7 COI

Lumian deeply understood Aurore's words.

As a vagrant, he knew better than to underestimate anyone. Some adult vagrants suffered massive losses because they looked down on him and assumed him to be weak. As for some almsgivers, they provided food out of kindness but forgot to consider the starving bodies of the vagrants, causing them to make the wrong decisions.

After a moment of serious thought, Lumian said, "It seems like the description of a creature that can be summoned with relative precision is very valuable."

Aurore nodded solemnly. "That's right. A notebook that records the corresponding summoning incantations is very precious. Every incantation and commentary on it is exchanged with life, blood, or pain. For example, when I summoned White Paper, the three lines described it as 'the spirit that wanders about the unfounded, the friendly creature that can be subordinated, the weak ball that can telepathically connect with me'. You have to make countless attempts and experience countless failures before you can piece one together. And every failure implies a huge risk."

Is this a description that a normal person can come up with? In particular, the words 'weak' and 'ball'…?As Lumian criticized inwardly, he asked, "So, you bought this from someone else?"

"No." Aurore shook her head and said with a bitter expression, "The Mystery Pryer pathway is different from other pathways. From time to time, it will be chased by a large amount of knowledge. It's impossible to ignore, and there's no way to reject it even if one can't handle it. And when one consumes a potion to advance, the situation of being chased by knowledge becomes even more serious.

"Although most of this knowledge is useless, there will always be some that are valuable. The incantation to summon White Paper was one of them."

Lumian understood. "Indoctrination from the Hidden Sage?"

Aurore looked at him in surprise. "You know that? Did that lady teach you?"

"Yeah." Lumian nodded.

Aurore pursed her lips, lost in thought.

"From my personal experience, Knowledge Pursuit isn't limited to the Hidden Sage's indoctrination. My so-called 'ear ringing' does indeed hear His voice, where I gain knowledge, but it always puts me in pain. My head is close to exploding, and I wish I could lose control.

"But occasionally, especially when I'm not in the best state and am about to lose control, I have an illusion that all the knowledge in the world has come to life. A small number of them will chase after me and rush towards me, but I can't dodge them. This is how the summoning incantation for White Paper barged into my brain.

"When consuming the potion, 99% of the Knowledge Pursuit comes from the Hidden Sage. 1% is related to revived knowledge."

"It's very magical and terrifying. It can scare everyone in the village." As Lumian sighed with emotion, he was thinking for his sister about whether there was a way to resolve the problem of Knowledge Pursuit or reduce its impact.

Aurore replied with a bitter smile, "It's precisely because I often suffer such torture that I don't want you to follow the path of Beyonders. But in our current situation, it's better to become a Beyonder than an ordinary person."

To make her brother remember the madness and danger of the path to transcendence, she pointed at her head.

"After being pursued by knowledge and experiencing pain for a long time, I feel that my mind and personality have undergone a certain mutation.

"Don't I always tell you that I have a phobia for social interaction, but I am very talkative sometimes? I like to go out and chat with the old ladies in the village and tell stories to the children. Occasionally, I will go crazy and borrow Madame Pualis's pony to ride free into the mountains and shout?

"Being especially talkative is a kind of rebound from prolonged isolation and being unable to return to my true home. The path to transcendence is also a form of oppression.

"And the occasional madness…"

At this point, Aurore chuckled and looked at Lumian.

"You don't think that's just an exaggerated adjective, do you?"

Lumian fell silent, feeling his sister's smile was self-deprecating, lost, and filled with indescribable pain and struggle.

Aurore sighed.

"During those times, I wouldn't even recognize myself."

Lumian felt deeply helpless. "There should be a solution."

"Hopefully, let's continue," Aurore said, pointing at the altar. "After we sign a contract with the summoned spirit world creature, it'll be easy to summon it again. We can change the last description to 'contracted creature that belongs to Aurore Lee.' That will be very accurate, right? Besides, before the contract is terminated, no one can summon it again."

Lumian was concerned. "Everyone can only have one contracted creature?"

"Not really. I'm not sure how high the upper limit is, but it's definitely more than one, especially with some special Sequences. When summoning, say the first contract creature or second contract creature of the person to differentiate." Aurore spoke the truth. "In addition, summoning creatures from the spirit world will consume your spirituality. The more you summon, the greater the consumption. With a Hunter's spirituality, I estimate that it can only withstand one contract creature at most."

Knowing her brother's personality, she curbed any loopholes that Lumian might find.

