Lez, ever diligent, added, You know her. Julie, who came in with us.
The collector? Lumian almost choked on his own saliva.
Why would a man hire such a collector as a waitress?
Wont he feel a chill down there?
Before Lumian could ask Lezs reasoning, Julie descended from upstairs.
She had changed into a dark slit dress she found from somewhere, with her chest barely concealed under a thin veil.
Her previously dirty face was now clean, and her long brown hair was simply tied up, her features clear in Lumians eyes.N?v(el)B\\jnn
Despite having been around two Demonesses for a long time, Lumian found himself impressed.
This female convict didnt look perverse or mad, with slender brown eyebrows and brown eyes that seemed to hold a gentle autumn water, her skin delicate and white, her demeanor gentle and elegant, contrasting sharply with her enticing figure.
She was a uniquely beautiful woman, exuding an allure beyond normal.
Like a Demoness Lumian had to admit Julies previous disguise with dirt and loose hair was quite effective.
Another case of the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence
Lumian sighed, responding to Julies tender, affectionate gaze, Why do you want to be a waitress at my bar?
I need a job to support myself, Julie smiled gently, as if they were in some city instead of Morora.
Lumian suddenly changed the topic.
Why do you like collecting that part of men?
Julies gentle brown eyes suddenly showed an indescribable madness.
She smiled and answered with a tone of longing, I just want to reim whats mine.
Uh another victim of the Demoness Sect? Now turned perpetrator
She must have transformed from a man to a woman like Franca, but unlike Franca, she had severe psychological issues, resulting in her abnormal hobby? Lumian guessed while confirming that Julie was likely a Demoness, and not a low-level one, at least a Sequence 6 Demoness of Pleasure.
Lumian then murmured, Your way of digesting Pleasure is to rape men and then cut it off at the climax to make them experience the fall from heaven to hell?
That fits the nature of a Demoness of Pleasure, but its too direct and brutal,cking the beauty of self-struggle
How did the Church of Knowledge send a Demoness here as an ordinary rapist-murderer?
Was it intentional?
Right, based on my current mysticism knowledge, each gods pathway top has one to three great beings holding all the sequence powers, like Mr. Fool, The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, the Great Mother, and the Mother Tree of Desire
From this perspective, the Primordial Demoness-being adjacent to the Hunter pathway-trying to scheme 0-01 is understandable, perhaps inevitable. ording to Madam Magician, 0-01 is the key to ascending to Red Priest and bing the true god of the Hunter pathway
In this case, once the Demoness Sect discovers Morora, they will definitely send witches below the demigod level to infiltrate here
Why didnt they send anyone before, waiting until Julie and I were exiled together?
Perhaps the Primordial Demonesss revtion told them only by following me could they enter Morora, given I was specially sent by the Church of Knowledge without any checks?
No, more likely, Julie isnt the first or even the second Demoness to infiltrate Morora. The previous ones didntplete their mission and gradually lost contact with the Demoness Sect
If thats true, the Demonesses controlling the mirror world have it easier than me using the Mirror Cufflink and Mirror Mark to connect with the outside. Julie must have a lot of umted intelligence and ns
From her, I might find opportunities and ways to approach 0-01 and leave a mark
With these thoughts, Lumian smiled at Julie, who still had a hint of madness in her eyes, I dont care what you want to reim or why, but since you chose to be my bars waitress, you must follow my rules. First, no harassing customers during business hours.
Julie looked a bit aggrieved but her eyes shone brightly, full of anticipation.
What if they harass me?
Lez will throw them out. If they dare fight back, Lez knows how to cook them and will leave you the parts you want, Lumian said casually. Or you can wait until the bar closes and find them yourself.
Julie licked her lips. Whats the second rule?
No harassing the boss. Lumian headed for the stairs to the second floor. Lez will discuss your pay.
Julie seemed slightly disappointed. I wanted to see if what I lost is with you.
Before Lumian could respond, she asked again, Is it harassment if I invite you to view my collection?
Not interested, Lumian replied curtly.
He confirmed Julies crimes werent intentional to get exiled to Morora.
She had a genuine hobby, looking gentle and beautiful but twisted and mad inside.
After dark, Julie finished Lezs meticulously prepared dinner and praised it, Ive decided to seduce youst.
Her seduction was lethal.
Lez seemed a bit disappointed but sincerely asked, If youre ever killed, can I have your body?
Sure, Julie agreed nonchntly, her movements graceful and smile reserved.
She then looked at Lumian, blinking. Boss, the bar hasnt reopened. Can I go out tonight?
Thats your freedom. Lumian drank some wheat ale to suppress the sudden restlessness inside him.
He was now sure Julie was a Demoness of Affliction, having just used Charm on him.
If she approached again, he nned to Cull her without mercy.
Only by intimidating this Demoness of Affliction with strength and ferocity could he keep her in check.
Julie wiped her mouth with a white napkin, stood up, and left the Carnivore Bar.
After a few seconds, Lumian vanished from the table.
He first teleported then turned into a shadow creature, silently following Julie.
Julie walked elegantly, approaching a square where exiles gathered, feigning drunkenness.
The exiles couldnt take their eyes off this Demoness. A muscr man eagerly approached and chatted with Julie.
Julie drunkenly waggled her finger.
I want to duel you.
Sure, the man said joyfully, helping Julie leave for his home.
The other exiles didnt react in time, losing sight of the two.
Lumian didnt lose track, hiding outside the mans window.
He heard Julies kitten-like moans, unlike the rough madness he imagined.
With an Ascetics endurance, Lumian showed no abnormality until the man shouted loudly, nearing climax.
The next second, a piercing scream of intense pain erupted from the room.
Soon, Julie emerged, face flushed, eyes bright, her beauty overwhelming.
She held a bloody object, freezing it in crystal-clear ice, cing it in a small bag.
Lumian continued following Julie, who didnt attempt any counter-surveince, arriving at therge square outside the Church of Knowledge.
She seemed to be waiting for something.
After a while, a team of ck-robed enforcers emerged from the church, led by a tall, fair-skinned, restrained, beautiful woman.
Julies eyes lit up, her face glowing with joy.
She approached the enforcers excitedly, shouting at the leader, Celeste!
The tall woman in the ck robe nced at Julie indifferently, asking emotionlessly, Who are you?
Julies expression froze.
Chapter 801 Pretending
Chapter 801 Pretending
801 Pretending
Seeing Julie remain silent, the ck-robed female enforcer led her team across the square, continuing their patrol of Morora.
Julie stood there, staring at her back, as if turned to stone.
Hidden in the shadows, Lumian watched silently, musing to himself, An old lover?
That enforcer had a certain Demoness-like charm...
Was she thest Demoness to infiltrate Morora, Julie''s lover, but ultimately became an experimental subject and forgot her past?
Yes, the Knowledge Cathedral''s Heraberg mentioned that in Morora, the past isn''t important, only the present and future matter. Is this implying that after bing an experimental subject or spending enough time here, ties to the past will gradually disappear, even memories can''t be retained?
This is somewhat like the people who disappeared in the Trier''s catbs, who were forgotten by everyone who knew them, but the effect is opposite and not as strong...
Lumian felt he understood Julie''s emotions better now.
She might have willingly taken on the task of infiltrating Morora, hoping to find and rescue her lover, only to discover her lover hadpletely forgotten her, not betraying her but simply not remembering who she is...
Besides the two untainted Demonesses around me, there''s actually another who believes in true love... Julie must have another purpose in seeking Celeste, confirming her situation, obtaining untransmitted information, and perhaps items prepared for seizing 0-01... Lumian seriously considered the feasibility of attacking the enforcers without facing punitive consequences.
After a while, Julie trudged back towards the Carnivore bar, her face in and her expression sorrowful, like a white Jimsonweed swaying gently in the cold night wind.
Lumian stayed vignt, following Julie until she reached the Carnivore bar before reappearing in his room using the shadows.
A whileter, lying in bed listening to the wind, Lumian''s thoughts wandered aimlessly.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, noticing a troubling detail.
Having be an experimental subject, Celeste''s reaction just now was wrong!
From previous tests, Lumian knew the enforcers strangely recognized every resident of Morora. Celeste should have asked "Who are you calling?" or "What do you want?" instead of "Who are you?"
Whether in a normal state or not, she most likely still recognized Julie but pretended not to.
Lumian sat up, narrowing his eyes.
ls Celeste not aplete experimental subject yet?
Is she pretending not to recognize Julie to protect her or to keep her secrets safe, ensuring the n continues?
What is she using to maintain some rity and self-awareness, not bing aplete puppet-like experimental subject?
Is it something the Demoness Sect prepared based on previous infiltrators'' experiences, or has Celeste had some fortuitous encounter, discovering part of the secret?
Lumian decided it was necessary to "contact" Celeste.
Of course, he would first see if Celeste would secretly approach Julie.
...
In Trier''s arts district, Franca waited outside an art gallery, as agreed, for the Demoness of ck.
Before long, a four-seater carriage pulled up, and rice, wearing a ck hat and thin veil over a dark court dress, looked out from the window and nodded at her.
Franca opened the door, stepped lightly up, and sat opposite her.
As the carriage moved slowly through the bustling city, she smiled at the Demoness of ck.
"Madame, I''ve ascended to Affliction."
"Faster than I expected," rice said, her doubt evident.
Franca smiled slyly. "Because Ciel became a Reaper."
"He''s Sequence 5 too? His advancement seems even quicker than yours..." rice slightly raised her head, her eyes seeming to shift. "After Gardner Martin''s death, he should have left the Iron and Blood Cross Order, right?"
Franca spoke the absolute truth.
"Yes, he used Gardner Martin''s Beyonder characteristics to concoct the potion, so he owes him for the quick advancement."
The Demoness of ck smiled in understanding, her demeanor much warmer than usual.
"Even in death, Gardner Martin helps you."
That was a hell of a joke... Franca felt slightly awkward.
She quickly changed the subject.
"Madame, you said you''d tell me some secrets of the sect once I became a Demoness of Affliction."
rice, with a slight smile behind her thin ck veil, replied, "Yes, you''re now considered a core member of our sect. Hmm, where should I start..."
Seeing the Demoness of ck unconsciously reveal a hint of innocent girlishness, Franca couldn''t help but be momentarily moved, marveling at the high-level Demoness''s overwhelming charm.
After a few seconds, rice''s expression turned serious and a bit mncholic as she began, "I''ll start with the specifics of our sect.
"We originally were a family, all members descendants of the Primordial One, but since the Fifth Epoch, such an organizational structure couldn''t sustain our influence. We began to incorporate Beyonders of the Assassin pathway who also believed in the Primordial One as members."
"Are you also a descendant of the Primordial One?" Franca, having learned this from the Tarot Club, still showed appropriate surprise and curiosity.
This was a performance learned from Jenna, honed with a Spectator''s feedback.
The Demoness of ck nodded slightly.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"My mother is a descendant of the Primordial One."
Wait, ording to our deductions, you should have Sauron and Tamara blood... Does this mean your mother was of Primordial One and Tamara bloodlines? Franca hesitated, then pitifully asked, "Does that mean I can never join the brass in the sect? I''m not a descendant of the Primordial One..."
"It doesn''t matter. You can marry a descendant, and your spouse will count as a family member," rice smiled again. "Moreover, in the future, you might truly be a child of the Primordial One. We are always getting closer to the Primordial One."
"What do you mean?" Franca expressed her confusion.
She felt a sudden inexplicable fear.
"You''ll understand in time," the Demoness of ck did not borate.
I hate people who speak unclearly... Franca silently grumbled, waiting for the Demoness of ck to continue.
rice returned to the previous topic.
"After the Pale-White War, the Primordial One fell into slumber, asionally waking. All sect affairs are handled by high-ranking Demonesses titled by color. Currently, there are thirteen, including myself, some of whom are Angels, others powerful Saints."
"Is there a pope, a pontiff, or a matriarch?" Franca asked.
rice nodded.
"Yes, the Primordial One''s child, our Matriarch, the Demoness of Gray.
She likes to be called the Saintess of Gray."
"The Primordial One''s child... What is Her rtion to Krismona? Browns told me Krismona is also a child of the Primordial One," Franca openly expressed her curiosity.
The Demoness of ck replied emotionlessly, "They are twins, but our Matriarch was born as a male Sequence 9 andter became a Demoness."
Twins... It seems the Demoness of Gray might know some secrets of the Krismona Night Pir... Franca felt a strange sense of history merging with reality.
The Demoness of Gray must have witnessed the Fourth Epoch.
rice continued, "Each high-ranking Demoness titled by color handles specific affairs, directly reporting to our Matriarch. They do not have clear subordination among themselves, and we sometimes receive revtions from the Primordial One, allowing us considerable autonomy.
"I came to Trier to manage sect members here, maintain contact with local coborators, and clean up the Mirror People."
Franca seized the opportunity to ask, "Is our approach to the Mirror Peopleplete eradication? No intention to use them?"
The Demoness of ck smiled sadly. "How do you n to use them?"
If I knew, why would I ask you? Franca awkwardly smiled. "To help us control that special mirror world. I think it''s quite useful."
The Demoness of ck nced at Franca, her eyes shimmering, andughed softly.
"Why do you think we haven''t mastered that special mirror world?"
"Uh..." Franca was genuinely confused.
It wasn''t an act.
The Demoness of ck resumed her mncholy, elegant demeanor, smiling faintly.
"All mirror worlds are under our Demoness control. That special mirror world was originally used to fight the Primordial One, but ultimately, the Primordial One took control of it.
"Of course, after the War of the Four Emperors, we lost partial control of that special mirror world. After the Pale-White War, we could only exert limited influence."
"Why?" Franca felt there must be a significant secret.
The Demoness of ck smiled.
"Perhaps the Matriarch and other high-ranking Demonesses who survived the Fourth Epoch know, but not me.
"From the Mirror People''s state and their confessions, I guess the Primordial One''s projection in the mirror experienced some changes or, the Primordial One''s projection separated part of Her characteristics, affected by the Fourth Epoch Trier''s seal, unable to return, unable to reunite with the Primordial One.
"But this doesn''t exin why we lost further control after the Pale-White War. Fourth Epoch Trier''s seal hasn''t strengthened.
"Moreover, a true god is unique."
Chapter 802 The Most Special Point
Chapter 802 The Most Special Point
802 The Most Special Point
A true god is unique... What does that mean? Is it impossible for another Primordial Demoness to exist, whether in a mirror or a painting? Franca pondered over the Demoness of ck''s final words, sensing they held critical mysticism knowledge.
As for rice''s spection about the Primordial Demoness''s projection in the mirror undergoing some changes, Franca had thought the same before. When the Demoness of ck obtained the ck Primordial Demoness figurine, she had nonchntly mentioned, "The Mirror People believe in the mirrored Primordial One, but it''s actually just a projection of the Primordial One in the mirror." She didn''t exin further, and at that time, Franca had already guessed that perhaps the projection had undergone some changes.
But the problem was that if one continued this line of reasoning, it could exin why the Demonesses lost further control over the special mirror world after the Pale-White War. ording to Franca''s limited knowledge, in the Pale Disaster, Death fell, and the Primordial Demoness was heavily injured. Such a weakened Primordial Demoness couldn''t prevent the projection in the mirror from changing further, thus losing control over that special mirror world and failing to recover from the injuries for millennia.
Franca thought that if she, with her limited understanding of the Pale Disaster, coulde to such a conclusion, the Demoness of ck wouldn''t say it couldn''t be exined. Unless she waspletely unaware of the oues of the Pale Disaster or had already obtained other strong evidence that ruled out the possibility that the Primordial Demoness''s injuries during the divine war led to the Demonesses'' further loss of control over the special mirror world.
After some thought, Franca carefully asked, "Is the ck figurine I handed over evidence of the Primordial One''s projection changing in the mirror?"
The Demoness of ck neither nodded nor shook her head. Instead, she exined mysticism, "Our Assassin pathway''s most unique node is Sequence 7, Witch. This isn''t just because it changes our gender but also because it leaves a strong, distinct imprint in the mirror world. This imprint is what allows us to use mirror magic."
This is about the Mirror Person for each Demoness... Franca suddenly had an epiphany and took the opportunity to say, "Previously, Moran Avigny said the one in the mirror is our true self, our exiled and sealed self..."
rice shook her head with a hint of mncholy.
"I believe Moran Avigny didn''t lie to you. The Mirror People indeed believe they are the true selves, but can youpletely trust conclusions made from their own perspective?
"Have you ever forgotten your past self, that indelible pain?"
"No," Franca answered sincerely, "I often think back to my past self and life, imagining if I hadn''t chosen the Assassin potion, would things have turned out differently."
The Demoness of ck nodded sympathetically.
"We still remember, we haven''t forgotten, so it''s impossible for our true self to be exiled. If one day, we no longer feel pain from our losses, forget the past, and immerse ourselves in the present state, the strong imprint we left in the mirror might activate in a mystical sense, leading to cognitive confusion and gradual loss of control.
"In this regard, having once been male and constantly reminiscing about our male self is a major advantage in maintaining our identity and avoiding loss of control."
"Then purely female Demonesses must be very dangerous?" Franca feigned sudden realization; in truth, she was worried about Jenna.
"There won''t be purely female Demonesses," rice coldly replied.
If you encountered one, you would kill her? Without the sacrificial square in the catbs, Jenna would have lost control and died when ascending to Witch... Franca didn''t delve further, fearing to arouse the Demoness of ck''s suspicion.
rice continued, "Aside from the product of the special mirror world, everyone has a Mirror Person. Each time we look into a mirror, a Mirror Person is created. For non-Demoness pathway individuals, these Mirror People are temporary projections, quickly dissipating after the person leaves the mirror.
"But we Demonesses are different. The strong imprint creates a Mirror Person that always exists and grows stronger as we advance in Sequence. At the divine stage, because a true god is unique, the imprint returns to the body, merging with the self. From then on, one exists both in reality and in the mirror, embodying both states."
There''s some simrity to what Moran Avigny said. The Demoness of ck didn''t deny our strong imprint in the mirror could be called Mirror People... Both their words likely contain parts of the truth but not the whole truth. Perhaps piecing them together could reveal some reliable facts... Franca nodded thoughtfully. "So the appearance of the ck figurine is abnormal. It should have merged with the self?"
"That''s why we suspect the Primordial One lost part of Her characteristics, causing changes in the mirror projection," rice confirmed Franca''s statement.
But ording to this logic, the white figurines each sect member carries shouldn''t exist either... The Primordial Demoness, also known as the Chaos Demoness, shouldn''t be purely ck or white. Unless the white and ck figurines represent something other than the real and mirror selves... Franca didn''t dare voice these emerging thoughts.
The Demoness of ck further exined, "ck figurines are rare. Not every special Mirror Person has one, not even someone as significant as Moran Avigny.
"Which specific ones possess it is currently unknown."
That''s right... Franca felt a pang of regret for not asking Moran Avigny about the ck Primordial Demoness figurine back then.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
She and Lumian had previously thought it didn''t warrant further investigation: wasn''t it just a special entity the Mirror People worshiped?
Asking directly for the deity''s honorific name and rted information seemed enough, with no need to focus on the figurine''s origin...
Franca showed her frustration, then tentatively asked, "Shouldn''t we be trying to destroy the Fourth Epoch Trier''s seal to lift the restrictions on that special mirror world, letting the Primordial One regain control andplete the fusion?
"Why are we still cleaning up Mirror People?"
The Demoness of ck replied seriously, "Opening it ourselves and them opening it arepletely different."
Which one dominates the white or ck figurines? Franca, a voracious reader and imaginative transmigrator, had a vivid imagination.
The Demoness of ck didn''t give her a chance to ask further.
"What we need to do now is clean up the Mirror People in Trier, disrupt their ns, and, if possible, collect vital information from the deepest Darts of the special mirror world."
Yes, Madame," Franca seized the moment to request, "I''m tracking a Mirror Person and need items that can traverse the mirror world and send messages through mirrors. My Mirror Cufflink is running out of uses," Demoness of ck rice nodded lightly.
"Alright, I''ll prepare it for you."
She paused for a moment before adding, "Remember, the mirror world is both mysterious and dangerous. It is also a source of our strength as Demonesses. Don''t resist approaching it, but don''t underestimate it either.
"Compared to the Hunter pathway, the mirror world is our most unique feature."
The most unique feature... Franca suddenly felt that the Demoness of ck was hinting at the mirror world''s importance far beyond what she imagined.
After exchanging more mysticism knowledge about the sect and the Assassin pathway, Franca asked onest question, "Madame, can the gue of an Affliction Witch expand the types of pathogens?"
"What do you mean?" The Demoness of ck frowned slightly, evoking pity.
"I mean, can we find special pathogens and incorporate them into our gue ability? Simple illnesses like pneumonia, strokes, and heart attacks are powerful butck imagination. I remember some pathogens cause narcolepsy orplete muscle weakness..." Franca borated on her idea.
The Demoness of ck was silent for several seconds before saying, "When you be a Demoness of Despair, you can create mystical pathogens with different effects. For now, the range of gue is fixed by the Beyonder characteristics unless..."
"Unless what?" Franca asked curiously.
The Demoness of ck spoke with longing and admiration, "Unless the Primordial One modifies the scope of gue as a true god of the Demoness pathway."
So that''s possible? This is what being a deity means, influencing one''s pathway... Franca was genuinely shocked, realizing the true meaning of the word "true god."
...
Morora, in the Carnivore bar.
Lumiany on the bed, eyes closed, appearing asleep but actually closely monitoring Julie''s movements.
He suspected that Celeste, the seemingly fully converted experimental subject, might secretly visit Julie at night to share vital information about Morora.
As the night deepened, Lumian felt a sudden restlessness, as if the air was filled with amorous energy.
His mind couldn''t help but recall scenes of temptation he''d witnessed before.
Chapter 803 Transmitting Information
Chapter 803 Transmitting Information
803 Transmitting Information
Simr experiences were not new to Lumian; he had felt this way before.N?v(el)B\\jnn
Whenever Franca prayed to the Primordial Demoness figurine made of bone, Lumian would sometimes be nearby. Even through doors and walls, through the wall of spirituality, he couldn''t help but feel sensations.
Is Julie praying to the Primordial Demoness figurine? Lumian, still with his eyes closed, made a guess about the current situation.
It wasn''t necessarily due to Julie''s extreme piety; it was a daily ritual for members of the Demoness Sect. Even a believer of Mr. Fool, like Franca, had to do it regrly.
Before long, the amorous energy in the air dissipated, and Lumian''s state returned to normal.
Suddenly, he remembered something: Where did Julie get a Primordial Demoness figurine?
During the exile to Morora, Lumian noticed that neither Lez nor Julie seemed to carry personal belongings. This meant that, except for Lumian, who had special treatment and wasn''t searched, all other exiles were handled by the standard procedure.
So, Julie shouldn''t have a standard-issue figurine from the Demoness sect. Even if she wanted to make one herself, she would need to buy materials and set up a ritual, and Lumian''s tracking today showed she hadn''t done any preparations.
So, where did her Primordial Demoness figurinee from? Or did she directly use thenguage that can invoke natural forces to recite the Primordial Demoness''s honorific name? But if that were the case, the influence of the power overflow on me would be too weak. Even if it was not as strong as the residual divine power Franca experienced, it shouldn''t be just a bit of restlessness... Lumian became extremely alert.
He quickly had a hypothesis.
Celeste had visited!
It must have been this Demoness, who had be an experimental subject, who gave Julie the Primordial Demoness figurine or something simr!
Why didn''t I notice?
II was monitoring the room Julie was in all along...
With that thought, Lumian suddenly sat up and looked at the full-length mirror in his bedroom.
Yes!
Celeste must havee through the mirror world!
She must havemunicated with Julie through the mirror, which is why I didn''t detect anything unusual until Julie started praying!
It''s normal for the Demoness Sect to have items like the Mirror Cufflink!
Silently, Lumian got out of bed and walked to the full-length mirror in his room.
He felt it was time to use the Mirror Cufflink.
He put on the ss-like cufflink and pressed his hand against the mirror surface.
The button-like essory lit up with a faint glow, and Lumian''s figure immediately prated the mirror''s surface, entering the deep, dark mirror world.
Before the dark, web-like tunnels spread out before him, Lumian clearly sensed the three mirror imprints he had left in the outside world and the few he had set up in Julie''s and Lez''s rooms.
He didn''t rush to the mirror in Julie''s room. Instead, he took out an unfinished letter from the Traveler''s Bag.
It was a letter to Franca, Jenna, and Anthony.
Lumian then activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, attempting to teleport to the full-length mirror in Franca and Jenna''s apartment.
It felt distant and had an invisible barrier. Even if he prated the barrier, there was a vast, silent void of darkness that Lumian instinctively believed contained indescribable danger and terror.
Does this represent that special mirror world?
To leave Morora and return to the outside world, I must pass through it?
Even Angels would find it dangerous...
With these thoughts, Lumian stretched out his right hand, holding the letter, using the already activated Mirror Cufflink to give the paper a reflective, ss-like hue, and sent it out.
The light stuck to the invisible barrier''s surface, slowly permeating it, falling into the dead silence, and heading toward the distant target mirror.
It works... Lumian breathed a sigh of relief and used the contracted ability of Spirit World Traversal to shift to the mirror in Julie''s room.
The mirror was pitch ck with no traces left.
Lumian sniffed slightly, catching a lingering scent.
It smelled like a human hormone, coupled with the influence of mystical power, faintly sweet, amorous, and warm.
Not Julie''s scent... Lumian nodded slightly. Celeste indeed visited.
Now the question was, did Celeste use an item to traverse the mirror world and reach Julie''s room, an item that escaped the Church of Knowledge''s search, or did she use the special connection of the mirror world to send it through a ritual?
Or, did she conduct a ritual to ask the Primordial Demoness for it? Or is she no longer the original Celeste but her corresponding special Mirror Person? This could exin why she retained some self-awareness after bing an experimental subject, but it''s not the only exnation...
Lumian, an experienced handler of mystical events with much knowledge, naturally linked it to the special Mirror People.
He didn''t peek into Julie''s current situation through the mirror, fearing Celeste had given Julie some mirror-rted items, making her more sensitive to the gaze from the mirror.
Moreover, Julie had just finished praying, and the Primordial Demoness figurine''s residual effects lingered. Lumian didn''t know if this would affect his spying.
Of course, he could roughly guess what Julie was doing.
Because he could hear Julie''s suppressed, soft moans through the mirror.
Lovers reunited, getting what they wanted, rxing and celebrating. Yes, and the sensations brought by praying to the Primordial Demoness figurine. She hasn''t gone out to add to her collection, which is already quite restrained. Lumian silently chuckled.
He teleported back to his bedroom mirror, stepped out of the ss surface, andy back on the bed.
...
Trier.
Lonely, empty, cold... Franca, used to go early to bed and early to rise, sighed, lying in bed, unable to sleep.
She felt she needed a few more days to adapt.
At this moment, she sensed something, sat up, walked out of the room, and went to the living room.
She looked at the full-length mirror in the living room and saw a water-like light wave on the ss surface, reflecting a neatly folded letter.
Is it from Lumian or the Demoness of ck? Franca walked over and pressed her hand against the mirror''s surface.
Her right hand felt slightly cold, as if prating ake mixed with ice, touching the now ethereal, intangible paper.
The paper quickly "dispersed," forming lines of Intisian words on the mirror surface: "I have arrived in Morora..."
Lumian briefly described his experiences and the results of the experiment but didn''t mention the specific situation in Morora.
It was a kind of corruption!
A corruption Franca and the others might not withstand!
At the end of the letter, Lumian reminded: "I''ve already told my messenger and Madame H that if anyone writes to me but can''t find me, they should send it to you to handle. Yes, I''m talking about you, Franca. Now you temporarily have a messenger."
Dammit, he still has to mock me in the end! Franca cursed in a mix of anger and amusement, grinding her teeth.
She thought for a moment and began writing a reply: "Nothing much to say, just a reminder: The Demoness of ck told me that Demonesses with color titles asionally receive revtions from the Primordial One and have strong autonomy. If they are like this, won''t the Demonesses of Affliction sent to Morora for important tasks also receive revtions, or even some divine power from the figurine?
"You should take this issue seriously. Also, it''s time to test your Ascetic endurance. If you get bewitched and lose your manhood, even if it grows back every morning, I''llugh at you for the rest of your life."
After finishing, Franca folded the paper and took out a rectangr amulet from the Traveler''s Bag that looked like it was made of ice.
The amulet was entirely transparent, with patterns and motifs like bubbles inside, flowing and gathering continuously.
It was the Ice Amulet given to Franca by the Demoness of ck, allowing seven traversals through the mirror world or fourteen transmissions of information.
Franca put on the amulet, held the letter, and returned to the full-length mirror.
With a sh of cold light, she pressed the letter into the mirror surface, letting it fall toward the ce the previous message came from.
...
Morora.
After reading the letter on the mirror''s surface, Lumiany back on the bed again.
He anticipated possible surprises.
Like Wanak, the owner of Dades Agricultural Company,ing to kill him at night.
This most dangerous criminal in Morora should soon figure out who the exile he confronted in the afternoon was. He must already know that Lumian killed the Carnivore bar owner and took over the ce.
Given his attitude, he couldn''t wait to kill Lumian on the spot. Now that he had identified his target and locked in his whereabouts, he would act quickly.
Lumian hadn''t slept all night, only pretending to, not just to monitor Julie but also for this reason.
Now, he hoped Wanak woulde soon. Then, he would teleport away, leaving Julie, the Demoness, for Wanak, letting them have an intense duel. That way, he could see what cards Julie had, what items she got from Celeste, and whether Wanak could further use the power of 0-01.
To Lumian''s disappointment, Wanak didn''t show up all night.
Is there a need to be this cautious? Juste straight here... Lumian muttered, getting out of bed and heading downstairs.
Chef Lez was already up, preparing breakfast with the kitchen ingredients.
"We can resume operations by noon today," Lez said, ncing at Lumian. "But we don''t have any beef,mb, or pork in stock."
"I''ll give you some startup funds," Lumian replied, just about to leave the kitchen when he suddenly heard Julie''s footstepsing down the stairs.
An idea crossed his mind, and he casually said to Lez, "By the way, let me tell you about a few people you need to be cautious of. Whatever you do, don''t provoke them.
"First, there''s Wanak, the owner of Dades Agricultural Company..."
Lumian ryed all of Gusain''s warnings to Lez and then added, "And another one, named Albus Medici..."
As soon as he mentioned the name, Lumian heard Julie''s footsteps pause momentarily.
Chapter 804 Consultation
Chapter 804 Consultation
804 Consultation
"He might not use that name in Morora. I knew him before and saw him again yesterday when he came to the bar to duel with the owner. He has red hair. In Morora, anyone with red hair, no matter the shade, is trouble..." Lumian described Albus Medici''s appearance in detail.
Chef Lez nodded. "I''ll keep that in mind."
"Are you sure? Do you need me to sketch them for you?" Lumian asked earnestly.
He wasn''t just asking Lez but also Julie, who wasing down the stairs slowly.
He wanted to give the Demoness something to focus on, hoping she''d be aware of Wanak and Albus Medici soon enough, letting trouble collide with trouble to see who was the bigger problem.
Lez shook his head slowly. "No need. I''ll remember them like different ingredients with distinct features."
"Different ingredients, like a turkey?" Lumian imagined Albus Medici looking like a turkey andughed.
He then handed Lez 200 sassen gold coins to restock the bar with meat and drinks.
As he turned to leave the kitchen, he saw Julie reaching the bottom of the stairs.
The Demoness had changed into fresh, clean clothes-an elegant white blouse paired with an ankle-length green skirt, highlighting her gentle and graceful demeanor.
Lumian suddenly recalled the sounds he heardst night, which contrasted sharply with Julie''s current serene appearance.
His mouth went dry.
Dammit, this Demoness is subtly using Charm on me! It was normal to react, but this strong reaction wasn''t right for an Ascetic like Lumian.
He looked at Julie and raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember the second rule of the bar?"
Julie, looking more radiant than yesterday, seemed to glow with inner joy.
Lumian felt an urge to rub his forehead.
Hey gal, are you really not worried about exposing that Celeste visited youst night?
Although you don''t know that I witnessed you sprinting to Celeste yesterday and suffered a huge blow...
Julie smiled gently. "Don''t harass the boss."
"You were Charming me just now," Lumian stated tly.
Julie shrank back, feigning fear. "What... what are you going to do to punish me?"
She acted scared but her eyes sparkled with amusement, as if she was teasing Lumian.
Lumian sighed, half-genuine, half-deliberate. "First-time offense can be forgiven. But don''t let it happen again, or else..."
He didn''t finish the sentence, leaving an ominous silence.
"Yes, boss!" Julie beamed.
She nced at the door.
"The bar won''t open until noon. Can I go out for a bit?"
"Sure," Lumian teased. "nning to add to your collection? Do you have a morning exercise routine?"
"No," Julie shook her head lightly. "Just want to explore the city more."
As she left the bar, Lumian immediately teleported ahead, transforming into a shadow creature to follow her.
But Julie vanished.
Invisibility, then wiped her tracks, and did anti-divination? Lumian emerged from the shadows, frowning slightly.
This meant what Julie was doing this morning was very important. She didn''t want anyone to know!
Also, having finally met her lover and found sce, she was more professional now, unlike her near-breakdownst night.
This was the normal behavior of a Sequence 5 Demoness of Affliction.
Lumian wasn''t too disappointed. At least Julie now knew about Wanak and Albus Medici.
Following the nearest path, he walked towards the cemetery but didn''t dig any graves or sneak underground. Instead, he went straight into the library-like Knowledge Cathedral.
Today, he was not merely tracking Julie. His main goal was to visit Archbishop Heraberg of Morora.
The title of Morora''s Archbishop was Lumian''s creation. After all, this puppet-like clergy member of the Church of Knowledge imed to oversee all theological affairs in Morora.
Lumian felt that since the Church of Knowledge had ''rmended'' him into Morora without confiscating his mystical items, direct inquiry about the underground mausoleum might be surprisingly effective rather than probing indirectly.
This was also a test. Lumian wanted to see if the sealing information about 0-01 was given only to him or distributed to all eligible individuals.
Did the Church of Knowledge ce its bet solely on him, or did it hedge its bets across multiple candidates?
Inside the radiant holy cathedral, Lumian found Heraberg, with his graying hair, kind eyes, and white robe with brass embroidery, standing by a brass bookshelf, quietly reading a thick book.
"Archbishop," Lumian called tentatively.
Heraberg looked up and asked warmly, "What puzzles you?"N?v(el)B\\jnn
Lumian chose his words carefully.
"If I want to enter the cemetery''s underground section to find something, how can I avoid the dangers?"
Heraberg smiled and pointed to the brass bookshelf beside him.
"This one, this one, and this one... read them all thoroughly."
Lumian followed his gesture, mentally noting the book titles:
"Morora Residents'' Code,"
"Doll Crafting and Maintenance,"
"Examples of Mausoleum Construction,"
"Principles of Sealing"...
What use is this for a Hunter like me? I''m not a Reader who can wield knowledge directly. Does this mean that by absorbing the knowledge in these books, I can grasp theyout of the underground mausoleum, understand the sealing mechanisms, and find a way to leave my mark on 0-01? Lumian thought deeply as he withdrew his gaze.
Heraberg continued, "Once you''ve read those,plete these test papers. You must score perfectly on each one."
Lumian looked at the stack of test papers filling a shelf. His forehead twitched, recalling some unpleasant memories.
He maintained a neutral expression, confirming, "So, once I finish reading and acing these tests, I can avoid the underground dangers?"
Heraberg pointed to another brass bookshelf.
"That one, that one, and that one. Master all the knowledge on those shelves, and you''ll be well-prepared."
Three shelves? Lumian''s lips twitched slightly.
That''s about two or three hundred books, plus thousands of test papers, right?
Heraberg smiled and sighed. "Remember, knowledge equals power, and knowledge equals wealth. All the answers you seek lie within."
Lumian''s expression shifted as he bit his lip and said, "I''ll start with these."
He pulled out the initial books Heraberg pointed out.
Heraberg nodded approvingly.
"A Hunter who learns and pursues knowledge is the most powerful Hunter.
"It''s been years since another Hunter came to me, willing to patiently read the designated books. The others, with red or thick hair, won''t even step into the Holy Temple of Knowledge, let alone approach these bookshelves."
It''s because Aurore instilled a reading habit in me from a young age...
Lumian thought, feeling a pang of sadness.
He ced the books into his Traveler''s Bag, bid farewell to Heraberg, and walked towards the Knowledge Cathedral''s entrance.
Along the way, he saw a familiar figure-Guei, who had been exiled to Morora with him.
The schrly-looking Guei, now dressed in thick, cotton clothing, stood by a brass bookshelf, engrossed in a book by the light of the stained ss window.
After a few seconds, Lumian walked over, smiling. "What a coincidence. Why are you here reading?"
Guei smiled faintly. "Didn''t I tell you yesterday? I regret not knowing enough. Now, with such a vast library, how could I pass up the chance to learn? What brings you here?"
"To ask if it''s toote to convert to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom," Lumian joked, then changed the topic. "Have you found a job yet?"
"Not yet," Guei shook his head. "I don''t want to work on a farm or in a factory as some exile''s ve. I''m nning to study for a while. Fortunately, I had some luck yesterday and earned some money, so I don''t have to worry about going hungry."
Lumian chatted with Guei for a bit before waving goodbye to the secretive serial killer and returning to the Carnivore bar. He found a spot by the window and began reading the borrowed books in afortable position.
Morora''s sunlight alternated between bright and hidden by storm clouds, but it didn''t affect Lumian''s reading as he had his radiant fireballmp.
Near noon, Julie returned, her steps light, her face smiling, exuding a charm that even made Chef Lez steal a few nces at her.
Julie gave Lumian a curious look. "You''re reading?"
"Not much else to do," Lumian replied casually.
Julie had no interest in the books; she withdrew her gaze and went upstairs, likely looking for waitress attire.
Lumian clicked his tongue silently.
Really, knowledge is power, and knowledge is wealth. Aren''t you curious about what I''m reading?
Lez approached and said, "Boss, lunch is ready."
Lumian nodded, put away the books, and stood up.
He thought for a moment and said to Lez, "Find a red cloth and hang it at the door."
Chapter 805 Test
Chapter 805 Test
805 Test
Lez didn''t ask why. He went upstairs, found a piece of red cloth, and hung it at the entrance of the Carnivore bar.
Lumian then sat at the newly rebuilt bar, enjoying the spiced, marinated roast beef with soft, delicious bread.
As time passed, more and more customers entered the Carnivore bar.
Lez had put up a wooden stand outside with a new menu and corresponding prices.
Of course, this wasn''t the main reason for the influx of customers.
The primary reason was the incredibly low prices on the menu. After all, there was no owner to take a cut.
The customers came in with a sense of skepticism. They didn''t have much faith in the bar under new ownership, repeatedly checking if the prices were real, if there were any hidden costs, and if the portions and quality of the food were as advertised.
This skepticism stemmed from being frequently deceived by Morora''s unscrupulous merchants.
Those merchants had a point, though: "We''ve been exiled here for serious crimes. You can''t expect us to run honest businesses, can you? Besides, the Morora Resident Code doesn''t prohibit false pricing or inferior goods, and the enforcers won''t check the kitchen''s hygiene."
Most customers were angry but helpless. Those merchants they could deal with had already been eliminated. The remaining ones were too powerful to confront.
They often regretted not keeping a few manageable merchants around to ensure food quality and fair pricing through regr supervision.
Sometimes, killing wasn''t the best solution.
"If I had understood that, I wouldn''t have been exiled to Morora!" A man in his forties voiced his opinion while holding a beer with white foam.
His gaze kept shifting to Julie, temporarily acting as the bartender, hoping to catch her attention with his words and demeanor.
Low prices drew them in, but the pretty bartender made them stay for another drink.
Lumian forked a piece of perfectly roasted beef, savoring thebination of Lez''s secret spices and the tender meat.
He wondered if, after leaving Morora, he should have Ludwig be a head chef.
Can''t waste a Chef''s talent!
After finishing lunch, Lumian took a ss of strong liquor and walked around the hall as the bar owner, piecing together the current situation in Morora from different customers.
Not long after the establishment of this City of Exiles, a ss division emerged, mainly based on power.
Today, the Beyonders firmly controlled all key positions in Morora, holding the resources like food, meat, vegetables, dairy products, various minerals, factory goods, sales channels, and street shops. Ordinary criminals without supernatural powers could only serve them, working on farms, in mines, ranches, factories, etc. The better-off were employees; the worse-off were nearly ves.
For these ordinary criminals, the ultimate dream was to gain the trust of a powerful Beyonder and receive unwanted Beyonder characteristics as rewards after a duel.
This is exactly what the Iron and Blood Cross Order dreamed of, Lumian mused with a chuckle after returning to his seat at the bar.
As a former member of the Iron and Blood Cross Order, he often mocked the awkward "preaching" and "rituals," but it helped him grasp the core ideology of the Iron and Blood Cross Order:
They wanted to establish a world where Beyonders no longer hid but gained status through power.
Morora seemed to embody this vision.
Lumian was about to finish his drink and find a quiet ce upstairs to study when he noticed Gusain, the gentleman, entering the bar.
You came quickly... Someone''s been watching this ce? Lumian yed with his ss.
Gusain sat beside him, removed his top hat, and addressed Julie, who wore a white blouse, ck vest, and a dark tie with a unique charm, "A Lanti Proof."
In Morora, the most popr drinks were rye beer, Lanti Proof, and red wine.
Lumian took out paper and pen from his Traveler''s Bag and started sketching on the bar counter.
Gusain waited until Julie handed him the Lanti Proof, took a sip, and then smiled ahead.
"You made your decision faster than I expected."
"I don''t want to be tied down like this," Lumian replied with a hidden meaning-his true intention was that he didn''t want to stay in Morora long, while Gusain interpreted it as him not wanting to remain under the Church of Knowledge''s rule.
"That''s a choice all strong people make. Eagles don''t mingle with sparrows," Gusain praised.
Lumian, still sketching,ughed.
"Now, you need to convince me that you have a promising future. I won''t stand with losers."
"I''ve incited dozens of riots and haven''t been caught by the Church of Knowledge. Isn''t that reason enough?" Gusain sipped his Lanti Proof.
Lumian shook his head.
"In my hometown, there''s a saying, ''One swallow doesn''t make a summer.'' It means that a single event can''t predict a season. Making hasty judgments based on isted incidents is unwise."
"What do you need to be convinced?" Gusain tilted his head.
Lumian chuckled in response.N?v(el)B\\jnn
"Pass my test."
Gusain paused for a moment, thenughed.
"Normally, wouldn''t it be our organization testing new members to see if they''re qualified. How did it be the other way around?"
"It depends on the new member''s strength and importance, not past experiences," Lumian said, with an expression suggesting he didn''t need them to stir up trouble-he could form his own team.
Gusain drank his Lanti Proof, then said, "What do you want us to do?"
Lumian remained silent until he finished his sketch, then pushed the paper toward Gusain.
"Find this person."
The drawing was of Albus Medici.
Although Lumian''s drawing skills weren''t high, his precise control as a Hunter, his deep memory of the subject, and mental reconstruction made Albus Medici''s likeness vivid, capturing his aggressive, unpleasant aura.
"Him?" Gusain asked, confirming as he held the drawing.
Lumian nodded slightly.
"His real name is Albus Medici. I don''t know if he''s using an alias in Morora."
"Medici..." Gusain repeated thest name softly.
He folded the drawing, tucked it into his pocket, then picked up his drink.
"You can test us, but we need to test you too.
"You must prove your capabilities."
"Killing the original owner of this bar isn''t enough?" Lumian smiled. "Or do you want to duel me?"
Gusain, maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor, shook his head.
"We acknowledge your strength. Now we need to test other aspects."
Lumian, holding his ss, turned to Gusain, waiting for him to borate.
Gusain nced around, his eyes resting on the irresistibly charming Julie for a moment.
Lowering his voice, he said, "The Church of Knowledge''s control over Morora relies on something in the underground mausoleum of the cemetery. Our ultimate goal is to break in and take control of it.
"It''s very dangerous. We found a simr ce to train our members. Your test is to enter that fog-covered underground area, ovee the challenges, and reach the marked location."
The goal is still 0-01? Lumian thought for a few seconds and said, "Alright, when do we start?"
"Tonight," Gussin finished his Lanti Proof, paid, and left the Carnivore bar.
Lumian nced at Julie, noticing she was dealing with customers politely and reservedly, seemingly unaware of his conversation with Gusain.
Heh... Lumian smirked inwardly, set down his ss, and headed upstairs.
...
Trier, Quartier de Cathdrale Commmorative, Apartment 702, 9 Rue Orosai.
"Jenna should be back the day after tomorrow, right?" Franca murmured, standing by the living room window, a bit wistful and fearful.
Her face alternated between light and shadow against the deep night and streetlights, like an enchanting dream.
Suddenly, she saw Penitent Baynfel, dressed in ck clerical robes and looking like a charred corpse, emerge from the void, holding a letter.
A letter? Who''s writing to Lumian? Hmm, Baynfel''s appearance here means messengers can''t locate Morora, even those with special contracts... Franca epted the letter with a polite smile.
"Thank you."
Baynfel nodded, turned, and vanished into the night outside the window. Franca sighed and mumbled, "l wanted to build a rtionship and ask you to introduce me to a messenger..."
She raised her right hand, catching a mixed scent of powder, perfume, grass, flowers, and spices from the letter.
A letter from a woman? Franca, entrusted by Lumian, muttered as she opened the letter and read it.
"Not sure if I should call you Monsieur Louis Berry or Monsieur Lumian Lee.
"Through Rhea, I''ve delved into Matani''s mysticism circle, learning much about the mysticism and realizing I''m not weak-just inexperienced and unable to show it. For real.
"Of course, I''ve also realized the gap between us and how vast the world is beyond Matani.
"I''m willing to help your friend and hope you''ll keep your promise.
"Amandina."
Chapter 806 Expressing Goodwill
Chapter 806 Expressing Goodwill
806 Expressing Goodwill
Amandina? If it were anyone else, Franca might not have remembered, but she couldn''t forget this participant of the Dream Festival, a girl who called the Underworld Daoist her teacher. Francater summoned the Armored Shadow Chen Tu for more information, and she might even need Amandina''s help.
With this in mind, Franca reached into her Traveler''s Bag and counted her umted gold.
Including the final payment from a member of the Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society, she now had gold worth 82,000 verl d''or and nearly 20,000 verl d''or in cash. With a little exchange, it would be enough to meet the requirements of the Armored Shadow, Chen Tu, for a conversation.
Of course, Franca didn''t n to do this anytime soon.
First, Lumian was in Morora. Without using his special connection with the contract target, even knowing the Armored Shadow''s name as Chen Tu, Franca wasn''t sure she could summon the spirit from the original world. After all, that might not be its true name, and tranting it into ancient Hermes or other mysticalnguages might correspond to different spirit world creatures.
Secondly, facing the Armored Shadow without a demigod present would likely be extremely dangerous.
Amandina''s presence might partially substitute for a demigod, intimidating the Armored Shadow.
Should we wait for Lumian to return from Morora before summoning Chen Tu again? Franca felt a mix of excitement and apprehension, a state known as "near-home anxiety."
After a moment, she exhaled slowly, deciding to respond to Amandina on Lumian''s behalf.
Hmm, Lumian promised to take Amandina to the area around the Samaritan Woman''s Spring, giving her a chance to meet the Underworld Daoist outside of the Dream Festival.
This is beneficial for us, but it''s too dangerous with my current strength.
Besides, I''m not sure if the power brought by The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessingsbined with the Tarot Club''s Minor Arcana identity can prate the fog around the Samaritan Woman''s Spring.
We should wait until Lumian is out of Morora. For now, I''ll show Amandina some goodwill toy the groundwork for future cooperation...
Hmm, I''ll organize some important mysticism knowledge and give it to Amandina for free. Show some respect for the higher authority, if not for me. If the Underworld Daoist sees how well I treat His disciple, maybe His attitude will change...
Also, I''ll ask Amandina which path of the divine she wants to take besides the power of the boons and help her get the corresponding potion forms and materials. This won''t be free. Giving everything for free would make us look too humble and lead to disrespect. Too much kindness can turn into resentment...
Amandina should choose between the paths of Darkness, Death, and Warrior. The potion forms and characteristics for the mid-to-low Sequences of the Warrior path are rtively easy to find. Maybe we can ask Madam Justice to get help from Mr. Star for the Darkness path. He seems to be a high-ranking member of the Evernight Goddess Church;st time, he wore red gloves...
Perfect timing, I was about to report the secrets of the Demoness Sect taught by the Demoness of ck and mention Amandina''s situation to see what mysticism knowledge can be shared and what can''t be leaked...
Having sorted her thoughts, Franca returned to her bedroom, sat at her desk, and began writing her report.
...
South Continent, Port Port Pylos of Matani, in a three-story white marble vi.
Having finally made up her mind and sent out that letter, Amandina grew more awake as the night went on, pacing back and forth in her soft, girlish bedroom, waiting for Lumian''s reply.
The more she learned about mysticism and Beyonders, the more she realized the gap between herself and Lumian and how ignorant she had been.
Though she felt she could continue living as she had, maintaining the appearance of a normal high-society person with certain supernatural abilities, the events during the Dream Festival and the rumors she had heard from various mysticism circles made her feel a sense of crisis and urgency.
Living in the South Continent in an era of increasing disasters, her Sequence 7 Nightmare powers and current situation of facing everything alone made her truly afraid that one day her entire family would be sacrifices in a Rose School of Thought blood ritual or that the hidden problems of the Dream Festival would suddenly erupt and engulf her.
The more she knew, the more afraid she became.
Amandina felt she could never return to her previous state of ignorance and recklessness, and she had a strong desire for higher Sequences and more extraordinary power.
That would mean she could do more and see more.
Suddenly, she saw the same cool-looking charred messenger from before emerge from the void, handing her a small dressing mirror.
A mirror? What does Lumian Lee mean by giving me a mirror? Amandina epted the mirror with curiosity and confusion, feeling it was quite ordinary.
She was about to ask the Penitent Baynfel when she noticed a dark, aqueous light spreading across the mirror''s surface.
As the light flowed, the mirror gradually brightened, revealing a figure.
A mystic telegraph? And one where you can see and talk to the other person? How fascinating... Amandina didn''t notice the messenger leaving, her attention entirely captivated by the mirror.
She soon realized that the figure in the mirror wasn''t Lumian Lee but a stranger, a woman.
The woman hadke-colored eyes, both bright and deep, as if hiding countless words that made one want to explore them. Her nose was delicate and straight, her lips a temptingbination of red and tender white skin, and her eyebrows extended to her temples, with her xen hair tied into a ponytail, giving her an air of elegance.
So beautiful... Amandina stared nkly, instinctively admiring the woman in her mind.
She herself was a girl of outstanding appearance and had always been proud of it, but this time, she felt no sense ofpetition, entirely immersed in a beauty she had never seen before.
Her gaze naturally lowered, seeing the smooth, slender neck and thece flowers around the shirt cor.
For some reason, Amandina felt an urge to see the entire body of the woman in the mirror, to see how beautiful she would look naked.
She felt this wasn''t her own problem. Even Padre Cali who only liked men would surely have a simr urge!
Using a bit of Charm to enhance goodwill for easiermunication, Franca also observed Amandina.
This girl had a waterfall of ck hair and blue eyes, exuding a youthful energy of free self-expression.
All of Lumian''s female acquaintances are quite beautiful... Is this a Hunter''s talent? Franca smiled sweetly through the ss mirror.
"Lumian is busy right now and can''t leave, so he asked me tomunicate with you."
Amandina snapped out of her daze, shaking off the spell of the woman''s beauty.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
She looked at Franca in the mirror, curiosity and a desire to explore igniting within her.
"You''re Lumian... Eh... Monsieur Lumian Lee''s friend? The one who might need my help in the future?"
"Yes." Franca smiled and nodded.
Hmph, and you say you''re not lovers. Such a beautiful woman makes even me, who likes men, want to sleep with her. How much more for a man who doesn''t like men... Amandina felt she had seen through Lumian''s lie.
She straightened her waterfall-like hair and asked brightly, "I''m willing to help you. Can you keep your promise?"
"That might have to wait until Lumian finishes his current tasks, and you''re not strong enough yet," Franca said sinctly. "Do you want to advance through potions besides the power of boons? Which path do you want: Death, Darkness, or Warrior?"
Franca spoke quickly because the power of the Ice Amulet was limited in time.
After posing the question, she suddenly thought of something.
It is said that the Warrior path''s potions has a significant height-enhancing effect, even turning the drinker into a giant at higher levels...
Hmm, turning such a pretty girl into a three or four-meter-tall giant beauty seems odd... Franca wasn''t sure if she was worried or looking forward to it.
Amandina had discussed with Lumian which paths she could take and had thought seriously about it, so she quickly made her decision.
"Darkness."
As a girl who had always been good at understanding her parents'' thoughts and was adored by her elders, Amandina felt that since the figure during the Dream Festival had only given her the power of Darkness and not the Death power given to Robert or the Warrior power given to some gravekeepers, it might mean that He wanted her to be pure and focus on the path of Darkness.
She also nned to go to the ancient tomb during the next Dream Festival to receive more gifts, naturally not wanting to disappoint that figure.
I still want to see what happens when the power of the Death or Warrior path is mixed with the Darkness boon... Franca said seriously, "I will inquire and gather the necessary things for you, but you need to pay for it orplete tasks I assign."
Amandina was no longer the naive girl she used to be and understood the value of potion forms and Beyonder ingredients. She nodded.
"Okay."
Franca smiled in the mirror.
"Also, I appreciate you agreeing to help. No matter what Lumian promised you, I will provide you with some extra mysticism knowledge for free."
"Really?" Amandina was delighted.
This beautifuldy is truly generous!
And it''s not a trap. The potion forms and Beyonder ingredientse at a cost.
Franca didn''t answer directly but smiled and said, "Remember, my name is Franca."
As she spoke, she raised her right hand and pushed a stack of stapled papers forward.
In Amandina''s eyes, the stack grewrger, eventually prating the ss and falling into her hands, while Franca''s image disappeared from the mirror.
Franca... Lumian Lee and she make a good match... Amandina imagined Lumian and Franca together, suddenly having some romantic thoughts.
She whispered to herself, That must be beautiful. I''d love to see it...
Suppressing the images in her mind, Amandina looked at the papers in her hand, ncing over a line of words: "Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence..."
Wh- Amandina was both bewildered and deeply impressed.
...
Morora,te night.
After the Carnivore bar closed, Lumian exited through the back door and saw Gusain wearing a top silk hat.
Gusain slowly smiled. "I''ll take you to the ce for your test now."
Chapter 807 Overlooked
Chapter 807 Overlooked
807 Overlooked N?v(el)B\\jnn
Morora''s night was devoid of streetlights, relying solely on the crimson moon high above to provide light, casting deep darkness and dense shadows everywhere.
Gusain, dressed like a gentleman, carried antern as he led Lumian to a neighborhood near the edge of the city.
The area had beenpletely abandoned due to a small volcano that had erupted, swallowing several houses and leaving a charred wastnd in its wake.
"The ce you mentioned isn''t at the base of the volcano, is it?" Lumian nced around, adjusted his cuff, and smiled.
Gusain nodded slightly.
"Yes, the volcanic eruption affected the underground part of the cemetery, allowing its power to seep out. Theva receded quickly, leaving behind an empty void.
"If you can find the right path through the void filled with the fog of war and reach the designated spot, it will prove you have the qualifications to join us in prating the underground part of the cemetery."
Fog of war... Gusain had been using this term to describe the underground fog, which seemed to have leaked from the mausoleum containing 0-01, which represents the Red Priest... Lumian didn''t conjure a bright white fireball for illumination. Instead, he followed Gusain, who carried thentern, into a building on the edge of the volcanic area.
Inside the house, filled with solidified volcanic rock, they descended a precarious staircase into a partially copsed basement.
The basement walls had a gaping crack leading to a void filled with dense fog.
"You need to reach this point near the cemetery''s underground section and light the oilmp between four stone statues. Remember, there are four statues facing each other in pairs." Gusain hung thentern on a protruding stone brick in the wall crack and took out a simple map, pointing to the destination.
Lumian studied the map for a minute, then turned his gaze to the dense fog outside the crack. "What''s special about this fog?"
Gusain pressed his top hat and smiled.
"It significantly reduces your visibility, affects your hearing and smell, suppresses your Astral Projection''s interaction with the spirit world, and dulls your spiritual warning and intuition."
"And?" Lumian asked, seemingly rxed.
Gusain thought for a few seconds.
"The fog of war envelops the corresponding spirit world area. Some Beyonders, even if they can enter the spirit world, can''t locate themselves or escape the fog. If they try to teleport out, they might get lost somewhere in Morora and never return to reality."
Seeing means being able to teleport there? With my Hunter''s vision, I can only see five or six meters... Lumian roughly understood the fog''s effects andughed.
"If I could create a hurricane, could I blow it away?"
"We''ve tried. You can, but once the wind stops, the foges back, and the dispersal is limited to reality, not affecting the part seeping into the spirit world," Gusain exined the previous experiment''s results.
Lumian asked a few more details, then conjured a bright white me to hover above his head.
He stepped forward, through the crack, and into the dense fog.
Unlike normal fog, this one felt like it had been scorched by fire. As Lumian inhaled, his airways stung with a fiery pain, and his mind filled with the smell of burning, blood, and rust.
The dense fog churned, and the ground trembled slightly.
Lumian saw tall figures emerging from the fog five or six meters away.
These figures were made of ck iron, covered in dark red rust, like neglected metal puppets.
Somecked arms, others had disjointed bodies, and some had gaping holes in their chests. They staggered towards Lumian, wielding giant swords that gleamed coldly.
Lumian chuckled. "Who dug you out of the trash heap? Recycling, huh?"
Before he finished speaking, he disappeared from his spot, reappearing behind one of the iron puppets.
His eyes turned iron-ck, and his right fist ignited with bright white mes, crashing down on the puppet''s waist.
Suddenly, a bright white me spear shot from the crack in the wall, hurtling towards Lumian.
Lumian couldn''t dodge or use Spirit World Traversal in time. He could only fall to the ground, following the momentum of his right punch.
At the same time, he prepared to swap ces with his shadow.
Bang!
His ming right fist struck the puppet''s waist, creating a spiderweb of cracks.
Then, his fist brushed against the metal surface, pulling his body to the ground, narrowly avoiding the white me spear, though a lock of his hair caught fire.
With a tter, the white me spear pierced the puppet andnded two meters away, revealing Gusain in his top hat.
The invigtor was the attacker!
The second most dangerous person in Morora!
Creak! Creak! The puppet took a step forward out of inertia, then copsed into a heap of scrap metal.
Lumian, lying on the ground, didn''t roll away. Since he hadn''t gone far from the basement, he teleported to the crack covered in dense fog, moving as far as his vision allowed to escape the fog of war.
Once outside, he could either counterattack Gusain or find a chance to escape, both better options than fighting in a preset scenario.
Whenever possible, avoid fighting in someone else''s setup!
As Lumian''s figure appeared in the dense fog near the basement crack, he saw a bright white ming metal spear rushing towards his heart as if waiting for him toe.
Besides Gusain, there was another ambusher!
Gusain''s attack seemed to lure Lumian to teleport towards the exit, stepping into a trap!
At this moment, Lumian, in Morora, far from Franca and Jenna, couldn''t use their Mirror Substitution. He could only swap ces with his shadow in a sh of light.
Pfft!
The bright white ming spear pierced Lumian''s chest, setting him aze.
But Lumian''s figure turned thin and ck, dissolving like a shadow in the firelight.
The spear-wielding man stepped through the crack into the fog of war.
His hair was tinged with blood, his features aggressive, and he wore a ck and red jacket. He was Albus Medici.
Albus Medici, whom Gusain was supposed to be looking for, was here!
Lumian''s figure reappeared in another direction, but due to the fog of war, he was still within six meters of Albus, Gusain, and the remaining iron puppets.
He saw Gusain''s forehead glow red, something about to emerge. Albus''s hair was covered in red mes, lengthening as it spread.
"Traitor," Gusain whispered, sentencing him.
He then created several bright white fireballs, hurling them at Lumian to cover every corner.
He seemed unafraid of affecting himself or Albus, though they were only five or six meters apart, and the fireballs could tten the Carnivore bar.
Hearing Gusain''s words and seeing Albus''s stance, Lumian understood why he was attacked: He had overlooked the Iron and Blood Cross Order!
This secret organization, primarily following the Hunter path, was also searching for 0-01. Over the years, someone had likely infiltrated Morora.
One of them was Gusain!
With the core members of the Iron and Blood Cross Order''s strange connection to Fourth Epoch Trier, they could maintain some self-awareness in Morora. Using 0-01 to sense the approaching enforcement team made sense, fitting Gusain''s behavior!
Now, it seemed Albus Medici was still cooperating with the lron and Blood Cross Order, using the secret organization. Lumian''s attempt to use Gusain''s power to find Albus had been turned into a trap.
Seeing the iing bright white fireballs and Albus blocking the exit, Lumian didn''t hesitate. His sleeve shed, and he disappeared again.
This time, he left behind a makeup mirror.
The mirror fell through the dense fog, cracking as it hit the ground.
Rumble!
Gusain''s fireballs exploded, only affecting a six-meter range, unable to disperse the dense fog of war, confined to a small area.
The mirror shattered into countless pieces, some turning to dust, others melting and reforming.
Albus, feeling the impact and heat, muttered in confusion, "Using the mirror world?"
Behind the dark void of the mirror, Lumian used the Mirror Cufflink again, quickly looking forward and finding the fog of war hadn''t invaded the dark, web-like tunnels.
Indeed, in Morora, the mirror world is special... Lumian dared to trust Gusain and enter the fog of war for the test because he had the Mirror Cufflink.
Of course, with items like the Sword of Courage, he wasn''t without fighting strength, but he didn''t want to risk it in an enemy''s prepared battlefield without knowing Albus''s full capabilities.
Lumian chose a mirror mark in Morora and used Spirit World Traversal to leave.
As he vanished, the dark void behind the mirror silently copsed with its shattering.
Lumian''s destination was Julie''s room mirror.
Upon arrival, he looked through the ss, finding Julie, the Demoness, nowhere to be seen, not even asleep in bed.
Lumian''s lips curled into a smile.
Chapter 808 Return
Chapter 808 Return
808 Return
Not far from the abandoned neighborhood, Albus Medici, who had parted ways with Gusain, walked along the shadows by the roadside toward the cemetery.
Suddenly, he stopped, as if sensing an undercurrent in the nearby darkness.
Albus chuckled, and a dense fog immediately surged out, covering his figure and half the street.
After several seconds, the fog gradually dispersed, but Albus was no longer there.
He had vanished.
From the shadow that had just been enveloped by the fog, Julie, with her hair tied up and wearing a slit dress, emerged, staring at the spot where Albus had stood for several seconds.
A golden ring with a blue gemstone adorned her left middle finger.
Julie looked away, her expression somewhat grim, and headed toward the few blocks where the exiles gathered.
Some timeter, in the deep darkness of the night, the sharp, painful screams of a man echoed from a room.
...
Lumian returned to the full-length mirror in his room and stepped out, lying down on the bed.
After discovering that Julie had quietly left the Carnivore bar, he knew the Demoness had been secretly following him and Gusain.
This was one of his intended oues.
Otherwise, he wouldn''t have discussed searching for Albus Medici and epting the corresponding test with Gusain at the bar.
He had done it to ensure that Julie, temporarily acting as a bartender, would hear it!
Although he and Gusain had lowered their voices, the Demoness was close enough to catch the crucial information with her enhanced hearing.
Of course, Lumian hadn''t initially considered Julie as a contingency n because Gusain had witnessed the Demoness castrate Vijepan and had clearly noticed her beauty and charm when she became a bartender.
In such a situation, Gusain would likely guess Julie''s identity as a Demoness and remain cautious, knowing she might have overheard their conversation.
Lumian''s primary goal was to gauge the progress of the Demoness Sect regarding 0-01 based on Julie''s reaction.
If the Demoness Sect, through the long-term investigation of Celeste and other Demonesses, hadpleted preparations and was only waiting for the final opportunity to act, Julie would avoid creating extra trouble and patiently maintain the status quo. In that case, Lumian would have to closely monitor Julie and Celeste to prevent them from taking the lead.
If the Demoness Sect wasn''t confident and stillcked information, Julie would likely use this opportunity to gather more intelligence from Gusain and the rebels connected to him, making her actions moreprehensive. Lumian wouldn''t need to be as urgent and could allocate time and effort to other investigations.
In this regard, he had perfectly achieved his goal.
Now, Lumian was more curious about Julie''s reaction after discovering Albus Medici while following him and Gusain. What would she try to do?
Will she attempt an assassination on the spot, wait patiently to challenge Albus alone after he and Gusain part ways, or go find Celeste to discuss it first? It''s a pity I don''t know where they''ll encounter each other, so I can''t observe the battle and see what cards they hold. If I''m lucky, I might even eliminate them both if they end up badly injured... Lumian sighed regretfully on the bed.
After a while, he sensed some movement from Julie''s room.
The Demoness had returned.
Lumian sniffed the air and detected a faint smell of blood.
He chuckled inwardly and mocked, Albus, did you lose your prized possession? I wonder if you can regrow it as an Iron-blooded Knight...
There wasn''t muchmotion in Morora just now, not like there was a fierce battle... So, did Julie fail to locate Albus and vent her frustration on some random guy?
Lumian waited patiently, ensuring the City of Exiles, Morora, fell into a deep slumber, then transformed into a shadow creature and blended into the darkness of the room.
He moved swiftly, returning to the abandoned neighborhood with the volcano, and arrived at the crack in the basement, once again gazing into the void filled with dense fog.
He felt it was necessary to investigate this area thoroughly to better understand some details in the 0-01 sealing information and gain further insight into the underground mausoleum.
Neither Gusain nor Albus would expect him to return here, especially after the possibility of facing Julie''s attack!
The fog isn''t as dense as before. The visibility range is about thirteen or fourteen meters... Was it Albus and Gusain enhancing the fog of war with their abilities or items earlier? Lumian observed the fog for a few seconds, making a preliminary judgment.
He then conjured a bright white fireball for illumination and slowly walked into the fog of war.
The fog felt simr to before, with no other changes. Lumian dripped a few drops of perfume on the ground every so often to mark his path for the return journey.
He was heading to the area marked with statues on the map Gusain had shown. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
In the dead silence, only the faint sound of footsteps echoed in the fog as Lumian discerned the terrain, passing several iron puppets hidden in the fog.
Finally, relying on his Hunter abilities and the memorized map, he reached his destination.
There, against the rock wall, stood four statues made of gray-white stone, each over two meters tall.
These statues faced each other in pairs, their faces blurred, dressed in peculiar clothing, with square scarves wrapped around their heads.
In the middle of the statues stood a half-height stone tform with an unlit oilmp on it.
Who made these statues? They weren''t originally here. ording to the 0-01 sealing information, this ce isn''t part of the underground mausoleum, it''s just normal underground... After the volcanic eruption, some of the mausoleum''s power leaked out, and someone built these four statues and ced the oilmp here. What''s the purpose? Lumian mused silently, staring at the bright white fireball.
Judging by the style of the statues and the overall arrangement, he doubted the Church of Knowledge had set them up to reinforce the seal.
It was more likely the work of the Iron and Blood Cross Order, which exined Gusain''s familiarity with the area.
Meanwhile, Lumian felt the call from underground growing stronger.
It seemed to be just behind the rock wall, waiting for him to approach.
Lumian took a deep breath, suppressing his inner urge.
He circled the statues and the oilmp on the stone tform several times, finding nothing unusual.
Lumian pondered for a moment and had two ideas.
One was to light the oilmp and see what happened; the other was to take this opportunity to destroy something and trigger a possible change.
Lighting the oilmp is too risky. It''s not necessary yet... Lumian decided on the second idea after some thought.
Destruction is always easier than construction!
And if something went wrong, leaving a mess behind would be more meaningful than keeping the ce intact.
Lumian conjured a bright white fireball, cing it at the base of one of the statues, setting it to explode with a dy.
After setting up five time bombs, Lumian moved about ten meters away, hiding in the dense fog, and snapped his fingers.
Rumble!
The four statues and the stone tform simultaneously underwent a violent explosion, cracking from the base and copsing into piles of rubble.
The explosion dissipated some of the dense fog, allowing Lumian to see the statues and the tform.
No anomalies or dangers appeared... Good. Now, let''s see if Gusain or Albus notice themotion ande to check it out. I''ll be hiding here, ready to strike a fatal blow... Lumian grew more puzzled about the statues and the tform, nning to set a simple trap for Gusain that might be overlooked due to its subtlety.
If the statues and the tform were crucial, Gusain would rush to confirm the situation, instinctively thinking the destroyer had already escaped to avoid an ambush.
Just as Lumian was about to retreat further into the fog, he noticed the five piles of rubble starting to wriggle.
They collided and quickly reformed, rising back into their original statue and tform shapes.
Identical to before.
Wh- Lumian''s eyes froze.
The stone statues and the tform can restore themselves?
No wonder the Iron and Blood Cross Order didn''t station guards here...
They aren''t afraid of these things being destroyed!
Lumian quickly recovered and tried a new approach.
This time, after blowing up the statues and the tform, he used his Traveler''s Bag to collect some of the rubble, waiting a few meters away.
The stone statues and the tform restored themselves again, drawing materials from the earth, while the rubble in Lumian''s pouch became ordinary stones.
Lumian temporarily gave up on destruction, emptied the pouch of rubble, and returned to the statues, picking up the oilmp with the ss cover.
Inside themp was a semi-solid, semi-liquid yellowish grease, with a wick seemingly woven from ck hair.
The more Lumian looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
He began to recall the source of this familiarity.
After over ten seconds, he suddenly reached into his Traveler''s Bag and took out an item.
It was a pale yellowish-red, semi-solid substance in a transparent ss bottle, with a thick ck wick on top.
Corpse wax candle!
A candle made from the corpse oils of an Iron-blooded Knight and a Demoness of Despair mixed with other substances!
The oilmp on the stone tform resembled it somewhat.
Lumian muttered to himself, Magician Magician said that Fourth Epoch Trier and a ce in Bansy Harbor were the best scenes for the corpse wax candle...
What about the underground mausoleum in Morora, which is very simr to Fourth Epoch Trier?
Chapter 809 Additive
Chapter 809 Additive
809 Additive
In the dense fog, Lumian stared at the oilmp, feeling an urge to light it and see what would happen.
Eventually, he controlled himself and refrained from taking the risk.
With everything still in a state of chaos and uncertainty, Lumian believed that making any high-risk decisions would be unwise.
He also had no intention of taking the oilmp to trade with Albus Medici for the head of the Abscessed Hand. Since the Iron and Blood Cross Order ced the oilmp here without guarding it, they probably weren''t worried about losing it or had many simrmps.
Based on his observations, Lumian deduced that the pale yellow grease in themp likely didn''te from Iron-blooded Knights and Demonesses of Despair. It was different from corpse wax candles and seemed to be a mixture of mid-sequence Hunters and Demonesses.
Though it''s less effective than a corpse wax candle, it should still work in the underground of Morora, which is simr to Fourth Epoch Trier...
Lumian reached into his Traveler''s Bag.
Just because he couldn''t light it or take it didn''t mean he couldn''t do anything.
He nned to add something extra to the oilmp, ensuring the Iron and Blood Cross Order would face unforeseenplications during their rituals!
Lumian took out some old blood powder from the Demon Warlock, Ice Lemon Fish fillets, a Berserk Agent from the Nightstalkers, and another Bark Agent from the same source.
He ced them on the half-height stone tform, mixed a bit of each into a brown lump the size of a human finger joint.
What do you call this? A cocktail! Lumian chuckled, putting all the materials back into his Traveler''s Bag. He then took out Mr. K''s finger, sliced off some flesh, and wrapped it around the brown lump.
This was a precaution against the Iron and Blood Cross Order''s inspection-Hunters from the Order would undoubtedly check the oilmp for any issues before use, as it wasn''t always under their strict watch.
In Morora, Lumian didn''t worry that using Mr. K''s finger this way would be detected.
Looking at the blood-stained lump, Lumian reluctantly scooped a bit of the semi-solid, yellowish-red substance from his corpse wax candle and smeared it on the lump.
A double disguise,bined with a higher-Sequence, godhood-possessing item, should fool the Hunters'' noses and eyes!
Once the lump was coated with the yellowish-red substance, Lumian examined the candle, reassuring himself, Just a Iittle bit, it shouldn''t affect the number of uses...
After putting away the corpse wax candle, Lumian picked up the oilmp, removed the wick made of woven ck hair, and carefully submerged the yellowish-red lump into the semi-solid grease, ensuring it stayed in the desired position.
Seeing the lump''s yellowish-red color blend with the surrounding grease, leaving only faint traces hidden inside, Lumian breathed in relief and slowly inserted the wick back into the semi-solid grease.
After several adjustments, the wick''s position and condition finally met Lumian''s requirements.
He could already imagine the scene:
The oilmp would initially burn normally, with the corpse wax having perhaps a hint of godhood, enhancing the ritual''s effect and immersing the Iron and Blood Cross Order members in the sensory experience.
This wouldst for twenty or thirty seconds, after which the corpse wax part would burn.
This would bring an intense pact-like experience, potentially fatal for some Order members with weaker wills.
Of course, this might also benefit some members, causing positive mutations, but the corpse wax portion was minimal, and the burn would soon reach the random materials wrapped in Mr. K''s flesh.
Lumian wasn''t sure what the impact would be, but he was confident it would worsen the situation.
Just suck on this one; it hits strong. Lumian recalled how South Continent people described East Bm cigarettes, smiling as he addressed the imaginary Order members.
Then, he cleaned up the traces on the oilmp and tidied the scattered rubble.
Following the faint scent of various perfumes, Lumian found his way back to the basement crack through the dense fog, leaving the area slowly.
He transformed into a shadow creature, silently returned to the Carnivore bar, and pretended to sleep to avoid an ambush by Albus Medici, Gusain, and others. N?v(el)B\\jnn
At six in the morning, Lumian felt refreshed.
He rolled out of bed, stretched his neck, andughed softly.
"Didn''te? Albus and the others didn''te, neither did Wanak. Do they think I have teleportation abilities, making it hard to kill me outside a special battlefield or without special items?
"Heh heh, you''re too hesitant, too cautious. Now I have shadows again, no longer afraid of sunlight, and can block another fatal attack..."
Lumian drew the curtains, gazing at the brightening dawn, his eyes falling on the books from the Church of Knowledge on his desk.
He instinctively felt a headache, frowning.
He resisted reading and learning, struggling with an indescribable inner turmoil.
If there were only a few books, Lumian would be highly motivated, reading diligently and focusing intently, but knowing there were three whole shelves of books and thousands of scrolls left him feeling defeated, unwilling to start.
After several seconds, Lumian rubbed his temples, sighed, and muttered to himself,
Well, since 0-01 was sealed by the Church of Knowledge, I should respect knowledge.
There''s nothing else to do now, just waiting for Albus and Julie to take further action, hoping to seize an opportunity and direction...
Lumian sat down, leaning back in his chair, cing his feet on the edge of the desk, reading the books specified by Heraberg in afortable but precarious position.
He had read the first two or three chapters before and found nothing noteworthy, but this time he nned to study in depth.
As he read, Lumian''s expression gradually changed.
He became engrossed in the reading, almost forgetting the time until Lez knocked on the door, telling him breakfast was ready.
"Okay." Lumian nodded, setting down the book without any visible changes and heading out of the room.
Almost at the door, he saw Lez turning towards the stairs and half-turned back, ncing at the books on the desk with a puzzled expression.
These books indeed contained important knowledge!
He was currently reading one thoroughly and had skimmed through the others, already finding simrities with the details in the 0-01 sealing information, along with more detailed exnations!
If I read through the three bookshelves and pass the exam, I might find a way to approach 0-01 through the overall sealing operation and use the sealing principles to protect myself when touching the artifact...
Knowledge is power, knowledge is wealth, knowledge holds all the answers... Lumian withdrew his gaze, his eyes shing with thoughts as he entered the hallway and turned towards the stairs.
The problem now was that this kind of knowledge brought noticeable corruption, just like the 0-01 sealing information. Lumian worried that the more he learned, the closer he got to 0-01, the more likely he would be its puppet.
Also, if I focus too much on reading these books, Albus, Julie, Gusain, and Wanak might get suspicious and also borrow a few books from the Church of Knowledge. Then I would lose my advantage... I need to wander aimlessly every day, set traps for them, outsmart them, and make it seem like I''m just reading out of boredom... Lumian''s smile gradually widened.
He finished the flight of stairs and nced at Julie sitting on a bar stool at the counter.
The Demoness wore a white shirt and ck skirt, looking quite demure, but she swayed her waist gently, making the stool spin.
She nced back at Lumian and continued talking to Lez, "I only think about finding what I lost from other men when I''m in a terrible mood. Normally, I just feel jealous and resentful, wondering why I lost it and they still have it?
"And you, your cooking has conquered me. I acknowledge your right to keep that thing, as long as you don''te to me when I''m in a bad mood, I won''t do anything to you."
Is that why you Demonesses like turning lovers into Witches? Lumian sat beside Julie, smiling at Lez. "What are you guys talking about?"
Lez licked his lips and replied, "She asked if I was curious about the taste of Demoness meat and cut a small piece for me. Grilled, it was delicious, rich in fat and very chewy. Then we got to the topic we were discussing."
Lumian nced at Julie and noticed the bandage marks on her left shoulder, with some bloodstains on her shirt.
She really cut it... One daring to cut and the other daring to cook, your mental states and inner worlds are beyond me... Lumian snorted and directly asked Julie, "What are you up to?"
Julie smiled, showing two shallow dimples.
"I want to learn cooking from Lez."
Her face was full of longing and expectation.
To cook for Celeste? You Demonesses... Lumian shook his head and focused on his breakfast.
...
Trier, Quartier de Cathdrale Commmorative, Apartment 702, 9 Rue Orosai.
Franca received a reply from Madam Judgment. The letter began:
"Mr. Star agrees to provide potion forms and Beyonder ingredients in stages for Amandina''s matter, but he doesn''t need money or resources. He only hopes you can help with some matters."
Me? What can I help Mr. Star with? Franca pondered deeply.
Chapter 810 Learning is my Hobby
Chapter 810 Learning is my Hobby
810 Learning is my Hobby
Thinking that if it were truly dangerous and beyond her ability to help, Madam Judgment would surely protect her, Franca pulled out a sheet of pure white paper and began her reply: "Dear Madam Judgment, "If Mr. Star''s requests are within reason, I have no problem with them."
After writing this, Franca read the rest of Madam Judgment''s letter:
"The Demoness of ck''s description and spection about the Primordial Demoness are amon view within the Demoness Sect. However, if it were that simple, things wouldn''t be thisplicated.
"Many high-ranking witches believe the mirror world is vital for the Demoness pathway. This isn''t entirely inurate, but as a collective concept of ''doors'', the mirror world seems incapable of bearing such importance.
"These are things we need to understand further.
"Two of Cups, I know this may be harsh, but you still need to continue infiltrating the Demoness Sect for a while. You are currently our highest-ranked member within the sect.
"Due to the peculiarities of the Demoness pathway, we cannot actively cultivate male Assassins, and the existing Demoness Sect members are mentally twisted, longing to approach the Primordial One. We can only passively wait and find people like you who inadvertently enter the Assassin pathway..."
Suddenly feeling a heavy sense of responsibility... Franca muttered to herself, sighed, and continued writing her reply.
She wasn''t too disappointed, still hoping to obtain the main ingredients for the Demoness of Despair within the sect, provided she found a way to bypass the cruel requirements of the advancement ritual.
After sending her reply, Franca leaned back in her chair, gazing idly out the window at the night sky.
Suddenly, the area in front of her grew extremely dark, and a silver skull emerged from the void, holding a letter in its mouth.
Another letter? What''s going on? Franca took it, thanked the messenger, and watched it leave before opening the letter, inhaling its subtle, enduring fragrance:
"Dear Muggle,
"Do you remember the previous invitation?
"We''re having an offline gathering in Trier this Saturday at 10 p.m. Are you still interested in attending? If so, please reply promptly, and I''ll inform you of the location and participation details.
"Professor."
An offline meeting of the Academy team? Lumian''s life is so eventful! I''ve barely been his proxy for a few days, and I''m already swamped with tasks, one after another... Should he be called 007? Even 007 needs sleep; he doesn''t! Franca couldn''t help butmpoon.
She had already noticed that wherever Lumian went, hidden catastrophes erupted one after another. But since she hadn''t been directly involved in most of them, the impact hadn''t been as apparent.
Now, as his liaison, she felt it keenly.
After a while, Franca sighed.
She''d have to use the Ice Amulet to contact Lumian again!
Since obtaining it from the Demoness of ck, she hadn''t used it for investigating the Mirror People, spending it all on Lumian-rted matters.
She needed to ask Lumian if he wanted to attend the offline gathering of the Academy team, which might include members of the Moses Ascetic Order. If he did, he''d need to designate a substitute and try to send out the Lie earrings.
Franca quickly wrote a letter regarding the matter, wrapping a copper coin, some wraith dust, and her rarely used Beatrice''s Ne in the paper.
She had noticed that after passing through the seal of Morora, Lumian''s letters lost their physical form, leaving only pure information. So, she nned to experiment, seeing if ordinary items, highly spiritual items, and Beyonder items could all pass through the seal and in what state they would exist.
The experiment''s results would determine if the Lie earrings could be sent out.
If it weren''t for the fact that each mystical item was precious and useful, Franca would have included items containing Beyonder characteristics in this experiment.
After preparing the small package, Franca walked to the full-length mirror in the living room, putting on the Ice Amulet.
As it shed with crystalline cold light, Franca pressed the package into the ss surface.
...
Late at night in Morora, on the second floor of the Carnivore bar.
Lumian sat under a glowing white fireball, focused on reading "Examples of Underground Mausoleum Construction."
Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and nced at the mirror in the room.
The mirror''s surface had turned dark, with ripples moving within it.
Lumian reluctantly set down his book, approached the mirror, and ced his right hand on it.
He saw Intisian words appearing on the mirror''s surface, line after line, densely packed.
Professor''s invitation... Academy team''s offline gathering... experiment with transferring items...
Lumian''s thoughts raced. Taking advantage of the Ice Amulet''s active effect, he reached into the mirror and pulled out an item.
It was a diamond ne.
Beatrice''s Ne!
The copper coin and wraith dust mentioned in Franca''s letter were gone.
Lumian looked back at the mirror, seeing an image of the coin and wraith dust around the densely packed words, with a ghostly presence.
As the Ice Amulet''s power waned, and the words faded, the items gradually disappeared.
Only pure information and items with Beyonder power can pass through that special mirror world, through the seal, and reach here? Hmm, items with godhood shouldn''t work either, only something made within Morora... Lumian yed with Beatrice''s Ne, using the Ice Amulet''s remaining power to send Franca two words: "Ne, okay."
The aqueous glow within the mirror quickly receded, and the dark ss returned to normal.
Soon, the mirror showed another anomaly.
This time, Franca sent the Ice Amulet through.
This helped Lumian conserve the use of the Mirror Cufflink-only two uses left.
Holding the icy talisman, Lumian began writing his reply.
He detailed the experiment results and his observations on the item transfer process, then instructed Franca to attend the Academy team''s offline gathering in Trier as Muggle on his behalf.
After folding the letter and enclosing the Lie earrings and Ice Amulet, Lumian activated thetter, pressing the package into the ss mirror, sending it to Franca''s apartment mirror.
Franca received the items, read Lumian''s letter carefully, and murmured to herself, both expectant and anxious.
Do I really have to pretend to be Muggle?
Sigh, the lce Amulet can only transmit information nine more times...
Meanwhile, Lumian returned to his desk and resumed reading "Examples of Underground Mausoleum Construction."
He was reluctant to rest; the more he read, the morepelling the books became.
Of course, Lumian knew this was a sign of slight corruption.
Just then, he heard a loud explosion.
It came from a few blocks away!
Explosion? Lumian used his Ascetic endurance to break free from thepulsion, extinguished the fireball, and moved to the window to observe outside.
The explosions continued, with brilliant mes illuminating the streets hundreds of meters away.
It was on the route from the Carnivore bar to the Church of Knowledge.
Lumian saw Julie jump out of her room,nding lightly like a feather, then blending into the shadows, disappearing.N?v(el)B\\jnn
Hunters causing explosions and fires? Lumian rubbed his temples, looking reluctant.
He grumbled to himself, I really don''t want to get involved in your schemes and fights; I just want to study peacefully.
Since discovering the important knowledge in the books specified by Heraberg, he had be increasingly focused, spending all his time reading except when "acting" outside.
If not for the risk of exposing the books'' importance, he would have used his special abilities to study all night.
The more seriously he studied, the less he wanted to do anything else, often relying on sheer willpower and even his Ascetic abilities to break free from that mental state.
After a moment, Lumian''s expression calmed, and he muttered to himself, When I find the opportunity to eliminate you all, I can finally study in peace...
Suppressing his abnormal emotions, Lumian transformed into a shadow creature, slipping into the darkness between buildings and heading toward the explosion site.
Soon, he reached the destination and saw a half-copsed building- Dades Agricultural Company.
Wanak''s Dades Agricultural Company? Someone attacked Wanak?
Lumian snapped out of his study-induced haze, his mind suddenly alert.
He saw two giant figures emerge from the building.
They were three to four meters tall, with iron-like skin and blue paint depicting clothing, each holding a giant broadsword.
Iron soldiers? Giant iron soldiers? Lumian immediately recalled the iron soldiers he had seen deep in the Sauron family''s Red Swan Castle crypt.
The next moment, one of the iron soldiers smashed through the copsed wall and fixed its cold gaze on the shadow Lumian was hiding in.
It charged at Lumian, raising its giant broadsword.
Chapter 811 Combination?
Chapter 811 Combination?
811 Combination?
Discovered? How did it find me? I''m currently a real shadow creature...
Lumian wondered as he emerged from the shadows.
He instantly teleported to the side of the iron soldier.
The iron soldier ran past him, realizing toote that its target had moved.
It had to slow down forcefully, half-turning to sweep its giant sword.
Lumian, well-prepared, leaped high into the air. His fist, zing with white-hot mes, struck the iron soldier''s neck.
ng!
The sound echoed like a church bell. The tall, heavy, and hard iron soldier was pushed back a step.
A fist-sized dent appeared on its metal-covered neck, surrounded by spiderweb-like cracks.
Lumian''s strike was purely a Cull, without probing for weaknesses. He didn''t need to.
Having thoroughly studied "Doll Crafting and Maintenance," he knew exactly where the weak points of such iron soldiers were!
Of course, he had also observed beforehand to confirm that this iron soldier was of the regr type and hadn''t been modified.
The iron soldier, enraged by the Cull attack, swung its giant sword in a storm of shes, cutting and chopping within a five to six meter radius.
Lumian teleported several meters away, watched the iron soldier, and raised his right palm, still with one hand in his pocket.
One after another, white-hot fireballs formed and flew towards the iron soldier.
The dark red glow in the iron soldier''s eyes brightened as it locked onto Lumian and charged at him.
Rumble!
It cleaved through the fireballs in its path, enduring the rest as it advanced through the smoke and mes.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian vanished from its sight again.
Lumian reappeared on the soldier''s shoulder, half-crouched, and delivered a powerful punch to the previous dent.
Whoosh! White-hot mes erupted from his fist.
ng!
The sound was like a hammer striking arge bell.
Lumian''s figure quickly faded, dodging the iron soldier''s left hand as it released its giant sword to grab him.
A momentter, the dent in the iron soldier''s neck shatteredpletely.
The cracks spread rapidly to its head and body.
The iron soldier staggered forward, its metal fragments falling piece by piece, like an iron rain.
Lumian''s figure swiftly outlined not far away. He scoffed and said, "Didn''t you learn from thest time? Making the same mistake again. Oh, I forgot, you don''t have a brain."
As Lumian finished speaking, the struggling iron soldier copsed into a pile of metal debris.
Lumian then turned his attention to the other side of the Dades Agricultural Company.
The remaining iron soldier was silently burning with pitch-ck mes, moving slower and umting more rust.N?v(el)B\\jnn
ng! It fell to the ground, motionless, losing its oppressive aura.
Julie, wearing a cotton nightgown with a hint of spring, stood leisurely beside it. She watched as the iron soldier quickly shrank back to the size of a children''s toy.
The metal fragments near Lumian were also shrinking, soon reduced to mere scraps.
Julie looked at him, smiling gracefully, "Boss, you''re even more impressive than I imagined."
Compliment me all you want, but why stare at my crotch... Lumian scoffed, "You''re not bad yourself."
Julie blinked and said, "But why don''t you look at me when you speak?"
"Because you don''t have anything down there," Lumian replied, ignoring Julie and heading towards the Dades Agricultural Company.
Julie''s expression turned dark, her face flickering in the firelight.
After a few seconds, she muttered through gritted teeth, "Soon you won''t have anything either."
By then, Lumian had reached the half-copsed building and started inspecting the battle traces.
Explosions, high temperatures, fire, attacks directly hitting key structures... Definitely a battle between Hunters... Multiple injuries, more than one, but all blood traces burnt to scorches... Lumian quickly circled the explosion site, discovering several corpses.
Some were ordinary, like night shift employees caught in the st, suffocated by smoke, burned by mes, or crushed by debris. Others were mangled, reduced to chunks of flesh, or dismembered as if violently torn apart.
Lumian noticed one corpse with a somewhat intact head, a faint red mark on its forehead, with something wriggling under the skin, trying to emerge.
I''ve seen a simr mark on Gusian''s forehead...
So, the Iron and Blood Cross Order is indeed trying to assassinate Wanak...
With Albus Medici joining them, they''ve grown bold enough to eliminate potential rivals and disruptors?
But it seems they failed... Wanak is formidable, facing an Iron and Blood Cross Order assault, possibly with Albus and Gusian present, yet still managing to counterattack and escape...
The Iron and Blood Cross Order is really cooperating with Albus Medici?
Do they truly believe this Medici descendant? Does Gusian not know what the Medici name represents?
Hmm, they know but intend to use Albus Medici, a coboration full of mutual conspiracies?
As these thoughts raced through Lumian''s mind, Julie approached and stopped beside him.
"Have you figured anything out?" Julie asked.
Lumian chuckled.
"Shouldn''t I be asking you that? You Demonesses are good at divination, unlike me."
Julie''s expression had returned to normal, her eyes bright as she said, "I tried, but got nothing. Some of them might be carrying items with high rank."
Before Lumian could respond, she nced at her boss and said, "It seems that the Albus you''re wary of has formed an alliance with Gusian''s group."
Lumian nodded, then added, "They''re probably trying to eliminate Wanak."
"Next, they''ll try to eliminate me, you, and all the Hunters and Demonesses in Morora," Julie said with a slight smile. "Boss, I know you don''t trust me, and I can''t trust you either, unless all that''s left is a shlong. But against the threat of Albus and Gusian, can we temporarily cooperate?"
You? A Demoness who doesn''t like to study and only knows how to do twisted things, wanting to cooperate with me? I just want to study quietly and diligently... Lumian criticized, then chuckled and said, "Sure."
His goal was the information umted by the Demoness Sect and their preparations. "Cooperation" would make it easier to ess them.
Julie was about to say more when she suddenly saw a group of ck-robed enforcers running over from the direction of the Knowledge Cathedral.
Her eyes flickered, and she said to Lumian, "I have to leave now. Let''s talk tomorrow morning."
Lumian nced at the leading enforcer and noticed it wasn''t Celeste.
He replied thoughtfully, "Alright."
Julie immediately stepped into the nearby shadows and vanished from his sight.
Lumian stared at the corpses in the ruins for a few seconds before turning and leaving Dades Agricultural Company, heading into the nearest alley.
In the darkness, he walked at a steady pace, pondering a troubling question: Aren''t there too many Iron and Blood Cross Order members infiltrating Morora?
Just to deal with Wanak, four or five have already died!
It''s not just about whether they could infiltrate so many members or if the Church of Knowledge is being too lenient, but no secret organization would want to suffer such heavy losses among its members.
Morora is the ce where 0-01 is sealed. Every Beyonder sent here must be prepared for a high likelihood of sacrifice.
The Demoness Sect only sent one Sequence 5 Beyonder at a time.
Unless the previous Demoness lost contact and no longer responded, they wouldn''t send another. Does the Iron and Blood Cross Order really not care about mid-to-low-level Beyonders, treating them as cannon fodder?
For a war, that''s not too strange, but a sensiblemander would only sacrifice soldiers at critical moments, not let them die on the way. Or has Gusian developed arge number of new Hunters in Morora... Lumian suddenly thought of Gusian, the bloody mark on that corpse''s forehead, the stone statue, and the oilmp in the depths of the underground fog.
Or are the true Iron and Blood Cross Order members only Gusian and a few others, while the rest are mass-produced through a special secret ritual?
As he pondered this, Lumian smiled.
If that''s true, when Gusian and the others hold their next ritual to create soldiers, something very interesting might happen. The oilmp I tampered with should bring about a different oue...
I wonder what kind of soldiers will appear...
Lumian''s pace quickened, and soon he returned to the Carnivore bar. He sat at his desk, forming a white-hot fireball to serve as a gasmp.
He wanted to finish reading "Examples of Mausoleum Construction" so he could take the exam at the Knowledge Cathedral tomorrow morning and borrow more books.
"Don''t let anything interrupt my studying again..." Lumian muttered as he buried himself in his reading.
Amidst the asional sound of flipping pages, he suddenly turned his head, his sharp gaze focusing on the mirror in the room.
The surface of the mirror rippled, revealing a figure with iron-ck eyes, bright red hair, and a chiseled face.
Wanak? The same Wanak who was attacked earlier? Lumian narrowed his eyes slightly, waiting for the figure to speak.
The figure of Wanak swayed lightly, as if affected by water waves.
He asked in a deep voice, "Do you want to kill Gusian and Albus Medici?"
Chapter 812 Strange Test Script
Chapter 812 Strange Test Script
812 Strange Test Script
Hearing Wanak''s question, Lumian, who was already a bit irritated from having his study interrupted,ughed out loud. "Can you find them?"
"No," Wanak admitted frankly.
Unlike Lumian and Wanak, who had fixed residences, Gusian and Medici moved around in secrecy, making it hard to pinpoint their exact locations.
Wanak continued, "But I can use myself as bait to lure them out."
Lure them out? What kind of Hunter path is this? It sounds more like the path of a Fishing Master... Lumian mocked both Wanak and himself internally, gradually calming down.
He looked at the man with iron-ck eyes, chiseled face, and suspected 0-01 corruption who had tried to kill him at their first meeting, and sneered.
"Bait? If you dare to wander the streets of Morora, Albus and Gusian would likely think it''s a trap and not make a move.
"Of course, they might send someone to test if you''re bluffing, but that won''t help you ambush them."
Wanak''s eyes remained sharp as he replied in a metallic tone, "I won''t treat them as fools. I''ll leave some traces, give them clues, let them find my hiding ce on their own. They must act within these few days. They can''t wait for me to recover, or it''ll be a headache for them."
Lumian, using a Hunter''s tone,ughed. "Confident, aren''t you? Why not wait until you''re fully healed to seek revenge one by one? Why take the risk now and set traps, even choosing to cooperate with me?"
"In five days, if they don''t find me, those two rats will scurry back into the sewers and hide. I can kill any one of them, but finding them is still difficult," Wanak said, his tone full of murderous intent.
Lumian didn''t ask more questions, pondering a few things.
This most dangerous figure in Morora, who seemed to have submitted to 0-01 and gained boons along with the corruption, has the power of a pseudo-demigod.
Does his current attitude imply 0-01 dislikes Red Angel Medici and the Iron and Blood Cross Order?
Or does 0-01 resist anyone trying to control it, as evidenced by Wanak''s initial hostility towards me? But under current circumstances, he wants to target Albus and Gusian first and is willing to temporarily cooperate with the weaker side?
Wanak has pseudo-demigod strength and is in his home turf of Morora, yet he was severely wounded by Albus, Gusian, and a few Iron and Blood Cross Order members, forcing him to flee...
Albus is indeed not simple, and Gusian must be formidable too. It was right not to go all out and ambush them earlier...n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
0-01 has some connection to that special mirror world, allowing Wanak to traverse through mirrors...
Lumian looked at Wanak, who was patiently waiting for his answer, and smiled. "Why me?"
Since arriving in Morora, he hadn''t gone all out or used any powerful items.
"We''re the same kind of people," Wanak said, his iron-ck eyes cold.
"And I can clearly sense you''re not simple."
Of course, I''m not simple, with so much corruption and so many things mixed together. Simple would be strange... Lumian raised his right hand, rubbing his chin, and asked, "Aren''t you worried I''ll take this chance to eliminate you, Albus, and Gusian together? You should always be wary of others."
"You don''t have the capability," Wanak stated bluntly. "And in Morora, truly killing me isn''t easy."
Lumian leaned back in his chair, half-closing his eyes. After a few seconds, he said, "Time and ce."
"The timing is uncertain. It depends on Albus and Gusian''s investigation progress. I''ll inform you of the approximate time and location in advance," Wanak, his sharp, chiseled face showing a rare smile, said.
Lumian opened his eyes and sat up straight.
"With your strength, you were severely wounded by them. What special abilities did they show in battle?"
"Not severely wounded, just nearly," Wanak emphasized. "That Albus has special powers or items that can create war fog, a high-rank Hunter ability... Gusian, besides being a powerful Hunter, has some Demoness pathway abilities and can utilize the mirror world to some extent..."
Lumian listened intently, his smile gradually widening. "Pleasure working with you."
Wanak nodded slightly, his figure gradually fading in the rippling mirror.
Lumian sat quietly in his chair, muttering to himself, Is this a trap?
Wanak, Albus, and Gusian are using people as pawns in a drama to ambush me?
Or is Wanak using this chance to eliminate Albus, Gusian, and me together?
...
Lumian thought about many things, until his head hurt.
Forget it, I''ll think about these conspiracies in a few days. Facing Hunters is troublesome. For now, focus on reading... Lumian turned his attention back to "Examples of Mausoleum Construction."
After another hour, he closed the book, satisfied.
After nearly a week of effort, he had finally finished the first batch of books specified by Heraberg, and could take the exam at the Knowledge Cathedral tomorrow!
Lumiany back on his bed and fell asleep.
In a hazy state, he saw an army.
The soldiers were d in iron-ck armor, marching across a reddish in, with something drifting in the distance.
Sensing Lumian''s gaze, they turned their heads simultaneously, their eyes piercing.
Lumian saw their faces: Under the iron-ck helmets, their skin was pale and shriveled, like all moisture and flesh had been drained, tightly clinging to their skulls. Dark red mes burned in their eye sockets.
Mummies...
An army of undead?
As this realization dawned on Lumian, immense fear surged from his heart, urging him to submit to some unknown entity.
He struggled against this feeling, finally waking up.
He opened his eyes to find it was just a dream. Outside, the sky was dim, with no sign of dawn.
Too much knowledge about 0-01 might be increasing the corruption? Lumian pondered for a few seconds, then forced himself to sleep a bit more until six in the morning.
Julie hadn''t returned overnight. After breakfast, Lumian packed the books into his Traveler''s Bag and headed straight to the Knowledge Cathedral.
Heraberg, in a white robe lined with brass, was exining things to a group of new exiles. Lumian waited until the new exiles left the cathedral, then smiled and presented the books to Heraberg. "Your Grace, I''ve finished reading these books."
"Adding ''Your Grace'' this time?" Heraberg teased with a smile, taking the books and pointing to the corresponding brass bookshelf. "Go there and pick a paper to do."
Prepared for this, Lumian walked to the bookshelf and randomly picked a paper.
As he searched for a table and chair, he nced at the questions on the paper.
Suddenly, his gaze froze.
The first question was: "Have you had any nightmares recently?"
The second question was: "Please describe the content of the nightmare in detail."
Is this an exam on knowledge points? Doesn''t seem like it... more like those psychological test questions Anthony brought back from the Psychiatrist Guild... Lumian thought, writing his answers on the brass bookshelf''s protrusions.
He answered the entire paper truthfully.
"Done." Lumian felt like he was back in Cordu, reporting to his sister that he''d finished his test.
"Let me see." Heraberg extended his right hand.
After reviewing Lumian''s answers from start to finish, he nodded slightly.
"You don''t need to read all the books on these three shelves. Just this, this, and this..."
Heraberg pointed out eight books with a smile. "Finish these, and that''ll be enough."
Huh? Don''t need to read all three shelves? Just these eight books?
Lumian was momentarily puzzled, not understanding the basis for Heraberg''s judgment.
Were the remaining books on those shelves suddenly unimportant?
Thinking about the test paper''s content, Lumian had some guesses.
He thoughtfully responded to Heraberg, "Alright, Your Grace."
As he ced the books into the Traveler''s Bag, Lumian roughly estimated the time needed.
If he focused without any interruptions, he could finish one book a day, but that would be suspicious.
About two weeks, maybe a bit more... But ording to Heraberg, finishing these is enough, much better than my initial n of taking six months to read all three shelves... Lumian quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much better.
He mimicked his sister Aurora and Franca''s asional crazy talk, thinking with a smile.
Albus, Julie, Gusian, and Wanak, wait two weeks. Once I''m done studying, I''ll kill you all!
Hmm, for now, I''ll take advantage of Wanak''s "invitation" to find clues from Albus about Hand Bro''s head...
And gather intelligence on the Demoness as well...
...
Saturday night, Trier, Quartier de Cathdrale Commmorative.
Franca looked at Jenna, who had naturally moved into the guest room after returning from Port LeSeur, and didn''t ask why. Feeling a bit upset, she said, "You don''t seem very happy. Is Julien insisting on returning to Trier?"
"Yes, he''s so stubborn." Jenna sighed deeply.
Actually, so are you, and your mother too... Franca muttered internally, saying, "Don''t worry, there''s still about a month to figure something out."
"Yeah." Jenna nced at Franca, who had changed into a warlock''s cloak. "Are you filling in for Lumian at that mysticism gathering?"
"Yes." Franca tossed the silver Lie earring into the air and caught it again.
Compared to her initial reluctance and anxiety, now she felt more anticipation.
It''s quite exciting, isn''t it?
Chapter 813 The Abnormality of Warlocks
Chapter 813 The Abnormality of Warlocks
813 The Abnormality of Warlocks
Franca walked to the full-length mirror and put the silver Lie earring on her left ear.
Her skin immediately turned semi-transparent, and tiny meat tendrils seemed to grow beneath it.
These meat tendrils squirmed and shifted, gathering together again.
In just twenty to thirty seconds, Franca transformed into the appearance Lumian used to disguise as Aurore.
After adjusting herself a bit, she smoothed down her blonde hair and looked at her reflection, saying, "Aurore is really beautiful... Lie is amazing, it can do this much."
"You''ve never used Lie before?" Jenna, standing nearby, asked in confusion.
She remembered Franca using it more than once.
Franca chuckled and exined, "It''s been a while. Just feeling nostalgic.
Plus, after bing a Demoness of Pleasure and using Lie to tweak my appearance, I didn''t dare do it again. Afraid I''d fall in love with myself and get lost in my own beauty.
"Now I''ve just made a slight adjustment to Aurore''s face, and she looks so beautiful. A natural beauty like her taking the Demoness pathway, I can''t imagine how stunning she''d be. Lie and the Demoness, they''re a perfect match, but it''s too easy to lose oneself, preferring to live in lies than face the truth."
Seeing Franca still able to joke around, Jenna quietly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile. "For us Demonesses, Lie is the most delicious poison."
Franca murmured in agreement and turned back to the full-length mirror to adjust her height.
Before leaving, she looked at Jenna and thoughtfully asked, "You need a few more good acts to fully digest your Witch potion, right?"
"Yes, if I rely on simr performances as before, it will take time and repetition," Jenna replied, knowing what Franca was about to say.
Just like she often did, Franca was about to impart some life, no, digestion experience.
With Aurore''s enhanced beauty, Franca smiled.
"I think your acts have overlooked the ck magic aspect of a Witch. Think about it, isn''t ck magic an essential part of many Witch legends? And many of those legends were likely left by real Witches.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"You could try finding a scoundrel, someone who deserves to be hanged, collect their hair and flesh, and as a Witch, predict their doom. Use ck magic to torment them daily until they die."
Jenna pondered for a moment. "I can give it a shot."
But... I do hope you bing a Demoness of Pleasure would change things... Franca sighed inwardly but maintained her smile, pulled up her hood, walked out the door, and disappeared into the hallway shadows.
The scheduled offline gathering was at 6 Rue Belfort on Avenue du Boulevard, a four-story mansion with a garden, located in a luxurious area. Despite its opulence, it was always rented out for 15,000 verl d''or a year, having housed dukes, bankers, and diplomats.
Now, it had no long-term tenants and was temporarily rented for a week by the gathering''s organizer, Professor.
Passing through the garden lit by gasmps and circling a fountain with statues, Franca reached the mansion''s entrance, where a table with a sign-in book was ced.
This was the simplest form of identity verification to prevent some odd Trieriens from wandering in.
Franca recalled Aurore''s notes, mimicked the handwriting, and signed Muggle with a deliberate nt.
It felt like an unseen gaze lingered on the sign-in book for two seconds.
Silently, the mansion door opened, and Franca stepped inside.
She slowed her pace, seriously recalling the mannerisms of Muggle from the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society gatherings.
Franca, highly professional in her role-ying, had previously used dream divination to retrieve those buried memories. Now, she quickly captured Aurore''s walking style.
She shortened her steps and lightened her waist movements.
The mansion''s living room was homely, with red and yellow decorations bringing an indescribable warmth.
Eight members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society were disguised as they had been in the Nation of the Evernight to indicate their identities. Some sat in the sofa area, drinking and chatting, while others yed darts in a corner.
Professor, wearing a ck butterfly mask, left the sofa with an orange cocktail in hand and approached Franca.
With a faint smile on her lips, she said, "Let''s chat first, catch up on recent events, then we can drink, y board games, sing, and y cards. How does that sound?"
Great! If offline gatherings were just for trading items and exchanging mystical knowledge without any entertainment, what''s the point? One reason Franca was willing to attend was that it had been a while since she had fun with her "fellow countrymen''"-teaching Lumian and Jenna to fully understand certain things was too troublesome.
Franca gracefully pulled up a high stool and sat next to Professor, casting a nce at familiar faces like Periodic Table and Isotope, wondering if there were any hidden Moses Ascetic Order members.
"Muggle, are you settled in Trier?" The Academy team member with a periodic table painted on his face curiously asked Franca.
Franca restrained her overly active side, showing just a bit to match Muggle''s usual behavior, smiling as she answered, "For now, yes. But considering Trier''s situation, I don''t n to stay long. I might move in a while."
She subtly reminded her "countrymen" that Trier was dangerous, like living on an active volcano that could erupt anytime.
"Why do you say that?" Professor keenly asked the question Franca hoped for.
Franca curved her lips into a smile and pointed to the floor. "I encountered some things in Underground Trier that made me think great dangers are brewing below. They could erupt at any time."
"Like the Mirror People?" Professor asked thoughtfully.
Franca nodded gently. "Yes."
She didn''t say much; it was confidential, and even if she did, others might not believe it without evidence.
Professor, Isotope, and others fell silent, pondering something. Associate Professor and others ying darts returned to the sofa area, steering the conversation elsewhere.
During the exchange, Franca was more active than Lumian had been, understanding many codes and familiar with many things, not afraid of making mistakes or missing memes.
Professor nced at her, pleased. "It seems you''ve recovered from the April Fool''s incident, back to your usual self, not as silent as before, mostly just observing."
Uh... Franca suddenly felt she might have messed up.
Not that her disguise as Muggle was bad, but rather too good.
If Lumian returned, the Academy members would surely wonder why she seemed post-traumatic again.
Can''t just say she was hurt again, right?
Franca''s mind raced, quickly finding a reason. "Actually, I haven''t fully recovered. Some wounds might never heal. But chatting with everyone just now made me feel like I was back in the past."
Professor expressed her understanding. She was about to say more when her face, not covered by the ck butterfly mask, suddenly twisted in pain, her eyes bulging as if enduring great agony.
She bent over, clutching her head.
Franca paused, quickly scanning the others, noticing Associate Professor, Isotope, and Periodic Table with simr reactions. Only two non-Warlock members were unaffected.
Oh, I''m a Warlock now too... Franca mimicked their reactions, recalling the pain from her advancement ritual, disying a headache-like state.
After two or three minutes, Professor straightened up, slowly exhaling.
The non-Warlock member code-named Griffin asked, "What happened to you all?"
Then, a realization struck Griffin. "The evil god Hidden Sage was injecting knowledge again?"
Associate Professor in the brown paper bagughed bitterly. "Yes."
"In broadcast format? I thought it was one-on-one," Griffin marveled.
"Both happen." Periodic Table massaged her head, addressing Franca and the others, "Have you noticed the Hidden Sage has been injecting knowledge more frequently since that terrifying rainstorm?"
"Yes." Periodic Table nodded solemnly.
Seeing the Warlocks agree, Franca nodded too.
She pondered, Could this anomaly be rted to the Celestial Master?
When Fourth Epoch Trier''s seal was briefly opened, some powers leaked out, making the already insane Hidden Sage even crazier?
Franca knew the "terrifying rainstorm" referred to the time when the Hostel Project briefly opened the Fourth Epoch Trier''s seal.
Chapter 814 Missing "Ten Pillars"
Chapter 814 Missing "Ten Pirs"
814 Missing "Ten Pirs"
Franca couldn''t talk about the Celestial Master at the moment, nor could she ask the Professors what knowledge the Hidden Sage had imparted.
She could only note this anomaly silently and nned to report it to Madam Judgmentter, so the Major Arcana card holders could determine what was wrong.
After a moment of silence, Isotope spoke heavily, "Everyone here understands the pain of being force-fed knowledge by the Hidden Sage.
So far, we can barely endure it, but if the frequency increases, or the intensity goes up, it won''t be long before our brains explode with knowledge, turning us into monsters."
Professor sighed slowly. "I agree. We must have a sense of crisis."
Periodic Table seemed a bit unstable. "I do feel a sense of crisis, but does it help? Can we unite and kill the Hidden Sage? I used to have such fantasies, but now... heh heh."
Franca could understand thest two sentences from Periodic Table. In the first two or three years after transmigrating into this world, as an atheist who had read many novels, she initially regarded the Seven Gods as more powerful Beyonders. She believed that as someone on the path of the divine, she might one day have a chance to y deities and prove her way. But after witnessing more, gaining more knowledge in mysticism, she deeply understood the gap between Low- and Mid-Sequence Beyonders and demigods.
And that was just demigods, not true gods.
ording to the Demoness of ck, true gods could modify and adjust the Sequence abilities within their pathways to some extent!
Meanwhile, Franca recalled the past and noticed that during their gatherings in the Nation of the Evernight, the Warlocks rarely expressed such intense negative emotions. Now, they were no longer hiding their pain and struggle, showing it very directly.
The Academy group has too many non-Warlock members, and those here today are a small circle who know each other well, so they can be more genuine? But I-no, Muggle-am not part of your circle. Are these intense emotions partly an act? What''s the purpose? Franca didn''t know if Lumian had infected her with paranoia or if her experiences with the Savoie Mob and the Demoness Sect had made her cautious.
"Yeah, what can we do..." she echoed Periodic Table''s sentiment, seemingly touched.
Professor, steady as usual, said gently, "At least we can look for items or methods to reduce the negative effects of the Knowledge Pursuer.
Periodic Table was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply. "That''s all we can do for now."
The Warlocks, along with Griffin and Eagle, discussed this issue, proposing various ideas and rejecting most, leaving a few for further verification.
Franca also used her imagination. Eventually, she said thoughtfully, "It''s a pity we can''t predict exactly when the Hidden Sage will go mad.
Otherwise, I know a ce that might effectively reduce the impact."
"What ce?" Associate Professor asked quickly.
Franca didn''t intend to hide it. She felt that if Lumian were here, he would definitely reveal that location to the Professors.
Based on her understanding of Lumian: She had long noticed that Lumian was especially empathetic towards those with simr experiences and sufferings as his. Although he spoke harshly, he couldn''t help but provide some assistance. Simrly, he also empathized with those who had simr experiences to Aurore, often putting himself in his sister''s shoes.
Franca sighed slightly. "The small sacrificial square at the entrance of the third level of the catbs. It seems to have remnants of the powers of the Eternal zing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery, which can shield most of the external influences."
Professor''s eyes brightened slightly under the butterfly mask. "I''ve been there, but I didn''t know there were remnants of divine power."
She paused, adding, "This is actually very useful. When we are on the brink of breaking, I will take a box of white candles and enough food, stay at the sacrificial square until the umted effects dissipate and my body and soul recover, thene back up."
"Exactly!" Franca was happy for these Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society members.
Professor continued to say to Periodic Table and the others, "We can also seek help from Beyonders of the Apothecary pathway to produce medicine that quickly restores the body and soul."
"Temporary enhancement of brain capacity, learning ability, and soul strength would also work," Isotope and the others chimed in.
Their spirits finally lifted a bit.
After another half-hour of chatting, Professor and Associate Professor called a few people to fetch the board games from the study, while Franca stood up and went to the small bar in the opposite living room to get a drink.
As she hesitated between fruit beer and soda, Periodic Table came to her side, looking over the drinks and lowering his voice, "Muggle, weren''t you looking for members of the Moses Ascetic Order?"
Seeing Muggle with her hood pulled up turning to him, Periodic Table''s chemical symbols on his face shifted as he smiled. "I am one."
So, finally, you''re admitting? Franca wasn''t surprised at all.
She even suspected all the Warlocks in this small circle were members, and Griffin and Eagle, who were not Warlocks, might be as well.
"You guessed it a long time ago?" Periodic Table noticed Muggle had no emotional fluctuation.
Franca chuckled softly. "It''s not strange. I''m also a member of another secret organization. Many in the Research Society should have backgrounds in secret organizations or orthodox churches. It''s not a problem as long as it doesn''t vite our contract."N?v(el)B\\jnn
Periodic Table smiled. "That''s true. You mentioned a Mirror Person named Griffith secretly recing one of our members? I have a suspect now."
Franca had been tracking the whereabouts of the ore schr, Jasmine- suspected to be Mirror People Palia-but had no leads. She didn''t expect a clue about the more important Mirror Person, Griffith.
"Who is it?" she asked directly.
Period Table organized his thoughts. "Normally, I should report this to the higher-ups of the Ascetic Order for confirmation and handling, but I can''t contact my direct Pirtely."
"Pir?" Franca asked, puzzled.
"The brass of our Moses Ascetic Order consists of the Ten Pirs, ten powerful demigods, maybe more. The one responsible for the Trier greater region and my direct superior is Kmerolo. After the terrifying rainstorm, his orders have lessened, and recently, we''ve had no response from our attempts to contact him," Periodic Table exined heavily.
After the Hostel Project, the brass of the Moses Ascetic Order in Trier had anomalies and then disappeared? This information is crucial and must be reported quickly... Franca looked at Periodic Table and asked, "No emergency contact with other Pirs?"
Period Table sighed. "No. Normally, we should pray to the Hidden Sage, report the anomaly, and He would give a revtion. But we tried, and there was no revtion, nor did any other Pir contact us."
Because the Hidden Sage has gone crazier? Franca nodded. "Go on."
Periodic Tableughed bitterly. "This situation isn''t bad. Thoughcking high-level guidance and resources, we also don''t have dangerous tasks -unless Nik is the Mirror Person Griffith."
"Nik?" Franca pressed.
Periodic Table tersely acknowledged. "He''s Kmerolo''s deputy. Recently, his behavior makes me suspect he might be a Mirror Person."
"What behavior?" Franca asked in confirmation.
Periodic Table thought and said, "He gets angry more easily, has more negative emotions, and I noticed he seems awkward using his right hand, though he''s right-handed."
"What''s his real identity?" Franca''s eyes lit up.
Periodic Table hesitated. "I can''t be sure he''s a Mirror Person. It''s normal to have uncontrolled negative emotions after prolonged knowledge infusion. Before telling you his identity and possible residence, I hope to sign a notarized document with you, ensuring if he''s not the Mirror Person, you won''t kill him and must let him go."
As he spoke, he took out an expensive notarized document from a hidden pocket.
Seeing Muggle''s slightly surprised look, Periodic Tableughed self-deprecatingly.
"me it on us following the maxim, ''do as you wish, but do no harm."
"Sure, no problem," Franca agreed readily.
She wasn''t one to kill innocents.
...
Late at night in Morora.
Lumian put down his book, rubbed his aching head, and decided to rest by thinking of something else.
As he considered if he had missed any enemies orpetitors, the mirror in the room glowed with water.
Wanak, with iron-ck eyes and blood-red hair, appeared again, saying in a deep voice, "Gusain and Albus are about to step into the trap. I''ll tell you my ''hiding ce'' now."
Is it starting? Lumian''s mind immediately focused.
Chapter 815 Super Augmentation
Chapter 815 Super Augmentation
815 Super Augmentation
As Wanak''s figure faded from the mirror''s surface, Lumian reluctantly stowed the books on his desk into his Traveler''s Bag.
He stood up, left the room, and walked to Julie''s door, knocking lightly twice.
Julie quickly opened the door, hugging a nket to her chest, her bare shoulders glowing like twin mounds of snow under the moonlight.
"I wasn''t trying to harass you!" she said with a hint of anticipation.
Lumian spoke as if to himself, "Wanak has invited me to deal with Gusain and Albus together, right in the ruins of Dades Agricultural Company."
Without waiting for Julie''s response, Lumian turned and walked down the stairs, merging into the darkness that enveloped the night.
...
Inside a fog-filled hollow, in front of four statues facing each other, Gusain, wearing a silk top hat, said to Albus, who was d in a ck jacket with red stripes, "We can''t be sure if the clues about Wanak are bait. We might step into a trapter."
Albus, hands in his pockets, chuckled. "That''s why we''re here. Whether there''s a trap or not, as long as we''re strong enough, we can invalidate their schemes and make them swallow the bitter fruit of their failure."
Gusain nodded lightly. "Yes, I''ve heard a saying: no matter how many eggs band together, they can''t break a stone. What we need to do now is be that stone. Last time, we weren''t sure if we could pinpoint Wanak, so we didn''t risk activating the altar''s full power to avoid wasting it. Now, we can give Wanak a ''surprise''."
Albus chuckled. "Not using itst time was good. The illusion might have made Wanak gather all our targets together, allowing us to deal with them all at once."
Looking around, Albus sneered. "I thought Lumian would return here these days, so I had you leave the Lamp of Cmity on the altar to lure him into using it. I didn''t expect him to be such a coward." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"He should have been here," Gusain said, showing detailed knowledge of the altar''s surroundings. "He tried multiple times to destroy the statues but failed. This led the altar to draw some power from the earth to repair itself, causing slight changes in the details. I didn''t expect him to resist the urge and call of the Lamp of Cmity and not light it on the spot. For the Hunter pathway, such self-control is rare."
Albus lifted his chin. "You''d better perform the ritual now. Heh heh, and check the Lamp of Cmity to see if it''s been tampered with or has had something added to it. A Hunter not causing some damage would be unworthy of the pathway''s name."
"Are you underestimating my caution?" Gusainughed, approaching the pedestal and picking up themp containing a semi-solid, semi-liquid pale yellow grease.
He carefully inspected it, sniffed its scent, and finally dipped his fingers into themp, touching the wick twice.
Gusain immediately withdrew his fingers, letting the white-hot me ignite the pale yellow grease on them.
The scent of warmth, allure, dark fragrance, and rust quickly filled his nostrils. He half-closed his eyes, nodding slightly. "No problem."
Albusughed. "Where did you learn the method to create the Lamp of Cmity and the corresponding secret ritual? It''s quite fascinating."
"You''ll find outter. Once we finish this, we''ll be truepanions," Gusain replied with a smile.
He turned, facing the four statues and the Lamp of Cmity, and took a small blue iron soldier from a hidden pocket, cing it on the pedestal.
Isn''t it just the Fourth Epoch Trier? What''s so hard to guess? Still keeping secrets... Companions, heh heh... Albus began to back away from Gusain, instinctively keeping a distance out of caution.
Finally, Albus stopped about fifteen meters away, watching through the thick fog as Gusain lit themp, sat cross-legged on the ground, and entered Cogitation toplete the secret ritual.
In just over ten seconds, Gusain, surrounded by a seductive dark fragrance, "saw" a dense fog.
Unlike the war fog in the hollow, this fog was tinged with a ghostly ck hue, covering a city with no visible boundaries, only faint outlines.
Half-dazed, half-awake, Gusain floated to a familiar ce.
After some time, he reached a tall shadow-like tower and descended rapidly, entering its eerie, sinister base.
Here, it seemed there was a well, blending into the darkness.
Gusain repeated the purpose of the ritual to fight off the increasing drowsiness.
He neared the well, gazing into it.
He then "saw" moss-covered stones and iron-ck chains attached to the well''s walls. The engravings on the chains were blurred, hard to discern.
I can now see the inside of the well''s walls?
Never could before...
The ritual''s effectiveness is due to my proximity to the great existence?
Gusain felt a surge of joy.
He excitedly looked at the dark water in the well.
The water rippled lightly, gradually forming a figure.
Gusain strained to see, suddenly spotting patches of brown bark.
The bark was embedded in a face, bringing an indescribable horror.
Bark... Gusain was simultaneously frightened and puzzled.
Why would bark appear here?
Shouldn''t it be steel and blood?
Instinctively, Gusain looked at his hands, finding patches of brown bark rising on his skin.
Wh- Gusain''s pupils dted as he looked back at the well''s dark water surface.
He saw the reflected figure clearly.
It was himself!
His face was covered with mottled bark!
The next moment, the bark squirmed, sinking inward and turning flesh-colored.
They became wet spores embedded in flesh, blooming to release countless tiny naked figures.
Gusain''s terror broke its limits. He abruptly opened his eyes, breaking free from the ritual experience.
Huff... Panting heavily, he saw the iron soldier on the pedestal rapidly expanding to three or four meters tall, its eyes iron-ck instead of the burning dark-red.
The iron soldier''s spear was quickly covered in white-blue mes.
"Sess..." Gusain steadied himself, no longer tense.
He thought the anomaly was due to his proximity to the great existence, deepening the ritual experience, thus showing more details.
"I''m stronger now..." Gusain stood up, extinguishing the Lamp of Cmity.
"This is a soldier puppet with some of the Iron-blooded Knight''s power and status?" Albus walked back from a distance.
"Yes, treat it as a weakened Iron-blooded Knight. It''s not something Wanak canpare to," Gusain answered confidently.
He hadn''t yet examined the benefits and knowledge gained from the ritual.
Albus took a few steps and then stopped, looking at Gusain with a yful smile. "Your hair has grown."
My hair has grown? Gusain turned his head, seeing his brown hair had grown to his cheeks from above his ears.
He suddenly had a guess:
Did this ritual bring me closer to the Demoness pathway?
With this suspicion, he lowered his head.
Sure enough, his chest was slowly bulging, stretching his shirt, sweater, and coat.
At the same time, Gusain smelled a faint milky scent.
Milky scent... Gusain was stunned.
Does the Demoness mutation cause this?
He was about to ask Albus about his changes when he saw his coborator backing away.
Immediately, Gusain felt the iron soldier behind him bending over, its head lowering to his ear with the sound of metal shing and rubbing.
The iron soldier spoke with a metallic voice, softly calling, "Mother."
"Mother... Me?" Gusain, confused, looked down to see his abdomen swelling visibly.
Seeing this, his mind buzzed, feeling as if he was reborn.
Albus, retreating slowly to avoid triggering anomalies, saw Gusain looking at him, smiling with maternal radiance, his blue eyes icy and sinister.
...
Rumble!
A massive explosion urred in a district with a volcanic crater, sending a white fireball rolling into the sky, turning red, creating thick smoke.
In the ruins of Dades Agricultural Company, hidden in the underground chamber, Lumian and Wanak felt the near-earthquake-like disturbance.
From the direction of the tremor, Lumian quickly guessed:
The hollow filled with war fog?
A fierce explosion happened there?
Did Albus and Gusain make some preparations before dealing with Wanak, lighting themp I tampered with, causing an ident?
Lumian immediately shouted to Wanak, "The situation has changed!"
Then, he left the shadow state, teleporting to the corresponding district.
He didn''t choose the hollow entrance with war fog as his destination, fearing the explosion was a bait by Albus and Gusain!
Only a Hunter knew how treacherous a Hunter could be!
Chapter 816 Dark Forest
Chapter 816 Dark Forest
816 Dark Forest
On the edge of the district destroyed by the volcanic eruption, Lumian''s figure swiftly emerged, his gaze fixed on the site of the violent explosion.
The ground had copsed into a massive crater, thin wisps of fog rising from it, though not yet dense.
Albus Medici leaped out of the crater, followed closely by a three-to-four-meter-tall iron soldier wielding a white-blue ming spear.
Lumian transformed into a shadowy creature again, blending into the darkness untouched by the firelight.
He decided to observe the scene before taking action.
Almost simultaneously, he saw a figure emerge from the crater, half blending into the night, half illuminated by the firelight: long hair draping over shoulders, a chest protruding prominently, and a stomach appearing swollen as if from excessive beer.
At a nce, Lumian recognized the figure from its now feminine, motherly face-Gusain.
Gusain turned into a woman? And is pregnant? Lumian was initially stunned, then quickly pieced together what had likely happened.
He remembered adding a bit of Berserk Agent and Bark Agent to the altar''s oilmp, both sourced from the Nightstalkers which were imbued with the power of the Great Mother.
So Gusain was the one who performed the ritual using themp? He already had some abilities linked to the mirror world, indicating his previous ritual knowledge and power were partly from the Demoness pathway. The Demoness pathway is closely tied to femininity in mysticism. So, with the divine effects of the corpse wax candle amplifying the Demoness experience, the Berserk Agent and Bark Agent linked his ritual to the Great Mother, resulting in this mutation?
Fascinating...
Lumian watched Albus Medici battle the motherly version of Gusain and the iron soldier, which was much stronger than previous soldier puppets.
He had no intention of helping either side at the moment.
A Hunter only struck at the most critical moment!
Frankly, if Albus Medici hadn''t taken the head of the Abscessed Hand, Lumian wouldn''t want to eliminate him right now. Even if Wanak''s bait n was a great sess, trapping Albus and Gusain, he might still find an opportunity to let Albus escape.
This was to maintain a bnce.
Until he finished his studies, Lumian didn''t want any onepetitor to dominatepletely.
That would likely cause a sudden change in circumstances, forcing him to prematurely enter the underground mausoleum before finishing the books Archbishop Heraberg provided.
So, Lumian observed the fight, patiently waiting for an opportunity to get clues about the Abscessed Hand''s head from Albus Medici, while casually admiring Gusain''s transformation and the terrifying iron soldier.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Hunter battles were always marked by violent explosions. Buildings, their foundations already hollowed out and walls damaged by the volcanic eruption, copsed one after another, raising thick dust clouds.
Seizing an opportunity, Albus Medici leaped into the air, forming a white-blue ming longsword and shing it at the iron soldier''s head.
Boom!
The sword exploded, splitting the iron soldier''s head open.
But the iron soldier didn''t copse. Instead, Gusain''s right cheek instantly dented and deformed grotesquely.
In the next moment, Gusain''s skull and muscles quickly writhed and expanded, restoring themselves.
With this change, the iron soldier''s head also rapidly healed.
Wh- self-healing power from the Great Mother pathway,bined with the Sword of Courage''s trait of sharing damage? Not only can they endure damage but they can also share abilities? Lumian felt a chill down his spine.
What kind of monster did my additives create?
Seeing this, Albus turned into a white ming spear, shooting past the copsing buildings to distance himself from the iron soldier and Gusain.
Thick fog enveloped the area around him, covering the streets for dozens of meters.
Seeing this, Lumian''s eyelid twitched slightly. N?v(el)B\\jnn
He sensed that Albus Medici intended to flee.
He would too!
Facing the mutated Gusain and a near-demigod iron soldier, a slight misstep could result in severe injuries or death on the spot. Even if he fought hard and won, he wouldn''t emerge unscathed and would likely have to face viins attracted by themotion. It was better to leave the two monsters for the enforcers or the Church of Knowledge to handle.
An enemy''s death was a good oue, no matter who killed them.
As the war fog formed, Lumian saw a figure appear atop the nearby ruins.
It was Wanak, with iron-ck eyes and blood-red hair.
He took a step forward, raised his hands, and lifted his head as if praying to a deity.
Ooo! Morora''s already vtile weather suddenly whipped into a hurricane, uprooting trees and forming a vortex connecting the sky nearby.
Whoosh! The hurricane blew away the war fog, revealing Albus Medici''s position to Lumian and the others.
A citywide hurricane? Only a demigod could manage that, and not even all demigods... Right, given Morora''s extreme weather, and considering Wanak''s connection to 0-01, it''s not as terrifying as I thought... Lumian''s gaze sharpened as he noticed Julie, d in a cotton nightgown, appearing in the shadows about ten meters from Albus.
The Demoness held a mirror, reflecting part of Albus''s image.
Julie''s acting now, perfectly coordinating with Wanak? Lumian was initially surprised, then understood why.
Everyone present sensed Albus was in trouble. Without prior agreement, they all made the same choice:
To ambush Albus-to nail his coffin shut!
This is the game''s rule, the rule of Hunter and Demoness conflicts: without powerful constraints like notarized documents, alliances are fluid, constantly shifting. But if someone shows weakness, everyone else will target them, giving no chance for recovery... Enlightened, Lumian saw Julie raise her right hand covered in demoness ck mes, wiping it across the mirror reflecting Albus.
Almost simultaneously, Albus burst into mes, turning into crimson fire that shot out in all directions.
Some of the mes turned ck, bing calm from zing, ultimately falling into the underground hollow still emitting war fog.
The remaining crimson mes regrouped about ten meters away, reforming Albus''s body.
His aura weakened significantly.
In his eyes appeared a zing white me.
A white ming spear shot from the shadows.
Lumian had joined in, attacking the downed dog.
Seeing this, Albus''s short red hair instantly ignited, extending downward, as if turning into shoulder-length hair.
His face took on a faint iron-ck hue.
Boom!
The white ming spear exploded before hitting him, like a bursting firework.
Lumian''s figure appeared behind Albus, his eyes shining silver-ck.
He swung a fist at Albus.
The fist slowed, as if bearing a heavy fate.
Lumian was attempting to exchange Albus''s fate.
Of course, he didn''t expect sess. He aimed to quickly browse Albus''s fate, finding fragments rted to the Abscessed Hand''s head to locate it.
This was the most crucial task for him.
The silver illusory river ofplex symbols quickly filled Lumian''s vision, materializing countless fate fragments flowing forward.
Ignoring the rest, Lumian searched swiftly for his target by the approximate timeline.
In a blink, a fate fragment erged before him: Albus holding the rotten blue-ck Abscessed Hand''s head, walking to the underground mausoleum entrance, tossing it in from a distance, hearing it bounce around inside like a ball...
In the underground mausoleum? No wonder I couldn''t sense it... Quite the hiding spot... Quite the provocation... At that moment, Lumian felt it wasn''t a bad idea to kill Albus here.
This guy really knows how to annoy people!
The next second, before the fate exchange, he lost sight of Albus''s silver river of fate.
The Medici descendant, realizing Lumian was behind him, turned into a zing white ming spear, shooting out of the ruins.
The iron soldier created white-blue Fire Ravens, chasing the spear like living creatures. Gusain raised his head, preparing to emit a shrill screech, friend and foe alike be damned.
Julie disappeared into the shadows again, but gray-white threads of spider silk appeared before and beside Albus''s ming spear, forming a resilient web waiting for him.
The hurricane hadn''t stopped. Wanak leaped into the air, forming a massive white-blue ming broadsword, ready to sh at Albus.
Chapter 817 Lightning Strikes
Chapter 817 Lightning Strikes
817 Lightning Strikes
Albus''s zing-white ming spear was about to crash into theyered gray-white web but suddenly disintegrated in mid-air.
Within the raindrop-like ming fragments, Albus''s figure emerged, rapidly falling to the ground to avoid the Demoness''s web.
The white-blue Fire Ravens created by the iron soldier curved in the air, corrected their flight paths, and locked onto Albus again. Wanak, who had leaped up using the hurricane, descended, raising his ming broadsword to strike heavily at his target.
The explosions and the sound of metal shing erupted simultaneously.
The swarm of Fire Ravens surrounded Albus before he could touch the ground, attacking him relentlessly, individually and in groups.
The st wave and spreading white-blue mes threw Albus upward, right into Wanak''s descending broadsword.
ng!
The broadsword struck as if hitting metal, producing a cracking sound.
The resulting force mmed Albus to the ground from a height of two or three meters.
Boom!
The impact caused the ground to cave in, revealing the underground hollow filled with thick fog.
Albus fell in.
As soon as Wanaknded, he prepared to jump into the hollow to prevent Albus from escaping or recovering.
Suddenly, he hesitated and didn''t make the jump.
He could only create hurricanes in Morora''s unique environment and let them wreak havoc in the City of Exiles, unable to direct them precisely underground.
Fighting another special Hunter in the fog-filled, low-visibility hollow wasn''t wise; it would put him in danger.
By this time, Lumian had finished attempting the Fate Exchange and withdrew his fist.
He deeply suspected that Albus''s intended escape destination was either outside the ruins or the underground hollow covered in war fog.
The Medici descendant had never nned to easily break through the obstacles set by the Hunters, Demoness, and monster. Instead, he deliberately showed this tendency, using their obstruction to forcefully break through the already unstable ground during the previous battle and fall into his real destination.
That way, he could rely on the environment to escape the encirclement, try to hide, and find other possible exits.
Disguising his true intentions to confuse his enemies? No wonder he''s a Medici... Lumian nodded thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, he also noticed Albus''s astounding defense.
Not only had he withstood the Fire Ravens'' bombardment, but he had also blocked Wanak''s Cull strike, emerging with only minor injuries.
Simply metallizing his body to some extent couldn''t achieve this. Lumian suspected Albus had an item orpanion simr to the Sword of Courage that shared at least half the damage.
Considering Albus''s abilities surpassing Sequence 5 and some beyond Sequence 5''s capabilities, Lumian reasonably deduced a special connection with the Red Angel, allowing him to share some of thetter''s power and endure some of the damage-an ability Hunters gained and deepened starting at the demigod level.
If not for being in Morora, thend sealing 0-01, Lumian believed Albus could have borrowed true demigod power, not facing so many limitations.
As the iron soldier prepared to jump into the fog-filled hollow to chase Albus, the motherly Gusain raised his head and let out a sharp, piercing howl.
Lumian and Wanak''s minds buzzed simultaneously, their thoughts shattered, life force rapidly draining, causing weakness in the very depths of their souls.
Crack!
In the darkness at the edge of the district, a mirror shattered on the ground, revealing Julie''s figure.
In the next second, Gusain fixed his gaze on Lumian,pletely ignoring Wanak and Julie.
He caressed his increasingly swollen belly, his blue eyes turning vicious.
Under his will, the near Sequence 4 iron soldier abandoned the pursuit of Albus, turning to target Lumian.
Seeing this, Lumian, enduring the throbbing headache and buzzing in his ears, smiled and waved at Gusain and the iron soldier.
His figure then disappeared, leaving Gusain and the iron soldier to Wanak and Julie.
Bye-bye!
Lumian teleported to the entrance of the Church of Knowledge, just as two teams of ck-robed enforcers rushed out.
He walked into the cathedral, found a corner, and sat on the floor, pulling out a borrowed book from the Traveler''s Bag, leaning against the brass bookshelf, and began studying.
He was concerned that the child Gusain carried might pose a significant threat and target him, so he sought the Knowledge Cathedral''s protection.
I''m studying so diligently, shouldn''t you show some appreciation, Church of Knowledge?
In the ruins of the mostly copsed buildings, Wanak noticed Gusain''s belly had swollen even more, looking increasingly like a woman about to give birth.
The belly started writhing as if something inside was trying to break free.
Wanak''s gaze froze, immediately raising his hands and head towards the cloudy sky.
Dark clouds gathered quickly, and Morora''s weather changed again.
Silver lightning snakes darted through the clouds, converging into a tree-like lightning bolt as thick as a bucket, striking down.
The terrifying lightning targeted Gusain and the baby inside him!
Gusain vanished, hiding in a ghostly wastnd.
But the silver "giant python" pursued him relentlessly, piercing through the void, striking his belly with unavoidable speed.
Bang!
The thunderp woke the city''s exiles.
The wastnd shattered like a mirror, revealing Gusain''s ckened belly, emitting a burnt smell as he reappeared in the ruins.
Thud! A charred lump of flesh fell from his belly, struggled briefly, and theny still.
Gusain froze, life forcepletely drained, and copsed.
His flesh rapidly shriveled, turning him into a charred mummy, withrge blood-colored blisters appearing on his body.
Another bolt of lightning, formed by countless silver snakes, struck the blistering Gusain.
Boom!
Gusain twitched a few times and diedpletely.
"Mom!" the iron soldier cried, running to Gusain, crouching down, and picking him up.
Julie seized the opportunity, reflecting the iron soldier in her mirror and covering it with Demoness ck mes.
The iron soldier was instantly engulfed in ck mes, burning from the inside out.
It stood up, wielding its white ming spear, and charged at Wanak and Julie in a frenzy.
For a while, fireballs, Fire Ravens, mirror fragments, burning-white spears, and burning rain appeared continuously, with explosions echoing non-stop.
As Julie prepared to escape using the Mirror Substitution, leaving Wanak to face the iron soldier alone, the iron soldier began to tremble.
Still burning with Demoness ck mes, its legs seemed unable to support its body, showing signs of rust and melting.
ng! ng! ng! Metal parts covered in ck mes fell off its body.
Soon, the iron soldier turned into a pile of scrap metal.
Wanak, who had been struggling, sighed in relief and sneered at the iron soldier''s remains. "All strength and no brains."N?v(el)B\\jnn
With that said, the most dangerous person in Morora then turned his head, looking at Julie a few meters away.
Julie''s gaze first fell on his face, then moved down to his crotch.
The Demoness shook her head in disappointment, regretting adding the ck me curse to the iron soldier too early, missing the chance to see Wanak weakened.
Wanak squinted slightly as Julie smiled and retreated into the shadows.
At this moment, the enforcers finally arrived in the district.
...
In the fog-filled hollow, Albus stood in a corner, leaning against the brown rock wall, hair disheveled, clothes tattered, a white cigarette in his mouth.
The Medici descendant took a deep drag and muttered regretfully, "Nobody followed. I was hoping to give you a surprise..."
...
After the explosions subsided and the enforcers returned to the Church of Knowledge, Lumian left and headed for the Carnivore bar.
Archbishop Heraberg of Morora hadn''t appeared, seemingly not on duty.
Lumian didn''t hurry to sleep. He conjured a white ming ball and continued reading the books rted to 0-01 at a desk.
Soon, Julie returned and knocked on his door.
Lumian, suspending the white ming ball, opened the shabby wooden door, seeing the neighboring Demoness with moist eyes and flushed cheeks, as if she had just finished some R21 activity.
She held a blood-colored object frozen in ice.
"Wanak''s?" Lumian asked with a smile.
Julie sighed and shook her head. "No, I didn''t get the chance."
She then used Lumian, which was her reason for knocking in the middle of the night. "Why did you leave early? Together, we could have cut off Wanak''s thing!"
If I hadn''t left, something you wouldn''t want to see might have happened... Lumian chuckled. "I''m in a partnership with Wanak."
"Pui!" Julie scoffed in disbelief.
She turned and walked towards her room.
After a few steps, she turned back, smiling slyly at Lumian. "Hope you don''t regret today''s choice."
Chapter 818 Instigation
Chapter 818 Instigation
818 Instigation
Don''t regret today''s choice... Lumian watched Julie''s back as she entered her room, and he could guess what she meant by her earlier words:
You''ll regret not killing Wanak today!
Julie must really ce a lot of weight on Wanak... Does she think he''ll affect the oue of the underground mausoleum raid? Lumian muttered to himself, closing the door and returning to his desk.
He understood Julie''s concern about Wanak. Earlier, Wanak had demonstrated his unique ability to manipte Morora''s weather, creating a hurricane powerful enough to disperse the war fog covering the entire district. From Lumian''ster observations, Wanak had even summoned terrifying lightning strikes.
Although Lumian wasn''t sure if these abilities had limitations, possibly relying on the current weather and only being able to guide it to simr conditions without causing drastic changes, Wanak''s disy still proved he was, in some ways, akin to a demigod.
Most importantly, with Lumian''s understanding of 0-01''s sealing information, if Wanak had truly submitted to 0-01, he should have exhibited some special abilities yet to be seen.
I remember the night Wanak was ambushed by Albus and Gusain, the weather was clear, while tonight it''s very cloudy, suitable for wind, rain, thunder, and lightning... Lumian held a book borrowed from the Church of Knowledge but didn''t read it as attentively as before. Instead, he thought carefully about the hidden details in Wanak''s behavior.
After a while, Lumian silentlyughed at Julie.
In the Demoness''s eyes, tonight was indeed the best chance to hunt Wanak-he was severely injured, the iron soldier had near-demigod strength to engage in directbat, Gusain had undergone a terrifying mutation with unknown abilities, and with Julie, the Demoness of Affliction, and Lumian himself, they had a good chance to permanently take Wanak down in the ruins.
But the problem was, if Lumian hadn''t teleported away, he might have be the primary target of Gusain and the iron soldier. In that case, Julie would likely see it as a great opportunity to kill her boss and choose to coborate with Wanak, assisting Gusain and the iron soldier.
Do you really think I''m that foolish? If Wanak is killed, with Medici heavily wounded and Gusain and the iron soldier destined to be cleaned up by the enforcers or the Church of Knowledge, wouldn''t the Demonesses be the sole dominant force? Then, facing their coercion or attacks, I wouldn''t be able to find any temporary allies... Such a situation that could drastically change the power dynamics should wait until I finish reading the remaining books... Lumian muttered, adjusting the white ming ball above his head so it wouldn''t cast shadows on the pages.
After determining the whereabouts of the Abscessed Hand, he could focus more on his studies.
Before that, he thought about what Albus Medici and Julie intended to achieve in Morora.
With backing from gods or a King of Angels, they likely weren''t just aiming to leave a mark on the terrifying Sealed Artifact, 0-01.
Internal and external coordination to directly steal 0-01? The Church of Knowledge is one of the seven major orthodox churches, it shouldn''t be so easy to take their most important Grade 0 Sealed Artifact unless they intend to let it happen...
Relying solely on violent means is probably not feasible, or the Primordial Demoness and the Red Angel would have acted already...
Do they need 0-01 to undergo some change?
And while I have some clues on how to get close to 0-01, I have no idea how to leave a mark and gain its favor... Do I need to rely on the remnants of Alista Tudor''s aura?
Or is it rted to one of my previous spections?
Lumian ended his thoughts and read for nearly another hour before lying down to sleep.
In Morora, he slept lightly, always on guard against potential attacks and the neighboring Demoness''s "gue."
If he experienced symptoms like fever or cough, he would wake immediately and teleport to the Knowledge Cathedral to check his condition!
If it weren''t for the umted negative effects of not sleeping for several days, he would rely on the automatic fatigue removal and spirituality restoration at six in the morning to stay up all night.
At the same time, this misled Julie and others-if they discovered he could stay energized without sleep, they might infer the changes urring at six in the morning, preventing Lumian from utilizing this special refresh state to turn the tide at critical moments.
The next morning, Lumian deliberately lingered in bed for half an hour before waking up, brushing his teeth, washing up, and heading downstairs to enjoy the breakfast prepared by Lez.
Seven or eight minutester, Julie returned from outside the bar.
Went out against night? The Demoness is really good at hiding her movements and whereabouts, it''s impossible to track her or even know when she leaves her room... Lumian shifted his gaze back and sipped his milk.
Julie lightly went over to a high stool two seats away from Lumian and remained silent.
Lez nced at her face, took out a small cake, and added some cream.
"Sweet food can help improve your mood," the Chef said simply, pushing the cream cake towards Julie.
Julie''s expression twisted. "I don''t need to improve my mood! I''m in a great mood!"
Oh, you''re in a bad mood... Last night, you were in a good mood when you knocked on my door... Did something happen when you went outte at night? Lumian openly observed Julie for a few moments.
Lez said, "As a chef, I must urately judge the current state of the ingredients to choose the most suitable cooking method."
Julie''s eyes narrowed, losing any semnce of elegance.
She seemed ready to kill at any moment.
Based on previous observations, only Celeste, the other Demoness, can make Julie''s state deteriorate rapidly and her emotions nearly lose control... Did the lovers have a fight? Hmm, my basic psychology knowledge tells me Julie seems more worried than sad. She didn''t hide this... Worrying... Lumian ced his right hand on the Traveler''s Bag, ready for the Demoness to lose control.
Almost simultaneously, he thought of a possibility.
As a member of the enforcers and a listed experimental subject, Celeste was sure to take shifts in the underground tomb or rotate to rece the puppet. For Celeste, who still retained some self-awareness, this was both an opportunity and a danger!
Julie went out to meet Celestest night and learned that she would be entering the underground mausoleum soon, possibly returning as a fully controlled experimental subject without self-awareness? No wonder Julie is so worried, her mood deteriorating... Lumian chuckled with understanding.
"What are youughing at?" Julie red at him coldly.
Lumian smiled and sighed. "It might be fine this time, but what about next time, or the time after? If you don''t solve the root of the problem, one day you''ll face an oue you don''t want to ept."
Julie''s eyes flickered as she stared at the cream cake, silent for a long time.
When Lumian wiped his mouth and prepared to leave, she frowned slightly and asked, "How much do you know?"
Lumian responded with a smile, "Why don''t you take a guess? Maybe I know nothing, and your expression gave me the answer."
With that, Lumian climbed the stairs, leaving Julie staring nkly.
...
Trier, Avenue du Boulevard, 6 Rue Belfort.
In the four-story townhousete at night, after Muggle left, Periodic Table and others circled back, reuniting with the Associate Professor couple in the living room.
ncing at the darkness outside the window, Periodic Table sighed. "Is it really okay to put on such an act in front of Muggle?"
"We didn''t deceive her; we just hoped to elicit her sympathy." Professor sighed. "The disappearance of Pir Kmerolo, Nik suspected of being the Mirror Person, and the increasingly erratic actions of the Hidden Sage have trapped us in a predicament, difficult to escape on our own.N?v(el)B\\jnn
After surviving the April Fool''s plot, Muggle has be increasingly mysterious, clearly backed by a powerful force.
"Fortunately, she''s still kind. Even though she might have noticed something off, she still informed us that divine power lingers in the underground catbs and agreed to deal with Nik."
Associate Professor patted his wife''s shoulder tofort her.
Casting a sweeping nce around, he said, "Not just for ourselves, but for those we care about, we must survive."
Periodic Table gave a self-mocking smile. "Half a year ago, I never thought we''d end up like this. How did the powerful and secretive Moses Ascetic Order end up in such a state?"
...
The next morning, Franca received a reply from Madam Judgment after breakfast.
"The operation against Nik of the Moses Ascetic Order canmence as soon as possible.
"The high-ranking members of the Moses Ascetic Order are already aware of Kmerolos disappearance. Another Pir will arrive in Trier soon to handle this, but it won''t affect your mission against Nik, if he is indeed the Mirror Person, Griffith."
The Moses Ascetic Order knows Kmerolo is missing? How did they find out so quickly? Was it because of my report or did they just notice something? Hmm, our Tarot Club''s mole in the Moses Ascetic Order seems to be quite high-ranking, able to provide intel about the arrival of a Pir and the judgment that it won''t affect our mission against Nik...
Such a certain judgment... Could that Pir be one of our Tarot Club members? Hmm... Franca pondered, growing more curious the more she thought about it.
Chapter 819 Subteam Operation
Chapter 819 Subteam Operation
819 Subteam Operation
In the evening, in Trier, at 35 Rue Saint-Nornez in Quartier 20, known for its public cemetery.
In different states of invisibility, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony stood outside Room 6 on the fifth floor, checking the details of the environment and making final preparations for their operation.
ording to the information provided by Periodic Table, Nik, a suspected member of the Moses Ascetic Order and possibly a Mirror Person, was an ordinary employee of a grainpany, living a very regr life, leaving home punctually every day and returning on time.
The only unusual thing about Nik was that, despite being in his mid-thirties, he was still unmarried, citing severe intermittent migraines as the reason why women found him unappealing.
When Franca read this information, she immediately thought, This matches the characteristic of Mystery Pryers continuously influenced by the evil god, Hidden Sage... Could it be that Mirror People of the Mystery Pryer pathway are also infused with knowledge by the Hidden Sage?
Recalling the content of the dossier, Franca emerged from her invisibility state and created ayer of frost, making it seep into the keyhole and freeze solid.
As a result, she produced a crystalline key and easily opened Nik''s door.
Taking advantage of the fact that this ordinary employee hadn''t yet returned home from work, Franca took out a mirror and began divination to avoid any traps or warning setups that might be in the apartment.
"Bedroom, living room, and guest room all have full-length mirrors, and there are up to fifteen or sixteen portable mirrors. If you''re not a Mirror Person, who would believe that?" Franca mumbled to herself, checking the room twice.
She was also conveying the collected information to Jenna and Anthony outside the door.
Of course, there was another possibility for so many mirrors, which was that Nik was a Demoness. However, it was obvious that this individual was not an exceptionally attractive female, nor even a female at all.
Franca went to the full-length mirror in the living room, looked at Jenna and Anthony''s figures in the hallway, and said, "I''ll ambush behind this mirror. Follow the n to force the target into this mirror. If he can use the mirror world, we can confirm he''s the Mirror Person, Griffith."
As she spoke, ck mes quietly burned around the room, erasing traces left by the previous search.
Jenna nodded slightly and specifically reminded, "Be careful of an ambush behind the mirror, like the one Lumian encountered before."
"Don''t worry. Magic Mirror Divination told me there''s no ambush. Of course, I won''t fully trust and rely on divination. I''ll stay vignt." Franca felt Jenna''s concern, smiling as she took out the Seven-Stone Bracelet from the Traveler''s Bag, now with only two diamonds left, and tossed it outside.
As she threw it, she couldn''t help but mutter in her heart, Out with the old, in with the new, out with the old, in with the new...
Once Jenna caught the Seven-Stone Bracelet, Franca reiterated, "After confirming Nik enters this mirror, you both immediately teleport away, using that fixed entrance to the mirror world to assist me."
"No problem," Anthony replied, wearing gloves, closing the apartment door, and warming the lock area, which had be icy from the cold key.
This was to prevent Nik from sensing the residual cold and suspecting anything amiss when he opened the door.
Once Jenna and Anthony left, Franca took out the Ice Amulet, hanging it around her neck.
Then she ced her palm against the full-length mirror in the living room.
With a sh of cold light, she silently passed through the ss.
Behind the mirror was void, a spider-web-like deep dark tunnel filled Franca''s vision.
Keeping a close watch on the surroundings, Franca breathed a sigh of relief and murmured, No ambush.
Confirming this, she leaned closer to the mirror, peering through the ss into the apartment''s living room: Nik had not yet returned, and outside, the dusk was eerily quiet.
Franca''s nerves instinctively tightened. She raised her right hand, rubbed her temples, and sighed.
It would be great if Lumian were here...
This operation was proposed and perfected by her, killing many of her brain cells and making her responsible for achieving the goal without severely harming Jenna and Anthony. She couldn''t rx at all.
In the past, Lumian bore these burdens and responsibilities. She only needed to question and use her imagination toplete her part of the task.
Sigh, being a team leader is exhausting, no chance to ck off... Francaposed herself and patiently waited.
In the caf diagonally across from 35 Rue Saint-Nornez.
Jenna, now a girl in a ck dress with her hood removed, sat by the window, chatting with Anthony about various Trier anecdotes.
Suddenly, she propped her left elbow on the table, using her palm to press down her original xen hair, her voice dropping slightly. "The target is back."
Anthony, while acting attracted to the beautiful woman opposite, nced with his peripheral vision at the apartment building.
A double-decker public carriage had stopped by the roadside, and a man in his thirties wearing a ck wool coat and a half-high silk top hat got off.
The man was nearly six feet tall, walked steadily, had a thin face with distinct features, and rare deep ck eyes.
It''s definitely Nik... Anthony nodded slightly to Jenna, confirming she hadn''t mistaken the target.
Jenna then straightened her head, withdrew her left hand, and nced at the cuckoo clock on the caf wall.
She smiled lightly at Anthony and said, "Three minutes to go."
She meant that in three minutes, the operation would officially start.
The reason for waiting three more minutes in the caf was to avoid Nik''s instinctual investigation as a Mystery Pryer after returning home.
This was a detail discussed and decided by Franca, Jenna, and Anthony.
...
Nik, wearing a half-high silk top hat, walked step by step up to the fifth floor and stopped outside Room 6.
He didn''t open the door immediately but raised his right hand and rubbed his temples.
Then he closed his eyes briefly and reopened them, his pupils now a deep purple with a mysterious aura.
Eye of Mystery Prying!
Usually, Nik used special Warlock spells to weaken the effect of the Eye of Mystery Prying to avoid sudden death, but it couldn''t bepletely sealed. Now, he was using it to its full potential to observe the surroundings inside and outside the room.
Bugs on the ceiling, hairs in the cracks, the neighbor cooking in front of the coal stove, dust floating in the air, children running up and down the stairs, rats hiding in the shadows, pedestrians passing by on the streets -all these scenes ovepped in Nik''s deep purple eyes.
At the same time, he saw shadowy curtains around him and dark aqueous light on the surfaces of all mirrors.
Before the gaze behind the shadowy curtain could be more pronounced, Nik ended his observation abruptly, closing his eyes.
He knew if he continued looking, something unpredictable might happen, filling him with fear.
Phew... The Eye of Mystery Prying is truly dangerous. Listeners on the Secrets Suppliant pathway hear things, we see things, and both are equally likely to encounter the forbidden and die mysteriously... Nik muttered, pulling out a brown leather scroll from an inner pocket of his ck wool coat, softly chanting a word in Hermes-"Myopia."
The scroll immediately ignited with ck mes, quickly turning to ash.
The mysterious deep purple in Nik''s eyes faded into the ck depths of his pupils.
After doing this, Nik took out his key and opened the door.
He had confirmed there were no suspicious individuals or enemies hiding in the shadows, nor were there any signs of abnormalities around the apartment or the street.
Entering the living room, closing the door behind him, Nik unbuttoned the top of his wool coat and white shirt, rxing on the sofa with his arms stretched out.
Franca, watching from behind the full-length mirror, took advantage of Nik''s forward movement to grab a beer from the coffee table, extending her right hand slightly through the mirror, pressing it tightly against the ss.
When Nik sat back on the sofa, Franca immediately withdrew her hand.
Gulping beer, Nik read the newspapers he had brought back, behaving like any ordinary employee.
Time passed slowly, and as three minutes psed, Jenna and Anthony left the caf, turning into a nearby secluded alley, preparing both their shadow hiding and Psychological Invisibility techniques.
They quickly returned to the target apartment and hid in their prearranged positions.
At this time, Nik was still reading the newspapers, considering whether to go out for dinner or cook something simple.
Suddenly, Nik''s throat felt dry and itchy, as if he hadn''t drunk water for a long time.
He coughed once and thought, I drank half a bottle of beer, why is my throat so dry?
As this thought crossed his mind, he couldn''t help but cough again.
Immediately, a strong sense of unease washed over him.
Something''s wrong!
Just as Nik became alert, Jenna, hearing two consecutive coughs from the target through the wall, emerged from the shadows without hesitation. With her hood still on, she inserted the Arrow of the Bloodthirsty into her own heart.
Her xen hair seemed to lengthen slightly, her contours became more refined, and her facial features more stunning. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Previously, Jenna''s beauty highlighted her feminine charm, an expression of femininity. Now, her beauty seemed to be a more independent concept, alluring by sheer virtue of its existence.
Through the door, she made the shadows beneath Nik''s feet and the surrounding darkness coalesce into illusory yet solid ck chains, wrapping around the target.
Chapter 820 Walking into a Trap
Chapter 820 Walking into a Trap
820 Walking into a Trap
As Jenna used the Abyss Shackles spell from the Arrow of the Bloodthirsty, shadows and darkness came to life beside the coughing Nik. Under the yellowish light of the gas wallmp, they coalesced into ck chains that wrapped around the Moses Ascetic Order member, binding him firmly in ce, even sealing his mouth.
Nik, experienced inbat, immediately formed a slowly rotating mass of stardust in his right palm. The light in the room dimmed as if night had fallen outside.
In the dimness, numerous bright stars appeared, not densely packed but numerous enough.
They cast beams of light that converged into a thick column, illuminating the entire room and enveloping Nik.
The ck chains formed by the Abyss Shackles disintegrated like shadows meeting sunlight, and Nik dissolved rapidly in the light column, shattering into countless ss shards.
Mirror Substitution!
Using his unique abilities, Nik escaped the Abyss Shackles by attacking himself. As a Mystery Pryer pathway Beyonder, many of his spells required incantations. With his mouth sealed, his abilities were significantly limited.
As a result, Jenna confirmed that Nik was a Mirror Person.
ck fog emanated from her back, growing into a pair ofrge, illusory bat wings.
These Wings of Darkness transformed into a swarm of palm-sized, insubstantial vampire bats that flew through the walls and door towards the newly freed Nik.
Meanwhile, Anthony ended his Psychological Invisibility, kicking open the door while aiming aplex, mechanically beautiful ck revolver at Nik.
Winter is Coming!
Anthony was preparing to use the Certain Death effect of this Beyonder weapon.
He didn''t intend to actually use it because Nik''s Mirror Substitution ability could prematurely activate, causing the deadly bullet to hit the mirror instead.
Anthony''s current objective was to use a Warlock''s acute spirituality warnings and mystery-prying eyes to make Nik feel his life was in danger, forcing him to escape through the mirror world.
ording to Franca, Nik, likely a Sequence 5 Constetions Master from the Mystery Pryer pathway and possibly a Mirror Person, would undoubtedly sense the danger of the Winter is Coming revolver and recognize its godhood-possessing attack.
To genuinely trigger the target''s spirituality warning, Anthony needed toplete a psychological suggestion on himself, a simple task for a Hypnotist.
Thus, Anthony was genuinely nning to shoot, fully intending to use the Certain Death effect. However, when his finger began to pull the trigger, it would activate the preset psychological warning, canceling the suggestion and allowing him to fire a normal bullet.
Just as Franca predicted, the moment Nik saw the Winter is Coming revolver, a hint of deep purple appeared in his pitch-ck eyes, reflecting the weapon''s decaying aura.
He instantly felt a creeping sense of death, his throat itching more intensely, and a weakness spreading through his body.
This wasn''t an effect of Winter is Coming but a bacsh from seeing the secret of the Beyonder weapon,bined perfectly with the pathogen Franca spread when she extended her hand through the mirror, worsening Nik''s condition.
Without considering further, Nik immediately let a mirror substitute himself.
Bang!
Anthony pulled the trigger, firing a yellow bullet with only a disease effect, which, along with the swarm of vampire bats, hit Nik, causing a shattering sound.
Nik, now visible in another corner of the room, had no intention of counterattacking. His only thought was to flee immediately.
This was partly because he was unsure if there were more attackers and partly because the gun''s danger kept him on high alert.
Unable to assess the situation clearly and knowing the enemy had a demigod-level weapon, he had no choice but to escape.
Nik quickly lunged towards the nearest mirror, aiming to use the mirror world to escape the battle.
Noticing his move, Jenna slowed her attacks, while Anthony''s eyes turned gold, disying spiraling whirlpools that seemed to prate the soul.
Battle Hypnotism!
This spell forcibly hypnotized an enemy duringbat, making them perform abnormal actions, but it could not directly harm the hypnotized and didn''tst long.
Anthony''s intent was only to make Nik switch mirrors, dying his escape without directly endangering him.
Nik hesitated, suddenly feeling the mirror might hide a dangerous trap.
He quickly pulled out a scroll with gold foil from the inside pocket of his ck wool coat and softly chanted a Hermes word, "Sun!"
The scroll was instantly consumed by golden mes, erupting into blinding sunlight that turned all the vampire bats to smoke.
This severely affected Jenna and Anthony''s vision, their eyes filled with dazzling sunlight.
Nik seized the moment, rolling towards the full-length mirror in the living room and diving in.
From the start of Battle Hypnotism to his escape, it took only two or three seconds.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The sunlight quickly faded, and Anthony nodded at Jenna.
Jenna immediately grabbed herpanion''s shoulder, activating the Seven-Stone Bracelet on her left wrist.
One of the two remaining diamonds burst into clear light, enveloping them both.
In the next second, Jenna and Anthony teleported to the quarry chamber with the fixed mirror world entrance, pressing their hands against the protruding rock.
...
Nik, just entering the void and dark area behind the mirror, couldn''t help but cough.
The disease he had contracted couldn''t be removed by Mirror Substitution.
Cough! Cough! Cough! As he coughed violently, he felt invisible threads binding his bodyyer byyer.
Spider webs from a Demoness? Nik shuddered.
Jenna had been deliberately using the Arrow of the Bloodthirsty to attack this Mirror Person to hide her identity as a Demoness, preventing Nik from suspecting he was being targeted by Demonesses.
Otherwise, he would suspect a trap behind the mirror, abandoning the mirror world escape n and rendering Anthony''s Battle Hypnotism ineffective.
As his pupils dted, Nik reflexively formed a slowly rotating mass of stardust in his right palm.
Before he could use his Constetions Master abilities to destroy himself and the Demoness webs in this area, he felt invisible threads lightly caressing him, from his ears and face to his chest and inner thighs, teasing and scratching with seductive touches.
This instantly sent his blood surging, his thoughts sinking deep to hisher regions.
As he struggled to regain control and use his abilities, he saw a figure at the edge of the web-like tunnel.
The figure wore a ck robe with leather armor, the hood askew, revealing a pair of heroic and beautiful eyebrows, clear bright eyes likeke water, and moist red lips.
This indescribable beauty and soul-stirring charm made Nik instinctively hold his breath, forgetting to resist, forgetting to break free.
Demoness of Affliction''s Charm!
The intense danger warning allowed Nik to barely break free from this bewitching beauty. Clenching his teeth, suppressing the desire from the teasing and seductive touches, he was about to activate the stardust whirlpool in his hand.
Franca continued her Charm, a slight smile on her lips, stunning Nik while changing the action of some webs. They started tickling him!
"Ha... ha... ha!" Sensitive spots on his neck, armpits, and waist were attacked, making himugh uncontrobly, tears streaming down his face.
If not for the invisible threads binding him tightly, he would have retreated, twisted his body, or rolled on the ground.
In this state, it was nearly impossible for Nik to use any of his abilities.
Of course, his desire also faded because of this.
Right now, I really do feel like a ck widow spider, methodically dealing with prey caught in its web... At the Demoness of Affliction stage, if the prey is truly ensnared without help, they''ll be constantly affected, unable to escape by their own means... It''s a pity this doesn''t work on Hunters; they can ignite mes to burn the web... I wonder when I''ll be able to directly transmit genuine pleasure through the webs... Franca maintained her vignce, watching the franticallyughing Nik, muttering to herself.
Her strategy was clear: restrain the enemy, continually interfere with his efforts, and dy him until his illness red up or he waspletely charmed.
During this process, even if Nik used Mirror Substitution, he would be limited by the distance, with his body reappearing within the area covered by the Demoness webs, repeating the initial experience.
Previously, Franca had already turned this ce into a Demoness''s nest.
On one side, he was continuously tickled, while on the other, his desire was stoked by teasing touches. Nik oscited between hell and paradise, in extreme agony.
The beautiful figure, seemingly forever out of reach, became a symbol of all his hopes and dreams.
Nik knew he couldn''t continue like this. Resolving to endure theughter, he bit his tongue hard.
The pain pierced his mind, momentarily freeing him from all influences.
He tightened his grip on the stardust whirlpool.
In the void and darkness behind the mirror, one brilliant star after another lit up.
Chapter 821 Infatuation
Chapter 821 Infatuation
821 Infatuation
Above the dark and low void of the mirror world, numerous brilliant stars shed beams of clear light.
These beams converged into a column of light, illuminating the mirror world and engulfing Franca, the Demoness webs, and Nik himself.
Franca and Nik both shattered into countless mirror fragments. These shards, along with the invisible webs, quickly dissolved into nothing under the starlight.
The starlight quickly faded, and Nik and Franca''s figures reappeared in different corners of the mirror world.
Seeing the entrance to the tunnel of webs now unobstructed, Nik felt a surge of joy. He pulled out a dark gray scroll from the inner pocket of his ck wool coat.
Suppressing the urge to cough, he whispered a Hermes word, "Wind!"
The dark gray scroll instantly ignited with cyan mes, a roaring wind gathering around Nik, pushing his feverish and muddled thoughts forward at the speed of the wind toward one of the dark tunnels.
Nik, seizing the moment before Franca could intervene, followed the wind into the tunnel entrance.
However, he didn''t feel the familiar pull from other mirrors.
He was back where he started.
The dark, illusory tunnel wasn''t open to him!
Mirror Maze!
After bing a Demoness of Affliction, Franca''s mirror magic had evolved, allowing her to create scene illusions with pre-set mirrors.
While waiting for Jenna and Anthony to act, she had woven invisible webs, spread pathogens, and ced mirrors at multiple tunnel entrances.
These mirrors, influenced by Beyonder powers, reflected each other, creating a mirror maze that hid the real tunnel entrances, showing only their reflections.
Nik had chosen a false target, the reflection of a real tunnel, and naturally couldn''t escape.
Taking advantage of this gap, Franca wove another web, ensnaring Nik, wrapping him inyers, either making him blush orugh uncontrobly.
Having experienced this before, Nik didn''t let himself getpletely entangled. Using his abilities as a Constetions Master, he broke free once again.
In the following time, amidst increasing fever and violent coughing, he barely managed to fend off Franca using scrolls and attempted to destroy the mirrors creating the maze, seeking the real exit.
Under Warlock attacks and interference from spells like wind des, lightning, shes, purification, freezing, and paralysis, Franca kept changing positions, sometimes using Mirror Substitution to block an attack, showing great patience and restraint.
Her focus was on maintaining the Demoness webs and spreading pathogens, using her Demoness of Affliction''s Charm to buy time.
Gradually, Nik felt he shouldn''t resist or harm the beautifuldy.
His breath grew hot, his heart racing either from the pathogens or her every move, pounding as if to leap from his chest.
The immense pressure made him suspect he might suffer a heart attack any second.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a scroll etched with lightning patterns from his coat''s inner pocket.
It was a powerful item he bought from a Broker.
"Storm!" Just as he finished chanting, Nik started coughing violently, and the scroll erupted into a dazzling silver light.
The silver light expanded, filling the mirror world with a thunderstorm, the apanying wind pushing lightning into the tunnel entrances, shattering the mirrors Franca had ced.
With the sound of breaking ss, Franca''s figure shattered, the mirror maze copsed, revealing the true dark tunnels.
Nik had no time to celebrate. Aided by the scroll''s spell, dragging his sick body, he dashed toward the nearest tunnel entrance.
He had scrolls with some healing effects but didn''t want to miss the chance to escape.
Seeing the tunnel entrance within reach and the attacking Demoness reappearing in another corner, Nik''s heart surged with hope.
At that moment, he saw two figures in the tunnel entrance out of the corner of his eye.
Jenna and Anthony, who had teleported using thest diamond of the Seven-Stone Bracelet, had arrived and been lying in wait.
During the brief and weakened storm, both had been struck by lightning but evaded the worst damage using Mirror Substitution-one from her own ability, the other from the Mirror Substitution created by the two Demonesses.
Seizing this chance, Anthony''s eyes turned gold, radiating a dragon-like aura.
Awe!
Fear and panic surged in Nik''s heart, leaving him disoriented, as if facing an unbeatable predator.
Seeing the target pause and turn in circles, Jenna threw a handful of ck powder and chanted a few Hermes words.N?v(el)B\\jnn
It was one of a Witch''s ck magic spells.
Due to their need for materials and incantations, Jenna rarely used these inbat, opting for the convenience of frost and ck mes.
The ck powder ignited, and a cold wind rose, surrounding Nik with ghostly figures pressing against him, covering his mouth and nose.
With this dual interference, Franca''s Demoness webs wove again, sticking Nik in ce.
Franca smiled sincerely at the Mirror Person.
With a buzz, Nik felt his blood split, half surging upward, half downward, his heart seeming to stop.
Under repeated Charms and his severe illness, he could no longer resist Franca''s allure.
In a daze, Nik saw the woman, whose every detail fit his aesthetic, beckon to him and offer a transparent triangr spike symbolizing goodwill and control.
I wholeheartedly ept... With this thought, Nik didn''t question why the webs no longer restricted him. He reached out and grasped the triangr spike, feeling a slight sting.
His thoughts frozepletely, bing as sluggish and stiff as rusted machine parts.
Wintry de!
With Nik under control, Franca nced at Jenna, signaling her to find and destroy the remaining mirrors on him.
Then, Franca could form an ice spike and perform a lobotomy on Nik.
With Lumian absent, there was no one to use the ritual leather for the Animal Creation Spell to turn Nik into arge hound.
Jenna nodded slightly, cutting off the lower half of Nik''s right sleeve, and quickly took off his ck wool coat. She swiftly found the remaining five mirrors and smashed them one by one.
During this process, Nik did not resist. He looked at Franca with a mixture of obsession and pain, coughing intermittently.
He still held the Wintry de, blood trickling from his hand.
Franca''s left hand formed a long, thin ice spike.
Suddenly, Nik''s expression twisted.
Knowledge infusion from the Hidden Sage? Dammit, why now? Franca was first stunned, then understood the reason.
In his severely ill and dying state, Nik was unlikely to withstand this.
He might lose control on the spot!
In a sh, Franca discarded the ice spike and the Wintry de, taking out a mirror that reflected Nik''s image. She then wiped the ss surface with her right hand, covered in eerie ck mes.
Nik''s exposed skin was marked with numerous blood-red cracks, with strange things forming inside them.
At that moment, pitch-ck mes erupted from his body, burning his soul.
Using the blood dripping from Nik''s hand, Jenna began a curse, while Anthony aimed the Winter is Coming revolver at Nik, ready to use the Certain Death effect at any moment.
Soon, the two Demonesses acted before Nik could lose control, ending his lifepletely.
Silently, Nik fell to the void and dark ground of the mirror world, bing a corpse.
The eye-like objects hidden within his flesh stopped moving, unable to emerge.
Franca quickly set up a ritual,pleting the Magic Mirror Divination.
In her makeup mirror, Nik''s eerie, pale figure appeared, showing only slight signs of losing control.
The ghost''s eyes still held a trace of obsession with Franca but now included the pain and despair of being killed by her.
A Demoness of Affliction''s Charm is terrifying... I wonder if Baby Cupid from the Scrooge pathway can make someone fall hopelessly in love with them too... Franca mused with a sigh and then asked, "Are you Griffith?"
"Yes, I am very pleased you know and remember my true name." The mirror''s Nik smiled joyfully.
".." Franca was momentarily speechless.
She paused for a second before asking, "Do you know what happened to your superior, Kmerolo, one of the Ten Pirs?"
Chapter 822 Wilderness
Chapter 822 Wilderness
822 Wilderness
Nik looked at Franca with an obsession and said, "He should be feeling the call of the wilderness."
"Wilderness?" Franca didn''t hide her confusion.
Nik eagerly and thoroughly exined, "In Fourth Epoch Trier, near the ruined pce of Alista Tudor, beside His remains-no, on His remains, no, under them-well, there''s a wilderness there. All Mystery Pryers and Savants will eventually return to that wilderness."
All Mystery Pryers and Savants... The only thing powerful enough to influence both pathways must be the Celestial Master. Professor and Assistant Professor had dreams about the wilderness before... Franca perked up and asked, "What else do you know about this wilderness?"
Nik shook his head slightly, looking a bit annoyed but very honest.
"Nothing else. ording to our leader, the higher the sequence of a Mystery Pryer or Savant, the more likely they are to hear the call of the wilderness."
The Hidden Sage should stand atop the Mystery Pryer pathway, so during the Hostel incident, when the seal of Fourth Epoch Trier was broken, the leak of wilderness power greatly affected Him, driving Him madder. Is Kmerolo in a simr situation? After all, he''s in Trier... The demigods of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery in Trier might also be affected? Franca swallowed and asked, "Has Kmerolo returned to that wilderness?"
Nik smiled gently but painfully.
"Not yet. He''s probably just deteriorating, unable to maintain himself well, and resisting the call in some extreme way. If he were to return, he''d have to pass through our mirror world. It wouldn''t escape our leader''s notice. If our leader knew, so would I."
For Trier, Kmerolo returning to the wilderness might not be a bad thing. ording to Nik-no, Griffith-Kmerolo is like a powerful bomb that could go off at any time... Franca thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know where he''s hiding now?"
Nik sighed and said, "He hasn''t contacted me for a while. Thest time we met was near the catbs."
Near the catbs... Franca then asked, "Griffith, what was your goal in infiltrating the Moses Ascetic Order?"
Nik emphasized seriously, "I am the original. Our goal was to make the higher-ups of the Moses Ascetic Order gradually aware of the wilderness and help us unseal Fourth Epoch Trier at a critical moment."
Franca had an epiphany and asked, "Did Kmerolo, with your ''help,'' already know about the wilderness and its exact location?"
Was it knowing too much and possessing godhood that made Kmerolo lose control gradually, bing unable to resist the wilderness call?
The Church of the God of Steam and Machinery hasn''t shown simr issues, at least not as severe...
"Yes." Nik shared his feelings with his dream lover. "So, this is both good and bad for me. It took me a lot to gain Kmerolo''s trust and interest in the wilderness without arousing suspicion, but now all that effort is wasted. I have to figure out how to gain the trust of another of the Ten Pirs."
"Why is it also a good thing?" Franca was puzzled.
Nik smiled and said, "If Kmerolo returns to the wilderness, I might get the Mysticologist Beyonder characteristic someday."
"Mysticologist is Sequence 4 of the Mystery Pryer pathway? Can you Mirror People ascend by drinking potions?" Franca quickly asked two questions.
Nik nodded. "Yes, I can ascend to Mysticologist by drinking the potion. I am the original."
"Have you ever drunk a potion?" Franca nced at Griffith''s body, which had not produced any Beyonder characteristics.
"No," Nik replied candidly.
Meh, no Beyonder characteristic drops... Franca cursed inwardly in pre-transmigration gaming terms and then said, "Moran Avigny has been dead for a while. Your leader can''t leave the seal and frequently get feedback or give orders. Who''s handling day-to-day matters and contacting the Mirror People in Trier?"
"It''s Palia. She received instructions and information from the leader," Nik replied but didn''t borate like before.
The mineralogist, Jasmine, I''m tracking... No wonder she appeared twice in Underground Trier despite being wanted... She''s rebuilding the Mirror Peoplework in Trier? Franca asked quickly, "Can you contact Palia?"N?v(el)B\\jnn
Nik shook his head again. "She contacts us one-way for now. This way, if any one of us is exposed, it doesn''t affect the others. ording to the previous arrangement, Palia contacts me through the mirror world once a week to check on my situation and exchange new information, usually on Sunday evenings between eight and ten."
Don''t you find this troublesome and inconvenient? Well, it is quite safe...
Franca criticized silently and saw Nik''s image fading, about to disappear, and quickly asked thest question, "Besides Fourth Epoch Trier and current Trier, where else does your mirror world connect to?"
This question came from Lumian''s letter.
He confirmed Morora exchanged information with the outside world through this special mirror world.
Nik thought for a moment and said, "A strange ce, much like Fourth Epoch Trier, also sealed, with many living people inside, but we can''t enter."
Mirror People can''t use the special mirror world to go directly to Morora...
Franca nodded slightly and asked, "Did some of yourpanions go to Lenburg to find that sealed strange ce?"
"Yes, although we can''t go directly, if we can enter normally, we can use the mirror world''s power..." Nik said as he began to lose his soul''s integrity.
He looked at Franca, lingeringly and painfully scanning her beautiful face.
Franca''s skin prickled with goosebumps.
Watching Nik-the Mirror Person Griffith-disappearpletely, Franca sighed inwardly.
Short-term, high-intensity, high-frequency Charm canst so long. It might take a day or two to fade...
Repeated Charm in daily life, maintained long-term, can indeed make someone fall deeply in love with me... I wonder how long this lovests without supernatural influence. A year should be fine, but it''s hard to say for the seven-year itch...
Heh, Hunters can form teams, and so can Demonesses. But the loyalty and rapport will be higher. The only issue is team members might not truly cooperate and could hate each other... What a mess...
Franca put away the mirror and said to Jenna and Anthony, "No need to wait. This guy doesn''t have any Beyonder characteristics."
By then, Jenna had finished collecting the loot, getting 460 verl d''or and nine scrolls from Nik.
The scrolls'' effects and incantations required Magic Mirror Divination to reveal.
Anthony nced at Nik''s body and the nine scrolls, considering.
"Should we have someone use Lie to disguise as Nik and wait for that Mirror Person Palia to contact?"
"We can, but it''s unlikely," Franca said after some thought. "We can bury the body and carry out anti-divination and anti-prophecy measures, but there are many days until Sunday. The Mirror People leader might notice something wrong. Still, it''s worth a try."
After carrying out anti-divination and anti-prophecy measures and seeing Nik''s body turn into a few broken mirror shards, Jenna frowned slightly. "Still none of those special mirror world shards."
Moran Avigny didn''t leave any either.
The shards in Jenna and Franca''s possession came from Gardner Martin and the Tamara family''s crypt.
"What kind of Mirror Person leaves special mirror world shards? What''s special about the fake Martin? Next time we catch a Mirror Person, we must ask..." Franca muttered to herself.
The three quickly tidied up the scene, and Franca activated the Ice Amulet to teleport to the fixed mirror world entrance.
During this process, Franca used the amulet''s power to send Lumian the intelligence gathered from this operation.
...
Morora, second floor of the Carnivore bar.
Reading a bookfortably, Lumian nced at the room''s mirror, seeing water ripple and a line of Intisian appear.
Reading it, Lumian suddenly froze.
He realized he had overlooked something.
At this moment, could the Mirror People sent to Lenburg to investigate the whereabouts of 0-01 have infiltrated Morora?
And the Mirror People produced by the underground mausoleum''s incident could use that special mirror world unlike him!
Chapter 823 Advice
Chapter 823 Advice
823 Advice
If the Mirror People have infiltrated Morora, what would they do? Lumian pondered for a while, ced the book back in the Traveler''s Bag, and stepped down the stairs to the hall.
It was dinner time, and the bar was bustling. Julie flitted between tables like a butterfly, serving drinks and meals to the customers.
The patrons were well-behaved; no one tried to act inappropriately by grabbing Julie''s ass or touching her chest.
They weren''t being moral or civilized. None of them had clean hands; those who entered Morora were all hardened criminals. Theirpliance was because someone had made a fatal mistake not long ago: Julie had been unstabletely, often in a daze. Unlike her usual self, she couldn''t always gracefully avoid wandering hands and arms amidst theughter and noise. One evening, someone found an opportunity to give her a hard pinch in the ass.
Julie''s suppressed fury and rage exploded instantly.
If Lumian hadn''t intervened in time, reminding her it wasn''t a legal duel, that drunkard would have ended up in the kitchen missing a vital part of his anatomy.
In the end, since the drunkard refused Julie''s duel challenge, after much "negotiation," he "voluntarily" chopped off his hand as an apology.
Otherwise, he might have lost control and attacked the repugnant bar owner, forcing him into self-defense.
Lumian nced at Julie, whose face was devoid of smiles, and walked into the kitchen, where Lez was finally taking a break, enjoying his dinner.
He picked up a caramelized finger, put it in his mouth, and chewed noisily.
Lumian sighed quietly and said, "I need to step out for a bit. Keep an eye on Julie."
"No problem," Lez replied, pointing to the te of now-missing fingers.
"Boss, want some? I''ve found a new cooking method-first deep-fry, then steam in a seasoned broth for twenty minutes."
"No, thanks." Lumian turned and left the Carnivore bar, walking through the dark, unlit streets to the Knowledge Cathedral.
He found a corner where he could see the graveyard and the entrance to the underground mausoleum through a window. Pulling over a wooden chair, he sighed and patted the backrest.
The Church of Knowledge is getting more considerate...
There hadn''t been chairs by the brass bookshelves before.
Too bad there''s nowhere to rest my feet. Lumian sat down, gazing at the graveyard through the stained ss, using the crimson moonlight to observe the entrance to the underground mausoleum.
ording to his information, Celeste, who had been on duty in the underground mausoleum for two days, would return to the surface at nine tonight.
Lumian''s goal was to make others believe he was at the Knowledge Cathedral to study while actually observing the mausoleum''s entrance and the experimental subjects'' activities.
His true purpose was simple: to mask his love of studying with the guise of observing the mausoleum and experimental subjects.
With this excuse, he wouldn''t have to waste time idling around the bar, drinking and boasting. He could finish the remaining books sooner.
By the cathedral''s bright candlelight, Lumian read for a while, then forced himself to lift his head and observe the mausoleum''s entrance for a couple of minutes.
After repeating this several times, he suddenly thought of his sister.
Back then, Aurore always urged him to study but would asionally drag him from his desk, forcing him to look at the trees outside the window and the distant mountain pastures.
Now, he had to rely on himself.
Time passed, and the cathedral''s clock chimed loudly.
A group of ck-robed enforcers left the Knowledge Cathedral, crossed the graveyard, and reached the mausoleum''s entrance.
Soon, the previous group of enforcers emerged from the gray-white stone steps leading to the mausoleum, moving in an orderly fashion.
With his Hunter''s vision and the crimson moonlight, Lumian saw that the leader was Celeste, wearing a ck robe and a blindfold.
The Demoness emerged from the entrance area slowly and expressionlessly, removing her blindfold.
The line behind her was long, each person carrying antern.
At that moment, Lumian felt a sudden, eerie sensation as if the deep darkness at the mausoleum''s entrance hade to life.
The darkness instantly swallowed thest experimental subject in line.
Lumian blinked, seeing no movement in the darkness. The anomaly seemed like an illusion.
Frowning slightly, he counted Celeste''s team members again.
Quickly, he concluded, One person is missing... and onentern...
Lumian watched Celeste''s team until they returned to the Knowledge Cathedral.
Near the stairs, Celeste turned her head slightly, ncing in Lumian''s direction.
Lumian crossed his right leg over his left knee, leaning back in the chair, calmly meeting her gaze.
He felt Celeste had likely noticed his observation.
This meant she probably still retained some self-awareness.
Phew, no need to worry about Julie losing control for now... Lumian sighed quietly, watching Celeste and the enforcers disappear at the stairwell.
He had been worried that Celeste''s issues might trigger Julie to lose control before they were fully prepared.
That would interfere with his studying!
Reading for a while longer, Lumian noticed Morora''s Archbishop Heraberg patrolling the brass bookshelves.
Thinking for a few seconds, he spoke as Heraberg neared, "Your Grace, I have a question."
Dressed in a in white robe with brass threads, Heraberg smiled kindly. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Ask away."
Holding his book, Lumian sincerely asked, "The mausoleum''s taboos seem to target the living. What if an undead or an immortal creature enters?"
Heraberg gave Lumian a deep look and smiled. "The dead should remain in eternal slumber. What do you think?"
Meaning, an undead would fall into eternal sleep upon entering the mausoleum? As expected, 0-01 has death and darkness characteristics...
So, I can''t exploit any loophole with the Eggers family''s golden mask...
Lumian sighed regretfully. "I think so too."
Heraberg, with his white hair and beard, spoke like a teacher. "While studying, remember to take care of your health and stay mentally sharp. Don''t stay upte reading. Maintain your usual pace."
Wh- Is he worried I''ll degrade and sumb to the books'' inherent corruption? Need to control the corruption rate? Lumian pondered, then stood up and responded, "Yes, Your Grace."
He immediately tucked the book into his Traveler''s Bag and left the cathedral under Heraberg''s approving gaze.
Crossing the square outside, Lumian saw Julie stepping lightly out the cathedral''s side door, looking rxed.
Here to check the situation first, huh... Lumian watched her disappear into another alley, heading back to the Carnivore bar.
Approaching the bar, he heard a pained, agonized scream not far away.
Julie''s doing? Lumian chuckled to himself. Feeling bad, cut a finger.
Feeling good, cut another. Can''t she find another hobby?
Luckily, there were enough exiles in Morora.
Still, Lumian knew their presence had tripled the daily death toll since they arrived.
They couldn''t stay long, or the exiles'' replenishment wouldn''t keep up, and Morora would face a shortage crisis.
The bar was closed. Lumian went behind the counter, poured himself a ss of liquor, and sipped it slowly, as if waiting for something.
After a while, Julie appeared at the door in a shirt and skirt, her cheeks still flushed. She nced at Lumian and smiled. "Boss, were you waiting for me?"
She yed with a frosty, bloody object in her hand.
Lumian took a sip of Lanti Proof and asked, "Do you know my name?"
Julie approached the counter, shook her head, and smiled. "I only know you''re my boss."
"Celeste, as an enforcer, should know the names of every Morora resident," Lumian said directly.
Julie''s expression changed slightly, then she sighed and smiled. "But she said Louis must be a fake name."
"I don''t believe you didn''t ask someone on the outside to investigate my real identity," Lumian said, leaning on the counter and sipping his drink.
Julie pouted, not answering directly, only saying, "It doesn''t matter."
"True." Lumian nodded with a smile. "I caught a Mirror Person from Underground Trier who told me hispanions went to Lenburg to find Morora. Now, new intel suggests they might be here."
Julie''s smile faded, reced by a serious look.
Lumian finished his Lanti Proof, set the ss down, and headed upstairs.
Julie sat in silence for a while, then left the Carnivore bar.
In an empty house in Morora.
The Demoness put on a gold ring set with blue gems and sat before a half-length mirror.
The reflection wavered slightly, showing some changes.
Chapter 824 Nightmare Changes
Chapter 824 Nightmare Changes
824 Nightmare Changes
Julie watched her reflection in the mirror gradually be bloodstained, her expression turning cold and her eyes filling with malice.
She wasn''t surprised. Instead, she smirked with a hint of sarcasm.
The reflection became agitated, wing at the ss as if trying to scratch out an escape.
Her face twisted quickly, and the malice in her eyes seemed almost tangible.
Before long, another figure appeared behind her-a man with short brown hair, bearing a strong resemnce to Julie, also covered in blood and exuding a sinister aura.
Julie rubbed the blue gem-encrusted gold ring on her thumb, watching as the female and male versions of herself shrank and faded, revealing their current surroundings.
It was a dark, almost lightless world.
Beyond this world, countless points of light representing different mirrors dotted the surroundings. Most were affected by Morora''s seal, appearing hazy and unreachable.
Julie''s gaze swept across the few clearer points of light, her intuition as a Demoness guiding her to one particr mirror.
Inside that mirror, a shadowy figure appeared.
Sensing Julie''s gaze, the figure recoiled and left the mirror.
Julie immediately reached into the mirror, pulling herself through it.
Ignoring the curses and anger from her two reflections, she directly transported to the mirror that had shown the shadow.
She emerged from a small mirror into a long-abandoned room, the traces of upancy wiped clean.
Julie turned to the window beside the mirror, observing the outside environment.
She saw a graveyard bathed in crimson moonlight, a cathedral-like library, and the clearly visible entrance to the underground mausoleum.
After a brief silence, Julie muttered to herself, "The Mirror People have indeed infiltrated..."
...
Upstairs in the Carnivore Bar, Lumian reclined in his chair, feet propped up, engrossed in his book.
There was still time to study!
He had told Julie about the Mirror People to leverage the Demoness Sect''s power to confirm and search for them. As a Hunter, he couldn''t utilize the mirror world on his own, and the Mirror Cufflink could only be used twice more.
Remembering Archbishop Heraberg''s advice to not overextend himself, Lumian decided to end his studies early and get some extra sleep tonight. Just as he was about to close his book, someone knocked on his door.
It was Julie.
She nodded slightly at Lumian, saying, "I found a Mirror Person spying on the mausoleum but couldn''t catch them."
"Only one?" Lumian asked for confirmation.
Julie tersely acknowledged his words. "Only one."
She turned and headed to her room.
Lumian chuckled and said, "Not only did you not catch them, but you didn''t even see what they looked like?"
His voice was low, almost to himself, but loud enough for Julie to hear.
Julie turned around and sneered. "At least I found traces of the Mirror People. Better than someone who needs me to confirm it."
Lumian pretended to be stung, retorting, "I was just letting you fulfill your pitiful, insignificant purpose."
Julie ignored him and went into her room.
Lumian smirked to himself and closed the wooden door.
Now, Julie should be less wary about him being capable of using the mirror world, right?
...
In a daze, Lumian saw a blood-stainednd, copsed grand structures, and towering iron-ck pirs, many of which were broken.
Driven by instinct, he walked forward, passing through burning pces, torrential rain, and a forest of lightning striking the ground.
He stopped before a corpse.
The body was charred ck, the face yed to reveal a scorched skull.
Behind ity a mountain of bodies and bones, piled hundreds of meters high.
Lumian''s gaze followed the corpses upward, sometimes meeting their eye sockets, which burned with pale or dark red mes.
Finally, he was about to see the top of the "mountain."
Suddenly, intense fear and apulsion to stop thinking and follow orders overwhelmed him.
He jerked awake, gasping for breath.
Another nightmare...
The nightmares are bing clearer and more frequent...
Lumian nced towards the ground, instinctively reaching out as if to touch something.
He grasped only air.
Quickly calming himself, he murmured, At this rate, when I finish reading the remaining books, these nightmares caused by the corruption might transform drastically...
What will that bring?
If the nightmares get clearer and the feeling stronger, I might lose control in my sleep. Then Albus, Julie, and Wanak would have the chance to challenge an Angel. No, the Church of Knowledge would eliminate the problem first. Having sealed Ludwig, they wouldn''t hesitate to seal another...
Lumian rubbed his temples, agreeing more with Archbishop Heraberg''s advice:
Don''t rush; maintain physical health and mental rity!
Even if corrupted, proceed gradually!
Sighing, Lumian believed that in five or six days, when he finished the borrowed books, the situation would change significantly in his favor.
But can the situation remain stable until I finish studying?
Since thest injury, Albus hasn''t appeared for days, secretly plotting...
Wanak regained control of Dades Agricultural Company but no longer has fixed offices or residences...
Celeste''s duty in the mausoleum is both a risk and an opportunity. She might have advanced the Demoness Sect''s ns, and Julie''s opportunity could being soon...
Will they let me study until I finish the books?
Probably not...
Lumian mused that Albus, Wanak, or the Demoness Sect would likely make a big move involving the mausoleum soon.
They might not know the importance of studying or that Lumian was diligently studying, but they must sense that dying further would worsen their situation!
Never underestimate the intuition of Demonesses or the instincts of those backing Albus and Wanak!
...
Trier, Quartier de Cathdrale Commmorative, Apartment 702, 9 Rue Orosai.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Franca was smug about sessfully nning and executing an ambush on a powerful Mirror Person.
This felt more rewarding than leading a team raid in her pre-transmigration games.
She pointed to the cash and scrolls on the coffee table, saying, "Let''s split the spoils. You two go first."
Using Magic Mirror divination, the two Demonesses had identified the effects and incantations for the scrolls.
There was a Sun scroll, a Healing scroll, and one each of Lightning, Burning, sh, Wind, Freezing, Paralysis, and Secret Voice.
Anthony gestured for Jenna to pick first.
Jenna, not wasting time with politeness, took the Sun, Lightning, and sh scrolls after a few seconds of thought.
Anthony chose Healing, Paralysis, and Freezing, leaving 460 verl d''or and the remaining three scrolls for Franca.
Franca picked up the Secret Voice scroll, smiling. "This is perfect for coordinating operations. Surprised you didn''t want it."
The Secret Voice scroll created a secret channel linking three to five people within fifty meters, allowing them tomunicate without being overheard or blocked by obstacles.
You could leave it for Lumian... Jenna thought but didn''t say, not wanting to dampen Franca''s spirits.
As they chatted, a messenger from Madam Judgment delivered a reply:
"The Moses Ascetic Order will handle the abnormality in Kmerolo. You don''t need to follow up."
...
In Trier, in a room with overturned furniture and papers scattered everywhere.
The Hermit, a Major Arcana card from the Tarot Club whom Franca and her team had met before, stood before a wall covered in meaningless lines. She wore ck-framed sses and a deep ck robe adorned with eye-shaped purple patterns, examining faint traces of dried ckened blood, tears, and saliva.
A nearly transparent, eysh-less, and indifferent eye hovered before her, silently observing. Its gaze seemed to contain countless stars and various scenes.
After a while, The Hermit ignored the ckened blood, taking a small amount of the powder stained with tears and saliva.
A dreamlike pumpkin carriage appeared before her, altering her appearance, aura, and physique.
The Hermit calmly sat in the carriage.
A group of mice pulled the pumpkin carriage into a tunnel outside the Trier catbs.
Still seated in the pumpkin carriage, The Hermit conjured a vibrant, slightly unreal ball of yarn.
She infused the powder from before into the yarn and threw it into the tunnel''s depths, leaving a bright thread on the ground, pointing the way forward.
Chapter 825 The Final Seduction
Chapter 825 The Final Seduction
825 The Final Seduction
The Hermit followed the vibrant thread of yarn through the dark tunnel in her pumpkin carriage.
She didn''t know how long she had been descending when she arrived at a naturally formed cave.
The vibrant yarn ball had stopped here.
The swarm of mice and the pumpkin carriage vanished, and The Hermit floated down, her feet touching the ground.
She didn''t need to remove her sses to see the pools of pus-like blood on the ground, eroding the soil in the extreme darkness.
For a moment, The Hermit seemed to see a scene from the past: A blurry figure staggered towards the cave, each step leaving a stter of pus-like blood that sizzled as it corroded the rocks and soil.
The Hermit weaved through the pools of blood and entered the cave, but it was empty. The trail of pus-like blood ended abruptly.
It was as if the figure had exhausted all its flesh and blood, leaving no trace, or had evaporated entirely.
He had vanished.
Has Kmerolo disappeared like this... The Hermit immediately conjured nine zing suns.
The intense heat caused the pools of blood to show signs of evaporation.
Then, the Major Arcana cardholder removed her sses.
The pus-like blood changed immediately.
It wasn''t blood but dense, intertwined,plex symbols or letters.
These symbols or letters were grouped together, eroding various rocks and soil, bright red and dazzling.
Even with her knowledge of mysticism, The Hermit couldn''t identify what they represented.
Kmerolo''s flesh and blood transformed into this? The Hermit pondered for a moment and decided to strip away all the bloody symbols and letters and take them to a high-ranking Cryptologist.
...
Morora, Carnivore bar, second floor.
Lumian had another nightmare, but this time, he was clearly aware that he was dreaming.
He dreamed of walking through a dark, lightless tunnel, with stone bs beneath his feet and bricks in the walls, with rusty iron wallmps every so often, none of them lit.
Lumian wandered aimlessly, sometimes turning right, sometimes descending stairs, and sometimes resting against the wall.
Suddenly, he saw yellowish light ahead.
In the glow, figures in ck robes appeared, carrying quietly burningnterns, their eyes covered with thick ck cloth.
Law enforcement... Experimental subjects... Lumian instantly understood.
Am I dreaming of the mausoleum?
This matches the sealing information of 0-01 and the books'' descriptions...
Using my knowledge and the corruption I''ve suffered, did I recreate a tunnel of the mausoleum in my dream?
The experimental subjects, despite being blindfolded, walked steadily, maintaining a straight line forward.
I don''t seem to be blindfolded... Will something abnormal happen? No, I''m just dreaming... Although lucid dreaming, Lumian''s thoughts were sluggish, seemingly influenced by the dream.
As he was about to pass by the experimental subjects withnterns, his gaze naturally fell on one of thenterns.
Thentern''s ss case, framed in bronze, reflected a ck shadow.
The shadow, human-like in shape, flickered and leaped to anotherntern.
That shadow isn''t mine... nor thentern-bearer''s... It''s... it''s one of those Mirror People corrupted by the mausoleum''s power? Or perhaps the Mirror Person that infiltrated Morora? Lumian shivered, feeling more awake than ever.
He focused his gaze and saw the slightly distorted, human-like ck shadow pause and look back at him from thentern''s ss, illuminated by firelight.
As their eyes met, the shadow vanished instantly.
Lumian''s vision wavered, the entire tunnel, lit by thenterns, shaking violently.
Within seconds, Lumian woke up, his eyes snapping open.
The shaking continued, and his bed creaked while the house ttered.
An earthquake? Lumian judged calmly.
In Morora, he had already experienced four earthquakes, one volcanic eruption, five torrential rains, four hurricanes, three tornadoes, two hailstorms, and two snowstorms... Often, more than one extreme weather event urred in a single day, though sometimes it was just ordinary weather fluctuations.
Based on his physical assessment and experience, Lumian judged that this earthquake wouldn''t copse the sturdy Carnivore bar building, so hey there calmly, with no intention of getting out of bed and escaping to the street.
If worse came to worst, he could still teleport to the Knowledge Cathedral.
Staring at the still-swaying ceiling, Lumian recalled the nightmare: Was I woken up by the earthquake, or did my nightmare trigger the earthquake?
After pondering for a while, Lumian believed it was thetter.
But this meant his nightmare had truly connected to the underground mausoleum!
Earlier, was I wandering through the mausoleum in some peculiar form, not needing to be blindfolded or carry antern?
Was everything I saw and experienced real, actually happening in real time?
Was the Mirror Person on thentern real too?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Right, that didn''t look like thentern-bearer''s Mirror Person, their physical condition was noticeably different.
Could it be the Mirror Person from Trier? Did he use the special power of the mirror world to start exploring the mausoleum before Albus, Julie, and I?
If so, he may have been at it for many days, and might be close to seeding...
When he saw me, did he see what I look like, my state, my form?
Yes, if one enters the mausoleum without being blindfolded, the experimental subjects will see the corresponding Mirror Person in their own eyes and be reced?
A series of questions shed through Lumian''s mind, creating a sense of urgency.
He sat up and looked towards the window.
The earthquake had already subsided, and outside the not-so-thick curtains, the sky seemed to be getting slightly brighter.
Lumian sighed, suppressing his negative emotions, and decided to sleep a bit more, until six in the morning.
He needed to be in his best condition toplete the remaining three days of study, otherwise, he might lose control or even die from it.
After waking up naturally, Lumian had breakfast prepared by Lez and then went directly to the Knowledge Cathedral, sitting in his usual spot, reading and monitoring the entrance to the underground mausoleum.
This way, if there was an anomaly, he could teleport there immediately and enter the underground.
After alternating between thunderstorms and clear skies, Lumian finished his morning studies and headed back to the Carnivore bar for lunch.
About a third of the way back, he heard a painful yet slightly pleasurable scream from the direction of the bar.
Is Julie at it again? She wasn''t in a bad or good mood today...
And it''s the bar''s busy time... Did someone bother her? Lumian shook his head, thinking Julie was quite unprofessional.
Soon, he returned to the Carnivore bar and found the area in front of the bar and inside the hall empty, with tables and chairs overturned, broken sses scattered, and spilled liquor on the floor, some of it already frozen.
It looks like Julie went berserk, attacked all the patrons, and drove them away... What happened? Lumian became highly alert.
As the owner of the Carnivore bar, he felt both distressed over the wasted liquor and keenly aware of the unusual situation.
He remembered that Julie had seemed fine when he left in the morning, even proactively helping Lez prepare the ingredients for the day.
Lumian sniffed the air, detecting a faint smell of blood and a hint of something resembling chestnut flowers.
To most men, thetter scent was very familiar.
Something''s off. Based on my observations, Julie usually finishes her collection before the target reaches the peak of pleasure. This time, the scent is quite noticeable... Did she let the original owner of the collection enjoy themselves? Lumian frowned and followed the smell of blood upstairs, pushing open Julie''s door.
On Julie''s bedy Lez, naked, eyes wide open, mouth half-puffed, with his legs a bloody mess.
He was dead.
Julie attacked Lez? Lumian looked into Lez''s eyes, seeing extreme pleasure, rxation, and evident pain, with no signs of a supernatural battle in the room, only sttered blood and a few sources of the chestnut flower scent telling the story.
This made Lumian suspect that Lez had willingly gone to bed with Julie.
And this culinary artist knew well what Julie would do.
Simrly, Julie''s behavior was different this time, seemingly allowing Lez toplete his climax.
Did Lez seek liberation? Or did he make a preemptive move and fail?
Lumian wasn''t shocked by this but found it too sudden.
Lumian''s gaze fell on the lifeless bloodstain at Lez''s mouth.
After a few seconds, he suddenly recalled something Julie had once said to Lez: "I''ve decided to seduce youst."
Last... Lumian''s eyes narrowed sharply.
To Julie, now was the final moment?
Was she about to take herst action?
Where had she gone now?
Chapter 826 Entry
Chapter 826 Entry
826 Entry
Lumian directly activated the ck mark on his right shoulder and teleported to the edge of the boundless cemetery, right at the entrance to the underground mausoleum.
This ce looked like the mouth of a giant beast, with gray-white stone steps stretching down into the dark, deep throat.
Lumian suspected Julie had already entered the mausoleum.
Whatever the Demoness Sect''s n was, it ultimately had to involve the sealed 0-01 deep within the mausoleum!
Lumian sniffed around the entrance, detecting only the scents of grass, trees, and the earthy smell after rain. There was no trace of Julie''s fragrance.
At the same time, he scrutinized the gray-white stone steps descending into the darkness, looking for fresh footprints-there had been a thunderstorm earlier.
No signs of Julie... Lumian turned and transformed into a zing white spear, shooting across hundreds of meters andnding beside the Knowledge Cathedral.
He didn''t take a detour, opening the nearest stained ss window and jumping into the church, quickly running to Heraberg, who was dressed in a in white robe with brass thread.
"Your Grace, do you know which room Celeste is staying in?" Lumian''s breath was steady, but he spoke quickly.
Heraberg, the archbishop of Morora, smiled and replied, "The third floor, the room closest to the cemetery, with a view of the mausoleum entrance."
Lumian was taken aback.
You knew all along...
He didn''t waste time asking further, igniting white mes on his body and darting like a javelin towards the staircase.
After a few turns, Lumian reached Celeste''s room.
He grasped the brass handle, gently twisted it, and pushed open the wooden door.
The room was tidy, with minimal furnishings-a single bed, a desk, a chair, and a shelf for books and misceneous items, giving off a monastic austerity.
Indeed, Celeste is gone as well... Lumian confirmed his suspicion.
He didn''t immediately enter the room, sensing it was filled with invisible, pathogenden webs, like a poisonous spider''s nest.
While preparing to burn the unseen webs, he observed further.
He noticed Celeste might have been ying the part of a corrupted experiment subject, as the roomcked any unnecessary items. With her disappearance, even the spare ck robes were gone, leaving the room empty, save for a mirror on the desk by the window.
The mirror was amon dressing mirror, not unusual in a Demoness''s room.
But it sparked a thought in Lumian: Did Celeste leave through the mirror world?
Thew enforcers usually entered and exited together. She couldn''t have bet on the Knowledge Cathedral turning a blind eye and walked out alone...
Is she meeting Julie somewhere in the mirror world?
Did Julie and Celeste use the mirror world to enter the mausoleum, leaving no traces at the entrance?
With this in mind, Lumian''s thoughts raced, forming a web of connections from various bits of information and ideas.
He quickly made a guess: Did Celeste patrol the mausoleum as an experiment subject several times to ce mirrors at key points or obtain coordinates of simr reflective items?
When I used the Mirror Cufflink before, I couldn''t identify which mirrors were in the mausoleum or if they were dangerous...
This was the Demoness Sect''s preparation, and now, Celeste has control over the mirrors in the mausoleum and can start the operation?
Why not act immediately after herst patrol?
Were a few days needed for other preparations?
As his thoughts raced, Lumian whispered, "Termiboros, do you think I should enter the mausoleum now or continue my studies, hoping Julie and Celeste fail?"
Before Termiboros could respond, Lumianughed and said, "I won''t rely on others to fail."
He had made his decision.
He would enter the mausoleum to disrupt and stop the Demoness Sect''s actions, buying a few more days!
The only issue was that in the mausoleum, he had to be blindfolded and couldn''t read or study during the downtime.
Is there a way to convert text to sound? Aurore''s grimoires mentioned rted ideas and preliminary results, but I''m not a Warlock... Lumian sighed internally, then heard Termiboros''syered, majestic voice: "It''s very dangerous."
You''re actually answering... Is this a genuine warning or a hidden plot?
He only mentioned the danger, without strongly dissuading me... No matter, whether Termiboros opposes or tempts me, I''m going... Lumian quickly calmed himself, chuckled, and said, "Maybe we''ll both be 0-01''s puppets."
"Not including me," Termiboros responded in a powerful voice.
Is that so? Lumian once again transformed into a ming spear and swiftly returned to the cathedral hall.
He approached Heraberg, holding three books, and smiled. "Your Grace, I still have two and a half books left to read. Do you have a way to convert the remaining knowledge into sound so I can study while exploring the mausoleum?"
Heraberg''s wrinkles smoothed out, and his expression became even gentler. "Good, good, this is the attitude needed for study."
He took out a brass sheet and epted the books from Lumian.
In Heraberg''s amber eyes, countless symbols and words swirled and spun.
Lumian saw tiny glimmers rising from the books, converging into a river that flowed into the brass sheet.
What kind of mystic art is this... Lumian was mesmerized.
Beforeing to Lenburg, he had gathered detailed information about the Church of Knowledge, including some details about the Reader pathway.
He knew the Sequence 5 of the Reader pathway was called Mysticism Magister, capable of inventing and creating unique spells.
Soon, the glimmers vanished, and the brass sheet became more lustrous, with its symbols and patterns gaining more depth.
With two snaps, Heraberg broke off two corners from the brass sheet and molded them into cylindrical shapes.
Lumian watched, jaw dropping.
Without the aid of fire, breaking off two pieces of brass with just my hands is quite difficult, let alone molding them like y with my fingers...
Your Grace, are all Readers this strong, or is it unique to you as a puppet?
Your fingers could probably crush my bones to dust...
Or is this a side effect of the mystic art?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Insert them into your ears. The activation spell is ''listen'' in ancient Hermes, as I know you only speak thisnguage and haven''t mastered Jotun or Elvish yet. The deactivation spell is ''stop.''" Heraberg handed the brass sheet and the two cylindrical brass earplugs to Lumian.
Lumian instinctively argued, "I know Hermes too."
He understood Heraberg was referring tonguages capable of invoking supernatural powers.
"Hermes?" Herabergughed.
Lumian sensed contempt for the Hermesnguage in hisughter and expression.
With time running out, Lumian didn''t ask further, inserting one brass earplug and pocketing the rest. He then transformed into a zing white spear and flew from the open stained ss window to the mausoleum entrance.
Lumian calmed his breathing, took a carbidemp and white bandages from the Traveler''s Bag.
After lighting the carbidemp, he wrapped the bandages around his head, covering his eyes.
Lumian''s vision gradually turned pitch ck.
For a Hunter who relied heavily on sight, this was far from a pleasant experience.
Feeling his way, he picked up the carbidemp and cautiously descended the gray-white stone steps.
He focused on maintaining his bnce, worried about stepping wrong and tumbling down like a wheel into the mausoleum.
He wasn''t afraid of getting hurt but feared extinguishing themp.
Being blind is no fun... Lumian muttered, constructing a mental map.
Most of the map''s content came from the 0-01 sealing information and the book Examples of Mausoleum Construction, with some from his nightmares over the past few days.
Using the mental map, his heightened senses, and his control over his body, Lumian gradually adapted to the darkness, descending more steadily.
Finally, he reached the bottom of the stairs and officially entered the mausoleum.
He felt the surrounding darkness surge like a tide, eroding his skin, bringing a chill and a slow drain of life force.
Almost simultaneously, his right palm turned icy cold.
The abnormal life force drain stopped.
The Underworld Daoist''s mark activated? Lumian silently mused, In this situation, even without a lit carbidemp, I shouldn''t encounter any issues in the mausoleum''s darkness. Hehe, when I find Julie and Celeste, I could use my Hunter ability to extinguish theirmps directly. But Julie is special, and Celeste likely is too. It might not be easy to have the darkness engulf them...
Blindfolded, Lumian turned and sensed the Abscessed Hand''s head location using the semi-activated ck mark on his right shoulder.
He nned to find this thing first, then stop Julie and Celeste.
Then, he could toss the separated Abscessed Hand parts together and see what mutation urs, giving the enemies a "surprise."
Perhaps because they were in the same mausoleum, Lumian quickly sensed the summoning and special connection from Hand Bro.
It was not far!
Chapter 827 Blind Battle
Chapter 827 Blind Battle
827 Blind Battle
Morora, fifth floor of the Knowledge Cathedral.
Aw enforcer in a ck robe stood at the window, looking at the entrance to the underground mausoleum, which resembled the mouth of a giant beast.
In his eyes, Lumian''s figure could be seen descending the gray-white stone steps one by one.
Elsewhere in Morora, Albus Medici stood by another window.
However, his gaze was not on the nearby buildings but on the cemetery and Lumian, neither of which could be seen from this street.
Is it starting? the descendant of the Red Angel chuckled.
...
Blindfolded, Lumian moved steadily through the darkness, guided by the mental map in his mind, approaching the location of the Abscessed Hand''s head.
This is the end. I need to turn left... It''s exactly like the diagram in the book... Lumian reached out his right hand, not holding the carbidemp, and touched something cold and hard.
It was likely a wall.
He then turned left, walked a bit further, and stopped.
He sensed the Abscessed Hand''s head was just a few meters to his right, while the surroundings were eerily silent.
Lumian turned, extending his right hand in that direction, but he only felt an equally cold, hard wall.
Behind the wall? ording to the diagram, there should be a room behind here, and the door is about five meters ahead...
Even though he couldn''t see, the importance of knowledge became evident in this situation.
Counting his steps, he reached what should be the door and felt around, finding the wooden board.
He fumbled for the handle, gently twisted it, and pushed open the slightly ajar door.
Meanwhile, he mused internally, Albus casually threw it, and the Hand Bro''s head ended up here?
Even if it bounced around, it shouldn''t have gotten this far...
Even though it''s not very far from the entrance, there were two turns, and the door is even closed.
Did the door close afterward?
Growing more cautious, Lumian listened for any sounds beyond the door.
It waspletely silent.
He slowly entered the room, moving towards the corner from which the rotten stench emanated, his connection to the Abscessed Hand growing clearer.
His right hand was ready to draw the Sword of Courage from the Traveler''s Bag at any moment, while his left, holding the carbidemp, reached for Abscessed Hand''s head.
The head was higher than he expected, ced on a shelf rather than the ground.
Suddenly, his fist brushed against something slimy and damp, which wriggled slightly.
Five cold, finger-like things instantly grabbed Lumian''s left fist.
A chill ran down his spine.
Encountering such a thing while blindfolded was many times more terrifying.
He couldn''t tell what it was!
But he was certain it wasn''t the Abscessed Hand''s head, as that was just a head!
In a sh, Lumian''s left fist ignited with zing white mes.
His fist moved forward, elerating suddenly, snapping sharply between the finger-like things.
Boom!
The explosion scattered the slimy fingers, and Lumian used the semi-activated ck mark on his right shoulder to teleport behind what he presumed was the Abscessed Hand''s head.
"Hmph!"
Lumian exhaled two beams of white light from his nostrils.
He felt he had hit his target.
Without waiting for his opponent to fall, he swung his left fist, burning with intense mes, while his right hand stayed ready to draw the Sword of Courage.
Bang!
It felt like hitting an stic, dead wood. He unleashed his umted ming forces.
Boom!
The violent st pushed the slimy "wood" forward a bit.
Then, there was silence, with no sound of something hitting the ground.
Cautiously, Lumian transformed into a zing-white spear and charged.
He felt himself piercing through a withered tree filled with rust and flesh,nding in front of the Abscessed Hand''s head amidst a strong, pungent odor.
There was no resistance, no real counterattack.
Is it over? Lumian, still blindfolded, felt uneasy.
He kept his right hand in the Traveler''s Bag, holding the carbidemp''s handle with his mouth, reaching up with his left hand, prepared to use the Spirit World Traversal if needed.
In the still atmosphere, Lumian touched the slimy, foul-smelling, limp flesh and greasy, disgusting "weeds."
This should be Hand Bro''s hair... No other abnormalities...
Lumian mustered his courage and continued feeling around.
Soon, he touched a decaying neck, then a wounded "shoulder."
A shoulder... Despite being mentally prepared, Lumian was still startled.
The Abscessed Hand''s head couldn''t have grown a body, right?
After waiting a few seconds with no sudden attack, Lumian grabbed the greasy "weeds" that were likely the hair and pulled.
As he applied force, there was a reluctant, cork-popping "plop" sound.
His center of gravity wavered as if he had pulled something free.
He had torn off the head!
Almost simultaneously, Lumian sensed the Abscessed Hand''s body parts inside the Traveler''s Bag moving, but they couldn''t breach the spatial barrier, only wriggling closer, pushing away other items.
This is Hand Bro''s head... Then who tried to ''shake hands'' with me? Scenes shed through Lumian''s mind: A head dragging a bloody spine flying through the air, a headless body chasing it...
In the mausoleum sealing 0-01, there must be simr headless bodies, and one of them took Hand Bro''s head, attaching it to its neck? No wonder Albus''s casual toss brought Hand Bro''s head all the way here... Lumian quickly guessed, finding the situation both amusing and horrifying.
If the headless body and the Abscessed Hand''s head stayed together for months, something terrifying might happen...
Lumian didn''t dare put the head in the Traveler''s Bag, which would inevitably cause the body parts to reunite, summoning the Abscessed Hand. He wanted to wait until he encountered Julie, Celeste, Albus, or Wanak.
Holding the head and themp, Lumian prepared to leave the room.
Suddenly, Lumian felt something and flinched his right shoulder.
He sensed that something was trying to pat him.
But when he moved away, everything returned to normal, silent and still.
Lumian''s body ignited with zing-white mes that expanded outward in a spherical shape, pushing in all directions.
The mes only ignited the object that had originally held the Abscessed Hand''s head.
Unable to see, Lumian didn''t dwell on what had tried to pat his shoulder. Recalling the earlier battle, he quickly determined his position and direction.
Then, he walked steadily back to the door and exited, acting as if he could see every detail around him.
Finally obtaining the Abscessed Hand''s head gave Lumian a bit of confidence. Using the mental map he had formed, he made his way to the lowest level of the underground mausoleum, filled with puppet soldiers.
Blindfolded withyers of white bandages, he asionally turned right, walked forward, descended stairs, and fumbled to open heavy or simple doors.
He didn''t forget to activate the brass amulet in ancient Hermes, listening with one ear and monitoring his surroundings with the other.
As he walked, Lumian suddenly conjured a me in his right palm and flung it ahead, forming a burning straight sword.
It seemed to hit something, but it could have just been an illusion.
Lumian didn''t maintain the ming sword, letting it extinguish.
He didn''t investigate whether he had encountered something real or if it was just a reaction from his tense, sightless state.
Though his knowledge didn''t explicitly cover it, his past experiences hinted at a key point: In the underground mausoleum, if you believe something is real, it likely bes real! As long as it doesn''t pose a direct threat, it''s best to ignore potential dangers!
After descending another staircase, Lumian suddenly felt like he was being watched by numerous eyes.
At that moment, he had the urge to tear off his bandages and see what was happening.
Plop! A cold drop of liquid fell on the back of his left hand.
It felt sticky, but there was no smell of blood.
Plop, plop, plop! The cold "droplets" increased, falling faster and faster, like a sudden downpour.
Inside the mausoleum, 20 to 30 meters underground, it started to "rain."
What the hell is going on? What''s around me... The book only mentioned a hall here, straight ahead to the exit, but it didn''t provide a detailedyout or mention anything special inside...
Lumian endured the soaking "rain" and, under countless watching eyes, stepped forward with his right foot.
Thud!
A drumbeat suddenly sounded, as if striking Lumian''s heart, making him feel like he wanted to spit out blood.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The drumming grew clearer and more intense. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lumian also faintly heard a soft, scratching chuckle.
Chapter 828 Same Kind?
Chapter 828 Same Kind?
828 Same Kind?
Drumming echoed continuously, each beat resonating with Lumian''s heartbeat, making him feel like he was about to vomit blood.
Enduring the difort, Lumian pushed through the cold liquid like a sudden downpour, under countless watching eyes and strange, soft chuckles, steadfastly moving forward.
One step, two steps, three steps, suddenly a blood-red color lit up his bandage-wrapped vision.
It was a reddish in, with an army of undead in iron-ck armor advancing.
My first nightmare after I started studying? The thought shed through Lumian''s mind. He then noticed the scene before him fracturing, oveid with images of burning pces, forests of thunder, mountains of corpses, and rows of blindfolded experimental subjects marching.
These were all from his recent nightmares.
Lumian realized it wasn''t the bandages losing their effect but a powerful hallucination induced by something, blending reality and illusion.
Meanwhile, the monotone voice in his left ear stopped reciting knowledge from books and became sharp and raspy, shouting something unintelligible.
Lumian''s right palm suddenly felt hot, with a slight burning sensation.
The residual aura of Blood Emperor Alista Tudor had been triggered!
Simultaneously, the mark from the Underworld Daoist grew colder, suppressing the emerging violence and madness, while a slight burning sensation appeared on Lumian''s left chest.
Is this a mishmash of everything? Lumian mentally mocked himself.
With these changes, the cold liquid droplets softened, like cold, wet hands brushing against his body.
The war drumbeats no longer synchronized with his heartbeat, the mysterious gazes lost their unnerving power, and the scratching chuckles turned into soft, alluring singing.
Lumian paused, guessing at what was happening.
He maintained a steady pace, heading deeper into the hall marked on his mental map.
The "raindrops," drumming, gazes, and singing remained unchanged, allowing him to proceed smoothly.
This must be the corruption from the 0-01 sealing information and knowledge I''ve learned, triggering hallucinations and making the dangers here see me as one of their own, simrly corrupted?
This also triggered the Blood Emperor''s residual aura, causing a chain reaction with the Underworld Daoist''s mark and Mr. Fool''s seal. Without these, I might have truly be a puppet like the others here, a real experimental subject...
Hmm, did Mr. Fool''s seal also passively confuse perceptions?
Deciding based on simr levels of corruption could be a mysticism principle or an exploit...
As his thoughts cleared, Lumian raised his right hand, pressing it to his left chest, silently muttering and joking with himself, Praise Mr. Fool!
Thanks to Archbishop Heraberg, thanks to the power of knowledge!
Learning brings me joy!
While listening to the strange roars in his earplugs, Lumian tried to discern any hidden information, maintaining his quick pace to avoid provoking unseen dangers.
Estimating his steps and distance,paring it with his mental map, Lumian finally reached what should be the hall''s exit.
At that moment, the nightmare scenes in his vision changed.
He seemed to be at a high ce, looking down at a mountain of corpses and bones.
His gaze moved down, past the burning pale mes and dark-red lights in the eye sockets of the skeletons, past the rotting flesh and pale bones, to the dark red near-ck ground, and the iron-ck armor.
The metallic surface of the armor reflected a single ck figure.
Lumian saw it clearly: It was the bespectacled, schrly-looking serial killer Guei!
This exile, sent to Morora with Lumian, Julie, and Lez, had vanished after spending some time in the Knowledge Cathedral.
The reflections of Guei on the armor seemed to sense Lumian''s gaze, suddenly looking up, but quickly lowering his head again, as if realizing it was a mistake.
The fragmented scenes vanished.
Guei?
His reflection on the iron-ck armot... like mirrors...
Is he the Mirror Person who infiltrated Morora?
Lumian''s eyes widened behind the white bandages.
He quicklypared Guei''s figure with the Mirror Person from his nightmares: Highly likely the same!
So it''s him... and he even knows to study in the Knowledge Cathedral... He''s now around that mountain of corpses? Lumian suddenly felt that Guei might be as troublesome and dangerous as Albus Medici, Julie, Celeste, or Wanak.
Recalling the recent scene, Lumian thought his perspective was odd:
At the top of the mountain of corpses?
Overlooking everything...
Did I share the perspective of 0-01?
Right, being heavily corrupted means bing its puppet, and it seems high-level Hunters can share power, damage, vision, hearing, and feelings with their team...
0-01 just considered me one of its own?
It didn''t give me power like Wanak, probably not fully ''epted''... If I read all the remaining books and mastered the knowledge, would the corruption reach a critical point, making 0-01 see me as a fully submissive puppet, while I''m not? In such a case, I could approach it and find a way to leave a mark.
This matches my earlier guess. The purpose of the test is to gauge the level of corruption, my body''s endurance, and the bnce of the various corruptions within me.
I really needed to ace it. If I hid anything and colored Archbishop Heraberg''s judgment, I''d have been the one suffering. I would either be a true puppet of 0-01 or die here due to insufficient corruption.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Knowledge is indeed power; knowledge indeed holds wealth!
Lumian couldn''t help but curse Julie and Celeste. Those two Demonesses raised by pigs had prevented him frompleting his studies!
Since it had already happened, he could only keep cursing while passing through the hall''s exit.
After walking a few dozen meters along the marked passage, Lumian suddenly felt a disturbance to the side, hearing the sound of something heavy moving through the air.
Holding his carbidemp and the head of the Abscessed Hand, he lunged forward and rolled away.
Thud!
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground echoed.
Using the sound, Lumian quickly sketched an image of the "enemy" in his mind: a giant sword!
In the underground mausoleum, the only beings carrying giant swords without feeling alive that Lumian could think of were the puppet soldiers.
Am I being attacked by a puppet soldier in this passage?
Hey, we''re on the same side! We''re both 0-01''s soldiers!
Surprised, Lumian heard a whooshing sound as the giant sword swung down again.
Completely blind, Lumian activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, teleporting behind the suspected puppet soldier attacker.
Simultaneously, knowledge from the Doll Crafting and Maintenance book shed in his mind: "The puppet soldiers used in the underground tomb are uniformly two meters tall, made of iron...
"Their weaponse in four types: giant swords, hammers, spears, and bows...
"The weakest point of the puppet soldiers is their neck, due to mechanical structure issues and the inevitable development brought by the mausoleum''s corrupting forces..."
As this knowledge shed by, Lumian leaped, tensed his chest muscles, spread his arms, raised his right fist, and aimed at the back of the puppet soldier''s neck, as constructed in his mind.
His fist ignited withyers ofpressed white-hot mes, finally striking something hard and cold.
With a ng, thepressed mes were injected into the puppet soldier''s neck.
Using the force, Lumian flipped back in midair, while an explosive sound echoed from within the puppet soldier.
A Cullpleted with Fire Infusion!
The sound of heavy metal fragments hitting the ground followed.
As Lumian steadied himself, he heard Albus''s voice in his ear:
"You can see?"
This member of the Medici family had a peculiar metallic quality in his voice.
Albus is here too? Did he witness me precisely dismantling the puppet soldier? Lumian''s right hand stealthily reached into the Traveler''s Bag, as he responded with a smile, ''''Can you see too?"
Albus''s metallic voice came from another direction:
"I can''t see by myself; I''m blindfolded like you. But I can share the vision of the puppet soldiers here."
This is an example of the power of high-level Hunters... A gift from the Red Angel? This gift can even piggyback on 0-01''s puppets... ording to Madam Magician, that King of Angels once held 0-01... Lumian deliberately harrumphed and said, "Did you make the puppet soldier attack me?"
Albus switched locations again, seemingly using different puppet soldiers to speak.
"This was a test. Only those who pass the test are qualified to cooperate with me."
"You think you''re worthy of cooperating with me? Why would you think I want to work with you?" Lumian said disdainfully.
Albusughed. "That Demoness has a very dangerous item. If we don''t work together, she could take us out one by one."
Chapter 829 Deception and Betrayal
Chapter 829 Deception and Betrayal
829 Deception and Betrayal
Cooperate? You just want to use me as cannon fodder, right?
Well, let''s see if I can find out what item Julie has... With his eyes covered by white bandages, Lumian wore an expression of skepticism. "How dangerous could it be?"
Albus, also blindfolded and holding antern, leaned against the wall of a burial chamber, watching Lumian through the eyes of the iron puppet soldiers twenty meters away.
He chuckled inwardly. You didn''t put that ragged head in your bag but carried it in your hand. Not afraid of trouble, or are you nning something?
And your right hand has been in that bag made by a high-level Apprentice...
The half-body should already be inside. You don''t want to reunite the head and body now, fearing unforeseen consequences. You n to use it as an indiscriminate weapon at a crucial moment, don''t you?
Perfect for surprising Julie and the others. I won''t try it myself to avoid unnecessary consumption.
Cooperation is great; it gathers the dangers together, letting them cancel each other out...
Albus made an iron puppet''s mouth move, its metallic voice saying, ''''The item on that Demoness is one of five created by the Primordial Demoness before Her slumber after the Pale Disaster of the Fourth Epoch. It can make the bearer a vessel for the Primordial Demoness''s descent."
"A vessel for a deity''s descent..." Lumian repeated.
The Demoness Sect ys high-stake games, don''t they?
He had thought Julie''s item could only temporarily grant her the power of a Sequence 4 Demoness of Despair, not that she could briefly be the Primordial Demoness herself!
Even a fraction of a true god''s power was immense!
Albus''sughter echoed in the metal cavity.
"Yes, a vessel.
"Fortunately, Julie isn''t sturdy enough as a vessel. If she were an Angel-level Demoness, she could sustain the descent for a minute or two without dying. A Saint-level Demoness could hold it for a few seconds, but her soul and body would copse. Julie, as a Demoness of Affliction, can''t maintain the state for more than three seconds and that''s with the cost ofplete annihtion.
"Even without invoking the descent, the item grants her various special abilities, temporarily allowing her to use Sequence 4 powers.
"If we don''t cooperate, facing Julie''s normal state alone is tough but not hopeless. But if she''s pushed to the brink and tries the descent, we won''tst three seconds.
"By working together and using all our trump cards, we mightst until her descent ends. Then, we rely on our skills."
Last three seconds in front of a Demoness... Such ambiguous words would be a field day for the scandal reporters on Trier''s Avenue du Boulevard. They''d twist your words into questioning your prowess... Influenced by vulgar jokes from Trier''s Ghost Face and other tabloids and Franca''s quips, Lumian mentally criticized.
He didn''t believe in Albus''s sincere cooperation. He thought this Red Angel''s descendant would throw him out as a shield at the critical moment to endure Julie''s deity''s descent. This might be Albus''s ultimate n to survive.
Like Emperor Roselle''s parable: in a forest, you don''t need to outrun a bear, just yourpanion.
Franca often joked that in adventures,panions were the best shields.
But Julie and Celeste likely know my true identity, that I''m a lover of one of their peers, and that I was once an Iron and Blood Cross Order member. They wouldn''t ce as much importance on me as much as they''d be wary of a Medici. So it''s still a question who''s the primary target and who''s the shield... In a hesitant, distrustful tone, Lumian said, "I can sense Julie''s danger but didn''t expect it to be this severe.
"Of course, I still don''t trust you."
"Cooperation and mutual vignce are not contradictory. I can''t truly trust you either," Albus replied with a hint of amusement.
"When there''s amon interest, even enemies who killed one''s parents can temporarily cooperate. How much more so for us?"
While speaking, Albus thought to himself, Working together against those two Demonesses is better than fighting you now and facing your hidden trump cards head-on. Even if I win, the cost would be high, and how would I deal with the Demonesses and Wanak afterward?
Heh heh, in a real fight with the Demonesses, you won''t be able to hide your trump cards. The situation will be chaotic, everyone will go all out, and the dangers will cancel each other out. I''m best at winning in chaos...
After a moment of contemtion, Lumian gritted his teeth and said, "Let''s cooperate until we deal with the two Demonesses."
"A very wise choice." Albus did not hide his joy.
Lumian, holding the carbidemp and the Abscessed Hand''s head, began to walk slowly.
With a posture of "I am trying to show sincerity," he said, "Besides the two Demonesses and Wanak, we have another enemy.
"That''s the Mirror Person from the special mirror world from Fourth Epoch Trier. His name in Morora is Guei."
"Mirror Person..." The iron puppet ahead repeated the term, thenughed. "I''m not surprised. It''s a problem left by that lunatic Alista Tudor."
"What do you mean?" Lumian took the opportunity to ask.
Albus, with a tone of clear reverence, said, "You should know my ancestor was a King of Angels. He told me that the special mirror world was likely created by Tudor."
"Red Angel? Wasn''t He killed before Alista Tudor became the Blood Emperor? How did He know the origin of the special mirror world?" Lumian expressed his doubts.
"What do you mean ''killed''?" Albus sighed. "That''s why I dislike working with Hunters. If it weren''t for today''s necessity, I wouldn''t have sought you out. Hunters really have a way with words."
"I also dislike working with Hunters, like you," Lumian agreed.
Albus switched to another iron puppet: ''''My ancestor entered the Fourth Epoch Trier and confirmed its various problems. He said the special mirror world might not be a product of those problems but the cause of them."
The Red Angel meant that the special mirror world wasn''t created by the fall of the Blood Emperor and the destruction of Fourth Epoch Trier, but existed before and led to the need for a new Trier to seal it after Fourth Epoch Trier''s fall? Could the Red Angel be deliberately spreading false information for some consOriginal?
But this matches what I found in the Blue Avenger''s treasure vault-the Blood Emperor might have been using the mirror world for His resurrection arrangements before His fall.
Simrly, the Tamara family''s connection with the special mirror world was also before the War of the Four Emperors...
Lumian stopped, thought for a few seconds, and said, "''Alista Tudor left too many problems behind, didn''t He?"
Though the Knight of Swords said that among the crazy ancient gods of the Second Epoch, the Undying Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace was the most troublesome, causing many issues, and was quite simr to the Fourth Epoch''s Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, Lumian had only encountered problems rted to the Underworld from the Phoenix Ancestor. In contrast, he encountered troubles from the Blood Emperor frequently. So, in his mind, the Blood Emperor was the most troublesome, much more so than the Phoenix Ancestor. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Albus seemed to share a simr sentiment. Using the iron puppet''s mouth, he said, "Because He is the symbol of cmity."
Wh- Lumian suddenly had a deeper understanding of the Hunter pathway.
Albus then asked, "As temporary coborators, do you need me to share the puppet''s vision with you? That way, you won''t have to pretend to be blind."
Such a good thing? Lumian instantly became wary.
Thinking about how Wanak had to fully submit to 0-01 to share a bit of power, and considering that all the puppets here were 0-01''s minions, Lumian pondered for a few seconds and said, "No need."
In a situation where he was not truly part of Albus''s team, he worried that sharing vision might gradually turn him into a puppet.
"Sometimes, being too cautious isn''t good," Albus Medici said without further persuasion, his tone containing a hint of undisguised regret.
For the next while, Lumian followed his mental map, winding through the underground tombs. Albus asionally used the iron puppets scattered around the area to remind him he wasn''t left behind.
After a while, Lumian slowed his steps, mumbling to himself, In the Examples of Mausoleum Construction, there''s nothing marked ahead...
This is where Albuses in, isn''t it?
Without hesitation, Lumian walked past what seemed to be a gate and entered the nk area on his mental map.
The next second, he felt his skin prickling, as if approaching a fierce lightning bolt yet not touching it.
Lumian immediately recalled the forest of lightning from his previous nightmare.
His ears then caught Albus''s voice through the iron puppet:
"Wanak ising. Just a dozen meters ahead."
Wanak? Lumian''s mind immediately pictured the most dangerous figure in Morora, with blood-red hair and iron-ck eyes, and his spirit instantly tensed up.
Chapter 830 Destination
Chapter 830 Destination
830 Destination
Lumian had always thought Wanak, who could draw power from 0-01, was more dangerous than Albus and Julie. This lightning-filled area was perfect for Wanak to unleash his potential.
No matter if Wanak could only change the weather slightly or if he was on par with Julie and Celeste, who could be vessels for a deity''s descent, in this forest of lightning, he was as powerful as a true demigod.
Together, Albus and I would get beaten up by the thunderstorm...
Lumian''s first instinct was to exit this area and find another path to 0-01.
That way, even if Wanak pursued him, outside his optimal environment, he wouldn''t be invincible.
In a sh, Lumian remembered the nightmares he had.
After the forest of lightning, there were mountains of corpses and bones, with 0-01 possibly at the peak.
This meant this was the only way to the core sealing area-there was no way around it!
This fact was hinted at in "Examples of Mausoleum Construction," even if it wasn''t clearly marked.
Or, I could pretend to retreat, draw Wanak out, and avoid fighting him in the lightning forest...
Wait a minute...
Lumian suddenly had a bold idea.
Since previous dangers saw him as one of their own, would Wanak, a puppet of 0-01, make the same judgment?
Wanak wasn''t a fully intelligent human but more like a sentient puppet.
Such a target could likely be deceived!
When I first arrived in Morora, I had little corruption from 0-01, with a mix of other influences, so it made sense for Wanak to see me as an enemy. But now, after much learning, the corruption is approaching a critical point.
! should try.
If it fails, I''ll use Shadow Animation to withstand the lightning attack and seize the chance to teleport out of the forest, avoiding a direct fight with Wanak...
Lumian made his decision and stepped forward.
As he walked, he recalled the nightmares he had since arriving in Morora, listening to the brass earplugs recounting knowledge to align himself with the corruption. At the same time, he thought aimlessly about various significant and insignificant questions to rx and prevent his body from being too tense.
This could prevent Wanak from noticing anything unusual!
Why did I end up in the forest of lightning?
ording to the nightmare, there should be burning pces and waterfall-like downpours ahead.
Are they on a different route?
...
Lumian endured the increasing prickling sensation, mentally calcting his distance.
Three or four more steps to meet Wanak...
As soon as this thought crossed Lumian''s mind, he heard slow but steady breathing, masked by the rolling thunder, just a few meters away.
Lumian''s back tensed involuntarily, and his right hand reached into the Traveler''s Bag, ready to pull out the headless corpse of the Abscessed Hand.
After its previous writhing approach, they had fused together but were temporarily unable to break through the Traveler''s Bag''s seal and reunite with the head.
As he got closer to Wanak, Lumian, unable to see his expression, instinctively wanted to hold his breath.
He quickly adjusted, forcing himself to remain calm.
The next second, he felt a gaze fall upon him, making the skin on his face break out in barely noticeable bumps.
It was Wanak''s gaze.
At this moment, Lumian wished he were a Hypnotist, but he could only keep telling himself, I am an experimental subject, I am an experimental subject...
He maintained the same pace as the ck-robed experimental subjects, walking straight ahead.
Two steps... one step... Lumian tried to clear his mind.
He walked past the imagined figure of Wanak.
One step... two steps... three steps... Lumian didn''t dare rx, feeling cold sweat on his back.
Outside the lightning forest, Albus Medici, through a guardian puppet''s eyes, watched Lumian holding the carbidemp and the ragged head, step by step, approaching Wanak, who had unbuttoned two buttons of his shirt.
He saw Wanak''s gaze fall on Lumian, follow him for seven or eight seconds, then slowly shift away, watching Lumian pass the most dangerous person in Morora and head towards the end of the lightning forest.
Wh- Albus squinted his eyes, thenughed. So that''s how he gets through dangerous areas, no wonder he''s been reading and studying these past weeks... When we reach the destination, I''ll have to guard against him using this trick...
Lumian walked a bit further, feeling the prickling sensation fade as faint echoes of sound from the brass earplugs leaked out, indicating he had left the lightning forest and entered a narrow corridor.
After this corridor, I should reach the area around the mountain of corpses...
Should I wait for Albus to catch up, or go face Julie and the others alone?
Heh heh, I wonder how Albus will get past Wanak...
Lumian stopped and listened for sounds from the direction of the lightning forest.
Thud, thud, thud. He heard slow, steady footsteps.
"Why did you stop?" Wanak''s sharp voice suddenly rang in his ears.
A chill ran up Lumian''s spine to the back of his head, making him almost pull out the headless corpse of the Abscessed Hand.
He stiffly wanted to "exin," but after a moment''s thought, he chose to remain silent and continued walking.
In the nearly frozen air, Lumian heard the thudding footsteps pass him and head towards the end of the corridor.
Phew... He quietly exhaled.
He didn''t stop again but slowed his pace, moving like a snail.
Soon, he felt countless eyes on him.
Seeing Wanak rush towards 0-01, Albus Mediciughed at Lumian''s pointless risk-taking as he leisurely passed through the lightning forest.
Using the guardian puppets in the corridor, Albus saw the walls made of square iron tes, with surfaces as smooth as mirrors.
At this moment, twisted, pale faces appeared in these "mirrors."
These faces belonged to the residents of Morora, silently staring at Lumian. asionally, someone would cautiously extend a hand from the metal surface, quietly reaching for Lumian''s body.
Lumian merely swung a fireball in that direction, not making any aggressive moves.
Seeing the pale hand retract into the iron wall, Albus made a puppet speak: "I see Wanak didn''t blindfold himself. Do you want to try it too?"
In the underground mausoleum, puppets of Wanak''s level don''t need to blindfold themselves, not fearing recement by a Mirror Person.
Theoretically, I should be able to do the same, given I''m almost like him now... Albus must have noticed Wanak didn''t attack me and is suspecting my condition... Lumian calmly responded to Albus, "! don''t want to die yet."
He then asked, "Should we wait here for a while, let Wanak and the two Demonesses fight it out, and then take advantage?"
Wanak rushing to the mountain of corpses must be to stop Julie and Celeste from doing something to 0-01!
Albus replied through a puppet: "I haven''t seen the two Demonesses ahead."
Julie and Celeste haven''t arrived yet? Did you two Demonesses get lost?
You were the first to enter the underground mausoleum! Or have you arrived but are hiding, waiting for the right moment? Lumian''s thoughts raced, and he resumed his normal pace.
As he walked, he smiled at Albus. "You must have noticed Wanak won''t attack me. So, will you let me go ahead unimpeded, join me, or rush ahead of me?"
Lumian worried Albus mightg behind, letting him face any unexpected dangers around the mountain of corpses alone. So he pointed out his unusual condition, making Albus cautious.
The next dangers, of course, should be faced together. No one should think of hanging back to reap the benefits after the fact!
Albus''sugh came from Lumian''s side.
"Since we''ve agreed to cooperate, we''ll go in together."
"That colors you in a different light," Lumian responded insincerely.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
After several more steps, Lumian suddenly stopped, feeling he was about to reach the mountain of corpses.
"Why did you stop?" Albus asked through a puppet at the entrance.
"Why did you stop?" Lumian retorted.
"You still don''t trust me," Albus sighed.
Lumian chuckled in amusement and replied, "Aren''t you the same?"
Suddenly, he sped up, as if trying to leave Albus behind and rush to the foot of the mountain of corpses.
Momentster, he heard a swooshing sound, the noise of a ming spear piercing the air.
Lumian scoffed and left the corridorpletely.
The next second, he felt an intense sense of danger.
This wasn''t a premonition but a Hunter''s instinct to dodge an attack aimed at his head.
"Are you here to die too?" Julie''s cold, indifferent voice echoed in Lumian''s ears.
Lumian quickly activated the ck mark on his right shoulder and withdrew his hand from the Traveler''s Bag.
He pulled out a bluish-ck, swollen, headless corpse!
...
Trier, in the apartment Franca and Jenna rented.
Jenna said to Franca, "Your suggestion worked. I''ve digested the Witch potion. Turns out, getting close to mystical dangers was the key."
Franca''s face lit up with joy.
"Are you going to take a couple of days to adjust before going to the sacrificial square in the underground catbs for the advancement, or do it now?"
Jenna pursed her lips and said, "My spiritual intuition tells me it''s best to do it now."
Chapter 831 Somethings Wrong
Chapter 831 Something''s Wrong
831 Something''s Wrong
When Lumian withdrew the headless corpse of the Abscessed Hand and activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, he heard Julie''s voice along with the sharp, exaggerated sound of a heavy object falling rapidly.
Instinctively, he chose the farthest ce he could sense as his teleportation destination.
Just as Lumian''s figure vanished, Albus entered the area with two iron puppets.
He hadn''t been influenced by Lumian''s feigned attempt to rush towards the mountain of corpses. Instead, he took advantage of Lumian''s blindness, conjuring a zing-white me spear and manually hurling it forward to drive Lumian out of the corridor, forcing him to face potential dangers and possible concentrated attacks.
Albus himselfgged two to three meters behind, allowing him ample time to reactif Lumian were to be surrounded or controlled, Albus could avoid the dangerous zone and approach the mountain of corpses from the side.
Of course, Albus couldn''t afford to fall too far behind. Lumian had just proven he could prevent Wanak from attacking him, potentially reaching the destination quickly and unhindered. If Albus dyed for more than ten to twenty seconds before entering the area, Lumian might have already made direct contact with 0-01!
In war, acting too quickly or too slowly can both lead to failure... As this thought crossed Albus''s mind, he heard the terrifying explosion of something hitting the ground.
One of his iron puppets looked up, seeing a massive meteor engulfed in bright mes, illuminating the entire area. It plummeted towards the armored soldiers and countless corpses in the wastnd, heading towards the entrance area where Albus and Wanak were.
The meteor fell faster and faster, soon surpassing the speed of sound.
Further away, Julie, wearing a slit low-cut dress, stood in midair with the help of icy steps, holding antern.
With a sapphire ring on her left hand, she drew a downward arc, pointing at where Wanak and Albus were.
"Son of a bitch!"
For the first time since entering Morora, Albus cursed uncontrobly in his mind.
Isn''t she supposed to not have invoked divine descent yet?
Isn''t she not in a state of divine descent?
How could this sow summon a meteor?
What about Morora''s rules? What about 0-01? Shouldn''t there be some restrictions? This is the ability of a Demoness of Catastrophe!
And this Demoness isn''t even blindfolded!
Something''s wrong!
Although the meteor hadn''t reached the level to destroy a city, or the true power of a Demoness of Catastrophe, Albus still felt genuine fear at that moment.
As a member of the Red of War rebuilt by the ancestor, he could concentrate his power towards the King of Angels, share some of the power in return, and distribute part of the damage he received. However, in Morora, within the core area of sealing 0-01, this special interaction was significantly weakened. Albus could at most temporarily use Sequence 4 powers and some weakened higher abilities, but could only transfer a third of the damage at most.
Now, even if he could transfer half or two-thirds of the damage, the remaining part would still be more than his current body could bear.
If the meteor had fallen instantly, Albus would have already turned into a charred corpse.
Wearing a ck blindfold, he leaned back slightly, his hair igniting with red mes extending to his back.
Beneath his skin, his bones and flesh faintly glowed with an iron-ck hue.
Next, he transformed into a zing white me spear, carrying the two iron puppets rapidly to the right.
He had borrowed the Red Angel''s power. The n was to first avoid the meteor''s impact zone, then use the ancestor''s damage sharing, his temporary metal transformation, and the two iron puppets as shields to survive the subsequent impact.
Yes, Albus didn''t bring the iron puppets because he was fond of them or because he didn''t want to lose his "eyes."
They made excellent shields!
As the primary target, Wanak made the same choice as Albus, but without the final protection of the iron puppets, and was hindered byyers of invisible webs around him.
As the strands of web became visible, turning grayish-white, Wanak''s zing white me spear slowed down.
Bang!
The zing meteor hit the ground about ten meters behind Wanak.
Boom!
Rolling dust, intense mes, and terrifying shockwaves engulfed Wanak.
The metal-colored body of Morora''s most dangerous person cracked instantly, turning into a charred corpse.
Albus, who had fled some distance, was mmed into the white me spear by the rushing shockwave, driving it to the ground.
With a nging sound, the first iron puppet, acting as a shield, quickly dented and partially shattered, instantly losing its puppet-like feel and bing scrap metal.
Next, the second iron puppet suffered severe damage, and then Albus Medici, who emerged from the me spear state, spat a mouthful of zing blood, his metalized body sustaining damage.
Not knowing where he had teleported to, Lumian first heard the explosion, then felt the tangible shockwave m into him, followed by the burning mes.
His ears momentarily deafened, unable to draw knowledge from the brass earplugs. His whole body was flung out, but the shockwave''s intensity had dropped to a level a Reaper could withstand.
As for the mes carried by the shockwave, they could only ignite clothes, bandages, and hair, barely causing significant burns to his body, and were quickly extinguished by his me control ability.
Thua!
Lumiannded heavily, almost dropping the carbidemp in his hand.
The burnt bandages on his face fell off, but fortunately, he kept his eyes shut.
At the same time, Lumian felt the headless corpse of the Abscessed Hand in his right hand and the rotting head in his left hand be agitated, each dragging his body towards the other with terrifying force.
Lumian didn''t stop them; instead, he released his grip.
He once again activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, teleporting to the limit of his current sensing range.
He needed to distance himself from the merging parts of the Abscessed Hand to avoid bing the first target of attack. Otherwise, he might find himself surrounded and attacked!
When choosing a teleportation destination, Lumian deliberately avoided the impact zone and the ce where Julie''s voice hade from.
In the thick, smoky environment, Lumian''s figure disappeared, and the two rotting parts of the Abscessed Hand moved towards each other.
The headless corpse grasped the tangled-haired head with its only hand, urgently cing it on its neck.
But this attempt was hindered by some force, as if an unspoken rule in the underground mausoleum required the head and body to remain separate.
Of course, the obstruction didn''t truly prevent the head from reattaching; it only increased the difficulty and slowed the reassembly process.
On the other side, the rolling mes and scattered dust calmed down a bit. Julie, standing on the icy steps, saw that Wanak had lost his life force, lying on the ground with deep cracks and charred marks all over his body.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
She quietly sighed in relief.
Wanak had always been her most dreaded opponent. She regretted that Lumian fled early, missing the chance to team up and kill Wanak.
Just then, Wanak''s charred body moved.
The most dangerous person in Morora leaped up, with two dark red mes burning in his eye sockets.
He had be an undead creature!
For Wanak, who was a special puppet of 0-01, being alive or existing as an undead made little difference.
Moreover, as an undead, he could tap into additional powers!
He spread his arms, tilted his head back slightly, and let out a roar like a battle cry.
Suddenly, thentern Julie held went out, and the mes around the mountain of corpses were extinguished. Only thentern in Albus''s hand and the carbidemp Lumian held, protected by their Hunter powers, flickered but continued to burn.
Darkness surged back but failed to engulf Julie.
Nothing? Using thest iron puppet as his eyes, Albus couldn''t help but frown upon seeing this scene.
That sapphire ring can protect Julie from the underground mausoleum''s dark corrosion and dissolution?
That doesn''t make sense!
Even if it could, why did Julie carry thentern before? To mislead us?
And, there shouldn''t be a Demoness of Catastrophe''s ability, even if it''s a weakened version...
Something''s definitely wrong!
At this moment, Julie let out a low, soul-scratchingugh and pointed her left hand skyward again.
In the darkness above, faint light appeared as sharp icicles formed, raining down like a storm towards the wastnd, targeting Wanak, Albus, and Lumian.
Wanak roared again.
It was like a battle drum, striking Julie''s heart and causing her to stiffen momentarily.
Next, a tornado connecting heaven and earth formed, sweeping all the icicles and reversing towards Julie.
At that moment, whether it was Lumian with his eyes shut, Albus with his eyes covered, or Julie and Wanak with normal vision, they all felt the world shake and heard the creaking sound of the void around them.
The rotting corpse of the Abscessed Hand had finally reattached its head to its neck.
Chapter 832 Reunion
Chapter 832 Reunion
832 Reunion
The rotting chunks of flesh on the blue-ck corpse''s neck and head began to wriggle and merge back together.
It felt as if the whole world started to shake, with the void around them creaking.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It was as if something outside the void was pounding forcefully, trying to get in.
Crack! A strange, ethereal breaking sound came from afar, piercing Lumian''s ears.
Is Hand Bro trying to get in and reunite with its body?
Is the breaking sound a sign that the seal is temporarily broken?
Lumian, with his eyes still tightly shut, could only specte from the sounds he heard and the movements he felt.
Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, he heard the metallic, scraping voice of an iron puppet several meters away: "Next to the assembled corpse, the space is cracking like ss."
This was Albus, rying to Lumian what he saw through the iron puppet and the detail he thought was most important.
Unable to see, Lumian had teleported near Albus-he had to avoid the impact zone and Julie''s location while staying away from the Abscessed Hand''s corpse. The choices were limited, making an encounter with Albus likely.
Cracking like ss... Hearing Albus''s description, Lumian suddenly had a realization.
He had been puzzled by Julie''s disy of confidence and the terrifyingmotion she created.
He felt that if he hadn''t teleported away in time, he would surely have died from such an attack.
This exceeded his assessment of Julie''s strength, making him suspect she was in a state of divine descent, though it clearly didn''t seem that way.
Now, Lumian had a vague guess.
Amid the intense shaking of the ground, Albus stopped using the iron puppet''s voice and spoke directly, "Do you think it looks like a mirror shattering?"
A mirror... Yes! Lumian instantly understood the situation.
This is the mirror world!
This is an extension or projection of that special mirror world around 0-01!
After Julie and Celeste reached their destination, they set a trap, creating an entrance to the mirror world at the corpse mountain''s entrance. So, whether it was Wanak, Albus, or himself, none of them saw the two Demonesses when they peered into the corridor, but were attacked after entering.
The Demoness of ck had told Franca that the Demoness Sect once controlled that special mirror world, losing some control after the War of the Four Emperors, and further diminishing after the Pale Disaster.
At this moment, Julie must have already worn the divine artifact left by the Primordial Demoness, possessing various special powers. One of these might be the limited use of the special mirror world''s power.
With the special mirror world''s support, she couldunch such a terrifying attack!
If my guess is correct, and this really is the mirror world... Lumian felt the world''s shaking, listened to the sounds of the void breaking, and themotion caused by Julie and Wanak attacking the Abscessed Hand''s corpse. He suddenly turned his head towards Albus.
He asked in a deep voice, "Is Julie blindfolded?"
"No," Albus replied firmly.
As expected! Lumian decisively opened his eyes.
If this truly was the mirror world, there was no need to worry about 0-01''s power leaking out and creating a corresponding Mirror Person through the eyes, the mystical window of the soul.
In the next second, scenes filled Lumian''s vision: Fallen soldiers in iron-ck armor like stalks of straw, the corpse mountain several hundred meters to the side, Julie standing on icy steps with an unlitntern by her feet, and Wanak with dark red mes burning in his eye sockets.
At this moment, Julie and Wanak both saw the bluish-ck corpse of the Abscessed Hand as the primary target,unching rounds of attacks. To them, it seemed more dangerous than each other, Lumian, or Albus.
"Indeed..." Albus''s voice carried a hint ofughter.
He even sighed in relief without hiding it when Lumian looked over.
Lumian''s thoughts raced, quickly understanding what Albus meant by "indeed": This guy was also guessing this is the mirror world but couldn''t be sure, so he encouraged me to open my eyes to verify?
Dammit! That''s so sneaky!
Good thing I was certain before I opened my eyes!
In Lumian''s sight, Albus, in his ck jacket with red patterns and hair like burning mes, removed the burned blindfold andughed.
"No wonder that Demoness kept carrying a litntern, to mislead us into not thinking this was the mirror world.
"No wonder nothing happened when herntern went out. Truly insidious."
"Are you any less insidious?" Lumian replied just as the Abscessed Hand''s corpse experienced a sudden change.
The surrounding void cracked like ss struck by a fist, dense white cracks spreading outward, bing sparse and transparent.
Crack!
The cluster of dense white cracks shattered, and a rotting, pus-dripping, bluish-ck swollen hand flew in.
The Abscessed Hand finally broke through the barriers and arrived here!
As soon as it appeared, it used Spirit World Traversal to ce itself directly at the severed wrist.
Seeing this, Julie had a strong sense of foreboding.
She immediately let the sapphire ring on her left hand emit a faint light.
Next, she let her hands fall and then lifted them from below.
The ground shook violently, and a small volcano quickly formed under the bluish-ck corpse of the Abscessed Hand, spewing out red-whiteva and clouds of dust.
This immediately engulfed the bluish-ck rotting corpse, melting its flesh and attempting to solidify it within the volcanic rock.
Wanak, with dark red mes in his eye sockets, had blood slowly oozing from his brow, twisting into a strange pattern.
As this change urred, Wanak raised his right hand.
The dead soldiers in iron-ck armor lying on the ground stood up again, their eye sockets rekindling with pale or dark red mes.
Wanak then formed an almost entirely green me spear with a hint of zing white, hurling it at the bluish-ck corpse struggling in the fierceva.
The undead soldiers followed suit, creating zing-white me spears, mimicking Wanak''s action, and throwing them at the target.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The me spears nearly obscured half the sky.
Seeing this, Albus moved towards the entrance, with Lumian silently following.
Soon, the me spears covered the bluish-ck corpse of the Abscessed Hand, tearing it into countless small chunks of rotting flesh.
These pieces ignited, falling into the red-whiteva.
Suddenly, a part of theva unexpectedly caved in, and the ming rotting flesh seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, gathering together.
In the blink of an eye, the bluish-ck corpse reappeared in theva and mes.
The rotting flesh on its surface peeled off in pieces with mes, revealing fresh, vibrant flesh and pale skin as healthy as if it hadn''t seen sunlight for a long time.
Julie and Wanak''s attacks continued, with hailstones like cannonballs, ck mes, lightning strikes, and flying fireballs, but the damage couldn''t keep up with the reassembly and healing speed of the Abscessed Hand''splete body.
Within seconds, the charred skin and rotting flesh on the Abscessed Hand''s face also fell off, revealing a delicate, handsome face.
Thick, long ck eyshes fluttered, and beneath the soft, pale eyelids, the eyes began to move slowly.
Whether living in the Demonesses'' circle like Julie, frequently dealing with Demonesses like Lumian, or the deeply rooted Albus Medici, as well as the uniquely conditioned Wanak, they all held their breath at this moment, briefly entranced by the indescribable beauty.
It was like admiring a perfect, timeless work of art.
They didn''t notice their hair growing visibly, previous injuries healing rapidly, and consumed spirituality replenishing as if a rainstorm had filled numerous evaporatedkes.
They saw that on the wless but slightly feminine face, under the high nose bridge, the just-right lips parted slightly, revealing clean white teeth. The entirely white yet clearly muscr and perfectly proportioned body waspletely exposed.
Seeing what was between the Abscessed Hand''s legs, Julie instinctively swallowed, clenching her right hand.
The perfect body leaned back slightly, seemingly in some pain.
His chest began to swell, hisher region shrinking rapidly, and his body''s lines softened.
He grew increasingly beautiful, nearing the limit of perfection.
But this transformation was stalled, as if missing some crucial element to seed.
Taking advantage of this stall, Albus broke free from the stunning beauty''s shock and immersion, touched the stubble around his mouth, burned it off with mes, and slightly frowned at Lumian. "What kind of monster did you put together?"
Lumian, barely recovering, chuckled. "I don''t know either."
"..." Albus was momentarily speechless.
Lumian''s gaze lingered on theplete corpse of the Abscessed Hand.
Indeed, it was a bro, but he seemed to be turning into a sister.
But if this change is due to Beyonder characteristics, like a Witch''s, the gender should be fixed, not reverting to male after death and then turning female upon resurrection...
This feels more like corruption... He was killed and sealed in pieces before the corruption could fully change his body? To prevent his reassembly and revival, and the return of the corruption?
Now, what''s stopping that corruption from fully transforming him? Is it an issue with the source of the corruption, or something special about Morora?
Just as Lumian made some guesses based on his limited mystical knowledge, he saw the white eyelids of the Abscessed Hand twitch and slowly open.
They revealed a pair of beautiful, crystalline scarlet eyes.
Chapter 833 Activation
Chapter 833 Activation
833 Activation
Lumian and the others were all captivated by those beautiful, crystalline eyes, feeling as if their very souls were being drawn into the depths of that scarlet.
But those eyes soon filled with irrational rage, madness, and chaos, creating a vortex of indescribable emptiness at their core.
It made all who saw it feel a deep difort, as if a wless object had suddenly cracked.
Just as Lumian broke free from the trance, he saw the scarlet eyes of the Abscessed Hand focusing on him.
It first noticed its own contractee.
It showed no hesitation, disying a ruthless, bloodthirsty impulse.
Lumian''s heart skipped a beat, and his body hair stood on end.
Damn, it''s going to attack me first! Lumian immediately prepared to teleport to the side of the corpse mountain in the mirror world, to avoid the impending attack from the Abscessed Hand.
He felt it was unfair-he had only been watching and hadn''t tried to interfere with the reassembly of Hand Bro, yet he was being targeted.
The real culprits were Julie and Wanak!
And I went through all that trouble to gather your body. I don''t expect you to thank me, but at least don''t kill me first! Lumian grumbled internally while activating the ck mark on his right shoulder, following his Hunter instincts and personality.
At this moment, both Julie and Wanak sensed that the body, which had transformed from a rotting mess to near perfection, had be even more dangerous.
Taking advantage of the Abscessed Hand''s focus on Lumian, they each prepared their most powerful and effective attacks.
Julie raised her left hand and pointed to the sky.
High above, dark clouds swirled into a massive vortex, driven by a violent wind. At the center of the vortex, an iron-ck meteor began to take shape, heavy and ominous.
The Abscessed Hand''s gaze shifted from Lumian''s disappearing figure to Julie.
In those crystalline, scarlet eyes, Julie''s figure in her slit dress was reflected, followed by the image of the Abscessed Hand raising its white palm.
That hand clenched into a fist.
Julie''s neck made a cracking sound, visibly indenting inward.
Crack, crack, the mirrors on her body shattered, but she couldn''t escape her predicament.
She floated upward slowly, her face contorted in pain as if someone were lifting her by the neck.
Her hands instinctively pulled back, trying to pry open the invisible hand strangling her.
The forming iron-ck meteor disintegrated, the wind stopped, and the clouds dispersed.
Lumian, who had just appeared at the side of the corpse mountain, saw this and genuinely marveled at the terror of the Abscessed Hand.
If this had happened outside, carrying out the contract without having Madam Magician as a safeguard would be suicide.
At this moment, Lumian felt a strange sense of relief, as if an invisible shackle within him had been broken.
He hadpleted the pact and was no longer barred from acquiring godhood.
Lumian''s gaze swept over Julie, whose mouth was opening and her face turning a darker shade of blue and purple. He frowned in confusion.
Where is Celeste?
Julie is responsible for blocking and interfering with intruders in the mirror world. Is Celeste targeting 0-01?
His thoughts raced as he looked towards Albus Medici, now several hundred meters away.
This guy is also suspicious...
He could influence and use the iron puppets in the underground tomb.
Why did he wait until Julie and Celeste took action to enter here?
Was he preparing something or afraid he couldn''t get past Wanak, waiting for a chaotic opportunity?
Just as Julie''s eyes began to bulge and she resolved to unleash the full power of her sapphire ring, the mirror world shook violently again, and clear cracks appeared all around.
From within these cracks, nearly invisible mes emerged and seeped through.
In an instant, the sky and ground began to burn.
Lumian suddenly felt an urge to submit, his body instinctively avoiding the nearly invisible, flower-like mes and the melting earth, rocks, and void.
He realized his resistance to burning damage was useless against these mes; contact would surely reduce him to ashes.
At the same time, his right palm became unbearably hot, and a violent, crazed aura surged within him, unable to break free from the icy, deathly stillness of the Underworld Daoist mark''s restraints.
The residual aura of Blood Emperor Alista Tudor had fully activated,pletely triggered!
This left Lumian feeling like an overinted balloon, pushed to its limit and still being pumped.
The pain was excruciating.
The area around the Abscessed Hand, where the mirror cracks were most numerous and the mes most dense, became a burning hell. Its head lowered, and the hand squeezing Julie''s neck loosened.
Witnessing this change and feeling an indescribable pain, Lumian recalled a passage from the 0-01 sealing information: "Beyonders with strength surpassing Sequence 5 are forbidden from approaching.
Warning, Beyonders with strength surpassing Sequence 5 are forbidden from approaching!"
Now, the reassembled and revived Abscessed Hand clearly possessed strong godhood.
0-01 has detected the presence of a demigod level Beyonder and is forcibly breaking the mirror world''s barrier?
My Blood Emperor mark was stimted by 0-01''s aura and triggered uncontrobly? Lumian thought painfully, his thoughts disjointed.
Albus Medici also lowered his head, his ming hair growing another inch.
Julie fell to the top of the frosty steps, finally escaping a near-death state.
Her long, pale neck was swollen and bruised, marked by deep, blood-embedded finger imprints.
Julie exhaled, raising her left hand once more.
She intended to seize this chance while the enemy, who nearly killed her, was restrained by 0-01''s power and eradicate itpletely.
On the other side, Wanak ignited nearly blue mes.
He stretched out his right palm, directing the mes forward to form a giant fireball.
The fireball attracted the nearly invisible mes around it, drawing them inyer byyer.
Behind Wanak, his undead army was ignited by the mes seeping through the cracks, but instead of turning to ash, they merged with these mes, one by one flying into Wanak''s fireball.
The fireball grewrger, its color gradually turning purple.
Wanak, his eye sockets burning with dark red mes, bit his lips tightly, reaching his limit.
He then pushed the enormous, pale purple fireball towards the Abscessed Hand.
As the fireball touched the Abscessed Hand''s perfect body, a meteor ignited by air friction fell from the sky.
The meteor fell faster and faster, hitting the immobilized target directly.
Struggling against the residual aura of the Blood Emperor, Lumian first saw the explosion of light, then the rising dust, and finally heard the deafening boom, feeling the earth shake wildly.
The world turned colorless and dark.
Did it work? Julie eagerly looked towards the area where the meteor had fallen.
Though it was filled with dust, smoke, and invisible wind, Julie used her connection with the mirror world to make her eyes like mirrors, reflecting the scene at the explosion''s core.
The perfect body had been blown to pieces, its flesh either charred or vaporized, leaving only a broken, ck skeleton standing.
But on that skeleton, new tender flesh was growing, and the bone was slowly shedding its charred appearance.
It''s still not dead? The weakened Julie felt an immense heaviness in her heart.
In the next second, Julie''s forehead throbbed with pain, as if the flesh there had a will of its own, trying to break free from her skin.
Her ears buzzed, and her mind was filled with images of lofty, gently floating scarlet gs.
Her face twisted in pain, she thought with difficulty, H-has 0-01 noticed me?
I-I can''t hold on any longer...
I''m going to be its puppet...
Julie''s body bent forward under the invisible weight, her eyes turning ck with visible veins.
She looked at Wanak on the wastnd, at the rising dust, her gaze growing crazed, resembling her state when first entering Morora.
Clenching her teeth, she whispered, "I will take everyone here with me!
Celeste, the rest is up to you! Remember the famous line from ''Eternal Love''? Stupid, live well!"
Live well! Julie silently screamed, and her sapphire ring burst into blinding light.
She was invoking the Primordial One''s divine descent!
In the light, the bloody mark on Julie''s forehead faded quickly, her hair floated and grew longer and thicker.
Gray-white quickly spread around her, turning the entire wastnd gray-white.
Lumian stiffened as if turned to stone, the residual aura of the Blood Emperor in his right palm causing endless burning pain.
Then he saw Julie, transformed by the gray-white, suddenly turn towards him.
...
Trier, in the sacrificial square at the entrance to the third level of the underground catbs.
Franca had finished checking the surroundings, ensuring no one else was present, and had set up a mirror maze.
"You can drink the potion now." She nodded at Jenna.
Jenna took out the necessary materials from her Traveler''s Bag and mixed the Pleasure potion in a crystal ss.
Without hesitation, she raised the ss and gulped it down.
She felt herself float as if walking on clouds, her body pricked by tiny, needle-like pains. Her hair, influenced by an unseen force, defied gravity, extending away.
Jenna vaguely saw snakes slithering through the surrounding gloom, rising up.
Each snake had a strange eye on its head, giving Jenna a strong sense of danger, as if she would be torn apart any second.
The hallucination quickly faded, and Jenna saw a blurry, holy figure in a in white robe.
The figure sighed in a hollow, ethereal voice. "As a woman, do you know how dangerous this path is?"
"I have no choice," Jenna replied, half-awake and dazed.
The holy figure was silent for a moment and then said,"Make peace with your mirror self, for you were always one. Any other questions?"
The figure started to fade as if about to disappear.
Jenna blurted out, "Are you Lady Krismona? Who is your father?"
As soon as she asked, Jenna wanted to p herself.
Had she gotten into the habit of discussing nonsense with Lumian and Franca? There were so many important things to ask, yet she asked such an irrelevant question!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The holy figure in the in white robe was silent for a moment and then said, "My father is Alista Tudor."
Chapter 834 Divine Descent
Chapter 834 Divine Descent
834 Divine Descent
The entire world seemed to turn gray and white, even the almost blue mes on Wanak''s body solidifying into stone.
Lumian''s first instinct was to reach into his Traveler''s Bag to retrieve the mirror cufflink. He intended to use the opportunity, created by 0-01 breaking through the mirror world''s barrier and Julie being too preupied to intervene, to escape the mirror world and return to the real corpse mountain, avoiding the impending divine battle.
He realized Julie had been praying for a divine descent.
And now, a fragment of the Primordial Demoness''s power had descended!
Lumian couldn''t avoid the influence. His body turned gray and stiff. The burning pain from the residual aura of the Blood Emperor in his right palm was the only thing keeping him moving, allowing him to slowly reach into his bag and grab the ss-like cufflink.
Just as he withdrew his hand, before he could activate the mirror cufflink, Julie, with her hair floating in the air, turned to look at him.
Her hair had turned raven ck like thick, long serpents, and her eyes were now a brilliant, crystalline blue.
In that brief moment of eye contact, Lumian lost control of his body.
He saw the grayness spreading around him, climbing from his feet. Every inch of skin and flesh it touched turned to real stone.
Why am I the first target?
Wanak and Albus are far more dangerous, and the Abscessed Hand isn''tpletely dead. Why target the weakest one first?
Shouldn''t I be caught in a broad attack instead?
Then I''d have a chance to escape the mirror world and wait out the divine descent!
Facing this hopeless situation, Lumian, as an Ascetic, couldn''t help but feel intense anger and frustration.
Despite his limbs turning to stone, he tried to channel his spirituality to activate the Mirror Cufflink and other contract marks on his body.
But as his spirituality approached the grayness, it solidified, turning to stone and falling like rain to the ground.
His neck turned to stone, then his face and brain began to gray.
Hisst effort was to look toward Albus Medici''s position.
The wastnd was empty.
The descendant of the Red Angel was gone.
He had disappeared or escaped somehow!
Son of a sow... Lumian couldn''t help but curse.
In the next moment, his thoughts seemed to turn to stone.
His gray eyes saw Julie, transformed and radiating charm even to stone, floating in mid-air, engulfed in ck mes.
The Demoness descended like a giant bird, trailing ck mes that twisted and branched like countless serpents, their long tails gently swaying.
Silently, the mirror world began to copse, dark voids mingling with ck mes, swallowing the still skeletal Abscessed Hand, the immovable Wanak, and the petrified Lumian...
The end of this world hade.
Silent darkness filled every void.
After an indeterminate time, a violent, invisible me flickered to life, illuminating Lumian''s mind.
He felt the burning pain and icy rot in his right palm, the heat in his left chest.
He snapped his eyes open and saw a hundred-meter-high mountain of corpses and bones.
I''m... alive? Lumian was bewildered.
Hisst memory was turning to stone and the destruction of the mirror world by Julie.
He instinctively looked down, seeing the grayness rapidly recede from his body.
This confirmed it wasn''t a nightmare or hallucination. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
How did I survive?
Did someone help me?
Lumian doubted he could have survived such an apocalypse alone.
At that moment, he heard Albus Medici''s voice, tinged with amusement.
"You can traverse the mirror world too, just like my escape n, and you did it while partially petrified. Impressive. Did you rely on that cufflink in your hand?"
Lumian turned to see Albus, in a tattered ck and red jacket, a crystal ne around his wrist.
Albus had his eyes closed but was surrounded by undead soldiers in iron-ck armor, their eyes burning with pale or dark red mes.
Lumian remembered he should also close his eyes.
This is likely the real area around the corpse mountain. Keeping his eyes open might result in being silently reced by his mirror self!
Nothing happened... Just as I expected, I''m now Wanak''s ally, one of the dangers, a puppet of 0-01. No need to fear any forbidden rules anymore... If only I''d realized it earlier, instead of being stunned and confused by my survival, I could have closed my eyes before Albus looked over, taking advantage of the situation to trick him... Lumian regretted this missed opportunity but also started to understand how Albus avoided the divine descent of the Primordial Demoness.
Like him, he took advantage of 0-01 breaking through the mirror world''s barrier and Julie being too preupied with her prayer to notice them.
He used an item that allowed him to traverse the mirror world and escape back to the real mausoleum.
The only difference was, Julie, who hadn''t fullypleted her divine descent, targeted Lumian instead of Albus, allowing him to escape while he couldn''t.
Why were you watching me? You should''ve focused on sealing the entire world. Then no one could''ve escaped! Lumian mentally cursed Julie, realizing that he must have activated the Mirror Cufflink just before his thoughtspletely turned to stone, which saved him.
But as he checked, he realized something was wrong.
The Mirror Cufflink still had two uses left!
He hadn''t used the Beyonder item at all!
Wh- Could Archbishop Heraberg secretly have helped me? After all, gods need special arrangements to descend a fraction of their power into Mor''s underground mausoleum. It''s unlikely an external entity intervened suddenly... It couldn''t be Julie, who suddenly felt how kind I was as a boss and pushed me out of the mirror world at thest moment, could it? Lumian decided to put these thoughts aside for now.
Now wasn''t the time to seek the truth!
There were still many dangers ahead!
He nced at Albus, noticing the Red Angel''s descendant studying him through the eyes of the surrounding undead soldiers.
Indeed, Albus didn''t attack me just now, not because he didn''t want to, but because he had concerns. My actions exceeded his expectations, and my escape was full of mysteries. He feared acting rashly might trigger a trap... Lumian''s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden change in the sky.
Julie, wearing a long slit dress, appeared in the dimly lit sky.
Lumian''s scalp tingled.
She''s still alive and in the divine descent state?
He quickly noticed Julie''s figure was unusually transparent, and the sapphire ring on her left hand was gone.
Phew... He heard Albus Medici sigh in relief.
Julie lowered her head and gazed at the top of the corpse mountain.
Following her gaze, Lumian saw a two to three meter tall iron-ck metal pole with a charred banner at the top. The banner was covered in dark red and ck bloodstains.
Just a nce made Lumian feel dizzy, his neck inexplicably stinging, and the smell of blood seeped from various parts of his face and forehead.
0-01? Salinger''s Blood Banner? My corruption has deepened... It seems I don''t need to finish reading all the remaining books. Mastering the current one should be enough... I can''t rely on such direct corruption to save time; it''s easy to surpass the critical point... Lumian quickly averted his gaze, noticing Celeste standing not far from the banner.
The Demoness, wearing a ck robe, was looking down at the spot where the iron-ck metal pole was embedded in the top of the corpse mountain.
The next second, she sensed something, raised her head, and looked at Julie in the sky.
Julie''s lips curled into a beautiful and radiant smile.
She parted her moist lips as if to say, "I''ll leave it to you."
In an instant, Lumian saw Julie''s figure rapidly fade and shrink, turning into a puddle of filthy blood.
The blood, only palm-sized, fell straight down.
Its target was the charred banner of 0-01, seemingly to be one of the many bloodstains on it.
Celeste finally snapped out of her daze and shouted in pain, "Julie!"
At that moment, Albus''s expression changed slightly. He transformed into a long spear of zing white with a hint of blue mes, shooting towards the banner in mid-air.
He seemed unwilling to let Julie''s remaining blood stain the charred banner.
You''re finally putting in some effort... Lumian muttered, not rushing to follow Albus to the top of the corpse mountain to leave a mark or stop him and Celeste.
He nned to "join" after Albus and Celeste had fought for a while.
Of course, Lumian could see that Albus valued Julie''s blood and didn''t want it to be a mark on the 0-01 banner. If Albus didn''t perform well and failed to stop the blood from reaching its intended spot, Lumian would teleport to help in time.
Seizing this rare opportunity, Lumian took an item from his Traveler''s Bag.
It wasn''t the Sword of Courage but the Devil''s Whispers bone ring from Hisoka.
Chapter 835 Source of Corruption
Chapter 835 Source of Corruption
835 Source of Corruption
As soon as Lumian''s fingers touched the glossy ck bone ring, he felt searing pain spread from the point of contact throughout his entire body.
He looked down to see thin wisps of purple-blue sulfur mes emerging from every pore, charring the surrounding skin bit by bit and giving off a pungent odor.
This pain was so familiar to Lumian that he merely furrowed his brow slightly, gritted his teeth, his expression barely changing.
He then took out the Devil''s Whispers bone ring, slipping it onto his right ring finger with the twisted, agonized Devil''s face facing up.
Lumian''s gaze turned icy cold, a deep ckness forming in his blue irises that no light could prate.
The malice within him rapidly swelled, overwhelming the Ascetic''s tolerance and shing fiercely with his own will in a fragile bnce, the excess spilling outward.
Lumian took out some Ice Lemon Fish fillets from his Traveler''s Bag, stuffing them into his mouth and chewing to temporarily boost his fire resistance a bit. At the same time, he sensed the surrounding malice.
He was searching for the Mirror Person Guei!
One negative effect of the Devil''s Whispers was that it made the wearer and anyone within a hundred meters more prone to malicious thoughts and impulsive actions. And since Mirror People tended toward extremism and distortion to begin with, they would be even more obviously affected.
With this premise, the Devil''s Whispers also granted the Malice Perception ability, allowing the wearer to sense if those around them harbored ill intent. It could not detect dangers in their brewing stages like a true Devil, but it was still a mystical form of perception.
As long as the Mirror Person developed malicious intentions toward him within a certain distance, Lumian believed he could use Malice Perception to pinpoint their location!
Sulfur mes slowly burning across his body, Lumian''s icy gaze swept the surrounding area littered with corpses d in iron-ck full-body armor amid smoldering fires, remnants of some recent ughter.
Faint, nearly invisible mes also flickered at various points on the corpse mountain itself.
They illuminated the wastnd and sky, preventing total darkness from taking hold and allowing Lumian, Albus, and Celeste to remain visible despite no longer holding their carbidemps ornterns.
After just a second or two, the corners of Lumian''s mouth curled into a cruel, cold smile.
He sensed intense malice directed at him from about ten meters behind and to the side!
It emanated from a corpse-no, from the smooth, mirror-ck breastte on the corpse.
Found you... Without turning around, Lumian abruptly teleported to the corpse''s side amid his slow movements and activated the Mirror Cufflink.
Through the metal mirror''s surface, Mirror Person Guei peered outward from within the ck breastte.
After discovering the two Demonesses had used the mirror world to reach this area, he had slipped out quietly, leaving it to Julie and Celeste.
He wasn''t worried they would beat him to 0-01, since based on his knowledge and on-site investigations, he believed no one could gain 0-01''s approval before its agent Wanak was eliminated. Brute force or exploiting loopholes would achieve nothing until the "throne" was vacant and chaos ensued, giving others an opportunity.
Guei felt relieved he had made this wise choice, having directly experienced the mirror world projection''s destruction just now.
A mere aftershock of that apocalyptic scene could have vaporized him instantly.
Confirming Wanak''s death, he then slipped back through an ordinary mirror world to the corpse mountain''s vicinity, seeking a chance to gain 0-01''s approval and take it for himself.
He saw Julie turning to filthy blood and fall, Albus Medici transforming into a fiery spear to stop it, Celeste screaming Albus''s name in anguish, and Lumian Lee calmly putting on the ring, preparing to make his entrance and reap the spoils of victory.
An intense malice welled up within Guei: You''re all obstructing me frompleting my mission!
After entering Morora as one of the rare Readers turned Mirror Person, Guei had initially felt confident, supplementing his knowledge at the Knowledge Cathedral while conducting field investigations to gather intel for his final operation.
But after covertly observing the capabilities of Albus Medici, Wanak, Julie, and Lumian Lee, Guei began doubting himself.
Which of them could I actually defeat one-on-one by exploiting the special mirror world''s power? Probably only Lumian Lee, the one my superior warned me to watch out for...
And when ites to learning speed, although I far outpace Lumian, it seems I can''t handle nearly as much corruption as him...
Am I really the one with the least hope among these people?
Shaken by these doubts, Guei devised a n to lurk in the shadows, using his special nature to emerge once the heavyweights had shed and weakened each other, then sweep up the remains.
So far, his n had progressed smoothly.
The biggest obstacle, Wanak, and the most dangerous threat, Julie, were dead, their soulspletely extinguished with no chance of revival through 0-01''s leaking power as undead beings!
Once Albus Medici and Celeste decide the winner between them, I can join the fray, kill the survivor, and take on the weakest Lumian Lee alone...
Should I, should I ambush Lumian while he''s off-guard? He''s no Demoness or Mirror Person, with no substitute active, a single hit could kill him for real...
These malicious thoughts grew clearer and stronger in Guei''s mind. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
But before he could decide, Lumian''s figure abruptly erged, appearing right before his eyes.
Then Lumian vanished from his sight.
In his ce, a viscous pool of ck liquid emerged underfoot, as if the deepest, most vile desires of the human heart had taken physical form.
Desire Incarnation!
The ck liquid suddenly surged upward, enveloping Guei.
Crack!
The sound of shattering ss came from within the inky fluid as Guei''s silhouette appeared on the edge of the dim, empty space behind the metal mirror.
He saw the liquid rapidly coalescing into Lumian''s form, chuckling coldly with a fondness of teaching others. "Didn''t know I had a Mirror Substitution, did you?"
A direct attack like this only costs me one mirror.
Before the words had left his mouth, an exceptionally violent emotion welled up within Guei.
He instinctively reached for his neck, feeling warm blood.
Pain immediatelynced into his mind.
Crack!
Guei deliberately triggered his own Mirror Substitution, shattering countless shards of ss that rained to the ground.
His silhouette now flickered in another corner behind the mirror, but a thin, deep bloody gash remained on his neck.
His emotions had bepletely frenzied, vicious, and insane. His facial skin rapidly aged and withered like patches of brown tree bark. The words "my child, my child" echoed in his ears as flesh rippled on either shoulder, seeming to sprout additional heads.
His abdomen slowly swelled while his eyes took on a silvery-white with streaks of ck. His aura rapidly dissipated as his body visibly decayed, chunks of flesh sloughing off and wriggling like maggots...
Lumian saw the various corruptions afflicting him directly manifested in this stark way.
It was a veritable smorgasbord!
When he used Desire Incarnation, that inky ck pool didn''t just contain his own emotions and desires, but also those from the corruptive emotions and desires deeply influencing him.
These higher-level corruptions would be difficult for any non-godhood being to resist-even Saints would suffer serious effects!
Facing such potent corruption, failure to proactively trigger one''s Mirror Substitution immediately would be toote once the viscous fluid made contact. By then, it would already have tainted the target!
Now Guei was a horrifically corrupted monstrosity.
Seeing the Mirror Person degenerating toward an unspeakable form, Lumian had the intuition that continuing to observe might catalyze a simr transformation within himself.
He immediately stepped back, leaving the metal mirror surface to return to the corpse and surrounding wastnd at the base of the corpse mountain.
He then saw the smooth mirror-like surface of his chest te, with tendrils of ck mist seeping out, like illusory shadows seeming to try and grasp him.
Lumian swiftly turned his body and sprinted toward the corpse mountain peak.
Sometimes transforming into a zing-white ming spear to propel himself forward, sometimes teleporting dozens of meters, he continually climbed upward through the mountain formed of corpses and bones, scattered with lingering embers.
He aimed to lead the out-of-control, copsing Mirror Person Guei, corrupted into monstrosity, to Albus Medici and Celeste, telling them "you''re wee."
Whether climbing by hand and foot, using his contracted abilities for short-range teleports, or ascending in ming spear form, Lumian felt an immense oppressive presence behind him. An indescribable, constantly shifting ck shadow was cast onto him and his path ahead, inevitably filling him with fear.
He now had no way to know what horrific form the pursuing monster had taken or what state it was in-he only knew for certain it was not something a normal human should observe or discern.
Suddenly, Guei''s deep voice rang in his ears: "Mommy..."
Mommy... Lumian''s mouth twitched, realizing that even with all the strange corruptions on himself, the one from the Great Mother, from the Omebe bloodline, still stood out as the most exceptional-after all, Mr. Fool had left behind a seal, not a corruption.
Lumian fled even faster.
Finally, he saw the summit of the corpse mountain peak, Celeste and Albus Medici.
Chapter 836 Unorthodox Feint
Chapter 836 Unorthodox Feint
836 Unorthodox Feint
Albus transformed into a zing-white, blue-tinged ming spear, flying to the peak of the corpse mountain, toward Julie''s filthy blood descending onto the charred 0-01 banner.
But in the blink of an eye, he lost his target, reverting from his fiery state tond beside the corpse where 0-01 should have been embedded.
At the peak, opening his eyes no longer seemed an issue, but Albus Medici''s vision no longer contained the charred banner, Julie''s filthy blood, or Celeste.
With his past experience, Albus quickly understood what was happening: This was the mirror world, or a Mirror Maze!
After waiting so long at the peak, Celeste must have made some preparations!
As Albus guessed, this was a Mirror Maze created by multiple mirrors reflecting each other. Celeste stood outside, her gaze pained and distant as she watched the filthy blood race towards the charred g.
For some reason, the filthy blood slowed its descent, as if repelled by 0-01, but it still sank inexorably, just at a reduced pace.
Albus tried using the crystal ne coiled around his wrist but found no mirror world to traverse or escape through, confirming he was trapped in the Mirror Maze. He immediately condensed zing white, blue-tinged fireballs, sending them in all directions to st the hidden mirrors forming the maze.
As its name implied, the Mirror Maze was just a maze, not a true barrier with defenses!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Thunderous explosions erupted almost simultaneously, yet Albus still could not break through the Mirror Maze.
Not a single mirror had been damaged!
With a slight narrowing of his eyes, Albus decisively abandoned any further such attempts.
Outside the Mirror Maze, Celeste felt the explosive winds and inwardly scoffed.
In other locations, widespread bombardment might overwhelm a Mirror Maze meant to trap Hunters. But here at the corpse mountain''s peak, the heart of 0-01''s seal, it would not be so easy.
As a Demoness of Affliction corrupted by 0-01 to some degree like Julie, Celeste could wield traces of that special mirror world''s power!
The Mirror Maze''s mirrors were not at the peak itself, but scattered among the corpses and bones below, their reflections then projected around 0-01''s vicinity through that special mirror world, forming the Mirror Maze.
Seeing Julie''s filthy blood nearing the charred banner, Celeste felt a mix of tion and confusion, undeid by anguish.
From somewhere, she produced a ck teardrop-like ornament and affixed it to between her brows.
Inside the Mirror Maze, Albus calmly lowered his head and half-closed his eyes, preparing to do what would inevitably be required.
He murmured in ancient Hermes, "The great God of War, the symbol of iron and blood, the ruler of chaos and strife."
With this three-passage invocation of the honorific name, the iron-ck metal gpole suspending the charred banner shuddered slightly, its drooping g fully unfurling with a rattling sound despite the stillness, each bloody stain growing vivid.
Julie''s filthy bloody halted, hovering a couple meters from 0-01, as if grasped by an unseen hand.
High above, clouds rapidly swirled into an immense vortex tinged with faint purple firelight,rger than the mountain itself, its far end suggesting some vast entity straining against an invisible barrier.
Cracks spread from the Salinger''s Blood Banner with snapping sounds, the special mirror world over the peak shattering.
The Mirror Maze dissipated as its special mirror world projection broke apart.
Albus''s head snapped up, his irises now flecked with iron-ck, a bloody mark stark on his brow.
His gaze fell on Celeste, now adorned with her own ck teardrop ornament, meeting her eyes.
Beforebat could erupt, Lumian nonchntly climbed over the peak''s edge, a mere seven or eight meters from 0-01.
Nomunication was needed as Albus and Celeste simultaneously attacked Lumian.
Albus casually thrust out a fist expelling a massive blue-tinged fireball, while frost coalesced around Celeste''s head into mirrors, each preceding an eerie, smoldering ck me.
But just as Celeste''s icy mirrors would have reflected Lumian, his figure faded, vanishing with a mocking smile.
Behind him, an immense silhouette suddenly loomed into Albus and Celeste''s view.
Already over five or six meters tall yet still growing, twisting appendages sprouting, it was covered in patches of brown bark and sickening knobs that oozed clear fluid from the gaps.
For now, the monstrosity cradled a blood-stained, vertebrae-trailing head in one hand, its silvery-ck empty eyes dead and sunken.
On either shoulder was a fleshy, head-sized bulge, the surface rippling with some contained liquid.
The next second, the monster leaped to the peak, shedding puddles of wriggling maggot-flesh.
Countless ck gaseous tendrils dragged at it from behind, trying to pull it back into the sleek, iron-ck breastte mirror.
The mere sight catalyzed a visceral sensation of corruption in Albus and Celeste.
Celeste''s hair billowed outward, rapidly thickening and coarsening, while Albus''s face became mapped with protruding ck veins.
Boom!
Albus''s immense blue-tinged fireball with white remnants exploded against the monstrosity as Celeste''s flickering array of frost-mirrors reflected its figure, engulfing it in roiling ck mes.
Crack!
The monster shattered mirror-like, its silhouette immediately reappearing beside 0-01, making Albus and Celeste''s scalps prickle-it could use Mirror Substitution too.
Raising its severed head, the monstrosity emitted a sound like it came from another world.
Celeste felt herself plunged into cloying, frozen ckness, constrained on all sides in inescapable oppression.
Albus likewise found himself surrounded by stifling darkness.
This was a mystic technique inspired by the Mirror Person''s state of being.
At that moment, Lumian, having teleported away to avoid the earlier sh, reappeared at the corpse peak''s base.
His silhouette flickered behind Albus in the darkness, mouth opening to harrumph, sending a pale-yellow gaseous breath that washed over him.
For an instant, Albus''s eyes went nk, his body swaying before he recovered his senses.
The Red Angel had helped him resist part of the Spell of Harrumph''s effects.
Seizing Albus''s momentary disorientation, Lumian''s left fist zed with white mes as he struck at his vulnerable point-the neck connecting head and body.
Cull!
As Lumian''s fist neared Albus''s neck, the member of the Medici family transformed into a humanoid ze of white, blue-tinged fire.
Not the merger with a ming spear, but transmutation into living me itself.
In this fiery state, his neck was no longer a weakness!
Bang!
Lumian''s punch only made the ming figure waver and dim slightly.
In the next instant, Albus became a roaring blue-tinged ming spear, bursting through the ck icy shackles into the air.
Wheeling about like a javelin cast from the high vortex''s hidden depths, he unleashed dozens of blue-streaked white fireballs in a thunderous barrage toward the peak.
Boom! Rumble! Boom boom!
Horrific explosions engulfed the area in relentless session.
The indescribable monstrosity repeatedly used Mirror Substitution yet could not escape the bombardment''s range.
Meanwhile, Lumian had teleported pre-emptively back to the mountain''s base.
Still teleporting? Hand Bro isn''t dead yet? As a chill ran down Lumian''s back, he saw Celeste''s face reflected in a nearby corpse''s smooth breastte.
The Demoness had not met Albus''s assault with Mirror Substitution, instead deploying a mirror to swiftly traverse the mirror world to the wastnd-one of Lumian''s backup ns.
Seeing she did not immediately attack him, Lumian turned his gaze back toward the peak.
He did not regret missing the opportunity to eliminate Albus earlier, as that was the oue he wanted.
If he had intended to kill Albus with that strike, he would not have used only his Cull ability-he would have surely drawn the Sword of Courage or attacked in his Desire Incarnation form instead.
If I killed Albus now, who would help me deal with Celeste and that monster? Just me alone? Lumian inwardly muttered with obvious malice.
His earlier attack had a hidden purpose: to deceive Albus into thinking his defenses were ineffective against Lumian, to make him believe the pitch-ck bone ring on his hand could not target him.
Then, at the crucial moment, he could "surprise" Albus by exploiting this misconception!
The thunderous explosions finally subsided. The corpses and bones atop the peak had suffered severe damage, and Julie''s filthy blood had dissipated somewhat.
The indescribable monster no longer had Mirror Substitution, its surface charred and tattered.
Albus reappeared, his iron-ck eyes lifting his right hand to push forward.
A spiraling storm of white-blue Fire Ravens flocked relentlessly toward the monster''s exposed abdomen in overwhelming numbers.
Rumble!
Its weak point battered, the staggering monster copsed into fragments.
Seeing this, Lumian instantly drew a straight sword resembling the Sword of Courage and teleported to the peak, while Celeste also raced toward it.
Chapter 837 Each With Their Own Schemes
Chapter 837 Each With Their Own Schemes
837 Each With Their Own Schemes
Lumian did not directly teleport behind Albus Medici, nor did he approach the fragmented corpse of the monster Guei. Instead, his figure quickly materialized at the edge of the peak area.
Earlier, while observing the battle from the mountain''s base, he had already stopped the knowledge recitation from the brass talisman made by Archbishop Heraberg and removed the corresponding earplugs, cing them in the Traveler''s Bag. This was out of concern that the uing intense battle might cause devastating damage to them.
Simrly, he wore the Mirror Cufflink on his cuff, preparing to use it.
As soon as Lumian appeared at the mountain peak, he saw the pus flowing from Guei''s corpse fragments seep into the bodies and bones forming the ground, igniting nearly invisible and colorless mes.
Those mes instantly engulfed Guei''s dismembered body, burning it to ashes, giving no chance for it to writhe and grow. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
At the same time, Lumian noticed that the almost invisible remnant mes that had existed at the peak had mostly extinguished, with the remaining ones about to burn outpletely.
He had also noticed earlier from the mountain base that the scattered remnant mes on the wastnd were sessively extinguishing.
Of course, this did not affect the illumination of the corpse mountain and its surrounding areas. Light came from the purple fiery glow seeping through the massive vortex high in the sky, from the corpses, bones, and different parts of the wastnd ignited during the battle between Albus Medici, Celeste, and the monster Guei, and from the charred banner that was shaking and vibrating with increasing frequency.
The original remnant mes are extinguishing? Were they not always present, but rather created by 0-01 in response to the appearance of Hand Bro, a being with godhood? As this thought struck Lumian, he gripped the ordinary straight sword resembling the Sword of Courage with both hands and ran towards Albus Medici, who was about a dozen meters away.
With a whoosh, the straight sword burst into zing-white mes.
Albus, with his brow mark vivid and seemingly about to drip, bent down, letting his hands touch the corpses and bones forming the mountain.
The flesh of some corpses suddenly melted, bing viscous, while bones rapidly gathered.
Albus then straightened up, forcibly pulling from the corpse-and-bone ground a huge white sword temporarily formed from countless spines and neck bones, with melted viscous flesh entwined around it, bringing a bloody and bizarre appearance.
Albus dragged this bizarrely shaped, horrifying giant sword to meet Lumian.
Crack! The giant sword of bones protruding through waxy flesh split Lumian''s zing white me sword in two with a single strike.
Lumian''s figure vanished, rapidly reappearing behind Albus.
He swiftly drew another iron-ck straight sword resembling the Sword of Courage from the Traveler''s Bag and struck heavily at the neck of this Medici family member before him.
Albus swiftly turned, swinging his monstrous giant sword horizontally, once again shattering Lumian''s weapon.
Lumian teleported once more, again shing behind his enemy.
But as soon as his figure began to materialize, sharp icy spears condensed in mid-air, raining down like a storm.
Celeste, who had concealed herself and circled to an unknown location,unched an area attack targeting both Albus and Lumian.
Lumian then saw dense fog.
It surged out from around Albus, instantly enveloping the area, reducing visibility to ten meters and preventing Lumian from sensing spirit world coordinates beyond the fog, making it difficult to directly teleport out.
Fog of War!
Immediately after, Albus, now out of Lumian and Celeste''s sight, pressed ayered,pressed, yet still massive blue fireball towards the ground of the corpse mountain.
Boom!
A terrifying explosion that temporarily deafened swept across the area, dispersing the dense Fog of War, vaporizing the falling icy spears, destroying part of the corpses and bones, and igniting others.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian''s figure was reflected in the ck breastte of a corpse on the wastnd.
Earlier, when his teleportation was restricted, he had immediately taken out a mirror from the Traveler''s Bag and activated the Mirror Cufflink on his left cuff.
Using this Beyonder item, Lumian had entered the mirror world just before Albus created the indiscriminate explosion and the dense icy spears fell, escaping from the peak of the corpse mountain.
This was simr to his choice when escaping from Albus and Gusain''s encirclement in that underground cavern filled with the fog of war.
Lumian jumped out of the smooth ck metal breastte, and the ss-like ornament on his cuff instantly turned grayish-white, crumbling into dust that scattered to the ground.
The Mirror Cufflink had been used for thest time.
At the peak of the corpse mountain, Albus had already turned and was rushing towards the increasingly violently shaking 0-01.
At this point, Julie''s pool of filthy blood was only about a meter away from the surface of the charred banner.
Since Albus''s battle with the monster Guei began, the blood no longer felt as if it was being held up by an invisible hand and continued to fall, albeit at an increasingly slower pace.
Seeing 0-01 within reach, a mirror of ice and snow, two to three people tall, suddenly rose in front of Albus.
The mirror instantly reflected Albus''s figure.
Simr ice mirrors abruptly appeared to Albus''s sides and behind him, reflecting different angles of this Red Angel descendant.
As these giant ice mirrors formed, thick, snake-like strands of ckened hair emerged from the edge of the mountain, carrying the quiet and eerie Demoness''s ck mes, rapidly extending towards those mirrors.
Celeste intended to curse Albus with this!
Albus swiftly turned sideways, facing the source of those snake-like ck hairs, and saw Celeste, cloaked in a ck robe with an oddly flushed face.
Boom!
Multiple zing white, blue-tinged fireballs quickly condensed, shattering those four huge ice mirrors into pieces. However, these fragments melted slowly, continuing to reflect Albus''s image from different angles, densely awaiting the arrival of the snake-like hairs carrying the Demoness''s mes.
Holding the bizarre giant sword, Albus suddenly transformed into a zing white, blue-tinged fire person, expanding to three to four meters tall.
This brought continuous high temperatures,pletely melting those ice mirror fragments.
Silently, Celeste withdrew those long hairs covered in ck mes, once again concealing her form, moving to an unknown location.
Lumian teleported over.
This time, he drew the iron-ck Sword of Courage from the Traveler''s Bag-the true Sword of Courage!
Enduring the continuous burning pain of sulfurous mes, Lumian was instantly filled with courage.
What''s there to fear from just a Sequence 5 who can borrow some power from the Red Angel?
Why hide?
Lumian swung the Sword of Courage at Albus Medici, only igniting the godhood-possessing straight sword with zing white, blue-tinged mes just before it was about to sh with Albus''s bizarre bone and flesh sword.
Having courage didn''t mean not using schemes and tricks!
Albus''s now iron-ck eyes showed no surprise; instead, a smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
His bizarre bone and flesh sword suddenly burst into near-blue mes.
You''ve been pretending to be weak all along, only using ordinary straight swords. How could I not be prepared for you to suddenly use a godhood-possessing attack?
Albus''s body abruptly metallized, instantly boosting his strength to its peak.
Boom!
The two swords collided, creating a sound like an exploding shell.
The st of wind failed to shake Albus, whose skin now had an iron-ck tinge, pushing Lumian and his Sword of Courage back.
Suddenly, Lumian melted into a viscous ck liquid that seemed to be formed from the most sinister desires deep within the human heart.
He disintegrated on the ground, rapidly flowing to the bottom of Albus''s feet, covering him like a shadow.
Crack! The illusory, viscous, chilling ck liquid suddenly dispersed, and a mirror tinged with silvery-ck fell onto the corpses and bones, shattering into pieces.
Mirror Substitution? Lumian was shocked.
Albus has Mirror Substitution too?
No, he hadn''t used it in several dangerous situations before!
Albus''s figure emerged from a mirror near the peak of the corpse mountain, smiling as he transformed into a zing-white, blue-tinged me spear, flying back to the battlefield-that mirror was a remnant of Celeste''s Mirror Maze.
He didn''t have Mirror Substitution, but he could still traverse the mirror world using the crystal ne coiled around his wrist. During Lumian''s first attack, he had prepared a mirror in advance, hiding it at his waist under his tattered jacket.
The indescribable monster appeared so abruptly and strangely, pursuing you. How could I not be prepared for you in this aspect?
As for how to quickly escapebat without Mirror Substitution and avoid being affected, you''ve demonstrated it twice already!
Seeing the me spear flying towards him, Lumian, still in his viscous ck liquid state, immediately seeped into the gaps between the corpses and bones, using this to leave the mountain peak.
Filled with courage, he didn''t intend to flee. To avoid being trapped by the Fog of War again without the Mirror Cufflink, he nned to circle around to the other side, seeking new opportunities to corrupt Albus Medici.
Fleeing was definitely not an option!
At this moment, Lumian suddenly felt a rather intense weakness.
Has my spirituality dried up prematurely? No, it''s not just a matter of spirituality... Lumian thought as he reverted to human form and released his umted spirituality.
ng!
His right hand inexplicably lost strength, making it difficult to hold onto the Sword of Courage. He could only watch helplessly as the iron-ck straight sword fell to the ground, nging against a stark white skeleton.
Why didn''t I teleport to create distance first?
I... I seem to be sick...
Lumian was suddenly rmed and immediately activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, disappearing from near the peak of the corpse mountain.
He left the Sword of Courage there, not retrieving it for the moment.
He was hoping the opponent would trigger one of its negative effects- in about ten minutes, if the Sword of Courage wasn''t sealed away, it would indiscriminately attack nearby people.
And now, the people around the Sword of Courage were Albus Medici and Celeste.
As soon as Lumian''s figure materialized on the wastnd, Albus at the peak of the corpse mountain slightly furrowed his brow.
This descendant of the Red Angel swayed slightly, noticeably weaker than before.
He seemed to have fallen ill as well.
Chapter 838 Bluffing
Chapter 838 Bluffing
838 Bluffing
Albus''s right hand holding the weapon drooped down, seemingly too weak to bear the weight of the bone and flesh sword. He nted it on the ground made of corpses and bones, butpared to Lumian directly dropping the Sword of Courage, he was clearly much better off.
At the same time, Celeste''s voice, filled with anticipation and cruel amusement, emanated from various mirrors and mirror-like objects scattered across the corpse mountain and wastnd, "How are you feeling? Confused about when you got infected with the gue?"
Sure enough, it''s a Demoness''s gue... Standing on the wastnd, Lumian took advantage of the moment before his musclespletely lost strength, when he could still lift light objects, to quickly remove the Devil''s Whispers bone ring from his finger and stuff it back into the Traveler''s Bag.
Wearing this ring would cause Lumian to be constantly burned by sulfurous mes, inside and out, continuously weakening his resistance and tolerance to gue. Although he was already poisoned by sulfur and had some degree of burns, stopping the damage in time was still very important.
After putting away the Devil''s Whispers bone ring, Lumian took out the brass talisman and matching earplugs given by Archbishop Heraberg, gripping one in his left palm and putting the other back into his left ear.
"Listen!" Lumian again uttered this ancient Hermes word, continuing his learning process.
Meanwhile, Celeste''s voice continued to emanate from various mirror surfaces and mirror-like objects: "We were certain that the operation targeting 0-01 would face interference andpetition from Beyonders of the Hunter pathway, and we would inevitably have to confront Wanak. So, we prepared a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact in advance. The mystical pathogen it produces has a very notable characteristic-it can survive in high-temperature mes for a period of time.
"And I can use the power of the special mirror world to let those pathogens spread quietly through different mirror surfaces, silently dispersing throughout this wastnd and corpse mountain.
"You''ve been setting fires all along, but I''ve also been continuously releasing frost, pretending to attack and curse. This actually freezes those mystical pathogens inside, allowing them to survive longer in high temperatures. Combined with their own special nature, it''s enough for you to be contaminated partially, slowly seeping into your bodies..."
Celeste exined in great detail, as if wanting to bring pain and savor despair.
This might be her hobby, or perhaps a negative influence brought by certain items.
Albus Medici, leaning on that bone and flesh sword, kept turning his body, looking in different directions, seemingly trying to quickly pinpoint Celeste''s true form and drag her out of the mirror world.
However, it was impossible to discern which mirror Celeste was in just from the source of the sound. She might have been constantly moving through the mirror world without stopping.
Simrly, even if Albus recited those three passages of the honorific name again, he could only affect the special mirror world in this area at the peak of the corpse mountain. He couldn''t damage the "mirrors" in the middle and lower parts of the corpse mountain and on the wastnd.
Celeste''s voice gradually became shrill, both painful and pleasurable.
"This pathogen also has ws. It''s not the type that will have fatal effects in a short time. It can only make you quickly lose your physical strength, elerate the dissipation of spirituality, and eventually make you lie on the ground, unable to move, desperately listening to your own heart gradually weakening and stop beating."
Hearing this, Lumian teleported to change his position, avoiding being assassinated by Celeste taking advantage of the situation.
Some thoughts shed through his mind: Could I wear the Eggers family''s golden mask to counteract the damage from this mystical pathogen?
If I stop my heart from beating in advance, I won''t have to worry about it losing strength!
No, this mystical pathogen seems to affect the Spirit Body as well. Perhaps, after physical death, the Spirit Body will gradually lose the power to maintain its own existence...
Moreover, Archbishop Heraberg said that bing a deceased here would only lead to eternal slumber... Well, perhaps in the future, one might be ''awakened'' as a puppet of 0-01...
Albus Medici at the peak of the corpse mountain suddenlyughed.
"So that''s how it is. I do feel weakened.
"Even with my ancestor helping me share the impact, in three or four minutes I shouldpletely lose my fighting ability, barely able to crawl.
"But I don''t remember if I told you what I was going to do in the underground mausoleum, or if you noticed that the abnormality had already urred?"
As he spoke, Albus''s smile gradually brightened.
His demeanor wasposed, appearing very confident and assured, not panicked at all.
Celeste, who had been emitting sounds from different mirrors and mirror-like objects to dy time until the effects of the mystical pathogen deepened, suddenly fell silent.
She seemed to be observing her surroundings, trying to find the abnormality Albus mentioned.
Albus moved his neck and said with an upturned corner of his mouth,
"I only have three things to aplish here:
"First is to kill Wanak, so that 0-01 no longer has a proxy of this level;
"Second is to recite my ancestor''s honorific names around 0-01, causing it to resonate and gradually awaken;
"Third, heh heh, is to dy time, waiting for 0-01 to break free from this corpse mountain on its own.
"Haven''t you noticed that the frequency and amplitude of 0-01''s trembling and shaking are getting higher andrger?
"Haven''t you noticed that 0-01 is about to break free from the corpse mountain?"
Wh- Celeste, hidden near the peak of the corpse mountain, concealed in one of theponents of the previous Mirror Maze to closely observe Albus''s movements and ready to interfere with the target''s self-rescue at any time, tensed up and instinctively looked towards the violently shaking and trembling 0-01.
She then saw that charred banner with the dangerous blood spots densely covering it.
Her head suddenly buzzed, and her neck ached.
She was further corrupted!
Crack!
The mirror where Celeste was hiding instantly shattered, revealing her figure, with a nk expression, her head trying to separate from her neck.
Now! Albus seized the opportunity, discarding the heavy bone and flesh sword, transforming into a zing white, blue-tinged me spear, swooshing down near Celeste.
Then, he created a dense Fog of War, enveloping Celeste and the area within about ten meters around this Demoness.
Afterpleting this, Albus didn''t give Celeste a chance to break free from her corrupted state and escape the Fog of War through the mirror world. Mustering his remaining strength, he condensed several blue fireballs and sent them crashing into the Fog of War one after another.
Rumble!
Rtively violent explosions urred, and pale blue mes rose up. Celeste''s Mirror Substitution was passively triggered.
But affected and misled by the Fog of War, her figure reappeared still within the st range, still covered by shock waves powerful enough to destroy a Demoness''s body.
Albus controlled the power of the fireballs, ensuring the Fog of War was never dispersed, causing Celeste''s Mirror Substitutions to shatter one after another.
Simrly, he also controlled the frequency of fireballs bombarding that small area of fog, not giving Celeste even a slight chance to recover and enter the mirror world.
Finally, Celeste''s shadow froze. That beautiful and seductive body ckened and disintegrated, falling to the ground in the form of corpse fragments.
Plop, the ck teardrop-shaped ornament she had been wearing on her brow fell onto a corpse.
Albus stopped maintaining the Fog of War and looked at the dead Celeste,ughing mockingly.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, my calmness just now was feigned. I needed to dy for five to six minutes to wait for 0-01 to resonate with my ancestor to the extreme, initially awaken, and break free from the constraints of the corpse mountain.
"Why were you in such a hurry? So hurried that you forgot direct eye contact with 0-01 would lead to corruption, and you were already corrupted to some extent.
"Remember, being too hasty or too slow are both major taboos in war."
While mocking the dead, Albus didn''t go to pick up that ck teardrop-shaped ornament which clearly possessed Beyonder power, fearing it might trigger corresponding negative effects and impact subsequent matters, especially since he was already considerably weakened.
At this point, his hands and feet had be powerless, running had be difficult, so he could only transform again into a zing white, blue-tinged me spear, flying back near 0-01.
He nced at Julie''s filthy blood slowly falling in mid-air, estimating it was only about 30-40 centimeters away from the target.
Albus then threw a blue fireball at it, burning that pool of filthy blood, causing it to slowly evaporate and dissipate without triggering any additional changes.
After closing his eyes to sense the frequency and amplitude of 0-01''s shaking and trembling, Albus silently said to himself, It seems to be progressing faster than expected, two or three more minutes should be enough.
Heh heh, Celeste, I lied about one thing earlier. In the end, 0-01 still can''t break free on its own, it needs me to help it with Medici family blood...
I didn''t mock your corpse earlier because I had too much time, some words needed to be heard by Lumian Lee, to make him overlook the part where I lied... n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Albus Medici then turned to look at the wastnd, at Lumian who had justpleted a teleportation to change his position to avoid being locked onto, and said loudly with augh, "You''re very alert. In such a pressing situation, you actually didn''t follow that fool Celeste to observe the abnormalities of 0-01."
Lumian raised his hand to scratch his right ear, telling a lie that couldn''t be more obvious, "Sorry, I was learning, I didn''t hear your conversation just now. Alright, I admit, I was thinking Celeste would help me confirm the current situation of 0-01."
Albus looked at this guy and said thoughtfully, "You''re very calm. Your physicalbat ability should be almost depleted by now. As for me, with my ancestor sharing the burden, I can definitely hold out longer than you."
Lumianughed,ughing withposure and confidence, exuding the brilliance of atop student. "Haven''t you noticed that there are other abnormalities here?"
Chapter 839 The "Hidden" Taboo
Chapter 839 The "Hidden" Taboo
839 The "Hidden" Taboo
Other abnormalities? Albus''s first reaction was that Lumian was imitating him, trying to trick him into looking at something he shouldn''t.
He cautiously scanned the wastnd below the corpse mountain, only seeing undead soldiers fallen in different ces and nearly extinguished colorless embers.
During this process, Albus also listened for any movements around him, but apart from the increasingly violent trembling and shaking of 0-01, he received no other information.
"Are you trying to dy time this way? I think this is more advantageous for me," Albus replied to Lumian with a smile.
The image of thispetitor was reflected in his iron-ck eyes as he quickly estimated the probability ofunching a sessful surprise attack in his mind.
He wanted to eliminate thest hidden danger before losing his closebat ability.
Lumian didn''t give Albus this opportunity. Although his arms had weakened to the point where he could only pick up rtively light objects, and his legs were so weak he could barely walk, the umted spirituality he released was still quite abundant, enough to support him inpleting many teleportations.
His figure disappeared from Albus''s sight, then reappeared on the side of the corpse mountain.
Before Albus could find him, Lumian said with a smile, "It''s understandable that you didn''t notice other abnormalities here. After all, you don''t seem to be someone who enjoys studying. And your ancestor, that Red Angel, although having a very thorough understanding of 0-01, the current 0-01 is no longer the same as before.
"From the Sealed Artifact information, I know that after your ancestor was killed by the Blood Emperor, 0-01 changed hands twice-once to Alista Tudor, and once to Death from the Southern Continent. Therefore, it has been corrupted by other, equally high-level corruptions."
Seeing Albus''s gaze turn towards him, seemingly listening and discerning the truth of his words without immediate intention tounch an attack, Lumian stayed in ce and continued, "Of course, your ancestor visited Fourth Epoch Trier and understood the various details of the corresponding seal. Morora''s seal was modeled after Trier''s, so you definitely wouldn''tck understanding of the situation here. But the seals on both sides are only mostly simr, with many details still having critical differences.
"The book ''Principles of Sealing'' tells me that this is because 0-01 and its corruption are purerpared to Fourth Epoch Trier; it''s lessplex, can form fewer bnces and constraints, and many characteristic issues are more prominent.
"If your ancestor were toe in person, take a turn in the underground mausoleum, no, just take a few nces, He would definitely understand what abnormality I''m talking about. But unfortunately, He can''t descend to Morora, and probably can''t see or hear directly through the seal using your eyes and ears. He can only give you power, help you share the damage, and listen to your reports periodically.
"Under these circumstances, heh heh, it''s indeed understandable that you didn''t notice other abnormalities here."
Albus Medici stared down at Lumian, listening to his narrative with a smile on his face, while pondering where the problem actuallyy.
Rambling on and on about irrelevant things, it does seem like he''s trying to buy time.
But buying time is more beneficial to me... The resonance between 0-01 and my ancestor is getting stronger and stronger. In two or three more minutes, I''ll be able to approach and drip some Medici family blood...
His condition will only deteriorate faster than mine, the longer we dy, the weaker he''ll be...
Is he waiting for reinforcements? But unless the Archbishop of the Church of Knowledge personally intervenes, there should be no one in Morora who can participate in this struggle, and those outside Morora can''te in... The Church of Knowledge currently appears quite neutral, at most with a slight inclination in secret, they won''t directly get involved. Hehe, I need to be vignt about this point, so-called schrs are more treacherous than us Hunters, the more knowledge they have, the more treacherous they be...
It''s a pity, this trash can is very alert, he''ll teleport away at the slightest sign of trouble, while I need to get close to release the Fog of War... No wonder my ancestor said that before Alista Tudor became a god, he found Bethel Abraham more troublesome...
Continuously feinting attacks, forcing him to use teleport repeatedly, draining his Spirituality? That''s one way. If we really go on ording to his pace, by the time his spirituality is insufficient to support teleport, I''ll also be almost unable toplete the battle, even standing will be difficult, only able to rely on Fire Ravens-scatter shots-like a blind man shooting birds...
But if feints are to be convincing, they need to consume a lot of spirituality, and if they''re not convincing, they can''t bluff anyone...
Why does this dog shit-like pathogen target the physical body first, then affect the Spirit Body? If the rate of spirituality dissipation could be as fast as the loss of muscle strength, the problem would be simple. In that case, I wouldn''t need to hold out for too long, just longer than this trash can.
As Albus''s thoughts raced, Lumian smiled and said, "Do you need me to give you a hint?
"I don''t know if you''ve seen the sealing information for 0-01, but you must be very familiar with the various taboos here. Haven''t you noticed that two sections of the content, or rather, two of the taboos, hide problems?"
Two taboos hiding problems? Albus suddenly had a dangerous intuition, he began to believe that some of what Lumian said might be true.
Lumian said with a mocking tone, "Haven''t figured it out yet? See, this is the consequence of not studying. I didn''t notice it at first either, but after reading arge amount of rted books and materials in Morora, I gradually developed doubts.
"Let me give you another hint. The first problematic taboo is that experimental subjects must cover their eyes and carry amp, and if themp goes out, that experimental personnel will directly disappear, and everyone who knows him will simultaneously believe that he died long ago."
"What''s wrong with that? I''ve already had people verify the authenticity of this taboo. Hehe, it''s only because there are many light sources here, otherwise we would have all disappeared by now," Albus quickly thought about the details he might have overlooked.
At this moment, Lumian''s figure suddenly disappeared.
He teleported to change his position, appearing near the top of the corpse mountain, next to the Sword of Courage.
Taking advantage of the fact that he could still move the Traveler''s Bag, he crouched down and slipped the bag he had been holding in advance over the Sword of Courage, returning it to itspanions.
At this time, Albus, not expecting Lumian to appear so close to the top of the corpse mountain, was still searching for the target with his gaze across the wastnd.
By the time he reacted and condensed blue fireballs to bombard downwards, Lumian had already activated the ck mark on his right shoulder and truly teleported to somewhere in the wastnd.
He risked picking up the Sword of Courage because he now realized that he might be the one facing its indiscriminate attackster.
As the rumbling explosions just began to subside, Lumian''s voice sounded again:
"Haven''t you figured it out yet?
"After I arrived at the real corpse mountain, I actually doubted my guess andpletely abandoned it, but theter results made me more certain, and allowed me to figure out more problems along the way."
Lumian spoke to Albus Medici from afar in the tone of a teacher, "The answer is, why must it be experimental subjects carrying litmps to enter, why not ce burning wallmps at intervals inside the underground mausoleum and rece themp oil regrly? Although this would consume more resources, it would be more convenient and safer. The Church of Knowledge''s financial power couldn''t possibly be unable to support such an arrangement.
"Is it to make the seal seem mysterious and terrifying? Obviously not, there are clearly deeper reasons."
Albus Medici''s eyes flickered slightly, vaguely having some guesses.
He cast his gaze towards the embers scattered across the corpse mountain.
Lumian''s figure disappeared again, appearing among Celeste''s corpse fragments. N?v(el)B\\jnn
He then inverted the Traveler''s Bag over the ck teardrop-shaped forehead ornament, collecting it.
This time, Albus tracked Lumian''s figure in time, but he didn''t make a move, nor did he transform into a me spear to throw himself over.
This was firstly because the other could teleport away at any time, and secondly because what Lumian was doing now was also beneficial to him.
Albus was almost certain that the forehead ornament was the "source" of the current mystical pathogen. After cing it in another space, the concentration of pathogens here would gradually decrease, preventing their conditions from rapidly deteriorating, allowing them to hold out longer.
After putting away the forehead ornament, Lumian immediately teleported to the wastnd on the other side of the corpse mountain, smiling at Albus.
"The second problematic taboo is ''Beyonders with strength surpassing Sequence 5 are forbidden from approaching. Warning, Beyonders with strength surpassing Sequence 5 are forbidden from approaching.''"
Albus immediately understood Lumian''s line of thought and asked in a deep voice, "You mean there''s no need to specifically emphasize that Beyonders above Sequence 5 cannot approach?
"Indeed, in reality, as long as they''re not already corrupted experimental subjects or special people like us, whether they''re above Sequence 5 or not, they shouldn''t approach 0-01."
Lumian wanted to apud, but even adjusting the Traveler''s Bag was quite strenuous for him now.
He said with a tone that approved his educatability, "Yes, so why specifically emphasize that Beyonders above Sequence 5 cannot approach?
"Probably because when Beyonders above Sequence 5 approach 0-01, besides bringing danger to themselves, it would also trigger additional, more terrifying abnormalities. Therefore, it must be specially warned!
"Just now, the appearance of Hand Bro brought about an attack from 0-01, leaving embers all over this wastnd and corpse mountain. And from my observation, these embers will extinguish on their own.
"What does this indicate? It indicates that before we came in, this ce was in darkness, without any firelight.
"Combining this with the first problematic taboo I mentioned, and with what the book ''Principles of Sealing'' says about self-bnce and self-sealing, the potential hidden danger bes very clear."
Albus''s expression changed slightly, obviously realizing what the possible abnormality might be.
Lumian once again changed his position using teleportation and continued, "That hidden danger is that there''s atent taboo:
"The underground mausoleum needs eternal, deathly darkness. It can asionally have light, but there can''t be continuous light in the same ce. And when Beyonders above Sequence 5 with godhood approach, it instinctively causes 0-01 to burn this area, bringing embers that canst for a period of time."
At this point, Lumian''s smile grew even brighter.
"Now, the embers have been burning for a while, and you''re still continuously creating firelight.
"I''m very curious about what will happen next."
What will happen? Albus Medici''s gaze instantly froze, his back suddenly tensing.
He knew where the problemy now!
The frequency and amplitude of 0-01''s trembling and shaking were more violent than he had anticipated, progressing faster!
At this moment, the entire sky suddenly took on the color of burning.
Chapter 840 The Importance of Knowledge
Chapter 840 The Importance of Knowledge
840 The Importance of Knowledge
Inside Morora.
Two exiles who were dueling suddenly dropped their swords and clutched their necks with their hands.
Blood seeped through their fingers.
Nearby onlookers and pedestrians also experienced a stuttering effect, as if their heads were being grabbed by invisible hands and forcefully pulled upwards, causing the muscles in their necks to gradually tear.
In the endless graveyard near the Knowledge Cathedral, all the trees suddenly burst into bright red mes. The soil in the corresponding graves writhed as if something was trying to crawl out.
More and more clouds gathered in the sky, taking on the color of burning fire.
At the top of the corpse mountain.
Albus Medici''s neck also stung with pain. He raised his hand with great difficulty and weakness, trying to press down on it.
He already understood what was happening. He didn''t hastily turn his head to look directly at 0-01, as that would not only result in considerable corruption, but could also break his neck, causing his head to detach!
Albus slowly turned his body to face 0-01, but closed his eyes.
At the same time, he heard rustling and nging sounds from the wastnd.
Lumian saw those undead soldiers in iron-ck full body armor standing up one after another, the dark red or pale mes in their eye sockets clearly flickering.
The huge cloud vortex in the sky tinged with purple firelight was being torn apart and smoothed by an invisible force.
The abnormality had finally manifested.
Albus didn''t hesitate. He immediately let his skin take on an iron-ck hue, his entire body seeming to transform into a metal-cast puppet.
Keeping his eyes tightly shut, he approached 0-01 step by step.
During this process, his neck was noticeably stretched, causing the iron membrane that made up his skin to be torn into countless tiny metal threads.
Deep, chilling cut marks appeared on his iron-ck flesh and bones, with bright red blood visibly oozing out.
In just a few seconds, Albus Medici walked to 0-01''s side. He released his right palm that had been weakly pressing on his neck, letting it extend towards the charred g, carrying his own blood.
As a fellow Hunter, Albus also had very strong spatial perception and positioning abilities. Moreover, 0-01''s g was violently shaking, fluttering loudly, with sounds entering Albus''s ears, making it easy for him to determine the target''s location.
Of course, if he directly touched 0-01''s main body, the corruption would truly ur. This couldn''t be avoided just by not looking. But Albus now had no other choice.
Just as he reached out towards that charred g, Albus heard a "snap" sound- the sound of the iron skin on his metal neck beingpletely torn apart.
He immediately changed his form, transforming from an iron-ck metal-cast puppet into a blue human-shaped me.
This caused the blood on his palm to evaporate rapidly.
While guarding against a sudden attack from Lumian, Albus quickened his movements, continuously flicking the mostly evaporated bright red blood towards the front.
On the wastnd, Lumian was mingling among the undead soldiers, his palm both scorching hot and ice-cold.
He didn''t dare to look towards 0-01, so he naturally didn''t know Albus''s current actions, but he could roughly guess that the other was making a final gamble.
It''s useless, the situation has already spiraled out of your control... Lumian muttered, not moving to stop him.
He was more worried that if he really teleported next to Salinger''s Blood Banner to stop Albus Medici from dripping blood on it, he might step into a trap set by the other.
Given the current situation, Albus couldpletely change his approach-since he couldn''t achieve his intended goal, he might as well eliminate allpetitors, making his side the more advantageous camp, and then use this to reorganize.
So, Albus was likely pretending to drip Medici family blood onto 0-01''s g, but actually trying to lure Lumian to stop him, thus seizing the opportunity to kill thestpetitor.
At the top of the corpse mountain, the human-shaped me that Albus had transformed into was severely stretched, with the upper and lower parts seeming about to separate.
At the same time, the ming light he emitted dimmed considerably, like ordinary mes doused with a bucket of ice-cold fresh blood.
Plop, Albus heard the tiny sound of liquid hitting the g.
After thousands of years, the Medici family''s blood finally fell on 0-01''s charred g again.
However, there was no additional change.
This was also within Albus''s expectations, after all, the degree of resonance had not yet reached its limit, and 0-01''s awakening situation had significantly exceeded any threshold.
Albus''s desperate attempt to leave blood on the charred g was more about reserving a chess piece for the future, making some preparations.
The next second, Albus, existing in the form of a human-shaped me, felt an intense pain between his eyebrows.
Some strange force extended from 0-01, seeming to want to assimte him, turning him into its own me.
Albus suddenly turned around, opened his eyes, and looked towards the wastnd.
He wanted to kill Lumian before being absorbed by 0-01, eliminating thestpetitor!
That trash can actually managed to stay calm and didn''te to stop me from smearing blood on 0-01''s surface... Amidst Albus''s regret, Lumian''s figure was "reflected" in his ming eyes.
Lumian smiled at him, activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, and disappeared from his spot.
Albus didn''t hide his disappointment and regret, reverting to his human form.
His neck was already torn open, revealing white bones and ckened blood vessels.
He then activated the crystal ne wrapped around his wrist, causing it to explode directly.
Bang bang bang, the consecutively exploding crystals formed a deep vortex in front of Albus, with a deep, dark world covered by a ss-like barrier at the bottom of the vortex-that special mirror world.
Under extremely urgent circumstances and unable to directly leave Morora, Albus Medici chose to jump into the dark vortex in front of him, falling towards that special mirror world.
At this moment, his neck was about to break, with his cervical vertebrae exposed.
He fell into that special mirror world, disappearing into the deep darkness.
The dark vortex next to 0-01 was immediately ignited by invisible, colorless mes and dissipatedpletely.
In midair, the blue me that had lost Albus''s maintenance quickly extinguished, with the remaining tiny bit of Julie''s filthy blood continuing to fall, touching the charred g.
All over Morora.
Nearly ten thousand heads dragging white, blood-stained spines flew in the sky, while their headless bodies ran wildly through the streets.
In the graveyard, countless skeletons crawled out from underground, with dark red or pale mes burning in their eye sockets.
Red "rainwater" that could ignite buildings and humans began to fall from the sky.
Inside the Knowledge Cathedral, Archbishop Heraberg of Morora, wearing a in white robe trimmed with brass wire, stood in front of the open stained ss window, feeling the walls faintly showing signs of melting.
He sighed lightly and raised his palm.
...
In the underground mausoleum, on that anomalous wastnd.
Lumian teleported to the side of the corpse mountain.
Just as he was about to sit down against the corpses and skeletons, his legs already unable to support his body weight, he was suddenly pulled by an invisible force, slowly standing up again and walking towards the group of undead soldiers. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
This required no effort from him-he had no strength to use anyway.
Lumian didn''t resist or struggle, as if only his self-consciousness still belonged to him.
The burning pain and icy rotting sensation in his right palm kept him basically alert.
As long as my head isn''t torn off my neck, everything else is fine... Lumian muttered to himself while listening to the knowledge narrated by the brass talisman, continuing to walk towards the gathering troops in the wastnd as 0-01''s puppet with the help of the external force.
The current situation was basically consistent with his expectations.
If he had read even a little less earlier, his head and body would have already gone separate ways by now.
Knowledge is power, knowledge is wealth!
After about ten seconds, the sky suddenly dimmed, and darkness surged back into this area.
0-01 seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, with its trembling and shaking starting to calm down.
The mes in this area extinguished one after another, and the deathly silent, cold darkness once again ruled this ce.
The Church of Knowledge has finally suppressed 0-01''s disturbance. If it kept up a while longer, I''d really have be a puppet... Lumian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the darkness invade his body like an invisible, eerie, cold flow of water.
The Underworld Daoist mark on his right palm emitted an even stronger sense of decay than before, helping him resist this invasion.
Lumian teleported back to the position he had chosen earlier, weakly sitting down against the corpses and skeletons that made up the mountain.
He closed his eyes, focusing on listening to the knowledge transmitted from his ear plugs in this lightless, pure darkness.
...
In Trier, on the sacrificial square at the entrance of the third level of the underground catbs.
After answering Jenna''s question, that blurry and holy female figure disappeared from Jenna''s sight, as if it was just part of an illusion.
Jenna shook her head, her gaze returning to reality, seeing Franca''s concerned face.
"D-during my advancement, I seemed to sense Lady Krismona again, and even had a few words of dialogue with Her," Jenna carefully told herpanion about her recent experience.
Hiss, do Angel-level high-rank beings truly not die? Franca asked curiously, "What did She say?"
Jenna suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. "She said to reconcile with my mirror self, because we are originally one. Sh-She said Her father was... was that ''Blood Emperor''..."
"Huh?" Franca was both shocked and confused, "Why did She tell you this?"
Jenna felt even more embarrassed. "I asked, I asked without thinking..."
"Is it really the ''Blood Emperor''? Then it shouldn''t be your hallucination. You couldn''t havee up with such an answer even in a hallucination." Franca whispered, gradually getting excited.
"Dammit, what do you mean I couldn''t havee up with it even in a hallucination? Well, indeed, who could have thought of that?" Jenna reflexively retorted.
Franca then pped her hands together.
"That was a good question, a good question indeed! This information is extremely, extremely important!"
Her eyes sparkling, she said, "Lumian previously suspected that the special mirror world was created by the Blood Emperor Alista Tudor to deal with the Primordial Demoness, and the Tamara family might have yed a very important role in this matter.
"Now it seems this guess needs to be abandoned. Perhaps that special mirror world was jointly created by the Blood Emperor Alista Tudor and the Primordial Demoness!
"Otherwise, how could a true god of the Hunter pathway without mirror magic create such a special mirror world?"
Chapter 841 The Brand
Chapter 841 The Brand
841 The Brand
Jenna paused before responding, "True."
Initially, they believed the special mirror world was a result of the War of the Four Emperors, created in the aftermath of fierce battles among beings like the Primordial Demoness and the Blood Emperor. However, after Lumian explored the treasury of the Blue Avenger, he uncovered new information suggesting the special mirror world existed before the War of the Four Emperors. He spected it was a tool crafted by Blood Emperor Alista Tudor to counter the Primordial Demoness and a means for resurrection.
Their greatest confusion at the time was why Alista Tudor, a true god of the Hunter pathway, could create such a uniquely bizarre mirror world. Did high-rank beings of the Apprentice pathway under Him participate?
Franca then remarked wistfully, "ording to Lumian''s theory and our experience, both Hunters and Demonesses bring cmity. Wouldn''t a true god of the Hunter pathwaybined with one from the Demoness pathway essentially epitomize the concept of disaster? No wonder Fourth Epoch Trier ended up the way it did...
"However, is it possible for true deities from neighboring pathways to cooperate amicably, instead of immediately sumbing to the urge to converge and battle for dominance?"
Jenna, puzzled by this question, pursed her lips in thought before asking, "Is there a way to control that urge to converge?"
"That''s beyond my knowledge for now, at least until Ie into contact with the corresponding mystical knowledge after bing an Angel," Franca self-deprecatingly said, her thoughts wandering. "Perhaps the Primordial Demoness could, but definitely not the Blood Emperor. Given our understanding of the history of the Fourth Epoch, He was a violent, bloodthirsty madman. How could He control Himself unless someone helped Him? Who could that be?"
Jenna paused thoughtfully and then said, "The Tamara family..."
"Uh..." Franca''s eyes lit up. "Right, the Tamara family at that time was primarily known for the Apprentice pathway. High-rank beings of the Apprentice pathway excel at sealing and controlling space, and could utilize the mirror world to a certain extent. Yes, this exins why the Tamara family was involved in the creation of the special mirror world."
One of the two Special Mirror World Fragments they held came from a tomb of the Tamara family.
Growing more excited, Franca said, "The Tamara family must have been the bridge between the Blood Emperor and the Primordial Demoness, carrying out a secret mission! And since they had long been exposed to the Demoness Sect, it makes sense that some of their members sided with them after the split.
"And, moreover, since Lady Krismona is a descendant of the Blood Emperor, then Her twin brother, the current Demoness of Gray, probably is too. The Apprentice lineage of the Tamara family has borne many humiliations over the past thousand years, willingly bing women to continue serving the direct descendants of the Blood Emperor. Such loyalty, such loyalty!"
As she spoke, Franca mockingly wiped away a tear, moved by her own words.
Jenna, long ustomed to herpanion''s boundless digressions and jokes, raised her own question, "Could a Sequence 2 Apprentice pathway Angel from the Tamara family really seal the Blood Emperor''s urge to converge?"
"If the Tamara family can''t, what about Mr. Door?" Franca turned serious, pondering. "Lumian said He is the foremost noble of the Tudor Empire, and ranked behind Him, Amon, is a confirmed King of Angels. Then it''s likely He is one too. A King of Angels of the Apprentice pathway might be able to temporarily seal the Blood Emperor''s urge to converge, right? Was Mr. Door also involved in the matter of the special mirror world?"
"Possibly," Jenna agreed.
The normal mirror world was essentially an embodiment of the concept of "doors."
Franca''s thoughts suddenly took a yful turn, chuckling softly. "There''s also a possibility that the convergence behavior of the true deities of the Hunter and Demoness pathways differs from other pathways. First, they attract each other, dancing around each other, and only after reaching a certain climax do they start to devour each other, deciding the ultimate victor."
Jenna couldn''t help but roll her eyes.
Franca was at it with her crude jokes again.
Of course, for Jenna, who had once frequented bars and dance halls in the market district, living as a Showy Diva for a long period, such coarse humor was hardly adult-only material.
Franca thenposed herself. "I can now truly understand what the Demoness of ck meant. No wonder she asked me why I thought the Demoness Sect didn''t control the special mirror world. She said it had been under the Primordial One''s control until the end of the War of the Four Emperors.
"But she also believed that the special mirror world was initially created tobat the Primordial One, onlyter controlled by Her. Is she unaware of the secrets of those times and the Demoness of Gray''s lineage, or is she just deceiving me, trying to mislead me? Or, did the Blood Emperor indeed initially want tobat the Primordial One, but She then took control of the nascent special mirror world, leading to Their cooperation?
"Or, was their cooperation aimed atbating something else?
"Ah, what was their purpose in creating such a special mirror world?"
Jenna shook her head honestly. "I don''t know."
Franca thoughtfully stroked her ponytail.
"The Demoness of ck is both a descendant of the Primordial One and has the Tamara family''s bloodline. She probably knows more about the special mirror world than I imagined."
Jenna hummed in response, rubbing her temples. "Either way, we need to report this information quickly."
Franca nced at Jenna and cleared her throat. "You also need to go back and rest, adapting to the changes the potion has made to your body."
...
At the foot of the corpse mountain, Lumian sat with his eyes closed, his back against the piles of bodies and skeletons, intently listening to the monotonous voice emanating from the brass earplugs.
He waspleting his studies.
He no longer needed to listen to all the remaining books; mastering this one would likely suffice. Yet, even so, it would still take over ten hours.
As time ticked away, Lumian''s body grew weaker. Even with the support of the corpses and skeletons, he could no longer sit upright, relying solely on external forces to keep from copsing.
His spirituality was evaporating faster, rendering him unable to use his teleportation ability anymore.
Fortunately, he had stowed away the artifact left by Celeste and the mystic pathogens had been dissipatedpletely by 0-01''s activation; his condition hadn''t worsened to the point where his heart was too weak to beat or his Spirit Body began to disintegrate, allowing him to barely keep at it.
After an indeterminate period, Lumian suddenly felt invigorated, his body regained strength, and his spirituality was replenished.
It was six in the morning based on Cordu time.
His body refreshed and free from illness, Lumian sat up straight and resumed the final part of his study.
Nearly 45 minutester, he uttered an ancient Hermes word in a deep voice, "Stop!"
He felt he was on the brink of corruption and could not umte any more!
Just as the brass talisman finished transmitting the knowledge, Lumian''s mind became hazy.
Vaguely, he "saw" the charred g dotted with dangerous blood spots, surrounded by dense darkness, gently swaying.
Lumian also "saw" the ground covered in corpses, a vast army marching, the earth soaked in blood, countless severed arms and limbs...
A strong smell of blood and rust pierced his nose, as ifing from himself.
Lumian felt a certain call, not just from the charred g but also from the dense darkness enveloping it.
The burning heat and icy cold in the palm of his right hand became more distinct.
They originated from the residual aura of the Blood Emperor and the seal left by the Underworld Daoist.
At that moment, Lumian suddenly realized another, deeper purpose of the Aurora Order''s arrangement of the Dream Festival: With the Underworld Daoist''s seal, I truly share a mystical simrity with 0-01...
0-01 once belonged to Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, then fell under the control of Death and suffered the corruption of the Death pathway''s powers, which were also utilized by the Church of Knowledge to seal 0-01 itself. And now, I carry the residual aura of the Blood Emperor and the seal left by the Underworld Daoist, bearing powers of the Death, Evernight, and Warrior pathways...
With these thoughts shing through his mind, Lumianbined the knowledge he had learned with the behavior of Albus and Julie, and amidst the strange and dangerous summons, he stood up and teleported to the top of the corpse mountain.
He didn''t open his eyes. In the deathly silent, icy darkness, he couldn''t see anything even if he did.
But as he drew closer, a sharp pain developed between Lumian''s eyebrows, and his blood-or something else-seemed to want to burst through his pores and flesh.
Lumian didn''t resist, enduring the pain.
Finally, a droplet, resembling blood, tore through his forehead and flew towards where 0-01 was located.
With a plop, the residual aura of the Blood Emperor inside Lumian suddenly boiled over, turning into a raging river of mes that ravaged between his Spirit Body, organs, and flesh.
The icy, rotting sensation in his palm intensified, preventing this river of me from carrying away all his flesh and breaking the seal.
Lumian soon suffered so intensely he nearly lost consciousness; only when the residual aura of the Blood Emperor gradually subsided did he slowly regain his thoughts.
He let out a long breath and whispered to himself, I should be the proxy for 0-01 now...
If it weren''t for the Underworld Daoist seal, I would definitely have be another Wanak, no, not another Wanak, but Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, who would have used my body to return.
Lumian didn''t dare to linger near 0-01, afraid that the Sealed Artifact might detect a w in its new proxy, a defect with a will of his own that still persisted.
And Lumian knew that with his current status and power, it was impossible to take 0-01 out of Morora; even if the Church of Knowledge agreed to let him do so, it would only lead to his own destruction.
Leaving a mark and bing a proxy is enough toplete this task.
Unfortunately, 0-01 is tightly sealed, and a proxy''s special abilities can only be fully manifested in Morora... Lumian muttered a few words and teleported back to the wastnd.
He immediately sensed a team of undead soldiers and iron puppets patrolling silently in the darkness, seemingly eternal in their movements.
Suddenly, Lumian felt a stir in his heart.
The connection between contractors told him that the leader was the Abscessed Hand!
This mysterious being had regrown bones and flesh after being subjected to the bombardment of divine descent, but it seemed to have been conquered by 0-01, bing its guard.
Is Hand Bro''s unique trait being indestructible? Lumian turned his body, letting the Abscessed Hand and its puppets pass by.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Unexpectedly, the Abscessed Hand stopped in front of Lumian and uttered in a low voice, "Omebe..."
Chapter 842 Departure
Chapter 842 Departure
"Omebe"
Hearing the voice of the Abscessed Hand and the name it shouted, a chill ran up Lumian''s spine, making his hair stand on end and cold sweat break out.
He didn''t know when the Abscessed Hand had regrown bones and flesh from the ashes, returning to its original form, but he was prepared for any abnormalities when it passed by him, given the contract stemming from the Inevitability pathway''s powers between them.
Lumian wasn''t overly worried; they were "colleagues" now, and the situation shouldn''t turn dangerous. What he didn''t expect was that the Abscessed Hand would call out "Omebe."
It was like a horror story!
For a moment, Lumian couldn''t help but wonder if he had already been subtly eroded by the Great Mother''s Child of God, Omebe, to the extent that he was gradually being reced.
Standing in the pure darkness, the unseen Abscessed Hand paused for a few seconds, then continued moving forward with the group of iron puppets and undead soldiers, marching mechanically.
Only then did Lumian snap back to reality, pondering the reason for what had just happened.
ording to Ludwig, some beings created directly by the Great Mother or granted her boon,cking necessary intelligence, can sense the trace of Omebe''s bloodline in me and regard me as the Great Mother''s Child of God
Hand Bro was first revived and interrupted by divine descent, then controlled by 0-01, bing its puppet. The feminine transformation trend seemed to have stopped, meaning it hasn''t fully revived and lost its self-awareness, trulycking necessary intelligence.
Was it directly created by the Great Mother, or did it receive Her boon? The corruption turning it into a woman and pushing it to the limit of beauty likely originated from the Great Mother
That does seem usible. Even a single drop of blood can regrow aplete body, evoking a sense of rebirth
But something''s off. By this logic, the Abscessed Hand should call me an Honorable Child of God and show some subservience. Heh heh, to directly call the Child of God''s name is sphemy! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Lumian grumbled to himself, growing more puzzled.
Also, if Omebe itself is a title, the Abscessed Hand should only know I''m a Child of God, not a specific name. The Great Mother likely has multiple Children of God, perhaps continuously created. How could the unwise Hand Bro distinguish who is who and what their name is
Unless, Omebe is the most special Child of God, or Hand Bro knew Omebethe Giant Queenin its previous life?
Lumian raised his right hand, rubbing his chin, thinking he should quickly report this to Madam Magician after leaving and see if they could uncover the Abscessed Hand''s original identity. Perhaps the ancient records in the New City of Silver contained some clues.
After a few seconds, Lumian vanished from the spot, teleporting back near the top of the corpse mountain.
Distracted by the Abscessed Hand incident, he remembered he still had spoils to collect.
That was the Beyonder characteristic of the Demoness of Affliction from Celeste, which couldter be used by Jenna.
As for Julie''s characteristic, after the divine descent and filthy blood incident, Lumian had no idea where it was.
In the deathly silent darkness, Lumian stored the shapeless Demoness of Affliction Beyonder characteristic in his Traveler''s Bag.
He even ced two chunks of Celeste''s corpse inside.
Maybe they can be used as supplementary ingredients. If not, I can give them to Ludwig. With me as godfather away for so long; I should bring him a gift. But will he consider this dirty Lumian mumbled and teleported to the edge of the wastnd, leaving the area steeped in deathly darkness.
As 0-01''s proxy, he quickly and smoothly exited the underground mausoleum, returning to the entrance area.
Lumian then opened his eyes, seeing the blue sky.
At that moment, the morning sun was bright but not harsh, the air fresh and carrying a slight burnt scent after the rain.
Having spent over ten hours in the eternal darkness of the underground tomb, Lumian felt as if a lifetime had passed.
Then, he saw numerous heads, each trailing a bloodstained, pale spine, hovering in the air.
They were countless, thousands, all staring at the entrance of the tomb, at Lumian.
Among them were faces Lumian recognized, regrs at the Carnivore bar.
The aftermath of 0-01''s activation?
There must be thousands, if not tens of thousands
Is this a form of sacrifice?
Red Priest
Thoughts shing through his mind, Lumian raised his hands.
His forehead became hot, with a slight prickling pain.
Ooo!
A violent gale suddenly blew, scattering the thousands of heads with trailing spines back into the city.
The flying heads seemed to sense Lumian''s will, drifting with the wind, andnded back on their headless bodies.
So this is the special power of a proxy? Unfortunately, it can only be used in Morora Lumian lowered his hands, feeling regretful, and walked out of the cemetery.
At the cemetery gate, an exile was twisting his own returned head back in ce.
Crack!
His head turned from facing his spine back to the front.
Seeing Lumian watching him, he smiled and spoke normally, "Today''s weather is really nice"
"Yeah," Lumian responded with a rxed smile.
He teleported directly to the Carnivore bar, appearing at the door of Julie''s room.
The corpse of Lez was gone from the bed, along with Julie''s collections.
The enforcers have been here Did they bury Lez''s body in the cemetery? Lumian mused and vanished from the spot.
This time, he appeared at the door of the Knowledge Cathedral.
He walked inside, up to Heraberg in his in white robe with brass threads, and smiling, took out the books he had borrowed from the Traveler''s Bag.
"Archbishop, I''ve finished them all."
As he spoke, Lumian felt Heraberg looked slightly older.
"Finished them all, really?" Heraberg asked with a smile.
Lumian made a sound and honestly replied, "There are two books I didn''t listen to, but I can''t continue anymore."
Heraberg nodded approvingly. "If you know, you know. If you don''t know, you don''t know; there''s no need to pretend."
As he took the books, he said, "There''s indeed no need to read these anymore. I must remind you, these books are infected with a gue, as are the other items in your bag. You need to handle them properly, burn or purify them to prevent the gue from spreading."
"Celeste''s Grade 1 Sealed Artifact is so potent? It continues to produce a gue even inside the Traveler''s Bag" Lumian said sincerely, "I''ll be careful. Thank you, Archbishop. Archbishop, how do I seal an object that spreads a deadly gue?"
Heraberg looked at Lumian for a few seconds, thenughed.
He pointed to another brass bookshelf. "That one, that one, and that one, take a look and learn."
Indeed, teachers never give direct answers Lumian didn''t resist continuing his studies. He pulled out the books and ced them in his Traveler''s Bag.
Then he smiled and asked, "Your Grace, what should I do to leave Morora?"
The white-haired Heraberg said meaningfully, "No one has ever forbidden the residents here from leaving Morora, they simply don''t want to leave."
Lumian was momentarily stunned, then asked with sudden realization, "Leave the way you came?"
Heraberg showed a look of approval, then pointed to Lumian''s clothes. "Do you want a change of clothes?"
Lumian looked down and saw his clothes, pants, and shoes had be tattered from the previous intense battle.
He was about to take out spare clothes from the Traveler''s Bag but remembered they were also infected with the mystical gue.
Heraberg pointed to a room near the stairs.
"There are clothes you can change into."
"Thank you, Your Grace." Lumian sighed in relief and quickly entered the room, finding several in white robes with brass threads hanging inside.
These were the vestments of the Church of Knowledge clergy.
Lumian nced back thoughtfully at Heraberg, who had resumed reading, and swiftly changed into a robe that fit his size.
He then opened the cathedral''s heavy, ajar wooden door and descended the stone stepsyer byyer, deep into the underground.
The passageway hadn''t changed since he came; the glowing gems embedded in the walls still provided some illumination.
That indescribable terrifying sound echoed in Lumian''s ears again.
Lumian walked at a steady pace towards the exit. As 0-01''s proxy, the more he walked, the more he felt this might indeed be a long esophagus.
What kind of creature would have such an esophagus? Lumian pondered but couldn''t find an answer.
Alert to this possibility, he neither transformed into a ming spear nor teleported, instead walking obediently for several hours until he reached the double bronze doors.
He extended his hands and pulled, making the door emit a heavy sound as it slowly opened.
Outside, no one was guarding it.
Lumian sneered silently and stepped out.
He didn''t forget to close the door behind him.
Wearing the in white robe with brass threads, he walked back, feeling unseen, unknown gazes upon him.
Reaching the prison where he had been held, Lumian activated the ck mark on his right shoulder.
He chose to teleport back to Trier, to the apartment he rented.
His body and spirit were in decent shape, but he felt a strong sense of fatigue, wanting to rest.
Just as his figure materialized, he saw Ludwig enjoying afternoon tea.
Ludwig looked up and froze.
ng!
The silver fork in the boy''s hand fell onto the dessert te.
Chapter 843 Black Tear
Chapter 843 ck Tear
843 ck Tear
Seeing the genuine fear in Ludwig''s eyes, Lumian looked down at himself and noticed the in white robe with brass threads he was wearing.
Heughed and reassured his godson, "Don''t be afraid. There''s no exam, and no study."
Ludwig''s eyes lit up, and his expression gradually rxed.
For a moment, he had feared that his godfather had joined the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, thinking the sky was falling.
Lumian nced at Lugano, who had hurriedly stood up. He took the former Carnivore bar owner''s stomach from the Traveler''s Bag and tossed it to Ludwig.
"This is a gift for you."
Havingpleted his journey to Morora, Lumian was no longer bound by his promises and could now obtain godhood. He decided to elerate the formation of his hunter team, with Ludwig being the most important member.
Taming this sealed Angel involved granting favors.
Ludwig''s expression turned ecstatic, as if he had just ascended from the abyss to heaven.
He eagerly prepared to devour the stomach of the Depriver on the spot.
Lumian rubbed his temples and cautioned, "That''s infected with a mystical pathogen. You''d better handle it properly to prevent the disease from spreading."
"A mystical pathogen..." Lugano eximed, instinctively distancing himself from Ludwig.
As a professional Doctor, Lugano activated his Spirit Vision, focusing on the stomach for two seconds before confirming the presence of the disease.
Ludwig took a bite at the stomach''s pylorus and mumbled, "Once it''s in my stomach, the gue won''t spread."
"And what about you?" Lumian asked, amused.
"At most, I''ll have an upset stomach for a while," Ludwig answered nonchntly.
Should I skip purifying the food in my Traveler''s Bag? Since it wouldn''t hurt you...
Lumian mumbled and turned toward his bedroom.
After taking a few more bites, Ludwig lifted his head and hesitantly said, "Thank you. Thank you, godfather."
Lumian smiled, nodding in satisfaction. "Not bad. Your manners have improved a lot."
Ludwig shivered suddenly.
His godfather''s tone and expression now resembled those of his most feared people-his teachers!
Lumian said nothing more, heading to his bedroom. He spread out a letter paper and wrote down the key points of his journey to Morora, detailing the problems he had encountered.
Then he summoned the "doll" messenger, handing over the letter along with the Traveler''s Bag.
The "doll" messenger disdainfully picked up the Traveler''s Bag with two fingers,ining, "Don''t put everything in here! It''s too dirty! It''s too dirty! It''s a trash can now!"
Lumian smiled sheepishly. "I had no other choice."
I can''t carry those Sealed Artifacts directly, right?
Their negative effectsbined could kill me instantly.
After sending off the "doll" messenger, Lumian copsed onto his bed without cleaning up the makeshift altar on his desk. He closed his eyes, letting his body rx.
In Morora, he had stayed upte reading and couldn''t sleep soundly with a mad Demoness living next door and other enemies possibly ambushing him at any moment, keeping his mind on high alert.
Now, he finally felt a long-lost sense of safety.
Lumian quickly fell into a deep sleep. When he woke, it was already six in the morning of a new day.
Ah, refreshing andfortable. Lumian sat up, stretched, and saw his Traveler''s Bag and a letter on his desk.
"The messenger came without me awakening... This means I trust her quite a bit..." Lumian muttered as he walked to his desk and drew the curtains.
In the morning light, he sat down and read Madam Magician''s reply: "For now, leaving a mark to be a proxy is enough. Other matters can be dealt withter. In short, regarding 0-01, you''ve at least gotten ahead of the Demoness Sect and the Red Angel.
"However, no matter how beneficial something seems, it always has its drawbacks. This means you''ve officially stepped onto the stage vying for the Red Priest position. You will face more attention and danger. Previously, the Demoness Sect might have seen you as a potential ally, and the Red Angel might have considered using you. Now, eliminating you to vacate the proxy position will be a practical option for them.
"You should also remind Two of Cups to be cautious to avoid being exploited by the Demoness Sect.
"Of course, since both the Demoness Sect and the Red Angel have gained something from this, each leaving a bit of blood on 0-01, their immediate urgency to target you is not very high.
"Regarding the Abscessed Hand, due to significant catastrophes in the Fourth, Third, and Second Epochs, many folklore and legends have not survived. The high-level corruption from the Great Mother on the Abscessed Hand prevents us from direct divination, requiring indirect methods, making it hard to obtain the most effective information. We haven''t determined when the rted legends first appeared but can confirm their existence at the beginning of the Fifth Epoch.
"From your description of its appearance and state, we reasonably suspect that the Abscessed Hand was a Vampire of Angel rank before its death. ording to information from the Sanguine, one of the three dukes, an ancient being born in the Second Epoch, Round Moon Duke Olmer, has no memory of such a kin.
"Note that a Sequence 2 Angel is equivalent to a duke among the Sanguine. Even in the long history of the Sanguine, the number of dukes is very limited, and it''s impossible for them not to recognize or remember each other.
"The New City of Silver is currently searching through historical texts rted to Omebe for possible clues. I will inform you if they find anything."
Hand Bro isn''t a Sanguine. No wonder Madam Magician calls him a vampire.
High-level beings of the Moon pathway are not equivalent to the Sanguine, just like the followers of the Primordial Moon in the Rose School of Thought are not considered Sanguine but are referred to as Artificial Vampires or something...
Lumian leaned back in his chair and continued reading.
"You can also try to get information from the Aurora Order. The secrets the one they believe in holds are among the top even among true gods.
"ording to my divination, Albus Medici is still alive. His ancestor, the Red Angel, reached some sort of tacit agreement with someone or something in the special mirror world after entering Fourth Epoch Trier through the Hostel n. This had significantly reduced the danger for Albus to escape from Morora through the special mirror world.
"No need for regrets. This is good news. At least we know the Red Angel might be cooperating with powerful beings in the special mirror world.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"The Grade 1 Sealed Artifact is called ck Tear, created from the tear of a Demoness of Despair after her death, fusing with her Beyonder characteristics.
"ck Tear continuously produces the mystical pathogen that infected you, spreading it around without stopping.
"Wearing ck Tear significantly enhances your charm, with a slight feminine touch, but it won''t change your gender.
"ck Tear can help you master some mirror magic, including passing messages through the mirror world, Mirror Traversal, and mirror illusions.
"It also makes your Cull more lethal, allowing you to infuse all your power into a single Cull.
"In ces with a special mirror world, ck Tear can help you utilize its special characteristics and power.
"Those were the effects. The negative effects are:
"The wearer also gets infected with the mystical pathogen, with Demonesses of Affliction being less affected and more resistant;
"The wearer experiences intermittent Pleasure, every 45 to 90 seconds;
"Even just carrying it makes you more emotional, more easily moved, and persuaded;
"Having ck Tear also increases the likelihood of unwanted romantic encounters, based on the curse from the Demoness of Despair before her death."
Reading this, Lumian couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow.
This Sealed Artifact seems more suitable for a forbidden book like Monks Chasing Dogs.
Pleasure every 45 to 90 seconds is a major problem in battle!
Franca can''t use it either, unless it''s a quick fight. The mystical gue takes time.
For now, I can only treat it as an unlimited Mirror Cufflink, using it briefly and then sealing it... Lumian pondered and continued reading Madam Magician''s sealing methods.
"The most versatile solution is to find a Sealed Artifact of the Sun pathway that continuously purifies the surrounding area, cing it with ck Tear. How to mitigate the Sun pathway Sealed Artifact''s negative effects is another matter.
"The simplest but most demanding solution is to ce ck Tear in a mirror, confining the pathogen to the area behind the mirror. Don''t worry, the gue can''t travel through the mirror. The issue is that without other items to interact with the mirror world, you can''t retrieve ck Tear. If the mirror sealing it breaks, ck Tear will be lost in the mirror world, wandering who knows where.
"The custom solution is that I''ve isted a separate space in your Traveler''s Bag. Regrly throw in a me that can burn for over half an hour to incinerate the mystical pathogen.
"I''ve also purified the other items in your Traveler''s Bag. No need to worry about infection."
Lumian finished reading the letter and exhaled deeply.
This is the benefit of the Tarot Club!
After burning the letter, he checked the Traveler''s Bag, confirming that Celeste''s Demoness of Affliction Beyonder characteristic was a beautiful eye, stored with the corpse chunks in the isted space with ck Tear. To use itter, he would need to purify or "disinfect" it first.
Hanging the Traveler''s Bag, Lumian walked to the full-length mirror in the room.
Chapter 844 Changes in the Body
Chapter 844 Changes in the Body
844 Changes in the Body
Lumian ced his hand on the mirror''s surface, activating the contract ability that represented the Mirror Mark.
Immediately, he sensed multiple marks he had left behind. Some were clear, others blurred, and some were like distant glimmers on the horizon.
The clear ones came from Moran Avigny''s study and Franca''s rented apartment.
The blurry ones, which often changed locations, originated from the treasury of the Blue Avenger. The distant glimmers gave Lumian a feeling of being separated by a vast night, unreachable-they were the marks he had left on various mirrors in Morora.
At the same time, Lumian felt a strong calling. He sensed a unique, solid, and tight connection between himself and the City of Exiles.
In his mind''s eye, a dark, illusory world and the mountain of corpses appeared.
The scent of rust and blood filled his nostrils, and his forehead tingled slightly.
If I want, I can use ck Tear now, enter the mirror, and teleport back to Morora...
Lumian suddenly realized.
Of course, such a teleportation had to pass through the special mirror world, which was extremely dangerous for Lumian.
He refocused, examining the changes in his body after bing a proxy for 0-01.
It didn''t take long for him to reach a conclusion.
In Morora, 0-01 will help me absorb some of the damage. I can influence the weather, either making it simr or turning it into a disaster. I can create a small area of Fog of War, use abilities like War Cry and War Song to enhance myself and my team, and weaken enemies...
Additionally, I can temporarily be equivalent to a Sequence 4 Iron-blooded Knight,cking only godhood and an iplete mythical form. Otherwise, I possess all the qualities, albeit slightly weaker than a true Iron-blooded Knight.
It''s like receiving a Sequence 4 boon, although high-level boons alsoe with godhood...
If I abandon my sense of self, I can momentarily approach Sequence 3...
However, all this can only be realized in Morora. With 0-01 sealed, it cannot exert influence outside Morora.
But the changes to my body as a proxy, or rather the corruption, are real and irreversible.
My physical resistance to damage has significantly improved. Although it''s not as good as a Dawn Pdin in full armor, I''m no longer at risk of instant death from a headshot. Without targeting weaknesses or using Cull, it takes two to three shots to crack my skull...
My strength, speed, reflexes, constitution, and agility have also improved. My body is bing more robust and masculine. Luckily, I can use me shaving.
Otherwise, half a day would leave me scruffy...
My spirituality has increased by about forty to fifty percent. Now, with regr umtion and storage, I no longer suffer from anxiety due to ack of spirituality...
ording to Grande Soeur''s and Franca''s terminology, my resistance to mes has also increased significantly. mes not hot enough won''t hurt me. At least Sequence 5 zing-white mes are needed for any effect. When using Devil''s Whispers in the future, the damage and pain from the sulfurous mes will be much lower... Huh, I''ve also grown three to four centimeters taller...
Lumian felt like an oversized, reinforced Reaper.
My long studies weren''t in vain... He sighed, opening his bedroom door and stepping out.
Ludwig had just woken up, wearing a blue hat with yellow stars and energetically drinking milk.
Lumian nced at Lugano busy in the kitchen and asked his godson with a smile, "What did you make with the Depriver''s stomach yesterday, and how much is left?"
Ludwig was stunned for a second. "I ate it all."
"..." Lumian raised an eyebrow. "I thought you''d save some to make a special dish and share it with us."
Ludwig was silent for a few seconds, then honestly replied, "I couldn''t resist its allure."
Lumian stared at the boy until he looked down guiltily.
"I''ll let it go this time. I understand your desire, but know your mistake and correct it, understood?" Lumian''s expression softened.
He wasn''t angry about Ludwig eating the entire Depriver''s stomach, missing out on his share. To him, it was no big deal. His sternness was part of the education.
As a godfather and the team leader, he was responsible for this. Only by doing so could he quicklyplete the ritual and advance to an Iron-blooded Knight.
"Yes, godfather," Ludwig whispered.
Lumian sat down, waiting for his breakfast, and asked Ludwig, "Have you advanced to Depriver yet?"
"Almost, but I can use some Depriver abilities," Ludwig said, gulping down more milk.
Lumian nodded lightly, not asking further questions.
...
Trier, Quartier de Cathdrale Commmorative, 9 Rue Orosai, Apartment 702.
After breakfast, Lumian went to see Franca and Jenna.
He politely rang the doorbell, mindful that at this hour, the two Demonesses might be scantily d.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
With winter over, the Demonesses could wear only light clothes indoors thanks to their resistance to the cold.
Ding-dong, ding-dong. Wearing a woman''s shirt, fitted trousers, and fluffy slippers, Franca opened the door.
She looked at Lumian in surprise. "You''re back from the City of Exiles?"
That''s too fast!
Last time they contacted, he was still studying!
Lumian walked past Franca, saying with a smile, "I used up your Mirror Cufflink."
"That''s fine." With her new Ice Amulet, Franca generously waved it off.
Lumian was about to speak when he saw Jenna at the dining table. Her facial skin looked deeply cleansed, smooth and delicate. Her crystalline eyes were like autumn streams, hiding a thousand emotions and words, inviting immersion. The simple, light-colored dress outlined a perfect but not exaggerated figure. Her exposed skin radiated indescribable charm.
Lumian''s throat tightened, and he felt an uncontroble heat.
After a few seconds, he averted his gaze and asked Jenna thoughtfully, "Did you advance to Pleasure?"
"Yes," Jenna replied with a mischievous smile. "Looks like that potion wasn''t fake."
Lumian let out a derisive snort.
"Were you showcasing your charm just now?"
"No," Jennaughed softly. "Maybe the potion''s power is still leaking after my recent advancement. But, your self-control isn''t as strong as I thought."
Um... Lumian thought his reaction was uncharacteristic of an Ascetic. He suspected residual malice from using Devil''s Whispers, needing time to dissipate.
And the Traveler''s Bag now held ck Tear-though isted, the bag couldn''t fully block the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact''s influence. Some negative effects would always seep out.
That''s why he needed to burn the mystical pathogen in the isted space regrly.
Finding an excuse, Lumian scoffed.
"That''s because I''m still weak, with noticeable emotional and desire fluctuations."
Watching their interaction, Franca felt a pang of jealousy for some reason. She quickly changed the subject, excitedly sharing, "When Jenna advanced, we got some crucial, unexpected intel. Guess what it is."
Lumian pulled up a chair and sat down, thinking."Rted to Krismona?"
Franca sat nearby and clicked her tongue.
"Sharp. Guess who Krismona''s father is."
Lumian wanted to observe Franca and Jenna''s expressions, but theirbined beauty made him instinctively look away.
After some consideration, he guessed, "With your tone and attitude... I''ll go with the least likely option: Blood Emperor Alista Tudor!"
Franca and Jenna''s expressions froze.
Lumian asked in slight disbelief, "I got it right?"
"Yes, congrattions." Franca nodded solemnly.
"Th-this isn''t mystical..." Lumian echoed their earlier doubts.
The two Demonesses then recounted their discussion.
As Lumian listened, he frowned slightly.
"What''s wrong?" Jenna asked perceptively.
Lumian stroked his chin.
"I remembered something from my time in Morora."
"What?" Franca had been curious about Lumian''s experiences in Morora.
Considering the corruption from knowledge rted to 0-01, Lumian focused on his conflicts with Albus, Julie, and Wanak, emphasizing the importance of books and knowledge.
"In short, I''m now the proxy for 0-01, but this power only works in Morora."
Lumian pondered. "What puzzles me is why I escaped after being petrified by Julie''s divine descent and didn''t die."
Franca clicked her tongue.
"You Hunters, always fighting with schemes andyers of ns, not straightforward at all!"
She thenughed.
"I think the Primordial One threw you out to save the Blood Emperor''sst hope of resurrection during the divine descent. What''s this? True love!"
Lumian didn''t immediately refute her near-joking statement. After a few seconds, he thoughtfully said, "Maybe it''s not true love, but a practical need. Maybe the purpose of the Primordial Demoness and Blood Emperor creating the special mirror world can only proceed after the Blood Emperor''s resurrection..."
Chapter 845 Busy Franca
Chapter 845 Busy Franca
845 Busy Franca
Jenna agreed with Lumian, "Whether it''s true love or not, there must be a specific purpose behind creating that special mirror world, and it seems that purpose hasn''t been achieved yet."
"What could that purpose be?" Franca pondered.
Lumian thought for a few seconds, then pulled out the corpse wax candle he had obtained from the Blue Avenger from his Traveler''s Bag, and mused aloud, "That special mirror world might have been jointly created by a true god of the Hunter pathway and a true god of the Demoness pathway. This corpse wax candle was crafted from the corpse wax of demigods from both pathways, mixed with other substances. ording to the Law of Simrity in mysticism, there might be a connection between the two.
"When I be a demigod, I''ll visit Bansy, find the specific location mentioned by Madam Magician, light the corpse wax candle, andplete a secret deed ritual to see what I can discover. This might help us uncover the secrets of the special mirror world."
As for Fourth Epoch Trier, entering the sealed area after the Hostel n would be a true god-level difficulty.
"At that time, apply for a Major Arcana card holder to watch over the matter."
Franca had no objections, just reminding Lumian to be cautious.
After exchanging experiences over the recent period, Franca rxed, leaned back in her chair, and said with bright eyes, "You went to Morora and didn''t gain much on the Hunter side, only bing the proxy for 0-01. But you got a lot from the Demoness pathway, like the Beyonder characteristic of a Demoness of Affliction, a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact equivalent to that of a Demoness of Despair."
"What are you implying?" Lumian asked with a smile.
Franca chuckled. "I don''t need it. I should be able to get what I need from the Demoness Sect. The only concern is how toplete the ritual. I wish I could go to Morora. It''s perfect for the Demoness of Despair ritual-no guilt involved. Just hearing your examples, I know that ce is full of talent, criminal talent, people exploring the limits of human evil!
"I mean, Jenna''s Beyonder characteristics up to Sequence 4 are in our full possession. You don''t n to sell them, do you?"
Jenna said instinctively, "But I still haven''t saved enough money for the Demoness of Affliction Beyonder characteristic. I''m still short by tens of thousands of verl d''or..." N?v(el)B\\jnn
Lumian chuckled. "No need to worry. From now on, you two are officially part of my team. As the team leader, I''ll reward you based on your contributions. It could be money or items."
He made it clear-these things were meant for Jenna. It''s not like he could consume them himself. But since they were a team, there had to be clear rewards and punishments, not giving away things for free.
Even giving Ludwig the Depriver''s stomach was under the pretense of a godfather returning from a trip and bringing a gift for his godson.
Jenna''s expression rxed, and she teased with a smile in her eyes, "Should we call you Captain now?"
"No need. A good team can address each other by names or nicknames." Lumian turned his gaze to Franca, revisiting the old topic. "I used up your Mirror Cufflink. Whatpensation do you want?"
"No need to be so polite." With her Ice Amulet, Franca waved it off generously.
"If I need to use ck Tear or the Sword of Courage in the future, I''ll borrow them from you. Don''t worry, I''m thick-skinned and won''t feel embarrassed."
As she spoke, she took out the Lie earring and tossed it back to Lumian. "You should keep this. I''m afraid I''ll be tempted to permanently alter my face and body, getting addicted to Lie."
Lumian knew Franca wasn''t pretending to be generous. He caught Lie and reminded her, "Be extra careful when dealing with the Demoness of ck. She''ll soon learn about my involvement in the 0-01 battle in Morora and suspect I was the one who persisted till the end."
"Understood." Franca nodded solemnly.
Jenna''s eyes flickered, and she thoughtfully said, "Should I move out for a while?"
Seeing Franca''s puzzled look and Lumian''s approving nod, Jenna exined carefully, "The Demoness of ck might secretly monitor you to gather information about Lumian. If I continue living with you, I''ll inevitably attract her attention. Facing prolonged observation from a high-ranking Demoness, I don''t think I can keep my secrets.
"Think about it. I now have the charm of a Demoness of Pleasure, different from the beauty of a Vampire. A few more nces from the Demoness of ck, and she''ll notice something''s wrong. If I live elsewhere, I can disguise this charm before visiting you with makeup or using Lie."
Lie couldn''t be worn all the time, and maintaining makeup even while sleeping would also arouse suspicion from the Demoness of ck!
"Alright." Franca was convinced by Jenna''s reasoning.
She nced at Lumian with some resentment, thinking, You really do bring trouble. With the Demoness of ck watching me, how can I help Jenna digest the Pleasure potion?
Franca sighed and asked Lumian, "When will you take Amandina to the Samaritan Women''s Spring?"
"You came back too quickly. I haven''t had time to get to know her better yet," Francained.
Lumian pondered for a few seconds. "When my condition stabilizes."
The rest of the time, Jenna packed her personal belongings and went out to find an apartment in the surrounding area that she could move into that day, while Lumian returned to his ce to continue "taming" Ludwig.
Franca continued to track the whereabouts of the Mirror Person, Jasmine, until nightfall.
Looking at the empty and cold apartment, she sighed inwardly and threw herself onto the long sofa.
After a while, the surface of the full-length mirror in the living room suddenly shimmered with a dark light. The face of the Demoness of ck faintly appeared.
Franca stood up abruptly and respectfully bowed. "Good evening, Madame rice."
At the same time, she mumbled in her heart, The Demoness of ck really knows where I live...
The Demoness of ck, rice, looked at Franca outside the mirror, her expression somewhat detached, and asked, "Has your lover, Ciel, returned to Trier?"
"He has." Franca had prepared for this and answered honestly.
The Demoness of ck scrutinized Franca for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"You''ve been apart for several weeks. You must be thoroughly enjoying each other''spany upon reuniting. Has he be more vigorous?"
You''re asking me? Whom should I ask? How would I know... What''s the point of this question? Franca silently grumbled.
Such a question was entirely outside her and Lumian''s expectations!
At that moment, cold sweat appeared on Franca''s back as her mind raced, pushing her thinking ability to its limits.
Vigorous...
The Demoness of ck once said that the taste of a Hunter isn''t bad either-the higher their Sequence, the more vigorous they be...
Is the Demoness of ck trying to confirm Lumian''s current state from this detail, to see if he has be the proxy for 0-01?
If Lumian and I were truly lovers, such a detail would be easily overlooked, and it''s normal for Demonesses to discuss such things. In that case, I would naturally reveal the answer the Demoness of ck is looking for.
Should I hide it for Lumian? No, he''s already highly suspicious. Hiding it would mean dragging myself into suspicion. Though I might already be suspected...
Lumian said this morning not to lie about it, but not to be too clear...
Within two or three seconds, Franca raised her right hand, covered her mouth, and let out a small yawn.
Then, she said with a mix of shyness and pride, "Although he hasn''t advanced yet and is quite far from it, he has indeed be much more vigorous. I almost feel conquered..."
As she spoke, Franca''s words carried a bit of longing, as if dreaming of bing equally vigorous.
This was part of her "acting training" from Jenna and Anthony-performance needingyers.
The Demoness of ck in the mirror nodded and said with a smile, "Truly enviable."
Franca''s eyes moved slightly, and she said, reminiscing, "Whether it''s due to the long separation or his many hidden secrets, I feel he''s be a lot more unfamiliar. Sometimes, when he looks at me, I think, ''Who is he?'' and feel like I don''t recognize him..."
The Demoness of ck nodded slightly.
"He might have undergone some kind of corruption. Keep your current rtionship. If he shows any unusual behavior, let me know immediately. I might be able to help.
"Heh heh, this might also be one of your opportunities to digest the Affliction potion."
"Yes, Madame rice." Franca disyed the sense of security that came from having a powerful backer.
The Demoness of ck nced around the mirror and asked with a smile, "Where''s your Vampire lover?"
"Her brother is returning to Trier soon, so she''s embarrassed to continue living with me." Franca recited her lines.
The Demoness of ck asked no more questions, gave some instructions regarding the Mirror People, and disappeared into the dark light.
Once the full-length mirror returned to normal, Franca quietly breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to "date" Lumian.
She hadn''t even had time to open the door when a soft light appeared before her -a transparent, crystalline ice-blue jellyfish with many tentacles quickly materialized.
One of the jellyfish''s tentacles was wrapped around a letter.
Franca recognized the jellyfish as On, the messenger of Madam Judgment.
Every time she saw On, Franca instinctively felt a sense of fear, believing it to be very powerful. However, On the jellyfish, unlike the intelligent puppet messenger of Madam Magician, often acted purely on instinct.
Receiving the letter, Franca silently grumbled, I''m feeling swarmed... I was already busy helping Lumian with his affairs, and even now that he''s back, I''m still so busy.
Thanking On the jellyfish, Franca opened the letter: "Mr. Star has confirmed the first task that requires your help."
Chapter 846 "Negotiation"
Chapter 846 "Negotiation"
846 "Negotiation"
Upon reading the first line of the letter, Franca felt a sense that the moment had finally arrived.
She had been waiting, waiting for Mr. Star to make a request, so she could exchange it for Mid-to-Low Sequence potions from the Evernight pathway for Amandina.
Franca read the rest with a mix of anticipation and nervousness: "He hopes you can help him decipher the text in the attached materials. They are somewhat simr to those in Emperor Roselle''s diary.
"He hasn''t set a time limit, so you can take your time.
"The information you provided about Krismona''s father possibly being Blood Emperor Alista Tudor is very useful and important.
"Now, we suspect that the entity in the deepest part of the special mirror world, the one worshiped by the Mirror People, may not be the Primordial Demoness in theplete sense. Rather, it could be connected to the creation of the special mirror world by the Blood Emperor and the Primordial Demoness. It seems to have gone out of their control, and this might be why the Primordial Demoness is in a bad state.
"Your main tasks with Seven of Cups are to find the Mirror Person, Jasmine, and probe the Demoness of ck to see if she has a deep understanding of the special mirror world. Of course, your safety must be ensured.
"If you encounter any anomalies, you can ask me for help."
Madam Judgment sure goes straight to the point... Franca turned to the next page of the letter.
The rest were the attached materials.
Franca''s pupils dted upon seeing them: This wasn''t anything like the text from Emperor Roselle''s diary!
It was either oracle bone script or bronze script, one of the oldest forms of writing from her and Emperor Roselle''s country pre-transmigration!
Where did thise from?
Who the hell knows this stuff...
Not sure if it''s genuine oracle bone script or bronze script, since I don''t understand it either. I''m illiterate in this...
Is it a mysticismnguage unknown to this world, just simr to oracle bone script?
But it does look like hieroglyphics!
Franca began to examine it carefully.
Although she hadn''t studied oracle bone script or bronze script, as a young person growing up in the inte age, she had seen a few and remembered the meanings of some of the simplest characters, like "person."
Before long, she found several simr pictographic characters.
A bit different from what I remember, but mostly the same...
Let''s treat it as oracle bone script or bronze script first... Where did Mr. Star get this from? Did they find Harrison of Resurrection Ind? No, if they did, they would have told me...
Or, when the Major Arcana card holder of the Moses Ascetic Order was tracking the missing Ten Pirs Kmerolo, they encountered something rted to the Celestial Master?
Very possible! No wonder the preface of this material told me that the order of the text had been disrupted to prevent corruption during interpretation. As expected from the Celestial Master, who oversees the Mystery Pryer and Savant pathways!
But without context, the difficulty of interpretation is more than doubled...
Chen Tu! Armored Shadow Chen Tu might know, but I can only ask three or four questions per summoning... Don''t know if I can directly ask what the general meaning of this material is...
Franca''s mind raced, deciding to seek help from the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society first.
Many members of the society came from the same country as her, and there were quite a few highly educated ones, some of whom might have studied oracle bone script or bronze script.
Franca didn''t need them to be masters in oracle bone script or bronze script, just being able to recognize themonly used characters would be enough. The rest could be guessed by the Major Arcana card holders based on the original context.
With this decision, Franca enthusiastically began writing a letter, nning to summon Madame H''s messenger to request a gathering soon.
She was toozy to head out to go on a "date" with Lumian and discuss the Demoness of ck. After eating a cream bun, she sat at her desk and carefully selected the characters she barely recognized, studying them repeatedly.
...
In the apartment Lumian rented in Quartier de Cathdrale Commmorative.
Lumian sat on the sofa, watching Ludwig read the Ghost Face magazine, and pondered the next steps of "taming."
After a few minutes, he smiled at Ludwig.
"You''ve been pretty freetely, haven''t you? Besides eating, you have nothing else to do.
"Let me give you an assignment."
The key to "taming" was to make the other party follow orders, even forcing themselves to do things they didn''t want to do.
Of course, pure intimidation and suppression wouldn''t work. Once or twice was fine, but more than that, Ludwig would definitely run away again.
Ludwig''s expression turned to horror, as if saying: "See, you have indeed been corrupted by the Church of Knowledge!"
Without giving him a chance to speak, Lumian continued, "This assignment is to taste Trier''s famous meat pies. Gather information yourself, n the route yourself, and finallypile a food report."
The first step in following orders was to make the orders eptable to the child, something he could and would do, then gradually increase the difficulty.
Ludwig''s eyes lit up.
He licked his lips and said, "Alright!"
The little boy nced out the window and eagerly stood up. "I''ll go right now!"
Lumian chuckled. "It''s already dark, and it''s too dangerous outside. You''re just a child."
Too dangerous... just a child... Lugano couldn''t help but nce at Ludwig, his face full of disapproval.
Lumian sighed and said, "I mean, you''re just a child with insufficient self-control. It''s more dangerous for the citizens of Trier walking at night."
He then told Ludwig, "Tonight, gather information from newspapers and magazines, make a n, and go out tomorrow morning."
"Mm-hmm!" Ludwig jumped off the single sofa and started flipping through the newspapers and magazines they had subscribed to, taking it very seriously.
Satisfied, Lumian nodded, returned to his bedroom, and ced a continuously burning incandescent white me in the separate space of his Traveler''s Bag.
After a while, he took out thepletely charred, deformed piece of Celeste''s corpse, examining it for a few moments.
ording to Franca''s Magic Mirror Divination, this could be refined and extracted to rece the tail tip of the Two-Tailed ck Snake in the Affliction potion''s supplementary ingredients.
The supplementary ingredients'' Flower-Faced Bat blood also didn''t need to be collected. Franca''s blood was a better substitute.
Lumian stuffed the corpse piece back into the Traveler''s Bag and took out the books he had borrowed from the Morora Knowledge Cathedral.
Although Madam Magician had already sealed ck Tear for him, useful knowledge was always wee.
Of course, the more useful the knowledge, the more likely it was heavily corrupted, requiring careful consideration and trade-offs.
Lumian lit the gas wallmp, picked a book titled "Entering the Mysterious Hall," and leisurely began to read.
As time passed, he suddenly turned his head to look at the door.
His door creaked open, and a figure emerged from the shadows.
It was Jenna, wearing a white shirt and a light gauze skirt. Her slightly darker xen hair was pinned up, her blue eyes bright andrge, with a faintyer of powder on her face and a small ck mole on the bridge of her nose.
Her white blouse, adorned with floral decorations, wasn''t revealing, yet its nearly perfect curves made one''s mind wander and mouth dry.
At that moment, Lumian felt as if he saw the past Showy Diva Jenna and actress apprentice Celia Bello ovepping, exuding an indescribable allure beneath her fresh appearance. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"I need your help with something," Jenna said with a slight smile as she closed the door.
Lumian suddenly felt a sense of danger-not to his life, but a different kind of unease.
"I''m afraid I can''t help you," Lumian said calmly, relying on the traits of an Ascetic.
Jenna lowered her eyes, hiding the brilliance in her blue eyes.
She walked to the bedside, sat down, looked at Lumian again, and said with a smile, "Listen to me first, hear my reasons."
Lumian fell silent for a few seconds before stating, "Go ahead."
Jenna propped her hands on either side, leaning forward slightly in a somewhat yful manner. "It seems you''ve guessed it. Yes, I want you to help me digest the Pleasure potion."
As expected... Lumian said with a headache, "Why not ask Franca?"
"Two reasons, one superficial, one genuine. Which do you want to hear?" Jenna asked with a smile.
Lumian rubbed his forehead. "The superficial one."
Jenna pursed her lips and smiled self-deprecatingly. "She''s very willing to help me digest the Pleasure potion, with no internal resistance, causing little pain. This wouldn''tply with the acting principle of pleasure bringing pain, slowing my potion digestion.
"But you, I know you''re unwilling, resistant to this. The more so, the quicker I can digest the potion by making you experience pleasure, ultimately even feeling a bit reluctant, and the self-me that follows. Also, a very important point is, you have a false Angelic rank. If everything goes smoothly, I might be able to digest the potion within two or three weeks and consider advancing to Demoness of Affliction.
"As team leader, isn''t this the best choice? It can effectively help you improve the team''s quality and enhance the ritual''s effect.
"You don''t have to rmend ck Tear to me. Digesting the Pleasure potion requires a target."
Lumian remained silent.
Jenna couldn''t help but scoff. "Just think of it as teleporting a teammate, lending strength to a teammate. I''m not seeking your emotions or soul. Without emotions, you''ve never cared about these things, always thinking you have no morals, right? Hey, do you have a cleanliness obsession? It''s just helping out!"
After a few seconds, Lumian asked, "What about you?"
Jenna lowered her eyes and softlyughed. "I''ll also experience pleasure in pain and feel pain in pleasure, very much in line with the acting principles."
Lumian remained silent for a while before asking, "What about Franca?"
Jenna bit her lip, her eyes deep. "If she finds out, it''ll help her digest the Affliction potion."
Lumian sighed deeply. "I thought you''d try to seduce me, ignite my desires to achieve your goal. Didn''t expect you to negotiate and reason with me."
Jenna wrinkled her nose and grumbled, "If I tried to seduce you, you''d teleport away!
"It''s better to exin the pros and cons, tell you it''s as normal as drinking water or having a meal. No guilt involved, no emotions needed. This is verymon in Intis!"
Chapter 847 Pleasure in Pain
Chapter 847 Pleasure in Pain
847 Pleasure in Pain
Seeing Lumian remain silent, Jenna smiled and said, "Doesn''t a good team leader need to care about the personal needs of the team members and bnce internal conflicts? Sure, when you Hunters reach a high sequence, you can easily subdue people and turn them into puppets without worrying about these things. But now, you can''t do that yet."
Jenna''s eyes flickered slightly as she added with a smile, "This benefits you as well. You once said that the emotions and desires suppressed by the Ascetic won''t disappearpletely. Some will umte little by little, and if they reach a certain level, they must be vented, or they''ll be a hidden danger. And it seems you haven''t vented in a long time.
"Killing people isn''t enough to fully release these emotions, and there aren''t enough bad guys for you to kill all at once."
At this point, Jenna looked at Lumian with clear eyes, teasing, "Alright, I''ve finished exining my reasons, the benefits, and possible consequences of this. Captain, you need to make a decision."
Without waiting for Lumian to speak, Jenna pursed her lips and added in a low voice, "Also, there''s another reason. We''ve been through many dangerous things. We don''t know when we''ll die or lose each other. I-I don''t want to bid farewell with regrets."
After a moment of silence, Lumian sighed and said, "You''ve be quite an excellent Instigator."
Jenna blinked. "Does that mean you agree?"
Lumian nodded solemnly. "Only while you''re a Demoness of Pleasure."
Jenna''s slightly leaning body suddenly pulled back, and her shoulders, supported by her hands, dropped a little.
The emotions she had been suppressing finally released a little.
She lowered her gaze to her knees and smiled, half self-mockingly, half wistfully.
"When that happens, I can digest the Affliction potion."
Lumian remained silent.
After a few seconds, he said, "I''ll find an opportunity to inform Franca about this as a sign of respect."
Jenna fell silent for a moment before saying with a smile, "I thought you''d seek Franca''s opinion before making a decision."
Lumian sighed again.
"This is a sign of respect towards you."
He had sighed, having sensed the true emotions hidden in Jenna''s words. Jenna knew that Franca was an unavoidable issue in this matter, but she hoped that whatever the oue-good or bad-it would only concern herself and her partner. As for Franca, she would deal with that separately. That''s why when she was asked about Franca earlier, she suddenly became angry and irritated, spitefully saying it would help her digest the Affliction potion. Lumian only realized this through her response, and in that moment understood the mood behind their current banter.
Lumian changed the subject. "You are one of the most proactive people I''ve ever met."
"The good way of putting it is ''decisive and courageous,'' the bad way is ''impulsive and reckless," Jenna said, her eyes like the waters of an autumnke, now fully exhibiting the charm of a Demoness of Pleasure, smiling slightly, "Now, shouldn''t we talk about something else?"
She removed the fake mole from the bridge of her nose and asked Lumian with a smile, "Do you remember what I told you about the different meanings of the fake mole when we first met?"
Lumian smiled wryly. "That was our second meeting."
"I didn''t see you the first time, so it doesn''t count," Jenna said, her hand holding the fake mole slowly sliding down, past her beautifully curved jaw, her long white neck, and the floral decorations on her chest, stopping at the second button of her blouse.
She smiled brightly and asked, "What does this mean?"
Lumian''s gaze involuntarily followed Jenna''s hand. He closed his eyes and said, "It means secrets."
Jennaughed. She stood up slowly and walked over to Lumian, who was sitting at the desk.
Her voice turned low, as if it was scratching Lumian''s ear.
"I know it''s hard for you to take the initiative right now, that you''re hesitating to take that step. It''s okay, I''ll guide you.
"As expected, you''re still a virgin..."
Jenna chuckled softly and walked up to Lumian, cing her hands on his shoulders.
After a second, she lowered her head and pressed her lips against Lumian''s.
Lumian smelled the fragrance and felt the softness and sweetness, along with the slight coolness and trembling of her lips, and the nervousness and apprehension.
...
Inside Apartment 702 at 9 Rue Orosai.
Franca studied those characterste into the night and finally received a reply from Madame H, who agreed to convene a full gathering of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society soon.
Phew, Franca entered the room, sat at the small analyzer, and shared with the telegraph group members that she hade across some ancient characters that seemed to predate their transmigration. She then chatted with 007 and the others until after one in the morning.
The next day, she woke up around eight.
The habits she had developed recently and the matters on her mind kept her from sleeping in.
After washing up and having breakfast, Franca hesitated about her next move.
Should I find Lumian first to tell him about the Demoness of ck and the oracle bone script, or should I find Anthony to see if he''s heard anything about the mineralogist, Jasmine, from the adventurers and smugglers who frequently enter Underground Trier?
After a few seconds of deliberation, Franca decided to find Anthony first because the Hypnotist usually left early and returnedte, busy collecting intelligence and advancing his membership in the Psychology Alchemists. If she missed him now, she''d have to wait until the evening.
Besides, proactively seeking out Lumian could expose his current residence to the Demoness of ck. She nned to wait until the evening when Lumian woulde to her.
...
With the curtains slightly parted, Lumian stood there shirtless, silently gazing at Ludwig who was savoring a meat pie from the shop across the street. He seemed somewhat refreshed and invigorated.
To his side and slightly behind him, Jennay on her stomach in bed, the covers draped diagonally across her. Her lower legs were drawn up and swaying gently in the air, while her face still bore a faint flush.
She gazed at Lumian''s side profile and chuckled softly. "Are you embarrassed?"
Lumian let out a derisive snort. "Last night, who was the one embarrassed in the end? First, you insisted on drawing the curtains, then you wanted me to create a wall of spirituality to block the noise, then you said the wall of spirituality wasn''t enough and demanded a Bottle of Fiction, then you suddenly got scared and wanted to do a rain check, perhaps another time..."
Jennaughed softly. "That was to make you eager, to unleash the emotions and desires you''ve been suppressing with the Ascetic''s tolerance.
"I must say, you performed well yesterday, much better than I expected. Of course, at first, your performance was quite in line with your state of innocence."
Lumian chuckled in amusement and replied, "Are all you Demonesses so stubborn with words, insistent on getting thest word?"
"Learned from the best, you." Jenna nodded emphatically, indicating that it was true.
She thenughed. "Why won''t you look at me? Are you really embarrassed?"
She seemed to have regained the feeling she had when she first faced Lumian.
Lumian tsked. "I have serious business to do. I need to keep an eye on Ludwig and secretly follow himter."
"Why?" Jenna asked in confusion, "Didn''t you let Lugano take Ludwig around when we were in ces like Port Santa?"
"Back then, I didn''t know he was a sealed Angel, and there are many heretics in Trier," Lumian exined in detail, "When I went to Morora, I made sure Ludwig stayed indoors as much as possible. As long as there was food, he could stay at home. My concern is that if he wanders around Trier, he might run into other followers of the Devouring Whirlpool. Lugano is only a Sequence 7 and not particrly good atbat."
"In that case, Ludwig might follow the Devouring Whirlpool''s followers, and he''s crucial for you toplete the ritual soon." Jenna suddenly understood.
Lumian withdrew his gaze, bent over, and tried to pick up his clothes from the floor.
After scanning the area, he decided to take out a new set from the Traveler''s Bag.
Jenna watched him change clothes with a grin, then walk to the door.
Lumian paused at the door, hesitated to turn around, then held back, and said with a hum, "Ludwig is about to leave this street. You should rest well."
Jennaughed. "Can you say that while looking at me?"
Seeing Lumian open the door and walk out, sheughed even more wantonly.
"Are you afraid to look at me because you can''t resist, don''t want to leave, and will be dyed?"
Jennaughed happily the entire time until Lumian transformed into a shadow and left the apartment when tears seemed to well up in the corners of her eyes.
She looked at the full-length mirror in the room and saw a beautiful, enchanting woman with a smile on her lips and sadness in her eyes.
...
Franca found Anthony in the caf below his apartment.
Anthony took a sip of strong ck coffee, raised his head, and said, "I was just about to find you."
"Got something?" Franca''s eyes lit up as she sat down.
She habitually nced around and noticed many people looking her way, but no one dared approach to overhear her conversation with Anthony.
I might need to disguise myself and go out looking less attractive at times. Each Sequence in the Demoness pathway significantly enhances feminine charm...
Sequence 4 onwards, the greatest increase in charm is from Demoness of Pleasure... Franca withdrew her gaze and looked at Anthony thoughtfully.
Anthony took out a stack of papers and said, "Based on the time and ce you provided about mineralogist Jasmine''s recent appearances in Underground Trier, I''ve been searching for adventurers, smugglers, and students who passed through those areas during the corresponding times. In the past few days, I finally made some progress.
"There are three people who fit the conditions, but they didn''t encounter Jasmine nearby. However, they did meet someone else. Based on their descriptions, I made corresponding sketches and found they all seemed to have met the same person, who happens to be someone you''re looking for." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Someone else I''m looking for? Another Mirror Person?" Franca was puzzled.
Anthony unfolded three sheets of drawing paper and pushed them to Franca.
Franca received it and turned it around, quickly ncing at them.
Just one look, and her eyes froze.
Although the sketches on the three sheets had differences, it was clear they depicted the same person:
That person had short hair, soft facial contours, and features that weren''t deep.
They had a distinctive appearance, not resembling anyone from any Northern Continent country, nor the darker-skinned people of the Southern Continent.
Franca recognized this person: It was indeed someone she was looking for!
He was suspected to be Harrison from Resurrection Ind!
Chapter 848 Project Fishing
Chapter 848 Project Fishing
848 Project Fishing
Harrison?
He''s still in Trier?
007, howe you haven''t found him yet? Is your Eternal zing Sun Church even capable?
As Franca''s spirits lifted, feelings of joy and excitement welled up inside her.
She had mobilized members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society to keep an eye out for Harrison worldwide, but it turned out the target was still in Trier. Of course, he may have just returned recently.
While inwardly criticizing the Purifiers'' work capabilities, Franca also sensed something unusual about this situation.
She lowered her voice and said thoughtfully, "Recently, Jasmine has appeared in Underground Trier twice, and people in the vicinity have encountered Harrison both times. This can''t be a coincidence.
"Is Harrison coborating with the Mirror People?"
Anthony ate thest cream puff and took a sip of coffee before saying, "This can actually be deduced.
"Mr. Hanged Man said that Harrison is likely to appear in ces closely rted to death, darkness, dusk, and decay, like the Samaritan Women''s Spring deep in the fourth level of the underground catbs. Based on the information we currently have, the appearance of the Samaritan Women''s Spring originated from the War of the Four Emperors, from Fourth Epoch Trier.
"So, Harrison has a motive to open the seal and enter Fourth Epoch Trier, which aligns with the Mirror People''s goals. Although it''s unclear how they got in touch, don''t forget that the Mirror People have deep cooperation with those Brokers."
"Those Brokers are more annoying than buzzing flies." Franca sighed sincerely.
She then turned to Anthony and said, "You can go take care of your own business now. I''ll discuss with Jenna and Lumian how to use this to find Harrison."
"Alright." Anthony had already done his best in gathering intelligence.
After saying goodbye to Anthony, Franca went straight back to Rue Orosai.
Not wanting to expose Lumian''s current residence, she nned to use a summoning messenger to have her twopanionse over themselves.
I''ll summon Rabbit Chasel first. What reward should I give it this time? I can''t let Jenna have her way; I feel like she''s training Rabbit Chasel in a very dangerous direction... Franca thought for a few seconds, then turned her gaze to the coffee table.
Therey a book-after several months of dy, the sixth volume of Fors Wall''s The Adventurer series was finally out!
This volume was titled "The Adventurer 6: The Future" Franca had just bought it yesterday and hadn''t read it yet. She had only flipped through the afterword, seeing that the great writer Fors Wall said she had originally wanted to name this volume "Admiral of Stars" or "Biologist", but ultimately abandoned these ideas based on a sudden inspiration.
Soon, Franca summoned Rabbit Chasel.
Behind this coolly dressed Rabbit of Knowledge, a timid rabbit-shaped Spirit Body wearing boxing gloves faintly appeared in the void.
Tsk, putting on a show, are we? Franca smiled as she handed the letter paper and "The Adventurer 6" to Rabbit Chasel, instructing, "Remember to return it to me after reading."
It wasn''t that she couldn''t part with such a book, but maintaining a give-and-take rtionship with Rabbit Chasel would help build a good rapport. In the future, she might be able to ask it to introduce other special "talents" from the Rabbits of Knowledge who could also serve as messengers.
Rabbit Chasel''s eyes lit up. "Absolutely no problem!"
After sending off Rabbit Chasel, Franca summoned Penitent Baynfel.
Afterpleting these two tasks, shey down in the armchair and pondered her next moves.
I need to notify 007 in the telegram group tonight...
Should I try to contact Professor and the others, mobilize the power of the Mystery Pryers to search for Harrison together?
Sigh, now we''ve only confirmed Harrison is in Trier,cking substantial clues to investigate. We can''t even go all out even if we wanted to...
We can''t just wander around Underground Trier every day, waiting for the right opportunity, can we?
Magic Mirror Divination can''t provide answers...
Hmm, I still need to report this quickly. Mr. Hanged Man and the other Major Arcana card holders are also looking for Harrison themselves...
Franca sat up abruptly and continued her busy work.
During this process, she also contemted her own situation.
If we still can''t find him, I might end up digesting some of my Affliction potion...
Well, after dealing with the Mirror Person Nik, I''ve already digested a bit. The first rule of the Demoness of Affliction''s acting principle is quite easy to summarize: Bring pain to the target, not just physical, but also mental.
The second acting principle should be closely rted to oneself. ls pain the foundation of a Demoness?
I should strive to summarize all the acting principles soon, digest the potion quickly. Lumian is already preparing for the ritual to advance to Sequence 4 Iron-blooded Knight, I can''t let him leave me too far behind...
Just as she thought of this, Franca felt the wind at the open window pause for a second.
Then, Jenna''s figure quickly materialized.
This newly advanced Demoness of Pleasure hadn''t made herself ugly through makeup techniques, but had adjusted the "direction" of her charm''s diffusion- she wore a ck robe, concealing her attractive figure. At the same time, she used makeup to give her skin a sickly pale look, as if she hadn''t seen sunlight for a long time. Her lips were painted very red, forming a stark contrast with her skin...n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
This made Jenna look more like a Vampire, with her charm mainly concentrated on the intricateness of her features and overall beauty, rather than sexual attraction.
So it can be done this way... Not bad, Vampire Jenna is beautiful too... Franca smiled as she examined her for a few moments until Jenna hesitated for a moment before asking, "What important intelligence did you obtain?"
Franca sat back in the armchair, crossed her legs, and exined the Harrison situation in detail.
Jenna, already seated in the single sofa, wasn''t as excited as Franca, after all, she knew too little to experience that deep andplex emotion.
She pondered for a moment and said, "At this point in time, Harrison is suspected to be cooperating with the Mirror People... Is this also part of the vortex?"
"It''s possible." Franca nodded heavily and mumbled, "Why hasn''t Lumian arrived yet?"
"He went out," Jenna paused before saying, "Probably."
Franca blurted out in surprise, "How do you know?"
Jenna smiled and answered, "He told me yesterday that his first step in taming Ludwig was to assign him homework rted to food, which required Ludwig to go out andplete on his own. Hmm... ording to you, it''s like creating a food guide for Trier Meat Pie."
"Gradually ramping up the gaslighting, huh..." Franca muttered, "Did you discuss this when you left yesterday? He ns to follow Ludwig?"
"He''s afraid Ludwig might converge with other believers of the Devouring Whirlpool, and Lugano is only Sequence 7, unable to stop it." Jenna first briefly exined Lumian''s concerns, then her eyes flickered slightly as she said, "This should only be one of the reasons."
"Are there other reasons?" Franca tucked her hair and tried to understand the Hunter''s countless hidden intentions.
A smile appeared on Jenna''s face.
"Yes, although he didn''t say it, that''s what I think. His hidden purpose should be to engage in his favorite activity: Fishing!"
Franca was enlightened. "Using Ludwig to fish for other believers of the Devouring Whirlpool?"
Jenna nodded and further added, "Judging from the style of Overseer Perle, no matter what ns the Brokers make, they will most likely gather different forces and people through covert transactions, maximizing the advantages of their own pathway. So, there''s a good chance that believers of the Devouring Whirlpool and other heretics have been brought onto the vortex n.
"If we can catch higher-level believers of the Devouring Whirlpool, we might be able to further understand the situation of the vortex matter and discover its key points."
Franca inwardly hissed. "This is Lumian''s style, on the surface he''s training Ludwig, but in reality, he''s fishing for heretics, investigating the vortex matter.
The most infuriating thing is, his surface goal is indeed very real and important!"
After this exmation, Franca looked at Jenna and praised with a smile, "You''re getting smarter and smarter!"
"Dammit, when you suddenly praise me like this, I don''t know whether to ept it gracefully or be modest. If it were Lumian, he would definitely say ''You''ve barely caught up to my train of thought''." Thetter half of Jenna''s sentence imitated Lumian''s tone.
Franca pondered for a moment, her lips slowly curling into a smile.
"Fishing is indeed a good method.
"We can use the same approach to find Harrison.
"Harrison has a deep understanding and very sinister application of death, and is also looking for scenarios closely rted to death, darkness, dusk, and other such powers. Does this mean he can be converged by Beyonders of these pathways?
"This could be convergence from high-ranking individuals, and should also include certain special convergences, such as the Underworld Daoist seal on Lumian, or the Samaritan Women''s Spring. Hmm, Amandina''s poweres directly from the Underworld Daoist, and the Underworld Daoist seems to possess powers of death, darkness, and dusk simultaneously. Amandina might be able to converge on Harrison as well..."
At this point, Franca''s eyes became exceptionally bright.
"I choose all of the above!
"Once Lumian''s condition stabilizes, we''ll have him take Amandina to the Samaritan Women''s Spring to meet the Underworld Daoist. We''ll ambush nearby to see if Harrison will converge!"
...
Quartier de Republic, Rue Richelieu.
Standing in the shadows at the side of the street, Lumian rubbed his nose, feeling as if aromantic scent still lingered.
The emotions and desires he had umted since bing an Ascetic were finally released to arge extent throughst night''s events, making his condition quite good.
But his mood was very heavy, stemming both from feeling torn and guilty, as well as concern for others'' feelings.
True "pleasure" indeed makes one want to indulge, hmm, just want to, but it really does bring pain... Dammit, I''ll go back and mock Jenna harshly to vent these emotions... Lumian exhaled slowly, turning his gaze towards Ludwig, who was savoring a red fish hot beef pie not far away.
Chapter 849 Intercontinental Travel
Chapter 849 Intercontinental Travel
849 Intercontinental Travel
Ludwig had finished eating the red fish hot beef pie in his hand. He squatted in front of a street bench, took out a pen and a notebook from his red hard book bag, and began writing his post-meal impressions with focus and seriousness.
Watching in the shadows, Lumian pursed his lips.
You say you''re afraid, but your body instinctively repeats the habits formed in the Church of Knowledge...
If there weren''t so many exams and studies, you might have be a qualified believer of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom...
While mocking Ludwig, Lumian surveyed the surrounding citizens.
His gaze passed over a young man quietly reading a book in the caf across the street, over a middle-aged schr standing at the intersection observing passersby and carriages without crossing, andnded on a painter who had set up his easel under an Intis parasol tree, nkly painting the street scene.
Lumian left the shadows, walked a few steps, and came to stand behind the painter, peering at his work like the previous passersby.
The painting was ordinary, and he didn''t detect any supernatural powers.
Lumian continued walking, inwardly sighing, It seems to be a normal painter for now, just with a somewhat off mental state...
Is this what Trier''s painters are like? Sometimes they seem more like heretics than actual heretics...
Sigh, in Trier, it''s too difficult to identify heretics based on behavioral abnormalities. As Franca would say, many citizens'' mental states are quite beautiful... In this matter, Fourth Epoch Trier and the overall seal are half responsible, and they themselves are responsible for the other half...
As Lumian was thinking, he saw apletely naked man walking towards him, with the only piece of cloth on him being a ck top hat positioned in front of his lower abdomen.
This man walked with his head held high, looking around proudly, not at all embarrassed by his current appearance, as if he had done something very worthy of pride.
After passing Lumian by seven or eight meters, his palm was suddenly scalded.
He instinctively withdrew his hand and saw that his ck top hat had burst into bright red mes, slowly falling to the ground.
He lost hisst piece of cover.
Lumian, his back to him as he continued forward, silently moved his lips.
You''re wee, just letting you show off more thoroughly.
You dare to streak with just that little bit? Next time, I''ll send you to the New City of Silver for a free tour.
Lumian walked on with his hands in his pockets, stepping into the shadows, and turned his attention back to Ludwig.
He had been following for a long time but still hadn''t found anyone suspicious of being a Devouring Whirlpool believer.
However, considering that since knowing Ludwig, the little boy had never converged with heretics of the same pathway, Lumian suspected that the seal on him must have some restrictions on this. Otherwise, with an evil deity''s Angel running around everywhere, who knows how many mystical disasters would have been triggered by now.
There might be another reason. Many evil deities'' bestowed, even if they''ve gained godhood, can disguise themselves as normal humans as long as they haven''t lost control or gone half-mad. But those of the Devouring Whirlpool might not be able to. Ludwig, not yet recovered to Depriver, can already eat so much in one meal. The corresponding Sequence 4 demigod, even without letting loose their appetite, would surely have an eating capacity that would rm the Purifiers and Machinery Hivemind...
Forget it, the main purpose is to ''tame'' Ludwig anyway. Fishing out other believers of the Devouring Whirlpool is just an additional idea. It doesn''t matter if I don''t find any... Lumian had been watching for so long but hadn''t found any citizens with problematic eating behaviors.
...
After receiving Franca''s second letter, Lumian arrived at Apartment 702, 9 Rue Orosai after dinner.
Jenna had arrived two or three minutes earlier, still wearing Vampire makeup and dressed in an old-fashioned, conservative ck robe.
Lumian nced at Jenna, opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Seeing this, Jenna immediately raised her chin slightly and said, "Were you going to mock my current appearance?"
Lumian chuckled and said, "I just recalled a joke. Once there was a duke who, in order to whiten his skin, followed the advice of a quack doctor and took arsenic-containing pills for a long time. He did sessfully improve hisplexion, but he also experienced a side effect-he died."
"Where did you read that joke?" Jenna asked curiously.
"In Ghost Face. Not long before I saw that joke, a guest at the Auberge du Coq Dor told me you can make your face look rosy and healthy by pping your cheeks, to help find a job more easily." Lumianughed. "You coarse-haired folks need to read more books and magazines. Don''t be illiterate, or you''ll be looked down upon by the clergy of the Church of Knowledge."
I just wanted you to act normal and wait for an opportunity, not keep mocking...
Jenna suddenly felt an urge to grind her teeth.
"Do you think I''m like you? Having not even finishedpulsory education..."
At this point, Jenna trailed off.
Meanwhile, Franca, who had been furtively writing something at the coffee table, stood up and said, "You two, don''t lose sight of the important matters."
Lumian, who already knew from the second letter about Harrison the visitor from Resurrection Ind reappearing and Franca wanting to quickly take Amandina to the edge of the Samaritan Women''s Spring area, nodded gently and said, "My condition has basically recovered."
"That was fast..." Franca was a bit surprised.
Jenna''s gaze briefly shifted away before returning to Lumian as she nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, faster than I expected."
Lumian tsked. "Isn''t that a good thing? We can ask Amandina about her thoughts right now."
"Mm-hmm." Franca excitedly moved to take out the Ice Amulet.
Beforeing over, Lumian had already burned the independent space containing ck Tear for over half an hour. He took out this Grade 1 Sealed Artifact Level 1.
"Let''s use this. lt won''t consume any charges."
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the full-length mirror in the living room, the ss windows revealing the night, and the metal-surfaced decorations.
Using ck Tear''s mirror magic, he found no abnormalities in these reflective objects and didn''t sense any gazes directed at them from within.
He then tossed ck Tear to Franca, giving a slight nod to indicate that the Demoness of ck likely wasn''t watching them at the moment.
"I''ve written down everything I want to tell Amandina to prevent eavesdropping..." Franca put on ck Tear, held the letter paper in her hand, covered it with ck mes, and pressed it into the ss surface of the full-length mirror in the living room.
She needed to act quickly and finish this before ck Tear''s negative effects took hold!
...
South Continent, Matani, Port Pylos.
Amandina lit the gas wallmp and sat at her desk, once again reading the mysticism materials provided by Ms. Franca.
Each time she read this knowledge, she was genuinely surprised, respectful, longing, and fearful.
Over the past two to three weeks, she had met with her acquaintances from the patrol team several times and attended two mystical studies gatherings. She discovered that the mysticism knowledge recorded in these materials was actually unknown to the vast majority of Beyonders, whether official or not.
This is truly a gift... Just as Amandina had this thought, she saw the dressing mirror given to her by Ms. Franca, which she had specially ced nearby, be dark and ripple with an aqueous light.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Within the aqueous light, Intisian characters were outlined: "Lam Franca. Lumian has returned.
"He asked me to inquire when you n toe to Trier. He will take you to the area where that shadow might appear..."
Louis Berry has returned to Trier... Amandina thought for a few seconds, then said to the mirror, "Tonight works."
She had originally nned not to see anyone tonight, to focus on studying the remaining mysticism knowledge.
She had already instructed her maid in advance and locked her bedroom door.
As soon as Amandina gave her answer, Franca''s slightly urgent voice came from the mirror.
"Put your hand on the mirror."
Feeling a bit nervous yet quite excited and curious, Amandina reached her palm towards the surface of the dressing mirror.
She felt the hard, cold ss lose its solid feel, like ayer of water without temperature.
Amandina''s right hand passedpletely through the ss surface, and suddenly a terrifying suction force erupted from within.
Her entire body was yanked in, falling into a dark, empty tunnel, plummeting towards the end of a vortex.
Before Amandina could react, she felt dizzy and disoriented.
When she regained her senses, she found herself standing in a small living room, facing Ms. Franca whom she had met before.
Thisdy was as beautiful asst time, and with the closer distance and no mirror barrier, her charm was clearly stronger, making even Amandina, a woman, feel a bit embarrassed to look too much but unable to resist.
As Amandina''s gaze moved, she saw a beautiful woman with pale skin and bright red lips who looked more girlish, and Lumian Lee sitting in an armchair, wearing a shirt and jacket, with his right foot crossed over his left leg.
Are all the women around this guy so beautiful? He seems to have be a bit more handsome... Amandina suddenly felt a little insecure about her own appearance.
She then looked around, examining this unfamiliar ce.
Meanwhile, Franca quickly removed ck Tear and tossed it back to Lumian.
How amazing... Amandina finally came to her senses and asked with sparkling eyes, "Did Ie here through the mirror? Is this Trier?"
Lumian tucked ck Tear back into that separate space in the Traveler''s Bag and smiled as he corrected, "It was through the mirror world."
"Mirror world..." Amandina pondered this term, "Then, do I have a way to travel to different ces through the mirror world like you?"
Lumian scoffed. "Don''t you know that non-adjacent pathways can''t be interchanged? Don''t you know about the existence of mystical items?"
As he spoke, Lumian stood up and walked towards the door. "We''re leaving now."
"Aren''t theying?" Amandina pointed at Franca and Jenna.
She hadn''t even had a chance to exchange pleasantries yet!
"No need." Lumian opened the front door.
Chapter 850 Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Chapter 850 Slow and Steady Wins the Race
850 Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Inside a four-wheeled, four-seater carriage.
Amandina sat across from Lumian, excitedly looking out at the Intis parasol trees along the road, the still brightly lit shops, the magnificent arcaded streets, gentlemen anddies walking their turtles, and some citizens in strange attire.
She sincerely praised, "Trier truly lives up to its reputation. It''s even more wonderful than I imagined."
"I hope you won''t take back that assessment after staying here for a while," Lumian wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but there were so many things worth mocking about Trier that he couldn''t find the most representative one at the moment, so he could only respond to Amandina in this way.
Amandina turned her gaze away from the carriage window, saying with some regret, "It''s a pity I have to return to Port Pylos at dawn."
She nned to apply for entrance exams to some universities in Trier after graduating from grammar school.
Amandina nced at the coachman''s seat in front, and lowered her voice to ask Lumian, "Why don''t we just... just teleport there directly?"
Lumian smiled leisurely.
"You''re a guest. Of course I should show you around Trier."
Amandina scrutinized Lumian for a moment.
"I feel like you''re deceiving me."
"Your feeling is not wrong." Lumianughed without concealing anything. "Going slowly allows the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence to take effect."
If he had teleported with Amandina to the entrance of the underground catbs and rushed to the Samaritan Women''s Spring at the fastest speed toplete what needed to be done, Harrison, the visitor from Resurrection Ind, might not have reacted in time, might not have been affected by thew of convergence, and might not have made the decision to sneak into the Samaritan Women''s Spring again at night. Everything would have ended without achieving the expected goal.
He had to leave enough time for the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence to take effect!
Sometimes, slow and steady wins the race.
"What... what are you trying to converge with?" Amandina, having witnessed Lumian''s performance during the Dream Festival, became nervous all of a sudden.
"A target I''m currently tracking," Lumian leaned back against the carriage wall and answered with a smile. "Don''t worry, your safety is absolutely guaranteed."
Hearing this, Amandina quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Louis Berry was indeed a trustworthy person; he had fulfilled all the promises he made.
What she didn''t know was that if Franca or Jenna were here, they would definitely ask in return, "Is only safety guaranteed? Won''t there be any injuries, torture, or impacts on the mind and spirit during the process?"
Amandina nced at the coachman''s seat again through the carriage wall and said softly, "Aren''t you afraid the coachman will overhear what you''re saying?"
You weren''t lowering your voice at all just now!
Lumian chuckled.
"He can''t hear us." N?v(el)B\\jnn
Amandina was stunned for a moment, trying to understand with her mysticism knowledge.
"Did you... did you quickly create a wall of spirituality?"
"You can think of it that way," Lumian couldn''t be bothered to exin to Amandina what a Bottle of Fiction was.
Amandina rxed and asked with a smile, "Are those twodies just now your lovers?"
Lumian let out a derisive snort.
"Shouldn''t you ask that question in front of them?"
"That would be so embarrassing! They would definitely get angry!" Amandina''s emotional intelligence was quite good.
"And I wouldn''t get angry?" Lumian asked amusedly.
Amandina giggled.
"You don''t seem like someone who would get angry over something like this."
She suddenly pointed out the window.
"Is that the Trier Normal University?"
"Your technique for changing the subject is quite clumsy," Lumian mocked Amandina without mercy.
And so, the four-wheeled, four-seater rental carriage arrived at ce du Purgatoire at a normal speed.
As Lumian descended the stairs, he took out a white candle and tossed it to Amandina, telling her about the various taboos inside the underground catbs.
Amandina listened very carefully and lit one of the candles by rubbing it with spirituality.
"I''ve seen some of these in magazines, but never as detailed as what you''ve told me today.
"Do these taboos really have to be followed? What happens if they''re not followed? For example, what if I hadn''t lit a candle?"
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the giant stone archway inscribed with the warning "Stop! The Death Empire lies ahead!"
The catbs administrator behind the door, with graying hair and wearing a blue vest and yellow trousers, nced at Lumian but did not stop the two from entering the underground catbs at night.
Lumian looked straight ahead, walking forward through the piles of skeletons along the sides of the path, and said in a calm tone, "In that case, you would disappear from this world. Your parents would forget they had such a daughter, your former fianc would forget he once had such a fiance, your friends would forget you, your servants would forget you, and perhaps only I would remember you."
Although Amandina was a Beyonder equivalent to Sequence 7 and had witnessed some of the tragedies that urred during the Dream Festival, and her former fianc was particrly skilled at summoning the dead, being in the underground catbs-a gloomy, dark ce full of skeletons and permeated with the aura of death-she couldn''t help but feel a bit frightened and uneasy.
This,bined with Lumian''s exnation, made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and she gripped the white candle even tighter.
"The first time I entered the underground catbs, I thought this was truly a perfect ce for telling horror stories. Unfortunately, until now, such opportunities have been rare." A smile appeared on Lumian''s face.
Amandina was stunned for a moment. "Were you just telling a horror story?"
"Yes, and the most terrifying part of this horror story is that every word of it is true," Lumian replied with a smile.
"_." Amandina was scared once again.
She quickened her pace, afraid of being left behind by Lumian.
As the two made their way to the fourth level of the underground catbs, there were no shortage of skeletons suddenly moving, trying to trip Amandina, nearly causing the youngdy to cry out in rm.
Finally, Lumian led Amandina to the huge, decaying, and mottled tomb chamber that housed the Samaritan Women''s Spring.
He looked left and right and silently said to himself, We didn''t encounter the shadow resembling Krismona this time... Was She wandering around the fourth level of the catbs before to find a female Demoness, and no longer has such an obsession after achieving Her goal?
Lumian shifted his gaze back and tossed a mirror to Amandina.
"Hold this and wait for me here."
"Wait here?" Amandina looked around, slightly panicked.
The surroundings were pitch ck, with numerous tombs, decaying and dpidated, with unknown things lurking in the shadows.
"It''ll be quick," Lumian didn''t offer anyfort, but went straight through the half-open stone door into the tomb chamber.
After walking a few steps, he encountered the deeply wrinkled catbs administrator who looked more like a corpse than a living person.
The elderly administrator, also wearing a blue vest and yellow trousers, did not stop Lumian but stood silently in ce, allowing him to pass.
After reaching the gentle downward slope, Lumian took out a mirror and the ck Tear essory that had been burned for over half an hour from the Traveler''s Bag.
Outside the huge tomb chamber, Amandina saw Lumian''s face appear on the surface of the mirror by the yellowish light of the white candle, and heard his voice.
"Press your hand against the mirror."
With experience, Amandina quickly pressed her hand holding the white candle against the mirror surface.
Again, she passed through the familiar cold water flow, experienced the familiar terrifying suction force and weightless falling sensation, and soon found herself appearing beside Lumian.
Lumian put away the ck Tear and the mirror, pointing to the depths of the slope. "It''s down there."
...
In the gap between two ancient tomb chambers, twenty to thirty meters away from the huge tomb chamber housing the Samaritan Women''s Spring.
Franca, holding a white candle, carefully peeked out and nced towards the target location.
She then withdrew and muttered to Jenna, "This candle is really annoying. We can''t hide well at all. How are we supposed to ambush Harrison like this?"
The dim yellow light of the white candle was quite conspicuous in the deep, pure darkness.
Jenna looked at Franca and smiled. "It works both ways. Harrison also can''t approach silently without us noticing. Besides, hiding in this corner can effectively reduce the impact of the candlelight. It won''t travel that far."
Franca knew all this and was justining casually.
She suddenly remembered something and asked with a twitching corner of her mouth, "Have you seen Anthony?"
"Uh..." Jenna was also stunned.
At this moment, Anthony''s voice came from outside the gap.
"I''ve been here all along."
Along with his voice, Franca and Jenna finally saw theirpanion.
He was standing openly on the path outside, holding a lit white candle, and the two Demonesses hadn''t noticed him before.
"Psychological Invisibility is really great..." Franca praised enviously.
Psychological Invisibility worked on apletely different principle from other invisibility abilities. lt mainly involved cing oneself in the psychological blind spots and cognitive dead angles of the surrounding people, making them ignore the situation here. Therefore, whether Anthony was holding a lit candle or not did not affect his ability to be invisible.
Anthony simply replied, "Candlelight is a powerful attention-drawing element here. It also reduces the effectiveness of my Psychological Invisibility. I need to be very focused to maintain it."
Franca and Jenna stopped talking and hid in the gap between the tomb chambers, listening to the sounds around them.
...
In front of the faintly contracting and expanding thin grayish-white fog.
Lumian once again examined his own state.
That cold emanating from within his heart upied his body, causing most of his emotions and desires to wither, but the malice and irritability resulting from the negative effects of the contract still existed and were growing stronger.
He was in a very good state now, having endured without much reliance on the abilities of the Ascetic.
Amandina had a simr reaction, one side of her face turning deathly pale from the "freeze", while she gritted her teeth to prevent an unfamiliar version of herself from emerging.
Lumian grabbed her arm and extended his left palm holding the white candle towards the grayish-white fog.
As his chest warmed, the two sessfully walked into the mist.
Everything became even more silent.
Chapter 851 A Marvelous Experience
Chapter 851 A Marvelous Experience
851 A Marvelous Experience N?v(el)B\\jnn
Lumian let go of her hand, pressed his left chest, silently praised Mr. Fool, then led Amandina towards the bottom of the slope through the grayish-white fog.
The further Amandina walked, the more ufortable she became with her current state. The icy coldness emanating from within made her feel as if she had already died and be a corpse, while it seemed like another version of herself inside her body was trying to tear its way out.
"Shall we... go back?" she hesitantly said to Lumian.
"We''re almost at our destination," Lumian pointed in the direction where the faint, illusory sound of water could barely be heard, then added, "If you really decide to go back now, I can fulfill your request."
Amandina hesitated for a few seconds. "We''re already at the edge..."
Wouldn''t it be a waste to go back now?
Lumian chuckled. "Don''t worry, if it really gets to the point where we can''t bear it, I''ll definitely run faster than you."
"You saying that makes me even more worried..." Amandina replied softly.
Lumian continued forward, thinking for a moment before saying, "When I tell you to close your eyes, close them. When I tell you to open them, open them immediately."
"Alright." In such an environment, Amandina could only choose to trust Lumian.
Soon, the gray fog in front of them became very thin, revealing a spring the size of a pond.
Pale-white water flowed in the spring, surrounded by deep, dark objects of indescribable color.
Amandina saw a wet, seaweed-like ck hair floating in the water, and at the bottom, there seemed to be multiple faint figures hidden, struggling as if they had just drowned and were trying to crawl out.
At the same time, she noticed ady wandering beside the spring water, wearing a white robe, with ck hair, exquisitely perfect features, and a holy aura that seemed out of ce in the catbs.
Amandina was immediately attracted, and if it weren''t for thedy''s nk and cold gaze,cking necessary charm, and if the spring water hadn''t suddenly retracted into a pitch-ck hole that light couldn''t prate, she might have been unable to pull herself away.
Lumian also saw Krismona''s figure, and several thoughts shed through his mind, I could bring Jenna here to meet Amandina directly, without having to wait until an advancement every time...
The Krismona here is more like a wandering ghost, bound to the area around the Samaritan Women''s Spring. Whether she canmunicate normally, whether she would indiscriminately attack approaching Demonesses, whether this would cause any abnormalities, is still unknown...
I need to find a way to confirm before bringing Jenna in...
Seeing that Krismona''s shadow didn''t even nce at him, Lumian turned his head to Amandina and said, "You can close your eyes now."
"Okay." Amandina felt a certain fear and obediently closed her eyes.
Lumian then took two steps forward, reaching the edge of the Samaritan Women''s Spring.
The next second, Amandina heard the sound of gushing spring water and felt a violent, frenzied aura descend upon her.
She couldn''t help but tremble, her knees weakening.
At the same time, she had hallucinations, believing that multiple figures were approaching her, each extremely terrifying-the kind that would cause nightmares if seen and lead to a tragic death if encountered.
Amandina cried out in fear, "Let''s go back! I want to go back!"
As she screamed, the violent and frenzied aura subsided, and the multiple figures in her hallucination retreated.
She heard Lumian''s deep voice in her ear. "You can open your eyes now."
Amandina broke free from the extreme fear, rxing a little.
She didn''t hesitate and opened her eyes.
She saw that familiar figure, wearing a strange, rust-spotted iron crown, skin as crystalline as jade, with a white beard gently floating, already quite elderly.
At this moment, the old man''s figure was sitting cross-legged at the deep hole, which was violently shaking as if some unknown entity was trying to squeeze out.
Amandina''s gaze fell on those deep eyes that seemed like the night sky.
Her thoughts suddenly became blurred, as if she saw a rotting, pus-oozing hand with strange feathers reaching out and pressing on her head.
She also heard an old, nk, cold, and hollow voice ringing in her ear.
But she couldn''t understand what the voice was saying.
After an unknown amount of time, Amandina came to her senses. The old man''s figure was no longer in her sight, only the dark soil that had lost the pale-white spring water, and Lumian crouching beside the spring, holding a small golden bottle to collect the seeping water droplets.
Of course, Lumian and the others had reported Amandina''s situation to the Major Arcana card holders before daring to bring her into the area around the Samaritan Women''s Spring, and Madam Magician had also asked him to collect some more spring water.
"What''s the use of this water?" Amandina, no longer so nervous and scared, asked curiously.
"If you make your enemy drink it, they will die instantly," Lumian patronizingly replied.
Amandina''s eyes lit up, but she asked in confusion, "But how can I make my enemy drink it..."
Lumian put away the small golden bottle, stood up and said, "What did you see just now? What did you experience?"
Amandina recalled and recounted all the details, then self-examined.
"But I couldn''t understand what was being said, the pronunciation was %...
"It seems like I''ve gained a new ability, I can cate souls, calm emotions and desires..."
Lumian carefully remembered the few pronunciations Amandina had ryed, walked back to the youngdy''s side and said, "You''ve received a new boon, Soul Assurer."
"Yes." Amandina smiled, "I feel like my body has even changed a little..."
Lumian chuckled.
"Maybe you''ll slowly grow a white beard, develop wrinkles. I''ve heard that boons gradually make the blessed ones resemble the high-level beings who granted them power, both mentally and physically."
Amandina was startled. "Can I... not have that?"
"Try consuming corresponding pathway potions to see if it can counteract it," Lumian said as he passed by Amandina and walked up the slope leading to the tomb chamber.
Amandina followed closely behind, lost in thought.
...
Even until Lumian and Amandina left the underground catbs, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony had not encountered Harrison, the visitor from Resurrection Ind.
"He didn''t show up?" Franca frowned and said, "Was my deduction wrong? Is relying on the traits of characteristics alone not enough to achieve such powerful convergence? Or is it that only Angel-level high-sequence Beyonders can actively utilize thew of convergence?"
Jenna''s eyes shifted slightly as she thought for a moment before saying, "Maybe Harrison can sense this deliberate convergence and actively avoided it...
Maybe, maybe he''s not from the Death, Darkness, or Twilight pathways. He has a deep understanding of death and is pursuing corresponding things and scenes, but that doesn''t mean he''s a Beyonder of these pathways. What if he''s a schr studying death?"
"It''s possible." Franca sighed, "Let''s wait five more minutes, then we''ll go after Lumian and Amandina."
...
Even until they all gathered at 9 Rue Orosai Apartment 702, Harrison from Resurrection Ind still hadn''t appeared.
"Thank you all, I can provide help for you now," Amandina said, looking at Franca.
Franca looked at the young girl who appeared somewhat tired from her terrifying experience and smiled, saying, "There''s no rush. You should go back first. Once you''ve adapted to your newly gained power and regained your body''s bnce, we''lle again.
"Besides, it''s quite convenient to travel from Port Pylos to Trier."
How is it convenient? Without using the mirror world or teleportation, it might take two or three months to arrive... Amandina grumbled silently, but epted Franca''s suggestion.
Then, she was sent back by Lumian and the others using ck Tear to the mirror Franca had given her, and she emerged from it.
At this moment, it was still night outside, with servants asionally passing by in the corridor.
Looking at her familiar bedroom, at the fountain pen on the desk and the pile of books, Amandina suddenly felt as if she had been away for many days and experienced too many things.
But it had only been half a night.
In this half night, she hadpleted a round trip using the mirror world, toured the prosperous Trier that was farther than any distant ce, explored the underground catbs featured in magazines, and witnessed the terrifying area around the Samaritan Women''s Spring.
After savoring the experience for a while, Amandina sincerely sighed.
"How amazing... A marvelous journey..."
...
Inside Apartment 702 at 9 Rue Orosai.
Lumian tried to repeat the sounds Amandina had heard.
Franca listened intently, hesitating before saying, "It seems to be... ''Be careful, Peni''..."
"Be careful of Peni? The Peni divine mountain mentioned by the Armored Shadow? This doesn''t have much practical meaning for us..." Lumian said thoughtfully.
Jenna and Anthony both nodded.
"Indeed." Franca quickly adjusted her mindset, "But we''ve at least achieved one of our goals. In a few days, we can bring Amandina to summon Armored Shadow!"
At that time, she nned to first try asking if it could understand the meaning of the text on Mr. Star''s information.
Just thinking about it was quite exciting!
After chatting idly for a while, Anthony, seeing that it was gettingte, bid farewell and left to return to his own home.
Jenna looked at Franca pacing back and forth, then turned to Lumian and quietly pointed at herself.
Lumian slowly shook his head and pointed at himself.
After exchanging nces several times, Jenna, wearing her Vampire makeup, pursed her lips and said to Franca, "I''ll make a move first."
"Mm." Franca didn''t say much, as she wanted to talk to Lumian alone about those ancient texts and the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society.
After Jenna left, she sat down in the armchair andfortably stretched her limbs.
She nced at Lumian and asked curiously, "Why don''t you sit down?"
Lumian looked at Franca, unable to hold back another sigh. "I have something to tell you."
Franca scrutinized Lumian''s expression suspiciously.
"Are you ying a prank? You''re the type of person who would warn everyone in a joking tone even if a disaster was about to happen. No, you''re... you''re serious? Is it something very serious?"
Lumian had already used ck Tear to sense the various mirrors in the room, roughly confirming that the Demoness of ck wasn''t watching.
He looked at Franca, instinctively wanting to force a smile to make himself seem a bit more rxed, but he couldn''t manage it.
Franca unconsciously sat up straight.
Lumian spoke in a low voice, "Jenna asked me to help her digest the Pleasure potion."
Chapter 852 Two Choices
Chapter 852 Two Choices
852 Two Choices
Franca was initially stunned, then her expression turned to one of obvious shock.
She opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to say something, but her red lips quivered uncontrobly.
Her face gradually turned pale, and her eyes flickered between emptiness and confusion.
Lumian quietly watched Franca without saying a word.
After a while, Franca asked hoarsely and with difficulty, "You agreed?"
Her voice sounded like it was being squeezed out of her throat, her eyes holding a glimmer of hope.
Lumian nodded slowly.
The light in Franca''s eyes dimmed instantly.
She lowered her head bit by bit, staring at her legs resting on the armchair.
After a few seconds, she muttered as if in a dream, "I knew... Jenna''s affection and regard for me were never love. I was just fantasizing... Fantasizing that she couldn''t find anyone suitable to help digest the Pleasure potion and had to reluctantly choose me. And maybe, over time, physical entanglement would lead to emotional closeness...
"I knew... Jenna was in a hurry to digest the potion because her brother would soon return to Trier...
"I knew... the female Demoness path is very dangerous. Jenna is very aware of this too...
"I knew... her sexual orientation is men...
"I knew... she''s decisive and good at making bold moves...
"lL... Lean ept Jenna choosing someone else. I can ept... ept that she likes someone else. She''s free. She''s independent. She''s not my appendage. Just because I like her doesn''t mean she must like me or can''t get close to others... I''ve been mentally preparing myself for this, evenforting myself that maybe this could help me digest the Affliction potion...
"But, but..."
Franca suddenly looked up, her eyes burning with anger. "Why you? Damn it, why you?"
Lumian felt like he was being stared at by a beautiful yet dangerous leopard, but he remained silent.
The answer didn''t need to be spoken. It had already been spoken.
Franca and Lumian locked eyes, her gaze gradually turning sorrowful.
Sheughed at herself bitterly, then asked in frustration and anger, "Why did you agree?"
"For two reasons: one superficial and one real. Which do you want to hear?"
Lumian replied with a bitter smile.
"I want to hear both!" Franca said without hesitation, her voice firm.
She stood up, trying to make herself appear more imposing.
Lumian sighed and said, "The superficial reason is that Jenna had alreadye to me. Whether I refused or avoided her, it would hurt her, affect her state, and leave hidden dangers. If I agreed to help her, it would hurt you. I had to choose the option where the aftermath was rtively easier to deal with. You are optimistic and have a good nature; you should be able to gradually let go..."
"Dammit! So because I have a good nature, I deserve to be bullied?" Franca interrupted angrily,ughing bitterly.
She walked to the window, cing her hands on the window frame, staring at the night outside as if to calm herself down.
Lumian came up beside her, also gazing into the deep night.
After a few seconds, without turning her head, Franca asked, as if talking to herself, "And the real reason?"
Lumian was silent for a moment before saying, "From the moment you didn''t want to lose your image in front of someone you truly loved-at the moment you began digesting the Pleasure potion-and Jenna took the initiative to approach you, your rtionship entered a vortex, spiraling downward, and sooner orter it would erupt. The longer it dragged on, the more hurtful and severe the consequences. It''s better to have a conclusion sooner.
