"I don’t mind helping you look for Jacob and Jack, since I was going to ask for his help anyway..." Chen Ke said, taking a sip of his coffee.
Diana and the others needed to recuperate in the dream world; the Illusion Dream Center was Chen Ke’s domain. He was perpetually energized like a machine, but the rest couldn’t recover normally there.
"As long as you are willing to help, my community welcos you and your friends. Jacob has ntioned you, and you have earned his trust; that ans you have earned mine too," Ivy smiled.
Big Yage was also very pleased. He knew of Chen Ke’s capabilities since Jacob had ntioned them to the children. With Chen Ke’s help, many things would be much simpler.
"That settles it then. I’ll need a house, several sets of clothes from this era, for two gentlen, and also for two adult won, plus I’ll need food, water, and other supplies..." said Chen Ke.
"That’s no problem, though my kids are all pickpockets, they can still afford your living expenses. However..." Ivy’s tone shifted.
"What are the conditions?" Chen Ke asked bluntly.
"My trust is unreserved, but my patience is limited. Considering Jacob’s age and health, we don’t want you to take too long," Ivy said.
Chen Ke chuckled, lifted his coffee, and drank it down in one gulp.
"Ha... very bitter. As for ti, I’m very sensitive to it. A task that can be completed in an hour, I definitely won’t drag it out to one hour and one second," Chen Ke said.
Ivy and Big Yage exchanged glances, then looked at Chen Ke with satisfied smiles.
"So, when will you arrange for your people to co over?" asked Big Yage.
"It’s happening now," Chen Ke replied.
Chen Ke stood up, pulled the door open, and called inside. Parker was the first to co out, smiling awkwardly at Big Yage.
Lucina ca out supporting Diana from the room. Diana was clad in Black Knight armor, clanking as she walked. It was fortunate that Lucina was strong enough to help soone encased in armor.
Ivy knew Chen Ke was no ordinary person, but even she had never seen such a scene. She took a sip of her coffee to hide her surprised expression. Big Yage, on the other hand, was hardly able to contain his astonishnt, his curiosity piqued as he peeked into the Illusion Dream Center.
Chen Ke closed the door and then introduced his friends to Ivy.
"This strong girl is Lucina; this is Parker, and the one in the black armor is Diana—she’s got no clothes, so she has to wear this," Chen Ke said.
As Chen Ke made the introductions, Big Yage pulled the door open again; outside was a normal street.
"Follow , Chen Ke. I happen to have a vacant house where you can stay for the ti being," Ivy said as she stood up, leaning on her cane. Boloz hurried over to assist her.
Chen Ke and the others followed Ivy out of the house. Along the way, many people cast curious glances at them. Diana’s appearance was quite striking, and even Lucina and Parker’s attire was completely different from this era’s fashion.
As they walked, Ivy assured Chen Ke that the residents of this street were all holess people, together scratching out a living. They knew what could be said and what mustn’t, so he needn’t worry about his whereabouts being leaked.
Chen Ke tentatively believed Ivy’s words, but he had to act quickly because this era was under Foundation surveillance.
Ivy led them to the end of the street, to a secluded spot backed by the downstream of the Taist River, where a small two-story wooden house stood under a dense tree, overlooking the riverbank from a high vantage point.
Ivy did as she promised. She ordered the children to bring lots of clothes and daily necessities, as well as food enough for five grown n for two months.
Chen Ke hadn’t forgotten about Lucina’s injuries either. The wound on her waist needed fresh dressing, and the internal injury required a long period of rest and treatnt. Diana needed nothing more than a good sleep.
"Do you have a doctor here? Lucina is injured and needs treatnt," Chen Ke asked.
"Could you take care of this lady, Boloz?" Ivy nodded and turned to Boloz.
Boloz smiled, then set her gaze on Lucina, eyeing her like a scalpel, slicing down her body’s shape.
"Chen Ke... I can take care of myself," Lucina whispered, moving behind Chen Ke. "That woman’s gaze gives the creeps."
"Your wound has opened up, and it’s still bleeding, and you also have internal injuries. I saw the bruising on your abdon, this isn’t the Illusion Dream Center, if you keep this up, you’ll die," Chen Ke shook his head.
After Lucina left the Illusion Dream Center, her body’s muscle function started activating, and her wounds visibly worsened at an alarming rate, her condition also seed to deteriorate.
"Co with , Miss Lucina, I need to give you a bath first... then I can assess the state of your injuries," Boloz’s voice was sowhat icy. Until now, the woman had not spoken, and Chen Ke had thought, based on her looks, that her voice would be sweet.
"Speaking of baths... I’d really like one too..." Diana’s voice floated from the gaps in her helt, sounding quite dull.
"No problem, Miss Diana, we have double bathtubs," Boloz said.
Lucina gave Diana a glance and blushed slightly.
"Do you need to bathe, Mr. Chen? Mr. Parker?" Boloz turned to Chen Ke.
"No, we just need two sets of clean clothes, and two revolvers," Chen Ke waved his hand dismissively.
Both he and Parker were perpetual motion devices. Parker had it even easier; he was made of ash and couldn’t get dirty.
After everything was arranged, Chen Ke decided to imdiately begin the search for Jacob, after all, Ivy had helped him, and now it was his turn to reciprocate. The mutual aid between adults was a matter of give and take, and personal feelings had limited influence.
He and Ivy sat in a small wooden cabin on the second floor, listening to Big Yage ntion the search details from the past few months and recording so related intelligence. The children on the streets had already begun searching for Jacob’s whereabouts but to no avail.
Like Ivy had said, if Jacob didn’t want to be found, they wouldn’t find him.
"What motive would Jacob have to hide?" Chen Ke asked.
"It’s just a hypothesis. He went out to find Jack, and if he found out that Jack had t with so accident, perhaps he would decide to deal with it himself instead of telling us," Ivy explained.
"Yes, after you left, Jack’s personality changed... He was once a carefree lad, but later he beca more and more extre and violent," Big Yage added.
Chen Ke rubbed his temples, suddenly recalling sothing that made him realize the gravity of the situation.
Jack, little Jack...
This was in 1888...
During this era, a series of brutal murders took place in Langdon. The murderer was not only vicious but also sent letters to the police station to taunt them, vanishing without a trace after killing the tenth victim, getting off scot-free.
Jack the Ripper...
"Is it you, little Jack?" Chen Ke murmured to himself.
"What are you talking about?" Big Yage asked.
Chen Ke turned to Big Yage, "It looks like we need to make a trip to the police station."
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