Chương 27: Chapter 27: Is She Really a Genius?

The room had no toilet; if one wanted to use the bathroom or wash up, they had to head to the communal restroom in the hallway. In the early morning, the door to the restroom was always crowded, with a bunch of people queuing up, clamoring, "Hurry up, I'm going to be late," "I can't hold it any longer," "I'm about to pee."

Then the landlord's wife's angry curses came from within the locked restroom door, "Are you trying to kill yourselves? If you know you can't hold it, why don't you get up earlier? You all insist on using the bathroom at this time! Serves you right!"

After waiting a bit longer, the restroom door finally opened. The landlord's wife emerged like a War God, furiously propping the door open with such a domineering presence that people couldn't help but step back—the smell from inside the restroom was too foul.

Karlo and Cherie weren't in a hurry and calmly waited at the back of the line. The landlord's wife, with her tank-like build, rolled through the crowd and walked out. As she brushed past them, she suddenly stopped and said, "The restroom is a bit dirty. Clean it up for me, and I'll waive ten percent of this month's rent for you."

"I can clean too!" other tenants clamored.

Karlo was somewhat annoyed, but before she could speak up, Cherie pulled her back and nodded repeatedly, "Of course, thank you! We'll take care of it!"

The landlord's wife huffed, pulling a sour face, and turned away.

After the two finished washing up and saw no one else queuing for the restroom, they began cleaning it. While Karlo cleaned the mop, she sighed, "Really, to think I have to do this kind of work..."

Future Transcendents cleaning toilets here—it's quite a blow to one's dignity to say the least.

Cherie smiled and then put a finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture at her.

Some topics related to Transcendents should never be discussed in public.

Karlo pursed her lips and conveyed with her eyes: I know.

By the time they finished cleaning, most of the morning had passed, and they hadn't eaten anything; their stomachs inevitably felt a bit hollow. They went out, heading to Market Street.

Market Street might be the liveliest place in the lower tiers of the city. Less than an hour after curfew ended, when the city's workforce was yet to fully awake, the street was already bustling. By noon, it was filled with a cacophony of voices. Ambitious vendors set up charcoal stoves along the street to roast various snacks, while the sides of the street were lined with shops of all sizes and mobile stall pushers, even people who simply laid out a cloth by the roadside to sell their wares.

The street thrived with crowds every day, its narrow paths, news broadcasters, noisy markets, bustling blacksmith shops, and the cries of countless grass-chewing animals turned this several miles long street into a boisterous and spirited place.

Lately having a bit extra, Karlo and her sister weren't so thrifty with their spending. After buying Nutrition Powder, they also bought a bag of earth cakes, eating as they walked.

The so-called earth cake is a very simple snack made by kneading dough with flour and water, adding a bit of salt, then burying it in clean sand. They would light a fire on top, and once the wood fire had burnt out and turned into gray ash, they brushed away the hot sand beneath, revealing the now-baked earth cake, hard and crisp, with the fragrance of ash.

Frankly speaking, this snack didn't taste particularly good—it was dry and hard, almost like eating dirt—but it could be stored for a long time, and it was a bit more palatable, more friendly to the mouth.

The street was crowded. After strolling around without finding anything to their liking, they were about to head back when Cherie suddenly whispered to Karlo, "Someone is following us from behind."

"What?!"

Karlo's eyebrows raised. She didn't slow her pace and didn't look back; instead, she continued walking with composure, whispering casually to her sister, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Cherie whispered back. "The moment we turned our heads, that guy immediately turned away too. Do you think it's because we showed off some money, and they want to rob us?"

"That's a possibility."

Karlo's gaze shifted as she said, "Keep walking to the next corner, then we'll turn into an alley and see if that person follows."

"Okay."

The sisters continued forward without drawing attention, and upon reaching the next corner, Karlo pulled Cherie into an alley. Then they waited for a moment, and sure enough, they heard footsteps approaching. Karlo handed the iron can full of Nutrition Powder to Cherie and rolled up her sleeves, exposing her arms toned from years of exercise, like a lean boxer. A few seconds later, a figure emerged from the alley's entrance, and without a word, Karlo stepped forward, grabbed the person's collar, and with all her strength, slammed them against the wall!

Her left hand reached back and drew a small knife designed for self-defense, pressing it against the person's neck, "Talk! Why are you following us!"