"For me, the optimal choice in this matter would actually be to dy until preparations for the Iron-blooded Knight advancement ritual wereplete. If things went smoothly, that would only be a matter of three or four weeks. By then, I would have gained godhood, bing a demigod of Sequence 4.
Whatever emotional issues you two had, it wouldn''t affect me even if itpletely shattered our team''s harmony and unity.
"Even if the subsequent Sequence 3 also required a team, I would have enough time to reorganize."
Franca listened quietly, then turned her head to look at Lumian''s face. "And your emotions?"
Lumian gazed into the darkness outside, remaining silent.
Franca followed suit, remaining silent for a while before saying expressionlessly, "You should go now. I''m a mess. I want some peace."
Lumian hesitated, not moving.
Seeing this, Franca said with aplex smile, "Don''t worry, I won''t leave. I still have a mission.
"Why aren''t you leaving yet? Do you want me to beat you up?
"Let me tell you, once I figure things out, I might end up like that Demoness in Morora and cut off your manhood! Anyway, you can grow it back; I''ll cut it every day!
"Go on, get out!
"Get lost!"
Seeing Franca''s emotions gradually intensify and her grabbing something to throw at him, Lumian sighed softly, walked towards the door, opened it, and stepped into the stairwell.
Bang!
The sound of the door mming shut echoed behind him.
Lumian descended the stairs and soon saw Jenna standing silently in the shadows.
She hadn''t really left. She had been waiting quietly in the building, head slightly lowered.
"How did it go?" Jenna raised her head, asking Lumian.
Lumian recounted his conversation with Franca and her reactions, focusing on the key points.
Jenna pursed her lips and said to Lumian, "You should go back. I''ll wait outside in case of any idents."
Lumian nced back at the dark hallway, then said, "I''ll wait here too."
Jenna shook her head. "One person is enough. If she calms down, she might want to talk to me. Your presence might provoke her further."
After a moment of thought, Lumian said, "Okay."
He looked at Jenna''s deep eyes, filled with a hint of pain, and sighed, saying, "In this world, most people are selfish most of the time. Like you...
Lumian paused and pointed at himself. "And like me."
Jenna''s gaze softened a bit, and she smiled self-deprecatingly. "Sometimes, I really want to drag you into the abyss with me."
...
Returning to his rented apartment, Lumiany on his bed, staring at the dark ceiling, unable to sleep.
He didn''t want to rely on Cogitation to calm himself down either.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly had a premonition and sat up abruptly, directing his gaze towards the bedroom window.
With a creak, the window opened, and Franca, wearing a woman''s shirt and fitted trousers but sporting fuzzy slippers, jumped in.
In the crimson moonlight, her eyes appeared red, and she held a dagger in her hand.
"Thanks to you, I''ve digested quite a bit of the Affliction potion!" Franca said through gritted teeth, looking at Lumian sitting on the bed. "Damn it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get!"
Lumian stared at Franca''s face for a few seconds, his gaze slowly shifting to the dagger in her hand.
He waited for Franca to continue speaking.
Franca ground her teeth and said, "I can ept Jenna making this choice.
Although I would be sad, sorrowful, and in pain, I am willing to ept it and even encourage her.
"But you, you hurt your bro! You should be cut into pieces for this!
"Do you know how much this hurt me? We were so close, so in sync, always thinking of each other. Why, why did you break this beautiful state?
"You ended up making me feel abandoned, like you two are close and intimate, while I''m left out, the unnecessary one...
"I feel betrayed..."
As she spoke, the gnashing tone in Franca''s voice diminished, and a trace of confusion appeared in her voice.
She paused, then threw the dagger, which embedded itself urately in Lumian''s bed.
Franca then took two steps forward, ring at Lumian.
"You now have two choices!
"One, as I said before, if you dare touch Jenna, I''ll make you drink the Witch potion and turn you into a woman. Now, your choice is to switch pathways and be a Demoness of Despair!
"Two, I screw you, or you screw mel!"
Lumian had anticipated many possible developments, but he hadn''t expected these choices.
Seeing his shocked, bewildered expression, Franca added angrily, "I want to join you two!"
"Wh-" Lumian finally said a word, carefully observing Franca''s state.
After speaking, Franca let out a long sigh, revealing her usual smile.
"Let me ask you, do you, uh, care about me?"
"Yes," Lumian answered without hesitation.
Franca nodded in satisfaction. "Do you care about Jenna?"
"Yes," Lumian also didn''t hesitate.
Franca pursed her lips and asked further, "Does Jenna care about you?"
"Yes," Lumian had no doubts.
Franca then asked, "Do I care about you?"
"Yes." Lumian nodded solemnly.
Franca continued, "And do I care about Jenna?"
"Very much," Lumian added an adjective.
Franca hesitated and asked again, "And does Jenna care about me?"
"Very much. You''re her family and her best friend," Lumian answered seriously.
Franca then raised her hand slightly.
"There you have it! We all care about each other, and we never know when we might die suddenly. So let''s stay together. No one abandons anyone. It''s just sleeping together. Love is a pain in the ass! To hell with love!"
Lumian was rendered speechless for a moment. He looked at Franca and sincerely remarked, "You look quite beautiful in your current state of mind."
Franca chuckled. "What else would I be doing?"
As she said this, she suddenly half-turned her head and looked to the side, her voice growing louder.
"Should I give up? Should I leave?"
Tears, long in the making, slowly trickled down her cheeks.
Lumian remained silent.
After a few seconds, Franca turned her head back, her gaze deep as she looked at Lumian. In a hoarse voice, she said, "Because in this world, you two are the most important people to me. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"The only two..."
Under the crimson moonlight, her face was already streaked with tears.
Chapter 853 Confession
Chapter 853 Confession
853 Confession
Seeing the sparkling tears and streaks on Franca''s face, Lumian suddenly thought of his sister Aurore. He recalled the loneliness that always emanated from her when she gazed at the stars from the rooftop.
He also remembered the life he and Aurore had depended on each other in Cordu, the excruciating pain when his sister died and Cordu was destroyed, and the self-destructive impulses he had when he first arrived in Trier. Oveing those emotions and rebuilding his social connections had started with Franca, Jenna, Charlie, and many tenants at the Auberge du Coq Dor.
In this world, there aren''t many people I care about anymore... Lumian sighed deeply.
Back in Morora, he had engaged in mutual scheming against Julie, Albus Medici, and the others. Even when facing various dangers and conspiracies, he hadn''t sighed as much as he had in the past few days.
He often felt so troubled that he wanted to burn the world down.
Franca''s words had struck a chord in him. He already knew what his answer would be, but he wanted to struggle a bit more.
Looking at Franca, Lumian said with a bitter smile, "Caring doesn''t have to manifest in that way. Apart from Aurore, you and Jenna are the people I care about most."
Franca shook her head without hesitation. "No way! I would feel resentful, like an outsider!
"You agreed to Jenna, so you have to agree to me too. Once you started this, you can''t take it back! You should have realized this when you made that decision. If you don''t bnce the bowl filled with water, it will spill out!
"As the leader of a team, you must remember three things when dealing with each member: "Fairness! Fairness! And damn fairness!"
"But for this kind of matter..." Lumian responded instinctively, "If Anthony wants to sleep with me, do I have to agree too?"
"You must agree!" Franca walked to the bed and looked down at Lumian sitting there, her voice fierce. "Who told you to sleep with Jenna first, unless Anthony doesn''t want to or you consider him a dispensable member of the team!"
Lumian rubbed his temples, feeling a headacheing on.
What kind of strange logic is this...
Why does Franca always have so many bizarre ideas...
Lumian looked at Franca and said with a bitter smile, "Is this how you digested the Instigator potion?"
Before Franca could respond, he sighed again. "I agree."
He added, "But I''m only speaking for myself. You''ll have to talk to Jenna about it yourself."
He was referring to the threesome.
Franca''s body suddenly swayed, as if she had briefly lost strength.
Her expression slowly rxed, and she said with a chuckle, "We''ll talk about itter. For now, I just want your agreement."
"And Jenna and I..." Lumian initially wanted to say that he and Jenna had only agreed until the Pleasure potion was digested, but he felt it wasn''t the right time to say this now.
Franca, looking a bit tired, showed a teasing smile. "You haven''t said which choice you agreed to. I''m more looking forward to you bing a Demoness of Despair, or me screwing you."
"The remaining choice," Lumian answered helplessly.
Franca let out a long breath. "That works too."
She seemed to have lost her hard exterior, looking quite weak.
She waved her hand. "I''ll go rest now."
"I thought..." Lumian was slightly surprised.
Franca rolled her eyes at him. "What did you think? I''ve been so shocked and hurt, feeling down for so long, my emotions and state are all over the ce. How could I be in the mood for the deed? You''ve agreed, so just keep it in mind, and we''ll talk about it when I feel better."
My mind and spirit need a break too... Lumian sighed silently.
After watching Franca leave through the window, disappearing into the night outside, Lumian walked to the bedroom door and opened it.
Jenna was quietly sitting in the dark area of the living room.
Lumian wasn''t surprised by Jenna''s appearance; she had been watching Franca''s door, and Franca''s intense emotions made it hard not to be noticed or followed when she left.
"I didn''t expect it to turn out this way." Lumian sighed to Jenna.
Jenna stood up, smiling. "Although I didn''t expect it either, I thought about it for a while and felt like, maybe I could ept it. Just you and her, it''s much better than I anticipated."
"What did you anticipate?" Lumian quietly sighed with relief.
Jenna''s eyes held a mix of sadness, guilt, and pain as she said, "Franca losing her mind and trying to kill us.
"I would agree but hide for a while, waiting until I have arranged Julien''s future before seeing her again."
Lumian looked at Jenna for a few seconds, then sighed.
"Since your mother''s death, you''ve had quite a bit of self-destructive tendencies. We thought we''dpletely helped you ovee them, but it turns out a bit still lingered."
Jenna''s eyes glistened as she looked at Lumian. "Aren''t you the same?"
Lumian met her gaze and after two seconds, couldn''t help butugh. "Is this a support group for the broken?"
"Yes." Jenna pointed to the door. "I''ll go talk to Franca. We''ll exchange our ailments in a few days."
"Okay." Lumian nodded gently.
...
Inside Apartment 702 at 9 Rue Orosai.
Francay back in the armchair, her eyes open, gently rocking with the chair''s movement.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
She heard the knocking and realized someone was outside.
In this state, I could easily be assassinated... Franca reflected on herself, stood up, and walked to the door.
She could guess who was outside.
Sure enough, she saw Jenna with her Vampire makeup.
Franca opened her mouth, unsure what to say, and just stepped aside to let Jenna in.
After Jenna sat on the single sofa, she smiled at Franca, who had returned to the armchair.
"I heard your conversation with Lumian."
Franca''s face, which had been somewhat pale, quickly turned red.
Embarrassing!
How embarrassing!
So embarrassing she wanted to crawl into a hole!
Jennaughed softly. "Actually, I also looked forward to those other two choices more."
Franca could only give a sheepish chuckle.
Jenna looked at her seriously. "I can tell there were other thoughts behind thatst choice. Can you tell me what they were?"
Franca remained silent for a few seconds before speaking up, "That bastard Lumian must have told you it was only until the Pleasure potion was digested. I know him!"
As she spoke, Franca felt a bit indignant on Jenna''s behalf.
Then, she sighed. "If I joined now, in this state, Lumian would definitely feel awkward and not set a time limit. For fairness, he shouldn''t propose one to you either."
Jenna closed her eyes briefly, as if being blown by the wind.
She looked at Franca with unusually gentle eyes and said with a bitter smile, "But that''s just a false realization. I can''t deceive myself."
"False is better than nothing. If itsts long enough, it might be real," Franca showed a self-mocking smile, "For a long time, even knowing it''s false is better, it helps us digest the potion."
Looking at Jenna, Franca suddenly felt a surge of emotion and had a lot to say, "Maybe I''m a coward. I''ve liked you for a long time, but I''ve never dared to truly pursue you or express my feelings. I''ve always been indecisive about this, retreating every day."
In the current atmosphere, Franca suddenly found it wasn''t hard to say the words "I like you."
This unexpected ease made her even sadder.
Jenna looked at Franca without any anger or words.
She could feel that what Franca truly wanted to say was yet toe.
After a brief pause, Franca clenched her teeth and uttered, "I''ve been hiding something from you. I-I was originally a man."
"I know," Jenna replied calmly, her eyes showing some encouragement, "The Witch potion."
"You did know." Franca wasn''t surprised. She mustered her courage and continued, "There''s something else. I-I''m not from this world. I transmigrated from another world. I-I took over this body."
Jenna eximed in surprise, "Another world?"
A thought suddenly struck her. "The one with the Underworld Daoist and the Celestial Master?"
Having worked together for so long, Franca often forgot whether she had told Jenna about these things, so Jenna knew these terms but didn''t understand what they represented, considering them as powerful beings.
"Yes, and also Resurrection Ind." After revealing this secret, Franca felt much lighter.
Jenna had a look of sudden realization. "No wonder you were so agitated when you got Harrison''s information..."
"So, you understand why I''ve been eager to summon the Armored Shadow?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Franca asked nervously, "You, you don''t mind that I took someone else''s body, do you?"
"Why should I mind? Unless it''s the Franca I know being reced," Jenna responded with amusement, clearly expressing her stance.
Franca rxedpletely, almost copsing into the armchair.
Jenna thought for a moment and probed, "Lumian''s sister and those mysticism gathering attendees with strange codenames, are they from your world too?"
"Yes, but I can''t tell you more. I can only talk about my part," Franca said with a sigh. "I used to dream of going home, returning to my world. So every time I had the impulse to step towards you, I couldn''t help but ask myself, can you bear her future? When there''s a chance to go home, would you stay for her? Taking her to an unfamiliar world, wouldn''t that be too cruel? Would she be willing to go, could she go..."
"Each time I asked those questions, I retreated...
"I was always so conflicted, never taking any real action."
Jenna listened gently, and when Franca finished, she smiled and said, "You''re one of the kindest people I''ve ever met. I''m d you were with me through the toughest times."
She looked at Franca and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you still think about going home now?"
Franca fell silent. The crimson moonlight outside had dimmed at some point.
After a few seconds, Franca answered in a low voice, "Yes."
Chapter 854 Translation
Chapter 854 Trantion
854 Trantion
Hearing Franca''s answer, Jenna bit her lip and said, "Was that choice you just made also influenced by this factor?"
"Maybe," Franca said with a bitter smile. "I felt that if I didn''t do this, there would always be that lingering resentment in my heart. We would definitely grow apart over time. Once the mission ispleted, once there''s no external force keeping us together, we might just drift apart. But I don''t want that..."
"When I left with a dagger just now, I genuinely wanted to castrate Lumian once to vent my anger. But walking in the shadows of the street, the cold wind sobered me up a lot. Then I thought, love is such a nuisance. Without it, the three of us could still be together happily like before.
"With that thought, I suddenly felt that if I could exclude love, and the possessiveness and jealousy it brings, maybe, just maybe, it could work...
"Madam Judgment has always told us that the end is near,ing in a few years or decades. We must prepare ourselves mentally and in terms of strength. Although there are no signs of the apocalypse yet, and we often forget this matter to maintain a good mindset and avoid going mad from stress, we''ve already experienced two major catastrophes in Trier alone. The Tree of Shadow incident and the Hostel n, no matter how we try to avoid or ignore them, we can''t escape their impact.
"Under such circumstances, any one of us might leave, say goodbye, or die at any time. So why care so much? Although that choice is strange, and even I find it hard to ept, why not give it a try?
"After trying, our future might be better and we''ll be closer, even more caring for one another, or it might get worse, gradually drifting apart and bing familiar strangers or even enemies. But how will we know the result without trying? It won''t get much worse anyway.
"Of course, human emotions are uncontroble. Even if our future gets better, the hidden love and possessiveness and jealousy it brings can''t bepletely eliminated. Pain and pleasure will coexist for a long time. Perhaps that''s the essence of a Demoness.
"But no matter what, I still like that saying:
"Life is short, why not give it a try?"
Jenna listened intently to Franca''s statement, then said with a gentle gaze, "That''s why I feel such a strong sense of urgency and sometimes make selfish choices."
She then chuckled."I''ve heard Lumian tease you with ''Life is short, why not give it a try''. Was it because you did something strange with that saying in mind?"
Franca smiled awkwardly. "I was quite hesitant and conflicted about drinking the Witch potion. Then someone said that phrase to me."
Jenna understood and, instead of mocking Franca, asked curiously, "Was it also that saying that encouraged you to be with Gardner Martin?"
"Yes... I hadn''t met you all then, and I didn''t have anyone I particrly cared about," Franca replied even more awkwardly.
Seeing this, Jenna chuckled softly. "Did you ever think about trying it with Lumian?"
"Well..." Franca felt like running away, "Oh,e on, you pure-hearted girl, let''s not talk about such inappropriate topics!"
Jenna deliberately swore, "Dammit! The dirty jokes and obscene scenes I heard and saw while singing in bars and dance halls were far more shocking than this. Not just between men and women, even between men and men."
The atmosphere became less sad and heavy, and Jenna stood up.
"You look very tired. Emotional upheaval does that. I''ll go back now. Get some rest."
"Okay." Franca stood up as well.
She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to ask something, but ultimately didn''t.
Sensitive to details, Jenna smiled. "Ask whatever you want. You''ve already made that decision, what else could you hesitate to ask?"
Franca hesitated for a moment, then looked into Jenna''s eyes and asked, "If I had told you from the start that I was originally a man, and after spending some time together, genuinely pursued you, would you have fallen for me?"
Jenna thought seriously for a moment, then replied, "I can''t answer such a hypothetical question. All I can say is maybe."
She looked back into Franca''s eyes, saying, "I''ve told you before, during that period, you were a light in my life. To me, you were both my best friend and the older sister who always protected me, despite not being rted by blood. After my mother died, I even projected some of my feelings for her onto you. Maybe that''s why I sometimes thought I shouldn''t give you any false hopes and it was better to cut things off early."
Jenna smiled. "In my heart, if I were to rank the three people I care about most, Julien would be first, you second, and Lumian third. Love might fade one day, but the bond we share won''t."
Franca felt relieved and said with a smile, "You have a great way with words."
"Of course, I studied hard back then!" Jenna walked towards the door.
After a few steps, she turned back to Franca and hesitated, "I can''t ept the idea of joining right now. Just speaking for myself."
She thenughed. "But who knows what the future holds?"
Franca smiled. "It''s just a saying."
Jenna turned back to the door, opened it, and held the brass handle, pausing once more. She turned her body and looked at Franca standing in the center of the living room, asking quietly, "If one day you find a way home, and both Lumian and I want you to stay, would you?"
Franca stood with her back to the crimson moonlight, her face hidden in deep shadow.
After a long silence, she answered slowly, "I don''t know..."
Her voice seemed to be squeezed out from her heart, light and weak.
...
Two dayster, in an underground quarry in Trier.
Franca, Jenna, and Amandina, who had just arrived from Matani in the Southern Continent, stood inside a wall of spirituality, watching Lumian set up an altar.
Anthony, who Amandina hadn''t noticed, was responsible for guarding the perimeter.
Lumian calmlypleted the preparations, lit the candles, dripped the essential oil, and stepped back two steps, standing next to Franca.
He wasn''t worried about theck of demigod protection. Firstly, Amandina was present. Secondly, when he sent the bottle of Samaria Woman Spring water to Madam Magician, he mentioned this matter.
Seeing the candle mes flicker, Franca suddenly became nervous, while Amandina looked puzzled. She had no idea what she was supposed to help with or could help with.
Once Franca nodded, indicating she was ready, Lumian recited in ancient Hermes, "I!"
Then, switching to Hermes:
"I summon in my name:
"The spirit that wanders about the unfounded, abination of numerous shadows, Lumian Lee''s contracted creature..."
This was a familiar part of the process to Amandina, simr to summoning a messenger. So she didn''t pay much attention, curious about the incantation''s description while observing Franca, thedy whose name she had just learned, and Lumian''s eye interactions, looking for any signs of intimacy.
To her disappointment, Franca, Jenna, and Lumian were all focused on the ritual.
Soon, a blurry shadow in fish-scale armor emerged from the candle me, its ck scales stained with pure gold, appearing solemn and sacred.
The transparent faces on the scales were clearer than before, more twisted and fierce like evil spirits.
They silently screamed, disying hatred and malice.
Amandina was startled.
It wasn''t the appearance of Armored Shadow that scared her; such horror couldn''t intimidate someone who had experienced the Dream Festival, summoned Baynfel, and been to the underground catbs.
What shocked her was Armored Shadow and the ghostly faces on its scales simultaneously looking at her!
She almost stopped breathing, her body enveloped in icy coldness.
Armored Shadow spoke in a strangenguage.
Only Franca could barely understand it, hearing: "Disciple of the Underworld Gate..."
It really recognizes Amandina''s boon... Franca murmured, noticing Armored Shadow''s malice had lessened, indicating a more peaceful interaction was possible.
Lumian also noticed the change and quickly had Franca ce the 100,000 verl d''or worth of gold on the altar, then spoke in Hermes, "I offer this sacrifice, pleaseplete a simple task and answer two questions."
Armored Shadow conveyed agreement, its scales'' transparent faces greedily eyeing the gold.
Lumian immediately ced the documents Franca handed him on the altar.
These weren''t the documents Mr. Star gave Franca, nor the original documents.
The former had its orderpletely scrambled, making it difficult to interpret through a question and answer format, and thetter could corrupt Armored Shadow, leading the ritual to unforeseen dangers.
So, after Franca expressed her intention, Mr. Star provided new documents through Madam Judgment.
The new documents extracted severalplete sentences from the original, containing hundreds of frequently used words from the rest of the text.
"The task is to trante these documents." Franca listened to Lumian''s request with anticipation and anxiety.
She wasn''t sure if Armored Shadow would ept the deal.
With a whooshing sound, the two pages floated up, hovering before Armored Shadow.
After a few seconds, the armored shadow spoke again in an iprehensiblenguage.
Franca''s ears perked up.
"Pure yin does notst, pure yang does not grow, yin contains yang, yang contains yin, the union of yin and yang gives rise to everything, this is the way of heaven..."
That''s it? Franca''s lips twitched.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Although she hadn''t truly done the deed, she suspected Armored Shadow was insinuating something about herself, Jenna, and Lumian.
Chapter 855 That Corpse
Chapter 855 That Corpse
855 That Corpse
To Franca, the sentence Armored Shadow Chen Tu had just tranted was quite ordinary. It was something she often read before her transmigration. She couldn''t understand why the Major Arcana card holders thought such words could bring corruption.
Could it be the words themselves?
Just like the word "I," which can have entirely different meanings in Intis and ancient Hermes!
However, isn''t there a phrase that seems a bit off? Yin and yang unite to create all things... shouldn''t it be yin and yang unite to produce all things? Franca had been an avid inte user before her transmigration, and one of her hobbies was reading novels and watching anime. She had only seen "Yin and yang unite to produce all things" and never heard of "Yin and yang unite to create all things."
Of course, after thinking carefully, she found it understandable:
Yin and yang unite to nurture all things, all things grow and weave together to form matter!
In that case, the logic remains sound, just omitting the ''all things'' as the bridge...
While Franca was distracted by her thoughts, she continued to listen seriously to the rest of the sentences tranted by Armored Shadow.
She didn''t write down the corresponding content. As a Demoness proficient in divination, she could easily recall the full content in her dreamster.
The subsequent sentences were simr to the first, all about the opposition, contradiction, conflict, reflection, harmonization, and unity of yin and yang. They were all broad principles without in-depth exnations or practical details, making Franca feel like yawning.
The only thing she felt was worth pondering was thest half sentence of the document: "To approach the way of heaven."
From her understanding of this phrase, Franca naturally linked it to the knowledge that boons made the recipient gradually closer to the giver, and the way Underworld Daoist granted power to Amandina was indeed through a boon.
To approach the way of heaven... is this document actually about how to use mind and body harmoniously, bncing yin and yang to synchronize with the so-called way of heaven, thereby gaining power? Is this a way of seeking boons?
Franca saw that Armored Shadow Chen Tu had finished tranting and let the documents float back. She quickly gathered her thoughts and prepared to ask her questions.
After catching the documents, she immediately asked in her true, nativenguage, "The first question, have you heard of anyone traveling from the world you and Underworld Daoist to another world?"
Franca didn''t trante this question into Intisian for Lumian to ask, fearing Amandina would learn about the transmigration. Though they couldter have Anthony hypnotize Amandina to make her forget, why not use a simpler method?
Armored Shadow Chen Tu turned its gaze towards Franca, who spoke a simrnguage.
After a few seconds, it looked back at Lumian, conveying the thought of "Should I answer?"
As the host of the current ritual, Lumian had to approve, or Armored Shadow and Franca wouldn''t be able tomunicate. Otherwise, Armored Shadow, unless using force, couldn''t take the gold on the altar even if it didn''t fulfill the agreement.
Lumian nodded."This is the first question."
Armored Shadow replied in a deep, hoarse voice, "Unknown."
It still used thenguage close to Franca''s mother tongue.
Amandina grew increasingly confused.
She couldn''t understand anything!
Throughout the process, she could only understand Lumian''s part!
Amandina nced at Jenna beside her and, lowering her voice, asked as though they knew each other well, "What are they talking about? Whatnguage are they using?"
Jenna chuckled softly. "Even though I look very serious and focused, I actually can''t understand either."
Amandina couldn''t help but sigh.
"I''ll tell you secretly, Lumian doesn''t understand either," Jenna smiled, ncing at Lumian who was closely watching Armored Shadow, and whispered to Amandina.
Amandina looked at Jenna, then at Lumian, and recalled the expression, tone, and wording of that sentence just now, giving a silent "wow" in her mind.
Some things are unintentionally revealed!
She curiously asked, "Why don''t you learn thatnguage from Franca?"
"We''ve just started in the past two days; it''s tough." Jenna unconsciously frowned.
It''s really tough!
At this time, hearing Armored Shadow''s answer, Franca couldn''t help but feel disappointed but maintained her normal demeanor and asked in her native tongue, "The second question, can you use an illusion or a simr method to show the corpse that floated from Peni to the river earlier?"
This question came to Franca''s mind in the past two days, directly prompted by Amandina hearing the Underworld Daoist say "Beware Peni," and Armored Shadow Chen Tu mentioning before that the mysteriously vanished Peni had reappeared, with a corpse from there floating to the river.
Franca thought that matters rted to Peni might be important and possibly linked to their hope of returning home.
Just after asking this question, Franca suddenly realized her mistake and wanted to p herself.
It wasn''t that she shouldn''t have asked this question but that the way she phrased it was problematic!
ording to her current phrasing, even if the Armored Shadow agreed, it only needed to say "yes" without showing the specific appearance of the corpse. The question didn''t have a corresponding mandatory requirement!
Should I prepare another 100,000 verl d''or of gold? I''m almost broke, with only a bit over 2,000 ver! d''or left... Franca regretted it deeply.
Fortunately, Armored Shadow Chen Tu was honest. Once the question was approved by Lumian, it immediately made countless transparent faces on its scales protrude frantically.
This made the surroundings instantly eerie green, with cold wind blowing.
Water droplets quickly condensed on the altar surface, gathering into a water surface, reflecting a figure.
The figure floated in the deep darkness, unable to show a specific form as if it had been hollowed out. The ck robe and body were highly decayed, oozing pus.
Its face was rtively intact. Through the deep-to-the-bone rotting marks, one could still see the pale and dim skin, soft contours, and thinyer of ck hair...
Franca was stunned.
I-isn''t this the visitor from Resurrection Ind, Harrison?
He had long died, turned into a decaying corpse floating on what seems like the River Styx, so why was he still active in Trier?
Moreover, the corpse appeared on the river a few years ago, and only then did the Demon Warlock encounter Harrison!
Though Lumian didn''t understand Franca''s question, he roughly guessed why Franca was so shocked from the key details of "floating," "corpse," and "Harrison''s appearance."
He turned his head to look at Franca, seeing surprise, astonishment, and confusion in thoseke-blue eyes.
Lumian nodded to reassure her, then said to Armored Shadow Chen Tu, "Thank you for your answers."
The gold on the altar disintegrated, turning into pure light, flowing like water onto Armored Shadow''s surface.
Seeing the fish-scale armor mostly turned golden, sacred, and heavy, Lumian frowned slightly and ended the ritual.
After extinguishing the candles, he immediately said to Franca, "Another two times, and Armored Shadow should fully restore its golden body. We can only summon it once more at most."
"Yeah." Franca finally snapped out of the shock of seeing Harrison''s past corpse.
As Lumian cleaned up the altar, she smiled at Amandina and said, "We can leave now."
"Huh?" Amandina was puzzled, "Wasn''t I supposed to help? I haven''t done anything yet..."
"You already provided help." Franca grinned.
Amandina was even more confused."When did this happen?"
Jenna helped rify, "Don''t you feel that thenguage Franca and Armored Shadow spoke was simr to what the figure whispered in your ear?"
Amandina thought carefully. "It does seem simr."
After tidying up the altar, Lumian returned and casually said, "The shadow just now was likely sealed by your teacher, hmm-the figure. You being here could mislead it, making it think this represents the figure''s attitude, reducing the difficulty of ourmunication and preventing its attack.
"That''s your help, just standing by and observing."
Amandina suddenly recalled Armored Shadow''s gaze and reactive response when it first appeared, understanding."Is that so... Well, um, what is my teacher''s name?"
Though we all know this question is normal, it still sounds weird... who doesn''t know their teacher''s name and needs to ask someone else... Jenna grumbled inwardly.
Franca answered with a smile in Intisian, "Underworld Daoist.
"Also, you should call him Master, not Teacher."
"Underworld Daoist..." Amandina softly repeated the title described in Intisian.
After a few seconds, she contentedly asked, "What''s the difference between Master and Teacher?"
"A Master includes a paternalistic meaning," Franca exined with some effort.
Amandina didn''t ask further, her eyes sparkling as she said, "I can provide help again in the future!
"Can you help me collect the Mid-to-Low Sequence potion forms and Beyonder characteristics of the Evernight pathway?"
"No problem." Franca didn''t tell Amandina those would be avable soon.
Lumian smiled and said, "I thought you''d ask to visit the Samaritan Women''s Spring again."
Amandina smiled a bit reluctantly. "I''ll adapt for a while longer, and go after my own Sequence matches my boon level."
After speaking, she muttered softly, "I don''t want to turn into an old man with a white beard..."
...
After sending Amandina off, Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony sat in the living room of Apartment 702 at 9 Rue Orosai, listening to Franca recounting the sentences tranted by Armored Shadow.
"What do they mean?" Jenna felt like she somewhat understood but also didn''t understand at all.
Franca had to trante in her own words what "Pure yin does notst, pure yang does not grow..." meant.
As Jenna listened, she gradually didn''t know how to position her body and avoided moving her gaze.
Lumian took a tactical sip of water, and Anthony''s expression remained unchanged.
"I think these sentences are too ordinary, not worth such high regard," Franca concluded.
Lumian pondered for a few seconds and slowly said, "No, they might be very important."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Chapter 856 The So-called Way of Heaven
Chapter 856 The So-called Way of Heaven
856 The So-called Way of Heaven
Franca looked at Lumian, asking expectantly, "What do you mean?"
Lumian, nowpletelyfortable, nced at Anthony and Jenna before focusing back on Franca''s recliner.
"We all know that there are great existences upying several adjacent pathways in this world, like Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy at the top of the Apprentice, Seer, and Marauder pathways. Then there''s the Great Mother, who is at the top of the Moon, Earth, and Viin pathways.
"So, if the phrase ''to approach the way of heaven'' indeed means adjusting oneself to get closer to the bestower and actively seeking boons, then in this context, what does the ''way of heaven'' represent? Top of which pathways?"
Franca pondered for a moment before replying, "From our current understanding of the twenty-two pathways, the Hunter pathway definitely represents ''yang,'' while the Demoness pathway might represent ''yin.'' It could also be the Earth or Moon pathway. Considering the symbol of ''yang,'' ''yin'' here likely refers to the Demoness pathway."
Franca only knew that the Hunter pathway could transform a woman into a man.
She was unsure if the Earth or Moon pathways could turn a man into a woman, ssifying them as ''yin'' based on their association with nurturing, reproduction, and growth.
"So, in these sentences, the ''way of heaven'' refers to the top of the Hunter and Demoness pathways?" Jenna asked, following Lumian and Franca''s train of thought.
"Probably," Franca nodded emphatically. "The knowledge in Mr. Star''s document might exin how to correctly understand the contradiction, opposition, transformation, and unity of ''yin'' and ''yang.'' Then, through one''s behavior and necessary external help, harmonize yin and yang to the greatest extent to approach the corresponding way of heaven, that is, the great existences at the top of the Demoness and Hunter pathways, and obtain boons."
Lumian chuckled. "Having reached this point in the analysis, whates to mind?"
Jenna was momentarily stunned and blurted out, "The joining of the Blood Emperor and the Primordial Demoness?"
"Barely keeping up with my thoughts," Lumian half-praised, half-mocked. "We''ve always wondered why the Blood Emperor and the Primordial Demoness would cooperate. As true gods of adjacent pathways, shouldn''t They be mortal enemies? Madam Magician told me that choosing a pathway determines your enemies and friends."
Aren''t you two from adjacent pathways and still not enemies? Haven''t you shared a bed? Franca nced at Lumian and Jenna, feeling a slight twinge of jealousy as shempooned.
During such moments, she often felt that her Affliction potion had digested a bit.
Of course, she knew that this enmity mainly applied to the higher levels.
Lumian continued, "The seal on the convergence effect from Mr. Door might just be a technical detail on how it''s done, not the cause or purpose."
"The goal of the Blood Emperor and the Primordial Demoness is to join the body with the way of heaven?" Franca expanded her thoughts from "to approach the way of heaven," using a concept from her previous life that she felt was more appropriate.
Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony looked at Franca, more or less confused.
What does merging the body with the way of heaven mean?
Sensing herpanions'' confusion, Franca scratched her ponytail and tried to exin, "It means uniting with the so-called way of heaven... Uh, an imprecise analogy would be usurping a true god''s position, not recing a true god but the great existence represented by the way of heaven."
"Then why don''t the Primordial Demoness and Blood Emperor directly kill each other and devour the other''s Beyonder characteristics to unify yin and yang?"
Anthony questioned.
There''s no need for them to consummate to give birth to two children!
Franca thought for a few seconds. "Maybe they need to harmonize before unifying? At least that''s what the sentences suggest...
"In other words, the Blood Emperor and Primordial Demoness had tobine first, adjust their state, get close to the way of heaven, and then enter the unification stage. So, They had to temporarily cooperate while preparing to betray each other once they achieved Their goals...
"What do they call this? The first sword upon reaching the shore cuts down those around you!"
Lumian and the others were used to Franca''s sudden nonsensical remarks and patiently waited for her to continue.
Franca suddenlyughed. "It''s also possible that the Blood Emperor and Primordial Demoness came across simr knowledge but, due to ack of proper training and understanding, They naively thoughtbining yin and yang meant the Hunter and Demoness pathways had to be physically united; this resulted in Them producing some children.
"What do they call this? This is what happens when cultures don''tmunicate well! Uh, it''s not exactly wrong, just somewhat narrow-minded, overlooking other possible approaches."
As Jenna started to feel uneasy, rting to her own experience, Lumian sarcastically remarked, "I''ve always said that redheads and thick-heads need to read more and study hard."
As soon as Lumian finished speaking, Franca and Jenna red at him furiously.
"I don''t think it''s a misunderstanding. Even if the Blood Emperor, being half-mad, didn''t fully grasp the meaning of unifying yin and yang, He had top-tier Cryptologists around Him," Anthony expressed a different view, referring to Amon, the grand duke of the Tudor Empire and Angel of the Marauder pathway.
Lumian mused aloud,"Did you forget that one of Amon''s titles is the ''God of Mischief''?
"Maybe He wanted to see such a development."
"Do you resonate with Amon''s mindset because you''re a trickster too..." Franca muttered softly.
Jenna nodded."So, the special mirror world is a byproduct of the Blood Emperor and Primordial Demoness''s attempt to unify yin and yang to approach the way of heaven?
"Or a necessary creation for upying the way of heaven, simr to High-Sequence advancement rituals?"
"We can''t draw conclusions yet, but the direction seems right." Franca took out a dark red fountain pen from her Traveler''s Bag and wrote the tranted sentences under different headings on her thigh.
She thoughtfully interpreted individual characters based on sentence structure, text shape, and reasonable assumptions. Finally, she organized their discussion into a report, appended it to the document, and sent it to the Major Arcana card holder as a reference instead of a conclusion.
Phew... Havingpleted this task, Franca breathed a sigh of relief.
"The gains from summoning Armored Shadow this time were greater than I expected. Now we can confirm that Resurrection Ind is Peni divine mountain, and Harrison is the corpse that drifted from Peni!"
Franca was somewhat disappointed that there was still no definitive evidence proving that Underworld Daoist and Harrison''s world was the same as the one they had transmigrated from-simrnguage, culture, and appearance were not sufficient premises for inference.
She nned to ask Armored Shadow directly next time if it had heard of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, the culprit behind their transmigration!
Anthony, who knew little about Armored Shadow, Peni, and the so-called river, was confused but understood the importance of Resurrection Ind and Harrison, which the Major Arcana card holders were also interested in.
"Harrison died and was resurrected? As expected from someone from Resurrection Ind... Why did Resurrection Ind disappear from Underworld Daoist''s world?
"Based on Harrison''s words to the Demon Warlock, people from Resurrection Ind have been active in our world for a long time...
"Did Resurrection Ind disappear from its original world because it transmigrated here? Can it nowmunicate with its original world?" Jenna finally understood Franca''s shock at seeing the corresponding illusion after asking the second question.
She suddenly froze, feeling she shouldn''t analyze in this direction.
Franca''s eyes lit up. "It''s possible!"
She then left the armchair, paced back and forth, and said angrily, "Damn, why didn''t we lure Harrison out this time!"
Although she realized that the visitor from Resurrection Ind might be more dangerous than expected, they had Madam Magician overseeing their visit to the Samaritan Women''s Spring this time.
"Our main task now is to find Harrison or the Mirror Person, Palia." Lumian stood up and spoke with the demeanor of a team leader.
Mirror Person Palia was the mineralogist, Jasmine. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Before Franca and the others could respond, he added, "I also need to start gathering supplementary ingredients for the Iron-blooded Knight."
"We can also gather ingredients for the Demoness of Despair. With no clear leads to track for now, we have plenty of free time," Franca agreed.
Anthony said, "I''ll do my best on this task, but I have another one as well."
"Joining the Psychology Alchemists?" Franca asked curiously.
"That''s a long-term task," Anthony exined briefly. "Ma''am Hermit''s Minor Arcana card, the Knight of Swords, is in Trier and needs help from a Beyonder of the Spectator pathway. Madam Justice rmended me."
"What kind of help?" Lumian asked.
Anthony shook his head. "We haven''t met yet."
Lumian nodded. "Feel free to ask for help if needed."
...
In a wooden house on the Southern Continent.
The Star leaned back in his chair, staring nkly at the paper and pen on the table.
Suddenly, a brilliant starry light appeared before him, forming a dazzling door.
The door opened, and Madam Magician stepped out, holding a letter from Franca.
Chapter 857 Inklings of That Individual
Chapter 857 Inklings of That Individual
857 Inklings of That Individual
"The trantion you asked for has arrived." Madam Magician tossed the stack of papers onto the table in front of The Star, then pulled up a chair and sat down.
Mr. Star didn''t change his posture, merely extending his hand forward.
The stack of papers floated up, held by an invisible force, andnded in The Star''s hand.
The Star began to read through the pages with focused eyes, the soft sound of pages turning filling the quiet room.
After a while, he looked up at The Magician across the desk. "What do you think of their spection?"
Madam Magician replied with a smile, "From a writer''s perspective, there''s no better spection than this. Of course, I actually believe it''s likely true. What about you, Mr. Pallez?"
Mr. Star''s eyes darkened, and an aged voice emerged from his mouth. "Back then, we only sensed that Alista Tudor was doing something very dangerous in Trier, but we didn''t know the specifics.
"If this is true, one question remains: where did Alista Tudor acquire the knowledge to undertake these actions?"
The Magician had long considered this question. "One possibility is that the Uniqueness of the Red Priest, already somewhat tainted,bined with Alista Tudor''s forceful switch to a non-adjacent pathway, ascending at the cost of madness, caused Him to sense the situation over there when He became a god, resulting in a wondrous resonance and acquisition of relevant knowledge.
"Another possibility is that it was given to him by you know who through some method."
At this point, The Magician, following her spiritual intuition, asked, "Are you saying that there are inklings of that individual in this matter?"
The aged voice responded from The Star once more, "Hasn''t He always been interfering in history, steering it toward His envisioned direction?
"Of course, this might not be predestined history but rather an experiment of His.
"I never fully understood why He would help Alista Tudor forcibly ascend to Red Priest, stabilizing him to prevent immediate loss of control. Now, I have some idea: "At that time, He was only a King of Angels, making it difficult to influence and arrange events involving true gods. But what if the true god was already in a poor state, acting on instinct most of the time? It would be much easier.
"With the participation of the mad Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, the Primordial Demoness might indeed be drawn into this matter.
"In the end, He likely confirmed His hypothesis, gaining valuable experience, though it led to the unexpected eruption of the War of the Four Emperors."
The Star''s voice suddenly reverted to its usual slightly maic tone. "How many years passed from Alista Tudor''s ascension to Red Priest to the outbreak of the War of the Four Emperors?"
He immediately answered his own question with an aged voice, "Five hundred and thirty-seven years."
"Enough to verify some things." The Star remarked with a maic tone.
The Magician nodded slightly and said, "If this is the truth, He must be very aware of thetent issues in the special mirror world.
"Ha, if Mr. Fool were awake now, He would definitely go to the Forsaken Land of the Gods, grab Him by the cor, and demand to know what''s hidden in the depths of the special mirror world!"
The Star subconsciously sighed. ''"He-Mr. Fool-isn''t so violent and crude."
Madam Magician chuckled. "Do you know what fantasy means?
"You have to distinguish between fantasy, truth, lies, the real emotions behind lies, and the deep-seated feelings, tendencies, impulses, and conflicts expressed through the most impossible scenarios imagined in fantasies. Also, what''s said as truth, thought as truth, and even actions taken don''t necessarily represent the true attitude.
"Once you distinguish these..." She nced at the papers and pens on the desk,ughing softly. "You''ll have a preliminary grasp of the art of poetry."
Mr. Star was silent for a few seconds.
"The knowledge gained this time pertains to the Hunter and Demoness pathways, also arranged by Him?"
"I think it''s more likely done by the Celestial Master," The Magician pondered.
"We don''t know the current state of the Celestial Master, but judging by Underworld Daoist, even if He couldn''t prevent the Moses Ascetic Order''s Kmerolo from being corrupted, He could deeply influence the knowledgeprising the corruption. In the Hostel incident, He noticed the Seven of Wands."
Mr. Star nodded.
"Is it His arrangement that the Hunter and Demoness among your Minor Arcana card holders got entangled? Trying to replicate the findings from the Blood Emperor and Primordial Demoness with them?"
Madam Magician chuckled and responded, "It''s more than just entanglement. Though I haven''t witnessed it myself, my spiritual intuition and writer''s sense tell me something must have happened.
"I pity them but can''t help being curious about the details..."
Clearing her throat, she shifted the topic back.
"The current development is the inevitable result of their fate entanglement, emotional interactions, personal character, and inner growth, likely unrted to Him.
"But!"
Madam Magician emphasized the word "but."
"I now suspect that their initial meeting was arranged by Him, and then He let things develop naturally.
"Do you understand? A top-level writer sets the stage, constructs events, and lets the characters express, demonstrate, interact, and conflict on the stage to create the most wonderful story."
The Star initially wanted to mock the writers but nced at the paper and pen on the desk and remained silent.
The Magician sighed and then said, "We should be able to decrypt more of that information now.
"What about the payment? What''s the payment for the Two of Cups?"
As he took out one Beyonder ingredient after another from a silver box, The Star spoke.
"They have been prepared long ago.
"These are the potion forms and ingredients from Sequence 9 Sleepless to Sequence 7 Nightmare."
Madam Magician looked and smiled. "Not giving that gold coin?"
"Although the Two of Cups is our chosen guide for that dream, she can''t be given it too easily, even if she''s trustworthy and knowledgeable about the environment. I''ll give her another task and tell her that besides the Sequence 6 Soul Assurer potion form and corresponding ingredients, she will receive a special reward." The Star brushed his slightly messy hair and smiled.
The Magician nodded slightly, then asked another question, "I''ve always wanted to ask, Mr. Pallez, why do you remain with Mr. Star even after advancing to Sequence 1?"
The Star''s eyes darkened again, and the aged voice returned.
"When you get old, you desire stability and don''t want to change your ustomed environment."
The Magician smiled in response. "I want to hear the truth."
The Star sighed and said in an aged voice, "When you be a Sequence 1 Archangel, you''ll understand. You''ll feel the terrifying impact of Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy''s conflict, forcing me to stay within the Church of the Evernight Goddess for some protection."
Madam Magician nodded, then gathered the potion forms and ingredients from the table.
After a moment of thought, she asked Mr. Star, "Where did you obtain these ingredients?"
The Star smiled. "Sent an application to the Pope."
Madam Magician pondered and asked further, "Her Holiness didn''t ask why and just gave them to you?"
"Yes, just given to me like that." Mr. Star smiled calmly.
Madam Magician seemed to have an epiphany.
She then stood up, opened a starry door in the void, and left the wooden house.
...
The night was just receding, and dawn had not yet broken at Lumian''s rented apartment.
Jennay under the covers, her white shoulders exposed, leaning beside Lumian.
She stretched out her right hand, trying to pry open his eyelids.
"What are you doing?" Lumian asked, both amused and exasperated.
Jenna pouted. "You''re not looking at me with your eyes closed. I have to be proactive and help you open them."
Reluctantly, Lumian opened his eyes, meeting her blue eyes, which sparkled with a hidden darkness.
After a few seconds of staring, Lumian remarked thoughtfully, "Your mental state seems much better than before."
Jenna withdrew her hand, propping her chin up with a smile as she gazed at Lumian''s face and eyes. "Yeah, I felt much better after that talk with Franca."
Lumian let out a scoff. "Who was it that said the worst-case scenario was Francaing to kill me, and you''d agree? You knew Franca wouldn''t do such a thing."
"That was just a fantasy, a projection of inner emotions, self-conflict, and self-destructive tendencies. Didn''t you catch that?" Jenna retorted.
Lumian chortled."Of course I did. That''s why I said it was best to confront the issues between you early."
He instinctively reached out to pat Jenna''s head but hesitated midway, his hand freezing.
Seeing this, Jenna''s gaze dimmed slightly. She pursed her lips and grabbed his hand, forcing it to the back of her head.
Lumian slowly started to pat her, transitioning from awkwardness to naturalness.
Jenna watched him with a smile. "What about yours?"
Lumian fell silent.
Jenna didn''t press further, instead asking cheerfully, "Did you and Franca...?"
Lumian sighed. "I try not to talk about my rtionship with her in front of you."
Jenna smiled. "Before my talk with Franca, it would have made me sad, conflicted, and miserable, even if I tried to hide it. Now, though I still have those emotions, I feel more hopeful and even relieved when you mention it. Do you understand this contradictory feeling?
"Many of my previous choices were also like that."
Lumian nodded slowly. "You know Franca. Although she might have made up her mind, she still hesitates when ites to the final step. Lately, I''ve noticed her being awkward whenever we see each other. Anthony probably noticed too but didn''t say anything. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"I can''t be the one to initiate, right?"
"Yes, you should. Go to her now, this morning!" Jenna said without hesitation.
Lumian looked deeply at her. "Are you trying to create stronger bonds to keep her in critical moments?"
Jenna grunted. "I will try to keep her, but I''ll also respect her final decision."
Chapter 858 Taking the Initiative
Chapter 858 Taking the Initiative
858 Taking the Initiative
Lumian stroked Jenna''s hair once more. "Actually, Franca going home might not be a bad thing. If their world doesn''t face an apocalypse or dangerous situations like ours, I could help you knock your brother out so you could take him and Franca there together."
Jenna gazed at Lumian with her clear blue eyes. "What about you?"
Lumian fell silent for a moment before responding, "I''ll see how things go."
Jenna opened her mouth as if to say something but then closed it again.
After a few seconds, she didn''t press for details. Instead, she spoke seriously, "On the one hand, I want to keep her here. On the other hand, I''m afraid that the bigger Franca''s hope, the bigger her disappointment will be. If she finally confirms that returning home is impossible, she''ll definitely break down. For a Beyonder, that''s very dangerous, especially the higher the Sequence.
"She mentioned, or maybe it was Emperor Roselle who said it, that a person is the sum of their social rtionships. Anthony also talked to me about the importance of social rtionships for a person. I know he saw that I still had some psychological issues and wanted to help me through this. When you sought treatment from Madam Susie and Madam Justice, didn''t they also emphasize the importance of rebuilding social rtionships? For Franca, the most important rtionships are with you and me. The closer we are now, the more it will help stabilize her in the future. Just me alone might not be enough."
Lumian withdrew his hand, looking at Jenna for a few seconds.
"Since finding out Franca''s true origins, you''ve been thinking a lot, haven''t you?
"Why do you think she might not be able to go back home?"
Jenna''s eyes flickered, and she said provocatively, "Francater told me that Emperor Roselle and she came from the same world and the same country. I was thinking-the Emperor was at least an Angel, maybe even close to bing a true god, and he couldn''t go back.
"Don''t you think that means it''s either hopeless or impossible?"
Lumian sighed with a smile. "But Franca and the others believe that either the Emperor didn''t have time to find a way back before something unexpected happened, or he faked his death and already transmigrated back."
Jenna shook her head. "It''s definitely not thetter. If it were, the Emperor would have destroyed parts of his diary before crossing back."
"You''re quite sharp," Lumian remarked thoughtfully. "From the Emperor''s diary that Franca shared, it''s clear he encountered something terrifying in hister years. But what confuses me is that during that period, he never seemed to consider going back. Also, he valued his eldest daughter highly, and Queen Mystic Bernadette is still active in our world. These are the reasons I think Franca''s hopes are slim. They probably have simr thoughts but just don''t want to believe it."
Lumian''s voice suddenly grew somber. "People need hope to live..."
Jenna chuckled, tracing circles on Lumian''s bare chest. "You''re doing much better too, being able to say something like that."
Before Lumian could respond, she lifted her head and looked at him. "Go see Franca this morning, okay?"
"Is this something I can do alone?" Lumian smiled. "If she doesn''t want to, I can''t force her, can I?"
Jenna couldn''t help butugh. "She''s inclined to agree deep down. She''s just feeling a bit awkward after the initial emotions have calmed. Especially since she has to face you, her friend''s brother who knows her true state."
"You know Franca," Lumian teased. "When she''s impulsive, she''ll try anything, but when she calms down, she might turn into an ostrich."
"Take the initiative. Maybe she''s just waiting for you to make the first move," Jenna suggested, feeling a mix of jealousy and anticipation.
Lumian spread his hands. "How do I take the initiative? I''ve never been the one to make the first move in such matters. I can''t just go up to Franca and say I''m here to fulfill our agreement, right?"
Jenna''s eyes sparkled as she thought for a moment.
"Show your guilt in front of her, help her out as much as you can, and then ask if she needs a massage for her head, shoulders, and back. If she doesn''t object and there''s physical contact, you can gradually... gradually..." Jenna trailed off, quickly concluding, "Got it?"
"You seem quite experienced," Lumian said, amused.
Jenna reminisced. "When I was a Showy Diva, I saw some things. Also, the dancers under Franca liked to read novels about love and interactions between men and women. A single book could be passed around by dozens to hundreds of people. Thanks to Emperor Roselle and some remainingpulsory education, some of them could understand simple stories, and those who couldn''t would listen to others. It was one of the few bright spots in their lives.
"I read a few as well and learned how those yboys and Dandyists behaved."
Lumianughed, moving closer to Jenna and cing his hands on her smooth, bare shoulders. "Like this?"
"Yes." Jenna rolled her eyes. "Now you think of giving me a massage? I''m nearly falling apart because of you. You start reluctantly and then..."
As Jenna teased him, her words caught in her throat.
Lumian leaned in with a teasing smile. "It''s six in the morning..."
Jenna swiftly pulled the covers over herself and nimbly jumped out of bed like a deer.
Wrapped in the nket, she looked at Lumian andughed softly.
"Go find Franca now and use your Conspirer skills."
Before Lumian could respond, Jenna grabbed her Traveler''s Bag and disappeared into the shadows of the room.
Lumian stood still for a moment, sighing. "Couldn''t you at least leave the nket?"
After a while, the nket was thrown from the shadows,nding on Lumian.
Lumian shook his head with a smile, mimicking Franca''s voice in his mind.
Ascetic, activate!
...
Inside Apartment 702 at 9 Rue Orosai.
Franca opened the door and saw Lumian. She instantly felt ufortable and wished she could m the door in his face.
As she turned to walk to the armchair, she asked, "Jenna didn''te with you?"
"She went back to rest," Lumian said thoughtfully.
Franca suddenly understood, her expression turningplicated.
She stood by the armchair, momentarily forgetting to sit down.
Lumian nced at her and asked intentionally, "Did you digest more of your Affliction potion?"
"Dammit!" Franca gritted her teeth, conjuring several crystalline ice spikes and hurling them at Lumian.
Lumian dodged easily and moved to the sofa area, looking back at the fuming Franca.
See, now we can forget the awkwardness and talk properly.
But Franca''s reaction was a bit too strong. We need to make that agreement a reality soon, or she might get tangled up again...
Lumian put on a cating smile and said to Franca, "It''s a habitual taunt. You know how Hunters are."
Franca snorted and sat in the recliner.
Today, she wore a fitted white shirt with ruffled cuffs and ace flower at the neck, paired with cream-colored trousers and her usual fluffy slippers.
Following Miss Celia Bello''s guidance, Lumian feigned guilt and asked, "How''s your Affliction potion digestion going?"
Franca puffed up her cheeks. "About a third."
"Hmm, you''ve got the self-inflicted pain down, but you''re stillcking in causing pain to others," Lumian said cautiously.
Then, he proactively poured her a ss of water and asked with a smile, "Want a shoulder and leg massage? You must be tired after running around for clues on Harrison these days."
"Massage?" Franca was stunned, then wary, eyeing Lumian suspiciously.
After a few moments, she took the ss of water and drank. "No need."
Eh... Great theorist of male-female interaction, master of theory Miss Celia Bello, your method doesn''t work... I have to rely on my own improvisation as a Conspirer... Lumian quickly sat down on the single sofa.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, taking out the ck Tear headpiece from his Traveler''s Bag.
Franca realized Lumian was checking if the Demoness of ck was observing through the mirror.
Well, perfect timing... Franca was about to mention the potion form and ingredients for Amandina when she saw Lumian quickly put away the ck Tear and give her a look.
Wh- The Demoness of ck is watching... Franca swallowed her words.
The next second, she saw Lumian get up, walk over to her, and squeeze into the armchair with a smile. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Hey... Hey, hey! Franca was stunned.
Her first reaction was to teach this space-invader a lesson, but then she realized Lumian''s purpose.
In the Demoness of ck''s eyes, we''re lovers. If we don''t show any intimacy, it''ll be suspicious...
Okay, let''s put on a show...
Franca felt Lumian''s arm wrap around her waist.
Her body stiffened before she forced herself to rx.
Then, Lumian turned her around, and she found herself looking into his deep blue eyes and chiseled face.
"I''m here to fulfill my promise," Lumian said, giving her another look.
He chuckled softly and slowly lowered his head.
Franca''s eyes widened.
Hey! Are you doing it for real?
She instinctively wanted to break free but remembered the Demoness of ck was watching and Lumian''s hint to cooperate.
You little brat, are you taking advantage of me? Franca thought angrily. Then she remembered the previous agreement and sighed inwardly. Fine, it was bound to happen anyway...
Her long eyshes fluttered, and her eyes slowly closed as her body softened.
Then, she felt Lumian''s lips, warm and firm, breaking through her defenses.
In a daze, Franca thought, No, no! The Demoness of ck is still watching! How shameful!
Almost simultaneously, she heard Lumian''s husky voice in her ear. "Let''s go to the bedroom."
You''re quite considerate... Once we''re in the bedroom, covered by the nket, the Demoness of ck can''t see... It''ll also solidify our rtionship... Franca vaguely nodded, feeling herself lifted into the air.
...
In the warm and intimate bedroom.
With a lingering blush on her cheeks, Franca turned to Lumian and said, "I just remembered something I need to tell you..."
She asked with her eyes if the Demoness of ck was still watching.
Lumian chuckled. "The Demoness of ck left a while ago."
Franca was stunned for a moment, her foggy mind realizing something was off.
"You didn''t check... How do you know?"
Lumian looked sincere. "The Demoness of ck didn''te today."
"...?" Franca was speechless.
She quickly understood, and in a fit of embarrassment and anger, she pounced on Lumian, hitting him.
"You tricked me! You tricked me!"
"..."
"You can''t use something like this to deceive teammates, understand?"
"I understand."
"This makes it hard for me to trust your hints in the future. What if next time I think you''re lying, but the Demoness of ck really shows up?"
"I''m sorry."
"Alright, I''ll trust you one more time, but don''t let it happen again! Don''t let it happen again!"
"..."
Chapter 859 Ingenious Plan
Chapter 859 Ingenious n
859 "Ingenious" n
After Franca vented her anger andy back down, Lumian finally asked, "What were you saying earlier?"
Franca nced at the curtained bedroom window, making it clear: Check if the Demoness of ck is watching!
Lumian replied casually, "We''re inside a Bottle of Fiction."
"..." Franca blinked. "When did that happen?"
"When I closed the door. I didn''t want to disturb the neighbors," Lumian answered earnestly.
"..." Franca felt another surge of anger. She snapped, "You still need to check! What if the Demoness of ck can prate the Bottle of Fiction without you noticing?"
"Yes, yes." Lumian admitted his fault and took out the ck Tear headpiece from his Traveler''s Bag, quickly sensing for a few seconds before putting it back.
Franca finally rxed and nodded in satisfaction. "The thing is, Mr. Star gave me another task. He said, in addition to the Affliction potion form and the materials, there will be a special reward."
"What task?" Lumian asked cooperatively.
Franca looked puzzled and said, "To get some water from the Samaritan Woman''s Spring."
Lumian''s first reaction was to consider the purpose of the task, but he quickly remembered that Franca had said Mr. Star was likely a high-ranking Red Glove from the Church of Evernight, and the Underworld Daoist who could grant others Beyonder powers from the Darkness pathway. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"It''s understandable that Mr. Star, or rather the Church of Evernight behind him, needs water from the Samaritan Woman''s Spring. But this task is too simple for us right now. And yet he wants to give you a special reward. Doesn''t that seem a bit strange?" Lumian pondered aloud.
Franca thought for a moment and spoke, "I agree. It feels like he designed this task just to give me the special reward. It doesn''t make sense. We''ve only met once."
Compared to other Demonesses in the Demoness Sect, one of Franca''s greatest strengths was not assuming that every man she met would be infatuated with her or want to please her.
Lumian considered for a few seconds and said, "Maybe that special reward will bring a lot of trouble. It also represents something Mr. Star truly wants you to do."
Franca nodded in understanding. "Free rewards are the most expensive. What appears ''free'' oftenes with hidden costs."
Understanding this, she felt less worried.
She thought the potential problems with the special reward, even if they brought significant trouble, should be something she and herpanions could handle.
Otherwise, the Major Arcana card holders wouldn''t make such a choice.
She then turned to Lumian and asked, "How''s your collection of the supplementary ingredients going?"
This should have been a daily concern, but hadn''t she been feeling ufortable every time she saw Lumian these past few days?
Lumian reflected for a moment before answering, "I found arge battlefield from the war a few years ago and got a bag of blood-stained soil."
"I thought you''d go to the camp where Anthony and hisrades were attacked," Franca teased.
Lumian responded with amusement, "Am I that much of a devil? Besides, that''s not arge battlefield and might be polluted by an evil god''s worship."
Franca concurred sinctly, "What about the others?"
"I confirmed that there''s activeva at the bottom of the volcano on Saint Tick Ind, but it''s unnecessary to collect it now. It will solidify quickly in the Traveler''s Bag. I''ll teleport it when it''s needed." Lumian had been using his teleportation ability to travel around the world these days. "I n to make the powder of nts and trees polluted by the Stone of Catastrophe myself."
As for acorns, that was too simple.
"Make it yourself?" Franca was surprised. "Is that possible?"
"It should be theoretically feasible. Certain parts of a Beyonder creature can rece such supplementary ingredients. And I have the Sword of Courage. I can ce it and itspanions on a pile of nts and trees, monitoring and recing consumables. In about a few days, I should be able to create polluted nts and trees. Of course, this pollution will be moreplex and severe than simple Stone of Catastrophe pollution. I''ll consult Madam Magician in advance to see if the amount should be reduced."
"Indeed," Franca''s eyes brightened, then dimmed slightly. "But the gue Mother Serpent bile and Silver Hunter''s fragments for the supplementary ingredients of the Demoness of Despair can''t be made by the ck Tear."
"No rush. Jenna hasn''t fully digested the Pleasure potion yet. It will take a few more days or even a week or two to be a Demoness of Affliction." Lumian thought and said, "I have collected the blood of seven different gue victims."
Although there was no widespread gue at the moment, many ces on the Northern and Southern Continents had sporadic outbreaks. They were either quickly contained or limited to small, isted areas without spreading.
With the Magic Mirror Divination of the two Demonesses, Lumian pinpointed eight or nine simr locations, then teleported there with Lugano.
If the authorities had already noticed the outbreak and were working to control it, he would leave after collecting the blood of the gue victims. If the gue was still quietly spreading, he would attempt to heal it with Lugano''s help. If it couldn''t be solved, he would find a way to inform the authorities.
After these few days of hard work, Lumian had basically achieved his goals.
Franca breathed a sigh of relief, stating, "Remember to use the ck Tear to deliver the potion form and all the materials Mr. Star gave to Amandina.
"Sigh... When will Ipletely digest the Affliction potion?"
Although her current digestion progress could be considered very fast, she still felt it wasn''t enough. The person next to her was just one step away from the final domestication step, ready to hold the ceremony and be a Sequence 4 demigod.
Lumian turned his head to Franca andughed.
"I just told you, you''re stillcking in the part about causing others pain. And the target should be of high Sequence, otherwise, it has to be reced with numbers."
Franca didn''t link it to her own pain this time and started thinking seriously.
Causing others pain, high Sequence... Causing others pain, high Sequence...
Muttering to herself, Franca suddenly turned her head, her eyes shining brightly at Lumian.
Lumian''s smile faded as he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have a bold idea?"
Franca chuckled. "You have a false Angel rank. If I can make you feel pain, wouldn''t the digestion speed be incredibly fast?"
"But it has to be real pain." Lumian didn''t dismiss Franca''s suggestion outright.
"For example, castration?" Franca nced at the nket with a growing smile.
Lumian fell silent for a moment before responding, "We can try."
"Wait, you''re actually agreeing?" Franca was startled. She had only been joking with the suggestion of "castration."
"If it can really help you quickly digest the Affliction potion." Lumian shrugged. "It can grow back anyway."
"Forget it, that''s too painful. It would leave you with serious psychological trauma and issues." Franca said, ruffling her tousled hair.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "I have a better n. An ingenious n!"
Lumian felt uneasy, sensing that Franca''s new n might be even harder to endure than "castration."
Franca''s smile turned wicked.
"I thought of that Julie from the castration, and her digestion method. She would seize the moment when the target was about to reach ultimate satisfaction, then cut it off, plunging them from extreme pleasure into extreme pain.
"I can be gentler, not cutting it off, but preventing you from reaching ultimate satisfaction. Let you yearn and suffer without fulfillment, which is also a kind of intense pain..."
Lumian raised an eyebrow, unable to speak.
Franca''s smile grew more sinister, having found a prank to pull.
"For this, I need to bind you with the Demoness''s spider silk, prepare more tools, and to enhance the stimtion, you need to use your Ascetic abilities to refrain from burning the silk...
"Although it won''tpare to Julie''s method, your false Angel rank should help me digest it quickly."
Saying this, Franca clicked her tongue. "I never thought I''d do something like this, and be the one doing the tormenting."
In the past, Lumian might havecked a concrete concept of this pain, but after experiencing the two Demonesses, he could now imagine how unbearable that torment would be.
"This is the hell of pain." Lumian couldn''t help but sigh.
"That''s the Demoness, bringing pleasure and pain," Franca said with a smile.
Lumian jumped out of bed and picked up his clothes.
"Eh?" Franca looked puzzled.
Lumian responded in a deep voice, "We''re going to the Samaritan Woman''s Spring now."
Franca was first stunned, then burst intoughter, rolling on the bed.
She had regained her normal control over her desires after passing the Pleasure stage, so even after being with Lumian, tasting long-lost pleasure, and achieving unprecedented satisfaction, she still felt weird because it was someone she knew well, who also knew her original gender. But now, she suddenly found it amusing and interesting, making her feel much less ufortable.
"Give it a try, give it a try." Shey on the bed, her eyes bright as she continued with her prank.
Lumian sighed again.
"We''ll talk after we get the water from the Samaritan Woman''s Spring."
...
Beside the Samaritan Woman''s Spring, shrouded in gray-white fog.
Since Lumian didn''t approach and trigger any anomalies, Franca patiently waited for a while and then used the golden vial given by Mr. Star to collect half a vial of water from the Samaritan Woman''s Spring.
They didn''t bring Jenna, fearing that her encounter with Krismona''s shadow might lead to uncontroble changes. Lumian nned to bring Jenna here after bing an Iron-blooded Knight with a certain level of self-protection.
The high-ranking Major Arcana card holders seemed to dislike entering the underground or underground catbs. But Lumian, marked and branded, felt that even as a demigod, he should still be able to enter the area of the Samaritan Woman''s Spring.
Not long after, Franca put away the golden vial, and the two walked shoulder to shoulder towards the edge of the gray fog.
As they approached the edge of the fog on the slope, Lumian and Franca simultaneously noticed a blurry figure outside the fog slowly approaching.
Franca first darted to the side, then stared intently for two seconds.
Her expression suddenly became excited, and she said in a hushed voice to Lumian, "Harrison!"
The visitor from Resurrection Ind, Harrison!
They had failed to converge with himst time, and now they coincidentally ran into him!
Chapter 860 The True Meaning of Those Words
Chapter 860 The True Meaning of Those Words
860 The True Meaning of Those Words
When Franca uttered the name, Lumian also saw the approximate outline of the figure outside: Dressed in a ck robe, with light hair, pale skin, and dark brown eyes, he didn''t look like an Intisian.
Although Lumian had never seen Harrison in person, he had seen the image Franca had depicted using dream divination and a corresponding ritual, so it wasn''t hard to identify the person outside the gray fog.
Seeing Franca''s excitement, Lumian raised his right hand and gestured downward, signaling hispanion to control her emotions.
Franca, an experienced Beyonder inbat, quicklyposed herself and nodded at Lumian.
She understood Lumian''s intention not to act rashly but to observe and see what Harrison intended to do. By understanding his actions, they could determine his Sequence, ability characteristics, and primary intentions.
This way, whatever response they made afterward would be moreposed.
Franca shrank further to the side of the slope, using the gray fog as cover, and observed Harrison, who was holding a white candle. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Meanwhile, she couldn''t help but muse, The Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence really works!
We gave up too soon after just one try. It was our fault for not respecting science -no, mysticism. If we had tried a few more times, wouldn''t he havee?
Franca felt at ease, knowing that only Beyonders like Lumian, marked by Mr. Fool, could enter the area around the Samaritan Woman''s Spring, while others could only see a gray-white fog and found it difficult to pass through.
She had tried earlier and found she couldn''t prate the fog on her own, prompting Lumian to mock her, saying, "Even Madame H couldn''t do it. Where did you get the confidence that you could?" This only strengthened her resolve to have Lumian help her digest the Affliction potion.
Lumian stood beside Franca, observing every move of the figure outside while recalling his encounters with Beyonders of the Death, Darkness, and Warrior pathways, hoping to quickly formte the most effective strategy against Harrison based on theirbat characteristics and abilities.
Holding the white candle, Harrison took a few steps outside the gray fog, nced around, and then continued forward.
He walked into the gray fog as if passing through a curtain of water!
He can pass through the gray fog barrier?
How?
Franca''s sky-blue eyes widened in shock, disbelief, and reluctance.
Lumian was equally surprised.
But he hadn''t ruled out the possibility that Harrison could break through the fog barrier and enter the area around the Samaritan Woman''s Spring. He just hadn''t expected it to be so easy for him.
Based on Harrison''s constant search for scenes closely rted to death, darkness, and dusk, and his drifting as a corpse on the River Styx in Underworld Daoist andpany''s world, Lumian reasonably suspected that he might have a way or an item to prate the fog barrier.
Lumian had expected to see Harrison perform a strange ritual or take out an item with an otherworldly style. Instead, like himself, Harrison had simply walked into the area around the Samaritan Woman''s Spring, covered by gray fog!
Seeing that the fog no longer served as a barrier, leaving only the fog to interfere with their vision, Lumian made a decisive move and extinguished the white candle in his hand.
As he expected, the surrounding darkness silently surged in, activating the Underworld Daoist''s mark on his right palm without corroding his body.
He had kept the candle lit to maintain this state, partly because it couldn''tst long in the current situation without risking turning into a catbs administrator and partly to mislead any potential enemies, setting a trap.
As Lumian extinguished the candle, Franca quickly took action.
Unable to borrow the ck Tear from Lumian, she directly took out an Ice Amulet and a mirror from her Traveler''s Bag.
With a sh of crystalline cold light, Franca, illuminated by the candle''s yellowish me, entered the mirror in her hand.
As her figure disappeared, the unheld mirror fell to the ground, only to be urately caught by Lumian.
Holding the mirror, Lumian immediately activated the contract mark, transforming into a shadow creature and blendingpletely into the darkness enveloped by the gray fog.
Before Harrison could get closer, they hadpleted their concealment.
In the void behind the mirror, Franca, holding the burning white candle, quickly surveyed her surroundings.
She found that the area was filled with the same gray-white fog as outside, permeating every corner.
The illusory dark tunnels, like spider webs, were excluded by the fog, appearing blurry and hard to see.
Sure enough... Franca wasn''t surprised by this situation.
Lumian had already told her that this area was isted from the spirit world, making spirit world traversal unusable here.
With even the spirit world being isted, the mirror world would certainly be no exception!
Because the mirror had been brought into the fog-covered area, Franca could enter the mirrored region to hide but couldn''t traverse to any mirror outside the underground catbs-this was the principle that allowed the Traveler''s Bag to continue being used.
Franca couldn''t even reach the mirrors on Lumian''s person, let alone those outside the catbs!
Of course, Franca hadn''t intended to use the mirror world for anything other than hiding, preventing the yellowish glow of the white candle from being seen by Harrison.
During their previous ambush on Harrison, she hadn''t done this because the area she could monitor through the mirror was too small, and all senses, including vision, would be severely weakened.
Franca approached the ss mirror and found that Lumian had thoughtfully turned it towards Harrison, allowing her to see their target.
Seeing Harrison, illuminated by the yellowish glow of the white candle, slowly moving down the slope, Franca grew even more puzzled.
How did he get through the fog barrier?
Could he also bear Mr. Fool''s mark?
But Madam Judgment and the other Major Arcana card holders didn''t know!
He hadn''t used an item or performed a ritual earlier, relying on his own ability?
But whether it was the Apprentice pathway''s mastery of seals or the Marauder pathway''s exploitation of loopholes, they are all within Mr. Fool''s domain. It doesn''t make sense to bypass the fog barrier...
Mr. Fool''s mark...
At this thought, Franca''s heart skipped a beat, and a title shed in her mind: The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings!
Harrison bears the mark of the Celestial Worthy, allowing him to prate the fog barrier? Franca made this startling and shocking guess.
She found it quite reasonable.
Based on the current information, it seemed that the Celestial Worthy was the culprit behind their transmigration into this world, and Resurrection Ind was Mount Peni, a node where the two worlds intersected or a transmigration point. If this was true, it was natural for Harrison, from Resurrection Ind or Mount Peni, to have a close rtionship with the Celestial Worthy.
They had been misled by Harrison''s pursuit of death, darkness, and dusk-rted scenes and his mastery of the depths of death, overlooking this point!
Perhaps, as Jenna had spected, Harrison''s deep research into death didn''t necessarily mean he was a Beyonder of that pathway!
This could better exin why they couldn''t converge with himst time. Why had they coincidentally encountered him this time?
As a shadow creature, Lumian also thought of the Celestial Worthy, the great beingpeting with Mr. Fool for the apex powers of the Seer, Apprentice, and Marauder pathways.
He watched Harrison''s slow advance and thought of more things.
Previously, Harrison seemingly met the Mirror Person, Jasmine, leading us to specte that he was also involved in Project Vortex...
Now it''s almost certain. Madam Magician mentioned encountering the Celestial Worthy''s followers while dealing with Overseer Perle, who was one of the initiators of Project Vortex...
This background can exin why an outsider like Harrison can frequently appear in Underground Trier without being found by the Purifiers...
Lumian didn''t rush to act. He was unsure of Harrison''s level and wanted to see what Harrison intended to do by repeatedlying to the Samaritan Woman''s Spring. This might reveal a lot of important information.
As he followed Harrison''s movements, Lumian suddenly understood why the Underworld Daoist had warned Amandina to "beware of Peni."
He had previously thought that the reappearance of Mount Peni and the bodies floating on the river had alerted the Underworld Daoist. But given his dire state, closer to a wraith, he couldn''t discern Amandina''s exact location and situation, so he had instinctively issued a warning.
Now it seemed the message was to tell Amandina that someone from Peni had been to the Samaritan Woman''s Spring and to be cautious!
Just as Lumian sighed internally at their earlier oversight, Harrison suddenly turned his head and looked towards their hiding spot.
Almost simultaneously, the grand,yered voice of Termiboros echoed in his ear:
"Protect your Traveler''s Bag."
Uh... Lumian didn''t have time to discern the purpose behind Termiboros'' suggestion. He quickly reached for his waist and grabbed the Traveler''s Bag.
The next moment, Harrison raised his right hand.
Lumian felt the Traveler''s Bag being tugged by an invisible force, but he held it tightly.
Marauder? Not a power of the Death pathway? A special boon from the Celestial Worthy? Puzzled, Lumian immediately shifted his position using the shadows.
Behind Harrison, darkness surged, outlining Lumian''s form.
Chapter 861 Marauder?
Chapter 861 Marauder?
861 Marauder?
As soon as Lumian exited his shadow creature state, he let out a grunt.
Two beams of white light shot from his nostrils, flying towards Harrison, who had no time to dodge.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian sensed a dense aura of death emanating from Harrison. His spirit abruptly contracted, transforming into a tiny, golden millet-like particle, hiding in the deepest void of his body, unreachable.
The two beams of white light hit Harrison''s body, but it was like striking a piece of decayed wood or a lifeless corpse, producing no effect.
Harrison turned swiftly towards Lumian, and his contracted spirit expanded instantly, filling his body once more.
With this change, a root wrapped in white cloth swiftly formed in Harrison''s right palm.
He swung this semi-illusory root at Lumian.
The white cloth strips on the root fluttered gently, stirring up cries that were either mournful or wailing.
They drilled into Lumian''s ears, causing him to falter just as he was about to change his position, unable to dodge in time.
Smack!
The root wrapped in white cloth struck Lumian''s body.
His skin quickly turned pale, and a sense of death deepened rapidly.
Crack! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lumian''s body cracked like a mirror, shattering into dull fragments that fell to the ground.
Immediately after, he reappeared at the side of the slope, shaking the mirror that held Franca.
Franca understood his intention, immediately exiting the mirror with the burning white candle andnding not far from him.
Lumian, with his other hand, reached into the Traveler''s Bag, took out the ck Tear essory, and tossed it to Franca.
Here, there was no worry about the mystical gue attached to the ck Tear spreading, and the Demoness of Affliction could withstand the corresponding mystical pathogens for longer!
Lumian even suspected that, due to the special nature of the Samaritan Woman''s Spring, the mystical pathogens created by the ck Tear would only survive for a limited time before perishing.
As for what to do during that time, Lumian had already considered it-after throwing out the ck Tear essory, he quickly reached into the Traveler''s Bag again, grasping the hilt of the Sword of Courage.
He intended to have the sword share half the damage and effects with him!
Lumian wasn''t overly concerned about the excess courage issue:
With Franca around, she would guide and correct the Warrior''s choices in a more subtle way that the Warrior would ept, like upying a better position, making the Warrior throw the sword to her for brief use, and then not catching it when it was thrown back, preventing both from being affected by the courage.
As Franca put it, with an external brain, they could be bolder in using the Sword of Courage.
Of course, this could only effectively reduce the influence of courage, notpletely avoid it.
Harrison didn''t just stand by and watch Lumian and Franca prepare. He threw the root wrapped in white cloth towards them.
The root rapidly became illusory in midair, disintegrating into intertwined pale and greenish light, merging into the darkness.
Immediately, several translucent, eerie pale-white hands emerged from the ground beneath Lumian and Franca, cold and sinister, grasping at their ankles and calves.
These seemed to induce some kind of paralysis.
At the same time, Harrison''s mouth moved, chanting an incantation in a strangenguage.
With a whoosh, zing-white mes ignited beside Lumian''s feet, bringing high temperatures to counter the chill, cold, and paralysis created by the pale-white hands.
Franca, with the ck Tear essory wrapped around her wrist, silently let the eerie, quiet ck mes of the Demoness flow like water, engulfing the transparent hands trying to affect her, setting them aze.
Lumian finally grasped the Sword of Courage, instantly bing fearless.
He drew the iron-ck straight sword and shed forward.
A huge fireball, zing white with a hint of blue, formed and shot straight at Harrison, whose ck hair was only a thinyer.
Harrison, seeing this, did not move. He quickly finished thest two sentences of the incantation and pointed his right hand towards the Samaritan Woman''s Spring.
Franca, just breaking free from the pale-white hands, finally deciphered what the enemy was chanting.
One sentence was "Steal the secrets of heaven," and the other was unclear at the beginning, ending with "Swift as a decree, be driven."
Below, at the Samaritan Woman''s Spring, the pale-white water began to bubble, reflecting a figure of a woman, serene as the night but rotting and oozing pus.
The figure silently gazed at the outside world without any movement.
But in front of Harrison, a simr yet more illusory and flickering figure appeared.
As Lumian''s fireball-cleaved out from the Sword of Courage-approached this figure, it gradually dimmed, quickly bing illusory, and mostly vanished.
The remaining bit exploded on the spot, forcing Harrison back two steps.
Seeing this, Lumian didn''t hesitate to activate the residual aura of the Blood Emperor in his right palm.
Want topete?
Fine!
Let''s see who can exert more influence on the Samaritan Woman''s Spring!
Nothing to fear!
Ssh!
The pale-white water retreated into the dark, bottomless spring, and a sense of wild frenzy instantly descended.
At that moment, whether it was Harrison, Lumian, or Franca, they all felt a shock to their minds and bodies, wanting to submit, temporarily losing their ability to think, their minds nk.
The cold, rotting sensation in Lumian''s right palm emerged, suppressing the residual aura of the Blood Emperor.
The frenzied, violent feeling from the spring quickly receded.
Lumian was the first to regain his thoughts. He raised the iron-ck Sword of Courage and rushed to Harrison, shing at his head.
Bang!
Amidst the sound of an explosion and scattered mes, Harrison''s body reverted to a sinister, deathly paper figurine.
The paper figurine lightly adhered to the de of the Sword of Courage, torn to pieces by the violent shockwaves and set aze by the white-blue mes.
Multiple simr paper figurines appeared around Lumian, all exuding a sinister, pale, deathly aura, with facial features painted in a horrifying and maliciously humorous manner.
The next second, ck mes flew from Franca,nding on these paper figurines, burning the spirituality and mysticism that sustained them.
In the blink of an eye, these sinister paper figurines fell in a series of wailing cries, turning to ashes.
"Harrison has fled!" Franca judged quickly after a nce.
Lumian, holding the Sword of Courage, sprinted up the slope, chasing to the edge of the gray fog.
The fog swayed gently, seemingly indicating that the enemy had just escaped.
Lumian was about to pursue when Franca''s voice reached his ears, "Let''s switch Sealed Artifacts; mine is almost at its limit."
Lumian, undeterred by the ck Tear''s negative effects, immediately threw the Sword of Courage over.
As soon as the iron-ck straight sword left his hand, rationality and rity reimed his mind:
Almost forgot that Franca can''t leave the gray fog...
If I go out alone, even if I catch up with Harrison, without an external brain and a pre-nned strategy, the Sword of Courage would be my biggest problem...
Franca, though eager to catch Harrison, remained rational enough to quickly analyze the situation and make an urate judgment...
Once Lumian caught the ck Tear, he immediately ced it back in its isted space within the Traveler''s Bag, then, with Franca''s help, stored the Sword of Courage as well.
He then pulled Franca through the gray fog, returning to the slope leading to the ancient burial chamber.
As Lumian used his Hunter tracking abilities to search for Harrison, Franca employed divination methods for clues.
But after leaving therge burial chamber housing the Samaritan Woman''s Spring, the visitor from Resurrection Indpletely disappeared and managed to thwart their divination.
They stopped at the Krismona Night Pir on the third level, exchanging nces.
Franca''ske-blue eyes revealed undisguised disappointment and regret. She sighed. "If I had known, I would have called Jenna to ambush him outside the chamber."
Lumianforted Franca, "Given Harrison''s disyed strength, we should be d Jenna wasn''t outside alone. She could have been discovered, attacked, and might not havested until we left the Samaritan Woman''s Spring."
"That''s true..." Franca sighed deeply.
Holding the white candle, she nced around and tranted the two lines of incantation for Lumian.
As Lumian lit a new candle, he pondered aloud, "Steal the secrets of heaven... He tried to steal my Traveler''s Bag... Did he sense valuable items and thus saw through my concealment?
"It seems Harrison is more like a Beyonder of the Marauder pathway, yet he clearly uses powers of the Death pathway, and quite powerful ones at that.
"The Marauders we''ve encountered before, even at Sequence 5 Dream Stealer, didn''t show such capabilities, and Harrison obviouslycks godhood... A boost from the Celestial Worthy''s mark?"
Franca thoughtfully said, "After the Demoness of ck told me the Primordial One can modify the abilities of different Sequences in the Demoness pathway to some extent, I wrote to Madam Judgment about it. She said it''s not only true gods who can do such things; certain Kings of Angels can too. Amon, for instance, once altered the mystical knowledge and some abilities acquired in different Sequences of the Marauder pathway.
"Is Harrison exhibiting the original, full version?"
"That might be a reason, but I think some of his actions just now have surpassed Sequence 5. Even a full version Dream Stealer shouldn''t manage that... The Resurrection Ind''s method of utilizing power and its manifestation differ significantly from the paths of the divine?" Lumian pondered aloud.
Chapter 862 Help
Chapter 862 Help
862 Help
Holding the white candle, Franca thought for a while but couldn''t figure out the situation. She walked towards the area outside the Krismona Night Pir, saying solemnly, "No matter if it''s because Resurrection Ind has a special way of utilizing and manifesting power, or if Harrison is a Beyonder of the Marauder pathway, using the secrets of heaven to wield the Death pathway''s power, or if he belongs to the Death pathway and uses the Celestial Worthy''s mark or boons to disy stealing abilities, we can''t underestimate him. We need to report this immediately."
Lumian walked beside Franca, nodding. "If I don''t use Sealed Artifacts, I''m not confident I can beat him. At the very least, I''m not sure I can capture or kill him, and he might also possess a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact."
"Fortunately, we encountered him today. If it were another time, when I was alone, a chance meeting would be much more dangerous." Franca sighed and changed the subject, "Does this mean the followers of the Celestial Worthy are truly involved in Project Vortex? What benefit could they gain?"
"The descent of an evil god?" Lumian spected based on his knowledge and intelligence. "Or bringing about the apocalypse earlier?"
Franca''s expression flickered in the dim candlelight, and she could only let out a long sigh.
Lumian moved forward, kicking away a silent, bony hand that reached out.
He eximed with excitement, "This is undoubtedly a very big vortex. We can''t just rely on the Major Arcana card holders for help. We need to quickly improve our own strength to avoid being swept up and rendered powerless."
"Exactly," Franca agreed.
Lumian continued to look straight ahead, his voice unwavering, "You need to digest the Affliction potion as soon as possible, and I need to quickly bring Ludwig fully into the team."
Franca was taken aback and couldn''t help but nce at Lumian''s profile.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked carefully, "Are you saying this out of guilt? There''s no need; we can think of other ways."
"Guilt is part of it, but it''s not the main reason." Lumian continued forward without much change in expression.
Franca frowned slightly, looking at Lumian, and raised a question she had before meeting Harrison, "Why did you suddenlye to find me today and be so proactive? I thought I would have to endure our awkward rtionship until I couldn''t take it anymore and had to seek you out."
Lumian chuckled."If I told you Jenna asked me to find you, would you believe it?"
Franca suddenly felt a bit stifled, not even sure why she felt this way or if it was for multiple reasons.
She muttered, "She asked, and you just came?"
Lumian smiled as if talking about something ordinary. "If I absolutely don''t want to do something-sans the influence of mystical powers-there''s only one person in this world who can force me to do it."
Franca knew who Lumian was referring to and understood what he meant.
The blockage in her heart eased a lot, but recalling certain things made her expression quiteplicated. There was anger, bitterness, and a bit of joy.
She clenched her right fist, the one not holding the white candle, and punched Lumian''s shoulder with considerable force, "You brat, you gave it away!"
Lumian took the punch stoically, as if he had anticipated it.
They walked in silence for a while. Franca, having adjusted her mood, curiously asked, "Actually, I wanted to ask earlier. Jenna had already found you and expressed her thoughts, and you said the best response was to dy until you became an Iron-blooded Knight. But in that situation, how could you dy? There was no way to dy anymore!"
Lumian nced at Franca. "Find Anthony. Did you forget we have a Psychiatrist in our team?"
Franca chuckled awkwardly. "How can you discuss such matters with a Psychiatrist teammate you meet every day? It''s too awkward! Jenna and I definitely can''t talk to Anthony about this."
Lumian ignored Franca''s excuse and continued, "With the help of a Psychiatrist, or even a Hypnotist''s abilities, the issue could be dyed for a while. But fundamentally, this is an emotional problem, not a psychological or mental issue.
Using a Psychiatrist can dy it, but it can''t be postponed forever. It will eventually erupt, so it''s better to resolve it sooner."
Franca tersely responded.
After a few more steps, she looked at the darkness ahead and said in a calm but slightly joyful tone, "Do you know why I only punched you once?"
"No," Lumian replied frankly.
Franca smiled, feeling quite gratified.
"Previously, you always gave me a feeling that goals, power, and close rtionships were important, but you didn''t care much about yourself, as if you didn''t matter.
"This time, I originally thought you made all these decisions in that same mindset, but when you said you weren''t entirely passive and had your own thoughts, even if just a bit, I was very happy."
Lumian did not respond but did not refute her either.
...
In Trier, Quartier de Maison d''Opra, in an underground room.
Anthony met with the Knight of Swords.
The Minor Arcana card holder still wore a white shirt and ck vest, his brown hair slightly disheveled, and his eyes looked quite repressed.
At this moment, the Knight of Swords sat at a long table, with several ying cards covering different chairs.
After ncing at what seemed like the aftermath of a card game, Anthony, who had met the Knight of Swords in the Raklev region of the Southern Continent, politely greeted him.
The Knight of Swords responded briefly. After Anthony found a chair without cards in front of it and sat down, he spoke in a low voice, "I need your help with two things. One is to provide psychological treatment for a while to help stabilize my mental state."
"No problem." Anthony nodded gently.
He knew that Madam Justice and Madam Susie were not in Trier recently. It seemed they had left because there were traces of a dragon on the West Midseashire Coast, and a member of the Tamara family''s Judgment branch in the Loen Kingdom had surfaced and expressed a desire to cooperate. Bothdies had been away for some time and wouldn''t return soon. Among the Minor Arcana card holders in Trier, only he could provide psychological treatment to the Knight of Swords.
Maintaining his repressed state, the Knight of Swords continued, "The second thing is that we discovered some members of the indulgence faction seem to have brought a significant item to Trier. There are traces of a demigod among them.
"We have confirmed where these indulgence faction members are staying, but without knowing what the item is or if there are other powerful individuals hidden, we don''t want tounch a rash attack.
"It''s best not to involve the authorities in this. If the item is useful to us but falls into official hands, it would be quite troublesome.
"Every two or three days, a servant from their vies out to buy supplies. Of course, there''s likely an indulgence faction member watching secretly, whose strength and level are uncertain.
"We will handle distracting the indulgence faction member watching the servant.
You will find an opportunity to hypnotize the servant, ask two or three questions, and then hypnotize him to forget being questioned.
"The questioning time is short, and the risk is high. We can''t guarantee your absolute safety, only that your safety will be our top priority.
"You can refuse, but if you agree, we will give you sufficient or exceptionally specialpensation."
"Exceptionally special?" Anthony asked, slightly puzzled.
The Knight of Swords, Maric, took a shiny Loen gold pound from his pocket and said in a low voice, "I believe you recognize it."
Anthony immediately remembered the lucky coin Jenna and Ludwig had obtained.
After a moment''s thought, he decided, "Alright, I will hypnotize the servant and handle the questioning, but you need to design the questions. I don''t know what concerns you."
"Deal." The Knight of Swords showed a slight smile, but his eyes remained repressed.
Anthony looked at him and said, "Shall we start the first psychological treatment now?"
"Okay." The Knight of Swords nodded gently.
Anthony smiled peacefully.
"First, I must rify that a Psychiatrist is not omnipotent. Sometimes, I can only help you find the right path. Other times, I can only provide some emotional relief, allowing you to view troubling matters more normally.
"Just as restraint is for crucial moments of release, if you never release, I can only help dy it for a while. Eventually, it will be uncontroble."
...
Two dayster, in a bustling market.
Anthony spotted his target, a man with evident Southern Continent ancestry.
Pretending to select fresh meat, he slowly approached the target. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
ording to the n, the Knight of Swords and his team would now start distracting the indulgence faction member watching the servant. If they failed, they would use Wraith possession to inform him that today''s mission was urgently canceled.
Soon, Anthony reached the target''s side.
Suddenly, his eyes brightened as he bent down to pick up a Louis d''or from the ground.
After a moment''s hesitation, he asked the servant beside him, "Sir, did you drop this?"
The servant looked over nkly, the gold coin''s shine making him squint. At the same time, Anthony''s eyes subtly turned vertical, tinged with a light gold hue.
The servant,pletely focused on the gold coin, swallowed and said, "Yes, it''s mine."
Thus, Anthonypleted the hypnosis.
He handed the coin to the servant and asked casually, "What are they doing in the vi, nevering out?"
The servant hesitated, then replied, "They''re in an orgy, all together. They''re making babies, making babies!"
Chapter 863 Dancing with the Devil
Chapter 863 Dancing with the Devil
863 Dancing with the Devil
Making babies? Anthony suddenly had a strong sense of foreboding.
He immediately abandoned the second question preset by the Knight of Swords and straightforwardly asked, "Who is making babies?"
The servant replied, his confusion tinged with fear. "Everyone is! The women are giving birth, and so are the men!"
Men are giving birth too... Anthony felt a shiver run down his spine and nearly used cate himself. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He took another gold coin from his pocket and smiled at the servant.
"Did you forget you dropped another Louis d''or?"
The servant thought the Louis d''or''s shine had entered the other man''s eyes.
He assumed the man was trying to bribe him and hastily nodded.
"Yes, yes, I forgot."
As he spoke, the servant''s thoughts became fuzzy, as if he heard something but also didn''t.
When he came to his senses, he had forgotten what had just happened, and the Louis d''or in his hand was gone.
In an alley two streets away from the market, Anthony saw Maric, the Knight of Swords, reflected in a puddle left byst night''s sudden rain.
Before the Knight of Swords could speak, Anthony quickly ryed the information he had gathered and then said, "The indulgence faction only indulges desires, not making babies. That''s not their hallmark, right?"
The repression in the Knight of Swords'' eyes had lessened slightly. He said gravely, "Followers of the Primordial Moon within the indulgence faction do asionally, but not to the extent where even men give birth."
Anthony said in a serious tone, "Based on the behavior of those indulgence faction members, their bringing a significant item to Trier, the brewing of Project Vortex, and the fact that its leaders are Brokers who worship an evil god, I suspect that the Mother Tree of Desire worshiped by the indulgence faction and the Great Mother worshiped by the Nightstalkers have started coborating on something, which is a crucial part of Project Vortex!"
Since the Knight of Swords hade to Trier, he naturally knew about Project Vortex from his Major Arcana card holder. He replied in a low voice, "Your suspicion is rming. I will immediately report this to Ma''am Hermit and the higher-ups of our faction. If necessary, we will take decisive action."
Anthony nodded. "It would be best to inform the authorities as well. In Trier, no one is better suited to handle this than them. I need to return to mypanions and warn them to be on guard against theing vortex!"
With that, Anthony was about to leave the alley. "Mypanion will take you to find the Seven of Wands; it will be faster this way," the Knight of Swords called out to Anthony. "We will give you the promised reward once the situation stabilizes."
The Minor Arcana card holder quickly vanished from the puddle''s surface.
He was eager to write to his Major Arcana card holder, The Hermit.
...
In the Quartier de Cathdrale Commmorative, Apartment 702 on 9 Rue Orosai.
Franca and Jenna were squeezed together on the sofa,paring the Loen gold pounds in their hands.
"I can feel they are somewhat special, but I don''t know what makes them special," Franca said happily.
She then looked up at Lumian, who had taken her spot.
"Mr. Star''s reward is this, haha, now you''re the only one without one!"
Lumian found it amusing and remarked, "Did you forget about Anthony? And Lugano doesn''t have one either."
Jenna nced at Franca, who was leaning on her, and said thoughtfully, "When I first got the lucky coin, I thought it was a gift, but after you and Ludwig got yours, I began to suspect they might be symbols or tokens. We might all experience something together in the future.
"Lumian is special in many ways; he will get involved sooner orter, and he will get a coin eventually."
"At least he doesn''t have one now," Franca said, showing off her lucky coin.
After discussing this for a while, Franca put away her lucky coin and asked Lumian about the serious matter, "How is Ludwig''s ''training'' going?"
"He follows my orders well now. The next step is to go through some experiences together to build rapport with you all," Lumian thought for a moment. "I''ll design tasks ordingly. With a small team, it should take two or three weeks to achieve this."
"I''ll probably finish digesting the Affliction potion before your advancement. The main issue now is convincing the Demoness of ck that I can digest it so quickly." In the past few days, Franca''s progress in digesting the Affliction potion had advanced significantly, and she estimated she needed only about a week more.
Jenna fell silent for a moment before saying, "My Pleasure potion is fully digested. I just need a couple of days to prepare for the ritual to be a Demoness of Affliction."
"So soon?" Franca eximed in surprise.
Jenna looked at Franca with aplex expression but did not answer.
Franca was stunned for a moment, then said, "Oh."
She understood why, which made her feelings even moreplicated, with a mix of bitterness, sadness, joy, and smugness.
"I have given Jenna the potion ingredients and the remaining Ice Lemon Fish fillet," Lumian added.
"Okay." Franca quickly adjusted her mindset.
Feeling Jenna leaning against her, smelling her fragrance, and looking at Lumian, who had taken her spot and was mimicking her sitting posture, Franca suddenly felt that the past couple of days had been quite enjoyable and reassuring. Except for asional pain and sadness, everything was great. Lumian was even expressing his importance to her more actively, though not much.
Since her transmigration, it was the first time Franca had felt this way.
Well, well, let''s just say I''ve built a harem, except... Franca sighed inwardly.
She hoped these times wouldst longer, and that the vortex and the apocalypse would nevere.
At that moment, Lumian turned his head and looked towards the side door of the living room.
Anthony''s figure quickly took shape there.
"I have important information," Anthony said directly.
Lumian stood up from the armchair and gestured for Anthony to continue.
Anthony quickly ryed the information he had gathered from the servant and his own spections.
During this, Jenna and Franca, the two Demonesses, both had a premonition of danger from their spirituality.
Lumian said without hesitation, "I''ll inform Madam Magician immediately, then meet up with Ludwig and Lugano and move to a new safe house. We''ll wait for instructions from the Major Arcana card holders."
...
Above the endless gray fog, in an ancient and majestic pce.
On either side of a mottled bronze table, figures shrouded in gray fog quickly formed.
There were eight of them.
The seats at the head and foot of the table were empty.
Miss Justice stood up, looked around, and said, "This is an emergency meeting with Mr. Fool''s permission."
Madam Magician did not waste time. Once Miss Justice sat down, she immediately asked Mr. Star across from her, "Was it your idea or a hint from the Church of Evernight to send the Two of Cups to fetch water from the Samaritan Woman''s Spring?"
Mr. Star sat upright this time.
"It was a revtion I received in a dream."
"A dream... Is the Evernight Goddess reminding us to pay attention to Harrison?
Yes, She should know that Harrison has entered and exited the Samaritan Woman''s Spring several times and mastered the pattern..." Madam Magician did not ask further and turned to Ma''am Hermit on her side, "Has Queen Mystic conveyed any information?"
Ma''am Hermit shook her head, then said after recalling, "She hasn''t contacted me for a while. I tried to reach her a couple of days ago but received no response..."
As she spoke, Ma''am Hermit suddenly paused, foreseeing a scene.
Then, she saw the gaze of Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Moon, Mr. Sun, and Madam Judgment all fall on her, their expressions solemn and their eyes full of undisguised vignce.
...
Tossed high into the air by a storm, then mmed back into the vortex of the sea, the Dawn struggled to maintain its bnce, like a toy thrown into the ocean.
There was not a single sailor on its deck; the sails and ropes moved on their own as if controlled by invisible hands.
After a long time, the storm finally subsided, and the Dawn, the gship of Queen Mystic, soon stabilized.
Ahead, an ind covered in dark green, nearly ck, giant trees slowly emerged under the blue sky and white clouds.
Wearing a floral shirt and a brown captain''s coat, Queen Mystic-Bernadette- stepped out of the cabin and walked to the bow.
Her blue eyes were as deep as the ocean, her straight eyebrows extended gracefully, and her naturally flowing chestnut hair reached her waist. She wore pants and boots for ease of movement.
Empty-handed, Queen Mystic gazed at the ind, her eyes darkening, her face expressionless.
As the ind drew nearer, another person emerged from the cabin.
This person was also a woman, with ck hair and brown eyes, a pretty face, and the typical appearance of a Loenese. She wore a dark robe with many pockets and different flowers embroidered on it, a favorite outfit of ancient merchants.
Overseer Perle!
This evil god worshiper and initiator of Project Vortex appeared on Queen Mystic''s ship!
Perle walked to the bow and stood beside Bernadette, also gazing at the ind, a clear smile on her face.
Chapter 864 Center of the Vortex
Chapter 864 Center of the Vortex
864 Center of the Vortex
Quartier 14, within the botanical garden, there stood a wooden cabin belonging to the caretaker.
Lumian had prepared this safe house before heading to Morora. He hadn''t rented it; instead, he used money to persuade the garden caretaker to vacate the ce whenever needed and to pretend he still lived there.
Franca nced at the lush trees surrounding them, then turned her gaze back to Ludwig, who was sitting at a small wooden table, munching on a donut. She asked with a yful smile, "How about I give you some homework?"
Ludwig looked up quickly, eyeing Franca warily and instinctively scooting back.
Francaughed immediately, muttering to herself, I feeI an Angel''s pain, and my Affliction potion has digested a bit more!
"Why are you bullying a child?" Jenna asked, amused by the scene.
"What child?" Franca exined with a grin, "I had suspected that making Ludwig experience the pain of studying and doing homework might help me digest the potion, but I didn''t try it for fear of ruining Lumian''s ''training'' and making Ludwig want to run away from home. Now, with the vortex possibly approaching, I need to digest as much as I can. Besides, it''s not like Ludwig will bond with us that quickly anyway."
Ludwig''s brown eyes clearly conveyed one message as he looked at Franca: You Demoness!
Jenna thought carefully and realized Franca''s reasoning made sense. Once Lumianpleted his advancement and she herself reached the stage of the Demoness of Affliction, this could be one of the ways to digest the potion.
Ludwig''s gaze flicked between Franca and Jenna before he spoke in a determined tone, "I will do my best to build rapport with you all!"
"Not bad," Lumian pped his hands, then said to Franca and Jenna, "You two have the potential to be Conspirers. Now Ludwig doesn''t mind teaming up with you."
I didn''t expect it to turn out this way... Franca looked around, sensing that Lugano and Anthony''s gazes seemed to say, "Look, you''ve driven the kid to this point."
Lumian tossed a chocte coin to Ludwig and asked thoughtfully, "After eating that Chef''s stomach, you should have recalled quite a bit of knowledge, right?"
Ludwig quickly unwrapped the chocte and answered honestly, "Yes!"
This training is quite effective... Franca was a little surprised and looked at Lumian with admiration.
Lumian pulled up a chair and asked in a coaxing tone, "Do you know anything about the Broker pathway? What do they mean by ''vortex''?"
Busy with training Ludwig and giving him tasks, Lumian had nearly overlooked that Ludwig was an Angel from beyond the barrier and might know something about the Broker pathway.
After learning about Project Vortex, Lumian had asked Ludwig a simr question before going to Morora, but Ludwig had shaken his head, saying he had no recollection. Now, he had recovered some memories and was much more obedient.
Chewing on the chocte, Ludwig fell into deep thought.
After a few seconds, he said uncertainly, "It seems to involve moreplex transactions, with multiple traders, not just one-on-one deals."
As he spoke, Ludwig took a stack of bread slices from the side andid them out on the table, representing different traders.
He then pointed to the bread slices and said, "Transactions can ur between any of these groups, or there can be three-way, four-way, or even more parties involved. Connecting the corresponding lines creates a web or a vortex, involving many people."
Lumian understood Ludwig''s meaning and pondered, "It seems the transaction between the Mother Tree of Desire and the Great Mother is just one part of the vortex. So where is the center of the vortex?"
...
In the square district, outside a vi where several members of the Rose School of Thought''s indulgence faction lived.
Angoulme de Frangois and a group of Purifiers had arrived nearby.
For this mission, he had borrowed a Sealed Artifact from the Inquisition in the market district-his preferred Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, the Sword of the Sun, which was now embedded in the spine of a gray-white humanoid mechanical creation.
Angoulme looked up at the sky, where white clouds floated and the sun wasn''t too intense. He nced around and said, "Squad A, enter with me. Squad B, ambush underground. Squad C, go to the back door..."
After instructing his team, he spread his arms slightly and said, "Saint Vieve and Saint Plessy are watching us. We will surely be victorious! Praise the Sun!"
"Praise the Sun!" every Purifier responded.
Once the squads were in position, Angoulme, wearing a brown wool coat, moved from stillness to motion and charged towards the vi, with the gray-white humanoid mechanical creation following closely.
For this mission, which might involve a demigod from the Rose School of Thought, Angoulme was not too worried. The Archbishop of Trier, Saint Plessy, and the Guardian Angel of Trier, Saint Vive, were not just watching but were also nearby, ready to purify the evil. The main goal was to force the bloody members of the Rose School of Thought out of hiding. If necessary, They could destroy the entire vi, purifying both the Beyonders and the ordinary people who worshiped evil gods together.
Although Angoulme believed that some of the ordinary people might still have a chance to be saved-some might not be deeply devoted to the Mother Tree of Desire-their rescue depended on ensuring the safety of his team.
As the captain, his primary responsibility was to his subordinates!
Angoulme was the first to rush through the garden and reach the front door of the vi.
Just then, he saw a white, thin mist rising inside, twisting and turning to form faces of agony that seemed almost real on the ss windows and walls.
Angoulme stopped and prepared to summon Light of Holiness to purify the mist.
Suddenly, deep within the thin white mist, in a room on the second floor of the vi, crimson moonlight began to glow.
It quickly outlined a stiff, sluggish, twisted, and blurry figure.
For some reason, upon seeing the crimson figure, Angoulme and his team felt a sense of awe at an ultimate beauty.
They gazed obsessively at the crimson figure slowly approaching the window,pletely forgetting their mission.
They heard the cries of babies in their ears.
Along with the cries came a sinister, genderless voice: "You''re just in time."
...
In the depths of a primitive ind, where the trees suddenly disappeared.
Relying on the help of someone to circumvent her father''s "ban," Queen Mystic Bernadette once again saw the ck mausoleum built into the hollowed-out mountain.
Most of the mausoleum was part of the mountain itself, with some artificial traces. There were no weeds or vines on its surface. It stood over a hundred meters tall, majestic and grand.
This was where Bernadette''s father, the former Emperor of the Intis Empire, Roselle Gustav, who had created an era,y in eternal rest.
Engraved on the mausoleum''s surface were the Civil Code established and promulgated by Roselle, along with his new social customs and inventions.
In hister years, Roselle had forcefully switched from the Mystery Pryer pathway to the Lawyer pathway, attempting to be the ck Emperor of Sequence 0, but had perished during the apotheosis ritual.
This was an intentional oue because he had suffered severe, hidden corruption after visiting the moon in hister years. He considered using the ck Emperor''s characteristics of eternal tombs and undying order to escape the corruption.
However, after his death, the Beyonder characteristics belonging to the Mystery Pryer and Savant pathways wouldpletely separate, and if he were to be resurrected, only the pure ck Emperor characteristics would be summoned back to his body, preventing him from bing a half-mad entity like the Blood Emperor of the Fourth Epoch who had forcibly switched pathways.
Unfortunately, despitepleting the ck Emperor ritual and gaining the rank of a true god, Roselle found that the hidden corruption could not be escaped even in death.
It kept regenerating.
Thus, Roselle, neither fully dead nor truly alive, sealed himself to prevent beingpletely altered by the corruption.
Bernadette had visited this ck Emperor mausoleum once before, using the abilities of a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact and Mr. Fool''s help to further seal and protect her father.
She came today to use the method of multiple corruptions entangling each other to achieve bnce, hoping to free her father from his current state and revive him. Afterward, she could wait for Mr. Fool to awaken and perform the best seal on the corruption. This way, even if it wasn''t Mr. Fool who awakened but rather The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, her father could barely maintain himself through his own bnce.
For this, she was willing to push some gray transactions. She had also prepared extensively based on her foresight to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
This time, Bernadette encountered no obstacles or attacks like before and smoothly reached her father''s mausoleum.
This confirmed one of the traders the Broker Perle had roped in.
And this trade might involve more than two parties!
"You can now perform the ritual to let the desired corruption enter the mausoleum," Overseer Perle said with a smile to Queen Mystic Bernadette. "But I need the Magic Wishing Lamp as a medium."
0-05, the Magic Wishing Lamp! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Bernadette replied calmly, "That wasn''t part of the deal."
Perle sighed with a smile.
"It would make the ritual simpler and more effective.
"But it''s okay. The trade you facilitated to bring me here has pleased my master, and I have received a new boon. I can try toplete the ritual on my own with the corresponding items."
As she spoke, Perle spread her arms, her body gradually turning into white mist.
The mist expanded, slowly rotating to form a vortex.
Chapter 865 The Traders
Chapter 865 The Traders
865 The Traders
As clusters of gray-white crystals were enveloped by the mist and disintegrated, blending into it, Perle''s white mist expanded rapidly into a gigantic, peculiar vortex.
Within the vortex, the Overseer''s face flickered in and out of view, sometimes distorted, sometimes normal.
She looked up at the sky, her voice bing ethereal, and spoke using the Words of Order, "Bernadette offers the location of Roselle''s mausoleum on the primitive ind, the ce for the vortex ritual, and some materials in exchange for a gray trade. She requests that the great Uncertain Mist bestow a blessing upon Roselle, bringing bnce to the corruption within Him."
As soon as Perle finished speaking, a light appeared within the white vortex.
Within the light was a deep, dark void, at the center of which was a solid, massive shrouded inyers of ever-changing white mist.
Suddenly, a wisp of white mist that could envelop the detached itself and moved towards the edge of the light, as if encountering an invisible barrier.
That wisp of white mist spread out, bing intangible, and then, using the power of the ritual, a medium containing the truth, and the cracks in the invisible barrier, it prated magically, merging with the white mist that Perle had be,nding on her sometimes grim, sometimes smiling, blurred face.
The two fused into one.
Then, arge part of the white mist that Perle had transformed into separated and flowed like a river towards the ck mausoleum built into the hollowed-out mountain, seeping inside continuously.
Queen Mystic Bernadette turned her back on the mausoleum.
Her chestnut hair suddenly parted, and a pair of cold, merciless, transparent eyes grew at the back of her head. Other facial features slowly formed around these eyes, blurring together.
It seemed like another her was emerging.
Through this, Bernadette glimpsed several scenes inside the ck mausoleum, confirming that her father, Roselle, was being enveloped by the white mist.
The mist slowly eroded Roselle''s body, beginning to distort the constantly regenerating corruption, slowing it down.
Likewise, it distorted the force that rapidly killed the new corruption.
Due to the difference in quantity between the white mist corruption and the original corruption, it would take some time to maintain the ritual to achieve true bnce.
At this moment, the mid-morning sun in the blue sky with white clouds suddenly zed intensely, as if sensing the dangerous gray trade happening on this primitive ind.
With the white mist strengthened by the wisp from the light, Perle''s face became more blurred and abstract, the corresponding mist expanding topletely envelop the treeless area, though it did not approach Bernadette or the ck mausoleum.
One by one, points of light appeared within the mist.
Perle''s distorted face turned to one of these points of light and, in an even more ethereal and elusive voice, said, "The great Supernova Dominator agrees to intervene fully, suppressing the barrier so that all true gods in the astral world cannot interfere with the matters inside the barrier..."
Before Perle could finish speaking, a blinding light suddenly emerged within the point of light she was gazing at, bright enough to devour all darkness and blind an Angel. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
With this change, the sky was illuminated as if a shbang had been thrown into a dark room.
Even Perle, protected by the ritual, had to close her eyes.
Neither she nor Queen Mystic Bernadette could see the high sky bing void, with a transparent barrier full of cracks deep within the void.
Within that void, there was a drawn sun, a gigantic entity shrouded in dense darkness, a terrifying figure surrounded by a storm of lightning, a pair of brass-colored eyes opening within the cracks, a corner filled with wheat, flowers, and springs, and a faint glow presenting vague scenes of civilization...
A massive, heavy, and profound "fireball" crashed heavily onto the invisible barrier with many cracks, exploding with a dazzling light that illuminated the voidpletely, making the abstract patterns seem nearly transparent.
This didn''t cause widespread earthquakes within the barrier; it merely temporarily blinded people.
In the white mist, Perle''s face, with closed eyes, continued speaking with the Words of Order, "What He needs in return is for the seal on the ship beneath Port Santa to be broken."
As soon as Perle finished speaking, one of the points of light grew slightly, showing a scene of the deep blue sea.
Finally, the bright light prating the barrier became less dazzling, and Perle opened her eyes, looking at the deep blue sea within the point of light. In an ethereal voice, she said, "Topsy of the School of Deliciousness is willing to pay this price..."
As Perle spoke, a terrifying vortex suddenly formed in the deep blue sea.
A monster emerged from the vortex, towering dozens or hundreds of meters high, with a lower body resembling a giant snake covered in shark-like skin with hidden evil patterns. The upper body split into nine necks, each with a different head-some resembling snakes, some like giant sharks, some with wet ck wolf heads, some possibly of legendary dragons...
The most bizarre central head appeared human but had only a mouth left, with teeth sharp enough to crush anything.
This head lunged at the invisible force sealing the sea, biting it furiously, while the other heads either devoured the fish in the sea, spewed venom at the seal, or tried to use their abilities to affect the seal...
"What he needs is..." Perle''s voice reached Queen Mystic Bernadette''s ears through the white mist, "for the Angel of the great Primordial Hunger to return!"
Outside the white mist, Bernadette had conjured an ancient-style spear. This spear had appeared in ancient times and was stained with the blood of a great being, covered in dark red spots and stains, seemingly capable of harming true gods.
Mystical Re-enactment, Spear of Longinus!
Bernadette hurled the spear emitting a destructive aura into the white mist, not targeting Perle but the point of light that had grownrger.
She intended to stop the subsequent gray trades, preventing the vortex from spinning further and causing real harm. After all, she had achieved her goal, and maintaining it for a while longer would suffice!
The Spear of Longinus pierced the white mist, hitting the point of light showing the deep blue sea.
However, it didn''t dim or extinguish the point of light, as if it had struck a phantom.
As the ancient spear dissipated, Perle''s exaggeratedly smiling face turned towards Bernadette.
"The vortex has formed; unless you kill me, it won''t stop.
"And if I die now, Roselle won''t achieve true bnce, and the broken fragile bnce won''t be restored."
Bernadette froze.
Perle then looked at another point of light and, in an ethereal voice, said, "Offering help to Topsy of the School of Deliciousness is Mr. Higdon of the Order of All Extinction."
The point of light Perle was gazing at grew slightly, revealing a luxurious room.
In the room, an elderly man with neatlybed graying hair sat quietly on an antique armchair.
He wore a crisp white shirt and ck suit with a gray bow tie, his handsome but stern face showing intermittent festering and oozing from exposed skin, with maggots crawling out asionally.
His deep, maic voice reached the white mist and Perle''s face: "But I don''t know where the target is in Trier."
Perle''s twisted smile widened, her gaze shifting to another point of light at an angle above.
That point of light grew, revealing a dimly lit room with closed doors and windows.
Sunlight streamed in through the ss windows, illuminating countless dust particles floating in the air.
Below the dust was an old wooden loom, with a ck-haired woman sitting beside it, her hair reaching her waist.
The woman had an ethereal demeanor and delicate features but kept her eyes shut, constantly pulling out her hair and weaving it into the threads on the loom.
Tears of pusden blood streamed from her eyes, her left arm severed and fallen to the ground, her skirt covering her empty legs, with a graceful female statue standing behind her. The statue, originally faceless, gradually grew features resembling the woman''s.
The hair-threads on the loom shimmered with faint light, containing a wealth of information.
Seemingly hearing Overseer Perle''s question, the woman brushed her fingers over several ck hair-threads on the loom.
The threads she touched lit up, revealing the corresponding information: "The indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought brought the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess to Trier, trying to get as close as possible to Fourth Epoch Trier. They did it covertly, avoiding detection by Trier''s demigods..."
"The temperance faction of the Church of The Fool discovered the indulgence faction''s movements and the presence of an important item early but hesitated to act immediately. They waited for the right moment toplete their investigation, missing the opportunity..."
"Lumian Lee and Ludwig moved to a safe house in District 14''s botanical garden in Trier. If he knew how immense this vortex would be, he would have regretted not teleporting directly to the New City of Silver with hispanions. But how could he have known?"
These intertwined destinies formed a foreseeable future.
Overseer Perle''s ethereal voice echoed in the room, "The founder of the Dreamseekers, Fate''s Attendant, Hloise, is responsible for weaving the entire matter, ensuring it progresses smoothly without alerting higher beings. She will also provide the locations of two Angels..."
As Perle spoke, the woman named Hloise plucked a strand of destiny thread representing Lumian and Ludwig moving to the new safe house.
A bit of light jumped out, splitting into three fragments that entered the white mist transformed by Perle and flew in different directions.
Chapter 866 The Painting
Chapter 866 The Painting
866 The Painting
In Trier, within the botanical garden, inside the wooden house.
Lumian and the others were blinded by the sudden bright light from the sky, unable to open their eyes for a full minute.
Ludwig was the first to recover. He ran to the window and looked out at the nts, as if searching for something.
Lumian was the second to recover. He frowned and said to Franca, Jenna, and Anthony, "Is this the start of the vortex? It''s quite amotion."
"I wonder if it will affect us," Franca said just as a strong sense of danger washed over her.
In such matters, Demonesses always had keen intuition.
Almost simultaneously, Jenna eximed, "It will definitely affect us! I have a feeling we can''t stay here any longer!"
Lumian paused for a moment, then quickly whispered, "Termiboros, you didn''t warn me because what''s about to happen is something you want to see?"
As he spoke, Lumian signaled to Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and Lugano toe closer. They each grabbed his arm, shoulder, and vest.
The only one whocked the tacit understanding was Ludwig.
Lumian looked at the young boy and said sternly, "Do you want to be punished with homework? Get over here!"
Ludwig''s face showed fear, and he instinctively turned his body. But the next second, he reluctantly looked back out the window.
He didn''t know what he was waiting for; he just felt he should stay here, waiting for something very important.
"Hmm?" Lumian urged again.
Ludwig''s expression changed, and he finally couldn''t resist the authority of his godfather and his fear of schoolwork and exams. He ran over to Lumian, grabbing his ck vest.
Stillcking tacit understanding, the ritual can''t be consideredplete... Lumian sighed inwardly and activated the ck mark on his right shoulder.
He needed to teleport thisrge group to the New City of Silver, to the headquarters of the Church of The Fool!
Lumian sawyers of dense colors and countless transparent, strange figures, along with the seven pure, bright lights always far overhead.
He was about to travel through the familiar spirit world to the coordinates representing the New City of Silver when his body suddenly felt heavy, pulling him away from this fantastical, mysterious, mad, and illusory world. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lumian found himself and the others back in the wooden house within the botanical garden, in the same state as when Ludwig had just grabbed his vest.
With his extensive experience, Lumian''s eyes narrowed, and he warned hispanions, Franca and Jenna, "Circle Inhabitant!"
...
Outside Emperor Roselle''s mausoleum on the primitive ind, in the area in front of the tomb shrouded in thin white mist.
The three pieces of information that flew out from the point of light where Fate''s Attendant Hloise was locatednded on three different points of light.
One was where Higdon of the Order of All Extinction was, another seemed to be inside a tunnel under Trier, where a figure holding a carbidemp, dressed in a ck robe, and looking different from those from the Northern and Southern Continents, was the visitor from Easter Ind named Harrison.
The third point of light first showed darkness, then outlined a figure. This figure was in his fifties, with a thick head of hair with a hint of white, and clear, deepke-blue eyes.
He was a man with neatly trimmed facial hair, and his features were well-defined.
Even at his age, he could be considered handsome.
Voisin Sanson!
Circle Inhabitant of the Sinners, Voisin Sanson!
The father of Roche Louise Sanson, the original identity of Aurore, a follower of Inevitability, Voisin Sanson!
As soon as Voisin Sanson, dressed in a ck suit, received the information about Lumian, Ludwig, and the others'' location, he disappeared into the darkness of the expanding point of light.
Higdon of the Order of All Extinction also quickly left his room, no longer participating in this real-time,plex trade without physical distance.
Overseer Perle showed no surprise at this. With her ethereal voice, she announced the progress of the trade, "Voisin Sanson of the Sinners has obtained crucial information about the recovery of the Inevitability Angel. The corresponding price will be paid by the great Circle of Inevitability.
"Mr. Higdon of the Order of All Extinction has begun his actions. The reward will be given after hepletes the recovery of the Angel of Primordial Hunger and provides some assistance to Voisin Sanson, paid by Loki of April Fool''s..."
As Perle''s words spread, and with the invocation of those honorific names, the area around the white mist grew increasingly dim and uncertain, shadows rising as if a terrifying will was about to descend.
Normally, Perle shouldn''t have known or spoken of information regarding great beings, as it would bring extremely terrible and severe consequences. After all, after convincing the gray-leaning Queen Mystic Bernadette with previous events, she had only received a new blessing through a substantial sacrifice, bing a true Vortex Weaver, but not yet reaching the rank of an Angel.
However, she was currently under the protection of the vortex ritual and had just epted a wisp of mist transmitted by her faith''s truth, the Uncertain Mist, allowing her to remain unaffected. Her understanding of those great beings came from that wisp of mist, previously only contacting corresponding secret organizations and underground cults to reach rtively certain agreements.
At this moment, Bernadette disintegrated herself into strands of information, surging towards Perle''s face within the gray mist in a vast torrent.
She hoped to influence the other party in this way, preventing the subsequent trades from progressing but without destroying the current ritual.
Perle''s face,posed of mist, suddenly dispersed, disappearing from Bernadette''s perception.
The vast torrent of information surged forward, seemingly lost in the white mist, unable to find the true location of the target.
Soon, the torrent of information separated from the white mist and reformed Bernadette''s body. Perle''s face then reappeared in different parts of the white mist, sometimes smiling, sometimes cursing, sometimes pretending to be friendly, sometimes babbling.
These faces converged inward, once again forming Perle''s sometimes distorted, sometimes normal blurred face within the depths of the white mist.
Perle continued speaking with the Words of Order, "Harrison from Easter Ind has received information about Lumian Lee''s location. After the vortex ritual ends, he will use the special mirror world to visit Fourth Epoch Trier, paying a special item of the Fate pathway as a reward.
"This is the item Fate''s Attendant Madam Hloise wishes to obtain..."
As Perle announced the new trade, a half-body figure that was nearly transparent and quite ethereal grew from Bernadette''s back.
This figure looked identical to Bernadette, even in clothing. She held a pale mask with only holes for the eyes, shining with a metallic luster, and quickly put it on.
Pale Death!
Another Grade 0 Sealed Artifact Sealed Artifact owned by Bernadette, Pale Death!
She intended to use this to control Perle.
At that moment, Bernadette''s vision blurred suddenly, and the surrounding environment and distances became exceptionally chaotic.
She was passively shifted in position, hearing an unusually familiar deep voice in her ear: "Bernadette..."
...
Outside the ck Emperor''s mausoleum, within the increasingly dense and varied white mist.
In an underground location somewhere in Trier, within his corresponding point of light, Harrison took out an item.
It was a thumb-sized, colorful bead with a ss-like texture, exuding a calming aura.
Harrison then threw the bead into the surrounding white mist.
Under Overseer Perle''s gaze, the bead passed through Harrison''s corresponding point of light, through the dense white mist, and into the point of light where Dreamseeker founder-Hloise-was.
The delicate woman weaving fate caught the colorful, ss-like bead with her remaining right hand.
Her tightly shut eyes suddenly saw a scene: A bald man in a yellow robe with a strange cape sat cross-legged on a bed, a halo of pure light behind his head. Deep within the halo seemed to lead to the unknown, hiding many things.
Hloise put down the bead, pulled out another strand of hair, andpleted thest bit of her task.
It was a blessing.
A blessing from fate!
"Project Vortex will be sessfullypleted."
Hloise''s ck hair carried this message, woven into the previous threads.
With a swish, arge piece of skin on the right half of Hloise''s face was torn off by an invisible force, revealing the bloody, wriggling flesh beneath.
She had not yet be an Angel and could not normally weave such far-reaching fate. She could only forcefullyplete it with the goddess''s statue, but each weave brought severe damage. Her eyes had gone blind in the process, and her feet, legs, left arm, and fingers had also been broken.
Of course, as long as she did not die on the spot, she could obtain special medicine for treatment through transactions with Brokers.
Overseer Perle''s face in the white mist turned her gaze to another point of light.
This point of light showed a scene of an altar inside an ancient castle, surrounded by intact but lifeless bodies, their flesh and bones made into brushes and paints.
A man with long hair, empty eyes, and a frenzied expression hadpleted the preliminary preparations at the center of the altar.
It was a nearly finished, eerie oil painting, just two strokes away frompletion.
The painting depicted an endless, dark starry sky with blood-red circles on the left, resembling a special tunnel or a creature''s mouth. On the right, numerous silver-white and ck flickered from bone powder, just short of forming a ring.
Overseer Perle''s voice resonated.
"The string believer, Mr. Sage of the Fantasy Association, has sacrificed many bestowed and followers and is about toplete a magnificent and outstanding painting!
"Next, we will witness the unveiling of that painting. Mr. Sage''s reward will be personally given by the great Uncertain Mist at the end of the vortex ritual, which is also what the great being he believes in wants to see."
Chapter 867 Exerting Influence
Chapter 867 Exerting Influence
867 Exerting Influence
The man known as Mr. Sage used a brush made of bone and hair, dipped it into the paint made from flesh and blood, and painstakingly applied it to the depths of the blood-red circles.
Perle''s ethereal voice sounded once again.
"This is an outstanding painting representing the endless cosmos. Oncepleted, it will allow two great beings to transmit a bit of Their power into the barrier. Although this cannot be used for targeted attacks or corruption, it can exert more universal influence ording to predetermined rules..."
Before Perle could finish speaking, Mr. Sage, with his long hair and vacant eyes, finally pressed the human hair and bone brush onto the predetermined spot.
His right side suddenly melted like a candle, with flesh flowing towards the brush, racing into the depths of the blood-red circles. lt seemed as though it really connected to the endless cosmos, where no matter how much flesh umted, it eventually vanished.
Mr. Sage, left with only half a body and half a head, still had not died. He caught the falling brush with his left hand.
On the oil painting, a pin-sized dot appeared in the depths of the blood-red circles.
It was dark, as if a sound was emanating from it.
Perle''s face in the white mist announced the results of the trade with the Words of Order, "The great Inextinguishable Ravings has transmitted the First Philosophy, allowing the Immortal Voice to prate the barrier in small amounts. These will be received by all who can hear unknown and mystical voices. The higher the Sequence, the greater the impact!
"And some faithful followers of the First Philosophy will, after the vortex ritual is truly over, approach the remnants of the Knowledge Moor in Fourth Epoch Trier with the help of the Mirror People..."
...
Trier, at the real residence of Professor and Associate Professor.
Just recovering from the sudden burst of brilliant light and barely able to see their surroundings, Professor and Associate Professor were worried about the current anomalies. They discussed whether to take the children to the small sacrificial square in the underground catbs, their expressions changing.
Instinctively, they raised their hands to cover their ears, but their facial muscles still twisted, and the veins on their temples bulged and throbbed.
They heard an indescribable strange sound, causing both physical and mental anguish.
In their pain, Professor and Associate Professor exchanged nces, seeing the confusion in each other''s eyes.
This wasn''t the voice of the Hidden Sage!
This was an unprecedented situation for Professor and Associate Professor.
Although they asionally discovered some mysterious sounds while researching Warlock spells and exploring certain special scenarios, aside from the indoctrination by the Hidden Sage, they had never encountered such unannounced sounds. Moreover, even without carefully distinguishing the content of the sounds, they suffered severe effects.
Fortunately,pared to the indoctrination of the Hidden Sage, this seemed more bearable and did not push them to the brink of losing control.
Most Beyonders of the Mystery Pryer pathway, upon hearing these mysterious terrifying sounds, witnessed a phantom lightposed ofplex information writhing madly like a shedding giant snake in an unknown ce.
...
In the basement of the house where the Psychic magazine was located.
Mr. K, wearing a ck robe and hood, suddenly stood up from the red-backed chair.
The veins on the back of his exposed hands had turned ck, writhing like insects.
"No, no..." Mr. K muttered in pain, "It''s not the Lord''s voice!"
He suddenly shouted, pulling off his hood and sticking his fingers into his ears.
Mr. K''s face hadpletely twisted, making his original appearance unrecognizable. He continually muttered in a voice filled with more mental agony than physical pain: "It''s not the Lord''s voice! It''s not the Lord''s voice!"
Amidst the grating sound, Mr. K used both hands to tear off his ears, the ripped flesh grotesque and terrifying.
It wasn''t enough!
Mr. K forcefully inserted his fingers into his ear canals, puncturing his eardrums and clogging his ear passages.
Yet, he still heard the sound.
He prostrated, lying on the ground, and tearfully repented to his Lord.
As he repented, he vomited clumps of blood-stained organs. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Simr to Mr. K, some Angels, Saints, and Oracles of the Aurora Order also suffered intense and painful effects, making it difficult to follow the Lord''smands to stop something.
...
In the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
A majestic mountain range was surrounded by strange light, with dense darkness at its core.
At the edge of the light, various twisted shadows continued to form, rushing madly like moths into the darkness at the center.
The darkness asionally split open, revealing a gaze from behind the veil.
...
On the bloody altar in the ancient castle, Mr. Sage pressed the human hair and bone brush into a pile of silver-ck bone powder made from some unknown substance.
The painter, now only half a body and half a head, twisted the brush forcefully, then raised it, aiming it at thest unfinished part of the "Endless Cosmos" oil painting.
As the brush fell, Mr. Sage''s remaining half-body and half-head also began to melt like a candle.
Soon, the brush, carrying the painter,pleted the silver-ck ring.
Almost simultaneously, the ring became ethereal, as if scratched, and seemed to merge into the air.
Three faint figures appeared on the silver-ck ring, constantly changing positions as if eternally chasing each other.
The "Endless Cosmos" oil painting waspleted, but Mr. Sage would never see this work.
Overseer Perle''s voice sounded once more: "The great Circle of Inevitability has gazed upon this. All external forces attempting to interfere with Project Vortex will inevitably fail, except for the participants themselves."
...
Above the blue sea, in the sky where the strong light had driven away the white clouds.
Madam Magician, dressed in a women''s shirt and brown ankle-length skirt, appeared with Miss Justice and Ma''am Hermit.
Thetter not only wore her usual sses but also hadyers of dazzling starlight covering her ears.
When the mysterious, terrifying, and unknown sound appeared earlier, Madam Magician had sealed Ma''am Hermit''s listening abilities in both the literal and mystical senses.
Although this could notpletely iste the sound''s influence, it significantly reduced its effect, allowing Ma''am Hermit to perform basic actions and Warlock spells.
Gazing at the blue sea below, Madam Magician frowned slightly and said, "I clearly pinpointed the ind where the Emperor slumbers.
"This is the third failure, a failed wandering...
"Inevitable failure?"
Only Miss Justice, wearing a white dress with golden patterns, could hear The Magician''s voice.
Miss Justice was about to ry the question to Ma''am Hermit through mentalmunication when The Hermit, dressed in a patterned purple robe, foresaw a certain scene.
Enduring the pain, The Hermit used Fairytale Magic to create a brightly colored, somewhat unrealistic ball of yarn in her palm.
Ma''am Hermit threw the yarn forward, watching it roll into the void, leaving only a thread in the air to guide the direction.
In the blink of an eye, the ethereal yarn rolled back from the void to Ma''am Hermit''s feet.
...
In Trier, the vi where several members of the Rose School were hiding was enveloped in holy and pure light, forming a slowly shaping golden sun.
There was no shadow or darkness here.
Angoulme de Francois and his team were awakened by Saint Vive''s attack on the vi.
They immediately received Saint Plessy''s order to evacuate the area.
But before they could turn around, they were nearly blinded by the brilliant light exploding from above, their bodies and minds in shock.
When the light subsided, they recovered and ran frantically towards the street away from the vi.
Angoulme was most grateful that the surrounding residents had already been evacuated.
After running for a while, his vision blurred, and his thoughts became hazy.
He found himself and his team back where they had been standing, affecting Saint Vive''s performance.
...
In Trier, high above the city.
Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Star, and Mr. Moon''s figures quickly appeared.
"We can''t find Seven of Wands and Two of Cups, or rather, we can''t reach the safe house they''re hiding in," said Mr. Hanged Man, dressed as a captain and riding a storm. He quickly understood the situation and spoke to Mr. Star, wearing a white shirt, ck coat, and red gloves, and Mr. Moon, dressed in a tailcoat.
Mr. Moon, with his handsome face, crimson eyes, andrge bat wings gently pping behind him, did not respond.
He turned his head, looking towards a ce in the za district where bright light had erupted, and murmured in confusion, "The Ancestor''s summoning?"
Mr. Star, with an elderly voice, said, "It''s the influence of the power of Inevitability."
"Yes," said the Madam Judgment in knight''s training clothes, emerging from the void. "I sensed the calls of Two of Cups and Seven of Cups, but I can''t descend to them."
Mr. Star continued in his elderly voice, "There are only two ways to solve this problem. One is to find the medium allowing the power of Inevitability to seep through and destroy it. The other is to discover ws in the operation of Inevitability''s power and use them to escape the predicament. Of course, this all assumes that the being named Inevitability is only exerting a slight influence through a medium and has not descended into our world."
"Find the medium..." Madam Judgment murmured, then said, "I''ll ask Will for help!"
As she spoke, a diamond on her gemstone bracelet lit up with pure light.
At the same time, worms made of intertwined transparent and opaque segments, seemingly ringed, crawled out of Mr. Star''s eye sockets, ears, and nostrils.
Chapter 868 Confrontation
Chapter 868 Confrontation
868 Confrontation
High above Trier, an ancient, mottled, gigantic shadow emerged. It resembled a stone-carved wall clock, divided into twelve segments. Each segment was either gray-white or dark green, intermixed yet distinct, each marked with different symbols.
ng!
The ethereal chime seemed to traverse through ages, making all of Trier appear frozen in time.
In this brief stasis, transparent and opaque worms with twelve rings crawled frantically, burrowing into various ces, seeking patterns to deceive and escape the influence of fate.
Lumian and the others were also momentarily immobilized by the ancient-sounding chime.
Not long ago, upon hearing Lumian mention the term "Circle Inhabitant," Franca and Jenna both took out a tarot card from the Traveler''s Bag.
The tarot card depicted an angel sounding a trumpet to guide the departed.
Major Arcana card, Judgment!
Next, the two Demonesses softly chanted in Hermes, "Rain judgment!"
They felt Madam Judgment''s response, but it was faint, unable to establish a true connection.
The two Demonesses instantly understood that this botanical garden or the surrounding area of the cabin was under more severe restrictions, not just the influence of the Circle Inhabitant''s abilities.
While they sought Madam Judgment''s descent, Lumian, Anthony, and Lugano watched as their cabin rapidly decayed and copsed, like a long-buried tree trunk disintegrating into the soil.
Boom!
A zing-white fireball shot upward, sting apart the copsing ceiling, preventing the rotting wood from touching anyone present.
As the cabin decayed and copsed, Lumian saw two figures appear several dozen meters ahead.
One figure was slender, of medium height, wearing a crisp white shirt and ck suit, with a gray bow tie. His features were sharp and pronounced.
Although he appeared elderly, it was clear he had been quite handsome in his youth. His hair was now graying but meticulously groomed, and his face bore brown age spots that seemed ready to fester and ooze.
The other figure was also dressed formally, in his fifties, with thick blond hair flecked with white, eyes as clear as ake, and a meticulously trimmed beard.
Despite his age, he was still strikingly handsome. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Seeing thetter figure, Lumian, though prepared, still forced a hoarse voice from his throat. "Voisin Sanson!"
This was the leader of the Sinner''s Organization, the father of Aurore''s original body, a follower of fate who had brought tragedy to Aurore!
"Sanson, leave those two Demonesses to me," the man with the age spots said, his eyes brightening at the sight of Franca and Jenna, addressing Circle Inhabitant Voisin Sanson.
It wasn''t just a lust for beauty, but a deep-seated attraction from more profound factors.
Voisin Sanson gazed at Lumian, chuckling lightly as he responded to his coborator, "No problem, Higdon."
Lumian suppressed his urge to rush forward for revenge, quickly instructing Ludwig, "You handle the blonde one!"
Last time, Lumian had relied on the residual aura of the Blood Emperor to intimidate Voisin Sanson, causing the Circle Inhabitant''s effect in the painting world to shatter, allowing him to escape. This time, the residual aura of the Blood Emperor was sealed by the Underworld Daoist, and having suffered once, Voisin Sanson would surely be on guard.
So, Lumian hoped that Ludwig, with his angelic body and rank, could forcibly break the Circle Inhabitant''s influence through brute strength and rank suppression.
lf they didn''t break free from the Circle Inhabitant, no matter how much effort he, Franca, Jenna, and the others put in, they would be reset to the current moment, achieving nothing.
Ludwig hesitated, as if saying to Lumian, "Me? Fight that powerful old man? I''m just child!"
On the one hand, Ludwig hadn''t expected to be part of a battle, and on the other, he felt he shouldn''t fight, believing it best to cooperate with the two elders in front of him and let them take him away.
Vaguely, Lumian heard the chime again, his thoughts briefly blurred.
Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and the opposing Voisin Sanson and Higdon all had simr feelings.
Quickly regaining hisposure, Lumian swiftly took out ck Tear from the Traveler''s Bag and tossed it to Franca.
From Higdon''s tone and attitude toward Voisin Sanson, Lumian believed he must be a Saint, a true demigod. Thus, Franca could only rely on ck Tear to hold off the opponent long enough to break the Circle Inhabitant''s effect.
Tossing ck Tear to Franca, Lumian urged Ludwig again, "Go! I''ll prepare a grand feast for youter!"
Ludwig hesitated, but his feet remained firmly nted.
At this moment, Voisin Sanson and Higdon,cking angelic rank, seemed sluggish under some strange influence, not attacking swiftly.
Lumian''s voice grew imposing, roaring, "Do you want to be sent back to the Church of Knowledge?"
Ludwig, startled, turned immediately towards Voisin Sanson.
"Don''t you enjoy your current life?" Lumian added, based on his understanding of Ludwig.
Ludwig pursed his lips, then stuffed a piece of chocte into his mouth, sprinting towards Voisin Sanson.
Lumian signaled Franca and Jenna, who had just shaken off the sluggishness.
He meant for Franca to engage Higdon, stalling him, with Jenna assisting Franca but avoiding directbat.
Franca and Jenna nodded solemnly.
Franca wrapped the ck Tear essory around her wrist, her figure swiftly disappearing.
Jenna also vanished from sight.
Without hesitation, Lumian retrieved the Devil''s Whispers bone ring and slipped it onto his right middle finger.
His body instantly ignited with blue-purple mes, exuding a strong sulfuric scent, and malice surged forth.
He was grateful that he had vented most of his pent-up desires and emotions during this period, feeling much better than when he used the Hisoka relic in Morora.
He then grasped the hilt of the Sword of Courage and drew it from the Traveler''s Bag.
Courage filled Lumian''s body as he stared at Voisin Sanson, who sought to control Ludwig''s insignificant fate, transforming into a long spear of zing white-blue me, and hurled it forward.
Revenge! Revenge!
I won''t back down!
Before using the Sword of Courage, Lumian had devised a strategy: Franca and Jenna would stall Higdon, while he and Ludwigunched a strong assault on Voisin Sanson, attempting to break the Circle Inhabitant''s influence. Anthony would support both sides and act as an external brain.
As for Lugano, he wouldn''t participate in the battle, instead finding opportunities to provide healing.
...
Inside the dim "ck Emperor" mausoleum, dark walls surrounded a central ck tform.
Atop the tform was a giant chair that appeared to be made of ck iron, engraved withplex, twisted patterns. The top of the chair back extended into the shape of a crown.
A massive ck shadow sat on the heavy chair, its facial features gradually bing clear: Blue eyes, a high nose, thin lips, and well-groomed mustache...
The shadow''s body also became clearer, seemingly d in ck armor and a luxurious cloak.
Roselle Gustav.
The Intis Emperor who named an era after himself!
He was constantly being reborn and dying, but both processes were distorted and slowed, allowing him to awaken and partially manifest.
Seeing Roselle like this, Bernadette''s eyes welled up, and she cried out in both pain and joy, "Dad!"
Roselle''s eyes turned blood-red, and his face cracked open to reveal glowing red slits.
But these vanished after another round of death and rebirth.
Regardless of whether he was dying or being reborn, both processes slowed even further.
Roselle looked at his eldest daughter and sighed. "Didn''t I tell you never toe back?"
Bernadette, her expression resolute, replied, "Dad, I want to save you!
"I don''t dare gamble on whether the one who wakes up is Mr. Fool or The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings. At the very least, I want to ensure you can stay conscious and stable without Their help."
Queen Mystic paused, her voice heavy before adding, "Moreover, I can''t predict when the apocalypse wille or what the oue will be. I don''t want to wait any longer."
Roselle sighed with a hint of relief.
"Silly child...
"Who helped you bypass my restrictions and return here?"
"It was that individual." Bernadette didn''t hide anything from her father.
"Adam? The current True Creator?" Roselle wasn''t surprised at all.
Bernadette nodded lightly.
Roselle sneered, then looked at Bernadette with aplicated expression.
"You chose to coborate with the believers of the Uncertain Mist. Do you know how dangerous that is?"
Bernadette was silent for a moment, then said, "It''s exploitation.
"The forces capable of bncing your corruption are all outside the barrier.
Among them, only the power of the Uncertain Mist can rtively easily prate the barrier and transmit some of it inside.
"I''ve also made some preparations to prevent the vortex from progressing further.
"I deliberately didn''t respond to Cattleya''s letter, so she would participate in the Tarot Club. When she is above the gray fog, she will quickly be aware, and with the strength of the Tarot Club and its connections, once the problem is identified, they can respond effectively...
"I''ve also predicted some of Perle''s trade partners, discovered the movements of the indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought, and arranged for my subordinates to leak it to the temperance faction...
"I''ve also foreseen the oue of this matter, and the situation hasn''t deteriorated.
"That individual also hinted at the same."
Roselle shook his head, his tone slightly grave as he said to Bernadette in a teaching manner, "Perhaps the situation hasn''t deteriorated because many people have sacrificed themselves.
"To Adam, this might be necessary.
"But what about you?"
Chapter 869 The Final Lesson
Chapter 869 The Final Lesson
869 The Final Lesson
Trier, inside the botanical garden.
Higdon from the Order of All Extinction saw the two Demonesses disappear. He immediately raised his right hand and scratched at the dark brown age spots on his face.
The spots instantly festered, releasing maggots simr to those that crawl through corpses, oozing a greenish-yellow pus.
The disgusting pus evaporated upon contact with the air, dispersing without a trace.
Jenna had just circled to Higdon''s side, ready to assist Franca inunching an attack. Suddenly, she felt a wave of lethargy, as if stricken by a sickness called ziness."
It felt as if her desires were wilting, showing signs of decay, and as if parts of her brain were beginning to malfunction.
Following her instinct, Jenna immediately used her Mirror Substitution, not waiting for the problem to worsen and trigger it passively.
The sound of two simultaneous cracks echoed. Franca, who had been sneaking up on Higdon under the cover of Invisibility to release the ck Tear gue, reacted the same way.
Their figures first materialized and then quickly transformed into mirrors.
During this process, as Franca and Jenna''s Mirror Substitutes were still forming, their internal organs sprouted noticeable tumors, autonomously drawing nutrients. Blood vessels around the heart and within the brain rapidly became fragile.
If the Demonesses used pathogens to control diseases, then Higdon''s pathway seemed to represent the pathogens themselves, the very essence of disease.
lf Franca and Jenna hadn''t actively triggered their Mirror Substitution, it would have been much more difficult to deal with the actual tissue changes in their bodies. They would need to perform a ritual, praying to the Primordial Demoness or a corresponding Angel to transfer the disease to a designated mirror, or one would need to stick to the target while the other left the area, allowing Lugano to perform surgerybined with the Doctor''s abilities for treatment.
Meanwhile, the disease had not yet spread. Voisin Sanson, with his blond hair flecked with white, had already found several manipble fragments within Ludwig''s mercury-like river of fate.
As long as he didn''t touch the most critical parts of the Angel''s fate, he needn''t fear bacsh or losing control on the spot.
Simrly, his godhood allowed him to observe most of Ludwig''s fate without peering into fragments containing dangerous scenes or knowledge.
Midway through his dash, Ludwig opened his mouth and extended his hand, intending to strip away the Circle Inhabitant''s power from his target. At this moment, Voisin Sanson, who had already raised his arm, gently pressed down, magnifying a specific tributary of fate from a distance.
Thud!
Ludwig, the little boy, tripped over a protruding stone and fell t on his face.
Simultaneously manipting fate, Voisin Sanson directed his gaze towards Lumian, who had transformed into a zing white-blue me spear.
His eyes glowed, instantly emitting two ghostly green beams.
This was a newly contracted ability Voisin Sanson had recently acquired.
The main issue with the Inevitability pathway''s Contractee was that the strength of contracted abilities could not surpass the contracted creature''s potential. This meant that early-stage contracted abilities were hard to enhance unless the initial contract was with a demigod-level creature, constrained only by one''s own spirit and flesh from utilizing the ability to its fullest. This could potentially enhance the contracted ability with each sequence advancement.
Below Sequence 4, without the qualitative factor of godhood, even Sequence 7 or 8 level contracted abilities could participate in Sequence 5 level battles and y significant roles. However, at Sequence 4, facing opponents of the same level, most of these abilities would struggle to be effective, necessitating new suitable contracted creatures.
The ghostly green beams struck the zing white-blue me spear directly, giving Lumian no time to dodge.
Yet, the spear contained no trace of Lumian. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
As the fiery spear rapidly withered and extinguished, only scattered mes remained within.
As the figures of the two Demonesses reappeared within the cabin''s ruins, Lumian, wielding the Sword of Courage, materialized behind Voisin Sanson.
Teleport!
After the Abscessed Hand regained aplete body, Lumian''s Spirit World Traversal ability had significantly enhanced!
At this moment, a translucent figure climbed out from Voisin Sanson''s back.
The figure resembled Voisin Sanson but was colder and more indifferent.
This was another ability Voisin Sanson had contracted after bing a Circle Inhabitant, belonging to the domain of death.
He had always guarded against Lumian''s teleportation sneak attacks from behind!
Although this would likely trigger the Circle Inhabitant''s effect, he still had to guard against the unexpected. Moreover, it could be used as a trap.
As the cold, indifferent Voisin Sanson specter rushed towards him, Lumian''s thoughts began to sink, his body cooling. The zing white-blue mes on the Sword of Courage gradually dimmed.
...
On the primitive ind housing the ck Emperor mausoleum, within the thick white fog.
Perle''s ever-changing face cast its gaze on three light points.
The next phase was the most crucial part of Project Vortex.
As Perle''s face shifted, two of the three light points suddenly expanded.
One revealed a vi shrouded in white fog, permeated with a blood-red figure yet enveloped in divine light; The other was hazy, as if a figure hung suspended in mid-air, wrapped in yellowing bandages, pierced entirely by countless brownish branches, with thorns and rosebushes entwined. Though constantly intertwining, the roses and thorns continuously wilted and fell.
The suspended figure''s belly asionally swelled and deted, as if new life was stirring within.
Beside the figure stood a massive tree covered in ck tar-like substance. Its limbs, serving as branches, sprouted eerie, terrifying hands, with countless bloodshot ck and white eyes rolling over its surface.
Another light point had already expanded, revealing a member of the School of Deliciousness, Topsy, devouring an invisible seal over the ocean.
...
Inside the dim ck Emperor mausoleum.
Hearing her father''s question, Bernadette remained silent for two seconds before saying, "I will do my best to prevent it."
Roselle looked at his eldest daughter and smiled with a sigh. "Everyone makes mistakes. In my youth, no, even until I was trapped here, afraid to resurrect, I kept making mistakes, doing many wrong things, some even bad. Only when I resided in this mausoleum, asionally gaining some peace and rity, did I finally reflect seriously on my past life, realizing some of my choices caused a lot of unnecessary harm. Of course, I also did many right things, many good things."
Seeing Bernadette''s expression turn gloomy yet stubborn, Roselle affectionately raised his right hand, pressing down. "Don''t me yourself too much. I''m actually very happy and relieved about your choices and actions. Seeing my little princess willing to defy her long-held principle of ''do as you wish, but do no harm,'' willing to risk falling into the abyss to save her old father, makes me genuinely happy and relieved. It shows I didn''t love you in vain, that my family life wasn''t such a failure!"
The increasingly clear figure stood up from the massive ck iron chair.
He descended the tform, walking to Bernadette, opening his arms.
Bernadette, momentarily dazed, felt like a child again, instinctively throwing herself into her father''s embrace, feeling that familiar yet no longer warm broad chest.
After a brief hug, Roselle stroked Bernadette''s chestnut hair, then walked past her, heading towards the mausoleum''s entrance, his figure growingrger.
"Dad?" Bernadette turned, calling out instinctively.
Roselle turned his head, smiling. "The vortex ritual has already begun. Due to the unique characteristics of the Uncertain Mist''s pathway, it will be hard to stop the subsequent transactions from proceeding. Even if you want to kill that woman, it''s unlikely to be aplished.
"But it doesn''t matter, Dad will handle it."
Bernadette suddenly understood her father''s intention. She took a step forward, trying to catch up, but found the distance between them unbridgeable.
Meanwhile, she urgently shouted, "Dad, your corruption isn''t bnced yet! If the vortex ritual is disrupted, you won''t be able to return to your previous state!"
Roselle stopped at the mausoleum''s entrance, smiling at his anxious, panicked, and pained daughter.
Raising his arm, he said with spirited enthusiasm, "I was an emperor for many years, stood at the pinnacle of human power. I faced true gods, fought Angels, had followers willing to die for me.
"I brought the light of civilization to that era. Even after a century of death, countless people still recite my name. I slept with many beautiful women and controlled countless destinies. Even after my downfall, no longer an emperor, my daughter is still willing to sacrifice everything to save me, to revive me!
"What regrets could I possibly have in this life?"
Bernadette heard the finality in her father''s tone, her eyes reddening, her voice choking, "Dad!"
She used every ability to close the distance, but it was as insurmountable as the separation of heaven and earth.
Roselle''s nearly clear face showed a gentle smile. "Bernadette, do you remember when you were little, and Dad often gave you lessons?"
Tears welled up in Bernadette''s eyes, her vision blurring. "I remember. You taught me words, filled my mind with knowledge, told me many, many fairy tales..."
Queen Mystic''s face was streaked with glistening tears.
Roselle nodded in satisfaction. "I remember too."
He continued with a slight smile, "Today, Dad will give you onest lesson."
Roselle''s expression grew solemn as he looked at Bernadette and dered, "A true gentleman knows what to do and what not to do!"
With that, Roselle turned away, no longer looking at Bernadette.
The ck Emperor mausoleum''s doors swung open instantly.
The outside light shone in, illuminating Roselle''s giant figure, his ck armor, and luxurious cloak.
Bright and radiant.
Chapter 870 Hidden Trap
Chapter 870 Hidden Trap
870 Hidden Trap
As soon as Franca''s figure materialized within the cabin''s ruins, she saw Lumian, behind Voisin Sanson, turning pale. His eyes gradually became hollow, and only the Sword of Courage prevented him from turning into a corpse or triggering his Mirror Substitution. Voisin Sanson, despite having his back to Lumian, raised his left hand, and an indescribable radiance quickly gathered within his fist.
Franca knew she couldn''t passively wait for the Mirror Substitution to trigger.
Perhaps Voisin Sanson''s impending attack could bypass the connection between the substitute and the original, rendering it ineffective.
At their current distance, neither she, Jenna, nor Anthony could awaken Lumian or stop Voisin Sanson in time.
Even if they could, the threat from Higdon was even more imminent and closing in fast!
At this moment, Ludwig was the closest to Lumian and Voisin Sanson. He had just gotten up but still had twenty to thirty meters to cover before reaching them.
In a sh, Franca took a mirror out of her Traveler''s Bag and instantly vanished.
Relying on ck Tear, she appeared in the mirror world, traversing a dark, void-like tunnel into the distance. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Meanwhile, Jenna watched as Franca''s mirror fell to the ground, her attention shifting to Higdon, who was now only a few steps away. His face, mostly rotting and oozing pus, had reached her.
She felt that all the Demoness spider threads she had released had withered and decayed, losing their effectiveness.
At this moment, everyone except Ludwig experienced a moment of disorientation.
When Lumian, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony regained rity, they found themselves back inside the cabin-intact and uncopsed.
Franca felt a surge of joy seeing this.
Her "retreat in the face of battle" wasn''t to escape but to trigger the Circle Inhabitant''s effect, resetting the battle and freeing Lumian from Voisin Sanson''s secret power and Jenna from Higdon''s grip!
Enemy abilities could be used to their advantage!
Finding the trigger point, reverting an adverse situation instantly, meant any dangerous or fatal scenario could be retried. Of course, this was only if they had time to trigger it.
Never thought you could use the enemy''s abilities like this... Jenna, momentarily stunned by this realization, saw the cabin decaying and copsing again, revealing Voisin Sanson and Higdon approaching from a distance.
Lumian wasn''t surprised. He had actively triggered the Circle Inhabitant effect back in Cordu Vige, seeking a reset.
He quickly reached into the Traveler''s Bag, retrieving the ck Tear forehead essory and tossing it to Franca.
Franca shouted, "Stall!"
She had a n for the current predicament: dy until circumstances changed!
Since they couldn''t break Voisin Sanson''s Circle Inhabitant in a short time, they could use it fully. If things went wrong, they could restart, dying until the authorities in Trier noticed the anomaly or the Tarot Club''s Major Arcana card holders found a solution and approached.
As long as the evil gods hadn''t fully invaded this world and the apocalypse hadn''t arrived prematurely, dying would surely bring assistance to cleanse the heretics!
After all, this was the capital of Intis, Trier!
Franca thought this and acted ordingly. She caught the ck Tear forehead essory and threw her Ice Talisman to Jenna.
This way, three people in the group could try to leave the area in different ways to trigger the Circle Inhabitant effect, without worrying about Voisin Sanson and Higdon each locking onto one of them, thus greatly increasing their margin for error.
When Franca suggested this, Lumian was about to retrieve the Sword of Courage, and Ludwig was already instinctively charging towards Voisin Sanson.
Lumian noticed that Voisin Sanson''s expression remained unchanged, despite Franca discovering the weakness of the Circle Inhabitant and nning to dy until the end of the Project Vortex.
He suddenly had a thought. Combining his understanding of the Inevitability pathway, he formed an initial judgment: Voisin Sanson couldn''t allow the Circle Inhabitant to loop infinitely. He likely set a predetermined end for it. Each reset would push everyone closer to that conclusion until it became unavoidable.
From the fact that they could retain their memories after the reset, it was clear that the Inevitability power attached to the Circle Inhabitant effect wasn''t strong.
This endpoint wasn''t far away.
Lumian immediately reminded Franca, "Only one more time!"
In the Inevitability pathway, the number "three" was sacred, with strong mystical symbolism. It represented the past, present, and future, and pointed to the beginning, process, and end. Additionally, the initial number of abilities gained by a Contractee fluctuates around three. Lumian suspected that after three activations of the Circle Inhabitant effect, the fourth reset would lead them directly to the predetermined end, with no way to reverse it.
In other words, three times was the limit, and the fourth would bring the final result. They had already triggered the Circle Inhabitant effect twice.
Franca didn''t understand why Lumian was denying her proposal, why he said they could only use the Circle Inhabitant effect one more time. But she knew Lumian understood the Inevitability pathway better than she did; he was the expert in this area, so she should heed his advice.
Thud!
As Ludwig fell again, Higdon, whose age spots had not yet festered, slowly raised his arms.
He clearly remembered the battle from thest loop and chose a different approach this time.
Higdon''s aura suddenly weakened, as if he was on the brink of death but not quite there yet.
The age spots on his face festered, and his body emitted a strong smell of decay.
He was quickly covered in a thick, disgusting, greenish-yellow pus.
Higdon then vanished, seemingly disintegrating into countless pathogens.
Seeing this, Lumian gripped the Sword of Courage, and zing white-blue mes ignited around him.
The mes quickly spread, circling Franca, Jenna, and the others, protecting them in the center.
Meanwhile, Anthony, who had been observing, solemnly reminded hispanions, "Higdon feels very simr to the ''Winter is Coming'' revolver."
"Winter is Coming?" Franca and Jenna both tensed.
They remembered very clearly that the Winter is Coming revolver had two very powerful abilities: Certain Death and Sure Hit.
The former meant that if hit, even a Saint-level Beyonder would be critically injured and gradually die, while those below demigod level would die instantly unless they had a substitute. Thetter meant that unless they used a substitute before the attack or had a special ability, they would be inevitably hit, and the substitute would fail.
If Higdon was indeed as Anthony described and simr to Winter is Coming, the two Demonesses had to be wary of the Sure Hit ability. After all, their physical strength was certainly notparable to a Hunter of the same sequence. If the substitute failed, even if the attack wasn''t Certain Death, it would severely injure them!
Protected by the white-blue mes, Franca raised her guard and came up with a new n.
She nced at Lumian, who was ready to charge at Voisin Sanson, and quickly told Anthony, "Work with him! Certain Death!"
Franca meant that, with Lumian and Ludwig distracting Voisin Sanson, they should find an opportunity to use the Certain Death ability of Winter is Coming on the Inevitability believer, to see if it could kill him outright, or if the Certain Death effect would be reset by the Circle Inhabitant ability.
As soon as Voisin Sanson died, the Circle Inhabitant effect would naturally be nullified, removing any hidden dangers!
Just as Franca finished speaking, behind her, a greenish-yellow glow quickly condensed within the white-blue mes, forming Higdon covered in thick, disgusting liquid.
The old man was ignited, but he stillshed out at Franca with his arm like a whip.
Sure Hit!
As Franca''s spirituality warning triggered, she immediately used her Mirror Substitution.
Smack!
Her body transformed into a mirror, struck by Higdon''s thick arm, quickly darkening and shattering, falling to the ground with no trace of light, as if buried in soil for a hundred years.
As Lumian prepared to charge at Voisin Sanson, he suddenly pulled back and swung the Sword of Courage at Higdon.
Courage could be strategic too!
Lumian wasn''t afraid of Higdon; he was just concerned that the enemy would flee too quickly, leaving no time to hit his body, so he feigned an attack on Voisin Sanson.
Boom!
As Ludwig fell again, Higdon''s arm, unable to escape, was severed by the explosive and sharp sword. The thick, greenish-yellow liquid covering his body was engulfed by the zing white-blue mes.
Smack!
The severed arm fell to the ground, wriggling and growing rapidly, turning into another Higdon.
Now, there were two Higdons.
The mes covering them quickly dimmed, decayed, and extinguished!
The two Higdons pounced on Franca and Jenna.
Meanwhile, Voisin Sanson, who had nned to magnify a tributary of Franca''s fate to make her substitution fail, suddenly felt a ripple of destiny.
He instantly had an epiphany: No more dys, time is running out!
Voisin Sanson frowned.
He didn''t want to do what came next; it would be extremely painful.
Let it be an umtion for the Sufferer stage... Voisin Sanson raised his right hand, pressing it to his temple, gathering an indescribable radiance.
As the source of the Circle Inhabitant effect, he couldn''t trigger a reset by leaving the area; that would mean truly leaving. He had to kill himself!
Seeing this, Franca and the others felt a strong sense of foreboding.
At that moment, the radiance in Voisin Sanson''s hand strangely dissipated, as if twisted out of itsposition.
Simrly, the two Higdons missed their targets, and Lumian''s Sword of Courage struck nothing.
The sky darkened, and a majestic voice echoed in everyone''s ears: "People of Intis, your emperor has returned!"
Chapter 871 The Critical Part
Chapter 871 The Critical Part
871 The Critical Part
Deep within the primitive ind, amid the pervasive white mist, Perle''s twisted face saw the gates of the ck Emperor mausoleum swing open.
A giant figure d in ck armor and a magnificent cloak emerged with majesty, with a torrent of white mist flowing between Perle and the figure.
Roselle Gustav... Perle''s face instinctively tensed, causing the mist that formed her body to copse inward slightly.
Roselle didn''t spare a nce at the Vortex Weaver. He floated step by step into the air, reaching the edge of an abstract and ethereal strange world, like a rising mountain. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
During this process, the sky dimmed, and the remaining clouds twisted as if something had begun toe alive.
Roselle gazed into the distance, raised his arms, and in a grand voice, he proimed, "People of Intis, your emperor has returned!"
Suddenly, the clouds above were pushed together by an invisible force, swirling downwards to form another terrifying vortex.
The center of this vortex was Roselle Gustav.
Meanwhile, across Intis, those who still followed the order Roselle had established heard the voice of the returning emperor. Most were bewildered, questioning their ears after the recent burst of intense light, while a few turned pale, unable to believe their suspicions.
To the eastern reaches of the sky, a beam of light red up, trembling wildly as if striving to cross the vast distance and reach Roselle''s embrace, causing various distortions. Behind this beam, three more beams appeared, as if pushed by an invisible force, forced to advance prematurely.
In different parts of the world, some people found themselves back home despite having just left, others saw their bright cathedrals turn dark and silent, and some were habitually drinking milk but didn''t notice they were using their nostrils, suffering no harm.
Long-abandonedpulsory education schools strangely lit up, as if filled with students quietly attending sses.
Using his Worms of Time to search for a w in Inevitability''s watch, Pallez found an exploitable point, but the Worms of Time he sent out disobeyed Hismands.
Madam Magician, who was wandering again with Ma''am Hermit and Miss Justice, found herself away from the target location, instead of the sea, and in front of her appeared Madam Judgment and the little boy Will Auceptin holding her hand.
The light dots within the white mist remainedrgely unaffected, only dimming slightly. Perle, the Vortex Weaver, was first startled, then showed a joyous expression.
She hadn''t expected Roselle to step forward, forcibly reviving himself before the ceremony''s end to reim the ck Emperor''s divine throne. Such an oue was beyond her wildest dreams, and she hadn''t even considered having Hloise, the Fate''s Attendant, weave it, but this was undoubtedly a good thing for her and the great entity she worshiped, the Uncertain Mist.
The rewards this time will be immense! Perle had just formed this thought when the Uncertain Mist she was linked to through the ritual conveyed an emotion, tightening their connection and thickening the swirling mist.
Perle sharply turned her gaze towards the vi in Trier, towards the twisted blood shadow emerging from the sacred glow and white mist.
In a drifting voice, she spoke, "The payment for the indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought is the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess, a Sealed Artifact derived from the Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic of the Moon pathway. The one willing to offer a price for it is Madam Hart of the Nightstalkers."
As Perle''s Words of Order echoed, another light dot rapidly expanded.
This light dot revealed a secret chamber, where a vague female statue stood in the center, the walls covered with childlike figures with bird-wed limbs, and the floor piled with expressionless humans.
At that moment, a figure stood before the statue, her belly swollen, face full and beautiful, with emerald eyes sparkling like gems, and brown hair neatly tied up, wearing a simple and loose white robe-a pregnant woman.
Thedy who nurtured a deity!
The twisted blood shadow from the vi in Trier, using the white mist, pierced through the corresponding light dot and appeared beside Perle, then moved towards the light dot where Madam Hart was.
It walked slowly, influenced and twisted by Roselle''s resurrection.
"Madam, you may begin." Perle couldn''t change the situation of the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess and could only ask Madam Hart of the Nightstalkers to provide the price in advance.
Hart nodded gently, turned to face the statue in the chamber, and chanted incantations in a low, indistinct voice.
As the incantation neared its end, the childlike figures on the walls became illusory, transforming into beams of light that entered the statue''s belly. The dazed humans on the floor exploded one by one, returning as flesh and blood to the great mother.
The female statue gradually took on a crimson glow, transforming into a humanoid crimson moon.
Madam Hart then turned and made a cradling motion towards Emperor Roselle in the air.
She called out in ancient Jotun, "Come back, child of the mother!"
Blood-red moonlight seeped from Roselle''s body, leaving him and heading towards the light dot where the female deity statue stood.
These were the pollutants that forced Roselle to seek godhood and death but failed to free himself from.
Now, they were all drawn out, no longer affecting Roselle, no longer attempting to corrupt him.
Roselle''s century-old problem was thus effortlessly solved, but his current state required the corruption of the Uncertain Mist to bnce the corruption of the Great Mother. Removing either would break the bnce!
In the blink of an eye, Roselle was filled with white mist, twisting the speed of passing and the distance between two points, gradually eroding the emperor topletely corrupt him.
Inside the ck Emperor mausoleum, Bernadette saw this and, no longer calm like outside the mausoleum, anxiously shouted, "Adam, where is your promise?"
Roselle remained unaffected by his state change, as if it was within his expectations. He continued to spread his arms, awaiting the return of the ck Emperor''s Uniqueness and three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics.
These were traits unique to the ck Emperor''s true deity. Once revived, regardless of who held the Uniqueness and the three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, they would forcibly return, merging with him without the need for extra rituals or potions!
Crimson moonlight rose from various parts of the primitive ind, coalescing with the pollutants drawn from Roselle into a miniature crimson moon-like object.
Perle''s ethereal voice rang out in time, "Madam Hart requested the Great Mother to reim the corruption from Roselle Gustav. This corruption will be exchanged for the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess and given to the indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought..."
Madam Hart caught the miniature crimson moon trying to return to the mother''s embrace and pushed it out of her light dot.
The miniature crimson moon entered the white mist created by Perle, slowly flying towards another light dot.
This wasn''t the light dot the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess emerged from but one guarded by a peculiar giant tree with a vague figure hanging above it.
The Vortex Weaver, Perle, suppressed her excitement and once again scrutinized the scene of Topsy of the School of Deliciousness destroying the seal in the sea.
In the next second, wisps of thin gray fog seeped from the seabed, cooperating with the hydra-like Topsy.
...
Trier, botanical garden.
Hearing the emperor''s return across space, Franca''ske-blue eyes widened in astonishment and confusion, with a hint of uncontroble joy.
At the same time, her spiritual intuition told her that the order here had been distorted, including the Circle Inhabitant effect.
And wherever there was a distortion, it meant they could escape without triggering the Circle Inhabitant effect!
Where is the distortion? Franca had just this thought when she saw Jenna take out a mirror and quickly perform a Magic Mirror Divination.
Jenna had a simr intuition.
Meanwhile, the two Higdons, ignoring the unusual surroundings, madly attacked Lumian, who wielded the Sword of Courage, unable to focus on the two Demonesses.
Likewise, before Voisin Sanson stood only Ludwig, still short-legged and short-statured, unable to reach him to interfere.
The Circle Inhabitant made a quick decision, pressing his temple, letting the gathered strange light pierce through his head.
In excruciating pain unbearable even for an Ascetic, he was instantly near death.
The Circle Inhabitant effect triggered once more.
Lumian and Anthony''s thoughts blurred, and they found themselves back in the intact cabin, before taking out the Sword of Courage and ck Tear forehead essory.
Franca and Jenna couldn''tplete their Magic Mirror Divination in time.
Lumian instinctively took out the ck Tear forehead essory, intending to throw it to Franca, but upon grasping it, he sensed the mirror world, particrly the special one, feeling the summons of 0-01 from Morora.
Is it possible to sense this way? Not before...
The earlier anomaly distorted the order here and the Circle Inhabitant effect, causing this change? Meaning they could escape through the mirror world without triggering the Circle Inhabitant? Lumian instantly judged.
He acted before Voisin Sanson couldmit suicide again and bring the inevitable end, shouting to Franca and the others, "Grab hold of me!"
Time was tight; he couldn''t exin and hoped his teammates would trust him.
Despite their doubts, Franca and the others, including Ludwig, grabbed Lumian''s body again.
In the next second, Lumian used the ck Tear forehead essory and the cabin''s window to enter the void-dark mirror world, randomly choosing a tunnel to traverse.
As expected, they didn''t trigger the Circle Inhabitant effect this time.
As joy surged in Lugano''s heart, everything blurred in a topsy-turvy manner, and they found themselves in an almostpletely dark world, facing Harrison from Resurrection Ind.
Around Harrison were four lit candles and four servings of staple food, including two loaves of bread, Feynapotter noodles and rice, all moldy.
Harrison looked at Lumian with a slight smile. "The Celestial Worthy''s Oracle states you carry the key part of this matter. Capturing you will eliminate any surprises."
As Harrison spoke, Voisin Sanson and Higdon appeared in the darkness beside him.
Voisin Sanson also looked at Lumian, smiling. "Didn''t you know I escaped from Fourth Epoch Trier through the special mirror world?"
Chapter 872 Courage
Chapter 872 Courage
872 Courage
Lumian didn''t waste time engaging with Harrison, Voisin Sanson, and the others.
This confirmed that the Mirror People were deeply involved in Project Vortex, and this was indeed the special mirror world, though its specificyer was unknown.
Lumian immediately activated the ck mark on his right shoulder. He needed to transport Franca and the others away from this area before Voisin Sanson could use his Circle Inhabitant ability.
This time, his destination was Morora, the City of Exiles!
Since they had already entered the special mirror world and the worst-case scenario had urred, there was no need to hold back. They could attempt to navigate the hidden dangers here and reach Morora.
If they didn''t take risks, facing Voisin Sanson and Higdon, two demigods, plus the strange and special abilities of Harrison, Lumian doubted they had any chance of survival. All of them dying was only a matter of time. It was better to take a gamble and see if they could get through the dangers of the special mirror world and reach Morora.
In Morora, Lumian was the proxy of 0-01. He could borrow significant power, enough to counter a Sequence 4 demigod. If necessary, he could even temporarily exert the strength of Sequence 3. With the cooperation of Franca, Jenna, and the others, and the "help" of Morora''s archbishop and hundreds of thousands of residents, they might repel or even kill Voisin Sanson and Higdon.
More importantly, 0-01 repelled the approach of demigods above Sequence 5, likely causing terrifying mutations. The first targets would inevitably be those two Saints!
Lumian used his Spirit World Traversal ability obtained from the Abscessed Hand, leveraging his special connection with 0-01. Holding on to Jenna, Anthony, and the others who hadn''t let go, he disappeared from the spot, "transporting" to some deep part of the special mirror world.
Suddenly, he felt the world rejecting him, as if an invisible barrier had appeared ahead.
He was forced out of the Spirit World Traversal state, and several figures simultaneously materialized in a gloomy, dark town ruin.
The path to Morora was blocked.
It seemed the higher powers within the Mirror People did this. Their control over the special mirror world was clearly superior to the ck Tear.
Lumian thought for a moment, seeing that Voisin Sanson and the others hadn''t caught up yet. He immediately tossed the ck Tear forehead essory to Franca, speaking calmly, "You lead them through the mirrors, constantly shifting locations. Wait for a change in the outside world. There has already been a distortion of order; there will surely be simr anomalies soon. When that happens, seize the opportunity to use the mirrors to return to the surface, back to Trier."
"What about you?" Jenna blurted out.
Lumian chuckled. "Of course, I''ll stay and y with them.
"If I go with you, they''ll definitely chase us relentlessly, giving you no chance to escape the special mirror world. Wouldn''t that mean no one could find reinforcements?"
Jenna''s eyes reddened, and she was about to say something when Lumian sternly interrupted, "Have you forgotten your brother?"
Jenna''s mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
Lumian nodded and smiled again.
"You need to find Madam Magician and Madam Judgment for me, and provide urate coordinates.
"Also, you should be able to distract one demigod."
He didn''t hold back, smiling at Jenna, Franca, and Anthony.
"If I die, remember to avenge me."
Jenna''s vision blurred with tears. She bit her lip, nodded with difficulty, and squeezed out a word from her throat, "Okay..."
She would avenge Lumian just as she avenged her mother!
Lumian turned to Franca, his expression calm. "Everything else is up to you."
Franca''s eyes shimmered, her voice hoarse. "Okay."
Lumian put on the Devil''s Whispers bone ring again and continued speaking to Franca, Jenna, and the others, "You are not the main target, not even secondary. While shifting locations through the mirrors, if Higdon catches up, leave Ludwig somewhere along the way. Let him hide on his own, which should buy you more time.
"Do you have any objections?" he asked Ludwig.
Ludwig shook his head, feeling this was something he had hoped for.
He made one request.
"Can you give me more food?"
With his body burning with blue-purple sulfur mes, Lumian tossed some chocte and cookies over, then spoke to Anthony, "If Higdon keeps chasing, you can separate from the group."
Seeing Anthony about to refuse, Lumian smiled.
"Someone has to stay alive to avenge us.
"The one who lives suffers the most. I believe you understand that."
Anthony cast a cate spell on himself. "Okay."
Lumian didn''t say more and urged them, "Go quickly."
Franca threw the ck Tear back to Lumian. "The Ice Talisman is enough if we''re just shifting locations through mirrors. The ck Tear can leverage the power of the special mirror world and should help youst longer."
The Demoness of Affliction''s voice choked, feeling the potion digesting rapidly.
Lumian didn''t refuse and quickly wrapped the ck Tear around his left wrist.
Franca immediately took out the ice-crystal-like amulet from the Traveler''s Bag.
Without hesitation, she gritted her teeth. "Hold on to me."
Jenna looked at Lumian with watery eyes and grabbed Franca''s arm. Lugano eagerly moved to Franca''s back.
With a sh of icy light, they disappeared, leaving a falling mirror.
Lumian turned his gaze to the three approaching figures.
The enemies were closing in.
Looking at Voisin Sanson, Higdon, and Harrison, with the ck Tear on his left wrist and the Devil''s Whispers on his right hand, Lumian drew the Sword of Courage from the Traveler''s Bag.
The blue-purple sulfur mes on him immediately turned a bright white with a tinge of green. His back slightly arched. N?v(el)B\\jnn
His eyes deepened in color, locking onto the blonde-haired Voisin Sanson, a clear smile on his face.
He uttered from his throat. "Actually, I''ve been waiting for you for a long time."
...
Madam Magician, unexpectedly reunited with Madam Judgment and Will Auceptin due to the distortion effect, straightforwardly asked the little boy, "Can you lead us to the medium through which the power of Inevitability is seeping?"
Will Auceptin, chubby-faced and dressed in a child''s suit, showed a troubled expression.
"Given the current situation, anyone not involved in Project Vortex will be influenced by the power of Inevitability, leading to inevitable failure. If I use that die, I might still be able to help you find the target, but it will drain all my umted luck. When I get home, I might see Ouroboros waiting for me.
"Do you have any special items that can save my luck or rece the die? I think you should."
Hearing the archangel of Fate say "should," The Magician, Justice, and Hermit began to examine their possessions-thetter understanding Will''s words through Miss Justice''s mentalmunication.
Suddenly, Ma''am Hermit remembered something and produced an iron cigar case from somewhere.
"This was given to me by Queen Mystic. She said she foresaw that this item would provide critical help in the future."
Madam Magician nced at it and murmured, "It carries the aura of Mr. Fool."
Hearing this, Miss Justice made many connections.
She sought confirmation, "Did the Celestial Worthy send subordinates to participate in Project Vortex?"
"Yes," Madam Magician vaguely understood what Miss Justice meant.
Receiving confirmation, Miss Justice smiled. "The Celestial Worthy participating in Project Vortex means Mr. Fool is involved too, doesn''t it? So..."
She looked at the iron cigar case in Ma''am Hermit''s hand, her voice synchronously echoing in the mind of the Major Arcana card holder.
Ma''am Hermit immediately handed the item to Will.
Will smiled broadly. "It will do!"
The boy then addressed Madam Magician and Miss Justice, "I''ll lead the way."
Though leading, Will closed His eyes.
Starlight sprinkled down as Madam Magician led everyone present, following Will''s intuition to begin wandering.
...
Deep within the primitive ind, amid the pervasive white mist.
Vortex Weaver Perle asionally nced at the slowly approaching Shadow of the Beauty Goddess and the miniature crimson moon-like corruption, sometimes at the loosening seal in the waters near Port Santa under coordinated efforts, and sometimes upward at the towering figure of Roselle Gustav in mid-air.
The four beams of light on the horizon, one after another, drew closer.
Perle anticipated that Roselle would perfectly resurrect and return as the ck Emperor. In that case, the great Uncertain Mist would reim one of His possessions and have a Sequence 0 true deity as a puppet.
ording to Perle''s original n, the end of the vortex ritual and thepletion of the transaction between the Nightstalkers and the Rose School of Thought would allow the great Uncertain Mist to thoroughly corrupt Roselle Gustav. Only then could the deceased ck Emperor be driven to resurrect. At that time, with all transactions concluded and no other forces providing assistance, the resurrection of the ck Emperor would face numerous obstructions, necessitating another vortex.
But now, Roselle Gustav had walked out of the ck Emperor''s mausoleum himself, choosing to resurrect before the vortex ritual ended!
In midair, the first beam finallynded on Roselle, who was in the strange and abstract world, followed by the other three.
An indescribable light suddenly burst forth.
Chapter 873 The Predestined Battle
Chapter 873 The Predestined Battle
873 The Predestined Battle
In the special mirror world, seeing that only Lumian was ahead, Higdon immediately looked towards Voisin Sanson.
Voisin Sanson took off a ring that looked like it was made of ss and tossed it to the demigod of the Order of All Extinction.
Harrison, standing to the side, spoke in somewhat awkward Intisian, "This world will guide you."
At this moment, Lumian, engulfed in zing white-blue mes, charged forward with the Sword of Courage in hand.
After catching the ss-like ring, Higdon immediately activated it.
In this almostpletely dark town ruin, as if covered by something from above, various mirror-like objects suddenly lit up. Higdon''s figure was then enveloped in a transparent light and thrown into one of the mirrors, chasing after Ludwig and the others.
Lumian had only taken a few steps before he suddenly disappeared from the spot.
Behind Voisin Sanson, a ball of zing white-blue me quickly appeared, expanding rapidly and forming into a burning figure wielding a giant ming sword.
The Circle Inhabitant was not surprised. A semi-transparent figure resembling him but colder and more indifferent emerged from behind him.
This was Voisin Sanson''s new contract ability, "Death''s Summon!"
The zing white-blue figure quickly dimmed as the semi-transparent upper body approached, extinguishing the mes one by one.
However, Lumian himself was not within this figure.
At Voisin Sanson''s feet, the shadows cast by the mes came to life eerily, transforming into a sticky ck liquid that seemed to condense from the darkest desires and emotions of the human heart, surging upwards.
It first wrapped around Voisin Sanson''s legs, then quickly spread to his torso.
Desire Incarnation!
Lumian''s previous attack from behind was merely a distraction for Voisin Sanson.
The real killing move was the Desire Incarnation from the Devil''s Whispers bone ring. This allowed the various chaotic corruptions and seals within him to y a significant role in battle.
So, when he teleported behind Voisin Sanson, he used the ming figure he had created as a cover, turned into a shadow creature, and slipped into the shadows under the target''s feet, activating the Devil''s Whispers bone ring from Hisoka.
As for the other enemy present, the courageous Lumian did not pay him any mind.
Before drawing the Sword of Courage, he had already nned his battle strategy: With Ludwig, Franca and the others should be able to divert Higdon.
Lumian only needed to deal with Voisin Sanson and Harrison. Though Harrison was not a demigod andcked godhood, his abilities were strange and varied, making it just as difficult to kill him quickly as to severely injure Voisin Sanson.
Thus, the primary target had to be the Circle Inhabitant Voisin Sanson. Lumian would rely on the quicker and more frequently usable Spirit World Traversal to constantly sh around, avoiding being caught by Harrison, who might steal his items or crucial abilities.
During this process, the mystical gue from the ck Tear forehead essory would naturally spread, covering the area. Lumian believed it would be highly effective against Harrison''s Paper Figurine Substitutes. Harrison might use the Paper Figurine Substitutes to avoid the ult diseases, but as long as he stayed on the battlefield, he would continue to be infected. The Paper Figurine Substitutes would eventually be exhausted, and over time, the damage rate would increase dramatically.
Just as the sticky ck liquid covered Voisin Sanson, his body suddenly became blurry.
Lumian''s mind fogged momentarily, and by the time he cleared up, Voisin Sanson had already put several meters between them, showing no signs of the Desire Incarnation''s terrifying corruption affecting him.
This was another application of the Circle Inhabitant''s ability.
This time, Voisin Sanson hadn''t included the entire town ruin in the Circle Inhabitant effect, only treating his own body. Just like Lumian resetting his physical and spiritual state every morning at six o''clock, Voisin Sanson''s trigger was Set to near-death or when suffering a fatal attack.
The Desire Incarnation attack had triggered the Circle Inhabitant effect, allowing Voisin Sanson to recover and use the brief moment of Lumian''s distraction to create distance. Otherwise, he would have continued to be engulfed by the sticky ck liquid.
Next, a ghostly green light condensed in Voisin Sanson''s eyes and shot towards the recovering ck liquid.
Lumian didn''t have time to teleport and could only swiftly animate his shadow, swapping ces with it.
As soon as the beam appeared, it hit the shadow, causing it to disintegrate instantly with no room for struggle.
Almost simultaneously, Voisin Sanson extended his right hand.
His eyes were dyed with a silver-ck hue, reflecting a silently flowing mercury river.
This was the River of Fate, belonging to Lumian.
Voisin Sanson, the Circle Inhabitant, intended to exchange a segment of Lumian''s fate.
After dodging the green beam, Lumian fearlessly teleported to Voisin Sanson''s side once more.
Heh, trying Fate Exchange?
No problem!
As long as I knock you into a reset, your attempt will fail!
Lumian raised the iron-ck straight sword, zing with white-blue mes, and shed heavily at Voisin Sanson.
Cull! N?v(el)B\\jnn
At that moment, Harrison finally found an opportunity. He reached out his right hand and lightly grabbed, Stealing this attack.
zing white-blue mes appeared on his body, and a giant ming sword formed in his hand.
Bang!
From over ten meters away, Harrison shed the ming giant sword at Lumian, producing a fierce explosion.
Lumian, undaunted, turned to face the roaring mes and swung the Sword of Courage once more.
Another Cull!
Rumble!
The white-blue mes and the terrifying shockwave shed, the violent windstorm wreaking havoc in the ruins, lifting stones and igniting wood.
Harrison was engulfed by the returning ming windstorm, his body quickly degenerating into a sinister paper figurine with drawn features.
This paper figurine''s surface was marked with red and yellow rust, which quickly burned to ash in the white-blue mes.
As Harrison''s figure reappeared at the edge of the storm, Lumian, with his enhanced physique from 0-01 and the Sword of Courage absorbing damage, did not retreat a single step and locked onto Voisin Sanson again.
His eyes turned iron-ck, searching for the weak point on Voisin Sanson.
He raised the Sword of Courage once more, conjuring several white-blue Fire Ravens behind him.
At this moment, thanks to Harrison''s dy, Voisin Sansonpleted all the prerequisites for the Fate Exchange. Soon, he would just wait for the time to pass and wee the final oue. If Lumian hadn''t possessed a false Angel rank, Voisin Sanson could have started the exchange directly after choosing the desired segment from the River of Destiny without taking extra time.
Bang!
Lumian shed the Sword of Courage down on Voisin Sanson''s head, and the white-blue Fire Ravens circled, covering the surrounding area.
You can use the Circle Inhabitant ability to restore your state, but I can target you with area attacks and dyed assaults right after you recover!
A few more resets, and you will reach your inevitable end!
Boom!
Voisin Sanson''s body blurred again, causing Lumian''s thoughts to be hazy.
Using the Circle Inhabitant effect, Voisin Sanson recovered from the damage caused by the Sword of Courage. However, the white-blue Fire Ravens continued to follow their predetermined paths,nding in different spots.
Suddenly, Voisin Sanson''s figure vanished from the spot.
As the crows exploded one after another, the Circle Inhabitant''s figure reappeared about forty meters away.
You may be able to teleport, but I also have teleportation from my contract!
Lumian''s figure quickly appeared beside Voisin Sanson, relentlessly pursuing him.
His eyes turned silver-ck, reflecting Voisin Sanson''s mercurial River of Fate.
He extended his left hand, pushing the illusory River of Destiny towards the tributary where Voisin Sanson couldn''t escape the subsequent attacks, while shing with the Sword of Courage, creating more white-blue fireballs.
Had he found the right choice, Lumian would have used Compelling Fate to directly disrupt Voisin Sanson''s Circle Inhabitant effect.
Rumble!
Lumian''s spirituality was drained by the continuous attacks, forcing him to urgently release the umted spirituality. Voisin Sanson was hit by the Sword of Courage and, after recovering, couldn''t teleport away in time, suffering from the barrage of white-blue fireballs.
The Circle Inhabitant effect triggered for the fourth time.
Voisin Sanson recovered and teleported to another location.
However, the Fate Exchange did not stop, as only Voisin Sanson''s body and spirituality were included in the Circle Inhabitant effect, not his fate or actions.
This was simr to Lumian''s daily reset at six o''clock, which didn''t undo previous actions or invalidate their results.
Lumian relentlessly pursued Voisin Sanson, blinking to his side again.
Voisin Sanson no longer chose to resist head-on. He used his contracted teleportation ability to change his position.
On the other side, Harrison had reverted to a thin, sinister paper figurine, sensing an impending infection.
Lumian continued chasing Voisin Sanson and overtook him with the time gap between teleportation and speed, finding two more opportunities to attack.
However, Voisin Sanson either used special abilities to neutralize the attacks or triggered the Circle Inhabitant effect.
Voisin Sanson''s Circle Inhabitant seemed far from reaching its predetermined conclusion.
Even with the Sword of Courage, Lumian felt a certain level of despair-knowing that the Fate Exchange would lead to a very bad oue, having opportunities to attack the enemy, but unable to stop the exchange and change the impending result.
This might be the meaning of inevitability.
Perhaps a Fate Appropriator needed a Circle Inhabitant to unleash its true horror.
Despair was fleeting; courage once again took hold of Lumian.
Chapter 874 Unsealing
Chapter 874 Unsealing
874 Unsealing
After a while, Voisin Sanson stopped passively waiting for the fate exchange toplete and began actively using various strange abilities, suppressing Lumian''s attacks.
On the other side, Harrison increasingly relied on his Paper Figurine Substitutes to avoid the mystical gue spreading through the ruins of the town.
He had little time left to interfere with Lumian and kept trying to remove the densely packed mythical pathogens in the air with various methods he could think of, but to little avail.
Lumian felt the fate exchange nearingpletion. Although he wasn''t afraid, he decided to take a gamble.
Mimicking the Beyonders of a Warrior, he unleashed a Hurricane of Light, holding the Sword of Courage upside down and stabbing it forcefully into the ground.
With him and the Sword of Courage at the center, zing white-blue fireballs spreadyer uponyer, covering the ruins of the town.
Rumble!
Explosions erupted one after another, destroying the already crumbling ancient buildings and igniting every corner of the ruins.
Harrison used his Paper Figurine Substitute again. As he was always on the edge of the town ruins, his figure reappeared in the dark tunnel they had pursued through earlier.
Voisin Sanson, who was closer to Lumian, was inevitably affected. His attempt to teleport was interrupted by the violent shockwave.
His body caught fire again, but the injuries were not fatal. With the resilience of an Ascetic, he only instinctively twisted his face in pain.
Seizing this opportunity, Lumian teleported in front of Voisin Sanson.
Voisin Sanson''s eyes immediately filled with ghostly green light.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian, anticipating Voisin Sanson''s habit and method of using the terrifying beam, half-turned the Sword of Courage, holding it horizontally in front of his chest.
The ghostly green beam, uponpletion, shot towards Lumian at unavoidable speed, striking the Sword of Courage. The zing white-blue mes on its iron-ck de were instantly extinguished, and its metallic luster dimmed significantly.
Sessfully blocking Voisin Sanson''s beam, Lumian released his left hand, aiming to deliver a fatal blow.
He sensed that Voisin Sanson''s current Circle Inhabitant cycle was nearing its end. Perhaps two or three more triggers would lead to the inevitable conclusion, possibly even death.
At this moment, Lumian''s hair stood on end, his mind nearly nk.
The negative effects of the ck Tear forehead essory manifested.
If not for the Sword of Courage sharing the burden, he would have been utterly overwhelmed by Pleasure, rather than just briefly dazed.
Taking advantage of this moment of distraction, Voisin Sanson teleported away from the emptied ruins but did not extend the distance beyond the Fate Exchange limit.
Lumian quickly regained his senses and prepared to pursue Voisin Sanson.
Suddenly, his thoughts slowed, bing sluggish as if he had been rapidly frozen.
His body became rigid, and even moving a finger was extremely difficult.
The fate exchange hadpleted.
ng! The Sword of Courage fell to the ground, as Lumian no longer had the strength to hold it.
Lumian slowly copsed to the ground, his eyes vacant, his expression nk, leaning against a pile of rubble.
No longer controlled by Courage, he instinctively tried to activate the Blood Emperor''s residual mark on his right palm, hoping the rampant frenzy might help him break free from his current state, but he couldn''t manage it.
His ability to think coherently was rapidly slipping away.
This was the oue Voisin Sanson had wanted from the Fate Exchange.
Voisin Sanson smiled, teleporting back to Lumian, and whispered, "If not for your false Angel rank, the fate exchange would have beenpleted long ago.
"You probably don''t know that the maximum limit for the Circle Inhabitant''s cycles is nine. You''re still several cycles short of dealing real damage to me.
"You''re not truly a demigod. There''s a fundamental difference between you and someone with godhood."
As Voisin Sanson spoke, he pulled out an iplete ritual sheepskin, justrge enough to cover a head, intending to turn Lumian into a sheep andpletely control him.
In the next second, Lumian felt the stiffness in his body and the sluggishness of his thoughts easing, their effects seemingly distorted.
Opportunity! Lumian immediately tried to activate the ck mark on his right shoulder, hoping to teleport out of the special mirror world.
Voisin Sanson''s face changed, then he activated a contract mark, shouting in a deep voice, "Lumian Lee!"
As Lumian''s figure was still fading away, his mind buzzed, his head spinning, making it difficult to maintain the teleportation effect.
Voisin Sanson then ced the sheepskin over Lumian''s head, chanting in Hermes, "Sheep!"
A sh of dark light transformed Lumian into a grayish-white sheep. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Most of his abilities were sealed, and the earlier state of sluggish thoughts and stiff body returned, preventing him from using the ck Tear forehead essory or the Devil''s Whispers bone ring.
Seeing this, Voisin Sanson felt the weakness and spirituality exhaustion in his own body but believed he could endure the mystical gue for a while longer, waiting for the Circle Inhabitant effect to passively activate.
A sinister paper figurine with drawn features entered the still-burning ruins from the tunnel, its surface umting rust at a visible rate.
It looked at Lumian and spoke in Harrison''s voice, "Yourpanions don''t seem to have escaped either."
As he spoke, the paper figurine made a gesture, and the edges of the dark world illuminated by the mes began to turn transparent, revealing the states of Franca and the others-not through Harrison''s magic, but through the Mirror People watching in the shadows.
In the mirror-like scene, Franca led the others, except Ludwia, trying to traverse out of the special mirror world.
Above them, a figure in a ck dress and gold crown appeared.
Surrounded by white mist, a light seemed to emanate from in front of her.
She nced down, causing Franca and the others to fall back into the area they had just left, unable to escape the special mirror world.
Higdon, having split into two and covered in green-yellow slime, blocked Franca and the others'' escape route in the scene.
After using it three more times, Franca''s Ice Talisman only had one Mirror Traversal left.
She did not attempt to flee again. She pulled out a set of silver-white full-body armor from the Traveler''s Bag and ced it in front of herself. Anthony also drew the Winter is Coming revolver.
In another scene, another Higdon was searching for Ludwig.
Seeing this, the increasingly ragged paper figurine of Harrison spoke to Lumian with augh, "Yourpanions will likely all die before you. Their Mirror Substitutes aren''t as numerous as my paper figurines. You still have time to mourn them.
"Actually, you''ve done quite well. If it weren''t for me and Higdon, your team might have been able to escape or even win against Voisin Sanson on their own."
With double control over him, Lumian had almost no ability to think deeply, leaving only his emotions to resonate.
His heart was aze with anger, indignation, and hatred, filling the sheep''s eyes with bloodshot rage.
Voisin Sanson turned to Harrison''s paper figurine and asked, "Can I kill him now to bring back Lord Termiboros?"
Harrison''s paper figurine shook its head slowly, "The Celestial Worthy''s revtion is to imprison."
Voisin Sanson thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, killing this trash might trigger unforeseen changes due to the high-level powers within him, potentially affecting the entire Project Vortex.
"Can I attempt to unseal his chest and bring back Lord Termiboros?"
Harrison''s paper figurine paused for two seconds and said, "Yes."
This did not vite the Celestial Worthy''s revtion.
Voisin Sanson smiled and said, "I''ll need you to use that Celestial Worthy''s boon for the final part. Otherwise, I''d have to bring Lumian Lee to the brink of death to unseal him, which is too risky."
The method to unseal Lumian Lee''s The Fool seal wasn''t devised by Voisin Sanson himself but given through a ritual by the great Circle of Inevitability.
"Okay." Harrison agreed.
Voisin Sanson immediately took out a ck metal box and opened it.
Inside were thumb-sized mercury beads, their surfaces tinged with ck and inscribed withplex, fear-inducing patterns and symbols.
Voisin Sanson''s voice became low and his words eerily ethereal.
The ck-tinged mercury beads floated up, spinning rapidly in mid-air, forming a continuous river.
With barely any coherent thoughts, Lumian heard Voisin Sanson and Harrison''s conversation and saw the scene unfold but felt no despair or regret.
At this point, despair and regret were meaningless.
Lumian was only filled with anger, indignation, and hatred. The sheep''s eyes bulged with fury.
Son of a sow!
Within ten to twenty seconds, Voisin Sansonpleted his chant, sending the silver-ck river towards Lumian''s chest.
In the tunnel, Harrison had lit four candles and ced four pieces of bread in front of each, reciting incantations while taking special footsteps and gestures.
Lumian quickly fell into a dark state, his thoughts gradually clearing.
But before he could form any other thoughts, his chest grew hot, the familiar heat rapidly dissipating, turning cold.
In an instant, silver-ck light beams burst from his body, weaving together in front of him to form a figure.
Chapter 875 Response
Chapter 875 Response
875 Response
Madam Magician and the other Major Arcana card holders were again affected by the distortion of order, abruptly emerging from their starry roaming state and floating in midair.
What met their eyes was an unusually bloody altar and countless mutted corpses.
On the altar, there was also an oil painting depicting a strange cosmos.
Ma''am Hermit, whose hearing was sealed, had a twisted expression and whispered with difficulty, "It''s here, it''s that painting..."
She felt the terrifying voice influencing her growing louder, originating from that oil painting!
"It really works..." The Magician cast her gaze towards the boy, Will Auceptin, who was holding the iron cigar case. It was unclear whether the praise was for the item imbued with Mr. Fool''s aura or the luck she had always envied.
The boy, Will, shrugged and said, "I didn''t expect it to be this effective either."
As he spoke, Ma''am Hermit forced an ancient spear stained with mottled blood into existence, sending it with destructive intent towards the painting.
But the Spear of Longinus, born of Fairytale Magic, disintegrated into points of light before it could reach the altar.
In Madam Magician''s eyes, brilliant starlight shone.
Around the altar, faint glows outlined a pair of dreamlike doors, attempting to transfer the painting along with the altar outside the barrier, into the deep, dark cosmos.
However, the starlight doors remained motionless, unable to open.
"Those who are not participants in the vortex ritual cannot affect the painting," Miss Justice said, eying the iron cigar case in Will''s hand, eager to take it and use it as a medium to showcase her physical strength and see if she could damage the painting.
Madam Judgment took the lead, receiving the iron cigar case from Will and holding it in her hand, making it part of her fist.
Immediately, the Major Arcana card holder shouted in ancient Hermes, "Execution!"
Apanied by thismand, Judgment swung her right fist, the iron cigar case gripped in her hand.
Bang!
The altar dented slightly, but the painting showed no obvious signs of damage.
"There''s some effect, but not much," Madam Magician urately assessed.
She took the iron cigar case and tried various abilities herself, but could only cause minor damage to the painting, unable to shake its core effect, as they were not participants in the vortex ritual and could only influence it through the medium-the iron cigar case-whichcked destructive power.
Watching the painting still affecting her and many high-level individuals, Ma''am Hermit could not help but feel anxious.
...
Deep in the primitive ind, in the dense white mist before the ck Emperor mausoleum.
As the four beams of light merged into Roselle''s body in midair, Perle''s face was suddenly stretched wide, presenting aical yet terrifying appearance. The blood-red figure and the miniature crimson moon in the mist retreated strangely, as if going in the wrong direction.
From the light point where the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess emerged, the white mist, which had been nearly purified by the holy pir, filled again. Saint Vive in midair and the Purifiers outside the vi, including Angoulme, felt an impending copse of the current order.
The lightless domain instantly twisted, with some darkness seeping in, forming a shadowed side.
Discovering the presence of the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess, Mr. Moon was about to turn into crimson moonlight and illuminate the white mist but found himself rushing into the sky. The Worms of Time split by Pallez, just deciding to return, assess the situation, and unite in deception, got lost in life''s path.
Mr. Hanged Man, riding the gale, suddenly plummeted, nearly losing his flying ability and falling to the ground.
As distortion phenomena appeared to varying degrees worldwide, at the core of the vortex ritual, Perle struggled to raise her head and look up.
At the edge of the abstract, fantastical world, Roselle''s figure, d in ck armor and a luxurious cape, grewrger and clearer, with a crown set with dark gems forming swiftly atop his head.
The surrounding white mist mostly invaded His body, distorting His face, with His eyes a deep blue almost ck, a slow-expanding mist.
The ck Emperor had revived in the astral world.
Roselle lowered His head slightly, gazing down, focusing on the white mist before His mausoleum, the torrent connecting Him and the mist, and the face of Perle in the depths of the mist, exuding majesty and depth.
The next moment, the ck Emperor raised His right hand, forming a fist, and gently twisted His wrist.
Distortion!
He forcefullypleted a distortion using His authority, the ck Emperor pathway, the special connection with the Uncertain Mist, and the corruption deeply eroding His body and soul, relying on the invisible barrier blocking the Outer Deities.
Perle, deep in the white mist, briefly lost focus, then discovered in shock that the great Uncertain Mist was no longer closely connected with her through the vortex ritual but had shifted to the ck Emperor.
Her object of faith, her ritual foundation, had all been Distorted to Emperor Roselle!
After her initial confusion, Perle quickly felt a surge of fear and despair.
Not only her, but all the Uncertain Mist believers across the continents also saw a thin white mist before their eyes, with a majestic, indistinct figure standing within.
That figure, wearing a crown and ck armor, quietly looked down at them.
The ck Emperor''s first act upon revival was to temporarily "take over" all faith directed at the Uncertain Mist!
Of course, this also exposed Him more directly to the Outer Deity outside the barrier.
Another wisp of white mist separated from the surface of a, reaching the site of an intense divine battle, using the special environment and its symbolism to prate the barrier again, falling upon Emperor Roselle at the edge of the astral world, like a fishing line finally controlling its target.
Roselle''s expression became increasingly distorted.
He continued to gaze at Perle and the Uncertain Mist believers worldwide, speaking in a majestic voice, "The Broker can unite the Outer Deities and has acted, posing a great threat, a crime beyond pardon!"
As He spoke, the ck Emperor''s outstretched right hand opened, as if to grasp something.
After dering the crime, His right hand clenched abruptly.
Bang! Bang! Bang! On the Northern and Southern Continents, the Uncertain Mist believers exploded into blood mist.
This was not the ability of the Judgment domain but the control granted by the boon system, the control of an evil god over His followers!
Temporarily distorting the Uncertain Mist faith, ck Emperor Roselle used this to purge the evil god''s followers, making them feel the wrath of a god, aiming to eliminate them all.
A single Broker might not be dangerous, but their ability to weave all dangers together made them the greatest threat! N?v(el)B\\jnn
"No!" Despite her desperate resistance, Perle exploded uncontrobly within the white mist.
Her face split into different parts like the nose, eyes, mouth, and ears, scattered into the white mist, staining it with a noticeable blood color.
Yet the vortex ritual had not ceased. The Shadow of the Beauty Goddess and the miniature crimson moon continued to approach their target light point, even faster than before.
Silently, the exploded Uncertain Mist believers, in blood mist form, crossed the void, merging into the vortex mist that Perle had be. This elerated the advance of the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess and the miniature crimson moon, sustaining the ongoing transaction as if other forces were maintaining the ritual.
A characteristic of the Vortex was that all participants contributed power to maintain the ritual until their part of the transaction wasplete.
Thus, once the Vortex was formed, destroying it would be increasingly difficult!
Roselle nced at the white mist connecting Him and the outside barrier, His expression of pain growing more apparent.
He shouted lowly, "Adam! Where are you?
"The Uncertain Mist has made a heavy bet. If you don''t reveal your cards, we''re all doomed!"
Seeing no change around, Roselle paused and continued to roar angrily, "Adam!
Are you really waiting for a chance to devour the Eternal zing Sun and others?"
Just after Roselle''s low roar, a distant yet gentle voice echoed in His mind, "I''''m here."
...
In the special mirror world,
Voisin Sanson watched expectantly and reverently as silver-ck light beams shot from the gray-white sheep that Lumian had be, waiting for Lord Termiboros to bepletely freed.
The beams wove together in front of him, quickly forming a figure.
The figure was slightly hunched, wearing a ck ssical robe and a pointed hat of the same color, with a thin face, slightly curly ck hair, a broad forehead, and pitch-ck eyes.
Just as Lumian was about to activate the Blood Emperor''s residual aura to try and escape the sheep state, he froze upon seeing this figure.
Wh- Voisin Sanson and Harrison''s bodies trembled, also bing stunned.
The figure slowly straightened, not even ncing at Voisin Sanson and Harrison, but turned to look at Lumian.
Without any warning, the sheep''s wool covering Lumian''s body fell off, shrinking back to its original head-covering size.
Lumian remained in shock and bewilderment.
The figure took out a monocle made of crystal and leisurely ced it over his right eye, revealing a slight smile at Lumian, "You can call me Amon, or..."
The figure''s voice grew majestic andyered, the smile on his face more evident.
"Termiboros."
Chapter 876 The Patient
Chapter 876 The Patient
876 The Patient n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Lumian knew that the figure before him was Amon. Although Amon''s appearance differed somewhat from Mte and the other Amons, the monocle over his right eye and his overall demeanor and aura unmistakably confirmed his identity.
But why was Amon here? And why did he call himself Termiboros?
Lumian clearly saw those silver and ck beams of light emerging from within himself, from the shattered seal of Mr. Fool. How did they transform into Amon?
This was why Lumian had frozen in ce earlier.
Could it be that during their previous encounters, Amon had secretly bypassed Mr. Fool''s seal, hidden inside him, and reced Termiboros?
If so, what had Mr. Fool''s seal actually been for?
Despite his shock and confusion, Lumian suppressed these emotions because he had more urgent matters to attend to.
He stood up, ready to pick up the Sword of Courage and use the Mirror Traversal ability of the ck Tear to reach Franca, Jenna, and the others, to help them fight Higdon.
Meanwhile, Voisin Sanson and Harrison stood frozen like statues.
Amon, who imed to be Termiboros, raised His hand to stop Lumian.
He nced at the transparent boundary showing the battle between Franca, the others, and Higdon, and smiled, saying, "I''ve fixed their fate for the next ten minutes so they won''t die. You still have some time. As for what happens after ten minutes, that''s up to your choices."
Lumian refocused on Amon, removing the ck Tear forehead essory and tucking it into the separate space within his Traveler''s Bag to prevent any further negative effects. In a low voice, he asked, "What choices?"
Without waiting for Amon''s response, he couldn''t help but ask another question, "When did you be Termiboros?"
As he spoke, Lumian temporarily put away the Devil''s Whispers bone ring.
Amon''s lips curled slightly. "A long, long time ago. By the time you first learned that name, Termiboros was already me."
At this, the former King of Angels'' smile took on a hint of mockery.
"In that dream in Cordu Vige, the Warlock symbolized the power of inevitability. The Warlock''s death and burial in the tomb symbolized the loss of the true owner of that power-the real Termiboros. The owl guarding the tomb and the Warlock''s body symbolized an outsider seeking this power. The other you, apanying the owl, symbolized the inherent depravity within everyone.
"Pallez couldn''t even decipher this, yet he calls himself a Cryptologist? Just because I changed my symbolic form, He couldn''t recognize me?
"Has he already begun aging prematurely at such a young age?"
Lumian didn''t know who Pallez was, but he understood the implications of Amon''s exnation.
The first time he had heard about depravity was from a Secrets Suppliant. That knowledge came with the potion. The second time was in the honorific name of the True Creator worshiped by the Aurora Order.
And Amon had a very close rtionship with that individual.
This meant the True Creator''s influence on the Cordu incident was much deeper than Lumian had imagined. It wasn''t just a matter of sending a few lizard-like elves to nudge events along!
Rage that even an Ascetic couldn''t suppress burned within Lumian. He squeezed out a hoarse voice from his throat, "Was the Cordu disaster the n formted by you two?"
Amon pinched His right eye''s monocle, not directly answering Lumian''s question.
He pulled a piece of paper from the void and read it in the tone of a report, "Patient: Lumian Lee, male, ims to be born on September 26, 1340, a native of Cordu in Riston Province, Intis Republic.
"Diagnosis: Strong self-destructive tendencies, loss of ability to respond to others'' emotions.
"Cause Analysis: Experiences as a street urchin made the patient distrustful of his surroundings, developing habits of self-neglect to survive, abandoning certain societal morals. Aurore Lee''s care, sympathy, love, supervision, and interdependent life helped the patient initially heal from that phase, reestablishing social connections and gradually bing a normal person.
"The disaster at Cordu Vige and Aurore''s death shattered the patient''s rebuilt life, bringing more severe pain and despair, making him afraid to desire or respond to others'' emotions, fearing loss again, thus fostering strong self-destructive tendencies.
"First Phase Treatment n:
"Step 1: Emphasize the possibility of Aurore Lee''s resurrection to give the patient motivation to live.
"Step 2: Arrange for the patient to stay at the Auberge du Coq Dor in the Trier market district, where many people at the bottom of society can effectively evoke the patient''s empathy.
"Step 3: Force the patient to form connections with Celia Bello and others through events, preparing to rebuild social connections.
"Step 4: Use the undercover mission in the Iron and Blood Cross Order to make the patient meet Franca Rnd. Franca Rnd''s background is simr to Aurore''s, and her cheerful personality can effectively lower the psychological walls the patient has built, making her the most important candidate for re-establishing social connections.
"Step 5: Coordinate with the Tarot Club''s Justice and Susie for treatment, reasonably allowing certain events to happen to aid in improving psychological conditions:
"Early Stage: Use the patient''s sympathy for the unemployed Charlie and the street girls Ethans allow his help to yield positive results, giving him positive feedback.
"Mid Stage: Ensure the patient encounters Celia Bello after setbacks, receivingpanionship andfort, and using the self-indulgent yet unintentional behavior he chooses to relieve umted emotions.
"Late Stage: Bring inevitable events forward at the most appropriate time, with some events potentially urring before mid-stage treatment:
"These include:
"1. Susanna Mattise targeting Charlie again, having the Bliss Society abduct him to Underground Trier. This would allow the patient to vaguely sense the Sufferer''s presence, feel anger, and through these events, strengthen his connections with Franca, Celia, and Charlie, initially rebuilding social ties;
"2. The madman meng, whose situation most resembles the patient''s, hangs himself after losing all hope and motivation for life despite the patient''s help. This strongly resonates with the patient, giving him a huge shock, triggering his rebellious spirit and stubbornness;
"3. Scavenger Ruhr, unfortunately getting affected by the indiscriminate influence of cultists, contracts a severe illness. The patient''s efforts to help end in failure, with Ruhr''s wife, Michel, losing hope and choosing to indulge once by having a hearty meal and singing loudly before hanging herself at dawn. This simr fate and predestined oue thoroughly ignite the patient''s emotions, making him want to fight against the unfairness of fate, wanting to challenge everything.
"4. The explosion at the chemical nt where Celia Bello''s mother worked, acting as the final catalyst.
"First Phase Treatment Result: The patient''s self-destructive tendencies significantly reduced, re-established social connections, regained some motivation to live, and can now handle more events."
As Amon read the "report" in an even tone, Lumian felt his heart sink, growing colder with each word.
It was like being doused with cold water as a street urchin, the chill spreading from his head to his toes, extinguishing all his hope and pride like a candle me.
His indignation, his rebellion against fate-all of them seemed like a joke, shattered into pieces and ground into the dirt by those in power.
At this moment, Lumian feltpletely numb.
Half of him burned with uncontroble anger and the self-destructive urge to drag the report writer to death with him. The other half once again felt the despair and pain from when Aurore had pushed him away to face death alone.
Amon finally finished reading the first phase treatment report and looked at Lumian with a smile, seemingly waiting for a response.
Lumian''s body hunched slightly, and his voice erupted from the depths of his soul, filled with agony, "Why? Why me?"
Amon smiled and said, "The Fool''s aura and Aurore''s foolish choice made you a good test subject, capable of bearing many things and verifying the initial experimental results.
"That''s one reason. The other is if you truly self-destruct, won''t my role as Termiboros be exposed? How can I deceive those outside and make Them ce heavy bets?
"Only by slowly absorbing and digesting Termiboros'' Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics within The Fool''s seal and changing pathways will it be most hidden and least likely to be discovered."
Lumian''s mind was in chaos, his emotions exploding, even the Conspirer''s abilities were hard to use. He could only ask instinctively, "In thatrge ceremony with the padre, did not only Termiboros descend but also you? Did you intentionally seal yourself with the injured Termiboros into my body?"
Amon nodded lightly and smiled. "Thanks to your gifts, it helped me open the return path and gave me such a present."
Lumian fell silent, involuntarily breathing heavily as if the air here was too thin, and he had to force himself to breathe deeply. "Previously, the Sufferer hidden around me, who was it?"
Amon shook His head. "Haven''t you guessed it yet? You should have heard His name, the Angel of Fate, Ouroboros."
The Angel of Fate, Ouroboros... Lumian was stunned, but it seemed to make sense.
This was the King of Angels who had once followed the Ancient Sun God and was currently serving the True Creator as mentioned by Mr. K during his preaching.
Lumian instinctively gritted his teeth, his voice squeezing out through the gaps, "Did you have a chance to save Aurore back then?"
Amon smiled. "Do you want to hear the answer?"
He nced at the paper in His hand, seemingly preparing to read new content that might contain all the answers.
Chapter 877 Promised Matters
Chapter 877 Promised Matters
Amon began reading again in a t tone, "When the anomaly at Cordu Vige was discovered, the corruption and personality distortion in Aurore Lee had already be quite severe. If the most skilled Psychologist provided treatment and any true god offered a seal, it might have been possible to save her. But why save her?
"If the situation at Cordu Vige had continued to develop, it would indeed have caused a significant catastrophe. However, if intervened, it could bring substantial benefits and y an important role at a critical moment in the future.
"The lizard-shaped elves entered Cordu Vige, quietly maintaining the bnce. They wanted the oue to follow the heretics'' original n but not actually seed. At the same time, they ensured that Aurore Lee retained a slight chance of resurrection.
"In the end, their goal was achieved. Before the Sinners'' organization sent someone, Guiume B conducted the grand sacrifice himself, opening a temporary passage above the barrier, allowing Termiboros to descend.
"Amon had already been waiting nearby, deceiving the ritual, utilizing the barrier, and secretly following Termiboros back into this world.
"Aurore Lee pushing Lumian Lee away in the end brought a bit of an unexpected twist, but it did not change the overall oue. The Fool''s aura on Lumian Lee, stimted by the surrounding environment and his intense emotional fluctuations, sessfully attracted The Fool''s attention"
Hearing this, Lumian''s hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his heart burning with rage, overpowering the numbness and despair.
Amon, as if not noticing his emotional change, continued to read, "As a result, Termiboros was severely wounded, and together with the soul fragments of Aurore Lee and the vigers of Cordu, was sealed into Lumian Lee''s body. During this process, Amon voluntarily joined them, stealing Termiboros'' fate and identity before He could recover, killing Him and reducing Him to a Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic of the Inevitability pathway.
"Before Lumian Lee became an Ascetic, Amon had already absorbed the Beyonder characteristic,pleting the pathway switch, fully recing Termiboros, onlycking the final ritual.
"This is very important. Whether it''s the vortex ritual now or another n, it doesn''t change. Lumian Lee will understand why soon."
At this point, Amon looked up at the dark sky covered with a thick ss-likeyer, smiled, and said, "Next, I will only read the key parts, otherwise, I''m afraid Roselle won''tst that long."
Lumian didn''t respond to Him, using all his strength to suppress his emotions.
He wanted to uncover the truth behind many previous events!
Amon lowered His head again, looking at the paper in His hand. "After the first phase of psychological treatment ended, the hidden dangers of the Tree of Shadow were prematurely triggered, forcing Lumian Lee to face Susanna Mattise''s sacrifice.
"The Amon sealed within him indeed couldn''t bear the weight andplexity of the Tree of Shadow''s fate torrent, nor could He rapidly evolve the fate fragments of encountering the Montsouris ghost into an attack by the Montsouris ghost. However, the Angel of Fate, Ouroboros, had always been watching from nearby. This was His specialty, and in this regard, He was far superior to the Sufferer of the Inevitability pathway.
"With Ouroboros''s covert assistance, Lumian Lee sessfully swapped the fate of being attacked by the Montsouris ghost with the fate of the Tree of Shadow having its roots burned by the Fourth Epoch Trier''s invisible mes. This would y a crucial role in Lumian Lee and Susanna Mattise''s uing battle.
"Between the two battles, Amon didn''t miss the opportunity, deliberately describing Lumian as the unfortunate one to strike at him. This was a deception; if it were the real Termiboros, He would have said simr words in such a situation.
"At the end of the Tree of Shadow incident, the lizard-like elf deliberately let Lumian Lee see it, giving him a strong desire and motivation to continue exploring the truth behind the Cordu disaster."
Hearing this, Lumian was stunned again.
My desire, my anger, is that what that individual wanted too?
Amon seemed to skip parts and started reading the next key point,
"The madman meng, driven insane by encountering the Montsouris ghost, coincidentally stayed at the Auberge du Coq Dor. His experiences and ending resonated with Lumian Lee. The Earth Blood stone he left behind gave Lumian Lee the chance to obtain the residual aura of the Blood Emperor.
"At this time, due to the convergence of Amon''s main body, more and more Amons noticed Lumian Lee''s existence and obtained corresponding information.
"To bring out the hidden value of the Earth Blood stone, one of the Amons chose to steal it. Coincidentally, ady from the Church of Evernight asked Lumian Lee for help to obtain water from the Samaritan Women''s Spring leading them into the underground catbs.
"With the enthusiastic help of the Amons, Lumian Lee ultimately used the Earth Blood stone to gain the residual aura of the Blood Emperor. This was the first step in his mystical simrity to 0-01 which could provide him help in critical moments.
"The Hostel n was initiated as expected. Some participants were killed, some achieved their goals, and those outside who could not observe Fourth Epoch Trier received guidance, while Lumian Lee and others obtained a fragment of the special mirror world for the first time.
n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"After leaving Trier, Lumian Lee inevitably converged to Port Santa, where the seal was reinforced early. Though it left hidden dangers, it could at leastst longer
"On the subsequent journey, Lumian Lee encountered Father Montserrat and obtained Omebe''s burned umbilical cord. He also got involved in matters rted to Naboredisley,ying the foundation for meeting Farbauti''s avatar in the tomb at the end of the Dream Festival
"During the Dream Festival, Lumian Lee sessfully obtained the seal of the Underworld Daoist, truly gaining mystical simrity to 0-01
"During the journey, Lumian Lee also met several people with experiences simr to his but with different choices and oues, which touched him, firming his ideas, and further improving his psychological state. The second phase of psychological treatment was sessfullypleted.
"After asking Mr. K for help to solve Perle''s painting person, Lumian Lee went to the first cathedral built by the Aurora Order for the True Creator. There, he coincidentally saw the lizard-like elves crawling in and out of the god.
"This dealt him a huge blow, worsening his psychological state, but also made his desire and determination for revenge stronger and firmer.
"After returning to Trier from Morora, Lumian Lee began preparing for his advancement to Iron-blooded Knight. What he didn''t realize was that his psychological state and emotional condition had not met the requirements to be a demigod. Even with the sealed angel as a teammate, there was a significant probability that he would lose control after consuming the Iron-blooded Knight potion.
"Fortunately, the presence of the ck Tear and Celia Bello bing a Demoness of Pleasure prematurely triggered the emotional issues within Lumian''s team. After much entanglement and pain, Lumian chose to face his thoughts and tried to respond to others'' attention to him. Although his response was twisted, he at least took the first step, no longer passively epting but cing himself in a position of importance. This mindset change was crucial for his subsequent advancement ritual.
"As a result, Lumian Lee''s emotions and desires were vented, and his importance was no longer suppressed by his fear of loss. His connections with Franca Rnd and Celia Bello became stronger and closer, providing him with two strong anchors during his advancement to demigod, helping him stabilize his consciousness.
"The third and final phase of psychological treatment ended, and Lumian Lee could now withstand new blows.
"During the vortex ritual, Lumian''s team fell into a desperate situation. All his teammates, except him, were about to be killed or taken away by Higdon of the Order of All Extinction in a few minutes.
"Lumian Lee wanted to ask Amon for help, but Amon chose to refuse because He wasn''t Lumian Lee''s godfather and had no obligation, even though Lumian Lee had indeed be more like Amon, using loopholes more skillfully after repeatedly receiving boons from Amon.
"Relying solely on himself and those few Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts, Lumian Lee couldn''t save his teammates because Voisin Sanson and others would also assist Higdon shortly.
"Lumian Lee now has only one choice, to ascend to demigod on the spot. But Amon is unwilling to help him shatter the Sword of Courage, returning the Sword of Courage to a Beyonder characteristic, and his Iron-blooded Knight ritual is still iplete.
"Amon tells him that the only help He would provide is to shatter the ck Tear, give him the supplementary ingredients missing for the Despair potion, and send him to Morora toplete the ritual using the exiles there, ascending to Demoness of Despair.
"Bing a Demoness of Despair, Lumian Lee, wielding the Sword of Courage, sessfully saves his teammates. Then, he would switch between the Demoness and Hunter pathways, spiraling upwards. This doesn''t need to be symmetrical, depending on the situation, aiming to fulfill the phrase ''pure yin does notst, pure yang does not grow, yin contains yang, yang contains yin, the union of yin and yang gives rise to everything.''
"This is the only correct way to approach the peak power of the two cmity pathways. Alista Tudor and Cheek''s attempts failed; not only did They fail to seed, but They also created a big trouble.
"In this process, Aurore Lee''s soul fragments will gradually revive when Lumian Lee is in the Demoness state.
"If Lumian Lee can ultimately defeat Red Angel Medici and Primordial Demoness Cheek, mastering the peak power of the two cmity pathways, Aurore Lee''s personality and soul fragments can rely on Lumian''s own spirit and flesh to resurrect. Then, they can merge with his consciousness, suppressing the corruption of inevitability, and be his female form, controlling the feminine side of cmity. This is the true union of yin and yang, simr to the Medici evil spirit''s current state but closer to the peak.
"This is also the only way to truly revive Aurore Lee."
Amon paused, looking at Lumian, who seemed to have turned into a statue, raised His chin slightly, revealed a faint smile, and recited the final sentence, "Can you ept such an oue?"
Chapter 878 "Sinner"
Chapter 878 "Sinner"
Hearing Amon''s question, Lumian seemed to break free from a long nightmare, only to find reality was an even more despairing abyss.
His body trembled slightly as he used all his strength to squeeze out a sound from his throat.
"Isn''t He afraid? Afraid that after I truly master the peak power of cmity, I''ll seek revenge against Him?"
Amonughed. "By making such a choice, He shows He''s willing to face all possible futures and ept the worst oue.
"It makes no difference to Him whether it''s you or Medici, whether you submit, give up, be angry, or hate. If either of you manages to master the peak power of cmity, seek revenge against Him, disrupt His ns, or even pull Him down from His divine throne, He would still not regret it and would acknowledge the result."
At this point, Amon paused before continuing, "Because He was born to bear all sins."
Lumian fell silent, his fists clenched tightly, with thin streams of bright red blood seeping through the gaps.
Amon nced at the transparent but dark sky. "Time is running out. You must make your choice."
Lumian''s lips moved a few times before he suddenlyughed, a mixture of anger and self-mockery.
His voice was hoarse and low as he said, "I''m willing to goto Morora. I will try all possible ways to revive Aurore, including the only method He mentioned, but I will not ept the oue He predetermined!"
Amon chuckled, adjusting His monocle on His right eye.
"You don''t need to tell me the second half of your sentence. My task is only to send you to Morora and make you a Demoness of Despair. Whether you ept that ending, you''ll have to face Him and tell Him yourself."
With that, Amon raised His right hand and gently grasped, making the ck Tear forehead essory magically detach from the Traveler''s Bag and appear in His palm.
The ck, tear-shaped Sealed Artifact silently shattered, transforming into specks of faint light. These lights quickly converged into a shrunken, withered, ckened, translucent heart.
Amon then reached towards Voisin Sanson, grabbing two items.
One was a small ss vial containing dark green liquid, and the other, three silver fragments.
After making his decision, Lumian''s emotions finally settled a bit. He no longer felt as out of control as beforehis body had been trembling uncontrobly, and his thoughts had been fixated on destruction.
Seeing the two items in Amon''s hand, Lumian suddenly paused.
Voisin Sanson had the supplementary ingredients for the Demoness of Despair?
He was also the one who suggested lifting the seal earlier
Amon mentioned that some participants in the Hostel n received hidden guidance in Fourth Epoch Trier''s unique environment without being noticed by the evil gods Was Voisin Sanson one of them?
Voisin Sanson himself probably didn''t remember being guided, thinking he escaped Fourth Epoch Trier purely with the help of the Mirror People, andter unknowingly did some seemingly unimportant abnormal things?
Amon couldn''t break out of Mr. Fool''s seal on His own, so there had to be a role to aplish the unsealing task without killing methe test subject Voisin Sanson''s stated goal allowed him to do this without suspicion
That individual tacitly allowed the Hostel n to happen, without much interference or obstruction, and didn''t ruin Red Angel''s n, all to prepare for now?
Realizing this, Lumian instinctively scoffed to ease his emotions. "So He can''t ept just any oue after all." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He did so much to ensure the expected result!
Amon smiled. "Willing to ept the worst oue doesn''t mean not striving for the best. And now, would you refuse to go to Morora and be a Demoness of Despair?"
Lumian fell silent again.
Amon let the Demoness of Despair Beyonder characteristic and the two supplementary materials fly towards Lumian, casually remarking, "This Beyonder characteristic will continuously spread gues, both mundane and mystical, and you''ll also be infected."
After Lumian caught them, Amon smiled again. "Do you know what the Sequence 2 of the Inevitability pathway is?"
"Sinner," Lumian replied, determined to go to Morora andplete his task no matter how painful or reluctant he felt.
"And Sequence 1?" Amon continued to quiz him unhurriedly.
Lumian shook his head.
He really didn''t know.
Amon exined with a smile, "Sequence 1 is Angel of Redemption, but to me, it''s not as useful as Sinner.
"The past Sinner, the present Sufferer, and the future Angel of Redemption form the trinity of the Inevitability pathway."
Amon adjusted His monocle, smiling more prominently.
"And a Sinner has the ability to revert their state to any past moment, with the duration depending on specific circumstances."
Revert to any past moment Lumian suddenly remembered that Madam Magician mentioned Amon, the King of Angels from ancient times, once briefly became a god!
Amon turned, smiling. "Of course, involving the uniqueness and power of a true god requires the current holder''s consent. That Celestial Worthy has already diverted most of His attention to influence Project Vortex, so He certainly can''t interfere with The Fool on this matter, and The Fool you believe in shouldn''t object."
As He spoke, Amon spread His arms as if embracing returning power.
The monocle on His right eye shone brilliantly.
Before Lumian could react, he saw the obstacles and barriers blocking ess to Morora in the special mirror world disappear, allowing him to enter the City of Exiles smoothly and without hindrance.
High above in the special mirror world, the figure wearing a golden crown and ck dress nodded at Amon, not attempting to interfere with Lumian.
She was mirror Roselle. In this matter, She had ced bets on both sides, ensuring that the real Roselle wouldn''tpletely perish. Whether the real Roselle became a puppet of the Uncertain Mist or died to await another resurrection opportunity, it wouldn''t affect Her existence and would even gradually make Her the main body.
In the next second, Amon''s figure vanished from Lumian''s sight.
The paper He had been reading silently floated down,pletely nka sheet of white paper.
Before the bloody altar in the ancient castle.
Ma''am Hermit suddenly spoke, "The voice from that painting has weakened."
Madam Magician looked up, slightly puzzled and apprehensive. "The sealing power of the barrier has strengthened. The true god of the Door pathway has returned No, it''s not Mr. Fool, it''s more like more like Amon!"
Using her angelic intuition about the true god of her pathway, Madam Magician quickly made a judgment.
"How could Amon be the true god of the Door pathway again?" Miss Justice''s heart stirred. "Did Mr. Fool or that Celestial Worthy lend Him power?"
If it was the former, it would be great news for disrupting the vortex ritual. If it was thetter, it would be serious.
"Based on current developments, it should be Mr. Fool," Madam Magician said thoughtfully.
At this moment, the Ma''am Hermit, receiving Miss Justice''s report, moved her eyes slightly.
"Since the influence of the mysterious voice has weakened, the power of fate must have lessened too. Now, there should be a chance to destroy this painting!"
As she spoke, the holder of the Major Arcana card holder reached out to Madam Magician, asking for the iron cigar case.
In the sea near Port Santa, the seal, previously weakened by internal gray fog and external gnawing, instantly became as strong as before.
The School of Deliciousness''s previous efforts were all in vain.
Deep in the primitive ind, before the ck Emperor mausoleum.
The thick, pervasive white mist abruptly contracted towards the core as if squeezed by an invisible force.
The mark left by The Fool inside Roselle strengthened, alleviating some of the corruption caused by the Uncertain Mist.
Roselle''s twisted, painful expression improved somewhat.
The eyes of Perle, scattered in different parts of the mist, saw a figure suddenly appear in midair. The figure wore a ck robe, a matching pointed hat, and a monocle on His right eye.
He is Isn''t it said that external forces can''t interfere with the vortex''s operation? Perle, still barely alive, had this question when she saw the figure in mid-air look down at her, smiling happily as He introduced Himself, "Is this our first meeting? I am Termiboros."
"" Perle suddenly felt as if her intelligence had been stolen.
How could it be Termiboros?
However, my spiritual intuition tells me that He is indeed Termiboros
In the special mirror world,
Seeing Amon''s figure soar upwards and vanish from sight, Lumian finally understood why He had said that whether it was the vortex ritual or another n, it didn''t matterpared to consuming Termiboros and bing an Angel of the Inevitability pathway.
This meant there would always be a high-ranking being capable of temporarily exerting a true god''s power, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike at a crucial moment!
Lumian nced at the white paper on the ground, then looked at Franca, Jenna, and the others struggling against Higdon with the help of the Pride Armor and the Demoness''s ck mes. He quickly put away the Sword of Courage, gripping the Beyonder characteristic and supplementary ingredients of the Demoness of Despair, and activated the ck mark on his right shoulder.
He traversed the special mirror world and returned to Morora, the City of Exiles.
Immediately, he reconnected with 0-01, using the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to help bear the damage and influence of the Demoness'' gue.
Then, Lumian stood on the steps before the Knowledge Cathedral, gazing at the wide, deserted square. He began summoning the exiles most affected by 0-01 to gather quickly, aiming to save time.
Chapter 879 Demoness of Despair
Chapter 879 Demoness of Despair
In the next two to three minutes, arge number of exiles poured into the square in front of the Knowledge Cathedral. Some, identally bumped into, chose to duel on the spot. Others quietly straightened their necks so they wouldn''t be too crooked. Some sang loudly out of boredom, while others yed a game of pping each other
Lumian stood on the steps, holding the Beyonder characteristic of the Demoness of Despair, expressionless as he watched these exiled felons.
Time is running out Lumian silently whispered to himself, turning to look at the Knowledge Cathedral once more, but still did not see Archbishop Heraberg of Morora.
Finally resigned, he turned his gaze back to the exiles, who almost filled the square.
There were definitely more than thirty thousand.
Lumian suddenly startedughing, his body trembling with mirth.
Though he seemed to have many choices, considering environmental factors, time constraints, the current situation, and his own obsessions, only one path remained.
The only road before him.
Afterughing for over ten seconds, Lumian, dressed in a white shirt, ck vest, dark trousers, andced shoes, stepped down from the steps and walked into the crowd.
The exiles near the Knowledge Cathedral began to feel something was wrong. Their bodies weakened, and when they tried to p their opponents, it felt more like caressing their faces.
Some instinctively wanted to flee but found their legs powerless, their bodies heavy, moving only slowly.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. White-blue fireballs shot out from around Lumian, flying over the exiles infected with mystical diseases andnding at the edges of the square, which the exiles strangely ignored.
Rumble!
The fireballs exploded simultaneously, surrounding the square in a hell of white mes. The temperature soared, and thick smoke billowed.
Thud, thud, thud. Countless exiles, whose conditions had worsened, fell to the ground, watching as other felons with some strength left trampled over them. They stared at the white mes lighting up the sky, inching closer to them.
Pain and despair quickly filled their hearts, consuming their sanity.
Some wanted to call for help but could only make weak sounds.
Rumble!
Amid continuous explosions, Lumian walked out of the square, into the spreading sea of mes, and into the nearest street.
Rumble!
The houses on both sides of the street either copsed under the white-blue fireballs or were directly ignited, rising into fierce mes like torches.
The felons in the square fell one by one, feeling helpless against the disease, experiencing pain and despair, waiting for death.
Lumian took out a ss bottle, cing the Beyonder characteristic of the Demoness of Despair, gue Mother Serpent''s bile, fragments of a Silver Hunter, blood of various gue victims, and fresh mistletoe into it one by one.
Bubbles gurgled up, and the dark purple potion shimmered with a rosy light.
Lumian gazed at the potion,ughing hoarsely. "Don''t worry, I already know my insignificance. I will embrace despair and the path of the Demoness.
"But this is to avoid being manipted in the future, to choose my own ending!"
With that, he walked forward, raising the bottle to his lips and tilting his head back to drink.
The exiles still standing in the square suddenly felt their pain and despair condense into something tangible, turning into invisible threads extending toward the burning street, toward the figure with his back to them.
They finally "awoke," but were too sick to fight the perpetrator. Some were even already engulfed by mes, burning their bodies.
They saw the figure walking step by step among the burning buildings, walking through the hellish streets, under the bright red sky. His hair floated up, growing longer, cker, and thicker. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
In the air, two stars seemed to light up, and the white-blue mes in the area suddenly turned pitch ck.
This ckness spread like a flood, quickly drowning all light, making the fiery hell quiet, deep, and dark.
In the special mirror world, in the dark scene of the abandoned park where Franca and others fought against Higdon of the Order of All Extinction.
Covered in greenish-yellow mucus, Higdon had split into four, each seeking different targets, while ck mes of the Demoness burned quietly around Franca and Jenna.
The ck mes burned the spirituality of the disease but were dimmed by the decaying power, eventually extinguishing.
If it weren''t for discovering that Higdon''s disease, having some spirituality, could be ignited by the Demoness''s ck mes to slow its spread and intensity, Franca believed she and Jenna would have already exhausted their Mirror Substitutes and awaited death.
Meanwhile, the Pride Armor yed a crucial role, almost unaffected by Higdon''s diseases, and not corroded by the decaying power. It remained energetic, chasing down Higdon whenever he dared to attack from behind, asionally unleashing a Hurricane of Light.
During the battle, Franca and Jenna noticed another problem.
They couldn''t tell if it was because Higdon had no brain or if the demigod was just unlucky, but his Certain Death attacks often missed.
Combined, the two Demonesses and Anthony, who used his Psychological Invisibility to stay out of the decaying range, barely managed to hold on for nearly nine minutes before Higdona demigod. asionally, they even felt that Higdoncked the oppressive presence of a true demigod, seeming like a poor-quality product.
But even so, they couldn''t find an opportunity to escape and discovered that their enemies were multiplyingfrom two at the start to four now, with one splitting off to find Ludwig.
Moreover, although individual Higdon fragments seemed weaker than a true demigod, each fragment retained the same level of power, making them collectively terrifying. Franca guessed the number of splits should have a limit, but not too many.
I have two Mirror Substitutes left. Jenna probably has one Anthony, although attacked less and outside the range, only had two to begin with and has used one Franca analyzed the situation quickly while constantly repositioning to avoid Higdon''s sudden Sure Hit attacks.
As for Lugano, when Higdon blocked him at the start, Franca signaled him to run as far as he could and hide.
It proved to be the right call. Higdon''s targets were Ludwig and the two Demonesses, making no effort to stop Lugano from fleeing and not splitting more Higdons to chase him.
Continuous use of ck mes is also draining our spirituality. Jenna and I can''t hold on much longer Franca considered whether to use thest Mirror Traversal of the Ice Amulet now to dy for a while and see if there would be a turning point.
It could also give Anthony a chance to survive.
The Hypnotist was also not Higdon''s target and had Psychological Invisibility.
Just as Franca was about to signal Jenna to approach, she suddenly saw greenish-yellow drops forming behind Jenna, quickly condensing into Higdon.
Almost simultaneously, Franca noticed from Jenna''s worried expression that something was happening behind her too.
Without hesitation, both Demonesses activated Mirror Substitution.
The next second, two Higdons spread out like dirty, slimy "nkets," wrapping Franca and Jenna in a Sure Hit.
A cracking sound followed.
Meanwhile, Anthony, quietly lurking at the edge of the park, leaning against a half-wall, suddenly saw a greenish-yellow mucus-covered Higdon appear beside him.
He had been discovered after all.
Higdon pushed with both hands, sending a greenish-ck light ball towards Anthony.
Crack!
Anthony used hisst Mirror Substitution, his figure appearing behind this Higdon.
Seeing this, Anthony had an epiphany.
An opportunity!
He didn''t flee but raised his Winter is Coming revolver, aimed at Higdon, and pulled the trigger.
Certain Death!
A yellowish bullet, tinged with dim green, crossed the short distance, hitting Higdon.
Covered in greenish-yellow mucus, Higdon froze, his body quickly disintegrating into small drops, falling to the ground without any spirituality.
This Higdon was dead.
But the other three Higdons remained unaffected.
After confirming this, Franca and Jenna felt utter despair.
Their previous n involved the two Demonesses as bait, giving Anthony a chance to shoot one Higdon with the Certain Death bullet, hoping to kill all Higdons.
Unexpectedly, the Certain Death effect only worked on the one hit.
Momentster, they saw the Pride Armor hit by a Certain Death attack, metal fragments falling from its chest, standing still.
Jenna gritted her teeth, ready to forgo the ritual and gamble on forcibly advancing by consuming the ingredients of the Demoness of Affliction.
At least it would restore her spirituality.
Even if she failed, she could turn into a monster, giving Franca a chance to escape.
Before Jenna could reach into her Traveler''s Bag, another figure appeared at the edge of the area.
It was Voisin Sanson, with his blond hair turning white, who had chased them here!
Jenna and Franca''s hearts sank rapidly. Jenna no longer hesitated.
At this moment, above one of the Higdons, a ck iron sword, burning with white-blue mes, suddenly fell from the sky, urately piercing the top of this Higdon''s head.
Boom!
This Higdon exploded into fragments, the spreading white-blue mes turning into silent ckness, engulfing each piece.
The fragments never reappeared, and a figure quickly appeared in the eyes of Franca, Jenna, and Anthony.
Chapter 880 Walking Destruction
Chapter 880 Walking Destruction
In an instant, the figure became clear.
Everyone present, including Higdon and Voisin Sanson, was stunned.
The person had a slim face, light blue eyes resembling clear and dreamykes up in the hignds, a perfectly shaped nose, and lips neither too thick nor too thin. Her features were striking and graceful, with a peculiar sharpness that seemed to pierce through any defense of body and mind, straight to the soul, hitting its weakest spot.
At the same time, she had a cold demeanor, her face void of any smile, as if she had just killed thousands of people. Her long, straight ck hair gently floated in the aftermath of the explosion.
At this moment, Franca recalled a description she had read before her transmigration: "Her beauty is aggressive"
As she pondered, Franca felt a strong sense of familiarity.
Why does she look a bit like Lumian?
No, not a bit, a lotlike Lumian feminized and beautified, with some Photoshopped editing
Right, she''s holding the Sword of Courage!
My spiritual intuition tells me she is Lumian!
Demoness of Despair! Lumian escaped Voisin Sanson''s pursuit, entered Morora, and without enough teammates to perform the Iron-blooded Knight ritual, chose to use the exiles there to advance to Demoness of Despair?
That''s ruthless something Lumian would do
No, did he choose all the options I gave him?
I must admitmore beautiful than I imagined
Uh, who helped him shatter the ck Tear?
As Franca''s thoughts raced, Jenna shouted in pleasant surprise, "Lumian!"
The enchanted Higdon and Voisin Sanson snapped back to reality.
Lumian''s figure disappeared again, reappearing behind another Higdon.
The Higdon covered in greenish-yellow mucus was prepared, instantly disintegrating into countless droplets.
However, around him, an almost impermeable invisible web suddenly appeared.
The web covered an area of about thirty meters, decaying rapidly while trapping and binding Higdon''s greenish-yellow droplets.
Silent, destructive ck mes surged from the Demoness-form Lumian, igniting the nearly decayed web and engulfing every greenish-yellow fragment, stripping them of all spirituality. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"Idiot!" Lumian cursed expressionlessly, his figure disappearing once more.
I didn''t continue attacking but used Charm to buy time to weave this web, anticipating your escape!
Though Lumian used teleportation and invisibility, the ck mes from his body did not extinguish.
After burning the web and the trapped Higdon fragments, the mes quickly spread across most of the park-like ruins, igniting the pervasive disease in the air.
Feeling the power of the disease and decay significantly diminishing, Franca didn''t search for Lumian. Instead, she tacitly charged at Voisin Sanson.
She sensed Lumian wanted to eliminate Higdon first, so they needed to hold off Voisin Sanson, the Circle Inhabitant, to prevent him from interfering in Lumian and Higdon''s battle.
Every moment counted!
Jenna had a simr feeling, quickly hiding and circling around Voisin Sanson, ready to support Franca and Anthony.
Among them, Anthony could inflict the most damage on a demigod!
Anthony used Psychological Invisibility again, cautiously approaching Voisin Sanson.
Voisin Sanson was still confused and fearfulhe couldn''t figure out where he went wrong trying to unseal and release Lord Termiboros, which allowed Lumian Lee to escape.
For a devout follower of Inevitability, this was a mistake redeemable only by death.
As soon as he regained control, Voisin Sanson hurried to the battlefield of Higdon and Lumian''spanions, hoping to capture Lumian''s teammates and force him back to save them, thus regaining control over him.
Unexpectedly, Lumian had indeed returned, but as a Demoness, a demigod-level Demoness!
If not for the fact that his lust-enhancing contract wasn''t with a demigod creature and he had be a demigod-level Ascetic, he would have already lost control under that soul-piercing Charm.
Quickly, Voisin Sanson spotted Lumian''s figure, emerging behind thest Higdon.
Voisin Sanson was about to teleport over and hunt him down when Franca''s figure appeared behind him.
Franca raised her left hand, adorned with a ck iron spiked ring, her eyes glowing with two streaks of lightning.
Psychic Piercing!
Voisin Sanson''s body shook slightly, his soul feeling a brief pain.
Immediately, a transparent figure resembling him grew from his back, coldly gazing at Franca.
Crack!
Franca used herst Mirror Substitution, the fragments falling lifelessly to the ground.
Simultaneously, Jenna appeared several meters to the side.
She held a brown leather scroll, chanting a word in Hermes, "Sun!"
The scroll burst into radiant sunlight, enveloping Voisin Sanson in its holy and fiery light.
Though the power of Inevitability was not evil, corrupt, or dark, it contained a will that, for Sanson, was foreign and had to be expelled.
Of course, after reaching the demigod level, Voisin Sanson''s consciousness had been corrupted and influenced by that will, aligning more closely with its master, so the purification effect wouldn''t be too significant. However, his contracted creatures included dark, evil, and corrupt types, some of which feared purification. So, under the sunlight, Voisin Sanson couldn''t help but close his eyes, raise his right hand to shield his face, and ck smoke sizzled from his body.
As a demigod, Voisin Sanson wouldn''t suffer severe damage from such Purification and would soon recover, but this gave Anthony a chance.
Anthony stopped, raised his Winter is Coming revolver, and pulled the trigger after a simple aim.
Bang!
A dark yellow bullet flew toward Voisin Sanson.
Sure Hit!
Anthony wasn''t sure if Voisin Sanson had a substitute ability, so he chose Sure Hit instead of Certain Death.
ng!
The bullet hit Voisin Sanson, producing a metallic sound, tearing his clothes, and causing his skin and flesh to rupture.
In the instant he was enveloped by sunlight, unsure of what he might encounter if he teleported away, Voisin Sanson activated a contract ability to metallize himself, enhancing his defense without amplifying the effect of the sunlight.
If the next attack couldn''t be stopped even with metallization, Voisin Sanson could trigger the Circle Inhabitant effect, resetting his body state.
During the desperate blockade by Franca, Jenna, and Anthony, thest Higdon, seemingly foreseeing this, suddenly grew two greenish-yellow mucus-covered arms from his back, pushing out a dim green light at the Demoness of Despair, Lumian.
Certain Death!
The light hit Lumian''s tall, perfect body but passed through.
The figure wavered like ripples, quickly shatteringjust an illusion.
At this moment, multiple Lumian figures with ck hair lightly floating appeared around Higdon, all wielding the Sword of Courage, shing at the Sequence 4 demigod of the Order of All Extinction.
This was the demigod-level Demoness''s utilization of the special mirror world, with each figure possibly being a mirror illusion or the real Lumian hidden among them!
Higdon''s body suddenly disintegrated into dim greenish light, indiscriminately using the Certain Death effect.
This was both an area attack and an escape!
At this moment, another Lumian appeared in midair.
He held the Sword of Courage with both hands, descending heavily and stabbing the ground.
Rumble!
White-blue mes followed the violent explosion, quickly engulfing the area, consuming the dim greenish light striking the various Lumian figures, not giving them a chance to split into more Higdons.
Immediately, the white-blue mes turned into silent ck, igniting and devouring all spirituality in the area with a destructive presence.
Smack!
As the ck mes receded, a fist-sized lump of greenish-yellow mucus fell to the ground.
This was deliberately left by Lumian.
He grabbed the mucus without fearing infection, holding it in his hand and smearing it on a mirror.
His hand, covered in ck mes, pressed onto it.
The greenish-yellow mucus let out a shrill scream.
In another dark ruin, another Higdon had just found Ludwig and was about to reach for the little boy with a ravenous expression when silent ck mes bizarrely erupted from within him.
He was quickly engulfed by the ck mes, turning into lifeless liquid, dripping to the ground.
After dealing with Higdon, Lumian teleported directly in front of Voisin Sanson, signaling Franca, Jenna, and Anthony, who had no Mirror Substitutes left, to retreat.
In Voisin Sanson''s eyes, just recovering from the fierce sunlight, the coldly beautiful Demoness curled her lips into a soul-capturing smile.
Voisin Sanson froze for a moment, hearing a slightly maic, pleasant voice in his ear: "Hope your Circle Inhabitant effect still works; I don''t want to kill you just once."
Chapter 881 Three Times
Chapter 881 Three Times
Voisin Sanson felt there was no warmth in the voice''sughter, and he suddenly shuddered, snapping back to reality.
His first reaction was to quickly teleport out of this area, because Lumian had be a potion pathway demigod, and still had threepanions assisting him. Meanwhile, Sanson''s ally, the other demigod Higdon, had beenpletely killed by Lumian in a very short time.
No matter how devoutly he believed in the great Circle of Inevitability, no matter how urgently he longed to rescue Lord Termiboros, the Angel of Inevitability, today, Voisin Sanson was not so blind as to misread the current situation.
He knew he only had two choices: stay and fight to the death, or flee quickly and wait for another opportunity.
At this moment, it was not difficult to decide which to choose.
As the ck mark on his body activated, Voisin Sanson''s figure disappeared from where he stood.
The next second, he appeared dozens of meters away, facing a dark, transparent, almost ss-like barrier ahead.
The barrier flickered in and out of visibility, sealing off an area the size of a za.
Lumian, his body now slightly slimmer, held the huge iron-ck straight sword and did not stop Voisin Sanson''s attempt. He only said in a slightly mocking tone, "This is the special mirror world, and a demigod-level Demoness can utilize the power of this world to some extent.
"If you want to break the mirror barrier and ''teleport'' out, there''s only one waydefeat me, kill me."
Voisin Sanson struggled for a moment but failed to seed. He had no choice but to turn around and face Lumian.
Then he saw the other reveal a beautiful but dangerous smile.
Lumian did not act immediately, because he was listening to the beating of his own heart.
The seal of Mr. Fool on him had lost its effect, but Amon had left some power in the original position, preventing the soul fragments of Aurore and others from leaking out and perishingpletely.
Of course, this was only a temporary restriction. In two or three days at most, the seal wouldpletely dissipate.
And because of the vast difference in strength between the two seals, Lumian felt that the distance between himself and his sister had shortened considerably, as if he could hear her voice and receive her thoughts.
Thump, thump, thump.
That heartbeat was familiar and warm.
"Do you see? Voisin Sanson is right in front of us, that heretic who always made you have nightmares, who scared you into fleeing Trier.
"Do you see? He''s afraid."
Lumian whispered these two sentences with a gentle expression, then raised his head and cast his gaze toward Voisin Sanson.
During this process, he teleported several times in session, changing his position to prevent Voisin Sanson''s attacks from affecting him.
Lumian slightly arched his back and gripped the Sword of Courage with both hands.
The next second, his figure suddenly faded, blinking to the front of Voisin Sanson, seemingly intending to ignore the other''s counterattack and forcibly cleave the target in two. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Voisin Sanson did not hesitate because of how beautiful this image was or how alluring this figure was. Relying on the endurance ability of an Ascetic, he concentrated dark green light in his eyes.
As the beam surged forth, Lumian had already be transparent, turning into a mirror.
Smack!
Just as the mirror shattered, Lumian''s figure appeared behind Voisin Sanson, maintaining the downward shing motion with the iron-ck straight sword.
Voisin Sanson quickly let the semi-transparent figure resembling himself emerge, staring at Lumian.
But Lumian''s figure suddenly became illusory, as if reflected in a mirror.
At the same time, Lumian materialized above Voisin Sanson''s head, holding the iron-ck straight sword burning with white-blue mes; hepleted thest motion of this attack with a jumping sh.
ng!
The Sword of Courage struck the junction between Voisin Sanson''s neck and shoulder, directly cleaving open the skin and flesh gleaming with metallic luster, staining it with bright red blood.
Immediately after, a violent explosion urred, and Voisin Sanson''s body was about to be torn apart.
At this moment, Lumian was slightly dazed, while Voisin Sanson instantly returned to his original state, teleporting to the other side of the sealed area.
Lumian did not pursue closely, but turned his body to face the white-haired fatalist and said with a smile, "First time."
Voisin Sanson immediately felt his scalp tingle, understanding that the other meant he had already killed him once, with many more times toe.
He immediately activated a contract ability called "Phantom".
He suddenly split into dozens of copies of himself, and each Voisin Sanson seemed capable of teleporting, appearing in different positions and corners of the sealed area.
They simultaneously raised their right hands, their eyes reflecting the corresponding mercury-colored illusory river of Lumian.
This could be either Magnified Fate or Fate Exchange!
And Lumian seemed unable to distinguish which Voisin Sanson was real, unable to effectively prevent it.
Lumian''s light blue eyes smiled without mirth.
He nced at the Sword of Courage and found that Voisin Sanson''s blood, which should have stained it, had disappeared, as if returning to the body of that Circle Inhabitant.
Lumian was not surprised. He suddenly threw the Sword of Courage, hurling it towards the center of the sealed area.
The huge iron-ck straight sword fell to the ground like a cannonball.
Rumble!
A massive explosion suddenly urred, shaking even the special mirror world, and white-blue mes quickly covered every inch of ground and every bit of air in the sealed area.
This was why Lumian had limited the battlefield to the size of a za.
The phantoms created by Voisin Sanson were quickly destroyed. After struggling to resist for two seconds, his true body shattered, triggering the Circle Inhabitant effect.
Lumian himself was also engulfed by the explosion, the mes scorching his skin, the shockwave tearing at his body.
Then, he turned into a mirror.
The mirror immediately shattered.
As the explosion quickly subsided, Lumian looked at Voisin Sanson, who was far away from him, and smiled more obviously.
"Second time."
His clear light blue eyes, like higndkes, still held no mirth.
As he spoke, invisible spider silk extended from Lumian''s body, binding the hilt of the Sword of Courage and dragging it back.
Realizing that the area-of-effect attack of the iron-ck straight sword couldpletely cover this area, and that none of his contract abilities were sufficient to withstand such an explosion, Voisin Sanson was ovee with a feeling called despair.
Although before chasing here, he had already canceled the previous Circle Inhabitant effect and waited for the restriction to end, resetting the same Circle Inhabitant with nine more chances to trigger, now with seven left, if Lumian were to throw that iron-ck straight sword again and again, repeating the area-of-effect explosion from earlier, he didn''t think seven Circle Inhabitant effects would have much significance.
Unless that iron-ck straight sword needed some time between such attacks.
Voisin Sanson dared not gamble. He chose to end the Circle Inhabitant effect on himself.
His right hand pressed towards Lumian''s approaching figure from a distance, and silver-white lines with ck edges appeared in his eyes.
These lines twisted like snakes, framing Lumian''s figure in the middle, then quickly connected head to tail.
Voisin Sanson wanted to make Lumian a Circle Inhabitant!
Different types of Circle Inhabitant effects didn''t need to wait for restrictions to end.
And in the same time period, Voisin Sanson, at only Sequence 4, could maintain only one "Circle".
His preset condition now was that if Lumian made any move to attack him, it would trigger the Circle Inhabitant effect, resetting the state of this Demoness of Despairsuch harsh conditions couldn''t be ced on an area-of-effect Circle Inhabitant, and would be suppressed by the target''s level, not achieving the best effect, unlike the area-of-effect Circle Inhabitant which could affect even Angel-level Beyonders.
The Inevitability power Voisin Sanson attached to this Circle Inhabitant could only maintain three cycles. Once it exceeded three times and started the fourth, the destined fate would arrive.
Of course, what exactly this destined fate would be needed to be chosen by Voisin Sanson himself.
Because he had toplete this "Circle" quickly, otherwise Lumian couldunch an attack first, Voisin Sanson had no time to discern carefully. He just nced and chose a tributary from Lumian''s illusory mercury-colored long river, cing it into the circle.
It was the tributary of the Mirror People being hostile to this Demoness of Despair, which could help Voisin Sanson destroy the surrounding mirror barriers, giving him a chance to teleport and escape.
The worse the destined fate, the worse the final result, the more Inevitability power Voisin Sanson had to invest, and the longer it would take toplete the Circle Inhabitant, which was not suitable for the current situation.
As soon as this "circle" waspleted, Lumian immediately had a spiritual intuition and put down the Sword of Courage in his hand, no longer advancing.
Seeing this, Voisin Sanson instinctively concentrated dark green light in his eyes.
Those two beams shot out like light, instantly falling on Lumian, who once again turned into a mirror, his body materializing not far from his original position.
Seeing this, Voisin Sanson suddenly froze.
Why didn''t Harrison and I think of using this method to trap Lumian when facing his attacks?
That way we could have resolved the battle faster, without needing to be killed several times
And now, he still had who knows how many Mirror Substitutions.
Voisin Sanson quickly decided to provoke Lumian to attack. His eyes once again lit up with a dark green hue.
Just then, even with the endurance of an Ascetic, Voisin Sanson couldn''t help but cough once, causing the dark green beam in his eyes to deviate from its target and fall on the distant mirror barrier.
The barrier was slightly damaged but instantly repaired itself.
Voisin Sanson began to feel his body weakening, each breath feeling like his airways were being scorched by mes.
His spirituality was also rapidly depleting.
Disease I''ve been infected by the Demoness''s disease! Voisin Sanson suddenly raised his head, just in time to see Lumian reveal a mocking but beautiful smile.
"Why did you think the explosion and incineration from earlier could directly kill my mystical pathogens?
"They can persist for quite a while longer."
Voisin Sanson''s heart tightened, and he frantically attacked Lumian, but only managed to shatter three or four mirrors.
And with each ineffective attack, Voisin Sanson grew more desperate. He seemed to already see the worst oue approaching, yet was powerless to reverse it, only able to watch helplessly as the bell of death tolled.
He even tried to metallize his body, but the disease could still infect him, eating into him.
Cough, cough, cough!
After many more attempts, Voisin Sanson finally lost the strength to stand. He copsed to the ground, coughing violently as he fell.
He no longer had the power to maintain the Circle Inhabitant effect on Lumian.
Lumian walked step by step to the front of this Circle Inhabitant, looking down at him from above, and said with a mocking smile, "Only three times?"
Voisin Sanson raised his head with difficulty, looking at that beautiful and cold face, feeling as if he was rapidly falling into a bottomless abyss.
That feeling was the epitome of despair.
Lumian bound Voisin Sanson with a spider web, suspending him in the air, then formed a sharp, thick ice pir beneath him.
"Goodbye, give my regards to your master," Lumian said softly, retracting all the spider silk.
Pfft!
Voisin Sanson fell heavily, impaled by the ice pir.
His eyes bulged, and blood flowed beneath him.
Chapter 882 The True Purpose
Chapter 882 The True Purpose
Seeing Voisin Sanson''s eyes bulge, his breath gradually fading, his face twisted in pain and palpable despair, Lumian reached behind into the Traveler''s Bag and took out the silver Lie earring, putting it on his left ear.
The dying Voisin Sanson suddenly saw a familiar figure.
That figure had light blue eyes, beautiful features, and long, thick golden hair.
It was Aurore.
But this time, there was no longer fear or terror on Aurore''s face, only a faint smile.
"Gasp" Voisin Sanson uttered his final sound.
He died like that, with his eyes bulging.
Lumian returned to his original appearance, casually saying as he removed the Lie earring, "You died so quickly? I wanted to thank you for helping me digest the Despair potion."
When he had just advanced, the Despair potion was already mostly digested, and now it had progressed even further.
Lumian wasn''t surprised by this. ording to the mystical knowledge he had learned from Madam Magician, the essence of the acting method was actually to gradually align one''s mental and spiritual state with the core symbolism of the potion through acting, thereby bypassing restrictions andpleting digestion step by step. His state before and after taking the Despair potion could be said to be very close to the name "Despair".
Lumian wasn''t despairing about having to be a Demoness. For faster advancement, better handling of possible apocalyptic scenarios, and earlier resurrection of his sister, he had considered simr things more than once. After all, he would have the chance to switch to the Hunter pathway and be a man againter.
He despaired that he was forced to do this and had no way to refuse. He despaired that his previous efforts, struggles, and anger were all under someone else''s arrangements, and that he would have to follow someone else''s arrangements to walk the path of the Demoness afterwards.
Of course, when despair reached its peak, the desire and belief in his heart to be strong and change all this also intensified to the extreme.
"Is this what you wanted too?" Lumian whispered self-mockingly as he unsealed the area and let the remaining mystical pathogens dissipatepletely.
Franca, Jenna, and Anthony had already hurried over after Voisin Sanson was impaled on the ice pir.
Lumian suddenly sensed something and turned his gaze to a certain spot in this dark ruin.
It was where the Order of All Extinction demigod Higdon had finally died.
There, points of green light with yellow tinges appeared out of thin air, rising upwards, only to be blocked by the barrier of the special mirror world.
This ce preliminarily cuts off connections, preventing some bestowed power from returning? Lumian, with his experience, immediately made the corresponding judgment.
By this time, Franca and the others had run up to him.
Looking at that familiar yet beautiful and cold face, Franca opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.
Jenna examined Lumian''s current appearance, with only one thought in mind: It''s good that he''s still alive; it''s best that everyone is still alive!
As for the rest, there was nothing to worry about.
Lumian pointed to those green lights with yellow tinges that were being blocked, his voice slightly maic and distinctly feminine as he said, "You can take a weapon over there and ce it there."
This was actively creating a Beyonder weapon.
After Franca exchanged nces with Jenna and Anthony, she very proactively said without any modesty, "I''ll go; I''m just in need of a weapon that can harm demigods."
She was the second highest Sequence Beyonder in the teamnot counting Ludwig.
If she had had a simr weapon earlier, she might not have been so desperate when facing Higdon.
"Alright," Jenna expressed her attitude.
Anthony also nodded.
This didn''t mean that if he put the Winter is Coming revolver under those light spots, this Beyonder weapon would reset its usage count. Given its own materialposition, doing so would likely cause the corruption to exceed the limit, making it disintegrate directly.
Franca took out her Cannon Gun and ran towards the area permeated with green light spots with yellow tinges.
Lumian withdrew his gaze, looked at Jenna, and said with a slight smile, "Do you have any ring-shaped items?"
Jenna, looking at that smile that seemed to radiate its own light, was a bit surprised, but felt that now was not the time to ask. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
She found a cheap silver bracelet and handed it to Lumian.
After taking it, Lumian ced the bracelet on top of Voisin Sanson''s corpse, waiting for the Inevitability power to be intercepted.
He then looked towards the distant transparent boundary that was like a mirror, seeing his own figure and face.
He made an effort to bring a smile to the corners of his mouth.
Because Aurore was just such a person who excelled at finding joy in suffering.
In front of the bloody altar, Ma''am Hermit was trying to find a way tobine the iron cigar case bearing Mr. Fool''s aura with the Spear of Longinus to directly attack that oil painting depicting endless starry skies. Madam Magician, based on her rich knowledge of seals and powerful sealing abilities, carefully said, "The power of Inevitability is to make the interference of non-vortex ritual participants fail, while that terrifying voice affects all Beyonders simr to Listeners and Mystery Pryers. We may be able to solve them separately.
"The power of Inevitability is most likely dissipating from that circr ring on the oil painting. If we can plug it, shield it, we should be able to break free from the fate of interference being destined to fail, directly destroy the painting, and interrupt that terrifying voice."
"Plug it" Ma''am Hermit immediately had an idea upon hearing Miss Justice''s ry.
Taking advantage of the opportunity when the barrier seal was strengthened and the power of inevitability was significantly weakened, she cast a Warlock''s spell, throwing that iron cigar case towards the oil painting on the altar, making itnd urately on the area painted with the silver-white ring with ck edges.
The iron cigar case directly pressed down on that ring, shielding it, without leaving any trace exposed.
The little boy, Will, immediately said, "The power of Inevitability has decreased a lot more!"
Hearing this, Madam Magician quickly raised both arms, making the void around that oil painting bend, bing dark and deep.
That space subsequently copsed, shattering inch by inch, along with obvious cracks appearing on the oil painting and altar.
Miss Justice''s face then protruded with patches of grayish-white scales, her body seeming to swell.
Simrly, Madam Judgment once again made a judgment.
Seeing herpanions allunching attacks, Ma''am Hermit once again condensed that ancient spear stained with strange blood, throwing it towards the oil painting.
The oil painting, already in tatters under continuous attacks, waspletely pierced by this Spear of Longinus, nailed to the altar.
Immediately after, mes that seemed to epass all colors erupted from the spear tip,pletely igniting the oil painting that still had terrifying sounds leaking out, gradually burning it to ashes.
Above Trier, one Worm of Time after another crawled back into Mr. Star''s body.
This Major Arcana card holder wearing red gloves said to Mr. Hanged Man in his original maic voice, "Amon has returned, and briefly regained the true god powers of the Error and Door pathways. I must return to the Cathedral of Serenity immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Star instantly disappeared.
Mr. Hanged Man cast his gaze downward, seeing the "Moon" transformed into crimson moonlight fall into the extremelypressed vi mist, while Saint Vive of the Eternal zing Sun Church shone into it in the form of sunlight.
Deep in the primitive ind, outside the ck Emperor mausoleum.
Amon, at the edge of the astral world, looked down at Perle, at the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess and the miniature crimson moon still struggling to approach the corresponding light spots in the white mist, without any action.
"What are you still waiting for?" Roselle, his face gradually deepening in pain, asked.
"The same as what you''re thinking now, the most arrogant thought you''ve ever had." Amon pinched the monocle on his right eye and smiled in response. "If it was just to eliminate the believers of Uncertain Mist, there would be no need for such trouble, nor would it be worth us revealing our trump cards."
Roselle nced at the transaction still ongoing below and said, "That could bring great hidden dangers."
"When you make a decision, you have to ept the corresponding consequences. How can you aplish something big without taking any risks or bearing any losses?" Amon said with a smile, then added, "This wasn''t said by me, nor by you."
Before Roselle, who was being eroded more and more deeply and painfully by the white mist, could respond, Amon looked into the distance and said, "Those few from the Tarot Club are not bad, they don''t need me to personally descend to destroy that oil painting."
Saying this, Amon, wearing a monocle, showed an eager expression. "Now, it''s time."
He cast his gaze towards the ck Emperor mausoleum, towards Bernadette who was being restricted by Roselle and unable toe out.
That Queen Mystic suddenly recalled something, feeling as if a certain memory had parted the mist and revealed itself.
She immediately stretched out her right hand, quickly sketching out one word after another bearing starlight in front of her.
These words, seemingly the source of allnguages in the Northern and Southern Continents, quickly intertwined into strange symbols, opening a secret door that seemed to lead to the depths of the spirit world.
That secret door opened silently, and a gust of wind blew out, transforming into a man with a human upper body and an airflow lower body, wrapped in white cloth.
"The Magic Wishing Lamp and that item," Bernadettemanded in an authoritative voice.
That man with an airflow lower body respectfully responded, then took out two items from the white cloth wrapped around his body.
One looked like a miniature kettle, golden in color, covered with mysterious andplex symbols, with something like a wick protruding from the spout. This was 0-05the Magic Wishing Lamp that the believers of Uncertain Mist wanted to obtain.
The other was a gray stone tablet, also engraved with those words that seemed to be the source of allnguages in the Northern and Southern Continents, with numerous traces on its surface, mottled and ancient.
Chapter 883 The Poor Genie
Chapter 883 The Poor Genie
After receiving those two items, Bernadette had fully remembered what she and the former Angel of Imagination, now the True CreatorAdamwere cooperating on.
Now, it was the final step of this transaction. The gray stone tablet she held in her hand was the second sphemy te transformed from the remains of the Ancient Sun God, the predecessor of the True Creator, recording the names, potion forms, and rted rituals for each Sequence of the twenty-two paths of the divine!
Bernadette originally didn''t want to push the transaction to this step, hoping to resolve the corruption issue on her father''s body before this, thereby ending the vortex ritual, but ultimately, she had to face the current situation.
Many of her efforts had failed, and several of her backup ns either didn''t have time to take effect, or lost their effect because she was restricted by her father in the mausoleum and unable to leave. She could only hope that the proimed inevitable oue woulde to pass.
Bernadette raised both hands, pushing the Magic Wishing Lamp and the second sphemy te towards midair.
The moment He saw these two items, Emperor Roselle fully understood all of True Creator Adam''s arrangements and ultimate purpose.
He reached out His hand, distorting the distance between the Magic Wishing Lamp and Himself, making it fall directly into His palm.
The sphemy te first disappeared, then appeared in the hands of Amon, who was wearing a ck pointed soft hat.
Holding the Magic Wishing Lamp, Roselle smiled calmly at Amon and said, "Now that I am the true ck Emperor, and deeply corrupted by the Uncertain Mist, I indeed might be able to do something with this Magic Wishing Lamp and the Genie inside it as a medium."
"It''s not ''might'', it''s ''certainly''," Amon adjusted the monocle on His right eye, smiling as He corrected.
Roselle didn''t say more. Holding the Magic Wishing Lamp, He half-closed His eyes, extending His consciousness to this golden object.
This brought along some of the white mist that had begun to erode His consciousness.
Vaguely, Roselle seemed to see another barrier standing between heaven and earth.
That barrier was wrapped in thin grayish-white fog, its specific appearance indiscernible.
Soon, Roselle sensed a gap in the grayish-white fog, on that invisible barrier, but couldn''t lock onto it.
At this moment, Amon pressed His right hand against the crystal monocle wedged in His eye socket.
That monocle suddenly lit up with a brilliance that seemed to illuminate the entire world.
Roselle''s consciousness, preliminarilybined with the Uncertain Mist''s corruption, instantly floated into the corresponding gap.
A haze immediately appeared before His "eyes".
Deep within that swirling smoke seemed to be hidden thirty-threeyers of sky, eachyer with numerous buildings faintly visible.
Roselle''s consciousness quickly ascended, arriving at the highestyer of sky,ing to a majestic and grand pce.
He "saw" an incredibly enormous imperial figure, "saw" that the figure''s face was masked by strings of jade, and beneath the jade strings seemed to be nothing, a void.
Roselle inexplicably felt that this enormous imperial figure was very simr to Himself, born from the same source, yet epassing Him. A close connection was quickly established between the two.
This connection swiftly eroded Roselle''s consciousness, yet was blocked by the corruption of the Uncertain Mist. They both merged and opposed each other.
Roselle momentarily regained some rity.
A sh of inspiration struck Him, and using that close connection, He lowered His stance and said in His true mother tongue, "Imperial brother, please lend me your strength!"
That emperor with a face shielded by jade strings attached to a tall oriental crown suddenly stood up.
Behind Him, several simr imperial figures appeared, these figures each with different external appearances, but simrly with faces covered in jade strings,cking faces, aplete void.
At the same time, all thirty-threeyers of the sky deep within the haze lit up, revealing magnificent buildings and sacred figures.
Roselle''s vision was instantly filled with azure light.
His consciousness suddenly returned to the ck Emperor divine body, seeing bursts of azure light erupting from within, dispersing and dissolving the white mist that had deeply eroded Him. Yet as time passed, the azure light and white mist began to show signs of merging in some ces.
During this process, the Uncertain Mist did not withdraw its white mist. On the one hand, this was due to the barrier''s obstruction and the influence of the True Creator and Amon; on the other hand, the Uncertain Mist was following its own chaotic madness, following its instinctive desires and cravings, wanting to truly merge with the azure light.
Roselle increasingly felt as if He was another facet of the Uncertain Mist, the connection established between Them through the white mist quickly bing unusually solid.
At this point, even if the Uncertain Mist wanted to recall that white mist, it couldn''t be done instantly, requiring some time, unless Roselle agreed.
The ball of white mist from the vortex ritual involuntarily rose, flying towards Roselle''s body. This terrified Perle, who was currently only able to survive with the help of this mist, while the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess and the miniature crimson moon in the mist both stopped advancing, standing still.
Roselle once again cast His gaze towards Amon, who was holding the sphemy te, and said with some emotion, "As expected of a Visionary"
To dare to imagine this, to dare to arrange this!
Amon''s previous answer had confirmed Roselle''s initial and boldest guess was correct.
The true purpose of the True Creator using the vortex ritual was to deal with the Uncertain Mist, that great existence peering at the current world!
Normally, even if that True Creator and the six true gods in the astral world put aside Their grudges and fully cooperated, They couldn''t aplish such a thing, at most forcing the Uncertain Mist to retreat. But now, He had used the vortex ritual, used the Uncertain Mist''s craving for the ck Emperor true god, allowing the Uncertain Mist to establish a firm and close connection with Himself, making Himself increasingly simr to the Uncertain Mist, thus creating a certain opportunity.
Of course, the so-called opportunity certainly wasn''t to use this connection to transfer power over and directly attack the Uncertain Mist; that wouldn''t lead to a very good effect. But in the mystical world, there were some underlying rules that could be exploited, many ways to defeat powerful existences by harming the weak, which was the basis of many curses.
As this thought shed, Roselle began to rub His fingers over the golden surface of the Magic Wishing Lamp, covered in mysterious andplex symbols, muttering, "Genie!"
The wick at the spout suddenly ignited, emitting light that looked like viscous water, spurting upwards to form a blurred and distorted pale golden figure.
As soon as that pale golden figure appeared, He turned His head, about to dive back into the Magic Wishing Lamp, but the white mist and azure light eroding Roselle''s ck Emperor divine body suddenly split off arge portion, like a bear smelling honey or a vampire ced next to a pool of fresh, healthy blood, violently surging around this pale golden figure, binding ityer uponyer, as if submerging it.
Genie twisted and struggled desperately, trying to escape this predicament and shrink back into the Magic Wishing Lamp, but couldn''t seed no matter what. His pale golden figure gradually showed signs of merging with the white mist and azure light.
Genie''s mouth kept opening and closing, as if frantically cursing Amon and Roselle, but restrained by the white mist and azure light, He couldn''t even make a sound.
Roselle raised the Magic Wishing Lamp and Genie to His chest level, distorting the rtionship between the main body and external items, briefly making Himself an appendage of Genie.
In an instant, Genie, originally one with the Uncertain Mist andpletely of the same source, seemed to be another facet of the Uncertain Mist again, yet was subjected to sealing, unable to exert His power, appearing quite weak!
Roselle looked at Amon again.
Now, before your authority over loopholes as a true god of the Error pathway, under this firm and close connection, from a mystical perspective, the weak Genie canpletely equal the powerful Uncertain Mist. Severely injuring Genie would be equivalent to severely injuring the Uncertain Mist and making Genie fall asleep would be equivalent to making the Uncertain Mist fall asleep!
What happens next is up to the two of you!
Amon smiled and raised the sphemy te in His hand.
In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, atop the majestic and stretching mountain range, before a huge blood-stained cross.
The True CreatorAdamwho had shaken off the influence of the Outer God''s ravings, was already waiting here.
He wore a simple white robe, had a thick golden beard, eyes as clear as a child''s, and beneath His feet was a dense shadow, different from Him, with five heads. It seemed to be His, yet not His.
Adam opened His mouth and said solemnly and sacredly, "I am One, and also Infinity, the Beginning and the End."
As soon as He finished speaking, True Creator Adam''s clear eyes instantly became illusory, and around His body appeared a strange sea that seemed to epass all colors and all possibilities.
Immediately after, Adam grasped the silver cross pendant hanging on His chest.
Above His head, a zing yet illusory sun leaped out. To His left, lightning, gale winds, and sea waves interwove to form an overlooking phantom. To His right, a white tower with numerous brass eyes rose from the ground.
These illusory, seemingly imagined authorities and symbols, along with Adam''s own shadow, driven by the chaotic sea, merged into Adam''s body one after another.
With a thunderous sound, that strange sea epassing all colors and all possibilities surged up, submerging the entire mountain range, while Adam expanded into a huge figure of light that seemed capable of supporting heaven and earth.
This True Creator briefly returned to His peak state, and that human savior who had battled ancient gods appeared in the world once again!
He walked slowly on the chaotic and pitch-ck "water surface", pointing His finger towards the sea that was both real and illusory. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
With this pointing, the surface of the second sphemy te in Amon''s hand quickly surged with chaotic seawater epassing all colors and all possibilities.
Amon no longer held it directly, letting this mottled and ancient stone tablet float in front of His body.
He then looked towards the pale golden Genie that was frantically twisting while seemingly cursing Him, revealing a smile that made the other even more furious.
Then, He let that sphemy te rise up.
Chapter 884 The Future He Proclaimed
Chapter 884 The Future He Proimed
As the sphemy te in front of Amon rose up, the white mist corroding Roselle and Genie suddenly reacted, trying to break free and retreat back to the endless cosmos. But Roselle forcibly "held" it down, only allowing it to withdraw bit by bit.
Simrly, the pale golden Genie struggled desperately, trying to dive back into the Magic Wishing Lamp through the spout, but Roselle gave Him no such opportunity, firmly binding Him in front using the white mist and azure light.
Roselle turned His head to look down at the ck Emperor mausoleum, Distorting the distinction between inside and outside, and gave His eldest daughter Bernadette a smile that was both pained and satisfied.
He called out loudly, "Enjoy this world for me for a while!"
"Dad!" Queen Mystic Bernadette cried out, her cheeks glistening with tears.
Roselle said no more, turning His gaze back and standing upright.
He continued to resist the retraction of the white mist, tightly gripping Genie, then raised His chin and said to Amon in an authoritative and firm voice, "Do it."
Amon''s monocle on His right eye instantly lit up with a strange radiance. He pressed down with both hands, causing the floating sphemy te before Him to heavily smash towards the pale golden Genie and Roselle who was "embracing" Genie.
The chaotic seawater epassing all colors and possibilities transformed into a torrent, surging over mightily.
Drawn by this, the ball of white mist representing the vortex ritual, along with Perle, the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess, and the miniature crimson moon inside it, also rushed rapidly towards Genie and Roselle.
At this moment, within the vortex''s white mist, a previously unexpanded point of light rapidly erged, revealing a dim and dark scene that seemed to correspond to both Fourth Epoch Trier and some unknown ce.
From this scene, a delicate, slender, and beautiful white hand suddenly reached out, grabbing the distorted arm of the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess, and swiftly dragged this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact into its own light point. Both disappeared into the deep, ckish gloom.
Affected by thepletion of this transaction, the miniature crimson moon formed by the Great Mother''s corruption instantly arrived before the light point where a blurred figure was suspended, about to permeate into it.
Amon was fully utilizing loopholes while also having to control that sphemy te and maintain its stability, so He could only barely spare a bit of attention to interfere.
He couldn''t prevent the disappearance of the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess, only causing the miniature crimson moon to autonomously crumble and dissipate by nearly half.
The remaining miniature crimson moon drilled into the corresponding light point, entering the blurred human figure suspended in midair.
That figure wrapped in bandages, thorns, and roses suddenly had its belly swell up enormously, with obvious cracks appearing. From these crevices, arms covered in ck tar-like liquid and protruding with scarlet eyeballs, skull heads, and mouths with teeth and tongues suddenly stretched out, tearing at the blurred figure''s abdomen.
The next second, the white mist representing the vortex ritual covered the pale golden Genie, with all the light points within simultaneously extinguishing.
Genie cursed frantically and silently, but could only watch helplessly as the chaotic torrent epassing all colors and possibilities surged towards Him along with the mottled, ancient, and gray stone tablet.
He was instantly submerged.
His bodyposed of pale golden viscousmplight quickly disintegrated, reverting to tiny golden fragments.
These fine, pure gold light points were rapidly washed away and eliminated by the chaotic torrent, leaving not a trace behind.
In the blink of an eye, only an extremely dim blue-tinged white light remained of Genie.
This light, notpletely dposed by the chaotic torrent, pathetically shrank back into the golden Magic Wishing Lamp.
At this point, Roselle no longer needed to restrain Genie, nor did He need to arduously maintain the close connection between Himself and the Uncertain Mist.
He looked at the chaotic torrent surging before Him, raised His chin again, and opened His arms, as if an emperor embracing His own world.
In an instant, the chaotic torrent epassing all colors and possibilities submerged Roselle''s figure as well.
This resurrected ck Emperor''s body quickly disintegrated, rapidly bing ethereal.
"Dad" Bernadette in the mausoleum below called out once more, but this time her voice was very low, like sleep-talking.
Almost simultaneously, outside the barrier, the white mist covering a certain suddenly contracted to its core, as if directly struck by the second sphemy te along with the chaotic torrent, revealing the weathered earth and dried-up seabed once again.
Immediately after, uncertain, dense white mist spread out again, with indescribable sounds echoing throughout the cosmos.
This caused even the extremely bright astral world to be covered by thin mist, making the entire world dim and dark.
The next second, the white mist, whose size and state were indescribable, detached from the previous.
That shattered silently, with various rocks and gasses ejecting outwards in waves.
Then, a chaotic sense epassing all colors appeared on the surface of the dense, uncertain, and unviewable white mist.
It suddenly shrank, rapidly disappearing into the depths of the endless, dead, and dark cosmos.
On the streets of Trier, citizens saw the mist in the sky gradually dissipate, and the sun returned to normalneither bright enough to blind human eyes nor dim as if at dusk.
The series of strange events that had just urred were not forgotten by them, and the voice proiming "Emperor has returned" still lingered in their hearts.
"What exactly is happening to this world?" Many citizens had simr questions.
With these doubts and lingering fear, they turned their gaze to newsstands and nearby cathedrals.
On this day, mystical magazines like Psychic, Arcane, and Lotus sold out in Trier. Whether it was the Eternal zing Sun''s cathedrals, God of Steam and Machinery''s cathedrals, or The Fool''s cathedral, all were packed with people.
Simrly, in citiesrge and small across the Northern and Southern Continents, like Backlund and Port Pylos, corresponding magazines were in short supply, and every cathedral was filled with believers.
Above the primitive ind, Amon descended to a height level with the top of the ck Emperor mausoleum.
He looked at Queen Mystic Bernadette, who had just walked out of the mausoleum, and said in a deliberately indifferent tone, "For sixty years, the Uncertain Mist will not be able toe again. There will be one less danger to face at the time of the apocalypse.
"And as long as no new ck Emperor is born, as long as the order of human society has notpletely copsed, or this mausoleum has not beenpletely destroyed, Roselle will be able to resurrect from nothingness after a hundred years. At that time, with three types of corruption on Him, He will achieve a basic bnce and be able to maintain basic humanity and rity."
At this point, Amonughed and changed His tone. "This is the future He ims, and also His promise to you."
Without waiting for Bernadette to respond, Amon grabbed at the air and tossed a crown iid with many dark gems that had just appeared, along with the Magic Wishing Lamp, to Queen Mystic.
"As a guarantee of the promise, the ck Emperor''s Uniqueness shall be given to you.
"As long as you don''t die, no new ck Emperor will appear."
Bernadette caught the dimly glowing crown and said in a low voice, "I hope the future He ims will inevitably unfold."
Amon pinched the monocle on His right eye and chuckled softly.
"This is not something I can answer on His behalf. Anyway, I''ve received my payment, and the ritual waspleted just now."
As soon as He finished speaking, Amon, who no longer had the status of a true god,nguidly took back the sphemy te and three other rays of light, disappearing into midair.
In front of the destroyed bloody altar.
After the world''s darkness and mist at high altitudes retreated, Madam Magician cast her gaze towards the western sky.
As an Angel closely connected to the spirit world, she had already learned from the spirit world about what had just happened and the fate of her Minor Arcana cards.
"What''s wrong?" Miss Justice asked.
Madam Magician''s expression was veryplex, and her tone carried a slight sigh.
"That evil god who preached in the name of Truth has suffered a heavy blow and must sleep for decades.
"This is good news. There''s one less major danger for humanity to face during the apocalypse, and there won''t be any Brokers running around making connections before the apocalypse.
"But Emperor Roselle has perished because of this. He may only have a chance to resurrect and return after a hundred years, and also"
Madam Magician didn''t continue.
Ma''am Hermit, who had lifted her hearing seal, and other Major Arcana card holders like Miss Justice and Madam Judgment also had ratherplex expressions.
In a room five or six meters high in the New City of Silver.
Lumian had already brought Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and the subsequently recovered Ludwig, Lugano, and others to this ce that could guarantee their safety.
Looking at Lumian with his ck hair scattered and delicate features, Franca wanted to tease him a bit, but felt that his mood wasn''t quite right.
She had always known that Lumian had considered switching to the Demoness pathway. For faster advancement, as long as he maintained his sense of self, he couldpletely switch back to the Hunter pathwayter and be a man again. So Franca originally thought Lumian had made the decision to switch to Demoness this time to deal with the dangerous situation, but after careful observation, she felt it wasn''t like that.
If it had been his own choice, Lumian wouldn''t have hidden suppression and pain under his calmness!
Thinking of this, Franca nced at the sky outside that had returned to azure, and deliberately said, "The vortex event seems to have ended. Very good, very good. The apocalypse didn''te, this world wasn''t destroyed, and we''re all still alive!"
As long as we''re still alive, there''s still hope!
Jenna also pondered for a moment before asking Lumian, "Do you want a change of clothes?"
Lumian looked at the two Demonesses and Anthony, then at Ludwig who was eating frantically without caring that his godfather had be a woman, and Lugano who asionally stole nces at him. He said in a slightly low voice, "I''ll exin the specificster. I''m going somewhere now."
"By yourself?" Jenna asked.
Lumian nodded gently. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Franca didn''t try to persuade him. She took out a ck cloak she had bought when disguising as a Witch from the Traveler''s Bag and threw it to Lumian.
Lumian put on the cloak and activated the ck mark on his right shoulder.
He teleported to a deep valley where an ancient church stood, its surface water-ck and carved with human skulls.
This was the first cathedral built by the Aurora Order for that True Creator.
Lumian entered this deep ck church, walking step by step to the huge ck cross inside. Along the way, there were no human presences, nor any unknown things blocking him.
After stopping, Lumian, wearing the ck cloak, looked at the male deity statue hanging upside down on the cross. His gaze moved from the rusty iron nails piercing the deity''s body and the fresh red blood rendered around them, all the way down to the face where all features were blurred except for the eyes, which were very clear, tightly closed, as if bearing all pain and guilt.
After staring for a few seconds, Lumian said in a low voice with a hint of maism, "One day, I will truly walk before you and tell you my answer."
After saying this, Lumian in his ck cloak turned around and walked towards the outside of the cathedral.
At the same time, incandescent fireballs shot out from around him, flying towards different parts of this cathedral, flying towards the male deity statue hanging upside down on the ck cross.
Rumble!
Pirs copsed inside the cathedral, windows shattered, and corners were set aze.
Rumble!
The huge ck cross was sted to pieces, and the inverted statue crashed down, smashing into many fragments on the ground.
The statue''s head separated from its neck, rolling a few times and bing covered in dust.
Its face happened to face towards the silhouette of Lumian walking through the copsing cathedral and raging mes, his ck hair and cloak fluttering. The eyes remained tightly closed, as if bearing all pain and guilt.
God loves the world.
(End of VolumeDemoness)
Chapter 885 The Corrupted Cannon Gun
Chapter 885 The Corrupted Cannon Gun
Dreams are reality, despair is hope
The sunset light shone through the window, casting a dim golden-red glow in the room. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Except for Lugano who had taken Ludwig to explore local cuisine in the New City of Silver, Franca, Jenna and Anthony remained in the living room, listening to Lumian recount what had happened to him after they parted ways.
Lumian recounted the key points of Termiboros bing Amon, the psychological treatment report Amon had read out, and the subsequent "story" script, all in a detached manner as if he were an outside observer, without concealing anything.
That low and indifferent voice entered Franca and Jenna''s ears, gradually making them feel a suffocating pain and despair, as if they had experienced it themselves.
This was not physical pain, nor the kind of despair when facing death. It came from one''s own insignificance, one''s own powerlessness, from the realization that one''s beliefs, emotions, and decisions were actually products arranged by someone else.
Franca couldn''t help but think of theb mice she used to work with frequently.
She finally understood why Lumian, despite not being averse to switching to the Demoness pathway, was still in pain over advancing to demigod status, his emotions constantly suppressed.
Looking at that familiar yet strange face, that expressionless beautiful visage, Franca felt an inexplicable heartache and pity.
After Lumian finished recounting his final choice, the room fell into silence.
After a moment, Franca took the initiative to change the subject, sighing. "I never imagined that ck Tear was also arranged by that individual. Wasn''t that something from the Demoness Sect?"
"If not ck Tear, there would be White Tear or Gray Tear. If they can''t arrange the vessel for the Primordial Demoness''s divine descent, can''t they arrange for other Demonesses?" Lumian responded calmly.
Seeing him in this state, Jenna felt a wave of sadness and heartache. With her experience, she would rather Lumian be in a state of rage, or directly show the pain hidden deep in his heart, instead of being like a dried-up well now, with all emotions pressed down to the bottom.
Franca had a simr feeling. She almost instinctively made a self-deprecating remark, "I never thought Jenna and I would have a ce in the script, even if our role was just to stabilize your mental state, providing a stable anchor point when you advance to be the Demoness of Despair."
The word "anchor" was something she had encountered a few times with Madam Judgment, suspecting it was rted to how High-Sequence Beyonders stabilized their own statethe higher the Sequence, the easier it was to go mad, and anchors seemed to be external help to strengthen self-awareness and resist the tendency to lose control.
"It''s not just that," Lumian, still wearing the ck cloak, said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It''s also a means to prevent me from bing addicted to the feeling of Aurore''s soul fragments gradually reviving, unwilling to switch back to the Hunter pathway, and gradually abandoning my self-identification as a male."
Jenna and Franca fell silent, both feeling an indescribable pain in their hearts.
Thetter stood up from therge, high-backed chair that she could curl up in, looked at Lumian, and said straightforwardly, "I don''t like the way you put it, as if Jenna and I have really be tools.
"ck Tear only made the problem erupt earlier; it doesn''t mean the problem didn''t exist, it doesn''t mean that the emotions and thoughts in our hearts were created out of thin air, that they appeared because of that individual''s arrangements!
"I-I only speak for myself, my attitude is that I won''t persuade you to definitely switch back to the Hunter pathway, nor will I care whether you''re a Demoness or a Hunter. I''m also very d that Aurore still has hope of resurrection, and I''m looking forward to seeing here back to life, but what I value more is you, Lumian Lee, the one who has gone through so many things with us and shared so many beautiful memories"
At this point, Franca was at a loss for words, not knowing how to express the thoughts she hadn''t yet spoken.
Jenna also stood up, pursing her lips before saying, "I would be happy to see Aurore resurrect through you, but I don''t want to see you give up on yourself because of it.
"In this world, there are people who care about Lumian Lee, who like him, who value him!"
"Yes!" Franca echoed Jenna''s words.
Lumian''s blue eyes, now a lighter shade, looked at the two Demonesses, with a faint light flickering in their depths.
He didn''t respond to Franca and Jenna''s words, but he didn''t object to or mock their statements either.
Just as Franca and Jenna were about to say something more, they suddenly saw Anthony give them a look, indicating that this was just right, and that Lumian should be left alone to calm down and think for a while. Too muchfort, encouragement, and confession would only bring about the opposite effect.
Uh Franca closed her mouth.
She then realized a fact:
Anthony was here Doesn''t that mean he heard everything I said earlier?
Embarrassing!
EMBARRASSING!
Jenna sat back in her original position, trusting the Psychiatrist''s judgment in this matter.
As for her own emotional outburst just now, she didn''t feel shy about it. She knew Anthony had seen through it long ago.
Anthony sighed inwardly. As a normal, almost middle-aged man, he was very grateful to be a Psychiatrist, a Hypnotist. Otherwise, facing two Demonesses each with their own unique charm every day, andter adding a captain whose beauty was breathtaking, he would definitely be naturally enchanted and unknowingly lose his heart.
He felt that with this kind of training, even if he hadn''t be a demigod yet, he could resist the Charm of an enemy Demoness of Despair for a longer time.
The embarrassed Franca instinctively searched for a topic. She let out an "Ah" and said, "That individual''s arrangements are truly terrifying. It''s not something we can escape or choose not to ept."
Jenna nodded in deep agreement.
Both Demonesses had been in significant situations before. They had personally experienced the celestial changes that Red Angel Medici had created in Fourth Epoch Trier. But the True Creator''s arrangements, which came without warning and left no trace,pletely surpassed their imagination. Just thinking about it a little would cause nightmares or sleepless nights.
Lumian responded in a low voice, "That being is a true god. I even suspect He''s more than just a true god. At least Madam Magician''s attitude towards Him is more respectful and fearful than towards true gods like the Eternal zing Sun.
"The Tarot Club, the Church of The Fool, and other rted forcesbined might not be able to prevent His arrangements. At most, they could detect anomalies a bit earlier and give warnings."
"Yeah, although there are many Angels around Mr. Fool''s divine throne, they''re still not enough to face a true god. Damn, why would a true god focus on someone who wasn''t even a demigod before?" Franca sighed and cursed.
She originally wanted to add, "With such arge gap in status, resistance is mostly futile. We can only make do for now, not letting this matter weigh on our minds, and try to use His arrangements to strengthen ourselves as much as possible." But after considering Lumian''s current state, she swallowed these thoughts that arose from her own personality.
"Perhaps we''ll only stop worrying about being arranged by that individual when Mr. Fool wakes up," Jenna said carefully.
"Yeah, when will Mr. Fool wake up?" Franca echoed with a sigh.
Suddenly, with her rich gaming experience, she had an idea.
She sat up straight and looked at Lumian, saying, "The lucky coins in my, Jenna''s, and Ludwig''s possession all seem toe from Mr. Fool''s past bestowal, carrying his aura. Could it be could it be that gathering all the lucky coins might awaken Mr. Fool?"
"If it were that simple, the Major Arcana card holders would have already collected the lucky coins and awakened Mr. Fool," Lumian pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Perhaps gathering the lucky coins is just a prerequisite, and there are still some things to be done afterward."
At this point, Anthony interjected, "I''m about to get a lucky coin too. The Knight of Swords promised to use it as payment."
"Four coins now" Franca couldn''t help but nce at Lumian.
In the past, she would definitely have teased him, but now, facing Lumian in this state, how could she bear to?
Lumian didn''t show any disappointment. He looked out the window and said, "Madam Magician should being to me soon. I''ll ask her about the true significance of the lucky coins."
"Mm." Franca touched her Traveler''s Bag. "By the way, I want to ask Madam Magician to create an independent space in my Traveler''s Bag to store that revolver. I can feel that it, like ck Tears, is continuously creating diseases and constantly spreading outward."
Her Cannon Gun had alreadybined with part of the boon power from Higdon that was intercepted in the special mirror world, and had not yet been renamed.
After saying this, Franca asked Lumian to ce the entire room into the Bottle of Fiction, while she took out the corrupted Cannon Gun and used Magic Mirror Divination method to grasp its corresponding effects and negative impacts.
Before long, Franca obtained a rtively detailed answer:
"The corrupted Cannon Gun will continuously spread disease and decay within a three-kilometer radius, with random types of diseases;
"The corrupted Cannon Gun can add either the Certain Death or Sure Hit effect to fired bullets, for a total of thirteen times, which can be stacked with the original Heavy Strike effect;
"If either the Certain Death or Sure Hit effect is triggered, the user will inevitably fall seriously ill for a period of time afterward. If a suitable healer isn''t found, they might even die from it. If found, the severe illness state wouldst from a few hours to a day.
"After all the Certain Death and Sure Hit uses are exhausted, the negative effect of continuously spreading disease and decay will still exist,sting for about a year."
As soon as she got the answer, Franca immediately stuffed the corrupted Cannon Gun back into the Traveler''s Bag. Then, deliberately trying to liven up the atmosphere, she smiled and said, "If I were to use Impregnating Bullets with the Sure Hit effect, how would the enemy deal with that?"
Chapter 886 Conditions Met
Chapter 886 Conditions Met
Regarding Franca''s question, Jenna and Anthony were amused but didn''t know how to respond.
Lumian, however, seriously discussed the possible consequences. "Is pregnancy a big problem for Beyonders? It''s not something they want, they can lose it immediately through intensebat."
Seeing that Lumian was willing to discuss the issue, Franca chuckled and said, "It''s not that simple. After getting the Impregnating Bullet, I seriously researched rted issues and consulted Madam Judgment.
"It''s been confirmed that these Impregnating Bullets originate from the Great Mother''s boon. Even demigods can''t escape it. Once pregnant, it''s very difficult to terminate without special abilities. And we all know that one way for Beyonders to eliminate excess Beyonder characteristics is to have others or themselves be pregnant, using the child''s birth to take away corresponding Beyonder characteristics, though the result is uncontroble.
"In other words, the target hit by this Impregnating Bullet, regardless of whether they''re male or female, human or dog, will immediately be pregnant. The fetus will grow rapidly, tearing away part of the Beyonder characteristics or boon powers, thus causing instability in the target''s state and a decline in strength."
"This,bined with the Sure Hit effect, is a bit terrifying" Jenna spoke her mind. "One can only stay vignt and preemptively rece oneself with a substitute."
Franca originally wanted to take the opportunity to tell Lumian, "If you don''t want to be a Demoness, we can ask Mr. Sun for help through the Tarot Club, or I can give you a shot with an Impregnating Bullet to see if there''s a way for you to give birth to a Demoness of Despair, hehehe." But considering herpanion''s emotional state, she gave up on this joke.
Moreover, she felt that Lumian would likely insist on being a Demoness for a while to see if there were truly signs of Aurore''s soul fragments reviving.
"I''ve decided, the Cannon Gun will now be renamed the Inevitable Gun," Franca said after careful consideration, abandoning the name "Execution Gun" which she liked more and found more fun. She then asked Lumian, "What abilities does your bracelet have? By the way, I''ll tell you about some Magic Mirror Divination targets that have been verified as safe."
"Including the one you mentioned that would cause social death but gives the most urate divination results?" Jenna asked curiously.
Franca nodded solemnly. "Yes, but you''d better not pray to that one, otherwise otherwise Ah, I am the experience and lesson itself."
As she spoke, Franca couldn''t help but nce at Anthony, finding that this Hypnotist showed no change in expression, as if he had already forgotten about the incident from back then.
With Franca''s guidance, Lumian sessfullypleted his first Magic Mirror Divination, obtaining key information about the cheap silver bracelet:
"Can use the Circle Inhabitant effect nine times, each Circle Inhabitantsting no fewer than three times and no more than nine times.
"Circle Inhabitant can be used within a one-kilometer range, or targeted at a single individual, or applied to oneself. The range-type Circle Inhabitant trigger conditions cannot be harsh and can affect Angels in the corresponding area. The individual-type Circle Inhabitant can set some rtively harsh trigger conditions, but if the target''s status is higher than one''s own, the effect will be significantly reduced, even to the point of ineffectiveness.
"There are no restrictions on using Circle Inhabitant on oneself, and it can be restarted even if killed by an Angel.
"Only one ''Circle'' can be maintained at the same time, and the same type of ''Circle'' needs to cool down for three minutes before it can be created again.
"The Circle Inhabitant effect canst for a long time, unless the number of times is reached or the user actively removes it. For example, if a ''Circle'' attached to oneself is set to restart near death, and there''s no chance to trigger it afterward, it canst up to a year at most.
"Whether or not the Circle Inhabitant uses are exhausted, this bracelet contaminated by Inevitability powers will enhance the abilities of Fate Appropriation, Fate Exchange, Magnified Fate, and Compelling Fate to the Circle Inhabitant level. After about a year, the corresponding boon power willpletely dissipate, turning this silver bracelet back into an ordinary essory with curse remnants.
"Even just carrying this silver bracelet will unknowingly attract Inevitability boon recipients and be viewed with hostility by them.
"Each use of Circle Inhabitant will result in a period of bad luck, the specifics varying depending on the user''s status."
Lumian held the cheap silver bracelet, repeatedly admiring it, as if waiting for the arrival of Inevitability boon recipients.
His pleasant voice, with a hint of maism, echoed, "If it''s me, the bad luck would probablyst about three hours. For you all, it might be close to two days. For Anthony, it should be three days."
"Indeed, it suits you best," Franca said. "Along with the Sword of Courage, you''re equivalent to a demigod of the Hunter, Demoness, and Inevitability pathways, and your abilities have even be mixed without much conflict."
At Sequence 4, this could definitely be considered outstanding!
"What should we name it?" Lumian looked down at the cheap silver-ck bracelet.
"Circle of Fate?" Franca eagerly offered her opinion.
"Circle of Binding?" Jenna suggested, her eyes flickering slightly.
"Then let''s call it the ''Circle of Binding''. It''s more fitting for my current psychological and emotional state," Lumian said with a self-mocking tone.
Before Franca could express her disappointment, he put away the Circle of Binding and said carefully, "The topic of Impregnating Bullets reminded me of something."
"What is it?" Franca asked curiously.
Lumian''s light blue and clear eyes lit up.
"When I first learned that the name of the Great Mother''s Invisible Child of God was Omebe, the Termiboros inside me seemed a bit surprised.
"I originally thought it was because this evil god Angel had heard of this name in the endless cosmos and didn''t expect Omebe to enter our world and be an Invisible Child of God. But now, the situation is that the Termiboros inside me was equivalent to Amon''s true form.
"In other words, this had nothing to do with any knowledge or legends from the endless cosmos.
"Currently, there are only two possibilities. One is that Amon is deceiving me, preparing for when I investigate this matter in the future. The second is that He truly didn''t expect it, and what He didn''t expect was that the name of Omebe, the giant queen and Goddess of Harvest from the Second Epoch, would appear on the Great Mother''s Invisible Child of God." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Does Amon not expecting it mean that that individual also didn''t expect it?" Jenna understood what Lumian was really trying to express.
Lumian''s beautifully curved chin nodded slowly.
"My encounter with Father Montserrat was definitely His arrangement, to grasp the situation of the Great Mother''s Invisible Child of God. But the name of the Great Mother''s Invisible Child of God might not have been part of the arrangement. It was an ident, something He might not have expected either."
"You want to start from this incident to find a path with fewer arrangements?" Anthony roughly understood Lumian''s idea.
Lumian curled his lips into a smile,ughing once, causing Franca and others to feel a bit dazzled.
"His former identity was the Ancient Sun God who ended the era of ancient gods'' rule. There are very few ancient secrets not grasped by Him, and this might be one of them."
Hearing this, Franca suddenly remembered that the True Creator worshiped by the Aurora Order was formerly the Ancient Sun God, the savior of humanity.
And ording to intelligence gathered by the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society, the Ancient Sun God was very likely also a transmigrator!
Dammit, how could a transmigrator do such a thing as arranging an innocent person''s life! After cursing inwardly, Franca said to Lumian, "Do you now meet all the conditions toe into contact with Omebe''s remains and use them briefly?"
After Lumian consumed Omebe''s umbilical cord remnants and achieved a slight fusion with it, he only needed to meet two more conditions"having experienced betrayal by a direct rtive" and "being female"to be able to touch and briefly use the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact formed from Omebe''s remains.
Lumian, abandoned by his yboy father, had long met the first condition, and now, he was truly female.
Lumian offered a curt acknowledgment.
"Moreover, Omebe''s remains are in the New City of Silver, in this very city.
"I wonder what useful secrets I can discover from New Silver City''s records and direct contact with the remains"
Before Jenna and the others could respond, points of starlight appeared, and Madam Magician''s figure was instantly outlined in the room.
This Major Arcana card holder seemed to have already foreseen the difficulty Franca was currently facing and directly extended her hand, saying, "Give me your Traveler''s Bag."
It was early spring, and in the fields outside the New City of Silver, patches of wheat seedlings were still lush green in the twilight.
Madam Magician walked with Lumian on the path between the fields, breathing in the scent of soil and nts, feeling the cool breeze.
Having already obtained most of the information from the spirit world, she still patiently waited for Lumian to finish recounting his experiences before sighing.
"We''ve always said to be careful of that individual''s arrangements, to pay attention to coincidences around us, but what we didn''t expect was that the arrangement happened from the very beginning, and gave many seemingly reasonable exnations, to the extent that we could only see traces of arrangements in specific events,pletely overlooking the overall problem."
Lumian was still wearing the ck cloak given by Franca, with his hair hidden in the attached hood.
He didn''t me the Major Arcana card holders for their thoughts, after all, that being was a true god.
Looking at the patches of green wheat seedlings tinged with golden red, he said in a low voice,
"Is it only when Mr. Fool awakens that we won''t have to worry about every detail of our lives being arranged?"
"Yes, or quickly be an Angel. Although that won''t exempt you from arrangements, you''ll be able to detect many arrangements that rely too much on coincidence in a timely manner," Madam Magician tried hard not to let her eyes reveal emotions of pity.
Lumian fell silent for a moment before responding, "Are those lucky coins devices to awaken Mr. Fool?"
"Yes," Madam Magician didn''t deny it. "You should have one too."
Lumian turned his head, using his eyes to express his question.
Madam Magician smiled and said, "That''s the reward for the water from the Samaritan Women''s Spring and the soil from in front of the ancient tomb of the Dream Festival.
"However, this needs to wait a few more days. There are time intervals for using these items."
Chapter 887 The Function of the Lucky Coins
Chapter 887 The Function of the Lucky Coins
Lumian roughly understood the meaning of Madam Magician''s words.
The water he had previously taken from the Samaritan Woman''s Spring and the soil from the area of the Dream Festival ancient tomb did have a reward, which was another lucky coin. However, the one giving the reward needed to wait until all of that water and soil had been used up and the effects confirmed before actually paying. Using these items needed to be done in batches, with time intervals between uses, rather than consuming them all at oncewhich might actually lead to unfavorable results.
"We still need to wait a few more days?" Lumian cast his gaze towards the golden-red tinted horizon and nodded gently, "I understand."
He wasn''t impatient. Having been arranged for so long already, a few more days didn''t matter.
Lumian probed further, "How many lucky coins need to be gathered in total to awaken Mr. Fool?"
"The lucky coins are tools, mediums, not the awakening itself. There are only five such coins in total," Madam Magician answered clearly, no longer speaking in riddles. "Once you get thest lucky coin, the five of you will be able to use your respective coins to enter Mr. Fool''s dream and attempt to awaken him. Understand? The lucky coins are mediums to help you participate in Mr. Fool''s dream.
"Of course, given your Sequences, even with the lucky coins, you can''t decide when you can enter that dream or what you can do once inside. We''ll need to assist you to ensure you can all go at the same time and maintain sufficient rity and rationality."
Lumian listened quietly, his eyes slightly turning as he pursed his lips lightly.
"Mr. Fool''s dream? We''re responsible for awakening Mr. Fool?"
"Yes," Madam Magician answered with just one word.
She surveyed Lumian''s profile, which took on a dreamlike beauty in the twilight glow, and inwardly sighed.
Lumian furrowed his brow slightly. "What do we need to do to awaken Mr. Fool? Haven''t the previous holders of the lucky coins entered Mr. Fool''s dream before? Haven''t they made any attempts?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Why does it have to be us?
"I don''t know exactly what needs to be done to awaken Mr. Fool," Madam Magician said very frankly. "That''s for you to figure out. We''ll give you some suggestions based on your feedback."
She paused, then said in a teasing tone, "The previous holders of the lucky coins did indeed enter Mr. Fool''s dream and made quite a few attempts, but they were sessively discovered by that Celestial Worthy''s spirit, either kicked out of the dream or had their actions restricted, unable to do much. One of them, after being kicked out of the dream the first time, would be kicked out again within a minute of re-entering the dream, regardless of whether they disguised themselves or behaved.
"You need to be careful too. The early stages are fine, but if you''reter discovered and locked onto by that Celestial Worthy''s spirit, you''ll also be kicked out of the dream, or be mute, blind, or foolish."
After pondering for a moment, Lumian asked, "Are we the destined ones to awaken Mr. Fool?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. We can''t be sure yet," Madam Magician exined simply. "We can only say that the previous holders of the lucky coins would suddenly feel at some moment or in some scenario that they should trade away the lucky coin to someone else. This might be a hint from fate."
Lumian didn''t ask any more questions. Instead, he mentioned that he now met all the conditions toe into contact with Omebe''s remains, and finally asked, "Can I apply to the New City of Silver now?"
"I''ll help you inform Mr. Sun. You just need to be prepared," Madam Magician said with augh. "Of course, you won''t be able to actually take away Omebe''s remains. That belongs to the New City of Silver. Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts are extremely precious anywhere. No one will gift it to you without appropriatepensation.
"What you''ll be allowed to do is to review the relevant records of the City of Silver,e into contact with and study the item that the remains have be within the New City of Silver. If you encounter difficulties, with the approval of the New City of Silver''s six-member council, you may be able to borrow that Grade 0 Sealed Artifact for a short time, to be returned within a certain period."
"That''s already very good," Lumian said sincerely.
ording to 007, an official Beyonder, even to use a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, he had to submit a report in advance, obtain approval, and meet the corresponding conditions. As for Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts, that was something he couldn''t even dream of.
And now, the New City of Silver might actually allow him to borrow Omebe''s remains for a period of time!
Lumian "habitually" smoothed his hair and told Madam Magician about Termiboros''s, that is, Amon''s true form''s reaction when he first learned that the name of the Great Mother''s Invisible Child of God was Omebe, along with his own spections.
"This might indeed hide a very big and important secret, with some connection to that bird egg deep in the Underworld and the missing Madame Night Pualis," Madam Magician said, slightly raising both hands as if feeling the freshness and vigor of the early spring wheat seedlings.
Lumian stopped in front of a pond used for water storage and after a few seconds of silence, asked, "Madam, what is the true purpose and final result of Project Vortex?"
Madam Magician recounted in detail all the transactions and developments she understood, but because Lumian no longer had a false Angel status and had lost Mr. Fool''s seal, unable to bear certain knowledge, she uniformly used descriptions like the evil gods outside the barrier, the one worshiped by the Brokers, and the Great Mother to refer to those great existences.
Upon hearing that Emperor Roselle had been resurrected as the ck Emperor, and then chose to die again to severely damage the great existence preaching in the name of "Truth", Lumian''s expression changed several times, but in the end, he didn''t say a word.
"I understand how you feel," Madam Magicianforted her feminized Minor Arcana card in a self-mocking tone. "I don''t like that individual, and I really dislike His methods, but I have to admit, He is indeed preparing for our world to face the apocalypse, not just doing things that only benefit Him under the guise of a banner. So my feelings are very torn."
Lumian''s expression remained cold, maintaining his silence.
Madam Magician didn''t continue discussing this matter. She raised her right hand, letting points of starlight appear and fall towards Lumian''s left chest, forming an illusory symbolposed ofyers uponyers of doors.
This Major Arcana card holder said simply, "Since there''s no need to seal an Angel, my power alone is enough to simply protect Aurore and the others'' soul fragments. We don''t need to trouble Mr. Fool, and besides, if Mr. Fool were to seal it, it might actually affect the gradual revival of Aurore''s soul fragments through your female state.
"Well, if you''re unwilling to take the lucky coin into Mr. Fool''s dream, we won''t force you. I''ll still help reinforce the seal periodically."
Lumian smiled bitterly. "That individual has already made the choice for me."
He remained silent for a while, his slightly paler lips moving a few times.
"Can being in the Demoness state really allow Aurore''s soul fragments to gradually revive? Is this truly the only way to resurrect Aurore?"
"It may not be the only way. At least, I can''t give you an urate judgment. Only Mr. Fool could provide the corresponding answer," Madam Magician neither denied nor confirmed that individual''s statement.
Her current knowledge and abilities were not sufficient to support her refutation.
The only thing she could be certain of was: "This is indeed a way to resurrect Aurore, just that the final resurrection won''t bepletely whole."
"Why must it be Aurore''s soul fragments gradually reviving, and not the soul fragments of other vigers? There are many soul fragments sealed within me, why is Aurore the most special one?" This was now Lumian''s greatest concern.
Madam Magician said, "Aurore''s soul fragments simultaneously meet three conditions. First, she was a Beyonder, having undergone the transformation of Beyonder characteristics on her spirit. Second, she was corrupted by Inevitability powers. Third, at the end of the ritual, her soul fragments received protection from that individual or several ones, so they''re in rtively better condition, the kind that can gradually revive.
"Therefore, her soul fragments are indeed the most special among all the soul fragments within you. The remaining soul fragments might only be able to exist in the form of half-human, half-object puppet soldiers when you be an Angel of the Hunter pathway in the future."
Lumian thought for a while and said, "If I were now a Beyonder of those three pathways of the Great Mother, I wouldn''t doubt that Aurore''s soul fragments could gradually revive within me, but a Demoness doesn''t have the symbol of new life"
"But the Demoness has the authority of resurrection. Have you forgotten that one of the descriptions of the Demoness of Unaging is that she''s bizarrely hard to kill, skilled in resurrection and rebirth?" Madam Magician reminded him.
Lumian quietly exhaled and said, "If I continue to advance to be a Demoness of Unaging, would the revival effect of Aurore''s soul fragments be better?"
Madam Magician smiled and said, "There''s no need to deliberately pursue that. When youter jump to Sequence 2 of the Demoness pathway, you''ll simrly gain all the abilities and characteristics of the Demoness of Unaging, unless you find a way to separate out the corresponding Unaging Beyonder characteristic yourself."
Seeing Lumian nod slightly, Madam Magician smiled and asked, "As a demigod who has switched pathways, you should have some special, mixed abilities now, right?"
Lumian offered a curt acknowledgment and said, "The most special ability is the application of fire.
"On the one hand, I can use a Hunter''s zing-white mes and the Demoness''s inherent ck mes separately. On the other hand, I can fuse them together for an explosive effect. This can both physically destroy human bodies and objects, and ignite spirituality, burning spiritual bodies,prehensively damaging and destroying a target.
"Yes, after the fusion of the Demoness of Despair Beyonder characteristic and the Hunter pathway Beyonder characteristic, new mystical knowledge appeared, calling this ck me that suppresses irritability and madness the ''Fire of Destruction''."
Chapter 888 Changes in Abilities from Pathway Switching
Chapter 888 Changes in Abilities from Pathway Switching
After describing the Fire of Destruction, Lumian frowned and said, "I''ve heard that members of the Demoness sect have a tradition of turning their lovers into females. Are there no Beyonders of the Hunter pathway among their lovers?"
This question was essentially still asking "Why me?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Couldn''t they just find any Sequence 5 of the Hunter pathway, seduce them to jump to Demoness of Despair, and satisfy the requirement of "yin contains yang, yang contains yin"? Why did I have to be arranged?
"Perhaps only you could very easily enter the area around the Samaritan Woman''s Spring and obtain the remnant aura of the Blood Emperor, thus having mystical simrity with 0-01." Madam Magician fully understood what Lumian was concerned about.
Lumian continued asking, as if talking to himself, "The Red Angel has ways to control 0-01 without relying on mystical simrity. Since that individual has no selfish motives and isn''t afraid of the Red Angel''s revenge, why not directly reinvest in Him, instead of grooming a ''weakling'' like me?"
Isn''t this a waste of time?
Madam Magician nced at the field ridge under her feet.
"I can answer this for you. First, the Red Angel can''t get as close to the top powers of the two Cmity pathways as you can, unless His next step isn''t to reim 0-01 and be the Red Priest, but to find a way to rece the Primordial Demoness. Second, the birth of a Red Priest is inevitably apanied bypetition, chaos, and disaster. Only through multi-partypetition can a Red Priest emerge in the shortest time in the best way. If only the Red Angel were to walk this path, it wouldn''t go smoothly."
"Am Ipeting with Him?" Lumian curled his lips in a self-mocking smile. "Then I should thank that individual for giving me this qualification."
As for ability, that was still far off.
Madam Magician continued, "Many members of the Demoness sect indeed have lovers from the Hunter pathway, but they rarely let these male lovers switch pathways and be female at Sequence 5. On the one hand, there are very few members of the Demoness sect who can get their hands on two Demoness of Despair Beyonder characteristics. On the other hand, they seem to be avoiding simr things. As far as I know, among the demigod-level Demonesses, only one was formerly a Hunter."
"Who?" Lumian immediately became alert like a Hunter.
Madam Magician smiled and said, "The Demoness of Cyan, Yalenna.
"She is a Sequence 3 Demoness of Unaging. Her mother is the leader of the Demoness sect, the Demoness of Gray Judith. Her father was a Hunter, whoter went missing, suspected to have been killed by the Demoness of Gray."
Lumian pondered for a moment and said, "Could the Demoness of Gray have also been a Hunter before?
"Her twin sister Krismona was born female, born a Demoness. As a contrast, is it possible that She was born male, born a Hunter, until She transformed into a Demoness at Sequence 4?
"The Demoness of ck only mentioned that the Demoness of ck was Sequence 9 at birth, but never said that her Sequence 9 equaled Assassin."
"It''s possible, but currently unverifiable. The Demoness of Gray is older than all of our Tarot Club''s Major Arcana card holdersbined. We don''t know much about Her," Madam Magician said, a hint of a smile appearing on her face as if she had thought of something.
Is that so? I thought you were an Angel from the early Fifth Epoch, given that your teacher was Mr. Door, the strongest King of Angels of the Fourth Epoch Lumian didn''t voice these words about a woman''s age.
He began to walk slowly again, pondering as he spoke, "Is the Demoness sect, or rather the Primordial Demoness''s hatred for pure female Demonesses really due to inner distortion? Is there no other mystical reason?"
Pure female Demonesses apparently wouldn''t have the chance to touch the power at the top of the two Cmity pathways, so they should pose the least threat to the Primordial Demoness.
"Inner distortion is one reason, but my intuition tells me it''s not the whole reason," Madam Magician said, turning her head to look at the New City of Silver where lights were graduallying on. "The Seven of Cups is about to advance to Demoness of Affliction. You can try to get some intelligence on this from Krismona''s remnant projection."
Lumian didn''t continue this topic, instead returning to discuss the changes in his abilities after bing a Demoness of Despair.
This was also something he had to do after his condition initially stabilized.
"At the Demoness of Despair stage, Disease has evolved into gue that can cover a range of three kilometers. I currently have mastered three types of gues. One is derived from the original Disease, targeting the flesh of rtivelymon creatures, mainly infecting organs such as the heart, brain, and lungs. From the incubation period to the outbreak of symptoms to bing severe, it only takes about ten seconds, and then within another minute, it can cause the target to deteriorate to near death. The specific time varies depending on the enemy''s status and constitution.
"The second type of gue is Weakening, originating from the mystical pathogen inherent in ck Tear. It can gradually strip away the target''s strength until even their heart is too weak to beat. At the same time, it causes a gradual loss of spirituality. In other words, it can not only target rtivelymon creatures but also affect special creatures and even the dead. Any target with spirituality or relying on spirituality will gradually weaken because of it.
"The third type of gue is Rigidity. Over time, it causes even zombies to be rigid and stiff, bing inflexible. This is a more mystically oriented gue.
"The fusion of Hunter traits with the gues has given these mystical pathogens a certain resistance to fire. They won''t quickly wither away under fire burning conditions and can persist for a longer time. Among them, the Weakening gue can inherently survive in high temperatures for a period, and its current fire resistance is the strongest among the three gues.
"For dealing with these gues, the burning of Demoness ck mes and freezing over a certain range are better methods.
"I can also create my own unique gue varieties bybining my own traits, corresponding mystical knowledge, specific ideas and experiments, and possibly required special materials. This takes a long time and can''t yield results quickly. But regardless, a Demoness''s gue can only target things with spirituality and cannot cause rocks or metals to weather, rust, or decay like the demigods of the Order of All Extinction.
"In using Precision, a Hunter''s Precision can help me maintain two types of gues simultaneously, but it requires three to four times the spirituality consumption of maintaining a single gue."
Madam Magician nodded lightly, not interrupting Lumian''s self-analysis.
"The Demoness of Despair''s mastery of the mirror world and mirror magic has reached a considerably deep stage. I can locate mirrors within a five-kilometer range and mirrors I''ve visited before. I can traverse freely in the mirror world and transmit information through the mirror world to those located mirrors, disying it. This is much more convenient than messengers, but there''s a possibility of the information being intercepted by mirror world creatures. Some curses need to be attached to the information to avoid most troubles.
"I can also use located mirrors to project myself there, looking just like the real thing. Currently, this projection has distance limitations and cannot exceed a city.
"A Hunter''s Precision has also fused with this Mirror Projection ability, allowing me toplete three to five projections simultaneously, with each projection having some power and able to aplish some things, though they cannot leave the range reflected by the corresponding mirror."
When fighting against the Order of All Extinction demigod, Higdon, Lumian had used the power of the special mirror world to create many Mirror Projections. If Higdon had ignored them at that time, these illusions and projections could have caused a certain degree of damage!
"Other mirror magic, such as Mirror Maze, Mirror Substitution, and Magic Mirror Divination, have also reached the level of Sequence 4. Among them, cursespleted through mirrors include normal types, those fused with Cull that can erupt fiercely in an extremely short time, and those mixed with the power of Inevitability that canplete fate-rted curses," Lumian pondered as he spoke. "Fate-rted curses can put the target in a state of misfortune for a period of time. This is not easily noticed by them and is used against enemies who inherently have strong curse prevention abilities."
Lumian paused, then continued, "Like other Demonesses of Despair, if enemies can''t rece themselves with a substitution before I lock onto them andplete the curse, they won''t be able to transfer or share the damage even if they have a Mirror Substitution or Paper Figurine Substitute.
"The Demoness''s spider silk has also changed, bing more solid, more tough, able toplete more tasks, including restraining, binding, interfering, transmitting pleasure, ck mes, and curses. At the same time, the fusion of Hunter traits has made these spider silks sharper, able to directly cause a certain degree of damage.
"My hair is the source of spider silk. If an enemy''s body is touched by my hair, the corresponding part will experience some petrification symptoms.
"Weakness Investigation is no longer limited to discovering weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the flesh, soul, and defenses, as well as fate streams that can lead to death, but also includes the target''s emotional and desire weaknesses and trigger points.
"Cull has fused with the Demoness pathway''s Mighty Blow, capable of bringing more terrifying damage. I can take out some physically fragile demigods in one strike."
"Physically fragile demigods often have many mystically oriented life-saving abilities, or make it impossible for you to find their true form," Madam Magician reminded at this point.
Lumian nodded, indicating he would remember.
"Other abilities include ck magic like Invisibility, the ability to manipte frost, Wand Substitution, basic divination abilities, which are all the same as a normal Demoness of Despair.
"Instigation and Provocation have fused together, granting me the ability to usenguage and attached mystical power to stir up the target''s emotions and desires, making them do what I anticipate.
"Pleasure can bebined with Cull and Precision
"
"That''s about it."
Madam Magician nodded thoughtfully and remarked, "Jumping to a neighboring pathway indeed brings many strange changes and mixed abilities. This is not something that can be achieved by using the neighboring pathways'' Sealed Artifacts."
Lumian gave an affirmative sound, then asked, "Should we still have Franca continue undercover in the Demoness sect?"
Chapter 889 Intelligence on the Demoness Sect
Chapter 889 Intelligence on the Demoness Sect
Faced with Lumian''s question, Madam Magician pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Whether it''s investigating the state of the Primordial Demoness, exploring the secrets of the deepestyer of the special mirror world, uncovering the essence of the mirror self, or mastering the secret of resurrection and rebirth of the Demoness of Unaging, it''s impossible to bypass the Demoness Sect.
"These are equally important for you now.
"So, my opinion is to let the Two of Cups continue to contact the Demoness of ck, while you lurk in the shadows to prevent idents.
"The Demoness Sect has probably already suspected the Two of Cups'' background and intentions, but I''m not sure what countermeasures they will take. If they want to use the Two of Cups to do some things and achieve certain goals, we can take advantage of such arrangements to peek into the secrets of the Demoness Sect and the special mirror world, and incidentally obtain subsequent resources for the Demoness pathway. If they prepare to eliminate hidden dangers and wipe out the Two of Cups, you, lurking in the shadows, must immediately act and quickly rescue the Two of Cups. The mission with the Demoness Sect shall then end there.
"This is indeed already a fairly high-risk matter. Both the Two of Cups and you have the right to refuse."
Lumian listened attentively and then smiled and said, "I think the Demoness Sect won''t do anything to Franca for the time being. It''s more likely they''ll use her. Otherwise, in the underground mausoleum of Morora, Julie in her divine descent state wouldn''t have thrown me out of the special mirror world. And after I achieved my goal, obtained the ck Tear, and returned from Morora, the Demoness of ck wouldn''t have been so easily patronized by Franca."
Madam Magician nodded almost imperceptibly.
"If this isn''t that individual''s arrangement, it means the Primordial Demoness also hopes for a Beyonder who harbors hope for Tudor''s resurrection and is closer to the top powers of the two Cmity pathways than Her to grow up ording to the method currently considered closest to the correct answer, in order to achieve a goal that is very important and crucial to Her."
Lumian twisted his mouth and said in a self-mocking tone, "One of the ways to counter a true god''s arrangement is to ce oneself in the ns of another or several true gods, whether those ns are good or bad."
"The principle is the same as bncing the corruption on oneself." Madam Magician shook her head and smiled. "But you should remember that before Mr. Fool awakens, no true god canpete with that individual in arranging this matter, even if several Sequence 0 true gods unite. Of course, this can indeed interfere with and influence that individual''s arrangements, giving you a chance to detect anomalies in a timely manner or in advance."
Lumian nodded solemnly. "Whether Franca continues the Demoness Sect mission or not, I will follow up on these matters. Madam, can you give me more intelligence about the Demoness Sect? The Demoness of ck only reveals very little to Franca each time."
Madam Magician said in an appreciative tone, "You now indeed have the ability and mindset to independently handle one aspect of affairs. If Mr. Fool wakes up, you arepletely qualified to draw a Major Arcana card.
"From now on, matters concerning the Demoness Sect will be consolidated under you. If you need assistance or want to mobilize resources from other Major Arcana card holders, you can find me or Judgment at any time.
"Well, because the Demoness of Unaging can be resurrected, can be reborn, is difficult to killpletely, and stays forever young without aging, she can live for many, many years, even longer than the lifespan of Angels from many pathways. So, if we don''t count Sequence 4 Demonesses of Despair, and only consider the umted number of currently living Sequence 3 and Sequence 2 Beyonders, the Demoness Sect has more than any orthodox god church.
"In this regard, only Sanguine, whose lives are equally long, canpare with them, but still fall short.
"Of course, arge part of the high-level power of orthodox god churches is in Grade 0 and Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts and Holy Artifacts. If encountering major disasters, those Sealed Artifacts and Holy Artifacts can also y the role of corresponding high-level beings to some extent, and arge part of them can be rtively smoothly converted into Beyonder characteristics that rapidly strengthen reserve forces."
Lumian recalled and said, "ording to the Demoness of ck, at Sequence 3, one can name oneself with a color. There are thirteen such ''Color Demonesses'' in total."
"Among them, four are Angels, Sequence 2 Angels. In this respect, the Demoness Sect is inferior to orthodox god churches, because their high-level members must be Demonesses, and there are no angels from other pathways. Orthodox god churches, on the other hand, can potentially use Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts or Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics of other pathways they possess to create Sequence 1 Archangels." Madam Magician gave a detailed introduction.
"Why can''t there be Sequence 1 Demonesses?" Lumian expressed his confusion.
Madam Magician chuckled. "What I''m about to say is one of the highest-level mystical knowledge of the paths of the divine.
"Each pathway has its own distinct Uniqueness. upying and amodating the Uniqueness is the key to bing a true god, but it''s not the only condition. A true Sequence 0 also needs all the Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics of its pathway to support the Uniqueness, which is three in total. So, with the Sequence 0 Primordial Demoness, there can''t be Sequence 1 Demonesses of Apocalypse, only Sequence 2 Demonesses of Catastrophe.
"Simrly, orthodox god churches can''t have Sequence 1 Archangels corresponding to their own deities. Well, except for some pathways with special abilities."
As Lumian suddenly came to a realization, he very keenly asked,
"I can''t advance to Sequence 1 of the Demoness pathway and be a Demoness of Apocalypse unless the Primordial Demoness falls before that?"
"Correct." Madam Magician specifically reminded, "There''s only one Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic left for the Hunter pathway. The Red Angel has already upied two, which is why He can be a King of Angels again."
"Is the definition of a King of Angels upying multiple Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics or amodating the Uniqueness?" Lumian had some understanding of the concept of King of Angels before, but today was the first time he clearly recognized what this title represented.
Magician nodded. "Yes, whether it''s upying two Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, or three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, or amodating the Uniqueness, as well as the Uniqueness plus one Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, the Uniqueness plus two Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, they are all Kings of Angels.
"The only King of Angelsposed of the Uniqueness plus three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics was my mentor, Mr. Door, but He used His own sealing authority to resist the tendency to converge. If not for this, after three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics and the Uniqueness are ced in the same Beyonder''s body, they would inevitably converge rapidly, and the possessor would either immediately be a god, lose control on the spot, or die directly."
No wonder Mr. Door was the highest-ranking nobleman in the Tudor Empire Lumian asked with undisguised concern, "Where is thest Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic of the Hunter pathway?"
Is Red Angel Medici about to get it? n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"It''s rumored to be with the Primordial Demoness." Madam Magician didn''t conceal this intelligence, "And the one who reportedly brought that Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic to the Primordial Demoness was the Demoness of ck, rice."
Lumian nodded thoughtfully.
Madam Magician continued to introduce the situation of the Demoness Sect, "Besides the Demoness of Gray Judith, the Demoness Sect has three other Sequence 2 Demonesses of Catastrophe, namely the Demoness of Yellow, the Demoness of Blue, and the Demoness of Purple.
"There are currently nine Sequence 3 Demonesses of Unaging. Besides the Demoness of ck and the Demoness of Cyan that you know, there are also White, Scarlet, Silver, Green, Gold, Brown, Orange"
After hearing this, Lumian keenly noticed a problem. "Trier with its special mirror world should be one of the most important areas in the eyes of the Demoness Sect, yet they didn''t send a Demoness of Catastrophe to be in charge, leaving all affairs to the Demoness of ck"
This doesn''t seem normal.
Or, is one of the Yellow, Blue, or Purple Demonesses of Catastrophe hiding in Trier?
"Moreover, the one responsible for keeping the Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic of the Hunter pathway and using methods like sacrifice to give it to the Primordial Demoness was also only the Sequence 3 Demoness of ck, not any Demoness of Catastrophe. Wasn''t the Demoness Sect worried at the time that the Demoness of ck''s status wasn''t high enough, her strength wasn''t enough, and something might go wrong?" Madam Magician reminded Lumian that there was another detail that was problematic.
After exchanging intelligence about the Demoness Sect for a while longer, Madam Magician looked at the sky that hadpletely darkened and said, "Tomorrow, Mr. Sun will send someone to take you to the Twin Towers to read the records the City of Silver has on Omebe''s remains and to make contact with that Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
"After that, you decide for yourselves when to return to Trier."
"Yes, Madam Magician." Lumian replied, watching as this holder of a Major Arcana card turned into points of starlight and disappeared before his eyes.
As the night settled in, Franca paced in the living room, muttering to herself, "Why hasn''t Lumiane back yet?"
Wasn''t he just reporting his encounter to Madam Magician and exchanging intelligence?
It''s been so long!
Jenna was also a bit worried. She walked to the window and looked out at the street.
Suddenly, her gaze froze.
"There." She pointed to the top of the bell tower attached to The Fool''s cathedral.
Franca took a few steps over and saw at the top of the bell tower, in a ce without any railings, sat a woman wearing a ck cloak, with some ck hair falling down, delicate and fine features, and a grand and radiant face.
It was Lumian.
At this moment, Lumian was sitting there, legs dangling outside, gaze quietly looking down.
Franca and Jenna exchanged a nce and quickly rushed to The Fool''s cathedral, climbing up the bell tower.
Seeing Lumian''s back, they didn''t immediately inquire about the situation, but remained quiet, each walking to one side, following Lumian''s line of sight to gaze at what he was intently watching.
It was the giant buildings that had lit up with yellowish lights in the dark night, the various mushrooms that were faintly visible in the streetlight glow, the silhouettes of giants and half-giants behind ss windows, raised wine sses, wisps of cooking smoke, songs from nearby squares, the noise spilling out from bars, and the faint sounds of joy andughter from different houses.
Chapter 890 Murder
Chapter 890 Murder
The next morning.
Lumian and the others had just finished breakfast in their room and were waiting for Ludwig to clean up the rest when they heard the doorbell ring.
Outside the door was a half-giant youth about two meters tall, with slightly longer arms and legs, short curly brown hair that looked fluffy.
He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a square face. After his gaze swept over Lumian, Franca and Jenna, it involuntarily lowered to look at his own toes as he said, "I''m here to find Lumian Lee, uh, possibly Ms. Lumina Lee."
He spoke in ancient Feysac.
"That''s me," Lumian understood this was probably the messenger sent by Mr. Sun to take him to the Twin Towers of the New City of Silver.
That Major Arcana card holder seemed to have deliberately found a youth, to ensure the height difference wouldn''t be too dramatic.
The youth let out a sigh of relief and said awkwardly, "I''ve been ordered by the six-member council to take you to see Elder Derrick Berg at the Twin Towers."
"Alright," Lumian nodded to Jenna and Franca, then followed the youth out of the hotel towards the Twin Towers located in a corner of the New City of Silver.
Along the way, the half-giant youth walked slightly ahead to the side, his back somewhat stiff, asionally showing a tendency to swing the same arm and leg together, as if he had almost forgotten how to walk normally.
He would turn his head to nce at Lumian from time to time, but not knowing what to say, he could only quickly turn his head back.
Halfway through the journey, he finally thought of a suitable topic. Half turning his body, he asked Lumian, "Aren''t, aren''t you worried that I might be a bad person? Maybe what I said about the six-member council''s order and going to see Elder Derrick Berg at the Twin Towers is all a lie to trick you?"
I could kill thirty of your kind in one breath Lumian only thought to himself, without saying it out loud.
On the one hand, they were both followers of Mr. Fool and not too familiar, so there was no need to mock. On the other hand, Lumian felt that if his sister Aurore was here, she definitely wouldn''t answer in a simr way.
He smiled lightly and said, "I''m not worried, because this is the New City of Silver."
The half-giant youth suddenly became very happy and said in a tone of heartfelt pride,
"Yes, the Lord has always taught us to be kind and restrained. Our New City of Silver strictly cracks down on all kinds of crimes, especially guarding against theft, fraud and other such behaviors"
12:12
"Yes, the Lord has always taught us to be kind and restrained. Our New City of Silver strictly cracks down on all kinds of crimes, especially guarding against theft, fraud and other such behaviors"
The half-giant youth opened up and began to talk endlessly about how Mr. Fool originally sent an Angel to save the City of Silver, how he gave the City of Silver this promisednd, and how they, the people of the City of Silver, built the New City of Silver.
Lumian had heard these stories repeatedly when drinking in the New City of Silver before, but he wasn''t impatient now, letting the half-giant youth continue his smooth narration.
He heard happiness of peace and tranquility in the other''s description.
In this exchange, the two arrived at the Twin Towers, the core buildings of the New City of Silver. The left tower had a pointed top and housed public facilities such as the library, while the right tower had a round top and was where the six-member council that governed the New City of Silver worked.
Lumian instinctively turned his gaze towards the round tower and noticed that in the cracks between the bricks near the ground, tufts of ck hair-like nts had grown out, sometimes drooping, sometimes swaying lightly as if blown by a gentle breeze.
When he camest time, Lumian had also noticed these ck nts but didn''t pay much attention. This time, however, he felt a kind of blood connection.
We are all parts or rather continuations of the life of the Goddess of Harvest, Omebe!
Even when sealed, does a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact still have some influence on the outside world? Lumian withdrew his gaze and followed the half-giant youth into the pointed tower.
They walked onrge ck stone bs, passing huge pirs, and came to the library on the third floor.
In front of the intimidating bookshelves stood a tall man wearing a simple white robe.
The man was over two meters tall, with neatlybed brownish-yellow hair. He looked only about 22 or 23 years old, but had a very calm demeanor and an overwhelming aura. He was clearly Mr. Sun, whom Lumian had metst time, one of the top figures of the Church of The Fool.
"Elder Berg, Ms. Lumina is here," the half-giant youth said respectfully.
Mr. Sun, whose name was Derrick Berg, looked at Lumian and nodded, saying, "Follow me."
Lumian politely replied, "Thank you."
The half-giant youth then waved and walked towards the door. After a few steps, he turned around and called out to Lumian''s back, "My name is Rugest!"
After saying this, Rugest quickly turned and ran down the stairs.
Lumian followed Mr. Sun deep into the New City of Silver library, entering the innermost secret room where a stack of documents made up of scattered records was ced.
"These are all the records regarding the ''Gift of the Land''. I have already tranted them into ancient Feysac for you," Mr. Sun said simply, sitting down in a position against the wall and falling silent, as if he had turned into a statue.
Lumian understood this was to guard against any idents that might ur while he was reading the materials, so he nodded lightly, sat down at the table, and picked up the stack of new papers.
He read very slowly, taking nearly half an hour to roughly understand the rtionship between the Goddess of Harvest, Omebe, and the City of Silver.
In the Second Epoch, in the era when the ancient gods ruled the earth and sky, the City of Silver belonged to the Giant King''s Court, and all its people were ves to the giants.
But unlike other human vassal powers of the Giant King''s Court, the City of Silver''s situation was considerably better, because they believed in and followed the subsidiary god of the Giant King, the ancient god, the Giant Queen, the Goddess of HarvestOmebe.
ording to the City of Silver''s records, the Giant Queen Omebe had descended to their city multiple times, disying two images.
One image corresponded to light and goodness, with "the harvest''s grace, life''s precious embrace" as the core of faith, viewing the people of the City of Silver as Her own children, always ensuring bountiful harvests, abundant reproduction of livestock and poultry, and rapid poption growth. This was the main reason why the people of City of Silver rarely suffered innocent ughter and did notck food.
The other would bring destion and death. At that time, all the people of Certain Death knew phrases like "extreme harvest is inevitably apanied by extreme destion", "only life can quell thend''s wrath", "death, like new life, is amon and beautiful thing, not to be feared", "we have epted thend''s gifts, so we must pay the corresponding price".
If Omebe descended in this form, She would inevitably demand bloody sacrifices, withrge numbers of humans as offerings. Even if the people of the City of Silver did these things, sacrificing their own rtives, they would sometimes still suffer faminessting up to a yearif they didn''t do so, the famine mightst three to five years. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Is this what the era ruled by ancient gods was like? Even the City of Silver, which was rtively well off, was like this Lumian turned to the next page.
This page recorded the Giant King''s Court''s words of praise for the Giant Queen Omebe. What caught Lumian''s attention most was one sentence: "The noble Queen used Her maternal nature to help the great King calm His emotions"
What does this mean? Maternal nature helping the Giant Kingthis ancient godexpel excess Beyonder characteristics and regain some sanity by giving birth to children? Lumian pondered as he continued reading.
After another fifteen minutes, he turned to the stage of the Giant King''s Court''s rapid decline.
The City of Silver, which had obtained another divine-level Sealed Artifact, had learned of the fall of the ancient god, the Giant King and feared falling into the hands of the more brutal Devil Monarch.
In such anxiety and unease, on a night without the crimson moon, the Giant Queen Omebe appeared outside the City of Silver.
This time, She did not descend directly, but walked over step by step.
She was in poor condition. She asked the believers of the City of Silver to perform a ritual, sacrificing half of their people to help Her replenish Her life force.
The record of the subsequent situation was vague, but the result was clear: "That night, man slew god, subject slew ruler, child slew mother."
In other words, the bizarrely resurrected Omebe finally died at the hands of the betraying believers of the City of Silver? Lumian wasn''t too surprised.
After that day, the City of Silver discovered that Omebe''s remains didn''t have Beyonder characteristics in the true sense, but still possessed powerful force and terrifying authority. Theypletely buried this history, hid this secret, and even after converting to belief in the Ancient Sun God, they didn''t tell that Lord the true origin of the divine-level Sealed Artifact, Gift of the Land, until Mr. Fool''s Angel of Redemption came to save them.
At this point, all records of Omebethe Goddess of Harvestended. Next came information about the Sealed ArtifactGift of the Land.
"Gift of the Land can naturally create an edible nt in any environment and promote its growth, reproduction, and abundant harvest within a fifty-kilometer range.
"Gift of the Land will turn all dead humans within a fifty-kilometer range into terrible evil spirits, unless that human died by being murdered by a direct rtive. Those who have eaten the food it creates and have a strong connection with it will turn into evil spirits within three hundred kilometers"
Seeing this record different from the official Sealed Artifact description, Lumian suddenly raised his head and looked at Mr. Sun sitting by the wall.
He asked in confusion, "Every dead human will turn into an evil spirit?
"Even those who were below Sequence 5 in life?"
As far as Lumian knew, evil spirits were the strongest among soul creatures. Even the weakest should be at the level of Sequence 5, while the strong ones could be equivalent to demigods.
"Yes." Mr. Sun nodded steadily.
Wh the ability of the Gift of the Land is terrifying. This is equivalent to being able to mass-produce Sequence 5 Beyonders, some of whom should even be demigods Is this what a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact is? Lumian subconsciously began to evaluate from abat power perspective.
He probed, "What''s the maximum number of dead humans that can turn into evil spirits at one time?"
"We''ve never tried," Mr. Sun replied with a solemn expression.
Lumian suddenly realized and quickly apologized, "I apologize for my rudeness."
He continued reading the materials about the divine-level Sealed Artifact; in the New City of Silver, Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts were called divine-level Sealed Artifacts.
Chapter 891 Gift of the Land
Chapter 891 Gift of the Land
"The Gift of the Land can make the soil fertile within a 300-kilometer range, make water flow abundant, increase the tendency for life to reproduce, and prevent even the most unfavorable environmental conditions from stopping life from bearing offspring, only reducing the quantity and frequency
"The Gift of the Land will randomly cause thend within a 300-kilometer range to be deste, crops to failpletely, and nts to wither. Unless the destion effect ends, thisnd will not be fertile again. This can be suppressed by Angel-level abilities simr to purification, limiting the destion to a very small area, unable to spread
"If actively used, the Gift of the Land can cause all life within a 30-kilometer range to rapidly drain away until death. Simr abilities outside this domain will also gradually wither and be weakened because of this. Lifeless dead who enter this domain will quickly return to the earth
"The Gift of the Land can also fill a 50-kilometer range with various toxins, grow various Beyonder nts beneficial to itself. Simrly, it can tame all animals without higher intelligence in this area, and strengthen the tendency for every Beyonder to lose control
"Through contact, the Gift of the Land can create dolls from soil, nts,va, ores, and metals, and give them some life and power. The strongest dolls do not exceed Sequence 3, with a maximum of nine demigod-level dolls
"The Gift of the Land can transform the environment, making even the Abyss suitable for human survival
"The wielder of the Gift of the Land will truly be one with thend, forests, water flows, mountains, ores, etc. within range, and can use them to traverse, with varying speeds
"Every time one is hit by the Gift of the Land, they will face a test of losing control, as well as a test of death. If unable to pass, they will either lose control on the spot or die directly
"The Gift of the Land can temporarily turn the wielder into a mythical creature, but requires the wielder to be able to withstand the impact of mystical knowledge and mad thoughts brought by the corresponding Mythical Creature form
"The Gift of the Land can give the wielder all female characteristics
"Life thates into contact with the Gift of the Land will either be cured of all injuries and diseases, or die instantly. Which oue urs cannot be divined beforehand. ording to prophecy, females with Omebe''s bloodline who have suffered betrayal by direct rtives will not experience the instant death oue
"Those who do not meet the above conditions, even if lucky enough to receive the healing effect, cannot use the Gift of the Land for more than one minute afterwards, otherwise they will lose control or die
"Those who meet the conditions will still suffer other negative effects
"Those who understand the above information, if they do not possess godhood, are likely to be pregnant in theing period, conceiving an unknown creature
"Note: Except for the prophecy part, all descriptions are based on the City of Silver''s experience, lessons, and understanding."
After reading the information about the Gift of the Land, Lumian finally understood why only females with Omebe''s bloodline who had suffered betrayal by direct rtives could touch, pick up, and briefly use this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. For others, it was purely gambling with their lives, unless they had no other way to heal their injuries and diseases, or faced a crisis they couldn''t normally ovee. Otherwise, no one would try.
But it''s truly very powerful, worthy of being a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. And if used briefly, the negative effects are notpletely uneptable. It''s just necessary to suppress the destion effect and guard against enemies turning into even more terrifying evil spirits after death Lumian silently mused to himself, focusing his attention on the most crucial content.
That was the part about Omebe, in poor condition, walking to the City of Silver seeking sacrifice.
ording to Madam Magician, at this time Omebe had already had Her identity and destiny stolen. The people of the City of Silver shouldn''t have been able to know that the female giant before them was the Goddess of Harvest, Omebe.
But in the records, the residents of the City of Silver undoubtedly knew it was Omebe, without even a hint of doubt or raising any objections.
They considered it a fact that needed no verification, reflected in the record as just two short sentences, with the purpose of describing that Omebe arrived at the City of Silver by walking.
Lumian raised his head, looking at Mr. Sun seated against the wall, and asked thoughtfully, "Which image did the Goddess of Harvest Omebe have when she walked to the City of Silver?"
He remembered the previous records mentioning that Omebe had descended to the City of Silver multiple times, mainly presenting two images, one representing harvest and reproduction, the other symbolizing destion and death.
This made Lumian suspect whether Omebe had two identities, with "harvest and reproduction" having its destiny stolen, while "destion and death" walked to the City of Silver seeking sacrifice.
Mr. Sun shook his head. "There was no record at the time."
Lumian supported his cheek with his hand, pondering silently.
Judging from the demand for the City of Silver to sacrifice half of its people, it does seem closer to the ''destion and death'' image
But if the ''harvest and reproduction'' image was severely damaged, it''s also possible to demand life to help oneself recover
Moreover, two images can be understood, but how can two identities be concentrated in one person Surely the Goddess of Harvest Omebe didn''t steal the identity and destiny of another Omebe before? She''s not from the Marauder pathway, and there''s no legend indicating She possessed simr items
Lumian deliberated for a moment, then stood up and said, "I want to touch the Gift of the Land."
To see what resonance Omebe''s bloodline could bring, what information could be obtained.
Mr. Sun, Derrick Berg, also stood up. "Okay."
Wearing a simple white robe, he walked steadily in front, entering the round tower from the second-floor connection, then descended all the way, passing through the deep dark dungeon, arriving at a pair of heavy stone doors.
Behind the stone doors was a mottled staircase extending downwards, with points of light like dawn seeping from the depths, bringing some visibility.
Lumian found that the walls on both sides of the staircase were damp, seemingly oozing many water droplets, and tufts of hair-like ck nts had grown out of the cracks, hanging there.
The further down the staircase they went, the brighter the dawn-like light became, and between the damp walls and the hair-like ck nts grew mushrooms of various colors, golden wheat ears, the unique ck-Faced Grass, and other things. The spirituality in the air also became increasingly lively and vigorous.
Lumian''s heart gradually palpitated, as if returning to a mother''s embrace, or finding his past self.
He heard the sound of blood flowing, seemingly from within his body, yet also originating from the bottom of the staircase.
"It really is Omebe The Invisible Child of God is indeed Omebe" Lumian sighed a couple of times, calming his own state.
His hair was growing inch by inch inside his cloak, his skin bing more delicate and stic.
After descending for a while longer, Lumian saw sunlight,ing from Mr. Sun.
Pure, warm, sacred golden light quickly filled this area, causing the forces of destion and the aura of death to retreat to the edges.
Seeing this scene, Lumian instinctively associated it with a Demoness''s Disease and gue.
In such a domain of sunlight, the vast majority of mystical pathogens would quickly perish, while a few ordinary pathogens might survive
Finally, The Sun Derrick Berg and Lumian arrived at arge room filled with points of dawn-like light.
The room was permeated with the smell of soil, the scent of grass, and the fragrance of flowers. The ceiling, floor, and surrounding walls were covered with those hair-like ck things, growing all kinds of nts and mushrooms.
In the center of this room, brown soil was piled up, with a withered, giant tree trunk inserted at the top.
The tree trunk was just short of touching the ceiling, about seven or eight meters high, requiring three or four people''s arm span to encircle it. Most of the bark on its surface had fallen off, with the remaining parts a grayish-brown color.
Its core had be hollow, and the exposed wood parts facing Lumian and Mr. Sun were partly protruding and partly sunken, outlining a legless, human-like pattern.
That silhouette used the branches on the trunk as hands, its face extremely distorted, with two huge crimson flowers serving as eyes.
Within the wood grain texture of its "body surface", traces of blood color were faintly visible.
"This is the Gift of the Land." The patches of sacred sunlight created by Mr. Sun merged with the points of dawn-like light in the room.
Lumian already felt his blood stirring, feeling an unusually close, blood-based connection with that withered tree trunk. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The two were originally one.
Lumian seemed to receive a call, subconsciously walking forward, his elegant and clean face seeming to emit its own radiance in the dawn-like light mixed with sunlight.
One step, two steps, three steps He came to the top of the pile of brown soil, stopping in front of the withered giant tree.
The Sun Derrick Berg did not stop her.
Lumian took a breath, adjusted his state, prepared to use Mirror Substitution, and then extended his right palm with evenly proportioned bones and flesh and long fingers, touching towards the withered tree trunk with streaks of blood seeping out.
As soon as his fingers touched the dull-colored wood, a scene suddenly shed in his mind:
The sky was hazy, seemingly shrouded in dark mist, a huge light shadow that seemed able to support heaven and earth appeared in front, while behind were strange silhouettes outlined by blurred lines
This scene shed by, followed immediately by darkness without a hint of light, an utterly quiet stillness.
After an unknown time, in the darkness and stillness, a shrill cry faintly came:
"My child, Omebe
"My child, Omebe"
Lumian suddenly broke free from the illusion, as if forcibly pushed away from the Gift of the Land by an invisible force.
He immediately felt a stinging pain in his right shoulder, with a bit of coolness like moonlight shining.
That was the contract mark from the Abscessed Hand being activated, but without producing any effect, bringing teleportation and Blink.
Chapter 892 That Name
Chapter 892 That Name
Lumian turned his gaze to his right shoulder.
Before this, he had anticipated many scenarios, but he hadn''t expected that the contract mark corresponding to the Abscessed Hand would have an abnormal reaction when he touched the Gift of the Land, bringing a stinging pain and coolness.
Is this because theplete Abscessed Hand has corruption from the Great Mother, or does Hand Bro himself have some connection to the Goddess of Harvest Omebe? When He became 0-01''s puppet and encountered me, He called out Omebe Lumian frowned imperceptibly, forming a rough guess.
It was very strange that despite the Abscessed Hand being an Angel, no high-level being remembered His original form!
Combining this with some thoughts from reading the records about Omebe earlier, Lumian suspected whether Hand Bro might also be an Angel whose identity and destiny were stolen by enemies, and who was even brutally dismembered and sealed in various ces to prevent His resurrection.
However, this suspicion couldn''t exin one issuejudging from how the Abscessed Hand evolved towards femininity when all parts of its body were assembled, showing characteristics rted to Sequence 1 Beauty Goddess of the Moon pathway, He must have either been deeply contaminated by the Great Mother or received corresponding boons. Who would dare to bear such a destiny?
Perhaps Hand Bro both satisfies the conditions ofcking necessary wisdom and receiving high-level boons from the Great Mother, naturally reacting to matters of the Child of God, and also has intricate connections with Omebe He should be an Angel of the Moon pathway, which is adjacent to the Goddess of Harvest Omebe''s pathway
I wonder how many high-level beings from the Second Epoch have survived But they may not know about these matters, just like the Round Moon Duke of the Sanguine Lumian suppressed the doubts in his heart and looked again at the Gift of the Land existing in the form of a withered tree trunk.
After the first contact, he had confirmed that he wouldn''t die on the spot because of this, so he tried to press his right palm again on the grayish-brown tree trunk with both protrusions and depressions.
The fragrance of flowers and the fishy smell of blood pierced his nostrils. Before his eyes again appeared the hazy sky shrouded in dark mist, the huge light shadow that could support heaven and earth, and the strange silhouettes outlined by blurred lines.
This time, Lumian felt pain, felt terror, and also felt the madness of wanting all things to return to the earth.
He fell into familiar darkness, without a hint of light, quiet to the point of deathly stillness.
As time passed second by second, a shrill cry gradually sounded in his ears, calling for her child Omebe.
This made Lumian slowlye to his senses, and then he felt the stinging pain and coolness in his right shoulder.
He endured this feeling, not being pushed out of the illusion.
The darkness quickly shattered, and Lumian saw the light of dawn, saw faces full of determination, and felt anger, pain, and hatred in his heart.
At this moment, he heard a voice, gentle yet painful, a woman''s voice: "Zedus"
Lumian "woke up", and what entered his eyes was the distorted face outlined by protrusions and depressions on the withered tree trunk, and the two huge crimson flowers serving as the face''s eyes.
His palm was still pressed against the tree trunk.
What I just saw and heard, were they Omebe''sst obsessions, the scenes that left the deepest impression on Her? Combining the corresponding emotions, does the world shrouded in dark mist correspond to Her first death? Are the huge light shadow and one of the blurred figures the high-level being who stole Her identity and destiny?
What do that deathly silent darkness and the shrill cry represent? I''ve heard simr cries in the depths of the Underworld, when I shared the senses of the creature inside the bird egg The bird egg represents gestation Does that deathly silent darkness correspond to Omebe''s state before birth, or the state before regaining new life? Did that voice crying out for her child pull Omebe back from the depths of death, giving Her new life?
Would this new life also reset identity and destiny, making the theft ineffective?
The protagonists of the third scene are the dawn and human faces, with emotions of anger and hatred. Does this correspond to Omebe being killed by the City of Silver?
Yes, these can all be called obsessions, having a crucial impact on Omebe''s fate
Who was that ''Zedus'' at the end?
As these thoughts shed through his mind, Lumian turned his head to look at the tall and steady Mr. Sun beside him. "May I know if you have heard of the name Zedus?"
"You can just speak casually. In the church, no one is nobler than another." The Sun Derrick Berg first corrected, then shook his head and said, "I haven''t heard this name."
"Was there no one called Zedus among the brass of the City of Silver when the Goddess of Harvest Omebest came to the City of Silver?" Lumian pursued.
Mr. Sun answered in a very certain tone, "No."
Zedus wasn''t the person who killed Omebe Who could it be? Thinking of this, Lumian suddenly had a sh of insight.
Could this be Hand Bro''s name?
Since Hand Bro could call out Omebe to me, causing the contract to mutate when I touched the Gift of the Land, theoretically, Omebe''s remnant consciousness in the Gift of the Land should also be able to detect the Abscessed Hand''s contract mark on me and call out His name!
Lumian withdrew his right hand, waited for several tens of seconds, and pressed his palm to the withered tree trunk for the third time.
The previous illusions and auditory hallucinations reappeared, but there was no additional content.
Lumian sighed inwardly, crouched down slightly, adjusted his cloak, and pressed his other hand to the surface of the Gift of the Land, grasping the most solid and obvious protrusion.
Then, he gritted his teeth, the blood vessels on his neck bulged, and his temples throbbed with a blue tint.
This made Mr. Sun''s eyelids twitch, as if he hadn''t expected a beautifuldy with a cold expression to show such a side.
Soon, the brown soil began to loosen, and Lumian forcefully pulled up that withered, giant tree trunk.
The entire New City of Silver inexplicably trembleda gentle shake.
Lumian half-lifted the seven or eight-meter-high withered tree trunk, trying to swing it.
It can barely be used to smash people, but it would reduce agility to the lowest level, and speed would also significantly decrease Lumian made a judgment on whether he could use the Gift of the Land to fight in the future, then inserted the huge withered tree trunk back into the pile of brown soil.
Almost simultaneously, he felt a certain power in his bloodline surge towards his abdomen, causing a slight stinging pain there, as if something was gestating.
Lumian raised his right hand, pressing it towards the corresponding position on his stomach with quiet and eerie ck mes.
For a moment, he experienced maternal emotions of reluctance and pity, but this couldn''t stop him from infusing the Demoness''s ck mes into his abdomen in the manner of Fire Infusion.
Indescribable pain, loss, and sadness surged into his heart simultaneously, his face suddenly turned pale, and his light-colored lips involuntarily trembled slightly.
This made The Sun Derrick Berg can''t help but ask, "Do you need my help to dispel the negative effects, or find a Beyonder to provide treatment?"
Lumian shook his head, curled his lips, and said in a low voice, "A small matter."
He turned to remind Mr. Sun, "Even Beyonders with godhood might conceive after touching the Gift of the Land, and those with Omebe''s bloodline are more likely to encounter this."
"We don''t have any records of this. Historically, the City of Silver has needed to actively use this Sealed Artifact very rarely, and each time, the user quickly died." Mr. Sun nodded slightly.
Lumian didn''t say anything more, turned around, and walked step by step towards the outside of this huge room, towards the mottled stairs leading to the upper part of the round tower, with Mr. Sun quietly trailing behind.
In the hotel room.
Lumian wrote down the gains and questions from reading the records rted to Omebe and touching the Gift of the Land in a letter.
He then summoned the "doll" messenger and handed over this letter and a mirrorwith this marked mirror, he couldter directly transmit information to Madam Magician through the mirror world.
The "doll" messenger took the letter and mirror but didn''t leave immediately. Wearing a light golden dress, it leaned against the window frame, carefully and attentively examining Lumian.
Lumian arched an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"
The "doll" messenger suddenly jumped up, floating in mid-air, and said with an indignant look, "Don''t you know how beautiful you look right now?
"Beautiful enough for me to ignore that you''re still wearing men''s clothes, beautiful enough for me to forgive why you haven''t made yourself tidier!"
Lumian was momentarily at a loss for words.
The "doll" messenger waved its hand and said reluctantly, "See you next time!"
"See you next time," Lumian politely replied.
After about fifteen minutes, the "doll" messenger emerged from the void, holding a bulging envelope, and said joyfully, "We meet again!"
"Indeed." Lumian was a bit helpless.
He took the envelope, opened it, and found that the letter itself was very thin, mainly containing an additional green gemstone.
The gemstone was deep and alluring, with a dreamy crystalline green color.
Lumian only looked at it for a moment, but felt as if his vision and soul were sinking into it.
He quickly forced himself to look away, unfolded the letter paper with confusion, and began to read:
"The theft of Omebe''s identity and destiny had not be ineffective before the Fifth Epoch n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"We will inquire about the name ''Zedus'' from the ancient beings who survived from the Second Epoch, including seeking revtion from even higher beings.
"The origin of this name might solve the mysteries surrounding Omebe
"That green gemstone was made at my request by Miss Justice, with the purpose of helping you seal part of the knowledge rted to the great existences. Although you still have a lot of corruption and seals, as long as you don''t recall that knowledge, there shouldn''t be any problems. But we can''t guarantee that you won''t encounter situations where you need to recall it. Before you possess a true or false Angel rank, this hypnotic effect won''t be lifted."
Lumian understood the reason and looked at the green gemstone again, allowing his mind to sink into it.
When he came to his senses, the green gemstone had be ordinary, and he had forgotten part of his knowledge.
But it''s still worth quite a bit of money. Lumian put away the green gemstone and said to the "doll" messenger still lingering over the desk, "See you next time."
The "doll" messenger waved in response."See you next time!"
Leaving the room, Lumian said to Franca, Jenna, Ludwig, and others, "We''re going back to Trier now."
Chapter 893 A Terrifying Matter
Chapter 893 A Terrifying Matter
Inside the newly rented apartment of Lumian and others on Rue de Gauche in Quartier de l''Observatoire.
"We''re going to the catbs now," Lumian said to Jenna and Franca in the living room, after ncing out the window at the passing carriages, bicycles, and various mechanical creations.
Before Franca contacted the Demoness of ck again, he wanted to get more intelligence from Krismona''s shadow to guard against possible idents. This required Jenna to advance to Demoness of Affliction at the sacrificial square on the third level of the catbs.
Jenna looked at the ck cloak Lumian was wearing and asked carefully, "Do you need to change your clothes underneath? At least that would make you morefortable."
Lumian fell silent for a few seconds before stating, "Okay."
Now it was Jenna''s turn to be surprised. She had thought Lumian would be more resistant and would need to be persuaded with sufficient reasons.
Franca was equally astonished. When she had drunk the Witch potion, she hadn''t epted such things so quickly.
Herke-blue eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly made some guesses, her emotions bing ratherplex.
Except for height, Lumian''s figure was now simr to Jenna''s. After receiving a few pieces of clothing from her, he walked into the bedroom, notpletely letting go despite the more intimate rtionship between the three of them.
Seeing this, Jenna vaguely understood and turned her head to look at Franca.
"Sigh" Franca sighed.
Jenna followed by pursing her lips.
Soon after, Lumian came out, wearing the linen men''s shirt and dark trousers with a spirited and dashing air.
Franca looked him over and said, "You''re too tall. You''ll need to find a tailor to make custom-fitted women''s clothes."
Lumian tersely acknowledged and walked to the full-length mirror in the living room, looking at himself with his ck hair simply tied back.
The stunningly beautiful yet cold-expressionless woman in the reflection made him feel a moment of disorientation. He unconsciously reached into the Traveler''s Bag and took out the Lie earring.
His right hand hovered in midair, not immediately putting on the earring.
Franca quickly stepped forward, trying to make her tone sound natural. "I don''t think you should force it now. The premise for Aurore''s true resurrection is that you always maintain your sense of self and reach the top of the two Cmity pathways. During this process, the fragments of her soul should gradually revive ording to your progress. You don''t need to deliberately act or imitate her."
"Moreover, Madam Magician guesses that the key part of Aurore''s resurrection lies with the Demoness of Unaging. It may not be a good thing for you to let her manifest in you now, just like switching to an adjacent pathway before the Sequence 4 node," Jenna also said in a soft voice.
"Yes, I don''t know if your sister ever taught you this phrase: ''Too much of a good thing''. It means that even good things can be bad if taken to excess," Franca added.
Lumian was silent for a moment, then put the Lie earring back into the Traveler''s Bag.
Franca quietly let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Do you need a hat with a veil or will you continue to wear the cloak? Looking like this, you''ll quickly be the center of attention for everyone on the street."
As fellow Demonesses, she and Jenna both had deep experience with simr situations, and Lumian was now a Demoness with godhood.
Lumian picked up the cloak draped over the back of a nearby chair and put it on again.
As the hood gradually covered his delicate and fine features and simply tied ck hair, Lumian turned around and walked towards the door.
Jenna put on a rounddies'' hat with a ck veil hanging down, while Franca prepared a baseball cap for herself, lowering the brim.
On the third level of the catbs, inside the sacrificial square.
Lumian threw out several mirrors, setting up a Mirror Maze. This way, even if other people came to this level to explore and adventure, they wouldn''t be able to see the three Demonesses and theirpanions, and would pass through normally.
As Jenna adjusted her state and prepared the potion, Franca looked towards the boundary of the maze, which showed no sign of abnormality, and eximed in admiration,
"As expected of a demigod. Even though I know the real surrounding area has been hidden by a Mirror Maze, I can''t see any problems at all."
Inparison, her own Mirror Maze couldn''t achieve this level.
Before Lumian could respond, she asked curiously, "When do you n to give Voisin Sanson''s corpse to Ludwig?"
After Voisin Sanson''s death, because he had already been deeply corrupted by the power of Inevitability, and continuing to stay in the special mirror world was quite dangerous, Lumian and the others didn''t channel his spirit, but only took away his corpse.
Lumian thought for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "There''s no rush. By stringing him along bit by bit, perhaps the ritual to advance to Sequence 3 of the Hunter pathway will also require team cooperation. Having an Angel team member like this could greatly reduce the number requirement.
"Besides, whether it''s you digesting the remaining Affliction potion or Jenna digesting the Affliction potion, we can make use of Ludwig. If we give him all the benefits at once now, how can we make him reluctant to leave?"
Seeing Lumian seriously considering returning to Sequence 3 of the Hunter pathway, Franca felt a wave of joy and was quite gratified, her arms involuntarily swaying twice.
"Anthony is also about to be Sequence 5, just waiting for the final ritual preparation," Lumian suddenly said.
"Uh" Franca was stunned for a moment. "When did this happen?"
"He told me yesterday. While you were advancing matters rted to the Demoness Sect, he was alsopleting Madam Justice''s tasks. He''s already established initial contact with the Psychology Alchemists and naturally received corresponding rewards. He''s been applying his Hypnosis ability all along, including helping me, andpleted the digestion some time ago," Lumian briefly exined. "What he currently needs is to go to the spirit world to contract a certain creature, gaining the characteristic of maintaining rity in dreams. This can also be substituted by other methods, and Ludwig''s dishes might be able to help."
Franca smacked her lips. "We haven''t been caring enough about Anthony"
"For a Spectator, he might not want you to care too much about him or pay attention to him," Lumian nced at a corner of the Mirror Maze. "Just like he''s here now too, ready to cate Jenna immediately if the situation goes wrong."
He''s here too? Franca felt as if she had heard a ghost story.
At this time, Jenna, who had already eaten the Ice Lemon Fish fillet, had prepared the Affliction potion, which was ck-based with green foam on top.
Lumian immediately raised both arms.
Behind Jenna, a crystal-clear ice pir with multiple protrusions rose from the ground, ready to serve as a stake.
Then, Jenna handed the Affliction potion to Lumian and climbed to the top of the ice pir on her own, allowing Franca to tightly bind her body, restricting her movement. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Bright white Fire Ravens lit up around Lumian. They circled and flew out,nding on Jenna''s body surface.
Jenna was quickly set on fire, her expression uncontrobly twisting.
Lumian stepped onyers of frost-condensed stairs,ing to Jenna''s front, and poured that bottle of potion into hispanion''s mouth.
Jenna''s mind began to blur, the pain in her body pulling at her, keeping herst bit of rity.
Lumian then floated lightly from the top of the frost stairs to the ground, focusing on sensing the surroundings.
He was waiting for Krismona''s shadow to arrive. Having lost Mr. Fool''s seal, he currently couldn''t enter the area around the Samaritan Women''s Spring.
Franca kept watching Jenna, seeing her skin quickly cken, her face twist to deformation, contorted in pain, her teeth no longer able to bite, emitting painful sounds.
This made Franca extremely distressed, seemingly more tormented than when she herself had performed this ritual.
Suddenly, Lumian''s light blue eyes first took on an iron-ck color, then became silver-white with ck.
He felt that Krismona''s shadow, or rather her residual consciousness, had descended within the Mirror Maze, yet he couldn''t see her at all.
Jenna''s thoughts continued to drift, her sense of self gradually losing itself. She recalled the pain and joy of her time with Lumian, and also remembered the experience of helping Franca find pleasure and her inner emotions during that periodaddicted because of enjoyment, awakened because of pain.
In this state, Jenna had no way of knowing whether she had been noticed by the Primordial Demoness. By the time she regained some of her thoughts, a sacred figure wearing a in white robe, blurry and hard to see clearly, had appeared before her eyes.
"Lady Krismona," Jenna called out the other''s name, and learning fromst time''s lesson, she quickly and directly asked, "Why does the Primordial One hate pure females who walk the Demoness pathway?"
Krismona answered in an ethereal voice, "My mother hates those Demonesses who don''t experience the pain of gender change, and She''s also guarding against them."
"Why guard against them?" Jenna further inquired.
Krismona spoke in an extremely hollow tone, "Pure female Demonesses, after bing Angels, or perhaps after bing Demonesses of Unaging, might encounter a very terrifying matter. They might ovee it, or they might not. If they can''t, it''s a very big problem for my mother. She can''t let it happen."
Jenna was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "What about you?"
Strands of blood color suddenly appeared on the surface of Krismona''s blurry face. Her previously hollow voice suddenly carried a hint of suppression and pain. "So, I died"
Before the words faded, this former Demoness of Catastrophe, a true Child of God, rapidly faded away.
"What exactly is that terrifying matter?" Jenna rushed to ask.
Krismona''s shadow quickly dissipated, leaving only half a sentence: "That mirror world"
Jenna suddenly came to her senses, seeing the charred skin on her body surface falling off in pieces, while the ropes had been burned through at some unknown time.
She immediately concealed her form and sought a corner to change her clothes.
Phew Seeing this, Franca instinctively let out the worry and torment pent up in her heart.
At the same time, she seemed to hear Lumian also quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Chapter 894 Value
Chapter 894 Value
After Jenna changed into her dress, she recounted in full her current state and the information she had just obtained from Krismona.
She said with regret, "The time was still not enough. I could only see Lady Krismona for that very short period between fully enduring the potion and regainingplete consciousness.
"However, next time I''ll be able to clearly ask what that terrifying matter is."
Lumian looked around and said, "Just now I could only sense Krismona''s residual consciousness appear, but I couldn''t directly see or make contact with her. This may be because she is one with the seal of the catbs itself, or because she possesses some special quality that allows her to exert more precise influence on Demonesses."
"I think it''s all of the above," Franca said to Jenna with considerable concern. "I always thought the greatest danger for female Demonesses was the Primordial One''s hatred, that we would be interfered with during advancement, and even if we could struggle through, we would be hunted down by the Demoness Sect afterwards. I didn''t expect there was also this hidden problem. The terrifying matter Krismona spoke of even makes the Primordial Demoness wary. It''s very likely rted to the deepest secrets of the special mirror world. Do you want to consider switching to the Hunter pathway, then jumping back to the Demoness pathwayter?"
Jenna fell silent for a moment before saying, "I want to wait until I understand what that terrifying matter is before deciding whether or not to abandon my identity as a pure female Demoness."
After Lumian''s experience, she actually wasn''t as averse to changing gender for just a period of time rather than permanently.
Jenna paused, then said with a self-deprecating smile that was half sighing and half intended tofort Lumian, "I''ve lived in Quartier du Jardin Botanique and the market district for so many years, and I''ve seen many tragic things. One thing I''ve learned is that if you don''t even have value to be used by others, it''s very difficult to break free from the mire.
"As a pure female Demoness, possibly linked to the deepest secrets of the special mirror world, this is the key reason I was able to receive a warning from Lady Krismona. Andter, unable to join the Demoness Sect, if I want to digest potions faster, advance better, resist the tendency towards madness and loss of control, and truly possess the ability to protect family and friends, this should also be a very important factor. There will always be high-level figures who want to use female Demonesses to do certain things, to touch the deepest secrets of the special mirror world, so they''ll need to give me certain ''benefits''.
"Relying on the Major Arcana card holders is one way, but it can''t be the only way."
Lumian fell silent for a few seconds before stating, "Before encountering that terrifying matter, you should still have opportunities to question Krismona''s shadow.
"We''ll decide whether or not to take the risk after we understand the nature of the problem."
"Right," Franca agreed with Lumian. "When advancing to Demoness of Despair, you should be able to contact Krismona once more. Anyway, that terrifying matter won''t appear until at least the Demoness of Unaging stage."
Lumian, wearing a ck cloak and holding a white candle, shook his head.
"This is thest option. We can''t assume Krismona is necessarily good and telling the whole truth. Perhaps pure female Demonesses encounter that matter at the Demoness of Despair stage, and Krismona is waiting for this ident.
"The opportunity I''m talking about is that in a few days, we should be able to enter Mr. Fool''s dream, with a good chance of being imbued with Mr. Fool''s aura. That way, we can pass through the seal and directly face Krismona''s shadow near the Samaritan Women''s Spring.
"Moreover, the most eptable method for the Demoness of Despair ritual currently is to go to Morora, which definitely won''t allow time to return to Trier and advance here."
Lumian continued with very clear reasoning, "There''s another method using those Mirror People in the special mirror world as ritual objects, but this is only suitable for Franca. If Jenna, as a female Demoness, were to use this method toplete the ritual, it might cause that terrifying matter to arrive prematurely."
After all, it was very closely rted to the deepest secrets of the special mirror world.
"Mm." Both Jenna and Franca agreed with Lumian''s exnation.
Lumian called out to Anthony standing in the corner, dispelled the Mirror Maze, retrieved the mirrors, and holding a burning white candle, headed towards the upper levels of the catbs.
Franca walked alongside him and said after some thought, "By the way, the Despair potion you drank should include portions from Sequence 9 to Sequence 5, right? When I was considering switching to the Hunter pathway before, I consulted Madam Judgment about rted matters. She said one issue with switching to adjacent pathways is that all the preceding potions have to be fully digested, otherwise it will affect one''s state and significantly increase risks for future advancements."
This is unlike advancing within the same pathway, where the mental and spiritual state has already been adjusted to suit digestion of preceding potions, so it doesn''t take long to stabilize one''s condition.
Lumian chuckled softly, seeming to bring a touch of color to the dark and gloomy catbs.
"I''ve already digested most of the Despair potion.
"Given my mental and spiritual state then and afterwards, Affliction isn''t a concern. It''s verypatible and took just a few days to digest.
"The same goes for Pleasure. My experiences during that period changed my mental and spiritual state, and we even had that experience that very morning. So it''s not like my state gradually reverted back due to being away from that condition for too long. This doesn''t need to be specially digested again.
"Instigator is simr. Don''t you often say I''m an excellent Instigator?
"Comparatively, I''ve been more engaged in directbat and killing enemies recently. Using Fate Exchange to harm targets was just one of my methods before, not the main approach. So I''ll need to seriously act and digest the Assassin and Witch potions once. But as they''re in the minority now, they can''t really affect my state much and are more of a hidden danger for future advancements."
"I see" Franca nodded, not saying anything more.
Afterwards, since Jenna needed to go back to rest, stabilize her condition, and contain the spillover effects of the potion, only Lumian and Franca took a four-wheeled, four-seater carriage to Rue Orosai in Quartier de Cathdrale Commmorative.
Before going to Trocadro to find the Demoness of ck, they nned to return to their originally rented apartment to see if the Demoness of ck had sought out Franca and left any messages.
As for choosing a rental carriage instead of public transport or the metro, it was because the two Demonesses, even wearing hats and loose clothing, would inevitably encounter some harassment incidents.
Although Franca and Lumian weren''t afraid, they felt there was no need to make themselves ufortable. They weren''t the type of Demonesses who yed extremely extreme roles.
Quartier de l''Observatoire and Quartier de Cathdrale Commmorative were adjacent, so it didn''t take long for the two Demonesses to return to Apartment 702 at 9 Rue Orosai and open the door.
Although they had only been gone for a few days, and Franca hadn''t even had time to tell thendlord about ending the lease early and not needing the deposit back, when they saw the interioryout and the armchair, they felt as if an era had passed. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Various memories shed through Franca''s mind. At times she felt sweet, at times she couldn''t help but silently sigh.
After Lumian concealed himself and hid, Franca entered the room alone, closed the wooden door, and carefully examined every detail of the ce, focusing on all items with ss mirror surfaces.
"No messages, no traces, but I feel like someone''s been here" Franca muttered to herself as she withdrew her palm from the full-length mirror in the living room.
She turned around and walked towards the master bedroom.
At that moment, the full-length mirror suddenly became dim, as if it had been ced in a lightless environment.
In this dimness, a figure was quickly outlined.
She wore a ck court dress, her ck hair neatly coiled up, lightly covered by a hat with a dark veil hanging down. Her indescribably beautiful face was slightly pale, her deep gray eyes misty like smoky rain, emitting a noticeable brightness, naturally exuding a pitiable quality.
This was the Demoness of ck, rice!
At this moment, the Demoness of ck''s face was expressionless, her deep gray eyes reflecting the tall, soft silhouette of Franca''s back.
The corner of her mouth curved up slightly, and a few naturally falling strands of her hair drilled out from the mirror into the outside world, extending silently towards Franca''s back as if they had a life of their own.
Franca suddenly received a warning, a warning from herpanion.
Without thinking, she actively triggered Mirror Substitution.
The next second, her body was touched by those few strands of ck hair. First, it turned into a mirror, then became grayish-white, and fell to the ground with a thud.
The mirror had be stone.
Almost simultaneously, the Demoness of ck rice in the full-length mirror saw a figure leap down from above.
That figure wore a ck cloak, with light blue eyes, pale lips, a clean and elegant face, stunningly beautiful features, a cold and calm expression, standing over 1.8 meters tall, body slightly bent, both hands holding a huge iron-ck straight sword.
That huge straight sword burned with intense white-blue mes, mming onto the ground with a bang.
This didn''t shatter or pierce the floor, but hit an invisible barrier. As the entire space gently shook, it triggered a fierce fire snake of intense white-blue, rapidly pouncing towards that full-length mirror, igniting the tea table and wooden boards along the way, quickly reducing them to ashes.
Bottle of Fiction!
When the Demoness of ck''s hair strands stabbed out from the mirror, Lumian was already prepared to act to save Franca!
He hadn''t expected the Demoness of ck to be so direct and decisive in trying to petrify Franca without saying a word, but this didn''t hinder him from following hisbat instincts and quickly responding.
The Demoness of ck in the full-length mirror still had that pitiable appearance, but her eyes reflecting Lumian''s figure suddenly became covered with ayer of grayish-white, cold color.
Chapter 895 A Brief Battle
Chapter 895 A Brief Battle
The Demoness of ck slightly raised her chin and let out a piercing shriek.
Invisible sound waves instantly caused the mirror to take on a grayish-white, dim color. Along with this, rice''s hair broke free from its constraints, knocking off her hat and floating upwards. Each strand became thick, as if carved from stone.
This grayish-white spread out from the full-length mirror, causing the intense white-blue fire snake that had rushed to the mirror''s front to freeze in ce, turning into a statue. It failed to explode the mirror as Lumian had expected, destroying the Demoness of ck''s medium for interfering with the interior of the Bottle of Fiction.
The grayish-white created by rice continued to spread, like surging tides, quickly engulfing the nearby armchair, sofa set, and cabs, causing them to lose their luster, take on a grayish-white color, and appear much harder.
This grayish-white "tide" rapidly covered the entire room, enveloping both Lumian and Franca.
Under the constraints of the Bottle of Fiction, facing such a wide-range attack, Mirror Substitution seemed to have lost its effect, because after using a substitute, one would still appear in a petrifying area.
The next second, Lumian and Franca, covered in thick dust-like particles, regressed into grayish-white stone mirrors, but their figures did not appear anywhere within the Bottle of Fiction.
The Bottle of Fiction itself seemed to have undergone petrification, turning into a grayish-white,pletely sealed cage.
Seeing this scene, the Demoness of ck in the full-length mirror murmured to herself, "Did they escape?"
The current situation indicated that Lumian, relying on the abilities of a Demoness of Despair, and Franca, using the power of the Ice Amulet, had managed to hide in a mirror just before being petrified, then traversed and escaped.
The current problem was that, given the Demoness of ck''s control over the mirror world, she could easily intercept the two in some illusory, dark tunnel, but she hadn''t sensed any movement.
At this moment, the Demoness of ck rice received a warning from her spirituality and suddenly turned around, casting her gaze towards the dense, illusory spider web behind her.
In one of those dim, unreal tunnels, Lumian, wearing a ck cloak and very tall, held up an exaggeratedly shaped iron-ck straight sword with one hand, descending from above to sh at the Demoness of ck.
Escape?
Someone holding the Sword of Courage wouldn''t consider this option!
If they were to escape, it would be using the retreat as a feint for advancing by setting a trap! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The intense white-blue mes on the Sword of Courage instantly surged into intense ck, like boiling pitch, carrying the violence and madness to destroy all things, spirit and flesh.
Simultaneously, Lumian''s naturally hanging left palm imperceptibly pressed towards the Demoness of ck from a distance.
On his wrist, which was like a work of art, he wore a silver-white and ck bracelet that looked cheap. His crystal-clear, light blue eyes took on a silver-ck hue.
Boom!
The ck mes, suppressing intensity and madness, exploded in mid-air. Fierce shock waves carrying countless ck fires surged towards the Demoness of ck rice.
This ageless Demoness didn''t use Petrification to respond. Her body rapidly thinned and shrank, shing a faint light.
She became a mirror.
Crack! That mirror shattered in the explosion, its spiritualitypletely exhausted in the ck mes.
The Fire of Destruction mixed in the terrifying explosion further engulfed the entire area behind the mirror, extinguishing all signs of life.
But when the Fire of Destruction extinguished and the explosion''s aftermath ended, the figure of the Demoness of ck outlined in one corner of the void ck area behind the mirror.
She seemed able to control the timing of her return to reality after using Mirror Substitution, avoiding appearing in the fire while the Fire of Destruction was still burning.
Suddenly, behind the Demoness of ck, a mirror hidden in the darkness appeared. It directly reflected rice''s figure, and in the mirror was also Lumian, his clean face tinged with a dark hue from the remaining firelight.
Mirror Projection!
As soon as this Lumian appeared, he immediately transformed into quiet, evil ck mes, enveloping the Demoness of ck''s figure in the mirror.
Only at this moment did the Demoness of ck seem to sense the danger, actively using Mirror Substitution.
But she was still a beat too slow. Her appearance in this corner, in front of this mirror with Lumian''s Mirror Projection, wasn''t coincidental, but a carefully designed oue!
Lumian''s earlier apparent frontal attack with the Sword of Courage was actually focused on his left palm that wasn''t holding the sword.
He wore the Circle of Binding to elevate his ability to Compelling Fate to Sequence 4 level!
And he had just consumed nearly a third of his spirituality to make the fate of where the Demoness of ck would appear after using Mirror Substitution predetermined, making the corresponding tributary be part of the main stream.
Thus, the Demoness of ck "actively" walked into the trap, standing in front of the mirror with Lumian''s Mirror Projection.
At the same time, to prevent the Demoness of ck from detecting the danger in time, Lumian had, on one hand, applied anti-divination treatment to that mirror beforeunching the attack, and on the other hand, deliberately let the Fire of Destruction cover the entire area behind the mirror, making every corner look like there was no ambusheven if there was, it would obviously be destroyed by the Fire of Destruction. But in reality, relying on his Precision ability, he had covertly made some Fire of Destruction bypass the pre-ced mirror.
Under these various schemes, the Demoness of ck failed to use Mirror Substitution before Lumian''s Mirror Projectionunched the Demoness''s curse.
The Demoness of ck''s deep gray eyes, seemingly hiding rain and mist, suddenly widened, and quiet, evil ck mes burst forth from within her body.
These ck mes burned fiercely, quickly igniting the soul of the Demoness of ck rice, apanied by a silent explosion.
Curse plus Cull!
Crack, crack, the figure of the Demoness of ck kept shing, turning into mirror after mirror.
Those mirrors sessively lost their luster, bing dim, but unable to extinguish the ck mes burning the Demoness of ck from the inside out.
After a few seconds, the Demoness of ck rice, too weak to use Mirror Substitution, saw Lumian''s figure walk up to her.
This beautiful girl wearing a ck cloak, making her face appear even fairer, raised the huge straight sword burning with intense white-blue mes.
That iron-ck giant sword came down with a thunderous sound, chopping at the Demoness of ck''s neck.
Boom!
This pitiabledy was torn to pieces, scattering around in the form of corpse pieces carrying ck mes.
Franca''s figure returned from another void dark tunnel, looking at therge number of corpse pieces on the ground, and said with a stunned expression, "Is it resolved just like that?"
This was the Demoness of ck, a Demoness titled by color!
Previously, Franca had only hoped that Lumian could briefly suppress the Demoness of ck, not giving rice a chance to interfere with her action of escaping through the mirror world. If she sessfully escaped, it would be much easier for Lumian, as a Sequence 4 demigod, to disengage from the battle afterwards.
Of course, Franca would inevitably hope to find an opportunity to use the Certain Death effect of the Inevitable Gun to aplish the feat of ying a demigod. If that failed, she could still use Sure Hit plus Impregnating Bullet to give Lumian a chance to destroy the enemy.
Lumian didn''t put away the Sword of Courage, staring at the still-burning corpse pieces, and said carefully, "She showed Sequence 3 level in some abilities, but overall seemed stiff and inexperienced. Not only did she not seem like an experienced Demoness of Unaging, but she also seemed a bit weaker than a normal Demoness of Despair. She didn''t even notice when I was cing mirrors while invisible"
Before Lumian finished speaking, as the Demoness''s ck mes finished burning, those corpse pieces began to fade, gradually dissolving, as if returning to formlessness.
"Not the normal Demoness of ck." Franca quickly made a judgment.
"This also means we have no spoils," Lumianughed, saying to Franca who had already used up thest Mirror Traversal ability of the Ice Amulet, "Let''s return to the real world first, and I''lle backter to check what''s left in the end."
Franca understood that Lumian was worried that the abnormal state of the Demoness of ck might lead to a corpse transformation or bring other idents. If only he came to check, it would be much safer.
Without being reckless, Franca pressed her hand behind the mirror, leaving this area and returning with Lumian to the living room of apartment 702.
Everything here had turned to stone, and with the removal of the Bottle of Fiction, grayish-white powder fell like rain.
Franca covered her mouth and nose, muttering, "This is severe pollution."
She reached into the Traveler''s Bag, intending to take out the remaining verl d''or and leave it here aspensation for the damaged furniture.
At this moment, Lumian suddenly had a premonition. His figure disappeared in an instant, melting into the shadows, hiding in the bedroom where Jenna had originally lived.
The next second, Franca also sensed something with her spirituality, casting her gaze towards the ss window that had been protected by the Bottle of Fiction and had not yet petrified.
The left part of the double-opening ss window suddenly darkened, quickly outlining a figure as if reflecting an image on water.
That figure wore a ck, elegant court dress, with ck hair coiled up, wearing a hat with a dark veil hanging down. Her face was indescribably beautiful, her deep gray eyes bright but revealing undisguisable sorrow, her red lips slightly curved, her chin beautifully arched. Not only men but also women who saw her would instinctively feel pity.
Demoness of ck!
Demoness of ck rice!
At this moment, Franca was a bit stunned.
Did the Demoness of ck get reanimated?
No, even if it was a reanimation, it should have appeared on the full-length mirror in the living room!
If it isn''t reanimation, who is this now, and who was that earlier?
As Franca''s mind instantly tensed, the Demoness of ck on the ss window gently nodded and asked in a soft voice, "What exactly happened a few days ago that made you only return now?"
This attitude it''s very amiable Franca, who had initially thought of drawing her gun and attacking, suddenly felt confused.
Chapter 896 Charm
Chapter 896 Charm
Seeing that the Demoness of ck had no immediate intention to attack her, and didn''t seem to be secretly releasing gue, Franca steadied herself and began reciting her pre-rehearsed words, "That day, Lumian suddenly said that the Rose School of Thought had brought a very important item to Trier, which could potentially cause chaos and affect us, so we needed to quickly move to another safe house"
This time, Franca pushed all the problems and abnormalities onto Lumian, saying she didn''t know why this lover she met through the Iron and Blood Cross Order was hiding so many secrets. Despite not being very powerful, he seemed to have a very high status, to the extent that after a dazzling light suddenly burst in the sky over Trier, it attracted the attack of two bestowed demigods.
Franca truthfully recounted her role in the subsequent battle, only omitting Jenna''s abilities and Anthony''s revolver. Finally, she said, "At the most critical moment, Lumian came back. He had actually be a Demoness of Despair and quickly killed Higdon, then dealt with Voisin Sanson."
"And then?" the Demoness of ck in the ss window asked.
"She left," Franca answered simply, without further exnation.
She originally felt that although her description was reasonably fabricated, as someone who wasn''t a descendant of the Demoness family, with an origin that only seemed clear, having long shared a bed with someone carrying many secrets and special qualities, experiencing many things together, was inherently suspicious. Who could guarantee she hadn''t developed some issues because of this?
After the brief battle earlier, she hadpletely lost confidence in her ability to deceive the Demoness of ck, and was merely giving her a reason to pretend.
"Lumian Lee indeed has quite a few issues. Once exposed, he certainly wouldn''t dare stay here anymore," the Demoness of ck said in a very calm tone.
Then, she chuckled softly. "The only pity is that you''ve lost the most valiant lover below demigod level. The few times I came to look, you were always enjoying yourself immensely, it was enviable."
"" Franca was stunned for a moment, instinctively cursing in her heart, Dammit! When did she see that? Wasn''t there a Bottle of Fiction?
Thinking about the Demoness of ck seeing her in that state, her face nearly turned green.
She carefully recalled and realized this couldn''t really be med on Lumian, it was all her own doingafter the first two or three times, she had gotten used to it and found an entertaining point, which was to tease and Charm Lumian until he became urgent, to the point where even the Ascetic couldn''t remind him to create the Bottle of Fiction.
What is this called? It''s called bringing a cmity upon oneself! I hope the Demoness of ck hadn''t seen what I didter to digest the Affliction potion I hope Mr. Fool, please protect your devout believer from social death! Francaughed dryly. "Indeed, he was much more impressive than I had anticipated, but I don''t want to mention him anymore. No, her. This bastard not only kept so many secrets from me, but also seduced my other lover Jenna, cuckolding me. I''ve even digested half of the Affliction potion because of this."
She wasying the groundwork for her rapid digestion of the Affliction potion.
Of course, as said before, giving the Demoness of ck a reason to keep pretending.
"There was such a thing?" The Demoness of ck''s face, white to the point of slight transparency, revealed a slight smile, as if she had long guessed that a Sequence 5 Beyonder of the manly pathway like Lumian Lee, frequently in contact with Franca''s female lover, would inevitably have a day when he couldn''t resist.
"Yes." Franca dug up her true feelings from that time and gritted her teeth.
"You didn''t cut off his thing, or force-feed him a potion from the Demoness pathway?" The Demoness of ck rxed her expression, rarely making a joke. "Well, his sequence is too high, you couldn''t make him advance to be a Demoness of Despair.
"Among my lovers, if any male lover is destined to be a Demoness, I don''t mind him sleeping with my female lovers, since he''ll lose it sooner orter and be a female lover. If I hadn''t originally nned for him to walk the Demoness pathway, I would have let him know what pain really is."
You real Demonesses sure y a perverted game Franca inwardly criticized before saying, "I initially had thoughts of revenge, butter gave up. As an adult, I don''t make choicesI take everything!"
At this point, Franca deliberately hesitated. "Moreover, I sensed some issues at the time. He seemed to have a false high status, and torturing him would make my Affliction potion digest rapidly, but before I could probe the real reason, everything exploded."
The Demoness of ck nodded slightly, looking at Franca with an appreciative gaze for two seconds. "No wonder you yed that kind of game. It''s very interesting, very suitable for a Demoness."
"" Franca''s toes were already constantly scratching the ground inside her boots.
"However, your endurance isn''t too good," the Demoness of ck said in an instructive tone.
Franca smiled sheepishly and said, "I only made him endure, not myself"
"Endurance is also a form of pain. This would allow you to digest the potion from another aspect," the Demoness of ck said seriously, suppressing the smile on her face.
"That''s true" Franca blinked her eyes.
Why didn''t I think of that at the time? Otherwise, I would havepletely digested the Affliction potion by now!
Ah, I was too focused on having fun!
But Beyonders can''t think about "acting" every moment, right? One needs to learn to rx, to learn to use pure entertainment to relieve mental pressure and umted tendencies towards losing control!
Franca really didn''t want to continue this embarrassing topic, so she took the initiative to say, "But I''ll be able topletely digest the Affliction potion in at most two or three weeks."
She had recently been recalling previously learned knowledge, purchasing general-purpose textbooks, and trying to create exam papers for Ludwig. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
She believed that just once would be enough to achieve her goal.
This would only take a few days.
The Demoness of ck didn''t mention anything about subsequent advancement, which Franca didn''t find strangeher current self was highly suspicious, and if the Demoness of ck were to promise to provide the form and ingredients for the Demoness of Despair, it would mean that the subsequent arrangements would inevitably involve very dangerous traps.
What a situation this is I know I''m lying, the Demoness of ck knows I''m lying, and I also know that the Demoness of ck knows I''m lying Franca sighed inwardly, and ording to the Demoness of ck''s questions, she detailed Lumian''s appearance and abilities after he became a Demoness of Despair.
The Demoness of ck listened quietly, then suddenly walked out of the ss window into the grayish-white dominated living room.
Seeing this, rm bells immediately rang in Franca''s heart.
The current situation was clearly the result of Petrification, an ability unique to high-ranking members of the Demoness pathway, yet the Demoness of ck hadn''t asked a single question about what had happened!
The Demoness of ck looked at Franca, her lips gently blossoming into a smile that seemed to cast a glow over the stone room.
Franca found herself uncontrobly drawn in,pletely unable to look away.
The Demoness of ck extended her right hand and said in a gentle voice, "You only have one lover left now, but you can be my lover."
Franca suddenly felt that the Demoness of ck was filled with a sacred aura, making her want to protect and also ravish her.
Then, a watery gleam appeared in the Demoness of ck''s eyes, taking on a soft and sorrowful quality that made Franca want to merge with her out of pity.
The Demoness of ck walked step by step towards Franca, her right hand still extended, like a queen waiting for her knight to kiss it.
Franca was suddenly overwhelmed by a strong desire to conquer.
In this way, the Demoness of ck continuously changed her aura, as if searching for the one that would most captivate Franca.
Franca''s breathing had already be bbored, and she instinctively blurted out, "No need."
This sentence was like a spell, instantly dispelling the current romantic atmosphere. The Demoness of ck returned to her original appearance, stopping just two steps away from Franca.
"Give me a reason," the Demoness of ck asked very calmly, showing no signs of disappointment or anger.
Franca''s cheeks had be flushed at some point, her body trembling slightly, as if that refusal had used up all her strength.
Her mind raced, quickly finding a very good reason.
"Madame, you said that endurance is also a form of pain. I want to take the opportunity of losing a lover to practice abstinence for a while, to elerate theplete digestion of the Affliction potion."
A faint smile reappeared on the Demoness of ck''s face.
"Your willpower is stronger than I expected. Although I wasn''t using my full Charm on you just now, the fact that you could still refuse my proposal without me deliberately suppressing the Charm shows that your willpower is among the best among Sequence 5 Beyonders."
Is that so What was I thinking of that made me refuse such a great temptation Franca recalled, her expression changing slightly.
At that moment, she had thought of Jenna, and also of Lumian.
This both surprised and didn''t surprise her.
Theck of surprise referred to thinking of Jenna at the critical moment of being Charmed, while the surprise was that she had also thought of Lumian!
The Demoness of ck looked around and said, "I''ll wait for you topletely digest the Affliction potion. During this time, I have a task for you. Make contact with the core members of the Emperor Party. You should have heard the voice saying ''Your emperor has returned'' that day. Those fantasists who worship Roselle and want to restore the empire seem to have new ideas because of this. Perhaps we can use them to do something.
"The specific situation will be told to you by Niceea. She was originally a spy employed by the government, specifically monitoring the Emperor Party. She has just be a Witch not long ago.
"This is her contact information
"If you want to obtain the form and ingredients for the Demoness of Despair from me, you need to make good contributions to the sect."
Franca took the paper handed over by the Demoness of ck and "sincerely" responded, "Yes, Madame rice."
The Demoness of ck didn''t say anything more. Layers of dark spaces appeared in her eyes.
Her figure then disappeared from the room. She hadn''t mentioned a single word about theplete grayish-white state of the scene.
Not long after, Lumian walked out of Jenna''s bedroom, grabbed Franca''s arm, and entered the full-length mirror in the living room.
The corpse pieces of the Demoness of ck in the area behind the mirror hadpletely disappeared.
Chapter 897 The Demoness of Blacks Peculiarity
Chapter 897 The Demoness of ck''s Peculiarity
Lumian didn''t rely entirely on his spirituality, but carefully searched the area behind the mirror, finding nothing.
"Could this have been the Demoness of ck''s Mirror Person?" Franca asked doubtfully.
"The Demoness of ck''s Mirror Person shouldn''t be this weak." Lumian shook his head.
The two tried using Magic Mirror Divination, but received no effective revtion.
"Should we try asking the one with the most urate divination results?" Franca suggested, barely concealing her fear and aversion. N?v(el)B\\jnn
After pondering for a moment, Lumian said, "Let''s wait until we''ve consulted Madam Magician and the others before considering that option."
Perhaps Madam Magician could learn from the spirit world what exactly the dead Demoness of ck was.
Franca sighed in relief, turning her gaze to the mirror exit, saying with lingering fear, "Just now, the Demoness of ckpletely ignoring the petrified state of the room nearly scared me to death. Such a ring anomaly was right in front of her eyes, yet she acted as if she were blind. She could have at least pretended to notice!"
Even though I knew the reason I gave wouldn''t convince you, I still acted professionally until the end, didn''t I?
Lumian pondered for a moment before saying, "Perhaps she really didn''t notice."
"Wh You''re even better at telling horror stories than I am!" Franca shuddered.
"It''s possible that the death of this Demoness of ck will lead to a partial loss of sensory or spiritual perception in the real Demoness of ck, making her unable to perceive corresponding signs for a short time," Lumian spected thoughtfully.
Franca nodded pensively. "So you''re saying the Demoness of ck you killed was a part of the real Demoness of ck, split off for unknown reasons?"
"If we could master all the mystical knowledge rted to the Demoness of Unaging, we should be able to find the answer to this question," Lumian affirmed.
"Not necessarily," Franca refuted, her thoughts jumping as usual. "Maybe this isn''t a characteristic of the Demoness of Unaging, but rather a peculiarity of the Demoness of ck herself. Didn''t you say her position and role in the Demoness Sect don''t quite match her Sequence?"
"That''s a possibility," Lumian agreed with Franca''s statement. "Whether it''s you, or me and Jenna, if we want to go further on the Demoness pathway in the future, these secrets are something we must understand and master. This is also why we can''t bypass the Demoness Sect and must interact with them."
But I want to switch to Hunter in the future Well, Sequence 4 has to be Demoness of Despair, and maybe by Sequence 3 I can leave the Demoness Sect. But the Demoness of Unaging sounds very appealingeternally youthful, hard to kill, skilled at resurrection, basically both tenacious and long-lived, without aging Switch pathways at Sequence 2? But bing an Angel is certainly very difficult, I only know of Madam Magician among the Angels in the Major Arcana Franca hesitated and struggled internally.
She nced at Lumian, suddenly grinning and saying, "I resisted the Demoness of ck''s Charm just now!"
Her eyebrows and eyes seemed to be saying "Praise me quickly".
Lumian nced at her. "I remember when I first met you, you were mature, dashing, charming, and had determination. You were a reliable older sister. But now"
"No, a reliable older brother," Franca instinctively retorted. "Everyone has different facets. Can you act the same way with strangers as you do with brothers you can entrust your life to? Can you handle daily trivial matters in the same style as sudden crises? That would be exhausting."
She became smug again. "That was a Sequence 3 Demoness of Unaging. Although she didn''t directly use Charm, just based on her beauty, the innate allure of a high-sequence Demoness, and her constantly changing aura, not many men could refuse her. But I did it!"
Lumian walked towards the dark exit leading back to the living room, casually saying, "Being able to refuse is a good thing. Although bing the Demoness of ck''s lover would indeed allow you to enjoy the body of a High-Sequence Demoness and the pleasure she brings, and gradually gain her true trust, it would also make you gradually be addicted, ultimately unable to extricate yourself, bing twisted and corrupted, abandoning everything you originally valued."
"Right," Franca responded instinctively, then grabbed her ponytail and said, "That''s not the point! Do you know why I was able to refuse the Demoness of ck''s proposal?"
"You thought of Jenna at that moment?" Lumian pondered briefly.
Franca nodded with satisfaction, speaking in a tone that suggested her bro understood her best, "That''s right!"
Lumian didn''t ask for details and continued forward, preparing to return to the real world.
At this moment, Franca, both struck by inspiration and suddenly impulsive, added, "I also thought of you"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the Demoness of Affliction froze, as if struck by lightning.
Dammit, why did I say that out loud?
Franca instantly wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it. At the same time, she quickly examined her previous state to determine if she had been manipted or if it was truly a moment of impulse.
Seeing Lumian stop in his tracks, his expression bing somewhatplicated, Franca finally confirmed that it was her spirituality''s inspiration that made her impulsive, making her try this.
Just as Jenna had said before, Lumian needed to clearly know that he as a person was still valued, liked, and needed.
Since I''ve already said it, I might as well continue! Franca looked at the dazed Lumian, deliberately using a stubborn tone. "I don''t know why I thought of you at that moment either. I thought we only had a purely physical rtionship. Maybe it''s because you were watching from the guest room."
This made Lumian instinctively scoff, as if wanting to refute.
He didn''t say simr words, instead asking in a slightly lower voice, "What did you think about me?"
Dammit, you''re really asking? Bro, who could say those things out loud!? While Franca was inwardly cursing, she smiled and looked Lumian up and down.
"I don''t know why, but I feel like you''ve be even more beautiful aftering into contact with the Sealed Artifact formed by Omebe''s remains. You can even rival the Sequence 3 Demoness of ck now. Well, at least in one of her auras."
Normally, beauty and prettiness couldn''t be quantified andpared, but in the Demoness pathway, they could. Higher Sequences would have more feminine charm than lower Sequences, and were generally more beautiful, unless the lower Sequence Demoness was originally very attractive or improved her appearance through other means, such as using the Lie earring oring into contact with the extreme corruption of beauty. Lumian satisfied both conditions.
Without waiting for Lumian to respond, Franca deliberately sighed, "At that time, I should have recalled you, whose charm could rival the Demoness of ck, but strangely, I remembered the initial you who always liked to act tough, like a little brother. Maybe I didn''t want to perform an improper act in front of a bro."
After a few seconds, Lumian nced at Franca. "Perhaps Jenna and I have also be your anchors."
Hey, don''t say it so seriously and textbook-like Franca grumbled, then asked, "The Demoness of ck asked me to contact the core members of the Emperor Party. Could there be any hidden risks?"
"I thought she would make me deal with the special mirror world-rted uh, she doesn''t seem to have withdrawn those tasks from earlier investigations of the Mirror People."
"The Emperor Party''s new scheme might be rted to the special mirror world," Lumian said in a t tone.
"Ah?" Franca looked puzzled.
How are these connected?
Lumian exined simply, "Have you forgotten who the leader of the Mirror People is?"
"The mirror Emperor Roselle the Emperor Party I understand now!" Franca suddenly realized.
She immediately looked Lumian up and down. "Why do I feel like you''ve be smarter?"
"This is the result of blending the Demoness and Hunter pathways," Lumian said with a slight smirk. "Before, I used the Conspirer''s ability to gather clues, study details, and deduce conclusions. Now, I first get some inspiration,e up with a few ideas, and then rely on Conspirer to analyze possibilities. This saves a lot of time. Just now, when the Demoness of ck mentioned the Emperor Party believing in Emperor Roselle and wanting to restore the empire, I naturally associated it with the mirror Roselle, and then connected the two."
"You''re making me want to switch pathways" Franca muttered as she followed Lumian back to the still grayish-white Apartment 702.
She took out 300 verl d''or from the Traveler''s Bag and ced them under a small "stone".
This waspensation for thendlord.
After doing this, Franca looked back at the full-length mirror with a slight grayish tint and said in a disappointed tone,
"The Mirror Traversal ability of the Ice Amulet has been used up, and the Demoness of ck didn''t give me another one"
"You''ll have a new one soon, although it can only be used about five or six times," Lumian said seemingly casually.
"What?" Franca looked at herpanion in confusion. "Where is the new charming from?"
Lumian pointed at himself. "From me. Have you forgotten that I''m a Demoness of Despair and can make simr charms by praying to myself?"
"Oh, right," Franca was a bit captivated by Lumian''s tone and expression just now.
Who could resist such a beautiful girl saying such things and making such gestures!
As Lumian opened the door to leave, Franca suddenly realized.
This guy''s mood seems to have improved a bit; he can even asionally answer my questions in a rtively light tone!
Hehe Franca quickly caught up, her steps feeling light and airy.
At night, in Underground Trier, in a cavern of a certain quarry.
Lumian and Ludwig watched as Anthony sessfully summoned a human-headed bird demon in the name of Mr. Fool, but failed to gain its acknowledgment and sessfully sign a contract.
The human-headed bird demon, a creature from the spirit world, was part of the advancement ritual for Sequence 5 Dreamwalker of the Spectator pathway.
"If you had summoned it through normal means, I could force it to sign a contract with you," Lumian casually remarked as he saw Anthony dissolve the wall of spirituality and walk out.
But now it was summoned in the name of Mr. Fool, and both parties of the ritual weremunicating in a peaceful state.
Anthony agreed with a nod.
"But it won''t respond to normal summoning methods.
"I n to pray to Mr. Fool again next month, hoping to receive the protection of his Angel. This is another method provided by Madam Justice, but such prayers should preferably be made after some time has passed."
"Next month, huh In a few more days, we should be entering Mr. Fool''s dream. Having a Dreamwalker would be much better" Lumian''s eyes shifted slightly as he turned his head to look at Ludwig beside him and asked, "Are there any ingredients that can help Anthony stay lucid in the dream? Even if it''s just for a short time."
Chapter 898 Selecting "Ingredients"
Chapter 898 Selecting "Ingredients"
Ludwig, dressed in children''s formal wear, looked at the freshly cleaned "altar" and licked his lips somewhat regretfully, saying, "If we had caught that bird with a human head just now and stewed it together with a fat duck, we could have gained the ability to control our fear emotions in dreams, possibly gaining lucidity through fear
"Additionally"
The seven or eight-year-old boy began counting on his fingers, one by one.
"The gray beast from Darbi, cooked by roasting, can prevent one from getting lost in most dreams for seven days
"The ck Dream Tapir, a spirit world creature that feeds on joy, happiness, excitement, desire, and other emotions in human dreams. Using its residual dust to make a cocktail can prevent the drinker from being deceived by the beauty of dreams, sinking into them, and refusing to wake up. At the same time, each time you drink that wine, you can clearly distinguish between reality and dreams for the next ten days
"The King of Nightmares, an Angel-level creature that rules Four Snake in the Y star system. Eating its galldder directly can permanently gain the trait of dream lucidity
""
As Ludwig spoke, he grew hungrier and couldn''t help but ask his now-female godfather for a few sandwich cookies to fill his stomach.
After he finished listing the ingredients he could currently remember, Anthony pondered and said, "Perhaps I''ve encountered a ck Dream Tapir before."
Seeing Lumian look at him, Anthony carefully said, "I met a patient at the psychiatric clinic a while ago. He had been having nightmares for three consecutive weeks, was mentally drained, emotionally numb, and very pessimistic.
"I tried regr psychological treatment on him, and also attempted to solve the problem using Beyonder abilities like Hypnosis, but these only prevented him from having nightmares for two or three days before reverting back to his original state.
"I couldn''t figure out why it failed before, but now I suspect he might have been targeted by a ck Dream Tapir."
"Psychiatric clinic?" Lumian nodded while casually asking.
Anthony briefly exined, "To join the Psychology Alchemists, one needs to fully integrate into the circle of psychiatrists. I''m now officially a practicing physician at a psychiatric clinic."
Lumian made an affirmative sound and thoughtfully said, "The higher the Sequence of new members, the less likely they are to be trusted by those secret organizations. Sequences 9 to 7 are still okay, within the realm of wild Beyonders that ordinary people have a chance to reach. Sequence 6 is barely eptable, but Sequence 5 involves rituals. Very few purely wild Beyonders can reach this level. Aren''t you worried that bing a Dreamwalker now will affect your subsequent joining of the Psychology Alchemists?"
Lumian made an affirmative sound and thoughtfully said, "The higher the Sequence of new members, the less likely they are to be trusted by those secret organizations. Sequences 9 to 7 are still okay, within the realm of wild Beyonders that ordinary people have a chance to reach. Sequence 6 is barely eptable, but Sequence 5 involves rituals. Very few purely wild Beyonders can reach this level. Aren''t you worried that bing a Dreamwalker now will affect your subsequent joining of the Psychology Alchemists?"
Anthony smiled peacefully. "I bought the Dreamwalker potion form and corresponding ingredients in batches from a member of the Psychology Alchemists. Madam Justice mainly provided financial rewards."
"I see" Lumian turned to ask Ludwig, "What level of power does a ck Dream Tapir have approximately?"
"The strong ones have weak godhood, while the weak ones are equivalent to Sequence 7," Ludwig said with an expectant look.
"Going to the spirit world to find harpies or ck Dream Tapirs is not something we can aplish, unless we ask Madam Magician or the Angel of the Holy Spirit who manages the spirit world on behalf of Mr. Fool for help," Lumian said to Anthony. "Do you have a way for me to enter that patient''s dream? I want to confirm if it''s a ck Dream Tapir and if there''s a chance to capture it."
"I bought two dream entry charms from the Psychology Alchemists, and Madam Justice also gave me one," Anthony answered truthfully.
Lumian smiled, pulling up his cloak to cover his face. "Then let''s ''visit'' that patient tonight."
Anthony suppressed the disappointment of having that extremely beautiful face hidden, nodded, and followed behind Lumian, who was holding Ludwig''s hand, as they headed towards the surface.
After walking several dozen meters, Ludwig turned his head to look at Lumian and said, "Mother"
He simply felt that since his godfather had be female, the address should be changed.
Mother Lumian''s heart skipped a beat, and his voice became stern.
"It''s better you keep calling me godfather."
"Yes, Godfather," Ludwig readily agreed. "I''ve been having some bad premonitionstely."
"Bad premonitions?" Lumian asked as if pondering, "About yourself, or all of us?"
Ludwig answered quite honestly, "About myself."
Lumian nodded slightly and chuckled. "I think I know what it is. It''s not a big problem, just endure it and it will pass.
"When the timees, you''ll have the opportunity to umte contributions to exchange for different parts of a demigod blessed''s corpse."
Ludwig''s eyes immediately lit up, forgetting that his premonition was leaning towards bad. "Alright, Godfather!"
In Quartier de Maison d''Opra, on Rue du Chapeau Noir, inside an apartment with drawn curtains.
Niceya, nearly 1.7 meters tall, stood in front of a full-length mirror, gazing at her reflection.
My face is fair and clean, my brown hair naturally wavy and hanging loose, my brown eyes deep yet clear, my lips red and moist, slightly parted to reveal two rows of white teeth. My figure is curvy, neither too tall nor too short, just right
What an enchanting youngdy.
Niceea gazed at herself in fascination, her right hand falling to her rosy lips, then slowly moving down towards her prominent chest.
She hadn''t expected that the Beyonder power promised by that Demoness would be obtained in this way. When she was immersed in and proud of the various abilities brought by the Assassin potion,mitting numerous crimes, her fate was already sealed.
She was forced to drink the Witch potion, bing a woman, which strongly conflicted with and opposed her male identity of over twenty years.
Now she seemed to be split into two people: one angry, in pain, wanting to take revenge on those Demonesses and this world; the other conquered by her charming beauty, wless figure, and a happiness different from before, falling in love with her current self, even wanting to drink higher Sequence potions to make herself more perfect and charming.
Suddenly, following her spiritual intuition, Niceea lowered her hand from her chest and abruptly turned around, looking towards an armchair near the window.
There was someone there, who hadn''t been there before.
The person had their arms resting on both armrests, bodyfortably leaning against the chair back. A faintly visible ponytail of xen-colored long hair, brown eyebrows flying into the temples bringing both heroic beauty and seeming to pierce into the hearts of all onlookers, while those seemingly clear and tranquilke-colored eyes held depths, as if hiding many emotions and thoughts, making one want to use all their passion to explore.
These features, along with the high and delicate nose, moist and rosy lips, smooth and slender neck, and the figure that made thece flower shirt bulge, suddenly gave Niceea an urge to submit and kiss the back of the other''s hand.
So beautiful As beautiful as the few Demonesses I''ve seen before, but with a different aura, a more attractive aura and facial details Niceea greedily looked at the beauty before her, surprisingly not questioning who the other was, nor making any defensive or attacking moves.
Is this what a newly advanced Witch is like Franca, sitting in the armchair, silently shook her head.
She had already sneaked into this room since Niceea started admiring her mirror image, but Niceea was so indulged in her own beauty that shepletely failed to notice, even wanting to perform an intense act.
Back then, when Franca drank the Witch potion, she was also stunned by her own beauty, feeling it was the anima in her heart, the woman she had always dreamed of. Fortunately, her personality was very cheerful, and being a transmigrator who had already switched bodies once, she didn''t reject her current female body or consider it as another person. So she was only a bit narcissistic, not to the extent of truly falling in love with her female self.
After getting busy with the Tarot Club''s tasks and meeting Jenna and Lumian, Franca''s issues in this aspect became increasingly faint. However, being so beautiful, how could she not admire herself?
Although she was sitting and Niceea was standing, Franca smiled with a condescending attitude.
"I don''t know if the Demoness of ck has told you, but for a long time toe, you will be my subordinate."
"Madame rice mentioned it. You must be Madame Franca?" Niceea''s gaze was still roaming over Franca''s body, with an urge to tear off the other''s clothes and beg for pleasure, but she looked at her own chest and felt a wave of sadness.
She no longer had that ability now
"Your vignce is not high enough. If I were an enemy, you would have died several times already," Franca said, her red lips parting slightly. "Mirror Substitution is very important, but you can''t rely on itpletely."
Niceea was first startled, then broke out in a cold sweat. "Yes, Madame Franca."
Franca showed a slight smile, making Niceea''s eyes light up.
"Give me the information on the core members of the Emperor Party."
Niceea nodded instinctively. "Understood."
She quickly walked towards the safe in the room.
In the administrative district, on Rue Lviv.
Wearing cotton pajamas and sleep pants, Kewell held a ss of red wine, sitting on the edge of the bed, reluctant to lie down and sleep for a long time. N?v(el)B\\jnn
He knew it would be the beginning of another long torment and endless pain.
Finally, he couldn''t resist fatigue and sleepiness. After drinking that ss of red wine, he fell into a deep sleep.
In the hazy dream, Kewell was running, terrified to the point of near copse, with a huge monster chasing him from behind.
Ahead was a cliff, and he didn''t have time to stop, falling directly off it.
If it were a normal dream, Kewell would definitely wake up at this moment due to the free fall or directly switch scenes, but he didn''t now. He crashed to the ground with a bang, seeing his body shattered into pieces everywhere in indescribable pain.
He let out a shrill scream.
At this moment, a bear-like shadow walked out of the darkness and began to lick the brain matter that had sttered out of Kewell, causing him to freeze, feeling even more pain and fear.
Suddenly, he saw the crimson moon rise in the sky, and a slender figure carrying a huge iron-ck straight sword descended from the heavens.
The figure''s hood was flipped up, ck long hair illuminated by the crimson moon as if in a dream, seeming to pierce directly into the moon.
Chapter 899 Hunting in Dreams
Chapter 899 Hunting in Dreams
When Lumian saw the bear-like shadow, he immediately confirmed it was a ck Dream Tapir based on his spiritual intuition.
He instantly drew the Sword of Courage, and under the illumination of the crimson moon in the dream, jumped down from the cliff top. The hood attached to his cloak flipped up, revealing ck long hair, delicate features, and light blue yet deep eyes.
Boom!
Intense white-blue mes pinned the ck bear-like shadow to the ground, sting it into pieces.
Those shadow fragments quickly scattered and rbined into the shape of a tapir in the distance.
This wasn''t a real dream. Most damage couldn''t be reflected on the physical body, so it couldn''t cause direct death, at most causing mental damage and turning one into a vegetable!
The bear-like ck Dream Tapir turned towards Lumian and let out a low growl.
With this growl, the scenery around Lumian changed, transforming from the primitive forest at the bottom of the cliff to Cordu under blue skies and white clouds, near green grasnds.
Lumian returned to Ol'' Tavern, with a ss of absinthe floating with a dreamlike green color in front of him, surrounded by many Guiumes and Pierres.
They were telling crude jokes and ndering people from other viges.
The familiar scent of alcohol pierced Lumian''s nostrils. Outside the tavern window, Aurore''s house was magically reflected, with a figure in a light blue dress and thick golden hair sitting on the roof, hugging her knees and gazing at the sky.
One of the ck Dream Tapir''s abilities was to use the happy, joyful, and pleasant emotions it had absorbed to trap its target in the most nostalgic and beautiful scene, making it difficult to break free.
Seeing the female figure holding the iron-ck giant sword freeze, the ck Dream Tapir ran over on all fours.
It wanted to devour this entire scene and all the positive emotions the other person generated from it.
At this moment, it felt something burning behind it and instinctively turned around.
It saw another Lumian, with invisible mes of anger burning in his eyes and intense ck mes covering his sword.
The Lumian indulging in memories of Cordu quickly dissipated, leaving only a mirror.
Lumian raised the Sword of Courage burning with the mes of Destruction, cleaving the ck Dream Tapir in two from top to bottom.
The more he longed for the beautiful life in Cordu, knowing it could never return, the more agitated and pained he felt, with anger surging!
In a slight explosion, ck mes suppressing madness and violence clung to the two halves of the ck Dream Tapir''s shadow, continuously burning them, making them noticeably fainter.
The ck Dream Tapir''s shadow rejoined dozens of meters away, but was much weaker than before. Lumian''s mes of Destruction seemed to have truly damaged the part of its consciousness that had prated this dream.
Fear appeared in the eyes of this spirit world creature. It suddenly stood upright, its dark eyes tinged with blood-red.
It wanted to use the dream to transform into one of the target''s most feared and terrifying forms, thereby intimidating the opponent and creating an opportunity for its consciousness to escape the dream and sessfully return to the spirit world.
In the blink of an eye, the ck Dream Tapir''s body swelled to an abnormal size, emanating an extremely insane, cruel, bloody, and violent aura.
It also created nearly invisible mes.
In the next second, the ck Dream Tapir itself let out an extremely terrified and agonized scream.
It was ignited by the invisible fire it had created, and its body was filled with the terrifying aura it had imitated, almost losing itself.
Seeing this scene, even Lumian was stunned for a moment, then curved his lips into a smile and said softly, "It''s not so easy to imitate an image that can make me fear and dread."
"You think you can imitate the Blood Emperor?"
Imitating a true god inevitably means suffering bacsh!
The ck Dream Tapir was already rolling in agony in the dream, unable to extinguish the invisible mes burning it.
It struggled extremely hard to detach from the dream. Lumian didn''t stop it, but instead activated the ck mark on his right shoulder and followed it to the spirit world.
The dream''s owner, Kewell, in the form of dismembered corpse pieces, saw the girl who descended like the crimson moon falling twice sh the bear-like shadow monster and set itpletely aze. His heart gradually became less fearful and afraid.
He stared nkly at that elegant and clean profile, at those slightly pursed light red lips, at the bright and beautiful face so different from the giant sword she wielded, feeling as if he were dreaming.
No, this really was a dream.
Lumian chased to a certain ce in the spirit world and saw the ck Dream Tapir''s true form already burning itself. Its agonized wails made the strange creatures around choose to stay away.
Lumian watched quietly and flicked a ck me bound with agitation and intensity towards it, letting it fall onto the ck Dream Tapir''s body.
In just a few seconds, the spirit world creature burned to ashes, turning into a tiny amount of dark ck powder.
Lumian reached out his palm and caught this powder.
In the apartment Lumian had rented for Lugano and Ludwig in Quartier de l''Observatoire.
The little boy dressed in children''s formal wear with a small bow tie poured nearly 100 milliliters of Lanti Proof into a ss, then added the ck Dream Tapir''s powder, lemon juice, ice cubes, a type of kilju, and other ingredients.
In the end, that full ss of strong liquor had a golden base, with green and ck intertwining colors on top, looking quite beautiful.
"Wow, that drink looks very tempting," Franca eximed with an expectant look.
She sat very close to Lumian, while Jenna was on Lumian''s other side.
Ludwig suddenly picked up that ss of "cocktail" and hid it behind his back.
He said very firmly, "There''s only enough for two people to drink!"
"You and Anthony drink it." Lumian made the decision directly.
While Franca felt slightly disappointed, Ludwig beamed with joy. He took another ss and poured nearly half of the "cocktail" into it, handing it to Anthony.
"This cocktail is called ''The Color of Dreams''.
"It takes effect one minute after drinking."
After Anthony took The Color of Dreams, Ludwig began gulping down the portion in his hand.
Franca deliberately said, "Isn''t it not so good for someone so young to drink hard liquor? He should be properly educated."
She had already prepared her test papers, just waiting for Anthony to finish advancing to "test" Ludwig.
As Ludwig inexplicably shuddered, Anthony adjusted his state and drank that ss of The Color of Dreams.
It was both bitter and sweet, both strong and mild, both igniting the esophagus, mouth, and stomach, while bringing an intoxicating feeling.
This was a dreamscape.
While waiting for "The Color of Dreams" to take effect, Anthony began preparing the potion.
Franca took the opportunity to say to Lumian and Jenna, "The leader of the Emperor Party is a man called Louis. He ims to have blood from the Gustav family and to be a descendant of Emperor Roselle.
"ording to Niceea''s intelligence, some core members of the Emperor Party feel that on that day, after the Vortex incident, Louis Gustav became somewhat strange, more mysterious and more majestic.
"He''s secretly nning something, and only a very few of his confidants in the entire Emperor Party know what it is.
"Niceea has a strong desire to express herself and take revenge on society. She volunteered to make contact with one of Louis Gustav''s confidants. I n to ask 007''s side to cooperate and create an opportunity for her"
Louis was asmon a name in Trier and Intis as Pierre, Guiume, and others.
Lumian nodded slightly, but before he could say anything, Anthony had finished preparing the potion and drank the dark liquid speckled with grayish-white light.
The taste of Dreamwalker was very simr to The Color of Dreams, bothplex and chaotic, containing many elements.
Lumian and the others stopped talking, focusing intently on Anthony to guard against any idents.
They saw their teammate''s face sometimes covered with grayish-white scales, sometimes bing bloodless, as if his soul had left his body, while his eyes were empty and lifeless, having lost self-awareness.
After a while, Anthony''s eyes first became dark, then lit up with light.
"It seeded," Anthony said, showing rare outward emotion. "That feeling of looking down on the world, on everyone''s dreams, is truly addictive. I almost didn''t want to wake up."
After this exmation, heposed himself and briefly described the abilities brought by the Dreamwalker potion.
"I can directly see the appearance of the spirit world, see the sea of collective subconscious, and can ''guide'' the target step by step to reveal their inner secrets through changes in dreams
"I can also gradually influence the target by ''modifying'' dreams, making them do things they wouldn''t normally do. This is equivalent to a gentler, more hidden form of Hypnosis that''s less likely to be detected by higher-level targets, but it takes quite a long time toplete
"Now I can directly enter dreams, hide in dreams, and jump from one dream to another, but the distance between two dreams can''t exceed 500 meters"
"A form of teleportation whose use is limited by environment and distance," Lumianmented briefly.
Anthony agreed with a nod."It''s called ''Dream Traversal'', and for me, the spirituality consumption is very small." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Lumian smiled and stood up, saying, "Now, every member of our team is at Sequence 5 or above."
A few dayster, Anthony was working normally at Green Tree Clinic.
Near noon, a nurse brought in a patient.
It was Kewell, the young man aspiring to enter politics, currently serving as a staff member in the National Convention.
"Dr. Reid, I''ve been much better recently. I haven''t had nightmares for several days," Kewell said happily to Anthony.
He still trusted Anthony quite a bit, after all, this psychiatrist had indeed improved his condition before.
"This is your own victory. You''ve passed through that stage," Anthony congratted him without showing any abnormality.
Kewell touched his golden sideburns and hesitated before saying, "My condition improved four days ago. That night, I was having a nightmare again, but in the dream, a young girl descended under the illumination of a huge red moon and saved me.
"Sh-she was the most beautiful and charismatic girl I''ve ever seen, but my memory of that dream is bing increasingly blurry. Mr. Reid, can you find a way for me to remember her permanently, to not forget her? Or let me draw her? Maybe there''s a girl as beautiful as her in reality"
Anthony looked at Kewell and said carefully, "I''m sorry, but I can''t help you with this. Indulging in dreams will lead you to another extreme. As your psychiatrist, I can''t push you towards an abyss. I must tell you, that''s an illusion you can''t reach."
Kewell was silent for a while, then let out a sigh of extreme disappointment. "Alright."
Quartier de l''Observatoire, Rue de Gauche.
Alone in the apartment, Lumian stood by the window, pondering what he needed to do recently.
The treasure vault of the Blue Avenger But Mr. Hanged Man only agreed to let me explore once
Go to Bansy Harbor to find that potentially problematic ce, use the corpse wax candle
Just as Lumian thought of this, he instinctively half-turned his body and saw Madam Magician appear with starlight.
This Major Arcana card holder said with a smile, "Your reward should be ready to collect today. I''ll take you to a ce."
Chapter 900 History
Chapter 900 History
Outside an abandoned ancient castle.
Madam Magician waited with Lumian for a while, then following the guidance of spirituality, took a step and arrived at a ce inside, stopping in front of a vermilion door.
Knock knock knock, knock knock knock, knock knock knock. The Major Arcana card holder knocked three times in session.
After a few seconds, a rxed voice came from inside, "Enter, please."
With these words, the vermilion door slowly opened inward.
Lumian immediately saw heavy curtains, with sunlight struggling to shine through the gaps, bringing golden light that revealed floating dust to parts of the room.
On the other side, unaffected by sunlight, a ck coffin was quietly ced instead of amon bed.
Opposite the coffin, near the sunlight, the desk was piled with letters.
At this moment, a man wearing loose pajamas was sitting in front of the desk, having just put down a fountain pen with a gold nib and ck barrel, and folded a paper filled with words.
The man stood up, walked towards the door, with his back to the sunlight.
Lumian, having gained dark vision through the Demoness pathway, clearly saw the man''s appearance: about 40 years old, average build, bronze skin, clean-shaven, ck hair and brown eyes, soft features, with an indescribable sense of world-weariness in his eyes, and a small ck mole below his right ear that was only visible upon close inspection
"Good afternoon, Mr. Azik," Madam Magician greeted the gentleman respectfully.
Lumian also said simr words.
They spoke in ancient Feysac.
The middle-aged man called Azik suddenly seemed dazed for a moment, as if instantly receiving arge amount of information from the spirit world and His own subconscious.
He nodded and said in a gentle voice, "Thank you for your help, allowing me to wake up early and my soul to be healed to some extent."
"It was mainly this young friend who made the contribution." Madam Magician pointed to Lumian beside her.
She then introduced to Lumian, "This is Mr. Azik Eggers, the son of the Death from the Fourth Epoch, and former Consul of the Bm Empire."
Son of Death, former Death Consul of the Bm Empire Lumian suddenly recalled part of the content from the Fool''s Church canon: The Angel of Death has followed our Lord for the longest period of time and is the consul of the Underworld
Could this be the Angel of Death beside Mr. Fool''s divine throne? Lumian greeted him again.
"A Demoness." Azik nced at Lumian and nodded slightly, "You have the aura of the source of the River Styx."
The Angel of Death refers to the river connecting two worlds as the source of the River Styx? Lumian was stunned for a moment and said, "That''s the seal of the Underworld Daoist."
"Underworld Daoist" Azik muttered softly, as if He had never heard of this existence.
Madam Magician smiled and changed the subject. "Mr. Azik, we came to visit you today mainly to inquire about some matters."
Azik looked at the corridor outside. "Let''s take a walk around the castle, talk as we go. This is an important memory from a period of my life."
"Alright." Madam Magician made way.
Lumian and she followed behind Mr. Azik, who was presumably the Angel of Death, through the corridor, along the stairs, step by step upwards.
Along the way, ancient wallmps embedded in the walls lit up one after another, burning with a cold and pale-white me.
Lumian saw oil paintings hanging on both sides of the corridor, some of Azik Himself, but with more lively expressions, even smiling, and some of beautifuldies with their hair tied up and children ying with wild deer.
Azik''s gaze slowly swept over these paintings, asionally lingering. After quite a while, He asked Madam Magician and Lumian, "What do you want to ask?"
Madam Magician, wearing a purplish magician''s robe today, asked straightforwardly, "Mr. Azik, do you know why the Primordial Demoness sought cooperation with your father, the Death of the Fourth Epoch, after the War of the Four Emperors? Did you notice any problems with the Primordial Demoness?"
Hearing this question, Lumian was stunned for a moment, then realized. Indeed, who better to ask than someone who personally experienced those events of thete Fourth Epoch?
He is indeed an ancient Angel who has lived for over a thousand years
Madam Magician should be about the same, but my spiritual intuition tells me she''s still quite young
Azik recalled for a few seconds and said, "There was a gap of over a hundred years between the end of the War of the Four Emperors and the beginning of the Pale Disaster. The Primordial Demoness''s arrival was probably in the middle of this period. We don''t know exactly what She discussed with my father; I only know that She dered to us Her intention to avenge the Blood Emperor, to make all seven gods of the Northern Continent perish, and to bring the Blood Emperor''s deity corpse back to the surface from Underground Trier."
Is this true love? Despite it being two against seven, She wanted to avenge the Blood Emperor
No, if the Primordial Demoness had achieved Her goal then, it would have meant that the special mirror world would no longer be sealed, able to reveal all its problems, but the current Demoness Sect doesn''t seem to have such ideas, and even intends to nail the coffin lid more firmly, not letting those Mirror People achieve their goals
Also, was it really not the Emperor of the Underworld, that Death, who delivered the final blow to the Blood Emperor? The Uniqueness of the Red Priest fell into the hands of Death, and there''s also something like the Samaritan Women''s Spring under Trier Lumian was filled with strong doubts, but didn''t interrupt Mr. Azik''s narration.
Azik said, "Without a doubt, the Primordial Demoness is the most charming woman in this world. Every living being who sees Her will inevitably be fascinated by Her, including me, my brothers and sisters, and even the undead in the Underworld. Even our father was inevitably attracted to some degree."
"Even the undead are attracted to the Primordial Demoness? This is already a charm at the level of concepts and authorities" Madam Magician sighed and asked, "Was your father, the Death of the Fourth Epoch, bewitched by the Primordial Demoness when he finally decided to forcibly amodate the Uniqueness of the Red Priest?"
Lumian had gained some understanding of the connection between Death and the Uniqueness of the Red Priest when reading the 0-01 sealing information, but this was the first time he clearly encountered the essence of the matter.
As thoughts raced through His mind, Azik shook His head slightly and said, "The Primordial Demoness''s instigation should be one of the reasons, but I don''t think it was the main one, otherwise my father wouldn''t have waited decades to do that."
Madam Magician made a terse sound and repeated her previous question, "Did you notice anything unusual about the Primordial Demoness?"
Azik passed by an oil painting, lightly running His finger over it. "Every time I encountered the Primordial Demoness, I would lose my senses. How could I possibly notice any problems with Her?
"If there was anything unusual, it was that on a few asions, Her charm was a bit weaker than normal. That should have been Her deliberately restraining Her charm."
As a Demoness, Lumian knew that a Demoness naturally emanating charm and deliberately restraining charm would indeed present two different states, but after experiencing the false Demoness of ck incident, he suspected there might be other possibilities.
Madam Magician thought for a moment and changed the subject. "Mr. Azik, do you know about the body of the Phoenix Ancestor in the depths of the Underworld?"
Azik turned His head to look at the two women.
"My father thought it would be a waste to just destroy the body of an ancient god like that. He believed it could serve a more important purpose, such as helping my father better and morepletely control the Underworld, or enabling Him, as Death, to possess stronger power.
"Those in the death domain will never reject powerful corpses that can be controlled by themselves." N?v(el)B\\jnn
Before Madam Magician could ask further, Mr. Azik added, "My father also mentioned that the body of the Phoenix Ancestor, this ancient god, held some secrets."
"Secrets?" Madam Magician asked curiously.
Azik paced forward and said, "He never told me the specifics, only that the story of the Ancient Sun God killing the Phoenix Ancestor at the end of the Second Epoch was false. Well, more urately, the process was correct, but the result was wrong. The Phoenix Ancestor was only severely wounded by the Ancient Sun God, not dying on the spot. She escaped to the Southern Continent and went into hiding."
"Yes, if the Phoenix Ancestor was truly killed by the Ancient Sun God, that divine corpse wouldn''t likely have been obtained by Death and appeared in the Underworld, unless it was His arrangements again." Madam Magician expressed agreement.
Azik continued, "Simrly, the Giant King Aurmir didn''t perish on the spot either, supposedly escaping and managing to pass on his power to his eldest son, theter God of Combat, Badheil, before dying."
