even did—this was all just the system's task.
After a brief pause, he replied, "Because... I need a job."
Yinlin nodded. "And why do you want to work for the Séance Society specifically?"
Lucian fell silent again. "Because... I don't have a job."
Yinlin clicked her tongue. "What I mean is, why us?"
Lucian: "Because... you're hiring?"
Suppressing her irritation, Yinlin took a deep breath. "There's Fractsidus, the Exiles' Gang, even the Jinzhou patrol—why choose the Séance Society?"
Lucian chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I had to pick one..."
Yinlin: "I'm asking why!"
Seeing Yinlin's growing impatience, Lucian rubbed his temples and lowered his voice.
"Because I can't work for two gangs at the same time."
Yinlin slammed her fist on the table and stood up, leaning forward with overwhelming pressure.
Her eyes locked onto Lucian. "Fine. Then tell me—exactly what position you're applying for. Word for word!"
Lucian, seemingly cowed by her intensity, muttered weakly, "Mechanical maintenance..."
Yinlin nodded and sat back down.
"And as a mechanical maintenance worker, what value can you bring us?"
Lucian thought for a moment. "I can bring you... a new employee?"
Yinlin: "..."
Leaning back in her chair, Yinlin closed her eyes. Tiny sparks of electricity flickered at her fingertips.
Truthfully, she had recognized him the moment she saw him—after all, she had once tailed him for an entire day.
She'd heard rumors about his unreliable personality, but she hadn't expected him to be this insufferable.
Still, she acknowledged his strength. If he joined, maybe today's mission could...
After a long silence, Yinlin spoke. "You're in."
"I'm—" Lucian blinked. "Huh?"
[Ding! Option 1 completed. Obtained item 'Coin of Fate'.]
[Coin of Fate: A coin engraved with 'Yes' and 'No' on either side. Silently ask your question, then flip the coin. Can only be used once per day.]
Lucian had already given up hope—after all, failing these options didn't come with penalties.
And when it came to mechanical maintenance, he really didn't know much, so he couldn't have given a proper answer anyway.
Yet somehow, Yinlin still let him pass.
"Ahem." Lucian scratched his head. "Actually, I have one more question."
"What is it?"
"Master... what exactly do you do for work?"
Yinlin: "..."
"My job is complicated. It's not something I can explain in a few words."
Lucian: "Then what does the Séance Society do?"
Yinlin smirked. "You don't even know what we do, and you wanted to join?"
She walked toward the tent's entrance. "But you don't need to know. Just do what you're told. Heh..."