This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 561 - 356. Gathering (4000 words)_2

Chapter 561: Chapter 356. Gathering (4000 words)_2

However, when in Rome...

After Miss Hetian changed her clothes, Beichuan Si, under her guidance, casually found a traditional crafts store and picked out a pretty decent mask.

"Plague doctor, huh... this actually suits Brother Beidao’s temperament quite well," Miss Hetian observed as she looked at the mask in Beichuan Si’s hands.

The forward-curving beak, the pale outline of the mask, and the slightly applied red paint on the beak created a cruel, bloody feel.

It really matched Beichuan Si’s overall aura.

Beichuan Si casually chatted with her until they took a ride to a commercial building next to the Shibuya District...

"Alright, Brother Beidao, you can put on the mask now," Miss Hetian whispered to Beichuan Si, and then she took out a full-face cat mask from her handbag.

Following her instructions, Beichuan Si donned the mask and, guided by her, arrived at the 12th floor of the building.

During this time, Beichuan Si provided her with some materials to prove his identity and, after a series of checks, he finally passed the scrutiny of the Church of Truth and Happiness.

However, Beichuan Si’s current status was still only that of a ’regular member’. To upgrade to a senior member, he would have to make some contributions.

These included money, connections... even pulling others into the Church of Truth and Happiness counted as contribution points.

After a series of tests, Miss Hetian led Beichuan Si to a place resembling a wedding hall.

At the front of the hall there was a stage, and in the middle, several long tables were set up with drinks; some believers who had arrived early were scattered in the corners, whispering among themselves.

Something was off.

Beichuan Si furrowed his brows.

A subtle, elusive fragrance was drifting through the air, which Beichuan Si, with his exceptional physical condition, barely noticed.

A closer inspection revealed that items resembling incense burners were placed in various corners of the hall.

Just when Beichuan Si was about to examine them more closely, Miss Hetian, leading the way, suddenly lowered her voice and said, "I’m sorry, Brother Beidao, I have some matters to report to the higher-ups. Please wait here for me for a while; I’ll be right back."

Upon hearing this, the eyes hidden behind Beichuan Si’s mask narrowed slightly.

He reached out to pat Miss Hetian on the shoulder, his voice calm, "Then I’ll wait here for Miss Hetian."

"Haha... Brother Beidao, just enjoy the congregation’s gathering. You don’t have to specifically wait for me."

Miss Hetian also patted Beichuan Si, adjusted the cat mask on her face, and left the banquet hall.

It was unclear where she wanted to go.

Beichuan Si glanced at the slight bulge in her voluminous hair that was hardly noticeable.

Regardless, the trap on that side had been set, and over here...

Beichuan Si walked to the long table and casually picked up a glass of juice.

While picking up the juice, Beichuan Si also carefully observed his surroundings.

There was a person by a pillar who had been scanning the area from the start. Though well-concealed, the surveillance was minimal.

Besides that...

Near the door, corners of the hall, edges of the stage...

These places all had more or less some eyes watching.

There were indeed spies set up in the venue.

After pondering for a moment, he picked up a straw and took a sip of the juice in his hand.

"Cough." Beichuan Si coughed softly, but his eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

There was something wrong with the juice.

The juice contained a faint hallucinogenic drug, unnoticeable to most people.

He gently twirled the straw, observing the believers around him.

The believers laughed and chatted loudly, usually using masks as pseudonyms; merely by listening to their voices and observing their postures, one could tell that these believers were definitely not over thirty years old.

Cup in hand, Beichuan Si moved toward a corner with incense.

He listened to the people nearby joking while sniffing lightly.

Indeed, the incense was problematic.

Ordinary incense already had some potential to paralyze the nerves, whereas the incense placed in the corners had that effect amplified.

What if the incense material was created using the "new drug" Gangye Yoshiko mentioned?

Beichuan Si took another sip of his drink, his expression unchanging beneath the mask.

His physical constitution was eight times that of an ordinary person. Such drugs could be detoxified by his body alone, so there was no need to worry about Beichuan Si succumbing to nerve paralysis or experiencing hallucinations from prolonged inhalation.

As Beichuan Si was thinking about walking around with his juice, a seductive female voice suddenly approached him next to him, "Excuse me, friend, are you here alone?"

Beichuan Si turned his head.

The speaker was a woman.

She wore an unadorned snow-white mask on her face, held a wine glass filled with red wine in her hand, and wore a well-fitting red evening gown.

In a setting where everyone else dressed casually, her presence was undeniably jarring.

Just by her appearance, it was clear she was no ordinary attendee.

After all, everyone at the gathering was in casual clothes, yet she had the energy to dress up for the occasion.

Even if this woman was not a high-ranking official of the Church of Truth and Happiness, she must have been a ’senior member’ who frequented such gatherings.

The exclamations of the believers nearby coincidentally confirmed Beichuan Si’s thoughts.

"Isn’t that Lady Bai Mian? To see her at such an event...?"

"Yes... Lady Bai Mian is already a core member. This event shouldn’t be suitable for her, right?"

Unlike others who expressed surprise, the woman in the white mask seemed unconcerned. Her eyes focusing on Beichuan Si, she slowly began, "Are you new here? I’ve never seen you before."

"Yes. I just joined the Church of Truth and Happiness today. It’s my first time at such an event."

Beichuan Si deliberately lowered his voice by two tones, making it impossible for anyone unfamiliar to recognize him.

"Don’t be nervous." Noticing Beichuan Si’s deliberate disguise, Bai Mian said with a smile, "There’s always a first time, and believe me, joining the Church of Truth and Happiness won’t disappoint you. But don’t cause trouble deliberately here, or the consequences can be quite severe."

Leaning in purposefully, Beichuan Si took two steps back at the right moment, "Thank you for the advice, I’ll remember it."

Hearing this, Bai Mian unexpectedly shook her head.

She looked at Beichuan Si and chuckled.

After a while, she lowered her voice and almost whispered to Beichuan Si, "No, you didn’t take my words to heart at all... rather, it seems you don’t take what I say seriously."

Her tone was cold and cruel.

It conveyed a chilling sense of bloodthirstiness.

Beichuan Si could almost sense her direct animosity towards him.

Could it be that his identity was exposed?

A thought flickered in Beichuan Si’s mind.

But he quickly dismissed it.

It was his first time attending the gathering, and his preparations had been flawless, so exposure seemed unlikely.

That is to say—

Beichuan Si watched her, speaking in a low tone, "Please don’t joke, Lady Bai Mian. I don’t understand what you’re talking about."

Was she testing him?

Then why did he trigger her suspicion?

A deathly gleam flitted across Beichuan Si’s eyes as he scanned the scene.

Under his deadly gaze, a faint golden aura wrapped around Lady Bai Mian.

No... that wasn’t right...

Beichuan Si’s eyes shifted downward.

It wasn’t benevolence that surrounded her, but she carried some kind of spiritual tool...

It was that spiritual tool that wrapped her in benevolence.

Beichuan Si’s gaze paused.

On her slender white fingers, he saw a stone ring covered in cracks.