"Every spirit world creature can only stay for a limited period of time after being summoned to reality. The weaker they are, the longer they can stay. You don't have to think about summoning one first. You can summon the next one after your spirituality recovers, unless you choose a very weak one. And only when your spirituality is significantly stronger than it is now."

She used White Paper as an example.

"If I didn't let White Paper be a vessel for my powers, it could stay in reality for twelve hours. If I share the specialness of my eyes with it and let it do things for me, it can last at most three hours, and my spirituality would be constantly depleted."

Lumian was disappointed. He had wanted to form an army of spirit world creatures.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Can I only summon creatures from the spirit world? Can I only summon spirits?"

"No," Aurore shook her head. "We can also summon creatures affiliated with the spirit world, the real world, and the astral world, as well as creatures from alternate worlds or other planets. Regardless of whether they are spirits or not, this is very dangerous. Most of the Beyonders who have attempted this have died tragically, and a small number have mysteriously disappeared. Only the corresponding notebooks were left behind to prove what they had done."

Lumian asked curiously, "Can I summon something from the real world?"

Aurore pondered for a moment before responding, "In theory, as long as the other party has a close relationship with the spirit world or has reached a certain level, they should be able to hear the summoning and decide if they want to respond. However, such a target is either very special or very powerful. If you want to live well, don't try it."

"Furthermore, when the summoning target isn't a spirit, the requirements for the corresponding ritual will be even higher. It will require more spirituality, and it might even require a large number of sacrifices. Only then can we open the Door of Summoning that can be used by non-spiritual creatures.

"You can barely summon White Paper with a Hunter's spirituality. If you want to try something more powerful, you can only pray to a deity or a hidden existence. For this, you might have to prepare something filled with spirituality as a sacrifice."

Lumian roughly understood the ritualistic magic of summoning.

"So next, you are going to recite an incantation and complete the summoning?"

"How is that possible?" Aurore scoffed. "The ritual has been interrupted so many times. How can we continue? In fact, normally, as long as we follow the process, we can resume from any breaks. However, I was mainly explaining, and didn't divert my attention to do the corresponding things."

You probably forgot…?Lumian muttered inwardly but didn't dare say it out loud.

Aurore then said, "However, I do want to hold a summoning ritual. On the one hand, I want to give you a complete demonstration of the entire process. On the other hand, I want to seek help."

"Seek help?" Lumian asked in puzzlement.

Summoning powerful spirit world creatures to help?

Aurore explained, "Among the countless spirit world creatures, only a very small number of them can act as messengers. Private messengers—uh, messengers can be summoned by others based on special contracts.

"For example, if I have a contracted messenger, someone in Trier can summon it and give it a written letter. It will immediately pass through the spirit world and deliver the letter to me.

"Due to the special connection between the spirit world and the contract, it only takes a second or two to complete the letter delivery."

Lumian sighed from the bottom of his heart. "Very impressive. It's as fast as sending a telegram."

But the thought that crossed his mind was:?I want one too!

"Don't even think about it," Aurore read his mind. "It's very difficult to summon a messenger. Unless you obtain an exact incantation, it's unlikely that you can succeed trying yourself. And only a few special Sequences can grasp an exact incantation. Even I don't have one."

...

Lumian was disappointed and asked,

"Are you going to summon a messenger and write a letter to them for help?"

"Yes," Aurore nodded. "She's one of the few among us who have gone the furthest on the path to transcendence. She has her own messenger. I don't expect her to save me, but she should be able to give me some advice."

I'm afraid it's very difficult. That mysterious lady said that we can only rely on ourselves…?Lumian asked curiously,

"Us? You mean your pen pals?"

Aurore nodded and asked in confusion, "When did I ever mention pen pals to you?"

"Last cycle, no, last last cycle," Lumian answered honestly.

"Alright," Aurore facepalmed. "Actually, it's a mutual support organization slowly established by those of us who can't return home. We rely on letters to communicate daily, share knowledge, and solve problems. There will be small-scale gatherings or communication through messengers. She's the vice president of our organization and one of the initiators. Her code name is 'Hela'."

"Code name?" Lumian was a little puzzled.

Aurore tersely acknowledged, "In the organization, everyone uses code names without exposing their real names. When they write letters, they emphasize that it's a pseudonym to avoid being discovered by the officials."

"What's your code name?" Lumian was very curious.

...

Aurore was silent for a moment before she replied with a sigh, "Muggle."

"What does it mean?" Lumian was puzzled.