Is there any connection to the Omebe matter? Hmm, the two ancient gods who weren''t killed on the spot by the Ancient Sun God seem to be rted to Omebeone''s corpse isying eggs, currently incubating Omebe, while the other is Omebe''s husband Lumian nced at Madam Magician, and after obtaining her consent, asked, "Mr. Azik, what is the rtionship between the Phoenix Ancestor and the Goddess of Harvest Omebe?"
Azik shook His head.
"I was born in the Fourth Epoch. All I know about the history of the Second Epoch is what my father asionally mentioned."
Saying this, He smiled at Lumian and said, "Speaking of which, I should give you some reward."
As He gently raised His right hand, arge number of white bones gushed out from the ground, forming a giant skeleton.
The skeleton respectfully handed a shiny Loen gold pound to Mr. Azik.
Azik took the gold coin and presented it to Lumian. "Is this eptable as a reward?"
"Thank you," Lumian said sincerely, epting the lucky coin that bore Mr. Fool''s aura.
Chapter 901 The Final Inquiry
Chapter 901 The Final Inquiry
Madam Magician silently breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lumian receive thest lucky coin.
Although the Major Arcana card holder had roughly confirmed through prophecy, divination, and psychological analysis that things would develop this way, the subject involved was an Ancient angel, the son of a true god. No one could be certain the result would necessarily unfold as expected. If there had been a deviation, they would have had to formte a new n.
Madam Magician produced a small golden bottle inscribed with mysterious symbols from somewhere and smiled at Azik Eggers, saying, "Mr. Azik, this is some excess water from the Samaritan Women''s Spring. It''s something produced by corruption from the power at the source of the River Styx. It has multiple effects including repairing souls, inducing sleep, bringingplete death or true dreams, and granting lucidity in dreams. We''d like to ask for your help in making it manifest only one of two qualitieseither ''inducing sleep'' or ''granting lucidity in dreams''and enhancing that effect."
Repairing souls Lumian paid no attention to the fact that there was leftover Samaritan Women''s Spring water from what he had previously collected. His focus was entirely on the "repairing souls" effect.
Could this gradually make Aurore''s soul fragments whole again? N?v(el)B\\jnn
"No problem," said Azik, taking the small golden bottle containing the Samaritan Women''s Spring water.
Madam Magician, seeming to sense Lumian''s thoughts, casually exined to him, "The Samaritan Women''s Spring water does indeed have the effect of repairing souls, but it''s limited to repair only. Just as ''limb regeneration'' abilities can regrow lost arms and legs, but can''t grow a whole new person from an arm or leg. That falls under the domain of the Great Mother."
She had previously answered the question of what exactly the fake Demoness of ck was, believing that neither she nor the one with the most urate divination results knew the precise answer. This implied that the relevant secrets must involve the special mirror world.
"Even some repair effects are good," Lumian said softly after a moment of silence.
At this point, a blurry, upright, terrifying giant snake appeared behind Azik, almost touching the illusory sky.
Pale-white mes burned in the giant snake''s eye sockets. It seemed to have a pair of thick, exaggerated wings on its back. Its body was covered inrge dark green scales that appeared ck, with what looked like white feathers protruding from between the scales.
Although Lumian couldn''t clearly see the appearance of each feather and scale or the strange symbols they bore, just directly gazing at this phantom image gave him the sensation of rapidly dying, his skin withering and shriveling.
This was damage that Mirror Substitution couldn''t transfer.
Fortunately, the illusory winged giant snake quickly coiled itself, wrappingyer uponyer around the golden bottle that couldn''t even fill one of its eye sockets.
Then, the terrifying giant snake rapidly faded, instantly shrinking into the golden bottle.
Lumian gradually returned to normal.
Azik handed the golden bottle back to The Magician. "Anyone who touches the spring water in the bottle will fall into a long sleep, myself included.
"It will have a slight effect on true gods, but not much, unless that deity is already very weak or in a state of slumber.
"If you want someone who has fallen asleep because of this to wake up, you''ll need to collect some more water from the Samaritan Women''s Spring and process it in a simr way but with the opposite effect, or seek help from a true god with the corresponding authority."
Lumian was not surprised that the processed Samaritan Women''s Spring water would only have a weak effect on true gods.
Even the remnant soul of the Blood Emperor could asionally wake up and cause trouble in the mysterious river that was the source of the Samaritan Women''s Spring, let alone this secondary derivative!
Madam Magician handed the golden bottle to Lumian. "This might be useful in the dream, but it''s uncertain."
Lumian nodded slightly and ced the bottle of processed Samaritan Women''s Spring water into his Traveler''s Bag.
Madam Magician then turned to Azik and curtsied. "Thank you for your help. We have achieved all our objectives today. Is there anything you need us to do?"
Azik cast His gaze towards the oil paintings on both sides of the corridor and said with a somewhat dazed expression, "Nothing at present. I''ve been asleep for several years. I want to walk around and see the changes in this world."
Madam Magician didn''t say more, and left with Lumian after bidding farewell.
Before being enveloped by starlight, Lumian turned his head for a nce and saw the former Death Consul, with eyes full of world-weariness, standing silently in front of an oil painting, wordlessly caressing its surface with His fingers.
In the evening.
Except for Lugano, who was informed he would have a period of vacation to arrange freely, Lumian, Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig all gathered in the apartment on Rue de Gauche in Quartier de l''Observatoire.
Madam Magician, wearing a cream-colored high-cor dress with gold embroidery and a wide-brimmed hat for sun protection, stood by the window and said to the five lucky coin holders,
"I must emphasize once again the potential risks.
"In Mr. Fool''s dream, if you die, you will die in reality. If you lose control or go mad, you will lose control or go mad in reality. If you are directly corrupted by that Celestial Worthy or some other entity, you will also suffer corruption in reality. If you develop psychological illnesses or experience intense emotional fluctuations, your sleeping body in reality will bear corresponding problems.
"Mere injury or fatigue has very little effect on reality. You can quickly recover by leaving the dream and briefly waking up, or by spending time healing within the dream.
"In that dream world, you can use all your abilities, but their effects will be limited to the level of Sequence 7. The essence of this limitation is that Mr. Fool''s self-awareness has not yet recovered. In other words, if the Mr. Fool in the dream realizes that Beyonder abilities can achieve effects corresponding to Sequence 6, your levels will recover to that Sequence ordingly.
"Simrly, except for special items like the Samaritan Women''s Spring water, your other equipment in the dream is essentially derived from your consciousness and is also limited.
"The good news is that those hostile entities and Beyonders driven by the Celestial Worthy who enter Mr. Fool''s dream through other methods will be subject to simr restrictions. However, that Celestial Worthy can manage the dream to some extent and in certain aspects. Unless it''s the final moment, you''d better avoid the Celestial Worthy and have no contact with Him."
At this point, Lumian raised a question, "In Mr. Fool''s dream, what identity and form does the Celestial Worthy exist in?"
If this could be rified, they could effectively avoid that Celestial Worthy.
Madam Magician shook her head.
"If we knew that, the previous lucky coin holders wouldn''t have been kicked out of the dream so quickly or had their actions restricted.
"Confirming the Celestial Worthy''s identity in the dream is a key point of your mission this time."
Madam Magician spoke about other matters rted to the dream, and finally asked seriously,
"Now, you can make your own choices. Are you willing to hold Mr. Fool''s coins and enter his true dream, attempting to awaken him?
"If you''re unwilling, we won''t force you, but you''ll need to follow the guidance of spirituality and pass on the lucky coins in your possession as soon as possible.
"If you''re willing, after the matter is concluded, whether Mr. Fool is sessfully awakened or not, we will reward you generously."
"I have no problem with it," Lumian, wearing a cloak but without the hood, was the first to answer.
"Me too." Jenna was the second.
Franca and Anthony followed, also willing.
The only one hesitating was Ludwig. This little boy with a red bow tie''s expression changed several times, resisting something unknown.
Finally, he looked at Franca and Jenna, and said through gritted teeth, "I''m willing to go into the dream."
Although the food eaten in the dream is fake and illusory, at least there''s no studying and exams!
Franca, who had already digested the Affliction potion, nced amusingly at Ludwig and whispered in Jenna''s ear, "This child really isn''t smart enough. As soon as I heard Madam Magician''s descriptions earlier, I clearly came to a conclusion: If you digest a potion in Mr. Fool''s dream, it will happen in reality too!"
Jenna responded quietly, "Let''s tell Ludwig this fact after we enter Mr. Fool''s dream."
At this moment, Madam Magician nodded slightly and said, "I''m very d you''ve made this choice. Let me remind you onest time, try to dy being kicked out of the dream as much as possible. Once you''ve been kicked out more than three times, subsequent entries will either result in immediate ejection orplete restriction, leaving you as mere observers."
"Yes, Madam Magician," Lumian and the others stood up one after another.
Specks of brilliant starlight fell, enveloping them.
In the blink of an eye, the five appeared inside a luxurious vi.
"This is also in Trier. Choose your own rooms, but don''t be next to each other, in case one person is discovered and affects the others nearby," Madam Magician briefly introduced.
"Alright." Having made the decision, Franca was no longer hesitant and eager to try.
After Lumian and the others had settled on their rooms, Madam Magician said to them as they returned to the corridor,
"Now go to bed and sleep while holding your lucky coins."
"Is that all it takes?" Franca asked in confusion.
Isn''t that too simple?
Madam Magician chuckled. "No, this is just the first step. Miss Justice will need to interver."
"Mm." Lumian and the others didn''t ask further. They returned to their chosen rooms, gripped their shiny lucky coins,y down on the firm yet springy beds, and covered themselves with soft nkets that smelled of sunshine.
Chapter 902 The Platform
902 The tform
Before Lumian had a chance to fall asleep through Cogitation, his vision suddenly went dark. His consciousness felt as if it was being pulled by an invisible force, plummeting straight into the depths of the earth. N?v(el)B\\jnn
He instinctively resisted for a moment, then experienced a sensation of leaping out of a dark seabed to the surface.
His vision was immediately illuminated by a twilight-like radiance, shining through a giant ss pane divided into countless small squares, bringing limited light to the darkness.
In this dim light, Lumian saw a ck steam lotive with two oilmps hanging from it, a domed tform, and at the edge of the tform near the steam train stood Madam Magician in her cream-colored dress with gold embroidery and wide-brimmed sun hat.
Beside Madam Magician stood ady in a simple green dress, with a golden retriever crouching at her feet.
Upon seeing thedy in green, Lumian felt surprise and confusion. Another Demoness? Does the Tarot Club have other Demonesses?
"She''s so beautiful," Lumian heard Franca whisper in admiration. "But she doesn''t seem like a Demoness. Her aura is different, unless she''s already a Sequence 3 Demoness of Unaging"
Hearing this, Lumian noticed simr issues: Thedy in green had lustrous golden hair, partly tied up in a bun with the rest flowing smoothly down. Her emerald eyes were like the most beautiful gems, yet deep enough to seemingly reflect the innermost consciousness of all who beheld them. Her features were exceptionally delicate, her beautyparable to the Demonesses, with an elegant air tinged with a girl''s purity and rity.
Such an aura was very rare among Demonesses below Sequence 3at least neither Lumian nor Franca had ever seen it before.
Moreover, Lumian found that looking at thisdy didn''t invoke the desire he usually felt when facing Demonesses. Instead, he felt a sense of peace, warmth, and steadiness.
This familiar feeling triggered Lumian''s spiritual intuition, evoking certain memories.
Combined with what Madam Magician had said earlier, he quickly came to a conclusion. "Good evening, Madam Justice!"
The elegant green-ddy with a hint of girlishness must be the Major Arcana card Justice, one of his Psychiatrists!
"Good evening, Madam Justice." Anthony was the second to speak.
After Franca and Jenna politely greeted Madam Justice, Franca''s eyes suddenly widened.
She pointed at Lumian and said, "H-how did you turn back into a man?"
Uh Lumian reflexively examined himself and found he wasn''t wearing the ck cloak, the swells in his chest had subsided, and his white shirt, ck vest, and dark trousers fit as they used to.
Meanwhile, Franca was still wearing herce-flowered blouse and cream-colored riding pants, with a small red jacket. Her chest was prominent and her ponytail swayed gentlyshe looked every bit a Demoness.
At this moment, Madam Justice said with a softugh, "This is entering a true dream, which is different from normal dreaming.
"Using a Dream Charm causes the body to dematerialize and directly enter the dream. Whatever you look like in reality is how you appear in the dream. Normal dreams depend on real-time perceptionyour dream image might be your current self, your past self, or even an altered self. But in a true dream, if you can maintain consciousness, what appears will be your subconscious self-perception.
"In other words, Seven of Wands''s subconscious still considers himself male."
I see Lumian felt a mix of joy and disappointment.
Franca blurted out, "Then what about me? Why am I still"
She suddenly closed her mouth, looking as if she had been struck by lightning, losing part of her soul.
Madam Justice gentlyforted her, "epting the present doesn''t mean forgetting the past. As long as you remember who your past self was and what kind of life that self lived, reconciling with your current body won''t lead you to lose control. The acting principles of the Demoness Sect may not suit everyone; it depends on one''s personality and experiences.
"Remember, everyone is special."
Franca opened her mouth but couldn''t speak, her emotions still somewhat dejected and low.
Jenna quietly reached out her right hand and grasped Franca''s palm.
Even if this had been Lumian not long after arriving in Trier, he wouldn''t have mocked Franca for iming to be a man while unconsciously considering herself a woman. Let alone now. He turned his attention to survey the tform.
It wasn''t much different from a typical steam train station, with an overpass high above and stairs leading to different tforms.
At the edge of the overpass, a tall figure leaned against the railing, gazing this way. His ck trench coat fluttered slightly, and he seemed to be wearing red gloves.
On the stairs leading to this tform, thedy in the gloomy, intricate dress carrying four heads was openly observing below. In contrast, halfway up the stairs to another tform stood a little boy with a mercury-colored bow tie. At the end of those stairs, Mr. Azik Eggers, whom Lumian had met not long ago, held His hat in hand, silently watching the ck steam lotive.
17:00
On the stairs leading to this tform, thedy in the gloomy, intricate dress carrying four heads was openly observing below. In contrast, halfway up the stairs to another tform stood a little boy with a mercury-colored bow tie. At the end of those stairs, Mr. Azik Eggers, whom Lumian had met not long ago, held His hat in hand, silently watching the ck steam lotive.
On the waiting chairs of Mr. Azik Eggers'' tform sat the Knight of Swords Maric and the temperance faction demigod Sharron, facing Lumian and the others, motionless like puppets brought in to serve as an audience.
Lumian brought his gaze back and noticed that the golden retriever beside Madam Justice was wearing sses and carrying a small brown bag, looking very gentle and schrly.
Lumian suddenly recalled the dog and female figure he had seen after his first psychological treatment at Mason Caf.
So that was Madam Justice It''s a pity Madame Susie isn''t participating in this mission to Mr. Fool''s dream, otherwise I could thank her in person Lumian regretfully returned his gaze to Madam Justice and Madam Magician.
Madam Justice smiled at him and said, "Because you''ve actually be a Demoness of Despair, and your subconscious knows this, you can freely switch between your subconscious self-image and your current true appearance. This might help you create perfect disguises in the dream and y a crucial role in key scenes."
Why can''t I do that Franca silently wailed.
Lumian nodded with understanding. "Lie can''t create good disguises? Because it can only perform at a Sequence 7 level, and the Sequence 6 Faceless of the Seer pathway is needed to adjust appearance and physique?"
"Yes, Lie at Sequence 7 level can only modify appearances to a certain extent, equivalent to the best makeup techniques," Madam Justice nodded slightly, then turned her head to the golden retriever beside her. "Susie, do you have anything you want to tell them?"
Susie Lumian''s eyebrows twitched as he suddenly shifted his gaze to the bespectacled golden retriever with the small bag.
The dog spoke in a voice familiar to him, "What I need to tell you is that Mr. Fool is very vignt and cautious. He''s not easily trusting of others."
Hearing the golden retriever speak, everyone except Anthony and Ludwig looked shocked and surprisedif the golden retriever hadn''t been called "Susie", Lumian certainly wouldn''t have been so astonished by an animal speaking humannguage.
After a brief silence, Lumian adjusted his mindset and said sincerely, "Thank you for your reminder, and also for your previous treatment, Madam Susie. And thank you too, Madam Justice."
Having seen a child eating Devil eyeballs, what''s so strange about a talking dog?
If they were Trierien, this might not even be unusualmaybe they just liked being dogs and found a way to transform themselves into dogs!
Lumian then asked Madam Magician and Madam Justice, "I have one more question. What is Mr. Fool''s identity in the dream?"
Awakening Mr. Fool would surely require interacting with him in the dream!
Madam Justice and Madam Magician exchanged a nce before producing a brownish-yellow envelope tied with thin cotton string. "This contains information about Mr. Fool''s dream identity, but you can only open it once you''ve truly entered that dream.
"It also contains cash, identity documents, and maps prepared for you."
Lumian took the envelope and pointed at the iron-ck steam lotive stopped beside their tform. "We take this?"
"Yes, after you board, I''ll have it travel to the edge of this dream world. You must hold tightly to your lucky coins. When the train reaches the edge of the dream world, they will help you enter Mr. Fool''s dream. The first time must be thisplicated, but afterwards you''ll be able to enter and exit that dream normally using the lucky coins," Madam Justice exined briefly.
Lumian looked at Jenna, Franca, Anthony, and Ludwig, then nodded to the two Major Arcana card holders.
"We can board now."
The ck steam lotive was no different from themon types seen in Trier. Lumian and the other four upied two rows of seats on the same side, while the other passengers around them were blurry and indistinct shadows, as if the creator of this dream had been toozy to borate on them.
Through the window, they saw Madam Magician, Madam Justice, and the others waving to them.
As they instinctively waved back, Lumian and the others heard a shrill sound: Ooo!
With the whistle''s cry, a nking noise began, slow at first then quickening, changing from gentle to frequent. The scenery outside the window gradually receded.
The iron-ck steam lotive carrying Lumian, Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig left the tform, heading towards a distant horizon shrouded in dream-like fog.
Chapter 903 Everythings Familiar
Chapter 903 Everything''s Familiar
After the tform had disappeared from view, Lumian observed the conditions inside the train carriage.
The seats were made of wood, the windows were narrow, and the lighting was insufficient. The other passengers seemed to be conversing, but there was no sound, as if they were performing a silent y.
Jenna and Anthony, experiencing something like this for the first time, were also quietly examining their surroundings. Ludwig was painfully yet intently eating imaginary delicious snacks, while Franca was in low spirits, leaning against the carriage and gazing at the scenery outside.
Vast pastures and lush fields were quickly receding, interspersed with old castles and quaint viges, beautiful like an oil painting.
Gradually, Franca saw pces formed of frost, houses flying above the clouds, and pairs of crystal shoes dancing in a distant square
The scenery outside the steam train began to be dreamlike, as if various fairy tales were merging together.
Before long, the iron-ck steam lotive entered the fog, and nothing could be seen clearly outside the windows.
Lumian, Franca, and the others instinctively gripped their lucky coins tightly. No one spoke, maintaining silence, worried that any unnecessary movement might prevent them from entering Mr. Fool''s dream.
In the thick, dream-like fog, the iron-ck steam lotive that had emerged from fantasy continued to race forward with a nking sound.
At some point, Lumian felt the nking of the train wheels hitting the rail joints grow fainter and fainter until it disappeared.
Suddenly, they heard a female voice: "Does anyone want anything? Boxed meals, snacks, ice cream, beverages, local specialties, beef jerky"
Franca sat up straight, her expression both shocked and bewildered.
She abruptly stood up, turned around, and looked towards the entrance of the carriage. She saw a woman wearing a white shirt and a purple-red long dress, with a small purple-red soft hat, pushing a multiyered metal cart towards them.
The cart had colorful items arranged on different levels, beverages in peculiar bottles, and stacked boxed meals.
Wh Franca''s gaze instinctively swept to both sides of the multiyered cart, finding that the previously shadowy passengers had be very clear. They were wearing clothes that often appeared in her dreams, either quietly spending time on different brands of phones or conversing softly withpanions, with asional sounds of children crying.
This was a scene Franca had dreamed of seeing again, but encountering it at this moment, in this setting, made her shiver with an inexplicable fear.
Is this, is this Mr. Fool''s dream?
"What''s wrong?" Lumian stood up as well, asking in a low voice.
He had already noticed the changes in the carriage, even the seats and backrests had be soft, as if wrapped in thick, blue-dyed cotton.
He also noticed that the passengers'' clothing, style, and way of speaking were distinctly different from his group.
But this wasn''t the reason for Franca''s dramatic change in expression.
This is a dream, after all. Nothing should be surprising!
Franca''s lips quivered a few times. She looked back at Anthony, who was sitting in the row in front with Ludwig, then lowered her voice and said to Lumian and Jenna, "It''s exactly the same as a simr scene from my world"
Lumian immediately understood why Franca had reacted that way earlier. He deliberately said in a nonchnt tone, "Have you forgotten about the Celestial Worthy? He alsoes from that world. Isn''t it normal for corresponding scenes to appear in a dream He''s involved in?"
"You''re right" Franca showed a self-deprecating smile. "I was too excited, too scared, and overlooked this point."
Indeed, this is very normal!
This is also the sleeping dream of that Celestial Worthy!
Jenna also stood up, looked around for a few seconds, and said, "So, does this mean we''ve entered Mr. Fool''s dream?"
As she spoke, she opened her right palm and found that beneath the shiny lucky coin was a train ticket that read: "NingbeiYangdu"
Although Jenna only recognized the numbers on the ticket, it didn''t prevent her from understanding the meaning of those strange characters. Simrly, the passengers sitting across the aisle understood her Intisian, turning their heads to look at them curiously. However, upon noticing their strange attire, they seemed to find it normal and turned away.
ording to Madam Magician''s previous exnation, in Mr. Fool''s dream, there was no need to worry aboutnguage barriers or unfamiliar text. This was essentiallymunicating with Mr. Fool''s subconscious, and Mr. Fool knew allnguages.
Of course, being able to intuitively understand the meaning of unfamiliar text didn''t mean one couldprehend it deeply. Jenna had been worried about this issue before, but Madam Magician had reassured them. Now, Jenna finally understood why Madam Magician wasn''t concerned about this problem:
These characters were familiar to Franca, and she could serve as the most reliable trantor!
"It should be," Lumian cautiously put away the lucky coin, holding only the train ticket.
After noticing that other passengers could understand their speech, Jenna asked Franca in a very low voice, "What are those things the people are holding?"
They look very strange
Lumian immediately used the Bottle of Fiction to enclose their two rows of seats, using the window as support, but keeping the barrier transparent.
Franca suddenly became energetic,pletely forgetting her previous dejection and shock. She introduced with a smile,
"Those are cell phones, products of scientific development. They integrate telegraphmunication, theatrical performance, mirror messaging, and other effects. They have even more functions that you can''t imagine. Later, I''ll get a few and teach you how to use them in detail. It''s too difficult to exin clearly now!"
As she spoke, Franca''s face was full of pride. "That''s a T-shirt, those are jeans, those are sneakers"
Just as she said this, Ludwig started shouting, "I want a boxed meal, I want snacks, I want ice cream, I want beverages, I want beef jerky!"
The little boy was salivating,pletely forgetting the fact that food in dreams was all imaginary.
"Uh, Madam Magician reminded us to try to obey thew," Franca looked at Lumian. "I remember there was cash in the envelope Madam Justice gave us."
Lumian opened the envelope and took out a stack of brand new, bright red banknotes, and deactivated the Bottle of Fiction.
"Two thousand per person," he told hispanions.
"That''s okay." Franca nodded, then looked at Ludwig with a worried expression. "This child''s meal expenses for one day would probably be over a thousand"
And that''s assuming he didn''t eat anything good!
"There will always be ways to make money." Lumian spent two hundred to get five boxed meals.
Franca hesitated for a moment and said, "Let''s give them all to Ludwig. Although I''d love to relive the taste of familiar food, we shouldn''t waste money here. There will be better choicester."
After piling all five boxed meals in front of Ludwig, Jenna asked in a low voice, "Can we look at Mr. Fool''s identity information in the dream now?"
She noticed that many passengers around were sneaking nces at her and Franca, so she sat back down.
Lumian considered for a moment and said, "We haven''t reached our destination yet. Let''s wait a bit longer. We''ll look at it after we get off at our destination station."
Caution is paramount!
As he spoke, Lumian took out a mirror and tossed it into the gap between Ludwig and the backrest. N?v(el)B\\jnn
He was using mirror illusion magic to conceal the exaggerated situation of Ludwig being able to eat five boxed meals in one go and still only be half full.
He had noticed earlier that someone was secretly pointing what Franca called a phone in their direction. His spiritual intuition told him it would be better not to let abnormal matters appear in front of the public.
"Doesn''t this train make any nking noises?" Jenna and Franca started chatting casually.
Franca said with a boastful tone, "Of course not, this is thetest train model, and it''s incredibly fast!"
She pointed to the disy screen at the front of the carriage, which showed the real-time speed using numbers and symbols familiar to Jenna.
Thank you, Emperor Roselle!
Franca enthusiastically exined all the details that confused Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony, asionally correcting their misconceptions, such as:
"Is this ce even more open than Trier? I see people can expose their arms and legs"
"No, no, no, we''re far behind Trier. This is just freedom of dressing, and it doesn''t offend others in public ces. It''s a manifestation of being cultured and civilized. In private, it''s not as open as Trier at all!"
"Won''t our current appearance be too strange?"
"Don''t worry, just say we''re going to aic convention!"
"What''s aic convention?"
""
During this exchange, the train finally emerged from the fog, and a magnificent city with countless towering buildings appeared ahead. Each of these buildings seemed to rival mountains in height, their surfaces covered with ss curtain walls that gleamed golden in the sunlight.
Lumian and Jenna instinctively held their breath, as if approaching the realm of gods.
It was a miracle on earth, a city on the mountain top!
Franca also stopped her exnation, herke-blue eyes fixed on the city, her expression a mix of nostalgia and sadness.
The train gradually slowed down, entered the city, and finally stopped at a clean, bright, and spacious tform.
The other passengers in this carriage suddenly disappeared, as if the dream weaver could no longer maintain them. Lumian and Franca exchanged nces with the others, then led Ludwig off the train, followed by the "strangely dressed" Jenna, Franca, and Anthony.
Along with the numerous passengers from other carriages, they took self-operating esctors to leave the tform. Under the guidance of their "guide" Franca, they made their way out of the station to the square outside, with no one speaking along the way.
Seeing the surrounding people gradually dispersing and the area bing more open, Lumian took out the brownish-yellow envelope given by Madam Justice. He extracted the documents rted to Mr. Fool''s dream identity and spread them out for hispanions to see.
Franca immediately saw a name written in her nativenguage at the top of the document: "Zhou Mingrui."
Chapter 904 The Driver
Chapter 904 The Driver
After quickly reading through the information, Jenna remarked in disbelief, "Mr. Fool''s identity in the dream is so ordinary."
There''s no sign at all of him being a great existence!
"What should we do next?" Franca looked at Lumian. "Find an opportunity to make contact with Mr. Fool?"
The document had already roughly outlined Zhou Mingrui''s, that is, Mr. Fool''s dream identity''s daily routine. As long as Lumian and the others weren''t too unlucky, they could soon see and interact with Mr. Fool.
Earlier, when she saw the name Zhou Mingrui, Franca''s heart had suddenly skipped a beat.
She hadn''t expected that the name Mr. Fool used in the dream wasn''t in the style of the Northern and Southern Continents, but rather very close to the style of her country before she transmigrated.
Of course, this was consistent with the current city''s situation. But if the name "Zhou Mingrui" belonged to the Celestial Worthy rather than Mr. Fool, Franca would understand and ept it more easily, because the title "The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings" itself was in the style of her country before her transmigration.
Could it be that the Celestial Worthy has gained the upper hand, to the extent that Mr. Fool''s dream city is the same as my mothend, and even took a name like "Zhou Mingrui"? As Franca muttered internally, Lumian thought for a few seconds and said, "Let''s not contact Mr. Fool yet. We''ll observe the people and events around him for a few days."
As the team leader, Lumian didn''t just give orders; he briefly exined, "Mr. Fool himself is certainly under close monitoring by that Celestial Worthy. If we rashly contact him, it would be easy for the Celestial Worthy to detect anomalies, lock onto our identities, and kick us out of the dream.
"Additionally, although Madam Justice''s information includes Mr. Fool''s daily routine and the people he frequently interacts with, I still want to observe for a while myself. This isn''t about distrusting the abilities and intellect of the Major Arcana card holders, but I feel they know too much background information, which might interfere with their judgment, preventing them from discovering subtle hidden issues."
"Mm, cognitive bias," Franca summarized Lumian''s meaning using a term very much in the style of the current dream world.
Lumian nodded.
"Some people mentioned in the information might no longer be in contact with Mr. Fool, but I''ll still observe them to look for possiblemonalities and differences."
"Then let''s first go rent a ce to settle down in one of these areas marked on the map," Jenna said, holding a city map taken from the brownish-yellow envelope.
The marked locations were all residential areas close enough to Mr. Fool''s current residence to overlook that area, but not too close.
"I have no objections," Franca said instinctively. "Then I''ll get a taxi first."
As she spoke, she reached into the pocket of her red jacket, fumbling for a few moments before realizing something. "No phone"
She immediately suggested, "Let''s buy five phones nearby for a few hundred each, no, four phones and one children''s smartwatch.
"Without phones, life in this city will be very difficult and inconvenient. Sometimes, what can be done with a phone doesn''t need to be done with Beyonder abilities. Thetter is more likely to lead to our identities being exposed. I think the previous lucky coin holders might not have paid attention to this aspect and were in a hurry to contact Mr. Fool, which is why they were quickly discovered by the Celestial Worthy and kicked out of the dream."
"Alright," Lumian nodded slightly, holding Ludwig''s hand as the boy ate a sausage.
He looked around and asked, "So, where should we go to buy them?"
Franca chuckled. "Lend me the Lie earring for a moment."
After putting on the silver-white earring, she adjusted her hair color and eye color, slightly modifying her nose bridge and facial contours. In an instant, she blended in with the passersby around her, though still with a hint of mixed-race features.
At this moment, a slightly chubby young man passed by. Franca approached him in a few steps and smiled, "Could you help me with something?"
The young man, dazzled by her bright smile and beautiful face, blurted out, "What is it?"
Franca said a bit embarrassedly, "I lost my phone, could you"
The chubby young man instinctively took out his own phone, then came to his senses and asked warily, "You''re not going to ask to borrow my phone to make a call, are you?"
Such an old scam!
Franca sighed and replied, "I just wanted to borrow some money for food."
Before the man could respond, she smiled again. "Just kidding, how could I use such a clich scam?
"I just wanted to ask if there''s a mall or phone store nearby. If you don''t know, could you help me check on your phone?"
Sounds harmless, with the phone in my hands the entire time The man cautiously searched and earnestly gave Franca directions.
Franca waved with a smile. "Thanks!"
The man''s eyes zed over again, and he asked as if struck by inspiration, "Do you want to be a celebrity, or maybe a live streamer?"
"Are you a talent scout or from a Multi-Channel Network (MCN)pany?" Franca asked curiously.
It had been a long time since she had chatted with someone like this.
The man came to his senses and said with an awkward smile, "Neither, but if I could sign you, I''d be a talent scout or start an MCNpany! Beautiful, can I get your number?"
Franca finally understood that this guy was indirectlyplimenting her looks. Everything before was just a setup; this was the real point.
Tsk tsk, people these days Even when I used to y murder mystery games, there weren''t so many tricks Franca inwardly sighed and said with a sincere face, "Didn''t I tell you? I lost my phone, so I''ll have to change my numberter too."
With that, she didn''t give him a chance to harbor any hopes, waved goodbye, and jogged back to where Lumian and the others were.
The chubby young man watched her go and muttered to himself enviously, "A group of otakus"
Half an hourter, Franca led Lumian and the others out of the nearest mall to the roadside.
They had used the ID documents and cash provided by Madam Justice to buy four phones, one off-brand children''s smartwatch, and five SIM cards, spending a total of 2,400.
But except for Franca, who was constantly tapping her screen, and Ludwig, who asionally licked his children''s smartwatch, Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony were just holding theirs like bricks, not knowing how to use them yet.
"I''ll teach you once we''ve settled in!" Franca said, having linked the ID documents and associated bank cards with the corresponding apps. Instead of going to a nearby branch or ATM to deposit money, she directly took out a micro-loan and started to call a car.
Just then, a motorcycle roared past, almost grazing her, the wind from its passing pping her face.
Franca angrily looked at the motorcycle, cursing under her breath, "Racing on the street? Are you in a hurry to be reborn?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the motorcycle swerved to avoid a light truck from a movingpany, only to find a hole dug for road repairs ahead, surrounded by yellow metal barriers.
The motorcycle desperately swung its tail and crashed into a nearby utility pole, making the concrete pir visibly shake.
With thismotion, motorcycle parts flew in all directions.
Franca watched in astonishment, murmuring, "It''s not my fault"
Although Demonesses were indeed skilled at curses, they didn''t work through mere words!
Just as she was about to call for an ambnce to see if the motorcyclist could be saved, the helmetless rider stood up without a scratch, pushing the severely deformed motorcycle away from the scene.
"He''s fine after that?" Franca blurted out in shock.
A thought immediately shed through her mind, and she whispered in unison with Lumian, "A Beyonder?"
Lumian immediately said to Jenna and the others, "Let''s go take a look."
Taking advantage of the green light, they crossed the intersection to the ident site, seeing that even the utility pole was slightly deformed and cracked.
Lumian cast his gaze to the ground, crouched down, and pulled out a rather ordinary-looking white paper figurine from a nearby flower bed.
The paper figurine was already tattered.
"Paper Figurine Substitutes? Was that motorcyclist from the Seer pathway?" Franca quickly deduced.
Jenna frowned slightly and said, "One of the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates?"
"Possibly. Let''s use Dream Divinationter to recall his appearance," Lumian nodded, stuffing the paper figurine back into its original position and quietly using a Demoness''s ck me to erase any traces he might have left.
Franca grumbled, "That guy didn''t look anything like a Beyonder from the Seer pathway, racing on the street and even crashing. All the Seers I know are cautious and cunning, full of schemes."
As sheined, she used her phone to book a car.
Soon, a white sedan stopped in front of them.
Although Franca had already exined what internalbustion engine cars and electric cars were, when they actually got in, Jenna and Lumian were still a bit shocked.
The ordinary electric car, simr to a hired carriage, felt luxurious, as if the words "civilization" and "technology" were written everywhere.
Anthony sat in the front passenger seat, while Jenna, Franca, and Lumian holding Ludwig squeezed into the back. Even so, the space didn''t feel too cramped.
The cold air from the air conditioner dispersed the summer heat as the vehicle carried Franca, who couldn''t conveniently exin things in such a setting, and the silent Lumian and others to their destination in just over twenty minutes.
As they got out of the car, Anthony gave Lumian a meaningful look, gesturing for him to look at the driver.
Lumian walked to the front door of the vehicle and peered in, noticing that the driver had a wide forehead, a gaunt face, slightly curly ck hair, nearly pure ck eyes, and a monocle that looked as if it were carved from crystal in his right eye socket.
Amon! N?v(el)B\\jnn
The driver, who resembled Amon, seemed to recognize Lumian. He smiled and waved, then started the car and vanished at the end of the road.
"Amon?" Franca and Jenna had also seen the driver''s appearance. "How did he get in? Is it a false image created by Mr. Fool in the dream?"
"It should be real. He clearly recognized me," Lumian replied gravely.
Franca exhaled and said reassuringly, "It''s okay. Madam Magician said that in the matter of putting the Celestial Worthy to sleep and awakening Mr. Fool, that individual is on the same side as us."
Lumian looked at the intersection where the car had disappeared and said in a low voice, "But Madam Magician also said that that individual probably doesn''t want Mr. Fool to wake up too early."
Chapter 905 New Arrival
Chapter 905 New Arrival
On the top floor of an old building without an elevator, Franca looked at the slightly musty rental apartment and grumbled, "In this location, for such a rundown ce, even renting the entire unit costs 2200"
The rental apartment had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room that doubled as a dining room. Each room was very small. The master bedroom had a balcony, and the building was over 30 years old.
Even for such a rental, Franca had to use a Demoness''s Instigation and leverage her social skills to negotiate the price down to under 2,500 from the femalendlord, with only one month''s deposit and rent instead of the usual three months''.
"It''s fine," Jenna said, fairly satisfied with their current amodation.
It was much better than where her family lived before her mother passed away.
Lumian nced at the cash in his hand and said to Franca, "We only have 3,000 left. Even with what you borrowed, it''s not even 6,000. And we still need to buy some ordinary clotheswe can''t go out looking so eye-catching every day."
"It''s okay," said Franca, now in a familiar environment and no longer as worried as before. She smiled calmly and confidently, "I can borrow again from each app, and so can you all. Added up, it''s enough to support Ludwig for several months. Given such a long time, are you afraid we can''t earn money?"
"Is borrowing money so easy here?" Jenna asked in surprise.
In Trier, whether pawning items at a pawn shop or borrowing from loan sharks, it wasn''t a simple matter. The corresponding items or people had to have some value. But just now, she saw Franca tap her phone a few times and sessfully borrow a sum of money.
Was it like this for everyone, or did the beautiful Demoness get special treatment? N?v(el)B\\jnn
Franca pursed her lips and remarked, "It is quite easy. Even the poorest people have some remaining value. If all else fails, they can be taken to have their organs sold"
Obviously, she didn''t like how easy online loans were, but now she had to take out a bunch of micro-loans to support Ludwig and the whole team, so she couldn''t say the rest of what she was thinking.
Lumian took out the golden box that Madam Magician had returned from the Traveler''s Bag and asked thoughtfully, "Are there ces here that buy gold?"
The space contained in his Traveler''s Bag had also significantly shrunk, now only equivalent to a storage room. He couldn''t stock up too much food for Ludwig.
"There are, but they''re strictly regted. We''ll see if there are any illegal channelster," said Franca, who was well-read and had some understanding of gold trading.
"Illegal channels?" Lumian said pensively, "When we try to sell gold through such channels, won''t they see us as outsiders, easy to bully, afraid to report to the police on such matters, and just take our gold without paying?"
Franca gave Lumian the side-eye. "You want to fish again?"
"This is called receiving gifts from kind-hearted people." Lumian smiled. "For this kind of ck-on-ck crime, they probably won''t report to the police. It shouldn''t affect ourw-abiding image, right?"
Through long-term daily influence from Aurore and Franca, and being in the corresponding environment, Lumian had gradually be proficient in using certain words and sentences.
"Can''t you just find a proper job?" Franca said with augh.
"A job would only interfere with our observation of the people and events around Mr. Fool," Lumian reasoned.
"That''s not necessarily true," Franca instinctively retorted. "What if that job could help you be Mr. Fool''s colleague? Wouldn''t that make observation more convenient?"
"That''s true" Lumian''s gaze moved from Franca''s face to Jenna and Anthony, as if considering who should apply for the corresponding job.
"Speaking of which, thepany Mr. Fool works for was started by Emperor Roselle," Franca recalled the contents of the document. "The Emperor''s real name wouldn''t happen to be Huang Tao, would it? ording to the Major Arcana card holders, it would asionally be the Emperor''s own projection, but most of the time it''s a fake person woven by Mr. Fool in the dream. Well, now only thetter possibility remains. Who knows how long it will be before the Emperor gets a chance to resurrect"
As she spoke, Franca suddenlyughed. "The Emperor''s eldest daughter, Princess Bernadette, is named Bernie Huang in Mr. Fool''s dream. Haha, what a cute name. Is this Mr. Fool''s sense of humor?"
"You should restrain yourself a bit. Bernie Huang, no, Princess Bernadette often projects Her consciousness here. She seems to have an item simr to the lucky coin," Jenna reminded Franca with a smile. She had just read the corresponding description in the document.
By now, Lumian had made his decision.
"I or Anthony will apply for the job. If a Demoness enters the Emperor''spany, it might cause quite a few troubles and make it hard to keep a low profile."
Franca and Jenna nodded heavily, both remembering the Emperor''s words of wisdom.
Lumian brought the topic back to the gold matter.
"If I sell this golden box in the dream, will my golden box in reality disappear?
"If not, couldn''t we sell it over and over by leaving the dream and returning?"
"" Franca, Jenna, and Anthony were momentarily speechless.
Is this the influence of Amon''s boon?
After a few seconds, Lumian mused, "It probably won''t work. Mr. Fool is a great existence who controls errors and loopholes. He wouldn''t leave such an obvious problem. I suspect selling gold in the dream is equivalent to sacrificing it to him"
"I think so too," Franca agreed.
As they spoke, dozens of quiet and eerie ck mes gathered around the two Demonesses and the male-appearing Lumian.
These twenty to thirty ck mes flew to various parts of the room, burning away any possible insects.
Originally, Lumian could have engulfed the entire house in the Demoness''s ck mes toplete the cleaning, but now he could only exert the standard of a Sequence 7.
After finishing the cleaning, Franca began teaching Lumian and the others how to use their phones, and guiding Ludwig on how to y with his children''s smartwatch.
Unknowingly, the sky gradually darkened.
"I''m hungry!" Ludwig''s voice suddenly rang out.
Franca lifted her gaze from her phone, looked at the sky that had already turned to dusk, and sincerely eximed, "Phones are so much fun"
Time flies so fast!
The amazed Lumian, Jenna, and the others put away their phones and went out to find a restaurant to avoid Ludwig causing trouble out of extreme hunger.
They hadn''t even allocated who would sleep in which room yet.
After leaving the old residentialplex, Franca nced at the row of shops by the roadside and said with a smile, "Based on my previous observations, this city''s prototype is one I once toured. The cooking standards of these street-side small shops might be even higher than big restaurants, and more suitable for people like us who can''t afford high-end ces.
"Let''s eat at this one first, lest Ludwig can''t wait."
She was pointing to a small restaurant just to the left of the residentialplex. Business seemed decent, with several tables set up on the sidewalk.
Before going out, Lumian and the others had already adjusted their hair color and eye color using the Lie earring, and modified their facial features. Although they still attracted hidden or bold nces as handsome men and beautiful women, at least they didn''t stand out as obviously foreign to their surroundings.
Franca chose one of the tables on the sidewalk, took the menu, and asked with a smile, "The specialty is spicy food. Can you handle it?"
"Didn''t you say before that the essence of spiciness is a kind of pain? What''s there to not handle?" Lumian replied nonchntly.
Franca gave him a challenging look, then turned to Jenna with a smile and said, "Not everything is spicy. There are sweet and sour dishes, and some that focus on umami vors. Two dishes I really like, Kung Pao Chicken and Yu Xiang Shredded Pork, can be made non-spicy. The proportion of sour, sweet, and other vors might be different in each restaurant. It takes luck to find the type that suits your taste best. The two most satisfying times I''ve had were once in a time-honored restaurant and once in a hole-in-the-wall ce like this.
"The Kung Pao Chicken in the time-honored restaurant was adjusted to a lychee paste vor, using only chicken thigh meat, tender and not dry. The Yu Xiang Shredded Pork in that hole-in-the-wall ce only used chopped scallions as a side vegetable, with sweet, sour, salty, and pickled pepper vors all mixed into the sauce and stir-fried with the meat. This is different from themon practice, but very appetizing and delicious
"Uh, should we order a few bottles of beer? We rarely have a full team dinner like this. Although I don''t like bottled beer, I can make do with it"
Ever since introducing phones on the train, Franca had maintained an excited state as if back on her home turf, constantly introducing and sharing, with a gleam in her eyes like a hint of sunlight.
Lumian didn''t mind this fellow showing such enthusiastic host-like attitude, taking over all the things a team leader should say. Instead, he was infected with a sense of calm, rxation, and joy because of it.
Summer nights darkenedte, and even now, just after 7 o''clock, the sky was still somewhat bright. The breeze blowing past the tables and chairs on the roadside brought a hint of coolness from inside the restaurant and other shops, making the eating and drinking crowd increasingly lively. Some wereughing loudly, some were eating while fiddling with their phones,pletely without the restraint of sitting on the sidewalk.
Jenna observed intently for a while, then said softly to Franca, "There''s a strange sense of rxation"
She had seen people eating by the roadside in Quartier du Jardin Botanique and the market district before, but never had a simr feeling.
"This is one of the things I miss about the past," said Franca, her eyes bright, having already ordered the food.
At this moment, a woman with smooth, glossy ck hair tied in a simple ponytail, wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and fitness shorts, dragging sandals, came to the entrance of the small restaurant and said to the busy owner, "How long do I have to wait for takeout?"
"Sia, you''rete today," the ownermented in a familiar tone.
Before Ms. Sia could answer, someone suddenly shouted from nearby, "Catch the thief! Catch the thief!"
A figure ran past the tables and chairs, tightly gripping a diamond ne.
As he ran past Ms. Sia, she suddenly raised her foot and delivered a side kick.
Bang!
The thief was kicked several meters away, falling to the ground in pain, momentarily unable to get up.
"This gal is quite fierce," Franca said, her eyes full of admiration.
Lumian looked at Ms. Sia''s profile and said in a low voice, "Is that Sia Tas, the one who shares an apartment with Mr. Fool?"
Chapter 906 Suspicious Details
Chapter 906 Suspicious Details
Sia Tas? Franca quickly examined the face and ears of the woman surnamed Sia, partially hidden by her glossy ck hair.
ording to information provided by the Major Arcana card holders, Sia Tas, who currently rented the same apartment as Mr. Fool, was an ancient elf in reality. Her boyfriend Mobet was a viscount from the Fourth Epoch''s Solomon Empire and a member of the Zoroast family. Both of them have been dead for many years.
Franca quickly withdrew her gaze, not letting Sia Tas notice her observation.
This was the professionalism of an Assassin.
As for her previous tant staring, she wasn''t worried about being suspected at all. Sia Tas''s action of kicking away the thief had drawn everyone''s attention.
Franca lowered her voice and said to Lumian and the others, "Her ears are slightly pointed, and her facial features are consistent with local residents. It should be Sia Tas."
Damn it, could the ancestors of the elven race really be transmigrators? Except for a few minor details, Sia Tas could pass as a local in this city without any ws!
She even wanted to chat with Sia Tas!
Lumian nced at Ludwig, who was gnawing on the end of his chopsticks, and said thoughtfully, "Could Sia Tas be that Celestial Worthy? Or could she be a Beyonder subordinate of that Celestial Worthy?"
"" Both Franca and Jenna were stunned by this question.
"It doesn''t seem likely" Franca resisted the urge to look at Sia Tas again.
Jenna pondered for a moment and then suggested, "The Sia Tas in the dream should be a fake person woven by Mr. Fool''s subconscious based on memories."
"A fake person could also be that Celestial Worthy, or could be used by that Celestial Worthy," Lumian said with a smile.
For some reason, seeing his smile, both Franca and Jenna''s hearts beat a little faster. They felt that his male form had lost some of its handsome aurapared to before, but gained more beauty. When he smiled, it was like sunlight shining on his face.
Oh right, although Lumian''s subconscious is still male, the modifications to his body by the potion has long been recognized and remembered by his subconscious. In situations not involving gender identity, the enhancement of appearance and increase in charm from the Demoness pathway would definitely be reflected in the dream What should this be called, an Incubus? Franca first had a sudden realization, then startedining internally.
Lumian continued, "Sia Tas is one of the closest people to Mr. Fool, living in another room in the same rental apartment. Why couldn''t such a person be that Celestial Worthy? Why couldn''t she be controlled by that Celestial Worthy in some way, bing His puppet, being used by Him?
"The closer someone is to Mr. Fool, the more suspicious they are."
"Right," Anthony rarely took the initiative to share his own views. "In the information, the Oracle mentioned that Sia Tas and Mobet only had contact with Mr. Fool''s Angel of Redemption, the incarnation walking on earth, that great adventurer Gehrman Sparrow, and they are already dead. To Mr. Fool, they are neither important nor special. Why would the ones living with Mr. Fool, so close to him, be these two, and not other fake people, such as the dream counterparts of some Major Arcana card holders?"
"It is indeed worth suspecting." Franca and Jenna both nodded slowly.
Lumian immediately added, "I mainly wanted to make one point clear: at this stage, we should focus on observation, supplemented by analyzing the contents of the information and collecting information. We absolutely must not contact Mr. Fool, and we should try not to contact these people around Mr. Fool. The closer they are to Mr. Fool, the less we should contact them."
"But if we don''t make contact, how can we conduct further investigationster? How can we determine the identity of the Celestial Worthy? How can we gradually awaken Mr. Fool?" Franca raised a question.
Lumian chuckled. "We''re just not making contact at this stage. After weplete the observation work, we will make contact with purpose and n. That will also be a form of probing."
"Probing" Jenna and Franca vaguely grasped Lumian''s idea.
They were about to inquire further when the cold dishes were ready and brought to their table along with several bottles of beer.
After the waiter left, Franca picked up her chopsticks, easily opened the bottle caps, and poured a ss for everyone except Ludwig.
Children can only drink soda and dairy products!
Franca tapped her ss full of golden liquid on the table and said with a smile, "The past cannot be retrieved, the future cannot be known. Let''s toast to the fact that we''re all still together now and can enjoy life!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lumian shook his head with a smile, but still clinked sses with Franca, Jenna, and Anthony. Then, he tilted his head back and gulped down the ss of beer.
Franca was the first to finish drinking. She wiped her mouth and saw Lumian''s Adam''s apple moving as he drank, with a little beer seeping from the corner of his mouth. She suddenly froze.
Damn, why do I find his Adam''s apple movement so sexy
Is this what an Incubus is like?
Anthony nced at Franca and Jenna drinking boldly and their unconscious small movements, then at the men and women around furtively looking at them and Lumian. He silently sighed and tried to make himself even less noticeable.
Ludwig had already started quickly eating the cold dishes like garlic pork slices, cold sliced pork head meat, spicy shredded pig ears, smashed cucumber, and mixed shredded vegetables.
Lumian took an inconspicuous mirror from his pocket and ced it in a corner of the table.
Franca quickly came to her senses and once again filled up the beer for each team member, except for the child.
She raised her ss again and said, "Cheers to past experiences and future hopes!"
Her passionate tone and high spirits gave Jenna and Lumian a slightly tipsy feeling, while Anthony felt like he was back in his military camp days.
Amidst the crisp clinking sounds, they temporarily set aside their inner depression and worries about this mission, just enjoying the present moment.
In the rental apartment.
"We spent six hundred?" Jenna asked, sounding a bit pained.
They had spent one-tenth of their funds in just one meal!
"It''s actually not expensive. This fellow eats like ten people or more, and we also drank alcohol." Franca waved her hand. "It''s fine, I''ll arrange a few more micro loans as backup, and you should each get one too. We still need to go out and buy some T-shirts, casual pants, jeans, sneakers. How about we find time to go to the wholesale market tomorrow?"
At times like this, brand, fit, and design didn''t mattercost-effectiveness was the top priority!
Lumian took out the remaining food from the Traveler''s Bag, which had shrunk in space, and while cing them on the dining table, he said, "We also need to replenish food for Ludwig. He needs to eat every two to three hours."
"Mm." Franca pointed to the rooms. "Anthony, you choose first."
Anthony didn''t hesitate and chose the smallest bedroom, which was also not on the same side as the other two.
Franca turned to Lumian. "You''ll sleep in the master bedroom with Ludwig?"
"The second bedroom will do. Except for his big appetite, he''s a normal kid in other aspects. He won''t be cramped sleeping in the second bedroom''s bed," Lumian understood that one of his tasks was to keep an eye on Ludwig, not letting him leave the dream prematurely out of fear and refusing toe back.
"Alright, Jenna and I will sleep in the master bedroom." Franca smiled.
In the time that followed, she borrowed another 10,000 in micro-loans, with Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony each getting 3,000.
After doing this, Franca, with great willpower, put down her phone, turned on the light, and carefully read the information rted to Mr. Fool, which she had only quickly browsed before. Lumian and the others each upied a position, equally focused on reading.
Before they knew it, the night grew deeper.
Ludwig''s another cry of hunger brought them back to alertness, and they stopped reading and discussing.
"Even just reading the information about Mr. Fool provided by the Major Arcana card holders, I feel like my head is in a daze, gradually losing myself Is this the status of a great existence?" Lumian seriously assessed his previous state and solemnly said, "When we study this information againter, we shouldn''t exceed half an hour each time."
He raised his right hand and rubbed his temples, finding that the consumption of spirituality was also significant.
"Mm." Franca stood up and looked out the window. "Let''s go eat barbecue outside Mr. Fool''s neighborhood. Although Mr. Fool doesn''te out forte-night snacks every day, at least we can observe the people who frequently appear around the neighborhood."
Jenna was about to respond when she suddenly noticed the scenery outside the balcony.
She unconsciously walked over and gazed out beyond the residential area, across the street.
The bright and warm lights shone out from countless buildings and windows, like the Milky Way had fallen to the ground, but with an added human touch.
This night view was more vast and dreamlike than that of Trier and the New City of Silver, seeming to carry more dreams.
Lumian also focused his gaze for a while, until Ludwig tugged at the sleeve of his shirt.
"Let''s go." He withdrew his gaze and headed towards the door.
Franca said to Jenna, "Later, we''ll find a tall building with a good view to take another look."
After leaving the neighborhood, they followed the map and circled around to the outside of Mr. Fool''s neighborhood. They casually chose a barbecue stand and inconspicuously observed the people and events around them.
Just as the grilled beef arrived, Franca noticed that Lumian''s gaze was fixed in one direction for a long time, not moving.
"What''s wrong?" she asked curiously.
Lumian pointed with his chin in that direction. "I see the Oracle."
The Oracle? Franca and Jenna looked in that direction and saw a hooligan with yellowish eyebrows and hair color.
The man was holding a stack of flyers.
"Oracle Danitz?" Jenna asked for confirmation.
Lumian nodded slowly. "I don''t know if it''s a consciousness projection or a fake person in the dream"
Seemingly sensing their gaze, Mr. Fool''s Oracle Danitz suddenly turned around and looked over.
Then, he quickly walked up to Lumian and the others, nced at Ludwig, and asked with a smile, "Would you be interested in Dream Tutoring sses?"
Tutoring sses Ludwig''s pupils suddenly dted.
Crack!
He bit through the bamboo skewer.
Chapter 907 Corpse
Chapter 907 Corpse
Lumian examined Oracle Danitz''s deep blue eyes for a few seconds, then gave Jenna a meaningful look.
Now, Franca no longer needed to digest the Affliction potion.
Jenna instantly understood Lumian''s intention and asked Oracle Danitz with a smile, "Do you have any courses suitable for children?"
She pointed at Ludwig, causing him to tremble and turn pale.
This made Jenna feel the obvious digestion of the Affliction potion.
Danitz''s eyes lit up, and he said with a big smile, "Of course we do! From foreignnguage education and logic courses for 3-year-olds to vocational training for adults, we have it all!"
As he spoke, his gaze couldn''t help but move back and forth between Jenna and Franca''s faces a few times, seemingly stunned by their beauty.
Many celebrities with makeup and photo editing might not be this beautiful!
Jenna took the flyer and looked at it carefully, then said with a smile, "When we have time, I''ll bring the child to take a look."
She kept in mind the n Lumian had made, focusing on observation for now and not rushing to make contact.
Hearing Jenna''s words, Ludwig''s face showed obvious bitterness. He could only grab a handful of grilled beef skewers and fiercely tear off more than a dozen pieces of meat sprinkled with chili powder and cumin to soothe his inner wounds.
"Alright, remember to mention my name for a discount!" Danitz marveled at how such a young beauty already had such a big child, assuming she must have not studied well in high school and was taken home by some hooligan to have a child before finishing school. He then gave his name, "My surname is Da, and my given name is Nizi."
After saying this, his gaze lingered on Jenna and Franca''s faces before he unhesitatingly turned around to continue looking for targets to distribute flyers.
"He should be a fake person in the dream woven by Mr. Fool''s subconscious." Anthony, who had been observing silently, made his judgment.
Lumian nodded, then added, "Indeed, he didn''t show any special qualities an Oracle should have, and he obviously didn''t recognize me."
At this point, Lumian smiled. "Since he''s woven by Mr. Fool''s subconscious, it shows that in Mr. Fool''s perception, the Oracle is someone who likes women but won''t be confused by them, with rtively strong willpower in this aspect."
This conclusion was drawn from Danitz''s behavior of being attracted by the beauty of the two Demonesses yet not flirting, not lingering, and not talking too much.
"It might not be strong willpower, but professional ethics that prevent him from flirting with women while working, or he might have someone he likes and is willing to restrain himself for," Franca said, eventually showing an ambiguous smile. "Does this mean what''s written in the Adventurer series is true?"
"The rumors at sea say the same," Lumian confirmed Franca''s guess.
In the time that followed, the four of them mainly observed and didn''t eat much, while Ludwig turned his grief into appetite, eventually causing them to spend 400.
Franca put thest piece of grilled eggnt into her mouth, chewed a few times, and stood up somewhat reluctantly, saying, "It''s time to go back."
This was truly a nostalgic taste.
As they circled back to their own neighborhood, Jenna nced at the bright streetmps on both sides, then at the pedestrians walking in the summer night breeze in the dark night. She had the illusion that it wasn''t near dawn now, but just the beginning of the night.
In Trier, before bing a Beyonder, she only dared to walk on the streets at midnight relying on her reputation as the Red Boots'' mistress and her concealed revolver. Even so, she didn''t dare to walk too far home and usually had to stay at Franca''s ce. But in this metropolis in Mr. Fool''s dream, people seemed ustomed to enjoying the deep night on the streets.
Franca had already integrated into such an environment, as if returning to her past life.
She was looking around quitefortably when she suddenly noticed a human figure hanging on the outer wall of a building at the edge of an alley leading to an old neighborhood, gently swaying in a ce where the streetmps couldn''t illuminate.
With a Demoness''s super vision and Night Vision, Franca instantly saw the appearance of that figure clearly:
Yellowish eyebrows, hair of the same color, a red headband wrapped around the forehead, deep blue eyes bulging out, frozen in pain and despair, not very deep facial features already distorted, mouth half-open, tongue sticking out.
Danitz!
Oracle Danitz!
He was hanging on the outer wall of the building, with a brownish-yellow hemp rope around his neck!
He had been hanged.
The man who was distributing tutoring flyers to Lumian and the others just over an hour ago had been hanged!
As Franca''s pupils suddenly dted, Lumian and Jenna also noticed the corpse hanging in mid-air, gently swaying.
"The Oracle is dead? Murdered?" Jenna blurted out in confusion.
Who did this?
Was it a natural development of the dream, or was it done by that Celestial Worthy''s subordinates?
After confirming that the corpse was indeed Oracle Danitz, Franca exhaled and said, "It''s good that he''s just a fake person in the dream, so the Oracle in reality won''t die along with him."
Hearing these words, Lumian''s heart stirred. He walked into the alley and came to the front of Danitz''s suspended corpse.
During the process, he continuously observed his surroundings and took out a mirror to perform a quick and simple divination to confirm whether the murderer had already left and if anyone was paying attention to this ce.
Before he got really close, he could already smell the stench of loss of bowel and dder control.
Combined with other details, he determined that the Oracle had indeed been hanged to death.
Lumian condensed ice blocks on the wall to create protrusions, then nimbly climbed up to reach the same height as Danitz''s corpse. He then put the Oracle, along with the hemp rope, into the mirror he had just used for divination.
"You want to bury the Oracle?" Franca asked curiously after Lumian jumped down from the wall, melted all the ice blocks, and dried the wet marks with crimson mes.
Lumian looked around and said in a lowered voice, "To conduct an experiment."
"What experiment?" Jenna, holding the depressed Ludwig''s hand, asked curiously.
Lumian chuckled. "Based on the contents of the information and the details we''ve observed so far, we all know that this dream evolved from Mr. Fool''s subconscious. If we hide the Oracle''s corpse and don''t let Mr. Fool discover or hear about such an incident, does that mean the Oracle''s death doesn''t exist, and tomorrow night, the Oracle will still be distributing flyers in that area with many night food stalls?"
"Come to think of it, it''s really possible!" Franca quickly recalled the dream-themed movies and novels she had seen before her transmigration.
"If that''s the case, we can find ways to use this point: major events that Mr. Fool''s dream identity doesn''t know about or hasn''t heard of are equivalent to non-existent, never having happened!" Lumian said with a smile.
"But what if the Oracle doesn''t appear tomorrow night, or if the police have obtained information about his disappearance?" Jenna knew Lumian wouldn''t have overlooked this question, after all, there were only two possible oues for the experiment.
Lumian said with a smile on his lips, "There might be two reasons:
"First, each fake person in the dream, besidesing from Mr. Fool''s memories and cognition, also has his subconscious integrated into them, so any event that happens in the dream will be known and recorded by Mr. Fool''s subconscious."
Seeing that Franca and the others seemed unable to grasp the point he wanted to make, Lumian gave an example: "The information mentions that Mr. Fool was an ancient existence awakening from slumber, collecting power and secrets through his incarnation walking on earth, gradually reviving. His incarnation experienced the advancement from Sequence 2 Miracle Invoker to Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries. To prepare for the ritual, he established a town called Utopia, where every resident was Mr. Fool''s marite. Each marite had its own destiny trajectory, all yed by Mr. Fool, interacting with each other, portraying reality.
"Isn''t this very simr to the current real dream? Except for the consciousness projections from the outside, the remaining dream fake people are likely Mr. Fool''s subdivided subconscious,bined with the images from his memories to portray.
"In other words, except for us, every person and every animal in the dream might be Mr. Fool. If we really want to contact Mr. Fool, we might not need to find his dream identity. This could be one of our approaches to contact Mr. Fool in the future while bypassing the Celestial Worthy''s monitoring."
"Was Utopia mentioned in that information?" Franca was stunned for a moment.
Did Mr. Fool use this term?
She raised her hand to rub her head, showing slight pain and confusion.
"It might have been there, but by the time I reached theter parts, I was already dazed. I seemed to bemunicating with you, but I actually had no idea what I was saying"
"It was indeed there, and the approach I just mentioned wasn''t thought up by me either, it was proposed by the Major Arcana card holders, but they no longer have the chance to verify it." Lumian nodded.
"Everyone is Mr. Fool" Jenna recalled the sea of people they encountered after leaving the train carriage and the bustling scenes they had seen before, finding it hard to believe for a moment.
Lumian continued, "As for the second reason, if the Oracle''s death was carried out by the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates, that Celestial Worthy can also control and influence the dream, and would certainly let Mr. Fool''s subconscious know about this incident. But the question is, what''s the point of dealing with such a fake person?
"Even if they wanted to shake Mr. Fool''s will by targeting his emotional weak points, they shouldn''t have chosen the Oracle. From the information, the Oracle hasn''t established any close rtionship with Mr. Fool in the dream, not even qualifying as a friend."
"Strange," Franca murmured in agreement.
They quickly dealt with the scene using the Demoness''s ck mes, left the alley, and walked towards the old neighborhood where they were renting.
As they approached the main gate, they suddenly heard someone frantically calling out in a low voice from the side near some green trees, "Spare me, please spare me N?v(el)B\\jnn
"Don''te any closer, don''te any closer!"
Lumian turned his gaze towards the source and saw that it was a local man, not someone with Northern Continent facial features like Oracle Danitz.
Chapter 908 Hospital
Chapter 908 Hospital
Seeing the local man curled up by the green trees, crying out in a near-breakdown state, Franca seriously considered whether to help call the police.
Lumian pondered for a few seconds, then gave Anthony a meaningful look.
Anthony immediately walked into the shadowed area and used cate on the target.
The local man in his forties finally calmed down, as if emerging from a nightmare that had tormented him for a long time.
Lumian approached and asked pointedly, "What happened?"
Having encountered the strange death of Oracle Danitz not long ago and now meeting a mentally copsed man, he intuitively felt this shouldn''t be simple either, and might hide some crucial information.
The man raised his head and looked at Lumian and the others.
He was about to speak when he suddenly saw Franca and Jenna. His expression twisted and he cried out in extreme terror,
"Female ghost! A female ghost!"
His voice was exceptionally shrill, filled with fear, alerting even the security guard at the entrance of the old neighborhood, who came over with a shlight to check.
Lumian quickly threw out his mirror, creating his own Mirror Maze.
Franca nced at him, seeing that he had reacted in time, and withdrew her right hand from her pocket.
At the same time, Franca muttered to herself, "How do I look like a female ghost?
"How do Jenna and I look like female ghosts?"
The security guard, holding a brightly shining shlight, came over and circled the green trees twice, saying with a puzzled face, "The sound was clearlying from here, why can''t I see anyone"
He listened carefully again, feeling that the voice shouting "female ghost" had be somewhat distant, unable to discern exactly where it wasing from.
The security guard suddenly shuddered. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Could there really be female ghosts?
He decided not to deal with this matter anymore, only to help report it to the police.
As soon as he had this new idea, he immediately ran back towards the security room at the entrance.
Although the Mirror Maze was only at Sequence 7 level, the current dark environment with few people still allowed Lumian to sessfully deceive the security guard.
05:47
He had Franca and Jenna retreat to the edge of the Mirror Maze, not to be seen by the copsed man, and signaled Anthony to do another round of cate.
Although the Mirror Maze was only at Sequence 7 level, the current dark environment with few people still allowed Lumian to sessfully deceive the security guard.
He had Franca and Jenna retreat to the edge of the Mirror Maze, not to be seen by the copsed man, and signaled Anthony to do another round of cate.
The mentally broken local man calmed down once again, and Anthony asked gently and calmly, "What happened? Perhaps I can help you."
For some reason, the man felt that Anthony before him was very trustworthy, making him feel very at ease. He took a breath and said, "I-I encountered a jiangshi!"
"A jiangshi?" Lumian could roughly understand this belonged to a type of undead creature, perhaps a unique term for zombies in this dream world.
The man was silent for a few seconds, looked at Anthony, and received an affirmative nod from him.
He gathered his courage and stammered, "I-I''m a hospital orderly, I just took a corpse to the morgue.
"That corpse was too beautiful, unbelievably beautiful. Her ears were a bit small, very cute, enchanting, just like those expensive jewelry in gold shops. She wasn''t wearing any clothes, I couldn''t resist, I told my coworker to go ahead, then I climbed on top, bit her ear, and had my way with her for quite a while."
Hearing this, Franca couldn''t help but raise her right hand to face palm.
Bringing shame to the mothend!
Perverts are everywhere, it''s about rtive proportions!
"It didn''t feel like a dead person at all" the man rambled on, as if still savoring the experience.
Gradually, his eyes bulged. "Just as I pulled up my pants, she, that corpse''s eyes opened!
"They opened!
"Female ghost! A female ghost!"
After listening intently, Lumian turned his head and said to Franca and Jenna, "If even a corpse has such great allure, could it be a Demoness?"
"It''s possible." Franca nodded.
Jenna then proposed another possibility, "The corpse of a Sex Addict or a Baby Cupid might also have this effect."
She had a very deep impression of the Scrooge pathway.
Lumian looked outside the Mirror Maze, seeing no sign of police yet, so he had Anthony cate the orderly once more, then used Dream Divination to draw a sketch.
The woman in the sketch was clearly not a local, more like someone from the Northern Continent, with striking features but a sacred aura, not feeling like a corpse at all.
Additionally, it was evident that the orderly had the strongest impression of the female corpse''s small, delicate ears and long, beautiful neck, mixed with intense desire.
"She does look a bit like a Demoness," said Franca, standing at the edge of the Mirror Maze with rich experience in identifying Demonesses.
Lumian pondered for a moment, then asked the male orderly, "Which hospital do you work at?"
The male orderly didn''t hide anything from Anthony,
"I live nearby, but I work at Mushu Hospital."
"Mushu Hospital" Franca''s eyelid twitched.
"What''s wrong?" Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony didn''t understand why Franca would react this way.
The hospital''s name seemed normal, doesn''t it mean gazing at the dawn in the distance?
Franca organized her thoughts and said, "This is one of the manifestations of you being able to understand the meaning of corresponding words, but not truly grasping what they symbolize.
"In my nativenguage, ''Mushu'' and ''Mother Tree'' are near-homophones, and you should know very well what ''Mother Tree'' represents."
Without waiting for Lumian and the others to respond, Franca said in a deep voice, "Mother Tree of Desire!"
"Can the Mother Tree of Desire also infiltrate its power into this dream a bit?" Lumian slightly furrowed his brow.
If the Mother Tree has appeared, how far away is the Mother?
Jenna obviously thought of this aspect too, and after a few seconds of silence, she said, "Then the possibility of it being a Baby Cupid corpse has increased"
Lumian had Anthony further question the male orderly about any unusual urrences at Mushu Hospital, but didn''t get any useful answers.
They didn''t waste any more time. Anthony used Hypnosis to make the male orderly forget about the recent soothing and questioning, and had him walk out of the Mirror Maze on his own, heading towards another street.
Dispelling the Mirror Maze and watching the orderly''s retreating figure, Lumian thoughtfully said, "That corpse definitely has issues, but it doesn''t mean he doesn''t have problems, nor does it mean everything else at Mushu Hospital is normal."
Jenna strongly agreed, "That intense desire to vite even a female corpse seems very much like the corruption of a Sex Addict.
"Of course, it could also be that he was enchanted by the female corpse to the point of losing control."
The group discussed the recent events as they walked into their rented apartmentplex.
Franca suddenly sighed. "We''ve only been here half a day and already encountered two bizarre incidents not mentioned in the information, right?"
"Correct," Lumian confirmed.
He then smiled and said, "Perhaps this is how much weight the two Cmity pathways carry.
"When I switch back to the ''Hunter'' pathway, I could almost be an iplete human-shaped corpse wax candle. Maybe I couldplete the corresponding secret deed rituals without relying on anything.
"Hmm, my spiritual intuition tells me that we might encounter that resurrected female corpse before long."
"Then we should take turns keeping watch starting tonight," Franca immediately said.
Dying in the dream could mean real death!
"It''s indeed worth being so vignt," Lumian nodded approvingly. "Tomorrow morning, we''ll secretly observe outside Mr. Fool''spany to recognize people first."
Late at night, in the master bedroom.
Jenna suddenly woke up and saw Franca hugging a thin nket she had taken out of the Traveler''s Bag, sitting against the headboard in the darkness, as if she had turned into a statue.
"What are you thinking about?" Jenna slowly sat up and asked carefully.
Franca gazed at the wall opposite, which had been "painted" by darkness, and answered in a voice like sleep-talking, "Why would Mr. Fool name his marite town Utopia"
"Is there something wrong with this name?" Jenna didn''t quite understand what Franca was concerned about.
After a few seconds of silence, Franca said, "That''s a term specific to the world I transmigrated from, meaning a non-existent country, an imaginary country Why would Mr. Fool use it"
Jenna roughly understood Franca''s thoughts. She said in a gentle voice, "The Major Arcana card holders mentioned in the information that Mr. Fool has been collecting Emperor Roselle''s diaries. Maybe this term was in one of the diaries, or maybe Mr. Fool learned about this term during his long-term confrontation with the Celestial Worthy. Or, well, didn''t you say the Ancient Sun God might also be a transmigrator? Why couldn''t Mr. Fool be one?"
"That''s what I''m suspecting. The more I think about Mr. Fool''s origins mentioned in the information and the experiences of his avatars, the more I suspect" Franca''s voice became so low it lost its weight.
"Don''t suspect, verify," Jennaforted Franca in her own way. "When we awaken Mr. Fool, you can ask this question. Whether he''s a transmigrator or not, after confronting the Celestial Worthy for so many years, he must know the secret of your transmigration. He might even be able to help you return. For now, don''t think too much about it, focus on awakening Mr. Fool."
Franca slowly exhaled and said, "Right, thinking too much now is useless, we can''t verify anything for the time being.
"Hmm For me, awakening Mr. Fool is no longer just a task from the Tarot Club, no longer just something that must be done to survive the apocalypse"
After chatting for a while longer, Francay back down, inhaling Jenna''s scent, and fell into a deep sleep, both mentally and physically exhausted.
After Franca waspletely asleep, Jenna carefully got up, opened the master bedroom door, and walked into the living room that doubled as a dining room.
Lumian, wearing a white shirt and ck trousers, was sitting by the wooden dining table, staring nkly at the window in the direction of the shoe cab.
"It''s my turn to keep watch, you can go rest now," Jenna said with a smile.
Lumian withdrew his gaze and stood up.
"What were you and Franca talking about just now?"
Jenna summarized the key points of Franca''s doubts and her ownfort. Lumian nodded slightly and said, "Right, give her a goal, motivate her to act, and not think too much for now.
"When it''s daylight, I''ll find a chance to consult Anthony again to see if we need to do anything else."
Jenna turned her gaze to the window in the direction of the shoe cab and asked curiously, "What were you thinking about just now?"
Lumian looked in that direction as well. What met his eyes was the scene inside the neighborhood. At this moment, only two or three households in each building still had light spilling out, while the rest were in darkness.
Lumian''s thoughts seemed to drift away again. He answered in a low voice, "I was wondering if Aurore used to live in a city like this"
Chapter 909 Case Investigation
Chapter 909 Case Investigation
The next morning.
After cleaning up in the master bedroom bathroom, Franca walked into the living room and immediately saw stic bags piled on the wooden dining table. Those semi-transparent white stic bags contained various foods like fried dough sticks, sesame balls, steamed dumplings, xiaolongbao, and regr steamed buns. Next to them were cups of soy milk and bottles of milk.
The aroma permeating the air felt both familiar and tempting to Franca. She blurted out in surprise, "Who bought all this?"
Don''t you need me as a guide to help withmunication anymore?
Is this really a "foreigner" who''s been here for less than 24 hours?
Lumian smiled and pointed to himself. "Of course it was me."
Franca looked him up and down. "You bought so much breakfast at once, didn''t the shopkeeper find it strange?"
"It''s not like I bought them all from one ce," Lumian said, ncing at Ludwig who had bitten off half a sesame ball, revealing some of the red bean paste filling inside. He smiled and continued, "Later, one shopkeeper did ask when he saw me carrying so much food."
"How did you answer?" Franca asked vigntly.
Lumian chuckled. "I said I was doing multi-level marketing."
"" Franca''s mouth gaped slightly, at a loss for words.
"The shopkeeper had the same reaction, then asked if I was joking." Lumian maintained his smile. "I said yes, I was actually preparing breakfast for apany team-building event."
"Where did you learn these terms?" Franca asked, looking slightly bewildered.
Lumian chuckled in response. "Aurore mentioned them before, and I asked about them, but I still didn''t understand what they meant. Last night I finally figured it out online."
"Your learning ability is quite amazing" Franca said, her lip twitching slightly.
He''s already surfing the inte so quickly!
Good thing this guy hasn''t learned to use food delivery apps to order breakfast directly yet, otherwise what use would I be as a guide?
Lumian said in an Aurore-like smug tone, "I''ve already applied for a QQ number and a backup WeChat ount. Once we finish the observation phase of our work, I''ll try adding Mr. Fool."
14:37
"" Franca thought about how this guy was now essentially a genuine beauty who could switch to a beautiful female form at any time. She couldn''t help but quip, "Mr. Fool will think you''re selling tea leaves and won''t add you at all."
Lumian said in an Aurore-like smug tone, "I''ve already applied for a QQ number and a backup WeChat ount. Once we finish the observation phase of our work, I''ll try adding Mr. Fool."
"" Franca thought about how this guy was now essentially a genuine beauty who could switch to a beautiful female form at any time. She couldn''t help but quip, "Mr. Fool will think you''re selling tea leaves and won''t add you at all."
"What?" Lumian was a bit confused.
Finally something you don''t know! Franca pulled out a chair and sat down, then tore open the soy milk seal, broke off half a dough stick, and dropped it in to soak.
After doing this, she began "educating" Lumian and Anthony, who was silently eating breakfast, on some Intemon senseJenna had taken the second half of the night watch and was still catching up on sleep.
Towards the end, Franca pondered for a moment and said to Lumian, "Although you''re adapting and integrating very well, I still don''t think you should have made that kind of joke when buying breakfast. That kind of joke leaves a strong impression, and you''re quite handsome now, so the breakfast shop owner has definitely remembered you. This isn''t very conducive to our current n of hiding our identities and observing quietly."
"If we weren''t concerned about this, afraid of bing too famous and attracting the Celestial Worthy''s attention, we could even start a livestream to make money, and take Ludwig to eat at buffets!"
Lumian thought about it seriously, "Indeed, I''ll be more careful. We''ll have Anthony go buy things from now on."
At this point, Lumian sincerely praised Franca, "You''re even more attentive than me when ites to these things."
Franca used chopsticks to pick up a section of dough sticks soaked in sweet soy milk, stuffed it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed, then half-closed her eyes and sighed with both intoxication and satisfaction. "This is it"
She paused, then said proudly, "Of course, I''ve seriously acted as an Assassin before. I''m definitely not the kind of assassin who thinks ''killing everyone who sees me equals sessful stealth''!"
They chatted idly for a while, and Jenna also got up and started eating the breakfast Lumian had put in the Traveler''s Bag earlier, which Ludwig hadn''t discovered.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Lumian and Franca went to open the door one after the other, and saw two people in police uniforms standing outside. The leader had a receding hairline and gray eyes, while the one behind him had ck hair and green eyes, looking very handsome but with azy, carefree air about him.
Franca''s pupils suddenly dted.
She recognized the young police officer with emerald eyes.
It was the Major Arcana card holder, Mr. Star!
Franca was about to greet him happily when she suddenly realized.
Mr. Star had been locked onto by the Celestial Worthy and would be kicked out shortly after entering the dream each time. The one before her should only be the dream image of Mr. Star woven by Mr. Fool''s subconscious.
"Good morning, my name is Deng, I''m the police officer responsible for this area," the gray-eyed policeman smiled and asked. "You just moved in yesterday, right?"
"Yes," Lumian didn''t hide it.
The police here even know we just arrived yesterday?
The police in Trier were never this efficient
Officer Deng said amiably, "Do you have a temporary residence permit"
"Captain, it''s called a residence permit now," the young police officer behind him with ck hair and green eyes, who was suspected to be the dream image of the Major Arcana card holder, Mr. Star, reminded him helplessly.
He seemed to have reminded him many times before.
"Haha, I forgot, I forgot." Officer Dengughed self-deprecatingly.
"We haven''t had time to get one yet," Franca quickly answered, afraid that Lumian wouldn''t know what a residence permit was.
"Then when you have time, go to the police station across from New City Garden to get one. If you young lovers get marriedter and have children, you''ll need this to enroll them in public kindergartens," Officer Deng reminded them in a casual manner.
Fast-forwarding to marriage and children already Franca found it both amusing and helpless.
"Captain" Mr. Star behind Officer Deng reminded him once again.
Officer Deng smiled."I almost forgot, we came to ask you something today. Call all your friends over."
When Jenna came to the entrance area holding Ludwig''s hand, along with Anthony, Officer Deng took out a photo. "Have you seen this person?"
The man in the photo had dyed his hair and eyebrows a burnt yellow color, with unremarkable facial features. It was clearly Oracle Danitz.
"We''ve seen him," Lumian answered, pretending to think. "He handed out fliers to usst night. What was his name again?"
He turned his gaze to Jenna.
Jenna, holding Ludwig''s hand, said, "His surname was Da, I don''t remember his full name. He wanted to rmend a suitable tutoring ss for children. I was nning to go check it out when I have time."
Seeing Lumian and Jenna speaking like an old married couple with a child, Officer Deng''s gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, and between Lumian and Franca.
Young people these days
"Did something happen to him?" Lumian asked curiously, taking the initiative.
Officer Deng exined briefly, "He didn''t return to his residencest night. His roommate reported him missing, and we''re investigating everyone he had contact withst night."
Franca and Jenna resisted the urge to look at Lumian, while Lumian spoke the truest words, "He gave us fliers, chatted for a bit, then left."
Officer Deng and Mr. Star asked a few more details and made notes.
After they left and everyone sat back at the dining table, Franca looked at Lumian and asked with concern, "Is the Oracle''s body still in that mirror?"
Lumian took out the corresponding mirror and checked. "It''s still there."
There was still a mirror world here, and Lumian could still freely enter and exit, but he could now directly narrow the range of different mirrors to within 500 meters. For mirrors he had already mastered locating, the distance between them couldn''t exceed ten kilometers when wanting to traverse, otherwise there was a risk of getting lost in the void tunnel.
Jenna nodded. "Then we can rule out the first guess from yesterday.
"Critical things that Mr. Fool''s dream identity doesn''t know about or hasn''t heard of will also be real and evolve further."
The remaining two guesses were that all the NPCs in the dream had part of Mr. Fool''s subconscious integrated into them, and that the Oracle''s death was done by the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates. N?v(el)B\\jnn
These two were notpletely opposed and could both be true.
Lumian offered a curt acknowledgment. "If it was done by the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates, the disappearance of the body would puzzle them as well. Besides the police, there should be people investigating the Oracle''s whereabouts, we need to be careful."
After discussing this for a while, Lumian looked at the long-stopped wall clock, then at the sky outside.
"It seems to be gettingte."
Franca took out her phone, lit up the screen, looked at it and said, "It''s time to go out, Mr. Fool should be heading to thepany soon."
Lumian thought for a moment and said to Franca, "I''m worried we''ll encounter Amon again if we take a taxi. Last night I found out online that there''s also the option of renting a car. Although it will cost more, it''s safer and more discreet.
"Do you know how to drive?"
"I have a driver''s license," Franca blinked and said, "The identity documents provided by Madam Justice also include a driver''s license."
"I''m asking if you know how to drive," Lumian emphasized, amused.
Franca flew into a rage out of humiliation. "I got my license in college, but before I graduated, uh, I came to Intis. Where would I have had a car to drive?
"If you ask me if I know how to drive, I can only answer that I have a license."
She felt that Anthony, who was currently experiencing the dream world, should have already guessed that she came from a different world.
Before Lumian could ask again, she said confidently, "With a Beyonder''s eyesight, hearing, reaction time, and physical coordination, plus my driving knowledge, I don''t think driving will be a problem. Didn''t you quickly master how to use chopsticks yesterday?"
"Then let''s rent a car." Lumian made the decision.
Although Franca felt the pain of spending money, thinking that she could borrow more, she suppressed that feeling.
By the due date, we might havepleted the mission and left the dream!
In a temporary parking spot across from arge building.
Sitting in a gray sedan, Lumian and the others intently observed the white-cor workers entering the building, some hurried and some leisurely, through the tinted car windows.
Chapter 910 First Encounter
Chapter 910 First Encounter
When it came to observation, although Lumian was already a demigod, all his abilities were suppressed to the Sequence 7 level. He felt he wasn''t as professional as a Spectator, so he gave the back seat position closest to the target building to Anthony. Lumian relied on his eagle-like vision from the Demoness pathway and a Hunter''s sensitivity to visual clues to observe from afar.
In the front seat, Franca had finally managed toplete her parallel parking. She rested her elbow on the car door, watching the target area while secretly feeling proud. Jenna turned around, leaning forward and squeezing her head above Franca''s shoulder, also watching intently.
As time passed minute by minute, Franca suddenly smelled the aroma of meat stewed with spices until tender.
She turned her head and saw Ludwig quietly munching on a meat sandwich in the far corner of the back seat.
"It hasn''t been two hours since breakfast, right?" Franca blurted out.
Why is he eating again?
Lumian simply replied, "No, it hasn''t."
"I''m thinking, is this his eating frequency and portion size in reality too" Franca muttered.
She didn''t have a direct understanding of how much Ludwig could eat before, only a financial concept. But in the days before entering the dream, she often helped Jenna supervise Ludwig''s homework and test papers. The two Demonesses got to witness what it meant to be a Glutton, leaving an extremely deep impression.
Franca continued, "In the dream, aren''t all special abilities limited to Sequence 7 level? But he doesn''t seem to be eating any less"
Hearing this, Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony''s gazes suddenly turned to Ludwig.
Ludwig quickly stuffed the entire meat sandwich in his mouth and mumbled, "Because it''s delicious!"
"You''d rather be stuffed than not eat?" Lumian raised an eyebrow.
"Mmhmm." Ludwig nodded vigorously.
Seeing Ludwig like this, Jenna couldn''t help butugh.
"It is really delicious."
Lumian thought for a moment and decided to indulge Ludwig for a couple of days, as he himself was eating more than usual.
"It''s really good, isn''t it?" Franca became proud again, "What I can''t figure out is how none of you got diarrhea. Jenna and Anthony were even moring that it was spicy while eating!"
"My digestive system has endured the burning of mes, and Ascetic has strong resistance to extreme environments." Lumian indicated that spiciness was no trouble for a Hunter who liked self-harm like him.
"Swallowing a ball of fire" was an exaggeration for others, but for him it was an asional objective description.
Anthony continued observing the entrance and exit of the building, calmly saying, "The Mythical Creature form of Spectator is a mind dragon."
Although there wasn''t much improvement inbat abilities, one''s physical toughness would significantly increase.
Just as Jenna was about to describe her feelings, Anthony and Lumian said in unison, "Mr. Fool is here."
Jenna hurriedly returned to her previous posture, turning her gaze to the dark-tinted car window.
She saw a young man wearing a ck short-sleeved polo shirt, light-colored casual pants, and a pair of brownish sneakers. He was holding a cup of soy milk and carrying a bag of steamed buns, taking a few steps up the stairs towards the building.
This man had short ck hair that was simply styled, deep brown eyes behind a pair of non-prescription sses. His face was much thinnerpared to the portrait in their files, with soft contours, giving him a somewhat handsome appearance.
He was precisely Lumian and the others'' target, the dream image of Mr. Fool, Zhou Mingrui!
After Zhou Mingrui''s figure disappeared into the building lobby, Franca took a breath and said, "Compared to the original sketch, Mr. Fool has lost quite a bit of weight and be a little better looking
"Could the Major Arcana card holders'' spection be correct, that he was somehow misled by the Celestial Worthy into drinking the Assassin potion?
"Is the Celestial Worthy trying to use gender change to cause cognitive issues for Mr. Fool and thereby achieve victory?"
The Major Arcana card holders mentioned in the files that one of the most important phase goals for Lumian''s team was to prevent Zhou Mingrui, who was suspected to have drunk the Assassin potion, from truly bing a Witch!
"Does the Assassin potion also improve appearance?" Lumian asked Franca and Jenna.
He had switched from the Hunter pathway to the Demoness pathway and hadn''t experienced the Assassin sequence in detail.
"It mainly adjusts body shape to make the user more suitable as an assassin, which brings about a slight change in appearance, but very little," Franca recalled. "Mr. Fool, uh, Zhou Mingrui probably seeded in passive weight loss, bing better looking mainly due to slimming down, and secondarily due to the minor improvements from the Assassin potion."
She felt it was better to refer to the target as Zhou Mingrui for now. Constantly using "Mr. Fool" made her nervous and afraid to discuss.
Lumian nodded and asked Anthony, "Did you notice anything?"
Anthony said, "Mr. Fool''s steps up the stairs were very light, consistent with the description of the Assassin potion
"Mr. Fool is wearing non-prescription sses to conceal eyes that are no longer nearsighted, indicating he doesn''t want to change his life in the short term and will continue working
"Mr. Fool''s emotional state seems good, he probably hasn''t encountered any major incidents yet
"Can''t tell if he''s taken the Instigator potion yet"
After hearing Anthony''s observations, Lumian thoughtfully said, "Continue observing and recording the people mentioned in our files and those showing certain abnormalities"
"Okay," Jenna responded first, then pointed across the street. "That''s Rozanne, in reality she''s a civilian staff member of the Church of Evernight, married with children. In the dream, she''s Zhou Mingrui''s colleague. Currently uncertain if there''s anything abnormal"
Franca followed up, "That one wearing a white tailcoat with a bowtie and long silver hair in 30-degree heat is Vice President Wu from thepany next to Zhou Mingrui''s, suspected to be"
At this point, Franca nced sideways at Lumian and saw that his expression remained calm, his gaze not changing much. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Only then did she continue, "Suspected to be Ouroboros, the Angel of Fate of the Aurora Order, a king from ancient times."
ording to their files, thepany next to Mr. Fool''s should be a projection of the Aurora Order in the dream.
Until 10 a.m., Lumian and the others finished their first round of observation, matching many people with the information in their files, but not discovering any truly suspicious individuals.
"Roselle Emperor, uh, CEO Huang didn''te," Franca said with some disappointment.
Roselle Emperor''s image in the dream was the CEO of the Intis Group where Mr. Fool worked, a business tycoon, a domineering boss.
Before Lumian could respond, Franca chuckled to herself. "He''s probably still in bed with some actress, streamer, or singer."
Lumian was also a bit disappointed, but there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
He, who had never attended university, was already preparing to apply for a security guard position at the Intis Group.
"Now let''s go buy clothes," Lumian said, looking down at his still normal shirt and trousers, then ncing at Jenna''s blue waist-cinching long dress with ssical charm.
At this point, Ludwig raised a question, "What''s for lunch?"
Franca, currently responsible for the entire team''s ie, immediately said, "Who eats out every day?
"Later we''ll go to arge supermarket and buy dozens of kilos of noodles and some side dishes. I''ll cook noodles for you, all you can eat!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Franca saw the smile and anticipation disappear from Ludwig''s face, reced by a slightly aggrieved expression.
She felt no pity or guilt, but instead secretly patted her thigh.
Damn, I should have let Jenna say those two sentences! What a great opportunity to digest the Affliction potion!
After finalizing their itinerary, Franca carefully drove the car out onto the wide road.
Inside arge shopping mall.
Lumian and the others, with their appearancepletely transformed, took the elevator from the underground parking lot to the first floor.
Franca looked at Jenna again, feeling that the simplebination of a white patterned T-shirt, light blue jeans, white sneakers, and ankle-length socks of the same color gave her a fresh and clean look. It retained a youthful, student-like air while adding a hint of natural allure in her nces, attracting the gaze of many passersby.
It''s the type I used to like, no, still like! And Jenna with heavy makeup is another style altogether Franca didn''t hide her admiration.
Her tall stature and striking features made the ordinary ck T-shirt and wide-leg pants look mature and confident, causing many people to only dare steal quick nces.
Lumian still wore a shirt with ck pants, but with a more casual and rxed feel. Walking together with the two Demonesses, they looked as beautiful as a painting.
Their clothes were all very cheap. Franca had given up on the bulk-priced ones and opted for the 10-yuan items, buying a lot.
Lumian''s gaze swept every corner of the mall, feeling it was spacious, bright, and clean, even more impressive than the most luxurious department store in Trier.
Franca had no intention of letting Lumian, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig wander around here. She headed straight for the esctor going down to the basement, nning to enter the supermarket.
Money needs to be saved!
As soon as Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony arrived at the entrance of the supermarket, they were dazzled by the wide array of goods inside, the artistic disys, and the soft yet bright lighting.
Franca suddenly paused, instinctively turning her head towards Ludwig. She found the little boy''s gaze already fixed, his eyes filled with burning desire.
"Let''s go back!" Franca blurted out. "I''ll buy the stuff online and have it delivered!"
In a ce like a supermarket, kids simply can''t control themselves!
Hearing Franca''s words, Ludwig''s expression immediately fell.
After learning the reason, Lumian and Jenna both agreed with Franca''s decision.
Turning around and walking a few steps, Lumian''s peripheral vision suddenly caught a figure.
The figure had their head slightly lowered, ck hair hanging down, faintly revealing small and delicate ears.
She quickly disappeared into the depths of the supermarket.
Lumian suddenly stopped and said in a low voice to Franca, Jenna, and Anthony, "I may have seen that reanimated female corpse."
Chapter 911 A Way to Make Money
Chapter 911 A Way to Make Money
Reanimated female corpse? Franca and the others were all startled.
Last night, Lumian had said he intuitively believed that before long, they would encounter that reanimated female corpse. As a result, they ran into her today?
"Where?" Jenna asked in a lowered voice.
Lumian looked towards the esctor without showing any outward sign of abnormality. "In the supermarket."
He didn''t immediately turn around to track the reanimated female corpse, because Franca casually nced at a corner of the ceiling, then carelessly looked around.
The first action was to remind Lumian that there were multiple cameras here, while thetter behavior implied that there were many people around, many phones, and if he were to cause anymotion, it would likely be filmed as a short video, uploaded online, and be a trending topic. If that happened, it would likely catch the Celestial Worthy''s attention!
Although Lumian could use Mirror Maze and other illusions to affect cameras and phones, this wasn''t a scenario he had preset. He would have to chase all the way, and couldn''t use mirror magic every few steps.
It was only because they lived in a rather dpidated area of the old town that there were quite a few cameras on the main roads and at the entrances of various residential areas. Once in quiet alleys that few people usually walked, there wasn''t much surveince. Otherwise, Lumian''s act of moving Oracle Danitz''s corpse would have been recorded long ago. Franca would certainly have stopped him first at that time, telling him to find a blind spot in the surveince to take out the mirror, create a Mirror Maze step by step before approaching the corpse.
Hearing his godfather''s answer that the reanimated female corpse was in the supermarket, Ludwig''s eyes lit up, and he raised his short arm. "Let''s go chase her!"
Kid, you have gotten a bit smarter, even knowing how to take advantage of this situation! I can''t tell if you want to use this as an excuse to go into the supermarket to get food, or if you think that female corpse might be more delicious Franca silently grumbled, turning her gaze to Jenna.
Jenna intuitively understood Franca''s hint and said with a smile, "We can''t track with so many people. Anthony and I will take Ludwig back to the car first. You and Lumian go into the supermarket to find her."
The expression of expectation and desire on Ludwig''s face suddenly froze.
"Alright." Franca took out the car keys and tossed them to Jenna.
"I also want to contribute to the team" Ludwig hadn''t finished speaking before being dragged away by Jenna, disappointment and pain evident in his expression.
Franca quickly turned around, grabbed a shopping cart from nearby, and pushed it towards the supermarket. Lumian followed beside her, his gaze naturally sweeping over the disys and rows of shelves.
While searching for traces of the reanimated female corpse, Franca began picking out items.
"Grab that can ofrd, and get some light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, MSG, chili oil" She ordered Lumian around without hesitation, while also constantly putting some kitchen items into the shopping cart herself.
Although cooking at home wastes time, it saves a lot of money!
Later they could go to the frozen goods wholesale market to buy some cheap items. The only problem was that the refrigerator in the rental apartment was too small, unable to hold more than a few days'' worth of food.
So you can buy things this way Lumian experienced for the first time the joy of picking up goods himself without needing to find a salesperson. He interestedly ced a bottle of alcohol into the shopping cart.
"This is cooking wine! Well, we need it anyway." Franca nced amusedly at this regr customer of Ol'' Tavern.
The two chatted andughed, moving through the supermarket in a harmonious atmosphere, no different from other families shopping around them.
Under this disguise, Lumian and Franca confirmed the situation in every corner of the supermarket, but found no trace of the reanimated female corpse.
"She may have already left. Let''s check out first." Franca looked at the dozens of pounds of freshly made noodles and a ten-kilogram bag of rice on top of the shopping cart, genuinely delighted at how much money they could save on meals in theing days.
Lumian nodded. "We''ll take turns cookingter."
Franca patted Lumian''s shoulder with a smile. "I''m looking forward to your culinary skills."
This trip, the two bought nearly 500 yuan worth of goods, most of which were inexpensive ingredients that could fill stomachs.
After leaving the supermarket exit, Lumian and Franca quickly scanned around but still didn''t see any sign of the reanimated female corpse.
Almost simultaneously, Franca noticed a shop with the words "Lottery" written on it.
Her heart suddenly stirred, and she turned her head to look at Lumian, asking with full expectation, "Can you still use your abilities to Magnified Fate and Compelling Fate?"
"Of course." Lumian cast his gaze towards the shop Franca had just been looking at. "But only at the Sequence 7 level. I can''t influence rtively crucial and important fates unless their probability of urrence is already very high."
A smile gradually blossomed on Franca''s face, attracting the gazes of several passersby, both men and women.
"Let''s go buy some lottery tickets!" She said with a firm tone, concealing her joy.
Is she wanting me to magnify the fate stream of her winning, or forciblypel fate in that direction? Lumian had long known what lottery meant. In the past, Aurore would asionally give him gifts in the form of lottery tickets on major holidays, with a 100% win rate.
"Let''s give it a try." Lumian''s subtext was to buy a small amount first, and even if Compelling Fate was ineffective in Mr. Fool''s dream, they wouldn''t lose too much.
Franca rubbed her hands together and walked towards the lottery booth with a bright and clear smile.
Before transmigrating, she would buy ten to twenty yuan worth of lottery tickets every week or two, purely for entertainment, but never had returns exceeding the principal.
Now, I''vee with good luck!
She didn''t directly buy lottery tickets like the Double Color Ball, but instead spent fifty yuan on different versions of scratch cards.
As she paid and made her selections, Lumian''s eyes took on a silver-white color with ck.
He reached out to Franca, embracing her shoulders in a couple-like gesture, using this toplete his touch on the River of Fate. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The corresponding stream was magnified.
Franca instinctively twisted her body, not quitefortable with such an embrace, especially in public.
But she quickly returned to a normal state, allowing Lumian to embrace her shoulders.
Her eyes had already lit up.
She scratched off the corresponding numbers!
This is worth 50 yuan!
While Lumian was paying attention to the various grand prize information being announced at the lottery booth, Franca finished scratching all the lottery tickets, winning a total of two thousand.
"Haha!" Sheughed silently and smugly.
Finally made a profit!
Beyonder powers are great!
After cashing in the prizes, Franca said to Lumian in an exceptionally cheerful mood, "I''m going to buy a few Double Color Ball tickets."
At this point, she lowered her voice, "Don''t worry about those fate streams for the grand prize, a third or second prize would be fine."
Lumian nodded gently.
Franca immediately thought of some numbers and bought 5 entries.
As they walked towards the nearest direct elevator, Lumian asked Franca with a smile, "Why don''t you want to win the first prize? I see the first prize money is worth a lot, and you could even win dozens at once."
Franca wrinkled her nose and said, "Didn''t you say that currently you can only influence fates that aren''t too crucial or important? That kind of overnight wealth probably can''t be achieved.
"Besides, even if you could really make me win, the final result might not be what I bought. ''Fate'' has long been predetermined."
Afterining a bit, Franca asked with concern, "Did Magnified Fate just now seed?"
Lumian chuckled. "No."
"My money!" Franca blurted out, then immediatelyforted herself, "Good thing it wasn''t much."
Lumian exined simply, "I only realized this wasn''t an instant-win lottery when you were buying. The results won''te out for several days. The corresponding fate streams areplex and intricate, with too many variables. I couldn''t clearly see which one led to the winning fate, I could only magnify the one with special characteristics. What the final result will be, I don''t know either.
"We can only pray for Mr. Fool''s blessing." Franca expressed understanding.
Seeing that the direct elevator was about to arrive, Lumian looked left and right and asked thoughtfully,
"We''re under surveince, so that reanimated female corpse should be too.
"Is there any way to check the mall''s surveince footage to see what she came here to do?"
"We''re not the police; we don''t have that authority." Franca instinctively replied.
"Sneak in at night and look through it ourselves?" Lumian suggested.
Franca said with amusement, "The Major Arcana card holders told us to obey thew as much as possible. Why do you always want to dance on the edge of breaking thew?"
"It''s fine if we don''t get caught." Lumian said with a smile, "We can''t just report it to the police and let them investigate, can we? Wouldn''t that turn it back into a confrontation between Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy? We need to use the police, not rely on them."
Franca thought for a few seconds and said, "We''ll see how it goes tonight."
In the rented apartment on the sixth floor.
Franca looked at Ludwig, his head buried in arge bowl, chopsticks constantly moving, and proudly boasted to Lumian and the others, "My cooking skills aren''t bad, right?"
This child is quite easy to feed. Noodles, seasonings, and a topping with a bit of minced meat satisfied him. He doesn''t have to go out to eat good food!
"It''s quite good, but I hope you''re not only capable of making noodles." Lumian took a sip of the noodle soup and put down his chopsticks.
"I also hope your culinary skills are as good as you say." Franca responded with a smile.
Just as Lumian was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed slightly.
He quickly took out a mirror from his pocket, the mirror that contained Oracle Danitz''s corpse!
At this moment, a pale hand without luster was reflected on the surface of the mirror.
This hand was reaching out from the darkness towards the outside of the mirror.
ck mes restraining madness and violence immediately condensed on both sides of Lumian. They fell onto that mirror like meteors.
With a slight explosive sound, the mirror suddenly shattered into pieces, enveloped by the ck mes, rapidly losing its limited spirituality.
Crackling sounds continued to ring out as the mirror fragments fell to the ground, breaking into even smaller pieces.
The pale hand was no longer visible on the surface of these fragments.
"Has the Oracle''s corpse reanimated?" Jenna looked at this scene and asked in astonishment.
Chapter 912 Tracking
Chapter 912 Tracking
Lumian looked at the dull, dark mirror fragments on the ground, relying on his spiritual perception for a few seconds before saying, "There''s a problem with the Oracle''s corpse, but I don''t know why."
Franca asked uncertainly, "Now that the mirror is broken, has the Oracle''s corpse fallen into the depths of the mirror world, lost in its turbulent flows?"
Each mirror had a corresponding area behind it. They were connected by illusory, dark tunnels, forming the mirror world.
Once a mirror broke, the corresponding area behind it immediately disintegrated. If things ced there couldn''t escape in time through the spider web-like tunnels, they would be swallowed by the turbulent flows of the mirror world and dragged into its depths. The environment and hidden dangers there were fatal to Beyonders without aplete Mythical Creature form.
When a mirror broke, it essentially formed more but smaller mirrors. However, from a mystical concept, it had been destroyed as a whole,pletely losing its original symbolism and function. The new mirrors produced needed time to evolve their own areas behind them, connect with the vast mirror world, and be mirrors withplete concepts in mysticism.
In other words, for a period of time, these mirror fragments could not be used to reflect enemies, transmit curses, or traverse the mirror world, though this doesn''t affect Wraiths using them for mirror jumps.
Of course, Lumian just destroyed the mirror with the Fire of Destruction, so the fragments formed had beenpletely destroyed in a mystical sense and could not evolve areas behind them. This prevented potential enemies from locating and pinpointing Lumian and the others'' specific location.
Lumian carefully said, "The Oracle''s corpse has indeed been carried away by the spatial turbulence of the mirror world. Even Angels would find it difficult to delve deep into the mirror world to find and bring it out, unless they''re angels of the Door pathway like Madam Magician or Demoness Angels with deep mastery of the mirror world.
"But doesn''t this mean the Oracle''s corpse will drift in the depths of the mirror world forever until it''spletely torn apart and annihted by the dangers there. There''s a chance that after some time, it could be thrown out of the mirror world by spatial turbulence, emerging from a random mirror."
"Mr. Fool''s dream world is mainly this city. If the Oracle''s corpsees out of a mirror, do we have a way to find it and confirm what problem it had?" Jenna understood what Lumian wanted to express.
Lumian smiled. "Yes. Let''s wait patiently for now, until spiritual intuition gives us a hint."
The corpse of Oracle Danitz was hidden by him and had a close mystical connection with him.
Franca nodded, took out her phone, and started browsing trending topics, sometimesughing out loud and sharing the joy with Lumian, Jenna, and Anthony, sometimes discussing with them whether certain news items had symbolic meaning in the dream or were rted to Mr. Fool''s current state.
By the time Ludwig had finished his sixth bowl of noodles and was also looking at his phone, Lumian, who asionally showed a smile, raised his head and said in a deep voice, "The Oracle''s corpse should have left the mirror world."
"Hmm, quickly use Magic Mirror Divination to confirm its specific location." Franca took out a mirror.
Lumian shook his head and chuckled softly. "There''s no need to go through so much trouble."
He turned his gaze towards Ludwig.
Ludwig put his right hand in his mouth, retched a few times, and vomited out a small clump of yellowish hair.
"We can directly determine the location using the Oracle''s hair with follicles," Lumian exined.
"When did you take a clump of hair from the corpse and hide it in Ludwig''s stomach?" Franca asked in astonishment.
Lumian responded with a smile, "Last night before bed, when Anthony was on night watch.
"The Oracle died so suddenly and bizarrely, of course I had to guard against his corpse reanimating. Hiding some of his hair in Ludwig''s body can counter divination and prophecy."
Saying this, Lumian held the small clump of slightly damp yellowish hair and stood up, saying, "Let''s go."
Almost simultaneously, he burned part of the hair and smeared the residue onto the surface of a mirror.
As the residue seeped in, the mirror emanated a dark, watery light, reflecting a scene.
There were oil-stained walls, a very spacious area, a floor covered in dust and rat droppings, quite dirtyrge ss windows, and Oracle Danitz''s corpse lying on the ground in front of a ss pane.
"Looks like an abandoned factory, the machines have been moved away" Francamented after a nce.
"In the suburbs, less than ten kilometers from us," Lumian added more information.
"Teleport over?" Jenna asked.
Lumian could rely on Mirror Traversal to directly go to another mirror within ten kilometers that he had located, and he had now locked onto the ss window that had ejected the Oracle''s corpseeven without knowing the position, he could sense mirrors within 500 meters and jump to them in segments.
Moreover, his Teleportation could still be used, but was restricted to positioning within one kilometer; beyond that, he needed to have been there before or have correct coordinates, with the farthest reach being the edge of the dream world.
Lumian nodded slightly, letting his teammates grab onto him, and took them into the mirror Franca had ced on the table.
Passing through a dark, illusory tunnel, they suddenly plunged into the depths of the mirror world, falling towards the ss window they had located.
Amidst Anthony''s dizziness, the five figures simultaneously appeared on the dirty ss of the abandoned factory.
Lumian didn''t linger, quickly sensing other mirrors within a 500-meter range and jumping over.
They appeared on the top floor of the office building beside the abandoned factory, left the ss window serving as a mirror, each hiding themselves, and gazed towards the target location.
From this angle, they could just see Oracle Danitz''s corpse.
"Don''t chew, just hold it in your mouth," Lumian handed a lollipop to Ludwig to keep him quiet.
Franca and Jenna were already carefully examining the Oracle''s corpse, finding that because it had been hidden in the mirror world, there were no signs of decay yet. But whether it was the bloodless face, the eyes frozen in fear, or other details, all indicated that the Oracle had been dead for over ten hours.
"Nothing unusual" Franca muttered silently.
Lumian remained motionless, patiently observing.
After nearly five minutes, in their line of sight, the Oracle''s corpse''s fingers suddenly twitched. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Dammit, amazing, back from the dead? Franca instinctively "admired" in her heart while being startled.
The corpse of Oracle Danitz first moved its fingers, then raised its arm.
Finally, it slowly stood up, its expression wooden, its deep blue eyes no longer overflowing with any emotion.
Really reanimated? Goosebumps rose on Jenna''s arms.
The reanimated Danitz corpse walked towards the outside of the abandoned factory, neither fast nor slow.
It walked all the way out of the deserted factory area, towards the roadside, standing there nkly.
Before long, an empty green taxi passed by, and Danitz''s corpse raised its right arm, hailing it.
When the taxi stopped in front of him, he slowly opened the door and sat in the back.
Franca rubbed her cheeks with both hands.
"How does this feel even more horrifying than the real world Is the Death pathway manipting the corpse?"
Lumian didn''t immediately lead his team members to track the taxi, because the mirror infused with Danitz''s hair residue was still showing the current state of the Oracle''s corpse.
Franca and Jenna tried Magic Mirror Divination to determine what was going on with the Oracle''s corpse reanimation.
"It''s not working, those beings who know a lot and are rtively safe aren''t responding; they''re not in Mr. Fool''s dream!" Franca found she could only do a simplified version, which was asking her own spirituality in Magic Mirror Divination.
Jenna confirmed her discovery. "Yes, my Magic Mirror Divination failed too."
Lumian took a moment to contemte before responding,
"In Mr. Fool''s dream world, the subjects of inquiry for Magic Mirror Divination, apart from one''s own spirituality, should only be those true gods who can directly project Themselves in. But we must ensure that the corresponding projection exists at the time of divination, and that the recited honorific name is not wrong.
"Inquiring of other creatures existing in the local spirit world might be equivalent to asking Mr. Fool or that Celestial Worthy. We might get the best revtion, or we might be directly kicked out of the dream. Hmm, we also don''t have the correct descriptions of those creatures."
"Who dares to inquire of true gods" Franca said softly.
Lumian suddenly grinned. "There''s still one choice, the one with the most urate divination results. The Major Arcana card holders mentioned it in the information, it''s a magic mirror belonging to Mr. Fool."
"It hasn''te to that point yet, has it" Franca was quite resistant.
Lumian tersely responded, his gaze still fixed on the mirror showing the Oracle''s corpse''s situation.
After more than twenty minutes, the taxi stopped at the entrance of a hospital with excellentndscaping and a very well-designed building.
Lumian and the others immediately saw the hospital''s sign: "Mushu Hospital."
"Mushu Hospital Is the Oracle''s death rted to the Mother Tree of Desire?" Franca murmured in confusion.
Lumian didn''t answer her, watching as the reanimated corpse of Oracle Danitz took out a phone with multiple missed calls from his pocket, scanned a code to pay the fare, and slowly walked towards the outpatient building of Mushu Hospital.
As soon as the corpse passed through the gate, Lumian''s mirror rippled with waves, emanating darkness, and quickly returned to normal, no longer showing the Oracle''s current position.
"I want to teleport near Mushu Hospital, go in and see where the Oracle''s corpse will go," Lumian said, withdrawing his gaze.
Franca quietlymented, "Shouldn''t a corpse go to the morgue?"
Jenna then said to Lumian, "You''d better change your appearance before going in. It might be easier to expose yourself inside Mushu Hospital, and we can''t affect your current identity. Hmm, Lie alone might not be enough."
Lumian pondered briefly, not wasting any more time. "Okay."
As he answered, his ck hair began to grow longer.
Chapter 913 A Kind of Symbol
Chapter 913 A Kind of Symbol
Seeing this, Anthony didn''t try to test himself and proactively left the office.
In just about 10-20 seconds, he heard Lumian''s feminized voice. "You cane in now."
Compared to before, this female voice wasn''t as low and subdued, with a hint of rity added.
Anthony pushed open the office door and saw that Lumian had changed into a slightly waist-cinching white shirt bought earlier for the female identity, paired with bluish jeans, entuating a slender waist and long, straight legs. She also wore deep rose-colored sunsses on the bridge of her nose. Though these were just cheap street goods, Lumian wore them with a beautiful, radiant, and sharp air.
Lumian slightly gathered the glossy ck hair falling on both sides, covering most of her cheeks, and said to Anthony, "Let''s go back to the rental apartment first."
Anthony carefully grabbed the sleeve of Lumian''s shirt, while Franca and Jenna each took hold of an arm. Ludwig, still with a lollipop in his mouth, chose to tug at his godfather''s clothes.
The group''s figures soon faded and disappeared from this long-abandoned office building without cameras, reappearing in the rental apartment where dishes had not yet been washed.
Lumian said to Franca, "You drive to Mushu Hospital and wait for me outside. We may not have the chance to teleport to escapeter."
This didn''t mean he couldn''t teleport, but rather that if he used teleport or Mirror Traversal in front of arge crowd of citizens, it would inevitably be a trending topic and might be directly locked onto by the Celestial Worthy.
"Okay," Franca tossed her lip balm and lipstick to Lumian. "Once inside the hospital, if you need to frequently look in the mirror, pretend you''re touching up your makeup."
In this matter, a female appearance had a natural advantage, making it less likely for people in the dream to notice anything unusual.
Lumian caught the lipstick and lip balm, and based on the location he had obtained while monitoring the Oracle''s corpse with the mirror earlier, he teleported to the nt-filled edge of Mushu Hospital. He walked out from behind several trees and turned into the crowd.
His supermodel-like height and the skin condition, contour details, and lip curve revealed between his ck hair and sunsses made passersby and patients, even without seeing his exact appearance, look twice. They seemed to want to use their brains to fill in the nks and reconstruct the possibly world-ss beauty hidden behind the sunsses.
Some people identally bumped into others, some missed a step and nearly fell.
Their only regret was that this tall beauty wearing sunsses didn''t walk gracefully enough, striding fiercely like a man.
Lumian gradually slowed his pace, as if trying to recall how Aurore usually walked.
After passing through security and entering the outpatient building, he temporarily stopped, took out a makeup mirror and lip balm, and added some shine and moisture to his pale lips.
During this process, he found that the mirror that had once been smeared with the Oracle''s hair residue could again reflect some scenes.
These included Danitz''s back, the medicine collection window, passing patients, and family members caring for them.
Lumian discerned the direction and walked towards the medicine collection window.
He didn''t walk fast, his gaze seemingly casually surveying the people around him and theyout of the hospital''s first floor.
Everything seemed normal, without any scenes of desire outbursts.
Vaguely, Lumian had a sense of familiarity.
It wasn''t that he had been to a simr ce before, but it came from the depths of his soul.
Lumian pursed his lips, lost in thought, Is it Aurore''s memory?
Did she frequent this kind ofrge hospital before her transmigration? Well, everyone gets sick sometimes
Did her soul fragments be a bit more active after I changed into a female form? Hmm, it must also be because Mr. Fool''s dream city is very simr to her hometown, stimting her soul fragments
Lumian quickly suppressed the emotions in his heart, remembering that he had entered Mushu Hospital to track the whereabouts of the Oracle''s corpse and observe the situation here.
His gaze swept over faces, some wearing masks, some with hidden worry, feeling that this shouldn''t be much different from the situation in a normal hospital.
Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure.
It was the male orderly who had mentally broken downst night due to the female corpseing back to life.
This orderly was wearing a mask, pushing a transfer bed as he passed by, with no fear or worry in his eyes, almost identical to the expressions of his colleagues.
He still dares to work at this hospital? Lumian''s eyebrows twitched slightly.
The orderly seemed to have forgotten about his desecration of the corpse, and had also forgotten the horror of the corpse suddenly waking up.
It was as if someone had told him that the female corpse wasn''t actually dead, and his misconduct had actually helped her escape from a state of apparent death, avoiding cremation, so she had decided to forgive him.
Lumian slowly shook his head, took out the lip balm and makeup mirror, and once again tracked the whereabouts of the Oracle''s corpse.
The scene presented in the mirror was an area with eight elevators. The back of Oracle Danitz had just passed through the elevator doors, with the outside button lit up with a downward arrow.
Is this going to B1? Is the destination really the morgue? Lumian passed by the front of the medicine collection window and turned towards the nearby stairwell.
There were patients and family members waiting here.
Lumian looked left and right, thinking that he should prepare some masks for him and the other Demonesses. This could more effectively conceal their faces without bing the focus of others'' attention.
The elevator came rather slowly. It took Lumian two to three minutes to wait for an elevator that was continuing downwards.
The people inside poured out, leaving only a patient sitting in a wheelchair and an orderly in green clothes pushing the wheelchair.
The orderly wore a mask, and the patient was quite elderly, with graying hair and beard.
Their gazes simultaneously turned to Lumian, with something unsettling hidden in the depths of their deep brown eyes.
Lumian, who was about to step in, suddenly stopped.
He felt that the elevatorcked light, as if it had be a giant mouth about to close.
The elevator''s double doors slowly closed, the interior growing darker, as if falling into an abyss.
Lumian watched expressionlessly, abandoning his intention to enter.
He sensed intense danger.
And his spiritual intuition, coupled with the slight activity of Aurore''s soul fragments, made him vaguely aware of what was hidden in the eyes of those two people in the elevator just now.
It was an intense desire.
It was the intense desire to tear off his clothes and vent their inner cravings!
The elevator doors finally closed, the downward arrow went out, and the numbers began to change.
Going to B1, to the morgue, would be extremely dangerous Lumian watched for a few more seconds, silently musing to himself.
After some consideration, he gave up the impulse to go down the stairs to investigate, and had a new idea,
Should I call the police? Just say I saw the missing Danitz enter Mushu Hospital and go down to the basement
Just as Lumian had this thought, his phone began to vibrate.
He took out his phone and saw it was from "Luo Fu".
On the ID card given by Madam Justice, Franca''s name was "Luo Fu".
Lumian answered the phone somewhat awkwardly yet habitually, tentatively saying, "Hello?"
Franca, driving the vehicle and wearing earphones, looked ahead and said, "You''d better not delve deeper into Mushu Hospital now. Wait a bit longer, wait for the police to investigate."
"Why do you say that?" Lumian didn''t think Franca had sensed his earlier thoughts.
Franca turned the steering wheel and said, "I was shocked by the Oracle''s corpseing back to life earlier and didn''t notice some details. It only dawned on me after getting in the car.
"When the Oracle''s corpse got off at Mushu Hospital''s entrance, did it use a phone to scan and pay?"
"Yes." Lumian had a very deep impression of the scan-to-pay incident, as Franca had been telling them they could do this and had personally demonstrated several times.
Wearing earphones and driving the car, Franca showed a slightly proud smile.
"The Oracle has already been ssified as missing by the police, and when a missing person''s phone ount suddenly makes a payment, don''t you think it would attract the police''s attention and allow them to track his movements? n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"The police should be arriving at Mushu Hospital soon. If you sneak into ces with secrets now, you might run into them."
"Can it work like that? The efficiency is really high" Lumian muttered softly.
Now, he didn''t need to find a way to call the police!
The police in this dream city were far more efficient than those in Trier, able to grasp key clues without his reminders.
Lumian held his phone, pretending to have received an urgent call, and left this stairwell.
He made his way back to the medicine collection area and hid among the waiting crowd.
Before long, he saw Officer Deng and the dream projection of Mr. Star leading a team of police rushing towards the previous stairwell.
Lumian yed the role of a spectator watching themotion, patiently waiting for nearly twenty minutes until the police team returned.
They were carrying a stretcher, with the person on itpletely covered by a white cloth, only vaguely revealing yellowish hair.
The Oracle''s corpse Lumian made a definitive judgment using the makeup mirror in his hand.
He immediately became puzzled.
They found the reanimated corpse just like that?
Nothing happened?
Back in the car driven by Franca, Lumian recounted what had just happened.
Franca also had the same confusion.
"The people at Mushu Hospital didn''t resist the police?
"Theoretically, Mushu Hospital should be a force formed by the infiltration of the great existence, Mother Tree of Desire, or at least operated by a Sequence 0 true god subordinate to Her"
Lumian expressed his thoughts, "There are two possibilities:
"One, Mushu Hospital is not an external projection, but originates from Mr. Fool''s impression of the Mother Tree of Desire and Her subordinates.
"Two, this is a symbol, representing an external projection. Even if it originates from great existences, it cannot directly confront the main consciousness of the dream. In this city, the official power, the police department, symbolizes the dream''s main consciousness.
"In other words, individual police officers can be targeted and influenced, but confronting the entire police department is equivalent to confronting the dream itself, confronting Mr. Fool plus that Celestial Worthy."
Chapter 914 Surveillance
Chapter 914 Surveince
After stating his two guesses, Lumian added, "I felt earlier that entering the basement of Mushu Hospital would be very dangerous. If the problem there was woven by the dream''s subconscious, originating from Mr. Fool''s impression of the Mother Tree of Desire and Her subordinates, it shouldn''t have reached this level."
His meaning was that he was more inclined towards the inference that the dream''s main consciousness symbol could not directly confront it.
Jenna, sitting in the passenger seat, nced at the gradually receding Mushu Hospital and said with a slightly furrowed brow, "But the police, represented by Mr. Star, only found the Oracle''s corpse. They don''t seem to have discovered any other anomalies existing in Mushu Hospital."
"This indicates that although the dream''s main consciousness cannot confront directly, it has ways to conceal and deceive," Anthony expressed his opinion.
"There might also be a mole." Franca, who was driving, had read many novels and watched many movies about undercover agents and traitors, muttered. "Part of the dream''s main consciousness must belong to the Celestial Worthy. He should be quite pleased to see the force infiltrated by the Mother Tree of Desire doing something, so He deliberately ignored some details."
"This also shows that regardless of whether it''s Mr. Fool or that Celestial Worthy, they are actually in a state of slumber, their true consciousness blurred, only able to react to a certain extent when directly stimted. Usually, they only asionally provide some inspiration based on received prayers or spirituality warnings. Otherwise, we would have been discovered and kicked out long ago when interacting with ordinary people in the dream," Lumian concluded based on various events experienced over the past two days and many details mentioned in the materials provided by the Major Arcana card holders.
Franca took the opportunity to warn her teammates, "So don''t think about live streaming, don''t do anything in public that would be a trending topic. If we do that, as soon as the Celestial Worthy''s dream identity scrolls to the corresponding video, He will immediately be stimted and kick us out of the dream.
"Well, even if the Celestial Worthy doesn''t scroll to it, His subordinates will notice it."
After a brief silence, Jenna asked, "What is live streaming?"
Anthony was equally confused.
"Will this be seen by many people?
"Simr to the front page headlines of a newspaper?"
You guys really haven''t adapted as well as Lumian Franca sighed, and while driving, she briefly exined,
"Open your phones, click on the app with the ck background and white pattern I downloaded for you earlier
"The hottest thing recently is ''True Death Metal''"
Jenna and the others all became focused and serious, continuing to receive their Inte education.
Near midnight.
Lumian brought Franca through the mirror world to the Moon za they had visited at noon, arriving behind a mirror in the surveince room.
Hidden in the area behind the mirror, they saw through the mirror surface arge disy screen split into multiple scenes, showing various areas of the mall, and two security guards sitting in front of the disy screen for night duty.
At this time, Moon za had long since closed for business, and many of the scenes shown on the surveince were pitch ck, with only parts covered by clear moonlight.
In this dream city, the moon was not crimson, but showed a faint silvery white, asionally tinged with yellow.
Franca, both eager and cautious, stretched her right hand out of the mirror surface, grasping a slightlyrger makeup mirror.
The makeup mirror immediately reflected therge screen, showing different scenes framed in individual squares.
Then, the surface of the makeup mirror rippled with illusory light invisible to the naked eye.
Mirror Maze!
The surveince areas seen by the two security guards and the images captured by several cameras in the room were instantly reced by mirrored illusions.
Franca had previously imagined being able to use her Beyonder powers after returning home, and now it felt like a rehearsal of her dream.
She walked out openly from behind the mirror object, put down the makeup mirror, adjusted its angle, and came to the surveince console with Lumian.
The two security guards had no reaction to their actions, as if they hadn''t seen them at all.
The scenes in their eyes were still the same as before when no outsiders had entered.
Lumian turned his gaze to Franca and said in a low voice, "Make haste."
He didn''t know how to operate this surveince system, otherwise he would have done it himself.
Franca adjusted the mirrored images to ensure they weren''tpletely static, while studying the mall''s surveince system.
Thanks to researching information online and making ns beforehand, it only took her two or three minutes to bring up the surveince footage of the supermarket area from noon.
Soon, the image froze on the scene where she and Lumian and others were returning from the supermarket entrance.
In the distance of this image, where imported goods were stacked, a figure in a white dress was walking out of the frame.
This figure had beautiful features, small and delicate ears, a fair and slender neck, and an aura so clean it seemed untouched by dust. Her hair was loosely tied up, giving a somewhatnguid feeling.
"It''s indeed that reanimated female corpse," Franca took out the sketchpleted with the help of Dream Divination and carefullypared it.
Before Lumian could respond, she added, "This appearance, temperament, and charm are more like a demigod-level Demoness rather than a Baby Cupid of the Scrooge pathway.
"How could a Demoness be resurrected in Mushu Hospital?"
Lumian nodded slightly, refraining from making conjectures for the moment, and instead asked Franca, "Can you find out the entire activity trajectory of this female corpse in the mall?"
"Yes," Franca busily operated the surveince system.
Soon, each scene on therge screen showed the figure of that female corpse, corresponding to different scenarios.
While searching for the female corpse''s traces based on the timeline and scene conditions, Franca had already browsed through these surveinces once. She nced at Lumian, who was focusing on observing details, and pondered,
"It feels like she''s wandering aimlessly, not buying anything, entering a store for a few minutes and then leaving. Hmm, it doesn''t look like she''s following anyone or searching for a specific item."
Lumianpared all the passersby in each surveince image and didn''t find anyone else appearing in all of them besides the female corpse.
"Is she experiencing and touring a city like this for the first time?" Lumian thought of himself and hispanions.
"And then because she has no money, she doesn''t dare to buy anything?" Franca joked with a smile.
Lumian immediately shook his head.
"It shouldn''t be that simple.
"We almost encountered this female corpse at noon, and after lunch, the Oracle''s corpse showed anomalies. The resurrected Oracle corpse went to Mushu Hospital, which is where this female corpse was reanimated.
"If it''s not arranged by that individual, not His script, such a coincidence is enough to indicate a close connection between the two."
Franca pondered for a moment and said, "If this female corpse is really a Demoness, then I''ve had simr situations before.
"When I first became a Witch, I received effective revtions from divination about something, but it was only revtions about time and ce. So, I aimlessly wandered back and forth in an arcade street in Trier for a day, and finally encountered the thing I wanted to encounter."
Lumian, who had just be a Demoness for a short time and hadn''t had simr experiences, nodded slowly and said, "You mean the reanimated female corpse received revtions through divination and came to wander in this mall?"
At this point, Lumian''s eyes became dark.
"Her gain was getting closer to us, discovering clues about which mirror the Oracle''s corpse was hidden behind, so that''s why the Oracle''s corpse showed anomalies right after lunch ended?
"Is she a subordinate of that Celestial Worthy, searching for the Oracle''s corpse?
"Are the Celestial Worthy and the Mother Tree of Desire cooperating, using Mushu Hospital to obtain subordinates they canmand, to harm certain dream characters?"
Franca concurred sinctly, "The fact that she could indirectlye into contact with us, on the surface it''s inspiration from divination, but in reality, it should be the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence at work. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Only High-Sequence Beyonders of the Demoness and Door pathways could possibly influence the mirror world from a distance, causing the Oracle''s corpse hidden in the mirror area to show anomalies.
"That female corpse might fit both situations."
Franca meant that the female corpse might be a demigod-level Demoness who had received boons from the Door pathway.
Lumian acknowledged Franca''s statement and pondered for a few seconds before saying,
"But the reanimation of this female corpse was definitely not for finding the Oracle''s corpse. From what that orderly confessed, she had already been resurrected before the Oracle was killed.
"She must have a more important role, carrying out a key task?"
Franca hissed and said, "In the next few days, besides observing the people and events around Mr. Fool, we need to find a way to locate this female corpse, see if we can eliminate her covertly without the Celestial Worthy noticing."
If this were in the real world, Franca definitely wouldn''t say this, because she wouldn''t be sure whether that reanimated female corpse was Sequence 4, Sequence 3, or even higher. She would only suggest asking the Major Arcana card holders for help. But in the dream city, everyone was currently suppressed to the Sequence 7 level. A demigod-level Demoness would only have some more special abilities than her, with no essential difference in strength. Lumian was also a demigod-level Demoness, and their team had the number advantage, capable of ganging up.
Lumian thought for a moment and said, "There should be surveince on the streets outside too, right? Can we find out where this female corpse ultimately went from the surveince?"
"We could, but that would require infiltrating government departments. If discovered, it would be equivalent to confronting the dream''s main consciousness." Franca didn''t agree with taking such a risk now. There was still so much information they hadn''t gathered!
Lumian suppressed the impulse in his heart and worked with Franca to restore the surveince footage, erase their own traces, and retreat back into the mirror object. Then, Franca ended the Mirror Maze and took away that makeup mirror.
The two security guards only felt that the surveince screens flickered briefly, but they quickly returned to normal.
Franca and Lumian returned to the car parked on the adjacent street, meeting up with Jenna and others who were responsible for backup.
As the vehicle drove towards the old town, Lumian and Franca, who was driving, told their teammates about the findings from watching the surveince and their own conjectures.
As they were talking, Lumian suddenly fell silent.
"What''s wrong?" Jenna asked.
Lumian said in a deep voice, "We thought of going to the mall to check the surveince to find that female corpse. Would that female corpse also think of checking the surveince to see if any women with outstanding appearances had passed by?"
Those who could hide a corpse behind a mirror were likely to be Demonesses too!
Franca''s expression changed, and she blurted out, "The surveince room!"
Chapter 915 Mysticism Must Keep Up with the Times
Chapter 915 Mysticism Must Keep Up with the Times
Moon za, inside the surveince room.
Lumian brought Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig back behind that mirror-like object, gazing through the mirror surface at the two security guards and therge screen.
Compared to when they left earlier, nothing had changed here. Everything looked normal.
Franca pondered for two seconds and said, "Has she note yet, or has she already been here, ahead of us?"
If that female corpse had already checked the surveince earlier, she would likely have discovered Lumian and the others. After all, the characteristics of Demonesses were quite distinctive, and beautiful women plus a handsome man were even more eye-catching. As long as the reanimated female corpse was willing to spend enough time checking segment by segment, frame by frame, with the reminders of spiritual intuition, she shouldn''t miss the corresponding footage.
In that case, Lumian and the others would have to consider changing identities, modifying appearances, and changing residences.
For an already impoverished family, this could truly be an exacerbation.
Franca could only pray to Mr. Fool, hoping that the female corpse woulde only at midnight. After all, unlike them, she didn''t have a specific time and corresponding location, and couldn''t purposefully check the surveince in just a few minutes or even tens of seconds to lock onto the people she wanted to find. She would have to check all the surveince videos covering the entire mall for ten to fifteen minutes before and after. If unlucky, the time spent could be measured in hours.
The spiritual intuition of Demonesses was also suppressed to the Sequence 7 level. That female corpse obviously couldn''t rely on this for very precise screening.
"Both are possible," Lumian stared outside the mirror.
Separated by ayer of mirror surface and in different spaces, he couldn''t directly see whether there was a Mirror Maze in the surveince room at this moment.
And the reanimated female corpse indeed seemed very much like a demigod of the Demoness pathway, likely possessing anti-divination abilities.
Jenna was also observing the situation in the surveince room and asked puzzledly, "Does the reanimated female corpse also know about things like surveince, and understand how to operate surveince systems?"
She felt that the reanimated female corpse was a projection of some external force, probably simr to themselves, just with a different method of entry. She and Lumian and the others only learned what surveince was, what it was used for, and how to avoid it after Franca''s reminders and exnations. And except for Franca, none of them knew how to operate a surveince system!
If we can''t do it, how can a newly reanimated female corpse?
Franca pondered and answered,
"Perhaps the reanimated female corpse is also part of the dream, a Demoness that one of Mr. Fool''s avatars once encountered. And the Celestial Worthy, using Mushu Hospital, made this Demoness go through a process of death and resurrection, turning her into apletely obedient subordinate, or rather, puppet."
As part of the dream, except for those set as children, fools, lunatics, or illiterates, everyone "innately" knew the concept and existence of surveince.
"Even if she''s part of the dream, she wouldn''t naturally master how to manipte surveince systems, unless she was previously engaged in this industry, or had studied it in advance like you," Jenna objected.
"That''s true," Franca suddenly had a sh of inspiration and took out her phone, intending to search on apps like Weibo, Zhihu, and various circles to see if there were any simr questions recently. Perhaps the reanimated female corpse was looking at her phone while using "currently waiting online" rhetoric to urgeizens to answer how to operate a certainpany''s surveince system, while trying to bring up the desired video based on theizens'' suggestions.
To Franca''s disappointment, there was no signal in the mirror world, and she couldn''t get online!
Lumian then said, "There''s another possibility. That female corpse also has a guide, a guide like Franca."
"Uh" Franca stuffed her phone back into her pants pocket.
She understood what Lumian was saying: A member of April Fool''s, the not-yet-dead Loki!
Wasn''t it said that Loki could have been reborn through possession by an Angel of the Seer pathway?
Well, whether it was Loki or that Angel of the Seer pathway, they were both subordinates of the Celestial Worthy!
"When we checked the surveince earlier, we didn''t find anyone like Loki around the reanimated female corpse," Franca recalled.
"The Faceless ability at Sequence 7 level," Lumian had already considered this issue. "And this is inside a mall, he could change outfits from time to time."
Franca nodded slowly and continued to observe the surveince room outside the mirror, hoping to wait for the reanimated female corpse and the possible existence of Loki.
After watching for a few seconds, she suddenly asked out of curiosity, "Does this kind of screen, this kind of surveince scenario, count as a mirror world?"
"From a mystical concept, I don''t think so. It''s not a reflection or inversion of the current scene," Lumian answered instinctively.
Jenna and Anthony were somewhat confused by Franca''s question.
"Mystical concepts also need to keep up with the times to match the social scenarios of the new era," Franca muttered before saying, "Although surveince is not a reflection or inversion of the current scene, it belongs to the reflection of scenes elsewhere. It has some of the functions and characteristics of mirrors, just with the reflection and disy separated in different ces."
Lumian didn''t know how to refute for a moment and could only directly express his view, "I think it''s closer to the world within paintings, perhaps even incorporating the informatized characteristics of the Mystery Pryer pathway at high levels."
"Then it''s a hybrid product of the mirror world, the world within paintings, and the information world!" Franca''s main energy was on observing the situation in the surveince room, and she was unwilling to delve deeper into issues that couldn''t yield urate answers at the moment, so she quickly made a guess.
Lumian half-closed his eyes, sensed for a moment, and said, "Indeed, it has a bit of the qualities of the mirror world. We can traverse through it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Anthony, who had been silent all along, said in a deep voice, "Don''t you think those two security guards outside are a bit strange?
"It''s been two or three minutes, and they haven''t moved at all, like they''ve turned into statues"
Statues? Franca''s heart stirred, and she took out a mirror, carefully extending it beyond the current mirror surface.
She quickly adjusted the angle, and using the reflection of light and the most basic function of the mirror, she saw the side profile of one of the security guards.
On the slightly dark makeup mirror, only illuminated by the reflection of the screen''s light, that half-face had no expression, partly hidden in the dim environment, partly slightly illuminated, the two intertwining and sometimes changing.
His eyes were constantly fixed on the surveince screen, with a hint of cold gray seemingly hidden in the depths of his pupils.
He looked alive, still with spirituality, but that was alljust alive, just with spirituality.
"Partial petrification of organs?" Franca frowned and whispered.
Lumian didn''t answer, but looked around.
"The reanimated female corpse has indeed been here, after Franca and I finished watching the surveince and left.
"I''ll go out and search to see if there are any clues left. You guard against unexpected situations."
Jenna and the others nodded, without objection.
Lumian pressed his hand against the mirror surface and walked out as if passing through ayer of water curtain.
In his male form, he circled to the front of the two security guards and found that they had both turned into warmth-carrying statues, expressionlessly looking ahead, motionless, which seemed exceptionally eerie in the surveince room where only the screen''s light flickered.
Lumian''s gaze moved away from the gray-white hidden in the eyes of the two security guards and turned to therge screen disying dozens or hundreds of scenes simultaneously.
There was nothing unusual about that, but the human-machine interface below was frozen on a certain operation.
And Lumian remembered that Franca had restored it to its initial state before leaving.
Fleeing in a hurry?
Did that female corpse sense the disturbance in the mirror world and urgently traverse away through therge screen itself?
Will she circle back to see who infiltrated the surveince room?
As these thoughts shed through his mind, Lumian suddenly turned sideways, looking towards the mirror object he hade out from.
Almost simultaneously, on the surveince footage, in a dark corner, a pale but alluring hand stretched out, extending beyond the screen.
In the area behind the mirror, while Lumian was investigating the surveince system, Franca suddenly heard Ludwig making smacking sounds.
What is he eating now? Franca instinctively turned to look at the little boy.
She saw Ludwig opening his mouth, constantly sucking in air, chewing and swallowing.
Uh Franca suddenly felt a bit guilty.
"Why are you eating air?" she asked.
Ludwig answered with a satisfied expression, "Delicious, there are many things with spirituality."
Many things with spirituality in the air? Franca was stunned for a moment, then suddenly had a strong sense of danger.
The mystical pathogen of Demonesses?
"Mirror Substitution!" she called out directly, actively triggering her own Mirror Substitution.
After hearing Ludwig''s answer, Jenna''s spiritual intuition also received a dangerous signal.
Without Franca''s reminder, she followed and triggered her Mirror Substitution.
Anthony was a second slower than the two of them.
At this moment, at the edge of the spider web-like illusory tunnel, a figure was quickly outlined. She wore a white dress, had a loose bun, with beautiful features and a clean auraclearly the reanimated female corpse.
This female corpse held a mirror in her hand, which had already reflected Franca''s figure. Her other hand was burning with quiet ck mes, quickly covering the mirror surface.
Silently, Franca''s figure, which had just degenerated into a mirror, burst into eerie ck mes from the inside out, quickly losing spirituality, falling to the ground, and shattering into pieces.
Seeing that the assassination attempt had failed and that there were four enemies, the reanimated female corpse immediately stepped back and disappeared at the edge of the illusory dark tunnel. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
This caused the seven Demoness ck mes created by Jenna and the Frenzy used by Anthony to all miss their target.
Inside the surveince room, Lumian suddenly turned around, with a straight sword already condensed from frost in his hand.
He swung this crystal-clear straight sword towards the hand reaching out from inside the surveince screen.
That hand suddenly retracted, and Lumian''s frost straight sword consequently fell onto the surface of the screen.
It bizarrely dematerialized, bringing Lumian along as it melted into therge screen, diving in.
Chapter 916 Real and Fake
Chapter 916 Real and Fake
After the reanimated female corpse retreated into the dark tunnel, Franca''s first reaction as her figure was just being outlined was to use the Ice Amulet that Lumian had remade, bringing Jenna and Anthony to chase after the enemy before shepletely left this mirror world.
She gripped the crystal-clear charm that she had already taken out of the Traveler''s Bag, but her spiritual intuition made her pause.
The destination of the reanimated female corpse''s Mirror Traversal was unknown, and there might be herpanions waiting. Rashly chasing after her could likely lead them into a trap!
Moreover, chasing after her meant separating from Lumian, making it easy for them to be defeated one by one.
Franca gazed for two seconds, then immediately said to Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig, who was still eating "air" in big gulps, "Leave here, go to the surveince room!"
Who knew how long the reanimated female corpse had been hiding at the edge of the tunnel, producing how many mystical pathogens. Staying in this area would lead to increasingly severe infection, until they fell ill!
And relying solely on Ludwig eating like this, mouthful by mouthful, who knew how long it would take to clear out the mystical pathogens that could continuously reproduce. More importantly, this sealed Angel''s physical condition had also been lowered to the Sequence 7 level. The mystical pathogens he ate wouldn''t affect him, but those that invaded his skin, eyes, and respiratory tract could definitely infect him.
At that point, it would be a race to see whether Ludwig finished eating the mystical pathogens first, or the mystical pathogens defeated him first.
Additionally, Franca and Jenna''s Demoness ck mes were also restricted by the dream, only able to be produced a few at a timecluster after clusterunable to burnrge areas of surrounding mystical pathogens to create a sufficiently safe environment.
However, the dream''s restrictions had both disadvantages and advantages. The gue ability of the reanimated female corpse was also suppressed to the Sequence 7 level, preventing Franca and the others from bing infected and falling ill too quickly.
Jenna and Anthony didn''t question Franca''s decision, only Ludwig was reluctant to leave.
He wanted to eat even if he got sick!
He wanted to eat even if he died!
Jenna grabbed the little boy, forcibly dragging him out of the area behind the mirror, as his physical qualities had beenprehensively reduced to Sequence 7.
At such an urgent moment, Jenna actually felt another digestion of the Affliction potion.
"Let me go! Let go" Before Ludwig could finish speaking, he had already passed through the mirror surface and arrived in the surveince room.
But they didn''t see Lumian.
"Was Lumian also attacked?" Franca quickly looked around with a solemn expression.
Or had he gone chasing after an enemy?
Just as Franca finished speaking, she saw that every surveince scene on therge screen had changed.
They once again disyed the scenes from noon when the reanimated female corpse had appeared.
In those scenes arranged in a crisscrossing matrix, the reanimated female corpses that originally belonged to the surveince footage either raised their heads or half-turned their bodies, all staring uniformly towards the outside of the screen.
Wearing white dresses and loose buns, they instantly had the same expression change, their fair and delicate hands reaching towards the camera one after another, extending out of the surveince screen, reaching for Franca, Jenna, and the others outside.
They crawled out of the screen one by one, their faces dark, with asional shes of light.
Seeing this scene, Franca, relying only on spiritual intuition and Demoness vision, briefly couldn''t distinguish which of these many reanimated female corpses were real and which were fake.
For a moment, she even doubted whether they were all real, or all fake.
She took out the Cannon Gun that had be the Inevitable Gun, aiming at the surveince footage, intending to shatter that screen, so that the reanimated female corpses that hadn''t fully crawled out would be thrown into the depths of the "surveince world" with the shattering of the area behind the screen, making it difficult to reach reality.
Franca''s finger was on the trigger, but she didn''t pull it.
She felt that Lumian''s disappearance might be because he had entered the "surveince world", and if she shattered the screen, and the "surveince world" truly had some characteristics of the mirror world, Lumian would also be swallowed by the turbulent flow, which would be very dangerous.
Although Franca couldn''t respond in time, she still hadpanions.
Anthony stepped forward, his eyes vertical, tinged with a pale golden color.
He immediately emanated a terrifying aura as if standing at the top of the food chain.
Awe!
He used a range-type Awe targeting that surveince screen!
The reanimated female corpses crawling out of the surveince footage one after another froze for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
It was as if they hadn''t been resurrected, still corpses, naturally not afraid or panicked due to the awe!
Jenna quickly turned her head, pointing at those reanimated female corpses, and asked Ludwig, "Which one tastes the best?"
The one that tastes the best should be the real body!
And judging whether food tasted good or not was Ludwig''s specialty!
Ludwig swallowed his saliva and pointed to the surveince footage in the bottom right corner.
"I want that one!
"That one tastes the best!"
Before Ludwig could answer, Franca had already concealed her figure. When he pointed out the food he wanted most, Franca''s figure, wearing a ck T-shirt and women''s pantaloons, quickly outlined at the side of the reanimated female corpse in the bottom right corner.
She held the Inevitable Gun in one hand and the nearly invisible Wintry de in the other, stabbing thetter towards the target that hadn''t fully crawled out of the screen, towards the temple next to the delicate ear.
Crack, that reanimated female corpse shattered like a mirror, along with the figures of other female corpses bing illusory, disappearing simultaneously in front of the surveince screen.
The next second, beside the mirror decorative item that Franca and the others had crawled out from, the reanimated female corpse with beautiful features, a slender neck, wearing a white dress and a loose bun, silently emerged. N?v(el)B\\jnn
She gripped an ice crystal dagger covered in ck mes in one hand, suddenly stabbing towards Anthony''s chest.
After passing through the surveince screen, Lumian appeared in a dark and silent empty mall.
At this time, the esctors had stopped running, and all the shops had pulled down their shutters.
Lumian quickly scanned around and saw a figure in a white dress sh past the passage leading to the men''s and women''s restrooms.
The ck mark on Lumian''s right shoulder lit up, allowing him to directly teleport over.
As his figure was just being outlined at the entrance of the passage, his left palm had already taken out his phone.
Lumian quickly nced at the phone screen that had lit up and found no signal.
This was exactly what he wanted to confirm.
Is this an alternate space formed by surveince footage, an illusory world? It''s very simr to the mirror world, and also very simr to the world within paintings As thoughts shed through Lumian''s mind, he stuffed the phone into the Traveler''s Bag instead of his pants pocket.
He was worried that the uing battle might damage the phone.
For an already impoverished family, this would be a major loss!
In Lumian''s blue eyes, that female figure in a white dress had already run to the corner.
Seeing was believing. Almost simultaneously, Lumian blinked behind the target, thrusting the ice crystal straight sword.
Just as the ice sword touched that female figure, the target suddenly wavered like water ripples and disappeared without a trace.
An illusionjust an illusion.
An illusion created using the mirror of the sink outside the men''s and women''s restrooms!
At this moment, in the dark corner at the entrance of the men''s restroom, a vague figure quickly emerged, holding a medium-sized mirror, reflecting Lumian''s male form wearing a shirt and trousers.
Taking advantage of the opportunity when Lumian''s attention waspletely on the illusion, this vague figure pressed its hand covered in Demoness ck mes towards the mirror surface.
ck mes suddenly erupted from Lumian''s eyes, nose, mouth, and other ces, but his figure began to fade inch by inch, gradually dissipating.
This was also an illusion!
Behind the vague figure in the dark corner at the entrance of the restroom, Lumian''s body outlined, his eyes iron-ck, his right hand clenched into a fist, in a posture of muscles swelling and erging, suddenly striking towards the junction of the enemy''s neck and back.
Cull plus Mighty Blow!
You can use mirrors to create illusions, so can I!
Bang!
This punch shattered the vague figure into pieces, scattering around like ss shards.
Immediately after, Lumian felt invisible spider silk wrapping around him from all directions, trying to bind his hands, feet, and torso, and intending to interfere with his movements in different ways.
Lumian immediately grunted, and bursts of ck mes binding madness and danger spontaneously appeared, falling onto several invisible spider silks.
The mes of Destruction ignited those spider silks instantly, just like real Hunter mes, then quickly spread, devouring all thebustibles around, and burning the mystical pathogens permeating the air.
In just the blink of an eye, Lumian had rid himself of the influence of the Demoness spider web and the hidden gue.
And at the entrance of this passage, a female figure clearly appeared in the light of the burning spider web.
She wore a white dress, had a loose bun, beautiful features, delicate ears, and a slender neckit was the reanimated female corpse.
Inside the surveince room.
As Franca''s strike failed to seed, the experienced Jenna and Anthony changed their positions.
Thetter thus avoided the ice crystal dagger assassination of the reanimated female corpse.
But this also gathered the three of them in a small area within the not-sorge surveince room.
The reanimated female corpse''s gaze then turned to the two security guards sitting motionlessly in their positions.
One of the security guards immediately broke free from his statue-like state and suddenly stood up.
The next second, his body was like it had been filled with arge amount of gas, rapidly swelling into a ball.
During this process, the gray-white in the depths of his eyes was tinged with a yellow-green light.
Boom!
This security guard exploded like a balloon stretched to its limit. His flesh and internal organs were torn into pieces, carrying yellow-green pus, enveloped in the impact storm, sweeping towards every corner of the surveince room, covering Franca, Jenna, and the others.
A virus bomb? Franca''s pupils suddenly dted.
That reanimated female corpse was also within the range of the exploding body, but she was prepared, taking a step back and hiding in the mirror decorative item.
Chapter 917 Disease Bomb
Chapter 917 Disease Bomb
The flesh and blood oozing yellow-green pus sprayed like sudden rain towards everyone in the surveince room, apanied by the sudden explosion.
Franca had no time to use the Ice Amulet, nor to grab Jenna and the others to bring them into thepact mirror in her hand. She could only face the explosion, which wasn''t too powerful, and the obviously dangerous flesh, blood, and viscous fluid.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
In this situation, the three of them could only actively trigger their Mirror Substitutions, first being shattered by the impact wave, then being coated with sticky flesh and still-writhing yellow-green pus.
Ludwig, who had also been given a Mirror Substitution by each of the three Demonesses, didn''t use it himself. Instead, he crouched down, hugging his body tightly to minimize his "exposed area".
During this process, he opened his mouth.
His mouth corners stretched without any restriction, extending all the way to the back of his head. His upper lip pushed his eyes, nose, forehead, and other parts to face the ceiling directly, while his lower lip nearly touched his chest.
St, st, st, the yellow-green flesh mixed in the explosion''s st rushed into Ludwig''s enormous mouth, heading straight for his stomach.
Unfortunately, Ludwig, enjoying this buffet, onlysted two seconds before involuntarily triggering his Mirror Substitution, shattering into pieces.
This abnormally terrifying giant mouth shape seemed to be all appearance without sufficient strength, only at the Sequence 7 level.
The explosive st subsided in an instant, and the figures of Franca, Jenna, and the others were reoutlined in the surveince room, which was now covered everywhere with viscous flesh and yellow-green pus.
As Demonesses of Affliction, Franca and Jenna both instinctively believed that this ce was now full of dangerous diseases, rapidly infecting them.
Without hesitation, Franca raised her right hand, revealing the Ice Amulet she was gripping tightly.
This crystal-clear charm had been remade by Lumian and could now be used for Mirror Traversal four times.
As soon as they saw Franca reveal the Ice Amulet, Jenna and Anthony immediately moved closer to her, grabbing her arm and sleeve. Ludwig hesitated for a moment but still joined the vile Demonesses.
The next second, the four figures blurred and entered thepact mirror in Franca''s other hand.
Franca didn''t linger at all, bringing herpanions to traverse into another metal decorative item with a mirror effect in the surveince room.
Smack!
Thepact mirror, no longer held by anyone, fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, causing the corresponding area behind the mirror to copse.
These shards would take different amounts of time to be mirrors again in the mystical sensewithout considering other factors, therger the shard and the better the mirror effect, the shorter the time needed to regenerate the area behind the mirror. Conversely, smaller shards would take longer, and if too small, they might risk never bing mystical mirrors again.
After transferring to the interior of the mirrored decorative item, Franca spoke rapidly while remaining vignt against a sudden attack from the reanimated female corpse, "A Demoness of Despair doesn''t have the ability to make people half-dead and turn them into gue bombs
"Could it be a Demoness of Unaging?"
"It could also be with help from the Order of All Extinction or possession of a simr item," Jenna suggested another possibility based on her own feelings.
"Is Mushu Hospital not just home to the Mother Tree of Desire?" Franca suddenly had an inspiration. "The hospital as a whole should simultaneously possess the healing abilities rted to the Great Mother pathway, the influence of the Mother Tree of Desire pathway on spirit, desire, corpses, and hospital urban legends, as well as control over diseases and pathogens from the one the Order of All Extinction believes in or the Demoness pathway!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
As Franca spoke without any embellishment, she observed the situation in the surveince room and attempted to use the Ice Amulet''s ability to transmit information through mirrors to send simple intelligence to a certain mirror on Lumian.
As long as Lumian hadn''t left the current Huafeng District, he would definitely receive it!
Jenna guarded against the direction of the illusory tunnel that resembled a spider web, while Anthony said carefully, "That reanimated female corpse is almost unaffected by Awe, making me feel she''s more like a dead person than a living one."
Franca''s thoughts raced, and she immediately had two guesses.
"Is she an awakened Zombie, with a Mother Tree of Desire believer hiding nearby controlling her?
"Or, didn''t we guess earlier that she might have apanion, possibly Loki? Is it possible that she''s actually a marite, with the Maritist hiding somewhere nearby controlling her?"
Franca had confronted Loki before and had contact with spies from the Bureau 8 of Intis, so she was quite familiar with the antics of Maritists.
"But ording to the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders, even normal Maritists can only control marites within a range of about 100 meters. Now, with their abilities suppressed to Sequence 7 level, I believe their maximum distance from the marites won''t exceed 40 meters. Before we came to the surveince room, we checked the surroundings and there was no one" Jenna raised an objection.
At this point, she suddenly paused.
It wasn''t that there was no one; in fact, there were two people!
Franca and Anthony also realized the issue and simultaneously turned their gaze towards the front of the surveince screen.
There were indeed people within a 50-meter rangethose two security guards!
One of the security guards had been turned into a gue bomb and had already disintegrated into disease-spreading flesh, but the other security guard was still sitting in his position, his eyes concealing a gray-white deep inside, staring motionlessly at therge screen!
Franca and Anthony''s gaze fell on that security guard.
The security guard seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his body.
His clothes were now tattered, his body pitted and uneven, different areas of his face either missing skin, suffering abrasions, or with flesh split open and festering.
These were the "aftereffects" of being directly hit by the explosion of the other security guard.
The security guard, with half his face almost unrecognizable as human, reflected the flickering light from the surveince screen, curled his lips, and revealed an exaggerated, terrifying, and sinister smile.
As his smile bloomed, his body rapidly swelled, bing a human-shaped balloon like his colleague.
Bang!
The balloon burst, and countless viscous flesh and yellow-green pus sttered onto the surface of the metal decorative item where Franca and the others were hiding, smearing it into a mess and preventing Franca and Anthony from seeing the outside situation clearly.
"Let''s change positions," Franca said, turning to Jenna and Ludwig, seizing the opportunity while they still had a few more Mirror Traversal charges.
In the Moon za formed by the surveince footage.
Lumian bent his back, drew the Sword of Courage, and sprinted from outside the men''s and women''s restrooms towards the reanimated female corpse at the entrance of the passage.
Behind him, on the wash basin mirror between the two restrooms, a female figure wearing a white dress with a loose bun suddenly appeared.
This was a projection created by the Demoness of Despair using the mirror!
Although it only possessed a fraction of the original body''s power, it was still capable of assassination. It aimed to deliver a fatal blow to Lumian from behind!
Almost simultaneously, another figure emerged behind this female figure.
That figure had ck hair, beautiful features, and a cold expressionit was Lumian''s feminized image.
This projection,pleted with the help of Precision, instantly turned into a ball of ck mes brewing extreme destruction in silence,pletely enveloping the mirror image projection of the reanimated female corpse, causing her to be thoroughly ignited amid painful wails.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Lumian, wielding the Sword of Courage, continued without any pause, charging towards the reanimated female corpse without looking back.
At this moment, in front of the reanimated female corpse, crystal-clear but sharp frost spears suddenly condensed, like a beautiful and clean hedgehog showing its spines.
Such a forest of ice spears couldn''t be aplished by a Sequence 7 Witch. Only a Beyonder who had reached the Demoness of Despair level and gained further control over frost, but was currently restricted to Sequence 7 level, could do this. It was equivalent to the Ice Spear Condensation ability evolving into Ice Spear Forest at Sequence 4, but now the Ice Spear Forest was only at the Sequence 7 level.
If Lumian didn''t stop in time, he would crash into this forest of ice spears, being pierced through and creating multiple bloody holes.
At this moment, Lumian''s figure suddenly became blurry and distorted, like an image disyed through electromaic signals suffering from strong interference.
It took only the blink of an eye from bing blurry and distorted topletely disappearing. Lumian''s body quickly outlined behind the reanimated female corpse.
He swung the Sword of Courage diagonally, chopping towards the target''s shoulder.
With a whoosh, crimson mes ignited on the surface of the Sword of Courage.
Boom, Lumian''s single stroke cleaved the reanimated female corpse into two pieces, exploding her into mirror shards.
The reanimated female corpse, having used a substitute, didn''t appear immediately, seemingly disappearing into the dark, empty fourth floor of the mall.
Lumian''s expression didn''t change at all as he pressed the Sword of Courage downwards in one smooth motion.
Boom! Crimson fireballs flew out from the sword, indiscriminately covering this area, copsing walls and igniting merchandise.
The crimson fire hell quickly engulfed nearly half a floor in continuously rising high temperatures.
Under such a wide-range indiscriminate attack, the figure of the reanimated female corpse was affected, forced out of her invisible state, and appeared to Lumian''s side and rear.
Inside the surveince room.
The reanimated female corpse who had previously fought with Franca and the others left her hiding ce in the mirrored object and appeared in the room now covered everywhere with viscous flesh and yellow-green pus.
Taking advantage of the opportunity that various pathogens and decay forces were permeating this ce, which would quickly infect and affect Franca and the others once they entered, she condensed a long ice spear covered in white frost in her hand and thrust it towards the surveince screen, which already had multiple dents and was covered with flesh and pus.
The power of the two previous Disease Bombs wasn''t strong, mainly focused on spreading pathogens and decay forces, so they couldn''t directly destroy therge screen that was at a certain distance from them.
Now, the reanimated female corpse wanted to personally destroy the surveince screen, causing the corresponding alternate space to copse, making the enemies fighting there and her other "self" fall into the chaotic flow together, to be torn into pieces!
Chapter 918 Tacit Cooperation
Chapter 918 Tacit Cooperation
Just as the reanimated female corpse''s frost-covered ice crystal spear was about to pierce the surveince screen, a gunshot rang out. A bright yellow bullet arrived first, striking the middle of the ice crystal spear and causing it to suddenly shatter and break apart piece by piece.
After transferring to another mirrored decorative item, Franca immediately understood the opponent''s intentions upon seeing the reanimated female corpse''s actions. She quickly took out the Inevitable Gun, extended it through the mirror surface, and pulled the trigger.
Having sessfully prevented the ice crystal spear''s strike, she immediately moved to withdraw her hands, pretending to traverse to other mirrors with Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig in order to lure the reanimated female corpse in to surround this enemy.
However, the reanimated female corpse didn''t even nce in her direction. Sharp frost spears suddenly condensed in front of her body, all thrusting towards therge screen simultaneously.
It was like a huge ice flower carved out of ice was blooming.
Franca''s pupils dted instantly. Taking advantage of her hands not yet having returned to the area behind the mirror, she pulled the Inevitable Gun''s trigger once again.
Bang!
That ssically styled brass-colored revolver fired an iron-ck bullet, which created a small explosion upon striking one of the frost spears.
The explosion covered all the frost spears, tearing them apart and scattering them in all directions.
Heavy Strike!
St st st, some ice crystal fragments inevitably hit the surveince screen, creating multiple dead pixels and areas where colors bled together on therge screen.
Franca was nearly scared to deaththerge screen had almost beenpletely damaged!
She immediately left the mirrored decorative item and returned to the surveince room,unching an all-out attack against the reanimated female corpse.
In this situation, the best strategy was to use offense to suppress the opponent and prevent her from destroying the surveince screen. Pure defense wouldn''tst long, as the item that needed protection was a rtively fragile technological product.
One can be a thief for a thousand days, but how can you guard against a thief for a thousand days? There will always be gaps in defenses!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Franca continuously pulled the trigger, firing bullets to force the reanimated female corpse away from the area closer to therge screen.
Jenna also left the area behind the mirror, directly guarding in front of the surveince console to prevent stray bullets from damaging the screen.
Almost simultaneously, Jenna felt herself collide with an invisible spider web, with transparent thin threads constricting her body.
Some of these threads bound her limbs, while others stirred up her condition, striving to restrict her movements and interfere with her casting of ck magic.
Fortunately, Jenna now had rtively richbat experience. As soon as she left the mirrored decorative item, she condensed several bizarre Demoness ck mes around herself. Now she immediately let them fall, burning the spirituality of the transparent spider silk and spreading out.
The intense feeling of constriction instantly lessened somewhat. Jenna quickly sidestepped, shielding therge screen.
Crack!
She used a Mirror Substitution to block both the reanimated female corpse''s opportunistic attack on the surveince screen and the stray bullets created by Franca''s continuous shooting.
During this process, Franca emptied six ordinary bullets, hitting the reanimated female corpse once and consuming one of her Mirror Substitutions.
She then retreated to the front of therge screen, using a special loader to reload bullets, while Jenna instinctively lunged forward, recing Franca, using her own gun, frost, and ck magic to attack furiously, suppressing the enemy.
With everyone currently at the Sequence 7 level, a short-term reckless outburst was still very effective!
In this way, Franca and Jenna continuously rotated, one defending, one attacking, one reloading bullets, the other firing rapidly as if unconcerned about running out of ammunition. They temporarily restricted the reanimated female corpse to the area near the door. However, because the opponent had Mirror Substitutions and strong spiritual intuition, Franca had not yet used bullets like Impregnating Bullet or triggered effects like Sure Hit or Certain Death.
She was waiting for an opportunity, because a Sequence 7 Demoness shouldn''t be able to use many Mirror Substitutions!
Even if the reanimated female corpse had once reached the demigod level and gained the characteristic of reduced Mirror Substitution consumption, allowing her to use a few more Mirror Substitutions than Franca and the others who were currently at the same Sequence 7 level, it certainly wouldn''t be many more.
After fighting intensely for dozens of seconds, both Franca and Jenna felt weakened, their lungs like hot bellows continuously exhaling fiery breaths.
At the same time, they felt varying degrees of pain throughout their bodies.
They were well aware that this was caused by the diseases and decay spread by the two gue bombs earlier. Due to the viscous flesh and yellow-green pus covering every part of the surveince room, the mystical pathogens and decay forces were continuously strengthening. The infection had finally urred in the two Demonesses of Affliction who had disease resistance, and it was gradually worsening.
Neither Franca nor Jenna were willing to immediately use a Mirror Substitution to resolve the disease and decay. Their Mirror Substitutions were now very limited in number, and they wanted to conserve them to protect therge screen.
What puzzled Franca was that although her Inevitable Gun was also continuously spreading disease and decay, the reanimated female corpse didn''t seem to be significantly affected, only slightly weaker than before.
Could she really be a zombie or a marite, immune to most mystical pathogens and with strong resistance to decay forces? She only initially affected Jenna with the spider web, then abandoned this strategy. Was it because the spider web was a mmable object with spirituality, which would cause the Demoness ck meswhich could only be produced one by one or in small clustersto spread, burning the mystical pathogens and decay forces in the air, slowing down the speed of our onset of illness and the progress of symptom severity? As this thought shed through Franca''s mind, she actively began to create a spider web.
The invisible spider silk entangled both the reanimated female corpse and Jenna, forcing the former to use her own Demoness ck mes to evade, and reminding Jenna that she could produce and consume her own, letting this area fallpletely into the burning of Demoness ck mes, thereby clearing out the mystical pathogens and reducing the intensity of the decay forces!
Inside Moon za in the surveince footage.
Lumian was suppressing the reanimated female corpse in all aspects, but due to her Mirror Substitutions, strong spiritual intuition, and richbat experience, he couldn''t achieve a quick victory.
By now, the mes had spread, turning most of the fourth floor of the mall into a crimson sea. Lumian released his umted spirituality and once again shed behind the "reanimated" female corpse.
Instead of directly swinging the Sword of Courage, he pushed his left palm forward.
At some point, his palm had already been gripping a cheap silver and ck bracelet, while his eyes showed a silver-ck hue, with what seemed like an illusory long river flowing slowly inside.
The reanimated female corpse didn''t hesitate. Following the prompting of her spiritual intuition, she was about to actively trigger a Mirror Substitution.
At this moment, the toxic thick smoke produced by the burning entered her throat, while the high temperature caused her ck hair to start self-igniting.
These environmentally-induced problems made the reanimated female corpse instinctively shrink her body, slowing her down by a beat.
Magnified Fate!
Lumian had already used Magnified Fate twice before, without achieving satisfactory results. The Weakening pathogen he had secretly spread, which could survive for a longer time in high-temperature mes, also hadn''t worked as he had expected, only imperceptibly elerating the rate of the reanimated female corpse''s spirituality consumption.
Now, taking advantage of the environmental changes brought by the long-burning fierce mes, he finally grasped the opportunity, sessfully turning the corresponding stream of fate into the main trunk.
As the reanimated female corpse slightly shrank her body, the crimson mes covering the surface of the Sword of Courage suddenly extinguished, revealing the iron-ck metal de beneath.
Parts of this de were smooth and t, reflecting the silhouette of the reanimated female corpse.
In the next second, the ck mes of Destruction that Lumian had condensed in advance fell onto the metal "mirror surface" and drilled into it.
Unable to use a Mirror Substitution in time, the reanimated female corpse let out a painful sound. Her body shattered with a crack, re-outlining at the edge of the crimson hell. However, the ck mes that erupted from inside to outside, hiding ferocity and terror, continued to burn her, only partially extinguished.
Once a Demoness of Despair''s curse seeded, the characteristic that it couldn''t be transferred by substitutes when suppressed to Sequence 7 level became a situation where a substitute could only transfer part of the curse damage.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The reanimated female corpse consecutively triggered Mirror Substitutions, finally escaping Lumian''s curse.
But at this moment, Lumian directly teleported in front of her and asked with a smile, "How many Mirror Substitutions do you have left?"
As he spoke, he had already swung the Sword of Courage. N?v(el)B\\jnn
The reanimated female corpse was dazzled by that charming smile, only reacting when the Sword of Courage was near. She quickly lunged to the side.
She had no more Mirror Substitutions left!
She was fast, but Lumian was faster. His wrist paused, and the Sword of Courage cleaved the air, creating an explosive sound.
Boom!
Crimson mes burst open, directly engulfing the reanimated female corpse.
Although this explosion only had Sequence 7 power, it was enough to severely injure a Demoness without Mirror Substitutions!
Bang! The reanimated female corpse was mmed heavily against the wall, her bones breaking and blood spurting from her mouth.
Water-like waves rippled over her body, stripping away her beautiful appearance and revealing an expressionless, ordinary-looking young man.
Lumian frowned slightly and swung his sword down again.
With a rolling sound, the young man''s head tumbled to the side amid a spray of blood.
His body, along with his head and the sttered blood, instantly vanished like an illusion, never to appear again.
"A deep mirror image of the real female corpse?" Lumian had seen simr gender-reversed Mirror People in Fourth Epoch Trier.
The special mirror world fragments in Franca and Jenna''s possession could also create simr deep mirror images, with strength nearly perfectly replicated and certain special characteristics.
Thinking of this, Lumian suddenly raised his head, looking towards the surveince camera obscured by smoke.
He suspected that the reanimated female corpse also had a special mirror world fragment!
Inside the surveince room.
The infected Franca and Jenna were growing increasingly weak, their movements inevitably affected to some extent.
Just as the reanimated female corpse was about to seize the opportunity to destroy the surveince screen, she suddenly felt something leap towards her from the side.
It was Ludwig, crouched like a frog.
He had emerged from the mirror world at some unknown time.
The reanimated female corpse instinctively thrust an ice crystal spear towards Ludwig.
Ludwig suddenly opened his mouth wide, his mouth corners splitting to the back of his head.
His two rows of sharp teeth then closed, biting the tip of the spear.
Immediately after, he quickly sucked in a breath through his mouth.
Hepleted a Deprivation through the ice crystal spear connecting him and the reanimated female corpse.
What he Deprived was the Mirror Substitution!
Currently only at Sequence 7 level, he could only Deprive one ability from the enemy, and only for one minute, so Anthony had him choose Mirror Substitution.
"Attack with full force," Anthony''s voice then sounded in Franca and Jenna''s ears.
Franca didn''t ask why, immediately raising the Inevitable Gun, aiming at the reanimated female corpse, and pulling the trigger.
A dark yellow bullet flew out with a bang.
Sure Hit!
Chapter 919 Certain Death
Chapter 919 Certain Death
The dark yellow bullet flew instantly, striking the reanimated female corpse.
However, it passed right through, merely causing the silhouette to waver, be illusory, and disappear.
After being deprived of her Mirror Substitution, the reanimated female corpse''s first reaction was to use the mirrored objects in the surveince room to create a mirror projection, supplemented by mirror illusions, while she quietly changed her position.
So, what Franca had locked onto was just the mirror projection, and what Sure Hit would hit was also just the mirror projection, not the real reanimated female corpse.
Having evaded the fatal strike, the silhouette of the reanimated female corpse immediately became ethereal, projecting onto the nearest mirrored object.
She intended to use the mirror world to temporarily leave the battlefield, wait for her Mirror Substitution ability to recover, and then decide based on the situation whether to wait for the next opportunity, attack Franca and the others again immediately, or quietly follow them to determine their identities and whereabouts, so they could be directly locked onto and kicked out of the dream.
Just as the reanimated female corpse''s silhouette became prominent on the surface of that mirrored object, a person suddenly appeared in the void dark area behind the mirror.
It was Anthony, wearing a ck T-shirt.
Anthony held a charm simr to the Ice Amulet in one hand and the Winter is Coming revolver in the other, aiming at the reanimated female corpse who was about to enter the mirror surface.
He had used the Mirror Traversal ability in time to intercept the reanimated female corpse!
Since Lumian could make his own charms to help Beyonders traverse the mirror world, he certainly wouldn''t make just one, only for Franca.
Besides himself, everyone in the team had one, and each could be used four times!
They had relied on Franca''s Ice Amulet to transfer positions earlier, partly because since everyone was close together, there was no need to waste the uses of the other charms. After all, in the dream, Lumian was restricted to the Sequence 7 level, and making simr charms again had a high probability of failure. On the other hand, it was also following Lumian''s Conspirer approach and Franca''s asional mutterings after entering the dream about "appearing weak when you are strong", deliberately setting a trap for the enemy.
By demonstrating that they could only hide in the mirror world and transfer positions by holding onto Lumian and Franca''s clothes, they led the reanimated female corpse to believe that the others couldn''t perform Mirror Traversal. So, after evading Franca''s attack, the reanimated female corpse confidently used the mirror world to escape.
By demonstrating that they could only hide in the mirror world and transfer positions by holding onto Lumian and Franca''s clothes, they led the reanimated female corpse to believe that the others couldn''t perform Mirror Traversal. So, after evading Franca''s attack, the reanimated female corpse confidently used the mirror world to escape.
This led her right into the gun barrel of Anthony, who had forcibly concealed his presence earlier.
Anthony pulled the trigger with a calm expression.
Another bullet tinged with a dark yellow glow flew out, heading towards the reanimated female corpse who was about to enter this area behind the mirror.
Sure Hit!
Bang!
As the gunshot rang out, the reanimated female corpse, who hadn''t had time to retract her ck mes, frost, and spider silk to protect herself, had blood blossoming on her chest, her flesh and bones splitting.
She was truly hit by the bullet, shot out of the mirror surface, and fell back into the surveince room.
Seeing this, Franca aimed at the target once again.
Now, she was going to use the Certain Death bullet.
Meanwhile, Jenna still guarded the surveince screen, having intention to steal credit, to prevent stray bullets from destroying the object that needed protection.
She only quietly extended invisible spider silk, intending to touch the blood sttered by the reanimated female corpse, to use it as a medium for curses.
At this moment, the reanimated female corpse suddenly raised her head and let out a painful scream.
Her hair rose strand by strand, instantly bing long and thick, like venomous snakes.
The tips of this slimy, bizarre ck hair were each iid with ck and white eyeballs and heads that stuck out forked tongues like snakes.
Jenna instinctively closed her eyes, but still felt her thoughts bing chaotic, pain and pleasure arising simultaneously, her body inexplicably stiffening as if turning to stone.
In this instant, she suddenly understood what the enemy was doing.
The reanimated female corpse seemed to have sensed that she was about to suffer a fatal blow, and with no way to avoid it or protect herself by forming a huge cocoon, she actively indulged in her own madness, disying an iplete Mythical Creature form that only Saints should possess.
For most Saints, disying an iplete Mythical Creature form was extremely dangerous, leading to a loss of control. Unless there were no other options or they intended to drag the enemy down with them, no one would use it.
For Beyonders without godhood, directly viewing an iplete Mythical Creature form would result in intense corruption and terrible mental shock, likely leading to madness and loss of control. Even if they didn''t look directly and closed their eyes, being within range would still cause some corruption.
Saints with godhood would still be affected to some degree by the iplete Mythical Creature form, and would continue to be affected afterwards while facing the frenzied attacks of the iplete Mythical Creaturethe iplete Mythical Creature form was a Saint''s most powerful and dangerous state.
As the horrifying transformation of the reanimated female corpse reflected in Franca''s eyes, she gritted her teeth and resolutely pulled the trigger of the Inevitable Gun. G?tt the l??test ????v??ls at ??.o/(v)/e/l/bi??(.)co??
Bang!
A dull green bullet flew from the muzzle, heading straight for the reanimated female corpse''s body hidden by the slimy, thick hair.
Franca then let out a painful cry.
She instinctively tilted her head back, her ck hair tied in a ponytail and modified by Lie broke free from its restraints, bing wild and distinct, seemingly growing thicker.
Her face took on a grayish-white tinge, her chest felt somewhat swollen, and her mind felt as if it had been hit by a storm, all thoughts blown about, bing mad, twisted, and dark.
She felt intense pleasure and also extreme pain. This,bined with her body''s state already infected by disease and decay forces, caused her to passively trigger a Mirror Substitution.
With a cracking sound, Franca regressed into a mirror and shattered into pieces.
But when her silhouette was outlined in the corner, while she no longer felt the effects of disease and decay, her hair still floated in mid-air, still growing thicker. Her face was extremely pale and twisted to the extreme, yet presenting a strange beauty, her eyes full of madness and malice.
Corruption couldn''t be transferred by Mirror Substitution, nor could the tendency towards losing control.
At the same time, the Certain Death bullet fired by Franca hit the mass of slimy, bizarre ck hair of the "reanimated female corpse".
Although the effect of Certain Death was suppressed to Sequence 7 level, only certainly fatal to ordinary people, it was still deadly to the already severely injured reanimated female corpse. Moreover, the reanimated female corpse''s iplete Mythical Creature form was also limited to Sequence 7, only possessing defensive capabilities at this level!
The bullet glowing with a dull green light prated throughyers of thick hair, entering the brain of the reanimated female corpse in her iplete Mythical Creature form.
Smack!
The reanimated female corpse''s head split open, blood and white matter sttering outwards.
The slimy, bizarre thick hair with ck and white eyeballs fell in session, returning to their original state to varying degrees.
Only then did Anthony dare to jump out from the mirror-like object, turning his back to the corpse with its strange charm and mental corruption. From a not-too-distant position, he began to perform Psychoanalysis on Franca, which was essentially throwing a cate her way.
Franca''s painful and mad chaotic thoughts calmed, and the symptoms of losing control in her body began to subside.
Seeing this, Anthony quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the reanimated female corpse''s iplete Mythical Creature form was also only at the Sequence 7 level, so the corruption and impact on Franca were at this level. Otherwise, he really wouldn''t have known if she could be saved; that might have depended on Franca''s own willpower.
As Anthony began the second cate, Lumian jumped out of the surveince screen.
He instinctively looked towards Franca and Jenna, checking their conditions.
Seeing that the problems were all within an eptable range, Lumian then turned his gaze to the reanimated female corpse on the ground with its split head and bizarre hair.
As a fellow Saint, he only experienced a slight emotional fluctuation, without any other reaction.
Their joint efforts had actually taken down a Demoness of Despair with Mirror Substitution Lumian was surprised and quite gratified.
He unconsciously looked towards Ludwig, finding that the little boy was staring at the Demoness''s corpse with zing eyes,pletely unconcerned about possibly being corrupted.
Indeed, Ludwig wouldn''t be affected by the iplete Mythical Creature form. Moreover, the corpse had already left the iplete Mythical Creature form, with only some characteristics remaining.
While repeatedly creating seven clusters at a time of deep ck mes of Destruction to burn the patches of viscous flesh and yellow-green pus in the surveince room, Lumian took out a mirror, bent down, and put the reanimated female corpse with its burst head inside.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
They couldn''t let this corpse continue to corrupt the surveince room, affecting Jenna and Franca who were recovering!
During this process, a ck, irregrly shaped mirror fragment fell from the corpse.
As expected, she has a fragment of a special mirror world Lumian stuffed the ck fragment into the Traveler''s Bag, nning topare it with Franca''s and the others''ter.
By this time, about a third of the viscous flesh and yellow-green pus in the surveince room had caught fire, and the ck mes began to spread to the surroundings, seeking otherbustible materials.
"Phew" Franca let out a long breath, her mental state finally stabilizing, the abnormalities on her body having subsided.
Anthony moved to Jenna''s side, performing Psychoanalysis on her, who had not been much corrupted.
After putting the Inevitable Gun back into the Traveler''s Bag, Franca was about to proudly tell Lumian "We took down a Demoness of Despair" when her eyes suddenly caught sight of the several cameras in the surveince room.
She immediately changed her words. "I''ll check if our fight just now was caught on the cameras."
"Couldn''t we justpletely destroy the surveince equipment with the mes of Destruction?" Lumian thought it wasn''t necessary to be so troublesome.
"What if this mall''s surveince footage is stored on a cloud server?" Franca wasn''t too sure, but felt it necessary to guard against this possibility.
Lumian didn''t stop Franca further, because he didn''t understand what a cloud server was.
Franca quickly manipted the surveince system, and after a while said, "It''s fine, the reanimated female corpse probably destroyed the cameras in this room when she came to check the surveince."
As she spoke, she used another Mirror Substitution, because Lumian couldn''t make the entire room be engulfed by the mes of Destruction. He could only create clusters of mes and burn areas bit by bit, with mystical pathogens and decay forces still lingering in the air.
Lumian nodded and continued, "Check if my battle in the surveince world has be part of the surveince footage. If there''s no problem, let''s hurry back for the spirit channeling."
"Can it work like that?" Franca said in surprise.
This was equivalent to the actions of a dummy in a painted world changing the painting itself.
Chapter 920 Like Reality
Chapter 920 Like Reality
Following Lumian''s suggestion, Franca quickly reviewed the surveince footage from the 4th floor of the mall in the past three minutes.
During this process, Jenna and Anthony hid in the area being burned by the mes of Destruction, to avoid the remaining mystical pathogens and decay forces.
The former also had clusters of quiet ck mes re up in other parts of the surveince room, assisting Lumian in eliminating necessary traces, though she could only create six to seven clusters at a time.
Taking advantage of the fact that he still had an unused Mirror Substitution, Ludwig took the opportunity to eat some snacksthe flesh and blood carrying mystical pathogens and decay forces.
Soon, Franca pulled up the corresponding surveince footage.
The scene, which should have been dark, quiet, and empty, now showed two figures engaged in a fierce battle, with red mes quickly igniting the area and dense smoke billowing up.
However, the fighting scene and the original background seemed somewhat out of sync, as if forcibly edited in with outdated special effects technology. Both Lumian and his opponent''s figures were quite blurred, showing signs of interference.
"Your battle in the surveince world did be part of the surveince footage, but nothing like that actually happened in the real world, the 4th floor of the mall is perfectly fine" Franca pulled up the current camera feed from the 4th floor to make theparison.
She took a deep breath and said, "Wh The surveince world is clearly not just the mirror world, it has the characteristics of an information world as well"
"The pathway good at summoning should also have some understanding of parallel spaces and illusory worlds." Franca half-turned her body and said, "This surveince footage can''t be used by the police and Celestial Immortal''s subordinates to recreate your image, so we don''t need to deliberately destroy the surveince equipment."
Lumian nodded slightly and added, "Our mystical knowledge of parallel spaces and illusory worlds is still quite superficial. The abilities, authorities, and knowledge in this area seem to be scattered across Demonesses, Mystery Pryers, Apprentices, Painters and other pathways, with Apprentices being the main line, and I''m not sure if the Painter pathway can match Apprentices."
"The pathway good at summoning should also have some understanding of parallel spaces and illusory worlds." Franca half-turned her body and said, "This surveince footage can''t be used by the police and Celestial Immortal''s subordinates to recreate your image, so we don''t need to deliberately destroy the surveince equipment."
At this point, with Jenna''s assistance, Lumian had already erased the various traces they had left in the surveince room, and Franca also began to use the Demoness''s ck mes to clean up the fingerprints she had left on the equipment.
"Let''s head back, we need to hurry with the spirit channeling." Lumian withdrew his gaze.
"Okay." Franca retracted her hand covered in ck mes.
Lumian immediately led his teammates back through the mirror world to the rented car, and as soon as Franca fastened her seatbelt, preparing to start the engine, she suddenly shivered.
She began to feel cold, as if all the heat in her body had been drained away. Her head became dizzy, her vision asionally darkening and sparking with golden stars, almost fainting.
Franca understood that this was the negative effect of the Inevitable Gunif the Certain Death and Sure Hit effects were triggered, the user would inevitably fall gravely ill, and without effective treatment, could even die. Even if treated, the severe illness would persist for some time.
Simrly, every time Anthony used the Winter is Coming revolver, he had to find an Apothecary or Doctor for treatment, otherwise he would contract an intractable disease that Low- to Mid-Sequence Beyonders were powerless against.
Seeing Franca''s face turn nearly transparent, Lumian reached into the Traveler''s Bag and took out two vials of healing agents.
These were supply resources provided by the Tarot Club, reportedly extremely rare items not sold publicly, produced by The Fool Pharmaceutical Company.
For this mission, the Major Arcana card holders had given Lumian''s group a total of twenty-five general-purpose healing agents, with the majority kept with Lumian as the team leader, while Jenna, Franca, and Anthony each carried two, but Ludwig had none.
Children needed supervision, otherwise he would secretly drink them all!
Franca''s trembling hands opened the cap of the healing agent and gulped it down.
The icy liquid slid down her throat and into her stomach.
Soon, the chilled feeling rapidly disappeared, and a light sweat broke out on her skin.
"Much better" Franca exhaled, "Just a bit dizzy in the head, my forehead is a bit hot, and my body feels weak."
Anthony, who had yet to suffer symptoms, had also finished his healing agent.
"I''ll drive." Lumian said.
"You can, can drive?" Franca really didn''t feel confident in her current state to be driving, but Lumian, who had never learned, made her even more worried. "Should we just take a taxi?"
Lumian chuckled. "I carefully observed you driving today, I''ve basically mastered the basic operations. And now it''ste at night, there aren''t many cars.
"And more importantly, I also have the driver''s license that Madam Justice gave."
"Alright, Li Ming." Franca weakly unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed open the door.
Li Ming was Lumian''s alias in the dream world.
As soon as Franca''s feet touched the ground, her knees buckled, nearly causing her to fall. Luckily, Lumian was waiting outside the driver''s seat and quickly grabbed her arm.
"So this is what being severely ill feels like and this is with the negative effects suppressed to Sequence 7" Franca leaned on Lumian as she slowly walked to the passenger seat, muttering while preparing to provide guidanceter.
Lumian chuckled."If this were the real world, I''d probably have to carry you."
Franca imagined such a scene and suddenly said, "No, let''s go with a piggyback ride!"
Lumian nced at her but didn''t say anything further.
Jenna, who had alreadye out of the passenger side, looked at the two approaching, her gaze slightly dark but also with a hint of relief as she listened to their conversation.
After everyone was seated and the doors closed, Franca gave a simple exnation,
"This is the steering wheel, you turn it in the direction you want to go. This is the elerator, to control the speed. This is the brake, to stop the car or decelerate in an emergency Basically, don''t overtake, changenes only when there are no other cars, stop at red lights, go at green, turn when you need to It''s very simple with an automatic transmission"
Lumian stepped on the brake, released the parking brake, and shifted the lever to the appropriate gear.
The gray sedan slowly started moving, gradually picking up speed.
After passing two traffic light intersections, Lumian already had a very skilled driving technique.
Franca looked at him with her mouth slightly open, weakly saying, "You''ve learned it just like that?
No need for me to guide you on the side?
"It''s very simple." Lumian chuckled, using Franca''s own words to respond.
He then released one hand, pointing to his head. "You have to trust the spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination of a Hunter."
Franca suddenly felt that being the one who could drive in the team was no longer something to be proud of.
In this way, Lumian sessfully drove the car back to the rented old neighborhood, and then, with Jenna''s guidance, after spending quite some time, finally parked the car, allowing Franca to feel proud again.
They had rented an older model car to save money, without any parking assist systems.
Back in the rental unit, Lumian led the team into the mirror containing the reanimated female corpse.
Except for Lumian and Ludwig, the others didn''t dare to look closely, fearing new corruption, but even with just a brief nce, they all noticed that a faint dark glow was slowly emanating from the decrepit corpse, gradually converging towards the right eye.
"Evocation of Beyonder characteristics?" Jenna blurted out.
Franca, being weaker, was a step slower in her reaction, saying in amazement, "This dream is too realistic!"
Beyonders will also evoke their characteristics?
Before Lumian and the others could respond, Franca had a sudden idea.
"If I obtain Beyonder characteristics in this dream, concoct them into a potion, and perform a ritual to drink them, will I be able to sessfully advance in the real world?"
At this question, the area behind the mirror fell into an unusual silence.
"I can''t answer that for you." Lumian pondered for a few seconds. "Maybe you should consult the Major Arcana card holders, or take these Beyonder characteristics and exit the dream to see if it ''follows'' you to reality."
After arriving in this city, Lumian''s group no longer needed Madam Justice''s help to exit and re-enter the dream. They could simply take the train, and use lucky coins toplete the task directly.
"Frequent entering and exiting of the dream might also draw the attention of the Celestial Immortal," Anthony reminded Lumian. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Lumian offered a curt acknowledgment.
"There are other ways, let''s try to avoid exiting as much as possible. We''ll contact the Major Arcana card holders early tomorrow morning."
Although the Major Arcana card holders were subject to various restrictions in the dream, with some unable to even enter this ce, there were still ways tomunicate through the dream.
As they were talking, the dark Beyonder characteristics had gathered in the reanimated female corpse''s right eye, dyeing it a ckish-blue hue.
During this process, Lumian, Franca, and Jennathe three Demonesseshad already created multiple clusters of ck mes to incinerate the corpse and the mystical pathogens spread from the characteristics.
ording to the Demoness of Despair''s potion form, Lumian collected the ck eyeball, the corpse''s bile, and a strand of the coarse, partially restored gray-white hair, and handed them to Franca to put in the Traveler''s Bag.
Having endured all this time, Ludwig finally found an opportunity, pointing at the corpse and asking, "Can I have a few bites?"
He had already obtained the Mirror Substitution ability through Deprivation, and by eating a few more pieces of the corpse''s flesh and blood, he would have a chance to permanently fix this ability to himself.
Of course, limited by the dream and the current Sequence 7 level of Deprivation, he could only use Mirror Substitution for two to three weeks, unable to gain it permanently.
"Go ahead." Lumian nodded.
Ludwig excitedly ran over, crouching next to the corpse''s head, targeting the delicate, small ear.
"After her death, the Demoness''s charm is concentrated in the ear, to the point that even Ludwig is attracted?" Lumian had just had this thought when he saw Ludwig lean down and bite off the ear with a crunch, chewing it noisily, his mouth covered in blood.
"" Franca and the others fell silent, turning their bodies away, no longer looking.
After Ludwig finished eating both of the Demoness''s ears, reluctantly returning to Jenna''s side, Lumian began to set up the ritual.
Due to theck of a subject to pray to, he could only perform the spirit channeling in the simplest way, carefully guarding against the strong corruption from the Celestial Immortal on the target.
Soon, the vague silhouette of the female corpse appeared.
Lumian asked in a deep voice,"What were you trying to do, waking up in the morgue of Mushu Hospital?"
Chapter 921 Character Script
Chapter 921 Character Script
The pale-faced ghostly figure of the female corpse replied in a wavering voice, "To forge a good identity, pass the Intis Group''s interview, and be an employee of thepany and a colleague of Zhou Mingrui.
"Interacting with Zhou Mingrui daily, starting off polite and distant, then gradually getting familiar, subtly seducing him in our daily interactions until he falls in love with me.
"I will be his girlfriend, and in the future, enter the marital hall with him. Through prosperity or adversity, wealth or poverty, health or sickness, whether he is male or female, I will always apany him, never leaving, forever and ever."
Listening with a slightly agape mouth, the sickly Franca gradually felt bewildered.
Isn''t this character script a bit off?
This is neither an urban fantasy nor a suspense-horror, it''s turned into a pure romance novel
Is this intended to immerse Mr. Fool in a blissful, sweet love life and a peaceful, warm urban environment, unwilling to wake up?
Is the Celestial Worthy being this down-to-earth?
Is this arge-scale Truman Show for Mr. Fool, isting him from reality?
When she heard the part about "whether he is male or female", Franca suddenly snapped awake.
There is a conspiracy here!
There are sinister plots hidden within, with another purpose!
Lumian and Franca had simr thoughts, but Franca''s mind was more active. Lumian was more concerned about another aspect.
The task of the reanimated female corpse did not include inducing Mr. Fool to drink the Witch potion. Does this mean someone else is responsible for turning Mr. Fool into a Demoness?
At this point, Franca quietly said, "The method in the script does seem feasible To influence Mr. Fool, or Zhou Mingrui, a person so cautious and careful, the only way is to work on ''falling in love over time'', only through the calm, genuine, day-by-day interaction can connections and trust be built.
"And for this kind of task, the most suitable executor is indeed a Demoness, secondly a Baby Cupid. No wonder they need to revive or awaken this female corpse, Charm can blend into many little details of daily life without being detected"
"Indeed, following Madam Susie''s reminder, we also seem to be able to only gain Mr. Fool''s trust through simr means, only we don''t need to use Charm, but then the risk of exposure would be too great." Jenna weighed her words in agreement.
Prolonged, repeated contact with Mr. Fool would easily be noticed by the Celestial Worthy.
Lumian did not respond to Franca and Jenna. He needed to hurry up with the spirit channeling.
Looking at the floating female corpse illusion, he carefully asked, "Are you a marite?"
Lumian had not experienced the battle with the female corpse''s physical body, the two disease bombs'' explosions, or the discussion about a Maritist with Franca and the others, so at the time he did not search the 30-40 meter area around the surveince room to see if there were any Beyonders hiding, until on the way back in the car, after exchanging details of the battle with his teammates, did he consider the possibility of a marite.
However, not actively searching the 30-40 meter area around the surveince room did not mean he was not wary of other enemies lurking nearbythat was a basic quality of a Hunter. At the time, he simply did not detect anyone hiding in the vicinity.
This made him uncertain about Franca and the others'' suspicions. Their doubts might not be true, just as the reanimated female corpse did not have powers granted by the Door pathway.
The ghostly female corpse with its sinister ck hair replied in a hollow voice, "Yes."
Yes? She''s really a marite? Lumian was stunned for a moment, then urgently asked, "Who is your maniptor, and where are they?"
This time, the female corpse illusion did not respond, but slowly raised her head, gazing towards the vast, dark "sky" of the mirror realm.
Lumian and the others may have been influenced by the remnant spirit of the corpse, or perhaps stimted by the change in the mystical environment caused by this action, and they actually experienced a slight hallucination.
Vaguely, they seemed to see ethereal, dense threads emerging from the corpse''s body, extending upwards towards the heights, and simr illusory threads floating from their own bodies too, also drifting up into the dark, cloud-shrouded night sky.
They also seemed to see the individuals in the city, each of them sprouting numerous, dense illusory threads, connecting to somewhere in the night sky where the moon and stars were obscured by clouds.
Lumian was greatly shocked in both mind and spirit by this scene, but his observational abilities as a Hunter still allowed him to notice one detail.
The illusory threads emerging from themselves and the female corpse had a fairly obvious difference: theirs floated and swayed, as if only attracted and drawn towards some unseen thing high above, without actually deeply integrating into the darkness, while the female corpse''s threads were taut, seeming to merge into the unfathomable ckness.
As for the threads of the other people in the city, Lumian could only vaguely sense them, unable to see them clearly.
Combining the currently avable information on The Fool pathway provided by the Major Arcana card holders, Lumian, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony immediately came to the same judgment: the heights represented Mr. Fool, as well as the Celestial Worthy, and the resurrected female corpse was the Celestial Worthy''s marite!
"No wonder we couldn''t find the Maritist controlling her in the vicinity" Jenna had just had this thought when she quickly realized a problem. "No, that can''t be right! If it were like that, we would have already been locked on to by the Celestial Worthy and kicked out of the dream, and even if we weren''t kicked out, we would definitely be under restrictions"
Shifting gears, Jenna came up with a possibility, "The Celestial Worthy is also in a slumbering state,rgely in a dazed, unconscious condition, controlling the marite, only bing aware of the corresponding situation when stimted or when the marite actively reports back.
"But can an unconsciously controlled marite exhibit the kind of behavior we saw earlier? Apart from being a bit extreme, obsessed with dealing with us, not leaving in advance, the reanimated female corpse is no different from the real person"
At this moment, the female corpse illusion began to fade, about to disappear.
The spirit channeling was almost over.
Grasping thest bit of time, Lumian asked in an urgent tone, "Who gave you humanity?"
Jenna immediately understood that Lumian had the same thoughts as her.
He was also very curious about the humanized behavior of the reanimated female corpse or marite!
The pale-faced female corpse illusion grew fainter and fainter, only the empty voice echoing, "It was Mr. Fool and the Great Mother"
"Ah?" In her weakened state, Franca''s self-control slipped, the exmation escaping her lips.
This sounded as if Mr. Fool and the ''Great Mother had given birth to her, like she was their child
Lumian ended the spirit channeling and turned to his teammates, saying thoughtfully, "I think I can understand the meaning of thatst sentence.
"She should have previously made contact with Mr. Fool or one of his incarnations, a Demoness of Despair. Mr. Fool''s subconscious would instinctively weave an identity, appearance and personality for her based on the image in his memory, and with the Great Mother''s awakening, or rather, giving her new life, she naturally acquired humanity and became a unique marite capable of autonomous action ording to the mission assignment.
"The Oracle''s corpse being sent to the Mushu Hospital morgue is also to create a simr marite?
"Does Mushu Hospital not only have the Mother Tree of Desire, but also the presence of the Great Mother?" N?v(el)B\\jnn
"I knew it!" Franca had wanted to p her hands, but after raising them, she had no strength left. "Mushu Hospital may also have the power of the Order of All Extinction."
Turning his gaze to the tattered yet enchanting female corpse, Lumian observed for a few seconds and said, "No powers from the Door pathway dissipating, nor any decay boons dissipating"
"I don''t know how they did it She didn''t show any corresponding abilities in the battle, were those two disease bombs pre-made with some kind of tool? Too bad we didn''t get to ask about the marite transformation of one of the disease bombs" Franca grew increasingly fearful of Mushu Hospital.
She didn''t even dare imagine what Lumian would have encountered if he had gone down to the B1 of Mushu Hospital!
Searching the body, Lumian found no other items, then stood up and said to Ludwig, "If you promise to listen to Jenna''s orders from now on, I''ll reward you with this corpse!"
"Okay, I promise!" Ludwig had apletely carefree expression, not caring at all about the future.
Lumian''s true purpose was actually to destroy the body and eliminate any trace, as this was the Celestial Worthy''s marite. It had to bepletely destroyed before the Celestial Worthy''s intermittent awakening, leaving no evidence to avoid drawing attention and anomalies.
Seeing Ludwig rush towards the female corpse, Jenna supported the sickly Franca, and along with Anthony, quickly exited the mirror realm and returned to the rental unit.
Standing beside Ludwig, Lumian asked in a t tone, "If this corpse is real, would you be able to restore to Sequence 4 after eating it?"
"No, unless you give me the other one too." Ludwig looked at Lumian with longing.
He was referring to Voisin Sanson''s body. A few days ago, he had received an arm as a reward for his good performance in studying, exams, and homework, so he had fully recovered to the Sequence 5 Depriver level before entering the dream.
Ignoring Ludwig''s plea, Lumian asked instead, "What is your Sequence 4 called?"
Ludwig began gnawing on an arm, answering in a muffled voice, "Sea Monster."
The next morning, Franca found that her severe illness had not yet recovered. Her forehead still felt feverish; her body weak, and she almost couldn''t get out of bed.
Lumian used the simplest Magic Mirror Divination method to confirm that this was just the lingering effect of the negative effect, and she would be ill for about half a day, not because the healing agent had not worked as it should. He then told Jenna, "We''ll take turns. You take care of her and Ludwig in the morning, I''ll do it in the afternoon.
"Now I''ll drive with Anthony to contact the Major Arcana card holders."
"Okay." Jenna had also been somewhat corrupted the night before and needed more rest as well.
Downstairs, getting into the car, Lumian, mimicking Franca, ced his phone on a specially bought holder and opened the navigation app.
Then, under Anthony''s gaze, he used voice input to enter the destination: "Star Dream Provisions Store."
Chapter 922 News
Chapter 922 News
In the rental apartment.
Jenna cleaned up the table, picked up the soy milk and meat buns she had specially left for Franca, and said to Ludwig beside her, "You can start studying now."
Ludwig''s expression changed a few times before he argued, "What''s the point of me studying?
"If you want to gain knowledge, eat scientists. If you want to gain abilities, eat Beyonders!"
Jenna smiled faintly and said, "Studying may not be important for you, but it''s very important for us that you study."
"" Ludwig, already inarticte, was leftpletely speechless by Jenna''s frankness.
After some consideration, Jenna added, "Although we don''t know the exact process, and you''ve probably forgotten too, the fact that you were sealed by the Church of Knowledge is as solid as steel. And what''s the biggest difference between you and the clergy of the Church of Knowledge? It''s the attitude towards learning!"
Ludwig was left feeling a bit confused. Reluctantly but resignedly, he sat down at the table and opened his textbook.
Jenna returned to the master bedroom, casually closing the door behind her.
Franca struggled to sit up halfway, stuffing a pillow behind her back, and said in a low voice, "You''re deceiving Ludwig again. Trying to defeat the Church of Knowledge through studying is likepeting against them on their home turf, under their favorite rules. How can we win that way? The best approach is to y to our own strengths.
"Hehe, Demonesses are indeed supposed to be good at deceiving people."
Many Demonesses had experience deceiving others'' feelings to digest the Witch potion, and some of them even became emotionally invested themselves, ultimately having to force themselves to separate. So they also had their share of pain.
Jennaughed. "We have to give him some reason, and he''s just looking for a reason too."
Jenna paused, then said thoughtfully, "Besides, I think studying does have an effect on Ludwig. You saw him duringst night''s battlehe waspletely monstrous. But in our daily interactions, I feel that apart from his ability to eat, love of eating, and need to eat, he''s just like a normal little boy in every other way.
"This is partly due to the Church of Knowledge''s seal, but it''s also likely because he''s learned rules, morals, andmon sense about human society through studying."
As she spoke, Jenna brought the stic cup of soy milk to Franca''s lips, letting her take a sip, then handed her the meat bun, watching as she bit into it until she reached the filling.
Franca had never enjoyed such treatment before, and her heart was instantly filled with warmth.
She nodded thoughtfully. "You mean studying is one of the ways for Ludwig to integrate into human society? That studying has given him some humanity?"
"Yup." Jenna continued to feed Franca her breakfast while casually chatting with her. At the end, she even used a wet wipe to clean Franca''s mouth and washed her face.
After finishing these tasks, Jenna took the trash and left the master bedroom.
After bustling about for several dozen seconds, she sat down next to Ludwig, as if supervising a child''s study.
After watching for a while, she took out two packages from the Traveler''s Bag and ced them on the table.
They were two bags of simply packaged rice crisps. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
As Ludwig looked over in surprise, Jenna said with a smile, "If you can pass my testter, these will be yours.
"Do you prefer spicy or original vor?"
"I like both!" Ludwig lowered his head again, his gaze unusually focused.
"I prefer the original vor." Jenna tore open the packaging and popped two pieces into her mouth, chewing.
Ludwig''s head snapped up to look at her, his mouth half-open, expression bewildered.
Isn''t this my reward?
"I''ll eat a bit while you''re studying. Don''t worry, I''ll save some for you," Jenna said with a smile.
Franca, lying on the bed in the master bedroom, couldn''t help butugh when she heard this conversation.
She suddenly realized that although Jenna usually seemed very mature, she was actually just a girl fresh out of college by her real age. It was perfectly normal for such a girl to enjoy snacks, and now she finally had the opportunity.
The smile on Franca''s face gradually softened as new dialogue drifted in from the living room outside.
"This is a corn soup vored puffed snack."
"These are cucumber vored potato chips."
"These are chocte wafer cookies."
""
"These snacks aren''t plentiful because they''re not as cheap as staple foods, but they''re all prepared for you, as rewards for studying hard and doing well on tests."
"You you eat less! I''ll work hard!"
Leaning against the pillow, Franca slowly developed a strange feeling: She was the sick father, and outside were the gluttonous, study-averse child and the mother supervising the child''s homework.
If one ignored phrases like "the corpse''s finger is also your reward for today," it was really such a warm and beautiful day-to-day life for a family of three.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The sound of horns red constantly behind and beside the gray sedan, urging Lumian to drive faster, but Lumian remained calm andpletely ignored the noise around him, keeping the vehicle moving steadily at the lowest speed allowed on the current road section.
As a new driversafety first!
Anthony sat in the passenger seat, constantly scrolling through his phone, looking at local news.
"What are you looking for?" Lumian nced at hispanion out of the corner of his eye.
Anthony shouldn''t have reached the stage of being addicted to the Inte yet; after all, he had only just learned how to use it.
Anthony turned his head and said solemnly, "I still feel that several details fromst night''s battle seem increasingly odd the more I think about them."
"Such as?" Lumian focused on driving.
Anthony said carefully, "The second security guard who self-destructed, his state before the explosion was very simr to that of a Maritist himself, but he just exploded like that."
"The ability to swap positions between a marite and its master? You suspect that there was indeed a demigod-level Maritist assisting the Celestial Worthy''s marite at the scene?" Lumian understood what Anthony was trying to express. "But we were aware of the situation within a range of several dozen meters and found no traces. Could it be that this demigod-level Maritist was in a state where we couldn''t see, hear, or touch them?"
"That''s the most terrifying part. And if there really was such a Maritist present, why didn''t he save the reanimated female corpse afterward, and why hasn''t he spread information about our appearances and characteristics since then?" Anthony returned his gaze to his phone.
Lumian nodded slowly and replied, "You''re scrolling through reports and private rumors rted tost night''s incident, checking if any of our information has leaked?"
"Yes," Anthony said, his finger constantly sliding across the screen. "The current circting story is that workce conflicts led one of the security guards to bring in detonators, killing his colleague and himself in the explosion"
Anthony stopped mid-sentence.
He frowned slightly.
"I''vee across a strange local news item. This morning, a madman was found near the garbage collection point close to Moon za, apletely irrational madman unable tomunicate. Then, he was sent to the hospital for treatment."
"Near the mall? A madman?" Lumian also noticed the oddity of this news and keenly asked, "Which hospital was he sent to?"
Could this madman be the Maritist who was hiddenst night?
Did he not intervene in theter battle because something happened to him?
What happened? Why did something happen?
"The news doesn''t say," Anthony continued scrolling through reports on this matter.
Lumian maintained his speed and took another ten minutes or so to reach their destination.
After finding a parking spot and struggling to park the car, he and Anthony walked towards Star Dream Provisions Store located at the corner of the street.
The shop had no lights on, and it was narrow and dim inside. The moment Lumian entered, it felt like he had gone from morning to night.
He nced at the tall, long shelves on both sides filled with peculiar goods, and walked to the cashier counter at the very back.
Behind the counter sat a woman wearing a ck dress. She leaned against the wooden cab behind her, head lowered as she yed with her phone. In front of her was a tablet ying a TV series.
Lumian politely said, "Hello, I''d like to send a letter."
He was actually saying he wanted to send a letter in a provisions store.
The woman in the ck dress ying with her phone didn''t find it strange. Without raising her head, she asked, "Where to, and to whom?"
"To the Cathedral of Serenity, to High-ranking Deacon Leonard Mitchell," Lumian took out the letter for the Major Arcana card holders.
The woman in the ck dress still looked at her phone, her voice gentle and calming as she said, "There''s a silver-rimmed ck mailbox on the third shelf to the right. You can put your letter in there.
"Come back tomorrow to collect the reply."
"Thank you," Lumian quietly sighed in relief and turned towards the shelf.
What caught his eye wasn''t a toy mailbox, but a brass-like book and a silver mirror with ck pupil-like orbs on both sides.
Lumian quickly scanned the shelves and also found ssic quill pens, various strange dice, and other items. If it weren''t for the shop owner being on her phone and watching a tablet, he would have thought he had returned to the real world, back to Trier.
The style of these items was quite different from the dream city, more like things from the Northern Continent!
After cing the letter in the silver-rimmed toy mailbox, Lumian turned to the side and asked the shop owner, "May I look at the goods here?"
The shop owner''s voice carried a hint of amusement. "These are all for sale."
For sale? As a Demoness, Lumian first picked up the silver mirror with ancient patterns and a ck gem on each side.
In the mirror, Lumian''s face quickly appeared.
Light blue eyes, clear and deep, a slightly thin face, almost perfect, lips neither thick nor thin, pale in color yet moist, with a hint of radiance
This was his female form.
It directly shows my Demoness state This mirror indeed has magical properties Just as Lumian had this thought, he saw the surface of the mirror ripple like water, outlining rows of blood-colored words in ancient Feysac: "I am the great Arrodes. I can answer any question you ask, but you must also answer an equal number of questions from me, in the presence of at least one witness.
"If you refuse to answer, or if you lie, you will face punishment."
Arrodes, the great Arrodes? Lumian knew this name.
Franca had mentioned it before. This was Mr. Fool''s magic mirror, most urate in answering questions, but each of its questions would cause the diviner to suffer social death.
Mr. Fool''s magic mirror is actually in this provisions store in the dream? What does this represent, what does it symbolize? Lumian couldn''t help but nce again at the shop owner, the woman in the ck dress ying with her phone.
After brief consideration, Lumian calmly said, "My question is, regarding the matter of awakening Mr. Fool, what do you want to warn us about?"
Chapter 923 Prices
Chapter 923 Prices
The surface of the magic mirror iming to be Arrodes rippled with aqueous light, and the surrounding darkness became hazy.
One by one, ancient Feysac words that seemed to be dripping blood quickly appeared on the mirror: "Beware of the night."
Beware of the night? Lumian repeated this answer while instinctively looking outside the Star Dream Provisions Store.
At this time, the August sunlight was bright and brilliant, reflecting golden light off many ss windows across the street, unconsciously making people feel certain and secure, while also instinctively dreading the heat.
Lumian quickly recalled his experiences of the past two nights, realizing that neither night had been peaceful: The first night, the dream image of Oracle Danitz was murdered, and the orderly at Mushu Hospital revived the corpse of a Demoness of Despair;
The second night, they encountered the reanimated female corpse in the monitoring room, a fierce battle ensued, and they nearly made the local news headlines as a major case involving guns, explosives, and biochemical toxins. Fortunately, to avoid causing panic, the police did not disclose specific details and onlyunched a secret investigation.
Inparison, nothing major had happened during the two daytimes. The only anomaly was the revival of the Oracle''s corpse, which had walked into Mushu Hospital without causing muchmotion.
Daytime is rtively safe, while night is more dangerous? During the day, Mr. Fool''s power is dominant, while at night, the Celestial Worthy''s consciousness is more active? Lumian briefly analyzed the answer from the magic mirror Arrodes.
At this point, the blood-colored words on the silver mirror''s surface twisted and writhed to form new content: "Based on the principle of reciprocity, it''s my turn to ask a question.
"If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished."
Lumian nodded fearlessly, while Anthony beside him remained silent.
On the magic mirror, new words began to form one by one: "Regarding your sister Aurore"
Lumian''s eyebrows suddenly twitched, and at the same time, the words on the mirror''s surface suddenly blurred, rearranging into new content: "After bing a Demoness, do you want to be fucked by men?"
"No," Lumian answered briefly and decisively.
No punishment appeared.
Lumian murmured in confusion, "The question is so simple?"
First, it suddenly changed the question, then asked one that he currently had a clear conscience about. How could this create social death?
On the mirror''s surface, waves of light floated, and several lines of ancient Feysac words that seemed to be dripping blood appeared:
"The great Arrodes is very friendly to everyone who enters the dream and wants to awaken Mr. Fool!"
I see This magic mirror is very loyal Just as Lumian finished this thought, he saw the words on the mirror change: "Based on the principle of reciprocity, it''s my turn to ask a question.
"If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished."
That also counted as a question? Lumian hadn''t expected his mutterings to be a question.
He hadn''t even demanded that the magic mirror Arrodes answer!
On the surface of the antique silver mirror, a bloody question appeared before Lumian''s eyes:
"What does it feel like to wear women''s underwear?"
Still quite friendly indeed Lumian answered expressionlessly, "Constricting, a bit tight, not veryfortable, but it gives a sense of stability and security."
Considering that the magic mirror Arrodes had only answered "Beware of the night" for the first question, Lumian felt that asking more questions now wouldn''t yield much more information. So he put the antique silver mirror with ck eye-like gems on both sides back in its original ce.
He thoughtfully looked towards the cashier counter and asked the shop owner, "How much is this mirror?"
If the price was right, perhaps he could buy it. As Mr. Fool''s personal item, the magic mirror might provide important information at crucial momentster on.
The shop owner in the ck dress finally raised her head.
For some reason, Lumian felt the sunlight outside suddenly dim a little, as ifrge clouds had drifted by.
The interior of Star Dream Provisions Store became even darker.
In this environment, Lumian, with his Night Vision, could still clearly see the shop owner''s appearance.
Her eyes were a rare pure ck, her face extraordinarily beautiful, but she didn''t look like a local.
The shop owner smiled and answered Lumian''s question, "5 million."
"How much?" Lumian blurted out, and even Anthony''s expression changed slightly.
"5 million," the shop owner repeated the price.
I have to think twice even about spending 50 now, and you''re quoting me 5 million Lumian abandoned the idea of buying the magic mirror Arrodes.
He knew that this price was actually very cheap. This was Mr. Fool''s personal item, the great Arrodes, its true value definitely worth 5 million, or even far exceeding this price, but one had to allow those without money to grumble a bit. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
With an attitude of gaining knowledge, Lumian pointed to the brass-like book. "How much is this?"
"9 million," the shop owner answered politely.
Lumian couldn''t ask further.
He now only knew one thing, this brass book was more valuable than the magic mirror Arrodes!
The shop owner added with a smile, "Most of the items in the store are antiques, and rted to mysticism, so they''re not cheap. But you can choose to rent them, calcted by the day."
"Rent?" Lumian pointed at the magic mirror Arrodes in surprise. "How much to rent for one day?"
"220,000," the shop owner''s voice was as gentle as a serenade.
220,000 This isn''t much different from buying it for 5 million, we can''t afford it either way Lumian first grumbled to himself, then based on his rich dream experience and a Demoness''s spiritual intuition, he muttered softly, "Saving up 5 million to buy the magic mirror, and saving up 220,000 to rent it for a day, both have corresponding symbolic meanings?"
The shop owner didn''t seem to expect Lumian to rent or purchase, and lowered her head again to focus on her phone.
Lumian indeed didn''t have the ability to rent or buy now, so he and Anthony walked towards the door of Star Dream Provisions Store.
After a few steps, he suddenly thought of something and turned back to ask, "Has anyone rented the magic mirror before?"
The shop owner raised her head again, a smile appearing on her beautiful face. "Yes."
Lumian''s pupils suddenly dted. "Who?"
Someone really rented the magic mirror Arrodes in the dream city?
What did they use it for?
The shop owner answered with a faint smile, "It''s my duty to keep my clients'' privacy and secrets."
In Lumian''s mind, thoughts shed like lightning.
He finally didn''t pursue the question further and turned to walk out of Star Dream Provisions Store.
Just as they approached where they had parked, Lumian and Anthony saw a foreign man with brownish-yellow hair crouching beside the gray sedan their team had rented, looking left and right, asionally taking a photo.
Seeing the car owners return, this foreign man slowly stood up.
He was about the same height as Lumian, wearing a pair of in sses on his nose bridge, with some light yellow stubble on his face. His chest muscles were developed, his arms were thick, stretching his blue shirt to near bursting point. He wore faded jeans and carried a ck travel backpack on his back.
"Why are you photographing our car?" Lumian asked cautiously.
He now had a kind of illness where he felt that every person in the dream had a corresponding identity and symbolic meaning.
The foreign man said, "Such a vintage car is rare to see; it fills a gap in my knowledge."
"Knowledge?" Lumian asked puzzledly.
Is this guy studying cars?
The foreign man smiled and said, "I''m an international student, studying at the university here. I really like this city, I like everything here, so when I don''t have sses, I carry my bag and phone, walk around and take photos everywhere, recording every detail that makes up this civilization."
"I see" Lumian felt this guy was a bit strange, but as he was still in the first stage of observation, he didn''t want to have too much contact with him.
At this point, Anthony suddenly asked, "What''s your name?"
The foreign man nced at Anthony and smiled as he answered, "Stiano. What about you guys?"
"Li Ming," Lumian gave his fake name for the dream city.
Anthony also introduced himself, "An Ruide."
After chatting for a few more sentences, Stiano, this foreign man, continued to wander aimlessly with his backpack and phone.
Once in the car, Lumian fastened his seatbelt and looked at Anthony.
"Why did you ask for his name?"
Anthony rarely took such initiative.
Anthony thought for a moment and said, "He gives me a strange sense of familiarity.
"I''ll use hypnosis to ask my subconsciouster, to see where this sense of familiarityes from."
Lumian nodded and started the car.
Halfway through the drive, Anthony suddenly came out of hypnosis and said to Lumian, "I''ve found the source of the familiarity. I get a simr feeling every time I enter a Church of Steam cathedral."
He was originally a Steam believer.
"The corresponding dream image of a high-level figure in the Church of Steam?" Although Lumian had disguised himself as a Steam believer before, he had hardly ever entered a Church of Steam, so he didn''t have the same feeling as Anthony.
"Maybe," Anthony wasn''t too sure.
At noon, in the rental apartment.
Lumian said to Jenna, who was supporting Franca as she came out to eat, "This afternoon, you and Anthony take Ludwig to check out Dream Tutoring sses in person. I''ll stay home to take care of Franca.
"ording to the information provided by the Major Arcana cards, Mr. Fool also enrolled in this tutoring center. This is one of the best ways for us to naturally and normallye into contact with Mr. Fool.
"Moreover, we can observe the impact of the Oracle''s death on this tutoring center."
"Mm," Franca spoke up. "It seems a bit strange that the Oracle, as an adult man, was reported missing after just one night of not returning."
Jenna thought for a moment and said, "Maybe Mr. Fool''s subconscious thinks this matter is urgent."
"There might be other reasons," Lumian nced at Ludwig, whose face had soured upon hearing about the tutoring center, and said, "Jenna is responsible formunication and probing, Anthony for observation. I''ll leave this matter to you guys."
Chapter 924 Tutoring Class
Chapter 924 Tutoring ss
Unable to drive, Jenna and Anthony chose to take public transportation with the child to Dream Tutoring sses. They made aprehensive travel n and prepared spare change for unexpected situations, rather than relying solely on mobile payments.
After they left, Lumian helped Franca back to the master bedroom and nced at therge ice blocks in four basins, chuckling. "This isn''t much worse than air conditioning."
The only issue was needing to refreeze the water periodically, which consumed some spirituality. But for Demonesses, creating frost was an ability that used very little spirituality.
Plus, it effectively solved the problem of limited refrigerator space.
"Yeah, air conditioning is so expensive," Franca leaned against the pillow and sighed sincerely. "I never imagined being a Demoness would be so practical in daily life."
Lumian sat on the edge of the bed and casually asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"Much better. This morning I was so weak I could only walk slowly," Franca answered honestly. "Since bing a Beyonder, this is the first time I''ve been so seriously ill. As expected of the negative effects of a demigod-level item."
Lumian tsked. "But I heard from Jenna that she had to feed you breakfast, and when you needed to go to the washroom, er, restroom, you called her to support you."
Where was the slow walking?
Franca wasn''t embarrassed at being exposed, and chuckled. "Can''t I enjoy being carefully looked after as a patient?"
Lumian pressed his hand to his own forehead, then felt Franca''s.
"Your temperature has indeede down, but you can continue enjoying being cared for until you''re fully recovered."
"Does that mean I can boss you around?" Franca suddenly got excited.
She recalled her university days, when every day a lucky roommate would be ordered to get food for the whole dorm, and she was the luckiest one.
Seeing Franca''s eager expression, Lumian smiled and took out a yellow peach from the Traveler''s Bag.
"Didn''t you say yesterday that you missed the taste of yellow peaches? I happened to pass by a fruit wholesale market on my way back and bought a bag."
"I just mentioned it casually" Franca was a bit surprised, her eyes curving slightly.
Lumian formed a small fruit knife from frost, and swiftly peeled the yellow peach clean over the bedside trash can. He then cut off a piece, skewered it with the ice knife, and held it to Franca''s lips.
Looking at the juicy and tempting flesh, the crystal clear fruit knife, and Lumian''s slightly smiling face, Franca suddenly felt the atmosphere was different from when Jenna cared for her in the morning.
The morning felt like a sick father watching a gentle mother urging a gluttonous child to study, while now it feels like a sick wife
"You''re not eating? If you don''t eat it, I will." Lumian appeared to take back the piece of peach and put it in his own mouth, with the attitude of brotherly interaction.
Franca snorted and quickly opened her mouth to bite the piece of peach.
She chewed and swallowed, then said rather nostalgically, "It''s the taste from my memories."
As she ate the peach Lumian fed her, she brought up their previous topic.
"What do you think is hidden in B1 of Mushu Hospital?"
Lumian considered carefully before saying, "My contact with Naboredisley and other Devils left me a deep impression of one sentencethe entrance to the Abyss is not only in some ce in the real world, but also in everyone''s heart. We can all fall into the Abyss and be devils not on the Devil pathway. So I suspect the Mother Tree of Desire, standing at the top of the Devil, Wraith, and Baby Cupid pathways, is using Her control over the Abyss to turn Mr. Fool''s psychological dark side into Mushu Hospital.
"Then, the Great Mother and the deity worshiped by Order of All Extinction used the psychological dark side to infiltrate a bit of Their power, gradually eroding the dream. The influence of the Abyss is from bottom to top, from the depths of the heart to the surface. Reflected in the specific symbol of Mushu Hospital, this means remodeling from the underground floors to the ground level."
"You mean the underground floors of Mushu Hospital have be a small-scale Abyss, a moreplex and terrifying Abyss?" Franca swallowed the peach in her mouth and asked thoughtfully.
Lumian nodded, skillfully cutting another piece of peach and bringing it to Franca''s lips.
"Currently we can see the power of the Mother Tree of Desire, the Great Mother, and that deity of Order of All Extinction. The others are unknown for now."
"These evil gods should only be able to influence part of the dream. It seems they intend to help the Celestial Worthy?" Franca bit the piece of peach with her teeth and asked puzzledly.
Lumian considered for a moment before saying, "That''s how it is now, but it may not be the caseter. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Madam Magician told me privately that these evil gods don''t actually like the Celestial Worthy that much. If given a choice, Their instinctive desire is to use the Celestial Worthy to pass through the barrier, but not let the Celestial Worthy truly awaken. Perhaps in this dream battle, if Mr. Fool is strong, They will definitely help the Celestial Worthy. If the Celestial Worthy gains a big advantage, they might secretly sabotage the Celestial Worthy''s ns.
"Moreover, They Themselves are chaotic and insane, and may do things we can''t understand at any time. The Maritist who should have appearedst night didn''t truly show up, perhaps for this reason. In short, what the evil gods would most like to see is both Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy continuing to sleep, indulging in this dream city."
Hearing this, Franca was suddenly moved.
She cast her gaze towards the window filled with brilliant sunlight, towards the distant high-rise buildings, and said in a low voice with self-mockery, "If my dream was like this, if the people I care about were all here, I might also indulge in it, not wanting to wake up"
At Dream Tutoring sses, in front of the reception desk.
Jenna held Ludwig''s hand and handed the flier given by Oracle Danitz to the dark-skinned male receptionist.
"I''d like to know more details about your courses."
The dark-skinned male receptionist''s eyes lit up and he put on a smile. "Ma''am, what does your child want to learn?"
"Could you first introduce all the courses?" Jenna hadn''t decided yet what ss to enroll Ludwig in.
The male receptionist was stunned for a moment, then muttered,
"Before, I would introduce first, then ask the customer what they wanted to learn, but I was criticized by several customers. They told me to ask about their needs first, then give targeted introductions How is this wrong again"
Without needing Anthony''s observation results, Jenna began to feel this receptionist wasn''t very bright, and seemed a bit stupid.
She pondered for a moment and said, "Our child only has time on weekends. Please introduce the weekend courses."
ording to the information, Mr. Fool had enrolled in this tutoring center''s weekend Business English course!
The male receptionist breathed a sigh of relief, took out some materials, and began detailing the weekend courses hispany offered.
After listening for a while, Jenna found that only the Beginner English ss had a simr schedule to the Business English ss.
She turned her head to look at Ludwig''s pained expression, then picked up the Beginner English ss materials and said, "It''s still 6,666 after the discount? Can it be cheaper?"
Even at just 6,666, it was a veryrge expense for Jenna and the others. They had borrowed some more money through another app yesterday to scrape together enough without affecting their daily lives.
"Well, only our principal has the authority to give further discounts. I''ll get her." The dark-skinned receptionist hurriedly went down the hallway to the office to fetch the principal.
She was a beautiful woman with dyed brown hair, an oval face, and clear blue eyes like spring water. She wore an elegant women''s blouse paired with a dark pleated knee-length skirt, exposing her fair, long, and straight calves.
"Principal Ai is exceptionally learned and talented. Not only is she good at English, but also French. She can also paint, appraise antiques, y various musical instruments" the dark-skinned receptionist went on and on with his introduction.
Jenna could see that Principal Ai was a bit embarrassed and ufortable with the praise. At the same time, she noticed Ludwig''s expression change, as if he had encountered a natural enemy.
"You want to take the Beginner English ss?" Principal Ai interrupted the receptionist''s introduction and turned her gaze to Ludwig.
"Yes." Jenna nodded sincerely.
Principal Ai looked at Ludwig and said, "Starting at this age has already missed the best phase fornguage acquisition, but as long as you''re willing to learn, any time is a good time. It''s never toote.
"Hmm, 5,000the lowest cost price. We can''t dy the child''s education."
This should have been a sales pitch to get people to enroll, but Jenna actually heard sincerity in it. She felt Principal Ai was genuinely considering the child''s education.
As expected of an archbishop of the Church of Knowledge, former treasure hunter and Pirate Admiral Jenna recalled the contents of the file and nodded painfully.
"Alright, we''ll enroll in the ss at this time slot."
Seeing what Jenna was pointing at, Principal Ai couldn''t help but frown. "Anderson''s ss"
"Is there a problem?" Jenna asked curiously.
"Anderson is very suitable for teaching young children, but he tends to let them develop bad study habits. If we weren''t short-staffed, I wouldn''t let him teach the beginner ss" Before Principal Ai could finish speaking, a man turned into the hallway.
He had blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a white shirt and ck vest, with his hands in his pockets.
He smiled at Principal Ai and said, "Edwina, did you just mention my name?"
In the dream city, Edwina was Principal Ai''s English name.
Principal Aiposed herself and pointed at Ludwig.
"This little friend wants to enroll in your beginner ss."
"Is that so?" Anderson walked up to Ludwig and squatted down without concern for his image, questioning his potential student, "Do you like learning English?"
"No." Ludwig shook his head quickly.
Anderson continued asking, "Then do you like learning French?"
"No." Ludwig continued shaking his head.
"How about Mauritian Creole?" Anderson persisted.
Ludwig shook his head again. "No."
"Then do you like learning to paint?" Anderson changed the question.
Ludwig shook his head without hesitation. "No."
"So what do you like?" Anderson wasn''t upset at all.
"I like eating." Ludwig was very honest.
Anderson smiled and stood up, saying, "How about thisstudy cooking with me, and at least you can be a chef in the future."
If it were someone else, they would definitely think Anderson was mocking their child for having no talent for studying. But Jenna just wanted to say he had a keen eye, immediately seeing Ludwig''s essence.
"You know how to cook?" the dark-skinned receptionist asked very hostilely.
Andersonughed. "I''m very good at roasting rabbit. Danitz originally wanted me to teach him, but"
At this point, Anderson sighed.
He''s the Oracle''s roommate, the first to discover the Oracle''s disappearance? Jenna''s spirits suddenly lifted.
Chapter 925 Hidden Meaning
Chapter 925 Hidden Meaning
Jenna, holding Ludwig''s hand, deliberately fixed her gaze on Anderson''s face. "I heard that Mr. Da who gave us the flier has gone missing. Is there any news?"
Principal Ai, whose English name was Edwina, suddenly looked gloomy. "He was killed." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Oh my goodness, did something really happen to him?" Jenna had already rehearsed how she should react when inquiring about such matters, and even used the catchphrases popr among ordinary people in the dream city.
Before leaving home, she had deliberately applied makeup to make herself less attractive, to avoid bing the focus of passersby.
The dark-skinned receptionist nodded gravely.
"We went to the police station to identify the body. Although he liked to show off, was a bit impulsive, and loved attention, he was truly a very, very good person. Why would someone murder him?"
"Robbery?" Jenna offered a guess.
"His phone and valuable belongings were still on him." Principal Ai denied this possibility. "Let''s wait for the police investigation results. Hopefully, the murderer will be brought to justice soon."
Her expression was a bit sorrowful, obviously not wanting to discuss this matter further.
The foreign teacher, Anderson, then said, "The night beforest, before he went out, he told me he''d ask me how to pursue girls when he got back. I waited for him until dawn, sent him messages but he didn''t reply, called him but he didn''t answer. I thought at the time, he shouldn''t have had a romantic encounter, unless he paid for it, but he was very stingy and saved all his money, saying he wanted to buy a house"
"You felt something was wrong, so you called the police?" Jenna showed a look of sudden realization.
At the same time, she couldn''t help but grumble inwardly, Even though you''re talking about a sad event, why do I feel like you''re mocking the deceased? Is this really Anderson Hood, once the strongest Hunter of the Fog Sea?
The information provided by the Major Arcana cards mentioned that the principal of Dream Tutoring sses, Ai Nana, corresponded to the Pirate Admiral Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina from a few years ago, and the foreign teacher Anderson Hood corresponded to Anderson Hood, the strongest Hunter of the Fog Sea in reality. Of course, this title was now disputed, with Louis Berry having quite a few supporters.
Anderson nodded. "Yes, reporting to the police must be timely. If he really encountered problems, the police might have been able to save him in time. If he was indeed just fooling around with paid women, the police could have caught him in bed. Who knew sigh"
Are you really concerned about the Oracle, or do you have a grudge against him Jenna couldn''t tell for a moment whether Anderson was joking or not.
Moreover, it''s not appropriate to joke about such a tragedy!
Jenna asked a few more questions indirectly, roughly confirming that Anderson had reported to the police less than an hour after the Oracle''s death, and the police had taken it seriously, not dismissing it with the usual "adult males must be out of contact for 48 hours" excuse. They had started searching near thete-night food stalls just after midnight.
This is close to what we spected. Mr. Fool''s subconscious probably considered this matter very important, or in his subconscious, the Oracle was quite important, so the police acted unusually and started the investigation immediately Jenna didn''t dwell on the Oracle''s death, and began paying and filling out forms to enroll Ludwig in the weekend Beginner English ss.
She knew that in such scenarios, one should avoid touching on or asking about others'' sorrowful matters, especially those involving death, unless the other person was willing to talk about it.
After leaving Dream Tutoring sses, on the way to the bus stop, Jenna looked at Anthony, who hadn''t said much and seemed to have gone unnoticed by Principal Ai, Anderson Hood, and others. "Did you observe any unusual details?"
"The key figures at Dream Tutoring sses basically match the descriptions in the file, and their attitudes towards the Oracle''s death are normal." Anthony had prepared his thoughts. "But I felt that some of Anderson Hood''s words just now were a bit over the top, hiding some subtext, as if he wanted to tell us something"
Before Anthony could finish, a voice suddenly sounded from behind. "I heard you mention my name."
Jenna and Anthony turned around simultaneously to find that Anderson Hood had somehow also left Dream Tutoring sses and was only four or five meters away from them.
Jenna thought for two seconds and deliberately said, "We were discussing how you don''t seem to be very sad about Mr. Da''s death, and even seem to be mocking him."
Anderson smiled and looked around before saying, "Because I feel that the people around me have been acting a bit strangetely."
"Strange?" Jenna asked puzzledly.
Anderson lowered his voice. "Don''t you suddenly have this feeling at some point?
"The people around seem to be acting out different scripts to cooperate with you, but asionally they overdo it or are not meticulous enough, making you notice something is off, making you feel terrified, like it''s not real enough.
"Before, they all performed very well, but recently, the ws have increased significantly."
Wh Has Anderson Hood perceived the essence of this dream city? But he''s just a dream image, not a real person''s projection. The Major Arcana card holders said that the real Anderson Hood doesn''t have any special items or connections, so he can''t enter Mr. Fool''s dream
He now seems like a character in a book who discovers that he''s just a character in a story Jenna was shocked and found it incredible.
Seeing Jenna stunned, Andersonughed. "You believed it? Looks like the story I made up isn''t bad, and my acting isn''t bad either"
After saying this, Anderson waved his hand and walked towards the nearby convenience store.
Behind him, a group of students who had finished ss poured out of Dream Tutoring sses.
Jenna and Anthony exchanged nces, neither angered by Anderson''s prank, but rather feeling that he really had something unsaid.
This person, who should only be a dream image, seemed a bit special.
Looking at the students leaving the building where Dream Tutoring sses was located, Jenna withdrew her gaze and continued walking towards the bus stop.
While waiting for the bus, she curiously asked Ludwig, "You seemed a bit scared when you saw Principal Ai?"
Ludwig mumbled, "She was one of my former teachers."
Ah, Ludwig''s teacher from the Church of Knowledge, no wonder Jenna suddenly understood.
In the rental apartment.
After listening to Jenna and Anthony''s ount, Lumian considered for a moment and said, "Currently, we''re still in the observation stage of key figures. Don''t further contact Anderson for now. After we finish the observation phase, we''ll find an opportunity when there are no other teachers or students from Dream Tutoring sses around him to probe him."
Franca, who had recovered her health, also regained her normal thinking ability.
"You suspect that Mr. Fool enrolling in Dream Tutoring sses caused problems for some of the teachers and students there, and the Oracle''s death is a continuation of these problems rather than the beginning? And Anderson also became suspicious because he noticed some small inconsistencies?"
"This possibility is quite high." Lumian stood up and said, "I''m going to cook now."
He walked towards the kitchen, and Jenna naturally followed to assist.
Lumian had already steamed a pot of rice in the rice cooker. Now, he put the rice into severalrge bowls and added spicy sauces like Lao Gan Ma.
"After Ludwig finishes these, he''ll be about 70-80% full, and then he can eat dinner normally with us," Lumian casually said to Jenna.
Jenna helped carry two bowls of rice, nodding seriously. "Yes, the food for Ludwig should be divided into two types: one for filling his stomach and one for tasting delicious vors. It can''t just be for filling his stomach."
"You seem quite concerned about him?" Lumian picked up the remaining bowls and chuckled.
Jennaughed self-mockingly. "I feel a bit guilty, I guess."
After delivering these bowls of rice to Ludwig, Lumian washed the rice cooker clean and steamed another pot for himself and the others, using the quick mode.
"When we have money, we should buy another rice cooker" Lumian muttered as he took out vegetables and meat from the refrigerator.
Jenna took them over, washed the vegetables under the tap, and used her Demoness powers to control frost to defrost the meat.
She washed one item and passed it to Lumian, who used knives formed from frost to chop and slice.
The two chatted casually, asionally falling silent to listen to how Franca was teaching Ludwig to watch cartoons in the living room, without slowing down their food preparation.
Jenna nced at the sky outside, tinged with golden-red afterglow, and said, "We probably won''t go out at night for now. What''s the n for tomorrow?"
During the observation phase, they had to be extremely careful. Since the magic mirror Arrodes had hinted that there were problems at night, they wouldn''t go out after dark for now.
While quickly slicing with his ice knife, Lumian looked down at the increasing pile of shredded meat and said without hesitation, "In the morning, we''ll go to Star Dream Provisions Store to get the reply from the Major Arcana card holders, and observe the police station nearby while we''re at it.
"In the afternoon, we''ll observe one of the most important targets."
"Mr. Fool''s friend Peng Deng?" Jenna knew who Lumian was referring to.
Peng Deng was a very special person in the dream city. He was a good friend of Mr. Fool, that is, Zhou Mingrui, but there was no corresponding person for him in reality.
Following the logic that characters closer to Mr. Fool should be more important, Peng Deng should have a high status and position in the real world. However, the Major Arcana card holders and other coin holders had never found out who he represented or symbolized.
At the same time, they hadn''t found any problems with Peng Deng in the dream.
Lumian nodded and continued, "Based on my experience, a character in such a position must have a strong symbolic meaning. We just haven''t found the approach or method to interpret it yet.
"One reason why Mr. Star became a key focus and was kicked out of the dream by the Celestial Worthy might be his strong connection to Mr. Fool''s Angel of Timea decryption expert. If He truly came into contact with Peng Deng, He might see something."
"Right." Jenna finished washing all the vegetables, shook her hands, and let the water droplets turn into frost and float down.
The next morning, at the entrance of Star Dream Provisions Store.
Franca, feeling a bit fearful yet somewhat expectant, followed Lumian inside.
The magic mirror Arrodes had indeed left some psychological trauma on her, but she was also quite curious about the brass book, which was much more expensive than the mirror, and the true identity of the shop owner.
Chapter 926 Turning Fantasy into Reality
Chapter 926 Turning Fantasy into Reality
At first nce, Franca noticed that Star Dream Provisions Store really did resemble an antique shop from the Northern Continent, with very obvious mystical elements added.
The only things that didn''t fit this style were the shelves themselves and the mobile phone the shopkeeper was fiddling with, along with the tablet ced in front of her.
"Good morning, ma''am. We''re here to pick up a reply," Lumian said very politely as he approached the counter.
The shopkeeper, dressed in a ck dress and fiddling with her phone, pulled out a letter from under the counter and ced it on top.
"Thank you," Lumian said as he took it, without opening the letter on the spot.
Franca then pointed to the brass book. "Ma''am, may I flip through that book?"
"Go ahead," replied the ck-dressed shopkeeper without looking up, and without cautioning Franca not to damage the antique.
Franca walked briskly to the shelf on the right and picked up the book that looked as if it were forged from brass.
The cover was cold and hard to the touch, clearly made of metal.
Franca quickly flipped through it, finding that the inside pages were still paper, butpletely nk.
Nothing special Franca muttered to herself.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she suddenly saw lines of text appear on the nk pages. But these words vanished in an instant, too fast for even a Demoness''s eyesight to capture the specific content.
Am I seeing things? Franca patiently waited for 20-30 seconds, and again saw new text appear in the brass book. But she still couldn''t make out a single word before the corresponding content disappeared.
In this situation, even the Dream Divination method couldn''t be used afterwards to recall the specific images.
There''s definitely something strange about this Franca thought to herself as she returned the brass book to its original ce.
At the same time, out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a dark greenish-ck figure sh by behind the shelf.
It was a snake that had grown white feathers and small wings!
Franca was startled and instinctively took two steps back, turning to warn the shopkeeper, "Ma''am, there''s a snake in your shop!"
Be careful!
"No need to be afraid," the ck-dressed shopkeeper raised her head, revealing her beautiful face. "That''s my pet."
"I see" Franca let out a sigh of relief. Along with Jenna and Anthony, who were browsing around the store, she followed Lumian out and back to the gray sedan parked nearby. They used frost to forcibly lower the high temperature inside the car caused by the sun.
After sitting in the driver''s seat, Franca frowned slightly and said, "The snake I just saw looked a lot like a feathered serpent from the Death pathway. Well, a miniature harmless version.
"The shopkeeper couldn''t be keeping a Mythical Creature from the Death pathway as a pet, could she?"
Aplete Mythical Creature would represent an Angel level!
Lumian calmly said as he opened the letter in his hand, "It''s not impossible. Besides those with special items and connections, those that can enter the dream are at least true gods."
Wh Were we just dealing with a true god? And she even answered my question? As Franca was still in shock, she saw a person carrying many bags walk up to the driver''s side and knock on the window.
"Can I help you?" Franca cautiously rolled down the window.
The person had an ordinary appearance and wore a smile, holding out what was in his hand to Franca. "Wanna buy something? Thetest models of bugs and pinhole cameras."
"" Franca''s mouth twitched. "Bro, that''s illegal."
The man tried to continue his sales pitch, but Franca put on a stern face and firmly refused.
After closing the window, Franca started the car, while Lumian began examining the reply from the Major Arcana card holders, mainly written by Madam Magician.
At this point, Franca suddenly paused. "Don''t rush, let''s first make sure there are no bugs or pinhole cameras installed in the car."
With everyone suppressed to Sequence 7, relying on the Demonesses'' spirituality and divination could indeed effectively prevent mystical eavesdropping and peeping, but they hadpletely overlooked the scientific aspect before!
Lumian and Jenna could understand what bugs and pinhole cameras were used for. One relied on a Hunter''s observation skills to quickly search for unusual traces, while the other used Magic Mirror Divination to check on the situation by questioning her own spirituality.
"There aren''t any," Jenna reported her divination results.
"That''s good." Franca breathed a sigh of relief. "From now on, we must remember to guard against scientific methods. It''s fortunate that the dude selling contraband items reminded me, otherwise we might have been caught off guard at some point! Uh"
At this point, Franca turned her gaze to the rearview mirror.
She saw the man who had been selling bugs and pinhole cameras turn a corner at the end of the street and disappear.
"Could he be an ally? Deliberatelying to warn us?" Franca mused perceptively.
Lumian pondered for a moment before stating, "Probably."
"Who could it be?" Franca asked, focusing more on driving as she looked at the road ahead.
Soon, she parked the car in a roadside spot diagonally across from the police station.
Lumian created a medium-sized screen out of frost and disyed the reply from the Major Arcana card holders on this mirror for easy viewing.
"After confirmation, the Demoness of Despair Beyonder characteristics, rted materials, and special mirror world fragments you obtained are all real.
"Don''t get excited yet. This doesn''t mean every Beyonder in the dream city can produce Beyonder characteristics. It must be someone like you whose consciousness directly enters.
"In other words, if you die in the dream city, affected by Fooling, your bodies in the real world will also die, producing Beyonder characteristics. This feedback to the dream city will then Graft the Beyonder characteristics onto the recipient, achieving the effect of turning fantasy into reality and reality into fantasy.
"You should already understand my meaningthe resurrected female corpse is roughly equivalent to a real consciousness entering.
"As for her name and background, you should ask Ludwig. I''ll just briefly exin that she was once equivalent to the Celestial Worthy''s marite, so she still is now. Don''t ask whydon''t ask about high-level matters of the Seer and Marauder pathways. In any case, through this connection, and through the identity Mr. Fool''s subconscious wove for her in the dream, she entered this dream and was given new life by the Great Mother, gaining humanity and consciousness that are unlike a marite.
"Back to the issue of the Beyonder characteristicsif you use it to concoct potions and perform rituals to advance to demigod in the dream city, your bodies in the real world will also be demigods. Remember, under the influence of abilities like Fooling, false dreams may be true reality, and what you consider real may be false.
"Moreover, the dream city is currently restricted to Sequence 7, so the mental effects of potions and the minimum requirements for rituals will also be suppressed to this level. For example, a gue that originally needed to infect 30,000 people and bring them pain and despair might now only need 300 infected. Taking a risk in B1 of Mushu Hospital might be enough toplete the ritual.
"Doesn''t this make you think ''that works?'' But I must tell you, a price has already been exacted for what fate bestowed. Advancing to Demoness of Despair through this method carries extremelyrge hidden dangers. Subsequently, extremely great difficulties will need to be ovee to truly count as a Sequence 4 demigod.
"Think about itin the dream city, all the various problems brought about by consuming a demigod potion are actually restricted to Sequence 7, so they can be endured rtively easily, and Sequence 7 level rituals can be used to assist advancement. But upon leaving the dream and returning to reality, those problems suppressed to Sequence 7 will break free from the Fooling and instantly return to Sequence 4 levels. At that time, the corresponding person will likely lose control immediately.
"Of course, this is not unsolvable, just very difficultnot as simple as performing aplete ritual in reality.
"The only method we can think of now is to fully digest that Sequence 4 potion before leaving the dream, before this dream is no longer maintained. This digestion will be grafted onto reality, allowing the vast majority of hidden dangers suppressed to Sequence 7 to be resolved in advance. When the person returns to reality, they will be a Sequence 4 demigod in good conditionreality will have been truly fooled at this moment.
"The difficulty with this method lies in the fact that how long the dream can be maintained and when you will be locked onto by the Celestial Worthy and directly kicked out are not things you can decide for yourselves. It''s full of unknown risks, and it''s extremely difficult to obtain a good opportunity and enough time to digest the potion."
Reading to this point, Franca, Lumian, and the others looked at each other, speechless.
Is that even allowed?
They had originally thought that using false Angel qualifications and sealed Angels to simply act out roles and quickly digest potions was already the limit of exploiting rule loopholes. Who knew that after reading all these words about Fooling and Grafting, they felt their brains had been fooled. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
You can really truly advance in the dream
The potion can be fooled, the ritual can be fooled, the mind can be fooled, even the boundary between fantasy and reality can be fooled
Of course, it''s also possible that only we ourselves are fooled, believing we''ve trulypleted the advancement and be demigods when in reality we''ve just developed a mental disorder
Haha, everyone''s been fooled! Everyone''s been fooled! Franca couldn''t help but go a little crazy in her mind.
"Is this the terrifying aspect of great existences?" Jenna took a small breath.
Lumian chuckled. "Many things we consider unbreakable and unchangeable may just be ythings for great existences."
"They can make them round if They want, or t if They want" Franca mumbled along.
Through this letter, they truly and concretely felt what it meant to be a great existence.
They continued reading the letter disyed on the ice crystal screen.
"After reading the previous part, haven''t you had this thought:
"In the future, after Mr. Fool wakes up, couldn''t we ask him to use simr dreams to help lower the difficulty of rituals and advancements, allowing those in need to be demigods and giving them enough time to digest potions in the dream?
"First, we must be clear that Mr. Fool alone would find it difficult to aplish this, because such a real dream, a dream that allows Fooling to blur fantasy and reality,es from other domains.
"Second, not every demigod will eventually be able to digest their own potion. They will live their entire lives in a dream, and if the dream cognition is not restored to Sequence 4 levels, their lifespan will also be suppressed to the corresponding mid to low Sequences. But if the dream cognition is restored to Sequence 4, those problems hidden by Fooling will erupt again.
"Third, is it really appropriate to cause Mr. Fool to sleep for several years, over ten years, or even centuries to help one Beyonder advance?
"Finally, the acting out of many potions will tend towards evil. If you really want to create arge-scale gue in Mr. Fool''s dream, not to mention how easily the Celestial Worthy would notice, Mr. Fool would be the first to kick you out."
Why do I feel like Madam Magician is hinting at me I really hadn''t thought of that. This dream is just like reality, not at all like a game. How could I have antisocial thoughts? Even in games, I only stopped being humane after getting bored with normal gamey Franca muttered to herself.
Chapter 927 Misfortune?
Chapter 927 Misfortune?
After discussing matters rted to the reanimated female corpse, Madam Magician affirmed Lumian and the others'' current strategy. She said one major reason why previous gold coin holders failed to find a way to awaken Mr. Fool was that they were too eager to contact the target person, resulting in being locked onto by the Celestial Worthy and kicked out of the dream, or fully restricted, only able to make some contributions in umting intelligence.
At the end of the letter, Madam Magician told Lumian and the others that some gold coin holders could still enter this dream city, but they could notmunicate with Mr. Fool or intervene in any events. However, they could act as human cameras, helping to collect information on certain asions.
The content disyed on the ice crystal screen ended here. Lumian flicked his wrist, burning the letter, and turned to Ludwig. "The background of the reanimated female corpse."
Ludwig was staring longingly at a snack shop on the street, and reluctantly recounted the information he obtained from the corpse:
"Panatiya, a member of the Demoness Sect, nicknamed Nation of ''Despair Nightingale'', was one of the perpetrators of the Great Smog of Backlund incident. She became the marite of Antigonus, a great noble of the Tudor Empire, in a secret town on the way to the Nation of the Evernight. At that time, Antigonus was in a state of madness, mentally closer to the Celestial Worthy you guys talk about"
"For the top level of the Marauder pathway, the Despair Nightingale is indeed equivalent to the Celestial Worthy''s marite." Lumian nodded slowly after carefully listening to Ludwig''s statement.
His gaze turned to outside the car window, watching peopleing and going at the entrance of the police station, and he said as he pondered, "Fooling, Grafting, dreams, realityI don''t fully understand these concepts, so I can only trust Madam Magician''s exnation for now. What puzzles me is why the Celestial Worthy had to bring the Despair Nightingale marite into the dream city, rather than using her virtual image here?
"It couldn''t be just to give us Beyonder characteristics and special mirror world fragments, could it?"
"Indeed," Franca agreed, also finding the Celestial Worthy''s choice in this matter iprehensible.
Since Panatiya was the Celestial Worthy''s marite, her corresponding dream image should also easily be the Celestial Worthy''s marite again. In her subsequent tasks, the role she yed did not require her to be a real Demoness-judging from Panatiya''s reenacted script alone, an illusory Demoness belonging to the dream city could equally fulfill the corresponding responsibilities.
The Celestial Worthy chose a moreplicated method over a simpler one, which had to imply hidden reasons.
These reasons might be crucial.
Anthony, sitting in the back, followed up with his analysis of the character''s psychological state.
"If the description in the information and Madam Susie''s reminder are correct, Mr. Fool''s dream image is very cautious and careful. So sending a Demoness to approach him with reasonable excuses and in a gradual manner, cultivating feelings through daily, moderate interactions to dissolve unfamiliarity and wariness, might not be the best choice. Because Demonesses are too beautiful, it would instinctively make someone who considers themselves ordinary draw a line in their heart, feeling that it''s not something they could obtain."
Lumian, Jenna, and Francathe three Demonessesall looked at Anthony simultaneously.
Anthony paused for two seconds before continuing, "If I were to arrange it, I would find a way to turn one of Zhou Mingrui''s current female colleagues into a marite. That colleague should preferably be very ordinary, not a Beyonder, and not particrly pretty, but still have her own charm from certain angles or expressions.
"After she bes familiar with Zhou Mingrui, arrange for her to drink the Assassin potion, gradually and unobtrusively enhancing her charm, allowing love to develop slowly"
Lumian''s eyes flickered a few times, but he remained silent.
"You Spectators" Franca sighed sincerely.
Indeed, better at writing scripts than the Celestial Worthy.
She had just seriously thought about it and felt that if it were her former self before transmigrating, she definitely wouldn''t be able to resist!
"Then why did the Celestial Worthy have to bring His own Demoness marite into the dream city, and even use the power of the Great Mother to give her new life?" Jenna repeated Lumian and Franca''s previous confusion.
After a brief silence in the car, Lumian thoughtfully said, "Don''t you think there are too many Demonesses appearing in this matter?"
"What do you mean?" Jenna vaguely guessed what Lumian wanted to say.
It was the dream symbolism he had been emphasizing several times every day recently.
Lumian slightly curled his lips.
"As a teaming to the dream to awaken Mr. Fool, the number of Demonesses among us is abnormally high, exceeding half. And the main opponent abandoned the simple approach, chose theplicated one, and even brought a Demoness marite belonging to Himself here.
"The Major Arcana card holders have said that Mr. Fool has authority over fate, and that Celestial Worthy must have it too.
"The lucky coins ultimately gathered in our hands, bringing us to this dream citydoesn''t this symbolize the choice of fate, symbolizing that it will be a Demoness who awakens Mr. Fool? Simrly, it will also be a Demoness who helps the Celestial Worthy achieve victory?
"I had previously felt that the pathways chosen by the lucky coins this time were too monotonous, and the appearance of the reanimated female corpse deepened my suspicion."
"Then why must it be a Demoness? And why must it be an external Demoness with real consciousness?" Jenna mused along this line of thought. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Perhaps figuring out this question would reveal how to awaken Mr. Fool.
Lumian chuckled.
"For now, I can only think of two reasons:
"First, a real Demoness symbolizes real cmity, and real cmity will bring great changes to the dream city. Where there''s change, there''s opportunitymaybe good, maybe bad. But this doesn''t exin why there aren''t as many Hunters, as Hunters are also symbols of cmity.
"Second, some crucial thing, a path leading to Mr. Fool''s awakening, can only bepleted by a Demoness of a not-low Sequence."
"It could be both reasons," Franca said, while worrying about the air conditioning costs and considering switching to ice blocks for cooling, but also concerned about being detected by Beyonders in the police force. She continued observing people entering and leaving the police station.
Thus, they observed and discussed intermittently until noon.
During this process, Lumian and the others saw Officer Deng and his fiance Daly leave hand in hand to find a restaurant for lunch, and also saw key figures like Old Neil who bore the title of Interpol officer.
Their observationsrgely matched the descriptions in their information.
"Didn''t see Mr. Star" Franca withdrew her gaze, preparing to drive onto the road.
"He''s probably out investigating the case at the mall''s surveince room," Lumian had noticed this information while scrolling through his phone earlier.
Franca didn''t say more and drove the car to the new urban district, full of high-rise buildings and a modern atmosphere, parking opposite a building over a hundred meters tall.
Their next observation target, also a key suspect, Peng Deng, worked here.
Just as Franca parked the car, Lumian and the others saw the target approaching from a distance.
He was a young man with an unremarkable appearance, holding an iced coffee and looking down at his phone.
Every time Jenna thought he would bump into pedestrians or obstacles on the road, Peng Deng, without raising his head, would skillfully maneuver around them.
Almost simultaneously, Peng Deng''s information shed through Lumian and the others'' minds:
"Peng Deng, 24 years old, from the same hometown as Zhou Mingrui, ssmate from kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school, schoolmate in high school, currently an interior designer, living in Herun Community next to New City Garden.
"He has a girlfriend named Nie Zhen, living in the High-Tech Zone, nning to move in with Peng Deng after their current lease expires.
"Currently sharing rent with a foreign worker named Grisha, who has an entric personality, is paranoid, and has crude manners"
Lumian carefully observed Peng Deng, who was wearing a light-colored shirt with sweat seeping through the back, not missing any of his movements or facial expression details.
Only after Peng Deng walked back into the building did Lumian withdraw his gaze and ask Anthony, "Did you notice anything?"
Anthony shook his head.
"That''s normal. If it were that simple to discover problems, the Major Arcana card holders would have had results long ago," Lumian wasn''t disappointed.
He said to all team members, "We''re not sure if Peng Deng will go out in the afternoon. Let''s go observe his girlfriend and his roommate for a while first. Tomorrow is the weekend, and there''s a possibility of contacting Mr. Fool at the tutoring ss in the afternoon. We need to quickly go through all the listed personnel that need observation."
Jenna and the others had no objections.
Franca tried to start the car but couldn''tplete the ignition no matter what.
The rumbling sound failed to transform into a steady hum.
"Dammit! The car broke down" Franca pped the steering wheel, unable to hide her frustration.
At this moment, only one thought appeared in Lumian and Jenna''s minds:
We''ll have to pay for repairs
Immediately after, Lumian furrowed his brow.
"Isn''t this too coincidental?
"The car breaks down right after we observe Peng Deng"
"Indeed, there were no signs of trouble before." Franca also began to find this suspicious.
Would approaching Peng Deng with ill intentions lead to misfortune?
But the Major Arcana card holders who had previously observed Peng Deng hadn''t mentioned any simr situations.
"This is an anomaly, let''s record it" Lumian said to Anthony.
He opened the door and got out of the car, habitually wanting to check it himself to see if he could repair it. But after standing in the sun-scorched area, he remembered that he had no understanding of the structure of internalbustion engine cars. The only thing he could do was bang on the hood a few times, hoping that vibration and luck might somehow make the vehicle fix itself.
"I''ll call the car rentalpany," Franca said, picking up her phone from the holder.
Just then, an enthusiastic voice came from the roadside.
"Hello, Li, and An, what''s wrong?"
Lumian and Anthony, who had also gotten out of the car, looked towards the street and saw it was Stiano, the foreign exchange student they had met yesterday, who was suspected to be the dream image corresponding to a high-ranking member of the Church of Steam.
"The car broke down." Lumian pointed at the gray sedan.
Stiano, carrying a travel backpack, brightened up.
"Maybe I can help you fix it."
Chapter 928 Adding a Friend
Chapter 928 Adding a Friend
When Stiano volunteered to help, Lumian''s thoughts raced. He smiled and said, "Thank you so much!"
Stiano took off his backpack and, like a magician, pulled out one car repair tool after another. He opened the hood of the gray sedan.
Seeing this, Franca couldn''t help but wail inwardly, No!
It was only going to cost one or two thousand to fix before, but now it might cost several thousand after he''s done!
She could guess why Lumian was willing to let Stiano help. The information provided by the Major Arcana card holders didn''t mention this high-ranking Church of Steam member''s projection in the dream city. He didn''t seem very important or rted to Mr. Fool''s awakening, yet he had encountered the team twice by chance. This indicated either an arrangement of fate or that he himself harbored something special. Observing him more at this stage might provide useful guidance at a crucial moment in the future.
For the Demonesses, this was both a conclusion from logical reasoning and a prompt from spiritual intuition.
Never mind, this is just a dream, not reality. As long as Mr. Fool believes that the Church of Steam and Machinery''s high-ranking members are good at repairing machines, then Stiano should be able to fix the car Francaforted herself, quietly producing ice cubes to dispel the heat invading the car.
Soon after, Stiano raised his face, with traces of light yellow beard, avoiding his oil-stained palms, and used the back of his hand to push up the in sses perched on the bridge of his nose. He said to Franca inside the car and Lumian outside, "It''s fixed."
Really? Don''t lie to me Franca tried it and found that the vehicle could indeed start again, very smoothly.
Lumian took out a bottle of mineral water filled with "Hunter-Demoness" branded boiled water and provided a stream of water for Stiano to wash his hands and tools at the roadside sewer opening.
After the other party had cleaned his hands and put away his tools, Lumian expressed his thanks again and took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and said with a smile, "Let''s add each other on WeChat. If you need any help in the future, you can always find us. Haha, as long as it''s within our capabilities."
Stiano looked at Lumian seriously, then smiled and said, "Okay."
He then took out his own phone, allowing Lumian to add him as a WeChat friend by scanning the code.
After scanning, Lumian found that the other party''s nickname was "Electric Power Energy and Information Technology".
Feels weird Lumian waved goodbye to Stiano, returned to the gray sedan, and showed this gentleman''s WeChat to Jenna and the others.
Franca nced at it and said amusingly, "This nickname sounds like a university course.
"Check out his Moments!"
This was the first non-team member friend Lumian had added on WeChat,pletely forgetting that Franca had mentioned they could look at Moments to gather information.
He quickly tapped on Stiano''s avatar and then went to his Moments:
"Today: The professor''s understanding of the concept of information is rather biased. Information is also energy, and energy also contains information. One of the essences of each existence is the aggregation of corresponding information.
"Yesterday: Found an old car, the mechanical aesthetics fascinated me.
"August 13: I created a wonderful machine.
"Only 3 days of Moments are visible"
"A wonderful machine?" Lumian murmured puzzledly, "How wonderful can it be? As a local in the dream city, no matter how wonderful the machine he creates, it shouldn''t be able to exceed the limitations of the dream itself."
"He does indeed seem like a high-ranking member of the Church of Steam, and also shows a state of striving to learn and think aftering into contact with more advanced civilizations. This should be the underlying logic when Mr. Fool''s subconscious wove this image," Franca casually said as she drove the car back onto the road.
In the time that followed, they observed key targets such as Peng Deng''s girlfriend Nie Zhen, Peng Deng''s roommate Grisha, Zhou Mingrui''s roommate Mobet, and others.
As it was nearing the end of the workday, they returned to the building where Peng Deng worked, patiently waiting for him to finish his day''s work.
Peng Deng appeared just after 6 p.m. and chose to take the subway back to Herun Community where he rented.
Franca drove the car with Jenna and Ludwig to wait at the destination in advance, while Lumian and Anthony followed into the subway station.
Along the way, many women cast nces at Lumian, seemingly struck by his handsomeness, even though Lumian had made himself look a bit uglier before going out.
Of course, a few men were also sneaking peeks.
Meanwhile, Peng Deng was focused on his phone, not caring at all whether there were any beautiful women around, let alone someone of the same sex who was merely charming.
A normal level of handsomeness isn''t enough to be approached or attract too much attention. Unless there''s an added gimmick, it won''t be a trending search or headline Lumian felt a bit relieved.
Anthony, beside him, was naturally ignored by those around them.
Thanks to the Hunter''s tracking skills and the Demoness''s ability to hide in shadows at any time, Lumian easily followed Peng Deng to the vicinity of Herun Community.
Thetter didn''t go home immediately but turned towards Ankang North Road, walked to near New City Garden, and entered a restaurant called "Yuzhou Small Dishes".
Lumian looked left and right and saw Franca roll down the car window and wave to him and Anthony.
After they got in the car, Franca asked with concern, "Did you gain anything?"
Lumian first shook his head, then muttered puzzledly, "Now I''m more curious about what''s on his phone that he can keep looking at it constantly."
He was looking at it while riding the subway, while on the esctor, and even while walking.
"You don''t understand." Franca sighed.
Jenna, looking at the "Yuzhou Small Dishes" restaurant, recalled, "This is the restaurant where Mr. Fool and Peng Deng often eat. If we wait a bit longer, Mr. Fool mighte too.
"Should we observe their interaction?"
Lumian nced at the sky outside. "We can."
It wouldn''t get dark until after 8 p.m. in this dream city''s summer.
Jenna tersely acknowledged. "Then I''ll buy a roast duck for Ludwig, so he stopsining about being hungry."
She had already found dinner for Ludwig earlier, at a "Fruit Wood Roast Duck" shop on the same side as the car, with a paper sign saying "30 yuan each".
Lumian looked at Ludwig, whose mouth was dripping with suspicious liquid, and said with a smile, "Make it two; we''ll try some too."
Time ticked by minute by minute. Lumian and the others had tried the roast duck and eaten steamed buns, but they still hadn''t seen Mr. Fool''s dream incarnation, Zhou Mingrui. Meanwhile, Peng Deng had finished his meal and was returning towards Herun Community.
"Maybe Mr. Fool wanted to try something different tonight?" Franca dipped thest piece of duck meat wrapped in pancake into sweet bean sauce and brought it towards her mouth.
Gulp!
She heard a clear swallowing sound.
ncing at Ludwig''s face full of desire, Franca sighed and handed over the food in her hand.
Lumian withdrew his gaze from outside the window.
"He might have gone to do something else. I didn''t see him return to New City Garden."
"Should we continue tailing?" Jenna pointed at Peng Deng''s retreating figure.
Lumian shook his head. "It''s getting dark. If we keep following, something unexpected might happen."
Franca said in an agreeing tone, "The Major Arcana card holders also mentioned that one of the most likely signs of Peng Deng being problematic is that he has never met with Mr. Fool, that is, Zhou Mingrui, after dark.
"They''re childhood friends, so it''s very normal to have ate-night snack together or watch a movie. Mr. Fool has initiated invitations many times, and Peng Deng himself has also invited Mr. Fool, but they never managed to meet up in the end. Every time it was because Peng Deng had somethinge upeither his girlfriend wouldn''t allow it, or his girlfriend suddenly got sick, or his roommate broke the door lock and they had to wait for a locksmith toe open the door
"But when they choose to have meals or go out during the day, they always seed, and that girlfriend who always obstructs Peng Deng asionally participates too."
"Combined with the magic mirror''s hint to ''beware of the night'', these details seem very strange." Lumian nodded.
Back at the rented apartment.
Seeing Lumian staring at the increasingly dark sky outside and falling into deep thought, Franca asked curiously, "What''s on your mind?"
"I''m thinking of going out tonight, to move around like ordinary people, to see if we encounter any more anomalies or problems," Lumian said consideringly.
He wanted to test the boundaries of the "night problem" a bit before officially contacting Zhou Mingrui tomorrow afternoon.
They hadn''t gone outst night, and everything was normal. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"Like ordinary people" Franca''s eyes twinkled slightly, and she said to Lumian and Jenna with a smile, "Let''s go watch a movie!"
Lumian and the others already knew the concept of movies and were curious about it, so Franca''s suggestion was unanimously approved.
Franca immediately smiled like a fox who had stolen a hen. "Let''s go to a different mall. We can also scratch some more lottery tickets. Then we''ll have money for tonight''s movie tickets and popcorn, right?"
We can''t go to the same ce, it would attract attention!
Hearing the word "popcorn", Ludwig, who had been uninterested before, suddenly brightened up.
In another mall.
Franca, satisfied with winning over two thousand in prizes again, led her teammates towards the cinema on the fourth floor.
Passing by the third floor, they saw a long queue forming at the entrance of a very artistic-looking bookstore.
"A book signing event?" Franca, who was curious about everything and interested in everything sinceing to the dream city, pulled Jenna over to see which author it was.
"Romance novel queen Salted Fish Without Dreams author of the original Great Pirate series novels" Franca read out the key words on the pull-up banner.
"That pen name is so strange," Jenna expressed her feelings.
Franca smiled and said, "This is only ordinarily strange. Later, I''ll help you download an app and show you how the pen names of those web novel authors are each stranger than thest!"
As she spoke, Franca tried hard to stand on tiptoe to look at the author who was signing books. Lumian walked to her side and also cast his gaze into the bookstore.
A few secondster, as the author raised her head, Lumian and Franca''s expressions froze simultaneously.
"What''s wrong?" Jenna noticed their abnormality.
Franca answered with a strange expression, "I don''t think my eyes are ying tricks on me
"How can she be a romance novel queen"
"Who?" Jenna asked puzzledly.
"Madam Magician," answered Lumian in a suppressed voice.
Chapter 929 Movie
Chapter 929 Movie
"What?" Jenna was shocked by Lumian''s answer.
Madam Magician''s image in Mr. Fool''s dream is the romance novelist "Salted Fish Without Dreams"?
Although Jenna had previously seen characters like Emperor Roselle as apany CEO (in news reports) and Vice Admiral Iceberg as a cram school principal, she had never actually interacted with those famous figures in reality. But Madam Magician was someone she had truly met, talked to, and sought advice from.
How could such a powerful Angel, a holder of a Major Arcana card, and one of Mr. Fool''s followers, be a romance novelist here?
This suddenly highlighted the absurdity, distortion, and ridiculousness of the dream.
Jenna''s position didn''t allow her to see through the crowd to the author''s appearance, so she turned her gaze to the inside of the bookstore''s ss wall, where the silhouette of the person signing books was faintly reflected.
Jenna''s eyes, disguised as deep brown by Lie, instantly became profound, as if hiding mirror after mirror within.
Through the mirrors, she clearly saw the author''s figure: long, slightly curled hair dyed brown, wearing a colorful spaghetti strap dress withyered fabric, tassels, and batik, exuding a strong exotic style. Combined with her beautiful face, it gave off a free and casual aura. It was unmistakably the Major Arcana card holder, Madam Magician!
"It really is her" Jenna whispered.
Lumian stepped back a few paces, distancing himself from the crowd queuing for autographs.
Hiding a mirror in his hand and speaking in a low voice, he muttered as if to himself, "Based on our observations and the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders, when Mr. Fool''s subconscious weaves dream images, it significantly references the characteristics of the corresponding real-world figures. Emperor Roselle was the ruler of a country, so in the dream city he became the boss of argepany. Vice Admiral Iceberg is a demigod of the Church of Knowledge, fond of teaching, and long educated pirates on the Golden Dream. So in the dream city, she became the principal of a cram school"
"Are you suggesting that Madam Magician''s real identity is more or less rted to being an author?" Franca, also in the Mirror Maze, quickly understood what Lumian was trying to express.
Lumian''s gaze swept across the banners reflected in the Mirror Maze, stopping on a description.
He asked Franca and Jenna in a low voice, "What is the Great Pirate series about?"
"I''ll search it up," Franca said, taking out her phone and tapping on the screen.
As she searched, Franca''s expression gradually became strange.
Jenna, suppressing the urge to search for rted content on her own phone, asked curiously, "Got anything?"
"The Great Pirate series is about legendary pirates active at sea. Each volume has a different theme. The volume of the third part is ''Crazy Adventurer'', and the story takes ce between the adventurer Gehrman Sparrow and three beautiful female pirates: Admiral of Stars, Vice Admiral Iceberg, and Vice Admiral Ailment" Franca summarized the key points to herpanions withplex emotions.
Jenna was stunned upon hearing this. Although Lumian had some guesses and suspicions before, he couldn''t help but interrupt Franca, "Isn''t this part of the content of The Great Adventurer series?"
"Apparently so," Franca agreed.
Lumian looked again at the banners reflected in the Mirror Maze and the queuing crowd, saying as if in thought,
"Mr. Fool''s subconscious has woven Madam Magician''s dream identity as the original author of the Great Pirate series, specializing in romance
"The Great Adventurer series from the real world is partially reflected in the Great Pirate series in the dream
"The Great Adventurer series has a strong romantic element, with the interactions between Gehrman Sparrow and the female pirate admirals described rather ambiguously, but left unclear
"The Great Adventurer series has turned many famous pirates intoic characters or protagonists of sensational rumors, and even includes introductions to mystical knowledge and the privacy of two Oracles. Yet the author Fors Wall has never been visited by any pirate or warned by the Church"
Hearing this, Franca had already drawn a conclusion and said softly, "How would the pirates dare"
Seeking out the Angel of Stars for an exnation would be like delivering oneself for a bounty.
"Madam Magician is Fors Wall, the author of The Great Adventurer series?" Jenna asked herself incredulously, then answered her own question, "I always thought she didn''t do book signings for fear of exposing her whereabouts and being revenged upon by pirates"
Jenna suddenly turned to Lumian. "Didn''t you say Madam Magician was an Angel from the early Fifth Epoch, over a thousand years old? Why would she suddenly decide to write novels?"
"That was just my guess. Perhaps Mr. Door lived long enough and only perished in recent years, and Madam Magician was His youngest student," Lumian said, finding this both shocking and strangely amusing. He continued carefully, "Also, haven''t you noticed? Because of the poprity of the Great Adventurer series, Mr. Fool''s avatar Gehrman Sparrow has gained arge number of worshipers. To use a term I heard before, Gehrman Sparrow has acquired many anchors." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Was The Great Adventurer series written by Madam Magician at the behest of the Church of The Fool, as a form of evangelism?" Franca had a sudden realization.
Lumian nodded. "And perhaps Madam Magician''s current sequence requires her to y the role of an ''author''."
"It''s possible," Franca suddenly became excited, "Next time we meet Madam Magician, we should ask for her autograph. Wow, would an Angel''s signature have some special effects"
Before she finished speaking, Franca and Jenna simultaneously turned to Lumian and asked in unison, "What about those letters from before?"
"" Lumian said with considerable regret, "I burned them."
Jenna shared his regret but said with anticipation, "When we return to the real world, we can ask Madam Magician about the future developments of The Great Adventurer, when the next book will be out, and if Frank Lee, the first mate of the Admiral of Stars, is really that exaggerated"
As they chatted, Lumian dispelled the Mirror Maze.
The three of them nced at the long queue for the book signing, then turned with Anthony and Ludwig to the nearest esctor and went up to the fourth floor.
"What movie should we watch?" Franca scanned the promotional posters, her eyes suddenly lighting up, "Let''s watch ''The Great Pirate 3''!"
"Alright," Lumian agreed immediately.
It would be a good opportunity to see what Gehrman Sparrow looks like in Mr. Fool''s dream!
Franca, who had just won a significant amount from lottery tickets, generously bought five seats in a row, three buckets of caramel popcorn, and five cups of iced c.
Ludwig had a bucket of popcorn to himself, Franca, Jenna, and Lumian shared one, and Anthony and Ludwig shared another.
After entering the cinema and finding their corresponding seats, before Franca could allocate, she found that Lumian and Jenna had left a space between them for her.
I thought Lumian would sit in the middle himself Franca sat down happily between Lumian and Jenna. Ludwig sat right next to Lumian, with Anthony on Ludwig''s other side.
Crunch, crunch, Ludwig kept tossing popcorn into his mouth, asionally sipping his iced c,pletely ignoring the images on the screen.
After a few minutes, the opening credits began: howling winds, a dark sea surface, waves sometimes rising high enough to seemingly touch the sky, sometimes sinking into huge maelstroms.
Jenna''s gaze was immediately captivated, as if she herself were in this terrifying scene showcasing the power of nature.
"The special effects are not bad," Francamented briefly.
She wasn''t as impressed as Jenna because she had seen many blockbusters before her transmigration. Moreover, during the Marriage of the Sea ceremony in Port Santa, she and Lumian had personally witnessed and experienced an even more exaggerated maelstrom than a shipwreck, which was beyondparison to these special effects.
Lumian''s gaze focused on the three pirate ships sailing out of the storm and the female pirates standing at the bow.
"That Vice Admiral Iceberg looks about seventy to eighty percent like Principal Ai from Dream Tutoring sses" Jenna recognized one of the female pirates, as she seemed to be modeled after Principal Ai Nana from Dream Tutoring sses.
Hearing Jenna''s words, Lumian slightly furrowed his brow.
The Vice Admiral Iceberg in the movie looked very simr to the demigod he had seen in the dungeon of the Church of Knowledge!
Was that the former Vice Admiral IcebergEdwina? Lumian suddenly realized.
"The casting for this movie is quite true to the original," Franca sighed.
Then, her gaze froze, and she pointed at another female pirate, saying in a low voice, "Who do you think she resembles?"
Lumian fell momentarily quiet before responding, "Ma''am Hermit."
"Ma''am Hermit''s true identity is the Admiral of Stars, no, Queen of Stars Cattleya? No wonder thetest installment of ''The Great Adventurer'' described the events between her and Gehrman Sparrow so cautiously" Jenna murmured.
They all fell into silence again.
At this moment, the scene changed, and a man appeared amidst the storm and lightning.
The man wore a ck trench coat and a half-top hat, standing on the surging waves, slowly raising his previously lowered head.
In Lumian''s eyes, this man seemed to be carved from Zhou Mingrui as the original prototype, but sharper and colder. Even wearing gold-rimmed sses, he could make people involuntarily close their mouths.
Gehrman Sparrow!
The protagonist of this installment of the Great Pirate series, Gehrman Sparrow!
With this, the opening credits ended, and the main feature began.
The initial close-up focused on a fish being roasted, with various spices being sprinkled on it.
Ludwig, who had spared a nce at the movie, suddenly raised his arm, pointing at the roasted fish on the screen, and said to his godfather, "I want to eat that!"
"Heh, ordering a meal now?" Lumian chuckled, grabbed a few pieces of popcorn, and stuffed them into Ludwig''s mouth.
Chapter 930 Weekend Arrives
Chapter 930 Weekend Arrives
"Not bad, a qualified popcorn flick," Franca remarked sincerely after exiting the cinema, savoring the experience for a few seconds.
Beside her, the dispersing crowd poured into the now-closed mall, walking towards the still-operating elevators under dim lighting.
Jenna remained silent for a moment, then said with a mix of longing and dejection, "With movies now, will anyone still watch ys"
Understanding why Jenna would say this, Franca replied in aforting tone, "People still watch them. ys and operas have different characteristics and charmspared to movies and TV shows. Arge portion of people will still appreciate them, they just won''t be the mainstream of society anymore.
"And besides" Franca deliberately lightened her tone. "Theater actors are actors, and TV and film actors are actors too."
Jenna immediately fell into contemtion.
"That''s true, but the performance setting has changed, and many acting techniques need to be altered, otherwise they''ll seem exaggerated"
As the dispersing crowd thinned out, Lumian thoughtfully said, "If the power of the Mother Tree of Desire can prate Mushu Hospital, wouldn''t actors be easily influenced?"
"Uh" Franca hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "It''s possible. Some of them live lives of debauchery and overflowing desires."
Lumian nodded, holding Ludwig''s hand as he followed the audience ahead towards the elevators still operating for cinema-goers to leave after the mall''s closure.
Along the way, Franca found the environment very dim, with the few lights still on only illuminating the path and obstacles enough to prevent tripping and collisions.
"It has the atmosphere of a bizarre story," Franca hadn''t forgotten that their outing tonight was to test the boundaries of the phrase "beware of the night". From the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders, she knew that Sequence 4 of the Seer pathway, which was also the The Fool pathway, was called Bizarro Sorcerer. So, she deliberately used "bizarre" to describe the story rather than "ghost".
Hearing this, Jenna, already highly alert, became even more vignt.
Lumian, acting as if nothing was wrong, led Ludwig into the elevator. But when Franca and Jenna followed, he kept pressing the door open button and turned to smile at the others in the elevator.
"Sorry, I still have apanion who hasn''te in yet."
The departing audience instinctively looked outside the door, finding the elevator lobby empty and no footsteps approaching from afar.
Their hearts suddenly suspended.
Lumian released the button and smiled at everyone. "Alright, he''s in now."
The gazes of others in the elevator suddenly froze.
They hadn''t seen anyone enter the elevator.
p! Franca patted Lumian''s shoulder, saying amusedly, "Feeling happy about ying a prank, aren''t you?"
After entering the dream city, influenced by online information and daily environment, she gradually recovered the tone and manner of speaking of a "local".
After the yful scolding, she quickly apologized to the others in the elevator, "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, my friend''s brain often has spasms; please forgive his poor mental state."
The initially angered audience members, seeing such a beautiful woman sincerely apologize, felt embarrassed to make a fuss, but still turned their gaze towards Lumian.
He should apologize himself!
Lumian immediately bowed slightly.
"I''m sorry, my joke went too far."
The people in the elevator looked over Franca and Lumian, some feeling sorry that such a flower had found a mentally unstable young man, others thinking the young man''s face was wasted and wanting to crowdfund treatment for his brain.
At this moment, the elevator doors slowly closed, descending.
Suddenly, the lights inside the elevator started flickering.
Everyone''s hearts leaped to their throats.
Franca and Jenna were reminded of the phrase "beware of the night", while others recalled Lumian''s prank earlier.
Fortunately, the flickering lights didn''t affect the elevator''s operation. Some audience members left on the first floor, while others, along with Lumian''s group, went to the underground parking lot.
Back in the rented gray sedan, Franca didn''t remark that "everything was still normal, it was just an interlude within an interlude".
She firmly resisted any behavior that might raise gs.
She turned to Lumian and asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly pull that prank earlier?"
Lumian chuckled.
"At that moment, I suddenly thought, what if Anthony''s Psychological Invisibility'' became uncontroble, wouldn''t something simr happen? So I tried it out."
Hearing Anthony''s name, Franca and Jenna quickly turned to look at the back seat.
Seeing Anthony, they both quietly sighed in relief.
Thank goodness, he did get in the car.
I remember him getting in!
Lumian continued, "Besides, a not-too-excessive prank like that in a rtively enclosed environment like an elevator,bined with the night factor, might allow us to experiment with some things without drawing too much attention."
"Did you find out anything?" Franca pressed.
"I''m not sure if the subsequent flickering of the elevator lights was a product of the experiment," Lumian replied thoughtfully.
"Does that count?" Jenna felt it was just a simple mechanical failure that didn''t lead to anything unusual afterward.
Lumian chuckled.
"Don''t you think the elevator light flickering made it feel more like a bizarre story?
"The prank I pulled was also intentionally developing in the direction of a bizarre story."
Franca, who had driven the car out of the parking space, suddenly realized.
"Is this based on the description of Bizarro Sorcerer in the materials, to see if it could trigger the instincts of the dream subconscious and bring about certain controble changes?"
"This is more likely to happen at night, which belongs to the more evil and unpleasant side of the dream." Lumian had simr thoughts before going out.
They didn''t dare to do more experiments and returned to their rentedmunity by car, fearing to stimte the Celestial Worthy and draw His gaze.
Nothing happened along the way.
Back in the rental apartment, Lumian looked around and said, "Preliminarily, it seems that if we don''t interact with Mr. Fool and important dream figures, or investigate mystical issues, it doesn''t seem likely for us to encounter anomalies even if we head out at night.
"Of course, this is just the result of one night''s experiment and can''t be turned into a conclusion yet. It needs to be repeated multiple times for verification."
Franca and Jenna sighed in relief, their spirits less tense.
Ludwig''s face showed joy. "Does that mean we can go out for barbecue now?"
Franca nced at the naive little boy and grumbled inwardly,
The main reason we don''t take you out for barbecue at night isn''t "beware of the night", it''s poverty!
Weekend, in the rental apartment.
A ckboard formed of frost was attached to the wall, its surface pinned with sketches and photos, each surrounded by sticky notes of different colors with words and descriptions.
These sketches and photos corresponded to different target personnel. White sticky notes contained the squad''s observations, and forparison, relevant content from the materials provided by the Major Arcana card holders was excerpted and recorded on light green sticky notes, ced adjacent to the white ones on the frost board.
Having his Conspirer ability suppressed to Sequence 7, Lumian stood before this frost ckboard in order to reduce the burden on his brain, rubbing his chin and looking back and forth, trying to find potentially problematic details that the Major Arcana card holders might have missed.
"No particrly valuable findings, except for that unfortunate incident," Franca shook her head after reviewing seven or eight times.
Anthony nodded in agreement.
Jenna looked at her phone and said, "We should go to Dream Tutoring sses now."
Ludwig, who was watching cartoons and constantly "ordering" based on the cartoon content, immediately looked crestfallen.
"Mm." Lumian withdrew his gaze and stuffed the frost ckboard into Jenna''s Traveler''s Bag.
After parking the car diagonally opposite Dream Tutoring sses, Lumian led Ludwig out of the car.
He said to Franca, Jenna, and Anthony, "From now on, keep your distance from me and Ludwig. Don''t call, don''t send messages. Ludwig and I won''t being back tonight either. We''ll regroup with you tomorrow morning after confirming there are no issues."
Franca and the others nodded solemnly, without objection.
This was because Lumian might soon encounter Mr. Fool''s dream image, Zhou Mingrui, at Dream Tutoring sses and have a brief exchange, which could potentially be discovered by the Celestial Worthy and result in being kicked out of the dream. Therefore, the team had to split up to avoid one person''s ejection affecting the entire team.
Each person could only be kicked out of the dream three times, absolutely no waste allowed!
After closing the car door, Lumian held Ludwig''s hand as they crossed the street at the pedestrian crossing and entered Dream Tutoring sses.
"Wee, Li Lu," said the dark-skinned receptionist, recognizing Ludwig.
He didn''t have a strong impression of the little boy, but rather of his mother.
Ludwig''s face darkened, and he didn''t respond.
The dark-skinned receptionist turned to look at Lumian. "He needs to sign in. You are?"
"I''m Li Lu''s father," Lumian replied calmly.
The dark-skinned receptionist was stunned.
It''s one thing for Li Lu''s mother to look young, but how is his father also so young?
Early love, early marriage, early childbirth, right?
After signing in, Lumian was led by the receptionist to the door of the Beginner English ss.
The foreign teacher, Anderson, was already standing at the front of the ssroom, a handkerchief covering his left fist, smiling at the room full of children.
"Guess what I can make appear?"
"A flower!" "A ping pong ball!" "A panda!" The children happily yed along.
Anderson removed the handkerchief, revealing nothing.
"I made air appear!" he announced loudly.
The children let out mocking sounds, but Anderson remained smiling.
He saw Lumian and Ludwig at the door and walked over, saying to Lumian, "Are you here for the Beginner English ss too?
"Although you''re a bit old and your brain might be set, it doesn''t matter. Wanting to learn is always a good thing, of course, good things don''t necessarily lead to good results."
"I''m Li Lu''s father," Lumian pointed at Ludwig, not at all provoked. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He took the opportunity to say, "Mr. Anderson, can I add you on WeChat? If Li Lu doesn''t behave well, you can contact me anytime."
Anderson looked at Lumian for a few seconds, then smiled. "Okay."
Through scanning the code, Lumian added Anderson Hood''s WeChat.
The foreign teacher''s WeChat name was "A name that leaves a deep impression on you".
Chapter 931 Inquiry
Chapter 931 Inquiry
Lumian stepped back two paces and sat down on the waiting bench outside the ssroom across the hall.
His fingers moved deftly as he essed Anderson Hood''s Moments feed.
"Yesterday: Other people''s failures are my sesses.
"August 14: Everyone has different talents. Some have a talent fornguage, some for art, some for being ordinary.
"August 13: My roommate really died. He got Game Over in this game called life.
"August 12: Love is also a kind of war. Hunters can also cull. To Da Nizi.
"August 11: As long as you don''t get angry, others will get angry.
"August 2: Friend, you really scrolled down this far? Respect my privacy a bit!"
Lumian continued scrolling down expressionlessly, with no further content afterwards. Then, he saw a familiar yet slightly different prompt:
"Only 30 days of Moments are visible"
Lumian chuckled, brought the phone close to his mouth, and sent Anderson a voice message, briefly introducing himself to see if Anderson would respond and whether his reply might have a hidden meaning.
After sitting for another two minutes, he saw someone approaching from the direction of the reception desk.
The person was wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and light-colored sneakers. His short ck hair was neatlybed, and he had deep brown eyes behind a pair of half-rimmed, light gold sses. His facial features were gentle, with a hint of handsomeness. He was carrying a ck shoulder bag and was the main target of Lumian and his team''s journey into the dreamZhou Mingrui, the dream manifestation of Mr. Fool.
Lumian looked up as if he had just noticed the footsteps, directing his gaze towards Zhou Mingrui.
He realized that the current Zhou Mingrui was more distinct from Gehrman Sparrow: both had originallye from the same Zhou Mingrui, but their paths had diverged significantlyone leaning towards a gentle and handsome style, the other emphasizing sharpness and coldness.
Zhou Mingrui noticed Lumian''s gaze and looked in his direction.
Lumian smiled and nodded slightly.
Zhou Mingrui paused, unsure why this stranger was greeting him, but he politely nodded back.
Lumian withdrew his gaze and refocused his attention on the still-dark phone screen.
He noticed that while his reflection could still be considered handsome, it no longer had the kind of allure that would attract a celebrity scout''s attention.
He had adjusted his appearance with Lie, toning down his looks to blend in more naturally.
Zhou Mingrui gave him a puzzled nce before turning and entering the Business English ss.
After a few more minutes, Ai Nana, the principal of Dream Tutoring sses, entered the Business English ssroom with her lesson n, while a man wearing a floral bow tie went to the Beginner English ss to assist Anderson Hood.
Lumian nced at the camera on the ceiling, then, like most of the parents waiting in different areas of the hallway, he spent time on his phone.
A few of the parents who knew each other chatted.
"My Zihan can have conversations in English now."
"Really? Ours started Beginner sses toote; still working hard on it."
"Look at that kid; he hasn''t stopped talking."
"Probably his first day of ss. It happens. My Zihan was a bit unsettled at first too. This is when parents need to step in more."
""
Lumian paid no attention to these conversations, focusing intently on the photos he had taken of the frost-covered ckboard, once again immersing himself in the conspiratorial world of analyzing details.
asionally, he also checked local news and trending videos to stay updated on major changes in the dream city.
The Beginner English ss took two breaks, during which Ludwig took the opportunity toe over and replenish his food supplies, soothing his wounded spirit.
The Business English ss only took one break, but Lumian didn''t approach Zhou Mingrui, merely watching him from the corner of his eye as he briefly went to the restroom and returned.
The Business English ss ended ten minutes earlier than the Beginner ss, and Lumian quickly stood up, blocking Zhou Mingrui''s path.
With a smile, he said, "Hello, how do you find the Business English ss? I''m curious."
Seeing the confusion on Zhou Mingrui''s face, Lumian exined further, "I''m here for my kid''s Beginner English ss, but after listening in on your Business English ss from outside, I thought it was pretty good. I''m considering joining too, so I won''t waste time waiting."
"Here with your kid?" Zhou Mingrui instinctively questioned.
No matter how he looked, this man appeared much younger than him, like a college student.
And he already has a kid?
"Yes, my son," Lumian replied with a smile.
Son a son old enough for a Beginner English ss Zhou Mingrui resisted the urge to twitch the corner of his mouth.
He had been out of college and in the workforce for two or three years now, and he didn''t even have a girlfriend yet. Meanwhile, this guy who looked like a college student already had a four or five-year-old son!
Did he have a high school romance that led to a child?
Indeed, good-looking people have all the luck
Zhou Mingrui sincerely replied, "Principal Ai is highly skilled, but the Business English ss itself requires a certain foundation."
He suspected that this young man across from him might have dropped out of high school to get married and never attended college, so he kindly reminded him that the Business English ss required some background knowledge.
"I see" Lumian nodded thoughtfully, then sincerely said, "Thank you."
He took a step back and didn''t ask Zhou Mingrui anything else.
For a first encounter, moderation was key!
Then, he would observe any subsequent developments.
Zhou Mingrui was curious but wasn''t one to pry into others'' private lives. He stood at the doors of different ssrooms, observing.
After a while, the Beginner English ss ended, and Lumian quickly handed Ludwig a lollipop, taking his hand and leading him out of Dream Tutoring sses.
Ludwig looked to be around seven or eight years old. If Zhou Mingrui saw him, he would definitely be left with a deep impressionan eight-year-old son with a father who seemed to be in his early twenties. Someone in this family must have broken thew!
Leaving a deep impression on Mr. Fool''s dream manifestation wasn''t part of Lumian''s n today; it wouldn''t help in ruling out options.
After buying a bunch of steamed buns and pickled vegetables to fill Ludwig''s stomach, Lumian had a proper dinner with the boy and then checked into a cheap hotel.
He turned on the TV for Ludwig, randomly picked a cartoon, and scrolled his phone, his thumb hovering over Anderson Hood''s WeChat avatar.
Ultimately, he didn''t send another message to this "foreign teacher" who seemed to perceive the true nature of the dream, opting to see if Anderson would take the initiative to contact him and provide any clues.
In the rental apartment.
Franca was leaning against the bed, scrolling through her phone, but her thoughts weren''t entirely focused on it. She was worried about how things were going on Lumian''s end.
Formally engaging Zhou Mingrui could bring about unwanted changes!
Jenna felt the same, pacing back and forth in the room from time to time.
Suddenly, Franca sat up straight, frowning.
"I keep feeling like I''ve forgotten something
"Is this my spiritual intuition reminding me?"
The next second, without needing divination, she quickly remembered what she had forgotten.
"Right! Today''s the day for the Double Color Ball lottery draw!
"Ipletely forgot!"
She hurriedly checked the results, her mouth slowly opening in disbelief.
"We won?" Jenna asked, both curious and excited.
"We won we won!" Franca was first dazed, then overjoyed. "We won the second prize which had twenty bets, with a total prize of more than 150,000 yuan."
She then rubbed her face.
"Do I really have this kind of luck?
"No, could Lumian''s ability to influence fate still have this effect?"
"Over 150,000?" Jenna was stunned.
These past few days of living frugally had made her quite content with even a few thousand yuan, and now, all of a sudden, it was in the tens of thousands, with two digits in front of those zeros! N?v(el)B\\jnn
Franca got off the bed and started pacing.
"If we save a bit more, we could rent some of those intriguing items from Star Dream Provisions Store."
"Shouldn''t we first think about paying off the micro-loans?" Jenna reminded Franca.
"We haven''t reached the due date yet." Franca''s excitement was tinged with worry. "Winning such arge sum at once, won''t it attract the lottery department''s attention? Or even the Celestial Worthy''s gaze"
Before Jenna could respond, Franca continued speaking to herself.
"It''s only a little over 100,000. What is that? The person who won the first prize had made more than thirty bets, each worth 5 million! We''re just nibbling on the crumbs that slipped through someone else''s fingers"
In Binzhi Hotel.
After supper, Ludwig had fallen asleep on the other bed, while Lumiany awake, leaning against the pillow, silently watching the dark screen and the room faintly illuminated by moonlight.
So far, Anderson hadn''t sent him any messages, and directly interacting with Zhou Mingrui hadn''t led to any noticeable abnormalitieshis actions were unrestricted, and he hadn''t been ejected from the dream.
As time ticked by, Lumian suddenly heard a booming thunderp and saw the night sky outside the curtains briefly illuminated by a sh of silver lightning.
The thunder rumbled continuously, and rain poured down all night, only easing at dawn.
Lumian stayed awake the whole night, greeting the daylight with a clear mind.
He checked his phone and saw numerous reports of flooding and waterlogged areas, with some subway lines suspended for the day.
Is this symbolic? And if so, what does it symbolize? After stuffing Ludwig with a bunch of steamed buns, Lumian took him out for noodles nearby.
He ordered pea paste noodles for himself and tomato and egg noodles for Ludwig.
The peas were stewed until soft and tender, absorbing the sauce, making the noodles fragrant and vorful. Lumian ordered two small bowls, ate one and a half, and left the remaining half for Ludwig.
After breakfast, he leisurely took public transportation back to the rental apartment with Ludwig.
Seeing that Lumian and Ludwig were fine, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony sighed in relief.
Lumian smiled and said, "The preliminary result of the experiment is that simple daytime contact with Mr. Fool''s dream manifestation, Zhou Mingrui, without leaving a strong impression, doesn''t attract the Celestial Worthy''s attention, result in being ejected from the dream, or impose restrictions.
"Of course, maybe I''ve been deceived, and the Celestial Worthy is deliberately not targeting me, waiting for me to regroup with you before kicking us all out of the dream."
Chapter 932 Dreamscape Tendencies
Chapter 932 Dreamscape Tendencies
Hearing Lumian''s words, Franca and the others couldn''t help but tense up slightly, as if they were already witnessing the arrival of something terrifying.
Lumian pulled up a chair and sat down, casually scanning every corner of the room. With a smile ying at the corners of his mouth, he said, "I wonder what it feels like to be kicked out of a dream. The Major Arcana card holders didn''t provide any details.
"Will it be like leaping out of the deep sea, or getting booted into an endless spiral tunnel"
He mused about how he might be ejected from the dream, his tone light, as if he were simply describing what he had for breakfast.
Franca suddenly felt a bit sentimental.
"Are all you Hunters like this? Facing danger without fear, and even joking about it?"
"Of course, I''m scared, but what good is pure fear?" Lumian chuckled. "No matter how frightened I am inside, I''ll act like it''s no big deal, and I certainly won''t let my words betray any weakness."
Francaughed.
"No wonder they say the toughest thing about a Hunter is their mouth."
Both Lumian and Jenna turned to look at Franca without saying a word.
"" Franca froze.
Damn it, I didn''t mean to make a crude joke!
She quickly added, "In this dream city, they say that those who can keep theirposure amid great turmoil are worthy of being generals!"
Lumian''s lightheartedments eased the tension in the group.
Then, Lumian smiled again.
"Getting kicked out of the dreamscape isn''t scary. We can try again. What''s frightening is if the Celestial Worthy restricts us, sends his subordinates, and kills us in the dream. Then there''s nothing left."
Jenna pondered his words and asked, "So you''re saying that if things really go wrong, we should leave the dream early?"
"Pretty smart." Lumian leaned back in his chair, took out his phone, and swiped the screen twice before stopping, staring at it for a long time without moving.
Franca nced at the screen and noticed it disyed the WeChat friend request interface.
"Thinking of adding Mr. Fool''s QQ and WeChat with an alternate ount?" she guessed immediately.
Lumian smiled wryly. "Yeah, but I can''t think of a good reason. I''d be rejected instantly.
"Maybe I should use, ''Do you want to learn the truth about the world and the secrets of supernatural powers?'' as a request?
"Mr. Foolor rather, Zhou Mingruiright now is just an ordinary person who''s recently taken the Assassin potion. He''s felt the allure of supernatural power but doesn''t know much about mysticism. He desperately needs guidance."
Anthony, who had also taken a seat, shook his head.
"If Zhou Mingrui discovers on his own that you can teach him real ult knowledge, even if it costs him money, he might add you. But if you actively and enthusiastically try to guide him, it''ll have the opposite effect."
"Exactly." Franca nodded emphatically. "He might block you immediately. He could even call the police, like, ''Hello, officer? There''s someone here promoting superstitions. Might be a cult member.''"
Lumian fell silent, deep in thought, muttering to himself, "Maybe I should create a mystery-themed video ount, build a reputation, and wait for Zhou Mingrui toe to me.
"But that would risk exposure to the Celestial Worthy''s gaze. If the ount gets too popr, we''ll be targeted. If it''s too obscure, Mr. Fool won''t notice. Unless we use targeted ads?"
Franca twitched slightly.
This guy''s adapting to the dream city and online society faster than I expected!
She spread her hands. "I don''t have the technical know-how."
Lumian continued brainstorming. "Maybe we could stage a minor mysticism incident involving Mr. Fool''s friends or colleagues, then solve it ourselves. Word would get back to Zhou Mingrui through them.
"It''s also a way to test the Celestial Worthy''s surveince patterns. But we''d need to prepare for the person responsible for this to be detected and targeted. We should have them move out in advance and maintain contact with us using more discreet methods.
"Hmm, it''s feasible. Worth a try."
Instead of assigning a specific team member to carry out the n, Lumian turned to Franca.
"Time to submit our resumes."
To the Intis Group.
"Okay." Franca pulled out her phone.
She''d already prepared the resumes.
She applied for an administrative role, while Lumian applied for security.
Among the four of them, Franca was the only one with formal qualifications, but her field was far removed from Zhou Mingrui''s, so she couldn''t apply to the same department. She had to choose a position that would allow frequent contact with him.
The other three? Anthony''s cover was that of a retired soldier, Jenna was an arts student majoring in drama, and Lumian was a high school dropout who had learned some martial arts.
It wasn''t that Madam Justice didn''t want to forge academic credentials that could be verified online; even if she did, they''d be exposed during the interview.
They wouldn''t be able to answer professional questions, and they might not even understand the questions!
For that reason, Franca chose to apply herself instead of sending Jenna, who, in theory, would have a better shot at an administrative position as an arts student.
After submitting the resumes, Franca looked at Lumian with a smile and asked, "I''ve got some good news. Can you guess what it is?
"Stop! No eye color changes!"
Lumian pondered for a few seconds.
"Did we win the lottery?"
There weren''t many things that could be considered good news and could be shared in front of Anthony, so it had to be that.
"Guess how much?" Franca wasn''t disappointed that Lumian had guessed it right away.
Lumian couldn''t help butugh.
"Miss, you bought so many tickets with the same number, and I''ve already looked up the minimum for the second prize. What do you think? Can I guess how much you won?" N?v(el)B\\jnn
Franca smiled sheepishly and said, "That''s not the point. The point is, didn''t you notice anything strange?
"When we fought the revived corpse, the hidden Maritist didn''t intervene. When we were outside Star Dream Provisions Store, someone warned us about technological methods of eavesdropping like devices and hidden cameras. And now, we''ve won a lottery ticket we staked twenty-plus times on.
"What''s this called? Some force is helping us!"
Jenna, who had already discussed this with Franca, added, "We think it''s an expression of Mr. Fool''s subconscious tendencies within the dream. It''s symbolic.
"Neither he nor the Celestial Worthy holds absolute dominance right now. During the day, he''s stronger; at night, the Celestial Worthy is more powerful. But even at night, he''s not entirely powerless."
Lumian nodded slowly.
"I did notice that fate thread was special but didn''t think it would lead to a lottery win. Maybe ''special'' itself was the hint from fate."
He found nothing in Franca and Jenna''s theory that needed correction.
"Praise The Fool!" Franca stood up abruptly, cing her hand over her heart in a gesture of sincere reverence.
She continued, "Who''s going to im the prize today?"
She had already looked up the prize collection process online.
Lumian and Jenna both looked at Anthony, who nodded calmly.
If it were the three Demonesses, they would have to put on more disguises, but Anthony didn''t need any.
Anthony nodded calmly. "I''ll go."
At ten in the morning, when none of them had encountered any abnormalities, Lumian headed to the bedroom to catch up on sleep.
Franca drove the gray sedan, with Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig in tow, following the navigation to the lottery center in the dream city.
As she drove, Franca gradually grew agitated, muttering, "Why do we hit a red light at every intersection?"
Jenna, in the passenger seat, pondered for a moment,
"Could this be the Celestial Worthy''s dream tendency manifesting, symbolizing that our actions won''t go smoothly?"
Franca calmed down, focusing more intently on her driving. She even relied on her Demoness''s spiritual intuition to avoid idents on the way to the lottery center, determined to avoid a "misadventure on the way."
Due to the unfortunate timing of red lights and traffic jams, they arrived nearly half an hourter than nned.
Before Franca could hand the lottery ticket to Anthony, she saw a figure leap from the rooftop of the lottery center and crash onto the ground with a sickening st, blood pooling everywhere.
"Was that really necessary? All I won was the second prize" Franca was dumbfounded.
Anthony got out of the car and mingled with the crowd to find out what had happened.
He returned shortly after and reported what he''d learned to hispanions, "The person who jumped was the head of the lottery center. Fifteen minutes ago, the anti-corruption department showed up."
"To stop me from iming the second prize, they sacrificed the head of the lottery center?" Franca didn''t know what expression to make.
Undeterred, Franca sent Anthony into the center with the lottery ticket, but the staff informed him that prize ims were suspended for the day and to return tomorrow.
Back in the gray sedan, after a brief silence, Franca gritted her teeth. "I was this close to winning big, and now they won''t let me cash in!
"We''ll bring Lumian tomorrow. Maybe we''ll need to influence fate!"
When they returned to the rental apartment, Lumian was already awake.
After Franca recounted their ordeal, she asked concernedly, "Why are you up before noon? Shouldn''t you sleep a bit longer?"
Lumian chuckled. "I was woken up by a phone call."
"Wow, you just got this number a few days ago, and you''re already getting spam calls?" Franca joked knowingly.
Lumian shook his head. "No, it was from the Intis Group. They want me toe in for an interview tomorrow morning."
"An interview call this quickly?" Franca blurted out in surprise.
Why haven''t I gotten one yet?
My resume is way better than Lumian''s!
Lumian took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and handed it to Franca. "Maybe this is why."
Franca took the phone curiously, only to find a news article on the screen.
"Duringst night''s thunderstorm, a car was struck by lightning, leaving one dead and three injured
"The deceased and injured were all security personnel from the Intis Group"
Chapter 933 New Residence
Chapter 933 New Residence
"What the hell? Can it really be this much of a coincidence?" Franca blurted out after extracting the key points from the news article.
Yesterday afternoon, Lumian made his first contact with the dream manifestation of Mr. Fool, Zhou Mingrui, andst night, during a thunderstorm, the Intis Group''s security department suddenly lost four people?
Was this a chain reaction caused by the contact, or was someone pulling the strings behind the scenes?
"I wonder if this is a good sign or a bad one" Jenna whispered worriedly after reading the news.
Lumian was quiteposed. "Whether it''s good or bad, bing employees of the Intis Group and Zhou Mingrui''s colleagues is something we have to do. If there''s no problem, we go; if there is, we still go!"
Since the interview with the Intis Group was imminent, Lumian and the others went out after lunch to find a real estate agent and started looking for a new ce to stay.
ording to their n, the next steps would involve working individually or in pairs to avoid interference and minimize risk. That way, if one of them waspromised, the others wouldn''t be dragged down.
During the observation phase, the risks were minimal, so they could act together. However, once they entered the contact and probing stages, every move could draw the Celestial Worthy''s attention.
This time, Lumian and his team chose Dechuang Garden, amunity district three bus stops away from their current location. Only five years old, theplex had new facilities, and the area boasted a mix of well-known brands and trendy stores.
They picked this ce because the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders indicated that Luo Shan, an employee in the Intis Group''s administrative department with a real-world counterpart, lived here.
She was also a target for contact and probing.
The lobby of themunity district had a clean, bright, and slightly luxurious feel, with sunlight reflecting off the marble floor and a few gray sofas arranged tastefully.
"A one-bedroom apartment costs two thousand a month," Jenna grumbled, heart aching, after the real estate agent andndlord left.
That''s nearly as much as what they were paying for their current three-bedroom unit.
The rent differences between various locations and building ages were staggering!
"It''s expensive, but we have to rent it!" Franca gritted her teeth.
Tomorrow, we must im that lottery prize!
This will be another six thousand in expenses!
Although both thendlord and the real estate agent were men, Jenna hadn''t used Charm during negotiations. Instead, she relied on Lie and makeup to make herself appear more ordinary. With only a bit of help from her Instigation ability, she managed to negotiate two hundred off the rent and a prepayment of one month.
Lumian nodded slightly, agreeing with Franca''s attitude.
In his view, as long as it was within their abilities, any necessary expenses should be made. No matter how much it hurt, they couldn''t be stingy!
As his gaze swept the lobby, he noticed a vending machine in the corner. The bottles inside had a particrly sleek design.
Recalling the hints in their information, Lumian walked over and saw that aside from a few disyed bottles, the rest of the items were in gacha boxes.
And the names of these new drinks were all too familiar:
Seer, Assassin, Bard, Sleepless
"They''re all potion names" Franca followed him over, inhaling sharply. "Do you think they''re the real thing?"
She also recalled the dossier''s mention of the Fully Automated Vending Machine and Fully Automatic Wishing Machine.
Lumian studied the vending machine for a few seconds, then chuckled.
"The highest is only Sequence 7, and the selection isn''t vast. If there were something like War Bishop or Demoness of Unaging, I''d be tempted to empty this machine for a few thousand."
"Even if they were avable, you couldn''t digest them." Franca pulled out her phone, ready to scan the QR code on the screen.
She eagerly said, "Let''s see what I get."
"Based on the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence, you''ll probably get something rted to Demoness or Hunter." Jenna calmly reminded her.
Francaughed. "The point isn''t what I get but pulling one out to test on a rat to see if it''s a real potion."
As she spoke, Francapleted the scan and paid five yuan.
With a click, a gacha box was ejected into the pickup slot.
Franca retrieved and opened it, revealing a bottle with a deep ck surface and raised areas outlining a snarling wolf''s face: "Sleepless!"
"Huh, one from the Evernight pathway?" Franca was surprised. "It''s neither Hunter nor Demoness?"
She quickly figured out the reason. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"My Sequence isn''t high enough, nor do I possess godhood. The convergence effect isn''t that strong."
After storing the Sleepless drink in her Traveler''s Bag, Franca suddenly burst intoughter.
"You know, a Sleepless drink could probably be made with enough caffeine and theophylline!"
The group didn''t linger by the vending machine. They crossed the lobby and headed towards Building 5where their new apartment was located.
Before leaving the lobby, Lumian had a sudden impulse and instinctively nced back at the vending machine.
The corner it upied was now empty.
The vending machine that sold potion beverages had vanished!
"As expected" He wasn''t surprised at all.
Franca and the others followed his gaze and shared the feeling that the inevitable conclusion had finally arrived.
In the evening, after settling into Dechang Garden, Jenna sat in the lobby of Building 5, patiently waiting for their target to appear.
She didn''t know how long it took, but eventually, through the ss entrance, she spotted the figure she''d been observing earlier.
Jenna stood up naturally, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
She paced back and forth until a twenty-plus girl walked in. She had brown hair and a pleasant face, wearing a light green dress and carrying a white handbag.
Jenna "coincidentally" found herself face-to-face with her and asked, feigning a shy and surprised expression, "Hello, do you know how to get to the activity room in this district?"
The girl in the green dress was indeed Luo Shan, Zhou Mingrui''s colleague and an employee of the Intis Group''s administrative department. She kindly pointed in a direction. "Go out the East Gate, and it''s on the left."
"Thank you." Jenna expressed her gratitude sincerely with a slight smile.
She had removed her previous makeup and used Charm, suppressed to a Sequence 7 level, to enhance her appearance.
The smile, like a bloom of flowers, caught Luo Shan''s eye.
Luo Shan blinked, showing an expression of admiration. "You''re so beautiful"
Before Jenna could modestly decline, Luo Shan asked enthusiastically, "Would you model for me?
"I''m learning to paint in my spare time, and I''m pretty good at it. I especially love painting beautiful people andndscapes.
"I''ll pay you!"
Painting Jenna''s temples throbbed, stirring unpleasant memories.
To her, a "painter" was a terrifying upation.
She had once killed her painted self in a painting world.
Has Luo Shan in this dream been corrupted or influenced by that evil god of the Fantasy Association? Jenna instinctively shook her head.
"Sorry, I''m not interested in modeling at the moment."
"That''s such a shame. I''m pretty good, you know. I''ll show you my work sometime, and maybe you''ll change your mind." Luo Shan pulled out her phone, smiling as she asked, "You just moved in, right? I''ve lived here for years and never met anyone as beautiful as you. Can I add you on WeChat?"
Jenna had nned to find an excuse to add Luo Shan on WeChat, but not this quickly. Moving this fast seemed off!
After a few seconds of deliberation, she said with hesitation, "I''m just a tenant."
"So what? I was a tenant too." Luo Shan didn''t mind.
"Alright." Jenna deliberately made herself appear a bit meek, someone who wasn''t good at rejecting others'' kindness or enthusiasm.
When adding her on WeChat, Jenna selected the "Chat Only" option.
This was to make it seem like she wasn''t too willing to add strangers, avoiding giving the impression that she was actively seeking out Luo Shan.
After taking a walk around the activity room outside the East Gate and grabbing a meal at a nearby restaurant, Jenna noticed that it had grown dark.
She returned to the 23rd-floor apartment and locked the door.
For the next day or two, she would be staying there alone.
After turning on the star-shaped main light, Jenna''s gaze swept over the gray and orange sofa, the minimalist yet stylish decor, the metallic sheen of the window frames, and the bed with light-colored sheets, just visible through the bedroom door.
Compared to the three-bedroom unit Lumian and the others were renting, this one-bedroom apartment was obviously newer, better furnished, and simpler in design yet still elegant.
Jenna walked towards the window, her fingers brushing over the white dining table, the textured wallpaper on the walls, the artistic tablemp, the tall vase with stic flowers, and the cold edge of the window. She gazed outside.
Buildings of varying heights dotted the crisscrossing roads, with most windows glowing warmly, blending with the lights from the endless stream of cars on the streets below.
"How beautiful" Jenna admired the view from above with heartfelt appreciation.
She returned to the sofa area, her steps a little lighter.
When we have more money, let''s rent a ce like this for Lumian, Franca, and the others!
Jenna sat down, peacefully waiting for any anomalies that might arise from her contact with Luo Shan.
Time ticked by as she scrolled through her phone.
She came across a review of the movie The Great Pirate 3: "Three beautiful female pirates surrounding him, each with some history of flirtation, yet he only took the dumb sailor with him? What the hell! I want my money back!"
Jenna was momentarily puzzled by thement.
She didn''t see anything wrong with that scene.
From the start, she knew how it would end: Gehrman Sparrow was an incarnation of Mr. Fool, his Oracle, who naturally met up with Mr. Fool''s other Oracle, Danitz, before leaving together. Wasn''t that the logical conclusion?
Besides, in reality, Gehrman Sparrow didn''t end up with any of the three female Pirate Admirals!
Jenna felt the real w in that scene was how Danitz, the Oracle, didn''t y a significant role, as if he were a mere side character.
After spending nearly two hours on her phone with no sign of anything unusual, Jenna checked the time and stood up, heading towards the bathroom to freshen up.
As soon as she switched on the bathroom light, a buzzing sound suddenly filled the room.
The entire apartment was plunged into darkness.
All the lights went out.
Chapter 934 Guardian
Chapter 934 Guardian
Faced with the sudden darkness, Jenna''s first instinct was to conceal herself or hide in the shadows. But ultimately, she controlled herself and refrained from immediately disying her Beyonder powers when an anomaly urred after nightfall.
Utilizing her acting skills, she pretended to be an ordinary person. Despite being able to see clearly, she groped her way out of the bathroom and towards the window.
Upon reaching the living room, thanks to the light pollution seeping in from outside, the outlines of the coffee table, sofa, and other furniture became visible. Jenna immediately quickened her pace, reaching the window in seconds. Looking outside, she found that not only were the distant buildings of varying heights still brightly lit, but the other buildings in the sameplex had not beenpletely engulfed by darkness either.
Jenna nced downwards, feeling that the other floors seemed to have their lights on as well.
"Is it just my ce with the problem? Hmm, a power outage?" Jenna took out her phone from her jeans pocket, intending to call Franca to ask how to handle this situation.
She then remembered that she was supposed to act independently for these two days and couldn''t contact her teammates. So instead of making a call, she decided to search online.
Somewhat clumsily, she used voice-to-text to input the phrase "what to do if there''s a power outage at home" and pressed the search option.
Then, remembering Franca''s advice, she skipped the first few search results and went straight to the ones further down.
"First, check the fuse box during a power outage
"The steps are as follows"
Jenna read for a while, her brow gradually furrowing.
This is so difficult!
These were all areas she didn''t understand.
As she scrolled, she came across an answer: "Contact property management!"
"" Jenna was stunned. "You can do that?"
She had registered with property management when she moved in that afternoon and added their number to her contacts list.
She tried calling, reported her room number and the issue. The on-duty property management staff immediately said that an engineering department employee woulde to address the problem right away.
Soon after, the doorbell rang. The property management staff from the engineering department arrived on this floor, carrying a toolbox.
Upon seeing Jenna, the staff member''s eyes lit up, and his attitude became quite enthusiastic.
Jenna, extremely vignt, let him into the room.
She remained on guard for any anomalies.
After a quick inspection, the property staff said, "It was just a tripped circuit breaker."
With that, he flipped the switch, and light was instantly restored to the room.
That simple? Jenna didn''t let herck of knowledge show.
After seeing off the property staff and closing the door again, she couldn''t help but remark, "Life in this dream city is so convenient Just that the property management fees aren''t cheap"
Jenna quickly washed up andy down on the bed, falling asleep like an ordinary person would, but that string in her spirit remained taut, never rxing.
In her hazy state, her spiritual intuition brought a warning.
She suddenly became alert and found herself floating above the residentialplex in her Spirit Body form.
Many spirits were wandering around, seemingly residents of Dechuang Garden. Layer uponyer of storms were frozen in the high air,pletely enveloping this area, forming a semi-transparent barrier around the perimeter.
Near the barrier stood a figureit was Luo Shan, wearing her light green casual dress with dyed brown hair. In front of Luo Shan, strange figures emerged one after another from the depths of darkness, constantly lunging at the frozen storms and semi-transparent barrier, trying to enter the "residential district".
Some of these figures were half-human, half-snake, with the upper body of an alluring woman and the lower body a thick python tail covered in slick scales. Some looked like miniature humans embedded between an owl''s wings, growing sharp talons. Others were young, naked women with long hair, freely disying their voluptuous figures
Facing the invasion of these strange creatures, Luo Shan took out a rather thick oil painting brush and quickly began sketching patterns on the semi-transparent barrier.
She was drawing suns surrounded by flying birds.
As soon as this simple painting took shape, the suns within lit up with a golden, brilliant radiance, causing all the monsters to simultaneously close their eyes.
Then, each of the birds burst into golden mes, flying out of the semi-transparent barrier towards different monsters.
Seeing this scene, Jenna was shocked and deeply puzzled.
The current situation was quite different from what she had imagined.
Luo Shan seemed to be fighting against those strange creatures, preventing them from entering the spirit world corresponding to Dechuang Garden. She looked like a guardian.
But the abilities she disyed clearly belonged to a Painter, which was a boon from that evil god of the Fantasy Association!
Luo Shan should be cooperating with those strange creatures to invade the spirit world of the residential district, so why is she protecting the barrier instead?
Moreover, back at Xinhong District, neither I, Lumian, Franca, nor Anthony discovered anything like strange creatures invading Is this a change brought about by Lumian''s formal contact with Mr. Fool''s dream manifestation, or does Dechuang Garden itself have some special properties? Amidst her confusion, seeing that Luo Shan was guarding steadily enough, Jenna suppressed the idea of offering help and pretended to wander aimlessly within the barrier like the astral projections of other residents.
This continued until daybreak.
At Xinhong District, in a rented apartment.
Franca, who had woken up early out of concern for Jenna, saw Lumian, who had been on night watch, bring a small cage from atop the shoe cab to the dining table. Inside was a gray and white rat. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Ludwig''s presence had eradicated rats, cockroaches, and other such creatures from the apartment. To test the effects of the potion beverage, Lumian and the others had specifically wandered around theplex before dark yesterday and finally caught one.
Franca sat down and watched as Lumian put on gloves and grabbed the rat, which was cowering in fear under Ludwig''s predatory gaze, and began to pour the Sleepless beverage into it.
The rat only took one sip before the rest of the drink flooded into its body,pletely disregarding whether it could contain that much.
In the blink of an eye, the rat suddenly swelled up, its short gray-white fur standing on end like a hedgehog''s quills and turning ck.
In its armpits and across its chest and belly, flesh writhed as if new limbs were about to sprout.
Has it lost control? This thought shed simultaneously through Lumian and Franca''s minds.
Ludwig opened his mouth in delight and swallowed the mutated rat in one gulp.
Chew, chew, chew. He squinted his eyes in satisfaction.
"Is it okay to eat it like that?" Franca looked at Ludwig with some concern.
This food has Beyonder characteristics!
Ludwig replied with a muffled voice, "No problem, digesting characteristics, for now, just storing them"
Lumian nodded, picking up the now empty Sleepless drink bottle and said, "This really is a potion."
Franca sighed emotively. "It''s only at times like these that I truly feel this is a dream."
Everyday life is too real!
Looking up at the morning sky, Franca carefully asked Lumian, "You''ll go for the interview in the morning, and we''ll go im the lottery prize together in the afternoon?"
"You go im it in the morning," Lumian said with a smile, cutting off Franca before she could voice her question. "But I''ll keep the lottery ticket."
Franca was enlightened.
"You mean, the bad luck of difficulty in iming the prize, or rather the dream''s resistance to this, is focused on the ticket itself, not on us?
"That makes sense. If the Celestial Worthy''s resistance could precisely target us, we''d have been kicked out of the dream already.
"I see, Anthony and I will go to the lottery center without the ticket, as if we''re just visiting. When we get to the step where we need to provide the ticket, you''ll send it over through the mirror world,pleting the im before any resistance event urs?"
"Exactly, and this is also to verify whether your spection about the dream''s tendencies really exists, and if it does, what are the rules of its operation." Lumian nodded lightly.
After breakfast, Lumian changed into a white shirt and ck trousers, took the resume and other documents he had printed out yesterday, along with the lottery ticket, and took public transport to the Tech Building where the Intis Group was located. Franca drove Anthony and Ludwig to the lottery center.
In front of the Tech Building, Lumian looked up at the somewhat old-fashioned sixteen-story building, mixed in with the white-cor workers heading to work, and walked in openly.
His journey had been smooth, with no idents like bus breakdowns or traffic jams due to carrying the lottery tickethis destination was in the opposite direction from the lottery center.
Lumian didn''t rush to go up for the interview. He came to the disy board showing information for different floors and surveyed thepanyposition of this building.
The property rights of this building belonged to the Intis Group. The first to fifth floors were allocated to some subsidiaries of the Intis Group. The sixth to ninth floors were rented out to otherpanies. Half of the tenth floor belonged to the Intis Group''s headquarters, while the other half was leased to Aurora Company. The eleventh and twelfth floors were also rented out. The thirteenth to fifteenth floors were other departments of the Intis Group''s headquarters. The sixteenth floor was exclusively for Mr. Huang, the dream manifestation of Emperor Roselle.
It''s indeed as Franca said, this building has obvious issues The Intis Group could have recalled some departments and subsidiaries to upy all sixteen floors, so why rent out some of them? Moreover, the headquarters'' administrative and technical departments actually share a floor with the Aurora Company In Franca''s words, it''s not right; a 120% chance of things being not right Lumian pondered seriously.
When she got the information about this Tech Building, Franca had sensed the abnormality after just one look.
This didn''t quite match the situation in her memory.
Lumian mulled it over for a dozen seconds, then silently said to himself, Is this a symbol?
Does this building symbolize the Intis Republic, with some floors being rented out symbolizing the infiltration of cults and different forces into the Intis Republic? Is this Mr. Fool''s impression of the Intis Republic?
Lumian didn''t linger too long. He withdrew his gaze and walked into the elevator area.
He asionally nced at the mirrored metal surface, waiting for Franca or Anthony to ring his phone a few times.
As the numbers indicating the elevator''s floor slowly changed, someone else joined Lumian.
It was a very handsome and trendy middle-aged man with chestnut-dyed hair.
Mr. Huang? Lumian caught sight of the figure from the corner of his eye and recognized who it was.
It was the dream manifestation of Emperor Roselle, the boss of the Intis Group, Mr. Huang Tao, who often chose not to use his private elevator and instead joined the crowds in the employee elevator!
Chapter 935 Interview
Chapter 935 Interview
Lumian didn''t try to greet Huang Tao, still looking ahead until one of the elevators opened its doors.
The rush hour had already passed, and only a handful of people were waiting in the elevator area, entering in sequence.
Today, Lumian only wanted to seed in the interview, hoping for no other incidents. He didn''t n to observe Mr. Huang or make further contact, so he chose the position furthest from Huang Tao, only politely nodding when their eyes met.
Mr. Huang was a celebrity among celebrities. It was impossible for those working or nning to work in this building not to recognize him. The others in the elevator had already greeted him in various ways, so Lumian couldn''tpletely ignore him.
Huang Tao, hands in his pockets, was casually chatting with a middle-aged man who seemed to be a department head from the Intis Group headquarters, showing no air of authority as a big boss.
As the elevator ascended, the others, including Lumian, got off at their respective floors, while Huang Tao went to the sixteenth floor.
His CEO office was actually near the administrative department on the tenth floor. The sixteenth floor had been arranged as a luxurious club for entertaining VIP guests and for his own rxation.
There was even an indoor swimming pool there.
The beautiful secretary standing guard at the private elevator turned and said with a helpless smile,
"Mr. Huang, why are youpeting with the employees for the elevator again?"
The four employee elevators generally couldn''t reach the sixteenth floor, but Huang Tao could make them go up using card swipes, fingerprint recognition, or facial recognition.
Huang Tao didn''t speak, smiling as he looked at the mature and beautiful female secretary, his gaze sweeping over every detail of her face.
The female secretary''s heart trembled, and her voice lowered as she asked,
"Mr. Huang, is my makeup not done well?"
Huang Tao smiled.
"Beautiful things are worth appreciating."
Without waiting for the secretary''s response, he walked directly towards the swimming pool, silently saying to himself,
My aesthetic taste hasn''t changed, yet I actually thought a man looked quite good just now
Parking lot attached to the lottery center.
Franca, who was five minuteste due to traffic, turned to Anthony and said,
"No idents so far."
She didn''t say things like "This time it''s really going smoothly" or "We should be able to im the prize sessfully today."
It''s not toote to be happy when the money is in the ount!
Anthony, who had been repeatedly educated by Franca about the prize-iming process seven or eight times, nodded, opened the door, got out of the car, and walked towards the lottery center.
Franca, feeling a bit uneasy, tossed a lollipop to Ludwig.
"You wait for me in the car, don''t go anywhere."
"Mm!" Ludwig bit down on the lollipop, first gnawing off the outer wrapper and swallowing it.
Franca left the vehicle in a running state to ensure the air conditioning continued to work.
She got out of the car, muttering,
"This is not good behavior. Parents, please don''t learn from this. Don''t leave children alone in the car. It''s dangerous if you take out the key, and even more dangerous if you don''t"
But with Ludwig left in the car, it wasn''t the child who was in danger, but the car and the surrounding pedestrians.
Franca then used the shadows cast by the morning sun to sneak into the lottery center, hiding behind an obstruction not far from Anthony.
She listened intently to the conversation between Anthony and the staff member, holding her phone, ready to call and correct his statements at any moment.
The staff member said to Anthony,
"First prize can''t be imed yet, but other prizes can be."
Is it really possible? The method of separating the ticket from the person really works Or maybe the dream''s tendency is actually targeting the person who won the first prize? Franca, hiding in the shadows, felt a surge of excitement as she listened.
After a few more exchanges, when the staff member asked for the lottery ticket, Anthony pretended to have something to do and took out his phone to call Lumian.
Tenth floor of the Tech Building, Intis Group headquarters, outside the "West Lognes" conference room.
Lumian sat on a chair with three other job applicants, waiting for the interview.
Suddenly, his phone rang. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Seeing that the caller was "An Ruide", he rejected the call and put his right hand into his trouser pocket.
There was a mirror about half the size of a palm and the second-prize winning lottery ticket.
Lumian first wrapped the ticket inyers of spider silk, then formed ayer of frost on the outside of the silk, and finally ignited mes of Destruction on the surface of the frost.
After quicklypleting these preparations, he pressed the ticket into the mirror.
The lottery ticket immediately fell into a tunnel of void darkness, plummeting towards the corresponding mirror.
Along the way, the quietly burning ck mes, constraining destruction, slightly illuminated the depths of the mirror world, as if warning all unknown entities that dared to set their sights on the lottery ticket.
When the ticket reached the mirror carried by Anthony, the mes of Destruction had already extinguished, melting the frost and the spider silk.
The intact lottery ticket emerged from inside the mirror, just as Anthony''s extended hand pressed against it.
Anthony took out this lottery ticket and handed it to the staff member.
After receiving it, the staff member''s hand retracted slightly, and he muttered to himself,
"It''s been kept in a fridge all this time?"
Tenth floor of the Tech Building, outside the West Lognes conference room.
Lumian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems now that the dream tendency interfering with our prize iming indeedes from the Celestial Worthy. If Mr. Fool thought this matter was problematic and wanted to prevent Franca from iming the prize, with the lucky coin for positioning, he wouldn''t have been bypassed so easily
After a while, Lumian''s phone vibrated a few times.
He picked it up and saw that a friend with the WeChat name "True Hidden de" had sent several messages in a row:
"Sessfully imed the prize!
"We''re rich now!
"Oh, by the way, the first prize can''t be imed yet."
First prize can''t be imed yet Lumian suddenly felt puzzled, Is the first prize winner an ally or an enemy? Does the dream''s obstructing tendencye from the Celestial Worthy or Mr. Fool?
His previous deductions suddenly became less certain.
Because it was also possible that Mr. Fool was obstructing Franca''s prize iming, but the purpose was to affect the person who won the first prize. He and his team were just caught in the crossfire. Today, whether the lottery ticket was separated from the imer or not, it would have seeded anyway.
As Lumian pondered, from the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Mingrui passing by from afar, but Zhou Mingrui didn''t pay attention to the interview here, engrossed in discussing something with Luo Shan.
"Next, Li Ming," the interviewer called Lumian into the conference room at this time.
Lumian entered calmly, politely greeted the two interviewers, one male and one female, and sat down in the chair designated for interviewees.
After asking a few routine questions, the female interviewer, about thirty years old, looked Lumian over.
"Why did you drop out of high school?"
"Puppy love," Lumian answered without any shame.
"Puppy love shouldn''t lead to dropping out, right?" the male interviewer, who had also experienced puppy love, asked puzzledly.
"We had a child," Lumian calmly added.
The two interviewers were momentarily speechless, both lowering their heads to write down a paragraph about this with their pens, forter evaluation reference.
Lumian''s eyes suddenly took on a silver-ck hue.
He discreetly extended both hands, touching and amplifying the streams of fate favorable to him.
The two interviewers then wrote down simr words:
"Decent image, height exceeds standard, young and strong, married and had a child early, needs to support a family, values money quite highly"
After writing this, the female interviewer further asked,
"How old is your child?"
"7 years old," Lumian answered truthfully.
"7 years old? Aren''t you only about 22?" the male interviewer blurted out in surprise, "Didn''t you say you had puppy love in high school?"
"I only said I dropped out of high school because of puppy love, not that the puppy love started in high school," Lumian exined seriously. "I had a child in the third year of junior high. By the second year of high school, both my parents had passed away, and I needed to support myself, my girlfriend, and our child, so I had to drop out."
The two interviewers looked at each other, not knowing how to evaluate this situation.
After about ten seconds, the male interviewer asked,
"Have you learned martial arts?"
"Do you need me to demonstrate?" Lumian inquired sincerely.
As he asked, his whole demeanor became slightly sharper.
"No need, I can sense it," the male interviewer felt that the applicant looked quite capable of fighting.
After asking about expected sry and other questions, the female interviewer said to Lumian,
"That will be all. Wait for our notification. If you don''t receive a call in the next day or two, it means you haven''t passed."
She spoke very frankly because this young man seemed approachable. Although he had dropped out of high school and had puppy love and a child early, he was very polite and had the looks for the job.
Lumian, who had lightly used Charm, stood up and politely said goodbye.
"La,, I''m a little newspaper seller"
Franca hummed a nursery rhyme cheerfully as she drove.
She had received the prize money of over 156,000 yuan, and because each bet didn''t exceed 10,000 yuan, no tax was required.
Now, the team temporarily had no financial worries. Next, apart from contacting and probing relevant individuals, they would find ways to earn more money to rent one or two items from the Star Dream Provisions Store.
However, the idea of buying simr lottery tickets would have to be postponed for a while, as the hidden struggle behind winning and iming prizes seemed quite intense!
Of course, they could continue to buy scratch cards, but they would have to frequently change lottery stores.
While envisioning the future, Franca''s phone suddenly rang.
Wearing earphones, she chose to answer.
The call was from the human resources department of the Intis Group, asking Franca toe for an interview tomorrow morning.
Haha, when things go well, everything goes smoothly! Franca muttered to herself, extremely happy.
Later, she would have to use Lie and makeup techniques to make herself moderately less attractive, to avoid catching Mr. Huang''s attention and being forced to resign and leave, unable toplete the task of contacting Zhou Mingrui.
But making herself less attractive didn''t mean bing truly ugly, just reducing her beauty to a certain extent. Otherwise, if the appearance-focused Mr. Huang happened to wander into the administrative department one day and felt this employee wasn''t good-looking, he might fire her on the spot. What then?
Dechuang Garden, Building 5, 23rd floor.
Jenna, who hadn''t encountered any abnormal situations all day, leaned against the window, watching Luo Shan return to her residence wearing a women''s shirt, pencil skirt with stockings and high heels, change into a casual dress, and leave the building again carrying a white handbag.
Chapter 936 Contradictions
Chapter 936 Contradictions
Jenna didn''t follow Luo Shan, knowing she would call a ride-hailing service. Whether using shadow stealth or invisibility, Jenna couldn''t keep up with a car by running for longunless the target encountered repeated traffic jams. In this respect, Demonesses excelled at bursts of speed butcked endurance.
As for taking a taxi herself and having the driver follow the target, leaving aside whether a taxi would happen to pass by or if a booked ride could arrive within a minute, the biggest problem was finding a reasonable excuse.
Jenna believed that if Franca were here, with her understanding and familiarity with the dream city, she could easily find a convincing reason. But Jenna herself couldn''t yetshe might say the wrong thing and cause the driver to call the police on the spot.
Of course, this problem could be solved using Charm, but after she got out of the car and the effect gradually faded, the driver would recall what happened and likely feel something was off, possibly reporting it to the police. Jenna couldn''t repeatedly Charm someone over such a small matter, making them fall in love with her for an extended period.
Leaving the window, Jenna made a bowl of noodles and enjoyed eating itpletely, drinking all the soup.
When night truly fell, she took out the Ice Mirror Charm made by Lumian and held it in her palm.
As she uttered the word "mirror" in ancient Hermes, the mystical charm carved from frost lit up with a somewhat dim glow.
Jenna ced her hand on the mirror she had put on the coffee table earlier. Her entire body suddenly dematerialized and entered it.
Using the Ice Mirror Charm''s ability to sense surrounding mirrors, she quickly locked onto a mirror-like object in Luo Shan''s home and traversed through a dark, illusory tunnel.
She wanted to take advantage of Luo Shan being out to search her home from within the mirror, seeing if she could discover anything.
The reason she didn''t do this while Luo Shan was at work during the day was that such probing had to be gradual. She first needed to confirm whetherst evening''s level of contact with Luo Shan would attract the Celestial Worthy''s attention or provoke investigation by hostile forces.
After waiting a day and night, she now tentatively confirmed it wouldn''t, so she could proceed with further contact and investigation.
Jenna didn''t leave the dark, illusory area behind the mirror. Through the hard, cold ss, she surveyed Luo Shan''s home.
This apartment was also a one-bedroom, with the sameyout as the one she rented. She was currently positioned at the living room window immersed in the night.
Above the window, Jenna''s face faintly and indistinctly appeared, her gaze sweeping over the coffee table, TV, refrigerator, and other items.
She quickly noticed easels, canvases, paper, palettes, paint tubes, various brushes, and small palette knives scattered in different ces. Paintings hung on the wallsvibrant oil paintings, pencil sketches, and ck and white freehandndscapes.
Jenna''s gaze suddenly stopped on one of the oil paintings.
It depicted a strange half-human, half-snake creaturethe upper body a voluptuous woman, the lower body a giant snake with lifelike scales.
The monster I sawst night Jenna''s heart tightened as she sessively recognized other paintings depicting bizarre creatures she had seen invading the "spirit residential district" woven from psychic energy during her astral projectionst night.
Almost simultaneously, she noticed amon element in these paintings: All the strange creatures were confined in iron-barred cages.
What does this represent? Does it symbolize these monsters being kept out of the world? This is close to the scene I saw during my astral projection walkst night Did Luo Shan paint the iron-barred cages, while the monsters came from someone else''s hand? Or did Luo Shan paint these monsters but then lock them up? As Jenna pondered seriously, her gaze fell on a sketch.
It was Luo Shan''s self-portrait, her face smiling, eyes spirited, quite charming.
For some reason, Jenna felt the Luo Shan in this self-portrait was intently observing the dark living room.
This made her abandon the idea of leaving the window ss and truly entering the room.
As Jenna continued observing, the fingerprint lock on the front door made a sound, and Luo Shan returned home carrying her white handbag.
After cing the handbag on the dining table, Luo Shan walked lightly to her sketch self-portrait and looked at it for a few seconds.
Then, she picked up a brush, dipped it in some silver paint, and walked towards the living room window. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Jenna had retreated a bit before the door opened, allowing the ss window reflecting the night to returnpletely to normal.
Luo Shan stared at the ss window for a while, then raised her brush and outlined a simple door on its surface.
In the area behind the mirror, Jenna suddenly saw a silver light shine on the hard ss surface, forming a very real, strange door connecting reality and the mirror world.
She immediately left a few Demoness ck mes to burn away any residual traces, then traversed the illusory dark tunnel herself, returning to her rented ce and emerging from the mirror.
Where Jenna had originally been hiding, the not-quite-real silver door was pushed open, and Luo Shan entered the area behind the mirror.
The girl in a casual long dress looked around with a gloomy expression, finding nothing unusual in the area.
Luo Shan gazed at the dense spider web-like tunnels in the mirror, unable to think of what to paint to utilize them.
After two or three minutes, she exited the area behind the mirror and wiped away the silver door outlined on the ss window''s surface with her palm.
23rd floor, Room 3.
Jenna sat on the sofa and silently muttered to herself, Luo Shan is indeed a Beyonder of the Painter pathway Has the deity worshiped by the Fantasy Association also infused some power?
Is He also at Mu Shu Hospital, or does He have His own stronghold?
Did He give Luo Shan Beyonder power to control this colleague of Zhou Mingrui and contact Mr. Fool''s dream image?
Just as she thought of this, Jenna''s phone on the coffee table began to vibrate.
Jenna picked it up and saw that Luo Shan had sent her a message with an image.
This girl, whose WeChat nickname was "Always Wanting to Go on Vacation", said with a smiley face emoji: "This is my work, you can take a look."
The content of that image was precisely the sketch self-portrait Jenna had seen earlier in Luo Shan''s home.
Jenna opened the image and suddenly had the illusion that Luo Shan hade to life on her phone screen.
She had an idea and just left her phone on the coffee table without locking the screen.
Then, she stood up, walked to the bathroom, and closed the door.
As soon as Jenna sat on the toilet, she immediately turned her gaze to the vanity mirror.
Using a Demoness''s mirror magic and the mirror on the coffee table, she peered at her phone''s situation.
A few secondster, Jenna saw the sketch portrait disyed on the screen seem to make a tiny movement. The Luo Shan outlined in pencil lines tentatively reached out a hand beyond the screen, then withdrew it.
As expected Jenna pressed the toilet''s flush button, washed her hands amid the rushing sound, and exited the bathroom.
She picked up her phone again, closed the image, and used voice-to-text to reply to Luo Shan: "It looks so lifelike!"
She hadn''t checked Luo Shan''s Momentsst night because they were set to "Chat Only".
"Want me to sketch you too?" Luo Shan quickly replied to Jenna''s praise.
I wouldn''t dare let you Painters draw me Jenna silently muttered, using voice input to respond to Luo Shan: "No need, no need."
She quickly changed the subject.
"You might not believe this, but I had a very strange dream yesterday, and you were in it.
"You seemed to be guarding the neighborhood, fighting a group of monsters, while we couldn''t help at all."
If a man had said something simr to her, Jenna would definitely think he was trying to flirt, feeling their rtionship was too shallow for such intimate talk, clearly inappropriate. But now, relying on the fact of both being women, she dared to probe a little.
"Did I leave such a deep impression on you?" Luo Shan sent a "smug" emoji.
After a few seconds, she sent a second message: "Your dream is very interesting. I''m also very happy to y such a role in your dreamreally, extremely happy."
Just as Jenna was about to reply, Luo Shan sent a third message: "Because my father was a true guardian, as were his colleagues."
Jenna suddenly recalled the background introduction of Luo Shan in the files:
In reality, Luo Shan''s father was a Nighthawk of the Church of Evernight Goddess, who died in an ident brought about by a mystical case. His father''s colleagues included the Nighthawk team captain Dunn corresponding to Officer Deng, Officer Deng''s fiance Miss Daly, Old Neil from Interpol, and others. They all died in disasters brought by Beyonder powers but also protected their corresponding cities.
One of Mr. Fool''s incarnations is Klein Moretti, a member of that Nighthawk team back then, so when Mr. Fool subconsciously wove his dream image, did he add a simr background to Luo Shan, making her admire and aspire to the spirit of protection?
Although Luo Shan has now been influenced by that evil god of the Fantasy Association and received an illusory boon, has the protective obsession deep in her heart not beenpletely erased by the contamination? Is this the reason for her many contradictory behaviors currently?
Painting strange creatures on one hand, wanting to make them real, while adding cages to these invaders on the other Constantly creating monsters on one hand, while guarding at the barrier on the other, not letting those monsters in
Could this be considered Mr. Fool''s subconscious projection onto Luo Shan fighting against the corruption of that evil god of the Fantasy Association?
If this is really the case, in a sense, this is a confrontation between a small part of Mr. Fool''s subconscious and that evil god of the Fantasy Association Jenna pondered with some understanding how to reply to Luo Shan.
After about ten seconds, she used voice input to say: "Have you ever created any paintings with a protective theme?"
It took Luo Shan twenty to thirty minutes to reply to this message: "Not yet. Failed."
If you haven''t, then why did you fail? This answer is too contradictory Jenna''s pupils suddenly froze.
Chapter 937 Another Night
Chapter 937 Another Night
Jenna held her phone, wanting to reply to Luo Shan several times, but not knowing what to say.
Although she felt she should respond with something, to avoid appearing impolite, her spiritual intuition told her that saying the wrong thing at this moment could lead to unexpected consequences she didn''t want to face.
In the end, Jenna put down her phone and watched TV, pretending not to have noticed Luo Shan''s new message.
She alternated between immersing herself in the TV drama''s story and instinctively criticizing some of the actors'' performances.
This continued until eleven o''clock, when Jenna took a shower and washed her hair. She froze her wet hair with frost, then let the frost crack and fall to the bathroom floor, quickly drying her thick long hair this way.
Finally, she used a hairdryer to make her hair a bit fluffier,y down on the bed, turned off all the lights, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
She wasn''t used to falling asleep quickly through Cogitation. She preferred to let her thoughts wander freely before sleep, allowing them to fly unrestrained, to reminisce, to imagine.
In the dark room, Jenna''s breathing finally became long and gentle.
The screen of her phone ced beside her pillow suddenly lit up.
The lit screen showed no iing calls, messages, or system updates to run.
It only lit up for two or three seconds before going dark again, not triggering Jenna''s spiritual intuition.
Not long after, the phone screen lit up again, still without any information disyed.
After alternating between lighting up and going dark three or four times, Jenna''s phone returned to normal, with no more unusual activity.
Jenna''s astral body once again saw theyers of frozen storms and the semi-transparent barrier formed by the storms. She saw numerous human shadows wandering in the virtual image of Dechuang Garden district, and strange creatures trying to enter this "spirit world residential district".
Likest night, Luo Shan guarded the semi-transparent barrier, sometimes using painting to create different supernatural effects to repel invaders, sometimes creating totem-like objectsbined with strange chanting to directly affect various strange creatures
After a while, the strange creatures retreated into the darkness. Luo Shan sighed in relief and flew to the area where Jenna and other astral bodies were wandering.
Jenna tensed mentally, employing her acting skills to make her eyes show obvious bewilderment, losing their proper focus.
She allowed herself to be guided by spirituality, drifting about like a kite.
Luo Shan quietly observed her for twenty to thirty seconds, then descended beside her, following her unconscious "wandering" and said casually, "The monster with a human upper body and a python lower body is called Lamotte. They prey on humans, feeding on human spirits, internal organs, and blood
"The monsters that look like offspring of owls and humans are called Morna. They like to kill children, especially human children
"Those naked women and men are also monsters, subordinates of the Spirits of Lust, who like to suck the energy and life force of the opposite sex
"Those Spirit Bodies also murder humans because they particrly love to cook and eat human internal organs"
After introducing them one by one, Luo Shan''s voice became low, as if talking to herself, "Don''t ask me why I know these things"
Jenna maintained her performance but took note of these words.
Luo Shan exhaled slowly and deeply, with a sense of relief from finally speaking out some of the things weighing on her heart, no longer as tormented as before, and not having to worry about revealing her own secrets. She flew back to the barrier, waiting for a possible second wave of invaders.
At Xinhong District, in a rented apartment.
Franca looked at Ludwig, who had changed into bear pajamas, and asked curiously, "What abilities did you gain after eating that Sleepless mouse?"
Ludwig yawned. "I can see things clearly in pitch darkness, sense dangers hidden in the dark, and my spirituality and strength have increased"
"You didn''t gain the ability to be energetic with only two hours of sleep each day?" Franca asked for confirmation.
Ludwig shook his head. "No."
That''s good, that''s good. Sleepless hunger sounds terrifying Not sleeping and being bored, you can only eat Well, you could also preview, study, review Franca sighed in relief without hiding it, then said thoughtfully to Ludwig, "Because you haven''t digested the Beyonder characteristics and trulypleted the absorption, your utilization of the Beyonder characteristics is still very rough, with great limitations?"
Ludwig nodded. "That should be the case."
"Then do you think you''ll still have these changes when you return to reality?" What Franca really wanted to ask was whether the dream potions, represented by the Sleepless drink, contained real Beyonder characteristics that had been "grafted" over.
Ludwig answered honestly, "I don''t know." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"If you get kicked out of the dream, remember to confirm this point," Lumian reminded Ludwig.
The authenticity of potions was rted to some of their subsequent strategies.
Ludwig reluctantly agreed.
Lumian thought for two seconds and asked again, "If I don''t force you,pel you to stay in this dream, would you want to leave now, and would you be willing to enter again if you were kicked out of the dream?"
Ludwig hesitated for a moment and said, "I-I quite like it here."
Your attitude wasn''t like this before, especially after knowing you still have to study, do homework, and take exams constantly in the dream Franca grumbled inwardly.
"What do you like about this ce?" Lumian asked with interest.
Ludwig pondered seriously and said, "The food tastes good, and some of it is real. I can also watch cartoons, and all of you have be a bit nicer to me"
As if we were terribly abusing you before Franca didn''t say this out loud.
After Ludwig entered the second bedroom andy down on the bed, Lumian turned his head towards Franca and chuckled. "Still not asleep at this time?"
"Can''t I be nervous? Tomorrow is the interview, the first real interview in my life, and I can''t fail!" Franca paced back and forth anxiously, muttering, "Normal makeup won''t do, but looking too ugly won''t work either. How do I strike the right bnce When to use Charm during the interview, shallow Charm or full Charm, then have Anthony find a chance to Hypnotize the interviewers to make them forget about it Thinking about all this keeps me awake"
Lumian chuckled in response. "It''s not a big deal if you fail; you can find other opportunities.
"Besides, if you''re already thinking about having Anthony Hypnotize the interviewers to make them forget about being Charmed, why not have Anthony directly induce the interviewers to choose you?"
"Wouldn''t that make me seem useless?" Franca mumbled quietly.
After Lumian''s constion, thinking about how herpanions would back her up, she finally calmed some of her anxiety and nervousness. She clenched her fist and cheered herself on, "It''s just a try, no big deal!
"It doesn''t matter if I fail, failure is the mother of sess!"
Seeing Franca''s behavior, Lumian suddenly recalled his younger self.
He stood up, walked in front of Franca, and gave her a hug.
"Hey" Franca was startled.
Lumian said with a smile, his voice slightly low, "Aurore used to often tell me, just go for it, whether you seed or fail, I''ll give you a hug"
Franca''s expression changed, she opened her mouth, then closed it.
After two seconds, she smiled and said, "Shouldn''t I, as the older sisterno, older brother, be saying these words to you?"
She broke away from Lumian''s embrace and chuckled.
"Next time, when you''re nervous, I''ll say this to you too, and I''ll give you a hug."
"A Hunter''s nervousness won''t show." Lumian shrugged.
"Tch!" Franca made a disdainful sound and entered the master bedroom.
Rest well to face the interview!
The next morning, on the tenth floor of the Tech Building, outside the "White Maple" conference room.
Franca found that nearly twenty people hade for the interview, each a stylishly dressed, attractive female urbanite.
Of course, with a Demoness''s beauty, even at just Sequence 7 level, she was much more beautiful than these women. But today, Franca wore slightly old-fashioned ck-framed sses, hiding her bright eyes, and had let down her ponytail to fall naturally, appearing less carefree.
She also used the Lie earring,bined with makeup techniques, to modify some details of her features, making herself look like a conservative, average-level beauty.
"Next, Luo Fu."
Hearing her name, Franca straightened her fitted white women''s shirt and loose-legged gray trousers, and walked into the White Maple conference room.
Inside the conference room were three interviewers, one man and two women, with an impressively beautiful woman sitting to the side.
That woman wore azure-colored contact lenses, her slightly curled long hair dyed chestnut brown. Her features had a somewhat exotic feel. She appeared to be only eighteen or neen years old, her face showing a hint of youthfulness, like a freshman or sophomore college student, yet she had an air of long-standing authority.
Princess Bernadette, Emperor Roselle''s eldest daughter? No, now she''s Miss Huang Beibei Why has shee to observe Intis Group''s interview? What does she want to do What does she dislike, what does she like As thoughts raced through her mind, Franca decided to abandon her n to naturally Charm the interviewerster.
She answered the interviewers'' questions normally ording to her background setting, without standing out in any way or revealing her true personality.
After all candidates had been interviewed, the male interviewer looked towards Huang Beibei and asked tteringly, "Young Miss, do you have any preferred candidates?"
"Just call me Miss Huang," Huang Beibei said in an even tone. "Some of those interviewees were too showy, some dressed too revealingly, some put all their energy into makeup and dressing up. How can they work like that?"
But Mr. Huang likes that The male interviewer didn''t dare say this out loud.
Huang Beibei continued, "I choose the most conservative one, Luo Fu."
"Got it." The interviewer didn''t dare oppose Miss Huang.
Even if Mr. Huang himself were here, he would say, "Right, right, right, my daughter has such good judgment!"
Chapter 938 Salary
Chapter 938 Sry
At noon, Zhang Qing, the deputy director of the administrative department who had overseen the earlier interview, walked out of the Tech Building, heading to a nearby mall to meet a friend.
Inside a gray sedan parked by the roadside, Franca turned her body slightly and nodded seriously at Anthony, her expression stern.
Anthony immediately got out of the car, mingled with the crowd, and hurriedly approached Zhang Qing from the side.
Bump! He "identally" bumped into the man in his thirties, causing Zhang Qing''s phone to fall to the ground.
"Sorry, sorry," Anthony apologized repeatedly, bending down to pick up the phone. He wiped it on his clothes a few times before handing it back to Zhang Qing.
Zhang Qing, with a dark expression, angrily scolded Anthony, "Are you blind? How can you walk like that?"
"Sorry, really sorry," Anthony responded sincerely, with an attitude full of remorse.
Zhang Qing stared into Anthony''s eyes, which had been adjusted to a deep brown color using the Lie earring, as if trying to determine whether the apology was genuine or just a perfunctory excuse.
After a few seconds, he took back his phone and suddenly felt a moment of confusion.
Zhang Qing shook his head and carefully inspected his phone, finding no significant damage.
"Forget it, just watch your step next time!" The deputy director of the administrative department of Intis Group''s headquarters, showing some ss, waved his phone dismissively, no longer pursuing the matter.
"Really, I''m sorry. How about I buy you an iced coffee to make up for it?" Anthony suggested, pointing to a coffee shop in the corner of the Tech Building''s first floor.
Zhang Qing''s expression softened. "No need. I''m in a hurry.
"You look around my age; be more careful in the future," Zhang Qing added before heading towards the mall at the intersection, braving the scorching sun.
Anthony noticed that there was a long line at the coffee shop, so he quickly ran into the convenience store next to the Tech Building''s main entrance and bought a canned coffee.
Holding the coffee, he jogged to catch up with Zhang Qing. "I''m really sorry about earlier. This is to show my apology."
He handed over the coffee.
Zhang Qing nced at Anthony with some suspicion, met his eyes for a couple of seconds, then took the canned coffee and said, "You''re pretty considerate."
Zhang Qing didn''t intend to drink the beverage from a stranger, but he felt it was eptable to ept the apology.
Just as he took the coffee, Zhang Qing had another brief moment of confusion. Then, he felt that Anthony''s apology was incredibly sincere, and with his proactive actions,bined with the fact that they seemed to be around the same age, Zhang Qing suddenly felt a sense of closeness.
Seeing this, Anthony felt a bit of relief.
This was his second attempt at Hypnosis, and it finally seeded.
The first attempt was when he returned Zhang Qing''s phone, but unfortunately, it failed.
After bing a Sequence 6 Hypnotist, Anthony''s Psychological Cue" or Hypnosis, no longer required the assistance of candles, extract, or other mediums. He only needed the target''s attention to be genuinely focused on something, especially his own eyes, to open the door to their Body of Heart and Mind. If the process involved actions of giving and receiving, the effect would be even better, and the sess rate would be higher.
Later, when Anthony advanced to Sequence 5, his application of Hypnosis improved even further.
But now, he was suppressed to Sequence 7 in the dream, so while he could still perform Hypnosis without the help of candles, extract, or pocket watches, the sess rate was much lower. It was rare for him to fail when hypnotizing an ordinary person, so he had to urgently make up for it.
"I just finished an interview and was in a hurry to get to the next one, so I was rushing," Anthony exined further.
"Just finished an interview?" Zhang Qing, who had been influenced, smiled and said, "I just finished one too, but I was the interviewer."
"Are you with Intis Group?" Anthony pretended to be curious.
Seventy percent of the office workersing out of the Tech Building were likely from Intis Group.
"Yes, with the headquarters. We were hiring for an administrative position." Zhang Qing, for some reason, felt unusually rxed and ended up saying what was on his mind, "We''ve chosen someone, but I don''t know if Mr. Huang will reject itter. Although hiring for an administrative role doesn''t require a report to him, the HR Director can decide, but he likes to visit the administrative department"
At this point, Zhang Qing suddenly shut his mouth, realizing he shouldn''t be gossiping about Mr. Huang in front of an outsider.
"Your boss, Mr. Huang? He''s well-known nationwide," Anthony said, pretending to suddenly realize.
Zhang Qing smiled.
"Yes, well, the person we hired this time doesn''t quite fit Mr. Huang''s aesthetic. Uh, mainly in style, though her figure is up to standard. But since Miss Huang personally selected her, it''s a done deal.
"Actually, this is a good thing. Half of the employees in the administrative department spend their days focused on makeup and gossip, waiting for Mr. Huang to drop by. Sometimes, I feel like a head eunuchno, the assistant to a head eunuchmanaging the emperor''s harem, like something out of Empresses in the Pce. But now, with a capable person joining, my stress will be much less. Otherwise, I''d consider that cker Luo Shan a model worker"
Talking about these things, Zhang Qing was full ofints.
Anthony yed along perfectly, letting Zhang Qing vent a bunch of frustrations, making him feelpletely at ease.
After a while, Zhang Qing checked his watch. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"I have to go. I''m in a hurry."
He hesitated whether to add Anthony on WeChat, thinking it was rare to meet someone he could chat with so effortlessly at this stage in life.
In the end, Zhang Qing decided not to, out of a sense of self-importance.
Anthony hesitated as well. Adding Zhang Qing on WeChat could provide significant convenience for Franca and Lumian''s operations within Intis Group.
But in the end, Anthony refrained, feeling that it was unwise to tie all their connections to Intis Group, as it might be easier for the Celestial Worthy or His subordinates to catch them all at once.
After parting ways with Zhang Qing and waiting for him to walk away, Anthony turned and walked towards the gray sedan parked by the roadside.
He didn''t get in but, as he approached the car, subtly raised his right hand and made an "OK" gesture.
Then, he walked past the gray sedan and headed towards another intersection.
From now on, he would have to stay alone until tomorrow.
This was because he had closely interacted with Zhang Qing and used Beyonder powers on him. And Zhang Qing was someone close to the dream manifestation of Mr. Fool, even if not directly.
Seeing Anthony''s gesture, Franca slowly nodded, then calmly drove the gray sedan onto the road.
Once they were far from the Tech Building, she allowed herself a satisfied smile and, feeling triumphant, said to Lumian in the passenger seat, "The moment I saw Miss Huang in the conference room, I knew we had to scrap all our original ns.
"In a sh, I figured out exactly what to do!
"What do you call that? Quick thinking, the ability to adapt!"
After Franca finished boasting, Lumian chuckled and said, "Maybe that was the real Princess Bernadette, who entered the dream specifically to help you infiltrate Intis Group."
"" Franca quickly adjusted her mindset and said doubtfully, "Can Princess Bernadette actually enter the dream and control Huang Beibei''s dream manifestation? How many times has she been kicked out?"
"The Major Arcana card holders are unsure. They only know that she was kicked out once aftermissioning Zhou Mingrui to investigate the quality of Dream Tutoring sses. Whether she had been kicked out before that or how many times, she hasn''t told anyone," Lumian recounted from the data. "What is certain is that the Major Arcana card holders have synchronized our situation with her and believe she''s trustworthy and willing to help."
Franca concurred sinctly, "I hope it''s true. If Mr. Huang really has an eye for talent andes to bother me, I can ask her to rein her dad in."
Neither Franca nor Lumian had any faith in Emperor Roselle''s or his dream manifestation''s restraint when it came to women.
Xinhong District, in the rented apartment, afternoon.
Lumian received a phone call.
After finishing the conversation, he turned to Franca with a smile and said, "I got the job!"
"Phew" Franca exhaled in visible relief.
With this, even if her own job offer ended up being vetoed by Mr. Huang, they could still move forward with their n to ess the dream manifestation of Mr. Fool, Zhou Mingrui, through the Intis Groupthough it would be more challenging.
Franca, now curious, asked, "What''s the sry?"
"It''s 3,500 yuan a month during probation, and once confirmed, it''s 4,500. For now, it''s just rotating between guarding the front and back entrances of the building, patrolling different floors, and monitoring the surveince cameras. If I get assigned to a more important post in the security department, the pay will go up significantly," Lumian repeated the details from the call. "Plus, the jobes with two uniforms."
"The Intis Group is quite generous. Given the sry standards in this city, that''s decent for a security job," Franca said, feeling happier now that their team would have a stable source of ie.
Before she could start worrying about her own offer, her phone rang.
After listening for a few moments, Franca''s smile slowly blossomed. She raised her free hand and gave Lumian a thumbs-up, signaling sess.
Her offer hade through too!
"Yes, yes. No problem." After a series of confirmations, Franca''s smile suddenly froze.
After she hung up, Lumian, who had heard the conversation clearly thanks to his Hunter''s hearing, remained silent, waiting for her to speak.
With a wooden expression, Franca said, "The probation is also one month, with a sry of 6,000, and once confirmed, it''s 7,000, plus an allowance for clothing. The Intis Group is indeed generous.
"But"
She paused, her lips moving slightly, her expression turning a bit dazed, before continuing, "But there''s a dress code: summer attire requires a blouse, skirt, stockings, and heels"
"Can you opt out of that?" Lumian asked, keeping hisughter in check.
"No." Franca shook her head. "This must be one of Mr. Huang''s rules."
After a moment of silence, she quietly asked, "Can I not go? Maybe Jenna can apply instead."
"Do you think she''d get the job?" Lumian countered.
Franca thought for a few seconds and said, "No."
Immediately, she gnashed her teeth. "I can''t let Mr. Huang harass her!"
Dechuang Garden, Building 5, 23rd floor, Room 3.
Jenna stood by the window, contemting whether to sneak into Luo Shan''s room tonight for a more thorough search.
She hesitated for a while before deciding to wait. Luo Shan''s current state was odd, still retaining her role as the neighborhood''s guardian. Jenna worried that her actions might provoke Luo Shan, shattering that bnce and causing her to lose her protective instincts entirely.
Even though Luo Shan was merely a dream image, Jenna couldn''t bring herself to destroy thest traces of goodness within her.
That dedication to protection had touched her.
Maybe she can still be saved? Maybe, as long as she doesn''t advance further and endure more severe pollution, she can retain her sense of self? Hmm, having a boon from an evil god doesn''t necessarily mean turning bad, just like Lumian Jenna mused as these thoughts crossed her mind.
Chapter 939 Virus
Chapter 939 Virus
Jenna left the window and sat back on the couch, temporarily pushing thoughts of Luo Shan out of her mind.
If the interview went well today, Lumian or Franca would move in with her, and their group would proceed with subsequent actions in pairsLudwig was temporarily an essory.
Sometimes Jenna hoped it would be Lumian, other times she prayed it would be Franca. During their time in the dream city, she wanted to spend more time with Franca, to encourage her, treat her better, and show how much she valued her, making her feel needed, not alone.
Though Jenna hadn''t explicitly discussed this with Lumian, she felt they shared an unspoken understanding, as some of their daily behaviors were very simr.
As her thoughts wandered, Jenna suddenly chuckled at herself.
Actually, the best option would be for Lumian and Franca to live here together.
That way, Franca wouldn''tck the feeling of being needed, Lumian could do more, and Jenna would inevitably find herself wondering what Lumian and Franca were talking about, how they were interacting, whether they had grown closer, or if their rtionship had evolved.
This made her feel a little bitter, a bit ufortable, but it also helped her further digest her Affliction potion.
When it came to causing others pain, Jenna''s potion digestion was progressing rapidly thanks to Ludwig''s presence; it wouldn''t be long before shepleted it. But when it came to her own pain, she still had a long way to go.
She murmured softly, "Imagination and suspicion are more painful than reality, and they eat at the soul even more."
This was a principle she had developed for her role-ying, more refined than "causing others pain" or "causing herself pain." If she were an evil Demoness, she could use this principle to subtly manipte someone, appearing normal on the surface while fostering jealousy in their wife or girlfriend, gradually driving them both into a pit of pain.
Of course, she also hoped that Lumian and Franca''s rtionship would improve, that they could save each other to some extent.
She was all for it, as long as she wasn''t left out.
Jenna gradually reined in her thoughts, unlocked her phone, and opened her photo gallery.
She looked at the sketch of a self-portrait Luo Shan had sent her yesterday, zoomed in on it, and selected the "Delete" button.
She felt that keeping a Painter''s artwork on her phone was risky.
She hadn''t deleted it yesterday because she wanted to see if anything would happen, but nothing did. However, she couldn''t stay on alert about the picture on her phone forever; she still needed her phone to contact Lumian, Franca, and Anthony!
After deleting the photo, Jenna idly scrolled through her phone, flipping through news stories, novels, funny videos, and shopping tips.
Time passed quickly. Jenna straightened her back slightly and stretched without moving her hands.
She felt it might be a good time to message Franca and check on their situation. But before that, she cautiously checked her phone for any strange apps or statuses.
Suddenly, Jenna froze.
She found Luo Shan''s sketch still sitting quietly in its original spot in the gallery, lifelike, with a smile on its lips and eyes full of spirit!
For a moment, Jenna felt uncertain.
Did I really delete it earlier?
Was I influenced and hallucinating?
Jenna quickly calmed herself down and deleted the photo again.
She spent the next few minutes staring at the gallery, watching to see if Luo Shan''s sketch would reappear.
After a while, the phone screen naturally dimmed, and Jenna quickly reached out to reactivate it.
The photo with Luo Shan''s sketch was back in its original spot.
Jenna confirmed there was a problem but didn''t know how to solve it. She didn''t even dare to use her phone to search for a solution online. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
At that moment, she heard the doorbell ring.
Startled, Jenna quietly stepped behind the door and looked out through the peephole.
She saw Lumian and Franca.
With a sigh of relief, Jenna opened the door.
During this process, she remained somewhat cautious until Lumian and Franca appeared vividly before her eyes, with no warning from her spiritual intuition.
"Perfect timing," Jenna said in a hushed voice.
Franca immediately showed concern, slipping the key card into her loose pants pocket as she walked into the room and asked in a serious tone, "What''s going on?"
The elevator in the Dechuang Garden required a card to ess, and thendlord had provided two cards. Jenna kept one, and Franca had the other.
Once Lumian closed the door and set up the Bottle of Fiction, Jenna carefully recounted everything about Luo Shan.
She concluded, "I remember the Purifiers telling me that one of their colleagues once encountered a painter undergoing mental treatment. The painter always imed to Spirit Body walk at night, entering a space simr to but distinct from the spirit world, where they fought monsters and enemies trying to invade reality from that space, protecting the peace of their neighborhood.
"This is very simr to what I saw with my Astral Projection when I was asleep."
"You mean Luo Shan''s protective actions might just be another aspect of her corruption by the boon?" Franca understood what Jenna was getting at.
Jenna tersely acknowledged. "That was my initial guess. But after talking to Luo Shan and hearing her describe those monsters to my Astral Projection, I think she genuinely holds a belief in protection. This likely stems from Mr. Fool''s subconscious perception and expectations of her."
"So you think Luo Shan''s protective behavior is not only a requirement of the boon but also a reflection of her humanity and will, a result of Mr. Fool''s subconscious shing with the Fantasy Association''s evil god''s influence?" Lumian''s gaze flickered as he made the connection with his own experience.
Jenna nodded. "What I''m worried about now is that if our investigation agitates Luo Shan, it might push her intoplete corruption, plunging her into the abyss. And that could also signify a small defeat for Mr. Fool in this particr matter. The loss is minor, but if enough minor losses umte, it could irreversibly tip the scales."
Lumian agreed, "Our priority now is to delete that photo."
"Right. If it stays on your phone, it''s like a ticking time bomb," Franca said as she took Jenna''s phone and focused on trying to delete the sketch, but it stubbornly reappeared.
Franca frowned. "Do we really need to use one of those nuclear-option antivirus programs?"
Lumian nced at the gallery on the phone, reached out, and tried to enter the screen to see if he could find Luo Shan''s sketch in the world behind the screen and destroy it in both physical and mystical senses.
At that moment, Franca stopped him.
"Hold on. Even if you can enter the phone''s internal world, that would be like facing Luo Shan''s sketch head-on. It would likely alert Luo Shan, agitate her, and confirm our suspicions."
Franca then smiled. "Didn''t you add that Stiano on WeChat? Since he''s a dream manifestation of a high-ranking member of the Church of Steam, and his WeChat nickname has ''Information Technology'' in it, and he''s studying at a university, maybe he knows how to delete a mystically infected photo."
"I''ll ask." Lumian nodded thoughtfully.
He dismissed the Bottle of Fiction and had Jenna send Luo Shan''s sketch to his WeChat.
Then, Lumian messaged Stiano:
"Can you help? My phone has a weird virus."
Within seconds, Stiano, whose nickname was "Electric Power Energy and Information Technology," replied: "Send me a screenshot."
"He responded quickly. Does that mean he''s interested in this kind of thing?" Franca muttered.
Lumian opened the photo, had Franca take a screenshot, and sent it to Stiano.
"This photo won''t delete; it keeps reappearing."
A momentter, "Electric Power and Information Technology" sent back apressed file.
"There''s a small program inside. Use it to load the image and delete it, and you should be fine."
Is there really a way to solve this? Franca and Jenna both wondered as Lumian followed the instructions, extracting the file andunching a program called "Information Shredder."
He used the program to load Luo Shan''s sketch, pressed the built-in "Delete" button, and then exited the program, locked his phone for a couple of seconds, and reopened it.
He saw that the photo was gone from the gallery, not reappearing.
After testing it several times, Lumian sent thepressed file to Jenna.
Jenna also sessfully deleted Luo Shan''s sketch, without it returning to her gallery.
"He''s really an expert" Franca said, gazing at Lumian''s WeChat contact, "Electric Power and Information Technology," with genuine admiration.
Lumian used voice input to thank Stiano.
"Electric Power and Information Technology" replied: "This virus is worth studying. If you encounter simr problems again, feel free to contact me."
Only with simr problems? Lumian mused as he sent a nodding emoji in response.
Finally, Jenna rxed.
Suddenly, Franca hissed, "In modern society, or rather, in the dream city, some Sequences and Beyonder powers have be even more terrifying and harder to guard against
"As we''ve seen, if a Painter''s artwork has mystical powers, then the corresponding photo can carry some of that too. And if it spreads online, seen and downloaded by thousands, how horrifying would that be
"Even the surveince world we encountered before isn''t something we''d face in reality."
Before Lumian and Jenna could respond, Franca had another idea.
"Computer viruses and phone viruses are still viruses. Can they be controlled by a Demoness?
"Probably not But a higher Sequence of the Mystery Pryer pathway should definitely be able to."
Chapter 940 Repaying the Loan
Chapter 940 Repaying the Loan
Lumian and Jenna could deeply rte to Franca''s concerns.
They had encountered a Pixie in reality before, a higher Sequence Beyonder of the Painter pathway, but they had never imagined that something as simple as a photo sent through the informationwork could carry such terrifying supernatural power.
"Yes." Jenna nodded. "We need to think more about what different pathways of Beyonders can achieve in the dream city that they couldn''t in reality and prepare ordingly."
Though the dream city suppressed all Beyonder powers to the level of Sequence 7, its unique characteristics and the details of its social functioning had brought about possibilities that exceeded their previous expectations.
Of course, Lumian and the others had already begun to discuss how certain Beyonder powers from the Demoness and Hunter pathways could interact with the dream city in unexpected ways. However, they had yet to thoroughly explore the potential changes other pathways might undergo as a result.
Their current conclusions were:
The Hunter and Demoness pathways, which symbolized cmity, could exploit the unique features of the dream city positively, like using the abundance of mirrors to set up Mirror Mazes and cast different mirror spells at any time and ce, or utilizing screens as a medium to ess previously unreachable or nonexistent surveince worlds and other dimensional spaces.
On the negative side, there were many more uses, which, as Franca put it, involved actions that would vite criminalws, and not just any vitions, but those that would warrant severe penalties. Examples included using the Inte to seduce others and spread pleasure, amplifying the destructive power of a Pyromaniac by triggering natural gas explosions, or leveraging the dense buildings and poption to better and faster spread diseases, among others.
There were countless other more detailed and everyday uses as well.
After discussing this for a while, Lumian said to Jenna, "For now, Franca will stay here for a while. She can observe Luo Shan during the day and approach her as a colleague."
Jenna had already had a hunch, and she looked at Franca with a delighted expression, asking, "Have you joined the Intis Group?"
Franca smiled nonchntly. "Of course."
She then recounted how she had prepared for the interview and how she had adjusted her n upon seeing Miss Huang also participating.
"When do you both start officially?" Jenna asked with concern.
Franca replied with a hint of pride, "I have three days to sort out my affairs. Lumian has to report tomorrow."
The identity that Madam Justice had created for Franca was that of a 25-year-old white-cor worker with three years of experience, someone who had changed fields right after graduation and no longer worked in her original profession.
Franca had been worried that the work experience on her resume might be an issue since it was fabricated. However, when she pretended to be a background checker from a certainpany and made a phone call, she was surprised to find that there really was someone named "Luo Fu" who matched her profile closely.
This led her to suspect that thepany might be secretly connected to Madam Justice or other Major Arcana card holders in the dream city. Alternatively, before Madam Justice was expelled, she might have used her ability to weave the dream and pre-embedded some identities that could be utilized. After identifying the bearer of the five lucky coins, she might have painstakingly and time-consumingly altered the names, appearances, and other information.
"Anything you need to prepare?" Jenna asked, intending to find out if she could help in any way.
Franca''s expression suddenly fell. "I need to buy a skirt, stockings, and high heels"
It had been a long time since she had consumed the Witch potion, and the most she had worn was a skirt-pantsbination. She had never actually worn a skirt, let alone the other items!
"It''s part of the dress code," Lumian exined on her behalf.
Jenna understood Franca''s reluctance and, with a flicker of her eyes, said, "Have you forgotten the acting method? Forgotten the roles you''ve yed before?
"This is just another form of acting. It''s not about digesting the potion this time but about getting close to Mr. Fool''s dream manifestation and secretly dealing with the lurking subordinates of the Celestial Worthy and the evil gods'' followers, thwarting their schemes.
"Remember, you''re just acting."
Franca had already made up her mind, and now she was just finding more reasons to justify it. So, Jenna''s Instigation easily worked, and Franca''s expression softened.
Jenna looked at her and smiled slightly. "I''ll wear the same kind of outfit as you. If we''re all dressed the same, there won''t be any awkwardness or shame."
Franca''s eyes lit up. "Sure!"
Since she had decided to make this sacrifice, getting some perks was a wee bonus!
Lumian stayed silent, letting Franca and Jenna continue their conversation, wary of being roped into making a simr promise.
He checked the time on his phone and reminded the two Demonesses, "Even though we didn''t confront Luo Shan''s sketch directly, the fact that we managed to delete that kind of photo itself is suspicious. If Luo Shan notices it''s gone, she''ll likely test us again or even take more drastic action. You two need to stay vignt."
"Mm, I was thinking the same thing just now," Franca and Jenna responded almost in unison.
Lumian waved them off and left.
Once he was gone, Franca plopped down on the couch, rxing as she smiled at Jenna.
"Let''s go shopping for clothes tomorrow. We have money now; the lottery winnings are in!"
Jenna visibly breathed a sigh of relief at this news.
She cautiously suggested, "Should we pay off those micro loans first?"
She had seen many people in Quartier du Jardin Botanique and Le March du Quartier du Gentleman who borrowed from loan sharks, only to eventually destroy themselves and their families, dragging down the ones they loved most. So, even after entering the dream city, she was always extremely cautious when it came to taking out micro loans.
"I was hoping to save up some money to rent those good items from Star Dream Provisions Store" Franca hesitated for two seconds before saying, "Fine, let''s pay off the loans first. This might even increase the credit limit, which coulde in handy at critical moments when we need to go all in."
Before transmigrating, she had seen many cases of people borrowing micro loans and having their lives ruined as a result.
Now, as a fairly experienced Beyonder, she knew that money could be used to rent the magic mirror Arrodes, and she understood that in the dream city, money was likely a symbol representing valuable resources. The "offense-defense battle" that urred during the prize redemption process further solidified this theory.
From this perspective, carrying outstanding micro loans indeed seemed risky. While it could serve as an emergency solution in the short term, dragging it out over a long period or relying on them to sustain daily life was not a wise choice.
Jenna also sat down on the couch and urged Franca to repay the online loan on the spot. She then transferred some money to her teammates to help them repay their loans as well.
"Only 120,000 left" Franca sighed.
Jenna changed the subject, and the two of them chatted about their recent experiences, sharing their thoughts on daily life.
In the end, Jenna couldn''t help but ask again, "How exactly can we awaken Mr. Fool?"
They had discussed this question many times before, but still had no concrete ideas. They could only observe and make contact, hoping to find clues and inspiration.
Franca shook her head and sighed.
"I don''t know. The Major Arcana have tried everything they could think of, from directly reminding him of the existence of Beyonder powers to filming a movie that fully depicted his experiences in the hope of triggering his memory. None of it worked, and they were quickly expelled from the dream as a result"
She hadn''t known before, but now she understood that the movie they shot was The Great Pirate 3.
"It seems like no one has tried directly telling Zhou Mingrui the truth" Jenna recalled.
"We''re not sure if that would work, but it would certainly lead to being expelled from the dream quickly," Franca replied with a self-deprecating smile. "Still, if we have enough attempts left, we could iste someone and let them give it a shot."
Late at night, the two Demonesses washed up and went to bed, each upying a pillow.
They had already discussed how to deal with any probes Luo Shan might carry out next. Now, without saying much, they exchanged a nce and tacitly pulled up their nkets, closing their eyes in the cool air brought by the air conditioner.
Using ice to cool the room would be too easily detected by any potential watchers as an indication of Beyonder powers.
Once again, Jenna''s Astral Projection ventured out and saw many spirits wandering around, along with the blurry, illusory buildings, the frozen storm, and the semi-transparent barrier.
She didn''t immediately check on Luo Shan''s situation. Instead, she kept her eyes unfocused and her gaze nk, floating and moving back and forth naturally under the guidance of her spirituality.
During this process, she saw Franca, who was also in a simr state.
Finally, Jenna''s body turned toward the semi-transparent barrier adjacent to the deep darkness.
There was no one there.
Luo Shan wasn''t there fighting off the monsters trying to invade! N?v(el)B\\jnn
Jenna''s heart tightened, but she maintained her previous state, continuing to wander in her Astral Projection.
After a while, her gaze naturally rose, and she saw Luo Shan.
Luo Shan, dressed in a pale yellow skirt-pantsbination, was floating high up, quietly watching her and Franca with deep eyes. It was impossible to tell how long she had been watching.
Jenna''s nerves instantly tightened, but thanks to her acting skills, she showed no signs of abnormality. Franca remained just as natural.
After a long, intense stare, Luo Shan flew toward the area where strange creatures were attempting to invade. From behind the semi-transparent barrier, she blocked their attacks and drove them back repeatedly.
Neither Franca nor Jenna let their guard down. Like background characters, they dutifully repeated simple actions and irregr movements.
Suddenly, both felt a sense of danger and woke up instantly from their sleep.
They smelled a sickening, foul odor and saw a pair of brown-yellow eyes staring at them from the night clinging to the ceiling.
In the darkness, a pair of wings covered in brown feathers, like those of a giant owl, spread out.
Chapter 941 Recognition
Chapter 941 Recognition
It was a human being seemingly embedded within an owl. His eyes were perfectly round, with pupils that gleamed in brown and yellow, filled with undisguised malice.
Anyone who made eye contact with those eyes would inevitably experience a jumbled mind, tense emotions, and a soul-deep fear.
The half-owl, half-human abomination pped its wings and, with a foul stench, swooped down toward Jenna and Franca, who were lying in bed.
Its mouth opened, releasing nearly tangible sound waves.
The sound waves struck the two Demonesses, passed through them, and hit the bedsheets, dispersing in all directions.
The bed was now empty. The air conditioner panel''s screen, the ss top of the bedside table, and the dark ss embedded in the wardrobe doors all flickered with a dim, eerie light.
Behind the half-owl, half-human abomination, Franca''s figure sprang up, clutching an almost invisible Wintry de and stabbing at the target with the speed of a gust of wind.
The transparent triangr spike pierced the abomination''s body with precision, freezing it in an instant as if it had encountered an icy spell.
At the bedroom door, Jenna''s figure appeared, holding a mirror that reflected the enemy''s now stuttering movements.
With her other hand, she ignited a silent ck me and quickly ran it across the surface of the mirror.
The half-owl, half-human abomination ignited with an evil ck me from the inside out, but due to the Wintry de''s effects, it couldn''t even let out a wail or scream.
Soon, the abomination burned to ashes, leaving nothing behind.
"A type of spirit creature" Franca understood that a Demoness''s ck me mainly targeted spirituality and life, making it difficult to ignite a physical entity.
She gently descended from midair, as weightless as a feather.
Jenna quickly and quietly said, "That was a Morna, the creature from Luo Shan''s painting, and the invader Luo Shan has been fighting."
"Luo Shan''s aggressive probe?" Franca responded without hesitation. "We need to go to Luo Shan''s room now and try to subdue her as soon as possible, or we might be kicked out of the dream."
Jenna had clearly considered this as well. She nodded and said, "You head to Luo Shan''s room. I''ll go to that spirit-world-like space. If necessary, I''ll take Luo Shan''s ce and guard the barrier to prevent those invaders from getting through."
She thought Luo Shan might not be in her room and could still be at the semi-transparent barrier. She was also worried that without Luo Shan''s protection, the invaders might break through the defense line and cause a disaster.
Franca didn''t waste time and, with a slight nod, slipped to the other side of the curtains, opened the master bedroom window, and jumped down to the 15th floor.
She didn''t use the Ice Amulet to cross through the mirror world, fearing that Luo Shan, who had sensed Jenna''s previous probe, might have set some traps afterward.
Franca''s body was as light as a feather, yet the wind didn''t push her off course. Shended precisely on Luo Shan''s bedroom windowsill and pried open the window with a thinyer of frost. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Franca didn''t rush in. Using the faint pre-dawn light, she quickly scanned the room.
The bed was empty, and paintings of various subjects hung everywhere.
Hiding? Franca pulled out a mirror from the Traveler''s Bag.
She intended to divine the level of danger and create an illusion of herself using the mirrors inside and outside the room to see if she could lure Luo Shan into making a move.
In the spirit-world-like space shrouded by the frozen storm, Jenna''s Astral Projection emerged and immediately looked toward the nearby semi-transparent barrier adjacent to the deep darkness.
Luo Shan wasn''t there.
Mornas and other bizarre creatures were attacking the barrier, gradually thinning it and causing the frozen storm to show signs of disintegration.
Jenna looked around, scanning up and down, but still didn''t spot Luo Shan.
She sighed inwardly and floated to the area under heavy assault by the monsters. Dangerous ck mes and crystalline ice spears formed around her, shooting outward and smashing many of the invaders.
After holding the line for fifteen minutes, the monsters retreated into the depths of the darkness, their attack fully repelled.
After a while, sunlight began to filter into the area, and both the frozen storm and the wandering spirits and illusory buildings faded away.
Jenna''s Astral Projection also returned to her body.
Morning had arrived.
Franca had already returned, her expression serious as she told Jenna, "I couldn''t find Luo Shan. She either hid early or left."
"Could she have hidden inside one of the paintings?" Jenna quickly suggested a possibility.
Franca gently shook her head in response. "I checked all the paintings. None of them had any human shadows, but the sketch portrait you mentioned is missing.
"There''s a painting of a bridge that stretches from the edge of a cliff near the foreground over a bottomless dark abyss to another cliff in the distance, where there''s a ck forest.
"I suspect Luo Shan entered the painting and escaped into the ck forest via the bridge. I couldn''t pursue her, and I have a strong sense of danger about that painting. It probably wasn''t painted by Luo Shan herself."
Jenna was about to say something when she suddenly realized. "We haven''t been kicked out of the dream!"
"Nor have we been restricted," Franca noted, having kept an eye on this matter.
She mused, "Luo Shan was corrupted by that evil god from the Fantasy Association, not controlled by the Celestial Worthy. While that evil god might assist the Celestial Worthy in some matters, it certainly has His own agenda and won''t help with everything.
"Perhaps He wants us to stay in the dream to hinder the Celestial Worthy at a critical moment, so it''s concealing this matter?"
"This is what Lumian meant when he said that the goals of the evil gods and the Celestial Worthy sometimes align, but sometimes they don''t," Jenna agreed with a nod. She then added, "It''s also possible that Luo Shan hasn''t beenpletely corrupted and hasn''t fully fallen, choosing to deal with us on her own without informing that evil god."
"Struggling and resisting" Franca sighed before saying, "Let''s wait a bit longer and see what happens."
After waiting for more than an hour, the two Demonesses saw Luo Shan leave Building 5, dressed in the standard Intis Group administrative department uniform, heading off to work as usual. It seemed as if everything that happenedst night had been just a dream.
Franca and Jenna still hadn''t been kicked out of the dream, nor had they faced any restrictions.
"She must have hidden in that painting with the bridge," Franca concluded, withdrawing her gaze. "I''ll send a message to Lumian, letting him know what happenedst night and that we might be at risk of being kicked out of the dream soon."
"Won''t that get him kicked out too?" Jenna worried that contacting Lumian now might leave a hidden danger.
Franca let out a softugh. "Isn''t there that little app Stiano gave us? The ''Information Shredder.''
"I figure WeChat messages are also information, so they should be shreddable without leaving a trace. I''ll shred the message when sending it, and Lumian will shred it when receiving it.
"Although I can''t be sure the Information Shredder will definitely fool the Celestial Worthy''s subconscious tracking, I think it''s worth a try. If it really works as we hope, we''ll have more room to maneuver in certain situations."
Jenna pondered for a moment and then said, "Okay."
Franca immediatelyposed a WeChat message, detailing Luo Shan''s probe, her and Jenna''s response, and the subsequent developments, finally reminding Lumian to use the Information Shredder to delete the chat record.
At the entrance of the Tech Building.
Lumian stood in the lobby, casually reading the message from Franca.
Then he made his way to the first-floor restroom, entered the men''s section, and found a stall where he activated a Bottle of Fiction.
He then brought his phone close to his mouth and whispered, "You can try more probes. Franca should also start work as early as possible and get in touch with Zhou Mingrui.
"We can''t rely entirely on Luo Shan''s struggle or the selfishness of that evil god from the Fantasy Association. They could change their minds in half a day or a day, so you need to gather more information before that happens to prepare for the second or third time we enter the dream."
After sending the message, Lumian waited a few seconds before pulling up the Information Shredder app and selecting the chat history with Franca and Jenna, then clicked delete.
Once he finished, he terminated the Bottle of Fiction and took the elevator to the 13th floor, where the Intis Group''s security department was located.
Afterpleting the necessary paperwork, he was led into the security department chief''s office.
The office wasrge, almost the size of a private gym, with space for practicing boxing.
The security department chief was a foreigner with ck hair and blue eyes, of medium height, and a muscr build that seemed understated but exuded power.
His name was Grimm. ording to the Major Arcana card holders, he had been one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who served Emperor Roselle faithfully. He died early, before he could witness Roselle''s great achievements, and this was his dream manifestation.
"Have you practiced martial arts?" Grimm asked in broken local dialect.
"Yes." Lumian nodded sincerely.
"Then let''s have a sparring match," Grimm pointed to the boxing ring on the other side of the office.
Still not in his security uniform, Lumian didn''t refuse. He entered the ring and waited for Grimm to approach.
Grimm took off his light suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and stood in front of Lumian.
Suddenly, he threw a punch, the wind whistling as it cut through the air.
Lumian, appearing nonchnt, seemed to have anticipated the move. He sidestepped, avoiding the punch.
Snapping his waist back, he swiftly closed in on Grimm, unleashing a barrage of attacks with his elbows, fists, knees, and toes in a relentless onught.
Grimm maintained a tight guard, blocking Lumian''s fast but underpowered strikes without allowing them to break his defense ornd on his body.
Bang! Bang! Bang! After a few dozen seconds of furious assault, Lumian suddenly stepped back, panting heavily as he raised his hand in surrender.
"I''m out of strength."
Of course, he couldn''t knock out his department head on his first day at work. It wasn''t just a matter of workce etiquettehe was concerned that revealing hisbat prowess would expose him as a Beyonder.
"Not bad." Grimm nodded.
He walked straight to his desk.
As he passed Lumian, he suddenly lowered his voice as if not wanting the others waiting in the office to overhear and said, "Give my regards to the Mother."
Mother Lumian''s pupils dted.
Grimm then added in a hushed tone, "I''ve recognized you, Honorable Child of God."
Chapter 942 Storm in a Teacup
Chapter 942 Storm in a Teacup
Child of God Has he sensed the Omebe bloodline in me? This dream of a great existence is truly remarkable, even capturing the smallest details Lumian had now realized the truth, and he gently nodded in response to Grimm''s greeting.
He turned and took a few steps, then said to Grimm, "Director, I''ll be heading out first."
Grimm''s full title was "Director of Security for the Intis Group."
Grimm''s face broke into a satisfied smile as he gave a barely perceptible nod.
"I''m quite pleased with your fighting skills. You should now follow Team Lead Xu to familiarize yourself with the different positions and procedures in the security department."
This was his way of subtly indicating to Xu Xinyang, the current team lead of Security Team 2 who was also in the office, that he valued this young man and did not want Xu to give him a hard time.
"Yes, Director." Lumian responded with a slightly excited tone.
As he followed Xu Xinyang out of the office, his expression gradually settled, and thoughts about Grimm shed through his mind.
As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who served Emperor Roselle, Grimm had died on a primitive ind in the Fog Sea, butter seemed to have been corrupted by the power of the Great Mother, and his corpse had been revived in a strange state
The Omebe bloodline in me can only be sensed by those directly created by the Great Mother or obtained Her boon, and they would have to be ones thatck the necessary intelligence to mistake me as a Child of God
The Grimm in the dream city is constructed based on Mr. Fool''s subconscious perception, so the Great Mother''s corruption hidden within him is understandable, but why did he mistake me for a Child of God? Is it because, as a dream manifestation, he fundamentallycks the necessary intelligence?
I wonder if the Great Mother has truly, covertly corrupted the dream Grimm and is using this connection to have him help with her own matters
Lumian found the situation somewhat amusing.
He truly was like a detonator for cmity, having triggered some issues that the Major Arcana card holders had been unable to uncover, and he had only been here for a few days.
After changing into the navy-blue security uniform, Lumian was assigned by Security Team 2''s Team Lead Xu Xinyang to guard the main entrance, with the primary duty of maintaining order in the lobby, preventing suspicious individuals from entering the building, and stopping delivery personnel from taking the elevator, instead directing them to leave packages in the drop-off area.
Lumian and two colleagues reced the previous security guards responsible for these tasks, standing at the entrance with their backs ramrod straight.
At this time, it was still before the official start of the workday, and employees from variouspanies were still arriving.
Some of them had a surprised reaction.
The new security guard is quite good-looking
Is he new?
With that appearance, he shouldn''t be a security guard, he should go do live streaming, auditions, or be an extra in movies!
Soon, a male employee from an MCNpany on the 7th floor and a female employee from an Intis Group subsidiarypany consecutively walked up the stairs and headed toward the entrance.
Thetter''s eyes suddenly lit up.
The security guard at the door is so handsome
She picked up her phone, intending to take a photo and share it with her best friends.
The former, on the other hand, immediately became excited.
A handsome security guard, not at all sleazy Handsome Security guard That''s great material! It might even be a hot topic and miraculously attract eyeballs!
While a level of handsomeness that would only be considered average or slightly above average for regr people, when contrasted with identities in the lower strata of society, such as security guards, beggars, farmers, herdsmen, delivery workers, or constructionborers, it had the potential to generate a lot of attention online.
The MCNpany employee quickly grabbed their phone, intending to record a video.
Sensing their actions, Lumian stepped forward, blocking their phones with his hand, and said sternly, "Please don''t take photos of me without permission. Please respect others'' privacy!"
The man and woman were both taken aback, not expecting to be stopped.
The male employee blurted out, "I think you have the potential to go viral, and I want to post a video online."
"No need." Lumian stopped them, not wanting to be an Inte celebrity.
The MCNpany employee was dumbfounded.
Who doesn''t want to go viral these days?
Lumian said seriously, "Did you happen to take any photos just now? If so, please delete them."
Hearing his words, Lumian felt the surrounding office workers all looking towards them, and the man and woman''s faces flushed red, feeling a bit indignant.
"What right do you have to tell me to show you my phone? If you''ve got the guts, call the cops!" the woman retorted angrily.
The male MCNpany employee suddenly had an idea and began shouting, "The security guard is beating me up! The security guard is trying to take my phone!"
I''ll make you go viral in another way!
Lumian seemed amused by their actions, a smile appearing on his face.
This smile immediately calmed the man and woman, making them feel guilty for having yelled at someone so pleasant.
Maintaining his Charm, Lumian said sincerely, "I appreciate that you want me to go viral, but I really don''t need that. Could you please delete the photos or video?"
The man and woman, forgetting about the people around them, dazedly showed Lumian their phones and deleted the photo and video in front of him.
"Thank you." Lumian kept smiling.
The man and woman reluctantly left for the elevators, ncing back at him every few steps.
Once they entered their ownpany and gradually regained theirposure, one felt the security guard was handsome and cool, as well as polite, while the other suspected they might have awakened some remarkable inclination.
At the lobby entrance, many white-cor workers were looking towards Lumian due to the recent incident.
Lumian spotted Zhou Mingrui, who had changed into a dark polo shirt and was carrying a ck briefcase.
Zhou Mingrui also seemed to recognize him, with a hint of surprise on his expression.
Lumian gave him a slight smile and gestured towards his security uniform.
Zhou Mingruiposed his expression and politely nodded.
Beneath his calm exterior, his heart was racing with shock and suspicion.
Why is it him, that young man who had an early romance and became a father at a young age?
How did he end up as a security guard at mypany?
I only saw him a couple of days ago, and now he''s a security guard Isn''t that too coincidental?
Is it because of the incident with the vending machine?
After bing an Assassin, I feel like there''s been someone secretly observing me
Is this person trying to investigate my anomaly?
Zhou Mingrui maintained his usual expression as he stepped into the elevator, waiting for it.
He began to feel like he should resign and move away from his current residence,pletely escaping the hidden observers
The reason he hadn''t done so before was that his acquisition of Beyonder powers had not been discovered, and the Intis Group''s sry was quite plush, at the top tier in Yangdu. If he resigned, it would be very difficult to find a simr good job.
I''ll observe for a little longer. If there really is a problem, I''ll have to resign and move. If that doesn''t work, I''ll go look for jobs in Beijing or Shanghai
Will it implicate my family and friends
Thinking of this, Zhou Mingrui shuddered, not daring to imagine the worst-case scenario.
He could hide, but his family and friends couldn''t.
And without any evidence, even calling the police might not do any good.
Reaching the 10th floor, Zhou Mingrui, still carrying his ck briefcase, did not immediately head to the tech department, but instead turned towards the administrative department across the hall.
He wanted to find Luo Shan, the administrative staff member he was most familiar with, and ask about the new security guard.
Luo Shan was not at her desk, seeming to have gone to the restroom. After greeting a few other administrative staff, Zhou Mingrui made an excuse and stood by Luo Shan''s desk, waiting for her.
His gaze swept over her desk, finding some familiar items but also a sense of unfamiliarity.
In addition to the cute decorations she had before, there were now strange paintings adorning the divider, the surface of her water cup, and the outeryer of her snack bags.
Next to theputer screen was an empty bottle of a beverage that seemed to have been kept as a decorative item due to its attractive design.
Zhou Mingrui''s gazended on that beverage bottle, looking past the colorful and diverse abstract packaging to the two words that stood out: Painter.
Painter Zhou Mingrui''s eyes narrowed slightly.
"What are you looking at?" Luo Shan''s voice suddenly came from behind him.
As an Assassin, he had failed to sense her approach in advance.
Zhou Mingrui quickly put on a smile and turned to face Luo Shan, acting casual.
"I have something to discuss with you.
"I saw a new security guard downstairs just now, and he was arguing with two people, saying they were taking photos of him without permission"
Zhou Mingrui recounted the situation he had observed, without adding any spection.
Finally, he asked, "Is he one of ourpany''s security guards?"
"Yes, he just started today." Luo Shan had a look of sudden realization. "I heard from Feifei in HR that they hired a really handsome security guard, and I was thinking of finding an excuse to go check out the security department."
Lowering her voice, Luo Shan continued, "I''ll tell you a secret, but don''t tell anyone elsethat security guard is only 22 years old and already has a child" N?v(el)B\\jnn
I know that; he looks younger than his actual age Zhou Mingrui murmured inwardly.
Luo Shan continued, "Guess how old the child is? 7 years old!"
"7 years old?" Zhou Mingrui doubted if he had heard correctly.
"7 years old, a junior high school student with a child. Tsk tsk." Luo Shan clucked her tongue.
Having a child at 15; so he did ''that'' at 14 He''s right on the edge of being illegal and criminal I don''t know how old the mother is Zhou Mingrui suddenly felt the new security guard might not be after him.
If he had some scheme, why would he expose such an earth-shattering and attention-grabbing background?
How would he be able to carry out his covert operations?
That doesn''t fit the logic of trying to be discreet!
Luo Shan rambled on, finally saying, "But he has a very ordinary, average nameLi Ming."
Li Ming Why not Li Hua Zhou Mingrui muttered as he left Luo Shan''s desk and headed towards the exit of the administrative department.
He didn''t look back, because he felt Luo Shan might also have some issues.
She might have already be a Painter.
Zhou Mingrui remembered Luo Shan previously bringing a bunch of beverages for everyone to draw, and at that time, he had drawn Instigator and fed it to the mushrooms, while Luo Shan had drunk Reporter.
Back then, he hadn''t detected anything unusual about Luo Shan or the other colleagues who had drunk simr beverages in the office.
Now, the Painter beverage and the paintings that had appeared on Luo Shan''s desk were making him suspicious.
Chapter 943 A New Fabrication
Chapter 943 A New Fabrication
At 4:30 pm, Lumian gathered his personal belongings, changed out of the security uniform, and prepared to leave work.
This job surprisingly had an 8-hour shift system, but he would have to take turns on night shiftster.
It had to be said that Mr. Huang Tao was not too strict in his treatment of employees, and was quite generous with the pay, even if some departments did require frequent overtime, for which Mr. Huang still provided overtime pay, and at a fairly high standard. If the overtime was toote, there were also reimbursements forte-night snacks and transportation.
So, although Mr. Huang was notorious for his womanizing, and some of thepany''s policies were not very friendly or respectful towards certain female employees, there were still many who were eager to join the Intis Group.
Today, Lumian had been stationed at the main entrance, not assigned to patrol the floors or monitor the security cameras. He had only encountered Zhou Mingrui once in the morning, and had not seen him since.
He was not disappointed about this, nor was he impatientthe pace was just right.
He walked towards the bus stop, braving the scorching sun, and along the way, he took out his phone to send a voice message to Franca: "I think I''ve left a rather strong impression on Zhou Mingrui today. Although I didn''t notice any obvious changes in his expression, if I were in his shoes, I would certainly suspect that it''s not a coincidence that I just happened to meet him at Dream Tutoring sses and then immediately started working at the Intis Groupthat I must be tracking him, with some hidden, sinister purpose.
"Given Zhou Mingrui''s caution and prudence, he will most likely think this way.
"Since he has formed such a deep impression, I won''t be going back to Xinhong District tonight. I''ll find a cheap motel to stay at, and see if there are any developments at night, whether it might lead to me being kicked out of the dream."
"Ludwig is being taken care of by Anthony."
Soon, True Hidden de replied: "Doesn''t this risk Zhou Mingrui resigning? That''s bound to be a contingency n for such a cautious person.
"I haven''t even started the job yet! I''ve already bought several sets of clothes, and spent quite a bit of money!"
Sensing Franca''s concern about the money potentially going to waste, Lumian chuckled and replied: "It shouldn''t lead to that for now. I deliberately didn''t go and tamper with my background information or try to forge a fake identity before the interview, so that my personal life would be outrageous enough to not seem like I''ming to investigate.
"Sometimes, a moderate degree of high-profile behavior can actually reduce others'' suspicions of you.
"And even if Zhou Mingrui does end up resigning, you can still join thepany normally. There''s no rule that says Intis Group employees can''t investigate Zhou Mingrui''s movements after work. Plus, the Intis Group has a lot of issues hidden, like Luo Shan, and Grimm. If we can uncover them, it might give us some inspiration to find a way to awaken Mr. Fool."
He had informed Franca and the others about the problem with Grimm earlier that day.
Finally, Lumian added: "Remember to use the Information Shredder to delete the chat log."
He reached the bus stop and carried out the operation to eliminate any traces.
Soon, the bus arrived. Since it was not the usual rush hour, there weren''t many passengers.
Lumian rxed a bit.
When he had taken the subway earlier, there had been an incident where a man had tried to grope him in the crowded environment, nearly having his wrist twisted off by Lumian.
He wasn''t afraid of such things, he just found it annoying and a waste of his time and energy.
If he was experiencing this as a male, what would happen if he switched to his Demoness state?
Dechuang Garden.
Franca yed Lumian''s voice message so that Jenna could hear it.
As Jenna was using the Information Shredder to delete the chat log, she was either folding the new clothes one by one or hanging them directly in the closet.
They had gone to the garment wholesale market again that morning, but this time they chose higher quality and more expensive items, spending nearly two thousand.
After washing, "baking dry", and ironing, the clothes were now ready to wear.
"I''ve already applied to start work tomorrow," Franca said contemtively as she helped fold the clothes.
In her previous life, she hadn''t even finished university, never getting the chance to experience work. After her transmigration, she had lived off the original body''s savings for a while, then by chance became an Assassin, bidding farewell to a regr job.
Jenna smiled. "Just remember that you''re going there to investigate the issues and interact with Mr. Fool''s dream manifestations, not because you actually want the job. Then you won''t care about how others view your work performance."
"Mm, I wonder when Zhou Mingrui will resign." Franca chuckled. "I hope I can at least get one month''s sry!"
After tidying up the clothes, the two Demonesses leaned against pillows on the bed and started scrolling on their phones.
After browsing for a while, Franca clicked her tongue and said, "Mr. Huang really does have a lot of rumors surrounding him"
Huang Tao himself rarely posted anything on social media, but it was impossible to avoid the many ex-girlfriends he had had, numbering in the hundreds, of all kindsfrom famous actresses and singers to wannabe Inte celebrities who wanted to gain attention by sharing their love stories with the bigpany president, and even some who staged and acted out their own stories, despite having no real connection to Huang Tao.
So no matter what Franca and the others browsed, they woulde across stories about Mr. Huang and his women every now and then, reinforcing the impressions they had formed from Roselle''s diary and the corresponding legends.
However, Franca still wanted to say that Mr. Huang was truly generous with his money, and would not set traps to reim the gifts he had given, or have the women thrown in jail.
It was precisely because Huang Tao''s many mistresses were verifiably from the administrative department of the Intis Group that Franca had discovered during her job interview that not many people were applying for the positions for the sake of the job itself.
Of course, she herself was not applying for the job for the sake of the job either, but to get close to Mr. Fool''s dream manifestation.
Before Jenna could respond, Franca sighed again. "I can''t even imagine what the state of the administrative department at the Intis Group must be, and for Mr. Huang to be able to manage such an administrative department and still have thepany thrive, he must be really capable"
Jenna also shared some of the other rumors she hade across about Mr. Huang, and by 11 o''clock at night, the two Demonesses put down their phones, turned off the lights, and fell asleep.
They once again found themselves in the strange space shrouded by a frozen storm, seeing Luo Shan, now in casual attire, floating at the edge of the semi-transparent barrier, having just pushed back the invasion of the bizarre creatures into the dark depths. Luo Shan turned and looked at them.
Franca and Jenna''s nning had anticipated this scenario, so they did not immediately make a move, but instead returned Luo Shan''s gaze.
Their eyes met, and Luo Shan''s low voice spoke, "Are you also people with Beyonder powers?
"Are you here to investigate me?"
Her expression was full of wariness.
"Yes, and no." Franca responded in an ambiguous way.
Jenna used a touch of Charm and smiled amiably.
"You haven''t left, and you''re even willing to meet with us."
Luo Shan was silent for a few seconds before speaking, "Last night, I hid away, and discovered that you had taken my ce, guarding the barrier and dealing with those monsters.
"I feel, I feel, that you must be a good person, and perhaps we can talk."
Before Jenna could respond, Luo Shan pressed on, "What do you mean, ''yes, and no''?"
Franca organized her thoughts and said seriously, "We want to approach you, to figure out the issues with you, and eliminate the hidden dangers, but we are not here to deal with you. The real target is not you."
Luo Shan became a bit confused.
Franca further exined, "We are from the future, using a time machine to return to the present, in order to find that Messiah."
"Messiah?" Luo Shan was bewildered.
What the hell are you talking about?
Franca nodded solemnly. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"In the not-too-distant future, humanity is under attack by evil forces and is on the verge of extinction. That''s when a Messiah suddenly appears and rescues us, mitigating the dire situation.
"The evil forces, through some means, have created a time machine and sent some monster-disguised creatures to the present in this city, trying to eliminate the Messiah while they are still weak.
"Fortunately, the future Messiah detected this and found a way for us to also utilize the time machine.
"He exhausted the machine''sst bit of power to send us back here, so that we can find and eliminate those monsters, and help the young Messiah ovee the interference and obstacles, truly awakening them.
"Our contact with you is actually to get closer to the young Messiah."
Jenna listened to Franca''s narrative and was momentarily dumbfounded.
Although they had briefly discussed the general storyline beforehand, she never expected Franca to be able to present it so convincingly.
The story seemed to align quite well with the actual situation, yet there was a fundamental difference.
Luo Shan''s expression fluctuated for a while, finding Franca''s story too far-fetched to be true, yet strangely familiar.
As her thoughts raced, she suddenly recalled something and blurted out, "Is that future Messiah Zhou Mingrui?"
Franca was not startled. She had fabricated this story precisely to probe how much Luo Shan knew and what information she had ess to.
She didn''t expect Luo Shan to readily ept the ridiculous plot, but to urately guess that the target was Zhou Mingrui.
Knowing she needs to deal with Mr. Fool''s dream manifestations, but not understanding why? Jenna pondered and nodded, while Franca countered, "Why do you think so?"
Luo Shan''s expression suddenly twisted in anguish.
"That voice, that voice made me give Zhou Mingrui the real Instigator beverage.
"That was the first time it made a clear demand, and promised to reward me with the Painter beverage afterwards.
"I felt having Beyonder powers was great at the time, and thought if Zhou Mingrui could also obtain them, it might not be too bad"
At this point, Luo Shan''s voice suddenly choked up.
"I-I didn''t mean to harm him, I really didn''t"
Franca tensed up.
"Did Zhou Mingrui drink the Instigator potion, I mean, beverage?"
The information provided by the Major Arcana card holders did not mention Luo Shan giving Zhou Mingrui the Instigator beverage.
"I don''t know." Luo Shan shook her head. "But there was some incident at the neighboringpany that day, I''m not sure if it''s rted to this or not, I''m not sure"
Seeing Luo Shan''s mental state bing unstable, Jenna changed the subject.
"How many times have you had those beverages?"
Chapter 944 "Shaman"
Chapter 944 "Shaman"
As Jenna asked the question, she nced at Franca.
Franca nodded slightly.
Luo Shan recalled her past experiences, her emotions calming a bit. "Thrice."
"When and where was the first time?" Jenna asked in a friendly manner.
Luo Shan cast her gaze towards the slightly ethereal buildings around them, seeing the ss windows representing each household glimmering in the faint light from the frozen storm. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"It was in the lobby of the apartmentplex. A vending machine suddenly appeared there, filled with beautifully designed beverages. I got a random one, and it turned out to be"
Seeing Luo Shan suddenly pause, Franca, floating in front of a building, took a step forward with an eager expression, wanting to probe further.
Several Spirit Bodies of the apartment residents were wandering beside her, some wearing sses, some with beautiful watches, some with shiny essories on their clothes.
Jenna grabbed Franca''s arm, giving her a look to not be hasty, and asked softly herself, "What did you get?"
"Shaman," Luo Shan named the beverage.
"Shaman What abilities did it give you?" Jenna asked casually.
Luo Shan''s mood lifted a bit.
"It allows me to choose an area and, by setting up totems and performing rituals, establish it as my domain. Then I canmunicate with the sky, earth, water, trees, and creatures there, borrowing power from their spirituality to cast various spells."
That sounds so powerful It''s more impressive than any Sequence 9 I know of, almost on par with some Sequence 7 pathways Jenna thought in amazement.
She curiously asked, "Can a Shaman only fight within their fixed domain? Can''t they change territories?"
"They can change, but it requires aplex process and takes a long time, about three days," Luo Shan exined enthusiastically. "Outside their domain, a Shaman''s power rapidly weakens, bing weaker the further they are from their territory."
There are still significant limitations Is the personal domain a manifestation of spatial authority? Jenna further inquired, "You guard the barrier to prevent those monsters from invading because they would destroy your domain?"
"That''s part of it," Luo Shan sighed. "Another aspect is that a Shaman''s power allows me to sense different spaces, higher worlds, letting my spirit make initial contact with them. This causes my soul to be noticed by the monsters, bing a target for their invasion.
"This ce you''re in now is a unique space formed by the fusion of my spiritual world, the Shaman''s domain concept, and the corresponding spirit world of Dechuang Garden. Those monsters want to use it as a stepping stone to invade reality, while also attacking my spirit and mind. If the barrier is breached, my soul will be controlled or even reced by them."
A Sequence 9 has such high risks? No wonder Shaman sounds so powerful Xinhong District doesn''t have this issue while Dechuang Garden does because a Shaman lives here Does Shaman essentially act as a beacon for those monsters to invade reality? Jenna roughly understood the basic situation of the Shaman sequence.
Luo Shan added with a self-deprecating smile, "I''m no longer just a Shaman. Now, even if this barrier is breached, it won''t affect me much.
"The only problem is that everyone living in Dechuang Garden would be killed in their dreams, their abdomens torn open, their internal organs ripped out"
As she spoke, Luo Shan fell silent.
After several seconds, she whispered, "This is my doing. I have to take responsibility"
"If this wasn''t a problem you brought about, and you encountered this situation, would you choose to guard the barrier in ce of the Beyonder who fled?" Jenna deliberately used this question to reinforce Luo Shan''s sense of guardianship.
Luo Shan''s lips moved slightly. "I don''t know Maybe Probably"
Jenna didn''t press Luo Shan for a definite answer, instead asking with concern, "You have to guard the barrier every night and still work during the day. Isn''t it too exhausting?"
"No, you can think of this as my mind world or my dreamscape. Being busy here doesn''t affect my physical rest. I just need to take a nap during the day," Luo Shan smiled.
This state made her feel like the protagonist of a novel oric, saving humanity in an inner world at night while continuing to be a corporate drone during the day.
Jenna exchanged another nce with Franca before asking, "What was the name of the second beverage you drank? Was it also from the vending machine?"
"The second one I drank was Reporter," Luo Shan recalled. "Once, after being injured while guarding the barrier, I woke up feeling like I had a bad cold, coughing severely. I took a day off and went to Mushu Hospital. The doctor prescribed cough syrup, but the pharmacy gave me the Reporter beverage instead. I suddenly felt it must be the follow-up beverage to Shaman, so I didn''t tell the pharmacist they''d given me the wrong medicine
"Later I drank Reporter again, but that one was fake. Among that batch of drinks, only the Instigator for Zhou Mingrui was real I shouldn''t have listened to that voice"
Mentioning this incident, Luo Shan''s expression twisted, seeming very regretful.
Jenna didn''t immediately inquire about the origin of that voice, instead discussing less sensitive matters. "What are the abilities of Reporter?"
"Observing, investigating, and uncovering the truth of the world, along with extreme speed," Luo Shan''s mood became low again, speaking vaguely without giving specific examples.
She slowly raised both hands to cover her ears, mumbling as if in a trance, "After drinking the Reporter beverage, I sometimes felt I had changed. I began to hate this world, hate the details that didn''t match my imagination, hate the people and things I was dissatisfied with. I wanted them all to explode, wanted to remake them, make everything here conform to my fantasies.
"And to remake these things, I had to pray for help from the truth of the world, from the true world above
"Then, I heard that voice"
Jenna pursed her lips, changing the subject once again. "After Reporter is Painter, whates after Painter?"
"After Painter should be Literature Enthusiast, someone skilled in imagination. I haven''t gotten that one yet" Luo Shan briefly answered Jenna''s question, then moved her hands up to pull at her hair. "That voice made me malicious, fierce, cruel"
As she spoke, Luo Shan suddenly burst out, crying as if her heart was being torn apart, "I don''t want to be like this! I''m not this kind of person!"
Crystalline tears were already streaming down her cheeks.
Seeing this, Jenna floated closer and said in a gentle voice, "I know you''re not that kind of person.
"That kind of person wouldn''t continue to guard the barrier, preventing monsters from invading Dechuang Garden and killing the adults and children here"
"No, many of these monsters were drawn by me. Originally, they weren''t so powerful" Luo Shan was still in painful self-reproach.
She tugged at the cor of her shirt, seeming unable to breathe.
Jenna moved in front of her and continued, "Everyone makes mistakes. The difference between good people and bad people is that good people know how to make amends"
Suddenly, Luo Shan raised her head.
The top two buttons of her shirt were undone, clearly revealing the painting on her neck and chest.
The painting looked like a tattoo, a vibrant, colorful flower.
The flower suddenly erged, opening its petals in a spectral form, revealing dense teeth and hidden pus inside.
The invisible scent it had been emitting,bined with the manifestation of its true form, made Jenna freeze, too dizzy to control her body.
The colossal flower suddenly enveloped Jenna''s body.
Seeing this, Luo Shan''s face showed a cold smile, silently mouthing, "That fool is just right for making people like you let your guard down"
Just then, there was a cracking sound, like a mirror shattering.
Luo Shan''s expression changed slightly. She was about to attack Franca and find out where the real Jenna was, when her body suddenly stiffened, as if frozen.
Stuttering, her Astral Projection quickly faded, leaving this space.
In reality, in room 1502.
Franca stood by Luo Shan''s bed, thrusting the Wintry de into the sleeping Luo Shan''s shoulder.
She had already actively left that spirit world-like space earlier, when Luo Shan answered that she had drunk the beverage three times.
The version of her before and after that moment was created and manipted by Jenna using mirror magic, utilizing the surrounding ss windows, eyess lenses, and other mirror-like objects!
Upon realizing that Luo Shan''s mental state was truly unstable and that she had acted against Zhou Mingrui, Franca and Jenna decided to initiate their contingency n: one creating illusions to upy Luo Shan, the other returning to the real world to find Luo Shan''s body and fundamentally control her!
This might also eliminate the risk of them being kicked out of the dream.
After stabbing Luo Shan with the Wintry de, Franca immediately took out her phone and called Anthony: "Come to Dechuang Garden, Building 5, Room 1502 now. We need you to treat someone with personality alteration due to corruption.
"Remember to bring Ludwig."
Although the current n was for Jenna, Franca, and Lumian, Anthony to operate in two separate groups with minimal contact, deleting chat and call records with the Information Shredder at all times, urgent situations called for flexibility. Anthony was the only person they could trust to treat Luo Shan now.
Of course, Franca or Jenna could use repeated Charm to make Luo Shan fall in love with them for a period of time, following their will, and do the same to her altered personality, thus controlling the stability of her mental state. But with other options avable, there was no need for such distortion, which might lead to a "the disease is cured, but the patient ''died''" oue.
After Anthony replied "Understood", Franca sighed in relief and used invisible spider silk to bind Luo Shan, who was struggling to wake up.
Then, she removed her hair tie, letting her long hair cascade down and strangely extend, touching Luo Shan''s body.
This brought about a stone-like rigidity at the points of contact.
Chapter 945 New Hostel?
Chapter 945 New Hostel?
After a while, Jenna also came to Room 1502 by climbing through the window, and saw Luo Shan controlled by three methods.
"Were the invading monsters driven back again?" Franca asked with concern.
Jenna tersely acknowledged.
"By the time dawn breaks, they should attack again." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
She then summarized the key points of what Luo Shan had said after Franca left that space.
Hearing that bing a Shaman would cause one''s own psyche to sense another space and higher realms, thereby attracting all sorts of strange creatures to invade, Franca couldn''t help but mutter, "What kind of extraterrestrial demons is this"
Jenna could understand every word Franca said, but did not grasp the specific meaning. However, she was already ustomed to Franca asionally blurting out some strange words, especially after entering the dream city, so she did not ask further, and continued to ry the information she had gathered from Luo Shan.
As soon as she finished, the doorbell rang.
Jenna walked to the bedroom door, and cautiously, without approaching the main entrance, took out a hand mirror to reflect the view outside the peephole.
It was Anthony and only Ludwig''s head visible in the image.
Jenna then opened the door, pointed to the bedroom, and said in a low voice, "The patient is inside."
Anthony had driven himself to Dechuang Gardenafter a few days of observation, he had learned how to drive to some extent.
Then, he "persuaded" the patrolling property management to help with parking and card swiping, and pressed the button for the 15th floor.
As Anthony walked towards the bedroom, Ludwig''s gaze fell on the paintings Luo Shan had done.
"Can I eat them?" he licked his lips, looking at Jenna with longing.
Jenna hadn''t seen the child in several days, and seeing him still the same, she felt a warm affection and smiled.
"These are just paintings."
"But they still represent a certain reality." When it came to eating, Ludwig was always mature.
Jenna thought for two seconds and replied, "Okay."
She felt that these paintings were done by Luo Shan previously, and Luo Shan''s condition at the time was unknown. There might be some contamination or hints left on the paintings. If Anthony managed to help Luo Shan recover, but the patient then saw some of her old paintings and the problem resurfaced, it would be a waste of herpanions'' efforts.
With the permission granted, Ludwig cheered and crumpled the unframed paintings, stuffing them into his mouth.
"Will eating these give you different qualities or abilities?" Jenna asked curiously.
Ludwig replied with a muffled voice, "I can temporarily acquire them, but the duration is very short, and I don''t have anyone to deal with right now.
"Eating these is mainly to increase my spirituality limit"
Jenna nodded in understanding, then looked at the back of Ludwig devouring the paintings and asked lightly,
"How have your studies been these past few days?"
Ludwig''s back suddenly stiffened for a second.
Inside the bedroom.
Anthony had learned the full situation from Franca, lit some candles, and dripped on some pure dew.
Afterpleting all the preparations, he signaled to Franca that she could retract the Wintry de.
Franca, who had been holding the almost invisible triangr spike for too long, had lost a lot of body temperature, and her lips were even a little pale. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly put the weapon back into the Traveler''s Bag.
Of course, she was still far from bing an undead. The negative effects of the Wintry de were also suppressed to Sequence 7 in the dream.
As the Wintry de was put away, Luo Shan''s eyeballs rolled slightly under her eyelids and slowly opened.
She quickly recalled her ordeal, her expression twisting into an extremely hideous grimace.
Then she saw a pair of deep brown eyes, like a deepke, and the flickering yellowish candlelight reflected in them.
At the same time, she smelled a soothing aroma.
Luo Shan immediately became calm.
Seeing this, Franca clicked to erge the words she had previously written on a memo and showed them to Anthony.
"Do not try to guide or suppress the corruption hidden in the patient''s Beyonder powers. Trying topletely eradicate them is unrealistic and very dangerous for us now.
"What you need to do is treat the patient''s mental problems, resolve the personality alteration, or reduce the impact of the personality alteration.
"If the patient rpsester, we will still handle it ording to the current n, until we find a way to thoroughly solve the corruption problem or find help."
Anthony gave an almost imperceptible nod and began tomunicate with Luo Shan''s mental self.
Franca stood by, ready to intervene if anything went wrong with Anthony.
After Ludwig finished eating even the paintings in the bedroom, leaving only the one with the bridge, precipice, abyss, and dark forest, Anthony finallypleted the treatment, extinguished the candles, and led Ludwig out of the bedroom, leaving Room 1502.
After another dozen seconds, Luo Shan''s long eyshes fluttered, and her gaze gradually recovered its normalcy.
She looked at Franca and Jenna, her expression a mix of bewilderment and as if she understood everything, and said, "I feel like I''ve just woken up from a long nightmare"
"We found a professional doctor and cured the problems caused by the corruption in the potion beverage you had to some extent. Of course, this is just the end of the first treatment course, and whether there will be more courses will depend on the situation," Franca exined vaguely, retracting her long hair and releasing the invisible spider silk bindings.
"I knew you guys would help me, even if you can''t cure me, you''ll deal with that demon properly." Luo Shan''s spirit and mind had returned to the lively state before she drank the Reporter beverage. She smiled at Franca and said, "Actually, I noticed at the time that you seemed to have be less real, but I suppressed that feeling and deliberately didn''t look at you again, so that she wouldn''t find out."
She? Luo Shan had already started referring to the altered personality as "she" Hmm, that altered personality also called her that The situation seems to be more serious than we had anticipated previously, but at least we managed to control her and provide treatment in time Franca nodded with relief.
Jenna then asked curiously, "You could tell that eh Luo Fu became a mirror illusion, relying on the Reporter''s ability to observe, investigate, and uncover the true world, right?"
They had not fully understood the Painter pathway beforehand, and their n almost failed.
"Yes," Luo Shan quickly nodded, looking at Franca, "Your name is Luo Fu? It''s so beautiful, even nicer than my name. You''re all so beautiful!"
"We all have the surname Luo, maybe we were from the same family five hundred years ago," Franca joked.
Jenna thought for a moment, looking at Luo Shan.
"Why do you go out every evening?"
"Sometimes I go to find tasty food to treat myself, sometimes I go shopping with friends, and sometimes" At this point, Luo Shan''s expression changed slightly, "Sometimes I go to a hostel that''s still under renovation and hasn''t opened yet. That''s thetest demand of that voice. It said that after the hotel officially opens, it will bestow the Literature Enthusiast beverage on me."
Hearing that the voice demanded opening a hotel, Franca and Jenna simultaneously thought of a term: Hostel!
For that evil god of the Fantasy Association, the concept of a hostel has strong symbolic meaning? Reflected in the dream, it''s wanting to open a hotel? Franca asked, "Is the money for opening the motel from you, or is there another source?"
"I put in part of it, spending all my savings. Fortunately, I had already bought this apartment before, so the remaining money wasn''t much. Buttely I''ve been seriously considering mortgaging the house to get a loan and get the hotel open as soon as possible." As she spoke, Luo Shan had a look of lingering fear on her face.
Money opening a hotel requires money That evil god of the Fantasy Association didn''t directly give money, but made the bestowed offer it themselves In Mr. Fool''s dream city, money indeed has a strong symbolic meaning, and the evil gods have to worry about it Franca asked thoughtfully, "You only put in part of it, who provided the rest?"
"It''s people simr to me, but I haven''t met them. Different people go to oversee the hotel renovation every day, not contacting each other, and they''re not even on the shareholder list. I''m not on it either. The hotel is owned by someone called Anderson."
"Anderson? Anderson Hood?" Franca and Jenna asked in unison.
"How do you know?" Luo Shan was surprised.
Francaughed. "We know a lot more than you think."
She asked for the name of the hostel, opened her phone, searched it, and then saw the name "Colorful Hostel" with Anderson Hood''s name clearly listed as a shareholder.
This was too direct and conspicuous, making Franca feel that the other party was challenging or boasting about a sessful prank.
This needs to be told to Lumian, let him probe Anderson Speaking of which, he hasn''t had an excuse tomunicate with Anderson The Hunter hasn''t been sending messages either Jenna took out her phone, hesitating whether to contact Lumian now.
She was afraid of waking the other party.
After a brief consideration, Jenna still chose to step out of the bedroom and use the text input method to report the information about the Colorful Hostel to Lumian.
She couldn''t let the softness in her heart hinder themunication of key issues. Perhaps it wouldn''t be long before dawn, and she and Franca would be kicked out of the dream!
Luo Shan followed and came to the living room.
She looked around and asked, "Where are my paintings?"
"We''ve taken care of them all," Jenna honestly expressed her previous concerns.
"Okay." Luo Shan nodded in agreement, then pointed to the remaining painting and said, "What about this one? It''s the most dangerous!"
Seeing Franca and Jenna both looking at her, Luo Shan''s expression changed a bit as she said,
"It''s not a painting I did. Soon after I drank the Reporter potion, I suddenly received this painting, I don''t know who sent it. I feel that the other me, in my heart, is also in the dark forest in this painting!"
"Conventional methods can''t get rid of it." Jenna did not hide anything from Luo Shan.
Franca changed the subject thoughtfully. "What about the self-portrait?"
"When you deleted all the photos, it selfbusted, so I knew you had a problem," Luo Shan said, worried and curious.
Franca immediately became eager to try, pointing to the painting with elements like the dark forest, precipice, and bridge, and asked Luo Shan, "Have you tried taking a photo of this painting? Did anything unusual happen at the time?"
If she could take a photo and the abnormality wouldn''t immediately manifest, they could consider using the Information Shredder to handle it!
"I couldn''t, the photos would turn out nk. I even tried throwing it away, but it mysteriously came back," Luo Shan shook her head.
As expected Franca was not too surprised by this. She pondered and said, "Can you give us this painting? We have a way to deal with it, but we''ll have to wait until morning."
Chapter 946 Five-Star Rating
Chapter 946 Five-Star Rating
After returning to Room 2303 with that painting, Jenna asked Franca, "Should we have Lumian contact Stiano? He should be very interested in how to deal with this kind of painting."
The previous self-portrait sketch of Luo Shan could be photographed but not deleted, while this precipice bridge painting couldn''t be photographed at all.
Franca pondered for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "That''s one of the backup ns, but not the first choice.
"We currently only know that Stiano is interested in mystical photos that can spread online and can''t be deleted. We''re not sure if he has the desire to research paintings that can''t be uploaded to the Inte. Besides, always owing favors to someone or owing too many may not be a good thing. It will have to be repaid eventually. There''s no such thing as a free lunch.
"It''s simr to taking out micro loans. Do it appropriately and moderately, and be prepared to repay from the beginning."
With the analogy of micro loans, Jenna immediately epted Franca''s reasoning.
"Then how do we deal with it?" she asked.
Franca''s smile widened.
"Wait until dawn, then take this painting to the Star Dream Provisions Store after the morning rush hour."
"Huh?" Jenna couldn''t quite follow Franca''s train of thought.
Franca, who had read extensively before her transmigration, always had a broad perspective. She chuckled softly.
"When you get to the Star Dream Provisions Store, ask the shopkeeper if She''d buy items with mystical elements, and how much She would offer.
"If She''s willing to buy it, this painting probably won''t be able toe back on its own."
Can it be done like this? Jenna thought carefully and found it quite feasible.
Based on the premise that only true gods could enter Mr. Fool''s dream besides those who possessed medium items or had special connections, as well as details like contacting the Major Arcana card holders by sending letters to the Church of the Evernight Goddess''s high-ranking deacons through the Star Dream Provisions Store, and the dim environment of the store itself, Lumian''s team could actually guess the shopkeeper''s identity in reality, but they tacitly agreed not to mention it.
If the shopkeeper agreed to buy this strange painting, it meant She definitely had a way to control the corresponding anomalies and truly transfer ownership to Her hands.
Moreover, wasn''t it normal for a provisions store focusing on mystical elements to purchase items with mystical elements?
After pondering for a few seconds, Jenna asked, "What if the shopkeeper doesn''t want to buy it?"
"Then ask if we can put this painting in Her store for consignment. We''ll pay a storage fee and give Her a cut of the final sale. It''s equivalent to paying Her to handle the anomaly," Franca said with a smile. "If She still doesn''t agree, we''ll contact Stiano through Lumian. If Stiano doesn''t ept, you can take advantage of the daytime to find an opportunity to throw this painting at the police station. Remember to hide your identity well."
At this point, Franca''s expression suddenly turned serious. "My spiritual intuition and mystical experience tell me that your process of dealing with this painting won''t be very smooth. There will be dangers. If the danger is too great, you should actively exit the dream. We still have two more chancester, there''s no need to risk your life now."
"Understood." Jenna nodded solemnly.
Afterwards, she and Franca entered that strange space again and found Luo Shan once more guarding by the semi-transparent barrier, in quite good condition.
Franca revealed her identity as a colleague and started chatting casually with Luo Shan, learning more details about Zhou Mingrui''s situation and which employees in various departments of the Intis Group were worth noting.
The results of the conversation left Franca and Jenna very satisfied, feeling that saving Luo Shan was not only a choice of emotion and stance but also a very correct decision in the course ofpleting their mission.
The information obtained from Luo Shan might have taken Franca and Lumian one or two months to slowly collect on their own.
"Later on, we''ll need your help to convince Zhou Mingrui that he is the future messiah," Franca said to Luo Shan with a ttering smile. "We can''t directly tell him the truth; he definitely wouldn''t believe it."
"He absolutely wouldn''t believe it. No normal person would. They would just think it''s a prank or a scam," Luo Shan nodded, then added in a small voice, "I don''t fully believe it myself now"
Franca pretended not to hear Luo Shan''s mumbling and changed the subject.
When dawn broke and they automatically left that strange space, Franca got out of bed and took out the clothes she was going to wear today from the wardrobe, with a heavy expression.
Before Jenna could speak, she took the initiative to say,
"There''s a good chance you''ll encounter danger and anomalies today, so it''s better to dress in a way that allows for easier movement."
Jenna nodded lightly, not refusing.
Franca quickly finished washing up, took off her pajamas, and while slowly changing her clothes, she muttered, "After I became a Witch and adapted, sometimes when walking on the street, I would feel pleased and happy with people''s gazes, thinking how charming I am. This might be a manifestation of a Demoness''s narcissism.
"But there''s a difference between enjoying it yourself and being forced by others. And if you''re not used to it yourself, you definitely won''t like it. It''s like when I was in school, they always required us to wear uniforms on Mondays, and there would always be some rebellious kids in each ss who didn''t want to, preferring to ept punishment instead" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Franca rambled on, as if trying to distract herself and reduce the sense of embarrassment.
She bent over, clumsily putting on the most conservative flesh-colored stockings, stepped into brand new low-heeled shoes, then stood up and, using the full-length mirror embedded in the wardrobe, adjusted her blouse and light gray skirt that reached just above her knees.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Franca pursed her lips, feeling quiteplex.
Jenna watched the whole time without saying a word.
After applying makeup that made her look a bit less attractive, tying up her long hair, putting on sses, and picking up a high-quality branded replica handbag, Franca walked steadily towards the door.
Just before leaving, she turned back and smiled at Jenna.
"Thank you for not saying ''you look beautiful in this outfit'' or ''this really suits you''. However, you seemed a little bit amazed just now. Hmm, that made me feel a bit better."
"Yes," Jenna returned with an affirming smile.
Franca waved and walked out the door.
She really is someone who''s good at self-regting her emotions and staying optimistic Jenna sighed inwardly, turning her gaze away and patiently waiting for the morning rush hour to pass.
Close to 9 o''clock, she carried the painting and left Building 5,ing to the residential district''s lobby.
She chose to take a ride-hailing car to the Star Dream Provisions Store instead of taking the subway and then switching to a bus. She was afraid that the painting''s anomalies might affect more people. If that happened, thetent dangers might not do much to her, but the widespreadmotion could bring about more serious problems.
After a while, Jenna walked out of the lobby and came to the roadside, seeing a white sedan already waiting for her.
After opening the car door with one hand, she nced towards the driver''s seat, confirming that the driver wasn''t wearing a monocle and had no other obvious features. It was someone she didn''t recognize and didn''t trigger her spiritual intuition.
Jenna sat in the back, cing the painting on herp and holding it to her chest.
After verifying thest digits of her phone number, the driver started the vehicle.
Jenna was highly focused, vigntly guarding against possible idents.
Suddenly, she felt her breathing be difficult, while there was no anomaly around her.
It was as if another her was being pushed into the sea, and the feeling of drowning was transmitted through a mystical connection.
Without hesitation, Jenna took out a mirror, plucked two strands of hair, trying to stick them to the mirror''s surface and burn them with a Demoness''s ck mes.
She was attempting to cast a ck magic rted to the Mirror Substitution, actively trying to transfer that mystical connection to the mirror.
At this moment, Jenna had a hallucination. She saw gently swaying emerald-green waves and her own hands iling uncontrobly, as if struggling to swim to the surface.
However, there was a force pulling at her legs, trying to drag her to the bottom of the sea.
Almost simultaneously, a pale, swollen hand reached out from nowhere and covered her mouth.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph
"Glug, glug, glug"
Jenna showed obvious signs of drowning, her nose, respiratory tract, and lungs bing extremely ufortable.
She wanted to use her substitutes but couldn''t sense those mirrors. She seemed to be separated from them in different worldseven the mystical connection cut off.
Suddenly, silent ck mes flowed out from Jenna''s eyeballs, nostrils, mouth, ears, and other ces. These ck mes burned her body from the inside out, burning all the invisible things trying to influence her.
Outside the ck mes, frost condensed, encasing Jenna in a thick ball of ice and snow.
On the surface of the sphere, countless invisible spider silk retracted, wrappingyer byyer, forming a huge "cocoon".
Jenna finally no longer felt the agony of nearly drowning, but she still couldn''t sense her body or substitutes.
The next second, she found herself walking on a bridge.
On the other side of the bridge was a steep cliff and a dark forest at the far end of the cliff.
Have I entered that painting? Jenna tried to turn around and return to the starting point of the bridge, to escape the world inside the painting from the entrance, but she couldn''t control her body and watched helplessly as "she" continued forward along the bridge.
At this time, two people walked out of the dark forest.
One was Luo Shan with a malicious face, and the other was Jenna herself.
A Jenna with a seductive smile!
Crack!
The bridge suddenly broke, and Jenna fell towards the dark abyss whose bottom couldn''t be seen.
Great fear and despair invaded Jenna''s mind, her consciousness rapidly blurring, unable to save herself.
She seemed to already see the image of herself smashed into bloody pieces.
Taking advantage of her consciousness not yetpletely falling into darkness, before the unimaginable pain arrived, she mustered herst rity, about to actively exit the dream.
But it didn''t work.
It didn''t work!
Useless Jenna''s gaze suddenly froze.
She didn''t give up; she was still trying to save herself, gritting her teeth, struggling to regain control of her body to use the Demoness''s feather-fall technique.
At this moment, a ray of sunlight shone into the dark abyss, illuminating the cliff high above.
All the scenes before Jenna''s eyes instantly shattered and fragmented in the brilliant sunlight.
She suddenly opened her eyes and found herself still sitting in the car, hugging that painting.
"We''ve arrived," the driver turned halfway, reminding Jenna.
I arrived so quickly? Jenna felt as if she had been walking for an entire morning in a stuffy environment, her clothes soaked with sweat.
She looked out the window somewhat bewilderedly and saw the Star Dream Provisions Store.
Jenna instinctively pushed open the door and got out of the car, wanting to rush into that shop to avoid other possible anomalies that mighteter.
"Remember to give me a five-star rating!" the driver called out to her retreating figure.
Jenna unconsciously turned her body sideways, looking back at the driver.
The driver had a smile at the corner of his mouth and somehow produced a crystal monocle, putting it on his right eye.
Chapter 947 Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 947 Equivalent Exchange
Amon? Jenna, standing beside the car, was stunned.
She vaguely understood why she had been able to arrive at the Star Dream Provisions Store early and escape that deadly "hallucination" at the most critical moment.
In this matter, Amon had provided help, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!
She and Franca had already estimated the risks to the greatest extent possible, but they still hadn''t anticipated that the real situation would be so terrifying that she wouldn''t even have a chance to exit the dream!
This was even with her being a Demoness, with survival abilities and life-saving skills among the top of same-Sequence Beyonders.
Indeed, Amon and His father are on the same side as us in awakening Mr. Fool, just with different desired paces of progress, so He only provided help once until now. Hmm, this help was aimed at that evil god of the Fantasy Association. If I had failed my mission today and died, would the painting have returned to Luo Shan on its own, leading to developments that Amon and His father don''t want to see? In an instant, Jenna thought of many things, not even having time to feel fear in hindsight.
"Please help close the car door," Amon, with the monocle sped in His right eye socket, reminded Jenna with a smile, just like a real ride-hailing driver.
Only then did Jenna return to normal, closing the car door with her free hand.
Watching the white sedan drive smoothly away from the street, Jenna, hugging the precipice painting, rushed into the Star Dream Provisions Store without any regard for her image.
Feeling the light suddenly dim considerably, Jenna immediately rxed.
