Chapter 705 - 705 Past


    ncing around to ensure no one could overhear, he quietly recounted the detailed fate fragments of Moran Avigny. As Franca listened, her expression gradually morphed, a frown creasing her lovely brow.


    “That white, thin fog you described… it reminds me of something,” she said. “Does it have a mercurial, ever-shifting nature?”


    Lumian considered briefly before nodding. “Yes, it does.”<div>


    Franca let out a soft sigh. “It must be the same phenomenon then. You know how I told you about Jenna and I getting tailed by that entrustee of the vanished Deep Valley Cloister gatekeeper at the mysticism gathering? The one we ended up fighting?


    “Well, when I channeled the guy’s spirit and asked about his organizational ties, his physical form and spirit abruptly detonated. My mirror cracked from the st, but right before shattering, it filled with that same thin, mercurial white mist.”


    Franca paused, collecting her thoughts.


    “ording to the intel I passed along, 007 ran into a simr fog during their investigation of Deep Valley Town. Albert Goncourt, the Carbonari’s leader, was spotted there too.


    “As you’re aware, the Carbonari yed a role in stoking the riots during the Hostel n. Their other leader, operating under the alias General Philip, spearheaded that particr scheme.”


    Lumian swiftly connected the dots Franca wasying out.


    “So you suspect the Carbonari is in league with multiple evil god cults, this peculiar white fog being tied to one of them—and that Moran Avigny is also entangled with this group. Meaning our supposedly chance encounter with him in the West Lognes Forest was anything but.”


    “Precisely.” Franca took another sip of her liqueur. “And what’s the ultimate endgame for these Mirror People? Surely not mere recement of their originals.”


    The mirror version of Gardner Martin had failed to seed the real one, understandably using the Hostel n to deal with his counterpart. But Moran Avigny, also a Mirror Person, had quietly reced the original for decades, even fathering an illegitimate daughter and living a cushy life. Why coborate with cults?


    Smiling, Lumian replied, “The goals of Mirror People as a whole versus as individuals are bound to differ. Investigating should reveal the former. Back in Fourth Epoch Trier, Mirror Gardner Martin mentioned their loyalty and service to someone who holds all the answers. Learning that person’s identity should tell us the Mirror People’s endgame.”n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Franca concurred sinctly, “We can n our next moves around this strange fog. Deal with Moran Avigny to get more info on the Mirror People, which is already a lead. And capturing him or channeling his spirit could present other opportunities.”<div>


    Franca smiled. “Looks like 007 will be busy again.”


    Their discussion of Moran Avignyplete, Lumian picked up some roasted pre-meal bread, chewing as he recounted his encounter with Courtesan Perle and the coffee ground divination he’d witnessed.


    “She’s unlikely to be a Demoness,” Franca concluded, a hint of disappointment in her voice.


    Based on Lumian’s description and reaction to Perle’s appearance, she could tell the courtesan wasn’t a Demoness.


    Unless deliberately feigning ugliness, a Demoness’s charms were impossible to conceal. Even gay men couldn’t resist sneaking a few extra nces.


    “Definitely not…” Lumian suddenly paused, remembering something.


    Shifting to casual conversation, he asked, “Does coffee ground divination actually hold mystical significance? Can it truly provide revtion?”


    Franca finished her bread, took another sip of the colorful liqueur, and smiled. “Of course mysticism is involved.”


    Noting Lumian’sck of divination knowledgepared to his skill in reading fate, Franca exined with a smug grin.


    “You don’t need to put divination on some holy, unattainable pedestal.


    “Our Astral Projections constantly interact with the spirit world, obtaining information and receiving revtions. These get reflected in reality through various forms.


    “It’s true for both Beyonders and ordinary people. But those unskilled in divination struggle to proactively obtain revtions or effectively interpret them.


    “For example, if a Beyonder chokes on a fishbone while eating, they’ll quickly realize it’s a warning from their spirit, containing a revtion needing interpretation. But if regr folks have the same experience, they’ll just think they were unlucky or careless. It won’t stand out enough to warrant deeper consideration or deciphering.


    “Of course, getting a stuck fishbone doesn’t always indicate a spiritual warning. Usually it’s justck of care. Skilled diviners can tell the difference between a true revtion and a random urrence. The unskilled tend to overthink, scaring themselves while ignoring what’s truly concerning.”


    Given their uing fish course, Franca had used a rtable example.


    Lumian nodded, gaining a clearer understanding of divination.


