The detective's persistence once again gave Lucien a fresh understanding of just how stubborn law enforcement could be.
The man had already chased the truth behind Jamie's case all the way to Ravensfield before, and now even the trail of the dead voodoo sorcerers had been followed across state lines. At this point, Lucien was beginning to suspect that once the detective latched onto something, he simply never let go.
Leaning back in his chair, Lucien looked at him with mild helplessness before sliding a cup of hot tea across the table.
"You came all this way just to tell me that?"
Even so, basic hospitality had to be maintained.
The detective accepted the tea with a grin, warming his hands around the cup before taking a slow sip.
"Of course not."
A mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"Guess who I ran into while investigating the case?"
Lucien gave him a flat look.
"…Just say it."
The detective let out a disappointed sigh, clearly unhappy that his attempt at suspense had failed.
"It was Jamie."
That answer made Lucien pause.
"He went to Louisiana too?"
The detective shook his head.
"No. He said he's been traveling ever since he left Ravensfield. Apparently, he only came back recently because of some business."
He placed the cup down and continued.
"We happened to meet on the way and talked for a bit."
Then his expression turned more meaningful.
"My guess? He ran into something he couldn't handle… and came back looking for you."
Those words made Lucien fall into thought.
Mary Shaw was gone.
The family curse had already been completely broken.
Under normal circumstances, Jamie should no longer have any connection with supernatural incidents.
Unless…
It involved someone close to him.
Before Lucien could continue thinking, the detective's phone suddenly rang.
The moment he answered it, his expression shifted, and joy quickly spread across his face.
By the time he hung up, he was practically glowing.
"The higher-ups are very satisfied with the orphanage rescue case," he said, unable to hide his excitement. "They personally called to commend our department and even singled me out for praise."
For someone like him, that was clearly excellent news.
Lucien gave a small nod.
"Congratulations."
The detective laughed, but soon his expression turned regretful.
"It's a pity they still refuse to believe anything related to voodoo or curses. Otherwise, we could've made your name public too."
He sighed.
"At the very least, it would've been good publicity for your antique shop."
Lucien merely smiled.
Sometimes, disbelief was better.
The fewer ordinary people knew, the safer things remained.
After chatting a bit longer, the detective stood up.
"I still have work back at the station, so I'll head out first."
After a brief farewell, he pushed open the door and left.
Silence returned to the antique shop.
With nothing else to distract him, Lucien lowered his gaze back to the ancient text spread across the table.
It was the Complete Book of Talismans.
As his eyes moved steadily across the pages, the familiar system notification surfaced in his mind.
[You have studied the Complete Book of Talismans. Your understanding of recorded talismans has deepened. Drawing proficiency increased. Casting speed improved.]
Lucien ignored the notification and continued reading.
The last battle had made one thing painfully clear.
His combat methods were still too limited.
The tornado technique had indeed been powerful enough to destroy the ritual, but in truth, it was nothing more than brute force.
Effective.
But wasteful.
If he had mastered exorcism talismans by then, he could have resolved the situation with far less consumption of Qi.
Raw strength could break anything.
But skill always conserved energy.
Over the last few days, his mastery over talisman drawing had improved tremendously. Combined with constant practice, his failure rate had already dropped to less than one in ten.
That was significant progress.
Just as he was about to switch from talisman study to reviewing the Huang Ting Scripture, the shop door opened once again.
Lucien looked up.
A familiar face entered.
Jamie.
"Lucien."
Jamie greeted him before walking in with obvious familiarity and taking a seat across from him.
A faint smile appeared on Lucien's face.
"So the detective was right."
Seeing Jamie's hesitant expression, Lucien already had a rough guess.
Jamie rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Lucien… I came to see you because I need your help."
His voice lowered.
"It's… that kind of problem."
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me you're haunted again."
At this point, he was beginning to wonder if Jamie had some special constitution that attracted paranormal incidents.
Jamie quickly shook his head.
"No, not me this time."
He hesitated before continuing.
"It's a friend of mine. She's going through something terrible… something very similar to what happened to me."
That made Lucien's expression grow more serious.
"Explain."
Jamie looked conflicted.
"I signed a confidentiality agreement."
He spread his hands helplessly.
"I can only explain the full details once we arrive."
Then he quickly added,
"But don't worry. I already told them you don't work for free."
His expression brightened.
"They agreed immediately."
"All travel, food, and accommodation expenses will be covered."
"And after the matter is resolved… they promised a very generous reward."
That part finally caught Lucien's interest.
Jamie had previously paid him two hundred thousand dollars.
For Jamie to call this amount "very generous," it could only mean one thing.
The client was extremely wealthy.
Possibly famous.
Still, not knowing the exact nature of the threat was dangerous.
This world's horrors were not limited to ghosts.
There were cursed objects, rituals, ancient entities, and even far worse things.
Blindly accepting any commission would be foolish.
Just as Lucien was still weighing the risks, Jamie slowly pulled a check from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"This is the deposit."
Lucien glanced at the number.
Then coughed lightly.
For a brief moment, even he fell silent.
He had originally intended to refuse.
But…
The offer was simply too much.
Money truly did move the world.
At last, he let out a slow breath.
"Fine."
He folded the check and put it away.
"I'll take a look."
Jamie's eyes immediately lit up.
"When do we leave?"
Jamie answered without hesitation.
"Right now."
The drive took longer than expected.
By the time they arrived, Lucien's earlier suspicion had already been confirmed.
Hollywood.
As the car crossed the busy streets, he noticed the unusually large crowd gathered around a residential block.
Cameras.
Lighting rigs.
Crew members.
It was clearly a film set.
Jamie's car drove straight toward it.
After stepping out, Jamie led him across the street and into a nearby café.
The moment Lucien entered, the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.
The place wasn't large, but it was tastefully decorated, with a warm and elegant atmosphere.
Soon, a woman seated in the corner waved toward them.
"Jamie! Over here!"
Jamie immediately walked over and gave her a quick hug.
Then he turned toward Lucien.
"This is the master I told you about."
Hearing himself called that, Lucien felt slightly awkward, though he kept it off his face.
The woman turned to look at him.
The surprise in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Clearly, she had expected someone older.
Perhaps a priest.
Perhaps an elderly occult expert.
Instead, standing before her was a young Chinese man who looked far too calm for his age.
Jamie introduced them properly.
"Lucien, this is my friend…"
He gestured toward the woman.
"Rachel De Laine."