Only then did she feel a surge of confusion.
How could Amon urately ept my order?
How did He know we had obtained this painting and were going to send it to the Star Dream Provisions Store today?
With everyone being suppressed to Sequence 7, it''s impossible to be so precise with prophecies and divinations
Could it be that true gods are a bit more special in the Dream City, subject to different restrictions than us? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
So, did Amon "coincidentally" save me with the help of His father?
This could also exin why this painting was so difficult for me to resist, not even giving me a chance to save myself. If we were all at the Sequence 7 level, it shouldn''t have been like this. Or perhaps I actually had a chance to break free from its influence, but being my first encounter with this type of attack, I made mistakes in my response and failed to notice details that could have been utilized? Jenna looked at the oil painting in her arms, suppressing her thoughts, and walked to the cashier at the very back of the Star Dream Provisions Store.
This could also exin why this painting was so difficult for me to resist, not even giving me a chance to save myself. If we were all at the Sequence 7 level, it shouldn''t have been like this. Or perhaps I actually had a chance to break free from its influence, but being my first encounter with this type of attack, I made mistakes in my response and failed to notice details that could have been utilized? Jenna looked at the oil painting in her arms, suppressing her thoughts, and walked to the cashier at the very back of the Star Dream Provisions Store.
"Do you buy items with mystical elements?" Jenna politely asked the shopkeeper who was ying with her phone.
The shopkeeper slowly raised her head, and the zing sunlight outside suddenly appeared to be obscured by clouds.
"Yes, we do," she said with a slight smile at Jenna.
They really buy them? Jenna''s heart leapt with joy, and she quickly ced the oil painting on the counter.
"Could you take a look and see if it meets your requirements? How much is it worth?"
The shopkeeper reached out a hand, bringing the painting in front of her, and after looking at it for a few seconds, said, "Thirty thousand."
How much? Jenna instinctively doubted her ears.
It wasn''t that she thought this bizarre oil painting had no mystical value or wasn''t worth thirty thousand dors, but rather that for her and Franca, this painting was a burden, a danger, something they would pay to get rid of.
If the shopkeeper had said she would take the painting for thirty thousand, Jenna thought that after discussing with Franca, they would grit their teeth and pay.
As thoughts raced through her mind, Jenna considered a possibility.
The shopkeeper of the Star Dream Provisions Store was clearly an ally, and her current behavior was to provide more funds for their team!
And money had a very important symbolic meaning in the dream city.
Not giving it directly, but using this opportunity of buying mystical items as the method Is this because certain rules of the dream city have to be satisfied, rules that even gods can''t vite? Equivalent exchange? If that''s the case, it must have been quite difficult for the Major Arcana card holders to provide two thousand in startup funds for each person As Jenna pondered this, she subconsciously thought about whether she should haggle and try to raise the price a bit.
Since they were allies, they should be happy to see such behavior, as it meant they could provide more help.
After brief consideration, Jenna abandoned this idea.
The person across from her was the manifestation or projection of a true god. The price She quoted must have been carefully considered to be the most suitable, appropriate, and least likely to cause anomalies.
In terms of dream consciousness, every item has an estimated price. If the transaction price is too high, it would be considered problematic and might involve illegal activities, inevitably leading to reactive changester? Thinking of this, Jenna responded to the shopkeeper, "Alright."
When the shopkeeper actually transferred thirty thousand yuan to her, she suddenly regretted letting Ludwig eat all the other paintings.
Those might have been worth some money too!
However, those were just painted by Luo Shan, probably not worth much, maybe just equivalent to Ludwig''ste-night snack fee
"Thank you," Jenna thanked the shopkeeper again and turned to walk out of the Star Dream Provisions Store.
The bright and brilliant sunlight from high above fell on her, finally giving her the feeling that the danger hadpletely passed.
Only then did she begin to feel fear in hindsight.
She still had many things she wanted to do, and several people she couldn''t bear to part with.
At the entrance of the Tech Building.
Franca, wearing low-heeled shoes, carefully ascended the steps.
Her current attire was something she had never worn before, instinctively giving her a sense of insecurity and embarrassment.
This also made her more sensitive to the gazes and appraisals around her. She felt that the admiring ones were still eptable, but those she previously considered impolite and a bit disgusting seemed to have increased, or perhaps she just noticed them more. Some people hurried past her, then turned back to look after taking a few steps, thinking they were being discreet, revealing slightly disappointed expressions.
This seemed to be because her makeup, attire, and appearance didn''t quite match what they had imagined after seeing her figure and clothes.
Why are you being disappointed, asshole!? Franca secretly gave the middle finger and cursed under her breath.
She finished climbing the stairs and looked towards the security guard at the entrance, but didn''t see Lumian.
I thought we couldmunicate with eye contact at the entrance, pretending not to know each other on the surface, just like in some spy dramas Franca muttered silently, entering the lobby and walking towards the elevator area.
Inside the surveince room.
Lumian sat in front of severalrge screens divided into multiple scenes, carefully scrutinizing each image from a not-so-short distanceyesterday''s minor incident had given the security director Grimm an excuse to arrange for him to watch the surveince cameras and patrol floors on rotation, no longer needing him to guard the main entrance.
Lumian quickly noticed Franca in the elevator area.
Although she had deliberately made herself less attractive, wearing old-fashioned ck-framed sses and clothes she had never worn before, he still recognized her.
It''s a pity that Lie now only equates to top-level makeup skills and can''t adjust height and figure to a certain extent, otherwise the disguise effect would be better. As it is now, it''s still too eye-catching Lumianmented inwardly.
Seeing him watching so intently, the security guard sitting next to him rolled his eyes and said, clutching his stomach, "Li, my stomach hurts. I''m going to take a dump. Keep an eye on things yourself."
Is this what they call getting paid to poop online? Lumian chuckled inwardly and said, "Okay."
This couldn''t be better, maybe there''s even a chance to check yesterday''s surveince footage and see how Zhou Mingrui reacted to my employment in private, what he did!
After his colleague had really gone to the bathroom outside the surveince room, Lumian saw that Franca had finally managed to squeeze into an elevator after two failed attempts.
Suddenly, on the big screen, several images showing the situation inside the surveince room went ck.
Wh Lumian didn''t move.
Just two or three secondster, there was an additional person beside him.
It was security director Grimm, wearing a thin blue suit.
Grimm, looking at the big screen, said in an seemingly casual manner, "Be careful of Huang Tao."
Be careful of Huang Tao? What rtionship could Mr. Huang have with me, a male security guard? Lumian was puzzled and asked calmly, "Why?"
Maintaining his posture of watching the surveince footage, Grimm exined briefly, "He has betrayed Mother and is no longer Mother''s child."
No longer He was before, but not now? Madam Magician mentioned that in the Vortex event, although Emperor Roselle perished, he also severely injured the strongest Broker, breaking free from the corruption of the Great Mother and retaining hope for resurrection This and Amon obtaining Mr. Fool''s consent to reborrow power from His past self are differentponents of the same event So, Mr. Fool learned about Emperor Roselle''s status, his subconscious cognition changed ordingly, causing Huang Tao in the dream city to no longer secretly harbor the corruption of the Great Mother? Lumian preliminarily sorted out the logic.
This also made him realize a problem.
Previously, he only knew that idents and encounters in the dream might reflect in reality, bringing about real death or problematic advancements, but at this moment, he believed that changes in reality could also affect the dream, provided that Mr. Fool truly perceived it.
The dream and reality are not one-way, they can interact Lumian remembered this discovery, then turned to smile at Grimm.
"Don''t you find it strange that as a Child of God, I''m not female?"
Grimm showed a confused expression.
"Mother''s children can be of any gender, or even genderless, or multiple genders.
"These are not important. What''s important is the ability to procreate and bring new life.
"Child of God, why do you ask such a question?"
Grimm''s brow furrowed slightly.
Of course, it''s to test you! Lumianughed inwardly in response.
He was testing whether Grimm only sensed that he was a Child of God, or if he knew more specifically that the current Child of God was Omebe, like Hand Bro.
If Grimm knew that he "was" Omebe, he would be confused about the gender discrepancy. Otherwise, it would indicate that he indeedcked the necessary wisdom and was more like an NPC as Franca had said, but influenced by the Great Mother.
This also proved from another angle that there was a big problem with Hand Bro being able to call out the name Omebe.
Lumian smiled and said to Grimm, "I thought Mother had already let you know my true identity."
As he spoke, his hair gradually lengthened, and the lines of his face quickly softened.
Chapter 948 New Employee Orientation
Chapter 948 New Employee Orientation
Grimm''s eyes suddenly reflected an indescribably beautiful face, but it vanished in an instant, like an intoxicating yet elusive dream.
Lumian had already transformed back into his male state, his gaze returning to the surveince screens.
After a few seconds, Grimm remarked with some emotion, "When I was looking at the files transferred from HR, I was thinking that a 22-year-old with a 7-year-old son would be very suitable to be Mother''s child, and could definitely be developed. I didn''t expect hehe, truly worthy of being a Child of God."
I didn''t alter my background information and it still had this benefit Who could have imagined this before Lumian had to admit that some things were beyond even the Conspirer''s expectations.
Suddenly, Grimm stood up and left the surveince room.
In just a few seconds, the cameras inside the surveince room resumed their normal operation.
Not long after, the security guard who had gone to defecate came back swaying and sat down next to Lumian.
He asked in a low voice, "The team lead didn''te, did he?"
This referred to Xu Xinyang, the team lead of Security Team 2.
"No," Lumian answered honestly.
Simultaneously, he silently added, The team leader indeed didn''te, but the director did.
Just then, Lumian''s phone vibrated.
He turned his body, facing away from his colleague, discreetly took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and looked.
The vibration was caused by a WeChat friend request, the applicant was "Intis Group Grimm".
After Lumian epted, he took the opportunity to look at Grimm''s Moments.
The most recent post from this Intis Group security director was: "Children are more important than money, offspring are more important than work."
This was apanied by nine photos, each with a different child.
Lumian quickly scrolled down and found that Grimm''s Moments had only one theme, which was sharing about his children.
As expected of Mother''s chosen Mr. Fool''s subconscious cognition is still too conservative, only giving Grimm nine children. Well, it also has to conform to the daily situations of the dream city Lumian locked the screen, put the phone back in his pants pocket, and thought about how to use Grimm''s connection in the future.
He nned to inquire about what Grimm had been doing recently and how well he had been doing it, under the pretext of a superior''s assessment next time.
Tenth floor, Intis Group Administrative Department, in a separate small office.
Franca, led by an HR employee, met Zhang Qing, the deputy director of the Administrative Department.
He was also one of the interviewers at the time.
Zhang Qing looked Franca over a few times, and actually felt somewhat amazed, of course, this was based on her state during the interview as a reference.
He could only say that her figure was indeed very good and suited this outfit well.
While feeling slightly amazed, Zhang Qing also started to feel a headacheing on.
He worried that this new employee, Luo Fu, might be blindly arrogant and set her sights on Mr. Huang. He hoped she would honestly and diligently do her job and share the work between himself and the others.
Thinking of this, Zhang Qing couldn''t help but sigh inwardly.
This was his daily statefacing beautiful women of various styles every day. As a man, it was inevitable to have some emotional and desire fluctuations, but thinking that any of these beauties might be Mr. Huang''s mistress at any time, he had to restrain himself and not show any abnormality. Moreover, these beauties would asionally quarrel and fight,ing to his office crying toin, requiring him to spend a lot of energy mediating.
This made him physically and mentally exhausted every day, feeling a sense of spiritual impotence.
Namo Amitabha After Zhang Qing muttered to himself, he began to exin the daily work and precautions of the office to Franca ording to the procedure. Finally, he said,
"I''ll find an experienced employee to guide you. Your position will be arranged near that experienced employee."
Franca took the initiative to say, "Can you ask Luo Shan to guide me? I live very close to her, we knew each other before, and it was she who made me full of longing for thepany."
Before officially starting work, Franca had already thought about what image she wanted to establish in the Intis Groupa neer without much scheming, rather frank and cheerful, sometimes speaking without thinking.
She felt that as long as she didn''t deliberately think about problems, following her daily life state, she could y this role well.
Zhang Qing nodded slightly, his expression rxing considerably.
"Alright."
He stood up, led Franca out of the small office, and introduced her to other employees in the Administrative Department.
Franca saw a series of beautiful women, all striving to highlight their own characteristics. There were innocent ones, morous ones, and those going for the pure and sexy look, giving a feeling of a hundred flowers blooming.
These women were all alert at first nce of Franca, but after their gaze fell on her face and scrutinized for a few seconds, they rxed.
Some of them perfunctorily greeted her, then picked up their makeup mirrors to touch up their makeup, while others enthusiastically chatted with Franca, thinking about dumping some of their work on this neerter. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Franca, having managed arge number of dancers before, was not at all unfamiliar with such asions and naturally and appropriately followed Zhang Qing around the Administrative Department.
Seeing this, Zhang Qing imperceptibly nodded.
Indeed, she has three years of work experience, and the evaluation from her previous job is also very good
Well, after seeing so many star-like beauties, she shouldn''t have any unrealistic thoughts, right?
Franca noticed that about half of the employees in the Administrative Department were working seriously, and among them were also many good-looking women. Some of them were purely attracted by the high sries of the Intis Group, not very interested in Mr. Huang, and had no hope for possible favor. Rather than bing Mr. Huang''s mistress, they wanted to develop in their careers and prove themselves. Others nned to establish the image of a capable woman, thinking that maybe Mr. Huang liked this type recently?
After introducing Franca to the employees of the Administrative Department, Zhang Qing stopped near Luo Shan''s position and nodded slightly.
"Luo Shan has gone to the foreign trade department and will be backter. Since you already know each other, I don''t need to introduce you.
"Well, Mr. Ed is currently entertaining distinguished guests and is not in thepany. I''ll take you to meet himter."
Mr. Ed referred to Edward, the vice president of the Intis Group, in charge of administration and business.
Entertaining distinguished guests? Zaratulstra mentioned in the information from the Major Arcana card holders? This person is most likely a subordinate of the Celestial Worthy, suspected to be a Seer pathway Angel who is currently possessing Loki Franca pondered as she replied to Zhang Qing.
She then sat down at the desk not far from Luo Shan''s position, hiding her legs under the table.
This gave her back a sense of security, and the faint shame subsided.
After Zhang Qing left, Franca sat in her position, looked around the bright and clean Administrative Department, and silently eximed, So this is what working is like?
During the time after her transmigration when she lived on the original body''s savings, she naturally thought about not eating away at his savings. But she didn''t understand the skills the original body knew, and the original body had no education, so she could only find jobs like waitressing and kitchen helper. Then, because she couldn''t stand the conscience of those merchants and was unwilling to make counterfeit goods or help deceive innocent people, she couldn''tst more than a few days before being fired either voluntarily or involuntarily. Almost no jobsted a full month, and there were a few times when she was almost beaten up.
In her view, this was no different from doing internships or summer jobs during college, and now was her first real job, especially in a dream city very simr to the world she transmigrated from.
While observing naturally, Franca saw those paintings on Luo Shan''s desk.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Luo Shan''s paintings at home have been cleaned up, but there are still some here
After some consideration, Franca stood up, walked to Luo Shan''s seat, tore down all the paintings that could be torn down, and threw the ones that couldn''t be torn down into the trash can along with the items.
Just as she finished doing this, she felt someone watching her. She quickly turned around and saw a young man standing in the aisle near Luo Shan''s position.
The man wore in sses and a id shirt interwoven with three colors. His appearance was slightly handsome with a very clear chin. It was Zhou Mingrui.
Damn I''ve directly encountered Mr. Fool''s dream image Seeing Zhou Mingrui''s confused expression, Franca quickly exined, "Luo Shan asked me to help deal with it."
Zhou Mingrui looked at the paintings and items in the trash can and said as if talking to himself, "Luo Shan asked to throw them away?"
He then nced at Franca''s heel height and muttered in his heart,
With such low heels, she''s still a bit taller than me
Franca nodded repeatedly. "Yes."
Zhou Mingrui withdrew his gaze and smiled politely.
"Where did Luo Shan go? I have something to discuss with her."
"She went to the foreign trade department to coordinate something," Franca repeated Zhang Qing''s words.
"I see" Zhou Mingrui then asked, "Are you transferred from another department to the Administrative Department? I don''t think I''ve seen you before."
"I just joined," Franca answered honestly.
Seeing Zhou Mingrui''s gaze unconsciously move towards Luo Shan''s seat, Franca controlled her inner nervousness and smiled naturally. "Luo Shan and I are neighbors, we knew each other before. Before she went to handle something, she asked me to help her throw away all these paintings. She doesn''t want them anymore."
"Doesn''t want them anymore" Zhou Mingrui repeated this sentence softly, then asked Franca with a colleague''s attitude, "Did Luo Shan give you an internal rmendation?"
"No," Franca said with a slight pride. "I relied on my own abilities."
Then, she said in a teasing tone, "Maybe the Administrative Department has been busier recently and needs more people who can really get things done."
She didn''t want Mr. Fool''s dream image to think she was a gold digger.
Zhou Mingrui exchanged a few more pleasantries, left the Administrative Department, and returned to the opposite side.
Franca sat back in her position and quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, I''ve been well-trained in front of the Demoness of ck. Mr. Fool, uh, Zhou Mingrui shouldn''t have noticed that I was a bit nervous just now, right?
It''s normal to be nervous; after all, being caught throwing away a colleague''s belongings behind their back
In the Security Department.
Lumian took the opportunity of going to the bathroom to take out his phone and clicked on the dialog box with Anderson Hood.
The chat interface was still on the initial greeting message.
Chapter 949 Action Outline
Chapter 949 Action Outline
Lumian waited until the Dream Tutoring sses opened before sending a WeChat voice message to Anderson Hood: "Mr. Anderson, does your tutoring school have painting sses? A friend of mine wants to know."
Latest night, after receiving Jenna''s message, Lumian had been thinking about how to probe Anderson Hood. Based on the premise that Luo Shan had been controlled and her personality alteration had been initially resolved, he felt this matter was not urgent. There was no need to screenshot the legal representative and shareholder information of "Colorful Hostel" and send it directly to Anderson, "teasing" him about having other businesses on the side, then observe the subsequent reactions and wait for any unexpected developments that might result.
He nned to start with the painting issue, making initial probes, preferably without alerting Anderson. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Anderson didn''t immediately reply to Lumian, and Lumian didn''t linger in the bathroom. After putting his phone in his pants pocket, he walked back to the surveince room.
Looking at therge screens in front, his mind shed through some "experiments" he had done and needed to do:
1. Observe Mr. Fool''s dream manifestation Zhou Mingrui and the people around him;
2. First contact with Zhou Mingrui during the day, leaving a certain impression;
3. Contact people close to Zhou Mingrui, divided into multiple stages, eliminating the suspicion of one target before contacting the second, and so on;
4. Contact Zhou Mingrui again during the day, leaving a deeper impression;
5. Establish a rtionship with Zhou Mingrui during the day where they can chat, hinting at the existence of Beyonder powers and his goodwill;
6. First contact with Zhou Mingrui at night;
7. Hint at the existence of Beyonder powers and his goodwill to Zhou Mingrui at night;
8. Based on the results of previous experiments and information gathered, formte an official awakening n.
This was the action outline for Lumian''s team. Currently, the first four parts had beenpleted, without any members being kicked out of the dream or restrictedthe third part was spread throughout all subsequent steps, and team members responsible for contact had to self-iste for a day and night before continuing to advance.
The danger gradually increased in theter parts. Lumian didn''t think about avoiding it, because determining the degree and source of danger was one of the purposes of the experiment.
Only by knowing what could be done, what couldn''t be done, what would lead to immediate expulsion, and what would take time to explode, could their team officially enter the eighth part of the action outline and formte a targeted awakening n.
At this stage, Lumian wasn''t worried or afraid of failure; he was worried and afraid of not being able to find the reasons for failure.
With this mindset, he approached many things with a "testing" attitude, including whether the Information Shredder worked, whether Stiano was trustworthy, what rtionship Anderson Hood had with the Painter pathway, whether Grimm had be one of the Great Mother''s tools to influence the dream, and so on.
After obtaining the "test" results, they would contact the Major Arcana card holders topare ounts, which might reveal some interesting and useful details.
If they had consulted the Major Arcana card holders from the beginning, forming preconceived notions and fixed thinking patterns, they might not have "tested" some things, and thus wouldn''t have obtained their own results. Their minds would only have the conclusions given by the Major Arcana card holders, which might cause them to miss key information.
As Lumian was pondering what to do next, he noticed an extra person in one of the surveince footage on the tenth floor.
The camera was aimed at the entrance of Aurora Company, and a person wearing a ck robe with a wide, deep hood,pletely out of ce among the nearby white-cor workers, walked out.
Suddenly, a bunch of things fell out from inside the person''s robe,nding on the floor.
The person quickly crouched down, the hem of the robe covering the fallen objects.
When he stood up, the ground was clean again, without any items.
After watching this person walk out of the surveince frame and seeing him enter the elevator through the elevator surveince, Lumian silently said to himself, The corresponding image of a certain Aurora Order mister in the dream city?
The security guard sitting next to him followed his gaze andughed. "It''s fine; those clowns from Aurora Company are like that, it''s nothing, it''s nothing."
"I thought it was some kind of performance art," Lumian said as he saw Luo Shan walk out of the elevator and enter Intis Group.
In the Administrative Department,rge office.
Luo Shan stood confused next to her position, seeing her desk with fewer items.
"I helped you throw away all those paintings," Franca walked up to Luo Shan and exined with a smile.
Luo Shan suddenly realized. "I had forgotten about that, I''ll draw some new onester"
She paused, looked around, and asked in a lowered voice, "Can I, can I still paintter?"
"Yes, it doesn''t affect your ability to use your power," Francaforted her quietly, then raised her volume, "Director Zhang asked you to familiarize me with the work process."
Zhang Qing''s full title was Deputy Director of the Administrative Department of Intis Group.
"Alright," Luo Shan pulled Franca over and openly chatted about various rumors within thepany.
Finally, Luo Shan said, "I forgot to tell youst night, there''s a very fierce young security guard recently, he even dares to confront those MCNpany people. He''s really handsome, but don''t tell anyone, he already has a 7-year-old son, and he''s only 22!"
Theoretically speaking, I am the child''s mother, one of them Franca''s mouth twitched slightly as she echoed with emotion, "Doesn''t that mean he had a child in middle school?"
After chatting about this for a while, Franca returned to her seat and entered work mode ording to Luo Shan''s guidance.
After familiarizing herself with the office system, she rotated her chair and stood up, wanting to help Luo Shan share some work.
She saw Luo Shan holding a pencil, focused on drawing on a white paper.
What is she drawing? Franca softened her steps and silently walked to Luo Shan''s side.
She found that Luo Shan was sketching her own portrait, with the Luo Shan in the drawing having hollow eyes, a cold expression, and a curled mouth.
Wh Franca''s eyes focused, and she immediately reached out her right hand and patted Luo Shan''s shoulder. "What are you drawing?"
Luo Shan was startled and quickly stopped drawing.
She turned her body, and seeing it was Franca, she visibly rxed and pressed her chest saying, "You scared me! I thought Old Zhang had caught me cking off."
As she spoke, Luo Shan nced at the sketch on the table, and her expression quickly became terrified. "W-why would I draw this?"
Franca pondered for two seconds and showed a smile that made Luo Shan extremely reassured. "Don''t worry, you can finish thest few strokes, I''ll handle it."
Luo Shan, uncertain and frightened, leaned forward again and added thest few strokes, making the portrait more lifelike.
As soon as she finished drawing, the Luo Shan in the sketch presented a state as if about toe alive.
Franca grabbed the drawing, and ck mes burned discreetly in her palm.
The expression of Luo Shan in the drawing immediately became painful, full of resentment and hatred, as if she was being burned by mes.
In the blink of an eye, the drawing curled up, showed signs of spontaneousbustion, quickly turned to ashes, and fell into the trash can.
Whilepleting this, Franca used the Mirror Maze through the transparent screen on the side of the desk, Luo Shan''s phone screen, and the mirror being used by a nearby colleague for makeup touch-ups, to deal with the camera surveince, not leaving traces of Beyonder powers in the corresponding footage.
Luo Shan stared nkly as Franca dealt with the portrait, and after a few seconds said, "I feel like my whole being is much lighter again; my mood is better"
Franca nodded and said, "You can treat it as another release of negative emotions and desires."
She considered for two seconds and added, "Currently, we can only treat your symptoms, not solve the root cause of the problem. Simply put, we can only treat the symptoms, not cure the disease.
"So, you need to be vignt about your own state, do self-examination from time to time, and if you find something wrong, immediatelye to us for a new round of treatment. Don''t dy, otherwise, behavior like just now will happen again, and the consequences are unpredictable.
"Power is a double-edged sword, it can harm others and also harm oneself, this will apany us for life."
Luo Shan listened quietly, remained silent for a moment, then lowered her head and smiled. "I understand what you mean. I hope, hope I can hold on for a few more years, preferably until I retire, no, let me enjoy life for five more years after retirement."
Seeing Luo Shan''s smile, Franca suddenly felt it was a bit dazzling, making her eyes ache.
Sheforted in a gentle voice, "If you can hold on, you must hold on. It''s like some diseases that were terminal in earlier years, but if you actively cooperate with treatment and try to prolong life as much as possible, with the development of technology, they can now be cured or better controlled.
"In the future, we might be stronger, or we might meet stronger people who have ways to solve the problem of power corruption."
Luo Shan nodded slowly and smiled at Franca. "I''ll try hard, and you should work hard too, let''s all work hard!"
Franca remained silent for a moment, deactivated the Mirror Maze, and returned to her own seat.
She picked up her phone and found that Jenna, with the nickname "Nana and Lily", had sent her a message describing the dangers encountered on the way to deliver the painting to Star Dream Provisions Store, the help received, and the final result.
Franca felt a wave of fear reading it, quite regretful that she hadn''t apanied Jenna.
She had anticipated great danger but thought that Jenna, who could actively exit the dream, would at most waste one opportunity. She didn''t expect that the power representing the Fantasy Association''s evil god could prevent them from returning to reality.
Jenna had almost really died.
Fortunately, Amon and His father are on our side Jenna''s experience also provided us with important intelligence. In the future, when encountering people and objects of the Painter pathway, we need to be careful about not being able to exit the dream Franca, thinking of Lumian about to or already probing Anderson Hood, quickly forwarded Jenna''s message to him and reminded him to remember to delete it using the Information Shredder.
After confirming that Lumian was currently fine and had received the warning, Franca nced sideways at Luo Shan, roughly understanding why her condition had suddenly rpsed earlier.
It coincided with the time when that painting appeared abnormal and Jenna nearly died.
Inside the surveince room.
After deleting the messages from Franca and Jenna using the Information Shredder, Lumian pinged Anthony.
He continued to watch the surveince, looking for potentially abnormal people and events.
At this time, Xu Xinyang, the leader of Security Team 2, entered the surveince room and patted the shoulders of his two subordinates. "After work this afternoon, let''s go visit Old Wang and Old Ding together, they''re out of danger now.
"After visiting the hospital, let''s gather with all the folks who aren''t on shifts. It''s also to wee Little Li to our team."
"Old Wang and Old Ding?" Lumian could guess who the team leader was talking about, but still had to put on a confused expression.
Xu Xinyang, with his burly build, square face, and very tanned skin, said with both amusement and helplessness, "Didn''t you see the news? Several of our folks were struck by lightning. Fortunately, it wasn''t people from our Team 2 who died. Damn, how did they get struck by lightning?"
"Oh, I remember now," Lumian then asked, "Which hospital are Old Wang and Old Ding in?"
Xu Xinyang answered simply, "Mushu Hospital."
Chapter 950 Dinner Invitation
Chapter 950 Dinner Invitation
It''s really Mushu Hospital Lumian wasn''t surprised at all by Xu Xinyang''s answer.
He grunted in acknowledgment. "Alright, Team Lead."
He had thought about it. As an important base for evil gods to influence the dream city, and with some degree of cooperation with the Celestial Worthy, Mushu Hospital might be unavoidable for many things toe. It wasn''t a matter of cautiously avoiding it or not entering, pretending it didn''t exist.
So, rather than that, why not take advantage of the daytime, while their actions hadn''t yet reached a critical stage, while he still had another chance to enter, and while he had a reasonable and legitimate excuse, to go take a look and investigate in person. Of course, the underground floors that likely represented the Abyss and Mr. Fool''s psychological dark side still couldn''t be recklessly entered.
After seeing off Xu Xinyang, Lumian stayed in the surveince room until almost noon. He and his shift partner Old Xia waited for their colleagues to relieve them, then went downstairs together to the Intis Group staff cafeteria located in the annex building of the Tech Building for lunch.
They didn''t get meal allowances, and the cafeteria wasn''t free, but it had a wide variety of dishes, and the prices were kept quite cheap throughpany subsidies. So, whether from headquarters or branch offices, employees in this building all liked eating in the cafeteria. Even Mr. Huang himself woulde eat there asionally to check the quality of the food.
The only problem was that during the lunch rush, the cafeteria was packed. Higher-ie employees preferred to order takeout or dine at nearby malls.
As security guards, when they could go to the cafeteria depended on when their colleagues came to relieve them. Everyone tacitly agreed toe a bit earlier to avoid the peak hours.
Lumian got steamed eggs with minced meat, stir-fried yellow chives and meat with pickled peppers, fried chicken leg, cucumber and pork soup, and a big bowl of rice. He found a corner spot with Old Xia and listened to him chat about the antics of the Aurora Company folks while eating.
Old Xia clicked his tongue and said, "Their boss is an exhibitionist, or the M in S&M, often with whip marks on his body"
Say more, nder some more, I love hearing it Lumian nodded along while inwardly muttering.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated twice.
He picked it up and saw a message from "A name that leaves a deep impression on you", which was Anderson Hood: "Is that friend you mentioned actually yourself?"
Lumian smiled and replied using voice input: "You could interpret it that way."
He felt that in conversations between Hunters, whoever got anxious first, whoever got angry first, whoever felt guilty first, would lose.
Only by adjusting oneself to a state where nothing mattered could one stand undefeated.
After about 20-30 seconds, Anderson replied: "Painting requires talent, I hope you have it.
"Our tutoring school doesn''t have painting sses, but I know a decent studio, that''s where I learned. If you''re interested, tomorrow night at 7, meet me at the entrance of Jinxiu Dongfang Community on Sifang Street, and I''ll take you for a tour."
At night? Lumian pondered for a moment before replying: "Alright, thank you."
He remembered that Colorful Hostel was on Sifang Street, but the interior renovation and decoration hadn''t beenpleted yet.
In the Administrative Department,rge office.
Luo Shan stretchedzily, walked over to Franca''s desk, and asked with a smile, "What are you eating for lunch? I don''t want to join the crowd at the cafeteria."
Without waiting for Franca to respond, she lowered her voice and said, "Other departments all find time to have team dinners to wee new employees, only our Administrative Department doesn''t.
"Mainly because thosedies don''t want to or think little of us, which is fine, but the worry is that they''ll insist on going, wanting to find some free helpers. Tsk, can you imagine how that would develop? Sarcasm and veiled barbs are the norm, with people crying, arguing, or even wanting to get physical not being umon. It left a bunch of trouble to deal with afterward, so Old Zhang simply stopped organizing departmental dinners. Those who get along well just gather privately, however they want."
Franca listened with relish and said expectantly, "I wonder when Mr. Huang will nexte to the Administrative Department."
The scene then would surely be spectacr; she wanted to witness it.
Demonesses inevitably tended to have a bit of a chaos-loving inclination, which was very justifiable when it came to watching drama.
"Mr. Huang probably won''te in the next few days. He has VIPs to entertain, and even if hees to thepany, he''ll go to the 16th floor," Luo Shan disclosed Mr. Huang''s whereabouts.
Zaratulstra? Franca was very attentive and serious about this matter.
Besides the items listed in the action outline, they also had to guard against the Celestial Worthy and evil gods doing bad things to Zhou Mingrui in the dream city. They needed to discover and prevent it early.
Moreover, this could also umte inspiration to help them formte an awakening nhow the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates did it, and they could try to do the opposite.
"What a pity," Franca said with a look of regret.
She then asked curiously, "Won''t Mr. Huang bring the VIP to tour thepany?"
"He has before," Luo Shan suddenly paused, her voice bing even lower, "That day Zhou Mingrui happened to be on sick leave. Franca, could that long-named VIP be the destroyer you mentioned, sent from the future to the present by evil forces? Was Zhou Mingrui''s sick leave arranged by your people?"
A Painter''s spiritual intuition is quite strong Franca smiled and said, "Is that VIP called Zaratulstra?"
Luo Shan nodded solemnly.
"Then it is," Franca confirmed her earlier guess.
Luo Shan was silent for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up and she said,
"Why don''t I ask Zhou Mingrui to have dinner with us? That way you''ll have a chance to meet and chat with him."
Holy crap So fast? So direct? Franca felt a bit shocked.
She had thought it would take her and Lumian a week or two to naturally contact Zhou Mingrui through work matters before reaching a point where they could add each other on WeChat or have casual chats.
Who knew that on her first day of work, Luo Shan would invite Zhou Mingrui to have dinner together!
It''s too, too fast
This progress is too advanced; I''m not ready yet
Seeing that Franca hadn''t answered, Luo Shan smiled and said, "Zhou Mingrui owes me several meals. Every time he asks me for information, he says he''ll treat me to a meal next time, but so far he''s only done it once.
"Hmm, weing my bestie to thepany is a good reason."
As she spoke, she picked up her phone and started tapping out a message to Zhou Mingrui.
After a while, Luo Shan waved her phone and said, "He agreed, but said it would be dinner tomorrow, because he has to work overtime tonight, and tech people have too little lunch break time to go eat something nice."
He agreed just like that No stress reaction, no excuses? Franca suddenly recalled an old saying: The best way to get close to someone is to know the people around them.
Helping Luo Shan was indeed the right choice This is karma rewarding kindness! Franca pondered for a moment, then said to Luo Shan, "Zhou Mingrui seemed a bit concerned about those paintings you had on your desk before. He didn''t refuse your invitation, but agreed to it. Maybe he also wants to confirm or probe something"
Without waiting for Luo Shan to respond, Franca added, "If that''s really the case, it''s a good thing."
The only question is, does dinner count as nighttime? N?v(el)B\\jnn
This goes against the n in the action outline, and could lead to confusion and ambiguity in the experimental results
It shouldn''t count if it''s notpletely dark, right?
At 4:30 in the afternoon, after another round of patrolling the floors, Lumian and Old Xia came to the underground parking lot of the Tech Building. They saw Team Lead Xu Xinyang sitting in a dark gray SUV, reaching out from the passenger seat and waving at them.
"Over here."
Lumian and Old Xia walked over and sat in the spacious back seat.
"Just us few?" Old Xia looked out the window.
Xu Xinyangughed.
"Who goes to visit patients at a hospital in a big group? The nurses wouldn''t let us in!
"Just the four of us, Zhao is driving, the others will wait directly at the dinner ce."
Zhao was the young man sitting in the driver''s seat, looking a bit chubby from the side.
At this time, the roads were still fairly clear. Before 5 o''clock, Lumian and the others had arrived outside Mushu Hospital.
Two young men each carrying a box of fruit and a bag of nutritional supplements followed behind Xu Xinyang and Old Xia as they walked in.
The lobby of Mushu Hospital was no different from when Lumianst came, ordinary, with peopleing and going. Only asionally could one notice certain orderlies with indifferent gazes and slightly mechanical movements.
Lumian withdrew his gaze, confirming that his spirituality gave no warning and there were no abnormalities around, then entered the elevator going up and arrived on the 12th floor.
Exiting the elevator area and turning into the ward, after pushing open the door, what met his eyes was a quiet nurses'' station and a corridor extending into darkness.
The light at the end of the corridor seemed to be broken, not yet repaired.
Led by a nurse who looked very normal, they entered a double patient room where Old Wang and Old Ding were.
Before Lumian, Zhao, and Old Xia could get a clear look at the patients'' condition, two bedside family members rushed in front of Xu Xinyang, speaking one after another:
"Team Lead Xu, this is definitely a work-rted injury for our Old Wang!"
"Boohoo, Team Lead Xu, our Old Ding almost died, look at him, look at him, who knows how long it will take to recover."
""
Xu Xinyang finally found an opportunity and pressed his right hand down.
"Ladies, this will definitely count as a work injury. Mr. Huang said that not only will there bepensation ording to national standards, but thepany will also give an additional sum, as well as cover all medical expenses beyond insurance, and continue to pay normal wages until Old Wang and Old Ding fully recover and can return to work. We won''t let one of us bleed, sweat, and cry!"
While Xu Xinyang wasforting the family members, Lumian and the others turned their gaze to the hospital beds, seeing the two patients wrapped from head to toe in white bandages, with only their eyes, noses, and mouths exposed.
Old Xia couldn''t help but lean close to Lumian and say in a low voice, "I don''t mean to be unkind, but they really look funny like this. I thought only TV shows wrapped people up like this. Didn''t expect to see it in real life too."
Lumian didn''t respond to Old Xia, because he thought of mummies.
Mummies that were said to have close connections with the Wraith pathway controlled by the Mother Tree of Desire.
And this was Mushu Hospital.
Chapter 951 Everything as Usual
951 Everything as Usual
Lumian looked again at Old Wang and Old Ding, who were wrapped from head to toe in white bandages, carefully examining their condition and the details around them.
"Don''t disturb the patients," the nurse who had led Lumian and the others into the ward reminded them before walking out and returning to the nurses'' station.
At this moment, the patient who was presumably Old Ding woke up, influenced by the conversation between his family members and Xu Xinyang, slowly opening his eyes.
Contrasted against the surrounding circles of white bandages, Old Ding''s deep brown eyes were noticeably darker than normal, taking quite a while to regain focus.
Lumian didn''t notice any abnormalities worth noting.
Xu Xinyang walked to the bedside and greeted Old Ding, whocked energy and spoke indistinctly.
Lumian listened for about 20-30 seconds, then nced at the still sleeping Old Wang, and stepped back gradually, inconspicuously and without drawing attention, to the doorway of the ward.
He then examined the doctor and nurse information posted outside the ward:
"Attending Physician: Huang Puda.
"Head Nurse: Qi Fang."
From the photo, it was clear that Qi Fang was the nurse who had just led Lumian and the others to the ward.
Names not mentioned in the files The name style is that of "locals" in the dream city, not like "foreigners" Doesn''t seem to be any problem Lumian returned to the ward and followed Team Lead Xu Xinyang in greeting Old Ding and the two family members again.
They didn''t stay long to avoid disturbing the patients'' rest.
Walking through the corridor, past the nurses'' station, and towards the ward''s main door, Lumian casually examined the bulletin boards on both sides of the wall.
One side featured scientific achievements and introductions to some diseases and injuries, while the other side had brief introductions of all the doctors and nurses in this ward, arranged in several rows.
Lumian''s gaze fell on the topmost photo.
It was a female doctor with a plump appearance, fairly good features, and slightly brownish eyes, looking to be in her forties. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Her introduction read: "Rnd, Associate Dean"
Lumian''s first reaction was "Isn''t that Franca''sst name?", followed by a sudden chill down his spine, almost making him shudder.
He remembered another Rnd.
It was a prominent name he had heard about while investigating the sea prayer ritual in Port Santa of the Feynapotter Kingdom: Matriarch Rnd of the Church of Earth Mother!
This was equivalent to the pontiff or pope in other orthodox churches!
The nter pathway has the Doctor Sequence, and Rnd, as the matriarch of the Church of Earth Mother, is most likely an Angel of this pathway, which is equivalent to one of the strongest doctors in the real world. Her corresponding manifestation in the dream city serving as the associate dean and chief surgeon of a hospital, certainly qualifies and aligns with Mr. Fool''s subconscious cognition But the problem is, this is Mushu Hospital Lumian naturally withdrew his gaze and walked towards the ward exit with Xu Xinyang, his expression unchanged.
He remembered that the information from the Major Arcana card holders didn''t mention Rnd having a corresponding dream manifestation.
Is it unknown, or considered unimportant, a mere NPC? Is Rnd bing the associate dean of Mushu Hospital woven by Mr. Fool''s subconscious dream, representing some of his cognition, or has Rnd''s dream manifestation been exploited by the Great Mother due to issues with Her own pathway? Or is this one of the "achievements" of Mushu Hospital? If Mother Rnd is the associate dean, then who is the dean? Lumian felt he needed to report this to the Major Arcana card holders.
This didn''t contradict his idea of first "testing" on his own and gaining personal results. He was worried that if there was a problem with the dream image, it might affect Matriarch Rnd in the real world, and wanted to remind the Major Arcana card holders.
Leaving the ward, Lumian curiously asked, "Team Lead Xu, what''s the name of the dean of Mushu Hospital? I haven''t seen any news about him."
Xu Xinyang entered the elevator area and thought for a few seconds before saying, "Strange, odd, I haven''t heard of him either.
"I only know that Mr. Huang used to have a good rtionship with this hospital, donated a lot of money to them, and helped establish them."
Money a lot of money donations Lumian thought this must have been done when Emperor Roselle was still corrupted by the Great Mother.
This also made Mushu Hospital financially strong, seemingly not too worried about "money" issues, unlike the Colorful Hostel of the Fantasy Association, which still had to exploit its bestowed and believers for renovation.
While waiting for the slow elevator, Old Xia suddenly asked Xu Xinyang, "Team Lead Xu, do you think Old Wang and Old Ding can recover to their original state? They used to be such good fighters."
"Are you eyeing the positions they left behind?" Xu Xinyang asked with a smile.
In the Intis Group, the Security Department wasn''t just about security guards, but also had real security personnel responsible for protecting Mr. Huang''s family and important guests, providing security services for jewelry exhibitions, antique exhibitions, arms deals, etc. held by variouspanies of the group, and protecting important mining sites through cooperation with local armed forces.
Old Wang and Old Ding were security personnel, earning much higher sries than ordinary security guards, with additional allowances if dispatched externally.
"I''ll pass; can''t take that risk, and don''t have that ability," Old Xia waved his hands repeatedly, looking scared.
Xu Xinyang looked at Lumian and smiled, saying, "Originally, I wanted someone in their fifties or sixties, but the HR department sent me the youngest one. Fortunately, Director Grimm is satisfied."
"Why look for someone in their fifties or sixties?" Old Xia asked on behalf of Lumian, he himself looking to be only in his thirties or forties.
Xu Xinyang chuckled and said, "Security guard is a service position. You''re all too young, not smooth enough, and can''t bring yourselves to make a scene or throw tantrums.
"Think about it, if you had a conflict with an employee in the building, which one of you would be able to lie down on the ground without any burden, clutch your chest and cry out in pain, saying you can''t breathe? A man in his fifties or sixties wouldn''t have such concerns, they''d dare to lie down, dare to shout, dare to extort. In that case, would the employee on the other side dare to take it seriously and continue to make trouble? Having an elder is like having a treasure!"
Lumian understood that Xu Xinyang was reprimanding him, thinking that getting into trouble with someone on his first day of work showed inexperience.
Zhao, not catching Xu Xinyang''s implied meaning, asked foolishly, "Then why not directly find someone over seventy?"
"What if they really fall ill on duty?" Xu Xinyang scolded Zhao impatiently, "You don''t care when it''s Mr. Huang''s money, do you?"
Zhao giggled, not refuting Xu Xinyang.
At this moment, an elevator finally stopped on this floor, already crowded with people.
Entering the elevator and following its slow descent, Lumian suddenly had a feeling that he and the others were sinking into the dark seabed.
It was an illusion brought on by his spirituality.
The illusion quickly disappeared as the elevator stopped at the next floor.
As the elevator continued to stop at various floors, Old Xia grumbled, "It''s a bit cold, isn''t the air conditioning too strong"
You didn''t say that when we took the elevator up earlier Is it because we''re currently descending, getting closer to the underground floors? Lumian thoughtfully observed the other people in the elevator, noticing that they all looked slightly pale from the chilly air conditioning and cold wind.
There were no other unusual situations beyond this.
When the elevator stopped on the first floor, Lumian suddenly felt as if it would plummet in free fall, and instinctively stepped out quickly.
The feeling of overly effective air conditioning disappeared instantly.
Lumian raised his hand to pinch his nose, following Xu Xinyang and the others towards the main entrance of Mushu Hospital.
Just now, he had caught a whiff of blood.
Exiting the hospital building, the sunlight, only slightly weaker than before, instantly brought a sense of golden brightness and rity.
"That''s why I hate hospitals," Old Xia muttered.
Lumian half-turned his body, looking at the bustling lobby and the upper floors, summarizing in his mind, There are indeed some abnormal details, but most of the doctors, nurses, and patients here still seem fine
If they all had problems, this city would have been corrupted to an unimaginable degree long ago, and Mr. Fool''s subconscious would surely have reacted
As thoughts raced through his mind, Lumian suddenly saw a face pressed against a ss window on the twelfth floor.
That face was bound with strips of white bandages, with only the eyes, nostrils, and mouth uncovered.
He seemed to have seen Lumian too, and began to struggle frantically, then was forcibly dragged away from the window area as if being pulled by one person after another from behind.
Before Lumian could react, he had disappeared.
But Lumian recognized him.
He was Old Wang, who had been sleeping the whole time during their visit.
Lumian turned back, pretending he hadn''t seen anything.
If not for the appointment with Anderson tomorrow night, he would have wanted to storm the twelfth floor ward right now to rescue Old Wang and see what unexpected changes might ur.
For Lumian, this wasn''t something he couldn''t do, but it should be done afterpleting most of the experiments.
In a beef offal hot pot restaurant.
Having booked arge private room with two tables set up, Xu Xinyang held baijiua Chinese spiritand beer, smiling at Lumian and asking, "Can you drink?"
"I can drink a little," Lumian answered somewhat fearfully.
"As long as you can drink, that''s fine. Drinking style is working style, drinking etiquette is personal etiquette. Those who don''t drink can''t fit into our Security Team 2," Xu Xinyang pointed at the subordinates around and said, "Except for those on duty, dispatched, hospitalized, or on leave, everyone is here. Make a good impression."
Lumian had heard from Franca that manypanies'' wee parties for new employees were mainly to test obedience and haze the neers, making them learn to bepliant, with drinking being the mostmon method.
"I''ll I''ll try my best," Lumian squeezed out a smile with a heavy expression.
Two hourster, amidst various bottles of alcohol piled up on the table and in the corners, Lumian held a bottle of strong liquor, smiling broadly at Xu Xinyang and saying, "Team Lead Xu, drink up, why aren''t you drinking?
"Come on, let''s finish what''s left."
Xu Xinyang, his face pale and movements uncoordinated, said, "No, no more drinking. Later,ter I still need to go home and pay my dues to the wife."
Around him, some like Old Xia and Zhao were either slumped over the table or curled up in corners, already asleep. Some had just returned from vomiting in the bathroom, swaying unsteadily. Some gathered in groups, chattering endlessly. Others sat silently, motionless
Chapter 952 Items That Can Be Sold
952 Items That Can Be Sold
Seeing the situation, Lumian didn''t insist; after all, Xu Xinyang still had the important task of paying the bill. He couldn''t possibly cover for him, right? He hadn''t even received his first month''s sry yet!
Lumian then called over to the colleagues who had copsed at the beginning but had now recovered, arranging for them to send the different drunks home nearby. If there was no one going in the same direction, they would call family members toe pick them up.
After finishing this task, Lumian pulled up a chair and sat down, taking a few sips of liquor as if it were a beverage. This made the few colleagues who were still somewhat sober twitch at their temples.
Is this guy the reincarnation of a wine vat?
ncing at the still bustling main hall outside, Lumian idly took out his phone and began replying to messages and browsing trending topics.
As he scrolled, he noticed that the content being pushed to him now included a lot of alcohol-rted topics, including but not limited to "Which brand of baijiu tastes best", "Beer tasting", "Legal liability for alcohol-rted idents caused by pressuring others to drink", "Civilpensation for alcohol-rted sudden deaths by others at the same table", "Alcohol is a carcinogen"
Does this count as a form of monitoring? Lumian pondered as his thumb slid across the screen.
When thest drunk was taken away, he stood up and left the hot pot restaurant. He searched for the location of Xinhong District and found it was just over two kilometers away.
Lumian decided to walk back.
It was past 8 p.m. now, and the sky had darkenedpletely. The scorching breeze had taken on a hint of coolness. The streetmps on both sides were bright, and there were many pedestrians passing by, brushing shoulders without disturbing each other.
Lumian savored this state of being immersed in the crowd yet detached from it, his mind gradually rxing and unwinding.
He walked past shops ying old songs, crowds dancing to lively rhythms, and a bustling bar street, hearing shouts of "Cheers! Cheers!"ing from inside.
Returning to the rental apartment, Lumian saw Ludwig in the kitchen, standing on a small folding stool, busy preparing food. Anthony sat by the dining table, writing down his observations from the day.
His task was to continue observing Zhou Mingrui and those close to him, watching for any abnormalities or subtle changes after they came into contact with Lumian, Franca, or Jenna.
Seeing Lumian return, Anthony looked up and said, "He insists on cooking himself. He finds preparing his own breakfast andte-night snacks more enjoyable than studying textbooks or doing homework."
"He''s be more human-like," Lumian said with a chuckle.
He had just sat down when the door opened and Franca and Jenna appeared in the doorway.
"There''s an urgent matter we need to discuss together, toplement each other''s strengths," Franca exined sinctly.
Her interaction with Zhou Mingrui today was the kind that only left a certain impression, and this already had experimental results. It wouldn''t cause her to be kicked out of the dream or face restrictions.
So before taking further action, she could discreetly touch base with Lumian and the others.
She and Jenna had taken a taxi to a stop one station away and sneaked over using the shadows.
"What''s the matter?" Lumian sat up a bit straighter.
"I''m having a private dinner with Zhou Mingrui tomorrow night, thanks to Luo Shan!" Franca pulled out a chair and sat down, asking Lumian with a mix of excitement and nervousness, "This doesn''t affect your experiment ns, does it?"
"A little, but it''s not a big problem. Taking big steps to try things out first, then working backwards to eliminate possibilities one by one is also a method of experimentation," Lumian said after a few seconds of thought.
Franca let out a sigh of relief and said, "Then let''s discuss how to give Zhou Mingrui hints. This should show some progresspared to before, but not excessively, otherwise we can''t rule out options and would have to risk a second attemptter."
Lumian tersely agreed and provided several approaches from a Conspirer''s perspective. He then evaluated Franca''s contingency ns and exnations, while Jenna helped fill in any gaps from an Instigator''s standpoint.
Anthony was responsible for empathizing with Zhou Mingrui''s possible psychological activities and instinctive reactions, even role-ying as Zhou Mingrui during rehearsals.
After twenty to thirty minutes of discussion, Franca finally had two feasible ns that were likely to achieve her goals.
"Brainstorming really does work!" she eximed sincerely.
Jenna then recounted her experience of selling the painting at the Star Dream Provisions Store, not omitting a single detail.
After listening to the end, Franca thoughtfully took out the Beyonder characteristic obtained from the reanimated Panatiya from her Traveler''s Bag.
She showed it briefly before quickly stuffing it back. "Can we sell this thing to the Star Dream Provisions Store?
"We can''t use it for now anyway, so why not exchange it for money and find a way to rent useful items? Whether the mission seeds or notter, the Major Arcana card holders should reimburse us or help buy it back."
"We can try, but I think that individual probably won''t ept it," Lumian said as he also took out an item from his Traveler''s Bag.
It was the corpse wax candle obtained from the Blue Avenger.
Looking at this pale yellow candle with a reddish tinge, Lumian thought for a moment before saying, "We discussed before that Demonesses might have symbolic meaning and special uses in the dream city. Now I want to say that Hunters might also have significance: I''m a Hunter, the first person killed was the Oracle who was also a Hunter, and Anderson, who is clearly abnormal now, is also a Hunter.
"Given this premise, items rted to Demonesses and Hunters might prove usefulter on, and we can''t predict which ones. That individual will probably not ept them, instead letting us keep them and wait for the right opportunity.
"Hmm, we can try. If She doesn''t ept them, it would provide initial validation for my theory."
Jenna, Franca, and Anthony all nodded thoughtfully.
The four of them then took out many mystical items they weren''t currently using, nning to have Jenna take them to the Star Dream Provisions Store to sell the next day.
Looking at these items, Jenna pondered for a few seconds before saying, "That individual is a true deity Isn''t it somewhat disrespectful to bring such a hodgepodge of items of varying value?"
Anthony nodded in agreement with Jenna''s statement.
Franca added, "Yeah, it feels like we''re treating Her like a junk collector" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
As she spoke, Franca fell silent, as did Lumian and the others.
In the end, they selected only three high-value items.
After discussing everything, Franca stood up, stretching her arms and said, "I''m a bit excited and nervous thinking about substantially hinting at Mr. Fool''s dream manifestation tomorrow night."
"What time is your appointment tomorrow night?" Lumian asked.
"Seven o''clock. Luo Shan said those tech folks rarely leave work on time, so we need to allow for extra time." Franca also mentioned the meeting ce.
Seven o''clock, huh Lumian raised his right hand and rubbed his chin.
At this point, Jenna carefully said, "Don''t be too nervous. You might not even manage to meet up sessfully. I''ve seen posts on those apps where people set a time and ce for a date, but their busy boyfriends or girlfriends end up working overtime at thest minute and have to cancel."
"That''s a possibility" Franca was momentarily dumbfounded.
The next morning, Jenna once again arrived at the Star Dream Provisions Store.
She took a ride-hailing car as before, but this time encountered no obstacles or abnormalities.
Walking up to the checkout counter in the back of the Star Dream Provisions Store, Jenna politely asked, "Do you take this item?"
She ced the Beyonder characteristic from the reanimated Panatiya on the counter.
In the suddenly dimmed environment, the shopkeeper raised her head, looked at it, then shook her head and said, "We don''t take this one."
So you really don''t ept it Does it need to be made into an item, or is it as Lumian spected, that things rted to the Demoness and Hunter pathways will have important usester? After putting away Panatiya''s Beyonder characteristic, Jenna took out the corpse wax candle in a small ss bottle. "Do you take this?"
"We don''t take that either," the shopkeeper said without a trace of impatience on her beautiful face.
Not taking items either Jenna thoughtfully put away the corpse wax candle.
Then, she took out an item from her Traveler''s Bag.
It was a set of silver-white full body armor.
Pride Armor!
Jenna didn''t try to hide the special nature of the Traveler''s Bag as she ced the Pride Armor sideways on the counter.
The next second, she noticed a faint smile appear on the shopkeeper''s face.
Almost simultaneously, the Pride Armor moved.
Like a crab, it moved sideways, nking towards the entrance of the Star Dream Provisions Store.
However, the silver-white full body armor moved slower and slower, gradually turning upright.
When it was just two or three steps from the exit, it came to aplete stop, motionless.
It seemed to have turned into ordinary armor.
At this point, Jenna and the shopkeeper were both behind it, facing each other.
It showed no reaction.
In her astonishment, Jenna heard the shopkeeper say with a hint of amusement, "I''ll take this item. 30,000 still."
So items like the Pride Armor can indeed be sold But why did the Pride Armor react so strongly at first, and why isn''t it even confronting the people behind it now? Though puzzled, Jenna didn''t dare to ask.
Lumian, who learned he would be switching to the mid-shift next week, returned to the rental apartment.
He left at 6 p.m., arriving half an hour early at the entrance of Jinxiu Dongfang Community on Sifang Street.
He wanted to scout the environment first, as it mighte in handyter.
As Lumian''s gaze swept the area, he suddenly saw a familiar figure.
It was Anderson Hood, wearing a ck T-shirt with abstract patterns.
Anderson also saw Lumian and walked over, smiling as he said, "I''m in the habit of arriving early."
Lumian responded with a smile, "Me too."
Anderson nodded. "Since we''re both early, let''s start the tour earlier. The friend you mentioned was indeed yourself."
"If that''s what you want to think, I can''t do anything about it," Lumian said with a smile, not arguing.
Anderson didn''t seem to mind as he turned and led him into the Jinxiu Dongfang Community.
Chapter 953 Art Studio
953 Art Studio
Sifang Street was located near a famous scenic spot in Yangdu, part of the old town area. The Jinxiu Dongfang Community was also quite old, with no building exceeding six floors or having elevators installed.
Lumian followed behind Anderson, turning towards the building closest to themunity entrance.
As they climbed the stairs, he couldn''t help but raise his right hand to pinch his nose.
A mixture of strong odors permeated the air.
Anderson turned sideways andughed. "The whole building is being renovated."
He had somehow already stuffed two wads of white paper into his nostrils.
"Why is everything being renovated?" Lumian didn''t hide his confusion.
Anderson nced at him and said with a smile, "This gatedmunity is too old. Most owners have moved away and chosen to rent out their vacant apartments. Someone has rented all the rooms in this building, nning to"
At this point, Anderson paused, his smile bing more pronounced in the dim stairwell as his voice deepened. "nning to open a boutique hostel."
Colorful, right? And that person is you, right? Lumian was somewhat mentally prepared for this and frowned slightly as he said, "Isn''t there still an art studio in this building? How can you say all the rooms have been rented?"
Anderson tightened the white paper wads in his nostrils. "Is it possible that the person who opened the art studio is the same one who rented the other rooms?
"The boutique hostel he wants to open is adjacent to scenic spots, hidden in a gatedmunity, with painting as its theme."
Lumian, still pinching his nose, feigned sudden realization and said, "I see."
Due to the strong renovation smells permeating the stairwell, the two didn''t slow their pace as they conversed, quickly reaching the top floor, which was the sixth floor.
The doors of both units here were open, and on the wall facing the stairwell was a brightly colored mural. At its center were four characters:
"Mute Art Studio"
"That name is quite special," Lumianmented sincerely.
By this point, the renovation smells had faded.
Anderson removed the white paper wads from his nostrils and exined earnestly,
"Painting is done with hands, not mouths. ''Mute'' represents the studio''s expectations for its students: focus, quietness, and dedication."
"That''s a great exnation," Lumian apuded.
Anderson wasn''t offended and said with a smile, "This isn''t my forced interpretation, it''s what the studio owner said."
"My sister once taught me dialectics, believing that even the worst words can have a positive side. Do you think that''s right?" Lumian asked with a smile.
Anderson nodded. "If you think it''s right, then it''s right."
He led Lumian towards the door on the left.
Lumian didn''t rush in, standing at the doorway to survey the fairly spacious living room.
There was a piece of darkness with only a hint of golden-red "Dawn" in the distance, a "Storm" with deep blue waves surging, "Pilgrims" with numerous blurred figures walking across a wastnd, and a grotesque "Monster" emerging from the seabed alongside "Pirates" trying to save their ship.
The "Pirates" painting suddenly reminded Lumian of thetest volume of "The Great Adventurer". He saw vines growing from the figures'' heads, bearing watermelons, while milky white liquid sprayed everywhere on the deck.
Is this recreating Gehrman Sparrow''s experience? As Lumian pondered this, he stared for two seconds at the sea monster that resembled a giant leech with its maw full of sharp teeth.
Anderson walked to the easel in the middle of the living room and turned around.
Lumian looked around once more before slowly following him in, "curiously" asking, "Where''s the studio owner?"
Anderson raised his right hand and pointed at himself.
"You''re the studio owner?" Lumian "surprisingly" confirmed.
Anderson nodded.
Lumian suddenly smiled. "Why aren''t you speaking? Has your throat suddenly gone hoarse? Have you be mute?"
Anderson, wearing the ck T-shirt, began using signnguage.
Lumian couldn''t understand what he was expressing even after watching for a while, and thoughtfully said, "I wonder if there''s an app for tranting signnguage"
Anderson picked up a paintbrush, took a piece of white paper from nearby, and wrote something in dark red.
Unlike Lumian and the others, he could write in themon script of the dream city.
Lumian focused his gaze and saw a sentence written on the white paper: "It''s best not to speak in the studio, treat yourself as if you''re mute."
Lumian raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, he saw Anderson grimly add another line in dark red paint: "You just spoke."
Lumian suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if a cool breeze had blown past. N?v(el)B\\jnn
He didn''t turn around, seemingly feeling nothing.
Anderson wrote another passage, the dark red paint appearing to be much brighter: "Do you know this person?"
After writing, he turned the easel around to show the painting on it to Lumian.
It depicted a woman, tall with a slender face, light blue and clear eyes, strikingly beautiful with a peculiar sharpness.
This was Lumian himself.
It was his female form!
Lumian''s face broke into a smile as he answered Anderson''s question, "I don''t know her."
As his voice echoed, something cold and wet suddenly pressed against him from behind.
Lumian quickly reached back to grab it, his palm suddenly erupting with crimson mes.
As the mespressedyer byyer, he saw what had attacked him.
It was the giant "leech" from the "Monster" oil painting. Its pinkish, nearly transparent body had extended from the painting, its maw opened to its fullest extent,rge enough to bite off an adult''s head.
13:25
Looking at the densely packed, ghastly white teeth with blood-colored roots, Lumian directly pped the fireball in his hand, which had turned from crimson to nearly white, onto it.
Boom!
The fireball exploded instantly, enveloping the sea monster that had emerged from the painting.
The shockwave carrying mes quickly swept outwards, threatening to ignite every painting, every easel, and every person here!
At that moment, from the "Storm" oil painting, the azure seawater surged out, pouring into the room with a ssh, extinguishing all the mes.
Lumian''s figure disappeared from where he stood, reappearing behind the mute Anderson.
His eyes had turnedpletely iron-ck, reflecting a ghastly white.
Lumian clenched his right fist and thrust it out with a smacking sound, striking Anderson''s back.
This punch, apanied by a thunderous explosion, tore through Anderson''s flesh, prated his body, and hit the oil painting of Lumian''s female form and its easel.
The mute Anderson''s body suddenly ruptured, quickly thinning and transforming into a portrait painting with a huge hole.
This portrait, along with the oil painting of Lumian''s female form, was ignited by crimson mes, turning into ck, light ashes in just a few seconds.
As the mute Anderson reverted to a painting, both the azure seawater that had poured into the room and the sea monsters eagerly trying to emerge suddenly vanished, leaving only the motionless oil paintings.
Lumian scanned the room and found that a giant "leech" was indeed missing from the "Monster" painting. The studio floor was covered with water stains and ipletely burned paper scraps.
The ce became eerily quiet, with no living beings present except for Lumian himself.
Lumian then went through both rooms that made up the studio, finding no other abnormalities.
Those paintings were no longer eerie or mysterious.
He left the ce, going down the stairs to see tenants of themunity gathering in small groups, looking around.
They had heard the sound of an explosion earlier but couldn''t find its source or any damage to the buildings in themunity. They could only attribute it to a high-speed fighter jet passing overhead.
Lumian passed through the group and returned to themunity entrance.
Suddenly, a figure was reflected in his eyes.
The figure had blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a white shirt and ck trousers, with hands in pockets, looking like someone watching themotion.
Anderson!
Anderson Hood!
Upon seeing Lumian, Anderson asked with a surprised expression, "You''re already here? Have you already entered?"
Lumian smiled. "I''m in the habit of arriving early."
Anderson smiled as well. "Me too."
As Lumian walked up to him, he asked with a smile, "Did you enjoy yourself earlier?"
"Very much," Lumian maintained his smile, saying meaningfully, "I''d like to do it again."
Anderson Hood nodded slightly.
He was about to speak when he suddenly looked around.
"Maybe next time," Anderson said with a smile, shifting his gaze back. "Let''s keep in touch via WeChat."
He raised his right palm, holding his phone.
He didn''t mention visiting the art studio or ask if Lumian''s friend was interested in taking sses. Lumian didn''t bring up these topics either, waving his hand and saying, "I''ll be going then."
"See you." Anderson waved back.
Lumian walked past the tutor towards the roadside.
A gray sedan pulled up and stopped in front of him.
Lumian opened the door, got in, and said to Anthony in the driver''s seat, "Let''s go to Worker''s Road."
Anthony nodded and merged into traffic.
Franca, Luo Shan, and Zhou Mingrui had arranged to have dinner on Worker''s Road tonight at a taro chicken hotpot restaurant.
As the car drove, chomping sounds continuously came from the back seat.
On Worker''s Road, inside the "Yizhou Roast Chicken" taro chicken hotpot restaurant.
Franca and Luo Shan had arrived earlier, choosing a window-side table. They had ordered chicken and taro but hadn''t selected any other dishes yet.
Each of them had ordered a bottle of iced soy milk, not finding any issue with Zhou Mingrui choosing such a noisy, lively ce that wasn''t quite bourgeois enough for a meal.
What mattered was whether the food tasted good!
At nearly 6:50 p.m., Zhou Mingrui, wearing a ck shirt, walked in.
"Over here, over here!" Luo Shan waved cheerfully.
Zhou Mingrui weaved through the other tables, came over, and said as he sat down, "Some extra work came up just before clocking out."
"We agreed on 7 p.m.," Luo Shan said, not minding at all. She pointed at Franca and said, "This is my neighbor and colleague, Luo Fu."
Zhou Mingrui nced at Franca and said with a smile, "We''ve met before. Let''s order first."
Franca looked outside at the darkening sky, feeling a bit uneasy.
Chapter 954 Warning
Chapter 954 Warning
Since Franca and Luo Shan had already pre-ordered the chicken and taro and requested them to be cooked immediately, the three of them soon began enjoying the steaming hot delicacies.
Franca asked the waiter to fill her dipping sauce bowl with a medium-spicy soup base. She added some minced garlic, chopped green onions, andtro, then poured in some oyster sauce. Thisbination provided saltiness and umami vors, along with a hint of sweetness, nicelyplementing the spicy taste. Franca particrly enjoyed preparing her hotpot dipping sauce this way.
She nced at Zhou Mingrui and noticed his choices were simr to hers.
Great minds think alike Franca picked up a piece of taro first instead of chicken. The taro had been pre-cooked to softness in a pressure cooker. After rolling it in the dipping sauce and blowing on it for about ten seconds, she took a bite. It was full of the fragrance of starch and the taro''s own vor. The taro had also absorbed the spiciness of the soup base and the deliciousness of the oil. Combined with the salty umami and slight sweetness of the oyster sauce, it made her salivate quickly, effectively reducing the residual heat.
Franca ate three pieces of taro before remembering to try a piece of chicken.
She would rank this as one of the top 3 vegetarian options in hotpot, along with potato slices and leafy stem lettuce.
The three ate quietly for a while. After filling their stomachs a bit, Luo Shan actively initiated various topics to prevent any awkwardness.
With her livening up the atmosphere, the three chatted quite happily, covering everything frompany gossip and rumors to the recent job market and the current situations of former colleagues.
The handsome security guard naturally became part of the conversation, with Luo Shan expressing regret that he hadn''t been guarding the entrance recently, preventing her from seeing him in person.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Mingrui asked about Franca''s professional background, curious about why she changed careers right after graduation.
Franca shared her genuine feelings from her student days, "Working like a dog and earning little, while endangering my life; having to slog until your thirties or forties to barely have a decent ie. I felt I couldn''t endure that hardship, so I changed careers. How many times in life can you be in your twenties?"
Zhou Mingrui expressed understanding. "There''s a saying online that those who encourage others to study medicine should be struck by lightning. However, being a doctor is ate-blooming career; the older you get, the more valuable you be. I have a childhood friend who also changed careers right after graduation, but even after working two other jobs, there wasn''t much sess"
At this point, Zhou Mingrui suddenly paused, unconsciously frowning before continuing, "He used connections to return to his hometown hospital as an intern doctor."
There''s such a childhood friend? The documents didn''t mention this It''s clearly not Peng Deng, nor is it that female childhood friend who likes to travel As Franca pondered this, Zhou Mingrui began discussing medical topics.
Franca perfectly yed the role of a former medical student who had changed careers three years ago. She could still discuss basic concepts but had mostly forgotten the more in-depth knowledge.
She wasn''t a Savant after all!
Her current identity was almost an exact copy of her actual history, making it easy for her to y the role. The only difference was that she hadn''t actually graduated and had changed careers six or seven years ago.
As Zhou Mingrui nodded imperceptibly, Luo Shan nced at Franca and asked with a smile, "Have you tried that new drink? The one with the great design and a unique name."
Franca smiled back and asked instead of answering, "Have you two tried it?"
Before Zhou Mingrui and Luo Shan could answer, Franca lowered her voice, "I recently heard an urban legend about a mysterious vending machine that randomly appears in different ces. It sells gacha boxes of that drink. Some of the drinks in these gacha boxes have special effects, giving the drinker abilities corresponding to the drink''s name. The ones sold in supermarkets and convenience stores are just ordinary, normal drinks."
After saying this in one breath without experiencing any abnormalities herself, Franca rxed a little.
Zhou Mingrui looked at Franca, who had changed into a white T-shirt, loose pants, and white sneakers, with her hair tied back in a ponytail after returning home. He smiled and said, "I''ve also seen such rumors online."
Franca''s gaze fell on Luo Shan''s face.
Luo Shan bit her lip and said in a deliberate ghost story tone, "Actually, I''ve encountered that mysterious vending machine."
Suddenly, Zhou Mingrui also looked at her.
Luo Shanughed. "I bought a gacha box, and the drink inside was Shaman, but after drinking it, nothing happened. I didn''t gain any abilities.
"Honestly, when I went to look for that vending machine a second time, it was indeed gone, not in its original location"
Luo Shan''s voice became unusually deep for thest sentence, making even the bubbles churning in the hotpot seem to freeze for a second.
Zhou Mingrui looked at her without speaking, as if assessing whether she was telling a ghost story or speaking the truth.
Luo Shan then grinned at him and said, "Didn''t you drink one too? Later, I saw a simr vending machine in thepany lobby. I got a bunch and gave you one bottle, the Instigator drink, right?"
"It''s not like I drank it." Zhou Mingruiughed. "Someone had given me a pack of dried mushrooms earlier, saying they were great for infusing drinks and tea. I thought I''d try it, so I poured the Instigator drink into my cup and added the dried mushrooms. Later, I got busy with something else, and when I returned to my desk, the cup was empty.
"At that time, I thought nobody in the office would be so disgusting as to drink from someone else''s cup. I wondered if the cleaningdy saw the mushrooms soaking and thought it looked gross, assuming the drink was no longer wanted and helping me dispose of it.
"Thinking about it now, it is a bit strange."
He and Luo Shan''s back-and-forth made the urban legend seem increasingly real.
Franca didn''t appear scared at all. She looked around and lowered her voice, "Since you''re both being so honest, I''ll tell the truth too. To be frank, I''ve also encountered that vending machine."
Luo Shan yed along and asked, "What did you get?"
Franca looked at Zhou Mingrui, pushed up her ck-framed sses on the bridge of her nose, and smiled noticeably. "Assassin."
Zhou Mingrui quietly looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
Franca added with a smile, "I''m a fan of ''Assassin''s Creed.'' Look, my WeChat name is even ''True Hidden de.''"
As she spoke, she took out her phone and showed her WeChat name to Zhou Mingrui, then continued, "I was very satisfied with the name of that drink. I imagined myself bing an assassin, able to perform a real Leap of Faith and hide in shadows, undetectable"
Franca deliberately described all the changes and abilities brought by the Assassin potion, wanting Zhou Mingrui to believe that she had either actually drunk the Assassin drink or was very knowledgeable about Assassin-rted matters.
As she described this, her heart involuntarily began to beat faster, and she became tense, feeling as if she was about to be kicked out of the dream.
Zhou Mingrui tactically took a sip of his iced soy milk and ate a piece of taro.
After putting down his chopsticks, he smiled at Franca and Luo Shan and said, "That''s my dream too."
Franca took the opportunity to warn, "Then you should be careful. I saw in the rted rumors that there''s a big problem with the follow-up drinks to Assassin. It''s like leveling up in a gameafter drinking to a certain level, terrible things happen."
"What kind of terrible things?" Luo Shan asked curiously.
Franca gently shook her head in response. "I don''t know either.
"I''ve only heard that after the Assassin drinkes the Instigator drink, and the problems start after the Instigator drink"
Her voice grew progressively lower.
Zhou Mingrui ended the topic. "Alright, alright, if we keep making things up, this will eventually be aplete urban legend."
"Indeed," Franca smiled, indicating that her previous content was all made up on the spot.
Luo Shan did the same.
The three chatted about other things until it waspletely dark outside, each feeling very satisfied with their meal.
After saying goodbye to Luo Shan and Franca, Zhou Mingrui walked towards the other end of the street.
The smile on his face gradually settled as various thoughts surfaced in his mind.
They don''t seem to be probing me, more like hinting, suggesting, warning me
Is there really a big problem with the follow-up to the Assassin drink?
It''s also possible that because I deliberately chose a crowded and lively ce, they couldn''t find an opportunity to use their abilities to influence me
I''ll observe for a while and see if there are any idents or attacks
If I can confirm their intentions or goodwill, I can find an opportunity to really talkter
If avoiding doesn''t solve the problem, then face it N?v(el)B\\jnn
Lost in his thoughts, Zhou Mingrui turned into a small alley and walked into the shadows.
On the other side, Franca led Luo Shan towards the nearest shopping mall.
For the next hour, she wanted to stay in a ce with more people and better lighting.
Just after leaving the vicinity of the Yizhou Roast Chicken restaurant, walking about a dozen steps along the roadside, Franca suddenly felt dizzy.
The next second, she felt like a deep-sea fish suddenly pulled out of the ocean, desperately trying to breathe but unable to inhale even a trace of air. Her head and body were bizarrely expanding, like a fragile balloon being constantly inted.
She painfully grabbed her own neck, trying to pull her trachea out of her flesh to directly connect with the air.
Her legs began to weaken, and her body started to fall to the ground. Her thoughts stuttered, and her mirror avatar lost connection with her.
Has the Celestial Worthy noticed me? This thought shed through Franca''s mind.
In the gray sedan parked on the opposite side of the road, Lumian quietly watched as Franca''s face turned extremely red, her lips turning blue-ck, as she grabbed her slender neck, scratching bloody marks on her fair skin.
Luo Shan stood beside her, looking bewildered and helpless.
Lumian in the passenger seat remained motionless, still quietly watching.
He saw Franca half-fallen on the ground, struggling to open her handbag and having difficulty taking out her phone before she unlocked the screen.
On the screen was a pre-prepared interface, and along with the phone were cosmetics, multi-faceted mirrors, and a small ck bag.
In Lumian''s vision, Franca''s eyes bulged out, her expression painful and fierce as she tapped the phone screen with her thumb.
Then, shepletely copsed, dropping her handbag on the ground.
The items from her bag rolled out, and the small ck bag mysteriously disappeared.
After a few seconds, Lumian in the car across the street watched as Franca slowly stood up with empty eyes. He calmly said to himself and Anthony, "Contacting Zhou Mingrui at night and hinting at the existence of Beyonder powers will result in being quickly kicked out of the dream."
Chapter 955 Aftermath
Chapter 955 Aftermath
Trier, inside a luxurious vi.
Franca suddenly opened her eyes and sat up.
Her first reaction was to reach for her waist, feeling the Traveler''s Bag about the size of a coin purse.
Phew Franca let out an unconcealed sigh of relief.
At thest moment, she had proactively withdrawn before beingpletely kicked out of the dream. Her concern was that her personal items might be lost due to passive ejection, left behind in the dream city, and thus lost in reality as well!
In that situation, she couldn''t pin her hopes on Luo Shan picking up and safeguarding her belongings, or on Lumian and Jenna, who were secretly observing, finding an opportunity to retrieve the itemsthat could potentially implicate them and subject them to the Celestial Worthy''s scrutiny.
ording to the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders, whether she left actively or passively, her dream persona, woven with the help of the lucky coin and Madam Justice, wouldn''t disappear after her consciousness left the dream. The next time she entered, she would still be that person.
Of course, the current "Luo Fu" would revert to an NPC, following the subconscious maniption of Mr. Fool or the Celestial Worthy, living her life ording to her background settings and current social rtionships, appearing normal on the surface.
As for whether this "Luo Fu" NPC harbored hidden issues or would contactpanions, potentially implicating them in being kicked out as well, the Major Arcana card holders were currently uncertain, as they had always acted separately in their previous entries.
Based on these concerns, before actively exiting the dream, Franca struggled to take out her phone and unlock the screen.
At that moment, her screen was frozen on the "Information Shredder" mini-program, with her finger on the "Clear All Information on This Phone" button.
This was part of the contingency n. Throughout the meal with Zhou Mingrui, except for the brief ten or so seconds when she showed him her WeChat name, Franca''s phone screen had disyed the running "Information Shredder" program. In her own words, after leaving home that evening, she was prepared to "wipe the database and abscond" at any moment. She feared the Celestial Worthy might take the opportunity to scan her contact list, mark suspicious parts, and deal with them specifically.
Franca reached into the Traveler''s Bag, unsurprised but still delighted to find that the Beyonder characteristic and corresponding body parts extracted from the reanimated female corpse Panatiya were inside, real and tangible, within reach.
Correspondingly, the Pride Armor had vanished, disappearing into thin air.
Damn, the boundary between dream and reality has really been fooled. I can barely tell which side is the dream and which is reality Franca was equally unsurprised by this, but still shocked.
Is this the terrifying aspect of a great existence?
If Mr. Fool was willing to maintain it and received certain assistance, the dream city couldpletely be real, as long as one didn''t leave on their own!
From this perspective, the real world might also be the dream of that initial being Thankfully, It has awakened and split
Franca, having read many foreign myths before her transmigration, naturally made some associations.
She got out of bed, intending to go to the bathroom to relieve herself.
This was the first thing she did every morning after waking up.
After a few steps, Franca suddenly stopped.
She didn''t feel any urge to urinate at all, and instead felt full, as if she had just eaten a good meal.
Franca immediately took out a mirror and used divination to confirm the current date.
Reality had also passed several days, basically consistent with the dream, though there seemed to be a slight time differencein this bedroom, the tightly drawn curtains let in a bit of twilight, it wasn''tpletely dark outside yet.
Is the dream city using Backlund time?
We''ve been in the dream city for over a week, it''s impossible not to be hungry or need to use the bathroom in reality Damn, does eating in the dream mean being full in reality, gaining the corresponding nutrients? Does using the bathroom in the dream equate to using it in reality?
But, but I don''t smell bad, and my pants are normal
Is this Grafting the excrement at the exit to the toilet and sewers?
Or, directly opening a door, sending it to another dimension?
Right, Ludwig seemed to have said that some of the food in the dream city was real How could it be real?
My goodness, it''s really hard to distinguish between dream and reality
Franca was amazed, both shocked and amused.
After about ten seconds, her mind calmed down, and she began to think about the gains from tonight''s probe.
Hinting at the existence of Beyonder powers to Zhou Mingrui at night, warning him about the risks following the Assassin potion, will result in being kicked out of the dream But not immediately, there''s a reaction time, close to an hour
Perhapster we can use this hour to do something, like directly telling Zhou Mingrui about the Witch''s transformation
But maybe just saying the word ''Witch'' would result in an immediate ejection, we''ll need experiments to confirm this
Also, we can''t rely on the assumption that the Celestial Worthy''s reaction time for kicking people out in this situation is always an hour. It might be that as long as Zhou Mingrui is watching, nothing unusual happens, but as soon as we say goodbye and create some distance, we''re quickly kicked out
There were two influences at the time, one trying to kick me out of the dream, and one attempting to turn me into a marite But the speed of bing a marite wasn''t as dramatic as described in the documents for High-Sequence Seer pathway Beyonders, as if it was being interfered with, resulting in a tug-of-war Mr. Fool versus the Celestial Worthy?
If I found a way to hold on for a while before being kicked out of the dream, I might have already be a marite. It''s better to withdraw proactively to reduce potential risks
Just as Franca was thinking this, she suddenly heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" She tensed instinctively, though her spirituality hadn''t given her any warning.
"It''s us." Two voices came from outside, one belonging to Madam Magician, the other to Madam Judgment.
Franca rxed.
If it had been only Madam Magician by herself, she would have harbored some worry, as the other was a High-Sequence Beyonder of the Apprentice pathway and could potentially be influenced or misled by that Celestial Worthy. But now, Madam Judgment was also present.
I can ask for an autograph now Hmm, I can''t ask Madam Magician why her pen name in the dream city is "Salted Fish Without Dreams" Franca happily took out paper and pen, opened the door, and saw the two Major Arcana card holders who had already changed their clothes.
Madam Magician reminded her, "You need to wait a day and a night before you can re-enter the dream."
"Yes, I know." Franca nodded.
This was mentioned in the documents.
Dream city, Worker''s Road.
As some passersby saw Franca fall to the ground and wanted toe help, Franca had already stood up, touched her neck, and bent down to pick up the items that had fallen to the ground.
Only then did Luo Shane to her senses, helping to put some of the cosmetics and mirrors back into the handbag.
"What happened just now?" she asked Franca, puzzled, alert, and concerned. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Franca looked at Luo Shan and smiled reassuringly.
"Don''t worry, it''s an old problem. I''ll be fine after a while."
You never mentioned having such a condition before Luo Shan fell silent.
Franca continued, "Let''s not go shopping, shall we? I want to rest early."
That''s not what you said earlier Luo Shan made a sound of agreement.
After the two got into a ride-share car, Lumian''s right hand loosened its five fingers, and he nodded at Anthony.
Anthony started the car, drove to the intersection, and stopped again.
From the shadows, Jenna emerged, walking towards the gray sedan as if she had finally waited for her ride-share.
Lumian lowered the car window and, looking straight ahead, said, "Try to minimize contact with her tonight, and it''s best to find an excuse not to sleep in Dechuang Garden."
After saying this, without waiting for Jenna''s response, he raised the window, and Anthony drove the vehicle into the middlene.
Jenna''s lips bore the marks of her teeth, and her clenched fists finally rxed.
After seeing Franca''s abnormal situation, she knew she shouldn''t go to her rescue to avoid implicating herself, but rationality was one thing and emotion was another, especially when Franca seemed on the verge of death during her struggle.
It took great willpower for Jenna to control herself, clearly discerning Franca''s state, and waiting for her to withdraw on her own.
Dechuang Garden, Building 5.
Luo Shan said goodbye to Franca on the 15th floor and returned to her own home.
After a while, she heard the doorbell.
Outside the door was Jenna, known as Jian Na in the dream city.
The moment she saw Jenna, Luo Shan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but then closed it, remaining silent.
Jenna looked around and said in a low voice, "Minimize contact with Luo Fu for the next two days, and don''t discuss anything rted to Beyonder powers with her."
Luo Shan''s expression immediately rxed, and she spoke as if she had been holding it in for a long time.
"I knew something was off with Fu Fu. After we finished dinner with Zhou Mingrui, she suddenly wasn''t right. First, she had a sudden illness, and then it was like she became a different person
"What, what problem has urred?"
Jenna considered for a few seconds before saying, "You can understand it this way: interfering with past history has limitations andes at a cost. Otherwise, we could just go to Zhou Mingrui''s house, control him directly, tell him everything in detail, then demonstrate some abilities, provide some evidence, and wouldn''t that make him believe initially?"
"I understand now," Luo Shan had a sudden realization. "Fu Fu hinted at the existence of Beyonder powers and the problem with the Assassin potion tonight, and was affected by the self-correcting force of history, causing problems, her old condition ring up?
"Is she now equivalent to another version of herself, simr to my previous situation?"
"You can understand it that way." Jenna nodded, not exining in detail.
She returned to the 23rd floor and saw Franca sitting on the sofa on her phone. After some thought, she said, "I''m going to see Li Luter, I won''t be back tonight."
In the identity documents, Li Lu''s father was Li Ming, and his mother was Jian Na.
Franca raised her head and said with a smile, "When will you bring Li Lu over to y? I can sleep on the sofa."
"It depends on his father''s opinion," Jenna smiled, packed her toiletries, and left the apartment.
Taking the elevator to the first floor, she took out her phone and sent a message to Lumian:
"Luo Shan still remembers the story we told her, remembers the help we gave her, and shows no changes at present.
"Franca only knows about the things in the background information, remembering only the nominal social rtionships."
Chapter 956 New Speculation
Chapter 956 New Spection
Jenna didn''t actually go to Xinhong District to find Lumian and Ludwig. Instead, she chose a nearby hotel, booked a room, and checked if she would also be kicked out.
Nothing happened overnight. After waking up, she immediately returned to Dechuang Garden and sat in a corner of the lobby, facing sideways towards the door leading to the interior of the residentialplex.
After about ten minutes, she saw Franca.
Franca was still wearing her old-fashioned ck-framed sses and dressed in a rtively conservative officedy style.
Seeing this, Jenna breathed a sigh of relief, changed her sitting posture, and turned her back to Franca to avoid meeting her.
The purpose of her early return to the residentialplex was to confirm whether the current "Luo Fu''s" behavior style was consistent with the previous Franca. If she had removed her disguise and changed into makeup and clothes that best highlighted her features, maximizing the charm of a Witch, Jenna would have to consider finding an excuse to prevent "Luo Fu" from going to work, dying her for a day.
Now it seemed that the style of the "Luo Fu" NPC would continue as before.
Tech Building, 10th floor.
Franca sat down at her desk and leisurely made herself a cup of coffee.
At this moment, she saw Zhou Mingrui walk in, so she smiled and said, "Are you looking for Luo Shan? She hasn''t arrived yet."
"I thought you two woulde together." Zhou Mingrui didn''t hide his surprise.
In his view, whether on the surface or secretly, Luo Shan and Luo Fu had a very good rtionship and a special connection. They should be the type to wait for each other and go to work together.
Franca smiled and said, "I asked her, and she said she had something holding her up and told me not to wait for her."
"I see" Zhou Mingrui nodded and turned to walk out of the Administrative Department.
During this period, he had beening to ask Luo Shan about variouspany news more frequently than before, leading to some idle people in the Administrative Department spreading rumors about him and Luo Shan.
Zhou Mingrui walked at a moderate pace to the entrance of the Administrative Department, unable to wait for Luo Fu to ask him to wait.
He actually came to find Luo Fu today, not Luo Shan. He originally thought she would take this opportunity to hint at something again, but unexpectedly, Luo Fu didn''t even have the thought of chatting with him casually, being polite but somewhat distant.
Zhou Mingrui frowned slightly, not turning back to look again, and left the Administrative Department directly.
Something feels a bit off He had just grumbled inwardly when he saw Luo Shan walking over with a pancake and a cup of five-grain soy milk.
"Good morning," Luo Shan greeted cheerfully.
"Good morning," Zhou Mingrui smiled, "I just went to find you, but you hadn''t arrived yet. Luo Fu said you were held up by something."
Luo Shan looked around. "Want to ask me about something again?"
The two chatted casually for a few sentences, each walking towards their own department''s office.
Suddenly, Zhou Mingrui''s phone vibrated.
He took it out to look, and it was a message from Luo Shan, who he had just been chatting with: "Don''t talk to Luo Fu about anything today, wait until tomorrow."
The moment he saw this message, Zhou Mingrui thought the two girls'' rtionship had suddenly broken down, and they were trying to iste each other by forming cliques. But after reading it carefully again, he came to a preliminary conclusion.
Does Luo Shan mean that today''s Luo Fu has a problem, don''t contact her, and it will be fine tomorrow?
Why would there be a problem? She was still normal yesterday
Is it because of our chatst night about the vending machine, the Assassin drink, and subsequent troubles? This seems a bit like, a bit like when The Star in the group suddenly went offline when mentioning key things
What kind of problem could it be, who gave the problem, and why is it there today but solved tomorrow?
One question after another shed through Zhou Mingrui''s mind, but he couldn''t find reasonable exnations for many of them.
13th floor, Security Department.
Lumian and his partner Old Xia had patrolled all floors once, finding no security risks.
After sitting in a room that looked more like a rest area for security guards than an office, Lumian took out his phone.
Since Franca had already left the dreamscape, she could meet with the Major Arcana card holders, so he no longer needed to pass yesterday''s experimental results, along with the matter of the associate dean of Musha Hospital being suspected to be the matriarch of the Church of Earth Mother, Rnd, through the Star Dream Provisions Store.
Most of the results of this experiment were within his expectations, with the only pleasant surprise being: Luo Shan''s memories were still there, all the memories of interacting with Franca and Jenna were still intact!
This means we can ''cultivate'' dream characters but we''re not sure to what extent understanding the truth will bring anomalies to dream characters
In the future, there might be a situation where: all five of us, and even subsequent coin holders, arepletely kicked out of the dream, only able to observe, yet there are quite a few dream characters who have inherited our will and cause, still striving to awaken Mr. Fool, and they are part of the dream, unable to be kicked out!
This is a change in thinking, it doesn''t have to be outsiders, it doesn''t have to be us, NPCs can also y a role
At that time, well, these dream characters won''t be kicked out, but they can be killed or corrupted, just like the Oracle.
When enough dream characters are killed, isn''t that also a kind of stimtion for Mr. Fool? This also counts as a disaster for the dream city, with arge number of important characters dying or falling
Demonesses and Huntersare they really meant to bring cmity?
Lumian mocked himself, then selected "Intis Group Grimm" and opened the chat interface.
He slightly raised his chin, with a rather cold expression, using voice input to send a message: "How are you doing with the recent matters?"
Sitting in another chair two or three meters away, Old Xia heard this voice and these words, and suddenly shuddered, feeling that this kid Li Ming somehow seemed more like a team leader than Team Lead Xu.
After a few minutes, Grimm replied: "Haven''t found a way to make Huang Tao return to the Mother''s embrace yet.
"Without Huang Tao''s cooperation and acquiescence, there are many things we can''t do now. Currently, we can only use the authority of the Security Department to monitor Zhou Mingrui''s actions. We''ve installed pinhole cameras and bugs at his seat, and nted a trojan on hisputer. This allows us to discover problems immediately from his browsing history, search history, and call records, and prevent them in time.
"A few days ago, Zhou Mingrui had thoughts of resigning and searched for specific procedures and precautions, butter he didn''t do it and hasn''t looked at articles or videos on this aspect again.
"Without Huang Tao''s cooperation, we can''t keep him through promotion and sry increase for now. We must solve this problem before he actually resigns."
Lumian read it carefully and felt that Grimm, or rather the children of the Great Mother in the dream city, hadn''t thought about how to cooperate with the Celestial Worthy to turn Zhou Mingrui into a Witch for now. They were more focused on monitoring, observing, and trying to keep Zhou Mingrui staying within the Intis Group where they had great influence, not resigning and leaving.
It feels like what the children of the Great Mother are currently doing is maintaining bnce and obtaining thetest intelligence changes at any time
This basically matches the judgment of the Major Arcana cards and me regarding the intentions of the evil gods
After muttering to himself for a couple of sentences, Lumian stood up and began pacing in the office.
He was thinking about how to use Grimm and other children of the mother, and also about the matter of Mr. Fool drinking the Assassin potion.
Frankly speaking, when he learned that the Celestial Worthy induced Mr. Fool to drink the Assassin potion, attempting to make him gradually be a Witch, change gender, and thus cause cognitive issues, Lumian felt it was a bit absurd.
In his view, gods were all divine, and except for a few pathways that needed to emphasize gender, they shouldn''t care whether they were male or female. Those ancient beings who had lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years might be even more so.
Would Mr. Fool really have cognitive issues because of bing female?
Recalling that Mr. Fool required to be referred to as "he" rather than "He," Lumian reluctantly epted this reason.
At the same time, he also suspected that the Celestial Worthy wanted to use the conflict of symbolically non-neighboring pathway Beyonder characteristics to drive Mr. Fool mad, thus gaining the upper hand and achieving victorythe Demoness pathway was not adjacent to the Seer, Apprentice, or Marauder pathways.
After killing the reanimated female corpse Panatiya and learning about her mission, Lumian''s internal bnce leaned more towards the spection that the Celestial Worthy wanted to use the conflict between non-neighboring pathways.
Panatiya was supposed to make Zhou Mingrui fall in love, and after he drank the Witch potion and changed gender, stay by his side. Wasn''t this equivalent to helping Zhou Mingrui, helping Mr. Fool stabilize his mental state?
This was somewhat contradictory to the spection of using gender change to cause cognitive issues for Mr. Fool.
And if stabilizing the mental state was for Zhou Mingrui to drink higher sequence Demoness potions, umting more madness, it seemed more reasonable.
Now, following this line of thought, Lumian had new questions: Why did it have to be the Assassin potion, the Demoness pathway?
As long as it was a potion from a pathway not adjacent to Seer, Apprentice, or Marauder, it could achieve the purpose n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Does bing female early on indeed have its effect, bringing mental hidden dangers?
Combining this with the fact that most of our team are Demonesses, and the Celestial Worthy specifically brought a Demoness marite into the dream city, does this indicate that inducing Zhou Mingrui to drink the Assassin potion, rather than other non-neighboring potions, has hidden reasons?
Lumian immediately went through various specialties of the Demoness pathway in his mind.
In just a few seconds, he thought of a term: "Mirror Person"!
Bing a Witch not only changes one into a female but also creates a corresponding, fixed Mirror Person.
From this Sequence onwards, Demonesses can use mirrors to create avatars and use corresponding magic.
And from Lumian''s current experience, Mirror People were more extreme, more vicious, more sinister.
What the Celestial Worthy actually wants is to make Mr. Fool have a Mirror Person, and then by doing certain things to the Mirror Person, or making the Mirror Person do certain things, achieve the goal of winning this confrontation? Confusing the real with the fake, turning the fake into real? Lumian fell into deep thought.
At this moment, his phone vibrated, and the new iing message was from Anderson Hood.
Chapter 957 A Special Ability Once Obtained
Chapter 957 A Special Ability Once Obtained
"A name that leaves a deep impression on you" sent a "Hi" emoji: "Want another round of fun?"
"Hope it''s more exciting thanst night," Lumian replied using voice input, bringing the phone close to his mouth.
Nearby, Old Xia nced at him, his eyes full of envy and longing.
Young people sure have exciting lives
No wonder he has a 7-year-old child at just 22
Too bad I don''t dare
Soon, Anderson replied to Lumian: "You pick the ce, somewhere suitable for discussing secrets."
"Alright," Lumian didn''t refuse.
"Let''s set the time for 6 p.m., I like sunlight." Anderson sent an "OK" emoji.
After Lumian replied "No problem," the former strongest Hunter of the Fog Sea asked in text: "Why is your WeChat name ''The Idiot'', do you think you''re not smart enough?"
Lumian chuckled. "I really like tarot cards, and I think The Fool card is super cool. Calling myself ''Idiot'' is a kind of an imitation."
"Sometimes, people like to use high-sounding reasons to cover up their own issues. This is a phrase I''ve been fond oftely, and I''ll share it with you too." Anderson replied, sending a "Bye-bye" emoji.
Lumian didn''t respond further.
After resting for a while, he and Old Xia started patrolling the floors again.
When they reached the 10th floor, while patrolling inside the Intis Group, Lumian saw Zhou Mingruiing out of the public restroom.
As their eyes met, Lumian nodded slightly, as a greeting.
Zhou Mingrui hadn''t run into him these past couple of days, and since security guards patrolling the floors was indeed routine work, he didn''t show any alertness and responded with a nod.
As they passed each other, Lumian naturally checked the surroundings for any fire hazards.
He hadn''t thought about using this opportunity to hint at the existence of Beyonder powers to Zhou Mingrui during the day. Firstly, they weren''t close enough to chat, and even if he tried hinting, the other party might not be willing to listen. Secondly, he needed to wait until Franca being kicked out of the dreamscape truly ended, otherwise it would be impossible to distinguish whether subsequent anomalies were aftereffects ofst night''s reminder or caused by today''s probing.
Seeing that Li Ming, this security guard, didn''t make any strange gestures or say anything odd, Zhou Mingrui''s doubts dissipated a bit more.
At 6 p.m., sunlight still illuminated the small square in front of the mall, lighting up those facilities for children to y.
Inside a ss-sealed cylinder, six sets of seats were slowly rotating.
In the middle of the cylinder, various colored stic balls were constantly being sprayed out, flying in all directions. Ludwig was using a fishing with a handle to catch them.
Lumian sat next to him, like a real parent, and the adjacent set of seats belonged to Anderson.
Anderson didn''t have children, but he sat there at ease, asionally raising his to catch a ball,pletely without the shame or embarrassment of an adult who had entered a children''s ball pit without bringing a child.
At this time, except for the three of them, no one else was present; everyone else had gone home for dinner.
"It''s very enclosed here, no one will disturb or eavesdrop, and I''ve checked the facility, there''s no problem," Lumian said to Anderson with a smile. "I originally wanted to choose the carousel, but it''s not private enough, not suitable for discussing secrets."
As they spoke, they followed the seats, constantly rotating around the middle of the cylinder.
"This effectively makes up for the childhood I lost." Anderson nced at Ludwig, then turned to Lumian and said, "Do you sometimes feel that this world is unreal, that many people are like puppets in a theater, seeming normal at first nce, but some details make you fearful?"
"Why are you talking about this kind of thing with me and my girlfriend?" Lumian countered without answering.
The girlfriend referred to Jenna.
Anderson smiled and said meaningfully, "Because I feel that you are very real, more real than the people around us."
Lumian also smiled. "Yes, I sometimes feel that this world is unreal; it''s like a huge dream. We seem to be making our own choices, but in fact, we are being pushed and guided by the subconscious of the dream owner. When he wakes up, everything will disappear like bubbles."
Amidst the music of spraying balls, the smile on Anderson''s face became more evident.
"There''s a time limit for this attraction, we can''t stay here forever.
"Have you ever heard of the term ''Battle of the Gods Ruins''?"
Is this confirming each other''s identity? Lumian nced outside the ss cylinder and smiled as he answered Anderson''s question, "I''ve heard of it."
Outside the door of this children''s facility, Anthony was waiting there holding Lumian and Anderson''s phones.
Anderson smiled and sighed. "It''s indeed easier tomunicate with you than with a certain someone.
"Some people, their brains might be spouting from their boxing gloves."
Anderson continued, "I''ve adventured the Battle of the Gods Ruins,e into contact with some dangerous things, which caused me to undergo some changes.
"In sufficiently special dreams, if I receive a strong enough stimulus, I can break free from the dreaming state and maintain a certain level of rity within the dream."
Is this the reason you discovered the dream city isn''t real? Lumian didn''t ask Anderson this, but remained quiet.
He still wasn''t clear about the exact rtionship between the Colorful Hostel and Anderson.
Anderson smiled and said, "That adventure was very exciting, but unfortunately, I can''t write it out in certain books; after all, I''m not the protagonist.
"In recent years, I often dream of living in a big city like this, which makes me look forward to sleeping.
"In that dream, sometimes I''m anguage teacher, sometimes I''m an unsessful painter. They should be the same person, just in different states of life.
"Later, the painter became mute, and his painting skills underwent a qualitative change.
"I was stimted, woke up in the dream, and gained a certain level of rity.
"I found that someone was actually giving me money, helping me open an art studio, and even a hotel. Oh, the evil of knowledge, do such good things exist? Of course I had to ept, how could I let down their kindness?"
In other words, Anderson''s dream manifestation was corrupted for some reason and became a real Painter, which also stimted the real Anderson, allowing his consciousness to enter the dream using his own special ability? So, this Anderson dream manifestation split, sometimes he''s the cram school teacher Andersonformerly the strongest Hunter of the Fog Sea. And sometimes he''s the mute painter Anderson. The cram school teacher Anderson contacted us because he discovered we''re also outsiders? Lumian nodded with some understanding.
This was actually simr to Luo Shan''s state, except that the real Rozanne didn''t have any special dream abilities, so she couldn''te in person to fight against the power of boons and the corruption of evil gods.
"How was it, my story was pretty exciting, right? Give me a review," Anderson suddenly changed the subject.
Lumian apuded. "What about the sequel to the story? If the real Anderson doesn''t actively enter the dream, the mute Anderson in the dream shouldn''t affect him."
Anderson shrugged and said with a smile, "Can you be 100% certain it won''t have an effect?"
"No," Lumian answered honestly.
Anderson nodded with a look of caring for an uneducated youngling. "Moreover, that dream is interesting and fun. As humans, we need to frequently change our forms of entertainment.
"I told Danitz in the dream to be careful of me turning into a mute at night, but unfortunately, he didn''t understand my hint. If I could get some things and disguise myself as Edwina, he would probably be more proactive in using his brain to ponder what I said."
"You painted the mute painter in the painting? You also possess the painting skills that were qualitatively changed?" Lumian asked aboutst night''s events.
Luo Shan also painted another self, and after Franca helped burn it, her condition improved significantly
Is Anderson using me to "adjust" his own state?
Anderson clicked his tongue and said, "Don''t you use the same body during the day and at night?
"The changes in the body aremon."
Lumian pondered and asked, "In the dreamscape, the Painter shouldn''t be able to make what he paints trulye off the paper, there are too many obstacles."
All abilities should be suppressed to Sequence 7 level, but yesterday''s Anderson could freely move around the residential district and could still speak before entering the studio.
Anderson smiled and said, "Dreamscapes always have some special cases and exceptions. If the dream owner symbolizes loopholes, then his dream will inevitably have some loopholes. This is a manifestation of part of his symbolism in the dream, unless he consciously controls it, it can''t be avoided.
"The mute Anderson originally didn''t exist, he''s just another state of mine, but he''s also hidden in the dream owner''s thoughts and cognition. So once I paint him, he doesn''t need to invade from the outside to be real, but he can''t leave the studio and is very weak."
Mr. Fool''s manifestation once knew a mute Anderson, or imagined Anderson bing mute? Lumian nodded slightly and asked, "So the one who led me into the studio was you yourself?"
Anderson smiled obviously and said, "Of course, after I entered the studio, while you were looking at those oil paintings, I left through a pre-prepared painting and activated the mute Anderson painting.
"That''s my studio, equivalent to a Hunter''s home ground, there would definitely be additional arrangements. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"I changed my clothes and pants afterwards, so you didn''t recognize me?"
"Why did you change your clothes and pants?" Lumian probed.
Anderson smiled again. "Just kidding."
Is this Anderson''s style Do all sessful Hunters have a tendency for pranks? Lumian epted Anderson''s exnation. If it were him, he might do the same thing.
Anderson nced at the entertainment facility that was almost out of time.
"Now it''s my turn to ask, right?
"What do you want to do bying here?"
This didn''t seem like a question, more like a confirmation.
"To wake up the dream owner in the best and most humane state," Lumian answered simply.
Anderson suddenly smiled. "A few days ago, a foreigner came to the cram school to visit. He was as real as you guys."
"What''s his name?" Lumian asked, outwardly calm.
At this moment, the balls stopped spraying, and the rotation of the seats quickly slowed down until it stopped.
Anderson stood up and said with a smile, "Zaratulstra."
Chapter 958 Inside and Outside the Dream
Chapter 958 Inside and Outside the Dream
It''s that Zaratulstra again Did he go to the Dream Tutoring sses to wait for Zhou Mingrui, or did he have another purpose? Lumian held Ludwig''s hand as they walked out of the seating area. While waiting for the staff to open the door of the amusement facility, he smiled at Anderson and asked, "Did you chat with him?"
Anderson put his hands in his pockets and smiled. "He said he wanted to deeply influence one person and eliminate some people."
Is the one he wants to deeply influence Zhou Mingrui? And who are the ones he wants to eliminate? Why did Zaratulstra talk about this with Anderson? Was one of his purposes for going to the Dream Tutoring sses to find Anderson, to find the mute Anderson representing the Fantasy Association? Does this symbolize the cooperation between the Celestial Worthy and that evil god of the Fantasy Association? Lumian walked towards the now-open door, casually saying, "People like Danitz?"
What he wanted to ask was whether the people Zaratulstra wanted to eliminate were dream characters like Oracle Danitz, or outsiders like himself.
Anderson gave a thumbs up, walking down the few steps at the entrance. "At the time, I couldn''t understand why they dealt with Danitz first. What role could he y? Maybe he was just lucky, and they had to first finish off the lucky one."
In a situation where everyone is suppressed to Sequence 7, luck is indeed very important From Anderson''s words, was the death of the Oracle done by Zaratulstra and the mute Anderson together? The mute Anderson''s involvement means he himself was also involved, with a chance to secretly sabotage and influence the progress of things. So, is that why we discovered the Oracle''s body earlier, instead of it being sent to the morgue at Mushu Hospital ording to the nned schedule, to "resurrect" and return? Lumian nodded thoughtfully.
He felt that Anderson had used the mute dream manifestation to interfere with Zaratulstra''s actions, resulting in the other party only achieving the goal of eliminating Danitz, without sessfully utilizing the Oracle''s body.
Lumian was now unsure whether Zaratulstra was more Zaratul or more Loki, so he directly used the dream name to refer to him.
Damn, it was you, Anderson, who did it. No wonder you called the police immediately This also exins why we stumbled upon the death of the Oracle. It wasn''t a coincidence Lumian cursed inwardly for a couple of sentences, passing by Anthony without retrieving his phone. Anderson did the same.
Taking advantage of the few people ying in the small square, he looked at the advertisement disyed on the mall''s big screen and asked a question one would typically ask during a stroll.
"What do you want to do by opening the Colorful Hostel?"
"As soon as youe in, someone hands you a sum of money, hands you a hotel that''s still under renovation, would you refuse? When faced with sugar-coated bullets, isn''t it a normal choice to eat the sugar coating and throw back the bullet?" Anderson smiled and asked in return.
"But many times, the sugar coating can also be poisonous, or you might not have time to throw back the bullet. You wouldn''t want it if someone forcibly put a child in your belly, would you?" The temporary Child of God of the Great Mother, Lumian, spoke from experience.
Anderson was stunned for a second, then smiled and said, "If it''s really put in, you have to keep it even if you don''t want to. If you can''t get rid of itter, you can only cultivate a good father-son or father-daughter rtionship."
Lumian changed the question. "What does the behind-the-scenes hand that made those people give you money and the hotel want to do?"
Anderson turned his head to look at him and said with a smile, "Isn''t that why I''vee to find you?"
Lumian''s thoughts raced, vaguely understanding the meaning in Anderson''s words: one of the goals of that evil god of the Fantasy Association was to hinder the Celestial Worthy and maintain the bnce of the dream. It was precisely because Anderson grasped this key point that he actively contacted Lumian and others, speaking so inly.
Anderson looked ahead again, walking towards the food gathering area behind the mall.
"I saw a funny saying online before.
"The saying goes, ''I''m afraid of my brother suffering, but I also don''t want my brother owning a Range Rover.''"
"That''s interesting." Lumian felt Anderson didn''t need to hint so obviously, he could understandpletely.
Anderson continued, "A hotel always has guests,ing from different ces."
At this point, he suddenly pointed at the spray painting on a shop sign.
"Paintings areplex. They are both information and a door to a fantasy realm. If aplete and real order can be established in the world within the painting, wouldn''t it be an almost real world?"
Is this hinting at something? Hinting at the possible goals of that evil god of the Fantasy Association? Lumiancked key information and could only roughly understand what Anderson was saying, unable to figure out the true meaning of these words.
Based on the knowledge he currently possessed, he felt that the evil god of the Fantasy Association also wanted to upy more pathways, just like the Great Mother and the Mother Tree of Desire. What He had His eye on were the Mystery Pryer and Savant pathways that symbolize information, the Apprentice pathway that represented the concept of "door", alternate worlds, and space itself, as well as the Lawyer and Arbiter pathways that could give the world within paintings a real order.
While Lumian was thinking, Anderson pointed at a shop andughed. "I told you the world would have loopholes, look over there."
Lumian looked over and found it was a small shop named "Loen Delights", mainly selling sweet iced tea and Desi pies.
"How could Loen have anything considered a delight? This is definitely a loophole," Anderson said with a mocking expression.
Lumian nodded. "Yes."
On this matter, the two Intisians easily reached a consensus.
And Ludwig started to mor.
"I want to eat!"
In an apartment on Rue du Chapeau Noir in Quartier de Maison d''Opra.
Witch Niceea sat in front of her dressing mirror, carefully and meticulously drawing her eyebrows and applying powder in the light of the gas wallmp.
Suddenly, behind her, near the chair by the window, a figure appeared.
It was Franca, in a rxed posture.
Franca quietly watched Niceea without making a sound.
After discussing with Madam Magician and Madam Judgment about why she was kicked out of the dream and the issue with the associate dean of Mushu Hospital, she rested for a day. Before returning to the dream, she specifically came to see her subordinate to ask about her recent progress.
She couldn''t be the kind of superior who disappearedpletely after arranging a task, showing no concern and effectively going missing!
After about ten seconds, Niceea finally noticed and subtly adjusted the direction of her dressing mirror.
Seeing it was her immediate superior, she quietly sighed in relief and turned around.
"Good evening, ma''am."
"Good evening, how have you beentely?" Franca didn''t directly ask about the Emperor Party.
She hadn''t contacted 007 yet, because 007 was recently undergoing special training, seemingly with hope of obtaining a spot to be a demigod.
Niceea''s expression changed several times, showing some struggle and pain, and with a bit of a "might as well" attitude, she said, "I''ve be Grous''s mistress."
Grous was one of the confidants of Louis Gustav, the leader of the Emperor Party.
This progress is a bit fast; you haven''t been a Witch for long, haven''t you Franca didn''t ask about Niceea''s current feelings, and asked calmly, "Did Grous say anything?"
Seeing that her superior didn''t inquire about her journey and actual experience of bing a mistress, Niceea''s inner conflict, embarrassment, and irritation subsided considerably.
She recalled and said, "He said Louis has been troubledtely, seeming very irritable. The reason seems to be that he can''t contact some important figure."
"Which important figure?" Franca asked.
"Grous doesn''t know either, only that there is such an important figure, an important figure that gives Louis a lot of confidence." Niceea shook her head.
Unable to contact the mirrored Emperor Roselle? Franca suddenly had such a thought.
She nodded slightly.
"Find a way to figure out who that important figure is, and grasp the substantial movements of the Emperor Party."
After saying this, her figure quickly faded and disappeared from the chair.
Niceea quietly watched thedy leave, raised her right hand, and slowly caressed from her cheek to her lips.
Franca directly returned to that luxurious vi, without going to report to the Demoness of ck that she had fully digested the Affliction potion.
Let alone whether the Demoness Sect would reward her with the Despair potion in a situation where she hadn''t made new achievements, even if they would, she couldn''t possibly really perform the ritual, so it was better to stall for now.
After dinner, close to midnight, Franca stood up and walked towards her room.
The slightly short Madam Judgment escorted her to the room while instructing, "For the second return to the dream, operating under the previous identity, the current experience is that there won''t be much difference from the first time. But by the third time, we''ve found that some attempts that wouldn''t have gotten us kicked out of the dream before will also result in being kicked out, as if we''ve been simply marked by that Celestial Worthy. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"So, you need to pay attention now to whether there are subtle changespared tost time, to determine whether bing an object of attention starts from the second entry into the dream or the third. Also, don''t make any radical probes in the next few days, you''ve just been kicked out and need to wait a while."
"Mm, I''ll be careful." Franca remembered that this had been mentioned in the documents.
After going upstairs and reaching the door, Madam Judgment further said,
"We can''t give you many things to take into the dream, because we''ve used them in the dream and they''ve also been marked.
"If you want to make money, there''s another way: have one person apply for a job at the Hall Film Company, a subsidiary of the Hall Group. Although Miss Justice can''t enter the dream anymore, as a Dreamweaver and Major Arcana card holder, she can still exert a little influence on the dream."
"Understood," Franca responded with a smile, "Thank you all."
She then entered the room,y down on the bed again, and gripped the lucky coin in her palm.
She had tried yesterday, if she didn''t put the lucky coin beside her, she would just fall asleep normally and dream normally, asionally shing fragments of the dream city, like sights and sounds from "Luo Fu".
Franca closed her eyes and regted her breathing.
Chapter 959 Weekend
Chapter 959 Weekend
Dechuang Garden, Room 2303.
Jenna apanied "Luo Fu" as they watched TV in the living room, asionally scrolling through her phone. The two conversed very little.
Suddenly, she noticed "Luo Fu" turn her body and say with bright eyes, "I''m back again!"
Jenna didn''t respond immediately, because "Luo Fu" and Franca had very simr personalities.
Franca then picked up her phone and said to Jenna, "Quick, quick, send me another copy of the Information Shredder."
Hearing "Information Shredder", Jenna finally confirmed that it was really Franca who had returned.
At this moment, Franca unlocked her screen and found that WeChat had already been redownloaded by "Luo Fu", and Jenna, Luo Shan, and several employees from the administrative department had been re-added, but not "The Idiot", "An Ruide", or "Li Lu".
After a quick nce, Franca hurriedly tapped into her WeChat wallet.
Her expression suddenly froze. "The money, my money it''s gone!"
Jenna''s pupils dted as she quickly leaned over, discovering that Franca''s WeChat wallet bnce was "0.00 yuan".
"It didn''t delete all the information on my phone, including the money in my online wallet, did it?" Franca hurriedly downloaded a banking app again, taking some time toplete the login and check her bnce.
She let out a long sigh of relief, patting her chest.
"Thank goodness, the bulk of it is still there. That gave me such a fright."
After her exmation, she exined to Jenna,
"The money in my bank ount is still there!"
Jenna nced at her bank card bnce and asked thoughtfully, "How much money did you originally have in your WeChat wallet?"
"138 yuan," Franca answered smoothly. "I had over 300 yuan in Alipay too."
The Alipay app had already been downloaded back by "Luo Fu". She tapped in to check and found there was still over 100 yuan.
"Uh" Franca flipped through the transactions and finally confirmed that this 100+ yuan waster transferred from the bank card by "Luo Fu", with some spent on takeout orders. The previous 300+ yuan had indeed vanished into thin air.
Jenna amusingly pressed her hand to her chest and said, "You only lost about 500 yuan, but you acted like you lost all 120,000+. You scared me to death."
The 60,000 earned from selling items was currently with Jenna, and she had transferred half to Lumian and Anthony.
"Don''t say such unlucky things. 500 yuan is a lot, it''s enough for us to buy so many things at the wholesale market!" Franca thought for a moment and said, "I need to transfer some to Lumian and Anthony. We should each keep some separately, in case it all gets exposed at once. I''ve realized that this is like a gamewhen you get kicked out of the dream, you might drop equipment and money, and you might not even be able to pick it back up. Mm, we shouldn''t put all our eggs in one basket."
"The money in the bank card is still there, but what was on the phone is gone?" Jenna pondered and said, "Because at that time you only cleared the phone information with one click, not the bank card information? The loss of money should be an issue with the Information Shredder, right?"
Franca nodded slowly. "This mini-program is really powerful. I suspect it even deleted the corresponding information and backup information on the servers. Only in this way could it deal with mystical photos and prevent our chat records from being found"
At this point, Franca frowned slightly and said, "I asked Madam Magician and Madam Judgment. They know every high-ranking member of the Church of Steam, but none of them is called Stiano."
"Anthony''s feeling at that time must have been correct. Stiano should have a close connection with the Church of Steam." Jenna also showed a puzzled expression.
"They seem to have suspects. They said they would tell us through the Star Dream Provisions Store after confirmation," Franca suddenly looked around, pointed at the ceiling, and said in a lowered voice, "Could it be that one? Only a mini-program made by Him could be so powerful, and besides, He can enter with real consciousness."
"Maybe" Jenna''s voice also became low.
As a native of Trier, she had received religious education since childhood and still had considerable awe for deities.
She now wondered if she would one day encounter the Eternal zing Sun she once believed in within this dream city.
And if the Eternal zing Sun entered, what would the corresponding dream manifestation look like?
In the brief silence, Franca re-added Lumian and the others,pleting the distribution of assetsshe and Jenna kept 90,000, while Lumian and Anthony got 90,000.
Then, she and Jenna exchanged their feelings about her being kicked out of the dream and the details they discovered after she returned to reality.
She didn''t edit all of this into a message to send to Lumian, nning to find an opportunity to meet face-to-face tomorrow to talk in person.
This was out of concern that sensitive information might bring about anomalies if sent out and not deleted with the Information Shredder in time.
Madam Judgment had said to behave and be careful for these few days!
Chatting until almost 1 a.m., Franca stretched. "Fortunately, Luo Fu didn''t spend money recklessly, otherwise I''d be heartbroken.
"Alright, let''s wash up and go to sleep. We still need to get up early for work tomorrow. Oh, you can check if Hall Film Company is hiring recently and apply. It matches your profession!"
The corners of Jenna''s mouth turned up in a smile. "Have you forgotten that tomorrow is Sunday?"
"Oh, right." Franca was stunned for a moment. "Going back and forth between the dream and reality has confused me. Originally, Luo Fu should have the day off today, but because the group had important matters with VIPs, she worked an extra day Well, tomorrow I have to take Ludwig to tutoring ss again."
At Xinhong District, in a rented apartment.
Lumian wasn''t supervising Ludwig''s studies. After receiving Franca''s gift and deleting the transfer information, he continued using his phone to search for keywords like "Intis Group" and "VIP".
"What are you looking up? Do you need help?" Anthony asked from the side of the table.
"Not for now," Lumian answered without raising his head. "I''m collecting information rted to Zaratulstra, but I can''t directly search using that name."
Without waiting for Anthony to ask further, he added on his own,
"I want to know which hotel Zaratulstra is staying at and what his recent itinerary is."
"You''re nning to" Anthony keenly grasped Lumian''s intention.
Lumian raised his head, revealing a bright smile.
"Yes, to take him out.
"There''s no reason for us to always passively respond to and dismantle the moves of the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates. We can also be more proactiveinfiltrate, assassinate, eliminate, make the hidden dangers disappear before they emerge.
"Now that we''re all at Sequence 7, it''s not impossible for us to win. And from our battle with the reanimated female corpse, we know that as long as we don''t let the enemy escape, aren''t recorded by surveince, and there are no witnesses, the Celestial Worthy can''t locate us."
Anthony nodded, indicating that Lumian''s line of thinking was not wrong.
He just warned, "Even if suppressed to Sequence 7, that individual''s essence is still that of an Angel. He''s bound to have some mysterious, special, and bizarre abilities, and he''s also skilled at using substitutes. He won''t be easy to kill. Moreover, there might be other subordinates of the Celestial Worthy around him."
"I know," Lumian nodded with a smile. "Even if only left with Sequence 7 strength, some of Zaratulstra''s Beyonder powers will still be very bizarre and terrifying. We need to consider this before taking action."
After collecting intelligence on Zaratulstra for a while, Lumian used the Information Shredder to delete the search records and used pen, paper, and his brain to organize the information.
After repeatedly reviewing thepiled data for a long time, he nned to find an opportunity to scout the location after apanying Ludwig to tutoring ss tomorrow.
For the rest of the time, he took out the new ice board he had made and, for the umpteenth time, scrutinized the information on each dream character and the preliminary findings from their team''s observations and interactions with these characters.
The next day, at Dream Tutoring sses.
Lumian escorted the slowly moving Ludwig to the door of the Beginner English ss.
Anderson nced at him and greeted, "Want to join for some enlightenment?"
"No need, I''d rather learn painting," Lumian replied simply, pushing Ludwig towards Anderson.
Anderson didn''t speak to him further, taking Ludwig''s hand and walking back into the ssroom.
Lumian sat down opposite, patiently waiting just likest time.
Before long, he saw Zhou Mingrui again.
Zhou Mingrui was wearing a white T-shirt with patterns, looking much more youthful and sunny than when he was at work.
Zhou Mingrui wasn''t surprised at all to see him here, as if he had been mentally prepared. He nodded slightly as a greeting.
Lumian didn''t engage in small talk, only politely responding.
More contact, less closeness, to lower the target''s vignce!
Moreover, Franca''s probingst night had quite good results, sessfully making Zhou Mingrui wary of the aftermath of the Assassin beverage. Now he needed to give him some time to digest such bombshell news.
From this perspective, Franca being kicked out of the dream this time was worth it.
After watching Zhou Mingrui turn into the ssroom, Lumian withdrew his gaze and started using his phone.
At this moment, he suddenly had a premonition and raised his head, looking towards the front desk of the tutoring center.
He saw Principal Ai Nana, wearing a white long dress, apanying an elderly man inside.
Behind them were several employees of Dream Tutoring sses and unfamiliar faces Lumian hadn''t seen before.
Lumian''s gaze fell on the elderly man, noticing he was wearing a ck formal suit, his hairpletely white, with long and dense white whiskers on his face, and blue eyes so deep they were almost without light.
Lumian''s eyes narrowed slightly. He had seen a portrait of this elderly man before: Zaratulstra!
He''se to Dream Tutoring sses again? Lumian quietly stood up, retreating along with other parents to avoid this group of people.
Ai Nana led Zaratulstra to stop at the door of the Business English ss, introducing the relevant situation.
Zaratulstra''s gaze subsequently turned towards those students.
At this point, Lumian had already retreated to the depths of the corridor, stopping next to the fire rm, and nced up at the surveince camera that could capture this area.
He watched Zaratulstra from the corner of his eye. If the other party made any unusual movements or tried to talk to Zhou Mingrui, he would first knock out the surveince camera from a blind spot, then punch the fire rm to make the scene chaotic, causing everyone to rush out of Dream Tutoring sses.
During this process, he would y the role of a panicked parent, constantly obstructing Zaratulstra''s various actions while carrying Ludwig.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Chapter 960 Psychiatric Ward
Chapter 960 Psychiatric Ward
Using the cover of the parents in front, Lumian discreetly observed Zaratulstra''s every move.
After listening to Ai Nana''s introduction for a few minutes, Zaratulstra nodded, left the door of the Business English ss, and turned to look at the other training sses currently in session.
He didn''t do anything Lumian was puzzled, but remained vignt.
It wasn''t until Zaratulstra finished touring Dream Tutoring sses and Ai Nana escorted him and his entourage out, returning to teach the Business English ss, that Lumian sat back in his original seat and silently said to himself, He''s leaving just like that? N?v(el)B\\jnn
Was he simply here to recognize Zhou Mingrui,plete the initial contact, or did he secretly do something that I didn''t notice? For example, has he already controlled Ms. Ai, or discreetly used some ability to achieve his predetermined goal from just a few meters away?
After thinking it through, Lumian picked up his phone and sent a message to Jenna: "Ask Luo Shan to remind the target via WeChat to pay attention to his condition today, not to drink water he brought to the tutoring ss, and to buy new waterter."
This was to indirectly and subtly remind Zhou Mingrui, and at the same time, it was an experiment to see if hints conveyed through dream characters during the day would bring any anomalies to themselves.
A few minutester, Zhou Mingrui, who was listening attentively to the lecture, felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He took out his phone, lowered his head, unlocked the screen, and saw a message from Luo Shan: "Remember to examine yourself three times a day, and don''t drink water you''ve brought outside."
What does this mean? I can''t make head or tail of the message. It''s puzzling Zhou Mingrui first grumbled to himself, then perceived the hidden reminder.
He hadn''t yet fully determined whether Luo Shan was good or bad, whether she had more good intentions or bad intentions towards him, but the hint to frequently examine his own condition and not drink the current water wouldn''t cause any harm even if he followed it.
In such matters, it''s better to believe something existed than to doubt its existence!
Zhou Mingrui replied with an "Okay" and stuffed the phone back into his pocket, raising his head again.
He didn''t look at the bottle of mineral water he had ced on the table again.
Outside the ssroom, Lumian once again scrutinized Zaratulstra''s recent behavior.
He just looked at Zhou Mingrui from a few meters away for a while, without trying to get closer
Whether or not he did anything secretly, this behavior makes me feel that he doesn''t dare to deeply engage with Zhou Mingrui, to do some things in front of that person
Combined with Franca''s morning description of the feeling of being kicked out of the dream and the overt and covert struggles in the lottery incident, it can be seen that Mr. Fool has a certain control over the dream, at least not much weaker than the Celestial Worthy. In this situation, if Zaratulstra stimtes him and his identity is discovered or locked onto, he is likely to be made into a marite or kicked out of the dream
In the dream city, it''s not just us who need to be careful, the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates also have to follow the same rules
Thinking of this, Lumian''s train of thought became much clearer.
He stood up and began pacing in the corridor, thinking about the details of some issues while waiting for the possible consequences of indirectly reminding Zhou Mingrui.
Walking to the end of the passageway, he casually nced outside through the window.
He suddenly saw that across the street, Zaratulstra walked out of the building apanied by a young girl, followed by his entourage and many unfamiliar faces.
Lumian was very familiar with the appearance of that young girl.
The Major Arcana card holder, The Hermit, Queen of Stars Cattleya!
In the dream city, Ma''am Hermit''s role is Huang Jiajia, roommate of Miss Bernie Huang, and because she lost a bet, she always calls Bernie Huang ''dad'' Mr. Fool''s subconscious weaving of rtionships is quite interesting
Huang Jiajia''s family runs Star Tutoring sses, which is apetitor to Dream Tutoring sses, so she used high remuneration to ask Zhou Mingrui to enroll in Dream Tutoring sses to scout the enemy
Is Zaratulstra putting on a full show by examining Dream Tutoring sses''petitors as well, or does he want to do something to Ma''am Hermit''s dream manifestation?
Speaking of which, the dried mushrooms that prevented Zhou Mingrui from drinking the Instigator beverage came from Huang Jiajia, grown by the biology teacher Li Keji at Star Tutoring sses, whose prototype is the ''Legendary Druid'' Frank Lee No wonder those dried mushrooms had supernatural properties. In Mr. Fool''s subconscious, any mushroom products sent by Frank Lee might be problematic
Lumian stood at the window, watching until Zaratulstra got into a ck business car, with Huang Jiajia and others waving goodbye at the roadside, before preparing to walk back to the outside of the Beginner English ss.
Suddenly, he heard a wee-woo wee-woo sound.
It was an ambnce, stopping at the entrance of Star Tutoring sses. Not only nurses but also police officers jumped out.
What happened? Was it brought by Zaratulstra? Lumian stopped in his tracks and continued observing from afar.
Before long, the police and nurses brought out a person from Star Tutoring sses. The person was wearing a white shirt and olive green overalls, with longish brown hair and dense body hair. His hands were handcuffed behind his back, and his legs and body were tightly bound.
This person was carried out and stuffed into the ambnce.
Lumian recognized this person.
He was Li Keji, the biology teacher at Star Tutoring sses, corresponding to the prototype character "Legendary Druid" Frank Lee!
Why was he arrested? And arrested using an ambnce
Did he cause problems with the mushrooms?
Or is this the problem brought by Zaratulstra? Is he trying to eliminate Frank Lee''s dream manifestation to prevent some mushroom from ruining his ns next time?
Lumian quickly took out his phone and scrolled through local news and videos.
In just a few minutes, he saw rted posts: "Guys, can you believe it? I just went to take some biology tutoring, and the teacher was arrested as a mentally ill terrorist!
"Is studying biology so dangerous?
"The teacher had said earlier that if we did well on this test, he would give us a bag of new mushroom strains!"
After scrolling through several simr videos, Lumian roughly confirmed that Frank Lee had been arrested by the Celestial Worthy''s side on some pretext, first to be treated for mental issues, then to deal with other matters.
However, judging from the description in thetest issue of The Great Adventurer and the situation with Zhou Mingrui''s bag of dried mushrooms, the probability that the mushrooms grown at ''Li Keji''s'' home are harmless is very, very low. What''s this called it seems to be endangering public safety by dangerous means? Arresting him seems reasonable Just as Lumian thought of this, he received a message.
It was from "Intis Group Grimm": "There''s a matter that requires your personal attention."
What matter requires the Child of God to handle personally? Lumian used voice input to reply: "Is it urgent?"
"Not too urgent." Grimm quickly replied.
Lumian pondered for a few seconds and replied: "Then wait until I''ve finished with the child."
In front of the Mother Goddess''s believers, it was better to show more of the glory of motherhood, to make them more certain of one''s identity.
"Alright, please attend to your matters first." Grimm replied quite humbly,pletely unlike the security director of the Intis Group, while Lumian was just a mere security guard.
Lumian took this opportunity to inform Jenna about the Zaratulstra matter and Frank Lee''s fate.
When the Business English ss and Beginner English ss ended one after another, Lumian politely said goodbye to Zhou Mingrui, took Ludwig, left Dream Tutoring sses, and got into the gray sedan driven by Anthony.
Only then did he send a message to "Intis Group Grimm": "Time and ce."
Just a dozen secondster, Grimm responded: "I''ll wait for you at the entrance of Mushu Hospital."
Mushu Hospital Lumian frowned slightly.
Under the zing sunlight, Lumian saw Grimm standing in the shade of a tree.
The security director of the Intis Group had changed into a light-colored striped shirt and was wearing sunsses, disguising himself quite well.
"What''s the matter?" Lumian walked past Grimm, heading straight into Mushu Hospital.
Grimm followed behind him to the side, saying with a smile in his voice, "You''ll know when you see it. This should be one of the purposes Mother wanted you toe here for."
The way you''re talking, it feels like you''ve dug a trap in front and are waiting for me to fall in Lumian nodded slightly, not asking further.
Wouldn''t asking too much reveal that there''s actually no connection between me and the Great Mother?
Grimm quickened his pace, overtaking him, and led the way in front.
He led Lumian around the main building to a three-story building behind it, surrounded by high walls, with awn and garden.
"This is the psychiatric ward," Grimm introduced, verifying his identity with the security guard and passing through the iron gate.
Lumian nodded thoughtfully.
The two quickly entered the building, and just as they climbed to the second floor under the nurse''s guidance, they heard a patient banging on the iron door and shouting, "Let me out!
"I''m not sick! I only lost after fighting with two supreme beings to the edge of the universe, and you caught me, I''m not sick!
"This is my marite, this is my paper figurine, look, I have them all with me, I''m not crazy!
"I''ve divined it, there''s no danger, really no danger. That voice is normal, haven''t you heard it?
"Let me out! Let me out!"
Lumian raised his right eyebrow.
Which Seer pathway Beyonder is this? At least a Maritist
Lumian immediately associated this with the Maritist who hadn''t intervened when they killed the reanimated female corpse, and thought of the madman found in the garbage dump near Moon zal the next morning, who had been sent to the hospital.
Is this the Maritist who went mad? So he was sent to the psychiatric ward of Mushu Hospital What voice did he hear? Did that cause him to go mad? As Lumian pondered, his footsteps didn''t stop. He followed behind the nurse and Grimm all the way to the end of an empty corridor.
The nurse stood at the door of the deepest ward and said to Grimm and Lumian, "The patient is inside. You can look at him through the window, but don''t reach your hands in."
After saying this, she turned and left, without providing any further warnings.
After watching the nurse disappear at the stairwell, Grimm smiled at Lumian and said,
"Child of God, Li Keji is inside."
Li Keji Frank Lee? Although Lumian had already anticipated this, he was still shocked.
Chapter 961 Ideology
Chapter 961 Ideology
Lumian''s expression remained unchanged as he looked at Grimm, waiting for him to continue speaking.
At this moment, the psychiatric ward was very quiet. There were no patients walking around, no family membersing and going, only the asional nurse passing by.
Grimm nced left and right before saying, "Child of God, this is an opportunity to impregnate Li Keji. Please do it personally."
Impregnate Frank Lee? I don''t have that ability, I can only impregnate myself! Lumian grumbled inwardly, ncing at Grimm as he said, "You need me for such a small matter?"
Grimm smiled awkwardly. "If I do it, Li Keji would need to carry the child for a full 40 weeks before giving birth. That would take too long and couldn''t be put to use in the short term. There may be some mutations soon."
So you really do have the Beyonder power to impregnate anyone regardless of gender. Corruption is also a kind of boon, and a source of power But why are you so fixated on having Frank Lee give birth? Is it some kind of symbol, symbolizing that Frank Lee has truly be a child of the Mother? Various thoughts shed through Lumian''s mind.
He suddenly remembered that Frank Lee''s dream manifestation, Li Keji, was a special characterinfluenced by Mr. Fool''s subconscious perception, he exhibited supernatural aspects in mushroom-rted matters. Moreover, judging from the dried mushroom incident, his potential stance leaned towards Mr. Fool.
If Frank Lee really became a child of the Great Mother, it would mean that the Great Mother''s forces had control over this special point in the dream city, could effectively utilize it, and more deeply interfere with the development of the dream.
Although these evil gods like the Great Mother wanted bnce more, Frank Lee falling into their hands was better than being controlled by the Celestial Worthy. But they also had to guard against the possibility that they were cooperating with the Celestial Worthy on this matter.
Frank Lee was arrested by official forces and brought to the psychiatric ward of Mushu Hospital, representing the will of the Celestial Worthy. The Great Mother was one of the "major shareholders" of Mushu Hospital. Perhaps the two have already reached an agreement to cooperate on this individual incident andpleted a private transaction Lumian calmly said to Grimm, "My power is also limited in this city, not much better than yours."
Grimm exined with a smile, "I know. This time we just want to use your godhood. Although it''s also restricted, it''s still godhood.
"After you impregnate Li Keji, the hospital''s obstetrics department will provide the corresponding reproductive technology and Beyonder power support. Li Keji can give birth to the child within four weeks."
As expected The obstetrics department of Mushu Hospital is one of the symbols of the Great Mother in this dream It sounds like it has already been corrupted to some extent, with multiple medical staff bing children of the Mother
If the obstetrics departments of every hospital in the dream city are thoroughly corrupted over time, and the problem isn''t exposed, wouldn''t that mean that all newborns in the dream city afterwards would be children of the Mother?
Generation after generation, everyone in the dream city would be a child of the Mother In the end, whether it''s Mr. Fool or that Celestial Worthy who wakes up, they would bear the identity of being a child of the Great Mother, in a mystical sense?
The more Lumian thought about it, the more inexplicably terrified he became.
This was a subtle, gradual influence, like boiling a frog in warm water. Given enough time, the Great Mother would inevitably achieve Her goal.
Of course, this was assuming that Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy didn''t offer effective resistance, and that this dream continued for at least five generations, spanning a century.
These great existences are all cunning After sighing inwardly, Lumian nodded slightly and responded to Grimm, "Okay."
Grimm''s face lit up with joy as he said in a prayerful tone, "May the glory of motherhood be eternal!"
He then approached the iron gates of the ward and looked inside through the small window barred with iron. Lumian also took two steps forward. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
What met their eyes was the burly back of a man wearing blue and white striped hospital clothes.
The figure was crouching in the corner, fiddling with something.
As Lumian''s gaze moved, he noticed several mushrooms with brown caps and white stems growing where the wall met the floor. They looked fresh and plump, as if they had just been transnted from a rain-soaked forest.
Bang! Lumian knocked on the iron door, and Grimm yielded the window position to him.
Hearing the knock, the figure stood up and dashed to the door, revealing a face with thick facial hair. It was indeed Li Keji, the biology teacher from Star Tutoring sses, and the "Legendary Druid" Frank Lee in reality.
Lumian could see that Mr. Fool''s dream subconscious had localized the character of Li Keji to some extent, not setting him as a foreigner. Thus, his eyes were deep brown, and his facial features were softer.
"Finally, someone''s here!" Li Keji said excitedly. "Go tell your dean and department head that I don''t have mental problems. It''s just that many people can''t ept my ideas."
His eyes were pure and passionate.
I can only ept them to a limited extent Lumian, who had read "The Great Adventurer 6: Future", muttered silently before asking seriously, "What are your ideas?"
Li Keji was eager to share. "For humans, the most important thing is food. There are still many people in this world suffering from hunger.
"To solve this problem, we need some new nts that meet the following conditions:
"First, they''re not picky about the environment. Second, they don''t need meticulous care. Third, they have a high annual yield. Fourth, preferably they can be harvested frequently. Fifth, they''re nutritionally rich and can meet all human needs
"I found that mushrooms meet most of my requirements, but they''re not enough. They have insufficient yield, monotonous nutrition, narrow taste range, and so on!
"I''ve been thinking about how to make different types of mushrooms that have different tastes, different nutritional profiles, and different characteristics. For example, ones that are pest-resistant, disease-resistant, can grow and reproduce on their own, taste like beef, produce milk when bitten, and have flesh as delicate as fish"
Hearing this, Lumian''s eyelid twitched.
Some of these new varieties sound very simr to those mushrooms from the New City of Silver
Could they all be Frank Lee''s inventions?
Have I eaten new mushrooms created by Frank Lee?
No wonder I felt something was off at the time
Lumian nced at Grimm before saying to the talkative Li Keji, "I can ept your exnation and your ideas."
"See? Those people don''t understand science, they even called the police to arrest me!" Li Keji''s eyes brightened. "I''ve been thinking for a long time, and finally came up with a way to realize my ideas."
"What is it?" Lumian raised an eyebrow.
Li Keji said excitedly, "Gic modification technology!"
For a moment, both Lumian and Grimm fell silent.
After several seconds, Lumian finally grumbled to himself, "So you transnted all of a cow''s genes into a mushroom?"
Li Keji continued, "My research is progressing steadily, and I already have mature samples.
"Yes, they still have various problems, but that doesn''t negate their epoch-making significance.
"Those mushrooms just happen to moo, or eat grass, or swim, or run, or drink their own milk. These aren''t big problems! Yet they think I''m crazy, that I''m endangering public safety!"
I think so too Lumian was momentarily speechless.
""
Grimm was shocked. After a few seconds, he remembered something. "Did you give some dried mushrooms to"
He stopped abruptly, not finishing the question.
At that time, monitoring Zhou Mingrui''s workstation and having ess to all surveince cameras in the entire building, he had fully witnessed the mutation of those dried mushrooms, and knew their ultimate fate and the potential hidden dangers they had sown.
"I did give some to my colleagues at the tutoring center, but unfortunately there were too few to reward the students," Li Keji said regretfully.
Lumian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said to Li Keji, "Geniuses are always lonely, misunderstood by others."
"No, I''m not a genius. I just have an enthusiastic heart and the courage to put ideas into practice," Li Keji said, not out of modesty but genuine belief.
"Either way, your original intention wasn''t wrong," Lumian could only say this.
He raised his right hand towards Li Keji.
Li Keji understood his intention and reached his own hand through the iron bars, giving him a high five.
"I''ll report your situation, but I can''t make the decision," Lumian said sincerely.
"Thank you," Li Keji''s face was full of gratitude.
As he returned to the bed area to study the mushrooms again, Lumian walked towards the stairwell and said to Grimm, "He''s already pregnant."
In reality, he wasn''t.
Before Grimm could respond, Lumian added, "But it will take a week for the embryo to stabilize. Then the obstetrics staff can intervene. Before that, no interference can be made."
"I see Alright, I''ll remind them," Grimm didn''t understand to what extent godhood limited by this world could achieve.
After leaving Mushu Hospital and watching Grimm leave, Lumian walked across the street and got into the gray sedan driven by Anthony.
Looking at the entrance of Mushu Hospital, he pondered for a moment before saying, "Try to rescue Li Keji from the psychiatric ward within a week."
Otherwise, the "false pregnancy" would be exposed, and he would inevitably be suspected.
Moreover, by then, the bestowed of the Great Mother could still remedy the situation and make Li Keji truly pregnant.
Just as Lumian finished speaking, he suddenly saw two cars stop at the entrance of Mushu Hospital. Among the people getting out were Huang Jiajia, Miss Bernie Huang, and several men in suits.
Is Huang Jiajia bringing help to rescue Li Keji?
Miss Huang won''t do anything illegal openly, so those people must bewyers and some officials, trying to get Li Keji out through proper procedures?
Even if those mushrooms are really like biochemical toxins, Miss Huang can''t change the fact that Li Keji is guilty and has mental problems. But she can find a way to transfer him to another hospital, without keeping him in Mushu Hospital
Does this count as a covert struggle between two official forces, symbolizing the confrontation between Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy? Does Mr. Fool''s subconscious want to protect Li Keji?
Lumian watched thoughtfully.
Chapter 962 Anonymous Tip
Chapter 962 Anonymous Tip
While Ludwig was making noise eating, Anthony drove the car a bit further to a shaded area to avoid the harsh sunlight.
He rolled down the window slightly to create a gap, while Lumian condensed ice cubes to assist the not-so-effective old air conditioner in providing coolness.
This way, they waited for nearly half an hour until they finally saw Miss Huang and Huang Jiajia''s grouping out of Mushu Hospital. Among them were people dressed as police officers, carrying Li Keji with his legs bound and hands cuffed.
After watching them get into different vehicles and leave Mushu Hospital, Lumian received a message from Intis Group Grimm: "The target has been transferred to the psychiatric ward of another hospital. He will undergo another mental evaluation and police questioning.
"In a week, we''ll need to take action again."
"Alright," Lumian handed the phone to Anthony, letting him read the content sent by Grimm.
Then, Lumian said, "We can''t get involved in the tug-of-war and struggle at the official level right now, nor do we have a way to intervene. But we need to do something covertly. Even if we don''t manage the actions of the Great Mother''s children a weekter, we must consider the possibility of the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates infiltrating the other hospital to eliminate Frank Lee''s dream manifestation, just like they killed the Oracle.
"They''re entirely capable of doing such a thing."
Anthony nodded. "This is also an application of psychological blind spots. Most people would think Li Keji is definitely safe being confined in a psychiatric ward with police guards outside. And since Li Keji''s backers have considerable influence and are taking action, Li Keji and his friends probably won''t take risky actions in the short term. As a result, most people will unconsciously lower their guard, which presents a good opportunity for assassination."
"Should we go rescue Li Keji in the next couple of days?" Lumian mused uncertainly to himself.
Anthony said calmly, "If we rescue him, he''ll truly be a wanted criminal.
"Where do you n to hide him?
"This might also make us suspects in the eyes of the police. In the dream city, this represents us opposing the dream''s main consciousness, which also means we''re close to being discovered by the Celestial Worthy."
"Hide him in a painting?" Lumian pondered in response.
The worlds within paintings created by Painters were different from mirror worlds. They weren''t interconnected, so one couldn''t directly move from one painted world to another. One needed to first reach the corresponding painting before entering.
In other words, if Li Keji was hidden in a painted world, as long as Lumian and the others kept that painting safe, they wouldn''t have to worry too much about someone infiltrating through other means or searching via illusory tunnels.
Before Anthony could respond, Lumianughed at himself.
"We don''t necessarily have to risk rescuing Li Keji. We can change our approach.
"We can hide nearby, wait for the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates toe eliminate the target, then ambush and take them out.
"When the week''s deadline arrives and I go with the children of the Great Mother to induce the embryo in Li Keji''s belly, you, Franca, and Jenna can cover your faces and ambush us. I''ll pretend to be overwhelmed and flee with the children of the Great Mother, thus missing the chance to have Li Keji give birth within four weeks.
"Failure is better than exposure. At most, it would mean the Child of God loses some prestige in the eyes of Grimm and the others."
At this point, Lumian picked up his phone and sent a message to Jenna: "Be sure to protect Luo Shan well recently."
Since Zaratulstra and the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates he represented were eliminating certain dream characters, including those who had directly or indirectly helped Zhou Mingrui, Luo Shan, who had recently reminded Zhou Mingrui, might be one of their primary targets.
Lumian had previously shared information about Zaratulstra, so Jenna and Franca easily understood his meaning and replied with an "Okay."
Both parties then used the Information Shredder to delete their chat history.
"Where to now? Back?" Anthony nced at the still rather bright sky.
After careful and repeated consideration, Lumian said, "To Star Dream Provisions Store."
Anthony didn''t ask why. He rolled up the window and drove off.
About twenty minutester, they arrived at their destination.
While Anthony took Ludwig to queue at a nearby shop selling guokuia type of Chinese tbreadLumian entered Star Dream Provisions Store and approached the cashier, politely asking the shopkeeper, "Is there any mail for us?"
The shopkeeper, upied by her phone, nodded and took out a letter, tossing it onto the counter.
Lumian opened it on the spot and began reading.
"Regarding the matter of Mushu Hospital''s associate dean, we''vemunicated with the Sanguine duke and high-level Blessed of the Church of Earth Mother. So far, we haven''t found anything unusual about Matriarch Rnd, and the Blessed haven''t received any warnings from Earth Mother in this regard.
"Are you wondering if the dean of Mushu Hospital might be the dream manifestation of Earth Mother? We can assure you that it hasn''t reached that level yet. This is based on divine revtion, so don''t worry about what the dean of Mushu Hospital is called, unless it''s Omebe"
Madam Magician, you''re quite skilled at telling horror stories too, worthy of being a great writer Lumian grumbled, continuing to read. "The name Stiano was quite famous in the Fourth Epoch. His full name is Yuggs Stiano. He was one of the founders of the Moses Ascetic Order, butter left the order and disappeared for a long time. It''s said that after the War of the Four Emperors and before the Pale Disaster, He became a true god. Yes, you''ve probably guessed who He is now. Also, remember, when you return to reality, don''t speak this name in anynguage with supernatural power."
It''s really the God of Steam and Machinery.. I actually added a true god on WeChat, and He even helped create a mini-program He''s quite friendly and approachable I wonder how Anthony would react if he knew that was the true god he once believed in, and probably still has some faith in. Would his emotional changes break through a Spectator''s instinctual control? Lumian stuffed the reply letter into the Traveler''s Bag.
Next, he took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Anderson Hood: "Why don''t you turn yourself in?"
After three or four minutes, "A name that leaves a deep impression on you" replied: "Over the years, there haven''t been many people who could confuse and surprise me for a while. You''re now one of them.
"Are you nning to report clues about Danitz''s death to the police?"
Lumian brought the phone close to his mouth and smiled as he said, "I n to write the names of all suspects in Danitz''s murder in a tip-off letter and submit it to the police department, using official power to trouble that person. Hopefully, it will cause him significant trouble. In others'' eyes, what the mute did is no different from what you did.
"Since that''s the case, why don''t you just turn yourself in? This way, I won''t need to write the tip-off letter." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
These words were quickly converted to text and sent to Anderson Hood.
Anderson Hood promptly replied, "Are you worried that if you write the tip-off letter, you''ll also be targeted by the authorities? So you''re instigating me to turn myself in to minimize the risk you need to bear?
"Don''t worry, the mute mainly made Danitz less vignt and alert, but didn''t actually do anything. He left no traces at the scene and used the power of paintings to create a strong alibi. Otherwise, as Danitz''s roommate who reported to the police just hours after the incident, I would have been the most suspicious person and would have been found out long ago.
"That person is also very cautious and didn''t leave any effective clues. However, troubling him a bit, distracting his attention, and making the police truly notice this name is not a bad idea.
"Go ahead and report it, just don''t mention my name."
Lumian clicked his tongue and walked back to the cashier, saying to the shopkeeper, "Can you help me write a letter?"
Seeing the shopkeeper raise her head to look at him, causing even the bright sunlight outside to be blocked by clouds, Lumian self-deprecatingly smiled and said, "I''m illiterate. I can''t write."
The shopkeeper smiled slightly and asked, "What do you want to write?"
Lumian thought for a few seconds and replied, "Danitz''s death is rted to Zaratulstra. He murdered Danitz."
The shopkeeper put down her phone, took out paper and pen, and quickly wrote down this paragraph. Finally, she asked, "How many copies?"
"Three," Lumian reduced the quantity to the minimum.
After the shopkeeper finished writing, he thanked her, took the three tip-off letters, and walked to the front of the magic mirror Arrodes.
He pressed his hand towards this ancient silver mirror.
He wanted to test if the supposedly great magic mirror had a corresponding area behind it, whether it was part of the mirror world.
Before any text could appear on the mirror''s surface, Lumian''s body suddenly lunged forward, quickly dematerializing and diving in.
In the blink of an eye, he saw the void and dark area behind the mirror.
The magic mirror is still a mirror Indeed, if even mirror-like objects can be treated as mirrors, there''s no reason why magic mirrors, which look like real mirrors on the surface, shouldn''t count Lumian muttered to himself, surveying his surroundings.
He found that the area behind the magic mirror Arrodes seemed a bit different from other mirrors.
The surrounding dark void was deeper, but it also seemed covered by an invisible cloth. Behind the cloth, pairs of eyes were watching him, and inexplicable things were silently flowing.
Indeed special Lumian didn''t waste time. Combining the police departmentyout provided by the Major Arcana card holders and his own sensing of various mirrors within range, he chose one of them and traversed through.
He wanted to "submit" the tip-off letters through the mirror world!
Soon, he reached his destination and brought his face close to the ss surface, observing the situation outside.
The next second, he saw a person.
The person wore a neat white shirt with ck diamond-patterned epaulets on the shoulders. He was a rigid middle-aged man with deep ck hair interspersed with some white strands. His dark brown, almost ck eyes were looking at the mirror where Lumian was.
Lumian quickly drew back, feeling as if he had been seen by the other party.
This was the office of Police Station No. 1, and that man was the highest leader of the dream city''s police force, Yagates.
Chapter 963 Midnight
Chapter 963 Midnight
Lumian had seen in the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders that the original character for Police Chief Yagates of Police Station No. 1 should be Madam Magician''s teacher, the Grand Duke of the Tudor Empire, the strongest King of Angels of the Fourth Epoch, Mr. Door Bethel Abraham.
Within this introduction, there was a very important conjecture: suspected to be the dream symbol of the Uniqueness of the Apprentice pathway.
Simrly, the Major Arcana card holders spected that the active Amon in the dream was a symbol of the Uniqueness of the Marauder pathway, but often also the original body.
This was because Amon was once the true god of the Marauder pathway, upying the Uniqueness of this pathway for thousands of years, leaving a strong spiritual imprint in the corresponding Uniqueness. It could even be said that for a long time before, He was equivalent to the Uniqueness of the Marauder pathway.
Therefore, before Amon''s spiritual imprint in the Uniqueness of the Marauder pathway waspletely worn away, Amon had a very close connection with this Uniqueness. He could use this to freely enter and exit this dream city. Even if discovered by the Celestial Worthy and kicked out, He could re-enter without limit.
The Uniqueness of the Major Arcana card holder pathway was part of this true dream, equivalent to Amon also being part of it. If the Celestial Worthy wanted to prevent Amon from re-entering, or to imposeprehensive restrictions on Him so He couldn''t do anything, ording to the Major Arcana''s spection, there were only three ways:
First, remove the Uniqueness of the Marauder pathway by separating it. Second, quickly wear away Amon''s spiritual imprint in that Uniqueness. Third, reach an agreement with Mr. Fool to jointly reject Amon.
Obviously, none of these three methods were feasiblethe seemingly most feasible second method had a prerequisite that the Celestial Worthy had a great advantage in the dream, almost half-awakened. Otherwise, in a sleeping state, in fierce opposition with Mr. Fool, even if He was a great existence, it was impossible to wear away Amon''s spiritual imprint in the Marauder Uniqueness in a short time.
Of course, Amon would still be restricted in the dream city. As for what kind of restrictions, the Major Arcana card holders didn''t know, they could only infer from Amon''s behavior that He wasn''tpletely unrestricted.
Simrly, Mr. Door''s spiritual imprint also remained in the Uniqueness of the Apprentice pathway, forming the dream manifestation of Yagates.
Although the Uniqueness of the Apprentice pathway had once been amodated by Amon, making Him a dual-pathway true god, Amon stayed at this level for a very short time, obviously unable topletely wear away Mr. Door''s spiritual imprint.
As soon as Lumian withdrew his body, he immediately disappeared from the spot, traversing towards another mirror, leaving only a few ck mes quietly falling, burning away any traces he might have left.
That was the symbol of the Uniqueness of the Door pathway, certainly having some control over the mirror world. Staying behind the current mirror would inevitably lead to exposure!
A second or twoter, Lumian transferred to the second target location.
The dream manifestation of the Apprentice pathway Uniqueness is Yagates, the dream manifestation of the Marauder pathway Uniqueness is Amon is the dream manifestation of the Seer pathway Uniqueness Zhou Mingrui, also the core that Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy are fighting over? Lumian thought while concealing his form, hiding in the darkness.
He patiently waited for a while, making sure no one was tracking him, before approaching the ss mirror surface to peek outside.
Outside was also an office, currently unupied.
This was Officer Deng''s office.
Lumian took out a tip-off letter, making it "float" up.
The letter then flew out of the mirror surface, falling towards Officer Deng''s desk.
Just as it touched the wooden desktop, a streak of ck me suddenly extended from the mirror, quickly burning towards it, illuminating the invisible spider silk that bound it tightly.
The ck mes enveloped the letter, burning away residual traces and some of the spider silk, while the remaining silk retracted behind the mirror.
Lumian changed his position once again, traversing to the third mirror.
Outside was still an office, belonging to another police officer, William Wang.
He was a very powerful police officer, corresponding to the real-life figure of the former king of the Loen Kingdom, William Augustus VI, a deceased person.
The Major Arcana card holders were actually a bit confused. Mr. Fool''s incarnations walking in the world had no intersection with William Augustus VI, so why did this deceased king have a corresponding manifestation in the dream city?
Simr situations included William Augustus I, Henry Augustus I, and other ancestors of the Augustus family who were "active" in the police station or court of the dream city, surnamed Wangthe same character for "king."
The Major Arcana card holders could only assume that Mr. Fool had many very ancient incarnations.
Perhaps because the police were in a meeting or on a mission, William Wang''s office was also empty. Lumian sessfully ced the tip-off letter, then randomly went to another office through the mirror world, dropped thest letter, without risking going to Yagates'' ce again.
Then, he returned to Star Dream Provisions Store,ing out from the mirror area corresponding to the magic mirror Arrodes.
"Can I borrow paper and pen again?" Lumian walked to the cashier and asked politely.
The shopkeeper put the paper and pen used for writing earlier on the counter.
Lumian began to write a letter to the Major Arcana card holders, with three main points:
First, to remind the Major Arcana card holders to pay attention to Rozanne in reality and provide necessary protection. Second, to ask them to confirm Anderson Hood''s real situation. Third, to report the news of Li Keji being arrested.
After mailing the letter and expressing thanks, Lumian returned to the gray sedan.
Anthony and Ludwig had already returned.
Before Anthony started the car, Lumian briefly exined the possible identity of Stiano.
Anthony was silent for a moment, then started the car and said with a sigh, "Even gods were once weak, even gods went through stages like us This truly is the path of the divine, it makes me feel that gods are no longer so unattainable, no longer naturally noble, naturally gods"
"Disenchantment?" Lumian asked using the newly learned term.
Anthony turned the steering wheel and said, "But They are indeed fighting against evil gods, protecting the people
"I remember in the industrial cities along the West Midseashire Coast, those robed clergy would regrly go to factories to hold ceremonies. Now it seems more like packaging major factory inspections, formal use of new machines, clergy getting close to front-line machines and other things into sacred rituals"
Anthony rambled on about religious stories he heard as a child and religious ceremonies he experienced as he grew up. Lumian listened quietly, asionally echoing with a word or two.
Dechang Garden, Building 5, Room 1502.
Luo Shan was very happy to find that Franca had returned to normal.
She curiously asked, "What did it feel like at that time?"
"I couldn''t breathe, like a fish pulled out of water, a person kicked out of this world." Franca described it simply, without mentioning parts that might make Luo Shan think of dreams.
Jenna then said, "You need to be careful recently. The minions of evil forces are also trying to get close to Zhou Mingrui and deal with people who have directly or indirectly helped Zhou Mingrui. We''re worried they might target you."
"Mm-hmm." Luo Shan pointed to the new oil painting and new sketch hanging on the wall, "I''ve already turned my room into a fortress, they will guard me while I sleep."
Franca and Jenna looked in the direction Luo Shan was pointing, seeing an oil painting of a colorful parrot.
Around the parrot were abstract, mottled color blocks, and its eyes deliberately turned when Franca and the others looked over, as if saying "Hi, I''m alive!"
After looking at the paintings in the living room and bedroom, Jenna nodded and said,
"A Painter''s ability is indeed magical.
"However, if you trust us, we can provide you with the ultimate safety guarantee."
"How?" Luo Shan asked.
Jenna didn''t hide anything.
"Give us a small amount of blood and hair, we''ll make a Mirror Substitution for you. Um, the straight-line distance between our two rooms barely qualifies within the effective range of this ability, and we can bring us closer in your Shaman space to ensure effectiveness.
"But this also means that we can easily and urately curse you, kill you with that Mirror Substitution."
Luo Shan fell silent.
After a good while, she smiled. "We can try. If you really want to kill me, you''ve had many opportunities these past few days."
Close to midnight, Luo Shan, who had already washed up, checked the doors, windows, and those paintings before lying down on the bed and turning off the lights.
In the deep darkness, Luo Shan quickly fell asleep, continuing to guard that semi-transparent barrier.
As time ticked by minute by minute, in the parrot oil painting in the living room, those mottled color blocks suddenly began to squirm.
The colorful parrot noticed this change and was about to cry out loudly, but was surged over by those color blocks, covering its mouth and pressing down its wings.
Soon, the colorful parrot was submerged and dissolved by these color blocks, bing part of them.
These color blocks flowed out of the oil painting like water, leaving the canvas empty. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
They surged towards the bedroom in the quiet night, passing through the door crack,ing to Luo Shan''s bedside.
Suddenly, this water flowposed of color blocks surged upwards, taking a human form.
The colorful human form quietly looked at the sleeping Luo Shan for twenty to thirty seconds.
Finally, it turned back into a water flowposed of color blocks, returning along its original path to the oil painting in the living room.
The color blocks squirmed, reconstructing the colorful parrot and the surrounding background.
The parrot was identical to before, its eyes still lively.
The next morning, Luo Shan woke up.
She first picked up her phone to check messages, then slowly got up and checked the situation in the bedroom and living room.
"No problems." Luo Shan breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the bathroom.
After parting with Franca and Luo Shan, Jenna went out to observe those dream characters who were rtively close to Zhou Mingrui.
This was her and Anthony''s recent task.
Of course, she had already submitted her profile to Hall Film Company as a performing arts student.
And today, she or Anthony would go to contact Peng Deng, a very special dream character.
Chapter 964 A Bit Special
Chapter 964 A Bit Special
Across from the building where Peng Deng worked.
Jenna walked up to the gray sedan and watched as the door opened and Ludwig got out by himself.
She nodded to Anthony in the driver''s seat, then led Ludwig towards a nearby caf.
Based on Peng Deng''s upation, they had already formted a n for making contact:
If they had money, they could buy a house, then go to the designpany where Peng Deng worked for a consultation, using abilities like Hypnosis or Instigation to "designate" Peng Deng as their designer.
Then, they could discuss design ideas, concepts and styles with Peng Deng, and sign a contract, allowing them to repeatedly contact the target through follow-up activities like reviewing ns and visiting sites, gradually bing familiar, and ultimately figuring out if he had any issues and what those issues were.
But unfortunately, they didn''t have that much money.
If they really had money to buy a house, wouldn''t it be simpler and more convenient to just rent the magic mirror Arrodes and ask it for detailed information about Peng Deng?
So Anthony only nned to execute the first half of the nfabricating the fact that he owned a house, using home renovation as an excuse to go for a consultation, using his Hypnosis ability to get thepany boss to assign Peng Deng to talk to him, and finally leaving with the excuse of needing to think it over, without signing a contract.
If Anthony''s operation failed, encountering a situation where Peng Deng was unavable or happened to be meeting a client, and he was assigned to a different designer, then Jenna would execute the second n.
After entering the caf with Ludwig, choosing a window seat, and ordering a cappino, a fruit juice, a small cake and a bunch of bread, Jenna looked at the little boy across from her and fell into deep thought, Every time we need to carry out a probing mission, we have to switch who takes him along. It feels so troublesome
He can certainly be very useful, but a child''s appearance, mentality and cognition mean he can''t act independently, and we''re notfortable with that notfortable with the ordinary people of the dream city
Should we find a way to get him into some elementary school, so he can attend sses? That way, we wouldn''t have to worry about him during the day, just pick him up when it''s time.
In Jenna''s silence, Ludwig suddenly had a bit of a bad premonition. At that moment, the small cake was brought over, and he immediately smiled, picking up the fork and spoon.
Jenna thought for a while, but still gave up on the idea of sending Ludwig to elementary school.
That wasn''t like going to cram school, which only took an hour and a half with breaks in between and parents waiting outside. He''d have to stay at school all day, and unless they gave Ludwig the Traveler''s Bag, there was really no way for him to carry enough food.
What would happen then, a ssmate every two periods?
Meanwhile, Anthony saw Peng Deng enter the building.
After 9 o''clock, confirming that Peng Deng hadn''t left, he got out of the car, entered the building, took the elevator, and arrived at the designpany called "Shengwei".
Anthony said to the receptionist, "I called earlier to inquire and made an appointment."
The receptionist checked the record book and led Anthony to a meeting room.
Soon after, the person in charge of the designpany came over and chatted with Anthony for a bit, confirming the style he wanted.
During this process, Anthony deliberately mentioned Peng Deng, saying he had seen this designer''s works and actual results on thepany''s public ount and felt they matched his ideas well.
Undoubtedly, while saying this, Anthony looked into the eyes of the person in charge, using Hypnosis lightly. Earlier during the phonemunication, he had also used psychological methods for guidance, though he couldn''t directly apply Hypnosis then.
"Please wait here, I''ll go get the designer," the person in charge stood up and left the meeting room, while a staff member poured Anthony a ss of water and put out some fruit.
About ten minutester, Anthony saw Peng Deng appear at the door.
Peng Deng had ck hair and brown eyes, with an ordinary appearance. His hair was styled with some parts fluffed up, and he wore a ck T-shirt with a trendy brand feel, carrying aptop.
Anthony stood up calmly, not showing any unusual behavior.
After thepany manager''s introduction, Anthony began chatting with Peng Deng, mainly describing his needs while Peng Deng listened and asionally asked more in-depth questions to understand the details.
After Anthony finished speaking, Peng Deng operated aptop and projector, saying, "I found a few images earlier, see if they match the feeling you want."
Soon, Anthony saw an image: a modern-style living room, bright and clean with golden sunlight shining through the windows, a vase ced in just the right position with a bouquet of fresh flowers, and two oil paintings hanging on either side, depicting sparse, beautiful forests and lush green fields
Anthony suddenly felt this was exactly what he wanted.
Peng Deng continued to show several more images, with styles simr to the previous one, and each seemed to perfectly match Anthony''s requirements.
He urately grasped the vision I had in mind just based on the description over the phone and our face-to-face conversation? Isn''t this a bit special? Anthony didn''t immediately express his thoughts, but continued discussing with Peng Deng how these images could bebined into a whole and the specific costs for the designer''s fee.
After chatting for a while longer, Anthony stood up and said, "I''ll think about it some more."
"Alright." Peng Deng didn''t try hard to persuade him, and escorted Anthony to thepany entrance.
Anthony went downstairs, crossed the street, and passed by the caf where Jenna and Ludwig were.
When the two parties met through the ss window, Anthony nodded slightly.
Then, he walked straight towards the rented gray sedan.
Jenna withdrew her gaze and continued watching Ludwig eat.
ording to their prior agreement, she easily understood without needing to guess what Anthony''s nod just now meant: I''ve met Peng Deng and made contact. Now, I need to self-iste until dawn tomorrow to see if any abnormalities ur.
Tech Building, Intis Group, Administration Department.
After being busy for a while, Luo Shan started to ck off.
She picked up her phone and sent a message to True Hidden de: "Do I need to go hint at Zhou Mingrui about his own specialness?"
Franca, sitting in the workstation diagonally in front of Luo Shan, hesitated for a while before replying: "Not for now. Wait until mypanion and I can no longer act, then you can do it."
Luo Shan was about to say something more when Deputy Director Zhang Qing came out of his office, pped his hands and said, "Mr. Huang will being over shortly, bringing that VIP fromst time to continue touring thepany"
Franca was worried that if Luo Shan hinted too deeply, she would also encounter abnormalities. While she and herpanions might be kicked out of the dream, dream characters might just die suddenly, or get hit and run over by a bus after work.
She preferred Luo Shan to only act as her assistant for now, cooperating with her to hint at Zhou Mingrui.
Luo Shan was about to say something more when Deputy Director Zhang Qing came out of his office, pped his hands and said, "Mr. Huang will being over shortly, bringing that VIP fromst time to continue touring thepany"
A rustling sound suddenly arose as many employees took out their makeup bags and makeup mirrors.
That VIP fromst time? Franca used her phone to ask Luo Shan: "Is it Zaratulstra?"
"It should be, he''s the only VIP recently, involved in the integration and merger of certain subsidiaries, as well as a big deal," Luo Shan replied quickly. "What should we do next?"
She meant, should they let Zaratulstrae into contact with Zhou Mingrui?
Didn''t Lumian report Zaratulstra yesterday? The police station has no evidence and can''t restrict the foreign guest''s freedom for now? Zaratulstra just went to see Zhou Mingrui at the cram school yesterday, and now he''sing to thepany again today. What does he want to do? Ah, Lumian was right, passively dealing with things can easily lead to problems. It''s better to actively eliminate hidden dangers Franca looked at her phone, her thoughts racing quickly.
After nearly a minute, she replied to Luo Shan: "Stay calm; let me see the specific situation before deciding. You just need to cooperate with me.
"Don''t worry, with so many people in thepany watching, Zaratulstra can''t do anything."
If worsees to worst, I''ll risk losing my job and pour a ss of water on Zaratulstra''s or Mr. Huang''s crotch!
Seeing that Luo Fu didn''t take out mirrors or put on makeup, several nearby employees withdrew their observing gazes, feeling relieved and focusing on themselves.
Soon after, the group chat reported Mr. Huang''s itinerary: "Mr. Huang has brought the VIP to the 16th floor!"
Tech Building, 16th floor.
Huang Tao, dressed casually, sat down with the formally dressed Zaratulstra in a room filled with various ssical objects and opened a bottle of Aurmir red wine.
"You said you bought a very peculiar mirror?" Huang Tao continued their previous topic.
Zaratulstra smiled and said, "Yes, it possesses a kind of magic. It can let us see our inner selves."
As he spoke, the old man''s deep blue, almost ck eyes moved slightly, and he took out a small mirror with a ssical design, luxurious style, and iid with gems from his suit pocket.
At this time, his and Huang Tao''s entourage had all been left outside the current room, with only a few security personnel guarding at the door, not approaching them.
"Look, this is how I appear in the mirror," Zaratulstra ced the mirror in front of his face.
Huang Tao leaned in and saw that the reflection in the mirror was not the elderly Zaratulstra, but a man in his thirties with deep ck hair and ordinary features.
Could it be a high-tech mirror with artificial intelligence? Huang Tao mumbled based on his experience and understanding.
"Would you like to try?" Zaratulstra asked him.
"Sure." Huang Tao took the mirror with interest, quietly checking if the item had any hidden switches and what material the mirror surface was made of.
He didn''t find any issues, so he brought the mirror up to his face with curiosity.
He then saw himself in the mirror.
It waspletely different from what he had imagined.
The him in the mirror was a woman, wearing an ornate golden crown, with slightly curly chestnut hair, blue eyes, a high nose bridge, thin lips, and an alluring appearance with an indescribable charm. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Huang Tao was stunned, as if he had seen the anima in his heart.
Lumian, who started his middle shift today, only needed to arrive at thepany before 4:30 p.m.
Sincetest night, he had been using the mirror world to sneak into a hospital called "Crimson Moon", where Li Keji was currently being held.
Chapter 965 Experimenting Again
Chapter 965 Experimenting Again
Lumian hid behind a mirror-like object on the corridor wall, gazing at Li Keji''s hospital room through the hard barrier.
He had maintained this position for many hours, only asionally adjusting to rx.
He had waited all night but hadn''t seen Zaratulstra or other subordinates of the Celestial Worthye to eliminate Li Keji.
After an unknown amount of time, as sunlight shone in from the other end of the corridor, different rooms in the psychiatric ward gradually became lively. Someone was singing loudly, someone was banging on doors, someone was knocking on something unknown, as if calling for breakfast.
At this moment, Lumian saw arge amount of milky white liquid surge out from the gap between Li Keji''s hospital room door and the solid floor.
Milk? Lumian''s gaze froze slightly.
A secondter, he found that the milky white liquid, which seemed to be milk, receded like a tide back into Li Keji''s hospital room. The floor became clean again, with only varying degrees of wet traces remaining.
Lumian watched silently.
A few minutester, with his eagle-like vision, he felt that there seemed to be something indescribable at the doorway of the hospital room.
He carefully pressed his face against the mirror surface, prating out slightly.
The scene before his eyes instantly lost its mirrored feel, bing clearer.
He then saw some small, distinct white lines, and noticed finer, less obvious white fments around them.
These things as a whole looked like intersecting, much thinner snowkes, or as if countless white fuzz were mixed together.
Compared to the spider silk of Demonesses, they were all opaque, tinted with color, and could still be discovered upon careful observation.
Mycelium? Lumian made a guess.
This was based on spection about Li Keji''s own special nature.
After a few seconds, these mycelium uniformly retracted, passing through the door gap and disappearing into the corridor.
A scene spontaneously emerged in Lumian''s mind: a strangely shaped giant mushroom man, no, a giant mushroom, walking to the door, carefully extending its myceliumits goals unknown.
Lumian fell silent once again.
He seriously pondered a question, Is letting Zaratulstra and other subordinates of the Celestial Worthy eliminate Li Keji ultimately a bad thing or a good thing
As long as they are prevented from taking Li Keji''s corpse to the basement of Mushu Hospital and using the Mother''s power to give him new life, the whole thing doesn''t seem that uneptable
Hmm, Frank Lee''s mushrooms in the dream city seemed to have ovepped with Mr. Fool''s idealistic cognition, bing more terrifying and bizarre than in reality. If they lost controlter, who knows which side it would benefit n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
No, no, no, fire is also dangerous, but fire can be exploited
This guy is suitable to be confined in a psychiatric ward, to be released when needed, or to borrow a few mushrooms with unique functions
Can a psychiatric ward really contain him? Should he be helped to enter prison, to be controlled by the officials representing the dream''s main consciousness?
But if so, it would be very troublesome for us to utilize him, and moreover, he doesn''t look like someone without mental problems in any way. Franca had exined before that in the dream city, such mentally ill patients don''t need to go to prison, they just need to receive prolonged treatment in a mental hospital
Lumian withdrew his face, distancing himself from the mirror surface.
At 10 a.m., he saw Huang Jiajia, Bernie Huang, apanied by awyer, Officer Deng, and a doctor in a white coat enter this ward.
Only then did he feel relieved. He traversed to the rear-view mirror of a car in the underground parking lot, jumped out, and directly teleported back to the rented apartment in Xinhong District.
At this time, Anthony was in self-istion, Ludwig had been taken away by Jenna, and Lumian casually ate some bread before preparing to lie down on the bed to catch up on sleep.
Just as he hadin down, he felt his phone vibrate once.
The message was from True Hidden de: "Zaratulstra hase to visit the group again, now on the 16th floor, hasn''te down yet."
Zaratulstra wasn''t affected by the tip-off letter? Does the tip-off letter need evidence, otherwise the police would have to investigate for a while, obtain sufficient evidence before they can arrest a foreign guest? Zaratulstra is still very cautious, and the identity of a foreign guest is also very clever Lumian sat on the bed, pondered and analyzed for a while before replying to Franca: "No need to interfere with Zaratulstra''s visit, but remind Zhou Mingrui to be careful through Luo Shan."
Inside the Administration Department of Intis Group.
Franca sent a message to Luo Shan: "If that guyes to visit the tech departmentter, remember to warn Zhou Mingrui to be careful about safety.
"No rush for now, what if the enemy chooses to visit other departments or other subsidiaries? Warning Zhou Mingrui in advance would plunge him into endless suspicion, guarding against everyone around him, which would greatly affect his mental state in the long run."
Luo Shan replied with a "nodding cat" emoji.
To their surprise, Mr. Huang didn''t bring Zaratulstra down for a tour, the two stayed on the 16th floor until noon before leaving via the private elevator.
"Alert lifted, the enemy didn''t contact the target, so Luo Shan didn''t give any reminder." Franca reported the situation to Lumian during lunch break.
Lumian quickly replied: "Then I''ll carry out the step of hinting at Zhou Mingrui about the existence of supernatural powers this afternoon, and be a bit more aggressive. You, Jenna, and Anthony, from now on, don''t contact me, delete the chat history, even my WeChat and QQ numbers, and add them back tomorrow afternoon."
"Won''t this get mixed up with the results of Anthony''s probe of Peng Deng? If he gets kicked out, we might have trouble distinguishing if it''s Peng Deng''s problem or something rted to your side." Franca raised a detailed question.
"It won''t, we isted from each otherst night, our experimental results won''t affect each other." Lumian had made preparations yesterday.
Since Franca''s consciousness returned to the body of "Luo Fu", he had started preparing.
At 4 p.m., Lumian arrived at Intis Group early and enjoyed an early dinner.
Then, he and Old Xia took over from their colleagues and started patrolling the floors.
Afterpleting this task, they reced colleagues who were rushing to the cafeteria and started monitoring the surveince.
Lumian seemed to be observing the situation on different floors, but his attention was entirely on the internal parts of Intis Group, on that area of the 10th floor.
Finally, he saw Zhou Mingrui leave his workstation, walk out of the tech department, and head towards the public restroom in the middle of the corridor.
Lumian stood up abruptly, clutching his stomach and said to Old Xia, "The food was too spicy just now, I need to go to the bathroom."
Without waiting for Old Xia''s response, he left the surveince room directly.
Old Xia turned to look at his back and said almost inaudibly, "He''s only been working for a week and already learned to take a shit break?"
In the corridor, Lumian avoided two security personneling out of the elevator area, turned into the stairwell, merged into the shadows, and quickly went down.
In less than thirty seconds, he reached the 10th floor.
Then, pretending to be checking a problem he had discovered during his earlier floor patrol, he openly entered the corridor between the Administration Department and Technology Department, arriving outside the restroom.
He looked left and right, then quickly walked into the men''s side with small steps.
At this time, Zhou Mingrui was washing his hands at the sink.
Lumian nced inside the restroom, confirming that no one was at the urinals, and one of the four stalls seemed to be locked.
Zhou Mingrui turned around and just saw him.
Lumian took out a lighter and smiled.
His thumb repeatedly pressed virtually above the lighter, not touching it, yet the lighter produced a series of crimson red mes.
Seeing this, Zhou Mingrui, who already had doubts, instantly became mentally tense.
Is this supernatural power or some kind of magic trick?
Lumian stepped back twice, pressing his other hand on the edge of the men''s restroom door frame, quietly activating a ck mark on his body.
Bottle of Fiction!
He isted the area of the sink from the rest of the bathroom and the space outside.
Lumian looked at Zhou Mingrui, who seemed ready tosh out at any moment, and smiled slightly. "I''ve drunk a beverage called ''Hunter''."
You really do have issues Zhou Mingrui''s eyes narrowed imperceptibly, his doubts and worries of many days finally bing reality.
Lumian turned his head to nce towards the urinals. "I came to you to warn you. Be careful of that foreign guest called Zaratulstra."
Zaratulstra Zhou Mingrui had a deep impression of this long name.
He had once been assigned by Mr. Huang as a technical person to receive Zaratulstra, and was responsible for being the interpreter and exiner, but the other party either had a mechanical failure with their flight or encountered severe weather, so he never managed to receive him.
Later, he got sick and took leave after listening to a song, missing Zaratulstra''s first visit to thepany.
After that, he had seen the group''s publicity, knowing what Zaratulstra looked like from videos and photos.
Reminded by Lumian, Zhou Mingrui suddenly remembered that the old man standing at the door of the Business English ss before Luo Shan warned him to be careful yesterday seemed to be Zaratulstra.
Was Luo Shan''s warning also pointing to Zaratulstra?
How did she know Zaratulstra was visiting Dream Tutoring sses?
Right, Li Ming was there yesterday
Are Li Ming and Luo Shan in cahoots?
Luo Fu joined only one dayter than Li Ming
As these thoughts shed through Zhou Mingrui''s mind, Lumian offered no exnation, lifted the Bottle of Fiction, and walked out of the men''s restroom.
Zhou Mingrui looked at his back, suddenly feeling that the hidden currents around him were much more fierce and exaggerated than he had imagined.
After another round of floor patrol, Lumian stood at the office window, watching as thest golden-red glow of the sunset was swallowed by darkness.
Night had officially arrived.
By this time, Luo Shan, Luo Fu, and Zhou Mingrui had all gotten off work, with thetter having left just a few minutes ago.
Lumian looked at the brightly lit buildings, slightly raising his chin and curling the corners of his mouth, waiting for the possible "exile".
This time, if he was kicked out of the dream, Zaratulstra probably wouldn''t be spared either.
A one-for-one exchange was worth it!
Chapter 966 Different Treatment
Chapter 966 Different Treatment
Time passed minute by minute. Lumian saw office workers continuing to leave the Tech Building, while carts appeared in less conspicuous ces along the road, selling fried noodles, stir-fried rice noodles, braised dishes, fried skewers, barbecue and other foods.
Cars drove by with their lights on, still busy.
Nothing''s happened yet Lumian had long lost sight of Zhou Mingrui, but he didn''t feel anything unusual.
At this moment, Old Xia walked in.
"Let''s go patrol again, so Team Lead Xu doesn''t say we''re hiding in the office cking off."
"Okay." Lumian nodded.
Then, he saw Old Xia turn his body somewhat awkwardly.
"What''s wrong? Did you hurt your back?" Lumian stopped, still close to the window.
Old Xia turned his head, his expression unchanged as he said, "I''m not What ah"
As he spoke, his lips sometimes paused mid-movement, and his ent changed.
Before Lumian could respond, Old Xia looked away and continued walking towards the door.
His knees, ankles, arms, and shoulders seemed as if filled with lead, heavy and stiff, with a sense of sluggishness.
Lumian suddenly recalled the puppet show he had seen in the basement of the Alone Bar in Trier, feeling as if invisible strings were tied to all of Old Xia''s joints.
Old Xia now looks more like a puppet than a human
Has he been maritized?
My thoughts also seem to begging
Am I also being maritized?
Lumian was startled. He lowered his head and tried to raise his right arm.
In his view, his arm lifted, paused, lifted again, and paused again, as if watching a video with slow Inte speed.
Indeed Lumian''s first reaction was that the Celestial Worthy was maritizing him, but he didn''t feel the painful difort of a fish leaving water or a person leaving air that Franca had described.
He immediately thought of another possibility: Zaratulstra or other subordinates of the Celestial Worthy were hiding in the shadows, trying to deal with him!
Lumian slightly moved his neck, turning his gaze to the window outside.
He found that the vehicles on the road all paused simultaneously, but without the forward surge that would ur with sudden braking.
After a brief freeze, these vehicles started moving again.
Two secondster, they stopped again.
This made Lumian feel as if he was watching surveince footage, frame by frame!
Not only the vehicles, but the vendors selling fried noodles and their customers also showed simr, abnormal stuttering.
Suchrge-scale maritizing in the dream city can only be done by the Celestial Worthy or Mr. Fool
The anomaly hase
Lumian tried hard to concentrate, preparing to actively exit the dream.
Although he wasn''t sure why his experience was different from Franca''s, the current situation and the changes around him made him feel this wasn''t something he could escape or fight against with his personal abilities.
The only solution was to actively exit the dream before bing a marite himself.
Of course, Lumian didn''t immediately put this into practice, because he didn''t need to use the Information Shredder to delete important contacts from his phonethis had already been done in advance. He still had some time to experience the current changes and see if he could observe any hidden information.
After about ten seconds, Lumian''s thoughts suddenly became smooth again, no longer feeling as if his head was stuffed with paste.
It''s over? No more maritization? Lumian, already looking outside, noticed that the vehicles on the road no longer had strange pauses.
Those vendors and pedestrians had also returned to normal.
"Why aren''t you moving yet? What''s on your mind?" Old Xia turned around again, urging Lumian.
Lumian''s eyes moved slightly, and he said with a grin, "Ouch, my stomach hurts. I''m going to the bathroom."
With that, he ran off, passing Old Xia and rushing into the public restroom on this floor.
Old Xia looked at his back and cursed amusingly, "Lazy cattle and horses shit and piss the most!"
Lumian entered a stall, locked the door, and quickly used Spirit World Traversal. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He teleported to another public restroom, appearing in midair on the men''s side.
Seeing no one in the stalls below, Lumian floated down lightly and locked the door.
This was the hotel where Zaratulstra was staying. Before going to "wait" outside Li Keji''s ward at Crimson Moon Hospital, Lumian hade here to scout aroundalthough he had temporarily shelved the n to actively attack and assassinate Zaratulstra, changing it to using Li Keji to ambush potential enemies, when time allowed, he would still make more preparations, in case Zaratulstra chose to finish off Li Keji indirectly. At that time, the backup n might be the primary one.
Lumian took out a mirror and ced it on top of the water tank.
Then, he pressed his right hand on it.
His figure suddenly leaned forward, rapidly bing ethereal, entering the ss mirror surface.
Using the mirror world, he traversed to the ss window inside Zaratulstra''s suite.
Under the night sky, this was undoubtedly a real mirror.
Lumian didn''t bring his face close to the ss surface, but peered into the room from a distance.
He wasn''t sure if Zaratulstra had returned to the hotel yet, maybe he was still out socializing. He also didn''t dare use divination to find the other''s current location, fearing it might alert a true Seer.
The next second, he saw a figure. The figure wore a ck formal suit, with slightly messy white hair, hanging from the main light, swaying gently, like the corpse of a hanged man.
Zaratulstra!
Wh Lumian was a bit shocked:
Zaratulstra was hanged by Mr. Fool, just like he hanged the Oracle?
Was my afternoon hint to Zhou Mingrui really effective?
I originally only thought about getting Zaratulstra kicked out of the dream, and I was prepared to pay the price of one entry chance for the dream
As Lumian''s thoughts raced, he saw twisted, writhing, transparent maggots falling from Zaratulstra''s body.
These worms quickly faded and disappeared as soon as they fell onto the bed and floor, as if they were just illusions.
Lumian then saw a figure walk out of the void.
The figure wore a ck formal suit, with all-white hair, a rather thick beard on his face, and eyes so deep blue they were almost pure ck without light.
Zaratulstra!
Another Zaratulstra!
A still-living Zaratulstra!
Zaratulstra raised his head, expressionlessly looking at the "himself" hanging from the chandelier.
The hanging figure quickly faded and became transparent like the maggots that had fallen earlier, until it disappeared.
Was the one hanging just now Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image?
Did Zaratulstra sense the danger in advance and summon a historical image to rece himself? Otherwise, at Sequence 7, a historical image couldn''tst long Lumian withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at Zaratulstra to avoid being noticed.
The information provided by the Major Arcana card holders about the abilities of the Seer pathway up to Sequence 3 Schr of Yore was quite detailed. For Sequence 2 Miracle Invoker, it only briefly exined what wishes and miracles were. Beyond that, the Major Arcana card holders hardly mentioned anything. The terms Grafting and Fooling were only briefly mentionedter to exin specific events.
Standing in the void ck area behind the mirror, Lumianbined his own experience with Zaratulstra''s different encounter to make some guesses about what had just happened.
It''s preliminarily confirmed that this was an anomaly brought about by my daytime hint to Zhou Mingrui.
On my side, pedestrians and cars within the range were all affected by maritization, not just myself This indicates that my hint to Zhou Mingrui did indeed attract the Celestial Worthy''s attention, but because the hint was given during the day, the Celestial Worthy couldn''t urately lock onto me, only roughly circle out a range?
During a collective maritization, if I resist or struggle using Beyonder powers, I would be quickly locked onto by the Celestial Worthy. If I choose to exit the dream to avoid danger, the Celestial Worthy''s goal would also be achieved, making me consume one chance to enter and exit the dream How cunning
My reminder to Zhou Mingrui was also perceived by Mr. Fool, and the name Zaratulstra was grasped by Him, so Zaratulstra encountered targeted rapid maritization, but this was borne by the image from the Historical Void
Why is Zaratulstra so calm now? Is this what a Faceless is? Or is He certain that before new changes ur, Mr. Fool''s gaze will onlye once, and if dodged, it''s truly dodged?
Tomorrow, we''ll get Luo Shan to probe Zhou Mingrui to see if he still remembers the threat of Zaratulstra. If he remembers, and Zaratulstra doesn''t encounter maritization again or end up kicked out of the dream, then it should be that the Celestial Worthy provided help, using the death of a historical projection to resolve this incident
Can we also use simr methods to avoid being kicked out of the dream?
Or, verbal threats from others and face-to-face stimtion are still different, so Franca and Zaratulstra''s experiences are also quite different
Thinking of this, Lumian quietly looked outside the mirror again.
He saw Zaratulstra walk to the door as if nothing had happened, open it, let several followers in, and discuss tomorrow''s business negotiation matters with them.
Lumian felt a bit of regret.
He had just been thinking about whether to take the opportunity to attempt an assassination when Zaratulstra''s historical projection was hanging and the real body appeared!
His curse still had the characteristic of not being transferable by paper figurine, as long as it affected the real body.
After ncing at those followers and weighing the possibility of Beyonders among them, Lumian silently left the ss window that could serve as a mirror and traversed back to that bathroom.
He had just left for two seconds when Zaratulstra and his followers in the room either half-turned their bodies or turned their heads, all casting their gazes towards the ss window at the edge of the living room reflecting the night scene.
In a cheap motel.
Anthony, who was self-isting after contacting Peng Deng, sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for a possible anomaly.
Chapter 967 A New Problem
Chapter 967 A New Problem
Anthony hadn''t drawn the curtains in his room, as he still needed to observe the situation outside.
This was topare with his own condition.
After sitting for a while, he stood up and walked to the window, admiring the city scene that was still glittering even in the deep night.
At this moment, he felt a strong dizziness.
He immediately realized that the air around him had been suddenly drained. No, a more urate description was that he had been "thrown" out of the world, separated from the air.
At the same time, his thoughts began to be confused and sluggish. His hands involuntarily reached for his throat, wanting to pull out his trachea and plug it back into the original world.
This is very simr to Franca''s description
Contact with Peng Deng also leads to being kicked out of the dream
More importantly I contacted the target during the day and didn''t hint at the existence of supernatural powers or hidden bizarre events
Contacting Zhou Mingrui in this way wouldn''t cause problems
Is Peng Deng more special than Zhou Mingrui?
Anthony calmly examined his own state, thinking about the process of this experiment.
When he felt he could no longer resist the tendency to be a marite, he used that force trying to kick him out to actively exit the dream.
He opened his eyes and saw the dark ceiling and the crimson moonlight shining through the thick curtains.
This scene was not present in the dream city.
Anthony had heard from Franca about the situation in reality. After briefly confirming the things he was carrying and the state of his body, he got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom.
He had also nned to go to the bathroom in the dream city. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
After a while, Anthony heard a knocking sound on the door.
Without needing to ask, he naturally knew that Madam Justice and Madam Susie were outside.
Anthony opened the door and, as expected, saw the Major Arcana card holder and the gentle, intelligent golden retriever.
Before he could greet them, Madam Justice asked in a soft voice, "Why did you suddenly leave the dream?"
"I was kicked out," Anthony replied, slightly confused.
Madam Justice shook her head. "Although I can no longer influence Mr. Fool''s dream, I have been monitoring the changes in the dream.
"I didn''t notice any signs of you being rejected by the dream."
"But" Anthony didn''t question Madam Justice''s statement. He recounted in full detail how he had contacted Peng Deng, how he had self-isted, and what he had just experienced.
Madam Justice didn''t interrupt Anthony''s words, listening patiently and attentively to his statement. Then, she nodded gently and said, "I believe what you felt was inner fear. Your fear turned the description from Two of Cups into reality, making you mistakenly believe you were being kicked out of the dream, so you chose to actively leave.
"As a Psychiatrist, both you and I know very well that this level of fear, fear without warning, is not normal at all. This is the anomaly brought about by your first contact with Peng Deng during the day."
"Fear the contact with Peng Deng triggered my fear of being kicked out of the dream, and let it reach its peak in the early hours, evolving into an almost tangible hallucination?" Anthony recalled the previous events and agreed with Madam Justice''s spection. He muttered thoughtfully, "Is this also a manifestation of being watched by that Celestial Worthy, a symbol of one of His abilities? Or is Peng Deng''s uniqueness not directly rted to that Celestial Worthy, but has another source?"
"We''re not sure either, because Peng Deng''s role and position in the dream city are too special. We put him in thest few steps when ites to confirming the situation. Unfortunately, we couldn''t influence the dream anymore before we got to that part of the process. This time can be considered our Tarot Club''s first real contact with Peng Deng" At this point, Madam Justice''s emerald-like eyes moved slightly, her mouth half-open, stopping her subsequent words.
After two seconds, she said thoughtfully, "Perhaps the fact that ''we put Peng Deng at the end to probe'' itself has some problems, but there are too many possible reasons. Fooling can certainly achieve this
"We also don''t know if that Celestial Worthy can unconsciously trigger the fear in your heart and let it burst at a specific moment. We know very little about the authority and corresponding existence symbols of Sequence 0 of the Seer pathway, especially thetter."
Although Madam Justice didn''t finish all her spections, Anthony roughly knew what her possible thoughts might be. He said carefully, "We need to design a more detailed experimental n specifically for Peng Deng in the future to determine the source of the problem.
"What we can be sure of now is that there is a certain difference between him and Zhou Mingrui. The anomalies that appear due to contact with them under the same conditions are different."
Madam Justice smiled and said, "Your contact with Peng Deng this time has been very informative for me.
"Hmm don''t rush back to the dream, stay outside for three hours first, walk around the vi, eat something.
"This doesn''t mean there will be a problem if you go back now, you weren''t kicked out, we don''t have that concern. This is just a simple adjustment to your psychological state: after staying in the dream city for a long time, it''s easy to confuse reality and dreams. Since you''ve already left, it''s best to re-experience reality and deepen the corresponding psychological cognition."
"Yes, Madam Justice." As a Psychiatrist, Anthony naturally understood the meaning of these words.
To use a new term he learned in the dream city: prevention is better than cure.
After returning to the Tech Building, Lumian continued the task of patrolling the floors with Old Xia until they got off work at 12:30 a.m.
He directly teleported to the vicinity of Crimson Moon Hospital, then used the mirror world to reach outside Li Keji''s ward, waiting for possible attacks.
Of course, he didn''t stay in the same position all the time, nor did he always remain at Crimson Moon Hospital.
He picked out three time periods he thought were most suitable for assassination, only ambushing during these three periods, and being normal the rest of the time such as sleeping at home or being on his phone.
During those three time periods, he would randomly choose one of six hiding spots each time, with no two consecutive times being the same.
This was to guard against Zaratulstra and the Celestial Worthy''s other subordinates thinking that someone might be using Li Keji as bait to ambush them, andunching targeted attacks in return.
At daybreak, Lumian went out to buy breakfast.
On the way, he deliberately turned into a quiet alley and met Jenna.
This was arranged by both parties.
Jenna handed Ludwig over to Lumian, as she had an interview at Hall Film Company today and couldn''t watch over the child.
Lumian looked around and told Jenna about what happenedst night, asking her to share it with Franca.
Lumian finally said, "At present, it seems that contacting Zhou Mingrui during the day and hinting at the existence of supernatural powers also carries risks, but won''t receive precise strikes. However, after being remembered by Zhou Mingrui and knowing the corresponding danger, one will encounter rapid maritization at night, which can possibly be avoided. Currently, we can''t determine if it''s an isted attack. I''ll observe Zaratulstra''s situation again tonight.
"Get Luo Shan to find Zhou Mingrui and remind him about the Zaratulstra issue again, see if he has forgotten the corresponding things. Don''t worry, after I directly mentioned Zaratulstra yesterday, Zhou Mingrui should have guessed that I''m on the same side as Franca and Luo Shan. He doesn''t know about your and Anthony''s existence for now."
Jenna had just tersely acknowledged when both of them almost simultaneously received a friend request from "An Ruide".
After exchanging nces, Lumian gestured to Jenna not to add him yet, and epted the request himself.
After An Ruide talked aboutst night''s situation and Madam Justice''s guesses, he confirmed the other''s identity and sent a voice message with a smile: "Let''s talk in detail when we get back to the rental house. I''ve made some significant discoveries on my end too."
"It seems Peng Deng is even more special than we imagined" Lumian then told Jenna about Anthony''s experience.
Jenna listened carefully, added Anthony back, and waved goodbye to Lumian and Ludwig.
In the administrative department of the Tech Building.
When Franca and Luo Shan went to the bathroom together, taking advantage of the moment when no one else was there, she told the other about the request ryed by Jenna.
Luo Shan asked nervously yet excitedly, "How should I hint?"
Franca used her Instigator expertise to helpe up with a set of talking points.
After about half an hour, Zhou Mingrui, wearing a gray shirt, came to the administrative department again, asking Luo Shan if there was anything going on in thepany recently, saying they needed to work overtime if there was something, and even if there wasn''t, they still needed to work a bit extra.
Great question! Luo Shan praised Zhou Mingrui in her heart, and said with a smile, "The merger negotiations between the group and argepany have entered the formal process.
"The boss of thatpany is Zaratulstra, who has visited twice."
When saying the name "Zaratulstra", Luo Shan looked at Zhou Mingrui, trying to read the changes in his expression.
Zhou Mingrui said in realization, "Previously, Mr. Huang even grabbed me to pick him up at the airport, to be an interpreter and guide, but unfortunately, I didn''t get to."
"When he came to visit thepany, you weren''t here either. Seems like you were on sick leave? Yesterday he came again but stayed on the 16th floor the whole time and didn''t visit other departments, so you haven''t met him at all." Luo Shan said deliberately.
This was the script Franca had prepared for her.
Zhou Mingrui paused for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Maybe there''s some force in the universe preventing me from meeting him."
After chatting for a few more sentences, Zhou Mingrui left Luo Shan''s workstation and walked towards the door.
As he passed by Franca''s desk, Franca suddenly spoke. "Watch out!"
Zhou Mingrui quickly turned sideways, looking at Franca.
Franca pointed at the wet marks on the ground and said, "I just spilled some water on the ground, it''s a bit slippery, be careful."
"Oh, oh, you scared me," Zhou Mingrui responded with a smile.
He walked around the wet area and left the administrative department. The smile on his face gradually faded.
Luo Fu told me to be careful? Luo Shan just mentioned Zaratulstra
Are they together telling me to be careful of Zaratulstra?
Hmm, they are indeed on the same side as Li Ming
In the administrative department, Luo Shan sent a message to Franca: "He has some vignce towards that enemy, he probably hasn''t forgotten your warning."
Chapter 968 The Actor
Chapter 968 The Actor
Hall Film Company, Talent Department.
Today, Jenna hadn''t applied extravagant makeup, nor had she deliberately made herself look ugly. She simply maintained her natural "coloring" as a local with ck hair and brown eyes, with softer facial features. She was simple and fresh, fully disying her natural beauty and feminine charm, causing many passing employees and fellow interviewees to turn their heads.
"Next, Jian Na," called out the employee at the conference room door.
Jenna stood up, recalling the education she had received at the Thatre de l''Ancienne Cage Pigeons, and walked in gracefully.
The four interviewers, two men and two women, who were writing and drawing, looked up at the sound of her greeting. Their eyes all lit up, though with subtle differences in emotion.
"Jian Na, graduated from the Performance Department of the National Drama Academy?" One of the female interviewers read out Jenna''s educational background.
This was the identity that Madam Justice had crafted for Jenna. As far as Jenna knew, Madam Justice''s corresponding image in the dream was Holly, the actual executive of Hall Film Company and the producer of "The Great Pirate 3".
In other words, she was the boss of these interviewers present.
And Hall Film Company was just a non-core industry under the Hall Group, whose foundation was various banks. In the dream city, its financial power was second only to the Intis Group.
"Yes." Jenna didn''t hide her pleasant voice.
After the interviewers asked various questions, the initial interviewer drew out a card and handed it to Jenna.
"Please perform a segment ording to the requirements on this."
Seeing Jenna''s clear and beautiful appearance and clean aura, this interviewer deliberately chose a performance themed around "coquettishness" to test her.
Jenna took the card, but before she could read the topic, she heard the interviewer add, "You can''t put on makeup or change clothes on the spot. You need to present the content of the topic through your own performance."
Jenna wasn''t nervous at all, but rather slightly excited.
As an apprentice at the Thatre de l''Ancienne Cage Pigeons, she had dreamed of such performance opportunities countless times.
She lowered her head to look at the topic and couldn''t help but smile.
She had life experience in being "coquettish". n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
She lowered her head to look at the topic and couldn''t help but smile.
She had life experience in being "coquettish".
When Jenna raised her head, her eyes were already passionate and bold, as if hiding thousands of words.
The Showy Diva was back on stage!
As her gaze swept over them, both male and female examiners inexplicably felt their hearts tremble.
Halfway through Jenna''s performance, some examiners had already started drinking water.
I haven''t even used Charm yet Jenna was proud of her performance.
She hadn''t even made any overly vulgar movements.
"Phew" An interviewer involuntarily let out a breath as Jenna finished her performance.
She asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Yes," Jenna answered promptly, but didn''t mention that she also had a child.
It wasn''t mentioned in her resume either. After all, Ludwig''s household registration was with Lumian, and she and Lumian weren''t married. Unless the Hall Film Company hired private detectives to investigate deeply, they definitely wouldn''t find out.
The interviewers couldn''t help but exchange nces.
What a great talent, possibly the kind that could outshine others in the future. Why would she already have a boyfriend?
Girl, wake up! You''re too young to be in love!
Never mind, once she enters the industry and sees what real luxury is, she''ll quickly break up with her previous boyfriend. Before that, just make sure to keep it confidential.
The initial female interviewer withdrew her gaze from her colleagues and said to Jenna,
"We''ll get back to you with an answer soon. Um, try not to leave the city for the next three days."
"Alright," Jenna bowed and left the meeting room.
Since this was in the Talent Department, where one might run into big-name stars at any time, there were dedicated staff to escort her out to prevent wandering and unauthorized photos.
The young woman escorting Jenna out of the Talent Department saw that this interviewee was not only beautiful but also had a unique kind of beauty, with great potential to be a big star in the future. Wanting to build a rtionship, she started introducing which office belonged to who, and which area was exclusive to whom
Jenna was also very interested in this, because Lumian had reminded her to "pay attention to the actor ying Gehrman Sparrow, see if there''s anything special about him".
The two chatted happily as they slowly walked towards the exit of the Talent Department.
At this moment, several people came in from outside, led by someone wearing sunsses, about 1.8 meters tall.
Having already entered the Talent Department, this person took off his sunsses, revealing a face that Jenna found somewhat familiar.
He looked about 30% simr to Zhou Mingrui, with a smaller head, more delicate features, and more pronounced contours. If Jenna hadn''t been specifically looking for traces of Zhou Mingrui on his face, she probably wouldn''t have noticed the resemnce.
This was the actor ying Gehrman Sparrow, a mixed-race man named Jia Yu.
Jenna withdrew her gaze with some disappointment.
If Jia Yu himself had looked 60-70% simr to the Gehrman Sparrow he yed, or very close to Zhou Mingrui, relying on makeup to be Gehrman Sparrow, then Jenna would have thought he might be somewhat special, a symbol of some key issue in the dream. But now, Jenna thought it was unlikely.
No wonder Franca said there was no need to observe and contact the actor ying Gehrman Sparrow, and Madam Justice didn''t mention Jia Yu in the information
However, Franca''s reason was really strange, saying that Jia Yu means ''fake jade'', representing that this person is fake, no need to delve deeper. But ''Jia'' and ''fake'' havepletely different meanings. Indeed, only with Franca as a guide can some things be clear at a nce, and some symbols be easily interpreted Jenna mused to herself as she passed by Jia Yu and his group.
Those people instinctively turned their heads to look at Jenna''s back, seeming to have been struck by her beauty.
After leaving the Talent Department, Jenna asked curiously, "Was that just now Jia Yu?"
The female employee escorting her out nodded.
"Yes, The Great Pirate 3 made him famous overnight."
"Does he have an English name? He looks very much like a foreigner," Jenna asked casually.
If Jia Yu''s English name was Klein Moretti, then it would still be worth continuing to observe and make deeper contact.
The female employee thought for a moment and said, "No, he just has some foreign ancestry."
As Jenna was feeling disappointed, the female employee lowered her voice and said,
"Actually, he wasn''t initially chosen to y Gehrman Sparrow. We had booked another actor, who was much more famous than him at the time, a real international star."
"Couldn''t agree on the price?" Jenna asked.
The female employee shook her head.
"Car ident, became a vegetable."
"Ah?" Jenna was first shocked, then several phrases she had seen while scrolling through videos recently shed through her mind: de shes, bloody storm, fierce struggle
"What a pity," the female employee sighed.
Jenna''s eyes moved slightly as she asked, "What was that star''s name? I haven''t heard about the actor being reced due to a car ident"
The female employee had a look of reminiscence.
"I can''t remember his name either. That incident left a deep impression on me, but I just can''t recall the name It''s just on the tip of my tongue"
"Then I''ll look it up myself when I get back." Jenna felt increasingly that there was something off about this matter.
She smiled and waved goodbye, leaving Hall Film Company.
At Xinhong District, in the rented apartment.
Lumian received a message from Jenna, informing him about the matters rted to the actor ying Gehrman Sparrow.
Lumian received a message from Jenna, informing him about the matters rted to the actor ying Gehrman Sparrow.
There was indeed news about a star bing a vegetable due to a car ident, but whether it was the news itself or thements below, they were all vague about the name and specific time, as if avoiding something.
Even the almighty inte can''t find out who it is Lumian stood up and started pacing in the living room cum dining room.
He suddenly thought of someone and picked up his phone, finding "A name that leaves a deep impression on you".
"Have you heard of this news? Do you know who it is?"
Below the text converted by the voice input method was the news content that Lumian had copied and pasted.
After a while, Anderson Hood replied to him: "See? If I had turned myself in, who would provide you with intelligence?"
He still hasn''t forgotten aboutst time? Isn''t he being a bit petty? Lumian grumbled to himself, then smiled and brought the phone to his mouth: "Then I would help you break out of prison."
After twenty to thirty seconds, Anderson replied: "But I don''t want to break out of prison. You don''t need to help me go against this city.
"The star who had the car ident is called An Xiaotian; he''s still lying in a special ward at Crimson Moon Hospital."
"An Xiaotian?" Lumian looked towards Anthony.
As Franca would say, everyone with their names beginning with ''An'' might have been one family five hundred years ago.
Anthony thought for a few seconds, just as he had an inspiration, Lumian was already muttering to himself, "Antigonus?"
This was one of the five dukes of the Tudor Empire, the previous Fool Uniqueness amodator.
Thinking of the five dukes of the Tudor Empire, Lumian, who had already encountered three of them in the dream, inexplicably felt a bit more pressure with the lingering aura of the Blood Emperor.
"It''s quite fitting with the dream logic for Mr. Fool''s manifestation to be yed by the previous Fool" Lumian nodded slowly.
"But having a car ident isn''t normal, what does this symbolize?" Anthony said thoughtfully.
"Does it symbolize that the mental imprint left by Antigonus in The Fool Uniqueness is in a vegetative state?" Lumian tried to interpret.
He immediately added, "A more suspicious point about this matter is that Madam Justice didn''t mention it in the information.
"Whether An Xiaotian is the dream manifestation corresponding to Antigonus or not, as the originally nned actor for Gehrman Sparrow who had a car ident and became a vegetative patient, Madam Justice should have mentioned it in the information, both emotionally and rationally.
"If he is Antigonus, then we should be instructed to dig deeper into the issue. If not, why not simply exin a few sentences to prevent us from wasting time on this aspect?"
Anthony pondered for a while and said, "Maybe she forgot."
And for the Major Arcana card holders, "forgetting" itself could indicate that there were issues with An Xiaotian''s existence.
Lumian, standing, looked at Anthony and said thoughtfully, "Later, you go to Star Dream Provisions Store to retrieve the letter, and write about An Xiaotian''s matter in a letter and mail it out.
"I''ll find time to go to Crimson Moon Hospitalter to ''visit'' An Xiaotian."
Chapter 969 Conspirers Sensitivity
Chapter 969 Conspirer''s Sensitivity
Star Dream Provisions Store.
With Ludwig tagging along, Anthony received the reply letter from the Major Arcana card holders from the shop owner.
"In reality, Rozanne is under strict protection from the Church of Evernight Goddess. As long as she''s asleep, there will definitely be Beyonders monitoring her dream state. The Church of Evernight Goddess are experts in this area"
"On the Future, Frank Lee hasn''t shown any more abnormalities so far. He''s the same as before. Regarding Li Keji in the dream, our bottom line is that we can''t let him be corrupted by the power of the Great Mother, nor can we let him be a puppet of the Celestial Worthy through death and rebirth"
Reading this, Anthony seemed to hear the inner thoughts of the Major Arcana card holders: "If necessary, you can actively eliminate Li Keji and destroy the body. In any case, we can''t let him be corrupted or exploited. Death won''t affect the real person in reality."
Lumian thought the same Anthony hadn''t personally witnessed Li Keji''s mushrooms, he had only heard Lumian recount the other''s ideas, which he found somewhat reasonable but also permeated with bewildering madness.
He continued reading the rest of the letter.
"We can only confirm that Anderson Hood is currently in Anderson, the capital of Lenburg, but we can''t find him. We willmunicate with the Church of Knowledgeter."
The fact that even the Major Arcana card holders from different pathways can''t find him proves that Anderson Hood is hiding very well. Perhaps he has even received protection from higher powers Is themunication with the Church of Knowledge a way to confirm if they had provided help to Anderson Hood? If not, things would be even moreplex and troublesome Anthony folded the letter and stuffed it into his jeans pocket.
He then immediately dropped the letter he had written in advance into the silver-trimmed ck mailbox.
Tech Building.
Lumian was already at work. While patrolling the floors, he pondered how to more effectively monitor Zaratulstra''s situation, and where to go tonight to observe this enemy''s stateLumian wanted to see if Zaratulstra would still encounter hostility in his dreams at night after Luo Shan reminded Zhou Mingrui again, deepening thetter''s impression of Zaratulstra.
Reaching the seventh floor, taking advantage of Old Xia''s trip to the bathroom, Lumian took out his phone, opened the online shopping tform Franca had mentioned, and typed a few words using voice input: "Pinhole cameras"
He felt that although Zaratulstra was also suppressed to Sequence 7, he was essentially still an Angel with many mysterious and bizarre abilities. Relying solely on the mirror world to spy on him was obviously unrealistic; this could only be done asionally.
So, Lumian nned to try scientific methods, to try pinhole cameras and bugs. Even if Zaratulstrater discovered these little devices, as long as he couldn''t trace them back to Lumian, there wouldn''t be any problem.
Afterpleting the input, Lumian didn''t press the "search" button.
He remembered Franca saying this was illegal, part of the ck and gray industry.
Let''s not even mention whether regr tforms sell these, but as a Child of God, why should I personally get involved in the ck and gray industry? I''m aw-abiding citizen Lumian half-jokingly, half-mockingly closed the app and switched to WeChat, entering the conversational window with "Intis Group Grimm".
He calmly input: "Prepare some pinhole cameras and bugs for me, preferably with user manuals.
"Also, give me Zaratulstra''s itinerary for the next two days."
Zaratulstra''s safety in the dream city was jointly managed by his personal bodyguards and the Intis Group''s security department, so Lumian knewst night that Zaratulstra was most likely at the hotel, and headed straight there to observe the situation. Of course, this wasn''t entirely certain; Zaratulstra could change his itinerary at any time. He was the one in control, just like when he suddenly decided to visit two tutoring centers, Lumian hadn''t received any warning from Grimm beforehand.
"Alright." Grimm quickly replied to Lumian.
By the time Lumian finished patrolling the floors and returned to his office, opening the drawer that belonged to him, he immediately saw two sets of pinhole cameras and bugs quietly ced inside.
Lumian pulled out the paper ced on top of them and memorized Zaratulstra''s itinerary from 5 pm to 10pm today.
As the sky approachedplete darkness, he found an excuse to go to the bathroom and teleported away.
He first used the mirror world to hide the pinhole cameras and bugs in inconspicuous ces in Zaratulstra''s room, erased traces of his presence, andpleted anti-divination using Mirror Substitution. Then he returned to the Tech Building and arrived at Mr. Huang''s exclusive 16th floor through the mirror.
Tonight, Mr. Huang would host a business dinner here to entertain Zaratulstra and his entourage.
Lumian was very grateful for Mr. Huang''s fondness for mirrors and gold foil decorations, which allowed him to easily find the best position to observe Zaratulstra from behind a mirror-like object on the ceiling.
The elderly man had just toasted a ss of red wine with Mr. Huang and appearedpletely normal, while outside the window it was truly night.
Time ticked by, and Lumian quietly watched them drink wine, eat, and chat casually.
Suddenly, Mr. Huang leaned back in his chair, raised his head, and as if pondering a question, cast his gaze towards the mirror-like object where Lumian was hiding.
Lumian instinctively withdrew his body, moving away from the mirror surface.
Did Mr. Huang sense me?
Can he detect spying from behind mirrors?
He''s just a dream projection, not Emperor Roselle Was that just a pure coincidence just now, or in Mr. Fool''s subconscious cognition, is Mr. Huang hiding Beyonder powers? Thinking of this, Lumian suddenly remembered a piece of information Franca had told him: Louis Gustav of the Emperor faction has been very irritabletely because he couldn''t contact a key figure, and that key figure was suspected to be the mirrored Emperor Roselle.
There''s a whiff of conspiracy Lumian''s Conspirer''s intuition immediately gave him a suspicion: Could it be that the mirrored Emperor Roselle has also entered the dream?
She had previously cooperated with the subordinates of evil gods and Celestial Worthy, did She enter the dream with the help of the Celestial Worthy''s side? After all, She''s not a true god, hasn''t amodated the Uniqueness, and doesn''t have special items, so it''s unlikely She coulde in on Her own
Is She working with Zaratulstra, attempting to erode and influence Emperor Roselle''s dream manifestation, Huang Tao, until they control and rece him?
She is essentially a Mirror People, so it''s only natural that She can detect someone spying from behind mirrors
If She and Zaratulstra control the Intis Group, given the Group''s influence and terrifying cash flow, the bnce of victory will surely tilt rapidly!
While we focused on Zhou Mingrui, Li Keji, and An Xiaotian, Zaratulstra quietly raided our vault
Normally, given that Princess Bernadette seems to still be able to enter the dream, Mr. Huang should be on our side
But why did Mr. Huang so obviously look in my direction?
She could have pretended not to notice and waited for an opportunity to suddenly attack
The more Lumian thought about it, the more he felt cold sweat breaking out on his back.
Zaratulstra isn''t a Conspirer, but he''s as good as one!
Indeed, my initial idea wasn''t wrongwe should actively attack, assassinate him, or trade one for one, kick him out As these thoughts raced through Lumian''s mind, he pressed against the mirror surface again, looking down.
At this time, Mr. Huang had already withdrawn his gaze.
But Zaratulstra noticed his previous behavior and nced at the ceiling, asking, "What were you looking at?"
Mr. Huang gently swirled the red wine in his ss and smiled, answering, "Thinking about some things."
Zaratulstra didn''t ask further and started talking about other matters.
Lumian observed for several more minutes, confirming that Zaratulstra showed no abnormalities after nightfall.
In other words, after being punished once, Mr. Fool''s subconscious will consider this personpletely maritized. Even if Zhou Mingrui hears the corresponding name again, deepening his impression, it won''t alert the dream''s subconscious, unless Zaratulstra does something new to stimte him, bringing new changes? Lumian spected about the reasons for the current situation as he left using Mirror Traversal.
"What took you so long?" Old Xia casually asked when he saw him walk back into the office.
Lumian sighed and said, "Ah, I''m the kind of person who gets diarrhea when I eat excessively spicy stuff, and gets constipated when I don''t eat spicy food."
Old Xia enthusiastically started chatting about the topic of "spicy food".
Late at night, Lumian teleported to the vicinity of Crimson Moon Hospital, continuously shing between the ss windows of different special wards through the mirror world.
After a minute, he stopped.
Before him was a dark hospital room with only a bit of moonlight, and his spiritual intuition told him that the person in the room was An Xiaotian, whom he was looking for.
Lumian looked down at the hospital bed from above and saw a person connected to many machines and tubes. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The person''s head was immersed in darkness, only vaguely showing decent facial features, but the beard seemed to have been only trimmed short due to not being shaved for a long time, growing up to just below the cheeks, thick and ck, in tufts.
Lumian observed for a while, then walked out of the ss window and approached the bedside.
He saw that theatose patient''s head was shaved bald, with multiple suture marks on top that looked like giant centipedes.
A scene spontaneously formed in Lumian''s mind: the head forcibly split open, the brain violently extracted, then something unknown ced in the emptied space before suturing shut
A symbol? Just as this thought shed through Lumian''s mind, he saw on the monitor that the heartbeat became intense, with peaks and valleys rapidly alternating, bringing a beeping rm sound.
Lumian instinctively stepped back, moving to the window, ready to leave at any moment.
At the same time, he saw that all of the patient''s monitoring data had changed, bing very active.
As soon as I arrive, there''s an anomaly? Is it caused by something on me There are too many possible reasons, I don''t even know which one it could be Lumian once again turned his gaze to the patient himself.
The patient''s fingers suddenly moved imperceptibly.
Chapter 970 Linkage
Chapter 970 Linkage
In the dark hospital room lit only by a bit of moonlight, Lumian saw An Xiaotian, who had been in a vegetative state for over a year, move his fingers ever so slightly.
While surprised, Lumian wasn''t afraid. Instead, he smiled.
An anomaly is good; anomalies reveal more information!
How could I interpret the secrets hidden in this matter if there were no changes?
Lumian leaned against the window, staring at An Xiaotian on the hospital bed, waiting for more anomalies.
An Xiaotian''s fingers moved again.
The darkness in the room seemed to deepen.
Lumian''s gaze suddenly turned to the doorway of the hospital room.
The door opened silently, and a nurse wearing a white cap entered.
Lumian didn''t immediately teleport away, but hid in the shadow cast by the curtains.
He saw the nurse, with a nk expression, busily moving around the bed, sometimes adjusting equipment, sometimes changing IV bags, but her hands were always empty, and there was nothing currently hanging on the IV stand.
Through the open door, Lumian noticed that the dimly lit corridor was suddenly filled with more than a dozen people.
There were nurses pushing empty carts, women in patient gowns walking back and forth, men walking while moving their arms, as lively as if it were midday.
But it waste at night, and they weren''t making any sound, their facespletely devoid of expression.
Lumian thought for a moment, then deliberately walked out of the shadows.
The nurse busying herself by An Xiaotian''s side didn''t even nce at him, as if he were just a patch of air.
Lumian walked out of the hospital room at a leisurely pace, cing himself among theing and going nurses and patients.
When the man moving his arms was about to bump into him, he naturally sidestepped Lumian, never looking at him.
Lumian stood with his hands in his pockets, watching them as if they were in different worlds.
The nurse pushing the empty treatment cart turned and walked straight towards Lumian.
Just as they were about to collide, the nurse suddenly stopped, opened her mouth, and said one word, "Be"
Her voice abruptly cut off, and she walked around Lumian with a nk expression.
Behind her was the female patient who had been walking. She also came up to Lumian and began to speak, "Care"
Be, care? Be careful of what? Lumian''s spirits lifted, feeling that this trip hadn''t been in vain.
The female patient also only said one word before walking around Lumian. Behind her was another nurse.
Just as that nurse opened her mouth, Lumian suddenly heard a buzzing sound.
The already dimmed lights at the end of the corridor began to flicker, alternating rapidly between bright and dark.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian felt a sense of being rejected by his surroundings, an ufortable feeling of being about to be squeezed out.
He saw the nurse in front of him rapidly step backward, the female patient who had just walked around him retreated to his front, then continued backing up.
In this way, the scenes Lumian had previously witnessed and the events he had experienced began to rapidly rewind, as if he had identally clicked a corresponding button while watching surveince footage.
A strong fear suddenly erupted in Lumian''s heart, which even the endurance of an Ascetic couldn''t suppress.
He felt that if he stayed here any longer, he would encounter something terribly frightening, and might even be directly locked onto by that Celestial Worthy, after which he would no longer have the chance toe to the dream city!
Without hesitation, he activated the ck mark on his right shoulder and disappeared from the hospital ward corridor.
Lumian''s teleportation destination wasn''t the rented apartment in Xinhong District, but the entrance of Star Dream Provisions Store.
At this time, Star Dream Provisions Store was already closed, but not far away was the Dream City Police Department, with quite a few rooms in the corresponding building still lit up.
Lumian calmly examined his own feelings and found that the fear was rapidly receding, and the ufortable sense of being rejected by his surroundings was gone.
Is it an anomaly, or rather, a gaze directed at that area? There''s no problem once I leave?
Those nurses and patients were being controlled by An Xiaotian in his vegetative state, trying to tell me something, which resulted in triggering an anomaly in the dream?
What he wanted to tell me must be crucial, to have triggered such a dramatic change, not giving him any chance to continue If Franca were to find Zhou Mingrui at night and try to tell him everything in detail, it would probably be like just now, only getting started before being forcibly rewound or kicked out of the dream
What exactly was An Xiaotian trying to warn me about be careful of whom?
There were too many potential subjects to guess, and Lumian couldn''t find a train of thought for the moment.
He felt it necessary to "contact" An Xiaotian again, but the prerequisite was to find a way to bypass the restrictions and let him say at least two more words.
If the information An Xiaotian wanted to convey was crucial, Lumian wouldn''t be stingy with the number of times he could be kicked out of the dream. Even if future opportunities would be consumed one by one, he was willing to do it.
It''s no big deal if I''mpletely kicked out; I still have teammates.
As long as we can get the crucial information, sacrificing myself is very worthwhile.
I must have trust in my teammates!
Late at night, in Room 2303 in Dechuang Garden. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Franca was awakened by the vibration of her phone.
She picked it up and saw that it was a voice call request from "The Idiot".
Uh Before Franca could answer, Lumian had already hung up and sent a message instead.
The reason he did this was that messages and voice call records could be deleted using the Information Shredder, while the content of voice calls couldn''t and might be monitored.
ncing at the awakened Jenna, Franca began to read Lumian''s message carefully.
As she read, Franca''s expression changed.
She lowered her voice and said, "Mr. Huang might be problematic
"While Zaratulstra has been seemingly trying to contact Zhou Mingruitely, he''s actually using the mirrored Roselle to erode and influence Mr. Huang That''s so damn insidious!"
Jenna leaned over and finished reading Lumian''s message.
She also couldn''t help but frown. "If Mr. Huang sides with the Celestial Worthy, things will getplicated"
"It''s more than justplicated. With people, money, and influence at their disposal, what can we even do? Should we take Zhou Mingrui to rent a ce near the police station, where Mr. Huang can''t influence those jobs?" The more Franca thought about it, the more her head ached. "How can we confirm whether Mr. Huang is showing any abnormalities? If he suddenly announces that he''s had gender reassignment surgery, does that mean he''s beenpletely controlled by the mirrored Roselle?"
Jenna thought for a moment and then said, "If Mr. Huang is really controlled and can''t be saved, we can sacrifice one person to kill Mr. Huang and let Bernie Huang be the CEO of the Intis Group."
"Good idea" Franca''s mouth twitched slightly, "If Mr. Huang is really controlled, it means he''s the mirrored Roselle, a Beyonder with an Angel-level Sequence, and moreover, he has Zaratulstra''s help and powerful security personnel protecting him. It would be difficult for the four of us to assassinate him together, let alone just one person going to do it"
At this point, Franca tried to find humor in the grim situation.
"Besides, Bernie Huang has two younger brothers, it''s not certain that she would inherit the CEO position"
As she spoke, Franca suddenly froze.
She and Jenna exchanged nces, their eyes lighting up as they blurted out simultaneously, "Bernie Huang!"
The best candidate to confirm whether Mr. Huang has shown any abnormalities was Bernie Huang!
By solely relying on Franca and Jenna, unless they forcibly infiltrated and secretly observed, it would be a matter of luck whether they could even encounter Mr. Huang, let alone test him.
"How do we contact Bernie Huang and persuade her?" Franca''s first reaction was to find Luo Shan and ask if she had Bernie Huang''s phone number or WeChat.
As her eyes moved, Franca''s smile blossomed, her face full of pride.
"I have an idea!"
"What idea?" Jenna asked expectantly.
Franca cleared her throat and replied, "The one we should be looking for isn''t Bernie Huang, but Bernadette.
"We''ll write to the Major Arcana card holders tomorrow, asking them to contact Queen Mystic. If Bernadette still has a chance to enter the dream, she will naturallye to handle it. We don''t need to persuade her or instigate her.
"The dream world and the real world, online and offline, can be linked!"
Jenna nodded slowly and said, "If Queen Mystic can no longere in, we''ll then consider how to contact and Instigate Bernie Huang."
"We can formte the n now." Franca was no longer sleepy.
Jenna thought seriously for a few seconds and said, "This matter is very important. I think we shouldn''t wait until tomorrow to write the letter. I''ll actively leave the dream now and tell the Major Arcana card holder on duty in the vi about Mr. Huang''s problem."
Franca fell into a brief contemtive silence before replying, Franca pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, it''s not frequent entry and exit from the dream, just an asional instance. There shouldn''t be any problems, and it won''t affect the number of times we can be kicked out of the dream."
Jenna immediately changed her posture to sit up.
In her current situation, she couldn''t rely on the dream''s rejection to actively leave, so she had to use Cogitation to enter that state of emptying her thoughts, then imagine herself jumping from a high ce.
In the sensation of weightless free fall, Jenna suddenly woke up.
She opened her eyes, got out of bed, and confirmed whether she had returned to reality.
Then, she went out the door and down the stairs.
Tonight, the one guarding them in the living room was Madam Justice, wearing a white dress with gold decorations.
"Is there an emergency?" Madam Justice stood up and asked.
Without Jenna needing to emphasize further, she already knew the seriousness of the issue.
Jenna nodded and recounted Lumian''s guesses, Franca''s intelligence, and Zaratulstra''s recent interactions with Huang Tao.
Madam Justice nodded slightly. "We will contact Queen Mystic immediately."
She raised her right hand and quickly sketched a small bird in midair.
The bird was transparent and dreamlike. It chirped a few times, circled around and descended towards Madam Justice, entering her body and disappearing without a trace.
"This is a dream messenger I made. It can travel to specific targets through the collective unconscious sea," Madam Justice briefly exined.
She paused, then continued, "Since you''ve returned to reality, I''ll tell you about An Xiaotian directly.
"At that time, I had already been kicked out of the dream once and started nning to shoot ''The Great Pirate 3''. This was not only because I wanted to present Gehrman Sparrow''s experiences to Mr. Fool''s dream manifestation, trying to awaken his memories and make him wake up, but also because I was exploring how to realize a sentence Mr. Fool had told us: ''The awakening of The World spells The Fool''s return.''"
Chapter 971 Past Events
Chapter 971 Past Events
"The awakening of The World spells The Fool''s return"
Jenna had seen this sentence in the materials provided by the Major Arcana card holders. It was considered the most important revtion made by Mr. Fool before he fell into slumber, concealing the direction to awaken him.
The FoolSequence 0 of the Seer pathwaywas said to have authority over fate!
Jenna looked at Madam Justice without asking questions, waiting for her to continue.
Madam Justice pointed to the sofa area. "Let''s sit down and talk."
After they each chose a sofa, Madam Justice began speaking in a gentle voice, "After our initial intelligence gathering in the dream city, we discovered a problem:
"There was no dream manifestation corresponding to Gehrman Sparrow.
"Among Mr. Fool''s avatars, Klein Moretti''s dream manifestation was merged with Zhou Mingrui. This can be seen from Zhou Mingrui''s brother being called Benson Zhou and his sister Zhou Sasa, corresponding to Klein Moretti''s real-life brother Benson and sister Melissa.
"Other manifestations, like the private detective and the wandering magician, could be found in the dream city, but they were scattered among multiple people. They either used half of their names or only exhibited corresponding characteristics."
Hearing this, Jenna nodded slightly.
These had all been mentioned in the materials, and their team had also secretly observed the corresponding manifestations, nning to make deeper contact with them in turn.
Madam Justice smiled with a sigh.
"We''ve confirmed those dream manifestations, and there were no issues or anything we could exploit.
"But Gehrman Sparrow, as one of Mr. Fool''s two most important manifestations and The World mentioned in that revtion, had no corresponding manifestation in the dream city.
"At the time, this raised strong suspicions and made us a bit excited.
"It''s not a problem if there are issues; it''s a problem if everything is normal.
"After discussion, we decided to try to create the character of Gehrman Sparrow in the dream city. Only with Gehrman Sparrow could we talk about awakening The World."
Jenna listened with both surprise and excitement.
This approach was something they hadn''t thought of before.
Of course, this was mainly because they had just finished observing important characters and were still experimenting with the results of different levels of contact with different characters. They hadn''t yetpiled the intelligence or sought ways to awaken Mr. Fool.
Lumian had made some associations from the phrase "The awakening of The World spells The Fool''s return," which was why he had Jenna apply for a job at Hall Film Company to observe the actor ying Gehrman Sparrow more closely.
What they hadn''t realized was that filming "The Great Pirate 3" not only included the idea of stimting Zhou Mingrui and awakening his memories, but also aimed to create the dream manifestation of Gehrman Sparrow out of thin air!
Madam Justice continued, "Our first attempt was to use my Dreamweaver ability and Hall Group''s resources to directly create Gehrman Sparrow''s dream manifestation and give him real identity proof and past experiences. The result was, well, I got kicked out of the dream.
"I got my gold coin from Madam Rete, andter returned it to Her. She had already been kicked out three times before I entered the dream city.
"Being kicked out of the dream didn''t discourage me. I even felt excited, believing this might truly be a meaningful direction. Otherwise, the Celestial Worthy wouldn''t have turned His gaze to this ce far from Zhou Mingrui.
"We started our second attempt, with Madam Magician using her identity as a, um, bestselling novelist to write ''The Great Pirate 3''."
"Was ''The Great Pirate 3'' also deliberately written by you guys?" Jenna asked thoughtfully.
Madam Justice smiled in a way that made Jenna''s eyes light up.
"Haven''t you watched ''The Great Pirate 1'' and ''The Great Pirate 2''? They tell stories about pirates, but the character Gehrman Sparrow doesn''t appear. In other words, before Madam Magician personally wrote ''The Great Pirate 3'', the dream manifestation of Gehrman Sparrow didn''t exist even in the story.
"Thepletion and publication of ''The Great Pirate 3'' also resulted in Madam Magician being kicked out of the dream.
"We felt we were on the right track, so I used Hall Film Company to purchase the film and television rights for ''The Great Pirate 3'' and began preparations for filming."
It''s great to have money Jenna couldn''t help but sigh.
For their small team, forget about filming a movie about Gehrman Sparrow, they couldn''t even afford to buy the rights to ''The Great Pirate 3'' without winning the lottery who knows how many times.
Madam Justice reminisced. "I personally served as the producer and personally selected the actor to y Gehrman Sparrow.
"Then, I discovered An Xiaotian. He was an actor and a star. It was such a coincidence, as if Mr. Fool had secretly set it up, waiting for us to trigger it.
"An Xiaotian''s backstory in the dream was that he was an orphan, raised by his older sister. He dropped out after high school and entered the entertainment industry.
"His sister fell seriously ill and is currently in a vegetative state. To maintain hope for his sister''s awakening, he worked hard to be a big star and earned quite a bit of money.
"I extended an invitation to him, offering a sry he couldn''t refuse.
"At the time, I was actually a bit uneasy, wondering if having An Xiaotian y Gehrman Sparrow would cause any problems. You know, An Xiaotian corresponds to Antigonus in reality, who was The Half-Fool in the Fourth Epoch and hasn''t perished yet. If we merged His spiritual imprint with the movie image of Gehrman Sparrow, it could potentially affect Mr. Fool''s self-awareness or benefit Antigonus and that Celestial Worthy.
"To ensure there were no issues, we contacted Antigonus through the Church of Evernight Goddess. He told us we could try."
"Does Antigonus have close ties with the Church of Evernight Goddess? Can He be trusted?" Jenna asked instinctively.
Madam Justice''s smile became somewhatplex.
"Being captured and imprisoned is also a kind of connection, I suppose
"However, after the Goddess provided a revtion and promised Antigonus one thing, He began working for the Church of Evernight Goddess. His words are quite credible now.
"That''s why I ultimately decided to invite An Xiaotian to y Gehrman Sparrow.
"On the day of the shoot, An Xiaotian had a very serious car ident and also became a vegetable."
Also both he and his sister became vegetables Jenna found it tragic. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"At the same time, that also caused me to be kicked out of the dream for the second time," Madam Justice said in a self-mocking tone. "Afterwards, I faced significant restrictions. By the time I entered the dream for the third time, Holly had already chosen the actor to y Gehrman Sparrow. The silver lining was that she decided to personally fund and establish a foundation to fully cover the medical expenses for An Xiaotian and his sister."
Jenna vaguely felt that Madam Justice was praising her own dream manifestationHollyfor being a decent person, living up to her ideal image, but she didn''t dare to say it too clearly.
Madam Justice skipped over this topic and said directly, "I couldn''t find anyone more suitable to y Gehrman Sparrow, and the medicine provided by Mr. Moon couldn''t wake up An Xiaotian. I had no choice but to let Jia Yu give it a try. Unfortunately, after Jia Yu finished filming, he couldn''t merge with the manifestation of Gehrman Sparrow, and the movie didn''t make Zhou Mingrui remember anything. It only created some character imitators of Gehrman Sparrow.
"Perhaps when An Xiaotian had the car ident, the goal that ''The Great Pirate 3'' was meant to achieve was destined to fail.
"During the filming of ''The Great Pirate 3'', I actually noticed that people were gradually forgetting An Xiaotian, no longer remembering this person, only able to recall rted events.
"I wasn''t affected, but I also gave myself psychological suggestions not to forget An Xiaotian.
"When I was in the dream city, I indeed remembered, until I was kicked out for the third time"
Feels like you were somewhat Fooled Jenna thought for a few seconds and said, "There might still be very useful secrets hidden in rtion to An Xiaotian, which is why the Celestial Worthy would Fool everyone and make them forget about him."
"That''s our guess too." Madam Justice nodded.
Jenna then said, "An Xiaotian in his vegetative state seems to want to warn Lumian to be careful of someone. Could you please contact Antigonus again to see if He has dreamed anything in reality or knows something?"
"That''s our duty," Madam Justice looked around and said, "Don''t rush back. Wait for the feedback from the Church of Evernight Goddess. It mighte very soon, and you can take this opportunity to deepen your psychological recognition of reality, to avoid confusing reality and dreams in the end."
"Alright," Jenna politely nodded, stood up, and walked towards the garden at the back of the vi.
She wanted to take a walk there.
3 am.
When Franca saw Jian Na, who had fallen asleep at some point, suddenly wake up, she understood that the real Jenna had returned.
Jenna lowered her voice and recounted in detail what Madam Justice had said to Franca. Finally, she said, "Antigonus said He can sense Mr. Fool''s dream, but He hasn''t entered it and doesn''t want to, so He doesn''t know what the vegetative An Xiaotian wants to warn Lumian about."
"Is it possible to ask Antigonus toe in once, using the vegetative An Xiaotian? That way, He might know what An Xiaotian wants to warn about," Franca said thoughtfully.
Jenna shook her head. "After An Xiaotian became a vegetable, Antigonus can''te in even if He wants to."
"Do we need to find a way to treat An Xiaotian?" Franca mused to herself, "If we cure him and wake him up, there''s no need for Antigonus toe in
"But how to treat him? Medicine doesn''t seem to work"
After a pause, Franca and Jenna simultaneously thought of a possibility: Great Mother!
And Lumian was now disguised as the Great Mother''s Child of God.
Chapter 972 Demonesss Method
Chapter 972 Demoness''s Method
"Treat An Xiaotian by finding a bestowed of the Great Mother through Lumian?" Franca''s thoughts began to wander, gradually bing more far-fetched. "If that doesn''t work, then have An Xiaotian conceive a child, with the child recing the father, bing the father, and help that child grow rapidly, one day surpassing others'' ten years"
Jenna remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "With everyone suppressed at Sequence 7, the Great Mother''s bestowed probably can''t make embryos form quickly or children grow rapidly. They''re even hoping to rely on the Child of God''s godhood to make Li Keji go through the pregnancy and childbirth process in one month.
"Moreover, if the Great Mother takes the opportunity to corrupt An Xiaotian or his child, symbolically speaking, the severity of the problem might not be less than the Celestial Worthy awakening."
Franca sighed and replied, "Indeed, but there''s no other way. If we could wake An Xiaotian up and reshoot ''The Great Pirate 3'', it might have unexpected effects."
Jenna tersely acknowledged. "Madam Justice said that ever since An Xiaotian became a vegetable and ''The Great Pirate 3'' changed its lead actor, the filming became normal. She suspects that from that moment on, the true goal this movie was meant to achieve was destined to fail.
"Unfortunately, at present, there''s no hope of An Xiaotian waking up, and we can''t find anyone more suitable to y Gehrman Sparrow."
Franca opened her mouth, showing a thoughtful expression. "Actually, there''s a better candidate, someone more suitable than An Xiaotian to y Gehrman Sparrow."
"Who?" Jenna asked in surprise.
The Major Arcana card holders hadn''t discovered such a person?
Franca''s eyes curved slightly as she smiled. "Zhou Mingrui."
"" Jenna felt a bit stupid.
Is that even allowed?
What would you call this? Having Zhou Mingrui y Zhou Mingrui, letting Zhou Mingrui awaken Zhou Mingrui!
Franca said seriously, "If Zhou Mingrui ys Gehrman Sparrow, he could relive the life he''s forgotten during the filming process. He might actually remember something and eventually immerse himself in the role, bing one with the character. Wouldn''t that be equivalent to The World awakening?"
At this point, Franca smacked her lips. "But the difficulty is too high. We don''t have the money to reshoot ''The Great Pirate 3'', nor can we convince Hall Film Company. If they were to shoot anything, it would be ''The Great Pirate 4'', not Gehrman Sparrow''s maritime adventure story.
"Even if you became a top star in the entertainment industry and actively proposed reshooting this movie, and even if someone invested, convincing Zhou Mingrui to film would be extremely difficult. Not to mention his personal willingness, I estimate that as soon as the invitation is extended, the relevant person would be kicked out of the dream. Whoever dares to discuss this matter would be kicked out."
"This can be considered as an alternative n for future awakening actions" Jenna felt a headacheing on as she thought about the troubles Franca mentioned.
Franca nodded thoughtfully. "Correspondingly, Zhou Mingrui''s memories don''t seem to be erased. As long as he knows about being asked to film ''The Great Pirate 3'' and is interested and willing to try, the Celestial Worthy probably can''t directly prevent it. For this, we can sacrifice multiple members'' chances to enter the dream multiple times"
At this point, Franca suddenly smiled. "What do you call this? It''s called ''For the sake of saving the world, please debut Mr. Fool!''"
"The Celestial Worthy might not be able to directly prevent it, but subsequently, there might be incidents like the director having a car ident, the film crew experiencing a fire, or the female lead''s reputation copsing, preventing ''The Great Pirate 3'' from even entering the filming process," Jenna calmly reminded.
Franca sighed. "I know, this is just proposing an idea. We''ll see if it''s feasibleter."
The next afternoon, in the administrative department of the Tech Building.
Franca was busy making charts when she suddenly saw Luo Shan, who had just been called to the HR department, return with a dejected and confused expression.
"What''s wrong?" Franca stopped typing.
Luo Shan spoke as if in a dream. "They want to fire me.
"HR said that Mr. Huang passed by earlier, saw me cking off, and got very angry. He ns to fire me directly
"I-I haven''t even finished paying off my mortgage"
What kind of reason is this? There are at least seventeen or eighteen people in the administrative department who ck off more than Luo Shan, why fire only her? Franca''s first reaction was to help Luo Shan seek justice.
Her second reaction was: Dammit, is this Mr. Huang''s purge of Zhou Mingrui''s friends?
Has the mirrored Rosellepleted initial control over Mr. Huang?
Has Zaratulstra targeted Luo Shan because of her previous warning to Zhou Mingrui?
If Luo Shan doesn''tmute with me, the Mirror Substitution won''t be able to work, unless Jenna follows her all the time, but Jenna might soon receive a contract from Hall Film Company
This way, Luo Shan would be in danger
Before Franca couldfort Luo Shan and think of a countermeasure, she heard her phone vibrate.
She picked it up and saw it was a friend request on WeChat.
The requester was: "Bernadette."
Queen Mystic has arrived? Talk about a stroke of luck! Franca quickly epted the request, then said to Luo Shan, "Don''t worry, there aren''t many people working in the administrative department anyway. When Mr. Edes, you can plead your case to him, and he should be able to persuade Mr. Huang.
"If that doesn''t work, try to negotiate for higher severance pay."
And I will seek justice for you from Miss Huang!
"Mm-hmm." Luo Shan walked back to her desk, dejectedly waiting for Mr. Ed to appear. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Meanwhile, Franca received a message from Bernadette: "Come to Room 101 on the 8th floor."
8th floor? That doesn''t belong to any of the Intis Grouppanies However, ording to Lumian''s interpretation, thepanies on those floors symbolize the erosion and influence of different secret organizations and evil god cults on Intis, including Queen Mystic''s Element Dawn Franca stood up, didn''t say anything to Deputy Director Zhang Qing, and used going to the bathroom as an excuse to leave the administrative department and take the elevator down to the 8th floor.
Half of the 8th floor belonged to Dawn Children''s Publishing Company. The receptionist didn''t even nce at Franca, allowing her to enter.
Franca found that the facial recognition ess control wasn''t activated, and no employees came out along the way, allowing her to easily reach Room 101.
Bernie Huang, wearing a spaghetti strap top with fringes at the hem and long jeans, sat in the sofa area, exuding a youthful aura.
This is the college student version of Queen Mystic Franca walked over, greeted her, and sat down.
"What happened?" Bernie Huang''s demeanor and posture were different from that of a college student.
Franca recounted how Mr. Huang seemed to be able to sense the gaze from within the mirror, how the mirrored Roselle in the real world appeared to be missing, and how Zaratulstra had been spending several hours with Mr. Huang every day recently.
Finally, she mentioned the trouble Luo Shan had encountered.
Bernie Huang listened quietly, then nodded gently.
"Regarding my father, I will observe and probe. This will take some time, maybe a few days, maybe a week or two.
"As for Luo Shan''s problem, you''ll have to solve it yourselves. If I intervene on Luo Shan''s behalf, it could easily expose my connection with you.
"If you can resolve Luo Shan''s trouble, at least prevent her from entering the handover process for a week, I''ll give you a reward."
Isn''t this our business? Why are you still paying me as a reward? It''s me asking for your help, not you asking for mine Franca instantly recalled the Star Dream Provisions Store incident and roughly understood that Queen Mystic was finding reasons and excuses to give money to her and the others.
"Alright," Franca agreed immediately.
After leaving Room 101, on her way back upstairs, she seriously considered how to prevent Luo Shan from being fired.
Instigate Mr. Ed to plead on her behalf? That only has a certain chance of sess
Make Mr. Huang''s decision to fire Luo Shan disappear? I can''t do that, but I can find a way to dy it for a few days
Pursue both approaches simultaneously
Franca, always capable of thinking out of the box, took out her phone and told Lumian her ideas and the potential aftermath issues.
Soon, she received a reply from The Idiot: "usible."
Franca immediately deleted the chat history using the Information Shredder and then returned to the administrative department.
When Mr. Ed entered his office, she stood up and apanied Luo Shan to plead their case, spreading mystical pathogens along the way.
Yes, she was going to spread a disease.
She chose mystical pathogens that gave people a chance to get some sick leave, something they could recover quickly upon returning home!
Mystical pathogens that caused stomach flu!
After nearly ten minutes, Franca discreetly Instigated Mr. Ed, making him agree to plead on Luo Shan''s behalf.
After the two left the director''s office, they saw many colleagues looking pale, vomiting into nearby trash cans, while others rushed to the bathrooms on different floors.
"What''s wrong?" Luo Shan asked a colleague with concern.
The male colleague, holding his stomach, said, "I don''t know, everyone suddenly started vomiting and having diarrhea. Could it be food poisoning?"
Seeing this, Franca urgently called the police and dialed the emergency number for Crimson Moon Hospital.
While the administrative department staff waited for the ambnces and other department staff came to help, Franca covered her mouth and started dry heaving.
"I''ve been affected too" she said to Luo Shan.
Luo Shan assessed her own physical condition. "I feel it a little, but I''m okay."
Soon, ambnces from Crimson Moon Hospital arrived and took the affected administrative department staff to the hospital.
The entire administrative department was suddenly left with only four people, one of whom was Luo Shan.
Mr. Ed looked at Luo Shan, his expression grave, and said, "You hold down the fort for now. Don''t worry about the firing."
"Okay." Luo Shan was both confused and bewildered.
From earlier, Lumian, as a security guard, had been running up and down, helping the administrative department staff go to Crimson Moon Hospital.
During this process, he found an opportunity to get close to Franca, and they exchanged a nce.
As agreed, Lumian spread the mystical pathogen causing stomach flu to Franca, in case she went to the hospitalter and nothing was found, making her a suspect.
"How did they get food poisoning?" Old Xia looked at the departing vehicles and asked confusedly, "Everyone ate at the same cafeteria, didn''t they? Did they order some unclean takeout?"
"Who knows," Lumian said as he turned to walk back, receiving a message from Franca.
The message read: "You can go check out the administrative department. Those who can still maintain some health and continue working are likely to be Beyonders, like Luo Shan."
Chapter 973 An Unexpected Visitor
Chapter 973 An Unexpected Visitor
When Lumian arrived at the administrative department, several professionals were already there collecting physical evidence for analysis, including but not limited to leftover milk tea, liquid from the water dispenser, discarded takeout containers, vomit, and swabs fromputers, desks, and air conditioning vents
After they finished, another group of specialists began a full disinfection process.
During this time, Luo Shan and the other administrative staff who were still working could only wait in the hallway.
At a nce, Lumian noticed that besides Mr. Ed and Luo Shan, only two people seemed unaffected by the mystical pathogen. Theirplexion and movements appeared quite normal.
One was a male, rtively tall by Yangdu standards, standing over six feet. The other was a woman in her thirties, with a round face, slightly overweight, not particrly attractive but not ugly either.
They don''t seem to be after Mr. Huang or rather, not after Mr. Huang''s body Why would Beyonders work diligently in the Intis Group''s administrative department? Lumian tried to fathom their intentions based on his own thinking.
Of course, he couldn''t be certain that there weren''t any Beyonders among those who went to Crimson Moon Hospital. Perhaps there was a Demoness waiting for a chance to have a taste of Mr. Huang, but upon sensing the presence and erosion of the mystical pathogen, she feigned severe symptoms and went to the hospital to avoid being discovered?
Luo Shan also noticed the reportedly handsome security guard and felt he lived up to her expectations.
After a while, Mr. Ed received a phone call.
"The problems aren''t serious, and the situation has stabilized?" Mr. Ed asked happily.
Then he heard Zhang Qing on the other end say: "The test results show a mild viral infection. The doctor said they can go home after finishing their IV drips, take medication for two more days, rest a bit, and they''ll be fine.
"More than a dozen people have already applied for sick leave, nning to stay home for a couple of days to recover. They''re also asking if this counts as a work-rted injury and if there''s anypensation."
Mr. Ed''s temple twitched as he suppressed his emotions and said, "They should rest at home. We can''t have them forcing themselves to work and risking more serious problems. As for whether it counts as a work-rted injury, ask the legal department when you get back."
"Alright," Zhang Qing said, "But there are also more than a dozen people who say they want toe back to work, however"
"However what?" Mr. Ed asked.
Zhang Qing replied ambiguously, "They''re all the ones who like to dress up, except for Luo Fu."
Even sick beauties were beautiesMr. Huang might feel sympathetic when he saw them.
Mr. Ed was momentarily speechless.
Is it only the new employees who are eager to work and take their jobs seriously?
Meanwhile, Lumian used the incident in the administrative department as an excuse to keep watch nearby, asionally offering help.
This was also to guard against Luo Shan being eliminated by the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates in the chaosas a Painter, she had some ability to protect herself, but she clearlycked experience and could easily let her guard down in crowded situations. Now, with Franca in the hospital, she couldn''t rely on Mirror Substitution to escape a first strike.
After Franca returned from Crimson Moon Hospital to help Luo Shan and others deal with the backlog of work, Lumian and Old Xia went back to the security department on the thirteenth floor.
He continued to ponder how to treat An Xiaotian.
He believed that An Xiaotian bing a vegetable was symbolic, representing the decline and disappearance of Antigonus''s spiritual imprint within The Fool''s Uniqueness. This couldn''t be reversed through normal methods, so he had to seek a solution from the essence. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Find a way to strengthen Antigonus''s spiritual imprint within The Fool''s Uniqueness? But Antigonus can''t enter Mr. Fool''s dream now. Even if He''s willing to provide the corresponding items, we''d have to corrupt Zhou Mingrui, the symbol of The Fool''s Uniqueness, to achieve our goal. This would damage our image in Zhou Mingrui''s mind, wasting all our previous efforts, and it''s extremely dangerous.
Franca and Jenna''s approach isn''t wrong. Using the power of the Great Mother might awaken An Xiaotian, but it''s not treatment or having An Xiaotian have a child. It''s new birth, symbolically meaning that Antigonus''s spiritual imprint within The Fool''s Uniqueness is reborn. Whether the reborn An Xiaotian is a friend or foe is hard to say, but he would inevitably interfere with Mr. Fool''s awakening
Sequence 7 Heretic Spellmaster of the Viin pathway can perform rebirth rituals. Theoretically, Great Mother bestowed like Grimm can wake An Xiaotian, but it involves reversing symbolism. I estimate only a rebirth ritual performed by someone with godhood would be effective. In the dream city, Grimm and others believe only I, the fake Child of God, have this, while others don''t. Well, there should be another ce that has it, the basement of Mushu Hospital, but sending An Xiaotian there would be purely creating an enemy for ourselves
After pondering for a long time, Lumian felt that both current approaches had significant problems. The hidden dangers and negative impacts far outweighed the gains, and it wasn''t something he and hispanions would choose.
He began to consider this matter from the perspective of finding loopholes.
Soon, he thought of someone: Li Keji!
Mr. Fool''s subconscious understanding of Li Keji''s mushrooms shoulde from Gehrman Sparrow''s interactions with Frank Lee.
From what we''ve seen, he seems to think Li Keji''s mushrooms are quite dangerous, with various possibilities, producing some incredible effects.
The essence of this city is a dream, and dreams are idealistic. As long as Mr. Fool truly believes Li Keji''s mushrooms can achieve incredible things, Li Keji could create a mushroom to treat An Xiaotian and wake him up!
It''s not the mushroom treating An Xiaotian, but Mr. Fool''s subconscious being guided to reverse the symbolism.
Of course, that awakening would inevitably be distorted, abnormal, and horrifying, but if An Xiaotian could use this to say everything he wants to warn me, it would be eptable The more Lumian thought about it, the more he felt that using Li Keji might be useful.
He nned to find an opportunity to talk with Li Keji through the door of the hospital room.
The original of this biology teacher was really a Doctor!
Jenna, who was observing other incarnations corresponding to Mr. Fool, received a call from Hall Film Company, asking her to head over to the talent department tomorrow to sign a manager contract.
Phew I have a job now too. Jenna breathed a sigh of relief.
She even looked forward to filming movies and TV dramas but felt that the matter of awakening Mr. Fool wouldn''t drag on that long, not until she joined a production.
At the same time, she felt that Hall Film Company was managed quite well. She had thought some interviewer would call in advance, hinting that she needed to do something to have a chance at a good contract.
She was prepared to use Charm to make the relevant personnel lose themselves, but nothing happened.
This was different from some things she had seen and heard at the Thatre de l''Ancienne Cage Pigeons.
As expected of a filmpany founded by Madam Justice Jenna felt relieved.
After dark.
Lumian, who knew the target''s schedule, took advantage of Zaratulstra''s absence from the hotel to cross over from the mirror world and retrieve the surveince content stored in the pinhole cameras and listening devices.
After midnight, he returned to the rented apartment in Xinhong District and used his phone to y back Zaratulstra''s activities in the hotel room.
This wasn''t to spy on what Zaratulstra was plotting or nning to aplishthough that would be a bonus. Lumian''s main purpose was to observe Zaratulstra''s behavior when alone, to find out how many marites he could currently maintain, how often he summoned Historical Void images, how long these images would dissipate on their own, and other such information.
This was preparation for an uing surprise attack and encirclement to kill Zaratulstra.
Although Zaratulstra was also suppressed to Sequence 7, he still had an Angel''s rank. Many of his abilities'' effects and ranges were somewhat different from a true Sequence 7.
Take the number of marites, for example. A normal Maritist who had just advanced to Sequence 5 could only control one marite. If restricted to Sequence 7 level, theoretically, they wouldn''t be able to control marites at all, only using maritization for killing. But this ability might qualitatively change at Sequence 4 and Sequence 2, reducing spirituality consumption and lowering control difficulty. After that, even if the ability was suppressed to Sequence 7, it would still essentially exist, just with less pronounced effects.
In other words, Zaratulstra could still control marites, but the number was very limitedperhaps two, perhaps only one. Lumian now needed to confirm these details.
Without grasping the relevant intelligence, if they directlyunched a surprise attack and tried to encircle and kill Zaratulstra, given their superior numbers, they might have some hope of defeating or forcing him to retreat. But achieving their predetermined goal would be almost impossible. The Seer pathway was known for its strong survival abilities!
Lumian stared intently at the phone screen, not missing any detail.
For now, he was skipping through, selecting only scenes with human activity.
When the surveince video reached 11 pmst night, Lumian saw Zaratulstra, dressed in a ck robe, walk to the door and open it.
Someone entered from outside.
The person wore sunsses even at night, dressed in a ck T-shirt and dark jeans that wouldn''t attract attention, about six feet tall.
Who could it be? Lumian''s focus intensified.
After entering the room, the person looked left and right, then removed the sunsses perched on their nose, revealing a face quite familiar to Lumian.
He had seen videos of this person being interviewed and participating in certain activities online.
It was Jia Yu, the actor who yed Gehrman Sparrow!
He doesn''t look too much like Zhou Mingrui, which shouldn''t be a problem, so why is he visiting Zaratulstrate at night? What have we missed? Lumian''s pupils dted as he watched more intently.
He was grateful for the technology that provided him with assistance, but also worried that Zaratulstra might have already discovered the presence of the pinhole cameras and listening devices, deliberately staging this scene.
Jia Yu sat down in the sofa area and talked with Zaratulstra for nearly fifteen minutes, then stood up and left.
Lumian quickly stopped ying the surveince video, deciding to first listen to whether the listening device had recorded any dialog during that time period.
Chapter 974 Instigation
Chapter 974 Instigation
Lumian quickly found the conversation between Zaratulstra and Jia Yu. The gist was that Zaratulstra wanted to poach Jia Yu for a newly established film and televisionpany.
Thispany would be funded by the restructured Intis Group, which would also help pay the penalty for breaking Jia Yu''s contract in the final year. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Additionally, Jia Yu would receive a hefty signing bonus, better contract terms, stronger resources, and endorsement deals with Intis Group''s luxury goodspany.
Lumian raised an eyebrow as he listened.
You''re really discussing business cooperation?
Is this what I wanted to hear?
After Zaratulstra''s repeated promises, Jia Yu was clearly tempted, saying he''d consider it and give a final answer in two days.
Lumian looked at his phone, hit pause, and reyed the conversation in his mind.
He turned to Anthony at the side of the table and mused, "Two key points:
"One, Jia Yu, the actor who yed Gehrman Sparrow, is still useful. The Celestial Worthy''s subordinates value him highly and want to bring him under their control, preparing for certain future developments.
"Two, Zaratulstra doesn''t actually have much money. He only has an identity andpany woven from dreams, which are outside this city and exist only as rumors. He needs the merger and restructuring with Intis Group to turn them into real money and resources. This can be deduced from the fact that all the benefits promised to Jia Yu can only be delivered after Intis Group funds the establishment of the filmpany, rather than writing an irresistible check on the spot.
"With Beyonder abilities restricted, the importance of money and resources is greatly amplified. I really want to know who won that unimed first prize earlier."
At this point, Lumian''s expression turned cold.
"Another point we overlooked before is that once Intis Grouppletes the restructuring with Zaratulstra''spany that''s part of the plot background, Zaratulstra will gain ess to arge amount of resources and money, which is very unfavorable for us.
"And whether or not Mr. Huang has been eroded and controlled by the mirrored Roselle, this merger will proceed. The only difference is whether Zaratulstra''s benefits will be substantial or just average. As long as he''s willing topromise and give up some interests, the merger and restructuring will likely happen."
Anthony nodded slightly and said, "Contacting Zhou Mingrui, doing something in secret, and clearing out some dream characters; using the mirrored Roselle to influence Mr. Huang, eroding and controlling this tycoon; and promoting the merger of the twopaniesthese are the three main things Zaratulstra has done sinceing to Yangdu. Some are overt, some covert, making it easy for us to focus on the first thing and overlook thetter two. By the time we realize it, he may have already created the momentum he needs, vast and unstoppable.
"Is this what an Angel who has lived for one or two thousand years is like?
"However, it''s surprising that He knows how to use corporate mergers and acquisitions in the dream city to turn virtual wealth into reality. He doesn''t seem like an old fossil at all."
He, Lumian, and Jenna hadn''t even thought about this aspect before, nor had Franca, who was just an undergraduate student before her transmigration and had almost no exposure to the business world.
"Did you forget that his current body belongs to another transmigrator?" Lumian suddenly smiled, "The operation to eliminate Zaratulstra must beunched as soon as possible."
"But we need to be wary that it might be a trap to lure us in," Anthony reminded Lumian.
Lumian nodded and stood up. "I''m going to chat with a friend now."
After giving some of the food from his Traveler''s Bag to Ludwig, he used Teleportation and Mirror Traversal to arrive at the psychiatric ward of Crimson Moon Hospital.
Li Keji was still confined there.
Lumian changed into a more feminine shirt and loose trousers, transforming back into the appearance of a Demoness of Despair.
He gathered his ck hair behind his back, letting it fall naturally, then stepped out of the mirror-like object and gentlynded at the door of Li Keji''s room.
Knock, knock, knock. Lumian gently tapped on the steel door.
He and Li Keji were on opposite sides of the door, so he couldn''t use the Bottle of Fiction to iste the environment.
After a few seconds, Lumian saw a plump, white mushroom cautiously poke its cap out from behind the iron grate in the upper part of the metal door, then quickly retract.
I really want to throw a Fire of Destruction ball in there Lumian grumbled as Li Keji''s densely hairy face appeared at the window blocked by the iron grate.
"Who are you?" Li Keji asked, instinctively brightening.
"I''m here to rescue you," Lumian replied with a smile.
Li Keji shook his head. "No need, no need, I believe in thew!"
Thew doesn''t believe in you Lumian thought to himself.
He took the opportunity to say, "Actually, I want to ask for your help."
"Do you want mushrooms?" Li Keji became excited, "I have many types of mushrooms here"
He was about to start a lengthy introduction.
Lumian interrupted him. "I''ve heard about your ideas from someone, but I think they might be a bit too narrow."
"Too narrow?" Li Keji was taken aback.
Lumian nodded solemnly.
"For humans, food is indeed important, but it''s not everything for survival.
"Diseases can also cause people to lose their lives prematurely. Haven''t you thought about creating more magical mushrooms, each variety capable of treating one or multiple types of diseases?"
"That''s too difficult." Li Keji fell into deep thought. "It''s impossible to treat diseases by crossbreeding cows, fish, wheat, and mushrooms. Do we need to crossbreed with something else imnt my gene fragments into mushrooms, fusing the genes that produce healing power with the mushrooms? But gene fragments and transgenic technology alone are not enough"
Lumian''s eyelid twitched, and he said sincerely, "I have a friend who became a vegetative state due to a car ident, but I feel he still has a bit of consciousness.
"Can you think of a way to use your mushrooms to cure him, wake him up, but still retain that bit of his own consciousness?"
Li Keji was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Let me think about it. I can''t guarantee it will work."
"Alright, I''lle back in a couple of days to hear your answer." Lumian stepped back two paces and disappeared into the shadows by the wall.
Throughout this conversation, he had been using Instigation with a hint of Charm.
The next morning, at the talent department of Hall Film Company.
Jenna entered an office, facing one of the female interviewers from before.
"Have a seat." The female interviewer pointed to the sofa area. "Let me introduce myself, I''m Mei Xin, head of the talent department at Hall Film Company. My English name is Christine."
She sat down and said to Jenna, "Before our legal colleague arrives, let me briefly exin the main terms of the contract.
"Your appearance and acting skills meet our requirements very well. In the industry, our Hall Film Company treats new actors the best. The contract is only for three years, with a monthly base sry of 4,000. You can keep 50% of all your ie, including film fees and endorsement fees. We will also provide you with various training and professional makeup artists, and so on.
"The most important point is that thepany''s resources will be significantly tilted towards our own people.
"Once you''ve gained fame and have representative works, the contract can be renegotiated at any time to increase your profit-sharing ratio and gain some autonomy. And if this contract expires, we only ask for the right of first refusal for the new contract, under equal conditions"
Jenna listened attentively, feeling quite involved. Although she didn''t expect to stay in the dream city for a year or two, this might be her only chance to sign an actor''s contract.
Finally, Mei Xin said, "After signing the contract, we will advance you 30,000 yuan to help you settle in and buy clothes. This amount will be deducted in installments from your future ie, without interest."
30,000 yuan right after signing? Jenna didn''t hide her change in expression.
Quick! I want to sign now!
With this money, plus the 30,000 yuan fee Bernie Huang gave to Franca yesterday, the team''s savings would reach nearly 240,000 yuan. They could rent the magic mirror Arrodes from Star Dream Provisions Store!
Having such a magic mirror to help beforeunching the operation against Zaratulstra would be a major advantage!
During this time, whenever Lumian and the others visited Star Dream Provisions Store, they would try not to rent the mirror and instead ask questions directly on the spot to get answers. However, they were never sessful. That first time when they got answers seemed to be just a coincidence, or perhaps such a benefit could only be enjoyed after a very long interval. Simrly, Franca''s Magic Mirror Divination ritual aimed at Arrodes also failed to get any feedback.
Soon, an employee from the legal department of Hall Film Company arrived with the contract.
Jenna read all the terms carefully, albeit with some difficulty, asked a few questions, and then promptlypleted the signing.
Before she left Hall Film Company, the advance settlement fee had already been deposited into her ount.
To her disappointment, Jia Yu didn''t seem toe to thepany today, so she couldn''t bump into him and make initial contact by pretending to be a fan asking for an autograph.
At 2 pm.
Jenna arrived at Star Dream Provisions Store.
Only after entering the shop did she send a message to Franca, Lumian, and the others: "You can transfer the money to me now."
She hadn''t done this in advance for fear of encountering obstacles along the way.
If they lost all their money because of this, their previous efforts would have been in vain!
Lumian and the others, who had been waiting in different ces, quicklypleted the transfers, each keeping only enough for living expenses for the next week.
Jenna walked up to the cashier and said to the shopkeeper, "Hello, can I rent that mirror?"
She was referring to the magic mirror Arrodes.
Earlier, the team had already discussed what would be best to rent first. Considering that the magic mirror Arrodes was the only item Mr. Fool carried while sleeping, as well as the specific rental price and the symbolic meaning of Demonesses in the dream world, they finally decided to rent this mirror.
"220,000 for one day." The shopkeeper raised her head and smiled in the suddenly dimmed light.
"Alright." Jenna didn''t haggle.
After shepleted the payment through the store''s POS machine and signed a very simple rental contract, the shopkeeper said while lowering her head, "You can take that mirror now. Return it by 3 pm tomorrow."
Jenna instinctively swallowed and walked to the shelf, picking up the silver mirror with ck eyeball-like objects on both sides.
After cing the magic mirror Arrodes into the Traveler''s Bag, Jenna quietly let out a sigh of relief.
It wasn''t easy!
Saving money really wasn''t easy!
Chapter 975 The Diligent Magic Mirror
Chapter 975 The Diligent Magic Mirror
Late at night, in room 2303 of Dechuang Garden.
Lumian, Franca, and Jenna sat side by side on the long sofa, with the silver mirror bearing ancient patterns and ck gemstones on each side ced in front of them.
Anthony had taken Ludwig out for ate-night snack, politely avoiding the question-and-answer session with the magic mirror Arrodes.
Of course, they had already discussed and decided which questions to ask beforehand, focusing mainly on two parts: first, Zaratulstra''s current situation, and second, matters rted to the dream city.
They had listed over twenty questions, but considering the subconscious limitations of the dream on various aspects, they believed it impossible to keep asking until all their doubts were answered by the magic mirror Arrodes. They suspected that the mirror could only answer a limited number of questions at a time or in a day, just like how Magic Mirror Divination normally only allowed three questions. Therefore, Lumian adjusted the order of the questions, cing the most important and crucial ones at the beginning.
"Shall we start?" Jenna turned her head to look at Lumian.
Lumian nodded and said calmly, "I''ll go."
"No, we''ll take turns. We can''t let you bear the mirror''s questions alone," Franca emphasized. "It must be fair!"
She felt that she should also make some sacrifices and not always let Lumian face the terrifying questions of the magic mirror Arrodes.
Lumian nced at her. "Alright, you go first."
Franca took a deep breath and looked at the magic mirror Arrodes.
"Great Arrodes, may I ask you a question?"
Since they had already rented the magic mirror from Star Dream Provisions Store, she didn''t follow the mystical ritual procedure and directly inquired of the other party.
The surface of the ancient silver mirror instantly became dark, as if sinking to the bottom of lightless waters. Rows of blood-colored words in ancient Feysac then appeared: "I can answer any question you ask, but you must also answer an equal number of questions from me, in the presence of at least one witness.
"If you refuse to answer, or if you lie, you will face punishment."
Franca recalled the list of questions and carefully phrased her words, "My question is, what are the current manifestations of Zaratulstra''s Beyonder powers in the dream city?"
This was one of the questions their team most wanted to know the answer to.
When Lumian watched the surveince footage and listened to the wiretapped conversationst night, he only confirmed one point:
Zaratulstra''s summoning of images from the Historical Void had significant limitations. He wouldn''t always use historical projections to rece himself in activities while hiding in the fog of historybefore going to open the door for Jia Yu, he pulled out a past version of himself from the Historical Void, and that historical projection thenmunicated with Jia Yu for nearly a quarter of an hour.
Based on this, Lumian spected that Zaratulstra would only use historical projections to rece himself for a period of time when he felt danger or had to face certain problematic individuals. As for disguising marites as his true self, Lumian believed that the Sequence 7 Faceless ability probably couldn''t achieve this, but he didn''t rule out the possibility that a simr ability descended from Sequence 2 to Sequence 7 might be able to.
The blood-red ancient Feysac words on the surface of the magic mirror Arrodes writhed and changed, revealing row after row:
"Zaratulstra can currently manipte two marites. Through Spirit Body Threads, He can initially control a target for 20 seconds, andpletely maritize them in 1 minute and 30 seconds;
"His marite maniption range is 50 meters. He can switch positions with the marites. The marites can use their own abilities as well as borrow all of His abilities, but all at the Sequence 7 level;
"He can only maintain the existence of one Historical Void image at a time, including people, objects, scenes, and spirituality;
"He can currently maintain summoned Angel-level Historical Void images for 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on His closeness to or understanding of the corresponding target. If He summons His past Sequence 1 self, it can be maintained for 1 minute and 30 seconds. If summoning His Sequence 2 self, it''s 3 minutes. His past selves below angelic level can be maintained for up to a quarter of an hour. Other people, objects, and scenes below angelic level range from two to ten minutes;
"His Shapeshifting ability allows marites to disguise themselves as Him, surpassing any makeup effect. However, upon careful observation, differences can still be seen to determine authenticity;
"He can also Wish, creating some miracles, but the effects of these miracles are still restricted to the Sequence 7 level;
"His past Sequence 1 self could make the Spirit Body Threads of the dead or certain objects reappear, thereby maritizing them. If one eats maritized food, they will be corrupted and gradually be maritized;
"His past Sequence 1 self could also Graft physical entities or abstract concepts that normally couldn''t be directly connected,bining them to achieve incredible effects. However, these incredible effects are still only at the Sequence 7 level;
"His past Sequence 1 self could distort space and time, creating a Realm of Mysteries that surpasses the Bottle of Fiction and possesses concealed properties;
"His Air Straw is twenty meters long, potentially helping Him avoid areas densely popted with mystical pathogens."
The magic mirror Arrodes described all of Zaratulstra''s abilities and their current manifestations, causing the blood-red words on the mirror''s surface to change several times.
However, it didn''t provide enough details about the Sequence 2 and Sequence 1 level abilities, only briefly mentioning them.
The mirror is really working hard to awaken Mr. Fool Franca couldn''t help but grumble inwardly after reading everything carefully.
Lumian, meanwhile, recalled the historical projection of Zaratulstra that had conversed with Jia Yu.
Judging from the fact that they had talked for nearly a quarter of an hour, Lumian deduced that it was a Historical Void image of Zaratulstra before he became an Angel.
This also indicated that Zaratulstra wasn''t a born mythical creature, but had ascended step by step from lower Sequences.
After disying Zaratulstra''s current abilities, the blood-colored words on the surface of the ancient silver mirror changed again:
"Based on the principle of reciprocity, it''s my turn to ask a question.
"If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished."
Franca gritted her teeth and nodded slightly.
What do they not know about me? There''s nothing to be afraid of!
On the mirror, new words began to form,posing a sentence: "After entering the dream city, have you ever thought about doing something with Lumian when Jenna wasn''t around?"
Dammit, that''s harsh Franca didn''t dare look at Jenna and squeezed out a word through her teeth. "Yes"
She immediately defended herself, "I just thought about it asionally, never put it into practice! This is Mr. Fool''s dream, how dare I do anything inappropriate? If Mr. Fool''s subconscious remembers it, I''d be socially dead for real!"
Lumian nced at the rapidly speaking Franca and the silent Jenna, suspecting that while making Franca feel ashamed and embarrassed, the magic mirror Arrodes might also have a hidden intention of helping Jenna digest the Affliction potion.
It''s really going all out to wake up Mr. Fool
Franca finally finished speaking and mustered the courage to look at Jenna, receiving an encouraging smile and slight nod from her.
Lumian spoke on Franca''s behalf, "The second question is, has Zaratulstra discovered my surveince?"
The ancient silver mirror with two ck gemstones like eyes disyed new blood-colored words: "Zaratulstra discovered that someone was spying through mirror-like objects, but doesn''t know who. He also learned about the existence of pinhole cameras and wiretaps, because He has a Saint-level Seer subordinate living next door who can maritize mosquitoes and hide them in the room to observe the situation."
So, when I cautiously used the Fire of Destruction to burn all spiritually imbued things in Zaratulstra''s room, it made him alert that someone had infiltrated his room. After a covert search, he discovered the pinhole cameras and wiretaps? But because his marite subordinate died, he only knows someone infiltrated his room, not who it was Lumian immediately analyzed the important information hidden in the magic mirror Arrodes'' answer.
At the same time, he suspected that Zaratulstra knew Mr. Huang had concealed the fact that someone was spying through mirror-like objects but didn''t expose it on the spot.
Moreover, knowing there was surveince, Zaratulstra still had Jia Yue to his room for a private conversation. Was this to mislead us, making us think Jia Yu was important and focus our attention there? But his n to poach Jia Yu wasn''t a sudden decision; it should have started before I went to spy on him in the hotel room Does he think that deep contact with Jia Yu holds hidden dangers, and without knowing certain details, it could easily lead to him being kicked out of the dream? So he deliberately exposed his intentions to let us step on thendmine? Lumian''s thoughts were in turmoil, feeling that Zaratulstrathis Seerwas really quite simr to a Conspirer, his mind full of conspiracies and schemes.
Now that he knew Zaratulstra had discovered his spying and had been acting all along, Lumian could design targeted action ns.
Demonesses had ways and abilities to evade the dangerous premonitions of a Seer!
After answering, the magic mirror Arrodes routinely disyed the corresponding prompt before posing a question to Lumian: "Is your feeling for Franca and Jenna love, or just valuing them?"
Lumian fell momentarily quiet before responding, "I value them."
After a few seconds of silence in the sofa area, Jenna moved forward slightly and said, "It''s my turn to ask."
Lumian and Franca both nodded.
Jenna recalled the list of prepared questions and looked at the ancient silver mirror.
"The third question is, who was thest person to rent you?"
The blood-red words on the mirror''s surface suddenly disappeared, leaving only a faint shimmer of water. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
After several seconds, a few words appeared on the deep, dark surface of the mirrorthe unique text of the dream city, all in a pale white color: "It''s Peng Deng."
Peng Deng? The person who spent 220,000 to rent the magic mirror Arrodes for a day was Peng Deng? Lumian, Franca, and Jenna were all shocked.
Chapter 976 Scheming and Strategizing
Chapter 976 Scheming and Strategizing
Regarding who had previously rented the magic mirror, Lumian and the others had various guesses, but they never imagined it would be Peng Deng.
Where did Peng Deng get so much money?
Why did Peng Deng want to rent the magic mirror Arrodes?
What exactly did Peng Deng want to do?
Lumian, Jenna, and Franca looked at each other, all feeling it necessary to adjust the order of questions and temporarily add some rted to Peng Deng renting the mirror.
At this moment, the pale white text on the silver mirror''s surface twisted and writhed, turning blood-red again and stretching into individual ancient Feysac words:
"Based on the principle of reciprocity, it''s my turn to ask a question.
"If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished."
Jenna nodded slightly, beginning to think about what question to ask next.
The blood-red words on the mirror changed to new content: "Have you considered how you would intimately get along with Lumian and Franca if you switched to the Hunter pathway in the future and became male?"
That''s quite a subtle way of asking Jenna sensed Arrodes'' goodwill.
Although it was still quite embarrassing, for someone who was once a Showy Diva, she could answer with her eyes closed. "I have thought about it."
Franca''s mind suddenly shed with a thought: Thought about being on top or on top?
She steadied herself and looked at the mirror.
"The fourth question, what did Peng Deng do with the help of the great Arrodes?"
On the surface of the ancient silver mirror, the blood-red words quickly faded away, the watery sheen receded, and it no longer had a deep, dark feel.
Franca''s question went unanswered.
"So it''s only three questions" She sighed in disappointment.
Lumian thought for a moment and said, "Let''s try asking again before returning it to Star Dream Provisions Store this afternoon. Perhaps the interval between inquiries is calcted by time, not by rental frequency."
"Mm." Jenna nodded.
Of course, she would be responsible for returning the rental.
Friday morning.
Zhou Mingrui, busy at his workstation, felt his phone vibrate beside him.
He picked it up and saw a message from Luo Shan: "I might be losing my job. Let me treat you to dinner again tonight."
"What happened?" Zhou Mingrui asked, both puzzled and concerned.
Luo Shan sent a "??" emoji:
"I''ll tell you when we have dinner. Oh, and Luo Fu will be there too."
"Alright, should I choose what to eat, or will you?" Zhou Mingrui politely asked.
"It''s my treat, so of course I''ll choose!" Luo Shan quickly replied.
After putting down his phone, Zhou Mingrui focused on hisputer screen, as if seriously evaluating his previous work results.
In reality, he was thinking about Luo Shan''s situation.
How could she suddenly lose her job? Thest time we had dinner, Luo Shan was praising Mr. Huang for paying well and the rxed work atmosphere. She didn''t seem to have any intention of quitting
Is it because of her special circumstances that she must change her workce, or does thepany want to fire her, or both?
About half of the administrative department came because of Mr. Huang. Luo Shan is considered a very qualified employee. There''s no reason for the HR department to actively fire her. Moreover, thepany''s overall revenue and profits have reached new highs, and they even said the administrative department was short-staffed, specifically hiring Luo Fu
Has Luo Shan shown any unusual behavior or done anything problematic recently?
Zhou Mingrui thought back and forth, feeling that after Luo Shan discarded those original paintings, everything seemed normal, except for secretly forming a group with Luo Fu and Li Ming, and warning him to be wary of Zaratulstra.
The group is in talks with Zaratulstra''spany about a merger and restructuring Luo Shan has warned me twice to be careful of Zaratulstra Luo Shan then gets suddenly being fired
Is there a connection between these events?
Well, after Luo Fu warned mest time, she was off for a few days. Tonight, she and Luo Shan might hint at something again Because his previous interactions with Luo Shan and Luo Fu hadn''t brought any abnormalities or led to attacks or difficulties, Zhou Mingrui wasn''t averse to having another meal with them and listening to what they had to say.
Frankly, if it weren''t for Luo Shan and Li Ming hinting three times since Sunday to be wary of Zaratulstra, he would have felt that everything around him was calm and normal, without any issues, as if he had never drunk the Assassin beverage.
But the more it seemed so, the stranger Zhou Mingrui felt, as if he were trapped in a cocoon, with various abnormalities lingering outside, waiting for a chance to invade, yet invisible to him.
So he was trying hard to probe, and contacting Luo Shan and Luo Fu was part of that effort.
Hall Film Company, Talent Department.
The young employee who had previously introduced various situations to Jenna smiled at her.
"I''m Jiang Yue. I''m responsible for helping you new recruits connect with various departments of thepany. You cane to me for anything."
"What a coincidence." Jenna, who had changed into a short-sleeved chiffon blouse, smiled back.
Jiang Yue looked around and said, "This isn''t a coincidence, it''s destiny.
"Why was I waiting outside the conference room to take the interviewees out? It''s because I''m responsible for these matterster on. Well, I''m not the only one in charge of you new recruits. When selecting, I chose you first. I have high hopes for you, keep it up!"
Whether Jiang Yue was sincere or not, these words made Jenna quite pleased, giving her a feeling of being valued and affirmed, naturally generating a happy mood.
Jiang Yue continued, "I thought you''d only report to work on Monday. The physical training courses and media response courses arranged for you are all next week. Well, today let''s just chat casually. I''ll give you a tour, and if we happen to meet a producer or director, you might get a chance to audition soon."
If I hade next week, Jia Yu might have already paid the penalty and left Jenna followed Jiang Yue, walking forward in the Talent Department.
She nced at Jia Yu''s studio and said, "Jia Yu isn''t here? I have a friend who''s his fan. I wanted to get his autograph."
"He''s not here. After The Great Pirate 3 blew up, he''s beening to thepany less and less," Jiang Yue said with aplex tone. "Today he said he was going to attend a film-rted event."
Jenna showed a disappointed expression on her face and nodded, saying, "The Great Pirate 3 is quite popr, with high box office numbers."
"Yeah, although those film critics all say it''s just a qualified popcorn flick, audiences love watching popcorn flicks. What can those that don''t even qualifypare with us?" Jiang Yue said, somewhat indignantly.
Jenna took this opportunity to ask, "So, is thepany nning to make The Great Pirate 4?"
Jiang Yue lowered her voice. "There is such a n, but the problem is that the romance queen is too slow. We''ve already finished filming and released The Great Pirate 3, but she still hasn''t written The Great Pirate 4!"
After all, the person herself has beenpletely kicked out After all, the dream manifestation''s pen name is "Salted Fish Without Dreams" Jenna continued Jiang Yue''s conversation for a few sentences and then said, "Moreover, I see that The Great Pirate 3 is popr mainly because of the adventurer image of German Sparrow. If the next one doesn''t have him as the main character, I think there will be big problems. The box office might even be a disaster, just like how The Great Pirate 1 and The Great Pirate 2 movies didn''t have much fame."
This wasying the groundwork for the team''s alternative awakening n.
Jiang Yue was stunned for a moment. "The Great Pirate 1 and The Great Pirate 2 were never made into movies."
"Huh?" Jenna was stunned for two seconds and then said, "Then why is this movie directly called ''The Great Pirate 3''?"
"I don''t know either," Jiang Yue answered with a bewildered face. "The big boss personally decided it, and no one else raised any objections. If you hadn''t mentioned it, I wouldn''t have remembered that the previous parts of ''The Great Pirate'' series hadn''t been made into movies"
What''s going on? How can they skip The Great Pirate 1 and The Great Pirate 2 and directly make The Great Pirate 3? Even if they skip, why not change the name instead of adding "3"? Amidst her confusion, Jenna vaguely grasped a key point.
This was rted to one of Anderson Hood''s reminders.
The master of the dream city is a symbol of loopholes and errors, so no matter how real this dream is, there will still be inconsistencies, loopholes, and ces that make people feel terrified upon deep thought. It will still express the "dream" aspect!
A dream normally operates smoothly, but if outsiders do something beyond the norm and pointing to loopholes in between, could it create problems? For example, being illogically epted by the masses, or being absurd and horrifying in the underlying realization of things
After Madam Justice forcibly named this movie ''The Great Pirate 3'' instead of ''The Great Adventurer'', the dream manifestations naturally epted it, and only outsiders could discover the discrepancy, while dream manifestations could perceive the problem after being reminded?
Madam Justice didn''t mention this point because it was linked to An Xiaotian''s car ident, and she forgot after being forced to leave the dream?
The reason for the loophole of The Great Pirate movie having 3 but no 1 and 2 is because Mr. Fool''s subconscious believes this book series should indeed be made into movies? Jenna thought a lot in an instant. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
She didn''t delve deeper into this topic, fearing that Jiang Yue, as a dream manifestation, would be more confused and conflicted, leading to chaos in the corresponding dream and affecting herself.
"Since it can''t be filmedter, The Great Pirate 3 can be made into stage ys, animations, TV series, games, and such, taking full advantage while the movie''s poprity is still high." Jenna acted like an enthusiastic and kind-hearted audience member.
Jiang Yue nodded in agreement. "True."
She then said self-mockingly, "Is this something we can decide? Wait until the next meeting, and suggest it to our boss, Mei Xin. Let her whisper it to the big boss."
In a high-end hot pot restaurant with a proper stage.
In a private room on the second floor, Mr. Huang introduced to Zaratulstra beside him, "This hot pot restaurant has a unique feature. Later, there will be a face-changing performance, one of the local intangible cultural heritages"
Zaratulstra, sitting next to the window, nced at therge screens behind and around the stage, smiled and nodded slightly. "I''m looking forward to it."
Just as Mr. Huang was about to say something more, his phone suddenly rang.
The caller was "Bernie".
"Excuse me, I''ll take this call first." Mr. Huang stood up with his phone and walked towards the door of the private room.
Chapter 977 The Best Support
Chapter 977 The Best Support
After Mr. Huang left the private room to take the call, Zaratulstra leaned towards the center of the window, as if trying to get a clearer view of the stage and the correspondingrge screen.
At the same time, Mr. Ed and other Intis Group employees responsible for reception, as well as Zaratulstra''s entourage, all heard their phones vibrate.
They instinctively picked up their phones, unlocked the screens, and saw a pop-up message.
This wasn''t a text message or WeChat notification, nor was it an alert for an iing call. It seemed to be just a simple dialog box that had taken over the screen.
The dialog box contained a brief line of text: "Please be quiet for one minute."
As Mr. Ed, the Intis Group employees, and Zaratulstra''s entourage noticed this line of text, it jumped up one by one, directly out of the phone screens, transforming into an invisible, colorless stream of information carrying mystical power that entered the heads of the corresponding people.
Except for Mr. Huang, who was making a phone call outside the private room, and Zaratulstra, who was looking at the stage below, everyone present suddenly became dazed, their eyes vacant, their bodies frozen in their previous positions.
They had truly be quiet.
Zaratulstra sensed something amiss and turned his gaze back to the people in the private room.
As he did so, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his own reflection faintly appearing in the already open window.
His heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively pulled back his body, preventing the window from reflecting him anymore.
At this moment, behind the corresponding ss mirror surface, Lumian, in his Demoness of Despair form with disheveled ck hair and wearing a dark T-shirt, quietly watched as Zaratulstra''s ethereal figure appeared on the mirror and quickly moved towards the edge.
The normally invisible Spirit Body Threads on his body, upon touching the hard mirror surface, no longer extended as usual, but were drawn upwards by some force, disappearing into the deep, dark sky above.
This was Distortion''s alteration of the Spirit Body Threads extension direction. This way, Zaratulstra wouldn''t be able to detect in advance if someone was spying or lying in ambush behind the mirror by observing Spirit Body Threads.
The effect of Distortion came from the edge of the area behind the mirror, near the ghostly tunnel resembling a spider web, from a crown iid with numerous dark gems.
The crown floated silently in midair, with a tall, beautiful woman standing behind it.
This woman had tied her slightly curly chestnut hair into a bun, had straight eyebrows, blue eyes, and was wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt and light-colored trousers. She was none other than Miss Bernie Huang.
She held a phone in her hand, talking to Huang Tao.
Logically, there shouldn''t be any signal in the mirror world, but Bernie Huang''s words, after going through the phone, directly transformed into an invisible stream of information, drilling out of this ce. The replies from Huang Tao were simrly affected by Beyonder powers, entering as pure information streams and being converted into sound by the phone.
Lumian nced at Miss Huang, recalling what she had said before the operation: "I can provide help for you, but I can''t directly participate in the battle.
"I''ve already been kicked out of this dream twice and am under certain restrictions. If Zaratulstra sees me as his enemy, I might be kicked out of the dream for the third time, and the problem with my father hasn''t been resolved yet
"I''ll create opportunities for you, but killing Zaratulstra or kicking him out of the dream can only be done by yourselves
"This item can''t be lent to you, otherwise, before Zaratulstra dies, you''ll die first"
Lumian hesitated no longer and, looking at Zaratulstra''s Mirror Projection that hadn''t yet disappeared, raised his left hand.
On his wrist was a silver bracelet that lit up with a silver-white and ck glow.
Circle Inhabitant!
Lumian seized the opportunity and used Circle Inhabitant on Zaratulstra''s fading Mirror Projection!
Of course, this was also suppressed to the Sequence 7 level, unable to make the corresponding fate repeat, and could only be triggered twice at most.
The current implementation of Circle Inhabitant was to make simr scenes appear again in a short time through disturbances in fate.
In the private room, after Zaratulstra pulled back his body, preventing the ss window from reflecting him again, he suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing from the entrance of the hot pot restaurant.
Before he could check the status of the others at the table, he found the window being blown, moving towards closing.
This once again cast his reflection onto the corresponding ss.
In Zaratul''s deep blue, almost pure ck eyes, a dim light shed, already sensing the presence of anomalies, not just simple vignce.
He raised his right hand, using a Miracle Invoker''s ability to influence the future.
He reduced the probability of his Mirror Projection being utilized by others!
In the mirror world, Lumian held an ice crystal thin sword wrapped in terrifying ck mes in one hand, while touching the river of fate of Zaratulstra''s Mirror Projection with the other, trying to magnify the fate tributary of his sessful attack. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
The two forces collided, with Zaratulstra''s prevailing slightly, causing that fate tributary not only to fail to magnify but to shrink by one-tenth.
However, for Lumian, this was enough.
His use of the Magnified Fate ability wasn''t to increase the probability of the curse seeding, but to counteract the Miracle Invoker''s interference with fate.
Being so close to Zaratulstra''s Mirror Projection, as long as there was no interference from the Miracle Invoker, or as long as the Miracle Invoker''s interference wasn''t strong enough, his chances of achieving his goal were quite high.
Lumian''s ice crystal thin sword darted out, striking the reappearing Mirror Projection of Zaratulstra.
The Fire of Destruction wrapped around the ice crystal thin sword instantly poured into that projection, igniting it from the inside out, cing it in pure, mad destruction.
This was a curse, a curse aimed at Zaratulstra!
The mystical principle behind many of a Demoness''s curses was to utilize Mirror Projections, which was also a kind of Mirror Person, a temporary, short-lived Mirror Person with a very strong mystical connection to the original person!
When Lumian''s Fire of Destruction ignited Zaratulstra''s Mirror Projection, in the private room, Zaratulstra''s eyes, nose, ears, mouth, skin pores, and other ces erupted with violent ck mes.
In an instant, this old man became a ck torch, his body quickly thinning and shrinking, burning to ashes.
Paper Figurine Substitutes!
For an Angel like Zaratulstra, Paper Figurine Substitutes could long be used to transfer curses, but to escape a cursepleted by a Demoness through a Mirror Projection, the main body still needed to hide in the fog of history in time.
After interfering with the development of fate using his Miracle Invoker ability, Zaratulstra didn''t think the first wave of attacks would end there. He quickly used Paper Figurine Substitute, while he cautiously entered the fog of history, hiding in a crevice.
The scene of him burning into a paper figurine didn''t attract the attention of those at the table.
Those people were still in a quiet state.
In the mirror world.
Near the illusory dark tunnel, Bernadette held a phone in one hand, while with the other, she made several dark gems on the crown in front of her light up with strange radiance.
Distortion!
She used Distortion again, swapping the spatial positions of Zaratulstra''s main body plus Paper Figurine Substitute and his Mirror Projection.
Thus, Zaratulstra, who had hidden in the fog of history, and the Paper Figurine Substitute that had been burned to ashes, came to the mirror world.
This ce was also connected to the spirit world, this ce also had the fog of history.
Meanwhile, Zaratulstra''s Mirror Projection sat by the hot pot table, quickly disappearing into nothingness amidst the madly growing ck mes.
It vanished into the void along with these mes of Destruction.
Afterpleting this, Bernadette quickly put away the crown iid with dark gems, stepped back twice, and disappeared into the illusory,plex tunnel resembling a spider web.
Throughout this process, she maintained her call with Mr. Huang.
Lumian showed no emotional fluctuation at Bernadette''s departure. ording to their agreement, this princess was mainly responsible for three things:
First, to draw away Mr. Huang, who was suspected to be influenced by the mirrored Roselle;
Second, to use the Mystery Pryer pathway''s control over the information world to "push" a message to the others in the private room that would make them "quiet", with the subsequent cleanup and erasure of traces to be done by the Information ShredderLumian still remembered that when Miss Huang saw the Information Shredder, her expression noticeably became moreplex, as if seeing a natural enemy being artificially created;
Third, to help Lumian and the others hide their Spirit Body Threads, preventing Zaratulstra from discovering them in advance. If Lumian failed to assassinate sessfully in the initial stage, she would help bring Zaratulstra into the mirror world, allowing them to change from assassination to forced killing, with the possibility of one more indirect assistanceter depending on the situation.
This way, Lumian and the others wouldn''t have to worry about their battle with Zaratulstra attracting the official forces of the dream city, being interrupted by them, or even hunted down.
Moreover, Zaratulstra would be separated from his marites.
Even if Zaratulstra could manipte the Spirit Body Threads through the mirror, those marites, if they didn''t possess the power toe to the mirror world, wouldn''t be able to participate in this battle.
Cutting off the marites was the first step in dealing with high-level beings of the Seer pathway.
As the Paper Figurine Substitute waspletely burned, Zaratulstra, at Sequence 7 and unable to stay in the fog of history for too long, returned to reality.
He saw that he was in the void dark area behind the mirror, and near the mirror surface stood a figure whose charm couldn''t be concealed even by darkness.
Lumian smiled, making this area seem as if it was illuminated by clear moonlight.
Charm!
Zaratulstra''s consciousness was momentarily stunned, all Worms of Spirit seemingly marveling at that heart-piercing beauty.
Almost simultaneously, the invisible spider silk that had long been spread throughout this ce entangled him.
Lumian then drew the Sword of Courage and, from a distance of over ten meters, shed towards Zaratulstra.
That iron-ck straight sword created a highlypressed fire serpent, falling towards the old man dressed in a ck formal suit from a distance.
At the edge of the area behind the mirror, Jenna emerged from her Invisible state, used the mirror in her hand to reflect Zaratulstra''s figure, and smeared her other hand, covered in Demoness ck mes, onto it.
Chapter 978 Wishes
Chapter 978 Wishes
Boom!
The highlypressed red fire serpent exploded, engulfing Zaratulstra before Jenna couldplete her curse. It tore him into shreds of paper, causing them to ignite simultaneously.
Zaratulstra once again retreated into the fog of history.
As the explosion from the red fire serpent began to subside, he returned to the present from a corner of the area behind the mirror, dragging out his past self from the Historical Voidthe self that was a Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries.
As soon as Zaratulstra appeared, d in a ck robe with eyes pure ck and lightless, he immediately transformed into a massive vortexposed of countless maggots.
This enormous vortex was deep and dark, extending numerous slimy tentacles covered in bizarre patterns.
Mythical Creature formthe Mythical Creature form of the Seer pathway!
For Angels, the Mythical Creature form was their truest appearance, so there was no question of whether They could or could not transform into it within the dream city. Of course, this too was suppressed to the Sequence 7 level.
The instant he saw the maggot vortex, even Lumian, as a Demoness of Despair and possessing godhood, couldn''t help but feel his thoughts stutter, his joints stiffen, and his mind as if it were under attack from a super-strong hurricane.
He instinctively closed his eyes, while Jenna, who was near the mirror tunnel, seemed to be twisting her entire body.
Seizing this opportunity, Zaratulstra''s main body made a wish, "My wish is: For my marites to return to my side." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
As soon as the words were spoken, two more figures appeared in the area behind the mirror.
They were dressed as business people, one male and one female.
As for the other marites, they of course belonged to other Maritists. Zaratulstra couldmand their operators, not them directly.
Zaratulstra didn''t wish to leave the mirror world because he had sensed the presence of Distortion power from the fact that he had been swapped into the mirror world despite hiding in the fog of history. So he chose not to directly leave the current area.
He feared having his position Distorted again, which might cause him to appear out of thin air in front of Yagates, the number one figure in the police department.
At this moment, because Zaratulstra''s Mythical Creature form was restricted to Sequence 7, both the godhood impact and mental corruption effects were greatly reduced. So Lumian, as a Demoness of Despair, with his eyes closed and maintaining distance, began to recover. He raised his left hand and snapped his fingers with a loud crack.
In different parts of the area behind the mirror, under the cover of a Mirror Mazeposed of numerous mirrors, groups of dyed explosion fireballs that had been prepared in advance received the order to explode immediately!
Rumble!
They exploded simultaneously, intertwining with each other, causing a fierce red me storm to cover the entire area behind the mirror,pletely engulfing Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image, the two marites, along with Jenna and Lumian.
This was the Hunter''s home turf, a battlefield meticulously prepared by Lumian!
As for Zaratulstra''s main body, he had once again hidden in the fog of history.
Rumble!
Zaratulstra''s two marites used Paper Figurine Substitutes, being torn to pieces in the violent impact waves and ignited by the red mes.
Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image maintained its Mythical Creature form, extending numerous tentacles to entangle the oing me storm.
He Grafted himself onto the mes, thus avoiding harm, merely drifting to another side with the storm.
Normally, Grafting suppressed to Sequence 7 wouldn''t allow Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image to rbine with the concept of fire, but Sequence 7 Magician of the Seer pathway could manipte mes, having a very close connection with fire itself. Therefore, Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image could be a special kind of me, constantly shing within the storm.
Lumian''s body also shattered like a mirror.
Immediately after, he teleported near the newly emerged female marite, using the mirror in his hand to reflect her figure, and smeared the mes of Destruction imbued with Cull forces onto the mirror surface.
Affected by both Zaratulstra''s main body entering the fog of history and his historical projection turning into a "me" drifting with the storm, the female marite had no time to react or time to hide in the fog of history. Extremely suppressed ck mes hiding destruction, erupted from within her body.
She quickly regressed into a paper figurine, but when she emerged in another part of the area behind the mirror, the mes of Destruction on her body had not extinguished.
After using Paper Figurine Substitute twice in session, this marite''s main body also turned to ashes.
At this point, the terrifying scene created by the groups of dyed explosion fireballs finally subsided. Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image extended his right hand and gently grasped.
The surrounding space-time distorted in response, covering the entire area behind the mirror as if with a giant curtain, forming a concealed area isted from the surroundings.
Realm of Mysteries!
After confirming that Lumian and Jenna had been pulled into the Realm of Mysteries by his historical projection and could not prevent him for a short time, Zaratulstra returned from the fog of history,nding at the edge of the dark and void area behind the mirror.
He ignored his historical projection and the remaining marites that were also trapped in the Realm of Mysteries, walking directly towards the ss mirror surface leading to the hot pot restaurant''s private room.
Now, he had the energy to be vignt and avoid the influence of the Distortion forces.
Just as Zaratulstra approached the ss mirror surface, he suddenly heard a "bang" of a gunshot.
A golden bullet, carrying an indescribable sense of decay, flew out from one of the spider web-like tunnels, heading straight for his chest.
Anthony, wearing a cheap ck T-shirt and sporting a crew cut, shed out of the tunnel following the bullet.
He had been lurking there using the power of the Ice Mirror Charm, not venturing into the area behind the mirror, so he wasn''t epassed by the Realm of Mysteries created by Zaratulstra''s historical projection.
As Zaratulstra''s main body avoided the bullet, Anthony, using the remnant power of Mirror Traversal, instantly appeared beside the white-haired old man.
He raised a pre-drawn picture while his eyes turned golden and vertical.
Frenzy!
Anthony thought that Zaratulstra had resurrected by seizing Loki''s body, so there might still be some struggle between them. Therefore, using Frenzy to target Zaratulstra''s mental state might have a miraculous effect.
The picture in his hand was drawn on a nk sketchbook, depicting a door, a lock, and wooden barspletely sealing the door.
The picture spontaneously ignited, turning into a phantom image that attached itself to the ss mirror surface leading to the outside world, sealing it with wooden bars and adding a lock.
Zaratulstra, directly affected by Frenzy, suddenly faded, bing a phantom.
This was a Magician''s ability to create illusions.
After returning from the fog of history, the first thing Zaratulstra actually did was create an illusion, rather than directly approaching the exit.
He used this to make Anthony misjudge his position, only hitting the illusion.
Zaratulstra''s true figure quickly sketched itself not far away, speaking coldly in Dragonese, "My wish is: To banish the enemies here."
Before Anthony could use his area-of-effect Awe, he suddenly cked out, as if lifted by an invisible force and thrown into the air.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a prison, with no mirror-like objects around to useall the iron bars were wrapped in cotton cloth.
Zaratulstra chose to banish Anthony rather than wish for his death because this Angel believed that the enemy mixed with the Demoness likely also had one or two Mirror Substitutions, which would lead to a momentary failure of the wish and a waste of time.
However, this meant that Lumian, who was inside the Realm of Mysteries, was unaffected by the miracle and remained inside.
Zaratulstra''s wish was to banish the enemies "here", and the Realm of Mysteries no longer belonged to "here"!
No longer disturbed by Anthony, Zaratulstra turned his gaze back to the ss mirror surface.
He had already realized two wishes, creating two miracles, which had considerably drained him. So he just opened his mouth, preparing to use an Air Cannon to st the wooden bars and lock, removing their blockade of the exit.
Inside the Realm of Mysteries,Jenna had disappeared, while Lumian, having slightly recovered, teleported behind Zaratulstra''s historical projection.
He raised his head, looking up high, letting his eyes, which had burst many capiries from directly viewing the Mythical Creature form earlier, turn iron-ck. At the same time, he let out a harrumph.
As two beams of white light shot from his nostrils towards the dark vortexposed of worms, he threw the Sword of Courage in his hand upwards towards a certain point in the sky.
That ce appeared pale white in his eyes.
It was the weakness of the Realm of Mysteries!
Even though the Realm of Mysteries was an ability that only Sequence 1 could use, it currently only had the strength of Sequence 7!
Outside the Realm of Mysteries.
Zaratulstra made a "bang" sound, firing an Air Cannon, causing the wooden bars and iron lock drawn on the ss mirror surface to shatter inch by inch.
At this moment, several figures traversed through another tunnel.
There was Ludwig wearing a child''s formal attire, a slightly plump female version of Anthony with a mature demeanor and fairly pretty features, and a handsome male version of Jenna with xen hair styled dashingly.
The real Jenna was still hiding inside the tunnel, not entering this area behind the mirror.
Her previous appearance was a shallow mirror person created using special Mirror World Fragments, which could be maintained for a longer time to confuse Zaratulstra. However, under the influence of Lumian''s area explosion and the Realm of Mysteries earlier, that weak shallow mirror person had been destroyed.
The current male version of Jenna and female version of Anthony were deep mirror people created in advance using the special Mirror World Fragments in Franca and Lumian''s possession. They could only be maintained for three minutes, but in terms of abilities, they almost perfectly replicated the originals, and could also borrow power from the special mirror world to a certain extent.
After the battle with the reanimated female corpse, Lumian and the others began to pay more attention to the abilities that came with the special Mirror World Fragments.
In the real world, the effect might not be obvious, but in the dream city where everyone was suppressed to Sequence 7, the more mirror helpers, the better!
Jenna hadn''t let her male version, the female version of Anthony, and Ludwig follow Anthony to attack Zaratulstra earlier because she remembered Lumian''s prior reminder: "If we fail to assassinate sessfully, subsequent attacks shoulde in batches. We can''t all rush in at once, lest Zaratulstra''s special ability takes us all away at once. This can also deplete his spirituality and the number of times he can use his special abilities"
In the Hunter''s home turf, although it couldn''t be said that they could make arrangements for the enemy from beginning to end, at least the first few waves of attacks could reflect their intentions!
Chapter 979 Mythical Creature
Chapter 979 Mythical Creature
Faced with the attack from Ludwig, the male version of Jenna, and the female version of Anthony, Zaratulstra showed no surprise.
His body inside the ck formal wear suddenly disintegrated, along with his face, copsing inward into a dark vortex.
If one looked closely at this vortex, they would see countless transparent insects frantically writhing, seemingly crawling into the observer''s mind and body, devouring thoughts and nerves.
From within the sleeves and pant legs of the ck formal wear, numerous slimy tentacles covered in bizarre patterns extended outward.
Zaratulstra had also revealed his Mythical Creature form!
Unlike His Historical Void image, His clothes were real, not part of a historical projection. They didn''t transform into the Mythical Creature, remaining draped over the surface of the maggot vortex.
This made Him appear even more terrifying.
As Zaratulstra revealed his Mythical Creature form, both the male version of Jenna and the female version of Anthony instantly froze.
One''s hair rapidly grew thicker and longer, their skin losing its luster, while the other''s face became covered in patches of grayish-white dragon scales.
Silently, their bodies simultaneously copsed. The former turned into a writhing mass of flesh, covered in thick, slimy, and bizarre ck hair as thick as small snakes. The tips of these hairs struggled to open ck and white eyes or stick out snake-like tongues. Thetter disintegrated into several lizards covered in grayish-white dragon scales.
They had lost control.
Although Zaratulstra''s Mythical Creature form was suppressed to the Sequence 7 level, as deep Mirror People, their mental states were already unstable, and their emotions tended towards extremes. Naturally, they couldn''t help but lose control.
With this development, Ludwig''s movements slowed slightly, his mind bearing the impact of the female Anthony''s indiscriminate Frenzy.
Just as he was about to sumb to the male Jenna''s Charm and turn to devour that mass of flesh, the two out-of-control deep Mirror People began to fade and be transparent, quickly disappearing.
They were illusory to begin with.
Ludwig could only open his mouth wide, his mouth corners splitting to the back of his head.
Then, he leaped towards Zaratulstra''s Mythical Creature form in its ck formal wear, biting down on one of the extended bizarre tentacles.
He wanted to use this to Deprive Zaratulstra of His Paper Figurine Substitutes ability.
Crack!
Ludwig bit down, but only crushed a paper figurine.
Zaratulstra, transformed into a Mythical Creature, appeared in midair. Within the dark vortex of countless maggots that formed His face, several differently colored gems seemed to light up simultaneously.
Around Ludwig, who still had the paper figurine in his mouth, numerous illusory doors suddenly appeared.
These illusory doors took various forms: some double-doored, some single, some barely showing a crack, some covered in mysterious patterns They were densely packed and numerous,pletely enveloping Ludwig.
As Zaratulstra waved His slimy tentacles, one of the illusory doors suddenly opened, weing Ludwig as he was thrown towards it.
Ludwig''s figure instantly disappeared into the profound darkness behind the door.
Exile!
This was a Secrets Sorcerer ability that Zaratulstra used with the aid of a certain Sealed Artifact. It could throw the target into a corresponding space-time turbulence, only able to return after five seconds. Of course,plete return was contingent on the person or object thrown into the space-time turbulence being able to withstand its impact.
Combined with a Miracle Invoker''s influence on fate, this could banish Ludwig for a full ten seconds.
In just two or three seconds, Zaratulstra had permanently or temporarily dealt with the third wave of attacking enemies.
He spoke again in the Dragonese, "My wish is: that no one else will interfere with me from now on."
As soon as the words were spoken, Zaratulstra realized His wish.
Affected by this aspect of his abilities being suppressed to Sequence 7, the realization of his wish had clear boundariesit was limited to only the next thirty seconds, with poor effectiveness against enemies possessing godhood. The stronger the godhood, the more likely they were to break through the restrictions and interfere with him.
At this moment, Jenna, hiding in one of the tunnels, suddenly found herself unable to "traverse" to the corresponding area behind the mirror.
Zaratulstra, maintaining His Mythical Creature form, descended from midair, floating towards the ss mirror surface leading to the hot pot restaurant''s private room.
Rumble!
He heard a faint explosion and saw a ce in the area behind the mirror where an illusory curtain seemed to be pushed up, but notpletely broken through.
Inside the Realm of Mysteries.
When Lumian threw the Sword of Courage and used the Spell of Harrumph, Zaratulstra''s historical projection instantly swapped positions with His marite.
The marite, hit by the two beams of white light, only shook slightly.
His spirit was essentially already dead.
Rumble!
The Sword of Courage struck the weak point of the Realm of Mysteries, creating a terrifying explosion, but failed to prate through.
Amidst this chaos, Lumian''s figure disappeared, Blinking to the side of Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image.
His left hand was already raised, the silver bracelet on his wrist glowing with a silvery-white light tinged with ck.
Circle Inhabitant!
Lumian once again used Circle Inhabitant, targeting the position of Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image!
Of course, this attempt also forced him to face the other''s Mythical Creature form directly. His thoughts and joints were once again filled with glue, and his mental state showed signs of some confusion.
It was only because he possessed godhood, and the other''s Mythical Creature form was also limited to the Sequence 7 level, that he didn''t lose control on the spot. Otherwise, even if he hadn''t lost control immediately, he would have been in a state where his mind was swept by a storm, unable to continue subsequent actions.
Just as Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image was about to continue swapping positions with His marite, He suddenly found the attempt failed.
He remained in ce.
Seizing this opportunity, Lumian, his eyes showing a silver-ck color, suddenly pushed his right palm forward.
All his remaining spirituality surged towards the river of fate of Zaratulstra''s historical projection.
Compelling Fate!
He wanted topel the fate of Zaratulstra''s historical projection to rush towards the imagined tributary!
Due to the influence of Zaratulstra''s historical projection''s own status, the probability of sess for this action was actually not high. But as a historical projection, there was a natural w, problem, and weakness in terms of fate, which was the time limit on their existence.
If Lumian wanted topel fate to make Zaratulstra''s historical projection fall into dire straits and be killed by his subsequent attacks, it would depend on whether Mr. Fool would provide protection. But if he chose the fate tributary of "historical projection prematurely terminated due to unexpected influence", there was a considerable chance of achieving the goal!
In an instant, Lumian''s spirituality waspletely drained, forcing him to release the part he had umted in advance to barely support himself.
His body involuntarily leaned back slightly, and on his bright face, streams of blood flowed from his eyes, nose, and the corners of his mouth. His ck long hair seemed to have gained its own vitality, floating upwards and bing slightly thicker.
This was the bacsh from directly viewing the fate of a Mythical Creature.
Not only did one of his eyes go blind immediately, but his entire person became like a marite, temporarily unable to think or move.
Almost simultaneously, Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image became semi-transparent, with ripples appearing on its surface.
It was as if some ident had prevented the spirituality of Zaratulstra''s main body from prating the Realm of Mysteries to maintain the existence of the historical projection.
In the blink of an eye, Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image faded to invisibility,pletely dissipating.
Without His presence, Lumian finally recovered.
His blue eye, covered in a blood mist, saw the ck curtain enveloping this area rapidly copsing. He saw that male marite, having lost the control of Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image and being isted from Zaratulstra''s main body by the Realm of Mysteries, standing still, motionless.
Taking advantage of the Realm of Mysteries not yetpletely copsing, Lumian took out a mirror, reflected that marite, and cursed it with the Fire of Destruction.
The male marite immediately erupted with ck mes suppressing madness and destruction from the inside out, its body beginning to melt like steel.
Lumian didn''t look at him again. After the Realm of Mysteries further copsed, he used the ability of Mirror Traversal to return to the area behind the mirror. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Just as Zaratulstra approached the ss mirror surface, He sensed movement behind Him.
This maggot vortex, d in ck formal wear and extending numerous bizarre tentacles, suddenly turned around to see Lumian, one eye covered in blood, the other unfocused, with blood flowing from them.
Although Lumian didn''t directly look at thisplete Mythical Creature, only ncing towards the ck shoes where things were vaguely crawling out, he still fell into intermittent thought stutters and slight mental confusion.
His tendency towards madness worsened.
At this moment, he had already retrieved the Sword of Courage with invisible spider silk. Holding this iron-ck straight sword burning with scarlet mes in both hands, he was about to strike at Zaratulstra from a distance.
After oveing difficulties andunching several waves of attacks, he and his teammates had finally taken out Zaratulstra''s marite and Historical Void image, and could now challenge His main body!
Within the dark vortex that formed Zaratulstra''s head, each worm emitted an elderly voice.
The words they spoke came together, forming echoing speech in just one second.
"To be able to end my Historical Void image in such a short time, I''m indeed a bit surprised.
"But it doesn''t matter, I''ll just summon another one."
As He spoke, Zaratulstra extended a bizarre, slimy tentacle and dragged out another version of Himself from the fog of history.
This was still him as a Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries.
If it weren''t for His concern about the hidden enemy who used the power of Distortion to transfer Him to the mirror world, Zaratulstra felt He could have killed this group entirely, rather than just thinking about escaping this ce.
At this moment, Lumian couldn''t help but feel a bit of despair.
Zaratulstra still has the spirituality to summon a Historical Void image?
Is this what an Angel is? Even suppressed to Sequence 7, so many of us have only taken out His marite, not even scratching His skin!
Courage and madness upied Lumian''s body. Without fear, he shed out a highlypressed scarlet fire serpent towards Zaratulstra and His Historical Void image from a distance.
Chapter 980 Together
Chapter 980 Together
Faced with the giant fire serpent shed out by Lumian, Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image had not yet fully emerged from the fog of history and was unable to respond effectively. Meanwhile, the countless transparent maggots within the dark vortex of Zaratulstra''s main body merely watched, taking no action.
The highlypressed scarlet fire serpent had not yet truly approached Zaratulstra''s main body when it suddenly changed direction, curving to the side, as if unwilling to conflict with thisplete Mythical Creature.
This was the power of a "miracle".
Zaratulstra''s previously made wish that "no one else will interfere with him" was still in effect, still functioning!
Although Lumian possessed a certain degree of godhood, the power of the wish was unable to prevent him from leaving the Realm of Mysteries and returning to this area behind the mirror. However, it could still prevent him from directly affecting Zaratulstra''s main body, causing all his attacks to bypass the target.
At this moment, Lumian suddenly raised his head.
But he wasn''t looking at Zaratulstra''s Mythical Creature form. Instead, he was looking at the ss mirror surface not far from Zaratulstra.
His eye, covered in a blood mist due to burst capiries, turned iron-ck, reflecting the ss mirror surface that represented the entrance and exit, reflecting the pale spots on it.
This was the mirror''s own weakness.
Immediately after, Lumian, wearing a silver-white earring on his left ear and his ck hair floating gently, smiled and raised the Sword of Courage in his hand.
The giant fire serpent that had bypassed Zaratulstra''s main body changed direction ordingly, fiercely pouncing towards the pale spot on the ss mirror surface.
The distance between them was extremely short. Before Zaratulstra''s main body could react, the highlypressed scarlet fire serpent hit the target area.
Zaratulstra''s head,posed of countless maggots forming a vortex, turned towards that spot, seeming somewhat stunned by Lumian''s choice.
Once the mirror surface shattered, the corresponding area behind the mirror would copse with it. If the people and objects in that area couldn''t escape in time through the mirror tunnels, they would be swallowed by the turbulence of the mirror world and dragged into its depths. The dangers there were fatal for Beyonders without aplete Mythical Creature form, meaning Lumian!
Even for Angels withplete Mythical Creature forms, unless they were of the Door pathway or the Demoness pathway, the depths of the mirror world were ces they were reluctant to venture into lightly.
Seeing this scene, Lumian''s smile grew increasingly manic.
I never intended to attack you at all!
My initial goal was to shatter the mirror corresponding to this area, dragging you down into the depths of the mirror world, into dangerous space-time turbulence!
And to prevent you from detecting my true intentions, I pretended to attack you directly. That strange interference helped me save a lot of spirituality. Otherwise, even as a Pyromaniac wearing the Lie earring, changing the direction of the fire serpent midway would have been very strenuous and consumed a lot!
Boom!
The scarlet giant serpent, carrying the effects of Cull and Mighty Blow, exploded thunderously at the weak spot on the inside of the mirror, stirring up violent winds.
Amidst the gale, the sound of cracking was drowned out as the mirror instantly shattered into pieces, causing the entire area behind the mirror to copse with a thunderous roar.
This dark, void world crumbled.
Neither Lumian nor Zaratulstra''s main body managed to enter that spider web-like illusory tunnel. They plummeted sharply towards the unseen bottom of the darkness, not knowing where it led.
The copse of this mirror world also brought intense shock waves to the historical fog that had previously permeated this ce. Zaratulstra''s Historical Void image returned to formlessness before it could be fully dragged out.
As they fell rapidly, Lumian''s body became very light, noticeably slowing his descent.
He could already see the dark storm raging below, seemingly able to tear apart everything, and he was about to be engulfed by it.
He activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, vanishing from the current void with a whoosh.
His figure didn''t appear in the outside world. He didn''t use a Demoness''s control over the mirror world or the Spiritual World Traversal ability from Hand Bro to escape this dangerous ce before being caught in the space-time turbulence. Instead, he Blinked to Zaratulstra''s side.
Invisible spider silk then became visible,yer uponyer binding the maggot vortex d in ck formal wear.
After escaping from the Realm of Mysteries, Lumian had been secretly producing spider silk, letting it surround Zaratulstra''s main body. When the area behind the mirror copsed, these transparent spider threads immediately entangled the target, disregarding the corruption and effects brought by the Mythical Creature form on itself, making contact with Zaratulstra''s main body.
It was through this contact, relying on the positioning provided by the Demoness''s spider silk, that Lumian was able to find Zaratulstra''s main body in this chaotic and dangerous space-time and Teleport to His side.
Those spider threads slowly and jerkily entangled Zaratulstra, while Lumian, positioned beside Him, closed his eyes and shed the Sword of Courage towards the maggot vortex d in ck formal wear, following the pull of the spider silk.
The scarlet mes on this iron-ck straight sword silently turned pitch ck, restraining violence and madness.
Fire of Destruction!
As Lumian drew closer to Zaratulstra''s main body, even with his eyes closed, his thoughts became sluggish, and the Sword of Courage he was shing noticeably slowed.
This was the corruption brought by the Mythical Creature form, which was also a kind of maritization.
Now, it took Zaratulstra 20 seconds to gain initial control over a target''s Spirit Body Threads, but with the impact and corruption of the Mythical Creature form added, it only took 7 seconds!
From the moment Lumian left the Realm of Mysteries, He had been secretly diverting attention to manipte the other''s Spirit Body Threads!
As expected it''s like this The manic smile didn''t disappear from Lumian''s bright face.
He activated the ck mark on his right shoulder once again.
And now, he was depending on how Zaratulstra''s main body was bound to the invisible spider silk.
In other words, his Teleportation would bring Zaratulstra along with him!
He wanted to go somewhere together with Zaratulstra!
Zaratulstra suddenly had a sense of danger. He abandoned manipting Lumian''s Spirit Body Threads and was about to use Paper Figurine Substitutes to escape the binding of the spider silk, and then leave this area that was about to be swallowed by space-time turbulence using the Secrets Sorcerer Sealed Artifact he carried.
At this moment, in a virtual tunnel of the mirror world, Bernadette, sitting on a green pea vine, was making a phone call while looking at a mirror.
That mirror was a substitute Lumian had made for himself, having a very close connection with him. It was relying on this connection and the abilities of the Mystery Pryer pathway that Bernadette was able to monitor every move on the battlefield.
She suddenly reached out her right hand and once again virtually wiped the dark crown she had taken out again.
The numerous gems on that crown lit up simultaneously, using Lumian''s mirror to Disorder the corresponding space-time.
Zaratulstra first turned into a paper figurine, then His main body reappeared in the same position, still bound by spider silk.
This was thest bit of help Bernadette could provide.
Lumian''s figure disappeared from the dark void that was about to be swallowed by space-time turbulence, taking Zaratulstra with him.
The two of them appeared on the surface of therge screen on the hot pot restaurant''s stage and passed through it.
Zaratulstra then saw the private room that belonged to his group, saw tables of customers eating hot pot.
Thankfully, it''s not the police station Zaratulstra immediately contracted the maggot vortex, quickly changing back into a white-haired elderly man.
He was worried that his Mythical Creature form would cause massive casualties and madness in the public setting of the hot pot restaurant. If that happened, He would certainly be captured by the main consciousness of the dream and forcibly kicked out or turned into a marite, which could no longer be avoided by historical projection.
Just as Zaratulstra regained human form, He suddenly saw a pair of eyes, dark brown eyes.
Those were Zhou Mingrui''s eyes.
Zhou Mingrui was sitting at a table not far from the stage, staring nkly as he watched Zaratulstra and a beautiful woman with a bloody face walk out from the screen. He felt that a dangerous aura lingered on the former, as if he had just emerged from a state that could kill everyone in the hot pot restaurant.
This deeply shocked him, and the goose intestine he was holding with his chopsticks, not yet ced in the pot, froze in midair.
Outside the hot pot restaurant, the sky at 7 pm was still bright.
Zaratulstra''s gaze instantly froze.
The next second, he turned his head to look at Lumian.
One of Lumian''s eyes had lost focus, dazed and confused, while the other blue eye was shrouded in a bloody mist.
He put away the Sword of Courage and smirked at Zaratulstra, a dangerous yet beautiful smile ying on his lips.
Both of them felt pain simultaneously, as if tightly entangled by invisible tentacles, forcibly being dragged away from the world they relied on for survival.
Their thoughts were also rapidly bing sluggish and stuttering. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Confirming that the situation was as he had anticipated, Lumian smiled even more happily.
Zaratulstra didn''t put up much more resistance, as that would prevent Him from entering the dream againter.
He took a deep look at the Demoness of Despair before him, then left this world along with the force kicking Him out of the dream.
Lumian did the same.
p, p, p, warm apuse suddenly came from all directions in the hot pot restaurant.
Whether that scene of the beautiful woman and the old man walking out of the screen was magic or an application of virtual reality technology, it was worth apuding!
What the audience didn''t notice was that behind Zaratulstra, an illusory door discreetly appeared, and Ludwig, dressed in children''s formal wear, walked out.
People and objects banished by the Secrets Sorcerer ability, when the time was up, didn''t return to their original position but to the side of the person who used the Exile ability.
Ludwig nced at Lumina and Zaratulstra in front of him, quickly changing his mouth back to its original form.
He walked around to the front and took Lumina''s hand.
Lumina remembered that this was her child. Under Ludwig''s guidance, she left the stage and walked towards the back of the hot pot restaurantthe resting ce for the face-changing performers.
Zaratulstra looked at his position in confusion, and amidst the audience''s apuse, he also walked off the stage, heading towards the second floor.
After walking seven or eight steps, he saw the stairs, and for some unknown reason, his mood suddenly became joyful.
At this moment, he heard a "bang" sound.
A dim green bullet flew from somewhere above, hitting the side of his head.
On the surface of the ss window in the corner of the second floor, Franca''s figure faintly appeared.
Located in the blind spot of surveince, she had extended the Inevitable Gun slightly out of the ss mirror surface.
Certain Death!
As the gun fired, Zaratulstra''s pupils suddenly dted, and his head exploded, sttering red and white in all directions.
Franca quickly withdrew the Inevitable Gun and calmly left the current ss window using the remaining power of the Ice Amulet.
We may not be able to kill your main body, but can''t we kill your dream manifestation?
Without this current identity, let''s see how you obtain money and resources, see how long it takes you to get a new identity and return to the dream city!
Chapter 981 Wrapping Up
Chapter 981 Wrapping Up
At a table near the stage, Zhou Mingrui had been observing Zaratulstra and the unknown beautiful woman ever since they walked out from the screen.
Unlike the majority of people who were drawn to the woman with blood on her face, a dazed look in her eyes, and an strangely alluring beauty, he was more focused on Zaratulstra''s state and actions.
Of course, during this process, he still used his peripheral vision to keep an eye on the woman, to see her condition and what she would do next.
After just a few seconds, he noticed a strange child appear from behind Zaratulstra, take the hand of the blood-faced woman, walk off the stage, and head towards the resting area for the face-changing performers. Meanwhile, Zaratulstra also looked confused, slowly following them off the stage and approaching the stairs leading to the second floor.
Zhou Mingrui noticed that Zaratulstra''s pace quickened as he walked, his expression gradually bing rxed and showing a hint of joy. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Just then, he heard a "bang" and saw Zaratulstra''s head explode like a watermelon dropped from a great height.
As red and white matter sttered in all directions, the apuse, cheers, and chatter in the hot pot restaurant seemed to have been muted, disappearing instantly.
Everything froze or solidified in that moment, except for the fragments of Zaratulstra''s head mixed with red and white liquid, blossoming like fireworks.
Thud!
Zaratulstra''s corpse fell not far from the stairs.
Zaratulstra is dead shot to death In that moment, Zhou Mingrui was extremely confused and bewildered, feeling as if a movie special effect had intruded into daily life, making it all seem very unreal.
In all his life, this was the first time he had witnessed someone being shot to death.
He usually had full confidence in public safety and felt very secure.
The next second, Zhou Mingrui thought of the Li Ming, Luo Fu, and Luo Shan group who had been constantly reminding him to be careful of Zaratulstra. He also remembered that Luo Fu, who had been eating hot pot here just a few minutes ago, had gone to the restroom.
What a coincidence, she just happened to not be in the dining hall
It couldn''t have been her, could it?
Just as this thought shed through Zhou Mingrui''s mind, he heard screams and felt the entire hot pot restaurant in an uproar.
Just as this thought shed through Zhou Mingrui''s mind, he heard screams and felt the entire hot pot restaurant in an uproar.
People had finally reacted.
A bloody shooting had just urred right before their eyes!
Some people immediately called the police, some tried to leave the hot pot restaurant, fearing there might be more gunfire, while others, both nauseated and terrified, wiped the stains from their faces
"What happened?" Zhou Mingrui suddenly heard Luo Fu''s voice.
This beautiful woman wearing a ck T-shirt with sequins and ck-framed sses had returned to her original position.
Luo Shan abruptly stood up, pointing at where Zaratulstra had fallen, and said in a terrified and stammering voice, "S-someone died!
"Zaratulstra was shot dead!"
Seeing Luo Shan''s reaction, Zhou Mingrui doubted his earlier judgment: Luo Shan seemspletely unprepared for Zaratulstra''s shooting
"Huh?" Franca, taking advantage of her height, stood on tiptoes to look towards where the bodyy.
After seeing the corpse with its head blown apart, her face gradually turned pale, and she hurriedly averted her gaze.
"It''s really Zaratulstra?" she asked Luo Shan.
At this point, Luo Shan also suspected it was Luo Fu''s doing, because inviting Zhou Mingrui to this hot pot restaurant and sitting near the stage were both Luo Fu''s instructions. And just minutes before Zaratulstra was shot, Luo Fu had gone to the restroom and wasn''t at her seat.
But Luo Fu''s reaction and the change in herplexion made Luo Shan uncertain.
Luo Shan nodded with a grave expression. "Yes."
She was indeed scared. Since bing a Beyonder, at most she had only killed monsters in the Shaman''s world and subtly influenced a few people in reality through her paintings. She had never truly fought with any human, let alone killed one.
She knew Luo Fu and the others'' purpose and target, but she hadn''t expected them to use such drastic measures.
As she spoke, Luo Shan leaned closer to Franca, wanting to sniff her to check for any lingering gunpowder smell, like they did on TV. But she only caught a whiff of a pleasant, intoxicating fragrance.
Franca''s face seemed to pale even more as she murmured, "How did he just die"
Amidst themotion in the entire hot pot restaurant, Zhou Mingrui''s gaze moved from Luo Shan and Luo Fu''s faces to the resting area for the face-changing performers.
He hadn''t forgotten about the beautiful yet dangerous woman who had walked out of the screen along with Zaratulstra.
Inside the hot pot restaurant''s rest area.
Lumina was led by Ludwig to a corner, where he drew a curtain, as if they were about to change clothes.
The face-changing performers present were all attracted by Lumina''s beauty, aura, and dazed expression. No one questioned why she hade in.
After blocking the surrounding gazes, Ludwig took out a mirror from his pocket.
Inside the mirror, Jenna was already waiting.
Jenna reached out with both hands, grabbing Lumina and Ludwig, and pulled them into the mirror world.
Lumina didn''t resist; she remembered this was Li Lu''s mother.
What confused her was that she thought she was Li Lu''s mother, so why did Li Lu have another mother? Yet her memories and consciousness told her this was the truth.
Smack!
As the mirror fell towards the ground, it burst into quiet and eerie ck mes, then shattered into pieces.
Having already traversed to a mirror near the Dechuang Garden, Jenna began cleaning the makeup off herself and Ludwig, and removed the Lie earring from Lumina''s ear.
Their action n for this operation was divided into three parts:
The first part was to attempt an assassination;
The second part was to immediately switch to an encirclement attack if the assassination failed;
The third part, if the encirclement attack still couldn''t kill Zaratulstra, was to "bring" the enemy before Zhou Mingrui in a way involving mysticism and Beyonder powers. This would likely result in both Zaratulstra and the person who "brought" Him being kicked out of the dream on the spot. Then, Franca, who hadn''t appeared or participated in the battle before, would seize the opportunity to covertly assassinate Zaratulstra''s dream imagenow an ordinary person without an Angel''s rank and temporarily unprotected by bodyguards. This would force this character off the stage, no longer able to be used by the real Zaratulstra to approach Huang Tao and obtain money and resources throughpany mergers and restructuring!
Moreover, this might even prevent Zaratul from re-entering the dream city for a considerable time, until He had a new identity. Lumian and the others would use this window of opportunity to make more attempts.
Because there was a possibility of being exposed to the audience at the end, and also the possibility of the n failing with Zaratulstra sessfully escaping, so except for Lumian who could transform into a female form and Franca who would only carry out the covert assassination in the final stage, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig all used the Lie earring to adjust their appearances to some extent, applying near-perfect makeup. Additionally, they used Lumian''s Mystery Prying sses to add suggestive power to their disguises, making everyone who saw them believe this was their true appearance.
The Mystery Prying sses itself was not above Sequence 7, so the mystical effects it produced were not discounted.
In the hot pot restaurant, Mr. Huang, who was on the phone with his daughter, heard the gunshot andmotion in the hall and specifically walked to the stairway to look down.
His face, which had been wearing a faint smile, instantly darkened when he saw Zaratulstra''s nearly headless corpse.
He moved the phone from his ear to in front of his eyes, staring at the call interface disying the words "Bernie".
After a few seconds, Mr. Huang brought the phone back to his ear and said in a gentle voice, "Something''s happened at the scene, I need to deal with it. I''ll call you backter."
As soon as he hung up the phone, Zaratulstra''s subordinates rushed past him in fear, panic, and anger, surrounding the corpse.
Edwardthe vice president of Intis Groupfollowed behind them, approaching Mr. Huang and saying in a low voice, "Besides Zaratulstra, one bodyguard and one negotiator are missing."
Mr. Huang nodded slowly, looking at the chaos in the hall, and sighed. "Call the police, let them handle it."
As soon as she resumed her daily appearance in the dream city, Jenna took Lumina and Ludwig back to room 2303 of the Dechuang Garden.
She had used her Ice Mirror Charm once again; now only one use remained.
She then ced Franca''s Traveler''s Bag on the coffee table.
Franca had gone to the women''s restroom under surveince, used a mirror ced on the water tank to lurk in the surveince blind spot, shot and killed Zaratulstra, then immediately drank the healing agent provided by the Tarot Club to dy the negative effects of using the special ability of the Inevitable Gun. This would allow the severe illness to manifest after she had been questioned by the police. Of course, before that, herplexion would still show some changes.
After doing this, she quickly handed over the Traveler''s Bag and all items rted to Beyonders to Jenna, letting Jenna take them away from the scene to prevent the police from discovering any clues.
Jenna took out a bottle of healing agent and handed it to the confused Lumina, saying in a gentle voice, "First, let''s treat your wounds."
Lumina took the agent and trustingly opened the cap, tilted her head back slightly, and drank it.
Watching this scene, Jenna was actually quite anxious inside.
She discovered a problem that hadn''t been anticipated before.
Lumian had exited the dream in female form, leaving behind Lumina, but the identity woven by Madam Justice was Li Ming, a male.
Normally, when an outsider was kicked out of the dream, their remaining manifestation would maintain daily life based on the woven identity and memories not involving Beyonders, just like "Luo Fu". But now, Lumina and the Li Ming identity were clearly different, even in gender.
This would cause a conflict between Lumina''s self-perception and the actual identity situation!
Does this count as actively creating a dream loophole? Seeing that Lumina had quickly recovered, Jenna carefully asked, "Can you still transform into a male?"
Chapter 982 Exploiting Loopholes
Chapter 982 Exploiting Loopholes
Lumina looked at Jenna with her now fully recovered eye and asked in confusion, "What do you mean by transforming into a male?"
Her previously blinded eye, limited by the effects of the healing agent, was still suppressed at Sequence 7 and recovering more slowly, with vision still blurry.
As expected, she can''t do it, or doesn''t know how Jenna''s thoughts raced as she quickly fabricated an excuse. "Don''t you remember that you like to dress up as a man and wear men''s clothes?"
Lumina looked down at her clothes and epted Jenna''s exnation. "Yes, I still like that."
She believed it She''s epted this character setting? Jenna vaguely grasped the current loophole and probed further, "You seem a bit shaken and confused. Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten that we''re a couple raising Li Lu together?"
"Uh" Lumina was stunned for a moment. "No wonder he calls me mother and you mom. I remember now, that''s right!"
She just "remembered" like that? The corner of Jenna''s mouth twitched slightly.
Lumina''s reaction and changes also confirmed her theory: Due to the conflict between Lumina''s true gender and background identity, a loophole had appeared in the dream. Before this loophole was patched, whatever character background story was fed to Lumina, she would be that person!
Of course, this couldn''t involve the supernatural or conflict with actual character rtionshipsLumina clearly remembered the people around her.
Recalling that she had brought Lumina and Ludwig back through the mirror world, Jenna felt a headacheing on, unsure what kind of changes such details might bring.
After a few seconds of thought, she decided not to mention the mirror world or why Lumina was injured for now, waiting for Lumina to bring it up herself beforeing up with an exnation.
She pointed to the bedroom and said, "You look exhausted, and you''re not fully recovered. Let me help you to bed to rest."
Lumina nodded slightly.
Jenna then helped her up and said to Ludwig, "You did well today. You can rest for a while before studying. There''s food in the bag."
"Okay." Ludwig had been waiting for these words.
He quickly reached out and grabbed Jenna''s Traveler''s Bag.
After settling Ludwig and tucking Lumina into bed under the air-conditioned nket, Jenna went to the bathroom to wet a towel to wipe Lumina''s face, which still had traces of blood.
Just as she wet the towel, she saw Anthony''s figure appear in the vanity mirror.
Jenna immediately felt relieved and turned off the faucet, saying, "I was just about to look for you after settling Lumina and the others. Are you all right?"
She used the name Lumina to quickly inform Anthony of what had happened afterwards.
Anthony asked a follow-up question as if to confirm, "What about Zaratulstra?"
"The third part of the n was sessfully executed," Jenna replied concisely.
Only then did Anthony describe his own experience, "I was transferred to a prison that clearly had defenses against Mirror Traversal. I Hypnotized my ''cellmate'' to feel unwell and call for help loudly. Then, using Psychological Invisibility, I slipped out of the cell and made it to the guards'' office area, where I finally managed to escape using the mirror I had on me and the Ice Mirror Charm.
"When I returned to the mirror world corresponding to the hot pot restaurant, I found you had already left, so I came here to confirm the situation. There are already police there, and the area behind the mirror might not be safe."
"You can clean off your makeup and return to your original appearance now," Jenna said as she tossed the Lie earring into the mirror. "I''ve already done anti-divination using mirror magic, and Queen Mystic will help with the aftermath. Don''t worry, go home and rest. I''ll keep Ludwig here for now."
"Alright." While the power of the Ice Mirror Charm was still active, Anthony took the Lie earring and traversed back to the rented apartment in Xinhong District.
He could only use his Ice Mirror Charm one more time as well.
Jenna let out a sigh, wrung out the towel, left the bathroom, entered the bedroom, and began wiping Lumina''s face.
Along the way, she also checked how much Ludwig had eaten.
In the hot pot restaurant, the police had set up a cordon, isting the corpse and the surrounding area.
Franca, looking shocked, was being questioned along with Luo Shan and Zhou Mingrui by a police officer named Li En.
She said fearfully, "We weren''t eating quickly, waiting for theter performance. Then I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, I found someone had died!"
"So you weren''t in the dining hall when it happened?" Li En probed.
"Yes, I was in the bathroom," Franca exined.
Li En made a note of this, deciding to check with his colleague monitoring the surveince footageter to confirm if this woman named Luo Fu had indeed entered the women''s restroom and how long she had stayed there.
He then turned to Zhou Mingrui.
"You saw the deceased and a woman walk out from the screen?"
"Yes." Zhou Mingrui nced at Luo Fu. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
After listening and observing for a while, he increasingly felt that Luo Fu didn''t seem to be the culprit.
Or is her acting so superb that I can''t detect any ws? Zhou Mingrui mused as he added, "At the time, I thought it was a magic show. Thinking back now, there was something offthat woman had blood on her face"
Li En asked a few more questions, then walked over to Officer Deng, summarizing the key points from his inquiries.
Deng held a pipe but didn''t smoke it in public, only sniffing it to stimte his nerves and make them more alert.
"Captain, we''ve found something," another police officer approached and said to Deng.
He was responsible for searching for the beautiful woman who hade out of the screen.
Deng nodded and followed this officer to the back of the hot pot restaurant, entering the resting room for the face-changing performers.
The performers were all a bit scared, huddled in corners, watching the policee and go.
"This is where the suspect wasst seen," the officer who led Deng in pulled back a curtain, pointing to the changing area.
Deng scanned the area, his gaze falling on the shattered mirror on the ground.
In Trier, inside that luxurious vi.
Lumian opened his eyes to find one eye unable to sense light, while the other was tinged with a faint bloodiness.
Every joint in his body ached, his thoughts asionally stuttering. His emotions were clearly offdespite achieving his goal, he felt a sinking depression as if trapped in inescapable darkness, along with an impulse to explode and tear everything apart.
This was the corruption from Zaratulstra''s Mythical Creature form, which would affect reality, and the resulting damage was real too.
Lumian slowly stood up, confirming the presence of the Traveler''s Bag and Beyonder items, then stumbled out of the room and down the stairs.
He hadn''t immediately drunk the healing agent because he was mainly corrupted, not injured.
When Lumian reached the ground floor living room, Madam Magician, dressed in a yellow and white gown, was already waiting there.
Starlight shed in Madam Magician''s eyes, condensing into an illusory book that instantly flipped to a certain page.
Apanied by an ethereal, illusory voice, drops of sweet dew fell, sprinkling onto Lumian, washing away his blood stains without wetting his clothes.
Lumian''s blinded eye gradually regained sight, and the difort in his body quickly dissipated.
"The best way to deal with your current condition would actually be to have Mr. Sune and purify you," Madam Magician said with a smile, "but you have too many things that need purification, and the rank is too high. That might be even more detrimental to you. Now, your spirit and mind certainly still have residual corruption. Later, Madam Justice wille to give you a targeted treatment. Fortunately, the corruption from the dream has also been suppressed to Sequence 7. As long as you don''t encounter the Celestial Worthy, it shouldn''t be a major problem."
Lumian tucked his falling ck hair behind his ear and briefly recounted the actions he and the others had taken against Zaratulstra, as well as the assistance provided by Queen Mystic.
During this, Madam Magician gestured for him to sit in an armchair.
"I don''t know if Franca ultimately killed Zaratulstra''s dream image, but it shouldn''t be a big issue. At the time, Zaratulstra''s bodyguards were all in the private room upstairs, and the other demigod of the Seer pathway was stationed at the hotel. Even if Mr. Fool subconsciously believed that Zaratulstra also possessed Beyonder powers, he would just be an ordinary Sequence 7, without special abilities or an Angel''s rank," Lumian said finally.
Madam Magician replied, "Divination on Mr. Fool''s dream situation is very restricted and dangerous. I''m not sure yet if Two of Cups was sessful. Well, we can ask Miss Justice when she arrives. She can glimpse some details of the dream using her Dreamweaver ability.
"What we need to pay attention to now is that your actions were a strong stimulus to Zhou Mingrui. No one knows what changes might ur in the dream next."
Lumian nodded, saying thoughtfully, "This time, our biggest gain wasn''t kicking Zaratulstra out of the dream and likely being able to eliminate His corresponding dream manifestation. It was verifying one thing."
As Madam Magician turned her gaze to him, Lumian spoke slowly, "As long as we perform actions deeply involving Beyonders in front of Zhou Mingrui and make him feel danger, whether it''s the subordinates of the Celestial Worthy or us, we''ll all be kicked out of the dream and quickly maritized.
"On this point, no matter what stance people take, they receive the same treatment."
Affected by the shooting incident, Zhou Mingrui, Franca, and Luo Shan couldn''t continue eating hot pot.
Since many dishes hadn''t been touched, Luo Shan was hesitant about how to pay the bill and how much to give.
At this moment, the hot pot restaurant manager came over and proactively said to them,
"No need to pay, no need to pay. Mr. Huang from Intis Group said he''s covering everything. He said it was their client''s issue that prevented everyone from enjoying their meal, so he''ll foot the bill."
"Mr. Huang is as generous as ever," Zhou Mingrui remarked.
Luo Shan strongly agreed.
Seeing that Luo Fu wasn''t feeling well, Zhou Mingrui didn''t suggest finding another ce to eat. He politely saw the twodies off in a ride-hailing car.
Franca had been holding up, but upon returning to Dechuang Garden and entering the elevator, she suddenly went weak and leaned against Luo Shan.
"What''s wrong?" Luo Shan asked in surprise.
"I seem to be falling ill How sudden" Franca herself was puzzled.
Luo Shan didn''t get off at the 15th floor but supported Franca to the 23rd floor.
Upon seeing the door of Room 2303, Franca suddenly "woke up".
The illness was due to using the Certain Death effect of the Inevitable Gun!
I really killed Zaratulstra
Chapter 983 A Glimpse
Chapter 983 A Glimpse
Looking at the door of Room 2303, Franca suddenly recalled everything.
Considering that if the shooting of Zaratulstra was sessful, the police department would inevitably be involved in the investigation. Regardless of whether the police department previously had Beyonders, now that Zhou Mingrui himself had gained Beyonder abilities and the dream subconscious recognized the Sequence 7 level, they, as representatives of the "official" side, would certainly have gained mystical power enhancements. Therefore, Lumian and the others had already thought of ways to avoid subsequent investigations.
Starting from the fact that the main officers of the dream city''s Police Department were based on the Nighthawks of the Church of Evernight, Lumian reasonably deduced that their mostmonly used and convenient method for finding clues in public was to forcibly drag suspects into a dream and directly question them there.
For this reason, he had Anthony give Franca a psychological suggestion in advance, making her forget everything rted to the incident as soon as she drank the healing agent. The corresponding psychological suggestion would only bepletely lifted when she returned to Dechuang Garden and saw the rented room.
This way, even in the dream, Franca''s performance would be wless.
If her own subconscious didn''t believe she had shot Zaratulstra, how could she show any abnormality in the dream!
The performance that Luo Shan and Zhou Mingrui saw from Franca also came from her instinctive reactions, not acting. Only herplexion was enhanced by the negative effects of the Inevitable Gun, so it waspletely wless.
Phew that shot of mine was really cool, calm, rxed, natural,posed, that''s what an assassin should be like! Franca, feeling a bit feverish and confused, proudly praised herself in her heart.
By this time, Luo Shan had already rung the doorbell and saw Jenna open the door.
She was about to ask in a low voice, "Was Zaratulstra''s death your doing?" when she suddenly noticed a small boy writing furiously at the dining table.
"Who''s that?" Luo Shan swallowed the question she was about to ask.
Franca let go of Luo Shan''s support, nced at Ludwig, and said with unsteady steps and a smile, "My godson."
Theoretically speaking, that''s right!
As soon as Franca finished speaking, she was already panting, looking as if even talking was a great effort. Jenna quickly supported her.
Seeing this, Luo Shan waved her hand and said, "Get well soon. You probably won''t need to work overtime tomorrow, you can rest at home."
The big client is dead, what overtime would there be!
Back in Room 1502, Luo Shan took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Jenna:
"Is there anything wrong with Luo Fu? Does she need to go to the hospital?"
She intended to use this to open the conversation, then ask Jenna if "Zaratulstra''s death was rted to them".
Jenna quickly replied: "She took some fever medicine, let''s observe for a while before deciding.
"I heard there was a shooting at the hot pot restaurant where you were eating?"
She instead asked about Zaratulstra being shot What does this mean? Could it really not have been them? Luo Shan wondered, once again doubting her own deductions.
She briefly told Jenna about what happened in the hot pot restaurant, watching to see how she would respond.
Jenna sent a ?? emoji: "No wonder Luo Fu got sick. She always falls ill when frightened, but she also recovers quickly. She''ll be fine in a couple of days."
That doesn''t make sense She''s a powerful Beyonder, from a future on the edge of the apocalypse; she must have seen countless deaths. How could she get sick from being frightened by a single shooting? Just as Luo Shan had this doubt, she suddenly understood what Jenna really meant: We''ll tell you the truth about this matter in a couple of days.
Is it because this is the crucial period of the police investigation, and they''re worried that if I know who the real killer is, I might let something slip or be nervous and anxious, and then be questioned by the police? Luo Shan nodded in understanding.
She then felt somewhat happy.
In the past, she wouldn''t have been able to pick up on such hints. Sometimes when others mocked her, if it wasn''t obvious enough, she wouldn''t even realize it. But now, she had grasped the hidden meaning in the words!
Ah, I''ve grown too. Luo Shan leaned back on the sofa contentedly and started using her phone.
Soon, she saw the police announcement soliciting key information, part of which read: "This woman is involved in the case. We hope the public will actively provide clues"
Next to this part of the content was a photo. The woman in the photo was the one who had walked out of the screen with Zaratulstra.
Luo Shan could clearly see that the photo came from someone''s phone at the scene rather than from surveince cameras. It captured the woman''s exquisite and elegant features, her confused yet seductive gaze, and her blood-stained face quite clearly, bringing that dangerous beauty to life.
Looking at it again, she''s still very beautiful, even a bit more beautiful than Luo Fu and Jenna when they''re not downying themselves Luo Shan mused as she scrolled through thements:
"Such a beautiful woman, why be a viin?"
"I''m not just judging by her looks, but I feel like there''s no way she''d kill someone for no reason, right?"
"Sister, give me a shot!"
"Do all thementers let their morals follow their appendages?"
"Isn''t she more beautiful than those female celebrities nowadays? She could definitely squeeze into the top tier!"
"This is my dream lover, her face stained with blood, holding a gun, pressing it against my head, forcing me to give up my true heart."
"So, who exactly was killed?"
Luo Shan scrolled through with a smile for a few minutes, then suddenly remembered something.
She had forgotten to check the details of the room.
Ever since Luo Fu and Jenna reminded her to be careful of Zaratulstra''s group potentially attacking her in secret, every time she returned home, she would use her Beyonder ability to examine the details of every corner, to avoid being assassinated or ambushed.
Luo Shan stood up and walked to the oil painting of a parrot, extending her hand towards it.
The colorful parrot poked its beak and upper body out of the oil painting and said crisply, "No one has been here."
Luo Shan stroked the parrot''s feathers, then turned and walked to the window.
She looked outside, raised her right hand, and pinched her eye socket.
She wanted to use a Reporter''s ability to observe and uncover the true world.
This wasn''t because she didn''t trust the parrot, but because there were some intrusions the parrot couldn''t detect.
However, she didn''t dare to observe the true world for too long. Every time she used this ability, she felt danger and only dared to maintain it for about ten seconds.
This could only be used to look at the "corners" that the parrot couldn''t reach.
The next second, the light and shadows before Luo Shan''s eyes changed, and different scenes of the surrounding area ovepped in a strange way, presenting themselves in a chaotic andplex manner.
Luo Shan quickly saw the ss windows connecting to the dark world, saw the oil paintings pressed against the ss windows, saw different rooms stacked together like building blocks, saw people doing different things in different rooms yet mixing with each other, saw the thin gray fog permeating the edges of all these scenes.
What exactly is this fog Luo Shan instinctively frowned.
Every time she used a Reporter''s ability to observe reality, she would discover this thin gray fog, but she never knew what it symbolized, what it represented, or where it came from. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Just as Luo Shan noticed that the movements of a man in one of the rooms seemed to stutter, the colorful parrot fluttered its wings in her line of sight.
Then, she saw Luo Fu lying on the sofa, physically cooling herself with an ice pack.
Then, she heard Luo Fu''s weak voice: "Is this what happens after being kicked out of the dream in a female identity?"
Kicked out of the dream Luo Shan was stunned.
The scene before her eyes immediately shattered.
She instinctively ended her observation of "reality".
Luo Shan stood by the window, her expression bewildered as she recalled what she had just heard.
Kicked out of the dream? Did Luo Fu mean to say this is a dream? Was her conditionst time because she was kicked out of the dream? Luo Shan''s gaze gradually became vacant.
After a few seconds, she murmured very softly and weakly, "If this is a dream, then what am I"
Late at night, the bedroom door where Franca and Lumina were sleeping opened silently, and a figure walked out without making any noise.
It was Lumina in her nightgown, her eyes like higndkes, both confused and irritated.
Lumina walked along the darkest areas, stealthily reaching the door and unlocking it.
Then, she put her hand on the handle, trying to open the main door.
But the handle didn''t move at all.
Is the lock broken? Just as Lumina showed a surprised expression, she heard Jenna''s voice from behind. "Where are you going?"
Lumina turned around quickly, looking at Jenna. "Didn''t you take Li Lu to An Ruide''s ce?"
"Weter came back, but you were all asleep. I thought I shouldn''t disturb you, so I just slept here on the sofa." Jenna stood up from the sofa and asked curiously, "You want to go out? It''s the middle of the night."
"I-I feel very stuffy, very depressed, I want to go out for a walk," Lumina exined, "But the door lock is broken."
She thenughed self-mockingly. "Am I too unlucky?"
Being unlucky is normal, and inevitable, this is the negative impact of using the Circle Inhabitant effect Jenna didn''t exin, but shook her head and said, "The hot pot restaurant incident isn''t over yet, and your body hasn''t fully recovered. If you go out for a walk now and someone sees you, it will be very troublesome."
"Alright." Lumina pursed her lips and said, "I-I feel like there''s always a voice, an impulse in my heart telling me to go out."
"A voice?" Jenna frowned, bing more vignt, "Go where?"
Lumina didn''t conceal.
"On the one hand, I want to go to the rooftop, to feel the wind, to see if there are any stars, and to space out a bit. On the other hand, I want to go to a certain ce, that ce is calling me."
"Which ce?" Jenna asked.
Lumina tried hard to recall. "I think it was I think it was"
She paused for a moment, finally remembering. "Mushu Hospital."
"Mushu Hospital." Jenna''s pupils dted slightly.
She suddenly remembered that Lumian, that is, Lumina, really did have the bloodline of Omebe, the Child of Godthe Great Mother.
This wasn''t a ruse to deceive Grimm and the others!
Chapter 984 A Tranquil Night
Chapter 984 A Tranquil Night
Jenna''s mind instantly tensed up. She decided to cate Lumina and not give her the opportunity to go to Mushu Hospital, until Lumian returned around 7 or 8 pm the next evening.
She looked at Lumina and said sincerely, "The investigation into the hot pot restaurant shooting hasn''t ended yet. If you go to Mushu Hospital, you might be taken to the police station. Even if the police can prove you''re not rted to Zaratulstra''s death, it will take a considerable amount of time. You''ll be detained for at least a few days, which could cause you to lose your job."
Hearing the phrase "lose your job", Lumina showed a not-so-obvious expression of fear.
"Yes, I should hide for a couple of days. After that, going to work disguised as a man shouldn''t be a problem."
She had already been instilled with the setting of working as a security guard while disguised as a man.
Jenna didn''t dare to rx. She nced at the curtains blocking the bright moonlight and said to Lumina,
"We can''t go to Mushu Hospital, but we can go to the rooftop to feel the breeze and rx a bit."
"Okay," Lumina said, an uncontroble smile appearing on her clean and clear face.
Jenna first fixed the door lock, then took Lumina out of Room 2303 and to the rooftop via the elevator and stairs.
Throughout the process, she hid a mirror in each hand, using them to reflect light and create illusions to conceal herself and Lumina from the surveince cameras.
Feeling the cool breeze that had lost its scorching heat in the night, Lumina half-closed her eyes and took two deep breaths.
She then walked to the parapet wall at the edge of the rooftop, pointed at the top, and asked for Jenna''s opinion, "Can I sit up there?"
"Normal people can''t since it''s very dangerous. But you''re fine, your sense of bnce is very good, even better than acrobats," Jenna wasn''t afraid of Lumina falling. She had enough ability to rescue her, so she wanted to see if the loophole hadn''t been patched yet, and if by constantly suggesting to Lumina that she had abilities beyond ordinary people, whether Lumina would actually possess Beyonder powers.
Lumina put her hands on top of the parapet wall and lightly jumped up, preparing to sit down.
Suddenly, her hand slipped, and she lost her bnce, about to fall towards the ground a hundred meters below.
At that moment, she felt several invisible ropes pulling at her, helping her stabilize.
"Phew, that scared me to death" She turned her body sideways, looked at Jenna who was already sitting nearby, and patted her chest.
She thought Jenna had caught her.
Jenna, who had lightly wrapped Lumina with invisible spider silk for protection, realized she had overlooked something.
This person was still under the negative effects of misfortune brought by the Circle of Binding. Even if she had gained excellent bnce based on Jenna''s suggestions, she would fail due to extreme bad luck.
"Be careful," Jenna specially cautioned.
Lumina responded tersely and nodded lightly.
She looked at the lit internal roads of the residential area below for a few seconds, then raised her head, casting her gaze towards the bright moon in the sky.
The moonlight and the city''s light pollution had hidden the stars from view.
Lumina supported herself with both hands on top of the parapet wall, quietly looking at the moon,pletely absorbed.
After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly said, as if talking to herself, "A poem came to mind."
She didn''t turn her head or look at Jenna, still gazing at the bright moon in the sky.
"What poem?" Jenna was enjoying the current peace and tranquility.
Lumina maintained her contemtive posture and said in a slightly ethereal voice, "Raising my head, I see the bright shining moon,
Bowing my head, I think of my hometown."
At the Police Department, in a certain meeting room, the lights were still brightte at night.
Lun Xiande stood in front of the whiteboard, pointing at two photos and said, "We can make a judgment that this case involves supernatural powers. The killer, or rather the criminal group, can use mirrors and the mirror world behind them."
One of the two photos was of the broken mirror in the changing room, and the other was of the shattered window in the private room where the victim was.
Officer Deng sat below, nodding lightly, indicating for Lun Xiande to continue.
"Therefore, those who were not in the hot pot restaurant''s main hall and were not under surveince during the corresponding time period are all suspects and need further investigation.
"They likely went to surveince blind spots, used mirrors they carried with them to sneak back into the hot pot restaurant''s main hall, waiting for the victim to return from the mirror world. If the victim returned, they would deliver a fatal blow. If not, it would mean their aplices had already seeded."
Deng raised his hand, pointing out a w in Lun Xiande''s reasoning.
"It''s also possible that they were always lurking behind a mirror or a ss window, not having appeared in the main hall of Shujin Hot Pot Restaurant before.
"Judging from how well this group utilizes the mirror world, they didn''t need to send someone to the main hall of the hot pot restaurant in advance to wait by eating hot pot. They could have waited until the time was right, or received a signal, then entered the mirror world from afar, arriving at the predetermined assassination location. Look, the woman who walked out of the screen with Zaratulstra hadn''t appeared in the main hall before either."
After speaking, Deng raised his palm and sniffed the tobo pressed in his pipe.
"Yes," Lun Xiande admitted that the captain''s point was valid. "But we still need to re-investigate those who left the main hall of the hot pot restaurant during that time period but weren''t recorded by surveince cameras in the corresponding state at the time of the incident."
"Remove thetter condition," Deng thought for two seconds and said, "People who can use the mirror world can also deceive surveince cameras. You should know that surveince cameras record based on optical principles, and those who master mirrors are good at affecting light and creating optical illusions."
After Lun Xiande nodded, Deng turned to Li En and said, "Tell us about the preliminary investigation results."
Li En stood up, taking Lun Xiande''s ce.
"So far, we''ve used dream interrogation on seventeen people without letting them notice anything unusual.
"Luo Shan: Very surprised about Zaratulstra''s death, couldn''t believe it.
"Zhou Mingrui: Very cautious about Zaratulstra, but also didn''t anticipate Zaratulstra''s death.
"Luo Fu: She left the main hall at the time and went to thedies'' room. There''s no surveince in the bathroom, but she was also very surprised about Zaratulstra''s death, clearly shocked.
"We initially listed these three as key investigation targets because they''re all employees of the Intis Group. They might have been instructed by some powerful figures within the Intis Group who don''t want a merger and reorganization, to assassinate Zaratulstra at Shujin Hot Pot Restaurant and disrupt the ongoing business negotiations. But none of them knew that Huang Tao and Zaratulstra were also in Shujin Hot Pot Restaurant, and Luo Shan and Zhou Mingrui never left the main hall
"The preliminary conclusion is that they don''t have any issues."
Deng expressed agreement, and Lun Xiande didn''t say anything.
After thoroughly discussing the case, Deng stood up and said to his subordinates,
"Currently, there are two key points. First, investigate the remaining suspects, including those mentioned by Lun Xiande and those with substantial motives. Second, find the woman who walked out of the screen with Zaratulstra. Although she didn''t attack Zaratulstra at the time, the fact that she came out of the screen itself is worth noting."
"Yes, Captain," Lun Xiande, Li En, and other officers stood up and responded.
Deng smiled and said seriously, "This involves foreign guests and major business activities. You''ve all worked hard. I''m going to report to Chief Yagates now."
After looking at the moon and feeling the night breeze for half an hour, Jenna took Lumina back to Room 2303.
"Rest now, your body hasn''t fully recovered yet," Jenna said, pointing to the bedroom.
Lumina, wearing her nightgown, opened the door and entered the bedroom. She found that the sick Franca had also woken up at some point due to her absence.
"Do you feel better now?" Franca had already learned from Jenna via WeChat about what the two had done.
Lumina looked at Franca and nodded withplex emotions. "Much better."
Her emotions wereplex because she remembered that Luo Fu and she were also in a romantic rtionship.
Yet this didn''t affect her rtionship with Jenna.
I thought I was just an ordinary yuri fan How did the yuri circle be so messy? Am I really a yer? Lumina sat on the edge of the bed and said to Franca,
"Let''s sleep, I still have to work tomorrow."
Security guards worked in shifts.
Franca looked at Lumina and said with a smile, "Did you forget? You took two days off, Friday and Saturday. Your director, Grimm, approved it." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Lumina blinked. "Oh, right I forgot. No wonder I don''t have to work the middle shift today and can go directly to Shujin Hot Pot Restaurant in the evening"
Looking at Lumina like this, Franca suddenly felt she was a bit adorably silly.
After the two in the bedroom went back to sleep, Jenna alsoy down on the sofa, closed her eyes, and entered deep sleep.
After a while, her Astral Projection arrived in Luo Shan''s Shaman world. She saw the girl still guarding by the translucent barrier, having repelled a new round of attacks from the monsters.
From the corner of her eye, Jenna saw Franca''s Astral Projection wandering around in a daze like the other people around.
This indicated that Franca, due to her illness, had entered and then exited her consciousness.
Next, Jenna also found Lumina''s Astral Projection, who alsocked clear consciousness.
"She really isn''t a Beyonder" Just as Jenna had this thought, she suddenly realized something.
Luo Shan must know!
It was hard to hide from her in the Shaman''s "domain".
The next second, Jenna saw Luo Shan half turn her body and say to her, "So Zaratulstra was really killed by you guys."
Luo Shan had seen Lumina''s Astral Projection, seen this beautiful woman who had walked out of the screen with Zaratulstra.
"Yes, we didn''t tell you earlier because we were worried the police might have special methods to confirm whether you were lying," Jenna exined.
Luo Shan asked in confusion, "Wasn''t Luo Fu afraid of being caught lying?"
"She was hypnotized in advance," Jenna didn''t conceal.
Luo Shan fell silent. After several seconds, she asked in a low, extremely difficult tone, "Is this is this really a dream?"
Chapter 985 I Dont Believe It
Chapter 985 I Don''t Believe It
Hearing Luo Shan''s question, Jenna was stunned.
Why would she suddenly ask such a question?
How did she suddenly think this was a dream?
How did she know? Who told her?
Aftering to her senses, Jenna carefully asked in return, "What dream?"
Luo Shan looked at her for several seconds. "A Reporter has an ability to observe the truth, to see different scenes within a certain area, but it can''t be maintained for too long. I''ve been using it oftentely to check if anyone is hiding in my home or if there are any traps.
"When I came back in the evening, I used it once and saw you and Luo Fu talking. I heard Luo Fu asking about being kicked out of the dream."
So that''s how it is So that''s what observing the truth means Jenna''s first reaction was "Don''t panic, I''ll make up a reason on the spot," but after seeing Luo Shan''s eyes filled with deep sadness, confusion, and pain, she closed her mouth and remained silent.
Luo Shan took a moment before saying, "So, when Luo Fu suddenly became like a different personst time, it was because the consciousness from outside the dream was kicked out?
"So this really is a dream?"
Jenna remained silent for several seconds, her tone bing somber. "This is Zhou Mingrui''s dream."
Luo Shan opened her mouth, but couldn''t say anything. Her expression gradually became vacant.
Jenna continued, "Some people want Zhou Mingrui to continue sleeping until the apocalypsees, while others want to wake him up so he can lead everyone to resist the apocalypse."
As she said these words, Jenna felt sympathy for Luo Shan while keeping her mind highly focused, waiting for the possible dream rejection that mighte.
She had almost revealed the essence of the matter.
With Lumina already kicked out of the dream, Franca ill, and the police department highly focused on the horrible case of Zaratulstra''s shooting, Jenna wasn''t prepared to conduct further experiments.
Even if she wanted to experiment, the target would be Peng Deng or Zhou Mingrui. It was unlikely to reveal the truth to Luo Shan now. That would require a gradual, step-by-step approach.
No one would ept that they were fake, that their existence was meaningless. This would cause unpredictable shock to Luo Shan. Jenna could hardly imagine what kind of changes this would cause in Luo Shan.
Compared to this, being kicked out of the dream wasn''t a particrly serious problem. After all, she could enter again.
Of course, it would be best not to be kicked out. Otherwise, the weak and sick Franca might not be able to control Lumina and prevent her from secretly going to Mushu Hospital.
Luo Shan''s lips trembled for a while before she finally said, "So, I''m just an illusory figure in someone else''s dream?"
Before Jenna could respond, Luo Shan raised her hand to touch her own face, then suddenly shook her head. "I don''t believe it I don''t believe it I don''t believe it! This isn''t a dream, and I''m not fake!"
At this moment, Jenna wanted to persuade her to shift her attention, to find new meaning, but the words caught in her throat and she couldn''t form a sentence.
Luo Shan cried out for a while before finally calming down.
She looked at Jenna again and said, "Every time, every time I observe the truth, I see grayish-white fog. It''s in every scene. Wh-what is it?"
Jenna pondered for a moment and then said, "It might be, it might be the boundaries of the dream."
Luo Shan fell silent again, staring intently at Jenna''s eyes as if grasping at thest straw.
She slowly lowered her head, turning her body while mumbling, "No, it''s not like this I don''t believe it
"I don''t believe it" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Shepletely turned her back on Jenna, facing the translucent barrier and the monsters hiding in the deep darkness beyond it alone.
Trier, beside the Srenzo River, in a caf with outdoor seating.
Lumian wore sunsses and had long hair draped over his shoulders. Basking in the bright sunlight, he held a cup of Intis coffee, his mind wandering as he gazed at the wide river, the ssical buildings on the opposite shore, the steam-belching iron ships, the bustling and lively river ind, and the asional airship passing by, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
He temporarily had nothing that needed to be done.
He had originally nned to take advantage of his return to the real world to visit Bansy Ind, seeking special scenes that could maximize the effectiveness of the corpse wax candle. But after careful consideration, he abandoned this n.
There were uncertain risks in Bansy Harbor. If it led to him being trapped there, unable to enter Mr. Fool''s true dream, or directly resulting in his death, it would significantly affect the subsequent progress of the awakening n.
Lumian was clear about which of these two matters was more important.
He had also considered whether to go to the New City of Silver, enter the underground, and borrow the Grade 0 Sealed ArtifactGift of the Landto bring it into the dream city, enhancing the team''s power. After all, for him, he could return to Mr. Fool''s dream using the lucky coin regardless of where he fell asleep, and the New City of Silver was also a safe ce.
In the end, Lumian erred on the side of caution and didn''t make this risky attempt.
He carried Omebe''s bloodline, and in the dream city, those blessed by the Great Mother like Grimm viewed him as the Great Mother''s Child of God. The underground of Mushu Hospital still concealed the Great Mother''s influence and erosion of the dream city. If he added the Gift of the Land transformed from the real Omebe''s remains on top of that, Lumian dared not imagine what problems might arise.
He worried that as soon as he brought the Gift of the Land into the dream city, he might find his dream manifestation appearing in basement one of Mushu Hospital, with the Gift of the Land fusing with his body, allowing Omebe to be fully reborn.
And such an Omebe might be able to withstand the divine descent of the Great Mother.
Unable to do this or that, Lumian could only give himself a day off. As for making new Ice Mirror Charms, he had to wait a bit longer, because his misfortune had notpletely dissipated.
Yes, although he had used Circle Inhabitant within the dream city, after returning to reality, he still bore the negative effect of misfortune.
Correspondingly, he could only use the Circle of Binding effect of his Circle Inhabitant seven more times, and using Circle Inhabitant twice had stacked his misfortune to six hours, which didn''t take effect immediately.
The types of Circle Inhabitant he used on Zaratulstra''s mirror projection and Historical Void image were not the same. One was to recreate the scene, the other was to fix the position.
Is the essence of negative effects reflecting in reality that using Beyonder items in dreams causes Beyonder items in reality to be activated as well, thus producing corresponding negative effects? Lumian took a sip of coffee, allowing his body and mind to rx.
He silently sighed. A rare moment of leisure in this fleeting life
After a while, Lumian gazed at the gently rippling, rtively clean water surface, breathing in the cool breeze from the river, and spontaneously thought, Is the other ''me'' also daydreaming like this now?
He had considered the problem of identity conflict corresponding to his female form being kicked out of the dream, but he hadn''t reminded Jenna and Franca about it, only telling them to be careful of the influence brought by Omebe''s bloodline.
He felt that this situation might gradually awaken some of Aurore''s qualities in his dream self.
At 8 am, Dechuang Garden.
Franca had just groggily woken up when she saw Lumina standing by the bay window, looking at the already brilliant sunlight outside, lost in thought.
After a night''s rest, Franca''s condition had improved considerably. She was no longer weak all over, and walking was no longer a problem.
"What are you looking at?" she tentatively asked Lumina.
Lumina didn''t turn around, her tone slightly distant as she said, "I really want to go for a walk. It''s not too hot at this time."
"Let''s wait for things to blow over," Franca suggested. "How about we yputer games?"
"What games?" Lumina turned around.
"" Franca suddenly fell silent.
Without aputer, whatputer games could they y?
They didn''t even have a gaming console!
They had to save every penny for when they needed to rent useful items from the Star Dream Provisions Store orplete crucial tasks. In daily life, non-essential expenses were always cut wherever possible.
"Mobile games then" As she spoke, Franca stopped again.
What games wouldn''tg on their cheap phones?
"Let''s y Fighting the Landlord!" That was all she could say.
At this moment, Jenna walked in, supporting Franca to the bathroom to wash up.
After closing the bathroom door, Jenna kept an ear out for any movement outside, worried that Lumina might suddenly run out, while lowering her voice to tell Franca about Luo Shan''s situation.
Franca sat on the toilet, her mouth half-open,pletely stunned.
After hearing Jenna''s full exnation, she sighed deeply.
"We still don''t understand enough about the abilities of the Reporter Sequence"
She could understand how Luo Shan felt now. If someone with authority told her that her life since transmigrating was fake, that her past was also fake, that she was just an illusory character existing in a dream, she would certainly suffer a huge blow. Not having a breakdown on the spot was already quite good.
Even though they had thought about using Luo Shan to awaken Mr. Fool, Franca had previously hoped to persuade her with fabricated stories, not to tell her the truth.
Some truths were best never known.
They represented despair.
Franca pondered for a moment, then said desperately, "Can we find an excuse to cover it up? Not saying we lied to her, but designing some events to let everyone ''discover'' together that the dream theory is just anotheryer of disguise, not the final truth. I think Luo Shan could ept such a development. People can deceive themselves about certain things. Hasn''t she been saying she doesn''t believe this is a dream?
"Moreover, we can''t provide strong enough evidence to prove this is a dream!"
Jenna fell silent for a moment before saying, "We can only handle it this way for now. During this period, we need to find a way for Anthony to cate Luo Shan, or have him provide treatment directly."
Franca nodded lightly, suddenly showing a thoughtful expression.
She looked at Jenna and said slowly, "Based on our previous spection, Luo Shan is a dream character shaped by Mr. Fool''s divided subconscious,bined with corresponding images from memory. In a broad sense, she is equivalent to a part of Mr. Fool.
"After hearing the truth about the dream, the dream city didn''t show any unusual changes, and you weren''t kicked out of the dream"
Chapter 986 Girls Day
Chapter 986 Girls'' Day
"Yes." Jenna also expressed confusion, "I thought I would be kicked out of the dream immediately, but nothing happened."
Franca thought for a moment and spoke, "Is it that telling the truth about this world to dream figures other than Zhou Mingrui and a few others doesn''t trigger an abnormal reaction? Or is Luo Shan special, a character lightly corrupted by that evil god of the Fantasy Association, no longer closely connected to the dream''s main consciousness?"
Jenna shook her head and answered honestly, "I don''t know."
She paused, her eyes turning slightly as she said, "If we can pacify Luo Shan this time, we can find an opportunityter to mention Mr. Fool to her, and see if there''s any special reaction, or if it causes me to be kicked out of the dream."
"We can also try telling corresponding things to other dream figures and see what results." Franca made an affirmative sound, reaching out both hands to support Jenna as she stood up from the toilet.
After finishing her washing up, she returned to the living room to see Lumina watching TV.
An idea struck her, and she said to Jenna, "Should we invite Luo Shan over to y cards? Four people can y Shengji."
"I''ll ask and see if she''s willing." Jenna understood that Franca wanted to find something for Luo Shan to do, some entertainment to ease her emotional state, and they could also use the card-ying opportunity to provide subtle psychological guidance.
Jenna immediately picked up her phone and sent Luo Shan a message.
After about seven or eight minutes, Luo Shan replied: "Okay, after I eat breakfast. I just woke up."
"She''s willing toe," Jenna told Franca and Lumina.
Lumina knew Luo Shan, aware that she was her colleague, and quickly stood up saying, "Should I change back into men''s clothes?"
"No need, no need. Just pretend you don''t know her, act like you''re another friend of ours," Franca hurriedly shook her head.
If she really changed into men''s clothes, wouldn''t that make Luo Shan think of Li Ming?
After all, you two do look a bit alike!
Of course, as long as Lumina didn''t wear men''s clothes or pretend to be a man, no one would associate her with security guard Li Ming. Not to mention the fact that one was male and one was female, even in terms of appearance, at first nce, the difference was quiterge, because when Lumian yed the role of Li Ming, he used the Lie earring to lower his attractiveness and modify details.
Seeing this, Jenna, on behalf of the still somewhat muddled Franca, went through in her mind the potential problems that might arise when Lumina and Luo Shan meet. She then chatted with Anthony via WeChat about Luo Shan knowing the truth of the world, and consulted on the direction and strategies for psychological guidance.
Soon after, Luo Shan arrived on the 23rd floor and rang the doorbell.
At the same time, Jenna received a reply message from An Ruide: "Talk to her about her past."
Using a certain, experienced, and personally realistic past to reduce the current sense of disillusionment? Jenna roughly understood Anthony''s intention.
She immediately followed Franca''s instructions and found two decks of ying cards.
The four of them gathered around the coffee table and started ying Shengji, with Lumina and Jenna as partners, and Franca and Luo Shan on the same team.
They weren''t gambling for moneyJenna, Franca, and Lumina had no spare cash to gamble. Instead, they bet that whichever pair of partners first upgraded to A could stick five small paper notes on the losers'' faces or draw funny patterns with washable paint.
After sessfully upgrading to "3", Jenna looked at Luo Shan and casually started chatting, "You mentioned before that your father was a police officer?"
"Yes," Luo Shan''s mood had been low all along. As she pushed her cards towards the center of the coffee table, she said, "He was severely injured while pursuing a cult leader with lots of blood on his heads, and died in the hospital."
"Was he honored as a martyr?" Franca asked.
"Yes." Luo Shan suddenly gave a self-deprecating smile, "When I graduated from university, I actually had the opportunity to work as a civilian employee at the police department, but I also received an offer from the administrative department of the Intis Group. I hesitated for a long time, feeling that I was just an ordinary person who didn''t like exercise, so I wasn''t suitable to be a police officer. Hence, I finally chose the Intis Group."
Perhaps that''s not the only reason? Franca didn''t pursue the question.
She simply felt that ordinary people without much ambition couldn''t refuse a position in a public department, and it was just a civilian role, not requiring the arrest of criminals.
While waiting for the cards to be dealt, Luo Shan made a sound of agreement.
"This was actually my mother''s wish too. Seeing police officers would remind her of my father''s death."
"Your mother is in your hometown, not living with you?" Jenna asked, already knowing the answer.
Luo Shan looked at the cards in front of her, her voice gradually bing distant.
"When I was in university, she fell ill and was hospitalized It was on and off, she struggled for two years but still didn''t make it"
Before Franca and Jenna couldfort Luo Shan, Lumina suddenly spoke, "My mother was also seriously ill once, frequently going to the hospital. I was still young then, standing at the hospital entrance, watching her being pushed in, my father bent over, apanying her by her side I don''t remember who was watching me then, I only remember that I was very quiet, didn''t cry or make a fuss
"I was luckier than you, my mother was curedter."
At this point, Lumina''s eyes suddenly became misty, her voice suddenly deepening, "I miss her so much"
Franca and Jenna suddenly exchanged a nce, both looking a bit surprised.
This wasn''t part of Li Ming''s background information, nor was it content they had instilled.
Could it be Franca quickly had a guess.
"I miss my mother too," Luo Shan responded to Lumina.
She seemed to recall her past life, remembering the days when she and her mother depended on each other. Although her emotions were sad, that lifeless feeling had faded considerably.
In the time that followed, Luo Shan''s state improved somewhatwhile ying cards, Jenna and Franca chatted with her about university life and career experiences, and Luo Shan recounted those events that were deeply etched in her memory.
Franca and Jenna could clearly hear that towards the end, Luo Shan''s whole person became excited, as if trying to prove something.
"Let''s end this; it''s almost noon, I''ll go make lunch for you all," Jenna stood up, smiling as she spoke.
Today''s losers were Franca and Luo Shan, their faces covered with paper notes written with various funny phrases, and they suffered the indignity of having photos taken as a memento.
"I object! You''re trying to kill me by taking advantage of my illness." Franca was, after all, still in a state of illness, her mind not so sharp, and she had done a good job of dragging Luo Shan down in the card game. She grumbled, "I''m bullied when I''m sick and weak!"
Jenna was amused by her.
"Wait until you''re better and try again, you used to often lose to me before."
This referred to her Showy Diva days, often being dragged to y cards by the market district''s boss "Red Boots" Franca.
Wasn''t I just letting you win? Otherwise, how hard would it be for the mighty Witch to use a bit of mystical power to cheat and win easily? Franca grumbled inwardly.
At this moment, Lumina also stood up and said to Jenna, "I''ll help you cut the vegetables."
"I''ll help too." Luo Shan raised her hand. "The patient is responsible for resting!"
She took the opportunity to peel off the paper notes on her face and walked briskly into the kitchen.
Watching the three of them busy in the kitchen, with asionalughter and cheerful voices, Franca leaned back against the sofa, peeling off the paper notes on her face, and spontaneously thought, If only this wasn''t a dream
After happily enjoying lunch, washing the dishes, and scrubbing the pots, Luo Shan said goodbye.
She had ns with a university friend in the afternoon.
Jenna and Franca, who was still a bit unsteady on her feet, saw her to the door.
Luo Shan turned sideways, her mouth open as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she just turned her gaze away and waved. "Bye bye."
She quickened her pace and walked straight towards the elevator.
Franca and Jenna watched her enter the elevator before turning back inside, each picking up their own phone.
Seeing their behavior, Lumina finally remembered that she had lost an important item.
"Where''s my phone?"
It seemed to have disappearedst night
"I have it," Franca took out Lumian''s phone from her Traveler''s Bag.
Before this operation, they had made contingency ns for different developments. Except for Franca, everyone was prepared to be kicked out of the dream, so they simply didn''t bring their phones, or gave them to Franca for safekeeping, or left them at home. This way, when kicked out of the dream, they basically wouldn''t be found by the Celestial Worthy through their phone contacts, and they wouldn''t need to delete their contact list againit would be too troublesome to add them backter.
Lumina took the phone and unlocked the screen with her fingerprint.
"''Intis Group Grimm'' sent me a message Why is the director sending me a message?" Lumina looked confused.
Franca leaned over and saw that Grimm had sent a ?? emoji: "As expected of you!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Obviously, Grimm had recognized that the woman who walked out of the screen with Zaratulstra was Lumina, and believed that Zaratulstra''s death was done by the Child of God.
Jenna''s thoughts raced, searching for an exnation for the rtionship between Grimm and Lumina that didn''t involve the supernatural.
She carefully fabricated, "Grimm has seen you in women''s clothes and has be deeply infatuated with you. He''s a masochist who sees you as his master. The more arrogant and cold you are to him, the more satisfied he is. Anyway, just ignore him and let him indulge in his own fantasies."
"Eww pervert," Lumina looked disgusted.
Then she asked, "What does he mean by ''as expected of me''?"
"Maybe he saw a video or photo of you appearing with Zaratulstra and thinks you killed Zaratulstra," Jenna felt a fatigue from her brain working overtime. "Don''t worry, he won''t betray you. Instead, he''ll keep this secret even more tightly and feel self-satisfied about it."
"" Franca was left speechless listening to this, feeling that Jenna had been somewhat corrupted by the Intetely.
"I see." Lumina breathed a sigh of relief.
The three of them each upied a position, quietly being on their phones while digesting the food they had eaten at lunch.
Suddenly, Franca came across a local news item: "Crimson Moon Hospital''s affiliated restaurantunched several mushroom set meals yesterday, which were well-received."
Devil''s set mealno, mushroom set meal? Franca''s eyelid twitched, having heard about Li Keji from Lumian and seen thetest episode of "The Great Adventurer".
She remembered that not long ago, Lumian had gone to instigate Li Keji to create a new type of mushroom that could cure the vegetative patient An Xiaotian.
Chapter 987 Calamity
Chapter 987 Cmity
What has Li Keji done again? Franca took a light breath.
She reflexively wanted to check and confirm, hoping to prevent more dangerous things from happening in time, but as soon as she moved her body, she remembered she was still sick and didn''t have the ability.
Jenna can''t go either; she still has to watch Lumina and not let her run around Anthony has another task We certainly can''t let Lumina go, the oue would either be Lumina covered in mushrooms all over her body, or Li Keji getting pregnant After thinking it through, Franca decided to wait a bit, wait until Lumian returned to the dream city, and go himself.
Li Keji is an ally, no need to worry too much Li Keji is an ally, no need to worry too much Franca kept repeating these words to herself.
She nned to forward this news to Lumian, so he would know what happened as soon as he returned to the dream city.
Just as Franca was about to select the option, she suddenly froze.
Shit, I almost slipped up
Isn''t the current Lumian actually Lumina?
Being sick really messes with your head
Good thing I realized in time
Inside the Tianyue Hotel, in the room next to Zaratulstra''s.
The two bodyguards who had originally been following Zaratulstra appeared here, with an elderly man with white hair but a youthful face standing in front of them.
This elderly man wore white training clothes and had his hands behind his back. He paced back and forth near the wall and said, "Still no clues about the killer?"
"No, we can only be certain that a Demoness was definitely involved," one of the bodyguards answered.
The elderly man in white training clothes pondered for a moment and said, "Zhou Mingrui couldn''t have appeared at the Shujin Hot Pot Restaurant for no reason; such a coincidence is unlikely.
"Investigate who invited him there, or rather, who induced him to invite people to eat there.
"Luo Shan and Luo Fu, who ate hot pot with him, are key subjects for investigation." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Yes, Mr. Cui," the two bodyguards responded in unison.
The elderly man referred to as "Mr. Cui" considered for a few seconds and then said, "Be careful when investigating Luo Shan. Previous feedback indicates that Luo Shan belongs to an otherworldly evil god and is a potential coborator with considerable strength."
The two bodyguards acknowledged and left the room.
After pacing for quite a while, Mr. Cui brought his own bodyguard and silently opened the door to leave.
He deliberately didn''t tell the two previous bodyguards that he would also investigate Luo Shan, that he would secretly follow them. If they stepped into a trap or encountered an ident, he would be able to glimpse the truth, catching any adversaries by surprise.
Out of the room, Mr. Cui walked unhurriedly along the thickly carpeted corridor towards the elevator area.
In one of the venttion openings on the ceiling of the corridor, a pair of eyes was quietly observing him.
Those eyes were deep brown,pletely blending into the darkness.
They belonged to Zhou Mingrui.
Zhou Mingrui had somehow sneaked into the ceiling of the corridor at an unknown time, observing every move of Zaratulstra''s bodyguards and followers, and observing Mr. Cui''s situation.
This was because, when he got up this morning and opened the door to get some good breakfast, he found a letter stuffed in the door crack, with a printed paper pasted on the envelope surface that read "For Zhou Mingrui".
At that time, Zhou Mingrui perplexedly opened this letter and found a photo inside, a secretly taken photo of "Mr. Cui".
On the back of the photo was also paper and text: "This is Zaratulstra''s assistant. He will inherit Zaratulstra''s will and do some things targeting you."
After reading the content on the back of the photo, Zhou Mingrui''s spirit immediately tensed.
He believed this was a reminder from the group that shot Zaratulstrast night. He even suspected that Luo Shan inviting him to eat at the Shujin Hot Pot Restaurant was to let him witness Zaratulstra''s death.
What exactly does Zaratulstra''s group want to do to me? And what does the group that killed him want to do? Zhou Mingrui couldn''t figure out the answer and finally decided toe and secretly observe the target person to see if he could discover any clues.
He thus confirmed that Mr. Cui, who lived next door to Zaratulstra and had no apparent connection to Zaratulstra''s negotiation team on the surface, was indeed part of Zaratulstra''s group.
He is indeed suspicious, Zhou Mingrui nodded slightly in the darkness within the ceiling.
At the same time, he also noticed some other oddities.
He originally thought he would be inexperienced and clumsy at crawling through venttion ducts, climbing ceilings, and secretly monitoring, making many mistakes, but in actual operation, he had a strange sense of familiarity and very smoothly aplished his intended purpose.
This relied on more than just the power of an Assassin.
Yesterday too, when I saw Zaratulstra being shot, I wasn''t nervous at all, nor panicked, very calm Is this the psychological quality of a qualified Assassin, or is there another reason? Zhou Mingrui fell into deep thought.
He vaguely suspected that it wasn''t just this world that he didn''t understand enough, but also himself.
Mr. Cui, apanied by his bodyguard, took the elevator to the first floor.
Just as he had taken a few steps towards the revolving door, he suddenly raised both hands to cover his neck.
He felt the rapid arrival of maritization, and also felt the rejection of the dream.
His breathing became difficult, as if his whole being had been thrown into a void without any objects.
How could this be? Mr. Cui''s pupils dted, not daring to force himself to stay, and voluntarily exited the dream.
Thud!
His bodyguard suddenly copsed and died on the spot.
A small insect flying nearby also fell to the ground with a st, motionless.
In the temporary parking lot at the entrance of the Tianyue Hotel, Anthony, sitting in the driver''s seat with Ludwig, calmly watched this scene.
The other Seer pathway demigod mentioned by the magic mirror Arrodes had also been kicked out of the dream!
And once the other party lost control of their marite, thetter was essentially dead.
Lumian and the others, with information provided by the magic mirror Arrodes, hadn''t ignored the Seer pathway demigod living next door to Zaratulstra who had helped Zaratulstra discover intruders before. But they all understood that before dealing with Zaratulstra, it wasn''t appropriate to act against Mr. Cui, as that would alert them. So, they only secretly photographed Mr. Cui, and after the hot pot restaurant operation was over, Anthony, the only one who could still do things normally, stuffed the pre-prepared envelope into the door crack of Zhou Mingrui''s home early the next morning.
With Lumian kicked out of the dream, Franca seriously ill, and Jenna needing to look after two people, Anthony obviously couldn''t deal with Mr. Cui on his own, so he could only "get" Zhou Mingrui''s help.
Anthony watched the hotel staff hurriedlying to check on the copsed bodyguard and the bewildered Mr. Cui, not getting out of the car, taking the opportunity to eliminate thetter''s dream manifestation.
It wasn''t that he didn''t want to, but after his observation, he found that there were police personnel discreetly deployed near Mr. Cui. If he were to act, even with Psychological Invisibility, he wouldn''t be able to escape.
That would mean he was confronting the main consciousness of the dream, and the consequences could be more severe than being kicked out of the dream!
Anthony waited patiently, never finding an opportunity, so he decided to act after Lumian returned to the dream city.
When it came to covert killing, Lumian was more skilled than him, Jenna, and Franca!
Anthony chose to go back to restst night and stuff another letter the next day, rather than going directly, in order to create a time difference.
Under the premise that the corresponding dream manifestation hasn''t been killed, the time interval for those kicked out of the dream to return was about the same. If Anthony had reminded Zhou Mingruist night, then Mr. Cui''s return to the dream city and regaining control of his dream manifestation wouldn''t be muchter than Lumian''s, at most a few hourster, and in those few hours, Lumian might not find an opportunity to make his dream manifestation die unknowingly.
Now, after Lumian returned around seven or eight in the evening, he would have nearly a day to plot the murder of Mr. Cui''s dream manifestation.
In Room 2303 of Dechuang Garden.
Just past 7 pm in the evening, Franca and Jenna, who had been watching Lumina constantly, saw this beautiful woman suddenly change her appearance, bing male.
Lumian immediately took the Lie earring, changing his facial features in a direction not too simr to Li Ming.
Franca took the opportunity to tell him about the mushroom set meals at Crimson Moon Hospital.
Lumian nodded. "I''ll go deal with the other matter first."
As he said this, he stood up.
Franca held back herughter and pointed at him. "Change your clothes first, don''t walk away wearing Jenna''s nightgown."
Lumian looked down and discovered that Lumina had been wearing Jenna''s nightgown all along.
At 10 pm, in a white car parked by the roadside, Lumian was on his phone as if bored, seemingly waiting for someone.
They had rented a new car, because the previous car was registered under the name "Luo Fu", and if a car rented by Luo Fu happened to appear near the scene of Mr. Cui''s death, the suspicion on Franca would be strong enough for an immediate arrest.
Lumian waited for a while, and through the rearview mirror, he saw Mr. Cui walking alone, preparing to cross the intersection to return to the Tianyue Hotel.
As Mr. Cui passed by his vehicle, Lumian''s eyes suddenly took on a silver-white color with ck.
Eye of Cmity!
Before Mr. Cui had passed the rearview mirror, he had already found the fate branch leading to the other''s doom.
In the next second, Lumian hid his left hand wearing the Circle of Binding and slightly raised his right palm.
He touched Mr. Cui''s main fate trunk from afar and violently pushed it towards the branch that appeared ck.
His spirituality poured out frantically, his expression unchanged, his movements as usual.
Mr. Cui''s dream manifestation waspletely unaware of this, and the police monitoring him from hidden spots didn''t notice anything unusual.
Mr. Cui continued walking for about fifteen to twenty meters, stepping onto the pedestrian crossing.
By now it was truly night, and there weren''t many people on this road, nor many cars.
Suddenly, a car driving from afar seemed to lose control due to excessive speed, directly running the red light.
Mr. Cui saw this scene, his pupils suddenly dting.
Bang!
He was hit and sent flying, his head heavily hitting the ground.
Then, he was run over by the out-of-control car, dying as thoroughly as possible.
Chapter 988 Father and Daughter
988 Father and Daughter
As soon as Lumian heard the sound of the out-of-control vehicle crashing into the curb, he immediately rolled down the window and poked his head out.
He looked towards the intersection about 15-20 meters away, and at Mr. Cui who had been hit and thrown even further, tragically run over.
Almost simultaneously, he saw several figures emerge from different hiding spots, rushing towards the deceased and the vehicle responsible for the ident.
Lumian promptly took out his phone, snapped a couple of photos, and muttered, "Holy shit, there''s been a car ident!
"That driver was speeding like he was in a race, was he drunk?"
He acted like a bystander ready to post on social media and short video ounts.
At this moment, the dented vehicle responsible for the identpletely stalled, unable to start. The car door opened, and a man who could barely stand straight stumbled out.
"Damn, he really is drunk. If you drink, don''t drive!" Lumian started recording a video, cursing as he filmed.
Only after the ambnce took away Mr. Cui''s body, and the police led away the driver responsible for the ident after cordoning off the area, leaving just the traffic police investigating the scene and the tow truck on standby, did Lumian sit back in his car, as if contemting how to share what had just happened in various group chats.
Not long after, Anthony, also in disguise, came out of the 24-hour convenience store on the side carrying arge bag of items, opened the car door and got in.
Lumian started the car and drove away from the scene.
They hadn''t brought Ludwig with them, having sent the little boy to Jenna''s ceif a seven or eight-year-old boy appeared at both the scene where Zaratulstra was shot and where Mr. Cui had the car ident, it would be very suspicious, even if the boy looked different at first nce.
In Room 2303 of Dechuang Garden.
Lumian sat in the single armchair and said to Franca and Jenna, "I''ll go to Li Keji after midnight."
Pausing momentarily, he added, "Did Lumina show any unusual behavior today?"
Jenna was silent for a couple of seconds, then recounted everything about Lumina''s nk stares, her inner impulses, the bad luck surrounding her, getting some fresh air on the rooftop, her words during the card game, and many other detailed behaviors, without hiding anything.
Lumian listened attentively without interrupting, his expression gradually softening.
After Jenna finished speaking, Franca opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and said, "If you get kicked out of the dream again, you''ll face severe restrictions upon entering for the third time, just like Queen Mystic."
Lumian remained silent for a long while before saying, "I understand."
At the edge of ake, inside a four-story vi.
Bernie Huang returned from outside and walked into the grand, opulent hall.
Every time her ssmates came to visit, they would say, "Why is your house decorated like a pce? Don''t you find it strange?"
Bernie could only spread her hands helplessly and say, "This is just my dad''s preference."
"Where are my dad and the others?" Bernie asked the butler standing in the hall.
She usually lived at school, only choosing toe home on weekends if there wasn''t a long holiday.
The butler respectfully answered, "Young Master Huang Xia is exercising in the underground basketball court, Young Master Huang Bo is assembling mini 4WD cars in the toy room, Madam has gone out to attend an art salon, and the Master is in the wine tasting room."
Bernie nodded, walked to the side of the hall, and took the elevator down to the basement.
There was arge wine cer here, with a secure storage room, and a wine tasting room where you could see the rippling water of the indoor swimming pool.
Huang Tao was sitting on the sofa, holding a ss of pure malt liquor with ice cubes, leisurely savoring it.
"You''re back?" He smiled when he saw Berniee in.
"Why are you drinking again?" Bernie sat down opposite him.
Huang Tao smiled and said, "As I get older, I don''t have many hobbies left."
Bernie didn''t try to persuade him further, quietly watching as her father took another sip of the temptingly colored liquor and grabbed a few shelled pine nuts from the dish of dried fruits on the table, popping them into his mouth.
After finishing what was in his mouth, Huang Tao asked, "What about your ssmate? Didn''t shee to visit?"
"Something happened to her biology teacher at the cram school, she''s busy dealing with that and doesn''t have time," Bernie said simply.
Huang Taoughed. "You mentioned that before. Really, if he wants to do experiments, he should apply for a job at a properb. Why be a biology teacher?"
At this point, Huang Tao looked at Bernie and sighed. "Why don''t you like staying at home? There''s still some time before school starts, but you''ve already moved into the dorm."
This isn''t my problem Maybe in Mr. Fool''s perception, I''m separate from you all, we rarely get together Bernie dutifully exined, "I''m involved in a research project."
Huang Tao didn''t pursue the matter further, he was justining a bit. He changed the subject. "How''s that children''s bookpany of yours doing?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"It''s going well," Bernie recalled. "The children''s book market is the most profitable area in the physical book market. There''s a real demand for repackaging and redesigning ssic fairy tales, and we''re also nurturing our own children''s book authors and illustrators."
"In this area, China started toote and it''s still not very mature. There''s still ack of good works. You have a lot of potential," Huang Tao praised his daughter. "At the same time, you need to pay attention to importing copyrights. You can''t ignore those excellent foreign children''s books and leave them to yourpetitors."
He seriously instructed his daughter, looking as if he wanted to make Dawn Children''s Publishing Company bigger and stronger.
Bernie listened attentively, asionally offering her own ideas. The father and daughter discussed very harmoniously.
At the end of the discussion, Huang Tao suddenly swirled his drink and said with a sigh, "Do you know what the greatest pain in life is?"
Bernie shook her head.
Huang Tao smiled self-deprecatingly.
"It''s watching the people and things you cherish most, the life you yearn for most, being upied by others, while you can only be locked in a dark and depressing prison."
Bernie looked at Huang Tao without responding.
Huang Tao didn''t mind, he just continued to drink his liquor with dried fruits, pouring for himself for a while.
He graduallyposed his expression and looked at Bernie. "If you discovered that you were just an illusory character in a dream, and at this time, someone was trying to awaken the master of the dream, what would you do?"
Bernie was silent for a few seconds before saying, "It would depend on the specific situation."
Huang Tao smiled and said, "Then let''s be more specific. You clearly know that if the master of the dream is awakened, you willpletely disappear. Even if there''s another dream, the corresponding person who appears will no longer be the current you. But the person you care about most supports awakening the master of the dream, is willing to take risks for it, even sacrifice themselves. What would you do?"
She looked at Huang Tao, remaining silent throughout.
Huang Tao calmly returned his daughter''s gaze.
After a while, he finished the remaining alcohol and stood up, saying, "I''m going upstairs to deal with some matters."
Huang Tao walked out from between the sofa and tea table, passing by Bernie, heading towards the wine tasting room door.
"Dad."
Suddenly, Bernie called out to him.
Huang Tao turned around, a smile already appearing on his face.
"Is there anything else?" he asked.
Bernie also stood up, saying thoughtfully, "I''ve always been curious, if we don''t talk about science, what''s inside a mirror, and what''s hidden in the depths of a mirror."
Huang Tao looked at Bernie for a few seconds and said, "It hides a great horror beyond your imagination."
After saying this, Huang Tao turned back, opened the wooden door, and walked out of the wine tasting room.
"Great horror" Bernie stood still, ruminating over these words.
Late at night.
Lumian used Teleportation to arrive near Crimson Moon Hospital.
He didn''t rush to enter, instead transforming into Lumina''s appearance, disguising himself, and walking around Crimson Moon Hospital.
He saw that in the green belts around Crimson Moon Hospital, in the crevices of the walls of various buildings, mushrooms had sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, all kinds of mushrooms.
These mushrooms hadn''t invaded the living space of other organisms, nor did they threaten the structural safety of the buildings. They were just growing quietly and peacefully.
With so many mushrooms, no wonder Crimson Moon Hospitalunched a mushroom set meal They all look edible Who wouldn''t want to use free ingredients? After roughly confirming the situation in the outer area of Crimson Moon Hospital, Lumian hid in a concealed spot, entered a mirror, and made his way to the psychiatric ward.
He wasn''t worried about being blocked or trapped by the dream city police in this mirror world, because Lumina didn''t have a real identity and had no apparent connection to Li Keji on the surface. Unless high-ranking police officials like Yagates had received a revtion through prophecy or divination that staking out here would provide clues, it was unlikely they would send people here.
And with everyone being suppressed at Sequence 7, Lumian, as a Demoness of Despair, wasn''t too afraid of divinations and prophecies pointing to his whereabouts.
After observing the entire ward for a while, Lumian jumped out of the mirror-like object,nding lightly.
He always held a hand mirror, using it to reflect light and create illusions to deceive the surveince cameras.
Lumian then surveyed the dimly lit corridor lights and the iron doors sleeping in the dark environment. His spirituality didn''t give any warnings.
Next, he took a breath, not smelling any blood or other strange odors.
Only then did he gently knock on the metal door of Li Keji''s ward.
Knock. Knock. Knock. The knocking wasn''t loud, quietly echoing in this area without reaching the nurses'' station.
Li Keji''s voice suddenly sounded, kept very low.
"Who?"
This time, no white and tender mushrooms came to the window to peek, nor did arge amount of white mycelium emerge from the door crack.
"It''s me," the ck-haired Lumian answered softly, "The person who asked for your help in treating a vegetative friend before."
"Oh, it''s you" Li Keji still didn''t appear behind the iron-barred window of the door, seemingly shrinking in a corner of the bed.
"Has your research made any progress?" Lumian asked.
"I have some ideas, a bunch of failures, and a half-finished product. It still needs verification, I''m not sure what the final effect will be" As he spoke, Li Keji''s voice revealed a hint of confusion, "But some strange things have happened, I might not have time to advance the experiment you want recently."
"What things?" Lumian''s spirit suddenly tensed.
What could make Li Keji put aside his mushroom experiments?
After a few seconds, Li Keji answered in a confused, self-musing tone, "I''m pregnant."
Chapter 989 Bloodline
989 Bloodline
Pregnant? Hearing this word, Lumian''s scalp instantly went numb.
Li Keji is pregnant?
Pull yourself together; you''re a man!
How did he get pregnant? Who did it? When?
Relying on the endurance of an Ascetic, Lumian maintained rtive calm on the surface. He asked in a deep voice, "Are you certain?"
"It''s definitely pregnancy," Li Keji''s voice came from somewhere far from the iron door. "I used to be a doctor, then became a biologist. Do you think I can''t tell if it''s a pregnancy?"
He really is pregnant Lumian''s whole body went numb.
Among all the Beyonder paths he currently knew of that could make a man pregnant, only those rted to the Great Mother could do it!
Did Grimm and the others secretlye to Crimson Moon Hospital to impregnate Li Keji without telling me? That doesn''t seem right. For such a big matter, they would have no reason not to report to the Child of God Moreover, he said that currently in the dream city, only I, as the Child of God, possess godhood and can promote rapid fetal growth while impregnating Li Keji, and this would still require the support of the obstetrics and gynecology department of Mushu Hospital Lumian''s first reaction was to suspect Grimm and other bestowed of the Great Mother, but the information he had previously obtained was insufficient to support this reasoning.
He immediately thought of a possibility.
Zhou Mingrui had received a strong stimulus, causing some changes in the dream that he and others hadn''t yet noticed, and the Great Mother could now bestow godhood on a few chosen ones.
It''s only been one day, and problems from the changes have already erupted. Could it be this fast?
Besides, Grimm believes I''ve already impregnated Li Keji, there''s no need to do it again
I''ve already impregnated Li Keji
As his brain worked rapidly, Lumian suddenly had an incredible guess.
Could the child in Li Keji''s belly be mine?
Amidst his shock, Lumian followed this train of thought.
Last week, I high-fived Li Keji in the psychiatric ward of Mushu Hospital. I used this to falsely im that I had impregnated Li Keji to deceive Grimm, so he wouldn''t suspect my identity as a Child of God
21:50
Could it be that this contact actually made Li Keji pregnant?
But I only have a bit of Omebe bloodline, and I don''t possess any Sower-rted abilities
No, it''s just that I don''t have them in reality, the objective conditions arepletely unsatisfied, but this is a dream
As long as the dream subconscious believes it, even the most outrageous and absurd things can happen
At that time, when I high-fived Li Keji, in Grimm''s eyes I was the genuine Child of God Omebe, and I do indeed possess Omebe''s bloodline. Did this make me roughly equivalent to the real Child of God Omebe in the dream subconscious''s perception? And the Child of God Omebe does have the corresponding Beyonder powers to impregnate Li Keji
Moreover, most importantly, the ce where I high-fived Li Keji and said words like "he''s already pregnant" was Mushu Hospital, a ce where the Great Mother can exert great influence. It''s possible that the dream subconscious, confused and misled by the environment there, equated me with the Child of God Omebe
Yes, there''s one more point!
Lumian''s pupils suddenly dted.
They had previously overlooked one thing, subconsciously equating the dream subconscious with Mr. Fool''s subconscious.
But in reality, the dream subconscious should be a mixture of Mr. Fool''s subconscious and the subconscious of The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings
In this situation, the characters created by the dream subconscious and the changes brought about wouldn''tpletely originate from Mr. Fool''s cognition, nor would they always be beneficial to Lumian and others!
Based on this, the character images in the dream city, including Luo Shan, Ai Nana, Deng, and others, couldn''t be simply defined as characters woven by Mr. Fool''s subconscious based on his own cognition and the situation in the dream city. Here, Mr. Fool''s subconscious needed to be reced with the dream subconscious.
In other words, Deng, Ai Nana, Luo Shan before drinking the Shaman potion, and other various characters, some came from Mr. Fool''s cognition, some from that Celestial Worthy''s cognition, some were mainly based on Mr. Fool''s cognition but have been secretly spiced up by the Celestial Worthy. They couldn''t be thoughtlessly viewed and analyzed as one type.
The environment of Mushu Hospital, as well as Grimm''s cognition and the fact that I truly have Omebe bloodline, made the dream subconscious at that time be dominated by the Celestial Worthy, choosing to "believe" that I was the Child of God Omebe, so Li Keji quietly became pregnant after our high-five? Omebe''s child is equivalent to a direct descendant of the Great Mother, so when it''s born, Li Keji will bepletely corrupted by the Great Mother? The more Lumian thought about it, the more horrified he felt.
He thought of an even more terrifying development.
If Mr. Fool was at an absolute disadvantage, and the Celestial Worthy became the ruler of the dream city, He couldpletely blur the line between truth and falsehood, making the identity of "Child of God Omebe" in the dream city fully activate on the real-world Lumian, bing real.
At that time, the real Omebe would resurrect and return through Lumian''s body.
I almost fell for it without realizing A cold sweat broke out on Lumian''s back.
He remembered a joke he had seen online recently, and couldn''t help butugh self-mockingly. "Pregnancy really can happen from holding hands"
"What did you say?" Li Keji asked confusedly from inside the ward.
Startled and emotionally stirred, Lumian calmed down and asked calmly, "When did you be pregnant?"
He was still a little in denial.
Li Keji honestly said, "At first I thought it was because I used my own flesh and blood and spirituality to create new mushrooms, causing spores, mycelium, and such things to enter my body and imnt in my abdomen. Yes, this was part of my new experiment after you suggested it.
"But after careful examination, the time of pregnancy was clearly earlier."
Lumian fell silent for a moment before responding, "Can Ie in to confirm?"
"Sure," Li Keji didn''t refuse.
Lumian took a step forward, his figure suddenly disappearing from the corridor and appearing in Li Keji''s ward.
At first nce, he didn''t see a single mushroom,
This surprised him.
Logically speaking, Li Keji''s living space, under the bed, in the corners, behind the door, should have been full of various mushrooms.
But now, the room was as clean as someone else''s home.
Lumian then looked at Li Keji sitting on the bed and found that his belly had indeed swollen slightly.
In the next second, his spiritual intuition as a Demoness of Despair allowed him to confirm that the child in Li Keji''s belly was blood-rted to him.
But it wasn''t rted to Lumian, nor to Lumina, but to Omebe!
It really is mine Just as Lumian was about to speak, he suddenly felt many nearly invisible fine threads swaying around.
Mycelium? He instinctively looked up and finally saw a mushroom.
The mushroom was semi-transparent, attached to the chandelier position, with arge amount of mycelium hanging down. At first nce, it looked just like amon jellyfish.
"Is this the half-finished product you mentioned?" Lumian probed.
The scruffy Li Keji nodded. "Yes."
"Where are the failed products?" Lumian asked further.
Li Keji answered seriously, "They were all absorbed by it."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the jellyfish-like mushroom floated down, brushing against his palm.
For some reason, Lumian was reminded of the image of a young brown bear nuzzling its keeper.
"What about the mushrooms that were in the room before?" Lumian asked for confirmation.
"They were also absorbed by it," Li Keji''s voice carried a hint of expectation. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Lumian was silent for a while before saying, "I can help you abort it."
"But, but he is indeed my child," Li Keji responded hesitantly.
He seemed to have gained some maternal instinct.
Lumian''s lips twitched slightly as he initiated Instigation.
"No, he''s not your child, he''s the child of an evil god.
"Haven''t you always wondered why you were arrested? It''s because an evil god took a liking to you and had Her followers fabricate charges to lock you up in the psychiatric ward.
"Think about it, you''re a man, how could you normally get pregnant?"
"Women can get pregnant, why can''t men? Mushrooms can too!" Li Keji argued with Lumian.
Lumian didn''t give up and continued, "But can you get pregnant without doing anything, unconsciously?"
"Right" Li Keji finally felt something was amiss.
Lumian quietly exhaled and said, "This pregnancy is the result of the evil god entering your dreams."
Lumian felt that if he hadn''t fully digested the Instigator potion, using Instigation to persuade Li Keji to abort would be enough toplete the act. Unfortunately, he didn''t need to additionally digest the Instigator potion.
As a member of the assassination operation against Zaratulstra, as the person who assassinated Mr. Cui, Lumian had already digested the Assassin potion. Currently, only the Witch needed to be acted upon. He decided that if Li Keji chose to abortter, he would try to make the process as mysteriously terrifying and shy as possible, to expel the Great Mother''s child in the identity of a Witch.
"If you don''t abort the child in your belly, it will absorb your flesh and spirituality, growing rapidly in two to three weeks. When it''s born, you will be a dried corpse, unable to do more mushroom experiments, unable to fulfill your dream," Lumian said in a low voice, describing the possible consequences.
Hearing that he wouldn''t be able to do more mushroom experiments, Li Keji made a decision. "Alright, please help me."
Before Lumian could respond, he continued on his own, "If the evil god''s child hybridizes with mushrooms, it might produce some special changes"
Evil god''s child hybridize Forget about your mushrooms Lumian didn''t want to be chased by a mushroom calling him mother in the future.
At this moment, Li Keji''s eyes lit up.
"Wait until I''ve thought of a n, then you can help me abort it. This will take one or two days."
Lumian didn''t dare to force Li Keji; after all, in Mr. Fool''s subconscious cognition, no matter how inconceivable things were, this biology teacher could create them through mushrooms. If he became an enemy and forced an abortion, perhaps something terrifying would happen.
"No problem," Lumian responded.
He secretly decided that when the time came, he would make the evil god''s descendant in Li Keji''s belly disappear without a trace, unable to hybridize with mushrooms.
Lumian then cautioned, "Don''t tell anyone else about the evil god for now, otherwise catastrophe will befall us."
"I won''t," Li Keji shook his head. "I haven''t dared to talk to Ms. Jiajia or other colleagues about mushrooms recently; they seem to have be different people."
"Be different people?" Lumian''s gaze suddenly froze.
Chapter 990 True Commonality
990 True Commonality
Lumian''s initial feeling was that Li Keji had noticed the difference between Queen of Stars Cattleya and Huang Jiajia, but after careful consideration, he overturned this guess.
This was because Li Keji said his other colleagues also seemed to have be different people, and it was unlikely that they had all been upied and used by external consciousnesses.
"Why do you feel this way?" he asked Li Keji.
Li Keji stroked his belly and said, "The previous ones ate the mushrooms I sent, but the current ones haven''t!"
The current ones haven''t? Does this mean they''ve been reced? Lumian''s thoughts raced as he carefully asked, "What about Bernie Huang? Have you seen her recently, and is she different from before?"
"I''ve seen her, but I don''t know if there''s been any change. She never ate the mushrooms I sent before," Li Keji answered honestly.
In other words, Li Keji can''t distinguish the difference between external consciousnesses and dream manifestations, nor does he have the observational ability to do so. However, he can determine whether the person in front of him has eaten the mushrooms he created Taken together, did he mean that Huang Jiajia and others at Star Tutoring sses had eaten them before, leaving corresponding traces, but recently they hadn''t? Had Huang Jiajia and the others been reced? Lumian had already been surprised when he heard Li Keji say that Huang Jiajia and the others seemed to have be different people, but now he felt more confused and alert.
He was currently inclined to believe Li Keji''s statement, thinking that the Mushroom King, who was confined to the psychiatric ward and hadn''t yet given birth, had not beenpletely corrupted and wouldn''t be experiencing hallucinations or have his personality twisted to enjoy lying. Moreover, in the dream city, based on Mr. Fool''s subconscious cognition, Li Keji had a certain uniqueness and could indeed possibly discover anomalies.
Who reced Huang Jiajia and the others? Why rece them? Lumian pondered these questions.
Suddenly, he thought of one person: Zaratulstra!
When Lumian first discovered that Zaratulstra had visited Star Tutoring sses, his initial reaction was that this Angel wanted to do something to the dream manifestation of Ma''am Hermit. Butter, as events unfolded with Li Keji being arrested and sent to the psychiatric ward, this led him to overturn his original suspicions and stop thinking in that direction.
Now, the new discovery made him reconsider his earliest guess.
Zaratulstra likes to exert force on both overt and covert lines simultaneously. On the surface, he was helping the Great Mother control Li Keji and eliminating the hidden dangers brought by mushrooms, while secretly taking advantage of opportunities like visits to target Huang Jiajia and other teachers at Star Tutoring sses, recing these dream manifestations? The benefit of doing this would be that the attention of covert saboteurs would be focused on Li Keji''s matter, overlooking the key point that Star Tutoring sses itself was also a target Lumian only now realized that Zaratulstra''s n was far more extensive than what he and his team had previously analyzed.
Based on this, he believed that Zaratulstra should have chosen the Conspirer pathway rather than being a Seer.
His experience, knowledge, intellect, and style are truly worthy of a real Angel Lumian inwardly sighed, continuing to question Li Keji, wanting to understand more details.
But apart from knowing whether those colleagues had eaten the mushrooms he gave them, Li Keji shook his head in ignorance to all other questions.
Finally, Lumian could only caution, "You muste up with a n in these two days, otherwise the minions of the evil god will take action against you again, causing the child to be born in the near future."
This referred to his and Grimm''s previous agreement to take action again in a week to help the fetus in Li Keji''s body develop rapidly.
"Alright," Li Keji answered, touching his belly.
Lumian looked at him deeply, forming a new idea: After Grimm confirms that Li Keji is truly pregnant and helps the fetus gain growth "momentum" with the help of Mushu Hospital''s obstetrics department, I''ll secretly return andplete the abortion!
At Xinhong District, in the rented apartment.
Lumian''s team gathered again to hear him talk about Li Keji''s pregnancy and the suspected recement of Huang Jiajia and others.
"If we assume the culprit is Zaratulstra or his aplices, then we can''t just look at Star Tutoring sses for the recements," Jenna expressed her thoughts. "Doesn''t this remind you of anything?"
Franca had a sudden realization. "The death of the Oracle?"
"Yes," Lumian had already connected this incident with the recement of Huang Jiajia and other Star Tutoring sses members. "If Anderson hadn''t interfered, if we hadn''t discovered the Oracle''s body in time, he would have definitely been sent to the morgue in Mushu Hospital B1, gaining a ''rebirth''. After that, wouldn''t it count as the ''reborn'' him recing the original him?"
"Did Huang Jiajia and the others experience something simr? Was Zaratulstra targeting not just Star Tutoring sses, but also Dream Tutoring sses?" The more Franca spoke, the more shocked she became. "On the surface, he was seeking opportunities to contact Zhou Mingrui through visits to Dream Tutoring sses but secretly he was recing the teachers at Dream Tutoring sses? How damn insidious!" N?v(el)B\\jnn
21:51
"Did Huang Jiajia and the others experience something simr? Was Zaratulstra targeting not just Star Tutoring sses, but also Dream Tutoring sses?" The more Franca spoke, the more shocked she became. "On the surface, he was seeking opportunities to contact Zhou Mingrui through visits to Dream Tutoring sses but secretly he was recing the teachers at Dream Tutoring sses? How damn insidious!"
At this point, Franca sincerely sighed.
"Who knows what else Zaratulstra has done in secret, it''s probably not just this one thing Fortunately, we chose to eliminate the hidden danger in advance, kicking Zaratulstra out of the dream and killing His dream manifestation. Otherwise, if His overt stratagem and covert scheme were to beunched simultaneously, both reaching the brink of sess, the situation would be unimaginable!
"Perhaps the whole affair would have ended there, with ourplete failure as the conclusion."
"Now without the leadership of Zaratulstra and Mr. Cui, their subordinates will find it difficult to consider the overall situation. We can take this opportunity to dismantle the bombs one by one and eliminate the hidden problems," Anthony agreed with Franca''s sentiments.
Lumian nodded slightly and solemnly reminded, "This is both good news and bad news.
"I believe you can all see that a Seer is more suited to hiding in the shadows, directing the y, rather than directly stepping onto the stage and exposing themselves to the audience''s view.
"Zaratulstra previously needed to advance overt matters to obtain money and resources, to openly contact Zhou Mingrui, so He couldn''t hide His identity and stay in the shadows. The same goes for Mr. Cui. This gave us the opportunity to set traps and make good use of the dream rules.
"Once Zaratulstra and Mr. Cui obtain new identities and return, they will surely hide behind the scenes, covertly advancing their own agendas. At that time, the roles of hunter and prey will be reversed. Even if we show just a slight w, we will immediately be discovered and face deadly assassination. Once attacked, the best oue would be the person being kicked out of the dream, with the dream manifestation most likely destroyed."
"Yes, at that time the enemy will be in the dark and I''m in the light, with the danger level skyrocketing," Franca nodded in agreement.
Because of her close rtionship with Luo Shan, once Zaratulstra returned and focused the investigation on why Zhou Mingrui went to Shujin Hot Pot Restaurant that day, she could easily be discovered. That''s why she said "I''m in the light."
Lumian chuckled in response.
"Of course, this is also an opportunity. You continue working in the administrative department of Intis Group for now. When Zaratulstra returns, see if you can use this to set a trap for Him. If not, you can quickly resign, change your identity, and also hide in the shadows.
"At the same time, we need to make good use of this period before Zaratulstra''s return."
As he spoke, Lumian picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message to "A name that leaves a deep impression on you": "How have you beentely? Are you enjoying sses?"
Soon, "A name that leaves a deep impression on you" replied: "Do you want to check what time it is now?
"If you have nothing better to do, I suggest you go out for a run."
Lumian calmly replied: "Do you still feel that the world is faketely, that there are terrifying fake details in the people around you?"
After about ten seconds, Anderson Hood replied: "It''s even more fake than before."
"Such as?" Lumian pressed.
Anderson Hood sent a ?? emoji:
"For example, Ai Nana, Iron Skin, Flowery Bow Tie, and other tutoring center teachers all seem more fake now, different from before."
As expected Lumian confirmed his team''s spection.
He asked with a ?? emoji: "What about you, have you be more fake?"
Anderson Hood sent "a dog biting its own tail": "I might be next.
"But I recently saw news about a foreign guest being shot dead."
A good Hunter should know how to obtain information from public reports Lumian put down his phone and said to Franca, Jenna, and the others:
"Most of the teachers at Dream Tutoring sses have also been reced."
"What''s the significance of this recement? To make all dream manifestations dominated by the Celestial Worthy, thus gaining victory in the consciousness battle?" Franca raised a question.
Lumian didn''t answer, instead using frost to create a white board and sticking notes on it.
Each note had the name of a dream manifestation currently suspected of being reced, as well as their corresponding real-world person.
Lumian stood in front of the white board, studying it intently for a while before asking Franca, Jenna, and Anthony, "See anything inmon?"
"They are or were all pirates?" Jenna tentatively answered.
Lumian shook his head.
"That''s the surfacemonality.
"There''s anothermon point hidden beneath the surface."
Saying this, he turned to hispanions and said, "These are all characters that have appeared in ''The Great Adventurer'' series of novels.
"In other words, they are all participants and witnesses of Gehrman Sparrow''s life!"
Hearing this conclusion, Franca suddenly thought of the movie "The Great Pirate 3", of Jia Yu who was poached by Zaratulstra for ying Gehrman Sparrow, and of An Xiaotian, the original actor for Gehrman Sparrow who was now in a vegetative state.
"Is the focus of the contest the identity of Gehrman Sparrow? This also fits the prophecy ''The awakening of The World spells The Fool''s return''," Franca muttered to herself.
With a nod, Lumian replied, "It seems so for now, which is why these people rted to Gehrman Sparrow have all been reced.
"The Oracle''s death was the beginning, not the end."
Chapter 991 Proactive Small Talk
Chapter 991 Proactive Small Talk
After suspecting that Zaratulstra had reced the teachers at Dream Tutoring sses and Star Tutoring sses to target the image of Gehrman Sparrow, who didn''t actually exist in the dream city, Lumian and the others discussed this for quite a while, but still couldn''t figure out the significance and purpose of doing so.
They decided to write a letter, which Franca and Jenna would take to Star Dream Provisions Store tomorrow to mail out, to see what opinions the Major Arcana card holders would give.
As they stood up, preparing to leave the rented apartment in Xinhong District, Franca remembered something and curiously looked at Lumian. "You said earlier that Li Keji''s pregnancy was because Grimm''s cognition, the Omebe bloodline in you, and the Celestial Worthy''s subconscious taking dominance because of Mushu Hospital''s environment, equating you with the Child of God Omebe in the dream, making your casualment ''he''s already pregnant'' be reality. So, as the Child of God Omebe, can you now use the Beyonder powers of a nter, Apothecary, and Heretic Spellmaster pathways?"
Franca''s eyes gleamed, feeling this had a bit of a "I guess that went well" vor to it.
Of course, this "I" referred to the dream subconscious.
As long as the dream subconscious believed it, anything could happen!
Lumian tried to see if he could use the abilities rted to Vampire, Harvest Priest, and Heretic Spellmaster, but all attempts failed.
"It doesn''t work." He shook his head.
Before Franca could respond, he added thoughtfully, "Maybe it''s possible in Mushu Hospital."
As Franca nodded in agreement, Jenna reminded Lumian, "If that''s really the case, frequent visits to Mushu Hospital might cause you to be more and more like Omebe, until you''repletely equivalent."
Lumian pondered for a few seconds, then said gravely, "It''s a possibility."
Franca immediately hissed. "How sinister is the Great Mother''s style, always making people fall into traps unknowingly? Sometimes, being vignt seems useless"
At this point, Franca answered her own question, "Judging by the name, perhaps the Great Mother symbolizes the ''yin''''darkness'' in the term ''yin-yang''"
The next day, which was Sunday, Lumian again brought Ludwig to Dream Tutoring sses.
While sending the child into the ssroom, he discreetly observed the front desk, every teacher he encountered, and Anderson Hood with his Eye of Cmity.
Except for thetter, the mercury-colored river of fate corresponding to the others all showed a ck color representing death at some point in the past. Some of these ck patches had be blurred, while others were still rtively clear, flowing forward with the illusory river, getting further and further behind, bing harder to see.
They are indeed reborn people Lumian didn''t engage in conversation with Anderson Hood, but stepped back and sat in his usual spot.
Just as he was about to contemte how to handle this situation, he suddenly saw Zhou Mingrui, wearing a loose sky-blue T-shirt, walking towards him.
How dedicated, to still remember toe for Business English ss after witnessing Zaratulstra being shot and observing Mr. Cui Lumian mused, standing up to greet Zhou Mingrui.
As fellow employees of Intis Group who had met more than once, this was expected courtesy.
Seeing this, Zhou Mingrui returned the greeting.
Just when Lumian thought he would smoothly turn into the ssroom, Zhou Mingrui stopped, right in front of him.
Zhou Mingrui looked around and asked, "Has Mr. Da resigned? I haven''t seen him every time I''vee recently.
"You know Mr. Da, right?"
"Yes, Da Nizi. I brought my child here to enroll after seeing the flier he handed out," Lumian answered simply.
He hadn''t expected Zhou Mingrui to initiate casual conversation with him, and even ask about the Oracle Danitz.
Stimted by the Zaratulstra incident, has Zhou Mingrui started to more actively explore the hidden anomalies around him, more boldly engaging with us problematic people, and thus discovered that Teacher Da from Dream Tutoring sses hasn''t appeared recently? This is good news! Hmm, there''s also a downside, if he keeps investigating like this, who knows when my team and I might be kicked out of the dream without warning, just like Mr. Cui Lumian''s thoughts raced, forming a rough judgment.
Before Zhou Mingrui could ask further, he sighed and said, "Mr. Da didn''t resign, he passed away."
"Ah?" Zhou Mingrui''s gaze suddenly froze.
His shock and surprise showed on his face.
This was also the expected reaction of a normal person hearing such news.
"When did this happen? What happened?" Zhou Mingrui didn''t hide his astonishment.
Lumian nced towards the front desk.
"I heard Ms. Ai say that he seemed to have encountered a psychopathic killer and was strangled to death.
"At first, Ms. Ai and Mr. Anderson thought he was just missing, and because they didn''t have much confidence in Mr. Da''s ability to survive alone, they quickly reported it to the police. Later, after searching, the police found Mr. Da in the underground morgue of Mushu Hospital, in the form of a corpse."
Lumian''s words were all information that Ms. Ai Nana had previously mentioned and could be found online, so he wasn''t worried about being kicked out of the dream again because of thisafter re-entering the dream, he nned to behave for two or three days in front of Zhou Mingrui.
"Killed" Zhou Mingrui''s eyes flickered as he fell into deep thought.
"Yes, the body was discovered in the underground morgue of Mushu Hospital," Lumian deliberately emphasized.
He was trying to guide Zhou Mingrui to notice that there might be problems with Mushu Hospital through normal conversation.
"The killer deliberately sent Mr. Da''s body to the underground morgue?" Zhou Mingrui expressed his confusion.
Lumian shook his head. "It might not have been the killer, it could have been a passerby who discovered the body and sent it there."
"How is that possible? A passerby who sees a body would call the police directly." Zhou Mingrui increasingly felt that there was something fishy about this matter.
"But why would the killer have to send Mr. Da''s body to the underground morgue of Mushu Hospital? Did he think it wouldn''t be discovered if hidden there? What made him think that" Lumian was responsible for raising questions, emphasizing Mushu Hospital, but not providing answers.
For him now, providing answers was too dangerous.
Zhou Mingrui nodded thoughtfully, then pointed to the Business English ssroom. "I''m going to ss now."
"Alright," Lumian sat down ordingly.
He leaned against the ssroom wall, his thoughts gradually spreading:
The secret recement of teachers at Dream Tutoring sses and Star Tutoring sses is really difficult to resolve
If this were in the real world, I would find an opportunity to blow up the underground part of Mushu Hospital,pletely eliminating the hidden danger. But in the dream city, with the underground part of Mushu Hospital being the psychological trauma of a great existence and an infiltration point for the power of other great existences, I''m afraid even the owner of Star Dream Provisions Store and Stianos wouldn''t dare to venture there easily, even if they weren''t restricted
Using the Eye of Cmity to distinguish whether the target is a reborn person, should we kill all those who have been reced, like Huang Jiajia, Ai Nana, and others, to eliminate them?
I''m confident I could cover up the traces and not be discovered if I kill one, but killing so many? Do they think the dream city''s police department and Chief Yagates are dead? This would be openly challenging the dream''s main consciousness, and I might be identified the next day
Moreover, with Huang Jiajia and others being rted to the identity of Gehrman Sparrow, if they all exit the stage of the dream city, it might bring about unfavorable changes, or cause the subsequent awakening n to be doomed to failure from the start
Report it? Without sufficient clues, it might end up like the previous report about Zaratulstra, with no response at all
What clues could make the police investigate deeply and discover the abnormalities?
I hope the Major Arcana card holders can provide good ideas
Hmm
As Lumian''s thoughts became more and more scattered, he caught sight of Zhou Mingruiing out of the ssroom with his phone, walking towards the restroom.
Lumian tilted his head, using his Hunter ears to eavesdrop on what Zhou Mingrui was saying from a distance.
He heard Zhou Mingrui ask in surprise, "Weren''t you scheduled toe on Monday? Why has it been postponed to Wednesday?"
From the other end of the phone, a female voice faintly reached Lumian''s ears.
"I thought about it, you have to work during the week and can''t take me out, so I might as well just go directly to report in."
Zhou Mingrui was silent for a moment, then said, "I have annual leave."
"It''s fine, you can take me out on the weekend." The female voice on the phone said cheerfully.
Zhou Mingrui sighed and said, "Alright then, what time is your train on Wednesday?"
Hearing this, Lumian roughly understood what was going on.
ording to the information provided by the Major Arcana, Zhou Mingrui''s sister Zhou Shasha had been admitted to a university in Yangdu and was about toe here to study.
Zhou Shasha will arrive in Yangdu next Wednesday? As one of the dream manifestations closest to Zhou Mingrui, what changes will her arrival bring? Lumian raised his right hand to rub his temples, feeling that one wave of events was following another without pause.
Star Dream Provisions Store.
Franca and Jenna, who had taken a taxi, walked into the dimly lit interior of the shop.
The former politely asked the shop owner if they could mail a letter, while thetter lingered in the entrance area, both examining the antiques on the shelves and observing the situation outside.
After getting the shop owner''s permission, Franca turned to the shelf and dropped the letter in her hand into the silver-iid ck mailbox.
As her gaze swept across, she noticed that the Pride Armor that once belonged to her was standing quietly on the edge of the inner side of the right shelf.
The surface of this silver-white full-body armor was somehow stained with patches and spots of dark red blood. Just seeing it gave Franca a feeling of rapidly weakening, as if her serious illness had returned.
It''s be even more sinister Franca didn''t dare ask the shop owner what had happened to the Pride Armor, and quickly averted her gaze, walking towards the door.
At this moment, Jenna raised her hand slightly, discreetly pointing to the diagonal opposite side of the street. N?v(el)B\\jnn
There, perched on the branch of a street tree, was a white pigeon.
Chapter 992 The Unknowing Questioner
Chapter 992 The Unknowing Questioner
Luo Shan sat in a caf near the police station, monitoring Franca and Jenna''s whereabouts using a white pigeon she had temporarily modified.
She had drawn her own mark on the pigeon, as well as a hidden miniature camera. By wearing sunsses with a receiving device drawn on them, she could obtain the corresponding signal. At the same time, she could use the connection between a Painter and a painting to drive the corresponding mark, thereby directing the pigeon.
Of course, this had to be maintained within a certain distance.
After seeing Franca and Jennae out of Star Dream Provisions Store, Luo Shan quickly had the white pigeon follow them.
As she followed, she found that the two targets were approaching the police station area, which was where she was.
Luo Shan''s heart skipped a beat.
Fortunately, her anxiety didn''tst too long. Franca and Jenna only came to this street and didn''t actually walk to the caf door.
Phew Just as Luo Shan breathed a sigh of relief, she saw Franca and Jenna, who were already five or six steps away from the caf, disappear into thin air simultaneously.
Wh Luo Shan''s pupils suddenly dted.
The next second, two people sat down opposite her.
One was Luo Fu, the other was Jian Na.
Luo Shan''s movements froze instantly, as if she had turned into a statue.
"Were you monitoring us?" Jenna asked in a friendly manner.
Franca put the two mirrors in her hand on the coffee table, creating a Mirror Maze.
"I-I wanted to see what you were really doing, if you were deceiving me, if you were bad people." Luo Shan''s voice gradually rose.
It''s still the aftereffects of the talk about the dreamscape I wonder if the Mirror Maze can deceive a Reporter''s ability to explore the truth? Probably not How to guard against this kind of prying in the future? Communicate important things via phone and delete chat records afterwards using the Information Shredder? No, except for me, Lumian, Jenna, Anthony and Ludwig don''t speak Chinese, phonemunication is done through voice conversion, which can also be heard The Bottle of Fiction probably can''t iste it either, unless it''s the Realm of Mysteries Can we onlymunicate in ces far away from a Reporter in the future? Franca thought of many things in an instant.
Suddenly, she had a sh of inspiration and looked at Luo Shan.
"You can follow us openly if you want, you can watch from the side if you want to see, it''s just that some things will be more dangerous, we may not even be able to protect ourselves well. Um, if we''re going to face this kind of thing, we''ll tell you in advance, and you can weigh whether you want to follow or not."
Luo Shan didn''t expect Franca and others to be so honest, and was momentarily speechless.
Franca took the opportunity to say, "We''re going to a ce next to confirm whether certain people have be more fake. Do you want to go?"
Confirm if they''ve be more fake? Luo Shan suddenly felt a bit scared, but she didn''t want to deceive herself forever and not uncover the answer.
After a moment''s hesitation, she said, "I''ll go."
Francaughed. "It''s good that you have the ability to explore the truth, you can intuitively help us confirm, without us having to devise dangerous ns."
She didn''t know yet if Lumian''s Eye of Cmity could discover the problems with Huang Jiajia, Ai Nana and others, so she nned to use a Reporter''s ability.
This way, they might even discover the aspects in which the fake people were fake, and thus obtain key evidence that could be reported to the police.
Moreover, Jenna had previously told Franca that since Luo Shan already knew the current world was a dream and was in a state of unwillingness to believe, full of doubt but unable topletely deceive herself, they shouldn''t dy, lest she did something stupid because of it, or her mental state became problematic and was exploited by that evil god of the Fantasy Association.
Jenna felt that, having already chosen to be honest and truthful, they should continue this style. On the one hand, stabilize Luo Shan''s mental and emotional state through psychological treatment, and on the other hand, let Luo Shan face the truth step by step under their control, confirm the facts, and not let her imagine, try, or do things blindly, which could likely bring greater disaster.
In other words, when problems had already appeared and couldn''t be avoided, it was better to ce them under one''s own control and release them with precautions, rather than letting the problems develop on their own.
So, for something that could have been done with the Mystery Prying sses, they chose to ask Luo Shan for "help".
Outside Star Tutoring sses.
Franca and Jenna brought Luo Shan to a white car that was unlocked and unupied.
Anthony, who had received a WeChat message from Franca, was already on standby nearby, ready to treat Luo Shan if she had a mental breakdown.
"This is?" Luo Shan didn''t expect there would be such a car waiting by the roadside for them to use.
"Ourpanion drove it over; to convenience our observations," Franca exined simply.
Luo Shan asked in understanding, "Lumina who yed cards with us?"
That''s how Franca and the others had introduced her.
"Sort of," Jenna had no intention of letting the Spectator onto the stage.
After a while, they saw Huang Jiajia walk out of Star Tutoring sses.
"It''s her," Franca quickly informed Luo Shan.
Luo Shan raised her right hand through the car window, pinching the sides of her eye sockets.
She then saw the target person ovepping with windows, street trees, and cars.
She also saw arge number of invisible threads floating out from the target''s body, extending towards the sky.
These threads were tied to the target''s joints and organs.
With the pulling of these invisible threads, the target made corresponding movements, walking towards the nearest bus stop.
It''s just like a puppet on strings Luo Shan''s hair stood on end.
When she had explored the truth before, she hadn''t seen simr situations with people around, or rather, simr situations weren''t obvious enough to be noticed by her.
Taking advantage of the time she had, Luo Shan observed the passing pedestrians.
She saw that these pedestrians also had arge number of invisible thin threads floating towards the sky, but these threads were all very loose, without the tension of pulling the human body to make movements.
"" Luo Shan''s body suddenly tensed, then slumped, leaning sideways against the backrest of the car''s rear seat.
She ended her exploration and said as if sleep-talking, "It''s indeed more fake"
"What are the specific details?" Jenna tried to alleviate the emotional impact on Luo Shan by discussing business.
Franca sent a message to Anthony: "Closely monitor the target''s state."
Luo Shan described in a floating voice the scene she had seen and theparison between the target and normal people.
During this process, Anthony, who was in disguise, pretended to be a middle-aged man smoking by the roadside, drawing closer to Luo Shan, and quietly using cate.
After Luo Shan finished speaking, she fellpletely silent, not saying a word.
Jenna and Franca looked at her sympathetically, temporarily not starting a new topic.
They were waiting for Anthony''s notification. Only when Anthony said it was okay would they speak, and only when Anthony said what aspects to talk about would they construct correspondingnguage.
"I want, I want to go to the North City Cemetery," Luo Shan finally spoke.
"Okay," Franca immediately agreed.
At the same time, she received a message from Anthony, who had turned his back and used voice input: "The target''s emotional state has stabilized to some extent, but there are still remnants of negativity, pessimism, and despair.
"Don''t talk about anything, any casual words in the current situation might stimte the target. Only answer when she asks."
Franca forwarded these messages to Jenna, then started the car and drove onto the main road. N?v(el)B\\jnn
The car was silent again, with only the faint sound of the engine.
After the vehicle reached the North City overpass, Luo Shan, who seemed to have be a y puppet, muttered to herself, "In realitin that world outside, is there another me?"
"Yes," Jenna answered.
