Chapter 33: Mystic Rites and Strange Objects

At the entrance of Chen’s Breakfast Shop,

the breakfast joint, which should have been quiet due to the commuting office workers, was instead gathering even more people.

They were not there for breakfast, but to sneak a peek at the girl sitting by the gray wooden table in the corner.

She wore a white short blouse with a nipped waist and puff sleeves, setting off her slender pear-shaped figure; instead of a tie, a red bow was tied at her chest, bright and eye-catching.

Beneath the black pleated skirt were delicate and slender legs, covered by white over-the-knee socks, skin pure as snow; her silver-white hair flowed down to her waist, and she carried a brown bag with a ring of golden tassels – obviously hand-sewn and not cheap.

One could not help but feel a sense of dissonance, as this princess-like girl seemed more suited for high-class royal banquets than a humble civilian breakfast establishment.

And beneath her sensual appearance, there was an expression as indifferent as the Frost Freeze Earth, with the Abyssal Demon Eyes floating around her, fiercely surveying the surroundings, deterring anyone from getting closer.

This person was none other than the Student Council President, Lu Yu’s, Red Moon Dream!

Although people didn’t dare get close, appreciating beauty is human instinct; many gathered inside the shop, bringing liveliness, and to avoid awkwardness, ordered another serving of Xiaolongbao, leaving the poor shop owner bustling about, almost creating afterimages.

Truly, this was painful yet joyous!

At this time, Lu Yu also finished his morning routine and came down, wearing a simple black printed short-sleeved shirt, the usual pairing of black, white, and gray – simple, refreshing, and timeless.

Lu Yu looked at Red Moon Dream in the breakfast shop with a puzzled expression.

If he remembered correctly, Red Moon Dream’s home was in the main urban area, even if taking the shortest distance into consideration, it was at least a twenty-minute drive from here.

Yet, Red Moon Dream arrived in under a minute!

Good heavens, even the Dreamweaving Spider, a young overlord beast, could only blink over short distances, not teleport. Could this be the legendary Dou Zun, a mighty warrior tearing through space to arrive?

He inhaled sharply!

Or perhaps, does she just happen to pass by every day when he sends out his messages, when she’s out for her daily exercise?

But her attire with a short skirt and white stockings didn’t seem suitable for vigorous exercise, right?

Practically, it would be more believable if she was adding attack speed to someone!

Lu Yu was baffled, feeling something weird, as if Red Moon Dream had been waiting for him early on.

It couldn’t possibly be that the President spies on him every day, could it?

“How is that possible! It seems that my recent spiritual deficit has indeed made me a bit neurotic, always suspicious of everything. If this continues, sooner or later I’ll be afflicted with paranoid delusions…”

Red Moon Dream was not the type to be crazily infatuated, she seems just to have passed by coincidence.

Putting these messy thoughts behind him, Lu Yu walked straight over and sat down, amid the surprised gazes of everyone, nonchalantly.

The Abyssal Demon Eyes, recognizing this familiar human, remembered what its beast tamer sister had said about watching over the master, and subconsciously wanted to get angry.

However, before it could act, it saw Lu Yu throw a peeled sour plum candy, and its big eyeballs instantly went wide, catching it swiftly like a puppy, biting down with its sharp teeth, and its face revealed a blissful expression.

Mmm~

So tasty!

This time, it decided to overlook the matter.

Next time, it must keep a closer watch!

Everyone else envied this scene.

Although Lu Yu was pale, after freshening up and without the dim light of the room, he didn’t seem as creepy as before, rather, he had the air of a sickly noble son.

Being handsome is a great thing!

Coping with eating at a cheap breakfast shop is one thing, but to have a woman save seats for you!

Seems like it really is a great thing!

The more the crowd thought about it, the more heartbroken they became, as nobody in reality rushed forward to get slapped in the face, so they gradually dispersed.

“Boss, I’ll have two baskets, no, three baskets of Xiaolongbao, fresh out of the steamer, and then a bowl of bean…” Lu Yu paused for a second, respecting Red Moon Dream’s tastes: “Here, you have the choice of sweet or salty tofu pudding, or if you don’t like that, there’s porridge as well, and their pickled vegetables are homemade, crisp and refreshing.”

“Just like you,” replied Red Moon Dream calmly, the ice in her red pupils melting away considerably.

Lu Yu didn’t fuss, he was hungry too, so he directly ordered two bowls of salty tofu pudding.

In his opinion, only soy milk should be sweet; sweet tofu pudding is heresy, all should be sent to plant green onions.

Because there were fewer onlookers, three tiers of Xiaolongbao were quickly served, stacked in a way that kept the bottom ones from cooling before being eaten, affecting the taste.

The top tier of Xiaolongbao released steam, with thin skins and thick meat; the clear meat juices had already permeated the skin, giving it a jade-like tinge, as if a gentle poke would break it.

Lu Yu skillfully took out a plastic dipping dish, poured in chili mixed with vinegar to stir, and just as he was about to start, Red Moon Dream took a Xiaolongbao, rolled it in his dipping dish, and then popped it into her mouth.

“Whew—hot!”

