I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

[Impact: A certain reaction, resonance, or harmony. It will soon disappear.]

[Characteristics: Winter, Blade.]

Frost travels through this land.

There is also a small clock icon in the lower right corner of the card, symbolizing that the card has an expiration period and will gradually fade and disappear over time.

Since it's free, I might as well take advantage of it.

Rushing in directly wouldn't work; it was right after World War I, and the Austrian comrades were all seasoned veterans brimming with martial spirit. Just as Li Lin was considering whether to go check on Benjamin's house, a man emerged from the newspaper office. His eyes lit up when he saw Li Lin, and he quickly walked towards him.

"You're Mr. 'The Hunter'? It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Alan Dickens, a special correspondent and contributor to the Danube Daily."

The man was about thirty years old, with a pair of beautiful green eyes. His gray hair was slightly curled under his thick top hat, and he wore a pair of pince-nez glasses on the bridge of his nose. Underneath his brown woolen overcoat was a vest of the same color. He was nearly 1.9 meters tall, and a strong smell of roasted tobacco wafted over him as he approached.

The Danube Daily was the newspaper with the largest circulation at the newspaper company where Benjamin worked.

After standing in front of Li Lin, Dickens rubbed his hands together and exhaled a puff of white breath.

"In fact, I heard about you several months ago. To be honest, quite a few contributors have used you as a model to create many stories and made a lot of money. You haven't shown up for a while, which has made our good friends very anxious."

They actually used his own story to scam money? Although Li Lin, as a transmigrator, had no memories of his predecessor, Master Li, who always got excited when money was mentioned, began to feel indignant.

Dickens shrugged helplessly: "Yesterday, one of our reporters, drunk after get off work, barged into your residence and seemed to be somewhat startled?"

Li Lin glanced at him sideways.

Dickens smiled naturally: "After all, our poor Benjamin has been complaining about this since this morning, and has even embellished it with some exaggerated articles. I must say that although those things have no story or artistry whatsoever, they are very eye-catching."

"By the way, why don't we find a place to sit?" Dickens naturally extended the invitation, since it was rather unbearable for the two of them to stand at the crossroads and chat in the cold winter wind.

Li Lin had no reason to refuse, since he wasn't going to pay anyway, and besides, all the money he had was extorted.

Across from the newspaper office was a café. Pushing open the glass door, the warmth was drowsy, yet the bitter aroma was quite invigorating. Dickens hung his top hat on the coat rack and chose a seat by the window.

"What would you like to drink, Mr. Hunter?"

"Civet coffee, no cat poop, lots of sugar," Li Lin replied expressionlessly.

Isn't that just coffee with more sugar? And the price of Kopi Luwak... Dickens's lips twitched slightly, as if he was about to unleash a torrent of criticism, but the professionalism of the contributing author allowed him to restrain his impulse.

"Two cups of coffee, one with cream, and one with extra sugar."

After placing the coffee in front of Li Lin, Dickens casually sat down and began the interrupted conversation with a smile.

“‘Hunter’, your identity has always been mysterious, and now your aura seems even more mysterious. If I hadn’t happened to see you once when I went out to gather material last time, I wouldn’t have recognized you even if you were standing right in front of me.”

Li Lin stared with dead fish eyes.

Dickens pulled a notebook from his pocket, took out a check from it, and scribbled down a number.

“Although I don’t know if ‘Mr. Hunter’ has found the target, even if you have gotten what you wanted, money within reach is always good,” Dickens added, as if afraid Li Lin would misunderstand. “Of course, this is just a small commission. If you are willing, we can start a long-term cooperation.”

"What kind of request?" Li Lin took a sip of his cloyingly sweet coffee, his eyes lighting up.

Dickens' smile deepened: "A long-running serial story. About a chivalrous 'hunter.' Of course, there won't be any real place names or people in this story, but it will immediately remind people of you."

"Yeah, right." The carefree Li Lin agreed without a shred of remorse.

“That’s wonderful!” Dickens handed the check to Li Lin, took out a pen from his pocket, and licked the nib. “This is a deposit. I would like to conduct a brief interview with you before we officially begin. I hope you won’t mind.”

"Mr. 'Hunter,' may I ask your name?"

"Cline Moretti."

