Both of them exchanged glances for a few seconds, reluctant to start the conversation as if something were forcibly sealing their mouths.

  Then Moreira cleared his throat twice, briefly breaking the tension, and said while glancing around, "I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Moreira Lounge."

  He extended his hand.

  They shook hands, and then Zavi spoke in a calm tone, "Oh... Salilfai Lamena, nice to meet you." A faint smile formed on his face as he used an alias, and in his opinion the name also sounded strange in this world.

  Moreira nodded, looking somewhat surprised, as it was the first time he had heard such a unique name in this region. He smiled, released the handshake, straightened his arm again, and asked further about the cooperation.

  "Forgive me, Mr. Lamena, it's not that I don't trust this cooperation."

  Zavi gave a small nod while raising his hand in response to the question, signaling him to continue.

  "Yes, when I think about it again, the cooperation makes sense for both of us," he said with a calm expression. "After this cooperation is finished, will there be any additional conditions?"

  Zavi's eyebrows lifted slightly after hearing that.

  'What kind of question is that? I already wrote it on that paper and in the letter I sent before.' The corner of his lips rose as he thought about it.

  He tapped the edge of the table in front of him twice.

  "Didn't I already write it in the letter? The only condition is that you come alone. Other than that, you surely remember it, and after this cooperation is finished, that's all," he murmured calmly, trying to explain.

  Instead of correcting himself as if he were distracted, Moreira chuckled softly and only remembered the condition after Zavi mentioned it.

  "Sorry, I wasn't focused," said Moreira while scratching his cheek. "I don't really understand your handwriting."

  'Eh, that one I know.' Zavi thought, feeling a bit sorry for himself.

  "Oh. You may just call me normally, Mr. Lamena," Moreira added calmly.

  Zavi nodded while holding his chin.

  "Alright," said Zavi after thinking about it for a moment. Then he leaned forward slightly, while under the table he idly played with his fingers as he thought about what would come next.

  A few seconds later, their order arrived. A large plate of grilled beef that was still releasing hot steam and a tempting aroma immediately struck their noses as the plate was placed on the table by a man wearing typical kitchen attire.

  "Please enjoy, gentlemen," said the café-uniformed man with a friendly smile.

  After both of them finished their meals, the atmosphere suddenly became tense again like before. A cold breeze slipped through the gaps in the ventilation, creeping softly into the pores of their skin.

  The silence was broken again when, a moment later, a young woman suddenly entered the café. She wore a simple black dress that fell neatly along her body, without any striking ornaments. On her head rested a wide-brimmed black hat, its shadow covering part of her face, giving her an unfamiliar and unreadable impression.

  Her steps were slow, yet her presence was immediately felt, as if she carried a different air into the room.

  They both turned their heads. Coincidentally, their seats were near the entrance, allowing them to clearly see the beautiful and elegant woman.

  Meanwhile, the young woman stood silently in front of the café door while glancing toward them on her right side. Her lips moved slightly, as if she were speaking to someone.

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  Moreira, who noticed this, became even more alert.

  "Sir," Moreira whispered while covering the left side of his face with his left hand. "That young woman gives me a chilling feeling. Can we leave here as soon as possible?" he asked in a trembling voice.

  'A chilling feeling? What is that?' Zavi paused for a moment to think.

  "Ah. Alright." Zavi was not sure what Moreira was feeling right now. He stood up and opened his wallet while walking toward the cashier's desk to pay for all the orders.

  After paying, Zavi made a simple hand gesture. Moreira glanced at the movement, and then the two of them passed by the woman who was still standing silently at the door and immediately left the café with quiet steps.

  A moment after they left, the girl continued walking and then sat in the corner of the room on the left side, directly near the café door. She noticed Moreira's strange behavior, as if he had been wary of her, and something odd made her knees tremble as she murmured softly.

  A female café worker assigned to take orders came from behind the cashier counter, walking toward her with steady steps. However, the girl immediately stood up, her cold face and sharp gaze hidden beneath the hat she pressed downward fixed on the female worker for several seconds.

  "I'm sorry if I did something wrong," said the female worker in panic and fear, instinctively lowering her head.

  The girl in the black dress passed the female worker without a single word leaving her mouth. The doorbell rang, indicating the door had opened, and rang again after it closed by itself.

  The air inside the room seemed to move again for a moment after the beautiful and cold girl left, causing the fear that had gripped the female worker's heart to fade like mist.

  "What was with that customer?" a man suddenly asked from behind the cashier counter.

  The female worker turned and replied while slightly shrugging her shoulders, "I don't know, maybe she changed her mind."

  "Could be," the man muttered while nodding. "Don't think about it. Just continue your work. The manager will get angry, you know! Even I can't stand the nagging of a crazy businessman like him."

  The man quickly turned around and entered the curtain-covered room behind him.

  "Alright," the female worker murmured weakly, still remembering it, before walking unsteadily through the swinging door behind the cashier counter.