It was an ordinary-looking man, roughly in his thirties, with gentle features, and his clothes appeared rather common, the type that would be impossible to find once lost in a crowd. Although held at knifepoint, he didn't seem panicked at all; he simply raised his hands peacefully and smiled, "Don't be so aggressive, I mean no harm."

"Is that so? Well, I don't believe you!" Karlo said fiercely. "If you don't give me a good reason, you won't be leaving this alley!"

The man smiled and said, "You both have the scent of 'Enter Dream' on you. I guess you've come into contact with some... prohibited items, right?"

Karlo's pupils contracted suddenly, revealing her astonishment.

The man continued with a smile, "Am I right?"

The next moment, Karlo felt as if some invisible force took control of her body, involuntarily causing her to step back and drop the knife. She exchanged a shocked look with Cherie.

"You see, I told you I meant no harm," the man said, glancing around outside before lowering his voice. "I've seen the difference in you two. You have the potential for 'Enter Dream', and you're also full of desire... right? We can show you a way."

"You... who?"

Cherie hesitated, asking, "Who are you?"

The man chuckled and looked at her, saying, "An unofficial... um, a Transcendent underground mutual aid group?"

He took out a small manual from his bosom and handed it to the two, saying, "This is some information about us. Keep it safe and don't let outsiders see it. It's daytime now, inconvenient for talking. If you're interested, come to 13 Wendell Street at 9:30 p.m. tonight."

...

(Dark creeping) (Wriggling) (Incomprehensible twitching)

After several hours of arduous trekking, Ybur crawled back into the city's sewers.

Having come all this way, Ybur thought, it was time to teach the sisters a lesson.

Luckily, by the time it reached the city, night was falling, with few people outside, and curfew was about to start.

Ybur's form was nearly twice as large as the last time it came, making it inconvenient to move around due to its size. So, before climbing up, it specifically found an empty trash can and spat most of its body tissues into it, leaving only about one-third behind. Small, but powerful!

It deftly climbed to the sisters' window and peered inside.

...

It was 9 p.m., and although it had gotten dark, there were still less than forty minutes until the curfew started; yet the city streets were nearly deserted. Inside the room, a lamp was lit, the orange glow from the kerosene lamp casting a warm feel over the entire house.

Karlo and Cherie were still scratching their heads over the small booklet.

"That's too much! Didn't they consider the possibility that others might be illiterate?" Karlo indignantly said, "I can't understand a thing!"

"Hey, no worries, I can understand it," Cherie patted her.

Karlo asked again, "What does it say?"

"Well, how should I put this..." Cherie thought for a moment: "There doesn't seem to be much content, it's mostly about introducing their group, lots of stuff about harmony, love, helping each other, and mutual aid."

Cherie turned another page: "Um... seems like it's not completely useless; it subtly mentions some content about meditation. Look, about dreams, about the path... It's not written straightforwardly, but those who have encountered meditation would understand. Those who don't, probably won't get it and will just be confused."

Karlo hesitantly said, "Do you think the stuff written there is valuable?"

"It should be," Cherie nodded. "But it's too basic, it's no use to us now, not as detailed as what you dreamt the other night."

After a slight silence, Cherie mused, "But... what we know is also quite basic. After learning about meditation, what's next? It's a pity that we had that book for such a short time. I didn't get to carefully check the information at the back..."

Karlo hesitated, "So in that case, do you think we should go tonight?"

Cherie thought for a moment, "To be on the safe side... I think not. Look, 13 Wendell Street is still a bit far, and he specifically chose 9:30 p.m., just half an hour before curfew starts. If we go, will we be able to come back at night? We might need to stay there overnight. That guy is so mysterious; I just don't feel comfortable about it."

—What?! Ybur, listening outside, thought to itself, what does this mean? Another organization has taken an interest in you two and wants to poach you from me?

Is this not, like, serious competition?!

It should be killed!!

It let out an internal roar.

Inside the room, Karlo pondered and nodded, "You also make sense. Besides, I think that mysterious light will appear again... By the way, Cherie, you still haven't gotten the hang of meditation, have you?"

Cherie was a little hesitant: "Not really..."

Karlo scratched his head, unable to come up with an explanation, and comforted her, "Maybe you just haven't found the right feeling. Try a few more times, and you'll get it. Even I can't succeed at meditation every time!"

—Not really?? Damn, you can already meditate??

Ybur's mind was flooded with shock.

It's only been so long? Your speed at successful meditation is even faster than Ruby's!

Could it be that you're really a genius?!

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