Chapter Fifteen: The Spoils of War

The tidal force had completely receded.

The sensation of controlling the entire world vanished, and his mind fell back into chaos, as if countless flies had been stuffed into his head, buzzing incessantly.

Lu Mingfei felt like an insect trapped again in a glass jar—stiff, powerless, and consumed by a profound sense of loss burning deep within his heart.

If he hadn’t once plunged into an endless abyss due to excessive greed, he might have without hesitation made a second deal just to preserve that feeling of omnipotence.

Now restored to a frail mortal, the thoughts typical of the weak began to churn once more in his mind.

This incident bore many unfavorable coincidences, as if someone had orchestrated everything behind the scenes to force this transaction.

Firstly, as the user of this body and a seasoned mage, it was impossible for Lu Mingfei to make such a colossal error in controlling his sanity.

Just as top students from Tsinghua or Peking University wouldn’t get basic math wrong, and a battle-hardened swordsman wouldn’t lose to a babbling child, he wouldn’t misjudge his own mental state.

Someone must have used some method to disrupt his sanity, burdening him with an extra load.

Secondly, the appearance of that so-called Odin was too coincidental.

He had just retreated into himself due to low sanity and was immediately sent to that stormy, bleak place.

Sanity is a protective mechanism evolved over millennia to prevent one from going mad upon facing the true world. Some things existing in the "real world" can even materialize into reality simply because they are observed. This is why Lu Mingfei forced himself into unconsciousness at that moment.

Yet, he had to admit he lost consciousness a bit late; before completely passing out, he had indeed sensed a hidden realm within the city, likely the direct cause of his entry into the secret domain.

Fierce wind and rain, dangerously low sanity, or a cunning individual with special means—the reason for that rainy night’s secret realm opening stemmed from one of these.

Add to this the information he uncovered that day about the “Dandelion” typhoon, the overpass, and the Maybach, and one could deduce:

Due to unknown parties’ unknown methods, someone detected his intent to investigate the past causes of his predecessor, manipulated his sanity to abnormal levels, guided him into the perilous rainy night secret realm, and forced him to complete a deal with a mysterious boy.

Plans, like machines, become more prone to flaws the more intricate they are.

He had no idea who possessed such comprehensive intelligence and such abundant means to flawlessly execute a plan targeting him.

If it weren’t for the small gray porcelain jar engraved with spells still resting on the bedside table, with a listless middle-aged man’s expressionless figure drifting inside, Lu Mingfei might have suspected this was all a dream.

Such means reminded him of the invisible, faceless god’s torment.

If it truly was Nyarlathotep…

“Slap!”

The sharp sound of a slap startled the beautiful woman lying beside Lu Mingfei awake.

“Ugh, what’s the noise? My head hurts…”

Nono’s tangled red hair fell messily as she sat up, delicately pressing her slender fingers to her temples.

These past few days, her spirit had been repeatedly overdrawn, barely holding on with sheer stubbornness. Now that the tension broke, she felt dizzy and weak, utterly powerless.

Whose hand was moving indiscriminately on her body?

Where were her clothes?

Chen Motong suddenly recalled a terrifying possibility and turned her head…

Lu Mingfei was lying beside her, shirtless and looking utterly at ease, one hand…

“Slap!”

“Damn it!”

After a chaotic scramble, Nono rummaged through the cabinet, found a bathrobe, and slipped it on. Her expression was one of utter disbelief, as if she’d been bitten by a mad dog.

“Come on, man, tell me honestly—we weren’t exactly close, right?”

Lu Mingfei now bore a fresh, red palm mark on his face. The sudden force of this woman’s slap was unexpectedly powerful, nearly breaking him in two.

“True.”

His attitude toward Nono had always been indifferent. Calling her last time was more a shot in the dark, hoping for some luck. He never expected her to actually show up.

But even if she hadn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered much. Even with his sanity temporarily at zero, not to mention possible unseen puppeteers, he still had the immortal sand’s soul-return talisman hanging on for his life.

At worst, he’d summon a few unfriendly, though very responsive, Old Ones in his madness and destroy a city or two.

Nono stroked her smooth forehead and asked again:

“You came to rescue me yesterday just from one message—doesn’t that count for something?”

Lu Mingfei replied:

“More than enough.”

The massive residual magical energy after the spell ended yesterday would undoubtedly have caused a significant mental shock to Nono, a sensitive profiler.

Yet, she had endured the shock and managed to bring him away. That was more than just loyal—it was heroic to the heavens.

After some psychological adjustment, Nono finally stabilized her emotions and sighed before asking:

“Then why repay kindness with enmity?”

Could Lu Mingfei say it was because the first time he wielded such power, he got carried away and treated Chen Motong like spoils of war?

That would be beastly.

He pondered a moment and finally decided to give up:

“That’s not a hero’s debt repaid, little brother can only offer a fragile willow…”

At this moment, such nonsense sounded beastly too.

“Alright, alright, shut up.”

Nono’s tone was no different from usual, but sitting alone with red-rimmed eyes, her emotions were clearly turbulent.

Lu Mingfei couldn’t read her mind, but since she didn’t seem intent on continuing the assault, he relaxed a little. This heroine’s strength was no joke.

He thought for a moment and comforted her:

“When I brought you in yesterday, the spell effects on me hadn’t worn off yet. No one should have discovered us.”

This sentence seemed to trigger Nono; her tone rose sharply:

“Our business? What business do we have?!”

Lu Mingfei made a zipper motion over his mouth and fell silent. Nono, clad in a bathrobe, swung her smooth legs, thought for a moment more, then said firmly:

“At this point, I won’t hide it from you.”

“You’re the boss, you say.”

“Shut up!” Nono was like a powder keg ready to explode at any spark. She paused, then continued:

“First, I do have a boyfriend now. He’s attending the Kassel Academy.”

“I… we don’t have much feeling between us. He’s just a simple, proud kid. Our union was arranged by my family. I couldn’t refuse. I profiled him, acted like the kind of girl he liked, and we quickly got together.”

“Oh.”

“Oh, damn it!”

“…”