Aurore's eyes darkened as she replied, "Ordinary person without superpowers."

Lumian knew that his sister wanted to become an ordinary person living back home more, so he quickly changed the topic.

"What's the name of your organization?"

Aurore's expression became complicated.

"Originally, everyone wanted to give it a classy name, but considering that we would write letters every day, a name that was too conspicuous would attract the attention of certain forces. Therefore, in the end, we decided on a name that sounds like a group of animal lovers."

"What is it?" Lumian pressed.

Aurore replied in embarrassment, "The Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society."

-x-X-x-

Lumian couldn't help but suppress his laughter at the name of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society, but he managed to hold it in.

But even if he held it in, he couldn't help but say, "Those who know will understand that you're studying curly-haired baboons. Those who don't know will think that a group of curly-haired baboons are doing research."

Of course, he was only joking.

Aurore rolled her eyes at him. "We often tease ourselves as a group of curly-haired baboons being studied."

Seeing that his sister was in a better mood, Lumian asked, "Are all the members of your research society Beyonders?"

"Not all of them," Aurore answered briefly. "But some gatherings can't be attended by ordinary people."

She didn't say why they couldn't participate.

"Who's the president? How many vice presidents are there?" Lumian asked.

"Are you doing a census?" Aurore snapped back.

"Huh?" Lumian was confused.

Lumian was confused and realized that Aurore didn't like him asking too many questions about the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society.

Aurore pouted and exhaled.

"The president's code name is Gandalf. There are a total of five vice presidents.

"Alright, I'm going to summon Hela's messenger."

Lumian was puzzled and asked, "Aurore, uh, Grande Soeur, didn't you say that you only know the code name 'Hela' and don't know her exact name? How are you going to summon her messenger?"

He remembered that his sister had just mentioned that by changing the last sentence of the summoning incantation to "the messenger that belongs to so-and-so", he could very accurately pinpoint the target creature. However, she didn't know who "so-and-so" was.

"Excellent," Aurore praised him and said, "to be able to discover the problem is an excellent learning quality. Let's put it this way. It doesn't matter what name you use when you sign a contract with a spirit world creature. The contract will automatically extract a bit of your true aura from you, allowing the two parties to be related. However, remember, you can only use the name written when you sign the contract in the future. Changing it to your real name will be ineffective."

Lumian pondered seriously and said, "Got it. The key is the aura and connection. The name when signing the contract is only equivalent to the incantation used for the subsequent summoning. It doesn't matter what you write."

"Yes." Aurore nodded.

Lumian suddenly laughed.

"Is there such a situation? Let me say hypothetically. Grande Soeur, you obtained an exact incantation and summoned a messenger. You signed a contract with it in the name of Aurore Lee. After that, you taught me that incantation because you loved your younger brother, which is me. As for me, I successfully summoned another messenger. However, when signing the contract, I used Aurore Lee's name to sign it for fun.

"Then the question is, which one will be summoned with the description of 'the messenger that belongs to Aurore Lee'?"

Aurore's face turned livid. "I don't have a messenger. How would I know!"

She exhaled and calmed herself down.

"This is actually a confusion caused by having the same name. Compared to ordinary contracted creatures that can only be summoned by oneself, it's indeed easy for a messenger that can be summoned by others to have such problems. However, because I don't have a messenger, I'm not sure if there's a special mechanism to avoid such mistakes. I can only use my knowledge to attempt an analysis.

"First, very few people have a messenger. The probability of having the same name is so low that it's almost negligible.

"Second, if there's an overlap in names, you can place an item with the messenger's owner's aura in the summoning ritual and use it to accurately lock onto them.

"Third, if you're really afraid of having the same name, you can make your name longer when signing a contract. For example, Lumian Torres Arri Lanos Arthur Gehrman Sparrow Lee. That way, you probably won't have the same name."

"But it's very likely that I'll forget this name after signing the contract. It's too difficult to remember," Lumian muttered. "Also, why did you add the name of the Pirate Hunter and Great Adventurer?"

"Because I like it. Madam Fors Wall's adventurer series is a classic," Aurore said confidently.

She turned around and tidied up the altar, preparing to officially hold the summoning ritual.

At that moment, Lumian thought of something and shouted, "Wait a minute!"

"What's wrong?" Aurore turned around, looking confused.

Lumian asked seriously, "Does the messenger count as an outsider?"

"…" Aurore was confused at first, but quickly figured out the problem.