49 We are pathetic creatures constantly battling danger and madness (sound).

“Klein Moretti…that sounds like a name that easily evokes a bathroom,” Dickens scribbled in his notebook. “So, besides being a hunter, what other professions do you have?”

"24 years old, a student."

“Oh, a student.” Dickens’ eyes lit up as if inspired, and he wrote quickly. “That’s a very good profession. Many female readers are quite fond of it. The combination of being a student on the surface and a hunter in secret is sure to attract attention. I wonder which university it is—”

"—and movie actors," Li Lin suddenly added.

"...?"

A moment of silence fell over the room. Dickens stared at Li Lin, who was clearly pleased with himself for having just come up with the idea, and forced a smile: "I see. So, what role are you playing?"

"Li Tiansuo." Li Lin crossed his arms, tilted his head slightly, and spoke without any shame.

Dickens paused, pen in hand. This was yet another person he had never heard of before, and the name alone sounded very much like a Ming Dynasty name.

"He was a literary figure and poet from the East, who wrote the masterpiece 'The Dream Under the Pillow,' which contains the famous saying, 'A moment of leisure can ruin a lifetime, and prolonged leisure can shorten one's life,' admonishing people to cherish time. He also said a well-known saying in the East: 'When righteousness is gone, so shall I be.' This was Mr. Li Tiansuo reminding himself to walk with justice and not to slacken in the slightest."

Is this just a random character creation? Is it really necessary to take it so seriously...? Or did this person really exist in the Ming Dynasty? But putting aside the facts, these words are indeed quite profound.

Dickens felt a pang of doubt, but maintained his smile: "That's very good. Now I'll ask you some questions to establish the general character traits."

Li Lin looked down at the menu; he hadn't eaten breakfast and was feeling a bit hungry.

Dickens smiled knowingly and took a menu: "The schnitzel at this café is quite unique. Their turkey and beef are also very good. For dessert, I recommend the Emperor Pancake with plum sauce. If you still have an appetite, you can try the Viennese-style Sachertorte. Finally, order a cup of Milonchi coffee."

He handed the menu with the tip to the waiter: "Please serve our guest brunch."

The café always has a warmer, and soon the waiter brought out the main course and dessert from the kitchen, while the coffee would take a little longer.

First up are the fried beef and turkey cutlets garnished with cranberries. These Viennese-style fried cutlets are tender and juicy, served with rice, potato chips, parsley potatoes, or cranberries—a staple food in Austria. The cranberries and potato salad reduce the greasiness of the cutlets, while the rice enhances the texture, allowing the juices to seep into the rice grains, making it incredibly appetizing.

Next came the Emperor's Pancake, a favorite dessert of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, who had passed away several years earlier. Empress Elisabeth (Sisi), renowned for her beauty and fondness for sweets, didn't particularly enjoy this pancake with candied plums, while Emperor Franz Joseph I, who never ate sweets, loved it. The Emperor's Pancake at the café was sweet and sour, with an irresistible aroma that made one's mouth water from afar. The candied plums complemented the pancake perfectly, completely masking the greasiness of the meat steak that had followed.

Next up was a Sachertorte, a special chocolate frosting cake that is said to have a unique texture for each slice. It's topped with chocolate frosting, filled with two layers of incredibly rich apricot jam in a chocolate sponge filling, and topped with whipped cream. The bittersweet aroma and delicious taste are simply irresistible.

Finally, the long-awaited Milanche coffee arrived. This is an authentic Viennese coffee from Austria, flavored with cream instead of sugar cubes. Originally from Turkey, Viennese coffee now incorporates sweet liqueur, giving it a smooth and mellow aftertaste.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Dickens began asking questions. He opened his notebook: "Here is the first question. From the very beginning of our existence, humankind has held nature in awe. We believe in God, and we believe that after death, souls exist—some go to heaven, some to hell, and naturally, there are ghosts wandering the earth. If ghosts truly exist, what is your opinion of them?"

Li Lin thought he should ask Si Chen for help with this, but considering that Dickens had treated him to a meal, he decided to answer the questions properly.

He stared with dead fish eyes, his gaze gradually becoming vacant.

"There must be many ways to play Ghost, right?"

