Chapter 928
Chapter 928 - 914: New World
1,722 words
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9 min read
"Hello, Mr. An Nan, here’s your key, and I hope you enjoy your stay in Aes Cadam."
"Thank you."
Lu Ping’an took the room key and, handing over a 1 Yodun silver coin as a tip (about 0.031 Kadund), made the waiter opposite him beam with joy.
With the waiter’s help and leading his "wife" by the hand, Lu Ping’an stepped down from the carriage in annoyingly tall heels, facing a three-story wooden house.
Possibly due to racial reasons, the buildings here were generally tall, with the first floor often being uninhabited storerooms.
This was a half-natural construction similar to a forest treehouse, with twisted stairs covered in vines and wooden fences, and the walls of the treehouse were covered in white flowers on vines.
Compared to Western-style buildings on Earth, it was more delicate and also more "extravagant," with each of the three stories having the space of three or four floors of an apartment building.
The beautiful treehouse was situated in a big city with a population of a million people, surrounded by similar single-household small buildings. This was not just an exotic scenery; this time, Lu Ping’an had directly bought a house in the "wealthy district."
"The water pool and Elements pool have a continuous flow all day. If you require any additional services, you can contact me directly using the ’communication bird’; I will be at the security tower at the end of the street..."
Perhaps because the tip Lu Ping’an gave was generous, the "salesman" was particularly enthusiastic, proactively giving some local lifestyle recommendations.
Lu Ping’an smiled and nodded, then declined his further suggestive sales pitch.
And when he closed the door, he finally relaxed some.
"Come out and check..."
The next moment, workers emerged from the courtyard. They needed to clean up any surveillance systems in the house and, if all went well, make some modifications to the property.
Digging a simple tunnel was a plan for the future, but reinforcing the defenses was a necessity.
"How long for the underground altar?"
"Two days, but it will be faster with a Blood Sacrifice..."
"...Alright, make it quick."
Don’t misunderstand, Lu Ping’an wasn’t planning to start a religion. In a way, this altar was the "radio" for them, the spies.
Since entering this world, their connection with the "Divine Boat" had clearly become weaker. The previous makeshift "altar" wasn’t effective anymore, so they needed a more advanced one.
For that reason, buying a temporary residence was necessary... An underground escape route might not be essential, but having enough underground space to set up a large altar certainly was.
This wasn’t just about the altar setup itself, they also needed facilities like the "Living Sacrifice Room," "Isolation Room," "Curse Expansion Table (Radio Tower)," and so on.
When "Playful Boy" sent down a complete set of sacrificial rites and facility manufacturing techniques of a cult, Lu Ping’an, a Law-enforcement officer, really felt conflicted. It was probably like a mouse teaching a cat how to commit crimes.
And now, while he was setting it up himself, that feeling became even stranger....
"...Is this what it feels like to have one’s identity inverted?"
Previously, Lu Ping’an and Xia Qin were the ones catching people. He didn’t understand before why those cultists liked to set up all sorts of things in their homes, all those basements dirty and disgusting... wasn’t that just handing over evidence?
But now it seemed that these were their necessities. The Evil Gods might not have a sufficiently precise communication with Earth. To receive more direct guidance or even "blessings," they required higher-powered altars (radios).
"...I also feel quite strange about it."
Miss Rou, the Magic Alchemist, was also helping plan the layout, and she had turned into a black "big bird".
"How is it? Are you getting used to it?"
"...Apart from the high heels, everything else is fine."
"Uh, don’t all ladies get used to those?"
"You think just because someone’s a lady, they don’t find those things disgusting... besides, calling those shoes ’high heels’ is giving them too much credit, they’re basically stilts."
Clearly, Miss Rou despised the "boots" that were a good three centimeters tall.
And now, she was Lu Ping’an’s "wife," and on paper, the owner of the house.
The reason was quite simple: a single newcomer would easily draw unwanted attention and scrutiny, whereas a newlywed couple appeared much more normal.
There are many historical tales on Earth of great spy couples, and even solitary top-notch spies often find a "spousal partner" to remain inconspicuous.
Why Miss Rou?
"...How’s my pronunciation?"
"It’s very standard, but perhaps too standard. It would be better with a bit of local accent, I’ll practice with you when we have time."
The reason was straightforward: among the younger females in the team, her Scholar profession level was the highest.
Moreover, her identity was quite suitable.
𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"Can you manage the store by yourself tomorrow, and hire three or four employees too?"
"...I’ll give it a try, but being clumsy and lacking local knowledge also suits my persona, right? A pharmacist whose made a bit of success in the countryside, bringing my ’husband’ to the big city to make a living."
Rou Lai Lai looked at her own "script" and nodded affirmatively, this role wasn’t too difficult for her, she just had to play herself well.
If it weren’t for the unexpected detour, she would probably be opening her own store on Earth and making money by now.
In a peaceful society, the power of money need not be elaborated, living off the land without working isn’t realistic.
Apart from financial income, Lu Ping’an’s group also needed to establish new stable social relationships.
Reliance solely on "literature" was too unrealistic, whereas a store that produces specialty medications seemed like a good idea.
And Miss Rou, who had already become a fourth-tier Magic Alchemist, was clearly the most suitable person to take the helm.
In some ways, it was also the trouble caused by gender role reversal; if Lu Ping’an were to run a business alone, it would be like a young and beautiful strong woman starting her own venture on Earth... Regardless of whether or not she would succeed, or whether it would invite additional trouble, the mere existence itself would become fodder for gossip, turn into city news or even urban myth, attracting far too much undue attention.
If "ladies" heading businesses is the mainstream of this world, then naturally, Lu Ping’an’s group couldn’t go against the flow.
A Disguise Ring? As long as you have money, nothing is a problem. The black gloves she bought from other professionals were surprisingly cheap... Unlike the smooth sailing of Lu Ping’an’s team, some had failed to adapt to the environment and were contemplating escape.
The role of a "full-time househusband" was also quite convenient for Lu Ping’an to do his own work, as he could wander around under the pretense of "shopping" and "sightseeing."
This was the advanced profession of a full-time housewife—"full-time wealthy housewife"—so it seemed somewhat normal to cross the line a little.
"Do we need to ask them to come over and help out?"
Considering that they must act separately, Lu Ping’an, still a bit concerned for Miss Rou with her nearly zero combat power, asked.
The "them" he was referring to were the three black gloves he had under control, who had also arrived and were struggling to find jobs... Lu Ping’an figured they might end up having to "return to their old trade," and it might be better to hire them in his own shop.
"No, they’re terrible actors; if they were exposed, they’d only encumber us. If we really need combat power, I’d rather hire locals. Don’t worry, I’ve noticed that over ninety percent here are Ordinary People."
Miss Rou was brimming with confidence; well, if that was the case, Lu Ping’an could only trust her to handle it.
"...when Xia Qin learns the local language, I’ll have her come and help you."
Lu Ping’an sighed helplessly. They had actually acquired an additional Disguise Ring but couldn’t find the right person for it.
Most professionals in the field don’t dedicate much effort to scholar studies, and to perfectly disguise as an Exotic Race, one needs at least a 2-tier scholar part-time profession to quickly grasp the local language and customs, plus ample training time to complete disguise training.
Guan Xinxian? He’s not suitable; he’s got a big project on his hands, one that’s currently ranked near the top.
Moreover, Lu Ping’an had also noticed that "males" are quite out of place being in the limelight in this world; all the staff they encountered along the way were females.
Hearing that Lu Ping’an wanted Xia Qin to learn the local language quickly and come help her, Miss Rou showed a subtle smile.
"I’m looking forward to it, but don’t be too hard on her."
Well, that politely subtle smile meant...
"...don’t bother with her anymore; she won’t learn it by the time we leave."
Lu Ping’an received the message and hesitated for a moment.
"What about Miss Lo..." Equally a pharmacist with a scholar part-time profession, she should also be able to learn it in three days.
"She can do it, whatever I can do, she can do too, and her scholar... uh."
This hesitation already said it all, and Lu Ping’an instantly understood.
"Hua Xueyi?"
"...It’s hard to say, who will learn faster between her and Xia Qin, considering their diligence, I would still bet on Captain Xia."
"Let me do it myself, that would just cause chaos."
At that moment, Miss Rou was very straightforward.
"When Brother Guan’s project settles down a bit..."
Miss Rou still seemed hesitant, as the "female-dominated society" of this world was too blatant; if they wanted to stay low-key, Guan wasn’t a good choice.
"Don’t worry, he looks quite nice in a skirt, probably..."
Well, that would perfectly solve the problem, probably.
— End of Chapter 928 —