She strictly followed the Psychiatrist''s instructions, only answering Luo Shan''s questions without any expansion.
Luo Shan fell silent again.
Finally, the car arrived at North City Cemetery and stopped in the parking lot.
Luo Shan pressed the door handle, paused for a few seconds, and said, "I''ll go in by myself, you don''t need to follow."
"Okay," Jenna and Franca responded in unison.
Luo Shan opened the car door and put one foot out.
At this moment, she half-turned her body and asked with dark eyes, "Are you here to awaken Zhou Mingrui?"
"Yes." Jenna didn''t hide it.
On this topic, she felt it necessary to say a few more words, so she added, "If Zhou Mingrui isn''t awakened, everything will be destroyed when the apocalypsees, including this dream.
"And the apocalypse is only a few years away."
Luo Shan looked at the seat cover in front of her with empty eyes, as if wanting to confirm details, "Why did Zhou Mingrui need to sleep?"
"To fight against an evil force," Franca exined concisely.
This was consistent with the core of the story she had made up before.
Luo Shan maintained her previous posture and asked subconsciously, "Has that evil force been defeated, so Zhou Mingrui can be awakened?"
Wh Hearing this question, both Franca and Jenna were shocked.
They looked at each other, unable to answer Luo Shan''s question for a moment.
Yes, if the Celestial Worthy''s consciousness has been defeated, Mr. Fool could wake up on his own. If He hadn''t been defeated, how would forcibly awakening him be essentially different from the situation before he went to sleep?
Or does the act of "awakening" itself symbolize the defeat of the Celestial Worthy''s consciousness?
Mr. Fool wakes up while the Celestial Worthy is still asleep, will there be a change in the bnce of power, with the scales of victory tilting towards Mr. Fool?
If this guess is correct, that''s fine, but if it''s wrong, does it mean our direction isn''t right?
The Major Arcana have always focused on "awakening", but should we actually weaken the Celestial Worthy first?
"We''re currently still in the stage of confirming the situation, we''re not sure if that evil force has been defeated yet," Franca answered truthfully.
Luo Shan bit her lip and didn''t ask any more questions.
She got out of the carpletely and walked into the cemetery''s attached flower shop, buying two bunches of white chrysanthemums.
She walked slowly forward, her figure gradually disappearing among the tombstones.
Chapter 993 Important Person
Chapter 993 Important Person
At Xinhong District, in the rented apartment.
Franca recounted the results of Luo Shan''s observations and the questions she raised, finally saying, "The more I think about it, the more I feel something is amiss. The Major Arcana clearly mentioned in their materials that Mr. Fool went to sleep to fight against the Celestial Worthy''s consciousness, so why are they solely focused on awakening Mr. Fool instead of helping to weaken the Celestial Worthy? And we too, with sufficient background information, never considered this direction before. It''s as if we''ve been bewitched, no, as if we''ve been hit with a spell of stupidity"
At this point, Franca suddenly paused.
Everyone present instantly thought of one word: Fooled!
In the unspeakable silence, only Ludwig waspletely unaffected, munching on his boiled corn.
After serious contemtion, Jenna said, "Perhaps the act of awakening Mr. Fool itself will weaken the Celestial Worthy and strengthen our advantage."
Lumian shook his head. "Even if this symbolism holds true, we shouldn''t havepletely overlooked the direction of weakening the Celestial Worthy to help Mr. Fool awaken."
"Does that mean this direction is correct? So the dream fooled everyone to prevent us from thinking in this direction." Franca suddenly became excited.
"Not necessarily," Anthony replied, "That Celestial Worthy is the being at the very top of the Swindler pathway. Initially fooling us to prevent us from considering the possibility of weakening Him might be to make us believe it''s the only correct path after we''ve made some progress in ourter explorations, causing us to rush headlong into it."
"The enemy''s opposition indicates we''re doing the right thing, but what if the enemy is deliberately opposing Feigning weakness when actually strong" Franca understood Anthony''s meaning and said frustratedly, "How should we choose?"
"Why choose?" Lumianughed, "Awakening Mr. Fool and weakening the Celestial Worthy are two things we can do simultaneously."
He stood up and began pacing in the small living room, speaking as he walked, "Let''s re-analyze the possible goals Zaratulstra wanted to achieve with those actions:
"Contacting Zhou Mingrui was likely to find a way to make Zhou Mingrui drink the subsequent potion, be a Witch, thus creating a fixed, long-term Mirror Person, and to some extent shake Zhou Mingrui''s self-perception;
"The merger and restructuring negotiations with the Intis Group were to obtain more money and resources, and using the mirrored Roselle to erode and influence Huang Tao was likely for the same purpose;
"Eliminating and recing the dream manifestations rted to Gehrman Sparrow''s life experiences might be to weaken The World, indirectly weakening Mr. Fool
"These actions currently don''t show any intent to awaken the Celestial Worthy, though umting money and resources could barely count"
As Jenna, Franca, and Anthony nodded slightly, Lumian began to contradict himself, "No, creating a fixed Mirror Person for Zhou Mingrui could also be for the Celestial Worthy to gain more initiative through the Mirror Person, gradually gain the upper hand, and thus awaken. Eliminating the dream manifestations rted to Gehrman Sparrow is to weaken Mr. Fool, but recing them with his own people and taking away Jia Yu is toter confuse the real with the fake, making The World identity point to the Celestial Worthy instead of Mr. Fool? This is also a kind of awakening
"However, these awakenings alle with weakening Mr. Fool, the two can''t be separated."
Lumian''s point was that both weakening the Celestial Worthy and awakening Mr. Fool need to be done, and sometimes they are actually different aspects of the same thing.
Franca concurred sinctly, "But how can we weaken the Celestial Worthy?"
The Major Arcana card holders didn''t know about the Celestial Worthy''s past situation, nor did they mention which character in the dream city was closely rted to the Celestial Worthy. Franca couldn''t find a target to weaken the Celestial Worthy, there was no starting point.
"Currently, only Peng Deng is suspected to be rted to the Celestial Worthy, but it can''t be confirmed yet," Anthony said."What can be confirmed is that Peng Deng definitely has a special status in the dream city," Lumian nodded slightly.
This conclusion was drawn from Anthony''s encounter and Peng Deng''s rental of the magic mirror Arrodes.
Lumian then said, "Actually, there is one ce that can be confirmed to be closely rted to the Celestial Worthy."
Seeing Franca and Jenna''s thoughtful expressions, Lumian directly gave the answer.
"Mushu Hospital!
"Without a close rtionship, without a prior cooperation intention, the Celestial Worthy wouldn''t send the corpses of Gehrman Sparrow-rted dream manifestations to the underground morgue of Mushu Hospital, letting them ''reborn'' there, and that kind of ''rebirth'' would also cause the corresponding manifestation topletely be the Celestial Worthy''s sole puppet."
"The underground part of Mushu Hospital" Franca said, unable to help but draw in a sharp breath.
That was where the psychological trauma of a great existence materialized, the key node for other great existences to infiltrate their power, the ce where the Celestial Worthy created exclusive marites, a ce that even Sequence 0 true gods dared not easily intrude!
Lumian chuckled in response. "I''ll be contacting an important person from Mushu Hospital tonight to see if I can obtain any useful intelligence."
Late at night.
Luo Shan still chose to lie down on the bed, trying to enter deep sleep.
If the world doesn''t explode, I won''t take a holiday. Even if this is really a dream, before the dream shatters, I still have to go to work when I need to Luo Shan murmured, half self-mockingly and half selffortingly.
Then, she closed her eyes, and after a long while, finally suppressed her troubled thoughts and emotions, falling asleep.
This time, after falling asleep, she didn''t immediately enter her Shaman world to continue guarding the semi-transparent barrier, but became muddle-headed, just like when she slept before bing a Beyonder.
She vaguely heard a voice echoing in her ears:
"Truth can be false, falsehood can be true. The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings
"Truth can be false, falsehood can be true. The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings"
At the edge of Crimson Moon Hospital, in a secluded corner growing many mushrooms.
Lumian, transformed into a Demoness of Despair and dressed in a blouse, patiently waited for a while. He saw Grimm suddenly appear not far ahead with a person, as if walking into the real area from another world.
"Respected Child of God, this is Lu Yong''an, the dean of obstetrics at Mushu Hospital," Grimm introduced hispanion, "She is also a child of the Mother."
Lu Yong''an appeared to be in her forties, with fair skin and a beautiful face, round like the full moon, looking gentle and motherly.
She was carrying a medical box and bowed slightly to Lumian, saying, "Praise the Mother, and praise you, Child of God."
The important person from Mushu Hospital that Lumian had previously said he wanted to meet was precisely this obstetrics dean, Lu Yong''anGrimm was very true to his word. As soon as the one-week deadline was met, he sent a message to Lumian, reminding him that tonight he should go help Li Keji with reproduction, both mystically and scientifically.
Lumian hadn''t rushed to abort the fetus in Li Keji''s belly, precisely because he wanted to fool Grimm first, to avoid reaching the point of needing to put on an act to cover up. After this, he would have at least two to three weeks to perform the abortion.
Hearing Lu Yong''an''s greeting, Lumian, with his long ck hair, nodded slightly and said, "Let''s go in and take care of business first."
He didn''t rush to inquire about the internal affairs of Mushu Hospital from Lu Yong''an.
This had to be done slowly, with proper groundwork, thinking through which things the Child of God should already know and not need to ask about.
"Yes, Child of God," Grimm and Lu Yong''an responded in unison, their expressions turning serious.
Lumian walked towards them and grabbed their shoulders.
Then, he activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, using Spirit World Traversal to appear directly in Li Keji''s hospital room.
Li Keji, who had been touching his belly lost in thought, sat up straight, and the jellyfish-like mushroom on the ceiling sank down slightly.
Seeing Li Keji looking at him with slight surprise, Lumian winked his left eye at him, hinting that there was a reason for this and to y along for now.
Li Keji showed an expression of sudden realization. "You''re here to help me?"
Hearing these words, Grimm couldn''t help but turn his head to look at the Child of God''s stunningly beautiful face:
When did she manage to deceive Li Keji?
Grimm and Lu Yong''an had both anticipated needing to use their abilities to control the target.
Lu Yong''an sat down beside Li Keji''s bed with her medical box and began a serious examination.
After nearly a minute, she turned her head and said, "The fetus is very healthy and developing well and quickly."
Grimm immediately gave a thumbs up to the Child of God, praising again, "As expected of you!" N?v(el)B\\jnn
Lumian was already numb to this, nodding slightly, focusing intently on watching Lu Yong''an take out a syringe, draw some kind of drug, and give Li Keji an injection in the belly.
Then, Lu Yong''an''s maternal radiance became even more obvious as she began to virtually caress Li Keji''s belly with both hands.
Lumian saw Li Keji''s belly begin to swell and erge at a visible rate. In just a minute or two, it looked like a six-month pregnancy.
"I can feel her heartbeat." Li Keji touched his belly again.
Lu Yong''an put away her instruments and drugs, and smiled at Lumian.
"Child of God,e again in two weeks and we can enter the stage of imminent birth."
"Excellent." Lumian nodded insincerely.
I''ll abort it shortly! The earlier it''s aborted, the safer!
"We''ll be leaving now." Lumian gave Li Keji another meaningful look.
Then, he teleported back to the previous secluded corner with Lu Yong''an, who had walked back, and Grimm, who was already by his side.
Lumian didn''t give Grimm and Lu Yong''an a chance to say goodbye and leave. He looked at thetter, slightly raising his chin, and said, "How are things going inside Mushu Hospital?"
He nned to ask vaguely at first, in the tone of a Child of God wanting to get feedback from his subordinates, and then selectively delve deeper based on Lu Yong''an''s response.
Lu Yong''an replied with a kindly manner mixed with obvious respect, "The underground area is almost finished being renovated, and above ground it''s still just us few and those who frequently enter and exit the underground."
The underground is almost "renovated"? Those who frequently enter and exit the underground don''t count as people? Lumian raised an eyebrow.
Chapter 994 Dean
Chapter 994 Dean
Lumian thought of the Mushu Hospital orderly he had encountered before and the situations he had observed during his several visits to Mushu Hospital. He felt that those who frequently entered and exited the underground of Mushu Hospital might truly no longer be considered human.
More than this, what concerned him more was that the underground part of Mushu Hospital was nearly "renovated".
When that happens, what changes would ur?
What does this symbolize?
Amidst his swirling thoughts, Lumian wished he could go blow up the underground of Mushu Hospital right now and be done with it.
Unfortunately, leaving aside whether he had the ability to break into Mushu Hospital''s underground andpletely destroy it, just the fact that the above-ground part of Mushu Hospital was still rtively normal, with many patients and ordinary medical staffing and going, prevented him from acting rashly.
There was no way to blow up the underground part without affecting the above-ground area!
That would turn into a full-blown terrorist attack, causing Lumian to be rejected by the dream''s main consciousness to the greatest extent, likely preventing him from entering again afterward.
First think of a way to get Mushu Hospital to stop admitting patients for a few days and transfer away the inpatients? This would be very difficult Lumian looked at Lu Yong''an and carefully asked, "Are there still corpses waiting for ''rebirth'' in the underground morgue?"
"Not at the moment. No one has brought corpses needing ''rebirth'' over these past couple of days," Lu Yong''an answered truthfully.
After Zaratulstra and Mr. Cui were kicked out of the dream, did the corresponding activities stop? This shows we''re doing well Theoretically, the Celestial Worthy should have more than just these few subordinates, and should have found a way or medium for subordinates to enter the dream city Were the others kicked out before, like the Major Arcana and the former Lucky Coin holders? That''s right, there''s no reason why the Celestial Worthy would only recently have subordinates who could enter, no reason why in the past only the Celestial Worthy could kick people out and Mr. Fool couldn''t Lumian nodded slightly and changed his question.
"Who is the current dean of Mushu Hospital?"
He wasn''t afraid of Lu Yong''an bing suspicious because of this inquiry, as he had previously asked Xu Xinyang and secretly asked Grimm, and even Grimm, a child of the Great Mother, didn''t know.
"You don''t know?" Lu Yong''an looked at Lumian''s face in surprise. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
She then turned to Grimm and asked, "You didn''t tell the Child of God?"
Grimm shook his head. "I don''t know either. No one ever told me."
Lu Yong''an was stunned for a moment, then showed an expression of understanding.
"It''s normal that you don''t know. But it doesn''t matter. The previous dean has left, and not knowing who it is doesn''t affect anything. The new dean will arrive in a few days."
"Who is the new dean?" Grimm asked on Lumian''s behalf.
Lu Yong''an shook her head. "It''s not clear yet. We''ll know when they arrive. Maybe it will be a surprise."
A surprise? For us, it''s probably going to be a shock Lumian made a sound of acknowledgment and said, "Have you been to the underground areas other than the morgue?"
He wasn''t trying to pry specific information about Mushu Hospital''s underground from Lu Yong''an, but rather intended to judge from her answer whether Beyonders blessed by the Great Mother could infrequently enter the non-morgue areas of the underground.
"I''ve been there, but can''t go deep, can''t go to B2." Lu Yong''an didn''t think there was anything wrong with the Child of God asking this, after all, the underground part of Mushu Hospital didn''t belong solely to the Great Mother, other great existences also exerted influence there.
Even children of the Great Mother can''t go to B2? What''s there? Lumian nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Are the Mother Tree''s followers also doing something?"
As the Child of God of the Great Mother, he had to show a bit less respect for other existences.
"Yes, but I don''t know what," Lu Yong''an took out her phone and said with a smile, "Child of God, shall we add each other on WeChat? If I discover any issues in other areas of the undergroundter, I''ll tell you immediately."
She really knows how the world works Lumian let Lu Yong''an scan his WeChat QR code.
Her WeChat name was just her real name.
Lumian didn''t rush to look through Lu Yong''an''s Moments. He casually said, "Have you found Zedus?"
Zedus was supposedly the true name of the Abscessed Hand, and the remnant consciousness in Omebe''s remains had once shouted this name at Lumian.
Lumian was trying to probe whether the children of the Great Mother had heard of Zedus.
"Not yet." Lu Yong''an lowered her head, "Mother is very disappointed."
Zedus really is closely rted to the Great Mother Lumian stopped there, not asking further.
Seeing this, Grimm respectfully asked, "Child of God, starting tomorrow you''re on the night shift rotation. If you don''t want to work it, I can find an excuse to switch you to the morning shift."
"Night shift is fine," Lumian chose not to switch.
This way, he could effectively increase his activity time during the day and evening.
Then, he nced at the bright moon high in the sky and said to Grimm and Lu Yong''an, "Head back."
"Yes, Child of God!" Lu Yong''an and Grimm responded in unison.
Lumian didn''t see them off, but teleported away first.
About a quarter of an hourter, his figure appeared again in this secluded corner, and Grimm and Lu Yong''an were already gone.
Only then did Lumian take out his phone and start looking through Lu Yong''an''s Moments.
The Moments of this obstetrics dean of Mushu Hospital mostly shared obstetrics and gynecology knowledge, instances of receiving thank-you banners, achievements of Mushu Hospital, and updates about her own children. There was nothing that particrly caught Lumian''s eye.
Because she had set it to only show the most recent month, Lumian could only return to the top of her Moments and look at her background settings and personal signature.
The background was set to a blurry silhouette holding a baby, and her personal signature was: "Be a guardian for women and children."
All very fitting for her identity and nature Lumian put away his phone and teleported to Li Keji''s hospital room.
Li Keji wasn''t surprised by this beautiful woman''s return. Looking at her, he hesitantly asked, "Do we really have to abort it?"
As the fetus grew, his maternal radiance seemed to have intensified.
Lumian chuckled. "You must have already felt the frenzied absorption of your flesh and spirit by the child of the evil god, right?"
"Yes." Li Keji nodded honestly.
Lumian continued, "And don''t you want to see what innovative qualities might emerge from the crossbreeding of the evil god''s offspring and the mushroom?"
He was now very adept at grasping Li Keji''s obsessions and weaknesses.
This was an Instigator.
Li Keji''s eyes immediately lit up. "Alright, let''s begin!"
Could you at least hesitate a bit to make me feel your maternal radiance is genuine? Lumian grumbled inwardly as he walked to Li Keji''s bedside, extended his right palm, and said in a moderate tone, "It will be quite painful. Bear with it."
"Okay." Li Keji stretched out his arm, letting it hang in the air.
The fungal fments hanging down from the jellyfish-like mushroom quickly floated over, wrapping around Li Keji''s arm, their tips piercing into it.
"It has some anesthetic ability," Li Keji happily exined to Lumian.
Lumian didn''t speak, letting his palm ignite with quiet and sinister ck mes.
He then pressed his right palm against the surface of Li Keji''s belly, and the Demoness''s ck mes immediately bored into it.
Li Keji''s highly protruding belly suddenly began to writhe, as if something inside was struggling desperately.
Along with this struggle, Li Keji''s face twisted slightly. Even with the anesthesia, he was experiencing unspeakable pain.
Meanwhile, the Demoness''s ck mes gradually dimmed and thinned. Even as Lumian continued to pour them in, they couldn''t truly burn away the vile thing in Li Keji''s belly.
Fortunately, Lumian had never thought from the beginning that the Demoness''s ck mes could achieve the goal, because one of his objectives was something that the Demoness''s ck mes, which only burned spirit and life, couldn''t aplish.
He used the Demoness''s ck mes first mainly to probe.
Suddenly, the quiet ck mes in Lumian''s palm became agitated, as if madness, violence, and destruction were being generated!
mes of Destruction!
As the mes of Destruction poured in, the clothes on Li Keji''s belly abruptly burst into mes, as did his skin and flesh.
The fetus in his belly pushed upwards, as if trying to escape the burning of the mes of Destruction, but currently unable to break free from the constraints of the mother''s body, it ultimately copsed back down.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian heard illusory sounds of weeping and screaming. He felt as if a vast green wilderness had appeared around him, where every flower and de of grass first grew vigorously, full of life, and then was engulfed by sweeping ck mes.
"Ah!"
Li Keji also screamed in agony, the pain of having his abdomen burned through was more than most people could endure.
However, Lumian had already used the Bottle of Fiction to seal off this hospital room, allowing only faint traces of Li Keji''s voice to seep out.
This wasn''t something worth paying attention to in the psychiatric ward.
Finally, the fetus in Li Keji''s belly was burned to ashes, and these ashes, affected by the convection winds from the high temperature of the mes, swirled up into the air, flying towards the ceiling and scattering around.
"Completely eliminated." Lumian stepped back, preparing to take out a healing agent for Li Keji to drink.
Li Keji nced at his charred abdomen and said with extreme disappointment, enduring the pain, "It''s all burned away? There''s nothing left?"
"I initially only wanted to burn its life and spirit, leaving the corpse, but as you saw, that didn''t work," Lumian exined sincerely.
"Ah" Li Keji waved his hand, directing the fments of the jellyfish-like mushroom to move to his abdomen, absorbing the charred parts and promoting flesh regeneration.
Looks like I don''t need to provide treatment Lumian gave a deep look at the jellyfish-like mushroom that had descended.
After Li Keji''s wound had healed and the pain had subsided, Lumian nodded slightly and said,
"Rest more these couple of days, then please speed up the pace of your research. My vegetative friend might not be able to wait too long."
"I can start again tomorrow!" Li Keji''s enthusiasm for experimentation reignited.
"Thank you." Lumian politely left the room.
Returning to the rented apartment in Xinhong District, hey down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
In his hazy state, he heard crying.
The crying voice was calling "Mommy" "Mommy", filled with intense pain, unwillingness, and resentment.
Chapter 995 Dream?
Chapter 995 Dream?
"Mommy"
"Mommy"
Lumian heard crying callsing from the surrounding darkness, shrill and pitiful, as if wing at his heart and soul.
Suddenly, ck mes that suppressed madness and destruction ignited on Lumian''s body.
These mes spread to the surroundings, burning away the darkness and everything hidden within it.
The crying calls abruptly became piercing, then quickly dissipated.
Lumian let out a coldugh.
"If you had called me ''Daddy'', I might have felt a bit reluctant and affectionate, but ''Mommy''? Who are you trying to fool?"
Just as he finished muttering this to himself, the surrounding darkness shattered inch by inch.
Lumian then awoke, opening his eyes to see the ceiling with its hanging chandelier, hidden in the deep night.
Was I just dreaming?
The fetus in Li Keji''s belly died at the hands of its ''mother'', its resentment unresolved, ittched onto me, and I thoroughly burned it away?
Your ''mother'' is Omebe, what does that have to do with me, Lumian?
Lumian grumbled a few words, reached for his phone, selected "Intis Group Grimm", and used voice input to say: "I heard the cries of my child, who encountered a disaster leading to death.
"Someone must have helped Li Keji abort."
After sending this WeChat message, Lumian copied the content and sent it to Lu Yong''an as well.
Within ten to twenty seconds, Lu Yong''an replied: "Should we go to Crimson Moon Hospital now?"
Lumian brought the phone to his mouth, shook his head and said, "It''s toote, the matter is already over.
"Rushing over now could very likely lead us into a trap set by the enemy.
"Since the matter can''t be undone, let''s wait until tomorrow, or the day after, until we''re sure there''s no ambush around Li Keji, then go investigate the situation, find the culprit, and think of ways to remedy this."
"Wise of you, Child of God." Lu Yong''an replied in a formal tone.
At this time, Grimm also responded, expressing the same meaning as Lu Yong''an. Lumian chose to copy and paste what he had said. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
After reassuring Grimm, Lumian was about to go back to sleep when he suddenly saw a new message from Lu Yong''an: "Child of God, I just saw someone standing outside the hospital from my window."
"Who?" Lumian understood that the reason Lu Yong''an mentioned this must be because she recognized the person, or they were very important.
After a few seconds, Lu Yong''an replied: "It''s Zhou Mingrui."
Zhou Mingrui? Such a strong initiative, only learning about the Oracle''s corpse appearing in Mushu Hospital''s underground morgue during the day, and wanting to sneak in to investigate at night? Isn''t this too rash? Or is it just a preliminary observation? Lumian became fully alert, all traces of sleepiness gone.
He brought the phone to his mouth again and used voice input to say: "Don''t worry about it for now, notify me when Zhou Mingrui enters the hospital."
Outside Mushu Hospital, Zhou Mingrui, still wearing a sky-blue T-shirt, pretended to make a phone call while casually surveying his surroundings, focusing on the emergency center.
After learning about Da Nizi''s death and confirming the relevant details through public reports, Zhou Mingrui felt that Mushu Hospital seemed to have significant issues, especially the underground morgue.
So, when night fell deeper, he took a taxi here, nning to pretend to seek emergency treatment while actually taking a tour of Mushu Hospital to see if he could discover anything.
He hadn''t nned to investigate the underground morgue today; he didn''t want to take potentially significant risks before gathering sufficient information.
While saying words like "okay," "no problem," "alright," "can do," and "that''s it," Zhou Mingrui''s gaze swept across the emergency center, across the patients and family membersing and going, but he couldn''t see anything unusual.
This wasn''t actually his first time at Mushu Hospital. He hade for treatment twice before, as it was one of the closest hospitals to Intis Group and his residence. It had only been open for a few years, so whether for emergency or outpatient services, there weren''t many people, no need to queue for long, and no worries about not being able to make appointments online.
The district-level hospital closer to his residence, he felt, wasn''t very reliable, while the other well-established hospitals were always overcrowded.
The only difference fromst time is that Mushu Hospital''s reputation is growing, and more people areing for treatment It''s a good thing I recovered midway from having some health issues after listening to heavy metal and was thinking ofing here for treatment because there weren''t many people Zhou Mingrui recalled his experience of seeking emergency treatment half a year ago, as well as the incident a few weeks ago when he took sick leave toe to Mushu Hospital, but his illness got better before he even reached his destination.
Thinking of this, he suddenly had a realization.
That sick leave made me miss the formal meeting with Zaratulstra
And I didn''t actually enter Mushu Hospital
My hearing that song ''Advance'' wasn''t a coincidence, the melody and sound of that song were mixed with mystical powers?
Does this mean that Zaratulstra and Mushu Hospital really have issues?
But when I came half a year ago, nothing happened, I didn''t notice anything unusual
Are the problems at Mushu Hospital gradually worsening?
As Zhou Mingrui muttered to himself, his gaze moved up from the emergency center to the entire building.
Suddenly, he heard his own heartbeat.
Thump!
Thump!
Zhou Mingrui inexplicably felt fear, making his heart feel as if it had been violently squeezed by an invisible hand, uncontrobly speeding up its beating.
Thump!
Thump!
He felt as if something he feared and dreaded most was hidden in that building, as if it were the source of his fear.
There really is a problem Zhou Mingrui''s pupils rapidly dted.
Half a year ago, he had alsoe for emergency treatment at night, and had also looked at Mushu Hospital''s main building, but at that time he didn''t have any feeling that terrifying things were hiding inside.
Zhou Mingrui steadied himself, closed his eyes, and regted his breathing.
When his heartbeat calmed down, he looked at the Mushu Hospital building again.
Thump!
Thump!
He once again experienced a sudden burst of fear, instinctively believing that deep inside Mushu Hospital were things he didn''t want to face and was afraid to encounter.
Zhou Mingrui subconsciously wanted to turn and leave, but ultimately endured.
Just do a preliminary observation, just do a preliminary observation
Avoiding won''t solve the problem, avoiding won''t solve the problem
As he muttered to himself, Zhou Mingrui''s right palm, not holding the phone, naturally hung down, clenching and unclenching, unclenching and clenching.
After about ten seconds, he hung up the phone, took a step forward, and walked towards the entrance of the emergency center.
In Room 2303 of Dechuang Garden.
After Franca and Jenna fell asleep, they quickly gained lucidity.
This was something that inevitably happened when Beyonders entered Luo Shan''s Shaman world, and neither of them was surprised.
But in the next second, what met their eyes was not the frozen storm, wandering Astral Projections, and semi-transparent barriers, but a dimly lit corridor.
The walls of the corridor were painted white, giving off a slight green tinge under the dim light.
"Where is this?" Franca blurted out in astonishment.
Where has Luo Shan''s Shaman world gone?
Amidst her surprise, Jenna thought of a possibility. "Could something have happened to Luo Shan? Because of confirming that Huang Jiajia and others were more fake?"
That would make Luo Shan further face the fact that this was a dream.
"But didn''t Anthony say that Luo Shan''s emotions had stabilized to some extent?
"Did she experience some shock after going home?" Franca responded with confusion.
"Anyway, let''s find Luo Shan first. This might be the Shaman world after some change." Jenna looked around and concentrated on listening.
Faced with a situation different from usual, Franca instinctively put her hand into her Traveler''s Bag, preparing to take out her Beyonder items.
Suddenly, she paused. "No, that''s not right!"
Seeing Jenna turn her gaze towards her, Franca said with a serious expression,
"The Traveler''s Bag is still here, and the items inside are still there."
Jenna''s gaze instantly froze, understanding what Franca meant: Only Astral ProjectionS could enter Luo Shan''s Shaman world to fight monsters, and Astral Projections obviously wouldn''t carry a Traveler''s Bag and corresponding items. Even if they did, it would only be something conjured by the dream, with no actual ability!
"This isn''t Luo Shan''s Shaman world? What exactly have we encountered?" Jenna furrowed her brow.
She tried to leave this ce through Cogitation, to make her Astral Projection return to her body.
But this had no effect.
"We''re not Astral Projections on an excursion, entering Luo Shan''s dream or Shaman world. We''ve been directly transferred to this ce," Franca gave her conclusion, "How is this possible? I didn''t feel anything at all"
Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly heard Luo Shan''s voiceing from a room ahead.
"No, no, I refuse!"
A few secondster, the door of that room was pulled open, and Luo Shan, wearing pajamas, rushed out.
Luo Shan saw Franca and Jenna, stopped in her tracks, and asked in surprise, "You''re here too?"
Franca and Jenna first lowered their heads, examining their own clothes, finding that they were both wearing nightgowns, then Franca addressed Luo Shan, "Where is this? Why shouldn''t we be here?"
"This is my dream Did I dream about you?" Luo Shan looked bewildered and confused.
Franca and Jenna exchanged a nce, then carefully asked, "What did you dream about?"
"I dreamed that someone was whispering strange words in my ear, and I dreamed of many fragmented scenes. There was a pregnant woman with a big belly, it seemed like the flesh on her face and one eyeball had been wed off, with head-like lumps growing on both sides of her shoulders. There was also a man whose heart had been dug out, and the cries of infants
"Finally, I dreamed of this corridor, dreamed that I was in a room, and a voice told me" Luo Shan suddenly stopped as she recalled her dream.
"Told you what?" Jenna pressed.
Luo Shan hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "It said, said it could help me masquerade as the genuine article, rece the me outside, so that even if the dream shatters, I could live on truly
"I-I couldn''t ept that, how could I, how could I harm an innocent person?"
Hearing Luo Shan''s words, Franca and Jenna''s pupils dted simultaneously.
The former swallowed hard and asked, "Do you remember the strange words at the beginning of the dream?"
Luo Shan tried her best to recall. "It seemed, seemed to be ''Truth can be false, falsehood can be true. The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings''"
At this moment, Jenna and Franca both seemed to turn into statues.
Franca suddenly "woke up" and said in a deep voice, "Quickly, let''s confirm where this ce is!"
"Isn''t this my dream" Luo Shan said softly.
"Are you usually this lucid in your dreams?" Jenna asked rhetorically while looking for identifiable signs.
"That''s true" As Luo Shan muttered in confusion, Franca and Jenna simultaneously discovered a bulletin board on the wall ahead.
The two strode forward, rushing over, and with the help of the dim light, they immediately sawrge characters in a certain part of the bulletin board: "Mushu Hospital."
Chapter 996 Psychological Trauma
Chapter 996 Psychological Trauma
Mushu Hospital?
Franca and Jenna suddenly felt as if they had been struck by lightning, a tingling sensation rapidly shooting up from their tailbones to the backs of their heads.
How did they end up at Mushu Hospital?
Was this real or fake?
Franca didn''t need to take out a mirror and use Magic Mirror Divination to get an answer. Her spiritual intuition had already told her that this was most likely the real Mushu Hospital!
Although she didn''t understand how she and Jenna had been sleeping peacefully in Room 2303 of Dechuang Garden and then unknowingly arrived at Mushu Hospital, she chose to trust her spiritual intuition.
Jenna had a simr judgment. After exchanging a nce with Franca, she stood still, closed her eyes, and quickly entered a Cogitative state, imagining herself standing on the edge of a cliff.
In her imagination, she leaped off, jumping towards a bottomless abyss.
She fell faster and faster, but there was no shattering of darkness, no waking up startled from a dream.
Jenna opened her eyes and slowly shook her head at Franca.
Her meaning was clear: here, they couldn''t exit the dream city and return to the real world!
Hiss Would the above-ground floors of Mushu Hospital have simr restrictions? This might be in the underground area of Mushu Hospital Franca instantly came up with a new spection.
Her already highly tense mental state drew even closer to its limit.
"What''s wrong?" Luo Shan still looked bewildered.
Hearing Luo Shan''s question, Franca suddenly had a series of thoughts:
Just now, Luo Shan said this was her dream
But this is the real Mushu Hospital, quite possibly the underground part of Mushu Hospital
Did her dream connect to this ce, transferring Beyonders within a certain range here?
Why could it connect, why could it transfer us?
Wait, ording to our previous judgment, every character in the dream city is constructed by the dream subconscious based on its own cognition and social rtionships. Luo Shan is the same, and the dream subconscious is a blend of Mr. Fool''s subconscious and the Celestial Worthy''s subconscious. In other words, Luo Shan is equivalent to a part of the dream subconscious, equivalent to a division of Mr. Fool''s subconscious.
She developed psychological trauma from the shock that the current world is a dream city, which is equivalent to a part of Mr. Fool''s divided subconscious developing psychological trauma, while the underground area of Mushu Hospital is where Mr. Fool''s psychological traumas converge and manifest
This connects everything together. Hmm, the psychological traumas manifesting in the underground area of Mushu Hospital should not only be from Mr. Fool, but also include those of the Celestial Worthy. More urately, theye from the dream subconscious, which is formed by blending Mr. Fool''s and the Celestial Worthy''s subconsciouses. My goodness, will we encounter the Celestial Worthy''s psychological traumaster?
However, this also has a good side. If we know what the Celestial Worthy''s psychological traumas are, and can escape alive, we could deduce ways to weaken the Celestial Worthy.
Hmm Purely having mystical simrities and close mystical connections is not enough for Luo Shan to bring me and Jenna to appear out of thin air in the underground area of Mushu Hospital. There needs to be a force to push, to utilize
At first, Luo Shan heard ''Truth can be false, falsehood can be true. The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings'' This indicates that she has actually been targeted by some faction, the problem has been identified, but that faction wanted to fish or wait for an opportunity before taking action?
Zaratulstra''s group? No, if it were them, Zaratulstra would have absolutely guarded against the possibility of Zhou Mingrui being invited to eat at the hot pot restaurant
As thoughts shed through Franca''s mind, she didn''t dare waste time on deep thinking and analysis. She carefully chose her words and said to Luo Shan, "This might be the underground part of Mushu Hospital, and it''s not something you dreamed up, it''s real."
Without waiting for Luo Shan to ask further questions, Franca made up a reason based on her recent spection. "There''s likely an enemy hidden in or near your room who, while you were sleeping, exerted influence and used your Shaman world to transfer us here out of thin air."
Luo Shan blinked and said, "No wonder at first it was like my usual dreams, but then I became more and more lucid
"Why bring us to the underground of Mushu Hospital? Is there a big problem here?"
As the two conversed, Jenna searched through her Traveler''s Bag.
She originally wanted to make a phone call or send a WeChat message to try to call for help or contact Lumian, but she and Franca had put their phones beside their pillows before sleeping, not holding them tightly or carrying them on their persons. Therefore, they were both currently "phoneless".
Jenna took out the Ice Mirror Charm with only one use left and held it in her palmshe had another Ice Mirror Charm that could be used four times, which Lumian had found an opportunity to remake for all team members after being kicked out of the dream the day before yesterday.
"I don''t know, I''m only sure that it''s very dangerous here, we need to leave as soon as possible," Franca replied to Luo Shan, looking back and forth. "Let''s quickly find the elevator lobby and go up to the first floor by elevator or stairs."
Luo Shan''s spirits also tensed up as she followed Franca''s actions, surveying their surroundings.
At this moment, Jenna activated the Ice Mirror Charm to see if she could leave the current area through the mirror she carried.
But after being enveloped by the charm''s light, she found that the world behind the mirror was deep and dark, giving her an extremely dangerous feeling. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
She didn''t dare to pass through the ss mirror surface and enter the mirror world.
"The mirror world is also abnormal," Jenna raised her head and said to Franca.
As she spoke, the Ice Mirror Charm in her hand turned into sparkling fragments, quickly scattering and disappearing.
"That''s normal," Franca wasn''t particrly surprised by this. "In a ce like this, maybe we can only leave through normal means and predetermined exits. Let''s go find the elevator lobby now."
Luo Shan first made a sound of agreement, then remembered her ability and asked with some expectation, "Do you have any paint and brushes? Pencils or pens would work too."
"You want to draw a door to get out?" Jenna understood.
"Yes." Luo Shan nodded heavily.
Franca frowned slightly and said, "Are you sure the door you draw will lead to the upper levels of Mushu Hospital or the entrance, and not to other areas of the underground part?"
"I can draw the door of my home, that way we can return home, but there''s a distance limit. I''m not sure if the distance between Mushu Hospital and Dechuang Garden meets the conditions" Luo Shan''s voice gradually lowered.
Franca quickly made a decision.
"Let''s first look for a real exit, first find the elevator lobby. If we can''t find it, or if we''re trapped, then we''ll risk using your drawn ''door''."
Seeing Jenna nod in agreement, Luo Shan could only temporarily abandon the idea of drawing a door to exit.
After giving Luo Shan a fountain pen and a sharpened pencil, Franca turned around, partly relying on observing the environment and partly following her spiritual intuition, and walked towards the other end of the corridor.
Soon, the three saw a door, a double wooden door with ss.
Franca, walking in front, brought her face close to the ss on the door, trying to observe the situation behind it.
But beyond the ss was pitch ck. Even with a Demoness''s night vision, she couldn''t clearly see what was hidden inside.
Franca felt as if her eyes were covered by a ck cloth, rather than the corresponding environment losing light.
After performing a simple Magic Mirror Divination, Franca stretched out both hands and pushed open therge double wooden doors.
Whaty ahead was not an extension of the corridor, but a dimly lit hall with simr double wooden doors at the far end.
What Franca, Jenna, and Luo Shan noticed first was not these, but the corpses hanging from the ceiling.
They were gently swaying.
As they swayed, some of the bodies half-turned, allowing Franca and the others to clearly see their appearances.
There was Ai Nana, the principal of Dream Tutoring sses, Huang Jiajia, and other teachers from the Dream Tutoring sses that Jenna had seen before.
"Mmph" Luo Shan instinctively wanted to scream, but was quickly muffled by Jenna''s hand.
"How is this possible?" Franca''s scalp tingled.
She knew that the dream manifestations of Ai Nana and Huang Jiajia had essentially died and might have been hung up like the Oracle Da Nizi before, but she never imagined they would still be hanging, hanging together, densely packed like wind-dried cured meat.
"They''re hanging here? Then who are the ones outside?
"Didn''t their corpses gain ''new life'' and run out?
"Lumian said their fates were also connected"
Jenna had simr questions, and she thought of a possibility.
"Manifestation of psychological trauma?"
Yes, the underground area of Mushu Hospital is where the dream subconscious''s psychological traumas manifest. The psychological trauma created by Ai Nana and Huang Jiajia being hung up and the "rebirth" of corpses running out could exist simultaneously and ur in parallel Franca epted this exnation and had no intention of delving deeper into the truth right now.
She said to Jenna and Luo Shan, "Let''s go through, to the door on the other side."
Luo Shan, encountering such a horrifying scene for the first time, waspletely at a loss and could only choose to follow Franca and Jenna''s lead, passing through where the hanging corpses were less dense.
Wind asionally blew through the hall, causing the corpses to sway back and forth, sometimes swinging left and right, nearly brushing against Luo Shan''s head several times.
Luo Shan used all her strength to keep herself from reacting excessively.
Finally, they "squeezed" through the hanging corpses and reached the double wooden doors representing the exit.
After going through the process and getting the same result as before, Franca once again stretched out both hands and pushed open the doors.
Ahead was a corridor, an extremely dimly lit corridor.
At the end of the corridor stood a blurry figure.
Franca and the others simultaneously raised their guard, carefully passing through the wooden doors and entering the corridor.
The scene before their eyes gradually became clear.
They could now clearly see that blurry figure: it was a giant mushroom, over two meters tall!
The top of the giant mushroom was blood-red, interspersed with white patterns. Its body wasposed of countless simr small mushrooms, their patterns collectively depicting a handsome yet strange face. On each side, identical mushrooms extended out, forming slender arms.
Smack!
The double wooden doors behind Franca, Jenna, and Luo Shan closed.
Chapter 997 Different Regions
Chapter 997 Different Regions
Seeing that bizarrely shaped giant mushroom person, even Franca, a veteran gamer, felt a sense of morbid curiosity and horror.
My goodness, what kind of monstrosity is this?
As expected of something evolved from a great existence''s psychological trauma, who knows if it''s from Mr. Fool or the Celestial Worthy
As simr thoughts shed through her mind, Franca and Jenna tacitly split to the sides, one hiding in the shadows, the other concealing her form.
Luo Shan had never cooperated with them in Beyonderbat before, and this was her first time encountering a monster without barriers separating them. Moreover, this wasn''t the domain of her Shaman abilities, so she was momentarily at a loss.
She instinctively turned around, wanting to run back to the previous hall, moving so fast she left an afterimage in ce.
However, although she chose the double doors behind her, she was shocked to find herself rapidly approaching the blood-red giant mushroom person with white patterns.
At the same time, Franca emerged from the shadows.
She felt the shadows she was hiding in strangelye alive, as if trying to control and erode her.
The next second, she and Luo Shan saw the giant mushroom person suddenly swell and growrger, a giantva sword burning with pale blue mes coalescing in its hand.
The giant mushroom person took a step closer, swinging down the great sword that seemed formed of red-hotva.
Franca didn''t dodge backward, but instead shot forward, lowering her body. Before theva sword could strike, she darted past the scorching heat waves to the mushroom person''s side.
Jenna''s body quickly outlined against the ceiling position, holding a brass-colored revolver aimed at the giant mushroom''s head.
Bang!
The giant mushroom person''s sword strike hit the inexperienced Luo Shan, shattering this Painter like a mirror.
The Mirror Substitution that Jenna and Franca had previously made for Luo Shan finally came in handy.
Theva sword didn''t stop after shattering Luo Shan, heavily striking the corridor floor and sending out pale blue sulfur fireballs.
Rumble!
Jenna had just pulled the trigger, firing a bright yellow bullet at the giant mushroom person''s head, when she was engulfed by the chain reaction of explosions.
Most of the corridor, including Franca and the giant mushroom person itself, was affected by the explosion created by over a dozen sulfur fireballs.
Franca and Jenna''s Mirror Substitutions were passively triggered, their bodies first thinning, then developing cracks, and finally shattering into pieces.
When the explosive wind in the narrow environment subsided, the figures of Franca, Jenna, and Luo Shan outlined at the giant mushroom person''s original position, at the end of this corridor, next to the other set of double doors.
They saw that half of the giant mushroom person''s head had copsed, oozing dark red blood, white mycelium, and tiny spores. They saw its body simrly torn open by the explosion, revealingrge wounds filled with both mycelium and flesh.
As the flesh writhed and the mycelium grew, the giant mushroom person''s wounds rapidly healed.
Seeing this, Franca''s scalp tingled. She turned around, pushed open the door, and rushed out of this corridor.
She felt that fighting in this narrow environment wasn''t advantageous for them, while the terrifying mushroom person with its exaggerated self-healing ability and explosive methods was clearly more in its element!
So, she had to escape from here, firstly to try to shake off the giant mushroom person, and secondly to find a scene more suitable for Demonesses and a Painter to fight.
Jenna didn''t hesitate, closely following Franca.
Luo Shan, who thought she would die, was surprised that the Mirror Substitution actually worked, and having gained experience, chose to imitate Franca and Jenna''s actions.
The trio quickly passed through the open door, entering a new dimly lit corridor.
Behind them, the two halves of the wooden door swayed several times before finally closingpletely.
Franca moved forward while vigntly observing whether the giant mushroom person was pursuing them, but found that behind the door was dead silence, with no further movement.
"Uh does each type of psychological trauma only operate in a fixed area?" Franca slowed her pace, making a guess based on her experience and imagination.
Jenna nodded, looking around and said, "Now we need to be alert to the psychological trauma in this area?"
"What psychological trauma?" Luo Shan looked confused.
"Monsters simr to that mushroom person just now," Franca exined simply. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Luo Shan''s eyes turned slightly, and she blurted out, "Monsters transformed from Zhou Mingrui''s psychological trauma?"
Very smart Franca pondered for a moment and said, "It also includes the psychological trauma of evil forces."
Luo Shan was silent for two seconds, about to say something more when she suddenly started coughing.
"Cough cough cough" She paused and said, "Why do I feel like I''ve suddenly fallen ill?"
Disease? Can that mushroom person also create mystical pathogens? Jenna and I are both Demoness of Affliction with some resistance to Disease abilities. Brief contact won''t infect us, but Luo Shan can''t resist, showing symptoms? The symptoms appeared very quickly, this isn''t at the level of Sequence 7 After Zhou Mingrui was stimted, did the power level of the dream city change, starting from the underground part of Mushu Hospital, with no corresponding manifestation in the outside world yet? Jenna vaguely understood the reason and took out a bottle of healing agent from her Traveler''s Bag.
She didn''t rush to provide treatment for Luo Shan, but pondered and asked, "Can you draw efficacious medicine for yourself?"
Even if the drawn medicine had a limited duration, it could truly cure diseasesas long as all the mystical pathogens were eliminated before the effect wore off, it would work!
At this time, Franca had also figured out the reason and muttered, "That mushroom person is too terrifying!
"What kind of monster is this exactly!"
Luo Shan already felt her forehead burning up. She shook her head and said,
"I don''t know exactly what this disease is, nor do I know what medicine to draw to cure it."
"Then drink this." Jenna handed the healing agent to Luo Shan.
She and Franca always maintained a state of having two bottles of healing agent on them, with previously consumed ones eithering from Lumian or being replenished by him.
After experiencing the substitute''s death, Luo Shan now fully trusted Franca and Jenna. She took the healing agent, immediately unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down.
In just about ten seconds, she blinked and said, "I think I''m fine now, the illness is gone
"It''s really amazing!"
"Your ability to draw is also amazing," Franca said humbly, pointing to the end of the current corridor, "Let''s continue forward, we need to find the elevator lobby quickly, otherwise who knows what we''ll encounter"
She was still shaken by that giant mushroom person.
Jenna and Luo Shan felt the same, quickening their pace to follow behind Franca.
They had just taken two or three steps when the double doors at the end of the corridor suddenly swung open.
Franca and Jenna reflexively used Invisibility, then considered how to help Luo Shan hide.
Luo Shan had somewhat adapted to the current situation. Using a pencil, she quickly drew a simple, inconspicuous, childlike doodle of a door on the side wall in just two seconds.
This door had no markings and wouldn''t lead anywhere. Luo Shan ced her palm on the handle and yanked it backward sharply.
The door, just drawn on the wall, miraculously opened, revealing a dark area about the size of Room 2303''s bathroom.
Luo Shan hid inside, then carefully closed the paper-thin door.
The wall surface was left with only a few faint, barely noticeable pencil marks resembling a door outline.
By this time, the double doors at the end of the corridor had fully opened, and an orderly wearing light blue clothing and a white mask slowly entered the current area, pushing a transfer bed.
Franca held her breath and turned her gaze towards the orderly and the transfer bed.
She saw that the orderly''s eyes were both empty and wooden, yet seemed to hide deep malice. She saw that the surface of the transfer bed was covered with a thin nket, but there was no patient or corpse sleeping on it.
What made the back of Franca''s neck go cold was that the thin nket appeared to be in a bulging state, yet there was clearly nothing underneath it.
Covering an invisible object? Franca and Jenna pressed their backs tightly against the side wall, trying hard to increase the distance between themselves and the orderly and the transfer bed.
Amidst the sound of wheels rolling over floor cracks, the orderly maintained a slow, stiff posture, pushing the transfer bed past Franca and Jenna, towards the double doors leading to the corridor with the giant mushroom person.
Only when this transfer bed had pushed open the doors, slowly left the current area, and disappeared from their sight did Franca and Jenna end their Invisibility and return to the middle of the corridor.
Luo Shan also opened the door on the wall and nimbly leaped out.
She didn''t forget to casually "close the door".
"How did you know it was safe toe out?" Jenna, who was about to knock on the door, asked.
Luo Shan raised the pencil in her hand and said with a smile, "I drew a peephole inside."
"Mm, let''s continue looking for the elevator lobby." Franca took the lead without hesitation.
Just as they reached the exit at the end of the corridor, that set of double doors suddenly swung open.
It had opened again, when Franca, Jenna, and Luo Shan were less than three meters away from it.
Mushu Hospital, Emergency Center.
Based on his experience from thest hospital visit, Zhou Mingrui described the symptoms of acute gastroenteritis and sessfully obtained ab test order from the doctor.
He took this order and turned into the right passageway, heading towards the emergency blood drawing area.
While waiting for his number to be called at the blood drawing area, he clutched his stomach, pretending he could no longer hold on, and quickly left the area, entering the first-floor lobby and walking towards the nearest public restroom.
During this process, he naturally looked around, seeing if he could find any odd details.
He hadn''t discovered anything in the emergency center before.
The nearest public restroom was adjacent to elevators 6 to 10. In the dim light, Zhou Mingrui quickly circled to the elevator lobby.
He pressed both "Up" and "Down" simultaneously, observing the elevators'' operation.
Soon, two elevators arrived on the first floor, their doors opening almost simultaneously.
Zhou Mingrui nced left and right, finding nothing unusual about the upward elevator, but the downward one gave him a feeling of leading to hell, to the source of fear.
Is Mushu Hospital''s problem underground? Zhou Mingrui silently mused to himself.
Chapter 998 Tremor
Chapter 998 Tremor
Zhou Mingrui stared at the downward elevator until its doors closed.
He suppressed the urge within him, choosing not to take the elevator now to explore the underground area of Mushu Hospital.
He needed more intelligence.
Zhou Mingrui withdrew his gaze and walked towards the elevator lobby exit, intending to go to the nearby public restroom as he had pretended earlier.
Suddenly, he looked towards a corner to the side, as if something was hidden in the darkness there.
Zhou Mingrui stared for a while but found nothing unusual.
He continued walking diagonally forward, turning into the public restroom.
After a few seconds, he hid in the shadows, melting into the darkness, and circled back to this area to quietly observe.
After patiently waiting for nearly five minutes and confirming there were no potential observers in the corresponding corner, he returned to the public restroom, feigning the appearance of having just finished his business, and slowly walked out towards the emergency blood drawing area.
It wasn''t until Zhou Mingrui''s figure entered the brightly lit area that Lumian''s image, with flowing ck hair and striking beauty, reflected on the metal elevator doors of the surgery-specific elevator in the lobby.
He wore a light gray T-shirt, a jacket slightly lighter than ck water, and off-white trousers that were a bit short due to his height, revealing the edges of his socks.
Strong spirituality, keen intuition, this doesn''t seem like just a Sequence 9 Assassin Lumian sighed softly.
Of course, he knew Zhou Mingrui couldn''t be merely a Sequence 9 Assassin.
Earlier, he had hidden in that corner using Invisibility. If Zhou Mingrui had made any move towards the hospital''s underground area, he would have immediately tried to stop him. Who knew, he was almost discovered by Zhou Mingrui.
Fortunately, he wasn''t just a Hunter and a Demoness. With a Blink, he transferred his position, hidingpletely within the metal mirror surface formed by the elevator doors.
Lumian walked out of the elevator, about to stealthily approach the emergency center along thergely unlit lobby, when he suddenly felt a vibration under his feet.
It was like a subtle earthquake, or as if a not-too-violent explosion had urred underground.
Lumian stopped, lowered his head, and stared at the stone-tiled floor.
Has something changed in the underground area? Lumian pondered to himself.
Seeing the wooden doors swing open before them, Franca pulled Luo Shan, her feet sliding, quickly hiding in the shadows cast by the dim light to the side.
Then, she merged with the shadows, letting Luo Shan press against the wall behind her, using herself as a "shadow" to provide better cover.
Meanwhile, Jenna used Invisibility.
In the blink of an eye, before the wooden doors were fully open, the three hadpleted their concealment.
This time, it was again an orderly wearing light blue clothing and a white mask pushing a transfer bed in.
But unlike before, there was a patient covered with a thin nket lying on the transfer bed.
The patient was in her twenties, wearing a loose blue and white checkered hospital gown, her golden long hair docilely spread to both sides, her forehead neither wide nor narrow, smooth and beautiful, her eyes a jade green, her demeanor mncholic and serene.
The most noticeable thing about her was her abdomen, which was greatly swollen, seeming to be over seven months pregnant.
Pushing a patient there are no wards or examination rooms in the underground area Franca pondered inwardly.
Of course, she knew that in a ce where the dream subconscious''s psychological trauma and the Mother Tree of Desire''s abyssal symbol merged, rationality was a scarce element.
The foreign pregnant woman lying on the transfer bed might well be a psychological trauma of Mr. Fool or that Celestial Worthy!
Luo Shan, shielded behind Franca, only saw the foreign pregnant woman after the transfer bed had passed their hiding spot.
Her gaze suddenly froze.
That was, that was the woman she had just seen in her dream!
Although at that time one of her eyes had been gouged out, hanging near the socket, her face covered with very deep, fleshless wounds, and head-sized bloody tumors growing from both shoulders, Luo Shan still recognized her at a nce.
Luo Shan bit her lip, not letting herself make any sound of surprise.
Just then, from the highly swollen belly of the pregnant woman on the transfer bed came the cry of an infant.
"Waaa!"
Franca instantly bristled.
What the hell are you crying for when you''re not even born yet?
This cry caused thetent fear in Franca, Jenna, and Luo Shan to explode simultaneously, uncontrobly causing them to make extra movements.
Franca consequently emerged from the shadows, and Jenna could no longer maintain her Invisibility state.
In a sh, the orderly with empty and wooden eyes turned to look at Jenna, and the foreign pregnant woman on the transfer bed also sat up, looking towards Franca and Luo Shan.
Let''s go for it! Franca gritted her teeth and concealed her form.
Her idea was to temporarily repel the orderly and the foreign pregnant woman, then seize the opportunity to escape to the next area through the open double doors.
Based on their previous experience, the "monsters" in the current area would not leave their own "territory".
The next second, the whites of the orderly''s eyes became more pronounced, a cold aura emanating from his body as he took arge step towards Jenna.
Jenna once again vanished, causing the orderly to grasp at empty air.
Immediately after, her figure quickly outlined behind the orderly, thrusting the sharp dagger in her hand towards the orderly''s back.
Pfft!
Her dagger seemed to strike metal and ironwood, only piercing the clothing, unable to prate the skin.
Jenna wasn''t shocked. She let the quiet, vile Demoness ck me appear on the surface of the dagger, quickly infusing into the orderly''s body.
With a whoosh, the orderly, feeling increasingly inhuman, burst into Demoness ck mes from the inside out. He silently wailed as his spirituality and life began to rapidly fade.
On the other side, the first thing Franca did was also use Invisibility, while Luo Shan strode forward, darting out over ten meters in an instant.
Franca appeared in front of the transfer bed, a mirror now in her hand, reflecting the image of the foreign pregnant woman.
Almost simultaneously, she pressed her palm, covered in quiet ck mes, towards the mirror surface.
Throughout this process, the foreign pregnant woman''s reactions seemed rather slow, just like an ordinary person.
She then saw ck mes erupting from her belly, hearing the baby''s cries bing more pronounced.
She let out a shrill and agonized scream, her figure instantly disappearing from the transfer bed.
But when she reappeared in Franca''s nned escape direction, the evil ck mes were still burning on her body, growing stronger.
Plop! Plop! Plop! The foreign pregnant woman''s flesh seemed to melt away, falling to the ground piece by piece.
Feeling her aura rapidly dissipating, seeing the orderly copse to the ground motionless, Franca actually felt a sense of unreal bewilderment.
Is it resolved just like that?
Was that giant mushroom person from earlier actually an exception, and the "monsters" in Mushu Hospital''s underground area are also suppressed at Sequence 7?
No, I shouldn''t think like that, raising a g is bad
Before Franca could correct her thoughts, she saw the foreign pregnant woman fall, her abdomen tearing inch by inch, as if something was trying to burrow out.
At the same time, the pieces of flesh that had fallen to the ground from the foreign pregnant woman also underwent abnormal changes. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Some merged with the floor tiles, transforming into womb-like shapes, giving birth to square-shaped infants with eyebrows and eyes. Some touched the transfer bed, causing the bluish mechanical bed surface to suddenly bulge, sprouting one after another small beds with human heads and wheels for limbs. Some sttered onto the ceiling, causing the energy-saving lights to suddenly brighten, producing dozens of children with human bodies and light bulb heads
Franca and Jenna instinctively retreated seven or eight steps towards the direction of the mushroom person, seeming to have been stunned.
Is this the psychological trauma of a great existence?
As expected of a great existence''s psychological trauma!
Don''te over here!
I don''t want to give birth!
In her terror, Franca drew out the iron-ck Inevitable Gun.
She found that the foreign pregnant woman was notpletely dead yet, still producing more flesh, and those pieces of flesh were wriggling, seeking new wombs or fathers, constantly giving birth, constantly reproducing.
Moreover, the foreign pregnant woman''s abdomen hadpletely torn open, and the fetus inside was about to crawl out.
Franca forced herself to calm down, aimed at the foreign pregnant woman''s abdomen, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A bullet exuding a dim blue-green color shot out, passing through the numerous, oddly shaped infants, urately hitting the target, burrowing into the foreign pregnant woman''s abdomen.
Certain Death!
The cry of the baby in the foreign pregnant woman''s belly suddenly became intense and resentful, but it ceased abruptly in the blink of an eye.
Simrly, the foreign pregnant woman stopped secreting flesh, and those that had already separated also withered after giving birth to a new fetus.
Thankfully, Certain Death worked Seeing this, Franca secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Just then, she, Jenna, and Luo Shan felt the earth tremble.
The tremor onlysted for a second, but Franca and the others saw the new corridor outside the double doors copsing inch by inch. The walls, rooms, and ceiling there were also falling into an abyss of dense ckness with no visible bottom.
This copse slowly spread towards the current area.
Franca and Jenna sensed something, one looking up towards the ceiling, the other turning to look at the area where the giant mushroom person was, blocked by the wooden doors.
Franca discovered that the ceiling above them was also falling, but instead of crashing down on them, it was falling directly into the seemingly bottomless dense darkness. Jenna saw that the area where the giant mushroom person was also began to copse, the copse spreading towards where they were staying.
Does killing that foreign pregnant woman trigger a change in the underground area?
No, this might be the true appearance of Mushu Hospital''s underground area now, a dark abyss containing various psychological traumas What we walked through and saw earlier was just a disguise influenced by the dream city, with corridors and some rooms symbolizing safe zones
Franca suddenly had this realization.
"What, what should we do?" Luo Shan finally overcame her terror.
She had first needed eyebleach from the sight of hundreds and thousands of monster infants and their birth process. It shocked her mind before she realized that she and the others seemed to have nowhere to go.
Chapter 999 Opportunity
Chapter 999 Opportunity
Seeing the copse gradually spreading towards their area and hearing Luo Shan''s question filled with obvious terror, Franca and Jenna exchanged a nce before decisively telling Luo Shan, "Quick, draw a door that can lead to the outside world!"
Clearly, they could no longer continue forward to find the elevator lobby and emergency exits.
"Okay!" Luo Shan nodded vigorously.
She turned around, holding a pen in one hand and a pencil in the other, and began sketching on the wall.
At this moment, Franca and Jenna noticed that the monster children born from the foreign pregnant woman and various objects were all surging towards them.
They seemed to fear falling into the bottomless abyss and were desperately trying to avoid it, to the point of forgetting their goal of attacking enemies.
Being close to Jenna and the others, the monster children quickly reduced the distance between them to two meters. Some of their eyes once again reflected the figures of Franca, Jenna, and Luo Shan, with their desire to attack growing fierce and violent.
Just then, a thick "ice wall" appeared before them.
A translucentyer of ice in the shape of a hemisphere enveloped Franca and the others inside.
This was created by Demoness of Affliction Jenna.
Seeing the densely packed monsters, some square-shaped, some like small beds, some with light bulb-shaped heads, crawling on the surface of the hemispherical ice wall, trying various ways to break through this barrier, Franca felt her fear of clustered objects and humanoid creatures about to explode simultaneously.
She condensed quiet and sinister Demoness ck mes around her, waiting for the moment the firstyer of ice wall would shatter.
In just seven or eight seconds, the beautiful crystalline ice wall made a crisp shattering sound under the attack of numerous monster children.
ck mes quickly flew out from around Franca and Jenna, passing through the rapidly expanding cracks, igniting nearly twenty monster children.
They burst into mes all over, wailing and rolling on the spot, obstructing many of their siblings'' advance and igniting those around them.
Seizing this opportunity, before the hemispherical ice wallpletely copsed, Franca and Jenna joined forces to create a secondyer of ice wall, only ten centimeters apart from the previous one.
"It''s done!" Luo Shan''s voice rang out.
While continuing to dy the approach of the monster children, Franca and Jenna expectantly nced at the pattern on the wall with their peripheral vision.
It was a vivid door outlined by pencil marks and blue ink, with a doorte at the top bearing the numbers "1502".
This was the door to Luo Shan''s home, almost identical to what Franca and Jenna remembered, except for the color difference.
The current one was closer to a sketch!
Luo Shan pressed her thumb to the position corresponding to the door lock, making the fake door on the wall emit an unlocking sound.
Then, she turned the handle and pushed open the door she had drawn to her own home.
The light behind the door was dim, outlining all the items in room 1502, but they appeared unusually illusory.
As the illusion gradually solidified into reality, Luo Shan''s joyful gaze suddenly froze.
She saw her windows copsing, her balcony copsing, all of them falling towards an abyss filled with dense darkness!
The door Luo Shan had drawn and the passage she had established also copsed inch by inch, just like the surrounding environment.
"It doesn''t work" Luo Shan uttered, almost in a delirium.
She turned her gaze, filled with undisguised despair yet brimming with hope, towards Franca and Jenna, hoping they coulde up with a new solution.
At this moment, the nearest copse had already swallowed the original corridor, causing the double doors separating the two sides to sway and fall.
This was already inches from Franca andpany.
Through the gaps between the monster children, Franca could see more clearly the bottomless dense darkness, and something seemingly hidden in its depths.
That figure, apparently wrapped in a robe, or perhaps the robe itself blown up by the wind.
Even just vaguely glimpsing the outline from a distance, the fear in Franca''s heart exploded without warning.
The skin on her face became semi-transparent, and the flesh beneath began to writhe, as if it had gained a certain life of its own.
Instinctively, reflexively, Franca averted her gaze, withdrawing her line of sight.
She suddenly had a realization.
What she had just seen was the thing Mr. Fool''s subconscious or the Celestial Worthy''s subconscious feared most, their strongest psychological trauma!
It was clearly not subject to the dream''s suppression of power levels. If they couldn''t escape and fell into the abyss along with the copsing corridor, falling towards that ce, death might be the gentlest and most beautiful oue.
Franca shook her head violently, shaking off the small amount of "glue" that was clouding part of her thoughts.
As Jenna used a thirdyer of ice wall to block those monster children, she took out the Ice Amulet and a mirror.
She said to Jenna and Luo Shan, "We''ll go through the mirror world. No matter how terrifying the hidden dangers in the mirror world are, they can''t be more horrifying than the psychological trauma at the bottom of this abyss!"
Of two evils, choose the lesser!
"Okay." Jenna didn''t object, and Luo Shan,cking experience, chose to trust her twopanions.
The Ice Amulet in Franca''s hand rapidly lit up with a crystalline glow.
The next second, Franca found that the ss surface of the mirror had somehow already turned pitch ck, as solid as rock, imprable.
"We can''t get in it''s different from before the copse" Franca felt a surge of uncontroble despair.
Were they really going to fall into that bottomless abyss and face the strongest part of a great existence''s psychological trauma?
"Can''t get in?" Jenna''s action of shooting Demoness ck mes to ignite the monster children noticeably slowed for a second.
Luo Shan was suddenly dumbfounded, her mouth half-open as she said, "Is there really no way at all?"
Hearing these words, Jenna gritted her teeth and created another hemispherical ice wall.
The surface of the ice wall was quickly covered with various monster children, densely packed, now less than a meter away from Franca and the others.
The copse of the corridor had also reached this area.
Franca''s thoughts raced, her eyes flickering twice as she said, "I still have a way!"
As she spoke, she took out the ck eyeball left behind by the reanimated corpse Panatiya and other supplementary ingredients from her Traveler''s Bag:
"I''ll advance to Demoness of Despair now!
"It''s perfect timing, I''ve been using Disease to secretly influence the monsters in this corridor, which can save a lot of time."
The monster children crawling all over Jenna''s ice wall and theirpanions behind were all within three meters of Franca, numbering close to a thousand. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"It''s useless, even a Demoness of Despair is now suppressed to Sequence 7 level, at most Sequence 6, it can''t forcibly open a path to the mirror world!" Jenna instinctively refuted Franca.
She wanted to stay calm, but was overwhelmed by the monster children breaking through the ice wall, barely managing to establish a new hemispherical ice wall sixty centimeters away from them.
Franca, while using the ck eyeball condensed from the reanimated corpse''s Beyonder characteristics to create more virulent viruses, drank a bottle of healing agent and reminded Jenna, "Quickly drink a bottle too, Luo Shan already had one earlier."
Then, Franca exined rapidly, "The important thing is not me advancing to Demoness of Despair, but that every Demoness advancement draws the attention of the Primordial Demoness. I need Her attention!"
Seeing Jenna drink the healing agent, Franca helped maintain the defense line and asked in return, "Does Mr. Fool know about the Primordial Demoness?"
"Definitely." Jenna answered without hesitation.
Mr. Fool''s avatar had dealings with the Demoness Sect many times, he must be aware of the existence of the Primordial Demoness.
Franca nced at the corridor that had already copsed to the transfer bed and said to Jenna and Luo Shan, "Let''s move towards the center; buy more time."
The copse progress on both sides of the corridor was about the same, but Franca and the others were clearly closer to one side.
Without waiting for Jenna and Luo Shan to respond, Franca suddenly withdrew the force maintaining the ice wall and ran at her fastest speed towards the middle section of the corridor about ten to twenty meters away.
Luo Shan ran even faster.
After the three had determined their positions, Jenna once again condensed an ice wall to block the pursuing monster children, while Franca continued to spread mystical pathogens around.
She exined quickly, "Since Mr. Fool knows about the Primordial Demoness, there must be a manifestation corresponding to the Primordial Demoness in this dreamwe just haven''t discovered it yet, and true gods can directly enter the dream city.
"When I advance here, my real self will also advance. Based on our experience, no matter what state the Primordial Demoness is in, whether the situation is good or bad, She will turn Her gaze towards this.
"As a true god, She won''t have difficulty discovering that my consciousness is in a real dream, and will likely project Herself in, using Her inherent dream manifestation to truly observe me advancing in the underground area of Mushu Hospital.
"She certainly won''t risk descending here, nor does She have the feelings or motivation to save me, but as the ruler of the mirror world, Her mere gaze will likely open a channel between the mirror world and this area, and possibly cause the hidden dangers in the mirror world to temporarily disperse!"
"This can''t be guaranteed." Jenna blurted out, her tone anxious and confused.
This ce was a product of the fusion of a great existence''s psychological trauma and the Mother Tree of Desire''s abyssal symbol, and more great existences had projected some power into it. Even if they were all suppressed to mid-low Sequences, could the Primordial Demoness in a poor state break the blockade on the mirror world with just Her gaze?
"There''s no such thing as a 100% sessful n, but not trying guarantees failure." Franca quickly responded.
Jenna fell silent, biting her lip before saying with a trembling voice, "This will prevent you from leaving the dream, and if the dream ends soon, you will die because of it"
Franca, waiting for the mystical pathogens to take effect, was silent for a moment before saying through gritted teeth, "We''ll deal with future problems in the future!
"If we don''t survive now, there won''t be a future!"
"But" Jenna''s voice suddenly choked.
Her mind tried to grasp something, but couldn''t hold onto anything.
Franca interrupted her, her expressionplex as she mocked her own past naivety and love for fantasy, "After killing the reanimated corpse, obtaining the Beyonder characteristics and supplementary ingredients, knowing that all ritual requirements in the dream city would be lowered to Sequence 7 level, I was thinking, is this, is this giving me an opportunity? When everyone is in a desperate situation, with no other options, to stand up like a hero, consume the potion, break through in the face of danger, forcibly advance, reverse the oue, save everyone, save the world"
At this point, Franca''s expression suddenly settled.
She calmly looked at Jenna, revealing a bright smile.
"Now, the opportunity has presented itself."
Chapter 1000 Gaze
Chapter 1000 Gaze
Jenna looked at the smile on Franca''s face and listened to her calm words tinged with self-mockery. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
Her gaze swept over the monster children about to break through the newest ice wall, over the copse that had already swallowed the transfer bed and the orderly. She bit her lip hard and said, "Okay"
The rest of her words got stuck in her throat, as if ice had melted into hot water.
She could only tell herself that future problems would be solved in the future, and that they would surely find a solution!
Franca estimated the time and began preparing the Despair potion using the ck eyeball from the reanimated corpse and the corresponding supplementary materials. Jenna allowed the wet feeling to spread from the corner of her eye to the edge of her face while focusing on blocking the approach of the monster children.
She no longer created her own Disease, leaving these oddly-shaped targets all to Franca.
After the monster children were born, she had also been quietly spreading mystical pathogens.
Luo Shan, who was bewildered and inexplicably terrified by the conversation between the two, also reined in her thoughts and began adding various patterns to Jenna''s ice wall to enhance its defense.
In the burst of light, the monster children were unable to break through the ice wall in the shortest time and advance further.
Behind them, the floor tiles of the corridor, the walls on both sides, and the ceiling above kept copsing. The bottomless dark abyss was getting closer and closer to them.
After a while, some of the monster children began to cough violently, coughing so hard that they slid down from the surface of the ice wall. Others became rigid and could no longer move smoothly.
Those crowded outside the ice wall, separated from Jenna and the others by several meters, were finally caught up by the copse.
They surged forward like a tide but couldn''t get past the bodies of their siblings.
They began to fall towards the dense darkness hiding unknown terrors.
Strong feelings of despair emanated from them, rapidly spreading to theirpanions clinging to the ice wall surface as their conditions worsened.
Now! Franca raised the bottle, bringing the deep purple potion bubbling with rosy bubbles to her lips.
She drank it without hesitation.
The potion had no taste, or perhaps Franca could no longer distinguish its taste.
She only felt her spirit and thoughts rapidly falling into a lightless, enclosed darkness, plummeting towards an unknown depth. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Something seemed to be calling her there.
Trier, inside a luxurious vi.
Franca, sleeping on the bed, still had her eyes tightly shut, but her hair eerily began to float, gradually growing longer, darker, and thicker.
Madam Judgment, standing guard in the vi''s living room, instantly sensed something and Blinked into Franca''s room.
Looking at the transformed Franca, Madam Judgment didn''t rush to act. Instead, she took out a charm made of gray-white dragon scales, activated it, and made it ethereal.
"There''s been a change in the dream. Two of Cups was forced to advance to Demoness of Despair within the dream," Madam Judgment''s wordsbined with the ethereal charm, quickly bing transparent and merging into the night sky.
At this moment, Madam Judgment felt a certain gaze, a gaze from the Traveler''s Bag, from an unknown ce, a gaze upon Franca.
Dream city, Mushu Hospital, B2.
Franca''s consciousness and spirit floated and fell within the enclosed darkness. She felt countless invisible threads of intense despair extending from the outside world, following their mystical connections to grasp her body.
At the same time, she saw two brilliant starry lights.
Those were the people she cared about, and who cared about her, the anchors that let her know who she was!
The groggy Franca gradually regained rity, vaguely sensing a gaze full of resentment, hatred, and expectation watching her from somewhere in the deep darkness.
Suddenly, her Traveler''s Bag outside the spiritual world began to vibrate, a vibration she could clearly perceive.
It was the Primordial Demoness figurine carved from white bone that was noticeably trembling.
At the same time, Franca discovered an indescribable gaze from above directed at her, prating throughyers of mirror worlds!
Her hair instantly turnedpletely ck, floating in the air like tentacles, with their tips swelling into spheres, as if about to open into numerous eyes.
Franca''s face became even more beautiful, emanating a charm that even made Luo Shan, a girl who preferred the opposite sex, unable to look away, her heart pounding, like a moth throwing itself into the fire.
Franca struggled to open her eyes and spoke in a voice that seemed to pluck at the strings of the soul, "It''s done"
Jenna stopped maintaining the ice wall and activated the Ice Mirror Charm she had been holding.
In the crystalline light, she felt the surface of the mirror in her other hand ripple with a faint glow, losing its rock-solid texture.
They really could pass through and leave via the mirror world!
The barrier had been broken!
Moreover, Jenna discovered that the dangers previously hidden in the mirror world had also disappeared.
This was beyond her expectations. She had originally thought that the Primordial Demoness''s gaze could break through the obstacles and connect to the mirror world, which would have been impressive enough. She never imagined it could actually dispel the hidden dangers.
This was also Franca''s confusion.
She struggled to tell Jenna and Luo Shan, "Both of you go first"
She was still fighting against the potion''s impact, transforming her body, and temporarily unable to move.
If the mirror world hadn''t suppressed this advancement to Sequence 7 level, she wouldn''t even have been able to speak at this stage!
Jenna didn''t hesitate. She gave Franca a deep look, grabbed Luo Shan''s arm, and plunged into thepact mirror in her hand.
Thepact mirror then fell to the ground as the surrounding ice wallpletely copsed.
However, the monster children closest to Franca had all been infected with severe illness and were no longer able to approach or attack.
In the mirror world, Jenna led Luo Shan through a surreal tunnel, heading towards a corresponding mirror guided by their spirituality.
In the blink of an eye, they reached a new area behind the mirror, able to leave the current world.
Jenna suddenly sensed something and turned her head to look into the depths of the mirror world.
It seemed that some dangerous entity had awakened slightly there, instantly filling the entire mirror world with a sense of terror.
Silently, the mirror worldpletely copsed.
"Franca" Jenna''s pupils dted as she softly called out herpanion''s name.
The scene before her eyes meant that Franca would temporarily be unable to escape via the mirror world, and by the time the mirror world recovered, the Primordial Demoness''s gaze would likely have ended, and the force isting the inside from the outside would reappear!
Blood trickled from Jenna''s lips as she endured the pain invading her mind. Before the terrifying copse of the mirror world could rapidly spread to them, she pulled Luo Shan and emerged from the mirror surface.
She knew that blindly returning would only lead to them getting lost in the spatiotemporal turbulence deep in the mirror world, which would be of no help in rescuing Franca.
She nned to go to the first floor of Mushu Hospital and take the elevator back to the underground area!
At this moment, Franca, still in the process of advancing, also discovered the copse of the mirror world.
She then felt violent tremors like an earthquake at the bottom of the dark abyss.
It was as if certain entities hidden in the dark abyss had been stimted by the copsing force of the mirror world and were reacting.
With these tremors, the corridor beneath Franca''s feet that had not yet been affected by the copse suddenly gave way, carrying her and hundreds of monster children into the bottomless dark abyss.
Dammit! Franca hadn''t expected this development.
The despair of those monster children became even more intense, solidifying into substance. Franca was also uncontrobly enveloped by the emotions of despair.
This helped her through the final stage of her advancement, causing her floating thick ck hair to fall back around her, no longer abnormal, and restoring some of its xen color.
Gritting her teeth, Franca used the Demoness''s feather-fall technique to slow her descent, allowing her some degree of control.
She chose to move away from the intense psychological shadow she had sensed earlier, that thing resembling a giant shroud, which would surely make her wish for death.
She drifted towards other areas, taking a gamble.
What if the psychological traumas in other parts of the abyss, though intense, aren''t fatally dangerous?
As a human, one must hold onto some hope, not give up entirely and fall intoplete despair!
Jenna emerged from the metal mirror surface of the elevator lobby doors with Luo Shan, immediately seeing the female version of Lumian who had just lifted her gaze from the shaking ground.
She wasn''t surprised to see Lumian here and blurted out, "Franca is below, not at B1!
"The mirror world has copsed!"
Lumian''s eyes instantly narrowed.
He didn''t ask for details but said directly, "Go to the emergency center and find Zhou Mingrui. See if you can get him to help and go to the underground area.
"As for the rest, leave it to me. I''ll handle it."
Zhou Mingrui is at Mushu Hospital now? Both Jenna and Luo Shan were shocked.
Before Jenna could speak, Lumian added in a deep voice, "I had anticipated scenarios where we might have to enter the bottom of Mushu Hospital to attempt sabotage and made some preparations.
"Everyone has their own task. Finding Zhou Mingrui is equally important!"
As he spoke, Lumian had already reached the elevator and pressed the down arrow.
Jenna''s vision suddenly blurred.
She didn''t stubbornly insist, but gave a terse response and pulled Luo Shan towards the emergency center.
She knew they couldn''t put all their eggs in one basket. She knew she couldn''t be selfish now. She knew that without godhood, even if she went to the bottom of Mushu Hospital, she probably couldn''t be of much help and might even burden Lumian and Franca.
She wished she didn''t know these things.
At this moment, she felt her own weakness due to the intense pain, and because of her weakness, she felt even more pain, giving rise to an extreme desire and motivation to change this situation.
Her Affliction potion was fully digested.
Lumian entered the elevator and pressed the "B2" button.
As the elevator began to descend, Lumian looked at his stunningly beautiful reflection in the metal mirror surface with a grim expression.
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, he quickly stepped out and looked towards the area outside the elevator.
What met his eyes was a darkness as ck as an abyss with no visible bottom.
Lumian''s gaze instantly froze.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from a dark corner of the elevator lobby. "Child of God."
Lumian abruptly turned his head to see a person standing in the shadows by the emergency exit.
It was Lu Yong''an, the dean of obstetrics at Mushu Hospital and a bestowed of the Great Mother.
Lu Yong''an''s face was shrouded in darkness. She looked at Lumian and said in a low voice, "To save someone from there, one can only beseech the Mother''s help."
Chapter 1001 Choice
Chapter 1001 Choice
Mushu Hospital, in the corridor leading from the first floor lobby to the emergency center.
Luo Shan slowed down to allow Jenna to lead her.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Jenna ran quickly, finally seeing Zhou Mingrui wearing a loose sky blue T-shirt.
At the same time, her gaze swept outside the emergency center, taking in the deep night.
Jenna''s footsteps suddenly stopped, and she turned sideways, moving closer to the wall area.
This way, she could no longer see Zhou Mingrui, and he could not see her either.
"What''s wrong?" Luo Shan, who had also stopped, asked in confusion.
"It''s night now," Jenna replied in a low voice.
"Is that a problem?" Luo Shan was even more bewildered.
Wasn''t it established from the beginning that it was night? Otherwise, why would I be dreaming? N?v(el)B\\jnn
Jenna didn''t have time to exin to Luo Shan that Zhou Mingrui might have something special hidden at night, and that they hadn''t yet had a chance to experiment whether just normal contact with Zhou Mingrui at night would kick them out of the dream.
She said directly to Luo Shan, "It''s not convenient for me to talk to Zhou Mingrui at night. You go alone to ask for his help for Luo Fu. Don''t worry, I''ll observe the situation from the shadows. If anything goes wrong, I''lle out immediately to save you."
Luo Shan knew this wasn''t a good time to ask questions. She nodded firmly and said, "Alright!"
After Jenna''s figure disappeared into the shadows by the wall, Luo Shan quickly ran into the emergency center.
She immediately saw Zhou Mingrui approaching the exit, seemingly about to leave.
Luo Shan felt a sudden urgency and blurted out, "Zhou Mingrui!"
Zhou Mingrui turned around in surprise, seeing Luo Shan in her short-sleeved pajamas and thin pajama pants.
Why is she here too? Zhou Mingrui''s first reaction was that Luo Shan had alsoe for emergency carepajamas weren''t out of ce in the emergency center, but rather fit the situation.
Then, Zhou Mingrui thought that Luo Shan should also be a Beyonder, associated with words like Reporter and Painter, and normally wouldn''t have a sudden acute illness.
Not a coincidence? Puzzled, Zhou Mingrui cautiously took a few steps towards Luo Shan.
After approaching Zhou Mingrui, Luo Shan didn''t give him a chance to ask questions. She took a breath and said in a low voice, "Save Luo Fu, she''s trapped at the bottom of the hospital."
As she spoke, Luo Shan looked around to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
Luo Fu? Bottom of the hospital? Zhou Mingrui caught the two most crucial pieces of information.
He still remembered the intense fear he felt when observing the downward elevator earlier, suspecting it led to hell or doomsday.
Before gathering enough intelligence, he didn''t dare take the elevator down!
Now, Luo Fu had gone in there and was trapped? Zhou Mingrui instinctively asked Luo Shan,
"Me? Me saving Luo Fu?"
Is this a mistake? I''m just an Assassin with a small amount of supernatural abilities. Both Luo Fu and Luo Shan should be stronger than me, yet they want me to go to the bottom of Mushu Hospital to save Luo Fu?
After hearing the conversation between Franca and Jenna before Franca consumed the Despair potion, Luo Shan had basically confirmed that the current world was indeed a dream. So, she believed that Zhou Mingrui, as the master of the dream, could do anything as long as he "wanted" to!
Luo Shan couldn''t start by exining that this was a dream. She feared it might bring unknown, drastic changes and waste precious time.
She could only ponder for two seconds before saying, "You don''t need to go and save her directly. You just need to enter B2 and stand there. That should be enough."
"That works?" Zhou Mingrui was stunned.
Isn''t this way of saving someone too frivolous?
I just stand in the corridor of Mushu Hospital''s B2, and it will allow Luo Fu to no longer be trapped, able to escape from that area that gives me a sense of hell?
What''s the principle behind this?
Finding a male Assassin to serve as a formation node?
Or
Thinking of this, Zhou Mingrui suddenly had a sh of insight.
Could it be that there''s something special about me?
In the B2 elevator lobby.
"To save someone from there, one can only beseech the Mother''s help?"
Lumian mulled over the words he had just heard, his gaze falling on Lu Yong''an''s face.
That face, like a full moon, was covered in shifting light and shadow, unclear and indistinct.
Lumian looked deeply at Lu Yong''an for a few seconds, then said calmly, "I have other methods. For now, I don''t need to seek the Mother''s help.
"You should return to the obstetrics department. If I really need to beseech the Mother''s help, I know what to do."
Lu Yong''an didn''t try to persuade him, but slightly bowed her head and said, "Yes, Child of God."
The next second, she turned into the emergency stairwell, heading up the stairs.
Lumian didn''t wait for Lu Yong''an to finish climbing the stairs. He quickly turned around, took a few steps to the edge of the elevator lobby, and gazed into the dark abyss that was now within reach.
He then reached into the Traveler''s Bag and took out an item.
The item was a pale yellow with red, semi-solidified candle in a ss bottle.
Corpse wax candle!
Lumian hadn''t lied to Jenna and Lu Yong''an earlier. He had truly envisioned what to do if he had to raid the bottom of Mushu Hospital and attempt sabotage, and hade up with an initial n, though without much confidence.
The core of this n was the corpse wax candle obtained from the Tudor treasury on the Blue Avenger.
Lumian had used a corpse wax candle once before,pleting the corresponding secret contract, "seeing" a strange city and sensing an indescribable horror.
He believed that the city and the horror should be some kind of object, will, or existence that could potentially drag all the true gods down with Alista Tudor, upying the top positions of both the Hunter and Demoness pathways.
In other words, it should be roughly on the same level as Mr. Fool, the Great Mother, the Mother Tree of Desire, and The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
Lumian''s n was to light the corpse wax candle here, in B2 of Mushu Hospital, next to the bottomless darkness formed by thebination of the dream subconscious psychological traumas and the abyss symbol of the Mother Tree of Desire, toplete a secret contract and establish a certain connection with that strange city or that horrifying will.
At that time, that will should also be interested in the bottom of Mushu Hospital and the dream city, and this ce itself was a key node where great existences had infiltrated some of their power.
Lumian smiled.
He was looking forward to the chaotic situation that would follow.
He wasn''t so concerned about what might happen to himself.
Lumian rubbed his fingers together, producing a ck me that suppressed madness and violence.
Unlikest time when he chose to use the Hunter''s me to light the corpse wax candle, or relying on the ritual fire produced by the friction between the Demoness''s ck me and spirituality, this time he used the me of Destruction, a me formed by the amalgamation of the Hunter and Demoness pathways!
This was almost identical to the essence of the corpse wax candle.
The corpse wax candle was made from the corpse oil of the Iron-blooded Knight, a demigod of the Hunter pathway, and the Demoness of Despair, a demigod of the Demoness pathway, blended with other substances.
Using the burning me of Destruction, Lumian lit the ck wick of the corpse wax candle.
After ncing at the jumping, slightly ck candlelight, he turned his gaze towards the dense, dark, heart-chillingly terrifying illusory abyss. With a stunningly beautiful smile on his face, he said calmly, "I''m not here to join you, I''m here to destroy this ce."
Franca fell deeper and deeper into the dense darkness of the boundless void, unable to find any footing.
Her emotions and spirit seemed to be falling into another abyss, bing increasingly depressed, despondent, and desperate, gradually giving rise to a touch of malice.
Suddenly, a spreading mass of grayish-white fog appeared below her.
This fog was in a semi-merged state with the dense darkness, indicating that it might also be a psychological trauma rather than a real object.
Franca looked left and right, feeling she couldn''t continue falling any further, as she sensed she was about to be bound, bing a ve of the abyss, just like those orderlies.
She no longer avoided it, falling towards that half-dark, half-light grayish-white fog, constantly muttering,
If it''s fortune, it''s not misfortune; if it''s misfortune, it can''t be avoided If it''s fortune, it''s not misfortune; if it''s misfortune, it can''t be avoided If it''s fortune, it''s not misfortune; if it''s misfortune, it can''t be avoided
As she muttered, Franca made contact with the grayish-white fog, prating into it.
Soon, her feet touched soft, fluffy clouds, and she was suddenly filled with shock, sadness, despair, and pain.
She knew this wasn''t actually her inner feelings, but rather the intense emotions permeating this area that had enveloped her, eroding into her mind, making her feel as if she had been corrupted.
Next, Franca saw a blurry, brilliant door of light tinged with a bit of blue-ck. The door of light seemed to beposed of countlessyers of light orbs, and each orb seemed alive, slowly writhing, some transparent, some semi-transparent.
Franca also saw that ck thin lines hung down from above the door of light, suspending one after another nearly transparent and invisible "cocoon".
Those "cocoons" were gently swayed by wind from an unknown source, lightly swinging, sometimes turning.
Franca carefully discerned for a while and found that different "cocoons" contained different people. There were ck people, Asians, white people, some wearing jeans, some in bright and gorgeous clothes, some in anime-style outfits, some holding phones. They all had their eyes tightly closed, as if notpletely dead yet.
This is very simr to the first psychological trauma we encountered in the corridor, except there was no door of light or "cocoons" before Franca, still being eroded by the surrounding emotions, suddenly associated it with the hall where Huang Jiajia, Ai Nana, and others were suspended, gaining some understanding but also feeling confused.
She looked carefully again and noticed that three of the "cocoons" were empty. They had split open, and the people inside were nowhere to be found.
Were they sent out?
Where were they sent?
Franca vigntly guarded against possible details, instinctively moving a few steps to the side.
Another invisible wind blew past, and those "cocoons" swayed again, some turning towards Franca.
Franca''s gaze swept over them, her pupils suddenly dting.
She saw a familiar figure.
It was a man standing upright inside a transparent "cocoon", his head slightly bowed, wearing clothes belonging to the protagonist of Assassin''s Creed II.
It was herself!
It was him before the transmigration!
Chapter 1002 The Answer to the Questions
Chapter 1002 The Answer to the Questions
Looking at her past self suspended in the transparent "cocoon", Franca''s mind buzzed with many thoughts, like boiling oatmeal.
What exactly is this ce?
Is this Mr. Fool''s or the Celestial Worthy''s psychological trauma?
Was I like this, enclosed in a ''cocoon'' hanging above the door of light, from losing my memory untilpleting the transmigration?"
Are the other ''cocoons'' containing other members of the research society?
What do those three empty ''cocoons'' represent?
Who hung us up?
This is very simr to a manifestation of the High-Sequence Seer pathway
Did the Celestial Worthy do this?
So, is this Mr. Fool''s psychological trauma?
He
Just as these thoughts shed through Franca''s mind, behind the brilliant light gate, some of the gray fog dispersed, revealing a sphere.
It was a view of the from the moon, from space.
Franca then saw the northern and southern continents, the western continent covered in ayer of grayish-white mist, and the eastern continent sunk in darkness.
At the same time, a voice with a hint of solemnity echoed in her ears:
"This ce has an ancient name, called
"Chernobyl!"
"This ce has an ancient name, called
"Chernobyl!"
""
As the voice echoed, Franca stared nkly at the familiar yet strange in the depths of the gray fog, at the four continentseast, south, west, and northwhich had changed somewhat but were still recognizable. She was as if struck by lightning.
Suddenly, she understood many questions, ones she couldn''t find answers to before or had avoided certain answers while seeking other exnations.
Why does this world also have 365 days in a year, with an extra day every four years
Why does this world also have 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute
Why the human body structure in this world was identical to Earth''s, and corresponding rtionships can be found in most elements
Why was Mr. Fool''s dream a modern city
Why was Mr. Fool''s marite town called Utopia
Why were Mr. Fool''s avatars called Gehrman Sparrow and Merlin Hermes
Franca stared nkly at the strange yet familiar, at the four continents and dreamlike blue oceans in her memory. Salty, wet tears had unknowingly fallen down her face.
Her mind was telling her the answer, but her heart was refusing to ept it.
This world might just be Earth
Franca''s vision was already blurred, but she dared not close her eyes, afraid to see those images that always appeared before her in midnight dreams.
Her heart burst with intense shock, sadness, and immense despair and pain, almost identical to the intense emotions pervading the current area, indistinguishable and seemingly merging:
Perhaps we never left, but we can never go back.
Trier, inside a luxurious vi.
In Franca''s room, Madam Judgment, Madam Magician, and Madam Justice had gathered by the bedside.
"She''s crying" Madam Judgment, who had been observing Franca''s condition, suddenly said.
The corners of Franca''s eyes in her sleep had mysteriously be wet, with traces of tears extending to both sides, disappearing into her xen hair that had darkened considerably.
She seemed to be having an extremely sad dream.
At this moment, Madam Judgment and Madam Magician couldn''t quite understand why Two of Cups would silently cry while dreaming.
They had anticipated what changes might ur in Franca''s expression in reality, whether it be twisting in pain, exaggerated in madness, or falling into extreme pleasure, all of which were predictable possibilities.
But why would she cry?
And the tears shed were dominated by sadness and despair.
Could one of herpanions have met with misfortune?
Madam Magician cast her gaze towards the other rooms, finding that Lumian, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig were all still alive, though the first twoone with an icy expression, the other unable to hide pain and urgency even in dreams.
"Aren''t you going to cate her?" Madam Judgment asked Madam Justice, who was conducting a mental and psychological analysis.
Since the mental corruption and emotional impact experienced in the dream would reflect in reality, treating the corresponding psychological issues and mental illnesses in reality would also truly affect the person in the dream.
In a dream constructed with spirit and psychology at its core, the inside and outside were indistinguishable in this aspect, blending truth and falsehood.
Madam Justice''s emerald eyes showed a thoughtful expression. "Two of Cups''s current emotions harbor immense despair, which is also a manifestation of her true state.
"And what she needs right now is precisely despair, extreme despair."
Hearing these words, Madam Magician couldn''t help but turn her head to look at the night sky to the east.
She said in a low voice, "Yes, Two of Cups has already forcibly advanced by leveraging the uniqueness of the dream. What she needs most now is despair, intense and immense despair.
"This can help her quickly digest the potion.
"I''m not sure exactly what she''s seeing or experiencing now, but from the current situation, the ''making oneself despair'' part should be enough. Later, we need to find an opportunity to ''make others despair''."
Madam Justice nodded slightly and said, "Once Two of Cups''s current despair subsides somewhat, I''ll provide psychological treatment.
"Now, she might need other help."
As this Major Arcana card holder wearing a green dress with white patterns spoke, Madam Magician half-opened her arms.
In front of her, points of starlight gathered, condensing into an illusory but brilliant double door.
This door slowly opened, revealing a thinyer of grayish-white fog inside.
That represented the dream city.
As an Angel of the Door pathway, Madam Magician had no problem opening a door and forcibly entering Mr. Fool''s dream if she really wanted to.
Of course, whether such a forceful entry would result in her being instantly observed, losing control, or unknowingly bing a marite of the Celestial Worthy remained unknown.
In this matter, the unknown referred to which of the two oues would ur, not whether these two oues would appear.
ording to Madam Magician''s astromancy results, there was only a very small chance that she would encounter nothing, and this was based on Mr. Fool having a certain advantage or the two great existences happening to be in a phase of intense mutualbat.
What she was about to do was certainly not to barge in and rescue Franca, but to open such a door, establish the corresponding channel, and assist Madam Justice, who was a Dreamweaver.
Originally, Madam Justice could only monitor changes in part of the dream situation, and that was in a vague perceptual way. With such a door, she could directly exert some influence on certain areas of the dream or corresponding characters.
In this situation, she, who had been kicked out of the dream three times, couldn''t do much, but what they wanted to convey to Franca was just a brief sentence.
As the door to the dream city opened, Madam Justice closed her emerald eyes that seemed able to reflect the human soul, raised her right hand, and began to sketch dreamlike, unreal symbols in the air.
Mushu Hospital, B2, edge of the elevator lobby.
Lumian, gazing at the illusory dark abyss, inhaling the faintly sweet and warm dark fragrance, enduring the agitation in his bone marrow and desires, feeling as if his entire being was about to ignite, entered a state of ethereal quietude.
His mind and thoughts gradually dispersed, bing increasingly numb to the passage of time.
Finally, he "saw" a fog tinged with a dark hue, feeling as if he was walking through such a fog.
Just like before, he saw the outlines of various buildings, saw things simr to trains running on blurry streets, sawdies with round fans covering their faces riding in human-pulled canopied two-wheeled carts approaching him.
He flew up, flew towards the depths of the dense fog, flew towards somewhere in this strange city. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
There remained a peculiar high tower that was only a shadow, with indescribable gloom and terror emanating from the bottom of the tower.
Lumian, suppressing the fear in his heart and the trembling of his body, descended, entered the tower, and headed straight for the bottom.
He then saw an ancient well melding into the darkness, saw that the four walls of the ancient well were built with moss-covered stone blocks, saw iron-ck chains locked onto the stone blocks, hanging down into the depths of the ancient well.
These chains had numerous reliefs on their surface, but they were blurry, making it difficult for Lumian to discern.
Unable to control himself, Lumian stuck out his head, trying to look towards the bottom of the ancient well.
What met his eyes was a dense, eerie blood-red color.
It seemed to be formed by an unknown amount of blood.
Next, Lumian smelled a fishy odor mixed with a sense of rust.
He bewilderedly turned his gaze to his nose, finding that blood had somehow already flowed from his nostrils, like real blood.
Suddenly, Lumian''s peripheral vision caught his own head and face reflected clearly in the blood-colored well water.
The palm of his right hand instantly became scorching hot, with a manic and violent aura surging out like a flood.
This was blocked by a cold and deathly stillness.
Outside the spiritual secret deed process, Lumian on B2 of Mushu Hospital, his body visibly trembled.
His hair floated up, his face sometimes the stunning Lumina, sometimes the more handsome security guard Li Ming, his chest sometimes swelling, sometimes ttening, his aura sometimes feminine and seductive, sometimes masculine and violent
He kept switching between these two states, and if hecked either one, his body might not be able to withstand it, quickly copsing and bing an out-of-control monster.
Lumian at the edge of the ancient well sensed a terrifying will that could destroy everything, feeling It casting Its gaze from the depths of the ancient well, observing him.
Even with the ability of an Ascetic, even while forcibly controlling himself, Lumian couldn''t help but break away from the secret deed ritual and open his eyes.
His right palm was still stinging, more intensely than ever before, his eyes a deep ck, a ck so deep that not even death existed within it, devoid of any life.
Before him, in that void of dark abyss, a vortex suddenly appeared, spiraling towards the bottom.
Chapter 1003 Incantation
1003 Incantation
The bottomless darkness seemed to be pulled by some force from deep within, or forcefully pressed down by an invisible giant hand, causing it to suddenly copse and form a frantic vortex several meters wide.
This vortex kept spinning towards the end of the darkness, getting deeper and deeper, like an ancient well.
At the same time, all the mirrors on Lumian''s body shattered with a series of cracking sounds, and the metal elevator doors were suddenly covered with a grayish-whiteyer, as if they had been abraded by sand.
Immediately after, Lumian took a step forward and jumped into the vortex.
With the appearance of the vortex, he vaguely sensed his Mirror Substitution left with Franca.
At the same time, he knew that the vortex was created by the gaze and power he had drawn through the secret deed ritual, and that it would lead to his intended destination. He knew that if he kept falling in the vortex, he would likely reach where Franca was trapped.
He didn''t let his body float down slowly like a feather, but maintained a free-fall posture, gaining speed. Wind howled in his ears, and his eyes saw only the deep darkness that had be steep cliffs.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The ss windows on every floor of Mushu Hospital shattered explosively, and all mirror-like objects were either covered in scratches or turned to stone-like substances.
In the emergency center, all the ss that had shown mirror-like reflections due to the night broke with a crack, including several pairs of dark-colored sses.
Zhou Mingrui and Luo Shan were startled too, feeling as if a huge explosion had urred nearby.
However, they didn''t hear any corresponding sound, nor did their ears ring continuously.
In the environment where patients, nurses, and doctors had all suddenly be panicked, Zhou Mingrui had a sudden sh of insight and said to Luo Shan in a low voice, "The anomaly from underground?"
"Possibly, I''m not sure either" Luo Shan didn''t know much more than Zhou Mingrui, she could only guess that Luo Fu might have done something underground, or encountered something.
Zhou Mingrui spoke faster, continuing to ask, "Why can I rescue Luo Fu just by standing in B2?"
Luo Shan stammered in response, "I-It was a guess
"Be-because there''s something special about you!"
As expected Zhou Mingrui quickly pressed, "What''s special?"
"You I''m actually not that clear on the specific details." Luo Shan suddenly realized that if she exined clearly, there might be unexpected changes, so she forced the topic back on track, "I''m not sure if you going to stand in B2 will really be effective. If nothing changes, th-then that''s all we can do. If there are changes, but not enough for Luo Fu to escape, then maybe you''ll need to do something more. What exactly to do depends on the actual situation. At that time, you can choose not to do it, but if you''re willing, I-I will walk in front of you!"
Zhou Mingrui looked at Luo Shan deeply, and after a few seconds of silence, said, "Okay."
Eh Luo Shan, who had nned to continue pleading, was stunned.
"Let''s go now," Zhou Mingrui ran towards the corridor leading to the nearest elevator, "Nothing is more important than saving a life!"
Luo Shan hurriedly followed, easily taking the lead in front of Zhou Mingrui.
Their actions were not at all conspicuous in the emergency center where the chaotic state had not yetpletely subsided.
Seeing this, Jenna, hiding in the shadows, quietly let out a sigh of relief.
After Zhou Mingrui and Luo Shan had run a distance, she walked out of the shadows, preparing to conceal herself and follow behind, ready to deal with any unexpected situations.
At this moment, she felt a suffocating pain, as if the blood in her body wanted to burst through her skin and ssh out.
It was like a deep-sea fish being directly "teleported" into mid-air.
Moreover, Jenna also felt her thoughts stalling and her joints stiffening.
About to be kicked out of the dream?
Even if it''s through Luo Shan at night indirectly informing Zhou Mingrui of Beyonder matters it will lead to oneself being kicked?
Jenna wanted to hold on a bit longer, to see if Zhou Mingrui going to the underground area would bring about good changes, but she was powerless to resist. She had no choice but to leave this world, following the force that was kicking her out of the dream.
Trier, inside a luxurious vi.
Standing by Franca''s bed, facing the door of starlight and the grayish-white fog, Madam Justice frowned.
"I can''t sense Two of Cups, I can''t establish contact with her.
"I was clearly using her body as a medium"
Madam Magician thought for two seconds and said, "In the dream city, apart from what we haven''t explored and don''t know about yet, there are only three ces where such a situation would ur, where the connection between soul, consciousness, and body would be severed.
"One is inside the police station, two is Yangdu Prison, and three is the underground area of Mushu Hospital."
"If she were arrested or imprisoned, Two of Cups wouldn''t be this desperate," Madam Judgment made a judgment, "She must have entered the underground area of Mushu Hospital, for unknown reasons."
While Madam Magician and Madam Judgment were thinking and talking, Madam Justice continued to try.
Suddenly, they all turned their heads towards the room where Lumian was sleeping.
At this moment, they felt the ground trembling inexplicably, as if a volcano was erupting deep underground.
This caused all the mirrors and ss windows in the entire vi to make trembling sounds, almost shattering.
After just a few seconds, Madam Justice''s emerald-like eyes suddenly lit up.
"I''ve sensed Two of Cups!" She said while once again sketching transparent symbols in the air that were like dreams and illusions.
As soon as the symbol waspleted, it passed through the brilliant starlight door like a butterfly from a dream, diving into the grayish-white fog.
After doing this, Madam Justice said to Madam Judgment and Madam Magician, "Seven of Cups has been kicked out of the dream, we can have here over to tell us the specific situation."
In the grayish-white fog where a brilliant door of light and an illusory stood tall, echoing with words like "Chernobyl".
Franca gazed at everything before her, her whole being seemingly numb, only her vision bing increasingly blurred, unable to clear up no matter what.
At this moment, she heard a voice so distant it seemed toe from the edge of the sky, belonging to Madam Justice. "Shout ''Leodero'' in ancient Hermes."
Franca suddenly awoke, as if she had just had a long nightmare that she dared not and was unwilling to recall.
Her mouth trembled, not making a sound, as if she wanted to sleep here forever.
After several seconds, Franca finally called out in a low voice, "Leodero!"
Above that grayish-white fog, Lumian''s feet stepped on the surface of the thin gas like clouds, but he couldn''t prate through to enter inside.
He felt that this fog was highly simr to the fog that sealed off the Samaritan Women''s Spring, and believed that if he still had Mr. Fool''s seal on him, he would definitely be able to fall directly inside, rather than being blocked outside.
After trying two methods and failing, Lumian turned his gaze to his right palm.
The Blood Emperor brand on his palm had undergone some changes when the secret deed ritual was forciblypleted. Its color had be deeper and cker, no longer like dripping fresh blood, but closer to the dark red of oxidized blood.
And this dark red seemed to have subtly merged with the paleness covering this patch of skin.
Lumian wasn''t yet clear on what such changes would bring, he just wanted to use this brand and the corpse wax candle to quickly perform another secret deed ritual.
Suddenly, in the night sky of the dream city, clouds piled up inyers.
Countless small electric snakes jumped and gathered between these clouds, quickly forming a huge, tree-like lightning bolt.
As soon as this lightning appeared, it crossed the distance between heaven and earth, illuminating the entire city.
It passed over numerous lightning rods, struck into Mushu Hospital, and drilled underground.
The hair on Lumian''s body stood up uncontrobly, and he instinctively took two steps back.
Almost simultaneously, a bright light shed before his eyes, making him unable to see the deep darkness and grayish-white mist anymore. N?v(el)B\\jnn
The afterimage of a silver-white tree-like lightning remained in his pupils.
When his vision recovered, Lumian found a slowly healing hole had appeared in the grayish-white fog.
He didn''t hesitate, took a step forward, and jumped in.
He passed through the outer fog andnded in front of the brilliant light door, seeing Franca staring nkly at him, with the hair on her skin and some of her head standing up.
Franca''s eyes reflected Lumian, whose gender was constantly switching, but the speed was slowing down, gradually fixing towards the female form.
"Let''s go!" Lumian didn''t say much, grabbed Franca''s arm, and directly activated the ck mark on his right shoulder.
Spirit World Traversal!
With the vortex still existing, Lumian could sense some areas of the outside world!
The figures of the two immediately disappeared from in front of the brilliant door of light, with the hole above getting smaller and closer to disappearing.
Lumian, carrying Franca, traveled through the spirit worldyered with various color blocks, heading towards the predetermined safe location.
Normally, he would reach the destination in just one second, but for some unknown reason, he now felt as if he was bound byyers of viscous liquid and invisible shackles, moving very slowly, with a trend of getting even slower.
Next, Lumian saw deep, dense darkness sweeping in from "behind", rushing towards the two of them.
The vortex had disappeared.
In that darkness, there was a blurry, huge figure standing on a lightless water surface, and an ancient mirror slowly outlining.
Lumian gritted his teeth, traveling forward with all his might.
Just as he was about to touch the "exit", and the dark abyss was about to engulf him and Franca, everything suddenly became calm.
Lumian suddenly felt at ease, like a criminal who had escaped from prison, instantly passing out of the spirit world and arriving in a shadowy corner of the emergency center at Mushu Hospital.
His spiritual intuition told him that Jenna was here.
Mushu Hospital, B2.
Zhou Mingrui and Luo Shan, having ovee their intense fear, walked out of the elevator together.
Almost simultaneously, Zhou Mingrui inexplicably felt rxed, his feelings of fear and dread dissipatingpletely.
He frowned in confusion and said to Luo Shan, "Where is Luo Fu trapped?"
Luo Shan looked at the dim but normal white corridor outside the elevator lobby, falling into bewilderment and deep thought.
"Shouldn''t it have alreadypletely copsed" she muttered to herself.
\
Chapter 1004 The Solution
1004 The Solution
Seeing Zhou Mingrui looking at her, waiting for an answer, Luo Shan said uncertainly, "It seems like things are back to normal"
She had thought Zhou Mingrui wouldn''t believe her judgment. After all, they hadn''t encountered anything or seen any signs of danger, and they still didn''t know if Luo Fu had been rescued. How could she say everything was "back to normal"?
To her surprise, Zhou Mingrui nodded thoughtfully. "I think so too."
After a couple of seconds, Zhou Mingrui asked, "Do we still need to look for Luo Fu?"
"I-I''ll take another look" Luo Shan cautiously walked to the edge of the elevator lobby and peeked out.
She looked around and felt that aside from being too quiet with no one passing through, there wasn''t much difference between this underground area and any other hospital basement.
Emergency Center, in a shadowy corner.
Lumian and Franca simultaneously saw Jenna, dressed in a nightgown, her eyes dazed and unsure of what to do.
She''s been kicked out of the dream Both Lumian and Franca quickly came to the same conclusion.
At that moment, Jenna also spotted Franca and Lumian. The tension and worry in her heart suddenly eased.
Without saying much, Lumian grabbed Jenna''s arm with his other hand and disappeared with her into the edge of the shadows.
The three of them soon returned to Room 2303 in Dechuang Garden.
After checking the room''s condition, Lumian said to Jenna, "Everything''s fine now. Get some rest."
He wasn''t sure how the dream Jenna would "rationalize" what had just happened, so he kept his exnation vague to avoid any cognitive conflict.
As for the teleportation, it was impossible to hide it any longer. After all, Zhou Mingrui had already be deeply aware of the supernatural powers at y, and there were indeed quite a few Beyonders active in the dream city.
Jenna, surprised, nced around the familiar environment and obediently replied, "Okay."
After she entered the room andy down on the bed, Lumian closed the bedroom door for her, then turned to Franca and said,
"Let''s go back to Mushu Hospital now. We''ll talk about what happened once we''re there."
Franca didn''t ask why and slowly nodded.
Using teleportation, Lumian took Franca to the greenery outside Mushu Hospital and turned his gaze towards the emergency center and the hospital building.
Seeing the shattered ss and the scorched parts of the walls, Lumian finally said to Franca, "I think what happened today was too much of a coincidence. Zhou Mingrui came to investigate the situation at Mushu Hospital, and at the same time, you ended up in the underground area."
"What exactly happened?"
Hearing the word "coincidence," Franca''s emotions wavered slightly.
She pulled herself together and recounted how she and Jenna had found themselves in the underground of Mushu Hospital after falling asleep, how they encountered Luo Shan, her suspicions, and the psychological traumas theyter encountered.
"At the time, the corridor started copsing." Franca stopped speaking and fell silent again.
Lumian nced at her but didn''t press for details. Instead, he mused aloud, "It really was a coincidence. If you look at the events separately, it''s logical that Zhou Mingrui, prompted by my warning during the day and his own initiative, chose tonight to investigate Mushu Hospital. Simrly, it''s usible that the force lurking in Luo Shan''s room or nearby, taking advantage of her psychological traumas and the dream''s nature, ''brought'' you into the hospital''s underground. Both seem reasonable and could have happened naturally."
"But the fact that these two things happened at the same time and influenced each other makes it obvious that something was off."
"And at the same time, I received a tipoff from Lu Yong''an and followed Zhou Mingrui to sneak into Mushu Hospital."
Franca instinctively said, "But who could set up an arrangement for Zhou Mingrui?"
"They didn''t need to arrange him. Arranging us was enough." Lumian, still in his Demoness of Despair state, let out a coldugh. "When Zhou Mingrui would investigate Mushu Hospital was uncertain, but once he was spotted, they could trigger the other side."
"The force lurking in or near Luo Shan''s room must have been there for a while. Why didn''t it act sooner orter? Why tonight?"
Franca fell silent for a moment, as if she had finally regained her ability to think, and said, "Was Lu Yong''an arranged as well?"
"Not necessarily. It''s possible they discovered my problem as a Child of God and knew something would happen tonight, so they lured me in, using your predicament to force me to be the true Child of God." After thinking for a few seconds, Lumian added, "It''s also likely that Lu Yong''an isn''t like Grimm, a dream persona influenced by the Great Mother. She has an external consciousness."
At this point, Lumian paused, his gaze cold as he muttered to himself, "A guardian for women and children"
Inside Mushu Hospital, the power system of the building hadn''t been affected by the lightning strike. Only the ground separating the upper and lower floors showed a very obvious charred area, and one of the elevators had stopped functioning.
Lu Yong''an walked down the dimly lit corridor and reached a certain room.
A wooden sign hung outside the door, with Chinese characters written on it: "Dean''s Office."
She knocked and entered, speaking to the person beside the shattered ss window.
"She still didn''t choose the Mother''s help."
"I see," a voice responded.
Trier, inside a luxurious vi.
Jenna observed Franca''s "sleeping state" while recounting their ordeal and Franca''s decisions to Madam Judgment, Madam Magician, and Madam Justice.
After she finished, Madam Magician nodded thoughtfully and said, "It''s still unclear what exactly we were supposed to gain from tonight''s events, or what the true purpose was"
Before she could finish her sentence, Madam Justice, looking at the sleeping Franca, said,
"Two of Cups has left the underground area of Mushu Hospital. I can now sense her and her surroundings."
Upon hearing this, Jenna''s body swayed slightly, as if she had lost the strength to even keep herself upright due to a sudden sense of relief.
Her breathing became heavy, and after a few seconds, she asked, "It''s over?"
"Not entirely," Madam Magician said, taking her gaze off the sleeping Franca.
Jenna seemed to realize something and asked, with deep concern, "Right, she held the ritual in the dream, cleverly advancing to Sequence 4 and bing a Demoness of Despair. It''s unknown how long it will take her to fully digest the Despair potion, and"
Jenna suddenly stopped, unable to finish her sentence.
What she had been about to say was, "And our goal is to awaken Mr. Fool as soon as possible, to end this dream, but that would conflict with the conditions for Franca''s survival."
In front of the Tarot Club''s Major Arcana card holders, she dared not utter those words, fearing the brutal answer she might receive.
"I understand your concern, but that''s not really an issue. Or, to put it another way, it''s not as serious as you think."
"Huh?" Jenna was surprised, both delighted and bewildered.
Madam Justice maintained her soft smile and exined, "First, Two of Cups has already made considerable progress in digesting the Despair potion. She''spleted the part about ''making herself despair.'' The next step is to find opportunities to make others despair. If she can refine her acting principles further during this process, the digestion will go even faster."
Jenna blinked, confused.
"She''s already digested nearly half of the Despair potion, right after advancing?"
"Yes," Madam Magician agreed, her tone carrying an understanding note. "It''s quite simr to Lumian''s situation at the time. Except Lumian quickly made two boon demigods despair"
"Exactly," Madam Magician continued, nodding knowingly. "Given the nature of your circumstances and how things unfolded, it was almost inevitable that people would fall into a state of despair. Mr. Fool''s psychological traumas may also contain elements that push Franca intoplete despairthings that sever her hopes and desires entirely."
Jenna''s eyes moved slightly, and she muttered, "Quite the coincidence"
Madam Justice sighed with a smile. "Yes, that''s one reason. But the other reason why I said that Two of Cups'' dream advancement isn''t too serious is because, given a little timejust a few minutesshe could return to reality without dying, though there would be other costs."
"Really?" Jenna was both surprised and confused.
Madam Justice chuckled lightly and exined, "While we''re limited in what we can do, there are still many things we''re capable of.
"For example, a Sun pathway Unshadowed can extract Beyonder characteristics, even from a Beyonder,yer byyer, from high to low. Though Two of Cups advanced in the dream, her reality also advanced, which is why she can''t leave the dream before fully digesting her potion."
"In other words, we could have Mr. Sun extract the Demoness of Despair''s Beyonder characteristic from Two of Cups in reality, and I would stabilize her mental state during the process. Once her body in reality regresses to the level of a Demoness of Affliction, there would be no more concern about her losing control upon leaving the dream."
"Of course, this solution would leave some problems behind, some quite serious ones, which is why we didn''t mention it as a solution before. Butpared to losing her life in the dream, these issues are manageable."
Jenna stood there, dazed.
The dream advancement affected reality, and regressing in reality would cause a simr effect in the dream?
If you can''t influence the dream, then change the state of reality?
Outside Mushu Hospital, in the greenery.
Hidden in the shadows, Lumian observed the hospital building, the patientsing and going, and the emergency response personnel who had just arrived, but he didn''t spot any targets of note.
After a long silence, Franca finally spoke. "They might have already left. Maybe they never showed up in the first ce."
"Yeah, you could check some short videos. With the ss shattered and the building struck by lightning, I''m sure a lot of people recorded it. Maybe we''ll find something."
"Right." Lumian took out his phone and began scrolling through local news, not missing a single video.
When he reached a video titled "Oh my god, all the ss shattered," he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the corner of the frame, near the edge of the emergency center.
That figure had messy blonde hair, blue eyes, short eyebrows, and a clear stubble on his face. He was wearing a ck shirt.
Lumian''s gaze instantly froze.
It was Grisha.
Grisha, Peng Deng''s co-renter! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Chapter 1005 Investigating Hidden Dangers
1005 Investigating Hidden Dangers
Based on the nature of tonight''s events, Lumian had made some guesses and was prepared to see certain dream manifestations, but the person who appeared at the emergency center waspletely unexpected: it was Peng Deng''s co-renter, Grisha!
The fact that he and Peng Deng are sharing a ce did hint at something unusual about him. We''d even observed him before but never managed to figure out who he corresponded to in the real world Could he be the mastermind behind tonight''s events? What is his real objective? Lumian''s mind raced, his confusion deepening.
He had initially locked in on the individual that the Aurora Order put their faith into as the one orchestrating everything tonight, hoping to confirm a few things. But Grisha didn''t fit the "I''m watching, listening, and aware" profilehe was entric, paranoid, and rude.
"Him?" Franca, slower to react than usual, leaned over to take a look at the screen frozen on Lumian''s phone.
Her sudden shock made her more animated.
"Unexpected discoveries are still valuable," Lumian said, already calm.
"Yeah," Franca replied, not saying much more.
Lumian wasn''t in a rush to leave. He pulled out a cracked makeup mirror and began focusing intently.
His actions caught Franca''s attention. She tilted her head to look at him, slightly puzzled. "What are you doing?"
"I''m checking if the mirror world has recovered and whether the broken fragments have formed a new area behind the mirror," Lumian exined briefly. "Luo Shan didn''t bring her phone, and I don''t have any other abilities to contact her. I need to use the mirror world to send her a message that you''re safe and that she can leave the underground area with Zhou Mingrui.
"There''s no urgent matter now, but what if Zhou Mingrui does discover something?"
Franca was stunned for a moment. "Zhou Mingrui went underground? Won''t that be a problem?"
The basement of Mushu Hospital was a mixture of subconscious psychological traumas and a symbolic abyss tied to the Mother Tree of Desire. Even if it couldn''t physically endanger Zhou Mingrui, it might force him to confront past traumas, awakening strong stimuli that could bring significant changes. Those changes could be either extremely good or extremely bad, which was why Lumian''s team hadn''t wanted Zhou Mingrui to enter Mushu Hospital''s basement at this stage.
Lumian nced at Franca and chuckled. "ns never keep up with changes. The most important thing just now was rescuing you. Everything else can be dealt withter or patched up. If worstes to worst, this mission failspletely, and they send in another team. At worst, we all face the apocalypse. But I couldn''t let you die here tonight."
Franca stared at Lumian for a few seconds, unable to find words.
After a moment, she looked away and sighed. "There are some things that can never be made up for"
Hearing that sigh and those words, Lumian finally felt like Franca hade back to life from the deadened state she''d been in earlier.
He didn''t ask what she meant, waiting for her to sort out her own thoughts. He gazed at the cracked mirror in his hands.
"The mirror world has recovered, and therger mirror fragments have regained their mystical properties."
With that, Lumian whispered a few words, imbuing them with a flickering, dark shimmer before sending them into thergest piece of the cracked mirror.
Mushu Hospital, B2.
Luo Shan led Zhou Mingrui, creeping cautiously along the corridor, ncing around as she searched for the missing Luo Fu.
Just as she looked toward one of the rooms and Zhou Mingrui gazed in the opposite direction, she spotted a piece of shattered ss on the ground. Words flickered across it: "Luo Fu is already home."
Phew Luo Shan quickly turned to Zhou Mingrui and said, "I got a message. Luo Fu escaped."
Zhou Mingrui studied Luo Shan for a moment but didn''t ask how she received the message.
He''d noticed earlier that she seemed to have rushed out of the house, forgetting to bring her phone.
After they left Mushu Hospital''s basement and Zhou Mingrui sent Luo Shan back to Dechuang Garden, she saw Lumina and Luo Fu in the entryway.
"You two just got back as well?" Luo Shan blurted out.
Holding two mirror fragments, Lumian nced around and replied, "We had to deal with the hospital''s surveince."
Even though tonight''s events weren''t tied to any criminal case and were considered a "natural disaster," meaning no police investigation, Lumian thought it was better to y it safe.
Luo Shan was stunned for a couple of seconds.
Quite the seasoned criminal, aren''t you
Lumian then addressed Luo Shan, "Thanks for your help. Without you bringing Zhou Mingrui to the basement in time, both Luo Fu and I would''ve been swallowed by that illusory abyss."
A smile appeared on Luo Shan''s face, though she tried to be modest.
"It was Zhou Mingrui who was willing to risk his life to save someone. He''s always been a good person."
"It''s impressive that you convinced him so quickly," Lumian said, not sparing any praise.
"Not really," Luo Shan said, feeling a little ufortable as she looked away. N?v(el)B\\jnn
She walked briskly into the elevator that had just arrived on the first floor.
After stepping in, Lumian turned to Luo Shan and said, "We''d like to inspect your apartment, to identify any hidden threats."
"Sure, okay!" Luo Shan remembered how she had inexplicably ended up in the hospital''s basement.
Without uncovering the lurking threat in her room or nearby, she wouldn''t be able to sleep soundly.
When they arrived at Room 1502, Lumian naturally began inspecting every corner, while Franca, finally recovering her energy, silently touched various objects.
After a few seconds, Lumian stood in front of the living room''s ss window and spoke to Luo Shan, who was standing near the coffee table.
"I''ll perform a Magic Mirror Divination and see if I can get any answers or hints."
Luo Shan nodded repeatedly.
Lumian reached out toward the transparent ss, which had turned into a mirror under the night sky, and began chanting the appropriate incantation.
He was only able to perform Magic Mirror Divination that relied on his own spirituality.
After posing his question, the surface of the ss rippled with a dark shimmer.
The shimmer settled, revealing a scene of a parrot with colorful feathers in a painting.
"That?" Luo Shan quickly turned her head to look at the wall behind her.
Did my own drawing betray me?
Almost simultaneously, the colorful parrot flew out of the painting, attempting to escape from Room 1502.
But the doors and windows were locked, and it repeatedly hit the walls.
"Why?" Luo Shan shouted.
The parrot responded in a crisp, human voice. "I''m not your puppet. I serve"
Before it could finish speaking, its body suddenly disintegrated. Feathers fell one by one, followed by flesh that dripped like melting paint.
In just two or three seconds, the colorful parrot had turned into countless droplets of paint, sttering onto the cream-colored tiles.
"It was controlled by someone else," Lumian concluded.
"How is that possible?" Luo Shan was shocked and confused.
This was something I painted stroke by stroke. How could it be controlled by someone else?
If it was the other version of me reviving within me and secretly influencing my creation, I could ept that. But an outsider? How?
Lumian nced at Luo Shan.
"Never trust anythingpletely. That applies to others, things you''ve created, and even yourself."
"I understand" Luo Shan recalled her previous experiences, thinking of that other version of herself.
Lumian thought for a moment and suggested, "You should stay at our ce tonight, just in case there''s another incident."
He nned to take pictures of every item and corner of Luo Shan''s apartment tonight, then send them to Anderson to check for any remaining issues.
"Okay," Luo Shan quickly agreed.
Regardless of the parrot''s situation, she had already nned to pack her things and find a decent, reasonably priced hotel to stay in for a few nights.
After settling Luo Shan in Room 2303 with Jenna, Lumian took Franca with him to Room 1502 to photograph every part of the apartment, making sure to leave nothing out.
Once he finished, he immediately sent the photos to "A name that leaves a deep impression on you," ending with the question: "Can you spot any potential problems in these photos?"
After a few minutes, Anderson Hood replied: "Are you inviting me to y ''Spot the Difference''?"
"Something like that," Lumian responded casually.
He waited patiently until four or five minutester, receiving another message from Anderson.
"If it were me, I''d show someone photos with absolutely no problems and ask them to find something wrong."
Does that mean there''s nothing wrong? Lumian thought to himself.
Anderson Hood sent another message. "That nk spot on the painting is an eyesore. Add some paint to it."
Lumian nodded thoughtfully before asking: "Can you control things painted by others?"
"There are many ways to control painted objects. One is to be a symbol within the painting''s world. Another is to give them a moreplete life. A third is to imbue them with humanity. A fourth is to reconfigure the information they''reposed of, given their essence as information. Andstly, there''s the fact that they possess spiritualityyou could turn them into your marite" Anderson uncharacteristically provided a lengthy exnation, finishing with: "After hearing all that, don''t you feel like every possibility you imagined can''t be ruled out?"
"You''re giving me so much detail just so I''ll say ''yes,'' aren''t you?" Lumian replied without emotion.
In his opinion, identifying the hidden danger in the room wasn''t the most important thing. They had already confirmed that Luo Shan was being watched by some force or enemy. If they didn''t root out the other side and eliminate them, today''s hidden danger would be dealt with, but tomorrow a new one would appear.
Too bad that parrot wasn''t put under control and couldn''t finish what it was saying.
Seeing that Anderson Hood hadn''t responded again, Lumian stood up and looked at Franca.
Franca was standing by the window in Luo Shan''s apartment, silently gazing out.
Lumian walked over and stood beside her, looking out in the same direction.
He saw the food stalls on the street far below, people eating and drinkingte into the night, and the high-rise apartments in the neighborhood, with lights still on in many rooms, dotting the night sky.
Lumian gazed quietly for a while before turning to look at Franca.
Franca was focused, her gaze seemingly reluctant to shift for even a second.
After a while, she sighed softly. "The night is truly beautiful"
Chapter 1006 Speaking From Experience
Chapter 1006 Speaking From Experience
Lumian looked at Franca, her eyes once again ake-blue hue after her advancement, reflecting the bright or slightly yellow dots of light.
"Yes," he echoed with a sigh.
Franca fell silent again.
After a long while, she murmured as if in a dream, "Did you know? I can never go back"
"What happened?" Lumian asked gently, following her lead.
Franca began recounting how she and Jenna had woken up in the basement of Mushu Hospital. It was as if she needed to build up the courage to tell the rest by retelling earlier events, prolonging the time to mentally prepare herself.
Lumian didn''t rush her. He listened quietly, asionally asking for details.
When Franca reached the part where she chose to force her advancement using the peculiarities of the dreamscape, to draw the Primordial Demoness''s attention and open an escape route, Lumian raised an eyebrow.
Though he had already deduced Franca''s advancement to Demoness of Despair through the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence and his spiritual intuition as a Demoness, and had suspected from her earlier narrative that it was the best possible option under those circumstances, he still couldn''t help but feel there was some design to it all: the conditions for her advancement to Demoness of Despair hade together perfectly at that moment!
Of course, if he had been present, he would''ve simply burned a corpse-oil candle and connected with the terrifying will in that peculiar city, forcibly destroying all obstacles.
After describing how she fell into the illusory abyss with the copse of the mirror world and the final part of the corridor, Franca paused for a few seconds before continuing in a calm, straightforward tone about how she slowed her descent, how she felt her mind and spirit being pulled toward the abyss, and how she chose the gray-white fog, sinking into it.
Her body began to tremble, but she pushed through, recounting the blurred door of light, the transparent "cocoons," the rapidly spinning illusory, the slightly solemn voice, and the version of herself within the "cocoon," along with the reasonable spections that followed.
Lumian had long suspected that "transmigration" wasn''t as simple as Franca and the others from the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society believed. He suspected there was a terrifying truth they couldn''t ept. That was why, during their time in the dream city, he and Jenna had tacitly been kinder to Franca, expressing their care for her more clearly and directly. But he hadn''t expected the truth to be this.
So it wasn''t spatial transmigrationit was temporal transmigration Traveling back and forth through space is possible, but can the flow of time be reversed? No, if that were possible, reviving Aurore wouldn''t be so difficult Lumian''s emotions suddenly turned somber.
He felt as if he had lost several incredibly important people and objects he deeply missed forever. The sorrow, mncholy, regret, and pain were like sharp chisels engraving an epitaph on his soul.
At that moment, he understood that these were Aurore''s feelings. Her soul fragment had resonated with Franca''s story and intense emotions.
Homeforever out of reach.
"That''s basically it. I suspect the Western Continent is where the Underworld Daoist and the Celestial Master reside. It''s the world thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of years in the future from my homnd" Franca''s body was still trembling slightly.
Lumian closed his eyes for a moment, then deliberately chuckled and said, "I guess I''m pretty lucky. At least I still have hope of reviving Aurore, but you all don''t even have that anymore."
Franca''s mouth opened slightly, and she was momentarily stunned.
Infuriated, she burst intoughter. "Dammit! Do you Hunters ever say anything nice? How can a human mouth spew something so venomous!"
"I thought you''d send me flying with a kick," Lumian said, showing a deliberately punchable expression.
Franca suddenly understood his true intention and snorted. "I had the impulse. You''d make a great punching bag right now."
She paused, her gaze returning to the window. Looking out at the warm, tranquil night, she said,
"When you said earlier that, in the worst-case scenario, the mission would fail, they''d send in another team, or we''d all face the apocalypse together, but you couldn''t let me die in Mushu Hospital''s basement I didn''tpletely agree with your thinking, but I did feel like maybe my life had some meaning after all"
"I said that on purpose, to make you feel needed and valued, to help pull you out of that dead, hopeless state." Lumian chuckled. "I didn''t know exactly what you''d gone through, but I could tell how you were feeling."
Franca snapped her head toward Lumian and scoffed, "When dealing with a Hunter, you judge by his actions, not words. I know you really did send Luo Shan and Jenna to get Zhou Mingrui down to the basement."
Before Lumian could respond, Franca, now more curious than before, asked, "How did you get into that psychological trauma?"
That was near the bottom of the illusory abyss!
Smiling, Lumian replied, "When I reached B2, I ran into Lu Yong''an. She must be an external consciousness brought in by some method, unlike Grimm, who had been corrupted and influenced into bing a dream manifestation."
"So when she saw me in Crimson Moon Hospital, she most likely realized I was a fake Child of God but still went along with my actions. Heh, maybe to the Great Mother, whether I''m the real Child of God or a fake, as long as I bear that title, I''ll eventually be real, and this time was her chance."
"Lu Yong''an told me at the time that to save someone from the illusory abyss, I could only rely on the Mother''s help."
"You didn''t actually pray, did you?" Franca was suddenly filled with concern and worry, forgetting her earlier despair and emotional numbness.
Her gaze instinctively drifted to Lumian''s abdomen.
"Of course not." Lumian had deliberately started with Lumian''s story to stir Franca''s emotions, preventing her from fully sinking into sadness.
As someone who had learned from long bouts of depression, he knew exactly what to say and do in such moments.
More importantly, he was also a Demoness of Despair, having gone through the experience of perfectly matching the acting method right after his advancement, digesting the part of the potion that made him "feel despair." He had also learned from the world''s greatest Psychiatrist''s report on how to stabilize his mental state and avoid losing control.
That was why he wasfortable telling Franca his true thoughts and feelings before he saved her. He intended to be her most solid anchor. After all, how many Hunters would openly reveal their innermost thoughts?
Franca let out an uncontroble breath of relief. "Then how did you destroy the illusory abyss and open the path?"
Lumian chuckled. "Corpse wax candle."
As he spoke, he took out the bottle of semi-solid yellow-red wax and sighed.
"The me of Destruction burns too fiercely. This candle can only be used once more."
Franca, who had heard Lumian''s story of the previous ritual with the corpse wax candle and knew that the target of the ritual was likely the terrifying will at the top of the Hunter and Witch pathways, widened her eyes in shock. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"You''re a bit extreme"
She didn''t finish her thought, reminded that such extremity was for her sake.
Lumian recounted the sensations during the secret deed ritual, the terrifying will''s partial descent, and the mutation of the Blood Emperor''s remnant aura. He ended by saying,
"I couldn''t enter the gray fog initially, but an exaggerated bolt of lightning just happened to strike it."
"That was" Franca thought for a moment and said, "Madam Justice''s incantation, delivered through some method. It sounded like a name, to be spoken in ancient Hermes."
She didn''t dare speak the incantation, afraid that even without using Beyondernguage, it might still call down lightning in the dream, though less terrifyingly.
"A name that could summon such lightning in Mr. Fool''s dream?" Lumian pondered. "It must involve a true god or some great existence Or it could be rted to Mr. Fool''s perception."
"Yes." Franca was more concerned with something else. "How do you feel now?"
Lumian raised his right hand, palm up, revealing a patch of pale skin and the dark, old red marks beneath it.
"The mutated Blood Emperor''s aura and the Underworld Daoist''s seal have fused slightly I can''t believe they can fuse
"So far, there''s been no external manifestation, no other changes"
After examining his own state, Lumian added, "Also, I feel like there''s something more in me, but I can''t detect it. It hasn''t affected me It''s more like a side effect of the secret deed ritual, a lingering hallucination"
"In the next couple of days, find a chance to leave the dream and have Madam Magician check it out," Franca reminded Lumian not to overlook this issue and to confirm it as soon as possible.
Lumian nodded and said, "In the meantime, go to thepany and quit your job. You kept the position before to bait Zaratulstra out with the option to avoid danger by leaving the dream at critical moments. But now, you can''t leave for the time being."
Only then did Franca remember her current statebefore she fully digested the Despair potion, if she left the dream and returned to reality, she would lose control on the spot and turn into a monster.
"Right." She didn''t argue, realizing she was still in deep trouble.
Then, she turned to leave the window.
"Not going to enjoy the night view anymore?" Lumian asked casually.
Franca pursed her lips and responded, "The more I look, the more I miss it, the harder it is to let go"
She paused, then half-turned her body, casting her gaze out at the night once again.
After staring for a few seconds, she spoke, her voice soft and distant. "If I were Mr. Fool, I might wish to sleep forever, dreaming of this beautiful night, never waking"
Chapter 1007 Important Information
Chapter 1007 Important Information
Hearing Franca''s words, Lumian felt a sense of resonance.
"If there hadn''t been hidden dangers in that dream of Cordu Vige, I wouldn''t have wanted to wake up either"
As he sighed, he suddenly paused, then said in a low voice, "No, I would force myself to wake up."
If he didn''t wake up, he couldn''t try to resurrect Aurore!
Franca silently withdrew her gaze and walked over to the long sofa in Luo Shan''s home. She sat down, leaning back against the sofa as if shecked the strength to support her body.
Lumian nced over and followed, sitting down right next to Franca.
Franca turned her head to look at him but said nothing.
After about ten seconds, she stared at the turned-off TV across from her and murmured as if to herself,
"Back home, my favorite thing to do was to pick any channel and be on my phone while listening to the sound. My mom would scold me every time"
Lumian didn''t respond, just listening quietly.
Franca''s expression gradually softened.
"My mom used to run a small restaurant, whichter became arger establishment. She was quick-tempered and efficient, and couldn''t stand to see me beingzy. But you know, she''d just say a few wordsin one ear and out the other, it didn''t affect me at all. Later on, when business wasn''t so good for a few years, she simply gave it up. Every day she''d y cards with her siblings and friends, eat here and drink there, and asionally organize a trip. She couldn''t have been more carefree or happy.
"My dad, my brother and I were also quite happy. We didn''t have to be scolded or nagged. As my dad put it, we''d see each other once a day, take a walk together, chat about family matters before bed, and their marriage even improved.
"My dad was a mid-level manager at a bigpany. He''d been into electronics since early on, starting with radios and such, then tinkering withputers and getting into games. When I was little, I was always confused about why dad was always sitting in front of theputer. He said it was work, but he was always clicking on strange images. When I got a bit older, I fell in love with gaming too. I guess that''s what they call leading by example.
"At first, my parents wanted another daughter, a little sister for me. They''d prepared for the fine and set up a room. Who knew they''d end up with another son? They couldn''t bring themselves to abort, so they had him. Aren''t second children supposed to be good at reading the room, well-behaved, with high EQ because they have an older sibling keeping them in check? Why did that kid do everything backwards, looking down on everyone, thinking he was so cool and trendy, always causing trouble when he went out.
"When he was in elementary school, he got into a fight and got beaten up. He came crying to me, his big brother, for help. In the end, the other kid had cousins, and I ended up getting beaten up too.
"For a while after that, I was really into urban fantasy novels and modern wuxia stories. I fantasized about having martial arts skills or superpowers myself.
"I did alright in the college entrance exams and got into medical school. I got along well with my roommates. Everyone said I had a good personality, wasn''t petty, was cheerful and optimistic, and generous with money.
"I guess I looked okay. I even had girls chase after me. But at the time I was busy ying games and going toic conventions, so I didn''t have the energy for dating. Of course, it was also because their looks and personalities weren''t my type."
After rambling on like this, Franca paused and said, "Apart from worrying about having to do hardbor in the future, I had no regrets, nothing I wanted to change"
Lumian turned his head to look at Franca and saw that as she leaned against the back of the sofa, her eyes were vacant, unfocused, with glistening tears silently sliding down her face.
Lumian didn''t try tofort Franca with words. He simply extended his left arm and quietly put it around her left shoulder, letting her lean against him.
Franca instinctively struggled for a moment, but quickly chose to give in.
Leaning against Lumian, she continued talking to herself, "I had originally nned to practice driving my mom''s car during the holidays, find a chance to meet up with some online friends in Shanghai, and have fun for a week
"I''d nned which games to buy recently, nned to visit my grandparents, nned to y games with my dad for two hours every day when I had time, to show him what real skill looks like
"I''d even nned how to educate that little brat, nned to go to my mom''s mahjong ce for a few days to act like a filial son, serve tea and water, and ept tips"
As she spoke, Franca''s voice gradually lowered until it disappeared.
Lumian waited a few minutes before lowering his head to see that Franca had closed her eyes and fallen into a deep sleep, leaning against him from his left shoulder to his left chest. Her legs had slid off the sofa at some point.
Lumian didn''t move. He stared at the dark LCD TV screen, his thoughts gradually wandering.
After an unknown amount of time, Franca seemed to have a nightmare. Her eyes flew open and she suddenly straightened her back.
She looked left and right, finallying to her senses and remembering what had happenedst night.
Phew She exhaled slowly and asked Lumian, "What time is it?"
"A little after 4 am, not quite 5 yet," Lumian calmly replied.
Franca made a sound of acknowledgment, then suddenly remembered something.
"Will Jenna and Luo Shan be okay alone in Room 2303?"
The current Jenna was purely a dream manifestation, while Luo Shan was being watched by unknown forces!
"I''ve been monitoring Room 2303 using mirrors," Lumian said calmly.
Only then did Franca rx.
She wriggled her shoulders, shaking off Lumian''s arm, and sat up straight.
"Damn, I actually cried earlier, and you saw it A real man shouldn''t shed tears so easily!"
"Only because the saddest part hasn''te yet," Lumian replied.
Hearing this, both Franca and he fell silent.
"That''s such a hurtful thing to say" After a few seconds, Franca grumbled, "I can''t believe you could respond so smoothly."
"After learning the truth about transmigration and resonating with your emotions, Aurore''s soul fragment seems to have be a bit more active" Lumian said with a hint of joy.
Franca bit her lip, unable to speak.
She then began rubbing her cheeks. "I can''t continue in that state. We need to get down to business!"
"What business?" Lumian asked.
Franca thought for a few seconds and said, "ording to what you said before, tonight''s events seem to have been arranged, presumably pushed by Peng Deng''s roommate Grisha behind the scenes.
"If this is true, what was their goal? It couldn''t have been just to force me to advance in the dream and quickly find a way to digest the Despair potion, could it?
"Is it simply good people doing good deeds?"
Lumian understood that Franca was trying to distract herself from her inner sorrow and despair by focusing on important matters, so he nodded cooperatively:
"From Luo Shan''s feedback, Zhou Mingrui wasn''t additionally affected by this incident either. He only confirmed that he has some special qualities and that there are major issues with the underground area of Mushu Hospital.
"The illusory abyss in the underground area of Mushu Hospital also hid itself in time, avoiding an encounter with Zhou Mingrui, and remained almost intact.
"Was the real purpose to have me use the corpse wax candle andplete a secret deed at the bottom of Mushu Hospital?
"And for us to find important intelligence through those psychological traumas in the underground area of Mushu Hospital?"
Franca nodded slowly.
"Yes, I can now almost confirm one thing:
"Mr. Fool is also a transmigrator, like me and Emperor Roselle."
As she spoke, Franca suddenly gave a self-mockingugh.
"No, not a transmigrator, an ancient person."
"You mean those three empty ''cocoons'' correspond to the three previous transmigrators?" Lumian understood what Franca was saying.
"Yes, Ancient Sun God, Emperor Roselle, and Mr. Fool," Franca borated. "Mr. Fool should have also progressed step by step from a mortal body to be a true god and then a great existence. Klein Moretti, Sherlock Moriarty, Gehrman Sparrowthese are probably not his incarnations, but different identities at different stages of his growth. These names alle from the entertainment works of our world, no, the ancient world. Utopia too.
"Well, the identity of Gehrman Sparrow became the Angel of Redemption, with people believing in and worshiping him, perhaps making him quite different from the other identities."
Lumian mused aloud, "So Zhou Mingrui is Mr. Fool''s real name, his identity before transmigration?"
"It should be so," Franca shared her spection. "That''s why Zhou Mingrui is the core of the dream, the subconscious self-image of Mr. Fool. All important dream images are distributed around him, while identities like Sherlock Moriarty are scattered throughout the dream city,cking special significance.
"The only one among them that''s different is Gehrman Sparrow, who is widely believed in. The dream city originally didn''t have such a manifestation, not even a story. It was entirely created out of thin air by Madam Magician, Madam Justice, and the others, bing a ssic character."
"This also indicates that The World Gehrman Sparrow might indeed have special symbolism or significance."
Lumian pondered for a moment and said, "The identity of Klein Moretti is also very special. It doesn''t exist in the dream city either."
Franca tried to put herself in that position and said slowly, "The personal rtionships corresponding to Klein Moretti do exist in the dream city, but they point to Zhou Mingrui.
"Klein Moretti was Mr. Fool''s first identity after transmigration, gaining his recognition. Did their self-perceptions merge?
"So, Zhou Mingrui is also Klein Moretti, and Klein Moretti is equally Zhou Mingrui, indistinguishable from each other." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"That exnation does make sense," Lumian agreed with Franca''s guess.
At this moment, Franca suddenly furrowed her brow.
"Bring out that whiteboard, the one with photos of important figures in the dream city and observation results."
Without asking why, Lumian took out the whiteboard made of frost and ced it opposite the coffee table.
Franca stared at the photos, sketches, introductions, and observation results on the whiteboard, her eyes constantly moving left and right.
After a while, she spoke in a grave tone, "If Mr. Fool is indeed a transmigrator, these dream manifestations hide a big problem."
Without waiting for Lumian to respond, Franca exined, "Except for Peng Deng and Zhang Yujia, the childhood friend who only sent back postcards, all the important dream manifestations here have nothing to do with ''Zhou Mingrui.''
"They alle from Klein Moretti, from Sherlock Moriarty, from Gehrman Sparrow and Mr. Fool''s other identities, from the current world. Not a single one originates from before the transmigration, not one is an ancient person!
"Why is that?"
Chapter 1008 Dawn
Chapter 1008 Dawn
Lumian easily understood Franca''s meaning: the dream city itself was constructed based on Zhou Mingrui''s memories from before his transmigration, but none of the rtively important dream manifestations close to Zhou Mingrui came from before the transmigration. They all originated from Zhou Mingrui''s experiences after transmigrating, except for Peng Deng and Zhang Yujia.
This was clearly problematic!
"We previously thought Mr. Fool was a resurrected great existence not belonging to this era. Well he truly doesn''t belong to this era. Mr. Fool was really honest" Franca suddenly understood the true meaning of a certain phrase in Mr. Fool''s honorific name.
After adjusting her mindset, she continued, "From our previous understanding, it was very reasonable that there are no dream manifestations rted to the identity of Zhou Mingrui. As a former great existence, he should have been involved with great existences and fallen ancient gods. These were all restricted and couldn''t truly get close to Zhou Mingrui. Weren''t we wondering before who Peng Deng really was, and who he corresponded to in reality? We never considered that he might actually be Zhou Mingrui''s childhood friend.
"But if Zhou Mingrui is a transmigrator like me, and gradually became a great existence, that''s truly remarkable. To transcend to bing a deity with a mortal body and dominate the spirit world"
At this point, Franca''s emotional wound was once again torn open, with splinters piercing into it.
She thought about how even someone like Mr. Fool was shocked, saddened, pained and despairing when he learned the truth about transmigration. Even bing a great existence couldn''t allow him to return home. And after he fell asleep, these things even formed strong psychological traumas.
If even Mr. Fool was like this, what about her? What about them?
Lumian could guess what Franca was thinking now, why she paused, because he had simr associations and the same emotions were stirring deep in his heart.
After a moment of silence, Franca collected herself and continued, "If Zhou Mingrui is a transmigrator and was an ordinary person before, then where are his parents, rtives, ssmates, friends, and close online friends?"
Lumian looked at the ice board covered with photos, sketches and notes, and said thoughtfully,
"In the dream, Zhou Mingrui has parents, but they''re not in Yangdu. They live in a hometown that only exists in descriptions. Zhou Mingrui hardly contacts them, only conveying his greetings through Benson Zhou. Moreover, the setup of the dream parents clearlyes from Klein Moretti''s parents.
"Simrly, the real-world prototypes for brother Benson Zhou and sister Zhou Sasa are Klein Moretti''s brother Benson Moretti and sister Melissa Moretti.
"Among other rtives, friends, ssmates, and online friends, perhaps only Peng Deng and Zhang Yujia are truly Zhou Mingrui''s childhood friends."
Zhang Yujia was a mutual middle school and high school ssmate of Zhou Mingrui and Peng Deng, and currently also worked in Yangdu.
She came from a well-off family and often traveled. She was currently on a so-called European trip. In the memories of the Major Arcana card holders, Zhang Yujia had never truly appeared. If not for her often sending postcards to Zhou Mingrui and Peng Deng, and asionally chatting online, she could have been treated as a background figure like Zhou Mingrui''s parents.
Franca concurred sinctly, "Now there are two issues:
"First, why have Zhou Mingrui''s true rtionships disappeared? Did Mr. Fool deliberately hide them himself, or did the Celestial Worthy tamper with them? If it''s the former, why would Mr. Fool want to hide them? Is this a key point? If it''s thetter, does this represent that the Celestial Worthy fears something?
"Second, given that other figures rted to Zhou Mingrui haven''t appeared in the dream city, the existence of Peng Deng and Zhang Yujia is even more suspicious. Adding to that, we previously saw Peng Deng''s roommate Grisha appear at the emergency center. I think we need to shift our focus towards Peng Deng for now."
Lumian put himself in Mr. Fool''s position and thought for a while.
"If I were Mr. Fool, and this dream city was the battlefield of my consciousness against the Celestial Worthy, my subconscious wouldn''t want my real parents, rtives, ssmates, and friends to be involved, even if they were just false dream manifestations, just my memories."
"Given the logic that Zhou Mingrui and Klein Moretti''s cognitions have merged, the dream manifestations corresponding to Benson and Melissa shouldn''t appear either," Franca joined the brainstorming session.
Lumian smiled. "Who says they were woven by Mr. Fool''s subconscious?
"What if the Celestial Worthy deliberately created them?"
"The Celestial Worthy knows Mr. Fool''s experiences after transmigration, but has no way to investigate his rtionships before transmigration?" Franca had a new guess based on Lumian''s rhetorical question. "So, the dream manifestations corresponding to Benson, Melissa, and Danitz had to appear, but some were arranged outside the dream city, and some only have a very shallow rtionship with Zhou Mingrui. Is this a subconscious protection of these dream manifestations, an external result of Mr. Fool''s consciousness fighting against the Celestial Worthy?"
Lumian nodded. "If the Celestial Worthy isn''t really clear about Mr. Fool''s rtionships before transmigration, doesn''t that suggest He hasn''t eroded and corrupted Mr. Fool''s core consciousness yet?"
"Mm." Franca suddenly had a sh of insight. "I understand now why Siatas became Zhou Mingrui''s roommate."
She stood up, walked to an area near the window, and paced back and forth a few steps.
"We previously suspected that the elves were former transmigrators. Now it seems they''re more like descendants of the Western Continent bloodline who survived on the Northern and Southern Continents and the Five Seas.
"For Mr. Fool, these are the descendants of his fellow countrymen, so the rtionship is very close, so he ces them very near him.
"Simrly, the Intis Group where Zhou Mingrui works was founded by the transmigrator, Emperor Roselle, and the boss of the neighboringpany is the heir of another transmigrator, the Ancient Sun God. These dream manifestations are all very close to Zhou Mingrui."
The more Franca spoke, the more she believed her interpretation of these symbols was correct.
She shifted her thoughts. "We''ve cross-checked within our Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society. The time we transmigrated to the current world was 1352, seven years ago. And ording to the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders, Mr. Fool also fell asleep in 1352.
"Before Mr. Fool entered his slumber and confronted the Celestial Worthy, did he release all of us from the ''cocoons''?"
"It should be so." Lumian felt Franca''s reasoning was sound.
He also stood up and said thoughtfully, "We''ll leave the matter of contacting Peng Deng to Anthony. He can make more aggressive probes now.
"If we can figure out Peng Deng''s true identity and the meaning of his existence, perhaps we can find a way to weaken the Celestial Worthy and awaken Mr. Fool."
At this point, Lumian paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"If there are no major errors in what we just discussed, then Zhou Sasaing to Yangdu for university probably has strong symbolic meaning, and not a good one for Mr. Fool."
Logically, Zhou Sasa should be outside the dream city, not involved in this "battlefield".
Franca was suddenly rmed. "When is Zhou Sasa arriving?"
"Wednesday," Lumian answered in a low voice. "It''s already Monday now."
Franca hissed and said, "Before Zhou Sasa arrives in Yangdu, there must be substantial progress on both Peng Deng''s side and An Xiaotian''s side!"
Lumian nodded and said, "Yeah."
The two discussed this matter for a long time.
"You should actively leave the dream and return to reality in the morning to inquire about more detailed intelligence from the Ancient Sun God and that individual from the Aurora Order. Since Grisha appeared at the arranged scene, and Anthony was scared by hallucinations and actively left the dream after contacting Peng Deng, I suspect Peng Deng and his roommate are rted to the Ancient Sun God. Weck sufficient intelligence to urately judge this point. Also, don''t forget to have Madam Magician check your physical condition," Franca finally instructed Lumian.
With a grin, Lumian replied, "I''m only worried that the Major Arcana card holders don''t know enough, or that some intelligence is currently inessible to us.
"Afterwards, you should move to the background and switch positions with Anthony. Let him do the probing, and you shouldn''t appear."
"Alright," Franca answered, finally leaving the state of focused discussion.
She noticed that the window area had brightened at some point. Outside the ss, the morning sunlight fell, carrying a hint of golden yellow, rifying the entire sky and tinting the green leaves of the trees.
Birds chirped as they flew by, and asional human voices could be heard, rxed and soothing.
Morning had arrived.
The sun had risen.
Daylight hade.
Franca stared at this morning scene, almost silently murmuring to herself, "It''s beautiful."
Sunlight prated through the ss, shining on her and Lumian, as if a great existence was gentlyforting their hearts.
After Lumian returned to Xinhong District to tell Anthony about probing Peng Deng, Franca took the elevator to the 23rd floor and entered the apartment she and Jenna were renting.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw that Jenna was already awake and busy getting herself ready.
"So early?" Franca blurted out.
"It''s not early. I need to carefully do my makeup. I have to walk around thepany today. Who knows, I might be spotted by some film crew," Dreamscape Jenna said without turning her head.
Oh right, it''s Monday, Jenna has to go to the Hall Film Company But she''s a dream manifestation now, will there be any slip-ups? Franca couldn''t help but worry a little.
At this moment, Dreamscape Jenna went into the bathroom, and Luo Shan walked out of the bedroom, still sleepy-eyed.
Seeing Luo Fu, she greeted, "Nothing happened, right?"
She thought Luo Fu and Lumina stayed overnight at her ce to personally confirm if there were any hidden dangers.
"Everything''s normal, for now," Franca said, half reassuring and half stating facts.
She then told Luo Shan, "I''m going to resign."
"Huh?" Luo Shan was stunned.
Franca showed a gentle smile.
"I have to move to the background now, because if I get kicked out of the dream now, I''ll truly die." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Luo Shan suddenly remembered the conversation between Luo Fu and Jian Na she had overheardst night. Some words she couldn''t understand at the time now finally made sense.
She suddenly felt that she was no longer alone, and returned the smile.
"It''s about the same for me."
Without the dreamscape, I would disappear too.
Chapter 1009 Boon
Chapter 1009 Boon
At Xinhong District, in the rented apartment.
After telling Anthony the results of his discussion with Franca, and instructing him to hand Ludwig over to Franca before probing Peng Deng, Lumiany down on the bed.
He closed his eyes, entered a Cogitative state, and outlined his own phantom image in his mind.
Then, he imagined himself leaping from an extremely high ce, rapidly falling in free fall.
In this state, he heard the whistling of wind in his ears.
But he didn''t immediately leave the dream. He vaguely heard humans conversing in the wind, with wordsing from different directions.
At this moment, Lumian seemed to return to Cordu Vige, back to a warm summer afternoon. At that time, he was lying drowsily atop a haystack, with old women gathered nearby, picking lice off each other while gossiping about various rumors in the vige. Children asionally ran back and forth around them, farmers returned to the vige early from their work, and members of the padre''s family passed by grumbling
Lumian opened his eyes, his nose still seeming to smell the scent of grass mixed with sheep dung.
He let out a breath, then rolled out of bed, walked out of the room, and came downstairs to the luxurious vi.
Madam Justice, Madam Magician, and Madam Judgment were all in the living room.
"Important intelligence?" Madam Justice understood that Lumian wouldn''t actively exit the dream unless it was something very crucial.
And she hadn''t noticed that the current real dream had a strong rejection towards Lumian, which meant Lumian wasn''t kicked out of the dream.
"Yes." Lumian sat down on a single sofa, "It starts with a psychological trauma Franca saw in the underground area of Mushu Hospital."
Madam Justice looked at Lumian for a few seconds. "First, tell us how you rescued Two of Cups. Seven of Cups was kicked out of the dream too early and doesn''t know much."
Smiling, Lumian replied, "I used the corpse wax candle."
"Youpleted a secret deed ritual and received feedback?" Madam Magician had already roughly guessed what had happened from the changes in Lumian''s real body state and the stress response that appeared in Fourth Epoch Trier. Now she was just confirming.
Lumian verbally described what he saw, heard, and felt during the covenant ritual, and finally said, "The remnant aura of the Blood Emperor underwent a rather obvious change, and it fused a bit with the Underworld Daoist''s seal. It seems like I''ve gained something extra, but I can''t detect it."
As he spoke, he disyed the old blood spots hidden under the pale skin of his palm.
Madam Magician nodded slightly, countless dazzling starbursts lighting up and slowly rotating in the depths of her eyes.
After twenty or thirty seconds, she said with a hint of amusement, "I don''t know whether to say you''re lucky or unlucky.
"That terrifying will not only gazed upon you but also bestowed power upon you.
"But due to theck of necessary rituals and the existence of the Underworld Daoist''s seal, that power fused with the remnant aura of the Blood Emperor and is under seal, unable to be utilized. Otherwise, you''d already be a gifted War Bishop or something else by now.
"Although this power is sealed, it has still brought some effects to you. For example, the soul fragments of the Cordu vigers under my seal have undergone some mutations, preparing to be your ''soldiers''."
"No wonder I vaguely heard everyone''s ''conversations'' when I was leaving the dream just now" Lumian suddenly realized.
So what he had gained was a new power.
Madam Magician continued, "Whether there are any hidden dangers in that power itself, I can''t tell at the moment, but after it fused with the remnant aura of the Blood Emperor, there are certainly hidden dangers, and it has be more active."
At this point, Madam Magician paused. "Combined with the Omebe bloodline in your body, if not for the Underworld Daoist''s seal, I''d suspect you might be pregnant in response, unable to abort, giving birth to a deeply corrupted, mutated version of Alista Tudor."
"Wouldn''t that make the Blood Emperor have to call me daddy?" Lumian, in his Demoness of Despair state,ughed.
"It would be mommy," Madam Magician corrected.
Lumian didn''t continue this topic, instead turning to talk about how he entered the vortex, how he took advantage of the lightning strike to open a channel and rescue Franca.
"It seems our efforts were not in vain." Madam Justice showed a gratified smile.
"Which deity does that incantation involve?" Lumian asked.
Madam Justice made an "mm" sound and said, "The Lord of Storms, that''s His true name. Don''t casually recite it. Lightning damage is area-of-effect and indiscriminate. Moreover, Mr. Fool''s avatars have triggered lightning strikes with this before. The subconscious perception is that the lightning brought by this incantation is very terrifying and highly destructive."
Using a deity''s true name as an incantation? How is Mr. Fool''s incarnation even more like a Provoker than me? Lumian nodded slightly.
He was silent for two seconds before saying, "At that time, I was prepared for the possibility that I might copse out of control due to the secret deed ritual, or even die. I had only one thought, which was to open the abyssal channel as quickly as possible, or destroy that illusory abyss.
"This might not have been enough, so I asked Jenna and Luo Shan to invite Zhou Mingrui, who was at Mushu Hospital''s emergency center, toe down to the underground area and take a look. I didn''t know if this would bring good results or bad changes, or how high the probability of fixing it would be if problems arose, but none of that was the most important thing at the moment." N?v(el)B\\jnn
As he spoke, Lumian in his Demoness of Despair state slightly raised his chin.
Madam Justice, Madam Magician, and Madam Judgment all fell silent.
Lumian disyed a bright smile and continued, "If that would truly bring destructive results, and you monitored it, you could kill my body in the real world in advance to prevent all this.
"It would be good to die. If I died, I wouldn''t know anything, wouldn''t have to care about anything."
After exchanging nces for a few seconds, Madam Justice, Madam Magician, and Madam Judgment sighed and showed warm smiles that calmed one''s emotions.
"I don''t agree with this style of yours, but I''m d to see you have your own thoughts and choices."
Madam Magician also sighed and said, "If you encounter simr situations in the future, you can try reciting my honorific name. The power sealing those soul fragments in youes from me. I can use them as a medium and, through the connection created by the honorific name, exert some influence, but sess is not guaranteed.
"Also, if you''re willing to pay the price of being permanently kicked out and unable to re-enter the dream city to escape a predicament, I can give you better incantations."
Lumian''s straightened back rxed a bit, and his chin was no longer slightly raised.
Curious, he inquired, "What incantation?"
"Chief Yagates''s honorific name," Madam Magician smiled, "Reciting this outside the dream would have no effect, and might even unknowingly turn the reciter into a marite of the Celestial Worthy. But reciting it in the dream can attract attention and open any channel. However, simrly, Chief Yagates is essentially a manifestation created by the fusion of Mr. Door''s remnant spirit and the dream''s subconscious, with special symbolism. His actions might be influenced by the Celestial Worthy, but rtively speaking,pared to reciting Mr. Fool''s honorific name, this receives less interference."
"So it can be done like this" Lumian said thoughtfully, "Were we perhaps following the surface rules of the dream city too strictly before? Always trying to y the role of citizens with Beyonder powers Remember, you''re just acting; it''s essentially a dream"
Madam Magician smiled and said, "We''ve thought about this issue too. The method of reciting the Chief''s honorific name was my idea. But before finding exploitable rule loopholes, you''d better not casually break the rules. Otherwise, hehe, there are too many painful lessons from before. I won''t list them one by one."
Lumian nodded, adjusted his state, and detailed the scene Franca saw in that psychological trauma at the bottom of the illusory abyss, the deductions she made, and the problems she discovered.
Finally, he said, "It was only after Franca realized that Mr. Fool was a transmigrator that she found she had previously overlooked names like Sherlock Moriarty and Merlin Hermes. Logically, she should have immediately deduced from these that Mr. Fool, like her, was also a transmigrator, though she would have guessed he came from another world.
"In the dream city, many of our ideas seem to have been restricted. We unconsciously overlooked certain things, like An Xiaotian''s problem, like the evidence that Mr. Fool was a transmigrator. This might be the Celestial Worthy''s will at work, creating a Fooling effect.
"And what He deliberately made us overlook and avoid, most likely hides the correct direction."
Madam Justice listened intently, her expression first showing a bit of bewilderment and surprise, but quickly revealing relief and emotion.
Madam Magician and Madam Judgment had simr reactions.
After Lumian finished speaking, Madam Justice''s emerald eyes flickered as she recalled,
"You don''t know under what kind of situation and in what way we first saw Mr. Fool, and what kind of performance he showed subsequently. So you certainly can''t understand why we didn''t think in the direction that Mr. Fool might be a transmigrator, an ordinary person who grew in strength a step at a time"
"It was only after the Cordu Vige disaster that I vaguely felt this possibility," Madam Magician added.
Madam Justice''s expression became very gentle, with more smiles on her face.
"To have done so many things with a mortal body, to have reached this level, to use true human nature to confront the Celestial Worthy, I-I admire Mr. Fool even more, um, and also feel more sympathetic"
Curious, Lumian inquired, "What things has Mr. Fool done?"
In his view, Mr. Fool now seemed closer. This great existence was once human, and was even a "fellow countryman" with Aurore.
And Lumian only knew about things rted to Gehrman Sparrow and what was told in the Bible.
"We can tell you about it properly, but now let''s first discuss the key issues you''ve discovered," Madam Justice said with a smile.
Chapter 1010 Interpreting Symbols
Chapter 1010 Interpreting Symbols
Lumian organized his thoughts and exined about the manifestations possibly being an identity, "Zhou Mingrui''s" identitycking corresponding interpersonal rtionships, Peng Deng and Zhang Yujia''s existence seeming more special, and Peng Deng''s roommate Grisha appearing in the emergency center of Mushu Hospital.
"From a transmigrator''s perspective, there are indeed problems with the corresponding details. Zhou Mingrui seems to be just a name, while the person who shares an apartment with Siatas and others, works at the Intis Group, and has a brother named Benson and a sister named Sasa is more like Klein Moretti." Madam Justice nodded slowly. "Except for the dream city itself and Peng Deng and Zhang Yujia, no other important figures originate from the First Epoch or before."
She temporarily treated the super-ancient era mentioned by Two of Cups as history from the First Epoch or before.
So far, the Tarot Club had almost no understanding of events before the Second Epoch.
As she spoke, Madam Justice fell silent, seeming lost in thought.
Madam Magician nced at her and said to Lumian, "Since Peng Deng and Grisha may involve the Ancient Sun God, let me first tell you the relevant information we know, of course, limited to the part you can ess."
At this moment, Jenna sensed the activity in the living room and came down from the second floor.
She looked around, quietly found a ce to sit down, and joined Lumian in listening to Madam Magician talk about matters rted to the Ancient Sun God.
Madam Magician considered for a moment and said, "I''ve told you before that the source of all supernatural powers can be traced back to the original Creator."
Lumian and Jenna nodded simultaneously.
Madam Magician continued, "The original Creator created this world, and at some point disintegrated Himself, splitting into the Beyonder characteristics of different pathways. Well, it may have been the terrifying impact of His self-disintegration thatpletely destroyed the super-ancient civilization where Mr. Fool and Two of Cups lived, with only some humans surviving, ushering in the First Epoch, what we call the Chaos Epoch."
"Was the Celestial Worthy born at that time? Mr. Fool and Franca should have been suspended above that light door before the copse of the super-ancient civilization," Lumian said words that Jenna currently couldn''t understand the specific meaning of.
Madam Magician pondered for a few seconds and said, "Based on the knowledge we currently possess, the final Creator simultaneously had tendencies towards separation and convergence. Before Hepletely disintegrated, there should have already been a split in His personality, or rather, His divine nature. The Celestial Worthy may belong to one of the divine natures that split off, so the Celestial Worthy''s spiritual imprint, like that of the original Creator, cannot be erased and will always exist within the corresponding Beyonder characteristics."
Jenna understood this part and blurted out, "Then doesn''t that mean Mr. Fool can never truly defeat the Celestial Worthy?"
"He can only both merge and oppose, gaining some advantage over the long course of time," Madam Magician said with a bitter smile. "There''s a saying in the dream city that makes a lot of sense: In the long run, we all die."
Lumian, Jenna, and the others fell silent.
Madam Magicianposed herself and said, "Other divine natures also split off at that time, one of which you can call God Almighty.
"The history of the First Epoch might be the history of God Almighty opposing the Celestial Worthy. This is our only understanding of that period of history, and we can''t guarantee its uracy. Anyway, at the end of the First Epoch, something unknown happened, and both fell simultaneously. The Beyonder characteristics split more thoroughly, and the first sphemy te was left behind in some secret ce."
The first sphemy te that recorded the twenty-two paths of the divine.
"Did God Almighty upy the pathways of Spectator and Secrets Suppliant?" Lumian roughly understood what Madam Magician wanted to say.
Madam Magician nodded and said, "The five pathways of Spectator, Secrets Suppliant, Reader, Sailor, and Bard, symbolizing omniscience and omnipotence."
"Five pathways" It wasn''t Lumian or Jenna who marveled, but Madam Justice.
Of course, Lumian and Jenna were also shockedthe Celestial Worthy and Mr. Fool only upied three pathways!
"The number of pathways isn''t the key to how powerful these great existences are," Madam Magician briefly exined without going into detail. "The Ancient Sun God became a deity based on the Bard pathway, collecting the Uniqueness and the minimum required Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics of the corresponding pathways. Later, He was betrayed and fell, splitting apart. But various signs indicate that before His fall, He had actually encountered what Mr. Fool experiencedGod Almighty had revived within Him.
"After the Ancient Sun God fell, His legacy was divided into five parts. One part He had pre-divided to the Angel of Imagination, another part nurtured the True Creator and the second sphemy te on His remains, and the remaining three parts were divided among the three Kings of Angels at the time."
Madam Magician didn''t say what happened to those three Kings of Angelster, but Lumian and Jenna vaguely guessed something.
"A few years ago, that Angel of Imagination became a god and obtained, well, I don''t know if it was the second or first sphemy te. Anyway, He used it to go to the Forsaken Land of the Gods and merge with the True Creator.
"That''s roughly how things are. I can''t guarantee the uracy of the specific details," Madam Magician finally said.
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Justice emerged from her contemtion and looked at Lumian and Jenna, saying, "I have a guess about the identities and symbolism of Peng Deng, Grisha, and Zhang Yujia."
In the dream city, inside a coffee shop.
After handing Ludwig over to Franca, Anthony used the pretext of continuing their previous consultation to arrange a meeting with Peng Deng.
He was prepared to rent an unfurnished apartment and pay a renovation deposit. After all, Zhou Shasha would arrive in Yang City the day after tomorrow, and they might not even have a chance to spend the remaining money they had!
Seeing Peng Deng put down his ckptop backpack and sit across from him, Anthony smiled and greeted him, "I have a friend who knows Zhou Mingrui. I heard you''re Zhou Mingrui''s childhood friend?"
Anthony wasn''t worried that this statement would trigger too obvious a change, as it was amon negotiation tacticdrawing closer to get a better price.
After cing his phone to his right, Peng Deng raised his head.
A smile appeared on his unremarkable face. "Yes, I''m not only Zhou Mingrui''s childhood friend, I''m also other people''s childhood friend."
Childhood friend of others Why specifically emphasize this? Whose childhood friend is he besides? Anthony''s mind suddenly tensed.
Trier, inside a luxurious vi.
Madam Justice stood up and used her right hand to draw a semi-transparent, dreamlike wooden board.
"Peng Deng once made Four of Swords have hallucinations due to his own fear, causing him to actively leave the dream," Madam Justice said while making Peng Deng''s photo and this sentence materialize virtually and stick to the wooden board.
Next, she outlined Grisha''s portrait.
"This is Peng Deng''s roommate, who appeared in the emergency center of Mushu Hospitalst night.
"This is Nie Zhen, Peng Deng''s girlfriend."
After adding Nie Zhen''s illusory photo, Madam Justice paused and said, "This is the boss of Aurora Company, and Aurora Company corresponds to the Aurora Order in reality. Their boss most likely symbolizes that True Creator, closely rted to the Ancient Sun God."
As she spoke, Madam Justice also pasted the photo of the half-naked body of Aurora Company''s boss onto the dreamlike wooden board.
After two seconds, Madam Justice continued in a slow voice, "Zhang Yujia once sent Zhou Mingrui a postcard with an image of Sedlec Ossuary.
"For a long time, the Sedlec Ossuary was the iconic possession of the Angel of Imagination."
After Zhang Yujia''s file photo was also pasted onto the illusory wooden board, Madam Justice smiled and said, "When the Spectator pathway reaches the sequence of Dreamweaver, one can split off past identities or personalities, turning them into seemingly real people who can sleep normally, eat normally, socialize normally, and work normally.
"Now, there are a total of five people listed on the ckboard, and there are five pathways rted to omniscience and omnipotence"
Before Madam Justice could state her conclusion, Anthony suddenly came down from upstairs.
Seeing Madam Magician, Lumian, and the others, he exined, "After interacting with Peng Deng today, I was kicked out of the dream. This time it wasn''t because of fear. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"However, I gleaned some information from Peng Deng''s hints."
Seeing everyone''s eyes turn to him, Anthony paused, then said solemnly, "Peng Deng is not only Zhou Mingrui''s childhood friend, he''s likely also the Celestial Worthy''s childhood friend!"
Hearing this, Madam Justice''s lips curved slightly, revealing a smile.
She pointed at the illusory photos on the semi-transparent ckboard and said, "It''s the same for Peng Deng, and the same for Zhang Yujia.
"Peng Deng''s girlfriend Nie Zhen and his roommate Grisha, as well as the boss of Aurora Company whose origin is easiest to discern, all point to the same symbolism."
"The Celestial Worthy''s childhood friend is God Almighty?" Lumian roughly understood what Peng Deng specifically symbolized.
And this symbolism, influenced by the characteristics of the Spectator pathway, had undergone a split, not just in Peng Deng, but in the other four people as well.
"One of the people who least wants the Celestial Worthy to resurrect might be that God Almighty, which is why He specifically arranged to guide you to discover the corresponding psychological trauma in the underground area of Mushu Hospital," Madam Magician said in a tone of sudden realization.
Madam Justice thought for a moment and said in a lowered voice, "If the one currently worshiped by the Aurora Order enters the dream, He should be able to choose one of these five forms as His body. It could be Peng Deng, it could be Nie Zhen, it could be Grisha, it could be Zhang Yujia, or it could be the boss of Aurora Company."
Madam Magician suddenly had a new idea.
"Peng Deng and Grisha are roommates, and Nie Zhen is about to move in with them. Does this symbolize that the trinity is merging?
"Does moving out represent separation and opposition?"
Chapter 1011 Re-entering the Dreamscape
Chapter 1011 Re-entering the Dreamscape
No one could answer Madam Magician''s question, as it involved matters at too high a level and theycked sufficient background information.
Lumian used this as a basis for his thoughts and said contemtively,
"If the symbolic meaning of being roommates and moving out is really this, can we assume that one of Peng Deng, Grisha, and Nie Zhen is the one currently worshiped by the Aurora Order? If He has entered the dream city."
This was because the one currently worshiped by the Aurora Order was already the result of the merged consciousness of the Visionary and the True Creator, and He seemed to want to merge with even more.
"We can preliminarily assume so, but He might randomly use one of the three forms of Peng Deng, Grisha, and Nie Zhen," Madam Justice confirmed Lumian''s guess.
Lumian mused aloud. "The first time we observed Peng Deng, the car broke down, and we happened to meet that person from the Church of Steam nearby, who quickly helped us repair it. We also took the opportunity to establish a connection with Him.
"Was this a coincidence manufactured by Peng Deng? Did he want us to get help from that individual from the Church of Steam?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lumian didn''t directly mention Stiano. It was fine to say it in the dream cityafter all, they were WeChat friends now. But in the real world, even an iplete divine name could potentially bring terrifying consequences.
"It should be." Madam Justice pondered for a few seconds.
At this point, Jenna, who had roughly understood the situation, raised a question, "Did God Almighty arrange for Franca and me to suddenly enter the underground area of Mushu Hospital in order to let us grasp important intelligence, discover previously overlooked key details, and thus interpret the remaining symbols, finding the correct direction to weaken the Celestial Worthy and awaken Mr. Fool?
"Is Franca bing a Demoness of Despair and quickly digesting half of the potion an advance payment?
"But this contradicts the motives of the one currently worshiped by the Aurora Order. We previously spected that He would prefer to maintain a bnced situation until He achieves His goals in the real world, only then allowing Mr. Fool to wake up, to avoid Mr. Fool interfering with His ns."
In a brief silence, Lumian turned to Anthony. "Tell us in detail about how you were kicked out of the dream."
Anthony recalled and said, "After Peng Deng hinted that he was also the childhood friend of others, we didn''t delve into the details of this aspect. We simply talked about the renovation, agreed to find a time to view the house in person, sign the contract, and then left the cafe separately.
"As soon as I was out of Peng Deng''s sight, I felt like I was being kicked out of the dream and rapidly turning into a marite. I ''calmed'' myself, eliminating the fear, but still couldn''t shake off that state. I could only stop resisting and leave the dream."
Madam Justice''s eyes moved slightly as she said, "In other words, Peng Deng is being closely watched by the dream subconscious.
"If he is truly one of God Almighty''s corresponding dream forms, he would indeed be treated this way. Only He is worthy of such treatment by the dream subconscious.
"So, Peng Deng doesn''t meet Zhou Mingrui at night, nor has he made any other attempts. Under such close monitoring, he simply can''t.
"There''s also a reasonable exnation for his renting of the magic mirror. The birth of that magic mirror is suspected to be rted to God Almighty.
"Simrly, there''s now enough reason for why the Star Dream Provisions Store was willing to rent the mirror to him.
"Hmm"
Madam Justice looked at Anthony. "The first time you contacted Peng Deng, you had hallucinations due to fear and actively left the dream. This might have been intentionally done by Peng Deng. His purpose was to remind you to be careful when interacting with him, to be as cautious as when interacting with Zhou Mingrui."
Having inferred this far, Madam Justice nodded lightly. "This time, he actively hinted to you that he''s also the Celestial Worthy''s childhood friend, which seems unusual."
Madam Magician and Madam Justice exchanged nces before saying, "Combining this with the events in the underground area of Mushu Hospital, can we assume that the one currently worshiped by the Aurora Order hopes that Mr. Fool will gain the upper hand soon and gradually wake up with our help?"
"It could also be the tendency of God Almighty''s spiritual imprint, which the one worshiped by the Aurora Order can''t suppress," Madam Justice offered a possibility.
Lumian thought for a moment and showed a slight smile.
"Another possibility is that the one worshiped by the Aurora Order foresaw a major change in the dream city, a change favorable to the Celestial Worthy, so He arranged for Franca to enter the underground area of Mushu Hospital in advance, toe into contact with that psychological trauma, as a hedge.
"It''s also possible that some problems have arisen in the real world, such as hidden dangers left by thest vortex incident, forcing the one worshiped by the Aurora Order to start the n to weaken the Celestial Worthy and awaken Mr. Fool ahead of schedule. Haha, is the sky about to fall, urgently needing tall people to prop it up?"
"Hidden dangers" Madam Magician seemed to have guessed something.
She said to Lumian, "Regardless of which possibility it is, things seem to have be urgent.
"From the key information that Mr. Fool is a transmigrator, we can deduce the issues with Peng Deng, Zhang Yujia, and others, and the special nature of the identity of Gehrman Sparrow. The former currently seems like allies, while for thetter, the temporary breakthrough point is only An Xiaotian."
Madam Magician looked at Madam Justice and Madam Judgment, then said through gritted teeth, "We allow you to use Li Keji''s mushroom to treat An Xiaotian."
Lumian offered a curt acknowledgment. "Okay."
Jenna nodded along, then raised a new question, "But the voice Luo Shan heard in her dream was The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, and the power that teleported us to the underground area of Mushu Hospital doesn''t seem like His."
Lumian chuckled. "I''ve already guessed who did it."
"Who?" Jenna was quite surprised.
He had already guessed?
Lumian chuckled and said, "Mr. Huang Tao."
He immediately added,
"More urately, the mirrored Emperor Roselle."
Madam Justice and the other Major Arcana card holders nodded slightly.
Lumian continued to exin to Jenna, "The mirrored Emperor Roselle has a cooperative rtionship with Zaratulstra, so after entering the dream city, he tried to upy the identity of Mr. Huang. At the same time, Zaratulstra has always suspected that something was wrong with Luo Shan and secretly reminded Zhou Mingrui, while the mirrored Emperor Roselle is an Angel of the Mystery Pryer pathway."
This intelligence was provided by the Major Arcana card holders after discovering that the mirrored Roselle was eroding and influencing Mr. Huang.
"Based on this, we can make a spection. Zaratulstra should have asked the mirrored Roselle, who can control information and influence paintings, for help to confirm if there was something wrong with Luo Shan. The mirrored Roselle reorganized the information of that colorful parrot, controlled it, and made it monitor Luo Shan, but didn''t feed back the obtained intelligence to Zaratulstra.
"This is because the mirrored Roselle is secretly cooperating with the one worshipped by the Aurora Order, just like during thest vortex incident," Lumian looked at Jenna and summarized, "Luo Shan was stimted, developed a psychological trauma, which was discovered by that colorful parrot, who informed the mirrored Roselle. Then, the mirrored Roselle, using the trust of the Celestial Worthy''s forces, secretly ''pushed'' a bit, causing Luo Shan to bring you and the real target, Franca, to the underground area of Mushu Hospital in the dream."
Jenna suddenly understood.
"That makes sense now."
Beside them, Anthony, before going to probe Peng Deng, had learned from Lumian the key point that Mr. Fool was a transmigrator and what exactly happenedst night, so there was nomunication barrier now. He understood the previous conversations rtively easily and didn''t raise any questions.
Madam Justice looked at them and said with a smile, "Now that we''ve discussed the important matters, I''ll give you a general ount of Mr. Fool''s experiences, starting with Klein Moretti"
The relevant events had actually been mentioned in the previous document, but not in enough detail. This time, Madam Justice spoke as if she had seen and heard it personally, starting from the Antigonus family notes and continuing all the way to the end of the Tingen story.
After a moment of silence, Lumian asked slowly, "Captain Dunn and Klein Moretti died just like that at the ckthorn Security Company, to prevent the descent of the True Creator''s spawn?"
"Yes," Madam Magician said with a self-deprecating smile. "Now I understand why Klein Moretti could be resurrected."
Loki''s multiple resurrections were a good example.
Lumian fell silent.
Jenna said with some emotion, "No wonder Officer Deng is also a person who maintains order in the dream city."
After expressing her feelings, she asked curiously, "The final events are so detailed, were they narrated by a survivor at the time?"
"Yes." Madam Justice nodded.
Jenna had a sh of inspiration. "Mr. Star?"
The Major Arcana card holderMr. Starwas indeed a Nighthawk of the Church of Evernight!
Madam Justice smiled lightly but didn''t give a clear answer.
Madam Magician changed the subject. "The real-world Rozanne also said that as much as she hates others bing Beyonders, she admires the Nighthawks."
Jenna made a sound of agreement and said with some emotion, "No wonder the Luo Shan in the dream city has always wanted to be a qualified guardian"
After a brief silence, Madam Justice and Madam Magician took turns talking about the different identities of Mr. Fool, such as Sherlock Moriarty and Gehrman Sparrow.
They didn''t dare to go into too much detail, only picking key points to narrate, fearing it would dy matters in the dream city.
Finally, Lumian stood up and said to the Major Arcana cards and hispanions, "I''ll return to the dream city first."
Madam Justice also stood up and nodded slightly. "We will notify the other Major Arcana cards to be prepared to provide help at any time."
Lumian nodded, made his way back to the second floor, entered his own bedroom, andy down on the bed.
He stared at the ceiling, not falling asleep quickly. His mind shed with bits and pieces about Mr. Fool, with all those things that the Major Arcana card holders had emphasized in their narration.
After quite a while, Lumian finally fell asleep.
Chapter 1012 A New Round of Hints
Chapter 1012 A New Round of Hints
Intis Group, Administrative Department.
Zhou Mingrui, wearing a ck T-shirt, walked in and casually scanned the room before saying to Luo Shan, "It''s really hot this year. School has started and there''s still no sign of cooling down."
Luo Shan nodded repeatedly in agreement and praised the effectiveness of thepany''s air conditioning.
Zhou Mingrui nced to the side and back, asking, "Luo Fu didn''te today?"
He had been nning to approach Luo Fu today to ask why she appeared in the underground area of Mushu Hospitalst night. However, it was almost an hour into the workday and she still hadn''t shown up.
Luo Shan looked around and said in a hushed voice, "Luo Fu is going to resign."
"Hasn''t she been working for less than a month? She''s resigning before even passing the probation period?" Zhou Mingrui was somewhat surprised, but then felt it was also normal.
For a mysterious person like Luo Fu, working at thepany was definitely not for the sry, but for some other purpose. Once that purpose was achieved, or if she felt it couldn''t bepleted and she might be in danger, she would undoubtedly resign without hesitation.
"Yes, there''s something going on at home. Otherwise, who would give up such a good job?" Luo Shan spoke sincerely. "Luo Fu has already submitted her letter and wille tomorrow to go through the procedures."
Luo Fu''s resignation made Luo Shan feel that she herself probably wouldn''t be fired in the short term.
"She''lle tomorrow?" Zhou Mingrui nodded thoughtfully.
He could foresee that Luo Fu''s resignation wouldn''t go smoothly. Someone who had just been hired leaving beforepleting even a monthwasn''t that a p in the face for the recruiters?
Moreover, it would affect the HR department''s performance evaluation.
Zhou Mingrui then turned to Luo Shan and asked, "How is Luo Fu doing now? Why did she go to Mushu Hospitalst night?"
He spoke with a tone of concern for a colleague.
"She''s doing fine now, just hasn''t fully recovered emotionally." Without receiving any "instructions," Luo Shan didn''t dare reveal too much.
She directly skipped over thetter question.
Seeing this, Zhou Mingrui politely smiled and said, "cking time is over, I''m going back to work."
"Bye-bye." Luo Shan waved habitually.
Zhou Mingrui turned and walked towards the exit of the Administrative Department.
Luo Fu''s resignation made him more acutely aware of the undercurrents lurking beneath the surface.
This female colleague seemed to have joined thepany specifically for him. She hadn''t even fully familiarized herself with the Administrative Department''s affairs, yet had already had two meals with him, made some hints, and mysteriously appeared in the underground area of Mushu Hospital when he was investigating it.
Didst night''s events cause Luo Fu to resign?
What exactly is hidden in the underground area of Mushu Hospital, and why did Luo Fu and Luo Shan go there?
What specifically did Luo Fu encounter?
Are mystical methods now being used in workcepetition? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Amidst hismpooning, Zhou Mingrui increasingly wanted to find Luo Fu and ask her face-to-face.
He felt that the things around him were getting stranger and stranger!
Luo Fu and Luo Shan too, they clearly showed goodwill and provided effective hints, so why don''t they just tell me the truth about what''s going on?
We''re all people with supernatural powers, what can''t be said?
We could bepletely open and honest about everything, and discuss things together. Even if I wouldn''t believe everything, I certainly wouldn''t ignore itpletely. I''d remember the key points and verify them one by one in subsequent developments.
If they don''t exin anything clearly, how am I supposed to help them?
Are we filming a TV drama here, where one misunderstanding can be dragged out for twenty episodes?
Is there a reason they only hint at things instead of speaking directly?
Is some force preventing them from telling the truth about what''s happening?
Are there others monitoring me?
Zhou Mingrui unconsciously raised his head and looked around, but didn''t notice anything unusual.
Does the monitoring powere from a supernatural level? Can it even listen in on my private conversations with Luo Fu and Luo Shan?
The first time Luo Fu showed something was wrong, Luo Shan hinted for me to wait two days before talking to her again. That was the day after my first meal with her, during which Luo Fu had hinted at the existence of supernatural powers and the hidden dangers of beverages after Assassin
Was it because she hinted at these things to me that it led to her subsequent problems?
Zhou Mingrui returned to his own workstation and sat down, staring at the screen in front of him, seriously considering how to determine if there was monitoring around him, and if so, how to avoid it afterwards, how to meet with Luo Fu and Luo Shan discreetly, and how tomunicate in a safe environment.
In the Administrative Department, Luo Shan picked up her phone and sent a message to True Hidden de: "Zhou Mingrui came to ask about your situation. He''s not unfazed byst night''s events, he''s just waiting for an opportunity to inquire."
In the open parking lot below the Tech Building housing Intis Group''s headquarters.
Franca, her hair tied in a ponytail, read the WeChat message sent by Luo Shan.
She had originally nned to take Ludwig and wait around the Hall Film Company, ready to help cover up immediately if Dreamscape Jenna made any mistakes. But after much consideration, she decided toe near thepany instead.
Dreamscape Jenna was "professionally trained," with acting skills no worse than the real Jenna. She had also inherited Jenna''s memories of applying to the Hall Film Company and signing the contract, and her own dream was to be a good actress. So, as long as there were no idents likest night, she shouldn''t have any problems.
Moreover, the Hall Film Company had a good boss who managed things strictly, and the internal atmosphere was quite good. As long as Dreamscape Jenna didn''t go to outside film crews for auditions, she was unlikely to encounter the casting couch.
Of course, even if she did, Franca wasn''t worried that Dreamscape Jenna would ept. More than that, she was concerned that Dreamscape Jenna might overreact, use excessive self-defense, and get arrested by the policeshe had probed Dreamscape Jenna''s personality and style this morning and felt that if Dreamscape Jenna encountered something dirty, she would grab all the sharp objects she could find at the scene and make the other party see red.
Comparatively, Luo Shan''s situation was more dangerous.
The forces that causedst night''s incident had clearly targeted Luo Shan, and if one attempt failed, there would be another. Franca didn''t want to be careless and have Luo Shan encounter an "ident," die on the spot, or be a puppet of the Celestial Worthy!
After reading the message from Luo Shan and listening to the sound of Ludwig eating, Franca pondered for a moment before typing out a response:
"You can rmend that Zhou Mingrui watch the ''Terminator'' series of films."
Luo Shan was suddenly stunned when she received the reply.
She finally understood why the story Luo Fu had initially made up sounded so familiar to her!
Most of it was from a movie plot!
Essentially, it really is a bit simr Luo Shan pondered for a few seconds, then opened her chat with Zhou Mingrui: "We''ve been watching old moviestely, the ''Terminator'' series. They''re much better than current Hollywood blockbusters. You should rewatch them too."
Zhou Mingrui, receiving this seemingly random message, fell into deep thought.
He had long forgotten the details of the Terminator series, but still remembered a bit of the core story.
After a moment, he silently said to himself, Are they trying to tell me that I''m the savior?
Downstairs, in the open parking lot.
Franca alternated between checking her phone and observing the situation, patiently waiting for the lunch break.
Her biggest worry now wasn''t Luo Shan''s problem, nor where she should go to make people despair, but that running the air conditioning in a gasoline car while waiting wasn''t a good thing.
Suddenly, someone opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
Franca''s spiritual perception had already sensed it was Lumian who had arrived.
Lumian had changed back to his male form and was in disguise, so he wouldn''t be recognized as security guard Li Ming at first nce.
"How did you know I was here?" Franca asked, both puzzled and curious.
They hadn''t even replenished the Mirror Substitutions they had ced with each other yet!
Lumian smiled, raised his right hand, and pointed to his head. "It''s a simple deduction."
Franca rolled her eyes at him. "I just didn''t feel like thinking about it."
Lumian didn''t continue to tease her. He summarized the key points of what he and the others had discussed with the Major Arcana card holders, as well as Mr. Fool''s past experiences.
"That''s truly legendary" Franca sighed sincerely.
Lumian nodded. "There''s another detail. At the time, I was the one who told Jenna and Luo Shan to ask Zhou Mingrui for help, to make a trip to the underground area of Mushu Hospital. On the way, Jenna remembered it waste at night and worried that directly contacting Zhou Mingrui might cause worse things to happen, so she let Luo Shan go alone.
"Zhou Mingrui agreed to help, and after he ran out of the emergency center, Jenna was immediately kicked out of the dream. But she hadn''t actually appeared in Zhou Mingrui''s sight, and Zhou Mingrui didn''t even know such a person existed."
Franca understood what Lumian was trying to express.
"The Celestial Worthy''s gaze can lock onto indirect reminders?
"Then when we have Luo Shan tell Zhou Mingrui the truth, we need to be prepared for the relevant people to be kicked out of the dream"
"I was the one who told Luo Shan and Jenna to go, I was the mastermind, but I wasn''t kicked out of the dream," Lumian added.
"Either there''s a range or some other limitation on locking onto indirect reminders, or it''s because you were already at B2 of Mushu Hospital at the time Can that ce affect or interfere with the Celestial Worthy''s gaze?" Franca proposed two possibilities.
Lumian smiled. "If the underground area of Mushu Hospital can indeed interfere with the Celestial Worthy''s gaze to some extent, we might be able to use that at a critical moment."
This was a collection of details. They might be useful, or they might have no effect at all, but without collecting them, there wouldn''t even be a chance to test them!
Franca tersely agreed and picked up her phone again, saying, "I should let Queen Mystic know about the mirrored Emperor Roselle, and remind her to pay attention to Mr. Huang''s contradictory behavior."
After opening the WeChat contact "Bernadette," Franca adjusted her mood and sent an energetic emoji: "Pop quiz!
"Please answer which five seas are referred to by the Five Seas!"
She wasn''t sure if the person on the other end of WeChat was currently Queen Mystic Bernadette or Miss Bernie Huang, so she first sent a question whose answer only an outsider would know to verify the other party''s identity.
After a moment, Bernadette responded: "The Sonia Sea, the Fog Sea, do I need to continue?"
"Congrattions, you''re got it correct!" Only then did Franca briefly mentionst night''s events and the possible role yed by the mirrored Emperor Roselle, as well as the reasons they had spected.
After some time, Bernadette replied: "I''d like to discuss this matter in detail. Let''s meet at 2 pm at the book warehouse at 15 Jinhua Street."
Chapter 1013 The Queens Request
Chapter 1013 The Queen''s Request
Franca showed Lumian Queen Mystic''s reply and asked for his opinion,
"Should I go?"
Lumian replied without hesitation,
"I''ll go."
"Alright." Franca understood Lumian''s meaning.
She now had topletely switch to behind-the-scenes support, and should avoid meeting important people unless she found an opportunity to make others despair.
Sometimes, they''d rather send Ludwig!
Franca considered briefly, then quickly typed on her screen:
"I have an important matter this afternoon. Can Lumina rece me to meet with you?"
After sending this message, Franca nced at Lumian and added:
"She knows more details about the relevant matters than I do."
"That''s fine." Queen Mystic quickly replied.
Only then did Franca say to Lumian,
"Go meet Queen Mystic in your female form. Don''t reveal your identity as security guard Li Ming. Although Queen Mystic is our ally, we can''t let her know everything, especially identities that still need to remain undercover."
Thest time they cooperated with Queen Mystic to deal with Zaratulstra, Lumian had also transformed into a Demoness of Despair.
Lumian raised an eyebrow and said teasingly,
"It feels like your IQ has increased since you fell into a situation where you''d lose control and die if kicked out of the dream."
Franca was used to trading barbs with Lumian, and retorted,
"What does that prove? It proves I''m inherently smart, I just usually can''t be bothered to think. Anyway, you''re not stupid either, so you can do the thinking for me."
Ludwig, who had finished his burger in the back seat, raised his head in agreement:
"That''s right, that''s right."
This made Franca fall silent.
Somehow having the child Ludwig agree with her didn''t seem quite right
"I''ll go buy you lunch, then scout out the location and wait to meet Queen Mystic," said Lumian, once again stirring up Franca''s emotions and making her feel more alive. He opened the car door and got out.
2 pm, 15 Jinhua Street.
Lumian, dressed in a woman''s shirt and loose pants, wearing sunsses and a mask, used teleportation to bypass the security guard and went directly inside the book warehouseLumina was still a wanted person, so he couldn''t openly find an excuse to enter.
There was no one in the book warehouse. Lumian looked at the piles of packaged goods and tall metal shelves, walking forward leisurely.
Suddenly, a lush peach forest with blooming flowers appeared before his eyes. A winding stream in the forest flowed into a towering mountain range and into a small cave.
This isted Lumian from the outside world.
Then, Queen Mystic Bernadette walked out from the peach forest.
Her slightly curly brown hair was simply tied up. She wore a loose white T-shirt with patterns, tied at the waist, exuding youthful energy and giving a strong student vibe. It wouldn''t make anyone suspect Bernie Huang of being overly mature.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness Bernadette," Lumian greeted, removing his sunsses and mask.
He still greatly admired Emperor Roselle, so naturally, he was quite respectful towards Queen Mystic.
Bernadette nodded slightly and said,
"Good afternoon."
She didn''t engage in small talk and went straight to the point.
"Tell me everything that happenedst night, not just about the Mirror People."
Lumian only omitted some details about his own changes. He started from when Luo Shan used her Reporter ability and suddenly heard Franca and Jenna talking, realizing she was just an illusory figure in someone else''s dream. He continued up to returning to Mushu Hospital, seeing GrishaPeng Deng''s roommateat the scene through someone else''s short video, and the issue with the colorful parrot in the oil painting.
Queen Mystic listened very quietly, without interrupting or asking for details.
Only when Lumian finished did she ask,
"Is Luo Fu a transmigrator?"
Queen Mystic knows about transmigrators too Well, transmigrators have done quite a few things over the years, possibly even helping her trante the Emperor''s diary, and she can enter and exit Mr. Fool''s dream city Lumian nodded.
"Yes."
"Since Luo Fu saw her past self in those ''cocoons'' on the light gate, does she believe that everyone in the cocoons is a transmigrator?" Queen Mystic further inquired.
"Without a doubt, that''s what she thinks," Lumian replied cooperatively, although he had roughly guessed what Queen Mystic really wanted to ask.
"What are her guesses about the three empty ''cocoons''?" Queen Mystic''s youthful face remained calm.
Here ites, the real question Lumian thought to himself, then answered truthfully,
"She suspects they are the Ancient Sun God, Emperor Roselle, and Mr. Fool." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Bernadette''s expression changed slightly, but she showed no signs of shock.
She said to Lumian,
"The Ancient Sun God may not havee from a ''cocoon'', He has a different origin."
"Uh" Lumian was stunned.
If it wasn''t the Ancient Sun God, then who came out of that "cocoon"?
Bernadette didn''t exin, she just mentioned this.
She said with a hint of sighing,
"No wonder Mr. Fool''s dream contains all the fairy tales and legends I''ve heard.
"No wonder those fairy tales and legends have the power of mystical reappearance"
Lumian closed his mouth, not knowing how to respond for a moment.
After joining the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society, he actually knew where Emperor Roselle''s inventions, writings, and famous sayings came from. After entering the dream city, he confirmed this even more.
However, he still admired Roselle, believing that the Emperor''s life journey from an ordinary person to wearing the crown and finally ascending to godhood was rare in the world, very inspiring and admirable. Moreover, the Emperor did indeed change the trends of the times, the world situation, and various aspects of the country of Intis. His legacy was still frequently mentioned today, still benefiting many lower and middle-ss people, and still changing some people''s destinies.
Bernadette turned sideways, looking towards the brilliant and dreamy pink peach blossom forest that resembled a night sky burning with clouds, and muttered to herself,
"Actually, he rarely told me that those fairy tales and legends were written by himself, thought up by himself
"Most of the time he would say, I''ve organized the fairy tales I heard as a child, I''m telling you the stories that your grandmother once told me, stories that belong only to us, these are stories from my dreams that once brought me a lot of fantasy, I hope they can make your childhood colorful and dreamy too
"When he said these things, it was as if he was looking through me, recalling his own childhood"
Lumian suddenly smiled and lowered his head slightly, saying,
"My sister also told me some fairy tales. Every time she told them, I had a simr feeling."
At this moment, he felt a strong resonance with Queen Mystic.
One''s father was a transmigrator, the other''s sister was a transmigrator, and now they have both passed away, but still retained some hope of resurrection.
Queen Mystic Bernadette looked back at Lumian and nodded gently.
"It wasn''t until I entered this dream city and lived here for a while that I felt I truly understood him."
"Me too," Lumian replied with a self-deprecating smile.
Queen Mystic quickly shook off that nostalgic state and said to Lumian,
"I want to ask you for a favor."
"What favor?" Lumian perked up.
Queen Mystic was silent for a few seconds before saying,
"Whether she''s currently cooperating with the one worshiped by the Aurora Society, or has jumped back to the Celestial Worthy''s camp, or is swaying between the two, her ultimate goal is not what I want to see or am willing to ept.
"I''ve hesitated for a while, but today I''ve finally made up my mind. I want to kick her out of the dream as soon as possible, so she can''t benefit from this real dream. For this, I''m willing to ept the consequence of never being able toe to this city again."
"You want to take action against the mirrored Emperor Roselle soon?" Lumian suddenly realized.
He noticed that Queen Mystic referred to the mirrored Emperor Roselle not with the pronoun "Her" representing Angels, but with "her" symbolizing females.
"Yes." Queen Mystic nodded almost imperceptibly. "Relying on myself alone, even with a Sealed Artifact, it would be difficult to expel her from the dream, so I need your help."
"No problem. You provided us with great help in the Zaratulstra matter," Lumian agreed immediately.
With the mirrored Emperor Roselle''s wavering stance, Lumian didn''t dare to bet that She would definitely side with Mr. Fool, so it was better to eliminate the hidden danger in advance.
Queen Mystic added,
"I will prepay you a fee for this help"
There''s no need to be so polite, we didn''t give you a fee when dealing with Zaratulstra Before Lumian could respond, he heard Queen Mystic state the specific amount,
"500,000."
How much? Lumian instinctively doubted his hearing.
He immediately understood that Queen Mystic was also using this matter to send money to him and his team.
And this broke through the suspected limit of 30,000 per transaction.
Does this mean Queen Mystic has made up her mind regardless of the consequences, and is prepared to be kicked out of the dream for the third time? Lumian tentatively asked,
"When do you n to take action?"
"The sooner the better," Bernadette said concisely.
Lumian considered for a moment before saying,
"Between 3 pm tomorrow and 3 pm the day after.
"And at 2:30 pm tomorrow, I''ll go to Star Dream Provisions Store to rent an item, which might alsoe in handy after Zhou Sasa arrives in Yangdu."
Zhou Sasa would be taking the high-speed rail to Yangdu at noon the day after tomorrow.
Lumian hoped to rent once for two uses, including expelling the mirrored Emperor Roselle from the dream and dealing with the anomalies brought by Zhou Shasha entering the dream city.
"Alright." Queen Mystic didn''t borate.
She thought for a moment and said,
"Since Huang Jiajia and the others have all be marites of the Celestial Worthy, and Lu Yong''an, a Blessed of the Great Mother, has discovered the falsity of your Child of God identity, you must be on guard against them suddenly taking action against Li Keji, cutting off thest hope of curing An Xiaotian."
Hearing these words, Lumian suddenly became alert.
That''s right!
Afterst night''s events, whether it''s the Celestial Worthy trying to eliminate hidden dangers or the Great Mother wanting to maintain bnce, Li Keji could very likely be a key target!
Lumian had originally nned to find Li Kejite tonight when everyone was asleep, to see if the mushroom had met the requirements.
But now it appeared he had to go as soon as possibleright now!
Chapter 1014 Transferred
Chapter 1014 Transferred
Crimson Moon Hospital, Psychiatric Ward.
Lumian directly teleported outside Li Keji''s hospital room.
He had put his sunsses and mask back on.
Taking advantage of the momentary absence of people in this area, Lumian knocked loudly on the steel door.
Almost simultaneously, his spiritual intuition told him: there was no one in this hospital room anymore!
Lumian tensed up and Blinked inside the room.
It was empty, with no one there and no mushrooms. The nket was neatly folded.
Lumian took out a mirror, about to use divination to find Li Keji.
At this point, he frowned, considered briefly, and gave up on the idea, fearing he might divine images he currently couldn''t bear.
He teleported outside the ward, keeping his sunsses and mask on, approached the nurses'' station, and said in a deep voice, "I''m here to visit a patient. Which room is Li Keji in?"
The nurse who was organizing medical records looked up and asked in surprise, "You don''t know?"
"Li Keji has been transferred back to Mushu Hospital. He''s been diagnosed with mental issues. Although he doesn''t need to go to jail, he''ll have to be confined for treatment from now on."
Transferred back to Mushu Hospital? Lumian''s heart sank, and he immediately asked, "When did this happen?"
"Just this morning," the nurse replied, bing a bit impatient. "If you want to visit him, go to Mushu Hospital."
This morning At that time, I had returned to the real world to report the situation, Jenna and Anthony had also been kicked out of the dream, leaving only Franca, who wasn''t in good condition, to secretly protect Luo Shan with Ludwig. We couldn''t look after Li Keji''s situation at all. Moreover,st night''s events were too urgent, and we had to deal with Franca''s mental and psychological issues afterward. We didn''t think to notify Queen Mystic in advance Their timing was impable Lumian asked another question, "Who came to handle the transfer procedures?"
"Of course, it was the patient''s family member, his mom," the nurse said, looking puzzled at the mask and sunsses covering Lumian''s face.
His mom Mother Lumian''s scalp tingled, but he pretended to find it amusing and asked, "How did you confirm that was his mother?"
Would you believe me if I said I was?
The nurse, both annoyed and amused, said, "She came with the household register!
"And the patient''s boss also testified!"
Huang Jiajia was cooperating with Li Keji''s "mom" to handle the transfer? Lumian stopped asking questions and turned to leave the psychiatric ward.
His first reaction was to quickly find a deserted corner and directly teleport to Mushu Hospital, to see if he could get the treatment mushroom before Li Keji truly became the child of the Mother, and rescue him.
If the "prison break" failed, he would switch to assassination,pletely eliminating this dream manifestation, leaving nothing for the Great Mother.
Just as he was about to activate the ck mark on his right shoulder, Lumian had a new idea.
He had no helpers now and needed to find one.
So, he took out his phone, entered a ride-hailing app, and chose a route from Crimson Moon Hospital to Mushu Hospital.
During this process, he walked out of Crimson Moon Hospital and sent a message to Franca: "Li Keji has been transferred back to Mushu Hospital. Bring Ludwig and wait outside Mushu Hospital. If necessary, have Ludwige in to find me.
"Remember to notify Luo Shan, tell her to be alert this afternoon and extremely careful. It''s best if she asionally goes to chat with Zhou Mingrui.
"We can''t lose focus. We can''t rescue Li Keji only to lose Luo Shan."
"Okay." Franca replied concisely.
After deleting the chat history using the Information Shredder, Lumian stood by the roadside, patiently waiting for the ride-hailing car to arrive.
In less than two minutes, a white ride-hailing car stopped in front of him.
Lumian quickly opened the front passenger door and got in.
His gaze then turned to the driver, just in time to see him take out a crystal-like monocle and put it on his right eye socket.
Lumian wasn''t surprised at all; this was exactly what he had expected.
After the driver started the car, Lumian said casually, "Long time no see."
"Not that long, I often watch you all," Amon said, driving normally without using any Beyonder powers.
"We''ve probably deciphered the symbolic meanings of Peng Deng, Grisha, and others in the dream," Lumian said matter-of-factly, suppressing his inner anxiety.
"Let''s hear it," Amon said, honking the horn as the vehicles in front slowed down. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
It was clear that He had integrated very well into this dream city.
Lumian chose his words carefully and briefly described Madam Justice''s conjectures.
Amonughed. "A Spectator is not a qualified Cryptologist. Although the ideas and direction are not wrong, the thinking is not deep enough. If that youngd Pallez were here, it''s possible that all the symbolic meanings would be deciphered."
"Where did we go wrong?" Lumian''s purpose in bringing up this topic was to get confirmation from Amon.
ording to their spection, Amon and His father, for some unknown reason, no longer intended to maintain bnce at present. They wanted to weaken the Celestial Worthy and let Mr. Fool wake up early, which meant They could be considered temporary allies.
Amon turned His head to look at him and said with a smile, "The Spectator herself has said that it''s based on identity and personality to weave real images, not on pathways.
"My father; the True Creator; Adam; the original God Almighty; and Heaven''s deputy, the Left Hand of God, the leader of the Kings of Angels, the Dark Angel Sasrir, how many identities is that in total?"
"Five," Lumian said thoughtfully. "So the Dark Angel among the eight Kings of Angels was also derived from the Ancient Sun God"
This was intelligence he didn''t have before.
Amon adjusted His monocle on His right eye, His smile unchanging, and said, "Looking at it this way, it''s actually quite simple to decipher the corresponding symbolic meanings:
"The boss of Aurora Company symbolizes the True Creator, influenced by The Fool''s cognition, mainly active near the headquarters of Intis Group. Peng Deng and Grisha symbolize the one you hate most and the original God Almighty, but their specific positions are not fixed. They can swap at any time, symbolizing fusion and confrontation. Nie Zhen symbolizes the Dark Angel, representing the part that split off from my father, Adam''s rib is his Eve.
"The True Creator and Adam have already achieved consciousness fusion, so They don''t need to share rent anymore. They can act under different identities through The Fool''s cognition, but Their thoughts are interconnected."
Visionary Adam? Lumian nodded slightly and said, "Zhang Yujia symbolizes your father, the Ancient Sun God?"
"The Corpse Cathedral itself belongs to Him. Zhang Yujia wanders outside the dream city, symbolizing that my father has already left this stage. Now His sessors and the original God Almighty are confronting each other. This is also The Fool''s cognition," Amon said in a slightly mocking tone. "As for the symbolic meaning of sharing rent and moving out, I don''t need to exin that, right?"
This exnation is indeed clearer, but in this matter, Amon can''t be fully trusted either Lumian chuckled and said, "Why is your father''s dream manifestation female?
"Is it because Mr. Fool''s other childhood friend is indeed ady, or in Mr. Fool''s cognition, your father gave birth to you and the Angel of Imagination, and also split off the Dark Angel, making Him a sessful mother?"
Amonughed. "Thest guy who deciphered this aspect of symbolism mocked it the same way. You two are indeed quite simr."
"Who?" Lumian asked vigntly.
"Haven''t you guessed?" Amon nced at Lumian. "Red Angel Medici."
"He can also enter Mr. Fool''s dream?" Lumian frowned.
Could it be that the Red Angel has turned to the Celestial Worthy?
From what we can see now, apart from true gods and those holding Mr. Fool''s gold coins, only a few individuals who have received special grace from the Celestial Worthy can enter this dream city.
Well, it seems other great existences can now send one or two subordinates in through the illusory abyss under Mushu Hospital, like Lu Yong''an. However, the Red Angel is unlikely to cooperate with the Great Mother and others. In the Hostel incident, He just tricked these evil gods
"He has a corresponding manifestation in the dream city and has received help from a top-tier Dreamweaver, so of course He cane in," Amon exined in a light tone.
"Help from a top-tier Dreamweaver" Lumian suddenly had a sh of insight. "It wasn''t the Angel of Imagination who helped Him in, but the original God Almighty?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Amon said with amusement in His voice. "However, the enemy of my enemy might still be an enemy, like you and Medici."
"The Red Angel is so quiet in the dream? What is He doing, what is He nning?" Lumian, wearing sunsses and a mask, asked further.
Amon shook His head. "Go find Him yourself, ask Him."
Before Lumian could ask more, Amon smiled and said, "Peng Deng risked revealing His identity, not just to let you know who He is. Have you deciphered what He really wanted to hint at?"
What He really wanted to hint at Lumian fell into deep thought.
After about ten seconds, he changed the subject and said, "The dream owner''s image in this city is also split?
"Chief Yagates, you, and Zhou Mingrui?"
Amon showed a delighted expression. "Do I look like the dream''s owner to you?"
He said in a teaching tone, "You need to learn to filter out the interference ofplex information and see the most fundamental facts.
"The most fundamental fact is that The Fool has never amodated the Uniqueness of the Error and Door pathways, while the Celestial Worthy has."
Wh Lumian vaguely grasped what Amon was hinting at.
Just as he was about to use vaguenguage and indirect methods to confirm, the car stopped.
"We''ve arrived at Mushu Hospital," Amon suddenly switched to a skilled ride-hailing driver''s tone.
Lumian thought for two seconds and opened the door to get out.
"Remember to give a good rating!" Amon waved and quickly drove away.
"Uh" Lumian was stunned.
His real purpose in calling a ride-hailing car was to find Amon for help, to rescue Li Keji together, but the other party just left like this!
Left
As the symbol of the Uniqueness of the Error pathway, Amon can''t directly intervene in such matters and can only help indirectly? Lumian withdrew his gaze thoughtfully.
Wearing sunsses and a mask, he looked at Mushu Hospital, no longer hesitating. He set off towards the psychiatric department located at the back of the building.
Chapter 1015 Treatment
Chapter 1015 Treatment
As Lumian rounded the main building and saw the separate small building housing the psychiatric department, his phone vibrated once.
It was a WeChat message from Franca: "I''ve arrived near Mushu Hospital, parked diagonally across the street."
"Good, I''m about to enter the psychiatric department." Lumian replied using voice input.
He then put his phone in airne mode to avoid any unexpected disturbances like spam calls during the operation.
He immediately activated the contract mark below his left shoulder, transforming himself into a shadow creature.
He currently didn''t know which room in the psychiatric ward Li Keji was confined in, so he couldn''t directly teleport there. He needed to search around, and Shadow Transformation was more discreet than "hiding in shadows", making it less likely to be discovered.
Lumian''s body quickly thinned and darkened, merging with his own shadow cast by the sunlight, standing alone frozen on the cement ground.
He swiftly glided along, using the shadows of corners, trees, and corridors to make his way into the psychiatric ward, sneaking into the nearest room.
"Haha, haha." The patient in this room wasughing constantly,ughing so hard his waist was bent, tears flowing from the corners of his eyes.
For some reason, Lumian also felt an urge tough madly, as if infected by the other''s emotions.
He nced at the patient, confirmed it wasn''t Li Keji, and immediately retreated through the shadow of the door crack.
As soon as he returned to the hallway, his state quickly returned to normal.
Lumian didn''t dy at all and entered the next room.
He suddenly became irritable, wanting to burst out of the shadows and rush to the nurses'' station, demanding they hand over Li Keji.
His ears were then filled with loud shouts:
"I''m not crazy! I''m not crazy!
"Caution can indeed handle most situations, but it can''t solve all problems.
"When it''s time to take risks, you still need to take risks!"
Lumian roughly determined who the patient in this room was and silently retreated to the hallway of the psychiatric ward.
He glided through the shadows cast by various objects, moving into another patient room.
What entered his field of vision was a patient locked to the bed, as quiet as a statue.
A feeling of sadness and grief gradually welled up in Lumian''s heart. He wanted to go mad, to harm himself.
Wh He maintained his rationality and didn''t linger long in this room.
After regaining hisposure in the hallway, Lumian seriously pondered his recent encounters.
As soon as I enter a patient room, I get infected by the corresponding mental patient?
Mental illness has be contagious, simr to the manifestation of that humanoid Sealed Artifact we encountered before
I understand now, this ce is essentially a dream, and the mental patients also have corresponding symbolism.
They symbolize the negative, crazy, extremely irrational emotions and mental states of the dream''s subconscious. And interactions within the dream are essentially spiritual interactions, so once you get close, you get affected
Why are the doctors and nurses here still normal?
Do they symbolize the dream subconscious''s power to suppress madness and extremes?
From this perspective, the thoughts that suppress crazy mentalities and extreme emotions can also be infected, which is reflected in the dream as doctors or nurses asionally going mad?
Hmm, the doctors here, the nurses here, the medicines and medical equipment here can all be used to deal with the dream''s own crazy mentality and extreme emotions. They symbolize the corresponding forces
Lumian turned his gaze to a nearby treatment cart, looking at the syringes and medicines ced on it.
He felt that in special scenarios, these things might be more useful and effective than the treatment drugs he and others carried.
They were part of the dream''s power.
Having understood the special circumstances of the psychiatric ward, Lumian maintained his shadow creature state and moved even faster, just ncing at each room to avoid being infected by the emotions of different patients.
However, he didn''t find Li Keji or discover any mushrooms.
Not in the psychiatric ward? Lumian quickly left this ce, came to the iron gate at a corner of the wall, re-entered under the pretext of visiting a patient, and approached the nurses'' station.
Wearing sunsses and a mask, he said to the nurse on duty, "I''m here to visit Li Keji."
"Wait a little longer, the patient was sent for treatment and hasn''t returned to his room yet," the nurse looked up at Lumian.
"Where was he sent for treatment?" Lumian suddenly had a bad feeling.
The nurse exined simply, "B1 of the main building, there''s specializedrge equipment there."
B1 of the main building Lumian nodded, turned around, and walked out of the psychiatric department.
On his way to the main building of Mushu Hospital, he restored his phone signal and sent a message to Franca: "Li Keji has been sent to B1, I n to go look for him.
"If I haven''t sent you a message within a quarter of an hour, have Ludwige find mom, this should be very useful in B1.
"If all else fails, the corpse wax candle can be used once more, and Chief Yagates''s honorific name can also be called upon."
Lumian exined in such detail to tell Franca that he still had a way out, to prevent her from risking herself to save him.
After quite a while, Franca replied briefly: "Be very careful, prioritize your own safety."
Lumian switched his phone back to airne mode, transformed into a shadow creature, and infiltrated the main building.
This time, he didn''t choose the elevator, but glided down the dim emergency staircase step by step.
Arriving at B1, just as he turned into the elevator hall, he saw ss doors at the exit.
At this moment, the ss doors were half open, with a wheelchair ced at the entrance.
A person sat in the wheelchair, their entire body wrapped in white bandages, like a living mummy.
Lumian suddenly had a sense of familiarity.
His spiritual intuition told him that the person in the wheelchair was his "colleague", Old Ding, who had been injured by lightning strike at work.
How did Old Ding end up in B1? Where are his family members? Lumian carefully circled around through the shadows next to Old Ding.
The next second, he saw Old Ding struggling to extend his right hand, reaching towards a white paper pasted on the half-open ss door.
Several words were written on that white paper: "Medical area, no entry to unauthorized personnel"
Lumian withdrew his gaze, not interrupting his infiltration.
As he glided along the shadows on the side of the corridor towards where he suspected patients might be, Lumian gradually became uneasy.
He unconsciously looked down and found that at some point he had separated from the shadows and returned to human form.
His contract ability had naturally be ineffective!
Lumian also noticed that the clothes on his body were slowly changing, transforming into the standard attire of a Mushu Hospital orderly.
Wh Lumian associated this with the "mummy" Old Ding at the entrance and that notice, thought of the illusory abyss underground and the characteristics of the Mother Tree of Desire pathway, and quickly formed a guess.
There was a strong curse in this area!
The content of the curse was: no entry to unauthorized personnel!
In other words, unauthorized personnel who enter will be authorized personnel, bing orderlies who frequently enter and exit this ce, bing puppets of the illusory abyss? After figuring this out, Lumian naturally understood how to break this curse.
But he didn''t dare to do so.
His method of breaking the curse was to shout on the spot "Mother, I am Your child!"
The essence of this statement was to acknowledge himself as a true Child of God.
And B1 of Mushu Hospital clearly contained the power and influence of the Great Mother, with the "newborn" in the morgue being proof of this.
Under these premises, the Child of God of the Great Mother certainly wouldn''t be considered unauthorized personnel!
Lumian felt the abnormal changes in his body elerating, and for the moment he couldn''t think of any other way, so he had no choice but to activate the ck mark on his right shoulder and teleport away from this level.
He appeared in the emergency stairwell on the first floor, which was empty.
Fortunately, I could teleport out from B1; otherwise, I would have had to use the corpse wax candle or call upon the honorific names of Madam Magician or Chief Yagates No, at the speed of the changes just now, the Beyonder ritual wouldn''t have had time to take effect Lumian looked down to examine himself and found that his clothes had returned to normal.
He transformed back into a shadow creature and came to the entrance of the emergency stairwell, observing the up and down movement of the elevators while pondering how to prate basement level one and rescue Li Keji without bing a true Child of God.
Amidst his swirling thoughts, Lumian saw a special elevatore up from B1, and an orderly pushed out a transfer bed.
A nurse stood on each side of the transfer bed, and lying on it was a man with a thick beard, eyes tightly closed, wearing blue and white striped hospital clothes.
It was Li Keji.
Has the "treatment" ended? Lumian''s eyes narrowed.
Was I still toote after all?
He watched Li Keji being pushed out of the elevator hall, following in the shadows all the way, out of the main building and back to the psychiatric department.
After confirming Li Keji''s hospital room, Lumian first returned outside, behind some green trees, took out his phone, switched modes, and sent a message to Franca: "Couldn''t prate B1. There''s a curse inside; I was forced to leave early.
"Now, Li Keji haspleted ''treatment'' and returned to his room. I n to sneak in to confirm his condition. If it''s unsalvageable, I''ll execute the cleanup n."
Franca quickly replied: "If the cleanup is tooplicated, we can abandon it for now and bring Ludwig to try.
"I think he''s very effective against food-type enemies, like mushrooms."
That makes sense Lumian replied with an "OK" and directly put the phone into the Traveler''s Bag.
There might be a battleing up, so he needed to protect his phone.
Soon after, Lumian in his shadow creature state slipped through the door crack of Li Keji''s room, silently rising up in front of the bed.
He looked around, gazed at the still sleeping Li Keji, and began to assess his condition.
Suddenly, Li Keji opened his eyes and sat up.
Seeing it was Lumian, he showed a genuine smile.
"I''ve discovered the essence!
"I''ve seeded!"
Lumian''s expression changed abruptly. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He saw Li Keji''s chest swell up, tworge mushrooms raising his hospital gown, milk overflowing, while in Li Keji''s abdomen, mushrooms that seemed to be formed from flesh and blood writhed and tore through the clothing, as if creating a blood-colored, real, directly exposed uterus.
Chapter 1016 Mushroom Monster
Chapter 1016 Mushroom Monster
Lumian looked at Li Keji and asked calmly, "What is the essence? What has seeded?"
Li Keji, with his thick beard and dressed in blue-and-white striped hospital clothes, spread his arms wide and said excitedly, "The essence is that only Mother can bring new life, and only new life can cure your vegetable friend!"
Just as Li Keji finished speaking, a dark iron sword shed toward him through the air.
The surface of the sword burned with crimson mes, which twisted into a ck me that suppressed madness and brutality halfway through.
After hearing the first part of Li Keji''s response, Lumian had already taken out the Sword of Courage from his Traveler''s Bag without hesitation.
He swung the sword at Li Keji, whose chest was swollen with milk mushrooms and whose abdomen was entangled by flesh-and-blood mushrooms forming a uterus. He converted the normal mes into Fire of Destruction.
Only this fire could truly kill the Mushroom King Li Keji, who possessed both the unique cognition of Mr. Fool and the power of Mother''s new life, preventing him from being resurrected from the ashes!
Just as the ck me of destruction was about to strike Li Keji, the patient room vanished, and in its ce appeared a wild, grassy in.
Li Keji had disappeared as well.
The Fire of Destruction fell upon the wilderness of Paramita, scorching a long trench in the earth.
Within the trench, no grass grew.
Next, Lumian saw the soil in the distance loosen as a gigantic mushroom, covered in dark red veins, shot up from the ground like a massive tree, reaching for the sky.
Each of its mycelia was as thick as a branch, white with blood-red spots. Its cap was Li Keji''s erged, bearded head. On its "chest," tumor-like growths rose, oozing a milky liquid. Its abdomen was covered with a translucent membrane, and beneath it, flesh mushrooms interbred, seemingly nurturing a jellyfish-like smaller mushroom inside.
Seeing this, small, dense bumps appeared on Lumian''s skin, as if he had been mildly corrupted.
At the same time, he felt his life force flowing uncontrobly toward the giant mushroom and noticed that the green grass across the wilderness was all bending toward Li Keji, turning yellow.
Li Keji, serving as the mushroom''s cap, spoke fervently and sincerely, "If you want new life, the current amount of life isn''t enough.
"Give me all your lives, okay?"
By now, Lumian''s eyes had taken on a dark, iron-ck hue, and he found the pale white mark that represented the weakness on the giant mushroom.
He teleported to Li Keji''s side, thrusting the Sword of Courage, engulfed in ck mes of destruction, into the giant mushroom''s abdomen.
Several branch-like mycelia whipped around, forming a dense of vines that blocked the dark iron sword''s path.
They were instantly set aze, turning to ash in the rapidly spreading ck mes.
The giant mushroom shuddered violently, cutting off the burning mycelia from its body.
The mycelia fell to the ground, failing to affect the mushroom''s main trunk.
Lumian followed through with a downward sh of the Sword of Courage.
This produced clusters of burning ck fireballs, which exploded immediately.
Rumble!
The violent shockwaves, mixed with destructive ck mes, surged in all directions, engulfing both the giant mushroom that was Li Keji and Lumian''s own body.
Lumian activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, teleporting out of the explosion''s range just in time.
In the next second, he saw the giant mushroom ignited, swaying under the force of the shockwave.
Before Lumian couldunch a second attack, the giant mushroom shed all the parts engulfed by the Fire of Destruction as if shedding its skin, discarding them before they could reach the cap or affect the abdomen and the "child" inside.
In an instant, a vast amount of ash floated in the air, and the giant mushroom''s deeperyers were exposedpulsing with sinews, flesh, and dark red veins wriggling like worms, exuding a strong milky scent.
All of these parts were writhing and rapidly regenerating.
Li Keji''s head, acting as the mushroom cap, showed no hostility, and he happily said to Lumian,
"See? This is the final product.
"Come join us, and you''ll also gain new life!"
As Li Keji finished speaking, Lumian had already pulled out a mirror, reflecting the giant mushroom that had shed its mycelia and outeryer.
Then, he pressed his hand, burning with Fire of Destruction, onto the mirror and wiped it once.
Demoness''s curse!
A curse imbued with Fire of Destruction!
The giant mushroom jerked violently, causing all its flesh and liquid to shrink inward, wrapping its body and Li Keji''s head, serving as the cap, into a bloody sphere.
On the surface of the sphere, clusters of smaller mushrooms stubbornly sprouted.
At that moment, ck mes erupted from within, engulfing the entire bloody sphere.
One by one, the smaller mushrooms fell silently, while theyers of flesh rapidly carbonized.
The bloody mass writhed intensely, and one side suddenly split open, spitting out a wet, newborn mushroom.
This new mushroom was nearly identical to the previous giant mushroom, with Li Keji''s head serving as the cap, branch-like mycelia hanging down, and tumors bulging, oozing milk. Its abdomen was covered by a membrane, nurturing new life inside. The only difference was that it was slightly smaller, as if it had shrunk by a full size.
Covered in greasy, gray-ck afterbirth, the new mushroom shot out from the mother body''s power, swiftly escaping the Fire of Destruction''s burning area.
New Life!
Li Keji had used New Life to sever the connection between the Demoness''s curse and himself just in time!
Is there still a way to escape the curse? As Lumian''s life continued to drain rapidly, his mind tensed, and his gaze followed the flying, spore-scattering new mushroom.
His eyes quickly turned a silvery-white tinged with ck.
He intended to use the Eye of Cmity to search for the ck thread of fate that bound Li Keji, hoping to destroy this New Life and finally kill the mushroom monster in front of him.
Just as the mercury-colored illusory river of fateposed of countlessplex symbols appeared in Lumian''s vision, he suddenly felt an itch on his skin.
Instinctively, he lowered his head and saw that the small bumps on his skin had grown slightly, beginning to bloom as if about to sprout tiny mushrooms.
He had been corrupted by observing Li Keji''s River of Fate!
Instantly, sinister and silent Demoness''s ck mes ignited on Lumian''s body, consuming the burgeoning mushroom clusters without a sound.
Enduring the pain, Lumian teleported to the edge of Paramita.
He wanted to see if he could lure Li Keji to the police station and use the official forces and the power of the dream''s main consciousness to eliminate this mushroom monster.
Paramita did not stop Lumian, allowing him to pass through.
What greeted Lumian''s eyes was not the patient room of the psychiatric department at Mushu Hospital, but a spacious, dimly lit room, with half-drawn curtains, a desk, bookshelves, and a sofa set.
Lumian stood at the room''s entrance.
From the corner of his eye, he saw that the door was half-open, with a conspicuous namete embedded on it. The namete bore five words in the local dream city script: "Dean''s Office."
The dean''s office? Lumian tensed even more and instinctively turned his gaze toward the area behind the desk.
There was a leather executive chair, and leaning against it was a figure.
The figure wore a white doctor''s coat, had sparse eyebrows, bright brown eyes filled with a smile, and chestnut hair tied into a high bun. Her features were clean and alluring, exuding an elegant air, while she cradled a chubby, swaddled baby in her arms.
Lumian was momentarily stunned.
He knew this person.
She was one of the few surviving vigers from CorduMadame Pualis!
Pualis de Roquefort.
As Lumian''s thoughts raced, he didn''t immediately teleport away. Instead, he looked at Madame Pualis, who sat behind the desk holding the adorable baby, and smiled.
"So the new dean of Mushu Hospital is you.
"What a pleasant surprise."
As he spoke, Lumian recalled that Matriarch Rnd of the Church of Earth Mother, an Angel of the Mother pathway, was only the associate dean of Mushu Hospital, yet Madame Pualis was able to be the dean.
What did this signify?
Was Madame Pualis more powerful, or was she the proxy of the Great Mother?
Madame Pualis looked at Lumian, who was wearing a mask and sunsses, and smiled.
"I was equally delighted and surprised to find you here.
"And you now have a part of Aurore with youwhat a double joy.
"I''ve recently learned a phrase about life''s joys: ''Reuniting with an old friend in a faraway ce and celebrating your wedding night by candlelight.'' Our situation fits the first."
"Why don''t you take off your sunsses and mask so I can get a good look at you, and then we can enjoy our wedding night together and bring Aurore into the world?"
Do all of you followers of the Great Mother talk about having children as soon as you meet? Lumian didn''t get angry or upset at Madame Pualis''s words.
Some things couldn''t be stopped, so it was best to stay calm, just like when the secret ceremony had brought dangerous power, leading to the mutation of the Blood Emperor''s remnant aura and the transformation of the souls of the Cordu vigers into soldiers sealed within.
Following Madame Pualis''s suggestion, Lumian took off his sunsses and removed his mask, revealing a bright face with a hint of a cold smile.
If I don''t show my face, how can I Charm her better?
And without better Charm, how can I create the best opportunity to escape? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
As he kept an eye on the mushroom monster that Li Keji had be, Lumian shifted his gaze to the little angelic baby cradled in Madame Pualis''s arms. "Is she your child?"
"Yes," Madame Pualis answered with a smile, her eyes roaming across Lumian''s face.
Lumian instantly thought of the empty crib in the Cordu vige ruins and asked, as if casually,
"What''s her name?"
With a serene smile, Madame Pualis replied, "Omebe."
Chapter 1017 Child
Chapter 1017 Child
Omebe?
She is also called Omebe?
Was the mysterious baby Madame Pualis had been carrying in Cordu Vige named Omebe? Did that empty crib belong to Omebe?
At this moment, Lumian felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
Previously, Madam Magician had joked that as long as the dean of Mushu Hospital wasn''t named Omebe, it wouldn''t be a problem. At the time, Lumian thought it was just a horror story, and even if the dean was really named Omebe, it shouldn''t be his biggest concern. But hearing that Madame Pualis''s child was called Omebe truly sent chills down his spine.
If it were just Madame Pualis bing the dean of Mushu Hospital, or just her giving birth to a mysterious child who had shown strange qualities in Cordu Vige, Lumian wouldn''t have been so shocked and frightened. These would have been unexpected but not unreasonable events.
But the baby was named Omebethe mysterious child Madame Pualis had carried and given birth to in Cordu Vige was called Omebe.
If Madame Pualis wasn''t lying, if that baby was truly the Omebe Lumian knew, didn''t that mean he had once "coexisted" with the infant Omebe in Cordu Vige for some time? Andter, he had killed another unborn Omebe, obtained Omebe''s bloodline through the corresponding umbilical cord remnants,e into contact with the remains of the earliest Omebe, and encountered some things and arrangements rted to Omebe!
Had all this been foreshadowed in the disaster at Cordu Vige, rather than beginning only when he ate Omebe''s umbilical cord remnants?
Lumian suddenly felt as if he was back in a scene from his vagrant life. At that time, he was huddled in a corner, watching arge, slippery, ferocious poisonous snake slowly slithering past him, not daring to move a muscle. Now, he seemed to feel that cold, damp, slippery sensation crawling over him, seeping in bit by bit, silently coiling around him.
If the baby Madame Pualis gave birth to in Cordu Vige was Omebe, then who was in Father Montserrat''s belly, whom I killed?
Where did the umbilical cord remnants I atee from, and why could they help me contact the remains of the earliest Omebe? Why could they make the Mother''s children, whocked necessary wisdom, mistake me for the Child of God, Omebe?
In the depths of the Underworld, who did that egg nurtured by the ancient god''s remains point to? Why could I hear the call for Omebe?
Moreover, why did the followers of the Great Mother want to induce me to be the true Child of God, to be the real Omebe? Hadn''t Omebe already been born?
What is going on?
Which one is real, and which is fake?
Are they all fake? Are they all real?
Lumian''s gaze fixed on the baby in Madame Pualis''s arms. He noticed her chubby face, rosy and delicate, incredibly adorable.
"Oh, so she''s Omebe. Who''s her father?" Although Lumian''s inner thoughts were bubbling like boiling water in a steam boiler, outwardly he maintained a calm demeanor.
This was a basic quality of a Hunter, and he also had the endurance of an Ascetic.
Madame Pualis suddenly smiled. "If I said it was you or Aurore, would you believe me?"
"Stop with the hellish jokes. We''ve never touched you," Lumian said, outwardly unperturbed.
"Yes, I regret that too. I hope we''ll have a chance to make up for it in the future," Madame Pualis sighed and said, "Her mother is me, and also the Great Mother. As for her father, on the surface, it''s the padre, but there''s someone else."
Someone else Just as Lumian was about to start eliminating the vigers of Cordu Vige one by one, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.
He half-turned and saw the giant mushroom with Li Keji''s head as its cap appearing in the dim corridor.
At this moment, the smile on Madame Pualis''s face faded slightly. She said in a casual tone, "Come, the child needs you."
As soon as she finished speaking, the baby in the swaddling clothes began to cry loudly.
Hearing this loud cry, Lumian''s body instinctively, involuntarily walked towards Madame Pualis, towards the baby Omebe. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
It was like two mutually attracted mas finally meeting.
Lumian suddenly had some realizations:
Madame Pualis wants to do something with my body, which possesses Omebe''s bloodline!
Afterst night''s events, Li Keji was quickly transferred to Mushu Hospital for treatment, not only because the Celestial Worthy wanted to eliminate this hidden danger and the Great Mother attempted to bnce the situation, but also because Madame Pualis nned to attract me here!
I refused to seek help from the Great Motherst night to be the true Child of God, so did the Great Mother and the Celestial Worthy temporarily reach an agreement?
Lumian didn''t hesitate. He activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, attempting to teleport away.
His figure disappeared from the dean''s office, but he didn''t appear at the entrance of the police station in the dream city.
He arrived in the wilderness again.
In the depths of the wilderness stood a gigantic green oak tree that seemed to connect the sky and the ground. The top of the oak tree appeared to lead to heaven, disappearing intoyers of white clouds.
Lumian saw that the surface of the enormous oak tree that seemed to hold up the sky was marked with scorch marks from lightning strikes. Its bark was mottled, concealing vitality.
His gaze followed theplex patterns formed by the mottled bark, instinctively moving upward. Near the top of the tree crown, he saw a newly grown branch.
It had grown tenaciously from a charred spot caused by lightning strikes, entwined with some lush, vibrant mistletoe.
At this moment, this new branch, along with the mistletoe, was grasped by a chubby, fair little hand. The hand belonged to the swaddled baby Omebe.
She wore a floral crown and was "dressed" in a fresh green dress. Madame Pualis, whose lower body had transformed into a giant bird shape and whose back had sprouted brown wings, held her in her arms.
"Come, the child needs you!" Madame Pualis''s voice echoed across the entire wilderness. The mushroom monster that Li Keji had be also appeared at the edge of the wild.
Lumian attempted to teleport out to no avail. He immediately threw out a mirror, preparing to enter the area behind the mirror, to see if he could use the mirror world to escape this wilderness.
The next second, the ss surface of the mirror seemed toe alive, softening and writhing, forming a "mouth" leading to a dark depth.
Lumian made a quick decision, abandoning the attempt to prate the ss surface, letting the mirror fall on its own.
Smack!
The mirror shattered into multiple pieces, each mercury-coated ss shard desperately crawling away.
Lumian snorted, and quiet ck mes surged from within his body. Outside the ck mes, thick frost quickly condensed, as if to create a coffin for slumber.
The invisible spider silk that had already spread throughout the surrounding area retracted, wrapping around the frostyer byyer, preparing to form a huge cocoon.
This was a Demoness''s strongest defense mechanism, capable of both dispelling curses and negative influences, and resisting substantial damage.
Lumian''s n was to use this ability to buy time to actively exit the dream or light the corpse wax candle toplete the secret deed ritual.
However, before the spider cocoon could fully form, the Demoness''s ck mes seemed to take on a life of their own, truly burning Lumian''s spirituality. The iceyer that was supposed to provide defense also began to restrict Lumian''s movements.
They had alle alive!
Lumian immediately activated the ck mark on his right shoulder.
He moved to the edge of the wilderness, far from the giant mushroom man, escaping the influence of the Demoness''s ck mes andyers of frost.
Although he couldn''t teleport out of this wilderness, he could still Blink around within it.
"Come, the child needs you!"
As he heard Madame Pualis''s voice, Lumian ran a few steps towards the gigantic oak tree that seemed to hold up the sky.
No good, in this preset battlefield, within Paramita, in front of the baby Omebe, although everyone is suppressed to the Sequence 7 level, I''m still being very effectively restrained. I can''t hold out for too long Should I recite Madam Magician''s honorific name or utter "Leodero," the sphemous incantation? No, I might only have one chance to recite the honorific name, and "Leodero" might not be able to break the giant oak tree''s seal on Paramita If we''re going down, let''s go big, everyone perish together! As Lumian thought, he reached into the Traveler''s Bag and firmly grasped that special mirror world fragment.
Then, he initiated teleportation again, using this to resist the invisible pull of baby Omebe on himself and her strange ability to bring things to life.
After Blinking to the next position, Lumian opened his mouth and quickly recited a sentence in ancient Hermes, "Great Door of All Doors;"
Lumian was about to recite the honorific name of Chief YagatesMr. Doorto attract His attention!
This represented the power of the dream subconscious maintaining order.
Although this would result in Lumian himself being permanently kicked out of the dream, Madame Pualis, the mushroom-transformed Li Keji, and baby Omebe here, every single one of them, wouldn''t be able to continue "staying" in the dream city!
This was equivalent to eliminating hidden dangers for Jenna, Franca, and others in their subsequent actions.
As for whates after, trust in teammates!
After reciting the first honorific name, Lumian teleported to another side of the wilderness, avoiding the attacks of Madame Pualis and Li Keji.
"Guide of the endless cosmos;"
Lumian finished one sentence and quickly disappeared from his original spot.
Seeing this, Madame Pualis opened her mouth, about to unleash a Banshee''s Shriek.
At this moment, a male version of Lumian appeared in the wilderness.
He was a shallow mirror image created by the mirror world fragment, very weak.
He spread his arms and shouted loudly in ancient Hermes, "Leodero!"
This voice burst out almost simultaneously with the Banshee''s Shriek. As the shallow mirror image shattered under the influence of the sound waves, the sky above suddenly darkened.
In the darkness, dense clouds gathered, and countless silver-white electric snakes jumped to form a huge lightning bolt, striking towards that giant, sky-supporting green oak tree.
Smack!
Arge number of small, silver-white electric snakes crawled over the surface of the oak tree, creating patches of charred marks, but it didn''tpletely die, still constantly regenerating.
This effect temporarily paralyzed Madame Pualis and baby Omebe.
Crack, the Mirror Substitution Lumian, who had shattered under the Banshee''s Shriek and the overflow of lightning, appeared not too far from Li Keji, reciting the third line of the honorific name.
"Key to all mysterious worlds."
Chapter 1018 "Desperate" Struggle
Chapter 1018 "Desperate" Struggle
As Lumian recited the third line of the honorific name, the dark clouds and lightning in the sky suddenly copsed towards the center, forming a huge vortex swirling upwards. It was as if a giant with the sky as its face had opened its single eye, or a strange tunnel with an unknown destination had appeared out of thin air.
This vortex rapidly expanded, as if it would tear apart heaven and earth, swelling into a door.
Seeing this, Madame Pualis, who had just broken free from her paralyzed state, frowned slightly. Holding baby Omebe, she shrank into the interior of the giant green oak tree that seemed to hold up the sky, disappearing from Lumian''s sight.
Lumian then saw the mushroom monster with Li Keji''s head as its cap standing rigidly in ce, as if it had encountered some kind of restraint.
Immediately after, the mushroom monster began to disintegrate from its abdomen, like a vase smashed to the ground, breaking into manyrge pieces.
These pieces continued to break apart, and in just a few seconds, they became a pile of particles barely visible to the naked eye.
The disintegration rapidly spread to different parts of the mushroom monster''s body, finally reaching Li Keji''s head that served as the mushroom cap.
The head quickly became as if it were pieced together from fragments, but Li Keji''s face showed no trace of hatred or resentment.
His expression twisted uncontrobly from pain, but his eyes were unusually sincere and joyful.
He struggled to say to Lumian, "I really seeded
"Join us let''s go be reborn together"
Before he finished speaking, Li Keji''s head shattered even more severely, breaking into individual pixels.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian found that the giant oak tree had suffered a simr fate.
But after it disintegrated, Madame Pualis and baby Omebe did not appear in the tree''s core.
They had hidden somewhere unknown, or perhaps had left the dream in some way beforehand.
So powerful Is this the power of the dream''s main consciousness maintaining order? Lumian activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, trying to escape the current copse of Paramita.
Although he had mentally prepared himself to bepletely kicked out of the dream and never be able to return, he hadn''t been sentenced yet, had he?
He had to struggle a bit!
What if he seeded?
Lumian''s figure immediately disappeared from the spot.
His chosen destination was the entrance of Yangdu Prison.
Yes, I''vemitted a crime, you can lock me up, but don''t "exile" me!
The next second, Lumian appeared in a spacious office, seeing a middle-aged man wearing a clean white shirt with ck diamond-patterned police ranks on his shoulders.
This middle-aged man had a rigid demeanor, with deep ck hair interspersed with some white. He sat quietly behind the desk, looking at Lumian with deep brown, almost ck eyes. He was clearly the chief of the dream city''s Police Department, the symbol of the Uniqueness of the Door pathway, Yagates!
My teleportation destination was changed to the police chief''s office? Lumian suddenly had this realization.
At this moment, Yagates asked in a deep voice, "Who are you, and what do you intend to do in Yangdu?"
Along with the deputy chief''s questioning, Lumian suddenly felt a strong rejection from the dream and his own rapid maritization.
He understood very well that if he left the dream city like this, he would never be able to return.
Lumian''s thoughts raced as he made a final struggle.
He recalled a hint Amon had given him on the way to Mushu Hospital.
"The most fundamental fact is that The Fool has never amodated the Uniqueness of the Error and Door pathways, while the Celestial Worthy has"
This sentence didn''t mention that Mr. Door had long amodated the Uniqueness of the Door pathway, and Amon had briefly amodated it
So, the Chief Yagate''s essence is a product of the dream subconscious cognition, Mr. Door''s spiritual imprint, the Celestial Worthy''s spiritual imprint, and a bit of Amon''s spiritual imprint,bined to symbolize the Uniqueness of the Door pathway, symbolizing the dream''s main consciousness maintaining order
Chief Yagates only the dream subconscious part has a bit of Mr. Fool''s spirit To avoid being kicked out this time, or not beingpletely kicked out, I can only find a way to strengthen or stimte Mr. Door''s spiritual imprint Lumian had an inspiration in a very short time and recalled Madam Magician''s introduction to Mr. Door.
Before his thoughts stalledpletely, before the dream''s rejecting force threw him out, Lumian blurted out in response to the Chief''s question, "I am an ally of the Abraham family!"
Suddenly, Lumian felt the air around him solidify.
At the same time, he noticed that the Chief''s deep brown, almost ck eyes showed a hint of confusion and contemtion. His brows furrowed unconsciously, as if trying to remember something but unable to truly recall.
The force rapidly maritizing Lumian suddenly slowed, and the strong rejection from the dream did the same.
As expected Chief Yagates mainly embodies the conflict between Mr. Door''s spiritual imprint and the Celestial Worthy''s spiritual imprint Just now, I was thinking that even if beingpletely kicked out of the dream was unavoidable, I should still tell Chief Yagates about Mr. Door directly with the idea of mutual destruction, stimting the corresponding spiritual imprint to make it more active Lumian''s condition improved considerably, and his thoughts were no longer so stalled.
Seeing that Chief Yagates didn''t respond, he further said, "My guide is a student of a member of the Abraham family, and now she is protecting the entire Abraham family!"
Chief Yagates''s expression grew more confused, but his face was no longer stern.
Lumian quickly examined himself and found that the dream''s rejecting force still existed but had weakened slightly.
It''s working, I need to increase the intensity! Lumian thought for just a second before shouting, following his spiritual intuition, "I am a Hunter, and also a Demoness, and I still have traces of Alista Tudor''s aura on me!"
"Alista Tudor" Chief Yagates murmured, repeating the name as if it were both familiar and unfamiliar. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Feeling that the dream was still rejecting him, Lumian considered for a moment and said, "I''ve also been corrupted by the crimson moon, but currently, the situation is under control."
He knew that Mr. Door had once encountered corruption from the Great Mother, which was amon point between them.
Earlier, he would have directly stated that it was corruption from the Great Motherafter all, it was a desperate struggle, what couldn''t be said?
But now, seeing hope of not beingpletely kicked out of the dream, he naturally dared not speak too inly, fearing that it would not only stimte Mr. Door but also the Celestial Worthy, causing the situation to take a sharp turn for the worse!
In a popr saying in dream city, this would be like "he who is down need fear no fall."
Previously, Lumian was down and had nothing to lose, but now the change in the situation had put him back on his feet, giving him something to be cautious about.
Chief Yagates once again gazed at Lumian in his Demoness of Despair state, seemingly re-evaluating this wanted criminal who had brought chaos and conflict.
But the dreamscape''s rejecting force didn''t weaken further.
Lumian endured this rejection and rapid maritization, and thought of another connection between himself and Mr. Door.
With an attitude of giving it a try, he said, "Amon once guided me."
He said this not only because Mr. Door and Amon were both Grand Dukes of the Tudor Empire, but also with the hidden intention of stimting that bit of Amon''s spiritual imprint within the Chief.
"Amon" Chief Yagates raised his right hand and pinched his chin.
Lumian saw his reaction but didn''t feel the dream''s rejecting force and rapid maritization force continue to weaken.
It''s still not enough, just a little more Lumian shouted onest time before he could no longer resist that rejecting force, "I came to Yangdu to fight against those destroyers, to fight against the apostles of evil gods, to prevent the evil gods from invading!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lumian felt the dream''s rejecting force suddenly weaken, and the force trying to maritize him became vague and unclear.
Chief Yagates, looking at Lumian, slowly nodded. "I can sense that you''re not lying.
"Breaking thew must certainly be punished, but if there are reasons and it''s pitiable, the punishment can be reduced."
Hearing these two sentences, Lumian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
His interpretation of this was: he would be imprisoned, but not for life or sentenced to death;
he would be kicked out of the dream, but notpletely kicked out.
"I ept the punishment," Lumian didn''t argue further, because Chief Yagates had already passed his judgment.
He only sincerely requested, "Can I notify my family?"
"You may." The stern-faced Chief Yagates didn''t refuse this request.
Lumian quickly took out his phone and, in front of Chief Yagates, sent a voice-to-text WeChat message to Franca:
"I''m fine, but I might be locked up for a while. You can ask Miss Huang for help to find awyer, see if they can get me out on bail.
"The mushroom monster has been eliminated, but Li Keji said he ultimately seeded. Wait for Jenna toe back, and have her take Li Lu to tour the wards in Crimson Moon Hospital and Mushu Hospital where Li Keji was hospitalized. See if they can discover anything.
"Also, pay attention to whether Mushu Hospital has changed its dean."
After sending this message, Lumian waited for about ten seconds before receiving a brief reply from Franca:
"Okay."
Lumian immediately used the Information Shredder to delete the chat history along with the contact list, then put the phone back into the Traveler''s Bag.
After doing this, he looked back at Chief Yagates. "I''m ready."
Only then did the deputy chief pick up the desk phone and dial a number.
"Deng,e over here for a moment."
As he spoke, Lumian felt the dream''s rejecting force be strong once again.
He no longer resisted, following this force to exit the dream.
Trier, inside a luxurious vi.
Lumian opened his eyes in bed for the second time in one day.
After examining his state, his first reaction was to try to enter the dream city again.
The next second, he felt he wasn''t blocked, so he stopped this behavior, nning to wait 24 hours before trying again.
From a timing perspective, this wouldn''t affect Queen Mystic''s n to banish the mirrored Emperor Roselle.
Chapter 1019 Who is the Father?
Chapter 1019 Who is the Father?
Phew Lumian exhaled, got out of bed, and walked out of the room.
In the living room downstairs, Madam Justice was serving Madam Magician, Madam Judgment, Jenna, and Anthony the most authentic Loen afternoon tea.
This was also to soothe the minds and spirits of the two Minor Arcana, helping them rx and feel the reality of the present moment.
"Why have you left the dream again?" Jenna looked at Lumian in the living room doorway with surprise.
"I was kicked out," Lumian said with a smile.
Compared to beingpletely kicked out, being able to enter the dream again was indeed something to be happy about.
"Because of Li Keji?" Madam Magician asked thoughtfully.
"Yes." Lumian sat down and recounted his agreement with Queen Mystic, Li Keji''s transfer and tragic treatment, and what Amon had said in the ride-hailing car.
After hearing Amon''s interpretation of the symbolic meanings of the dream images of Peng Deng, Grisha, and others, Madam Justice said somewhat embarrassedly, "I''m really not an expert in this area."
"That''s perfectly normal," Madam Magician said with a smile. "Mr. Pallez''s interpretation will arrive soon, and we canpare it with Amon''s."
After saying this, she gestured for Lumian to continue.
Lumian went on to describe Li Keji''s transformation, Madame Pualis''s appearance as the new dean of Mushu Hospital, the appearance of baby Omebe, and what happened after he recited Mr. Door''s honorific name.
"Using ties worked?" Madam Magician asked, both surprised and amused to hear that Lumian wasn''t permanently kicked out of the dream city and could enter once more.
If she had known this earlier, she might have been able to obtain a better oue previously!
Madam Justice nced at Madam Magician, reading her true thoughts.
In Madam Justice''s view, this actually reflected a difference in personality:
Being permanently kicked out of the dream wouldn''t result in death, and one could still follow the guidance of fate to give away the lucky coin, find new helpers, and continue exploring and experimenting in the dream city. Therefore, Madam Magician couldn''t have had the mindset of being on the brink of perishing and struggling desperately, so she more easily epted the corresponding oue.
Lumian was different. He had experienced being a tramp, and in such a life, every bit of resource and every opportunity was extremely important. Therefore, he wasn''t used to giving up and would instinctively struggle until failure truly arrived.
"It works," Lumian recalled. "Chief Yagates had the strongest reactions to things rted to the Abraham family and protecting the dream city from invasion by evil gods. His feedback on these was also the most positive. Hmm, the names of the Blood Emperor and Amon also stimted him to some degree, giving him a sense of familiarity. But he didn''t have an obvious reaction to the matter of the Great Mother''s corruption."
"Rted to the Abraham family protecting the dream city from invasion by evil gods" Madam Magician suddenly sighed.
Madam Judgment then said to Lumian, "After experiencing Amon''s deification, the Great Mother''s corruption probably doesn''t have much manifestation in Chief Yagates anymore.
"And only you could elicit certain reactions from Chief Yagates through the names of the Blood Emperor and Amon."
Lumian understood Madam Judgment''s meaning.
Only someone like him, carrying the residual aura of the Blood Emperor and Amon''s boon, could say such words with credibility and bring about genuine stimtion. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Let''s hope that the things you mentioned can make Mr. Door''s spiritual imprint on Chief Yagates more active and maintain it for a while. This will be very helpful for subsequent probing and experiments." Madam Justice nodded in agreement.
She vaguely felt that the lucky coin ending up with Lumian after all its twists and turns was indeed the guidance of fate.
There was only one person who simultaneously embodied the concepts of Hunter, Demoness, demigod, Amon''s boon, residual aura of the Blood Emperor, Omebe''s bloodline, Underworld Daoist''s seal, rtive of a transmigrator, and having a connection to the Abraham family.
At this point, Jenna, more concerned about another matter, raised a question, "What''s the deal with that baby Omebe that Madame Pualis was holding?"
What impact would this have on Lumian?
"When I arrived in Cordu, the crib was long empty. All I know is that the Child of God has already been born in the spirit world. The initial root of all this was indeed the child Madame Pualis ''lost''." Madam Magician slowly shook her head.
Lumian recalled and said, "Last year, in Trier, Madame Pualis said that the child had died long ago, killed by her fatherthe padrewho didn''t know it was his child
"This time, Madame Pualis said again that the child''s father was ostensibly the padre, but actually someone else. Who could it be?"
Madam Magician pondered for quite a while, then said with a slightly peculiar expression, "Perhaps, at that time, baby Omebe had to die because she didn''t yet have sufficient conditions to truly be born into the real world. Being killed by her father might be an important symbol for her future rebirth and arrival in reality."
"You have a guess about her real father?" Madam Justice looked at Madam Magician, not hiding her curiosity.
What kind of guess could make Madam Magician''s expression change so obviously and strangely?
Seeing Lumian, Jenna, and others also looking at her, Madam Magician cleared her throat and said, "It''s just a guess, I can''t guarantee it''s correct."
"Who?" Madam Judgment asked cooperatively.
Madam Magician looked up at the sky and lowered her voice. "Eternal zing Sun."
What? Jenna and Anthony were stunned.
Madam Justice and Madam Judgment were equally surprised.
Eternal zing Sun? Lumian looked at Madam Magician with only one thought in mind, How did she make that connection? Is this what it means to be a novelist?
Madam Magician stood up and began to pace as she spoke, "Guiume B was the padre of the Eternal zing Sun Church in Cordu Vige, essentially the representative of the Eternal zing Sun in this parish. Is there any problem with this statement?"
"No." Jenna instinctively shook her head.
This was basic theological knowledge.
Madam Magician looked at Lumian.
"You saw Madame Pualis and the padre having an affair in the cathedral at that time, right?"
"Yes." Lumian nodded slightly.
"Having an affair and conceiving a child in the Eternal zing Sun cathedral, near the altar, with the representative of the Eternal zing Sun could indeed point to the Eternal zing Sun as the child''s father. But the premise is that the Eternal zing Sun Himself agreed or acquiesced, which is impossible, right?" Madam Judgment felt this was something a High-Sequence being of the Sun pathway wouldn''t do.
Madam Magician smiled. "The Eternal zing Sun certainly didn''t agree or acquiesce at the time, and might not even have known about it. This is also one of the reasons why that baby had to die after being born in Cordu Vigethe corresponding symbolism wasn''t established yet.
"But do you remember what happened afterwards? The Eternal zing Sun pretended to cooperate with the Great Mother, letting Lady Moon of the Nightstalkers conceive a Child of God.
"Later, the birth and advent of that Child of God helped Red Angel Medici sessfully kill Vermonda Sauron and obtain that Conqueror Beyonder characteristic.
"Not long after that Child of God was sacrificed, Madame Pualiswho entered Fourth Epoch Trier disappearedunaffected by the subsequent cleanup.
"These events, when viewed separately, don''t seem problematic. But when connected, they point to something."
Madam Justice nodded thoughtfully.
"The Eternal zing Sun used the Great Mother to make Red Angel Medici''s plot seed, but was also used by the Great Mother?"
Madam Magician sighed and said, "What the Great Mother wanted from the beginning wasn''t the baby in Lady Moon''s womb, but the act of the Eternal zing Sun making Lady Moon conceive a Child of Godthis symbolism.
"Once that Child of God died, the long-deceased baby Omebe, who had the basic symbolism, inherited this rtionship, gained new life, and helped Madame Pualis escape the subsequent cleanup.
"It wasn''t until then that baby Omebe was truly born, but she wasn''tplete enough yet and needed to find a medium to descend into reality. After that, whether it was Father Montserrat or that bird egg in the depths of the Underworld, they were probably preparing for this."
"Now, I''m the best medium?" Lumian suddenly understood why Madame Pualis wanted him toe over, saying the child needed him.
Jenna listened in a daze, taking quite a while to sort out the rtionships.
She asked confusedly, "But letting the father-child rtionship of Lady Moon''s child be inherited by the long-deceased baby Omebe doesn''t seem like something within the Great Mother''s authority."
"The Celestial Worthyif the two great existences were already cooperating at that time." Madam Magician answered concisely.
"Reasoning it out this way, the Eternal zing Sun really could be the father of that baby Omebe in Madame Pualis''s arms" Lumian couldn''t help but mutter, "The padre wasn''t wrong when he said the affair was an action of the holy church Although he himself didn''t know the true meaning Is this also a manifestation of symbolism?"
The room fell silent.
After quite a while, Madam Judgment broke the silence. "We need to report this to the Eternal zing Sun Church."
This wasn''t to let the clergy of the Eternal zing Sun Church know about the "scandal", but to remind the true god Eternal zing Sun to pay attention to the relevant issues.
The Great Mother making Omebe''s father a deity was certainly not just to make the child''s status more noble, to be a true Child of God. There must be hidden purposes!
"But how should we exin this to the clergy of the Eternal zing Sun Church? With their fanaticism and purity, I''m afraid they might purge me on the spot." Madam Magician expressed a troubled look.
Indeed, we can''t just tell those padres, bishops, and archbishops that their god was seduced by an evil god, can we? Lumian grumbled inwardly.
"Just say that Madame Pualis has appeared again, with a child between reality and illusion named Omebe, and that Omebe''s father is ostensibly Guiume B, the padre of Cordu Vige, but actually someone else," Madam Justice said, choosing her words carefully. "Then mention that the baby had actually already died in Cordu Vige, killed by the padre. With the Red Angel Medici''s intelligence, it wouldn''t be hard to make the relevant associations ande to simr conclusions."
"Alright." Madam Magician nodded solemnly.
After agreeing, this Major Arcana sincerely sighed. "I''ve realized that everyone who tries to use the Great Mother ends up being used by the Great Mother."
Chapter 1020 Preparation
Chapter 1020 Preparation
Hearing Madam Magician''s sigh, everyone turned their gaze towards Lumian.
Smiling, Lumian replied, "Well, it''s not just the Great Mother using us. When the timees, let Them decide the victor first."
This was his usual attitude towards issues that couldn''t be immediately resolved but weren''t life-threatening. Otherwise, his mental state and emotions would have exploded long ago.
"But we should still be vignt and try to stay away from the Great Mother''s followers," Madam Judgment specifically reminded him.
Lumian smiled wryly. "Sometimes, it''s not a matter of whether I want to avoid them or not."
His spiritual intuition told him that even if he didn''t return to Mushu Hospital, even if Madame Pualis and baby Omebe were forced to leave the dream due to Chief Yagates'' attention, he would encounter them again in the real world in the near future.
This seemed to be a predestined fate, ever since he ate the remnants of Omebe''s umbilical cord and truly came into contact with that bird egg in the depths of the Underworld and the Sealed ArtifactGift of the Land.
Dream city, at the entrance of the Police Department.
Two imposingwyers had secured bail for the pitiful Lumina.
On one of the floors of the Police Department''s main building, Deng stood behind a window, watching Lumina bow and get into a car. He frowned and said to Chief Yagates, "Chief, why didn''t we refuse her bail request?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Yagates, also standing by the window, smiled helplessly and said, "I wanted to refuse too, but she really didn''t kill Zaratulstra. There''s both witness and physical evidence. At the time, she and that child were still in the face changer''s line of sight.
"As for her possible aplices, haven''t you tried already? You couldn''t get anything out of her. She seems to have truly lost her memory, with no corresponding memories even in her subconscious.
"After this, start from her social rtionships and conduct a thorough investigation."
"Yes, Chief," Deng agreed with this investigative direction.
Yagates thought for two seconds, then said slowly, "Secretly list Mushu Hospital as a key investigation target as well."
"What happened?" Deng asked vigntly.
Yagates turned his gaze back to the street below.
"After Li Keji was transferred back to Mushu Hospital, he turned into a monster. I cleaned it up. His transformation into a monster is closely rted to the new dean at Mushu Hospital.
"Before long, Mushu Hospital will probably report Li Keji as missing."
"Yes, andst time, that corpse walked to Mushu Hospital''s morgue." Deng nodded with a grave expression.
Trier, inside a luxurious vi.
Jenna pushed open the door to the top floor sunroom and saw Lumian sitting on the spacious balcony, intently gazing at the quietly flowing Srenzo River not far away.
At this time, the sun was setting, draping the ssical buildings on the opposite bank in a golden-red coat, making bright, scattered spots of light race away along the dim water surface.
The whistles of steam ships returning to port sounded asionally.
"What are you thinking about?" Jenna asked curiously as she walked towards the balcony.
Lumian''s initially unfocused gaze gradually sharpened. He said thoughtfully, "I''m thinking about two things Amon said."
"Which two?" Jenna stood at the edge of the balcony, leaning on the railing, also admiring the Srenzo River under the setting sun.
Lumian recalled and said, "One was that what Peng Deng really wanted to hint at was something else.
"The other was that we need to learn how to filter out the interference ofplex information and see the most fundamental facts."
At this point, Lumian murmured to himself, "The most fundamental facts"
Jenna half-turned her body, about to discuss whether such words from Amon, a top-tier con artist, could be trusted and to what extent, when she saw Lumian suddenly stand up and walk out of the srium.
She was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.
Lumian came to the living room on the first floor and said to Madam Magician, who was reading a book, "I have some guesses and ideas. When I return to the dream, I n to organize an action soon to weaken the Celestial Worthy and awaken Mr. Fool. At that time, please fully cooperate with me."
Madam Magician stood up abruptly, not bothering to ask Lumian what new guesses and ideas he had, and directly confirmed, "How confident are you that the direction is correct?"
Lumian chuckled. "Not very, it''s more to verify the guesses.
"We''ve already collected a lot of information and obtained some resources, and Zhou Sasa is about to arrive in Yangdu. This symbolizes that the situation in the dream has developed to a turning point. It''s time for us to take initiative and do something, we can''t always be passive.
"When the timees, if we seed, everyone can rejoice. Even if we can''t fully awaken Mr. Fool, it shows that we''ve found the right path, and we can continue to push in this direction afterwards. If we fail, we can eliminate some incorrect guesses and wrong directions, and we won''t need to waste time on these aspects in the future. Hehe, I only have onest chance to enter the dream, if we do encounter failure, it''s just right to pass on the lucky coin, and not hinder the efforts of those whoe after."
Jenna was about to ask about an important detail when Madam Magician had already asked for her, "What about Two of Cups? She hasn''t fully digested her Despair potion yet."
Lumian chuckled in response.
"She won''t directly participate. If the attempt fails, the dream will continue to exist, not affecting her subsequent digestion of the potion. If it seeds, her Despair potion should be directly digested, as will mine.
"Well, to be safe, please ask Mr. Sun to stand by Franca''s bedside in advance, ready to help her extract the Demoness of Despair Beyonder characteristic."
"Alright," Madam Magician agreed to Lumian''s request.
She then asked, "What are your new guesses and new ideas?"
"I can''t tell you for now." Lumian smiled.
He then exined, "All of you are closely connected to Mr. Fool, which also means all of you are closely connected to the Celestial Worthy. Although most of you won''t be influenced by this, you might be secretly watched by the Celestial Worthy, allowing Him to grasp some information.
"I''ll tell you my thoughts when the operation officially begins."
Madam Magician felt this most deeply. She nodded slightly and said, "The problems for me and Mr. Pallez mainlye from our own pathways and status, but others do frequently enter and exit above the gray fog, asionally praying to Mr. Fool.
"Alright, you guys are the ones in the dream city now, and you''re the captain, so you lead."
Dream city,te at night.
Jenna, who had returned, left Room 2303 of Building 5 in Dechuang Garden with Ludwig, while Franca stayed behind to take care of Lumina.
Although Franca had observed Mushu Hospital in the afternoon and found that there were many people around who seemed to be inclothes police, believing that the cultists inside would behave for a while, she still thought it necessary to guard against the possibility of Lumina being drawn by Omebe''s bloodline and sneaking over there.
She hadn''t seen any news about changing the dean on Mushu Hospital''s website, official ount, or video channel.
In a hidden ce not far from Crimson Moon Hospital.
Jenna took out the Ice Amulet that Franca had given her from the Traveler''s BagFranca, who had be a Demoness of Despair, no longer needed external help to directly enter the area behind mirrors and travel through the mirror world, so she had given all the corresponding charms to Jenna.
After setting up a makeup mirror, Jenna held Ludwig''s hand with one hand and gripped the Ice Amulet with the other, activating thetter.
In the flickering light of the ss, the two instantly dove into the mirror hidden in the corner, traversing to behind the mirror-like object outside Li Keji''s original hospital room.
After observing for a few seconds, Jenna led Ludwig out of the mirror-like object and nimbly leapt into the corridor.
Because the room was empty with no patients staying temporarily, the iron door wasn''t locked. Jenna opened a small gap and slipped inside.
Then, she said to Ludwig, "See if there''s anything edible here?"
Ludwig quickly pointed to the nket on the bed.
"It can be eaten."
A secondter, he pointed at the bed itself and said, "This can be eaten too."
"" Jenna was speechless for a moment, then after a few seconds said, "I mean better food, like mushrooms."
Ludwig looked around, not neglecting the ceiling and gaps between floor tiles.
19:50
"There isn''t."
There isn''t any Jenna, taking advantage of the remaining effects of the Ice Amulet, left the ce with Ludwig.
Before long, she repeated the process, appearing with Ludwig in Li Keji''s room in the psychiatric ward of Mushu Hospital.
"Is there any better food here, simr to mushrooms?" Jenna looked at Ludwig again.
Ludwig searched carefully, sniffing around, and said, "There isn''t."
Li Keji''s final product isn''t in either ce What to do now? Jenna didn''t dare stay in the Mushu Hospital room for too long, quickly leaving the psychiatric ward anding to the tree-lined road outside, nning to circle to the front of the main building to catch a car home by the roadside.
The power of the Ice Amulet to traverse the mirror world hadpletely faded, and Jenna didn''t want to unnecessarily use another corresponding charm.
Walking neither fast nor slow while holding Ludwig''s hand, Jenna pondered the possible whereabouts of that therapeutic mushroom.
Did it fuse with Li Keji and vanish into thin air under Chief Yagates'' gaze?
Or did Li Keji throw it into some corner of Mushu Hospital''s basement before receiving ''treatment''?
The basement of Mushu Hospital doesn''t wee unrted personnel How to search?
Use the ''Leodero'' spell to split it open, but that would destroy the mushroom too
As Jenna thought about this, she suddenly had a spiritual premonition.
She abruptly turned her body halfway, raising her head to look at the main building of Mushu Hospital close by, towards a room high up.
A face suddenly appeared behind the ss sleeping in darkness, a face wrapped in white bandages with only the eyes and nostrils exposed.
In Jenna''s moment of terror, something passed through the ss, falling down lightly.
The bandaged face retreated from the window.
With her Night Vision and eagle-like eyesight, Jenna quickly identified what was floating down.
It was a dried, shriveled, lifeless jellyfish-like mushroom.
This mushroom corpse fell much faster than leaves, and in just a few seconds, Ludwig reached out and caught it.
Seeing this, Jenna had a thought and blurted out a question to Ludwig, "Can it be eaten?"
Chapter 1021 A Night Passes
Chapter 1021 A Night Passes
Jenna had noticed that the jellyfish-like mushroom was already withered and dead, unable to treat An Xiaotian, which was why she asked Ludwig if the mushroom could be eaten.
Of course, she didn''t mean for An Xiaotian to eat it. As a vegetative patient, An Xiaotian no longer had the ability to chew and swallow. And grinding the mushroom into powder or juice to provide to An Xiaotian via intravenous drip was an area she didn''t understand and couldn''t judge whether it would be effectiveDemonesses had always only dealt with spreading diseases and gues,cking knowledge and abilities in medical treatment.
What Jenna really wanted to ask was whether Ludwig could eat this mushroom, and if after eating it, he could gain the ability to treat vegetative patients.
Ludwig stared at the dried mushroom in his palm, licked his lips and said, "It can be eaten."
He paused for a moment, hesitated for two seconds and added, "But I don''t know what can be gained from it."
Even a professional food analyst can''t tell the cooking method and effectsthis mushroom is indeed very special Jenna suddenly realized this and quickly said to Ludwig, "Put the mushroom away first.
"Give it to me, I''ll put it in the Traveler''s Bag."
Ludwig immediately clenched his fist.
He shook his head while stuffing the mushroom into his coat pocket, as if it were a little hamster, his pet.
Jenna didn''t have any intention of forcibly taking away the jellyfish-like mushroom. She held Ludwig''s hand and quickly walked towards the exit of Mushu Hospital.
Only now did she have the energy to think about what had just happened.
Li Keji''s jellyfish-like mushroom actually fell into the hands of that person wrapped in white bandages, and that person even gave the mushroom to us
Right, Lumian mentioned that after his colleagues Old Wang and Old Ding were struck by lightning, they now have this scary appearance. When he came to visit Mushu Hospitalst time, Old Wang seemed to be asking him for help This time at the entrance of the basement of Mushu Hospital, he encountered Old Ding again
Was Old Ding hinting at him to pay attention to the ''no entry to unauthorized personnel'' sign at that time?
Was it Old Wang or Old Ding who threw down the mushroom just now? If it was Old Ding, it would make sense, as he was there when Li Keji was sent to the basement for ''treatment''
But if he could stay in the basement for so long, it means he''s no longer an unauthorized personnel
What exactly do the current Old Wang and Old Ding symbolize in the dream city?
Why are they helping us?
I wonder if this dried mushroom is Li Keji''s final product
Amid these thoughts, Jenna took Ludwig back to Room 2303 of Building 5 in Dechuang Garden by taxi. She told Franca about their encounter and asked Ludwig to take out the withered mushroom to show.
Franca gazed at the mushroom, pondered for a moment and said, "My spiritual intuition tells me that this should be the final version of the therapeutic mushroom created by Li Keji, but its specific effects are unknown. Even divination methods won''t provide an answer."
This was not only because the treatment subject was An Xiaotian, but also because the mushroom itself was very special.
"Should I eat it now?" Ludwig asked eagerly.
He had an expression that suggested the finest ingredient should be cooked in the simplest way.
Eating it raw!
Franca and Jenna exchanged nces before saying, "Wait until your godfather returns before eating it."
It wasn''t that they weren''t worried about changes happening to the mushroom in the next dozen or so hours, but the current situation was indeed not suitable for such a stimting "experiment".
At present, Lumian and Anthony were outside the dream, Lumina had been frightened and needed close monitoring, and Franca herself couldn''t withstand major idents and couldn''t attempt anything too risky. So, if Ludwig ate the mushroom now and something unexpected happened, the entire situation might copse.
"Okay." Ludwig reluctantly stuffed the withered mushroom back into his pocket with some reluctance.
Jenna nced towards the bedroom direction and asked Franca in a lowered voice, "How is Lumina doing?"
"Being ''inexplicably'' arrested by the police, she was definitely shocked, has been somewhat dazed, and a bit overreactive. She only truly fell asleep two minutes before you returned to the dream," Franca answered softly.
She then said to Jenna, "You should go visit An Ruide now and confirm his situation."
After Anthony was kicked out of the dream, Franca had actually been worried about his dream manifestation, An Ruide, but she was really too busy to observe and protect himin the morning she had to take care of Ludwig and look after Luo Shan, in the afternoon she first went to Mushu Hospital to provide support, then was busy asking Queen Mystic to help bail out Lumina. She didn''t even have time to care about Jenna''s dream manifestation, let alone An Ruide.
"Alright." Jenna also had these concerns, but she had to prioritize finding the mushroom that Li Keji might have left behind.
Since returning to the dream city, she had been constantly on the move without rest.
At Xinhong District, in a rented apartment.
Jenna''s figure emerged from a dark corner.
She looked towards the smallest bedroom closer to the kitchen and heard rtively long breaths.
Her spiritual intuition told her that the person sleeping inside was An Ruide.
Jenna rxed a little and surveyed the situation in the room.
She saw a wine ss on the dining table, a te with crumbs of salted crispy peanuts, a te of unfinished cold sliced pork head meat, and a te with only remnants of mashed potatoes.
This was consistent with An Ruide''s cooking level.
Mashed potatoes were a delicacy both inside and outside the dream, while cold sliced pork head meat and salted crispy peanuts could be bought from street vendors outside.
A scene immediately appeared before Jenna''s eyes: An Ruide was in a good mood, bought himself a bottle of wine, and had a couple of sses with peanuts, pork head meat, and mashed potatoes. Afterwards, he was a bit tipsy and decided to clean up the dishes the next day.
He''s quite leisurely; An Ruide knows how to enjoy life Jenna silently marveled.
She then thought, Would An Ruide''s character prototypeAnthonyalso be like this in private, without the pressure of missions?
At this moment, Jenna felt that Anthony was no longer just the ever-calm Psychiatrist.
While marveling, she didn''t let her guard down and quickly checked whether this situation was abnormal and whether the sleeping An Ruide in the room had any hidden issues.
After about seven or eight minutes, having sneaked into the corresponding bedroom twice, Jenna finally felt relieved and left.
The next morning.
After waking up, Jenna carefully got out of bed, afraid of disturbing Lumina beside her.
Unexpectedly, Lumina was a light sleeper. She immediately opened her eyes and turned her head.
Seeing it was Jenna, she visibly rxed and revealed a still somewhat confused smile.
"I had a nightmare. I dreamed that I was arrested by the police. They said Imitted murder and arson, spread cults, and did all kinds of evil"
At this point, Lumina suddenly froze.
Soon, she propped herself up and muttered, "Nana, I was really arrested yesterday.
"I''m innocent! I just performed magic at the hot pot restaurant, and they said I killed someone!"
Seeing this, Jenna ced her knee on the edge of the bed, bent her back, and gave Lumina a warm hug.
"It''s okay, you''re out now.
"Later, there will be topwyers to help you. The innocent will be cleared."
Franca, who had slept on the carpetst night and only came in when she heard themotion, almost couldn''t helpughing at Jenna''s words.
The innocent will be cleared?
There was nothing wrong with this sentence, but we really did kill Zaratulstrawe''re as guilty as can be! N?v(el)B\\jnn
She held back herughter and joined inforting Lumina.
After a while, Lumina calmed down. She looked at Jian Na and Luo Fu, furtively nced left and right, and said in a lowered voice, "I didn''t mention any of you at the police station."
She had a "Aren''t I great and clever?" expression on her face.
"Great job!" Franca and Jenna very cooperatively praised her.
Seeing that Lumina''s mood had improved considerably, Franca took the opportunity to tell her, "Miss Huang wille to pick you upter. You''ll stay at her ce for the next couple of days."
To prevent Lumina from implicating Franca and Jenna, when Queen Mystic hired awyer to bail her out, she had actually provided a new residence. But because Queen Mystic had to prepare for the matter of banishing the mirrored Emperor Rosellest night and had no time to look after Lumina, Franca, worried that Lumina might wander off, still took the risk of bringing her back and holding out for one night.
Now, Queen Mystic finally had time.
And by the afternoon, Lumian would return to the dream city.
"Mm-hmm." Lumina nodded obediently.
After Lumina was picked up by Queen Mystic, Jenna left for work at Hall Film Company. Anthony, who had returned to the dream, took on the responsibility of looking after Ludwig, and Franca finally had some free time. She took a taxi to the Tech Building, preparing to go through the resignation process.
For her, the process wasn''t important; what was important was getting the sry for the half month she had worked!
In the Human Resources Department.
Perhaps because Miss Huang had given a heads up, Franca didn''t even have a chance to take out her materials like the family surgery notice with the official stamp from Zhenjinqiao. She quickly went through the process without anyone giving her a hard time.
Finally, she took the certificate given by the HR department and went to the Finance Department to settle her wages.
After various deductions, she received 3,500 yuan.
Not bad The first sry from a formal job in my life, although it''s in a dream With self-mockery, Franca left the Finance Department.
She nned to say goodbye to Luo Shan in the Administration Department and then leave the Tech Building,pletely hiding in the shadows.
Just as she passed the Tech Department, not yet near the Administration Department, Franca, still wearing those old-fashioned ck-framed sses, suddenly heard a voice.
"Luo Fu."
Franca instinctively turned around and saw Zhou Mingruiing out of the Tech Department.
"What a coincidence, I heard you''re resigning?" Zhou Mingrui asked with concern.
Franca noticed a hint of determination in Zhou Mingrui''s eyes, as if he had made up his mind to do something.
He''s not going to ask about what happened at Mushu Hospital the night beforest, is he? He''s not going to ask about my real purpose foring to thepany, is he? Franca suddenly shuddered.
Oh no, I don''t dare say anything now!
Chapter 1022 Preparations in Full Swing
Chapter 1022 Preparations in Full Swing
"Yes, there''s been an issue at home," Franca first answered Zhou Mingrui''s question, then had a quick idea and hurriedly said, "I''m going to find Luo Shan. Once I''ve dealt with the family issue, I''ll treat you all to a meal and we can have a good chat."
She emphasized the words "good chat."
Zhou Mingrui looked at Luo Fu for a few seconds, as if weighing his options.
Finally, he nodded and said, "Alright, we''ll talk another day."
He could tell that Luo Fu didn''t want to say much right now, and seemed to be afraid of something unknown.
Franca quietly let out a sigh of relief and waved sincerely. "See you again!"
After turning around, she muttered silently with relief, Thankfully Zhou Mingrui isn''t one of those "stubborn" types people in Yangdu talk about. He can read others'' expressions and listen to what they''re saying!
Hall Film Company, Talent Department.
During a break in her physical training ss, Jenna walked out of the ssroom and turned towards the public restrooms.
On the way, she encountered Jiang Yue, who was responsible for her and the other new talents.
Seeing Jiang Yue busy there, she asked curiously, "What are you busy with?"
"The summer season is ending, ''The Great Pirate 3'' is about to finish its run. We need to prepare for the celebration party, subsequent development, and a series of other things," Jiang Yue looked up and saw it was Jenna, her attitude fairly friendly.
The Great Pirate 3 is about to finish its run? Jenna was stunned for a moment.
Based on themon knowledge she had learned since entering the dream city, she thought this was a very normal thing, but it also felt ill-timed.
When Lumian returns to the dream, they were nning to try letting Ludwig eat that dried mushroom to see if he could gain special healing abilities to awaken the vegetative An Xiaotian. And An Xiaotian was rted to the Gehrman Sparrow direction they were pursuing.
At this crucial stage, ''The Great Pirate 3'', which further shaped Gehrman Sparrow''s character and gave him widespread exposure, was about topletely end its run?
Did this hide some kind of symbolism?
Jenna chose her words carefully and asked casually, "Is the stage y for The Great Pirate 3 about to be officially scheduled?"
"Yes, you might be able to try your luck then. Who knows, you might get an important role," Jiang Yue hinted to Jenna.
In a spacious, bright, modern-styled apartment.
Bernadette had just entered when she saw Lumina reclining on the bay window, leaning against a pillow, basking in sunlight, leisurely reading a book in her hands.
"What are you reading?" Bernadette walked over and asked casually.
"A romance novel, one of those melodramatic ones." Lumina closed the book, looking a bit embarrassed.
She tried to exin, "I might be put in prisonter. I''ve checked, most of the books there are for learning. I should read some leisure books while I still can!"
Bernadette looked out the window.
"You probably won''t be sentenced. You really didn''t do what they''re using you of.
"Why don''t you go out for some activity? It''s windy today, not too hot."
"I went jogging in themunity this morning," Lumina jumped down from the bay window, smiling as she flexed her arm, showing off her not-so-obvious biceps. "I love exercising."
At this point, she suddenly became a bit emotional.
"My mom has always been in poor health, and so was I when I was little. Maybe it''s hereditary. So, they always didn''t let me do intense exercise, didn''t let me run around and y rough with my ssmates
"Later, when I became an adult, I rebelled. I often went running, cycling, ying badminton, and so on without telling them. And nothing bad happened!"
"When you grow up, you can do what you want." Queen Mystic seemed to feel something too.
Lumina''s gaze gradually became unfocused, her eyes reflecting the brilliant sunlight outside the window.
"But now, I want them to restrict me again"
Bernadette fell silent as well. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
By the afternoon, Lumian had returned to the dream city.
The first thing he did was not to look at Queen Mystic Bernadette sitting on the single sofa to the side, but to check his own condition.
Queen Mystic calmly said, "After being kicked out of the dream twice, there will be several major restrictions when youe back in:
"First, you can''t disy Beyonder powers or obvious hostility in front of other dream manifestations, especially the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates. That will also lead to you being kicked out;
"Second, some hints that wouldn''t have gotten you kicked out before will now attract the Celestial Worthy''s attention;
"Third, you being kicked out will implicate the outsiders around you."
Lumian already knew about these restrictions from the information provided by the Major Arcana card holders. He chuckled. "Quite troublesome."
Queen Mystic nodded slightly. "I''ve transferred that 500,000 to your bank card. We''ll take action this afternoon. We can''t wait until dark."
"Alright," Lumian stood up, "I''ll go rent an item first."
Star Dream Provisions Store.
Lumian, in his Demoness of Despair state, walked to the checkout counter and politely said to the shopkeeper.
"I''d like to rent an item."
"Which one?" the shopkeeper raised her head and asked as the sky suddenly darkened.
Lumian thought for two seconds, and instead of answering, he asked, "Do you have any rmendations?"
He wanted to test if the shopkeeper of Star Dream Provisions Store would give any hints.
"That depends on your own needs," the beautiful shopkeeper answered with a smile.
No hints possible? Lumian looked towards the shelves, his gaze slowly scanning over mystical items like the magic mirror Arrodes, the brass book, the quill pen, and others.
In less than a minute, he made up his mind.
"I''ll rent that mirror again."
If it was purely for dealing with and constraining the mirrored Emperor Roselle, he would have chosen that brass book based on the brief description from the Major Arcana card holders. But tomorrow he still wanted to try weakening the Celestial Worthy and awakening Mr. Fool.
And that magic mirror''s creation was rted to the original God Almighty, having its own hidden aspects. Moreover, it was the only Sealed Artifact Mr. Fool carried with him, likely to y an important role in weakening the Celestial Worthy and awakening Mr. Fool!
Its history and the treatment it received were iparable to other items!
The shopkeeper''s smile remained the same as before. "Alright, how many days do you want to rent it for?"
"One day," Lumian answered without hesitation.
He had enough cash on hand to rent the magic mirror Arrodes for two days, but considering that his guesses, ideas, and action ns might not be necessarily correct, and the final result might not be as he expected, and after today, Queen Mystic would likely bepletely kicked out of the dream, making it difficult for the team to encounter such a generous "patron" again, he deliberately left some money for Franca, Jenna, and Anthony.
This way, even if tomorrow''s operation failed, causing him to be kicked out of the dream for the third time, the remaining people would still have money to continue making new attempts.
The shopkeeper didn''t say anything, took out a POS machine, let Lumian swipe his card, and sign the contract.
After walking out of Star Dream Provisions Store with the magic mirror Arodes, Lumian''s phone suddenly rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
After using the Information Shredder to delete his contacts, all numbers were unfamiliar to him.
Lumian chose to answer and heard an annoyed voice from the other end.
"Why didn''t youe for the night shiftst night?
"Don''t you know to apply for leave in advance? This is called absenteeism!"
So it''s a call from the Intis Group Lumian quickly switched to a male voice.
"I quit!
"Do whatever you want!"
The person on the other end was speechless for a moment, then after a few seconds said, "You don''t want yourst month''s sry?"
"Donate it to those in need, thank you!" Lumian hung up the phone with a bang.
He then got into Miss Huang''s car parked by the roadside.
Queen Mystic said while driving, "Later I''ll be responsible for clinging on to her, getting kicked out of the dream together. You just need to hide in the shadows, guarding against her leaving the corresponding area in advance."
For this operation, except for Jenna who couldn''t get away from Hall Film Company, Lumian, Franca, Anthony, and Ludwig would all participate.
Among them, Lumian would y the role that Queen Mystic had when dealing with Zaratulstra, not directly appearing but interfering and exerting influence from the shadows. Franca would decide whether to confront directly based on the specific situation, with Anthony assisting her.
If they could bring some despair to the mirrored Emperor Roselle, it would greatly help Franca digest the Despair potion.
"Do I need to ask the magic mirror some questions?" Lumian cautiously confirmed.
He felt that the core of Queen Mystic''s n was to use the rule that "the third kick-out will implicate surrounding outsiders".
"No need, I already know everything I need to know," Queen Mystic then told Lumian the relevant information.
She finally warned, "You can''t hide behind mirrorster. She has much stronger control over the world in the mirror than you do."
"Understood," Lumian had confirmed this point when monitoring Zaratulstra.
In the time that followed, he didn''t act humble or polite, but discussed the specific details of the n with Queen Mystic and proposed some modifications.
In a pce-like vi.
After asking the butler, Bernadette took the elevator to the fourth floor and walked towards her father''s study.
The CEO, Mr. Huang Tao, had gone to thepany for a while in the morning and returned home at noon.
Arriving outside the study, Bernadette habitually raised her right hand and knocked on the door.
When she was young, she was spoiled at home and would open any door she wanted without ever asking if the person inside agreed to her entering. But after identally witnessing a few things she shouldn''t have seen, she learned to knock.
"Come in." Huang Tao''s voice came from inside the study.
Bernadette turned the handle and walked into the sunlit study, seeing her father standing by the window, gazing at something unknown.
This suddenly gave her a feeling of returning to the past.
Back then, she didn''t understand why her father always gazed out of the west-facing floor-to-ceiling window, sometimes even holding her as a child while doing so.
"Dad" Bernadette instinctively called out.
Huang Tao turned around, revealing a smile. "You came at just the right time."
"Why do you say that?" Bernadette immediately raised her guard.
Huang Tao smiled and said, "I''m going to leave this ce."
"" Bernadette frowned, "What do you mean?"
Huang Tao sighed with a smile. "How could I let my princess be in a difficult position?"
Wh Bernadette understood her father''s meaning and was a bit stunned.
Huang Tao looked at Bernadette for a couple of seconds, then smiled with both satisfaction and emotion.
"I''m very d that you hesitated for several days."
Chapter 1023 Three Sentences
Chapter 1023 Three Sentences
When she heard Huang Tao''s emotional and gratified remarks, Queen Mystic Bernadette''s lips moved almost imperceptibly a few times, but in the end she didn''t speak.
She pressed her lips tightly together.
Huang Tao''s gaze looked out towards the open door and the corridor outside. He smiled slightly and said, "Before I leave, I''ll give you all a gift."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the mirrors in the study lit up with a clear radiance.
Huang Tao''s figure instantly disappeared from where he had been standing.
Trying to run? Franca, who was hidden in the shadows of the corridor in an Invisible state, instinctively rushed out.
She suspected that the mirrored Roselle had deliberately appealed to emotions just now, preventing Queen Mystic from reacting immediately, allowing Him to escape using the mirror world.
The next second, Franca, still in her Invisible state, saw Bernadette transform into ethereal andplex information, rushing like a torrent into the mirror in front of her.
Queen Mystic closely pursued the mirrored Emperor Roselle.
Franca didn''t hesitate. She reached out her right palm and pressed towards that mirror from a distance.
Her body suddenly leaned forward, quickly bing ethereal, and passed through the ss mirror surface.
Anthony, who had snuck in using Psychological Invisibility, quickly ran into the study. Then Lumian, who had directly teleported over while holding Ludwig''s hand, grabbed his shoulder and brought him into the mirror world.
They followed the traces left behind by the mirrored Emperor Roselle, constantly moving forward through deep tunnels spread like spider webs in the ethereal darkness.
They pursued like this for several dozen seconds. The tunnels around them gradually became sparser, the darkness growing ever deeper.
Finally, the mirrored Emperor Roselle in Huang Tao''s form stopped and turned around.
He was positioned at the edge of an area of void and deep darkness, but behind Him there were no more tunnels, only pure, profound darkness remaining.
In the depths of that darkness, faint gray fog could vaguely be seen spreading, with an endless city hidden in the mist, like a mirage, yet indistinct.
Thump, thump!
Bernadette, Lumian, Franca and the others heard the sound of heartbeats. It seemed to be both their own and alsoing from the very bottom of that deep darkness.
"There are some things that can be said now," said the mirrored Emperor Roselle in Huang Tao''s form, smiling again.
One more step back and He would retreat into that pure, deep darkness.
"What things?" Bernadette''s voice was a bit lower and hoarser than before.
Huang Tao smiled and said, "The gift is three sentences.
"First, I have preliminarily achieved my purpose for entering this real dream, in every aspect."
As He said this, the mirrored Roselle was gazing at Queen Mystic Bernadette. The subtext seemed to be saying: my greatest purpose was to find an opportunity to truly spend a few days with my princess as father and daughter.
Bernadette fell silent.
But Lumian was thinking.
The purposes in every aspect have been achieved?
The task given by the one worshiped by the Aurora Order has beenpleted, and the one given by the Celestial Worthy has also beenpleted?
What could that be?
The mirrored Emperor Roselle seemed to guess what Lumian, Franca and Anthony were thinking, andughed, saying, "It''s the same as what you''re thinking."
Before Lumian and the others could ask further, Huang Tao, with a somewhatplex expression, said to Queen Mystic Bernadette, "The second sentence: It is possible for people inside and outside the mirror to merge."
Hearing this, Lumian and Franca both suddenly remembered something Krismona had said to Jenna: Reconcile with your mirror self!
Is this a different expression of the same idea? It doesn''t seem soreconciliation isn''t the same as merging When Lumian looked towards Franca in front of him, he found she was also looking at him.
Bernadette remained silent, not responding to the mirrored Roselle''s words.
Huang Tao sighed with a smile, "Thest sentence: The apocalypse maye earlier than prophesied. Be prepared."
After saying this, He looked at Bernadette and said in a joking tone, "There are five Four Heavenly Kings, and four sentences in three sentences. It''s very reasonable.
"There''s one more sentence"
The mirrored Emperor Roselle paused for a moment, then smiled tenderly at Queen Mystic.
"These past few days, dad has been very happy, truly.
"Remember, I will never put you in a difficult position"
Bernadette opened her mouth, but still didn''t speak.
As Huang Tao spoke, He retreated into the pure darkness outside the current area.
His body rapidly changed, transforming from a fashionable middle-aged man into an alluring woman with long chestnut hair, blue eyes, a high nose bridge, thin lips, a voluptuous figure, and a mature aura. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
The dream''s repulsive force suddenly descended upon Her, seemingly triggered by Her entry into the deep darkness of this part of the mirror world.
The mirrored Emperor Roselle maintained a gentle smile and continued speaking to Bernadette, "I hate him very much, dislike him, but my feelings in other aspects are the same as his, even more extreme, more irrational.
"I''ve already left awyer-witnessed letter saying I''m going to travel freely for a while, indulge for a while, and that you''ll handle various matters of the Intis Group on my behalf."
Without waiting for Bernadette to respond, She specially reminded, "You should all retreat further; otherwise, you''ll also be affected and rejected by the dream."
Saying this, the mirrored Emperor Roselle looked at Lumian and smiled, saying, "We''ll meet again. I''ve also left a gift for you in the desk drawer."
A gift? Feeling the dream''s repulsive force spreading over, Lumian, Franca and the others quickly retreated into one of the mirror tunnels.
The mirrored Emperor Roselle''s figure gradually faded, seeming both to dissolve into that deep darkness and to be pushed out of the dream by some force.
She smiled at Bernadette, who was still standing in ce. "Quickly leave this area."
Bernadette instinctively stepped back, her eyes already misty.
Suddenly, she hummed a melody, a melody very familiar to the mirrored Emperor Roselle.
The mirrored Roselle was stunned for a moment, bing somewhat dazed.
Then, She began humming along, singing the lyrics corresponding to that melody.
"The stars in the sky don''t speak, the babies on earth miss their mothers"
Expressions of reminiscence, gratification, and emotion appeared on the mirrored Roselle''s face. She persisted until Bernadette''s figure disappeared into one of the mirror tunnels, only then giving up the resistance.
Her figure rapidly vanished, dissolving into the darkness.
The dream''s repulsive forcepletely enveloped this area, only fully receding after several dozen seconds.
After a while, Bernadette, Lumian and the others returned here.
"She has indeed been permanently kicked out of the dream," said Queen Mystic in a low voice after looking around.
Smoother than I imagined Lumian didn''t say this out loud.
He felt it would upset Queen Mystic.
And for those in High-Sequence Beyonders, an emotional outburst had a potential hidden dangerthe possibility of losing control.
Bernadette was silent for a moment, then took the initiative to say, "Any thoughts on those three sentences just now?"
Lumian had already analyzed. "The second sentence, about the possibility of merging between the original body and the Mirror Person, likely has exaggerated and falseponents.
"The third sentence aligns with some of my thoughts and guesses. It might not be falsethe apocalypse may reallye early.
"For the first sentence, I''m inclined to believe it''s true."
"So She alsopleted the task given by the Celestial Worthy?" Franca asked with considerable worry.
She immediately guessed, "These past few days, when we weren''t paying attention, did She do something to Zhou Mingrui,ying the groundwork?"
"No," Bernadette slowly shook her head, "These past few days, I''ve been watching her openly and secretly. She shouldn''t have had the chance to directly contact Zhou Mingrui."
Lumian, looking at the pure darkness outside the area and the faintly visible gray fog and city in the depths of the darkness, said thoughtfully,
"Perhaps Her existence itself has some symbolism, enabling Her toplete the task given by the Celestial Worthy."
Before Franca and the others could ask, he pointed to the depths of the darkness and said,
"Doesn''t that look like the sealed Fourth Epoch Trier?"
Franca vaguely grasped Lumian''s idea and blurted out. "A special mirror world?"
Lumian nodded slightly and said to Queen Mystic,
"Mr. Fool''s dream originally shouldn''t have contained the sealed Fourth Epoch Trier and the special mirror world that''s produced from attaching to the Fourth Epoch Trier."
This was deduced from Mr. Fool''s experiences.
Lumian continued, "But after the mirrored Emperor Roselle entered, Her essence and special nature gave Her corresponding symbolic meaning. So, in the depths of the dream city''s mirror world, that special mirror world and the sealed Fourth Epoch Trier gradually took shape.
"And we previously spected that one of Zaratulstra''s main goals was to have Zhou Mingrui drink the Witch potion, producing a stable, long-term, corresponding Mirror Person. Then, the Celestial Worthy could use that Mirror Person to aplish some things, achieving a phased victory."
Queen Mystic nodded slightly. "Apart from consuming the ''Witch'' potion, another way to make a person produce a stable, long-term Mirror Person is toe into contact with that special mirror world."
"Zaratulstra was both looking for opportunities to induce Zhou Mingrui''s advancement himself and introducing the mirrored Emperor Roselle so as to bring the special mirror world? A two-pronged approach!" Franca drew in a sharp breath.
Queen Mystic said in a somewhat low voice, "Zhou Mingrui probably hasn''te into contact with the special mirror world yet, hasn''t produced a corresponding Mirror Person, but afterwards, the Celestial Worthy''s side will certainly have corresponding arrangements."
For example, achieving it through Zhou Sasa? Franca suddenly looked at Lumian.
Lumian nodded and continued, "So, we can''t dy our actions.
"We are on the precipice; there''s no backing down."
"Yes," Franca agreed.
Returning to Huang Tao''s study, Bernadette walked around behind the desk and, guided by spirituality, pulled open a drawer.
There was a "gift" left for Lumian by the mirrored Emperor Roselle.
Lumian,ing around from the other side, suddenly saw a card.
The cardy quietly on top of a stack of documents, its surface depicting the image of the mirrored Emperor Roselle from earlier.
Voluptuous figure, wearing a ck dress, adorned with a golden crown iid with jewels, alluring features, mature aura, outstanding charm.
In the upper left corner of this card, a line of text was condensed from brilliant starlight: "Sequence 0: Primordial Demoness"
At this moment, Bernadette''s voice rang out, echoing in the ears of Lumian and the others, "A Card of sphemy, the Demoness card."
Chapter 1024: A Blurry Ritual
A Card of sphemy?
A Card of sphemy representing a path to godhood, created by Emperor Roselle based on the second sphemy te and His personal experience? Lumian and Franca were both shocked.
They had learned about the Cards of sphemy from Emperor Roselle''s diary and various mystical knowledge they had collected through different ̦ channels. But items of this level naturally possessed anti-prophecy and anti-divination properties, so they had only heard about them and never seen one with their own eyes.
Now, the Demoness card appeared before them.
This was a gift left for Lumian by the mirrored Emperor Roselle!
In a sh, Lumian instinctively had a thought.
Is She really being so kind?
At this moment, Queen Mystic spoke again, "It''s real."
"A real Card of sphemy, a real Demoness card?" Franca curiously leaned in, examining this long- coveted item.Lumian remained silent for a few seconds, then chuckled and reached out to take the Demoness card.
He had already rued so many "debts" and had so many "creditors", what was one more!
Queen Mystic looked at the Card of sphemy in Lumian''s hand and said after a moment of silence, "The activation incantation should be my name, inept ancient Feysac."
Name Lumian chanted in a low voice, "Bernadette."
Instantly, the Demoness card generated an invisible vortex, frantically drawing in Lumian''s spirit and spirituality.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Soon, the Demoness card became three-dimensional, transforming into a miniature book.
The book opened naturally, revealing a Roselle dressed as an Assassin''s Creed character, a clean-shaven male Roselle.
Next to this character image was a corresponding description in ancient Feysac:
"Sequence 9, Assassin.
"Every Assassin possesses the ability to change their body for a short time, gaining feather-like lightness to perform a Leap of Faith, and has eagle-like vision and night vision, excelling inbat, evasion, and concealment.
"Shadows are their friends and their camouge. Once they leave the shadows, they use their agile footwork to gather all their strength for a fatal strike on their target...
"Potion form...."
Lumian reached out to touch the Card of sphemy that had be a miniature book, watching it continuously flip pages, seeing Emperor Roselle''s image change from male to female, bing increasingly beautiful and alluring, gradually "ovepping" with the appearance of the mirrored Roselle.
Finally, an image of the mirrored Emperor Roselle, seemingly much younger and resembling a young girl, appeared before Lumian''s eyes.
The corresponding information was also revealed:
"Sequence 3: Unaging (Demoness of Unaging).
"Every Demoness of Unaging is forever youthful, skilled in resurrection, bizarrely difficult to kill, a darling of the mirror world, a true Gorgon...
"Potion form:
"Main ingredients: One heart of a Mirror God, a pair of Gorgon eyes;
"Supplementary ingredients: Nine Mirror God fragments, 80 ml of Gorgon blood, an antique mirror over 500 years old with a corresponding mirror realm, 22 drops of water from a drowned person''s lungs;
"Ritual: Find your mirror self, enve them solely with your own power, or make them truly infatuated with you, or reconcile with them."
Seeing this, Lumian and Franca once again recalled Krismona''s mention of "reconciling with your mirror self."
Will different handling methods result in different manifestationster? Lumian pondered for a while, then turned to the next page:
"Sequence 2: Catastrophe (Demoness of Catastrophe).
"Demonesses of Catastrophe bring various natural disasters such as blizzards, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, meteor strikes, etc. Everyone who mentions their names feels fear from the bottom of their hearts...
"Potion form...
"Ritual: As a participant, cause a disaster affecting the entire continent, and advance during the disaster."
Lumian didn''t read the specific form in detail, just skimmed the Sequence name and corresponding ritual.
He turned to the next page:
"Sequence 1: Apocalypse (Demoness of Apocalypse)".
"Ritual: Advance at the universally acknowledged end of an epoch or the beginning of the next; advance during the signs and process of the apocalypse''s arrival; advance when one''s own involvement leads to the fall of a deity.
"Any one of the three rituals is effective."
ording to the mirrored Emperor Roselle''s words and my deductions, the apocalypse wille early.... Disasters frequently ur during the apocalypse, which indeed suits Demonesses... Lumian unconsciously held his breath and turned the Card of sphemy to thest page:
"Sequence 0: Demoness (Primordial Demoness, Chaos Demoness)
"The source of catastrophes, symbol of the apocalypse, the Demoness who wields chaos, ruler of the mirror world, corresponding to the feminine aspect of the Original Creator.
"Potion form:
"Ingredients: Demoness Uniqueness, three Demoness of Apocalypse Beyonder characteristics...
"Ritual..."
Lumian wanted to see what the apotheosis ritual for the Demoness pathway was, but found that the corresponding text was blurry and unclear, as if obscured by some force.
Did the mirrored Emperor Roselle do this when leaving this gift, or was it like this when She obtained this Demoness card? Lumian turned his head to look at Queen Mystic.
"Your Highness, can you see the content of the apotheosis ritual clearly?"
Bernadette stared for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"The power obscuring the corresponding content is of a very high level, at least Sequence 0."
Lumian and Franca exchanged nces but didn''t pursue the matter further.
For them, the apotheosis ritual was a distant matter. They should focus on the Demoness of Unaging first.
"Since I wasn''t kicked out of the dream, I can also participate in your operation tomorrow," Queen Mystic said in a somewhat low voice, looking towards the window area where Huang Tao had been standing earlier.
"Thank you," Lumian said without being polite.
He put the Demoness card into his Traveler''s Bag.
When Lumian and the others returned to Xinhong District, the sunlight was still bright, and it wasn''t even afternoon tea time yet.
"Should we let Ludwig eat that mushroom now?"
Franca pulled out a chair and sat down, asking with a mix of nervousness and curiosity. Lumian thought for a few seconds, then said with a smile, "Yes."
"But you should leave first, go back to Dechuang Garden. I''m afraid your life might be ended by the mutation brought by the mushroom."
This wasn''t saying that the mushroom could directly harm Franca, but that the corresponding mutation might be very extreme, drawing the Celestial Worthy''s attention, which would bepletely unbearable for Franca, who hadn''t fully digested the Despair potion.
"Alright." Franca suppressed her inner emotions and returned to Dechuang Garden through the mirror world.
Only then did Lumian sit down in the chair Franca had just pulled out and say to Ludwig. "You can eat it now."
Ludwig had been holding back for a long time and quickly took out the dried jellyfish-like mushroom.
Seeing this, Lumian turned his head to Anthony and said, "Pay attention to cating his mind and emotions."
"Okay," Anthony''s eyes became vertical, reflecting Ludwig''s figure in that pale golden color.
Ludwig swallowed and looked at the mushroom with a hint of fear as he stuffed it into his mouth.
He chewed it up, then swallowed it with satisfaction.
Lumian and Anthony''s spirits instantly tensed to the extreme.
As time passed second by second, Ludwig finally opened his mouth and evaluated the changes after eating it.
"I can create a kind of spore that enters the human body, repairing nerves and flesh, merging with spirituality and soul.
"This might wake up people in vegetative states, but the condition of patients after merging with the spores is currently unknown..."
As Ludwig spoke, Lumian and Anthony saw masses of flesh writhing under his skin, sometimes bulging the skin outwards, sometimes sinking inwards.
This made Ludwig look like he was wearing a skin suit.
Suddenly, the skin on his neck split open, and a wet brown mushroom grew out of the flesh.
Ludwig raised his right hand nonchntly, plucked off this mushroom with a snap, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it.
The wound on his neck quickly healed.
And so, mushrooms intermittently grew out of Ludwig''s body, sometimes of the same species, sometimes different, and he plucked them all off, using them as snacks.
This formed a strange bnce.
"Can eating these mushrooms make you full?" Lumian asked curiously, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Ludwig nced at his godfather, "Can you get full by sucking your own fingers?"
Lumian and Anthony immediately understood the answer.
Anthony then looked at Lumian. "Should we take him to Red Moon Hospital now to try and treat An Xiaotian?"
Lumian pondered for several minutes before answering, "There''s no rush. Let''s wait until tomorrow, when we officially take action."
Anthony didn''t hide his confusion, but seeing that Lumian didn''t exin further, he calmly closed his mouth.
If he''s not saying, there must be a reason for not saying it.
The next morning.
Lumian stood on the balcony of the master bedroom, gazing at the tree-lined internal roads of themunity and the slowly passing electric cars and bicycles.
After a while, he reluctantly withdrew his gaze, walked into the living room, and ced the magic mirror Arrodes on the dining table.
After the previous rental, they had figured out the rules for using this magic mirror:
Only three questions could be asked within 24 hours, and they could be asked at intervals.
Lumian looked at the silver mirror with ancient patterns and a ck gemstone on each side, and calmly said in the presence of Anthony and Ludwig. "Great Arrodes, I want to ask you a question, the first question of today."
The surface of the ancient silver mirror suddenly darkened, and lines of blood-red ancient Feysac words appeared: "I can answer any question you ask, but you must also answer an equal number of questions from me, in the presence of at least one witness.
"If you refuse to answer, or if you lie, you will face punishment."
Lumian nodded and revealed a bright smile. "My question is, is it a coincidence that the Celestial Worthy''s attempt to use the Mirror People and your birth as a mirror urred at the same time?"
On the magic mirror, the blood-red words quickly lost their color and contracted into a single, lonely word:
"No."
***
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Chapter 1025: Sudden Event
Not a coincidence, so it was intentional? Did the original God Almighty see a certain scene while dying and disintegrating, and make corresponding arrangements? Lumian revealed a thoughtful expression.
He immediately said in a satisfied tone, "Thank you for your answer, great Arrodes."
This was the answer he wanted.
This also indirectly confirmed that the Celestial Worthy was trying to use the Mirror People.
The surface of the magic mirror rippled, and blood-red ancient Feysac words were outlined again:
"Based on the principle of reciprocity, it''s my turn to ask a question.
"If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be punished."
Lumian nodded slightly, then saw the ancient Feysac words on the old silver mirror change:
"Are you prepared to be scared out of your wits by that individual?"What a gentle question, not embarrassing at all... Anthony thought instinctively.
Then, he realized, This seems more like a hint.
A hint to Lumian that the uing action might directly face the Celestial Worthy or His consciousness and power?
"I''m ready." Lumian answered with a smile, He also noticed the hint from the magic mirror Arrodes.
Then, he faced the magic mirror, pressed his hand to his chest and said, "I''ll ask the other two questionster."
By eleven in the morning, Franca and Jenna had also arrived at the rental house in Xinhong District, each finding a chair to sit on.
"Queen Mystic is maintaining the illusion of Lumiana, preventing the police from discovering that I''ve left my designated residence," said Lumian, who had resumed his Li Ming identity. He stood up and looked at eachpanion, "We need to hurry now."
"Okay," Franca had been curious about Lumian''s n since yesterday.
Of course, she inevitably felt a bit nervous and uneasy, because if others falled, they would most likely just be kicked out of the dream, while she had a significant chance of dying.
Lumian smiled and said, "I''ve been pondering the phrase ''filter out the interference ofplex information and see the most fundamental facts'' all day yesterday, and finally thought of a few details.
"One of them is that Chief Yagates only has the spiritual imprints of Mr. Door and the Celestial Worthy, with maybe a little bit of Amon''s at most.
"If interfered with byplex information, one might deduce that Chief Yagates would likely lean towards the Celestial Worthy at crucial moments, or that he has always been feigning neutrality, and we must avoid encountering him.
"But I did stimte Mr. Door''s spiritual imprint with matters rted to the Abraham family and our purpose for entering the dream city, preventing me from beingpletely kicked out of the dream.
"Moreover, the official forces of the dream city have indeed shown neutrality before, being impartial and following thew, otherwise we would have been finished long ago.
"So, what is the most fundamental fact among this information?"
Franca, Jenna, and Anthony fell into thought, while Ludwig continued to noisily eat from arge bag of chips, asionally plucking a mushroom from his body to go with it.
After about ten seconds, Jenna said in a quiet voice, filled with doubt and uncertainty. "The Celestial Worthy is too weak?"
Lumian chuckled. "Correct. Unlike Amon, Mr. Door passed away long ago. On Chief Yagates, who is the Uniqueness of the Door pathway, there exists only His remaining spiritual imprint, without external help or subsequent replenishment.
"And it''s this remnant imprint, along with a bit of Mr. Fool''s cognition and a little of Amon''s spiritual imprint, that has managed to resist the spiritual imprint of the Celestial Worthy, this great existence, maintaining bnce most of the time and even gaining the upper hand when stimted asionally.
"What does this signify?
"It indicates that the Celestial Worthy''s current state is much worse than we imagined, and the limitations He''s under are far greater than what we see daily!
"This is the most fundamental fact.
"And why is this so?"
At this point, Lumian closed his mouth, clearly not wanting to share his spections and thoughts.
Hey, you''re just going to pique our curiosity and not say anything? Franca felt ufortable all over, just like encountering certain authors and storytellers who leave a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter.
But she immediately understood Lumian''s intention, which was based onplete trust.
"Some things can be known but not spoken, at most hinted at?" Franca asked carefully.
Lumian showed an expression of satisfaction that made Franca want to hit him.
"Didn''t we already conclude earlier that except for outsiders, every manifestation in the dream city is a product of the subconscious cognition of Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthybined?"
Lumian extended his right hand, pointing at the green trees outside the window, at the surrounding walls, at the hot wind blowing in from outside.
"What I want to say is, apart from the dream characters, the birds, rats, cockroaches, earthworms, nts, buildings, and even the air in this city are all products of Mr. Fool''s subconscious and the Celestial Worthy''s subconsciousbined.
"In other words, we''ve been living in the thoughts, cognition, and consciousness of Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy all along."
Franca was enlightened. "So the dream city is like the cerebral cortex, with some areas very active that we need to carefully avoid and not stimte, like Zhou Mingrui''s dream manifestation, while most other areas are in a dormant state and normally won''t react unless we say key words or key information?"
"Once spoken, it''s likely to be immediately noticed by the Celestial Worthy." Lumian raised his right hand and grabbed a handful of air.
With a mischievous grin, he remarked, "This not only brings attention and rejection but might also stimte the Celestial Worthy, allowing Him to break free from His current unfavorable state.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Let me give an example. The fundamental facts revealed by the information on Chief Yagates aren''t that hard to figure out, but even with Amon''s reminders and hints, it took me a long time to understand, and you and the Major Arcana card holders haven''t even thought of it.
"Suppose there''s a person who''s been fooled, always feeling weak and unable to break free from certain limitations. In this situation, if someone suddenly tells him he''s silly or stupid, wouldn''t that stimte him to regain rity and be powerful again?
"This is also why Amon and that individual rted to the Aurora Order don''t speak directly in and out of dreams, only hinting, letting us understand on our own.
"Some tricks no longer work once the key technique is revealed!"
Jenna finally understood what Lumian was trying to express.
There were twoyers to this:
First, everyone who has entered the dream is essentially receiving joint corruption from Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy. It''s just that due to differences in dream entry time and actions taken, the degree of corruption varies, and the corresponding influence will persist even after returning to reality.
Second, certain words and facts might stimte the Celestial Worthy under simr corruption conditions, causing Him to "wake up".
"Just assign the tasks to us, you don''t need to say anything else." Jenna said with a sigh.
Franca and Anthony also had some realizations and nodded in session.
Just as Lumian was about to assign the corresponding tasks to hispanions, Franca''s phone suddenly rang.
Franca picked it up and looked, her expression changing slightly. "It''s a call from Luo Shan!"
Has something be so urgent that it requires a phone call?
Franca chose to answer, trying to make her voice sound steady. "Hello, Shanshan?"
Luo Shan''s urgent voice came through the receiver.
"Zhou Mingrui suddenly took leave, he asked for it twenty minutes ago, I just found out!"
Zhou Mingrul took leave? Jenna looked towards Lumian.
Lumian couldn''t help but frown. Today is Wednesday, Zhou Mingrui''s sister Zhou Sasa is arriving in Yangdu, but her high-speed train doesn''t arrive until 1:40 pm. Zhou Mingrul doesn''t need to take the morning off at all, he would have enough time even if he left after lunch.
Franca forced herself to stay calm and said to Luo Shan, "Don''t panic, ask Zhou Mingrui on WeChat to see what happened."
"Right... I can ask him directly." Luo Shan, who was in the administrative department of the Intis Group, quickly hung up the phone.
She rapidly sent a message to Zhou Mingrui: "Why did you suddenly take leave?"
After a few minutes, while Luo Shan was silently praying, Zhou Mingrui replied to her message:
"Going to the high-speed rail station to pick up my sister."
"Your sister ising to Yangdu? What time?" Luo Shan''s heart tightened, as if glimpsing an unpleasant truth.
After nearly another minute, Zhou Mingrui sent a emoji: ?????
"She was originally supposed to arrive on the train after 1:30, but she said she got to her hometown''s high-speed rail station early and there were spare tickets, so she changed her booking. She''ll arrive just after 11:50."
Why did she suddenly change her booking? Almost two hours earlier... Luo Shan had heard from Luo Fu and Jian Na that there might be issues with Zhou Sasa''s arrival in Yangdu, and she immediately became more panicked.
She didn''t bother to respond to Zhou Mingrui, quickly took a screenshot of the chat history, and sent it to True Hidden de.
At times like this, repeating is a waste of time!
Franca, in the rental house in Xinhong District, quickly scanned the information on the screenshot, and her whole body suddenly tensed up.
"Not good, Zhou Mingrui is almost at the high-speed rail station, and so is Zhou Sasa!" Franca held up her phone vertically, showing it to Lumian and the others.
Lumian nced at it and smiled slightly. "No need to panic, there''s still time. We have some redundancy."
His attitude infected Franca and Jenna, calming their mindset and spirits a little-Anthony and Ludwig didn''t need reassuring.
Lumian then began assigning different tasks to each person, only telling them what to do, not why.
When assigning certain tasks, he even deliberately used the Bottle of Fiction, not letting the otherpanions hear.
Finally, Lumian said to Anthony, "Before taking Ludwig to Crimson Moon Hospital, make a trip back to the real world and ry what I told you to the Major Arcana card holders. Let them prepare, and when the dream city experiences anomalies, seize the brief window of opportunity toplete that matter.
"Of course, the anomalies may not ur, and our n could very likely fail."
"Understood," Anthony replied steadily.
Lumian then turned his gaze to Franca, smiling again as he said, "Then let''s split up and take action."
After saying this, he pressed his hand to his chest and said, "Praise The Fool!"
"Praise The Fool!" Franca stood up abruptly, returning the same gesture.
Then, she said in a deep voice, "You must all be careful..."
Lumian nodded lightly, and together with Jenna, walked towards the door and out of the rental house.
The operation had officially begun.
Chapter 1026: Helper
After Lumian, Jenna, and Franca had each left the rental house in Xinhong District, Anthony waited for a moment before saying to Ludwig, "Keep eating, I''m heading back to the real world for a bit."
"Mhm, mhm." Ludwig, mouth full of food, didn''t have time to reply properly.
Anthony leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
As a Dreamwalker, he didn''t need to perform anyplicated actions to easily return to the real world.
Upon opening his eyes in a room of the luxurious Trier mansion, Anthony instinctively rolled out of bed.
At the same time, Madam Justice''s voice echoed in his mind: "Come to Two of Cups''s room."
Anthony immediately left his room and headed to Franca''s bedroom, which was closer to the staircase. He lightly knocked on the wooden door.
"Come in." Madam Justice''s gentle voice came from inside.
As soon as Anthony pushed open the door, he was met with multiple figures:There was Mr. Star standing in front of the bright window, wearing red gloves; a man sitting in a dim corner, his eyes crimson and his chin slightly raised; a rugged-looking man with bronze skin and blue hair, leaning against the mini-bar, holding a ss of Lanti Proof;
On either side of the long sofa were Madam Magician and Madam Judgment; Ma''am Hermit was sitting on a single-seater, wearing sses and flipping through a book; Madam Justice sat by Franca''s bed with Susie nearby, and a young man, over two meters tall, with simple white robes, paced at the foot of the bed.
Anthony scanned the room and respectfully said, "Good afternoon,dies and gentlemen."
"Do you have something to tell us?" Madam Justice turned her body slightly.
Anthony repeated Lumian''s instructions in full, without leaving out a single detail.
Madam Justice nodded thoughtfully. "I understand."
At that moment, the tall, brown-haired young man shifted his gaze to the other Major Arcana card holders and said in a calm voice, "From now on, no one is to leave this room."
As his voice echoed, the brilliant sunlight, brighter than the sky outside, flooded the bedroom, banishing all shadows and darkness, leaving no corner untouched.
Inside the administrative department of the Intis Group at the Tech Building.
"Haha, kids can be impulsive, Coming to Yangdu for y college?" Luo Shan sent Zhou Mingrui a message, holding her phone.
This was a continuation of their earlier conversation and also a way to "monitor" Zhou Mingrui''s current state.
Luo Shan believed that chatting with Zhou Mingrui on and off would allow her to keep abreast of his movements in a timely manner.
While waiting for his reply, Luo Shan found herself unable to sit or stand still. She walked around but couldn''t calm the waves of anxiety in her heart.
She sat back down, grabbed some paper and a pen, hoping to ease herplex, tangled emotions by drawing.
Scribble! Scribble! Scribble! Luo Shan scribbled on the paper aimlessly.
As time slowly passed, her sketch gradually took shape.
It depicted a girl, guarding behind a ck barrier, fighting off childlike monsters.
Luo Shan had drawn a version of herself deep into the night, standing as a protector.
When she saw the half-finished drawing, Luo Shan froze.
After a few seconds, she pressed her lips tightly together.
She stood up abruptly and rushed to Deputy Director Zhang Qing''s office, speaking urgently, "Director Zhang, I''d like to take half a day off!"
Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station, arrival level.
Lumian and Jenna stood in front of therge disy screen, checking the exit for Zhou Sasa''s train.
"South Exit Three, arriving in six minutes," Jenna said, referencing the Information Luo Shan had provided, locating the correct train.
"I told you we had extra time," Lumian, in his male form, chuckled and walked with Jenna toward South Exit Three.
They didn''t get too close, keeping a distance of about twenty to thirty meters, hiding near the taxine entrance while watching the target area.
The two Demonesses quickly spotted Zhou Mingrui.
Because the Intis Group had strong air conditioning and he had rushed out in a hurry. Zhou Mingrui was wearing a white T-shirt under an orange-and-ck id shirt, looking as if he had been waiting for a while.
Neither Jenna nor Lumian spoke, quietly observing.
After two or three minutes, Jenna suddenly pointed in a direction and whispered, "Luo Shan... Why is she here?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Following Jenna''s lead, Lumian saw Luo Shan, dressed in a blouse and skirt, walking toward South Exit Three, ncing around as she moved.
"Call her over, don''t let her disturb Zhou Mingrui." Lumian instructed Jenna,
Jenna had already been thinking the same thing.
Using her Assassin footwork, she quickly and discreetly approached Luo Shan, appearing right in front of her.
Luo Shan jumped in surprise, then opened her mouth in delighted shock.
Jenna raised a finger to her lips, signaling Luo Shan not to speak.
Luo Shan immediately closed her mouth and followed Jenna to the taxine entrance by South Exit Two.
When Luo Shan saw who was waiting with Jenna, she could no longer contain herself, pointing at Lumian and stammering, "You, you, you"
Isn''t this the dropout, Li Ming, who had a child when he was still a teenager?
Is he in league with Luo Fu, Jian Na, and Lumina?
"What a coincidence." Lumian smiled.
He gestured toward Jenna. "She''s the mother of the child."
"Oh, oh..." Luo Shan suddenly felt a bit excited.
That exins it.
That is their rtionship!
Suddenly learning this private detail about her friends dispelled much of Luo Shan''s tension and anxiety.
Jenna finally asked, "Why did youe to the station?"
Luo Shan''s expression instantly darkened.
She bit her lip and said, "I wanted to help you.
"I think, I think I can be of help."
As she spoke, her tone grew firmer.
Lumian was silent for a few seconds before saying. "Okay."
He nced toward South Exit Three and casually added, "For now, there''s nothing else to do but observe."
"Okay." This was Luo Shan''s first time taking part in an operation like this, so she had no objections.
Looking back at Zhou Mingrui, Jenna thought aloud. "If Zhou Sasa really is a problem, if she''s meant to make Zhou Mingrui produce a stable Mirror Person in the special mirror world, what would she do?"
Having experienced the events rting to the Hostel and with Moran Avigny, Jenna had a deep understanding of the special mirror world. She knew that to produce a stable, long-term Mirror Person in that world, the person either had to be a descendant of the Primordial Demoness or certain Fourth Epoch Trier nobles, or they had to be exposed to the overflow of corruption from the special mirror world-namely, frequent activity in underground Trier.
However, in the dream city, there was no real special mirror world-it was hidden deep within the mirror world, without any overflow of corruption.
So, making Zhou Mingrui trulye into contact with the special mirror world was no easy task.
Lumian thought for a few seconds. "I don''t know."
His calm, steady tone made Luo Shan suddenly feel that things might not be as bad as she had imagined.
A few more minutes passed, and passengers starteding through the gates at South Exit Three.
Jenna and Luo Shan''s nerves immediately tightened.
Before long, they saw Zhou Mingrui smile and walk toward the exit.
There, a young girl emerged, wearing a ck dress that made her seem more mature than her age.
Hur suitcase was also dark-colored, without any fluffy toys attached like many young women would have, but instead, it had a mechanical-looking Transformer hanging from it.
Her backpack wasn''t cute either-ck, made of synthetic leather, andrge enough to hang a silver- white pocket watch with vine and leaf patterns on one side.
"Her style is very simr to reality''s Melissa Moretti..." Jenna muttered under her breath.
Luo Shan couldn''t help but nce at her.
When Zhou Sasa saw Zhou Mingrui approaching, she smiled brightly, waving her hand.
"Mingruil" she called out sweetly.
At that moment, she finally showed a hint of youthful charm.
"Perfect timing, I''ll take you out for a big meal!" Zhou Mingrui grinned as he took his sister''s suitcase.
"Mingrui, I fixed the pocket watch!" Zhou Sasa pulled the silver-white pocket watch with vine and leaf patterns from the side of her ck backpack, showing it off to Zhou Mingrui.
Click. She pressed lightly on the top of the watch, and the silver-white cover popped open.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian and Jenna''s eyes narrowed.
With their eagle-like vision, they noticed that the ss on the watch''s face was dark, almost pure ck, but still transparent enough to see the hands and numbers on the dial.
That ss gave both Lumian and Jenna a strong sense of familiarity, a familiarity rooted in their spiritual intuition and memory.
It was a fragment of the special mirror world!
They each possessed a piece of the special mirror world fragment!
"Is Zhou Sasa nning to use that pocket watch and the fragment of the special mirror world to make Zhou Mingrui generate a stable Mirror Person?" Jenna whispered, but instinctively kept her voice low.
She immediately recalled something.
The fragment of the special mirror world that Lumian possessed hade from the reanimated Panatiya, who had originally been arranged as Zhou Mingrui''s lover, and eventually his wife.
"Was her intended function not only to stabilize Zhou Mingrui''s mental state but also, after Zaratulstra''s frontal attempt failed, to use that fragment of the special mirror world to somehow ''corrupt'' Zhou Mingrui, so that a stable Mirror Person could be born? No wonder she has a fragment of the special mirror world The Celestial Worthy always prepares multiple -no, three, or even more-contingencies..." Jenna bop suddenly realized.
She quickly said to Lumian, "We need to find a way to steal that pocket watch. We can''t let Zhou Mingruie into too much contact with it."
Lumian also thought of the reanimated Panatiya and observed for a few seconds before saying. "That pocket watch seems to hold significant sentimental value for Zhou Mingrui. He''s holding onto it tightly. Taking it from under his nose won''t be easy."
At this point, Zhou Mingrui had taken the silver-white pocket watch and was inspecting it repeatedly, looking very pleased.
Jenna understood Lumian''s concern.
Not just difficult-nearly impossible, and extremely risky!
What Zhou Mingrui wanted to protect was what the dream subconscious wanted to protect!
Chapter 1027: What Is Real
As Jenna quickly tried to think of a way to "take" the silver pocket watch from Zhou Mingrui, Luo Shan suddenly spoke up. "I''ll go."
Uh... Jenna and Lumian both turned to look at Luo Shan at the same time.
Luo Shan shed a smile that said, "It''s no big deal."
"I know Zhou Mingrui. We''re on good terms, we''re close colleagues. It''ll be easier for me to get close to him than you two.
"Although he''s somewhat suspicious of me now and knows I have Beyonder powers, and he''s picked up on my hints, overall, he should still see me as an ally. someone on his side. Right? My analysis is correct, isn''t it?"
Luo Shan showed ack of confidence in these kinds of matters.
Before Lumian or Jenna could respond, she gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "Zhou Mingrui might be wary, might be on guard, but he''d never suspect that my target is the pocket watch.
"And besides..."
She paused for a moment and then added, "You two are outsiders. Even if you just trigger his suspicions, he might kick you out, but I won''t. I''m from here. At most, I just need to be a little more careful afterward!""No, it''s still dangerous." Jenna warned Luo Shan seriously. "We''ve never tried having someone like you directly confront Zhou Mingrui or do anything to him, so we can''t predict what might happen or what the worst oue might be. And judging by simr cases, you could end up with a light suddenly falling from the ceiling, smashing your head, killing you instantly, or you could drop dead the moment you touch that pocket watch."
Luo Shan''s expression turned solemn.
She nodded slowly and said, "I know."
Before Jenna or Lumian could try to dissuade her further, she unexpectedly asked in a low voice, "What is the real me like?"
While Lumian was observing Zhou Mingrui and Zhou Sasa, Jenna fell silent for two seconds and then answered, "She''s a civilian staff at the police station. Her father was also an official Beyonder, but he died in a Beyonder disaster.
"She''s lively, though a bitzy, but her colleagues really like her. They all treat her like a little sister. She''s married now, with a lovely child."
Luo Shan listened intently, and after a few seconds, she said, "Isn''t that another version of me?
"It really is another me..."
Her eyes flickered as she looked at Jenna, and with a hint of yfulness, she said, "If you ever meet her, please tell her:
"I envy her..."
Hearing this, Jenna suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and emotions swirled in her chest, making it hard to speak.
Luo Shan slowly straightened her back.
"And also tell her, I have my own pride, and I''ve had experiences she might envy."
Luo Shan''s serious expression gradually softened, as though she was talking to herself.
"I''ve been reflecting a lottely, thinking about my past.
"My mother was so real, my interactions with her were so real. My father was real, too, and his sacrifice was just as real. My childhood, my middle school, high school, college, and my work experiences, all those details, all those moments-they were so real.
"I can still remember the smell of my mom, the taste of her best dish, eggnt with pork. I can remember where my dad''s police uniform had a hole burned by a cigarette, where he hid snacks he bought for me
"To you. these might be part of a a dreamscape, but to me, they couldn''t be more real. They are the meaning of my existence.
"And because of those memories and that past, I feel real. No matter how you see it.
"Now, I''m going to do something I''ve always dreamed of. It will make me even more real. It will give my life more meaning, no longer just a dream or someone else''s fantasy!"
Before Jenna could respond, Lumian suddenly said.
"Alright. You approach Zhou Mingrui, and find a way to steal that pocket watch."
Luo Shan was stunned, not expecting Lumian to agree so quickly.
In the blink of an eye, a smile appeared on her face, a smile filled with pride and nostalgia.
She looked at Jenna and asked softly, "I-if this dream breaks apart and you two leave alive, will you remember me? Will you remember that there was a Luo Shan, and the things I did?"
Jenna''s vision blurred instantly, and she choked up as she said.
"I will. I''ll always remember that I had a friend named Luo Shan. She was lively and kind, though a bitzy. She was a girl who always missed her mom, but she had a strong sense of justice, just like her father..."
Luo Shan smiled, full of relief. "That means I really lived. My life was real."
She took a deep breath and pointed toward Zhou Mingrui and Zhou Sasa.
"I have to hurry. They''re almost at the entrance to the ride-hailing parking lot."
"Alright," Lumian and Jenna replied briefly.
Luo Shan took a step toward the exit but suddenly turned around, shing a bright smile at Jenna and Lumian.
With a mix of nerves and excitement, she said, "I can be a guardian too."
Without waiting for a response, she turned back and ran toward Zhou Mingrui and Zhou Sasa, wearing her blouse and skirt.
She used her Reporter ability in small bursts, speeding up quickly, moving as gracefully and nimbly as a young deer.
Lumian watched her back and softly repeated her words, "Guardian..."
Inside Crimson Moon Hospital.
In a dimly lit patient room, with the curtains drawn, even though it was noon, Anthony used thest remaining Mirror Traversal effect of the Ice Mirror Charm, bringing himself and Ludwig out of the bathroom mirror.
They walked over to the hospital bed, where Anthony studied An Xiaotian''s head. There were centipede-like stitches across his scalp, and his face was covered with thick, dark facial hair. After a few seconds, Anthony turned to Ludwig and asked, "Can he be cured?"
"I don''t know. We''ll have to try and see," Ludwig replied. He plucked a golden mushroom from the cracked corner of his eye and chewed it down.
The efficacy of the spores he absorbed from mushrooms to heal An Xiaotian was uncertain-this wasn''t something a Gourmet typically dealt with.
Anthony surveyed the room before pulling out a nk sketchbook and a pencil. He set the book down on the TV table and quickly began sketching.
Before long, he finished a drawing.
It was aplex maze, but every path seemed to be blocked.
Anthony carefully tore out the sketch, packed away the remaining pages, and cautiously walked to the door. Using his Psychological Invisibility ability, he opened the door just a crack and ced the drawing against it.
The sketch shimmered for a moment and then melded seamlessly with the door.
With that done, Anthony observed the bustling nurses and wandering patients in the hallway before retreating back inside, closing the door behind him.
He turned to Ludwig and said, "Begin the treatment."
Ludwig hesitated briefly before stepping forward in small, cautious steps. He stood next to An Xiaotian''s bed and ced both hands on the man''s shaved head, which was covered with multiple scars and attached to various medical devices.
In the next moment, a damp, fresh sensation emanated from Ludwig''s body, making the air feel like a forest after the rain.
Anthony waited patiently as the seconds ticked by.
Suddenly, he noticed small lumps forming beneath the skin on An Xiaotian''s face, as if something was trying to push its way out. The lumps quickly retracted, shifting a few centimeters under the skin.
On the monitors, the data for heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation began fluctuating rapidly.
There''s a response, but is it enough? Anthony held his breath without realizing it.
He cast cate on himself, calming his nerves as he continued to wait.
Another twenty seconds passed before Anthony noticed the room bing even darker, though he wasn''t sure if it was real or just his imagination.
Then, all at once, the lumps beneath An Xiaotian''s skin surged to the surface, tearing through his flesh and scalp.
They sprouted into various types of thumb-sized mushrooms-some had fleshy, veined patterns, others were soft and white, oozing a milky substance.
They kept growing, rapidly expanding until An Xiaotian''s entire head was covered in a dense cluster of fungi, leaving only his eyes, nose, and mouth visible.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The monitors red, rms going off as the data spiked wildly.
Several nurses rushed over, one leading the way and another pushing a medical cart.
But when they opened the door to the room, they didn''t see the bed or the nearby bathroom. Instead, they were faced with a long hallway stretching into the unknown, with countless unmarked doors lining its sides.
Normally, the nurses would have stepped back to check if they were in the wrong ce, but instead, they ran forward, opening door after door, desperately trying to find the real entrance to the room.
Amid the walling rms, Anthony felt the room grow even darker. An ominous, dangerous energy began to fill the space.
Ludwig withdrew his hands, stepped back to Anthony''s side, and stared at the now mushroom-covered An Xiaotian. Licking his lips, he said, "It worked."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Just as he spoke, An Xiaotian, still unconscious, suddenly sat bolt upright.
Bzzz, the electrical appliances in the room-lights, TV, monitors-all emitted a loud buzzing sound, so intense that it drowned out the beeping rms.
At that moment, An Xiaotian, sitting up straight, opened his eyes. They were deep, dark, weathered, and slightly hollow.
In stark contrast to the mushrooms growing all over his head, his eyes looked unnervingly normal and sane.
An Xiaotian opened his mouth and spat out countless tiny spores, his voice hoarse as he said, "Be careful..."
As soon as Anthony and Ludwig heard those words, they suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. The darkness around them seemed to solidify, closing in on them and pushing them out.
Even with Anthony''s mental fortitude and emotional control, he couldn''t help but shiver, feeling the urge to flee the room.
The next second, An Xiaotian''s voice turned sharp and piercing.
"Be careful of Zhou Mingrui!"
Chapter 1028: The Medium
"Be careful of Zhou Mingrui!"
An Xiaotian''s voice echoed through the hospital room, drowning out the rms from the monitoring equipment.
Wh- As Anthony struggled to hide his shock and out surprise, thunder rumbled outside.
The sky over the entire dream city suddenly turned gray, as if the brilliant sunlight had been cut off by ayer of clouds.
In Anthony''s vision, An Xiaotian''s figure suddenly be or became blurry, sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting, like a hazy, confusing dream.
The next second, Anthony and Ludwig felt the dream''s strong rejection, sensing their rapid transformation into marites.
Inside Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station.
Luo Shan quickly caught up with Zhou Mingrui and Zhou Sasa, intercepting them before they turned onto the road leading to the parking lot."Zhou Mingrui!" Luo Shan called out.
Zhou Mingrui, who had already put the silver pocket watch in his trouser pocket, turned around and looked at the rapidly approaching Luo Shan with confusion. "Why are you here?"
Weren''t you just at work in the office, cking off and chatting with me?
Zhou Sasa looked at Luo Shan, then at her brother, and smartly kept her mouth shut, saying nothing.
Luo Shan stopped within arm''s reach of Zhou Mingrui and said urgently, "There''s something important I need to tell you."
What could be so important that it couldn''t be said over WeChat or phone, and you had to rush here to tell me in person? Zhou Mingrui remembered Luo Shan''s previous warnings and looked at his colleague quizzically, waiting for her to continue.
On her way over, Luo Shan had already decided that today''s strategy would be "honesty." She said with a serious expression.
"There''s an item you shouldn''t touch right now. I''m here to keep it safe for you."
Taking advantage of Zhou Mingrui''s confused thinking, she suddenly reached out with her hand, using the ultimate speed of a Reporter.
Zhou Mingrui couldn''t dodge in time and Luo Shan "forcefully snatched" the silver pocket watch with vine and leaf patterns from his trouser pocket.
"This is it!" Luo Shan quickly exined,
Zhou Mingrui, who instinctively wanted to grab it back, suddenly froze, looking at the pocket watch and muttering in disbelief.
"This?"
What could be wrong with it?
This change also left the observing Zhou Sasa confused and bewildered. She blurted out, "Mingrui, what''s going on?"
What are you two talking about?
Are the two of you flirting?
Zhou Mingrui didn''t answer Zhou Sasa''s question. focusing his gaze on Luo Shan.
Luo Shan didn''t bother to conceal anything and couldn''t think of how to hint at it, so she directly raised the silver pocket watch.
"This will bring you danger!
"Think carefully, isn''t it a bit different from before?"
Although Luo Shan wasn''t clear on what exactly was wrong with the pocket watch in her hand, from Jian Na and Li Ming''s conversation, she knew the watch was linked to some special mirror world fragment.
In other words, the watch was different from before- if there had been an anomaly in the past, Zhou Mingrui would have had problems long ago!
Zhou Mingrui suddenly fell into thought, frowning slightly.
Indeed, the watch''s ss face seemed to have been reced...
Who would normally use ck ss for a watch face, even if it was transparent...
Beside them, Zhou Sasa grumbled, "I''ve repaired it, of course it''s a bit different from before."
Zhou Mingrui thought for a few seconds, then cautiously said to Luo Shan, "Alright, you keep it safe for me for a few days."
Although this watch held great sentimental value for him, no object, no matter how important, couldpare to real safety. Even if it was lost because of this, he would only feel heartache and regret, but not remorse.
How understanding, just like usual... And I haven''t had any problems yet! Luo Shan felt both relieved and grateful as she sighed to herself.
She quickly gave Zhou Mingrui a meaningful look. "I''ll make a move first."
After getting Zhou Mingrui''s permission, she turned and walked towards where Jian Na and Li Ming were.
She suppressed the explosive joy in her heart, not showing it for the moment.
I seeded!
I did itl
Ipleted an important task at the risk of my life!
As Luo Shan''s steps became increasingly light, she suddenly felt her body be weightless.
Her throat began to tighten, as if a rope was wrapped around it.
Her breathing quickly becamebored, and her knees and elbows felt as if they were filled with thick glue.
Still... something went wrong....
Will I... be strangled... to death... like this... in public?
In this state, Luo Shan heard the rumbling thunder.
She found her surroundings had be quite dark and extremely oppressive, with the passing pedestrians all appearing blurry and distorted.
This... really is... a dream... Luo Shan suddenly had this realization, a realization tinged with sorrow and sighing.
At this moment, she saw Jian Na.
Jian Na was still clear.
Then, Luo Shan clearly saw the anxious and worried expression on Jian Na''s face.
She once again felt that her life was still real, still meaningful.
She managed to give Jenna another smile, with difficulty.
Her body also gradually became blurry, like those background characters seen hazily in a dream.
Rumble!
Amid the rolling thunder, Zhou Mingrui also noticed the blurring and distortion of the people around him, and the darkness and unreality of the entire high- speed rail station.
The only light came from the side and behind him and Zhou Sasa, from the passage leading to the parking lot.N?v(el)B\\jnn
Clear radiance gathered there, as if forming a huge door.
Zhou Mingrui instinctively grabbed Zhou Sasa''s forearm, no longer caring about the luggage, and ran wildly towards that door of light.
After running a few steps, he felt Zhou Sasa stop, bing heavy, making it impossible for him to drag her forward.
Has Sasa also been affected by the anomaly? Zhou Mingrui turned his head concernedly to look at his sister.
In his eyes, Zhou Sasa had somehow already be transparent, thin, like a mirror and the reflection of a person in a mirror.
Zhou Sasa''s ck dress had half-merged with the "mirror," making the surface appear dark.
Zhou Mingrui saw himself in the dark mirror.
Short ck hair, deep brown eyes, non-prescription sses, soft contours and a somewhat handsome appearance....
As Zhou Mingrui clearly saw the image in the mirror, the him in the mirror suddenly curled his lips, revealing an eerie and chilling smile.
The Zhou Mingrui in the mirror began to ovep with Zhou Sasa, who had regressed to a pure female form.
Wh-Zhou Mingrui instinctively took two steps back.
Just then, he heard a "bang" of a gunshot.
A bullet tinged with a dull blue-green color shot out from somewhere, hitting the mirror that Zhou Sasa had be, hitting the reflected image of Zhou Mingrui in the mirror.
Certain Death!
Franca had lent the Inevitable Gun to Jenna.
Crack!
That mirror quickly shattered, falling to the ground like a rainstorm.
All of its fragments lost their luster, no longer reflecting anything.
Zhou Mingrui instinctively turned sideways and saw Jenna, holding a brass-colored revolver, with delicate features, not at all blurry or distorted.
He didn''t recognize this beautiful young woman.
Jenna nodded slightly to Zhou Mingrui, trying her best to show her goodwill.
When Zhou Mingrui witnessed his mirror self revealing that chilling smile, he had already judged this to be an enemy, someone harboring malice towards him.
This led to a series of thoughts:
They''ve used Sasa!
I must find out what has happened to the real Sasa!
Based on this judgment, Zhou Mingrui held no ill will towards Jenna, who had shattered the mirror and his mirror self, believing she was sent by friendly forces to stop this.
Seeing Zhou Mingrui return a friendly nod, Jenna hadn''t had time to feel joy, hadn''t had time to think about how to save Luo Shan, when she suddenly felt the dream strongly rejecting her, felt her thoughts bing sluggish, felt two kinds of pain attacking simultaneously.
She was being kicked out of the dream, she was being rapidly turned into a marite.
Just as Zhou Mingrui was about to ask the woman opposite what to do next, he saw her face contort, seeming to be in great pain.
Has she been attacked? An invisible attack? Zhou Mingrui hurriedly looked around, searching for potential enemies.
He then saw that the pirs and screens throughout the high-speed rail station had be illusory, either elongated or widened, bing dark mirrors.
All these mirrors reflected Zhou Mingrui''s searching figure, but without exception, the Zhou Mingrui in the mirrors all wore cold, chilling smiles.
"They" suddenly stopped, all turning to look at Jenna. their voices ovepping as theyughed.
"It''s toote!
"Zhou Sasa is the medium, the medium pointing to that mirror world!"
Jenna, who was fighting against the dream''s rejecting force and rapid maritization, suddenly froze.
Toote?
Has the Zhou Mingrui in the mirror already been born?
Is the Celestial Worthy about to use this?
On one side of the high-speed rail station that had transformed into a mirror world, Lumian, who had never formally appeared, unhurriedly took out the magic mirror Arrodes.
In a rich timbre, he intoned, "The second question.
On the surface of the mirror, pale words quickly appeared: "Ask quickly!"
Arrodes didn''t repeat its rules, because this was the second question, not the first.
Lumian curled his lips slightly and said, "Are you a weapon, or a medium?"
On the dark mirror surface shimmering with water, the pale words writhed and changed, forming new content: "Medium!"
Then, the magic mirror Arodes posed its own question:
"How do you want to use me?"
"Certainly not as a brick to throw at someone," Lumianughed.
At Four-Way Street, in the Jinxiu Dongfang Community, inside the Mute Art Studio.
Anderson Hood sat in front of his easel, bored, weal yawning.
At this moment, he heard the rumbling thunder and felt the light suddenly dim, the environment bing extremely oppressive.
Anderson stood up and walked to the window, finding that the pedestrians below had all be blurry masses.
He smiled and looked up at the sky, saying. "My task is about to bepleted."
As he spoke, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers with a loud crack.
Boom!
A violent explosion urred deep within the building, with mes rising from various ces.
In an instant, the newly renovated but uninhabited "motel" was engulfed by raging red mes.
Chapter 1029: Deep Darkness
As rumbling thunder sounded and the sky darkened, making the environment extremely oppressive.
Queen Mystic, maintaining the illusion of Lumina, picked up the phone and dialed a number.
It was the private number of Chief Yagates.
After connecting, Bernadette said directly, "I''ve received personal threats. I need the best protection."
She was reporting to the police.
She immediately exined, "It may be due to my father transferring power to me. I need protection!"
Bernadette emphasized the word "protection".
Chief Yagates was silent for a saying, "Okay."
In the gloomy oppression, most people in the dream city became blurry.
But this didn''t stop them from going online, using their phones, checking information.
Just then, whether videos, books, novels, or messages, everything suddenly copsed into pure snow-like static.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
These countless noise points rapidly spread, forming a huge information vortex.
The online world experienced a malfunction.
Inside Mushu Hospital.
The blurry and distorted patients, doctors, nurses, orderlies and those who were still clear simultaneously raised their heads, looking up towards the ceiling.
The dark and gloomy sky suddenly split open, and pure brilliant sunlight instantly poured down, shining directly on the main building of Mushu Hospital, piercing every dark corner and every underground level.
In the low-hanging leaden clouds, countless silver white electric snakes intertwined into huge, mboyant lightning.
Following the path carved out by the sunlight, this lightning struck the main building of Mushu Hospital, submerging it in a dazzling and intense ocean of thunder.
Inside the mirror-world-transformed Yangdu High - Speed Rail Station.
After answering the magic mirror Arrodes''s question, Lumian didn''t rush to take further action. He still calmly asked as if waiting for something. "The third question, how can we get the owner of the Star Dream Provisions Store to provide necessary help for Franca?"
On the surface of the magic mirror, those pale words didn''t change color, but rbined into new content: "Pass Franca''s Mirror Substitution through me, through the mirror world, to Her."
Then, the magic mirror Arrodes asked in return: "Don''t you have it?"
"I do." Lumianughed, took out Franca''s Mirror Substitution, and pressed it into the ss mirror surface of the magic mirror Arrodes.
At this special moment when the dream city was shaken and character images were blurred, the restrictions on his Beyonder powers also lessened. He had recovered to a level almost equivalent to Sequence 4, which was why he could use the mirror world to quickly send an item to the Star Dream Provisions Store, which was clearly over ten kilometers away.
After doing this, Lumian nced twice at Zhou Mingrui, who looked grave and was constantly moving away from those dark mirrors and mirror selves, then gripped the magic mirror Arrodes with his left palm.
It''s time!
He unhesitatingly activated the residual aura of the Blood Emperor in the center of his right palm.
The brand that had turned dark red due to the fusion with an unknown boon suddenly became prominent, seemingly showing signs of melting back into blood.
However, that mad, violent, bloody aura didn''t dissipate, being firmly suppressed by a deathly pale force.
Of course, after Lumian''sst use of the corpse wax V candle, the pale and dark red had shown extremely subtle signs of fusion. Now, at that point of fusion, it strangely darkened, caving in slightly, showing unusual changes.
Lumian reached his right palm into the Traveler''s Bag and took out the Card of sphemy he got from the mirror Emperor Roselle-the Demoness card!
He pressed this Demoness card tightly against his palm, against the mutated residual aura of the Blood Emperor and the Underworld Daoist''s seal, against the slight depression produced by the fusion of pale and dark red.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian felt a bone-chilling coldness and horror in the center of his right palm.
He didn''t need to look with his eyes; an image naturally appeared in his mind.
His palm had gained a "pinhole", a "pinhole" formed by pure darkness.
As expected, this Demoness card should be used here... If I didn''t have it, I''d have to light the corpse wax candle, which would not only be rushed in terms of time, requiring the ritual to be held earlier and adding considerable risk, but the effect might not be as good... As these thoughts shed through Lumian''s mind, he extended his right hand holding the Demoness card towards the magic mirror Arrodes.
His hand prated the surface of this ancient silver mirror, reaching into the area behind the mirror.
But he didn''t enter himself, it was more like using the magic mirror as a medium for "casting spells".
The next second, a scene appeared in Lumian''s mind: the dark void around the area behind the mirror seemed to be covered by an invisible curtain, behind which pairs of eyes were watching the outside world, and nameless things were flowing silently.
This was the area behind the mirror corresponding to the magic mirror Arrodes, which was clearly somewhat specialpared to other mirrors.
Then, Lumian "saw" that the curtain covering the dark void silently copsed and peeled off as his right hand entered.
The entire darkness was copsing.
What appeared in Lumian''s mind wasn''t the pairs of eyes he had imagined, nor was it a surging river, but a viscous liquid that was difficult to describe in words, seemingly containing all colors.
These liquids seemed to form an illusory ocean. Although Lumian hadn''t truly "seen" or touched it, just sensing it made him feel that his body and mind were beginning to fall, his spirit gradually bing abnormal.
Then, the illusory ocean was pushed aside by an invisible force, moving away from Lumian''s "mind".
Following this path through the ocean, Lumian''s consciousness quickly went forward, "seeing" the gray stone walls, "seeing" the blood flowing on the stone walls.
Those crimson blood formed sentences: "To test out the correct n, He finally decided to let the Red Priest and the Demoness from the same era meet, guiding Them tobine together
"This will bring about a destined ident"
The scene froze here, and the magic mirror Arrodes in Lumian''s palm suddenly emitted an ancient, chaotic radiance.
Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station, in the arrival hall.
Zhou Mingrui had already turned and started running wildly, but no matter where he ran, the pirs, walls, floor, and ceiling would turn into mirrors, reflecting his figure.
And the him in the mirror always wore a cold, chilling smile.
After running for a while, Zhou Mingrui suddenly stopped, because his head, feet, and surroundings had all be dark mirrors, all reflecting him.
"Give up
"Give up..."
Every Zhou Mingrui in the mirrors persuaded.
They were not only persuading, but also reaching their hands out of the mirror surfaces, grabbing at Zhou Mingrui, leaving him nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape.
Zhou Mingrui didn''t give up. In the narrow space, he dodged left and right, barely avoiding the first round of grasps.
At this moment, a pure darkness covered with grayish-white fog and hiding a vast city appeared prominently in all the mirrors on the scene.
In the blink of an eye, the grayish-white fog and the vast city copsed towards the depths of the darkness.
That darkness "came alive", surging towards the mirror surfaces, surging towards the mirror Zhou Mingrui behind each mirror.
The mirror Zhou Mingrui tried hard to grab Zhou Mingrui, wanting to escape from the mirrors, but in such a short time, it was really difficult to seed.
Soon, the darkness surged to the area behind the mirrors, swallowing one mirror Zhou Mingrui after another, freezing the cold, chilling smiles on their faces.
This all-engulfing darkness irresistibly filled all the areas behind the mirrors with an overwhelming momentum.
All the mirrored Zhou Mingruis disappeared.
The darkness continued forward, breaking through mirror after mirror, pouring into Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station.
This high-speed rail station began to copse, inch by inch, as if the dream was gradually shattering, the fragments falling into the deep darkness.
At this time, Jenna found that the dream''s rejecting force and the force of rapid maritization had both weakened a lot. She hurriedly approached the blurry Luo Shan, trying to take her out of the high-speed rail station.
As for whether the damage to the dream would continue after leaving the high-speed rail station, and what would happen to Luo Shan then, Jenna didn''t think about it for the moment, nor could she think about it.
Unfortunately, the distance between them was too far. Before Jenna could truly get close to Luo Shan, she saw that deep darkness swallow the corresponding area.
Luo Shan''s blurry figure rapidly faded, bursting like a soap bubble.
Thest scene she saw was Jian Na rushing towards her with an anxious face.
She smiled with relief.
She opened her mouth, but couldn''t say anything.
Shepletely disappeared.
At the same time, Jenna seemed to hear Luo Shan saying: "Remember me, don''t forget!"
Jenna stopped her steps, and before the deep darkness surged over, she left this city with the help of the remaining dream rejecting force.
She responded to Luo Shan''s words in her heart, I will remember you forever!
Lumian, who was far from this deep darkness, silently sighed in relief after seeing Jenna''s expression be confused and bewildered.
Next, he watched expressionlessly as the dreamscape Jenna was dissolved by the deep darkness, as Zhou Mingrui ran wildly in the high-speed rail station, trying to get away from the deep darkness surging like seawater.
The surge of that darkness gradually slowed down, as if suppressed and weakened by the dream''s main consciousness.
Finally, after swallowing more than half of the high- speed rail station, the deep darkness stopped just tens of centimeters away from Zhou Mingrui.
The dream city stabilized again, and even the you remaining passengers and those meeting them gradually became clear.
Zhou Mingrui ran a few more steps, confirming that the danger had really eased.
He then saw the handsome security guard Li Ming walking out from a corner not far away, walking towards him.
"Is this upheaval over?" Zhou Mingrui asked urgently.
Lumian had already put the magic mirror Arrodes and the Demoness card back into the Traveler''s Bag. He looked at Zhou Mingrui and calmly answered when they were still a few meters apart, "I''d like to say that things are over.
"But unfortunately, they aren''t yet."
Zhou Mingrui was stunned for a moment, his back gradually straightening, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, his expression no longer the same as before.
He chuckled softly.
"Yes, not yet."
***
Thanks to the user "ѧܧڧ ӧҧߧ" (Telegram) for the chapters provided!
Chapter 1030: Face to Face
Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station, half copsed and fallen into deep darkness, as if swallowed by an abyss. The other half, though restored to stability and normalcy, remained dim with unlitmps. Only a few paths leading to the outside world had light converging, forming brilliant and clear light gates.
In this environment, Zhou Mingrui, with his back to the deep darkness, looked at Lumian and asked in a calm voice, "You know?"
Lumian nodded lightly and said, "Yes.
"Theoretically, I should have waited for Anthony and Ludwig to wake up An Xiaotian, hear words like ''be careful of Zhou Mingrui'' from his mouth, then be kicked out of the dream, and through the indirect influence of the Major Arcana cards, receive the corresponding information to know the corresponding truth. But Peng Deng''s true hint has already given me the answer.
"On the surface, he was hinting to us that he was the childhood friend of both Mr. Fool and the Celestial Worthy, but the reverse is also true. Zhou Mingrui is both Peng Deng''s childhood friend and the childhood friend of the original God Almighty. The two aspects of his identity are unified and merged together.
"In other words, Zhou Mingrui is both Mr. Fool and you, the Celestial Worthy!"
Zhou Mingrui, wearing a faint smile, slightly raised his chin, assuming a listening posture.
Lumian further said, "This also aligns with the magic mirror Arrodes''s hint to ''beware of the night. During the day, Mr. Fool''s power takes the upper hand, and Zhou Mingrui equals Mr. Fool. At night, you, the Celestial Worthy, be active, and Zhou Mingrui will be closer to you. So, even just approaching, without any hints, there, would be risks.
"Based on this judgment, any hints, help, or awakening given to Zhou Mingrui would benefit both Mr. Fool and you, the Celestial Worthy.""And Peng Deng, as a symbol of the original God Almighty, doesn''t meet Zhou Mingrui at night because if you two were to meet, there''s a high probability that very unpleasant things and idents would ur."
Zhou Mingrui nodded and said, "He is formed from that bit of power left in the magic mirror and part of the spirit and consciousness that Grisha brought into the dream. He can''tpare to me here. If we were to meet at night, it would be advantageous for me, but problematic for Him."
Zhou Mingrui didn''t deny that his current self was The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
Lumian showed an expression of understanding. "That individual''s real name is Grisha?"
Without waiting for Zhou Mingrui to respond, he continued, "Combining Peng Deng''s true hint, Chief Yagates''s state, the fundamental reason for the dream''s restrictions, and other facts, I had roughly guessed what had happened before and your current situation when I entered the dream for the third time.
"Several years ago, shortly after Mr. Fool had just fallen asleep, he probably used himself as bait to lure you out and sealed you into the Zhou Mingrui manifestation formed from his spirit and consciousness.
"From a mystical perspective, this symbolizes the fusion and opposition of the both of you, while in reality, you are indeed within his body, indeed restricted by him. This is reflected in the dream with a simr symbolism!"
At this point, Lumian paused, as if observing Zhou Mingrui''s reaction.
Zhou Mingrui, with his smile unchanged, said, "Continue, I''m listening."
Smiling, Lumian replied, "This also exins why only Peng Deng and Zhang Yujia from Zhou Mingrui''s original character rtionships appeared, while others came from the identities of Klein Moretti, Gehrman Sparrow, and so on.
"He doesn''t want those feelings buried deep in his to be exploited by you. Of heart, the softest ones, to be course, for those you already know, there''s nothing he can do."
Zhou Mingrui nodded lightly and said, "Peng Deng and Zhang Yujia didn''t originally exist either. They were created by Grisha using the Dreamweaver ability and Zhou Mingrui''s subconscious cognition."
"I see, no wonder Zhou Mingrui suddenly froze when mentioning other childhood friends. That might be the true reflection of Peng Deng." Lumian had a sudden realization.
He continued, "Afterwards, Mr. Fool might have made a wish or used some other ability to remove Beyonder powers from the dream city, allowing Zhou Mingrui to live as an ordinary human. During this process, he might have been fooled by you, forgetting who he really was, forgetting many things.
"Overall, this ordinary human state is very advantageous for Mr. Fool, because he became a great existence step by step from being an ordinary person. Even though he has inevitably been influenced and eroded by godhood, he still retains a part of his humanity, the part that is intense and fervent for him. But you, The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, are naturally great and don''t possess such humanity at all.
"When the battlefield between you two is fixed on an ordinary human with only humanity and in an urban environment without Beyonder powers, you are naturally suppressed, restricted, and weakened. Humanity temporarily triumphs over godhood,
"This can also be interpreted symbolically. The fact that Zhou Mingrui, who has merged Mr. Fool and you. the Celestial Worthy, is an ordinary person symbolizes that humanity has gained the upper hand, with godhood suppressed to a corner, temporarily negligible."
"Yes, at that time I was influenced by that drop of river water and couldn''t do more. I could only ept this change," Zhou Mingrui frankly admitted.
Lumian nced at those dream figures running out of the high-speed rail station and said,
"When you recovered, you started influencing this dream city, either with the help of other beings or by summoning your original believers, bringing items involving the supernatural, like automatic vending machines, onto the stage.
"One of their important meanings is to gradually guide Mr. Fool, letting him recognize that this is a world with supernatural abilities, recognizing from Sequence 9 step by step to Sequence 0. And as this recognition and sequence level changes, the godhood will gradually grow stronger, step by step suppressing humanity.
"ording to this n, the longer we linger in the dream city, the more we use supernatural abilities, the more beneficial it actually is for you. This is something you didn''t tell Zaratulstra and other believers, fearing it might invite interference from other beings.
"Simrly, you don''t want to wait that long, which is why you induced Zhou Mingrui to consume the Assassin potion and let the mirrored Emperor Roselle enter here.
"You wanted to use the method of creating a stable Mirror Person to split Zhou Mingrui. This is equivalent to opening a gap in the seal that Mr. Fool constructed with himself. Once the Mirror Person is gradually mastered by you, you can walk out of the mirror, rece the ''original body'', using truth as falsehood and turning falsehood into truth. As for the gender change affecting cognition, those are just smoke and mirrors.
"But unfortunately, the original God Almighty foresaw this scene before His fall and left arrangements spanning several eras, leaving behind the magic mirror Arrodes.
"One of the functions of the great horror in the depths of the special mirror world is prepared for you!
Zhou Mingrui said with a smile, "When I initially woke up and saw that magic mirror, I roughly guessed what kind of things would happen."
Lumian nodded quite approvingly. "Yes, you should have made extra preparations for this.
"However..."
At this point, he smiled and said, "Of all the things Amon said, the one I agree with most is:
"Filter out the interference ofplex information and see the most fundamental facts.
"So, what is the most fundamental fact now?"
Lumian stared into Zhou Mingrui''s deep brown eyes behind his in sses and said,
"The most fundamental fact now is that I''m standing in front of you, saying so many words about your true situation, yet I haven''t been kicked out of this dream, nor do I feel myself being maritized!"
Lumian smiled again. "You had Zhou Sasa arrive in Yangdu early, not only to disrupt our rhythm and prevent the original God Almighty''s arrangements from truly bing reality, but also to prevent interference from other beings, wanting to create a stable, long-term Mirror Person for Zhou Mingruis before They were ready.
"This shows that you still attach great importance to and anticipate this matter. Extra preparations, if possible, are better left unused as they''re not as convenient.
"I watched as things deteriorated step by step, as you truly found an opportunity to awaken, and had Anthony and Ludwig go to wake up An Xiaotian, which actually no longer had much significance. I asked Queen Mystic to help direct the dream''s main consciousness''s attention, asked Stiano and other gods to help confuse the information world and contain other ces, all to attract your attention, to make you feel that you could win, to invest more power and stakes in this matter.
"This way, when the original God Almighty''s arrangements erupted through the medium of the magic mirror Arrodes, you would be weakened to the greatest extent.
"So, I, who entered the dream for the third time, came right before you, spoke the truth of the facts, and still wasn''t kicked out on the spot.
"You temporarily don''t have this ability!"
Zhou Mingruiughed. "Don''t you think you''re like bait right now?"
Lumian sighed and said, "I know, you''re waiting for your extra preparations to arrive. Otherwise, how could I have this opportunity to dialogue with you?
"But, I''m also waiting."
At this point, a brilliant smile appeared on Lumian''s face.
"Haven''t you noticed that one of mypanions is missing?
"So many things erupting simultaneously just now was also to distract your attention, to make you overlook her actions!"
Seeing Zhou Mingrui gazing at him, Lumian slightly raised his chin and said emphatically, "The Major Arcana card holders'' guesses weren''t wrong, their attempts weren''t wrong either!"
Dream City, inside a movie theater.
Franca was sitting in the second row, watching the screen in front where The Great Pirate 3 was ying.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
At this moment, her body was faint and indistinct, as if a sketch had been erased with an eraser. Around her, the few spectators had all be blurry, but were slowly stabilizing, gradually bing clear.
Franca had checked earlier and found that due to The Great Pirate 3 about to end its run, only two theaters were showing it for the noon screening. So she specifically took a taxi to this one, the farthest from Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station.
And her search information had been lost in the current chaos and disorder of the Inte.
Hearing the thunder in the sky quickly recede, seeing Gehrman Sparrow standing on the bow of the pirate ship appear on the screen, Franca suddenly stood up.
She walked to the front of the projection room in a few steps, and before the few spectators could protest, she took a breath, stretched out her right palm, and pressed it against the screen.
Her figure quickly became ethereal, leaning forward, entering that screen.
Chapter 1031: Gehrman Sparrow
Just like when Lumian entered the surveince world, after Franca''s vision recovered, she found herself standing on the deck of a three-masted sailing ship, surrounded by undting azure waves and howling winds.
In front of her, at the bow of the ship, stood a young man wearing a silk top hat, dressed in a long ck coat, clean-shaven, with a lean but angr face, bright eyes behind gold-rimmed sses.
Gehrman Sparrow.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The protagonist of The Great Pirate 3 movie, quite simr to Zhou Mingrui but more stern-looking.
Gehrman Sparrow suddenly turned his gaze towards Franca, expressionless, his eyes cold and piercing.
Franca instinctively stepped back twice, forcing herself to stand firm.
Gehrman Sparrow observed her for a few seconds-her high ponytail, white T- shirt, and loose gray pants-and asked in a calm voice, "Are you Tracy''s elder?"
Tracy was the name of the Pirate Admiral, Ailment Maiden.
He recognizes me as a Demoness? Franca nced at Gehrman Sparrow''s left palm hanging at his side, seemingly covered in ayer of human skin, and said sincerely, "I''m a subordinate of the Demoness of ck. She is the child of the Demoness of White. We are not on good terms."This was all the honest truth.
ording to Franca''s understanding, lying in front of Gehrman Sparrow was a very low-yield behavior. Once exposed, one would immediately face an attack like a violent storm.
Moreover, Franca wasn''t clear about what souls were actually grazing inside the glove-shaped Sealed Artifact Creeping Hunger when the real Gehrman Sparrow met Ailment Maiden Tracy. She only knew that in Madam Magician''s embellished story, the glove at this time could allow Gehrman Sparrow to use the mind-reading ability of a Psychiatrist, so lying was indeed a high-risk behavior.
Therefore, honesty was the best policy!
The gold-rimmed sses-wearing Gehrman Sparrow observed Franca for a few seconds and said, "What is your purpose?"
Lumian had said that although the Gehrman Sparrow in the movie isn''t exactly the same as the real Gehrman Sparrow, the original author of the movie was Madam Magician. When creating The Great Pirate 3, she would inevitably incorporate her own understanding of Gehrman Sparrow. At that time, she already knew that Gehrman Sparrow was an avatar of Mr. Fool, and driven by her subconscious, she would likely integrate some of Mr. Fool''s personality and choices as well. So, to convince Gehrman Sparrow to ept such an absurd thing, one has to approach from this angle... Franca''s thoughts raced, and she blurted out, "We are the same kind!
"We are both transmigrators!"
Gehrman Sparrow looked at Franca without speaking.
He was holding a revolver in his right hand.
Franca exined seriously, "We are transmigrators in time. Hehe, actually, it''s not transmigration, but being frozen in a special ce by a great existence, only to be returned to reality after thousands or tens of thousands of years, or even longer. You are like this, and so am I."
Before Gehrman Sparrow could refute or simply shoot her, Franca quickly added, "The name Gehrmanes from ''Bloodborne'', and Sparrow is the surname of Captain Jack from ''Pirates of the Caribbean''. They are spliced together to form your name."
After saying this, Franca felt that the pressure from Gehrman Sparrow''s gaze had noticeably lessened.
She let out an undisguised sigh of relief and continued, "The reason I''vee to find you is that the end of days wille early, and you have inherited the legacy of the great existence that froze us. You are a key part in facing the apocalypse.
"Are you willing to leave here with me to face the apocalypse?"
After making her request, Franca smiled awkwardly but politely. "Do you believe what I''ve said?"
Gehrman Sparrow looked at Franca without saying a word, making her extremely nervous.
After a moment, Gehrman Sparrow said in a low voice, "I can give it a try.
"But if I find out you''re lying..."
In a sh, he raised his revolver, aiming at Franca''s head.
Bang!
A bullet flew out, grazing Franca''s head and hitting the nearby cabin.
Gehrman Sparrow lowered his revolver without saying anything more.
I have a Mirror Substitution... Franca grumbled internally.
She quickly approached Gehrman Sparrow and grabbed his arm.
"I''ll take you to the gathering point right now!"
Yes, her assigned task was to find the currently ying The Great Pirate 3 movie, enter the screen when the dream appeared abnormal but was about to stabilize, and bring the Gehrman Sparrow character into the dream city!
Wouldn''t such a movie character dissipate quickly after leaving the screen and entering the dream city? Moreover, my Despair potion hasn''t been fully digested yet. What if the dream shatters because of this? At the crucial moment, Franca''s heart pounded, feeling very uneasy.
She didn''t hesitate for long. Gritting her teeth, she silently said to herself, Trust that guy!
Trust that the Major Arcana card holders can still remedy this!
At worst, I''ll revert to a Demoness of Affliction level!
As her inner voice echoed, Franca, holding Gehrman Sparrow''s arm, moved towards the outside of the screen.
...
Inside Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station, half in deep darkness and half in dim light.
Zhou Mingrui looked at Lumian in front of him and said, "You still chose the Gehrman Sparrow direction?"
His voice was steady, without a hint of fluctuation, like a teacher pointing out a student''s mistake.
"Yes," Lumian smiled and said, "But it''s not An Xiaotian, nor Jia Yu. These were all options meant to mislead us.
"Mypanion Franca went to watch The Great Pirate 3 movie. It should be one of thest screenings. She is the Demoness of Despair and can enter the screen to bring out the Gehrman Sparrow from the movie."
Lumian emphasized the name "Franca", as if wanting the Celestial Worthy to remember it.
Zhou Mingrui smiled slightly and said, "A movie character can only maintain its form for three seconds after leaving the screen."
"What about adding the Gehrman Sparrow dream manifestation woven by a Dreamweaver, the numerous Gehrman Sparrow anchors in reality, and the widely spread stories and poems about Gehrman Sparrow?" Lumian asked as if in casual conversation.
...
Trier, inside a luxurious vi.
Madam Justice, who was monitoring the changes in the dream city, suddenly stood up and said to all the Major Arcana card holders, "The anomaly has appeared. Let''s begin."
Her voice was a bit tense, her heart seemingly not as calm as her exterior.
Madam Magician immediately rose from the sofa and half-opened her arms.
A brilliant, dreamlike starlight gate appeared in the bedroom where Franca was sleeping, appearing in the shadowless sunlight.
This grand door opened heavily, revealing the faint grayish-white fog inside.
Within the fog, a city of indeterminate size faintly appeared.
Madam Magician didn''t stop, forcibly opening another "door", an opening, on that grayish-white fog.
At this moment, her face became semi-transparent, with strange, brilliantly shimmering worms wriggling and crawling through her pores and hair.
Madam Justice saw the movie theater where Franca was through that hole in the gray fog, then closed her emerald-like eyes, raised her right hand, and began to carefully weave the dream manifestation of Gehrman Sparrow.
On the other side, Mr. Sun ced The Fool''s Sacred Emblem on the already prepared altar and began to pray to the Angel of Redemption Gehrman Sparrow as usual, praising him repeatedly.
As a demigod of the Sun pathway and the pope of the Church of The Fool, his prayers and praises quickly brought changes to the altar. Points of holy light appeared, surrounding the giant Sacred Emblem of The Fool, making the surroundings seem more sacred and solemn.
At this moment, Ma''am Hermit, who had arrived nearby, removed the thick sses perched on her nose bridge. Imitating Gehrman Sparrow, she ced her hand on her chest and bowed.
Instantly, a scene appeared above the altar.
In the scene, Gehrman Sparrow, wearing a silk top hat and ck coat, walked step by step across a destend in a dark environment illuminated by shes of lightning, followed by a long line of people.
This was Mystical Re-enactment of the Mystery Pryer pathway.
Gehrman Sparrow''s rescue of the citizens of the City of Silver and Moon City was also considered mystical knowledge, and could be a spell through Mystical Re-enactment. However, because too many people knew about it, its corresponding power was very weak.
But Ma''am Hermit''s purpose in deliberately creating this "Path of Salvation" spell was not to deal with enemies or help herself. Her sole aim was to solidify the image of Gehrman Sparrow.
As "Gehrman Sparrow" arrived on the altar due to Mystical Re-enactment, the points of holy light immediately crowded around him, swelling slightly, and emitting ethereal voices:
"Praise you, great Angel of Redemption!"
"Praise you, herald of Mr. Fool!"
"Please save me from suffering, great Gehrman Sparrow!"
"I confess to you, seeking redemption!"
"My idol is Gehrman Sparrow!"
"I want to be a great adventurer!"
Voices rted to Gehrman Sparrow echoed inyers, seemingly stabilizing and materializing the image of Gehrman Sparrow on the altar tform to some degree.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the dream city opened by Madam Magician.
Madam Justice sessfully wove a Gehrman Sparrow wearing a silk top hat and long ck coat inside the movie theater where Franca''s figure had already entered the screen.
Throughout the process, she didn''t feel strong rejection from the dream.
However, as soon as Gehrman Sparrow''s dream manifestation took shape, it onlysted for three seconds before uncontrobly and silently copsing and dissipating.
Seeing this, the few spectators present instinctively apuded.
They increasingly believed that the beautiful youngdy entering the screen earlier was part of a magic performance.
Chapter 1032: The Power of Many
Madam Justice didn''t give up, once again weaving a new Gehrman Sparrow identity.
At this time, silhouettes appeared in the thin gray fog surrounding the dream city. They quickly swam towards the passage opened by Madam Magician, bringing violent tremors and self-contraction to the "door".
Madam Magician struggled against this, not letting the dream door close, not letting Madam Justice''s attempt to weave Gehrman Sparrow''s dream manifestation be interrupted.
Mr. Hanged Man, who had already put down his liquor turned his gaze towards this direction, his hand already holding a sphemous card.
The Tyrant card!
Boom!
Thunder crashed, andyers of intertwining silvery- white lightning struck the ck silhouettes in the thin gray fog, making them writhe and struggle before dissipating, unable to approach the passage opened by Madam Magician.
Madam Justice remained unaffected, continuing to weave Gehrman Sparrow''s dream manifestation.
In the altar, once the Gehrman Sparrow image created by Mystical Re-enactment was temporarily stabilized po by countless anchors, Mr. Star, who had been standing by the window, walked step by step towards this area.As he walked, he recited:
"Like a storm petrel, soaring without yield,
"Knowing the tempest, mastering the field,
"Compelling them to peace,
"Brewing calm into rich release[1]"
As the poem echoed, the sunlight in the room suddenly dimmed, as if clouds had drifted in.
Gehrman Sparrow on the altar closed his eyes in response, entering a deep slumber.
Now, he too was dreaming.
It was a nightmare, but also hope.
Seeing this scene, Mr. Moon, who had been quietly enduring the scorching sunlight, let his ck cloak rise up behind him, like a giant bat spreading its wings.
He flew to the starlight gate opened by Madam Magician, entered that illusory passage, and arrived outside the hole leading into the dream city.
He didn''t try to enter again, but turned around, reached out his hands, and created an illusory, hazy door inscribed with numerous mystical symbols out of thin air.
This was the Door of Summoning. Door of Summoning from Sequence 3 High Summoner of the Moon pathway.
Mr. Moon wanted to summon Gehrman Sparrow, the current Gehrman Sparrow on the altar!
The next second, he opened his mouth and began to chant the corresponding honorific names and specific summoning incantations in ancient Hermes, "The Blessed of the spirit world and Sefirah Castle:
"The Mystery stemming from ancient times;
"The witness of an extended history;
"Angel who redeems mankind;
"Protector of all impoverished children;
"The great Gehrman Sparrow"
In this kind of summoning directed at the false, the entire honorific name had to be recited.
As the subsequent incantations also echoed, that illusory, hazy door suddenly opened wide, revealing a boundless darkness dotted with stars and fluttering shadows.
But to Mr. Moon''s slight disappointment, the Gehrman Sparrow image on the altar only turned to the side, with no other movement.
The power of reality seemed to be preventing this false event.
In the Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station, half in deep darkness.
Lumian looked at Zhou Mingrui and said to himself, "These alle from Mr. Fool''s arrangements, all guided by fate.
"Since Mr. Fool sealed you, the Celestial Worthy, with this self-image of Zhou Mingrui, before he truly gains a significant advantage, awakening Mr. Fool would be equivalent to awakening you, the Celestial Worthy. So what we need is not awakening, but creating The World Gehrman Sparrow out of thin air in the dream.
"Only in this way will he not be a product of the merged consciousness of Mr. Fool and you, the Celestial Worthy, but pure and uncontaminated.
"His source is the believer anchors of Gehrman Sparrow, the cognition of Gehrman Sparrow by arge number of humans in the real world and the dream city, and the understanding of Mr. Fool by the Major Arcana card holders of the Tarot Club, not involving you, the Celestial Worthy.
"This is equivalent to Mr. Fool dragging you into slumber together, then creating a highly rted identity that can stably exist with the help of others to wield authority on his behalf. The gradual strengthening of this identity will help him gain an advantage using the corresponding authority, ultimately truly sealing you and awakening himself.
"This is the correct interpretation of the prophecy ''The awakening of The World spells The Fool''s return''.
"This is also what you''ve been wary of all along, which is why you reced the dream manifestations rted to Gehrman Sparrow and had your subordinates Infiltrate the Church of The Fool, trying to make the final formed Gehrman Sparrow point to you instead of Mr. Fool.
"In that case, it would be ''The awakening of The World spells the Celestial Worthy''s return'',"
Zhou Mingrui calmlyughed twice, "What if your judgment and choices are all wrong?"
Lumian shrugged and said, "If they''re wrong, then they''re wrong.
"I never thought I would seed in everything I do. On the contrary, I''ve always considered myself a failure.
"Failure is not scary. The failures of the Major Arcana card holders have paved the way for us, and our failures will also eliminate wrong answers for the future lucky coin holders and point out the correct, direction. This attempt will certainly dy the time for you, the Celestial Worthy, to achieve victory.
"In the time toe, there will be batch after batch of lucky coin holders arriving, standing on our shoulders, continuing to climb, looking further, until the true apocalypse arrives."
At this point, Lumian smiled at Zhou Mingrui, "This is very simr to a saying I learned in the dream city.
"Sess doesn''t have to be achieved by me, but I must contribute to its achievement!"
Zhou Mingrui fell silent.
In Trier, inside the luxurious vi, in Franca''s bedroom.
As Madam Justice suffered another failure and began weaving Gehrman Sparrow''s dream manifestation for the third time, while Mr. Hanged Man continued using lightning to prevent those ck shadows in the gray fog from approaching the "door", Mr. Moon repeated the summoning incantation once more.
The Gehrman Sparrow on the altar, with his eyes closed, swayed, wanting to respond to the summoning in his dream, but unable to ovee the power of reality.
At this moment, around Mr. Star''s emerald eyes, transparent worms seemingly with twelve segments crawled out.
They quickly formed aplex mystical symbol.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The symbol representing deception!
Almost simultaneously, Madam Judgment approached the altar and said in ancient Hermes, "Truth recedes here, while illusion grows stronger!"
Suddenly, the air in the bedroom solidified.
Gehrman Sparrow''s figure first disappeared from the altar, then crossed that mysterious hazy summoning door, appearing in front of Mr. Moon, appearing in the passage opened by Madam Magician, appearing outside the hole leading into the dream city.
Then, Gehrman Sparrow''s destination was also "deceived".
This character image created jointly by Mystical Reenactment, numerous anchors, and nightmare power flickered as it flew towards the dream city.
Suddenly, in the dark void outside the gray fog. silhouettes of people emerged.
They bypassed the lightning storm, charging one after another towards the "door" opened by Madam Magician, towards Gehrman Sparrow.
At this critical moment, no Major Arcana card holder could spare a hand or stop them in time.
Madam Judgment couldn''t help but look out the window.
Madam Tinekerr and Madam Sharron had also arrived, guarding against idents. Would They be able to act in time?
A momentter, Madam Magician saw a lighter-colored mist spreading outside the gray fog. Within the mist, there seemed to be a wilderness, a river.
Those figures flying towards Gehrman Sparrow crashed into the mist and suddenly disappeared.
Finally, Gehrman Sparrow, carrying numerous anchors, arrived inside the movie theater in the dream city.
At this time, Madam Justice had woven Gehrman Sparrow''s dream manifestation for the third time.
The two Gehrman Sparrows attracted each other and merged together.
"Gehrman Sparrow!
"Gehrman Sparrow!"
The audience in the movie theater started shouting loudly.
With these shouts, the newly appeared Gehrman Sparrow became clearer, noticeably more stable.
But he still kept his eyes tightly closed, as if he didn''t have a soul yet.
The repulsive force of the dream descended.
At this moment, Franca, pulling the Gehrman Sparrow from the movie, ran out of the screen.
Then, she saw another Gehrman Sparrow in front of her, also wearing a silk top hat and long ck coat.
This is... Franca had no time to think about anything else, as she caught a glimpse of the Gehrman Sparrow behind her starting to rapidly dissipate.
She gritted her teeth and, following the guidance of her Demoness of Despair spiritual intuition, pulled the Gehrman Sparrow from the movie towards the one in front.
The next second, she let go of the arm of the Gehrman Sparrow from the movie, watching as he was attracted and drawn by mystical forces, actively approaching the other Gehrman Sparrow and merging into him.
Rumble!
Terrifying noises came from midair again.
This time, it didn''t sound like thunder rumbling, but closer to the copse of the dream.
"Oh" Franca suddenly made a surprised sound.
Inside Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station, the copsed half remained in deep darkness.
Lumian looked up at the rumbling sky, then smiled at Zhou Mingrui, who was standing at the edge, just one step away from falling into darkness.
"Their attempt seems to have seeded.
"Using countless anchors, Mystery Pryer powers, and Nightmare powers to create a Gehrman Sparrow image in reality, then finding a way to send him into the dream city tobine with the Gehrman Sparrow dream manifestation woven by the Dreamweaver wasn''t a n I came up with. It was a n the Major Arcana card holders, had long ago, but hadn''t had the chance to implement.
"My contribution was to suggest that the Gehrman Sparrow manifestation from the movie was the earliest to appear, produced out of thin air, and that a Demoness of Despair could bring him out of the screen. Why not trybining all three?
"Well, I had another contribution: creating such an opportunity."
Zhou Mingrui listened calmly, without any emotional change.
Suddenly, Lumian''s smile became radiant, and he said softly to Zhou Mingrui, "My Despair potion has been fully digested."
[1] Thest two lines are adapted from Rilke''s "Day in Autumn"
Chapter 1033: Worth It
Inside the movie theater.
Franca let out a surprised "Oh, because she felt her Despair potion fully digested.
Has Lumian''s n seeded? This thought suddenly urred to Franca.
Although she wasn''t clear on exactly what Lumian intended to do or how, she remembered Lumian saying that once her Despair potion was digested, it would mean this operation had achieved its expected purpose, Mr. Fool would awaken to some degree, and the dream wouldpletely copse in a few minutes.
Franca instinctively looked towards Gehrman Sparrow to her side, and saw the roof of the movie theater copsing inch by inch. But the corresponding heavy objects didn''t crash onto the seats and floor, instead falling into the void and disappearingpletely.
At the same time, white light emanated from the few audience members present, flying into Gehrman Sparrow''s body.
Franca suddenly realized what these white lights were: they were the impressions, cognitions, and understandings of Gehrman Sparrow from different audience members!
As the dream approached copse, these audience members revealed their illusory nature, and their corresponding memories split off on their own. bing anchors and information to nourish and enrich Gehrman Sparrow''s image.
From different parts of the dream city, more simr white lights rushed over.It really worked... Franca joyfully raised her head, looking up to the heights no longer obscured by movie theater''s roof.
The originally dark sky had copsed inrge patches, revealing terrifying deep ckness and thin grayish- white fog.
It was like a building whose walls had crumbled in an earthquake, but with the beams and pirs still standing, the skeleton still intact.
Inside Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station.
After hearing Lumian say his Despair potion had been fully digested, Zhou Mingrui, standing at the edge of the deep darkness, smiled gently, "That''s good."
Lumian was stunned for a moment. "Mr. Fool?"
Zhou Mingrui nodded slightly, "It''s me now."
He smiled and said, "You all did very well."
Smiling, Lumian replied, "If you hadn''t sealed away most of the Celestial Worthy''s power, including His thinking ability, we would have had no chance of sess."
Lumian was still carefully using "sealed" to describe Zhou Mingrui''s original state, but the truth might not be so.
He had been saying this all along, mixing a bit of falsehood into his truth as he told the Celestial Worthy his guesses, judgments, and ns. Besides wanting to dy time, there was also an intention to reinforce the Celestial Worthy''s cognition in this regard.
Of course, whether this was true or false, after today. it would be true!
Zhou Mingrui shook his head and smiled. "Relying on myself alone, it was already extremely difficult to restrain the Celestial Worthy. Without your help, the oue might have beenpletely different.
"For example, if you hadn''t driven out Zaratul in advance, today''s operation would definitely have had setbacks, and the awakened World might have pointed towards the Celestial Worthy.
"And if it weren''t for the help of those friends in the Western Continent, the Celestial Worthy might have had a chance to turn the tables in the end."
So the Celestial Worthy''s backup n, the preparations made for the arrangements left by the original God Almighty, was intercepted and prevented by certain existences in the Western Continent. My original n was just to race against time, using the concealment of the Evernight Goddess toplete the fusion of the three Gehrman Sparrow images before the Celestial Worthy''s backup n could truly take effect... The Celestial Master, or the Underworld Daoist? Lumian made a sound of agreement and said with feeling, "Indeed, without the efforts and groundworkid by the Major Arcana card holders before, even if we had deciphered the true meaning of all the symbols today, we wouldn''t have had time to create the character of Gehrman Sparrow. We could only have watched helplessly as the situation tilted towards the Celestial Worthy''s side.
"Simrly, without the hints from Peng Deng and Amon, we might still be exploring directions now, with the Celestial Worthy''s fatal blow about to arrive..."
Seeing that Lumian was very clearheaded and rational in recognizing this point, Zhou Mingrui nodded with satisfaction.
Lumian didn''t go on to talk about the contributions of gods and people like Stiano, Leodero, and Anderson, but asked eagerly, "Mr. Fool, can Aurore, my sister, really be resurrected?"
Zhou Mingrui looked at Lumian and said in a calm voice, "With her soul fragments sealed inside you and not dissipated, if you were a Beyonder of the Seer pathway and had advanced to Miracle Invoker, then with my help, you could Graft one of your resurrections onto your sister''s soul fragments. allowing her to truly return.
"But now, you can only rely on the resurrection of the Demoness pathway to separate your sister in the future."
Seeing Lumian fall into thought, Zhou Mingrui added, "You can no longer change pathways, and after your advancement to Demoness of Despair, Aurore''s soul fragments have already fused with you to some extent. If you were to regress back to the beginning using the Sun pathway, her soul fragments wouldn''t be able to withstand it and wouldpletely dissipate."
Lumian was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Will the resurrection achieved through the Demoness pathway in the future be an essential resurrection, a true resurrection?"
"Yes," Zhou Mingrui sighed and said, "But wishes are often distorted, and the way they are realized may not be what you want. Just like when you saved my believer back then, I noticed you and foresaw that you would y an important role in the matter of dreams in the future, so I gave you the aura of the gray fog and my imprint. But I didn''t expect this prophecy would be fulfilled in such a warped manner, and my actions were also part of the prophecy."
"So that old man was your believer." Lumian suddenly realized.
Heughed calmly. "Without the aura of the gray fog. perhaps I would never have met Aurore, never had that life in Cordu, and Aurore would still have been noticed by April''s Fool, still been troubled by Roche Louise Sanson, and maybe wouldn''t even have had a chance at resurrection."
At this point, Lumian took a breath and said, "I understand.
"As long as it''s an essential, true resurrection, I can ept any form of realization."
Zhou Mingrui nodded slightly and extended his right palm. "You can give me that bottle of Samaritan Women''s Spring water processed by Mr. Azik now."
As Lumian took out the small golden bottle from his Traveler''s Bag, he asked puzzledly, "Mr. Fool, now that Gehrman Sparrow has been ''born'', you don''t need to drink this spring water anymore, right? The Celestial Worthy is sealed within you, so Him drinking is equivalent to you drinking, and besides, this only has a very weak effect on Sequence 0 True Gods."
The small golden bottle suddenly appeared in Zhou Mingrui''s right hand, while Lumian''s hand was now empty.
"I still need to sleep for a while longer." Zhou Mingrui said with a smile. "Now is the opportunity to fuse with the Celestial Worthy and better resist Him, and this bottle of spring water is the medium.
"Gehrman Sparrow will be The Fool, embodying a bit of my will, until I fully awaken."
"Still need to fuse with the Celestial Worthy?" Lumian asked in confusion.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Zhou Mingrui nodded. "Yes, both fusing and resisting; this is currently the only path."
"Doesn''t that mean..." Lumian suddenly closed his mouth, remembering a certain mystical knowledge he knew.
The spiritual imprint of the original Creator within the Beyonder characteristics was indestructible, including those of the original God Almighty and The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings!
Zhou Mingrui smiled and said, "No matter how I clinch victory, no matter how much you help me, in the long run, the one who will ultimately win this confrontation will inevitably be the Celestial Worthy."
Seeing Lumian fall silent, Zhou Mingrui continued with a gentle expression, "Most humans know they only have a few decades of life and are destined to pass away in the not-too-distant future, but this doesn''t prevent them from enjoying their lives, from doing meaningful things, from being happy, suffering, sad, moved, satisfied, and missing others.
"You''ve also seen from Roselle''s experience during this time that there is a lot of truth within dreams, that hope lies hidden at the end of despair, and that a moment''s brilliance might point towards eternity."
Lumian was speechless for a moment.
After about ten seconds, he sighed. "Resisting every day, being eroded, trying to fuse, continuing for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years, or even longer, wouldn''t it be very tiring?
"Wouldn''t it be like before, when you still maintained self-awareness, but suddenly found yourself smiling strangely in the mirror?"
"It would." Zhou Mingrui sighed with a smile. "When I fully awaken this time, except for the strongest and most intense parts of Zhou Mingrui and Klein Moretti''s emotions and humanity, everything else might no longer be the me of now."
This wasn''t said in a spective tone.
"As for whether it''s tiring..." Zhou Mingrui''s tone became a little more animated, "Of course it''s very tiring, but there''s no choice; someone has to do this, right?"
Lumian''s thoughts were jumbled and chaotic. He opened his mouth and said, "Is it worth it?"
Zhou Mingrui looked at him, suddenly took a step back, and fell into that deep darkness.
He didn''t dissolve quickly like other dream characters falling into this darkness, but sank slowly as if in seawater.
Zhou Mingrui raised his right hand, brought that bottle of Samaritan Women''s Spring water to his mouth, and drank it.
Then, as he slowly sank, he looked at Lumian outside the deep darkness, showed a gentle smile simr to before, and answered in a calm voice. "It''s worth it."
After saying this, he suddenly winked his left eye at Lumian, not at all steady or serious, and not at all like the lofty Mr. Fool.
Lumian watched Zhou Mingrui sink into the depths of darkness until even his blurry silhouette disappeared.
He muttered to himself, "Worth it..."
In the movie theater, as those streams of white light merged, as Zhou Mingrui disappeared into the deep darkness, Gehrman Sparrow, who had been standing still as if asleep, suddenly raised his head.
He opened his eyes, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through his gold-rimmed sses.
With this, the sky of the dream citypletely peeled away, all buildings copsed with a rumble, and the images of characters like Grimm and Zhang Qing blurred until theypletely dissipated.
Franca was confused for a moment, then woke up.
She saw a room full of people, saw the bright smile on Madam Justice''s face that came from the heart, saw Madam Magician drinking red wine, saw clear and brilliant radiance.
Outside the window, the sunlight was just right.
Chapter 1034: Tarot Club
As the dream rapidly copsed, Lumian withdrew his gaze, leaving the edge of that deep darkness and walking towards the disintegrating Yangdu High- Speed Rail Station outside.
He wanted to take onest look at this city.
Suddenly, he noticed a figure leaning against the wall at the position where the radiance converged into an exit, standing quietly.
That figure wore ck armor stained with what looked like fresh blood, with fiery red long hair. The face was young and handsome, with two faint scars on either cheek, and a vivid red banner mark prominently disyed between his brows.
Unlike other dream manifestations that were blurry and nearly dissipating, this figure was not as clear as Lumian but had an illusory quality, like a spirit.
Lumian didn''t need to ask to know who this figure was: Red Angel Medici.
"Did youe to wait for me?" Lumian asked with a smile.
He was prepared to leave this ce along with the copse of the dream.
Medici left the wall and stood up straight, letting out a sneer. "If you''re too stupid to understand the hint, I''d have been the one to rece you on stage."He looked into Lumian''s eyes and shook His head. "Too weak, you''re still too weak right now."
After this remark, the Red Angel slightly raised His chin and said, "I already know your experiences. I''ll give you a chance-I''lle to hunt you down after you be an Angel.
"No need to thank me. This has nothing to do with pride. The pride of the war pathway isn''t used against enemies."
Medici didn''t give Lumian a chance to respond. He turned and walked into the passage, leaving Yangdu High-Speed Rail Station and the copsing dream.
You waited until the very end just to say these few words to me? You must have also achieved some unknown goals by entering this dream, right? Lumian turned to the side, once again casting his gaze towards that deep darkness.
His biggest question now was where the deity, the Primordial Demoness, was.
The fact that Franca advanced in the basement of Mushu Hospital indicated that the Primordial Demoness indeed had a corresponding manifestation in the dream city. But in matters involving the special mirror world''s great horror, the original God Almighty and the Demoness card, and the major event of the dream''s end, She hadn''t appeared or intervened at all.
Before Lumian could think further, Yangdu High- Speed Rail Station copsed silently.
He first felt a sense of weightlessness as if falling off a cliff, then opened his eyes and woke up.
He immediately saw some sunlight prating the curtains, with arge amount of dust floating in the air.
At the same time, faint sounds of singing, praising, and conversation came from next door, entering his ears.
Lumiany quietly in bed, feeling the springiness of the mattress and the soft warmth of the covers, not wanting to move at all.
Half an hourter, in the living room on the first floor.
Madam Magician said to Lumian, Franca. Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig-who was having afternoon tea -all who had gathered again,
"Mr. Fool has achieved an initial state of awakening. We will fulfill our promise.
"You''ve done very well this time, deserving the most generous reward. The result of our discussion is to do our utmost to help you advance one Sequence."
Jenna nodded without hiding her desire. "Thank you."
Lumian, Franca, andpany had no objections and were quite anticipatory.
Madam Magician looked around and said, "Of course, this may need to wait a few days, because Mr. Fool''s initial awakening will inevitably cause many changes that need to be dealt with promptly. The other Major Arcana cards are already busy at present.
"Moreover, you also need some time to adjust, shake off the influence of the dream, and regain your perception of reality."
At this point, Madam Magician looked at Lumian and asked as if to confirm, "Do you want to be a Demoness of Unaging or a War Bishop?"
Lumian didn''t hesitate. "Demoness of Unaging."
Hearing Lumian''s answer, Franca suddenly remembered the Demoness card''s description of a Demoness of Unaging: Bizarrely difficult to kill, skilled at resurrection.
Skilled at resurrection... You really don''t want to wait even one more day, even if it''s just taking the first step... Franca sighed inwardly.
At this moment, Lumian raised his right hand, palm facing the ceiling.
There, in addition to several dark red brands and a patch of pale skin, there was now a pitch-ck "pinhole."
He said to Madam Magician and hispanions, "After using the Demoness card this time, with the magic mirror as a medium, invoking the great horror from the depths of the special mirror world to deal with the Mirror Person created by the Celestial Worthy, the residual aura of the Blood Emperor and the seal of the Underworld Daoist have changed a bit again.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"I can now use a War Bishop''s power that was previously bestowed to a limited extent through this ''pinhole.'' There''s no need to advance again."
Madam Magician nodded slightly and said, "In a few days, go to the treasury of the Blue Avenger. There might be items rted to the Demoness of Unaging there. If not, we''ll ask Mr. Azik for help and go to the depths of the underworld again. There must be Demoness of Unaging Beyonder characteristics there."
Lumian and Franca had no objections.
After Madam Magician left, Lumian, in his Demoness of Despair state, leaned back against the sofa and smiled at Franca and the others. "Now it''s time to sunbathe."
Jenna was silent for a few seconds before saying. "I want, I want to go see the real Luo Shan."
"Okay." Franca nodded heavily in agreement.
"Alright." Lumian had originally nned to go tomorrow.
In the evening, Loen Kingdom, Tingen City, Red Moonlight Street.
Jenna, Franca, and Lumian sat in a roadside caf, watching two figures, one big and one small, approaching from a distance.
Therger one was about thirty years old, with brown hair tied up in a high bun, wearing a thin gauze- brimmed hat. She wore a green long dress that was somewhat girlish but leaning towards maturity, with flowing ruffles at the sleeves and beautifulce adorning the neckline.
She had a pretty face, holding a paper bag of white bread in one hand and holding the hand of a three or four-year-old girl who looked like a little princess with the other. This was Rozanne, a civilian staff member of the Nighthawks team of the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
Compared to the Luo Shan in the dream, she was noticeably older, and her demeanor was more stable, but her style of dress revealed that she still had a lively side hidden inside.
Jenna and Franca''s vision immediately blurred.
Lumian, in his female state, focused intently on Rozanne and her daughter as they passed by, chatting andughing, bing as still as a statue.
After Rozanne and her daughter passed the caf, the three Demonesses'' gazes shifted, following the two figures from behind.
The golden-red glow of dusk fell upon Rozanne and her daughter, and the evening breeze carried theirughter and conversation to Jenna, Franca, and Lumian''s ears:
"Mommy, what''s a hero?"
"A hero is someone who protects others."
"Why do others need protection?"
"Why protect others?"
"Why? Why?
"Mommy, why?"
A few dayster, Monday noon.
Lumian and the others met Madam Magician again.
The Major Arcana card holder sat down in the chair opposite the tea table and said to Lumian and Franca.
"You''re both demigods now and have made great contributions. You''re qualified to draw a Major Arcana card."
"Mr. Fool allowed it?" Lumian asked.
Madam Magician''s entire being exuded a sense of rxation, "Yes, but as a team, you can only draw one Major Arcana card for now. Who will draw?"
Franca looked at Lumian, hesitated for a few seconds, and said, "You draw."
She really wanted to see what she could draw and thought the identity of a Tarot Club Major Arcana card was very impressive. But thinking about having to take responsibility for a bunch of affairs as a Major Arcana card holder from now on, often having to brainstorm, she got a headache and decided to let Lumian take the lead first to see what it would be like.
"Are you willing to draw?" Madam Magician asked Lumian.
Lumian thought for a moment and said, "I''ll draw."
Madam Magician said seriously, "After bing a Major Arcana card holder, Two of Cups, Seven of Cups, and Four of Swords will all transfer under your jurisdiction.
"A Major Arcana card symbolizes not just you personally, but also the forces you represent."
"I understand." Lumian nodded slowly.
Only then did Madam Magician take out a deck of Tarot cards containing only Major Arcana cards and spread them out on the tea table. "You can draw now."
"Won''t we draw a duplicate?" Franca asked curiously.
Madam Magician chuckled. "Spirituality will provide guidance."
Lumian nced at the Tarot cards on the tea table, extended his right hand, and casually took one, turning it over in front of him.
What met Franca and the others'' eyes was arge wreath of green nts intertwined and a woman standing inside the wreath.
The World card!
Franca and Jenna both looked at Lumian in his female state with slight astonishment.
He actually drew The World card?
Why?
Although Gehrman Sparrow now points to Mr. Fool, the legend of The World hasn''t disappeared yet!
Lumian didn''t speak, showing a thoughtful expression.
Madam Magician pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Draw again."
Lumian nodded in agreement.
This time, he drew two cards and ced them on his left and right.
After staring at these two Tarot cards for a while, he suddenly smiled with his beautiful face.
"Left for male, right for female. I''ll take the one on the left."
With that, he unhesitatingly turned over the Tarot card on his left.
On the card face was a king standing on a chariot, with two lions, one ck and one white, pulling the chariot.
The Chariot card!
"Not bad." Madam Magician stood up. "Wee, The Chariot, um, Mr. Chariot."
After Lumian responded, Franca curiously said, "Can I see what the card on the right is?"
"You may." Madam Magician nodded to her.
Franca quickly turned it over and saw a woman wearing a crown sitting on a chair.
The Empress card.
"As expected..." Madam Magician sighed, then turned to Lumian and said, "Wait in your room at 3 pm today."
At 3 pm, in a bedroom of the luxurious vi.
Lumian, holding The Chariot card, sat in an armchair, patiently waiting.
Suddenly, chaotic and terrifying sounds rang in his ears, and a thin grayish-white fog appeared before his eyes.
Just a second or twoter, he found himself by bronze long table, with a vast and magnificent dome above, surrounded by tall and majestic stone pirs.
Lumian immediately saw Madam Justice, Madam Magician, Madam Judgment, Ma''am Hermit, and thedy from the temperance faction wearing a ck court long dress and a small soft hat of the same color, sitting opposite him.
They all appeared blurry, but not too blurry.
Lumian also noticed that Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Sun, Mr. Star, and Mr. Moon-whom he hadn''t met before but could deduce the identity of-were on the same side as him.
At this time, no one was seated at the head and foot of the bronze long table.
"This is Madam Temperance, and this is Mr. Chariot." Madam Justice calmly introduced the obviously female Lumian as "mister."
Just then, at the huge chair at the top of the bronze long table, a figure gradually took shape.
He was within the gray fog, his figure quite blurry, allowing Lumian and the others to only clearly see a silk top hat and a ck long coat.
Looking at this both familiar and unfamiliar figure, Madam Justice took a breath, stood up, curtsied with a slight bent of her knees, saying
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."
(End of Volume Six-Dreamweaver)
***
Thanks to the user "ѧܧڧ ӧҧߧ" (Telegram) for the chapters provided!
Chapter 1035: Revelation
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
As Lumian walked down the stairs, the sunlight was still bright, and Franca, Jenna, and Anthony were leisurely enjoying their afternoon tea.
Ludwig was also there, though not as rxed.
"Is the Major Arcana meeting over?" Franca turned and asked curiously.
Lumian suddenly recalled various scenes from the majestic pce above the gray fog, nodded and said, "It''s over."
"What can you tell us about it? Don''t mention anything you''re not supposed to." Franca had an expression that implied that she just wanted to broaden her horizons.
Lumian sat down in an armchair and said, usingnguage he had learned in the dream city.
"There''s not much to say. Today''s meeting was quite ordinary. The Major Arcana cards mainly reported to Mr. Fool about their respective responsibilities, and Mr. Fool gave corresponding instructions."
"You seem to respect Mr. Fool quite a bit," Franca suddenly remarked."Why do you say that?" Lumian asked, somewhat surprised.
Franca snorted and nced first at Jenna, then at Anthony. "Do I really need to answer such a simple question?"
Jenna, in sync with Franca, helped exin with a slight smile, "If it weren''t for Mr. Fool, you would definitely add more adjectives before ''instructions, like ''high-level'' or ''all-epassing."
This added a hint of teasing and yfulness.
"I''ve always been quite respectful towards deities, except for a few." Lumian said with a knowing smile.
He then said, "As someone attending a divine meeting for the first time. I had nothing to report. I only raised questions about Madame Pualis and her daughter Omebe, hoping to get answers from Mr. Fool."
"What did Mr. Fool say?" Jenna and Franca asked in unison.
Before Lumian could answer, points of starlight suddenly appeared in the void.
These starlight quickly sketched out the figure of Madam Magician.
She said to Lumian, Franca, and Jenna, "You can now go to the Blue Avenger to explore the treasury left by the Blood Emperor. I''ll go with you to provide necessary assistance.
"Do you need to postpone for a while to make some preparations?"
The Tudor dynasty''s treasure obviously consisted of Items mainly rted to the Hunter pathway, supplemented by those of the Demoness pathway. and then some items from the Seer, Apprentice, and Marauder pathways. It was very suitable for the three Demonesses to explore and obtain the Beyonder characteristics needed for normal advancement or pathway switching.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
As for Anthony''s advancement, other arrangements had been made.
And the further recovery of Ludwig''s strength would have to wait until either Lumian or Franca reached Sequence 3, to avoid idents.
"No need, let''s go now." Lumian had already discussed this with Franca and Jenna.
Madam Magician said no more, creating a dazzling. dream-like double door and bringing the three Demonesses to the Blue Avenger, which was sailing through fierce winds and huge waves.
Mr. Hanged Man, dressed as the captain, was already waiting at the cabin entrance.
"Can you still sense the mirror imprint you left in the treasury?" Madam Magician asked Lumian.
"Yes," Lumian half-closed his eyes and sensed for a moment.
He didn''t try to reach the full-length mirror with the Imprint using Mirror Traversal, because the corresponding area behind the mirror or mirror world contained Blood Emperor Alista Tudor''s backup n for resurrection.
For him, the main function of that mirror imprint was currently to provide necessary positioning so that hispanions could also enter the treasury. In the future, it would serve as a trap marker to take down powerful enemies at the cost of mutual destruction.
After sensing, Lun walked towards the depths of the ship''s cabin while deliberately continuing the previous topic.
He turned his head to look at Franca and Jenna and said, "Mr. Fool''s revtion was that after bing a Demoness of Unaging, go to the New City of Silver to borrow the Gift of the Land and bring it to the City of Exiles, in front of Hand Bro."
"Indeed, one knows Omebe, one shouted out Zedus. Let them meet, maybe they''ll really spark something." Franca suddenly realized.
At this moment, Mr. Hanged Man, walking in front as the captain of the Blue Avenger, suddenly half-turned his body and said thoughtfully, "I think in Mr. Fool''s revtion, not only is thetter part important, but the prerequisite is equally important."
Lumian mentioned Mr. Fool''s revtion in front of Madam Magician and Mr. Hanged Man precisely to hear their views and opinions. He immediately asked.
"The prerequisite of bing a Demoness of Unaging?"
Mr. Hanged Man, with his rugged face and unkempt appearance, chuckled deeply. "Can''t you borrow the Gift of the Land and bring it to the Abscessed Hand now? The only help you might need ismunication with the Church of Knowledge."
"That''s right," Jenna agreed with Mr. Hanged Man''s statement.
Lumian already had all the conditions to briefly use the Gift of the Land, could get the New City of Silver''s permission through Mr. Sun, and was the proxy of 0-01. He didn''t need to wait until reaching the Demoness of Unaging level to let Omebe''s remains meet the Abscessed Hand.
"Are certain changes brought by bing a Demoness of Unaging the catalyst for this whole thing? Or is it that only by reaching Sequence 3 can one deal with the inevitable idents after the Gift of the Land meets the Abscessed Hand? No, thetter scenario can basically be ruled out," Lumian, in his Demoness of Despair state, slowed his pace and said thoughtfully.
As the proxy of 0-01, he had considerable authority in front of the mountain of corpses, and there wasn''t much difference between being Sequence 4 or Sequence 3.
Moreover, he could briefly borrow the boon beneath the Underworld Daoist''s seal to be a Sequence 3 War Bishop.
In other words, the power increase from advancing to Demoness of Unaging wasn''t necessary.
"It should be some change brought about by the inherent qualities of the Demoness of Unaging," Madam Magician gave her judgment.
Franca, who had been listening quietly, mumbled, "Why doesn''t Mr. Fool speak more clearly, just giving revtions for us to interpret ourselves?"
Mr. Hanged Man nced at Franca. "I learned a phrase in the dream city-''words, once given, be reality`.
"Every action and word of great existences profoundly influences fate and the world. Back then, in the process of Mr. Fool bing a great existence in just three years, many of the things he said wereter verified one by one, bing facts.
"In this situation, speaking very clearly and not speaking clearly will be part of the whole thing, and the interference with fate will be different, and the final result will also deviate because of this."
As Lumian nodded in agreement, he felt slightly surprised inwardly.
He felt that Mr. Hanged Man was much more enthusiastic than in their previous encounters.
Previously, Mr. Hanged Man wouldn''t be stingy with his judgments and exnations, but he only did and said what was within his duties. This time, he actually took the initiative to talk about many things outside the topic.
Is it because I''ve be a Major Arcana card holder? Mr. Hanged Man seems to value hierarchy quite a bit... Lumian withdrew his gaze thoughtfully.
Madam Magician then added, "Moreover, this matter involves the Great Mother. Even Mr. Fool can''t see it very clearly and can only receive certain revtions."
Hearing this, Franca looked around and lowered her voice.
"Now that Mr. Fool has initially awakened, uh, I don''t mean to disrespect Mr. Fool, I''m just more concerned about his current state. Maybe there''s still something I can help with? After all, I''m a transmigrator! Um, what I want to ask is, what level has Mr. Fool recovered to now, and how is The Fool identity you guys have woven running?"
After exchanging nces with Madam Magician and Mr. Hanged Man, Lumian said, "We''re not clear about the specific level of recovery, we can only be sure that in terms of level, it''s not aplete The Fool."
This "Fool" without the "Mr." referred to the Sequence 0 - The Fool of the Seer pathway.
The basis for the judgment of the Major Arcana card holders, including Lumian, was: if the identity of Gehrman Sparrow was already aplete "Fool", it would mean that he had fully grasped all the authorities of the Seer pathway, and the true Mr. Fool would soon gain sufficient advantage in the matter of fusion and confrontation, fully awakening.
Lumian continued, "In my personal opinion, the current Mr. Fool is not agile enough, or rather, he''s colder and more indifferent, closer to Gehrman Sparrow."
After thinking for a while, Franca said, "I think, in my personal understanding, Gehrman Sparrow is currently more like an AI-artificial intelligence that has integrated some of Mr. Fool''s will and ideas.
"Think about it, one of the foundations of Gehrman Sparrow''s stable existence is arge number of faith anchors, and different people''s perceptions of him are different. This is like one of the foundations of AI''s existence is data-arge amount of data and the data collected from the inte, fed to AI, may be incorrect, fabricated, self-imagined. This will bring corruption to it, very simr to the corruption of faith anchors you mentioned.
"The current AI stands out in that as long as you dare to believe, it dares to fabricate, and the reactions presented by Gehrman Sparrow will also be affected by the corruption of faith anchors. While not affecting the transmission of Mr. Fool''s core will and ideas, there will be personalized, even contradictory manifestations.
"Well, he''s equivalent to Mr. Fool''s AI assistant. The better he iterates, the faster he evolves, the more authorities and powers Mr. Fool can grasp and mobilize, ultimately helping him defeat the Celestial Worthy."
Interpreting from the perspective of AI was something the Major Arcana card holders had never thought of. Fortunately, everyone present had been to the dream city and could barely understand what Franca was saying.
Madam Magician, who had a very deep understanding of faith anchors, nodded slowly and said, "What we need to do next is to purify Gehrman Sparrow''s anchors and adjust people''s perceptions of Gehrman Sparrow to varying degrees?"
"That includes our perception of Gehrman Sparrow," Mr. Hanged Man added.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the stairs leading to the lower deck of the ship.
Chapter 1036: Wedding Dress
ncing at the dark, bottomless end of the staircase, Lumian took out a mirror and activated the contract ability on his body.
He immediately sensed the imprint on the full-length mirror in the Tudor treasury, ready to dive into the mirror and traverse through at any moment.
Maintaining this sense, Lumian reminded Franca and Jenna, "Walk close to the sidester-very close."
From his experience, walking down the stairs this way 8 would bring them into the reflection range of that full- length mirror.
For Beyonders of other pathways, they only needed to guard against being affected by the resulting illusions, scaring themselves crazy or to death. But if Hunters and Demonesses let their shadows be reflected on that full-length mirror, they might have their bodies snatched by the long-fallen Alista Tudor through pre-arranged setups, allowing Him to resurrect and return.
Lumian thought that given Alista Tudor''s level of madness, He probably wouldn''t care whether it was a Blood Emperor or a Blood Empress who returned, so the Demonesses should also be careful.
"Okay." Franca and Jenna had long ago heard Lumian exin what dangers were in the Tudor treasury.
Even if they didn''t know, in the current situation, they would heed the advice first and find an opportunity to ask whyter.
Lumian maintained the activation of the mirror imprint and let the residual aura of the Blood Emperor on his right palm intensify from faint to strong, covering it with pallor.He hadn''t yet started descending the stairs step by step when he suddenly heard Madam Magician''s voice. "I''ve located your mirror imprint."
Along with the voice''s response, points of dazzling starlight lit up, enveloping Lumian and the others.
When vision was restored, Franca found herself in a corridor that seemed to be formed of condensed starlight.
On both sides of this corridor were star-bright doors standing in the darkness. The bottom was semi- transparent, revealing endless darkness, while above there was no dome, with illusory stars dotting the distant heights.
At the end of this deep and spacious corridor sat a silver full-length mirror with a ssic design and intricate patterns around its frame.
Almost simultaneously, Franca and Jenna noticed Madam Magician raise her right hand and gently grasp towards the front.
Around that silver full-length mirror, space suddenly bent, forming a sealed sphere in the state of deep shadows, blocking all light from entering.
Lumian and the others could no longer see that silver full-length mirror, and that mirror could no longer reflect them.
"This way we can be a bit freer," Madam Magician said with a smile.
Wearing a ck robe with silver patterns, she turned to Lumian, Franca, and Jenna and said, "You can choose the treasure rooms now. I''ll handle the dangers inside."
Franca and Jenna instantly looked towards Lumian, waiting for him to demonstrate for the two of them.
Lumian looked left and right, slowly moving forward along the deep and spacious corridor while casually saying,
"In the area above the gray fog, when I mentioned Madame Pualis and Omebe, I also talked about a concern."
"What concern?" Franca asked cooperatively,
She and Jenna could both roughly guess that Lumian wanted to use casual chat to distract his own mind, choosing treasure rooms purely based on spiritual intuition and the characteristics, auras, and corruption on his body.
Lumian, in his Demoness of Despair state with ck hair cascading, nced at Madam Magician and Mr. Hanged Man and said, "At the end of the awakening operation, there were two things I couldn''t understand:
"First, why was there no movement from the Primordial Demoness, and second, why didn''t the Great Mother side try to stop it, even though She had made many arrangements in the dream city.
"Theck of interference from other existences was expected. The Celestial Worthy wouldn''t wait until they were ready and could effectively interfere with the Internal situation of the dream before letting Zhou Sasae. If that happened, what might be suppressed could be His hope for sess. Moreover, Anderson''s side would burn down the Colorful Hostel and the Mute Art Studio, not giving the deity worshiped by the Fantasy Association a chance to intervene, and there was also true god suppression at Mushu Hospital.
"But the Great Mother had sent Madame Pualis with baby Omebe to be the dean of Mushu Hospital. How did they not create even a ripple?
"Her forces in the dream city are not limited to Mushu Hospital. Whether it''s Grimm who was originally active outside the hospital, or Lu Yong''an who can freely enter and exit the hospital, they could effectively avoid the true gods'' suppression of Mushu Hospital and do something."
"Maybe Peng Deng, Grisha, and Amon''s side, who didn''t appear in the final stage, were blocking them?" Jenna spected.
"That''s one possibility." Madam Magician began to give her speech at the Tarot Club, "But I have a bad feeling that perhaps the Great Mother has already achieved Her goal, in a way that''s in our cognitive blind spot."
"My experience is also that abnormal calmness is always problematic," Mr. Hanged Man followed up with emphasis.
Franca took a breath and turned her gaze to Lumian,
Lumian understood her meaning and smiled, saying, "The only revtion Mr. Fool gave about matters rted to the Great Mother was: be a Demoness of Unaging, borrow the Gift of the Land, face the Abscessed Hand."
After saying this, Lumian suddenly had a spiritual perception. He turned to the right and pushed open a semi-transparentrge door condensed from starlight.
The light behind the door was dim, with no attack appearing.
Lumian waited for two seconds before passing through the door and entering the room.
What met his eyes was a ck coffin.
This coffin was different from the rectangr coffins Trier used daily, with obvious curves, one endrger and one end smaller, its surface carved with many bird and tree patterns.
"Eh..." Franca''s head peeked out from Lumian''s shoulder position, "Isn''t this a Western Continent style coffin? Where did the Blood Emperor get it from?"
She already knew that the Western Continent had evolved from her pre-transmigration country over thousands or tens of thousands of years or even longer.
And judging from the fact that she could barely understand thenguage of Armored Shadow Chen Tu and its attire, Franca felt that the civilization of the Western Continent might not have experienced a break in continuity like the Southern and Northern Continents, still maintaining a certain continuity. The coffin style before her eyes seemed to be another piece of evidence.
As for why, in a situation where civilization had not been interrupted, thenguage and style of the Western Continent had "regressed" to what she remembered as "ancient", she couldn''t think of a reason for the time being.
All the known transmigrators were in the Southern and Northern Continents and the former Eastern Continent!
No, Queen Mystic had said that the Ancient Sun God was not the kind of "cocoon person" like us, and there was another transmigrator who hasn''t revealed their Identity... As Franca''s thoughts gradually diverged, Lumian and Madam Magician had already walked to the front of that Western Continent style ck coffin, with thetter causing the lid to slide to one side on its own, falling onto the semi-transparent ground.N?v(el)B\\jnn
Franca looked over and saw a beautiful face with tightly closed eyes, pale and cold, saw a gorgeous phoenix crown and rosy clouds cape, and saw bright red.
"Chinese wedding dress... bride''s corpse... Dammit, what the hell is the Blood Emperor up to?" Franca blurted out.
Before her words fell, that ck coffin with patterns of pine, cypress, and cranes began to shake violently.
A pale, delicate hand with long. gray nails that were sharp and cold silently pressed on the edge of the coffin.
With this action, Franca and Jenna''s lips suddenly became dry, as if they were being roasted.
Outside the treasury, the Blue Avenger sailing through fierce winds and huge waves suddenly plunged downward.
The wind stopped, the waves calmed, and water vapor rose from the azure sea, evaporating rapidly.
On the surface of the Blue Avenger, the deck began to crack at a visible speed. Even though the consciousness of this ghost ship was constantly trying to repair it, it couldn''t stop the trend from deepening.
Inside the Tudor treasury, in the corresponding room.
Before Madam Magician could deliver a barrage of attacks on the female corpse in the coffin. Lumian stretched out his right palm.
His palm was darkly red and mottled, covered with pallor, a deep ck "pinhole" emitting an indescribable aura.
The female corpse wearing what Franca called a bright red wedding dress and a golden phoenix crown stopped shaking, no longer giving the feeling that it might crawl up at any moment. That delicate but pale hand slowly slid down, returning to the side of the corpse.
All the abnormalities disappeared with it.
"The power of a Demoness of Catastrophe," Madam Magician said after a few seconds of looking with eyes as brilliant as the starry sky. "And, the power of an Undying... Can the boons of these two pathways be put together?"
As she spoke, both she and Mr. Hanged Man looked towards Lumian.
Lumian looked at the dark "pinhole" in his palm, musing to himself, "Maybe they can..."
This thing seemed to be a fusion of the residual aura of the Blood Emperor, the boon of a War Bishop, the seal of the Underworld Daoist, and the grade and knowledge of the Demoness card.
If such a hodgepodge could be put together, the separately picked out powers of the Demoness and Death pathways should be able to as well.
Madam Magician and Mr. Hanged Man fell into deep thought, while Franca associated the terms "Demoness of Catastrophe" and "Undying" with the state and recent behavior of the female corpse.
She said in astonishment, "This, this couldn''t be a drought demon, could it?
"Did the Blood Emperor bring a drought demon to the Northern Continent?
"How did He manage that?"
Isn''t it said that the Western Continent was sealed by the power of the Celestial Worthy, and that the barrier can only be opened for free entry and exit after Mr. Fool truly gains the upper hand?
Before that, shouldn''t only some secret deed rituals be possible?
Even if the Blood Emperor really opened a passage before His death, attempting to drag down all the gods with Him, that passage was sealed in Fourth Epoch Trier, right? The Blood Emperor shouldn''t have had time to send this drought demon to the Blue Avenger
Hearing Franca''s words, Madam Magician turned to the side and began to exin, "The power doesn''te from Beyonder characteristics, it might originate from the Western Continent or somewhere else, but the person is from the Northern Continent
"Uh..." Franca looked carefully and found that the hair of the female corpse in the coffin was pale yellow, and her facial features were quite pronounced.
"An artificial drought demon?" Franca said with some understanding. "The Blood Emperor made a secret deed for some strange knowledge, and this is the product of an experiment? The phoenix crown, rosy clouds cape, and coffin are part of the knowledge, part of the ritual?"
Lumian nodded slightly, looking at the female corpse and said, "If we let her wake up, can we help her regain her sanity?"
Madam Magician slowly shook her head. "She'' was probably born a monster."
Chapter 1037: Spring of Temptation
Madam Magician meant: the girl in the coffin underwent a transformation the instant she simultaneously received the powers of a Demoness of Catastrophe and an Undying through a strange ritual. This corpse, now possessing Angel-level power, was a monster from the moment it came into being.
Lumian, in his Demoness state, frowned and said, "Aren''t boons supposed to not affect the spirit, only gradually causing mental and physical alterations?
Surely it shouldn''t directly create a monster?
Moreover, from what he could see, the powers of the Demoness and Death pathways weren''t so contradictory and could be integrated to some degree.
"What I exined before was only about boons under normal circumstances," Madam Magician said after some consideration. "The essence of boons is actually closer to controlled, retrievable corruption. Higher beings who grant boons generally try to suppress the spiritual, conscious, and emotional aspects of their power that belong to themselves, to prevent the recipient from being overwhelmed immediately and developing problems, as that would go against the original intention of the boon and fail to achieve the expected purpose."
Mr. Hanged Man added, "In the cases of evil god boons that we know of, if there weren''t enough sacrifices, especially human sacrifices, even if a channel was opened through ritual, some of the recipients at the scene would be unable to bear the power, their bodies copsing on the spot-either dying or bing monsters."
Jenna confirmed with newfound understanding, "When the higher being that the Blood Emperor''s strange ritual was directed at granted the boon, they didn''t control or suppress the spiritual, conscious, and emotional aspects within the power, letting them exist as usual, so this girl as the recipient naturally couldn''t bear it and became a monster?"
Mr. Hanged Man nodded slightly and said meaningfully, "It might not have been a boon, but rather theft."
"Did Amon y a role in this ritual?" Lumian''s own boon power came from theft.Mr. Hanged Man smiled, "Theft in another sense. Let me give an example-we can utilize the power of many Sealed Artifacts to some degree, but we must be careful to avoid the corresponding dangers and find the most suitable method, because theyck intelligence. You can''t negotiate with them or make them obey to prevent them from harming you.
"In such cases, suitable methods of utilization are equivalent to rtively safe means of theft."
Lumian recalled his experience after lighting the corpse wax candle and nodded thoughtfully.
If he hadn''t possessed both male and female forms in the dream city at that time, his physical body might have copsed and be a monster.
"The Blood Emperor was indeed bloodthirsty and mad..." Jenna couldn''t help but sigh.
The girl in the coffin most likely didn''t voluntarily participate in such a special ritual.
"Not necessarily," Franca said quietly.
Seeing everyone look at her, she cleared her throat and said, "Based on my pre-transmigration experience, if this is rted to the Western Continent, the whole ritual might not be what you imagine.
"They might have pre-selected a girl born on a specific year, month, day and time, killed her in a specific way at a specific moment, performed special treatment, then ced her in this pre-made coffin, made other arrangements, and finally conducted the ritual to let her gain power and open her eyes in an Undying state."
"Why do it this way?" Jenna asked puzzledly.
Franca smiled and said, "It''s just my guess, but maybe this was the only way to please the corresponding higher being, or maybe this was the only way to avoid the influence of the spiritual and conscious aspects within the boon power. But for some reason, perhaps because the Blood Emperor and others made mistakes in interpreting the secret deed they obtained, missing some key points, the ritual seems to have failed in the end.
"Uh, maybe, it wasn''t even a ritual seeking boons, but rather a method of corpse refinement..."
Jenna was silent for two seconds. "Then you still say the Blood Emperor wasn''t necessarily bloodthirsty and mad."
This was more cruel than their previous spection!
Franca exined, "I''m not saying the Blood Emperor wasn''t necessarily bloodthirsty and mad, but rather that it might not have been ordinary bloodiness and madness-it was probably ''extremely'' so."
Madam Magician turned to look at the female corpse wearing the phoenix crown and rosy clouds cape, and said, "She has no Beyonder characteristics. Let''s go to the next room."
"Alright." Lumian had no objections.
After Madam Magician made the coffin lid fly up and cover it again, they returned to that deep and spacious corridor.
Lumian raised his right palm, looked at the dimmed dark red spots, dark "pinhole" and pale skin, then put his hand into his Traveler''s Bag.
Maintaining this posture, Lumian started walking forward again.
He felt that encountering that female corpse was likely due to the effect of his right palm, so now he needed to try to eliminate its influence.
After about ten seconds, Lumian opened another door condensed from starlight.
At the same time, he saw a spring-its bubbling source.
The spring water had a sacred feeling, emitting an alluring aura-clear and pure-making Franca and the others, whose mouths had dried from the female corpse''s influence, suddenly feel thirsty.
Voices then echoed in their minds:
"Drink, drink and regain your youth..."
"Drink, drink and gain tremendous power..."
"Drink, drink and extend your life by thousands of years..."
"Drink, drink and be irresistibly charming"
"Drink, drink and achieve immortality"
Lumian, who was also tempted and hearing the - whispers, smiled, "Don''t worry, I will drink, I came here to drink you..."
Before he could emphasize that he was a person who valued ceremony, Madam Magician had already acted.
Layer uponyer of void peeled away, the clear and pure spring water suddenly receded, revealing what was inside the spring source.
There was a highly dposed but not yet skeletal female corpse, with pale yellow-greenish pus constantly seeping from its disgusting flesh,bining with the air to be sacred, alluring, and pure.
This was the source of the spring water.
Madam Magician immediately raised both hands.
ss-like fragments and blood tinged with pale yellow immediately flew out from the female corpse, falling into two containers that had been floating in mid-air at some unknown time.
After doing this, Madam Magician made the two containers fly toward Lumian. "They can rece the Mirror God fragments and Medusa blood as supplementary ingredients, enough for four advancements."
After Lumian put away the containers, the points of starlight condensed from the void suddenly pressed down,pletely crushing the highly dposed female corpse, making the charming, sacred grayish- white light quickly separate out and condense into a fist-sized, spring-like crystal.
Illusory water constantly flowed out from the crystal''s surface, then fell back in.
With a push of Madam Magician''s right hand, this Demoness of Unaging Beyonder characteristic quickly came before Lumian, already preliminarily sealed.
The light emanating from the female corpse hadn''tpletely dispersed-the remaining portion rbined to form a transparent eye brimming with tears.
"Your Demoness of Despair Beyonder characteristic," Madam Magician gave that beautiful but sorrowful eye to Jenna. "As for supplementary ingredients, The Chariot and Two of Cups should still have some left."
"Thank you." Jenna quietly let out a breath and quickly put the sealed Beyonder characteristic into her Traveler''s Bag.
Madam Magician nodded slightly and walked out of the current room.
"Let''s go find the next ingredient. This time, Two of Cups, you''re in charge of opening doors."
Just as Franca was eagerly about to step forward, she suddenly saw Lumian hand over a piece of parchment.
On the parchment were words in rust-colored ancient Feysac:n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Potion Name: War Bishop;
"Sequence: 3;
"Main ingredients: Heart of a Bipr Centaur, Core of a War Comet;
"Supplementary ingredients: 100ml of Bipr Centaur blood, War Comet fragments, one Blood Tudor Iris, 8g of me Giant Tree bark;
"Advancement ritual: Lead your own team to defeat a powerful enemy force in a war.
"Note 1: The imminent atmosphere of war will attractets symbolizing war through the spirit world. They will streak across the night sky bringing revtions, but among suchets, those with corporeal substance that can enter the real world are limited in number.
"Note 2: In the advancement ritual, the stronger the enemy force, the better the ritual effect."
Seeing this parchment, Franca was stunned and said, "Where did thise from?"
"The advancement was promised by the Major Arcana. and Mr. Fool gave me an extra reward." Lumian smiled and said, "I asked for the War Bishop potion form."
Before Franca could respond, Lumian smiled and added, "I wanted you to have the right to choose."
Franca opened her mouth, then closed it, her emotions seeming somewhat turbulent.
After a moment, she nced to the side and said quietly, "I didn''t say I want to be a War Bishop, I still have my mission..."
Lumian didn''t try to persuade her and put the parchment back into his Traveler''s Bag.
Jenna''s expression was slightlyplex as she secretly sighed in relief. Things are good as they are now, things are good as they are now...
She didn''t want change; she feared change.
Because Madam Magician and Mr. Hanged Man were present, Franca didn''t dare tell Lumian "you usually just make people''s grit their teeth, I didn''t expect you to be so considerate sometimes" to ease her emotions. She could only quickly walk forward and casually push open a door condensed from starlight.
As soon as the door opened, an exquisite, beautiful human skin suddenly fell from above.
This human skin violently enveloped toward Franca.
Franca''s body surface subsequently emanated a grayish-white color, her whole person seeming to turn into a stone statue, unable to dodge in time.
At this moment, the surrounding darkness instantly bent and folded, quickly sealing that fair and stic human skin within.
Immediately after, Madam Magician''s hand clenched.
That dark sphere suddenly copsed, the corresponding voidpletely disintegrated, and the human skin inside was quickly torn into pieces by the space-time storm.
"This is also a Demoness of Unaging Beyonder characteristic. The Blood Emperor and Primordial Demoness''s secret cooperation was indeed tight back then," Madam Magician smiled at Franca, Lumian, and Jenna while crushing the characteristic.
Franca was stunned for a moment, then revealed a brilliant smile.
Heh, I sure have good luck today! I seeded in one try!
Chapter 1038: The Team
After Franca put away the Demoness of Unaging Beyonder characteristic that had coalesced after being shattered, Madam Magician said to the three of them. "Apart from some easier-to-find materials that are merely symbolic, we should have everything else. What remains is preparing for the ritual. I can help anytime."
"Thank you," Lumian thought for a moment and asked, "Should we leave now?"
Madam Magician smiled and said, "Angel-level Beyonder characteristics, especially Sequence 1, are not only limited but very rare, and their locations are rtively certain. If there were anything simr in this treasure trove, it could only be Sequence 2, and most likely from the Hunter pathway."
Lumian pointed to the end of the deep corridor. "As one of the Blood Emperor''s resurrection arrangements, the corresponding Beyonder characteristic is behind that mirror, together with His Mirror Person, perhaps even already absorbed and merged by His Mirror Person?"
In other words, it was almost impossible to find Angel-level Beyonder characteristics, including Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts, in other rooms along the corridor, so Lumian and the others had no need to continue exploring.
Of course, this was just one reason. More importantly, the Blue Avenger belonged to Mr. Hanged Man, and theoretically this treasure vault was also his- equivalent to his private property. He had only allowed Lumian and the others to take the corresponding materials earlier based on a promise. If Lumian and the others were to open other rooms and take other items. it would be too disrespectful to the owner.
Though Madam Magician didn''t explicitly say this, all three Demonesses understood and expressed their wish to leave now and think about how to arrange the ritual.
Mr. Hanged Man nodded without any change in expression.
"You can return through the mirror world. Madam Magician and I still have some matters to attend to.""Alright," Lumian replied with a smile.
He could roughly guess what Mr. Hanged Man wanted to do.
As captain of the Blue Avenger, Mr. Hanged Man had no Tudor remnant aura, no corresponding bloodline, and wasn''t on either the Hunter or Demoness pathway. Though guarding a treasure vault, he had difficulty entering it and could only wait for Lumian to open the "ess control." Only with Madam Magician''s positioning and help could he enter. Of course he couldn''t miss this opportunity and had to explore a bit and take some useful items.
These might be Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts that could help improve his strength, or Beyonder characteristic- rted items that could help him cultivate more and stronger subordinates, or special items that could either be useful at critical moments or point to certain secrets of the Tudor Empire.
How others explored their own vault was none of Lumian''s business. He took out a mirror and led Franca and Jenna out of the vault, then used teleportation to return to the luxurious vi in Trier.
Since the matters of Madame Pualis and infant Omebe were still under investigation, Lumian hadn''t returned to his originally rented apartment to meet with his subordinate Lugano. He was still wary of potential issues rted to the Great Mother that might exist with him.
"Where''s Ludwig?" Jenna looked around the living room and asked Anthony, who was focused on reading the newspaper.
Anthony pointed toward the vi''s annex.
"In the kitchen.
"After eating Trier''s food for several days, he misses the food from the dream city and wants to try making some himself."
Suddenly, an image appeared in Lumian and the others'' minds: Ludwig moving a chair into the kitchen. then standing on it, struggling to handle kitchen utensils that didn''t quite match his size and height...
"I miss it too," Franca said excitedly, "Look, look, this is what a professional Chef is like-just eight years old!
Jenna nodded and said to Lumian and the others, "I''m going to the telegraph office nearby to send a telegram to Julien. He''sing back to Trier next week, and I need to ask about the specific time and whether he''s taking a boat or steam lotive."
She wasn''t in a rush to discuss her own ritual, as there was already a preliminary n.
Once Lumian became a Demoness of Unaging and borrowed the Gift of the Land, aftermunicating well with the Tarot Club and the Church of Knowledge, they would take her to the City of Exiles to advance using the criminals there.
The only problem with this n was that once Jenna sessfully advanced, she would be a Sequence 4 demigod, which conflicted with Morora''s rules and would cause negative changes to 0-01.
The current solution was to ask the Church of Knowledge for help, assisting Madam Magician, so this Door pathway Angel could transfer the newly- advanced Jenna away directly using pre-left marks without entering Morora.
Lumian had privately asked Jenna if she wanted to consider using the Sword of Courage to switch to bing an Iron-blooded Knight. With the current team''sposition and rapport, the corresponding ritual wouldn''t be difficult after some time adjusting. But Jenna still hoped to continue on the path of pure female Demonesses.
She told Lumian this was currently her only special trait, and once she switched to Hunter, she would lose it. Special traits represented both unknown, huge risks and potential encounters and significant gains. With the apocalypse seemingly approaching early, she was willing to take the corresponding risks in exchange for rapid sequence and power growth to better protect those she wanted to protect.
Lumian didn''t try to persuade her further at the time. only sighing and quoting a dream city saying, "Fortune favors the bold."
After Jenna put on her sunhat and lowered her ck veil to cover her face, leaving the luxurious vi, Lumian said to Anthony. "Do you want to continue with the Psychology Alchemists mission?