Dickens dropped his pen onto the table with a thud. He blinked, doubting his ears, wondering if he had misheard.

Li Lin proved to Dickens with facts that he hadn't misheard.

"Look, if ghosts really exist in this world, then they must be everywhere. It's one thing when you're cooking or doing housework, but what about when you're taking care of your personal needs by pooping or peeing? They're watching you all the time, trying to poke your ass so you can clench your poop and splash water on your butt, or they might take advantage of you while you're taking care of your personal needs to touch your testicles."

Li Lin began to lie in a serious tone: "I once encountered a case like this, a widower whose wife had died two years ago. During those two years, he missed his wife and did not go to bars to find prostitutes, nor did he remarry. He took care of his physical needs himself."

"What he didn't know was that when he was dealing with his personal problems, not only was his long-dead wife there, but his parents who had passed away many years ago were also there, and even his grandparents were present."

"He often said that if only his wife were still alive, so his deceased wife was very moved. The next time he took care of his physical needs, she reached out and touched his testicles."

Li Lin extended his right hand, his five fingers twirling deftly in the air. Dickens shuddered, as if he himself were the one being tortured, not the man in the story. Although Li Lin's story was absurd, he was a hunter; who knew if this was a case he had handled before?

Curiosity compelled Dickens to ask, "And then?"

"Then the widower also became a ghost, living happily with his dead wife," Li Lin replied expressionlessly. "Please, you don't really think a man whose testicles have been removed can still live, do you?"

"So my advice is, if you can't beat them, join them. There's nothing to be afraid of. Maybe after you become a ghost, you can climb on top of them and force them to scare people 24 hours a day, all year round."

Dickens suddenly realized.

He quickly jotted down Li Lin's outrageous remarks in his notebook, which seemed to have sparked his inspiration regarding the ecological relationship between humans and ghosts.

After a brief pause, he turned the page of his notebook: "The second question is about animals. As we all know, animals are good friends of humans. What are your views on animals?"

Given the previous outrageous answer, Dickens felt that Lillian was likely to say something even more outrageous, and he was prepared to revise it accordingly.

Li Lin blinked, lost in memories.

After a moment, he slowly spoke: "I like pigs. Dogs worship humans, cats despise humans, but pigs treat us all the same."

Dickens gasped for breath. The sentence itself was perfectly normal, and upon closer inspection, it was quite profound. However, it was very unusual for Li Lin to say it.

In fact, this quote is a famous saying by Winston Churchill, but Churchill had not yet had a chance to say it when Li Lin shamelessly plagiarized it.

After composing himself and copying the famous quote into his notebook, Dickens decided to pose one last question: "One last question, about self-awareness. If you were given the chance to define yourself, how would you rate yourself?"

"I am a guardian, but also a poor wretch who constantly faces danger and madness."

Dickens began to doubt his first question, wondering if something had gone wrong.

After confirming again, he handed Li Lin his business card, said goodbye, and got up to leave first. Li Lin's words touched him deeply, and the special correspondent felt his mind was sparkling. As a token of his gratitude, he paid Li Lin's bill.

After putting Allen Dickens's business card into his pocket, Li Lin opened the dark green desktop.

A brand-new card lay on the table. Against a pinkish-purple background, smooth lines outlined the abstract face of a man wearing pince-nez and a top hat. As Li Lin looked at him, the man on the card blinked once every two seconds.

[Sponsor: Mr. Allen Dickens]

[Alan Dickens, a contributing writer and freelancer for the Danube Daily, is working on a serialized novel featuring a mystic as the protagonist and needs a prototype for his work.]

[Greek language teacher: If you pay a certain fee, Mr. Allen Dickens would be happy to give you a short lesson.]

[Mortal Man: Despite creating many works that are eerie or terrifying to ordinary people, Allen Dickens still knew very little about the mysterious world.]

You can't order him around, but he'll help you in various other ways, whether it's by entrusting tasks or providing assistance.

Just as Li Lin was about to get up, someone suddenly sat down in front of him, and a waiter followed him attentively: "Officer, is there anything you need?"

"A cup of Milanger coffee, please." The officer handed the menu to the waiter, gesturing for him to leave, then stared intently at Li Lin.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Franz Clark, a first-class police sergeant of the Vienna Police Department."