She deliberated and asked, "You mean that as an outsider, the messenger will fall into a cycle after coming to Cordu and won't be able to leave?"

Without waiting for Lumian's reply, Aurore came up with a new theory.

"No, the situation will be worse. It's a contracted creature. After receiving the letter, it will immediately go to Hela. It's equivalent to leaving Cordu. That will cause a restart.

"After that, it will instinctively attempt to leave again and again, while we restart again and again. We won't have time to investigate the key to the loop."

Lumian couldn't help but imagine the scene his sister had described.

Just as he opened his eyes to see his familiar bedroom, he would open his eyes again to see the familiar bedroom. Only to open his eyes again to see the familiar bedroom… He would repeat this action countless times, and the root cause of this was that a certain messenger was in a hurry to "go home."

Aurore raised her hand to cover her forehead.

"I can't even imagine what kind of changes will happen then…"

After sighing, she analyzed seriously, "From the current situation, the departure of living things from Cordu and the surrounding area will cause the loop to restart, and inanimate objects won't trigger the restrictions. The telegram and the letter that were sent are proof.

"If that's the case, spirits definitely won't do either. From the looks of it, I can't summon the messenger."

Lumian suddenly figured out why the livre bleu could maintain its state of having its words cut out.

The pieced together notes had left Cordu, making it no longer affected. Since it couldn't return, it naturally couldn't return to its original state!

He shared his speculation with his sister and asked, "The problem with livre bleu has been solved, but how did that letter get sent?

"There's definitely no way to send it out during the loop. The moment the messenger leaves Cordu, it will cause a reboot. And if it's before the loop, I have no impression of it. What about you?"

"Neither do I," Aurore thought for a few seconds before jokingly scolding, "You idiot, you almost led me astray. It's easy to send the letter in a loop!"

Lumian looked at his smart sister and asked, "Huh?"

Aurore chuckled before explaining, "There's no need for a postman to send the letter, nor is there a need to hire a messenger.

"When we discover an abnormality and don't want to alarm those who might be problematic, the best choice is to find a wooden box and place the distress letter inside. After sealing it, we will throw the wooden box into the river outside the village and let it float downstream naturally. When the other villages and even the people of Dariège pick it up, they will help us deliver it to the officials.

"You said that our last cycle confirmed that the loop contains a small portion of the river that can be reached."

...

"That's right!" Lumian exclaimed, pressing his palms together.

He thought of another question.

"Will the fish in the river cause a reboot?"

"I don't think so," Aurore replied after thinking for a moment. "These creatures without any intelligence are very sensitive to invisible restrictions. Or rather, they're more prone to invisible influences. There's a high chance that they'll instinctively stay away from places that might cause a reboot."

"What about your White Paper? It has no choice but to leave the real world after twelve hours." Lumian felt that this would also restart the cycle.

Aurore looked around and said thoughtfully, "I suspect that the loop not only includes Cordu and the surrounding mountainous areas but also the area that corresponds to everyone here in the spirit world.

"You probably don't know that there are actually more natural interactions between the spirit world and reality. If you don't include the corresponding spirit world, it might restart every now and then, but the current situation is clearly different.

"As my contracted creature, White Paper has a direct connection with Cordu. The spirit world it roams is most likely included."

I still don't know enough about mysticism… Lumian didn't ask further.

Aurore demonstrated the ritualistic magic process again and dispelled the wall of spirituality.

In the formless wind that suddenly blew, she said to Lumian, "It's already dark. I'll teach you true Cogitation and the way to activate Spirit Vision."

...

"Okay!" Lumian replied, showing that he had his sister's full attention.

Aurore explained, "You've long grasped the first half of Cogitation. Let's start from the second half. When you imagine the Sun, retract your spirit and enter a relatively calm state. Let your mind be slightly empty. Draw an outline of something that doesn't exist in reality to replace the Sun. Keep drawing and repeating until your body and mind obtain peace. Your thoughts will have a feeling that they are floating."

Lumian didn't quite understand. "Something that doesn't exist in reality?"

Aurore took out a pen and paper and drew a few strokes. "Look, is there anything like this in reality?" The paper had something very abstract on it, like a ball with eyes and a cross on its face. "Doesn't it exist once you draw it? This drawing is in reality."

Lumian felt that her sister's explanation was wrong. "Pictures and imaginations aren't real."

