The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Page 173

"?"

"..."

Dominic and Miss Van Mielion exchanged glances, both seeing a big question mark in each other's eyes, and shrugged rather helplessly.

“Ah, Miss Van Mielion, I think you should start to get used to it. That’s just how Hern is, he’s intermittently…coughing up!”

Halfway through the polite conversation, Dominique's vision suddenly changed, so much so that she couldn't help but describe a plant.

Objectively speaking, it's like this: Dominic is trying his best to vouch for Hearn's business acumen in front of the client, while that son of a bitch who was standing there silently watching the sea has actually jumped into the sea!

And jumping into the sea wasn't the end of it!

After all, we're all devils, so what's the big deal about just jumping into the sea? Besides, it's that bastard who's really good at fighting.

The problem was that when that son of a bitch abruptly jumped into the sea, he also dragged another son of a bitch who was watching the sea into it. Lord Hearn, as if drunk and trying to catch the moon's reflection in the water, leaped forward. Miss Mostima, who was standing next to him and only realized what was happening afterward, pounced and grabbed his ankles in mid-air. Then, Lord Hearn, who was pretending to catch the moon's reflection in the water, swung counterclockwise around the ankles that were being held by the latter, his forehead tracing a clean arc and hitting the breakwater...

……

"Young Master, would you like one?"

“Alex, are you crazy? It’s work time now.”

Rizzos dismissed the cigarette offered by his colleague with surprise, and straightened his crisp uniform amidst the other's teasing laughter.

"It's no big deal, anyway... oh, I get it, I get it. I forgot you're a young master here to experience life, you need to pay attention to your image and performance."

The colleague, who was lighting a cigarette, pretended to suddenly realize something.

"Well, let's keep things separate."

"I understand, I completely understand. The Invisible Wings are watching you. I'm just holding you back. Just don't forget about your lackey when you become successful, young master."

"I said, one thing at a time."

Really.

Judging from the other person's smirking demeanor, he clearly hadn't listened to what he said.

Rizos Gimonli has his own troubles, as evidenced by his profession and his surname.

His surname was Djimonli, one of the seventy-two noble and powerful families, and he came from a distinguished lineage.

His job is as a security guard, a simple job that requires physical labor, and he belongs to the lower end of the Gomorrah job market.

In short, Rizzos's surname indicates that his bloodline is blue, but his current situation suggests that his bloodline is not blue enough.

There was no way around it; the families of the devil dukes were numerous and diverse, and even the most illustrious families were divided into different ranks.

Risos was a descendant of a relatively obscure branch of the family. Compared to the direct line of the Nine Hells Germont family, he was like a firefly compared to the bright moon. The only person he could rely on was an uncle or elder whose background was not so obscure, but even he didn't have much influence in the main family.

The old man pointed out a clear path for this young man from a remote, unorthodox family, telling him not to expect to make a name for himself in the territory of Jiuyu's hometown, but to try his luck in the border regions that the young masters and misses of the main family were unwilling to go.

Then the old man arranged for him to come to this awful place called Gomorrah, where he currently works as a security guard at some venue.

It sounds rather condescending, but Rizzos still knows what he's doing.

The place he worked for was not owned by the Germori family, a fact the old man made very clear. However, the fact that the place was called "One Belt One Road" and that the old man was able to arrange for him to work there suggests that the Germori family also had a stake in the business.

Having money means having influence, and influence means room for manipulation. Coupled with the manager's overly familiar manner during the initial interview, Rizzos believed his future was rather "dark."

Darkness is a positive word for the devil.

Besides, being a security guard is pretty good. He can get familiar with the business of the place and the girls there. If any fools cause trouble, he can take revenge. He can go home on time and do whatever he wants. The salary is good enough to support his relatively extravagant spending. He has also gotten to know a lot of lackeys lately. After a while, they can remotely arrange for him to be promoted to a middle management position in the security department. It's not impossible.

Starting points are different, tracks are different, and the rules of the game are naturally different as well. Rizzos knew perfectly well that he would never have the chance to compete on the same stage as the brother and sister from his direct family in his lifetime, so he has always been very open-minded about his mental state...

The place where Risos works is essentially a symbiotic dimension created by a powerful being, located in the sea area near a landmark lighthouse in the present world of Gomorrah. Its secrecy is trustworthy, and those who come to play are either regular customers or unlucky people who have been ripped off by regular customers. Normal access requires a specially issued one-time or long-term invitation. As for the channels of communication, they are just formalities. If you want to be more conventional, you can go through the secret passage inside the Azeran Lighthouse. Well, it's like an underwater sightseeing elevator.