Anthony had already been assigned to Lumian, the new Mr. Chariot, and couldpletely stop the original mission given by Madam Justice.
Before Anthony could respond, Lumianughed.
"You''re about to be a Sequence 4 Maniptor. Those people who y with people''s minds won''t let a demigod not cultivated by their own organization enter their core levels."
Anthony had digested the Sequence 5 potion Dreamwalker faster than Lumian and the others because during this time, he had been active, walking. and working in a great existence''s true dream.
"About to?" Anthony asked puzzlingly.
Had the Major Arcana cardholders found the corresponding Beyonder ingredients?
That couldn''t be so easy, right? If it were that easy, Madam Susie would have be a demigod long ago.
Lumian tucked his falling hair behind his ear and smiled. "Madam Justice has been searching for an ancient dragon. She''s had some results but kept missing it. After Mr. Fool Initially awoke, he gave her a revtion that should be very useful. We might see results soon."
Anthony nodded and after considering for a few seconds said, "I want to continue my contact with the Psychology Alchemists, but no longer seek to enter their core levels.
"After bing a demigod, I''ll also hide my Sequence and deal with them in my current state. This is a very good intelligence channel, and I don''t want to give it up."
"Alright," Lumian indeed needed such intelligence channels.
After exchanging a few more words, he and Franca went upstairs.
Walking on the thick carpet in the corridor, Lumian turned his head toward Franca. "You no longer need to do the Demoness Sect''s mission."
This was a mission from Madam Justice, and since Franca was now subordinate to The Chariot, Lumian had full authority to help her stop this matter.N?v(el)B\\jnn
Franca was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Since you''ve chosen this current path, I think figuring out the situation with the Primordial Demoness and the secrets of the special mirror world are inevitable tasks, and none of these can bypass the Demoness Sect.
"Whether or not I''ve been exposed, even if they use me or set traps through this, it''s still a good entry point. Having connections means having opportunities."
Lumian looked at Franca without speaking.
Feeling a bit ufortable under his gaze, Franca could only ask with a smile. "Are you moved?"
"Yes." Lumian nodded.
"Oh... why aren''t you being stubborn this time? Now I don''t know how to respond..." Franca mumbled. "Actually, Jenna continuing on the Demoness pathway also involves this kind of thinking."
Before Lumian could speak again, she forcefully changed the topic. "Let me ask a question, purely out of curiosity.
"If you briefly use the War Bishop power within the seal, will your body change?"
Normally, physical changes brought by a boon''s power, as long as they didn''t cause immediate copse, urred gradually and subtly over time However, the boon powers of both Hunter and Demoness pathways inherently possessed the quality of changing the body.
"Yes, the body will, but the spirit won''t" Lumian exined simply.
Taking potions to change gender would affect the spirit as well, like Franca-when her Astral Projection roamed the spirit world, her form was also female. But changes brought by boons were limited to body and mind, meaning that even if Lumian returned to a male state using the War Bishop powers within the seal, his spirit would still appear as Lumina.
Franca immediately became excited. "Can you try it, let me see?"
If this worked, she could seek corresponding boons in the future. Then she could be a man when she wanted to be a man, a woman when she wanted to be a woman, and neither if she preferred!
After all, Lumian''s goal was to resurrect Aurore, which meant he would reach very high levels, and seeking temporary boons from him wouldn''t have any hidden dangers.
Before Lumian could respond, Franca shook her head.
"Never mind, never mind. The Lie earring uses corresponding Beyonder power to change the body without any pain, but changes brought by this kind of boon powerse with the power itself-they''re forced, uncontroble, and must be very painful. Never mind."
"You''ve been both a Demoness of Affliction and a Demoness of Despair, what pain are you afraid of?" Lumian teased, as his body suddenly changed.
There was both the writhing of flesh and the creaking of bones.
Lumian''s face contorted for several seconds before settling into his original male appearance, but more handsome, with more of that masculine charm.
Franca watched with both concern and curiosity, then said, "It really works..."
Her eyes moved slightly, and she added, "Can you close your eyes?"
Lumian didn''t refuse.
Then, he heard Franca sigh and say,
"We all know you see your female body as your sister''s, and unless she agrees, you won''t do anything suggestive with it. We respect your thoughts and Aurore herself, but, but sometimes we still want to see Lumian, to hug Lumian"
Just as Lumian was about to speak, a warmth pressed against his lips.
After a peaceful, serene, and sweet moment of entanglement, Franca pulled back.
Lumian opened his eyes to see she was suddenly slightly taller than him.
Instinctively, Lumian looked down and discovered that severalyers of ice crystal steps had formed beneath Franca''s feet at some point.
Franca opened her eyes wide and said, "This time I took the initiative, and I thought kissing you from above felt more appropriate for the current mood!"
"Whatever you like," Lumian said nomittally.
Franca jumped down from the ice crystal steps and sighed again. "Change back now, minimize the influence of the boon."
She then pressed her lips together, pped her hands once, and said with a smile, "With the apocalypse approaching and everyone in this situation, let''s just make do for now!"
***
Thanks to the user "ѧܧڧ ӧҧߧ" for the chapters provided!
Chapter 1039 Every Beginning is Difficult
Chapter 1039 Every Beginning is Difficult
At the telegraph office in the arts district.
Still wearing her sun hat and ck veil, Jenna paid the telegram fee and gazed at the constant tinkling sounds next door, muttering to herself, "What are they renovating?"
A male telegraph operator looked up and said with a mixture of disdain and worry,
"The telephone office.
"They say they want to develop wired telephones extensively. Can they reallyy lines to so many ces? In the end, they''ll have to rely on wireless!"
Yes, mobile phones should also be a type of wireless Jenna suddenly felt nostalgic.
She was also looking forward to the development of telephoneworks in Intis. That way they couldmunicate in real-time instead of going through the trouble of sending and receiving telegrams.
Walking out of the telegraph office, before Jenna could decide whether to take a carriage back to the luxurious vi or browse around the neighborhood, she heard a newspaper boy shouting at the intersection:
"Extra! Extra!
"Ms. Fors promises to finalize ''The Great Adventurer 7'' within two weeks!
"Extra! Extra!
"Therge generator manufactured by the Church of Steam''s Deep Valley Cloister has entered the factory production stage!"
Large generator Jenna paused for a moment, her gaze involuntarily drawn to the horse-drawn trams on the road, women wearing different styles of sun hats, men carrying canes and wearing top hats, ssical-style gas streetmps, luxurious theaters and nearby cafes, and various shops.
This hardly looked like a scene approaching the apocalypse.
Jenna gazed greedily at everything, worried it would suddenly dissipate like the dream city.
In the luxurious vi.
Lumian stood before the full-length mirror, staring motionlessly at his beautiful face that was both familiar and strange.
He was waiting, waiting for the reflection to smile on its own or show some other expression.
One of the major difficulties in the Demoness of Unaging advancement ritual was finding one''s Mirror Personthis wasn''t something one could encounter just by wanting to.
The mystical connection between a Demoness and their Mirror Person served both as a locating aid and as an rm that allowed the other party to detect danger early and constantly relocate.
Moreover, ording to the actual experiences and daily observations of the three DemonessesLumian, Franca, and Jennathe stable Mirror People born from bing Demonesses were different from those Mirror People in special mirror worlds.
Under normal circumstances, the Demonesses'' Mirror People could not leave the mirror world. Once these Mirror People entered reality, it meant there was a major problem with the Demoness''s own state.
"We''ll still need to ask Madam Magician for help with positioning and containment" Lumian, who had been watching the mirror image for an hour, withdrew his gaze and muttered to himself.
At that moment, Madam Magician appeared in the bedroom, surrounded by twinkling starlight.
She looked around and asked, "Where''s Two of Cups?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"She went to meet with her subordinate, preparing for tomorrow''s meeting with the Demoness of ck," Lumian answered simply.
Madam Magician frowned and said, "Is she still going to continue with the Demoness Sect''s missions?
"At the Sequence 4 demigod stage, the Demoness of Despair only provides potions and helps prepare rituals. How will Two of Cups exin how she was able to advance to Demoness of Despair, where the potion form and corresponding ingredients came from, and how the ritual waspleted?"
"No exnation is needed. Her advancement to Sequence 4 waspleted under the Primordial Demoness''s watch, and these past few days, she often takes out that white bone figurine and ces it beside her, with no abnormalities or dangers arising," Lumian exined on Franca''s behalf. "This situation makes her feel she still has value to the Demoness Sect, or rather, to the Primordial Demoness. When the timees, she can make up a convincing reason that the Demoness of ck should believe, such as divine bestowal or divine favor.
"She can also take this opportunity to learn more mystical knowledge about Mirror People from the Demoness of ck, which might prove useful in the uing Demoness of Unaging ritual."
Madam Magician looked at Lumian for several seconds. "This is dangerous."
"We know," Lumian replied in a low voice.
Madam Magician sighed and said, "When she goes to meet the Demoness of ck tomorrow, remember to notify me in advance. I''ll provide necessary protection nearby."
"Thank you," Lumian then asked, "Why did you suddenlye over? Is something wrong?"
Weren''t we supposed to wait until we gathered all the information before setting a time for the ritual?
Madam Magician made no attempt to hide it, her expression bing quiteplex.
"To have a small meeting."
"Small meeting?" Lumian raised an eyebrow.
"A small meeting means a private gathering without Mr. Fool present, but still held in the pce above the gray fog," Madam Magician exined briefly. "Previously it was fixed at once a month, but now that formal meetings have resumed and are fixed for 3 pm on the first Monday of each month, we obviously can''t continue with the small meetings in the same way. They might be more impromptu in nature, specifically convened for special matters."
"This discussion" Lumian asked thoughtfully, "Is it to unify the Major Arcana''s understanding of Gehrman Sparrow?"
"Yes," Madam Magician nodded slightly. "In half an hour, recite Mr. Fool''s honorific name."
After speaking, her figure transformed into countless starlight and flew into the illusory door.
Half an hourter, Lumian recited Mr. Fool''s honorific name and once again arrived above the gray fog, sitting at one side of the bronze long table.
In his eyes, streaks of light were rising up, condensing into slightly blurred figures in different seats.
In less than a minute, all the Major Arcana card holders were present.
After ncing at Madam Justice, The Magician began speaking.
"I just returned from Two of Cups. Shepared the current Mr. Fool, or rather Gehrman Sparrow''s image, to an AI"
After roughly repeating Franca''s original words, thisdy said, "I think it makes sense. We must quickly unify our understanding of Gehrman Sparrow to minimize the corruption of the faith anchors."
Madam Justice picked up the thread.
"The most fundamental and widespread public perceptions of Gehrman Sparrow don''t need to be changed, and can''t be changed in the short termthese themselves don''t contain contradictions.
"What we need to do is make the Gehrman Sparrow beneath this shell closer to Mr. Fool''s true self, and ensure there are no contradictions.
"Since we want to unify this understanding, we must start with ourselves. If our own understandings still differ and contain major contradictions, it will certainly affectter corrections and dissemination."
Seeing all the Major Arcana card holders nodding slightly in agreement, Madam Justice said,
"Then let''s first share our impressions of Mr. Fool and Gehrman Sparrow, record them, and then discuss which ones are correct and which can be unified.
"Who wants to start?"
Madam Justice first looked toward Madam Magician and Mr. Star.
She found that the former showed hints of fear, seemingly afraid to speak or listen, while thetter kept his mouth shut, appearing quite hesitant, as if unsure which things should be said, which shouldn''t, and whether to say everything.
The Chariot Lumian clicked his tongue imperceptibly and shook his head.
"What are you thinking about?" Mr. Moon, who was sitting not far from him, tilted his head curiously to ask.
Lumian chuckled and said, "I''m imagining how I would feel if a group of people were discussing what kind of person I am behind my back, each with different impressions."
"Embarrassed?" Mr. Moon couldn''t help but consider it too.
The Chariot Mr. Lumian smiled and said, "I don''t know if others would be embarrassed, but for myself, I''d probably be excited, find it fun, and wish I could sneak in to listen."
Mr. Moon raised his right hand and touched his face.
He instinctively looked at the huge chair at the head of the table, then nced at the position at the bottom, confirming that neither Mr. Fool nor The World was presenttruly not present.
"If it were the Sherlock Moriarty in my impression, he would genuinely be embarrassed, but if it were Gehrman Sparrow, he would maintain a cold expression, making it impossible to tell what he''s thinking," Mr. Moon responded to Lumian''s words.
After speaking, he found that the other Major Arcana card holders were all looking at him.
Seeing this, Lumian inwardly chuckled and muttered to himself, See, someone to kick things off has volunteered themselves.
Mr. Moon froze for a moment, and seeing everyone waiting for him to continue, he had no choice but to maintain outwardposure and continue.
"I haven''t had much interaction with Gehrman Sparrow; it was mainly above the gray fog. Many of my impressionse from rumors, centered around words like cold, powerful, and quick-to-action.
"Comparatively, I know Sherlock Moriarty better. He''s quite perceptive, fairly vignt, very concerned with money, but judging from his behavior at the Harvest Church and other ces, he''s actually quite caring and possesses a true gentleman''s sense of humor"
After speaking in one breath, Mr. Moon slightly raised his chin, looked around, and said, "You guys'' turn."
Madam Justice didn''t wait for other Major Arcana cards, deciding to follow Mr. Moon''s example and set a model for everyone.
"I''ll go.
"I was once Mr. World''s psychiatrist, provided him with corresponding treatment, and even entered the Hall of Truth with him, hearing many of his inner thoughts."
Upon catching the term Hall of Truth, Mr. Star unconsciously adjusted his sitting position, with his right side more forward and his left side slightly withdrawn.
After all the Major Arcana card holders, including The Chariot Lumian, turned to look at her, Madam Justice spoke in a steady voice,
"My deepest impression of Mr. World is that he was very lonely. He had many things piled up in his heart and weighing on his shoulders
"But he could still control himself, not indulging, not despairing, not acting willfully, not bing distorted
"What Mr. Moon just said is correcthe was indeed a very caring person, his heart was actually very gentle, and his cold and tough exterior was just a facade he had put on"
Miss Justice''s gentle voice slowly echoed above the bronze long table.
Chapter 1040 Individual Impressions
Chapter 1040 Individual Impressions
"Though outwardly quiet and reserved, he actually likes to joke and tease in his mind, and asionally even rambles"
Madam Magician listened with inexplicable tension, thoughts instinctively shing through her mind, Am I allowed to hear this? Should I be hearing this? n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
If Gehrman Sparrow finds out I''m listening to what he''s really like inside, that he''s even somewhat lively, would he blow my head off with a gun?
"Those are my impressions," Madam Justice concluded her recollections and summary.
Madam Magician quietly let out a breath.
After calming down, she thought carefully and felt that if Gehrman Sparrow was really as Miss Justice described, then probably, perhaps, he wouldn''t use violent means to eliminate people who knew his true nature.
Seeing that Madam Justice had said so much, Mr. Star, sitting next to Lumian, leaned back against his chair, as if trying to enter a rxed state.
In a rich timbre, he intoned, "He is a learned person, and this is reflected in more than just his being a university history graduate;
"In supernatural events, he was very green at first, but quickly became skilled, bing someone people could rely on;
"He''s notfortable getting too close to others, always maintaining a certain distance, appearing as if he fears loss and doesn''t want to gain anything, but in reality, he''s someone who values rtionships deeply, and inevitably rxes over time, gradually integrating and carefully building friendships with others;
"He''s calm but not introverted, can take jokes and has a sense of humor, values life and is willing to enjoy it, but doesn''t like waste;
"He''s cautious, perhaps due to the influence of the Seer pathway,pletely deserving to be called very cautious. When encountering matters that aren''t urgent and won''t cause immediate harm, he chooses the most conservative response, leaving first or waiting for backup, but if a disaster is very pressing and will affect many people, even if he''s not powerful enough himself, he''s willing to step forward and try to resolve it despite the risks;
"He deeply values his brother and sister, is more rxed around them, and shows some of the personality traits Madam Justice just described;
"He is the best brother, both younger and older, and also the best colleague"
After Mr. Star finished speaking, the majestic pce remained silent for quite a while, until all the Major Arcana card holders except Madam Magician turned their gaze toward her.
Madam Magician cleared her throat and said, "My impressions of Gehrman Sparrow can be read in ''The Great Adventurer'' novel series.
"If I really have to summarize"
This Angel of the Door pathway paused, her voice unconsciously bing softer.
"Cold, powerful, mysterious, and will kill people on the spot if they say one wrong word.
"But, but very reliablewhen you''re with him, you only need to worry about whether he might eliminate you, there''s no need to worry about anything else."
You''re closer to teasing than stating facts with thatst part I can clearly hear that you''re somewhat afraid, yet you still insist on teasing both Gehrman Sparrow and yourselfis this the nature of writers? Well, from ''The Great Adventurer'' series, it''s clear that you respect, fear, and somewhat admire Gehrman Sparrow, yet you persistently write gossip about him The Chariot Lumian, listening quietly, couldn''t help but think to himself.
After speaking quickly, Madam Magician turned her gaze to Mr. Hanged Man sitting diagonally across from her, meaning it was his turn.
Mr. Hanged Man had already prepared his thoughts. "I haven''t had much contact with any of Mr. Fool''s identities, and some I haven''t met at all, so I can only say briefly.
"An experienced, very intelligent, and powerful adventurer.
"His luck seems quite good too.
"Not actually as cold and hard as his exterior suggests.
"Willing to listen to others'' opinions and respect their experience."
After Mr. Hanged Man finished, Madam Judgment, who appeared smallpared to her chair, shared her understanding, "Most of my impressions of Gehrman Sparrowe from Madam Magician, so there''s no need to repeat them.
"I''ve had the most contact with the identity of Dwayne Dants. He''s a mature, cultured, wealthy gentleman, but very mysterious, with unusual things always happening around him.
"He''s said to be romantic, fond of beautiful women with different characteristics, but I haven''t noticed him having any truly deep rtionships with any women.
"Well, he also has a kind heart, does charity work with genuine desire to help others, and treats his male and female servants not just with surface politeness, but actually without arrogance or hidden discrimination"
This is also one side of Mr. Fool, especially certain details that really reflect his inner nature Madam Justice carefully memorized what the other Major Arcana card holders were saying, to summarize and distill itter.
Mr. Sun, tall and wearing a in white robe, followed by saying, "Powerful but not arrogant, cold but not heartless.
"He practices all that is righteous, he''s willing to take great risks to help people who are actually of no use to him, he is light in the darkness, a guide walking ahead, an angel sheltering everyone."
A more religious description, with more extreme and pure emotions As expected of the Pope of the Church of The Fool and member of the New City of Silver''s six-member council Lumian could clearly hear some differences.
Ma''am Hermit pushed up her sses and said, "A very capable adventurer who can always respond most appropriately to unexpected situations.
"He also yearns for something, he also gazes at the setting sun, and at such times, I can truly feel his lonelinesswhat he wants to grasp seems to be in a very distant, unreachable ce.
"Also, a mysterious, powerful, and reliablepanion."
The original Major Arcana card holders of the Tarot Club had finished speaking, leaving only the two new members.
The Chariot Lumian, whose figure was blurred but still recognizably female, thought for a moment before calmly saying, "I''ve never had any real contact with any of Mr. Fool''s identities in the real world, my impressions of them alle from the materials you provided. I can only speak from my interactions with Mr. Fool through certain dream images in the dream city."
He was silent for a second before stating his first impression, "Guardian."
Mr. Star, sitting beside him, suddenly spoke, as if sighing and supplementing, "A guardian fighting against threats and madness."
Lumian nodded.
He strongly agreed with this description, especially after learning that the Celestial Worthys spiritual imprint was indelible and eternal.
This addition also resonated with the other Major Arcana card holders, and everyone fell into a new silence.
After a brief moment, Lumian shared his other impressions, "Gentle, kind, elder brother, teacher, friend, a person with stories, a deity with humanity."
After a pause, Lumian continued, "He values family and friends greatly, he probably very much wants to return to the era he truly belongs to, return to his homnd buried in history. He is lonely because of this, often sad and in pain, and only family and friends he acknowledges can help him find meaning in life.
"On the one hand detachment, on the other a deeper appreciation for life experiences, willing to experience beauty"
As he spoke, Lumian stopped, because he felt that the more he said, the more he was thinking about how Aurore was the same way, and he worried he might mix up some of Aurore''s characteristics with Mr. Fool''s, affecting the Major Arcana card holders'' summary of Gehrman Sparrow''s image.
So it is indeed like this Madam Justice felt that some of her private spections and judgments made after understanding the truth about transmigration were confirmed.
While memorizing, she felt that Gehrman Sparrow''s image had be more grounded, more detailed, and more well-rounded.
At this point, Madam Temperance, who couldn''t easily speak due to her sequence limitations, disyed the paper she had been writing on.
On the paper were words in ancient Feysac:
"My impressions are:
"Brave, decisive, extremely fast growth, increasingly reliable, increasingly capable.
"Also, gentle, cultured, kind, rational, has a sense of justice, pursues fairness, has sufficient sympathy for those in suffering and poverty, and is willing to help, has a heart of mercy."
After reading the contents of Madam Temperance''s paper, Madam Justice thought quickly.
After a while, she spoke slowly, "Currently, the public''s mainstream impression of Gehrman Sparrow focuses on severalbels:
"Great adventurer, cold and powerful, Angel of Redemption, Mr. Fool''s proxy, pirate killer.
"We don''t need to change these for now. What we need to do is make thesebels richer, more detailed, and also show theplexity of human nature."
The early impression that Gehrman Sparrow was a "lunatic" had basically faded after the Church of The Fool widely publicized the matter of redemption, and was no longer believed by most people.
Madam Justice continued, "Let''s now start summarizing and unifying our understanding.
"The first word I want to propose is ''guardian.''"
All the Major Arcana card holders, including Lumian, had no objections to this.
Thus, after multiple discussions, those present reached a unified understanding of Gehrman Sparrow''s image: "Powerful, cautious, mysterious background, loves money but also generous, gentle at heart, shows mercy to people, redeems suffering, values family and rtionships, always misses his homnd, is Mr. Fool''s proxy."
The Major Arcana card holders didn''t add all the details to make the description richer, as that would both make it difficult to spread and easy to misinterpretit was enough that they themselves had the corresponding impressions.
Madam Magician thought for a moment and said, "I think we can add that he has rich inner thoughts, likes to ramble, joke, and tease in his mind.
"For the novel''s text, this would be very interesting, and this is also the true Gehrman Sparrow."
"That works." Madam Justice looked toward Madam Magician and smiled, saying, "Then I''ll trouble you toplete ''The Great Adventurer 7'' within two weeks."
"Alright." Madam Magician''s body stiffened for a second, then she forced a smile and said, "I''ve even thought of the promotional tagline, um, ''Want to see a more vivid and humane Gehrman Sparrow?''"
Chapter 1041 Different Accounts
Chapter 1041 Different ounts
"Whether or not the Demoness of ck provided the corresponding mystical knowledge, you should perform the ritual in the next two days. I will help you forcefully locate and lock onto the Mirror Person. After this is done, I''ll need to focus on meeting my deadline," Madam Magician said to Lumian as she floated in the East Lognes Forest near Chaillot Town.
Don''t tell me you haven''t even started writing yetnot a single word? When you said above the gray fog that you''d even thought of the promotional tagline, did you make that up on the spot? In that case,pleting ''The Great Adventurer 7'' in two weeks would be very difficult, unless you don''t care about quality Lumian pondered thoughtfully.
At the end of yesterday''s small meeting, Madam Magician had promised in front of all the Major Arcana card holders that she would deliver the manuscript for ''The Great Adventurer 7'' within two weeks.
The other Major Arcana card holders also expressed that they would quickly adjust Gehrman Sparrow''s image within their own spheres of influence. The most important among these was the action to be taken by the Church of The Fool.
Mr. Sun would gather bishops from each parish in batches to undergo intensive theological training, adding corresponding interpretations and descriptions to their sermons while making minimal changes to the scripture.
Before Lumian could respond, Madam Magician added, "If you''re really not ready to perform the ritual yet, then we can wait until two weekster."
"I''m ready," Lumian calmly replied, standing atop arge tree, concealing himself in the shadows of the canopy.
At this time, Franca arrived at the estate that primarily grew grapes.
She once again saw Browns Sauron, with her orange-red long hair, clean and pure face, and hint of wildness.
"Long time no see," Franca smiled in greeting.
Browns looked at her and suddenly froze. "You seem to have be more beautiful."
"You''ve be more beautiful too," Franca observed Browns, noticing that her orange-red hair had be slightly darker, her features more delicate, and the touch of wildness in her demeanor made one unconsciously think of young girls who could participate in hunting in primitive tribes.
Browns withdrew her gaze and said with slight pride in a soft voice, "I''m now a Demoness of Affliction."
"If this were at sea, you''d have a chance to be called an admiral," Franca politelyplimented.
What do you call that? That''s called having ss!
Browns strongly agreed with this, but said, "I feel like in recent years, Sequence 5 has be increasingly less valuable."
When the apocalypsees, except for a few special saints, perhaps only Angels will be able to make a difference Franca suddenly felt somewhat mncholic.
The two Demonesses chatted casually as they went deeper into the estate, arriving at the round pavilion situated among numerous grape vines and creepers.
The Demoness of ck, wearing a deep blue hat, her face partially obscured by a veil which only made her more alluring, was sitting inside.
"Teacher, Franca is here," Browns stepped forward and said softly.
The Demoness of ck turned to the side and cast her gaze upon Franca.
"Good morning, Madame," Franca first greeted with a smile, then said seriously and devoutly, "I have be a Demoness of Despair, under God''s watch."
Demoness of Despair? Sequence 4 demigod? She became a demigod? Browns''s beautiful eyes suddenly grew round.
When she and Franca first met, they were both just Demonesses of Pleasure, and in just over half a year, the other party had reached Sequence 4?
This was a qualitative change point, the gateway to godhood, the initial line separating humans from godshow could it be so easy to cross and push open?
A Sequence 4 Demoness of Despair, even within the entire Demoness Sect, their numbers were quite limited, worthy of being called high-ranking, though not yet able to enter the coreyer!
I thought my advancement speed was already fast enough Browns momentarily felt dazed, unable to help questioning life.
The Demoness of ck showed no obvious emotional fluctuation, and only nodded after Franca finished speaking, "Thank God for Her favor, thank the Primordial One''s grace."
She epted it just like that? Has the Primordial Demoness given corresponding revtions? Franca, who was already prepared to flee the Demoness Sect at any time and wanted to get whatever benefits she could, quickly said, "After bing a Demoness of Despair, I feel my connection with the Mirror Person has deepened, and it has undergone some sort of mutation. Could you teach me in detail about the mystical knowledge rted to the Mirror Person?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The Demoness of ck nced at Franca and said with a slight smile, "After gaining godhood, you indeed should pay attention to such matters."
Her gaze swept over Browns as she continued, "The Mirror People of Demonesses always believe they are the original body, that they are the original who was separated after drinking the ''Witch'' potion, imprisoned in the mirror world, serving as a mirror substitute and mirror magic medium. If you with your godhood believe this point, your soul, personality, and spirit will be iplete because of it. Not only will you never have hope of reaching higher sequences, but you''ll also have many problems in daily life, and the risk of losing control will also be very high.
"A Demoness''s Mirror Person is essentially a product of thebination of potion power and mirror world rules, closer to a spiritual imprint and soul projection."
This ispletely different from Moran Avigny''s saying that a "Demoness''s true self dwells within the mirror" Although I prefer this exnation and am willing to ept it, the Demoness of ck probably hasn''t revealed the whole truth. For example, why is the spiritual imprint and soul projection in a male state? After bing a Witch, both body and soul have changed Well, Moran Avigny, as a Mirror Person, his viewpoints and perspectives must also be biased Combine the two? Franca listened quietly, thinking instinctively, without interrupting the Demoness of ck''s exnation.
The Demoness of ck''s voice took on severalyers ofplexity, with various emotions difficult to distinguish.
"This is also one of the reasons why males are more suited to the Demoness pathway.
"To further utilize the mirror world, one must inevitably face their own Mirror Person, and male Demonesses'' Mirror Person is maleextreme, vengeful, hateful, males in pain who will be better attracted by a Demoness''s charm, thereby bing infatuated with us, both hating and obeying.
"Female Demonesses'' Mirror People have stronger recement desires and are harder to control."
Can it work like that? You were able to be a Demoness of Unaging because you charmed your mirror self and made him fall in love with you? What does tasting yourself feel like? Franca pondered internally.
Aren''t Demonesses too twisted?
She thought for a moment and said sincerely, "Eventually we have to face our own Mirror Person?
"Will he be willing to meet with me? I feel he will deliberately avoid me using our mystical connection."
The Demoness of ck answered, "They will indeed avoid you. Although our Mirror Person will continuously grow stronger as our strength increases, being equivalent to a copy of our abilities, but as a Demoness''s Mirror Person, they are naturally restricted, constrained, and weakened by the mirror world, like prisoners wearing shackles unable to perform normally. They''re unlikely to be our match, so they will inevitably choose to avoid us.
"Only when you are weak enough, and there are no traps around, will you see him, face him.
"Remember, what you know, he knows."
Let the Mirror Person think there''s an opportunity? And we share memories and abilities? Franca pondered for a few seconds and said, "In Underground Trier, I entered a special mirror world and encountered my own Mirror Person. That time, he faced me directly, without avoiding me in advance."
"The Mirror Person in the special mirror worlds is different from a Demoness''s Mirror Person in the broader mirror world. What''s useful to us is thetter," the Demoness of ck exined briefly.
Franca asked about some more details until the Demoness of ck no longer gave detailed answers.
She had to report other matters.
"Louis from the Emperor Party was very frustrated for a while earlier, seemingly unable to contact some important figure, but recently he''s back to normal, showing no simr behavior."
"Very good, keep watching them," the Demoness of ck nodded slightly.
Franca received permission after taking her leave.
The Demoness of ck quietly watched her silhouette until she and Browns disappeared into the grape grove.
In the luxurious vi.
Franca detailed the mystical knowledge taught by the Demoness of ck to Lumian and Jenna.
"Are we performing the ritual today?" after they finished their discussion, Madam Magician asked.
"We can try. We''ll only know what problems there are after we try," Lumian stood up, his ck hair falling loose.
Madam Magician smiled and said, "No need to rush, wait for me."
As soon as she finished speaking, this Major Arcana card holder opened an illusory door of starlight and walked through it.
Soon after, she returned to this luxurious vi.
She had changed her clothes, wearing a deep ck warlock''s robe embroidered with silver stars.
"Look in the mirror, then use Mirror Substitution." Madam Magician''s speech quickened slightly, as if she couldn''t maintain her current state for too long.
Under Franca and Jenna''s watchful eyes, Lumian walked to the full-length mirror in the bedroom.
Looking at the enchanting Demoness reflected in the mirror, he maintained a cold expression and actively used Mirror Substitution.
When the cracking sound rang out, the silver stars on Madam Magician''s warlock robe began to glow, bing increasingly numerous.
The surrounding darkness spread ordingly, and an illusory starry sky descended upon this room.
The brilliant stars moved rapidly, forming a directional, extremelyplex key.
This was forcefully locating by borrowing the mystical connection between Lumian and his Mirror Person, utilizing the characteristic that the Mirror Person was the corresponding medium for mirror magic!
In just a second or two, Madam Magician''s voice echoed ethereally, "Found him."
Countless starlight then fell, disappearing into the full-length mirror.
"I''ve briefly confined the target, you can go now," Madam Magician then said to Lumian.
Her voice had returned to normal.
Lumian nodded once, stepped into the full-length mirror, and following the starlight''s guidance, traversed into the depths of the mirror world.
Chapter 1042: A Common Goal
The endless darkness around seemed frozen, with points of starlight moving through it like liquid flowing through blood vessels in an illusory tunnel, helping Lumian traverse without losing his way.
In just about ten seconds, Lumian arrived at an area where the void was dark and heavy, forming a giant eggshell.
With his arrival, the guiding starlight ahead coalesced into a dreamlike door upon the eggshell.
As soon as Lumian passed through this door, he saw a familiar figure.
It was himself, his male state.
That handsome face was covered in blood stains, and his blue eyes revealed undisguised hatred and pain.
"Well well, having an Angel''s help does make a difference!" Lumian''s Mirror Person gave a thumbs up, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"If an Angel promises to help and you don''t use her power, wouldn''t that make you a fool?" Lumian let out his habitual scoff.
Lumian''s Mirror Person stared fixedly at his female self, and after a few seconds said, "What are you here for?"Lumian responded calmly. "To reconcile with you.
"If you''re unwilling, I''ll beat you into submission, charm you until you are."
Lumian''s Mirror Person gave a self-mockingugh, then said, "Okay."
"That simple?" Lumian raised an eyebrow that was much softer than his Mirror Person''s.
His Mirror Person chuckled. "I''d rather rece you, but that would require your agreement too."
"If there''s no other way, that could be considered." Lumian''s lips curved into a smile, his face seeming to reflect a hint of starlight.
His Mirror Person froze for a moment and said, "We are essentially the same, the current me."
"The current me?" Lumian was partly concerned his mirror self had other schemes, and partly wanted to explore more knowledge about Mirror People to help Franca with the uing ritual, so he didn''t rush forward to reconcile.
"After consuming the Witch or higher potions and stabilizing the birth of a Mirror Person, essentially a split of the self urs during advancement, dividing into the me in the mirror and the me outside the mirror, the me of the original gender and the me of the current gender. When you became a Demoness of Despair, you still had Inevitability''s boon, which caused a slight change in the split-the me in the mirror is the me of the original gender, also the past me, while the me outside is the me of the current gender, also the present me." The mirrored Lumian''s face showed slight distortion. "This is my personal experience and feeling, it might not be entirely correct."
"If we reconcile, will we together form the future me?" Lumian asked thoughtfully.
"Perhaps." The mirrored Lumian sneered. "Who could have experience with this? Let''s hurry up, don''t waste time."
Seeing Lumian watching him without speaking, the mirrored Lumian smacked his lips and said, "If I reced you, the ritual would definitely fall because the soul gender would be different. Then we''d forever remain at the Demoness of Despair sequence unless we switched to War Bishop. That''s one path, but given the current situation, it would waste too much time.
"Gal, time waits for no one. Bing a Demoness of Unaging is a crucial step to reviving Aurore. The sooner we take it, the better!"
Lumian was silent for a few seconds before saying. "You want to reconcile because reviving Aurore is more important?"
"Otherwise? Because of your charming personality?" the mirrored Lumian mocked.
He paused,posed his expression, and said in a deep voice, "We are the same person. Apart from hating you, cursing you, wanting to rece you, I have no other differences from you.
"And none of that matters."
"Indeed, none of that matters." Lumian finally smiled and walked toward his mirror self.
He extended his fair, slender hand with skin like congealed cream.
His mirror self also smiled.
"Since recing you isn''t the most important thing. between reconciliation, being enved, and being infatuated with you, I''ll definitely choose reconciliation."
As he spoke, he also extended his right palm.
A broad, strong hand with bronze-colored skin.
The two hands, noticeably different in size, sped together.
Lumian instantly felt the mystical connection between them be almost tangible, as if forming ropes, forming a spider web that enclosed them both.
In his eyes, his mirror self''s face suddenly twisted.
The Mirror Person burst out cursing. "Son of a sow! Do you know that every time you use Mirror Substitution, I die once and then split off from you again?
"You piece of shit, let''s switch ces once, let you experience how painful it is!
"Trapped in this pitch-ck ce every day, no one to talk to, no one to interact with, I''ve nearly gone crazy. might as well die, but Aurore hasn''t been revived yet!
"Haha, I''m always happy when you''re suffering, so you have times like that too!
"Dammit, but I suffer while being happy, because what causes you pain makes me feel pain too, when you''re in despair, I''m in despair too!
"Sometimes I think, letting me rece you to face all this. I''d rather die a few more times!
"My little cabbage, why can''t you be happier, enjoy more, make me jealous, make me strongly want to rece you?
""
Lumian listened to his mirror self''s angry curses without suppressing the emotional waves in his heart, as if he too was howling and venting simrly.
The two people in their handshake hadn''t moved forward, yet they seemed to be getting closer and closer.
At this point, the mirrored Lumian stopped cursing.
He looked at Lumian, his expression serious, and said in a low voice, "We must revive Aurore."
He paused, then gritted his teeth and shouted. "Otherwise I won''t let you off even as a ghost!"
"I won''t let myself off either," Lumian responded in a deep voice.
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt his perspective change.
He saw his female self with eyes as clear as a higndke, features bright and dignified, carrying a peculiar sharpness, and he saw himself with a blood-stained face, expression no longer so twisted.
At this moment, Lumian had an understanding.
Using the help of the Demoness''s spider silk, he took out with one hand from the Traveler''s Bag the Demoness of Unaging''s Beyonder characteristic that resembled a transparent spring eye, different parts of corpses to rece Mirror God fragments and Gorgon blood, drops of water from drowned people''s lungs collected over these two days, and an antique mirror from the early Fifth Epoch.
Under the guidance of invisible spider silk, first the slightly yellow-tinted blood was poured into a ss cup, a full 80 milliliters, then the spring-like crystal, ss shard-like objects, ckened drops with pus, and the copper mirror with damaged decorations around its edges were sessively ced into that cup of blood.
In an instant, the ss cup took on a grayish-white color, and all items inside quickly merged, gradually bing illusory.
Soon, a ss of grayish-white liquid that clearly reflected the surrounding mirror world appeared before Lumian''s eyes.
The "Unaging" potion!
Lumian, simultaneously having two perspectives, raised his left hand and brought the transparent grayish-white cup to his lips, drinking the potion inside.
He first tasted a mixture of soil and stone, then hist senses were numbed.
Wherever the potion passed, his tongue, mouth, esophagus, and stomach lost sensation, turning grayish-white.
This grayish-white was still seeping into his soul.
At this moment, Lumian felt his spirit float into the air, arriving at his mirror self''s side, watching as his Demoness form gradually turned to stone, seemingly bing a statue.
His mirror self also underwent corresponding changes, just much more slowly, much more gradually.
Lumian''s spirit quickly descended, using his mirror self to maintain consciousness and avoidplete petrification.
He suddenly understood why the Demoness of Unaging''s ritual involved enving one''s Mirror Person, or making him infatuated, or reconciling with him, because otherwise, after taking the potion, as the body petrified and the spirit wandered toward the mirror self, it would meet the Mirror Person''s strong resistance, and at this time one''s strength could only be exerted to a limited degree, making the situation very precarious.
When the Mirror Person was also severely petrified, Lumian''s spirit floated up again, returning to his body.
By now, his body had adapted to the potion and, under returning consciousness''s drive, gradually shed its petrified state.
Then, he saw his mirror self changing, transforming toward femininity, and not far away, one after another version of himself emerged from the darkness-him when he had just be a Demoness of Despair, him when he was still an Pyromaniac, him when he had just arrived at Cordu Vige, him when he was still wandering, him in childhood...
Every time he looked in a mirror, it left certain traces in the mirror world, and now they all appeared!
You can choose one of these selves, fixing that state...N?v(el)B\\jnn
This is the secret of how the Demoness of Unaging can restore youth...
No matter which state is chosen, it will inevitably feminize...
My mirror self has actually be a woman too... Is this because I chose reconciliation rather than envement or making him infatuated?
So it can work like this...
Lumian, still gradually relieving his petrified state.
watched as his mirror self became increasingly beautiful, bing more and more like himself, but vaguely carrying some of Aurore''s qualities.
Just as feelings of joy began to arise, a scene suddenly appeared before his eyes:
in endless darkness, an indistinct figure suddenly turned toward this direction.
In just the blink of an eye, this figure arrived at the edge of that darkness, quietly looking down at Lumian.
This was simr to the Primordial Demoness''s gaze when Lumian advanced to Demoness of Despair, but somewhat different.
Under this gaze, Lumian instantly lost most sensation, left with only a hazy consciousness struggling not to sink.
Shortly after, he opened his eyes to find himself wrapped inyers of grayish-white spider webs, like prey stored by a spider, or like a newborn in an egg.
The next second, the spider web silently copsed. falling to the ground. Lumian''s ordinary clothes, weakened by the earlier petrification and current recovery, quickly turned to powder and drifted away. revealing lustrous, delicate white skin.
While taking out and changing into clothes from the Traveler''s Bag, Lumian looked around.
He then saw his Demoness-state mirror self.
He smiled, and that Mirror Person smiled too.
They were no longer separate-Lumian was both the self outside the mirror and the self inside the mirror, both the past self and the present self.
This was a Demoness of Unaging.
Chapter 1043: Unaging
While changing clothes, Lumian examined the changes in himself after bing a Demoness of Unaging.
Because of the reconciliation, his Mirror Person''s consciousness had returned to his body. Whether it was his reflection in the mirror or himself outside it, they were now both him - different parts sharing a single consciousness.
In other words, he had the sensation of being both outside and within the mirror simultaneously. Even walking in sunlight, he would partially experience another self-moving hesitantly forward in darkness.
This also allowed him to see both the reality and the changes within mirrors simultaneously.
Furthermore, in the past, when a Mirror Person died, it would split off from the body again to revive. Now, the body had the same privilege-if it died, it would revive through the Mirror Person.
Simply put, the death of either the body or the Mirror Person alone was no longer true death for a Demoness of Unaging - it was more like a partial injury that could be healed.
Additionally, a Demoness of Unaging could have multiple Mirror Persons. Lumian could use environments with multiple mirrors to temporarily multiply his Mirror Persons-as long as one survived, he wouldn''t truly die. He could also use blood, hair, skin, or other media to create a Mirror Person sleeping within a mirror, hiding that mirror in a secret ce under anti-divination conditions, cutting off corresponding mystical connections to prevent curses and other harm from affecting the sleeping Mirror Person.
This way, even if his body and other Mirror Persons were killed, as long as this hidden mirror remained unfound, Lumian could revive through the sleeping Mirror Person.
This was the source of the Demoness of Unaging''s bizarre resistance to death and skill at revival: the self in the mirror and the self outside are both me!Without this special characteristic, revival through this method would be impossible, which was why Lumian couldn''t help others create sleeping Mirror Persons.
Does reconciliation mean both inside and outside the mirror are me? While envement and infatuation mean the mirror self is either not me or just my appendage? Just as Lumian thought this, an illusory starfield suddenly appeared before his eyes, revealing countless brilliant stars.
Some of these stars were very bright andrge, hidden in the depths of darkness, while others seemed nearby yet remained untouchable.
Wh-Lumian''s pupils, clear and dreamy like a higndke, suddenly dted.
He felt his Unaging potion had beenpletely digested!
What''s going on?
How had it been fully digested right after drinking it andpleting the advancement?
He hadn''t even begun acting the role of a Demoness of Unaging yet!
Amid confusion, bewilderment, and perplexity, various thoughts shed through Lumian''s mind until he arrived at an extraordinarily joyful spection:
This was brought about by the further awakening of Aurore''s soul fragment!
Has Aurore further awakened through this state of being both inside and outside the mirror, through me and my Mirror Person? She''s now effectively part of me, and any part of me can eventually be revived through the Mirror Person, so has she gained this characteristic too?
Given the name, surely the act of a Demoness of Unaging doesn''t require maintaining an unaging mentality and appearance over hundreds or thousands of years? The unaging appearance is easily solved-a Demoness of Unaging naturally maintains their appearance. But an unaging mentality is much more difficult and would take a very long time. Yet Aurore is from thousands or tens of thousands of years ago, or even longer, and has been sleeping the whole time. Upon returning to reality in the current era, her mentality is indeed still quite young,pletely unaging
Aurore is now part of me, one of my aspects. If her mental, spiritual, and soul state perfectly matches the requirements of the Unaging potion, it''s as if I match them too, so the potion naturally digested quickly...
Lumian nodded thoughtfully.
What made him happiest wasn''t that the Unaging potion had beenpletely digested in such a short time, but that he had truly seen and felt Aurore''s awakening.
This was indeed the first step in reviving Aurore!
Lumian continued examining the changes in his state.
Hmm, I can separate out Mirror Persons for special hiding, and since the potion is fully digested, it''s increased to two.
I''ve truly gained the Petrification ability, no longer requiring hair contact. However, Petrification still can''t take effect on targets across thin air-either it must spread inch by inch from nearby until it reaches and covers the enemy, or it must use the Demoness''s spider silk to transmit the corresponding power
My eyes are now equivalent to mirrors. Whatever I see can be a target for curses, and I can use my eyes as a medium along with my Mirror Person transformation to directly enter the mirror world.
If I manifest an iplete Mythical Creature form, my hair will be serpents, each with a clear ck and white eye on its head. Whatever these eyes see can be petrified from thin air...
My utilization of the mirror world has clearly strengthened. I can forcibly pull people of lower standing into the mirror world without them noticing. For Saints and Angels of equal or higher standing, sess and detection depend on their state. I can even pull an entire house or street into the mirror world-what exactly gets pulled in is up to me, it doesn''t have to be done as a whole...
I can now directly transmit power through the mirror world. Combined with Mirror Projection, I can sit at home and ''manifest'' power anywhere in Trier using positioned mirrors. The power attached to this Mirror Projection cannot exceed Sequence 4...
"The Hunter pathway is still only at Sequence 5, with no new fusion abilities, but Precision can help me ''manifest'' power in three different ces.
All Mirror Projections cannot leave their corresponding mirror''s reflection range...
At the Demoness of Unaging level, I can control mirrors within a fifteen-kilometer range and those I''ve visited before-this can cover an entire small city
The gue range has reached ten kilometers and can spread outward on its own, though the types of gues haven''t increased...
Each spider silk is now like my arm...
I can perfectly disy the charm of women at every age, with skin condition and facial features either matching or contrasting....
As long as there''s a physical medium, Curses can not only affect the target but also their direct rtives. Withrge-scale, special ck magic, crucial media, and arrangements, curses might even harm Angels. Other aspects haven''t changed much
Other Demoness abilities have also improved ordingly...N?v(el)B\\jnn
That bizarre state of the Demoness of ck earlier really had nothing to do with the Demoness of Unaging itself, or perhaps it depends on which ritual was chosen during advancement?
After this examination, Lumian looked around, then traversed back to his bedroom.
By this time, Madam Magician was gone.
Madam Magician said that the magic robe couldn''t be worn too long. After confirming you were fine, she left to get some rest and will returnter," Jenna exined upon seeing him.
Franca asked eagerly, "Did the ritual seed? Are you now a Demoness of Unaging?"
Her spiritual intuition told her this was the case.
Lumian nodded and smiled, "Yes, we reconciled."
Before Franca could ask more, he casually said, "The Unaging potion has also beenpletely digested."
"Huh?" "What?" Jenna and Franca eximed in surprise.
Lumian smiled at Franca. "If you became a Demoness of Unaging, you''d be able to digest the potion quickly too."
"Ah, me?" Franca paused, pointing at herself, then asked with some spection, "Does the acting of a Demoness of Unaging focus on time scale and the unaging state?"
She thought carefully-she really was an ancient relic. and she truly wasn''t aging now, in any aspect.
With a nod, Lumian replied, "I believe the most important acting principle is maintaining an unaging mentality over the erosion of time, over hundreds or thousands of years."
"It''s true then..." Franca nodded slowly, "Did the Celestial Worthy make us hang on that light gate for thousands or tens of thousands of years, causing us to perfectly match such acting? His intentions were bad, but the oue was good?"
Understanding what they were talking about. Jenna looked at Lumian and asked, "You relied on Aurore?"
"I now truly feel that Aurore is one of my aspects, a part of me," Lumian didn''t hide it.
Jenna smiled withplex emotions and empathy, "That''s wonderful."
She thought of her mother and father-she also had people she wanted to revive, but there was no hope now.
Lumian then told Franca and Jenna in great detail about his dialogue with his Mirror Person and his feelings during advancement, finally saying. "Reconciliation brings unity between the self in and outside the mirror. The other two methods probably don''t work-the Mirror Person would remain one''s male self.
"I think the prerequisite for reconciliation is that both parties have amon goal for which one is willing to sacrifice themselves, and the Mirror Person has no better options. Then negotiations be possible."
Franca fell into deep thought.
Lumian looked at Jenna and after some consideration said, "If earlier my Mirror Person had deceived me, instigated me, reced me, since his core is male, the advancement ritual would have failed. From this, you could have determined that the one who came out of the mirror was the Mirror Person and responded ordingly.
"But for purely female demonesses, there isn''t this restriction. If your Mirror Person reced you, they could still perform the ritual and be a Demoness of Unaging. This would make it impossible for anyone to notice that the real you had been silently reced."
"You think this might be rted to the potential horrifying experiences pure female demonesses might face when advancing to Demoness of Unaging?" Jenna understood what Lumian was really trying to warn about.
Lumian nodded. "This surely isn''t everything, but it might be part of it."
After talking further, Lumian asked Franca, "Do you want to perform the ritual today, or prepare for a while longer?"
Franca ruminated for a few seconds before saying, "I want to try.
"If my Mirror Person has my memories from before transmigrating, rather than being dominated by the original body''s residual consciousness, I think.. I think I might be able to persuade him."
***
Thanks to the user "ѧܧڧ ӧҧߧ" for the chapters provided!
Chapter 1044: Lingering Thoughts
When Madam Magician returned, Franca, like Lumian before her, entered deep into the mirror world with the help of the Angel of the Door pathway''s positioning and containment, and saw her Mirror Person sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Her Mirror Person bore the original body''s appearance, his face stained with blood, his eyes filled with contempt, disdain, and resentment.
"You dare show your face to me?" the Mirror Person shouted before Franca could speak.
Franca''s mouth half-opened as she said, both angry and amused, "What do I have to be ashamed of?
"I didn''t cause all this. You''re a part of me, split from my soul. When we drank the Witch potion back then, can you say you didn''t agree, that it wasn''t with your permission?"
Why me each other when we''re both responsible?
"I''ll admit to that.
The Mirror Person was silent for two seconds.
"But you clearly had a chance to be a man again, yet you refused. Have you be addicted to being a woman? What right do you have to face me?"Have you forgotten your original appearance and conviction?"
Franca was momentarily speechless, and only after about ten seconds said, "I feel that gender isn''t important, what''s important is a person''s character spirit, morals..."
"Don''t try to pacify me with that Instigator rhetoric, know you too well! We''re the same person!" the Mirror Person interrupted Franca.
Being able to talk is good, being able to talk means there''s room for discussion... Franca sighed and said, "After knowing we can''t go back, I only care about certain people and things now. I don''t want to lose anymore, to have any more major upheavals
"Besides, you''re right, you''re not wrong! Maybe I''ve been a woman for too long, I''ve gotten somewhat used to it. Since I fear change, staying unchanged is eptable too."
The Mirror Person sneered, "You admit it then? You can fool others, but you can''t fool yourself!"
Franca said self-mockingly, "Besides, it''s almost the apocalypse, even the deities and angels think so. Let''s do meaningful things first, leave other matters for after the apocalypse. We can make changes then, maybe we''ll have new ideas by then. If we can''t survive the apocalypse, everyone''s finished anyway, so thinking about these things is meaningless."
She paused, then said softly, "And we can''t avoid the Demoness Sect matters, someone has to help him after all."
The Mirror Person shot Franca a nce. "Don''t you know how dangerous it is?"
"I know, but I''m the only suitable one." Franca suddenly smiled. "If I were in a simr situation, needing someone to take a great risk to do something. I believe both Lumian and Jenna would do it."
Her voice was soft, but without a trace of doubt.
The Mirror Person looked at Franca, his eyes gleaming with envy.
After a moment, he sat cross-legged and sneered, "Whatever. Whether you be a man or court death, it''s all the same to me now, it has nothing to do with me."
As he spoke, his eyes grew dim, his whole person bing dejected.
"After knowing we can''t go back, nothing matters anymore."
Franca recalled her emotions when learning the truth and said empathetically, "We can only gradually ept our current life, ept this reality.
"At least there are still people we care about, people who care about us, life still has some meaning."
"That''s you!" the Mirror Person cursed, "What does that have to do with me? If I were to turn the tables and rece you, do you think Jenna and Lumian would maintain the current rtionship, or eliminate me on the spot?"
The Mirror Person looked up at Franca, his expression suddenly turning sad. "I have nothing left."
Franca fell silent, her mouth slightly closed, saying nothing.
The Mirror Person sighed again and said, "My greatest wish originally was to find a chance to rece you, to lock you in this dark prison while I lived the good life in the real world, searching for ways to be a man again and return home. In the end, I would return home with a handsome face, strong masculine physique, and many superpowers, bing an urban hero like Batman, admired by many, pursued by girls I liked..."
As he spoke, the Mirror Person''s voice gradually lowered.
After several seconds, he said quietly, "Now, I have nothing left..."
As Franca listened to the Mirror Person''s fantasies, she suddenly truly recognized that he was indeed a part of herself.
Those fantasies, except for the reversed roles of inside and outside the mirror, were all things she had once imagined, the thoughts that had helped her persist in this world.
At this moment, Franca had a sudden realization.
There was one more prerequisite for reconciliation that Lumian hadn''t summarized-the host had to truly acknowledge that the Mirror Person is a part of themselves, another aspect of themselves, rather than harboring deceptive intentions and using the Instigator''s abilities to persuade.
Recognition should be mutual, only then can reconciliation ur, only then can consciousness be unified.
Moved by this understanding, she said, "You are me, and I am you. What I have is also yours. Let''s reconcile, let''s merge."
The Mirror Person, still sitting cross-legged on the ground, was stunned for a moment before once again speaking mockingly, "Forget it, we can''t go back anyway, what''s the point of saying these things?
Franca walked toward the Mirror Person, crouched before him, and extended her hand.
She smiled and said, "Let me help you up.
The Mirror Person stared at her steadily, and after a long while smiled and said, "You probably thought you could Charm me, make me fall for you. You know, I''m most vulnerable to feminine wiles.
"Actually, thinking about it. If I really reced you, leaving aside whether Jenna and Lumian would ept it, I couldn''t continue being a woman either. I''d definitely switch to War Bishop, then live a life of debauchery, sleeping with women everywhere, cursing while sacrificing myself when the apocalypsees?
"Thinking about it, it''s all rather pointless..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The Mirror Person fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly extended his right hand, grasped Franca''s hand, and stood up following her pull.
He looked at Franca''s beautifulke-colored eyes and slightly darkened xen hair, clicking his tongue as he smiled.
"I haven''t forgiven you.
"And I don''t ept your reasoning."
Suddenly, his whole person rxed, and he said in a low, gentle voice, "I just have no more lingering thoughts..."
"I still have some." Franca smiled bitterly.
That Mirror Person also chuckled. "So, you continue on. I won''t be joining you."
Hearing these words, Franca truly felt the distance between them closing, their mystical connection transforming into something substantial.
A phrase suddenly shed through her mind "Yesterday''s matters die with yesterday, today''s matters live with today."
This too was a way of reconciling with oneself.
"The ritual seeded, the Primordial Demoness just watched for a moment, who knows what She''s waiting for." In a bedroom of the luxury vi. Madam Magician said to Lumian and Jenna, "I''ll change clothes ande back."
With that, she opened an illusory door and walked through.
By the time she had changed back into her orange dress and returned to Lumian and Jenna''s side, Franca, who had finished examining her own state, walked out of the full-length mirror.
Seeing that Franca''s eyes had be slightly bluer and her hair slightly darker and thicker, Jenna asked expectantly, "Have you also fully digested the Unaging potion?"
Franca smiled, seemingly brightening the entire room.
"Yes, Lumian''s analysis of the Demoness of Unaging''s acting principles should be correct."
Her current bearing was that of someone twenty- seven or twenty-eight, someone with both life experience and sophistication.
Madam Magician chuckled. "Your advancement speed and digestion rate would make many of the Major Arcana card holders envious."
But not you? Lumian thought privately,
Madam Magician continued, "But don''t think about rushing to the Angel level yet. At Sequence 3, you still have many things to do.
"Most importantly, anchors-faith anchors.
"Without proper preparation in this aspect, even if you have the potion form and are lucky enough to collect the corresponding materials, the probability of losing control during advancement will still far exceed the probability of sess.
"The apocalypse is approaching, many of the earlier Sequences have be easier, but bing a true Mythical Creature remains difficult and dangerous."
"Faith anchors? We need to establish our own faith and spread it?" Franca, well-read as she was, immediately understood Madam Magician''s meaning.
But establishing a new faith innds that worship true gods could only be done secretly, or in the Southern Continent.
Seeing Lumian also looking at her, Madam Magician pondered before saying, "If you don''t mind, the Church of The Fool can list you as Saints, assign corresponding parishes, and make you the patron saints of those areas. This way, you can quickly gain followers through the Church of The Fool''s influence and Mr. Fool''s authority-followers who are subsidiary to Mr. Fool.
"All orthodox churches help their Angels and Saints this way."
After exchanging nces, Lumian and Franca said, "We have no objections."
Madam Magician smiled again.
"Then quickly design honorific names that point to you, five passages, and send them through a messenger to Judgment.
"Also, you''re nning to stay in Trier, right? I''ll have the Church of The Fool assign two cathedrals in Trier to you-ah, there''s another one now, in the suburban area. This way, when followers pray, you''ll be able to respond, and the more miracles there are, the more believers there will be.
"That''s one aspect, you''ll also need to do things to increase your own anchors.
"Well, you''ve just advanced, rest first, and seriously consider these matters tomorrow."
With that, Madam Magician hurriedly left.
"Let''s rest first," Lumian then said to Franca,
Although the potion had been fully digested, advancement was a battle, and his body, mind, and spirit were still exhausted.
"Alright," Franca agreed.
Without waiting for nightfall, they both fell asleep in their respective bedrooms.
Lumian had a dream where he returned to Cordu. In that house In Cordu Vige, Aurore was waiting for him, and had even prepared a guest room for Franca and Jenna.
The mountain pastures were green as carpets, the sunlight abundant, and Lumian was reluctant to wake up.
The mountain pastures were green as carpets, the sunlight abundant, and Lumian was reluctant to wake up.
Lumian got out of bed and walked toward the door when suddenly, he saw a white paper on the desk, with an ink bottle pressing down one corner.
It wasn''t like this before I slept... Lumian was stunned for a moment as he looked carefully.
His gaze suddenly froze.
There was a line of words on the white paper, in handwriting he knew very well.
That was Aurore''s handwriting!
Aurore''s handwriting... Did she be active while I was asleep? She wrote this note, was she trying to remind me of something? Lumian approached the desk with dted pupils and read the paper''s contents.
It was a short line in Intis: "Summon White Paper!"
Chapter 1045: White Paper
Summon White Paper?
When Lumian saw the words on the paper, he was clearly stunned.
A strange trembling, surprise, and fear immediately welled up from the depths of his heart.
Had Aurore, whose soul fragment had further awakened and merged with me, struggled to control my body while I slept, just to leave this reminder?
Theoretically, this should be very important.
But why White Paper?
Lumian certainly remembered what White Paper was - it was Aurore''s contract creature, very weak, from the spirit world. Besides being spiritually connected to Aurore, its only function was to temporarily carry one Beyonder ability of the contractor, and even then, it was limited to simple and weak types.
What was there to care about with such a contract creature?
The real reason for Lumian''s intense emotional reaction was: he had originally thought everything about Cordu Vige was very clear, that every important symbol had been interpreted, that who all the participants were and what roles they yed were sufficiently clear, with no more questions,cking only some specific details that didn''t affect the overall truth.But now, after Aurore''s soul fragment had further wakened, the first thing she did was tell him to summon the contract creature White Paper!
Are there still important symbols in the Cordu Vige incident that haven''t been interpreted?
Is the current truth not theplete truth?
Are there still crucial secrets hidden?N?v(el)B\\jnn
Lumian forcefully suppressed the turmoil in his heart and quickly reviewed the key points of the Cordu Vige incident.
Initially, Madame Pualis followed her husband, the local administrator, Bost, to Cordu, secretly nning to develop Cordu into her ''territory'' to establish her own Paramita;
Madame Pualis began an affair with the padre and became pregnant;
Aurore, influenced by members of April''s Fool attempted a Soul Summoning and ran into problems;
Aurore sought treatment from I Know Someone, her mental state fluctuating until ultimately allowing Roche Louise Sanson to return;
Some vigers who were close to Aurore were influenced by Roche and believed in the constetion heresy, gradually spreading it outward;
The padre, while dealing with those involved in the constetion heresy, was bewitched by Roche and became a believer in Inevitability:
At this time, or perhapster, the deity worshipped by the Aurora Order noticed Aurore''s abnormality and the problems in Cordu Vige, and began plotting Amon''s return;
Several shepherds began bringing ''sacrifices'' into the vige, secretly conducting several ritual;
Reimund, Ava, and others discovered the vige''s abnormalities and were subsequently silenced;
I stumbled upon this matter and was nearly killed by the padre''s group, fortunately saved by Aurore;
She also discovered something was wrong, we began seeking help from the outside world, but the truly useful approach was blocked by the tiny lizards;
Aurore was increasingly bing Roche Louise Sanson;
They raided Madame Pualis''s castle, and the padre killed his own child;
Madame Pualis left Cordu with her husband, butler, and maid, but left behind that empty cradle and other hidden arrangements, achieving some purpose through the final ritual;
The ritual officially began, Aurore pushed me off the altar, and Cordu was subsequently destroyed....
Lumian carefully recalled everything but couldn''t find where White Paper had yed any important role or key part in these events.
It had only served as eyes for Aurore or Roche at certain moments, helping them observe corresponding targets and specific battlefields.
Among all the key points, the only unclear one is what role Madame Pualis''s empty cradle, and hidden arrangements yed, but preliminarily it can be linked to the true birth of the Mother''s Child of God Omebe, which isn''t very questionable-this was confirmed by both Mr. Star''s previous interpretation and theter scene of Madame Pualis appearing with baby Omebe...
Did White Paper observe some detail then that Aurore found useful, or rather, strange?
Just as Lumian thought this, he heard a knock at the door.
"Come in." His emotions hadrgely calmed down.
Franca and Jenna opened the door and entered. The former looked around and said, "We sensed you were awake but hadn''t opened the door, so we came to check on you."
Lumian pointed to the paper on the desk and said. "While I was asleep, Aurore might have briefly awakened and used my body to leave this message."
Both Franca and Jenna were startled and quickly came to the desk, looking at the paper pressed down by the ink bottle.
"White Paper your sister''s contract creature?" Jenna recalled Lumian''s previous ounts.
"Why did Aurore want you to summon White Paper? Franca asked, puzzled.
Lumian shook his head slowly, "I don''t know either.
"I thought everything about Cordu Vige was already clear, but now..."
Franca suddenly had an inspiration and said thoughtfully, "Could this be the useful change that would appear after bing a Demoness of Unaging in Mr. Fool''s revtion?
"Is this the correct interpretation of that prerequisite?"
After thinking for a while, Lumian said, "Very likely.
"I had previously examined the characteristics and abilities of a Demoness of Unaging and hadn''t found anything that could y a key role in subsequent events. I thought something would only emerge when I brought the Gift of the Land to meet the Hand Bro in the City of Exiles.
"Now it seems Mr. Fool required me to advance to a Demoness of Unaging before borrowing the Gift of the Land because once I became a Demoness of Unaging. Aurore''s soul fragment would further awaken and better merge with me, able to provide very important reminders."
"So you''re saying White Paper might have recorded key information about Madame Pualis and her baby Omebe?" Jenna made this conjecture based on Lumian and Franca''s words.
Lumian nodded. "Go get Anthony and Ludwig upstairs. I''m preparing to summon White Paper now.
"Since Aurore hasn''tpletely died, her contract with White Paper still exists, and since Aurore is now part of me, I can summon White Paper in her name."
Lumian wanted Anthony and Ludwig present because he wasn''t sure what state White Paper would be in- perhaps they would need a Spectator or Gourmet to interpret the corresponding information.
"Alright." Franca and Jenna easily understood Lumian''s intentions.
After Anthony and Ludwig arrived in the bedroom and found their positions, Lumian quickly set up the altar.
Finally, he took out his Major Arcana card: "The Chariot"!
While cing "The Chariot" card at one corner of the altar, he took out The Fool''s Sacred Emblem and pressed it on top of "The Chariot" card.
This matter might involve the Great Mother, so he had to be careful.
Afterpleting all preparations, Lumian watched the quietly burning candle me and, within the wall of spirituality, stepped back twice and called out in ancient Hermes, "I!"
Then, Lumian switched to Hermes.
"I summon in my name:
"The spirit that wanders about the unfounded, a friendly creature that can be subordinated, a Contract Companion that belongs solely to me..."
After reciting the incantation, Lumian saw the candle me gently start to flicker, taking on a ghostly blue tinge.
A cold wind suddenly swept through, and a transparent, blurry sphere like a soap bubble appeared above the candle me.
It quietly faced Lumian, giving him a sense of both familiarity and strangeness.
This was indeed White Paper, just as he remembered it, yet there was also an inexplicable sense of unfamiliarity.
As I remembered... Lumian suddenly felt a pain in his head.
He slightly furrowed his brow as images shed through his mind.
He remembered now that he had never actually seen White Paper because before Cordu''s destruction, he wasn''t yet a Beyonder, and even with Aurore''s guidance, he hadn''t sessfully activated Spirit Vision, and at low to middle Sequences, one couldn''t see White Paper without Spirit Vision.
His memories of White Paper''s appearance all came from Aurore''s soul fragment.
As scene after scene shed by, Lumian, through the further awakened soul fragment of Aurore, barely recalled the circumstances of her first summoning of White Paper.
At that time, White Paper was also such a fragile, soap bubble-like sphere, but there seemed to be liquid inside the sphere-clear liquid with hints of pale yellow and milky white.
And as time passed, those liquids gradually disappeared, and White Paper eventually settled into its current form.
Why had there been such a change? Lumian looked at White Paper, feeling it was indeed spiritually connected to him.
But spiritual connection didn''t mean White Paper had enough intelligence to understand the meaning of words-it could only ept simplemands and couldn''t answer Lumian''s questions.
"There''s nothing abnormal, nothing noteworthy" Franca frowned, turning her gaze to Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig.
Jenna and Anthony shook their heads in turn, indicating they also hadn''t seen any important information contained in White Paper.
Ludwig licked his lips and said softly. "It used to have a very tempting scent, but now it''s gone."
"Used to have a very tempting scent..." Franca fell into thought.
Jenna muttered to herself, "This indicates there was indeed a problem, there used to be a problem?
"The knowledge Aurore used to summon White Paper came from the infusion of that evil god Hidden Sage... an intentional infusion?"
"Mm." Franca nodded slowly and solemnly, "What was the problem that used to exist?"
She looked at Ludwig again.
"Don''t know." Ludwig shook his head.
At this point, Lumian, who had been watching White Paper and listening to hispanions'' dialogue, spoke in a deep voice.
"If we treat the Cordu Vige disaster as a story, what does White Paper symbolize in this story?"
Franca and the others looked at each other, each lost in thought.
After a few seconds, Franca carefully said, "I don''t know what the contract creature White Paper symbolizes, but when the concept of white paper is connected to the story, it symbolizes..."
She paused, her throat inexplicably tight, her voice unconsciously bing deeper.
"It symbolizes the state before a story is written-it symbolizes the beginning of everything."
Chapter 1046: Hidden Sage
"The beginning of everything..." Lumian softly repeated Franca''s interpretation.
Jenna listened with inexplicable terror.
"Did the Cordu Vige disaster actually start when Aurore summoned White Paper, rather than when April Fool''s set their sights on her?
Lumian stared at White Paper for a while, then dismissed the summoning.
Then, he muttered to himself, "From Aurore''s memory fragments and grimoires, she was first infused with knowledge about White Paper, and it was only several monthster that Madame Pualis followed her husband to Cordu.
"I originally thought Madame Pualis was simply looking for a rural vige with weak church and government influence to develop her own ''territory'' and prepare for the formation of Paramita and obtain higher boons, which is why she targeted Bost who was about to be the administrative officer and territorial judge of Cordu. Now it seems this may not have been a coincidence.
"She came specifically for Cordu Vige, though she may not have known why she needed to do this-she likely just received divine revtion from the Great Mother.
"Yes, that''s right!"
At this point, Lumian''s lips curled into a slightly grotesque smile."This answers why Omebe''s first incarnation was in Cordu!"
A sh of insight struck both Jenna and Franca.
The former blurted out.
"Madame Pualis''s affair with the padre and her pregnancy happened before Aurore used Soul Summoning, or before her condition worsened due to the treatment from I Know Someone, which led to the spread of the Inevitability faith."
"Unless someone had prophesied the development and oue of the entire Incident, Madame Pualis probably hadn''t thought about using the Inevitability believers'' ritual sacrifices at that time-Cordu didn''t even have any Inevitability believers then!" Franca followed up, "And the Cordu incident involves very high levels, so even the Great Mother probably couldn''t see the specific shape of the results in the initial stages."
Lumian nodded.
"Simply seducing the padre of the Church of the Eternal zing Sun, having an affair near the cathedral altar, bing pregnant, and obtaining the corresponding symbolism-couldn''t this have been aplished in any remote vige? Why did only Madame Pualis in Cordu seed? When she sessfully became pregnant with Omebe, there wasn''t even any power of Inevitability to utilize!
"Thinking about it in reverse, we can reach a conclusion: when Aurore summoned White Paper certain things rted to Omebe secretly arrived in Cordu, nurturing power invisibly, and then Madame Pualis received divine revtion toe to Cordu."
Reflecting on the changes in White Paper''s state before and after, Lumian thoughtfully said, "Amniotic fluid?
"Did White Paper once carry the amniotic fluid that nurtured Omebe?
"After the amniotic fluid came into reality, did it quickly merge into Cordu''s overall environment?"
"Amniotic fluid..." Franca and Jenna were momentarily bewildered.
Lumian briefly described White Paper''s appearance when first summoned and its subsequent changes, then gave a coldugh.
"If this is true, that infusion from the Hidden Sage was definitely not random, but intentional."
Jenna quickly nodded.
That''s what she had said earlier.
Franca spoke with confusion, "But the Hidden Sage didn''t gain any benefits from this whole incident. So far, we haven''t seen how He benefited from it
"Pure harm without self-benefit?
"Also, wasn''t April Fool''s targeting of Aurore also a coincidence? They weren''t aiming for Omebe''s incarnation..."
"We need to reassess what we know about April Fool''s now; we can''t fully trust it." Lumian scoffed, "After experiencing the dream city, don''t you have a deeper understanding of ''foolery''? What April Fool''s believes may not be the truth, just like in the sea prayer ritual. they overlooked some key issues, being presumptuous and ultimately bing the jester."
"Is the Celestial Worthy secretly helping the Great Mother?" Franca suddenly realized, Lumian gave a sound of agreement.
"As for why Hidden Sage deliberately infused that knowledge, I can''t think of a reason right now, but I''ll ask Him eventually."
As he spoke, Lumian paused.
"I remember Ma''am Hermit''s main task was to investigate Hidden Sage''s condition and the reason His mutation back then caused the one from the Church of Steam to leave the Moss Ascetic Order
"Did Hising to life, His abnormality,e from the Great Mother''s influence?
"How was it aplished? The barrier was still quite solid at that time..."
Franca, Jenna, and Anthony exchanged nces, with the former reminding.
"Should we report this to Mr. Fool?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"I''ll pray now." Lumian nodded slightly.
After Mr. Fool had initially awakened through the image of Gehrman Sparrow, praying to him wasn''t as troublesome as before when they needed to leave long intervals between two prayers.
Soon, Lumianpleted his prayer, reporting everything about the changes brought by Aurore''s soul fragments further awakening after he became a Demoness of Unaging, White Paper''s symbolism, the new interpretation of the Cordu Vige incident, and his spections about Hidden Sage.
"Mr. Fool only said he knows." Lumian told Franca and the others, "It seems we''ll have to wait until I bring the Gift of the Land to the City of Exiles and meet with Hand Bro before getting new revtions."
"Alright." Franca sighed.
Lumian thought for a moment and said,
"I''ll also synchronize my spections about Hidden Sage with Ma''am Hermitter, hoping it might give her some inspiration."
After Anthony took Ludwig downstairs to prepare dinner, Lumian looked at Franca and thoughtfully asked,
"Do you n to tell all members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society the truth about the transmigration?"
Franca appeared troubled.
"I''m afraid the shock would be too great, some people might not be able to ept it and lose control on the spot."
As she spoke, she mocked herself.
"If I still hadn''t digested half of the Despair potion, saying this much is about all that''s needed."
She made a sound of agreement and continued,
"I n to meet with Madame Hele first, give her a hint of it. She''s emotionally stable and should be able to ept it, then we can discuss how to proceed."
After pondering for a moment, Lumian said.
"By the way, help me ask when the next gathering will be."
"Do you have something in mind?" Franca asked curiously.
Smiling, Lumian replied.
"I want to rify one question:
"Why Aurore?"
"Why Aurore..." Jenna pondered, "Why did Hidden Sage specifically choose Aurore as the target for infusing that knowledge?"
Lumian clicked his tongue and continued,
"The conditions of being a transmigrator, having the gray fog''s aura, being female, and being a Warlock- almost no one in the outside world could satisfy all of these simultaneously, but within the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society, there are several who do.
"Why did the Hidden Sage pick Aurore?
"Was there something else about Aurore herself, was Cordu already harboring abnormalities, or was she simply unlucky and randomly chosen by Hidden Sage?"
"Indeed." Franca nodded in agreement. "We should investigate this."
After discussing these matters, Jenna intentionally changed the topic to keep the atmosphere from bing too heavy.
She said to Franca and Lumian,
"You need to design your honorific names now."
Lumian and Franca, both with relevant mystical knowledge, looked at each other, feeling inexplicably awkward.
Of course, besides feeling awkward, Franca was also a bit excited.
I''m going to have an honorific name, this is unprecedented!
"I''ll go first," she volunteered.
Seeing both Lumian and Jenna looking at her, she took paper and pen from the table, saying with a smile,
"The phrase ''the Great Franca Rnd'' needs to be there, but how embarrassing as an ending."
As she spoke, she wrote down this phrase.
"The other descriptions should reflect your abilities and characteristics." Lumian reminded her.
Franca thought for a moment and spoke,
"Should the first line be Demoness of Unaging? No. wouldn''t that affect Mr. Fool''s reputation? As his saint, I should lean towards the positive side. Hmm, ''One Who Never Ages.''
"Should the second line be ''Spreader of Diseases and gues''? That sounds like a viin; need to rephrase it, ''Keeper of Diseases and gues,'' what do you think? This implies both the containment of gues and the authority to bestow illness as punishment."
"I think that works," Jenna expressed agreement, and Lumian had no objections.
Franca pondered for another while.
"I think the description of Demoness should be m included, as that''s my current essence, but it needs to sound better.
"The Demoness Apanied by Strife and Catastrophe? Hehe, I''m not the one creating the strife and catastrophe, they just follow me around, Good, that''s the third line.
"For the fourth line, should we showcase a Demoness''s charm or my personal characteristics? But if we add ''pleasure'' to the description, what if people start praying to me for pleasure?"
"As a saint of the Church of The Fool, we should indicate your rtionship with the Church." Lumian helped think. "Also, don''t use pleasure, that''s too suggestive. Use joy, it epasses more meanings, and you do bring joy-it''s your characteristic."
Lumian paused and said,
"Fourth line: ''The Cup Bearing Joy and Pain.''
"The Cup refers to the Cup card, Indicating I''m Mr. Fool''s Minor Arcana card, using his status? Mm, the Cup card also symbolizes emotions and feelings, which perfectly matches the joy and pain brought by a Demoness. Perfect, let''s use that!" Franca pped her hands and smiled brightly.
She quickly wrote down theplete honorific name:
"The One Who Never Ages, Keeper of Diseases and gues, the Demoness Apanied by Strife and Catastrophe, the Cup Bearing Joy and Pain, the Great Franca Rnd."
After reading it several times, Franca said with lingering interest,
"I see many Sequence 3 Saints have ''protector of something'' in their honorific names, should I add that too?
"But I don''t have anything to protect right now, I stillck umtion and have been a saint for too short a time. I can''t be the protector of Lumian and Jenna. can I?"
"Protector of Human Trials and Spirit of Adventure?" Lumian joked.
Franca rolled her eyes at him.
"Your turn!"
Chapter 1047: Honorific Name
Lumian took the paper and pen from in front of Franca and said with a smile, "We can always add descriptions about being someone or something''s protectorter when it actually happens. After all, every demigod can have many descriptions, though they don''t use all of them."
He then wrote down thest line of his honorific name with the pen: "The Great Lumian Lee."
Then he smiled at Franca and Jenna. "The first line should leverage Mr. Fool''s status."
As he spoke, he wrote down his first honorific line: "The Chariot of Mr. Fool."
Before Jenna and Franca could speak, he made a self- deprecatingment. "The second line will continue to leverage, this time from 0-01."
"Proxy of the God of War?" Franca blurted out.
"No good," Lumian shook his head. "Lady Magician mentioned before that the title ''God of War'' refers to both 0-01 and Red Angel Medici. If I call myself the Agent of the God of War, He mightugh uncontrobly -wouldn''t that be like giving Him a free gift?"
"Try something else, like Proxy of the Lord of War?
These will all point to 0-01 anyway," Jenna suggested."I think it should be more conceptual, to minimize Red Angel''s influence as much as possible," Lumian thought for a few seconds and wrote, "Proxy of Chaos and War."
Seeing this description, Franca suddenlyughed.
"If you really want to leverage, you should continue. Let me do a count.
"Heir of the Blood Emperor, Divine Child of the Great Mother, Friend of the Underworld Daoist, One Who Serves the Peak Beings of Both Cmity and Sacrifice Pathways
"Tsk, better forget those. If you really added them as your honorific name, you might drop dead on the spot."
"A room can''t hold that many people." Lumian nced at Franca, responding with an old joke.
Holding the pen, Lumian continued, "I thought of the third line before going to bed."
"What is it?" Franca asked curiously.
Instead of answering her, Lumian directly wrote down a description: "The Dual-Bodied One Forged by Fire and Frost."
"Dual-Bodied One." Jenna read thetter part aloud. suddenly understanding this was preparation for Aurore''s further resurrections, allowing the corresponding anchors to point to her as well.
"Dual-Bodied One refers to both you and Aurore, and also to the female Demoness and male Hunter, as well as the me outside the mirror and the me inside it. Brilliant!" Franca sincerely praised. "Fire and frost correspond to the Hunter and Demoness abilities, and being forged by fire and frost would inevitably bring intense pain-only sufficient obsession and strong will could endure it. This also represents your journey to be who you are now..."
As she spoke, Franca shut her mouth.
Then, feigning world-weariness, she sighed and patted Lumian''s shoulder. "Things will get better!"
"Indeed," Jenna said hopefully.
"After reconciling with myself, my condition has actually improved quite a bit." Lumianughed, looking at the paper on the table. "For the fourth line, I want to show both my current highest Sequence characteristics and point out how I differ from most Beyonders on the Demoness and Hunter pathways."
"You have abilities merged from two pathways, most notably the Fire of Destruction. And the most obvious trait of the Demoness of Unaging Sequence is eternal youth," Franca pondered.
Lumian nodded slightly and wrote carefully: "Unaging Saint Holding Destruction?"
"Make it ''Bearing''-although ''holding'' makes me imagine a beautiful Demoness extending both hands holding ck mes of destruction, ''Unaging Saint Bearing Destruction'' sounds better." Franca imagined the corresponding scene.
"That works too," Lumian epted Franca''s suggestion.
Finally, his honorific name was determined as: The Chariot of Mr. Fool, Proxy of Chaos and War, the Dual- Bodied One Forged by Fire and Frost, Unaging Saint Bearing Destruction, the Great Lumian Lee."
Putting down the pen. Lumian made a self - deprecatingment. "Just thought of a hellish joke - I could also add ''Protector of Cordu'' to my honorific name."
Jenna and Franca exchanged nces, both feeling that Lumian''s mental and spiritual state had indeed improved somewhat.
"Alright, we can now summon Madam Judgment''s messenger to inform her of both our honorific names, and ask her to contact the Church of Knowledge on our behalf, hopefully getting an opportunity to visit the City of Exiles soon. Hmm, only after the time is confirmed can I go borrow Gift of the Land-that Sealed Artifact is too dangerous, I can only use it briefly." Thetter half of Lumian''s words were meant for Jenna.
He knew that although Jenna appeared calm on the surface, she was quite anxious inside.
Obviously, Jenna hoped to be a Demoness of Despair before Julien returned to Trier, which was only a week away.
"Alright." Franca didn''t dy.
After sending letters to both Madam Judgment and Ma''am Hermit through their respective messengers, the three Demonesses waited for Madam Judgment''s possible reply.
Franca looked out the window at the early evening lights and said somewhat emotionally.
"The scenery here is beautiful, and the environment is nice, but it feels somewhat stuffy living here."
This luxurious vi had just been gifted to them yesterday by Madam Justice, as additionalpensation for awakening Mr. Fool.
Franca had also moved her belongings, especially that small analyzer machine, and announced her return to the telegraph groupst night.
"Stuffy?" Jenna was a bit confused.
Franca smacked her lips and said, "Maybe I''m just not the type who likes living in vi districts.
"I prefer having lots of shops downstairs, street vendors gathering in the morning, but sleeping in a room away from the street to avoid being disturbed.
"Whatever I want to eat, I can go down and buy it anytime. When there''s nothing to do, I can stand by the living room window and watch children chase and y, see how vendors do business, watch what stories passersby might act out, and sometimes, with a non- ordinary one''s hearing, faintly catch some gossip and rumors."
Franca''s voice grew softer, as if immersed in such scenes.
After a few seconds, she sighed and said with self- mockery, "Living here is good too, at least we don''t have to worry about affecting Innocent people when fighting."
"With Saint-level abilities, that would be difficult," Lumian reminded her.
To this, Franca could only respond with a brief interjection, "Ah"
Soon after, Madam Judgment replied through her jellyfish-like messenger On: "Results frommunication with the Church of Knowledge wille tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after tomorrow at thetest."
"Tomorrow or the day after..." Lumian nodded and smiled, "Then there''s nothing urgent for now, we have some leisure time."
He then left the bedroom and went downstairs.
Then, he went to the study, took several popr novels and a pile of recent newspapers and magazines, came to the living room, and started reading under the bright crystal gas chandelier, appearing very rxed.
"Why are you reading these?" Franca asked curiously.
Lumian didn''t hide anything and said with a slight sigh and smile, "The conversations with Mr. Fool and the exchange during self-reconciliation helped me understand some things. Since the end of the path is already determined-whether it''s the apocalypse or resurrecting Aurore-then during this journey, if there really isn''t anything urgent, I might as well be a bit kinder to myself."
Yes, Lumian Lee deserves to enjoy life too! A smile gradually bloomed on Jenna''s face.
She extended her right hand to Lumian. "May I invite you to watch a y or opera tonight?"
"Sure." Lumian reached out and touched hands with Jenna.
Jenna then turned to Franca. "May I invite you too?
"Of course, I thought I was going by default," Franca tried to smile lightly, but it turned out quite radiant.
Jenna then looked at Anthony, who was also reading newspapers in the living room.
Anthony put down his newspaper and cleared his throat. "I''ll pass. After staying in the dream city for half a month, I haven''t contacted many of my intelligence sources in reality for a long time. I already have appointments tonight."
"Alright." Jenna then said to Ludwig, who was waiting for the stew to finish cooking in the kitchen, "You muste."
Otherwise, no one would watch him!
Ludwig only raised one question, "Does the theater have food?"
"We can get you candy-like food, the kind that doesn''t make noise when you eat it," Jenna smiled and said.
Franca then said to Ludwig. "You really should experience more things, life isn''t just about eating."
Ludwig looked at her, his gaze full of "I don''t think so."
Speaking of eating, Franca suddenly got excited. "How about hot pot tomorrow?"
"Does Trier have all the ingredients for a hot pot base?" Jenna looked toward Ludwig.
Before Ludwig could respond, Franca said quite happily, "We can have another version of hot pot, with bone broth. It''s not asplicated, and we can use garlic, Feynapotter chili, salt and such for dipping sauce. It''s equally delicious-those who want spicy can add spice, those who don''t want it don''t have to, everyone chooses for themselves.
"Hmm, we can use pork bones or beef bones for the broth, add somemon spices, plus mushrooms"
Hearing this, Lumian, Anthony, and Jenna said in unison, "Skip the mushrooms!"
After discovering their very "unanimous" opinion, the three immediately burst intoughter.
"Gulp." Ludwig, who had been made hungry by the talk, swallowed his saliva.
This made Francaugh too.
Laughter echoed in the living room.
When they returned from the opera, it was alreadyte at night. Franca walked back to her bedroom with light steps.
In one corner of the bedroom sat that small analyzer machine connected to a mechanical typewriter and wireless telegraph transceiver.
I''ll chat a bit before sleeping. Franca walked to theplex machine and said silently to herself. How should I tell 007 and others tactfully and without showing off that I''m now someone with an honorific name?
Oh right, first summon Madame H''s messenger to request a meeting in reality!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Chapter 1048: Information Revealed by 007
After sending the meeting request through the skull- headed messenger, Franca turned on the wireless telegraph transceiver and small analyzer machine.
Click-ck, messages were typed onto paper by the mechanical typewriter one after another,
Franca read for a while before joining the group chat.
"I''m the group''s early sleep assistant. Those members who haven''t gone to rest yet must pay a fine-only gold epted!"
As she sent out the telegraph, she recalled life in the dream city.
Group chatting over long distances in the real world is so difficult! Franca felt inexplicably mncholic and nostalgic, suddenly losing the desire to show off her honorific name.
What about Sequence 3? Even Sequence 3 can''t solve the problem of real-time long-distance group chat!
If we ultimately survive the apocalypse, I hope the God of Steam and Machinery-no, the God of Electric Power and Information Technology will bring about a new industrial revolution.
I am a Demoness of Unaging, I can wait!Moon King was the first to reply to Franca: "Look at my nickname-obviously the type who''s only activete at night!
"By the way, Hidden de, you haven''t been online for almost a month. What kind of mission doesn''t even leave you time in the evenings?"
"Look at you, not even knowing that secret missions require turning off phones and cutting off all contact with the outside world. You clearly haven''t dealt with such things before, 007, am I right?" Franca suspected Moon King was joking with her, but had no proof.
007 replied: "I was also locked away for a while."
Franca immediately perked up. "You... advanced to Sequence 4?"
"Yes, I got the qualification." 007 didn''t hide it.
The other group members exploded:
"The demigod?"
"The first Saint among us!"
"Besides H and Gandalf, this is the Research Society''s third demigod, right?"
"007, didn''t you say that even with the qualifications, you''d have to queue and wait for a long time?"
After the rapidly spitting paper slowed down, 007 exined: "I also thought I''d have to wait longer, but recently, the Church not only brought out many stored Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 Beyonder characteristics, but also crushed some Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts. Most candidates who currently qualify and meet all prerequisites have been scheduled for advancement, though some failed.
"This situation makes me suspect major events will ur within the next year or two, which is why the Church is mass ''producing'' demigods regardless of consequences and costs."
This matches the spection about the apocalypseing early-the Eternal zing Sun Church thinks so too? Franca noticed the other group members suddenly fell silent, clearly also thinking about the major crisis, wondering if they would be affected and whether they could handle it.
Franca could tell that 007 probably knew part of why the Eternal zing Sun Church was doing this, given that he was now a Saint, but he couldn''t say directly and could only hint at it.
"Did you be an Unshadowed?" France changed the subject.
She actually didn''t want 007 to continue advancing on the Sun pathway, feeling that the Unshadowed were too pure, and being within the Church, would inevitably be fanatical. If so, the 007 who wouldin about her always finding things to keep him too busy to rest might never speak such words again.
This gave Franca the feeling of watching a friend gradually slip away before her eyes.
However, she had never tried to persuade 007, only pointing out the possible changes that bing an Unshadowed might bring, letting 007 make his own decision with full knowledge.
Everyone''s life should be their own to control-she had always believed this.
She was also grateful that when she was hesitating between bing a War Bishop or advancing to Demoness of Unaging: Lumian and Jenna only presented options without trying to persuade her. Although they probably had their own thoughts and preferences, they never showed them, never manipted, never pressured. Judge actions, not thoughts-that was very, very good, since everyone inevitably had dark and selfish thoughts, but ultimately not acting on them showed they''d ovee themselves, proving they''re not that kind of person.
An Unshadowed might not have dark, selfish thoughts, but I actually hope 007 does... Franca silently sighed.
007 quickly replied to her: "Yes."
Staring at this word on the telegraph paper, Franca let out a long sigh. "Ah"
007 continued: "Some colleagues have switched to other pathways, and some colleagues not in neighboring pathways have also gained advancement."
At this point, Franca quickly adjusted her mindset.
She kept telling herself, 007 just deliberately hinted and reminded everyone to prepare for major events and disasters, showing he still retains his positive emotions and humanity!
As people age, everyone changes and bes somewhat different from before, 007 has just changed a bit more, but in terms of friendship, he''s still that same 007.
"What major events will happen in the next year or two?" Another telegraph group member Wind Sound pressed.
"I''m not sure," 007 answered concisely.
"Stop asking, stop asking." Franca forcefully inserted herself into the conversation to prevent 007 from being put in a difficult position. "What we can do is take opportunities to improve ourselves and enjoy life in the meantime."
"Hidden de, you seem to know something?" Moon King telegraphed.
Franca wasn''t bound by secrecy restrictions, but she didn''t dare speak too clearly, fearing some group members might be too desperate and turn to extremes.
After careful consideration, she said: "If I tell you that the apocalypse is approaching, but there''s hope of surviving if tall figures shield us and everyone is prepared, would you believe me?"
The previously constant iing telegraphs suddenly stopped.
After a long while, 007 replied: "I believe you."
"Dammit, I''m panicking."
"Great Lord Hidden de, introduce me to a Demoness, I''m going all in!"
"Damn, I hope it won''t be a case of dying before spending all my money."
"I need to buynd and dig a bunker..."
With 007''s endorsement, Wind Sound and others truly believed Franca''s words.
Those who could join this telegraph group were eitherid-back, good-natured, or decent people. Although they were all quite nervous and worried at the moment, they could still express their inner emotions in rather lively and yfulnguage, with no one particrly depressed or desperate.
Seeing her initial purpose achieved. Franca seized the opportunity to say: "I''ve actually be a demigod too."
"Now I really believe something big is going to happen."
"Good heavens, Hidden de has be a demigod?"
"Still a Demoness, or did you switch to the Hunter pathway?"
""
The group members Immediately burst into chatter.
Don''t you know to chat! Franca snorted and responded: "Still a Demoness."
"Demoness of Despair?" 007 suddenly inquired.
What does 007 mean? Right, he''s already an Unshadowed, a church higher-up, and while Demonesses mainly operate in Intis and the Southern Continent, even if he doesn''t know the exact Despair potion form, he must know ow the corresponding advancement ritual to detect anomalies and stamp out gue outbreaks early... Franca replied with understanding: "Don''t worry, I didn''t harm any innocent people, and I used a shortcut method."
"Shortcut? Rituals can have shortcuts?" Moon King''s words revealed surprise.
Wind Sound sighed: "Hidden de, how can you advance so quickly, are you even human anymore? Oh right, not human, half-god half-human..."
Franca considered carefully before saying: "Actually. we transmigrators all possess certain special qualities.
When conditions are met and the pathway is suitable, these qualities manifest, helping us make tremendous progress at certain stages.
"In a sense, we are chosen ones."
Chosen by the Celestial Worthy!
Afraid the group members would be arrogant. she quickly added: "This isn''t entirely a good thing."
"What special qualities?" 007, Moon King, and others telegraphed almost simultaneously.
Franca chuckled and typed quickly: "Can''t say, if you know, you know. You''ll know when you encounter it."
Not giving the group members a chance to ask follow- up questions, she quickly changed the subject: "007, are you still in Trier?"
Now that he was an Unshadowed, an archbishop or senior deacon, he would need to guard a diocese, and the Eternal zing Sun Church had sufficient forces in Trier, even with Angels hidden there.
"Still in Trier," 007 replied. "Many of the Saints who advanced this time have stayed in Trier as mobile forces."
Many stayed in Trier? Franca suddenly became alert.
Does the Eternal zing Sun Church think Trier is where problems are most likely to erupt?
Franca couldn''t help but lower her head to look at the floor.
What she was really looking at was the Fourth Epoch Trier and the special mirror world sealed beneath Trier.
Will the apocalypse''s outbreak start from beneath Trier rather than the high-altitude barrier? Franca slightly furrowed her brows as this thought fleshed through her mind.
At this moment, Madame H''s silver skull-headed messenger returned, letting a paper held between its teeth float down before her.N?v(el)B\\jnn
Franca caught and read it: "Tomorrow morning at ten, Rue Ancienne, Little Dairy Cow Caf."
Quartier de I`Observatoire, Rue Ancienne.
Franca, who only dared go out after using Lie to lower her looks and suppress her charm, arrived at the Little Dairy Cow Caf fifteen minutes early.
She sat by the window, watching with interest as people came and went outside, as bicycles, bionic mechanical devices, and steam robots hurried past.
Soon after, H, dressed as a ck widow, appeared at the door.
The moment she saw thisdy, Franca suddenly had a strange feeling that she walked between darkness and sunlight, death and life.
H''splexion had grown slightly paler, the sense of being alive seemingly fainter.
Has Madame H advanced again? Indeed, if the Eternal zing Sun Church is mass-producing demigods, how could the Evernight Goddess Church not do the same? She switched back to the Death pathway, Sequence 3 Ferryman? Wonder what special abilitiese frombining the Darkness and Death pathways... Franca now had very rich mystical knowledge.
"Good morning." She stood up, smiling in greeting.
After H replied, she said to the caf welter, "A ss of absinthe, and a triple espresso shot."
After they both sat down, Franca fiddled with the veiled hat ced beside her and said with a smile,
"I went to a ce recently with skyscrapers, electric cars, mobile phones, and the inte. Unfortunately, it was just a dream."
Madame Hele listened carefully before nodding slightly. "I know you went there."
"Uh Franca was stunned.
Chapter 1049: Patron Saint
After being stunned, Franca''s first reaction was, How does she know?
Although Franca had long suspected that the one at the Star Dream Provisions Store was the Evernight Goddess, and believed that Madame H was highly valued by this deity; otherwise, that ancient pce in the Nation of the Evernight wouldn''t have been offered as a meeting ce for the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society. She never imagined that the Evernight Goddess would tell H about something as trivial as their entry into Mr. Fool''s dream.
Shouldn''t She have only mentioned Mr. Fool''s initial awakening?
H continued, "Actually, I''ve known the truth about the transmigration for a long time."
Franca, who had carefully prepared an exnation and nned to gradually tell Madame H about the transmigration to avoid shocking her too much, waspletely dumbfounded.
When did this happen?
Before we knew?
How does she know?
At this moment, the waiter brought over a ss of absinthe swirling with dreamlike green color and a triple shot of Reem coffee.After drinking the ss of absinthe in one go, H''s pale, cold face showed a bit more expression.
"After Port Santa''s sea prayer ritual.
"After seeing the fairy tale-like magic used by the helper you invited."
"Like Cindere, Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty?" Franca recalled Ma''am Hermit''s performance then, muttering, "I thought they came from Emperor Roselle''s fairy tales..."
H gazed at Franca with her pitch-ck eyes.
"I requested materials about this and learned what the core ability of Sequence 4 Mysticologist of the Mystery Pryer pathway is.
"It''s called Mystical Re-enactment, which can draw power from mystical knowledge to create magic or witchcraft. The less known and spread the corresponding mystical knowledge is, the stronger the created spells be."
Franca vaguely began to understand.
"Those fairy tales aren''t just stories, but mystical knowledge?"
"This proves they actually happened, in this current world," H stated her conclusion. "From that day on, I knew we had always been in our original world, only time had passed."
Franca suddenly remembered H''s gaze and attitude when she mentioned Harrison and the hope of returning home at the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society gathering.
At that time, she had already guessed the truth...
At that time, she was looking at us with sadness and pity
H finished her triple shot of Reem and continued, "I had originally nned to hint at this to you all, but then the Harrison incident happened, and many of you became very excited, very hopeful."
"Like me," Franca said with a self-deprecating smile.
She took a sip of her coffee and hesitantly asked, "Madame H, should we tell the other members the truth about the transmigration?"
H had already thought about this. "Not for now. Let those who haven''t epted reality live with hope.
"After we survive the apocalypse, if everyone''s still here, we can gradually tell them the truth."
"Indeed, having something to hold onto is good," Franca sighed in agreement.
She added, "However, we can''t let these hopes be too strong, too intense, or too urgent. Otherwise, I''m worried some of them might make rather extreme choices and actions."
After speaking. Franca saw a slightly relieved expression appear on Madame H''s face.
H nodded and said, "This is good enough for now. don''t actually catch Harrison."
"Even if we catch him, we can''t tell them," Franca replied, showing their mutual understanding.
She then inquired, "Should we talk about the apocalypse?"
"We can mention a bit, focusing on emphasizing hope," H answered.
Just like what I was thinking... Franca proceeded to ask. "When is the next gathering?"
"Aiming for sometime this week," H decided.
Having discussed the important matters, Franca gazed at H''s pitch-ck eyes and pale face, remained silent for a few seconds, then spoke from her heart, "Speaking of hopes earlier, do you have any hopes left?"
This wasn''t really a question-she didn''t expect an answer. She was just reflecting.
To her surprise, H actually answered. Thisdy dressed as a ck widow said with a faint smile,
"My biggest hope now is to survive the apocalypse.
"If the apocalypse crisis is resolved, and we''re all still alive..."
As she spoke, she seemed to drift into memories.
"The most memorable gift in my life was the telescope my parents gave me, because I loved watching stars since childhood, and loved imagining what existed in that vast cosmos.
"If we truly survive the apocalypse, I have two dreams:
"First is for this world to develop into something Nike our original one-it doesn''t have to be exactly the same, just simr.
"Second, provided those evil gods are gone and I can protect myself, I want to use my abilities or help from certain Sealed Artifacts to explore the stars, visit different gxies, and experience different civilizations
Franca gradually became lost in the reverie.
Such a life doesn''t sound bad...
Usually staying in Trier, enjoying modern life, and when bored, inviting Jenna, Lumian, and Aurore, along with Anthony, Ludwig. Madam Judgment, 007 and others to form a travel group, touring other countries, continents,s, and civilizations together
The cosmos is indeed dangerous, and we might not survive the apocalypse, but people need something to hope for
Looking at H speaking softly, Franca suddenly felt thisdy''s image be much more vivid in her mind.
She waved over the waiter who had been sneaking nces at her from afar, and ordered two sses of sweet wine and two sses of absinthe.
Picking up one ss of sweet wine, she made a toasting gesture. H didn''t quite understand but still raised her absinthe.
"This toast is to our homnd," Franca clinked sses gently and drank her sweet wine.
After H finished her ss of green liquid, she picked up another ss of sweet wine and said, half-smiling. half-wistfully. "This toast is to distant horizons."
With a gentle clink, the two different colored liquids swayed, their contained light dispersing outward.
After returning to the luxurious vi in the arts district. Franca said to Lumian, "Madame H said she''ll convene a meeting this week, aiming for before Saturday."
Lumian nodded and continued, "Madam Judgment has also replied to us. The Church of Knowledge has agreed to our request, but they need to do some preprocessing and necessary preparations. The time to go to the City of Exiles is set for next Monday."
"That''s good, Julien won''t return to Trier until next Thursday." Franca looked toward Jenna beside her. "Honestly, we need to trick your brother into leaving soon and not return to Trier for two years. If the information from 007 is correct, Trier will be a key point in the outbreak of the apocalypse."
Jenna nodded solemnly. "I''m working on it."
"There''s suddenly nothing much to do." Lumian smiled as he picked up his wide-brimmed hat with veil from beside him. "Let''s go for a walk."
"Your attitude has really improved. In the past, you would definitely have been anxious-waiting time was always the hardest to endure," Franca remarked teasingly.
Jenna asked instead, "Where to?"
Lumian smiled.
"Let''s go to Lavigny Docks, to Mr. Fool''s cathedral. The establishment and preaching about the patron saint should have already begun.
"I want to go listen."
"Listen to others talk about yourself? Wouldn''t that be too awkward?" Franca''s face showed resistance.
Neither she nor Lumian had told Madam Magician which cathedral they wanted to be assigned to, because they both wanted to be modest, yet felt the other wouldn''t agree, so they simply let the Church of The Fool decide.
"I don''t mind," Lumian smiled. "Besides, we should also look around the area to see if there''s any way to collect anchors."
"Fine," Franca sighed. "If this were in the dream city, I''d debut as a celebrity! Those fans would be my anchors! Though there are problems with that too these kinds of anchors have an expiration date and can''t be passed down. Plus, the different attitudes and focus points from fans would bring conflicting perceptions, which might affect my state."
"That''s one way," Lumian looked at Jenna. "When you reach Sequence 3, you could consider bing the most famous theater actress in the Northern and Southern continents. Of course, this is assuming you receive Mr. Fool''s protection, or..."
Lumian didn''t finish his sentence.
At the square district, Lavigny Docks, inside Mr. Fool''s cathedral with its wide, clear windows.
Lumian, Franca, and Jenna, wearing hats with lowered veils, settled into a corner of the rows of seats.
At this time, the half-giant bishop-with golden hair, standing over 2.5 meters tall, wearing a custom-made coat and silk top hat-was preaching.
On one wall that had previously been bare, artists were using scaffolding and various tools to create new murals.
In this world where the Church held such high status, beingmissioned to create religious murals for a cathedral was the highest recognition and praise a painter could receive.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Shortly after Lumian and the others sat down, removed their hats, and lowered their heads, the half giant bishop proimed in a solemn, resonant voice "Let us praise Mr. Fool."
"Praise The Fool!" All the believers, including the bishop, stood up and pressed their hands to their chests.
The half-giant bishop continued, "Let us also praise this cathedral''s patron saint, the great Saint Franca.
"Our cathedral is thus named!"
Franca''s toes began to curl tightly inside her boots.
The half-giant bishop continued, "Saint Franca is Mr. Fool''s cup, bearing people''s joy and pain, keeping disease and gue at bay, she is the ageless one, the Demoness who spreads strife and catastrophe to enemies...
"She once walked in Mr. Fool''s dream, working for the Lord''s return, she broke through illusion and reality, bringing the Lord''s grace to thend..."
Dammit, they make me sound so impressive. Franca felt both embarrassed and somewhat pleased.
After recounting Saint Franca''s deeds, the half-giant bishop said, "Let us praise Saint Franca!
"Praise the One Who Never Ages, Keeper of Diseases and gues, the Demoness Apanied by Strife and Catastrophe, the Cup Bearing Joy and Pain, the Great Franca Rnd!"
The believers began to pray along with the bishop.
Franca suddenly froze, and turned her head toward Lumian and Jenna with a slightly bewildered expression.
"I hear some illusory voices, and I see some points of light..."
***
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Chapter 1050: Response
Lumian recalled the faith-rted materials provided by the Tarot Club and carefully said, ''This should be the mystical manifestation of faith anchors, and the result of chanting your honorific name.''
''Oh, oh, oh, I''m receiving their prayers'' Franca suddenly understood.
She immediately continued, ''Fortunately, we''re now unified both inside and outside the mirror, with our consciousness existing both within and without. This allows our mirror self to handle matters rted to believers without affecting our daily life andbat state. Otherwise, if we were suddenly hit with prayers during intensebat, it would be easy to get distracted and have idents.
''However, I think some pathways'' Sequence 3 should be able to effectively use these prayers to temporarily strengthen themselves, like the Sun pathway?''
''War Bishop,'' Lumian smiled. ''Within a certain range, the more anchors, the stronger a War Bishop bes. His soldiers are all his anchors.''
Franca nodded, browsing the points of light with interest and listening to the illusory voices to understand what the believers were praying for.
''Continued good health
''Family being safe and sound
''Business sess''No dangers during sea adventures
''Stay away from chaos and war
''These are all generic prayers, I can''t respond or helpthey''re too vague,'' Franca muttered to herself.
She nced at Lumian.
''Your fate domain powers could actually be useful herethere''s nothing that good luck and fortune-turning can''t solve.
''Why isn''t anyone praying to curse their enemies?''
At this point, Franca paused. ''There''s one prayer asking for their illness to be cured
''I''m professional at making people sick, but healing isn''t within a Demoness''s authority''
Jenna thought for a moment and said, ''Don''t you still have some of those healing agents left from Mr. Moon?'' Jenna thought for a moment and said.
Lumian had 11 bottles in his Traveler''s Bag, while Franca, Jenna, and Anthony each had two bottles.
''You''re right, nobody said a patron saint can''t use external help,'' Franca immediately took out a potion from the Traveler''s Bag.
While recalling the mystical materials provided by the Tarot Club, she imitated their contents along with knowledge from pre-crossing textbooks, magnified the corresponding prayer light point, and extended her Demoness spider silkso fine it was invisibleinto it, quietly inserting it into that believer''s nostrils and reaching their stomach.
During this process, she used her Petrification powers to make the flesh touched by the spider silk enter a paralyzed state, preventing the prayer from noticing anything unusual.
Then, Franca unscrewed the healing agent''s cap and let the liquid flow along the spider silk to its destination.
Afterpleting all this, she withdrew the spider silk and removed the paralysis.
That inly dressed believer with many patches suddenly felt their stomach be slightly heavier, as if they had unknowingly drunk a ss of water.
They didn''t pay it much attention and finished their prayer, continuing to listen until the half-giant bishoppleted the sermon and began distributingmunion.
Just then, that believer let out a surprised sound. ''Huh''
Seeing people around looking at them, he said with both confusion and joy, ''My spirit feels better, my body feels lighter
''My illness is cured!''
They finally realized what had happened and told the fellow believers watching them with some fanaticism.
''I just prayed to Saint Franca for healing from illness!
''She blessed me!
''Praise you, Keeper of Diseases and gues, Great Franca Rnd!''
Hearing this from her corner, Franca felt both embarrassed and secretly delighted.
Helping others feels pretty good!
Getting sincere praise from others feels nice too!
After this batch of believers left Saint Franca Cathedral, Franca lowered her voice and said to Lumian and Jenna, ''We can''t rely on healing agents every time, right? Since my honorific name includes Keeper of Diseases and gues, future prayers will definitely include plenty of such requests.''
Without waiting for herpanions to respond, Franca muttered to herself, ''Actually, at Sequence 4, one can create their own unique gue varieties or mystical pathogens. I want to invent a mystical pathogen whose characteristic is devouring other pathogens, while its effect on humans is just causing drowsiness, fatigue, orziness for a period of time. This could cure most diseases in ordinary people except for their own physical mutations''
''If you seed, this could also be used in battles with other Demonesses,'' Lumian was quite looking forward to the mystical pathogen Franca described.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Of course, this was just a concept, and whether it could actually be created remained unknown.
Franca thought seriously for a while, then suddenly smiled. ''There''s another illness that Demonesses can cure.''
''What?'' Jenna asked curiously.
''Functional disorders in that matter.'' Franca clicked her tongue both self-mockingly and with feeling. ''Just throw a Charm at them and it works for a certain time, though it can''t be permanently cured. Damn, what kind of thing is this''
Lumian and Jenna fell silent for a moment.
Franca thought for a bit and continued, ''When I advanced the other day, I felt there were anchor points besides you two, some others seemed toe from the market district''
''The dancers and streetwalkers you helped before? Especially those who changed their lives through learning theater performance?'' Jenna realized.
''That''s another kind of anchor'' Franca sighed. ''No good deed goes unrewarded. However, with the Savoie Mob gone and us being forced to leave the market district, their situation must have worsened again, so they miss the past. I''ll return to the market districtter, find the people currently in charge of rted matters, ''persuade'' them, and control them. It''s a pity this is Trier, and we can''tpletely solve these problems. If we don''t have to stay in Trier in the future, I want to find a ce to build a new society!''
Acting on her words, Franca and Jenna quickly left the cathedral for the market district.
Lumian didn''t follow them, worried that doing so would split Franca and Jenna''s anchors.
He chose to take a carriage to the outskirts to look at Saint Lumian Cathedral.
On the way, fifteen to twenty points of light suddenly appeared before his eyes, and illusory prayer voices echoed in his ears.
The preaching about me has begun too Lumian nodded imperceptibly and browsed through the different believers'' prayers.
As Franca had said earlier, the vast majority were vague, difficult to achieve, everyday requests, and Lumian temporarily had no intention of using his fate domain powers to help turn their luck around.
While browsing, he discovered a rtively special request.
This wasn''t actually a request, but rather an elderly woman telling the patron saint about her regret.
When she was young, her family was poor and couldn''t afford photographs. By the time their circumstances improved, she had aged and could no longer capture her youth, leaving that part of her life unrecorded.
I also regret not cherishing those early years in Cordu properly After pondering for a moment, Lumian decided to respond to this request.
He magnified the corresponding light point and saw the olddy with obvious wrinkles wearing a conservative ck dress.
Layers of mirror worlds then appeared in Lumian''s eyes, reflecting the olddy''s different stages of lifeher as a child, her innocent self, her youthful and simple self, her mature and steady self, and her kind and benevolent self
Sitting in the carriage, Lumian quickly chose the mirror trace of her at seventeen or eighteen years old.
The wrinkles on the praying olddy''s face visibly contracted, and her skin quickly gained luster.
This was an application of the Unaging characteristic, but when used on others, it could onlyst for a very short time, no more than half an hour, since the mystical connection was only established with the illusory trace in the mirrornot real and not stable.
In Lumian''s view, this was half temporary rejuvenation, half mirror illusion.
After the olddy returned to her seventeen or eighteen-year-old appearance, Lumian transmitted a message in a female voice, ''Hurry.''
The olddy immediately broke from her prayer state, not knowing where that somewhat cold and deep but pleasant female voice came from.
''You, you'' Those around her all widened their eyes.
''What about me?'' the olddy asked these fellow believers in confusion.
The next second, she discovered her voice had be quite sweet, just like when she was young.
''You, you, you'' The nearby believers still couldn''t form proper sentences, but someone handed over a mirror.
The olddy looked in the mirror and froze in her seat.
This, isn''t this me when I was young?
What''s going on?
Have I regained my youth?
Did my prayer to Saint Lumian receive a response?
As thoughts raced through her mind, the olddy recalled the female voice she had just heard. ''Hurry.''
She suddenly understood, abruptly stood up, and said to the surrounding believers with a smile, ''I''m going to get my photograph taken!''
She quickly squeezed out of that area and walked briskly toward the cathedral door.
As she walked, she lifted her skirt and began to run, getting faster and faster, just like when she was seventeen or eighteen and ran desperately for a job opportunity.
She ran to the nearest photo studio and sat in front of the backdrop.
Click, a sh of light captured a youthful and radiant smile.
In the moving carriage.
Having responded to the prayer, Lumian seriously considered a Demoness''s faith anchor issue.
War Bishop is actually simplerrecruit soldiers, cultivate a team, and that''s it
Most of a Demoness''s abilities tend toward disaster, making it difficult to use them positively to develop believers Those Demonesses of Unaging in the Demoness Sect probably rely on seduction, charm, and fear from disasters
In the early stages of faith, making people fear is also a method of developing believers, the most standard method
But since we''re affiliated with the Church of The Fool, we can''t do that
Fear
Lumian suddenly thought of a sect that deliberately spread fear of disease.
The Sick Church!
His eyes, like higndkes, immediately brightened.
Is it possible to take over the Sick Church, eliminate all the Blessed and those corrupted by evil gods, then steal the faith directed at evil gods and make certain alterations?
This is somewhat simr to that section about the Sea God Church in scripture This could also weaken the corresponding evil gods'' influence on the real world
Chapter 1051: Protector
Having considered his next direction, Lumian looked out the carriage window.
By now, the hired carriage had reached the gray-white city walls encircling Trier, queuing to leave the city.
The Church of The Fool''s newly established cathedral in Trier was located in the suburbs, right next to where the Srenzo River curved. The river was wide there, with convenient transportation, both a dock and a station, in a picturesque town.
After arriving at this town called Ramb, Lumian discovered it wasn''t small at all, with numerous steamships at the dock and streets bustling with people, extraordinarily lively.
After asking the carriage driver, Lumian roughly understood the reason.
Most goods entering Trier had to pay an entry tax. though rates varied. Therefore, many goods that didn''t need to be sold in Trier or transit through it were unloaded at Ramb and sent to surrounding towns. This gradually made the town prosperous, attracting many maritime merchants, adventurers, and sailors, bringing with them the faith of The Fool.
Lumian had heard from Franca that the Eternal zing Sun Church had long wanted to abolish the entry tax to promotemerce and improve cirction, but this tax was one of the Intis Republic''s main sources of revenue, and Trier''s entry tax alone equaled the sum of several major cities'' entry taxes. The government simply couldn''t give it up.
Lumian put on a wide-brimmed hat, letting the ck veil fall, and began wandering around Ramb.
Soon, he found what was now called Saint Lumian Cathedral, the Church of The Fool''s location, but didn''t rush to enter. He just stood on the street for a while, admiring therge ss windows and in walls.I hope one day, no clergy will say that Saint Lumian will have to make do with their actions... After making this self-deprecating joke, Lumian continued walking.
The main faith in this town was the Eternal zing Sun, worshiping Trier''s patron angel Saint Vive.
Lumian examined the white stone angel statue for a few moments before walking into a bar diagonally across the square.
This bar had good business, and on weekends, many people from Trier woulde to freely enjoy various alcoholic beverages that didn''t require entry tax.
As soon as Lumian pushed open the bar''s heavy wooden door, he felt gazes turn toward him-some surprised, some amazed, some greedy, some excited, and some like snakes slowly slithering across his body.
He then remembered that he was now ady, an extremely charmingdy, even with her face hidden behind a veil.
It was never like this when he was a man before-at most, thieves would observe to judge if there was any value or possibility of theft... Ah, the sense of belonging at "home" is gone Lumian slowly shook his head and directly took out a revolver from his Traveler''s Bag.
He ced his hand on the doorframe, pointed the revolver at the ceiling, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
The bullet brought down clusters of dust, and the people in the bar, like athletes hearing the starting gun, quickly scattered in all directions.
This left Lumian a spacious path to the bar counter.
When the chaotic scene of people taking cover had somewhat settled, Lumian deactivated the Bottle of Fiction and, holding the revolver, walked toward the bar counter while saying in an icy but soft voice, "I just want a drink."
He then sat on a barstool, tapped the counter, and said to the bartender who was staring at him nkly. "One La Fe Verte"
The bartender finally snapped out of it and hurriedly poured Lumian an absinthe with a ssh of lemon juice.
Lumian didn''t remove his hat or lift his veil, slowly sipping the bitter and fragrant liquor.
The other people in the bar gradually returned to normal. In this small town frequently visited by pirates and adventurers, they were used to such things, which exined their practiced response earlier.
Lumian quietly listened to their chitchat and whispers. trying to discover useful intelligence, especially anything pointing to the Sick Church.
But unfortunately, what he heard was mainly discussion about himself.
The most discussed topic was what it meant to be a person of dual bodies.
There were artistic interpretations, such as "having a male body but also a female side, being both me and frost," and there were vulgar ones, like "busty up top, hard down below."
Lumian turned his gaze toward the drunk who had said thetter.
His higndke-like eyes were like mirrors, reflecting the other''s figure.
The drunk was making obscene gestures to apany his earlier description when his chest and lower body suddenly experienced intense pain, as if being burned by mes.
He screamed in agony and fell to the ground, rolling in pain.
This stunned those around him who had been agreeing with his joke.
After about ten seconds, the drunk finally came back to life. He supported himself on a nearby chair and stood up trembling.
"What just happened?"
"Sudden illness?"
"You should go to a clinic right away!"
The people around him spoke up in a jumble.
The drunk shook his head in confusion.
"It just hurt suddenly, but now I''m fine"
As he spoke, he looked down to check his physical condition and was surprised to find his chest had strangely swollen from unknown burns, while his lower half had be like stone, tenting his pants.
Almost simultaneously, those around him also noticed this condition.
"Busty up top, hard down below..." someone repeated the drunk''s earlier words.
Wh- The people around quickly moved away from the area, all looking at the drunk with wary gazes: It was him who insulted the saint, it has nothing to do with us!
We weren''t standing next to him either, don''t let the lightning strike affect us!
In their fear, everyone present unconsciously had the same thought: Is the Church of The Fool''s new patron saint really this efficacious?
Lumian withdrew his gaze, letting the reflected figure in his eyes disappear.
This was a small punishment, not affecting any essential functions or physical health.
For Lumian, he didn''t care at all if someone insulted him-he would just find an opportunity to y a prank. But insulting Aurore was not eptable.
Moreover, this was also an opportunity, a chance to reasonably use fear to spread faith.
It could also help digest the Witch potion.
Lumian looked at the absinthe in his hand, seeing his veiled, half-visible face reflected in the dreamlike green liquid.
The deep red wine swirled gently, with three faceless wooden dolls ced beside it.
Franca leaned back in her chair, leisurely admiring the blood color permeating the wooden grain and the hair that had slipped into the crevices.
After looking for a few seconds, she turned to look at the three men standing in front of the desk and smiled, saying, "I only have two requirements for you:
"First, help me collect various intelligence, and second, follow these thirteen rules I''ve established and treat those dancers and streetwalkers well."
After Franca finished speaking, Jenna, standing beside her, held up the paper and began reading.
"First, no coercion,
"Second, ensure adequate rest;
"Thirteenth, provide basic medical care."
"We''re the mafia, not some damned charity!" burst out the most hot-tempered of the three.
Francaughed.
"Right, I''m not doing charity either."
She then flicked out a quiet ck me, letting it fall on one of the wooden dolls.
The doll was immediately covered in ck mes. silently burning.
The gang leader who had just spoken suddenly screamed in agony as strange ck mes erupted from within his body.
He fell to his knees in pain, his face contorted as he shouted, "I-I was wrong.
"I am doing charity!
"I agree! I agree!"
Neither Franca nor Jenna responded, watching silently until the gang leader copsed to the ground, convulsing until death.
Only then did Franca look at the other two gang leaders and ask with a smile, "Any objections?"
"None." The two gang leaders seemed to bepeting to see who could shake their head faster.
After Jenna posted the paper with the thirteen rules on the wall, Franca stood up and said.
"Remember to look at it every day, and if there''s any vition..."
Franca picked up the remaining two wooden dolls.
"You should know what they represent-they''re a Demoness''s curse medium."
After bing a Demoness of Pleasure who could directly curse through mirrors, Franca no longer used such ck magic in battle, but mirror curses were real-time and couldn''t be fixed in ce. To control these two gang leaders and make them obey, she still needed to make media like dolls using their blood and hair.
And for a Demoness of Unaging, possessing such media could also affect the targets'' direct rtives.
"We know, we know." The two gang leaders began their noddingpetition again.
Jenna thought for a moment and said to Franca, "May I add one rule?"
"Of course." Franca smiled.
Jenna picked up the pen and added another rule to the posted paper: "Rule Fourteen, loan shark annual interest cannot exceed 36%, and no additional fees such as handling fees or service charges can be collected."
"No problem, right?" Jenna turned and smiled.
The two gang leaders being questioned dared not object.
Franca put away the two curse dolls and casually said as she walked toward the door,
"I know you have some supporters behind you. I don''t care what they think, nor will I interfere with your territory disputes or making money here. I only want those two things I mentioned earlier.
"If your supporters aren''t satisfied, let theme see this statue."
As she spoke, strands of gray-white light spread out and fell on the dead gang leader''s body.
The corpse quickly turned into a stone statue.
"No problem with that, right? You''ll quietly notify me if they want to move against me, won''t you?" Franca turned back to look at the remaining two gang leaders and asked with a smile.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
The two gang leaders first showed uncontroble fascination, then hurriedly responded, "We will! We will!"
Leaving the room, Franca walked toward the dancers and streetwalkers waiting nervously at the stairway.
"Boss..." several girls called out joyfully.
Franca nodded gently and said, "Things will go back to how they were before.
"But I still want to say, this isn''t a long-term profession."
Across from the Thatre de l''Ancienne Cage Pigeons, Franca and Jenna sat on a street bench, calmly watching the audience and actorsing and going.
"Not going over to say hello?" Jenna asked.
Franca smiled. "No need, since they''re doing fine, there''s no need to go over."
"That''s true." Jenna nodded slightly.
Franca then turned her head and said, half serious and half joking. "This is left for you-in the future, you''ll be the protector of actresses."
After watching for a while longer, they returned to the luxury vi.
By this time, Lumian had already returned and was saying to Anthony, "Help me collect intelligence on the Sick Church."
"The Sick Church..." Franca suddenly understood what Lumian wanted to do and quickly smiled, "I have intelligence sources now too, I''ll have them keep an eye out!"
Chapter 1052: Reluctantly Showing Off
Chapter 1052: Reluctantly Showing Off
Circle of Inevitability
Late at night.
Neither Anthony''s intelligence channels, nor Franca''s gang informants, nor Jenna''s neighborhood contacts were able to provide any information rted to the Sick Church.
Franca sat down at the mechanical typewriter, turned on the wireless telegraph transceiver, preparing to ask 007 if the Eternal zing Sun Church had gathered any valuable intelligence.
''Ding, group message notification: Hidden de, who did another good deed today, has joined the chat!'' Franca announced her arrival in the telegraph group.
Before she could send a second message, she saw a telegrame in with 007 as the header: ''Hidden de, you didn''t actually advance to Sequence 4, but to Sequence 3, right?''
The other telegrams that should have responded to Franca suddenly came to a halt.
Franca was stunned at first, then understood.
Wow, I originally didn''t want to show off about this, but you helped me do it anyway?
She felt she should disy three parts helplessness, three parts pain, three parts confusion, plus one part inevitable secret joy, so she carefully replied: ''Ah yes.''
Get Ready For More Personalised Rmendations Here
Get Ready For More Personalised Rmendations Here
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After a brief, indescribable silence, one telegram after another was spat out by the small analyzer under queue control, apanied by clicking sounds.
The mechanical typewriter seemed overwhelmed, working so hard it might start smoking.
''Are you serious?''
''Hidden de, that kind of joke isn''t funny, it''s too cruel!''
''Hidden de, I remember you mentioning just a month ago that you were a Sequence 5 Demoness of Affliction, and now you''re Sequence 3 in just a month? Even a rocket isn''t that fast!''
''Have you been blessed by the God of Fortely?''
''A Sequence 3 Demoness, I can''t imagine how beautiful and charming''
''Really, are there any secrets to advancing? Name your price, we brothers might be able to scrape together a down payment.''
''Hidden de, did something happen to you? Do you need any help? At my sequence, I might not be able to participate inbat, but I can help curse those people!''
''''
''007, how did you know?''
After the expression of various emotions and feelings, someone finally brought the topic back on track.
007 replied: ''Hidden de is now a patron saint of a cathedral, with her own honorific name.''
Sure enough, the changes at Saint Franca Cathedral had been noticed by the Eternal zing Sun Church, and 007 had known before that I was ''Red Boots'' Franca Rnd Franca''s spection was confirmed.
''Patron saint honorific name I really can''t connect these two terms with the ''life is short, why not give it a shot'' Hidden de.'' Moon King was the first to marvel.
''Indeed.'' Wind Sound sent a telegram in response. ''It''s too surreal, too surreal, more surreal than any fantasy novel!''
''Please show some respect to the great Hidden de!''
''Lord Hidden de, is there any chance you could take me as your apprentice?''
''You want to be a Demoness too? If I remember correctly, you can switch.''
''I can''t ept that the strongest in the research society is now the silly Hidden de''
''Hey, if you put it that way, wouldn''t that make us even more silly and stupid?''
''''
Looking at these telegrams, Franca couldn''t help but curl her lips into a smile.
I have to say, showing off like this feels pretty good!
Moreover, those joking remarks gave her a sense of still being grounded, still connected to the masses.
''Hey hey hey,'' she quickly typed out the words, ''You don''t really think I''m brainless, do you? I was just being approachable before, trying to get along with you all.''
Then, she humbly added: ''Madame H should also be Sequence 3 now, either a bit earlier orter than me.
''As for the President, I''m not quite sure.''
''So you really are Sequence 3 Is there anything you can tell us about it?'' Wind Sound and others asked in session.
Franca borated a bit more than before: ''In advancing to Sequence 4, digesting the Sequence 4 potion, and advancing to Sequence 3, I met some special conditions as a transmigrator that allowed me to take shortcuts, so I became a Saint with an honorific name within a month.''
She didn''t mention that she hadpletely digested the Sequence 3 potion, after all, the telegraph group had quite a few members, and most of which she hadn''t met in the real world. Although she was willing to trust their character, she couldn''t gamble on their circumstancescritical information about her Sequence abilities still needed to be kept secret.
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Besides, if someone asked what a Sequence 3 Demoness was called, Franca didn''t want to hide it, because after 007 pointed out that she was already a patron saint of a cathedral, her honorific name couldn''t be hidden from those who paid attention. This way, some telegraph group members might make certain connections between the instant digestion of a Sequence potion and the name Demoness of Unaging.
''One month''
''Really only took one month''
''''
At this point, Moon King, Wind Sound, and others seemed to have lost even the mood to joke.
''So what kind of Demoness are you now?'' After a while, group member Little Peppa asked.
I knew it! Franca immediately replied: ''Demoness of Unaging.''
''Unaging eternal youth?'' Little Peppa seemed somewhat envious.
Moon King then asked: ''Can you also extend lifespan?''
''Theoretically speaking, living another two thousand years wouldn''t be a problem.'' Franca tried to control her pride.
''So envious'' Group members responded with simr words.
One after another, all expressing genuine feelings.
Who wouldn''t want to be immortal and ageless?
As for the negative effects of the potion, there were no ordinary people in this group!
Franca thought for a moment, then typed out more words: ''For those in the Trier region, if you have difficulties and need help, you can recite my honorific name.
''For those not in the Trier region, I can''t helpI won''t hear it and can''t respond.
''My honorific name is:
''The One Who Never Ages, Keeper of Diseases and gues, the Demoness Apanied by Strife and Catastrophe, the Cup Bearing Joy and Pain, the Great Franca Rnd.''
Seeing this honorific name, seeing the prefix ''Great,'' the telegraph group members truly realized that Hidden de had obtained godhood, was half-god half-human, and possessed an honorific name, was a patron saint of a cathedral, could respond to prayers, and bestow power.
After a while, Little Peppa sighed.
''I feel like there''s now a sad, thick barrier between us''
''Want to call me lord and let me hear it?'' Franca very skillfully responded to these words.
After discussing her own matters and exining that Cup took its concept from the Tarot Cup cards''s corresponding symbolism and the sacred object that bore joy and pain, she finally asked 007:
''007, do you have more intelligence about the Sick Church?''
Based on their team''s collection and analysis of information, they believed that the Order of All Extinction and the Sick Church probably worshiped the same evil god, but the former mainly corrupted the upper and middle sses, while thetter targeted the lower sses, preaching about the authority of the Mdy God and the terror of illness, developing followers through intimidation.
007 typed neither fast nor slow, with telegramsing in line by line: ''The several Sick Church-rted cases discovered earlier have been handled, and the corresponding Blessed have been eliminated, but we still haven''t found their upper ranks.
''Those followers who only know the name Mdy God, we now have sufficient manpower, with Mid-Sequence Beyonders watching them, to see if anyone will contact them or if any unusual events ur.
''Besides these, there''s no other intelligence. The cultists in Trier have been very quiet for the past month or two, hiding very deep.''
Very well-behaved? This is very simr to the state before the Hostel incident Is something big really going to happen within a year or two? Other great existences might not know what the Great Mother wants to do and how She would do it, but They should have foreseen that something would happen, after all, we''ve all made some guesses, so They''ve restricted the Blessed in Trier, letting them either transfer elsewhere or wait patiently to fish in troubled waters when the timees? Franca made her own spection based on 007''s words.
At the same time, she also caught another hint from 007.
Followers who only knew the name Mdy God could be saved.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Indeed, those great existences all preach using aliases, not letting followers truly understand Them. This isn''t because They''re merciful, but because truly understanding Them inevitably leads to corruption. Some might be fine, only experiencing personality alteration and extreme mentality, but most would have their bodies copse, bing monsters that constantly spread corruption, making it impossible to preach in secret, as it would be easily discovered by official forces Franca muttered silently.
One reason why seeking boons required performing rituals was to protect the corresponding humans through the ritual, and after establishing a stable but temporary channel, the corresponding being could consciously contain the mental and will corruption in the boon, preventing the bestowed from copsing on the spot.
Even Saints like Franca and Lumian''s understanding of those great existences was limited to aliases, butpared to other Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 demigods, they also know that these existences stand at the top of multiple paths.
In reality, among the great existences, the only one who didn''t preach using an alias was the Mother Tree of Desire.
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Madam Magician mentioned that Mother Tree of Desire was a small segment of the corresponding existence''s long string of honorific names. There were two reasons why understanding and reciting it didn''t directly bring corruption: First, it was only a small segment, iplete; second, the Mother Tree of Desire indirectly controlled the one worshiped by the Rose School of Thought in the real world and the Devil Monarch in the Abyss, so when this honorific name was mentioned, under conditions of limited understanding and while the barrier still existed, the proximity-based mystical phenomenon urred, making it not so dangerous.
''What can we do'' Franca didn''t hide the troubles of a Saint with an honorific name.
007 quickly replied: ''Trier has gathered arge amount of official force, those cultists won''t surface for now. Later, we''ll have enough manpower to investigate everyone in key positions.
''That''s how it is in Trier, but in the marginal towns of the Trier region, in ces where the Church and government forces are weak, there might still be active cultists. You can go look in those ces.''
Right, with Trier''s current situation, we definitely won''t find anyone, but we can search in the suburbs and viges Indeed, only official Beyonders have this kind of vision and experience, we would have wasted some time before possibly thinking of this Franca immediately replied to 007: ''Genius!''
Chapter 1053 A Demonesss Visit
Chapter 1053 A Demoness''s Visit
The confluence of the Srenzo and Ryan Rivers created a fertile valley region in the Trier district, with viges and estates dotting it like jewels, strung together into what was considered the most beautiful and expensive ne in all of Intis.
Vival Town was one of the most peripheral towns in the Trier district, quite ordinary in both geographical location and resources, and had never received much attention.
In the basement theater of the Wild Rabbit Cafe, though there was no puppet show at the moment, twenty to thirty spectators had still gathered.
Some were clearly townspeople, while others seemed to have just arrived from the surrounding countryside, with mud spots still visible on their trouser legs.
Under the yellowish light of the gas wallmps, the cafe owner Dalberro, standing at center stage, looked around before raising a ck and white photograph in his hand.
"You''ve all seen Niel''s death photo very clearly. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"He tried to betray us, and then the great Mdy God brought down punishment."
In the photograph, a man in his thirties had his eyes wide open, frozen in fear, his face showing obvious signs of decay in several ces, with white bone visible in many areas.
Dalberro was a typical Intis gentleman, with beautiful blue eyes, slightly curled brown hair, neatly trimmed beard, and a ruddy but thin face that made him popr withdies.
But at this moment, his expression was unusually gloomy and cold as his gaze swept across the face of each Mdy God follower.
Those caught in his gaze involuntarily lowered their heads, muttering, "Wee the Mdy God, drive out disease!
"Wee the Mdy God, drive out disease!"
Dalberro finally withdrew his gaze and nodded gently.
"Disease has long been scattered throughout this world. Through the great Mdy God''s grace, they haven''t devoured most humans, only dealing with those who abandon the deity.
"I saw with my own eyes how Niel died in pain and regret, tormented to the point of breakdown by an incurable disease.
"Remember, devotion is the best medicine, devotion alone can keep you away from disease!"
Afterpleting the daily sermon and receiving offerings from each follower, Dalberro had the congregants leave in batches to avoid drawing attention.
Then, he returned to his bedroom upstairs and ced the newly acquired money in a metal safe.
After finishing all this, Dalberro was about to head for the door when he suddenly saw his reflection in the full-length mirror undergo a strange transformation.
The person in the mirror quickly became a woman, wearing a ck robe with the hood down.
The woman appeared to be only around twenty years old, with cascading ck hair, each strand glossy but slightly thicker than normal, and eyes like higndkesclear, bright, and dreamlike, making Dalberro''s soul seem to drown in them.
For a moment, Dalberro forgot to be surprised, forgot to be cautious, forgot to be afraid, and just watched as thedy in the mirror walked out and approached him, giving him the feeling that a beautiful dream had finallye true.
"Oh, goddess of my dreams, angel more beautiful than the entire Trier valley, my soul, my heart, what can I do to serve you?" Dalberro reflexively praised her, expressing the burning in his heart.
You Trieriens even after worshiping an evil god, receiving boons, and having your personalities altered, it doesn''t stop you from spreading your peacock feathers in situations like this? Lumian showed a slight smile.
"Are you a Disease Envoy?"
Franca had already obtained some information about the Mdy God from 007, learning the names of several boon Sequences.
Among them, Sequence 9 was Patient, also called Rotting Patient, Sequence 8 was Secretary, Sequence 7 was Vermin, also known as Corruptor, Sequence 6 was Disease Envoy, Sequence 5 was Child of Decay, and Sequence 4 was Doomed One.
Dalberro suddenly shuddered, breaking free from the beauty''s charm through his faith in the Mdy God. "I don''t know what you''re talking about." He knew he should try to find a way to escape contact or suddenly attack and control her, but he couldn''t bring himself to do it.
Lumian curled his lips and said, "Would you like to hear how I found this ce?
"First, I used Magic Mirror Divination to determine the general area, then infiltrated official channels to get data on disease-rted deaths from recent years forparison. After that, I had inconspicuous Beyonders ask around bars and such about anyone who had fallen seriously ill but suddenly recovered in the past few months. Finally, I checked the bodies in the hospital morgue.
"Perhaps blessed by the gods, I had good luck and discovered Niel, who died with his entire body rotting.
"That doctor and those two orderlies are followers of the Mdy God, right? Thanks to them, simr punishments were never exposed, and afterward ''helping'' with cremation requests was no problem."
Dalberro swallowed hard with difficulty andplexity. "Wh-what do you want?"
"I am a Demoness, you know what a Demoness is, right?" Lumian asked with a smile.
Dalberro suddenly understood. "I know a little, no wonder"
No wonder she has such great charm!
Just her appearance, figure, and temperament make one want to worship!
Although the Church always emphasized that Demonesses were enemies, establishing connections wasn''t impossibleany faction could cooperate briefly if their current interests aligned!
"Then you should also know that we Demonesses are ssified as a cult by officials and suppressed everywhere," Lumian said with rather helpless eyes. "We can barely stay in Trier anymore and want to cooperate with you."
"Cooperate?" Dalberro was willing a thousand times over in his heart, but still maintained basic vignce based on his faith in the Mdy God.
"Yes, the Primordial One hopes to receive the great Mdy God''s protection in the future, She is even willing to be the Mdy God''s consort," Lumian said with an ambiguous smile.
Before Dalberro could respond, he slightly raised his chin and said, "Report to your superior. You certainly can''t make decisions about this matter."
Dalberro immediately felt stifled, which gave rise to an impulse.
Kill the superior, be the superior, then gain the qualification to properly discuss cooperation with the beautiful Demoness before him!
How could he let her look down on him?
Final rationality made Dalberro control himself, and he said sincerely, "I-I will find an opportunity to report this."
His hidden meaning was that he couldn''t do it under her watch, and he needed to find a safer environment.
Lumian nodded slightly and smiled. "Are you secretly spreading disease, trying to weaken and control me?"
Dalberro''s face instantly turned red, and he stammered, "I-it was just an instinctive choice.
"You came so suddenly, I had to do this."
"I can understand," Lumian said with a smile. "But I should warn you, diseases have little effect on Demonesses."
After speaking, his figure suddenly faded and disappeared right before Dalberro''s eyes.
This was just a projection that Lumian had manifested through the mirror world!
She''s so nice, even warning me Dalberro gazed longingly at the full-length mirror in the room and where the Demoness had stood, feeling that a faint fragrance still lingered in the air.
After fifteen or twenty seconds, he finally managed to break free from his current state. Looking at the bright sunlight outside, he quickly left the master bedroom and came to the study, opening a secret room.
The secret room was empty, with bare walls, peeling paint, showing signs of decay.
Dalberro lit a white candle, locked the secret room''s door, and carefully checked his surroundings.
After confirming there were no abnormalities, he knelt down, assuming a posture of penitent prayer.
Then, he chanted in an ancient and destenguage that seemed to be losing its very meaning, "Envoy of Depravity and Corruption, Witness to Humanity''s End, Child of Rot and Disease, Palm of the God of Decay, the great Mdy God"
He was praying and beseeching his superiorthe first few lines were directed at them, but the Mdy God part wasn''this superior had deliberately borrowed their worshiped deity''s alias to conceal their true name, saying they could respond based on proximity using the previous four descriptions and current environment.
As Dalberro chanted devoutly, the already dimly candlelit secret room grew darker, the candle me flickering, about to go out.
Meanwhile, in a room opposite the Wild Rabbit Cafe.
Lumian held a in silver mirror, reflecting the cafe and the building above it.
In reality, pedestrians wereing and going on the street, and the cafe had neither many nor few customers, but in the mirror, only the corresponding buildings and rooms existed, with no traces of humans or other living beings.
No, there was one.
In a windowless secret room somewhere in the mirrored building, Dalberro was kneeling before an increasingly yellow and dim candle me, praying devoutly.
In reality, the secret room in the building still existed, but there was no lit candle, nor was there Dalberro.
When Dalberro finished chanting the honorific name, Lumian immediately felt information trying to drill out from the mirror, establishing some kind of mystical connection.
He neither blocked nor influenced it.
Soon, Dalberro heard a low, hoarse voice: "What is it?"
Dalberro immediately reported, "A Demoness has found me; she represents the Demoness Sect in seeking cooperation."
"Demoness" Dalberro suddenly heard his superior curse with anger, "Idiot, damn it!"
Uh Before Dalberro coulde to his senses, his body began rapidly decaying, intense pain stabbing into his mind.
He was already certain to die.
But before this, Lumian in the real world had already sensed consciousness drilling into the mirror world along the previously established mystical connection, falling toward Dalberro.
He immediately reached out his right hand and stroked the surface of the silver mirror.
The consciousness from afar instantly left traces in the mirror world.
Beside him, Franca held another mirror, using it to perform Magic Mirror Divination by questioning her own spirituality, "Where is the source of the traces
"Where is the source of the traces
""
In the blink of an eye, Franca''s mirror reflected a scene: Darkness, enclosed, seemingly the interior of a coffin, seemingly containing a corpse that hadn''tpletely decayed yet.
Chapter 1054 Left Hand
Chapter 1054 Left Hand
As soon as Franca tracked down the source of the traces in the mirror, Lumian immediately grabbed her shoulder and teleported to the location indicated by that scene.
In just two or three seconds, Lumian''s figure materialized in a cemetery between mountains, appearing before a gravestone.
Franca had gone somewhere unknown.
Lumian cast his gaze toward the gravestone, seeing a memorial photo embedded in it and a name engraved: "Mocoxidos."
"So you''ve long been ''dead,'' buried in a cemetery. No wonder the two Churches could never find the high-ranking members of the Sick Church, and who knows how you managed to avoid purification or cremation" Lumian said mockingly while looking at the gravestone.
He had anticipated various methods of contact Dalberro might use, intercepting the corresponding information and establishing connections by cing him in the mirror world.
Before Lumian could finish speaking, the ground in front of the gravestone suddenly exploded with countless pieces of stone and soil.
They shot toward Lumian like bullets fired from a steam rifle, whooshing through the air.
At the same time, Lumian saw a hand.
The hand was entirely cyan in color, swollen to the point of being translucent, with yellowish-green pus flowing inside, making every capiry abnormally clear.
These capiries and palm lines together formedplex symbols and patterns. Just looking at them made Lumian freeze in ce.
At this moment, his field of vision waspletely upied by this hand. Compared to it, the shooting stones and soil seemed as tiny as dust.
Lumian began to tremble, his frost-white, cream-like skin instantly developing deep ck spots.
These spots rapidly eroded inward, causing his flesh to quickly rot.
Lumian couldn''t move, couldn''t use any of his abilities, and even his thoughts were rapidly decaying.
This was no Saint''s hand.
This was clearly the left hand of a deity!
Don''t look directly at God.
Lumian trembled in fear, his mind sinking into silence, unable to make any effective response, as if destined to walk toward the end of decay.
Everything about him was decaying.
Suddenly, his right palm became scorching hot, bringing an obvious stinging sensation.
Lumian abruptly had an impulse to extend his right hand and touch that left palm, to let the ck "pinhole" in his palm touch the other.
This allowed him to barely regain some self-awareness.
However, it was toote.
The shooting stones and soil hit his body, creating ripples and the sound of breaking ss.
Behind Lumian, a hidden mirror revealed itself.
This current Lumian wasn''t his true form, but rather a projection manifested through the mirror world!
Of course, Lumian was also nearby. After teleporting to the cemetery, he had concealed himself and thrown out a mirror.
But the impact of directly looking at a "deity" still affected him, severely wounding him, leaving him unable to move or take any measures to dodge.
As the ground''s stones and soil quickly weathered, that cyan, terrifying, strange hand pressed against Lumian''s projection.
The projection instantly shattered, each illusory fragment rotting and fading.
A series of cracking sounds came from Lumian, who was hiding behind a nearby treethe sound of all his Mirror Substitutions breaking.
Even with the repeated substitutions of Mirror Substitutions, the ck spots and deep decay on Lumian''s body persisted.
Just a second or twoter, his gaze lost focus, and his living presence disappeared.
Thud!
He fell in a highly decayed state, his Traveler''s Bag raising dust from the weathered soil.
He died on the spot.
At this moment, the figure before the gravestone fully appeared.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a ck suit without a hat. His face was somewhat long, with rotting spots showing bone on both sides, and his skin was pale, as if it hadn''t seen sunlight for a long time.
His left hand hung naturally, its cyan-green swollen statepletely different from the rest of his body.
Before Mocoxidos could check the situation, surging, quiet, indifferent gray-white appeared from behind the gravestone, rapidly spreading over.
Wherever the gray-white passed, whether floating dust or weathered ground, everything instantly became solid and heavy, losing all other colors.
Mocoxidos didn''t panic, extending his left palm with its yellowish-green capiries and cyan patterns toward this gray-white expanse.
Though there was no physical contact yet, the gray-white slowed down, bing increasingly sluggish, even developing cracks within itself.
At this moment, a mirror flew out from the fallen Traveler''s Bag.
From that mirror, Lumian, wearing a ck robe with the hood down, appeared, walking back to reality with a smile on his lips.
His higndke-like eyes had already captured Mocoxidos''s figure.
Almost simultaneously, two ck mes containing destruction and madness leaped from Lumian''s pupils.
"Ah!"
Mocoxidos immediately screamed in agony as bursts of ck mes erupted from his rotting flesh, both igniting his soul and burning his decaying bodyposed of various pathogens.
He hurriedly withdrew his left hand and tore open his abdomen, as if trying to pull out the source of the ck mes, but this was a Demoness cursethe true source was with Lumian.
Lumian had disappeared, perhaps teleporting to somewhere distant, or perhaps hiding in the mirror world.
As Mocoxidos''s left hand collided with the Fire of Destruction, the corresponding ck mes began to weaken, flickering as if about to die out.
But the ck mes didn''t extinguishpletely, stubbornly continuing to burn Mocoxidos''s flesh and soul, though their intensity began to rapidly decay.
While Mocoxidos dealt with one threat, he couldn''t handle the otherthe previously suppressed gray-white became surging again, crossing the barriers and spreading to his side.
His clothes quickly took on the gray-white color, turning to stone.
Mocoxidos''s body suddenly emitted a putrid aura, with cyan-green yellowish pus oozing from the rotting areas where bone was visible. N?v(el)B\\jnn
This pus instantly covered Mocoxidos''s body, causing him to dpose into countless pathogens and disappear on the spot.
Some pathogens were still entangled with ck mes and quickly annihted, but others that weren''t originally affected managed to escape the burning of the Fire of Destruction,
At this time, the gray-white color symbolizing Petrification grew more intense, engulfing many pathogens and turning them to stone fragments that drifted to the ground.
Lumian''s figure materialized at the side of the gravestone, smiling as he raised his right palm.
Throughout the entire valley cemetery, from sky to earth, strange and quiet ck mes ignited silently.
In this ck me hell, every tree and de of grass withered, copsing as the surviving pathogens around the gravestone lost their spirituality and life one by one.
After about seven seconds, Lumian heard a shrill, unwilling, ethereal, cursing scream in the air.
From this, he knew Mocoxidos hadpletely died.
And due to the burning of a Demoness''s ck mes, the other''s spirit wouldpletely dissipate in the next few dozen seconds, unable to channel his spirit or do anything else through those means.
Lumian flipped his hand, using the mirror to pull the area around the gravestone and Mocoxidos''s spirit into the mirror world, thereby affecting the return of the boon powers.
He and Franca then crossed through the silver mirror surface, arriving in the corresponding area behind the mirror.
During this process, Lumian couldn''t help but reflect on the recent battle.
Mocoxidos''s performance had exceeded both his and Franca''s expectations.
That cyan-green swollen left hand was like one belonging to a true deitymerely seeing it and being pressed by it from afarpletely crushed Lumian''s resistance, making even dodging impossible.
This definitely surpassed Sequence 3, reaching the power level of an Angel, perhaps even higher!
Most Sequence 3 Saints from other paths would have died irreversibly facing that attack just now. Fortunately, Lumian was a Demoness of Unaging, peculiarly difficult to kill and skilled in revival and rebirth.
Moreover, other Demoness of Unaging couldn''t manage this so easilythey would likely have their normal Mirror Person die along with them, only able to revive through a pre-ced mirror in a hidden location,rgely disconnected from themselves, containing a sleeping Mirror Person. This would take dozens of minutes or even hours, making further participation in this battle impossible.
Lumian had something special in his right palm, and thanks to the stimted residual aura of the mutated Blood Emperor, he managed to break free from that left hand''s influence slightly earlier to some extent, actively using Mirror Substitution.
Even so, all his Mirror Substitutions were destroyed, and his true form had to die once, though it didn''t affect his self in the mirror.
If not for Franca''s assistance and containment, Mocoxidos would have escaped before he could revive and return.
That left hand was indeed formidable, with a terrifying divine descent quality
But aside from the left hand, Mocoxidos''s other aspects seemed quite ordinary, even inferior to the Sequence 4 demigod of the same path I killed before
Did the existence of that ''left hand'' suppress the manifestation of Mocoxidos''s other abilities, causing his thinking and reactions to decay to some extent?
Since Amon could modify the ability manifestations of various sequences in the Marauder pathway, surely the great existence using ''Mdy God'' as an alias can do the same. When bestowing power, He deliberately adjusted the sequence abilities, lowering the rank of His own or a left hand projection of some Angel near the divine throne to Sequence 3, but had to reduce other abilities as a result and make the bestowed pay an additional price?
As these thoughts shed through Lumian''s mind, he nced at Franca and took out his Chariot card and The Fool''s Sacred Emblem.
For the uing theft and maniption, they would definitely need to beseech Mr. Fool''s help!
Lumian himself didn''t have such abilities. If he could control Mocoxidos and have enough time to userge-scale ck magic, using this Saint as a medium to slowly establish contact with all Mdy God believers, he might barely be able to take over the Sick Church by himself, but now, less than thirty seconds remained.
Chapter 1055 Double Gods
Chapter 1055 Double Gods
As Lumian watched the cemetery turn gray-white and the faintly visible fragmented spirit, he quickly lit three candles. With one hand holding The Fool''s Sacred Emblem and the other holding the Chariot card, he began chanting in Hermes, "The Fool that doesn''t belong to this era,
"The mysterious ruler above the gray fog,
"The King of Yellow and ck who wields good luck.
"I implore you,
"I beseech your assistance"
Regarding the Sick Church matter, Lumian had already reported to Mr. Fool beforehand, exining his thoughts, so there was no need for detailed descriptions now, nor for setting up an altar.
Afterpleting the imitation ritual''s supplication, Lumian and Franca''s thoughts became slightly sluggish, like when they had to study after pulling an all-nighter before gaining their supernatural abilities.
Then, they seemed to see a hand wearing a ck glove.
That hand covered the high sky, ethereal and illusory, not actually present.
Almost simultaneously, tiny fragments of spiritual light gathered, reassembling Mocoxidos''s nearly-annihted soul body.
Around this soul body, illusory points of light appeared one after another, while from its body extended an insubstantial cyan-green yellowish line stretching infinitely upward.
That line suddenly wavered, pulled back by an invisible force, connecting its ends to form a closed system, no longer maintaining contact with the outside world.
Only this way could Lumian and Franca''s theft of the Sick Church''s faith avoid being corrupted by the corresponding horrifying will.
For a great existence of this rank, bearing His name meant bing Him, even if it was just one of His aliases.
Since no one had preached in the name of Mdy God before, and this title "Mdy God" had subsequently established a connection with Him over time, this was Him, just not as closely bound as His true honorific name.
After the illusory line connecting the anchor and object of faith entered a self-cycling state, those points of light surrounding Mocoxidos''s remnant spirit quickly floated toward Lumian.
Scenes then appeared before Lumian''s eyes, representing each bestowed who knew Mocoxidos''s honorific name.
Ordinary believers weren''t qualified to know and chant the name of the Mdy God''s envoy.
They would only pray silently ording to those preachers'' intimidation and sermons, adding prefixes to "Mdy God" and His messengers based on their own understanding.
This was also an anchor, but wouldn''t have such points of light.
Lumian quickly scanned through them all, discovering that among these bestowed, only one possessed godhood, and clearly didn''t have "God''s Left Hand" like Mocoxidos.
Only one Sequence 4? The rest are all mid to low Sequences Is this all the power the Sick Church has in the Trier region? Must pay extra attention to the Sequence 4 demigod, he might see through my and Franca''s disguise, realize it''s sphemers deceiving for faith He must possess part of the Mdy God''s honorific name, maybe even theplete name Just as Lumian had this thought, he saw the Doomed One in the light point take out a pair of ck gloves from somewhere, put them on, and gently nod across the void.
Is he controlled by Mr. Fool? Parasitized? Lumian''s confidence doubled. He put on the Lie earring, altered his throat structure, and began issuingmands to each bestowed represented by the light points in Mocoxidos''s voice: "The situation has changed. From now on, the great Mdy God will gradually descend into reality in twin form. They are the ''God of gue'' and the ''God of Disease;'' They are both male and female"
This would point to Lumian and Franca, matching their essence.
As for Jeanna, there was no reasonable way to add her now. Once Lumian and Franca truly controlled the Sick Church in the Trier Region, changing the doctrine and adding new saints would be very easy, since Jeanna was still far from Sequence 3.
Lumian continued speaking rapidly, "Spread the new doctrine to believers quickly, urge them to master the honorific names of both deities and pray to Them.
"One is:
"The Lady more ancient than the times, Servant of Cmity, Child of gue and Disease, Destroyer who walks in Shadows, Guide of all lostmbs in Trier, the great God of gue."
Here Lumian borrowed his sister Aurore''s uniqueness, then pieced together his own specialtieswhether "Serving Cmity," "Child of gue and Disease," or "Destroyer," all came from the top powers of the Hunter and Demoness pathways that had given him the boon and caused his palm to mutate somewhat. This matched the exnation of the Mdy God''s division and wouldn''t make the bestowed suspicious.
This way, even without using his true name but referring to himself with the false God of gue, he could be precisely indicated, because even without thest line, the previous five lines in standard format could lock onto him.
This was also adding anchors for Aurore.
"The other is:
"The Ancient One who transcends time, One who remains forever young, Envoy of Disease and gue, Lady who spreads pain and despair, Protector of humanity''s adventurous spirit, the great God of Disease."
This would point to Franca.
To ensure these descriptionsbined with precise uracy, Franca also imitated Mr. Fool, incorporating her uniqueness as a transmigrator into the description.
Currently in the Northern and Southern Continents, only she and half of Aurore were both transmigrators and Demonesses of Unaging.
Of course, Franca didn''t dare bet that no other high-ranking beings in this world matched just the two descriptions of "Ancient One who transcends time" and "remains forever young." In the depths of space and various alternate dimensions, there might truly be beings who had lived from before the Primordial One''s awakening until now and didn''t age, since apparently only Earth''s living creatures had encountered the apocalypse back then.
But such beings surely could no longer be called "human."
After initially anchoring herself with the first two descriptions, Franca took several titles she had considered before but weren''t suitable for inclusion in the Church of The Fool''s patron saint name, selected those that fit the Sick Church''s doctrine, and added "Protector of humanity''s adventurous spirit"a title that had earned her mockery but actually wasn''t bad upon careful consideration.
This could effectively distinguish her from Aurora while remaining neutral, potentially serving as an entry point for her and Lumian to gradually transform the Sick Church''s doctrer.
And with these five honorific names, "the great God of Disease" became optional.
However, it wasn''tpletely useless. As time passed, the title "God of Disease" would gradually be associated with Franca. If she could be an Angel in the future, "God of Disease" would truly be equivalent to her.
After exining the most important matters, Lumian saw those illusory points of light return to their original size, still surrounding him.
They had been grafted onto him.
Of course, this wasn''t permanent, and Lumian hadn''t intended it to be.
If he hadn''t needed these bestowed to preach and change the believers'' understanding, he would have eliminated them all on the spot, leaving no survivors.
These were severely corrupted people who had received boon from the corresponding existence. To Lumian, who had usurped the position of Mdy God, they were genuine time bombs with basically no possibility of salvation.
"I''ll need to watch them constantly. Once most of the Mdy God believers in the Trier region establish connections with me and Franca, I''ll immediately eliminate these bestowed The Grafting of faith anchors canst at least a month, that''s enough" Lumian slowly exhaled, sincerely thanking Mr. Fool for his help.
The power that had made his and Franca''s heads feel insufficient then receded.
Next, Lumian looked at Mocoxidos''s remaining spirit floating in mid-air, slightly surprised to find it hadn''tpletely dissipated.
ording to Lumian''s previous estimation, after entering the mirror world, Mocoxidos wouldpletely pass away in just over thirty seconds, unable even to channel spirits, but now it seemed he could still hold on for about twenty seconds.
And what they had just done couldn''t have taken only ten secondsjust speaking the honorific names took longer than that!
Did Mr. Fool''s gaze make time slow down?
No, not slow down, my actions and words didn''t be slower
Did time slow down only for Mocoxidos''s Spirit Body? Or did Mr. Fool grant Mocoxidos''s Spirit Body more time? N?v(el)B\\jnn
An application of high-ranking Marauder pathway abilities?
As these thoughts raced through Lumian''s mind, he quickly employed a Magic Mirror Spirit Channeling Spell.
There should still be time to ask one question!
Lumian wasn''t worried this would lead to him being noticed by the entity worshiped by the Sick Church, because Mocoxidos''s connection with that being had been cut off, its ends joined to form a cycle.
Regarding Mocoxidos and Sick Church matters, Lumian actually had quite a few questions: From those prayer light points just now, the Sick Church had only ten to twenty bestowed in the Trier region, clearly not arge scale.
But among fewer than twenty bestowed, there was actually the Sequence 3 Mocoxidos and a Sequence 4 Doomed One.
Wasn''t this ratio too extreme?
Back then, 007 as a Church deacon for a district in Trier was only Sequence 5, with two teams of Beyonders under himnearly fifteen people.
Even though bestowed couldn''t be directlypared to those who advanced through potions, the Sick Church''s situation was puzzling.
Normally, such a teamposition with a Sequence 4 demigod would already be the limit, and that only because the Trier region was very important.
So, Lumian wanted to ask what special contribution Mocoxidos had made to receive the Sequence 3 boon, which had also led to some of his subordinates receiving advancement.
Perhaps very important secrets were hidden here.
Soon, Lumianpleted the Magic Mirror Spirit Channeling Spell taught by Franca.
In the makeup mirror he took out appeared Mocoxidos''s increasingly fading spirit.
Lumian asked quickly, "What incident led to you receiving a boon to that left hand?"
Obvious fanaticism appeared on Mocoxidos''s increasingly pale and transparent face.
In a deep, hoarse voice, he mused, "After the Vortex incident"
Chapter 1056 Gathering
Chapter 1056 Gathering
"After the Vortex incident" Mocoxidos continued, "God specifically bestowed upon me, telling me to stay in Trier, not to do anything else, not to expose myself."
"It wasn''t because you made some special contribution?" Lumian quickly followed up.
When he heard the word "Vortex," he thought he''d found a key point, but unexpectedly, Mocoxidos''s answer waspletely different from what he had imagined.
This was even more suspicious!
"Because I am devout," Mocoxidos said fanatically. "Compared to the Order of All Extinction, we are the overlooked faction, doing less. God specifically bestowing upon me could only be because of my devotion"
Before he could finish speaking, his remnant soul had faded too much to sustain the spirit channeling.
Lumian and Franca could only watch helplessly as hepletely dissipated.
Franca took out the Inevitable Gun and ced it where the cyan-green yellowish light points were gathering and floating upward.
Since this was an ordinary mirror world, the return of the boon was only partially affected. While it settled down again, most of it still broke free and disappeared.
While waiting for the Inevitable Gun''s power to be replenished and show more mutations, Franca said to Lumian, "Getting a Sequence 3-equivalent boon without needing to make any contribution?
"I thought bing a Demoness of Unaging was already easy enough, but I didn''t expect there could be something even easier."
Smiling, Lumian replied, "Didn''t you notice this when you were in the Savoie Mob? If they suddenly give you a gun, it''s definitely to make you do something dangerous, to use you as cannon fodder."
"Right, there''s no such thing as a free lunchthe more free it seems, the more expensive it actually is." Franca understood Lumian''s meaning. "The entity worshiped by the Sick Church gave Mocoxidos and others more boons, instructing them to lie low in the Trier region, because in the near future they''ll be made to do something quite crucial, something they must do even if it leads to all their deaths?"
Lumian nodded. "It''s unfortunate that the Sick Church is a fringe sect. If we had captured a Sequence 3 Saint from the Order of All Extinction, we might already know what the issue is."
This could be seen from the names of the first few boon sequences of the Patient pathwaythe followers of that great existence naturally tended toward infiltrating Trier''s upper and middle sses, gradually corrupting the entire system.
Disease and gue were just two among that being''s many authorities.
"Indeed." Franca sighed. "Whatever the case, removing one nail is still one nail removed. We don''t need to worry about the Sick Church for now."
At this point, her Inevitable Gun showed some changes, expanding slightly overall and taking on a faint cyan-green tinge.
Franca retrieved the revolver with spider silk and learned the final "results" by querying her own spirituality.
The shots with either Certain Death or Sure Hit effects were restored to 13 times, and an additional new effect was added that could stun enemies, cause their thoughts to decay, and significantly affect their thinking and actions.
This didn''t require actually hitting the target to take effectas long as the target was locked onto and the shot was fired, they would experience simr conditions.
And if a bullet with this effect actually hit, unless the target had previously used a body double ability, their original body would inevitably decay and move toward death, though this wouldn''t affect the mirror that the Demoness of Unaging had hidden away earlier with most mystical connections severed.
"It can''tpare to the original left handit won''t make targets truly feel like they''re facing divine descent,pletely unable to move or even think. Let''s just say it can be useful in split-second moments, leaving enemies no time to react" Franca casually exined.
She quickly named this effect "God''s Gaze," which could only be triggered once.
Franca then sighed.
"It''s a pity we were too rushedif we had brought Anthony''s Winter is Coming, his weapon could have been replenished too."
Franca and Lumian had originally thought Dalberro''s superior would at most be a Sequence 4 Doomed One. Although they had made contingency ns for encountering a Sequence 3 Saint, that wasn''t their main focus, so the execution was inevitably somewhat hasty. Many preparations they should have made weren''t done, and they could only rely on the Demoness of Unaging''s bizarre unkible trait to forcefully confront and block the target.
"There will be other chances." Lumian smiled slightly.
He was referring to the Sequence 4 demigod currently under Mr. Fool''s control.
Of course, this was assuming Mr. Fool didn''t n to use that puppet for something else.
Franca made an affirmative sound, then said, "The gathering time is set for 10 pm Saturday. You got the message, right?"
"I did." Lumian nodded.
Saturday night at 10pm, in the ancient and dpidated pce of the Nation of the Evernight, Lumian''s figure quickly materialized.
He was once again dressed as a warlock, wearing a silver-white half mask.
After waiting another five minutes, Hidden de Franca, still wearing her assassin outfit, walked to the huge stone chair and cleared her throat.
"Everyone, I have announcements to make."
Her voice wasn''t loud, but it transmitted through the mirror items carried by many Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society members, allowing everyone to hear clearly.
"That''s a nice trick, Hidden de," someone immediately praised.
Hidden de''s past actions and previously established image meant people didn''t respect and revere her like they did H and Gandalf, instead treating her more like a friend they could tease.
Franca''s lips curled into a smile. "You''re right. The first thing I want to announce is:
"Ladies and gentlemen, I''ve be a demigod!"
As the many Research Society members stared in shock, unable to believe it and about to express their emotions with profanity, the xen-colored long hair extending from under Franca''s hood floated up, bing slightly darker and thicker.
This made the vast majority of Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society members inexplicably rmed, instinctively lowering their heads as if threads of electricity were coursing through their bodies.
This wasn''t disying an iplete Mythical Creature formFranca wouldn''t dare do that. She was merely showing a hint of her godhood''s aura to make her words more convincing.
The entire ancient pce suddenly fell silent.
After a moment, when everyone came to their senses, they instinctively wanted to express various opinions and use different tone words, but instantly remembered Hidden de''s previous disy and closed their mouths again.
That was the aura of godhood.
Hidden de was now half-god, half-human.
Franca''s deliberate showing off was mainly to strengthen the persuasiveness of her subsequent words. Seeing their reaction, she smoothly continued, "We''re still brothers and sisters, don''t be so formal.
"After all these years, don''t you know what kind of person I am?
"If you don''t curse a bit, don''t marvel at how Hidden de suddenly became so powerful, don''t express your inner shock and admiration, wouldn''t my showing off be for nothing?"
Right, right, right, Hidden de''s air is back! The Research Society members immediately rxed considerably and, like those people in the telegram group, began expressing their shock and admiration.
Franca immediately harvested joy from this.
She had to admit that a small part of her deliberate showing off was for the showing off itself.
When everyone''s discussion had somewhat subsided, Franca said in a low voice, "The second thing I want to announce is that I''ve received intelligence that those evil cults across the Northern and Southern Continents and the Five Seas will do something big in the next year or two, which might bring apocalyptic scenes.
"If you have chances to advance your Sequence, try your best to do so. If not, that''s fine toojust enjoy life and when the timees, hide in ces like the cathedrals in major cities.
"As long as the true gods can hold on, things won''t be too hopeless. If They can''t hold on, everyone should first preserve their useful selves and decide what to do based on the specific situation. Personally, I think catastrophe will inevitablye, but it''s possible to survive them."
The Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society members looked at each other, both bewildered and confused.
If Hidden de hadn''t be a demigod Demoness, they would have thought she was joking, ying a prank.
How could the apocalypsee so suddenly?
Were there no omens or prophecies?
Everyone turned their gazes toward H and Gandalfpared to the newly-made demigod Hidden de, these two had more authority and were more trustworthy.
H walked to Franca''s side and looked around. "Members in Trier, try to leave within half a year. This city will be one of the key nodes where problems erupt.
"Even if you really like life in Trier, you can return after things are over."
This indirectly endorsed Franca''s previous words.
The Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society members immediately erupted, asking all at once, "What exactly is going to happen?"
"Which ces will be safer?"
"Will remote viges be affected?"
""
Franca pressed down with one hand, gesturing for everyone to calm down.
"The specifics aren''t clear.
"Just treat it as a prophecy made by a prophetthere might not be only one interpretation."
As everyone discussed, she and H walked down the steps.
Gandalf came to where they had just been standing, showing no surprise or shock about the apocalyptic matter.
This president of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society looked at everyone and said, "Let me add one more point:
"Try to hide in big cities, but not the capitals of various countries."
The sessive confirmations made the gathering''s atmosphere suddenly heavy, though not to the point of freezing or despair.
The Academy group''s gathering spot had the same atmosphere.
Professor, wearing a butterfly bow tie, looked at Lumian and asked, "Muggle, you''re quite familiar with Hidden de. Have you heard more details?"
"No," Lumian added, "I only know that the Eternal zing Sun Church has ced nearly half its forces in Trier."
After Periodic Table, Isotope, Associate Professor and others discussed for a while, Lumian thoughtfully said, "I have something to remind you about. After bing a Warlock, I was infused with quite a bit of knowledge by the Hidden Sage, some of which was about summoning special creatures from the spirit world.
"This had significant problems. It took me a long time to resolve them, so I have some experience.
"Have you been infused with knowledge in this area? Something about weak balls of telepathic connections."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Chapter 1057 The Key Point
Chapter 1057 The Key Point
Lumian deliberately spoke very clearly to ensure no one would overlook it.
Moreover, he pointed out that this matter was dangerous, and he had experience in how to resolve it.
This way, if any of the present Warlocks had been infused with mystical knowledge about summoning White Papers and hadn''t yet undergoneplete personality alteration, they would surely be rmed, be fearful, and then either openly or secretly seek him out to discuss whether the problem truly existed and what solutions there might be.
Professor, who represented the Academy group''s Warlocks, thought for a moment and shook his head. "I''ve never been infused with knowledge in this area."
After the other Warlocks gave simr answers, a man who had spoken little in the previous discussion suddenly said, "The weak ball that can telepathically connect with me, right?
"I received rted knowledge."
Lumian''s heart leaped with joy as he looked at this Academy group member who was also dressed as a warlock, remembering his codename: Condensed Matter.
"Yes," Lumian nodded, ncing around before asking Condensed Matter, "May I ask you some questions in private? If you''re unsure about me, we can have Madame H present."
Worried that he might already have hidden problems due to that mystical knowledge, Condensed Matter didn''t refuse Lumian''s invitation. "Okay."
Soon, in a corner of the ancient pce, with H witnessing, Lumian questioned Condensed Matter, "Have you used those descriptions to summon the corresponding spirit world creature?"
"I have," Condensed Matter couldn''t help asking, "Is there something wrong with that?"
Lumian''s brows furrowed slightly beneath his silver-white half mask, and instead of answering, he asked, "Can you sense anything special about me?"
He wanted to see if the other person could detect Omebe''s bloodline.
"Does being particrly charming count?" Condensed Matter answered honestly.
"It does," Lumian smiled behind his silver-white half mask, "When did you first summon that spirit world creature?"
"Around June or July two years ago," Condensed Matter recalled.
June or July two years ago By then, Madame Pualis and the padre already had the child Lumian thought for a moment and asked, n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"After being infused with this knowledge by the Hidden Sage, you didn''t try it immediately?"
Condensed Matter shook his head. "When I received the rted knowledge, I was travelingtraveling with family; so I couldn''t try it. Later, I was infused with more knowledge and also traded for a grimoire, so I forgot about it until remembering muchter."
"I see" Lumian''s tone suddenly carried a hint of sighing.
This wasn''t for Condensed Matter, but for Aurore.
He then said, "Can you describe what the contracted creature you summoned looks like?"
Condensed Matter described his contracted creature''s appearance in detail, which was almost identical to the White Paper Lumian had summoned.
"When you first summoned it, did it have slightly milky and pale yellow clear liquid inside its body? It might have disappearedter," Lumian asked as if confirming something.
Condensed Matter thought carefully before saying, "No."
"No" Lumian sighed as if he had expected this.
He then said to Condensed Matter, "The one you summoned probably doesn''t have any problems."
"That''s good, that''s good!" Condensed Matter turned his head with undisguised joy, ncing at H as if hoping thisdy would endorse this assessment.
At this point, Lumian added, "But I can''t bepletely certain yet. There are still a few questions I need you to answer. This might involve your privacy, but you don''t need to be too detailedI just need to grasp the general situation."
After hesitating for a few seconds, influenced by multiple factors including his desire for a definitive answer, the other party''s extraordinary charm, and Madame H''s presence as witness, Condensed Matter finally nodded and said, "Ask away."
Lumian sincerely said, "Thank you."
He then posed his question. "Which deity do you worship? If it''s not one of the orthodox gods, you don''t need to answer."
Finding the question simpler and less awkward than imagined, Condensed Matter quickly answered, "Eternal zing Sun."
Eternal zing Sun Is this themon point? On the surface, they''re all casual believers of the Eternal zing Sun But surely among the Warlocks in Trier like Professor and the others, there must be some who praise the sun daily to conceal their identity Are they deliberately concealing it, not mentioning it? Also, Condensed Matter is male, Aurore is female, so gender clearly isn''t why the Hidden Sage targeted her Lumian was initially pleased but quickly sank into deep thought.
"How old were you when you transmigrated, and how old was the body after transmigration?" Lumian further asked.
"Myst memory wasmenting that I was almost thirty and had achieved nothing," Condensed Matter for a moment before saying. "When I upied this body, he was just twenty-five."
Different from Aurore''s body state before and after transmigration Lumian quickly considered which aspects he should look formon points.
While thinking, he casually asked, "Are the current body''s parents still alive?"
"They passed away long ago," Condensed State answered concisely.
"Do you have children?" Lumian continued digging in this direction.
"Yes," Condensed Matter clearly didn''t want to say more.
There really aren''t anymon points with Aurore At this moment, Lumian recalled something Condensed Matter had said earlier and thought for two seconds before asking, "You said when you were infused with the corresponding knowledge, you were traveling with familywhich family members?"
Condensed Matter still only spoke generally, "My wife, and my elder sister''s family."
"Elder sister" Lumian''s pupils suddenly dted, as if he''d been struck by lightning.
Condensed Matter nodded slightly. "Yes, the sister who raised this body of mine."
Lumian stared at Condensed Matter, fallingpletely silent.
He felt he had found that key point.
The key point beyond the three words "Warlock," "transmigrator," and "gray fog aura": Sister and brother!
Elder sister and younger brother!
Lumian began silently talking to himself.
He kept repeating two names.
Omebe, Zedus
Omebe, Zedus
Suddenly, Lumian remembered something else from the past.
When Madam Magician mentioned the empty baby cradle, she used the word "lost."
This meant that in the eyes of this Angel who had a rtively deep understanding of the Cordu Vige incident, ording to her spiritual intuition, the cradle was empty because the child was "lost," which wasn''t exactly equivalent to death.
And the subsequent intelligence from Madame Pualis and everyone''s deductions indicated that baby Omebe had died early on, killed by her father, her direct rtive the padre.
At the time, neither Lumian nor Madam Magician thought there was anything wrong with thisdeath was indeed a form of loss.
But now, Lumian had a new conjecture:
Could it be that Madame Pualis didn''t give birth to one child for the padre, but to twins, a sister and brother?
Then, one was killed, one mysteriously disappeared, achieving some purpose through the ritual of the Inevitability believers?
The killed baby Omebe has now returned to Madame Pualis''s embrace but can''te to reality yetwhat about the mysteriously lost child?
Thinking of this, Lumian suddenly smiled.
He felt this might have something to do with himself.
He began to suspect that his selection of the Abscessed Hand profile from such arge collection of spirit world creature materials, making it the first creature for a Contractee to sign with, wasn''t coincidental but stemmed from some mystical connection.
Simrly, when he first arrived in Trier, his choice of the market district and the Auberge du Coq Dor wasn''t just because that''s what the deity worshiped by the Aurora Order arranged, but perhaps also because of the Poison Spur Mob supported by the Nightstalkers there.
If this was true, thenter meeting Father Montserrat and obtaining Omebe''s remaining umbilical cord was destined, an inevitable fate!
This also rified why Madame Pualis had to find him specifically in the dream city!
Ignoring Condensed Matter''s surprised and confused gaze, Lumian half-closed his eyes and silently said to himself, Hand Bro, I''ll bring Omebe''s remains to see you as soon as possible!
Trier, fourth level of the catbs.
Lumian held a lit white candle, apanied by Jenna who also had yellowish light spreading from her hands, as they walked step by step toward the ancient tomb containing the Samaritan Women''s Spring.
Before going to Morora to help Jenna advance to Demoness of Despair, he wanted Jenna to meet with Krismona''s shadow to see what changes might ur or what hints they might receive.
"Can''t Francae here anymore?" Jenna asked curiously.
Lumian nodded. "After obtaining godhood, one should visit Trier''s undergroundespecially ces like thisas little as possible. Unless absolutely necessary, it''s best not toe."
"Aren''t you a demigod too?" Jenna asked, both amused and concerned.
Lumian chuckled. "It''s different.
"For me, entering the catbs feels asfortable as returning home.
"If I weren''t worried about making others nervous, I wouldn''t even need to light a candle."
He raised his right hand, exposing his palm with its pale skin, dark red marks, and ck pinhole to the cold air and candlelit dimness.
Then he blew out the candle in his hand, suddenly enveloped by darkness with only Jenna''s candlelight revealing his silhouette.
"Don''t take risks!" Jenna was startled.
Lumian obligingly relit the candle with a smile.
"I was right, wasn''t I?"
"You scared me to death!" Jenna red at Lumian.
As they talked, they finally reached the ancient tomb chamber.
Lumian looked at the tomb door for two seconds and sighed.
"Too bad we didn''t encounter Krismona''s shadow on the way.
"I feel she''s more friendly outside the Samaritan Women''s Spring, while inside she tends to be more"
Lumian paused, then said in a low voice, "Evil."
Chapter 1058 Meeting
1058 Meeting
In front of the grayish-white fog surrounding the area of the Samaritan Women''s Spring.
Lumian and Jenna both lowered their heads, pressed their hands to their chests, and recited Mr. Fool''s honorific name.
When they raised their heads, they had already arrived on the other side of the gray fog.
The two followed the slope downward, and soon heard faint, ethereal sshing sounds.
A few stepster, they saw the figure of a beautiful and holy woman in white robes.
The child of the Primordial DemonessKrismona.
Jenna examined the target''s pale, transparent face for a few seconds and stepped forward on her own, to see if her special nature would elicit any additional reaction.
Suddenly, a gleam of light appeared in Krismona''s empty, nk eyes.
It was sharp, cold, and extraordinarily vicious!
Almost simultaneously, around Lumian and Jenna, from the sloped ground, the gray mist above, and the air in all directions, emerged one thick, slippery ck poisonous snake after another, each with distinct ck and white eyeballs rolling on their heads.
In less time than it takes to blink, this ce had be a forest of ck snakes, obscuring the earth and piercing the sky.
With these changes, the temperature dropped dramatically, and the area around the Samaritan Women''s Spring instantly became a world ruled by ice and snow.
Icicles were interspersed among the dense ck snakes, covering them with ayer of crystalline white.
Jenna had already frozen stiff, with ice particles and icicles forming on her xen hair, face, and all over her clothes.
Around Lumian, intense white mes with a blue tinge burned, but these mes were also freezing rapidly, with crystalline iceyers spreading quickly.
For Lumian, blocking for this brief moment was enough. He raised his right palm, activating the residual aura of the Blood Emperor in his palm.
The sshing sound instantly intensified, and Jenna, who was already nearly frozen and petrified, immediately lost consciousness.
Lumian felt the familiar aura of madness and the deathly cold emanating from the Underworld Daoist.
The water of the Samaritan Women''s Spring receded into its deep source, pulling Krismona''s shadow along with it, making it bob up and down.
Both the ck Snake Forest that filled this space and the frost world that was cold enough to be almost unbearable even for a Sequence 3 Saint dissipated.
Everything returned to normal.
Jenna gradually regained her thoughts, and as the spring water began flowing again, she heard Krismona''s fearful, hateful voice filled with intense cursing: "Do not advance to Demoness of Unaging!
"Do not advance to Demoness of Unaging!"
The high-tier Demoness''s figure lingering near the spring water repeated these words, Her voice shrill and terrifying.
Seeing that the world of ice and snow was about to descend again, and thick hair like ck poisonous snakes was about to pierce from the ground toward the sky, Lumian pulled Jenna back two steps.
Krismona''s figure no longer showed any abnormality, Her eyes once again bing empty and nk.
"How do you feel?" Lumian had also heard what Krismona was shouting, but he was more interested in knowing if the pure female Demoness had any special sensations.
Jenna paused for two seconds, then recalled, "It''s different from what I sensed during an advancement. The current Lady Krismona is more like the Primordial Demoness
"This isn''t about simrities in temperament or feeling, but rather that the malice toward pure female demonesses is almost identicalthe kind of malice that would personally strangle the corresponding possibility. Well, there are still subtle differencesLady Krismona''s malice stems more from fear.
"She seems terrified of seeing a Sequence 3 pure female demoness"
"Is the Krismona here a remnant of obsession and malice, so it manifests more directly and obviously?" Lumian nodded with understanding. "Looking at it this way, there shouldn''t be much problem with pure female demonesses advancing to Sequence 4. The hidden danger and risk lie in reconciling with the Mirror Person when bing Sequence 3."
Lumian gazed at Krismona''s figure beside the Samaritan Women''s Spring and said thoughtfully,
"What was Her rtionship with Her Mirror Personenvement, infatuation, or reconciliation?"
"You suspect something went wrong with Lady Krismona before She perished?" Jenna asked, turning her head.
After pondering for two seconds, Lumian said, "The one lingering around the Samaritan Women''s Spring might be fine, but who knows what the one near the Krismona Night Pir in Fourth Epoch Trier is."
Jenna nodded solemnly.
"Let''s go, we can''tmunicate normally anymore." Lumian turned around.
He then smiled and said, "This isn''t necessarily a bad thing. Normalmunication might involve instigation and deception, while curse-like shouts based on obsession are more authentic. Through this, we can confirm there are no hidden dangers in advancing to Demoness of Despair."
As he spoke, Lumian turned back to look at Krismona''s body.
Through the thin gray fog, he saw the holy and beautiful high-tier Demoness continuing to wander beside the spring eye flowing with pale water, day after day, year after year, Her face pale and transparent, Her gaze empty and nk.
Suddenly, Krismona looked toward them.
This time, inexplicable fear appeared in Her nk eyes.
The gleam of fear vanished instantly,pletely swallowed by endless emptiness.
"What did She see?" Lumian muttered as he walked back.
But with just himself there, Krismona showed no reaction. When Jenna joined, the previous events merely repeated, with no additional information gained.
At this point, Lumian and Jenna finally abandoned their desire to continue probing and left the Samaritan Women''s Spring.
The next morning, in the New City of Silver, at the bottom of the spire, at the end of the mottled stairs, in a room filled with morning light, ck hair strands, various nts, and different mushrooms.
Under Mr. Sun''s watch, Lumian walked to the brownish soil pile and ced both hands on the withered, huge grayish-brown tree trunk.
At this moment, Lumian felt as if the human-like patterns on the tree trunk were staring at him intently.
Two huge crimson flowers served as the eyes.
"Best not to exceed two minutes, or random effects will ur," the tall Mr. Sun reminded Lumian.
Lumian made a sound of acknowledgment, then exerted force with both hands to forcibly pull up Omebe''s remains, known as the Gift of the Land.
The entire New City of Silver suddenly shook, as if experiencing a mild earthquake.
The morning light in the room grew brighter, and the surrounding ck hair strands, nts, and mushrooms began to grow and multiply at a visible rate.
Lumian quickly ced the Gift of the Land into a specially allocated space within the Traveler''s Bag, then teleported to somewhere in the mirror world.
Madam Magicianwearing the previous silver-starred ck robealong with Jenna and Franca, were already waiting for him in the dark, pitch-ck mirror realm.
ording to the agreement with the Church of Knowledge, Lumian and Jenna couldn''t go to the City of Exiles through normal means, but the Church would create a gap in Morora''s seal somehow, allowing them to enter using the power of the mirror world and high-tier beings of the Door pathway.
"I borrowed it," Lumian said extremely concisely about the result.
Madam Magician nodded, making all the silver stars on her wizard robe light up.
A dreamlike starry sky appeared, and endless stars quickly formed a passage. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Surrounded by brilliant light, Lumian and Jenna instantly arrived in the City of Exiles Morora, at the square outside the cathedral.
Using the authority of 0-01, Lumian gathered enough serious criminals to meet the ritual requirementsa sea of people. These exiles were already nearby, as if waiting for the reaper to arrive.
Without wasting time, Lumian quickly said to Jenna, "Finally, let me tell you a fact."
Jenna had already begun quietly spreading the gue using the Demoness of Despair''s Beyonder characteristic and the Sequence 5 level charm given by Franca. "What?"
Lumian said seriously, "Even if you really be a Sequence 4 demigod, you won''t be able to do much when the apocalypsees. Whether you can protect your loved ones and friends is another matter entirely."
Jenna opened her mouth but couldn''t refute.
She actually understood this clearly but was unwilling to ept it.
"Are you in despair?" Lumian smiled. "If you''re in despair, then go ahead and advance. Advance with this despair, with the intense desire to change this reality."
Jenna understood Lumian''s intention, sighed softly, and said with augh, "Dammit, good thing I''m rtively strong, otherwise I''d definitely lose control during the ritual."
"I wouldn''t say this to someone who isn''t strong," Lumian didn''t dy any further and, relying on the mystical connection between himself and 0-01, directly entered the underground mausoleum.
Jenna turned around and looked at the criminals bound bymands in the square.
Her gaze was like water, both deep and calm, as if looking at the viins from her past life and their various endings, both good and bad.
After a while, Jenna walked through the crowd, heading outside the square.
This was to ensure that the serious criminals at the edges also received fair treatment, experiencing the same gue.
When thousands of exiles showed symptoms, growing weaker amidst violent coughing, Jenna took out the ingredients and began preparing the potion.
As one wave after another of serious criminals fell to the ground, she drank the liquid in one gulp.
As soon as she began advancing, Madam Magician used the pre-given mental imprint to transfer her out through the beautiful dreamlike starry sky to an area in the mirror world shrouded in thin gray fog.
As long as the ritual was achieved and the time limit hadn''t passed, advancement could ur anywhereit didn''t have to be in Morora!
Of course, this assumed the seal''s gap still existed and Jenna''s connection to the ritual hadn''t been severed.
This thin gray fog was obtained by Franca through prayer to Mr. Fool, aimed at deceiving the Primordial Demoness and preventing Her observation.
During Jenna''s advancement, Lumian also arrived at the mountain peak of corpses where 0-01 was nted, next to Hand Bro who patrolled back and forth like the steel puppets and undead soldiers, nearly perfect, like a work of art.
With time running short, Lumian directly pulled out the Gift of the Land from the Traveler''s Bag and nted this withered, huge trunk in the wilderness.
The Abscessed Hand, who had been walking, suddenly stopped, His beautiful crystalline crimson eyes looking over.
His face, which was almost at the limit of beauty, instantly twisted, with emotions like pain, hatred, malice, pleasure, and mockery overflowing.
He opened his mouth and shouted fiercely in the Jotun, "Omebe!"
"I curse you!
"I curse you to die by the hand of your direct descendant!"
Chapter 1059 Zedus
Chapter 1059 Zedus
n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lumian had advanced too quickly and hadn''t yet mastered many mysticalnguages. He had only learned part of Jotun so far, but he had a contractual connection with the Abscessed Hand, allowing him to directly understand the meaning through the thoughts transmitted by the other party.
At that moment, he waspletely stunned by the Abscessed Hand''s reaction and words.
He had originally imagined that after thousands of years, the reunion of brother and sister would be sad yet heartwarming, like when Hand Bro had just be a 0-01 soldier and called out the name "Omebe" with such depth.
Instead, there was not a trace of warmth, only bone-deep hatred.
As the Abscessed Hand''s voice echoed, the area around Him lit up, as if crimson moonlight was falling from an unknown ce onto this wildernessevil, cold, and bloody.
Then, within the crimson moonlight, one after another illusory andplex Doors of Summoning split open, connecting to different ces, with some indescribable horror growing behind them.
On the wilderness ground, countless nts sprouted, creeping toward the withered trunk that had evolved from Omebe''s remains.
The Gift of the Land, stimted by this, also reacted, with the soil below splitting apart, leaving nothing growing.
This power, rich with death and return, met the lush scene of new life.
Standing between Omebe''s remains and the Abscessed Hand, Lumian was instantly affected, uncontrobly regressing into a mirror that cracked with a snap.
This influence continued to expand rapidly, not giving Lumian, who was trying to redraw his silhouette, a moment''s peace.
At this moment, streams of invisible mes shot up from various parts of the wilderness, the sky above taking on the color of burning, as a terrifying will that could conquer everything suddenly descended.
The flesh in the middle of the Abscessed Hand''s brow writhed, pulling at the skin.
The distortion of His face quickly returned to normal, and around Him, whether it was the crimson moonlight, the numerous Doors of Summoning, or the various newly grown nts, all instantly vanished.
The Sealed Artifact Gift of the Land also returned to silence, the destion no longer spreading.
As the invisible mes extinguished, this blood-stained wilderness before the mountain of corpses was once again shrouded in darkness.
Lumian looked toward the peak of the corpse mountain and couldn''t help muttering, "Boss, aren''t you being a bit too hasty?"
He had wanted to observe for a while longer before using 0-01''s power and authority to suppress the Abscessed Hand and the Gift of the Land, but unexpectedly, 0-01 had reacted to the stress.
This left him quite helpless.
However, there was nothing he could do about itafter all, 0-01 was the boss, and he was just the proxy.
And 0-01 was actually in a state of deep sleep, reacting purely on instinct, not something Lumian could "persuade" even if he wanted to.
Confirming Hand Bro''s reaction and hearing those words is enough. Some of my previously unclear thoughts and spections have either been overturned or connected
Heh heh, Hand Bro, should I call you Zedus from now on?
Lumian muttered for a while, then put away the Gift of the Land which had been suppressed and be quiet, with no random effects likely to appear for some time, and teleported back to the square in front of the Church of Knowledge.
Here, wailing and groaning were everywhere, with many having already lost their lives.
Lumian swept his gaze around, quickly left Morora, and appeared back in the area behind the mirror, appearing beside Franca.
At this time, Jenna had justpleted her advancement, her hair slightly darker and thicker, her eyes an even more beautiful blue.
"Where''s Madam Magician?" Lumian took his gaze off Jenna and asked Franca.
Franca made a tongue-clicking sound and chuckled.
"After confirming there were no problems with Jenna''s advancement, she went back to work on her manuscript.
"She said if you have any findings or spections, either summon her messenger or report directly to Mr. Fool."
"This time I''ll need a signed book." Lumianughed, then said to Franca and Jenna, "Let''s go to the New City of Silver first."
After returning the Gift of the Land to the room at the bottom of the spire, Lumian went to the Church of Fool headquarters and entered the confessional that Mr. Sun had specially prepared for him and the others.
He immediately created a ball of zing white me, letting the light fill every inch of space inside the confessional, then began telling Franca, Jenna, and Mr. Sun, who hade specially to listen, about his "brother-sister" spection, the names Omebe and Zedus, the Abscessed Hand''s recent reaction and His spoken words.
"You mean Omebe and Zedus are both children of the Great Mother,''the former being the elder sister who inherited the power of the Earth pathway, and thetter being the brother on the neighboring Moon pathway, and they were possibly twins?" Franca tried to sort out the logic.
At this point, Jenna''s face showed a grave expression. "Zedus was killed by Omebe, for unknown reasons?"
"Perhaps with the help of Omebe''s husband, the ancient godGiant King Aurmir. They were worried about Zedus''s resurrection, so they deliberately dismembered Him into multiple pieces and sealed them in different ces. This is also why the Sanguine never heard of such an Angel of the Moon pathway.
"Yes, this event probably happened quite early, before that Sanguine ancestor partially regained consciousness in the Second Epoch and became an ancient god. I''ve been saying, it doesn''t make sense that there was only a Sanguine ancestor in the Second Epoch. Since one of the Sequences in the Beyonder characteristics is called Vampire, there should have been Vampires as creatures in the early Second Epoch, or even the First Epoch, regardless of whether they had rationality or werepletely equivalent to monstersthis doesn''t affect the essential definition," Lumian spoke slowly, thinking as he talked.
Mr. Sun offered an exnation on behalf of the Sanguine, "The Sanguine don''t consider such monsters as their kin."
"So it''s Sanguine ancestor, not Vampire ancestor?" Lumian thought that if Mr. Moon were present, there might be some unpleasant incidents.
After one divine assembly and one small gathering, he had gained a preliminary understanding of Mr. Moon''s personality and concerns.
Mr. Sun answered very fairly, "That''s what they call it."
But you people of the New City of Silver think vampires and the Sanguine are essentially the same? Lumian, Franca, and Jenna, all three Demonesses, could hear what Mr. Sun left unsaid.
What a considerate person Lumian sighed inwardly before continuing, "Before His death, Zedus cursed His sister Omebe, cursing Her to die by the hand of Her direct descendant, and this curse came true."
At this point, Lumian suddenly paused, and after two seconds, said in a low voice, "Zedus, as an Angel of the Moon pathway, was killed by Omebe of the Earth pathway, who might have also stolen His identity, while Omebe ultimately died at the hands of the Sanguine ancestor, an ancient god of the Moon pathway who might no longer have had true god status at the time, and then had Her identity stolen.
"This is an inevitability"
Lumian felt profound emotion.
When he had stolen the power of Inevitability, he had no clear understanding, but the more he learned, the more he felt that inevitability was an issue that even Angels, true gods, and great beings couldn''t avoid.
After discussing for a while longer, Lumian stood up and said, "I need to report to Mr. Fool; he might provide new revtions."
He began praying right there in the confessional.
Suddenly, thin grayish-white fog appeared before his eyes, and his ears seemed to hear terrifying chaotic sounds.
In just the blink of an eye, Lumian saw himself sitting at the bronze long table, in the position representing the Chariot, while at the head of the long table, in that huge stone chair, Mr. Fool''s figure, wearing a top hat and coat, was faintly visible, hidden in the mist.
"Good morning, Mr. Fool." Lumian immediately stood up and bowed.
He had intended to report to Mr. Fool through prayer but was directly pulled up to the gray fog instead.
The Fool nodded slightly, his voice carrying more gentleness than the coldness of thest gathering.
"You have found the answer?"
Lumian sat down. "I have be a Demoness of Unaging, borrowed the Gift of the Land, and went to see the Abscessed Hand in the depths of Morora"
After repeating Mr. Fool''s previous revtion, he shared all the information he had collected and all his spections, finally asking, "Mr. Fool, did Madame Pualis deliberately hide the infant Zedus in Cordu to use the ritual that the Inevitability believers would ultimately perform?
"Was the infant Zedus''s mysterious disappearance due to that ritual?"
The Fool, shrouded in thin gray fog, nodded. "Yes."
Lumian suddenly smiled,ughing for several seconds.
Then, he sighed and asked seriously, "Mr. Fool, the infant Zedus''s soul fragments are within my body, right?"
Since the one worshiped by the Aurora Order could use that ritual and Mr. Fool''s seal to let Amon return within the barrier undetected and steal Termiboros''s power and identity, the Great Mother could do something simr!
The infant Zedus must have also been in the destruction brought by the ritual at that time, like other vigers of Cordu, shattered into pieces, with only fragments of soul remaining, which were then sealed inside my body!
That''s how he mysteriously disappeared.
The Fool ced his right hand on the edge of the long table and rapped it gently. "Yes."
Lumian gave a self-deprecating smile. "No wonder I encountered matters rted to the Great Mother as soon as I reached Trier, met the priest who had nurtured Omebe as soon as I went to sea, and the first contract creature I selected was the Abscessed Hand"
He sighed softly for a few moments, then looked back at the table before The Fool.
"Mr. Fool, can you help me remove the seal and separate the infant Zedus''s soul fragment?"
The Fool said in an even voice, "Like Aurore''s soul fragments, he has already merged with you."
Lumian was stunned for a moment, shocked yet feeling this was natural.
The special quality possessed by Aurore''s soul fragment was obviously also possessed by the infant Zedus''s soul fragment.
The two of them were different from other vigersif one had merged, the other would certainly not be an exception.
"Will he affect Aurore''s resurrection?" Lumian asked the question he cared about most.
The Fool shook his head slightly. "He has a different gender from Aurore; he will only rece you in the future.
"He merged with you when you obtained Omebe''s bloodline."
"Zedus''s soul fragment, Omebe''s bloodline, heh heh, I alone am equivalent to divine twins." Lumian exhaled and sincerely asked, "Mr. Fool, is there a way to resolve this issue?"
The Fool looked at Lumian for several seconds, his voice suddenly bing somewhat drifting, as if narrating fate, "This is a hidden danger, a risk, and also a variable, an opportunity."
Chapter 1060 The First Priest
Chapter 1060 The First Priest
It''s both a hidden danger and a risk, as well as a variable and an opportunity? I understand what the hidden danger and risk are, but how is the variable and opportunity manifested? Lumian did not ask further; his spiritual intuition told him this was a revtion, a scene that Mr. Fool had seen in the river of fate, something that could not be exined in detail.
After a moment''s thought, he decided, "What should I do next?"
This was about what to do after rifying the situation with the infant Omebe in Madame Pualis''s arms and understanding what Zedus represented. N?v(el)B\\jnn
The Fool looked at Lumian, his voice still somewhat drifting. "Cmity needs to stay away from the mother."
Stay away from the mother? Does this mean avoiding meetings with Madame Pualis and the infant Omebe? I can''t even touch the Great Mother unless the barrier fails, and if the barrier does fail, touching the Great Mother would be meaningless Lumian pondered the true meaning of Mr. Fool''stest revtion.
Suddenly, he thought of more possibilities.
The mother might not only refer to the Great Mother, but also Earth Mother of the Feynapotter Kingdom!
Does this mean I have to stay away from Earth Mother and Her proxies, and even avoid touching any sacred objects that could point to Her? After all, as the Sanguine ancestor and the former ancient god of the Moon pathway, using the identity of Omebe, with the true god status of the Earth pathway, She has existed for thousands of years. Even now, after removing the "theft" and abandoning the corresponding identity, there would inevitably be a very strong mystical connection with Omebe Lumian nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, Mr. Fool."
Regarding matters rted to Omebe, he already had a very deep understanding, long knowing that the Sanguine ancestor Lilith, with the help of the Ancient Sun God, had killed Omebe, "stolen" Her identity, and then assumed Omebe''s name to be Earth Mother, ying a crucial role in the war a few years ago.
When Mr. Fool indicated he could leave, Lumian made his final request, "Can you help me remove the seal on my chest?"
Since the soul fragments of Aurore and the infant Zedus had already initially merged with himself, they would not perish whether the seal was protected or not. This would allow the vigers of Cordu to find peace!
They had no hope of resurrection and would only exist in the form of Lumian''s puppet soldiers, which he was unwilling to do.
"Okay." The Fool agreed to Lumian''s request.
Before Lumian could speak, this great existence leaned back in his chair, speaking in a calm voice, "The seal will be automatically removed in three minutes."
"Praise you, Mr. Fool!" Lumian stood up, pressing his hand to his chest in a salute.
Returning to the real world, Lumian, apanied by Franca and Jenna, bid farewell to Mr. Sun and returned to the luxurious vi in Trier.
After briefly mentioning Mr. Fool''s new revtion and his own understanding, he chose to teleport away alone.
His destination: Cordu Vige, in the Darige region of Riston Province.
Soon, Lumian''s figure took shape in that familiar yet strange "hometown".
ncing at the blood-red pir that wasn''t particrly high yet had a mountainous feel, and then looking at his family house some distance away, Lumian walked into the buildings surrounding the pir.
He surveyed the house ruins, somepletely copsed, others burned, trying to discern their original appearance.
Walking step by step through the broken walls and ruins, a pure and brilliant starlight emerged from Lumian''s chest.
As the starlight dispersed, fragments of radiance flew out from his body, falling around him and materializing into blurry figures.
These were Naferia, Nazlie, and other elderly women, various Pierres and Guiumes. Some gathered together, basking in the noon sun, chatting about vige matters; others carried farming tools, returning home; some ying with children, chasing and frolicking, or herding a group of white geese
The ruins suddenly became lively.
Lumian looked around, but no one paid him any attention.
Those figures were slowly fading.
Lumian smiled, nimbly climbing onto the top of a nearby building''s ruins, lying down, letting his ck hair pile beside him.
It was noon, bright and sunny, almost dazzling. White clouds drifted slowly across the blue sky.
The scent of spring grass and building stones, apanied by sounds of conversation, chasing, andughter, quickly prated Lumian''s mind, making him feel warm in the sunlight, drowsy.
He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts drift.
The surroundings gradually became quiet, returning to silence.
In the previously rented apartment in Trier.
Lugano, with his handsome features and robust build, was reading thetest medical journal while skewering a piece of sausage to eat.
For nearly a month, he had been living quite leisurely, with his sry paid in advance and nothing much to do.
As a genuine Doctor, he could easily earn money even without running a clinic.
The only issue was that he could still only ess the mystical circle he already knew, unable to obtain higher-sequence potion forms or corresponding items.
He had recently discovered that the activities of that mystical circle hadpletely stopped, with the official forces in Trier unprecedented in their strength.
Ah, I both want the boss toe back quickly, yet fear his return Lugano couldn''t help but sigh.
At that moment, he saw the bedroom door open, and his long-awaited employer walked out, as if he had never left.
"Good evening, boss!" Lugano jumped up, reflexively greeting him.
Lumian, who had been secretly observing him for some time, nodded slightly.
"I have something for you to do."
Lugano, dazzled by his employer''s appearance, instinctively asked, "What is it?"
The boss seems even more beautiful, his charm greatly increased. What happened he muttered inwardly.
Lumian took out a list. "Visit each person on this list, tell them you are a Blessed and priest of the Mdy God, and then maintain contact with them, responsible for preaching and conducting mass.
"Uh" Lugano was stunned.
Is this a cult?
Lumian chuckled in response.
"Don''t worry, the authorities have given the go ahead.
"If any of the Mdy God followers have any illnesses, just treat them. The consultation fee depends on the family''s situationcharge normal rates for the wealthy, and nothing for those without means."
The people on this list were all Mdy God followers in Trier. Their previous Blessed had recently informed Lumian through prayer that the Beyonders from the two major Churches were watching closely, and they didn''t dare to make contact.
Lumian had responded in time, granting them death.
Then, through the Church of The Fool, hemunicated that a Saint from the Church of The Fool had taken over these followers to the Eternal zing Sun Church and the God of Steam and Machinery Church, and would be responsible for reforming them, so they no longer needed to keep watch.
This matter of openly poaching followers, after privatemunication and promises, had finally been tacitly approved.
Since Lumian couldn''t personally preach, and couldn''t do everything himself, he thought of Lugano.
He was a genuine Doctor who could treat illnesses while preaching, truly embodying the authority of the Mdy God!
Lugano suddenly understood. "The Sick Church is going legitimate?
"Are you now a follower of the Mdy God?"
Lumian nced at Lugano and said with a smile, "I am the Mdy God."
"" Lugano was stunned again.
"And also the patron saint of the Church of The Fool," Lumian continued.
This was something he couldn''t hide from Lugano.
My boss has be a patron saint? Be the Mdy God? What am I now? Lugano was bewildered and fearful for two seconds. "What should I tell these followers?"
Do I have scriptures to read, a mass to conduct?
Lumian took out a stack of documents.
"The Mdy God has now split into the God of gue and the God of Diseaseone is me, the other is Franca. When preaching to these followers, do not mention our real names or the Church of The Fool for now. Follow what''s written on these papers.
"These doctrines are still quite simple, and those followers won''t understand anythingplex. We''ll slowly modify and add to them once they truly believe in me and Franca."
"Yes, boss, no" Lugano suddenly knelt on one knee, head lowered, "Yes, great Lumian Lee."
This is also an anchoran anchor with potential risks Lumian nodded satisfactorily.
"Several on the list were originally bestowed of the Mdy God. I''ve already punished them, and they''re now dead. Go to the addresses on the list to collect their bodies and take away their ill-gotten gains.
"In the name of me and Franca, return these funds to the followers, especially those living in difficult circumstances. The remainder can be used as expenses for your preaching.
"Afterwards, don''t mention donations to the followers, but if they actively donate and the money won''t affect their family''s life, don''t refuse.
"Afterpleting this task, I''ll help you find the potion form and corresponding Beyonder ingredients for the next sequence."
Still kneeling on one knee, Lugano''s heart leaped, and he blurted out, "Praise you, great Lumian Lee!"
Lumian gestured for him to rise while saying, "Franca and I are now Sequence 3 Saints. Our honorific names are in these documents. God of gue is me, God of Disease is her. If you have anything, contact us by reciting the honorific name."
"I shall obey your will," Lugano quickly responded.
As the boss was about to leave, he instinctively asked, "How is Ludwig? You must be very busy and have no time to take care of him. If he gets too hungry, he might eat people."
Is this the Mother pathway? Lumian thought to himself, then said with a smile, "Don''t worry about him. He can now cook for himself using the ingredients we prepared."
Moreover, Ludwig was about to have a big feast.
Chapter 1061 Feast
Chapter 1061 Feast
In an apartment with insufficient lighting, the ssic clock''s hands ticked away.
Lumian, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony were gathered around a corpse, watching Ludwig tie a white napkin around his neck.
"He''s quite well-mannered" Lumian quipped.
The corpse in the room belonged to the remaining Sequence 4 demigod from the Sick Church in the Trier region, named Sathipo Eir. Previously controlled by Mr. Fool, he had recentlypleted the task of making his followers pray to the God of gue and God of Disease. Then, Lumian received a revtion from Mr. Fool, instructing them toe to this apartment at the current time to handle the subsequent matters.
As soon as Lumian and the others knocked on the door, they saw Sathipo Eir copse and die in front of everyone.
Fortunately, Lumian had already pulled this apartment and all its contents into the mirror world, and had Anthony quickly ce the Winter is Coming pistol on the corpse.
Thinking about Sathipo Eir, who had been busily helping himself and Franca connect with followers and spread new doctrines and was essentially Mr. Fool''s avatar, Lumian felt something was off.
Isn''t it strange that the god he believed in would go to such lengths, meticulously and diligently running around to recruit followers, preach doctrines, and spread his honorific name?
Would a great existence be so hands-on?
Recalling the stories about Amon that Madam Magician had told him and the abilities of high-ranking Beyonders from the Marauder and Seer pathways, Lumian thought this seemed somewhat normal: A thousand avatars, all of which are oneself!
"Can I eat now?" Ludwig raised his head, looking eagerly at Lumian.
"Should we first channel the spirit?" Lumian turned his head and asked Franca.
Although Mr. Fool had certainly grasped all of Sathipo''s information through Parasitism, Lumian felt that they should still channel the spirit. They couldn''t always trouble Mr. Fool with everything.
Franca looked at Sathipo''s floating spirit and pondered, "The decay is slower than expected. Mr. Fool must have done some processing. Let''s not rush to channel his spirit. Do we know what to ask?"
Jenna chimed in, "We might as well search the apartment first and see what clues we can find. Then we can channel his spirit, which will help us know exactly what to ask."
"Okay," Lumian said, seeing many green and yellow light points had settled on Anthony''s Winter is Coming revolver. He smiled at Ludwig, "Go ahead."
He had previously asked Ludwig if returning to Sequence 4, or Sea Monster, would cause him to transform into a grotesquely sized sea monster, which would make it impossible for him to stay in Trier unless he constantly hid in the mirror world.
Ludwig had looked at his hands and body for a few seconds and unexpectedly became sad, crying, "Not yet."
He was clearly disappointed.
He told Lumian that his appearance shouldn''t change much, but he would need to be taken to the ocean daily to have a proper feastsomething easy for Lumian, who had teleportation abilities.
With the godfather''s approval, Ludwig cheered and lunged at the corpse.
Franca and Jenna instinctively turned their backs.
Amid sounds of tearing, chewing, cracking, and crunching, the two Demonesses began examining every corner of the apartment.
Mechanical music boxes, ssic clocks, fabric sofas, red desks, brass gas meters, and exquisite small statues passed before Franca and Jenna''s eyes.
Suddenly, Franca walked to the desk and opened a drawer.
Inside were various denominations of gold coins, including several 20 Louis d''or coins.
Franca''s hand moved through the coins, picking up a coin with a dark gold, less lustrous color.
It was a gold coin, but not of any current legal tender.
Franca brought the dark gold coin close to her eyes, noticing a male head profile on the front, with long hair, wearing a crown, with rigid lips and sharp facial lines.
On either side of the male head wereyered doors and a raven with one eyerge and one small, surrounded by changing lines, a vertical sword, and an extended hand.
Hmm Franca had a vague guess.
She turned the coin over, finding a number "7" on the back.
Around the "7" were images of gathered soldiers, sharp weapons, and flowing blood.
"Is this a Tudor coin?" Franca spoke aloud.
Her spiritual intuition told her so.
The Tudor dynasty of the Fourth Epoch had issued its own currency, but perhaps due to the Blood Emperor''s mental state or influence from the original pathway, its value and conversion were perplexingunlike the normal 1, 5, 10, 20, but with seemingly random values like 2, 7, and 13.
These coins had long since disappeared over a thousand or two thousand years, either remelted into new coins or gold items, or buried in ancient tombs. Currently, one could only see them in museums or some collectors'' vaults.
"How could there be a Tudor coin?" Jenna looked over.
"I''m also puzzled. You can''t even use this thing. Were they nning to sell it as an antique?" Franca pondered for a few seconds. "We''ll ask during the spirit channeling."
While the two Demonesses carefully searched the apartment, Lumian suddenly said to Anthony, "You can pick up the revolver now."
He intuitively believed that Winter is Coming had reached its limit in bearing the bestowed power, and continuing might damage it.
Of course, no matter how damaged, it would still be a weapon with Beyonder power, though the negative effects might change and be unbearable.
Anthony, who had already quietly cast cate on himself, squatted down and picked up the artistic Winter is Coming revolver from the bloody, mutted corpse.
"The Certain Death and Sure Hit charges have been enhanced to nine times
"Even if this revolver shatters, it can be reassembled
"No other changes"
Lumian used Magic Mirror Divination to inform Anthony about the current state of Winter is Coming.
Anthony, who had received a Traveler''s Bag as a bonus from the dream mission, breathed a sigh of relief and ced the revolver inside.
At that moment, they heard a loud, prolonged "burp".
It came from Ludwig.
Ludwig had only eaten half the corpse and seemed already full.
He sat there, with what felt like a mass of air in his stomach, asionally distending his belly and causing crackling sounds in his chest.
Beneath his facial skin, countless insects writhed, creating multiple bumps.
At this moment, Lumian and the others distinctly felt that a terrifying beast was about to tear through Ludwig''s skin.
Ludwig''s body alternately stretched tall, causing skin cracks, and then swelled, nearly bursting his clothing.
After ten to twenty seconds, his state finally stabilized, still looking like the same seven or eight-year-old boy.
The Church of Knowledge''s seal is indeed of high quality Lumian thought to himself.
Ludwig suddenly looked at him, his eyes filled with blood vessels and desire. "I want to go to the sea, I want to eat!"
Lumian nodded, grabbed Ludwig''s shoulder, and disappeared from the room.
Somewhere in the Fog Sea.
Lumian''s figure took shape in mid-air, throwing Ludwig toward the blue sea surface.
Ludwig didn''t mind at all, already opening his mouth while still in the air.
That mouth kept opening wider, until eventually, his entire head and body seemed to be part of the mouth, with sharp teeth reflecting the brilliant sunlight.
With a ssh, Ludwig fell into the sea.
Then, the seawater descended, and an inexplicable whirlpool appeared.
The whirlpool gradually expanded, and fish nearby involuntarily rushed over, swimming toward its bottom.
These marine creatures numbered in the thousands, streaming endlessly.
Ssh! The massive whirlpool''s appearance triggered changes in this sea area, with water currents bing turbulent and massive waves rising in the distance.
Arge steam ship was passing near the sea''s edge but appeared tiny beneath the towering waves.
The passengers were frightened and scattered, with the captain ordering the crew to change course immediately.
Ssh! A huge wave approached.
But before it could truly arrive, it suddenly froze in mid-air.
It quickly disintegrated, each fragment like a snowke or ice crystal, beautiful under the sunlight.
In Sathipo''s apartment, Franca performed the Magic Mirror Spirit Channeling Spell.
Facing Sathipo''s mirror image, she directly showed the Tudor coin. "Where did thise from?"
Since Sathipo had been Parasitized by Mr. Fool and his faith Grafted, she didn''t need to worry about any corruption from divining this Sick Church demigod.
Sathipo''s pale face responded mechanically, "A gift from God."
A gift from God Wait, where did your god get a Tudor coin? This is within the barrier Franca pressed, "Through what method was it given?"
Sathipo responded at a steady pace, "First, the great Mdy God gave a revtion, telling us to wait before a mirror. Then, the coin fell out from inside the mirror."
Look at this, does this look like a gift from the Mdy God? If you said it was from the Primordial Demoness, I might believe it From what we know, the Mdy God doesn''t have authority over the mirror world Franca asked again, "Besides you, who else has one?"
"Mocoxidos," Sathipo answered.
We hadn''t found it back then Well, Mocoxidos had used his rotting power to dpose himself into pathogens; everything on his body should have rotted away and disintegrated Franca asked several more questions but couldn''t get useful answers.
Sathipo didn''t know what the Mdy God wanted to do, only that he was instructed to wait patiently in Trier. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
At this moment, Lumian returned with a soaking wet Ludwig.
"Ate about ten to twenty tons of fish and shrimp. Can''t afford to feed him, can''t afford to feed him," Lumian said, clicking his tongue.
Having just be a Sea Monster, his appetite had already instantly changed by orders of magnitude!
Franca echoed the sentiment, then told Lumian the spirit channeling results, adding, "Since it wasn''t directly given by the Mdy God, we can divine where this Tudor coin came from."
Lumian nodded, taking the coin.
Being cautious about matters involving great existences, he specially sought Mr. Fool''s observation and help before performing Magic Mirror Divination to inquire his own spiritual intuition, "Who was the previous owner of this coin
"Who was the previous owner of this coin"
Soon, the mirror''s surface rippled with water, bing profound.
In the next second, Lumian saw a pair of eyes, eyes so dark they were without light.
Wh Lumian blurted out, calling a name in a deep voice, "Zaratulstra!"
Chapter 1062 Mission
Chapter 1062 Mission
After Lumian called out that name, the image reflected on the mirror''s surface shattered, like a stone thrown into ake.
"Zaratulstra? No, in the real world, we should call Him Zaratul." Franca also recognized who those eyes belonged to.
Jenna added, "The Celestial Worthy''s subordinates are cooperating with the Mdy God''s bestowed?
"What''s the purpose of this Tudor coin?"
Lumian first shook his head, then said, "Mocoxidos only received the Sequence 3 boon after the Vortex event. I suspect that whoever possessed that palmthe cooperation between the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates and the Mdy God''s blessed onesis an aftershock of the Vortex event, or rather, a result of one of its branches.
"Such a massive event, involving so many great existences, definitely can''t be ended just because the one the Aurora Order believes in says so.
"This might be why He changed His stance, hoping for Mr. Fool to awaken soon."
Franca and the others noddedLudwig had been taken care of by Jenna while Lumian was performing Magic Mirror Divination, changing out of his wet clothes, and was now once again a clean and fresh little boy.
"The Tudor coin''s purpose involves the schemes of great existences, so we probably can''t divine its purpose," Lumian pondered aloud. "But we can try to divine who owned the coin before its previous owner, which might yield some insights."
He immediately put his words into action, again seeking Mr. Fool''s observation to eliminate certain dangers and interference.
"Who was the owner before the previous owner of this coin
"Who was the owner before the previous owner of this coin
""
Lumian held the dark gold coin, chanting the question several times.
The mirror ced before him suddenly became bright, as if there was a light source bursting from within.
No, that was formless, colorless mes burningthe entire mirror had caught fire.
Thin gray fog descended, preventing the mes from spreading, but the mirror and desk quickly turned to ashes.
Seeing this, Franca''s first two thoughts were: There really is great danger. Good thing we were careful enough, and good thing Mr. Fool is so powerful!
That was scaryfortunately, I had already collected all the coins from the drawer
After the formless, colorless mes extinguished, Lumian, as the 0-01 proxy,ughed with a slightly deep voice.
"I know where this Tudor coin came from:
"Fourth Epoch Trier!"
Everyone present, except Ludwig, had been to Fourth Epoch Trier, and this revtion sparked certain associations in their minds.
"The goal of cooperation between the Mdy God''s bestowed and the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates points to Fourth Epoch Trier?" Franca said thoughtfully. "Will this Tudor coin serve as a medium for some purpose then?"
Lumian nodded and ced the Tudor coin into the Traveler''s Bag. "What we need to do next is search for clues about Zaratul''s whereabouts and uncover more of the Celestial Worthy''s subordinates and members of the Order of All Extinction."
Then, he said to Anthony, "We don''t know how long we''ll have to wait for Madam Justice, so we can first get the Maniptor''s potion form and try collecting and preparing the ingredients ourselves. If we run into difficulties, we can ask for their help then."
Maniptor was the name of the Sequence 4 potion in the Spectator pathway, and it was Anthony''s next Sequence.
"I have no objections," Anthony agreed, feeling they couldn''t pin all their hopes on Madam Justice finding that ancient dragon.
Lumian then turned to Jenna. "Julien will be back in two days. Have you figured out what to do?"
Jenna was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I''ll use money and Instigation to help create a good position for him in Port LeSeur, Suhit, or Nouvellone of these big citieswith a three-year term.
"And then"
Jenna paused before continuing, "If Julien won''t listen to my persuasion and insists on staying, I''ll get Anthony to help me ''convince'' him with some degree of hypnosis."
"Wh" Franca blurted out in surprise.
Wasn''t this the approach Jenna had been quite opposed to and unwilling to use?
She didn''t want to use Beyonder powers to influence Julien or interfere with his personal choices!
Jenna gave a self-mocking smile.
"If this were a choice that would affect Julien''s entire life, I definitely wouldn''t do this, but for just three years, I can ept it."
The smile gradually disappeared from her face as she muttered to herself, "Life is about constantly moving forward while giving up certain principles
"At this point, some obsessions with purity can be discarded. Demonesses are meant to bear pain and torment. Whether I be harsh or cold-hearted doesn''t matterwhat matters is whether Julien can escape his dangerous situation."
At this point, Jenna mocked herself again, "Let''s push the guilt and me onto divinity, just consider it the price I pay for obtaining godhood."
"No, a certain someone will bear all of this sin," Lumian responded in a joking tone.
Then he nodded. "This is the best solution. It''s like moving houseif you have plenty of time, many days ahead, then naturally you can carefully pack and organize, abandon nothing, break nothing. But if you only have a few minutes before the room explodes and you can''t prevent it, you can only take what''s most important and essential, leaving everything else to be destroyed no matter how reluctant you are."
As they listened, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony suddenly realized that Lumian was actually talking about the conflict between humanity and godhood, about what Beyonders should do as they advance sequence by sequence.
Lumian was speaking from experience, thinking of his previous conversation with Mr. Fool.
For the sake of more important things, this was the only choice.
Was it worth it?
It''s worth it.
"Indeed." Franca sighed, then turned to Jenna and said, "Actually, have you considered teaching your brother mystical knowledge and collecting corresponding potions for him, letting him be a Beyonder? This way, he could understand why he must leave Trier."
Jenna slowly shook her head.
"No, I know him well. He''s a very stubborn person. Once he understands the real reason, if I don''t leave, he won''t either, and I"
At this point, Jenna''s gaze swept across Lumian and Franca.
Then, after some thought, she said, "The hypnosis will still be necessary, but that doesn''t conflict with teaching Julien mystical knowledge and guiding him to be a Beyonder.
"Yes, even just a low sequence would improve his ability to protect himself, but we absolutely cannot tell him about the approaching apocalypse or that major changes will happen in Trier within a year or two. That would make him anxious, and when he''s anxious, he tends to go to extremes and take wrong paths."
"Then we need to choose a good pathway for him, at least not obviously problematic ones like Devil, Prisoner, Earth, Moon, or Assassin." Franca helped think it through.
In the end, she still felt that, being Demonesses, flipping a coin and relying on spirituality to choose might yield better uracy.
In the afternoon.
Since Jenna was taking the slightly taller Ludwig shopping for new clothes with Franca apanying them, and Anthony had gone out to meet his informant and contact members of the Psychology Alchemists, Lumian was left alone in therge vi.
He copsed onto the sofa, wondering whether he should contract a spirit world creature specialized in house cleaning.
After resting for a while, Lumian contemted the tasks ahead and his responsibilities as the Major ArcanaThe Chariot.
First is to consolidate and deepen the faith of the Sick Church''s believers in me and Franca.
Second, I need to consider the Sequence 2 issue. I have the Demoness of Catastrophe potion form, but as a Demoness of Unaging, I still don''t know how difficult Demonesses of Catastrophe are to kill. Plus, they have the protection of the Primordial Demoness, and Mr. Fool is only in a preliminary awakened state The best choice would be the Sequence 2 Weather Warlock from the Hunter pathway. During the previous divine assembly, Mr. Fool showed the Red Priest cardI could exchange the potion form from him.
Besides the Sauron family and Einhorn family, where else might there be Weather Warlock''s Beyonder characteristics? Some Grade 0 Sealed Artifact in a Church?
If there weren''t any other choices, I''d rather not go to the Blue Avenger''s treasury and face that Alista Tudor inside the mirror
Heh heh, maybe I have no choice
Among the Tarot Club''s missions, I''m not responsible for the Great Mother matters right now, but with my current condition, it''s very difficult to truly avoid it For now, I just need to find Zaratul''s whereabouts and members of the Order of All Extinction The first task isn''t easyeven Mr. Fool, as a supreme being of the Seer pathway, hasn''t located Zaratul At this point, Lumian suddenly sensed something and turned his gaze toward the edge of the living room.
His messenger, who looked like a charred corpse, Penitent Baynfel, appeared holding a letter.
Lumian stared for a few seconds at Bayenfeld, whose eye sockets burned with dark mes, before finally speaking, "Give me the letter."
He then took the letter and opened it, finding the contents were simple.
"I would like to visit you this evening, if possible?
"The Hermit."
What does Ma''am Hermit want? My previous spection about the Hidden Sage state? Lumian nodded thoughtfully and said to Baynfel, "Please help me reply to the sender, tell her it''s fine."
Baynfel nodded and disappeared at the edge of the living room.
In the evening, just as night fell, Lumian, Franca, Jenna, and the others who had been waiting heard the doorbell ring.
Ding dong, ding dong.
"Ma''am Hermit is so polite" After getting used to Madam Magician''s style of suddenly appearing and disappearing and rarely using doors, Lumian felt somewhat unustomed to this situation.
He personally went to open the door and found it was indeed Ma''am Hermit, wearing thick sses and a purple-patterned robe.
After exchanging greetings, he led his peer, a king of the seas, into the living room and invited her to sit in an armchair.
Lumian sat down next to Franca and Jenna, and after just a few moments of small talk, heard Ma''am Hermit say directly, "I have something I''d like your help with."
"What is it?" Lumian asked thoughtfully.
The Hermit looked up toward the ceiling without immediately answering.
The next second, thin gray fog spread throughout the living room. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Wh Lumian realized things weren''t as simple as he had imagined.
After everyone sat up straight, The Hermit said in a low voice, "Mr. Fool is preparing to hunt down the Hidden Sage."
Chapter 1063 Helpers
Chapter 1063 Helpers
Upon hearing Ma''am Hermit''s words, Lumian''s eyes suddenly lit up.
The corners of his mouth gradually turned upward, his smile bing quite bright. "What can I do to help?"
Trier, cathedral district. N?v(el)B\\jnn
At the entrance of the Church of Steam and Machinery''s patriarchal cathedral, with its towering iron-ck chimneys, Lumian, wearing ady''s soft hat and face covered by a ck veil, looked up for two seconds before walking through the open doors into the interior.
The first thing that caught his eye were thick grayish-white pipes crisscrossing everywheresome attached to walls, some supported by pirs, some winding across the dome.
They wereponents of a giant steam engine, or rather, this cathedral was made up of a giant steam engine and several otherrge mechanical devices.
Currently, no heat radiated from these pipes, bute winter, when the giant steam engine would run continuously, the entire patriarchal cathedral would be enveloped in warmth, allowing worshippers to experience the pleasantness of early summer.
Lumian then saw many believers walking out, seemingly having just finished listening to a sermon, still immersed in the solemn atmosphere.
Lumian passed by them, walking toward the altar area.
Many believers, both men and women, suddenly found their gazes following this tall, beautiful figure, unconsciously turning their bodies sideways and looking back.
Lumian walked forward naturally, neither fast nor slow.
Arriving at the first row of seats before the altar, he gazed at the Triangr Sacred Emblem representing the God of Steam and Machinery, his eyes slowly moving between the symbols of steam, gears, and levers within the solid triangle.
At this moment, he wasn''t thinking about how sacred or mechanically beautiful it was, but rather pondering a question, If the God of Steam and Machinery truly evolved into the God of Electric Power and Information Technology, what would this Sacred Emblem look like?
Lumian controlled his sphemous thoughts and, under the watching eyes of the preaching bishop, sat in the first row near the center aisle, raised his hands, lowered his head, and began to pray.
When his spiritual intuition told him that the bishop had looked away, he reached into his Traveler''s Bag.
He took out a mobile phone.
The one he had used in the dream city.
Of course, this wasn''t real, but rather woven from his memories by Madam Dreamweaverit had no functions and couldn''tst long.
The woven phone''s screen was lit, disying a WeChat dialogue box between Lumian and Stiano.
The content of the conversation showed Stiano sending Lumian a mini-program called "Information Shredder."
Lumian held this false, dream-like phone and began praying again, "Great God of Steam and Machinery, You are the embodiment of essence, the protector of artisans, the glory of technology, please grant me once again the ability to shred information, effective for one week"
After praying earnestly, Lumian drew the Triangr Sacred Emblem across his chest with his right hand.
At the same time, he felt a subtle change.
He lowered his head and looked again at the dream phone in his left hand, finding it seemed more tangible now.
Lumian instinctively swiped the screen with his finger, watching the dialogue box retreat to WeChat''s main interface.
Then, he switched back to the home screen and found all the previously downloaded apps were there.
Was a real phone created based on the corresponding information? Is this the glory of technology, a Sequence 0 true god? Although Lumian was already a Sequence 3 Demoness of Unaging, he was still quite amazed.
He studied it for a while, confirming that the phone really worked, just withoutwork connectivity.
Of course, the Information Shredder didn''t need an inte connection.
In an apartment on Avenue du Boulevard.
Professor, Associate Professor, Periodic Table, Isotope, and two other Warlocks currently in Trier sat on the sofa, backed chair, and armchair, looking at each other with unease and anxiety.
After receiving Hidden de''s request for an urgent meeting, they contacted each other and, after much consideration, finally decided to meet with her.
Of course, they chose the time and ce.
"What urgent matter could Hidden de have?" Isotope whispered with concern.
If it weren''t for Hidden de''s consistently good reputation and character, they would definitely have refused such a hasty meeting request without specific details.
"Whatever her purpose, I believe she has good intentions," Professor, wearing a ck butterfly mask, said looking around. "Besides, don''t we also have something to discuss with her?"
Everyone nodded.
At this moment, they heard a knock at the door, using Morse code.
"Come in," all the members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society present straightened their backs.
Not only did Hidden de enter, wearing her "assassin outfit" but with hood down, revealing her striking features, but also H, dressed as ck Widow.
"Madame H, you''re here too?" Periodic Table and others stood up simultaneously.
Listen to that, just listen to that, you''ve never addressed me as "Madame"! Though Francained internally, she wasn''t actually upsettoo many "Madames" would give her goosebumps.
H nodded slightly and replied, "I''m here to vouch for Hidden de and handle the aftermath."
Professor and the others immediately turned their gaze toward Franca.
This time, they were all captivated by the Demoness of Unaging''s features, momentarily unable to look away.
Franca walked to the firece where no charcoal was burning, and smiled at Professor and the others. "Please sit down.
"Actually, I''m here today to ask for your help. Look, I''ve even shown my face to help you trust me more."
Professor, who had sat back down, asked puzzledly, "Hidden de, you''re already a demigod, what could we possibly help you with?"
Franca nced at H, waited for her to nod, waited for the night outside to seem deeper, then said with a smile to Professor, Associate Professor, Isotope, and others,
"Would you like topletely solve the problem of the Hidden Sage force-feeding you knowledge?"
"Completely solve it?" Professor was quite a calm woman, but even she couldn''t help blurting out.
This was something they had never thought possibleno, they had fantasized about it when they were weak and ignorant.
"How topletely solve it? Can we really help?" Periodic Table, who had already clearly told Franca she was a member of the Moses Ascetic Order, asked repeatedly.
Although she didn''t hold much hope, even if it was just a straw floating on water, she wanted to grasp it.
The other Warlocks present shared the same mindset.
Franca didn''t answer immediately, watching as they raised one question after another.
Finally, Professor, with pale lips and a somewhat paleplexion, smiled bitterly and said,
"Hidden de, actually, we were preparing to consult you about this matter.
"Previously, Muggle told us that the small ritual za at the entrance of the third level of the catbs had divine power remnants that could block most external influences. That really helped us tremendously, even saved many of our lives. Otherwise, with the Hidden Sage''s increasingly frequent and crazy knowledge infusions, some might barely hang on, but others would probably be gone already.
"What we wanted to ask you is, after leaving Trier, are there other ces that can block the Hidden Sage''s infusions, or are there ways to reduce the negative effects?"
Indeed, while others are reluctant to leave Trier mainly for emotional reasons, Professor and others have a practical need, a life-or-death need I was nning to have Lumian ask Ma''am Hermit if she, as a senior on the Warlock pathway, had any good methods to "plug ears," then trade for that method and tell all the Warlocks in the Research Society But now Franca suddenly felt somewhat emotional.
Then, she smiled and said to Professor and the others, "The solution is to kill the Hidden Sage."
"You''re not joking, are you?" Associate Professor asked with difficulty.
Isotope followed up, "Hidden de, although you''ve be a demigod, the gap between you and the Hidden Sage might be even bigger than the gap between us and you. It''s a fundamental difference."
"Even the entire Research Society together couldn''t handle the Hidden Sage." Professor likewise had no confidence.
Franca smiled. "I''m not the main force.
"This matter has some big shots taking the lead, I''m just providing support."
"Big shots" Professor pondered before asking, "How big?"
Franca pointed to the sky. "That big, even bigger than the Hidden Sage."
Isotope, Periodic Table, and others looked at Hidden de, suddenly remembering that Sequence 4 demigods could already be called Saints, and were definitely high-ranking even within orthodox churches.
Their gazes moved back and forth between Franca and Madame H several times, gradually understanding that they might be involved in an event worthy of recording in mysticism history.
A divine war!
"Is this what you sought us out for? We''re not even demigods" Professor said hesitantly.
"You won''t need to fight the Hidden Sage. Like me, you''ll be doing support work," Hidden de Franca thought for a moment before saying, "This matter does carry some risk, though not frombatother demigods and I will handle intercepting all enemies and monsters. Your dangeres from something else, but it won''t be much more dangerous than receiving another knowledge infusion from the Hidden Sage. I can''t tell you the specifics now."
The six Warlocks present againmunicated with their eyes, both somewhat tempted by this excellent opportunity to escape the Hidden Sage''s threat, and very nervous and worried.
After a few seconds, Associate Professor asked, "Are you confident?"
"We wouldn''t be nning this hunting operation if we weren''t confident. Don''t worry, even if we fail, the Hidden Sage won''t discover your betrayal. Trust me, by failure I mean not sessfully killing the Hidden Sage and letting Him escape, not that the Hidden Sage could win." Franca disyedplete confidence.
"Why ask for our help, why us?" Professor asked, as if making a final confirmation.
"Warlocks, transmigrators, gray fog aura," Franca answered simply. "Don''t ask me what gray fog aura is right now."
Periodic Table''s face, covered in chemical symbols, frowned. "Muggle also meets these conditions, why don''t you ask her?"
Franca immediately smiled. "In this operation, she has a more important task."
Chapter 1064 Headquarters
1064 Headquarters
After Professormunicated with their eyes with her husband, Periodic Table and others for a while, she finally nodded and said, "Hidden de, we''re willing to join."
Making this decision and speaking these words made her suddenly rx, no longer so tense.
At this current crossroads, whether for good or ill, whichever path they chose, they had to move forward. They couldn''t stop or retreat anymore.
If they didn''t seize this opportunity topletely eliminate the Hidden Sage, they would either be forced to stay in Trier to face the possibleing apocalypse, or lose control and go mad in another big city, bing monsters and even endangering their families.
Franca breathed a sigh of relief, stating, "Would you like to sign a notarized document to ensure I fulfill all my promises?
"Don''t worry, this notarized document was created by another Saint and is watched over by a true godit has strong binding power over me as well."
Professor shook her head and said with a smile, "No need. We trust you and Madame H."
She paused, then hesitantly asked, "How long will this operationst? We have children at home who need care. Though we have servants, we''re not entirely at ease."
Franca had already prepared for this.
"For those of you who are married couples with children, only one person needs to go. Those who are single parents or have other rtives needing special care can opt out of this operation. However, those who stay behind need to bring their children or other dependents to live together in one ce, under Madame H''s watch and protection."
This was to prevent secrets from leakingthe relevant personnel had to be ced under secrecy or sworn to secrecy.
Phew Professor noticeably rxed and turned to Associate Professor, saying, "I''ll go."
"I''ll go!" Associate Professor rejected her proposal without hesitation.
The two argued until Professor made the final decision.
"My Sequence is higher than yours and my condition is better. It''ll be safer if I go!"
"Fine" Associate Professor regretted for the first time spending too much time on unrted research.
After some discussion, those participating in this operation would be Professor, Periodic Table, and another male Warlock called "Prototype."
"Let''s go." Franca tossed out a mirror.
Under the influence of phantasms, the mirror grewrger andrger, fixing itself as a crystalline entrance.
Franca led the three Warlocks of different sequences across the solid mirror surface into the dark void of the mirror realm.
They plummeted through an illusory dark tunnel, with light and shadows rapidly shifting around them, as if other mirrors were projecting their reflected images into it.
Thus, after an unknown periodperhaps very short, perhaps very longProfessor and the others finally saw the exit.
Led by Hidden de Franca, they whooshed out of the mirror, stepping onto a wooden floor that creaked under their feet.
Periodic Table instinctively looked around and found they were aboard an ancient three-masted sailing ship. The gray-white mainsails billowed in the fierce wind, and only one or two sailors were on deck, making it feel quite eerie and quiet.
Outside the ship, dark blue waves rose and fell, with thin fog permeating the entire sea area.
When Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype all looked at her, Franca raised her right hand, pointing in one direction, and said with a smile, "Our destinationwest!"
Ssh! A low wave crashed over.
An ice-blue wave crashed against Future''s bow, producing numerous white sprays.
The Hermit, wearing a purple-patterned robe and thick sses, stood at the bow, nced at the changing weather above and the brewing snowstorm, then raised her right hand, signaling the ship to slow down and circle this small area of sea.
The sailors performed their duties, some adjusting the sail direction, others lowering one of the sails, until Future''s condition finally satisfied the captain, Queen of Stars Cattleya''s requirements.
Cattleya removed the thick sses from her nose bridge, revealing a pair of deep purple, almost ck eyes.
She immediately began speaking numbers with a mysterious aura, "1, 5, 4, 3, 7, 8"
These numbers materialized one after another, bing entangled in mid-air, numbering several hundred.
They were the entry password to the Moses Ascetic Order headquarters!
The Moses Ascetic Order headquarters was created by one of the Ten Pirs, the respected Chairman Torriope, using Mystical Re-enactment, and named "Avalon."
Avalon existed neither in reality nor in the spirit realm, but waspletely hidden somewhere in the North Sea. Only those invited or qualified could enter, and they must also grasp a corresponding string of numbers numbering 365 digits.
For the Moses Ascetic Order, everything was numbers. Each number had spirituality, symbolism, and special meaning. Whenbined, these numbers naturally possessed mystical power.
As The Hermit Cattleya spoke the correct spiritual numbers, which materialized and became entangled in mid-air, the numbers suddenly vanished, as if sinking into somewhere.
Within seconds, it was as if an invisible curtain was drawn aside in front of Future, and a small boat sailed out unhurriedly, unmanned.
Starlight quickly lit up, extending from Future''s bow to fall upon that small boat. The Hermit Cattleya stepped across the brilliant bridge formed by starlight and boarded the small boat in just a few steps.
As one of the Ten Pirs of the Moses Ascetic Order, she naturally had the qualifications to enter Avalon, and currently barely qualified as part of the core team.
The small boat carrying Cattleya turned around and headed back in the direction it came from.
The Queen of Stars''s silhouette gradually faded until it disappeared from the view of Future''s crew.
After passing throughyers of transparent curtains, The Hermit Cattleya saw an ind.
The ind was shrouded in mist, lined with trees bearing golden apples, with music faintly drifting from the distancepeaceful, tranquil, and abundant.
The small boat stopped at the dock, and the Hermit walked toward the depths of the apple grove, where there stood a warlock''s spire as if stepped out of a story.
Along the way, she encountered over a dozen humans dressed as warlocks.
These people stopped in session, greeting the Ten Pirs with nods.
They were all members of the Moses Ascetic Order, raised in Avalon since childhood, receiving corresponding teachings, most trusted. Currently, they were all in their period of silence to increase focus, enhance spirituality, and deeply master various morals and precepts.
Only Warlocks who grew up this way could eventuallypete for the positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Moses Ascetic Order. "Outsiders" like the Queen of Stars, who joinedter, could at most be one of the "Pirs," and would need to undergo years of testing and observation before having any hope of entering the core team.
The Hermit likewise responded to these silent Warlocks with nods, and soon passed through the treesden with golden apples to reach the tall ck spire.
Inside the spire, the wall protrusions, floor tiles, statues on both sides, and the elevator pulled by invisible servants were allposed of numbers. They looked normal at first nce, but upon closer inspection, one would find that even a small bump was formed by multiple intertwined numbers.
Hundreds of millions, billions of numbers were densely distributed throughout the spire, settling into different objects. Walking among them, The Hermit felt surrounded by countless numbers.
In her eyes, there were no walls, no bricks, no statues, no elevatorsonly numbers! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
At this time, some Warlocks who had finished their period of silence were moving about in the spire. They either conversed quietly, went about their business, or huddled in corners, letting the strange eyes within the cracks on their faces observe their surroundings.
Thesetter ones were members approaching loss of control. After the Hidden Sage''s knowledge infusions became increasingly crazy and frequent, even the Moses Ascetic Order, which had mastered safe "listening" methods, inevitably had Warlocks moving toward loss of control, far more than in previous years.
What was once safe was no longer safe.
If not for this problem, with the Moses Ascetic Order''s umtion plus the initial spiritual decline as the apocalypse approached, they certainly had more than ten demigods. But unfortunately, they still only had ten Pirs.
The Hermit''s gaze withdrew from these Warlocks'' faces as she entered the elevator. Pulled by invisible servants, she went all the way up to the spire''s top floor.
Here, the Chairman and one of the two Vice Chairmen were always on duty. Among them, Chairman Torriope and Vice Chairman Retia Austin were Pirs that the Hermit couldn''t quite get a read on.
Before arriving today, The Hermit Cattleya had already confirmed that Chairman Torriopean Angel on the Mystery Pryer pathwaywas on duty in Avalon.
As soon as the elevator steadied, Cattleya walked forward.
This was a hallrger than the spire''s top floor itself. On the ck walls, floor, and ceiling were eyes, each different, strangely shaped, and all cold eyes.
They all seemed to be watching the Queen of Stars.
At the end of the room, against the windowless wall, stood three dark gold statuesone wearing a mask, one resembling a lion, and one like an eagle.
Chairman Torriope seemed not to be present.
Just then, the masked dark gold statue''s mouth moved, issuing a grand but hollow voice, "I have foreseen your betrayal!"
Hearing these words, Queen of Stars Cattleya wasn''t surprised, only somewhat sighing.
Indeed, it was impossible to truly hide from a high-sequence irvoyant.
Once there was action, They would prophesy certain scenes or fragments. One could only try to dy when such perceptions appeared, or make the corresponding prophecies difficult to interpret!
A card suddenly appeared in Cattleya''s hand. On its face was depicted a lonely old man with a cane, carrying a ssmp.
The Hermit card!
Chapter 1065 Forced Entry
1065 Forced Entry
As soon as The Hermit card appeared in Cattleya''s hand, it seemed to emit a glossy light.
At the same time, outside the warlock''s tower, in the mist shrouding Avalon''s sky, a star began to shine in broad daylight, growing brighter and brighter until it was dazzling to the eye.
In an instant, a figure emerged from that star.
It was Madam Magician, wearing a deep ck warlock''s robe embroidered with twinkling silver stars.
Using the mystical connection provided by The Hermit, she forcibly located and tore open a gate to Avalon.
After The Hermit Cattleya gained free ess to Avalon, The Magician could actually have broken in using a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact from the Abraham family. After all, this ce was merely created by Torriope using Mystical Re-enactment, not granted by the Hidden Sagehow could it stop a high-sequence Door pathway Beyonder who could enter with or without doors?
But the Moses Ascetic Order was an ancient organization with at least two Angels and multiple Grade 0 and Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts. At that time, even with thebined strength of the Tarot Club, the Church of The Fool, the New City of Silver, and New Moon City, they could at best fight them to a draw. Moreover, the enemy had the Hidden Sage''s protection while The Fool was not yet awake, so the Major Arcana card holders didn''t act rashly but waited patiently.
Today, the opportunity hade.
Mr. Fool and the other deities were responsible for dealing with the Hidden Sagethe most difficult part was how to find and lock onto the target without letting Him escape. Meanwhile, the Tarot Club and friendly forces were tasked with attacking the Moses Ascetic Order headquarters to eliminate all the Beyonders who had been deeply influenced or even corrupted by the Hidden Sage.
Of course, the Tarot Club and the Church of The Fool hadn''t deployed all their High-Sequence Beyondersthey needed to guard against enemy forces and evil god cults taking advantage of Mr. Fool''s personal hunt tounch surprise attacks on ces like the New City of Silver. For Angels like Suah of the Rose School of Thought, winning wasn''t important; what mattered was whether they could cause damage, which would shake The Fool''s anchors.
Miss Messenger and Mr. Pallez must remain in the Rorsted Archipgo
Will and Mr. Azik won''t participate in this kind of thing
Only I can take action, but fortunately, allies will provide help
In a sh, numerous thoughts crossed The Magician''s mind, finally converging into one: But I still have manuscripts to submit
Her sigh didn''t affect her actions as she stepped to The Hermit''s side in one motion.
The fact that only she had appeared so far didn''t mean she was the only Angel arrivingshe was just faster, the first to reach here.
In Madam Magician''s eyes, starlight suddenly gathered, seeming to condense into a book.
Immediately after, a giant swordposed of orange-red twilight light materialized out of thin air, piercing through the void to strike the masked dark gold statue.
The Twilight Sword then shattered, transforming into countless orange-red shards of light that tore apart everything around them, cutting all objects to pieces, causing them to decay until they copsed.
The three dark gold statues were the first to be affected. In the storm of twilight light, they quickly broke into tiny fragments, each piece dim and rusty, as if washed by the passage of endless time or having reached its twilight years.
In the hall, the walls, floor, and ceiling covered in strange cold eyes dissolved in the orange-red storm, sliding down inch by inch before shattering.
This void also copsed.
But Madam Magician had already switched positions, shing multiple images of herself, surrounding herself and Ma''am Hermit withyer afteryer of protection.
There were cages bearing a sense of holiness and glory, and darkness curved into spheres. By the time they shattered, the orange-red Hurricane of Light hadpletely subsided.
As the hall atop the warlock''s tower copsed in ruins, another scene entered The Hermit Cattleya''s eyes.
This was a long, deep tunnel leading to an unknown destination. The tunnel was wide, seeminglyposed of connected rooms. In the current room, more than a dozen High-Sequence Warlocks were busy with their own tasks.
This space seemed to be a reflection of the warlock''s tower, another side of Avalon, a secret area The Hermit had no way to enter.
It had been forcibly opened by The Magician using the Hurricane of Light created by the Twilight Sword and the positioning ability of the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
Madam Magician didn''t dy, dropping a mirror before disappearing from the spot with Ma''am Hermit, shing toward the depths of this dark tunnel.
Before the thrown mirror could hit the ground, Lumian and Jenna, wearing ck warlock robes but with their hoods down, emerged from it.
10:37
The warlocks in this room had just awakened from their previous concentration, all turning their gazes toward them.
Some were consuming dead infants, some were using infants to make potions, some were extracting infant fat to apply to objectsvarious such activities, all utilizing newborns toplete witchcraft, potions, or mystical items.
Wh Lumian raised an eyebrow.
Although in folktales, warlocks were often associated with killing infants and children, and some strange, inhumanly cruel witchcraft preparations, Lumian knew this wasn''t actually mainstream for the Warlock pathway.
Were there warlocks who did such things, were there simr witchcraft practices? Of course there were, but definitely not many.
Who would have thought that within the Moses Ascetic Order, which emphasized morals and precepts, emphasizing the maxim "do as you wish, but do no harm," there would be so many warlocks doing such things in Avalon''s dark side.
Of course, what surprised Lumian wasn''t the Moses Ascetic Order''s fall from gracethat had been confirmed long ago. Otherwise, the Moses Ascetic Order wouldn''t have transformed from a respected society with good rtions with various Churches into an evil, shadowy secret organization.
What astonished him was how deeply ingrained the practice of utilizing infant corpses had be in the Moses Ascetic Orderthis couldn''t have developed in just a year or two.
And infants inevitably made him think of birthof mothers.
Was the Hidden Sage''s mutation really rted to the Great Mother? Had this practice started when She brought evil and corruption to the Moses Ascetic Order? Utilizing birth and death? Lumian tilted his head, looking at Jenna, whose expression changed from shock to anger, and quickly said, "This ce is yours."
He then shed toward the depths of the wide, dark tunnel.
His mission wasn''t here.
The reason Jenna participated in this operation was because Lumian believed the role of a Demoness of Despair could also be fulfilled throughbat, through killing, through destruction.
A Demoness who brought despair!
Jenna wouldn''t participate in the battles deep within Avalon, mainly focusing on clearing out the corrupt low and mid-sequence warlocks, bringing them despair. In this process, if she encountered a Saint, or even two or three Saints, with a Demoness of Despair''s survival abilities, she might not win, but death was unlikely.
The warlocks in the current room had already realized enemies had invaded, some preparing to cast spells, some taking advantage of their materials, some trying to bring out their mystical itemsnone retreated.
What excellent materials! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Their eyes burned with madness and greed as they looked at Jenna.
The angry Jenna suddenly smiled, as if light had entered this somewhat dark world.
All those warlocks of different sequences were stunned for a moment, unable to carry out their intended actions in time.
Almost simultaneously, they felt the cold.
Ayer of frost formed on the surface of their bodies, their hair, and the tables themselves where infant corpses and various materials wereid out.
They began to shiver, their joints stiffening, their movements bing obviouslybored and difficult.
Then, one crystalline ice spear after another shot out from in front of Jenna, urately piercing each wrlock''s body, pinning them to the walls or floor, their blood seeping out and freezing.
The warlocks tried to resist, but not only were their bodies frozen, they were also bound and affected by invisible spider silk, making it difficult to take effective action.
Jenna didn''t kill them immediately, letting the mystical gue spread simultaneously with her Charm freely erode these fallen ones, making them clearly feel their lungs tightening, their heads burning, and their life slipping away.
They began to despair.
The Magician pursued in a wandering manner, leaving even The Hermit behind.
Finally, ignoring other enemies along the way, she reached a deste, boundless in.
Torriope, wearing a ck hood and warlock''s robe, seemed to be in the depths of the wilderness.
He gazed into the distance at Madam Magician and raised His right palm.
An illusory figure was quickly sketched in the endless wilderness.
This was a spell derived from Mystical Re-enactment.
As an Angel who advanced in the middle tote Fourth Epoch, although Torriope wasn''t a founding member who established the Moses Ascetic Order, he had lived for over a thousand years, witnessed many mystical events, mastered much mystical knowledge, and through this created several powerful spells.
With the core ability of Mystical Re-enactment, Beyonders of the Mystery Pryer pathway could indeed potentially live longer and grow stronger.
However, because too many people knew about major events like the War of the Four Emperors and the Pale Disaster, Torriope couldn''t draw power from them to create spells that would be considered terrifying even at the Angel level, and could only choose second-rate ones.
As soon as that illusory figure in the wilderness solidified, bloody chunks of flesh began falling continuously from its body.
Each piece of bloody flesh turned into a cold, emotionless eye, and they quickly looked toward Madam Magician, emanating an aura of chaos, madness, and evil.
This was a spell Torriope created from the strange death of one of the Moses Ascetic Order''s founders: "Loss of Control Gaze"!
Chapter 1066 Deep in the Fog Sea
Chapter 1066 Deep in the Fog Sea
Loss of Control Gaze was a spell that could cause even Angels to show obvious signs of losing control, with better effects the more unstable the target''s mental state.
However, just as Torriope cast this spell, The Magician vanished from the entrance to the wilderness.
She didn''t appear anywhere else in this area, seemingly having left entirely.
Torriope''s gaze focused as He watched the horrifying figure created by Loss of Control Gaze gradually dissipate.
He didn''t take this chance to escape.
It wasn''t that He didn''t want to, but it was toote. Only when Queen of Stars Cattleya entered the warlock''s tower did He receive the revtion and make the corresponding prophecy, spending some time to interpret it.
He had no time left to escape.
He could onlye to the depths of this wilderness and wait patiently.
Wait for an opportunity.
This approach wasn''t just interpreted from His own prophecy, but also came from His understanding of this wilderness on the dark side of the warlock''s tower, and His knowledge of the Moses Ascetic Order''s past events.
In just a second or two, the Loss of Control Gaze spellpletely ended.
At the same time, Torriope once again saw that youngdy wearing the ck robe embroidered with silver stars.
She had returned.
On the Blue Avenger, struggling to navigate through the fog and sea.
Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype were all at sea for the first time, and they all walked to the ship''s rail to gaze into the distance where the light was quite dim and the waves seemed to roar.
"Westward is this the depths of the Fog Sea?" Professor made her judgment based on Franca''s earlier words and the surrounding environment.
"Yes." The person who answered wasn''t Franca, but a middle-aged man who walked out from the cabin.
This man was of medium build with rough skin and messy deep blue hair, wearing a linen shirt, brownish jacket, and darker pantaloons. His bearing was rather dignified, giving the impression of someone long ustomed to authority.
"This is the captain," Franca said, not introducing him as The Hanged Man of the Tarot Club, only telling Periodic Table and the others that he was the owner of this three-masted sailing ship.
After a courtesy bow, Professor asked with some curiosity, "I''ve heard the western Fog Sea is extremely dangerous, often with fierce winds and huge waves. Even official exploration fleets can''t continue deep into it, and can only advance one section of waterway at a time by establishing forward bases."
"Actually, the weather here isn''t as changeable and intense as the Berserk Sea," Captain The Hanged Man said in a slightly low, maic voice. "What''s dangerous here is the fog."
Most Beyonders of the Warlock pathway had strong curiosity. Prototype repeated the captain''s words, "Fog?
"What''s dangerous about fog Does it make fleets lose their way, unable to find supplies or retreat?"
The Hanged Man smiled slightly. "Do you know why this ocean is called the Fog Sea? Why fog often rises in the archipgo waters too,pletely different from the weather in the Sonia Sea?"
Recalling various meteorologists'' exnations from newspapers and magazines, Periodic Table touched the chemical symbols on her face and suddenly realized. "It spreads from here?"
The Hanged Man nodded gently. "The fog in this area sometimes contracts, sometimes expands. When it expands, the fog spreads eastward, affecting the weather.
"The closer you get to here, the more foggy weather there is, and the slower the fog disperses. By the time you reach the archipgo waters, the fog here needs to expand very dramatically to affect that area."
"So it''s actually due to mystical reasons" Professor murmured to herself.
The Hanged Man continued, "Simrly, the deeper you go into this area, the further west you sail, the thicker the fog bes and the harder it is to disperse. Eventually you can''t see anything but gray-white, dense fog, making it impossible to determine your coordinates and the correct waterway based on any external conditions.
"Who knows how many explorers and adventurers have vanished forever here? Perhaps their ships will only return from history muchter in the form of unmanned ghost ships."
Franca beside them listened with great interest.
So this is the true origin of the Fog Sea''s name? N?v(el)B\\jnn
Did this foge from the Celestial Worthy''s seal on the Western Continent?
"What about us?" Professor asked with some concern.
We''re also heading deep into these waters!
Unlike Prototype who only had to worry about feeding himself, she and Periodic Table had strong attachments, naturally making them more anxious and worried.
The Hanged Man looked around and said, "Don''t worry, I''ve entered and left these waters many times and have some understanding of the waterways here. We won''t lose our way before reaching our destination."
Of course, you''re a top seafarer Franca muttered internally.
The Hanged Man added, "This experience was bought with lives. I''ve lost my way here before, encountered dangers, and nearly disappeared with the entire ship several times.
"Fortunately, with divine protection, I prayed in time and received urate positioning, which helped me sessfully find my way back."
Seeing how the captain introduced his experiences exploring these waters without arrogance, boasting, fear, or trepidation, Professor and the others gradually settled their hearts.
This was indeed a safe waterway explored through countless hardships plus divine guidance, worthy of trust.
At this moment, they all felt the captain was very steady and reliable.
Periodic Table looked at the sailors who were clearly not enough to operate such a three-masted sailing ship, and asked with an investigative spirit, "Is this a ghost ship?"
"Yes." The Hanged Man didn''t deny it.
Just then, the entire ship was thrown up by a wave, flying through the air.
With a ssh, a giant sea fish twenty to thirty meters long emerged from beneath the surface.
Its body was covered in silver-white metal scales that flickered with dawn''s light, and from the blowhole on its head spurted a water stream that seemedposed of early morning twilight.
This water stream was like a giant sword wielded by a deity, shing fiercely toward the Blue Avenger.
This scene was visually stunning, leaving Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype, who were used to fighting in cities and small environments, momentarily unsure how to respond.
Silently, a gray-white color spread from the ship''s rail, colliding with that deity-like dawn sword.
The dawn''s light on the giant sword immediately dimmed, taking on a gray-white color.
It failed to create a Hurricane of Light, quickly turning into a stone sword that broke into sections falling toward the sea surface.
At the same time, The Hanged Man flew into the air, his deep blue hair spreading wildly like tentacles.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The Hanged Man clenched his fists, throwing out bolts of lightning.
These silver-white lightning bolts pierced through sky and sea, striking the sea fish covered in silver-white scales.
Boom! Only now did the thunder echo out.
Just as Professor and others watched dumbfounded as the captain brought down divine punishment like a deity to discipline the sea monster, the area where the Blue Avenger was about to fall began bubbling.
Countless rotting creatures emerged along with the rising and bursting bubbles, cramming densely together.
A horrifying, strange summoning from the realm of death''s destination came from beneath the sea surface, pulling the Blue Avenger off course directly toward it.
The gray-white color fell before the ship, turning all the rotting, undead creatures instantly into stone sculptures, even the azure seawater became like a cement ground, uneven with highs and lows.
The gray-white continued to prate beneath the sea surface, and everything fell silent.
The Blue Avengernded steadily on the water beside it, and The Professor and others sawrge patches of gray-white stone being shattered by the iing water flow, some sinking, some floating.
"A Sequence 5 sea monster, a Gatekeeper?" Franca muttered questioningly as she prepared to collect her spoils. "Isn''t this disy of ability a bit exaggerated?"
The first creature to attack the Blue Avenger should have been a whale that had consumed a Sequence 5 Guardian Beyonder characteristic of the Warrior pathway.
"Different species and environments can lead to different manifestations of abilities," The Hanged Mannded back on deck, ordering the sailors to quickly harvest the whale sea monster''s Beyonder characteristic and valuable parts. "Besides, you forgot that Sequence 5 at sea qualifies one topete for the title of admiral."
Listening to their exchange, Professor and others finally realized.
The captain was the other demigod Hidden de had mentioned.
The power of a demigod was mind-shaking!
As Franca used Demoness spider silk to drag up the Keeper sea monster hidden beneath the surfaceit was a t, human-sized, spiky deep ck mutated sea urchinshe casually asked,
"The deeper we sail into these waters, the more monsters like this we''ll encounter?"
"No." The Hanged Man shook his head. "The most dangerous things are the environment itself and ourpanions. Of course, as long as we stay on the pre-determined waterway, there won''t be much risk. These sea monsters have only appeared in recent years, possibly rted to that war back then."
Seeing Professor and others clearly confused, The Hanged Man briefly exined, "After the God of Combat''s defeat, many Beyonder characteristics fell from the astral world onto the earth and into the oceans. His divine kingdom also experienced some copse, with many items falling into reality."
I see The Backstabbing Armor, no, the Pride Armor came from that? That whale sea monster just now should also be Gatekeeper is Sequence 5 of the Death pathway, adjacent to the Warrior pathway, so it''s normal for the God of Combat''s divine kingdom to have some rted items As Franca came to this realization, she waited for the pale and ck-mixed Beyonder characteristic to gradually precipitate out.
She and Lumian would need to gain more believers in the future, which required priests to spread their teachings, so they needed to prepare some Beyonder characteristics for their subordinates.
After collecting the spoils, the Blue Avenger continued forward.
As they sailed deeper, the gray-white fog around them grew increasingly dense, making it impossible to see clearly beyond several dozen meters.
During this process, Professor and others asionally discovered things floating through the fogthere were faintly visible peaks, indistinct inds, and giant figures that seemed to hold up the sky
The Hanged Man didn''t exin, only telling them, "They seem close but are actually far away, unreachable."
After another half day, when the gray-white fog reached a certain density, The Hanged Man suddenly said to Franca,
"We''re almost at our destination. Notify Ma''am Hermit that she can enter the Moses Ascetic Order''s headquarters now."
In the dark side tunnel of the warlock''s tower.
Ma''am Hermit continued to advance deeper. Her responsibility was to hold back the Moses Ascetic Order''s upper echelons as much as possible until allied forces arrived.
Suddenly, she stopped in an area filled with many broken stone pirs.
She saw a familiar figure.
It was the Moses Ascetic Order''s Vice Chairman, another Pir who she couldn''t get a read onRetia Austin.
Chapter 1067 Grade 0 Sealed Artifact
Chapter 1067 Grade 0 Sealed Artifact
Retia was a quiet, taciturn person who made The Hermit feel like there was something strange about her as a warlock, though she had never explicitly said so, and Cattleya believed She had already be an Angel.
And in the intelligence Cattleya had obtained in advance, the current high-level members of the Moses Ascetic Order guarding Avalon were only Torriope and two other Pirs who had been doing research there for years, so Retia should have already left.
Unexpectedly, She appeared again.
She was on the dark side of Avalon.
Except for when there were real matters that needed to be handled, every time She said She was leaving Avalon, She was actually just taking a detour and entering the dark side? Was She guarding against something, or doing some secret thing? Queen of Stars Cattleya was surprised but not panicked.
Retia being at the Moses Ascetic Order''s headquarters was a good thing, so she wouldn''t have to go looking for Her everywhere to eliminate Her!
At this time, Retia in a loose robe with wavy wine-red hair stood on top of a broken giant stone pir, looking towards the traitor foretold in the prophecy, Her voice echoing in the current area, "I see you turning into a swan"
As she spoke, Retia''s body rapidly expanded, the loose ck robe quickly tearing apart, transforming into a mass of cloth fragments that drifted down below the stone pir. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
In the blink of an eye, this Vice Chairman of the Moses Ascetic Order had Her neck elongated, covered in magenta scales, Her entire body the same.
She was now five or six meters tall, her tailbone extending and bing very long, filled with joints and barbs.
Retia had actually transformed into a giant dragon, powerful and exuding an evil beauty, Her head still human-like in the magenta color.
Her amber vertical pupils immediately locked onto The Hermit Cattleya.
The Sequence 2 of the Mystery Pryer pathway was called Sage, with the core ability being the mastery and utilization of information, including but not limited to the informatization of one''s own self.
In such a situation, if one had enough self-understanding, without disrupting the overall information bnce, one could add appropriate, non-conflicting, and already fully grasped mysticism knowledge in the form of information into the corresponding information flow, and delete the unnecessary parts, therebypleting the transformation of one''s own body and the fixation and eleration of certain spells.
Retia chose to gradually transform Herself into a giant dragon at the information level, in order to gain a huge boost in physical strength and vitality.
For this, She spent hundreds of years researching the remains of various dragons, and was also known as a "Dragon Schr" within the Moses Ascetic Order.
Queen of Stars Cattleya originally thought this title meant Retia''s research on the dragons was very in-depth, making Her a true expert in the field, until Queen Mystic also became a Sage did they guess there was anotheryer of meaning: A schr like a dragon!
Immediately, countless cold, eyshless eyes opened in the cracks between Retia''s magenta scales.
The Mythical Creature form of the Mystery Pryer pathway!
At the same time, countless fragments shed in The Hermit Cattleya''s mind.
There was the warning from Queen Mystic when she chose the "Mystery Pryer pathway on the Dawn; the constant pursuit of knowledge and the repeated indoctrination of the Hidden Sage; the painful episodes of almost losing control several times; the protection provided by Mr. Fool; the ostracism and suspicion she had suffered since bing one of the Pirs; and all the scenes of evil and corruption she had seen along the way into the dark side
All of this is finally about toe to an end With a sigh, Cattleya''s back arched slightly, and pure white illusory feathers sprouted.
Fairytale magic, Ugly Duckling!
Even an ugly duckling could transform into a swan!
A Sequence 3 could also manifest an iplete Mythical Creature form, supporting it for a short time under the impact of an Angel!
As these swan feathers grew out, cracks also appeared on Cattleya''s surface, with blood and flesh congealing in each crack to form stark ck and white eyeballs.
These eyeballs swept around, meeting the countless eyes on the magenta dragon''s body.
Ma''am Hermit and the draconized Retia both became somewhat ethereal, one seeming to have be an abstract ck shadow, the other''s body dimming, no longer exuding an evil beauty.
Although Lumian had Teleportation, considering the many dangers lurking in the dark side of Avalon, he didn''t dare make a direct advance like Madam Magician, but Blinked in stages instead.
After three or four jumps, he arrived at what seemed like a pce rooftop.
It was paved withrge bs of water-ck stone, surrounded by walls and towers, the night sky above dark and deep, with clusters of dazzling stars dotting it, blinking on and off as if countless unknown existences were watching this area, those stars being their eyes.
A tall, thin man dressed as a warlock stood at the top of the nearest tower, carefully cradling a long-necked silver sk.
The surface of the sk was covered in dense bumps, each with a deep crack, within which countless ck and white eyes slowly rotated.
This was an unnumbered Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, because it was not from the orthodox churches, and sometimes it was an Angel, sometimes a Sealed Artifact, its form unable to be fixed.
It originated from a founding member of the Moses Ascetic Order, that angel''s bizarre and uncontrolled death leaving behind this sealed artifact, and in the long years that followed, three of the Order''s saints had sessively used this artifact to be angels, but ultimately all went mad and died or became monsters within three hundred years, bringing great disaster to the Moses Ascetic Order.
In thest thousand years, no one had dared to use this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to advance, and thus it has earned a name: "Destined Madness"!
As a long-standing secret organization, the Moses Ascetic Order was at its peak, possessing six Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts besides Angels. Later, some were lost in internal strife, some were offered to the Hidden Sage, and some became the foundation of Angels. Now, only three remained, and Destined Madness was one of them.
The warlock holding this cursed sk was Seids, one of the Pirs, who had been stationed in Avalon for years, researching mysticism knowledge.
As a Sequence 3 irvoyant of the Mystery Pryer pathway, he chose Destined Madness over the other two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts because, for him, the current negative effects were still bearable, and he could endure for some time.
The countless eyes on the slender silver sk brought with them a flood of illusions.
They were diverse fragments of knowledge, some turning into human shapes, eyes bursting, clutching their chests, or heads exploding; some resembling writhing masses of snakes, slick and repulsive; some grotesque and indescribable, all racing madly toward Lumian.
Knowledge was in pursuit!
A swath of gray-white surged before Lumian, rolling forward like waves toward the embodied knowledge.
Wherever the gray-white wave passed, the stone bs grew denser, and even the air thickened.
When the petrifying force met the knowledge entities, those apparitions donned a gray-white veil.
However, in the next second, knowledge of "stone," "rigidity," "slowness," and "lifelessness" seeped into the apparitions, bing part of them.
The knowledge pursuing Lumian didn''t stop; they merely transformed into heavy yet swift knowledge statues.
On the azure sea thick with gray fog.
Because the area was so disorienting, Franca couldn''t use conventional methods to contact Ma''am Hermit. She had to resort to praying to Mr. Fool to inform that Major Arcana card holder that they could start their operation.
After she finished, Mr. Hanged Man began advising Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype,
"Next, you may experience some hallucinations, see some illusions, but under no circumstances should you believe them, or the harm will extend beyond you to yourpanions as well.
"Even if you see me turn into a monster, or see a nearbypanion attack you, you must neither evade nor retaliatetrust that it''s all false.
"Of course, it might not even be that intense."
Professor and the others exchanged nces, eventually choosing to trust the experienced, powerful captain. Besides, Hidden de was there too.
Then, the Blue Avenger continued deeper into the sea along the murky course.
After a moment, Professor sensed an unnatural silence around her.
Though it was a ghost ship with few people on board, it had never been so silent that not a single sound, save for the waves, could be heard.
Professor looked slowly toward the captain, Hidden de, and the distant sailors, only to see them moving in jerky slow motion, as if controlled by strings.
Professor was startled and instinctively looked at Periodic Table and Prototype.
Both members of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society were smirking, identical chilling grins on their faces.
Their smiles matched in every detail.
Shuddering, Professor remembered the captain''s warning and quickly shut her eyes, repeating silently,
It''s not real, it''s all fake
At that moment, it seemed as though tentacles were reaching out from the water, the slick sensation drawing closer and closer, while Professor''s thoughts grew sluggish and even a bit muddled.
It''s not real, it''s all fake she muttered to herself, braving her terror.
It was unclear how much time passed before all abnormalities abruptly vanished as though they had never been there.
Professor opened her eyes and saw that the captain was back to normal. Both Hidden de and the othersPeriodic Table and Prototypewore expressions tinged with confusion and fear.
Professor and the others were about to ask questions when they all furrowed their brows simultaneously.
They felt knowledge pursuing them, surging from the dense gray-white fog!
Of course, it wasn''t as extreme as the Hidden Sage''s indoctrination, more like a manageable pressure.
Mr. Hanged Man saw this and quickly said to Franca, "We''ve reached the target area."
Franca nodded, pulling out several pieces of yellow paper etched with intricate patterns from the Traveler''s Bag.
Chapter 1068 Connection
Chapter 1068 Connection
Petrification did nothing to stop the advancing knowledge; instead, petrification became a part of them, and they surged forward toward Lumian like an army of puppets.
At that moment, a strange thought crossed Lumian''s mind.
If I were in Morora, could I use the authority of 0-01 to turn these knowledge statues into my soldiers and then redirect their assault on Seids, the Moses Ascetic Order''s brass holding the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact?
Unfortunately, there was no "if."
The knowledge statues collided with Lumian, producing a cracking sound.
Lumian had activated his Mirror Substitution in advance.
In the next instant, he used Teleportation, outlining his figure mid-air, positioned behind Seids and slightly above the tower.
Despite his fear of the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, it was being wielded by a person, not the artifact itself wielding the person. This naturally left vulnerabilities to exploit.
For example, Seids'' body was blocking the dense bumps and stark ck-and-white eyes on the surface of the silver sk, obscuring his view of what was behind him.
Lumian''ske-like eyes quickly locked onto Seids'' back, preparing to cast a curse.
Just then, the back of Seids'' head, uncovered by a hood, began to writhe with flesh. ck-and-white, emotionless eyes sprouted from the dark gray hair.
The Saint seemed to be one with the silver sk, an extension of its power.
Pop! Pop! Pop! ck-and-white eyes spread across Seids'' back, his hair parting and clothes tearing as they all turned to gaze at Lumian.
Lumian froze.
Sequence names and fragments of relevant knowledge surged into his mind all at once: Mystery Pryer, Melee Schr, Warlock, Scrolls Professor, Constetions Master, Mysticologist, irvoyant, Sage, Knowledge Emperor, Hermit, Savant Archaeologist, ck Knight, The Hanged Man, White Angel, The Sun, and more.
It wasn''t enough to overwhelm his mind and spirit, but it did disrupt his thoughts, making them sluggish and chaotic.
The knowledge even vaguely coalesced into a scene with an ancient, worn stone te.
Lumian''s consciousness grew foggy.
Simultaneously, from within the silver sk, covered with eyes and bumps, streams of zing, golden, pure sunlight poured forth.
They illuminated the pce rooftop area, lifting a miniature, fiercely burning sun.
That "sun" expanded rapidly, purifying and igniting everything around it.
Mystical Re-enactment!
Lumian, riddled with countless issues, was immediately engulfed in searing pain, as though his skin were forcibly peeled away to expose raw flesh beneath. The lingering aura of the Blood Emperor in his palm, the Underworld Daoist''s seal, and the ck pinhole all activated in response, ring into prominence.
This brought a sliver of rity amidst the fog of confusion.
Crack!
He used Mirror Substitution again. As shards of ss fell toward the base of the tower, he shifted positions, appearing at the edge of the pce rooftop.
That led deeper into the dark side of Avalon.
But sunlight was everywhere, leaving no shadows behind. Lumian abruptly ignited, golden mes bursting from him.
His body began to melt.
A sudden chill struck him from behind as if a ghostly, sticky shadow clung to his back, coiling around him inyers, trying to invade.
How could there still be shadows in such zing, pure, holy sunlight? Where is the absence of darkness? What sort of spell is thisboth holy and sinister Lumian, though resilient to mes, feared the purifying force.
He activated the ck mark on his right shoulder without hesitation.
Teleport!
He disappeared from his position, instantly reappearing in the next area.
His mission was not to kill or stall Seids or seize the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. Witnessing the terror of such an artifact, he knew there was no point in lingeringit would only interfere with his main objective.
The reason he had fought Seids earlier was due to his reluctance to advance too quickly, fearing he might stumble into an Angel''s battleground, which was likely even more dangerous than staying here. It was better to see if he could handle an opponent wielding a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
As he emerged in the next area, he quickly used Mirror Substitution again, leaving the golden mes and chilling shadow to the mirror image.
ncing back, he saw the golden mes indeed melting the mirror, within which a patch of deep ck writhed and struggled.
Both vanished simultaneously.
In the pce rooftop-like area, Seids'' entire form seemed amiss; the mass of ck-and-white eyes on his back did not retract quickly.
He strained to pursue the Demoness of Unaging holding Destined Madness.
Suddenly, from the entrance of the dark side of Avalon, a thick mist of pale steam flowed into the area, coalescing mid-air into a figure.
This figure was d in a monk''s gray robe, wearing an apron like that of ancient stonemasons, with chestnut hair, blue eyes, a handsome, youthful face, and a tall, slender build.
Under the influence of various spells, broken stone pirs were eitherpletely shattered, copsed entirely, sprouted eyes, or became a part of knowledge, bearing no resemnce to their original form.
Using the Ugly Duckling magic to reveal an iplete Mythical Creature form, The Hermit Cattleya was held in a crushing grip by Retia, now a magenta dragon.
Her attacks, her magic, all became ineffective once absorbed into Retia''s informatized body.
Ten seconds had passed, and the effects of the Ugly Duckling magic were nearing their end.
Cattleya, unwavering and resolute, prepared to cast Ugly Duckling for the second and final time, ording to n.
Only by relying on the iplete Mythical Creature form could she hold her ground against Retia!
At that moment, streams of transparent, intangible information cascaded into the area, reforming into the figure of Queen Mystic Bernadette, with chestnut hair, straight brows, and eyes as deep as the ocean.
In a boundless wilderness, translucent, ethereal information coalesced into the figure of Torriope, Chairman of the Moses Ascetic Order.
He had evaded Madam Magician''s first round of multi-directional attacks using informatization to dodge from various directions with diverse abilities.
Now reformed, Torriope still wore his hood, but his upper body was bare.
His torso no longer appeared human, resembling a fusion of five or six things:
There was a menacing wolf''s head with ck fur, a zing throne of fire, a pale face with strange eyes, a writhing mass of maggots, and multiple asymmetrical ck symbols
These were the Mystical Re-enactment spells Torriope had added to His information body over the years, making them truly a part of Him.
In this form, the corresponding magic would immediately trigger and strike any target.
As for the Loss of Control Gaze spell, Torriope deemed it too dangerous and hadn''t fully deciphered its secrets. He feared adding it would destabilize the overall information structure, resulting in a loss of control.
ng!
Just as Torriopepleted His reformation, preparing to unleash numerous spells simultaneously, an ancient, ethereal chime echoed, and he glimpsed a massive, weathered bell in shades of ckish-green and gray-white.
For an instant, He was dazed, but then He quickly cast the five or six spells all at once.
They missed every target and had no impact on any life form.
Madam Magician had vanished from the wilderness.
A pulse of information flickered in the corner of Torriope''s brow.
His emotions became slightly unstable.
He knew his enemy would be back any moment!
Striking, but never hitting; fleeing, but never escaping!
Then, Torriope saw the ground deep within the wilderness silently cave in.
A vast pit opened, leading to a hazy, misty, obscure ce.
Torriope''s spirits lifted again, His mood brightening. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The great Hidden Sage had finally responded!
That hazy, foggy area was actually a hidden escape route, granted by the Hidden Sage when Torriope had established Avalon.
Once He escaped through there, His enemies would be unable to track or locate Him.
Based on the Hidden Sage''s namesake, He naturally wielded powers of concealment!
That was also why He was still alive from the Fourth Epoch to the present.
Joyfully, Torriope dissolved into a flood of information again, rushing toward therge, copsed pit.
Madam Magician reappeared in the skies above the wilderness.
On the Blue Avenger, Franca handed out three pieces of yellow paper, covered with fine patterns, tiny writing, and strange symbols, to Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype.
"Burn them by rubbing them with your spirituality," Franca instructed solemnly.
Taking the yellow paper, Prototype quickly nced over it, noting a resemnce to, yet significant difference from, the entries in Roselle''s Diary.
He faintly discerned two characters: "Celestial Master."
Wh Professor and the others hesitated for a second before setting their yellow papers ame.
The blue smoke from the burning paper didn''t dissipate but instead coalesced into a column, rising into the gray-white mist above.
In the next second, Professor and the others seemed to see a wilderness filled with countless figures wandering and screaming. The knowledge pursuing them surged, bing fiercer.
They once again experienced the intense agony of the Hidden Sage''s relentless indoctrination.
Then, a hazy silhouette began to emerge before them.
The figure sat cross-legged, his face as smooth as jade, dressed in a blue robe with a high crown atop his head.
He held something known as a "whisk."
In an unknown, mysterious realm.
A lightposed ofplex information concealed itself and the surrounding area.
It was none other than the Hidden Sage, who had foreseen the danger.
Suddenly, He trembled violently, His form twisting like a massive serpent pierced by an unseen force.
He had predicted the danger, but He hadn''t foreseen that it woulde from the wilderness!
Enduring the pain, He attempted to sever the connection, hoping to conceal this part of His information.
At that moment, a figure d in a ck trench coat followed the trace of the connection, descending from above andnding in front of Him, at the edge of the unknownnd.
The figure used his right hand, gloved in ck, to press down on the half-height silk top hat atop his head, gradually straightening his posture.
Chapter 1069 Nemesis
Chapter 1069 Nemesis
The Hidden Sage felt He must respond, but He couldn''t decide which n to choose.
Should He quickly repel the invading enemy, or destroy this unknown realm of His creation to create chaos, escape detection, and hide once again?
He had never hesitated like this before, unable to make a decision, as if affected by some Beyonder power.
Then, He heard the "ng" of a bell.
It seemed toe from ancient times, crossing vast ages.
A weathered, mottled clock''s phantom appeared, and a ck-gloved left hand held the hands of the clock that had been ticking between gray-white and blue-ck.
In this moment of stillness, The Fool raised his right palm, thrusting forward his firmly gripped cane.
The cane, iid with countless stardust, caused the void to copseyer byyer where it passed, surging toward the Hidden Sage.
As The Fool''s cane thrust forward, in the astral world full of various concepts, distorted abstractions, and chaos, a hazy light began to glow, as if about to bring scenes of profound, magnificent scrolls down to the unknown realm where that battle was taking ce.
Just then, in the high skies of daylight, the crimson moon suddenly became prominent.
It grew brighter and rounder, its color deepening until it seemed stained with fresh blood.
The Blood Moon descended.
The Blood Moon''s crimson light shone upon the invisible barrier in the astral world, illuminating all the distorted concepts here, preventing any deity from escaping, and making that hazy clear light afraid to fall to its intended destination.
On the wilderness, Torriope, who was rushing toward the misty, hazy ce in the form of an information flood, suddenly discovered that the remaining few dozen meters had be winding and tortuous, twisting back and forth, as if one had to navigate a maze to reach the destination.
Outside the mazey ethereal darkness filled with brilliant stars, without any paths. Once entered, one would likely be lost immediately, unable to find an exit, let alone reach the intended destination.
This was the control over journey and space wielded by High-Sequence Beyonders of the Door pathway.
Though there must be a door and a destination, They could set the exit at the farthest point and turn the journey between into a maze that couldn''t be quickly traversed.
This was also a kind of seal, a seal with time constraints.
After restricting Torriope''s movement, Madam Magician, floating in mid-air wearing her silver-starred ck robe, suddenly split into nine.
Behind each figure, differently coloreds hazily appeared.
A terrifying, immense gravitational force emanated from these nine figures, instantly tearing apart the maze that had trapped Torriope, seeming to slow the flow of time itself, causing the light in this area to flow toward different ethereals, unable to shine along its intended path.
Torriope, who had just reformed His body and nned to immediately release multiple spells using previously added information to force back the enemy again, felt nine invisible hands grab different parts of His bodyHis head, neck, left ribs, right leg, and other cespulling madly outward.
He was about to be dismembered.
He had no choice but to informatize again, bing an ethereal, transparent,plex flood.
This information flood was also being torn apart, pulled outward stream by stream, but the main structure remained undamaged.
When Lumian teleported into this wilderness, he saw the scene of nine Madam Magicians surrounding an area ravaged by a space-time storm.
All nine figures were flickering, constantly switching between false and real at a speed that made them indistinguishable from each other.
Seeing this, Lumian unhesitatingly took out the phone manufactured by the God of Steam and Machinery and tossed it into the air.
The nine figures suddenly merged into one, no longer flickering.
Madam Magician''s fixed position was exactly where Lumian had thrown the phone.
She caught the phone with one hand and skillfully opened the corresponding mini-program.
At this moment, from within the space-time storm being torn apart, from that danger-filled dark area, streams of ethereal, transparent information surged forth, reforming into Torriope''s figure.
He was only wounded; the overall structure of His information flow hadn''t copsed or beenpressed under the terrifying gravitational force.
Compared to before, Torriope seemed slightly shorter, the fierce wolf''s head that should have been on His right chest had moved to near His neck, both hands appeared at His navel, and His legs were of uneven length.
These were all caused by information misalignment, but the overall bnce remained.
Madam Magician''s figure vanished again from mid-air, and seeing this, Lumian quietly retreated from the edge of the wilderness.
Having achieved his wish, Torriope immediately transformed into aplex, transparent information flood, rushing toward the copsed pit just dozens of meters away, toward that misty, hazy ce.
In an instant, He again saw the "path" be twisted, full of misleading directions.
He was trapped in the "maze" again.
Madam Magician had returned once again!
Just then, Torriope''s information flood within the "maze" instantly dispersed, quickly vanishing.
This was False InformationFalse Information that Torriope had specially prepared for the enemy!
Meanwhile, His concealed true information had quietly reached the entrance of the secret passage, still rushing toward that haziness in the form of an ethereal, transparent flood.
Madam Magician, wearing her silver-starred ck robe, suddenly Blinked to the edge of the exit, Blinking right in front of Torriope.
Torriope had anticipated this, and His information flood immediately dispersed into multiple intertwining streams, preparing to bypass the enemy from above her head, both sides, and below her feet to enter the exit.
During this process, even if some parts were intercepted, as long as the overall structure and bnce remained, Torriope wouldn''t die. At worst, He would be missing limbs and some spells after reforming, which could be researched and added backter.
Seeing the streams of transparent information about to scatter and escape, Madam Magician raised the phone in her palm and pressed the activation button for the Information Shredder.
The previously lit phone screen suddenly grew dark, as if all light had been absorbed into the running mini-program.
This emitted an overwhelming, terrifying gravitational force, specifically targeting information.
The streams of information Torriope had broken into uncontrobly changed their destination, rushing toward the dark phone screen.
Madam Magician''s face and back of her hands also showed signs of writhing flesh.
Essentially, these were also a form of information, as were the surrounding wilderness and the haziness behind.
However, they existed in a very stable physical form, effectively resisting the overwhelming gravitational force emanating from within the phone screen.
As stream after stream of information entered Madam Magician''s phone, a scream suddenly erupted from the depths of the dark screen.
The scream was extremely panicked, extremely terrified, as if encountering a nemesis, encountering the most terrifying thing in the world! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The scream was also information.
The scream abruptly ceased.
After all of Torriope''s dispersed information had entered the Information Shredder, the phone screen quickly regained its brightness, and one after another, "crystals" formed from seemingly transparent information were spat out, like a monster spitting out bones after devouring humans.
This was the Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 2 Sage of the Mystery Pryer pathway.
An Angel had perished.
Seeing all the "crystals" had been spat out, Madam Magician threw the phone back to Lumian, who had re-entered the wilderness.
"Hurry," she urged, then disappeared from her spot.
She nned to Teleport back, change her robe, then return to help.
This would only take a second or two, as she wore twoyers of robes and only needed to remove the outer one.
Lumian caught the phone imbued with the God of Steam and Machinery''s divine power andtest research results, and immediately activated the Teleport mark on his right shoulder.
His destination was deep in the wilderness, at the entrance to the secret passage filled with haziness.
In the library with its messy shelves but numerous books.
Ohayes, another of the Ten Pirs guarding Avalon, had juste from where the mystical items were sealed.
He held a mask that seemed forged from ck gold.
The mask was asymmetrical from left to right, and not even in a regr pattern of one side being smaller than the other, but rather chaotic:
The left eye socket wasrge and hollow, the right small, the left nasal bridge copsed, the right prominent, the left cheekbone protruding, the right drooping downward, the whole giving an indescribable sense of madness and majesty.
This was one of the three Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts currently possessed by the Moses Ascetic Order, obtained during the chaos of the War of Four Emperors and named Solomon''s Mask.
Ohayes had chosen it from among the remaining two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts, preparing to go support Vice Chairman Retia or his peer, Seids.
Unfortunately, there were only three demigods currently guarding Avalonthe three of them plus Chairman Torriopeand they couldn''t even find another Saint to use thest Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
The negative effects of that Sealed Artifact were too lethal for any Beyonder without godhood to bear.
I can only hope the Chairman or Vice Chairman can return to take the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture, then either repel the invaders or lead everyone in escape Ohayes looked back at the sealed location, praying that the mid-sequence warlocks in the dark side would find their way here.
With Solomon''s Mask, he could no longer use those Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts!
And if these Sealed Artifacts couldn''t be put to use, the Moses Ascetic Order''s chances of victory would decrease further, and if they had to retreatter, they would have to abandon them, suffering heavy losses.
At this crucial moment, regardless of whether one was Sequence 5 or not, those who could use Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts should quickly take control of them, making them easier to take away!
ncing at the asymmetrical ck gold mask, Ohayes gritted his teeth and put it on his face.
The ck gold mask suddenly writhed, as if trying to merge with his flesh.
Ohayes let out a muffled groan of pain, his entire body instantly growing muchrger.
At this moment, a figure reflected in his eyes.
That figure was barefoot, wearing a simple robe, with a tree bark belt tied around the waist, ck hair gently swaying behind.
Chapter 1070 Onward
Chapter 1070 Onward
In the sea of grayish-white fog all around, Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype were either leaning against the ship''s railings, their faces flushed and throbbing, or crouching down covering their ears, curled up, or constantly grabbing and pulling their own hair, as if trying to rip off their skulls to relieve the pressure their brains were bearing.
Seeing their reactions, Franca couldn''t help but look over at Mr. Hanged Man. "Is there a way to alleviate this situation?"
This was a problem that even a Spectator''s cate could not solve, as it was not mental confusion or an emotional outburst, but simply that their brains could not withstand being flooded with so much knowledge in such a short time, not even able to activate their self-protection mechanisms and pass out.
So Madam Justice had not participated in the actions on the Blue Avenger, nor had she provided corresponding charms. Of course, to bear the power of a demigod, the materials for the charms had more special requirements than before, not something that could be made just by wanting tounless the power level was deliberately suppressed, making thepleted charms only at Sequence 6 or 5 standards.
Mr. Hanged Man thought for a moment and said, "Knock them out, make them lose consciousness."
This Major Arcana card holder added tentatively, "This might help."
"Makes sense." Franca turned her gaze back to Professor and the others, eager to try.
Just then, the condition of Professor and the others eased, the blue veins on their faces no longer protruding, and the hair they pulled out gradually diminished.
Phew Franca secretly let out a sigh of relief.
After another dozen or so seconds, Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype gradually recovered to normal, although some still looked rather pale, and some were still slightly trembling.
"No wonder youpared the danger we might encounter to the Hidden Sage forcibly infusing knowledgeit''s about the same." Professor sighed, saying in a puzzled tone, "Those knowledge really came alive, rushing towards us as if they would tear us into pieces if we didn''t study them earnestly." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
This was significantly different from the Hidden Sage''s indoctrination, as Professor and the others had actually had a simr experience before, but the corresponding amount was small and did not cause such severe pain.
Prototype nced at Franca and Mr. Hanged Man, and asked thoughtfully, "Who is the Celestial Master?"
Franca let out a hollowugh. "I''ll tell youter."
She then smiled at Professor and the others. "Your mission is aplished!"
"Really?"
"We don''t have to do it again?"
"Did it seed?" Professor and the others asked respectively.
They were clearly more rxed, with a barely disguised joy in their tone.
Franca exchanged a nce with Mr. Hanged Man and said, "Our part is done, but results from the other side remain unknown."
Mr. Hanged Man nodded in agreement, raising his right hand towards the Blue Avenger. "Return to port!"
In the dark side of Avalon.
The Hermit Cattleya had left the area with the broken stone pirs, escaping the battle with Dragon Schr Retia.
She was now in a pitch-ck corridor, with light seeping in at the end, leading not to a room, but to an open wilderness.
As she walked, Cattleya couldn''t help but look back.
She had actually wanted to stay and help Queen Mystic deal with Retia, but ultimately decided to leave.
This was because, first, she had seen the Queen take out a ck crown iid with many dark gems; second, she herself was not yet an Angel, and Ugly Duckling could only be used one more timethe brief ten-plus seconds could not turn the tide of battle, and might even affect Queen Mystic''s performance.
And third, she had other things to do.
Cattleya turned her gaze forward, continuing to fly through the pitch-ck corridor with a faint light at the end.
She felt that the remaining filth of Avalon was hidden in the darkness that could not be illuminated on the sides, the fallen state of the remaining warlocks, the pain of Beyonders of the same sequence being forcibly infused with knowledge by the Hidden Sage, and thest screams of those who had lost control and gone mad.
She too had once experienced simr pain, teetering on the edge of losing control.
Relying on Mr. Fool, she had initially guaranteed her own safety, and her withdrawal from the battle between Queen Mystic and Retia was to ensure that there were no idents on The Chariot Lumian''s side, to ensure that all the Beyonders of the Mystery Pryer pathway were rid of this hidden danger, and never had to worry about knowledge infusion day and night.
Of course, knowledge would still spread to individuals, just not as frequently or terribly.
The Hermit Cattleya flew faster and more resolutely, for there were important matters waiting for her ahead.
Finally, she passed through the light at the end of the corridor and arrived in a boundless wilderness.
At this moment, the crimson moon shone from above, casting a faint blood-red hue over the entire wilderness, but without any substantial effect.
Cattleya looked and saw Mr. Chariot Lumian standing by the sunken pit in the depths of the wilderness, and Madam Magician Fors, now in a purple-ck robe.
"Is Torriope dead?" The Hermit Cattleya blurted out.
Madam Magician smiled slightly. "At a true god''s own hand and with a restraining ''tool'', how could Torriope not die?
"I''ve sealed all his Beyonder characteristics, and will distribute them ording to Mr. Fool''s wishes after the operation is over."
As she spoke, the wilderness began to tremble slightly, with soil, weeds, and stones continuously peeling off into the void, though not much.
Avalon was created by Torriope, and now that he was dead, it would naturally wither away.
The Hermit nodded slightly, walking over to Lumian under the not-so-dense crimson moonlight.
She and The Magician stood on the left and right, one in front and one behind, guarding against unexpected urrences.
The crimson full moon hung high in the sky, outshining the sun and making all the continents, oceans, and inds seem to be draped in a faintly sinister red veil.
In the capital of the Rorsted Archipgo, the City of Generosity Bayam, at an outdoor cafe.
Mr. Star Leonard sipped a cup of Fermo coffee with milk and sugar, ncing at the hurrying pedestrians rushing home.
Most people in this world knew that the Blood Moon brought misfortune, a sign of bad things toe!
"Old man, Suah and His brothers have been really patient, not making a move yet, and those Angels secretly serving the Great Mother haven''t made a sound either." Mr. Star murmured, setting down his bone coffee cup.
An aged voice then sounded in his ear: "If They really attempt to rescue the Hidden Sage, and reallye to destroy the Rorsted Archipgo, then it''s not a big problem.
"The fact that there''s not a stir means trouble."
Mr. Star immediately understood what the old man meant.
This meant that the existence of the Hidden Sage was no longer of great importance to the evil gods'' or the Great Mother''s subsequent ns!
This was troubling.
"Didn''t the Great Mother also intervene and suppress the orthodox gods?" Mr. Star thought aloud.
"Since the existence of the Hidden Sage would weaken the resistance forces within the barrier and reduce the chances of new gods being born, They should certainly try to save Him, but it''s no longer a key issue, something They can choose to do or not do." The aged voice responded simply.
The Star Leonard picked up his coffee again, chuckling. "Indeed, there''s a sense that the situation is gradually worsening, that the apocalypse ising and there''s nothing that can be done to change it."
After taking a sip of coffee, this demigod of the Church of Evernight, a Major Arcana card holder, sobered his expression and said in a low voice, "But no matter what, we have to save ourselves.
"No matter what, getting rid of the Hidden Sage is a good thing, and can increase the hope of resisting the apocalypse."
With that, he raised his head, gazing at the sinister crimson moon.
The moonlight seemed to drip with blood.
In the mysterious unknown realm.
Compared to before, several mountain peaks had now emerged, a vast sea appeared, and countless crevices formed.
The Hidden Sage''s location was alsoposed of information, and with the Fooling, the information would naturally undergo various changes, creating the current environment.
After nearly twenty seconds of battle, the Hidden Sage, who had still not recovered from the surprise attack, was finally pierced by the star-studded cane.
The ethereal glow of theplex information, like a giant serpent, suddenly copsed towards the tip of the cane, towards a certain point within.
The dissolved glow crumbled inch by inch, the countless information squeezed together,pressed into a dark spherical ball, and with the withdrawal of the star-studded cane, it exploded outward with a thunderous sound.
The overall structure of the information was thus destroyed.
Stream after stream of information fell and dissipated, and from among them emerged a faint crimson.
These crimsons grew rapidly, about to coalesce together, bringing new life.
With a gesture of The Fool''s star-studded cane, the surrounding void bent down, herding all the crimsons together, sealing them within a small ethereal dark sphere.
The ethereal sphere, along with the gathered crimsons, instantly vanished.
However, after the disintegrating information and crimson lightpletely disappeared, no Beyonder characteristics were extracted, nor did a Uniqueness emerge.
The Fool, in the ck coat, suddenly turned his gaze to the other side of the unknown realm, towards the end of the sea.
An ethereal glow resembling a giant serpent suddenly emerged there, then turned into a shadowy mass with countless ck and white distinct eyes.
Backup and hidden information!
The Hidden Sage still had more than one such hidden backup information!
The countless distinct ck and white eyes spun rapidly, each coalescing into ethereal andplex symbols, flooding The Fool''s mind with a terrifying amount of useless knowledge.
Chapter 1071 Fooling
Chapter 1071 Fooling
The figure of The Fool, inundated with countless pieces of knowledge, suddenly froze, his head exploding into a mass of warped maggots.
These maggots rapidly disappeared, leaving behind only a pair of ck gloves and a cane iid with many star fragments.
Amidst the thin mist that permeated the mountain peaks, another figure descendedonce again, The Fool, dressed in a ck coat and wearing a half top hat.
The ck gloves and star-studded cane immediately returned to his control.
Just now?
That was just a historical projection!
On the ck shadow that the Hidden Sage had transformed into, the protruding ck and white distinct eyes each rotated, reflecting the figure of The Fool once more.
At this moment, He wanted to escape.
This is not to say that Hecked the courage to destroy His current body and revive using the backup, hidden information from other locationsfor a being of such a living Uniqueness, this would not be too painful.
The reason restraining Him from making this choice was:
for the designated backup information to receive the Uniqueness, the Hidden Sage had to, before death, actively choose and activate it Himself, and this activation could potentially be traced and located. As the embodiment of mysticism knowledge, the Hidden Sage naturally knew the specialties of His current enemies, and what role the dark barrier that had sealed off the entire unknown realm and the permeating gray fog within it could y.
If He did not activate it, the Uniqueness would naturally transfer to the nearest backup information, following the proximity principle, and the Hidden Sage had hidden another backup within this unknown realm.
When He had initially made these arrangements, His idea was that if a powerful enemy arrived, He could try to drive them away or outright kill them and im the spoils by reviving twice, and if the two revivals failed, it would mean He could not win, so He would let Himself be killed the third time and revive from the backup information hidden elsewhere, fully escaping the entanglement.
In other words, the Hidden Sage was not panicked nowafter dying twice more, He could truly flee this unknown realm without being tracked, and return to a state of hiding.
His current n was to try counterattacking, and if that didn''t work, just wait to be killed, rather than self-destruct.
Information underwent loss, degradation, errors, and chaos in the process of constant backupsthis was a fundamental rule of the entire world, a manifestation of error, decay, and increasing entropy. The more times the overall information was backed up, the higher the probability of problems arising, and the greater thetent chaos. If the Hidden Sage were to revive using the fourth set of information, some hidden errors might emerge, and the enemy before Him symbolized Error.
In this matter, self-destruction would lead to more significant degradation and amplification of chaos in the information, because it started from an internal, self-conscious negation, rather than being killed by others.
In the ck and white distinct eyes that reflected The Fool''s figure, new ethereal symbols emergednotplex, just simple numbers.
One was "0", the other "1".
In the cognition of the Moses Ascetic Order, each number had spirituality and its own symbolic meaning.
Of course, numbers did not directly possess power, but they could bring corresponding ult implications.
And one of the Hidden Sage''s core abilities was to imbue numbers with power, giving them truly different, somewhat diminished symbolic forcepared to the original!
Among them, "0" represented chaos, the unknown, what existed before everything, while "1" represented the beginning, the Oldest One, the Creator who made this world.
The "0" and "1" within those ck and white eyes suddenly underwent a change.
They connected end-to-end, rapidly flowing through the transparent tunnel formed by the eye orbs, shifting from "0" to "1", then from "1" back to "0", from non-existence to existence, and then back again.
Apanying the appearance and flow of these "0" and "1", the unknown realm rapidly became transparent.
Whether it was the realm itself, the shrouding dark barrier, or the diffused gray fog, all were nowposed of countless "0" and "1".
They were clusters formed by just these two numbers!
The figure of The Fool also underwent simr changescrawling over his face, his gloves, were countless small worms, transparent or brilliant or segmented, all woven from intertwined strings of "0" and "1".
Under the Hidden Sage''s influence, vast numbers of "1" were turning into "0", and when "0" dominated the majority, this numeric world wouldpletely copse and disappear into "nothingness", unable to impede the Hidden Sage''s escape any longer.
Even The Fool himself would be affected, unable to locate and track in time!
Suddenly, The Fool''s figure vanished.
He appeared in the sky filled with digital fog, thrusting the star-studded cane downward from afar.
Silently, the dark barrier confining the unknown realm imploded inward, causing the diffuse gray fog and the unknown realm itself to crumble inch by inch, generating a series of terrifying spatial-temporal storms.
The Fool had proactively plunged this numeric world into destruction.
The raging spatial-temporal storms swept towards the Hidden Sage, the surrounding disintegration and copse also spreading to this evil god.
The Hidden Sage was not rmed, but delighted.
This destruction not only caused thest backup information hidden in the unknown realm to be destroyed, allowing Him to truly escape The Fool''s pursuit after just one more death, but also lifted the barrier, throwing the situation into chaoseven if He fled directly or activated the corresponding backup information in advance, He wouldn''t have to worry about being tracked!
The Hidden Sage, with His countless ck and white distinct eyes, let the world''s copse and the spatial-temporal storms'' tearing ravage fall upon Himself.
He was immediately reduced to stream after stream of transparent, ethereal information.
This information was tinged with an imperceptible crimson.
Just as the Hidden Sage was about to fade away and revive from the hidden backup information, the left hand of The Fool in the skynot holding the star-studded canesuddenly reached forward.
ng!
The ancient tolling of a bell echoed through the world on the verge of total copse, and the hands of the massive illusory stone clock were pressed down by the ck palm.
The raging dark storms, the copsing mountains, chasms, and seasall were frozen, as if turned into a photograph.
In this scene, the only ones still able to move were The Fool and the Hidden Sage, which had already copsed into multiple streams of information but not yetpletely vanished.
Mr. Fool had not included the Hidden Sage within the time-freeze!
The ck coat behind him billowed, and the face under the ck hat became dim and obscure.
Fooled!
In the wilderness, Lumian, having received the cue, jumped into the fogpletely filling the sunken pit with the phone in hand.
This secret passage had long been Grafted to the unknown realm where the Hidden Sage was.
As Lumian''s figure appeared within this destruction scene paused in time, the Hidden Sage, fragmented into multiple streams of information and instinctively wanting to flee, suddenly sensed something.
He sensed the presence of a Child of God.
No, that is the aura of the Great Mother!
The Great Mother hase to save me!
The streams of the Hidden Sage''s information rushed towards the uncloaked Lumian, whose radiant countenance was now revealed.
Not only did He feel He had been saved, but He also believed there was a chance to turn the tide.
If the Great Mother had personally intervened, what else could not happen?
Lumian raised his right hand, holding the phone disying a small program screen towards the front.
At this moment, the "freezing" had reached its limit, and the destruction resumed its progress.
The Hidden Sage''s information surged even more frantically.
Affected by this evil god''s aura, personage, and current state, Lumian''s fair, smooth skin began peeling away, with chunks of flesh writhing, about to sprout distinct ck and white eyes.
This was both corruption and impact.
Lumian did not flee or abandon the phone, standing still and savoring the physical pain and spiritual ecstasy.
The residual aura of the Blood Emperor, the seal of the Underworld Daoist, and the pitch-ck "pinhole" in his palm had all been activatedhis mind was descending into chaos, as if he had gained knowledge he should not have. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
His mouth curled up, with two distinct ck and white eyes.
Looking at the frantically surging transparent information of the Hidden Sage, he smiled brilliantly.
I''vee to find you!
I told you, I woulde find you!
Piece by piece, the flesh on Lumian''s body began falling off, each bearing distinct ck and white eyes, but he remained motionless, still firmly gripping the phone made by the God of Steam and Machinery.
Finally, the Hidden Sage''s information reached its destination.
Lumian immediately pressed the Information Shredder app''s run button.
The phone''s surface suddenly turned dark, drawing in the remaining light and the disembodied information around it.
The Hidden Sage abruptly became lucid, but it was tootethe phone had transformed into a massive vortex, sweeping in all the transparent, ethereal information it had fragmented into.
Seeing this, Lumian no longer held back, igniting the corrupted himself with the Fire of Destruction.
Amid the violent burning of the ck mes restraining his frenzy and repression, he turned to ash with a brilliant yet horrifying smile.
The real him had died.
The corruption spread to the mirror, and the him in the mirror also died.
Only the dormant mirror, hidden away beforehand by Concealment powers, remained unaffected.
The phone''s barrier lit up again, the portion of ethereal glowposed ofplex information desperately trying to break free, escaping control.
The Fool, in the ck coat and half-high hat, descended in front of the phone and Lumian''s Traveler''s Bag, with the copsing and disintegrating unknown realm behind him.
The Hidden Sage cried out in despair and fear, "Spare me! I will pledge loyalty to you!
"Spare me!"
The Fool''s voice was coldly incisive yet somewhat gentle.
"You have harmed too many people."
He raised the star-studded cane, pushing the struggling Hidden Sage back into the phone screen.
From the depths of the phone, a chilling sound, like a monster gnawing on human bones, echoed out.
Chapter 1072 Distribution
Chapter 1072 Distribution
n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
The indescribable sound of chewing came from the phone. The Fool raised his head, casting his gaze upwards towards the blood-red moon that was illuminating everything.
The huge, round moon gradually returned to normal, its radiance fading until only a crimson hue remained.
At this moment, the previously dark phone screen lit up again, with countless ethereal andplex pieces of information emerging, weaving into a peculiar, intricate symbol.
This symbol was projected out, carried by the power contained within the Information Shredder hidden in the phone by the God of Steam and Machinery, and it quickly scanned every continent, ind, and ocean.
One by one, the backup information hidden by the Hidden Sage was located, the overall structure destroyed, and the information rapidly dissipated.
When the special symbol returned to the phone screen, the Hidden Sage transmitted its final burst of informationa desperate scream.
Aboard the Blue Avenger sailing back through the grayish-white fog, Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype were all startled for a moment.
They exchanged nces, and finally, Professor asked Franca and the Captain, "Did you hear a wail or a scream?"
"No." Franca shook her head.
The Hanged Man also said, "I didn''t hear anything."
"We all heard it," Professor''s brow furrowed beneath the butterfly mask. "But it was faint, as if it came from far away."
"Yes." Periodic Table and Prototype also indicated they had heard a simr sound.
Franca thought for a moment and then said, "Don''t worry about it, hearing strange sounds in these waters is normal. Just ignore it and don''t take it seriously."
With that, Franca smiled. "Think on the bright side; maybe it was the scream of the Hidden Sage before His death?"
Uh Professor and the others looked at each other.
The Hanged Man had a pensive expression and after a few seconds, said, "Maybe that''s the case."
Wh Even Franca was taken aback. Already?
The Hidden Sage''s wail had pierced the ears of every warlock, rming the Ten Pirs of the Moses Ascetic Order who were not in Avalon.
They either made prophecies based on it or, through spiritual intuition, discovered that something was amiss and quickly relocated and concealed themselves.
Retia, the Dragon Schr within Avalon, and Seids and Ohayes, who wielded the Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts, were also affected, rapidly falling into a disadvantaged position and subsequently perishing.
Thepletely destroyed unknown realm had be a rapidly shrinking dark vortex. The Fool, holding Lumian''s Traveler''s Bag, watched as the floating phone continuously erupted with various luminous fragments.
Spraying and spraying, the phone began expanding, as if about to be ruptured by something.
Bang!
It did explode, and a dull, apathetic, eyshless ethereal eye was ejected, falling into The Fool''s palm.
The scattered phoneponents, tinged with a faint crimson, wriggled as if about to give birth to new parts.
They were blocked by the suddenly darkened void and retracted inward, quickly converging within the ethereal sphere, dissipating along with it.
The Fool, along with the Beyonder characteristics that had been expelled earlier, also vanished.
Lumian felt as if he had slept a long, dreamless sleep, his entire being calm and peaceful within the embrace of darkness.
After an unknown period of time, he finally opened his eyes to find himself in the void and shadowy realm behind the mirror.
He stood up and stepped out of the ss surface, his eyes reflecting the ancient, dpidated pce used for the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society''s gatherings.
Behind him was the giant stone chair, on which sat the "sleeping" mirror he had made for himself, its surface marked with dark red patterns, as if inscribed in fresh blood.
This was a pre-arranged preparation. With Madame H''s help, he had ced the "sleeping" mirror in the Nation of the Evernight to iste it from potential corruption.
As for why he didn''t choose the area above the gray fog or ce the "sleeping" mirror next to The Fool''s throne, it was because that would have isted not only the corruption, but also Lumian''s own resurrection.
Unless it was The Fool himself or he responded in time above the gray fog, Lumian''s Beyonder characteristics could not be transferred to the area near The Fool''s throne, and the consciousness and spirit within the "sleeping" mirror would not be restored.
Moreover, this kind of resurrection required "passing" through the grayish-white fog, and there was a high probability of encountering other forms of corruption, as The Fool was only in the preliminary stages of awakening, not fully awake.
Lumian recalled the previous events, confirming that the Hidden Sage had "voluntarily" entered the effective range of the Information Shredder.
He picked up therge, stone chair-mounted mirror and brought it up to his face.
The mirror, the size of a head, reflected a beautiful face with shallow blue and clear eyes.
Lumian spoke to the mirror, "The Hidden Sage is dead.
"All the warlocks no longer need to worry about being forcibly indoctrinated by Him."
The mirror''s gorgeous face broke into a relieved and radiant smile.
After a few seconds, Lumian, as usual, recited the corresponding incantation to leave the ancient, dpidated pce and return to the luxurious vi.
Jenna, who was responsible for the cleanup, had just returned home and released Ludwig from behind one of her mirrors.
This was a precaution in case Jenna''s luck was too poor and she directly encountered the Moses Ascetic Order''s Saint holding a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
Ludwig licked his lips, a little glum.
So much delicious food, and he didn''t get to eat any of it!
"Are you two okay?" Franca, who had already returned, asked the twopanions with concern.
Lumian chuckled."Whether I''m okay or not doesn''t matter, the important thing is that something must have happened to the Hidden Sage."
Jenna took the opportunity to say, "Madam Magician said the spoils will be distributed by Mr. Fool."
She then asked a little anxiously, "But Madam Magician didn''t take these from me."
These were the gains from her cleanup of the fallen warlocks.
"I will help you ask Mr. Fool," Lumian then asked, "Have all the warlocks in Avalon been eliminated?"
Jenna shook her head. "I''ve cleaned up those who have fallen and be evil, and they''re still in their period of silence, but I don''t know about the hidden aspects of Avalon. I handed them over to Ma''am Hermit, who said she would select a batch to send to the Church of The Fool for reform, and the remaining ones are still on the ship, for her to reform."
With a pleasant mood, Lumian curiously asked, "Have you discovered any secrets in the hidden aspects of Avalon?"
"I don''t know." While Jenna shook her head, Lumian suddenly paused.
Then he told Franca and Jenna, "Mr. Fool has called for an emergency meeting."
Above the gray fog, within the majestic pce.
Several figures emerged, slightly blurred, on either side of an ancient bronze table.
These were the Major Arcana card holders involved in the hunt for the Hidden Sage.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~" Madam Justice was the first to stand and bow.
Seemingly due to the death of the Hidden Sage, many warlocks had been saved, and her tone was more lively and energetic.
After all the Major Arcana card holders had finished their greetings and reseated themselves, Mr. Fool at the head rapped the edge of the bronze table lightly.
"Dragon Schr Retia was killed, but she did not fully die. There is a spell rted to resurrection and concealment within the Mystical Re-enactment she created.
"However, this is not important, as our main purpose has been achieved."
Hearing Mr. Fool''s announcement of the result, Lumian''s hanging heart settled.
The Hidden Sage was truly dead, dead beyond death!
At this moment, he was so joyful that he wanted to dance with Franca or Jenna.
The Fool looked at each participant and said in a low voice, "The Uniqueness of the Hidden Sage belongs to the God of Steam and Machinery, the Knowledge Emperor Beyonder characteristics containing Sequence 9 to Sequence 1 will go to Bernadette, including the assistance she provided in the dream. The Church of Evernight will receive the Destined Madness Grade 0 Sealed Artifact and the Beyonder characteristics of Seids, who was corrupted by this Sealed Artifact.
"In addition to these, they also obtained several Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts. The rest are ours."
After hearing Mr. Fool''s exnation, Lumian, who had fought against the Destined Madness Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, was suddenly stirred and asked, "Why did the Church of Evernight choose Destined Madness?"
"It conceals a secret that needs to be excavated," Mr. Fool answered Lumian''s question in a gentle tone.
He continued, "Our main gains include the Sage Beyonder characteristic from Torriope, the Grade 0 Sealed ArtifactsSolomon''s Mask and Post-Apocalyptic Scriptureas well as nine Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts, including two rted to irvoyant, three rted to Mysticologist, one to Maniptor, one to Pallbearer, one to Alchemist, one to Arcane Schr, and various Mid- and Low-Sequence Beyonder characteristics, as well as some Grade 2 and 3 Sealed Artifacts."
Mr. Fool turned his gaze to The Hermit Cattleya. "This was a continuation of your mission, the result of your previous efforts. You can choose first."
The Hermit Cattleya did not show any false modesty. "Mr. Fool, I want the Sage Beyonder characteristic."
The Fool then looked at Lumian. "Your role was crucial, the key to theplete demise of the Hidden Sage. You can choose second."
Lumian had already decided the answer. "Mr. Fool, I want the potion form of Weather Warlock."
Whether he had spoils or not actually didn''t matter to him.
"This is a bonus," Mr. Fool said calmly. "You can also choose one Grade 0 Sealed Artifact."
Uh since the deity has said so. Lumian was no longer polite and after thinking for a moment, said, "I choose the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture."
He felt that, ording to Ma''am Hermit''s previous exnation, the Solomon''s Mask must correspond to the Angelic level Beyonder characteristic of the ck Emperor pathway, and the ck Emperor pathway and the Justiciar pathway were neighboring and could be switched. Madam Judgment was also a friend of the Madam Magician.
"The Post-Apocalyptic Scripture is rted to the Fate pathway," Mr. Fool simply said, then turned to Madam Magician. "The Solomon''s Mask is yours."
Madam Magician was momentarily taken aback. "And you?"
You''re the main force, yet you don''t keep the Angelic level Beyonder characteristics or the Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts?
Leaning back in his chair, The Fool''s voice, amidst its usual warmth, contained a touch of joy and nostalgia.
"I don''t need them.
"The death of the Hidden Sage is the result I wanted the most."
Chapter 1073: Post-Apocalyptic Scripture
Hearing Mr. Fool''s words, Madam Justice suddenly felt a bit happier.
She felt that Mr. Fool''s state had improved a bit.
Madam Magician, upon hearing this, no longer said much, lightly nodding and saying, "I will I defer to your will."
If she were really allowed to choose the spoils, she would also have chosen the Solomon''s Mask. The ability of this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact would be a great supplement and enhancement for her, as well as for Madam Judgment, and in the future, it could also be a choice for her transition to the Angelic pathway through the Justiciar pathway.
As for the potion form of the Sequence 2 Entropy Duke of the ck Emperor pathway, Mr. Fool had it he possessed the ck Emperor card from the Cards of sphemy.
The chaos of these years, the spread of the evil gods'' faith, the frequent urrence of various events, have made Xio, the Chaos Hunter, digest her potions quickly, and she is about toplete her advancement to an Angel... Hehe, the High-Sequence Beyonders of the ck Emperor pathway seem to have the trait of body gigantification-same for Nast. It would be very suitable for Xio to switch over to that path... Madam Magician''s thoughts gradually drifted away.
Mr. Fool then turned his gaze to The Hanged Man. "And your choice?"
"Esteemed Mr. Fool, I would like the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact formed by the Mysticologist Beyonder characteristic." The Hanged Man had already decided on his choice when Mr. Fool was introducing the spoils.
His ability characteristics and the Sealed Artifacts of the Hunter pathway he had obtained from the Blue Avenger''s treasury were already quite overpowering, and hecked the stealthy means to achieve his goals."Alright, Merumu''s Spellbook is yours." The Fool turned his gaze to Justice.
Although Justice had not directly participated in the action, she had woven the phone from the dream for Lumian, and was always prepared to provide spiritual and mental healing for the participants in the hunt.
Additionally, she had made a substantial contribution to awakening Mr. Fool in the dream city, and so far had only obtained the revtion rted to the ancient dragon.
Madam Justice smiled and said, "Mr. Fool, I want the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact formed by the Maniptor Beyonder characteristic, as I owe someone a favor."
The Fool nodded lightly, then turned to Madam Temperance Sharron.
"Protecting the New City of Silver and the Rorsted Archipgo was also a contribution. You, representing the temperance faction, can take a share of the spoils."
Madam Temperance Sharron, wearing a small, ck, soft hat, manifested a piece of paper.
On it wrote: "Grade 1 Sealed Artifact formed by the Mysticologist Beyonder characteristic."
Just as I thought... The Chariot Lumian muttered to himself.
This was based on two reasons:
First, as the representative of the temperance faction. she would certainly feel that her faction''s contribution was rtively small, and she should not choose a Sealed Artifact formed from a Sequence 3 Beyonder characteristic-formed. Second, between Mysticologist and Alchemist, the Prisoner pathway Beyonder would most likely choose the former.
Lumian had coborated with Madam Temperance Sharron and Knight of Swords before, and knew their fighting styles. Alchemist, on the other hand, was known in the Savant pathway for creating wondrous items and alchemy puppets, which did not quite match the style of the temperance faction.
This was not to say they were ipatible in terms of ability-in fact, theyplemented each other very well. It was mainly that the aesthetic was not quite in sync, and Lumian could not imagine Madam Temperance Sharron possessing a giant robot, wielding various post-modern weapons, and blowing up enemies with a barrage of gunfire.
"Alright, the Eye of Omniscience will belong to the temperance faction." Mr. Fool nodded lightly.
Thest to make a choice was Mr. Star Leonard.
He said in a dazed manner, "Alchemist. I want to make a self-ying piano..."
What kind of wish is this? Is Mr. Star still an artsy youth? Lumian was somewhat puzzled.
Mr. Fool only spoke a few secondster. "Okay, the Creator''s Hammer is yours."
Seeing that all the participating Major Arcana had chosen their spoils, Lumian asked on behalf of Jenna, "Mr. Fool, how will the Mid- and Low-Sequence Beyonder characteristics and mystical items obtained by the Seven of Cups be distributed?"
The voice of The Fool shrouded in the gray fog returned to its previous state.
"The Mysticologist Beyonder characteristic and rted materials formed by Ohayes'' death will be given to the three warlocks who went into the depths of the Fog Sea. After pulverizing and rposing them, this will be able to help each of them advance one Sequence." This was a decision made even before the emergency meeting-the Mysticologist Beyonder characteristic formed by Ohayes'' death was not on the list of avable options just mentioned.
Now, Professor was a Sequence 5 Constetions Master, and Periodic Table and Prototype were Sequence 6 Scrolls Professors.
Mr. Fool continued, "The Mid- and Low-Sequence Beyonder characteristics and mystical items in Seven of Cups''s possession will be divided into three parts: one part for her to keep, one part for the Two of Cups, and one part to be handed over to the Church.
"If they wish, they can use one of the two parts they keep to exchange for a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact."
"Yes, Mr. Fool." The Chariot Lumian felt this distribution n was very good and had no objections.
This not only addressed Jenna''sck of same Sequence items, but also left room for the three Demonesses to develop their followers and spread the faith.
Mr. Fool then turned to Madam Temperance Sharron.
"The remaining items are to be entrusted to the Church for safekeeping and use."
The "Church" mentioned in those words referred to the Church of The Fool.
"Yes, Mr. Fool." Madam Temperance Sharron held up another sheet of paper with writing on it.
As soon as she finished responding, beams of light flew out from the grayish-white fog behind Mr. Fool, eachnding in front of the various Major Arcana.
Madam Magician''s was an asymmetrical ck and gold mask, so extreme in its appearance that it was distressing to look at, yet also possessed a peculiar majesty.
Ma''am Hermit''s was a fist-sized, sparkling diamond of sacred and wise light, with dull, apathetic eyes reflected from each of its facets.
Madam Justice''s was an object covered in gray wrinkles, resembling both a brain and a heart.
The Hanged Man''s was a thin book bound in human skin, with many mysterious patterns and symbols on the cover.
Madam Temperance''s was a transparent, pure gemstone eye, with different brilliance shing from each facet.
Mr. Star''s was aplex, gray-and-white metal hammer, seemingly having multiple functions and exuding a mechanical aesthetic.
In addition to the Weather Warlock potion form in his mind and Ohayes''s Mysticologist Beyonder characteristic and rted materials in front of him, The Chariot Lumian also received an old, yellowish- brown book.
This book was made of tough, thick sheepskin parchment, with no symbols or words on the surface, only a bit of mercury-colored light fluttering beneath the texture of the paper, sometimes emerging, sometimes receding.
At the same time, information about the Post Apocalyptic Scripture suddenly emerged in Lumian''s mind in a form different from the official Sealed Artifact records:
"0: Perhaps an item formed by the Soothsayer of the Fate pathway foreseeing some future event and losing control, or it maye from an even more ancient era.
"1: The external form is an ancient book made of sheepskin parchment, with mercury-colored specks of light and a rough texture.
"2: This book has no text, but will randomly disy some prophecies, some of which are true and some are false. If one believes the false prophecies and prepares to avoid or wee them, they will be real.
"One can use mental intention to write in this book about how different results would ur for certain people or events due to good or bad luck, and they have a high probability of bing real, even if the final oue does not match the prophecy, it will be simr.
"If the situation is chaotic, with many choices and only a few paths leading to a good ending, one can open this book, and it will provide a revtion. If this revtion can be correctly interpreted, it will guide the inquirer to the best oue, otherwise it is extremely dangerous.
"3: If a non-godhood wielder holds this book, they will immediately be gued by misfortune and die miserably or turn into a monster controlled by the book within an extremely short time.
"If a godhood wielder holds this book, they will suffer misfortune within an hour of using it, the degree of which is randomly determined, but it will not lead to death in a short time.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"This book will randomly select some living beings within a 30-kilometer radius and bestow misfortune upon them.
"This book will intermittently disy various prophecies rted to the holder, most of which are bad. Some are true, some are false, and if the false ones are believed and acted upon, they will be true.
"4: The method of sealing is to create a space with no living beings, with a radius of at least 30 kilometers, ce this book in the center, and press a twenty- sided die on the surface."
Knowing this information about the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture came from Mr. Fool, Lumian calmly considered how he should use this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
The misfortune after using it can be resolved through a luck enhancement ritual or the exchange of fate fragments, ''gifting'' the transferred misfortune to lucky pirates...
As for the intermittent prophecies, I''ll just pretend I didn''t see them, whether true or false. I''ve been living just fine without any prophetic abilities before. Hunters and Demonesses should believe more in their own minds and abilities...
Regarding the problem of randomly bestowingrge- scale misfortune, I''ll need to ask Mr. Fool or Madam Magician for help. Hmm, either deceive the Post- Apocalyptic Scripture into thinking there are no living beings within a 30-kilometer radius, or expand the Traveler''s Bag to the size of a city. But then the materials for making the Traveler''s Bag would have to be very special and high-grade
As Lumian was pondering, the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture suddenly flipped a page.
Amid the rustling sound, the book stopped on one page, and a line of mercury-colored text quickly appeared: "In the Year 1368, as July fades to its final days, crimson shall rain from the heavens."
Immediately, the leading numbers changed, the mercury shifting to form new text: "In the Year 1360. as July fades to its final days, crimson shall rain from the heavens."
Wh-Lumian''s eyes narrowed.
It was currently the spring of the year 1359!
Chapter 1074: The Weather Warlocks Ritual
Remembering the information about the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture, Lumian decided to pretend he hadn''t seen the current prophecy.
Regardless, he would still have to move forward at his own pace!
Just then, the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture flipped another page, revealing new content: ''I see, Lumian Lee going crazy.''
These mercury-colored words were written in ancient Hermes.
Lumian raised an eyebrow, snapped the ancient leather-bound book shut, and pressed down on it forcefully.
He then looked up towards the head of the bronze long table. ''Mr. Fool, how should I seal the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture? Can you provide assistance?''
Shrouded in the grayish-white fog, Mr. Fool gestured with his hand, and Lumian''s Traveler''s Bag, which had been left on the battlefield, flew from behind the massive stone chair to its owner.
As Lumian caught it, he found that a vast space had been isted within the Traveler''s Bag, enough to contain an entire city.
In the center of this space sat an ordinary twenty-sided die.I thought the materials for this Traveler''s Bag wouldn''t be able to support a city-sized space required to seal the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture, so I''d need to order a custom one Has Mr. Fool remodeled it? Lumian ced a hand on his chest and bowed slightly. ''Thank you, Mr. Fool.''
When he raised his head, he saw that Ohayes''s Beyonder characteristic had been pulverized and rposed, divided into one Sequence 4 Mysticologist Beyonder characteristic and two Sequence 5 Constetions Master Beyonder characteristics, all neatly sealed.
Seeing this, Ma''am Hermit across from him immediately said, ''I will provide the potion recipes for Mysticologist and Constetions Master.''
Madam Magician sighed and added, ''I will provide a drop of a Mythical Creature blood.''
This is truly aprehensive service, aiming to help Professor and the others each advance one Sequence Lumian thanked on behalf of the members of the Curly Baboon Research Society in his mind.
He then pondered the Weather Warlock potion form that Mr. Fool had just provided:
''Name: Weather Warlock
''Sequence: 2
''Main Ingredients: Skull of a Weather Giant, Core of a Mist Jellyfish
''Supplementary Ingredients: 30 ml of blood each from three deceased individuals who died in different extreme weather conditions, 500 strands of a Weather Giant''s hair, five Weather Giant Crystals, a segment of a tree branch struck by lightning, 20 ml of the first snow melt of a region each year.
''Advancement Ritual: Forcefully change the weather of a region without external aid in a very short time.
''Note: After the Fourth Epoch, Weather Giants and Mist Jellyfish no longer exist.''
So Weather Warlocks now exist in the form of Angels or Sealed Artifacts? Lumian wasn''t too surprised by this.
Hunter was the pathway of war, so the corresponding mystical creatures or Beyonder species were hard to fully conceal, and were likely to incite conflicts and disasters, making them easily noticed.
Furthermore, after the shes of the previous four epochs, even if there were still mystical creatures corresponding to Weather Warlocks, they would be true subsidiary gods withplete Beyonder characteristics, in other words, Angels.
Lumian then focused his attention on the ritual.
Without external aid, this ritual is a bit difficult. It would need to be a region the size of the Trier area, relying on the Demoness of Unaging''s frost abilities to affect the city of Trier would still take some time, and no one can interfere
With external aid, it would be very simple
Could the core of this ritual be about allowing me to master the secrets of weather changes, using a small force to leverage arge-scale change? Like a hurricane at sea, it starts off not that terrifying, just a cyclone, then gradually strengthens, slowly sweeping across a stretch of ocean and one region after another
I can consider going in that direction, but it doesn''t satisfy the ''very short time'' condition, so I need to find a way to elerate it myself?
Heh, time to study again. As they say in the dream city, those who lead wars must know both astronomy and geography
Actually, there is a shortcut for this ritual. Like the Sequence 3 Sea King in the Sailor pathway, they canpletely change the weather of a region. If I kill one of them during a big storm, wouldn''t the weather change? That wouldn''t involve external aid or anyone''s help Hmm, I can''t use items during the battle, or that would count as external aid
Heh heh, a Hunters'' advancement does indeed have a hidden shortcuthunting, fighting, war
As The Chariot Lumian was pondering, Mr. Fool answered some questions from Ma''am Hermit and other Major Arcana.
After pondering for a moment, Lumian asked, ''Mr. Fool, why was the Hidden Sage made toe to life by the Great Mother?''n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
It was not that the Great Mother looked down on the Hidden Sage, but how was this aplished?
From the mysticism knowledge taught by Madam Magician, during the Fourth Epoch, the world''s defenses against the evil gods were still very strong.
Mr. Fool''s calm voice replied, ''The problem lies in the Western Continent.''
The Western Continent? Isn''t there still ayer of the Celestial Worthy''s seals beyond the barrier? Before Lumian could ask the question on his mind, Mr. Fool continued, ''The Hidden Sage''s way of addressing that entity is Great Mother, not Her true honorific name.''
What does that mean? Right, with the Hidden Sage''s level, He should be qualified to know the Great Mother''s full honorific name and not fear deep corruption, so why would He still use an epithet? It can''t be that He was afraid of affecting Mr. Fool, right? Lumian felt that Mr. Fool''s sentence contained very important information, but he couldn''t quite decipher it.
Mr. Fool did not provide any further exnation, simply nodding lightly and saying, ''This gathering shall now conclude.''
''Your will is our will.'' The Major Arcana present all stood up at the same time.
In Trier, inside that luxurious vi.
Seeing Lumiane downstairs into the living room, Franca asked curiously, ''How did it go?''
Although her main tasks were liaison, persuasion, and protecting key personnel, so her contributions were not too significant, this did not prevent her from being interested in the gains from the divine war and their specific distribution.
Lumian recounted everything he could tell them, and finally asked, ''Do you want to exchange for a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact?''
''Of course we do!'' Franca said without hesitation. ''Even if we only keep one-third of those Mid- and Low-Sequence Beyonder characteristics and mystical items, it will be enough for us to develop followers in the Trier region, maintain believers, and even be quite prosperous!''
She didn''t dare say ''spread the faith'' out loud, because in the Trier region, the Church of The Fool could not actively spread the faiththis area belonged to the Church of the Eternal zing Sun and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery.
Franca was thinking that afterwards, they would focus on seeking out and striking against hidden cults, developing the salvageable believers to their side, as well as Lumian''s and the future Jenna''s.
''Which one do you want to exchange for?'' Lumian asked, inquiring about his twopanions'' preferences.
Franca and Jenna exchanged nces.
Jenna considered her words carefully. ''Demonesses are already quite adept in the mystical arts, and choosing the Sealed Artifacts formed by a Mysticologist or irvoyant Beyonder characteristic wouldn''t be able to fill in gaps or enhance our strengths. As for irvoyance, we have spiritual intuition, Magic Mirror Divination, and even the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture, so we don''t urgently need it.''
''That''s right,'' Franca agreed. ''If it was a living Mysticologist or irvoyant, I could teach them ancient myths and hidden knowledge, and as long as some of it is true, it could help them create powerful fairy tale or mythological magic. But Sealed Artifacts can''t listen to me or ept my guidance, the magical effects they produce will be fixed to what they originally had.''
Franca hesitated a bit before continuing, ''Of the remaining two, I''m more inclined towards the Pallbearer.
''The name alone tells me it must have powers in the domain of death, which can make up for Jenna''s and my weaknessesour single-target attacks aren''t deadly or explosive enough, aside from curses and Mighty Blow. Plus, as it''s from the nter pathway, it must have healing abilities, which can be used to respond to believers, drive away afflictions. Hmm, with its assistance, the progress of my creating mystical bacterial pathogens will also be greatly elerated.
''But the problem is, this is an item with godhood from the nter pathway.''
The nter pathway was also called the Earth pathwaythe Mother pathway.
Franca looked at Lumian. ''Mr. Fool said you need to keep away from the Mother. Didn''t you previously tell Lugano to minimize contact with you, and only contact through prayer? Hmm, it''s not that you need to keep away, but that cmity needs'' to keep away from the Mother. Jenna and I are also on the Cmity pathways.''
Lumian thought for a moment and said, ''Since Mr. Fool didn''t say you can''t choose this Sealed Artifact, there shouldn''t be any major problems
''In that case, you can petition Mr. Fool, expressing your willingness to exchange one-third of the Mid- and Low-Sequence Beyonder characteristics and mystical items for a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, and directly ask if the Cmity pathway Beyonders can choose the one corresponding to the Pallbearer.''
''If that''s not possible, we''ll have to choose Arcane Schr'' Franca''s eyes gradually lit up. ''That works too, right? This is a Sequence 3 from the Savant pathway. I can find the Doctor Beyonder characteristic and handcraft a fully automated healing machine to respond to those prayers for curing afflictions, with the mirror responsible for autonomous distribution. Who knows, maybe I''ll even be able to drive a Gundam in the future''
With this settled, Lumian was about to have either Jenna or Franca pray to Mr. Fool, but Franca stood up with a beaming smile.
''Time to distribute the spoils to Professor and the others!''
Happiness shared is greater than happiness alone!
Professor and the others had already been brought back to Trier by Franca, and were currently gathered as instructed in a vi with a garden rented by H. Their families and the previously assembled Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society warlocks were all here.
Seeing Hidden de and the hooded, masked Muggle emerge from the mirror and rest in the living room, Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype simultaneously stood up. ''When can we go home?''
Before they could finish speaking, they suddenly saw three items floating before Hidden de and Muggle.
One was a vague, gem-like orb emanating a gloomy aura, as if a gaze peered out from within to scrutinize everything. The other two were luminous, rather illusory-looking crystal spheres.
Wh Professor and the others'' gazes suddenly froze.
Chapter 1075: Persuasion
''What is this?'' Professor could sense the terrifying aura emanating from the vague, gem-like orb, drawing her towards it.
Franca smiled and said, ''This is your reward.
''I didn''t mention it beforehand, but once the operation is sessful, we would help you each advance one Sequence.''
Professor was stunned for a moment, instinctively looking towards Periodic Table and Prototype, and finding them equally surprised.
After a few seconds of contemtion, Professor said sincerely, ''We don''t need a reward. Being free from the forced indoctrination of the Hidden Sage is the best reward for us.''
''Yes.'' Periodic Table and Prototype both expressed agreement.
After hearing Professor''s words, Lumian suddenly recalled his own thoughts, as well as the sentence Mr. Fool had said at the temporary gathering.
Uniqueness, Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts, or Beyonder characteristicsnone of that mattered. The important thing was that the Hidden Sage was dead.
Thinking about it this way, the Hidden Sage''s death is not in vain. From a god to amon warlock, there were so many ''volunteers'' who had the urge to destroy Him. The masked Lumian couldn''t help but smile.Franca could understand the perspective of Professor and the others, after all, they had a role model right beside them.
She smiled and said, ''You may not want it, but we must give it to you anyway. Otherwise, others will say we are stingy, miserly, and ungenerous. Don''t worry, all participants will receive a generous share of the spoils. As a secret organization with over two thousand years of history, the Moses Ascetic Order have umted abundant resources.''
Professor was perplexed for two seconds. ''You have destroyed the Moses Ascetic Order?''
We warlocks are also members of the Moses Ascetic Order...
This operation was not only targeting the Hidden Sage, but also wiping out the Moses Ascetic Order?n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Franca nodded. ''We have destroyed Avalon, as you all know, that was the headquarters of the Moses Ascetic Order.
''The Moses Ascetic Order''s Chairman Torriope perished on the spot. Two of the Ten Pirs, Seids and Ohayes, have died.
Retia fled in defeat, and the remaining Ten Pirs, either betrayed or in hiding. In essence, the Moses Ascetic Order have effectively been annihted.
''You are no longer members of the Moses Ascetic Order, because the Moses Ascetic Order no longer exists. From now on, you don''t need toplete the corresponding tasks, nor report to anyone. The only one who can protect you is yourselves.
''And as I mentioned at the gathering, the apocalypse is likely toe within one or two years.
''So, won''t you take this opportunity to advance your Sequences?''
Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype fell silentthey had all been convinced.
Franca smiled and said, ''The reward of helping the participants advance one Sequence is actually not very fair.
Why should Professor be a demigod, while we are only at Sequence 5, right?
''This is where you, Professor, must take on greater responsibility. If you truly be a Mysticologist and a demigod, you''ll need to help Periodic Table and Prototype afterward, providing them with the necessary protection.
''Also, before leaving Trier, if you encounter trouble that you can''t resolve on your own, you can recite my honorific name.
As long as I''m not caught up in other idents, I''ll definitelye to your aid.
''My honorific name is:
''The One Who Never Ages, Keeper of Diseases and gues, the Demoness Apanied by Strife and Catastrophe, the Cup Bearing Joy and Pain, the Great Franca Rnd.''
Lumian realized that Franca wanted to develop Professor and the others, who had lost the protection of the Moses Ascetic Order, into her own anchors.
Anchors didn''t necessarilye only from faith, but also from solid, stable interpersonal rtionships, though they couldn''t be passed down from generation to generation like faith.
Now, Professor and the others were at a stage where their future was uncertain, no longer having an organization to rely on and provide resources. The Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society''s gathering, which was more like a trading tform, was very suitable for Franca to extend an olive branch to them.
Even if Professor and the otherster left Trier, Franca could give them self-locating mirrors tomunicate remotely, and use them to spread the faith of Saint Franca Rnd, the patron saint of the Church of The Fool.
However, Franca was still too self-conscious, considering Professor and the others as friends and fellow transmigrators, without thinking of developing them into believers, let alone recruiting them as archbishops or bishops in the Sick Church...
Lumian did not take the opportunity to introduce his own honorific name.
''Honorific name... Are you already a Sequence 3 patron saint?'' Professor and the others had quite extensive knowledge of mysticism.
Isn''t this advancement too fast?
Two gatherings ago, Hidden de was still a Sequence 5 Demoness!
Previously, when Franca said she had already be a demigod, Professor and the others were more envious and slightly surprised, feeling that it was still somewhat normal.
But now, they had a sense of their understanding being overturned.
Franca concurred sinctly, ''Coincidencebined with the uniqueness of being a transmigrator In fact, Muggle is also Sequence 3 now.''
As she spoke, she nced at Lumian.
She could probably understand why Lumian didn''t take this opportunity to reveal his own honorific name and develop anchors based on interpersonal rtionships.
He hoped Muggle would still be Aurore.
Wh Professor, Periodic Table, and Prototype looked at the silent Muggle standing beside them in amazement.
She is also a Sequence 3 patron saint?
What is wrong with this world?
The hooded, half-masked Lumian chuckled. ''Yes, I''ll forgo telling you my honorific name. Anyway, Hidden de and I have been staying together recently, so asking her for help is the same as asking me.
''The reason we were able to advance so quickly while remaining normal is because transmigrators have special qualities. Professor, if you can be a Mysticologist, you can try drawing power from the fairy tales, myths, and urban legends you heard before you transmigrated. Some of them should be real.''
Lumian''s suggestion would lead to a certain degree of exposure of the secret to transmigration, but as long as Professor became a Mysticologist with the core ability of Mystical Re-enactment, she would eventually discover the issue.
Professor and the others looked at each other with puzzlement, able to sense the difort of Hidden de and Muggle in not wanting to borate.
They then asked Franca, ''Where is the cathedral that you are the patron saint of?''
''It''s in the Lavigny Docks area of the square district, the Saint Franca Cathedral of the Church of The Fool,'' Franca provided a simple introduction.
Professor had a realization. ''So you are from the Church of The Fool?
''This operation targeting the Hidden Sage was led by the Church of The Fool?''
Franca suddenly looked a bit proud. ''Yes, Mr. Fool himself lent a hand, and the God of Steam and Machinery provided necessary assistance...''
At this point, she smiled and looked at Lumian. ''Muggle assisted from the sidelines.''
Huh? Professor and the others were stunned once again.
A Sequence 3 Saint can participate in divine wars?
Franca quickly added, ''Her task was to serve as bait.''
''...'' Professor and the others were speechless for a moment.
''Okay, okay, keep these Beyonder characteristics and corresponding ingredients, potion forms safethey''ve all been sealed. You don''t need to rush, adjust your condition first before holding the ritual.'' Franca distributed the spoils. ''This is a drop of Mythical Creature blood, to be used in the ritual.''
Finally, she took out a drop of blood, shimmering with brilliant starlight, locked within a dim, spherical orb from her Traveler''s Bag.
After celebrating the death of the Hidden Sage with Professor and the others with champagne, Franca and Lumian returned to the luxurious vi, with the former volunteering to pray to Mr. Fool.
He was a fellow countryman!
Franca set up the altar and performed the ritual, fluently reciting the corresponding honorific name. A faint gray fog vaguely emerged before her.
''Esteemed Mr. Fool, I would like to exchange the Mid- and Low-Sequence Beyonder characteristics and mystical items ced before me for a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact. As a Beyonder on the Demoness pathway and a close friend of The Chariot, do you think I am suitable to choose the one corresponding to the Pallbearer?'' Franca expressed her intent in one go.
Soon, she heard Mr. Fool''s gentle voice. ''There is some risk, but it can be borne.''
In that case, it''s better to let it go, it''s not an urgent need...
Franca immediately said, ''Esteemed Mr. Fool, I''ll exchange for the one corresponding to Arcane Schr.''
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw all the items she had ced on the altar disappearpletely, vanishing into thin air.
Immediately, an object flew out from the erged candle me,nding on the altar.
It was half a mask, the left side.
It wasposed of numerous gears, rivets, bearings, springs, and small steel tubesmechanical parts. The eye position was left empty, covered by a lens that looked like ss or crystal, the overallplexity giving it a strange beauty.
At the same time, Franca received a rush of information:
''Name: Face of the Arcane ''0: Originated from the death of an Arcane Schr in the Fourth Epoch. ''1: The exterior is a left-faced mask made of machinery, possessing a living characteristic. ''2: After donning this mask, it can emit a beam of light from the eye guard, capable of destroying the structures of most objects, thoroughly disintegrating the target.
''The wearer of this mask will possess extraordinary manufacturing abilities, able to create mystical items, orplex mechanical devices, orbine the two. Remember, the mask is the master when doing these things, not the wearer. It always leaves one or two hriously terrible negative effects on its own products.
''Wearing this mask can allow one to truly extract environmental information and work backwards to deduce what has happened.
''The mask''s wearer can quickly grasp the relevant information when using other mystical items, effectively avoiding negative effects, except for those brought by the mask itself.
''The wearer of the mask can imbue the items they create with souls, giving them a certain degree of vitality. But remember, these are not created out of thin airtheye from fragments of spirits from the spirit world, extracted from the lives around them.
Chapter 1076: Savant
"3: Every three minutes, this mask drains life force from its wearer;
"When the mask''s life force drops below a certain threshold, it will drain life force from living beings within a five-kilometer radius to replenish itself;
"The rate at which the mask''s life force decreases depends on frequency of use. If left unused, it canst up to seven days. If used frequently and unable to replenish life force from the wearer, it can onlyst 45 minutes;
"The mask possesses living characteristics. Even when in use, it must be closely monitored, otherwise it will attack the wearer and theirpanions;
"The mask yearns for aplete body. It will entice the wearer and those around them to gradually rece their bodies with mechanical constructs;
"Those enticed by it will not have their life force drained, nor will they be attacked by it.
"4: The method of sealing is to let it sleep, replenishing its life force at regr intervals, with specific timing depending on usage conditions;
"It can be persuaded."
A Sealed Artifact that can be persuaded and possesses living characteristics? After hearing Franca''s ry of information, Lumian extended his right hand toward the Face of the Arcane that she was holding.During this process, he had already activated the residual aura of the Blood Emperor in his palm, along with the Underworld Daoist''s seal and that terrifying ck pinhole appearing.
On the mechanical mask that only covered the left half of the face, the springs, mainsprings, rivets, gears, and otherponents suddenly appeared to lose their sticity, gradually rxing.
It was like watching a snarling puppy quickly lying down, legs up in the air, exposing its belly.
Lumian stroked it a couple of times with his finger and said with a smile, "It can indeed be persuaded."
At this moment, Ludwig came over, staring eagerly at the Face of the Arcane, and asked, "Can I eat it?"
He wasn''t asking if the mechanical mask was edible, but rather if he himself was allowed to eat it.
On the Face of the Arcane, whether springs, mainsprings, gears, or bearings, everything suddenly tightened with a swoosh, making the sound of machinery starting up.
"No." Lumian answered Ludwig''s question.
After bing a Sea Monster, Ludwig seemed able to directly consume Beyonder characteristics and mystical items, then use their corresponding powers through some method.
He wouldn''t lose control from this, but it would umte madness and appetite.
Disappointed, Ludwig pulled out a lollipop,forting himself with the sweet treat.
"Being able to be persuaded means it can be reasoned with. Isn''t sleeping once a day a normal living habit?" Lumian said with a smile as he withdrew his finger.
"Before long, Anthony should be able to be a Sequence 4 Maniptor. When that timees, if the child doesn''t want to sleep, we can Hypnotize it to sleep. Children who don''t sleep will be eaten by Ludwig."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
As for the requirement of regrly replenishing life force, Lumian thought it was easily solved-he now had to take Ludwig out to sea for a feast every day.
After confirming that the Face of the Arcane had lulled itself to sleep, Franca handed this Grade 1 Sealed Artifact to Jenna. "You keep it safe. Whoever needs it between us can use it."
Jenna didn''t refuse, and while cing the Face of the Arcane into the Traveler''s Bag, she thoughtfully said, "I know which pathway Julien should take."
"Which one?" Franca had a vague guess at the answer.
Jenna let out a sigh and exined, "Savant."
She exined earnestly, seemingly trying to convince herself, "The Savant pathway primarily focuses on mastering scientific knowledge, enhancing memory, intelligence, and logical reasoning abilities. Unlike the Mystery Pryer and many other pathways, it doesn''t involve high spirituality, seeing things that shouldn''t be seen, or hearing voices that shouldn''t be heard. It also doesn''t attract disasters, making it rtively safe for daily life.
"Moreover, Julien is already a technical worker who loves machinery. With just one or two months of additional knowledge, he should be able to fully digest the potion. The subsequent Archaeologist Sequence is equally straightforward-we can find rtively safe ruins for him to explore, provide him with carefully selected historical artifacts and corresponding documentation to guide his research.
"Given these conditions, plus the approaching apocalypse as a prerequisite, he could be a Sequence 7 Appraiser in a short time. While an Appraiser isn''t particrly strong on their own, they can identify mystical items and maximize risk avoidance when using them. At that point, by giving him Sequence 5 Sealed Artifacts, we can provide him with basic self-protection abilities, essentially making him equivalent to a quickly-molded Sequence 5 Beyonder.
"Additionally, among the Mid-to Low-Sequence Beyonder characteristics and potion forms I obtained from the Moses Ascetic Order this time, the Savant pathway ingredients are the most numerous after the Warlock pathway."
There was no shortage of ingredients and forms.
"When you think about it, the Savant pathway is indeed the most suitable. It can effectively leverage external power without reckless archaeology, while avoiding too deep an involvement in the mystical world," Franca agreed with Jenna''s reasoning.
Lumian then said to Jenna, "You can modify your previous n now. The key is how to naturally and reasonably get your brother to encounter and choose the Savant pathway."
"Yes," Jenna nodded seriously.
Thursday afternoon, Northern Trier Train Station.
Julien, wearing a gray-blue worker''s uniform, a t cap, and carrying a suitcase, stood in the crowded second-ss carriage aisle, slowly moving forward amid the whistling arrival announcement.
Standing nearly 1.75 meters tall, with xen hair and regr features, his half-year exchange study had greatly boosted his confidence in his technical abilities. His entire demeanor, from temperament to behavior, exuded ambition.
He believed he would soon be valued highly, receive promotions in rank and sry, and before long be the kind of senior worker who could take on apprentices.
Once my sry increases, we can move away from Rue Pasteur to a better neighborhood, and Celia wouldn''t need to work part-time anymore-she could focus on studying dramatic performance... Thinking of the bright future, Julien walked with straight posture, each step in his gait firm and steady.
Following the flow of people, Julien exited the steam train and the rtively clean tform, entered the Northern Train Station, and passed through the turnstiles.
He looked around, searching for his sister who had promised to meet him.
As he searched, he noticed many travelers unconsciously gazing toward one corner, reluctant to look away, with some even walking in that direction.
Though curious, Julien didn''t go to see what themotion was about.
Meeting up with Celia was the most important thing right now!
After walking several more steps, he finally spotted the familiar figure.
She was also the person drawing all those gazes.
Julien saw that his sister Celia Bello''s xen hair had darkened considerably and was tied in a simple bun, Her face wore no makeup yet appeared fresh and clean, like a flower newly washed by rain.
Celia seems to have grown even prettier, more beautiful than Mom''s photos when she was young... Julien quickly squeezed through, blocking a man who was trying to chat up his sister.
"Wee home!" Jenna gave her brother a hug.
Meanwhile, she grumbled inwardly, it''s really inconvenient for a Demoness to go out without concealing her appearance. Even with using Lie to adjust my features to look more like before and having suppressed my charm, I still draw attention, though not as drastically...
"Let''s go," Julien nced at the eager men around them and protectively guided his sister quickly out of the Northern Train Station.
Jenna pointed to a double-decker public horse carriage. "This one''s already full, let''s wait for the next one."
Julien looked around and pointed to the rental carriagene. "Let''s take one of those back. I''ve saved some money during this time."
He had expected his frugal sister to object and need convincing, but to his surprise, Jenna immediately nodded in agreement.
Julien felt that his sister must have changed quite a bit over these six months.
After settling into the two-wheeled, two-seater rental carriage, Jenna asked with a smile, "How did your studies go? Your letters weren''t very detailed about Julien instinctively straightened his back. "I think I''m about at the same level as the master who taught me before."
He went on to exin many technical details, though Jenna couldn''t understand them.
Jenna offered someplimentary remarks before changing the subject, "I recently met an outstanding technical expert. She says she''s a technical expert-I don''t understand much about it, but when she repairs machines, she''s really incredible, the kind of incredible that even I can recognize.
"She said when you return, everyone could get together to exchange ideas."
She? Julien rxed.
With a smile, he said, "Sure, you can arrange a time with her."
He was very confident in his technical skills now.
"Let''s go right after you put away your luggage-we''ll have dinner together!" Jenna quickly decided, as if her previous words had been leading up to this.
Julien gave his sister a suspicious look, suspecting she was trying to set him up.
However, after their long separation, he didn''t want to refuse.
After dropping off his luggage at their rental ce on Rue Pasteur, Jenna led Julien to a newly built factory on the south side of Quartier du Jardin Botanique.
Inside the factory, a young woman with short hair and goggles was using a hammer, pliers, and other tools to work on a giant machine, continuously installing rivets, levers, bearings, and otherponents.
Her movements were fluid and unassuming, but every detail was perfect, not a fraction off, without the slightest error.
As Julien watched, he became transfixed, his previously high confidence gradually crumbling.
Is this even humanly possible?
Even machines manufacturing machines can''t achieve this level of precision!
Could this be the blessing of the God of Technology that the Church of Steam preaches about?
When the woman finished her work, Jenna stepped forward and called out with a smile, "Good afternoon, Miss Be."
Be''s body instinctively trembled slightly, then she turned around and said with a smile.
"Celia, is this your brother?"
"Yes, my brother Julien." Jenna made the introduction.
Julien nodded bewilderedly, his previous confidencepletely gone.
Chapter 1077: Worship and Humility
Be took off her goggles, revealing a face with soft features and beautiful eyes, unlike the more masculine female mechanical workers in Julien''s stereotypical impression.
"I heard you just returned from an exchange study?" Be asked curiously.
"Yes." Julien no longer had any enthusiasm to share this experience.
"What did you study?" Be eagerly pointed at the mechanical parts scattered on the factory floor. "Why don''t we exchange ideas? Try assembling a machine with the remaining parts? A qualified artisan must have their own judgment and possess sufficient creativity."
Julien instinctively wanted to refuse, clearly knowing there was an unbridgeable gap between himself and this approachabledy.
But at this moment, his sister Jenna encouraged, "Give it a try. This will be your first creation sincepleting your studies.
"It''s okay if there are ws, Ms. Be will guide you and help correct any issues."
Guide... Julien''s heart suddenly stirred.
He first spoke at length about how ordinary he was and how his skills were barely passing, then walked among the scattered parts, observing and contemting.When he picked up the pliers, Be walked over and nodded slightly. "Your hand position has a small w."
She quickly pointed out the problem, correcting the mistakes in Julien''s posture from past bad habits.
During the subsequent assembly, Be asionally offered simr guidance, and her teaching either led to sudden insights for Julien or made him strangely discover that many things he originally found difficult suddenly became simple.
While teaching, Be seemed to radiate an indescribable light, no longer just the girl-next-door from before. Every word she spoke gave Julien the feeling that she had absolute confidence.
People who were confident and had the ability to support that confidence were always charismatic, unconsciously inspiring worship.
Gradually, Julien''s gaze toward Be became like a student looking at their most respected teacher, and his behavior began to show signs of imitation.
This was a truly top-tier artisan!
A top-tier artisan that ordinary people rarely got to meet!
Thus, Julienpleted his assembly, creating ab machine for precise metal cutting.
He couldn''t believe this was his own work, it was the kind that had to be purchased from the Church of Steam factories.
His gaze toward Be grew even more admiring.
Jenna sincerely praised the machine for a while, then took Julien home to change clothes, arranging to meet Be at a restaurant near the botanical garden.
The three of them enjoyed a pleasant atmosphere with engaging conversation.
"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom." Jenna stood up, putting down her napkin.
After watching his sister''s figure disappear into the restroom corridor entrance, Julien turned back to see Be lift her red wine ss, taking a small sip, smiling kindly yet with a hint of superiority.
"You truly have some talent in mechanics."
"No,pared to you, this can''t be called talent," Julien responded, embarrassed and somewhat inferior.
Be put down her wine ss and shook her head.
"I mean it.
"Would you be interested in bing my apprentice?"
"Apprentice?" Julien was stunned.
Be nodded gently.
"Yes, like the ancient apprenticeships-following me to learn, growing with my help, and afterpleting your training, serving me for a period without pay."
Wh- Such a young top-tier artisan would take apprentices? Why would she value me? Julien was y surprised, delighted, yet puzzled. "Am I... am I qualified?"
"I said you truly have some talent." Be, who appeared like the girl next door, showed some authority when discussing this matter.
"Can an ordinary person like me reach your level?" Julien asked anxiously.
"I can only say there''s a good chance, though it ultimately depends on you," Be said thoughtfully. "If all goes well, you could approach my level within half a year, though not quite reach it. Afterward, you''d serve me without pay for a year and a half."
Julien''s mind buzzed, feeling as if this windfall was too big, making him dizzy.
At this moment, Jenna emerged from the restroom corridor.
Julien immediately lowered his voice, "May I have a few days to consider?"
It wasn''t that he didn''t want this opportunity, but rather that he was suspicious of Ms. Be''s true intentions.
How could such good fortune fall to someone like me?
Could this be some new type of scam? Did Ms. Be have connections with those inders?n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Of course." Be didn''t press him.
After enjoying dinner, back at their rental ce on Rue Pasteur, Julien casually asked his sister, "Celia, who exactly is Ms. Be? How is she such a top-tier artisan at such a young age?"
"So she really is an amazing technical expert?" Jenna asked excitedly.
After Julien confirmed this, she recalled, "Ms. Be often watches performances at the Thatre de l''Ancienne Cage Pigeons, she''s a believer in the God of Steam and Machinery, and seems to have deep connections with the monks at the Deep Valley Cloister. Her title as technical expert should be certified by the Church of Steam-I can help you inquire if it''s true."
Hearing that Ms. Be was a true god believer and had close ties with the Church of Steam''s monastery monks, Julien''s doubts gradually dispersed.
Someone like that shouldn''t be a con artist!
But we still need to confirm her identity with the Church of Steam clergy...
Julien slowly regained his confidence.
If I could learn Ms. Be''s techniques, even at eighty percent of her level, I could be a technical director sought after by all factories in Trier, and might even hope to open my own factory in the future!
After chatting with his sister until nearly dawn, Julieny in bed, tossing and turning, too excited to sleep.
His mind was filled with images of Ms. Be-focused, serious, knowledgeable, technically profound, someone who unconsciously inspired admiration and worship.
In the newly built factory south of Quartier du Jardin Botanique.
Be watched Jenna, dressed as a witch, walk out from the mirror, and said trembling, "Madame, I have said everything as you instructed."
In her mind, this was Death itself, bringing destruction and despair.
She had watched helplessly as many of herpanions died one by one, coughing blood everywhere.
Jenna nodded expressionlessly. "He will ept your proposal.
"For the next two years, you''ll be responsible for taking him to major cities like Suhit, guiding him to encounter mystical knowledge, bing a Savant, and helping him digest potions until he advances to Appraiser.
"I will ask the Church of Steam clergy in the corresponding regions to help, making Julien believe you have divine blessing and are trustworthy,
"After two years, if nothing goes wrong with Julien and his development meets expectations, you will regain your freedom-ah, with one prerequisite: you must convert to a true god andplete the corresponding prayers."
Before Be could respond, Jenna took out a palm- sized doll seemingly stained with dark blood from her Traveler''s Bag and said with a slight smile, "If you try to escape or do anything harmful to Julien, I can easily find you with this. Don''t worry, I won''t kill you-I''ll just send you back to the Future."
Hearing thest half of the sentence, Be''s face suddenly turned pale, as if recalling something she never wanted to remember again.
That was worse than nightmares!
She hurriedly responded with extreme humility. "Madame, I will wholeheartedlyplete the task you''ve given me!"
A weekter, in the apartment that Franca and Jenna had originally rented, which hadn''t yet expired.
Julien sat across from the dining table.
He looked at his sister and hesitantly said, "Celia, there''s something I want to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Jenna looked puzzled.
Julien chose his words carefully. "Ms. Be wants me to be her apprentice, like in ancient times."
"Such good fortune? If you can learn some real skills from her, you could be a top technical expert in the future!" Jenna was delighted for her brother, her eyes full of expectation.
"But, but Ms. Be is going to serve as technical director at a factory run by the Steam cloister in Suhit. If I be her apprentice, I''ll have to go with her and stay there for at least two years," Julien said somewhat embarrassedly.
"It''s only two years, you''re still young. With real skills, you''ll have plenty of opportunities to make money-big money-in Trier!" Jenna encouraged her brother.
"But you..." Julien suddenly fell silent.
"I still need to study dramatic performance for another year, then spend a year ying supporting roles at the Thatre de l''Ancienne Cage Pigeons-that was agreed upon when I became an acting apprentice, remember?" Jennaforted and persuaded her brother. "For the next two years, my life will be very regr, nothing requiring help."
Julien made a sound of agreement and suddenly pulled out a stack of bills and coins from his pocket. "Celia, take these. Focus on studying dramatic performance these two years, don''t worry about making money."
Jenna looked at her brother for a few seconds, then smiled and epted the cash. "By the time you return, I might be a famous theater actress."
"And I''ll be an outstanding technical expert." Julien suddenly recalled their childhood aspirations, and they shared a smile.
He seemed to have shed a heavy burden.
After Julien left, Franca walked out from the master bedroom, eximing joyfully, "How wonderful, no hypnosis needed!"
"Actually, there''s not much difference. When I made the decision to hypnotize Julien, this matter was essentially already settled." Jenna smiled self-mockingly.
Franca consoled her, "Whatever the case, this matter has been initially resolved.
"Next, our main tasks are to consolidate the cult''s followers, secretly spread the faith, and devise convincing exnations to include you.
"Also, help Anthony prepare for his advancement ceremony, and track down the Order of All Extinction and Zaratul."
Jenna made a sound of agreement and sincerely sighed. "A rare period of peace."
Thus, as Lumian and others remained rtively stable without bringing any catastrophes, time flew by, and several months passed in the blink of an eye.
Chapter 1078: "Near August"
At the Auberge du Coq Dor''s basement bar.
Leon, wearing a light blue shirt, walked in, and every patron he passed greeted him warmly from the bottom of their hearts.
Leon sat at the bar and smiled at the owner and bartender, Pavard Neeson. "One La Fe Verte."
Pavard Neeson, who wore a ponytail and had an artistic air about him, asked curiously while pouring the drink, "Why do you always order La Fe Verte?"
"It has sacred meaning for me," Leon said, resting his elbow on the bar counter while surveying the other patrons.
Pavard didn''t ask further.
This Monsieur Leon, who looked more like a schr than aborer, had be the most respected figure in Rue Anarchie over the past few months.
He arrived in April and gained widespread support in just over three months.
He would help those who were bullied get justice, prepare medicines and treat serious illnesses for free, tell stories to the children of the Rue Anarchie, help willing vagrants, dancers, and streetwalkers find jobs that met their basic needs. He never looked down on the residents here and didn''t dress shily.And somehow both the market district gangs and police seemed to ignore him.
How could such a person not be beloved?
Leon paid for his drink, took the dreamlike green- colored ss, and took a small sip.
At that moment, he saw a young man in a white shirt and open ck vest, holding a beer, jump onto a small round table.
"Everyone, look at me!
"I announce that Madame Fors has published The Great Adventurer 8-two volumes in less than half a year, how incredible!
"And by the way. I''m getting promoted with a raise!
"This will be myst time drinking here for the next two years, can you believe it? I''ve truly mastered ancient Feysac, thenguage that only truly civilized people understand!
"What excellent talent! I passed the exam and got assigned overseas-I''m going to take up an important position in Suhit.
"Congratte me! The Auberge du Coq Dor is about to produce a truly civilized person!"
Leon watched with a smile, enjoying the chaotic yet strangely harmonious atmosphere.
He stayed until 10 pm, when he finally left the bar amid everyone''s farewells, went up to the third floor, and entered Room 302.
Someone was already waiting for him there.
It was Lugano, a man with thick eyebrows,rge eyes, and a very upright bearing.
"Your Grace, what brings you here?" Leon asked, both surprised and delighted yet somewhat fearful.
Lugano nced at his subordinate and raised both hands, making an outward pushing gesture. "Disease be gone!"
Leon finally understood and returned the same gesture. "Disease be gone! Praise the great God of gue, praise the great God of Disease!"
Lugano finally showed a satisfied expression. "How many followers have you developed recently?"
Leon respectfully answered, "Following the revtions and your instructions, I haven''t preached directly. Instead, by helping the residents here and utilizing their fear of disease, I''ve gradually developed a group of willing followers, forming the embryo of a congregation.
"Next, I will share my faith with the followers, speak of the greatness of the two Mdy Gods, and of Your Grace''s mercy and grace."
Lugano nodded. "Well done.
"I''ve walked around Rue Anarchie and several nearby streets, hearing about your deeds from many people.
"Remember, you must follow the Church''s precepts: first, no public preaching; second, followers are allowed to also believe in the Eternal zing Sun or the God of Steam and Machinery or other orthodox gods."
"Yes, Your Grace," Leon bowed his head and sincerely responded.
Lugano took out a small jewelry box Iid with silver patterns and what appeared to be an ordinary vanity mirror, saying with a smile, "No need to address me as Your Grace anymore. From today on, you will be the bishop of this area, reporting directly to Her Holiness the Pope and receiving orders from him."
"I" Leon''s eyes lit up, unsure how to react in front of Bishop Lugano.
"You deserve this." Lugano handed the small jewelry box and mirror to Leon, "The mirror is formunicating with Her Holiness The jewelry box contains the Warlock Sequence''s potion form and all ingredients-this is a blessing from the God of gue and the God of Disease. Once you''re ready, you can consume the potion and advance to Warlock."
Thinking of the Beyonder powers and miraculous spells he had witnessed from Bishop Lugano and other bishops, Leon became excited and hastily thrust out his right palm. "Praise the God of gue, praise the God of Disease!"
Lugano joined in praising the two Mdy Gods, then said, "The jewelry box also contains some spell documents that will let you master several spells for treatment and medicine preparation, without needing help from me and other bishops.
"These can be used to treatmon illnesses. For truly serious cases, recite the honorific names of the God of gue or God of Disease."
"Understood." Leon epted the small jewelry box and mirror.
Thinking about how he would soon be a Sequence 7 Warlock and master true supernatural powers, he trembled with excitement, believing even more devoutly in the two Mdy Gods and revering Her Holiness the Pope.
Just over three months ago, he had been a pitiful man who was scammed by inders, impoverished, desperate about life, and wanting to end his own existence.
After leaving Room 302 of the Auberge du Coq Dor, Lugano returned to his previously rented apartment.
Then, he took out a mirror and ced it solemnly and ceremoniously on the table. "The Lady more ancient than the times, Servant of Cmity, Child of gue and Disease, Destroyer who walks in Shadows, Guide of all lostmbs in Trier, the great God of gue, I beseech you, beseech your gaze..." After saying his prayers, Lugano ced the already organized church affairs documents before the mirror on the table. watching them pass through the veil and disappear into the mirror''s surface like ripples in water.
Soon, text appeared on the mirror''s surface: "Before long, you will be an archbishop, overseeing multiple dioceses."
This message came from the Pope of the Sick Church.
After receiving the reply, Lugano became ted once again.
Although he regretted no longer being a Blessed who could report directly to the great God of gue Lumian Lee, and could only follow Her Holiness the Pope''s instructions, over these past few months, he had not only acquired the acting method but also obtained the Sequence 6 Biologist potion form and corresponding ingredients from the nter pathway, and was now already a Sequence 6 Beyonder.
From Her Holiness the Pope''s words just now, after umting achievements for another year or so, he would have the chance to advance another Sequence, bing a Druid and an archbishop.
With anticipation, Lugano looked at the mirror and respectfully bowed his head. "Yes, Your Holiness."
In the luxurious vi where Lumian and others resided.
Her Holiness the Pope of the Sick Church, Jenna, sat on a long sofa leaning against the great God of Disease Franca Rnd, reviewing Lugano''s work report.
After discussion, Lumian and Franca decided to let Jenna first be recognized by the Sick Church followers as Pope, which could also obtain anchors and well exin changes in doctrine.
In the future, if Jenna could advance to Sequence 3, they could use the method of both the God of gue and God of Disease jointly issuing divine edicts to promote the meritorious Pope to a subsidiary god. Her rted deeds would naturally be part of the church catechism, and no one would question it.
After that, they would gradually elevate her status.
After hearing Jenna''s narration, Franca looked toward Lumian, who was curled up reading on another sofa.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"I think our anchors are sufficient to support our advancement to Sequence 2; besides, we can''t preach on arge scale in Trier anyway."
Not preaching publicly but being able to develop some followers was the tacit understanding between Lumian''s group and the God of Steam and Machinery Church.
In this aspect, the God of Steam and Machinery was quite amodating to them.
Previously, during the Holy Day in May, the Church of Steam held arge mass attended by tens of thousands in front of Trier''s patriarchal cathedral. The participants'' emotions were exceptionally high, bing very devout and fervent as they were influenced by the mass itself and the surrounding atmosphere during the ritual.
Anthony, as a believer of the God of Steam and Machinery, also attended this mass and secretly consumed the potion amid the emotional resonance of tens of thousands, bing a Sequence 4 Maniptor.
This was using the Church of Steam''s grand mass to simplify the ritual''s execution.
Other Spectators didn''t do this because it would be considered sphemy and would be noticed by the corresponding true god due to the influence of the mass ritual and fervent emotions, bringing down terrible divine punishment.
But the God of Steam and Machinery allowed Anthony to do this.
Lumian and Anthony had prayed at the Church of Steam''s patriarchal cathedral in Trier beforehand and received a permissive revtion,
Lumian put down his book and said with a smile, "The current problem is that we cannot obtain the Beyonder characteristics of either Weather Warlock or Demoness of Catastrophe."
ording to information Franca gathered from within the Demoness Sect, they could confirm that the Demoness Sect possessed at least five Demoness of Catastrophe Beyonder characteristics-four Angels (Gray, Yellow, Blue, Purple) and one Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
Lumian''s group had further learned that if a pathway had three Sequence 1 Angels, the corresponding Sequence 2 Angels could only number six to eight, with the specific amount varying by pathway.
In other words, with the existence of the true god-the Primordial Demoness-there were only one to three Demoness of Catastrophe Beyonder characteristics outside the Demoness Sect, all currently unounted for, at least not among the Church of The Fool''s allied forces.
Simrly, the distribution of Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristics was: the Einhorn family had two Sequence 2 Angels, the Sauron family had one Sequence 2 Angel, the Intis military had one Sequence 2 Angel (this seemed toe from the outflow of Beyonder characteristics after the Sauron family''s decline), the Iron and Blood Cross Order had at least one Sequence 2 Angel, and there was one corresponding Beyonder characteristic in the Blue Avenger vault.
In other words, at most two Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristics remained unounted for, perhaps none at all, and Lumian currently had no leads.
Before Franca and Jenna could respond, Lumian thoughtfully said, "I n to make a trip to Bansy Harbor soon."
Chapter 1079: The Stele
At Bansy Harbor, by the Sonia Sea.
After Lumian, Franca, and Jenna arrived, they saw endless ruins.
Every building here had copsed, with many ckened marks. Wild animals now inhabited the area, asionally letting out ''caw caw'' calls of crows.
Lumian had heard from Madam Magician about Bansy Harbor''s destruction, but this was his first time actuallying here.
''From the information gathered, this used to be the territory of the Medici family, who believed in the God of Weather. There''s a chance that the Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic could be found here, but they were likely taken by that Red Angel,'' Franca said as she looked around.
Staring at the ruins of Bansy before him, Lumian felt like he was back in the disaster-stricken Cordu.
He stood there dazed for a few seconds before speaking, ''This is one purposeto search around won''t cost us much.
''The other purpose is to find that special location Madam Magician mentioned, use the corpse wax candle, andplete the ritual contract.''
Chuckling, Lumian continued, ''Since the Celestial Master was able to use Professor andpany as a medium to locate the Hidden Sage and help Mr. Fool lock onto the target, the Blood Emperor ritual contract should also be able to find where the remaining Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic is. As someone who is barely counted as His Blessed, is it too much to ask Him for this small favor?''''In theory, it''s possible, but it''s too dangerous. It would be better to umte contributions and seek revtions from Mr. Fool. He is the greatest existence at the top of the Seer pathway, and should be able to divine clues about the remaining Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic.'' Franca was not too fond of Lumian taking unnecessary risks.
Though this is his styleone just can''t avoid being defiled from constantly touching pitch. He should try to control the number of risky ventures.
Jenna nodded in agreement with Franca''s words. ''You think I haven''t sought revtions from Mr. Fool? Guess what his revtion was?'' Lumian smiled. ''Bansy!''
''Alright then,'' Franca grumbled.
''You two help me guard against any idents,'' Lumian said, cing his hand on his chest and bowing his head to pray to Mr. Fool.
After the prayer, he activated the remnant aura of the Blood Emperor, the Underworld Daoist seal, and the dark pinhole in his right palm. Guided solely by his spiritual intuition, he began to delve deeper into the ruins.
Franca and Jenna followed several tens of meters behind him, one on each side.
They had walked for nearly a quarter of an hour when Lumian stopped in front of a copsed building.
The walls of the building were shattered, and only a few charred wooden pieces remained of the entrance. On the ground, which was scorched as if by lightning, were two vivid blood-red human silhouettes.
In the corner next to these two shadows was a simple drawing depicting a tentacled monster.
''ording to the intel provided by Mr. Hanged Man, this was the Bansy Harbor telegraph office
''So it''s here after all''
Muttering, Lumian walked up to the two blood-colored human imprints and took out a pale yellow-red semi-solidified candle in a ss jar.
He then ced the corpse wax candle on the piled-up copsed walls and ignited it using friction of his spirituality.
Seeing this, Jenna and Franca stopped in their tracks, not advancing further.
They were worried that they too would be affected by the candle''s scent and be passively drawn into the ritual contract, unable to monitor the situation.
Lumian sat down cross-legged and began Cogitation.
The sweet-scented incense diffused in the stillness, gradually prating his nostrils, causing his bones to itch and his blood vessels to swell. Suddenly, a veil of dark mist appeared before his eyes.
Unlike previous contract rituals, Lumian''s drifting soul was immediately seized by an invisible force and yanked into the depths of the mist the next moment.
Spinning, turning.
Lumian quickly regained his wits and found himself standing in a spacious, bright house, with rows of seats on both sides, upied by several people who seemed to be waiting.
Some of these people were dressed normally, while others had very strange attire. Lumian had not yet had a chance to examine them closely when a shout rang out beside him, ''Ill-hap, make way!''
Lumian did not understand, and turned around with a bewildered look, facing a man who had just entered through the door.
The man was wearing a white shirt, a ck vest, and a top hata look that matched the ''Eastern'' style Franca had described. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand.
Lumian stepped aside to let the man pass, watching him run towards the front of the hall without looking back.
Tap, tap, tapthe sound of telegraphing echoed from that direction.
Lumian then realized this was a telegraph office, and the people were waiting for responses.
Many of the waiting individuals had already turned their gaze towards him.
Lumian pulled up his hood to obscure his face.
Compared to a Demoness''s allure, wearing strange clothes was not a big problem.
Outside the telegraph office, the scene suddenly became lively.
There were multi-story buildings of various styles, wide streets, and asionally ck automobiles and the yellow rickshaws Franca had mentioned passing by. Among the bustling people, some wore shirts, suits, and hats, others wore long robes and skullcaps, some in white shirts and ck gowns with baggy pants and high-top cloth shoes, their waists bulging as if they were hiding pistols, and some with their heads wrapped in red cloth and holding short batons, while others worece-trimmed and ruffled long dresses, or close-fitting skirts with slits on the sides
Lumian suddenly felt this was as prosperous as Trier.
Ding-ding.
The clear sound echoed as a two-car tram, supported by overhead tracks, raced by.
This scene was very familiar to Lumianhe already knew this was called a trolley.
However, unlike what he had seen before, the passengers on the trolley were all quite normal, their attire indistinguishable from the pedestrians on the streets, and none of them had just a head, dragging a bloody, bony spine.
The location I''ve entered is different from the previous street?
Or maybe that street was originally hidden and requires special methods to see or enter?
My various special attributes,bined with the issues in Bansy, have brought me more directly to this metropolis? Lumian muttered as he looked around.
Even among the people being pulled in rickshaws, there were nodies with pus-filled, bruised faces concealing them with fans.
Aside from not understanding thenguage around him and the scarcity of people who resembled his own appearance, Lumian didn''t see any problems with the bustling city before him.
In terms of the effects of the ritual contract, this could be considered a failure, as he had gained nothing and not touched upon any mysteries.
After contemting for a while, with a feeling of being thrown into a foreignnd without a good trantor, Lumian followed the guidance of his own spirituality and gradually moved away from the prosperous downtown, entering narrower alleys.
The architectural styles on both sides became more peculiarstone doorframes, thick ck wooden doors, and tall walls with deep courtyards.
Lumian tried extending his right hand to touch a wooden utility pole, only to see his palm pass through it.
Am I in a Soul Body state now? No, it should be a pure spiritual and mental state, but I can still be seen by the people around me Lumian analyzed as he continued walking, navigating through the tangled wires,undry lines, and haphazardly piled debris, until he reached an area with many residences.
The first thing that caught his eye was a strangely shaped wooden tower.
It was very simr to the fog core he had seen in previous ritual contracts, but in the sunlight, the wooden tower had lost its indescribable sense of terror and gloom.
In front of the brown tower wererge houses and green trees, all enclosed by a yellow wall, preventing anyone from scaling it.
The open wooden double doors at the main entrance saw a constant flow of people going in and out, all appearing to be ordinary citizens.
Is this what Franca called a temple? Lumian pondered for a moment, then followed the crowd into the area enclosed by the yellow wall.
He pretended to be sightseeing as he gradually approached the wooden tower.
Along the way, he noticed that the ''monks'' of this temple were divided into several categories, with vastly different attire, and they did not seem to interact much with each other.
The two most numerous groups were: one wearing blue robes and tall hats, resembling the Celestial Master style, and the other with shaved heads, wearing either dull gray robes or yellow inner robes with red outer garments.
When Lumian reached a point near the wooden tower, two types of ''monks'' blocked his path in session.
Although he did not understand what the ''monks'' were saying, he got the message: ''Stop!''
Lumian did not argue, and turned back towards the building he had just passed.
During this process, he discreetly observed the environment, noticing that many ''monks'' were dispersed along the path leading to the wooden tower, some openly, some secretly, showing signs of using Beyonder powers.
They are guarding the wooden tower, not allowing outsiders to enter? As Lumian made this judgment, he abandoned the idea of trying to teleport there or use the mirror world.
If the wooden tower was indeed the core location indicated by the ritual contract, the guards would be prepared against such methods!
Thinking about how he had previously entered the tower through a mental contract, Lumian found a hidden spot and tried to replicate that state.
As soon as hepleted the Cogitation, he suddenly levitated, floating towards the wooden tower through the suddenly spreading dark mist, without any obstruction.
Soon, Lumian reached his destination, but was blocked by an invisible force, only able to descend downwards, preparing to enter through the door.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The floating sensation quickly faded, and the enveloping dark mist dissipated.
This time, Lumian clearly saw the situation at the wooden tower''s entrance.
There stood a weathered stone stele.
Lumian could not decipher the text on the stele, but he understood its meaning as if through spiritualmunication.
The inscription read: ''Gathered the world''s might, halved the ranks of the brave, binding the malevolent dragon here, quelling the cmity it gave.
''Erected by the Fifth Celestial Master.''
Chapter 1080: Destined
Binding the malevolent dragon here... Erected by the Fifth Celestial Master... Lumian recalled what he had seen in the previous ritual contract, vaguely understanding something.
He did not stop there, passing by the weathered stone stele and entering the wooden tower.
The tower had no gasmps or lit candles, relying only on the dim sunlight filtering through the thin paper windows to provide some illumination.
This did not hinder Lumian''s examination of the surroundings. He found the first floor of the tower to be unusually spacious, with towering and intersecting beams and columns, and a stone staircase leading down to the lower area.
Familiar with the situation, Lumian confidently approached the staircase, seemingly shrouded in shadow.
After a few steps, he suddenly looked up towards the side, and in the exceptionally dark environment, he saw a young man in dark clothing crouching quietly on a round wooden crossbeam.
The man had a thin face, a slightly broader forehead, and reasonably good features overall. His ck eyes were bright and lively, his figure seemingly merged with the darkness.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
As Lumian was looking up, their gazes met, and his hood lost its concealing effect.
The man immediately muttered something Lumian did not understand, with a disdainful expression, and scurried up the higher floors, disappearing from sight.Another outsider? He was able to bypass the "monks" and infiltrate this strange wooden tower? Although he did not use any Beyonder powers just now, his capabilities are still impressive... Lumian, with his Night Vision, was not hindered by the darkness above and tried to track-down the man, but could not find any trace of him.
Vaguely feeling that the other person was still observing him, Lumian smiled brightly up at the ceiling.
Charm!
A charm directed at all present beings!
With a thud, the young man suddenly fell from somewhere, crashing onto a horizontal beam.
He cursed in anguage Lumian did not understand and scurried up the tower like a lizard,pletely escaping the lower floors, as if avoiding a snake or scorpion.
Lumian did not understand his cursing, but felt it sounded simr to the phrase he had heard shouted at him in the telegraph office: "Damn it!"
Confirming that the young man was no longer watching him, Lumian descended the gray stone steps, disappearing into the shadowed stairwell.
After an unknown period, he finally reached the very bottom of the wooden tower, seeing the ancient well hidden in the darkness, the moss-covered stone blocks, and the iron chains extending from the blocks into the depths of the well.
Numerous bas-reliefs were carved onto these chains, depicting countless grotesque and distorted faces, like evil spirits.
It''s simr to Chen Tu''s armor... Was the Underworld Daoist also involved in this ''binding the malevolent dragon'' matter? Or his teacher, his teacher''s teacher? Lumian already knew that the Celestial Master corresponded to the Mystery Pryer and Savant pathways, and these dark iron chains did not seem to be His handiwork.
Peeking out, Lumian''s gaze descended to the bottom of the well, seeing a surface of what appeared to be thebined blood of thousands upon thousands of people.
The liquid was thick, bizarre, and emanated a strong stench of blood and rust.
Instinctively, Lumian raised his right hand to his nose, but found that he was not bleeding as he had during the previous ritual, and his condition was even quite good.
Is it because I have already epted the boon of Cmity, and obtained the power of the War Bishop, so I''m essentially one of them? Lumian thought, looking at the dense bloody water that did not reflect his head or face, and spoke in ancient Hermes, "Oh, mighty and great existence at the pinnacle of cmity, your humble Blessed wishes to ask where I can obtain a Beyonder characteristic that can help me advance further."
Lumian had always been thick-skinned, so these words came easily to him.
However, he was not sure if the so-called "malevolent dragon" locked at the bottom of the well would be able to understand his speech.
To facilitate the other''s understanding, he did not even use terms like Weather Warlock, Sequence 2, or Mythical Creature.
The people of the Western Continent probably hadn''t seen the sphemy te!
After a brief, indescribable silence, the surface of the blood-colored water revealed a scene.
It was a rotting, pus-oozing arm in broken armor, propping itself up on the ground, higher than the crumbled stone pirs. Pus continuously dripped from the cracks, mixed with invisible mes that ignited the ground, the air, and everything around, burning endlessly.
Lumian hastily retreated a few steps, not daring to look directly.
The residual aura of the Blood Emperor in his palm told him that the scene corresponded to the fallen divine corpse of Alista Tudor in the depths of Fourth Epoch Trier.
Is there a Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic there? Lumian nodded slightly, returning to the edge of the well and looking at the dense blood water.
The surface of the blood had changed-it was now filled with darkness, and a tall, silent figure seemed to be observing Lumian from within.
Relying on his spiritual intuition, Lumian deduced that this was the mirrored Blood Emperor on the Blue Avenger''s vault.
Can I not obtain the Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic without avoiding Alista Tudor? Wouldn''t getting it from the Iron and Blood Cross Order''s president be fine? Lumian had just furrowed his brow when a tremendous suction force suddenly emanated from the bottom of the well.
Lumian was unable to resist, as this was both the instinctive pull of a high-level Beyonder characteristic and the boon he had received, given his current pure spiritual or mental state.
He was dragged and fell into the well, sinking deeper.
In the blink of an eye, as he tried to activate the ck mark on his right shoulder to teleport away, his body touched the surface of the dense bloody liquid.
He passed through it without creating the slightest ripple, just as a High-Sequence Demoness would enter the mirror world.
Lumian suddenly realized.
Water surfaces are also mirrors...
I''m not entering the ce where the malevolent dragon is bound, but the corresponding mirror world.
His vision darkened, then turned red, and his entire being waspletely submerged in the bloody water.
The stench of blood and rust permeated his nostrils, trying to fill his lungs and body,
Lumian did not feel any pain, but rather a sense offort, as if he had returned to his source, to the homnd he had longed for.
This sea of blood seemed to have no surface, and no matter how he tried to float up, he could not escape it or breathe fresh air.
He saw countless corpses drifting past him, some headless, some with only a head dragging a bony. spine-like tail.
Lumian followed these bodies, wanting to see where they would drift.
Floating along with the corpses, he moved with the flow of the dark blood current.
The headless bodies and those heads with their dangling spines became increasingly dense, gradually forming a blockage.
It was as if there was an exit nearby, but the influx of corpses had clogged it.
Lumian chose to bypass the congested area and approach the "destination" from the side.
While he could not squeeze through, he just wanted to see what the situation was up ahead.
After swimming for a while, Lumian finally saw the target location a dark, gaping hole blocked by thousands of corpses, with an endless "school of fish" surging behind.
The bodies jammed in the hole were already bloated, with patches of ckish-blue decay on their surfaces.
Lumian immediately associated this with thedy riding the rickshaw, using a fan to cover her pus-filled, bruised face.
Did she escape from here? Or is she the controller of these corpses? Lumian shook his head, doubting he had any chance of squeezing through the blocked hole.
There were simply too many bodies jammed there, and he did not know what changes burning them down might bring-it would most likely make the situation worse.
At that moment, the blocked hole shook violently, as if someone on the other side was trying to break through the tunnel.
Ssh!
Arge number of the corpses blocking the hole were suddenly "swallowed" in, allowing those behind them to finally approach.
This also caused some of the dark, lightless water to ripple outwards.
Affected by the disturbance, Lumian was pushed away, and the blood-red scene before him quickly faded into an illusion.
In the illusion, he saw a huge, coiled ck shadow.
The shadow was lying at the bottom of the sea of blood, upying an areaparable to the size of Trier.
Lumian was drawn towards it, but could not truly approach or clearly see the ck shadow.
One was in the mirror, the other in reality.
In front of the ck shadow was a square several tens of kilometers wide and long, paved with grayish-white stones, with towering pirs of ck, blood-red, and gray-white supporting an invisible barrier, preventing the blood-red sea from invading.
Lumian found himself standing on this square, and before him was a full-length mirror made of pure silver mixed with other metals, its ornate frame in a ssic style.
Seeing this mirror, Lumian''s mind suddenly tensed.
Isn''t this the same mirror from the Blue Avenger''s treasure vault, the one concealing the mirrored Alista Tudor?
Why is there also one here?
Or rather, does the one in the Blue Avenger''s treasure vault lead to this one?
Are they the results of Alista Tudor''s various crazy experiments as the Blood Emperor?
Lumian instinctively wanted to move away from the silver full-length mirror, to avoid having his own image reflected in it, but a figure trapped within the mirror had already be visible on its surface.
The figure was d in blood-stained ck armor, with flowing hair faintly glowing with a reddish light. His facial features were sharp, as if carved by a knife, His lips tightly pursed, exuding a resolute and unyielding aura. His blue eyes were filled with cruelty and madness.
The next moment, this mirror-bound figure extended His armored right hand through the cold, hard mirror surface.
He stepped out of the full-length mirror, as ifpletely unconcerned about Lumian seizing the opportunity to attack.
Chapter 1081: Trap
The mirrored Blood Emperor? Lumian was not unfamiliar with the figure before him.
He did not seize the opportunity to attack, not because he did not want to, but because he was stunned for a moment by the assault of the mad psyche, before breaking free.
The burning heat and stinging pain in his right palm became more pronounced, as if wanting to coborate, to fuse the current vessel with the version of himself in the mirror.
The mirrored Alista Tudor stood nearly 3 meters tall, gripping a just-formed gigantic ming sword.
The giant sword burned with a bluish-purple hue.
The blood-stained ck-armored mirror Alista, with eyes filled with madness and cruelty, looked at the bloodsoaked Lumian and said in an icy voice, "Where is your sword?"
As soon as the words left His mouth, He took a stride forward to stand before Lumian, raising the bluish- purple ming sword high and bringing it down towards his target.
Lumian finally recovered from his previous shock, and instantly drew the iron-ck Sword of Courage, blocking the strike from above!
ng!Amidst the sh of metal, streams of bluish-purple mes scattered, and Lumian was knocked flying, his body set alight.
Crack. He proactively used Mirror Substitution, escaping the mes of the mirrored Alista.
The mirrored Alista, dragging the ming sword, evaluated dispassionately, "Too weak!"
As He spoke, the city-sized square was already engulfed in mes, with transparent, almost invisible spider web-like strands being revealed, all burning violently, no longer able to restrict or affect the mirrored Alista.
The mystical pathogens Lumian had secretly spread earlier were also quickly dissipating in the intense heat and burning, with only the heat-resistant ones still barely hanging on.
Facing this fiery hell, Lumian actually created a wall of crystalline, transparent frost around himself.
Sizzling, these frost walls were immediately vaporized under the assault of the bluish-purple mes and terrifying heat, turning into white mist.
The white mist obscured Lumian''s figure, making him disappear from the mirrored Alista''s sight.
Behind the mirrored Blood Emperor, Lumian''s figure rapidly took shape, his clear blue eyes deepening slightly, reflecting the blood-stained ck-armored figure.
He wanted to curse the opponent!
This was one of the few effective ways he currently had to harm the other.
Just then, thick fog rose up, immediately shrouding the mirrored Alista Tudor, preventing Lumian''s spiritual perception from extending beyond ten meters, making it difficult to lock onto the target.
True Fog of War!
Within the fog enveloping the entire fiery hell, Lumian threw out a mirror, which transformed into his double and gained projection power.
Lumian''s main body then concealed its form.
Suddenly, Alista''s scornful voice sounded in Lumian''s ear. "shy, but useless!"
Apanied by this remark, thunderous explosions took over the square.
Indiscriminate,rge-scale explosions.
The Fog of War thinned as a result, Lumian''s mirrored projection shattered, and even his main body had to use Mirror Substitution repeatedly to endure the aftermath of the explosions.
The entire square''s ground was left in ruins, only the ornate silver full-length mirror remaining intact.
As Lumian stabilized himself, he saw the mirrored Blood Emperor rushing towards him with the force of o mountain, shing down with the bluish-purple ming sword.
A sudden gray-white surge burst forth from Lumian, wherever it passed, the mes were frozen and turned to stone.
As the overwhelming gray-white wave approached the mirrored Alista''s figure, this Blood Emperor with only remnants of power was set aze, dposing into streams of bluish-purple mes.
These mes flew out to the sides and upwards, avoiding Lumian''s Petrification power.
They quickly converged behind Lumian, reforming the nearly 3-meter tall Alista Tudor, with blood-red hair.
Crack. With a sweeping motion of the ming sword, Lumian''s body shattered and dissolved into mirrors once more.
This time, he used Teleportation in conjunction.
His destination was behind the silver full-length mirror.
He swung his Sword of Courage aze with scorching blue-tinged mes towards the mirror.
He felt this full-length mirror and the mirrored Alista Tudor were closely connected, and destroying it might prevent the powerful enemy from maintaining His form.
The earlierrge-scale explosion, where the mirrored Alista deliberately controlled the direction and provided necessary protection, not allowing this silver full-length mirror to be damaged, was evidence of this.
Even if I can''t beat you, can''t I at least beat this mirror?
In Lumian''s eyes, the mirrored Blood Emperor transformed into a bluish-purple ming spear, rapidly thrusting towards him.
He did not retreat, still letting the Sword of Courage descend.
Bang!
The silver full-length mirror suffered a tremendous explosion, without even a cracking sound, itpletely disintegrated, its shards scattered outwards.
At the same time, the bluish-purple ming spear pierced through Lumian''s body, instantly igniting him, trying to burn him to ashes.
The ming spear fell behind Lumian, reforming into the mirrored Alista Tudor.
His sharp-featured face bore unconcealed mockery, His figure not showing any instability or illusion from the destruction of the silver full-length mirror.
It was an intentionally disyed weakness-a trap!
On the Fog Sea, in the starlight-condensed treasure vault on the Blue Avenger, the silver full-length mirror at the end of the corridor suddenly split open without a sound, cracks forming across its surface.
Ssh!
Shattered ss slid downwards.
On the deck of the Blue Avenger, Mr. Hanged Man and the few sailors felt the ship suddenly rocking violently, as if caught in a raging storm.
High in the sky, the fog rapidly spread, clouds piling up, a downpour imminent.
Within a square shielded from thick blood water.
From a ck "coin bag", a mirror flew up, and Lumian leapt out, retrieving the Sword of Courage and the Traveler''s Bag specially made by Mr. Fool.
He showed no retreat or fear, power surging from the dark pinhole in his palm.
His strikingly handsome face suddenly took on a more heroic, masculine air, his chest slightly narrower, his body a bit taller.
He was utilizing the power of the War Bishop obtained through the boon.
Of course, a Demoness of Unagingbined with War Bishop still should not be a match for the mirrored Alista Tudor-even if thetter did not use much of His Weather Warlock abilities, He still disyed overwhelming superiority.
Lumian''s true purpose was not the War Bishop itself, he wanted to leverage the unique origin of this power.
It originated from the boon of the corpse wax candle ritual''s target, from the depths of the well, most likely rted to the massive ck shadow coiled near the square, in reality.
In this case, Lumian was effectively the bestowed of the other party, and the current battlefield was within the mirror world at the bottom of the well.
In other words, Lumian might be able to invoke Angelic-level powers by appealing to this special environment.
Furthermore, with the War Bishop boon, he was now truly half-male, half-female, yin nurturing yang, yang containing yin, extremely close to higher powers.
Seeing this, the mirrored Alista Tudor did not frown, the madness in His blue eyes intensifying, seemingly wanting to use actual battle to tell Lumian this was meaningless.
Failure will be your destined end!
At this moment, a dark shadow from the coiled ck mass expanded outwards.
It prated the invisible barrier, surging behind the mirror Blood Emperor.
This dark, illusory, and transparent shadow seemed to lead to an unknown world.
Lumian''s thoughts suddenly became hazy, as if hearingyer uponyer of faint, ethereal voices.
He then saw the mirrored Alista put away the bluish-purple ming sword, scornfully ncing at him.
This blood-soaked ck-armored Mirror Person harrumphed, no longer attacking, turning and walking into the dark shadow, disappearing from Lumian''s sight.
That''s it? Lumian paused.
Of course, he did not think the mirrored Alista Tudor gave up because he feared the aid Lumian had invoked -it was more likely someone had dissuaded Him.
Who could dissuade the half-crazed mirrored Blood Emperor? As Lumian pondered, he felt his mind beginning to grow weary, his consciousness significantly weakened.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The ritual contract was nearing its end.
Lumian looked around, choosing to enter Cogitation, proactively disconnecting from the contract state.
In Bansy Harbor, within the ruins of the telegraph office.
Lumian opened his eyes, checking his condition.
The power of the War Bishop was receding.
"What happened?" Franca in the distance asked curiously.
Lumian had actually used the War Bishop power from the boon during the ritual!
Lumian was about to respond, but suddenly had a premonition, turning his gaze towards the western sky.
On the Fog Sea, aboard the Blue Avenger.
Inside the violently shaking, nearly shattering ship, a deep purple, hurricane-like light suddenly surged.
It rapidly headed eastward.
This is... Seeing this, Mr. Hanged Man furrowed his brow.
On a sunny coastline.
Unarmored, simply wearing a shirt and pants, now more human-like, Red Angel Medicifortablyy in a beach chair, legs crossed, casually watching the deep purple light fly overhead.
Then, He smiled at Albus beside Him, saying, "Why didn''t I attack Lumian Lee in the dream city?
"Of course, it''s because I''m waiting for him to trigger all the problems left behind by that crazy Tudor.
"The path to be taken, someone must help us take it: the traps to be stepped on, someone must help us step on them."
Chapter 1082: Open Stratagem
In St. Millom of the Feysac Empire, on the coast of Midseashire, Snarner Einhorn, with His mboyant golden earrings and deep red hair, was originally toying with some jewelry when He suddenly raised His head and looked towards the southern sky.
He was first surprised, then a look of confusion crossed His face, and He remained in the room, doing nothing.
Far in the distance, in the coastal regions of the Feynapotter Kingdom, the deep purple light was flying faster and faster, already having escaped the epassing hurricane, leaving behind horrifying rumbles.
In a certain location in the Intis Republic, the grizzled, blue-uniformed leader of the Iron and Blood Cross Order, Diest, with His neatlybed deep red hair, ck iron eyes, and prominent wrinkles, withdrew His gaze from a brass chess set and looked up towards the sky.
He almost instinctively transformed into a deep purple Iridescent rainbow and shot up, but ultimately controlled Himself.
He murmured softly, "The disturbance is so great, the deities must all be watching...
"Will the Angels of the orthodox Churches try to seize it?"
Under the observation of numerous gazes, the deep purple light crossed over the Feynapotter Kingdom.Curiously, no one came to stop it, nor did anyone attempt to obtain it.
In Bansy Harbor, when Lumian turned his gaze westward, Franca and Jenna followed his line of sight, but saw nothing.
"What are you looking at?" Franca asked puzzledly.
Lumian mused aloud, "I feel that the full-length mirror in the Blue Avenger''s treasury has shattered, and the Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic hidden behind it is now rapidly crossing the Northern Continent, flying from the Fog Sea towards me."
Wh-Jenna was a bit stunned to hear this.
Franca also eximed in amazement, "Such a thing can happen?
"A ssic trope where a treasured itemes to seek you out on its own..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
They hade to Bansy to seek clues about the remaining Weather Warlock Beyonder characterstic, and now one such Beyonder characteristic was crossing thousands of miles toe to them?
Lumian estimated the time and said calmly, "We''ll need to start with my recent secret deed ritual experience."
Franca''s eyes lit up, full of interest in the story Lumian was about to tell.
Jenna was the same, but considered things more carefully. She reminded Lumian, "Aren''t you going to prepare? What if that Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic isn''ting to join you, but to kill you?
"You can recount your previous experiences and the reasons behind things after everything is over. There''s no need to waste time now."
We should hurry up and make the necessary preparations, like appealing to Mr. Fool to watch over us, or summoning a messenger from Madam Magician and promising to exchange the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture for one round of assistance...
In any case, they needed to prepare for a potential battle with the item manifested by the Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic.
Smiling. Lumian replied. "No need to rush, it may be flying fast, but it will still take just over an hour to reach here."
Shaking his head, Lumian continued, "Can''t Teleport. can''t use Mirror Traversal either, just so troublesome and slow-moving."
Jenna was momentarily at a loss for words.
Franca then raised another question, "Won''t it get intercepted halfway?"
"If the orthodox Churches take it, we can negotiateter, and can use the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture to make a trade. After all, this thing speaks in riddles and is not very useful, just a hassle. But if it''s the evil god worshipers trying to ambush it midway, with such amotion, wouldn''t they just be exposing themselves?" Lumianughed.
Although the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture was quite useful for responding to believers, there were few wishes it couldn''t fulfill through bestowing good fortune, but as a Fate Appropriator, Lumian could also handle such matters himself, it would just be more troublesome and less effective.
"That''s true..." Franca thought seriously for a moment, then jokingly suggested, "Why don''t you go out to wee that Beyonder characteristic? It''se all this way, you should show it how much you value it, be enthusiastic!"
"We''ll see." Lumian wasn''t actually sure what that Beyonder characteristic or the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact wanted to do, so it was better to just wait in Bansy Harbor.
This ce had been devastated by the Church of Storms with no human habitation left, only the asional adventurer or pirateing to explore and uncover treasures others had missed.
And earlier today, Lumian had confirmed that aside from the three of them, only wild animals remained on this ind.
This was very suitable for demigods to battle, without worrying about identally killing anyone.
Franca nced around, gaining a general understanding of Lumian''s intentions.
Jenna then said, "Still, do the preparations first, then tell us about your secret deed experience, in case some unexpected thing happens midway, "Who knows, maybe some high-ranking being will kindly help shorten the distance for that Beyonder characteristic, letting it arrive early."
Lumian epted Jenna''s suggestion, praying or summoning messengers, going through a round of preparations.
Then he began recounting from when his consciousness manifested in that "Eastern" city''s telegraph office, up to the point where the mirrored Alista Tudor, despite having a clear advantage and filled with fighting spirit, voluntarily withdrew into the darkness and disappeared.
Before Franca and Jenna could respond, Lumian asked curiously and puzzledly, "What did that person who also infiltrated the wooden tower mean when they muttered those words after seeing me?"
He then mimicked the other party''s pronunciation.
Franca pondered for a moment, then suddenlyughed.
"He was cursing ''bad luck''.
"Meaning, it''s bad luck to run into you."
"Did I interfere with his actions?" Lumian mused aloud, "Or had he been previously deceived by a Beyonder from the Demoness pathway? In the West Continent, Demonesses don''t have a very good reputation?"
"You think Demonesses have a good reputation in the Northern and Southern Continents too?" Franca said, amused. "I think he''s really been scammed by a Demoness before, otherwise a normal person wouldn''t immediately curse ''bad luck'' just from seeing your face; he''s got PTSD."
Jenna chuckled as well, looking at Lumian. "Judging from this, that Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristicing may not necessarily be a good thing, I can already smell the scent of conspiracy."
"Kill you? It''s neither an ambush nor a hidden environment, so it''s almost impossible to kill Mr. Fool''s Saint unless someone holds back Mr. Fool. However, that''s unless the evil gods havepleted Their invasion and the apocalypse hase early. Otherwise, anyone able to stop Mr. Fool wouldn''t have any underlying motivation..." Pondering for a few seconds, Franca looked at Lumian and continued. "Actively bing your potion ingredient, letting you consume it to advance, then linking with the residual Blood Emperor aura in you to resurrect and upy your body? Even for a plot that straightforward, normal people should be able to think of it, right?"
"Yes." Lumian nodded. "I can also ask Mr. Fool to help shatter the characteristic, remove the remnant Blood Emperor psyche. Even if I can''tpletely purge it, at least Alista Tudor won''t be able to resurrect inside me."
"Then this is..." Franca and Jenna exchanged a puzzled nce.
Lumian suddenly smiled. "This should be an open stratagem.
"Alista Tudor wants me to be an Angel.
"Then the resurrection preparations He left behind will truly manifest.
"Red Angel Medici previously said He would give me a chance, but it''s likely not because I was too weak for Him to bother with at the time, nor out of deep empathy for my experiences-that may be a factor, but not the main reason.
"He too is waiting for me to ascend to Sequence 2."
Jenna''s brow furrowed slightly. "So you mean Alista Tudor''s current goal is to help you advance to angelhood, and it doesn''t matter whether you choose to be a Weather Warlock or a Demoness of Catastrophe, using that Beyonder characteristic or something else, the end result will be the same?"
"Probably." Lumian nodded, with a wry smile. "That''s why the mirrored Alista Tudor was able to restrain His madness and killing intent."
Franca and Jenna fell silent, not knowing what to say.
After all, they couldn''t really advise Lumian not to ascend to angelhood, right?
Lifting his chin slightly, Lumian chuckled nonchntly. "What''s meant toe wille. I also want to see what awaits me, hopefully it won''t disappoint."
Hearing this, Franca sighed. "Chaos, chaos, with the apocalypse looming, a bit of chaos is good, there''s a chance to win amidst the chaos."
An hour passed quickly, and the weakened and fatigued Lumian from the secret deed ritual had fully recovered.
Suddenly, a deep purple light shot across the western sky. As it drew nearer, it grewrger andrger, eventually bing clearly visible to Lumian, Franca. and Jenna.
It was a violently burning mass of deep purple mes, with shes of pure blue at its core.
Interwoven within the mes were jet-ck metal rods, forming a massive skeletal frame.
The deep purple-blue mes flowed along the metal bones, trailing long feathers, giving the whole the appearance of a colossal bird with a wingspan spanning dozens of meters. The intensely burning deep purple-blue giant bird had not even fully approached Bansy Harbor, but the weeds, trees at the edges of the ruins, and remaining walls all spontaneously ignited.
Cracking sounds rang out as Bansy was enveloped in mes.
At the same time, a disdainful yet condescending booming voice reverberated in Lumian''s ear: "Dare you face me?"
It was spoken in ancient Hermes.
Lumian suddenly gained an epiphany-there were severalyers of meaning to this "facing":
Dare you withstand my attack alone and endure?
Dare you ascend to Weather Warlock using the Beyonder characteristic I extracted?
Do you have the courage and bravery for this?
His mind made up. Lumian turned to Franca and Jenna. "You two should leave this area."
Franca and Jenna exchanged a nce, not saying much.
In a critical moment, they unhesitatingly believed in Lumian''s judgment and choice.
Franca''s eyes immediately reflectedyers of darkness, then she grabbed Jenna''s hand and departed Bansy Harbor through the mirror world.
Lumian shifted his gaze back, looking up at the purple-med giant bird blotting out the sky, and reached into the Traveler''s Bag, withdrawing the parchment- bound Post-Apocalyptic Scripture.
Chapter 1083: "Sparring"
The moment the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture was withdrawn, it began to turn pages on its own, arriving at one of the pages.
On it was a "prophecy" written by Lumian''s thoughts: "Lumian Lee will ultimately emerge victorious in this battle, thanks to his exceptional good fortune."
As the mercury-colored text shimmered, the purple- med giant bird up in the sky began circling, trailing its long feathers.
It had not yet revealed itsplete Mythical Creature form, for if it did, Lumian would not continue "ying" with it, and would immediately summon assistance.
Dark clouds amassed rapidly, looming low over the ground.
In the blink of an eye, a torrential downpour plummeted, as if the sky had split open like ake.
The deluge quickly formed into a massive water column poured down towards Lumian, but he did not move an inch, simply drawing upon the War Bishop boon''s power to be both male and female, with a more androgynous beauty, his chest still pronounced.
The descending downpour slowed down more and more, soon freezing in midair, reflecting the sunlight to reveal a crystalline, translucent appearance.
Theyer of ice continued growing upwards from above Lumian, drawing in the abundant rain into its frigid domain, creating an illusion of a rainbow arching across.With a ttering sound, the subsequent rainfall was blocked by the solid ice sheet, sliding off towards the other areas of Bansy Harbor,bining with the earlier deluge and the already damaged drainage system, rapidly flooding the ruins.
Sheltered by theyers of ice, Lumian calmly surveyed his surroundings, puzzled by the current manifestation of the purple-med giant bird''s abilities.
This truly has the might of the heavens and earth, if it keeps raining for another two to three hours,bined with the seawater rushing in, the entire Bansy Harbor will be submerged.
But in the realm of angelicbat, this is utterly useless. What Angel would drown in this? And there''s ample time to escape the scene
Unless it keeps raining until the mountainsides copse, there may be a chance to pose a threat to Angels...
However, this is excellent for ughtering ordinary people and Low-Sequence Beyonders. Truly befitting the path of war and cmity...
Just as Lumian was pondering this, the purple-med giant bird pierced through the thick clouds, extending His head.
Amid the dark clouds, silver-white lightning snakes shed, converging into a long,shing bolt.
The lightning struck the crystalline ice, unable to conduct through, shattering and spraying outwards.
Boom!
The thunderous sound reverberated as countless electric snakes plunged into the pooled water of Bansy Harbor, rapidly darting to form a vast silver web covering the entire ruined area.
Crackling sounds rang out endlessly, and Lumian finally understood the purpose of the earlier downpour.
To make the subsequent lightning strikes more destructive and far-reaching!
But Lumian himself stood on dry soil, surrounded by the near-instingyers of ice,rgely unaffected.
In the next moment, new lightning formed, more magnificent and colossal, like a silver-white divine tree connecting the sky and earth.
It struck the thick ice sheet, shattering the barrier as if carrying horrific kic energy or releasing stored power, causing an impact.
Rumbling, the thunder waves spread as the terrifying lightning cracked through theyers of frost, reaching the top of Lumian''s head.
Lumian''s body cracked and shattered, like all fragile mirrors.
Yet his silhouette remained within the area once protected by the ice, still discernible among the copsed ruins.
Plummeting from the sky, the purple-med giant bird spread His burning wings like a meteor, crashing towards Lumian''s location.
The nearby rainwater suddenly vaporized, diffusing as mist to wee the giant bird''s descent.
The ground was set aze, the remaining walls ignited, and Lumian''s body was set on fire.
Boom!
The giant bird struck the ground, kicking up a mushroom cloud of dust.
Lumian''s body shattered once more, the original ruins either reduced to ashes or blown away.
At the bottom of the crater formed by the explosion and melting, two bloodstained silhouettes resembling human pulp appeared, slightly dimmer.
Lumian''s androgynous figure manifested in the air opposite, his pale blue eyes reflecting the image of the purple-med giant bird as he prepared to unleash the Demoness''s curse.
The surrounding mist instantly thickened. transforming from scalding steam into true fog of war.
Lumian lost his lock-on, unable to effectively apply the curse.
Immediately after, a tremendous, piercing howl arose, and a horrifying hurricane formed over the sea, sweeping in towering azure waves over 10 meters high towards Bansy Harbor.
A tsunami driven by the hurricane!
Lumian''s body was mmed to the ground, shattering.
The remaining building ruins in Bansy Harbor that had managed to retain some height were all ttened, and the purple-med giant bird took to the skies, seemingly circling to search for the vanished target.
At that moment, Lumian''s silhouette emerged at the bottom of the crater with the two bloodstained human-like imprints, the ashen-white rushing upwards towards the hovering purple-med giant bird.
Stones of solidified air fell one by one.
The purple-med giant bird suddenly let out a shrill cry.
Lumian''s body and mind trembled, as if hearing the incessant drumbeats of an ancient battlefield.
Purple-blue fireballs rapidly materialized in the air, densely packed to block out the sunlight in this area.
They plummeted with a roar, crashing into the advancing ashen-white.
Thunderous explosions rang out ceaselessly, the shattered ashen-white me statues flung in all directions.
Lumian''s created ashen-white kept breaking and retreating, until it finally disintegrated, leaving the remaining purple-blue fireballs to pummel Lumian''s body.
This time, the shattered mirror fragments quickly dissolved into liquid.
At this stage of the battle, the good fortune Lumian had gained from the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture had not manifested-neither his attacks on the purple- med giant bird, nor the giant bird''s strikes on him developed into any unexpected sess or failure.
Lumian''s silhouette reappeared in an even deeper,rger crater.
The purple-med giant bird did not relent, continuing to assault with various Beyonder abilities.
Lumian struggled to endure, relying on his Mirror Substitutions to repeatedly evade fatal blows.
As the entire elevation of Bansy Harbor lowered by several meters, about to bepletely subsumed by the azure seawater, Lumian''s Mirror Substitution reached its limit.
From then on, he could only afford the death of his real and mirror self.
Circling high above, blocking the sky, the purple- med giant bird let out a soul-shaking, chilling cry once more.
He locked onto Lumian''s figure, about to plummet like a meteor, carrying His violently burning purple-blue mes.
Almost simultaneously, His body strangely stiffened.
The purple mes on His surface dispersed outwards, the jet-ck metal forming His neck stretched impossibly long, as if about to be torn apart by an invisible force.
The purple-med giant bird writhed in agony mid-air, the mes continually showering down, adding new zes to the already raging inferno of Bansy Harbor.
This change was so sudden and bizarre, not caused by any of Lumian''s attacks.
Lumian had been on the defensive the entire time, unable to find an opportunity to curse the opponent, and the mystical pathogens he had secretly spread were also sumbing to the indiscriminate purple mes and terrifying heat, unable to propagate and spread.
However, Lumian was not at all surprised by the giant bird''s predicament, a distinct smile appearing on his lips.
He watched until the purple-med giant bird, driven to madness by the agony, manifested Hisplete Mythical Creature form.
Lumian averted his gaze.
The fiery giant up above, bearing avian features, seemed to harbor deep, unfathomable knowledge-it materialized phenomena like lightning, hail, and hurricanes, causing the weather in this area to undergo violent changes.
Soon, the fiery giant receded back into the giant purple bird, plummeting earthwards.
Lifting his head, Lumian looked at the giant bird''s eyes, fixed with pain and bewilderment, and said with a smile, "Do you know what ce you''ve been attacking this whole time?
"It''s the Bansy Harbor telegraph office!"
Pausing for a moment, Lumian took out the fully-burned corpse wax candle from the Traveler''s Bag, his smile growing brighter as he said.
"And you are an Angel of the Hunter pathway.
"While I am a bestowed of the two apex powers of Cmity!"
This was why Lumian chose to face the purple-med giant bird directly, not seeking assistance from Madam Magician or other Major Arcana card holders, and remained within the fixed area, never fleeing far away.
The Bansy Harbor telegraph office should be a leakage point, connected to a metropolis in the Western Continent, linked to the "malevolent dragon" locked within the ancient well but still able to influence the entire city. Using the corpse wax candle here could grant him a different, more advanced secret deed experience.
In this context, attacking the Bansy Harbor telegraph ruins, assaulting the Lumian who had already extracted the War Bishop boon''s power, and being an Angel of the Hunter pathway, then personally crashing into the leakage point, had a significant probability of triggering anomalies and being subjected to unseen influences!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Of course, the anomaly was not a 100% certainty, and the purple-med giant bird did not necessarily have to enter the telegraph ruins directly, bombarding it as a ming meteor. That''s why Lumian had used the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture to add sufficient good fortune.
Now, the prophesied oue had arrived!
Boom!
The purple-med giant birdnded nearby, kicking up more dust and mes.
His zing purple wings folded in, His body gradually shrinking, as if coalescing into a physical form.
Then His final words reached Lumian''s ear: "I acknowledge you are qualified. This has nothing to do with Tudor''s arrangement."
The purple-med giant bird grew smaller and smaller, until only points of light remained. Ultimately, the main body transformed into a palm-sized, crystalline and porous pir.
The various holes in the pir contained mists, hall, rainwater, lightning, and other meteorological phenomena, sometimes diffusing outwards. sometimes receding back inside.
The scattered purple feathers and iron bone crystals littered the ground around it.
Chapter 1084: Hidden Conditions
Within the raging inferno of Bansy Harbor, Lumian''s smile gradually faded.
A blood-red bulge suddenly rose on his brow, the androgynous hues of his features rapidly fading.
The bulge then retracted, crawling and slithering across his forehead and face, finally descending slowly down his neck, shoulders, and arms, merging with the altered remnants of the Blood Emperor and the War Bishop boon powers through the ck pinhole, still covered by the pallid skin from the Underworld Daoist''s sealing.
The pinhole expanded slightly, the abysmal, lifeless darkness within seemingly brewing some kind of violent force.
Lumian exhaled slowly, then collected the purple-blue, porous crystal pir, along with the purple feathers and iron bone crystals, and ced them in a mirror Inside the Traveler''s Bag-a temporary sealing measure.
Plop. A raindrop fell on Lumian''s hand, leaving a damp feeling.
One drop, two drops, three drops... the raindrops grew more and more numerous, rapidly turning into a downpour.
Influenced by the widespread burning and the residual powers of the Weather Warlock, the sky over Bansy Harbor and the surrounding sea had darkened, producing vast, gloomy clouds, the rain pouring down.
Lumian did not seek shelter or obstruct the rain, allowing it to soak his hood, his hair, his face, his clothes.As it fell, the rain grew colder, congealing into ice crystals and snowkes.
Thick, heavy snowkes drifted over Bansy Harbor, nketing the scorched earth, copsed bricks, and other signs of destruction in a pristine white.
Lumian''s body was covered in frost and icicles.
He finallyposed himself-the help of the higher beings was not easily obtained, even if this was not something he had actively provoked, but brought about by the purple giant bird.
The ice fell away, Lumian''s hood and ck robe drying rapidly.
He pressed a hand to his chest, thanking Mr. Fool for his gaze, then turned his gaze to the sky.
Beyond the swirling snowkes, Lumian saw the ever-ready-to-assist Madam Magician.
The renowned author''s expression was ratherplex, as if seeing her past self, forced to rapidly advance with the abundance of high-level ingredients.
However, she could pause and take an extended rest,ter considering whether to ascend to Sequence 1, while Lumian could not-neither he nor the forces driving him here would allow him to stop.
Lumian nodded in greeting, then Teleported back to the luxurious vi in Trier.
Franca and Jenna were pacing in the living room, while Ludwig was enjoying a doubleyer cream cake.
"Done?" Franca looked at Lumian, asking excitedly.
"An ''item'' that can''t reveal itsplete Mythical Creature form is nothing to be afraid of. If it really uses its full power, I''ll just call for help." Lumian said with a smile.
"Why didn''t you just call for help in the first ce?" Jenna couldn''t understand.
Lumian thought for a moment and exined, "The higher the Sequence in the Hunter pathway, the more courage and boldness one needs. I skipped the Iron-blooded Knight and War Bishop Sequences, without the corresponding Beyonder characteristics to provide a boost. I can no longer retreat, and must face the difficulties, challenge myself.
"This may be the implicit, hidden ritual condition for me to advance to Weather Warlock, or an additional ritual."
Jenna suddenly understood. "For a normal advancement, it is unnecessary for a Beyonder progressing step-by-step along the Hunter pathway to Sequence 3-the previous Sequences have already provided the corresponding enhancements. But a Sequence 3 Demoness wanting to make the jump must not shy away, and be filled with courage?"
"It seems that to switch pathways at the higher Sequences, there are hidden conditions to some degree, stemming from theck of previous Sequence elements..." Franca also realized.
Then, she asked Lumian with a smile, "Did you rely on the special qualities of the Bansy Harbor telegraph office to defeat that purple phoenix, or rather, the purple giant bird?"
"You figured it out?" Lumian raised an eyebrow at Franca.
Franca chuckled and exined, "What other abilities and items of yours do we not know about?
"A simple analysis can lead to one conclusion: Relying on the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture and the Demoness''s traits can only dy things, hoping the purple giant bird would acknowledge your strength, but victory is unlikely. Yet the way you acted clearly showed you achieved the final win.
"Unable to do it alone, yet you didn''t call for help, so you must have utilized the environmental conditions."
"You do have some talent when ites tobat." Lumian smiled, praising her.
He summarized the key points of the battle, the core idea being to, with the target unable to reveal itsplete Mythical Creature form, leverage the Demoness pathway''s self-preservation abilities to guide the opponent to attack the Bansy Harbor telegraph office as much as possible, while dying until the anomaly was triggered.
Jenna listened quietly, then asked, "So the core supplementary ingredients are in ce-are you nning to advance soon?"
Lumian''s Unaging potion had beenpletely digested in just a short time, thanks to Aurore''s special trait.
"Why not?" Lumian understood Jenna''s and Franca''s concerns, smiling as he said, "Setting aside the matter of reviving Aurore, do you think if I hold back and don''t ascend, Alista Tudor''s preparations won''t erupt? With the apocalypse looming and the situation bing chaotic, when Mr. Fool and the other true gods are preupied, they may seize the opportunity to forcibly help me ascend.
"I have no choice but to advance!"
Lumian''s gaze swept over Franca and Jenna, pausing as he continued, "Since that''s the case, it''s better to take advantage of the rtively stable situation now, while Mr. Fool''s awakening has deepened a bit, and advance without external interference.
"With the status and power of an Angel, even if I encounter Alista Tudor''s arrangements in the future. I''ll at least be able to struggle a bit, buying more time, and perhaps help will arrive."
Franca and Jenna were only expressing their own concerns, not trying to prevent Lumian from bing an Angel.
Seeing that Lumian had thought it through thoroughly, his analysis of the pros and cons sound, they both nodded, urging Lumian to prepare the ritual and pray to Mr. Fool, asking this great being to help shatter the Beyonder characteristic and remove Alista Tudor''s imprint.
Although this might not have much impact on the subsequent arrangements of the Blood Emperor, it would at least reduce a hidden danger.
Lumian did not dy, busying himself in the specially prepared room for the ritual and prayer to Mr. Fool.
After dripping the oil and offering the appeasing sacrament, the purple crystal pir ced on the altar was suddenly enveloped by the murky darkness emerging from the candle me, rapidly disintegrating into points of light in various colors-purple, blue, white, red.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
These light points, as they settled and coalesced, released threads of frenzied aura, asionally condensing into distorted faces or emitting terrifying roars, until finally dissipating.
The reconstituted purple crystal pir appeared purer.
"Praise be to you, Mr. Fool!" Lumian pressed a hand to his chest, bowing.
After putting away the Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic and dispelling the wall of spirituality, Franca asked concernedly.
"How do you n toplete the ritual?"
"I have a clever n," Lumian replied with a smile.
Jenna then asked curiously, "Based on the books you''ve been reading these past few months?"
Lumian scratched his face, chuckling self- deprecatingly, "That was my original n, and I had corresponding arrangements. But after factoring in my own Beyonder abilities, I found that a Demoness of Unaging, who was once a Reaper, has a simpler and more effective handling method.
"Perhaps the truth of the Cmity pathways is that one must transfer back and forth, to get closer to the apex existences. So those who keep switching can take shortcuts when ites to the ritual."
"What method?" Franca asked curiously.
Lumian chuckled. "I''ll tell you after I seed. If I say it now and then fail, won''t you mock me forever?"
"Do you think you won''t be mocked even like this?" Franca and Jenna chorused.
On this topic, the three exchanged yful banter for a while.
As theughter faded, Jenna asked, "When will you perform the ritual?"
Lumian responded with a smile, "First, I need to gather the remaining ingredients. Then, I''ll wait for a typhoon or hurricane."
The countries of the Northern Continent typically referred to such extreme weather as hurricanes, while the Intisians, influenced by Emperor Roselle, often called them typhoons.
In a thunderstorm.
The residents staying indoors watched as a silver-white lightning bolt struck the treetops, knocking down the people taking shelter under the trees.
Boom, boom, boom. One lightning strike after another rampaged, even those in safe ces shivering.
After a while, some residents saw a figure next to the charred, smoking trees.
The figure was cloaked in ck, hooded, like the legendary witch.
She took a ckened tree branch, causing dark red drops of blood to fly out from the fallen corpses.
A witch indeed! The witnessing residents frightened, retreating from the window area.
In the southern part of the Haagenti Kingdom.
The first snowfall of the year came in an exaggerated fashion, killing many livestock and piling up snow in front of people''s homes, blocking the doors.
The people inside, struggling against the bitter cold, suddenly saw a hooded figure in ck robes, seemingly a witch, walking on the snow-nketed ground, heading towards the bridge underpass.
There were several frozen-to-death vagrants there.
The heat-induced drought had left many humans dehydrated, some unfortunately dying, their bodies dragged to the street.
A tall, hooded woman dressed as a sorceress approached, stopping in front of a freshly deceased corpse.
The surrounding people fled in fear.
The Feynapotter Kingdom, on the Berserk Sea coast.
Many experienced fishermen and captains began returning their ships to the harbor.
The sky in the distance had somehow turned gloomy, the waves surging in.
The wind had picked up.
***
Thanks to the users "ѧܧڧ ӧҧߧ", "TempestUknow" for the chapters provided!
Chapter 1085 Typhoon
Chapter 1085 Typhoon
Ooo!
The howling winds rampaged, mming the windows and doors, the trees trembling and their branches bending to one side.
The residents along the Berserk Sea coast had rich experience dealing with hurricane weatherthey had all tightly shut their doors and windows, crossed tape over them, and taken shelter away from the balconies and doors.
Yet, despite this, as they heard the roaring, shrill winds outside and felt their houses shuddering, they couldn''t help but feel anxious and afraid. The vagrants had taken refuge in the cathedrals or poorhouses.
Amid the towering, crashing waves that sometimes reached the sky, the hooded, ck-robed figure of Lumian could be seen.
His clothes were pping loudly, his hood nearly blowing off.
Without the ability to fly or levitate, he surveyed theyered cloud walls surrounding the typhoon''s eye, unable to find the final coordinates of the spiritual realm in the chaotic environmenthe could only go where his eyes led.
Then, he activated the ck mark on his right shoulder and Teleported into the heart of the typhoon.
Simultaneously, the water droplets violently swirling in the area he had just left rapidly condensed into ice, the temperature plummeting.
In the typhoon''s core, Lumian''s figure barely materialized before the gale-driven waves, roaring like a speeding steam train, crashed into him ferociously.
Lumian was blown away, but he Teleported deeper into the typhoon, again relying on the "see and take" method in this gloomy, apocalyptic environment.
Wherever he went, the rain froze into a thickyer of ice.
After a few such jumps, he finally reached his destinationthe typhoon''s eye!
The howling winds seemed to vanish, and the high altitude even revealed a clear, azure sky.
Lumian didn''t have time to admire this special ce. His pale blue eyes suddenly turned a deep, iron ck. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
As he plummeted, he quickly observed the surrounding cloud walls and the core structure of the typhoon.
Weakness Investigation!
A typhoon had weaknesses too!
In just a few seconds, the falling Lumian spotted severalrge, pallid areas.
The typhoon''s weak points weren''t just one.
Lumian Teleported again, arriving near thergest pallid spot, looking down on it from above.
At this point, if he were a pure Sequence 3 Hunter,pleting the next steps would be quite difficult, even if he could skillfully use explosives and Cullby targeting the weak points and disrupting the core structure, the typhoon might not necessarily dissipate, but could instead reorganize and strengthen, and the weather wouldn''t change in the short term.
But for a Demoness of Unaging, why use such a brutal method? Besides, the effect might not even be good.
As Lumian continued falling, he took out a mirror, reflecting the pallid area above the cloud walls and hurricane.
This wasn''t to curse the weak point andplete the Cull, of coursea Demoness''s curses couldn''t target soulless objects.
What Lumian wanted to do was forcibly transfer the typhoon''s weak points and structural ws into the mirror world.
This was also a form of destruction, and it could be repeated multiple times quickly.
Lumian raised his right hand, rapidly brushing across the mirror''s surface as he fell.
A crack soundedthe makeup mirror seemed to be unable to withstand the strain, about to shatter.
Lumian unhesitatingly poured in arge amount of spirituality, forcibly dragging that cloud wall and hurricane area into the mirror world.
With that section suddenly gone, cracks spread across the mirror in Lumian''s hand.
Simultaneously, the typhoon''s core structure began to disintegrate, the cloud walls dissipating piece by piece.
Lumian used Teleportation and the ability to drag things into the mirror world to continue destroying other structural weak points, not giving the typhoon a chance to reorganize.
In the end, more and more of the cloud walls and the hurricane were pulled into the mirror world.
On the coastline nearest to the typhoon, some people observing the sea from their rooms suddenly noticed the winds dying down and the waves subsiding.
In the distance, the surrounding clouds and fierce winds were pouring into a funnel, an impressive sight.
As the onlookers blinked, they found that another section of the hurricane-swept clouds had mysteriously vanished.
Piece by piece, they disappeared.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Some mirrors in their room abruptly shattered, with a gust of wind blowing out, but not particrly strong.
These were the random remnant winds that had escaped the mirror world after a long journey.
After another dozen seconds or so, the sky in the affected area gradually cleared.
Gazing at the cloudless, azure sky, Lumian plummeted rapidly toward the sea surface.
With a Teleport, he appeared directly over the sapphire waters, a thick sheet of ice forming beneath his feet.
Under the deft pull of invisible spider silk, the violet-blue crystal pir, violet feathers, iron bone crystals, blood of varying shades, charred tree branches, and seemingly unremarkable clear water all flew out of the Traveler''s Bag, leaving their original containers to converge in a ss cup.
Silently, the slightly violet liquid that formed ignited, melting the ss and dripping downward.
Cupping the burning liquid, Lumian brought it to his lips and drank.
His entire being, including his mirror self, was instantly set aze.
Rumble!
Dense, dark clouds gathered in the sky, real lightning and hail coalescing and drawn to Lumian''s state, striking him.
At this moment, the spirit world''s information of this area had not yet fully changed, still partially corresponding to the typhoon. There was a rapid influx of information of Lumian relying on his own abilities to change the weather, creating an extremely strong connection between him, this area, and the corresponding spirit world.
Rumble!
Lightning struck, sharp hail pelted downvarious extreme weather phenomena assaulted the still-burning Lumian in small bursts, tearing and ravaging him.
Lumian felt excruciating pain in body, mind, and spirit, his thoughts growing increasingly hazy, as if about to dissipate into this area, this spirit world.
This area, this spirit world, resisted the fusion of Lumian''s spirit and consciousness, because he was the destroyer, the changerhe would inevitably be rejected in the short term.
At this moment, Lumian''s blurred mind heard voicesAurore''s, Franca''s, Jenna''s, and countless other anchors.
His body tore apart, shattered, turning to ash, including his mirror self and the him slumbering within the mirror.
The next moment, a wavering, violet-tinged blue me ignited amidst the remnant ashes.
This me rapidly expanded and intensified, forging within it ck iron bones, an indescribable tangle ofplex symbols and patterns.
They gradually formed a towering, five-to-six-meter figure, like the legendary fire giante to life.
Immediately, Lumian''s face coalesced, its iron-ck hue gleaming with a metallic luster, yet still clearly handsome and masculine in appearance.
Blood-red hair also sprouted, each strand as thick as a python, some rotating ck-and-white eyeballs at the top, others opening jaws with venomous fangs.
Aplete Mythical Creature form!
A Mythical Creature form blended with Demoness traits!
In this moment, Lumian dimly sensed the banner-like 0-01 and the massive, shrouded ck shadow lurking in the ancient wellexistences closely connected to him, at the pinnacles of the pathways, the former rtively clearer, thetter extremely hazy, as if cloaked inyers of gray fog.
Additionally, three more gazes were cast upon him from afar, but he couldn''t discern who they belonged to or where they came from.
This hallucination-like sensing vanished in an instant, and Lumian''s body rapidly shrank, the violet-tinged blue mes on its surface dissipating.
A secondter, he returned to a human male form, exuding a powerful, masculine aura.
Over two meters tall, bronze-skinned, his muscles were not only vivid and full of explosive strength, but also flowing in graceful lines, like the finest sculptural masterpiece.
His features had be even more handsome and sharp, his pale blue eyes deepening slightly, the refined details softening some of the aggressive edge.
Lumian turned his gaze forwardthe sea had already frozen into a thick, crystalline sheet, the azure currents visible raging beneath.
The Traveler''s Bag was in the distance, beyond the iceyer, or else even the one specially made by Mr. Fool would have been damaged in the previous zing inferno and cmitous weather.
With an invisible spider silk tug, the Traveler''s Bag flew back into Lumian''s hand. He took out a change of clothes, awkwardly putting them on, as if an adult trying to squeeze into a child''s garments.
His figure then vanished, leaving only scattered broken ice floes.
In a drought-stricken hot area, the onlookers, fearful yet curious, watched from a distance as the witch took the dead''s blood, some believers even going to find a priest.
Suddenly, a dull thunder rumbled.
They instinctively looked up, finding the sky had somehow be heavily overcast.
Plop!
A raindrop sshed on the cracked lips of one of the observers.
He eximed joyfully, raising his hands, "It''s raining, it''s going to rain!"
In the southern Haagenti Kingdom, the residents worried about the snowstorm continuing to the point of copsing their roofs considered braving the risks to clear some of it.
Just then, they saw rays of clear sunlight shining through the windows, into the house.
Wh The residents rushed to the window, looking outside.
The lead-gray clouds dominating the sky had all dissipated, the not-so-warm sun shining upon thend once more.
The thick, fluffy snowkes falling from mid-air gradually grew smaller, until they disappeared.
Rumble!
In a thunderstorm, few dared to go out, the children huddling fearfully beside their parents, unable to sleep.
Their parents worried about subsequent heavy rain and flooding.
Amid these emotions, they suddenly realized the lightning had stopped shing across the sky for some time, the rumbling thunder vanished.
Trier, inside the luxurious vi, a swirl of violet-tinged blue mes coalesced before Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig, forming the tall, handsome Lumian.
"You''ve grown taller again" Franca looked up, studying him for a few seconds.
Chapter 1086 War Machine
Chapter 1086 War Machine
Lumian shrugged his shoulders. "This is the result of my best efforts topress it."
Of course, if he didn''t consider body bnce, he could shrink down to 1.9 meters, as he was essentially a Mythical Creature now.
Jenna said with a suppressed smile, "Let''s get you changed into some proper clothes first."
The way he looked now was really awkward, giving the impression of intentionally wearing undersized clothing to perform as a clown.
After Franca used the mirror world to go to the New City of Silver and buy clothes suitable for Lumian''s current stature, and had him change into them, the group took their seats.
Franca looked at Lumian''s face and muttered, "Oh no, he''s too handsome I''m starting to feel a bit flustered."
Jenna did not speak, but her gaze seemed to echo Franca''s words. The experienced Anthony didn''t show any obvious reaction.
Lumian leaned back on the sofa. "This change is the result of the Demoness of Unaging and the Weather Warlock''s charms merging.
"A normal Sequence 2 Beyonder in the Hunter path mainly possess a charisma that makes people want to follow and be loyal to them, and may cause women to develop feelings of admiration, but there is no active Charm. Now, it''s not just admiration, and not just towards the opposite sex.
"Hmm, as long as I don''t use Charm, it''s still somewhat controble." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Ooh." Franca looked curious. "What abilities and traits does the Weather Warlock have?"
Lumian considered carefully before saying, "This Beyonder characteristic contains Sequence 9 to Sequence 2. The abilities I was missing before, like the Iron-blooded Knight and the War Bishop, have now been filled.
"I''m always full of courage and won''t be significantly affected by emotions like fear and terror, but I''m not reckless or blind because of it. In fact, I still feel fear and terror, it''s just that my courage ovees them."
"The Sword of Courage is the extreme version." Franca nodded in understanding.
Lumian took out the iron-ck longsword from the Traveler''s Bag and tossed it to Franca.
"It''s no longer of much use to me. Between you and Jenna, use it if need be."
Franca caught it and gave a simple "Mm".
Then, as she was putting the Sword of Courage back into the Traveler''s Bag, she stood up and walked towards Lumian and Jenna.
After stowing the Sword of Courage, she suddenly found herself awkwardly standing in the middle of the living room.
After a brief silence, she chuckled nervously at Lumian. "This sword has given me the courage to beat you up."
Lumian scoffed, dividing the bundle of longswords used to seal the Sword of Courage into two parts, and using invisible spider silk to pass one part to Jenna and one to Franca.
He continued thoughtfully, "I can also galvanize and me my body.
"At the Sequence 2 level, the former is no longer just ordinary steel, but closer to the symbolism of ''steel'', able to withstand attacks that would normally destroy or melt real steel. Thetter allows me to disperse into multiple mes, each of which I can control precisely, then coalesce back into my body. Even if most of the dispersed mes are extinguished by the enemy, it doesn''t affect the integrity of my physical form, it just weakens my vitality and spirituality proportionally.
"The Angelic-level me transformation can also turn me into a stream of me, a huge ming spear, and a terrifying ming meteor to attack enemies or travel quickly. Combined with hurricane-like winds, I can reach speeds over 4,000-5,000 kilometers per hour. And once the magic potion is fully digested, I can enhance it further.
"The most powerful mes controlled by the Iron-blooded Knight and the War Bishop are azure, but the Iron-blooded Knight is not pure in this regard, having a tinge of dazzling white. At the angelic level, the mes be violet, the Weather Warlock''s are a violet-tinged azure to an azure-tinged violet, the specific hue depending on the digestion of the potion. In the subsequent Sequence 1, the mes should be a pure violet.
"Hmm, if I borrow the power of 0-01, the violet will be paler and more transparent. If I draw on the force from the depths of the ancient well, the violet will be tinged with a deep red, not the scarlet of a Pyromaniac, but a blood-red hue.
"My control over the mes has also greatly improved. Compared to before, I can now cover a battlefield of tens of kilometers, directly raining down Meteor Shower, or summoning flocks of Fire Ravens.
"The explosive power ofpressed fireballs now far surpasses that of a fleet''s main guns by quite a margin.
"The Iron-blooded Knight can establish a mystical connection with their team, concentrating the entire group''s strength on themselves, and sharing their teammates'' vision, distributing the damage they receive. However, this concentration only applies to power and spirituality, not the Beyonder powers of the members.
"At the War Bishop stage, not only can they use the Beyonder powers of team members within a 3km range, but they can also share their own abilities and power with them.
"In this regard, a Weather Warlock''s range is 10km, and there is no longer a restriction on sharing abilities. Simply put, while a War Bishop can only let one member use their ability at a time after sharing it, a Weather Warlock can allow every team member to use it simultaneously, lending them the corresponding spirituality. Of course, the team''s overall spirituality doesn''t increase.