Saying cute things in a calm tone was a foul play, especially with her cheeks puffed up from the steaming bun, looking like a caught sneaky proud little hamster trying to feign indifference and charm her way out of trouble.

What a contrasting personality from the President!

“Eat slowly, it’s hot. There’s plenty more, and we can add a few more baskets if it’s not enough.”

Lu Yu said with a smile, while dipping in the same dish was somewhat intimate, he didn’t think much of it. It must be because Red Moon Dream doesn’t have many friends, hence, her guard was down.

The three great misperceptions in life are not worth having.

Moreover, is love more fragrant than Little Spider?

But speaking of Cao Cao, Little Spider also smelled the fragrance and blinked into the void, landing on the table, startling the nearby Abyssal Demon Eyes, who tensed up as if facing a formidable enemy.

That presence, hidden yet formidable, even in its juvenile phase, was suffocating it, much like those demon overlords of the Abyss.

Once it grew up, it could eat it as a jellybean!

What kind of monstrous pet beast did this human find?

Little Spider ignored nearby shocked eyeballs, looked up at the steamer stacked higher than itself, its little nose sniffing the air, and its face revealed a longing expression.

“What a glutton!”

Lu Yu couldn’t help but laugh. He picked up a Xiaolongbao dipped in chili for Little Spider, who happily clutched it and started eating.

Although human food had little effect on it, it still liked it.

Because it was eating with its master!

Lu Yu himself ate one as well; the soft dough was elastic, rich with the fragrance of spring onion and meat, flourishing on the taste buds—a taste as great as ever.

Red Moon Dream also mastered the technique; she took a small bite, dipped a bit more chili vinegar, leaving a thin layer of grease on her originally rosy lips, looking as if she was wearing lipstick, delicious and inviting.

Lu Yu, seeing this, couldn’t help but feel a dry mouth and, to hide his embarrassment, changed the subject:

“President, do you know any beast tamers who are skilled in psychic abilities? It’s best if they can arrange mystic rituals.”

Mystic Ritualists are one of the extraordinary professions in the beast tamer system, similar to the combination of formation masters and alchemists in fantasy worlds, capable of setting different effect mystic rites on people or items.

The Star Beast Tower in Dayuan City is actually a super gigantic defensive-type mystic rite core, running day and night, preventing monsters from invading the city, sheltering humankind.

Moreover, Mystic Ritualists can also integrate spiritual power into special tools by engraving extraordinary mystical scripts, creating mystic treasures.

As there are man-made mystic treasures, there are also natural marvels in the world, containing various magical abilities.

Apart from this, Lu Yu also read about a third kind of extraordinary item called “Sealed Objects” or “Strange Objects” in a private travelogue from decades ago, but the author merely hinted, “It comes from the Strangeness species.” As for how Sealed Objects are made and what the Strangeness species are, the text was censored, as if deeply taboo.

Later on, although Lu Yu tried to look up related information, he couldn’t even find a normal introduction—everything was 404, all relevant content erased.

The reason he was looking for a mystic ritual master specializing in psychic abilities was that they generally have access to the same attribute mystic rites.

The arrival of the Nightmare might happen during this time, and to be safe, Lu Yu wanted to make more preparations.

Anything less than a hundred percent chance of victory

is not sturdy enough.

“Mm, yes, there is one at the pinnacle of the Golden Stage. Is that enough?” Red Moon Dream replied without hesitation, not asking Lu Yu’s reasons, continuing: “If it’s not enough, I can ask my moth—mother to help contact other mystic ritualists, but it will take a few days.”

“Enough, enough!”

Lu Yu felt the joy of being kept by a rich woman for the first time, as mystic ritualists are scarce, and he originally intended to get in touch with someone at the Silver Stage, but Red Moon Dream’s offer was at the peak of the Golden Stage.

After all, the Nightmare hadn’t reached the Morning Star stage; it should be sufficient!

Red Moon Dream’s eyes flickered, and she nodded: “Then, let’s go to my home. She’s always there!”

Going to the President’s house?

Lu Yu was stunned for a moment but then agreed, not overthinking it.

Since that mystic ritualist was at home, she might be a relative of Red Moon Dream; if so, a direct visit would be appropriate.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Yu paid and, together with Little Spider, headed out to the neighboring fruit shop to buy some fruit as a gift for visiting.

Red Moon Dream lowered her gaze, her eyes fixated on the chopsticks that Lu Yu had used, now resting on the edge of the steamer, wrestling with her emotions, caught in a dilemma, her pupils already shaped like hearts.

Oh no!

Anything with his scent was irresistible to her.

“What to do… I really want it…”

Red Moon Dream glanced around and, noting that the remaining few were focused on their breakfast, no one paying attention to her, made up her mind, grabbed the chopsticks, quickly put them in her bag, and arranged them with a Polaroid camera and a heap of photos.

The fleeting figure in the photos bore some resemblance to Lu Yu.

After doing this, a blush appeared on her indifferent face, and she quickly got up and left.

This spectacle was exactly seen by the shop owner who was about to come over and clear the table, stupefied and dumbstruck for a long time, finally couldn’t help but exclaim:

“What a good girl, yet a pervert…”