Rizzos has been sent here to work as a bouncer for some time now, and he considers himself to have seen quite a few different kinds of customers.

A gambling addict desperate to change his fate, a wealthy man who squanders money like water, and an unlucky fellow who makes a single misstep... and so on.

【Old Dreams】is not just a casino in the classical sense. In addition to undertaking most of the business that a classical casino should have, what flows here are wailing souls and many obscure desires that are promised but not promised.

Although the business this place does is packaged in a very modern way, its core is actually quite old-fashioned; it's nothing more than taking money to buy... grass!

What the hell is this?

At the end of the welcoming passage, a commotion erupted. Rizzos looked up and saw the entrance door, resembling a sightseeing elevator, wide open, from which three beautiful women and a mobile hospital bed rushed out.

"Make way! Make way! Make way!"

A beautiful young woman with blue hair took the lead, dragging the pale hospital bed and running wildly. Then a flat-chested woman with black hair helped the bed move along, and finally a white-haired woman who looked clumsy but had a very attractive figure and looked like a little lamb, sweating profusely, followed closely behind the bed.

As for the hospital bed...

As they got closer, Risos glanced at the bed and saw a mummy wrapped up like a rice dumpling.

The pretty blue-haired woman at the head of the group expertly tossed over an invitation. Rizzos strode out, caught it mid-air, and glanced at it out of the corner of his eye. Wow, a regular customer, and one who had been specifically told by his superiors not to be neglected.

Having learned this lesson in advance, Rizzos and another assistant on duty wisely adopted a welcoming demeanor, and soon a curvaceous young woman came to greet the distinguished guest.

"Young master, you've never seen anything like this before, have you?" His colleague exhaled the still-burning embers of his cigarette, blew on them, and then took a satisfying drag.

"Well... okay, I admit it, I've never seen anything like this before." Rizzos initially denied it, but then realized it wasn't such a big deal, so he admitted it.

"That's because you're new here and haven't gotten used to the place yet. If you stand here for another month or so, you'll see all sorts of life-and-death situations, young master."

"Alex, why do you say that?"

"Young master, think about it, is this the kind of place that unlucky guy who looked like he was on his last breath should be?"

“No, a patient like him should be sent to the ICU of a hospital, not here.”

"But he still came here."

"so?"

"Seek help from others, from yourself, and from God."

"What?"

"Going to the hospital to pay for treatment is asking for help from others; going home to lie down and endure the pain is asking for help from yourself; coming here is asking for help from God."

"God? Which one?"

"Any one will do, young master. To us lowly minions, what difference is there between those all-powerful demons and gods?"

"...Maybe you're right, Alex."

Recalling the core business of "Old Dreams," Rizzos nodded, a sudden pang of melancholy creeping into his heart. He felt sorry for those pretty girls...

……

Chapter 255 Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night (Part 6)

"Time is limited, so I'll keep it brief."

Mostima, who was walking in front, opened a temporary channel to secretly inform the three people behind him—including the mummy on the bed.

“I just asked around and found out that this place is just an ordinary exchange, no different from any other exchange in various parts of Hell. It has everything you should have, and it also has things you shouldn’t have. You can imagine for yourselves. However, the problem is that it’s located in Gomorrah, and that’s the issue.”

"Why would driving in Gomorrah be a problem?" Dominic asked instinctively.

Mostima glanced back at her, his gaze lingering briefly on Miss Vanmillion before he shrugged listlessly, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

"Because the trading places in the Nine Hells are frequented only by demons, while Gomorrah is located in the disputed area where Heaven and Hell meet."

"In other words, although this city is ostensibly under the jurisdiction of Hell, secretly..."

Dominic deciphered the subtext in Mostima's words, and then a familiar phrase came to mind.

A mixed bag.

Isn't this exactly the current situation in Gomorrah?

Every day, a major society suffers a secret theft; every day, a spellcaster pulls out a trick; every day, someone needs to disappear…

The city seems to be perpetually in a state of suppressed excitement, full of fluidity and endless passion.

This city is sick. Some beings are obsessed with doing great things, some are obsessed with being loved, some are keen to ruin the good things that the former two do, or sit on the sidelines watching the show, and some are idle and clueless...

Just like Hearn.

Domi didn’t know why he chose to jump into the sea, only that Mostima then wrapped him up like a mummy and dragged him in as an injured person.

Before me lay a dimly lit world, both extravagantly luxurious and understatedly elegant. The dark gold-themed hall was silent, save for the clattering of a few slender waitresses' high heels on the gilded floor.