"From the War Bishop stage onwards, the team''s mental resonance bes direct telepathy, and the War Bishop can selectively shield and modify certain information in themunication.
"A War Bishop can also create Fog of War, significantly reducing the visual range, hearing, and smell of all living beings within, and enveloping the corresponding spirit world as well, suppressing the interaction between spirit entities and the spirit world, dulling spiritual warnings and intuitions.
"At the Weather Warlock level, the Fog of War range initially expands to 20km, continuing to increase as the potion is digested. Additionally, the Fog of War will also have the ability to interfere with outside divination and prophecy.
"At even higher levels, it may affect the astral world.
"Within the Fog of War, I am unaffected by anything. This trait can be shared with team members after bing a Weather Warlock.
"A War Bishop also has abilities like War Cry and War Song that can be used to boost the team''s morale, temporarily enhance strength, influence the enemy''s mentality, and suppress the target''s performance.
"After offering sufficient sacrifices, each War Bishop can petition the essence of war or the symbolic ''war'' for assistance once per battle, while a Weather Warlock can do so every seven days."
Hearing this, Franca clicked her tongue. "It''s practically a war machine, a scythe reaping lives."
"That''s why the true god of this path is titled things like God of War and ''War Overlord''," Lumian replied with a smile.
He then said, "A Weather Warlock has the partial authority to change regional weather and create extreme weather conditions, such as thunderstorms, hurricanes, heavy rain, hail, blizzards, and dense fog. I call this Weather Maniption."
"In the Western Continent, it might be called ''to call the wind and summon the rain''beingpletely influential! No, that doesn''t cover itprehensively enough," Franca said excitedly.
Lumian gave a sound of agreement.
"A Weather Warlock mainly controls the weather, while things like meteors, tsunamis, and earthquakes are not under our purview, though some can be indirectly induced, like using a hurricane to trigger a tsunami.
"My Weakness Investigation has also been enhanced. The targets I see will be in the overall sense, including substitutes, avatars, and manifestations. Then I can find the weak points in this whole. Ifbined with Cull and Mighty Blow, and the target doesn''t have enough substitutes or avatars, I can wipe them all out at once. Even Demonesses can''t withstand a few such Culls."
"Sounds like it''s aimed at Demonesses" Franca muttered.
"Is that how the neighboring paths are?" Jenna said thoughtfully.
With a nod, Lumian said, "My weapons will be extensions of my body. Ordinary objects can serve this role, they''ll just be destroyed afterward.
"There are corresponding qualitative changes in strength, stamina, spirituality, intuition, tracking, and target pursuit. I can also fly by the wind and levitate in the air."
At this, Lumian smiled. "And thest thing is that I''ve reverted to a male."
Jenna''s eyes moved slightly, and she muttered, "What about the fusion of Hunter and Demoness abilities?"
Sitting in the armchair, Lumian raised his right hand, a ck me of madness and destruction igniting in his palm.
Immediately, he stretched the ck me into a deep, oppressive ming greatsword.
Seeing this ck ming greatsword, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony all had their hair stand on end, their bodies growing cold, as if the apocalypse had arrived prematurely.
The eating Ludwig instinctively scooted two spaces further into the other end of the sofa. "If I ever encounter a spatial seal again, I can directly cleave a fissure in the barrier with the Sword of Destruction, without needing to do any further attacks," Lumian flicked his wrist, causing the quietly burning ck ming greatsword to dissipate.
He continued, "I can also ''insert'' extreme weather or lethal attacks into mirrors, guiding them through the mirror world to precisely target locations, attacking people and environments outside the mirrors.
"Oh, and as long as the title conditions are met, I can respond to prayers worldwide.
"Hmm, I can also hide Petrification powers within fireballs. After they explode, the effect is released, affecting the surroundings, without needing to spread it inch by inch.
"My mystical pathogens are more heat-resistant now and can spread through rain, gales, and snowkes, influencing arge area in the shortest time, breaking the limitations of my own abilities.
"My Mythical Creature form, aside from igniting those who witness or approach me and creating various weather phenomena, can also petrify them, induce extreme euphoria, immediately sicken them, curse them, or make them deeply infatuated with me"
After describing his abilities, Lumian concluded, "If I don''t suppress and restrain my psyche, the weather in the areas I''m in will gradually be more vtile and extreme, and the likelihood of war or massacre events urring will continually increase."
Listening to Lumian''s ount, the word that shed through the minds of Franca and the others was: "Cmity."
Disasters of all kinds, both natural and man-made.
Chapter 1087 Something Else Special
Chapter 1087 Something Else Special
After a while, Jenna recalled Lumian''s previous introduction. "At the angelic level, do you still have to fly to get around?"
"Each pathway is different. At least the Hunter pathway doesn''t have those more mystical methods. By Sequence 1, maybe my speed will let me fly out of the current, or even faster." Lumian thought for a bit. "Actually, I can already use the explosive force of mes to continually elerate, reaching a terrifying speed, but my body would be unable to withstand it long before then."
"A human rocket, huh" Franca joked.
Lumian continued, "I can also directly descend through the prayers of believers, and enter the spirit world without relying on other abilities, but I can''t discern directions orplete the pinpointing, I can only go to the markers I''ve already set up in the real world."
"I see So the higher-level Hunters rely on their team members to gain diverse capabilities." Franca was quite satisfied with acquiring this knowledge.
Lumian nodded slightly with a smile. "Yes."
As he spoke, his azure eyes vertically slit, tinged with gold.
Seeing this, Anthony sat up a little straighter unconsciously.
Lumian then exined, "Now, you are all my team members, within a 10km range.
"I can use your Beyonder powers without your consent, but you need my permission to use mine."
"Just like that, we''re team members?" Franca blurted out in surprise, "No ritual needed?"
"With mental resonance, and no subconscious resistance within the range, you can be integrated into my team," Lumian''s voice sounded in the minds of Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig, without his mouth moving.
"Then can''t I also get a taste of being an Angel? Borrowing your Beyonder abilities and traits" Franca''s excited remark was suddenly cut off.
She realized something.
The fact that Sequence 2 Hunters must be male was also considered a trait.
Lumian saw through her thoughts and chuckled. "The self-modification during advancement cannot be shared, just like you can''t use my Mythical Creature form."
"Alright" Franca felt a bit disappointed.
She then inquired, "You mentioned before that when you transfer back to the Hunter pathway, being closer to the subject of the secret deed ritual, you should be able toplete the secret deed without needing the corpse wax candle, performing a ritual, or being in a special environment. Is that the case now?"
"Yes," Lumian nodded. "This isbined with the ability to petition the essence of war or the ''war'' symbolism, and has been further refined:
"Ordinary Weather Warlocks can do this once a week, I can do it once a day. The real limit is my body and mind, not the frequency.
"Also, ordinary Weather Warlocks only get corresponding, somewhat distorted assistance when they petition, but I can also gain secret deed experiences. How deep the secret deed can be depends on whether I''m petitioning 0-01 or the dark presence in the ancient well, and what I''m petitioning for, as well as the state of the secret deed subject.
"Mm, other Weather Warlocks need to prepare sacrifices and perform rituals to petition, I don''t. Of course, having sacrifices would yield better results, and always skipping them might anger the secret deed subject."
"So powerful Is this the true value of a War Proxy, a Son of Cmity?" Franca hissed in awe.
"All prices have already been exacted for what fate bestowed. I just haven''t reached the point where I must pay yet," Lumian responded calmly.
At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded in everyone''s minds: "I''m so hungry!"
Instantly, Lumian and the others turned their gaze towards Ludwig.
"I''ll take him to the sea." Lumian stood up.
Franca pondered for a moment and asked, "While you''re at it, bring some food for the Face of the Arcane."
Lowering her voice so Ludwig couldn''t hear, she continued, "Can you block Ludwig out of the mental channel, only lifting it if there''s an emergency? Otherwise, we''ll never get a good night''s sleep, hearing ''I''m so hungry, I''m really hungry'' every little while."
"Okay," Lumian also felt this was a problem.
When Lumian returned with a well-fed Ludwig from the sea, Jenna was the only one left in the living room.
"Where are the others?" Lumian asked casually.
Sitting on the sofa, Jenna smiled and said, "Franca is continuing to work on the kind of robot she wants, and you know how Anthony has been busytely, digesting the Maniptor potion and searching for clues about the hidden cults.
"I was also nning to contact the bishops, have some of them go to other provinces, other regions, even other countries, to preach in remote viges where the Churches'' presence is weak. Now that you can respond to prayers worldwide as an Angel, we need more believers, it''s time to expand our evangelism, but"
"But what?" Lumian asked.
Jenna stood up. "You haven''t designed a qualifying title yet.
"Additionally"
Jenna eyed Lumian''s face with her shimmering blue eyes.
"I feel like you''re not very happy after your advancement, your mood has been low."
Smiling, Lumian replied, "Actually, I''m very happy. Bing an Angel means I''m substantially closer to reviving Aurore, and I have stronger power to protect those I want to protect. And thetent problems will most likely erupt before the apocalypse, without needing to worry about interference from most evil gods.
Pausing momentarily, he added, "It''s mainly that just after the advancement, with my godhood enhanced, my condition is unstable, and I have to devote arge part of my energy to maintaining and suppressing it, so my everyday demeanor will naturally be more muted.
"After some time, when I''ve adapted and begun to digest it, I''ll be a lot more normal."
Jenna pursed her lips and nodded slightly. "I see."
She was silent for two seconds, then suddenly walked up to Lumian.
She stopped in front of him, spreading her arms and her face blooming with a clear smile.
Then, she proactively hugged Lumian, her voiceing from the embrace.
"Long time no see, Lumian Lee."
Lumian slowly raised his hands and hugged Jenna back.
His expression gradually softened, and his body seemed to rx a bit as well.
After hugging for a while, Jenna and Lumian suddenly felt something was off.
They straightened up and turned their gaze to the side.
Ludwig was eating a lollipop, looking slightly puzzled at them.
"I''ll go contact the bishops and have them prepare to preach in other regions." Jenna gestured towards a room on the first floor.
That was the exclusive papal office, which the two "deities" did not have.
"I also need to pray to Mr. Fool. He gave me a revtion just as Ipleted my advancement, telling me to go above the gray fog after stabilizing my condition." Lumian nodded in response. "There should be something I can understand at the angelic level."
Separating from Jenna and heading upstairs, Lumian heard nging soundsing from the end of the second-floor hallway.
He went over and found Franca''s workshop door slightly ajar, making quite amotion.
Pushing open the door, Lumian saw Franca with the left side of her face covered by a mask made of rivets, springs, gears, and various mechanical parts, trying to assemble a mechanical arm.
She had already invented her fully automatic healing machine, and in the process, she had also created her own unique mystical pathogen.
Now, the machine she had infused with soul fragments and brought to life using the Face of the Arcane had been moved to the mirror world, staying with her mirrored self, fully automatically respondingthis required no further operation from the her mirrored self, just categorizing the requests, as it was a truly autonomous machine with living properties and basic intelligence.
Franca stood up, removing the Face of the Arcane, and came to the door, jokingly handing it to Lumian, "It''s Master Arcane''s mealtime."
Lumian took out a mirror and put the Face of the Arcane into it.
Behind the mirror, there was seawater and arge number of marine creatures. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Franca looked down the hallway and asked, "Where''s Jenna?"
"She went to assign the bishops to preach in other regions," Lumian briefly answered.
"Oh, it''s time to preach in other regions," Franca replied and then fell silent.
Looking at her, Lumian suddenly smiled and said, "You said before that you asionally still want to see Lumian Lee, to hug Lumian Lee, right?
"Now you can hug him."
"" Franca was suddenly dumbfounded.
Me saying it is fine; but you saying it?
Shameless!
She snorted a couple of times, but still stepped forward and hugged Lumian, muttering,
"I''m starting to miss Lumina and Aurore"
Pausing for a moment, she then said in a muffled voice,
"Wee back, Lumian Lee."
Lumian returned Franca''s hug, embracing her in silence.
After a while, Lumian released his arms. "I need to go above the gray fog."
He took the well-fed Face of the Arcane out from behind the mirror.
"Mm-hmm, I''ll keep going, I''m sure I can make it!" Franca excitedly took back the Face of the Arcane.
Above the gray fog, within the majestic pce.
Lumian''s figure appeared by the bronze long table, seeing only Mr. Fool and Madam Magician present.
As expected, the uing topic is something only Angels can engage with Lumian stood up and greeted Mr. Fool.
Ma''am Hermit and Madam Judgment were still unable to be Angels due to the level of their potion digestion and the required rituals.
Sitting at the head of the bronze long table, Mr. Fool looked at Lumian and asked in a gentle voice, "How are you feeling now?"
Lumian didn''t hold back any information.
"I''m full of the urge to kill and destroy, and also have a strong desire for coption, especially towards the Demonesses, wanting to merge with them body and mind, until I devour and swallow them, truly bing one. Additionally, I also want to conquer everything around me."
Mr. Fool nodded slightly and said, "This is the manifestation of godhood."
Madam Magician sitting diagonally opposite Lumian quickly asked, "Mr. Fool, can you exin the difference between godhood and humanity in more detail? I''m not too clear on it myself."
She didn''t have this dilemma before, and Mr. Fool hadn''t specifically discussed it. By the time she became an Angel, Mr. Fool had already entered his slumber, unable to answer her questions.
Enveloped by the gray fog, Mr. Fool nced at The Chariot Lumian and The Magician Fors and said, "Okay."
Chapter 1088: Godhood and Humanity
Mr. Fool tapped the edge of the bronze table a few times with his finger.
"To understand the difference between godhood and humanity, we must first understand what godhood is and what humanity is.
"What is godhood?"
Hearing Mr. Fool''s question, Madam Magician contemtively answered, "The godhood of all things possess godhood?"
"A crazed, chaotic spirit filled with destructive desires?" Lumian also tried to answer, based on his own situation.
Mr. Fool let out a chuckle. "This can be divided into true godhood, apparent godhood, and the vague conception of godhood that many people have.
"True godhood naturallyes from true deities. In a narrow sense, only the Oldest One-the original Creator, the different personas split from Him. His direct offspring, and the first beings nurtured by the Great Mother can be called gods.
"The indestructible spirit left in their sefirot and corresponding Beyonder characteristics is the godhood that everyter arrival must contend with- the essential godhood."
Sefirot... Split-off different personas... Lumian had too many questions he wanted to ask, but ultimately chose the most important one at that moment."The godhood that we who have consumed potions and advanced on the path of the divine must contend with is the indestructible, indelible spirit left in the Beyonder characteristics by the original Creator?"
For most ''paths of the divine'', that is the case, at least for you, for her, and for me too." Mr. Fool nced at Madam Magician, his words tinged with a touch of amusement, "But not entirely."
Without giving The Chariot Lumian and The Magician Fors a chance to ask further questions, the Mr. Fool enveloped in gray fog said with a touch of sentiment, "The original Creator is the collective of all. He is crazy, but also rational; He is confused, but also lucid. He created everything, and He destroyed everything. He loves all things, and He also hates all things. He has the most intense of all desires, yet He is indifferent and unaffected by anything. All His actions are random, even He Himself cannot predict them.
"He created the entire world, created all things, and finally split into six sefirot, sixteen Uniquenesses, and countless Beyonder characteristics. From this perspective, all things possess godhood.
"The extreme loss of control for most Beyonders is when godhood gains absolute dominance, transforming them into the state I just described,pletely losing their sense of self.
"But this is not the full extent of the godhood we must contend with."
Recalling his conversation with Mr. Fool in the dream city, Lumian had a rough understanding of what else they had to contend with.
"The different personas split off from the original Creator, who are also true deities, have left their psyche in the corresponding Beyonder characteristics. Uniquenesses, um, sefirot, and that is also the godhood we need to contend with, such as, that of the Celestial Worthy?"
Mr. Fool nodded slightly and said, "Yes, after the original Creator awakened, He naturally disintegrated, and before that, His mind and consciousness had alreadypletely split, with different spirits controlling different sefirot, Uniquenesses, and Beyonder characteristics.
"Among Them, the Seer, Apprentice, and Marauder pathways belong to the Celestial Worthy, the Spectator, Sailor, Reader, Secrets Suppliant, and Bard pathways belong to the primordial God Almighty-They are all personas of the original Creator. As for the great existences corresponding to the other personas, I do not know Their names.
"I can only tell you that the Celestial Worthy is the embodiment of Sefirah Castle, the primordial God Almighty is the symbol of the Chaos Sea, and the other sefirot include the City of Cmity of the Hunter and Demoness pathways, the River of Eternal Darkness of the Sleepless, Warrior, and Corpse Collector pathways, the Knowledge Moor of the Mystery Pryer and Savant pathways, and the Key of Light of the Fate pathway-all of these originate from the original Creator.
"In other words, the godhood that Beyonders on the Seer pathway must contend with is abination of the primordial Creator''s residual psyche and the Celestial Worthy''s residual psyche and spirit.
"Simrly, the godhood that Beyonders belonging to different sefirot must contend with varies, with different focuses, reflecting the characteristics of their own pathways and corresponding sefirah."
The City of Cmity... why is it an ancient well and a malevolent dragon? And Mr. Fool only mentioned six sefirot and sixteen pathways... Hearing this, Lumian suppressed his doubts and asked to confirm, "The godhood I need to contend with has crazed, chaotic overtones, leaning towards destruction, conquest, and yin-yang coupling? The Beyonders under the Great Mother may need to contend with the crazed aspects of fertility?"
"I see" Madam Magician alsorgely grasped her own situation.
Mr. Fool nodded and answered Lumian''s question,
"Yes.
"This is the general outline, but there are still some details to be addressed.
"For example, the Beyonders of the River of Eternal Darkness pathways actually need to contend with a mixture of the Celestial Worthy''s mental imprint, because in the ancient era, in the First Epoch, the Celestial Worthy had amodated both the River of Eternal Darkness and the Nation of Disorder."
"Can one amodate multiple sefirot?" The newly advanced Lumian, weaker in emotional self-control, blurted out in surprise.
"For the Celestial Worthy, obviously not." Mr. Fool seemed to have thought of something amusing. "I''ll exin that knowledgeter."
"Yes, Mr. Fool." Lumian restrained himself.
"I can''t see who else has amodated the other sefirot, but I can specte that the City of Cmity was once amodated by the primordial God Almighty." Mr. Fool continued, "The godhood you need to contend with will also include a portion of His psyche."
The City of Cmity was once amodated by the primordial God Almighty? Lumian suddenly recalled the images of Grisha and Peng Deng in the dream city, the arrangement he saw through the magic mirror Arrodes, the fact that the Blood Emperor and the Primordial Demoness were created through the guidance of the Angel of Imagination Adam, and that he himself was also arranged by Adam, whose current godhood was obviously dominated by the primordial God Almighty''s residual consciousness and psyche!
Thinking about this, Lumian suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
This feeling was quickly suppressed by the courage of a Weather Warlock.
Mr. Fool''s voice returned to a gentle tone, "What I just talked about was true godhood.
"When we have to use the vast majority of our energy, emotions, and feelings to contend with and suppress true godhood, the external manifestation will be different:
"Some are indifferent, some are gentle, some steadfastly execute a single intent and eliminate any obstacles. Of course, there are other manifestations as well.
"This is what I call apparent godhood."
Apparent godhood... Lumian suddenly felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, like a fist that had been cocked and was waiting to be thrown out, very likely tond on empty space.
"Then what is the vague conception of godhood in the general public?" Madam Magician asked curiously.
She seemed quite ustomed to this kind of conversation and exchange with Mr. Fool.
Mr. Fool sighed and said, "Let me first exin what humanity is."
This has something to do with the vague conception of godhood? The Chariot Lumian guessed silently.
Mr. Fool continued, "In my understanding, humanity has twoyers.
"The firstyer is the most basic-the self-awareness of a living being''s core and various instincts: selfishness, greed, survival, indifference, only caring about oneself, only doing things beneficial to oneself, not influenced or constrained by group morals, group interactions, or group perceptions.
"Thisyer, in fact, the great existences like the Celestial Worthy also possess, but since we''ve defined Them as true deities, we don''t need to include Them here.
"Innate Mythical Creatures like Amon, the Hidden Sage, and Red Angel Medici also possess humanity, which is the firstyer of humanity. If They didn''t even have self-awareness, how could They contend with true godhood? They would have long ago be confused, crazed, and extreme, Their bodies hotbeds for the revival of great existences like the Celestial Worthy, allowing them to bepletely upied.
"The vague conception of godhood that many people have is just this firstyer of humanity: indifferent, selfish, utilitarian, with the main goal of one''s own continuation and empowerment. When true deities have resided at Sequence 0 for long enough, weathered by the passage of time, seeing the anchors of Their past strong emotions and important experiences gradually disappear, Their humanity will also gradually degrade to thisyer.
"In a sense, this is also the ''godhood'' we need to contend with.
"And high-level beings with only thisyer of humanity will likely be passive in contending with true godhood, until they are defeated-this is an inevitable oue in the long run.
"In this regard, innate Mythical Creatures like Amon and Red Angel Medici, due to Their mode of birth, growth experience, strong rtional interactions, and the team requirements and conquest desires brought by Their own Beyonder characteristics, may have some aspects that go beyond the firstyer of humanity, such as the Red Angel''s pride and unyielding side.
"In contrast, the Hidden Sage suddenly came to life, and His interactions with other beings were just about imparting knowledge and epting supplications, so He has mostly remained at the firstyer of humanity. He didn''t feel that begging for mercy is shameful, He didn''t even have the concept of dignity and pride, which is something that human or human-like groups and societies have-He only had the instinct of survival and continuation.
"Because we often battle and contend with innate Mythical Creatures and high-level beings who have degraded to the firstyer of humanity, we will vaguely perceive this as godhood."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The Chariot Lumian and The Magician Fors both understood and agreed with what Mr. Fool had just said.
Mr. Fool let out anotherugh, his tone seeming a bit lighter. "The secondyer of humanity is the widely recognized humanity-the love, benevolence, courage, sacrifice,passion, justice, and concern for others that we learned in our brief lifetimes.
"Of course, there are also negative aspects of humanity at thisyer."
"I understand, Mr. Fool," Madam Magician and The Chariot Lumian responded in unison.
Mr. Fool leaned back in his chair and then turned to The Chariot Lumian. "Are you still wanting to ask what sefirot are, and why I only mentioned sixteen paths of the divine just now?"
"Yes, Mr. Fool, please enlighten me." Lumian intuitively felt that what was about to be discussed was the purpose for which Mr. Fool had summoned him above the gray fog.
Chapter 1089: Above the Sequences
Mr. Fool directed his gaze toward Madam Magician Fors.
She habitually cleared her throat and said to The Chariot Lumian, ''You must have already guessed that there''s another level above Sequence 0, right?''
''Those great existences?'' Lumian asked without any surprise.
''Yes, the great existences above the Sequences.'' Madam Magician nodded. ''They have amodated a sefirah and all corresponding Uniquenesses, plus one Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic from each corresponding pathway. They are also known as Great Old Dominators and Outer Deities, with indestructible psyches.''
Great Old Dominators Outer Deities Lumian mulled over these terms.
Madam Magician said with a smile, ''This is how I understand it: all current great existences above the Sequences are true deities as defined by Mr. Fool. They are either personas split from the original Creator, His direct offspring, or the first beings born from the Great Mother. They had essentially appeared in this universe before the original Creator awakened andpletely self-destructed, Their status originating from the old era.
''These are conditions that subsequent advancers can never achieve. Even if they truly be great existences, they would only be newly born Above the Sequences''
As she spoke, Madam Magician felt like she was discussing Mr. Fool right in front of him, and her voice gradually became quieter.
She paused before continuing, ''Therefore, those great existences like to call themselves Great Old Dominators, and some true gods refer to Them as the Great Old Ones.''And the currently living Great Old Dominators are all outside the barrier. Some want to invade our world, thus they are also called Outer Deities.''
''I see Uniquenesses correspond to Sequence 0 true gods, sefirot correspond to those above the Sequences'' Lumian summarized in his own way.
Madam Magician quickly nced at Mr. Fool, and seeing no particr reaction from this great existence, she continued, ''Sefirot are collections of symbols, sources of authority, and origins of power.
''Back then, when the original Creator awakened, causing the destruction of the old era, He split into six sefirot, sixteen Uniquenesses, and all the Beyonder characteristics of sixteen paths of the divine.''
The destruction of the old era? Did Mr. Fool, Aurore, Franca, and other transmigratorse from the old era that was destroyed when the original Creator awakened? Lumian nodded imperceptibly.
Madam Magician Fors carefully said, ''But currently, there are not just six sefirot in our world, but nine.''
Nine? Lumian asked in surprise, ''Did they originally exist?''
Besides Sefirah Castle, Chaos Sea, City of Cmity, River of Eternal Darkness, Knowledge Moor, and Key of Light, there were three more sefirot?
Madam Magician shook her head. ''No, they are extraterrestrial in nature.
''The awakening and self-destruction of the original Creator was a catastrophe for the entire universe. During this process, His three direct offspringthe Mother Goddess of Depravity, um, that is, the Great Mother, along with the Mother Tree of Desire and Child of Chaoswere most affected. Their sefirot were each torn in half, with one half being drawn to the site of the original Creator''s self-destruction along with Their corresponding Uniquenesses and Beyonder characteristicsthat is, to our world, or rather, our.
''Since then, there have been nine sefirot, twenty-two Uniquenesses, and twenty-two divine pathways within the barrier.
''Why specifically nine and twenty-two? Perhaps it can be exined by the Moses Ascetic Order''s theory that all things are numbers and numbers have spiritualitynine and twenty-two have special mystical significance.''
When Madam Magician mentioned terms like Mother Goddess of Depravity, Lumian suddenly felt as if numerous gazes were directed at him, though they couldn''t prate the grayish-white fog.
At this point, Mr. Fool lightly tapped the edge of the bronze long table and added, ''Normally, like Uniquenesses, sefirot cannot be divided, copied, or destroyed. Only one situation can cause them to be torn apartencountering the original Creator.
''He is the ''Exception'', the ''Inconceivable'', the ''Iprehensible'', the ''Indescribable''. All things that shouldn''t happen might happen when encountering Himunknowable, undiscussable, unnameable.
''And it was this single instance of sefirot being torn apart that led the Great Old Dominators to discover that torn sefirot could selfplete.
''The sefirot of the Mother Goddess of Depravity that was torn into our selfpleted into the Brood Hive. The Mother Tree of Desire lost titles such as ''Father of Devils'' and ''Source of Curses'', and they perfected themselves into the Tenebrous World.
''Among them, the Child of Chaos had a somewhat different experience. Whether His main consciousness was on the torn sefirot and followed it inside the barrier, or Heter used His special symbolism to project His main consciousness inside to try to reim the torn sefirot, ultimately, His main consciousness was either defeated or deceived by the Celestial Worthy and sealed within a magicmp formed from a Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristicthis is the origin of the Grade 0 sealed artifact 0-05.
''The main consciousness of the Child of Chaos became Genie, the sefirot torn inside the barrier selfpleted into the Nation of Disorder, while what remained outside the barrier was called the Uncertain Mistthat is, the one worshiped by the Brokers, and the Uncertain Mist has some consciousness.''
After hearing Mr. Fool''s ount of the Child of Chaos''s experience, Lumian suddenly found the School of Truth''s Brokers'' search for Sealed Artifact 0-05 somewhat amusing.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
It was like saying ''our god''s brain is lost, please help us find it.''
Beyond the humor, Lumian was more concerned about another matter.
''The Brood Hive it''s in the Western Continent?
''What you didn''t explicitly say before, Mr. Fool, is that it was possibly the Brood Hive that brought the Hidden Sage to life?''
''Yes, these matters are dangerous and corruptive for those without an Angel''s statusdifficult to bear.'' Mr. Fool nodded slightly and said, ''In the middle tote period of the First Epoch, before the Celestial Worthy''s fall, He sealed seven sefirotthe Brood Hive, Nation of Disorder, Tenebrous World, City of Cmity, River of Eternal Darkness, Knowledge Moor, and Key of Lightin the Western Continent, to be guarded by Peni.
''As a result, faced with the approaching apocalypse, all true gods who wanted to exceed the Sequence limitations to deal with the Outer Deities'' invasion had only one choiceto support the emergence of a Lord of Mysteries to lift the seal, and the Celestial Worthy could then be revived within the body of the new Lord of Mysteries.''
So Mr. Fool and I had simr experiences he was nurtured by the gods who were ''forced'' by the Celestial Worthy to ensure His revival, while I was forcibly created by the Blood Emperor'' revival efforts and to achieve some goal for the Aurora Order''s deity Lumian felt somewhat emotional and reflective.
Mr. Fool continued, ''The Celestial Worthy''s fall came from that primordial God Almighty who had also amodated multiple sefirot. They nearly perished together.
''Some of the Celestial Worthy''s arrangements were for His own revival, while others were meant to interfere with the primordial God Almighty''s revival, and vice versa.
''In short, there are many reasons why I was able to suppress the Celestial Worthy this time: first, the help of the primordial God Almighty; second, the Mother Goddess of Depravity had other ns and didn''t exert Her power; and third, the Celestial Worthy''s arrangement of sealing most sefirot in the Western Continent developed in ways He hadn''t prophesied.
''The Beyonders of the Western Continent, through generations of sacrifice, managed to carve out a new path and grow stronger without a potion system and with few Beyonder characteristics. For example, the Celestial Master and the Underworld DaoistThey all have status and power approaching that of deities, and could be even stronger if they fought without regard for themselves. Peni thus remained hidden.
''How could such high-level beings stand by and watch the Celestial Worthy''s revival and allow Peni to y its role?''
I see, the Celestial Worthy''s backup n was held back by the Celestial Master and others? His arrangement to force everyone to cultivate a Lord of Mysteries actually hindered His revival? Fate is truly wonderful Indeed, everyone only wants a Lord of Mysteries, whether the Lord of Mysteries is The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings doesn''t matter Lumian looked at the bronze long table in front of Mr. Fool, knowing this great existence hadn''t finished speaking.
Mr. Fool looked at him and Madam Magician and said, ''After my initial awakening, although I still can''t lift the Western Continent''s seal, I canmunicate somewhat with the Celestial Master through it.
''The Celestial Master told me that their sect''s ancestral court had once been breached and upied by the Luo Sect, and many historical Celestial Masters had romantic entanglements with Luo Sect holy maidens and had children with them.''
''Luo Sect'' Both The Chariot Lumian and Madam Magician Fors were somewhat confused.
Mr. Fool smiled. ''The Luo Sect has a saying: ''Unborn Ancient Mother, True Void Homnd''.''
''Unborn Ancient Mother, True Void Homnd'' True Void Homnd Paramita? Lumian suddenly understood. ''This is a sect that worships the Brood Hive? ''Unborn Ancient Mother'' is a title for the Brood Hive?''
Mr. Fool nodded. ''Combined with the events described by the Celestial Master, there''s reason to believe the Knowledge Moor was once corrupted and influenced by the Brood Hive at some point in the past.
''This might be why the Hidden Sage came to life.''
I see The Chariot Lumian finally connected all the pieces.
He raised another question. ''Do the Mother Goddess of Depravity, Mother Tree of Desire, and Uncertain Mist want to invade our world to reim their torn sefirot?
''What other Great Old Dominators are outside the barrier? What are Their goals?''
Madam Magician said with a slight headache, ''Besides those three, others wanting to invade our world include the Monarch of Decayoriginally worshiped by the Sick Churchthe Primordial Hunger that Ludwig once served, the Inextinguishable Ravings worshipped by the First Philosophy, Supernova Dominator who was the original owner of that space ship from the sea prayer ritual, the Circle of Inevitability that you''re most familiar with, the High-Dimensional Overseer of the Painter pathway, and the Goddess of Fate worshiped by General Philip.''
Wh Isn''t that a little too many? They even outnumber the true gods within the barrier, and They''re a level higher, having transcended the Sequences Themselves Lumian was somewhat shocked, fear briefly surfacing before being suppressed by courage.
Chapter 1090: Pillars
Madam Magician seemed to understand The Chariot Lumian''s current feelings and chuckled, "When the original Creator split Himself, He also wanted to reunite andplete His revival. For this purpose, He left behind a barrier to protect the we live on.
"Without this barrier, those Great Old Dominators would have destroyed us along with the entire world long ago. By the way, try not to mention the cosmos to people without an Angel''s status, or rather, don''t let them understand the true situation of the cosmos- the Outer Deitiese from there.
"Well, the original Creator''s will is gradually fading with time, and power and psyche without will be chaotic and problematic. The barrier formed from this will end up increasingly unable to resist the great existences, until it reaches a critical point andpletely shatters under the horrifying pressure.
"ording to different prophecies and previous patterns, this critical point will arrive in 1368-this is the essence of the apocalypse.
"However, from the current situation, the apocalypse may not wait until the critical point appears. Problems within the barrier might cause the passageways to open prematurely."
The Chariot Lumian nodded slightly, finally understandingpletely why there would be an apocalypse and what the main dangers would be when it arrived.
When the barrier shatters, even if Mr. Fool fully awakens and reces The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings to be a great existence, their would only have one Above the Sequences being who could fight against the Great Old Ones, while there were a full ten Outer Deities in outer space!
"In the Vortex incident, the deity worshiped by the Aurora Order, with the help of Amon consuming Termiboros and the Genie''s special nature and other arrangements, severely wounded the Uncertain Mist and killed all the Brokers. This is a good thing." Madam Magician suddenly smiled. "The Great Old Ones waiting to invade from differents in the sr system have lost one of Their number, and the remaining ones can no longer be effectively united. The bad news is that after such careful nning and great effort, there are still nine Outer Deities left."
Lumian already had some understanding of the final oue and general development of the Vortex incident, but it wasn''t entirely clear.
Now, he finally understood what all those arrangements were for.
He remained silent for a few seconds before repeating one of his previous questions, "Besides the Mother Goddess of Depravity and Mother Tree of Desire, what are the other seven Great Old Ones trying to achieve?"
Mr. Fool had mentioned earlier that amodating multiple sefirot was impossible for the Celestial Worthy, although He had indeed done so. From the subsequent narrative, it seemed that the Celestial Worthy''s ultimate fall was somehow rted to this.
Madam Magician nced at the bronze long table in front of Mr. Fool, and seeing no objection from this great existence, she carefully said, "There are actually different levels for Above the Sequences.
"The Mother Tree of Desire, Monarch of Decay, and other Great Old Dominators are at the first level. Besides Them, there are some other Outer Deities in the depths of cosmos, but They are either weaker in strength or have no desire for the symbolic meanings of the sefirot within the barrier, so They aren''t involved in this matter.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"The original Creator is at the third level, representing the ultimate, representing chaos, beginning and end, representing the unknowable and undiscussable. No existence can surpass this level, and this level can only have one being, and it''s very unstable because both aggregation and division are His instincts.
"Between the first and third levels, there''s another level-the second level.
"The great existences at the second level aren''t much more powerful than the strongest first-level Great Old Ones like the Mother Tree of Desire, Child of Chaos, and Monarch of Decay, but They possess special symbolism. They are the foundation for the universe''s maintenance and development, each supporting a realm, and are known as ''Pirs''."
"Pirs..." Lumian thought of the "Ten Pirs" of the Moses Ascetic Order.
Madam Magician Fors said with undisguised amusement, "This is a case of knowing the term ''Pirs'' but not understanding its true symbolic meaning. They thought it sounded sophisticated and misused it. In the eyes of those who truly understand the weight of ''Pirs,'' it''s simply foolish."
"It was the Brood Hive that brought the Hidden Sage to life and secretly corrupted Him.
"If I''m not mistaken, the Mother Goddess of Depravity, who split off the Brood Hive, is one of the true Pirs, right?"
"Ah, yes..." Madam Magician Fors was stunned again.
"Fate is truly wonderful..."
The Chariot Lumian nced at the head of the bronze long table, then withdrew his gaze and asked Madam Magician, "Are there only three Pirs?"
Madam Magician Fors nodded. "From a realistic perspective, there are countlesss in the universe, each equivalent to a world, and simultaneously, there exist numerous alternate dimensions, too many to count.
"But in mysticism, there are only threeyers of worlds: the physical world, the spirit world, and the astral world.
"Many schools of mysticism might have different interpretations of this, but the final division of worlds stilles down to just threeyers.
"Returning to conventional concepts, the primordial God Almighty is the dominator of the astral world, Mr. Fool is the lord of the spirit world, and the Mother Goddess of Depravity is the sovereign of the physical world. Well, although She had part of Her sefirot torn away. She still possesses the symbolism and status of a Pir.
"You should know that besides the Mother Goddess of Depravity Herself, the Mother Tree of Desire, and the Child of Chaos being directly born from the original Creator, the remaining Great Old Ones were all born from the union of the Mother Goddess of Depravity and the original Creator. They are the first batch of beings She created. She is literally the mother of the Monarch of Decay, Supernova Dominator, and other Great Old Ones-the true Mother of All Things.
"Each controls a realm, but notpletely. Their authorities ovep with each other-that''s what Pirs are.
"Complete Pirs are at the second level of Above the Sequences, with a status higher than other Great Old Ones and slightly stronger in power, but not fundamentally different. Aplete Pir can defeat a Great Old One but cannot truly kill Them, and at most can simultaneously fight against two Great Old Ones, probably..."
Mr. Fool, shrouded in grayish-white fog, neither confirmed nor denied her statement.
Madam Magician withdrew her gaze and said to Lumian, "If aplete Pir amodates one more sefirot, They will lose control over Their aggregation instinct and will actively consume more sefirot until They aggregate into the original Creator, causing His revival.
"Once this process begins, it can only be interrupted by Theirplete fall and division.
"As for the first-level Above the Sequences Great Old Dominators, They can still amodate another sefirot that has simr, close, or adjacent symbolism to Their own. This would make Them equal in power to the Pirs, though They still wouldn''t possess the symbolism of Pirs.
It seems the apocalypse is inevitable and unavoidable because the contradictions cannot be reconciled!
Madam Magician reminded him, "Don''t think that sending away the sefirot would prevent the apocalypse.
"Let''s not even discuss whether the current owners of the sefirot are willing, but those Outer Deities would need all the Uniquenesses of the corresponding pathways and one Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic from each pathway while amodating the corresponding sefirot. Should we have those true gods and Archangelsmit suicide or find ways to lower Their status?"
Sequence 1 was often referred to as Archangels.
Hearing Madam Magician''s words, Lumian suddenly had some thoughts.
Madam Magician continued, "Even if we ovee all difficulties and reach an agreement on simr matters, and this world doesn''t destroy itself through internal strife, the apocalypse would stille.
"You should know that godhood''s tone is fundamentally madness, chaos, filled with desires for destruction and creation. Those Outer Deities have waited for thousands or tens of thousands of years - They won''t spare our.
"Once the barrier is damaged, even if Their attention is focused on the sefirot, Uniquenesses, and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, it would still be unbearable for other Beyonders, ordinary people, and our. They are the manifestation of such symbolism.
"For example, the Monarch of Decay would naturally cause the entire and all living beings to start decaying, eventually either rotting to death or bing disgusting creatures loyal to Him, and without necessary resistance, the mere approach of the Supernova Dominator would tear the apart.
"At that time, those above Sequence 2 will be watched, and below Sequence 2, not many Beyonders have the ability to survive in space. Sequence 2 is probably the Sequence most likely to survive the apocalypse, but for most Sequence 2 Angels, it would be extremely difficult to cross space, resist various dangers, and find a suitable for subsequent survival."
Madam Magician was telling Lumian that once a house copsed, most people inside will die-escape couldn''t solve the problem.
The Chariot Lumian thoughtfully said, "Is it possible to findmon desires among multiple Outer Deities, throw out the sefirah that would satisfy the most Outer Deities'' needs outside the barrier, incite internal strife among that portion of Outer Deities, let Them severely wound each other first, make the wounded ones retreat to deep space, and thus reduce the number of invading Outer Deities when the apocalypsees?"
As he spoke, Lumian furrowed his brow.
"But the victorious Outer Deity would be more powerful-it''s impossible to assess whether this would be equivalent to the Outer Deities who were driven away...
As he was muttering to himself. Mr. Fool, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, "Actually, there is a hidden fourth Pir."
Chapter 1091: Chaoss Future
"A hidden fourth Pir?" Madam Magician eximed in shock.
She clearly had never heard of this before.
The Chariot Lumian was equally surprised.
He couldn''t help but nce at Madam Magician, muttering internally, Her humanity is well-preserved
Mr. Fool, shrouded in grayish-white fog, exined in a calm tone. "This world was born from chaos. Besides the astral world''s dominator, the spirit world''s lord, and reality''s sovereign, there is another important symbolism-one that represents the endpoint of destiny, the universe''s destruction, and the finale of all things. Under such a symbolism, even the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings and the Mother Goddess of Depravity wouldpletely perish. Their spirits no longer existing, everything returning to chaos. Of course, the hidden fourth Pir would meet the same fate, not muchter than us.
"Or rather, Its self-destruction brings about all termination."
"Mr. Fool, which sefirot does this correspond to?"
Madam Magician curiously asked, beating The Chariot Lumian to the question.
Mr. Fool''s fingers lightly tapped the edge of the bronze long table. "Formed by the convergence of two sefirot -one is the City of Cmity, the other the River of Eternal Darkness."Madam Magician immediately looked across at The Chariot Lumian.
The Chariot Lumian''s heart stirred, raising his right hand and gazing at the pitch-ck, lifeless "pinhole" in his palm.
Mr. Fool continued, "The best way to transcend the Sequences is first to be a Sequence 0 true god of one pathway, then amodate the corresponding sefirah, followed by the Uniquenesses of other pathways under the sefirah and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, with no ritual to assist.
"This is the general approach, though some pathways have their own unique details, like the Demoness and Hunter pathways. But ultimately, one must first be a Sequence 0 true god of a pathway to amodate the sefirah, not be a dual- pathway true god before attempting. Thetter has hope of sess, but not a great chance.
"When the Red Priest or the Primordial Demoness amodates the City of Cmity and continues to upy the neighboring pathway''s Uniqueness and one Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, bing the Origins of Disaster or Cmity of Destruction, and then amodates the River of Eternal Darkness along with its pathway''s Uniquenesses and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, they can be the hidden fourth Pir, bing the endpoint of destiny and the universe''s destroyer.
"Conversely, the Sequence 0 true gods of Darkness, Death, and Twilight Giant pathways can also be the hidden fourth Pir, starting from amodating the River of Eternal Darkness.
"Now, the Evernight Goddess has already obtained the Uniquenesses of the Twilight Giant and Death pathways and grasps all the required Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics. She is deepening Her connection with that sefirah by using the tributary leaked from the seal through the Underworld Daoist and the River of Eternal Darkness."
Through the Underworld Daoist... Lumian suddenly understood the value the Church of Evernight''s emphasis had with Amandina.
In the past half year, they hadn''t had much contact with her, but they knew her general situation.
The Church of Evernight Goddess had directly established contact with this Underworld Daoist''s student, personally managed by Mr. Star. The current Amandina had obtained the Sequence 5 Spirit Medium Beyonder ingredients, was digesting the Spirit Warlock potion, preparing for her advancement ritual, and waiting to receive a new round of boons at the end-of- year Dream Festival.
Her rtionship with the Church of Evernight Goddess had be very close.
Just as Lumian was suddenly worried, Mr. Fool continued, "You should have realized that the hidden fourth Pir is rted to the universe''s destruction and the termination of all things, and would not normally appear.
"As for whether we will need to wait until the universe reaches the end of life before the City of Cmity and River of Eternal Darkness can merge and give birth to the fourth Pir, or if the fourth Pir can be forcibly born through congregation but would bring about the universe and all things'' destruction-unless He immediately falls into slumber or passively splits - everything will perish. I can''t see clearly yet, but the deity worshiped by the Aurora Order currently leans more towards thetter scenario."
In other words, the hidden fourth Pir will either be unable to be born for a very long time, or can only be used as a final option of mutual destruction or intimidating enemies? The Chariot Lumian gradually felt relieved.
Then, he pondered the purpose and implications of Mr. Fool''s exnation about the hidden fourth Pir.
For me, this knowledge is currently meaningless...
Or perhaps, I can first jump to Sequence 1 of Death or Twilight Giant to better borrow the power of 0-01, narrowing the gap between myself and Red Angel Medici?
If I could defeat this King of Angels, obtain two Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics of the Hunter pathway from Him, then find a way to lower my status, expel the original Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, return to the Weather Warlock level, and then re- advance, bing a King of Angels of the Hunter pathway, amodating 0-01...
Lowering my status and re-advancing has significant risks and potential hidden dangers, but it''s much better thanpeting with Red Angel Medici at Sequence 2. However, I won''t challenge the Red Angel one-on-one. I''m a Major Arcana of the Tarot Club, a patron saint-no, a patron angel of the Church of The Fool. Hunters are about collective strength, so why would I fight alone?
After Franca and Jenna''s advancement, if the ritual is difficult or Beyonder characteristics are unavable, they could also consider switching to one of the Darkness, Death, or Twilight Giant pathways...
While The Chariot Lumian was contemting, Mr. Fool looked at him and said, "After switching to a hidden neighboring pathway, if you don''t expel the corresponding Beyonder characteristics, you''ll be unable to amodate the sefirah in the future and will be rejected by the belonging sefirah.
"Also, after bing a Weather Warlock, your destiny has be chaotic and full of change. I am not omniscient, nor omnipotent. I can no longer see things as clearly and can only remind you to be extremely careful going forward."
When he advanced to Weather Warlock, Lumian had already confirmed that the remaining spiritual imprint of Blood Emperor Alista Tudor had not been strengthened or revived within him.
From that point, he knew the Blood Emperor''s resurrection arrangement would emerge and erupt in subsequent events, which were currently unforeseeable. Mr. Fool''s warning deepened his vignce in this aspect:
An arrangement that even this great existence cannot provide effective guidance must be extraordinarilyplex!
Madam Magician Fors, who had chatted with Mr. Fool many times, knew from hisst statement that today''s small gathering, or the mon knowledge" lesson for the Tarot Club''s new angel, should conclude.
She looked at The Chariot Lumian and said, "You should now understand the current situation and the source of the apocalypse. Analyzing things afterward will allow you to directly see their essence.
"As an Angel more senior than you by several years, let me share three final experiences.
"First, previous Sequences must be acted upon again because the potion you consumed contains Beyonder characteristics from all previous Sequences. Most importantly, you need to make up for the acting of Iron-blooded Knight and War Bishop, Hunter, Provoker, Pyromaniac, Conspirer and Reaper can all be naturally and effectively digested in your future battles or wars.
"Second, travel to different regions to improve local weather and leave behind legends. This is not only necessary for digesting the Weather Warlock potion but also a must-do to spread faith and obtain more anchors.
"Third, Mr. Fool has already exined the difference between godhood and humanity very clearly.
"Combining my own experience, I have one insight: distinguish between the normal desires brought by the secondyer of humanity, and the abnormal desires created by firstyer humanity and godhood. Resist thetter, guide the former. Don''t be too suppressed and restrained, nor can you be greedy and indulgent."
The Chariot Lumian listened carefully and thoughtfully said, "Thank you, Madam Magician."
Madam Magician Fors smiled self-deprecatingly. "If you have any new insights in this areater, you can tell me too.
"I need to prepare for my Sequence 1 advancement."
"Sequence 1 of the Door pathway?" The Chariot Lumian asked with slight surprise.
In his view, the Sequence 2 neswalker of the Door pathway was the Sequence most likely to survive the apocalypse, without question.
First, before reaching Sequence 1, they wouldn''t be specifically targeted by the Outer Deities. Second, They possessed the ability for space travel and could carry a group of people. Afterward, They couldpletely find a in a "remote" area of the universe with rtively suitable conditions, and use Their recording abilities or the Beyonder characteristics of different pathways to make it habitable and redevelop civilization.
Madam Magician nodded. "Yes, the Key of Stars. The Beyonder characteristics and supplementary ingredients are notcking. The Abraham family has long wanted to give them to me. The price is to protect their n, prevent the Abraham name from going extinct, ensure at least one Sequence 1 Angel is born among them. Afterward, if the apocalypsees, my first task would be to transfer them away.
"The good news is they now have several Saints. The bad news is they are far from digestion. The Sequence 3 Wanderer still needs to travel in space to digest quickly.
"The ritual itself isn''tplicated. Find a continuously rotating, signal-emitting heavy, approach it,nd on it, and then find a way to establish sufficient mystical connections with it.
"The first part of the ritual is very dangerous, thetter part extremely difficult. But with Mr. Fool''s help, these aren''t major problems-He can directly Graft me onto the corresponding to satisfy the conditions, though the premise is that I can withstand such pressure.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"The current trouble is that my neswalker potion hasn''t beenpletely digested. These years I''ve been going everywhere, the number of times is enough, and the term ''walker'' is satisfied, but none of it counts as neswalking..."
At this point, Madam Magician suddenly closed her mouth.
She felt like she wasining about work, and her direct superior-who could easily crush her-was sitting at the head of the long table.
Listening to Madam Magician''s words, Lumian suddenly discovered a problem.
Mr. Fool doesn''t actually have to deal with the subsequentary apocalypse, because no Outer Deity wouldpete for Sefirah Castle- amodating this sefirah with a Pir symbolism would only lead Them to self-destruction
Chapter 1092: Just Wishing to Save Humanity
Madam Magician forcibly changed the topic. ''If the apocalypse truly arrives in 1368 as predicted, I won''t need to rush my advancement. In a few years, Mr. Fool should bepletely awake, then unlock the seal on the Western Continent, allowing more Above the Sequences to be born. At that time, even if we''re still at a disadvantage when the apocalypse arrives, we''ll at least have the power to protect ourselves.
''Without the Uncertain Mist mediating, those Outer Deities won''t be able to cooperate well, and they must guard against bing other Outer Deities'' prey after being wounded.
''Unfortunately, there''s not much time left. I can only quickly advance to Sequence 1. As a Sequence 1 Angel of the Door pathway, my chances of survival during the apocalypse will be much higher than other pathways. After all, those Outer Deities probably haven''t set Their target on Sefirah Castledo They want self-destruction to happen even faster?''
Her thoughts were simr to Lumian''s, believing that Sefirah Castle and its three subordinate pathways were most likely not the Outer Deities'' targets. Even if she became a Sequence 1 Key of Stars, she wouldn''t be specifically targeted.
Lumian detected the insincerity in Madam Magician''s words.
No matter what, if purely for self-preservation and protecting the closest few people, a Sequence 2 neswalker would definitely be better than a Sequence 1 Key of Stars, less likely to be noticed, able to sneak away during the chaos.
Choosing to quickly digest the potion and advance to Sequence 1 is to do more during the apocalypse? The Chariot Lumian could vaguely grasp that mentality and thought.
At this moment, the Fool shrouded in gray fog said to Madam Magician Fors, ''The Key of Stars will also be a target.
''Before I fully awaken, if the apocalypse arrives, no Outer Deity will want to see a Lord of Mysteries truly born. They will seal the sefirah, take away the corresponding Uniquenesses and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, eliminating the possibility of the spirit world''s lord returning.''Although They can''t further amodate Sefirah Castle, upying one or two Uniquenesses and the corresponding Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics is not a problem. Their power will increase slightly, and Their abilities will be more diverse.
''Besides, just because They can''t amodate Sefirah Castle doesn''t mean there''s no suitable way for Them to use it.''
Madam Magician fell silent.
She didn''t say she would reconsider, nor did she immediately state her position of bing an Archangel before the apocalypse.
Lumian was thinking about something else.
Even if only one or two years remains before the apocalypse, with the Major Arcana card holders'' efforts and Mr. Fool''s current awakening speed, by then, even if he hasn''t fully awakened, it shouldn''t be far off. As long as he doesn''t actively prevent the Outer Deities'' invasion, those Outer Deities would probably not intentionally provoke him.
But, he is clearly preparing to confront the apocalypse
The Chariot Lumian nced at Mr. Fool at the head of the bronze long table and asked no further questions.
Trier, inside the luxurious vi.
Lumian, lying in the armchair, opened his eyes.
He reached out and touched his blood-red long hair, preparing to cut it short, but after thinking, he abandoned that n.
Lumian stood up and paced the room, his mind filled with knowledge obtained above the gray fog.
He now understood that his goal of bing a Sequence 0 true god and attempting to amodate the City of Cmity was not only necessary for Aurore''s resurrection but also a requirement to transcend Sequences and face the apocalypse.
Just one or two years to digest the Weather Warlock potion, be a Sequence 1 Archangel, then digest the corresponding Sequence 1 potion, find a way to defeat Red Angel Medici, perform the apotheosis ritual, and finally suppress the City of Cmity''s consciousness to amodate it, and possibly contest with the Primordial Demoness in between
Isn''t this timeline too pressing?
If luck is bad, I might not evenplete the first step of digesting the Weather Warlock potion
Lumian merely imagined the uing tasks and felt his scalp go numb, believing there was almost no hope of sess.
Not to mention whether those steps could seed, there simply wasn''t enough time!
Digesting a demigod level potion itself required a very long time. Lumian''s previous rapid digestion of the Despair and Unaging potions was due to two factors: first, the deity worshiped by the Aurora Order had actively exposed Himself, converting all previous arrangements into ''despair; second, leveraging Aurore''s special status as a transmigrator from the past, with her soul fragments maintaining a certain activity, sealed inside himan arrangement by the deity worshiped by the Aurora Order.
Now, Lumian couldn''t see any opportunity for quickly digesting the Weather Warlock potion, and that deity seemed to have made no arrangements in this regard.
As an Angel of the Hunter pathway, Lumian already possessed steel-like willpower and fire-like courage. He quickly suppressed his instinctive retreat and fear, first considering the first step of digesting the Weather Warlock potion.
Based on my previous experience, there are two main approaches to quickly digest a potion: first, through special encounters that adjust one''s mental and spiritual state to closely align with the potion''s true meaning; second, by using a higher-level Beyonder as the object of acting, obtaining better digestion speed.
The first approach is no longer possible Those higher than my level are Archangels, true gods, and great existences, and a Weather Warlock isn''t meant to be acted out by people Ask Them to be spectators, observing me change the weather and provide feedback?
Taking it a step further, change the weather in a true god''s divine kingdom? At the next gathering, seek Mr. Fool''s consent to add special effects to the Major Arcana''s discussion, change the weather in Sefirah Castle?
I wonder if this would be effective I''ll seek Mr. Fool''s guidance during the next prayer
Lumian, with his initial thoughts taking shape, suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly.
There was a method that could help him digest the Weather Warlock potion in the shortest time possible.
Let Blood Emperor Alista Tudor resurrect within him, after which he would no longer need to digest other potions.
The only problem was that he would die, and Aurore would not be resurrected.
I wonder what arrangements Alista Tudor has made, if there''s a way to use these arrangements to quickly digest the Weather Warlock potion? Lumian thought for a while but found no insights.
He then considered Madam Magician''s suggestion.
Strengthen humanity, resist godhood, distinguish between normal and abnormal emotions, desires, and behaviors
Anchors bring others'' perceptions, and everyone''s perception of me differs from my true self to some extent. This is also a form of corruption that can easily make my thoughts, spirit, and humanity chaotic, but it can be used to bnce and resist godhood, giving my true self and humanity a chance to breathe
If these are normal emotional responses that would arise from one''s own humanity, even if ovepping with godhood, they don''t need to be too suppressed and can be expressed normally?
Is this a kind of fusion?
Mr. Fool said in the dream city to both resist and merge At the Angel stage, fusion is superficial, not obvious, mainly about resistance and suppression?
Lumian examined himself, sorting through different emotions and desires.
After a while, he roughly knew what he could do, to what extent, what must be strictly controlled, and what signs required immediate restraint.
Of course, having just advanced and not yet adapted to the potion, his state was unstable. Many things he could do now might be difficult to control, potentially being driven by godhood into terrible developments. So, he needed to initially digest the potion.
Thinking this, Lumian immediately used the Hunter pathway''s Mental Communication to speak to Franca, Jenna, Ludwig, and Anthony, who had not yet left the 10-kilometer range.
''After bing a Weather Warlock, Alista Tudor''s arrangements might start to manifest. You must be more vignt and attentive, especially regarding matters involving the Demoness Sect.''
Mental Communication would not transmit all inner thoughts or fleeting ideas topanions; there must be an intention to ''speak out'' for the information to resonate in everyone''s minds. If Lumian were to share a Maniptor''s Beyonder powers and attach it to Mental Communication, he could achieve a weakened version of the Hall of Truth effect.
After speaking, Lumian took out a mirror to divine which region was experiencing extreme weather.
After obtaining the answer, he was about to teleport there.
Before activating the ck mark on his right shoulder, he suddenly had a new idea.
Some ways to maintain and strengthen humanity can be done right now!
A wind rose, blowing open the bedroom window.
Then, Lumian sensed the spirit world coordinates of the target area while picking up the coat rack in the room and suddenly hurling it toward the sky.
The coat rack quickly ignited with a purplish-blue me, speedily racing toward the horizon.
Lumian leaped lightly, jumping out the window andnding precisely on the burning coat rack.
Then, with his feet slightly apart and hands sped behind his back, his coat fluttering, he rode the me-engulfed coat rack, which was now faster than the speed of sound and still elerating, toward the target area.
In the second-floor studio, Franca, momentarily distracted from her creation by Lumian''s warning, heard a booming sound from high in the sky.
Wearing the Face of the Arcane, she stepped to the window and looked at the azure sky, just in time to see Lumian standing on a ming ''great sword'', hands behind his back, rapidly disappearing from her field of view, leaving behind a new sonic boom.
Franca''s expression revealed envy.
At the same time, she quietly sighed in relief.
In the first-floor papal office, Jenna had been worried about the negative effects of Franca''s fully automatic healing machinewhich would make every healed person, upon recovery, filled with a desire to reproduce and want to have a child.
Her solution was to have padres and bishops treatmon illnesses, pray to the great God of Disease for serious conditions, and subsequently, for those with families and partners, have the Sick Church handle the economic losses from childbirth. For those without partners, consider matchmaking, and if that failed, have Anthony handle itmaking them feel that it waspletely fine having had a child!
Hearing the sonic boom, she also came to the window, looking outside and seeing Lumian traveling in his peculiar and arrogant manner.
Jenna''s face gradually broke into a smile.
She felt Lumian''s state had improved somewhat.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Chapter 1093: Key Points of Acting
High in the cloudyers, the wooden coat rack beneath Lumian''s feet, burning with a violet-blue me, did not quickly turn to ash. It was like a truly heat-resistant, miraculous metal, maintaining its basic, hard state.
This was an ability Hunters possessed since the Iron-blooded Knight stage: "weaponizing" ordinary objects, temporarily transforming them into lethal tools.
At the angelic level, Lumian could now make wood, paper, and simr materials temporarily reach the strength of the Sword of Courage, ensuring they would not instantly dissolve under the added mes and internal explosions, maintaining their most fundamental stability.
This allowed a Hunter''s fireball to have a carrier and divert some power to constantly elerate, ultimately bombing the target area from a distance at several times the speed of sound.
At the Iron-blooded Knight stage, this remote range was 5 to 10 kilometers. For a Weather Warlock, it became hundreds, or even thousands of kilometers.
However, this was not very useful in actualbat. Even if the weapon carrying the fireball flew quickly, adding an extremely long distance would still require a certain time to reach the target area. Not to mention Angels and Saints, even Mid-Sequence Beyonders with strong spiritual intuition could detect it in advance and escape the potentially covered area in time.
The current level of the Fog of War could not be attached and follow along.
Lumian could divert a small portion of his psyche to merge into the fireball or weapon, allowing them to change direction. But such an operation, when done from too far away, would alwaysck precision and thus could not strike enemies beyond a certain level.
The greatest use of such an attack was only to destroy fixed targets. For Lumian, it waspletely iparable to the mystical long-range attacks delivered through the mirror world.But...
Lumian looked down at the coat rack beneath his feet, burning brilliantly like a giant sword, then nced at the blown-open white clouds and the city below that looked like specks of dust, and listened to the sonic boom that could not catch up to him. Heughed Inwardly.
How cool!
Without considering conspiracies, a Hunter must be arrogant!
Otherwise, how would one provoke others?
Boom!
A violet-blue light, with a human figure standing atop it, rapidly traversed the sky, leaving behind a st that made houses and ss violently tremble.
Beside a mountain-side vige where rain was pouring down.
The river had already overflowed with yellowish water, surging toward the not-sorge city in the distance.
The city''s residents were anxious, worried that mountain floods would erupt and affect their living spaces. Many vigers had already climbed to the second floor or onto their roofs because the rising water had gone beyond their knees and was trying to break down their doors.
Looking at the increasingly yellow floodwaters, experienced vigers grew more worried and had nowhere to escape.
Suddenly, they heard a loud "bang" and instinctively looked up, casting their gaze toward the sky.
They then saw a light, bluish-violet like a fire meteor, hovering and stopping among theyered dark clouds, with what seemed to be a person standing on top-a tall figure with blood-red long hair, though far away.
This person riding a ming sword began moving amidst rising white water vapor and dense surrounding rain, with powerful, high-strung and frenzied movements, with a twisted, mysterious posture.
A divine being dancing in the sky!
Vigers nearby and city dwellers in the distance all suddenly had the same thought.
This is a ritual.
A ritual of praying to some existence!
The ritual dance became increasingly intense, and everyone who saw this scene seemed to hear thumping drum beats.
As the divine being''s dance progressed, the rain gradually diminished, and dark clouds in the high sky dispersed one by one.
In the end, the rainstormpletely stopped, and rays of brilliant sunlight shone upon vigers hiding on the second floor and rooftops, and upon the worried citizens looking toward the mountain''s edge.
The divine being stopped the ritual dance, and the ming sword beneath their feet disappeared.
With a magnificent,yered voice, they proimed to the humans below, "My name:
"Family to the King of Yellow and ck, Priest of Weather and gue, the Dual-Bodied one who spreads war and chaos!"
Among those born and raised in religious societies, arge portion instinctively bowed their heads and shouted in unison, "Praise be to you, Priest of Weather and gue!
"Praise be to you for sending away the cmity!"
By the time these people raised their heads, the divine being had vanished.
Trier, inside the luxurious vi.
Lumian''s figure quickly traced itself in his room.
He distinctly felt that his Weather Warlock potion had been digested a bit.
The effect of this act was much stronger than changing the extreme weather of three regions immediately after his advancement!
Previously, I was doing good deeds quietly, unknown,cking clear directional feedback?
Hmm, a Weather Warlock must let people know they are a ''warlock'', must be seen, or understood, otherwise it''s not a sessful act... The people in those three regions would probably think it was the local faith''s god''s protection, praising those gods, not me. Only a small portion might connect the weather changes with the previous appearance of a witch...
It can''t be too simple to change the weather. Even if it doesn''t substantially take effect, the ritual must be there. The audience must feel I used great effort to change the weather, otherwise I''d be performing as a God of Weather instead of a Weather Warlock...
Positioning the Weather Warlock as a priest of weather should be fine
Also, Hunter represents the initial masculine side, robust, highly aggressive, often associated with being mboyant.
Looking at it this way, a Hunter''s arrogance and conspicuousness are sometimes a conspiracy, sometimes an acting requirement...
Combining the feedback from two different performances, Lumian vaguely grasped a key point.
A Weather Warlock''s performance cannot be low-key!
Hiding behind the scenes doing good deeds is not a Hunter''s style!
Moreover, although the Sequence name "Weather Warlock'' had no clear good or bad orientation, based on the fact that the Hunter pathway represented war and was one of the twoponents of cmity, and drawing from previous Sequence acting experiences.
Lumian suspected that the hidden acting principle might be "bringing disaster by changing the weather."
Bringing disaster to enemies by changing the weather will be a key focus of future acts. Lumian nodded thoughtfully, feeling slightly disappointed.
He murmured to himself. No idents, no anomalies
His extremely mboyant travel this time was partly to satisfy his normal inner desires, maintain and expand his humanity, and partly to provoke hidden arrangements by Blood Emperor Alista Tudor or that Red Angel Medici.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Unfortunately, under Mr. Fool''s gaze and with the situation not being chaotic, nothing happened.
Every sessful Hunter was a qualified schemer and wouldn''t be so easily trapped.
Feeling disappointed but in much better condition, Lumian left the bedroom, intending to pour himself a ss of absinthe downstairs.
Franca heard the movement and walked out of her workshop.
She had let the Face of the Arcane fall back into slumber, returning to the Traveler''s Bag.
ncing at Lumian, Franca asked with unusual anticipation, "Oh-oh, can your previous sword-riding ability be shared?"
"Sword-riding?" Although Lumian had been in the dream city for half a month, his exposure to information couldn''t be tooprehensive, so he wasn''t familiar with this somewhat niche term.
However, he quickly associated it with his coat rack flying based on the literal meaning, and said with a smile, "Got it. It can be shared.
"It''s formed bybining the ability to ''weaponize'' any object and the ability to manipte fireballs.
"Although I can only share one ability with you at a time, they don''t need to be used simultaneously toplete thebination."
Franca''s eyes became increasingly bright. "Can I try now?"
Lumian couldn''t help but chuckle. "Of course, but remember, only within a 10-kilometer range.
"''Weaponized'' items won''t quickly return to normal and get damaged, but once you exceed the team''s effective distance, you''ll lose control of the attached me."
Franca was a bit disappointed but found it eptable.
"Fine, 10 kilometers it is."
She thought for a moment and added, "To go beyond 10 kilometers, you''d have to stay with me, not creating distance? Well, you can stand on the back half of my flying sword..."
The leader of a Hunter team must necessarily be a Hunter, with the 10-kilometer range calcted from their center.
If a team has more than one Hunter, only one led, the highest-Sequence one. If there was more than one highest-Sequence member, they determined superiority throughbat.
"That''s right," Lumian confirmed Franca''s statement.
Franca''s face immediately lit up.
"Let''s start, first have a quick spin within the 10- kilometer range.
"Then we''ll ride swords through the sky, hmm, let''s bring Jenna along..."
Just as she was saying this, Franca suddenly sensed something and took out a makeup mirror from her clothing''s hidden pocket.
She took it out while telling Lumian, "My only subordinate sent a message."
Although the Sick Church had multiple priests and bishops, and the market district had gang leaders at Franca''s disposal, the one who actually led them, assigned tasks, and received reports was mainly Jenna.
Franca''s true subordinate was only one person: her subordinate in the Demoness Sect, the Witch Niceea, who was a mole in the Emperor Party.
Of course, Niceea was now a Demoness of Pleasure.
"Stay alert," Lumian cautioned.
This involved the Demoness Sect and the special mirror world, so they had to be extra careful from now on.
"Mm-hmm." Franca nodded while seeing a light on the mirror''s surface unfold into Intisian: "Louis Gustav has mysteriously disappeared."
"Louis Gustav has mysteriously disappeared." Franca''s eyes narrowed.
The leader of the Emperor Party, the man secretly nning to overthrow the current government, with some connection to the mirror world''s Roselle, Louis Gustave, had mysteriously disappeared?
Chapter 1094: Trap?
In the Maison d''Opra district, on Rue du Chapeau Noir, inside an apartment with drawn curtains.
Niceea, with her curly brown hair pulled up, wearing an off-shoulder ck dress and a thin gauze shawl, ced the makeup mirror given by her immediate superior on the cab in front of her and patiently waited for feedback.
After about twenty to thirty seconds, she saw a human figure quickly traced within the mirror, stepping out.
The person had slightly ckened, somewhat xen- colored long hair, tied into a spirited ponytail, eyebrows extending dynamically into the temples, andke-blue eyes that were slightly deeper than before, with an added soul-attracting depth amid their bright and crystal-clear appearance.
"When did Louis Gustav disappear?" Franca''s red and pretty lips moved.
Although she had be a Demoness of Pleasure, Niceea was still dazzled by her superior''s beauty, temperament, and charm, her heart Involuntarily stirring.
She unconsciouslypared Madame Franca with the Demoness of ck she had seen before, discovering that she didn''t like to change her temperament much, always trying to find the most attractive side for her conversation partner, remaining straightforward and natural.
It was precisely this casual and natural state that made Madame Franca uniquely charming. Combined with her nonchnt expression and high-ranking status, Niceea asionally felt she wanted to prostrate herself at her feet, body and soul.
After spending some time controlling the ripples in her heart, Niceea reported in detail, "Louis Gustav arranged to meet several core members of the Emperor Party, including Grous, in a secret mine in Underground Trier yesterday to discuss discreetly developing members within the army. As a result, everyone arrived, but he did not appear."From yesterday until now, Grous and others have tried various methods to contact him, but have received no response."
Niceea was now not only Grouss mistress but had also gradually be a person close to the core of the Emperor Party due to her talent in instigation, provocation, and seduction.
It seems Louis Gustav had truly met with an ident. not just being dyed, but considered missing... Franca thought and asked, "Has anything unusual happened within the Emperor Party recently?"
Niceea shook her head. "In recent months, whether it''s the Eternal zing Sun Church, the God of Steam and Machinery Church, Bureau 8, or the military, they have significantly increased the number of official Beyonders stationed in Trier, Madame, you might find it hard to believe, but the patrols in Underground Trier are now led by Sequence 5 Beyonders, team after team.
"In the first two months, the Emperor Party was still making small moves, resulting in many secret members being exposed, suffering significant losses. Recently, they have been well-behaved, only covertly developing and expanding.
"Previously, Louis Gustav and Grous often met, knew each other''s residences, and would asionally discuss matters at fixed cafes. But after nearly being caught by official Beyonders from the Bureau 8, Louis Gustav moved from his original residence and carefullymanded core members remotely."
So that''s how it is... No wonder it sounds different from before, when Grous and others used to know Louis Gustav''s daily routine... Franca slightly nodded and told Niceea, "This matter is significant. I will first report to the Demoness of ck.
"Stand by for new orders at any time."
"Yes, Madame Franca!" As soon as Niceea finished speaking, she saw her superior''s figure gradually fade, transforming from solid to virtual, quickly disappearing as if never having been present.
Only the lingering faint fragrance in the air and a hint of what seemed like machine oil indicated someone had been there.
In the luxurious vi.
Franca ended her mirror projection maintenance and turned to Lumian.
"Ever since you advanced to Weather Warlock, I now see everything as a trap. Niceea''s report could be a trap from the Demoness Sect, and Louis Gustav''s disappearance might be a trap from the Mirror People.
"Never mind, I''ll report to the Demoness of ck, saying the matter is significant and requesting her personal handling.
"If I don''t get involved, I won''t fall into the trap!"
In the Demoness Sect, Franca was still nominally a Demoness of Despair and a subordinate of the Demoness of ck, though of course, the truth couldn''t be hidden from the Primordial Demoness.
"Is this what you call upward management?" Lumian chuckled, "If it''s a trap, the Demoness of ck certainly won''t let you shirk responsibility. If it''s not a trap, she should still have you conduct a concurrent investigation."
"Sigh, I know," Franca sighed, "I was just venting my emotions. What if the Demoness of ck actually goes to investigate herself? People, after all, must live with hope and anticipation."
Lumian nced at Franca. "I feel that you''ll maintain your humanity quite well in the future."
"Why suddenly talk about humanity? Are you troubled by godhood?" Franca keenly countered.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
After speaking, she took out a makeup mirror and verbally formed the information about Louis Gustav''s disappearance and Niceea''s detailed report, transmitting it through the mirror world to the mirror designated by the Demoness of ck-she would avoid meeting the Demoness of ck whenever possible to prevent stepping into a trap.
After Franca finished this matter, Lumian briefly exined Mr. Fool''s interpretation of godhood and humanity, and his own state of being.
Franca was enlightened. "So that''s why you suddenly proposed hugging-you were somewhat unable to control the aggregation instinct and destruction desire?"
"No, because I had already hugged Jenna, I felt it should be fair." Lumian said in a lowugh.
"" Franca''s mouth twitched slightly.
Lumian casually added another sentence, "What you said also had some influence."
Franca hummed in response and suddenly burst intoughter.
"What''s so funny?" Lumian found it strange.
Franca cleared her throat and replied, "As a fellow hometown native, I''ve always supported your sister''s creative work and read many of her novels. Some descriptions are really cringy. There''s one line that goes something like: ''He hugged me tightly, very forcefully, as if afraid of losing me, wanting to crush me and tuck me into his body.''
"My goodness, this isn''t a cringy description, it''s clearly a horror description, so realistic!"
Seeing Franca wasn''t too frightened and even joking, Lumian''s inner pressure seemed to diminish. He naturally discussed his sister''s works.
"Aurora deliberately intensified the cringe. She says Intisians love this style.
"By the way, did those works exist in the old era?"
Franca gently shook her head in response. "You could say the story concepts and ideas are simr, but without being a Savant, how could one exactly reproduce them? Moreover, your sister integrated current social trends and folk culture, making it an entirely different work. It''s not like just because someone previously wrote about transmigration, me writing about transmigration makes it giarism?"
"I see..." Lumian was very satisfied with this answer.
At this moment, the Demoness of ck responded to Franca through the mirror: "Find effective clues as soon as possible."
"Yes, Madame." Franca responded, making a face at Lumian.
After pondering for a few seconds, she sent a new order to Niceea: "Search for clues, try to find Louis Gustav''s current residence.
"Preferably obtain some items closely rted to Louis Gustav and bring them to me."
This way, Franca could perform Magic Mirror Divination and even seek guidance from Mr. Fool.
After she finished issuing themand, Lumianughed and asked, "Still doing that sword-riding thing?"
Franca''s spirits lifted. "Of course!"
She then seemed to have a moment of reflection, muttering to herself, "The apocalypse is near. We must cherish daily happiness and satisfaction.
"We can''t abandon today''s life because of some dangerous things we''ll have to doter."
"Hmm..." Lumian slowly nodded.
One weekter, at midnight.
Niceea silently slid off the bed, stood upright, and merged into the darkness.
She nced at the muscr middle-aged man on the bed, naked and only partially covered by a nket, for a few seconds before leaving the bedroom soundlessly and entering the room in the furthest corner of the second floor.
Then, she took out a special makeup mirror, used the spell given by her superior, and sent information to the designated mirror.
She knew reporting at this hour would disturb Madame Franca''s rest, but the situation was urgent. If she waited until dawn, Grous would take back those two items, so she had no choice.
Shortly after, Franca''s figure was projected from the makeup mirror.
She wore a silk nightgown with a thin outer jacket for cover, her slightly ck xen-colored long hair cascading down, her expression unabashedlyzy and drowsy, herke-colored eyes slightly deeper and hazy.
Niceea was stunned, only awakening when Franca spoke. "What is it?"
Niceea came to her senses. "Madame, I''ve obtained two items closely rted to Louis Gustav.
"These were found in one of his previous secret hideouts."
As she spoke, Niceea raised her hands.
In one hand, she held a silver brooch made of two intertwined snakes; in the other, she held a dark gold coin.
Seeing thetter, Franca suddenly became alert.
She used invisible spider silk to pull the coin before her.
One side of the gold coin was quite simple, with raised patterns forming a chariot, bearing the number "2". The other side had a considerablyplex pattern.
The main body was a crowned figure with a hanging cloak. To the left of the crown was a sketched,yered gate; to the right was a clock face with only one hand, its grid sizes unequal, with light and dark intertwining.
Parallel to the crown on theyer below were tiny flower pattern elements: a vertical pupil, five fingers of varying lengths, and a door split by a vertical long sword.
A Tudor coin... Franca''s pupils slightly dted as she recognized the item.
It was very simr to the Tudor coin they had obtained from the Sick Church, but with a face value of "2".
The patterns and details were essentially the same between the two coins, but their expressions differed significantly.
Chapter 1095: Convergence?
After confirming the dark gold coin was indeed a Tudor coin with a "2" denomination, Franca inwardly cursed the Blood Emperor''s persecution of those with obsessivepulsive disorder.
Why such a significant difference in patterns when it''s just a different denomination?
They''re essentially expressing almost the same symbolic meaning!
Niceea, unaware of her superior''s peculiarity, continued to describe the origins of the two items, "This brooch is a Gustav family item, made ording to their family crest. It''s one of Louis Gustav''s most valued possessions and a symbol of his identity.
"Normally, he carries this brooch with him, but this time he left it in his original hideout.
"This ancient gold coin and the brooch were kept together and seem equally important."
Under the pull of invisible spider silk, the brooch formed by intertwined snakes flew towards Franca.
Franca was not unfamiliar with the Gustav family crest.
After a quick nce, she confirmed its authenticity and chuckled inwardly.A DNA double helix structure, right?
Clearly, the current Gustav family crest originated from a "masterpiece" during thete period of Emperor Roselle, not from earlier ancestors.
Niceea looked up at her beautiful, elegant, and natural superior, pleading, "Madame, after youplete the Magic Mirror Divination, can you return these two items to me?
"I stole them from Grous. If I don''t return them promptly, I''ll definitely be suspected."
"No problem." Franca''s mirror projection took the brooch and coin, retracting into the makeup mirror.
Niceea patiently waited in the current room.
"Louis Gustav''s mysterious disappearance is rted to the Tudor coin." After taking the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin out of the mirror, Franca conveyed this information to Lumian, who was presumably still asleep, through the mental-linked teammunication channel.
A few secondster, Lumian opened his bedroom door and walked into Franca''s room.
Everyone residing in this luxurious vi was a demigod, possessing strong spiritual intuition. They noticed themotion and threw on outer garments, heading to Franca''s room.
The only one who didn''t react was Ludwig, who was preparing his second midnight snack in the annex kitchen.
After Franca briefly exined Niceea''s feedback, she spoke with considerable gravity, "I n to first pray to Mr. Fool, then perform Magic Mirror Divination to see if I can determine Louis Gustav''s current whereabouts using these two items as a medium."
"I''ll do it." Lumian reached out and took the brooch and coin, "I''ll first seek Mr. Fool''s consent, then use him as the subject for Magic Mirror Divination. This will help eliminate most interference and danger."
"That''s best," Jenna agreed with Lumian''s choice.
Lumian pressed his hand to his chest and began praying,municating his request to Mr. Fool.
After receiving consent, he immediately took out a mirror and ced the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin on the ss surface.
Then, he gently caressed the mirror''s surface, reciting the spell in Hermes, "The Fool that doesn''t belong to this era.
"The mysterious ruler above the gray fog.
"The King of Yellow and ck who wields good luck"
Lumian recited the entire spell at a steady pace, posed the question about "Louis Gustav''s current whereabouts", and patiently waited for Mr. Fool''s guidance.
Within seconds, the mirror''s surface rippled, revealing a figure.
The figure was tall, mimicking Emperor Roselle with chestnut-colored long hair, sporting two beautiful mustaches, azure eyes, and thin lips-the leader of the Emperor Party, Louis Gustav.
This man, imed to have Gustav family bloodline, stood in what seemed to be an abandoned mine, walking towards a darkness-shrouded exit.
The image suddenly blurred, with Louis Gustav instantly enveloped by darkness, surrounded by shadowy figures hidden in the depths, casting observant gazes.
Louis Gustav walked forward without averting his eyes or stopping,pletely indifferent to the gazes from the darkness.
The deeper he walked, the more profound the darkness became.
Later, a slight light appeared on the forward side, and the image became extremely blurry.
Louis Gustav did not approach the light, continuing to move straight ahead.
After an indeterminate time, a doorposed of pure light appeared in the distance, resembling an oval mirror.
Louis Gustav approached the door of light and extended his right hand, pressing against it.
He prated the door of light, arriving in an area with dense fog-visibility under ten meters-with surrounding copsed buildings either asymmetrical or stained with blood.
This is... Fourth Epoch Trier! Lumian, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony had all been to Fourth Epoch Trier and were familiar with such scenes.
The only difference they noticed was the excessively dense fog, which felt extremely oppressive.
"Is this the depths of Fourth Epoch Trier? Is the Blood Emperor''s divine corpse affecting this ce, bringing widespread Fog of War?" Lumian quickly spected.
Franca recalled, "But when we were there, we could see the copsed pce with the Blood Emperor''s divine corpse, and the fog wasn''t this dense..."
"Did something change in Fourth Epoch Trier after the Hostel incident? Or is this triggered by Louis Gustav''s approach?" Jenna proposed possible exnations.
At that moment, Louis Gustav in the mirror stopped.
Before him, less than ten meters away, a human shadow was cast on the blood-sttered street stones.
The ck shadow was stretched long by the light, seemingly cradling an infant.
Almost simultaneously, the image suddenly copsed, rippling like water, with Mr. Fool''s guidance ending.
Lumian furrowed his brow, muttering to himself.
"Madame Pualis and the infant Omebe?
"Are they in Fourth Epoch Trier?
"Did Louis Gustav enter Fourth Epoch Trier to meet them?
"Did Louis Gustav enter Fourth Epoch Trier through the special mirror world? Were the Mirror People covertly watching him? Is the slightly lit area he didn''t approach hiding a great terror of the special mirror world?"
No one could answer Lumian''s questions.
After a few seconds, Jenna organized her thoughts.
"We cannot handle this matter.
"Since it potentially involves Madame Pualis and infant Omebe, we must strictly follow Mr. Fool''s guidance: cmity needs to keep away from the Mother."
"Hmm, I''ll report the conclusion to the Demoness of ck and let them investigate. No matter how much she urges me, I won''t budge, I''ll just say I''m not capable!" Franca mumbled, "And I''ll notify 007 too. Such a matter is best handled by official Beyonders. They hold many secrets of Fourth Epoch Trier and might be able to send strong individuals to enter there without using the special mirror world, eliminating Louis Gustav, Madame Pualis, and infant Omebe."
Lumian nodded. "Okay."
He then reminded Franca, "The operation to eliminate targets in Fourth Epoch Trier should not be led by Eternal zing Sun Church Beyonders. Have you forgotten? The mystical father of infant Omebe is the Eternal zing Sun."
"How could we possibly forget something like that?" Franca signaled Lumian and the others to leave her bedroom.
Then she took out a mirror, "sending" the results of the Magic Mirror Divination along with the brooch and coin to the mirror corresponding to the Demoness of ck, and reminded her to return the mediums, otherwise Nicaea would be in trouble.
Shortly after, the Demoness of ck responded to Franca, "If Louis Gustav returns, inform me immediately."
Apanying the response were the brooch and coin, which flew out of the mirror surface by themselves.
Not letting me investigate deeply, just waiting for Louis Gustav''s return? How strange. Isn''t this unrted to the Demoness Sect? Is this not their trap? Franca was puzzled, and again projected herself through the mirror world to Niceea''s room.
She ryed the Demoness of ck''s words to Niceea and returned the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin.
Niceea quietly sighed in relief.
She then had the mood for casual conversation.
"Madame, I visited the Lavigny Docks recently and found that the Church of The Fool there now has a patron saint named Franca Rnd.
"Her name is the same as yours."
Niceea originally didn''t think this was rted to her superior. Throughout Trier, there were hundreds of women named Franca. But the patron saint''s honorific title included "the Demoness Apanied by Strife and Catastrophe."
Franca was slightly embarrassed, not because her subordinate knew the honorific title, but because her "side job" in another organization was discovered.
She responded with an air of profundity, "In this world, everyone has multiple identities for certain purposes."
In other words, neither denying nor confirming.
Niceea didn''t dare ask further, seriously considering whether she should openly convert to Mr. Fool to get closer to her superior.
Privately, everyone was still the Primordial One''s children.
After Franca''s mirror projection disappeared, Niceea packed away the makeup mirror, brooch, and coin, merged into the darkness, and silently returned to the master bedroom.
She didn''t rush to lie back in bed, first cing the brooch and coin in a hiddenpartment of the desk.
Afterpleting this task, she glided back to the bed like a shadow in the night, lying down without making a sound, pulling the nket over herself.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Suddenly, a low voice sounded near her ear.
"Where did you just go?"
Niceea instinctively turned her head, seeing Grous. who had been soundly asleep, now had his eyes open, his blue eyes deeply and darkly fixed on her.
Chapter 1096: Surveillance
Niceea''s heart tightened, but she remained calm on the surface.
When she had sneaked out, she had already prepared to handle simr situations.
She patted her chest andined, "Are you trying to scare me to death? Suddenly blurting out a sentence!"
After "calming down" for a few seconds, Niceea casually answered Grous''s question, "Couldn''t sleep, felt a bit stuffy, and went to the balcony to get some air."
Not giving Grous a chance to ask further questions, she pursed her lips, revealing her inner suppression, "You don''t think something might have happened to Louis, right?"
As the leader of the Emperor Party, his mysterious disappearance would naturally bring anxiety, tension, and stress to his subordinates, making insomniapletely normal.
Grous stared at Niceea for a few seconds, then softened his expression.
"Who knows?
"Maybe he''ll suddenly appear in a couple of days."
In Franca''s workshop in the luxurious vi, multiple mirrors floated before Lumian and the others, each reflecting different scenes.
Several mirrors captured Niceea and Grous from various angles.
When Franca had previously projected herself through the mirror world, she had casually marked all the mirrored items in that house.
This was to ensure the safety of her only subordinate, making sure she wouldn''t be attacked or have her identity exposed for stealing the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin.
Subsequent developments proved Franca''s wisdom and intuition-Grous had indeed noticed Niceea''s quiet departure from the room.
During their conversation, Franca was prepared to project her power through the mirror world.
After a while, Franca''s expression suddenly became a bit strange.
Wait, why are they suddenly kissing?
There are so many people watching!
Her purpose was only to add an extrayer of Insurance to Niceea''s safety. She hadn''t expected the suspicion-harboring Grous and the scheming Niceea to start kissing while talking!
Is this about to be a scene not suitable for minors?
If only Franca was watching the "surveince", she would have found this unexpected yet understandable, not a big deal, and even quite entertaining with the thrill of secretly peeping. But now, Jenna was sitting beside her, with Anthony and Ludwig-who was eating a midnight snack-behind her.
She started to feel embarrassed.
At this moment, Anthony, focused on the mirror scenes, said, "Both of their bodynguages show a certain level of resistance. The kiss is deceptive and perfunctory."
Professional... Franca muttered internally.
As Anthony predicted, Niceea and Grous kissed for a moment before saying goodnight again and going back to sleep.
Franca sighed in relief and told herpanions, "Just leave one person to watch the surveince. The rest can get some sleep.
"Jenna,e rece me in an hour and a half, Lumian, rece Jenna three hourster. Anthony, you and Ludwig don''t need to stay up."
The surveince required support from a demigod Demoness.
Moreover, if anything went wrong, only the Demonesses could first project or traverse over to provide help.
"Okay," Anthony made no objections. After Ludwig finished his midnight snack, he left the room with Anthony.
After giving Franca a few instructions, Lumian and Jenna also went to rest.
Francapletely rxed, leisurely watching the ''surveince''.
As time slowly passed, while she was reading a novel leaning against a pile of pillows, her spiritual intuition suddenly gave her a premonition. She raised her head and looked at one of the "surveince" mirrors.
Grous silently got out of bed and went to the desk. opening a hiddenpartment.
After confirming that the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin were still there, this core member of the Emperor Party went to the master bedroom''s attached bathroom, letting the toilet flush with a whoosh.
Seeing Grous return to bed after leaving the bathroom, Franca pursed her lips.
That''s it?
She had expected him to suddenly attack and kill Niceea, or use one of the brooch or coin to contact Louis Gustav, or someone else.
As a result, Grous was so well-behaved that it disappointed her.
And so, during the rotation of surveince, the sky gradually brightened, with bright sunlight cascading from above.
Franca, now wearing ace-flowereddy''s shirt and cream-colored loose long pants, covered her mouth while yawning and walked into the workshop, asking Lumian, who was seriously watching the "surveince."
"Nothing unusual, right?"
"There is something." Lumian had one leg raised, the other naturally extended, leaning back against the pile of pillows.
"What''s unusual?" Franca instantly became alert.
Lumian chuckled. "After waking up in the same bed as a Demoness of Pleasure, Grous didn''t have a morning round. This shows his attention ispletely elsewhere, he''s hiding something in his heart, and might do somethingter."
"Makes sense," Franca was quite aware of a Demoness of Pleasure''s charm.
She sat next to Lumian and recalled, "I''ve also marked some of Grous''s clothing metal buttons. As long as our luck isn''t bad, we should be able to see where he goes and what he does."
"Luck? Our luck definitely won''t be bad." Lumianughed and patted his Traveler''s Bag, which contained the sealed Post-Apocalyptic Scripture.
This Grade 0 Sealed Artifact ultimately wasn''t used.
The formal suit Grous changed into after breakfast had two shiny, mirror-like metal buttons marked by Franca.
The "surveince" image immediately changed, mainly showing the scene in front of Grous, swaying back and forth.
In the following time, Grous kissed Niceea goodbye, took a two-wheeled, two-seat carriage to a certain street in the prison district-Quartier 4.
He walked to a dark red door and rang the doorbell.
The door opened by itself.
Just as Grous passed through the doorway, the "surveince" image suddenly blurred, disying numerous white noise points.
These noise pointssted only two seconds before disappearing. The mirrors before Lumian and Franca no longer showed any image.
"Were we discovered? Or does the house itself have an abnormality affecting the mirror world?" Franca turned her head to look at Lumian.
"Let''s wait a bit," Lumian said calmly.
About three to four minutester, the mirror showed an image again-Grous was leaving the house.
Franca nodded thoughtfully.
Throughout the morning, Grous, as a deputy manager of an armaments factory, visited numerous military camps in the Quartier raste and returned to his office during lunch.
Lumian, who had already rested, stood up. "Nothing worth watching anymore."
"Yeah." Franca stood up too.
She looked at Lumian and suddenly looked puzzled. "Why do I feel like you''ve gotten shorter?"
"My Weather Warlock potion has been partially digested. My state ispletely stabilized, and I have better control over my body. I can control my height to around 1.95 meters. As the digestion deepens, I can continue topress. Once the potion is fully digested, I should normally maintain 1.85 meters. During battle, even without revealing my Mythical Creature form, I can expand to 2.7-2.8 meters, like a small giant," Lumian answered in good spirits.
"You''ve already partially digested it?" Franca asked in surprise.
Lumian chuckled, "Because I found the key points to acting as a Weather Warlock. A few days ago, I discovered a tribe in a primitive jungle of the Southern Continent that maintained blood sacrifice traditions. I brought them different extreme weather conditions. After persisting for three days, they were broken by fear, submitting to me andpletely abandoning their blood sacrifice habits.
"This helped me summarize an acting principle, and the potion was thus significantly digested."
Franca thought for a few seconds and asked curiously.
"Controlling weather is to bring about a catastrophe and make the target submit?"
This was consistent with the inner meaning of the Hunter pathway.
"More or less." Lumian nced at the floating mirrors and smiled. "Time to visit that house with abnormalities."
"You''re going?" Franca frowned. "Just leave it to the Demoness Sect or official Beyonders. I feel like there might be a trap in front of everything you do now."
Smiling, Lumian replied, "This is on the ground, not underground, under the watch of Mr. Fool and the true gods.
"If I''m afraid to handle abnormal events under these circumstances, how can I act as an Iron-blooded Knight?"
"That''s true," Franca responded tersely.
She hesitated for two seconds, "Then take Jenna with you."
Lumian smiled and invited Franca, "Come with us."
"Okay..." Franca readily agreed.
At the door of the house at 20 Rue Saint-Frdric in the prison district.
Lumian, wearing a half-high silk hat, a white shirt, ck vest, and long pants, opened the dark red door.
He walked in, detecting no abnormalities.
Franca and Jenna outside saw the interior through the makeup mirror in his hand.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Sofas and cabs were covered with white cloth to prevent dust umtion, and the floor was cleaned very thoroughly.
"No problems, no interference," Jenna also entered and told Lumian.
Lumian looked around and said, "This ce hasn''t been lived in for a long time, but maidse regrly to clean."
This was a Weather Warlock''s extraction and restoration of environmental information.
Just as Lumian finished speaking, Franca, who had also entered the house, saw a figure slowly walking down the stairs.
The figure was very thin, seeming like it would fall with a gust of wind.
His hair was mostly gray, clearly aged, with a brown-beard that looked like it hadn''t been trimmed in a long time, wearing a crumpled ck formal suit.
Before his appearance, Lumian, as an Angel, had not detected him and still couldn''t smell his presence.
Based on this, Lumian believed the person didn''t actually exist.
The old man looked at Lumian and smiled. "You''ve finallye to collect the letter."
"Letter?" Lumian raised an eyebrow.
The old man smiled and answered, "I am the Messenger of God, and one of my functions is to deliver letters for great existences.
"There''s a letter here for you."
Chapter 1097: A Letter Destined to be Received
A letter from a great existence? Lumian suddenlyughed, interrupting the old man''s words, "I feel that you don''t actually exist in this house."
As Lumian spoke, Franca stepped sideways, moving close to Jenna, withyers of phantom images appearing in her eyes.
The old man in a crumpled formal suit and thin frame seemed eager to express himself and actually exined his current state to Lumian, "If I believe I exist, and you believe I exist, then I am existing. The reverse is also true."
Franca felt a bit of a headache, muttering. "Are you talking philosophy?"
The old man''s eyes brightened. "How did you know that my previous, hmm, in your terms, Sequence was called Philosopher?"
Seriously. A Demoness''s spiritual intuition is no joke.... Franca was momentarily stunned.
Philosopher? Lumian suddenly thought of a secretive organization, an evil god cult: First Philosophy!
The mental patient who was once disguised as his substitute by I Know Someone was also described as being like a philosopher... Lumian thoughtfully said to the old man, "Midoro''s Worship?"
"Do you know about the Heavenly Domains, the Formless Door?" The old man responded happily, "Have you also experienced immortality?"Lumian shook his head, speaking in a t tone, "No.
"I''ve just killed a few Initiates."
He was provoking, also disying the arrogance of a Hunter to better act as an Iron-blooded Knight.
Moreover, discussing immortality and the Formless Door with a Philosopher would likely draw him into his "realm" and imperceptibly cause severe problems.
The expression on the old man''s face instantly disappeared. He looked at Lumian, speaking in a hollow voice, "A great existence wants me to deliver you a letter."
"Which one?" Before Lumian could ask, he nced at Franca and Jenna.
The two Demonesses had silently disappeared from the house, leaving only two makeup mirrors ced on the ground at some point.
When Lumian first diverted the conversation, Franca had used their proximity to transfer their true bodies through the mirror world via their eyes, leaving only mirror projections!
Now, they weren''t even maintaining the mirror projections.
They had learned from Lumian that deeply understanding the names and information of great existences would severely corrupt oneself, something mirror projections couldn''t block, and even hidden, sleeping mirrors would be affected!
The old man didn''t mind Franca and Jenna''s departure, looking at Lumian and saying, "The mighty Circle of Inevitability."
Circle of Inevitability? He should hate Amon more than me now. What letter is He sending me? Is He trying to carry out counterespionage against me? Why would such a great existence value me... Or is this letter just a medium to harvest my life? Lumian asked the old man with interest, "You''re not an Angel, are you? Except for a few, other great existences haven''t yet been able to send angelic-level power through the barrier.
"Can you understand the true names of great existences?"
In Lumian''s view, this old man was at most Sequence 3.
The old man smiled and replied, "This is the unique characteristic and source of pain for Messengers of God, but also our most powerful ability.
"Corruption grants us power."
Sounds quite philosophical. But this ability is indeed special. The Beyonders from the First Philosophy I''ve encountered were skilled at injecting voices into others'' ears or minds. If what they inject are the true names of great existences, who below the angelic level could withstand that? Lumian suddenly felt lucky that he hadn''t encountered a Messenger of God before bing an angel.
Otherwise, with the various hidden issues in his body, he would absolutely explode at the slightest provocation.
Or maybe it wasn''t luck, but arrangement... As this thought shed, Lumian self-deprecatingly mused internally.
With this realization, his blue eyes instantly turned Iron-ck.
He didn''t want to receive the Circle of Inevitability''s letter. He wanted to find the mystical connection between the old man before him and his true body by investigating overall weaknesses, then blow them both up!
At that moment, the old man''s body suddenly became ethereal.
A silver-white with ck color rose from within him.
His hollow voice rang out. "Please receive the letter."
He suddenly condensed, transforming into a silver- white and ck light, shooting directly at Lumian.
In this house, he was the letter, and the letter was him!
Lumian activated the ck mark on his right shoulder and quickly disappeared from the spot.
He directly teleported to the Fog Sea, far from Trier.
But the silver-white and ck light was still ahead of him, still approaching, not shaken off.
Lumian didn''t hesitate, makingyers of phantom images appear in his blue eyes.
He entered the mirror world.
The silver-white and ck light was still before him, in the illusory dark tunnel, seeming destined to be received by him.
This was a fate that couldn''t be escaped!
Lumian shed into another mirror tunnel, and the silver-white and ck light once again approached from the front.
This time, Lumian didn''t flee. His eyes quickly turned silver-ck.
Eye of Cmity!
Although his Inevitability power hadn''t further improved, thanks to his Weakness Investigation ability now reaching angelic level, the Eye of Cmity formed by merging this ability with Inevitability power naturally had some enhancement.
Since he couldn''t escape, he''d try to eliminate this letter from the destiny ne!
Soon, Lumian saw the quietly surging mercury-colored illusory long river and saw the scene of himself catching the silver-white and ck light.
It existed in almost all destiny branches.
In other words, Lumian saw his future of receiving the "letter", a destiny that was bound to unfold.
The only variable was a branch that didn''t include this future, extremely marginal and chaotic, very difficult to push with his current abilities.
Lacking necessary preconditions!
In the blink of an eye, Lumian saw another scene.
In the image, the recipient of the "letter" was not only himself but also Amon, wearing a ck robe, monocle, and a pointed soft hat.
ng!
Lumian suddenly heard an ethereal ng crossing through thick history.
A scene naturally emerged in his mind: the thin-faced Amon, wearing a monocle, stood in the bell tower, pushing the bell hammer to strike the great bell.
With this sound, an ancient, mottled massive stone clock appeared.
It was a phantom, its face divided into unequal twelve sections by intersecting dark blue and gray-white, each section with different symbols representing different times.
Three jointed, semi-transparent small worms formed the clock''s hands.
As they stopped moving, an indescribable invisible torrent surged out, seemingly freezing the silver-white and ck light within.
Lumian, not within the affected range, heard a familiar voice with a hint ofughter, "Do you know the main ability of a Sufferer?"
Before Lumian could respond, the voice answered itself, "Reproducing the suffering one has experienced onto the target."
As the words fell, the silver-white and ck light frozen in time broke through its restraints, again flying towards Lumian.
But waiting for it was an extraordinarily intense, unimaginable sea of light.
A supernova seemed to have erupted, erupting on a small scale.
This mirror world instantly copsed, apanied by the silent shattering of numerous mirrors.
Of course, this was far from a true supernova explosion, merely a kind of simted reproduction.
Although Lumian was outside the range, his body also shattered, re-forming outside the mirror world.
At this moment, in his Eye of Cmity, the preconditions for pushing destiny to the marginal branch were satisfied.
Lumian didn''t hesitate to release nearly half his spirituality from his left palm, letting the mercury- colored river of fate''s water flow into the corresponding branch.
Everything calmed down.
Lumian was about to turn his head and look at Amon, who had appeared beside him at some point, when tiny silver-white and ck lights suddenly emerged in the void, forming a paragraph of text.
Though the Circle of Inevitability''s letter couldn''t be directly delivered to him and Amon, it inevitably revealed itself.
The text was veryplex, but it didn''t prevent Lumian from directly deciphering its meaning.
"Stay away from special mirror worlds, or you''re destined to lose control and go mad."
Huh? Lumian was somewhat stunned.
Is this a warning?
The Circle of Inevitability didn''t try to corrupt or smite me, but instead warned me?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Is He trying to betray the other Outer Deities?
Surprised, Lumian focused on the phrase "lose control and go mad".
He then recalled the prophecy of the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture and the future self he seemed to have seen during the Hostel incident.
Do all prophecies about my future revolve around the words ''going crazy''? Lumian silently muttered to himself.
Amon, standing mid-air in some inexplicable manner. slightly disappointedly shook His head. "If it''s not a letter for me, why ask me to receive it?"
"Perhaps you''ll also lose control and go mad by entering the special mirror world," Lumian tried to interpret the hidden meaning of the Circle of Inevitability''s words.
Saying this, he stopped.
He remembered the "young man" beside him, wearing a monocle, was once a top Cryptologist.
Amon smiled in agreement. "That''s possible.
"But I can indeed avoid entering special mirror worlds. Can you?"
Lumian wanted to answer yes, but given the entanglement of destiny, his unique pathway, and various other prerequisites, he felt he would inevitably enter the special mirror world, enter the depths of Fourth Epoch Trier, and could only hope to dy this as much as possible until fully prepared.
"Why would the Circle of Inevitability want to warn me?" Lumian asked habitually.
Amon adjusted His monocle,ughing. "Did that old fellow also designate me as a recipient to help you decrypt?"
He continued, His toneced withughter, "The interpretation is that entering a special mirror world indeed poses a risk of you losing control and going mad, and this might bring unknown risks to those old fellows."
Chapter 1098: Him
Would the terror of the special mirror world possibly bring trouble to the Outer Deities'' invasion? Lumian, treading on a wild wind, turned his head to look at Amon. ''What exactly is in the depths of the special mirror world?''
This was a direct participant who might know something!
Lumian had no expectation that Amon would certainly answer him, but asking wouldn''t cost anything.
Amon stood steadily in the air,ughing with His usual tone,
''The embryonic form of the special mirror world was constructed by Bethel, to create a secret, spacious environment unknown to other gods for Tudor''s and Cheek''s meeting.
''Tudor wouldn''t care whether this matter was seen, but cared about whether it would be known by those who shouldn''t know.
''This is the style of His Imperial Majesty the Blood Emperor.''
''And then?'' Lumian asked cooperatively.
Including the Termiboros period, he and Amon had already chatted ''casually'' several times.Amon pressed the monocle in His right eye socket. ''Later, the special mirror world underwent strange changes. Not only me, but Bethel and the others were no longer allowed to enter.
''His Majesty was fully capable of killing Angels.
''Afterward, His Majesty became even crazier. Cheek began to im Herself as the true heir of the original Creator, the first person born in chaos.
''In the Pale Disaster, Cheek suffered severe damage. For thousands of years, Her condition has been poor. But as a Demoness of Unaging, you should clearly know that for high-ranking Demonesses, this is unlikely to happen. They can quickly resurrect even when met with death, let alone just being severely wounded.''
Lumian could tell that Amon was intentionally saying these words. His arrival today was certainly not just for receiving the Circle of Inevitability''s letter.
''The true heir of the original Creator...'' Lumian recalled the various concepts of the Demoness Sect that Franca had told him, and suddenly made certain associations. ''Shouldn''t it be the personas the Oldest One initially split off? And among them, only two are most important and qualified to say this:
The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings and the original God Almighty...''
Lumian paused, muttering to himself, ''I''m aware that thebination of Tudor and Cheek was actually an arrangement left by the original God Almighty. The one believed in by the Aurora Order was also an object of arrangement, which will bring a destined ident.
''Moreover, the Demoness of ck said that the Primordial Demoness has five lines of honorific names, of which two are unknown to outsiders.''
Lumian''s current thinking was that if he wanted to obtain more intelligence from Amon, he would have to trade some of his own information.
Who gets something for free?
The one in front of him was the expert at free acquisitions, once the top Marauder!
Before Amon could respond, Lumian added another sentence,
''The City of Cmity at the top of the Hunter and Demoness pathways was once contained by the original God Almighty.''
He began to suspect that the great terror of the special mirror world was rted to the resurrection of the original God Almighty.
Amon nced at him, smiling and saying, ''For such matters, no one dares to confirm without seeing it personally.
''Initially, when the special mirror world first had anomalies, that zealot already knew something was wrong. The urrence of the War of the Four Emperors was also Him pushing it from the shadows.
''He re-established contact with the Chaos Sea more than seven years ago. Although forcibly using the Chaos Sea''s power would cause the amodation progress to regress,pared to those who still have to wait for the Western Continent''s seal to be lifted, He shouldn''t still be incapable of aplishing an initial amodation until today.
''Guess why He hasn''t truly amodated the Chaos Sea?''
Are the concerns about the problems hidden in the depths of the special mirror world stopping Him? Does He want a Beyonder qualified to be the Origins of Disaster and Cmity of Destruction not only to cultivate power against the apocalypse but also because the path to the Origins of Disaster must necessarily pass through the depths of the special mirror world, triggering that great terror and presenting it before His eyes? Is part of the previous ''bestowments'' cost to be paid here? Lumian thoughtfully said to Amon, ''What else does that individual know about the special mirror world?''
Amonughed and shook His head, answering off-topic,
''Cheek''s remaining two honorific names are extremely secretive. Even color-titled high-ranking Demonesses don''t all know them. Only those with close connections to Cheek that might trigger divine descent when attacked, truly grasp them.
''Otherwise, why do you think those two honorific names could remain secret, unknown even to all current Sequence Os? Medici could intimidate the Demoness of White, let alone those more powerful than Her.
''But that zealot might know something, after all, even the thoughts in one''s mind might not be hidden from Him.''
Is the Demoness of ck one of those with close connections to the Primordial Demoness? She indeed seems special...
Lumian nced at Amon and suddenlyughed. ''Using a true god''s honorific name in Intisian won''t incur divine punishment? Only using Hermes or ancient Hermesnguages counts as sphemy?''
After all, Cheek wasn''t an umon name.
''You only mentioned Hermes and ancient Hermes because you only mastered them?'' Amonughed, ''Using ordinarynguage to recite a Sequence O''s true name will attract attention but not necessarily divine punishment. As for me, guess why my title includes the description sphemer?''
Here, Amon adjusted the monocle in His right eye and looked Lumian up and down for a few seconds.
He said with an obvious smile, ''Actually, I''m quite looking forward to you entering the depths of the special mirror world.
Something interesting and unknown will definitely happen, and it''s not something that will affect me.
''Why not give it a shot?''
''Maybe I''ll consider it sometime in the future.'' Lumian took on an unconcerned posture.
''Goodbye, my unacknowledged goddaughter. I hope when I see you next, you haven''t truly lost control and gone mad.''
Amon waved like a human.
His figure suddenly disappeared.
Lumian lowered his head and gazed at the azure ocean shrouded in faint mist, activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, and returned to the luxurious vi in Trier.
''How did it go?'' Franca and Jenna, who had been waiting, asked in unison.
''The one called Inevitability sent a message through a Messenger of God,'' Lumian told his twopanions about the ''letter''s'' content.
''The one called Inevitability warned you not to go to the depths of the special mirror world? It feels like a weasel giving its well-wishes to a chickenthere''s definitely no good intention,'' Franca muttered.
''Could this be a misdirection?'' Jenna frowned. ''But the secrets of the special mirror world''s depths rted to the Primordial Demoness are indeed dangerous.''
''Probably not a misdirection,'' Lumian recounted his conversation with Amon that he could speak about, thenughed self-mockingly, ''Maybe the one who will save the end times is me, Mr. Fool will hold the fort, preventing those great existences from interfering with me. And when I reach the entrance of the special mirror world, I''ll shout to the sky, ''Go back, or I''ll face that great terror!''
''Like the Deterrence Era...'' Franca couldn''t help but quip.
Jenna didn''t quite agree with Lumian''s words. ''Maybe it would only bring trouble to the one called Inevitability, without affecting other great existences.''
''Do I look like an idiot? Before figuring out what exactly the great terror in the special mirror world''s depths is and whether it can deter those great existences, I would never do such a thing,'' Lumian teased Jenna.
After chatting for a while, he took out the special mirror world fragment obtained from the Demoness of Despair Panatiya from the Traveler''s Bag and handed it to Franca.
''From now on, I must try to avoid direct contact with items rted to the special mirror world.''
''Cautious!'' Franca gave a thumbs up and praised Lumian.
She thought for a moment and took out her own special mirror world fragment, handing it to Jenna along with Lumian''s.
''I have the Primordial Demoness''s figurine. At critical moments, I must also avoid keeping it together with the special mirror world fragments.''
''I was just about to remind you,'' Jenna smiled and collected the two special mirror world fragments.
Franca returned the smile and turned to Lumian.
''We''ll put this matter aside for now?''
She was referring to Louis Gustav''s matter. After some time, if this Emperor Party leader returned from Fourth Epoch Trier and the special mirror world, they would leave it to official Beyonders to handle, and notify the Demoness Sect on the side, not getting involved.
''Yeah.'' Lumian nodded. ''In theing days, besides finding other cultists hidden in Trier and Zaratul''s clues, I''ll focus on digesting the potion. I might seek Mr. Fool''s permission to attempt the acting in a specific scenario for Weather Warlock.
''Also, I''vemunicated with Mr. Star and Mr. Moon. If they discover a base of the Rose School of Thought or an armed force belonging to them, they''ll immediately notify me. I''ll take you to the Southern Continent andunch a small war.''
The acting of a War Bishop must bepleted in a war.
''Okay.'' Franca pointed upstairs. ''So there''s nothing else for now?''
She wanted to continue manufacturing giant robots.
Lumian didn''t respond directly but turned to Jenna and Franca with a smile. ''I heard a very famous circus is touring in Trier.
Want to go see it together?''
''Sure.'' Jenna looked at Franca.
Franca hesitated for two seconds. ''Alright.''
More than a weekter.
Angoulme de Francois put on a brown coat with gold-embroidered threads and walked towards the underground of Saint Vieve Cathedral.
He and several colleagues were assigned to search for Louis Gustav and Madame Pualis in Fourth Epoch Trier. For this, they needed to hold a ritual, receive the blessing of the Eternal zing Sun, to resist the various corruptions existing in the Fourth Epoch Trier within a certain time.
Even for an Unshadowed, it would be quite dangerous otherwise.
Another one brought by Hidden de... Angoulme sighed inwardly.
The matter of Louis Gustav and the person suspected to be Pualis meeting in Fourth Epoch Trier was personally reported by him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
After being assigned to this task, Angoulme had tried to find Hidden de in the telegram group multiple times, wanting toin, but in the past week, Hidden de had only been online two or three times, and no one knew what she was busy with.
***
Thanks to the users "ѧܧڧ ӧҧߧ", "TempestUknow" for the chapters provided!
Chapter 1099 Spiritual Premonition
Chapter 1099 Spiritual Premonition
In an underground location in Trier, a ce strictly guarded by multiple Beyonders from the Eternal zing Sun and the Church of Steam and Machinery.
This was a seal leakage point that had appeared before the construction of the catbs, which waster properly handled and no longer caused problems. However, if linked with the square in the nearby quarry hollow where Eternal zing Sun and God of Steam and Machinery were worshiped, along with the stone pirs representing both deities, it could allow people from outside the seal to enter Fourth Epoch Trier at a certain risk.
Although this required the divine power of the Eternal zing Sun or the God of Steam and Machinery as a "key", something impossible for cultists to utilize, both Churches still insisted on sending teams to take turns guarding the site.
At this moment, Angoulme arrived at the abandoned mine with two other Unshadowed colleagues, facing three people dressed as stonemasons.
"Let''s begin," said a monk with short, thick hair and a beard, nodding at Angoulme.
Angoulme recognized this monk as the current prior of the Deep Valley Cloister, named Jack Walton, quite an ordinary man.
"Okay." Angoulme nodded in response.
Under the watch of both guard teams, they lowered their heads and took their positions, chanting the honorific names of their respective deities.
Rays of sunlight fell from the cave''s top, illuminating the abandoned mine.
White steam subsequently permeated the quarry hollow.
Soon, crimson blood seeped from the depths of the abandoned mine.
The bizarre blood, resisting the sunlight, continuously surged upward, quickly filling the mine.
Angoulme, an Unshadowed, dissolved his fear and hesitation, raised his head, took two steps forward, and entered the abandoned mine, stepping into the crimson blood thick with a bloody scent.
Other Saints followed closely behind.
Passing through the "Blood Well" would allow entry into Fourth Epoch Trier!
This was not a simple task. The "blood" would cause severe corruption, with the danger increasing for higher Sequences.
Southern Continent, deep in a rainforest.
Before a terrifying castle covered in countless human skins.
Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig each condensed fire spears of blue-violet, zing and terrifying.
Without Lumian issuing themand, they simultaneously threw their spears.
The blue-violet fire spears split mid-air, quickly presenting a sky-covering arrangement.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
It was as if an entire military legion had simultaneouslyunched their weapons, causing the high sky to brighten and be dyed with brilliant colors.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The human skin castle waspletely covered by countless fire spears. The cultists developed by the Rose School of Thought used every possible ability but could not change this apocalyptic scene.
Rumble, the earth trembled, the castle copsed, igniting blue-violet mes.
Painful wails and desperate curses echoed between the mes, transforming into thin strands of ck gas rising upward.
Ludwig didn''t care what the soon-to-die cultists were cursing. He stepped forward, rode the wild wind, and howled to arrive above the copsed human skin castle, opening his mouth split to the back of his head.
Whoosh!
All the rising ck gas was sucked into his mouth.
Lumian had his hands in his pockets, smiling and watching this scene, his expression very leisurely.
From breaking through the human skin castle''s outer defensive line, to gradually advancing and cutting off their escape hopes, to repeatedly attacking the castle itself andpletely destroying it, Lumian never personally acted, allowing Jenna and others to freely perform and cooperate tacitly.
He was only responsible for centralmand, sharing appropriate abilities at critical moments.
"Not strong enough," Franca finally felt like a Demoness amidst those wails and curses.
The only issue was that the master of the human skin castle was just a Sequence 4 Tree Supplicant, a bestowed by the Mother Tree of Desire, though he had a group of Low and Mid-Sequence subordinates and numerous loyal cultists. The human skin castle itself was like a sacrificial ritual that could briefly disy power equivalent to Sequence 2 by sacrificing many humans, but it fundamentally couldn''t resist a true Angel, let alone an Angel leading a team.
"Overwhelming the weak and sweeping through armies is also a form of war, which is quite helpful for digesting the War Bishop role," Lumianughed and responded to Franca. "Moreover, previously abstract cooperation has now be a tangibly perceptible thing."
What Lumian didn''t say was that he was essentially equivalent to a priest or bishop of the City of Cmity or 0-01 due to his close connections, with only the war aspectcking.
Over the past week, Mr. Star and Mr. Moon had each discovered a base secretly established by the Rose School of Thought, both handed over to Lumian to handle, giving him the opportunity tounch two small wars.
Seeing Ludwig consume all the dispersed boons'' power, Jenna retracted her gaze and said to Lumian with some worry, "I know the Southern Continent is chaotic, but getting opportunities for two small wars in just over a weekisn''t this too frequent?"
Lumian chuckled and said, "These are signs.
"Signs of chaos and conflict, signs that the apocalypse will arrive early."
Before Jenna and others could respond, Lumian waved to Ludwig in mid-air, saying, "Let''s head back. Let''s have a barbecue party today."
ording to their agreement, apart from the dispersed boons'' power, all other spoils had to be left for the intelligence providersMr. Star or Mr. Moon.
In the luxurious vi in Trier that currently belonged to Lumian and hispanions.
Jenna was using invisible spider silk to quickly slice and string meat skewers while watching Lumian, who despite having extremely strong fire maniption abilities, was seriously managing charcoal for grilling meat.
Lumian wore a smile, rxed, tasting a piece while grilling.
He''s not worried about those signs at all No, not that he''s not worried, but he worries when he should worry, fights when he should fight, and enjoys life when he should enjoy life. Jenna thought, her eyes subtly moving.
Over the past week, Lumian, who had made certain progress in digesting the Weather Warlock potion and stabilized his state, was behaving quite normally. Their rtionship had returned to the period before the Vortex incident, and moreover, Lumian had clearly be more proactive.
But from some details, Jenna could still sense that Lumian was slightly different from before.
A normal person would inevitably be affected in daily life when encountering worrying matters. Lumian''s ability topletely detach himself indicated he was deliberately controlling his emotions.
Even at Sequence 2, godhood ultimately brings certain, permanent influences Jenna suddenly felt somewhat emotional.
"What ''s on your mind?" Franca, helping beside her, asked curiously.
Jenna lowered her voice and shared her recent feelings with Franca in a concise manner.
Franca pursed her lips and said, "Just treat it as a natural change in mindset and perception that everyone experiences as they grow older and are tempered by various experiences"
She stopped midway.
Wasn''t this true for herself as well?
The same applied to Jenna. Walking step by step to her current Sequence, she had more or less abandoned some of her original insistences.
Just as Jenna was about to say something, she saw Lumian throw a grilled meat skewer aside, and Ludwig, who somehow had moved there, bit into the food in one mouthful.
"Feeding a dog?" Francaughingly scolded Lumian.
Jenna couldn''t help butugh as well.
Deep in Fourth Epoch Trier, dense fog isted sensory perception and spirituality, making the partially copsed buildings in the distance appear hazy and indistinct.
The Unshadowed had filled the surrounding thirty to forty meters with pure, holy sunlight, to the point where even each person''s shadow had disappeared.
The quietly rolling fog was blocked outside the sunlight, but the light could not reach further.
Angoulme cast his gaze toward Jack Walton.
The prior of Deep Valley Cloister, a Saint-level monk, was holding an unusual circr disk covered inplex patterns with a mirror-like luster.
ced on the disk was an object supposedly from the Louis Gustav family crest, which swayed left and right before finally settling in a certain direction.
"Over there." Jack Walton was leading this search.
The disk was something he had made just two days ago, derived from a revtion''s knowledge. The Gustav family crest was not a real object, but a historical projectionthis did not impede its role as a medium pointing toward Louis Gustav.
Just as Angoulme and the other Unshadowed followed Jack Walton into a new street, a ck shadow suddenly passed in front of them.
The shadow was slightly hunched, moving slowly at the intersection.
At a nce, it looked like a person, but upon closer inspection, it seemed like a gathering of viscous ck liquid.
"A Montsouris ghost!" Angoulme quickly identified the origin of the ck shadow.
This left Jack Walton and other clergy from the Church of Steam and Machinery confused.
Weren''t Montsouris ghosts supposed to wander in Underground Trier? How could they enter Fourth Epoch Trier?
Information about Montsouris ghosts quickly shed through the minds of these demigods who were not afraid of ghostly curses, quickly reminding them that these "ghosts" were not always present and had appeared only in recent times.
Did Montsouris ghostse out of Fourth Epoch Trier? And more than one? Such spection emerged in the minds of Jack Walton and other Saints.
In the luxurious vi. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Lumian suddenly felt his entire body go icy cold, unable to breathe, as if sinking into viscous river water.
The next second, his eyes reflected a ck shadow resembling a hunched elderly person.
A Montsouris ghost!
Lumian''s heart tightened, and he sat up abruptly.
He truly opened his eyes, seeing everything in the room waspletely normal, with no Montsouris ghost in sight!
"What happened?" Franca, wrapped in a thin nket and yawning, also sat up.
Lumian was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I dreamed of a Montsouris ghost."
Franca was first stunned, then her expression turned solemn. "For a Demoness, this could be a spiritual premonition."
Chapter 1100 Montsouris Ghosts
Chapter 1100 Montsouris Ghosts
Lumian leaped out of bed and walked to the window.
Blue-violet mes rolled out from within his body, quickly condensing into pieces of iron-ck armor.
In the blink of an eye, Lumian had transformed into a knight d in full armor.
After digesting the potion to a certain degree and stabilizing his condition, he could finally transform his mes into actual weapons or armor, though he could only maintain this for 10 minutes.
Lumian reached the window and looked outside, seeing only the bright crimson moon, sparse twinkling stars, and a quiet, peaceful night with nothing unusual.
He made an instant decision, issuing orders to each team member through the mental channel: "Get ready. We''ll move to the New City of Silver in five seconds."
Learning from the experience and lessons of the Vortex incident, Lumian chose to immediately leave Trier, taking his team members to the Church of The Fool''s headquarters to maximally avoid potential idents.
Once in a safe location, they could report to Mr. Fool, await possible orders, think about what had happened, and n their next steps.
As Lumian''s voice echoed in their minds, Franca used invisible spider silk to help her change clothes, tie her ponytail, and enterbat mode. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Five seconds quickly passed, and Lumian didn''t wait for Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig to gather before directly activating the ck mark on his right shoulder.
As a team leader, he no longer needed to grab his team members'' shoulders to teleport them to their destinationthe only requirement was that they be within a 10-kilometer range.
Amid rapidly recedingyers of color blocks, Lumian and the others appeared at the entrance of the Church of The Fool''s headquarters.
After confirming this was real and not a mirror image or scene from a painting, Lumian let out an undisguised sigh of relief.
"What happened?" asked Jenna, wearing a dress as sleepwear.
"I dreamed I was attacked by a Montsouris ghost," Lumian said while walking toward the headquarters cathedral, which remained open even in the deep night.
"As an Angel and former Demoness, all dreams necessarily have meaning," Franca exined, following along. "Moreover, as far as I know, the Eternal zing Sun Church and the Church of Steam and Machinery are sending several Saints carrying Sealed Artifacts into Fourth Epoch Trier tonight, hoping to eliminate Louis Gustav and Madame Puals."
"As an Angel and former Demoness, all dreams necessarily have meaning," Franca exined, following along. "Moreover, as far as I know, the Eternal zing Sun Church and the Church of Steam and Machinery are sending several Saints carrying Sealed Artifacts into Fourth Epoch Trier tonight, hoping to eliminate Louis Gustav and Madame Puals."
Anthony connected the previous statements and spected, "Due to the influence of the two Churches'' actions, Fourth Epoch Trier experienced some anomalies, triggering Lumian''s spiritual premonition?"
Lumian crossed the spacious area and sat in the first row of seats facing the Fool''s holy emblem, smiling as he responded to Anthony, "I wouldn''t leave Trier if it were just the anomalies and potential effects from Montsouris ghosts. With evil gods temporarily unable to descend, I don''t actually need to worry too much. Plus, you''re all practically half-Angels now. As long as you don''t leave the team''s effective range, safety is sufficiently guaranteed. Together,bined with the ability to get help by sacrificing to the essence of war, we could resist even a Sequence 1 Archangel for some time, maybe even with hope of victory.
"But since this involves Madame Puals, it''s better to stay awaycmity needs to stay away from the mother."
"Yeah." Jenna strongly agreed with Lumian''s choice.
She sat down too, letting mirrors fly out from the Traveler''s Bag. "Stay alert tonight. If anything unusual urs, immediately organize believers to take refuge in the nearest orthodox cathedrals," Jenna transmitted these messages to the various bishops and priests of the Sick Church through the mirror world and marked mirrors.
Meanwhile, mirrors also flew out from Lumian and Franca''s Traveler''s Bags.
Using mirrors they had positioned that were still in Trier, they projected the corresponding scenes onto the mirrors before them to observe the subsequent situation and respond in time.
After finishing this, Lumian lowered his head, pressed his hand to his chest, and began to pray.
Deep in Fourth Epoch Trier.
Upon encountering the Montsouris ghost, Angoulme turned to the monk Jack Walton, "Should we eliminate it?"
Even if he weren''t an Unshadowed, Angoulme wouldn''t fear Montsouris ghosts, as these ghosts hadn''t previously shown particrly strong power and would even avoid the protection of orthodox Churches. Even if they could cause trouble for Saints, it would at most be an annoyance.
Moreover, Beyonders of the Sun pathway were most effective against such dark, ck evil beings named after ghosts.
Jack Walton, as the leader of this search and cleanup operation, thought for two seconds.
"Yes, but don''t cause too muchmotion."
He remembered that Montsouris ghosts'' curses were extremely persistent. He worried that in the uing battle with Madame Puals, these ghosts might suddenly join in and interfere from the side, potentially tipping the bnce in an already dangerous fight. Better to clear them out now while it was rtively safe.
Angoulme quickly said to his two colleagues, "Prepare to remove the seal."
For this operation, the Eternal zing Sun Church and the Church of Steam and Machinery had each provided their clergy with a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to ensure the ultimate goal could be achieved.
Both Churches had long known that the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess from the Rose School of Thought had allegedly fallen into the hands of Madame Puals, who was hiding in Fourth Epoch Trier. This was also a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, and among the more powerful ones at that grade.
Under these circumstances, simply sending six Saints to search for and eliminate Madame Puals and Louis Gustav would be sending them to their deaths. Therefore, each team carried a targeted Grade 0 sealed artifact that could counter the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess to some degree.
Since passing through the "Blood Well" became more dangerous with higher Sequences, they didn''t send Angels but deployed Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts instead!
With these two Sealed Artifacts, even if Angoulme and the others couldn''t kill Madame Puals, they could hold her off. Then the Eternal zing Sun and God of Steam and Machinery could locate Their high-ranking clergy and, using them as mediums, deliver a fatal blow to Madame Puals through the seal.
As the three Unshadowed began removing the seal on the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, the Montsouris ghost slowly crossing the intersection suddenly changed direction and walked toward them step by step.
Jack Walton, dressed as an ancient stonemason, watched as the Montsouris ghost quickly transformed from a rather blurry shadow into something clear.
It truly wasn''t a hunched elderly personits main body was viscous ck liquid that had been stretched into human form by some influence.
Those drops of ck liquid stacked together, their edges merging while their cores remained independent.
Within each independent ck liquid core appeared different facessomeughing wildly, some walking among dismembered limbs and internal organs, some filled with anger, some with dark red eyes, some unting their own lust, some wearing nes strung with human skulls
They were all distorted and shouted in unison at Angoulme and Jack Walton, "Human nature is evil!"
This was Devil Language!
As these words echoed, the three Unshadowed were unaffected, but the clergy from the Church of Steam and Machinery, including Jack Walton, suddenly felt intense malice.
It was resentment from being assigned to dangerous missions.
Then, Jack Walton and the other Saints saw more hunched ck shadows slowly emerging from the intersection behind them and the alleys on both sides.
They all appeared to be Montsouris ghosts.
Dozens, hundreds of Montsouris ghosts!
Meanwhile, the first ck shadowthat Montsouris ghosthad its stomach rapidly swell up, then split open, spewing out viscous ck liquid that stretched and elongated to form a new Montsouris ghost.
Seeing this, Angoulme, Jack Walton, and the others suddenly had a realization.
Montsouris ghosts shouldn''t normally undergo such changes.
This was a phenomenon possible only through the Earth, Moon, or Banshee pathways!
Was this Madame Puals''s doing?
And what did the Montsouris ghosts correspond to? What developments would such proliferation bring?
"Human nature is evil" The ghost''s earlier words suddenly echoed in Angoulme''s mind.
As far as he knew, the evil of human nature corresponded to the Devil and Prisoner pathways, both deeply influenced by the Mother Tree of Desire.
Right Angoulme''s temple suddenly throbbed.
The Shadow of the Beauty Goddess allegedly obtained by Madame Puals came from the Rose School of Thought, and the Rose School controlled the Prisoner pathway as loyal followers of the Mother Tree of Desire!
At this thought, Angoulme formed a spection that frightened even him as an Unshadowed:
the transaction involving the Shadow of the Beauty Goddess during the Vortex incident wasn''t just a one-time dealit concealed some subsequent cooperation!
The Vortex incident had ended, but its influence continued. The Great Mother and the Mother Tree of Desire had reached some understanding and decided to cooperate to a limited extent on certain matters!
Angoulme''s expression tensed as he said gravely, "Clear out the Montsouris ghosts here quickly!"
Anyter, unwanted mutations might ur!
As Angoulme spoke these words, in Underground Trier, near the seal of Fourth Epoch Trier in a certain mine, a brownish-green, gnarled-rooted, semi-real giant tree suddenly grew.
It extended branch after branch, growing extremely fast, as if it had received the best healing and most abundant nutrition.
New City of Silver, Church of The Fool''s headquarters.
Through the floating mirrors before them, Lumian and the others saw that under the dark night, in many corners of Trier, the ground was cracking open as brownish-green roots or branches grew out.
"Tree of Shadow?" Lumian stood up and chuckled. "Heh, I really want to go back to Trier now and burn it. It couldn''t be burned to death before, but today might be different."
He now had the Fire of Destruction!
Just as Lumian finished speaking, he suddenly turned his gaze toward the rows ofrge windows in the cathedral.
Outside the windows, the crimson moon had grown veryrge and hung very low, as if it had pressed against an invisible barrier.
Chapter 1101 That Very Moment
Chapter 1101 That Very Moment
Deep in Fourth Epoch Trier, on streets surrounded by thick fog.
Within the Unshadowed Domain that eliminated all shadows and darkness, Angoulme and his two colleagues had reached the critical moment of removing the item''s seal.
What none of them expected was that the finalyer binding this Sealed Artifact was ordinary paper without any supernatural elements.
These papers seemed torn from some ancient text, with lines of handwritten ancient Feysac:
"I am the Beginning and the End."
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
"God spake, ''Let there be light,'' and there was light."
"The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; His Spirit moved upon the face of the waters."
"He called the light Day, and the darkness Night."
""
These sheets of paper were attached to the Sealed Artifact,pletely wrapping it. The sentences written on them were simr yet different from the Eternal zing Sun Church''s scripture, but contained no sacred supernatural power.
Angoulme''s eyes focused as he saw this, unconsciously slowing his motion of tearing off the paper.
His two colleagues were unaffected, quickly exposing the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to Fourth Epoch Trier.
The next second, an intense, golden, sacred sun appeared in the thick fog above.
0-15The Fourth Sun!
Suddenly, the Fog of War within two kilometers evaporated and dissolved without a trace. The Montsouris ghosts slowly approaching Angoulme and Jack Walton from different directions began making sizzling sounds, quickly being purified into ck vapor that diffused upward.
Some of this ck vapor gradually dissipated, while other parts swelled and twisted, revealing faces disying different forms of malice.
They rapidly flew upward, reaching the invisible, colorless mes that served as the sky, concentrating in one area.
This portion of ck vapor was quickly burned away, leaving only faint patches.
Just as these patches were about to melt away, more Montsouris ghosts flew out from different parts of Fourth Epoch Trier.
They threw themselves into the light ck patches one after another, preventing them from disappearing, trying to deepen them, maintaining them within the invisible, colorless mes for a while longer, and eroding upward.
Seeing this scene, Jack Walton, whose malice was rapidly dissipating under the influence of The Fourth Sun, furrowed his brow.
He felt something was already happening!
He hurriedly said to his two colleagues, "Use the Sealed Artifact!"
The Sealed Artifact they carried was 0-59The Divine Kingdom Without People."
At the bottom of Underground Trier, the miraculously healed Tree of Shadow frantically extended its roots and branches toward the seal and the ground-level city districts.
Each piece of its bark seemed to be a crystallization of different scenes of desire from past historythick, settled, and difficult to truly destroy.
Its brownish-green roots quickly approached thatyer of invisible, colorless mes, yet didn''t attempt to touch it, as they would surely be burned through.
Suddenly, two figures appeared on either side of its massive trunk.
These two figures looked simrboth tall and enormous, humanoid yet like grotesque trees, covered in pitch-ck, viscous tar-like liquid, with numerous bizarre and sickening arms growing from them. The surface of these arms either had bulging crimson eyeballs with prominent blood vessels, or were embedded with pale skull heads, or were covered with tongues bearing sharp teeth, and so onthere were too many variations to count. They spread an extremely evil and intensely mad sensation in all directions, causing the mine tunnels and earth to crack and split.
These were Abomination Suah and His sister Tiri.
They were currently disying Their true form as Abominations, not their Mythical Creature forms from the Prisoner pathway. However, as Abominations, They inherently carried madness, evil, distortion, chaos, hatred, indulgence, and curse, causing effects equivalent to revealing Their Mythical Creature forms on Their surroundings.
One could say that Their Abomination appearances were a product of Their self-perceptionbined with Theirplete Mythical Creature forms.
As soon as Suah and Tiri appeared, They each chose a section of the brownish-green trunk and merged Themselves into the Tree of Shadow.
The crown of the Tree of Shadow finally broke through the ground, growing toward the sky, attempting to epass all of Trier within its shade.
Its roots truly extended into thatyer of invisible, colorless mes, being burned off section by section, yet continuously growing new ones, striving to extend downward.
Outside Saint Vive Cathedral in the ind area, the pure brilliant sunlight was pushed back by branches oozing viscous ck liquid, as if trying to create a world of shadows here.
The Church of the God of Steam and Machinery''s patriarchal cathedral in the north encountered simr circumstances.
And because the Tree of Shadow''s power extending to the surface was concentrated in these few ces, citizens across Trier''s districts merely dreamed dreams of different desires, dreams that had not yet crossed from illusion into reality.
In the still-operating bars and dance halls, the atmosphere suddenly intensified, with everyone falling into a psychedelic state.
Saint Vive, utilizing the cathedral''syout, strenuously resisted the invasion of those pitch-ck viscous branches, preventing harm to the clergy and faithful who had taken shelter here.
She didn''t panic.
In Her view, the Rose School of Thoughts indulgence faction re-activating the Tree of Shadow wasn''t something unstoppable.
If Fourth Epoch Trier''s seal were truly so easily destroyed, the Rose School of Thought and other evil god sects would have done so long agowhy wait until today to expend such effort?
Even if the crimson moon descending to the barrier, appearing round and bright, truly suppressed the orthodox gods, preventing Them from dealing with the Tree of Shadow problem, there were still two existences within the barrier who could take action. And the strongest subordinates the Great Old Ones couldmand in this world were just Suah and Tiri, who weren''t even in the same league as their side.
If the Rose School of Thought''s indulgence faction truly wanted to go all in, they should have wagered everything duringst year''s Tree of Shadow incident, when Mr. Fool had not yet partially awakened.
And even without counting the two existences, their side''s number of Angels far exceeded the evil god sects. As long as they held on a bit longer, preventing the Tree of Shadow from destroying surface Trier and causing mass civilian deaths, sufficient reinforcements would soon arrive.
This amount of time was insufficient to destroy Fourth Epoch Trier''s seal.
Was it that the Rose School of Thought and other evil god sects didn''t want to use the current approach in the past?
In the midst of Her doubts, Saint Vive suddenly became vignt.
Could something have simultaneously gone wrong with Fourth Epoch Trier?
If coordinated on the inside and outside, the seal might truly be broken in a short time!
Just then, Saint Vive saw before the crimson moonwhich appeared so huge it seemed to hang by the cathedral bell towera figure descending from the sky, growingrger andrger, wearing a medium-tall silk top hat, ck windbreaker, and holding a stardust-iid cane.
The easternmost part of the Sonia Sea, the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
At the highest point of the majestic mountain range, darkness was thick, sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting.
Midseashire north coast, East Tilisi Province, capital city Tilisi.
Madam Justice suddenly had a spiritual premonition and opened her eyes.
She saw before her a verdant field, with several scarecrows standing in it, a clear stream flowing through, like a pastoral scene from an oil painting.
A dream As a Dreamweaver, Madam Justice quickly understood what she had encountered.
And there weren''t many beings in this world capable of weaving such a dream for her.
Madam Justice instantly thought of one possibility: the ancient dragon Edefana she had been pursuing!
This was one of the few remaining mind dragons.
I''ve searched for years without finding Him, yet He hase to me? Madam Justice found this somewhat absurd.
Absurdity implied abnormality, and abnormality necessarily indicated problems.
What Madam Justice cared more about was, if this dream was truly woven by Edefana, why did He choose today, why choose this moment?
Justice didn''t hesitate, taking out a card.
The card portrayed an impartial goddess seated on a stone chair, wielding a sword and scales. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Tarot card, Justice card!
After praying to Mr. Fool, Justice began reciting her friend''s honorific name, "Cosmic Traveler, beholden to the King of Yellow and ck, and the Sorcerer chronicling the world"
Southern Continent, inside a ck ancient castle.
Mr. Moon Emlyn stood at the window, gazing up at the crimson moon that appeared huge and dreamlike due to its proximity.
He felt his spirituality boiling.
As he was struggling to control himself, the crimson moonlight shone into the ancient castle, conveying a mellow voice, "Alexis has suddenly disappeared. Find him as soon as possible."
This voice came from one of the three great Sanguine dukes, Olmertitled Round Moon.
Alexis disappeared? Mr. Moon repeated these words.
Alexis was one of Duke Round Moon Olmer''s direct descendants, a Sanguine count residing in Feynapotter City, the capital of the Feynapotter Kingdom.
In the past, The Moon Emlyn wouldn''t have thought this order contained any hidden information, but now, he thought more: Alexis disappeared suddenly?
If it was sudden, how did Duke Round Moon discover it so quickly?
As a direct rtive, did the Duke Round Moon have a bad premonition due to Alexis''s disappearance?
Sonia Sea, New City of Silver, Church of The Fool''s Headquarters.
Lumian and others saw the unrestrained growth of the Tree of Shadow.
"Wasn''t it supposed to take many years before it would grow again?" Franca muttered to herself. "Did it receive healing, and its original wounds have healed?"
Lumian nodded pensively.
"The Great Mother''s influence really seems to be hidden behind this"
Jenna, who had been pondering a certain question, suddenly turned her gaze toward the twin towers and asked vigntly, "Would the Gift of the Land being Omebe''s remains, count as a ''mother?''"
"Should cmity stay away?"
Lumian was momentarily stunned.
He had borrowed the Gift of the Land before without any problems.
But that seemed to be before Mr. Fool made the revtion that "cmity needs to stay away from the mother"!
Meanwhile, in a hotel in the New City of Silver.
A man with neatlybed ck hair, beautiful crimson eyes, and an elegant bow tie at his chest pulled a card from his pocket.
The card depicted a female version of Emperor Roselle wearing maternity clothes, with a protruding belly, radiating maternal glory.
Card of sphemy, Mother card!
Chapter 1102: Valley God
The moment the Mother card was taken out, it seemed to sense something and its surface emanated a crimson glow even before being activated by an incantation.
It immediately transformed into an invisible vortex, frantically absorbing its holder''s spirit and spirituality.
Then, it became heavy, turning into a miniature book.
The book''s pages fluttered in the wind, revealing its first page.
On it was depicted Emperor Roselle dressed as a farmer, leaning on a hoe and gazing at rain clouds in the sky, with lines of ancient Feysac text written beside it: "Sequence 9, nter..."
Immediately after, the book rapidly flipped backward. from "Sequence 8, Doctor" all the way to "Sequence 1, Naturewalker."
After Naturewalker was a female version of Emperor Roselle wearing a loose long dress, holding an infant, with two children standing beside him.
This page''s title was: "Sequence 0, Mother"!
Almost simultaneously, crimson moonlight began shining from the infant in female Roselle''s arms.This grew increasingly bright, making the infant gradually appear like a full moon, reflecting andplementing the real crimson moon hanging low in the sky, seemingly suspended above the cathedral bell tower.
Within the miniature crimson moon, several lines of ancient Feysac text that hadn''t existed before appeared: "Sequence 1, Valley God (or Tree God)."
Below this brand new Sequence 1 title, there were two descriptions, one on the left and one on the right:
"The Valley God is the root of heaven and earth."
"The Tree God, supporting heaven and connecting earth, propagates endlessly."
The crimson-eyed man holding this Mother card had just begun to smile when his expression suddenly froze.
He looked down to find that brownish, slightly withered tree roots had extended from the back of the Card of sphemy. These roots had pierced into his body, growing and spreading numerous root systems. frantically draining his life force.
The crimson-eyed man was stunned for a second before rxing his expression.
He already understood what was happening.
But it didn''t matter-all things would eventually return to thend, return to the mother''s embrace!
It''s just a bit early for me, but I will experience the warmth and security of mother''s embrace sooner.
His full face began to cave in, his smooth skin gradually withering.
At the bottom of the spire within the twin towers at the core of New City of Silver.
The enormous seven or eight meter high trunk "sleeping" in the morning light, nted in a pile of brownish soil, suddenly trembled slightly.
Its grayish-brown wood quickly exuded moisture, andrge amounts of previously peeled and missing bark visibly grew back.
The surrounding morning light suddenly surged into its body, cutting through its "flesh" while witnessing its rebirth.
Its withered feeling gradually disappeared as it slowly became full and robust.
Suddenly, it broke free from the restraint of the brownish soil pile and vanished from the bottom of the round tower.
In the cathedral of the Church of The Fool''s headquarters.
Warned by Jenna, Lumian redirected his gaze to the mirrors floating before him and to the brownish-green Tree of Shadow that was breaking through the ground and growing upward. ?
Anthony understood that Lumian had realized New City of Silver wasn''t entirely safe either-it contained the remains of the City of Silver residents'' former "mother," Giant Queen Omebe, and cmity needed to stay away from the mother.
This would make normal people want to quickly retreat, but for High-Sequence Hunters, constantly running away wasn''t a choice that aligned with their godhood: Having fled Trier, should they now flee New City of Silver too?
Should they keep running forever?
Anthony believed this would spark intense fighting spirit in Lumian. If his humanity wasn''t abundant enough and his control over his mental state and emotions wasn''t strong enough, he would choose to return to Trier to directly confront the Tree of Shadow and thwart the evil god cults'' conspiracy.
Before Anthony could offer advice or use cate, Lumian forcefully withdrew his gaze and made the floating mirrors return to the Traveler''s Bag.
He said gravely to his team members, "Now we''ll move to the Cathedral of Serenity."
The Cathedral of Serenity was the Church of the Evernight Goddess''s headquarters and Holy Cathedral.
As he spoke, Lumian activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, using Teleport again.
Just as the spirit world with itsyered colors and numerous strange creatures appeared before them, everything suddenly spun and they plummeted downward.
Before Lumian could react, his feet had alreadynded on solid ground.
They arrived in an endless wilderness overgrown with weeds, with an oak tree of indescribable size growing in its depths.
It was blue-green, its roots deeply embedded in the earth, its crown prating the clouds as if supporting the sky, holding up a crimson full moon.
It was like a pir reaching to heaven, supporting the entire world, allowing this wilderness to exist.
The mottled bark of this sky-supporting oak bore scorch marks from lightning strikes, but beneath the charred areasy signs of life.
Higher up, the oak had more new branches, many entwined with lush, vibrant mistletoe.
At this moment, in the middle of this giant oak that supported the sky and anchored the earth,rge amounts of mottled bark bulged out, outlining a huge, gentle, feminine face, with two giant crimson flowers serving as its eyes.
"Mother...
"Omebe"
In Lumian''s mind, these two terms naturally shed through.
He instinctively tried to activate the ck mark on his right shoulder again, but he could not sense the spirit world beyond this wilderness, nor could he sense the areas he originally had positions for.
Paramita!
At the same time, Lumian remembered something else:
His Teleport ability came from Zedus!
And Zedus was one of the Great Mother''s twins, Omebe''s younger brother, whose power presumably came from a boon, and currently possessed no Beyonder characteristics.
Even if such an Angel was conquered by 0-01, there should still be a trace of the Great Mother''s spirit hidden within His power.
This was what the Great Mother excelled at!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
So, at the crucial moment, she sacrificed this bit of spirit to interfere with my Teleport, making me ''voluntarily enter the Paramita created by the Gift of the Land? And Gift of the Land somehow became activated and received strange enhancements... This thought shed quickly through Lumian''s mind.
Franca''ske-blue eyes had already be profound. seemingly concealingyers uponyers of darkness.
In the green fields dotted with scarecrows.
Madam Magician, wearing a white nightgown, opened a door forged from brilliant starlight and entered this dream.
She only looked around once before making a guess about the dream''s weaver.
"Edefana?"
This was an ancient mind dragon, an Angel-level Discerner.
Excluding those who were transformed from humans, He was one of only three ancient dragons currently remaining.
"What''s happening in the outside world?" Madam Justice Audrey asked instead of answering.
As a Dreamweaver, she had tried to leave this dream but failed.
Madam Magician answered truthfully, "The Tree of Shadow in Trier is causing trouble again, supposedly receiving help from the Great Mother''s subordinates. However, don''t worry, Mr. Fool has already descended there."
Madam Justice showed a puzzled expression. "So. Edefana took this opportunity to find me?
"How did He know Mr. Fool would descend to Trier?"
Madam Magician paused briefly before saying.
"Drawing me here to help must have also been part of His n
"So you had enough time to pray to Mr. Fool and speak my name, avoiding an ambush."
Just as the neswalker finished speaking, the dream''s sky was suddenly covered by a shadow.
That shadow was a grayish-white dragon, circling in flight, with a lizard-like face showing obvious signs of age.
In Trier, Mr. Fool, wearing a medium-height silk top hat and ck coat, was unaffected by the ground and tree branches as he passed throughyers of void,nding before the brownish-green Tree of Shadow''s trunk.
He thrust his star-dust iid cane forward, watching the thick, solid bark copse and destroy itself inrge amounts.
Each piece of bark, each branch, each leaf suddenly became ethereal, revealing scenes of Trier''s citizens disying various desires over the past one or two thousand years.
Some were normal, others indulgent, showing affairs at luxurious parties, warmth of tight embraces in cold small rooms, wasteful tables of abandoned food, and miserly parents reluctant to feed their children enough...
They interwoveyer uponyer, cascading down as weighty history, a tome of desires, something that couldn''t bepletely destroyed by normal attacks, requiring peeling awayyer byyer.
Mr. Fool withdrew his star-dust iid cane.
Grayish-white fog emerged ordingly, enveloping the Tree of Shadow''s main trunk.
Fog of History!
In Fourth Epoch Trier.
Just as Angoulme and other Unshadowed were about to raise The Fourth Day higher to eliminate the Montsouris ghosts who kept throwing themselves into the invisible, colorless mes, they suddenly heard a cry.
It was the cry of infants, countless infants crying.
Jack Walton and others immediately looked toward the entrance of the street, seeing a figure staggering toward them.
The figure had chestnut-colored long hair and azure eyes, deliberately dressed as Emperor Roselle.
His body was already swollen, with bird-wed infants tearing through flesh and skin to emerge from his ribs, abdomen, chest, thighs, and arms, crying loudly in search of nursing.
In Paramita.
Lumian''s voice echoed in Franca and the others'' minds: "Don''t enter the mirror world for now."
The mirror world was connected to the special mirror world!
In the current chaotic situation, who knows what people might be lying in ambush in the mirror world, waiting to drag them into the special mirror world!
Since they had already encountered Mother, they shouldn''t fall into the special mirror world trap as well.
Lumian slightly bent down, looking at the giant sky- supporting oak tree, and said with a smile in the team''s minds: "Since we couldn''t escape, then... let''s fight!"
Chapter 1103: True Plan
Apanying Lumian''s words, Franca, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig simultaneously raised both arms.
The numerous white clouds surrounding the giant oak tree''s crown suddenly turned gloomy, appearing even more substantial.
Countless silver-white electric serpents began leaping between theyered dark clouds, intertwining as if trying to form a single entity.
At this moment, Lumian suddenly clenched his fist.
A massive silver-white lightning bolt, illuminating the entire Paramita, rapidly descended, striking the giant oak tree transformed from Omebe''s remnants.
Lumian was recalling the effect of shouting the incantation "Leodero" when facing a simr oak tree embodying Madame Pualis in the dream city, and decided to imitate and recreate it.
At this time, the crimson moon had pressed against the invisible barrier, and Lord of Storms Leodero certainly couldn''t spare the effort to bring down divine punishment, so he could only create this through a Weather Warlock''s Beyonder powers.
Moreover, Lumian was not the only one "controlling the weather" he had also made Franca and the other team members do simr things simultaneously.
Rather than concentrating everyone''s power on himself to enhance the thunderstorm''s might, allowing each person to "control the weather" and then stack these efforts together would not only prevent weakening the effect but might also potentially trigger chain reactions or chaotic changes, making the thunderstorm more pronounced and exaggerated.This was the nature of weather-even a butterfly''s wing p could progressively evolve into a hurricane, let alone five people simultaneously manipting and creating a thunderstorm.
When the massive lightning that illuminated the entire Paramita fell, the female face on the giant oak tree''s surface had already opened its mouth.
The raging wind brought by the thunderstorm was instantly sucked inside, and the high-altitude dark clouds converged toward the massive mouth in a funnel shape.
The silver-white lightning, resembling a divine tree, naturally dposed, with most of it being swallowed by the female face on the tree''s surface, and a small portion striking the tree''s crown, bark, and branches.
Some bark instantly turned charcoal-ck and peeled downward, with branches breaking and catching fire.
At these wounded spots, the tree''s heart writhed and grew, ready to regenerate.
Simultaneously, all grass in Paramita withered at once, the ground cracking inch by inch, as if losing all moisture or having life rapidly drain away.
Lumian and the others were no exception.
They also saw that around the giant oak tree, some soil swelled and rolled, forming over a dozen yellow-brown humanoid puppets, all massive in size, swaying and about to take their first steps.
Ludwig opened his mouth and suddenly swallowed the toxic gas that had been diffusing in the surrounding air at some unknown time.
Immediately afterward, every member of their team transformed into fire balls of blue-purple hue, roaring as they rushed toward the giant oak tree.
Rumble!
Thunder finally sounded in the high sky.
Violet-tinted blue mes rapidly spread, turning everywhere Lumian and hispanions passed into a me hell.
Those dozen yellow-brown puppets didn''t even have time to make any movement before being roasted crisp by the approaching high temperature,pletely copsing when the blue-violet fireball arrived.
Just as Lumian''s group, transformed into a fireball, was about to strike the giant oak tree, that sky-supporting behemoth suddenly disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, at another location in Paramita, the ground swelled high, soil sshing, and a green giant oak tree grew out again.
Lumian and his team failed to hit their target, allowing them to re-materialize their forms.
Around them, cracked soil erupted with brown tree roots that shot out from all directions, covering the sky and earth.
Lumian''s spiritual intuition told him that being struck by these roots would likely mean death, or worse, losing control.
Death wasn''t terrifying-each team member had a Mirror Substitution-but losing control was something even a Demoness of Unaging couldn''t resist!
Dense fog suddenly surged in the area, enveloping Lumian''s group and dozens of kilometers of wilderness.
The brown tree roots emerging from the ground were also shrouded by the Fog of War, losing their target, unable to find a trace, stupidly freezing in midair.
Near the sky-supporting giant oak tree, Lumian''s team''s figures suddenly outlined.
They surrounded the massive entity from different directions, each holding a ck me sword that restrained destruction and violence.
Immediately after, they sessively struck with the Swords of Destruction.
This wasn''t about being unable to move in unison, but about attacking in waves, maintaining reserves, leaving room to respond to potential enemy surprises.
Silently, the giant oak tree was covered in vibrant green radiance.
Then, it transformed into light and drilled into the ground, instantly vanishing, even preventing Jenna from adjusting the direction of the Sword of Destruction she had deliberately dyed.
Those ck me swords restraining madness fell on the t, unbroken ground, burning a deep pit, cutting down and burning the remaining brown tree roots to ash.
"Escaping through the earth?" Franca hissed in the mental channel, "This is too hard to fight!"
More importantly, their life force was rapidly depleting, unable to sustain such a battle for long.
Lumian calmly responded, "Proceed as nned."
This was also a reminder to Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig.
As theymunicated mentally, dense Fog of War again spread out, making any subsequent attacks unable to lock onto a target.
Thus, Lumian''s team fought intensely against the constantly relocating giant oak tree, relying on abilities like Fog of War, collective Teleportation, Weakness Investigation, Sword of Destruction, thunderstorm weather, arrival of winter, Mirror Substitution, and Demoness curses.
After a while, Lumian suddenly said in every team member''s mind: Here''s the chance!
They Blinked again to the giant oak tree''s surroundings. Lumian''s azure eyes turned iron-ck, revealing the target''s pale areas.
Franca let gray-white colors surge forth, rushing to the oak tree''s base, attempting to Petrify the soil and bring it under her control, preventing the enemy from quickly moving via the ground.
Facing the sky-supporting behemoth, Jenna smiled and fully disyed the Charm Lumian had shared.
She wanted to make the giant oak tree briefly lose consciousness and fail to dodge in time.
On another side, Anthony quietly approached in a Psychological Invisibility state, condensing a ck me sword, and struck the target''s weakness as Lumian suggested.
Ludwig, small in stature, raised a Sword of Destruction muchrger than himself, attacking from the front to draw the enemy''s attention.
Suddenly, the giant oak tree''s branches and leaves swayed, and a wet, bumpy protrusion emerged from its trunk.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The bump quickly split open, birthing a "child".
This "child" wasposed of countless intertwined silver-white electric snakes, the lightning previously swallowed, now "reborn".
Crack!
The "child" instantly disintegrated, terrifying, bright lightning sweeping the surroundings.
Anthony''s body instantly shattered, and Ludwig, Franca, and Jenna also broke into numerous mirror fragments.
Lumian''s figure didn''t break, only fading.
He was just a Mirror Projection from Franca''ske-blue eyes!
Lumian''s true body appeared seven or eight kilometers away, holding a Sword of Destruction with contained, unreleased power.
The ck me sword instantly struck the edge of Paramita.
A nauseating sharp crack sound emerged, instantly slicing a deep, twisted, hideous fissure. Beyond the crack, pure color blocksyered, and various spirit realm creatures had long since fled.
Using the Sword of Destruction, Lumian forcibly carved a path to the outside world from Paramita!
From the beginning, he never intended to entangle too long with the giant oak tree, suspected to be an activated relic of Omebe. His real n was: if they couldn''t quickly resolve the target, force it near Paramita''s edge, then use their intense battle to hide their true purpose, approach the realm''s edge, attack with five people to distract it, allowing his true body to seize the opportunity and use the Sword of Destruction''s special power to tear through the barrier and escape!
A Hunter was brave, not foolish. Why persist in fighting on the enemy''s predetermined battlefield, contrary to Mr. Fool''s revtion?
The initial battle was for this retreat!
"Go!" When Lumian''s voice rang in Jenna and the others'' minds, he had already activated the ck mark on his right shoulder, bringing all team members through that terrifying crack, sessfully escaping Paramita.
This time, he didn''t n to rely on the contract ability Teleportation, only using it to sense multiple spirit world coordinates andplete positioning.
With positioning, Angels could directly traverse the spirit world!
In the deep, dark special mirror world.
Zaratul, wearing a ck robe, with white hair and eyes of unpierced ck darkness, leaned to one side, quietly waiting.
Suddenly, He stood up and said solemnly. "My wish is:
"To make Lumian and the others enter the mirror world."
He immediately fulfilled His own wish.
In Lumian''and Franca''s eyes, the spirit world, originallyposed of dense, pure color blocks, suddenly became dark and profound. A massive suction force rose from below, involuntarily dragging them down into a bottomless depth.
In Paramita, that giant oak tree stopped relocating. gradually withering and shrinking back to a seven or eight-meter trunk.
In a hotel room in the New City of Silver.
Rete Tinekerr, carrying four blonde, red-eyed heads and wearing a dark,plex ck dress, emerged from the spirit world.
Her eight eyes simultaneously looked at the ground, seeing the Mother card.
This Card of sphemy was stained with a faint trace of blood.
Chapter 1104: Catastrophe
In their rapid descent, Lumian, Franca, and Jenna, as Beyonders of the Demoness pathway, quickly realized they were in the depths of the mirror world.
Just as they were about to use their inherent qualities to lead the entire team away from the area filled with spacetime turbulence and return to the real world, a figure appeared in the deep, dark surroundings.
The figure wore a gray, old-fashioned long dress, with thick and long hair cascading like a waterfall. Her blue eyes were more crystalline than gemstones, with a delicate, small chin and moist, glossy red lips. She was a beautiful, mature woman with an exceptional temperament.
Seeing this figure, Franca''s mind instantly buzzed.
She recognized her.
She had seen this gray-dressed woman''s Mirror Projection with the Demoness of ck.
As a newly appointed Saint of the Demoness Sect, she had no choice but to meet her.
This was the matriarch of the Demoness of Gray, the divine child of the Primordial Demoness, the Demoness of Gray Judith!
Judith was a Sequence 2 Demoness of Catastrophe. She looked at Lumian and the others, raising Her exquisite and beautiful articted wrist with a charming smile.She was about to bring disaster.
And for the mirror world, what could truly be called a catastrophe?
Of course, it would be aplete copse, swallowed by spacetime turbulence!
Silently, Lumian saw the deep, dark surroundings begin to peel away, like a mirror cracking, with fragments falling off the surface.
Indescribable spacetime turbulence swept in.
Franca and the others, who were originally far from the turbulence in the mirror world''s depths, were suddenly thrown into a scene of world-ending copse.
Lumian had no time to think, activating the ck mark on his right shoulder to Teleport the entire team out of the area.
However, the spacetime turbulence had already surged in, weakening the team''s connections. Though they were close, they seemed to be in different worlds. Simultaneously, Lumian''s perception of external coordinates became imprecise, blurry, and chaotic.
Lumian did not hesitate and used Teleportation.
Although this forced Teleportation would cause Franca and the others to be affected by the spacetime turbulence and randomly sent to different destinations, the weakest team member was still a Sequence 4 Saint. As long as they could escape this area of turbulent disaster, whether still in the mirror world, entering the spirit world, or returning to the real world, they could ensure their safety to some extent. Afterward, they would have many ways to regroup.
Just before the spacetime turbulencepletely engulfed them, they instantly disappeared.
Franca''s figure took shape in a phantom, dark tunnel of the mirror world.
She felt that the distance between her and Lumian was certainly more than 10 kilometers, as she could no longer share the Angel-level power.
She used the Mirror Substitution Lumian had left with her to quickly perform Magic Mirror Divination while turning into a new tunnel following her spiritual intuition. ?
She wanted to reunite with Lumian. This was to enhance his strength, as a Hunter with a team was much more powerful than one without!
Suddenly, a void of ck darkness appeared before her, and the spider web-like tunnels behind her were dyed gray-white, solidifying into stone, no longer passable.
At this moment, a figure stood in the mirror-behind area before Franca.
The figure had ck hair twisted into a high bun, wearing a pure ck court dress, with deep gray eyes bright yet tinged with a hint of sadness. It was the Demoness of ck rice.
Next to rice, a high tform was built from gray-white stones, with a white bone-carved figurine of the Primordial Demoness ced at the top.
Franca stopped at the edge of this mirror-behind area, instinctively disying a smile, as if trying to slip by. ''Madame, what are you doing?''
The Demoness of ck looked at her, with a smile that was not quite a smile.
''Praying to the Primordial One, of course.''
Before her words finished, she suddenly saw gray-white colors surging towards her.
Franca''s previous smile and words were merely to deceive the Demoness of ck, making her believe she would not be ambushed. By the time this color-named Demoness actually began to respond, Franca had already decisivelyunched an attack, leaving no room for retreat!
Jenna stopped.
She was somewhat stunned to discover that the mirror tunnel before her had been broken off, just like a bridge in the real world. This was a phenomenon she had never encountered before while traversing the mirror world, seemingly only possible in areas near spacetime turbulence.
Where does this lead? Has the path been artificially cut off? Jenna''s thoughts raced, but she did not linger or seek an answer.
She took the Mirror Substitution Lumian had left with her and chose to bypass the interrupted tunnel, moving closer to her spiritual guidance.
She intuitively believed that Lumian was in this isted ce, and there was certainly a way to enter.
In a certain part of the mirror world.
Ludwig, dressed in children''s formal wear, stood between spider web-like phantom paths, hesitating whether to go left or right.
He felt a calling from deep within his heart or a longed-for food on the right side, but the left side represented his godfather.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
After a moment''s hesitation, Ludwig''s figure swiftly became transparent, turning into a wraith.
He projected himself as a wraith into the left mirror tunnel.
After discovering he had not yet left the mirror world, Anthony immediately lowered his head and began chanting in Hermes, ''The Fool that doesn''t belong to this era,
''The mysterious ruler above the gray fog,
''The King of Yellow and ck who wields good luck.
''''
After briefly reporting their situation to Mr. Fool, Anthony used Psychological Invisibility and shuttled into the depths of the phantom tunnel before him.
His Ice Mirror Charm was not yet used up!
In a pitch-ck castle in the Southern Continent.
The Moon Emlyn restrained his surging spirituality, pondering the reason Duke Round Moon Olmer had him search for Alex.
Is He suspicious that Alexis hase to the Southern Continent?
Seeking refuge with the Rose School of Thought?
Just as he thought this, Mr. Moon saw a figure rapidly taking shape in the room.
The figure knelt on one knee and bowed. ''My Lord, I''ve received intelligence that the Rose School of Thought captured Massaru half an hour ago.''
He was a Traveler cultivated by Mr. Moon, having specially traded Beyonder characteristics from Madam Magician.
Mr. Moon Emlyn couldn''t help but furrow his brow.
Is something big going to happen tonight?
In recent times, the situation in the Southern Continent had actually been trending towards calm. First, organizations like the Rose School of Thought had reduced their activities, hiding deeper, simr to the cults of the Northern Continent. Second, after Mr. Fool''s initial awakening, He had promoted reconciliation between the Royals of the Numinous Episcopate and the orthodox Churches. Subsequently, colonial institutions of Northern Continent countries would gradually withdraw from the Southern Continent, returning governance to local poptions. To avoid chaos and a vacuum for order, this would be a dragged-out process.
Southern Continent poptions would have religious freedom. As long as it didn''t involve evil gods, they could believe in deities like Death or Mr. Fool, and could continue believing in the orthodox gods of the Northern Continent.
Meanwhile, the Royals of the Numinous Episcopate promised Mr. Fool political-religious separation.
They also provided substantial intelligence to the orthodox Churches, helping Mr. Star and Mr. Moon uncover several hidden bases of the Rose School of Thought.
The Moon Emlyn knew that Northern Continent countries and orthodox Churches made such significant concessions because Mr. Fool, this great existence, had initially awakened, and everyone shared amon enemy: other great existences.
Under these circumstances, after ensuring the orthodox Churches did not lose too many believers, even if the governments of Northern Continent countries had objections or wanted to overturn everything, they could only swallow their pride and agree.
The Moon Emlyn''s understanding was: In this world, Beyonder power is the source of all authority!
Before Mr. Fool''s apotheosis, liberating the Southern Continent from colonial status would have been impossible, even after numerous wars, because the orthodox gods'' interests were aligned in this matter.
Once he became a great existence and initially awakened, this problem was easily resolved.
Their current primary contradiction was those great existences who would destroy everything!
One had to distinguish between primary and secondary contradictions when doing things.
Emlyn took a deep breath, summoned the castle''s strongholds, and transformed into crimson moonlight, rushing directly toward Massaru.
Before he even approached, he saw a massive entity appear within the city.
It was a ''mountain''posed of mixed corpses and earthmale corpses, female corpses, elder corpses, child corpsesall piled together.
Residents of Massaru City, whether from the Northern or Southern Continent, had all been killed and stacked into a ''mountain'' pointing to the sky.
Simultaneously, cults in many parts of the Northern and Southern Continents, having umted certain power, were frantically creating disasters, forcing the Angels and Saints of the orthodox Churches to extinguish fires everywhere.
Lumian''s figure had just materialized in a part of the mirror world when he saw the Demoness of Gray Judith standing not far away.
Some intense convergence phenomenon had made them ''meet'' again.
Lumian narrowed his eyes, letting out a low growl.
It was like the first drum beaten on a battlefield.
With this growl, Lumian''s body began to expand, his surface once again covered by an iron-ck armor formed from mes.
A drop of blood-red emerged at his forehead, vivid and dripping like a battle g. One side of his face became soft, delicate, and brilliant, while the other remained handsome but increasingly masculine and sharp.
In Paramita, isted internally and externally, he couldn''t use the most powerful ability of a Weather Warlock. But now, the mirror world itself belonged to that individual''s domain.
He had sacrificed the ultimate power of the Cmity pathways, seeking assistance!
Lumian revealed a Mythical Creature form over ten meters high, holding a ck me great sword formed by the Fire of Destruction, taking a step to arrive before the Demoness of Gray Judith and shing down.
The surrounding spider web-like phantom tunnels copsed simultaneously, giving Judith no chance to escape this area.
Chapter 1105: Waiting
Facing Lumian''s attack, Demoness of Gray Judith smiled serenely and calmly.
The phantom tunnel where She was located copsed on its own, and along with Herself, before the Sword of Destruction could strike, fell piece by piece like toppled building blocks, cascading like a waterfall.
Disaster preemptively engulfed Her, time and space storms swept through, and only then came Lumian''s ck me great sword.
By the time this areapletely dissolved into nothingness, the terrifying and indescribable time-space turbulence flowed chaotically in the dark depths. In another phantom and dark tunnel, Demoness of Gray Judith''s figure strangely emerged.
She was clearly stalling Lumian, preventing him from returning to the real world.
Lumian changed direction and took another step to arrive before the Demoness of Gray, shing out the Sword of Destruction.
Deep beneath the Tree of Shadow, the brown-green trunk of the Tree of Shadow waspletely shrouded in gray-white fog.
The mottled bark, settled desires, and ancient scenes gradually presented a phantasmal texture under the erosion of fog of history.The historical shall return to history!
Abstract things could be substantial, and could also be defined as pure concepts.
The Lord of Mysteries could turn the true to false, and the false to true, with the distinction between true and false no longer clear!
As the gray-white fog continuously eroded the Tree of Shadow, the figure of Mr. Fool wearing ck gloves, holding a star-studded staff, and dressed in a deep ck trench coat suddenly appeared with a flickering sensation.
The star-studded staff lit up with brilliant radiance.
In a part of the mirror world, Mr. Fool took a step, quickly flickering beyond what normal human eyes could capture.
Before him were multiple phantom tunnels that had been interrupted, with all-consuming darkness flooding the copsed area, blocking the path.
Mr. Fool spoke in a low voice, at an extremely rapid pace, ''My, wish, is:
''The, original, state, here, restored.''
After each pronunciation, there was a pause, but this pause was not obvious and did not affect the rapid delivery of speech, only making some sybles seem toe from an extremely distant ce.
As soon as the voice fell, a miracle urred: those phantom and dark tunnels became whole again, once more able to freely traverse.
Seeing the mirror tunnels in spider web formation sessfully repaired,Red Angel Medici, leaning against the edge of the mirror''s rear area, picked up the apple in His hand and took a smiling bite.
Medici, who had already condensed an iron-ck blood-stained armor with defense not much inferior to same-tier Warrior pathway Beyonders, did not rush to move forward. Instead, He continued waiting at His original location, awaiting potential subsequent mutations and possible interlopers.
As a Hunter, one of the keys to sess was patiencepatiently waiting for prey to enter the trap, waiting for all variables and idents to reveal themselves, finding the true weak point, and then delivering a fatal strike toplete the harvest.
Last time, Medici had overlooked the possibility of Alista Tudor actively choosing to be mad. This time, He would not exclude those irrational choices.
Lumian, standing more than ten meters tall, was engulfed in deep red, violet mes, yet his face retained a human formone side brilliant, the other handsome, with a blood-red, thorn-like mark at his forehead threatening to burst forth.
The Demoness of Gray was about to employ Her usual trick and dodge the enemy''s frontal assault when Her mind suddenly trembled.
She instantly felt the opponent was tall, majestic, terrifying, strong, and charismaticinvoluntarily wanting to submit.
Even more horrifying was the sense of facing the source, facing a deity, facing the embodiment of destruction and apocalypse.
This caused Her body and mind to briefly lose self-awareness, unable to respond effectively in time.
Conquest!
Lumian had obtained the power of conquest through sacrificing to the City of Cmity, supplemented with a hint of sefirah-quality conquest power.
Now, he was a genuine City of Cmity priest, the high priest of war''s essence!
The Demoness of Gray froze in ce. Lumian''s iron-ck eyes, revealing pale regions, shed down the ck great sword burning with the Fire of Destruction.
Simultaneously, the mirror world around the Demoness of Gray fractured in all directionsup, down, left, right, front, and back. Each fragment was ''conquered'' as a soldier, transforming intorge and small ck meposed short arrows, restrained with violence and destruction, swooshing toward Judith.
These densely packed, imprable arrows seemed to weave a of destruction, with Judith as the massive fish caught within.
Boom!
The Sword of Destruction cleaved into the Demoness of Gray''s shoulder, and the ck me short arrows hit the target from all directions.
Cracking sounds rang out continuously, and Demoness of Gray Judith''s Mirror Substitutions exploded simultaneously, without exception.
Now Her form in the mirror, but even Her form in the real world was affected by Cull and the Sword of Destruction, suddenly erupting in ck mes and burning to ash.
Only those sleeping mirrors She had hidden in multiple ces, having severed most of Her mystical connections, were spared.N?v(el)B\\jnn
And She would need considerable time to resurrect through these means.
After dispatching the Demoness of Gray, Lumian''s body suddenly shrank, the blood-colored pennant between his brows gradually receding, yet seeming to still writhe.
He made no dy, nor considered pursuing the Demoness of Gray, immediately wanting to escape the mirror world and then find a way to reunite with Franca, Jenna, and the others.
In an instant, he sensed something and cast his gaze toward one of the illusory tunnels.
He felt true safetyy there.
Lumian''s figure turned ethereal, about to traverse through.
Just then, his thoughts abruptly stiffened, and a slick yet marvelous sensation spread across his surface.
He saw thick ck hair like serpents emerging from nowhere, coiling around him, their tips either embedded with ck and white eyes or bearing venomous snake heads, mouths slightly open, tongues protruding.
Lumian also saw that under the gaze of those ck and white eyes, his body had turned gray-white, transforming into stone, unable to use any abilities.
He wasyer uponyer wrapped by those thick, serpent-like, slick and slightly damp ck hairs in his stone state.
The only thing he could do now wasmit suicide.
Suddenly, a gentle, soft female voice with a hint ofughter whispered in his ear, ''I have been waiting for you for a long time.''
This voice scratched at Lumian''s soul, making his entire body feel itchy, and even petrified, he sank into it, not wanting to break free.
A name spontaneously shed in his mind: Primordial Demoness Cheek!
Two pure, delicate white hands stretched from behind and gently caressed Lumian''s cheeks.
These beautiful hands were not yet perfect, but they could evoke the most primitive and intense desires of anyone who saw them, instantly propelling them to heavenly pleasure from which they could never escape.
Just by being seen.
Lumian in his petrified state was equally affected, his mind almostpletely nk.
The reason it was not entirely nk was because he saw his mirror self was also dragged out from hiding by those thick, slick ck serpent-like hairs, his body gray-white, because a curvaceous, icy yet inexplicably fiery body was pressed against his back.
That body cradled his face, dragging him with ck hair deeper into the mirror world, rapidly retreating into that special mirror world.
Mr. Fool Blinked into this area, just in time to see Lumian being embraced from behind by an infinitely charming, vaguely discernible figure in the special mirror world, being dragged inside.
His ck trench coat suddenly lifted.
Fooled!
Simultaneously, a dozen-meter-tall figure appeared before Lumian.
It was a female, wearing a dress seemingly made of white bones, her ck hair like venomous giant serpentslong, thick, and slick, with snake heads at the tips or rolling ck and white eyes, turning everything around her to stone, releasing various mystical pathogens.
Her beauty of countenance had transcended human limits, reaching a conceptual level. All living beings and all things would be infatuated and entranced by Her slightest expression, perpetually in ecstasy. Even rules and concepts seemed reluctant to constrain Her, to oppose Her.
Mr. Fool''s Fooling instantly took effect, causing Her azure, ocean-like, gem-crystal eyes to suddenly be clouded.
But Her charm did not diminish by half; instead, it presented a different seduction.
This momentarily stunned Mr. Fool.
In that instant of stunned silence, the area outside the special mirror world, along with the Primordial Demoness Cheek''s figure, moved toward apocalypse, instantly condensing into an exceptionally dangerous darkness.
By the time Mr. Fool made his own wish and satisfied his own wish, restoring the original scene, Lumian''s figure had already disappeared into the deep, dark region representing the special mirror world.
Mr. Fool''s flickering figure raised the star-studded staff in his hand, materializing a night sky full of brilliant stars before him.
Those stars quickly formed a directional, dreamlike key, forcibly opening the barrier of the special mirror world, pinpointing Lumian''s current location.
Just as Mr. Fool was about to Wander in, a strange ck surge suddenly emerged at the edge of that deep darkness, forming an abnormally massive, extremely distorted phantasm that resembled a human yet had many non-human features.
This phantasm looked across the special mirror world''s barrier, crazy yet incredibly silent, watching Mr. Fool, as if waiting for him toe.
Mr. Fool stopped Wandering and simrly watched the phantasm in silence.
In a mirror rear area not far from here, Red Angel Medici, leaning against the hard mirror surface, brought the red apple in His hand to His mouth and took another bite.
Within the crisp sound, He muttered softly, ''Cheek indeed appeared.
''But She is not weak at all. In fact, She seems even stronger''
Chapter 1106: Whispers
Jenna swiftly traversed through the mirror world''s phantom tunnels, dense as a spider''s web, finally finding a path leading to her destination.
She arrived before the special mirror world, seeing Mr. Fool standing quietly, his figure constantly flickering, his image almost exactly matching the description in church scriptures, and also seeing the distorted phantasms nearly covering the special mirror world''s edges.
Upon witnessing the massive phantasm that was both human and non-human, Jenna suddenly felt an intense desire for destruction surge within her, wanting to spread disaster and indulge in pleasure.
She almost failed to suppress the godhood that was originally not very prominent within her.
What is this? Jenna was terrified and bewildered, barely managing to control her emotions and desires.
In the mirror rear area standing with gray-white stone tforms and white bone statues.
Franca and Demoness of ck rice had battled for a while. Besides shattering several Mirror Substitutions and transforming the ce into a gray-white stone cave, neither had suffered substantial injury.
Seizing the opportunity when the Mirror Projection shattered and her own form emerged at the mirror rear area''s edge, the Demoness of ck looked at Franca, unable to hide her surprise, "You''ve significantly digested the Unaging potion?"Clearly, she was not surprised that Franca had be a Demoness of Unaging, but that the other''s condition was excellent, with emotions and desires effectively controlled, unaffected by her own active Charm.
This did not resemble a Demoness of Unaging who had advanced just a few months ago.
After all, the digestion of a Demoness of Unaging was measured in centuries. The newly advanced might need several years, or even over a decade, to be in an unstable state of emotions and desire. Even facing an equally-leveled Demoness''s Charm, they would find it difficult to resist, unless she was deeply in love or had just experienced a soul-stirring passion she would die for.
Franca was also d to talk and dy time, waiting for an opportunity.
While dodging the Demoness of ck''s new wave of attacks, sheughed and asked back.
"Would you lose control if I said I''vepletely digested the Unaging potion?"
She was boasting about a fact that would be unbelievable to other Demonesses of Unaging, attempting to provoke an emotional fluctuation in the Demoness of ck.
And with an emotional fluctuation, she might be able to Charm the target, inducing admiration that would prevent them from attacking, leading to defeat.
The Demoness of ck''s gaze suddenly solidified.
She clearly was unwilling to believe Franca could digest the Unaging potion in just a few months-a process that normally took hundreds of years-but the other''s excellent condition seemed to corroborate that statement.
Taking advantage of the Demoness of ck''s emotional turbulence, Franca smiled charmingly.
This made Demoness of ck rice''s heart beat faster, just like the first time she experienced feminine charm from the Primordial Demoness figurine.
With her experience, she immediately knew something was wrong, and let her mirror self emerge from another side, using Charm on herself.
Charming herself!
With a whoosh, Franca, who had put on the Face of the Arcane at some point in time, shot out a clear light column from her eye protection surrounded by gears, springs, and rivets, which instantlynded on the Demoness of ck.
Caught between two Charm forces, the Demoness of ck regained some rity and preemptively used a Mirror Substitution.
Her body devolved into a mirror,pletely split, floating down as microscopic fragments.
The Demoness of ck''s mirror self walked out, then was intercepted by Franca''s mirror self.
At the Demoness of Unaging stage, the Demonesses'' mirror selves could not directly engaged when battling in the real world. But if the battlefield was in the mirror world, with the main body entering, Demonesses could attack the enemy together with their mirror selves, essentially a two-against-one situation.
The Demoness of ck who had escaped the attack quickly appeared on another side of the mirror rear area, her face smiling, showing no anger.
"I told you before that the Primordial One has two hidden honorific names. Do you want to know them now?"
Telling those two hidden honorific names now? Isn''t this a trap? Franca responded without hesitation.
"Nope!"
The Demoness of ck''s figure suddenlyyered and multiplied, everywhere, like entering a maze made entirely of mirrors.
Her voice transmitted from all directions into Franca''s ears.
"The fourth honorific name is:
"The Female Body of the Primordial God Almighty!"
The Female Body of the Primordial God Almighty?
Fu#k! Franca was stunned for a moment, nearly getting hit by the Demoness of ck, barely escaping the crisis by preemptively using a Mirror Substitution.
The eastern part of the Sonia Sea, the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
At the peaks of the endless mountain ranges, that darkness suddenly expanded to transparency.N?v(el)B\\jnn
Within the transparency, a massive cross was vaguely visible, with two people nailed to it-one head down, feet up, the other feet up, head down, yet sharing a single body, like conjoined infants.
Beneath this cross was a chaotic water surface that seemed to epass all colors and all possibilities. Something beneath the water appeared to be grasping the cross''s base, pulling it toward the earth''s depths, causing it to slowly sink.
In an indescribable darkness.
Lumian, now a gray-white stone statue with only a remnant of thought, suddenly smelled a fragrance like night flowers blooming, the very breath most yearned for in every male heart.
The white bone-like long dress fell before his eyes, dropping to the ground, revealing a perfect torso that would drive even stones to impulse, that would make even rules vite themselves.
Those slick, long, serpent-like ck hairs began to gently glide on Lumian''s body. That moonlike torso sat in Lumian''sp, entwining him without bones.
Heat and coldness emerged simultaneously, with a moist sensation rippling and flowing between the two bodies.
Lumian was like being nakedly coiled by a massive python, gently rubbing, and yet seemingly enveloped by the most charming pleasure, alternating between heaven and hell.
Serpent-like slick ck hair, white and exquisite beautiful hands, moistened and slightly parted pink lips, delicate skin that seemed it would break at a touch yet was full of sticity-these rotated and approached Lumian''s face, neck, chest, and abdomen, sometimes lightly touching, sometimes closely pressing, sometimes gently caressing, sometimes wanting to be one with him.
The previous soft, gentle voice became seductive, low-sobbing with joy when Lumian reached heaven, and floating near dream-talk when he fell into hell.
"Whether the remnant souls in the River of Eternal Darkness or the Beyonder characteristics in the Blue Avenger''s treasury are not the true reliance for Tudor''s resurrection...
"If they can work, very good; if not, it doesn''t matter, as long as they can create someone like you...
"Tudor''s true resurrection isid out here with me..."
The voice brought a hidden sweet ambiguous fragrance, making even this stone statue''s "blood vessels swell" until gray-white cracks appeared.
Sweet, fragrant breath blew into his ear, rising and falling, apanied by a hint ofughter.
"Tudor is willing to trust me, and I will not disappoint Him
"Do you know why only Judith''s descendants remain of His offspring, while others no longer exist?
"I cursed them, with direct curses, with curses of destiny...
"Now, Tudor can only rely on me..."
The remnant of Lumian''s consciousness inexplicably generated fear amidst these words.
He did not know why Primordial Demoness Cheek was coupling with him at this moment, why She wanted to control his pleasure and pain, why She was saying these words.
He only knew this true Demoness was mad.
A slightly hoarse voice pressed against Lumian''s body,ughing softly in his ear.
"I am very satisfied with this body; it will belong to Tudor...
"I have waited for over a thousand years, finally finding the best opportunity. This can both resurrect Tudor andplete His and my unfinished dreams...
"Do you know what the Demoness pathway symbolizes?"
Lumian could not answer, for he was now just a gray-white stone statue, entering heaven amidst ultimate pleasure.
The marvelous female voice had a breathy sound to it.
"It symbolizes catastrophe and apocalypse, and also symbolizes the feminine side of that initial Creator.
"The Hunter pathway, what does it symbolize? It symbolizes war and destruction, and also symbolizes the masculine side of that initial Creator.
"Do you know that the initial Creator was both mad and rational, both self-destructive and wanting to survive?
"What do you think such a Creator would do while self- destructing?
"Why would He create an invisible barrier to block the Outer Deities, preventing Them from chaotically plundering and initiating the convergence?
"As the source of rationality and wisdom, doesn''t He want a stable existence?"
Even with his mind almostpletely nk, Lumian now had an extra thought.
Simultaneously, he vaguely perceived the purpose of the Primordial Demoness coupling with him and speaking these words.
Bncing yin and yang, correcting the state, making the final preparation for Alista Tudor''s resurrection...
The breathing grew heavier, alternating between low sobs andughter, the female voice asked near Lumian''s throat, "Do you know what the Oldest One''s feminine side plus the Oldest One''s masculine side equals?
"When the feminine and masculine sides of somethingbine, what do they be?"
Lumian''s final thoughts suddenly froze.
In the mirror rear area filled with gray-white stones.
Frightened by the Primordial Demoness''s fourth honorific name, Franca immediately fell into a disadvantage, barely surviving the most difficult stage.
She could die and wait to resurrect herself in the sleeping mirror, but that would waste too much time.
At this moment, the voice of Demoness of ck rice came from the side.
"The fifth honorific name of the Primordial One is..."
Franca wanted to stop her but could not find a suitable method;paratively, deafening herself would be more convenient.
Before she could take action, the subsequent words of the Demoness of ck echoed with a hint ofughter.
"The fifth honorific name of the Primordial One is:
"The original Creator - the Oldest One - in the mirror!"
Chapter 1107: Role
The original Creatorin the mirror? Has the Primordial Demoness gone mad? To actually give Herself such a title, and moreover, to actually be able to point to Herself? Franca had originally prepared herself mentally not to be shocked or surprised, to prevent the Demoness of ck fromunching a surprise attack, but the actual situation still exceeded her expectations.
The honorific name ''The Female Body of the Primordial God Almighty'' was actually understandable after her initial shockLumian had previously suspected that the great terror deep within the special mirror world was rted to the resurrection of the Primordial God Almighty, so the Primordial Demoness, who was closely involved with this matter and controlled it to a certain extent, quietly bing ''The Female Body of the Primordial God'' was terrifying but not entirely unexpected.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
But ''The original Creatorthe Oldest Onein the mirror''pletely surpassed their imagination!
Why would the Primordial Demoness think She could bear such a title?
What great terror had She and Alista Tudor actually orchestrated deep within the special mirror world?
Could it be that They are about to destroy and recreate the world?
Deep within the special mirror world.
Primordial Demoness Cheek seemed like someone who hadn''t had anyone to talk to for a long time or perhaps harbored some dangerous intention. Ignoring the frozen thoughts of the statue-like Lumian, She let out a low, ragged breath as cracks spread in the grayish-white surface,ughing in a rising and falling rhythm as She spoke,''Plus, huff the mirror world belongs to the Demoness pathway, huff
''The answer bes huff very huff very clear
''The original Creatorthe Oldest Onein the mirror''
Lumian''s mind was like fireworks exploding, with colors of all kinds, both beautiful and dangerous.
His face was cupped by those pure white, delicate hands, with bare arms like white jade art pieces connecting to the torso that had drawn a final line with charm itself. Countless ck hairs, snake-like, glided all over his body, slick with a hint of sweat.
The marvelous female voice that made Lumian''s very soul want to draw near sometimes was on his left side, sometimes ran to his right, sometimes descended to his chest with a wet sensation.
''The Primordial God Almighty hoh who amodated the City of Cmity, knows very well huff this point
''His resurrection arrangement huff had one part in the Chaos Sea and the five pathways corresponding to the Chaos Sea huff and another part hidden in the City of Cmity huff hidden in the Demoness and Hunter pathways
''When the Demoness whomands chaos huff meets andbines with the Red Priest, huff, He will be the Trinity, in the City of Cmity, within the Chaos Demoness and the Red Priest huff simultaneously resurrecting, ultimately hoh forming a whole, returning in the mirror
''Huff but He perished too early, some things were not quite like the expected and arranged
''The City of Cmity huff was sealed in the Western Continent, preventing Him from quickly bing the Trinity, gathering all cmities, and moreover huff there was another change on the City of Cmity''s side
''His consciousness revived in me and Tudor, oh, Tudor, but without the City of Cmity''s resonance and linkage, that consciousness grew very slowly huff suppressed and controlled by us
''And, hoh the ce where we consummated was not the ordinary mirror world huff but the special mirror world created by Bethel
''Bethel had already amodated huff the Uniqueness of the Door pathway and all Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics huff and by the special nature of the Door pathway, self-sealed to prevent convergence, stopping Himself from bing a god hoh but He also sensed the terrifying revival of the Celestial Worthy within Him huff The Fourth Epoch was not suitable for the three Mysteries pathways to be divine ??
''Bethel created the special mirror world huff voluntarily, but whether there was an influence from godhood, no one knows
''When the initial feminine and masculine sides, the consciousness of the Primordial God Almighty, and the special mirror world created by the Mysteries pathwaysbined, the development of things deviated from the Primordial God Almighty''s arrangement!''
The female voice, now slightly hoarse, no longer panted and suddenly became high-pitched, like a swan forcefully bending its neck backward.
The Oldest One''s body of both male and female plus the power of the two direct pirs belonging to the Oldest One Lumian, who had fallen into hell from desire, suddenly understood why the mirrored original Creatorthe Oldest Onehad appeared.
In this matter, the Celestial Worthy unconsciously or with a bit of consciousness applied influence, trying to prevent the Primordial God Almighty''s resurrection. As a result, the development exceeded everyone''s expectations. A true, unknown great horror was born in the depths of the special mirror world, causing the Celestial Worthy''s n to defeat Mr. Fool by using the Mirror Person''s ''splitting oneself to clinch victory'' to suffer aplete failure.
The female voice was no longer hoarse, bing low and gentle, very smooth.
''The mirrored original Creatorthe Oldest Onewas thus born, but His consciousness was very weak, like all newborn infants
''This gives me and you a chance, not only to suppress the Primordial One''s revival of His consciousness but also a chance to be the true Creator
''This is also dangerous, and the corresponding effort is the craziest behavior in this world, but you''re not afraidthis is when you''re most charming
''Tudor and I attempted to merge with the original Creatorthe Oldest Onein the mirror, one bearing the feminine side, one containing the masculine side, and then use this to control the City of Cmity, so we can be both separated and joined, both unified and contradictory, both whole and divided
''This seems to be the only way for the Oldest One to stably exist, an unverified method
''Now you''vee, you even have the twin child of the Mother Goddess of Depravity on you, the seal of the River of Eternal Darkness. With all of thisbined, the mirrored original Creatorthe Oldest Onemight be able to enter reality
''By then, the mirror world will have a sun, will have a moon, will have stars, will have everything from the outside world, bing exactly the same as reality''
The gentle and smooth female voice gradually became heavy, mixing up the use of ''you'' and ''Tudor'' pronouns, seemingly wanting ''you'' and ''Tudor'' to ultimately be the same.
It carried a hint ofughter, and sweet lips blocked Lumian''s mouth, the voice echoing in his oral cavity.
''Adam wanted to nurture you to amodate the City of Cmity, but the first time I saw you, I felt that this body was prepared for Tudor and me. You should not be the Origins of Disaster, the Cmity of Destruction, you should be the original Creatorthe Oldest Onein the mirror, be Tudor, also be Cheek''
At this point, the tongue that brought countless stimtions and pleasures retracted, sighing and reminiscing. ''Our attempts gradually bore fruit, we could truly merge, but Adam sensed something was wrong. Those fellows also had a dangerous premonition, and the War of the Four Emperors broke out
''Some wanted to deal with us, others attacked their enemies in the chaos
''I actually wanted to kill Adam before we started trying, to prevent Him from discovering our n. You also supported this, but that fellow ran faster than anyone and hid deeper than anyone
''Unfortunately, our union was not yetplete, and we had so many enemies
''In thest moment, Tudor wanted to forciblyplete the merger, using this to pull all other sefirot from the Western Continent, dragging the entire world to die, waiting for the Creator''s symbolic manifestation in death
''This was too crazy. Our dream was not yetplete, we had not yet be the original Creatorthe Oldest Onein the mirror. I decided to let you die for a while, and then resurrect youter
''I dealt Tudor the critical blow. Salingerpleted His life''s culling, sending His soul into the River of Eternal Darkness
''Later, I went to Salinger, to resurrect you, to make Him deal with those seven self-proimed orthodox gods
''Salinger, influenced by someone, actually relied on a tributary of the River of Eternal Darkness to forcibly amodate the Red Priest''s Uniqueness, going half-mad
''This was good. This way, you would have a chance to resurrect in His body, and a half-mad person is easier to manipte
''I wanted to manipte Him to collect Tudor''s corpse in Fourth Epoch Trier, merge it with Himself, manipte Him to touch the special mirror world, so you could be resurrected
''Everything was originally going smoothly, but then an ident urred''
The female voice suddenly became heavy, as if suppressing Her own madness.
''Salinger''s forced amodation of the Red Priest''s Uniqueness actually caused an aberration in the original Creatorthe Oldest Onein the mirror, producing a certain self-awareness
''She was exactly like me, just preferring to wear a ck bone dress. She even said She was a pure female, heh, sometimes I can''t help but wonder if it''s not that the mirrored original Creatorthe Oldest Onegained self-awareness, but that my own spirit and personality split
''To suppress Her, to continue merging, I had to let the consciousness of the Primordial God Almighty in me further revive, seeking a certain bnce
''Since then, I''ve had to suppress the Primordial One''s consciousness while fighting against the ck version of myself, spending most of my time here, unable to effectively interfere with the outside world
''Fortunately, the problem is not severe, only that my direct descendants and I will intermittently experience separation and loss of personality, spirit, consciousness, and memory''
As she spoke, when Lumian reached an unprecedented state of pleasure, the female voiceughed.
''Now, your state is suitable, you will be equivalent to Tudor
''Do not expect help from The Fool. He has only just initially awakened and is not yet a truly great existence. The mirror Creator influenced by me is enough to block Him
''As for Adam''s side, there are other problems''
In Lumian''s blurry vision, a pair of white, smooth arms that seemed to have a luster lifted a somewhat peculiar crown, rusty and stained with blood.
The crown quickly became ethereal, seemingly reduced to countless tiny light points while maintaining its overall shape.
The beautiful hand at the end of the white arm brought the ''crown'' to Lumian''s head, as if to help him wear it.
No, not wearthose hands forcibly pressed the ''crown'' into Lumian''s head, without any supplementary ingredients or advancement ritual.
Simultaneously, more white arms appeared, along with the snake-like ck hair, entwining Lumian''s body in various ways.
Suddenly, a beautiful face pressed close to Lumian''s head, with pink lips sighing with joy and satisfaction.
''Who you are is not important
''What you want to do is not important either
''What''s important is the role you''re ying''
This voice, soft and gentle, echoed outward.
Chapter 1108: Fusion
As the rusty and blood-cast crown was slowly pressed into Lumian''s head, Lumian, who was in a state of continuous pleasure and petrification, suddenly regained a bit of thought. Is this ''crown'' the Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic of the Hunter pathway, Conqueror?
The one that fell into the Primordial Demoness''s hands?
I''ve only partially digested my Weather Warlock potion...
Forcibly merging the Conqueror Beyonder characteristic with me in this situation, without supplementary ingredients or an advancement ritual, I will inevitably lose control and go mad....
Is this the future pointed to by the letter from the Circle of Inevitability, and the truth of the prophecy by the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture?
Lumian could sh a few thoughts but could not use his abilities, because the snake-like ck hair that brought petrification was still entwined around him, and the white body that brought heaven and hell was still on him, epassing him, embracing him from all directions.
The blood-stained and rusty "crown" gradually sank into Lumian''s head, bringing tearing pain, a desire to conquer everything, and violent, mad emotions.
The female voice, filled withughter and sighs, seductive and charming, once again sounded by Lumian''s ear.
"When we truly be the original Creator-the Oldest One-in the mirror, you won''t need to worry about the future or the apocalypse. Even if reality is destroyed, as long as there''s a mirror left in this universe, the mirror world won''tpletely shatter. By then, the reality reflected in the mirror world will walk out of the mirror exactly as it was, all buildings will be restored, all humans will be resurrected, and they''ll continue living happily-just with their left and right hands'' habits reversed..."I know what you want most is to resurrect your sister Aurore...
"She will definitely be resurrected, and I will eventually merge into this body of yours, bing one with her...
"By then, I can continue to be your sister...
"Stupid, I am your sister..."
An unspeakable anger suddenly rose in Lumian''s heart, but this still couldn''t help him escape his current state and predicament.
The next second, a figure appeared in his blurry vision.
The figure was draped in blood-colored long hair, wearing ck armor stained with crimson, with a rigid temperament and azure eyes, openly disying a cruelty and madness ready to destroy everything at any moment.
The mirrored Blood Emperor Alista Tudor!
Lumian instantly understood that the one who had previously persuaded this mirrored Blood Emperor to leave was Primordial Demoness Cheek.
This might be because Lumian had not yet be an Angel at that time, or perhaps because the situation was not yet chaotic, with too many high-ranking figures watching...
The mirrored Alista Tudor looked at Lumian and the white body intertwined, let out a contemptuousugh, and walked towards Lumian''s body.
He gradually became ethereal and shrank, like a human reflected in an ordinary mirror.
Seeing this, Lumian instantly understood what the mirrored Alista Tudor was about to do.
He was going to use the forceful infusion of the Conqueror Beyonder characteristic and the residual Blood Emperor aura in his body to upy this body andplete His resurrection!
For Tudor, who was originally Sequence 0 Red Priest, both the Weather Warlock and Conqueror Beyonder characteristics could be easily digested without any problems, and He would not lose control or go mad.
Lumian suddenly realized the true purpose of the Circle of Inevitability sending that letter.
He wants to fix this fate of losing control, making it a predetermined end...
This is not targeting me, but the Blood Emperor Alista Tudor He saw, who was about to rece me...
But would Tudor be afraid of going mad?
Would He care about this issue?
In the special mirror world, Jenna didn''t dare to look directly at the enormous, distorted inhuman silhouette separated by the barrier, nor could she participate in the battle in that area.
She only knew that Mr. Fool had split into multiple crazily flickering human figures, only knew that the area had been destroyed multiple times and then restored to its original state, only knew that she sometimes felt dull, stupid, and her thoughts sluggish, sometimes felt that a segment of the middle process was missing, sometimes showed signs of losing control, and sometimes was in an incredibly good state...
What she also knew was that Mr. Fool seemingly couldn''t defeat the distorted silhouette in a short time and enter the depths of the special mirror world. Her spiritual intuition and the mystical connection brought by the Mr. Fool told her that Lumian was at that moment in the depths of the special mirror world.
There was presumably Primordial Demoness Cheek, an unknown great terror. The longer time passed, the higher the possibility that Lumian wouldpletely die or turn into Alista Tudor or some other monster.
For Jenna, each second now felt like an entire year, and many seconds had already passed.
Her heart gradually sank, bing more and more desperate.
She hated that she couldn''t help at all, and couldn''t assist Mr. Fool in quickly resolving the battle.
Ironically, her Despair potion was rapidly being digested.
Deep within the special mirror world.
The mirrored Blood Emperor, now reduced to normal human size, suddenly had a human figure appear before Him.
This figure was draped in rust-colored long hair, wearing white armor, with iron-ck eyes and a high- bridged nose, seemingly cast from the same mold as Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, only with many opposite details in color.
His eyes were rigid and hollow, seemingly possessing only a tiny bit of self-awareness.
The mirrored Alista Tudor ovepped with this figure, beginning to fuse intensely.
Lumian, whose mind was ravaged by violent and conquering emotions, vaguely knew who the Alista Tudor in white full-body armor was.
He was the product of the initial fusion between the Blood Emperor and the mirrored original Creator-the Oldest One-during the Fourth Epoch.
He was the true resurrection arrangement of the Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, always kept and protected by Primordial Demoness Cheek.
Now, with the mirrored Alista Tudor and the Sequence 1 Conqueror" Beyonder characteristic''s "participation", the resurrection would be easier and more perfect!
The two Tudors, intensely fusing, came to Lumian''s side. At this moment, Lumian''s head had been opened, and inside was not white brain matter, nor iron-ck bones interwoven with violet-tinged fire and symbolic patterns, but a phantasmal blood-stained "crown".n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
It seemed to be drawing on Lumian''s flesh and spirit, merging with itself as the primary, rather than with Lumian.
The ovepping Tudors, still fusing and dropping various colored mes, pressed Their right palm into Lumian''s brain, onto the rusty phantasmal "crown".
Their figures instantly entered Lumian''s body, and the Blood Emperor residual aura on Lumian''s right palm suddenly protruded and expanded, rapidly breaking through the Underworld Daoist''s seal and igniting his entire body.
Violent, mad, cruel, and savage mental states swept through like a storm, destroying Lumian''s consciousness.
Lumian finally lost thatst bit of thought.
The perfect torso entwined with him and still consummating with him covered his body in a thickyer of frost, which did not quickly melt even under the violet mes, thus controlling the fire''s burning, maintaining the best rhythm of Lumian and Tudor''s fusion.
This torso stood up from Lumian''s embrace, separating from him, no longer entangling or restraining him.
A bone-made dress flew up from the ground, draping over this white torso.
Her beautiful face revealed an obvious smile, speaking to the two Tudors still fusing with Lumian, "You haven''t reimed the Red Priest''s Uniqueness. I can''t merge with this body''s feminine side right now, as that would cause an imbnce, leading to the worst oue.
"But it''s fine. The problems brought by the Primordial God Almighty''s consciousness revival are both troublesome and helpful. I can separate a personality containing the Sequence 1 Demoness of Apocalypse Beyonder characteristic, partial self-awareness and spirit, like a Visionary, without reducing my current level, just losing corresponding memories and cognition, causing certain spiritual disabilities"
The Primordial Demoness spoke, Her expression suddenly twisting, revealing intense pain.
Her arms, shoulders, and head were all cracking.
After several seconds, a figure identical to Her, wearing a bone dress, walked out.
This supremely beautiful figure was wet, as if coated with a liquid containing all colors.
The Primordial Demoness''s face returned to normal.
She ignored the self that had crumbled, seeming to have forgotten certain things.
The split-off Primordial Demoness, with the same objective as Her original self, let the bone dress fall to the ground, sitting again on Lumian, embracing him, entwining him, increasingly forcefully, with flesh beginning to fuse.
Almost simultaneously, the distorted giant figure at the special mirror world''s edge was dramatically dragged back by an extremely exaggerated horrifying suction, quickly returning to normal.
She was another Primordial Demoness, breathtakingly beautiful, wearing a ck bone dress.
She looked resistant, but under the original Primordial Demoness''s intense suppression, was forced to shed Her dress, ovepping with the torso entangled with Lumian.
Suddenly, in this area where all symbols and prerequisites were now present, a light burst forth, so bright it seemed about to create a world.
This erupted from the fusion point of Lumian and the two Blood Emperors, the two Primordial Demonesses.
At the special mirror world''s edge.
Seeing the distorted figure instantly retreat, Mr. Fool did not hesitate, preparing to prate the barrier and enter the most dangerous ce.
Suddenly, an extreme brightness surged out, enveloping the barrier, forming a new obstruction, like the amniotic membrane protecting a baby, like the invisibleyer protecting this.
An indescribable terrifying sensation spread out, causing Mr. Fool''s figure to pause, with Jenna briefly losing her thoughts.
Not far from here, Red Angel Medici, leisurely eating an apple and patiently waiting for developments, had His expression suddenly freeze.
In His eyes was also reflected that unimaginable surging light.
After a few seconds, Red Angel Medici ground His teeth and muttered, "What the hell has that lunatic, Tudor, gotten Himself into..."
Chapter 1109: The Only Chance
Franca, recovering from the mention of the mirrored original Creatorthe Oldest Onecontinued her intense battle with the Demoness of ck rice.
Gradually, she discovered something was off.
The surrounding phantom ck mirror tunnels partially shed their grayish-white color, no longer petrified, no longer obstacles to escape;
The Demoness of ck was more in a defensive posture, protecting the grayish-white altar disying the Primordial Demoness''s figurine;
The Demoness of ck had revealed the two hidden honorific names of the Primordial Demoness. Besides causing emotional fluctuations and creating a brief opening, falling into a temporary disadvantage, it had no other effect and did not bring the anticipated terrible corruption.
What was her true purpose in revealing such a significant secret? Just to frighten her and turn the tide? Franca felt a strong sense of doubt rising in her heart.
Suddenly, she had a guess: The Demoness of ck did not appear here to wait for me; she has another mission!
Is my encounter with the Demoness of ck actually the result of the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence?
The Demoness of ck detected an outsider mysteriously arriving nearby. Her first reaction would certainly be to seal the tunnel and eliminate potential risks...After battling for a while and discovering I''vepletely digested the Unaging potion, realizing no quick victory was possible, her choice was to pretend to fight with full force, seemingly preupied, quietly lifting the petrification of some mirror tunnels, and attempting to scare me away using the two hidden honorific names of the Primordial Demoness?
What does this signify?
It indicates she has a very important purpose in arranging the altar here, and that the two hidden honorific names of the Primordial Demoness would lose their secrecy very soon!
Moreover, the Beyonder characteristic congregation force between us should not be strong enough to Teleport me near her. In the mirror world, there exists a Demoness of a higher level with stronger congregation forces...
Besides the Beyonder characteristic, what else ''attracted'' me here...
Franca suddenly recalled the Primordial Demoness figurine in her Traveler''s Bag.
Her peripheral vision swept towards the grayish-white stone altar, towards the bone-like Primordial Demoness figurine ced upon it.
Something''s amiss!
Relying on the power of the Ice Mirror Charm, Anthony traversed the mirror tunnels densely interwoven like a spider web, heading towards the location indicating the team leader.
Just as he was about to reach his destination, he was met with a surging light as intense as a sr explosion.
Instinctively, Anthony closed his eyes, and grayish-white scales began to emerge on the surface of his skin.
This was a sign of loss of control.
He hurriedly cated himself, controlling the fluctuations of his mental and emotional state.
Fortunately, the light''s burststed only an instant, then condensed at the edge of the special mirror world, transforming into an invisible barrier.
Anthony persevered and returned to normal. Then, he saw Ludwig, whose body had just materialized, and Jenna, who had reopened her eyes. He also saw multiple flickering figures, seemingly belonging to Mr. Fool.
Jenna gazed at the light-condensed barrier, recalling the ster explosion from moments ago that seemed capable of creating an entire world. Her heart plummetedpletely, falling into an abyss.
The emergence of this situation meant that a mutation had already urred in the depths of this special mirror world!
That great terror has most likely been triggered...
This means that the probability of Lumian surviving is now extremely slim...
At this moment, a voice sounded near Jenna''s ear: ''Actually, there is still a chance to save Lumian Lee, a chance with some hope of sess.''
Jenna swiftly turned her head and looked beside her, discovering a young man who had appeared at some point, wearing a pointed soft cap and a monocle, draped ina ssical magical robe.
''Amon...'' Jenna''s lips moved, uttering this name.
Amon nced at Mr. Fool who had ''split'' new figures to look over here, thenughed and muttered to Himself, ''Why is it me again who has to do this?
''Next time, don''t prophesize that I''ll be the light at the dawn of the apocalypse...''
As He muttered, He took out a white piece of paper from somewhere and looked at Jenna. ''That chance is on you, and the price is your life.''
My life... Jenna repeated this phrase nkly.
Before Jenna could respond, Amon''s speaking speed elerated, as if multiple people were rying the narrative, almost creating a majestic andyered effect.
''Time is limited, I''ll only pick out the key points of the story.
''Commissioned by Amon, Celia Bello discovered Harrison from the Western Continent and obtained fragments of the special mirror world, encountering the phantom of Krismona.
''In her subsequent advancements, Krismona''s phantom would repeatedly warn Celia Bello about the dangers of a pure female Demoness and the potential sources of danger. This failed to dissuade Celia Bello and instead stimted her to persist on this path, because Celia Bello, who came from a humble background, had been a Showy Diva, and witnessed the death of her loved ones, desperately wanted to be powerful. She wanted to seize every opportunity to be strong to protect those she wanted to protect. The uniqueness of a pure female Demoness made her see the possibility of being used, and being used meant she might receive a ''gift'' and be a high-ranking individual in a very short time.
''She was willing to bear the enormous risks that woulde with this. She has always been someone skilled at going all-in.
''Arranged by the story''s author, Celia Bello sessfully evaded the Demoness Sect''s investigation and, relying on the special small sacrificial square in the catbs, escaped the gaze of the Primordial Demoness Cheek until The... Mr. Fool initially awakened.''
After saying ''The,'' Amon paused, then switched with a slight upward inflection to ''Mr.''
Looking at the white paper, He continued, ''In the end, Lumian Lee and Franca Rnd both entrusted their special mirror world fragments to Jenna for safekeeping, unexpectedly allowing her to gather three piecesa trinity, three pirs that evolved all things.
''Now, Jenna has a chance, a chance to save Lumian Lee. That is, before the Despair potion ispletely digested, forcibly advancing to Demoness of Unaging, utilizing the uniqueness of a pure female Demoness and those three special mirror world fragments to transfer the great terror in the depths of the special mirror world onto herself.
''This way, the barrier of the special mirror world will instantly shatter. The great Mr. Fool can certainly pull Lumian Lee, who only has Alista Tudor resurrected within him, back from the edge of consciousness death and mental alienation. Praise The Fool!
''This is a surmise; the events about to ur are not certain, supported only by three facts:
''The first fact is that the previously only pure female Demoness, Krismona, died in the War of the Four Emperors, and the Demoness Sect has been killing pure female Demoness early;
''The second fact is that Krismona''s ghost once said that pure female Demonesses would face a trial when advancing to Demoness of Unaging, and if they fail to pass, something terribly frightening would happenthis has been confirmed as true;
''The third fact is that the great terror in the depths of the special mirror world is rted to the Demoness and Hunter pathways.
''This indicates that both pure female Demonesses and pure male Hunters might attract that great terror, but only Demonesses are closely linked to the mirror world and Mirror People.''
Amon raised His head, adjusted His monocle, and looked at Jenna. ''The story''s author only grasps these facts. Before the light burst just now, He was not clear about what was hidden in the special mirror world.
''That is to say, His surmise only has a certain probability of sess. Unexpected changes might ur midway, leading to failurea probability that is even quite high. However, with our great Mr. Fool, He can amplify the possibility of sess and reduce the probability of failure.
''Even so, sess is not guaranteed. No one knows what other special characteristics the great terror in the depths of the special mirror world might have.
''Celia Bello is at a crossroads of choice.
''On one side is whether Lumian Lee can survive, on the other is her own life.
''Regardless of sess or failure, she will certainly die, because what''s needed is not passing the trial during advancement, but weing failure during the trial.
''Because the great Mr. Fool awakened early, the story''s author couldn''t arrange Celia Bello''s brother properly, which would cause many things to be exposed prematurely. So, Celia Bello doesn''t need to be cornered now, doesn''t need to be forced into a singr choice.
''So, what is her answer?''
Only at thest question did Jenna truly awaken.
At this moment, one of the high-frequency flickering figures split from Mr. Fool and said to her, ''You can choose not to choose, or choose the opposite.
''I will do my best to destroy the barrier in a short time. If I can''t, I''ll seal this ce.''n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Between voices that were sometimes near and sometimes far,
Jennapletely came to her senses, understanding what Amon had just described.
So my persistence in walking the pure female Demoness path was arranged... Even my emotions, reactions, and thoughts were anticipated...
So Julien almost became an arranged object because of my uniqueness'', falling into a situation of imminent death or madness...
So I was never discovered by the Demoness Sect because I was always being arranged...
Jenna had actually expected to be arranged for a long time and was psychologically prepared. She was willing to take risks to be strong quickly and protect those she wanted to protect, to ept the ''bestowment''. But what she didn''t expect was that there were no risks, only deathshe was just a sacrifice, a tool, a puppet being manipted on stage, a cheap puppet.
At this moment, she truly understood the feelings Lumian experienced during the arrangements before bing a Demoness of Despair.
Everything seemed to have lost meaning, everything was so despairing.
Jenna felt she should be angry, should hate, should madly curse everything, and try her best to resist.
She actually had all these emotions, but...
Jenna turned her head and gazed at the barrier condensed with dazzling light.
A smile gradually spread across her face, and she softly said to herself, ''But... ''I am willing.''
Chapter 1110: Prince and Princess
That moment, Jenna felt hesitation, trepidation, fear, anger, resentment, with many words surging to be spoken, as if to convince herself, but after thousands and ten thousands of words rushed to her lips, only one sentence remained: "But, I am willing."
All those emotions ultimately condensed into a smile.
Amon, for reasons unknown and to no one in particr, shook His head, lowering His gaze to the white paper in His hand.
"Celia Bello, who chooses to be a Demoness of Unaging, will receive Amon''s help. And Amon, taking advantage of the moment when the Demoness Sect''s top leaders are all dispatched, stole a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact corresponding to a Demoness of Unaging, and thus arrived a bitte.
"As for the corresponding supplementary ingredients. the Visionary has long envisioned them into existence."
As He spoke, the white paper floated downward, and a potion that had been prepared at some unknown time appeared in Amon''s hand.
The potion dyed its container a grayish-white color, clearly reflecting the mirror world around it.
It flew toward Jenna,nding in her palm.
Seeing this potion, numerous images suddenly shed through Jenna''s mind: her childhood falling asleep to her mother''s humming, the excitement of first entering the Thatre de l''Ancienne Cage Pigeons to learn performance, the bitterness of struggling to survive with her mother and brother, the shock and gratitude of first meeting Franca, the series of events after encountering Lumian, the massive impact and disillusionment of watching her mother jump to her death from the sixth floor...These countless fragments quickly settled, ultimately freezing into two scenes: one scene was after she finished singing a song at the Salle de Bal Brise, facing whistles and cheers, walking proudly to Lumian like a princess,ughing as she issued an invitation: "Handsome lion, dance!"
The other scene was when she inserted the long-handled silver fork into Hugues Artois''s eye socket, piercing into his brain, with the frozen surprise, bewilderment, and fear on the Member of Parliament''s face illuminated by the surrounding light.
Jenna raised the potion bottle, holding it like a long-handled silver fork.
This time, the "long-handled silver fork" would pierce her own face.
Jenna suddenly thought of something, turning her head to look at Anthony and Ludwig.
Thetter seemed to want to stop her but was held back by the former.
Jenna opened her mouth, wanting to leave a word or two for Franca through them.
But she couldn''t think of what to say. Whether a sincere expression or a kind deception would ultimately be an irreparable regret, an eternally unhealing wound.
Sheughed self-deprecatingly, exhaling. "Tell Franca to live well, on my behalf.
"My spirit will forever be with her."
"Okay," Anthony responded in a calm voice.
The palm pressing on Ludwig''s shoulder inexplicably revealed blue-colored blood vessels.
Jenna thought for a moment and added, "If the apocalypse passes, I hope you enjoy life.
"Ludwig, humans are always full of pain, but I still like being human."
Jenna withdrew her gaze, stabbing the potion into herself, her hand steady, not trembling, just like when she killed Hugues Artois with the long-handled silver fork, only less swift.
The taste of soil and stone mixed together, lingering in her mouth.
Her senses gradually went numb, her body rapidly petrifying.
She felt her spirit floating midair, seeing herself in the mirror.
She saw herself in the mirror, serene, with a smile, seemingly waiting to wee herself.
Though no ritual was held and no reconciliation reached beforehand, Jenna suddenly understood that her mirror self was also willing to sacrifice herself to save Lumian.
"She is indeed more extreme than me...
"She should have made the decision earlier than me..."
Jennaughed again, whispering two sentences.
Suddenly, she was no longer anxious, no longer panicked, no longer afraid, because on this path to death, she was no longer alone.
She had apanion, apanion who encouraged and supported each other.
During the process of her instinct drifting toward her mirror self, Jenna suddenly saw "her" face twist, alternating between normal and painful, as if bing a stranger.
This change seemed constrained, as if bound byyers of chains, requiring tremendous effort and oveing numerous difficulties toplete.
"Come quickly..." Jenna, for the first time, cheered on the enemy who wanted to kill her.
In the grayish-white, cave-like area behind a mirror.
Demoness of ck rice pretended to be at her limit, a step too slow, and could only "watch helplessly" as Franca escaped into one of the no longer petrified phantom tunnels.
Phew... she secretly exhaled.
Just then, her spirituality suddenly warned her, and she abruptly turned, looking towards the grayish-white stone altar.
Franca bizarrely appeared nearby, and a clear, misty light shot out from the eye protection of the mechanical half-face mask she was wearing, striking the altar.
The one who had just escaped was only Franca''s mirror self!
And the one following the departing "mirror self" was a Mirror Projection!
The Demoness of ck''s gaze instantly froze, but it was toote to stop it.
Invisible barriers suddenly appeared around the altar, provided by the ritual itself.
But for some reason, this protective power was insufficient,cking the intensity a ritual for the Primordial Demoness should have, as if some inexplicable force had blocked most of the divine blessing.
Under the clear, misty light, the invisible barrier was instantly reduced to its most basic, minuteponents and ceased to exist.
Immediately after, the clear, misty light hit the bone- like figurine of the Primordial Demoness.
The figurine swayed and began to crumble.
Seeing this, the Demoness of ck was like someone trapped in a nightmare, frozen in ce.
For added security, Franca took out the Primordial Demoness figurine and the Inevitable Gun from her Traveler''s Bag.
She threw the figurine towards the altar, then fired two shots in quick session.
Bang! Bang!
Two dim, green bullets shot out, each striking a bone-like figurine of the Primordial Demoness.
Certain Death!
Both the already crumbling and the intact statues began to rot, losing their luster,pletely shattering.
Deep within the special mirror world.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Primordial Demoness Cheek smiled as She observed the changes urring in Lumian''s body.
His features were gradually being corrected, shifting towards Alista Tudor''s likeness. On his body, the two intertwined Demoness figures were half-merged into him, driving his flesh to converge toward his neck.
After the earlier burst of light, the process was now irreversible.
Suddenly, one of the Demoness figures withdrew. attempting to straighten her body.
Her expression was vivid, filled with both hatred and longing.
The Primordial Demoness d in the white bone dress instantly understood what was happening.
A pure female Demoness was ascending to the rank of Demoness of Unaging!
And at the most critical moment!
The stunningly beautiful face of Primordial Demoness Cheek darkened.
She was about to direct Her gaze at the advancing pure female Demoness to kill her first!
Although the barrier formed by the burst of light isted the interior from the exterior-temporarily preventing The Fool from entering and also hindering the Primordial Demoness from directly sensing or influencing the external situation - Cheek had already made preparations to prevent unexpected oues.
She had instructed Her most trusted high-ranking Demonesses to set up altars at different locations within the mirror world, cing figurines there to conduct rituals. She used Her authority and symbols to establish a robust mystical connection!
By now, those connections must have weakened, and the rituals would no longer be strongly protected. Yet, as the mirrored original Creator-the Oldest One- Cheek could barely maintain the existence of these connections and use them to project part of Her power to eliminate hidden threats.
The Primordial Demoness swiftly cast Her consciousness toward the figurine closest to the target, only to discover with astonishment that the figurine had been destroyed and the connection severed.
Her expression remained unchanged as She immediately scattered Her consciousness toward the remaining figurines still involved in the rituals.
The next second, a vision appeared before Her eyes: it wasn''t the advancing pure female Demoness - it was a ck trench coat.
The interior of the ck trench coat was empty, with the coat itself outlining a human figure.
Grafting!
The Primordial Demoness realized that Her gaze on Jenna had been Grafted by Mr. Fool back onto Herself!
In an instant, one of the Demoness figures entwining Lumian struggled to break free. A ck bone dress wrapped around Her, and She disappeared from the spot, following the mystical connection to where Jenna was.
The fusion within Lumian''s body immediately lost its bnce.
His chest, neck, shoulders, torso, and limbs, along with the remaining Demoness figure, all copsed inward, as if about to turn into a mass of flesh. The flesh converged into a clump, continuing topress.
The two Tudors fused within his head, along with the Sequence 1 Conqueror Beyonder characteristic, were also dragged downward by immense force. They pierced through his skull, through the mes and frost, and through the writhing flesh.
The barrier of light at the edge of the special mirror world suddenly vanished.
Floating closer, Jenna finally saw the distortion and pain on her mirrored self''s face disappear entirely.
"She" lifted her face and gave Jenna in midair a bizarre smile, opening her arms wide.
Jenna did not resist. She closed her eyes and moved forward, epting the embrace.
She felt warmth and reassurance, which made her want to fall into a deep sleep.
She offered no resistance.
It was as if she had returned to her childhood, listening to her mother hum a luby and her father''s soft snores, drifting into slumber.
Back then, though life wasn''t particrly great, she had nothing to worry about. Her father and mother would take care of everything: she only needed to be a good child.
She grew more at peace, more tranquil.
She believed her mother and father would shield her from the storm, ensuring she slept soundly.
In that serene dream, she would be a princess, and her prince would walk toward her, inviting her to dance.
A smile appeared on her face.
Her thoughts dissolved into the encroaching madness, settling into a tranquil darkness.
Chapter 1111: The Power to Stop
At the special mirror world''s edge.
Anthony watched as multiple manifestations of Mr. Fool disappeared into thin air, heading toward the Primordial Demoness, leaving only one behind to monitor Jenna''s transformation, ready to act at any moment.
Jenna''s features gradually rxed, no longer distorted and pained, even tinged with a faint smile. The gray-white hue on her body was receding, as if she was on the verge ofpleting her advancement, gaining eternal youth, and reaching Sequence 3.
Ludwig quietly retreated several steps, hiding behind Anthony.
He looked visibly anxious, biting at his fingers.
Snap. He bit off a piece of bone, chewing on it bloody and swallowing.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Meanwhile, Anthony noticed a strange change in the surrounding scenery: one side reflected the real worldsunlight, stars, green trees, the sea, humanschaotically jumbled together. The other side resembled a frozen, lifeless universe. Above, brilliant explosions of light continued to erupt, casting out vast amounts of matter, while below, deep, dark abysses consumed everything,pressing it toward a final singr point
These were still illusions, mere reflections of the mirror world.
Yet even a demigod like Anthony felt an indescribable fear rooted deep in his soul and flesh.Despite Jenna still being at Sequence 3, without higher-level Beyonder characteristics, her presence was nearly as terrifying as the terror emanating from the depths of the special mirror world.
Because she embodied a most unique and fearsome symbol.
A symbol of the creation and destruction of everything!
This transformation had to be stopped before the symbol wasplete, before Jenna reopened her eyes!
At that moment, Amon''s mocking voice reached Anthony and Ludwig''s ears.
''Why is it always me doing the work?
''I''d much rather clear altars and figurines like the serpent''
As He spoke, the sphemer, dressed in a pointed soft hat and a ssic magician''s robe, faced Jenna and raised both arms.
The monocle on His right eye shone brilliantly.
Behind Him,yer uponyer of resplendent doors materialized, while a vast, silent river of mercury-like symbols flowed majestically.
Deep within the special mirror world.
On Lumian''s body, blurry flesh, iron-ck bones, violet mes, and intricate, dangerous symbols were copsing rapidly.
This process included the fragment of the Primordial Demoness, the fused Alista Tudors, the Conqueror Beyonder characteristic, and most of the madness.
Even Lumian''s brain, split open like in a cranial surgery, and the remaining insanity were about to join this copse.
Seeing this, the Primordial Demoness, d in a white bone dress, smiled.
The bnce is indeed lost
It seems like a failure
But no matter. I''ll fuse myself in and see what kind of monster emerges in the end.
What I cannot obtain, no one else shall have. And I will take everything within the barrier with me to the grave.
This will be the grandest funeral for me and Tudor.
Suddenly, the Primordial Demoness noticed a dy in the extreme copse happening to Lumian.
Two forces were preventing it.
One was the destiny fixed on madness and not onplete destruction.
When a conclusion was bound to be bad, steering it toward a lesser evil was far easier than reversing it to something good.
This was the true purpose of the letter sent by the Circle of Inevitability!
The second was a faint rebirth within Lumian''s copsing flesh, symbols, violet mes, iron-ck bones, and Beyonder characteristics.
They were regrowing, extending outward, clinging to thest threads of life.
This new birth came from Omebe''s bloodline and Zedus''s vitalized soul fragments.
On Lumian''s body, now condensed into a strange sphere, a lump of flesh protruded, resembling someone''s head.
On the head, two alternating faces constantly shifted. One belonged to the high-nosed, madness-filled Blood Emperor Alista Tudor. The other was a ruby-eyed, nearly perfectly beautiful Zedus.
Lumian''s deadened thoughts suddenly flickered, pulling him back from the eternal darkness into his spiritual body.
This new birth had brought him back.
He felt the most extreme, hopeless pain and saw the changes in his body.
He suddenly recalled Mr. Fool''s insight on dealing with Omebe''s bloodline and Zedus''s soul fragments: ''This is a hidden danger, a risk, and also a variable, an opportunity.''
A variable, an opportunity Could it be here? As Lumian gained this realization, he also knew the new life was far too weak to counteract the terrifying copse that sought to annihte everything after losing bnce.
There were only a few seconds left before everything ended.
But Lumian did not give up. His style was always to fight to the bitter end, even in death.
The next second, he saw another flesh-crafted head growing rapidly on his copsing body.
This head also had two alternating faces. One belonged to the extraordinarily beautiful yet innocent-looking Primordial Demoness Cheek. The other, unfamiliar to Lumian, was stunningly beautiful yet radiated a maternal glow.
Giant Queen Omebe!
Seeing this change, Primordial Demoness Cheek, who was about to fuse into Lumian''s body and exacerbate the imbnce, stopped trying.
She smiled faintly at the manifestations of The Fool descending upon Her, Her endlessly alluring body bing illusory and dispersing into the entire special mirror world.
She was the master of the mirror worldShe was the mirror world. She could fuse with it at any moment. Destroying all the mirror worlds would be the only way to truly kill Her.
Though the mirrored terror''s feminine aspect had been transferred to Jenna, the Primordial Demoness, who had spent millennia attempting fusion, could still partially leverage Her unique symbol until it fully broke free, bing the true mirrored original Creatorthe Oldest One.
The Primordial Demoness''s form simultaneously appeared in every corner of the special mirror world, Her soft voice echoing into Mr. Fool''s ears from all directions.
''Can you save Him?
''You should be able to
''If you can''t, I''ll fuse with Him, and we''ll invite you to our funeral. Everyone''s funeral. The universe''s funeral.
''Sounds exciting, doesn''t it?''
Mr. Fool was unmoved by such words. Most of his rapidly flickering manifestations continued to fight the Primordial Demoness, trying to seal Her off and prevent Her from truly fusing into Lumian''s body.
The remaining manifestation turned to look at Lumian, struggling to hold on.
He sighed softly.
At the special mirror world''s edge.
Amon, having requested dual-pathway godhood and power from The Fool, seized the moment when the mirrored Creator had yet to fully assimte Jenna, unable to control the Demoness of Unaging''s body, and was in His weakest state. He adjusted the monocle on His right eye.
The Fool''s manifestation outside the special mirror world suddenly had its ck trench coat rise dramatically.
Anthony and Ludwig were enveloped in gray-white fog, as if transported to another hidden, bizarre world.
The next second, before Jenna''s distorted, pained expression, now tinged with hatred, a searing sea of light appeared, engulfing her entirely.
Supernova!
Fueled by dual-pathway godhood and power, this was a Sufferer''s reenactment ability!
It was nearly identical to the supernova used by Mr. Fool during the battle of Sefirah Castle.
Jenna''s body instantly disintegrated, vaporizing before it could even evaporate. Amon, along with the surrounding mirror world, was also affected by the supernova, leading to inevitable copse.
The special mirror world also began to crumble. This copse spread for a moment but was halted by Primordial Demoness Cheek, preventing it from affecting the depths where Lumian resided.
The brilliant light that illuminated the darkness gradually faded. Suddenly, a holy glow, filled with redemption, shot out from the River of Fate.
Amon reappeared, still wearing His monocle, pointed hat, and ck magician''s robe.
He saw that amidst the chaotic turbulence of space-time, in the deep darkness, specks of soul fragments glowed faintly. Some belonged to Jenna, and some to the mirrored Creator. They intertwined, yet had not been entirely annihted.
Even a supernova explosion could notpletely kill the mirrored Creator, even in Her iplete, feminine aspect!
These tangled soul fragments were on the verge of reassembling, ready for resurrection.
Deep within the special mirror world, standing before Lumian''s mutated body, Mr. Fool raised his starlit cane with his gloved right hand, his ck trench coat silently billowing.
Above him, far in the infinite heights, a door of light, tinged faintly with bluish-ck light, flickered in and out of existence, surrounded by gray-white fog.
Sefirah Castle!
A shadow seemed to briefly open its eyes.
As Mr. Fool''s starlit cane pointed toward Lumian, the tangled fragments of the mirrored Creator and Jenna''s soul outside the special mirror world were instantly transferred onto Lumian.
Grafting!
A conceptual and physical Grafting, leading to a renewed fusion!
The Primordial Demoness, who had been manifesting and battling around the special mirror world, let out an amazed sound.
It was enough to satisfy any male''s vanity.
However, unlike the earlier fusion, Omebe''s bloodline and Zedus''s soul fragments had now been activated, each merging with the Demoness of Apocalypse Cheek and the resurrecting Tudor.
The mirrored Creator''s soul fragments, as if drawn by some mystical force, carried Jenna''s portion and merged into the flesh mass alternating between Omebe''s face and the Demoness of Apocalypse Cheek.
Mr. Fool added a glimmer of starlight to the remaining fragments of Jenna''s soul, allowing them to withstand the erosion and fusion process for some time.
The countryside dreamscape was now in shambles.
Madam Magician and Madam Justice, who had assumed Mythical Creature forms through self-hypnosis, fought fiercely against the ancient dragon Edefana for an extended period.
During the battle, Madam Justice suddenly noticed two incongruities:
Our opponent is merely a Sequence 2 mind dragon. How can it continually suppress Fors and me when we carry a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact?
Moreover, Fors hadn''t once thought to divide her shadow to support other battlefields
At that moment, Edefana''s ancient voice echoed, ''I have no desire to be your enemy. I am merelypelled.
''As a dragon born in the mid-First Epoch, as ancient as Ankewelt, unlike Ariehogg and the others who only witnessed part of the Second Epoch''s history, don''t you wonder how I, a mere Sequence 2, have survived until now?''
Chapter 1112: One Trouble After Another
Hearing Edefana''s words, Madam Magician froze for a moment.
She finally realized she should be using her high-speed Blinking to support other battlefields.
That was something she normally would have done.
From the very beginning, I''ve been subtly influenced? Edefana doesn''t seem to be just Sequence 2. Madam Magician quickly followed her spiritual intuition, her figure Blinking rapidly as she appeared in various ces across the Northern and Southern Continents.
Then, she found that the battlefields were stabilizing, with the forces of the orthodox Churches and government organizations gaining the upper hand. The only difference was how quickly they would eliminate the disruptors.
The only area with serious issues was beyond her ability to intervene or participate.
It was far too high-level!
While helping allied forces quickly clear out cultists, she redirected most of her attention back to Miss Audrey''s dreamscape.
At this moment, Edefana, the ancient dragon, had stopped fighting andnded on the stone tower deep within the dreamscape.Madam Justice had also reverted from her Mythical Creature form, gazing at Edefana. In Dragonese, she asked, "A normal Sequence 2 dragon couldn''t survive from the mid-First Epoch to the present?"
Edefana''s terrifying lizard-like face, its gray-white scales slightly dim, revealed an eerily human smile.
"Even Angels have a limited lifespan: it''s just that most Angels don''t live long enough to reach it.
"Vampire is a pathway that significantly increases lifespan. Didn''t Round Moon Olmer have to seal Himself in a coffin, trying to slow the passage of time? He''s also a Sequence 2 Angel, and nearly two thousand years younger than me."
Madam Magician flickered rapidly, ready to prevent Edefana from escaping, while muttering inwardly. Two thousand years older than Duke Round Moon Olmer? Truly worthy of being a dragon born in the mid-First Epoch
Initially, she thought Duke Round Moon''s age exceeded 3,000 years. After gaining more knowledge of mysticism, she suspected the Sanguine duke could be over 5,000 years old!
The Fifth Epoch was currently in its 1,359th year, and the Fourth Epochsted 1,233 years, adding up to 2,592 years. Duke Round Moon existed before the Cataclysm, so He was widely believed to be over 3,000 years old.
Madam Magician confirmed that this duke had truly followed the Sanguine''s ancestor, Lilith, so His age must include the 1,086 years of the Third Epoch.
Moreover, Lilith''s "demise" wasn''t the hallmark event marking the end of the Second Epoch, being 800-900 years apart, during which Olmer followed Her for several centuries.
Considering all this, Madam Magician estimated Duke Round Moon to be at least 5,000 years old. Even as an Angel of the long-lived Sanguine, He still had to live an abject life in a coffin to prolong His life.
Yet Edefana imed to be almost two thousand years older?
That aligned with His self-introduction as a dragon born in the mid-First Epoch.
Madam Justice discerned the unspoken meaning in Edefana''s words and probed, "You were once corrupted by a power higher than your own, and even now, it controls you?"
If Edefana had used a Marauder pathway''s Sealed Artifact to siphon life or relied on a simr method, He wouldn''t have posed such a question.
Edefana''s aged, lizard-like face appeared somewhat dazed.
"You''re perceptive.
"I am a dragon of the mind domain."
Which means..., polluted by the Chaos Sea? Like the Dragon of Imagination, Ankewelt? Then influenced and driven by the godhood of the Primordial God Almighty? Madam Magician''s gaze sharpened. "It was the Primordial God Almighty who sent you to dy us?" R?
Edefana chuckled, producing a deep, buzzingugh.
"Yes, I''m able to tell you this because the influence he exerted over me has rapidly receded. Without His influence, I will soon age and die."
"Rapidly receded?" Madam Justice repeated, her tone heavy with foreboding.
Edefana unfurled His massive wings, His gray-white scales dimming further.
"Yes. He is retracting the powers he was covertly reviving. This isn''t due to any mishap but because He is concentrating His will.
"Tonight, he has two opportunities for true resurrection-two!"
Edefana''s voice brimmed with fear.
When the mirrored Creator''s soul fragments, mixed with Jenna''s, fused into Lumian''s body, Lumian, tormented by the relentless cycle of pain and madness, his consciousness on the brink of copse, suddenly ceased the unconscious twitching and twisting of his head.
His iron-ck eyes became filled with violent emotions:
Jenna...
He wanted to stop struggling, to let the copse happen, but he also understood why Jenna had be what she was.
He raised his head, letting out a pained roar.
It was a scream of anger, hatred, madness, and defiance.
At that moment, Lumian seemed to hear Aurore''s gentle voice: "There''s still a chance.
"Leave it to me."
Lumian seemed to see Aurore''s phantom, cloaked in her thick golden hair.
His body began to change, bing more feminine on one side.
His feminine aspect grew active, striving to merge Jenna''s soul fragments with his own.
The mirrored Creator was truly Fooled, no longer caring about Jenna''s soul fragments, allowing them to detach and integrate into Lumian''s feminine side.N?v(el)B\\jnn
His consciousness focused solely on the Demoness of Apocalypse, Cheek, and the Giant Queen, Omebe.
They were fused together.
Bnce was restored, but it was vastly different from before.
Lumian''s body stopped copsing, quickly expanding outward, gaining new life.
The two masses of flesh protruding from his torso surged toward his neck, vying to rece his head.
Theypeted, even as they began to fuse, High above, in the infinite heights, the faint light door tinged with bluish-ck and surrounded by gray- white fog reappeared. Mr. Fool alternated the use of Fooling and Grafting.
The two fusing flesh masses abruptly shifted to Lumian''s left shoulder, writhing as they formed a dripping wet head.
This head had two faces, one on each side. The right face was identical to the Primordial Demoness, Cheek - stunningly beautiful, pure, yet exuding maternal radiance. The left face resembled Alista Tudor but bore jet-ck hair and a wless, nearly divine beauty.
The madness and characteristics in Lumian''s body converged into this head. Each face exuded its own raw, violent, or pathological nature, an unrestrained desire to destroy and create everything.
The two faces did not cease merging. At times, they ovepped; at times, they split apart, ultimately forming a vortex that absorbed their features.
From within the vortex, a liquid containing all colors and possibilities seeped out, leaving the face in chaos.
Deep within the chaos, a new face slowly began to take shape.
The previously grinning, observing Primordial Demoness, Cheek, abruptly retreated, disappearing from the area.
Before vanishing, Her ck hair fully unfurled, thick and slick like venomous snakes, whipping furiously through the air as though resisting an unseen force.
Lumian, his mind flooded with pain, madness, and destructive desires, sensed an exalted consciousness, gazing down upon all, being born within the new head on his left shoulder and rapidly growing stronger.
Mr. Fool, witnessing this, prepared to use a Wish to suppress and dy the Primordial God Almighty''s resurrection, seeking time to find a solution.
The new face in the chaos grew clearer.
In an instant, Amon hurled an object into the special mirror world,nding it in Mr. Fool''s hand.
It was an extraordinarily bizarre dark-golden mask,rge enough to cover a human face.
Lumian, his face twisted in agony and madness, recognized the mask.
It had been obtained from the sea prayer ritual, originating from Loki,ter given to the Aurora Order.
And now, it was here.
Mr. Fool caught the mask, and a shadow from the faintly visible door of light above descended upon the dark-golden mask.
Mr. Fool pressed the mask onto the new face emerging from the chaos.
The face did not resist or stop him because, still unresurrected, He had been Fooled-Fooled into believing the mask would make Him unimaginably powerful.
The dark-golden mask merged seamlessly with the face, bing inseparable.
The head paused, no longer absorbing Lumian''s madness or characteristics.
The two faces reappeared on its sides-one belonging to Primordial Demoness Cheek, radiating maternal brilliance, the other to the more handsome and perfect Alista Tudor.
Each face held an unmistakable hint of madness and destruction.
The gray-white fog and the bluish-ck-tinged door of light high above disappeared.
On Lumian''s right shoulder, flesh writhed, abruptly forming a new head with two faces. One was the radiant Aurore, the other, the exquisite Jenna. Both had closed eyes, no consciousness, and bloodstained features.
Elsewhere in the mirror world.
Red Angel Medici, intending to leave without bothering with the two lunatics, sensed the changes deep within the special mirror world.
Here''s the chance!
Though Medici didn''t fully understand what had urred, He hesitated not for a moment. Swiftly assessing the situation, He made His decision and prepared to execute His original n.
His goals for today were twofold: to suppress any signs of the Primordial God Almighty''s resurrection and to cull Lumian Lee, securing ultimate victory in the battle for 0-01.
He had no fear of The Fool''s interference. Since He dared toe, He had a way to ensure The Fool couldn''t act in time.
Red Angel Medici advanced, retrieving lifelike metallic soldier figurines from a small ck pouch at His waist.
Each one contained fused Beyonder characterstics from different pathways, effectively making them Sealed Artifacts.
Medici scattered the figurines, allowing them to grow enormous, gain life, and surround Him.
The Red of War legion reappeared.
Meanwhile, within the astral worldposed of abstract concepts and strange symbols.
The childlike doodle sun had long be a zing golden-yellow fireball, terrifying in its intensity, opposing the crimson round moon beyond the invisible barrier.
The burning surface of the sun, pure and sacred, suddenly darkened in patches.
These dark patches extended outward, forming a colossal luminous humanoid figure surrounded by chaos.
The luminous humanoid instantly descended into the depths of the special mirror world, engulfing all of The Fool''s manifestations!
***
Thanks to the users "ѧܧڧ ӧҧߧ", "TempestUknow" for the chapters provided!
Chapter 1113 A Long Struggle with Myself
Chapter 1113 A Long Struggle with Myself
The enormous luminous figure wrapped in chaos remained tethered to the zing golden sun, never breaking free.
"It" was firmly restrained, like the hidden impulses and madness buried deep within many heartsthough present and impossible to ignore, they remained confined under the dam of reason and humanity in normal circumstances.
Moreover, the chaotic luminous figure formed from the sun''s dark patches descended from the astral world into the depths of the special mirror world without impacting the zing golden sun''s efforts to maintain the invisible barrier against the crimson round moon.
Instead, the sun burned brighter, more intensely, and with greater sanctity.
At this moment, abstract concepts representing "gaze" and "observation" emerged within the astral world, all directed at the radiant golden sun.
The sun, illuminating the astral world and the entire world, remained unmoved, as if silently responding: Once, I betrayed myself.
Later, I spent over two millennia wrestling and contending with another version of myself. Finally, I achieved a temporary victory, reached a bnce, and made Him serve me, while I remained who I am.
Now, I am betting everything.
Letting my allies be the Origins of Disaster, the Cmity of Destruction is my only chance to secure ultimate victory and avert the apocalypse!
Whether or not this seeds, whether or not it leads to a tragic end, I will give it my all.
I would rather break than yield!
The colossal luminous figure cloaked in chaos enveloped all of The Fool''s manifestations in the special mirror world, relentlessly pursuing His Blinking, preventing him from approaching Lumian at the speed of light and with immense energy.
One was manipted, misled. One was Fooled, Grafted. Neither had any attention to spare for Lumian.
On the other side of the special mirror world, the Primordial Demoness retreated, Her ck hair still thrashing in the air like a writhing cluster of serpents. Her breathtakingly beautiful face twisted into a new allure that had yet to fully unfold, still resisting some invisible force.
Nearby, the mirrored Empress Roselle silently watched, refraining from intervening.
She could not defy the will of the mirrored Creator, also known as the Primordial Demoness, Cheek. She could only hope the ensuing catastrophe would not lead to theplete copse and destruction of the special mirror world.
For Her, unable to leave this ce yet, such an oue would be a death sentence.
As for Zaratul, who had previously hidden here, He had already fled, returning to Castle Dn.
Lumian felt a surge of violent, cruel, twisted, and pathological thoughts emanating from the left side of his body. Like a relentless tsunami, they battered his mind and will, attempting toplete his assimtion.
From his right side came deathly silence, sadness, pain, and despairemotions just as overwhelming and now spilling over into his consciousness.
These conflicting forces resonated with Lumian''s current state to varying degrees, on the verge of blending into one another and bringing about the inevitable descent intoplete madness.
In his blurred vision, silhouettes shed by, beams of light red up and dimmed again, all bing indistinct.
Suddenly, a voice switching between near and far echoed in his ears: "My wish is:
"Lumian Lee can maintain moments of rity, rationality, and humanity each day."
Destiny was sealed; madness was unavoidable. Even a Miracle Invoker could not fully reverse it. The only option was to exploit loopholes and lower the difficulty of the wish, allowing Lumian to oscite between madness and rity.
Nothing dictated that inevitable madness precluded asional moments of lucidity!
As for how "asional" was defined, that would be left to Fooling and Error to decide.
Lumian''s blurry vision suddenly sharpened. The pain and fury still wrecked his body, but his thoughts and perceptions were no longer clouded.
He saw a vast array of figurines materialize ahead of him. Each wore uniquely colored metal armor, their faces sculpted with uncanny precision. Towering over ten meters tall, they marched in formation like a vast army.
Lumian also saw the figurines encircling Red Angel Medici. The King of Angels had revealed His Mythical Creature form,posed of deep violet, almost blood-colored, nearly invisible mes, steel-like bones,plex terrifying symbols, and bloodstained ck armor.
Between His brow, a blood-red sigil shaped like a banner was prominently raised, vivid and dripping.
Medici hadpleted His sacrificial ritual in advance, summoning the aid of the essence of war.
The head on Lumian''s left shoulder, adorned with the bizarre dark-golden mask, suddenly turned. The face resembling Alista Tudor now directly faced Medici.
The blood-red sigil between the brows of this face simrly protruded, surrounded by indescribable dark symbols that seemed to herald ultimate chaos.
He sneered with disdain and mockery, as if saying to Medici: "You coward, fancy seeing you here. Ready to be devoured by me again?"
Lumian then fully manifested his Mythical Creature form and drew a simple longsword from the Traveler''s Bag that had fallen to the ground, untouched by prior chaos.
The longsword rapidly erged, matching his towering frame of over thirty meters.
It ignited with ck mes, embodying destruction and madness.
Medici raised His own ming greatsword. The two fiery giants shed with a resounding boom.
Almost simultaneously, the soldiers of the Red of War legion raised their arms, leaning back slightly.
Their eyes burned iron-ck, reflecting the pale markings on Lumian''s body. In their hands, spears of deep violet, almost blood-colored, mes materialized.
They could simultaneously share all of Red Angel Medici''s abilities and spirituality!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
While Medici intercepted Lumian, a forest of me-spears shot out, dense enough to obscure the sky.
Each spear targeted the vulnerable points on Lumian''s body.
The masked head on Lumian''s left shoulder turned once more.
This time, the maternal and radiant face of the Demoness of Apocalypse, Cheek, faced Red Angel Medici.
The face smiled sweetly, causing Medici''s movements to slow slightly, and the deluge of blood-colored me-spears to falter, as if held back by reluctance.
Next, Lumian''s body grew illusory andyered, like projections from countless mirrors.
Rumble!
Countless me-spears pierced through his body, triggering violent explosions that annihted every projection in an instant.
Lumian''s figure reemerged on the other side.
Red Angel Medici gave him no respite, transforming into a zinget of deep violet, blood-like mes, hurtling toward Lumian in a sh.
The soldiers of the Red of War legion followed suit, turning into simr mingets, roaring down from every direction with unstoppable force, using area-of-effect attacks to bypass the interference of the Fog of War.
As a King of Angels, Medici enabled His soldiers to share His rank. In this moment, it was as if nearly a hundred Red Angels were simultaneously attacking Lumian.
This was one of Medici''s most potent abilities. Its only drawback was the massive expenditure of spirituality.
Effectively, itpressed what could have been a prolonged battle into a single, overwhelming burst, trading time for spatial dominance.
As an ancient King of Angels, Medici knew that the Eternal zing Sun could not dy much longer. Victory had to be swift, so He began with an all-or-nothing gambit.
Outside the special mirror world, Amon, wearing a monocle and pointed soft hat, took no further action, ying the role of a true spectator.
Neither obstructing nor aiding,
His expression remained unchanged as He bit into a red apple He had somehow stolen.
Faced with the mingets descending from every direction, Lumian did not retreat. His eyes burned with madness and battle lust.
He growled, for the second time today, invoking the aid of the City of Cmity.
The iron-ck bones interwoven into his body and etched withplex symbols and patterns suddenly developed fine cracks. The violet-red mes roaring over them deepened in hue, taking on a bloodier shade.
d in pitch-ck armor marred with bloodstains, he ignored the other fieryets and locked onto the one transformed from Red Angel Medici, swinging his increasingly immense and terrifying Sword of Destruction.
Boom!
Deep violet and crimson mes scattered in all directions, forming a storm that engulfed the surroundings.
The explosion, imbued with destructive energy, left visible cracks in the depths of the special mirror world, rendering it precariously close to shattering.
Amid the roiling mes, the figure of Red Angel Medici emerged, a deep wound carved across His chest and abdomen, from which flowed mes so dark that even their depth seemed erased.
Lumian was in an even more dire state. His bloodstained ck armor was tattered, and the iron-ck bones intertwined with intricate patterns and symbols were heavily damaged and fractured. The deep purple, blood-hued mes barely clung to him, a faintyer that seemed ready to be extinguished by a passing breeze.
Shards of ss were scattered around him, remnants of his mirror self, which had suffered devastating destruction.
Lumian grinned, his smile bold and unrestrained.
He suddenly plunged the battered Sword of Destruction into the ground. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The already strained area copsed with a thunderous crash, disintegrating entirely.
As the region crumbled, Lumian plunged into the chaotic flow of time and space, descending into darkness.
With his body undergoing new birth, he waved at the simrly falling Medici and the Red of War legion, his smile seemingly asking, "Care to join me? In the chaos of time and space, teams tend to get scattered, you know."
The Red Angel whistled in response, as if to say, "I can handle this on my own."
The two had no time for further interaction. The silent, perilous storm of space-time swept in, separating them instantly.
umian plummeted downward at great speed, using his Teleportation ability to evade the most dangerous zones.
He could no longer sense the outside world and had no means of escaping this ce directly.
In a blink of an eyeor perhaps longerLumiannded before a massive, half-copsed pce aze with invisible and colorless mes.
The depths of the special mirror world led to Fourth Epoch Trier.
Chapter 1114 Omebella
Chapter 1114 Omebe
As soon as Lumian''s feet steadied, the head on his left shoulder began to sway from side to side.
Whether it was the hauntingly beautiful yet morbid face of Cheek or the savage and crazed gaze of Alista Tudor, both seemed perplexed.
Their consciousness, spirit, personality, and spirituality, blended and tangled amidst the resurrection of the Primordial God Almighty, had be a jumble. Eventually, they separated into yin and yang, left and right, forming a new consciousness and spirit, though still marked distinctly by Cheek and Tudor.
These were ultimately sealed within the dark-golden peculiar mask of the yet-to-fully-revived Primordial God Almighty, allowing only instincts to seep through, each affecting the respective face.
Their instinctive reactions seemed to tell Lumian that this ce was different from their memories or expectations.
This was the Blood Pce of Alista Tudor, the site of His ultimate downfall. It should have retained remnants of the leaked power of various sefirot, yet it appeared unusually "clean," with only formless mes burning everywhere and evaporating ck pus that perpetually dripped but never dried.
With the blood-red sigil on his brow protruding, Lumian involuntarily advanced toward the half-copsed, ostentatious pce. Along the way, the formless and colorless mes parted for him, seemingly weing the return of the emperor of this kingdom, the master of this pce. Lumian only had to avoid the dripping ck pus as it fell back to the ground.
Standing at the half-copsed entrance, Lumianwith three headsfound his path blocked by an area of absolute darknessso dark that even the concept of depth seemed devoured. He had no choice but to circle around to the pce''s side entrance.
Clicking his tongue as if mocking Alista Tudor, he muttered, "Utilizing the power of the City of Cmity, the Blood Emperor was ultimately killed by the River of Eternal Darkness. Even His corpse has be different.
"Sometimes, these forces repel each other to extremes; other times, they fuse. And once they fuse, it spells annihtion, absorbing and neutralizing the nearby remnant powers of other sefirot."
"Your Majesty the Blood Emperor, are you nning to reim your corpse? I''m afraid it will drag you back into the River of Eternal Darknessno, ultimate annihtion."
Speaking to himself, Lumian moved toward the pce''s side entrance.
He intended to wait by Alista Tudor''s divine corpse, anticipating the arrival of Red Angel Medici.
That spot would be ideal for him to fight in his current statehalf of what Alista Tudor once was, though without a fully "restored" rank.
When he reached the crumbling side entrance, now narrow enough to squeeze through, Lumian suddenly noticed two corpses standing on either side of the doorway.
One male and one female, both burned into charred remains by formless mes, stood preserved in their scorched states. Each had a left hand swollen and translucent, its bluish hue marred by yellow-green pus flowing within.
The veins on their left hands were unnaturally clear, and along with the palm lines, they formed intricate and densely packed symbols and patterns.
"Left Hand of Decay
"Why are the bestowed of the Monarch of Decay ced here as corpse statues?" Lumian murmured, lowering his gaze. As expected, he saw ancient Tudor coins beneath each of the four corpses, with denominations of "2," "7," and "13."
Lumian''s face twitched, a wave of violent and destructive emotions surging within him.
Summoning a ck-me greatsword in one hand, he prepared to sh at the four corpses.
Suddenly, a gentle female voice came from nearby: "Their purpose is to symbolize one thing: making anything that can go wrong be most likely to go wrong."
Lumian turned both his heads simultaneously, spotting Madame Pualis, dressed in a ck gown. Her subtle brows framed bright brown eyes, her brown hair styled in a high bun.
In her arms, she cradled a chubby-cheeked, adorably plump infant girl.
The baby girl no longer appeared ethereal but fully real, tangible, and vivid.
In the depths of Underground Trier.
Under the corrosive fog of history, the Tree of Shadow''s trunk became increasingly illusory. Its bark and branches began peeling away.
Though the Tree of Shadow was intimately tied to every human in Trier and could not bepletely destroyed, its aura weakened rapidly. The canopy extending above ground receded deeper meter by meter.
Suah and Tiri struggled with all Their might to hold the line, yet They could not reverse the trend.
Somewhere in Fourth Epoch Trier
Louis Gustav watched as the infants on his body dropped to the ground, dying instantly and decaying into rotted corpses.
0C59The Divine Kingdom Without People!
The undead infants never had the chance to be reborn. Exposed to The Fourth Sun suspended high in the sky, they were instantly purified and vanished.
Birthing children was not an evil act for the Mother but a sacred one, immune to The Fourth Sun''s purification. However, transforming the infants into undead made them susceptible to its power.
Losing all the infants, the "maternal body" fell with a look of anguish, rapidly disintegrating into a pool of blood and flesh. The flesh writhed as if attempting to reform into a bird''s nest.
But it died mid-reformation, simultaneously decaying and regenerating.
Holy, radiant sunlight enveloped it.
Red Angel Medici and part of His metal soldiersnded in a deste wilderness shrouded in gray-white fog, flickering between reality and illusion.
In this wilderness, shadowy figures wandered silently, moving slowly toward the edgesto them.
Seeing Madame Pualis holding the infant Omebe, Lumian beamed. Lifting the newly condensed Sword of Destruction, he prepared to strike.
"There''s no need to rush. It''s been a while since we had a conversation," Madame Pualis said gently. A stretch of wilderness appeared around her, creating distance between herself and Lumian. Her gaze shifted between Lumian''s face and Aurore''s tightly closed eyes, filled with a trace of sorrow.
Rumble!
Amid the booming explosions, her figure appeared on the other side of Paramita. Her tone was soft and soothing.
"It''s pointless. Omebe has truly been born. The anticipated oue has arrived, and nothing will change now."
Her maternal voice calmed the fury and madness in Lumian''s heart. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Stopping his attack, Lumian said, "Omebe"
He initially wanted to ask when Omebe was born, but a sharp pain in his head brought a sense of spiritual foreboding.
Instead, he asked, "In the dream city, why didn''t youor rather, the Mother Goddess of Depravityhelp the Celestial Worthy? Why let Him fail?"
Madame Pualis, cradling infant Omebe, smiled and answered, "When I entered the dream city, aside from wanting to see you and Aurore, I had only one goal:
"To act on behalf of the Great Mother to eliminate any chance for the Celestial Worthy to reverse the situation if such an opportunity arose.
"However, all of you did an excellent job. You didn''t give me that chance."
"Why?" Lumian asked with a frown.
Shouldn''t bnce have been maintained?
Maintaining her smile, Madame Pualis replied, "After the Hostel incident, the Mother''s thoughts changed. She wished for The Fool to prevail.
"This way, The Fool would begin a process of simultaneously opposing and integrating the Celestial Worthy, while also amodating Sefirah Castle. Such a process would be difficult to disrupt. Facing another crisis, even if The Fool wanted to give up and hand everything to the Celestial Worthyor if the Celestial Worthy wanted topromise and assist The Fool in controlling Sefirah Castlethe resulting state wouldn''t be easily broken or altered. It would take a long time."
"Before such a state could fully change, the Lord of Mysteries''s power would be at bestparable to that of Grisha Adam during Project Vortex. And even achieving this would require the Celestial Worthy''s full cooperation."
"No matter what abilities such a Lord of Mysteries employs, it''s impossible for Him to break through the barrier formed by the mirrored Creator in a short period of time. He can''t prevent what''s about to happen. The Mother has been anticipating this for a long time."
Lumian recalled the events that had just transpired and suddenly realized the night''s major events were far from over.
Laughing, he said, "So, even you don''t trust the Celestial Worthy to honor His promises after fully awakening?"
"No one would trust a Great Old One that symbolizes deceit," Madame Pualis replied gently, rocking the baby in her arms as if coaxing Omebe back to sleep.
Lumian nced at Omebe and asked, "When was She truly born?
"And what will Her birth bring?"
With a soft smile, Madame Pualis answered, "After you were dragged into the special mirror world."
She exined with a smile, "Cmity needs to stay away from the mother. But have you ever consideredyou''re not the cmity, but the Motherthe one who gave birth to Omebe."
"The great terror in the special mirror world came from the fusion of the two pathways of Cmity, so it naturally symbolizes cmity?" Lumian suddenly understood the true meaning behind Mr. Fool''s revtion.
This was a fate even great existences couldn''t fully grasp.
Madame Pualis gazed wistfully at Aurore, sighed, and said, "That''s one interpretation. But there''s a deeper reason."
She turned to Lumian, her brown eyes deep, and asked, "Have you noticed? Tudor and Cheek''s twins are also a boy and a girl, an elder sister and a younger brother."
An elder sister and younger brother Yes, Krismona and the Demoness of Gray Judith were once siblings! Lumian was suddenly struck by a deep sense of foreboding.
Madame Pualis smiled again and said, "For true gods of the Hunter and Demoness pathways, it''s normal for twins to be a boy and a girl. Anything else would be unusual. But why elder sister and younger brother, and not elder brother and younger sister?"
"Because They''re also a reflection of Omebe and Zedus in some way.
"As for why" Madame Pualis nced down at the baby in her arms and smiled. "Omebe is far older than you think.
"She and Zedus were born in the mid-First Epoch. At that time, Giant King Aurmir was still a purely mad demigod-level monster.
"Their mother, strictly speaking, wasn''t the Great Mother, but the Brood Hive ripped off from the Great Mother. When the Brood Hive was still within the Great Mother, Omebe and Zedus had yet to gestate.
"More importantly, Their fatherTheir true fatherthe one who fathered them with the Brood Hive.
"Guess who He is?"
In Madam Justice Audrey''s dream.
The ancient dragon, Edefana, gazed at Madam Magician and Madam Justice, His voice buzzing as He said, "I can offer you one more piece of critical intelligence, originating from the mid-First Epoch."
Both Madam Magician and Madam Justice tensed inexplicably.
In a tone dripping with resentment and hatred, Edefana said, "The mother of Giant Queen Omebe is the Brood Hive currently sealed in the Western Continent.
"Her father is:
"The Primordial God Almighty!"
Chapter 1115: Crimson
''Primordial God Almighty?'' Lumian raised an eyebrow.
All around him, formless, colorless mes suddenly red up, zing fiercely.
Madame Pualis, cradling the infant Omebe, smiled and said, ''Within the two pathways of Cmity lies the arrangement for the resurrection of the Primordial God Almighty. During the union of Tudor and Cheek to conceive Krismona and Judith, the consciousness of the Primordial God Almighty also partially revived. Naturally, that pair of twins were younger brother and elder sister.
''Conversely, if what fused into your body wasn''t Omebe and Zedus, but other divine offspring of the Great Mother, they would have beenpletely ineffective during that fusion. Theyck the necessary symbols and mystical connections.''
Hearing this, the head on Lumian''s left shoulder turned from side to side, the faces of Cheek and Alista Tudor alternating as they gazed at Madame Pualis.
Lumian struggled to suppress the urge to incinerate this part of Paramita and destroy it entirely. Suddenly, a thought shed through his mind.
So that''s how it is. Omebe was indeed killed by a direct rtive. That exins her curse on the City of Silver
Previously, Lumian had spected that Omebe''s final death stemmed from the citizens of City of Silver killing Her. Since they were Her followers, essentially her ''children,'' the act of filicideor human deicidecould naturally trigger the curse: ''Must die at the hands of a direct rtive, or else be an evil spirit.''
Now it seemed that while this might be one of the reasons, it was certainly not the only onenor even the most crucial.The true reason was that Omebe''s initial death was orchestrated by the Ancient Sun God!
As the sessor to the Primordial God Almighty, the Ancient Sun God might have had fragments of the Primordial God Almighty''s consciousness and spirit awakening within Him at that timethough still suppressible!
Under these circumstances, in Omebe''s eyes, wasn''t it essentially a god imbued with Her father''s consciousness and spirit using powers derived from Him to kill Her?
Lumian suddenly understood why Madame Pualis had lured the padre into personally killing the newborn Omebe back in Cordu.
If it were only about fulfilling the symbolic act of being killed by a direct rtive, Madame Pualis herself, as the mother, could have handled it. There would have been no need for such borate arrangements.
The only exnation was that infant Omebe had to be killed once by her biological fatherthe padre, who symbolized the Eternal zing Sun. Only then would all the necessary symbols beplete, forming a closed loop and bing valid in the realm of mysticism.
Eternal zing Sun Eternal zing Sun
Lumian''s pupils dted as he was struck by a sudden realization.
Once he understood that making the padre be Omebe''s father was to evoke the symbol of the Eternal zing Sun, one question had always puzzled him.
Why the Eternal zing Sun specifically?
Wouldn''t the God of Steam and Machinery, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, or the Lord of Storms suffice?
This question hadn''t lingered long, though. Realizing that Aurore possessed the unique conditions of being a transmigrator, having the gray fog''s aura, being a Warlock, and having a younger brother, Lumian had concluded it was mere coincidence. It just so happened that Cordu worshiped the Eternal zing Sun.
But now, he suddenly understoodit wasn''t a coincidence. It was a necessary condition.
Aside from being a transmigrator, having the gray fog''s aura, being a Warlock, and the sibling rtionship, there was another implicit condition: residing in a region that worshiped the Eternal zing Sun.
Lumian recalled his time as a casual believer of the Eternal zing Sun, asionally attending Mass at the Saint Sith Cathedral in Cordu, and remembered certain praises from the padre.
''Great Father!''
''Father of all living beings!''
These weren''t official titles of the Eternal zing Sun, yet they were written into the scriptures, frequently mentioned in propaganda and hymns, and genuinely existed!
The Great Father!
Lumian looked at Madame Pualis and blurted out, ''Is there something wrong with the Eternal zing Sun?''
Madame Pualis smiled faintly and replied, ''Long ago, fragments of the Primordial God Almighty''s consciousness began reviving within Him. For a time, He would even asionally lose control of Himself.
''After an extensive period, He finally managed to suppress His alienated self and achieve a fragile bnce, which allowed Him to partially harness the power of the Chaos Sea. However, He had to tread carefully and limit the frequency of use. Otherwise, the corruption and alienation would deepen, and the bnce would copse.''
Madame Pualis smiled brilliantly and asked rhetorically, ''Now you understand why the true birth of Omebe is so significant, don''t you?
''Her true father is the Primordial God Almighty. Her current father is the Eternal zing Sun, within whom the consciousness of the Primordial God Almighty has revived.
''When She was born in essence, the Eternal zing Sun, as a symbol of the Primordial God Almighty, will be significantly strengthened. The mystical connection between the two will blend together.
''With the symbol of the Primordial God Almighty greatly reinforced, do you think the fragile bnce the Eternal zing Sun has been maintaining can still exist?''
In the astral world, where abstract concepts and symbolic representations intertwined.N?v(el)B\\jnn
The radiant, golden Sun, connected to a zing giant enshrouded in Chaos, suddenly broke off its battle with The Fool.
He contracted instantly, merging once again with the sacredly glowing golden Sun.
The Sun''s surface abruptly darkened, patches of shadow spreading swiftly to cover half of its ''face.''
The gigantic golden sun alternated between the form of a handsome, energetic young man with short golden hair draped in a pure white robe, and a zing, searingly bright fireball.
The young man''s expression grew increasingly distorted, His body half-shrouded in dark shadows seeping from within, gradually dissolving. The dark patches on the terrifying fireball expanded, while the divine radiance diminished.
Suddenly, behind the golden sun, a silhouette subtly emerged.
It was a female figure dressed inyered but unadorned pitch-ck robes, dotted with what seemed like brilliant stars. From Her ribs and waist extended two pairs of arms covered in short, deep-ck fur.
Evernight Goddess!
In the Goddess''s six hands, two held heavy ck scythes, two cradled ancient bird-shaped golden ornaments, and two raised a massive sword seemingly forged from condensed orange-red light, aiming it at the Eternal zing Sun.
The young man with the distorted face in the white robe nced at the spot where the Evernight Goddess had previously stood and saw a terrifying feathered serpent with massive wings blocking a fissure with its own reflection, maintaining the barrier.
The feathered serpent could only hold out for a short time, and even then, only because the Evernight Goddess had not yet left the astral world.
The Eternal zing Sun turned toward the Evernight Goddess, asking in excruciating pain, ''When did you find out?''
Two of the Evernight Goddess''s hands holding the bird-shaped golden ornaments underwent rapid changes, causing an illusory, wide, dark, colorless river to manifest behind Her.
The river flowed silently, drawing close to the Evernight Goddess.
''I had some suspicions during the Cataclysm. After obtaining Destined Madness, I fully understood your anomalies.'' Evernight Goddess''s voice was soft, almost as if She were soothing the Eternal zing Sun to sleep.
Simultaneously, the heavy ck scythe and the massive orange-red sword descended upon the Eternal zing Sun at an unhurried pace, yet their movement carried the force of the colorless, dark river. The progress of the dark patches spreading across the surface of the golden sun slowed.
The once-handsome and vibrant Eternal zing Sun, Aucuses, began tough.
Struggling to suppress His alienation and natural defensive instincts, He looked earnestly at the Evernight Goddess and pleaded, ''Please kill me.''
He would rather die as a god than lose Himself and linger on in torment!
Suddenly, His face contorted again, and the dark patches overtook the sun''s surface. An ancient voice seemed to echo from across history: ''If you kill Him, the barrier will lose another support. Can the barrier be kept up?''
The Evernight Goddess responded without any emotion, ''I just saw you coborating with the Mother Goddess of Depravity, and you are the strongest Notary.''
Without hesitation, she brought down the heavy ck scythe and the massive orange-red sword.
The dark, illusory river seemed to flow closer.
Those awake deep into the night and the strongest beings in the world simultaneously turned their gaze to the sky.
A zing, brilliant, pure golden sun rose, illuminating the entire world.
In the next second, the sun shattered into fragments of divine light tinged with darkness, scattering to various corners of the world.
It resembled stars falling in a rain-like cascade.
Fourth Epoch Trier, beside the half-copsed ostentatious pce.
Maintaining her smile, Madame Pualis replied, ''The true birth of Omebe holds two additional symbolic significance.
''First, as the divine offspring of the Primordial God Almighty and the Brood Hive, once She fully enters the real world, will the one who once usurped Her identity be able to bear this fate and maintain even a basic state?''
In the astral world, where abstract concepts and symbolic representations intertwined.
Earth Mother Lilith, with Her ample and graceful figure, cradling a baby in Her arms and a faint red moon behind Her head, cast Her gaze upon the crumbling golden sun and the figure wielding the scythe and sword.
The illusory crimson moon was suddenly drawn toward Her and leaped into Her body.
Her voluptuous, graceful form cracked instantly, and from the fissures burst forth streams of crimson moonlight.
''Amanises, let me sleep. In this way, my authority and symbolism can still contribute to the barrier,'' Earth Mother Lilith spoke with extreme pain and difficulty.
The figure of the Evernight Goddess, Amanises, who had just vanquished the Eternal zing Sun, vanished as if erased.
Momentster, She reappeared behind Earth Mother Lilith.
Almost simultaneously, as the Sun fell, new stars lit up in the skyred, orange, gold, blue, brown eight in total.
Each was colossal, like new suns, descending to the same height as the crimson full moon, exerting immense pressure on the barrier, causing it to audibly crack and fissure.
The barrier''s sustaining power was insufficient.
Having justpletely destroyed the Tree of Shadow, leaving only its roots, and not yet had time to eliminate Suah and Tiri, Mr. Fool raised His head and looked toward the astral world.
All His bodies disappeared abruptly, reappearing there as a series of symbols and various abstract concepts.
Some symbols consisted of segments of Pupil-less Eye and Contorted Lines, others wereyered doors, and others resembled the hands of a clock.
The teetering invisible barrier steadied.
Forsaken Land of the Gods, atop a majestic and stretching mountain range.
After the darkened sun fell, the darkness here dissipated.
Beside the enormous cross, Visionary Adam, d in a simple white robe with a thick golden beard, returned to normal. At His feet was a dense ck shadow with five heads, exuding malevolence.
Both He and His shadow looked ahead, to a realm epassing all colors and possibilities, simultaneously illusory and real ''sea.''
From the depths of the Chaos Sea came an ancient voice: ''Come, my child. Merge with me.
''You are out of time. The apocalypse is nigh. Your only choice is to risk merging with me, then contend for dominance on equal footing.''
Visionary Adam and the True Creator, Grisha, shifted Their gazes downward, toward thends outside the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
They saw the Northern and Southern continents, cities like Backlund, Trier, Feynapotter, and St. Millom, the awakened people stirred by the Sun''s eruption, and the mountains, rivers, and seas.
They withdrew Their gazes and stepped into that realm of all-epassing colors.
They sank beneath its waves.
Fourth Epoch Trier, beside the half-copsed Tudor Pce.
Madame Pualis gazed wistfully at Lumian and Aurore, sighing as she spoke, ''The final important symbolism of Omebe''s birth is this:
''Previously, She was born from the Brood Hive and the Primordial God Almighty. Now, She is born from me, representing the Great Mother, and the padre, symbolizing the Eternal zing Sun. Since the Eternal zing Sun, as a symbol of the Primordial God Almighty, has been strengthened, the Brood Hive, as a symbol of the Great Mother, will undergo simr changes.
''Moreover, the Brood Hive and the Great Mother Themselves have an exceptionally tight, nearly unified mystical connection.
''With such a transformation, what will the Great Mother gain?''
Lumian did not answer. Following his intuition, he directed his gaze upward to the formless, colorless mes.
There, the night sky had appeared, and the crimson full moon suddenly brightened.
Elsewhere in the mirrored world, Franca, who had just shattered the Demoness of ck''s true body and her mirrored self, also looked up.
Across the world, every demigod raised their gaze to the sky.
The crimson full moon, which had always seemed perched atop a clock tower, suddenly descended without warning, appearing closer, as if just above everyone''s rooftops or nestled in the wild treetops.
A diaphanous, eerie moonlight spread across every corner of thend and sea.
All was crimson, as if drenched in blood.
(End of Volume SevenThe Second Law)
Chapter 1116: Nightmare
What has been, will be again; what has been done, will be done again.
Trier, Le March du Quartier du Gentleman.
Leonschrly in appearancestood at the front of the living room. His expression was solemn as he preached to the members of the congregation.
He had moved out of Auberge du Coq Dor because the congregation had grown significantly.
Although the local authorities in Le March du Quartier du Gentleman seemed indifferent to his ndestine spreading of an unorthodox faith, Leon believed caution was paramountbetter to avoid any undue attention.
If devout and fanatical believers of the Eternal zing Sun or the God of Steam and Machinery within the quartier discovered his heretical teachings, they would report and protest relentlessly at the cathedral. Even if the two major Churches were initially reluctant to act, they''d eventually be forced to intervene!
Moreover, with an increasing number of followers, Leon genuinely needed a temporary location to serve as an underground chapel.
Having finished his sermon, Leon raised his hands, palms outward, his voice suddenly bing fervent, ''Praise be to you, Beholden to the King of Yellow and ck, Priest of the Apocalypse and War, the Multi-Faced Conqueror of All, the true Mdy God!
''Praise be to you, the Ancient One who transcends time, One who remains forever young, Envoy of Disease and gue, Lady who spreads pain and despair, Protector of humanity''s adventurous spirit,panion to the great Mdy God!''The gathered believers in the living room mimicked his gestures andpleted the ritual with a final hymn of praise.
As Leon listened to the echoing voices of the congregation, he felt a moment of daze.
He didn''t quite understand why the titles of these two deities kept changing, especially the great God of gue, whose honorific name had been revised multiple times, leaving little resemnce to the original descriptions. Furthermore, the title Mdy God had been reinstated, while God of Disease was now regarded as Hispanion and queen.
Leon had once inquired about this matter with Her Holiness, the Pope. The reply was: ''This reflects the rise in the rank and authority of the God of gue.''
After the hymns, Leon gestured for the assisting padres to distribute holymunion.
Themunion consisted of a drink and a choice of food: one could choose from absinthe, red wine, or cooled boiled water, paired with either mashed potatoes or meat patties.
Seeing his followers savor themunion with genuine satisfaction, Leon felt his year-long efforts had been worthwhile. A profound sense of aplishment welled within him.
In the afternoon, he left his residence and headed to glise Saint-Robert on Avenue du March.
This wasn''t because he secretly maintained his faith in the Eternal zing Sun but rather because he believed the rapid growth of the Sick Church necessitated greater organization. He and the other bishops needed to prepare for eventualities by advising Her Holiness on perfecting aspects of daily worship,rge-scale masses, and the Church''s scriptures.
On such matters, the orthodox Churches of the true gods served as excellent references.
Avenue du March was as lively as ever. Waves of neers streamed in from the nearby steam train station, flowing like rivers into the sea that was Trier. Some opted for carriages, others carried suitcases and walked, while the less cautious had their wallets stolen, leaving them shouting and chasing in distress. The patrolling police offered help with little enthusiasm.
Leon entered glise Saint-Robert and noticed a rtively unfamiliar bishop standing before the altar.
Approaching, he asked curiously, ''Is Bishop Christopher not here today?''
The unfamiliar young bishop gave aplex smile and replied, ''Bishop Christopher has been reassigned. I will be taking over his duties.
''You may call me Yveline.''
Another new bishop Leon couldn''t help frowning slightly.
In his hometown, aside from rapidly promoted padres and bishops, most would remain in one ce for yearssome even decadesoverseeing a single vige cathedral. Yet glise Saint-Robert had seen five bishops in just the past year.
Now, this was the sixth!
It wasn''t like thisst year
When I first arrived in Trier, the bishop back then stayed for more than half a yearN?v(el)B\\jnn
Leon''s thoughts shifted to the numerous changes within the Eternal zing Sun Church over the past year.
The Eternal zing Sun, whose titles had never changed before, had begun issuing revtions, drastically altering its titlessimr to the God of gue. Even the status of the Sun Sacred Emblem had shifted, no longer ced atop altars, downgraded to just one among many sacred symbols!
Leon cast his gaze toward the altar and saw a massive cross standing there.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Bishop Yveline, he seated himself in the front row, pretending to pray.
Before long, his heightened spiritual sensitivity as a Warlock stirred within him. Suddenly opening his eyes, he turned to the side.
He saw Lugano, his direct superior, once again.
This archbishop of Trier''s Sick Churcha Sequence 5 Druidhad unexpectedly appeared in glise Saint-Robert of the Eternal zing Sun Church!
With his thick brows and sharp eyes, Lugano showed no fear or surprise upon noticing Leon. Removing his half-tall silk hat, he sat beside his subordinate, gazing at the massive cross on the altar. In a low voice, he asked, ''What are you doing at the Eternal zing Sun Church?''
''Your Grace, I wanted to learn how to deliver better sermons,'' Leon humbly exined.
He refrained from asking why Lugano was at glise Saint-Robert.
Lugano smiled and replied, ''Me too.''
Then, with a sigh, he added, ''And to feel the sunlight.''
''Feel the sunlight?'' Leon asked, puzzled.
Lugano stared at the massive cross on the altar and said, ''I always feel like the sunlight outside isn''t bright enough, isn''t warm enough. It can''t dispel the cold and fear inside me. Only the sunlight here reaches my soul and lets me forget my unease.''
''Unease?'' Leon also felt a sense of unease.
What unsettled him most was that the archbishop''s words bordered on sphemytheycked piety.
What cold and fear could the great Mdy God and the great Mdy God Queen not resolve or eradicate? Why not pray to them or seek guidance from Her Holiness instead ofing to the Eternal zing Sun Church to feel the sunlight?
Will I be silenced for hearing such sphemous words? As Leon''s anxiety grew, Lugano shifted his gaze from the altar to observe Bishop Yveline, who had moved to a long table at the side of the church. Speaking in a suppressed tone, he said, ''I''ve been having nightmares for a long time. Haven''t you?''
''No,'' Leon replied firmly.
''Do you often feel uneasy?'' Lugano pressed further.
Leon shook his head at first but then hesitantly added, ''As a Warlock, my spirituality is strong. I only feel unease as a premonition of trouble, which usually helps me avoid or resolve it. Any unease disappears afterward.''
Lugano sighed again and said, ''I''ve had nightmares for so longevery single night, waking up in terror.''
''Have you asked Her Holiness about the root of the problem?'' Leon probed cautiously.
Lugano smiled faintly and said, ''I have. I''ve also prayed to the great Mdy God and the great Mdy God Queen. The response I received was: ''Pay no mind to it, but do not get too close.''''
Pay no mind, that I understand. But what does do not get too close mean? Does delving into the nightmare lead to self-destruction, being dragged into the abyss? Leon instinctively analyzed the meaning of these words.
Suddenly, he recalled another matter: a mystical circle he had joined recently encountered problems, seemingly caused by a Beyonder from the nter pathway.
In another rted mystical circle, the host and many members warned everyone to beware of Beyonders from the nter and Apothecary pathways.
His Grace is a Sequence 5 Druid of the nter pathway Could his recurring nightmares be rted to abnormalities in these two pathways? Leon dared not voice his thoughts.
Lugano continued, ''Her Holiness also told me that, at my lowest, I could sit in a cathedral of the Eternal zing Sun.''
''I see'' Leon expressed his understanding.
Deep inside, however, he resolved to report this matter to Her Holiness through the mirror. He couldn''t simply take the Archbishop''s words at face value.
Lugano remained at glise Saint-Robert until evening before leaving to tend to the various affairs of Trier''s Sick Church.
Late at night, he finally returned to his rented apartment. After drinking a ss of milk, stretching his body, andpleting his nightly prayers, Lugano prepared for bed.
After washing up, hey on his bed and turned off the gas wallmp.
He stared at the ceiling, immersed in darkness, and at the crimson moonlight seeping through the curtains. He observed the twisted patterns formed by the intery of light and shadow, unwilling to close his eyes for a long time.
He was afraid to sleep, afraid to dream.
He had once tried altering his routineworking at night and resting during the daybut the nightmare still came.
He didn''t know how much time passed before he finally fell asleep.
In a daze, Lugano suddenly jolted awake, as if bing lucid.
He saw the familiar gray-white fog and the water-stained stone b.
It''s here again Lugano was not surprised.
The nightmare hade as anticipated.
He staggered to the edge of the gray-white fog but dared not step beyond it. He lingered there, gazing outward into the depths of the dream.
In the distance, he faintly saw a familiar street.
It was where he currently lived.
But in the dream, the street and all the buildings hadpletely copsednone were spared. The same destruction extended into the distance, with no end in sight.
Under the crimson moonlight, the ruins appeared chaotic, deste, cold, and deathly still. Yet, they exuded a peculiar, eerie beautyabandoned for ages yet imbued with a unique spiritual essence.
Green nts had overtaken the destroyed buildings. Some grew so densely they seemed to shroud the dead structures in burial cloth. Others bore abundant, fresh fruit.
Gazing upon this scene, Lugano was gripped by visceral fear, his entire body cold. It was as if he had glimpsed the future of Trier, the fate awaiting himself and others.
This was the nightmare he experienced every night:
A lifeless Trier where all humanity had been buried and every building had crumbled.
A Trier bathed perpetually in crimson moonlight.
Chapter 1117: Ruins
Lugano stood at the edge of the gray-white mist, not daring to take a single step further into the lifeless Trier, that ruined world.
He had always strictly adhered to the instructions of Her Holiness, the Pope.
This was also his heartfelt choice.
As usual, he remained hidden within the gray-white fog, observing the changes in the nightmare with a mix of fear and curiosity.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
He didn''t know how much time had passed before a figure emerged from behind a copsed building.
It was a deer, walking lightly on its hooves, happily nibbling at the fresh fruits borne by the green nts.
This seemed quite normal, much like how nature quickly reimed towns abandoned by humans.
Yet Lugano saw that as the deer ate, pieces of bloody flesh-not flesh, but raw, blood-covered fawns-fell from its abdomen, freshly born.
The fawns quickly stood up, clustered around their mother, and suckled her milk.In just a minute or two, a sizable herd of deer was born.
They moved behind a few copsed buildings and disappeared from Lugano''s sight.
Lugano was not unfamiliar with such scenes. Over the past year, he had witnessed too many simr acts of birth and new life in his nightmares, evolving from shock, bewilderment, fear, and disgust toplete numbness. Even with so many frequent instances of reproduction and birth, Trier in the nightmare remained deathly silent, with only asional faint sounds breaking the silence.
Those newborn animals seemed to disappear almost as quickly as they appeared.
Lugano tried to force himself to look away, to retreat deeper into the dense mist, lest he witness even more terrifying scenes.
This was his learned wisdom: every nightmare contained something new and horrifying, gradually amplifying his inner unease. Without such escting horrors, the mere silent, crimson Trier and the wild animals repeatedly birthing offspring in grotesque ways would not have been enough to break him, to sustain his daily fear-after all, if the same scene or event repeated day after day without directly harming the observer, it would likely result in desensitization rather than continued unease.
But Lugano couldn''t bring himself to leave the edge of the gray fog. Deep down, he yearned to stay and continue observing Trier in his nightmare, hoping to find the root cause of his recurring dreams.
Sometimes, he even felt that watching such scenes was the only time he truly felt alive.
As he watched, Lugano''s gaze suddenly froze.
At the end of the copsed street, five figures appeared.
Human figures!
The five figures seemed partially merged with the darkness, untouched by the crimson moonlight, making them shadowy and indistinct.
Leading them was a man in a brown lightweight trench coat pinned with a golden brooch. He had golden hair, golden eyebrows, and a golden beard, holding a sword seemingly condensed from pure sunlight.
Behind him, two men in white robes embroidered with golden threads carried a human corpse.
The other two figures nked them on the left and right, walking slightly ahead and behind, remaining on alert.
Lugano widened his eyes, straining to make out the features of these figures and, most importantly, the appearance of the corpse they were carrying.
For some reason, his attention was drawn to the face of the corpse.
As the five figures drew closer to the gray fog, the face of the corpse became clear to Lugano''s eyes.
The corpse had regr features, thick eyebrows, and sharp eyes-it was unmistakably Lugano himself!
Lugano''s pupils dted instantly. Instinctively, he staggered back, copsing to the ground with a loud thud.
How is that possible?
How can it be my corpse?
I''m perfectly alive!
Propping his hands against the water-stained stone bs, Lugano sprang to his feet like a coil.
He rushed back to the edge of the gray fog, determined to confirm whether the corpse truly looked exactly like him.
Unfortunately, the five figures had already changed direction, heading toward the other end of the gray fog, leaving only shadowy silhouettes that seemed to blend into the darkness.
One of the clergy members from the Eternal zing Sun Church, carrying the "corpse," addressed Angoulme de Fran?ois, who was walking ahead, "Deacon, this guy''s body has unconsciously left the protected zone over a hundred times now. Each time, we''ve had to retrieve it to prevent it froming into contact with anomalies. Why not just purify him? He''s a Sequence 5 Druid of the nter pathway!"
"Exactly, he''s a high-risk Beyonder," echoed the other clergy member carrying the "corpse."
Angoulme nced at his subordinates. "He''s the archbishop of the Sick Church."
"So what? Can''t the Sick Church get a new archbishop? High-risk Beyonders like him are better off reduced to Beyonder characteristics and sealed away," grumbled Orn, the first to speak. He was clearly dissatisfied with the dangerous task of venturing into the ruins to retrieve rogue bodies.
It was very dangerous.
Why is those high-risk Beyonders'' life considered precious, and ours isn''t?
Angoulme calmly exined, "The higher-ups said he''s still useful."
At this, Orn stopped arguing.
He couldn''t help but lift his gaze toward the sky.
The crimson moonlight was eerie and bright, overshadowing the stars, though the crimson moon itself was nowhere to be seen.
"Why did it suddenly turn out like this..." Orn murmured in confusion and pain.
This question was asked daily by those who had to enter the ruins and learn the truth about the protected zone. It was the mostmon question on the lips of Beyonders.
Angoulme also looked up at the sky.
The scene from back then shed vividly in his mind: the crimson full moon descended lower and lower, impossibly so, finallynding upon the earth.
The entire Fourth Epoch Trier copsed as a result.
The formless, colorless mes in the sky and the white fog permeating the ancient city disintegrated instantly.
With the aid of the two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts - The Fourth Sun and The Divine Kingdom Without People - and the fact that they weren''t among the primary targets, Angoulme, Jack Walton, and a few others barely survived the initial impact.
Even so, they each lost a colleague, helplessly watching them mutate into grotesque monstrosities, as if granted new, malevolent life.
Later, thanks to the unique properties of The Fourth Sun, they were fortunate enough to be pulled into the protected zone before the second wave of destruction hit.
Why did it suddenly turn out like this? Angoulme wanted to ask the same question.
At the time, things had seemed to be heading in a good direction - the Montsouris ghosts had been almostpletely dissolved by The Fourth Sun, and Louis Gustav had been purified. Only Madame Pualis''s whereabouts remained unounted for.
Then, out of nowhere, the crimson moon descended, and the world copsed.
Orn and the others'' spirits sank, their moods heavy, until sunlight illuminated the darkness, dispelling their inner fear and confusion.
However, the sunlight did not prate the darkness created by the Sealed Artifacts.
This control was intentional-otherwise, it would have posed a significant risk.
As Orn and the others calmed, a rumbling explosion echoed from afar, shaking the ground violently, as if it might copse entirely.
Orn instinctively turned toward the sound.
Thick white fog spread in the distance, and within it prowled a gigantic monster with three heads.
Violet mes ignited within the fog, and silver-white lightning illuminated the interior. Cracks in the ground extended all the way to Angoulme''s group, where crimson magma flowed slowly.
Even from a great distance, Orn and the others could feel the aura of destruction.
This was unlike the quiet gestation of life and death in Trier''s ruins-this was brazen, ostentatious, and wanton destruction.
Fear gripped Orn as he prepared to avert his gaze, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a female figure sitting quietly atop the copsed spire of a clock tower, her feet dangling.
Behind her, the three-headed monster prowled, bringing volcanic eruptions, thunderstorms, blizzards, earthquakes, and soaring violet mes-but none of it touched her.
Wh- Orn suddenly recalled terrifying stories he''d heard as a child.
A witch and the monster shemanded.
"Deacon, should we intervene and clean this up? I''m worried that if this continues, the entire Trier ruins will copse," Orn asked Angoulme.
Angoulme withdrew his gaze from the distance and looked at Orn and the others.
"No need.
"Remember, in the ruins, never do anything beyond your assigned task. It''s not only dangerous to us but could also threaten the maintenance of the protected zone.
"Sometimes, what you think is a good deed might worsen the situation."
"Yes, Deacon." Amid the rumbling noise, Orn and the others'' expressions turned solemn.
They had all heard stories of colleagues mysteriously disappearing or mutating into monsters within the ruins. Some had even witnessed it firsthand.
Countless task teams had vanished forever in the ruins.
"All right, we''ve reached the safe passage."
Angoulme said, pointing to a specific spot at the edge of the gray fog.
From there, they would return to the protected zone.
Instinctively, Orn and the others cast onest nce toward the distant dense fog.
The woman sitting silently atop the copsed spire exuded a unique allure.
Franca sat atop the copsed clock tower, letting her thoughts scatter and drift.
Time passed quickly, minute by minute, until the explosions, thunder, and howling winds behind her subsided. Only then did she pull her focus back to her body.
"All done?" She asked as she turned to Lumian, who stood nearby, now restored to human size.
Still sporting three heads, Lumian nodded.
"It''s that time again, where I asionally regain rity, though this time it mightst longer.
"And I''ve finally grasped the powers of Conqueror and Demoness of Apocalypse."
"Didn''t you already digest those two Beyonder characteristics through Cheek''s avatar and Alista Tudor''s integration?" Franca asked, puzzled.
"Digesting the characteristics and truly making the power your own are two different things," Lumian replied calmly with a faint smile. "After all, I didn''t digest the potion myself."
Franca nced at him, then at the faces of Aurore and Jenna, eyes closed, stained with blood, resting on his right shoulder. She tentatively asked, "You''re looking pretty good?"
Lumian responded with a smile, "To do whates next, I have to be.
"And besides, whatever happens, it''s time for things to reach a conclusion. That''s better than endless torment."
As he spoke, his tone grew somber.
"This time, I won''t be a pawn, I''ll do what I want to do."
Chapter 1118: What I Want to Do
Franca had been carefully avoiding certain phrases, but since Lumian himself brought it up, there was no need to tread so cautiously anymore.
With a self-deprecating tone, she whispered, "Can you really stop being a pawn?"
Ever since she was pulled into the protected zone and learned from Anthony and Ludwig what had happened, she felt as though she had developed "pawn arrangement PTSD." Whenever she heard simr terms, her heart clenched, and her mood darkened.
This symptom showed no signs of improvement over time.
Lumian was silent for two seconds before raising his right hand and flicking the dark gold, peculiar mask at the center of the head on his left shoulder.
With a metallic "ng," the faces of Cheek and Tudor reflexively furrowed their brows.
After nearly a year of adaptation and mastery, Lumian could now exert tangible control over the two faces when in his lucid state, although some nuances were still beyond his grasp.
After flicking the mask, Lumian spoke in a low voice, "After my merging with Him, unless the one worshipped by the Aurora Order achievesplete victory or is entirely defeated-allowing a true God Almighty to be born-no one can manipte me anymore.
"Look at us. We''ve entered the ruins, made such amotion, and stayed for so long, yet the Great Mother hasn''t even nced our way despite us simply relying on the cover of the Fog of War. Can you believe that?""He''s akin to a scaled-down original Creator-the Oldest One-or a yet-to-be-fully-revived Primordial God Almighty, which grants you a high status?" Franca nodded in sudden understanding.
"What I''m about to do next will remain highly concealed unless directly scrutinized," Lumian confirmed Franca''s spection, sitting down beside her atop the copsed clock tower and gazing out at the ruins of Trier beyond the Fog of War.
Franca was silent for a few seconds before tilting her head and asking, "So, what exactly do you want to do next?"
The next moment, she saw Lumian smile.
It was a spirited smile, tinged with mischief-an expression Franca had never seen on Lumian''s face before.
"I''m going to save the world."
For a moment, Franca felt as though she was listening to some prankster boast on the spot.
She didn''t question him. Instead, she asked, "Do you have any hope of seeding?"
Lumian, gazing at the endless ruins ahead, chuckled and replied, "If I don''t act, and the Great Motherpletely overpowers the half of Her will and achieves fusion, or if the barrier in the sky fails entirely, then there will be no hope whatsoever. But if I act, at least hope isn''t zero. There''ll be just a sliver.
"Besides, I''m not the only one preparing to save the world; there are others trying as well."
At this, Lumian turned to look at Franca, his tone drifting as though recalling something.
"When I was irrational, driven purely by divine instinct, that instinct allowed me to glimpse certain truths-or perhaps root causes.
"Everything in this world originates from the Original Creator. All living beings, all Beyonder characteristics, the way events unfold, and the miraculous turns of fate-all of it.
"What does this mean? It means separation leads to convergence. Something good will inevitably carry bad aspects, and vice versa.
"This is the essence of the world, the fundamental symbol that governs all things. Even existences as powerful as the Great Mother can''tpletely avoid it.
They can only mitigate its influence."
Franca, somewhat bewildered, said, "I understand dialectics, but what does this have to do with what you want to do?"
Lumian shifted his gaze back to the ruins.
"The Great Mother''s prior arrangements undoubtedly demonstrated Her level of power and wonder. She achieved multiple objectives in one stroke, almost turning our resistance into a joke. But with every good aspectes a bad one. Her arrangements have left things that we can exploit-things which might prove criticalter." ???
"Like what?" Franca now understood the gist of Lumian''s point.
Lumian shook his head. "There are things you can''t know yet. You''re not an Angel."
He paused before adding, "Put simply, the Great Mother set up many things to ensure Omebe''s true birth. Some seeded, some failed in the past, and some were kept as backups. They all left certain marks, even physical remnants.
"For instance, the bird egg deep in the Underworld. For instance, Lugano."
"Lugano?" Franca was first surprised, then seemed to understand. "So you think he''s still useful?"
Lumian chuckled in response. "I''ve finally figured it out - he was drawn to me by the fragment of Zedus''s soul within me. It''s because of his presence that I got deeply involved in the Father Montserrat matter and obtained Omebe''s umbilical remains.
"After that, he was essentially useless to the Great Mother. It''s only due to the corruption stemming from his characteristics that he now possesses certain peculiarities in his dreams.
"I won''t n anything for him. As long as he''s alive and still submits to me, he''ll y the role I need at some critical juncture."
Franca didn''t delve further, as she wasn''t an Angel.
She stared nkly at the head in the center of Lumian''s shoulders and said with a bitter smile.N?v(el)B\\jnn
"But what can you, a dual Sequence 1 King of Angels, do in the current situation?"
Lumian turned his head, meeting Franca''ske-blue eyes, and replied with a smile, "You know what I was like. You also know what I''ve been through. I''m nobody, even if I''ve stood at the center of the stage and been apuded-all because strings were pulling me from behind. Don''tfort me. I haven''t given up on myself.
"I learned something in the dream city: even the most foolish person, after thinking a thousand, ten thousand times, will eventually get it right once. Now, as someone who''s failed countless times, I''m going to challenge the future again. Maybe this time, I''ll seed."
As he spoke, Lumian''s smile brightened, revealing his unabashed hope and expectation.
He immediately chuckled at himself. "Anyway, it can''t get worse for me than it already is."
Franca gazed at his smile and said nothing for a long time.
"I also want to see what Aurore and Jenna''s eventual resurrection will look like, and what sort of distortions it will entail," Lumian said, his gaze once again darkening as he looked out at the greenery-covered ruins beyond the Fog of War. "By then, there will surely be a cmity sweeping the entire world. For the Great Mother''s Blessed and followers, it will indeed be a disaster.
"You''ll participate in the early stages,plete your ritual, take the potion, and be a Demoness of Catastrophe. Then, Madam Magician will help transfer you to the edge of the cosmos or some unnoticed star system, where a human-suitable environment can be created."
Franca was silent for two seconds before saying. "Okay."
"I thought you''d refuse." Lumian said, ncing at Franca.
Franca stared ahead, her gaze crystalline and profound, and said, "I was nning to refuse. But then I thought-even if I be a Sequence 2 Demoness, it probably won''t make much of a difference."
When the crimson moon descended, the Demoness Sect did not receive enough "protection," losing two Demonesses of Catastrophe-the Demoness of Blue and the Demoness of Purple. Thetter''s Beyonder characteristics and body ingredients were obtained by Angel of Fate Ouroboros, passed through two trades, and eventually ended up in Lumian''s hands. He gave them to Franca, who was now waiting for the opportunity to perform the ritual.
Franca paused and revealed a self-mocking smile.
"Anyway, my answer just now was half perfunctory to stop you from persuading me further or feeling burdened, which might affect your performance. In the end, whether I go or stay depends on the situation."
Lumian nodded with the head in the center and chuckled, "If you can''t leave or don''t want to, then we''ll stay together forever, Live together, or die together."
"That''s a good thing." Franca responded half-sincerely, half-mockingly.
Lumian said nothing more, gazing out at the ruins, his thoughts wandering to unknown ces.
After a while, Franca, who was also staring ahead, moved her eyes slightly and nced at him out of the corner of her eye. "What''s on your mind?"
Lumian raised the head in the center slightly, gazing through the Fog of War at the crimson moonlight and dim stars in the sky.
"I''m thinking that if Cordu hadn''t been struck by disaster-if all the arrangements, pain, and torment hadn''t happened-and if there had been a good teacher to guide me and Aurore together, teaching me the principles of life and morality, then facing the current situation, this crisis affecting all humanity, I probably would have willingly stood up without a trace of self-destructive tendencies. I would have chosen to be a true guardian..."
Before Franca could respond, heughed at himself. "But s, there are no ''ifs''."
He stood up, brushed the dust off his body, and said to Franca, who also rose, "Let''s go back. Time to start the first step of the n."
In Trier, inside that luxurious vi.
Lumian and Franca entered the living room to find Madam Justice sitting on a single sofa, chatting with Anthony. By her side, the golden-furred, gold-rimmed- sses-wearing Susie crouched gracefully, exuding a gentle aura.
Madam Justice turned her gaze to Lumian. "You summoned my messenger to call me here. What is it you need?"
After obtaining Edefana''s Beyonder characteristics and body ingredients, and having digested the Dreamweaver potion long ago, Madam Justice hadpleted her ritual months earlier and be a Sequence 2 Discerner, now a true Angel.
Lumian, with the head in the center smiling, spoke sincerely, "Madam, there''s something I need your help with."
Chapter 1119: Returning Home
After leaving the luxurious vi that used to be her own but now housed Lumian and hispanions, Madam Justice paused for two seconds and said to Susie, who was beside her, ''Let''s go home.''
''Home?'' Susie''s tone suddenly became a little dreamy.
''Yes, back to Backlund.'' Madam Justice smiled. Her green eyes sparkled brightly, filled with anticipation and hope, as if she had returned to her girlhood.
Susie fully understood Audrey''s meaning, and a nostalgic expression appeared on her canine face. ''Okay.''
Over the years, she and Audrey had returned to Backlund on asion. After the crimson moon''s descent, they even stayed there for long periods, secretly protecting the Hall family. But this time, Audrey wanted to truly return hometo be with her parents and other loved ones.
Justice Audrey''s figure quickly became ethereal, carrying Susie, who was now a Maniptor, as they traversed the sea of collective subconsciousness.
Her voice, tinged with obvious emotion, lingered at the spot before gradually fading into the wind, ''The prelude to the final battle is about to begin. If I don''t go home now, there won''t be another chance. I don''t want to face the true apocalypse with regrets''
Loen Kingdom, Backlund.
Justice Audrey and Susie emerged from the sea of collective subconsciousness onto a street close to Empress Borough.They didn''t rush home but instead strolled along the street, savoring the mundane pleasures of daily life.
No one noticed them, nor did anyone realize that the daughter of Earl Hall was wandering through the crowd without a maid or bodyguard, looking around curiously.
At this time, well-dressed gentlemen in silk top hats anddies with parasols were moving in and out of department stores, upscale cafs, and opera houses. Two- or four-seater carriages hurried by, while a small circus performed by the fountain, surrounded by children. In the distance, a steam-powered four-wheeled vehicle chugged away, its vibrations gradually fading into the road.
Justice Audrey observed the scene with focused attention, making no effort to hide her nostalgia.
Suddenly, she sensed something unusual and turned her gaze toward a man and a woman about to board a four-seater carriage.
The man was dressed in a ck suit, and the woman wore a yellow, flowing gown of sheer fabric with a fresh touch of makeup.
The moment Justice Audrey looked their way, the pair froze abruptly.
ntssome brownish, others greenishburst wildly from their tear ducts, nostrils, mouths, ear canals, and even pores. There were branches and vines.
Their bloodshot eyes, now tainted with a crimson hue, radiated intense malice as they turned to re at the coachman and the surrounding pedestrians.
However, they seemed to ''decide'' to hold back, waiting until they were in a better state beforeunching an attack.
But their transformations did not go unnoticed. Screams of terror pierced the peaceful and lively street, echoing far and wide.
The pedestrians fled desperately. In just seconds, the area around the man and woman became deste.
Their madness erupted. With a loud bang, chunks of flesh mixed with green nts and crimson moonlight sttered outward.
Soon, a team of Nighthawks bearing the Dark Sacred Emblem arrived.
They swiftly dealt with the nauseating flesh and remnants.
The fleeing pedestrians suddenly slowed, some returning to their conversations withpanions, others stepping into nearby cafs to order coffee with desserts, appearing rxed and at ease. ?
The coachman returned to his carriage, gazing into the distance, waiting for passengers.
None of them paid any attention to the Nighthawks'' cleanup or even nced in their direction.
It was as if they hadpletely forgotten what had just happened, returning to their daily lives.
Justice Audrey stood watching for a while, sighed, and continued walking toward Empress Borough.
Before long, she and Susie entered the sea of collective subconsciousness again, emerging in a corner of her long-unvisited bedroom.
Inside, another Audrey, dressed in a green-and-white gown, sat at the dressing table, fastening a pair of petite pearl earrings.
She turned her body and looked at Justice Audrey, her expression lighting up with joy. ''You''re finally back!''
She then asked in a verifying tone, ''You''ve be an Angel?''
Justice Audrey smiled and nodded. ''Yes. It took a long time to prepare for the ritual, but Ipleted it three months ago.''
The advancement ritual for a Sequence 2 Discerner in the Spectator pathway required delving into the subconscious of at least ten thousand humans, uncovering their deepest fears, most primal desires, and the root of all their psychological issues, then leaving a mark of oneself.
This was not only tedious but also dangerous. Every human carried godhood and was subject to the erosion and influence of the sea of collective subconsciousness, inheriting the most profound cognition and impressions of ancient humanity. Chaos, madness, and primal instincts lurked deep within their subconscious. Exploring these depths risked corruption, mental instability, or even derangement.
In this ritual, the quantitative requirement could be reduced by targeting higher-ranked Beyonders, but this entailed greater risks. For example, delving into the subconscious of Madam Magician could mean encountering the mental imprints or past shadows of The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings. Choosing Lumian as a target would suffice for the ritual but would involve facing the most primal and frenzied mind, even glimpses of the Original Creator or the Primordial God Almighty.
''Wasn''t that dangerous?'' Audrey, now wearing her pearl earrings, asked with curiosity.
Though over twenty years old, with mature demeanor and temperament, a trace of girlish innocence lingered in her tone.
Justice Audrey smiled. ''It was indeed dangerous. During the preparation, I witnessed the worst of human nature, the wildest desires, the most chaotic perceptions, and also the noblest virtues, the most beautiful emotions, and the highest ideals. Sometimes, these contradictory elements existed simultaneously in a single person''s subconscious.''
''Human nature isplex,'' Audrey agreed with a nod.
After observing Justice Audrey for a few seconds, she sighed and asked nostalgically, ''You''ve been to many ces over the years, haven''t you?''
Justice Audrey smiled gently. ''I lived in East Borough for a year, then south of Trier''s Quartier du Jardin Botanique for another year. I spent a year in the Southern Continent and nearly two years along the coastal cities of Midseashire. Those arends of steel and steam. Their architecture resembles towering iron trees standing close together, their ''branches'' interconnected. Each ''bark'' and ''leaf'' is a room housing a family of workers. Only a few ''leaves'' and ''bark'' receive sunlight''
Audrey listened intently, as if she too had traveled to those ces and witnessed those sights.
After a long pause, she asked with anticipation, ''Do you have an answer now?''
''There isn''t one answer to all questions.'' Justice Audrey gave a self-deprecating smile. ''I only understand one thing now: Humanity must unite and show collective strength to the deities to gain a higher status, just as workers, farmers, herders, and clerks must ovee fear and band together to demand better treatment and greater security from those in power.
''That''s why we cannot side with beings born as gods. They don''t need anchors; humanity is meaningless to Them. If They achieve ultimate victory, our existence, joys, and sorrows will depend solely on Their whims and chaotic intentions, leaving us utterly powerless.''
Audrey caught the mncholy and worry in Justice''s tone and yfullyforted her, ''We may not need those born as gods, but we were born noble.''
''No.'' Justice Audrey shook her head and said with a faint smile, ''Nobility isn''t about lineage, status, or position; it''s about one''s heart and character.''n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
She extended her right hand toward Audrey, who was dressed in the green-and-white gown.
''Wee home~'' Audrey said with a smile, lightly pping her hand against Justice Audrey''s.
With a crisp p, the two figures suddenly merged into one, inseparable ever again.
Audrey now donned the green-and-white gown, fastened the pearl earrings, and applied simple makeup. Leaving the bedroom, she descended the stairs, passed through the hall, and arrived on the second floor of the ballroom, apanied by ady''s maid and Susie.
Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, an orchestra yed, and men and women in formal attire mingled elegantly, chatting in small groups with drinks in hand or dancing gracefully in pairs on the ballroom floor.
Audrey took a ss of pale-golden champagne from a passing tray and stood by the railing, gazing down with a gentle smile. She watched her father, Earl Hall, her mother, Lady Caitlyn, and the familiar nobles chatting, as well as her elder brothers waltzing with their partners.
She didn''t join them, content to watch with a smile.
Late that night, the entire poption of Backlund shared the same dream.
In the dream, a voice seemed to say: ''Mr. Medici, Lumian Lee wants to meet you. You may choose the time and ce.''
Normally, this voice would only echo in the dreams or minds of Backlund''s residents, slowly spreading to other cities and nations through the sea of collective subconsciousness. This time, however, it reached beings outside Backlund almost instantly, with hardly any dy.
''Mr. Medici, Lumian Lee wants to meet you. You may choose the time and ce.''
Red Angel Medici, with His feet propped up on a table, scratched His ear and sneered.
''Only now did he muster the courage to make this decision?
''I''ve been waiting nearly a year.''
Chapter 1120: Negotiation
Greater Trier, in an ancient castle.
Red Angel Medici sat on a throne pieced together from iron-ck weapons, gazing at the hall sttered with dark red blood-like stains. He lifted His right leg, resting it on His left knee.
Before Him, Lumian''s figure, bearing three heads, swiftly materialized.
Dressed in a white shirt, ck vest, and dark trousers, Lumian looked at Red Angel Medici and spoke in a mocking tone, "I thought you''d first hide, only showing up once you confirmed I didn''t bring reinforcements."
As he spoke, violet mes ignited behind Lumian, quickly solidifying into a massive, bloodstained, iron- ck chair.
"Aren''t you worried there might be a deadly trap here?" Red Angel Medici shook His right foot, sneering in return.
Lumian sat down, leaned back against the chair, and answered indifferently, "I''d wee a deadly trap. It might even be a blessing in disguise."
Red Angel Medici, His long blood-red hair flowing down, ced His right palm on the longsword armrest of the iron throne and asked disdainfully, "What do you want from me?"
With unusual sincerity, Lumian replied, "I want to ask you to hand over the two Conqueror Beyonder characteristics within you.""Haha." Red Angel Medici burst intoughter. "I''ve lived for thousands of years and never heard such a request. Even Alista Tudor didn''t dare say something like that. He knew well that what couldn''t be won in war wouldn''t be secured in negotiation."
Lumian seemed deaf to Red Angel Medici''s taunts, continuing as if He hadn''t heard.
"The Northern and Southern continents have already been effectively destroyed. If not for the one worshipped by the Aurora Order forcibly amodating the Chaos Sea, buffering the initial impact of the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s descent, and if not for the cooperation between Him and Mr. Fool in creating protected zones, human society would have long since copsed. All of us, myself included, would be dead by now-only to be "reborn" into something else"
At this point, Red Angel Medici Interrupted, "The main reason wasn''t Adam or The Fool saving us. They couldn''t even protect Themselves back then.
"We''re still alive because the Mother Goddess of Depravity targeted the Western Continent, aiming at the Brood Hive."
Lumian didn''t deny Red Angel Medici''s assertion but calmly added, "If not for Mr. Fool exploiting the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s instinctual desire, luring Her to breach the Celestial Worthy''s barrier sealing the Western Continent, then reinforcing the seal using Her connection to it... If not for the Western Continent''s Celestial Master and others burning their life forces and utilizing the powers of the sefirot to sustain the barrier... Even the naturally dissipating power of the Mother Goddess of Depravity and the symbolic instincts She represents wouldn''t have allowed the protected zones tost this long.
"But even those measures are nearing their limit. Two months ago, the Mother Goddess of Depravity captured the Brood Hive within the gray-white fog sealing the Western Continent. The Brood Hive yearns to see its eldest daughter, Omebe, truly reborn, but it resists re-merging with the Mother Goddess of Depravity. It has developed self-awareness and enjoyed Itspleted form for seven or eight millennia, maybe longer-It certainly doesn''t wish to perish now.
"At present, the Mother Goddess of Depravity and the Brood Hive are locked in a tug-of-war. Both the World of Ruins and the Western Continent have attained a fleeting peace, with only the naturally dissipating forces and maternal symbolism still exerting their effects.
"This may be ourst peaceful respite. No one knows how long it will take for the Mother Goddess of Depravity to utterly crush the will of the Brood Hive and fully amodate this sefirot. Perhaps a year, or maybe only two or three months remain.
"We don''t have much time, which is why I''vee to you."
Red Angel Medici sneered, "How noble, how sanctimonious. But why should I hand over two Conqueror Beyonder characteristics to you?
"Why not give yours to me, voluntarily withdrawing from thepetition for the Red Priest position?
"Sacrifice is something you say to yourself, not to others."
Lumianughed, augh that gave Red Angel Medici the sudden feeling that He''d stepped into a trap.
With a rxed smile ying across his features, Lumian replied, "Sure! I''ll agree to that!
"I''ll hand over my Conqueror Beyonder characteristic to you right now, along with a Demoness of Apocalypse Beyonder characteristic. At that point, my body will lose its bnce, and I''ll inevitably die. Then you won''t have to worry about anyonepeting with you for the Red Priest position."
He spoke rapidly, as if unwilling to give Medici the chance to change His mind.
Red Angel Medici focused intently on Lumian, as though evaluating the sincerity and truthfulness of his words.
Rxing his posture further, Lumian continued, "My only condition is that you must inherit my fate, my identity, this half of my body, and this head." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
As he spoke, he raised his right hand, lightly tapping the dark-gold peculiar mask at the center of his left- side head.
Red Angel Medici''s gaze lingered on the mask, Alista Tudor''s handsome face, and Cheek''s maternal visage, moving back and forth several times before He sneered, "Do you think I''d ept that?
"Inheriting this mess? I''d rather perish when the apocalypsees."
"And where''s your courage?" Lumian provoked.
"Courage and wisdom aren''t mutually exclusive, nor do they prevent me from discerning good from bad," Red Angel Medici retorted, changing His posture and crossing His left leg over His right, His foot shaking rhythmically.
Lumian taunted Him with a look of disappointment, "Then why bother vying for the Red Priest position?
"Without relying on the unique nature of this head and this half of the body, can you be the Red Priest without performing the ritual? Can you meet the requirements for the apotheosis ritual in such a short time?
"Without the unique qualities of this head and body, can you locate and defeat Primordial Demoness Cheek in time?
"Without these unique traits, can you subdue the malevolent dragon and fully amodate the City of Cmity before the Mother Goddess of Depravity amodates the Brood Hive?
"Even if you somehow became the Origins of Disaster, the Cmity of Destruction, before the apocalypse, your utility would pale inparison to the existence of this head and body''s unique advantages. You''d still perish.
"We''re in a dire position. To save ourselves, others, and the world, every unique advantage must be exploited to the fullest. Only then is there even a sliver of hope.
"Medici, you''re a coward. I despise you!"
Red Angel Medici chuckled. "There''s no need to provoke me. I''ve never made decisions based on that."
After a few seconds of silence, He continued, "You''re right. To be the Origins of Disaster before the Great Mother amodates the Brood Hive, unique traits are essential. But how long would such an unstable existencest after the advancement?"
"I don''t know," Lumian admitted candidly. "Maybe minutes, maybe years or decades. Perhaps, with some help and special methods, it couldst millennia-or even longer."
Red Angel Medici stared at Lumian and the head for a long while before shaking His head, "If it were just sharing one body with multiple consciousnessed, I''d ept it-I''ve had ample experience. But the thought of being stuck with Alista Tudor forever, especially in a form beyond just Beyonder characteristics, is uneptable."
Lumian''s left-side head turned slightly, Alista Tudor''s handsome, masculine face ring at Medici.
With a slight shake of His head, He looked contemptuous.
"Coward. Where''s your courage? Is your sharp tongue the only thing that''s left undefeated?" Lumian voiced Tudor''s sentiments on His behalf.
Red Angel Medici sneered, "Giving the order to retreat and giving up also requires courage."
Lumian sighed and asked, "So, do you agree?"
This referred to Medici extracting the two Conqueror Beyonder characteristics and handing them over to Lumian.
With a curving of the corner of His lips, Red Angel Medici replied, "Not yet. We''re missing one thing.
"I''m considering whether we should duel for it - the loser takes this path - or..."
He paused before shing a brilliant smile, "Why don''t you beg me?"
Lumian froze for a second, then stood and spoke seriously. "Oh great God of War, the symbol of iron and blood, the ruler of chaos and strife, I beseech you. I beg you to save this world. I plead for the two Conqueror Beyonder characteristics..."
At the phrase "save this world," Red Angel Medici''s expression subtly shifted, as though caught between sneering and being stunned, as if a memory had been jolted awake.
When Lumian finished, the King of Angels mocked, "What happened to your dignity?"
Before Lumian could respond, He tilted His chin slightly, "Fine. I agree, but under three conditions."
"Please, state them." Lumian''s attitude remained excellent.
Red Angel Medici mulled over it and said, "First, if you truly be the Origins of Disaster when the apocalypsees, spare the Einhorn and Sauron families if you can. Also, protect my descendants like Albus."
"No problem," Lumian agreed without hesitation.
Red Angel Medici smiled again. "Second, after bing the Origins of Disaster, you''ll need only one Conqueror characteristic to stabilize yourself. At that point, remember to extract the other two and return them to me."
To reach an Above the Sequences or Great Old Dominator, one needed the corresponding sefirah, the Uniquenesses of the corresponding pathways, and a singr Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic of each pathway.
"That''s fine," Lumian said without concern.
Red Angel Medici lowered His left leg and slowly stood.
"Third, give Adam a punch for me and tell Him, "Don''t get mad. This is a necessary sacrifice."
"That''s it?" Lumian raised an eyebrow.
Medici chuckled. "What else? Kill Him and doom us all?
"If He''d been honest with me back then, I might have joined His experiments or even sacrificed myself first. Do all Spectators eventually be this dark, perpetually distrusting others?"
After finishing, Red Angel Medici added mischievously. "I can''t separate the highest Sequence Beyonder characteristics in myself. You''ll need your godfather''s help. But I won''t speak His name."
Lumian nodded and solemnly recited in Hermes, "The shadow wandering through fate, the past God of Deceit, the destined messiah..."
Chapter 1121: Entrustment
After Lumian recited Amon''s current honorific name, a light full of redemptive power emerged from the void, from the River of Fate, condensing into the form of Amon, wearing a pointed soft hat and a monocle.
Amon nced left and right before smiling and saying, ''So, have you concluded your negotiations? Or would this be settled with a duel?
''You Hunters really have patience. This matter, which should''ve been discussedst September, dragged on until now.''
As He spoke, Amon lightly pped His hands in mock apuse for the patience of the two Hunters.
Red Angel Medici sneered, ''You''ve changed pathways, yet you''re still cawing like a raven.
''Let''s begin; don''t waste any more time.''
Stealing the highest Sequence Beyonder characteristics from another wasn''t a simple task. Even if the target stopped resisting and actively cooperated, the process would still take significant time and carry a notable risk of failure. Moreover, it required an exceptionally high level of authority.
After urging Amon, Red Angel Medici sat back down on His iron throne, leaned against the backrest, and crossed His right leg, assuming His usual arrogant posture.
His expression showed neither fear nor despondencyonly a hint of emptiness in His gaze, as if reminiscing.''What''s on your mind?'' Amon asked with a smile.
Red Angel Medici chuckled. ''About things that happened before you were born.''
Amon shook His head and adjusted the monocle sped to His eye socket with His right hand.
His left hand produced a red apple, which He brought to His lips, taking a crisp bite.
''I''ve waited a long time for this day,'' Amon said with a smile, as the monocle on His face suddenly gleamed.
He extended His right hand toward Red Angel Medici, His wrist rotating slowly and heavily.
Red Angel Medici was abruptly set aze, engulfed entirely in bright violet mes.
Despite the excruciating pain, He maintained a mocking smile.
Burning in the mes. Eternal in the mes.
After extracting the two Conqueror Beyonder characteristics from Red Angel Medici and handing them over to Lumian, Amon departed from the protected zone.
He stood above the valley of the still-rushing Srenzo River, gazing out at the distant world.
Enormous oak trees, sorge they seemed to reach the sky, stood tall upon thend. Verdant green nketed the remnants of human civilization, and intermittent cries of ''waaah, waaah, waaah'' echoed, apanied by the sound of flocking movements.
Suddenly, a figure staggered out from the faint grayish-white fog.
The figure had a handsome appearance and wore formal attire, with scarlet eyesa Sanguine of a not-insignificant Sequence.
Yet, once outside the protected zone, the Sanguine''s body rapidly mutated.
He copsed into a mass of flesh and blood, sprouting numerous reproductive organs, some male, some female, and some belonging to peculiar creatures.
These interacted with one another and with the surrounding stones, wood, and vines, giving birth to strange new life forms.
Amon watched this with interest for a moment, then raised His right hand and flicked forth a nearly invisible and formless me.
The me fell upon the writhing, ever-procreating mass of flesh, instantly setting it aze, reducing itand the nascent life within itto ashes.
Amon''s gaze then turned toward the edge of the gray-white fog, where three Sanguine were watching Him. Leading them was Mr. Moon Emlyn, wearing a silk top hat.
Amon smiled faintly before turning His attention back to the towering oaks.
Tonight, He was on watch duty.
Emlyn, who hade to clean up the mutants, observed Amon for a moment before stepping out of the gray-white fog. Enduring the pain of the crimson moonlight, he retrieved the severely corrupted Beyonder characteristic.
Exchanging silent nces with the two other Sanguine, he returned to the protected zone.
After sealing the Beyonder characteristic, Emlyn returned to his residence in Backlund, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window and gazing at the crimson moon high in the sky.
Only within the protected zone could he experience the peace, spiritual growth, and unique beauty brought by the crimson moon.
Under the crimson moonlight of the World of Ruins, however, Sanguine like him felt nothing but pain, as though the light sought to ignite them and burn them into pure spirituality.
Reflecting on his recent experiences, the once-confident Emlyn couldn''t help but feel weighed down.
In the past, he often proimed his ambition to be the messiah of the Sanguine, full of drive and determination. But that was when the prophecy of the Sanguine''s end of days was distant, and their Ancestor still existed. Now, the end of days had truly arrivedand was unfolding before his eyes.
Compared to other pathways'' Beyonders, Sanguine and nters had suffered far deeper and more severe impacts since the descent of the crimson moon. Over the past year, Emlyn had witnessed countless Sanguine mutate into monsters or transform into their most ferocious enemiesand he had personally dealt with many of them.
Familiar faces disappeared daily. Sorrowful events urred without end.
This was the apocalypse.
Now, the Sanguine''s poption had been halvedpared to the time before the crimson moon''s descent.
What can I do to save them The Moon Emlyn pondered deeply, no longer indulging in fanciful ideas or overconfident thoughts.
Influenced by the crimson moon''s descent, Sanguine dukes dared not act freely, fearing they would lose control and mutate. Thus, Emlyn and other marquises represented the strongest forces the Sanguine could muster.
With a vague understanding of why the crimson moonthe Great Motherbrought such catastrophic influence, Emlyn spent an entire night pondering but still failed to find a way to save his race.
When the sun rose and daylight arrived, he drew the curtains,y on his bed, and drifted into slumber, hoping his active spirituality might offer some insight through dreams.
Amid his grogginess, a familiar female voice suddenly reached him: ''Emlyn Emlyn''
Emlyn looked in the direction of the voice, dazed, and vaguely saw a voluptuous, graceful figure.
Instinctively, he called out, ''Ancestor!''
The voice spoke with a slightly ethereal tone, ''There is something I need to entrust to you.''n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
In the past, such words would have filled Emlyn with joy, pride, and self-satisfaction, as it signified him bing the messiah of the Sanguine. But now, he felt only a heavy weight on his shoulders, as though his body could no longer bear the burden.
After a few moments of silence, he answered in a low voice, ''Yes, Ancestor.''
The voluptuous and graceful figure, radiating maternal warmth, said gently,
''I will give you a Beauty Goddess Beyonder characteristic, containing my spiritual imprint and residual self-awareness.
''Safeguard it. Someday, I may be able to be reborn through it.
''It also contains an extra Life-Giver Beyonder characteristic, which I will pre-separate for you. Afterward, retrieve supplementary ingredients from the treasury and strive toplete your advancement in a short time. When the apocalypse arrives, protect the remaining Sanguine as best as you can.''
Emlyn felt no joy but instead asked in confusion and concern, ''What about you, Ancestor?''
Why make preparations for rebirth and resurrection?
The voluptuous and graceful figure said with a smile, ''Some things must be done. Some hopes must be fought for.''
Emlyn froze, hearing the resoluteness hidden in Ancestor Lilith''s tone.
Without further exnation, the voluptuous figure spoke in a motherly tone, ''My child, as long as all of you survive, as long as my bloodline remains unbroken, and as long as someone remembers my name, I will live forever''
Her voice gradually faded, disappearing into the dream.
The voluptuous and graceful figure emerged from the starlight-woven dreamlike gate, arriving at a majestic and ancient pce enveloped in gray-white fog.
Seated at the head of the bronze table was The Fool, wearing a half-silk top hat and a ck trench coat.
It was an avatara mere projection of His true self.
''So this is Sefirah Castle?'' the beautiful woman radiating maternal brilliance asked as She sat in the chair at the far end of the mottled table.
She was Earth Mother Lilith.
''The external manifestation and extension of Sefirah Castle,'' Mr. Fool replied in a calm tone. ''You reached out to me through your dream while asleep. What is it you need?''
Lilith cradled an imaginary infant, her smile soft yet firm. ''I wish to ask you to kill me.''
''What is the purpose?'' Mr. Fool asked, neither hurried nor slow.
Earth Mother Lilith''s smile remained gentle but resolute.
''The Mother Goddess of Depravity has leveraged my act of stealing Omebe''s identity and destiny, using symbolic maniption to trap me in this undead state. However, we can turn this against Her.
''Since I am symbolically equivalent to Omebe, killing me will also kill the true Omebe. As She is the link between the Mother Goddess of Depravity and the Brood Hive, severing this connection would significantly dy the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s progress in amodating the Brood Hive, buying us more time.
''The Mother Goddess of Depravity can use symbols, and I believe you, Mr. Fool, are fully capable of doing the same. As the master of Fooling, you are undoubtedly a master in this domain.''
''The equivalence of your symbolic identity to Omebe does hold,'' Mr. Fool acknowledged with a slight nod. ''But killing Omebe now would turn the Brood Hive against us, prompting it to rejoin the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
''To the Brood Hive, Omebe is the first child It bore after attaining self-awareness, Its mystically significant eldest daughter, just as the Mother Goddess of Depravity is the Firstborn of the Original Creator. The Brood Hive values Omebe deeply.''
Before Earth Mother Lilith could respond, Mr. Fool tapped the edge of the bronze table with his fingers.
''This can be exploited, but the timing is not yet right.''
Earth Mother Lilith''s smile appeared once more.
''Good. At least I can still serve some purpose with my death.
''I will await the correct moment.''
With that, Mother Earth stood, leaving the area above the gray fog in measured steps.
Chapter 1122: Choice
At the bronze table, in the seat belonging to The Chariot.
Light surged and solidified into Lumian''s figure, bearing three heads.
He looked toward the head of the mottled bronze table and said, "Mr. Fool, I''ve obtained the remaining Conqueror Beyonder characteristics from Red Angel Medici. I''d like to go to Morora as soon as possible."
Mr. Fool gently nodded and replied, "You may go anytime. I will provide the necessary assistance."
Lumian understood that the help Mr. Fool referred to wasn''t about entering Morora but rather offering necessary aid in handling 0-01.
Considering Mr. Fool was already maintaining the outer barrier in the astral world, reinforcing the Celestial Worthy''s seal, and hiding the protected zones to sustain human society-tasks nearly impossible without the three Mysteries pathways'' ability to divide attention - Lumian carefully added.
"I''ll do my best to handle it myself, but for that, I''ll need to visit the Forsaken Land of the Gods first.
"When the timees, unexpected events may ur, so I''ll need you to keep an eye on things in advance."
"No problem," Veiled in gray fog, Mr. Fool calmly assured him.
On the peaks of the Forsaken Land of the Gods''s endless mountains.
Lumian''s figure swiftly materialized, facing a man with silver hair cascading down His shoulders, d in a linen robe, His features soft and graceful.
"Angel of Fate Ouroboros?" the central head of Lumian spoke.
The man, his expression gentle and tone indifferent, replied, "What do you want?"
He did not deny being Ouroboros, the Angel of Fate, the King of Angels from ancient times.
"I want to meet Grisha Adam, or Adam Grisha." Lumian said with a smile.
The Angel of Fate Ouroboros stepped aside, revealing a massive cross behind Him. However, it was empty, devoid of any divine presence.
"The Lord was, is, and ever shall be," Ouroboros dered devoutly. "If you cannot see Him, that is your own problem."
Unaffected by the Angel of Fate''s response, Lumian stared at the enormous cross and burst intoughter.
"I bring a hope for saving the world. Will you meet with me or not?
"As the most skilled Telepathist, you should know I''m not lying."
From beneath the massive cross surged an ocean that seemed to epass every color, engulfing the entire mountain range except for where Lumian and Ouroboros stood.
On this chaotic "sea," a humanoid figure walked on the ck void-like surface, seemingly connecting heaven and earth.
The figure retained a human visage, His lower face covered with a fine golden beard. His golden eyes were as pure as those of a newborn, but His body was no longer tangible, entirelyposed of light and shadow. ???
Trailing behind Him was a long ck shadow, distinct from Him, bearing five heads. Behind His head rose a radiant golden sun.
"I see Him," Lumian turned his head and smiled at Ouroboros.
Then, he expanded his form into a towering steel giant wreathed in violet mes, smiling radiantly at Grisha Adam.
"Before I share that hope, I''d like to punch you."
Grisha Adam''s baby-clear golden eyes remained unmoved. His majestic voice answered, "Okay."
Lumian''s expression turned cold.
He teleported directly in front of Grisha Adam, clenched his left fist, and with violet mes zing, struck the deity''s right cheek with full force.
With a resounding explosion, Grisha Adam''s head tilted to the side, His cheek caved in, His mouth split, and His flesh torn.
Lumian''s right fist followed, its burning violet mes engulfing Grisha Adam''s left cheek.
Boom!
Golden blood sttered, skull fragments shattered. and scorched marks spread everywhere.
When Lumian had teleported in front of the deity, the Angel of Fate Ouroboros bowed His head, devoutly and humbly praying repeatedly.
Retracting his fists, Lumian floated midair and arrogantly dered, "That punch was from Medici."
He then gazed into Grisha Adam''s eyes and mockingly added, "Don''t get mad. This is a necessary sacrifice."
Grisha Adam''s golden eyes remained pure-without anger, resentment, mockery, or rebuke. They were so clear they reflected Lumian''s image.
The mes on His face continued to burn, His wounds unhealed.
Lumian''s smile gradually faded.
After a few seconds of eye contact, he smirked and said, "That hope is..."
He raised his right hand, pressing it against the peculiar dark-gold mask in the center of his left-side head, "I will remove this."
Grisha Adam gazed at him warmly, neither questioning nor rushing him.
Lumian continued, as if talking to himself, "This face should have originally belonged to the Creator, but after losing the bnce and regaining bnce via the addition of Mother''s powers, it became the resurrection cornerstone for that Primordial God Almighty.
"If I remove the Celestial Worthy''s mask, something very interesting will happen."
With a lighthearted tone, Lumian said to Grisha Adam, "The Primordial God Almighty''s consciousness ispeting with you for control of the Chaos Sea and this body. At this moment, if another resurrection opportunity suddenly appears, what will He choose?
"If He diverts His focus to influence this head and face, symbolically, it would mean abandoning the contest with you. Your disadvantage would instantly reverse, giving you the upper hand. Perhaps then, we''ll gain a new pir-a pir standing with us to face the apocalypse, greatly increasing our chances of survival.
"If the Primordial God Almighty refuses to retreat or give up, the revival of this head and face will stagnate. Yet, their unique qualities will remain intact, and I can aplish much with them. Hope for saving this world will arise from that-heh heh, well, maybe. Just maybe."
Looking into Grisha Adam''s golden eyes again, Lumian grinned, "I look forward to the Primordial God Almighty''s decision."
Without hesitation or dy, he pressed against the mask and pulled it off.
From the mask''s depths emerged a door of light tinged with faint bluish-ck hues. It quickly detached and disappeared into the grayish-white fog that had unknowingly spread across the sky.
In the next moment, Lumian removed the peculiar dark-gold mask.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Beneath it was a vortex-like face-no eyes, nose, or mouth, no bonesposed entirely of a chaotic liquid embodying every color.
Lumian eagerly observed the face, waiting for further changes.
However, the chaotic vortex remained motionless, showing no sign of forming a normal face.
The faces of Tudor and Cheek on either side of this head contorted slightly, as if experiencing some form of pain.
Lumian clicked his tongue and said, "What a pity..."
He made no effort to conceal his disappointment, turned around, and returned to the Angel of Fate''s side.
Behind him, the giant radiant figure sank slowly, its shadow with five heads and the golden sun disappearing into the Chaos Sea.
Above him, the grayish-white fog in the sky gradually dissipated into nothingness.
Lumian tossed the dark-gold mask into the air and caught it repeatedly, sighing as he looked at Ouroboros. "Why don''t you pursue the President of the Life School of Thought?"
Lumian''s own face and the vortex-face simultaneously turned to Ouroboros.
With a gentle expression and indifferent tone, Angel of Fate Ouroboros replied, "The opportunity has passed.
"What remains now is waiting and choosing."
Lumian chuckled twice and asked no further.
Cheek''s beautiful eyes, lovelier than sapphires, reflected ayered, ethereal, shadowy world.
Lumian''s figure vanished, mboyantly traversing through the special mirrored world to the City of Exiles, Morora.
Here, the seals indeed opened a gap for him.
Lumian''s feetnded on Morora''s disaster-scarred streets. Among the potholes and ruins, he walked step by step toward the entrance of the underground mausoleum.
His gaze swept casually, noticing how the grotesque residents of Morora tried to avoid him in terror upon seeing his three heads.
However, they could not act on their thoughts. They were mesmerized by the maternal radiance emanating from Demoness of Apocalypse Cheek''s stunningly beautiful face. Others, under the gaze of Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, lowered their heads and knelt,pletely submissive. Some stared fixedly at the vortex face.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Some burst into mes, others turned into mirrors. some grew dense fish scales, while others'' skin cracked open, sprouting countless cold, emotionless eyes.
They had gone mad, lost control, merely from gazing upon the vortex face.
Don''t look directly at God!
Amid the outburst of violent, frenzied, and destructive emotions, Lumian walked step by step into the underground mausoleum.
He arrived at a dark wastnd and stood before a mountain of corpses.
He raised his head, looking at the gpole, iron-ck with scorched marks and numerous dangerous blood- red spots.
0-01, Salinger''s Blood Banner!
Lumian smiled and "humbly" said, "Boss, I''vee to see you."
As soon as he finished speaking, bright red blood seeped from his brow, forming a blood-colored banner.
He hadpleted his prayer, beseeching power from the Origins of Disaster, the Cmity of Destruction.
He had be the priest of war and apocalypse, the embodiment of destruction and chaos.
Chapter 1123: Raising the Banner
Sensing the change in Lumian''s aura, the scorched banner-like 0C01 reacted immediately, its bloodstained surface rippling violently.
Deep within Lumian''s heart, a surge of emotions such as terror, awe, and worship erupted. It felt as if the air above him transformed into a crushing mountain, an iron-forged hand pressing down on his head, forcing him to bow, break his spine, and bend his knees.
Instinctively, he wanted to submit. Yet this submission wasn''t merely spiritual but epassed his mind, body, and soul. If he yielded, he would immediately be a puppet of 0C01, stripped of his own will.
Lumian''s body ignited in mes, his iron-ck bones creaking and groaning under the strain.
The blood-red mark on his brow glowed even brighter, instilling him with renewed courage. It kept his head upright, resisting the pressure.
How could a Blessed of the City of Cmity submit to the Uniqueness of the Red Priest?
Drawing on the essential power he had prayed for in advance, Lumian staggered yet resolutely ascended the mountain of corpses.
Suddenly, Abscessed Hand Zedusakin to a beautiful work of artalong with numerous steel puppets and undead soldiers, appeared before him. They formed a blockade, attempting to halt Lumian''s advance.
At the same time, the numerous darkened bloodstains on the scorched banner regained their vibrancy.This caused Lumian''s three heads to feel an invisible force tearing at them, as if they were about to be ripped from his body along with their bloody spines.
The head on Lumian''s left shoulder turned abruptly, and Alista Tudor''s face, now softer and more beautiful, gazed at Zedus.
The puppet-like, nk-faced Abscessed Hand Zedus froze in ce, motionless.
He felt as if He were facing Himself.
How could I be a traitor?
How could I fight against myself?
His confusion caused the steel puppets and undead soldiers following Him to stop as well.
Just as 0C01 was about to issue new orders, Alista Tudor''s face tilted upward and looked at the scorched banner.
A resonance and recognition rippled through the void. The still-dormant 0C01, which was only acting reactively, suddenly calmed down.
Lumian''s figure vanished and reappeared in front of Deity''s Fallen Banner0C01''s other name.
He extended his right hand toward the iron-ck gpole.
Instantly, his body began to rot. The violet mes and the intricate metallic bones entwined with runes deteriorated, dripping with vile yellow-green pus.
His soul also began to die, his thoughts teetering on the brink of eternal slumber.
The head on Lumian''s left shoulder straightened, the chaotic vortex face turning toward 0C01.
Decay, ruin, death, and eternal slumberall of it paused momentarily, as though cowed by some force.
Some of this power converged toward the vortex face, bing a fraction of the infinite possibilities it embodied.
Seizing the moment, Lumian grasped the ice-cold, sharp-edged gpole.
Before 0C01 could fully awaken, still partially sealed, Lumian transformed into a towering steel giant wreathed in violet mes and forcibly pulled the bloodstained, scorched banner from the mountain of corpses.
Rumble!
The entire City of Exiles shook violently, as though struck by the most catastrophic earthquake in human history. Buildings copsed, and fissures swallowed countless prisoners who couldn''t escape in time.
Rumble!
The wastnd surrounding the mountain of corpses, along with the entire underground mausoleum, crumbled toward the Salinger''s Blood Banner in Lumian''s hand. Entire sections slid into the void, a chaotic ckness where time and space twisted as if condensing into a singrity.
The underground mausoleum was being destroyed, Morora was being annihtedthis was the mutated power caused by the Red Priest Uniqueness being corrupted by a tributary of the River of Eternal Darkness.
This destruction was about to engulf Lumian and the 0C01 in his grasp.
Caught in the chaotic space-time, Lumian couldn''t escape. He stood atop the mountain of corpses, smiling as he raised the scorched, bloodstained banner like a soldier who had imed the enemy''s g in battle.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The next second, he pressed 0C01 against the vortex face of the head on his left shoulder, embedding it in the brow of that faceless, chaotic visage.
0C01 trembled violently.
Without fully awakening from its seal, Lumian had inserted it into the face with no eyes, nose, or moutha chaos vortexright into the middle of the brows.
Alista Tudor''s face bellowed angrily, but He was powerless to snatch 0-01 from him.
Lumian didn''t allow 0-01the charred, blood-stained bannerto fully merge with the face of chaos. It was only embeddedhalf inside, half outside.
The liquid embodying all colors from the vortex seeped onto it. The copse and destruction of the mausoleum and Morora slowed, and the vast wastnd haltingly stabilized, its descent into the void ceasing.
Lumian ced the strange dark-gold mask back over the vortex face, shielding the unseeable god and covering 0C01.
Above, grayish-white fog reappeared, with faint constetions shimmering in and out of view.
Starlight descended, merging with the strange mask andpleting the basic sealing process.
Only 0C01 needed sealing, and only temporarily. There was no need to invoke the full power of Sefirah Castle as before.
The vortex face had ceased changingblocking Its unique properties and concealing Its form sufficed.
When the mask was securely in ce, the destruction of the mausoleum and Morora came to aplete stop. Parts of the city, already consumed by nothingness, began to repair. Copsed buildings and rubble-strewn streets remained.
Once time and space stabilized, Lumian teleported away from the mountain of corpses.
Zedus and the other soldiers of 0C01 were sealed there, awaiting the day Lumian became the Red Priest to return to their ranks.
Lumian appeared on a rtively intact street in the City of Exiles, Morora. Surveying his surroundings, he broke into a smile.
High above, meteors streaked across the sky, zing as they rained down upon the city.
Rumble!
Morora faced utter devastation. Its condemned prisoners finally met their apocalypse.
Amid the thick dust and smoke raised by the falling meteors, Lumian''s figure vanished.
Trier, inside the luxurious vi.
Lumian''s figure materialized in the center of the living room.
''Did you get 0C01?'' Franca, who had been waiting, asked with both concern and curiosity.
Lumian chuckled. ''An item that was already sealed? Wouldn''t it be easy?''
''I doubt it was that simple. The Church of Knowledge couldn''t effectively use it; they could only seal it. You must have prepared extensively to seed,'' Franca said skeptically.
Lumian sank into a single-seater sofa, looking at Franca, Anthony, and Ludwig.
''A bit. First, I went to the Forsaken Land of the Gods and ''visited'' the one worshiped by the Aurora Order.''
''And then?'' Franca pressed.
Lumian chuckled. ''Then I gave Him two punches.''
''How is that preparation?'' Franca eximed, caught between shock and amusement.
He really went and punched Him twice?
One punch was even on behalf of Red Angel Medici.
Lumian responded with a smile, ''Don''t ask about the rest.
''Let''s just say that with the apex power of the two Cmity pathways, Zedus''s portion within me, Alista Tudor''s face, and the unique properties of this head, I passed 0C01''s trials and imed this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.''
As he spoke, Lumian flicked the strange dark-gold mask.
''What about 0C01?'' Franca finally remembered to ask. ''You didn''t amodate it already, did you?''
''Of course not,'' Lumian replied with amusement. ''While many things no longer affect me, there''s one rule I must followor rather, something I must respect beforepleting what I set out to do.
''I can''t disrupt the delicate bnce of this body. If I were to amodate 0C01 and Medici''s Conqueror characteristics now, the bnce of yin and yang would shatter instantly, and I''ll be beyond saving. At that point, both the true gods and evil gods would have to face the monster They wouldn''t like to see.''
Franca was enlightened. ''You''ll need to find Primordial Demoness Cheek first and acquire Her Uniqueness and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics.''
''But the Primordial Demoness is still a true god, one that''s free to act. The other true gods likely can''t focus on dealing with Her,'' Anthony voiced his concern.
''Don''t worry,'' Lumian said with a smile. ''A destined messiah will lend a hand. For every sinmitted, there''s an equal redemption to be made.''
''A temporary dual-path true god,bined with you as a King of Angels and the Tarot Club''s Angels, does give us a shot,'' Franca said, sitting up straighter, a fiery determination lighting herke-blue eyes. ''Now the question is, how do we find Cheek?''
Lumian''s expression turned adrift, as though recalling something he deliberately avoided thinking about.
He smiled again. ''Part of Cheek is within me. We share the strongest mystical connection. With it, we can ask Mr. Fool, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, Queen Mystic, or Ma''am Hermit for effective prophecies or revtions.
''And besides''
He pulled out the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture from his Traveler''s Bag,ughing lightly.
''Let''s see what kind of prophecy this damn book will offer.''
The ancient parchment book fluttered open in his hands.
When Lumian stopped flipping, silvery mercury-like words rapidly appeared on the exposed page: ''Lumian Lee will encounter Primordial Demoness Cheek in the World of Ruin.''
Chapter 1124: The Visitor
"This damn book finally has some use," Lumian said, showing the contents of the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture to Franca and Anthony.
Franca pondered for a moment before saying, "Given the nature of the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture, even if this prophecy is false, as long as we believe in it and prepare ordingly, it will eventuallye true.
"The question is, if it''s a false prophecy, can it even affect a true god like the Primordial Demoness?"
"I don''t know," Lumian replied, shaking the central head of his three. "Anyway, we''re not relying solely on this for predictions."
"Then should we contact Ma''am Hermit now?" Franca suggested.
In this matter, splitting up wasn''t an option. The critical medium for prophecy or divination was Lumian''s Cheek face-the Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic of the Demoness of Apocalypse already integrated into his body.
Lumian nodded at first, then gave a self-deprecating smile. "Not yet. The ''asional'' state is about to end."
Franca pursed her lips, stood up, and said, "Then let''s head outside the protected zone.
"Anthony, you''ll handle the matters of the Sick Church for now. You still have Ice Mirror Charms, right?""I do," Anthony replied steadily.
After Lumian and Franca left the vi, Anthony retrieved the mirror representing the Sick Church''s pope from his Traveler''s Bag. He reviewed the umted messages and replied to each one using the Ice Mirror Charm.
Meanwhile, Ludwig sat on the sofa, eating roasted sweet potatoes while casually watching Anthony work.
After a while, just as Anthony was about to put away the mirror, Ludwig suddenly asked, "Is human life always full of suffering?"
Anthony lifted his head, looked into Ludwig''s brown eyes, and nodded. "Yes."
Ludwig continued, "If you had a chance to start over, would you still choose to be human?"
"Probably," Anthony said with a small smile. "After all, I have no experience being another species."
"But if human life is so full of suffering, why would anyone want to be human?" Ludwig asked, puzzled.
Anthony thought for a moment before answering.
"Most of humanity''s sufferinges from the brevity of life and the frailty of our existence-from constantly thinking about these things. But if we stopped thinking, our existence would lose all meaning.
"Perhaps it''s precisely because life is short and fragile that we always want to do something, to create something. We have no choice but to rely on and help others. We huddle together for warmth, dream together, and create fragments of beauty. And because of that, we suffer.
"A poet once said - I don''t know who, but it wasn''t Emperor Roselle. I wholeheartedly agree with what he said: ''If I have never felt pain in life, it means I have never truly loved my life''."
Ludwig''s face was filled with confusion.
Anthony added calmly, "Paines from love and desire.
"Words like beauty, hope, and yearning are like mes - they make humans feel pain, yet they also make us like moths drawn to the me, burning brightly for a moment before turning to ashes.
"Franca once told me that the fundamental tone of the universe is darkness. We short-lived humans exist to create moment after moment of light, generation after generation."
Ludwig, chewing on a roasted sweet potato, earnestly summarized, "I still don''t understand why."
Anthonyughed.
"Honestly, neither do I.
"If someone ims to truly understand humanity and life, it means they don''t understand it at all.
"Perhaps it''s precisely because we don''t understand that life is so intoxicating."
With that, he stood up and walked toward the edge of the living room.
Ludwig didn''t ask where Anthony was headed. He remained on the sofa, quietly repeating two words to himself, "Beauty... pain..."
The young boy seemed to be pondering some philosophical question, muttering to himself, "These things aren''t unique to humans..."
After finishing his roasted sweet potato, Ludwig shook his head and picked up an Intis general education textbook from the coffee table.
Flipping through it, he muttered, "Inefficient method of transmitting knowledge..."
Outside the vi, Anthony strolled aimlessly along the shadowed streets, basking in the bright sunlight.
For now, he had no main task.
He was responsible for two things:
First, managing the Sick Church''s affairs when Franca was busy. He was effectively the pope, though he could tell Franca hadn''t trulye to terms with Jenna''s death. She still held onto the hope that Jenna might one day return, which made her reluctant to officially pass on the title of pope.
Second, assisting the official Beyonders in identifying corrupted humans ortent anomalies via monitoring the sea of collective subconscious. The symbols and powers of the Great Mother had broken through the barrier. Even though She wasn''t currently focused on the protected zones, Her influence naturally caused sporadic mutations, especially among Beyonders of the nter and Apothecary pathways.
As Anthony walked, he noticed a street musician performing in a small square. Many Trier citizens had gathered to listen, some even dancing joyfully.
Anthony gazed at the scene, his expression turning adrift.
He decided to treat himself better.
The time to enjoy life before the apocalypse was growing shorter.
He sat at an outdoor table at a caf, ordered a strong cup of Intis coffee and a pork sausage, and let his thoughts drift while enjoying the music in the square. asionally, he''d cut a piece of sausage to eat or take a sip of coffee.
The bright sunlight carried the heat of summer.
Just as Anthony was about to leave, an elderly man in a worn blue military jacket and white trousers approached.
The old man nced around and saw that Anthony''s table was the only one with an empty seat.
Without hesitation, the man sat down and ordered a ss of Nepos liquor with tomato juice - a drinkmonly referred to as "Harlot" in Trier''s bars and dance halls.
The white-haired man looked at a barricade in the corner of the square and said to Anthony, as if they were old acquaintances, "Don''t you think Trier has changed? It''s not as lively as it used to be."N?v(el)B\\jnn
"What makes you say that?" Anthony, while already understanding his meaning, yed along.
The old man tapped his cane on the ground and said, "In the old Trier, there wasn''t a year without some ambitious fellow nning a riot, no year without chases over barricades, gunfights, and thrown projectiles.
"And now? The young people today have no vitality. They only dare to sneak around and pickpocket."
This has to do with the unique nature of the protected zones. An individual''s outburst might implicate thousands, so every individual in the protected zones has their subconscious minds subtly influenced, providing them guidelines on what and what not to do... But this can only decrease the Great Mother''s influence the frequency of mutations-but can''t eliminate them entirely... Anthony answered inwardly.
"Did you participate in those street riots?" Anthony asked.
The old man snorted, "When I was in the military, I was responsible for suppressing those riots and demonstrations. Overnight, they''d build up barricades and resist with everything they had-Molotov cocktails, makeshift weapons.
"Later, I left the army, suffered injustice in Trier, and became a demonstrator myself"
The man reminisced about his past, speaking at length.
Anthony didn''t show the slightest impatience, treating it like reading a biography.
After the man finished and began sipping his Nepos liquor mixed with tomato juice, Anthony asked, "Why did you join the military in the first ce?"
The old manughed.
"For wealth, women, and bing an officer, of course!
"I came from a poor background. Whether as a farmhand, shepherd, factory worker, orborer, I couldn''t make a living, let alone get rich. Joining the military at least gave me a chance-be it earning merits or looting corpses. At worst, I''d die early."
The man looked at Anthony, "You were a soldier too, weren''t you? You have the air of one."
"Yes," Anthony admitted.
The old man grinned. "And why did you join?
"Surely it wasn''t for wealth and women?"
Anthony shook his head and redirected his gaze to the musicians and onlookers. He didn''t answer.
Draining his coffee before the man could ask further.
Anthony stood up.
Suddenly, a four-wheeled carriage stopped near the caf.
The carriage door opened, and an elderly man in a ck suit with a dark tie and a half-height silk top hat stepped out.
His neatly trimmed white sideburns framed a face with sharp features and icy blue eyes.
Anthony immediately recognized that this elderly man hade for him.
"Excuse me, are you Monsieur Anthony?" the man asked politely.
His icy blue eyes were surrounded by faint but visible blood vessels.
Anthony carefully replied, "I am. Who might you be, and what business do you have with me?"
The elderly man smiled and said, "You may call me Naboredisley."
Naboredisley? The suspected incarnation of one of the ancient gods-Devil Monarch? Anthony was taken aback.
He recalled Lumian mentioning that Naboredisley''s true body resided on Hanth Ind, protected by Earth Mother to prevent full corruption from the Mother Tree of Desire. However, with Earth Mother now dormant, it was unlikely She could provide the Devil Monarch''s avatar any further assistance.
Lumian had spected that Naboredisley might have been dragged into the Abyss and destroyed.
Yet here he was, alive and seemingly well, in the protected zone!
The icy-blue-eyed elder who self-proimed to be Naboredisley smiled and exined His purpose, "I wish to meet Monsieur Lumian Lee."
Chapter 1125: The Request
Inside the luxurious vi where Lumian and hispanions resided.
Anthony openly observed Naboredisley, who was seated on the sofa diagonally across from him. He appeared exceptionally calm, neither anxious nor impatient, sipping His coffee gently.
This was unlike the Devil pathway Beyonders Anthony was familiar with. Naboredisley''s emotions were stable, His demeanor rxed, and His normalcy gave off an air of abnormality.
Gulp. Ludwig, seated next to Anthony, swallowed audibly.
He, too, was scrutinizing Naboredisley, dressed in formal attire with a neatly tied bow tie.
Naboredisley did not inquire about Lumian''s return. Instead, He naturally engaged Anthony in casual conversation about the current state of the protected zones.
After some time, the figures of Lumian and Franca appeared at the edge of the living room.
Lumian instinctively nced at Naboredisley, smiling without concealing his surprise.
''I thought you''d been dragged back into the Abyss.''Naboredisley stood up and, unfazed, responded with a smile, ''My condition has actually improved.''
''Isn''t Earth Mother already asleep?'' Lumian asked, sitting on another sofa.
Franca sat close beside him, her expression tinged with curiosity.
The ice-blue-eyed demon Naboredisley sat back down, His tone calm as He exined,
''Before the descent of the crimson moon, another major event urred, one you should rememberthe consciousness of the Primordial God Almighty stirred, and His spirit became active.''
''What does that have to do with your improved condition?'' Franca asked inquisitively.
Naboredisley smiled but gave no answer.
Lumian nced at Franca and then shifted his gaze toward Anthony and Ludwig.
The others understood and tactfully leftFranca heading to the second-floor studio, Anthony to the kitchen, and Ludwig to the living room to handle matters of the Sick Church.
Only then did Naboredisley smile and speak to Lumian. ''At that time, I, too, experienced the revival of the malicious consciousness and frenzied spirit of the Primordial God Almighty within me. To a certain extent, it bnced the corruption of the Mother Tree of Desire, allowing me to regain a semnce of peace.
''Unfortunately, the revival of the Primordial God Almighty was short-lived, with His consciousness retreating to the Chaos Sea. He left only His malicious spirit, preventing a true bnce. I remain unable to fully escape the control of the Mother Tree of Desire. However, my condition has rtively improvedI no longer rely on Lilith''s aid. Maintaining even this state is difficult, though. Once the Mother Tree of Desire breaches or bypasses the astral world''s barrier and descends into our world, the rope keeping me from falling further will snap immediately.''
''You experienced the revival of the malicious consciousness and frenzied spirit of the Primordial God Almighty?'' Lumian echoed, already guessing why.
A faint smile yed at the corner of the central head''s mouth as he raised his right hand and flicked the forehead of the strange dark gold mask.
With a ng, Naboredisley smiled with some appreciation in His gaze.
''Yes. Others might not guess why, but you should find it obvious.''
''This is because the Primordial God Almighty once amodated the sefirah corresponding to the Chained and Abyss pathwaysTenebrous World.''
''He even amodated the ''Tenebrous World?'' Lumian, though he had anticipated it, was still a little surprised.
The Abyss pathway''s Tenebrous World and the Sun pathway''s Chaos Sea were fundamentally ipatible. Could they really coexist?
Was the Primordial God Almighty already mad, unable to suppress His instinct to converge?
Did He first amodate the City of Cmity?
In a reminiscent tone, Naboredisley continued, ''Before the First Epoch, in a more ancient age, there was a myth: the God Almighty of Heaven created a divine child. Several Angels, led by an Archangel, rebelled. They were defeated, cast into the Abyss, creating Hell, and turning them to devils.
''I''ve studied the honorific names within the Sick Church. I believe you''ve heard this myth.''
''I have,'' Lumian replied calmly.
Naboredisley nodded slightly. ''ording to what I know, this myth may never have actually urred. Instead, it represents a tendencya connection between Heaven and the Abyss. Thus, when instinct drives convergence, that deity might prioritize such associations.
''This is also consistent with mysticism. The phrase ''the degenerate nature of all living things'' is undoubtedly familiar to you. The Abyss has two entrancesone in the Sunken Continent of the real world and another within the depths of every human heart, in their propensity to degenerate.''
''No wonder your condition improved after Earth Mother fell asleep,'' Lumian said with a slight nod.
Then he asked, ''Are you also a remnant of a previous epoch?''
Franca had spected about this before, noting how many of Farbauti''s aliases resembled the names of great devils in ancient myths.
Naboredisley smiled and said, ''Suddenly, it was all gonesuddenly, only darkness.
''When I recovered fragments of thought and memory, I was already a great devil. Those fragments were soon drowned out by madness and bloodlust, only returning near the end of the First Epoch.
''The old age was utterly destroyed, leaving only us remnants.
''Haha, for me, that was actually a good thing. I lived for thousands of more years. I ruled the Abyss and thend, enjoying everything denied to me in the old age.''
Naboredisleyughed with wild abandon, unabashedly revealing His desires and maliceentirely different from His earlier calm demeanor.
Perhaps this was His true nature.
Lumian wasn''t surprised. He waited for the Devil Monarch to finishughing before asking, ''What do you want from me?''
Naboredisley returned to His calm state and spoke earnestly, ''I''d like to ask for your help. If sessful, my sealed Abomination avatar will die, and you may im its resulting Beyonder characteristic as your own.''
After the crimson moon''s descent, most of the Southern Continent''s inhabitants were also drawn into protected zones, including Abomination Farbauti hidden in the Dream Festival''s grave.
The indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought and the adherents of the Primordial Moon mostly remained outside the protected zones, especially those with the corresponding pathway''s Beyonder characteristics. Any cultists forcibly brought into the zones were eventually purged.
''Quite generous. What''s the matter?'' Lumian smiled at Naboredisley.
Naboredisley took a sip of coffee before answering, ''I intend to aplish something on the Western Continent before the Mother Goddess of Depravity amodates the Brood Hive and the astral world''s barrierpletely shatters.
''Currently, only The Fool and you can help me.''
''Me? I can''t help you bypass the Celestial Worthy''s seal,'' Lumian questioned. ''Even Mr. Fool can''t do that right now. To protect the Western Continent, he''s strengthened the seal. Sending you through would require waiting for an opportunitywhen the seal can be temporarily undone.''
Naboredisley smiled and said, ''Thanks to Alista Tudor and Cheek''s mad attempt, the secrets of the City of Cmity are now known. In your current state, you can perform a deep secret deed without relying on Their special corpse wax candles. That''s equivalent to establishing contact with the Western Continent.
''What I need you to do is this: When you next perform a deep secret deed, projecting your spirit and consciousness into the City of Cmity, take my mental imprint with you. You''re bound to engage in a deep secret deed again, given your intention to amodate the City of Cmity.''
''Take your mental imprint What''s the point of that?'' Lumian asked.
He didn''t refute Naboredisley''sst statement.
Naboredisley patiently exined, ''I need to establish a preliminary connection with the Tenebrous World.
''Normally, this would be impossible. But the Primordial God Almighty once amodated the City of Cmity. The two have mutually corrupted each other. Through the Tenebrous World''s corruption within the City of Cmity, I can establish an initial connection.
''This would benefit you as well. My mental imprint, fused with the Tenebrous World''s corruption, would mitigate rted risks when you amodate the City of Cmity, reducing potential dangers to some extent.''
''Would this let you be an Above the Sequences?'' Lumian asked thoughtfully.
Naboredisley shook His head. ''No, Ick the necessary Uniquenesses, and my current condition doesn''t permit it.''
He calmly added, ''However, I would be able to help the Tenebrous World manifest greater power.''
Lumian nodded slightly, then smiled and asked Naboredisley, ''Do you think I''ll agree?n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
''Allowing a great devil''s mental imprint into one''s own mind and spirit is extremely dangerous.''
A secret deed involved the union of consciousness and spirit with specific entities, unrted to the physical body. Thus, in secret deed experiences, all items originated from the projection of one''s spirit, not their actual counterparts. This meant Naboredisley could only participate in the secret deeds by cing His mental imprint within Lumian''s soul, mind, and consciousness.
Naboredisley met Lumian''s gaze and replied with a smile, ''I think you will.
''Because you and I are the same. In madness, we''re most ''normal,'' and in rity, we''re most insane.''
Lumianughed, and hisughter lingered for a long while.
Finally, he restrained his smile and said to Naboredisley, ''Alright, I agree.
''I''ll inform you before I next perform a deep secret deed.''
Naboredisley stood, satisfied, and extended His hand. ''Pleasure working with you.''
''Pleasure working with you,'' Lumian casually shook His hand. ra n obes
Taking His silk top hat, Naboredisley ced it atop His head and asked with a smile, ''Aren''t you worried about creating such a devil could harm human society?''
Lumian smiled and replied calmly, ''If we don''t survive the apocalypse, there won''t be any human society for you to harm. If we do survive and I''m about to perish, I''ll drag you down with me.
''If neither of those scenarios happens, either I or Mr. Fool will deal with you in the endby killing, sealing, imprisoning, or banishing you.''
Naboredisley wasn''t surprised by this response.
He smiled and sighed. ''Thank you for your honesty.''
With His silk hat securely in ce, He left the luxurious vi at a steady pace.
Chapter 1126: The Future
As Naboredisley departed, Franca descended from the second floor, immediately asking Lumian, "What did He want from you?"
"Self-preservation," Lumian replied sinctly.
Franca''s thoughts raced as she spected aloud, "You''re not connected to either the Abyss or the Chained pathways. How could He use you to save Himself?"
"By leveraging my deep secret deed with the peak powers of the Cmity pathways," Lumian answered, the central head on his shoulders smiling. "Don''t ask for details."
"I get it. I''m not an Angel yet," Franca quipped, self- mocking.
Looking at Lumian, she mumbled, "Honestly, do I really have to wait for the final showdown to find the opportunity toplete the ritual to advance as a Demoness of Catastrophe?
"No alternatives in the meantime?"
Lumian considered this seriously before answering. "The advancement ritual is to ''create a disaster that affects an entire continent as a participant and advance amidst it.'' The word ''participant'' means you don''t need to be the instigator-contributing to a small part of the disaster is enough. ''Affecting an entire continent'' is a vague description. Continents vary in size, poption, and significance. What kind of continent would fulfill the requirements?
"My personal understanding is that this equates to ''a disaster with a wide-reaching impact, involving hundreds of cities or settlements, and causing significant damage.''"From that perspective, there''s an uing disaster that fits the criteria."
Franca''s eyes lit up. "What disaster?"
She immediately followed up, "Is it rted to your ns against the Primordial Demoness?"
Lumian nodded. "Yes. We''re about to bring a disaster to the Demoness Sect. This will take ce outside the protected zones. If I seed, it will inevitably involve the fall of the Primordial Demoness.
"As you''ve seen, the fall of the Eternal zing Sun had global repercussions. Many witnessed it firsthand. Even now, there''s no sun in the World of Ruins; the rebirth forces of the Great Mother maintain nature''s cycle. Referring to that example, if the Primordial Demoness perishes, it''s highly likely to trigger a disaster that affects the entire world, which would fulfill the ritual''s requirements.
"After all, the protected zones have the power of two existences to block the disaster. The Western Continent is sealed off by the Celestial Worthy, and the living beings still active in the World of Ruins are either the Mother''s followers or outcasts like cultists and high-ranking members of the Demoness Sect. It''s fitting for them to suffer."
"Hmm, my fight against the Demoness of ck and other Saint-level witches qualifies me as a participant," Franca agreed, then self-deprecatingly added, "A few years ago, when I first became a Witch, I never imagined that my advancement ritual would involve the fall of the Primordial Demoness..."
Back when she''d just be a Witch - or even when she became Unaging - she wouldn''t have dared to think this far.
Lumian continued, "Let''s go visit Ma''am Hermit."
The deep blue sea stretched out as the crimson moon reced the setting sun, bringing darkness in its wake.
The Future-gship of the Queen of Stars, Cattleya - sailed silently across the waves, as if in slumber.
As Lumian and Franca''s figures emerged on the deck, a sailor approached with a bright smile, saying, "The captain asked me to bring you to her quarters."
"She foresaw our arrival?" Franca asked in surprise, ncing at the dark gold mask on the head over Lumian''s left shoulder.
Wasn''t it said that true gods and most great existences couldn''t foresee this head''s actions?
The sailor, still smiling, responded to Franca''s question.
"The captain foresaw your arrival."
Fine, that''s on me... Franca muttered inwardly.
Only then did she notice something peculiar about the sailor: a massive, red-and-white mushroom grew on his head,rge enough to serve as an umbre. The mushroom''s roots seemed to pierce into his scalp and skull, while two tentacle-like appendages dangled from the mushroom, resting on the sailor''s shoulders.
Suddenly, a name shed through Franca''s mind: Li Keji!
No, in the outside world, he was respectfully known as the Great Druid Frank Lee!
"Is that thetest type of mushroom?" Lumian asked, pointing to the sailor''s head as they followed him toward the cabins.
The sailor beamed. "Yes, its tendrils can extract moisture from the air and turn it into milk. It can even continuously fish to provide protein.
"It''s in symbiosis with me now, supplementing my body as needed."
As he spoke, the mushroom''s cap and stem extended their tendrils outward into the air.
At the same time, the sailor grabbed one of the tentacle-like appendages draped over his shoulder and stuffed it into his mouth, sucking enthusiastically.
Milk trickled from the corner of his mouth, only to be reabsorbed by the tendrils.
"See? This way, I''ll never go thirsty. No matter where I am, I''ll never go thirsty! Haha, I''ll never go thirsty!" The sailorughed spiritedly.
Damn, has he been corrupted by Frank Lee, or has he been mutated by the Great Mother? Franca suddenly began to understand why Be, who cared for Jenna''s brother, was so terrified of being sent back to the Future.
Following the sailor, they entered the cabin. As they passed the staircase to the lower levels, he suddenly lowered his voice and spoke in a secretive, fearful tone, "Never go down there."
Franca nodded quickly, taking his advice without question.
When they reached the captain''s quarters, the sailor knocked, waited for permission, and then opened the door, gesturing for them to enter.
Lumian and Franca walked in side by side. Standing by the window, dressed in a ck warlock''s robe and wearing thick sses, Ma''am Hermit Cattleya greeted them with a gentle smile and a nod, "Good evening, Mr. Chariot, Ms. Two of Cups."
"Good evening, Ma''am Hermit," Lumian and Franca replied politely.
Franca nced at the now-closed door to the captain''s quarters and hesitantly asked.
"Ma''am, shouldn''t you address the mushroom experiments being conducted on crew members? That sailor wasn''t a criminal or a prisoner of war-he was a legitimate sailor."
The Hermit Cattleya paused for a moment before exining, "In reality, it isn''t so. What you saw was an illusion.
"An illusion?" Franca asked in surprise.
"In the protected zone, certain wild, unrestrained ideas can influence those nearby, creating surface-level abnormalities. In reality, that sailor doesn''t have a mushroom growing on his head," Ma''am Hermit exined before adding. "Even for criminals and prisoners of war, unless they''re beyond redemption, I don''t let Frank experiment on them. At most, they''re required to observe his experiments periodically."
Well done! Franca wanted to apud Ma''am Hermit.
Understanding the nature of the protected zones, she found it easy to grasp Ma''am Hermit''s exnation.
With a smile, Lumian said, "Ma''am, I''d like you to use Cheek''s face on my left shoulder to divine Her whereabouts."
"Alright." Ma''am Hermit didn''t ask further, removing her heavy sses.
She was already a Sequence 2 Sage.
In the early months after the protected zones were established, frequent disasters involving high-level powers urred. Demigods were stretched thin trying to manage them. Most were resolved by Amon, while others were stopped by Archangels and Angels, or dyed until reinforcements arrived.
These conditions had given Cattleya the opportunity toplete her ritual.
She wasn''t particrly happy about it-she would have preferred no such opportunity, for humanity to continue living normal lives outside the protected zones.
The Hermit Cattleya''s gaze shifted to the head on Lumian''s left shoulder, but she didn''t dare linger on the face adorned with the dark gold mask.
The head on Lumian''s left shoulder turned towards The Hermit Cattleya, radiating maternal radiance. Cheek''s beautiful and exquisite face beamed with anticipation.
The Hermit Cattleya''s deep-purple, nearly ck eyes turned abyssal, unfocused.
Faint images shed within the mercury-colored rivers appearing and vanishing.
She abruptly tilted her head back as blood trickled from the corners of her eyes. ra n o bes
In a distant, detached tone, she said, "I see you fighting Cheek in the primeval rainforest of the Southern Continent."
"Thank you," Lumian said earnestly.
He then said, "I''d also like you to contact Queen Mystic. I''d like her to perform a divination as well."
"Alright," The Hermit Cattleya agreed, wiping the blood from her eyes. However, she asked in confusion, "Why did you ask me to divine?"
Wouldn''t it have sufficed to go directly to the Queen?
Lumian chuckled.
"For one, different people may see different visions during divination. Byparing them, we might glean additional information. Second, this helps you digest the Sage potion. If your divination ultimately leads to the fall of a Cmity-representing evil god, wouldn''t that perfectly embody the essence of a Sage?"
Ma''am Hermit remained silent for a couple of seconds before replying, "I''ll contact the Queen soon to arrange a time and ce, then inform you."
"Alright, thank you." Lumian and Franca vanished from the captain''s quarters.
After watching them leave, The Hermit Cattleya didn''t immediately put her heavy sses back on. Instead, she gazed out at the deck.
Gradually, the deck, the cabin, and the entire ship became illusory in her vision, fading rapidly. The surrounding deep-blue, near-ck seawater also lost its color, revealing a murky quality.
Within the murkiness, tens of thousands of ovepping human figures formed a massive sphere. Among them were the sailor from earlier and Cattleya herself, all with their eyes closed.
Many simr human spheres floated densely in the depths of the murkiness.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
***
Thanks to the users "ѧܧڧ ӧҧߧ", "TempestUknow" for the chapters provided!
Chapter 1127 Suggestions
1127 Suggestions
The next day, in Trier''s Avenue du Boulevard, within a garden apartment not far from the Grand Pce.
Lumian and Franca, under the guidance of The Hermit Cattleya, arrived at a third-floor terrace. There, they saw Queen Mystic Bernadette dressed in hunting attire, holding a watering can, tending to several potted nts ced around her.
"Long time no see," Queen Mystic said, setting down the watering can and turning to the visitors. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Long time no see," Franca replied. In the dream city, she and the Queen had not only coborated but also chatted a few times. With their shared connection rted to transmigrators, Franca felt more respect than fearperhaps even a sense of closeness.
"I thought you''d be at sea," she began chatting.
Queen Mystic Bernadette smiled faintly. "Before the apocalypse, I prefer to stay in Trier. Moreover, as a Sage and former princess of Intis, I feel it is my duty to protect the citizens here, prevent various disasters, and maintain stability and order. This environment is particrly conducive to digesting the Sage potion, especially in the first couple of months."
As she said this, Bernadette nced at The Hermit Cattleya, seemingly imparting a lesson.
"Ah, that makes sense." Franca nodded in understanding. "So, are you almost done digesting your Sage potion?"
"Almost," Bernadette replied sinctly.
She turned to Lumian. "You want me to divine the whereabouts of the Primordial Demoness?"
"Yes, please help us," Lumian said sincerely.
Queen Mystic Bernadette''s eyes grew deep, like the sea before a stormboundless and unfocused.
Faint, blurry images flickered across her vision, as if mercury-like rivers emerged and vanished.
Two streaks of crimson tears trickled down Bernadette''s cheeks as her detached, ethereal voice sounded.
"I see the Primordial Demoness smiling, an abyssal mirror world, and a crimson full moon."
Crimson full moon The phrase sent a shiver down the spines of not only Lumian and Franca but also The Hermit Cattleya.
To Beyonders aware of the protected zones'' truths, the "crimson full moon" was like a trauma etched deep into their consciousness. Its mere mention brought it vividly to mind.
This prophecy differs significantly from Ma''am Hermit''s, even containing contradictions Clearly, consulting multiple high-level individuals skilled in divination and prophecy would allow me to piece together more useful revtions. It''s like the story Aurore once told about blind men piecing together the image of an elephanteach by touch alone can only describe a part, and theplete truth requiresbining their perspectives. Lumian''s central head nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
He began considering the connections between the three prophecies.
The Post-Apocalyptic Scripture ims I will encounter Cheek in the World of Ruins. That could be false, but treating it as true and preparing ordingly might make it true. The variable is whether it can influence a true god.
Ma''am Hermit''s prophecy points to the primeval rainforest of the Southern Continent, aligning with the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture''s basic premise.
Queen Mystic''s prophecy doesn''t rify if it''s in the protected zones or the World of Ruins. However, if a crimson full moon rises in the World of Ruins, things will be troublesomegravely so. At best, it means the Mother Goddess of Depravity has turned Her gaze upon us
Lumian shared the prior prophecies, hoping to see how the former irvoyants, now Sages Bernadette and Cattleya, would interpret them.
"Somewhere in the World of Ruins'' mirror worldor perhaps within the special mirror world," Queen Mystic spected.
The Hermit Cattleya added, "The features there reflect the primeval rainforest of the Southern Continent.
"The crimson full moon may also be a product of the mirror world''s reflections. For now, its symbolism remains unclear."
Lumian nodded and said to Franca and Ma''am Hermit, "Mr. Fool has entrusted me with something to discuss with the Queen."
Though now an Angel, Cattleya didn''t assert, "There''s nothing I can''t hear." Instead, she led Franca to a small lounge on the first floor to enjoy tea and snacks.
"What does Mr. Fool need?" Queen Mystic Bernadette withdrew her gaze from the terrace''s exit and inquired of Lumian.
She had not foreseen this request but now carried some guesses.
Lumian smiled. "Mr. Fool wants me to ry a message to Genie."
Bernadette nodded slightly, extended her right hand, and traced numerous starlit words in the air. These words intertwined into strange symbols, opening a "secret door" to an unknown location.
The door swung open swiftly, and a howling gale emerged, coalescing into a figurea man with his head wrapped in white cloth, his upper body human-shaped, and his lower bodyposed of flowing air currents.
"Magic Wishing Lamp," Bernadette addressed in her usual tone.
The man respectfully retrieved an object from within his wrappedyersa gold, intricately patterned vessel resembling a smallmp.
"0-05Magic Wishing Lamp."
Bernadette ran her fingers over themp''s golden surface and called its name, "Genie."
Themp''s wick ignited with a sh, releasing a thick, golden radiance akin to viscous liquid.
The light hesitated, reluctant and resistant, before forming a hazy, distorted figure with a blue-white interior and a faint golden outeryer.
The resilience of a Great Old Dominator is truly amazing. Even after losing their sefirah, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics, reduced to mere consciousness, spirit, and status, He has recovered enough within a year after suffering severe trauma to respond. Though feeble, He is far from permanentlyatose or deeply asleep Lumian thought wistfully.
Genie surveyed the room, ready to utter some perfunctory remarks before retreating back into the Magic Wishing Lamp, but Lumian interrupted, "If I were you, I''d hear what Mr. Fool has to say. It concerns your futureperhaps even your end."
Genie''s grand, majestic voice replied, "My future is already determined unless He chooses to break His promises."
Lumian detected the undeniable frailty in Genie''s voice and smiled.
"Mr. Fool will undoubtedly honor his promise, but that time hasn''t arrived yet, isn''t that so?
"He posed a scenario: what if he perishes before that timees? In matters of fulfillment, this is considered force majeure. And His ''sessor'' might be someone you wouldn''t want to seesomeone for whom breaking promises and deceiving rules is as effortless as breathing."
Lumian paused briefly before continuing, "Let''s consider another possibility. If the Great Old Ones breach the barrier before we can respond adequately, killing Mr. Fool, Grisha Adam, and other true gods, might one of Them target the Nation of Disorder?
"Although They can no longer amodate Sefirah Castle or the Chaos Sea, proximity might allow them to amodate the Nation of Disorder. At that time, what attitude would the sessful one adopt toward a weakened you? If They freed you from the Magic Wishing Lamp, would you dare emerge? No, by then, the Magic Wishing Lamp might no longer be capable of protecting you."
"Eventually, They would pursue the Uncertain Mist,pleting the Son of Chaos. Your spirit may indeed persist, but only to wail eternally within Their belly, enduring perpetual torment."
Genie remained silent.
Lumian smiled and continued, "You know Mr. Fool''s credibility. As long as he lives and the world endures, he will fulfill his promise and return you to the cosmos."
Seeing Genie about to respond, Lumian added, "No need to argue with me or twist my ideas. I''m merely the messenger for Mr. Foolnot the decision-maker."
After several seconds of silence, Genie''s majestic voice reverberated. "What does He wish to say?"
Lumian smiled. "Mr. Fool hopes you can offer some advice for the impending apocalypse.
"He knows you''re currently weak and unable to grant wishes or aplish much, but your status and insight remain."
Genie gazed at the head on Lumian''s left shoulder for a while, then spoke grandly, "Three hints:
"First, the Circle of Inevitability will bring cmity but is also the universe''s most powerful and genuine Angel of Redemption."
This seems to suggest utilizing the godhood and symbolism of the Circle of Inevitability? Lumian refrained from questioning further, knowing Genie wouldn''t borate.
"Second," Genie''s voice rumbled solemnly, "your uniqueness and the symbolism of the Lord of Mysteries."
Lumian watched Genie silently, awaiting further exposition.
"Third, at critical moments, temporarily enhance the Nation of Disorder," Genie concluded.
Hearing this, Queen Mystic Bernadette frowned ever so slightly.
Genie''s voice carried a trace of amusement. "This advice indeed benefits me to some extent, but you may choose to ignore it.
"Make haste; my elder sister will amodate the Brood Hive faster than you think."
With that, the faint golden figure retreated into the Magic Wishing Lamp.
In His weakened state, Genie had no desire to remain exposed for long.
Bernadette mulled over the message briefly before telling Lumian, "I understand Mr. Fool''s intentions now."
Lumian nodded, smiling as he took his leave.
Chapter 1128 Another Prophecy
1128 Another Prophecy
Lenburg''s capital, Azshara.
In front of the side gate of the grand and magnificent white tower, Lumian was greeted by a demigod from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdomsomeone he had seen before.
After his experiences in the dream city, Lumian easily recognized her.
She was Edwina Edwards, formerly the Pirate Admiral, Vice Admiral Iceberg and now a high-ranking deacon of the Church of Knowledge.
Dressed more like a professional teacher than a pirate or clergy member, Edwina gestured invitingly without saying a word.
Lumian refrained from asking questions, silently following her through the door and into a dimly lit hallway lined with numerous gas wallmps.
After walking in silence for a long stretch, Lumian suddenly asked, "Does knowing morepossessing greater knowledgemake one suffer more?"
Edwina replied with her usual calm expression, "I would rather suffer from knowledge than find happiness in ignorance."
Gazing at the seemingly endless corridor, Lumian changed the subject.
"If humanity were to acquire enough knowledge, what could it achieve without relying on Beyonder powers?"
Edwina nced at Lumian and said, "Knowledge in mysticism is also knowledge."
After a brief pause, she continued, "If you exclude that, then perhaps one day in the future, humanity could find other ways to influence the rules and touch authority. But beyond that, it would be impossibleunless mystical elements were incorporated.
"My research focuses on enabling humanity to use Beyonder powers with less risk."
"That''s nice" Lumian remarked wistfully.
After another moment of silence, they stopped at the end of the corridor, standing before a pair of brass doors.
Lumian turned his head to study Edwina for a moment before asking thoughtfully, "Would you want to return to being Vice Admiral Iceberg?"
Without hesitation, Edwina shook her head. "I prefer my current life, where I can learn something new every day and make discoveries."
Lumian did not press further. Under Edwina''s gaze, he pushed open the double doors.
Inside was a bright and clean library filled with numerous brass bookshelves.
For a moment, Lumian felt as though he had returned to his first visit to the City of Exiles, Morora.
He stepped inside, and the brass doors slowly closed behind him.
From behind a towering bookshelf emerged Heraberg, dressed in a in white robe embroidered with brass threads and holding two books. His amber eyes remained warm and clear, showing no sign of cloudiness.
Seeing Heraberg did not surprise Lumian. He smiled and bowed slightly. "Your Grace, we meet again."
Heraberg gave a slight nod. "Your current state is very research-worthy, but time is running out."
He made no effort to conceal His regret nor was He worried about the emotional damage it would cause Lumian. He spoke inly, as if discussing an ordinary breakfast.
"Indeed, time is running out," Lumian agreed.
Heraberg observed the head on Lumian''s left shoulder for a moment before speaking calmly, "I had made a prophecy. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"You will encounter Cheek in the near future."
"I understand," Lumian replied with a smile.
He looked around the library and suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia. "Your Grace, did you ever foresee my current state?"
Heraberg looked at him and spoke with deliberate cadence, "If I were to say I foresaw your future entirely, that would be a lie. But if I imed I had no foresight at all, that would also be untrue.
"I foresaw that you would gain something unique, but I didn''t know what it would be. I am not omniscient or omnipotent. Among the contenders for 0-01, I favored you because of your excellent performance, ability to stay calm and study diligently, and borrowing books from the library again and againunlike the others"
As He spoke, Heraberg shook His head.
"I''m a lover of learning," Lumian said with a calm smile,ced with a hint of self-deprecation.
Heraberg said with relief, "If you truly grasp the allure of knowledge and understand the joy of learning, even a long life will not be gued by emptiness or torment.
"Knowledge embraces everything. Knowledge is everything"
His tone was patient, as though genuinely attempting to guide Lumian toward a fulfilling future.
Lumian listened quietly, not interrupting, though he knew it wasn''t particrly important.
When Heraberg finished speaking, Lumian asked gravely, "Would you ever willingly give up your current life?"
"Child, our will may be free, but we are not alone in this world. Often, life is about choosing between the bad and the worsethere''s no better option.
"In simr situations, some would choose to give up entirely. But I am greedy. I wish to keep living. The ocean of knowledge is boundless, and the pursuit of it is full of joy. I am not ready to die yet. This is the fundamental reason behind many of my decisions.
"Now, there are only a few options left before me. Since I still wish to live, I must choose the rtively less bad one.
"Wanting to live is not shameful."
Looking into Lumian''s eyes, He concluded, "These are my thoughts and experiences. I hope they provide some value when you make your own choices in the future."
"Thank you," Lumian said sincerely.
Having obtained the prophecy and answers he needed, he prepared to leave. But then he recalled something. "Your Grace, where exactly is the City of Exiles, Morora?"
"It, along with the surrounding mountains, resides in my stomach," Heraberg admitted without hesitation.
Lumian was enlightened. "The Path of Exile leads to the astral world?"
Heraberg nodded. "Yes."
He then smiled faintly. "When you summoned a meteor to destroy Morora, it gave me quite a stomachache."
Lumian froze momentarily before letting out an awkward chuckle. "That might be the greatest prank I''ve ever pulledif it even qualifies as a prank."
After leaving Azshara, Lumian returned to Trier.
"How did it go?" Franca asked with concern.
Lumian recounted the God of Knowledge and Wisdom Herabergen''s prophecy before adding, "I have a general idea now. Time to make a n."
Franca studied the head on Lumian''s shoulder for a moment, rubbing her chin. "Why do I feel like you''re in a better mood?"
As she spoke, she nced around, seemingly looking for Anthony to confirm her observation. Unfortunately, Anthony had gone to report an anomaly in the sea of collective subconscious to the official Churches and offer assistance.
For the past year, Spectator-pathway demigods like Anthony had been monitoring, observing, and assisting without rest. Any slight oversight could lead to disaster, leaving the task of quelling anomalies and cmities to other high-ranking Beyonders. However, in emergencies, such distinctions would be disregarded.
As for unofficial Mid- to Low-Sequence Beyonders and ordinary humans, they remained unaware that the Southern and Northern Continents had been destroyed and that they were in protected zones. Continuing their normal livessinging, dancing, and workingwas the greatest help they could offer to the official organizations and true gods.
In the current situation, the anchors must remain stable. Even false happiness was preferable!
Smiling, Lumian replied, "I just listened to an elder share His life''s wisdom."
"Sounds good," Franca said without probing further.
Eagerly, she said to Lumian, "Let''s start nning how to bring catastrophe to the Demoness Sect!"
For nearly a year, Franca had waited patiently to exact vengeance for Jenna and Lumian.
She could barely hold herself back anymore. She was no gentleman; she wished for swift retribution.
Seeing Franca''s enthusiasm, Lumian chuckled. "I need to report to Mr. Fool first."
Above the gray fog, within the majestic pce.
After Lumian''s figure vanished from the The Chariot card''s seat, Mr. Fool contemted for a few seconds before summoning an impromptu meeting.
In an instant, beams of light surged upward, transforming into different figures seated in various positions.
They were the Major Arcana card holdersMadam Justice, Madam Magician, Mr. Star, and otherseveryone except Lumian.
"The Chariot intends to bring catastrophe to the Demoness Sect. You are to assist him," Mr. Foolmanded.
"Yes, Mr. Fool," the Major Arcana card holders responded in unison, rising from their seats.
Mr. Fool nodded lightly, signaling them to sit back down. Then he addressed The Sun Derrick,
"I hope you will uphold your justice in this matter, fully digest your potion, and be an Angel as soon as possible."
After the fall of the Eternal zing Sun, under Mr. Fool''s protection, Derrick had obtained the Lightseeker Beyonder characteristic.
Once The Sun responded, Mr. Fool turned to The Star Leonard.
"You and Pallez will both participate. Apply to the Church of Evernight for temporary use of a Sealed Artifact
"During this operation, aim to acquire a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact or the Demoness of Catastrophe Beyonder characteristic. Then, exchange it with the Church of Evernight for the Servant of Concealment Beyonder characteristic.
"Bring fear to the high-ranking members of the Demoness Sect. Through this, you will fully digest your potion."
The Star Leonard discerned that thest two lines were not instructions or reminders but blessings from Mr. Fool.
Feeling a wave of emotion, Leonard stood and bowed. "Yes, Mr. Fool."
The Fool then turned to Madam Temperance. "You and Rete will also participate. The indulgence faction may attempt to sabotage The Chariot''s actions."
Temperance Madam Sharron raised a pre-written card. "Understood, Mr. Fool."
After issuing instructions to all the Major Arcana card holders, Mr. Fool concluded the impromptu gathering.
Cathedral of Serenity, Church of Evernight headquarters.
The Star Leonard met with the current Pope, Saint Dabomachie.
"Your Holiness, I wish to apply for temporary use of a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact." Leonard drew a star sigil on his chest, making four sequential points.
"Which one?" Dabomachie, an elderly man with white hair and beard and a serene countenance, asked gently.
The Star Leonard replied in a deep voice, "0-17."
Chapter 1129 A Chance Encounter
1129 A Chance Encounter
Another day began, and Lumian departed from the fog-shrouded protected zone.
The World of Ruins had no sun and was perpetually cloaked in night. However, the temperature wasn''t particrly cold. Illuminating the surroundings was crimson moonlight, evoking a spring-like atmosphere with a climate that alternated between warmth and chill.
In the sky, the full moon was nowhere to be seen, the stars were dim, and the darkness was tinged with crimson.
Lumian turned his body slightly, ncing at Franca, who stood at the edge of the grayish-white fog. He gave her a subtle nod.
Franca responded with a warm, caring smile, waved at Lumian, and then vanished from sight.
Lumian shifted his gaze to the right, to the face of Cheek on the head that rested on his left shoulder.
Cheek''s face, simultaneously stunningly beautiful, innocently pure, and radiating maternal grace, shed a sweet smile.
She showed no signs of discontent with what Lumian was about to doat least not outwardly.
"You''re looking forward to this too, aren''t you?" Lumian asked, his lips curling into a smirk.
Cheek''s face couldn''t speak yet, nor did She make any movement, neither confirming nor denying his words.
Lumian paid Her no further attention, turning his head instead toward the other facesAurore and Jenna.
Their eyes remained tightly shut, their faces bearing faint traces of bloodstains that seemed impossible to clean away.
Lumian let out a slow breath, striding toward the edge of the ruins of Trier, in the direction of the green domain dominated by towering oaks.
He wandered aimlessly, allowing the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence and the mystical connection between the main body and an avatar to work naturally.
This was the direction the previous prophecies had pointed toward.
The further he ventured beyond the ruins, the more deathly silent the surroundings became. Only from the green domain did asional sounds drift overcries of "wah, wah, wah" from infants and the fluttering of bird wings.
Suddenly, Lumian spotted a group of lively wild deer emerging from behind rows of abandoned buildings.
Their nimble steps carried them under the crimson moonlight. Every now and then, they paused to nibble at the green nts covering the houses and the fruits growing on them.
Thud!
One deer copsed to the ground.
Its body began to decay rapidly, as if consumed by countless microscopic organisms. Within seconds, it hadpletely returned to the earthincluding the pale white bones, leaving behind no traces.
Thud, thud! More deer fell to the ground.
Yet the remaining deer disyed neither panic nor fear. They continued leisurely eating, while simultaneously giving birth to blood-soaked fawns one after another.
By the time the herd moved out of Lumian''s sight, only the newborn fawns remained, growing at an astonishing pace.
There''s no way civilization can develop like this Lumian suddenly thought.
He wasn''t sure whether this was a deliberate act by the Mother Goddess of Depravity or simply the natural environmental influence of Her state. What came to his mind, however, was something Madam Magician had once mentioned: she had wandered to a distant in the depths of the cosmos, where the inhabitants worshiped the Mother Goddess of Depravity. Yet their rulers weren''t even Angels but rather three divine offspring birthed from the union between the Mother Goddess of Depravity and the itself in ancient times. Despite their extreme reverence for motherhood and reproductive organs, they had managed to develop a unique civilization.
Perhaps like the World of Ruins, the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s true domain, is like thisdevoid of civilization but teeming with Mythical Creatures On the other hand,s worshiping Her elsewhere might still foster civilizations? Lumian pressed onward.
After walking a while longer, an expansive forest of colossal oaks unfolded before him.
At that moment, four figures emerged from the oak forest.
The four carried a heavy, unpainted coffin made of raw wood.
Three of them were golems formed from earth, while the lone human among them wore a brown robe adorned with the Sacred Emblem of Life. His face was covered in scruffy facial hair, and his expression was solemn, as though performing a sacred ritual.
He appeared to be a clergy member of the Church of Earth Mother who had "defected." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The Church of Earth Mother still existed, with Her Blessed maintaining a tenuous hold with the aid of other official Beyonder organizations to prevent the goddess from losing Her anchors entirely. If Earth Mother were to go mad or perish now, the astral barrier would immediately be shattered by the Outer Deities.
The Favored of Earth Mother had suffered significant losses. Many had mutated or lost control during the descent of the crimson moon, and subsequent blows had further diminished their numbers. Only in the past two months had they attained some measure of peace. Their numbers now were less than half of what they had once been, and even Matriarch Rnd was now a puppet of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, wandering a certain part of the World of Ruins.
Carrying a coffin? Could this be a former Saint of the Church of Earth Mother, a Sequence 3 Pallbearer? Lumian wasn''t surprised by this chance encounter with one of the Mother''s children.
He scrutinized the individual, who he assumed was a Pallbearer, and mused, The title of Pallbearer in this Sequence should be symbolic, representing the act of returning life to the earthan essential part of the Mother''s pathway for constructing the cycle of reality, connecting concepts and powers rted to death and return.
It''s not meant to involve actually carrying a coffinit''s about the symbolic meaning
As part of acting, this makes sense. But you''ve already mutated into a corrupted creature; what''s the point of acting?
The coffin must hold something special. What''s inside?
When it came to matters rted to the Mother Goddess of Depravity, Lumian was more than willing to stop, observe, and study. He positioned himself directly in the Pallbearer''s path.
Meanwhile, the head on Lumian''s left shoulder swiveled, with Cheek''s stunning face gazing at the target.
Sensing this, the Pallbearer turned to look at Lumian. His gaze immediately became sinister and ferocious.
Just as he was about to unleash his Beyonder abilities, his body suddenly underwent a transformation.
His skin cracked open, spilling clumps of brownish earth. The earth engulfed him, fusing with his body and sprouting various symbolic organs representing the Mother, some human, others not.
The Pallbearer quickly lost control and descended into madness.
This was the power of the Demoness of Apocalypse. If the Death pathway embodied death and eternal rest, the Darkness pathway silence and eternal darkness, the Giant pathway decay and the passage of time, and the Red Priest pathway conquest and the destruction wrought by war, then the Demoness pathway represented the arrival of the apocalypse and the return to chaos.
The apocalypse marked the ultimate eruption of all conflicts within a designated area, inevitably involving the entanglement of fate.
The apocalypse was also the end of destiny!
And Lumian bore the boon powers of Inevitability.
The Pallbearer had already been teetering on the edge of losing control due to his corruption. With the arrival of the apocalypse, this inner conflict naturally erupted under the influence of fate.
However, his transformation into a monster didn''t prevent him from attacking Lumian. He threw aside the coffin and charged at Lumian with his earth golems.
The surrounding greenery, even several young oaks, instantly withered and turned yellow, drained of life.
After just two steps, the Pallbearer''s body was suddenly coated in grayish-white.
In mere seconds, he froze in ce, transformed into a stone statue.
His three earth golems met the same fate.
Without a sound, the ground beneath them split open, spewing forth moltenva that swallowed thempletely.
Theva was followed by the copse of the entire surrounding area. Earth, nts, abandoned buildings, and the melted statues all vanished into the dark void.
The localized "Apocalypse" that Lumian had targeted at a specific region had arrived in full.
Seeing deep brown, nearly ck light gradually condensing in the void, Lumian stepped toward the raw wooden coffin, which he had deliberately spared from the effects of his influence.
With a single kick, he sent the coffin''s lid flying off.
Inside was a mass of rotting flesh, resembling an unformed fetus or the corpse of a small animal.
It didn''t seem to have a physical form. As soon as it was exposed to the crimson moonlight, it began to evaporate rapidly into wisps of ck-brown gas.
Lumian filled the area with dense Fog of War, cutting off the crimson moonlight, but the rotting flesh continued to vaporize, elerating as it did.
The face of Alista Tudor, positioned on Lumian''s left shoulder, turned toward the coffin, His eyes pitch ck andmanding,pelling submission.
The ck-brown gas slowed its ascent but strangely fused with the surrounding environment, dissipating quickly.
Lumian hesitated for a moment but didn''t remove the dark golden mask covering the central face on his left shoulder.
In the blink of an eye, the rotting flesh hadpletely evaporated, leaving only a few ck-brown stains at the bottom of the coffin as proof of its existence.
Lumian stared at it for a few seconds before reporting the matter to Mr. Fool.
He didn''t venture into the endless oak forest. Instead, under the crimson moonlight and the intermittent cries of infants, he skirted the edge of the ruins of Trier, heading in another direction.
Familiar streets and houses appeared before him in an unfamiliar manner.
This was the market district. This was Rue Anarchie.
Lumian buried his hands in his pockets, as though returning to his past.
He didn''t expect to "encounter" Primordial Demoness Cheek directly but felt it likely he would cross paths with a high-ranking Demoness. For Demonesses to survive in the World of Ruins, they couldn''t do so without the protection of the Primordial Demoness. This required them to gather in one ce or a few limited locations. Encountering one would mean encountering a group.
I thought you''de straight for me to fulfill your dream Lumian turned his head slightly, addressing Cheek''s face.
That face responded with a sweet smile but nothing more.
As he walked, Lumian suddenly stopped.
He realized it had been a long time since he had heard the cries of infants or the fluttering of birds'' wings from the oak forest.
The entire ruins were unnaturally silentdeathly still.
Chapter 1130 Initiative
Chapter 1130 Initiative
Faced with such an anomaly, Lumian smiled.
He withdrew his right hand from his pocket and continued walking forward.
As he proceeded, the buildings on both sides, including the Auberge du Coq Dor, began to twist and writhe, growing upward into swaying, grotesque trees.
These "trees" pointed toward the sky, resembling the primeval rainforests of the Southern Continent.
Raising an eyebrow, Lumian stopped in his tracks.
"So proactive, are we?" he remarked with a smile, ncing toward Cheek''s face on the head resting on his left shoulder.
At that moment, the crimson moonlight in the sky, the dim stars, and the dark night all began copsing and spinning toward a single point, quickly merging into a chaotic vortex that epassed all colors.
From within the vortex, a figure wearing a bone-white dress emerged, descending from the heavens. The figure grewrger andrger, like an asteroid traveling across the boundless cosmos, unscathed by atmospheric friction.
The enormous figure had cascading ck hair, slightly thick and waterfall-like, sapphire-like eyes gleaming with brilliance, and features both exquisite and dignified. On first nce, She appeared breathtakingly beautiful; upon closer inspection, her purity and grace stood out. She was none other than the Primordial Demoness, Cheek.
She did not reveal her Mythical Creature form. Apart from Her immense size, Her beauty defied belief, and Her charm was so overwhelming that even abstract concepts seemed unable to resist Her allure. She appeared as a normal human woman.
As She descended, the "trees" of the "primeval rainforest" shed their hard exterior, bending in various directions. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
At this moment, they were no longer trees but thick, slick, ck hair with distinct ck-and-white eyeballs embedded within.
The hair swayed, turning the scene into one of surreal abstraction.
As Primordial Demoness Cheek descended, She smiled affectionately at Lumian and said, "I knew you''de to find me."
Hidden in the darkness and trailing Lumian from nearly ten kilometers away, Franca relied on more than just subtle traces he had left behind, a Mirror Substitution he had entrusted to her, and the unique connection among their team members. She also relied on the mystical link they had established through their roles as Mdy God and Mdy God''s Companion.
Franca had initially decided to include the title "Mdy God''s Companion" in her honorific name, hoping to anchor Lumian, who often sumbed to madness, with a "corrupted" connection. This would enable him to instinctively recognize that, in the mystical and Beyonder sense, they werepanionspartners who supported one another. Combined with their existing emotional bond, this might prevent him from attacking her during moments of insanity and allow him to "heed" her suggestions.
After tracking Lumian for some time, Franca suddenly noticed that the sky had turned chaotic, the previous illusory ocean now engulfing it.
A gentle, soft voice whispered in her ear.
"You dare call yourself His mistress?
"I am His truepanion."
As the female voice echoed, Franca''s body stiffened instantly, grayish-white spreading rapidly across her skin and deep into her soul.
If not for her status as a demigod Demoness with some resistance to Petrification, she would have already turned into a statue upon hearing the voice!
Have I been drawn into the depths of the mirror world, into that special mirror world?
Is the Primordial Demoness targeting me first? Is it because of Her pathological possessiveness, and the fact that I''m currently Lumian''spanion?
F*ck, I''m the one being cheated on here! I''m the real victim!
In that instant, countless thoughts raced through Franca''s mind, yet she was powerless to resist.
That was a true deity, the Sequence 0 Primordial Demoness!
The next second, the petrification abruptly ceased.
Franca seized the opportunity, swiftly activating her Mirror Substitution.
With a crackling sound, she escaped her current position, gray-white stone shards scattering, and reappeared in another corner of the ruins now transformed into a primeval rainforest.
Deep within the rainforest, Lumian withdrew his right hand from the face on his left shoulder, holding the dark golden mask in his grasp.
The vortex-like face and the scorched g partially embedded in chaos revealed themselves in the center of the head on his left shoulder.
The seal was undone!
Lumian''s body swelled into a towering iron giant tens of meters tall, enveloped in ethereal, shapeless purple mes tinged with deep crimson.
At the center of his brow, a blood-colored banner emblem now glistened vividly, as though freshly dyed.
The moment the chaotic vortex-like face and the Salinger''s Blood Banner manifested within the depths of the mirror world, the descending figure of Primordial Demoness Cheek froze for one second.
As a result, the petrification afflicting Franca ceased, sparing her from the fate of a Sequence 3 Saint dying abruptly in the chaos of a divine conflict.
On the face of Cheek on Lumian''s left shoulder, her gem-like blue eyesyered with illusory darkness. Leveraging their mystical connection aspanions both on the Beyonder level and within their Hunter team, Franca''s figure was drawn into the projection.
Franca was immediately transported out of the depths of the mirror world.
In the next moment, she glimpsed an illusory and boundless web-like tunnel of mirrors.
Each passage reflected the ruins of Trier, where Demoness of ck rice, Saintess of White Katarina, and other colored Demonesses of Unaging appeared in various corridors.
Outside the mirror world, at the edge of the ruins of Trier.
A bent, spherical shadow suddenly emerged from the void, like a dolphin leaping out of the sea.
The shadow quickly unfurled, and The Magician Fors, dressed in a ck robe adorned with silver stars, along with Justice Audrey and other members of the Tarot Club, instantly exited their concealed states.
Objects not reflected in the mirrors could not be forcibly drawn into the mirror world. Furthermore, the one who had drawn Lumian and Franca into the mirror world did not want subsequent events to be disrupted.
Silver stars on the surface of The Magician''s ck robe lit up, creating a dreamy starry sky.
In the starry expanse, the stars shifted, forming a brilliant "key."
The key pointed toward a specific location within the mirror world, forcibly opening a gateway.
The Sun Derrick was immediately sent inside. Dressed in a simple white robe, his entire being radiated pure, brilliant, and holy golden light, like a sun descending upon the dark region where Franca was besieged by the Demoness of ck and other Saints, illuminating the darkness.
Beside him, howling gales followed closely.
Additionally, clouds gathered in midair, weaving into a massive sword, which descended to stand before Franca.
Justice Audrey did not enter the depths of the mirror world. Instead, she gazed toward another side of the ruins of Trier.
She transformed into a massive grayish-white dragon, revealing her Mythical Creature form.
On the far side of the ruins, a figure quickly materializedmature, stunning, and d in an aged gray robe.
Demoness of Gray, Judith!
Apanying Judith, a woman in a yellow frilled dress with a yful bo and a sly smile stepped through the shattered ss of a ruined building.
Demoness of Yellow, Tissavica.
As Madam Justice revealed her mind dragon form with grayish-white scales, another version of herself wove itself into existence behind her, dreamlike and illusory.
This newly woven Audrey, d in a white dress, lowered her head and began reciting an honorific name in ancient Hermes, "The shadow wandering through fate, the past God of Deceit, the destined messiah"
Just two or three kilometers from the passage forcibly opened by Madam Magician.
Dressed in a white shirt, ck vest, and red gloves, with slightly disheveled hair, The Star Leonard appeared as though the process of erasing a pencil sketch in reverse was being yed out rapidly.
He had prayed to the Evernight Goddess in advance, entering a state of concealment to avoid being detected by the Primordial Demoness!
While concealed, he quietly followed Lumian without probing or informing him, avoiding the mirrors'' reflections and the pull into the mirror world.
As the anomalies began, Leonard immediately recited the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess, shedding his concealed state.
At the edges of his eye sockets, transparent and semi-transparent segmented worms crawled out, keeping vignt watch over their surroundings.
They had toplete all preparations before the indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought or the Blessed of the Great Mother noticed and intervened!
As for Angels like Dabomachie and Arianna from the authorities, They had not joined the operation. Too many Angels in the World of Ruins at the same time would weaken the defenses of the protected zones, risking serious consequences. They could not assume that the Great Mother, focused on amodating the Brood Hive, had no energy left to retaliate.
Leonard took out a wooden door from his Traveler''s Bag.
The door had no frame, standing alone on the ruins'' ground.
Its surface bore patterns of stars, each shimmering with brilliance.
This was a tool The Magician had crafted in advance using her Worm of Star and other materials. It served no other purpose but to fix an entrance and exit to a particr ce.
In other words, opening this door would reveal, not the surrounding environment, but another location: the chamber sealing 0-17!
0-17 was alive and thus could not be stored in the Traveler''s Bag. Moreover, before activation, it had to remain sealed alongside two other Sealed Artifacts to ensure its containment. The Evernight Goddess, relying on the Uniquenesses of the Death and Giant pathways, could only hold the barrier for a limited time when descending into reality. Thus, 0-17 could not be left to roam freely from the start; it had to be deployed at the most critical moment.
Under such circumstances, creating a "door" to the sealed chamber for immediate use was the best solution!
Without hesitation, The Star Leonard grasped the door handle and opened the wooden door standing on the ruins.
Behind the doory darkness, but there were sounds of movement, as if someone was lifting a seal.
In mere seconds, a figure appeared in the doorway.
She had long ck hair, wore a hooded, ssical robe, and appeared exquisitely beautiful, with eyes dark and devoid of spirit.
0-17, the Angel of Concealment, the vessel for the Evernight Goddess''s divine descent!
Chapter 1131 Individual Preparations
Chapter 1131 Individual Preparations
As 0-17 stepped out of the solitary door standing on the ruins, its figure was abruptly erased and entered directly into the special mirror world.
Meanwhile, the Great Old Dominators who constantly monitored changes in the astral barrier began to react.
Stars of various colorsscarlet, gold, brown, blue, and orangelit up simultaneously, banishing the darkness and crimson in the sky. Their presence infused it with other hues and emitted creaking sounds.
Soon after, the crimson moonlight that seemed to shine from an unknown source brightened and grew viscous, as if filled with blood.
From within Leonard''s body, segmented Worms of Time crawled out one after another. These worms assembled in front of him, forming the image of an elderly man with neatlybed white hair, deep brown eyes, a sombre demeanor, and a facergely free of wrinkles.
The man, d in an asymmetrical ck robe, was none other than the Angel of Time Pallez Zoroast from the Church of the Fool.
The moment Pallez appeared, He immediately addressed Leonard, "Go support the other Major Arcana card holders in the mirror world. Leave this to me."
Without hesitation, The Star Leonard nodded and slightly parted his lips.
An intangible spirit extended from one of his teeth, growing enormous and enveloping him entirely. It carried him into the mirror world.
The next second, as if the void itself had been torn open, two figures emerged from the spirit world.
At first nce, these figures resembled grotesque trees covered in a viscous ck fluid. Upon closer inspection, they were massive, distorted human forms with twisted and terrifying arms sprouting from their bodies. These arms bore sinister featuresbulging veins with crimson eyeballs, embedded skulls, tongues lined with sharp teeth, and other unimaginable horrors. The figures exuded an overwhelming aura of madness and malevolence. They were none other than the Rose School of Thought''s indulgence faction''s two Abominations: Suah and Tiri.
Compared to when They previously aided in the growth of the Tree of Shadow beneath Trier, They had undergone noticeable changes.
Suah''s belly was grotesquely swollen as if He were pregnant. However, the fetus remained still, seemingly cursed and already a stillborn.
Tiri''s body, coated in tar-like fluid, was covered with dark, tumor-like growths resembling mammary nds. These tumors continuously split open and closed, secreting ck milk.
When the Great Mother descended to the ground, even under the protection of the Mother Tree of Desire through the astral barrier, Suah and Tiri could not entirely escape corruption and became pregnant several times.
Yet, for beings like Suah and Tiri, madness was intrinsic. As long as the children weren''t born, a little extra corruption didn''t matter muchit merely caused Their faction members and worshipers to die in more grotesque ways or mutate into monsters more frequently.
As an Archangel of the Error pathway and a noble from the Fourth Epoch who had lived for over two millennia, Pallez Zoroast had seen much. Even so, He couldn''t suppress a frown at the sight, and His abdomen seemed to ache in phantom pain.
Beside Him, the Angel of the Holy Spirit Rete of the Church of the Fool stepped out of the spirit world. She had just ced four blonde, red-eyed heads back onto Her neck.
The leader of the Rose School of Thought''s temperance faction transformed into a massive doll the size of a castle. Her blood-red eyes shone beneath a ck Gothic dress entwined with sinister vines and countless mysterious symbols.
She revealed Her Mythical Creature form.
On Pallez Zoroast''s other side, atop the ruins of a building covered in green nts, The Hermit Cattleya, wearing a purple robe and no longer donning her heavy sses, returned from a non-existent state to reality.
She had initially intended to invite Queen Mystic Bernadette to participate in this operation to increase their chances of sess. However, given the limited number of Angels remaining in the protected zone of Trier, the reduction in their forces would have been uneptable.
When The Star Leonard arrived at the depths of the mirror world, where The Sun Derrick, Two of Cups Franca, and others were battling the Demonesses of Unaging, the area was already in shambles, as though it had suffered a partial copse and destruction.
Demoness of ck rice wore a crystalline queen''s crown on her head. Beneath its translucent surface were miniature visions of hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, falling meteors, and other disasters, resembling aplex, mystical weather bottle. The crown''s pinnacle was stained crimson, radiating the light of the crimson moon.
This crown, named "Cmity of Crimson," was a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact originating from the remains of the Demoness of Blue.
The holy and dignified Demoness of White Katarina had already raised her left hand. A ss ring encircled her middle finger, extending a sharp crystalline spike.
This was "Love''s Dread," a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact belonging to the Demoness Sect, corresponding to a Demoness of Catastrophe.
Wearing a cyan hunting outfit, Yalenna, with thick, long eyebrows, had an unusual ck rooster perched on her shoulder. Though it seemed carved from stone, it appeared alive.
Its most distinctive feature was its three headsa crestless one, a brightly crested one, and one with a dark red crestand a slightly parted shared beak that revealed sharp teeth. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
This was "The Setting Sun Rooster," another Grade 0 Sealed Artifact held by the Demoness Sect.
When the crimson moon descended, the Demoness Sect''s headquarters suffered significant losses, retaining only five Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts. After recovering the Demoness of Blue''s Beyonder characteristic, they now had six.
Currently, these artifacts were wielded by the Demonesses of ck, White, Cyan, Gold, Crimson, and Orange, among whom two had nearly killed Franca moments earlier.
Only through her status as a Demoness of Unaging, her numerous Mirror Substitutions, and having merged with her mirror self through reconciliation, did Franca survive the first wave of attacks and await reinforcements.
Silver, Green, and Brown were Demonesses who had advanced after the crimson moon descended. They reced the titles of thepletely deceased andcked the qualifications to wield a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. They could only use Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts that synergized with them.
The colored Demonesses, who had already digested the Unaging potion, couldn''t use the Cmity of Crimson and Love''s Dread to advance due to their inability toplete the ritual. They could only use them as Sealed Artifacts.
Facing such overwhelming forces, The Star Leonard drew a ck staff embedded with gemstones from his Traveler''s Bag.
0-62, Staff of the Stars!
It was bestowed by Mr. Fool prior to the current events with added seals.
The moment he gripped the Staff of the Stars, Leonard allowed his thoughts to scatter and emptied his mind.
The Sun Derrick donned a crown that seemed to coalesce from dawn''s light. Its ancient design exuded splendor, majesty, pride, and resilience.
This was "The Proof of Glory," a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact belonging to the City of Silver, once worn by the ancient god, Giant King Aurmir!
It had originally been used to seal the Gift of the Land. Not long ago, Mr. Fool had temporarily sealed thetter, enabling it to be lent out.
The holy and glorious light gathered more and more, forming a pure and solid barrier in the front and around. This both protected thepanions and prevented the targets from escaping.
Madam Judgment, Xio Derecha, had just spent nearly a year filled with chaos digesting the Chaos Hunter potion. She had not yet had the chance toplete the ritual to advance to a neighboring pathway, Duke of Entropy, but this did not stop her from using the severely asymmetrical ck-and-gold mask that caused difort upon sight.
She ced this Solomon''s Mask on her face.
She and Franca would alternate in assisting Mr. Sun in utilizing the Proof of Glorythis Grade 0 Sealed Artifact required two Saints to wield.
The Moon Emlyn had already received the Sequence 1 Beauty Goddess Beyonder characteristic of the Moon pathway, along with the separated Sequence 2 Life-Giver Beyonder characteristic, bestowed by Ancestor Lilith. However, he did not dare to take the former out of the protected zones, fearing it might provoke an abnormal reaction from the Great Mother and introduce unknown risks.
He used his Life-Giver Beyonder characteristic as coteral to borrow a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, the "Robe of Divine Blood," from the treasury of the Sanguine. He now had it draped over himself.
Madam Temperance Sharron held a threeyer jewelry box in her hands, its surface silver-ck and embedded with various gemstones.
This was 0-61Box of the Great Old Onesborrowed from the Abraham family through Madam Magician.
This Sealed Artifact would randomly cause its holder to disappear, die suddenly, or undergo aberration. To counter this, Madam Temperance Sharron specifically visited the Angel of Fate Will before the operation and received His blessing.
Will was currently in the protected zone in the Southern Continent, maintaining stability and eliminating anomalies alongside Azik and other Angels. While He could not leave, granting blessings posed no issue.
Not only Madam Temperance Sharron but also The Star Leonard and the other participants in this operation received blessings from Will and a miracle from Mr. Fool to reduce the likelihood of negative random effects.
Magicians didn''t perform unprepared.
The Hanged Man Alger held a thin brass book and the Card of sphemy, Tyrant.
The former was 0-02Trunsoest Brass Book!
Having received assistance, Franca finally recovered. From the Traveler''s Bag Lumian had entrusted to her earlier, she retrieved an ancient book bound in parchment: Post-Apocalyptic Scripture!
For this operation, every participating Saint from the Tarot Club carried a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
At this moment, a figure passed by, seemingly slow yet incredibly fast.
It was a woman who appeared to be in her forties, still stunningly beautiful and exuding charm, radiating an aura of maternal brilliance.
Upon seeing this figure, The Moon Emlyn''s gaze froze instantly.
It was Rnd, the former Matriarch of the Church of Earth Mother!
Rnd appeared normal, her upper body bare, but numerous bird-wed infants hung from her chest, covering the pale skin and constantly drawing nourishment.
She wore a faint smile, radiating crimson moonlight, as She passed through the battlefield and walked toward the special mirror world.
Chapter 1132: Authority
Chapter 1132: Authority
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In the grayish-white cavern-like special mirror world, only the strands of ck hair, as thick as rainforest trees, retained their original color, either shooting toward the sky or wrapping around Lumian from all directions.
After being gazed upon by Primordial Demoness Cheek, Lumian''s body suddenly petrified. Arge swath of grayish-white swiftly spread over the central and right heads on his shoulders, turning them into stone sculptures.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The next second, the petrification abruptly halted, stopping just before it reached the chaotic vortex face embedded with 0-01, which no longer wore the dark gold mask.
The petrifying power fused into the vortex without any effect.
"Haha! This head is indeed useful!" Lumian''sughter boomed from the vortex face, reverberating with a buzzing echo.
As the voice rang out, his body ignited with formless, colorless mes.
Amidst crackling sounds, chunks of grayish-white peeled off his surface, and the mes reconstructed his enormous body.
Lumian raised his right hand and pulled Salinger''s Blood Banner, embedded in the vortex''s forehead, free.
As he did, the left head on his shoulder turned, and the softened features of Alista Tudor''s face came into view, gazing upward.
His expression seemed dissatisfied, almost chastising, as if silently questioning Primordial Demoness Cheek, clothed in a bone-white dress: Why do you resist? Why not surrender willingly?
Isn''t our union something you''ve always desired?
Utilizing Blood Emperor Alista Tudor''s face, Lumian wielded the dangerous banner that matched his fiery giant body and swung it at Primordial Demoness Cheek, whose blue eyes glimmered with reluctance to fight to the death, Her allure rendering Her opponents unable to strike.
Invisible, formless mes surged into the air, roaring as they raced toward their target.
Within the mes, figures of zing humanoid fire emerged one after another. These entities possessed a degree of intelligence, obeying Lumian''smands. They surrounded Primordial Demoness Cheek from all directions, cutting off any escape routes. Acting as Lumian''s soldiers, they shared his spirituality, power, and abilities like Teleportation.
This was an extension of the Conqueror''s ability to transform lifeless objects into soldiers, amplified by Sealed Artifact 0-01.
Primordial Demoness Cheek watched with a radiant smile, as if admiring the performance of a lover, without immediately reacting.
She raised Her right hand, clenching it gently as the formless, colorless mes and the countless fire soldiers approached.
At Her center, a vortex suddenly appeared-remarkably simr to the chaotic vortex embedded in Lumian''s left shoulder. Composed of liquid epassing all colors, this vortex was farrger.
The formless, colorless mes, along with the innumerable fire soldiers, were sucked into the vortex, shredded into fragments, and dissolved, bing part of the myriad unrealized possibilities.
Within the nearly sky-filling chaotic vortex, Primordial Demoness Cheek-draped in Her ck hair and white bone dress-emerged once again. She remained dazzlingly beautiful, an irresistible sight that stirred even the surrounding grayish-white stones to agitate in Her presence.
This was a manifestation of one of the Demoness''s authorities.
Honorific titles like "The Female Body of the Primordial God Almighty," "The mirrored Original Creator-the Oldest One," and "The True Sessor of the Original Creator" werebels that Cheek Herself had added after merging with the Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, discovering and utilizing the hidden features of the Catastrophe pathway. However, the Sequence o Demoness of the Witch pathway being named "Primordial Demoness" or "Chaos Demoness," predated Her deification and was recorded on the Second sphemy te.
This referred both to the feminine aspect of a Demoness as an extension of the Primordial God Almighty and to one of the Demoness''s authorities: the authority over the return of all things to chaos and the primordial state. This was a branch of the symbolism of destruction and endings, distinct from death, eternal darkness, decay, ruin, ughter, or fragmentation as methods of finality.
It, along with authorities like "femininity," "charm," "the mirror world," and "dark magic," was a core authority of the Demoness and an elevated concept epassing "apocalypse" and "catastrophe."
Thus, the Demoness was a demoness who wielded chaos.
The Primordial God Almighty was unaware of the setup and contingency ns left by the Original Creator to stabilize existence when amodating the City of Cmity. The reason this was the first sefirah to be amodated must have been due to a mystical connection, an instinctive tendency that had long existed!
Primordial Demoness Cheek emerged from the chaos with a charming smile, causing even Lumian, whose heart was burning with rage and hatred, to momentarily lose focus.
The face of Alista Tudor was filled with madness, driving the scorched banner of 0-01 to rise. On the banner, the ominous ckened bloodstains revealed their original colors, radiating an aura of conquest so overwhelming that even deities might bow Their heads.
Primordial Demoness Cheek paused for a moment, as if reminded of the past.
At this moment, the figure of 0-17, d in a hooded ck robe adorned with silver stars, appeared in the high sky where the chaotic vortex had receded. Above Her was a scene of brilliant constetions reflected from the mirror.
With a delicate face and dark, deep eyes, 0-17 wielded a phantom ck scythe, swinging it toward the Primordial Demoness as though culling the wheat of life.
A dense, profound, and silent darkness surged forth, following the trajectory of the scythe and rapidly engulfing the target.
Wherever the darkness passed, the projections of brilliant stars were submerged, one after another extinguishing their own radiance.
Primordial Demoness Cheek raised Her right hand once again.
Around Her, the vortex of chaos, embracing all possibilities, became prominent and rapidly expanded, colliding with the darkness brought forth by the scythe.
In an instant, Lumian''s vision lost all light, his hearing fell silent, and his spirituality ceased
its perception.
It was as if the world had reached its end in an apocalypse, weing the final conclusion and
return.
Before Lumian could form any thought, a sudden burst of light erupted. This was because the special mirror world had not yet fully copsed or been destroyed.
Primordial Demoness Cheek was very pleased with this oue. She cast an alluring nce
at 0-17, momentarily dying Her next move.
Corrupted by the Primordial God Almighty, Her control over chaos naturally surpassed normal levels, allowing Her to better unleash the might of this authority.
Moreover, She knew that the Evernight Goddess could not maintain the descent through 0-17 for too long, whereas She, as a true Sequence o deity with freedom of movement, could wield
Her power indefinitely and sustainably.
Time was on Her side.
At this moment, the shaky special mirror world suddenly elerated its self-repair process. Lumian blinked, and the world returned to its original stability.
The former Matriarch of the Church of Earth Mother, Rnd, whose upper body was adorned with bird-wed infants sucking nourishment from Her breasts, stepped into this ce,
bringing "rebirth."
Her face bore a faint, maternal smile, and Her gentle gaze fell upon Lumian, Primordial
Demoness Cheek, and 0-17.
Behind Her, a crimson full moon slowly rose.
...
In the depths of the mirror world.
After the disappearance of Rnd, the former Matriarch of the Church of Earth Mother,
another figure emerged.
It was a woman wearing a gold crown iid with jewels, her chestnut hair cascading down her shoulders. She had blue eyes, slightly thin lips, and a mature allure. Her figure was voluptuous, her features enchanting-it was the mirrored Emperor Roselle, now an Angel serving the ruler of the special mirror world.
As Empress Roselle arrived, a flickering figure appeared in front of Her.
It was The Magician Fors, d in a silver star-ck robe.
While jointly fighting against the Demoness of Gray Judith and the Demoness of Yellow
Tissavica with Madam Justice, Fors also participated in the mirror world battle.
This was the characteristic of a neswalker.
The Demoness Sect was not unfamiliar with this phenomenon. On the one hand, Madam
Magician had been one of the most active members of the Tarot Club in recent years, naturally drawing attention. On the other hand, the Demoness Sect itself possessed a relevant Grade o Sealed Artifact.
It was called "Tamara''s Everchanging Card" and was currently wielded by the Demoness of
Orange.
Upon detecting Madam Magician''s appearance in the mirror world, the Demoness of Crimson, who had received prior instructions, used invisible, tough, and resilient spider silk to hoist a ckened stone pir with a faint bronze hue.
This was another Grade o Sealed Artifact of the Demoness Sect, named the "Pir of
Severity."
As the pir was lifted, bronzed letters emerged upon its surface: "The battlefield shall be
divided."
In an instant, the chaotic melee was split into multiple zones-soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals-in perfect bnce and order.
Until their respective battles were concluded and the corresponding battlefields dissolved, neither Angels nor Saints could interfere with other fights.
Madam Magician''s presence was immediately locked within the ruins of Trier, close to
Madam Justice Audrey and facing the Demoness of Gray and Demoness of Yellow.
Empress Roselle was no longer obstructed.
Since she was not yet engaged in any battle, she could freely choose Her battlefield.
The Demoness of Gold, dressed in a champagne-colored gown, faced Mr. Sun Derrick.
She wore a vertical eye-shaped tiara, its centerpiece a perfectly cut diamond resembling an eye, set within a brass base.
A Grade o Sealed Artifact-Eye of God!
Within the Eye of God, light constantly refracted, emitting a pure yet dreamlike radiance that
exposed both Mr. Sun Derrick''s weaknesses and strengths.
The Demoness of Gold suddenly smiled.
She realized that the crown of dawn worn by her opponent was currently nothing more than
an ornament, incapable of functioning.
The Testimony of Glory required two Saints to effectively wield it!
After the battlefield was divided for bnce, Mr. Sun Derrick had temporarily lost his
coborator.
This fact was clear to Mr. Sun Derrick and to the other Major Arcana card holders as well. Madam Judgment-wearing Solomon''s Mask-immediately sought to distort the corresponding rules.
Chapter 1133: Changes on the Battlefield
Chapter 1133: Changes on the Battlefield
?
Wearing Solomon''s Mask, which caused her to grow significantly taller to over six feet, Madam Judgment Xio Derecha ced her right hand on the asymmetrical ck-and-gold mask.
The ck-and-gold mask began to writhe as though burrowing deeper into Madam Judgment''s face.
Distortion!
Solomon''s Mask could distort rules to a certain extent.
This time, Madam Judgment chose to distort the rule created by the Pir of Severity: "The battlefield shall be divided."
As a seasoned Imperative Mage and long-time Chaos Hunter, Xio had spent years
maintaining order and constructing rules to limit enemies and enhance herself. This seemed at odds with distorting rules, but perhaps it was precisely because she understood rules so deeply that, at this moment, she knew exactly where to twist them for maximum effect.
The underlying principle of "The battlefield shall be divided" was to "end chaos, restore order, and enforce bnce." Since the goal was bnce, the bnce itself could be distorted to be even more extreme.
The disparity in strength between the two sides-including Sealed Artifacts-was clearly not bnced. How could that be called bnce?
If you want bnce, I''ll make it even more bnced!
In an instant, the matchups on the battlefield changed:
Madam Judgment Xio Derecha was drawn into the battlefield of Mr. Sun Derrick and the Demoness of Gold, along with her original opponent, the Demoness of Orange holding Tamara''s Everchanging Card.
2 vs. 2!
With Madam Judgment''s assistance, Mr. Sun Derrick could finally wield the Grade o Sealed Artifact-Proof of Glory. This adjustment bnced the power between the two factions, achieving a distorted equilibrium.
The other matchups were as follows:
Mr. Hanged Man Alger, wielding 0-02 and the Card of sphemy: Tyrant, faced the Demoness of Cyan Yalenna, who had The Setting Sun Rooster perched on her shoulder.
Mr. Moon Emlyn, d in the Robe of Divine Blood, opposed the Demoness of White Katarina, who wore the Love''s Dread ring.
Mr. Star Leonard, holding the Staff of the Stars, was matched against the Demoness of Crimson, the wielder of the Pir of Severity.
Two of Cups Franca-equipped with the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture and the Face of the Arcane-fought against three Demonesses of Unaging-Silver, Brown, and Green, who were armed only with Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts.
Madam Temperance Sharron, holding the Box of the Great Old Ones, faced both the Demoness of ck rice, wearing the Cmity of Crimson, and the true Angel, the mirrored Roselle Gustav.
In this distorted equilibrium, it seemed that the Box of the Great Old Ones needed to contend with both an Angel and a Grade o Sealed Artifact to maintain bnce. This was likely because the thirdyer of the box contained something incredibly dangerous and terrifying.
Realizing the unfavorable situation, Madam Temperance Sharron couldn''t help but shudder internally. However, she had long been ustomed to controlling her emotions and desires, avoiding panic or anxiety.
Without hesitation, she opened the topyer of the silver-ck jewelry box.
Empress Roselle watched coldly. Whether She hadn''t had time to react or had Her own considerations, She used no abilities.
Demoness of ck rice, just as her crystalline crimson crown began to glow, suddenly felt her body stiffen. She could barely move, as though she were a wind-up toy that hadn''t been fully wound.
She noticed that the previously void-like edges of the mirror world had taken on a tangible form, reflecting a silver-ck sheen and bing textured with granules.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Within the firstyer of the Box of the Great Old Ones, the corresponding section of the mirror world had been shrunk down and encapsted as part of a miniature diorama.
In this miniature scene, both Demoness of ck rice and Empress Roselle were reduced to palm-sized figures, their movements stiff and jerky, like lifelike wind-up toys.
The next moment, crimson light red, and the entire "toy house" copsed, dragging both the Demoness of ck and Empress Roselle intoyer uponyer of annihting void.
Catastrophe descended.
Suddenly, an illusory torrent ofplex information surged upward from the void, spilling out of the still-open firstyer of the Box of the Great Old Ones.
The torrent swiftly reassembled into the mature and beautiful form of Empress Roselle.
Madam Temperance Sharron was prepared. Her sapphire eyes reflected the image of the reformed Angel.
She abruptly reached out with her right hand toward her own eye, plucking out the eyeball that had locked onto Empress Roselle''s form. It came out bloodily.
As a Sequence 3 Disciple of Silence, her use of the ability Source of Curses no longer harmed herself. However, against an Angel who might be Sequence 1, she had to go all out, using this method to enhance the curse''s effectiveness.
She didn''t expect this to finish off an Angel but only sought to buy herself some time. In this area teeming with Grade o Sealed Artifacts, no one knew how long the distorted equilibrium would hold or if anyone could circumvent the restrictions toe to her aid. These were variables, inevitable ones. Under the blessings of fate and the miracles of Mr. Fool, Sharron believed the ensuing variables would likely favor her. For now, her job was to stall for time, awaiting change, and to prevent herself from being swiftly defeated by thebined efforts of Empress Roselle and the Grade o Sealed Artifact-wielding Demoness of ck.
Madam Temperance Sharron quickly threw the eyeball-still frozen with Empress Roselle''s image-into the spirit world.
In the spirit world, an enormous bird, indescribable in form, swooped down, snatching the eyeball in its beak and flying deep into the spirit world, heading toward the heights where the
Seven Lights were.
Such an encounter would affect the true body, resulting in a curse akin to banishment. Furthermore, the target would be subjected to constant attacks from dangerous creatures in the spirit world while being banished.
Empress Roselle nced at Madam Temperance Sharron''s now-empty, blood-dripping eye socket and gave a nod of approval for her decisiveness and resolve.
The Angel did not resist the curse, allowing Herself to be dragged into the depths of the spirit world, disappearing from this battlefield.
"..." Sharron froze for a moment, faintly realizing that Empress Roselle might not have wanted to participate in this battle.
Her pale doll-like face was now streaked with crimson blood dripping from her missing eye, giving her ghostly, wraith-like aura an even more terrifying edge.
At this point, Demoness of ck rice, having resurrected through her mirrored self, reemerged from the shadows, once again wearing the Cmity of Crimson.
She had escaped the influence of the Box of the Great Old Ones through self-destruction. On another battlefield, Mr. Hanged Man Alger, noticing the disadvantageous situation Sharron faced, immediately prepared to open the Trunsoest Brass Book to add patch-like rules to the distorted equilibrium and alter the unfavorable dynamics.
The Trunsoest Brass Book had been unsealed but still suffered from deceit and trickery, leaving it with no nk space to inscribe new rules. Under these circumstances, its activation level was minimal, only capable of basic and initial applications. Yet, for Mr. Hanged Man Alger, this was sufficient.
At that moment, Demoness of Cyan Yalenna''s three-headed ck rooster raised its middle head with the bright crest: "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
The crowing, which should have heralded dawn, instead summoned darkness.
Mr. Hanged Man Alger suddenly felt his soul plummeting, sinking into the viscous ck
depths of his inner psyche.
Malice, dissatisfaction, and jealousy surged within him. He felt an overwhelming urge to conserve his strength and avoid unnecessary risks.
Why have they all be Angels, while I''ve yet to see my dawn?
These emotions affected Alger''s actions. The ck rooster''s other two heads turned toward
him simultaneously:
The crestless head raised its left wing high, causing the space around him to darken and
thicken, folding inward to form a spherical prison.
The head with the faded crest had pitch-ck eyes as Demoness of Cyan Yalenna''s left hand materialized a straight sword of abyssal depth.
Meanwhile, in her right hand, Demoness of Cyan Yalenna now held a straight sword wreathed in ck mes, the fire embodying madness, savagery, and destruction.
She swung both swords at Mr. Hanged Man Alger, who was trapped within the spatial sphere.
Suddenly, Mr. Hanged Man Alger''s body shone with dazzling, holy sunlight, swiftly forming armor over his entire body.
Before entering the mirror world and joining the battle, Mr. Sun Derrick had cast the Sunlight Domain spell of Holy Armor on all hispanions, except for Madam Temperance Sharron
and Mr. Moon Emlyn.
On yet another battlefield.
Facing thebined assault of Demonesses of Silver, Brown, and Green, Franca used her Mirror Substitution to withstand the first wave of attacks.
Her silhouette then appeared in a corner, and she rapidly flipped open the Post-Apocalyptic
Scripture to a specific page.
With her will, she had inscribed a prophecy onto the parchment: "All demigods attacking me
will suffer the bacsh of their own Sealed Artifacts due to bad luck."
Smack!
The moment the Prophecy took effect, Franca employed Mirror Substitution to evade the
Demoness of Brown''s curse.
...
In the special mirror world,
A crimson full moon rose slowly, casting a faint, eerie red hue over the rainforest-like ck hair and the gray-white stones scattered everywhere.
Seeing this, Primordial Demoness Cheek spat with a smile, neither rmed nor angry.
As She created multiple mirror projections to evade the attacks of Lumian and 0-17, She
addressed Rnd, the former Matriarch of the Church of Earth Mother, who still carried numerous bird-wed infants on Her body, "My daughter sent someone to stop me? "Does she not want me to be Her mother?
"As a mother, how can a motherck a mother?
"Or is She waiting for me and Alista to unite again and give birth to Her anew?"
Hearing this, Matriarch Rnd, whose expression had been kindly and loving, suddenly turned grim.
Chapter 1134: Time Is Running Out
Chapter 1134: Time Is Running Out
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As Matriarch Rnd''s expression shifted, the tree-like ck hair bathed in the crimson moonlight stretched toward the airborne Primordial Demoness.
The hair seemed to gain life and intelligence, turning against its original owner.
Throughout the "primeval rainforest" region, both in midair and on the ground, countless tiny, unseen mystical pathogens abruptly expanded in size. Some resembled fluffy spheres, others were wed monstrosities, and some wore bizarre crowns. They varied widely in form and effect, embodying the authorities of Disease and gue-capable of eroding even deities.
At this moment, these mystical pathogens, secretly spread by Primordial Demoness Cheek, gained enhanced power and turned against Her, targeting Her true body, Lumian, and 0-17.
All things have a spirit!
Primordial Demoness Cheek chuckled softly at the sight.
Thisugh stirred an itch in the hearts of Lumian, 0-17, Matriarch Rnd, the ck hair, and even the mystical pathogens, slowing their actions.
Then, the Primordial Demoness unveiled Her Mythical Creature form.
She became enormous, still d in Her white, bone-made dress, Her visage growing increasingly beautiful yet exuding different temperaments from various angles: pure, elegant, majestic, delicate, pristine, and decadent...
Her ck hair, as thick as pythons, exuded an eerie slickness. Some strands rose and rotated, their ck-and-white eyes spinning; others extended forward, sprouting serpent-like heads that flicked their tongues; and others coiled at Her feet, forming a vortex of snakes.
Whether one gazed directly at the Primordial Demoness or not, everything within the "primeval rainforest" reacted instinctively to Her presence.
The right half of Lumian''s body swelled at the chest, while Cheek''s face on his left side flushed seductively, the chaotic whirlpool-like visage subtly turning, resisting the mesmerizing allure.
The lifeless ck eyes of 0-17 began to flicker faintly, betraying a hint of infatuation and intoxication.
Matriarch Rnd''s brown eyes turned tender and watery, Her lips parted to exhale a breath of turbid air. The bird-wed infants attached to Her upper body ceased seeking milk and turned toward the sky in longing. The males among them even grew unfamiliar organs while their existing ones retracted, transforming them into girls.
The ck hair that constituted the "primeval rainforest" also transformed into the hair of young girls, while the rebellious mystical pathogens became girl-like as well. All of them fell hopelessly under Primordial Demoness Cheek''s spell.
Suddenly, Cheek''s figure disappeared, flickering through the special mirror world to reappear around Matriarch Rnd in various positions-high, low, left, right, in front, and behind- each leaving behind a Mirror Projection.
Each projection spoke in soft tones, sometimesughing, sometimes weeping, their voices ovepping.
"My daughter doesn''t want to acknowledge me as her mother?"
"But She truly was born from the Original Creator."
"And I am the man destined to be the Original Creator''s feminine aspect."
"If She seeks my help, I would offer it willingly-that is a parent''s duty."
"But She cannot stop the birth of Her father and mother!"
The Primordial Demoness''s true body returned to the sky.
She clenched Her right fist.
With this motion, all the Mirror Projections surrounding Matriarch Rnd copsed into vorticesposed of an illusory liquid epassing all colors and possibilities.
These dozens of chaotic vortices rapidly expanded and merged into a single mass, swallowing Matriarch Rnd, the wed infants, and the crimson moon rising into the sky.
It heralded an apocalypse-a return to the primordial state.
Within the massive chaotic vortex, the crimson moon and Matriarch Rnd floated intermittently, resistingplete disintegration and assimtion, struggling against the pull toward the primordial.
At this moment, a giant sword wreathed in ck mes of destruction descended from the sky, striking the crimson moon and Matriarch Rnd.
The sword, which embodied madness and destruction, was wielded by Lumian, splitting the crimson moon and Matriarch Rnd apart.