  ...

  Meanwhile, the two of them walked along the pathway west of Vica, filled with the movement of people and horse-drawn vehicles, discussing the young girl.

  Yes, for some reason when the girl arrived—more precisely when the café door opened accompanied by the ringing of the bell—Moreira's body suddenly tensed, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, and something strange seemed to whisper to him, instantly sending chills down his spine.

  He did not know what was happening. Instinctively, following his thoughts, he said what he had said earlier: leave that place as quickly as possible if he wanted to survive, and he did not want that incident to happen to him again.

  An evil spirit. The mysterious woman was actually a level three evil spirit, Nammeridya, capable of disguising itself as any creature it desired, perfectly imitating humans without leaving the slightest flaw. Although, roughly speaking, it could still be distinguished by high-level Receivers and even ordinary humans. At that level, they were skilled at manipulating people's emotions, and if a person became careless, their will would immediately be taken over.

  Therefore, Moreira made sure and chose to avoid that level three evil spirit so it would not kill him.

  It was unknown what was currently in his mind. What was certain was that he remembered an incident where an old man had died among evil spirits disguised as beautiful women who lured him, or something else related to that act, a revenge of disguise.

  Zavi, who did not know the real facts, tried to deny it. "Don't tell me you're sick...?" His eyebrows furrowed slightly.

  "Sir. Could you listen to my explanation?" Moreira's body stiffened as he slowed his pace. "That woman seems to want to do something to me."

  'Could that statement actually be true?' Zavi thought in confusion.

  He chose not to take the statement seriously and did not fully understand the system that existed in this world. Zavi stopped walking, grabbed both of Moreira's shoulders, and spoke with an unreadable expression.

  "It's impossible for a beautiful girl like that to do something to you," Zavi said, trying to confirm it further.

  That statement was like mist swept away by the wind. Moreira already had experience. Even though he did not know many supernatural matters because they could affect his life, he knew his instincts were not wrong.

  "You're wrong, Mr. Lamena," said Moreira, his voice hoarse. "You don't understand." He brushed Zavi's hands off his shoulders, then continued walking again.

  Zavi stared sharply at Moreira's back as he walked away from him.

  "Excuse me..."

  The voice was cold, clearly feminine, calm, and empty.

  The man passing beside Zavi immediately moved aside as the young woman shifted her body.

  Amid the crowd of people moving along the street and the stone-paved sidewalk, the young woman who had previously been in the same place now passed by him calmly without paying him any attention.

  Zavi's eyes widened. Time seemed to slow as his thoughts momentarily stopped, realizing that in this world, law and logic did not entirely function as they should.

  "That woman... Her feet aren't touching the ground!?" Zavi stammered.

  He knew this world was strange, yet foolishly he had allowed Moreira to walk away alone.

  "Damn."

  Zavi immediately continued forward, pushing past the people beside him. On the other side, the woman walked—more precisely floated—toward Moreira, who was calmly walking without realizing that danger had already come for him.

  "Moreira...."

  Without realizing it, Zavi shouted. His voice echoed briefly in the crowded street before disappearing into the indifference of the passing people.

  His chest rose and fell as he hurried through the people ahead of him, his eyes moving quickly, searching for Moreira in the dense sidewalk crowd.

  Meanwhile, Moreira repeatedly heard a strange whisper telling him to stop. Without truly realizing it, he walked until he entered Cosdever Street No. 1.

  But without the slightest preparation, a young girl—the level three evil spirit, Nammeridya—slammed into his body violently. The impact caused Moreira to fall in shock onto the hard stone pavement.

  The woman's hair fell downward, with her hat covering part of her face and blocking Moreira's view. What he saw was nothing more than a beauty that was both misleading and terrifying.

  The people around them stopped walking, their attention drawn by the mysterious action of the woman.

  Murmurs unpleasant to the ear soon followed.

  "Hey, is that guy trying to do something indecent?"

  "I can't believe it, is that some long-hidden love?"

  "Damn it, you two are making me jealous in broad daylight!"

  "Isn't that... a bit too much?"

  Moreira's mouth opened slightly. He clutched his thin white shirt tightly, trying to suppress something strange that was surging in his chest.

  Then... the unpleasant voices from around him caused that strange feeling to disappear, replaced by a frown on his forehead and tension in the muscles of his neck.

  'Tch, shut up you useless people!' he cursed inwardly.

  Moreira's eyes widened, then he spoke in a restrained tone,

  "What do you want? Damn it." He took a breath for a moment. "Don't tell me you know because I failed, right?" he asked, the corner of his lips lifting slightly, almost forming a bitter smile.

  "No," the girl refuted with a cold gaze.

  "What do you mean?"

  'Damn evil spirit. It's impossible that you don't realize I've risen from death before.' Moreira thought irritably, as if he could read what was in the girl's mind.