The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 182: The Lie

Lumian didn't immediately reach for the silver mask. Instead, he unfolded the letter and began reading the elegant handwriting, distinctly different from "The Magician" lady's style:

"This is the promised reward.

"The Lie:

"It allows you to truly change your appearance, adjusting your form and height within certain limits.

"At the same time, it enables you to manipulate fire like 'The Magician,' divert harm, and grants you a decent sense of danger, improving your balance and agility.

"Its appearance can be changed at will to whatever form you desire.

"However, when you wear it, your emotions will be amplified. You must learn to control yourself, or it could lead to serious problems.

"Additionally, remember this:

"Do not lose yourself in the lie."

"You can carry it without being affected?" Lumian's first reaction after reading the letter wasn't delight over how perfectly "The Lie" suited his needs, but surprise at how weak its negative effects were compared to what he expected.

You had to wear it for the emotional amplification!

This meant Lumian could store it in a bag or wallet and carry it with him at all times without suffering any side effects.

Compared to "The Lie," "Dignity" required being soaked in spirits, making it cumbersome to use or store, and "Interrogation" affected you just by carrying it.

After marveling at this, Lumian couldn't help but mock himself:

Dragging his loose pants and squeezing into his tight shirt, Lumian left Room 207, heading to the washroom where he gazed at the mirror.

In the reflection stood a beautiful woman. She had long, thick golden hair, light blue eyes shimmering with light, a delicate, high-bridged nose, and perfectly balanced red lips, vibrant like the morning sun.

The fine details of her features, the contours of her face, continued to adjust for several seconds before finally settling.

Lumian stared at the woman in the mirror, his expression softening and the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

After a few seconds, he chuckled softly and whispered, "Long time no see, Aurore."

Meanwhile, Franca, returning from Fountain Street, light-footedly opened the door to Apartment 601.

What greeted her was a face identical to her own: the same ash-blond ponytail, lake-blue eyes full of laughter, brown eyebrows tapering to her temples, and thin, rosy lips...

Franca's nerves immediately tensed, and she blurted out, "Who are you, and why are you impersonating me?"

The other Franca pointed at her and said, "Who are you, and why are you impersonating me?"

Franca, infuriated, laughed and silently sent out her "silk threads," wrapping them layer upon layer around the fake.

In an instant, crimson flames flared up, igniting the invisible threads around them.

Franca suddenly realized something and pointed at the impostor. "You sly six-eared macaque! You're pretending to be me!"

The impostor's face squirmed and morphed back into Lumian's.

His body grew taller accordingly.

Removing "The Lie," which he wore as an earring, Lumian curiously asked, "What's a six-eared macaque?"