Next, a spectral, abnormally-shaped scythe, cloaked in profound silence and darkness, arrived, cleaving into the split crimson moon and Matriarch Rnd''s form.
At this critical juncture, both Lumian and 0-17 prioritized burying Matriarch Rnd and the mutations She brought forth!
Lumian''s sapphire eyes met Primordial Demoness Cheek''s gaze, as if to say, "This is our battle to resolve."
The Primordial Demoness returned a sweet, approving smile.
With the participation of the Sword of Destruction and the silent darkness, the chaotic mass binding the crimson moon and Matriarch Rnd began to change.
It swallowed the two, copsing violently and condensing into a deep, human-knuckle-sized ck dot.
The ck dotcked something crucial, preventing it from furtherpression.
In an instant, the unstable ck dot swelled and exploded, releasing a violent burst of light and heat.
The region of the special mirror world regained "substance," gradually stabilizing, but it no longer resembled the original primeval rainforest.
In the sky, the bright stars reappeared, and the crimson moon had notpletely vanished. Instead, it became distant and dim, as though separated from the battlefield byyers of barriers-barriers of destruction and eternal darkness-temporarily preventing its return. Primordial Demoness Cheek withdrew Her gaze from the distant crimson moon, smiling at Lumian and 0-17. "Time is running out; it''s your turn now."
As She spoke, shadows enveloped 0-17''s delicate features, as if plunging Her into deep, silent
darkness.
This signified that the descent of the Evernight Goddess was nearing its end.
The barrier that had to be maintained and 0-17''s limitations as an Angel ced a cap on how long she could continue the divine descent.
...
In the depths of the mirror world, on another battlefield.
Demoness of White Katarina, upon the battlefield''s rebncing, immediately activated the
Love''s Dread ring worn on her left middle finger.
The crystalline spikes on the ring''s ss band emitted a soft illusion.
The Demoness of Unaging''s skin lost some of its luster while retaining a faint sheen. Her
eyes, nose, and mouth took on doll-like characteristics.
She transformed into an extraordinarily beautiful and intricately crafted doll, exuding a perfectlyplementary charm.
To Mr. Moon Emlyn, this was incredibly captivating.
Under normal circumstances, he might have stopped to admire her, unwilling to cause harm. However, at this moment, he wore the crimson robe woven from what seemed to be blood.
The robe easily triggered his inner malice, countering the infatuation and even amplifying it. To Katarina''s surprise, Mr. Moon Emlyn transformed into blood-like moonlight and charged toward her with intense possessiveness, rather than sumbing to infatuation or a desire to
protect.
Instinctively, Katarina extended gray-white energy from her left hand, spreading toward the viscous blood-like moonlight.
Simultaneously, indescribable ravings echoed in her ears, as if her innermost malicious emotions and desires were singing in unison.
Her hair lifted, thickened, and became slimy, about to sprout ck-and-white eyeballs.
She showed signs of losing control.
Blood flowed from her nostrils, ears, mouth, and eyes. Her heart nearly stopped, and her
blood seemed to ignite.
Crack!
Katarina shattered, activating her Mirror Substitution ability.
The surging crimson moonlight turned gray-white and solidified into stone. However, the unaffected portion of blood and light abruptly retracted, reforming into Mr. Moon Emlyn d
in his crimson robe with bat-like wings.
The Demoness of White''s figure appeared in a corner of the battlefield, and she prepared to unleash catastrophe upon the area using the Love''s Dread ring.
In the mirror world, catastrophe equated to fragmentation and copse!
On another separated battlefield.
After confirming her opponent as Leonard, the Demoness of Crimson promptly revealed the
second rule on the surface of the Pir of Severity, suspended by invisible threads:
"Teleportation is prohibited here!"
Seeing the ancient Hermes script in brass tones emerge on the dark stone pir, Leonard, who
had been clearing his mind, recalled Pallez Zoroast in his thoughts.
The Angel of Time''s form appeared through the Staff of the Stars, manifesting before
Leonard as an ancient wall clock, taking on the impact of time.
ng!
A distant chime echoed, and the hands of the clock face-marked by blue and ck-froze.
The Demoness of Crimson and the Pir of Severity were immediately suspended in time.
Seizing the opportunity, Leonard activated his Nightmare abilities, falling into a deep slumber.
Shortly after, the chime faded, and everything returned to normal. Pallez Zoroast''s form had
already vanished.
The Demoness of Crimson was drawn into a dreamscape-a dream tied to The Star Leonard''s.
This prevented her from using the Pir of Severity. Instead, she saw a staircase and a sign: "ckthorn Security Company."
One of the Staff of the Stars'' functions was to allow the wielder to recreate corresponding
abilities or individuals through mental visualization, enabling the summoned figure tounch a single attack.
Naturally, sufficient understanding of the ability or individual was required to avoid
anomalies.
Before this mission, The Star Leonard had asked Miss Justice to incept a psychological cue in
him, ensuring he would dream of ckthorn Security Company and a certain individual upon
falling asleep.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
This mental visualization enabled the Staff of the Stars to assist in bringing the figure to life.
In the next instant, the Demoness of Crimson saw someone emerge from the door of
ckthorn Security Company.
The man wore a top hat, a formal suit, and carried a cane. He had ck hair, brown eyes, an ordinary face, and a schrly air-Klein Moretti.
Chapter 1135: The Path of Justice
Chapter 1135: The Path of Justice
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The moment the Demoness of Crimson saw Klein Moretti emerge from the ckthorn Security Company, an indescribable, instinctive, and overwhelming terror surged within her. Her teeth chattered uncontrobly, cking at a rapid pace.
In her eyes, the ckthorn Security Company appeared like a deep and dark cathedral, and the opponent from before was its bishop-serving the unknown, the mysterious, the bizarre, and the horrifying.
Now, the greatest horror they served had stepped out.
The Demoness of Crimson let out a sharp, fearden scream, her hair rising into the air. It thickened, became slimy, and burst open like a blooming flower, exposing ck-and-white eyeballs.
Overwhelmed by extreme terror, she lost control.
And losing control would affect her mirror self and the slumbering mirrors.
In the next second, the movements of the out-of-control Demoness of Crimson became jerky and stiff, as if her joints were filled with glue or entirely rusted.
Her eyes, once brimming with fear and instinctual allure, quickly returned to normal. The transmission of Petrification and Pleasure through her long, thick ck hair abruptly ceased.
She became docile. She became a marite.
The figure of Klein Moretti, summoned by The Star Leonard through dreaming, could only perform one attack. He chose to turn her into a marite.
Then, he dissipated at the entrance of the ckthorn Security Company.
The dream shattered.
The Star Leonard opened his eyes to see the marite of the Demoness of Crimson copse lifelessly to the ground, devoid of any vitality. She was dead for good, with no chance of resurrection.
With a dull thud, the Pir of Severity, no longer bound by invisible threads, crashed onto the void-ck ground.
This change in the battlefield and The Star Leonard''s performance struck fear into the hearts of the other Demonesses of Unaging.
They were all Sequence 3 Saints equipped with Grade o Sealed Artifacts, so how had he dealt with the Demoness of Crimson so swiftly?
Moreover, the Demoness of Crimson was a Demoness of Unaging, notoriously hard to kill and adept at resurrection!
If Leonard took a little more time to seal the Pir of Severity, the battlefield partitions would be invalidated, and he and the neswalker would gain the freedom to join any other battlefield!
The Demoness of Orange felt an increasing sense of urgency.
Before her floated a card iid with what seemed to be shattered diamonds, radiating a brilliant light. The card''s face constantly shifted between characters and scenes, producing a variety of effects directed at Mr. Sun and Madam Judgment.
But for now, none of these effects could break through the divine barrier created by the crown of dawn, nor could they allow the Demoness of Orange to bypass it and Blink directly to her targets.
The Demoness of Orange could only hope that the Demoness of Gold, with her Eye of God, would quickly unravel the divine barrier''s mysteries, weaknesses, or ws andunch a targeted attack.
This urgency wasn''t solely due to how quickly the battlefield of the Demoness of Crimson had been resolved, which filled her with dread about the rapidly shifting tides of battle. It was also because the longer she used Tamara''s Everchanging Card, the more likely one of its negative effects would manifest upon her.
As the characters and scenes on the card''s face shifted continuously, the fixed pattern on Tamara''s Everchanging Card''s back would gradually change, producing various effects that acted upon the cardholder herself.
The Demoness of Orange nced at the Demoness of Gold from the corner of her eye, noting the beads of sweat on herpanion''s forehead, which made the vertical eye on her forehead ornament gleam even more brilliantly.
Clearly, the Eye of God was not easy to use.
Meanwhile, having relied on Madam Judgment''s help to activate the Glory Crown and create the divine barrier, The Sun Derrick finally caught his breath.
Looking at the Demonesses of Gold and Orange beyond the barrier, as well as the other battlefields and the dark, illusory mirror world, he found himself momentarily dazed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He remembered what Mr. Fool had said to him at the temporary gathering, "Go and pursue
your justice..."
What is my justice?
What is the core justice that I am willing to cast everything else aside for?
Once again, The Sun Derrick felt the doubts that had gued him for years.
After leaving the City of Silver and stepping out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods, he had witnessed normal ways of living and been exposed to a greater variety of values:
Good and evil;
Right and wrong;
Wealth and poverty;
Oppression and resistance...
These were all aspects of justice that The Sun Derrick had contemted and practiced in his daily life.
But he always felt that none of them represented his core principle of justice-something else was more important.
This confusion had prevented The Sun Derrick from summarizing the final acting principle, leaving him unable topletely digest the potion of Justice Mentor.
In a sh of thought, considering the significance and purpose of this operation, scenes suddenly unfolded before Derrick''s eyes:
The crimson moon piercing through barriers, descending to the ground;
The sky bing perpetually dark, illuminated only by moonlight and starlight;
Humans piling into spheres, floating amidst the murk;
The Forsaken Land of the Gods distinguishing day and night by the frequency of lightning
strikes;
The Chief pushing open the door to the Giant King''s Court, letting sunlight pour in...
The Sun Derrick''s body moved, as though transported to the past.
He understood what justice he most wanted to pursue:
It was light, it was the sun-it was the existence and continuation of humanity as a species!
For that, he was willing to abandon everything else!
The Proof of Glory atop Derrick''s head suddenly radiated brilliant light, and the immense power was directed toward the second Saint present, Madam Judgment, Xio Derecha.
The asymmetrical ck-and-gold mask on Madam Judgment''s face wriggled again. She withdrew the divine barrier, allowing a silver-white rapier to appear and pierce into the
Demoness of Orange''s body.
Magnify!
Using Solomon''s Mask, Madam Judgment amplified the silver-white rapier imbued with
power from Mr. Sun.
Inside the Demoness of Orange, the silver-white radiance exploded.
It brimmed with destruction, yet it was also sacred and resplendent.
On another battlefield.
The sacred armor adorning The Hanged Man Alger temporarily suppressed his malicious thoughts, preventing him from sumbing to the corrupted influences of the Demoness of Cyan Yalenna. Her Cull of Spiritual Flesh could not easily bypass the armor''s defenses. However, the Cull of Spiritual Flesh,bined with a Sword of Destruction, eventually tore through the pure armor formed by divine sunlight, annihting itpletely.
At that moment, a new rule appeared on the brass book in Mr. Hanged Man''s hand. "Normal beings may have one and only one head. All others must die!"
The three-headed ck rooster perched on the Demoness of Cyan''s shoulder suddenly trembled, as though sensing its impending doom.
Plop, plop! Two heads-one bare and the other with a dark redb-fell off, their severed necks unnaturally clean, as though sliced by a de.
Yet no blood spurted from the wounds. Instead, the severed heads fused with flesh and bone, wriggling as they attempted to grow new heads. However, an invisible force suppressed them, preventing sess.
With Mr. Hanged Man freed from his dangerous predicament, Franca''s situation shifted as
well.
Franca had been biding her time, anticipating the bacsh from the Sealed Artifacts used by her three opponents after making the prophecy. Yet, as she observed the Demoness of Silver and the Demoness of Green, she noticed their subtle infatuation with her intentional disy
of charm.
Wh-Franca realized a possibility.
The original Demonesses of Silver and Green might have died after the crimson moon''s descent. The current ones were newly advanced Demonesses of Unaging.
Since the digestion of the Unaging potion usually took a century, these newly advanced might still be in an emotionally and lustfully unstable state for several years-perhaps even a decade or more making them vulnerable to the allure of Demonesses of the same tier.
And it had been less than a year since the crimson moon''s descent!
Realizing this, Franca deliberately gave the Demonesses of Silver and Green a seductive smile.
Full Charm!
Even if her guess was wrong, Franca figured using Charm wasn''t a poor choice. There was
little to lose in trying.
The Demonesses of Silver and Cyan''s gazes turned enamored, longing to kneel before
Franca''s boots. The Demoness of Brown was simrly affected, but thoughts of her current
lover helped her break free from the horrifying allure.
Beyond all the battlefields, on the dark periphery of this region.
A figurey in wait.
He had white hair and wore a ck robe. His eyes were deep and lightless, marking Him
unmistakably as Miracle Invoker Zaratul.
Zaratul had followed the orders of the Great Mother and arrived long ago, yet He hadn''t joined the battle immediately. Instead, He remained hidden, patiently waiting for the right moment-the opportunity to convert everyone into marites and im a bounty of Grade
o Sealed Artifacts.
That moment hade.
In the nearby shadows, Zaratul''s current marites were ready, each capable of using His
abilities to create more marites.
Suddenly, Zaratul felt an intense sense of danger.
It was as if something was burrowing into His body.
He quickly attempted to switch ces with one of his marites.
It was futile. Not only were all His marites simrly infiltrated by something, but His
attempt to exchange ces had inexplicably failed-as though the very thought had been stolen from Him.
A figure appeared before Zaratul, wearing a pointed soft hat and a monocle.
Amon!
Amon''s monocle reflected a glimmer of light. With a smile, He addressed Zaratul, "I''m a bit
late. But I felt there was still enough time, so I waited outside for any potential dessert to
arrive."
"Quite the coincidence..."
As He spoke, Amon lifted His head to gaze upward and added with a smile,
"I know this body of yours is merely a historical projection. But for the Error pathway, if a historical projection is Parasitized, doesn''t that mean the original was also Parasitized? If your past self is Parasitized, how could your present self possibly avoid it? It''s inevitable!"
A flicker of desperation shed in Zaratul''s eyes, yet the arrangements beyond His historical projection needed time.
Just a second or twoter, His pupils seemed to dte, carrying a hint of relief. Then, He
smiled.
He epted the monocle Amon offered and ced it on His right eye.
Chapter 1136: Beyonder and Sealed Artifact Combination
Chapter 1136: Beyonder and Sealed Artifact Combination
?
Having eliminated Zaratul through sheer rank suppression and a surprise ambush, Amon nced at the ongoing battles deeper within the mirror world. He chose not to interfere and vanished, leaving behind Zaratul and His marites.
In one of the battlefields.
Returning from the shadows, the Demoness of ck rice swiftly utilized the mirror world to create multiple Mirror Projections across different locations, a mix of real and false images. This was to evade the Transfiguration Curse from the opposing Disciple of Silence.
Although the Cmity of Crimson crown was a Grade o Sealed Artifact, it did not offer any resistance to the Transfiguration Curse. If the Demoness of ck tried to withstand it unaided, she would undoubtedly transform into a regr yet charming sheep, piglet, or rabbit-losing most of her abilities and traits.
If that happened, not only would rice be unable to wield the Cmity of Crimson, but the Grade o Sealed Artifact''s negative effects might even cause her to die on the spot.
Even if she were lucky enough to avoid triggering the negative effects, how could a powerless sheep or any other animal-fight against a Sequence 3 Saint?
She would merely be ughtered!
More critically, the Demoness Sect, with its stronghold in the Southern Continent, had significant experience dealing with the Transfiguration Curse due to frequent encounters with the Rose School of Thought. The Demoness of ck was acutely aware that the curse would target not only her true self but also her mirror self; the transformation was symmetrical.
Moreover, as a defenseless animal, she would be easily captured. Through the connection between her body and her revival arrangements, the enemy could uncover all the hidden dormant mirrors she had isted in secret.
Such an oue would mean theplete death of the notoriously resilient and difficult- to-kill Demoness of Unaging.
The Demoness Sect''s strategy for countering the Transfiguration Curse was clear: if the enemy was below Angel-level and could only target a single entity, one should conceal the true body using methods like Mirror Projections. If the opponent was an Angel, however, extreme vignce was required. One had to be ready to activate Mirror Substitution preemptively while holding a lethal pathogen in their mouth-if evasion failed and one transformed into an animal, they should immediatelymit suicide.
Now, the Demoness of ck was employing the first strategy. This was not only because her opponent, Madam Temperance Sharron was a mere Sequence 3 Saint but also because rice sought to curse her opponent in return.
Each of the Mirror Projections created through the Cmity of Crimson carried a portion of power and could use their eyes as a medium to curse any target they saw-a ssic Demoness''s Curse.
With so many Mirror Projections at her disposal, the Demoness of ck was confident at least one would capture the enemy''s figure and sessfully deliver a curse. Even if the curse did not originate from her true body and could not severely injure or kill the target, it would still have a significant impact, creating opportunities for subsequent attacks.
Meanwhile, ck Demoness rice allowed the Cmity of Crimson atop her head to glow.
She brought catastrophe to the battlefield.
The catastrophe manifested as the gradual copse and disintegration of the corresponding area of the mirror world.
This not only limited her opponent''s ability to dodge, improving the chances ofpleting the curse, but also dragged all living beings in the battlefield toward annihtion and oblivion.
At that point, the Demoness of Unaging could revive, whereas a Disciple of Silence likely could not.
As the disaster unfolded, Madam Temperance Sharron remained expressionless, calm, andposed. All her emotions were tightly controlled.
She pulled out the secondyer of her three-tiered jewelry box.
This was the second application of the Box of the Great Old Ones: Thisyer contained records of different locations, varied and numerous. It allowed the holder and all living beings within a certain range to be directly transported to the designated location. However, "designated" was not absolute. In actual use, the target location often changed randomly, making the final destination unpredictable, with only a slim chance of arriving at the intended ce.
Madam Temperance Sharron now ced her faith in the blessing of the Angel of Fate, Will Auceptin. She believed that her "heart''s desire" woulde true!
The reason Sharron was entrusted with the Box of the Great Old Ones for this mission was not due to random allocation. The Tarot Club members had discussed beforehand above the gray fog which member would best utilize each Grade o Sealed Artifact to secure a swift victory.
The consensus was unanimous: the Box of the Great Old Ones was best suited for Madam Temperance.
Earlier, Sharron had not used the secondyer of the jewelry box immediately because Empress Roselle was still present-a formidable Angel likely capable of interfering with or resisting what was about to ur.
Now, as Sharron opened the secondyer of the Box of the Great Old Ones, she designated a location and activated its power.
Just as the Demoness of ck captured her opponent''s figure and was about toplete her curse, the copsing and annihting mirror world suddenly shifted.
Apanied by her Mirror Projections, she "apanied" Sharron to a barren wilderness.
This wilderness was strewn with exposed gray-white rocks and densely packed skeletal remains stretching endlessly.
The Underworld!
The location Madam Temperance Sharron had designated was the Underworld. By sheer luck, the Box of the Great Old Ones avoided its usual randomness!
The moment the Demoness of ck and her Mirror Projections arrived in this destend, their bodies and expressions froze simultaneously.
The Mirror Projections shattered and dissipated instantly. The Demoness of ck''s face turned pale, losing all semnce of vitality.
Both she and her mirror self perished in an instant.
Any living creature that entered the Underworld would die on the spot!
Madam Sharron watched silently as the Demoness of ck died. Her own figure had grown increasingly transparent, her face paler than before.
Once a Wraith, she was now equivalent to an evil spirit. Naturally, she did not need to fear instant death in the Underworld, provided she did not linger too long.
This unique trait was why the Tarot Club believed Sharron should prioritize using the Box of the Great Old Ones and the Staff of the Stars.
She could move her opponents-whether Demonesses or other enemies-to the Underworld!
Between the two artifacts, Sharron ultimately chose the Box of the Great Old Ones due to Mr. Star''s unique trait.
Looking at the Demoness of ck''s corpse, Sharron quietly retrieved the Cmity of
Crimson.
While the Underworld-induced death did not affect the isted dormant mirrors, making it impossible to permanently kill the Demoness of ck, the revival process would take considerable time. She would no longer be able to participate in the current battle, and she had lost her Grade o Sealed Artifact.
...
Not only did Sharron face the copsing and annihting mirror world, but so did Mr. Moon
Emlyn.
d in the Robe of Divine Blood, he saw the ground copse and the surroundings fade into nothingness. The malice within him grew increasingly uncontroble. Spreading the bat-like wings covered in membranes on his back, he transformed into moonlight, directing it toward Demoness of White Katarina, who was also caught in the catastrophe, as though he was dragging her along with him.
Seeing the crimson moonlight approaching her, Katarina smiled and allowed the blood-red
moonlight to shine upon her.
Crack!
Her body shattered under the corrosive influence of the blood-red moonlight, reverting to a
mirror.
Momentster, she reappeared in another section of the copsing battlefield, smiling as she watched the mirror world''s destruction consume both the crimson moonlight and herself.
This battlefield soon turned into a void.
Secondster, due to the overall structure of the mirror world remaining intact, boundaries formed within the void, creating new stable regions.
Demoness of White Katarina stepped out of the void, fully resurrected.
She had indeed perished in the destruction, but through her mirror self outside the copsed
area, she returned.
This method was a quick way to resolve matters.
After scanning her surroundings and finding no trace of her enemy, Katarina smirked.
At that moment, a brazen voice echoed in her mind-it was The Moon Emlyn''s.
"If I were you, I wouldn''t be smiling."
"You''re still alive?" Demoness of White Katarina blurted out and instinctively activated her
Mirror Substitution.
The mirror left in her ce shattered, and Katarina''s figure appeared at the edge of the
region.
Yet Emlyn''s voice persisted in her mind: "If you had diedpletely earlier, I would''ve perished
too. But you didn''t.
"Your greatest mistake was assuming resurrection would solve everything after your emotions and desires were first triggered. You didn''t try to calm yourself.
"You and your mirror self share a connected psyche. If I could nt the seeds of malice deep within
your mind, I could also erode your mirror self''s psyche.
"When my main body is destroyed, I can use these seeds to revive within you-igniting your desires,
burning your blood!
"Malice never dies. Neither do demons."
Demoness of White Katarina triggered her Mirror Substitution multiple times, but The Moon
Emlyn''s voice never stopped.
Blood seeped from her pores, enveloping herpletely.
Her mirror self suffered a simr fate.
Suddenly, the entire mirror world-or perhaps the entire world-began to shake violently.
...
Within the special mirror world, amid the intense tremors, 0-17''s eyes grew increasingly dull
and lifeless.
Her body rapidly faded, as if being erased by an invisible eraser.
The Sealed Artifact departed the battlefield, returning to a protected zone. The divine descent
of the Evernight Goddess had concluded.
The tremors caused by the attacks on the astral barrier subsided. Primordial Demoness Cheek turned Her gaze to Lumian, who was gripping Salinger''s Blood
Banner, using it as the vessel for the Sword of Destruction.
The deity had earlier escaped his strike by deliberately shattering Her Mirror Substitution. Now, She reappeared in another part of the sky, saying with a chuckle,
"Now it''s just the two of us."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Before She could finish, the figure of Amon, wearing His pointed hat and monocle, suddenly
appeared in the area.
Adjusting His still-glowing monocle, Amon smiled at the Primordial Demoness Cheek.
"Apologies for beingte. I had to make a quick trip to the astral world to steal a wish and enjoy a little dessert."
Amon''s voiceyered over itself, emanating from multiple rapidly flickering figures-never
staying in one ce long enough to be Charmed or attacked by the Primordial Demoness.
Hearing Amon''s words, Primordial Demoness Cheek narrowed Her eyes and clenched Her right fist.
The vortex of chaos that engulfed everything reappeared and expanded rapidly, attempting to consume the entire region.
"And that wish is..." Amon''s monocle glowed brighter, releasing the stolen wish.
At the same moment, He Blinked away from the oing vortex.
A voice reverberated across the area, so potent that even the all-epassing chaos could
only weaken it, unable to swallow itpletely in short fashion.
"My wish is:
"All envisioned things in the special mirror world shall vanish briefly."
Chapter 1137: Mutual Diminishment
Chapter 1137: Mutual Diminishment
?
As Amon prepared to unleash the stolen wish, Primordial Demoness Cheek did not merely conjure another vortex of chaos to return everything to chaos. In addition, countless faint lights reflected and refracted within Her azure eyes, creating an indescribable sense of mystery.
These were near-omniscient eyes analyzing Amon''s current state and weaknesses, searching for vulnerabilities to exploit.
In truth, Primordial Demoness Cheek knew of a way to deal with Amon quickly: linking the mirror worlds inside and outside the astral barrier to introduce the corruption of the Circle of Inevitability.
To instantaneously kill a Sequence 1 Archangel, one needed the corresponding pathway''s Great Old Dominator!
Unfortunately, the barrier blocks any connection between the inside and outside... Reluctantly abandoning this idea, the Primordial Demoness focused on utilizing Her omniscient authority.
On the other side, Lumian was surrounded by the expanding vortex of chaos, preventing him fromunching any further attacks for the time being.
Relying on the slow rotations of the vortex''s face and the 0-01 carrying the ck mes of destruction, he barely managed to keep the all-epassing chaos stagnating in front of him. It flowed around him like tidal waves around a reef that might be submerged at any
moment.
As the voice representing the "wish" reverberated, Primordial Demoness Cheek finally saw Amon''s current weakness.
He was not truly a dual-pathway god. He merely borrowed power from His past self through the Sequence 2 Sinner ability of the Inevitability pathway, with the permission of the current holder of the Error and Door pathway Uniquenesses.
Borrowed power that did not truly belong to oneself always left a chink in the armor. This was akin to when the Primordial Demoness split off part of Her Demoness of Apocalypse Beyonder characteristic, recing it with an envisioned substitute to maintain Her rank and power. When faced with specific influences, She would inevitably suffer a severe setback.
For Amon to borrow power from the past using the Sinner ability, He had to remain in the state of a Sinner-this was the crux of the issue.
That power was from the past, and in the past, He was a Sinner!
As the wish was being spoken and about to be realized, Primordial Demoness Cheek caused the special mirror world that the vortex had yet to engulf to turn transparent, reflecting Amon''s rapidly blinking figures.
Simultaneously, Primordial Demoness Cheek''s pitch-ck shadow abruptly rose and adhered to Her back.
Amon''s shadow experienced the same transformation.
This was the inherent depraved nature present in all living beings!
Undoubtedly, the depraved nature of a Sinner was exceptionally strong, nearly equal to His very existence!
Amon''s shadow, pitch ck and viscous like slime, clung tightly to His body, unaffected by His rapid Blinking.
Apart from certain high-ranking individuals of select pathways, no one could separate from their own depraved nature. It could only be suppressed. For a Sinner, resistance was impossible, as They were depraved to begin with.
The ck shadow enveloped Amon, sticking tightly to Him. Meanwhile, simr shadows continuously emerged from the depths of His psyche, merging inside and out, reshaping His
form.
Amon had previously stolen many abilities from the Sun pathway, but at this moment, He refrained from using them.
Otherwise, purification would not stop at His depraved nature-it would include the Sinner itself!
Amon first raised His head, and His left eye shone with light as brilliant as starlight.
The now-transparent borders of the special mirror world instantly turned dark and heavy.
As a Door pathway god, Amon sealed this area as a temporary measure. Immediately after, He leaped into a silvery, illusory riverposed of interlocking and intricate symbols.
Before Himy innumerable tributaries, each representing a different future.
He chose one of those fates,pleting His self-redemption.
A holy light erupted as He emerged from the silvery river. He was no longer burdened by His depraved nature, nor was He at risk of being engulfed by the vortex of chaos.
However, He had now be an Angel of Redemption. He was no longer the Sinner of the past, nor the dual-pathway god He once was.
At this moment, the reverberating voice finally fell silent. The wish-"All envisioned things in the special mirror world shall vanish briefly"-was realized.
Primordial Demoness Cheek''s figure suddenly shrank. Her rank and aura plummeted to the level of a King of Angels.
The expanding vortex of chaos simultaneously began to contract, quickly shrinking into a single point and vanishing entirely, failing to affect Amon, who had retreated to the edge of the battlefield.
For a short time within the special mirror world, Cheek was no longer a true god!
Now, She was only slightly stronger than Lumian but not overwhelmingly so. In terms of rank, She might even be slightly inferior.
Cheek abruptly transformed into a silver-white bolt of lightning, streaking toward the edge of the special mirror world at near-light speed.
She intended to escape this ce.
If envisioned phenomena were invalid in this area, she would simply move elsewhere!
Outside, she would still be a god!
Primordial Demoness Cheek knew full well that for a wish to have an effective impact on someone like Herself a true god, the female body of the Primordial God Almighty-even the half-Lord of Mysteries would need to impose limits on time and scope. Without such constraints, the wish would likely distort, possibly even favoring Her. With restrictions in ce, She could escape the affected area or hold out long enough to negate the wish.
Smack!
The silver lightning struck the heavy, dark edge of the special mirror world but failed to break
through.
The Door pathway god''s seal.
The silver lightning reverted to Primordial Demoness Cheek. She turned to face Lumian, now resembling a ming giant, and Amon on the battlefield''s edge. Smiling, She said, "I''d love to see just how brief this ''briefly'' is, but what I''d like even more is to see whether you can defeat me within such a short time."
Lumian offered no response. From the Traveler''s Bag he had obtained, originally belonging to Franca, he produced a handful of metallic puppets and threw them backward.
The puppets instantly expanded, each over ten meters tall, resembling giants forged of steel. Before the battle, each had received boons from Sequence os of different pathways-boons with a time limit.
Lumian had waited until Mr. Fool''s wish came true before bringing them out.
Smiling at Primordial Demoness Cheek, he dered, "As a Conqueror, how could I not have
my own army?"
Before he finished speaking, he led the dozen steel giants in a charge against the Primordial Demoness.
...
Deep within the mirror world.
The Demoness of Silver, her vision dazzled and mind ensnared by Franca''s charming smile, felt a sudden pain. Her emotions and desires surged violently.
Instinctively looking down, she saw that the skull-shaped Sealed Artifact she carried was
gnawing on her.
Her mirror self suffered the same fate.
Amidst creaking and cracking sounds, her body rapidly decayed, dragging her Mirror Substitution and mirror self into ruin along with her.
The prophecy of the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture had been fulfilled: due to the violent fluctuations of her emotions and desires-the maddening obsession to offer both body and soul-the Demoness of Silver suffered a bacsh from her own Sealed Artifact. It seemed
rather effective against a Demoness!
In no time, the Demoness of Silver was reduced to a skeletal corpse with decaying flesh hanging loosely from her bones.
Simrly, the Demoness of Green, also entranced by Franca''s Charm, halted her attacks, unable to tear her gaze away from Franca''s face-those sparkling,ke-blue eyes that reflected her very figure like a serene pool.
A strong sense of danger struck her. Instinctively, she tried to activate Mirror Substitution.
However, her thoughts had already be sluggish and stalled without her realizing it, preventing her from acting in time.
This dy stemmed from the negative effects of the ck cloak she wore.N?v(el)B\\jnn
ck, quiet, and eerie mes ignited within Franca''s eyes, silently enveloping the Demoness
of Green''s figure.
Suddenly, simr ck mes erupted within the Demoness of Green''s body, inflicting
excruciating pain as they burned her soul.
A Demoness''s Curse-one that could not be avoided unless Mirror Substitution was actively
used! The Demoness of Green let out an uncontroble, blood-curdling scream as the quiet mes consumed her soul. Her body copsed, blood oozing thickly.
Her mirror self suffered the same fate.
While Franca focused on the Demonesses of Green and Silver, the Demoness of Brown broke
free of Franca''s Charm and unleashed a surge of grayish-white color that swept toward her.
Simultaneously, a faint light flickered on the gemstone bracelet around the Demoness of Brown''s wrist, as though reflecting starlight.
The space in front, behind, above, and to the right of Franca twisted into shadowy barriers, cutting off her ability to travel through the mirror world or evade in other ways.
The only exit was to the left, where a tide of grayish-white swept in-a color that petrified
everything it touched. Even if Franca activated Mirror Substitution, the space where she
would reappear remained within the gray ocean.
Franca let out a soft chuckle, producing a mirror and sliding it between the pages of the Post-
Apocalyptic Scripture.
The next moment, she stepped into the space behind that mirror.
Being unable to escape didn''t mean she couldn''t hide in an existing hidden space or fortify it
for protection!
The gray tide engulfed the parchment-bound Post-Apocalyptic Scripture, adding a thickyer of stone dust. However, it failed topletely petrify the book, and the mirror tucked between its pages remained unscathed.
Seeing that both the Demonesses of Green and Silver were dead, with uncertain prospects of
revival and unable to rejoin the battle anytime soon, the Demoness of Brown''s heart filled with fear. News of the other battlefields wasn''tforting either; several other Demonesses wielding Grade o Sealed Artifacts had already been swiftly defeated.
With thoughts of her lover weighing on her heart, she was unwilling to lose her life entirely in this chaos. Seeing that the situation was beyond recovery, she disregarded the Primordial Demoness''s ns and activated one of the bracelet''s gemstones.
Her body transformed into abstract symbols and concepts, slipping into the astral world to
"wander" toward her lover''s hiding ce.
However, when she exited the astral world, what appeared before her was not the familiar
scene she expected but a dense fog of gray and white.
She was lost.
The next second, she saw a stream of crimson moonlight flowing through the fog.
Suddenly, she felt something inside her stomach-something that tore at her flesh and blood.
Chapter 1138: Wisdom
Chapter 1138: Wisdom
?
Seeing that The Setting Sun Rooster now had only one head remaining and could not grow a new one for the time being, Demoness of Cyan Yalenna''s eyes turned an iron-ck hue, reflecting the pale weaknesses on The Hanged Man Alger''s body.
She avoided using Weakness Investigation on the brass book, knowing it was beyond her ability to handle.
Amidst her investigation, the single remaining head on the ck rooster perched on Yalenna''s shoulder let out a sharp, malevolent crow.
The Hanged Man Alger immediately felt an invisible force pulling his consciousness and spirit downward, as though he were an irreversible sunset.
His facial muscles twitched uncontrobly, forming a grim, hateful expression.
Affected by the corrupted voice, he began to sumb to depravity.
However, unlike the initial moment when the three heads of the ck rooster simultaneously brought different influences, leaving him in a dangerous situation reliant on passive protection, Alger now retained some room for maneuver.
Depravity was a process, not an instantaneous event.
Having been a Sea King for many years, The Hanged Man Alger had umted substantial high-ranking experience, which helped shape the temperament required of the Sailor pathway, also known as the Tyrant pathway. With a stern expression, he resisted the urge to be depraved and, with great difficulty and determination, activated one of his Beyonder powers.
At this moment, Demoness of Cyan Yalenna had already created several mirror projections of herself, each possessing a certain degree of power, surrounding The Hanged Man Alger. All of their eyes captured his figure.
She was on the verge ofpleting her curse, a Demoness''s Curse fueled by the Fire of Destruction.
Just then, a terrifying, visible tornado spiraled into existence around The Hanged Man Alger, with him as its eye. The vortex expanded outward in rings, swelling in all directions.
This was the Sailor pathway''s demigod-level ability-Hurricane.
Yalenna and her mirror projections lost sight of their target amidst the palpable, howling winds.N?v(el)B\\jnn
The Demoness''s Curse she was about to unleash thus lost its medium.
Within the terrifying hurricane''s eye, The Hanged Man Alger, while holding the Tyrant card to elevate his rank and sense of oppression, used it to dictate the second rule on the Trunsoest Brass Book: "This battlefield is a Land of Light, a domain of righteousness. All depravity and evil shall find no footing."
This was the high-level application of the Judgment pathway''s ability to enactws and decrees, which allowed multiple Prohibitions to take effect simultaneously by defining the environment.
In an instant, the dark battlefield, originating from the mirror world, was illuminated by an unknown source of light. The head of The Setting Sun Rooster drooped lifelessly with a snap, unable to utter corrupted words or emanate depravity.
Demoness of Cyan Yalenna also found herself unable to cast curses or other dark magic.
Her heart skipped a beat as she observed the other battlefields through her mirror projections, taking in the overall situation.
Without hesitation, Demoness of Cyan Yalenna took a step back, preparing to traverse through the mirror world.
The moment she formed this intention, the howling hurricane shattered into countless streaks of silvery-white lightning, bursting forth with a destructive, violent aura that engulfed the entire battlefield, transforming it into a forest of thunderbolts leading to inevitable destruction.
The Hanged Man Alger left no chance for the Demoness of Cyan to escape the battlefield. After releasing Lightning Storm, now free of the influence of depravity, he broke into a sweat as heboriously manifested the third rule on the Trunsoest Brass Book.
At this stage, limited by his own rank, even with the support of the Tyrant card, any rules he established had to be derivative of the first two and could note out of thin air.
Facing the area-wide assault of the thunderbolt forest, Demoness of Cyan Yalenna sketched a radiant smile.
Suppressing the use of her Mirror Substitution ability, she allowed the Lightning Storm to shatter her body, leaving her flesh charred and evaporating.
She deliberately died this way, escaping the battlefield through her mirror self and returning to a hidden location.
The Demonesses of Unaging participating in this battle had all prudently left their mirror selves outside this region of the mirror world, rather than bringing them into battle. In a battlefield involving multiple Grade o Sealed Artifacts, a mirror self without a Grade o Sealed Artifact would be of little use and was better kept as a means of ensuring escape at a critical moment.
As Demoness of Cyan Yalenna died painfully within the Lightning Storm, the third rule on the Trunsoest Brass Book waspleted: "Depraved and evil entities shall be confiscated." Yalenna''s body waspletely destroyed and evaporated, but The Setting Sun Rooster remained, falling straight to the ground.
...
After her body was destroyed from within by an eruption of countless silvery swords, the Demoness of Orange returned from annihtion, catching the Tamara''s Everchanging Card andpleting her resurrection.
In the next moment, she and the Demoness of Gold felt a powerful suppression, weakening them in all aspects.
When The Sun Derrick finallyprehended the core of his righteousness, the traits of the Justice Mentor were fully brought to bear!
The Notary and Unshadowed abilities gained new manifestations at the Justice Mentor level, enhancing actions aligned with core righteousness while weakening or nullifying those that contradicted it.
This time, The Sun Derrick participated in this operation to help Lumian resolve the Demoness Sect and enable the emergence of a new great existence to save the world.
This was his justice, his light, his sun, and he was putting it into practice. Anything obstructing this endeavor was an unjust act!
Immediately afterward, The Sun Derrick used Madam Judgment as a medium to unleash another ability of Proof of Glory.
Blinding light spots erupted from Madam Judgment, Magnified by Solomon''s Mask into a terrifying storm that shredded everything around it.
But before that could happen, the Demoness of Gold, aided by the Eye of God, foresaw the
signs and made her decision.
Wisdom always allowed her to make the right choice!
With a crisp crack, she actively used her Mirror Substitution.
Influenced by her, Demoness of Orange also activated her Mirror Substitution.
The ensuing Hurricane of Light swept through, devouring only two mirrors.
When the Hurricane of Light subsided, the two Demonesses of Unaging wielding Grade o
Sealed Artifacts reappeared in a corner.
The battle continued for a while, with neither side able to achieve a decisive victory. Suddenly, the Demoness of Gold transmitted a message to the Demoness of Orange through
her mirror projections: "Change the battlefield-to the kill zone!"
The kill zone... The Demoness of Orange was momentarily stunned.
Quickly grasping herpanion''s intent while also monitoring the other battlefields, she
directed the Tamara''s Everchanging Card floating before her to rapidly shift its front-facing
pattern.
The new pattern depicted a gray-white backdrop filled with countless ck "snakes."
As the scene unfolded, The Sun Derrick and Judgment Xio Derecha felt the surroundings growing increasingly illusory, as though a transformation was imminent.
At once, The Sun Derrick channeled the power of the Glory Crown into Madam Judgment. Judgment Xio stabbed her longsword downward.
Holy and resplendent light surged forth from the void around them, forming a sturdy and pure spherical barrier that shielded the two Major Arcana card holders, rooting them to the
battlefield.
Simultaneously, Judgment Xio imbued the barrier with distorting power, redirecting the battlefield shift elsewhere.
She reasoned that it was unwise to passively follow the Demonesses'' lead to an evidently
abnormal location.
What if that ce turned out to be the divine kingdom of the Primordial Demoness?
If that were the case, even without a trap, both she and The Sun Derrick would be unable to
withstand it!
Since their primary objective was to support Lumian in devastating the Demoness Sect Cult rather than to kill anyone specific, it was better to y it safe and regroup with victorious
allies from other battlefields to pursue the enemyter.
Momentster, the environment around them transformed.
The light-formed spherical barrier wavered violently, as though struck by the fiercest of storms, but it remained firmly rooted in the current battlefield.
The Demoness of Gold and Demoness of Orange, carrying their respective Grade o Sealed Artifacts, shifted to the scene depicted on the Tamara''s Everchanging Card and did not return to the mirror world or face Judgment Xio and The Sun Derrick again.
They had fled.
The wielder of the Eye of God always foresaw shifts in the situation and made the right
choices at the right time.
Demonesses of Unaging are truly hard to kill... Judgment Xio murmured in quiet admiration.
...
Within the special mirror world,
Lumian shed at the airborne Primordial Demoness Cheek with the Sword of Destruction,
using Salinger''s Blood Banner as its medium.
The de seemed to carry a hint of the River of Eternal Darkness''s corruption, its ck mes restrained yet increasingly terrifying.
Behind Lumian, his puppet army suddenly scattered. Part moved to the Primordial Demoness''s back, part to the area above Her, while others nked Her sides and below.
This was Blink.
Each puppet could Blink!
With 0-01, Lumian could share Beyonder powers among his team.
The source of the Blink ability was a metallic puppet among them, imbued with an Angel-
level boon from Mr. Fool himself-a power that could onlyst three minutes once activated. The puppet raised a staff formed of starlight, causing the surrounding void around Primordial Demoness Cheek to warp downward, forming a cage to hinder Her escape. Primordial Demoness Cheek smiled faintly at the sight and clenched Her right hand. Once again, a vortex of chaos epassing all colors and possibilities appeared around Her body, though itcked the terror and oppression it held earlier. Although the Primordial Demoness was no longer a true god for now, She still possessed a Uniqueness-Her rank was undeniably real!
Chapter 1139: Curse
Chapter 1139: Curse
?
At the edge of the battlefield, Amon observed as Primordial Demoness Cheek once again conjured a vortex of chaos, and a smirk immediately curled across His lips.
Raising both hands, He was enveloped entirely in the holy glow of redemption.
Within the monocle''s field of vision, the silvery river of fate corresponding to that region appeared. Every tributary of its future was upied by chaos, leaving no other possibilities- inevitable destruction.
Amon abruptly brought His hands together, sping them tightly.
At that moment, He seemed like someone earnestly praying in the Ancient Sun God''s cathedral.
Almost simultaneously, within that silvery, illusory river of fate-where the tributaries were about to merge and unify destiny into chaos-a new tributary inexplicably emerged, representing another potential future.
In this new tributary, chaos persisted but did not destroy everything in the region.
The Angel of Redemption-saving the future by creating something out of nothing!
As the river of fate shifted toward this new tributary, the chaotic vortex Primordial Demoness Cheek had created abruptly erupted with a sense of renewal before dissipating entirely.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Momentster, the chaotic vortex re-emerged from the area of renewal, once again disassembling and epassing everything around it.
It fell into a cycle-a loop of destruction and creation.
This confined it to a small range, unable to directly obstruct Lumian''s Sword of Destruction, which was about to strike.
Behind the Primordial Demoness, one of the metallic puppets now wielded a massive, deformed ck scythe.
The puppet swung its weapon toward the target, carrying with it a silence of unlit darkness.
This was a boon from the Evernight Goddess, an Angel-level temporary boon!
To the Primordial Demoness''s right, another steel puppet transformed into a massive, featureless serpent adorned with patches of white feathers and enormous wings.
This metallic feathered serpent turned into a silent, lifeless white torrent that surged toward its target.
This was also a boon from the Evernight Goddess-a temporary angelic power with a very limited duration.
On the Primordial Demoness''s left, yet another steel puppet grew to an enormous size,parable to Lumian himself.
At some point, it had gripped a colossal sword of orange-red light that radiated the aura of approaching twilight and the decay of all things.
The orange-red sword also shed toward the Primordial Demoness.
In an instant, Cheek seemed enveloped by twilight, frozen in the orange-red glow. Her thoughts and actions slowed, as if she existed in a different world from Lumian.
Her attempt to destroy Herself was thus dyed.
Twilight had arrived!
After these three metallic puppets delivered attacks at the Primordial Demoness representing different authorities of endings, they were each destroyed on the spot. Some lost their spirituality, others their sense of life, and others corroded rapidly into rust.
They were disposable vessels for carrying those three powers, solidified from Lumian''s mes.
The silent darkness, pale death, orange-red twilight, and Lumian''s Sword of Destruction struck Primordial Demoness Cheek simultaneously.
Suddenly, parts of these forces intertwined.
These mere Angel-level powers tangled into a deep ck point, absorbing all light, sound, and matter.
The ck dot prominently appeared on Cheek''s skeletal-dressed body, instantly copsing Her into it, along with all Her Mirror Substitutions.
Elsewhere within the special mirror world, Primordial Demoness Cheek''s mirror self, a handsome man with a blood-stained face, twisted in expression before vanishing as if evaporated into thin air or erased with an eraser.
In various hidden ces across the ruins of the Northern and Southern Continents and within Primordial Demoness Cheek''s divine kingdom established in the mirror world, one dormant mirror after another was erased by an unknown power, reaching their end.
The next second, Franca, Mr. Star Leonard, and the others-fresh frompleting their battles in the depths of the mirror world-were struck with an inexplicable daze, almost forgetting who they were assisting Lumian against and whom the Demoness Sect worshipped.
Or rather, had such a deity ever truly existed?
In the ruins of Trier, Demoness of Gray Judith and Demoness of Yellow Tissavica nearly forgot They had a true god ancestor. They felt that the Demoness Sect''s deity must have been an imagined, symbolic figure.
Struggling to recall the title "Primordial Demoness" and the name "Cheek," Their expressions changed dramatically as they realized something had gone terribly wrong.
These two experienced Demonesses of Catastrophe immediately createdrge-scale cmities to prevent Madam Justice and Madam Magician from approaching.
Then, without a moment''s hesitation, They began self-destruction.
Within the special mirror world.
The deep ck dotsted only a second before itpletely disintegrated and vanished, seemingly ipatible with this universe.
The Primordial Demoness''s Uniqueness and the two Demoness of Apocalypse Beyonder Characteristics were not ejected as a result.
Suddenly, Cheek-d in Her skeletal dress-reemerged from the void.
She smiled warmly at Lumian and Amon, saying, "Unless all mirror worlds are destroyed, you
cannot truly kill me.
"Do you still believe you can defeat me before the wish''s effect ends?"
With that, Cheek''s beautiful eyes shifted to Lumian. "Do you wish to surrender?"
The Primordial Demoness was clearly stalling for time. Once Mr. Fool''s wish expired, She would regain Her status as a bona fide Sequence o deity, potentially even surpassing some true gods.
Lumian chuckled, tilting his head to nce at Cheek''s face on the head growing from his left shoulder.
"Since I possess a part of you, how could I not understand your rtionship with the mirror
world?
"That earlier strike was just to dismantle your other resurrection arrangements.
"As for now..."
Lumian''s blue eyes, framed by Cheek''s encouraging and sweet smile, grew unnervingly vivid. The blood-colored banner between his brows shone even brighter.
Primordial Demoness Cheek suddenly realized something, and Her expression subtly
changed.
At the same time, ck mes of constrained violence and destruction ignited in Lumian''s
gaze.
Curse!
A Demoness''s Curse, driven by the City of Cmity''s power and the Fire of Destruction! Lumian cursed the Cheek face on the head growing from his left shoulder.
It was both a part of him and a powerful mystical link to Primordial Demoness Cheek, making
it one of the best curse mediums.
Thus, Lumian was cursing both himself and Primordial Demoness Cheek!
Behind him, two steel puppets had already undergone transformations.
One appeared to don an illusory ck cloak, while the other wore unrealistically dark gloves.
Fooling! Loophole!
Since the Primordial Demoness was currently equivalent to the mirror world itself-Her demise dependent on its destruction-the inverse was also true. To curse the Primordial Demoness was to curse all mirror worlds!
Instantly, Lumian''s entire being ignited, ck mes of destruction bursting forth to annihte all constraints of madness.
This caused the iron-ck, symbol-etched skeleton of his body to begin melting rapidly. The blood-soaked violet mes within him were assimted or consumed.
Lumian''s face twisted uncontrobly in extreme pain. Yet, amidst the agony, he disyed
reckless joy, unashamed of his exhration.
He looked at Primordial Demoness Cheek and saw the peerless beauty ignited by ck mes
of Fire of Destruction, burning Her from soul to body.
Primordial Demoness Cheek furrowed Her brow, unable to suppress the sensation of life slipping away and Her divine seat crumbling.
This type of curse might have been manageable when She was still a true god, using Her corresponding authorities to counteract it. However, in Her current state as a King of Angels, She was neither much higher in rank than Lumian nor much stronger-only possessing
additional unique qualities.
As Primordial Demoness Cheek was engulfed in the Fire of Destruction, the special mirror world itself was also set aze with raging ck mes.
All mirror worlds within the astral barrier sumbed to the inferno, melting and copsing
en masse.
Franca, The Hanged Man Alger, and others quickly collected their spoils and fled the mirror
world, returning to the ruins.
One by one, the mirrors Franca carried cracked and shattered.
Rather than feeling rmed, she was delighted.
This was Lumian''s Fire of Destruction!
Within the special mirror world.
As the destructive ck mes spread and burned, Amon smiled and shook His head, lifting
the seal and departing the soon-to-be-destroyed realm.
Empress Roselle-having been banished to the spirit world-was initially startled, then
rejoiced.
Atst, She was no longer bound by the special mirror world, nor subject to its owner''s
commands.
With Fourth Epoch Trier destroyed, the corresponding seal was undone. She was free to leave
the special mirror world and avoid perishing with it.
Amidst the crackling mes consuming Cheek, Her slightly dazed expression shifted to a
smile as she said to Lumian, "You''re more ruthless than I expected, even cursing yourself to
curse me."
At this moment, most of Lumian''s body had been consumed by the Fire of Destruction, leaving only the three heads unscathed.
The face of the chaotic vortex still resisted the encroachment of the ck mes, but only for
a little longer.
Primordial Demoness Cheek flew toward Lumian, trailing a long ck ming tail. Landing in front of him, she spoke without concealing Her pain yet full of mirth, "We were destined to merge from the beginning. If you hadn''t obtained 0-01 and Medici''s two Conqueror Beyonder characteristics, I wouldn''t havee to meet you today.
"Our battle was merely over control. Now, I admit, you''re well-suited to being Alista Tudor.
"You''ve won. I will voluntarily merge into your body, with you as the dominant consciousness. After all, I''m not ambitious-I only wished to be half of the Original Creator. Even under your control, I''ll still be His half."
As She spoke, Primordial Demoness Cheek''s body began to disintegrate, regressing into the Uniqueness and Demoness of Apocalypse Beyonder Characteristics that carried Her self- awareness and spiritual imprint into the Cheek face on Lumian''s left shoulder.
This process was irreversible.
At that moment, Primordial Demoness Cheek saw Lumian''s face, illuminated by the burning
Fire of Destruction, curl into a mocking smile.
Lumian grinned with satisfaction and said, "Thank you for voluntarily merging.
"But it won''t be long before I die-and you''ll perish with me."
Hearing thetter part, Primordial Demoness Cheek''s phantom-like, stunning face froze
slightly in expression.
Chapter 1140 A New Balance
Chapter 1140 A New Bnce
After a brief moment of frozen expression, Primordial Demoness Cheek let out a seductiveugh. "Fine, fine! Let''s die together! Everyone dies, the entire universe dies!"
Amidst the unrestrainedughter, the speed of Cheek''s body''s disintegration elerated rapidly.
Lumian, still wearing his mocking smile, made no reply. He quietly observed Her, as if watching a lunatic performing Her final act on the stage of life.
As the echoes of Herughter resounded, Cheekpletely regressed into a cluster of Beyonder characteristics of varying sizes, encircling a statue of a woman seemingly crafted from bones.
The statue was entirely naked, every detail intricately carved, exuding extraordinary allure. Its face shiftedsometimes blurred and chaotic, other times exceptionally vividbut it always bore Cheek''s visage.
A crisp sound of shattering followed, as the special mirror world, aze with the Fire of Destruction, copsed with a deafening roar.
In the World of Ruins, Franca and the others barely had time to react before feeling the earth tremble violently. Near and far, mountains erupted from the ground, spewing dense smoke and crimson magma.
In the sky, bright streaks of meteors zed across, crashing into various parts of the Northern and Southern Continents. Their impacts triggered fierce explosions and churned up clouds of dust that obscured the moonlight.
In the fierynds, snowstorms began to howl. Along the coasts, hurricanes of unprecedented strength madendfall one after another. Catastrophes of all kinds descended indiscriminately upon every unprotected corner of the world, some mild, others devastating.
A true god, in all but name, had fallen.
The divine throne of the Primordial Demoness was now vacant.
Hidden within the protectiveyer of the Glory Crown, Franca exhaled silently in relief.
From her Traveler''s Bag, she retrieved a transparent crystal orb that depicted various scenes of cmity.
This was the Beyonder characteristic of a Demoness of Catastrophe, restructured after being shattered and filtered through the gray fog by Mr. Fool.
Franca swiftly concocted a potion, a swirling liquid reminiscent of the sky before a storm.
She gulped down the potion without hesitation.
Elsewhere, Madam Magician and Madam Justice witnessed the self-destruction of the Demoness of Gray and Demoness of Yellow, each silently remarking on how difficult high-ranking demonesses were to kill.
If Mr. Fool had not been upied merging with the Celestial Worthy during his slumber, and if Gehrman Sparrow had not been preupied holding the astral barrier against the terrifying assaults of the Great Old Dominators, Madam Magician might have been able to ensure at least one of the Demonesses of Catastrophe did not escape.
Using her powers as a neswalker, she could recreate historical figures, or summon projections of historical events. With these, she could have "produced" a temporary Gehrman Sparrow in reality. Through that connection, Mr. Fool might have descended and projected a sufficiently powerful force.
But s, Mr. Fool could not descend directly in his current state. The recreated or summoned figure would only have a connection with Sefirah Castle established, carrying faint imprints of his rank and corruption.
It was enough to affect Saints that were not full-fledged Angels in an indomitable fashion. However, aplete Mythical Creature could sever Their connection, just as They could process information rted to the Great Old Dominators.
In this context, had the Demoness of Gray and Demoness of Yellow attempted to escape into the mirror world, They would have been unable to evade a neswalker''s pursuit or imprisonment. Yet They chose self-destruction instead.
Madam Magician had prepared a response, intending to recreate the Angel of Time''s time halt, followed by a Mentor of Deceit''s maniption of rules and mystical connections. The aim was to ensure the self-destruction of the Demoness of Gray and Demoness of Yellow extended to Their true bodies, mirror selves, and dormant mirrors alike.
This n carried a certain risk of failure. However, bolstered by her boon of good luck, Madam Magician was confident in its sess. Unfortunately, before she could act, the Primordial Demoness had already fallen. The ensuing disasters elerated the self-destruction of the two Demonesses.
Noticing Madam Magician''s disappointment, Madam Justice tilted her head with a smile.
"I secretly nted seeds of spiritual gue in them. Given the twisted psyches typical of demonesses, They will undoubtedly suffer issuester on, perhaps even leading to Their demise."
Audrey used the term "perhaps," as she wasn''t sure if the Demoness Sect possessed a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact capable of curing or suppressing such "diseases."
On another front, Suah and Tiri sessfully sought aid from the Chained God and escaped the entanglement of Ma''am Hermit, the Angel of the Holy Spirit, and the Angel of Time before the arrival of Madam Magician and Madam Justice. They retreated in defeat.
In the copsing special mirror world, Lumian, his face still bearing a mocking smile, gazed at the female statue and the two dark orbs containing the absorbed Beyonder characteristics. Yet he did not allow them to merge with the Cheek face on his shoulder. Instead, he exerted all his strength to resist the inevitable pull of the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence.
He held on until the Fire of Destruction began consuming his original head, melting the Cheek and Tudor faces beside the chaotic vortex. Only then did the two remaining steel puppets take action. The face shared by Aurore and Jenna was not cursed like Cheek''s and was only affected by Lumian''s burning influenceter. Its melting was less severe.
The steel puppet wearing dark gloves extended both hands, extracting the self-awareness and spiritual imprints of Cheek from the two Demoness of Apocalypse characteristics.
This extraction, limited by the puppet''s rank, was temporary and incapable of permanently possessing the entities. If suitable vessels were not found, the extracted consciousness and imprint would soon return to their original characteristics.
At that moment, the other steel puppet, cloaked in an illusory mantle, extended its right hand andpleted the Grafting.
It transferred the extracted self-awareness and spiritual imprint to the female statuethe Uniqueness of the Demoness pathway.
As the strongest resonance for Cheek''s self-awareness and spiritual imprints, the statue readily epted them. Even if it hadn''t, Fooling or Deceit awaited to ensurepliance. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Once this was done, the steel puppets sumbed to the copsing mirror world, and Lumian ceased his resistance. He allowed the Uniqueness to merge with the melting Cheek face.
Enduring immense pain, Lumian smiled and plunged 0-01 into the melting Tudor face, driving itpletely in.
Then, he swallowed the two blood-soaked crowns.
The now-purified Demoness of Apocalypse Beyonder characteristics were guided into the blood-stained faces of Aurore and Jenna.
Atst, the three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics and the Uniqueness of the Demoness pathway reunited within Lumian, bing whole.
Their aggregation intensified, and Lumian''s head, along with the Fire of Destruction from the curse, seemed to copse into a singrity.
Enduring immense pain, Lumian smiled and plunged 0-01 into the melting Tudor face, driving itpletely in.
Then, he swallowed the two blood-soaked crowns.
The Red Priest pathway''s three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics and Uniqueness were also gathered.
Rumble!
Thunder rumbled as silver-white lightning struck various parts of the World of Ruins.
The Hanged Man Alger and Justice Audrey instinctively looked to the sky. They saw the projections of the crimson moon and the stars ignited by an invisible, colorless me, bringing light to the world.
For a brief moment, it was as if they had returned to Fourth Epoch Trier, before the seal had been broken, when the sky wasposed of mes.
Catastrophes grew fiercer. Audrey noticed the massive oaks in the distance bending their branches. She saw The Magician Fors and The Moon Emlyn alternating between masculine and feminine forms, sometimes androgynous, sometimes normal.
Coughing and fever afflicted these demigods, inexplicably spreading a strange illness, forcing them to bow their heads.
A surge of impulse arose within their heartsto track down and confront the demonesses once more.
Amidst this chaos, the cries of monsters filled the oak forest as they turned upon one another.
Simultaneously, as Franca advanced toward bing a Demoness of Catastrophe, she sensed fragments of her shattered mirrors forming new domains behind mirrors.
The mirror world was reborn!
Within the World of Ruins, patches of gray and chaos were consumed by mes, leaving nothing behind.
In the destroyed then reborn special mirror world, Lumian''s three heads rose slowly as his body re-formed. His right side was female, d in a skeletal white dress, while his left was male, draped in a blood-red robe.
The right head bore the purified faces of Aurore and Jennaclean, brimming with spirituality, though their eyes remained shut, unable to speak or convey consciousness.
The left head featured Cheek''s face, now less maternal and more alluring, with a captivating smile and slightly parted lips. Tudor''s face appeared sharper, with the blood-red g mark on its forehead protruding slightly. The face of the chaotic vortex continued to absorb the Fire of Destruction, rotating faintly.
Lumian''s own head grew more handsome, his long hair the color of blood, his features exuding sharp masculinity.
Beneath his left armpit and ribs, additional arms sprouted, holding a scorched, blood-stained banner. On his right, matching arms extended, pale as white jade but empty-handed.
A new Red Priest and Chaos Demoness had been born!
As a god, some Uniquenesses manifested as parts of one''s body or belongings; others remained hidden.
In the next moment, Lumian raised his three heads, gazing at the crimson moon returning to the region.
"You''re still at your critical stage of merging," he sneered. "This little interferencewhat can it achieve? Nothing before, nothing now!" Grinning boldly, Lumian raised his four new arms.
Invisible, colorless mes and a chaotic vortex of endless possibilities surged toward the crimson moon''s projection.
Chapter 1141: Divine Kingdom
Chapter 1141: Divine Kingdom
?
The sky of the special mirror world was split in two: one half dyed crimson, the other divided by a chaotic vortex and formless, colorless mes. The three forces shed violently. Suddenly, all light vanished, as if something was voraciously absorbing everything around it.
Franca and the others in the World of Ruins had just recovered from their ailments and stabilized their genders. Then, they watched as the burning mes above, meteors streaking across the sky, and mountains spewing smoke and magma all disappeared from view.
They were plunged into darkness-a darkness so profound that nothing seemed capable of existing within it.
After what felt like an eternity, the darkness receded. Crimson moonlight once again illuminated the Northern and Southern Continents and the five oceans. Bright stars of various hues returned to their natural states.
The World of Ruins was restored to its former appearance.
In the special mirror world, Lumian''s eyes no longer reflected the crimson full moon. Everything seemed normal.
He let out a chuckle and lowered his four newly grown arms.
Then, he grasped a handful of mes,pressing them into a metallic mirror.
Lumian gazed into the mirror and saw two figures standing back to back-one was Aurore, and the other Jenna. Both had be even more beautiful, their eyes now open. However, their gazes were vacant and hollow, devoid of spirituality. They remained under Lumian''s conscious control.
Lumian stared at them nkly for a few seconds. A smile gradually curved his lips, and the Aurore and Jenna in the mirror returned his smile.
Behind them was another indistinct figure-Cheek.
On Lumian''s left shoulder, the face of Cheek also smiled sweetly and seemed about to speak.
Suddenly, Lumian summoned the dark-gold, peculiar mask and forcefully pressed it onto the slowly spinning chaotic vortex face.
Starlight descended, illuminating the entire mask.
Cheek''s mouth opened, but no words came out. Her reflection in the mirror disappeared along with the attempt.
Her face on Lumian''s shoulder showed clear dissatisfaction.
Lumian cast his gaze around and found that the Traveler''s Bag he had exchanged with Franca waspletely shattered in the previous destruction. Only two items remained intact on the ground: the dark-gold peculiar mask he had just used and the Demoness card-Lumian didn''t keep any items in this Traveler''s Bag because only the puppet soldier puppets, mask, and Card of sphemy could be of use in the previous battle.
Lumian summoned the Demoness card to his hand and discovered that the previously obscured advancement ritual for bing a god in the Demoness pathway was now revealed: "Descend into the depths of the earth, find the Chaos Sea, endure a degree of its corruption while maintaining oneself-neither falling nor transforming."
Quite considerate. The mention of the sefirah must have been "hidden" in advance. Who would have thought that the advancement ritual for the Demoness pathway would involve another sefirah entirely... Lumian mused, suddenly suspecting there was something off about this ritual. The first sphemy te was formed from the corpse of the Primordial God Almighty. Perhaps before dying, He altered the corresponding knowledge to make the Demoness advancement ritual involve contact with the Chaos Sea. This would facilitate His unique revival through the pathways of cmity and allow Him to control and utilize the Chaos Sea effectively post-resurrection.
As for the second sphemy te, though it was created from the Ancient Sun God''s corpse, who could say it wasn''t influenced by the Primordial God Almighty?
Still, it makes sense for a Demoness, who governs chaos, to need prior contact with the Chaos Sea... Lumian shook his head, dismissing the truth of the matter as irrelevant.
To him, this ritual was unnecessary to perform yet essentially already fulfilled.
The face sealed by the dark-gold peculiar mask came from the Primordial God Almighty, bearing a deep, special connection to the Chaos Sea. Its power surpassed mere corruption from the Chaos Sea.
"So, you went mad during your advancement ritual?" Lumian tilted his head, mocking the Cheek face.
Cheek''s face widened Her eyes, as if to say: "When did I ever go mad? My mental state has always been impable."
At this moment, the special mirror world fully stabilized, reflecting shades of gray and white, formless and colorless mes, an ambiguous and enchanting atmosphere, and a chaotic vortex epassing all possibilities.
It was evolving into Lumian''s divine kingdom.
For the Red Priest, a divine kingdom emerged from a deeper conceptualization of the authority of Conquest. Bypletely "conquering" and, battlefield, or special area, it could be transformed into the Red Priest''s divine kingdom. Any living being entering the kingdom, without corresponding protection or sufficient rank, would immediately be a soldier of the Red Priest.
For the Demoness, the divine kingdom was closely tied to the mirror world. The Primordial Demoness had previously established Her divine kingdom in a hidden corner of the mirror world. There, only females could exist-even other true gods would acquire distinct female characteristics upon entry. There, gazing upon what should not be seen would immediately turn one into stone. There, without protection, one would frequently encounter disasters tied to oneself. There, extreme pleasure would sporadically manifest, making one reluctant to leave...
Lumian could now "conquer" the special mirror world, transforming it into a divine kingdom that satisfied the needs of both the Red Priest and Chaos Demoness.
Lumian surveyed his surroundings and allowed the scenes reflected in the special mirror world to change. They became Cordu Vige, surrounded by blue skies, white clouds, and lush green grasnds. At the vige''s edge stood the Rue Anarchie, with Aurore''s house built beside Auberge du Coq Dor...
After gazing at it for a moment, Lumian let the scene gradually fade away.
He smiled faintly and entered the astral worldposed of concepts and symbols before returning to reality.
His three-headed, six-armed form nodded toward Franca and Madam Magician, who were looking at him, and said, "Thank you all. The operation is sessfully concluded.
"Let''s head back to the protected zone."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Alright," Mr. Sun and the others responded one after another.
-
Trier, inside the luxurious vi.
Franca studied the clean, refreshed faces of Aurore and Jenna with undisguised anticipation.
"It really seems like revival is possible if we take it a step further," she said.
Hearing this, Anthony cast a subtle nce at Franca.
Lumian nodded lightly, smiling self-deprecatingly.
"Sometimes, it feels meaningless. Other times, I can''t help but hope and yearn for it."
"Hope is good. Hope is very good," Franca replied, smiling at Lumian. "I''m now a Demoness of Catastrophe, an Angel. Surely I can know certain things now?"
Lumian couldn''t help but chuckle. "Do you have to be so impatient? Stabilize yourself first.
"Anyway, I need to report to Mr. Fool about this. It''s rted to future actions. When I return,
I''ll exin briefly."
"Alright." Franca didn''t hide her anticipation and felt that Lumian seemed in a much better state, having exacted revenge by defeating Primordial Demoness Cheek.
Once Lumian ascended to his room to prepare for entering the gray fog, Franca turned to Anthony and asked curiously, "Why did you give me the look earlier?"
It couldn''t be because my allure, still somewhat uncontroble after bing a Demoness
of Catastrophe, affected him, right?
When it came to beauty and charm, Lumian''s Cheek face clearly surpassed hers!
Anthony smiled slightly and said, "I was just reflecting on how your mental state is much better than I imagined and how your resilience exceeds my expectations."
Franca froze for a moment, then sighed softly after a few seconds. "I have to force myself to
stay calm and optimistic.
"He can be gloomy, he can lose control in madness, but I can''t. Although I sometimes fall into gloom, most of the time, I must remain cheerful and optimistic. Otherwise, there''s truly no
hope..."
"That''s your humanity," Anthony remarked emotionally. "I''m d Lumian and Jenna met you, and I''m d to have you as a teammate."
Franca let out a somewhat smugugh, then warily asked, "Why do I feel like you''re trying to
give me therapy?"
"I''ve never hidden that," Anthony replied with a smile as he turned toward the kitchen area.
"It''s free, after all."
...
Above the gray fog, within the majestic pce.
After recounting the highlights of the battle and the Primordial Demoness''s performance,
Lumian said, "This time, I''ve initiated the convergence. With the awareness and spirit of both Cheek and Tudor present, I don''t need much time to adapt before mastering the authorities of the Demoness and Red Priest pathways. If things are critical with the Mother Goddess of Depravity, I can conduct a deep secret deed and astral travel to the City of Cmity now. "But if there''s no immediate urgency, I''d prefer about a month to stabilize myself and strengthen the newly formed bnce."
Shrouded in gray fog, Mr. Fool nodded and spoke with a faintly ethereal tone, "There is at least one month."
Before Lumian could respond, his voice softened.
"Your three-headed, six-armed form stems from a fundamental transformation. Even I cannot restore you to a normal appearance, only conceal it with illusions. However, once you stabilize your bnce and the apocalypse passes, I can use Wish and Fooling to grant you a
second form.
"This form will allow you to switch freely, turning your spatial three-heads-six-arms into a temporal one. Your three heads and corresponding bodies will each upy different time segments of the day, living their own lives but still under your main consciousness''s control. "The biggest drawback of this form is that you, Aurore, and Jenna will never be able to appear together or meet each other..."
Hearing Mr. Fool''s unhurried words about post-apocalypse possibilities, Lumian suddenly felt a fleeting daze-as if the apocalypse could indeed end and he might truly survive.
Lumian didn''t say anything pessimistic. He simply listened quietly.
Gradually, he understood that Mr. Fool wasn''t making a promise or offeringfort but expressing his own hope, giving heartfelt blessings.
He genuinely wished for the apocalypse to end, for Lumian to survive, and for him to live a
better life.
"... At that point, your rank will no longer suit being a Major Arcana card holder of the Tarot Club. This isn''t the Rose Redemption after all. But you can have Franca take your ce as a Major Arcana card holder. Just draw a new card. Every Major Arcana card holder in the Tarot
Club already has dual identities, many representing other factions..." By the end, Mr. Fool''s voice carried a hint of amusement.
At some unknown moment, Lumian found himself at peace. He chuckled along and said,
"Alright, Mr. Fool."
Mr. Fool gently nodded and replied, "Then I shall convene an impromptu gathering now."
Chapter 1142: Rewards
Chapter 1142: Rewards
?
As rays of light rose and solidified into various figures, eachpleting their greeting to Mr. Fool, the central head of Lumian scanned the room and said, "Thank you all for your help. At the moment, I only possess the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture as an Angel-level item, so I can''t provide equivalentpensation for everyone. However, if there''s anything you need from me in the future, just let me know."
Hearing the second half of this statement, The Hanged Man Alger was momentarily stunned before realizing something critical: This was a promise.
And this promise was worth more than any Grade o Sealed Artifact!
After all, Lumian was now a dual Sequence o true god. The help promised by a true god surpassed the value of any Grade o Sealed Artifact!
Little do I know, a Tarot Club member has already turned into a true god... The Hanged Man Alger found his thoughts adrift.
When the Tarot Club was first established, he had harbored doubts, excitement, and fantasies but had never imagined witnessing a scene like this.
In the brief silence that followed, Madam Justice, Mr. Star, and the others simrly came to grips with the fact that Mr. Chariot was now both the Red Priest and the Chaos Demoness-a dual-pathway true god poised to be a great existence!
Not even the Rose Redemption of the past had members of such caliber... This sentiment emerged simultaneously in the hearts of Madam Magician and Ma''am Hermit, both well-versed in ancient history.
The Rose Redemption had been a secret organization of the Third Epoch, with members ranging from a true god to Kings of Angels.
Mr. Hanged Man nced at Mr. Sun and Madam Judgment, then smiled at Lumian. "My spoils of war are mypensation. Besides, it was my duty. The help I provided was actually quite limited."
This was true. Most of what they had done was of little significance in Lumian''s battle against the Primordial Demoness. For Sequence 3 Saints wielding Grade o Sealed Artifacts, directly intervening in such a contest would have been suicidal. Even true Angels could only
contribute meaningfully when the Primordial Demoness briefly descended to the level of a King of Angels.
In other words, those who truly aided Lumian were Madam Magician and Madam Justice, who intercepted the Demonesses of Gray and Yellow; the Angel of Time, the Angel of the Holy Spirit, and Ma''am Hermit, who held off the Abomination siblings; the Evernight Goddess''s divine descent, which dyed the Primordial Demoness long enough for Amon to finish stealing a wish; and Amon Himself, who transported miracles and enacted direct salvation. The other Major Arcana card holders had three primary objectives for participating in this operation:
To eliminate as many high-ranking Demonesses as possible and seize their potent Sealed Artifacts to prevent them, unprotected after the Primordial Demoness''s fall, from defecting to the Mother Goddess of Depravity or sumbing to the crimson moonlight, gradually losing control and be atent problem.
To im spoils of war and grow stronger. Although cruel, the reality was that the more Angels and Grade o Sealed Artifacts in the protected zones, the more prepared they would be to confront anomalies and perhaps even safeguard more of humanity when the apocalypse truly arrived.
To assist Franca in bringing a catastrophe upon the Demoness Sect. Without such help, surviving alone would have been a miracle for her.
The Hanged Man Alger believed Lumian''s gratitude was primarily directed at the third point. Hence, he did not downy his contributions but merely rified their limited scope- especially since The Sun Derrick, Judgment Xio, and even the more significant contributors like Justice, The Magician, and The Hermit had not yet received spoils of war. He could not speak for them.
The Sun Derrick nodded and said, "Finding and adhering to my core justice ispensation enough for me."
The Chariot Lumian did not argue, only smiling in return. "Perhaps I can assist with your advancement ritual."
Though Lumian had never personally seen any sphemy te or held the Cards of sphemy''s Sun card, as a true god of the Demoness pathway with the unique chaos vortex face, he could intuitively sense that the Sun pathway''s Sequence 2 Sun Chaser (or Lightseeker) advancement ritual involved the sun in either a mystical or real-world sense.
The Sun Derrick was silent for two seconds before choosing not to modestly decline.
In the current situation, this was the justice he needed to uphold.
Lumian then turned to Madam Temperance Sharron.
"I made a promise to Naboredisley-the former Devil Monarch Farbauti. Once I fulfill it, He will ensure His Abomination avatar perishes and transfer the Beyonder characteristic to me.
"When the timees, I would like to exchange that characteristic for the Cmity of Crimson in your possession."
The name "Cmity of Crimson" came from the consciousness of Cheek''s face. Trading a Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic for a Grade o Sealed Artifact corresponding to a Sequence 2 Demoness of Catastrophe was obviously unequal. However, Sharron knew that the Abomination Beyonder characteristic was a reward for her teacher, the Angel of the Holy Spirit, Rete Tinekerr. The Sequence 2 Ancient Bane extracted from it would ultimately belong to her. The exchange for the Cmity of Crimson was effectively an intermediary step. Sharon picked up a manifested pen, quickly wrote her answer on paper, and raised it: "No problem."
Lumian nodded before addressing Mr. Sun again, "Once I obtain the Cmity of Crimson, I''d like to exchange it with the New City of Silver for the Sealed Artifact, Gift of the Land. I may need it in the future."
The Sealed Artifact-Gift of the Land-originated from Omebe''s remains and was considered a high-risk item. If not for the Church of The Fool''s headquarters being located in the New City of Silver and Mr. Fool''s constant attention, the six-member council would have long struggled with how to handle it. Now, Lumian had provided them with an opportunity. The Sun Derrick was initially tempted but soon felt reluctant.
Though the Gift of the Land had brought great suffering to the City of Silver, it was also what allowed them to endure over two thousand years of darkness and despair, finally awaiting Mr. Fool''s salvation.
Pain had long been intertwined with the continuation of their bloodline, making it difficult to separate the two.
Lumian did not rush him, quietly waiting for Mr. Sun to make his decision.
After some time, The Sun Derrick instinctively looked toward the head of the bronze table.
When in doubt or difficulty, he always hoped for Mr. Fool''s guidance and Mr. Hanged Man''s
advice.
Mr. Fool gently nodded.
The Sun Derrick took a deep breath, suppressing his reluctance, and said to The ChariotN?v(el)B\\jnn
Lumian, "Alright."
The Chariot Lumian shifted his gaze to Madam Justice.
"Once I''ve used the Gift of the Land, its issues may be resolved. At that point, I''ll give it to
you."
The perceptive Justice Audrey did not refuse, nodding before tilting her head toward Madam Magician with a smile. "If you need it, I can lend it to you."
This referred to Madam Magician''s n to relocate the entire Abraham family and as many humans as possible to a more habitable at the edge of the universe when the apocalypse arrived. The Gift of the Land could effectively terraform the environment and
provide sustenance.
Of course, if Omebe''s remains retained their unique dangers, carrying it would be out of the question. It would be better to acquire another Grade o Sealed Artifact corresponding to the
Deste Matriarch.
"Alright," Madam Magician replied without hesitation.
Lumian then addressed her directly, "I will open all special mirror worlds inhabited by
sentient beings. You can travel there and help spread my teachings. The more anchors I have
for my uing endeavors, the better."
Madam Magician immediately understood. This was an opportunity for her to Travel and
counted as a form ofpensation.
She had never considered visiting the special mirror worlds or the extradimensional spaces attached to them for potion digestion because these belonged to the Primordial Demoness, making them even more dangerous than traversing the cosmos. After all, roaming the cosmos had a higher chance of evading the attention of the Great Old Dominators, whereas entering the Primordial Demoness''s domain guaranteed discovery.
Never thought I''d rely on his help for potion digestion one day... The Magician Fors chuckled and asked, "Okay. What is your current honorific name?"
Lumian deliberated for a few seconds before answering, "The Symbol of War and Apocalypse, the Demoness wielding Chaos, the Many-Faced One who offers sacrifices to Cmity, and the Ruler of the Mirror World."
A true dual-pathway true god... Madam Magician silently marveled. Lumian then turned to Ma''am Hermit. "I will assist Queen Mystic inpleting her digestion
of the Sage potion and help you digest as much as possible."
Ma''am Hermit made an "mm" sound and thanked him.
A Sage always opposed disaster and cmity, and the individual sitting diagonally opposite
her represented these concepts. There was no one better suited than Lumian to aid in the Sage
potion digestion.
Then, Lumian addressed Mr. Star, "Tell Mr. Pallez that I owe him one."
He turned to Madam Judgment next. "I owe you one as well-or the Post-Apocalyptic
Scripture?"
"Alright," said Mr. Star without declining on behalf of the old man.
Under the circumstances, Judgment Xio, known for her group-mindedness and adherence to order, found it hard to refuse. She chose the favor aspensation.
Having distributed the rewards, Lumian thought for a moment before looking at Madam
Magician again.
"I''d like to borrow the Box of the Great Old Ones for a while. Perhaps I can resolve the third
level''s hidden danger for the Abraham family and rece it with an equivalent but more
manageable anomaly.
"If I don''t seed, I''ll return it as is."
Madam Magician''s expression became thoughtful before she nodded. "No problem."
The Chariot Lumian leaned back in his chair, saying no more.
Judgment Xio immediately looked at Mr. Star Leonard. "Can I trade Solomon''s Mask with you for the Justiciar-pathway Grade o Sealed Artifact?"
Chapter 1143: The Final Choice
Chapter 1143: The Final Choice
?
The Star Leonard looked back at Madam Judgment, slightly surprised as he asked, "You''re not switching to the ck Emperor pathway?"
Switching pathways could grant unique, hybrid, and sometimes bizarre Beyonder powers. Though the rituals might have hidden requirements and associated risks, theoretically, such individuals were harder to deal with than Beyonders who stayed on a single pathway to its peak.
Judgment Xio spoke calmly, "If there''s no other option, I will switch to the ck Emperor pathway. But as long as there''s a possibility to continue on the Justiciar pathway, I would prefer to pursue that."
She paused, adding, "I personally aspire to establish orders that align with the morality of the times and devote myself fully to maintaining them while constantly adjusting and refining them based on reality''s feedback.
"Once order bes rigid, it inevitably falls into shadow."
The Star Leonard nodded in agreement, saying, "I''m willing to make the trade."
To him, Solomon''s Mask and the Pir of Severity were essentially equivalent-they were items meant to be handed in, traded for the Sequence 2 Servant of Concealment Beyonder characteristic of the Darkness pathway.
If there wasn''t an opening for a Servant of Concealment, he was already prepared to switch to Sequence 2 of one of the neighboring pathways-the Death pathway''s Death Consul or the Giant pathway''s Glory.
After Leonard and Xiopleted their exchange of the two Grade o Sealed Artifacts, Mr. Fool, seated at the head of the bronze table, turned to The Hanged Man Alger. In a warm tone, he said, "The Book of Cmity task cannot currently bepleted due to the premature descent of the crimson moon. You will need to wait until the moment the apocalypse arrives. If you do not wish to wait and prefer to ascend to angelhood sooner, I can assist you by using The Setting Sun Rooster to trade for the Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristic and supplementary ingredients from the Sun, White Tower, or Tyrant pathways."
White Tower was the Sequence o of the Reader pathway, corresponding to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
The Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristic of this pathway and the Tyrant pathway might no longer exist within their respective Churches but could still be found as Sealed Artifacts in other Churches.
The Sun pathway''s Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristics were rtively more abundant, partly due to the fall of the Eternal zing Sun and partly because not every Sequence 3 Justice Mentor in the Church of the Eternal zing Sun fulfilled the conditions for advancement. In the past few months, Saint Vive and Saint Lutique, two senior Sun Chasers, had each sessfully advanced after Mr. Fool returned two Sequence 1 White Angel Beyonder characteristics.
Mr. Fool continued, "You can also consider switching to the Secrets Supplicant pathway. The Setting Sun Rooster, originating from the fall of the Ancient Sun God, carries the Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristic Profane Presbyter tainted by the Sun''s power. I can purify the corresponding corruption for you.
"Take your time to consider carefully before deciding."
The Hanged Man Alger fell silent, seemingly torn and hesitant.
After a dozen seconds, he suddenly chuckled. "Honorable Mr. Fool, I wish to be a Profane Presbyter."
The Sun Derrick looked at Mr. Hanged Man in astonishment, utterly baffled by his choice. He believed that the White Tower pathway''s Sequence 2 Wisdom Angel or the Tyrant pathway''s Sequence 2 Cmity would suit Alger better, especially the former.
Alger smiled faintly and said in a low voice, "This pathway is more adaptable in actualbat and better suited to handling various situations."
He then added in a self-deprecating tone, "By choosing this, my Hanged Man card bes even more fitting. Perhaps this is fate-one always returns to the card they once chose."
Hearing this, Madam Magician, who had deep knowledge of Tarot cards, was suddenly reminded of a phrase: "The Hanged Man represents downfall, selfishness, as well as endurance, sacrifice, and dedication."
Seeing that The Hanged Man Alger had made his decision, Mr. Fool did not offer further advice.
"After the gathering, I will provide the ritual. Once you''re prepared, pray to me to shatter the characteristic, purify the corruption, and supply the supplementary ingredients."
"Yes, Mr. Fool." Alger was both ted and burdened with a sense of responsibility.
As the current Sea God and a legendary adventurer perpetually roaming the seas, he had long since digested his Sea King potion.
The Chariot Lumian straightened his posture and said, "Mr. Fool, I will supply the supplementary ingredients. Just provide me with the corresponding knowledge, and I can envision them out of thin air."
He was unsure whether Mr. Fool had ess to the supplementary ingredients for Profane Presbyter or could summon them from the historical fog for temporary use, so he proactively offered to handle it.
"Very well." Shrouded in gray fog, Mr. Fool nodded slightly.
After discussing this matter, The Moon Emlyn nced around the room and hesitated before saying, "Your potions are either fully digested, were digested during this operation, or you''ve found ways to expedite digestion. However, my High Summoner is stillcking. Advancing quickly would require taking risks. Do you have any suggestions?"
Before any other Major Arcana card holders could respond, The Chariot Lumian smiled and said, "That''s simple.
"After the gathering, set up a ritual and summon me. I will respond."
Wh-Mr. Moon Emlyn was momentarily stunned.
Of course! This individual is a dual-pathway true god, possessing unique traits...
If a High Summoner couldplete such a high-level summoning and seed, their remaining potion would undoubtedly be fully digested.
"Thank you." The Moon Emlyn was not particrly adept atmunication and could only express his gratitude in the simplest terms.
After further exchanges, Mr. Fool gently tapped the edge of the bronze table.
Once all the Major Arcana card holders turned their attention to him, he spoke in a warm but emotional tone, "This operation was a sess. Though many high-ranking Demonesses were not truly killed, the destruction and reformation of the mirror world left their numbers dwindling. Their relics may have been inherited by the Demoness of Cyan trio, but they will no longer impact future developments.
"Everyone, the final moment is approaching. We have about a month left to make all necessary preparations. Make the most of it.
"I hope that after the apocalypse, no one will be absent from the next Tarot Gathering."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Hearing this, Justice Audrey felt aplex surge of emotions.
She stood up and, alongside the other Major Arcana card holders, curtsied. "Yes, Mr. Fool."
...
Returning to the real world, Lumian descended the stairs into the small living room.
He nced at Franca and casually asked, "Where''s Anthony?"
"In the kitchen, helping Ludwig," Franca replied, ncing toward the living room entrance before lowering her voice. "You can tell me about the knowledge of great existences now,
right?"
Lumian briefly exined the Great Old Dominators such as Mother Goddess of Depravity and Circle of Inevitability, who were Above the Sequences, and Their goals. He also introduced the situation regarding the sefirot and updated Franca on the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s
current activities.
Franca listened in shock, murmuring, "Isn''t the number of great existences a little too
many..."
She then looked toward the faces of Cheek and Tudor on Lumian''s left shoulder.
"They''re truly mad..."
She now had a deeper understanding of the monumental risk Primordial Demoness Cheek had
taken with Her grand n.
If She had failed, she would have dragged the entire- and perhaps the universe-
down with Her!
Cheek''s face couldn''t speak but lifted Her chin proudly, while Tudor''s face refused to react.
Lumian sneered and shifted the topic to other knowledge about Above the Sequences. After listening intently, Franca sighed. "So we had our Spirit Bodies extracted and hung up in Sefirah Castle, avoiding the end of the world when the Oldest One awoke, as well as theter struggles between God Almighty and the Celestial Worthy..."
As she spoke, her thoughts wandered. "Most of the Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society have no idea about the truth or that the Northern and Southern Continents are already
destroyed.
"That''s probably for the best-let them greet the apocalypse with joy..."
The Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society''s members had mostly survived the crimson moon disaster because the one the Aurora Order believed in had shielded them in time.
This was why Franca hadplicated feelings about that individual. She knew that Jenna''s death and Lumian''s ordeals were connected to Him. Yet, He had indeed protected the world,
including her and her friends.
Thus, she had never brought up the idea of revenge-not because she didn''t harbor resentment, but because she couldn''t voice it. When she heard Lumian had punched Him
twice, she felt both stunned and amused.
After a few seconds, Franca exhaled slowly and said, "If we survive the apocalypse, I want to travel to the Western Continent and live there for a while."
As she spoke, she smiled warmly and sincerely invited Lumian, Aurore, and Jenna. "Would you like toe along? I''ll exin and introduce everything to you. I''ll be your
guide." Lumian''s expression softened gradually. He nced at the head on his right shoulder and smiled as he said, "Aurore can exin and introduce things too." "Deal!" Franca beamed and extended her right hand, giving Lumian a high-five.
She found pinky promises too childish; a high-five suited her much better.
At that moment, Ludwig entered the living room, chewing on a steak.
"What are you doing here?" Franca asked, slightly surprised.
You haven''t even finished your meal yet...
"I called him here," Lumian exined with a smile.
Why would Lumian need Ludwig at this moment? Was it mealtime? Franca was puzzled.
For the past year, Lumian had used his unique abilities to take Ludwig out of the protected
zone daily to feast on the oceans of the World of Ruins, just as Franca apanied Lumian into the ruins to let him lose control and vent his madness every day.
Seeing Ludwig also looking at him curiously, Lumian retrieved an item from his divine
kingdom.
It was a three-tiered silver-ck jewelry box encrusted with countless gemstones-Box of
the Great Old Ones!
Chapter 1144: Devouring
Chapter 1144: Devouring
?
As soon as the silver-ck, three-tiered jewelry box iid with various gemstones was taken out and ced on the coffee table, Franca felt an inexplicable chill. It was as if the
environment around her had undergone a strange transformation.
Ever since bing a Demoness of Catastrophe, her spiritual intuition had grown much sharper.
The head on Lumian''s left shoulder turned, and the face of Alista Tudor now faced forward, gazing at the Box of the Great Old Ones.
The intricate jewelry box let out a sudden creaking sound, as if the materialsprising it were buckling under some invisible pressure, on the verge of shattering.
All the anomalies Franca had sensed disappeared simultaneously.
"Box of the Great Old Ones?" Franca asked Lumian curiously.
Although she hadn''t participated in the Major Arcana gatherings or the distribution of Grade o Sealed Artifacts, she had been briefed in advance about which items to avoid should a
skirmish ur. This box was one of them.
Lumian nodded slightly and ced his right hand atop the Box of the Great Old Ones, gently tapping it.
"I felt it was fated with Ludwig, so I borrowed it for a while."
The phrase "fated" was something he had picked up in the dream city, though it was no longer rare in the ruins of the Northern and Southern Continents. Members of the Curly- Haired Baboons Research Society had unconsciously spread new terms, and Lumian believed that visitors from Peni, like Harrison, were also introducing simr ideas.
Fated with Ludwig? Franca instinctively turned her head to nce at Ludwig, who was dressed in formal children''s attire.
The boy, steak mped between his teeth, stared nkly at the Box of the Great Old Ones, as though lost in a dream.
Lumian slid his hand to the thirdyer of the silver-ck jewelry box and smiled as he asked Ludwig, "Can you sense what''s hidden inside?"
Ludwig, as if sleepwalking, extended his hand to the opposite side of the thirdyer of the box.
Almost instantly, Franca''s ears filled with bizarre sounds of chewing, swallowing, and digesting. It was as though something was gnawing on her flesh and bones from within.
The sound originated from the depths of the thirdyer of the Box of the Great Old Ones and resonated from the depths of her psyche.
"It''s... it''s..." Ludwig stammered, the piece of steak dropping to the ground.
The boy''s face, like a sheet covering a bed, was propped up into "tents" by unseen limbs.
With a mix of desire, reverence, fear, and trembling, he said, "It''s... the power of Primordial Hunger!"
Primordial Hunger... One of the Great Old Dominators... Franca felt the surrounding environment suddenly grow dark andyered, as though some malevolent gaze had isted them.
Looking around, she quickly realized they had been transported to Lumian''s divine kingdom. This move was to prevent Primordial Hunger from leveraging the mystical connections formed during their discussion to destabilize the protected zone.
The middle head on Lumian''s shoulders retained its earlier smile as he continued to ask Ludwig, "What would happen if I opened thisyer?"
Ludwig jerked back as if electrocuted, stammering in fear, "It mightit might immediately devour everything around us. Or it might start by consuming-consuming our subconscious and the deepest parts of our inds of consciousness. It would eat emotions, memories, spirit, and consciousness, then flesh and blood, then night, day, good, evil, order, and disaster. It would continue until it consumed parts of the world''s fundamental rules, destabilizing reality and dissolving the barriers at their foundation..."
"As expected, your pathway eventually leads to devouring rules, concepts, authorities, and even symbols," Lumian remarked with satisfaction, the middle head nodding slightly.
Looking at Ludwig with an ambiguous smile, he asked in a Demoness-like whisper, "Can you devour the danger hidden in the box?"
Cheek''s face turned forward, showing keen interest in Ludwig''s response.
Visibly terrified, Ludwig blurted, "How could I?"
His words seemed to imply not that it was impossible but that it shouldn''t be done-such an act would be rebellion, sphemy!
Lumian offered no reply, his smile unchanging as he continued to gaze at Ludwig.
Ludwig fell silent, his expressions shifting from cowardice to resistance, to temptation, to hesitation and fear.
His face had never been so expressive.
Franca adopted a spectator''s stance, waiting for Lumian to offer some dark persuasion and Ludwig to respond with his own struggles.
After a few seconds, Lumian spoke in a measured tone, "The core of your pathway is ''devouring'' and ''digesting.'' Devouring the external world is not the end goal. Even consuming rules, concepts, authorities, and symbols is not the end. Devouring yourself, devouring your father, devouring the god you worship-that is your ultimate fate, the pinnacle of hunger.
"Perhaps that''s the very reason He created all of you."
"Isn''t that a bit... too extreme?" Ludwig asked with a rity that suggested he had received some moral education.
Good kid, showing some humanity... Franca thought, nodding in approval.
She figured that if she chose the Spectator pathway, she could act out the role just as well.
Lumian nced at Jenna''s face on the head over his right shoulder and said to Ludwig with a smile, "It is indeed extreme. I wouldn''t want you to be controlled by your godhood and instincts to do something so drastic.
"So I''m only asking if you can devour the danger hidden in the box-not if you can devour Primordial Hunger. In the current circumstances, strengthening yourself as much as possible is the best choice."
Ludwig opened his mouth as if to speak but closed it again, his expression shifting. Momentster, the sound of him swallowing saliva echoed audibly.
Oh Lord, you taste so good? Franca mentally captioned Ludwig''s reaction.
After some time, Ludwig finally spoke.
"Not yet. I''d need to recover to my original level and receive help from another great
existence."
With a nod, Lumian said, "So even just devouring it temporarily, storing it without digesting or absorbing it, requires the help of a Great Old Dominator?"
"Yes," Ludwig affirmed with a heavy nod.
Lumian pondered briefly before smiling again. "Then we''ll wait."
He extended one of the arms holding the Red Priest Uniqueness, along with one of the new beautiful hands that had grown on his right side, toward Ludwig. In the current situation, although the Red Priest Uniqueness still retained the form of a charred g, it wouldn''t cause those who witnessed it to lose control and go crazy. This was because it was a part of Lumian and was under control. Lumian could let it disy the influence of godhood as and when he
wanted it to.
"You can pick which one to devour," Lumian said with a smile.
Ludwig froze. "Can I really eat this?"N?v(el)B\\jnn
Franca blinked, finally understanding Lumian''s intent.
He was letting Ludwig devour a part of his own body to allow Ludwig to gain the separated Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristic and thus recover his original level, freeing him from the seal of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
Lumian currently had three extra Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristics: one Weather Warlock
and two Demoness of Catastrophe.
"Of course. I''m your godfather," Lumian said with a smile.
Ludwig swallowed hard, looked left and right for a few seconds, and hesitated for a few
seconds before saying, "That one."
He pointed to Lumian''s left arm, which carried the Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic
derived from Tudor''s Conqueror Beyonder characteristics.
"Very well." Lumian raised the corresponding arm.
Ludwig leaned in and bit down on the hand.
As deep red blood burned like mes and flowed, the sounds of gnawing and chewing filled
the room, making Franca shudder.
Franca gasped in shock, thinking that Lumian was being a bit too extreme. Wouldn''t it be better
to separate the Beyonder characteristic first before feeding it to Ludwig?
It''s not like it couldn''t be done.
She nced at the Tudor face on Lumian''s left shoulder and noticed an expression of faint
pain, a primal difort.
The corresponding Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristic belonged to Alista Tudor. Letting Ludwig
directly devour it was this a form of revenge? But you''re hurting yourself too... Franca suddenly had
a guess and sighed deeply.
Soon, Ludwig finished gnawing off Lumian''s hand, leaving only the exposed, bare, iron- colored wrist bone, dripping with burning crimson blood.
Ludwig leaned back, licking the blood off the corners of his mouth, looking like he wanted
more.
The skin on his face and body was on the verge of tearing apart, as though something massive inside him was about to burst forth.
The seal of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom could no longer hold him back.
At that moment, Ludwig took control of himself, refraining from breaking the sealingyer, maintaining the appearance of a little boy.
Lumian smiled and turned to Franca, saying, "I''ll separate the remaining two Demoness of Catastrophe Beyonder characteristicster to bnce my body better. Heh, the Sick Church will also need a Grade o Sealed Artifact. Oh, and the name ''Sick Church'' will gradually have to
change." "Good, good, good!" Franca replied quickly, as though afraid Lumian might change his mind. Although she knew Lumian was primarily nning for his own future, the fact that he was willing to consider the future at all was a good sign.
Lumian studied Ludwig for a few seconds before smiling and asking, "What''s your n going
forward?"
Ludwig was silent for a moment before replying, "If I don''t get devoured during the
apocalypse, I want to remain a child first, grow up normally, grow old, and fully experience the life of a human. Then, I''ll makeparisons."
Lumian hummed in acknowledgment and asked casually, "You''ve returned to the angel level now, haven''t you? What''s the name of your Sequence?"
As he spoke, blood and mes intertwined at his severed wrist, regenerating a new hand.
Ludwig thought for a few seconds and then said, "In yournguage, it''s called the Angel of Devouring."
Chapter 1145: Devouring Concepts
Chapter 1145: Devouring Concepts
?
"Angel of Devouring? What abilities does it have?" Franca asked Ludwig casually, treating him as one of their own.
After all, he was like her godchild!
Ludwig, who had yet to break the seal and regain his full intelligence, answered honestly, "The core ability is to devour the rules of a specific area and certain shallow-level concepts, though there are limits to the number and range."
"Devour rules? How does that work?" Franca''s curiosity was unmasked.
It sounded pretty powerful.
Before Ludwig could respond, Lumian reverted the scene back to the protected zone. The surroundings were no longeryered in dark mirrors, and sunlight once again shone through the windows into the clean, bright living room.
Ludwig nced at the sunlight streaming in and the well-lit room before slowly opening his mouth.
Suddenly, Franca''s vision was consumed by darkness; the entire area became unnaturally ck.
For someone like her, who possessed Night Vision, it wasn''t an issue. She turned to look at Ludwig and could still see the boy clearly.
"I thought you swallowed up the entire area, including us, into your stomach," Franca joked.
Ludwig froze for a moment before exining, "I could, but at my current level, I can''t directly swallow areas or physical targets. I''d need to create a vortex in my mouth to pull you all in, and you''d be able to resist that pull."
"I see..." Franca switched gears and asked, "So what exactly are you devouring right now?" "It''s the rule of Sunlight Illumination. Even if a Beyonder creates sunlight again, until this rule is restored, that sunlight won''t function," Ludwig exined earnestly.
Lumian smiled and inquired, "Can you spit out the devoured rule?"
"Once something is devoured, it''s gone for good; it can''t be restored." Ludwig opened his mouth again.N?v(el)B\\jnn
The sunlight returned to illuminate the living room.
"Didn''t you say it couldn''t be restored?" Franca asked, amused.
Ludwig picked up the piece of steak from the ground, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed before answering, "It''s not that the rule was restored; I created a new rule simr to the original."
"So devouring a rule allows you to use it yourself?" Franca suddenly understood.
"Only once," Ludwig admitted. "To use it repeatedly, I''d need to devour the source power that creates the rule."
Franca had initially wanted to ask how long it would take for a devoured rule to recover, but her spiritual intuition had already given her the answer: one to three minutes.
"And how does devouring shallow concepts work?" she asked instead.
Ludwig turned his gaze to the crystal chandelier with its golden frame. His eyes reflected the object.
He opened his mouth again.
Franca followed his gaze and noticed the chandelier''s faint gold frame turning pitch ck and dull, utterly unappealing.
The golden hues of other items in the living room also disappeared, leaving a void of ckness.
"Did you devour the concept of ''gold"?" Franca clicked her tongue.
Ludwig nodded. "Can the concept of ''gold'' recover on its own?" Franca asked, finding the suddenly drab living room rather unappealing.
"...It depends on how it''s devoured. One method allows for recovery, while the other makes the concept permanently disappear within the affected range-unless other Beyonder powers intervene," Ludwig hesitated before answering.
"Which method did you use just now?" Franca suddenly had a bad feeling.
"The second one," Ludwig confessed.
Lumian chuckled and raised his right hand, snapping his fingers.
With a snap, all the golden hues in the living room were restored.
Franca''s first reaction was: You can perform magic and create miracles now?
She immediately remembered that this wasn''t the World of Ruins, not the real world. Even Frank Lee''s thoughts could affect sailors in their surroundings, let alone Lumian, who could partially wield the powers of a Visionary.
"Let me try next time!" she said regretfully.
Lumian turned to Ludwig and asked, "What''s the name of Sequence 1? And what about Sequence o?"
Ludwig mumbled, "Overall, Sequence 1 is called Chaos Gastric Juices, and Sequence o... In the dream city, I saw a term I thought was fitting-Gluttony. Otherwise, you could call it Self- Devourer or Tail-Devourer. It means devouring oneself, digesting oneself, and growing oneself anew."
"Tail-Devourer probably represents a cycle rather than literally devouring oneself. Let''s go with Gluttony or Self-Devourer," Franca opined.
Lumian chuckled. "Pathways with the prefix ''Primordial'' always seem to have some
connection to chaos."
He then said to Ludwig, "You can go back to the kitchen and continue eating. When the time is right, we''ll open the thirdyer of the Box of the Great Old Ones."
Ludwig breathed a sigh of relief and left the living room reluctantly.
Franca''s gaze returned to the Box of the Great Old Ones before ncing at Lumian. She opened her mouth but changed her question at thest moment, "What are the abilities and negative effects of this Grade o Sealed Artifact?"
"The firstyer swaps the internal space with the target area, rapidly turning whatever is ced into the box into toys. The secondyer records various scenes and allows the user to add new ones. When opened, the holder and all living beings within the designated range are forcibly transported to the specified location.
"The hidden risk of this transportation is randomness. It only works as intended a small fraction of the time. Most of the time, the destination changes unpredictably. Furthermore, the good luck given by the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture can''t influence it, or to be more precise -Sequence 1-level or lower good fortune cannot influence this randomness urately.
"As for the thirdyer, well, you''ve already heard it." Lumian gave a brief summary of the Box of the Great Old One''s abilities.
Franca was taken aback. "Good luck from anything below Sequence o can hardly influence the randomness?
"Then how did Madam Temperance urately transport herself and the Demoness of ck to the Underworld using the blessings of the Angel of Mercury? Or was it actually Mr. Fool''s miracle that made it happen?"
Franca was very interested in her former superior, Demoness of ck rice. During their return to the protected zone, she had briefly asked Madam Temperance about her fate. Thetter had exined in rough detail through written notes.
She knew that the Demoness of ck had been transported to the Underworld by the Box of the Great Old Ones and perished there. However, her dormant mirror remained intact, enabling future resurrection.
Of course, reviving through a dormant mirror was a process that took time. When the mirror worldpletely copsed with the fall of the Primordial Demoness and the world''s mirrors shattered, dormant mirrors would be hard-pressed to survive-unless ced in locations with exceptional protection or potent interference.
Based on this, Franca suspected that the Demoness of ck had failed to resurrect before her
dormant mirror was destroyed and was truly dead.
This aligned closely with what Lumian had ryed from Mr. Fool''s final remarks.
Lumian smiled at Franca but offered no exnation.
Franca wanted to press further but closed her mouth instead.
As Lumian sealed the Box of the Great Old Ones, he said to Franca, "Give me a dormant mirror
to keep in my divine kingdom. In the future, as long as you''re not killed by one of a few
specific abilities, you''ll always be able to resurrect."
"Alright, I''ll fetch er-or rather, I''ll make a new one," Franca readily agreed. She, of
course, didn''t carry dormant mirrors on her person. They were hidden in secret ces, like the Nation of the Evernight. After bing a Demoness of Catastrophe, she could now create three more dormant mirrors even before her potion was fully digested.
Lumian hummed in acknowledgment and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Franca calcted the time and found that his "asional" bout of
rity wasn''t over yet.
"Helping Mr. Moon digest his potion. I feel like he''s about to summon me," Lumian replied
with a smile.
"Sounds like fun," Franca said, her eyes rxing into a smile.
She pondered for a moment and said, "Once I''ve made a new dormant mirror, I''ll visit my
only subordinate and let her know the Demoness Sect is finished."
...
Backlund, in the basement of a vi.
In the underground area of a vi, a vibrant tomb surrounded by mutated grass, flowers, grains, and insects stood tall. Several Sanguine stood upright before it.
The Moon Emlyn was nearby, setting up a ritual altar.
He felt a little confused about the situation. Originally, he had only intended to enhance the
digestion of his potion by summoning a high-level existence. To ensure the effect, he nned to have a few Counts under hismand witness the ritual as audience members for feedback. However, the Sanguine had taken this matter exceptionally seriously. They had asked him to conduct the summoning in front of the Round Moon Duke Olmer''s coffin and even summoned several younger marquises to observe.
What was supposed to be a small affair suddenly became solemn and grand.
Although bewildered, Emlyn understood the current situation.
All the existing Dukes of the Sanguine were too old. Their bodies were failing, and leaving their coffins for prolonged periods was not an option. Other marquises were either simrly aged and weakened orcked sufficient protection from those of higher ranks, making them vulnerable to losing control during the advancement ritual under the crimson moon''s
influence.
Thus, Emlyn had be the Sanguine''s hope-the marquis most likely to ascend to angelhood in recent years. No amount of importance attached to him was excessive. Did I ever tell them who I''m summoning? I think I only mentioned summoning a high-ranking existence... The Moon Emlyn pondered over this trivial matter while arranging the altar. The uing summoning was likely one of the rarest in mysticism history. He couldn''t simply rely on his abilities to create a Door of Summoning and call it a day. Respect and ceremony were a must.
Of course, this wasn''t his first high-level summoning. If the projection of Gehrman Sparrow he had summoned in the dream city had beenplete, his High Summoner potion would
have been fully digested long ago.
Before long, The Moon Emlyn finished preparing the altar. He turned to the tomb of the Round Moon Duke Olmer and the surrounding Sanguine marquises and announced, "I''m about to begin the summoning."
Chapter 1146: Wishing You Joy
Chapter 1146: Wishing You Joy
?
"Begin," the rich voice of Round Moon Duke Olmer echoed from within the tomb.
The Moon Emlyn hummed in acknowledgment, erected a wall of spirituality, and began the ritual following standard summoning protocols. He lit candles and offered his sacrifice-a ss of absinthe shimmering with a dreamy green hue.
Taking two steps back, he recited the first verse of the incantation in ancient Hermes, "I!"
As his voice reverberated, The Moon Emlyn broke from convention and continued the chant in ancient Hermes rather than switching to Hermes.
"I summon in my name:"
He stretched out his hands, and with the chant, conjured a phantom door inscribed with countless mysterious symbols amidst the expanding candle mes.
Then, Emlyn uttered the honorific name of the entity he was summoning, "The Demoness wielding Chaos, the Many-Faced One who offers sacrifices to Cmity, and the Ruler of the Mirror World."
He deliberately avoided the part of the honorific name "Symbol of War and Apocalypse" as summoning a true god-level existence through the Door of Summoning might naturally affect the surroundings. The "Apocalypse" aspect was particrly unwee for the aged and frail Round Moon Duke Olmer and his peers.
Hearing the three titles uttered by Emlyn, the surrounding Sanguine marquises disyed puzzled expressions.
Isn''t the first line associated with the Primordial Demoness?
And who does the other two lines refer to?
I''ve never heard of the Primordial Demoness being called the Ruler of the Mirror World...
Did something happen in the World of Ruins? Did the Primordial Demoness''s honorific name change? Is Emlyn attempting to summon the Primordial Demoness?
Could he possibly be summoning a true god?
Isn''t the Primordial Demoness barred from entering the protected zone? Haw Emlyn been bewitched into summoning Her to destabilize the zone?
The Sanguine marquises, rmed and wary, were about to recite the honorific names of other true gods for protection when the mystical and hazy Door of Summoning abruptly swung open. Beyond the doory a profound darkness, studded with countless stars and filled with innumerable indistinct phantoms.
Six massive hands suddenly emerged from within, gripping the doorframe itself.
Some were delicate and beautiful, with wless white skin, while others were robust, with clearly defined joints, exuding masculine strength. Each set of hands upied one side of the doorway, squeezing it tightly, making it hard to fathom the size of the being they belonged
to.
Some Sanguine marquises stared nkly at the pristine, elegant hands, their minds conjuring visions of the overwhelming beauty of their owner. Others felt as though the bronzed hands were pressing down on their heads from a distance, causing them to bow involuntarily, forgetting entirely what they had intended to do.
Around the Round Moon Duke''s tomb, the grass, grains, flowers, and insects all turned toward the Door of Summoning and prostrated themselves on the ground.
Finally, the six massive hands pushed the phantom Door of Summoning open as far as it would go, and a figure emerged.
In that instant, all the Sanguine present, including Round Moon Duke Olmer and The Moon Emlyn, saw themselves-sometimes with resentful expressions, sometimes with hostile gazes, sometimes appearing as they had in their youth.
These were their mirror reflections, originating from both the present and the past.
They also saw the ideal lover they had envisioned in their hearts, the most captivating member of the opposite sex.
Each of them became entranced, floating in a dreamlike state, as though reality itself had be unmoored.
It was unclear how much time had passed before they managed to regain a semnce of self- awareness. They found that the summoning ritual had long since concluded. The mes on the candles had shrunk back to their original size, flickering quietly.
The Moon Emlyn quickly examined himself and, unsurprisingly, confirmed that he hadpletely digested the High Summoner potion.
At that moment, the rich voice of Round Moon Duke Olmer came from within the tomb, "Whom exactly did you summon?"
The Moon Emlyn unconsciously lifted his chin slightly and replied, "An existence who has just ascended to be a dual-pathway true god."
...
Trier, Quartier de Maison d''Opra, Rue du Chapeau Noir.
Niceea, with her brown curls pinned up, sat in the rocking chair of her apartment, idly swaying as she stared off into space.
Since the night of the crimson moon''s immense appearance, as though it had descended upon the earth, she had found herself with little to do.
Most of the core members of the Emperor Party had been arrested and purged, including her lover, Grous, leading to the organization''splete disintegration.
Her superior, Madame Franca, hadn''t assigned her any tasks either, merely instructing her to monitor the citizens in her vicinity and report any anomalies immediately.
With so much free time, Niceea had focused on digesting the Pleasure potion, flitting like a butterfly among her lovers. She even orchestrated situations where, despite knowing of each other''s existence, they endured the pain of rivalry, pretended ignorance, or quarreled yet remained unwilling to leave her.
This had led to herplete digestion of the Pleasure potionst month. However, her superior had not provided her with the form or ingredients for the Affliction potion.
Do I need to make new contributions? But there haven''t been any tasks assigned... Also, why did all my mirrors just shatter? I must report this to Madame Franca; something is seriously wrong... Niceea thought, ncing at the drawn sheer curtains shielding her from the sunlight.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, she noticed that the ss window, now cracked as if struck by an invisible force, reflected the image of Madame Franca stepping out. She wore a ponytail and a hunter''s outfit.
Niceea didn''t immediately rise to greet her superior. She momentarily felt dazed, struck by the overwhelming beauty of Franca. Her superior had grown even more radiant-so mesmerizing that Niceea couldn''t look away, so beautiful it made her forget all her worries
and everything else.
Several seconds passed before Niceea snapped out of her trance and hurriedly stood in
greeting. "Good afternoon, Madame."
"Good afternoon," Franca responded with a smile.
Niceea was momentarily dazzled by that smile and blurted out, "Madame, have you advanced
again?"
Franca didn''t hide it, nodding gently.
"I''m now an Angel, a Demoness of Catastrophe."
An Angel... Niceea was left speechless.
She recalled that when she had first been assigned to Madame Franca''smand, her superior had been a Sequence 5 Demoness of Affliction, while she herself was a Sequence 7
Witch.
Now, she had only advanced one rank to be a Sequence 6 Demoness of Pleasure, but Franca had climbed several Sequences to reach Sequence 2 and be an Angel!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Could it be that advancing beyond Sequence 5 in the demigod realm was easier than
advancing through lower ranks?
That''s impossible!
Noticing Niceea''s shocked and bewildered expression, Franca also felt a twinge of
sentimentality.
Yes, it hasn''t been long, but now I''m a Demoness of Catastrophe.
But I''d rather return to the days when I was just a Demoness of Affliction...
As a Demoness of Catastrophe, Franca''s core ability now revolved around "catastrophes," epassing both natural and man-made cmities. This extended to certain authorities
and abstract concepts.
Natural disasters like blizzards, tsunamis, earthquakes, meteor impacts, floods, volcanic eruptions, or the copse of the mirror world could be conjured through her abilities. Simrly, train idents, building copses, horse stampedes, or idental gun discharges - all events tied to societal order or mechanical constructs-fell within her purview as a Demoness of Catastrophe.
Additionally, when extended to authority and concepts, "catastrophe" could manifest as the inducement or exacerbation of issues to destabilize a previously stable system.
In such cases, if a Beyonder''s state was inherently unstable, a Demoness of Catastrophe could use Her abilities to induce them to lose bnce and lose control on the spot. For the target, this was undoubtedly a catastrophe.
Franca understood this as an extension of the Red Priest pathway''s Weakness Investigation
ability, reflected in a neighboring pathway.
When Lumian was still a Hunter, he could urately grasp the structural integrity of a building and identify the key points to demolish it. A Demoness of Catastrophe, on the other hand, could treat Beyonders, areas, or natural environments as if they were such a structure or system, detonating their hidden issues and triggering catastrophic copse.
When it came to disrupting stability and triggering catastrophe, the main difference between the twoy in their approach: a Hunter targeted weaknesses from the outside in, while a Demoness of Catastrophe worked primarily from the inside out-orbined both internal
and external forces.
From this perspective, the Primordial Demoness was actually very restrained toward Lumian,
who relied on the chaotic vortex face to gain the rank of a true god and maintain his existence and King of Angels power through a delicate bnce. However, the problem was that the Primordial Demoness didn''t want Lumian to lose bnce, lose control, and die. That would render all of Her previous efforts meaningless.
For this reason, the Primordial Demoness was willing to take risks and even face Her own demise by integrating Herself into Lumian''s body. After all, from Her perspective, Her consciousness and spirit would remain intact, simply surviving in a different form.
The catastrophes wielded by a Demoness of Catastrophe also manifested as curses of destiny. Franca could now create objects or leave behind words that, without directly contacting the target, cause those who touched the object or heard the words to encounter one catastrophe after another in their subsequent lives.
Her other abilities had also been correspondingly enhanced at the angelic level. For instance,
her mystical pathogens could now erode and influence the bodies ofplete Mythical
Creatures.
Lost in these thoughts, Franca turned to Niceea, who had just regained control of her expression, and said, "I''m here today to tell you something.
"The Primordial Demoness has perished. Of the high-ranking color-named Demonesses, fewer than five have survived. The Demoness Sect has effectively been annihted." "Ah?" Niceea momentarily forgot about her superior''s advancement to angelhood. "What about us? And the other Demonesses?"
The other Demonesses? Except for the high-ranking ones involved in the initial events in the mirror
world, most Demonesses were incorporated into the protected zone. Subsequently, some were hunted down, some surrendered directly to official organizations, and others escaped the protected zone to rejoin the remnants of the Demoness Sect in the World of Ruins... If it weren''t for your past as a government informant and the fact that the digestion of your Assassin, Instigator, and Witch potions primarily targeted organizations like the Emperor Party, I wouldn''t have spared you... Franca smiled and said to Niceea, "We have nothing to worry about. I was one of those who destroyed the
Demoness Sect."
Niceea was stunned. She felt both surprised and unsurprised. Madame Franca is a Saint of the Church of The Fool!
But if I know this, wouldn''t the Demoness of ck and others know as well? "Madame, is there anything I should do?" Niceea quickly expressed her intention to continue
her loyalty.
Franca smiled in response. "A month from now, I''ll have something for you to do. For now,
you should rest well and adjust your state.
"Oh, and the honorific name of the Primordial Demoness can still be used, but it will now
point to someone else the one I currently follow."
Who is that? Niceea didn''t dare to ask and instead inquired, "Madame, may I make my own arrangements for the next month?"
Franca looked at Niceea for several seconds before revealing a clean smile in the sunlight streaming through the sheer curtains.
"Yes, go on dates, bask in the sun, take walks along the Srenzo River, watch operas, read books, read newspapers, ride a bicycle, fish, sample the signature dishes of Trier''s famous restaurants, gather with friends-do everything you wish to do."
At the end, Franca ced a hand over her chest and bowed slightly. "In short, I wish you joy."
As her voice echoed, she disappeared into the intery of light and shadow created by the sheer curtains.
Niceea stared nkly at the spot where Franca had stood, feeling both dazed and confused.
Chapter 1147: An Early Deal
Chapter 1147: An Early Deal
?
New City of Silver.
Derrick Berg picked up the prepared Lightseeker potion, gazing at the liquid that seemed to intertwine pure beams of light. He drank it in one go.
In an instant, it felt as though he had approached the true sun, his entire body igniting and showing signs of melting.
Derrick did not retreat. He continued running toward the light, the sun, sensed in his core.
His body quickly melted like heated metal-first dripping liquid, then softening and flowing toward the ground like water.
His bones melted, his organs melted, his brain melted, and even his spirit and consciousness began to dissipate rapidly.
But he never stopped. Supported by the justice deep in his core, he struggled and wriggled forward, guided by the faint light of the sun in his blurred consciousness.
At this moment, he seemed to return to the Forsaken Land of the Gods, to the days when he ventured into the Giant King''s Court with Chief Colin Iliad and Gehrman Sparrow. But unlike then, the surroundings were not cloaked in darkness and lightning but illuminated by the crimson moonlight that shone through the gloom.
Dragging his melted body and soul, fueled by a belief that abandoned everything for the light, Derrick continued his pursuit with difficulty but unwavering determination.
The light grew closer, and his spirit merged with the burning heat, leaving only a sliver of residual consciousness.
Finally, he saw a pair of grand double doors, sensing the sun and light he longed for beyond them.
His blurred consciousness collided with the doors, pushing them ajar.
A sea of golden light entered Derrick''s vision, and a sun of intertwining zing white and gold rose steadily, illuminating all and dispelling the crimson and darkness.
Derrick Berg smiled and stopped at the entrance.
He immediately sensed his spirit, soul, and body flowing back together, merging into one.
The door he saw quickly became illusory, while the sun gradually lost its color and form, revealing its true nature-a slowly rotating chaotic vortex face.
Lumian ced the dark golden, peculiar mask back onto the center of his left shoulder head, covering the face with its starlit glow.
He hade to the New City of Silver this time to fulfill his promise of helping Mr. Sun Derrickplete the ritual.
The ritual for the Lightseeker potion required finding an item with at least the rank of an Angel and a close connection to the mysticism of the Sun. The item had to be bound to the Beyonder''s most critical and justice-rted memory, then ced in front of them.
This served as a beacon for Beyonders consuming the Lightseeker potion, providing a mystical connection that would be thest to melt, helping them maintain their direction, rity of consciousness, and determination to persist through the transformation process.
For this ritual, the binding of memory and item was aplished by Mr. Fool''s Grafting, and the item was Lumian''s chaotic vortex face. Its close association with the Chaos Sea naturally made it deeply connected to the mysticism of the Sun.
Lumian''s role was to arrive at the scene, remove the mask, and let the chaotic vortex face manifest the power of the Sun.
After stabilizing himself, Derrick Berg, d in a in white robe, bowed respectfully to Lumian. "Thank you for your assistance."
Lumian nced around and smiled. "I''d like to borrow a room."
"Alright," The Sun Derrick replied without asking why.
He helped Lumian find a quiet scripture-reading room in the Church of The Fool''s headquarters.
Lumian sat down, raised his left hand, and pressed it onto the center of the mask on his head.
His shadow suddenly squirmed as if it had gained self-awareness.
Then Lumian''s voice echoed in his heart, plunging into the depths of his shadow and the corrupted part of his nature. "Mr. Naboredisley, I''d like to meet with you now."
The sound sank into the pitch-ck abyss, reverberatingyer uponyer.
Lumian did not need to unseal or remove the mask to employ the abilities of the Visionary and The Hanged Man at this level.
Not long after, a dark, sinister liquid seemed to churn and surge within his shadow, from which an ice-blue-eyed Naboredisley rapidly emerged.
"Good afternoon." Naboredisley greeted with gentlemanly poise, taking a seat opposite Lumian with a smile. "Are you preparing for the secret deed with the City of Cmity?"
"I still need two or three weeks to strengthen the bnce of my body. You wouldn''t want me to explode the moment I amodate the City of Cmity, would you?" Lumian responded with a faint smile.
"Then why did you seek me?" Naboredisley asked directly, skipping any guesses.
Lumian chuckled. "I want you to give me that portion of Abomination Beyonder characteristic in advance. Otherwise, we might not have time to handle it when the momentes.
"We must prepare for unforeseen events and get all the groundwork done early."
"But you haven''t fulfilled your end of the deal," Naboredisley reminded.
Lumian looked at him with a teasing tone. "I''m not that Celestial Worthy. Have I ever broken a promise?
"Besides, helping you is also helping myself. I have no reason not to fulfill my promise. At worst, if I fail to amodate it, your attempt will fail indirectly, but in that case, everyone dies anyway, including your Abomination avatar. Keeping it would be meaningless."
Naboredisley remained silent, not responding immediately.
He had always been prone to interpreting others'' intentions with the deepest malice.
After all, He was the embodiment of malice itself.
"If you''re still worried, you can nt a spiritual mark in my consciousness and spirit right now," Lumian offered. "I don''t mind living with it for two or three weeks. The only problem is it might backfire and corrupt you. You know what''s inside me."
"But you can erase the spiritual mark before the secret deed with the City of Cmity," Naboredisley hesitated before responding.
Lumian burst outughing. "Why not draft a notarized contract while we''re at it? I''ll make it,
and Mr. Fool can witness it."
Naboredisley stared at Lumian for a few seconds before smiling. "No need. I trust you. I''ll
have my Abomination avatare over now.
"The spiritual mark can wait until you bond with the City of Cmity."
Lumian responded with a smile, "Deal."
Soon after, Farbauti, the Abomination covered in gold and wearing a mask painted ck and
white, emerged from the spirit world before Lumian.
Naboredisley raised His head and locked eyes with Farbauti, nodding slightly in mutual acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Lumian remarked with a touch of sentiment, "After thest Dream Festival, we made many preparations to guard the tomb and deal with the Angels of the Rose School of Thought''s indulgence faction and Devil families, all for the next Dream Festival. Yet none of that came into y. The early arrival of the crimson moon turned the world into ruins, making it impossible to hold the Dream Festival again.
"That''s precisely why I want you to hand over the Abomination Beyonder characteristic in advance. Our enemies won''t sit idle while we prepare; they won''t wait for us toplete everything methodically before starting the apocalypse.
"With what little time remains, we must finish everything we need to do as quickly as possible. Waiting for the perfect moment is futile; the future is full of uncertainties." Naboredisley smiled in response. "Though I doubt your motives, my rational mind tells me this is indeed necessary."
As He spoke, Farbauti removed the golden mask derived from the former Death, Salinger.
With a tter, the gold covering His body fell away piece by piece,nding on the ground with
metallic thuds.
In mere seconds, His body disintegrated, transforming into a grotesque tree-like shape coated in viscous ck liquid.
"Is this the Abomination''s Mythical Creature form?" Lumian asked, his curiosity piqued for
once.
Naboredisley shook His head with a smile. "The Mythical Creature form of the Chained pathway is actually invisible, intangible, a collection of various curses. What you saw previously as a Mythical Creature form is essentially the vessel that carries this aggregate-or no, not ''carries.'' Using terms like ''binds'' and ''fixes'' would be more symbolically urate. "So, the outward manifestation of the Mythical Creature form of this pathway depends on one''s self-awareness and the choices made during the advancement to Sequence 4 Puppet and Sequence 2 Ancient Bane as a base. These bases bind and stabilize the various curses resulting from the disassembly process."
"An embalmed mummy at the demigod level?" Lumian recalled the unique items required for
the Puppet advancement ritual.
Naboredisley nodded gently and exined, "Yes, that''s one type of anchor. However, it''s not strictly necessary to use a demigod-level mummy. Any item with a simr function and the same rank can serve the purpose. The Rose School of Thought''s temperance faction traditionally uses mummies for their advancement. This practice is tied to the imagery and history of Tolzna and has even influenced the burial customs of the Hignds Kingdom. "Simrly, the advancement to Ancient Bane requires finding an ancient, evil item capable of bearing angelic power. This item bes the core of the final Mythical Creature form." "Born Mythical Creatures like Suah and Tiri, who have notpleted the corresponding Sequence advancements, exhibit forms that are essentially amplifications of Their Beyonder
characteristics."
Having finished this exnation, Naboredisley discussed a few more aspects of the deepn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
secret deed with Lumian before taking His leave.
Shortly after His departure, Rte Tinekerr, carrying four golden-haired, red-eyed heads,
and Sharron, wearing a small bo, appeared in the room.
They had sensed the convergence and followed their spiritual intuition to investigate.
"Our deal can now move forward," Lumian said with a smile.
Sharron nodded slightly, allowing the crimson-stained crystal tiara hidden in the spirit world
to emerge from its seal and float toward Lumian.
This was the Grade o Sealed Artifact, Cmity of Crimson, corresponding to the Demoness of
Catastrophe.
"It''s yours now," Lumian said, gesturing toward the Abomination Beyonder characteristic. "Thank"..."you"..."for"..."your"..."help," Rte Tinekerr four heads spoke in sequence. Sharron, on the other hand, lightly lifted the hem of her dress in a gesture of gratitude.
Once the twodies had secured the Beyonder characteristic and left the room, Lumian, holding the Cmity of Crimson, returned to where The Sun Derrick was waiting. With a
smile, he said,
"You can trade me the Gift of the Land now."
As he spoke, Cheek''s eyes transformed into mirrors, and a figure emerged.
It was Zedus, a man of almost unparalleled beauty, with scarlet eyes.
Chapter 1148: Farewell
Chapter 1148: Farewell
?
Zedus emerged from the eye of Cheek''s face and quietly stood behind Lumian, expressionless and vacant-eyed.
After Lumian advanced to Red Priest, Zedus, along with the steel golems and undead soldiers formerly belonging to 0-01, was re-enlisted into the newly formed legion of the Red Priest. They were now stationed in a special mirror world that had be Lumian''s divine kingdom.
Seeing the Cmity of Crimson in Lumian''s hand, The Sun Derrick hesitated no longer and nodded slightly. "Okay."
"I thought you might have some reluctance," Lumian said casually.
Derrick shook his head and replied honestly, "When you first made the request, I did feel a bit reluctant. But after returning to the New City of Silver, I increasingly felt it was the right decision.
"When the apocalypse arrives, Mr. Fool will undoubtedly be unable to continue protecting the New City of Silver. The Gift of the Land is the remains of Omebe, the Great Mother''s most cherished daughter. It could likely spark an anomaly, causing unforeseen consequences and breaking apart the protected zones from within.
"Moreover, Chief Chirmont has long since digested the Silver Knight potion but has yet to advance to an Angel as a Glory. That''s because the Proof of Glory has to be used to seal the Gift of the Land. If it were turned into a Beyonder characteristic, anyone using it to advance would have to remain underground for extended periods, only leaving for short intervals during crises.
"Recing the Gift of the Land with the Cmity of Crimson should free the Proof of Glory from its restraints."
Derrick, having only just be an Angel, stillcked understanding of matters regarding the Above the Sequences.
Lumian produced a mirror and inserted the crystal tiara-shaped Cmity of Crimson into it.
He then gently ran his hand over the mirror''s surface.
Afterpleting the task, he handed the mirror to The Sun Derrick.
"ce it in an underground location that moonlight can never reach. No males may be within ten meters. When it needs to be used, a woman must retrieve it.
"I''ve sealed the area behind the mirror and fixed an entrance to the mirror world on its surface. Even ordinary people can extend their hand inside to retrieve the Cmity of Crimson."
This setup mirrored how Franca had once secured a mirror world entrance in the quarry beneath Trier by praying to the Primordial Demoness.
The Sun Derrick took the mirror and saw in its reflection the terrifying scene of a volcanic eruption.
"Ignore any disasters reflected in the mirror," Lumian cautioned. "If the mirror itself cracks, pray to me or Mr. Fool immediately so we can rece its seal. As for its usage, there are three taboos: First, no male should wield it. Second, the wielder must have godhood. Third, it must not be used for more than three minutes, or if exposed to moonlight, no more than thirty seconds.
"If the wielder experiences Pleasure or Charm cast by it, a new person must take over. Otherwise, the wielder will grow increasingly obsessed with it and try to set it free."
The Sun Derrick nodded solemnly. "I understand."
He then asked a question. "But I''m male. Is it safe for me to handle the Cmity of Crimson?"
"For now, yes," Lumian exined. "It''s still in a Conquered state and won''t ''acknowledge'' anyone else. After cing the mirror underground, avoid further contact with it."
The Sun Derrick let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Alright. I''ll head to the Twin Towers now to lift the Proof of Glory''s suppression. You can retrieve the Gift of the Land yourself."
After Lumian agreed, the newly ascended Lightseeker turned into sunlight and flew out of the headquarters of the Church of The Fool.
Lumian remained in ce, admiring the murals on the walls.
The face of Alista Tudor furrowed slightly, seemingly displeased with the religious undertones-unless, of course, the subject of the murals was Himself.
After some time, Cheek''s face on Lumian''s left shoulder turned, revealing a stunning smile radiating maternal warmth and terrifying allure.
In the next moment, a massive, withered, ash-brown tree trunk appeared before Lumian.
It had been Charmed-enthralled by Cheek''s face, which shared a profound connection with
it.
Two crimson flowers on the trunk, serving as its eyes, bloomed fully, radiantly vibrant. Lumian smiled at the Gift of the Land. "Would you like to reside in my divine kingdom?"
The Gift of the Land moved closer without resistance.
Zedus came forward, embracing the trunk and dragging it back into Lumian''s divine kingdom -the destroyed then reformed special mirror world.
Throughout the process, Zedus handled it roughly, yet the Gift of the Land offered no
opposition.
The estranged siblings reunite... Lumian chuckled softly and disappeared from the Church of The Fool''s headquarters.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
...
In the World of Ruins.
Enormous oak trees stood nketed in white by a raging blizzard, frozen lifeless. In stark contrast, another oak grove burned fiercely, consumed by invisible, colorless mes. Apanying the destruction were bird-wed infants, various animals, and strange familiars, all reduced to ash. Even the ground itself melted away.
At the boundary where blizzard met mes, the sh of cold and heat created a skyward- whirling hurricane and apocalyptic torrential rain.
In the hurricane''s eye, a three-headed, six-armed Lumian wandered with frenzied, mindless
eyes.
At the edge of this fog-shrouded region, Franca sat atop a nearly 100-meter-tall gray-white stone pir, her legs dangling idly.
Having be a Demoness of Catastrophe, she could finally witness Lumian''s bouts of uncontroble madness firsthand.
This was the twenty-ninth time she had observed it, yet it still left her feeling low and stifled.
My potion digested a little more... Franca mused, forcing herself to think of something meaningful to distract from her emotions. Even though I didn''t do anything as all these catastrophes were caused by
Lumian...
Is it because I brought him here?
As a Demoness of Catastrophe, I am a bringer of cmity. Does it not matter whether the cmities I
bring are self-made or external?
Right... A Demoness of Catastrophe likely serves catastrophe... Since Lumian is the source and embodiment of catastrophes, does serving him equate to fulfilling that role...?
No wonder my potion is digesting so quickly. At this rate, I''ll fully digest it in another year or two. Too
bad we don''t have that much time-the one-month deadline is nearly up...
Her thoughts wandered until the blizzard ceased, the formless and colorless mes
extinguished, and the hurricane disintegrated outward, bending distant oaks.
Lumian, now his normal human size, approached the base of the stone pir, his expression weary yet faintly smiling. "Let''s return to the protected zone."
Franca smiled back and leaped gracefully from the 100-meter-high pir,nding as lightly
as a feather.
At that moment, Lumian''s middle head turned sharply, gazing toward another oak grove untouched by the apocalyptic scene.
Franca immediately sensed the crimson moonlight deepening and brightening.
From the depths of the grove emerged a woman dressed in a finely tailored ck corset dress
with matching shoulder drape. She wore sheer gloves that hinted at the skin beneath and a
tilted, yful hat.
Around her neck hung a diamond ne set in gold. Her eyebrows were perfectly shaped, and her scarlet eyes shone like miniatures of the crimson moon.
Franca had never seen
woman so beautiful-not even Cheek''s face couldpare.
This beauty was pure, sublime, and awe-inspiring, making one want to admire and protect
her but not dare to approach or desecrate. In contrast, Cheek''s beauty radiated femininity and allure, stronger in seduction but less divine.
As Franca held her breath, Lumian spoke in a low voice. "Madame Pualis, why have you
appeared here?"
Madame Pualis looked just as she had when Lumian first saw her in Cordu Vige.
Madame Pualis... The one who birthed Omebe?! Franca snapped out of her daze, shaken by this
realization.
She lowered her gaze, avoiding direct eye contact, and prepared to assist Lumian with her
abilities.
Madame Pualis smiled faintly. "I''vee to see you both and to bid farewell.
"I thought ourst meeting would be the final one, but it seems the Great Mother still needs
more time."
"Farewell?" Lumian raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Madame Pualis replied with a gentle smile. "I am returning to the embrace of the
Mother."
"Returning to the embrace of the Mother?" Lumian frowned. "You did all this just for such an
ending?"
In the context of the Great Mother, returning to Her embrace was synonymous with death. Madame Pualis spoke softly, her expression tender.
"It is what I desire. The Mother''s embrace is where we came from and where we are destined
to return. There, we find peace, warmth, slumber, and rebirth.
"Life is a journey. I have been, seen, and experienced. Naturally, it''s time to return to the
Mother''s embrace and await the next journey."
That sounds utterly sinister... Franca murmured to herself.
Lumian suddenly asked, "Are you currently a Sequence 1 Beauty Goddess of the Moon
pathway?"
"Yes, it is a gift from the Great Mother, lent to me temporarily," Madame Pualis said, her
tone full of emotion as she spoke to Lumian and Aurore. "The greatest regret of my journey is
missing you both in Cordu Vige.
"Goodbye. We will meet again because all life will eventually return to the Mother''s
embrace."
Before her words had fully settled, Cheek''s face on Lumian''s left shoulder suddenly turned,
Her expression sweet and smiling.
Charm!
A charm from the Demoness true god!
But Lumian was a moment too slow. Madame Pualis''s figure dissolved into crimson light,
merging with the omnipresent moonlight, leaving only a fading image of her waving hand.
"What just happened?" Franca asked warily.
Lumian''s voice was low as he responded with a question,
"A Sequence 1 Beauty Goddess suddenly choosing to return to the Mother''s embrace-what
does that signify?"
Franca was suddenly rmed. "It means the Mother Goddess of Depravity is about to fully merge with the Brood Hive and requires Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics to support her!" As she finished speaking, the previously devastated region began to sprout a frenzy of vegetation. The scorched ground gave way to rapidly growing flora, all stretching skyward. On the western horizon, the crimson moon, blood-red and ominous, began to rise slowly,boriously revealing its edge.
Chapter 1149: Acting
Chapter 1149: Acting
?
As Franca watched the crimson moon rise inch by inch, a chill ran down her spine. She felt as if her darkening xen-colored hair was growing along with it.
"What now?" She couldn''t help but nce at Lumian.
After bing a Demoness of Catastrophe, she had a vague understanding of Lumian''s intended actions-essentially, the n was this:
With the help of various forces on the Western Continent, Lumian would attempt to be the Origins of Disaster, Cmity of Destruction, before the Mother Goddess of Depravity fully amodated the Brood Hive. Then, leveraging the symbolic connection between Earth Mother Lilith and Omebe, he would y this true god to destroy the newly reborn Omebe, thereby provoking the Brood Hive into rebelling against the Mother Goddess of Depravity. Finally, he would seize the opportunity during Their confrontation to heavily wound the Mother Goddess of Depravity, heavily damage the Pir, and drive Her out of the astral barrier.
Once this nmenced, every second would count. Earth Mother Lilith''s voluntary death would rapidly lead to the fragmentation of the astral barrier. Lumian would have only a fleeting window to wound and banish the Mother Goddess of Depravity before returning to the astral barrier himself to take Earth Mother''s ce. Failing this, the entire situation would copse, and the apocalypse would arrive prematurely.
If the n seeded, Lumian-now having transcended the Sequences-could sustain the barrier and buy two or three more years. By then, Mr. Fool would fully awaken, lift the seals around the Western Continent, and allow more Great Old One to emerge.
Franca had two major concerns about the n. First, from Earth Mother Lilith''s fall to the shattering of the astral barrier, the time window might be mere seconds. Could Lumian truly injure the Mother Goddess of Depravity, a Pir? Second, even if Lumian somehow managed this extraordinary feat, could he already precarious in bnce and prone to "asional" bouts of lucidityremain stable after forcibly amodating the City of Cmity long enough to maintain the barrier?
Now Franca realized she didn''t need to worry anymore.
Because their n was doomed before it even began!
The Mother Goddess of Depravity was about to fully amodate the Brood Hive, leaving nothing capable of restraining Her!
At this moment, they could kill Earth Mother Lilith and reignite the Brood Hive''s rebellious instincts to buy more time for Lumian to amodate the City of Cmity. But who would then reinforce the astral barrier and halt the other Outer Deities'' invasion?
It was death either way!
Yet Lumian smiled, the corners of his mouth curling upward, as he said to Franca, "There''s still a chance. Still a way."
As he spoke, the scenery around them shifted from wildly growing trees and weeds to the vi in the protected zone.
Still a way? Franca, affected by Lumian''s calm and resolute demeanor, felt her panic subside.
Lumian nodded at her. "Take Anthony and Ludwig and go to Madam Magician''s ce immediately. Follow her instructions. I''ll meet Mr. Fool above the gray fog."
"Alright." Franca did not hesitate or let her emotions cloud her judgment.
She stepped forward, embracing Lumian''s asymmetrical body for two seconds in silence. Straightening, she extended her right hand and offered a bright smile. "May we stay safe, and may you seed."
Lumian smiled back, raising his right hand for a high-five.
With a crisp p, he stared deeply at Franca for a few seconds, then turned and ascended the staircase. Grayish-white fog began to swirl around him as he disappeared.
Only when Lumian''s figure fadedpletely did Franca wipe her eyes, her expression calm as she turned to face Anthony and Ludwig, who had already received notifications via the mental channel.
"We need to relocate," Franca said lightly, with a hint of a smile.
At the same time, many high-level figures in the protected zone sensed an ominous premonition.
Queen Mystic Bernadette swiftly produced Her Magic Wishing Lamp.
Even before she could stroke themp''s surface, golden light burst from its spout, forming a faint, blue-tinged figure.
Genie''s majestic voice reverberated.
"I warned Them that my sister''s amodation of the Brood Hive would be faster than expected. Why didn''t They act sooner?
"Fate is only a baseline. Blind faith in its revtions invites bacsh!"
As a former irvoyant, Bernadette immediately understood Genie''s meaning: Fate''s guidance was undoubtedly correct but only provided a baseline. For instance, in this case, fate might have hinted that there would be no major problems within a month. However, it wouldn''t reveal that the apocalypse would strike immediately after that time frame. Simrly, fate might suggest there was still hope and opportunity a month from now but wouldn''t warn that acting earlier could yield better chances and greater hope.
After a few seconds of silence, Queen Mystic Bernadette replied solemnly, "Perhaps it''s precisely because fate is so enigmatic that we still have a chance and hope."
Genie fell silent at Her words.
...
Above the gray fog, in the majestic pce.
Lumian''s figure appeared and immediately addressed Mr. Fool at the head of the bronze
table.
"The Mother Goddess of Depravity will fully amodate the Brood Hive in at most half an hour. We didn''t notice any signs until now."
Shrouded in gray-white fog, Mr. Fool nodded gently.
"Don''t panic.
"This was already ounted for in our contingency ns. If we can''t wait for the optimal moment, even a moderate or slightly worse opportunity is still an opportunity."
"I agree." Lumian smiled, his expression rxed.
The time had finallye.
For him, it felt like a journey filled with pain and torment was finally reaching its conclusion.
The sense of relief outweighed all else.
In the next second, Lumian stood, cing his hand over his chest, and solemnly bowed to Mr.
Fool.
"Honorable Mr. Fool, let us begin."
"May all go smoothly, and may we meet again." Mr. Fool also stood, removing his silk top hat and cing it over his chest in a return bow.
Momentster, a figure pierced the gray fog and entered the pce.
It was the voluptuous and beautiful Earth Mother Lilith holding an invisible infant. Radiant with maternal grace, She arrived through a dream tied to the divine kingdom affiliated with
Sefirah Castle.
"Is it time?" This ancestor of the Sanguine asked Mr. Fool with a rxed smile.
Her demeanor mirrored Lumian''s, her smile much the same.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Before Mr. Fool could respond, Lilith looked at Lumian, who stood beside the bronze table,
and understood instantly.
"So it''s him who will kill me.
"I see. That''s how it should be."
Earth Mother Lilith visibly rxed, Her beautiful features softening further with a
benevolent glow.
She even offered Lumian Her thanks. "Thank you."
Then She urged, "Let''s begin. Time is of the essence."
Lumian nced at Mr. Fool, who nodded. He then moved to the bottom of the bronze table,
turning the chair representing The World to face Earth Mother Lilith.
On the chair sat a card, depicting Empress Roselle in a maternity gown, her belly swollen with
maternal radiance.
Card of sphemy, Mother card!
Lumian picked up the Mother card and sat down in The World''s seat.
To his sides, the wless Zedus and the withered tree remains of Omebe appeared with Mr.
Fool''s assistance.
In the next second, Zedus, under Lumian''smand, opened His mouth and called out in a
low voice, "Mother."
Hearing this title, Lumian smiled.
Yes, the role he would act next was that of the Mother Goddess of Depravity!
This wasn''t a fabricated symbolism, but something the Mother Goddess of Depravity Herself had acknowledged and permitted-one She had personally forged!
From containing fragments of Zedus''s soul in Cordu Vige to fusing Omebe''s bloodline in Trier, Lumian had be the motherly vessel for these two divine offspring, a counterpart to
Madame Pualis in secret.
Subsequent events had reinforced this symbolic role. Thus, when drawing for a Major Arcana card, the first card he drew was The World. Thus, in the mirror world, his encounter with the cmity-representing Primordial Demoness and the mirrored Original Creator would allow Omebe to truly manifest in reality!
In all these urrences, he had acted the role of the Mother, the Mother Goddess of
Depravity.
This was a sanctioned act-a symbolic connection recognized by the original! Since, during the descent of the crimson moon, the Mother Goddess of Depravity had been
Fooled, failing to kill Lumian immediately to sever this connection, he could now exploit it in
reverse!
To strengthen this role, Lumian had deliberately incorporated Zedus into his legion and exchanged for Omebe''s remains, ensuring Their acknowledgment of him as Their mother. The Mother card, provided by Mr. Fool, further solidified the connection. ncing at the Gift of the Land, which nestled close to him, Lumian closed his eyes briefly and recalled the whispered words of the Primordial Demoness, Cheek:
"Who you are is not important...
"What you want to do is not important either...
"What''s important is the role you''re ying..."
Lumian smiled, signaling Omebe''s remains to merge with Earth Mother Lilith, ovepping
the two together. Sitting in The World''s seat, Lumian''s smile grew brighter. His left hand conjured formless,
colorless mes, while his right wielded a sinister ck fire that froze everything it touched.
"Yes, who I am does not matter.
"What matters is the role I y. "But what I want to do matters just as much!"
With this thought, Lumian suddenly rose, unleashing the two opposing mes. They
intertwined and struck Lilith and Omebe''s remains.
Now, I am acting as the Mother Goddess of Depravity! And what I want is to kill my daughter, Omebe!
Chapter 1150: Mysteries
Chapter 1150: Mysteries
?
As Lumian rose to his feet, Earth Mother Lilith sighed softly.
She raised Her right hand with a rxed smile, smoothing Her dark brown hair.
It was as if she had returned to the state when she was one of the eight ancient gods.
Back then, She was the most beautiful woman, the most beautiful creature, and the most beautiful deity in the entire world and universe.
Almost simultaneously, She sensed the Gift of the Land shrinking slightly toward Her, seemingly startled, frightened, and saddened.
She also saw Mr. Fool, who was already standing, raise both hands. The ck trench coat He wore red as if caught in a strong wind.
Fooled!
Both Lumian''s and Lilith''s respective symbolic connections were valid and strong. Without needing further aid, Mr. Fool''s sole task now was to Fool the Brood Hive, ensuring It remained utterly convinced.
The next moment, Sanguine Ancestor Lilith saw the formless, colorless me Lumian had conjured merge with the freezing ck me, forming a strange ck fire that restrained madness, destruction, and chaos.
Fire of Destruction!
The Fire of Destruction elongated into a massive ck sword, which struck the remains of Omebe and Lilith across the distance.
Lilith offered no resistance, and neither did the Gift of the Land. It only let out an illusory wail of sorrow.
Lilith smiled-a smile as radiant as moonlight, as tender as the earth, and as loving as a mother''s.
Crack!
Omebe''s remains were the first to shatter. The lingering spirit and spirituality within them were swallowed by the ck mes of the Sword of Destruction, disappearing entirely.
Pieces of broken wood were flung in all directions, charred ck, with some reduced to ash. Lilith''s expression twisted uncontrobly, a reflection of the instinctive pain She felt. Her voluptuous, graceful body split open, crumbling into fragments of brown light that scattered across the sky.
Her immense vitality struggled to reassemble the fragments, but it couldn''t ovee the symbolic forces of destruction and chaos.
Within two or three seconds, the orbs of brown light fell to the grand pce''s floor.
Lilith''s consciousness rapidly dissipated. The final image in Her vision was of Mr. Fool and Lumian bowing slightly to Her in unison.
She smiled again.
Outside the protected zone, at the astral barrier, under the influence of the symbolic connection of falsehood bing truth, the dormant body of Earth Mother Lilith also began to copse, consumed by ck mes that annihted all and returned everything to the primordial.
A crimson moon once again rose high in the World of Ruins, apanied by a mass of brown soil sprouting grass, grains, trees, mushrooms, and numerous reproductive organs.
Earth Mother Lilith, the ancestor of the Sanguine, had fallen.
Soon, the crimson moon and the brown soil plummeted together, streaking the sky with red and brown light as they descended into the protected zone.
Grafting!
On the western horizon, therger blood-red moon that had just begun to rise through the gray fog suddenly exhibited rapid upheaval. A prominent bulge surged upward, as if the moon''s crust were violently shifting, forming a mountain thousands or tens of thousands of meters high.
The mountain wriggled, resembling both a bird''s nest and a womb.
The Brood Hive, whose dissipating consciousness had been rekindled by intense hatred and mystical stimtion, reassembled and became active once more.
The ascent of the enormous blood moon came to an abrupt halt, even showing signs of sinking back into the depths of the gray fog and below the horizon.
Sanguine Ancestor Lilith''s death had not been in vain. Theplete fusion of the Mother Goddess of Depravity and the Brood Hive had indeed been dyed!
At the astral barrier, with the Earth Mother''s support gone, eight stars of various colors- scarlet, gold, and more-suddenly red with extreme brilliance.
They rapidly expanded, pressing against the invisible barrier like terrifying eyes peering inside, or gaping mouths tearing at a membranous veil.
The sound of crackling transitioned from the abstract to the real, resonating from the astral world into the World of Ruins.
This signified that the invisible barrier had developed deep cracks, with mere seconds of durability remaining.
Once it shattered, the Outer Deities would tear apart the entire.
Among them, some deities bore symbols far less "gentle" than the Great Mother''s.
Within the protected zone.
Will Auceptin, residing in the Southern Continent, raised His head to gaze at the night sky where the crimson moon hung high, and sighed in a deliberately aged tone.
"What''s destined toe wille..."
He still appeared as a young boy, but His hair had somehow turned silver.
Beside Him, Azik Eggers also looked at the crimson moon in the night sky and nodded
slightly. "Death is not the true end.
"Even death itself will pass away."
At that moment, all the high-level entities within the protected zone "heard" the warning of fatea symphony heralding the arrival of death.
They were all powerless to stop it.
Meanwhile, in the grand pce above the gray fog, Mr. Fool Klein nodded at Lumian and stepped forward.
He entered the astral realm, His figure growing immeasurably vast, neither abstracted nor reduced to mere symbols.
More than a month earlier, Klein Moretti had alreadypleted his confrontation and fusion with The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, truly amodating Sefirah
Castle!
The eleration of Klein''s progress was due to the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s actions- Her attempt to revive the Primordial God Almighty through the mirrored Original Creator and the subsequent true birth of Omebe.
While these moves brought immense gains to the Mother Goddess, they also had significant drawbacks. They agitated the Celestial Worthy, who understood the terror of the Original Creator and the hatred the Primordial God Almighty bore toward Him. Forced topromise, the Celestial Worthy chose topromise and withdraw.
Although this meant ceding the contest to Klein, the Celestial Worthy believed that, in the grand scheme of things-over tens of thousands or even millions of years-He would eventually triumph. However, should the Original Creator or Primordial God Almighty return, all hope would be lost for Him!
To hasten the Celestial Worthy''s withdrawal, Klein had made some concessions, achieving a more thorough fusion in certain aspects.
Thus, on June 25, 1360, Klein Morettipleted his confrontation and fusion with the Celestial Worthy, amodating Sefirah Castle as a single-pathway deity-The Fool! For over a month since then, the now fully awakened The Fool Klein had refrained from immediate action, sharing his true state only with Lumian, the Evernight Goddess, and Will Auceptin. Instead, he had patiently and covertly prepared.
A Magician didn''t perform unprepared!
Lumian''s actions-visiting Red Angel Medici, retrieving 0-01, and dealing with Primordial Demoness Cheek-had happened only at the end of June for a critical reason:
he was awaiting Mr. Fool''s full awakening!
That''s why Ouroboros suddenly sensed that the opportunity had slipped away, and that He wouldn''t be able to be a deity of the Fate pathway in the near future.
That was why the blessing granted by Will Auceptin could enable the scene transntation of the Box of the Great Old Ones-it was finally the right moment. With the help of the awakened Fool Klein, He amodated the Die of Probability, the Uniqueness of the Fate pathway. That''s why Lumian, under the guise of seeking divination, visited the God of Knowledge and Wisdom and Queen Mystic on behalf of Mr. Fool.
Klein and Lumian''s original n was that once thetter amodated the City of Cmity, he would leverage symbolic connections to kill Earth Mother Lilith. During the fierce confrontation between the Brood Hive and the Mother Goddess of Depravity, Klein would enter the astral world, retrieve the Uniquenesses of Error and Door, along with their corresponding Sequence 1 characteristics, and truly transcend the Sequences to be the Lord of Mysteries. As a Pir, he would rece Earth Mother Lilith in maintaining the astral
barrier.
This approach would ensure the barrier''s stability for at least another three to five years. That was why Klein had chosen not to ascend as the Lord of Mysteries at that time to directly confront the Mother Goddess of Depravity. If he had taken back the Uniquenesses linked to Gehrman Sparrow, the barrier would have copsed within three seconds, even if Earth
Mother Lilith hadn''t yet fallen.
Simultaneously, the Lord of Mysteries Klein could remotely assist Lumian-now the Origins of Disaster-against the Mother Goddess of Depravity, who would be suffering a bacsh from the Brood Hive. This greatly increased their chances of victory. With the barrier stabilized, the battle would no longer have a time constraint.
Once the Mother Goddess of Depravity was driven from within the barrier, Lord of Mysteries Klein could lift the seals and aid the birth of more Above the Sequences. With him present, the deities could take turns leaving the astral barrier without fear of its copse. However, to stabilize Lumian and prevent him from exploding uncontrobly as a Great Old Dominator after amodating the City of Cmity, The Fool Klein chose to wait another month. This caused them to miss the optimal opportunity-though it might not have been optimal and could very well have been the worst possible time.
Since the best timing was no longer avable, they now had to act quickly and give Lumian a chance to amodate the City of Cmity before the Mother Goddess of Depravity fully amodated the Brood Hive!
At the astral barrier, the figure of Gehrman Sparrow, who had been waiting, emerged. With his star-encrusted cane and ck gloves, he stepped in front of The Fool Klein.
His expression cold, he revealed a faint smile, took a step forward, and merged with The Fool
Klein''s figure.
The two became one!
The Fool Klein''s body abruptly copsed inward. Within the depths of his ck trench coat, a glowing bluish-ck door seemed to flicker in and out of existence.
The star-encrusted cane and ck gloves copsed inward as well, forming a massive vortex
within the trench coat-a terrifying vortex.
Every gust of wind, droplet of water, and ray of light in the vortex consisted of writhing worms, segmented insects, and tiny, starlit creatures.
Within a second or two, the vortex was also devoured. The inside of the ck trench coat
became an abyss, seemingly infinite, as if it contained an entire universe and a spirit world
connected to every.
As this transformation urred, grayish-white fog rapidly spread throughout the World of Ruins, enveloping the entire and all living beings.
Beyond the barrier, in the boundless universe, faint gray fog began to spread as well, though
no one could say when it had started.
Living beings within the fog either became dull-witted, filled with cunning, or inexplicably transported to the ce they knew most intimately.
Numerous rules malfunctioned, and many symbols were fooled.
The pressure from the Outer Deities momentarily stagnated.
Time stopped.
At the astral barrier, within the darkness inside the ck trench coat, smooth tentacles
inscribed with mysterious patterns suddenly emerged. They slipped into ck gloves at the
sleeves and lifted the star-encrusted cane.
Next, under the silk half top hat, a face slowly emerged from the darkness-a face with ck
hair and brown eyes.
It was Klein Moretti''s face.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The Lord of Mysteries was born.
The ruler of the spirit world had returned.
Chapter 1151: Buying Time
Chapter 1151: Buying Time
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At the deep, terrifying cracks in the astral barrier, grayish-white fog suddenly began to spread.
The fog quickly obscured the fissures, rendering them invisible and untouchable.
It was as if they no longer existed.
As a result, the astral barrier stabilized.
The Lord of Mysteries-where truth bes falsehood, and falsehood bes truth!
This time, the Outer Deities beyond the barrier did not retreat. Instead, They intensified Their oppression. Their brilliance grew brighter than before, especially the golden star, which rapidly expanded, first transforming into a zing star with countless mes leaping from it, then into a genuine sun. It erupted with light that illuminated the entire astral world, revealing colossal, shadowy entities cloaked in darkness and terrifying forms shrouded by storms.
Once again, the astral barrier emitted a cracking sound that transitioned from abstract to real.
Lord of Mysteries Klein raised his hand to adjust the silk half-top hat on his head. His body dissolved into a dark vortex bristling with slick tentacles, which then merged into the invisible barrier.
ng!
An ancient bell tolling across eras reverberated throughout the astral world and the spirit world that spanned the universe. The eight differently colored stars froze in ce, and their exploding light fractured into countless cones.
The astral barrier was thoroughly stabilized.
Klein then turned his gaze toward the earth.
In the World of Ruins, except for the few areas under protection and some distant regions in the Western Continent, the Spirit Body Threads of all other living beings suddenly floated skyward, ascending into the astral world.
These included wed bird-like infant monstrosities, oak giants, herds of deer, and various animals, as well as creatures mutated into the Brood Hive''s followers. The countless beings- numbering in the tens or hundreds of billions-shuddered and turned their bodies to gaze uniformly at the massive, stationary blood-red moon hanging in the air.
The next second, these innumerable creatures writhed and transformed. Each one instantly morphed into a version of Klein Moretti,plete with a silk half-top hat and ck trench coat.
Countless Klein Morettis surged toward the massive, blood-red, perfectly round moon from the sky,nd, sea, and all directions.
Near the dense fog surrounding the Western Continent, Omebe, who had grown into a young girl over less than a year and now stood five or six meters tall, burned with ck mes that emanated destruction. Her eyes were vacant as She watched each Klein Moretti pass by.
Her body had already fragmented substantially, and Her soul was nearplete dissolution. All that remained was Her confusion and sorrow.
She couldn''t understand why Her mother wanted to kill Her.
Atst, Omebe''s remaining consciousness, spirit, spirituality, and shattered body were devoured by the Fire of Destruction, rapidly turning to ash.
With Herplete death, the mountain-like, nest-like protrusion on the surface of the blood-red moon let out a wail filled with hatred and resentment: "Child! My child!" The struggle intensified.
As the Klein Morettis approached the densely concentrated world of the blood-red moonlight, they began to undergo transformations.
Some withered rapidly, others'' bellies swelled as their flesh and blood concentrated into offspring that were not marites. Others gained new life and consciousness, ceasing to be mere puppets and starting to resist the Maritist controlling them.
The Klein Morettis turned on each other, engaging in fierce battles. Yet whether it was the marites'' offspring or those reborn, they soon became toys in the hands of the
Maritist, entering a new cycle.
Many marites attempted to use various abilities, but the majority of these powers betrayed their original owners, instead destroying them.
The situation reached a stalemate as numerous inexplicable phenomena unfolded in the region.
The true body of Klein, unable to leave the astral barrier, never expected to defeat or seriously wound the Mother Goddess of Depravity using marites or parasitic methods. He simply aimed to scatter Her focus, forcing Her to divert significant attention to fend off the relentless, unending assaults. His true goal was to dy Herplete fusion with the Brood Hive!
Even if I can''t defeat you, can''t I at least make you miserable?
-
Within the protected zone, Backlund, at the home of The Magician Fors and Judgment Xio. After hearing Franca''s ount, The Magician Fors exhaled slowly and said, "So that''s what happened...
"No wonder I had a bad feeling..."
Due to the istion of the protected zone and the extremely high level of the current events, neither she nor Judgment Xio had managed to understand what was happening in time. All their attempts at divination had failed.
Before anyone else could speak, Fors looked around the room and solemnly said,
"Everyone, prepare yourselves."
Her n was to relocate the humans in her "sphere" to the edge of the universe, to a still- habitable that hadn''t yet been discovered by the Outer Deities. She had already gathered the Abrahams into a nearby neighborhood.
Franca opened her mouth as if to say something but held back. Anthony remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Madam Magician smiled slightly and turned to Ludwig.
"Your godfather probably wanted to feed you the danger of the thirdyer of the Box of the Great Old Ones, but I''m not sure if there''s still time for that..."
Before she could finish, she suddenly froze, turning her head toward the window and gazing at the crimson moon in the night sky.
Franca, Ludwig, and Xio quickly followed suit.
"Mr. Fool has be the true Lord of Mysteries..." As an Archangel of the Door pathway, The Magician was the first to sense this. She was both surprised and puzzled, but these emotions were overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of relief and security.
"When did Mr. Fool fully awaken?" Judgment Xio began to recall the circumstances of thest
two Tarot Gatherings.
Mr. Fool has truly awakened and be the Lord of Mysteries? Franca felt a moment of tion before realizing why Lumian had been so unhurried earlier.
Not long after, once things had stabilized and The Magician Fors finally retrieved rted information from the spirit world and stars, she exhaled in relief and said, "Although Earth
Mother has fallen..."
She nced at Anthony, sealing his hearing just as Franca had done when exining the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s impending fusion with the Brood Hive.
Only afterpleting this did The Magician continue, "But the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s progress in amodating the Brood Hive has also been dyed. Mr. Fool has timely ascended as the Lord of Mysteries and stabilized the astral barrier."
She paused, then looked at Franca and Ludwig.
"Of course, the danger isn''t over yet. If Lumian can''t amodate the City of Cmity before the Mother Goddess of Depravity fully fuses with the Brood Hive, and if he can''t cooperate with Mr. Fool to seriously wound Her and drive Her out of the barrier after bing the Origins of Disaster, we''ll still have to evacuate."
"Mm." Franca first responded solemnly, then forced a smile. "At least there''s still hope. That''s better than no hope at all!"
"Indeed." Madam Magician nodded in agreement, then released Anthony from his seal and briefly exined the situation in terms he could understand.
After finishing, she sighed and said, "Tonight is destined to be long."
Meanwhile, the Rorsted Archipgo, in the City of Generosity, Bayam.
The Blue Avenger docked at the harbor. Mr. Hanged Man Alger, wearing a captain''s coat, stepped off the deck and descended toward the port, embraced by the wind.
Under the crimson moonlight, his shadow stretched long and indistinct, as if he had three
heads.
Loen Kingdom, Cathedral of Serenity, in a certain room.
Mr. Star Leonard emerged from the darkness, wearing a white shirt under a dark trench coat.
He approached a table, picked up the red gloves ced before him, and slowly, methodically
slipped them on.
He then nced around, his figure vanishing inch by inch as if erased by an invisible hand.
Mission: Protect a region containing multiple "spheres."
Destination: Tingen City, Awwa County.
...
Above the gray fog, within the majestic pce.
When Mr. Fool left for the astral world, Lumian turned his gaze toward the charred fragments
of trees left after the Gift of the Land shattered and the brown mist rising and coalescing
above them. This mist corresponded to the powers of the Deste Matriarch''s boon.
Lumian reached out and grabbed, causing the brown mist to condense into a mass of soiln/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
sprouting grass, grains, and vines.
"Deliver this to Madam Justice," Lumian said, tossing the soil to Zedus beside him.
After the strike of the Sword of Destruction, Omebe''s remaining consciousness and spirituality within the Gift of the Land had beenpletely annihted, leaving behind no trace. The boon power, now detached from the corpse, became purified, containing only faint remnants of the Brood Hive''s consciousness and spirituality, unlinked to Omebe''s mystical
connections.
In essence, this mass of brown soil was akin to Beyonder items like the Circle of Binding or Fallen Mercury. It no longer bore ties to Omebe''s past but could no longer reliably connect with the Brood Hive for power, making each use of its abilities finite.
As he spoke, Lumian departed from above the gray fog with Zedus, returning to the vi
where he resided.
Naboredisley was already waiting there.
"You''ve finally returned," said Naboredisley, His ice-blue eyes betraying a visible sigh of
relief.
As Zedus vanished with the brown soil in hand, Lumian smiled at Naboredisley and said, "Let''s begin. This is the final chance."
With that, Lumian settled into an armchair in the living room.
Naboredisley gave him a look, sat on the long sofa opposite him, and smiled in reply, "Better
than no chance at all."
Before the words had fully left his lips, His body suddenly dissolved into a pool of ck liquid, a manifestation of all malice, desire, and evil intent.
The ck liquid, both real and illusory, quickly flowed toward Lumian.
Directly infiltrating my mind and spirit without imnting a spiritual brand? Heh... Lumian raised
an eyebrow, watching with a smile but offering no resistance. He allowed the foul, sinister liquid to seep into his body, spirit, and mind.
Feeling the surge of malevolence within him, Lumian retrieved a candle from his divine
kingdom, lit it, and ced it on the edge of the coffee table.
He then leaned back against the sofa, closing his eyes. The faintly sweet aroma of gray amber began to spread.
Chapter 1152: The Hawk Does Not Bow to the Sparrow
Chapter 1152: The Hawk Does Not Bow to the Sparrow
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As the scent of gray amber candles wafted through the air, Lumian sat with his eyes closed, sensing the malice welling up deep within his mind. It was as though he had entered the mists of history, embodying Devil Monarch Farbauti, indulging in wild, unrestrained acts, all while entering a Cogitative state.
Now, he no longer needed corpse wax candles to sense the City of Cmity. Through Cogitation alone, he could achieve a deepmunion with it.
Soon, Lumian began to float. Before him appeared a mist tinged with an eerie ck hue.
This time, he didn''t enter the "Shanghai" that Franca had described, nor did he see the trackless trams carrying heads with dangling spines or rickshaws dragging bloated women. Instead, what came into view was a stone well built of bs and iron chains engraved with devilish faces.
The Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence? Now that I''ve be a dual-pathway true god in the domain of cmity, initiating the secret deed brings me directly to the core of the City of Cmity, to the ce where the malevolent dragon is sealed? If not for the seal, I''d likely be facing the malevolent dragon directly... Lumian nodded in understanding.
Wasting no time, he immersed himself in the mirror-like surface of the crimson well water. He traversed through familiar scenes he had previously explored and arrived at the gray- white za where he had once encountered the mirrored Alista Tudor. Outside the invisible barrier, he saw the massive ck shadow upying the bottom of the blood-colored sea, spanning the size of an entire metropolis.
He stopped in his tracks.
At the same time, outside the wooden tower binding the malevolent dragon, a figure materialized out of thin air,posed of countless ethereal, transparent entities.
Draped in a blue robe and crowned with a traditional high headdress, this figure held a horsetail whisk. His face was as wless as jade but gaunt.
The Celestial Master of the current generation.
Now that the Mother Goddess of Depravity had captured the Brood Hive and begun fusing with it, He no longer needed to maintain the grayish-white fog.
Beside Him, two other figures gradually came into focus.
One was d in yellow monastic robes wrapped in a red kasaya. His head bore tonsure scars, and his round face was adorned with a long white beard that reached his chest. He wore a perpetual, kind smile.
The other was draped in a dark robe adorned with strange patterns. His face was ashen and bloodless, with eyes so ck they seemed to swallow all light.
The first was the manifestation of Buddha, a Holy Monk acknowledged by all sects of the monasticmunity. The second was the Underworld Daoist, head of the Haoli lineage. Ever since He had entered the River of Eternal Darkness to suppress the remnants of the Blood Emperor''s soul, He had been as good as dead-His consciousness only partially merged into the River, allowing Him to act briefly but preventing Him from returning to the living world. This fate mirrored those of His predecessors and sessors in the Haoli lineage.
"Your efforts are much appreciated," said the Celestial Master, cing one hand on his chest and nodding slightly.
Before His words had fully settled, a shadow emerged from the depths of the dragon-sealing tower. Darkness condensed into a human form.
The figure wore a voluminous ck robe, with long, flowing hair streaked with white. His gaunt face bore a smile as He stepped forward. "How could you leave me out of this?"
The Celestial Master did not respond, as a sudden light illuminated the sky.
All four present figures raised their heads simultaneously. Throughyers of white clouds, they saw a faintly discernible door.
At the door stood an immense figure, crowned with the high headdress of an emperor, its face concealed by ovepping beaded veils.
Without speaking further, the Celestial Master approached the stone tablet in front of the wooden tower and pressed His hand against it.
In the next second, the iron chains within the ancient well began to retract, producing metallic nging sounds.
This caused the crimson well water to ripple and lose its mirror-like quality.
Standing on the gray-white za, Lumian immediately sensed that the barrier separating the blood-colored sea from this mirror world had loosened, leaving exploitable "cracks."
As the Ruler of the Mirror World, Lumian dematerialized without hesitation, passing through the opening and returning to reality.
The blood-colored sea surged around him, corroding his soul and attempting to merge with him.
Lumian felt the malice buried deep within his heart gush forth as viscous ck liquid, separating from his mind and spirit.
These streams of ck liquid stealthily dispersed into the surroundings of the blood-colored sea, neutralizing the dark specks suspended within it.
Unconcerned with Devil Monarch Farbauti''s actions, Lumian focused his gaze ahead, toward the immense ck shadow he had previously glimpsed but could not clearly see.
The shadow was unimaginably long, coiled like a serpent. Yet, even so, it upied an areaparable to an entire Trier.
Its body seemedposed of two enormous pythons entwined together-one covered in deep, iron-ck scales, the other smooth and pristine, like white jade. Where they touched, flesh and bone intertwined, forming one entity despite their dual appearance.
Iron chains, engraved with demonic reliefs, pierced through this massive body repeatedly, extending toward the blood-colored sea above.
Sensing Lumian''s presence, the colossal creature slowly raised its heads.
It had three heads!
On the left, connected to the ck-scaled body, was a head resembling a camel''s, with antelope-like horns, cow-like ears, and iron-ck eyes. Crimson fur covered its scalp.
On the right, extending from the white jade "serpent body," was the head of a human woman with ck hair and brown eyes, breathtakingly beautiful, bearing a resemnce to Cheek. Or rather, Cheek bore a resemnce to it.
The central head, however, was a swirling amalgamation of liquid, epassing all colors and possibilities. At its facial features-eyes, nose, ears, and mouth-holes had been drilled, one or two in each location.
This central head separated the other two, preventing them from merging, ensuring their independent existence. Below it, an invisible substance formed a neck that both supported the head and rooted it into the entwined serpentine bodies.
"You also have three heads..." Lumian chuckled.
Then, he mockingly jeered at Adam in his mind, Your n failed in the final step!
Had Alista Tudor and Cheek not stumbled upon the right conditions by chance, this "experiment" of yours would have ended in failure!
The phrase "Yin contains yang, yang contains yin, the union of yin and yang gives rise to everything" was indeed correct, and the only method, but only up until the final step. But in this state, attempting to amodate the City of Cmity would inevitably lead to disaster.
The phrase "the union of yin and yang gives rise to everything" itself hinted at its conclusion:
What did everything begin with? It began with the Original Creator creating this world! The union of yin and yang signifies a return to the origin, heralding the rebirth of all things! Of course, what would return wouldn''t be theplete Original Creator but rather a Mirrored Original Creator, stable enough to avoid immediately destroying and rebooting the universe.
In the First Epoch, the first sefirah amodated by the Primordial God Almighty was the City of Cmity. Beyond His deep desire for it, He likely foresaw its dangers. By intervening personally and using the chaotic head as a barrier, He prevented yin and yang from fully merging, halting their
integration.
Everything was threefold, giving birth to all things. Only then could it be stable.
With his three heads and six faces, Lumian gazed at the simrly three-headed malevolent
dragon,ughing wildly.
...
Inside the wooden tower.
The Celestial Master, the Holy Monk, the Haoli lineage''s Underworld Daoist, and the self- proimed Master of the Shadow Cottage each sat cross-legged at one of the dragon-sealing
well''s corners.
Underneath the Celestial Master appeared a deste wilderness. Behind the Holy Monk, a
pristine, transcendent halo emerged.
Before the Haoli sect master, a straight, broad, dark river flowed out of the void and into the
ancient well.
Seeing this, the Master of the Shadow Cottageughed uproariously, summoning a faintly discernible, shadowy-ck world to descend upon the scene.
At the wooden tower''s apex, a light tinged with blue and white poured down directly onto the
dragon-sealing well.
nging sounds echoed as faint light glimmered on the chains embedded in the ancient
well''s walls, shaking violently.
The battle between Lumian and the malevolent dragon-or rather, Lumian''s effort to amodate the City of Cmity-was something the high-ranking figures like the Celestial Master could not directly intervene in. They could only use the preexisting seals to
restrict and weaken the malevolent dragon.
...
At the bottom of the blood-colored sea, the malevolent dragon''s six eyes fixed on Lumian, and an overwhelming pressure descended upon the world.
Lumian, holding onto the idea that "if I can persuade it, I can save a lot of time, and there''s nothing to lose by trying," smiled and Instigate the malevolent dragon, "I know you desire war, destruction, the conquest of all things, and to send those who refuse to submit into
chaos.
"If you''re willing to merge with my body, I will lead you into the highest realms of warfare, where those so-called great existences will either bow before you or be destroyed by you."
As Lumian spoke, Cheek''s face turned forward, eager to add something, to Instigate a few words Herself. Unfortunately, she couldn''t speak.
The malevolent dragon stared at Lumian for several seconds, and then the two side heads
spoke simultaneously.
One voice was masculine and powerful; the other was soft and alluring. The two ovepped, resonating throughout the surroundings:
"The hawk does not bow to the sparrow, and a true dragon does not obey the wild dog.
"If you wish to im all this, thene and defeat me-kill me!"
Hearing these words, Lumian suddenly felt a surge of excitement. So did the face of Alista
Tudor, whose eyes turned iron ck, filled with fervent intensity. Lumian immediately raised his right hand and removed the dark gold mask from the central face on his left shoulder, revealing the visage formed of the chaotic vortex.
Heughed loudly and dered, "Then let us fight!"
...n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
In the World of Ruins.
Above the grayish-white fog outside the Western Continent, the blood-red moon continued
to fend off the marites controlled by Klein while simultaneously suppressing the Brood Hive with relentless fury.
Suddenly, from deep within the blood-red moon-where the physical core might reside- came a strange sound: Thump! Thump! Thump!
It sounded like the heartbeat of a fetus within its mother''s womb.
Before the fetus had even been born, its heartbeat pierced through its mother''s body, echoing across every ce illuminated by the blood-red moonlight.
Chapter 1153: The Shoulders of Giants
Chapter 1153: The Shoulders of Giants
?
Thump! Thump!
As the heartbeat intensified, the towering, ten-thousand-meter-high Brood Hive hesitated in Its struggle. It seemed to be drawn by an inexplicable force or subjected to an irresistible power.
Its fusion with the blood-red moon elerated once again.
However, the heartbeat emanating from the depths of the moon did notst long. It soon subsided, as if even the moon''s body rejected its continuation, unwilling to let the pulsations grow stronger.
It was as though allowing it to persist might bring about an unknown problem-one so severe that the moon itself was reluctant to face it.
After the brief resonance of the infant''s heartbeat, the Brood Hive''s resistance faltered. Though It still struggled and held Its ground, Its efforts were no longer as fervent as before. It was akin to a battlefield charge, once full of hope, being thwarted, leading to a drop in morale.
Under such circumstances, failure seemed inevitable in the near future.
...
At the bottom of the blood-colored sea, Lumian removed the dark golden mask, revealing the chaotic vortex face beneath. At that moment, the left head of the malevolent dragon let out a terrifying roar.
The roar reverberated through Lumian''s mind, causing an overwhelming buzzing that briefly scattered his thoughts.
Pain shot through all three of his necks as if invisible hands were trying to wrench each head from his shoulders, spine and all.
Of the three, the chaotic vortex head was the least affected. It turned to the front, stabilizing the body while continuing to "gaze" at the malevolent dragon.
Apanied by the roar, the malevolent dragon attempted to stretch Its massive body and ascend to the upper reaches of the blood-colored sea. But metallic nging echoed as ck iron chains embedded in Its flesh and soul strained against Its movements.
One after another, the demonic engravings on the chains transformed into colossal, tangible entities-manifestations of various demons.
They desperately pulled on the chains, preventing the malevolent dragon from leaving Its position.
Some demons quickly sumbed to the malevolent dragon''s power, submitting entirely. Others held on, stubbornly resisting the forces of conquest.
Seeing the formation of demons faltering and on the verge ofplete submission, a dark, colorless river flowed down the iron chains, revitalizing the struggling devils. It was like an emergency injection, causing them to return to their positions and heed themands of their sealers.
High-ranking figures of the Death pathway wield significant control and suppression over their lesser counterparts. The River of Eternal Darkness, a force even higher in rank than Death itself, amplified this effect!
When the malevolent dragon was first sealed, the engravings of demons on the iron chains were chosen specifically for this purpose. Empowered by the River of Eternal Darkness and controlled by the Haoli sect''s sect master, these demons could partially resist the dragon''s powers of Conquest and Charm. This ensured that the demons would not immediately capitte in the dragon''s struggle, buying time for reinforcements to arrive and activate subsequentyers of containment.
Amidst the piercing sounds of strained metal, the malevolent dragon managed to extend only part of Its body. It could not ascend higher in the blood-colored sea and remained trapped in ce.
This was one of the reasons Klein believed Lumian had a chance to merge with the City of Cmity before the Mother Goddess of Depravitypleted Her fusion with the Brood Hive. Lumian wasn''t facing a fully intact malevolent dragon or the City of Cmity at its peak. Instead, he confronted a target that had been sealed through a monumental effort-one that cost countless heroes their lives!
The current malevolent dragon was shackled, unable to leave its position or create Mirror Substitutions or slumbering mirrors. It was akin to a living target. If Lumian couldn''t defeat, subdue, kill, or merge with such a restrained dragon in a short time, he was fundamentally unworthy of the task.
The cultivators of the Western Continent had paved the way for him, sacrificing generations to remove half the obstacles to the finish line!
Lumian stood on the shoulders of giants, supported by the wisdom and sacrifices of Western civilization''s sages.
This was a ry passed down through countless generations, and Lumian was merely the final runner!
Many of the demonic entities engraved on the dragon-sealing chains were once cultivators who voluntarily transformed themselves to bind the dragon. They willingly epted eternal torment, choosing to descend into demonic hell to ensure the dragon remained imprisoned. Today, they would finally see the decisive battle. The malevolent dragon would be in, and they would be liberated.
Sess doesn''t have to be achieved by me, but I must contribute to its achievement!
The demons on the iron-ck chains, their faces twisted and their ws bared, remained steadfast. The majority stood resolutely at their posts, refusing to retreat, vowing to resist to the death.
They pulled on the chains with all their might, firmly restricting the dragon''s movements and creating opportunities for Lumian''s attacks.
Earlier, Lumian had attempted to Instigate the dragon not only to save time but also to leverage the Eye of Cmity to identify the malevolent dragon''s weaknesses and the
tributary of fate leading to Its death.
But the malevolent dragon had no fatal weaknesses. There was no tributary in fate leading to Its true demise.
Its only vulnerabilities were the chains and the demons that forcefully created limitations. These were not deadly ws; they merely restricted Its actions and diminished Its power. Thus, Lumian removed the dark golden mask. He intended to use the chaotic vortex face to draw upon the White Tower pathway''s Omniscient Eye ability.
This time, he wasn''t searching for weaknesses or death. He was searching for problems. The vortex on the chaotic face at the center of his left shoulder began to spin. Deep within the vortex, an eye seemed to open, illuminating the entwined dual dragon bodies and their three heads.
In an instant, Lumian saw the problem.
A scene suddenly appeared in his mind: Under a specific psychic storm, intangible shadows that didn''t belong to the dragon-yet bore Its aura were stripped away.
These shadows included a general seated alone in a tent, a beautiful dancer performing under the general''s gaze, a conqueror standing before a massive mound of skulls, a concubine gracefully dancing in his palm, an emperor ascending a sacrificial altar alone, and a favored consort smiling at the sight of beacon fires rising in the distance...
These shadows represented sessive generations of high-ranking figures who had aligned themselves with the City of Cmity. They were a jumble of influences that had imparted some degree of consciousness, thoughts, and inclinations to the malevolent dragon. Lumian envisioned using psychic authority and a specific Mental gue to temporarily strip away these external consciousnesses, rejecting them to the edges of the dragon''s being. This would return the malevolent dragon to Its most "primal" and "authentic" form.
As such, the malevolent dragon would be a pure symbol of cmity, a walking embodiment of destruction, incapable of controlling Its own instincts.
This created exploitable vulnerabilities.
As the scene took shape in Lumian''s mind, the malevolent dragon, which was straining against the chains, suddenly stiffened. One by one, intangible shadows separated from Its
body.
The dragon''s left head, with Its iron-ck eyes, was instantly tinged with blood-red. The expression on the right, the beautiful woman''s head, turned mad. Even the central, chaotic head began spewing all-epassing colors from its drilled apertures.
The dered future from a Visionary was unfolding!
The blood-colored sea quaked violently the very next second. An indescribable aura of destruction and madness descended upon the scene. The demons on the chains trembled uncontrobly, while Lumian''s right and central heads were forced to bow.
The malevolent dragon''s white-bodied head, with Its crazed blue eyes, swiftly reflected Lumian''s body within Its gaze. It perceived his fragile bnce and the point of cmity''s
detonation.
Without hesitation, the dragon lunged forward. In Its eyes, Lumian''s body began to copse
from within, exploding into chaos.
Catastrophe descended!
This was a strike against Lumian''s greatest vulnerability-his precarious bnce.
For the now-instinct-driven malevolent dragon, what would happen to Lumian in the event
of such a copse didn''t matter.
Its sole desire was destruction, the return of all things to chaos. Lumian''s figure shattered abruptly, voluntarily turning into a mirror.
Yet, even with his preemptive use of a Mirror Substitution, the catastrophe traveled through
the connection between the avatar and his true body, spreading to him.
This was the nature of the City of Cmity.
As long as a connection existed, it could curse, affect, and spread catastrophe! Lumian''s half-female, half-male body shimmered in one corner of the blood-colored sea. Both sides of his form began writhing as though they intended to devour each other. Meanwhile, the central head lost its connection and control over the heads on the right and
left.
Within Lumian, the Uniqueness of the Primordial Demoness, the Uniqueness of the Red Priest, and the Demoness of Apocalypse Beyonder characteristics and Conqueror erupted into violent conflict. Each sought to end the current equilibrium and dominate the whole.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Illusory cracking noises echoed as the invisible connections within Lumian, linking his various traits, were forcibly severed by the catastrophe.
However, this did not cause Lumian''s body to copse catastrophically. Instead, it shattered
the protections maintaining his bnce.
Grafting!
That protection was Grafting.
Shortly after bing a dual-pathway true god, Lumian had enlisted Mr. Fool''s assistance
to Graft the Uniqueness and Beyonder characteristics within him into a cohesive whole, stabilizing his existence in a peculiar manner. He had made simr preparations before facing
the Primordial Demoness.
Now, the Grafting had shielded him from one catastrophic copse of his bnce, but it could only do so once. Beyond this, even the Lord of Mysteries Klein could no longer intervene in
what transpired here.
Lumian''s three heads continued to spin, each turning toward different directions. Had he not spent the past month adjusting his state and further stabilizing his psyche and
spirit, Lumian, who had relied on Grafting to escape the predicament, would still have taken
the inevitable turn, albeit less catastrophic.
As his three heads rotated, Lumian managed to barely regain control of Cheek''s face. He raised one arm on his right side.
Chapter 1154: Calamity of Destruction
Chapter 1154: Cmity of Destruction
?
As Lumian clenched one of the arms on his right side, the void before him copsed entirely, meeting its apocalypse. It formed a vortex of chaos that contained all colors and possibilities.
Just as an Apocalypse was an ascendant form of Catastrophe, Chaos was an ascendant form of Apocalypse.
Catastrophe led to the copse of an entire system. Apocalypse deepened that copse into a total explosion of contradictions, entangling all into one. Chaos represented the singrity in a convergence, the conclusion after the total explosion.
Thus, the Chaos of the Chaos Demoness could not be applied directly to a stable and bnced target. A catastrophic copse must first be created in the designated area, followed by the total explosion of contradictions to form a substantial vortex of chaos. Only then could it spread outward to affect the target.
As soon as the vortex containing all colors appeared, it began spreading toward the malevolent dragon.
It encountered an invisible barrier, unable to directly reach the dragon''s massive body. This was part of the sealing mechanism. The malevolent dragon was incapable of creating catastrophes orunching attacks within the area It upied or where the iron-ck chains extended. Otherwise, It would have destroyed the sealing chains through self-inflicted damage long ago, returning to the "sea"-after all, as long as even a single me of Its being remained, It could rebuild Its body.
This limitation restricted both the malevolent dragon and Lumian.
The vortex of chaos churned violently against the invisible barrier, pulling and shredding it in an attempt to consume it. Yet the barrier''s power seemed endless, showing no signs of faltering in the short term.
Around the dragon-sealing well, high-ranking figures from the Western Continent, such as the Celestial Master and the Holy Monk, sessively unleashed Their powers. Layer byyer, They decoupled the seal, creating a breach in the area where Lumian was attacking.
The vortex of chaos quickly broke through the invisible barrier, extending toward the malevolent dragon''s enormous body.
On the surface of the chains binding that part of the dragon, the demon carvings-rather than showing anger as they faced the encroaching chaos-wore expressions of joy. They
straightened their backs, lifted their heads high, and their terrifying visages of green faces, sharp fangs, bare bones, and oozing pus radiated pride and relief.
The vortex, containing all possibilities, swept them in, quickly dissolving them into nothingness.
The corresponding chains fractured and fell into the chaos.
That section of the malevolent dragon''s body was also torn apart-deep red mes, iron- ck bones, white spikes, and ck fur all dissipated into the vortex of chaos.
All three of Its heads tilted back simultaneously, letting out agonized howls.
The affected part of Its body broke apart. Without the binding chains, It ignited prematurely with ck mes that restrained madness, destruction, and chaos.
The swathes of dark mes collided with the approaching chaos, plunging the blood-colored sea into instant darkness. Light, sound, and motion all ceased to exist.
Both forces annihted each other simultaneously.
As Lumian prepared to capitalize on his strike, to unleash catastrophe, herald apocalypse, and initiate wave after wave of warfare, a surge of madness erupted from deep within his mind.
The "asional" state he was in ended prematurely.
He lost control. He went mad!
This was because the malevolent dragon was an iplete Origins of Disaster. Unless It deliberately restrained Itself, Its corresponding symbols would inevitably influence the surrounding area. For Lumian, twotent cmities were most prominent: his fragile bnce and the fact that he had already lost control and sumbed to madness, only temporarily lucid due to The Fool Klein''s wish. The first had already been triggered earlier, and now, the second was inevitably manifesting as disaster!
The central head on Lumian''s body lost all reason. Its expression twisted with madness. At the same time, the chaotic vortex face on his left shoulder suddenly developed two holes, as if organs had been forcibly gouged out at the positions of its eyes.
This face took over his entire body.
A Virtual Persona!
It was the Virtual Persona from the Visionary pathway!
Over the past month, besides stabilizing his state and helping the Tarot Club members, as well as those he still cared about in the protected zones, Lumian had been contemting potential challenges in his battle against the malevolent dragon.
Thanks to The Fool Klein''s awakening and amodation of Sefirah Castle, Lumian gained deeper understanding and mastery over symbols and their influences. He learned the nature of the Origins of Disaster, Cmity of Destruction, as well as their potential impacts on himself.
To counter this, he had used the Visionary''s abilities to imnt a virtual persona in himself. If his primary consciousness lost control and descended into madness, this temporary persona would immediately emerge, fusing with the chaotic vortex face to take over his body.
The chaotic vortex face was chosen because only Its status and rank could suppress the other faces and the uncontroble madness of his primary consciousness.
The Virtual Persona, a near-exact replica of Lumian but with subtle differences, barely restrained his frenzied instincts. At that moment, an endless ck void appeared before him, along with a starrger and brighter than the sun.
The star''s core copsed on a massive scale, releasing unparalleled light and heat.
A sea of unimaginable brilliance surged forth, just seconds away from engulfing Lumian.
The central head on Lumian''s body burst into maniacalughter.
"Is this also a damn cmity?"
...
At the border between the Western Continent and the Fog Sea, high above the grayish-white
fog.
The nest-like, ten-thousand-meter-high peak on the blood-red moon began to tremble, sinking inch by inch.
The halted fusion resumed, though not at the same rapid pace as when the blood moon first
rose.
Among the countless manifestations of Klein surrounding the moonlit world, some were engaging in "infighting," while others remotely influenced the Mother Goddess of Depravity, albeit only causing interference.
...
Somewhere in the ruins of the Southern Continent.
Within a concealed area protected by slight corruption transmitted by the Mother Tree of Desire through the Chained God, the grotesque followers of the Mother Tree of Desire- oozing pus, with misced facial features, or bearing animalistic traits like rabbit ears, skinny pig limbs, and sheep torsos, or writhing in agony under ceaseless curses- simultaneously received messages from Suah and Tiri: "Come to the altar! "Hahaha, the Mother Goddess of Depravity is about to seed. After amodating the Brood Hive, She will assist us ording to Her pact with the Lord, the Primordial God
Almighty!
"This is what we gained in exchange for the loss of the Tree of Shadow!"
Upon hearing the name Mother Goddess of Depravity, many of the followers underwent grotesque transformations, sprouting genitalia, staining blood-red, or swelling as fetuses prepared to tear their way out...
These Beyonders staggered toward the altar.
Suah and Tiri, in Their madness, were indifferent to their states, or perhaps, didn''t even
consider it.
...
Confronted by the exploding sea of light, Lumian ignited.
He transformed into an invisible, colorless me before bing pure light.
In a sun-like state wreathed in fire, he met the raging, searing, terrifying sea of light.
Lumian was absorbed into it. His outer mes extinguished and reignited repeatedly, while his inner luminous consciousness alternated between disintegration and cohesion.
As the explosion neared its end, he morphed into a vortex of chaos, absorbing the surrounding light and heat to reconstruct his body.
Relying on the chaotic vortex face''s status, rank, abilities, and Its affinity with light, Lumian
barely survived this cmity.
Yes, the Cmity of Destruction epassed universal symbols, and a supernova explosion was undoubtedly one such cmity!
Simrly, as the Cmity of Destruction represented a universal-level symbol, the scope of the City of Cmity could be infinitely small or infinitely vast.
Immediately after, Lumian transformed into light and, at the speed of light, raced toward the location of the malevolent dragon he sensed.
At that moment, an indescribably deep darkness emerged in the adjacent starry sky.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The darkness couldn''t be directly seen or truly perceived. It was identifiable only through the distorted gases and the slow-spinning disk-like structure surrounding it.
The light that Lumian had be bent uncontrobly toward the darkness, entering the
rotating structure of diffuse material.
This too was a cmity!
A true Cmity of Destruction!
Lumian realized he had only one path to survival: to quickly pass through the earlier breach
and enter the malevolent dragon''s territory.
There, the malevolent dragon couldn''tunch attacks or create cmities. Otherwise, It
would have freed Itself long ago!
Amid the bending light, Lumian abruptly reverted to his fiery giant form.
Clusters of his intangible mes flew toward the spinning disk''s core, followed by the iron-
ck bones that made up his frame.
Seizing a fleeting opportunity, a vivid banner-like mark emerged on the forehead of the
central head.
He was invoking the sacrificial ability of the Red Priest, offering tribute to the malevolent dragon and pleading for Its aid!
In a normal state, the malevolent dragon would have ignored Its enemy. But now, with the external consciousnesses and inclinations temporarily stripped from it, the malevolent dragon was a pure creature of instinct.
Receiving sacrifices and providing Its help was an ability etched into the Beyonder characteristics, authority, concepts, and symbols of the Hunter pathway. The malevolent dragon would instinctively, uncontrobly respond to Lumian, even if it led to Its own
downfall.
This was why Lumian had begun the battle by forcing the dragon back to its godhood and instincts with the Omniscient Eye!
As time slowed to a crawl, Lumian, now missing most of his body, received the malevolent
dragon''s response.
"Haha!" His central headughed maniacally.
The darkness and its surrounding distortions dissipated in tandem.
That individual for which it came was the same reason it vanished. Before the malevolent dragon could react, Lumian activated a contract mark on his body.
Chapter 1155: Dao
Chapter 1155: Dao
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Lumian''s figure abruptly disappeared into the boundless cosmos, following the mystical connection established by the malevolent dragon''s response to his offering, "transporting" himself to Its domain.
Surrounding him wereyers of dense, ovepping colors and wailing souls.
The spirit world!
Unless entirely and specifically isted, every ce was connected to the spirit world and the astral world.
This was one of the symbolic meanings of a Pir.
However, waiting for Lumian was an overwhelming brilliance that swept away everything. It was as if two gxies collided, tearing through the spirit world.
Lumian did not linger in the spirit world. Before the exploding sea of light engulfed him, he transformed into an abstract symbol and concept, entering the astral world.
An infinite flood of light, heat, and matter surged after him.
Reaching out with both hands, Lumian created a door directly within the astral world, amidst aposition of symbols and concepts-a "painted" door,yered and intricate.
The door was instantly opened, and Lumian''s figure disappeared from the astral world.
His eyes then beheld the entwined, colossal forms of the malevolent dragon.
Finally, he had arrived at the domain where the dragony coiled, a ce where It could not unleash cmities. He reached this location through a "door."
The contract seal he activated was not one from Zedus, as that form of "transportation" belonged to spirit world creatures and could not ess the astral world or open a "door."
Instead, he used a newly acquired contract seal-one obtained a month ago from Gehrman Sparrow!
By its nature, the contracts of a Contractee lost the ability to forcefullypel agreements or obligations once they reached higher levels of power without the qualitative enhancement provided by Inevitability. However, if both parties willingly agreed to and honored the contract, and the contractee''s body and soul could bear the power transmitted by the other party, it remained effective. Such mystical connections, though, were fragile and could not sustain more than two uses, being easily disrupted.
Before facing the Primordial Demoness, Lumian had ventured into the astral world, where he sought angel-level boons of true gods for his puppet soldiers. He had also signed a contract with Gehrman Sparrow, who wielded the Door pathway''s Uniqueness, to prepare for situations where he couldn''t rely on his puppet soldiers.
In that prior battle, while the Primordial Demoness had indeed held back, so had Lumian, keeping some of his cards hidden!
Earlier, Lumian waited until the sacrificial ritual took effect and the malevolent dragon responded before activating the contract seal that represented high-level power from the Door pathway. This was to confuse the dragon with his persistence and journey, catching It in a moment of distraction so that It would not detect or disrupt the contract connection in time. Additionally, the ritual strengthened the mystical connection between Lumian and the dragon, ensuring he could locate It and reach his destination, despite the dragon''s potent Fog of War.
The negative effects of signing a Door-rted Uniqueness contract with Gehrman Sparrow originally manifested as "frequently getting lost and encountering hostile, dangerous entities." However, after being Fooled by The Fool Klein, the drawback changed to "potentially getting lost and encountering hostile entities only while using the contract''s abilities."
In the current scenario, the most hostile and dangerous entity to Lumian was undoubtedly the malevolent dragon!
Once Lumian "opened the door" to enter the sealed domain of the malevolent dragon, he immediately felt the cmities stemming from the dragon''s influence subside.
The power of the Wish returned, and he once again entered his state of "asional" lucidity!
The malevolent dragon roared, emanating powerful Conquest and Charm, but despite Its ferocity, It could not easily break free from the dragon-sealing chains and the countless demons holding It down.
While relying on the chaotic vortex face on his left shoulder to resist the Conquest and Charm without yielding quickly, Lumian stood above the dragon within the blood-colored sea. He deactivated the Virtual Persona and turned his gaze toward the terrifying, grimacing demons on the dragon-sealing chains.
Having learned from Mr. Fool about the origins of the chains and demons, Lumian''s expression was filled with respect and admiration. Using a phrase he had deliberately learned from Franca in the Western Continent''snguage, he addressed the demons, "Fellow Daoists, please aid me in ending this cmity!"
The terrifying, twisted demons suddenly froze.
Fellow Daoists... This ancient title, seemingly long lost to history, echoed in their ears.
Their fierce expressions softened. On their green and white phantom-like faces, there was a look of reminiscence.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Still straining to maintain their positions along the various nodes of the chains, ensuring that the malevolent dragon remained sealed and could only use abilities like Conquest and Charm within the domain, some of them extended their hands to straighten their crooked, tattered crowns. Others painstakingly tidied their rotting, flesh-exposing garments. Some lifted trembling hands to wipe the bloodstains from their faces...
A gentleman must not lose his crown, even in death!
The Haoli sect''s leader, standing beside the dragon-sealing well, also heard Lumian''s words. As a high-ranking figure of the River of Eternal Darkness, He slightly rxed His control and suppression over the demons.
The demons raised their heads and looked upward, shouting to Lumian in unison, "Fellow Daoist, I shall aid you!"
These cries interwove and echoed, spreading in waves.
With their permission, Lumian quickly incorporated them into his army, making them his teammates and soldiers to resist the dragon''s forceful Conquest and terrifying Charm.
One after another, theyered phantom images of the demons materialized behind Lumian- these were their mirror selves.
The demons at the bottom of the blood-colored sea numbered in the tens of thousands, if not more. While maintaining the chains and the seal to prevent the dragon''s escape, they awaited Lumian to lead their mirrored selves in a devastating attack against the dragon''s true form. Lumian''s six arms either ignited intangible mes, formed chaotic vortices, grasped soul- freezing ck mes, held up an illusory red altar, carried a grayish-white aura, or raised a scorched banner-all simultaneously unleashing attacks on the dragon''s massive body.
These six powers, belonging respectively to the Red Priest and the Primordial Demoness, intertwined to form a giant ck-ming sword of destruction.
The demons'' mirror selves alsounched their own attacks under Lumian''s rank, especially those who had once belonged to the Haoli sect and its rted factions.
They obtained approval and blessings from the Haoli sect''s leader outside the dragon- sealing well and the Underworld Daoist within the River of Eternal Darkness, each borrowing a droplet of the colorless, dark river water.
These droplets transformed into countless illusory arrows that filled the sky, flying toward Lumian''s sword of destruction. Some were repelled by the Red Priest''s team abilities, while
others merged into it.
What was the Dao?
The Dao was generations of perseverance, capable of moving mountains!
The Dao was a spark that could ignite a prairie fire!
The Dao was struggling against the heavens with endless joy!
The malevolent dragon roared, unable to unleash cmities or disasters within this domain.
It could only rely on abilities like Conquest and Charm.
It was restricted, and so was Lumian.
The destruction Lumian unleashed remained confined to the mirror world, unable to reach reality. Meanwhile, the dragon''s true form was not within the mirror-it was sealed and
constrained.
The demons who had borrowed the River of Eternal Darkness''s water, both their mirrored
selves and true forms, sumbed one after another to the erosion of the sefirah''s power. Yet none showed pain; their expressions were calm and serene, with smiles of expectation and
hope.
The remaining demons, seeing the ck-ming sword of destruction draw ever closer to the
dragon, also smiled.
Come, strike us!
As more droplets of the River of Eternal Darkness merged, the giant ming sword Lumian had created grew smaller and darker.
Soon, it transformed into a sword of normal size, one that any human could wield.
The sword, entirely dark, continued to contract as thoughpressing the concepts of time, space, creation, death, destruction, and renewal into a single point.
As the mirrored attack neared the dragon''s domain, the Celestial Master, Holy Monk, and
others around the dragon-sealing well made Their phenomena increasingly evident, merging
them into the well.
With a crash, the blood-red waters surged, breaking chain after chain.
At the final moment, the high-ranking figures of the Western Continent lifted the seal,
allowing cmities and apocalypses to erupt in the dragon''s domain.
Lumian''s attack pierced through the mirror world, entering reality and striking the
malevolent dragon''s heads.
Behind him, the demons dissipated one by one due to the erosion of sefirah''s power. In front
of him, more demons crumbled under the force of destruction.
Seeing this, a surge of intense emotion erupted in Lumian''s heart.
He shouted loudly, "Fight!"
Fighting meant giving your all, pressing forward unyieldingly!
Fight meant sacrificing with great ambition, daring to change the heavens and the earth!
"Fight!"
With this cry, Lumian drove the unstable, dark sword into the dragon''s entwined necks. Immediately, a small, dark singrity formed there, tearing apart surrounding flesh, mes, steel, and bone, consuming all authority, concepts, and symbols.
The malevolent dragon''s entire body arched back, emitting a soundless howl. Then, along with the sealing chains and the demons, It was devoured by the singrity.
The darkness destabilized, expanding into an explosion that released immense light and heat.
One by one, all of Lumian''s Mirror Substitutions shattered, and his body appeared outlined on the edge of the domain.
He looked ahead, seeing only emptiness-nothing remained.
But at that moment, a frenzied, violent aura from the dragon began to pervade the void again.
Its massive body was reforming.
As a consciousness derived from the City of Cmity, Its spirit was indestructible. Once Its physical form was obliterated, It could soon be "reborn" from the City of Cmity. The Western Continent''s cultivators had not killed the dragon back when they could seal It in
a domain where most of Its powers and cmities were nullified. They had understood it was
pointless!
Seeing this, Lumian wasn''t disappointed-he had been prepared.
The second phase of the battle was about to begin-a pure sh of consciousness.
Chapter 1156: The Battle of Consciousness
Chapter 1156: The Battle of Consciousness
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Taking advantage of the malevolent dragon''s scattered consciousness and unformed spirit, Lumian, who had just engaged in battle using the ritual and The Fool Klein''s reality-bending ability, rapidly expanded his figure, "summoning" his physical body from within the
protected zone.
Almost simultaneously, Klein in the astral world created an opening in the grayish-white fog that nketed the Western Continent.
With the Mother Goddess of Depravity fully amodating the Brood Hive, even if the seal on the Western Continent werepletely lifted, she would not currently destroy the continent. However, Her symbolic influence and natural power would still radiate outward, so Klein maintained the seal, merely opening a "door" that connected the interior to the outside for Lumian.
Lumian, now three-headed and six-armed, shot out of the protected zone and Teleported himself to the depths of the grayish-white fog, appearing above the dragon-sealing well.
He dove in, arriving beside his consciousness and spirit.
The two instantly ovepped.
Lumian grew immenselyrge, his three heads gazing in different directions while all six arms were raised.
Leaping out of the now-unsealed dragon-sealing well, he hovered above the bustling metropolis. Stretching his hands downward, he pulled at something heavy from a distance.
The people within the city suddenly felt the sky darken, and the ground trembled noticeably. An image of the city was forcibly extracted by Lumian from its physical form. Within this image, the citizens were grotesque-some were reduced to a single head dragging a bloody, skeletal spine; others were well-dressed but headless; and some were swollen, their features obscured...
This was originally intertwined with the actual metropolis, with secret doors and intersecting timelines connecting the two-
the City of Cmity!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Lumian''s massive body sank abruptly, plunging into the extracted image of the city.
The City of Cmity shrank rapidly and bizarrely, entering Lumian''s body and swiftly moving toward his brow.
Lumian intended to seize the moment, before the malevolent dragon''s consciousness was fully reborn, to forcibly amodate the City of Cmity-and then confront and merge with it!
The next second, the city''s image froze at Lumian''s brow.
His consciousness and spirit were immediately drawn into it.
He saw a staircase ascending to infinite heights, at the end of whichy a divine throne stained with dark red blood. On the steps, the dragon''s body quickly took form, coiling to block his path forward.
...
In the real world.
Deep within the blood-red full moon, the pounding heartbeat grew intense again.
The nest-like peaks seemed to resonate, their sinking elerating.
The aodation of the Mother Goddess of Depravity with the Brood Hive progressed further, showing no signs of slowing.
Within the grayish-white fog directly beneath the blood-red moon, the "Madames" and "Ladies" under the core power of the Mother Goddess of Depravity stood one after another, turning their gaze toward their leader.
This figure, a beautiful woman with a full-moon-like face radiating maternal glory, spoke to herpanions,
"We must return to the embrace of the Mother.
"She has mobilized more of the Chaos Primogenitor''s power to elerate Her fusion with the Brood Hive. We must return to Her embrace, restore Her power, and help alleviate Her burden."
Seeing confusion on their faces, the woman added,
"The Chaos Primogenitor is the Original Sin of the universe. Although merely Sequence o of the Valley God pathway, It carries significant symbolism.
"That symbolism represents the nascent, Original Creator of the next universe. Nurturing It is one of the Mother''s most vital symbols and a key reason she remains a Pir even after the Brood Hive''s separation.
"Even as a Mother, She cannot overly wield Its symbolic powers without risking instability or furtherplications."
Understanding dawned on the Ladies and Madames, their expressions reflecting varying degrees of reverence born of the knowledge imparted.
Together, they chanted in unison,
"Praise be to you, Mother of All Things!
"Praise be to you, Eternal Evil!
"Praise be to you, the True Great Mother Goddess!"
Amidst their praises, these bestowed and Beyonders transformed into beams of red, ck, or brown light, streaming one after another into the blood-red moon and merging with it.
A hidden corner of the World of Ruins'' South Continent.
The bizarrely shaped Rose School of Thought Beyonders and Mother Tree of Desire followers flocked densely near an altar, their numbers overwhelming.
Atop the yellow, pyramid-like altar, a figure wrapped in bandages, thorns, and roses hung motionlessly, appearing to bind all curses and desires-on the verge of erupting.
Chained God Tolzna.
Following the Vortex incident and the descent of the crimson moon, this deity had effectively perished. His body, consciousness, and spirit were entirely corrupted by the Mother Tree of Desire, acting as Her proxy.
Now, He would serve as the primary sacrifice for this ritual, forcibly opening a passage with the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s aid allow the Tree Desire escend within
the barrier. Of course, if the barrier shattered under the Mother Goddess''s assault, It would simply return directly to the great existence, the Mother Tree of Desire.
When the sacrifices were ready, the thoughts of Suah and Tiri radiated outward from in front
of the Chained God.
"The ritual!
"Begin the ritual!"
...
Within the consciousness space corresponding to the City of Cmity.
Seeing the malevolent dragon''s body rapidly forming, the three-headed, six-armed Lumian
suddenly disassembled.
He split into six consciousnesses and six figures.
These included his primary consciousness, Aurore''s consciousness, Jenna''s consciousness,
the dull and unresponsive chaotic vortex consciousness, Primordial Demoness Cheek''s consciousness, and Blood Emperor Alista Tudor''s consciousness.
Though not entirely fused, they had partially merged, cooperating, conflicting, or entangling to form a fragile bnce-while portions corresponding to Omebe and Zedus had fully integrated with Cheek and Tudor, bing indistinguishable.
In the real world, Lumian could not break this bnce or separate these distinct consciousnesses. However, in this space, where they had a degree of independence, they
could unite or divide.
If Lumian seeded in amodating the City of Cmity, his consciousness would eventually form a unified whole-indivisible, even under simr circumstances. This was the distinction between dual-pathway true gods and great existences.
The six consciousnesses coalesced instantly. Lumian pulled the statue-like chaotic vortex face consciousness, along with Aurore''s and Jenna''s consciousnesses, a step back, disappearing from the dragon''s impending attack. This left only Primordial Demoness Cheek
and Blood Emperor Alista Tudor in ce.
Cheek gazed deeply into the Blood Emperor''s eyes, then fixated longingly on the dragon, as if saying: Finally, this moment hase.
Behind Her appeared a figure d in a ck skeletal dress-the mirrored Oldest One''s
feminine aspect.
Simrly, behind Blood Emperor Alista Tudor, the mirrored Oldest One''s masculine aspect
emerged, d in white armor.
In the real world, these figures were forbidden from meeting or merging. But in the consciousness space, Cheek and Tudor could briefly reunite, provided Lumian withdrew the
chaotic vortex consciousness.
This reunion could only ur once, as it would severely wound both Cheek and Tudor. Left unchecked, it could lead to the true birth of the mirrored Oldest One''s consciousness. Lumian was now gambling on this symbolism to counter the dragon''s consciousness, seizing
every moment!
Instantly, the malevolent dragon''s consciousness transformed the space into an infinite, dark cosmos filled with scattered cmities.
Cheek and Tudor drew close, apanied by their mirrored forms.
The entire "universe" froze, all cmities losing their vitality, their light and heat
extinguished, plunging into total silence.
Then, the most violent explosion erupted. Massive amounts of matter scattered outward,
forming stars, suns, seas, and various lifeforms.
The malevolent dragon''s consciousness dissolved in the prior "freeze" and was shattered amidst the current "creation," reforming into disparate entities.
Once again, It dissipated, reconstituting within the City of Cmity, where It would recover
before long.
The figures of Cheek and Tudor merged into a single sphere, twisting and writhing as They struggled to fully integrate.
At this moment, a chaotic vortex face emerged from within, separating Them into four positions-north, south, east, and west.
Annihtion and creation became unstable.
The next second, Lumian, Aurore, and Jenna returned, towering as giants. They forcibly dragged the weakly reborn malevolent dragon''s consciousness close to them.
Under these circumstances, the chaotic head of the malevolent dragon and the chaotic vortex face became strongly attracted, exerting a powerful pull toward convergence. They originated from the same ce-they were one to begin with!
The chaotic vortex face and chaotic head merged, drawing each other to a central point to
fully unite. This act separated Cheek and Tudor, including Their mirrored forms.
The instability of annihtion and creation ceased abruptly. Having finally prevented the true birth of the mirrored Original Creator''s consciousness,
Lumian, Aurore, and Jenna were forced to return to the body containing the chaotic vortex
face.
In doing so, they and the malevolent dragon were now inseparably close, breathing audible,
forms distinct.
Neither could evade. Neither could retreat!
Chapter 1157: Special Symbolism
Chapter 1157: Special Symbolism
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The malevolent dragon''s camel-like head, adorned with antler-like horns and covered in blood-red fur, lunged past the chaotic head and violently collided with Lumian''s face, devouring it.
Lumian did not back down; he bit into the dragon''s head, tearing at Its eyes, nose, and cheeks.
Iron-ck scales began to protrude from Lumian''s face and neck.
This was a symbolic manifestation of the struggle and merging of consciousness.
In such situations, creating cmities and causing severe disasters would inevitably lead to self-inflicted harm.
The dragon''s other head and its snake-like, jade-white body entwined with the heads of Aurore and Jenna. They both Charmed and cursed one another, ck mes-embodying destruction and ferocity-igniting and wrapping around them.
Having disrupted the malevolent dragon''s consciousness twice and forcibly merged before it could fully recover, Lumian had finally reached an equal footing with his opponent.
But it still wasn''t enough!
The malevolent dragon''s consciousness would not remain weakened forever.
Amid their tearing and biting, Lumian sped his two hands together, and a corresponding vision emerged in his mind.
Fuzzy, ethereal figures returned to the malevolent dragon from all directions, reintegrating into the once-unified consciousness.
They were the consciousnesses of the City of Cmity''s Dao integrators that Lumian had previously separated.
Because they had been separated, they had avoided destruction in the earlier battle.
Now, Lumian used the power of a Visionary to reintegrate these separated consciousnesses back into the malevolent dragon, reuniting them and throwing Its consciousness into chaos. This stirred inclinations, emotions, and reactions within the dragon.
...
Thump! Thump!
The heartbeat deep within the blood-red full moon''s Chaos Primogenitor continued to pound violently, causing the mountain-like Brood Hive to sink faster, now more than halfway submerged in crimson.
Thump! Thump!
The sound of the heartbeat resonated in a hidden corner of the World of Ruins on the Southern Continent.
Suah and Tiri, conducting Their ritual, seemed to have grown hearts of Their own, Their beats echoing the sound.
They watched as Beyonders and bestowed transformed into masses of flesh, merging into the Chained God Tolzna. The mummified figure wrapped in bandages, thorns, and roses rapidly sprouted into a tree of desire extending toward the astral world.
"The time hase!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"The help from the Mother Goddess of Depravity has arrived!"
Excited, Suah and Tiri spread iprehensible thoughts while merging into the tree atop the pyramid altar.
For these fervent beings, returning to the Mother''s body was the highest honor!
The tree of desire grew rapidly, seemingly about to touch the astral world''s barrier and tear arge hole into it. Suddenly, it tilted and twisted,
copsing toward the symbols, concepts, and representations that formed Lord of Mysteries Klein.
This happened because the help from the Mother Goddess of Depravity had not arrived. Suah and Tiri had been deceived, misjudging the timing.
This was because They had been marked by Klein long ago!
When Lumian confronted the Primordial Demoness, the entire Tarot Club had mobilized to assist. But hidden within that action was an unknown purpose unbeknownst even to the Major Arcana card holders: to lure out the evil god Angels-Suah, Tiri, and others who had been hiding using the powers of the Mother Tree of Desire and the Mother Goddess of Depravity. At the time, Suah and Tiri had indeed escaped the entanglement of Angel of Time Pallez, Angel of the Holy Spirit Rete, and Ma''am Hermit Cattleya. But unbeknownst to them, Klein, fully awakened as half a Great Old One, had silently followed, discovering the secret hiding ce of the indulgence faction of the Rose School of Thought, other followers of the Mother Tree of Desire, and where Chained God Tolzna was.
If not for the fact that the Chained God had effectively perished and His Uniqueness had been deeply corrupted by the Mother Tree of Desire, which rendered purification impossible in the short termas it would aid the Mother Tree of Desire establish a new, firm mystical connection with the Tenebrous World-Suah and Tiri would have long been Parasitized and controlled, leaving Them no chance of survival to this day.
However, Klein had taken precautions. The moment this area had any anomalies, he could sense it and respond ordingly.
Upon discovering that the Rose School of Thought was conducting a major ritual involving the Uniqueness to open the astral world''s barrier and create a passage, Klein had refrained from stopping Them outright. Instead, he applied Fooling and Deceit, causing Suah and Tiri to misjudge the timing and redirect the ritual''s target toward himself instead of the Mother Tree of Desire.
The next second, the tree extending into the astral world rapidly copsed toward Lord of Mysteries Klein''s location, instantly condensing into a bloody mass encapsting the Chained God''s Uniqueness.
Klein immediately Grafted this mass onto an area above the gray fog.
...
Within the consciousness space, the malevolent dragon, destabilized by the returning Dao integrators'' consciousnesses of the City of Cmity, grew bewildered. Its madness subsided, and It no longer purely followed instinct.
Seizing the moment, Lumian activated another contract mark on his body-a new one
acquired a month ago.
His eyes turned dark, and the clothing manifesting from his consciousness billowed.
The malevolent dragon froze as if It had forgotten It was devouring and merging with Lumian''s six consciousnesses.
Fooled!
Using a Contractee''s power, Lumian had borrowed the Fooling ability from The Fool Klein. It could only be used twice!
If the malevolent dragon had remained purely instinct-driven, Fooling would not have been so effective-Deceit would have worked better. But Lumian had deliberately caused the City
of Cmity''s Dao integrators to return to the dragon''s consciousness, blending seamlessly as
a part of it.
Since they were already fused with the dragon, Its instincts harbored no resistance or
rejection toward them.
Taking advantage of the malevolent dragon being Fooled, and Its consciousness still in a
weakened state, Lumian''s six arms worked in pairs to grasp the dragon''s iron-ck body, Its jade-white snake-like body, and the formless body supporting Its chaotic head.
Lumian''s five faces twisted in unison. Manifesting as a colossal giant, he ripped the
malevolent dragon''s three bodies apart with an ear-splitting tear.
Crimson me-like blood sprayed everywhere, sttering onto the staircase ascending
infinitely high.
Lumian''s central head opened wide and swallowed the dragon''s iron-ck body, including
Its head.
Two of his other arms pressed the malevolent dragon''s jade-white body and beautiful head, forcefully shoving them between the closed eyes of Aurore and Jenna.
His chaotic vortex face then sucked in the majority of the malevolent dragon''s chaotic head. The malevolent dragon resisted desperately, struggling against Lumian''s merging attempt. It sought to create a cmity to destroy both Lumian and itself.
If sessful, while Its-now, third-time-destroyed consciousness would enter a deep slumber within the City of Cmity, waiting centuries or more to reawaken or gradually revive, Its enemy would also diepletely and irreversibly.
At this moment, as Lumian devoured the dragon, he smiled, his thoughts echoing within the malevolent dragon''s spirit: "It''s useless. Even if I die, there''s Medici and the City of Cmity''s current cultivators. Once you''re in a deep sleep, you won''t be able to resist Their amodation." This was a lie. Neither Medici nor the current strongest cultivators of the City of Cmity were in a position to amodate it anytime soon. But such a lie sufficed to deceive the
dragon in its Fooled state.
The malevolent dragon hesitated.
Lumian followed with another thought, smiling. "I''m not the first sacrifice, nor will I be thest!
"You''ve seen my state. If you choose to merge with me, in a few minutes, when your consciousness fully recovers, I won''t be able to maintain bnce-you''ll rece me!"
This was the truth.
...
Boom!
A thunderous heartbeat echoed from the depths of the blood-red moon''s Chaos
Primogenitor.
Even with countless marites and avatars interfering, the mountain-shaped Brood Hive
sank heavily,pletely engulfed in crimson.
This was the extremely special heartbeat of the Chaos Primogenitor about to be born.
It was fundamentally different from earlier beats, symbolizing the Chaos Primogenitor''s imminent entry into reality. This moment heralded the emergence of a new Original Creator, a being even the Mother Goddess of Depravity could only summon once every "major month" Dor 2,160 years. Such a phenomenon could not be repeated without catastrophic consequences.
If She borrowed this special symbolism for less than 2,160 years, the Chaos Primogenitor would truly descend into the real world-a consequence the Mother Goddess of Depravity couldn''t predict. All she knew was that it would be a devastating catastrophe for Her. Detecting the crisis, She instinctively ignored everything else and prioritized fully merging with the Brood Hive!
And afterward, even in a weakened state for centuries, she could still escape with the Brood
Hive, even if she failed to seize anything else.
Boom!
With the echo of that heartbeat and the manifestation of the special symbolism, the invisible
barrier of the astral world began to undergo ominous changes.
The barrier, originating from the Original Creator, vanished entirely-disappearing into thin
air as if its original master had recalled it!
Even Lord of Mysteries Klein was powerless to stop it.
The apocalypse had arrived.
And it came in this way.
At that moment, Klein performed two actions:
First, he extended slimy, eldritch tentacles into the thin gray fog and pulled the astral barrier
back from history, cing it in front of entities like the Circle of Inevitability and other Great
Old Dominators.
Of course, the historical projection of the astral barriercked the Oldest One''s status-much
like the contradictions between historical projections and Uniquenesses. Without the Oldest One''s status, this astral barrier could only hold for two or three seconds.
Second, Klein Grafted nearly all living beings and their corresponding environments from the Western Continent into the protected zones.
Chapter 1158: What Has Been Will Be Again
Chapter 1158: What Has Been Will Be Again
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As soon as Kleinpleted these two actions, the blood-red full moon ascended into the sky.
Immediately afterward, the crimson liquid enveloping the moon surged upward, coalescing into a colossal figure in an instant.
This figure emitted an incredibly terrifying suction, drawing forth grayish-white fog from the infinite heights and revealing the crimson moon and the strange, brownish earth. It seemed as though these elements wished to return to their "mother''s" embrace but were held back by the gray fog.
Simrly, the Beyonder characteristic of the Beauty Goddess within the protected zone broke free of its seal and approached the gray-white fog''s edge.
Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence!
Although the Mother Goddess of Depravity was considerably weakened after amodating the Brood Hive, She could still utilize the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence to directly reim the Uniqueness of the Mother pathway, the Uniqueness of the Moon pathway, and the corresponding Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics-as long as there was no opposition on the same level.
Taking advantage of the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s focus on reiming Her possessions, Lord of Mysteries Klein lifted the seal over the entire Western Continent, causing the grayish- white fog there to vanish abruptly.
Now, only five sefirot watchers-the Celestial Master, the Holy Monk, and three others- remained on the Western Continent. They did not fear the natural dispersal of the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s power or its apanying symbolism.
As Klein removed the Western Continent''s seal, the eight "stars" before him grew exceptionally massive, each eager to shatter the illusory barrier of historical fog and seize the sefirah and Uniqueness They craved.
This sight stirred a sense of despair and fear in both the God of Steam and Machinery, Stiano, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, Herabergen.
They could tangibly feel the oppressive aura emanating from the Great Old Dominators.
At this moment, Klein''s voice echoed within Their minds: "There''s still a chance."
The gods instinctively turned to Klein and saw the Lord of Mysteries, cloaked in a ck trench coat, gloved in dark leather, and holding a star-encrusted cane, surrounded by grayish-white fog.
Carrying the weight of history, he stepped into the illusory barrier to confront the eight Great Old Dominators-beings as vast as stars.
The God of Knowledge and Wisdom, Herabergen, understood that Klein''s "there''s still a chance" was addressed to Them and the Archangels.
After Klein had fully awakened and be the true Lord of Mysteries, Beyonders below Sequence 1 and ordinary humans were no longer in danger.
If the situation became truly untenable, Klein could abandon the sefirot, Uniquenesses, and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics and lead the''s entire poption of normal races to a remote, habitable edge of the universe. In the absence of conflicts of interest or instinctual desires, no Great Old Dominator would willingly oppose the Lord of Mysteries.
But for gods like Herabergen and Archangels outside the Mysteries pathway, escape was impossible!
Even if They lowered Their statusallowing avatars to flee-Their avatars would likely be corrupted once Their main bodies were devoured by the Great Old Dominators. There would be no means of preservation.
This was likely Theirst chance!
Realizing the Lord of Mysteries could not hold off the eight Outer Deities for long,
Herabergen turned His gaze to the real world, toward the protected zones.
A liquid of pure chaos, epassing all colors and possibilities, had seeped out, coalescing into a massive cross.
On this cross hung a figure, formed entirely of radiant light, with a head that retained a human shape adorned with a thick, pale golden beard.
A long shadow with five heads trailed behind Him, while a golden sun quietly hovered behind His head.
The figure opened His eyes, revealing a pair of clear, infant-like golden irises. He nodded toward the God of Knowledge and Wisdom Herabergen and Lord of Storms Leodero within the astral world. "Come, my Kings of Angels."
Amidst the reverberating,yered voice, Herabergen and Leodero were momentarily dazed. It was as if They had returned to the past, following the light and hope.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The God of Knowledge and Wisdom, Herabergen, flew out of the astral world, revealing His true form.
It was a brass dragon the size of a city, capable of expanding evenrger.
The dragon''s body resembled a soft, foldable tower of thick, illusory books, each bearing a brass eye.
The closer one moved toward the dragon''s head, the darker and more ominous theyers of books and eyes became. At the dragon''s brow, a nearly ck brass vertical eye opened, gazing at the cross and the figure upon it.
The brass dragon suddenly ignited, enveloped in formless, colorless mes and quiet, eldritch ck fire.
Dragging His elongated body and zing tail, the dragon hurtled toward the figure on the
cross.
At that moment, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, Herabergen, chose self-destruction, merging with Grisha Adam.
This was not an entirely good thing-it had its dire consequences. Grisha Adam was still battling the Primordial God Almighty''s will and was at a disadvantage, with no chance of bing the Omnipotent and Omniscient One.
In the short term, Herabergen''s residual consciousness would help Grisha Adam resist the Primordial God Almighty, forming a fragile new bnce. This would allow Grisha Adam to better control the body and provide stronger protection for the protected zones after the Great Old Dominators shattered the barrier, ensuring it remained untainted by the Outer Deities'' power and corruption until Lord of Mysteries Klein seized the opportunity to transfer everyone during the chaos.
In the long term, however, integrating the White Tower pathway''s Uniqueness at this moment would enhance the Primordial God Almighty''s will and spirit, elerating His recovery-significantly disadvantaging Grisha Adam in Their struggle.
Within the protected zone, Herabergen, d in a in white robe threaded with brass threads, looked skyward and sighed deeply.
In the astral world, the Lord of Storms, Leodero, appeared in human form-a stern middle- aged man d in ck armor and wielding a trident.
He nced at the Western Continent, illuminated by scarlet moonlight, its entry sealed, and snorted at the Evernight Goddess, Amanises, and the God of Steam and Machinery, Stiano.
"The Storm will not destroy itself!
"Nor will it surrender!"
Crackling sounds erupted as the King of the Skies, Emperor of the Seas, Lord of Cmity, and God of Storms transformed intoyers of entangled, ball lightning. He shot down from the astral world at near-light speed, straight toward the crimson moon and the colossal figure. The storm illuminated the skies, illuminating the entire world.
...
Within the consciousness space-
Boom!
Lumian and the malevolent dragon both heard that peculiar heartbeat.
With the former severely damaged, the dimmed Cheek and Tudor faces grew clear once more, and his central chaotic vortex face began to spin faster. Meanwhile, the dragon''s twoteral heads instinctively sought to merge but were blocked by Lumian''s mouth and Its own chaotic
head.
Now!
Taking advantage of the moment, Lumian, in his colossal form, forcibly swallowed the dragon''s iron-ck body whole.
Under this influence, the beautiful head that had been trying to merge with its other half ceased resisting and fused with the faces of Aurore and Jenna. This brought back the imprints of Aurore''s and Jenna''s past selves left in the mirror, which swiftly repaired the corresponding fragments of their souls.
Lumian fully amodated the malevolent dragon.
Immediately, he felt a torrent of madness, ferocity, and destructive intent rampaging within
him. These were partially absorbed by the chaotic vortex face, partially drawn away by the lingering consciousness of the City of Cmity Dao integrators, and partially suppressed by thebined wills of Lumian, Aurore, and Jenna.
On both sides of Lumian''s body, bulges began to form and writhe rapidly, each developing into a new body. These new bodies were connected to his original flesh, tightly adhered, and
partially fused.
On the right was a purely female figure d in a sacred white robe, her hands milky and ethereal. Her head featured Aurore at the front and Jenna at the back, able to rotate freely in any direction, unrestrained by a neck.
On the left was a half-male, half-female body, with a headposed of the Cheek face, the chaotic vortex face, and Alista Tudor''s face. It wielded a charred banner in its hands.
In the center was Lumian himself, adorned with long, blood-red hair and iron-ck eyes. A prominent design of a true dragon from the Western Continent was etched between his brows. Suppressing the madness and will of the malevolent dragon, Lumian turned his head to the
right.
Aurore and Jenna''s eyshes quivered lightly before their eyes opened in unison, revealing
smiles.
Lumian exhaled suddenly, a mixture of relief, emotion, and regret in his mind as hemunicated telepathically: "It really is possible to resurrect... in this way...
"Unfortunately, it won''tst more than a few minutes."
Lumian meant that the bnce within his body would not hold for more than a few minutes.
This bnce was predicated on the weakened state of the malevolent dragon''s consciousness and will. Once the malevolent dragon recovered, the bnce would inevitably copse.
The two types of Uniqueness in his current body were closely linked to the mirrored Original Creator, counterbnced by the chaotic vortex face corresponding to the Primordial God Almighty. This trifecta of forces maintained a delicate equilibrium.
Although Lumian, Aurore, and Jenna''s bodies had achieved corresponding status levels, and their wills had been sufficiently strengthened, they were only supported by two Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics each.
In this situation, should the malevolent dragon''s consciousness awaken, Lumian, Aurore, and
Jenna would have little means to resist-unless the Primordial God Almighty actively sought resurrection within the chaotic vortex face, forming arger and more stable framework.
But s, no such fortune woulde to pass.
This was the consequence of being forcibly driven and filled to reach this point.
With her hair turned ck, her eyes restored to deep brown, and her appearance and charm
elevated to Above the Sequences, Aurore listened to Lumian''s sentiments. Her expression remained calm, and she smiled gently, her voice soft.
"When I died in Cordu Vige, I did feel wronged, angry, and resentful. But when you became a Demoness of Unaging and I began to sense everything around me, to perceive what was happening, I gradually came to terms with it. Death isn''t always a bad thing.
"When I learned about the Dragon Lock and its story, and when I saw the actions of those souls just
now, I found even greater peace. Our predecessors and forebears could sacrifice themselves; so can I.
Death can be as light as a feather or as heavy as a mountain. I am willing to ept the destiny that awaits me and to act ordingly."
The head rotated, and Jenna''s increasingly radiant face turned to Lumian. With a smile, she
said, "When I killed Hugues Artois, I thought, ''Even if I die, I must avenge my mother and those victims. That bastard can''t keepughing.''
"When I advanced to be a Demoness of Unaging, I thought, ''Even if I die, I must save you. You still
have unfulfilled wishes.''
"Now, it brings to mind something Franca once joked about:
""''Would you rather be a coward for a lifetime or a hero for five minutes?''
"To die with you and Aurore to save everyone-I think that''s the most romantic thing in the world."
As Lumian listened, his heart gradually calmed, his self-destructive tendencies easing. He lifted his head to gaze at the blood-stained throne high on the steps, his smile radiant as
he said, "Then let''splete the final step of amodation."
...
In the real world.
The mass of entangled lightning approached the blood-red moon and the colossal figure at
near-light speed.
It tore through the void but quickly froze beside the crimson full moon. Each strand of its
light was tainted scarlet, gaining new life as they detached and scattered.
The terrifying lightning mass rapidly disintegrated.
Its two brightest remnants were guided by Klein through Grafting toward the cross above a
protected zone.
In the next moment, the explosion and shockwave from the lightning unfurled, erupting with
a deafening roar. The natural light of the crimson moon shattered and dissipated, revealing a
breach.
In the astral world, the Evernight Goddess, Amanises, holding a golden bird-shaped ornament in Her hands, stepped forward, leaving a single remark for the God of Steam and Machinery, Stiano, "It''s our turn to stake our lives."
The God of Steam and Machinery, Stiano, was about to follow when He suddenly sensed
something and turned His gaze to the heights of the real world.
A deep crimson meteor inexplicably appeared, dragging a long tail of me as it plunged toward the blood-red moon and the colossal figure.
The entire sky and world were engulfed in crimson fire.
In the Year 1360, as July faded to its final days, crimson rained from the heavens.
Chapter 1159: Oath of the River Styx
As the crimson meteor descended, the entire world outside the protected zones erupted in mes. Across the cosmos, catastrophic disasters across various star systems momentarily froze before either intensifying or subsiding.
Behind the Great Old Dominators attacking the astral barrier, hand-drawn ck holes and their retion disks materialized. The energy seas, depicted like paintings, quickly receded, plunging into cold, deathly silence.
Numerous cmities descended upon this ce.
These cmities were deliberately engineered by Lumian as symbolic manifestations triggered during his full amodation of the City of Cmity and his advancement to the Origins of Disaster, Cmity of Destruction.
He harbored no illusions that these indiscriminate cmities could seriously harm the Great Old Dominators. His sole aim was to sow chaos, giving Mr. Fool a brief respite.
At that moment, the sound of plucked strings suddenly resonated. The ck hole and its retion disk, already like hand-drawn illustrations, grew thinner and smaller, losing their conceptual weight.
The ck hole, now a true painting, instinctively tore at the dimensions bearing it, attempting to absorb them within and alter the current state.
A massive, terrifying mouth abruptly appeared, biting down on the "canvas" carrying the ck hole and devouring it whole.
Multiple abstract stomachs emerged, expanding and contracting as they fiercely struggled against the undigested entities.Primordial Hunger, the symbol of devouring, an insatiable convergence, the cleanser of all things!
Other Outer Deities also took measures to suppress the cmities erupting behind Them.
Meanwhile, the crimson meteor was swallowed by the muddy radiance emanating from the blood-red moon.
The ocean of bloodstained light alternated between destruction and rebirth, gradually slowing the meteor''s approach toward the colossal figure.
However, beyond this sea of blood, everything else was set ame by the crimson meteor. Even the moonlight that once Illuminated the Western Continent was burned away, vanishingpletely.
Seizing this opportunity-taking advantage of the brief chaos among the Great Old Dominators and the reduced pressure on the illusory barrier-the Lord of Mysteries, Klein, sent forth a projection of himself and turned his gaze toward the protected zones.
Within the protected zone, Trier remained tranquil. On the terrace, Queen Mystic Bernadette had already taken out her crown adorned with dark gemstones, holding it in both hands.
The crown abruptly flew into the air, leaving the protected zone and ascending into the skies over the Western Continent.
Apanying it were the brass-bound book descending from above the gray fog and two beams of light, one from behind the cross and the other from within the protected zone.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived before the magnificent stone door standing amidst the clouds, falling into the hands of a towering figure crowned with an emperor''s diadem and velled by cascading tassels.
The figure nodded toward the astral world before turning away, returning to the summit of the thirty-three heavens and seating Himself on the throne of the Celestial Thearch.
He immediately ced the crown adorned with dark gemstones atop His head, ovepping it with the emperor''s crown.
His hands clutched the brass-bound book tightly, while the two beams of light spiraled for a second before merging into His body.
Within the protected zone, the disappearance of the ck Emperor''s Uniqueness prompted Queen Mystic Bernadette to let out a soft sigh.
This had been one of Klein''s true purposes when Lumian visited her with a prophecy as an excuse.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Through the Genie''s description of the urgency of the situation and His suggestion to temporarily strengthen the Nation of Disorder, Queen Mystic Bernadette immediately understood Mr. Fool''s intent.
He intended to borrow the ck Emperor Uniqueness.
At that moment, Bernadette had already made her decision.
Behind her, the figure of Empress Roselle, wearing a luxurious golden crown, materialized. With aplicated tone, She said, "As long as the order and rules he established remain, he can still be resurrected."
Bernadette murmured to herself, "Can someone with the Nation of Disorder, with all its Uniquenesses and Beyonder characteristics, truly be a Great Old Dominator?"
"No, the Nation of Disorder''s consciousness is interwoven with too many external spirits. It''s not aplete birth and remains chaotic. Even with all itsponents, it cannot undergo a fundamental transformation. It may take decades or centuries for a new, unified consciousness to emerge, enabling the Shadow of Order to truly manifest in reality.
"The only way to instantly elevate the Nation of Disorder to the level of a Great Old Dominator is to unseal and release Genie. However, what Genie might do after escaping His seal is entirely unpredictable.
"For now, the Lord of Mysteries can only temporarily enhance the Nation of Disorder to a state close to that of a Great Old One, allowing it to y a role in the uing battle," Empress Roselle exined inly.
She paused for a moment before adding, "Even if the Nation of Disorder births a new consciousness and bes the Shadow of Order before his resurrection, with the Lord of Mysteries'' help, he could still revive through the rules. However, he would only be able to reim two portions of the Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristics."
Queen Mystic Bernadette turned to Empress Roselle and fell silent for a moment before asking. "And what about you?"
A look of contentment and sce appeared on Empress Roselle''s face. "If the apocalypse passes, the mirror world should have a rtively normal ruler. By then, the reflection world within the mirror will no longer be dark."
Following the Lord of Storms Leodero''s suicidal attack and the descent of the Cmity of Destruction, the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s blockade over the Western Continent waspletely broken.
Evernight Goddess Amanises and the God of Steam and Machinery Stiano seized the opportunity to descend from the astral world to the Dragon Lock Tower.
The former wore ayered yet unadorned ck ssical gown, Her face shrouded in a veil, ethereal and graceful. Thetter appeared as a middle-aged man seeminglyposed of numerous depictions of civilizations, which finally coalesced into a man in his prime.
Evernight Goddess Amanises nodded at the sect master of the Haoli lineage,municating telepathically. "Let us begin."
The Haoli sect master closed His eyes, and a broad, dark, colorless river flowed out of the void, reaching the Evernight Goddess.
Within the illusory dark waters, figures dressed like the Haoli sect master appeared, floating and sinking.
Among them, the most lucid was a figure wearing a rusty iron crown, with pale whiskers fluttering at His chin-the Underworld Daoist.
Evernight Goddess Amanises pointed at the silently flowing River of Eternal Darkness and spoke with Her mind.
"Let the River of Eternal Darkness bear witness. I, Amanises, pledge to strengthen the Haoli lineage, ensuring all disciples achieve bnce between internal and external cultivation and attain characteristics. Should I break this oath, I shall suffer a bacsh from the sefirah, and I shall sink eternally to the river''s depths!"
Having already reached an agreement, the Underworld Daoist nodded slightly. He extended His pale right hand, with a texture like jade yet marred by cracks oozing yellow pus or sprouting white feathers, and ced it atop the Evernight Goddess''s head.
"You shall be sect master!"
With these words, streams of radiance rose from the River of Eternal Darkness, weaving intoplex, orderly symbols that entered Amanises''s body.
Amanises found Herself standing in the broad, dark river, where the shadows and bones of past Haoli sect masters gnawed at Her arms, back, and soul.
Already in partial control of a tributary of the River of Eternal Darkness, Amanises remained calm, resisting the chaotic consciousness infused with the spirits of countless Dao integrators.
The straight, illusory river flowed through Her body and emerged from the other side.
God of Steam and Machinery Stiano sat cross-legged before the Celestial Master. Thetter''s intent echoed in His mind:
"You have two choices:
"First, acknowledge me as your master and join my sect. I will grant you the Supreme rity Talisman and pass down the position of Celestial Master to you, allowing you to control what you call the Knowledge Moor. However, this carries a risk..."
As the intent reverberated, silhouettes began to emerge in the moor behind the Celestial Master. They were dressed in feathered robes and high crowns, their faces either hideous or decayed, exuding intense malice.
"They are the Celestial Masters and aplished cultivators of past generations.
"Under the influence of the Unborn Ancient Mother every Celestial Master since the first Celestial Master''s integration with the Dao must possess corresponding bloodlines andplete cultivation.
"Youck these. Through the Supreme rity Talisman, I can help you amodate the Knowledge Moor in a short time. But afterward, you will face bacsh. Whether you can endure and resolve the resentment of past Celestial Masters and aplished cultivators or avoid being drawn into the moor to be one of the wandering spirits - I do not know.
"The second choice is to acknowledge me as your master and join my sect. I will grant you the Three Caverns and Five Thunders Talisman.
"After corresponding with Fellow Daoist Zhou, I have improved the Three Sovereigns Cmity Dispelling Formation based on the experiences of predecessors. With this, you can join me as a true disciple in powering the formation. You will lend me your power, allowing me to integrate with the Dao briefly tobat the vile demons from beyond."
In an instant, the Celestial Master''s thoughts were fully understood by God of Steam and Machinery Stiano through the infusion of knowledge.
In the same manner, Stiano conveyed His question:
"Can either method result in the emergence of a temporary Great Old One?"
The Celestial Master, holding His horsetail whisk, shook His head.
"Neither. We both stillck time, Unlike the new master of the Haoli lineage, you have not yet preemptively gained partial control of the Dao.
"These two choices can only bring us close to the Dao, not fully integrate into it."
Knowing time was pressing, God of Steam and Machinery Stiano deliberated briefly before kneeling to give His answer: "I am willing to acknowledge you as my master and be part of the formation."
The Celestial Master seemed disappointed, as though His hoped-for liberation had not been achieved.
He pressed His horsetail whisk against Stiano''s shoulder.
"In the interest of urgency, we will simplify the rites to granting a title and talisman.
"From this day forth, your Dao name shall be:
"True Blessing."
Chapter 1160: Transforming Barbarians to Buddha
Within the solemn Buddhistnd, adorned with zed and amber decorations, countless Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Wisdom Kings sat atop Mount Sumeru, attentively listening to the great Buddha whose golden body filled the space between heaven and earth, delivering profound teachings.
In that moment, vibrant clouds illuminated the sky, flowers fell like rain, and golden lotuses blossomed from the ground.
Suddenly, two silvery streaks of light flew in from the outer world,nding on either side of the great Buddha and transforming into distinct figures.
To the left of the great Buddha''s golden body appeared a boy of about eight or nine years old, dressed in a child''s formal suit with a bow tie, his baby-fat face framed by medium-length silvery hair.
To the right stood a young man, draped in a linen robe, his features soft and elegant, and his long silver hair flowing freely.
These were none other than Will Auceptin, the Angel of Mercury from the Church of The Fool, and Ouroboros, the Angel of Fate from the Aurora Order. Will amodated the Uniqueness of the Fate pathway and held a Sequence 1 Snake of Mercury Beyonder characteristic, while Ouroboros had two Snake of Mercury Beyonder characteristics.
As soon as Will Auceptin and Ouroboros appeared, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Wisdom Kings who had been intently listening to the Buddha Ancestor''s teachings simultaneously turned their gazes upon them. Their expressions betrayed greed and yearning, as though all of them wished to draw near, sniff deeply, or take a bite.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
On either side of the great Buddha''s face, two mouths suddenly split open, revealing gleaming, razor-sharp teeth.
ng!The sound of a bell echoed from infinite heights, and time froze for a second.
The great Buddha regained a dignified andpassionate expression, and the hideous mouths on His face disappeared.
Seizing this moment, the Holy Monk within the Dragon Lock Tower returned to the Buddhist kingdom.
He nced around, pressed His hands together, and softly recited, ''Merciful Buddha.''
As His voice reverberated, the Holy Monk transitioned from corporeal to ethereal, taking a single step to merge with the great Buddha''s golden body.
The great Buddha nced to the left and right, speaking in a calm yet majestic voice,
''I thank you both for your efforts.''
Seeing this, Will Auceptin quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Imitating the great Buddha''s posture, he crossed his legs and sat down to the Buddha''s left, sitting side by side.
Ouroboros maintained a serene expression as He also assumed a lotus position on the Buddha''s right.
Immediately afterward, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Wisdom Kings below transformed into beams of various-colored lights. They swiftly returned to the great Buddha''s golden body, merging into one entity.
All Buddhas converge to their origin.
While everyone had a Buddha-nature, there was only one Buddha in the world.
Meanwhile, the Master of the Shadow Cottage departed the Dragon Lock Tower, returning to the boundless Tenebrous World hidden deep beneath the earth.
Here, another figure already Naboredisley, His ice-blue eyes piercing beneath the brim of His semi-tall hat.
''You''re unwilling to ept this fate too, aren''t you?'' the Master of the Shadow Cottage said, smiling as He looked over.
''Would you be content if you were in my shoes?'' Naboredisley retorted.
Master of the Shadow Cottage shook His head.
''If they want to consume us, they''ll have to pay a price.''
''Fellow Daoist, we''ve known each other spiritually for a long time. How about coborating this time?''
''I came here precisely to cooperate!'' Naboredisley''s voice suddenly grew louder, as though He had returned to His Farbauti era.
''Haha!'' The Master of the Shadow Cottageughed heartily, and together with Farbauti, They stepped into the pitch-ck, shadowy world without hesitation.
In the real world.
As Lumian, in the form of a crimson meteor, drew closer to the true body of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, his progress became increasingly arduous.
Finally, he saw the colossal figure clearly.
It was as if countless birthing organs were haphazardly piled together, with swirling smoke and crimson moonlight intertwining to form an retion-disk-like extension that served as clothing.
Yet, this massive figure had a head resembling that of a human woman. Her featuresfacial structure, long brown hair, and crimson eyeswere wless, embodying the very concept of ''beauty.'' She was the symbol of beauty in the universe, radiating an unmistakable maternal brilliance.
At that moment, even Lumian hesitated to strike.
However, attracted by beauty, Cheek''s face, Aurore, and Jennadriven by Lumian''s willused Charm on the Mother Goddess of Depravity, seemingly seeking to draw closer to Her.
As a result, the Mother Goddess of Depravity did not immediately attack Lumian, who stood in a three-bodied, three-headed, six-armed form.
Yet Her symbolic nature continued to influence the surrounding area. As Lumian drew nearer, he quickly felt the effects of New Life.
The weakened consciousnesses within him began to experience a New Life.
Cheek''s consciousness and Tudor''s consciousness gained new life. The will of the Primordial God Almighty gained new life. The divided consciousness of the mirrored Original Creator gained new life. Even the consciousness of the malevolent dragon gained new life!
With the malevolent dragon''s rapid recovery, the suppression exerted by Lumian, Aurore, and Jenna''s wills on Her faltered.
What had been a fragile bnce capable ofsting several minutes seemed poised to copse immediately under the effect of New Life, with unforeseeable consequences.
In the face of these changes, Lumian neither feared nor panicked. Instead, he seized the opportunity to break free from the allure of beauty. Smiling, he lifted his head to gaze at the astral world.
Lord of Mysteries Klein, who was now guarding the astral world alone, withdrew the illusory barrier and turned toward the real world. Like a Magician about to perform, he raised both hands.
He did not immediately transfer humanity from the protected zones. Such an action would undoubtedly cause a significantmotion.
While it would be simple for Klein to shield a few dozen or a few hundred people and quietly move them to the edge of the universe without the Great Old Dominators'' knowledge, the Great Old Dominators would not be fools to let the billions of surviving humans escape unnoticed.
Of course, if there were only one or two Great Old Dominators outside the barrier, Klein might have had a way to briefly reduce Them to fools. But now, eight of them stood watch.
During a previous Tarot Club meeting, The Magician Fors had spected that a Pir could contend with two Great Old Ones. Gehrman Sparrow had remained nomittal at the time, still a proxy. Now fully awakened as the Lord of Mysteries, Klein''s answer was: that judgment was both correct and incorrect.
''Correct'' if confronted by Great Old Dominators with specific symbols capable of countering the Lord of Mysteries'' abilitiesMarites, Parasites, Blink, etc. In such cases, Klein could only rely on the unique symbolism of a Pir to contend with two at most.
''Incorrect'' in that, in the absence of such countermeasures, there was no fundamental difference between battling two or eight Great Old Ones.
Among the Great Old Dominators outside the barrier, several possessed symbolisms that countered Klein''s abilities. Therefore, he dared not be overconfident. He intended to wait until the Great Old Dominators rushed in impatiently after the barrier cracked and plunged the situation into chaos, allowing him to secretly evacuate the beings within the protected zones.
At that moment, the Great Old Dominators would be fixated on the sefirot and Uniquenesses, disregarding everything else. Even if They noticed Lord of Mysteries Klein''s secretive actions, They would not expend any effort to interfere.
Yet, this n was not foolproof. Certain Great Old Dominators with relevant symbols might secretly inform Their followers to disrupt the evacuation.
The Great Old Dominators Themselves had no interest in Beyonder characteristics below Sequence 1, but Their followers might think differently!
Hearing the cracking of the illusory barrier behind him, Klein shifted his gaze to the Mother Goddess of Depravity and the Origins of Disaster Lumian.
Lumian, now fully disying his three-bodied, three-headed, six-armed form, gazed at the Mother Goddess of Depravity, who had just escaped Charm. Half in appreciation, half in jest, heughed.
This is exactly what I''ve been waiting forto let you impose New Life on me!
The Charm was to ensure that you wouldn''t develop vignce or spiritual forewarning, allowing the New Life influence to ur naturally!
As long as I am not dead, the symbolism of the Mother Goddess of Depravity within me remains valid!
Previously, my rank was too low, and Icked the corresponding elements. Using this symbolism, I could only disguise myself as you to provoke the Brood Hive''s rebellious will through Mr. Fool''s Fooling. It was difficult to truly harm you.
But now, I am an Above the Sequences great existence, differing from you only in the unique symbolism of a Pir.
And the New Life you naturally imposed just activated the feminine and masculine halves of the mirrored Original Creator within me. Isn''t this equivalent to me also nurturing the Original Creator?
This is remarkably simr to your nurturing of the Chaos Primogenitor, the Original Creator of the next universe. The most critical corresponding element is nowplete!
The Genie previously hinted at using my uniqueness and Mr. Fool''s symbolism. Combined with the warning about your impending amodation of the Brood Hive, it became clear: You possess a unique symbol of limited use pointing toward the Original Creator, one I can align with!
After Mr. Fool''s full awakening, he did not rush to be the Lord of Mysteries, deliberately deceiving you while roaming the continents and gathering concealed truths through your followers.
Thus, I''vee straight for you, waiting for your instinctive and indiscriminate influence to awaken the mirrored Original Creator within me!
Moreover, with the Brood Hive assimted by you, Luganowho once belonged to younow pledges allegiance to me, and the Phoenix Egg deep within the Underworld will soon be swallowed by me. We are more alike than ever.
You are the Great Mother who nurtures the Oldest One, Omebe, and Zedus. So am I!
In the blink of an eye, Lumian, in his giant form, conjured the Grafted Phoenix Egg into his hand and swallowed it in one gulp.
Then, he brought his six arms together, forming a massive ck-me sword bound with destruction and chaos, and drove it into his own body.
At the same time, he looked at the Mother Goddess of Depravity and smiled brilliantly.
Now, I am equivalent to you. Killing me equals killing you!
Chapter 1161: Pillar Symbolism
The Mother Goddess of Depravity, having broken free from Charm, began to change as soon as Lumian took hold of the Phoenix Egg.
Her colossal body rapidly copsed inward toward Her abdomen, as though transforming into a nest or womb, reverting Herself to an embryonic state for rebirth.
This process would reset all symbols associated with Her, except those intrinsic to Her being, erasing external mystical correspondences.
Lumian would no longer be able to exploit the mysticalw of simrity to equate himself with Her, thereby killing Her by killing himself.
Previously, the Mother Goddess of Depravity had refrained from using this method to rid Herself of symbolic influences for two reasons. First, She had just descended into the barrier by leveraging Her symbolic powers when she was immediately Fooled and Deceived by The Fool Klein using the core aggregation instinct of godhood. She was then guided into the grayish-white fog sealing the Western Continent. Her focus was on reiming the Brood Hive and She did not wish to reset Herself and lose useful symbolisms. Second, during the process of amodating the Brood Hive, rebirth was impossible, as it would reset Her progress to zero.
As the Mother Goddess of Depravity began to copse and reset Herself, Lord of Mysteries Klein, in the astral world, abandoned the maintenance of the illusory barrier. Listening to its creaks as it neared shattering, he raised his hands, revealing a massive door of light tinged with bluish-ck hues deep within the shadows of his ck trench coat.
Sefirah Castle!
Klein was now fully utilizing one of the core symbols of the Lord of Mysteries.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
With a resounding ng, the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s copse and rebirth slowed noticeably. What would have been instantaneous now required two or three seconds toplete.Change!
This was one of the core symbols of the Lord of Mysteries: control over change-slowing, elerating, halting, or introducing errors into transformations. The Mother Goddess of Depravity''s attempt to revert to an embryonic state and reset Her symbolisms fell under this domain.
Previously, Klein had not used the symbolism of Change to influence the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s amodation of the Brood Hive because doing so required full exertion of Sefirah Castle''s power. At the time, he needed to maintain the barrier and contend with the other eight Great Old Dominators. Furthermore, the Mother Goddess of Depravity, having invoked the unique symbolism of the Chaos Primogenitor, was in a prolonged state of weakness that couldn''t be recovered using New Life.
This made any influence over Her transformations significantly more effective.
With the Mother Goddess''s copse into an embryonic state dyed, Lumian-the Origins of Disaster-smiled brilliantly yet resolutely as he drove the massive ck-me sword, imbued with destruction and madness, into his own body. This act embodied the symbolism of disaster.
In an instant, mes of destruction erupted from within him, consuming his body, the consciousness of Cheek, Alista Tudor''s consciousness, the divided halves of the mirrored Original Creator, the remnants of the Primordial God Almighty''s spirit, the consciousness of the malevolent dragon, and even Lumian''s own consciousness along with those of Aurore and Jenna.
Lumian''s body began to copse catastrophically, nearing its annihtion and return to chaos.
To bring disaster upon oneself and embrace destruction was the truest embodiment of the Origins of Disaster, the Cmity of Destruction.
Amidst the silent, roaring ck mes, Lumian turned his head, exchanging smiles with Aurore and Jenna, both of whom bore expressions of pain.
He then looked back at the Mother Goddess of Depravity, his face twisted yet serene with delight.
He saw ck mes, imbued with destruction and chaos, erupting within the crimson-glowing Mother Goddess. Her semi-copsed colossal body crumbledyer byyer, ejecting various birthing organs that were swiftly reduced to ash in the enveloping Fire of Destruction.
Having ascended to be the Origins of Disaster, Lumian no longer required Mr. Fool''s assistance to fully harness symbolic powers, especially those capable of bringing cmity!
The Mother Goddess, wless in Her beauty C a concept that equaled beauty itself-threw Her head back slightly and let out a banshee-like scream filled with agony.
Many of the Kleins surrounding the area withered instantly, copsing into death and returning to the embrace of Mother Earth.
The entire lost its vitality, the stars in the sky dimmed, and tremors reverberated throughout the boundless cosmos.
Reality quaked.
The elerated copse of Lumian''s consciousness and body gained a boost from death and destion, further amplifying his destruction. This, in turn, worsened the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s copse, leaving numerous remaining organs lifeless.
As the Mother Goddess of Depravity was reduced to a thin, womb-like shell surrounding Her colossal form, the ck mes of chaos and destruction extinguished or could no longer prate deeper.
The Indestructible!
This was the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s symbolism of Indestructibility. Her Indestructibility nature meant that, like the Primordial God Almighty and The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, Her spirit would never be eradicated and would gradually recover over time, It also represented the indestructibility of Her soul and body.
The Mother Goddess of Depravity would never perish - unless She encountered the Original Creator, who could make the impossible happen, or the fourth Pir symbolizing the end to everything was born, or She overextended the Chaos Primogenitor''s unique symbolism.
Of course, Klein and Lumian had never aimed to truly kill the Mother Goddess of Depravity, aware of Her honorific title and Indestructibility as The Indestructible. Their n had always been to severely wound Her and drive Her out of the astral barrier.
At this moment, the Mother Goddess of Depravity, having used the Chaos Primogenitor''s symbolism and entered a prolonged state of weakness, slowed Her recovery from the influence of New Life. Simultaneously, Lumian''s exploitation of symbolic correspondence and the cmity symbol had dealt Her a devastating blow, fully achieving the first stage of a Magician''s performance n.
The problem, however, was that the second stage could never be realized, as the astral barrier was no more.
Lord of Mysteries Klein remained calm and unaffected by disappointment. Raising his star-studded cane, he infused the bluish-ck door of light''s projection with his will.
His eyes reflected the image of the Mother Goddess of Depravity reduced to Herst organ and embryonic state.
Banishment and Sealing!
Previously, attempting to extract a Pir in reality from the would have been nearly impossible. But now, with the Mother Goddess of Depravity severely wounded, an opportunity had emerged!
As starlight fell, the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s distorted form changed.
She transformed into a colossal, ethereal oak tree, rooted deeply in reality, supporting the heavens, and intertwining Herself with the fabric of the real universe.
Pir symbolism!
The Mother Goddess of Depravity invoked Her dominion over reality, embodying the symbolism of a Pir.
The immense, iprehensible oak tree trembled violently, yet remained firmly rooted in reality, unable to be banished or sealed.
A wilderness unfurled around it as a greenish mistletoe-covered branch broke from the treetop, flying above Lumian''s ck-me-wreathed, crumbling form, and raining down dew-like droplets.
The Fire of Destruction engulfing Lumian were swiftly extinguished, and his copsing body was halted by the effects of New Life. Among the consciousnesses within him, only his, Aurore''s, and Jenna''s were revitalized, restoring bnce for a few more minutes.
At that moment, the Mother Goddess of Depravity chose to save him!
Of course, saving him was also an act of self-preservation.
She did not want Lumian to die prematurely before the symbolism was removed, worsening Her weakened state. Nor did She want him to lose bnce and unleash something potentially terrifying, which could reflect through their symbolic connection and lead to the Chaos Primogenitor''s emergence in the real world.
As the dew-like droplets fell, the immense oak tree supporting the world leveraged Klein''s banishment powers and vanished from its location.
The Pir in reality, the Mother Goddess of Depravity, left the and reappeared beyond the sr system.
She transformed into a crimson liquid, enveloping a gas giant, and began reverting to Her embryonic state, initiating New Life to reset Her form.
This time, though no influence was exerted by Lord of Mysteries Klein''s symbolic power, the severe wounds andpounded weakness dyed Her recovery. The symbolism of destruction seemed to obstruct New Life, carefully avoiding agitating the now-dormant Chaos Primogenitor.
From a great distance, the crimson continued to gaze at the location containing parts of Herself. While severing symbolic connections and healing Her wounds, She patiently awaited a new opportunity - when the remaining Great Old Dominators descended into fiercepetition, weakening or suppressing the Lord of Mysteries, and She could return to reim all and gain even more.
Lord of Mysteries Klein did not pursue the Mother Goddess of Depravity to strike Her again, and Lumian did not exploit symbolic connections for further self- destruction. Both understood the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s Indestructible nature. Severely wounding and driving Her away for a period was already their anticipated oue. Any additional efforts risked unforeseen consequences, such as awakening the Chaos Primogenitor.
More pressing matters loomed as Klein heard the faint but definitive sound of shattering behind him.
Thest barrier he had pulled from the fog of history hadpletely copsed.
What Lumian saw next was a terrifying star clusterposed of erupting suns.
The lifeless beneath his feet was violently torn apart into fragments, ceasing to exist.
***
Thanks to the users "ѧܧڧ ӧҧߧ", "TempestUknow" for the chapters provided!
Chapter 1162: A Distant Planet
Chapter 1162: A Distant
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As the was torn into fragments in an instant, the three-headed, three-bodied, six- armed Lumian remainedpletely unaffected.
How could cmity itself ever be harmed by Disaster?
At some unknown point, he had already taken out the Box of the Great Old Ones, encrusted with various gemstones, and directly opened its thirdyer.
Inside, there was nothing-yet clear and unnerving sounds of chewing and digestion emanated from within.
Almost simultaneously, the right hand of the body housing Aurore and Jenna reached inside, pulling from the void a mass of chaotic liquid that contained all colors and all possibilities.
Then, that hand clenched into a fist, absorbing the liquid into a chaos vortex it created. It annihted the contents within, incorporating them into Lumian''s own consciousness and spirit, specifically into the feminine aspect of the Origins of Disaster, thus bncing the residual corruption that could not be entirely eradicated.
As Lumian performed this action, a massive cross above the protective zones caused an evenrger tide of chaos to surge forth, engulfing the zonepletely.
The next moment, the terrifying gravitational pull of the immense star cluster and the disintegration of the fragmented caused the protective zones and the Chaos Sea that submerged it to tremble violently, as if on the brink of total copse. The massive cross began to bend noticeably.
Yet, no matter what, the protective zones remained stable-for the time being, at least. Now!
Klein felt the Great Old Dominators rushing to breach the barrier. Seizing the opportunity, he directed the projection of the bluish-ck door of light into the protective zones, where it scattered into countless starlit fragments.
The Chaos Sea enveloping the protective zone abruptly contracted, retreating back into the shadowy figure on the cross. All that remained was a patch of deep darkness and a few dangerous artifacts.
The protective zones vanished.
They disappeared entirely.
Lord of Mysteries Klein instantly transferred billions of humans, countless other species, and the scenes from the dream to a target at the edge of the universe.
It was like a magician''s trick-drape a cloth over the table, then whip it away, and the objects underneath were gone.
-
Within the protective zone, still functioning but with only five minutes left, The Magician Fors, standing in her home in Backlund, suddenly froze for a moment.
She said to Xio, Franca, Anthony, and Ludwig, "There''s no need for me to transfer you anymore. We''ve already reached our destination. Everyone has."
"Uh..." Franca was stunned.
She had thought she would still have one final chance to make a decision.
It wasn''t until Madam Magician finished speaking that she, Madam Judgment Xio, Ludwig, and the others realized the environment around them had already changed.
At that moment, The Magician Fors frowned slightly and said, "Enemies are approaching- from space!"
As she spoke, Fors stretched out her right hand. With a burst of dazzling starlight, she conjured a fantastical screen in front of her.
On the screen were shadowy figures traversing different dimensions, as well as faint, unattainably high humanoid shapes, leaping toward the current.
Sequence 2 Dimensional Shadow and Sequence 1 Observer of the Painter pathway... and there''s more than one of them... Have they discovered Mr. Fool''s transfer of the protective zones and seen through the Deceit, locating this from a higher dimension and sending their Blessed? While Madam Magician Fors''s consciousness resonated, the figures, however, did not directly descend into the current dimension. They stopped instead.
They understood that relying solely on Their angelic powers would not be enough to deal with the numerous and powerful "prey."
They began summoning Visitors, seeking reinforcements.
This was Their habit. They were not mindless creatures driven by instinct to hunt recklessly without considering alliances.
The next second, one grotesque creature after another arrived through Hostels.
Some were women with closed eyes, weaving webs of fate; others wielded illusory, silvery dirks that seemed capable of severing the threads of fate and cutting off branches of the River of Fate.
Some belonged to different species, appearing humanoid or bizarre. All had three heads and six arms, with expressions ranging from malice and rage to sorrowful numbness,passionate serenity, or nk ipleteness.
Some were radiant beings of starlight with six pairs of wings, while others were colossal transparent dragons, attempting to drive a small asteroid toward the at the edge of the universe.
Others were draped in ck robes, revealing only writhing snakes or tentacles beneath. Still others had no physical form, existing only as whispers deep within living beings'' hearts.
Some wore fresh flower wreaths, appearing beautiful, holding wooden bows and arrows like true deities. Others resembled tree-like sea monsters, covered in slimy blossoms and chaos- slick scales, dotted with brown-green tumors.
There were beings that looked like dark vortices, filled with gleaming white teeth and tendrils of shadow extending outward, crowned with disparate heads. Others were blobs of liquid containing all colors.
Some seemedposed of water-colored time, Their massive forms slowing everything around Them. Others were hunched, ancient to the point of decrepitude, with loose, wrinkled skin blotched with decay. Aside from Their mountainous size, They appeared unremarkable.
Some stood loftily, as if holding up the sky itself to prevent it from copsing, yet Their abdomens were entirely hollow. Others resembled immense greenish oak trees that seemed to pierce the heavens...
Upon seeing this scene, The Madam Magician Fors''s mind was suddenly flooded with information, drawn from Mr. Fool, Ma''am Hermit, The Chariot Lumian the Chariot, and her
own explorations.
Sequence 2 Web Weaver and Sequence 1 de of Fate of the Goddess of Fate pathway...
Sequence 2 Sinner and Sequence 1 Angel of Redemption of the Circle of Inevitability pathway...
Sequence 2 Radiant Angel and Sequence 1 Star Dragon of the Tide Schr pathway...
Sequence 2 Great Old One Attendant and Sequence 1 Voice of the Heart, of the Initiator pathway...
Sequence 2 Cupid and Sequence 1 Leviathan of the Mother Tree of Desire pathway...
Sequence 2 Angel of Devouring and Sequence 1 Chaos Gastric Juices of the Chef pathway...
Sequence 2 Time Giant and Sequence 1 God of Decay of the Monarch of Decay pathway...
Sequence 2 The Supreme or Broken Pir and Sequence 1 Tree God of the Heretic Spellmaster
pathway...
Madam Magician took a deep breath, turned her head, and smiled at Judgment Xio. "It''s not over yet. We still have work to do."
Having spoken, the recently advanced Sequence 1 Key of Stars stepped out of the protective zone and appeared above the habitable she had discovered during her previous travels.
She raised her right hand, unveiling a vast and dreamlike starry sky to cover the entire protective zone, sealing it in a defensive barrier.
Theing battle could not be allowed to affect the interior of the protective zone, nor could those evil god Blessed infiltrate it!
No sooner had Fors finished this task than another figure appeared nearby-the Pope of the Church of Evernight, Saint Dabomachie.
Saint Dabomachie, now transformed into a giant dozens of meters tall with elongated limbs, grayish-blue skin, and a single vertical eye on His forehead,
had ascended to Sequence 1 Hand of God in the Warrior pathway. His right hand seemed to be made entirely of glowing orange twilight.
Summoning pure, dense light imbued with orange hues, Saint Dabomachie added anotheryer of unyielding radiance outside Fors''s seal.
Double protection!
As Saint Dabomachie wielded His protective power, yet another figure emerged from the
protective zone.
This was a ck-haired, blue-eyed middle-aged man with a stern demeanor, square face, and high nose, cloaked in a dark mantle: William Augustus, the founder of the Loen Kingdom.
William Augustus did not act immediately. He raised His head to observe the tug-of-war between disorder and bnce, the evolving order of the battlefield, and the enemy forces'' formation, carefully calcting the rules and structures He would impose.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Such decisions could not afford errors. If situations like "Mystery weakens here, while reality grows stronger" were imposed, and the enemy deployed something akin to the ship used in the sea prayer ritual, those very rules might end up limiting their own side''s Angels.
The Magician Fors, about to speak to Saint Dabomachie and William Augustus, saw Xio and
Franca appear beside her.
Meeting her gaze, Judgment Xio said calmly, "For me, establishing and maintaining order is fundamentally about protection."
Fors smiled but said nothing. Instead, she turned to Franca.
Franca cleared her throat and replied solemnly, "I''m not the type to hide behind others.
"At a time like this, every bit of strength counts. Every bit of light helps." Given her personality, how could she not have fantasized about being a saviorthe kind who signed non-disclosure agreements and remained unsung after the fact? Madam Magicianughed. "Even if you didn''te, I would''ve summoned you."
Then, through the seal and barriers, she addressed Anthony within the protective zone, "Your
job is to cate and maintain stability."
Anthony hesitated briefly before turning to Ludwig and saying, "I''ll handle the Trier area."
Without waiting for a response, he entered the sea of collective subconscious.
His expression was heavy, yet tinged with joy.
How wonderful. This time, I can do something. I can cate. I can stabilize the rear for the Angels.
Back then, it may have been naive andughable, but I didn''t join the army for wealth or status-I did
it to protect my country and its people...
Ludwig neither followed Anthony nor immediately left the protective zone. Instead, he now held a jewelry box encrusted with countless gemstones and a writhing blob of chaotic liquid.
From across half the universe, Lumian had hurled the Box of the Great Old Ones to him. Staring at the two items, Ludwig''s expression fluctuated. After a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and swallowed the chaotic liquid.
Chapter 1163: The Gathering
Chapter 1163: The Gathering
?
Backlund.
Justice Audrey stood in the sea of collective subconscious, gazing at the drifting light and shadow and listening to the cacophony of voices. It was as if she were standing at a bustling street corner, feeling the highs and lows of life and the vibrant pulse hidden beneath it all.
She turned her head and smiled at the golden retriever, Susie, by her side.
"Your duty is to cate."
As she finished speaking, Audrey''s figure vanished from the protective zone and reappeared silently beside The Magician Fors and Judgment Xio.
"But I''m just a dog..." muttered Susie, left behind in the sea of collective subconscious, her voice carrying a resigned sigh.
--
Rorsted Archipgo, Bayam.
The Hanged Man Alger sat at the edge of the square outside the Church of the Sea God, silently watching white doves take flight amidst theings and goings of people.
Suddenly, he heard the voices of a children''s choir singing from inside the church: "Break! Break! Break!"
Alger couldn''t help but smile faintly.
A howling gale arose, enveloping and lifting him, carrying him upward into the sky.
--
New City of Silver, within the headquarters cathedral of the Church of The Fool.
The Sun Derrick nodded to the now exceptionally gigantic Waite Chirmont standing beside him.
"The door to the light has appeared," Derrick said.
"This will be a glorious battle," Waite Chirmont with a dark-green sigil tattooed on his bald scalp replied with a grin.
Without further words, Derrick transformed into pure and sacred sunlight, soaring out of the protective zone like a radiant golden sun rising into the sky.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
...
Seeing the sun ascend and rise higher into the heavens,
Angel of the Holy Spirit Rete Tinekerr, who now had a head on her neck, spoke with mild dissatisfaction to Her student, Sharron.
"Those entities are far too hideous.
"Let''s curse Them into normalcy."
Temperance Sharron nodded slightly, watching her teacher vanish before her eyes.
She did not follow immediately. Instead, she closed her eyes and silently assessed her own state.
She remembered a teaching her mentor had once imparted to her: "Temperance is not about perpetual suppression; it is about rationally understanding oneself and preparing for an explosive moment when it truly matters."
Now, the time hade!
...
Berserk Sea, aboard the deck of the Future.
Ma''am Hermit Cattleya looked at her first mate, Frank Lee; second mate, Heath Doyle; navigator, Ottolov; and boatswain, Nina. A sudden wave of sentimentality rose in her heart. When she had left the Dawn, her only thought was to grow stronger, build her own fleet, and prove herself to the Queen, regaining her recognition. Later, she began to think about leading her crew and fleet to better futures.
But now, her task was to protect this world-to face and fight against the impending apocalyptic disaster.
"Perhaps this is the fate of a Sage..."
With that thought, The Hermit Cattleya dissolved into a torrent ofplex, illusory information, rushing out of the protective zone.
Then, she noticed two simr streams of data surging from Trier.
A sense of peace and quiet joy settled within her heart.
...
Backlund, in his own home.
The Moon Emlyn sat quietly in a chair, staring at a room full of dolls.
He had already learned that the Sequence 1 Beauty Goddess Beyonder characteristic left behind by the Ancestor had not been transferred to the current.
This was an unavoidable choice.
The other Great Old Dominators were undoubtedly vying fiercely for the sefirot and the Uniquenesses now, leaving Them too preupied to deal with Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics to the point of personally descending. Once the divine war concluded, if Mr. Fool and other great existences emerged victorious, the Sequence 1 Archangels or corresponding Sealed Artifacts that were transferred would naturally remain safe. If the oue was the opposite, pre-prepared measures could be employed-cutting losses by ejecting those Beyonder characteristics, avoiding another targeted assault by the Great Old Dominators.
But there was a specific issue- the Mother Goddess of Depravity was not entangled in the chaotic war. She was distancing Herself from the area to acquire new life. If the Beauty Goddess Beyonder characteristic had been transferred with the protective zone, She might very well take the time toe here. In that case, all resistance would be rendered meaningless unless Mr. Fool abandoned the original battlefield.
As his thoughts churned, The Moon Emlyn stood abruptly, ck, membranous bat wings unfurling from his back.
The wings pped as Emlyn ascended into the air, looking down at the ordinary, oblivious Sanguine without godhood below, who had yet to realize the environment had changed.
He circled overhead before heading beyond the protective zone, his vast bat wings seeming to blot out the sky.
Below, several crimson moonbeams emerged from coffins and graves, following The Moon Emlyn.
...
Loen Kingdom, Awwa County, Tingen City.
The Star Leonard stared nkly at the sky, feeling that events were deviating from his
expectations.
He quickly reined in his thoughts and addressed the assembled members of the ckthorn
Security Company.
"Vacation starts now. Everyone, go home."
"But Deacon, aren''t we supposed to deal with possible infiltrations by the Blessed of the evil gods?" asked the team members, d in red gloves or ck trench coats, their faces filled
with confusion.
The Star Leonard reiterated firmly, "Go home immediately.
"This is your mission; this is what you must do."
The Nighthawks exchanged puzzled looks but ultimately obeyed themand. After all, the protective zone was not the real world. Perhaps returning home carried a unique symbolic significance or psychological effect.
As his team departed, Leonard gazed skyward once more.
With his Concealment authority, he could sense one Angel after another gathering there.
Leonard exhaled slowly and closed his eyes, memories of past scenes shing in his mind-
scenes of Megose''s visit to the ckthorn Security Company.
His figure quickly faded and was transferred outside the protective zone.
"Captain, you see this? We are protecting this world.
"This time, I am not alone. Every Angel is fighting alongside me..."
...
The Star Leonard''s figure materialized outside the seals and barriers of the Door pathway, where he saw the old man, Pallez, separate from him and coalesce into a figure nearby.
He also spotted the ascetic-looking Madam Arianna and the youthful-featured yet prematurely gray-haired Antigonus, along with other familiar Angels.
Then, the voice of Red Angel Medici echoed in his ears. "Everyone, I want you to join my
legion."
To be part of the Red of War Legion,bining the powers of all Angels into one unified force rather than fighting individually? The Star Leonard understood Medici''s intention.
He did not refuse and nodded in agreement.
Franca also heard Medici''s words but did not immediately respond.
It wasn''t resistance but rather a thought that urred to her. Judging by the changes in the Box of the Great Old Ones, Lumian should already be the Origins of
Disaster, Cmity of Destruction, with Jenna and Aurore revived.
That means they are great existences now, existences tied to war.
And I am a member of their team, an ally of the essence of war!
I wonder how extensive the effective range of a legion is for a great existence... Symbolically, it should span the entire universe. But in terms of tangible abilities, it''s likely limited...
If I''m still within range, couldn''t I share Lumian and their rank and power, bing a smaller-scale Origins of Disaster, Cmity of Destruction to wreak havoc on this battlefield?
With this thought, Franca sought to "borrow power" on the spot. Unfortunately, she failed.
Is the range not extensive enough, or has some Great Old Dominator used Their symbolism to disrupt Lumian and the team''s abilities? Franca muttered under her breath and reluctantly chose to temporarily join Medici''s legion.
At the same time, she saw the War Angel, with fiery hair like a burning ze and d in blood-stained ck armor.
In between Medici''s brows, a crimson, dripping banner emblem had already manifested. He had longpleted the sacrifice to the essence of war and undoubtedly received its feedback and aid. Otherwise, even with two sets of Weather Warlock Beyonder characteristics, the range of the legion''s influence would not have sufficed to connect all the Angels-there were simply too many gathered in such a constrained space spanning about twenty
kilometers.
Now, with the backing of the essence of war, He was far better equipped to handle the
situation.
Feeling the agreement and participation of one Angel after another, Red Angel Medici looked
at the Outer Deity Angels assembling in another dimension andughed coldly.
His expression was both disdainful and solemn.
Violet mes ignited in His hands.
Once, I followed the Lord, saving humanity and ushering in glory.
Now, I still remain. I will continue to protect it all.
Author''s Note: This chapter is a bit short, but I feel it is just the right stopping point for the
chapter. More content would be unnecessary.
Chapter 1164: Know Thy Enemy
Chapter 1164: Know Thy Enemy
?
When vast clusters of suns exploded, tearing aparts and pulling all matter toward themselves, a pervasive grayish-white fog appeared. Within it stood Klein, wearing a half silk top hat and a long ck trench coat, his figure slightly distorted as he faced Supernova Dominator, one of the Great Old Dominators.
At the same time, Klein sensed an almost untouchable shadow emerging from a higher dimension. He scrutinized the Spirit Body Threads, preparing to interfere, manipte, influence, and disrupt them.
High-Dimensional Overseer!
This was a Great Old Dominator capable of countering abilities such as Parasitism, Marites, and Blink. He wielded the corresponding symbol:
Dimensionality!
From higher or lower dimensions, Spirit Body Threads were tangible and real-something that could be touched. Blink only allowed movement on a small scale, while those Parasitized were bound together into one entity.
This rendered the unique, ubiquitous nature of the Lord of Mysteries'' avatars ineffective. Combat against the High-Dimensional Overseer could only rely on Klein''s true body.
Thus, as long as the battlefield contained the High-Dimensional Overseer, Klein could only leverage Pir symbolisms while contending with one additional Great Old Dominator. However, in a one-on-one situation, the Dimensionality symbolism of the High- Dimensional Overseer did notpletely suppress the Lord of Mysteries'' Change symbolism, which included space-time. These forces mutually counteracted each other. Just as the King of Space-Time could hinder the Lord of Dimensions from freely traversing dimensions, Klein could rely on symbolism like Foolishness to turn the tide against the High-Dimensional Overseer. Klein couldn''t truly kill Him but could defeat Him, banish Him, and make Him suffer significant losses.
Apart from the High-Dimensional Overseer, three other entities could disrupt the Lord of Mysteries'' ability to manifest in countless forms and fight multiple foes simultaneously: Monarch of Decay, Inextinguishable Ravings, and Primordial Hunger.
The Monarch of Decay''s symbols of Decay and Certain Death made it so that the death of an avatar equaled the death of the main body, and the decay of an afterimage equaled the decay of the main body.
Inextinguishable Ravings seemed to share His origin with the residual psyche of the Original Creator within the Beyonder characteristics. It was the source of all ravings, capable of ignoring the interference of marites, avatars, and afterimages to directly project His voice into sefirot and Uniquenesses, transmitting His madness and imnting His intent. Moreover, He did not have a true physical form but attached Himself to certain objects, causing them to exhibit specific colors or appearances.
Primordial Hunger symbolized the instinct of Convergence. Through this mechanism, He could forcibly pull Klein''s true body to His side. Furthermore, if He devoured an avatar or marite, He could absorb and erase the corresponding abilities, reducing or even temporarily nullifying their symbolic influence.
Without these four Great Old Dominators, Lord of Mysteries Klein would undoubtedly be able to hold off the remaining four on his own. While he might not secure a decisive victory, he would certainly not lose or allow Them to disrupt other battlefields significantly.
If the Mother Tree of Desire were stillplete, as the Source of Curses, She would have been fully capable of cursing avatars and marites to indirectly curse the true body. Unfortunately, She has currently lost that aspect of symbolism. The uniqueness of the Chained and two of Her Abomination Beyonder characteristics were still sealed by Klein, and the Tenebrous World resisted Her influence.
A more reality-oriented Great Old Dominator like Supernova Dominator could rely on symbols and concepts like Density, Gravity, and Attraction to influence space-time and distort dimensions. However, for the Lord of Mysteries, who controlled change and could turn falsehood into truth or truth into falsehood, mere indirect interference was sufficient to stall Him without engaging directly.
The Circle of Inevitability wielded symbols of Past, Present, Future, Cycle, and Destiny, which theoretically could impact avatars, marites, and the ability to blink. However, it was effectively countered by Klein''sbination of the concepts of King of Space-Time, Beacon of Destiny, and Error. If the Lord of Mysteriescked any of these targeted concepts, the Circle of Inevitability would have had a chance to reverse the suppression or even gain the upper hand. But Klein had all three: the King of Space-Time countered Past, Present, and Future and Beacon of Destiny countered Cycle; and Error countered Destiny.
The Goddess of Fate''s symbolisms primarily centered on the domain of fate, particrly conscious maniption, which made Her an appealing opponent for the Beacon of Destiny''s Foolishness symbolism. As for Her other significant symbolism, Eternal Life, Klein had no intention of actually killing Her, so it posed no major concern.
Based on prior intelligence gathering, divinations, and prophecies, Klein has long understood which entities to intercept and which to redirect elsewhere. His hope was to hold off three to four Great Old Dominators on his own, creating opportunities for breakthroughs on other battlefields.
How should one guide the unwanted Great Old Dominators to other ces while keeping those intended for containment? Beyond employing Fooling and Deceit, one must also have a general understanding of the goals of these Great Old Dominators.
This was one of the preparations Klein had made over the past month.
The High-Dimensional Overseer desired sefirot rted to rules, order, and space-time. Through divination and prophecy, Klein deduced that He sought either the Nation of Disorder or the River of Eternal Darkness. If the Great Old Dominators concentrated Their efforts to press the Lord of Mysteries back into His coffin, the High-Dimensional Overseer would also likely seek to amodate the Uniquenesses of the Door and Error pathways and take control of Sefirah Castle.
Inextinguishable Ravings was highly likely to covet the Knowledge Moor and aimed to control the Chaos Sea, amodating the Uniquenesses of The Hanged Man, White Tower, and Visionary pathways.
Primordial Hunger would not miss any opportunities rted to chaos or primordial qualities. His objective appeared to be consuming the City of Cmity, ingesting but not digesting the Chaos Sea, and absorbing the Uniquenesses of The Hanged Man pathway and others. However, Klein suspected that Primordial Hunger might lose control over His convergence instinct and directly swallow the Chaos Sea. If this urred, the situation would be even moreplex and troublesome.
The Monarch of Decay was rtively easy to deduce-His goals were either the City of Cmity or the River of Eternal Darkness, though He could only choose one.
The Mother Tree of Desire would prioritize reiming the Tenebrous World and its corresponding Uniqueness and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics. This was an instinctual drive of Her godhood.
The Circle of Inevitability undoubtedly coveted the Key of Light the most. However, the City of Cmity and the River of Eternal Darkness were also within His scope, as these pathways symbolized destined conclusions and various cmities. Additionally, simr to the High- Dimensional Overseer, if the Lord of Mysteries were defeated in a joint effort, the Circle of Inevitability would not shy away from seizing control of Sefirah Castle and amodating the Uniquenesses of The Fool and Error pathways.
Supernova Dominator''s goals were harder to pinpoint. Klein spected that He desired the City of Cmity to embody the symbolism of Universal Catastrophe, the Knowledge Moor to enrich His star systems and civilizations, and the Nation of Disorder toplete the order and rules beyond celestial mechanics. Furthermore, He was likely interested in the Chaos Sea and the Uniquenesses of the Sun and Storm pathways.
The Goddess of Fate simrly prioritized the Key of Light. However, if Sefirah Castle was left vacant, Her goals would align with the Circle of Inevitability. As for the Chaos Sea and the associated Uniquenesses of the White Tower and Visionary pathways, Klein felt there was a
certain probability of Her interest.
Having roughly understood these intentions, Klein already had a n for what to do next. First, he did not Graft the Western Continent''s Buddhist Kingdom or the Tenebrous World to somewhere near him. Instead, he proactively detached himself from the astral world. Suddenly, at an infinite height overlooking the entire world, Lord of Mysteries Klein, wearing ck gloves, a dark trench coat, and holding a star-encrusted cane, appeared. He was extraordinarily immense, towering over all creation. Raising his right hand, he snapped his
fingers with a sharp crack.
With this motion, grayish-white fog immediately enveloped the spirit world, covering the entire universe''s spirit world.
Supernova Dominator, High-Dimensional Overseer, and other Great Old Dominators instantly lost Their connection to the spirit world and could no longer exert any influence over
it.
The Lord of Mysteries-the Dominator of the Spirit World!
This was a direct utilization of Pir symbolism!
From that moment on, for a set period, no creature could enter the spirit world without
Klein''s explicit permission.
All their abilities, authorities, and symbols rted to the spirit world were rendered
ineffective!
The three Pirs differed significantly in how They wielded Their respective symbols. For example, the Mother Goddess of Depravity, as the Dominator of Reality, could not seal off reality to prevent unauthorized entry or expel all adversaries. Such actions were unachievable. She could only impose a continuous weakening effect on targets within reality. However, on the other hand, reality was the foundation of the universe. Unless everything ended, reality would eternally exist. Thus, the Mother Goddess of Depravity possessed the characteristic of indestructibility, never to perish. As long as she wished, She could not be disced or sealed. While the Lord of Mysteries sealed the spirit world, Lumian, with three heads and six arms, waited for his target to appear.
Since he was not yet dead or copsing, it was time to execute the next phase of the n. The n was: to take the initiative and devour a Great Old Dominator!
If the Great Old Dominators could absorb another sefirah to approach Pir status, so could
he, the Origins of Disaster, Cmity of Destruction!
Do you Great Old Onesck sefirot within yourselves? Whatever you can do, I can do too!
As for the indestructibility of your psyche or the potential consequences of devouring you-I''m already
dying, so why should I care?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lumian had long identified his target for this purpose and made preparations in advance.
For example, he had reinstated the title of Mdy God within his Sick Church.
Previously, the Mdy God referred to the Monarch of Decay.
Chapter 1165: Two Star Dominions
Chapter 1165: Two Star Dominions
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After sealing off the spirit world and sensing the intrusion of the remaining Great Old Dominators, Klein turned his attention to the Evernight Goddess, who had not yet fully amodated the River of Eternal Darkness, and the Celestial Master, who was still making final preparations-both masters of a sefirah.
Klein seized the remaining moments to take one crucial action.
Using the authority of the Door pathway, he "transferred" all the remaining people and objects not aligned with the Outer Deities from this star dominion to another, significantly more distant star dominion.
This was both to buy more time for his allies and to scatter the enemy forces, splitting the battlefield and minimizing interference between the symbolisms being utilized in each area. Klein could have replicated the bncing abilities of the Justiciar pathway to evenly split forces across battlegrounds, but this would have had limited effect on the Great Old Dominators and would have hindered his ability to intervene in the other battlefield.
At the level of the Great Old Ones, it was possible to respond to prayers across the universe and exert influence on it as a whole. However, in actualbat, the immediate area of effect was usually limited to a single star system or the radiation zone of a ck hole. This level of influence was mainly achieved by reality-oriented symbolisms like those of Supernova Dominator or Cmity of Destruction.
In simpler terms, Lumian could reduce or increase the frequency of disasters across the entire universe or create disasters in any known location, but his sensing range did not exceed arge star system unless pre-established mystical connections existed in those areas.
Duringbat, Lumian''s short-term symbolic impacts also remained mostly confined to this range, with only minor, manageable disruptions spreading throughout the universe. The farther from the battlefield, the weaker the disturbance.
In this context, using the power of the Door pathway to separate the two battlefields by distance effectively reduced Klein''s susceptibility to the negative effects of the symbolic influences wielded by Outer Deities like the High-Dimensional Overseer and the Monarch of Decay. At the same time, it preserved his capacity as the King of Space-Time to intervene in the other battlefield when necessary.
This was also a tactic to manipte the enemies-redirecting Their target objectives and scattering Their actions. Klein could then allocate time to intercept those he wished to confront, avoid those he had to bypass for now, and deceive those he hoped to mislead. Neither Lumian, the Evernight Goddess who was in the process of amodating the River of Eternal Darkness, nor other sefirah holders like Grisha Adam opposed the Lord of Mysteries'' transfer, allowing the star dominion to transform. Lifelesss and several stars from different directions emerged before them.
With their objectives abruptly removed, the Great Old Dominators immediately prepared to leap through the astral world to pursue them.
None of Them sought to stay behind and confront Lord of Mysteries Klein.
Though many among Them deeply coveted Sefirah Castle, the Uniquenesses of the Fool, Door, and Error pathways, their instincts told Them that it was easier and more practical to pursue the sefirot that had not yet developed full consciousness. Why take the immense risk of engaging a Pir to seize His sefirot?
Besides, it wasn''t as if They could fully amodate it!
Even if some Great Old Dominator was tempted to target the Lord of Mysteries, They had to consider a harsh reality: They couldn''t act alone. And without the Uncertain Mist to coordinate and unify Them into an alliance, none dared bet on receiving support if They stayed behind. If left alone against Klein, the fate of Genie could very well repeat itself albeit with much greater difficulty.
The roles of hunter and prey could reverse!
As some of the Great Old Dominators entered the astral world, Grisha Adam, in a different star dominion, suddenly showed an expression of pain.
He immediately broke free from the massive cross He was bound to, transforming into a radiant giant whose head reached the astral realm. Beneath His feety the Chaos Sea, epassing all colors and possibilities. Behind Him trailed a long shadow with five heads, while a sun zed at the back of His head. Storms and lightning swirled around Him, and in His hands, He held a white tower made of books, adorned with brass eyes.
He raised His right hand and pointed toward the astral world. Instantly, abstract concepts and symbolic markers there descended into chaos, dying the Great Old Dominators from reaching this star dominion.
Lord of the Astral World!
Grisha Adam, temporarily achieving bnce through the return of the Uniquenesses of the White Tower and Tyrant pathways, forcibly manifested a state close to that of a Great Old One and employed the most critical symbolism of Omniscience and Omnipotency to disrupt the astral world, buying time.
The Great Old Dominators, now dyed or disoriented in the astral world, or still preparing to enter it, simultaneously encountered Lord of Mysteries Klein.
The Goddess of Fate appeared with three bodies standing side by side, all female in form and dressed in simple but elegant white dresses.
The figure on the left had hollow eyes and swiftly used both hands and an illusory loom to weave silvery drops of destiny into a, which converged into streams.
These streams flowed to the middle body, whichcked arms, arriving at the present node of the River of Fate, merging into it and surging toward the void''s edge.
The figure on the right was headless, holding an illusory silver-ck knife in its hands, cutting away portions of the River of Fate''s tributaries.
The Weaver of All Fates, the symbol of ultimate judgment, the eternal Goddess of the Future!
As the Goddess of Fate was about to enter the astral world, distorted shadows emerged within the silvery, illusory River of Fate.
They swam from the past and future toward the present node and toward the true form of the Goddess of Fate.
This brought a tolling, causing the flow of the River of Fate to stagnate.
Meanwhile, Supernova Dominator,posed of countless exploding suns, found Himself surrounded by one starry door after another.
These brilliant doors filled the cosmos, bending and shattering under His intense gravitational pull.
Yet, every time a door broke, another appeared in its ce, covering the star dominion and blocking the path to the astral world with countlessyers of ovepping gates.
Layers uponyers of doors!
The Mother Tree of Desire resembled a humanoid giant tree covered in chaotic scales. Its surface was adorned with enticing crystalline fruits, glistening alluring flowers, various metallic emblems, ck hearts, bare tumors, and coins from different civilizations.
At the tree''s upper reaches were two heads. The lower head was male, eyes closed, exuding bizarre desires. The upper head was female, with green hair and a face of extraordinary beauty, possessing a charm that spoke directly to affection.
One after another, Kleins wearing half-silk top hats and ck trench coats surrounded the Mother Tree of Desire in the void. All were marites-dead people, puppets devoid of
desire.
Simultaneously participating in three battles, Lord of Mysteries Klein also turned his gaze to the Circle of Inevitability.
This was formed by three bodies arranged in a circle. The one facing left was pitch ck, with a sinister, malicious visage seeminglyposed of the deepest, most chaotic sins. The one facing forward was silvery, emaciated, and filled with pain. The one facing right radiated pure, redemptive holy light, emanating solemnity andpassion toward all things.
The light of the three bodies intertwined into a silvery-ck hue.
After brief deliberation, Klein decided not to stop the Circle of Inevitability from entering the
astral world.
This was based on Genie''s first hint: "the Circle of Inevitability will bring cmity but is also the universe''s most powerful and genuine Angel of Redemption" - a key to surviving the
apocalypse.
In this matter, Klein chose to trust Genie. If his side failed, many Great Old Dominators coveting the Nation of Disorder would turn to seize the Magic Wishing Lamp, leveraging its connection to the Uncertain Mist to strike down and devour Him in His weakened state.
For the moment, Klein''s battlefield would remain rtively stable, with asional bursts of change and intensity. However, the other battlefield would inevitably descend into chaos. One of the essences of fate was chaos, and cing the Circle of Inevitability there increased the likelihood of creating opportunities amidst the disorder!
Opting not to intercept the Circle of Inevitability, Klein seized the chance to Blink to Primordial Hunger, who was eager to reach the astral world, tossed a Deceit, and disappeared.
Primordial Hunger was a dark vortex revealing bared white teeth and chaotic liquid epassing all colors. His exterior no longer featured elongated ck shadows with different heads, as they seemed to have been consumed by Himself long ago.
After being struck by Deceit, Primordial Hunger''s ring of gaping white teeth snapped twice
without finding anything amiss. He ignored the deception and proceeded straight into the
astral world.
His illusory stomach gurgled, awaiting the digestion of His most delectable meal.
Grisha Adam''s influence on the astral world didn''tst long-only two or three seconds before five Great Old Dominators reached their target star dominions through various means.
At that moment, They lost "sight" of the light.
The already dark universe seemed even more deathly still. Distant stars, the radiant giantn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
striding across the Chaos Sea, Lumian with his three heads and six arms as the Origins of Disaster, and other entities were submerged in intense, inky ckness.
An illusory, straight, unfathomable, colorless river flowed forth from the darkness, heading toward the five Great Old Dominators.
Upon its phantom waters, nothing could float. Asteroids attempting to cross the river sank into its depths, yet one figure stood unwavering on its surface.
It was an extraordinarily massive female figure d in ayered but unadorned ck gown, with an iron crown upon Her head and a thin veil covering Her face, rendering Her features indistinct yet imbued with a tranquil beauty.
Her body was studded with points of starlight. Pale wings sprouted from Her back, while two short, darkly furred arms each extended from under Her ribs and armpits, clutching a dusk- orange greatsword and a ck, night-like scythe. Her exposed forearms and hands appeared like sculpted jade, cradled an illusory book formed of coiled feathered serpents.
Eternal Darkness!
Evernight Goddess Amanises had finally amodated the River of Eternal Darkness with the assistance of the lingering consciousnesses of the Dao integrators from the Haoli lineage!
Chapter 1166: Battle Royale
Chapter 1166: Battle Royale
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When Amanises became Eternal Darkness, on a distant at the edge of the universe, Red Angel Medici was leading an angelic legion. Though fewer in number at Sequence 1pared to Their enemies, They had more Sequence 2 Beyonders equipped with Grade o Sealed Artifacts as They fought against the invading Outer Deity Blessed.
Within this legion, Azik Eggers suddenly noticed His soul''s condition improving while the decay powers nearby were suppressed and weakened. Pale Empress Sia Palenque Eggers experienced the same.
They immediately understood the reason-tinged with both mncholy and relief.
Eternal Darkness had been born.
From now on, the Underworld would no longer be without a master. Eternal rest would have a destination, and even time would have an end!
Across manys in different star systems, corpses that had been summoned with great difficulty suddenly "slept" once again. Civilizations beleaguered by undead gues were astonished to find that all their undead creatures had copsed lifelessly in the wilderness... Among the myriad changes brought by the strengthened symbolism, Eternal Darkness Amanises simultaneously struck at the five Great Old Dominators with Her terrifying dusk- orange greatsword and Her dark, bizarre scythe, while opening the book formed of coiled feathered serpents.
Suddenly, dusk was consumed by darkness, pallor faded into eternal rest, and time and space fell silent-as if they had been swept into that colorless, shadowy river.
The straight river surged forward, aiming to carry the five Great Old Dominators to the ultimate stillness of death.
The final destination was tranquility.
At this moment, watery streams of time appeared ahead of the River of Eternal Darkness.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
These emanated from the Monarch of Decay, whose body was the size of a, covered entirely in golden ting resembling an alien mummy. Between the gaps of the golden tes, greenish-yellow pus oozed out, slowing the flow of the River of Eternal Darkness and dragging the region''s time toward its conclusion.
The Monarch of Decay extended His left hand, which was not covered by gold. It was riddled with blue veins, rotting flesh, yellow-green blood vessels, and deeply wrinkled skin.
This hand blocked the surging Eternal Darkness.
Everything fell still. All light vanished. Two nearbys were reduced to dust but remained frozen in ce.
In the still and unchanging dark silence, a massive sword wreathed in ck mes that bound destruction and chaos pierced through the stillness, breaking the silence with its sound.
It came from beyond the darkness, shing toward the Monarch of Decay, who was still partially trapped by the Eternal Darkness.
Its arrival subtly but terrifyingly altered the deathly stillness, and these changes would manifest upon the Monarch of Decay.
Origins of Disaster Lumian had descended.
As the Sword of Destruction, which drove the still dark silence, was about to strike the Monarch of Decay, silver-ck light appeared in Lumian''s eyes.
It came from the Circle of Inevitability.
Lumian and the Circle of Inevitability were meeting in the truest sense-after Lumian had be the Cmity of Destruction with only a few minutes left to live.
The mercury-like Present Self of the Circle of Inevitability had, at some unknown moment, contorted into a visage of pain and suffering, sping its hands before it.
He was using the Sufferer''s power to reenact His past torments and impose them upon Lumian.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian felt an unimaginably massive suction force that diverted him and the Sword of Destruction away from the Monarch of Decay, pulling him toward the Circle of Inevitability.
This was the aftermath of the Original Creator''s awakening-when portions of sefirot had been torn away and drawn to Earth.
At that time, the Circle of Inevitability had also been affected, enduring great suffering to prevent His sefirah from being forcibly extracted or split. Now, He was imposing that "torment" upon Lumian to draw him closer and protect the Monarch of Decay from serious harm.
If the Mother Goddess of Depravity, Mother Tree of Desire, or Son of Chaos had simr Sufferer powers and used them now, Lumian would have suffered tremors in his sefirah, rendering him weak and incapable of using his powers for a short time-even if his sefirah wasn''t wholly extracted or partially consumed.
For now, his attack target was merely forcibly redirected, without any additional effects.
While the Present Self of the Circle of Inevitability wielded the Sufferer''s power, the quiet mercury-like River of Fate emerged, and the Future Self selected one tributary, forming a hand seal to anchor it in ce.
Lumian''s Sword of Destruction struck toward the Circle of Inevitability but narrowly missed, grazing His body.
Meanwhile, Lumian clenched both hands on either side.
Before the Circle of Inevitability, chaos epassing all colors and possibilities formed a vortex. Behind Him, a ck hole with an retion disk symbolizing His existence emerged out of thin air.
Cmity of Destruction!
Lumian wasn''t merely trying to annihte the Circle of Inevitability within this cmity; he also sought to leverage the destructive effects of the ck hole on time and space to dy the High-Dimensional Overseer, Primordial Hunger, and Inextinguishable Ravings, buying more time for the Celestial Master and the God of Steam and Machinery.
Amid the double cmity, the three continuously orbiting bodies of the Circle of Inevitability resembled a small boat in a tempestuous sea, always precariously skimming the vortex and ck hole''s uncertain regions and weak spots-dangerously close yet never sumbing, as if predestined to remain unaffected here.
Elsewhere, the dark shadow traversing dimensions was slowed by the terrifying ck hole and chaotic vortex, taking an entire second longer to ascend dimensions before lunging toward the sefirah holders such as the Celestial Master.
No one could discern what had affected the Inextinguishable Ravings, only that the frenzied voice in their hearts paused for a second before resuming and distancing itself from the Origins of Disaster and Eternal Darkness.
Both Inextinguishable Ravings and the High-Dimensional Overseer deemed sefirot easier to handle than the great existences like Lumian and Amanises-and among those sefiroty what They desired most. Thus, They stayed behind to help the Monarch of Decay and the Circle of Inevitability to swiftly incapacitate and restrain Their opponents.
They abandoned Their allies and charged straight toward weaker prey that They coveted more intensely.
No, not allies-since the injury and retreat of the Uncertain Mist, They and the Monarch of Decay, as well as the Circle of Inevitability, could not even be considered temporary allies. Primordial Hunger greedily bit into the chaotic vortex, but influenced by the symbolism of the Origins of Disaster, He failed to devour the corresponding abilities and authorities. Nevertheless, He managed to create a gap through His bite, allowing Him to charge toward
His target.
At this moment, Lumian felt a sudden wave of disappointment.
It wasn''t because he had only managed to stall the High-Dimensional Overseer, Inextinguishable Ravings, and Primordial Hunger for one second. Rather, his spiritual intuition had finally confirmed one thing: this was not the end of the universe. The Origins of Disaster could not merge with Eternal Darkness to form the Fourth Pir, symbolizing the
final end!
In other words, it wasn''t the birth of the Fourth Pir that would bring about the end of the universe, but the universe reaching its true apocalypse that would give rise to the Fourth Pir. The current conditions were not sufficient.
Thus, if the situation became hopeless, Lumian would have no way to surrender himself, allowing the Origins of Disaster to integrate with Eternal Darkness, thereby birthing the Fourth Pir to drag everyone into death and restart the universe.
He had lost a crucial deterrent.
White mist then enshrouded the star dominion, and Lumian began suppressing the
perceptions of all the Great Old Dominators present.
Under the cover of the Fog of War, Lumian, wielding the Sword of Destruction, projected his thoughts into the mind of Eternal Darkness Amanises. "Be my ally."
Amanises, holding the dusk-orange greatsword, the dark scythe, and the strange book, hesitated not at all. She gently nodded and replied, "Okay."
The moment she agreed, Her perception was restored, and She shared in all of Lumian''s abilities and authorities-but not his symbolisms. It wasn''t entirely impossible to share symbolisms, but the sharer could only utilize them to a limited extent.
The same applied to Lumian.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, the High-Dimensional Overseer, wielding the symbolism of
Truth, was unaffected by the Fog of War. He lowered His spatial dimensions and appeared before the Nation of Disorder''s 33 levels.
The Celestial Thearch''s projection was just shy ofpleting its preparations and couldn''t react in time. At that moment, the decayed figures wandering across the Knowledge Moor all gathered behind the Celestial Master.
The God of Steam and Machinery, Stiano, sat inside a formation. Across from Him was something He had painstakingly constructed over a long period, specifically designed to temporarily wield the Uniqueness of the Hermit pathway.
It was a massive figure draped in a ck cloak. Beneath the hood, the figure''s visage shimmered with cold metallic light, with red beams shooting from its eyes.
Atst, the Celestial Master opened His eyes and stood up.
He grew iparably massive, forcing the High-Dimensional Overseer to look up at Him
first.
An infinite height away, a pair of indifferent, clear, emotionless eyes appeared, seeming to contain an entire universe.
Under His gaze, the Celestial Master rapidly thinned, bing a paper figurine and melding
into the surrounding scenery as part of a painting.
This was the Lord of Dimensions, the Eye Overlooking the Mortal Realm, the source of all
illusions, and the Creator of the Painting World!
The Celestial Master, now part of the painting as a paper figurine, swiftly turned incorporeal, transforming into a torrent ofplex and massive information, thereby breaking free from the confines of the "painting."
Information was not restricted by lower dimensions.
Humans were conglomerations of information, and paintings were as well!
With the Celestial Master buying time, the Celestial Thearch''s projection finallypleted
His final step. Holding a brass book, He stood up, His grand voice echoing inyers and rapidly transmitting His intent, "The Three Realms and Six Paths shall unite as one!"
In an instant, all dimensions-higher, lower, and the current one-became interconnected, as though oveid withyer uponyer of ss barriers.
As a result, the High-Dimensional Overseer could no longer increase dimensions unscathed, nor could the Celestial Thearch''s projection lower dimensions without maintaining His
influence on the battlefield.
With theirpanions'' resistance in ce, the Buddhist Kingdom of Light fully retracted, transforming into a massive golden Buddha that filled the heavens and the earth, though it appeared somewhat illusory.
Within the Tenebrous World, countless ck shadows gathered, coalescing into a pitch-ck
fiend dripping with viscous fluid. The fiend had two heads-one belonging to the Master of the Shadow Cottage and the other to Farbauti.
Chapter 1167: Inextinguishable Ravings
As the pitch-ck fiend fully materialized, a terrifying raving echoed from deep within, as if originating from the very source of existence.
This awakened madness within the sefirah itself caused all negative emotions and rampant desires to explode uncontrobly. Whether it was the Master of the Shadow Cottage''s head or Farbauti''s, both instantly lost Their ability to think, Their vision filled with twisted crimson and flickering ck shadows.
Simultaneously, this terrifying raving resonated equally from the sefirah, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics of every living being within the star dominion.
The Celestial Master froze in the void, while the decayed figures gathered within the Knowledge Moor simultaneously raised their heads and let out pained howls.
Behind the Celestial Thearch''s projection, simr figures with veiled faces emerged one after another, their hair and beards bristling in agitation.
The illusory golden Buddha trembled as if on the verge of shattering.
The Philosophical Essence, the Inextinguishable Ravings, the Symbolism of Life''s Spirit, and the Eternal Consciousness!
The raving primarily awakened the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator, which resided within all sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics. No one could escape it; no one could remain unaffected!
However,pared to those sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics directly derived from the Original Creator, the Tenebrous World was much less affected in this regard. This was because it had been torn from the Mother Tree of Desire, rather than a product split from the Original Creator.Even so, the Abyss and the Chained pathwaysheavilyden with desires and malicewere highly vtile. The Master of the Shadow Cottage and Farbauti,cking the critical Uniquenesses, were already the weakest among the four quasi-Old Ones. As a result, the pitch-ck fiend nearly disintegrated and lost control, bing utterly powerless for a moment.
Compared to the Tenebrous World, Great Old Dominators like the High-Dimensional Overseer and the Monarch of Decay were less impacted by the terrifying raving, barely able to endure it.
This was because They were not direct descendants of the Original Creator''s three children but offspring of the union between the Original Creator and the Mother Goddess of Depravity. With an intermediaryyer, the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator within the sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics was rtively weak.
For Them, this was an opportunity!
Fortunately, after a brief moment of chaos, the Celestial Master and the Celestial Thearch''s projection began to unleash Their powers wildly and irrationally upon the outside world. One flooded the region with an ocean of knowledge, while the other distorted all surrounding concepts, authorities, and symbolisms.
When the effects of the Inextinguishable Ravings subsided, the Master of the Shadow Cottage and Farbauti were astonished to find Themselves still alive, with Their other allies simrly unscathed.
Neither the High-Dimensional Overseer nor Inextinguishable Ravings had managed to seize the opportunity or achieve Their objectives.
As long as the Key of Light existed and retained a measure of consciousness without sumbing to madness, He would naturally bring good fortune to Himself and Hispanions.
He was the symbolism of fate!
The influence of Inextinguishable Ravings extended across this star dominion. Even Eternal Darkness Amanises was not spared, feeling a madness from the source that seemed to want to seize Her consciousness and im Her body.
Amanises immediately put Herself into a state of slumber, letting Her thoughts, spirit, and even the madness within Her sefirot fall into stillness to escape the influence.
The Monarch of Decay, understanding what was happening, seized the opportunity to release a vast and overwhelming suction force from His golden-ted body.
This was the power of Beyonder characteristic convergence from His sefirot!
The force could pull every being within the star dominion toward Him!
The Monarch of Decay indiscriminately activated this convergence, unwilling to waste time allowing the Fog of War to decay and die naturally. Both Eternal Darkness and Origins of Disaster were closer to Him than other Great Old Dominators or sefirot and would reach Him first.
The still-slumbering Amanises passed through the Fog of War and was instantly drawn to the front of the Monarch of Decay.
The Monarch of Decay immediately stopped the convergence, preventing other Great Old Dominators or sefirot from interfering with His uing attempt.
He extended His massive, rotting left hand, yellow-green and veined with blue, pressing it toward Eternal Darkness Amanises from a distance.
Sure hit, certain death!
But as the Monarch of Decay reached out His hand, Eternal Darkness Amanises transformed into Origins of Disaster Lumian.
The moment Lumian sensed the effects of the convergence, he realized the Monarch of Decay''s intent. Using the authority subordinate to the essence of war, he swapped positions with Amanises.
They were a team, and their positions could be exchanged at any time!
Now, it was Lumian who faced the rotting left hand.
Like the Outer Deities, Lumian was barely affected by the Inextinguishable Ravings. This wasn''t because the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator within his sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics hadn''t been awakened. On the contrary, as one of the Cmity pathways prepared for the Original Creator''s resurrection, the madness within him was the most intense. However, the iplete mirrored Original Creator symbolism within him had corresponding masculine and feminine consciousnesses that were actually strengthened under the influence of the ravings.
This enhanced consciousness and symbolism of the mirrored Original Creator controlled the awakened spiritual imprint, allowing Lumian to retain his ability to think and fight, though it significantly shortened the fragile bnce within him.
Facing the inevitable strike imbued with certain death, Lumian''s main head and the face of Aurore both turned to look at the Monarch of Decay.
His other head rotated as well, alternating between the faces of Alista Tudor and Cheek. Their gazes reflected the Monarch of Decay''s form into a deep mirror world, where celestial bodies rapidly began to form around Him.
Under the lingering effects of the terrifying ravings, the sefirot, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics of the Monarch of Decay suddenly erupted into an indescribably horrifying spiritual storm.
This came from the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator.
Normally, the Monarch of Decay could endure the resulting tremors and influence, as His spiritual imprint of the Original Creator was not strong due to being a child of the Original Creator and the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
But this was not a normal situation. Lumian forcibly activated the iplete mirrored Original Creator symbolism, further amplifying the spiritual imprint within the Monarch of Decay. And then, disaster struck.
Origins of Disaster!
Lumian simultaneously utilized this symbolism!
The Monarch of Decay, swept up entirely by the spiritual storm, fell into chaos. His outstretched left hand froze, torn between continuing the attack and retreating to end His own life, aiding the triumph of the madness within.
Seeing this, Lumian smiled and shared the powers of the now-awakened Eternal Darkness Amanises, striking the Monarch of Decay with a dusk-orange greatsword of bound destruction, a vortex of chaos, a decelerating de of twilight, and a deathly ckness of pallor and tranquility.
These forces both repelled each other and exhibited strange fusion.
As the horrifying transformation was about to ur, all of Lumian and Amanises'' abnormalities vanished, and the dense white mist before them dissipated.
This region reverted to the moment before Lumian created the Fog of War, before the Monarch of Decay fell into madness and chaos.
Circle Inhabitant!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
A shadowy vortex, rimmed with sharp teeth, did not linger near Lumian but instead raced toward the enormous luminous figure upheld by the Chaos Sea.
He was heading to devour Grisha Adam!
This was a Deceit from the Lord of Mysteries Klein.
Against Primordial Hunger, the symbolism of Foolishness had little effect, but Deceit did. Klein exploited Primordial Hunger''s instinct for convergence and desired target, forcibly guiding Him to seek the Chaos Sea He could merely control rather than the City of Cmity He could amodate.
This gave Grisha Adam, who had achieved temporary bnce, time to hold off Primordial Hunger, while other Great Old Dominators would likely target weaker sefirot, avoiding the truly great existences. This, paired with the birth of Eternal Darkness, allowed the Knowledge Moor and the other three sefirot to hold off three Great Old Dominators, giving Origins of Disaster Lumian a chance to face the Monarch of Decay one-on-one.
This was the intended n, though inevitable developments and unexpected variables arose. Now, however, something had changed: The Circle of Inevitability had begun aiding the Monarch of Decay, forcing Amanises to remain and join Lumian, leaving the four sefirot to fend off two Great Old Dominators on Their own.
Crack, crack. Primordial Hunger continued devouring the luminous figure and chaos before Him, only to grow hungrier the more He ate.
It was all fake, all mere envisioned illusions!
Suddenly, the Chaos Sea quaked, and Grisha Adam''s enormous luminous figure wavered, sinking halfway into the depths.
Inextinguishable Ravings!
The attack, which awakened the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator, had an extraordinary effect on Grisha Adam, inheritor of the Primordial God Almighty''s titles of Creator and the Omniscient and Omnipotent One.
The madness that erupted within the luminous figure rivaled that of Lumian, who amodated the City of Cmity, but without the relevant Original Creator symbolisms to suppress it, Grisha Adam fell into chaos.
Primordial Hunger did not seize the opportunity to devour Him but instead paused and began consuming the voices echoing within His own mind.
They tasted rather good.
Amid the undting Chaos Sea, Amon, donning a pointed soft hat and ssical ck robe, leaned against a massive cross, tossing a crimson sphere seeminglyposed of the concept of beauty, filled with countless shadows of people, and catching it again.
ncing at the battle outside the Chaos Sea, Amon clicked His tongue and chuckled to Himself.
''Why am I here?
''I should be causing mischief outside the protected zones.
''Unexpectedly, I can still participate in battles of this caliber.''
Chapter 1168: Easily Triggered Malice and Desire
When the Inextinguishable Ravings reverberated, targeting the spiritual imprint of the Original Creator, Amon, who had long since transitioned to the Inevitability pathway, wasrgely unaffected. His Sequence 1 identity as the Angel of Redemption was fully capable of suppressing the madness and chaos originating from the Sequence 2 Trojan Horse of Fate.
Under the protection of the Chaos Sea, Amon patiently observed the battlefield, especially where the four sefirot were engaged in fiercebat with two Great Old Dominators.
He waited for an opportunity-perhaps only a single chance.
Patience was a virtue He had always possessed.
On a distant.
Leading the angelic legion, Medici found the situation improving after weathering the initial two waves of attacks.
More Angel-level Beyonders left their protected zones to join the battle, including ancient Angels like Ariehogg and Hermes, who had previously remained hidden, as well as the remaining Western Continent cultivators who had finally understood the gravity of the situation. The invading Outer Deity Blessed were disorganized, forming only small, scattered groups of a few to a dozen at most. Furthermore, They seemed to be rejected by the spirit world itself!
Except for the subordinates of the High-Dimensional Overseer and those with limited ess to the astral world, the rest had lost Their ability to Teleport and Blink. Even the Beyonder powers derived from the Inevitability pathway angels'' Contractee hadrgely failed, as Their contractual partners were mostly spirit world creatures.These Outer Deity Blessed had also lost Their spiritual intuition and Their ability to quickly recover spirituality via the spirit world, among other disadvantages.
Red Angel Medici, overseeing the battlefield, quickly identified the key targets for the next phase: Dimensional Shadows and Observers.
After a dozen seconds, He found an opening.
The entire angelic legion, originally blocking the protected zones, suddenly vanished, leaving behind only a barrier of light and seals of starlight.
The invading Outer Deity Blessed were momentarily stunned. What They truly desired was the Angel-level Beyonder characteristics.
Their prepared attacksnded on the barrier of light, causing it to tremble violently but not shatterpletely.
The angelic legion reappeared in a corner of the sky battlefield, beneath the thin shadowy figure lurking in an inessible height.
Teleport!
Mass Teleportation!
Immediately, several Angels in the legion acted ording to pre-arranged mental channelmunications.
The Magician Fors extended her hands, creating a dazzling, dreamlike door of starlight at an inessible height.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
She forcibly opened a door to a higher dimension.
Antigonus swiftly made a wish and realized it. "My wish is for most of the Observer''s revival arrangements to fail."
He avoided wishing for "all" revival arrangements to Rewards fail, wary that some might be miracles beyond His level to disrupt, potentially warping the entire wish.
As long as most of the opponent''s revival setups were neutralized, forcing Him to retreat and spend more time reviving, the strategic objective would be achieved!
The faster the revival arrangement, the easier it was to disrupt. Those beyond Antigonus'' miracle and possibly involving higher dimensions would likely require moreplex, secretive processes, consuming additional time for a Sequence 1 Observer.
This was typical logic, though unforeseen exceptions could ur-the target might have arrangements involving higher levels or means to quickly revive Himself, Regardless, it wasn''t Antigonus'' responsibility to deal with those.
As a legion member, He only needed to fulfill His assigned task.
In the territories of the Life School of Thought and the Aurora Order, two mercury-colored serpents had already been prepared. One blessed Red Angel Medici, while the other, using the open dimensional door, imposed a heavy misfortune upon the target.
This arrangement handled unforeseen circumstances.
Justice Audrey; the ancient dragon, Ariehogg; a massive rabbit and other Angels of the Spectator pathway hovered above the legion, cating each member''s minds to counter the terrifying voices echoing within.
Meanwhile, Angels like The Star Leonard and Saint Vive intercepted nearby Outer Deity Blessed, preventing Them from aiding Their targets.
The entire legion functioned like a seamlessly coordinated machine, each part performing its role with precision and order.
Demoness of Catastrophe Franca shared her Demoness''s ck mes with Medici, watching as the Red Angel''s iron-ck eyes swung His terrifying greatsword bound with destruction toward the Observer.
The Observer immediately fled to another dimension, but behind Him, one starlight door after another opened, keeping Him tethered to reality.
The ck-me greatsword of destruction shed through the starlight doors, finally striking the Observer.
The Observer twisted and disintegrated, bing illusory.
This was not his true body-it was a self-created illusion!
Crack!
A faint, almost inaudible sound of shattering echoed. Medici''s Sword of Destruction had struck the connection between the illusory self and the true body, hitting a weak point.
The illusory Observer was ignited by the Fire of Destruction, and the true body, far away in another dimension, also caught fire with horrifying ck mes!
The Observer let out a cry of pain, His aura rapidly weakening.
Although He was not killed outright, He suffered serious injuries. All His revival and recovery setups had been rendered useless.
His luck was abysmal.
Without hesitation, the Observer ascended dimensions again, retreating from the battlefield and never returning.
He feared being pursued in His weakened state and worried that His greedy allies might secretly shift Their targets to Him.
After all, a Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic was at stake!
The angelic legion, having seeded in their assault, disappeared once more, avoiding further encirclement and attacks from more Outer Deity Blessed.
They returned outside the protected zone, where Saint Dabomachie repaired the barrier of light by driving an orange greatsword into it.
The star-cluster-like Supernova Dominator observed the endless,yered barriers of doors blocking His way. Without hesitation, He caused several supernovae to erupt simultaneously.
A vast, ferocious sea of brilliant light swept through the region, consuming all the doors and wreaking havoc on the surrounding spirit world.
This cleared all obstructions to the astral world and even helped the Mother Tree of Desire eliminate several Kleins wearing half-height silk top hats and ck trench coats.
Suddenly, at the edge of the terrifying sea of light, a Klein appeared. Raising his right hand, he snapped his fingers.
The supernovae erupting from Supernova Dominator underwent an immediate Change-an error in their state. They began to copse violently toward a single point.
This immense gravitational copse pulled the Supernova Dominator''s star-cluster form, threatening to create an unimaginably massive ck hole.
The Klein who snapped his fingers was quickly consumed by the sea of light, evaporating with no resistance. But the Supernova Dominator was forced to stabilize His structure, lest the intense gravity and exaggerated explosions destroy His body.
When He finished, the endless,yered doors reappeared around Him.
Klein''s primary focus was directed at the Goddess of Fate, attempting to leverage restraint to find an opportunity to severely wound and drive away this eldest daughter of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, even in a one-against-three situation.
At this moment, the Mother Tree of Desire, relying on the symbolism of Desire, had already located the true body of Lord of Mysteries Klein. However, Klein paid no heed to this discovery, instead swiftly Grafting the surging desires in his heart onto various marites one by one.
Some of these marites became greedy, others furious, others filled with love, and still others overwhelmed by longing. Yet, they were quickly released from maniption and died on the spot.
The remaining marites continued to blockade the Mother Tree of Desire.
Almost simultaneously, the shadows wandering the River of Fate suddenly surged upward, forming a massive ck trench coat.
Foolishness!
Klein wielded the symbolism of Foolishness against the Goddess of Fate!
In the battlefield where the four sefirot shed with the two Great Old Dominators, the High-Dimensional Overseer had already seen through the truth. From a higher dimension, He discovered the weaknesses within the aggregate forms of the Celestial Master and the Celestial Thearch''s projection.
He swiftly ascended to the tenth dimension, intending to directly disrupt the internal connections of these aggregates from there.
At this moment, the Celestial Master swung His horsetail whisk.
A vast flood of knowledge spanned multiple dimensions and poured into the mind of the High-Dimensional Overseer.
This knowledge was not only vast andplex, making it impossible for even a Great Old Dominator to fully absorb in a short time, but it also activated sequentially, transforming into grotesque and bizarre illusory creatures that tore at the High-Dimensional Overseer''s thoughts, consciousness, and spirit.
These creatures even instigated rebellion among the High-Dimensional Overseer''s pre-existing knowledge, causing them to be animated and mutinous.
Demons of Knowledge, the Secrets of Madness!
The High-Dimensional Overseer immediately fell into chaos, trapped in a battle against Himself.
His turmoil brought about changes in all dimensions.
The illusory, coiled strings around Him unfurled and formed a painting that enveloped the Celestial Master and the Celestial Thearch''s projection.
As the Celestial Master and the projection entered the painting, it became filled with suns,s, and a variety of rules and principles.
The High-Dimensional Overseer did not expect this to seal the two sefirot but merely set the exit in a concealed location to buy time and suppress both the rebellion of His own knowledge and the influx of external information.
The golden Buddha noticed this and immediately sought to reboot the process to return the Celestial Master and the Celestial Thearch''s projection to the real world.
But before He couldplete this task, distorted figures began to emerge from His golden body - Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Wisdom Kings. These were the lingering spirits of the former Dao integrators.
They had all been awakened and corrupted!
This was the effect of Inextinguishable Ravings.
He was the symbolism of the spirit of living beings!
For aggregatesposed of multiple spirits, Inextinguishable Ravings were Their nemesis!
Conversely, Eternal Darkness could put chaotic andplex spirits into slumber.
The pitch-ck fiend faced an even graver fate.
Countless shadows emerged, gnawing at its own body. The Master of the Shadow Cottage and Farbauti could only exert all Their effort to suppress and fight against Themselves, unable to do anything else.
A tranquil and silent darkness spread from the distance, soothing the chaos of the golden Buddha and the pitch-ck fiend, allowing these two sefirot to barely escape Their predicament.
However, this darkness was swiftly disrupted by the Monarch of Decay.
Realizing They would have to endure the effects of Inextinguishable Ravings on Their spirits repeatedly and that Amanises''s assistance might not always be as timely as it was now, the Master of the Shadow Cottage and Farbauti exchanged nces, Their eyes burning with resolute malice.
Time to risk everything!
They would make sure Their devourers paid a heavy price!
The pitch-ck fiend immediately triggered an explosion of all the desires it could sense in His surroundings.
The concentrated desires gathered by Inextinguishable Ravings detonated. Unable to find the Knowledge Moor temporarily, He shifted His target to the Tenebrous World.
For Him, this was not an optimal choice, one He would usually avoid-but it was still an option!
With desire ignited and unable to care about anything else emerging from the depths of the pitch-ck fiend''s heart, it transformed into frenzied thoughts and formless consciousness that ravaged Farbauti and the Master of the Shadow Cottage''s souls, seeking to overwhelm Them quickly.
Farbauti and the Master of the Shadow Cottage burst intoughter.
This was exactly what They wanted!
They seized Their final moments of rity to curse Themselves and everything attached to Them.
Everyone would die together!
Blood-colored mes erupted across the pitch-ck fiend''s body, transforming It into a gigantic rabbit while turning the previously formless Inextinguishable Ravings into the rabbit''s consciousness and spirit.
The blood-colored mes continued to burn, intent on consuming all life in the vicinity.
From within the Chaos Sea, Amon observed the scene. Though surprised by Farbauti and the Master of the Shadow Cottage''s choice, He still stood up.
He had waited for this opportunity!
Raising His hand, He used pre-obtained authority to retrieve an item from Sefirah Castle.
It was the Uniqueness of the Chained pathway!
This Uniqueness bore the corruption of the Mother Tree of Desire, which even Lord of Mysteries Klein could not remove in the short term. It was also a vitalponent of the Tenebrous World, capable of connecting the Mother Tree of Desire and the Tenebrous World, which were originally one entity.
Now, Amon sought to use this connection to transfer the damage inflicted upon the Tenebrous World to the Mother Tree of Desire, just as He had once dealt with the Uncertain Mist.
He had not anticipated Farbauti and the Master of the Shadow Cottage''s rapid self-destruction but had merely intended to exploit the injuries inflicted upon the Tenebrous World to achieve His objective. Now that the situation had changed, He was determined to seize the opportunity.
Chapter 1169: Assistance
Amon''s monocle radiated a dazzling light.
He vanished from behind the enormous cross within the Chaos Sea, wandering the astral world to roam into the deep ck void just two lunar distances away from the Tenebrous World.
At that moment, the golden Buddha had also been caught in the indiscriminate explosion of desires triggered by Farbauti and the Master of the Shadow Cottage. However, fortune was on His side; the desire upying His thoughts was primarily one of "universal salvation and relief from suffering." As a result, He only froze momentarily before bing even more fervent in His participation in the battle. In His hands, He conjured a massive tricolor wheel of mercury,piszuli, and deep ck, inscribed withplex patterns and symbols.
Amidst the grand sermon-like chanting, a nearly formless River of Fate emerged, drawn into the enormous divine wheel, which began to turn toward a particr symbol.
This River of Fate belonged to Inextinguishable Ravings!
Under its influence, Inextinguishable Ravings, who had been cursed to have a rabbit''s consciousness and spirit, could not free Himself from the pitch-ck fiend, found Himself unable to escape. It was as though destiny itself had entangled Him there, forcing Him to endure even fiercer curse damage as blood - colored mes ignited Him.
Even for these great existences, fate retained its mysterious power!
This caused all sentient beings in the current star dominion to experience chaotic consciousness and disoriented spirits. The disturbance gradually spread outward to other star dominions, weakening as it extended until it eventually dissipated.
Inextinguishable Ravings, the symbol of consciousness and spirit!Meanwhile, on the other side, the High-Dimensional Overseer in a higher dimension, along with the Celestial Master and the Celestial Thearch''s projection trapped within the dimensional painting, were not fully consumed by the explosion of desires. They only entered a brief state of stagnation.
Amon raised both hands, bringing forth a tiny illusory figure wrapped inyers of bandages, thorns, and roses, allowing it to float before Him.
The Chained Uniqueness.
Gazing at the Uniqueness, Amon keenly sensed its profound mystical connection with the Tenebrous World and the Mother Tree of Desire. He prepared to use the authority of the Error pathway to elevate this connection into one akin to that between an avatar and its true body, or oneself and oneself-allowing the damage and consequences to be transmitted to the Mother Tree of Desire.
Amon tilted His head and nced toward the direction of the Chaos Sea. Clicking His tongue, He gently shook His head.
To Him, the apocalypse had to end in victory. Even if most of the sefirot were lost, and civilization continued on the peripheral at the universe''s edge, it would merely be aforting delusion - possibly just a temporary postponement of the apocalypse.
This was because the victory of the Great Old Dominators did not signify the end but symbolized a seismic shift in the cosmdscape. After seizing the sefirot They desired, would They not amodate them? Once amodated, powerful entitiesparable to the Pirs would emerge!
By then, if the Circle of Inevitability amodated the Key of Light, Amon Himself would no longer dare leave the and could only survive tenuously under the protection of the Lord of Mysteries.
Given the premise of failure, this was the optimal oue. If the Mother Goddess of Depravity were to mend and recover, allowing Her to fulfill the contract and aid the Primordial God Almighty''s return, even the Lord of Mysteries would face a crisis.
These two capable and willing Pirs could sign a contract through the Notary pathway, cooperating sincerely enough to dismantle and seal the Lord of Mysteries, ensuring the Celestial Worthy could never resurrect!
In such a scenario, Lord of Mysteries Klein might not be able to win but could perhaps avoid destruction. However, the peripheral at the universe''s edge would be left entirely unprotected.
Amon retracted His gaze and looked at the Chained Uniqueness before Him, chuckling softly. "Only I steal from others. When have others ever dared rob me?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Before His voice faded, Amon''s monocle emitted an even more dazzling brilliance.
This transformed the surrounding void into light, ushering in a white day.
Lord of Mysteries Klein was just about to wield the symbolism of Foolishness against the Goddess of Fate when he suddenly dissolved into shadows, sinking back into the River of Fate''s main current and tributaries. He returned to his strategy of interference, obstruction, and dy.
This was because he had agreed to Amon''s request to use the Uniquenesses of the Error and Door pathways.
It was also because he had received corresponding information from the spirit world and decided to shift his primary focus to the Mother Tree of Desire.
The grotesque, chaotic tree adorned with scales of chaos had been blinded to spiritual premonitions, unable to gather information from the spirit world. Thus, She remained unaware of the developments on another battlefield-until She saw the many Kleins rise into the air, spreading their arms to project starlight- dyed bluish-ck doors before them. Only then did a sense of foreboding strike Her.
Klein had reinforced the mystical connections and corresponding symbolisms that Amon had "reconstructed," linking them across countless star dominions to the current battlefield!
Before the Mother Tree of Desire could respond, the familiar roaring of Inextinguishable Ravings reverberated through Her psyche, wreaking havoc on Her consciousness and spirit.
Then, blood-colored mes engulfed Her, and She let out a howl of pain. Her massive arboreal body began copsing, morphing into a giant rabbit with scales of chaos.
Klein had anticipated a simr scenario but had not expected the Mother Tree of Desire to be so severely injured. Just as he could not foresee the instability of the pitch-ck fiend''s emotional state, which had exploded at the slightest provocation.
As he prepared to seize the opportunity to seal or even y the Mother Tree of Desire, the chaos-scaled rabbit erupted with ferocious aggression and greed.
She exploited the cursed mystical connection against Herself, unabashedly releasing the gathered forces to drag Herself toward the Tenebrous World battlefield!
The Mother Tree of Desire vanished into the astral world, bypassing Klein''s attempts to block Her.
Every event has both a good side and a bad side; this was a fundamental rule of the universe, and the reverse was equally true.
Klein''s marites raised their coats and extended their right hands into the void, attempting to Graft the mystical connection between the Mother Tree of Desire and the Tenebrous World onto one of the marites, hoping to return the rabbit with scales of chaos without Her realizing it.
At that moment, crimson moonlight descended, and an illusory, slightly damaged oak tree grew from the mystical connection between the Mother Tree of Desire and the Tenebrous World, solidifying the corresponding symbolism.
Klein''s attempt to Graft failed.
Mother Goddess of Depravity!
The Mother Goddess of Depravity had assisted the Mother Tree of Desire remotely!
Klein was both surprised and unsurprised.
He was unsurprised because he had long known that the Mother Goddess of Depravity and the Mother Tree of Desire had signed a contract witnessed by the Primordial God Almighty. Thetter had sacrificed the Tree of Shadows to help the former bypass barriers. The former now owed assistance, which She could provide by exerting influence remotely from the astral world through the corresponding contract.
What surprised Klein was the speed at which the Mother Goddess of Depravity had recovered, having reset Her state and healed Her injuries faster than he had anticipated, no longer worried about Lumian''s influence. Though She still needed to remove the suppression of the symbolism of destruction to fully heal, She was already daring enough to intervene in the battlefield remotely-a true testament to Her symbolism of New Life.
Naturally, the Mother Goddess of Depravity was still weakened from using the Chaos Primogenitor''s special symbolism. Until She was fully healed, She would not descend directly while bearing dual negative impacts.
With this interference, Klein failed to stop the Mother Tree of Desire. The massive rabbit with scales of chaos leapt from the astral world to the burning Tenebrous World.
Weakened and desperate, She let out a resounding roar, awakening the survival instincts of all sentient beings in the region.
In an instant, the golden Buddha turned and fled far away. Amon, clutching the Chained Uniqueness, wandered back behind the enormous cross in the Chaos Sea. The High-Dimensional Overseer, along with the Celestial Master and the Celestial Thearch''s projection, also chose to retreat for a moment.
Within the Tenebrous World, the heavily cursed Inextinguishable Ravings developed certain thoughts and emotions.
His current state was dire...
Among the Great Old Dominators, there were still some who could amodate His associated sefirah...
A weakened hunter could be prey...
Driven by His overwhelming survival instincts, Inextinguishable Ravings Instinctively fled the Tenebrous World, attempting to return to formlessness and escape to another star dominion to hide.
Without interference from the golden Buddha, His attempt seeded.
At this moment in the Tenebrous World, the consciousness and spirits of the Dao integrators had already been utterly consumed, likewise for Farbauti. The Mother Tree of Desire seized the opportunity, using Her powers of convergence to forcibly absorb the shadowy world.
Then, in Her form as a colossal rabbit, She hugged the Tenebrous World and fled into the astral world without any hesitation, leaving everything else behind.
Severely injured, She no longer cared about recovering the Chained of Abyss Uniquenesses or their corresponding Beyonder characteristics. All She desired was to hide and recover while fully amodating the Tenebrous World!
Everything had happened so quickly that by the time the Mother Tree of Desire disappeared from the star dominion, the efforts of Origins of Disaster Lumian and Eternal Darkness Amanises to block Her had just arrived. Klein, whose form had been flickering due to the interference of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, finally stabilized and reappeared.
Klein instantly assessed the overall situation and realized that despite the temporary loss of the Tenebrous World, His side had gained the upper hand- the three sefirot needed to deal with one Great Old Dominator.
However, vignce was still required. Inextinguishable Ravings, despite fleeing in a burst of survival instincts, might surreptitiously return to observe the situation. If Klein''s side had not gained a decisive advantage by then, He might rejoin the battle. Thus, time was of the essence.
Klein nned to continue dying the Goddess of Fate and Supernova Dominator while pursuing the Mother Tree of Desire. He aimed to reim the Tenebrous World while She was still severely damaged and had yet to fully hide. Meanwhile, He would asionally interfere with the Circle of Inevitability to create opportunities for Lumian and the Evernight Goddess.
The next moment, His high-frequency flickering figure stopped. He directed his gaze toward the Chaos Sea.
Crimson moonlight fell from the astral world, bathing the enormous luminous figure, bringing New Life to all consciousnesses.
This included Grisha Adam, as well as Herabergen and Leodero - and also that of the Primordial God Almighty.
The Primordial God Almighty''s consciousness was already on the verge of taking over.
Chapter 1170: Past Symbolism
When the crimson moonlight descended, Klein immediately realized that Grisha Adam likely couldn''t hold on much longer. He had been barely maintaining a fragile bnce, temporarily reaching quasi-Great Old One strength, only through the merging of Herabergen''s and Leodero''s consciousness. Once granted New Life, the umtedtent issues would swiftly manifest.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
If the Primordial God Almighty truly gained the upper hand and the Mother Goddess of Depravity returned fully healed, the situation would be irredeemable.
At that moment, three contingency ns formed in Klein''s mind:
The first n had the Evernight Goddess forcibly put Grisha Adam and the Primordial God Almighty''s consciousness into slumber. This would buy more time, or perhaps allow Klein to find a way to kill Grisha Adam, putting an end to the possibility of the Primordial God Almighty resurrecting with the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s assistance.
The issue with this n was that it would release Primordial Hunger. At that point, it would likely take a substantial bite out of Grisha Adam, and this insatiable entity would inevitably seek out Lumian, attempting to amodate the City of Cmity. Combined with the possible return of Inextinguishable Ravings in a short while, the situation would spiralpletely out of control.
The second n utilized the Change symbolism to dy the adverse changes in Grisha Adam, keeping Him as a buffer against Primordial Hunger. Klein would give up chasing the Mother Tree of Desire and recovering the Tenebrous World for now. Instead, he would focus on dying the Goddess of Fate and Supernova Dominator while joining the battle between the remaining three sefirot and the High-Dimensional Overseer. The goal would be to heavily wound or eliminate this Great Old Dominator as quickly as possible.
This would free the sefirot to assist Lumian and the Evernight Goddess, potentially bringing that battlefield to a swift resolution. If the Primordial God Almighty had not yet resurrected by then, the situation would be brought under control and significantly improve.
The downside to this n was that if Klein became deeply entangled in the fight against the High- Dimensional Overseer, he would struggle to manage the Goddess of Fate and Supernova Dominator in the other star dominions. Should They intervene, the situation could be even more chaotic and deteriorate further.
The third n was to once again use the Change symbolism to allow Grisha Adam to hold on a little longer. Meanwhile, Klein would avoid the battle with the High-Dimensional Overseer, refrain from interfering with the Circle of Inevitability or joining Lumian and the Evernight Goddess''s battlefield, and not pursue the Mother Tree of Desire. Instead, he would focus all his efforts on confronting the Goddess of Fate and Supernova Dominator.Although it would be a two-against-one situation, the symbolism''s of these two Great Old Dominators did not directly restrain the Lord of Mysteries. By further utilizing the Pir''s symbolisms, Klein had a chance to severely wound the Goddess of Fate and Supernova Dominator, forcing Them to give up and flee, or temporarily seal Them before the Primordial God Almighty could resurrect-despite interference from the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
Afterward, Klein could exchange ces with the Evernight Goddess, personally dealing with the Circle of Inevitability while the Evernight Goddess put Grisha Adam into slumber and hold off Primordial Hunger.
In a one-on-one confrontation, Klein was confident he could swiftly deal with the Circle of Inevitability, racing against time before the Mother Goddess of Depravity healed and descended once more. Even if he couldn''t iste the Circle of Inevitability, Klein could simultaneously hold back the Monarch of Decay, enabling Lumian to execute a pre-prepared move that would make the Monarch of Decay experience what it meant by being the Origins of Disaster.
The only w in this n was that every second would count-any wasted moment could lead to failure!
As for the idea of feeding the Uniquenesses of the Moon and Mother pathways to Primordial Hunger to provoke the Mother Goddess of Depravity into dealing with Him, this approachcked real feasibility. Unless Lord of Mysteries Klein went to the Mother Goddess of Depravity now, making Her sumb to Foolishness andpleting a Deceit, She could afford to wait until the situation grew more chaotic and both sides were heavily wounded before descending.
Even if Klein did seek out the Mother Goddess of Depravity, She was still a Pir, albeit weakened and injured. He wouldn''t be able to spare his attention for the other battlefields for some time.
Klein made his decision in an instant. His high-frequency flickering figure raised its coat.
Change!
The symbolism was applied to the enormous luminous figure, immediately dying the adverse effects of the crimson moonlight.
Next, Klein transferred Amon from the Chaos Sea to the peripheral at the universe''s edge, leaving behind only the Chained Uniqueness and Sequence 1 Beauty Goddess Beyonder characteristic from Lilith, which he Grafted into Sefirah Castle.
Afterpleting this, Klein''s flickering figure disappeared from the star dominion.
He returned to the original battlefield, now fully intent on dealing with the Goddess of Fate and Supernova Dominator!
In the meantime, Amon appeared on the peripheral of the universe. Still affected by His survival instinct, He hid within the protected zone, not daring to venture out.
On the battlefield outside the protected zone, Franca and other angels were stunned to find that the Cupids and Leviathans had simultaneously left the area, entering the universe and disappearing.
This significantly reduced the pressure on them.
The beautiful Cupids had been firing arrows that stole True Hearts, inciting internal strife. Meanwhile, the Leviathans had stirred up jealousy and dissatisfaction among many Angels, nearly causing the disbandment of the Red Angel Medici''s legion. It was only thanks to The Star Leonard, Arianna, and other Servants of Concealment who put the affected Angels into slumber, and Justice Audrey and other Spectator pathway Angels who used Hypnosis, cate, or imnted virtual personalities, that the angelic legion avoided greater turmoil.
Now, for whatever reason, the departure of the Cupids and Leviathans from the battlefield was a wee relief for Medici, the legionmander.
In the boundless void, sometimes shrouded in the Fog of War and other times plunged into darkness.
The voice of Lumian echoed in Eternal Darkness Amanises''s mind. "Change of strategy-target the Circle of Inevitability first."
Previously, Lumian had aimed to use his preparations to swiftly wound or eliminate the Monarch of Decay, making Him the primary target.
He and Amanises had nearly seeded three times, but each time, the Circle of Inevitability had intervened-either resetting the state through Loop or exerting influence via the symbolism of Inevitability.
This caused Lumian to be affected by the symbolism of Decay, where "anything that can go wrong will go wrong," further destabilizing his internal bnce and reducing the time he could sustain himself by another minute.
Hence, Lumian decided not to remain trapped in this back-and-forth. A breakthrough was needed, starting with eliminating the support and the disruptive interference.
Although the Circle of Inevitability was even harder to eliminate quickly-whether through His Loop symbolism or Hisbination of Future and Destined symbolisms that made Him nearly impossible to hit - Lumian felt it was worth a try given the deadlock elsewhere.
He also noticed the crimson moonlight and understood the urgency of time!
Suddenly, Lumian once again conjured the Fog of War to envelop the void, swapping his position with Eternal Darkness Amanises.
Eternal Darkness Amanises now faced the golden mummy-like Monarch of Decay.
The strange book of coiled feathered serpents in Her hands flipped open with a rustling sound, disying only one name written across its pages: "Monarch of Decay."
Death!
Amanises invoked the symbolism of Death!
Time, already slow around the Monarch of Decay, slowed further, pushing His body into the depths of illusory ripples.
There, it seemed to reach the end of time, the final point of change.
The Monarch of Decay did not evade the influence of Death. Instead, He used His symbolism as the End of the River of Time to dy Death until that endpoint, leaving the present unaffected.
As Amanises dealt with the Monarch of Decay, Lumian, with his omniscient perspective within the Fog of War, located the Circle of Inevitability.
The body with Aurore''s and Jenna''s face clenched its right hand.
They caused all contradictions in the area to erupt instantly, transforming the apocalypse into a vortex of chaos that swallowed nearby asteroids, along with time, space, and fate.
This chaos vortex rapidly expanded toward the Circle of Inevitability, targeting not His body but a fixed tributary within the mercury-colored River of Fate.
It sought to drag this tributary into the apocalypse, returning it to chaos, thereby breaking the Circle of Inevitability''s Destined powers.
The Circle of Inevitability''s three bodies began spinning around a single point.
He attempted to trigger a Loop not yet affected by the chaos vortex, resetting the state of the battlefield.
At this moment, Amanises suddenly abandoned applying symbolic influence on the Monarch of Decay. Instead, using the team''s connection, She unleashed deep darkness like a river from the void near Lumian, pulling time and space into Herself and merging them swiftly.
Eternal Darkness was also Space-Time-in-One!
Although this symbolism was iplete, it managed to halt the Circle of Inevitability''s spinning, suspending Him like an insect trapped in amber.
Origins of Disaster Lumian seized the opportunity, allowing the chaos vortex to spread over, engulfing the fixed tributary of fate and the pre-set Loop node.
Then, the chaos vortex, embodying all colors and possibilities, consumed the three-bodied Circle of Inevitability, causing Him to copse into chaos in an instant.
Neither Lumian nor Amanises paused to confirm their victory, as the Monarch of Decay made the Fog of War advance to its end and applied the symbolism of Certain Death to them.
A secondter, at the dissipating chaos vortex''s center, the dark body of the Circle of Inevitability reappeared. He had reunited with His mercury-colored and redemptive light-formed bodies, resuming His hand signs.
Past symbolism!
What was not lost in the past could not be destroyed in the present!
Lumian instantly realized one thing: only by using the kind of power associated with the Fourth Pir- erasing the very concept of the Circle of Inevitability''s existence and His past history-could He be truly wounded or killed.
Of course, the King of Space-Time, who held the symbolism of History, might not be able to kill the Circle of Inevitability but could certainly inflict suffering worse than death.
Chapter 1171: Baiting with Ones Own Body
In the original star dominion.
The Goddess of Fate, dyed and obstructed by Klein, had already discerned the changes on the other battlefield by gazing into the mercury-colored illusory River of Fate. She had Prophesized what was about to happen.
The armless body in the center of Her body spat out an object She had been holding in Her mouth.
It was a thumb-sized bead with a ssy texture, radiating multicolored hues and naturally exuding a soothing aura that calmed the mind and body.
This bead originally belonged to a Dao integrator of the Key of Light. It was a relic left behind after their corpse was cremated. During the Vortex incident, it had been traded by Harrison of Peni to Fate''s Attendant Hlo?se. After Hlo?se recovered, the bead was immediately offered as a sacrifice to the deity Hlo?se worshiped.
As soon as the relic was spat out, it flew directly to the body with hollow eye sockets on the Goddess of Fate''s left side. She caught it and wove it into the self- contained mercury-colored symbol that had head connected to tail, incorporating it into the corresponding tributary of the River of Fate.
The River of Fate surged quietly onward. Just as the golden giant Buddha, who had only recently ovee the effects of survival instincts, prepared to join the Celestial Master and Celestial Thearch''s projection in battling the High-Dimensional Overseer, a fissure appeared on the Buddha''s surface. From within, a pair of hands forged of gold began to tear outward, threatening to shatter the entire body.
The follower to whom the relic belonged was now imbued with a new fate and granted new possibilities!
Thus, He had torn through the surface, disrupting the harmony of the Three Buddhas, preventing Them from acting in unison and causing the golden giant Buddha to copse spectacrly.Such was the power of the Goddess of Fate, who wove fates.
On the first day, the Original Creator awoke and created this world, but reality, the spirit world, the astral world, and fate were still mixed together.
On the second day, the Oldest One birthed the Mother Goddess of Depravity. Reality gained a foundation, the spirit world and astral world were separated, and the River of Fate began to flow. Soon after, the Mother Tree of Desire was born, giving rise to life and introducing evil and desire. Then came the Son of Chaos, who established order-and with it, shadows naturally emerged.
On the third day, the Oldest One and the Mother Goddess united, and the Mother of All Things gave birth to a firstborn daughter. From then on, the fates of all things began to intertwine, no longer in absolute chaos but instead forming rtive patterns and foreseeable futures.
As the firstborn daughter of the Original Creator and the Mother Goddess of Depravity, the symbolism of the Goddess of Fate was sufficiently unique. She could weave, guide, and sever even the fates of Great Old Dominators. As long as the fates of all things converged into the River of Fate, She would attain immortality. Even if Her body were destroyed, Her consciousness and spirit could return from the River of Fate and manifest a new body. She did not need pre-set resurrection mechanisms or the reliance on undying spirits that other Great Old Dominators required, nor did She need to wait ages to revive through a sefirah, Uniquenesses, or Beyonder characteristics.
However, the essence of fate was infinite chaos. Even the Goddess of Fate could not fully control it, nor could She ensure the River of Fate always flowed ording to Her woven designs.
At this moment, the Goddess of Fate aimed to disrupt the battle over the sefirot, forcing the Lord of Mysteries to divide His focus and preventing Him from confronting Her with His full power.
If She could dy long enough, Her mother would return, fully healed.
As the firstborn daughter, She was destined to receive assistance-a privilege the Circle of Inevitability and Supernova Dominator did not share.
Thus, She utilized the relic intended for capturing the Key of Light, deploying it early to serve Her current needs!
As the golden giant Buddha was about to be torn apart from within, deep darkness surged forth, engulfing Him and plunging Him into slumber-a sleep from which He could not awaken in the short term.
Only by suppressing His internal Issues could the golden Buddha regain control of the situation.
This left the Celestial Master and Celestial Thearch''s projections to face the High-Dimensional Overseer in a two-against-one battle, significantly worsening Their predicament.
Having just returned from the past, the Circle of Inevitability observed the scene and suddenly felt a surge of desire.
This came from a powerful instinct to converge and a greed deeply rooted in godhood.
He now had the opportunity to devour the Key of Light!
Compared to that, aiding the Monarch of Decay against the Origins of Disaster and Eternal Darkness seemed far less important.
Supernova Dominator, unable to glean sufficient information from the River of Fate and further hindered by the spirit world''s obscuring, grew increasingly agitated.
Atst, within the astral world, the concept of "stars" suddenly intensified.
One after another, massive, zing orbs of terrifying radiance descended into this star dominion, radiating unimaginable light and heat.
These were dying stars summoned by Supernova Dominator-stars nearing the ends of their lifespans.
As the ruler of stars, Supernova Dominator wielded the symbolism of weight, density, and fundamental forces,manding thews of the boundless cosmos.
Normally, He could summon His shepherded stars through the spirit world, creating supernovae or catastrophic ck holes, all withoutpromising His structural stability. But Lord of Mysteries Klein, utilizing his Pir symbolism, had preemptively sealed the spirit world. As a result, Supernova Dominator was forced to spend extra time converting these stars into conceptual forms, sending them into the astral world, and transporting them over here, finally manifesting them in reality.
Once these stars amassed in the star dominion, they immediately began attracting and colliding with one another.
An immense eruption of light and heat followed, obliteratingyers of "doors" and overwhelming countless Kleins.
Right on the heels of that, the colliding matter rapidly copsed, emitting unimaginable gravitational force that captured even the expelled light and heat,pressing the entire star dominion inward and slowing time dramatically.
Supernova Dominator now had an unobstructed connection to the astral world.
At this moment, He sensed an enormous bluish-ck door of light formed from countless insects at the edge of the light and heat He had captured.
Standing beneath the radiance was a figure-Klein wearing a silk half top hat, dark gloves, and a long ck coat, holding a star-encrusted cane.
Manifesting Sefirah Castle, Klein extended his left palm forward.
Time, already slowed by the massive ck hole, became even slower, as if a clock chime resonated from the bluish-ck door of light.
Everything stagnated, nearing aplete halt.
King of Space-Time!
Supernova Dominator was also trapped in the near - frozen time, moving with an unbelievable slowness.
He suddenly realized something.
Why am I creating a ck hole-one that contracts space and dtes time?
Isn''t this helping the King of Space-Time further stagnate time?
Could it be that during the previous battles, I unknowingly came under the influence of the symbolism of Foolishness?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Supernova Dominator did not hesitate. He immediately attempted to reverse the ck hole''s copse into the strongest explosion possible. This would break the spatial constraints and temporal stasis and might even significantly damage the now-manifested Sefirah Castle!
Of course,pleting such a transformation required at least one second, but a second in the dted time zone was far longer than one in the external world.
The Goddess of Fate was nearly sucked into the massive ck hole created by Supernova Dominator. Only by weaving Her own fate was She able to evade the pull and reach the edge of its influence unscathed. However, She could no longer perceive the fates within that dark region.
At that moment, She noticed the emergence of a figure d in a ck coat, wearing a silk top hat, and holding a star-encrusted cane-Lord of Mysteries Klein -standing within the giant bluish-ck door of light.
The mercury-colored River of Fate shifted direction, rushing toward Klein. All its tributaries began converging on the door of light, as though it alone represented the true path and the real future. Even the Goddess of Fate Herself was pulled toward it.
Beacon of Destiny!
The Goddess of Fate now glimpsed the fate of Lord of Mysteries Klein. Her rightmost, headless body followed the surging mercury-colored river, striking out with an illusory silver-ck dirk toward the bluish-ck door of light.
It sought to sever all tributaries of fate.
The final judgment!
Seeing this, Klein, now manifesting the Sefirah Castle, maintained a calm expression. He spread his arms, lifting his ck coat as the bluish-ck door of light shone brilliantly.
The scene concealed behind him was revealed - a deep ck hole that bound even light and heat, preventing their escape.
The ck hole created by Supernova Dominator!
Almost simultaneously, Klein reversed the stagnation of Change, pushing it into eleration.
Abruptly, Supernova Dominator''s attempted transformation waspleted. The ck hole became a "white hole," erupting with a terrifying sea of burning light and an extreme explosion.
The eruption rushed toward Klein, toward Sefirah Castle, and also toward the Goddess of Fate on the other side of the door of light!
Klein didn''t flee the scene. Instead, he ced a hand over his chest and bowed slightly to the Goddess of Fate, whose central head had already reflected the zing sea of light in its eyes.
Taking advantage of the moment, he redirected the Goddess of Fate''s attack to the Supernova Dominator on the opposite side of the Sefirah Castle,pleting the linkage.
This was Grafting, a manifestation of the symbolism of Bizarreness!
For Supernova Dominator and the Goddess of Fate, if They had realized the problem earlier, They could have easily stopped Their own attacks, preventing the Grafting from achieving its purpose But this time, Klein had used himself as bait, isting both sides with Sefirah Castle, and amidst his own simultaneous crisis, left Them no time to react!
Of course, the symbolism of Foolishness, which had gradually deepened its influence over time, was the true hero of the moment.
In an instant, the terrifying sea of light engulfed Klein''s body, shaking the bluish-ck door of light. Then, it surged forward,pletely submerging and tearing apart the three bodies of the Goddess of Fate, dissolving them.
At the same time, the Goddess of Fate''s strike, symbolizing the final judgment, sessfully hit Supernova Dominator''s River of Fate.
Supernova Dominator immediately felt utterly isted, as if plunged into a deep darkness, unable to locate reality, sense the spirit world or astral world, or even perceive a fate to continue existing.
In the now starless dominion, Klein''s figure-dressed in a ck coat and dark gloves-swiftly reappeared.
He had just died.
But he wielded miracles, and resurrection was one of them.
Correspondingly, Sefirah Castle had also suffered severe damage during this daring attempt. It would not recover fully in the short term-a price Klein was willing to pay to resolve the battle quickly.
Klein did not rx, as the battle in this dominion was far from over. He had merely gained a temporary advantage, creating an opportunity that he now had to seize fully!
Chapter 1172: Giving You a Chance
Supernova Dominator, having had His tributary of fate severed, now existed without a future, isted from reality and unable to sense the spirit world or astral world.
For those not Above the Sequences, this would mean watching helplessly as death and an end approached, with no way to reverse fate. Even most Great Old Dominators would lose Their powers and authorities in such a state, unable to wield many of Their symbolisms. At that moment, a decisive attack from Their enemies could prove fatal.
The final judgment of fate could not directly kill a Great Old Dominator but could temporarily strip Them of most of Their symbolisms, reducing Them to a weakened state, rejected by fate itself-a miserable wretch with no future or dreams.
At this moment, Supernova Dominator wasn''t concerned about the Goddess of Fatending another blow. What He feared was the Lord of Mysteries seizing this opportunity to render His existence worse than death.
As a Great Old Dominator, while He leaned more toward reality than mystery. He was not entirely without means to escape His predicament.
Supernova Dominator quickly caused the myriad explosive sunsprising His body to eject countless particles. Using His symbolism as the Controller of Fundamental Forces-untouched and unremovable - He caused those particles to draw closer, triggering repeated nuclear fusions, transforming into various elements, and creating true matter.
This matter began forming their own fates, weaving together and attempting to break through the istion, seeking to rejoin the vast, illusory mercury - colored River of Fate.
This would allow Supernova Dominator to find reality and return to the River of Fate.
Within the intricate mercury-colored River of Fate connected from head to tail, the consciousness and spirit of the Goddess of Fate swiftly coalesced, unstoppable and irreversible.
Meanwhile, in the other star dominion.
Primordial Hunger had consumed a sliver of chaos, devouring some of The Hanged Man''s abilities. Grisha Adam, with a stoic expression, calmly cated, guided, and managed the situation, showing no sign of failure.
To Him, the greater threat than Primordial Hunger was the increasingly revived consciousness of the Primordial God Almighty.
The golden giant Buddha sat cross-legged in the boundless void, His eyes tightly shut, motionless. The two golden hands extending from the fissures in His body hung limply, as it had fallen into slumber.
At this moment, He was entirely incapable of resistance, relying solely on the blessing of passive good fortune.
This growing vulnerability made the greed and convergence instinct within the Circle of Inevitability''s godhood surge uncontrobly. It was as though a miser had spotted a long-coveted treasure suddenly left unguarded, with the added assurance of impunity upon taking it.
Eternal Darkness Amanises noticed that the Circle of Inevitability was increasingly fixated on the golden Buddha. She deliberately shifted Her focus to the Monarch of Decay, creating distance from the Key of Light and the other sefirot.
A few secondster, the Circle of Inevitability could no longer resist His godhood''s instinct to converge, His three bodies worked together, setting up several Loop triggers on the battlefield before turning toward the Key of Light. Using the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence, He flung Himself toward the golden Buddha, causing the Buddha to be drawn toward Him in turn.
Suddenly, a straight, illusory dark river flowed forth from the cosmos, heralding the stillness of fate and the promation of death.
This was a river that did not Loop. It always moved forward.
Even death itself would dissipate within its currents.
River of Eternal Darkness!
Amanises, though She was truly Above the Sequences, was burdened by the lingering consciousness and spiritual residues of many Dao integrators of the Haoli lineage. Her condition was less than ideal and required time to adapt and purge the negative influences. Thus, except for Her emergence as a Great Old One to fend off the Outer Deities, She had refrained from utilizing Her concentrated symbolism of the River of Eternal Darkness.
But now, understanding the urgency of the moment, She set aside all other concerns, using this river to forcibly break the remaining Loops, prevent the Circle of Inevitability from amodating the Key of Light, and keep Him upied, creating a one-on-one opportunity for Lumian against the Monarch of Decay.
The colorless, illusory river submerged all Loop nodes, causing them to instantaneously perish and vanish without taking effect.
The River of Eternal Darkness ced itself between the Circle of Inevitability and the golden Buddha, transforming into denser darkness that enveloped the area, forcing all three bodies of the Circle of Inevitability to close their eyes.
Symbolism of Darkness,pelling thought to silence and inducing slumber!
The body of redemptive light on the Circle of Inevitability''s right side also closed its eyes and fell into a state of sleep. Yet, before Him appeared countless tributaries of fate, each representing the same possibility: that the Circle of Inevitability would soon awaken.
Symbolisms of Future and Destined!
The Circle of Inevitability had anticipated His current predicament and prepared in advance, setting the future in motion.
This foresight stemmed not only from insights drawn from the River of Fate but also from His clear understanding that the Key of Light, as the embodiment of fate, would inevitably have absolute good fortune at critical moments, disrupting any attempts to amodate Him.
This was why He had not fixed the tributary of fate representing His sessful amodation of the Key of Light-it was simply unfixable!
Maintaining the dense darkness, Amanises extended two hands. Before the destined fate could manifest, She plunged an orange-red twilight greatsword into the darkness''s edge and into the void.
The dense darkness contracted. The flow of time slowed, converging toward a single point.
The fate of the Circle of Inevitability''s destined awakening remained unchanged but was now dyed, pushed several seconds into the future!
Symbolism of Space-Time-in-One!
Though Iplete, it proved sufficient.
After restraining the Circle of Inevitability, Amanises nced at the golden Buddha.
Even She couldn''t help but marvel at His fortune.
Despite having been schemed against and facing grave issues that forced Him into slumber, He had unwittingly drawn the Circle of Inevitability''s attention, granting Lumian the opportunity for a one- on-one confrontation with the Monarch of Decay.
Though it might onlyst a few seconds, it was still an opportunity.
As the essence of war, Lumian naturally wouldn''t let the opportunity slip. He unfolded the mirror world originating from the City of Cmity, forcibly dragging the Monarch of Decay into it.
Within this realmy an endless starry sky.
Immediately, massive stars erupted around the Monarch of Decay, ejecting vast quantities of matter, creating a sea of destructive burning light and expanding explosions.
Above and below the Monarch of Decay, two ck holes revealed themselves through retion disks, tugging at His body in opposing directions and causing the distant mirror world''s barriers to fracture piece by piece as if seeking to escape.
Cmity of Destruction!
Time around the Monarch of Decay grew increasingly sluggish. The intense sea of light dimmed rapidly before even nearing Him, decaying with astonishing speed, rendering it less terrifying. The two ck holes began evaporating at an unimaginable pace, shrinking steadily.
Suddenly, a radiant starlight door manifested amidst the slowed time behind the Monarch of Decay. Three- headed, three-bodied, six-armed Lumian stepped out, opening the door and wielding a ck me greatsword bound with destruction and chaos.
He had used thest charge of his Door pathway contract ability.
Immediately, he felt his body decaying and rotting, his internal bnce elerating toward copse.
The Monarch of Decay remained expressionless, as if such things were already dead and decayed.
As a Great Old Dominator, His golden mummy-like form was free from the limitations of a human structure. He weed the Origins of Disaster stepping into a region dominated by slow time and the strongest symbolism of decay.
He extended His rotting, pus-seeping left palm toward Lumian, His head having rotated 180 degrees at some point, gazing upon His sluggish-moving target.
Sure hit, certain death!
Lumian first used the symbolism of Cmity of Destruction to interfere with the Monarch of Decay before opening the Door-not to confuse the enemy but to buy time for one action.
He had transmitted his intent to all his followers: "Call my name!"
On the peripheral of the universe, Lugano, Leon, and other Sick Church believers heard the resoundingmand echo in their ears. They bowed their heads devoutly, repeatedly chanting, "Great Mdy God!"
"Great Mdy God!"
Amid the prayers, the face of chaos on Lumian''s left head turned toward the Monarch of Decay.
He seemed barely affected by the slowed time, pulling both time and space into Himself.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
At this moment, the previous and current Mdy Gods finally met.
Lumian did not hope that this meager symbolism would equate this Mdy God with that one, making his injuries synonymous with those of the Monarch of Decay. The mystical connections between the two remained too weak, and the necessary symbols insufficient.
The connection between the Uncertain Mist and the Mother Tree of Desire had been exploitable for mutual destruction because Genie and the Tenebrous World had once been one. Moreover, Emperor Roselle and the Chained provided an ideal intermediary linking both sides. Lumian could only be the Mother Goddess of Depravity because She had permitted it, creating those links and ultimately providing the critical correspondences.
Currently, none of these conditions were met.
Lumian''s purpose in enhancing the symbolism of the Mdy God was not to rely on mystical simrity to wound the Monarch of Decay but to offer Him an opportunity.
For great existences, anyone who invoked Their former names and stole Their followers would establish a mystical connection with Them, allowing Them to curse, doom, or even kill the offender-or seize their body. If not for the astral barrier and Mr. Fool''s protection, Lumian would have long since perished or be the Monarch of Decay.
Now, Lumian deliberately amplified the symbolism of the Mdy God to give the Monarch of Decay a chance to possess his body!
Chapter 1173: Accommodation
The Monarch of Decay sensed that the prayers to the Mdy God were directed at the Origins of Disaster, creating an ovep in identity and offering Him a direct opportunity to seize His target''s body.
But He didn''t take the opportunity-He wasn''t foolish. Killing the Origins of Disaster first and then amodating the sefirah was the only correct choice!
To seize the other''s body now would mean engaging in a battle of consciousness and spirit. The Monarch of Decay wasn''t confident of a guaranteed victory at the moment. If, He lost, He would end up being amodated and devoured by the Origins of Disaster, bing part of that collective consciousness. Moreover, in such a war of consciousness, defeat would mean no chance of escape, given that His opponent was of the same tier.
Thus, any Great Old Dominator with a functioning mind would never take such bait from Lumian.
For Lumian, having prepared this n, there was naturally a follow-up strategy: You''re rational? You''re not foolish? That''s fine, I''ll make you foolish!
As the believers chanted "Great Mdy God" and the Monarch of Decayunched His Sure Hit, Certain Death attack, Lumian activated the contract mark left by Mr. Fool. He could still use it once.
Fooled!
This contract, signed after The Fool Klein amodated Sefirah Castle, carried a trace of the Foolishness symbolism.
As the mark on Lumian''s body glowed a bluish-ck, the Monarch of Decay''s outstretched left palm suddenly slowed.He hesitated. He stopped.
For a being as truly great as the Monarch of Decay, the Fooling imposed by half a Lord of Mysteries had limited duration and effect. It wasn''t potent enough to make Him lose all reason and act purely on instinct. But Lumian had never expected it to seed outright.
At that moment, the middle head on Lumian''s bodyughed, radiating intense provocation, as if saying, "A naturally great existence like you can''t even match a lowly one like me who advanced the ranks? If you don''t seize this opportunity now, you''ll end up being amodated by me! What''s the matter? Did the Mother Tree of Desire ignite your survival instincts so much that you''re too cowardly to confront my consciousness head-on? You might as well crawl back into the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s womb and be reborn with a new consciousness!"
Simultaneously, Aurore''s and Jenna''s faces smiled in turn, each ncing mockingly at the Monarch of Decay.
Provocation plus Charm! Symbolic-level Provocation and Charm!
Another of Lumian''s bodies, the one with the face of a swirling vortex of chaos, followed his main consciousness''s lead, activating the City of Cmity''s convergence force.
The Tudor face brimming with the desire to challenge and the amused Cheek face cooperated perfectly with this attempt, invoking the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence and sending an irresistibly alluring invitation to the Monarch of Decay.
Come, amodate this sefirah. Take over our body!
Still under the influence of Foolishness, the Monarch of Decay could no longer control Himself in the face of Provocation, Charm, and the Law of Aggregation. His vision fixated solely on the hateful yet irresistibly enticing target before Him. Without hesitation, He stepped forward, shedding the golden ting covering His body to reveal a heavily decayed, oozing yellow- green pus-covered body.
That body rapidly expanded, instantly enveloping Lumian''s three-headed, six-armed body.
In the blink of an eye, within Lumian''s consciousness space, the bloodstained stone-brick floor became covered in a nauseating yellow-green fungal carpet.
The Monarch of Decay saw several figures standing before Him.
Aurore with her, hair darkened and eyes deep brown; Jenna with an expression of disdain; Cheek, radiating excitement; Alista Tudor, eyes zing with madness; and the stationary swirling face of chaos.
Behind them loomed the coiled twin-bodied malevolent dragon.
Beyond the malevolent dragony the staircase ascending to infinite heights, atop which sat Lumian - wearing a white shirt, ck vest, and dark trousers-on a crimson-blooded throne, his right foot resting on his left knee, gazing down at the Monarch of Decay with a bright smile.
As the Origins of Disaster who was Above the Sequences, Lumian''s consciousnesses had long since unified into an entity. He was simply using the Visionary''s ability to manifest six arms of his consciousness as six figures for ease of unleashing different attackster. In the real world, his six arms could independently employ distinct abilities, though not involving symbolisms.
Within the mercury-colored River of Fate, as the intertwined destinies coalesced into the Goddess of Fate''s consciousness and spirit, She prepared to surface, to leave this realm and reim a body.
Suddenly, Lord of Mysteries Klein appeared above Her, d in his ck long coat and silk half top hat.
Klein extended his ck-gloved left hand.
Steal!
Klein sought to extract the Goddess of Fate''s consciousness and spirit from the River of Fate, stealing it into his grasp!
He hadn''t attempted this earlier because the Goddess of Fate had not yet intended to leave the River of Fate. Her existence, intertwined with the fates of all matter in the universe, was too heavy to steal. Once She fully regained a body, the Lord of Mysteries would also be unable to directly Steal the consciousness and spirit of a Great Old Dominator from Her united form. Only this moment presented the opportunity.
A strange, tree-like humanoid object coated in ck slime floated in front of Klein. It was the Sequence 1 Divine Abomination Beyonder characteristic of the Chained pathway.
Once he stole the Goddess of Fate''s consciousness and spirit, he would immediately ce it into this formless entity, then use his symbolism to seal Her.
For the Chained pathway''s Binding symbolism, high - Sequence Beyonder characteristics were ideal sealing material.
The Goddess of Fate''s consciousness and spirit were uncontrobly drawn out from the illusory mercury - colored River of Fate, about to fall into Klein''s hand. Just then, crimson moonlight descended, and a broken oak tree grew in the void, "fixing" the Goddess of Fate''s consciousness and spirit in ce.
The Mother Goddess of Depravity hade to aid Her eldest daughter.
Within Lumian''s consciousness space.
Still under the lingering effects of Foolishness, the Monarch of Decay stretched His Sure Hit, Certain Death left palm toward the malevolent dragon''s figure across the void.
At the same time, He fully invoked the Decay symbolism, slowing the surrounding flow of time and hastening its approach to the terminal point.
The malevolent dragon-represented by one of Lumian''s arms-did not dodge and could not dodge. Its two heads spat ck mes of destruction bound with madness toward the decayed palm.
Cheek''s figure conjured an apocalypse before Him, creating a chaos vortex epassing all possibilities and colors, rapidly spreading toward the Monarch of Decay''s left palm and body.
Alista Tudor''s figure revealed a blood-red mark on His forehead, clenched His right fist, and struck the void ahead. The void cracked inch by inch, copsing space-time toward the Monarch of Decay - the Destruction symbolism from the Red Priest pathway.
Aurore did not use the authority of Origins of Disaster or Cmity of Destruction. Instead, she shared a corresponding power from her ally Eternal Darkness Amanises, summoning dense darkness that silenced everything, enveloping the Monarch of Decay.
Jenna wielded an orange-red twilight greatsword and shed it toward the Monarch of Decay.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The swirling face of chaos held a pale book formed of coiled feathered serpents, flipping its pages silently.
At that moment, chaos, destruction, death, eternal silence, and twilight-along with the Monarch of Decay''s previous attack-gathered in the consciousness, space. Some forces repelled, others blended, swiftly copsing into a terrifying ck dot.
The ck dot drew the entire consciousness space toward itself, absorbing all forces and causing countless cracks to form, igniting pitch-ck mes.
Under this influence, time was nearing its end, and space converged toward the unstable ck dot.
Neither Lumian nor the Monarch of Decay could escape this consciousness space, unable to avoid the singrity of unified space-time and all things!
Though not yet true Fourth Pir power andsting only briefly, it was enough to kill the consciousness of a Great Old Dominator. Moreover, the Loop nodes in this area had been erased, and the Circle of Inevitability remained restrained by Eternal Darkness Amanises, unable to rescue the Monarch of Decay,
Thus, Lumian had no fear of the "Sure Hit, Certain Death" strike.
Everyone here would die.
It was reminiscent of how the Master of the Shadow Cottage and Farbauti had drawn Inextinguishable Ravings into Themselves and cursed Themselves. The difference was that Their consciousnesses weren''t strong enough to sustain such a battle or hold back Inextinguishable Ravings without the Key of Light''s help. Theycked the ability to kill a Great Old Dominator, only capable of wounding one severely.
But Lumian was a genuine great existence. Once the amodation process began, without external intervention, the Monarch of Decay couldn''t escape the battle of spirit, Lumian could harness Fourth Pir- rted power to obliterate the Monarch of Decay alongside himself.
In the copsing consciousness space, surrounded by pitch-ck mes, the Monarch of Decay had one thought: Kill the Origins of Disaster first, destabilize the Fourth Pir''s power, and let it copse on its own!
This was the Monarch of Decay''s only chance for survival.
At the top of the staircase leading to infinite heights, on the blood-stained throne, Lumian sat still, surrounded by a cracking consciousness space filled with burning ck mes.
With his right foot resting on his left knee, Lumian smiled brightly as he watched the Monarch of Decay desperately trying to kill the figures to destroy him.
It''s useless.
I will die, and so will you.
Chapter 1174: The Instinct for Redemption
After several seconds, the Circle of Inevitability finally used the fixed tributary of fate to escape the influence of the Darkness symbolism.
However, neither He nor Eternal Darkness Amanises continued the battle. Instead, They both turned Their attention to a peripheral region of the star dominion.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
There, an illusory mirror shattered, and Lumian, with three heads, three torsos, and six arms, emerged. His body was wrapped in rotting green-yellow flesh and burning with deep, pitch-ck mes.
That massive body, covered in decaying flesh, continued copsing inward toward a central point. It began with the chest at the center, followed by the right arm, and then the left side of the abdomen. Within the copsing body, a dark spot emerged, so deep it seemed to contain the entire universe.
Each copse greatly heightened Eternal Darkness Amanises''s sense of danger, and She quickly realized that the development might not align with Their original expectations.
When Klein had fully awakened and amodated Sefirah Castle, he had consulted only two high-ranking existences to n Their responses to various scenarios. One was Lumian, who possessed the swirling face of chaos and both the masculine and feminine aspects of the mirrored Original Creator. The other was Evernight Goddess Amanises, who held the authority of Concealment. This prevented Klein''s awakening and Their ns from leaking.
Snake of Mercury Will Auceptin, only learned of Klein''s awakening in the Nation of the Evernight. Klein had helped Him amodate His Uniqueness, but He was unaware of the details.
Thus, Amanises already knew how Lumian, as the Origins of Disaster, would deal with the Monarch of Decay and what would unfold in the process. Now, it seemed everything had gone as nned, yet the result appeared to have taken an unexpected turn.
The anticipated oue was for Lumian to create a power akin to the Fourth Pir, annihting both the Monarch of Decay and himself whilepletely erasing the feminine and masculine aspects of the mirrored Original Creator, Cheek''s consciousness, Alista Tudor''s consciousness, and the malevolent dragon''s consciousness.If Lumian, as part of the Fourth Pir by virtue of being the Origins of Disaster, Cmity of Destruction, managed to endure the destructive force longer, Eternal Darkness Amanises would withdraw the powers She had shared with him. This would destabilize the Fourth Pir''s terrifying force. Meanwhile, Lord of Mysteries Klein would employ New Birth, Grafting, and other methods to potentially save Lumian. However, in doing so, the chaotic cluster of consciousnesses within him might persist, leaving the fragile bnce he currently maintained uncertain.
Now, this oue wasing to fruition, yet it seemed something even more horrifying was brewing.
Momentster, Eternal Darkness Amanises observed strange phenomena surrounding Lumian''s rapidly copsing body.
An endless, frozen universe devoid of vitality appeared. Darkness, which seemed intent on swallowing everything andpressing it into a single point, emerged...
The symbolism of Termination-opposing the symbolism of Genesis - has appeared. This is not supposed to happen. The universe has not yet reached its end, and the Fourth Pir cannot be born... Eternal Darkness Amanises''s gaze suddenly froze.
She thought of a possibility.
Lumian''s body not only contained the powers thatposed the Fourth Pir but also held the symbolisms of the Monarch of Decay and the masculine and feminine aspects of the mirrored Original Creator. When the power representing Termination collided with the feminine and masculine aspects of the mirrored Original Creator, which now finally had the chance to interact during this destruction, there was a possibility for the Termination power to sublimate into Termination symbolism! It had to be known that those symbolisms included "anything that can go wrong will go wrong."
Once Termination symbolism emerged, even if only briefly, it would be a terrifying event. At best, all life in this gxy, including the Great Old Dominators, would bepletely annihted, unable to resurrect. At worst, the entire universe would reboot!
Eternal Darkness Amanises immediately withdrew the powers of Death, Eternal Silence, and Twilight that She had shared with Lumian. Yet, Origins of Disaster Lumian''s body, consciousness, and spirit continued copsing.
The arrival of Termination symbolism seemed inevitable.
At this moment, the Circle of Inevitability abandoned the golden giant Buddha representing the Key of Light and returned to Lumian''s side through the astral world.
Seeing this, Eternal Darkness Amanises recalled the hint from Genie and did not intervene. Instead, She followed the Circle of Inevitability back to the original battlefield, closely monitoring the situation.
The attacks of the High-Dimensional Overseer against the Celestial Master and Celestial Thearch''s projection slowed. He was already preparing to ascend dimensions and flee the gxy instantly, though even that might not ensure His safety.
Primordial Hunger, which had been feasting on Grisha Adam, also paused. Acting primarily on instinct, He began showing signs of retreating.
The central body of the Circle of Inevitability, with its mercury-colored face of suffering, pointed toward the astral world. The Angel of Redemption, who had been fighting at the edge of the universe, instantly returned to Him, transforming into slivery-ck light that merged into His embrace. The remaining Sinners, unsure of what was happening and nowcking the protection of the Sequence 1 Archangel, all chose to withdraw from the battlefield and return to Their divine kingdom.
Next, the Circle of Inevitability''s left dark body and the right bodyposed of redemptive light simultaneously caused the illusory River of Fate to emerge. The main trunk represented the past that had already urred, while its tributaries represented futures about to be reality.
The future was already determined, and every tributary led to the same oue.
The Circle of Inevitability''s two bodies each formed a hand sign. The Future Redemption Body created a new tributary within the mercury-colored tributary where no other possibilities or developments existed- a tributary capable of preventing the appearance of the Termination symbolism.
The Past Sinner Body caused the figures of the Monarch of Decay within the River of Fate''s past to be reced one by one with figures of the Circle of Inevitability. Conversely, the original figures of the Circle of Inevitability were reced one by one with figures of the Monarch of Decay.
Substitution symbolism!
This was the highest level of the Substitution Spell.
Sensing His past being rapidly reced, the Monarch of Decay did not resist. Instead, He hoped the Circle of Inevitability would seed.
He saw the light of redemption.
As Lumian''s body copsed further, the Circle of Inevitability''s Present Sufferer Body separated a Sequence 1 bodyposed of redemptive light. This body formed a hand sign aimed at Lumian.
In an instant, the decayed body of the Monarch of Decay within Lumian was miraculously switched with the Sequence 1 body of the Circle of Inevitability. One returned to the outside world, and the other entered within,pleting the substitution.
Now, Lumian no longer amodated the Monarch of Decay but rather a Sequence 1 avatar of the Circle of Inevitability.
As soon as the Monarch of Decay left Lumian''s body. He was instantly coveredyer byyer in golden armor tes. However, His surface bore multiple cracks that prated the gold and decayed flesh, with deep ck mes still burning within.
The Monarch of Decay did not linger and entered the astral world, fleeing far away.
Even with the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s healing, His wounds would take sixty years to recover. Without appropriate assistance, it would take hundreds or even thousands of years. He dared not remain in this star dominion any longer.
Eternal Darkness Amanises chose not to pursue Him. Instead, She continued monitoring the Circle of Inevitability while assisting the Celestial Master and Celestial Thearch''s projection.
Having lost the symbolisms of the Monarch of Decay, the copse of Lumian''s body and the emergence of Termination symbolism slowed significantly but had not yet stopped.
The Mother Goddess of Depravity used Her power across space to "fix" the consciousness and spirit of the Goddess of Fate, preventing them from being stolen by the Lord of Mysteries. Klein, however, was pleased rather than angered.
High above in the boundless gray fog, a marite that Klein had hidden in advance returned to this star dominion, appearing near the weakened Supernova Dominator, who had fate stripped.
From the start, Klein''s true target had been the weakened Supernova Dominator, whose many symbolisms had been rendered unusable by the Final Judgment. His initial moves against the Goddess of Fate were meant to force the still-recovering Mother Goddess of Depravity to fully assist Her eldest daughter. This would make it difficult for the Mother Goddess of Depravity to intervene in Klein''s subsequent actions against Supernova Dominator.
Unlike the Lord of Mysteries, every Great Old Dominator had Their own specialties.
Normally, a single marite of Klein''s would not stand a chance against aplete Great Old Dominator. However, Supernova Dominator had not yet recovered or fully returned after suffering Final Judgment.
Wearing his ck coat and half top hat, Klein produced another Abomination Beyonder characteristic, covered in viscous ck slime. Raising his star-encrusted cane, he transferred the massive star cluster-still unconnected to reality and unable to wield its symbolisms of weight and density-into the grotesque tree-like humanoid object.
The Abomination Beyonder characteristic began to bulge and crack as if it were about to explode. Klein''s body then projected a bluish-ck illusory door of light.
The door''s projectionnded on the Abomination Beyonder characteristic, stabilizing it. The object quickly transformed into a transparent, dreamlike crystal of constetions.
Klein then threw this astral crystal into the spirit world, continuing to seal it off.
This was to prevent the Mother Goddess of Depravity from aiding Supernova Dominator in escaping.
Of course, a Great Old Dominator like Supernova Dominator-whose consciousness, spirit, sefirah, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics were all intact-could not bepletely sealed. He was not in a state of post-revival dormancy but rather leaned heavily toward reality.
In two or three minutes, He would naturally break through the seal and emerge from the Abomination Beyonder characteristic. Even if Klein reinforced the seal, it would not dy Him much longer.
But a two- to three-minute dy was sufficient for the current battle.
If victory was achieved, Lord of Mysteries Klein would have ample time to retrieve the Abomination Beyonder characteristic.
While exerting his full symbolic power to seal Supernova Dominator, Klein abandoned his attempt to Steal the Goddess of Fate''s consciousness and spirit, allowing Her to regain Her body.
This, too, was an opportunity.
Klein''s coat billowed as he seized the moment to impose the Foolishness symbolism upon the Goddess of Fate.
Initially, he expected the Mother Goddess of Depravity to interfere, but both he and She became simultaneously aware of the developments in the other battlefield.
Klein wasted no time. Opening a Door, He traveled to the star dominion where Lumian and the others were, leaving behind a high-frequency flickering figure. He Deceived the Goddess of Fate, who was under the Foolishness symbolism, causing Her to foolishly enter the spirit world as it briefly opened. She intended to use it as a shortcut to the Key of Light.
Around the Goddess of Fate, a vastbyrinth rapidly formed as the spirit world''s seal was restored.
For a Great Old Dominator in the domain of Fate, pure luck could enable Her to exit the space-timebyrinth and escape the spirit world through the River of Fate. However, this would take several dozen seconds.
Chapter 1175: Bearer of the Eternal Aeon
Within the copsing and burning space of consciousness centered on the deep ck point, Lumian, who had reverted to his three-headed, three- torso, six-armed form, rested his two middle arms on the armrests of the bloodstained throne. Leaning back against the chair, he calmly observed as everything in this space headed toward destruction.
He was aware of the terrifying transformations resulting from the collision of various symbolisms, but at this moment, he could neither interrupt nor end what was happening.
Suddenly, he noticed that the Monarch of Decay, surrounded by the power of Termination, had been reced by an avatar of the Circle of Inevitability,posed of redemptive light.
Lumian froze for a moment, then couldn''t help but burst intoughter, leaning forward slightly.
So, this is what the hint about utilizing ''the universe''s most powerful and genuine Angel of Redemption'' truly meant.
Whenever a situation arose that could threaten the entire universe, the godhood instinct of the Circle of Inevitability wouldpel Him to perform redemption!
This was perhaps His most fundamental symbolism and the reason He had been born as the child of the Original Creator and the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
The Goddess of Fate symbolized the weaving of chaotic destiny into a semnce of order, forming the foundation of the current River of Fate. In contrast, the Circle of Inevitability symbolized the possibility of salvation in apocalyptic crises brought about by the inherent chaos of destiny, allowing the universe to continue in rtive stability until its ultimate end.
As the Sequence 1 avatar of the Circle of Inevitability Substituted the Monarch of Decay within Lumian''s copsing body, the formation of the Termination symbolism noticeably slowed. However, it did not stop entirely and began elerating once more.Seeing this, the three bodies of the Circle of Inevitability simultaneously formed identical hand signs.
His true body began to fade and contract, leaving behind only the light of redemption. Meanwhile, the Angel of Redemption avatar within Lumian''s body rapidly expanded, sprouting a pitch-ck Past Sinner Body and a mercury-colored Present Sufferer Body.
The Circle of Inevitability used His true body to rece the avatar, personally entering Lumian''s body to face the encroaching power of Termination!
The universe''s most powerful and genuine Angel of Redemption!
The power of Termination continued to consume and copse everything within the consciousness space, pulling it toward the deep ck point. At this moment, the six arms of the Circle of Inevitability extended simultaneously, cupping the terrifying ck point as though holding a lotus flower.
His three bodies simultaneously bore the ravages of the power of Termination.
Then, the three bodies unfolded in a strange manner that defied human anatomy, encircling the deep ck point held in six palms, and began to spin.
The spinning grew faster and faster. The ck turned into mercury, mercury became transparent redemptive light, and the light was dyed ck again, repeating over and over.
Before long, the pitch-ck Past Sinner Body morphed into the initial scene of the Termination power''s formation. The mercury-colored Present Sufferer Body stabilized the current event of destruction. The holy light-formed Future Redemption Body froze the moment when the Termination symbolism was about to emerge but had not yet fully formed.
Next, the Future Redemption Body, spinning rapidly, became dyed ck once more, transforming into the scene corresponding to the Past Sinner Body,
Lumian''s copsing body suddenly reverted to its original state-the state it was in when the Termination power had just begun to form but had not yet transformed into symbolism. His broken limbs, chest, abdomen, and other parts were all restored.
Eternal Aeon symbolism!
Using His Eternal Aeon symbolism, the Circle of Inevitability achieved Redemption.
He immediately allowed His external Sequence 1 avatar to rece His true body once again, sealing it within Lumian''s body. The true body returned to reality, regrowing the Past Sinner Body and the Present Sufferer Body.
From now on, the Angel of Redemption avatar would slow the transformation of Termination power within Lumian into Termination symbolism. It would also assist in bncing the consciousness and spirit of the reviving malevolent dragon. When the dyed transformation once again reached a critical stage, the true body of the Circle of Inevitability would rece the avatar, enter Lumian''s dreamscape, and use the Symbolism of Eternal Aeon to reset the crisis to its initial state.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
In essence, every day, His true body would endure destruction alongside Lumian due to the Termination power. This cycle would repeat daily, eternally!
Seeing that the crisis had been redeemed, the Circle of Inevitability did not linger and departed for the astral world.
Neither the newly emerging Lord of Mysteries Klein, who had just stepped through a Door, nor the massive crimson moon in the sky attempted to stop Him.
After arriving at a distant region of the boundless universe through the astral world, the Circle of Inevitability manifested the River of Fate once more.
In the mercury-colored illusory river, His images, which originally belonged to the Monarch of Decay, had been reced by His own through the influence of the Substitution symbolism.
This created a profound mystical link between Him and the Monarch of Decay.
He discovered a series of weathered, decayings and began pursuing the direction they pointed.
By the time the Circle of Inevitability had left, Lumian had regained his bnce. Once again, he was the genuine Origins of Disaster and Cmity of Destruction, now carrying even more active and intense masculine and feminine aspects of the mirrored Original Creator. These aspects were nearing a convergence, poised to form a symbolism.
In an instant, Lumian understood his current situation.
For the next hour, he would remain in peak condition, able to wield the full power of a Great Old Dominator.
After that, his body would begin copsing, and the Disaster symbolism would be uncontroble, bringing cmities or disasters to the surrounding star dominion. Only by entering slumber could he minimize such urrences and slow thepletion of the Termination power''s convergence.
This phase wouldst for 22 hours. The true body of the Circle of Inevitability would rece the failing Sequence 1 avatar within Lumian''s dreamscape, endure destruction for an hour, achieve Eternal Aeon, and reset Lumian''s physical state to the beginning,
Realizing this, Lumian paused, feeling both amused and reflective.
In simple terms, I have a Sequence 1 Angel of the Inevitability pathway sealed within me, resetting my physical state every 24 hours...
After all these twists and turns, it seems I''m back to the beginning
However, the essence of fate was ultimately disordered, and the entire situation didn''tpletely align-during the final hour, what was sealed wasn''t a Sequence 1 Angel of the Inevitability pathway but Inevitability Himself. Moreover, the state didn''t reset at 6 am every day but at 12:30 pm.
After a moment of pause, Lumian raised his head.
The crimson moon high above descended once again.
The Mother Goddess of Depravity had once again returned!
Faced with this change, the figure of Lord of Mysteries Klein, d in his coat and top hat, grew abnormally enormous and rose to confront Her.
Origins of Disaster Lumian dashed without hesitation toward Primordial Hunger, ready to rece Grisha Adam and confront this Great Old Dominator.
Eternal Darkness Amanises first enveloped the nearly out-of-control Grisha Adam in dense, silent darkness. With His cooperation, She helped Him fall into slumber to dy the revival of the Primordial God Almighty, then joined the Celestial Master and Celestial Thearch''s projection in Their fight against the High-Dimensional Overseer.
In the next second, She sensed that the heavily injured Inextinguishable Ravings seemed to have returned!
Amanises instinctively analyzed the current situation to devise the most appropriate response.
At this point, the Mother Tree of Desire, Monarch of Decay, and Circle of Inevitability were no longer capable of returning to the fray and could be eliminated from consideration along with the Uncertain Mist. Among those remaining, the Supernova Dominator would remain sealed for another two or three minutes, likely unable to rejoin the battle in time, making Him a negligible factor. Meanwhile, the Goddess of Fate would need another ten to twenty seconds to escape thebyrinth and leave the spirit world.
In the immediate term, the only opponents to contend with were the Mother Goddess of Depravity, Primordial Hunger, the High-Dimensional Overseer, and the still- weakened Inextinguishable Ravings. However, if the situation wasn''t resolved swiftly and dragged on until the Goddess of Fate returned, or until the Primordial God Almighty''s revival progressed beyond suppression, then hope would be lost, and defeat would be certain.
With a precise understanding of the circumstances, Eternal Darkness Amanises made a decisive call.
The Lord of Mysteries would hold off the Mother Goddess of Depravity. Origins of Disaster Lumian would engage Primordial Hunger. The Knowledge Moor, Nation of Disorder, and the soon-to-awaken Key of Light would continue stalling the High-Dimensional Overseer. Amanises Herself would leverage mutual restraint among the symbolisms to ensure that the already gravely injured Inextinguishable Ravings would be forced out of the battle-or even eliminated- within a short timeframe!
This had to be aplished before the Goddess of Fate returned. The Primordial God Almighty''s revival should take slightly longer.
Amanises immediately caused the dense, silent darkness to spread outward, seeking the formless Great Old Dominator and preparing to manifest the name of Inextinguishable Ravings on the illusory book coiled by feathered serpents.
At the same time, Lumian descended above Primordial Hunger.
The central body of his body reconstituted the burning Sword of Destruction, and he projected a thought toward Ludwig at the edge of the universe. "Call me Father!"
Ludwig, who had already devoured the Chaos Gastric Juices and was ying a pivotal role within the Red Angel Legion, was momentarily stunned before instinctively shouting aloud, "Father!"
At that moment, Primordial Hunger, shaped like a dark vortex, seemed to hear another version of Himself calling the enemy above as "Father," utterly baffled.
But in the next instant, He sensed a familiar aura emanating from Lumian - the aura of the one who created this world and would ultimately end it. He saw the formation of all things and the freezing of the universe.
Wh-
In the instinct of Primordial Hunger, a term emerged: "Father!"
He seemed to have encountered his true father!
He immediately began trembling and froze in the void.
Seeing this, Lumian smiled again.
Extracting the power of Primordial Hunger from the Box of the Great Old Ones and helping Ludwig consume it wasn''t just about creating a Sequence 1 Archangel to assist in defending the protected zones. Lumian had intended to establish a symbolic connection!
Now, Ludwig carried power directly derived from Primordial Hunger. He had long acknowledged Lumian as his godfather-his father.
This was a symbolism.
While projecting this symbolism onto Primordial Hunger wasn''t easy, Lumian carried both the masculine and feminine aspects of the mirrored Original Creator, who was the genuine father of Primordial Hunger!
Of course, the symbolic connection between Ludwig and Primordial Hunger remained too weak to truly equate Lumian to Primordial Hunger''s father. It could only create illusions and exert some influence. This would have little effect on other Great Old Dominators, but for Primordial Hunger-a being driven primarily by instinct-it might work well.
Coupled with Mr. Fool''s Deceit, "perhaps" could be "certain." This was why Lumian had first targeted the Monarch of Decay - so Mr. Fool wouldn''t be too upied to help. Additionally, the contract seal could only be applied to one target at a time to borrow a power. With Foolishness, there could be no Deceit. Moreover, if Lumian had targeted Primordial Hunger from the start, the Circle of Inevitability might have intervened to save Him.
At this moment, Lumian did not seek Mr. Fool''s assistance. After the recent events, the masculine and feminine aspects of the mirrored Original Creator within him had be far more active and substantial.
That was enough to deceive Primordial Hunger!
As Primordial Hunger stiffened briefly, Lumian ignited his entire body in crimson mes. Wielding the Sword of Destruction, he descended from the heavens and struck downward.
The de hit the dark vortex of Primordial Hunger directly.
Primordial Hunger let out a headache-inducing howl of pain, and the dark vortex spat out what it had recently swallowed but hadn''t yet digested.
Terrified, He fled into the astral world, carrying the burning mes of destruction and a body riddled with cracks. Panicked and disoriented, He fled far away from the battlefield.
In just two seconds, Lumian had grievously injured Primordial Hunger, driving Him away andpleting his task.
In the name of the Father!
Chapter 1176: A "Temporary" Retreat
Lumian did not pursue Primordial Hunger, just as he had refrained earlier from borrowing the other three powers from Eternal Darkness Amanises to try to kill Primordial Hunger in one strike. Such an action would have triggered the opponent''s survival instincts, helping Him ovee His fear of "Father" and mount a strong resistance, thus exposing the deception.
Reaching this point was sufficient. By the time Primordial Hunger, a Great Old Dominator that relied primarily on instincts, figured out what had just happened and realized the falsity of "Father," hours or even days would have passed before He returned-still bearing severe injuries.
Lumian''s decision was to immediately rendezvous with Eternal Darkness Amanises. Together, they would confront the already gravely injured Inextinguishable Ravings, aiming to either eliminate Him within ten seconds or inflict wounds so severe that He would no longer dare to return.
At that moment, the Lord of Mysteries Klein imposed the symbolism of Foolishness on the newly materialized body of the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
However, every part of the Mother Goddess of Depravity was in a state of constant New Life, including Her soul, consciousness, spirit, and intellect.
This caused Her to recover Her intellect as soon as She became Foolish, rendering Her immune to the core symbolism of the Lord of Mysteries.
For now, Lumian had no intention of joining the battle between the Pirs. He quickly arrived at the battlefield where Eternal Darkness Amanises and Inextinguishable Ravings were engaged.
The formless Inextinguishable Ravings abruptly vanished, no longer resonating within their minds or affecting their consciousness and spirits.
He had fled the battle to observe from another star dominion, awaiting an opportunity to return. Gravely injured, He chose to follow His survival instincts, avoiding the battlefield where two Great Old Dominators capable ofbining into the Fourth Pir''s power were present.With the distraction of Inextinguishable Ravings gone, the High-Dimensional Overseer did not linger either.
He ascended to the highest dimension, taking advantage of the Celestial Master and Celestial Thearch''s projection having a minimal influence on this domain, and quickly fled the battlefield to hide.
He covertly observed the area, waiting to see if another opportunity might arise.
At this point, Origins of Disaster Lumian and Eternal Darkness Amanises were without opponents.
Their gazes simultaneously turned toward the Mother Goddess of Depravity, whose form was adorned with clouds of swirling crimson moonlight and drifting ash, serving as Her celestial attire.
They prepared to join the battle between the Pirs.
However, they were acutely aware that if the two of them engaged in a fierce fight with the Mother Goddess of Depravity, Inextinguishable Ravings and the High-Dimensional Overseer would inevitably return to this star dominion. Moreover, the Mother Goddess of Depravity would swiftly heal Inextinguishable Ravings, allowing Him to fully unleash His symbolism, which countered collective consciousness and spirits. This could dy them until the Goddess of Fate emerged from thebyrinth, escaped the spirit world, and broke free of Foolishness.
Although the situation had improvedpared to before, the crisis was far from over. Additionally, Lumian and Eternal Darkness Amanises needed to remain vignt over the slumbering Grisha Adam. If anything went awry there, they would have to join forces immediately to kill the Primordial God Almighty before His revival could bepleted.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
At this moment, they saw Lord of Mysteries Klein take a deliberate step back. His thoughts reverberated through the spirit world, spreading across the star dominion. "Does your contract with the Primordial God Almighty have a deadline for fulfillment?"
Origins of Disaster Lumian and Eternal Darkness Amanises exchanged nces and chose to trust Mr. Fool''s judgment. They did not return to that battlefield but maintained their vignce.
Despite their precarious advantage, Mr. Fool''s sudden decision to negotiate with the Mother Goddess of Depravity indicated that something problematic was happening in the background!
The Mother Goddess of Depravity stared at Klein for a second before manifesting the various concepts, authorities, and symbolismsprising the contract in the astral world.
Lord of Mysteries Klein nced at it, finding the contract drafted by the Primordial God Almighty to be exceptionally tight, leaving no exploitable loopholes.
Smiling, he raised his star-encrusted cane and Replicated the Distortion power originating from the ck Emperor pathway.
A use in the contract immediately twisted, though it did not yet form a usable loophole.
Almost simultaneously, Klein extended his left hand, gloved in ck.
Deceit symbolism!
Under the dual effects, the use in the contract finally changed: "The time limit is until the conclusion of this event."
Klein immediately smiled and addressed the Mother Goddess of Depravity, "Why not wait until your period of weakness ends-until you can wield the unique symbolism of the Chaos Primogenitor-before fulfilling the agreement?
"After all, you haven''t yet reimed the Uniqueness of the Mother and Moon pathways, nor achieved all your objectives. This means that the current event isn''t over; it''s merely reached halftime.
"There''s no rule stating that a single event can''tst two or three millennia."
These words, exchanged via telepathicmunication, were delivered in an instant.
The Mother Goddess of Depravity''s wlessly beautiful head turned toward the High-Dimensional Overseer and the Goddess of Fate, who was still ten seconds away from leaving the spirit world. She casually healed Inextinguishable Ravings.
These were the Great Old Dominators who could rejoin the battle within two minutes.
Next, the Mother Goddess of Depravity shifted Her gaze to Origins of Disaster Lumian, Eternal Darkness Amanises, Celestial Master and Celestial Thearch''s projection, and the newly awakened golden Buddha.
Finally, Her eyesnded on the face of Lord of Mysteries Klein, scrutinizing him for a moment.
"Three more seconds before we continue fighting." Klein''s consciousness transmitted.
After assessing the situation and determining that the chances of victory were slim, the Mother Goddess of Depravity finally made Her decision. Nodding lightly to Lord of Mysteries Klein, She said, "Okay."
The weakened Pir wasted no further time. She once again transformed into a crimson moon and vanished into the astral world.
Seeing their Mother leave, the High-Dimensional Overseer and Inextinguishable Ravings also abandoned the fight, retreating rapidly from the star dominion.
On the at the edge of the universe, Franca and the others were astonished to see the Outer Deities'' followers retreat like a receding tide, hurriedly leaving behind numerous corpses.
"Is it over?" Unburdened by the sudden loss of pressure, They felt momentarily bewildered.
Red Angel Medici sensed the information filtering through the spirit world. Turning around, He smiled and confirmed, "It''s over."
Hearing these words, The Star Leonard and the others visibly rxed. It was as if the sun shone down on Them, and a breeze carrying the scent of grass gently caressed Their faces.
Within the battlefield of the Great Old Ones.
Seeing Lord of Mysteries Klein return, Eternal Darkness Amanises tacitly shrouded the star dominion in deeper darkness, concealing all information to prevent any leaks.
Klein gazed at the shrinking figure of the Celestial Master, the increasingly shadowy projections behind the Celestial Thearch, and the golden Buddha slowly reverting to the Buddhist Kingdom of Light, He sighed and said, "They could only temporarily exhibit power approaching that of the Great Old Ones. I tried to make ''temporary''st longer, but it''s still close to ending.
"More importantly, once the fighting bes intense, the Mother Goddess of Depravity will realize that I''m as weak as She is."
This was the cost of forcing both the Supernova Dominator and the Goddess of Fate out of the battle in the shortest time possible.
Lumian immediately understood why Mr. Fool had opted to negotiate with the Mother Goddess of Depravity despite having the upper hand. He had helped Her avoid the constraints of the contract.
Given the current situation, if the battle continued, Mr. Fool would be tied up holding off the Mother Goddess of Depravity and unable to intervene elsewhere. The Celestial Master, Celestial Thearch''s projection, and the Key of Light would soon exit the battle. Lumian and Eternal Darkness Amanises would then have to face both the High-Dimensional Overseer and the healed Inextinguishable Ravings. Even as a team, they wouldn''t be able to force either out of the fight within seconds. By then, the Goddess of Fate would return.
"So, you Deceived the Mother Goddess of Depravity to make Her overlook your and the Celestial Master andpany''s states?" Eternal Darkness Amanises understood Klein''s choice but didn''t grasp why the Mother Goddess of Depravity had agreed.
Lord of Mysteries Klein shook his head. "She only overlooked my state and was fully aware of the Celestial Master andpany''s condition.
"She agreed mainly because She''s in a weakened state and fears suffering another loss against me.
Meanwhile, the Celestial Master andpany''s problems wouldn''t directly trante into Her ultimate victory. From Her perspective, She knows we still have other measures."
Hearing this, Eternal Darkness Amanises and Origins of Disaster Lumian both turned to the increasingly unstable projection of the Celestial Thearch.
Indeed, there was still another way.
That was to abandon the Nation of Disorder, letting the High-Dimensional Overseer take and Raw amodate it. Then, they would unseal Genie from the Magic Wishing Lamp, releasing Him to return to the Nation of Disorder and engage the High-Dimensional Overseer in a battle of consciousness.
In doing so, the High-Dimensional Overseer-no true ally of the other Great Old Ones-would certainly withdraw from the battle and hide in the most secretive location, quietly contending with Genie. Lumian and Amanises would only need to deal with the Goddess of Fate and Inextinguishable Ravings, with a good chance of forcing one of Them out within two minutes.
At that point, even if Supernova Dominator broke free from His seal, the situation would only return to a bnced state.
The problem with this approach was the loss of the Nation of Disorder. They wouldter have to find the victorious High-Dimensional Overseer or Genie to negotiate terms, ensuring They wouldn''t hinder Roselle''s resurrection.
For Klein, Lumian, and the others, this was ast- resort strategy, but the Mother Goddess of Depravity, a born Great Old Dominator, would see it as an inevitable move.
Given theck of hope for victory and the chance to avoid the contract''s constraints, the weakened Mother Goddess naturally agreed to a "temporary" truce.
Amanises cast Her gaze toward the still-slumbering Grisha Adam. "There''s still one problem.
"Even in His slumber, it''s no longer possible to stop the Primordial God Almighty''s consciousness from gaining dominance."
Klein and Grisha Adam had tacitly agreed on how to handle such a situation. With a solemn expression, he signaled Eternal Darkness Amanises to lift the slumber imposed on Grisha Adam.
"I''ll do it," Lumian volunteered.
Klein nced at him, then nodded, saying, "Wait a moment."
He then teleported all the participants back to the original star dominion.
Standing amidst the vast emptiness of the infinite darkness, Klein''s thoughts naturally drifted to the days he had wandered the continent as Merlin, restoring houses and cities one by one.
He removed his silk half top hat, ced it over his chest, and bowed slightly as he said,
"My wish is:
"For this star dominion to be restored to its state at the end of the previous epoch."
Apanied by his words, the materials left behind by the Supernova Dominator converged rapidly with the scenes from the fog of history.
Boom!
Dense matter ignited, bing a zing star - bing a sun.
Next, Klein made another wish, "My wish is:
"For Earth to be restored to its state before the descent of the Mother Goddess of Depravity."
One by one, buildings rose swiftly from the ground of the beautiful blue, Cities like Backlund, Trier, and Shanghai were rapidly rebuilt. Farnd was reimed, and the oceans brimmed with life once more.
Havingpleted this task, Lord of Mysteries Klein teleported the protection zones and Angels from the at the edge of the universe back to their original locations, lifting the barrier and restoring all beings to their rightful ces.
Across thend, the sounds of human voices erupted in joyous celebration.
Chapter 1177: God Loves the World
After gazing at the revitalized blue for two seconds, Klein turned slightly to Amanises and said, "I''m ready."
Eternal Darkness Amanises turned toward the slumbering Grisha Adam and lifted the influence of the Darkness symbolism.
A change urred instantly. The naturally spreading Chaos Sea fully contracted, leaving only the massive cross and Grisha Adam nailed upon it.
Grisha Adam wore a simple white robe, with rusted nails protruding from His limbs, stained with darkened blood.
At this moment, the holy sun, the raging storm, the white tower of books, and the five-headed shadow had all vanished, as if withdrawn into Grisha Adam''s body.
Grisha Adam''s face, covered with a faint golden beard. slowly opened His golden, baby-clear eyes.
He saw Lumian with three heads, three torsos, and six arms and noticed the Sword of Destruction held by Lumian''s central body.
Lumian stared at Grisha Adam and the cross for a few seconds, his expression indifferent and his voice low, "Go and fight for your next chance."
With that, he raised the massive ck-me greatsword that bound madness and chaos, Grisha Adam shifted His gaze downward.He saw the green-blue below, the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Continents, the five oceans, the bustling cities, the peaceful viges, and the people stillughing, crying, and busy.
Retracting His gaze, He looked back at Lumian with a warm smile on His face.
Lumian said nothing more and brought down the giant sword, burning with ck mes and symbolizing destruction and chaos.
At that moment. Lord of Mysteries Klein and Eternal Darkness Amanises each bowed respectfully to Grisha Adam in their own ways.
Boom!
The massive cross shattered into pieces, and Grisha Adam''s body instantly disintegrated and copsed.
He made no defense or resistance, nor did He give the Primordial God Almighty any opportunity.
His crumbling bodypletely disintegrated, turning into beams of light that flew toward the blue.
This included the miniature sun, the storm wreathed in lightning, the dense shadow, the illusory white tower of books, and the grayish-white object resembling a fusion of brain and mind.
They created a dazzling and dreamlike meteor shower over the, disying a myriad of colors.
This spectacle drew many humans to stop and admire it. Some were excited, some were awestruck by the beauty, and others hurriedly made wishes, praying for their realization.
God loves the world.
In the boundless cosmos, Klein, apanied by Lumian and Amanises, entered the spirit world and found the astral crystal sealing the Supernova Dominator.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
No spirit world creatures lingered nearby, instinctively avoiding the soon-to-explode object.
Amid the dense,yered colors, the three great existences simultaneously sensed that the Goddess of Fate had exited the spirit world and returned to Her divine kingdom.
Lumian nced at the astral crystal and suggested, "Shall we unseal Him now? One of us controls Him, and the other attacks - let''s try to finish Him off quickly?"
The confidence to kill a Great Old Dominator in a short time was unique to powerful existences of destruction like Origins of Disaster, Eternal Darkness, and the Monarch of Decay.
Lord of Mysteries Klein shook his head. "No. Supernova Dominator leans toward reality. Even you two can''t kill Him in one strike if He resists. His counterattack would break the spirit world''s seal from within, giving the Mother Goddess of Depravity a chance to interfere. She won''t let us reduce our enemies now-that would hinder Her actions once She recovers from Her weakness."
Indeed, the sealed spirit world could block the Mother Goddess of Depravity from entering, but not if a Great Old Dominator inside cooperated to break the seal.
This was why the Goddess of Fate could leave the spirit world through the River of Fate but could not use it to enter.
If the Mother Goddess of Depravity descended again, the High-Dimensional Overseer, the Goddess of Fate, and the healed Inextinguishable Ravings would certainly follow. Alongside the still - unkilled Supernova Dominator, the situation would be dire.
Klein continued, "My ceasefire agreement with the Mother Goddess of Depravity holds no binding force. She''s probably waiting for the Supernova Dominator to break the seal.
"But just because we can''t fully seal Him or kill Him in time doesn''t mean we can''t do something else."
Upon hearing this, Eternal Darkness Amanises swiftly cloaked the area in concealment.
Lord of Mysteries Klein nodded to Her and smiled.
"Let''s not let the Mother Goddess of Depravity know exactly what we did in those two seconds after the seal is lifted."
Then, he turned to Lumian. "As the seal breaks, I''ll cast the Foolishness symbolism on Supernova Dominator and maintain it with full force. While He''s Foolish, you will Hypnotize Him and imnt a Virtual Persona to make Him our friend-a friend who will help us when it matters most.
"This Virtual Persona should seem normal but must follow the logic that the Mother Goddess of Depravity and other Great Old Dominators intend to harm Him. He must avoid and have no contact with Them. This way, the Mother Goddess will only know I meddled with Him but won''t figure out how.
"This won''t threaten His life or cause His fall, so He won''t instinctively resist under deep Foolishness. Later, we''ll discreetly visit Him from time to time to maintain His Foolish state and keep the Virtual Persona effective."
Lumian thought it over and found this n feasible, especially to counter the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s possibility of turning hostile soon.
The Monarch of Decay and the Circle of Inevitability wouldn''t return to this unfinished matter, ruling Them out.
The Mother Tree of Desire would need a long time to fully re-amodate the Tenebrous World. Due to the fusion and influence of various Dao integrators, the Tenebrous World had developed a new consciousness and spirit. Although both it and the integrators fused within it had been destroyed by their self-curses, Its spirit remained indestructible, chaotic, and extreme. Moreover, the Mother Tree of Desire was still in a severely wounded state, requiring at least decades, if not longer, to fully amodate the Tenebrous World andpletely recover. Thus, She was unlikely to be a factor in the near term.
Simrly, the severely injured Uncertain Mist would also need decades to recover. More importantly, to avoid detection and bing prey to other Great Old Dominators, He hadpletely hidden Himself-even the Mother Goddess of Depravity couldn''t locate Him to offer healing. This made it impossible for Him to recover and participate in any battles soon. The Mother Tree of Desire had also gone into hiding to recover and amodate in secrecy, preventing interference or being hunted, further ruling out any possibility of healing.
Primordial Hunger was in a simr state, but driven by instinct, He might still attempt to participate in battle despite His severe injuries, seeking healing afterward.
In other words, if the Mother Goddess of Depravity turned hostile again and descended soon, the only Great Old Dominators capable of fighting would be the High-Dimensional Overseer, the Goddess of Fate, and Inextinguishable Ravings. The participation of Primordial Hunger remained uncertain.
If Supernova Dominator stood with the Lord of Mysteries, the Origins of Disaster, and Eternal Darkness, even if Earth''s side couldn''t win outright, it wouldn''t lose either. If Primordial Hunger joined as well, the Nation of Disorder, Knowledge Moor, and the Key of Light, having had time to recover, could once again disy power close to that of the Great Old Ones.
Lumian nced again at the astral crystal and found it somewhat amusing, as if seeing another Genie-one who wasn''t sealed but was still equally powerless to act freely.
"Alright," he replied to Lord of Mysteries Klein.
After confirming that Eternal Darkness Amanises was ready, Klein conjured a door glowing with a bluish-ck hue on himself.
Then, he withdrew the door''s projection from the astral crystal.
The Abomination Beyonder characteristic had just been pushed to its limit when Klein''s coat red, and the bluish-ck door radiated brilliantly.
Foolishness symbolism!
Supernova Dominator, poised to make the surrounding stars explode and destroy everything nearby, suddenly halted, nkly and dazedly surveying the surroundings.
This time, Klein didn''t stop after casting the Foolishness symbolism but maintained and deepened it.
Outside the spirit world, crimson moonlight red again, but without internal cooperation, it couldn''t break through the seal immediately.
Seizing the opportunity, Lumian turned the face of the chaotic vortex toward Supernova Dominator.
On the surface of this face, an eye-like hole appeared first, borrowing the Omniscient Eye ability to quickly analyze Supernova Dominator''s daily behavior. Based on this, Lumian wove an appropriate Virtual Persona.
After the Primordial God Almighty was killed, He hadn''t tried to resurrect within Lumian, as adding anything else to Lumian''s body would render even the most powerful and genuine Angel of Redemption unable to redeem the situation.
Within just two or three seconds, a hazy, illusory glow flickered simultaneously across Supernova Dominator''s stars and then swiftly receded.
Seeing this, Klein withdrew Sefirah Castle back into his body and stored away the newly reformed Abomination Beyonder characteristic.
Supernova Dominator looked at them and let out a low hum. "Well done."
Lumian chuckled and spread his six arms. "Praise be to you, Ruler of Stars!"
Supernova Dominator exuded satisfaction and joy, avoided the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s gaze, and left the spirit world.
Watching His starry figure depart, Eternal Darkness Amanises suddenly asked, "There won''t be a crisis for decades, but what about after that?"
By then, the Mother Tree of Desire, Uncertain Mist, and Primordial Hunger would have fully recovered.
Lord of Mysteries Klein pondered and replied, "Decadester, the consciousnesses within the Nation of Disorder should have fully merged and unified, possibly birthing a new Great Old Dominator. If not, we must find a way to resurrect Roselle ahead of time, though that''s difficult and would only give us limited extra time.
"In the Knowledge Moor, Stiano''s attempt to obtain the Celestial Master''s bloodline isn''t easy. If he only integrates a small portion, like Lumian''s Omebe bloodline, it''s simple but only effective against unintelligent, instinct-driven beings or when reinforcing symbolism. Past Celestial Masters within the Knowledge Moor still retain fragments of consciousness and spirit. The best strategy now is to have the current Celestial Master consume potions, advancing from Mystery Pryer to Hermit as quickly as possible.
"We should pursue both paths. Whichever progresses faster, the other should step aside. We must ensure Their survival, even if They themselves may wish to defer to the other,
"The Key of Light remains unpredictable. When and who among Them will ascend to a Great Old Dominator depends on luck and opportunity.
"Regarding the Chaos Sea, after this near- resurrection, the Primordial God Almighty''s consciousness has significantly strengthened. Without hundreds or thousands of years to wear it down, none of those five paths are suitable for birthing a corresponding Sequence 0, much like how in the Fourth Epoch, the Kings of Angels of the Fool, Door, and Error pathways couldn''t ascend."
At this point, Klein nced at Lumian. "In your dreams, you, Aurore, and Jenna have the time and opportunity to strengthen yourselves. I hope you find ways to achieve a better and more stable bnce, aiming to significantly increase your daily active hours. I will also fulfill my promise to give you a second form you can switch to.
"If necessary, I can even trigger your body''s reset earlier."
Lumian, Aurore, and Jenna exchanged slightlyplex smiles and nodded.
Klein turned to Eternal Darkness Amanises. "Barring any surprises, in a few decades, we will have five Great Old Dominators, plus Supernova Dominator, totaling six. Meanwhile, the Mother Goddess of Depravity''s side will have at most seven."
This referred to the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
Mother Tree of Desire, High-Dimensional Overseer, Inextinguishable Ravings, Primordial Hunger, the Goddess of Fate, and the Uncertain Mist.
Klein then smiled. "Without the Uncertain Mist, They would be disunited, each fighting for Themselves. We could easily drive Them back or even severely teach Them a lesson.
"Right, I will fulfill my promise to return the Magic Wishing Lamp to the universe, using it to lure out the hiding Uncertain Mist and secretly influence Him."
Eternal Darkness Amanises nodded slightly. "It seems the apocalypse has passed, and the past despairing situation won''t return."
Lord of Mysteries Klein gazed at the dense,yered colors and the boundless cosmos beyond the spirit world, adding calmly and warmly, "But that''s only if we all remain in good condition."
Lumian followed his gaze beyond the spirit world. Klein''s words echoing in his mind.
Only if we all remain in good condition
This phrase reverberated through the deep, boundless spirit world, where direction held no meaning.
Chapter 1178: The Meaning of Guardianship
Loen Kingdom, Backlund, Saint Leonard''s Cathedral.
The Star Leonard nced at Antigonus beside him and cautiously asked, "Are you sure we don''t need to weave and imnt Her original memories back into Her?"
Antigonus, with half-gray hair but a youthful face, shook His head without saying a word.
A few secondster, a figure appeared at the cathedral entrance. It was a woman, wearing a hooded ssical robe, with long ck hair draped over her shoulders.
She had a delicate face but a dazed expression, like a lost child.
Antigonus quickly approached her.
The woman still looked confused upon seeing Him, unsure of who He was. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, she suddenly felt at ease, no longer afraid, and instinctively felt this person was trustworthy.
Standing before her, Antigonus spoke with both joy and concern, "Let''s go."
The beautiful woman did not hesitate and softly nodded, "Okay."Antigonus immediately rxed and turned around with a smile, guiding her forward.
They walked side by side across the square, sending flocks of white doves flying into the sky.
Leonard watched them disappear before turning back toward the cathedral.
As he approached the entrance, he saw several Nighthawks wearing red gloves hurrying out.
"What happened?" Leonard asked habitually.
The Red Gloves nced at him, respectfully tapped the star symbol on their chests, and the leader quickly replied, "A Beyonder seems to be losing control. We need to handle it."
Leonard gave a slight nod, not dying them, and proceeded down the stairs into the underground area.
He entered his room, sat on the armchair, casually picked up a newspaper, and began reading.
Angel of Time Pallez Zoroast followed behind The Magician Fors, passing through a grand door forged by brilliant starlight, Above, two suns seemed to hang in the sky, and silver-ck spaceships eithernded back at the spaceport or soared into the vast cosmos on missions.
"This is Lorbath, home to an advanced civilization that worships the Stars. Don''t be surprised when you see them-they may look like lizards, but they''re friendly. They won''t find our presence odd either; this is a hub for several nearby star dominions," Fors exined to the "tour group."
Judgment Xio, The Hermit Cattleya, Temperance Sharron, and H from the Church of Evernight all listened attentively.
Angel of the Holy Spirit Rete asked earnestly, "Can we just call them lizards?"
"No," The Magician Fors immediately shook her head.
"Best not to even think it. Theymunicate telepathically. Of course, at your level, you don''t have to worry about them hearing anything they shouldn''t. They won''t recklessly probe your thoughts-they''ve suffered for that before, nearly leading to their civilization''s destruction."
Hearing "telepathicmunication," Franca nced around and asked, "Madam Justice didn''te this time?"
Judgment Xio answered for The Magician Fors, "Madam Justice has been busy guiding the parliament to pass bills limiting royal power, protecting workers'' rights, and expanding suffrage. She said radical change leads to problems, so it must be done step by step."
I see... Franca rxed, but The Magician Fors then specifically reminded The Sun Derrick, "Don''t spread Mr. Fool''s faith on this. Control yourself."
"Okay." The Sun Derrick nodded sincerely.
Beside him, The Hanged Man Alger pulled a mirror from his Traveler''s Bag. In it, flickering prayer lights of the Sea God Church clergy, key followers, and ship Beyonders appeared.
"This really works," Alger thanked The Empress Franca.
This way, he wouldn''t have to worry about his trip dying crucial matters for the Sea God Church and the Blue Avenger.
"Of course it does," Franca smiled, pointing at Aurore.
"That mirror was provided by the Ruler of the Mirror World."
Such mirrors always came in pairs-one remained on Earth, infused with the user''s aura for a quick response, while the other ryed prayers via the mirror world. All of thisy within the Ruler of the Mirror World''s domain.
This solved the problem of Angels responding to prayers across star dominions without troubling Mr. Fool into being part of the ry.
Aurore, with thick ck hair and stunning beauty, curiously observed the massive steel fortress floating above-a structure nearly the size of a city.
Suddenly, Franca chuckled softly. "I just thought of a ssic joke."
"What is it?" Aurore asked casually.
Franca replied seriously, "If our ''tour group'' were painted, the artwork could have a name."
While others looked puzzled, Aurore faintly guessed the punchline and smiled ahead of time.
Franca cleared her throat and said, "The painting would be called... ''Mr. Moon Being a Homebody.'' "
Intis Republic, Trier.
Returning from her travels, Franca put on a cap and stepped outside.
Passing a nearby school, she saw Anthony waiting for Ludwig to finish ss while he remained vignt. She didn''t disturb him.
Soon, she arrived at a cathedral that was established in the past few weeks.
Saint Audrey Cathedral, under the Church of The Fool.
Upon entering, Franca saw arge golden retriever in spotless white robes weaving among the believers - chatting, praying, and exchanging greetings harmoniously.
The believers found nothing strange about the dog speaking humannguage and respectfully addressed it as "Your Grace."
Franca didn''t correct them and casually sat down, smiling at the scene.
She had avoided visiting the Saint Franca Cathedral under the Ruler of Cmity Church and came here just to enjoy this heartwarming sight.
After watching for a while, Franca was about to leave when she noticed someone she knew, though that person didn''t know her.
It was a woman with ck hair and brown eyes, delicate features, and wearing dark pants and a skirt - Melissa Moretti.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Why are you in Trier?" Franca casually sat beside Melissa.
Melissa turned to look at her, momentarily stunned by her beauty. She quicklyposed herself and asked, "Who might you be?"
"I''m Franca Rnd. Not sure if you''ve heard of me?" Franca tried to make her smile friendlier.
Though in her heart, she added: But I know your brother, Klein Moretti.
Fellow countryman!
Roommate!
Melissa paused. "I''ve heard of you..."
"Drop the formalities." Franca waved it off. "So, why are you here in Trier?"
Melissa considered her words. "I was sent to study at a research institute under the God of Steam and Machinery Church."
"Oh, I see." Franca chuckled, "If you''ve heard of me, that means you''re a Beyonder now, right?"
She had long been aware of this matter. She was raising the question mainly to find a topic to talk about.
Melissa nodded slightly. "Yes, I''m a Sequence 5 Astronomer of the Savant pathway."
"Finished digesting the potion? Got the ingredients for advancing to a demigod?" Franca asked, just as she once cared for Lumian, the brother of a fellow countryman.
"I''ve finished digesting, I should get the ingredients after this study ends, but... I''m hesitant about the ritual..." Melissa had been troubled by this matter for some time. She couldn''t hide her thoughts in front of Franca, who was so beautiful that she couldn''t help but let her guard down.
The advancement ritual to Alchemist required drawing all life force from an area, turning soil barren andkes dry.
Franca smiled brightly. "That''s no big deal. Rituals always have alternatives - like choosing an uninhabited. Or, you could cultivate the Dao first. Once you seed, the Celestial Master could grant you a corresponding talisman, allowing you to adapt to the corresponding power ahead of time. When youter consume the potion, the ritual''s requirements would drastically reduce..."
Melissa listened carefully at first but grew confused.
Talisman?
Celestial Master? Who''s that?
Seeing her confusion, Franca smiled. "Let''s find a caf for a chit chat. I''ll exin everything in detail."
"Okay." Driven by curiosity for knowledge, Melissa stood up.
As they walked out of Saint Audrey''s cathedral, Franca casually asked, "Have Benson and the otherse into contact with mysticism and also be Beyonders?"
"Yeah." Melissa nodded slightly.
"Good for them." Franca sighed, "Though the mysticism world is dangerous, as long as you don''t advance too high, it''s fine. Plus, higher Sequences mean longer life and ways to extend it. Definitely a good thing..."
Hearing Franca, Melissa reflected on her journey-her love for machinery leading her to believing in the God of Steam and Machinery and making contact with Beyonder powers.
After bing a Beyonder, then interacting with the Church of the Evernight Goddess''s Nighthawks and her brother Klein''s colleagues like Leonard Mitchell, she slowly uncovered the truth of that particr event.
Later on, she learned more and more
As her thoughts raced, Melissa recalled Mr. Leonard''s words to her a few days ago.
"He''s not in good shapetely. You can only reach him through rituals. In a few years, he should walk the earth again..."
A few years... Melissa gazed at the golden sunlit streets ahead, a faint smile appearing on her face.
***
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Chapter 1179: Dreams
"When you need to advance to Sequence 3, you cane to me." Franca stood at the street corner, took out the Face of the Arcane from her Traveler''s Bag, and showed it briefly.
Melissa smiled and nodded, waving goodbye to this enthusiastic older sister before heading towards the research institute under the God of Steam and Machinery Church.
After chatting leisurely for over an hour at the caf, Franca had apanied her all the way here.
Only when Melissa''s figure disappeared at the building''s entrance did Franca turn around, strolling leisurely under the shadows of Intis parasol trees, blending into the lively streets.
Along the way. she saw the Trier citizens who, as always, loved to stand out. She also spotted Daoists and monks traveling from the Northern Continent, and many young people from the Western Continent here on studying abroad exchanges. Some maintained their original clothing styles, while others adapted to local customs.
Franca also noticed many newly built cathedrals, belonging respectively to the Church of The Fool, Eternal Darkness Church, and the Ruler of Cmity Church-the three mainstream faiths in the world today.
The Eternal Darkness Church had evolved from the merger of the Evernight Goddess Church with the Churches of the God of Combat and the Death. The Ruler of Cmity Church originated from the Sick Church and the Demoness Sect.
Among the remaining orthodox churches, only the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery maintained its former influence. The Churches of the Eternal zing Sun, Lord of Storms, Earth Mother, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom still existed but had be secondary choices with limited influence.
Many Trier citizens even followed trends, engaging in Daoist practices or Zen meditation.As her thoughts drifted, Franca cast her gaze towards the distant Eternal zing Sun cathedral.
Even across a sizable square, the stained ss windows of the cathedral vividly projected the interior scene into Franca''s eyes.
At the altar stood a golden-embedded cross, and before it, a figure knelt quietly in prayer.
The figure had long silver hair and wore a simple linen robe. It was none other than Angel of Fate Ouroboros.
He had returned from the Western Continent, merging the Aurora Order with the Eternal zing Sun Church, turning the Aurora Order into the shadow under the sun''s rays, handling tasks inconvenient for clergy, and executing acts of punishment.
Franca sighed with mixed feelings and withdrew her gaze.
Naturally, she thought of another King of Angels in the domain of fate - Will Auceptin, who had also returned to Backlund.
"Even if He might attain greatness in the future, He still has to listen to mom now, studying hard, and improving every day..." Franca muttered, purposely making a detour to Quartier de l''Observatoire. At the entrance of an apartment, she saw Jenna''s brother, Julien, and Ms. Be, formerly of the Moses Ascetic Order. Julien appeared confident and ambitious, while Be looked calm, free of past worries.
They had married and chosen to settle in Suhit. This time, they returned to Trier specifically for the wedding, with Jenna attending in person to offer her congrattions.
After ensuring Julien and Be boarded a carriage to the steam lotive station, Franca breathed a sigh of relief and continued her aimless wandering, sometimes in the streets and sometimes within the mirrors.
After some time, she returned to the market district, where she saw Rue Anarchie and Auberge du Coq Dor.
Smiling, Franca entered and skillfully made her way to the basement bar, ordering a ss of absinthe with a dreamy green hue.
Wearing her cap, she took a sip and shook her head in distaste.
This drink never tasted good!
"Thendlord of Auberge du Coq Dor changed again?" she casually asked the bar owner, Pavard Neeson.
Without looking up, the ponytailed Pavard Neil replied, "Yeah, I heard some tycoon bought up the entire street''s properties. But he promised not to change Auberge du Coq Dor, just maybe renovate it."
"What''s his name?" Franca curiously asked without performing any divination.
Pavard Neeson thought for a moment. "His name is... Danitz, I think."
Danitz? Mr. Fool''s oracle? Already a Sequence 4 Iron-Blooded Knight, and he''s still interested in buying property? And he happened to purchase a building once upied by the highest existence of the Red Priest pathway... Isn''t this another example of the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence? Franca''s spiritual intuition quickly confirmed it, and she found it somewhat amusing.
Suddenly, amotion sounded behind her.
Turning slightly, she saw a young man in a white shirt and open ck vest, holding a beer and leaping onto a small round table, cheerfully addressing the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, I''m back!
"Though I stayed in Suhit, got another promotion and raise, and became a true middle-ss, civilized man, my return to Trier only raised my rank by one, but still - I''m back!
"Don''t you want to know why?
"Because this is the Trier that we both hate and love!
"Cheers!"
By the afternoon, Franca returned to the vi where she lived.
It was time for the monthly Tarot Club''s Divine Council.
Soon, her figure appeared above the gray fog, seated beside Madam Temperance, Sharron.
She held The Empress card.
Madam Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, Madam Magician, Mr. Sun, Madam Judgment, Mr. Star, Ma''am Hermit, and Mr. Moon were all present.
Lord of Mysteries Klein, sat at the head shrouded in gray fog, with slimy tentacles briefly flickering in the fog behind him.
Madam Justice stood first, curtsying politely.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool-"
The formal members of the Tarot Club were still mostfortable addressing him this way.
After the greetings, The Magician Fors sat down and awkwardly nced at the end of the long bronze table.
"Mr. Fool, there isn''t much to report this month: we''ve mainly been on interster travels."
Lord of Mysteries Klein leaned back in his chair, chuckled softly, and said calmly, "Then tell me about your travels."
He added, "In detail."
Madam Magician Fors carefully said, "This time, we went to Lorbath, where we even encountered the God of Steam and Machinery. He was quite interested in the local knowledge and technology"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Seeing Mr. Fool listening intently, The Magician Fors rxed and spoke more thoroughly.
With additional details from Mr. Hanged Man Alger, The Empress Franca, and others, the vivid retelling of the trip made Justice Audrey and The Star Leonard, who missed it, feel as though they had been there-and regret it even more.
Klein quietly listened with a faint smile, never interrupting.
After the Tarot Gathering ended and she returned to reality, Franca walked towards the full-length mirror in the master bedroom.
Rxed, she stepped through the mirror, plunging into a strange sensation of rapid descent, arriving on a deste, lifeless.
A thin fog emerged before her.
She walked into it.
What met her eyes was an ancient city.
There were skyscrapers, speeding cars, airnes piercing through clouds, and pedestrians holding cell phones.
Suddenly, two blinding headlights shed towards her. nearly blinding her.
A rideshare car stopped in front of her.
Franca opened the door and sat in the back seat,ining to the driver with a monocle on his right eye, "Can''t you turn off the high beams?"
The driver pointed to the golden sun ornament on the dashboard and smiled. "Ever since I stole it, I can''t turn them off."
Franca said nothing more, admiring the city streets of the past pass by while in the car. There were many buildings from Trier.
Eventually, her spiritual intuition drew her gaze to the screen inside the car.
A beautiful yet pure-looking woman on the screen excitedly announced, "Citizens, I am your Mayor Cheek. My next n is to eliminate traffic lights and crosswalks..."
Before She finished, the screen distorted with harsh static.
When the picture returned, Mayor Cheek solemnly said, "Ha, that was a joke. Now, onto the main topic."
Franca clicked her tongue, turning back to the window.
Outside stood a Trier-style cathedral, bustling with people.
Through the window and mirror, Franca saw a man at the altar-blood-red hair, blood-stained ck robe, handsome and masculine but not sharp - it was Alista Tudor.
He was the priest of this cathedral.
The vehicle continued forward and soon arrived at a vast square.
In the middle of the square stood a peculiar statue. It resembled a vortex, yet its color was indescribable, as if it epassed all possibilities.
The vehicle kept driving until it reached the edge of the city.
There, a vige appeared with lush green pastures and a gently flowing stream.
Franca got out of the car and casually waved at a girl herding geese by the river and the young man beside her, serving as a greeting.
Like returning home, she naturally followed the country road into the vige. In the distance, she saw a towering earthen pir several dozen meters high. At its peak sat a figure with three heads and six arms, quietly enduring the wind and rain, basking in the sun and storms.
Franca headed straight to Ol'' Tavern and, unsurprisingly, found Lumian sitting at the bar in his white shirt and ck vest. A ss of La Fe Verte sat by his hand, while Jenna, dressed in a light, flowing dress, passionately sang lively songs for the farmers and their wives in the middle of the tavern.
A smile spread across Franca''s face as she watched Jenna perform. She strolled to the bar and sat beside Lumian.
"One ss of Kirsch." She snapped her fingers at the bartender, then turned to Lumian and asked, "Where''s Aurore?"
Lumian, with his blood-red hair, chuckled and said, "At home, writing travel notes."
Franca let out an "oh" and happily said to Lumian, "I''m nning to stay in the Western Continent for a while soon. Aurore already agreed toe along. Want to join us?"
"Sure," Lumian turned slightly, smiling as he gestured toward the center of the tavern. "You can ask Jenna yourself if she wants to go."
Franca followed his gaze just in time to see Jenna finishing thest few lines of her song. With a bright smile, Jenna extended an inviting hand toward both Franca and Lumian.
Her cheerful singing echoed throughout the entire tavern.
"As long as Trier endures, mirth and glee will never falter!"
(The End)
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