Crimson Servant.

Chapter 215: The Trickster

Dalia settled them in a guest room at an inn called Ice Rat Inn. She paid the accommodation fee and left in a hurry, leaving John, Francis and Lucien in the same room.

Francis leaned against the wall while Lucian sat at the table playing cards alone. John closed the door. The soundproofing here was very good. After closing the door, the three of them could hear each other's breathing quietly.

John looked at Francis who was silent. If it was Marianne, as a familiar link between the two parties, Marianne would definitely take the initiative in the conversation and control the atmosphere. But Francis did not. His eyes were fixed on the deer bone decoration on the wall, and his focused gaze seemed to last for hours.

John walked across from Lucien's table, pulled out a chair and sat down.

The sorcerer tapped his fingers on the table, interrupting the sound of the cards bouncing continuously.

"Why don't you share it with your partners? The generous reward from the Snow family." John pointed out the commission relationship between Lucien and Dalia Snow. Francis and John were not clear about the content of their commission. And just now, it was obvious that they were used by Lucien and became part of the commission.

The illusionist put the cards down with a smile on his face and spread his hands.

"It's free. I occasionally have a lot of kindness, especially to young people."

"Oh? Then how do you survive? The temple's aid?"

The sorcerer didn't believe Lucien's lies at all, and Francis's ambiguous answer made John guess about his identity. The magician who was deliberately mysterious was also a priest. These characteristics were very distinct and just touched upon John's knowledge.

"You are a follower of Lady Leila of the Mist Shadow. I know you liars. You are a trickster who plays with illusions and is good at deceiving and confusing people. Any hypocritical adjective can be used to describe you."

"Lila's followers will use all kinds of fraud and deception to achieve their goals. The most obvious way you act is to hide your head and show your tail, and act like a mysterious person..."

Because Lucien looked calm, he raised his finger and added with a smile.

"And fooling people who think they are smart."

John's face darkened immediately, because he knew who Lucien was referring to.

"Hey! Don't be nervous. I'm just adding to your topic."

Lucien raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. The illusionist's perception was very sharp, and he sensed something stirring under the table.

"Your name is John, right? John, I completely agree with you about the followers of Lady Mist. You guessed it right, there is indeed a phantom follower here, but it's not me."

"If it's not you, then is it me?" John didn't believe his nonsense at all.

Lucien put his elbows on the table, his fake smile suggesting something.

"Except you and me."

John raised an eyebrow and soon realized who he was hinting at. Francis, he meant Francis?!
John rejected his assumption without hesitation.

“Francis never lies.”

"Yes, but not lying doesn't mean being honest. He doesn't talk much, does he?"

Lucien pressed five fingers on his chest, raised his head and neck, and said proudly: "Religious researchers like me tend to understand more thoroughly. I have studied the teachings of Lady Mist Shadow's followers in depth and not superficially. Lies are not the only means of distorting the truth. Leila's teachings are meaningless in preaching the truth. The process of being deceived and fooled is what they have experienced personally."

"Life does not need the truth, and false happiness is also happiness. Therefore, the true characteristic of the followers of the Goddess of Illusion is not lying, but using various means to help people stay away from the truth."

"Francis has a special pair of eyes. He knows the ending and the truth before any of us. He is a prophet, but does he reveal all the results? No! He is like an outsider who has nothing to do with it."

"Yes, he doesn't lie. But he tells less truth than any liar."

"He is a natural believer in phantoms, and he has concealed many answers." "Do you really know him? Which true god does he believe in? At least it is definitely not Rose, the spider queen of the dark elves."

John was confused by Lucian's words, and he tried to find an illogical explanation for every word, but he found nothing. Francis did say very little, and Francis did have many answers.

Perhaps, the dark elf is really a follower of Leila.

As soon as this thought came into John's mind, he immediately realized that he had been fooled by Lucien again.

The illusionist took advantage of the mystery of the dark elves and used the unknown that John did not understand to pry open his inner trust.

"You fool me?!"

Lucien laughed at John's expression.

"Yes, and I didn't tell a single lie. Think about it carefully, how did you find my loophole? I guess it has nothing to do with logic. It's because you can't accept the idea that Francis is not trustworthy. Your blind trust defeated the facts I told you, and your self-deception defeated my truth."

Lucian, having succeeded, immediately fled to Francis.

The dark elf looked at the sorcerer whose face turned red before speaking.

"Because Lucien is indeed a follower of Lady Mist Shadow, what he said about me is his personal opinion. His explanation is similar to Leila's teachings, which is why we became friends."

"He is an illusionist, but he has never hurt anyone with his lies."

"There really isn't much difference between a prophet and a liar."

"Don't let Lucien control your language rhythm, John. You are too confident in your persuasion skills. When dealing with people like Lucien, force is always more effective than words."

Francis' answer calmed John down quickly. He lowered his head and thought, because Lucian's appearance was like seeing an annoying fly flying around in front of his eyes, and this fly taught him a lesson.

Don't be too smart, there are people smarter than you.

"Can I beat him?" John expressed his wish.

“He’s a master of illusions,” Francis said.

Lucien hooked Francis' shoulder and punched the dark elf's arm.

"Francis and I are very good friends. I always think that having a pair of eyes that can see through the truth is something that deserves sympathy. Knowing the answer in advance will make life lose its surprise and novelty. One day, I will trick this guy once."

Dalia Snow did not keep the three waiting too long. After lunch, the noble lady knocked on the door.

And brought something special.

It was a red crystal with irregular edges, the size of a palm, and translucent.

"This is what my brother left in the room after he disappeared. We know very little about it, and the name 'Red Ice' is just something I came up with at random."

Dahlia looked toward Lucien expectantly, hoping the adventurer would provide more information.

"Yes, Hongbing, a very appropriate name." It was Francis who spoke.

"It comes from the Underdark."

(End of this chapter)