Chapter 15: Open Up, Checking the Water Meter
Tingen City, Iron Cross Street Lower District, second floor of an ordinary apartment building.
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Zhou Mingrui felt as if he had suddenly fallen from a bizarre dream; his body grew heavy rapidly, and the surrounding gray fog and magnificent divine temple receded like a tide.
Darkness first met his eyes, followed by the slightly piercing sunlight streaming through the window.
He was back.
He was still in Klein Moretti's apartment room, standing right in the center.
"Like a dream..."
Zhou Mingrui sighed softly, his face filled with confusion.
What exactly was that world of gray fog? Was it a product of that ancient Luck-Enhancement Ritual? And who had created that version of himself who called himself "Mr. The Fool"?
He dragged his leaden legs to the desk, picked up the silver Hunter pocket watch, and clicked it open.
The time—only about ten minutes had passed since he was pulled into the gray fog.
"A one-to-one time flow ratio?" Zhou Mingrui roughly estimated.
As he put down the pocket watch, a sharp pain, as if his brain were being torn apart, suddenly struck.
Unable to support himself any longer, he slumped into the chair, head bowed, pressing his temples firmly with his left thumb and middle finger.
Only after a long while did the pain gradually subside.
He let out a long sigh and, in an extremely complex tone, whispered a sentence in heavily accented Chinese that he had suppressed for a long time:
"It seems... I won't be going back anytime soon..."
Only the ignorant can be fearless.
After personally experiencing that miraculous "gathering," seeing real Beyonders like "Justice" and "Hanged Man," and especially that mysterious, suspected "fellow countryman" known as "Lovers," Zhou Mingrui no longer dared to recklessly attempt that so-called "Luck-Enhancement Ritual."
Who knew what would happen if he tried again? What if this time, instead of being pulled Above the Gray Fog, he was directly eaten as a sacrifice by some evil god?
He didn't even dare to imagine such a fate worse than death.
"At least... at least I have to wait until I have a deep understanding and mastery of mysticism before I can try again," Zhou Mingrui thought helplessly.
His mood was complex—frustrated, lost, and fearful of the unknown.
However, unlike the despair Klein felt at this moment in the original story, a tiny flame named "hope" was burning in the depths of his heart.
He wasn't alone anymore!
That fellow Nairn, the man who called himself "Lovers," and that clunky, non-standard "National Essence"—"What Ri your problem?"—was practically shouting at him: "fellow countryman, I see you!"
Although he didn't know if the other party was friend or foe, or why they were here, the immense surprise of "meeting an old friend in a foreign land" diluted most of Zhou Mingrui's negative emotions.
He was no longer struggling to survive alone in this strange and dangerous world.
He had a "kindred spirit."
A kindred spirit who seemed... much stronger and more mysterious than him.
"He knows all the Potion Formulas... and even understands accounting..." Zhou Mingrui recalled the various details of the gathering, his heart filled with shock.
Although this fellow countryman seemed to have a "Fun-seeker" attribute and acted completely outside of common sense—even nearly exposing "The Fool's" secrets during their first meeting.
But... he was friendly!
He acknowledged "The Fool's" status, joined the Tarot Club, and even proactively started "setting the pace," steering this ragtag team toward a more powerful and efficient direction.
Three-way trades, posting missions in exchange for formulas and materials?
Modern accounting knowledge?
What kind of divine maneuvers were these!
Zhou Mingrui felt that his hope of returning home had instantly skyrocketed from a slim 0.01% to at least 10%!
What exactly was this fellow countryman's background? The mystery surrounding him was simply too exaggerated!
By contrast, he, "The Fool," seemed to know nothing except how to pull people into meetings—a complete empty shell.
But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
The corners of Zhou Mingrui's mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
As long as he clung tightly to Mr. Lovers' leg, let alone Sequence potions, maybe one day the man would be in a good mood and point out the way home directly!
The hope of returning home seemed... to have grown much larger!
He even began to calculate how to casually strike up a conversation with Mr. Lovers at the next gathering, test his background, and ideally "recognize each other" privately.
After a moment of silence, the excitement and joy on his face gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented determination.
He looked at the young face in the mirror—the face belonging to Klein Moretti, with black hair and deep eyes—and said solemnly to himself:
"From now on, I am Klein."
Whether it was to survive in this world or to find a way home in the future, he had to accept this new identity and play this new role well.
At the very least, he couldn't let a single sentence from his fellow countryman almost make him lose his composure again.
Until he thoroughly understood the background and purpose of this "Lovers" fellow countryman, his "Fool" persona must never be exposed.
This was his only protective charm for now.
He began to force his thoughts back to more realistic issues.
At next week's gathering, he might be able to overhear the ingredients for the "Spectator" potion. This was his first chance to become a Beyonder.
But materials definitely wouldn't be cheap. Klein's total savings were only a bit over three pounds; that wouldn't even buy the supplementary materials.
He had to find a way to make money.
Klein rubbed his temples and began to recall the memories left by the original owner.
Become a history teaching assistant at Hoy University? The salary was too low, and the cycle was too long.
Apply to be a Private Detective? He had absolutely no experience.
Just as he was at a loss.
Knock. Knock-knock. Knock-knock-knock.
"1... 2... 3"—a clear and rhythmic knocking sound came from outside the door.
Who?
Klein instantly became alert.
At this time, his brother and sister hadn't finished work and come home yet. The landlady wouldn't knock in this manner.
Could it be someone from the Church? Had they come because of the Luck-Enhancement Ritual?
Klein's heart leaped into his throat. He tiptoed to the door and looked out through the peephole.
A young man stood outside.
He wore a well-fitting black trench coat, had an upright posture, and his black hair was very neat. His face was incredibly exquisite and handsome, with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, looking like a noble scion stepped out of a newspaper illustration.
But what made Klein's pupils shrink was the other man's gaze.
Those eyes were as deep as the Cosmos, as if they could see through everything.
But—he didn't recognize him.
Unless modern-day Daniel Wu, Eddie Peng, John Lone, Takeshi Kaneshiro, or Leo had also transmigrated!
Klein frowned, even more confused.
He hesitated for a moment but decided to ask: "Who are you looking for?"
The young man outside heard his voice, and his smile widened.
He didn't answer Klein's question. Instead, in a smiling, pure, and incredibly familiar Chinese, he said slowly:
"Open up, checking the water meter!"
He didn't speak Loenese, nor did he speak Feysac.
A sentence in pure Chinese passed through the thin door panel and clearly entered Klein's ears.
Just as Klein was shocked beyond measure, Nairn, looking at the eyes behind the peephole that were obviously shaking violently, curled his lips into a familiar, mischievous smile.
Once again, in incredibly clear, perfectly enunciated Mandarin without any accent, he whispered:
"Hello there, fellow countryman."
Mr. The Fool felt like he was dying a little.