To be honest, as a secretive bisexual, Dominic's heart was pounding when she was suddenly surrounded by several attractive "bunny girl" ladies. However, when she saw that the ladies' "bunny girl" outfits did not have bunny ears and tails, but instead revealed natural cat ears and tails, Dominic felt her heart stop for a moment.

After realizing what was happening, she almost reflexively pressed down on the mummy on the mobile hospital bed to prevent him from suddenly attacking her.

However, Domi's pounce was empty. When he came to his senses, the pyramid bed that sealed the mummy was nowhere to be seen. What flashed before his eyes were a few wisps of bandages dissipating. The son of a bitch who had been slacking off all along got up with a carefree air, feeling a sense of exhilaration as if he had just lifted the coffin.

The three girls looked at each other in bewilderment until they saw the man, with his arms around the waists of two kittens, turn a corner and drift away to a corner of the venue. A mountain of fine wines arrived in droves, but strangely, there was not a single artificial sound, only the soft rustling of wine being poured into glasses. The atmosphere was undeniably eerie.

"..."

"..."

"?"

"Well, it's fortunate that he's willing to sit there obediently and drink. From now on, it's up to you, Little Domi, to do whatever you want."

Mostima withdrew her gaze, first letting out a sigh of relief, then a sly grin spread across her face, a smile that Dominic was familiar with, perfectly mirroring her hosting style.

"what?"

What do you mean?

I could understand the first half of the sentence to some extent, but how did the second half become something I, a mere driver, could improvise?

Dominic was on guard and was about to politely express his determination with three repetitions when, before he could even speak, Miss Mostima put her arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.

Well, Miss Mostima has a very refreshing pine needle scent. If you close your eyes, it's like being in a snowy forest. Dominic was curious about what brand of perfume she was using, but he also admitted to himself that he quite enjoyed it.

(Omitted for brevity) My dear mother back home, the young ladies in the big city are driving too fast, and Little Domi feels like she can't keep up.

“Ah, little Dominic, look, the older sisters have always thought you're a pretty easy child to understand.” Mostima whispered in Dominic’s ear as she moved closer.

"I'm not a child anymore, and besides, what does 'quite easy to understand' even mean..."

"Little Domi, you actually really want to show off in front of that Miss Vanmillion, don't you?"

"Gu..."

"Aha, you're right, that's why I always say Little Domi is so easy to understand."

"I didn't..."

"That young lady had a very clean scent, unlike the ones around here. Little Domi probably knew that too, right?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just a driver responsible for picking up and dropping off VIPs."

"Of course, of course, that's why I said it's most suitable to hand it over to Little Domi."

"what?"

“Look, of the four of us, Hern and I came out in casual clothes, but you’re the only one dressed up properly. And Miss Van Mielion is even more charming. The two of you together in this place would be a perfect match…”

"I'm wearing my work uniform as per the job manual. Besides, what do you mean by 'a handsome man and a beautiful woman'? Where did this 'handsome man' come from..."

"Aren't you bisexual?"

"Varied……"

Oops—the secret I swore to take to my grave has been discovered by an acquaintance!

Dominic's vision was already flashing before his eyes.

"Don't look so pale. It's not a big deal. I am too."

"..."

Mostima smiled and flicked little Domi's pitiful flat chest, then tied a casual and dashing little braid into the slightly androgynous, naturally curly, shoulder-length hair of the little devil. After that, she stopped fussing and left with a "clearing the clouds and bringing the sun" remark before heading straight towards the party.

"Now that things have come to this, Little Domi probably understands that this place called 'Old Dreams' has some connection with my family. Bringing you in is already considered betraying my family, and going any further would be really hard to explain to the old guys. I've already found out about the things for you—a tourist girl did lose a book to the bookie here half a month ago, and it's still in the warehouse. If you want to get it, Little Domi, you'll have to figure out a way yourself."

Along with his words, Dominic also left behind two "lumps of iron" in his hand. Watching Mostima walk away, Dominic raised his hand and saw that they were two black gold chips circulating in the venue. According to the details written on the bar, they were high-value exchange items.

Holding a stake worth 20 million Soul Coins in his hand, Domi, who barely scraped by with his extravagant spending each month, felt somewhat unreal.

"Um, Miss Dominic?"

It was Miss Vanmillion, who once again brought Dominique to her senses, that awakened her. Mostima was right; this outsider lady did indeed possess a clean aura, unlike the locals, which was captivating.