    He asked thoughtfully, “So without deliberate control over the drinking method, coffee ground patterns can reveal something—but ordinary people’s interpretations may be inurate?”


    “Precisely!” Franca said excitedly. “In the most rational environment, the decades-popr coffee ground divination cane extremely close to reality. Each divination session can refine the standard interpretations until the meaning of every ground formation is definitively established. Then even regr people could interpret with reasonable uracy.


    “Sadly, reality is no bastion of pure rationality. Believers in coffee divination subconsciously work to make even mistaken interpretationse true. Non-believers inly see the interpretations don’t match up. These conflicting approaches get all tangled together, preventing the codification of standard, reliable answers. In the end, it’s just a game.”


    As they conversed, the waiter served the various dishes, clearing used tes as part of the set procedure.


    The fried Fürth fish arrived as ater main course.


    Lumian cut a piece and tasted it—tender flesh with an intriguing blend of charred and oily notes, the pepper and salt seasoning just right.


    “Delicious,” Franca praised. “And warming too.”


    Lumian also felt a current of warmth spread through him as the Fürth fish reached his stomach.


    “Some special ingredients indeed,” he concluded, teasing Franca. “Just don’t eat too fast—wouldn’t want you choking on a bone.”


    Francaughed. “You think a few bones can choke me?”


    ncing around to confirm the waiter’s departure, she asked,


    “I’ve been pondering something thest couple days. I still can’t grasp the difference between using rituals and curses to influence a target’s future fate versus directlypelling a fate change.


    “I get the ritual part—it relies on the target’s blood, close rtives, certain items, and mystically significant contact to alter their future fate. But how is that different from a curse?”


    Lumian organized his thoughts before exining.


    “In the mysticism knowledge of Fate Appropriators, a curse is a curse of fate. Compared to rituals, curses are simpler, with fewer required conditions. But that significantly limits the ultimate effect. Nothing too oundish can be achieved.


    “Many bestowed of Inevitability like to call this type of curse Magnified Fate.


    “It can only target fate tributaries within the next ten seconds, and must align with the current environment and circumstances. Meeting those prerequisites enables the fate curse to seed. And the targeted fate tributary needs a certain probability of manifesting in the first ce, or the sess rate plummets.


    “Simply put, one first uses or alters the environment to enable certain possibilities, then magnifies those possibilities—


    assuming they weren’t extremely unlikely to begin with.”


    Lumian looked at Franca, raising his right palm to gesture as he mischievously provided an example.


    “For instance, while you’re eating fish, I could use a curse to magnify the chance of you choking on a bone. But I couldn’t magnify the chance of your chair suddenly copsing, impaling you with wood splinters.”


    The moment he finished speaking, Franca froze, gasping twice as her throat worked. Within seconds, she spat out a bloody fishbone.


    “You actually did it?” Franca grumbled. “Luckily my Sequence grants strong throat control. I handled it myself. Uh…” Franca suddenly paused. After a few seconds, she said, “Otherwise we’d be seeking a doctor’s aid. How embarrassing would that be!”


    Lumian chuckled. “I could’ve helped pull it out, magnifying the fate tributary of sessful extraction.”


    Franca was briefly speechless.


    After eating another bite of Fürth fish, she nodded.


    “I understand the differences now.


    “Curses, or Magnify, suitbat. They’re mainly for interfering with and influencing enemies, not aplishing anything too exaggerated.


    “Rituals are done in advance. With the right items, they canrgely steer a target’s fate as desired.”


    “But only in a general direction,” Lumian added. “No real precision. I could make someone have a bad day, but not dictate the exact vor of misfortune.”


    Franca nodded.


    “Sopelling fate is like a streamlined ritual for livebat that still packs a punch?”


    “Perhaps even stronger and more precise effects,” Lumian mused. “Plus, many abilities transformed in unique ways when Fate Appropriator and Reaper fused, bringing with them the relevant mystical knowledge. I can’t fully distinguish the inherent from the individualized—I only know the Eye of Cmity and Compelling Fate came from Reaper.”


    They enjoyed the rest of their lunch. As the meal concluded, Lumian pointed to the half-eaten Fürth fish, instructing the waiter, “I’d like this wrapped up to go.”


    The waiterplied respectfully without question. Franca smiled teasingly. “How frugal of you.”


    Lumian chuckled. “This is expected of a godfather. Besides, I’m curious what makes this fish so special.”