Aurore rolled her eyes. As her younger brother's teacher, she had to suffer this kind of anger often. Lumian acknowledged her comment tersely. "Then I'll try using this picture of yours." He pulled up a chair and sat down. He leaned back and focused.

The crimson sun quickly outlined itself in his mind, gradually calming him down. After a while, because he was in reality, he did not hear the terrifying and mysterious voice. He could calmly use the pattern that his sister had casually drawn to replace the Sun in Cogitation. The ball with eyes and a cross quickly appeared in Lumian's mind. As Lumian repeatedly outlined it, his body and heart became more and more peaceful, and his thoughts gradually felt ethereal.

He "saw" that there was a faint gray fog around him. There were many indescribable, non-existent things, and dense colored blocks mixed together. And high in the sky, perhaps deep in the depths, there was a clear light.

"There's no hurry. The probability of a Hunter succeeding in Cogitation on their first try is very low," Aurore consoled her brother.

Just as Lumian was about to report to his sister that he had successfully entered a Cogitation state, he suddenly felt something watching him from the depths of the gray fog and an infinite height! This seemed to be an illusion, but it made him break out in a cold sweat. He felt an inexplicable fear and immediately left the Cogitation state.

-x-X-x-

Aurore had intended to reassure him that non-spellcasting Sequences usually took several attempts at Cogitation to succeed. Some even had to practice for five or six days or even more than half a month. However, when she saw her brother open his eyes, she noticed that Lumian's forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and fear was evident in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Aurore asked, concerned.

Lumian took a couple of deep breaths. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.

"I successfully Cogitated. My mind seemed to float, surrounded by a myriad of colors and an indescribable faint gray fog. There were a few particularly bright and pure beams of light up above. No, it might not have been the sky. It could have been far away. I can't be certain."

"From your description, it seems like you succeeded," Aurore explained. "What your Astral Projection sees or senses is the spirit world. There, many concepts of reality either don't exist or are intertwined. That's why you feel like you're high in the sky yet far away at the same time.

"Those seven lights are the Seven Lights of the spirit world, mentioned in ancient texts. They're believed to be near-deity level and omniscient. Moreover, they're considered relatively friendly hidden entities. If you can grasp their complete honorific names, you can pray to them. Unfortunately, I don't know them either.

"Those indescribable things that roam everywhere belong to the spirit world, but you didn't seem to see much, nor did you perceive them clearly. This is likely a limitation of the Hunter Sequence. Your spirituality isn't high enough. Hmm… Activating Spirit Vision later will probably prove difficult. The final effect certainly won't be impressive. Still, it's better than nothing."

She had been monitoring her brother's condition, ready to intervene and assist him at any moment.

Seeing Lumian gradually return to normal, she finished what she needed to say in one breath and asked, "But what you saw shouldn't have scared you. Aren't you known as Bold Lumian? Lately, you've experienced a time loop, people turning into sheep, men giving birth, and Madame Night's patrols. How can ordinary spirit world creatures frighten you?"

Lumian's forehead veins twitched at his sister's words. He didn't want to recall anything, especially anything related to Madame Pualis.

He exhaled and said, "I sensed something deep within the spirit world, or rather, extremely high up, observing me. Just being watched by it terrifies me. I couldn't help but exit the Cogitation state."

Aurore's eyelashes flickered as she thoughtfully said, "I suspect that it has something to do with the two strange symbols on your chest you mentioned. They involve some hidden entity. They might point to the source of Cordu's loop, or they might represent the 'special' trait that allows you to maintain your clarity and strength in the dream and the loop. As a Hunter, you succeeded in complete Cogitation on your first attempt. It's highly likely that the two symbols influenced this."

Lumian nodded as he listened, agreeing with his sister.

This realization left him somewhat disheartened.

"In that case, I can't Cogitate. As soon as I succeed, I'll be watched and forced to leave that state. Besides, I don't think being constantly monitored is a good thing."

"Do you think you aren't being watched now?" Aurore couldn't help but laugh. "It's just that you can't sense it without being in a state of Cogitation. Since there's no way to evade it and you're bound to suffer damage, it's better to make more attempts to increase your resistance, allowing you to spend more time in Cogitation. In the future, when facing certain situations, this might give you an edge. Of course, before becoming a Sequence 7 Pyromaniac, Hunters don't need deep Cogitation. It's best to wait for your spirituality to improve before trying again."

"Why does that sound a bit depressing?" Lumian had already composed himself and mocked his predicament. "Since I can't resist, I might as well enjoy it."

Aurore scoffed.

"In our current situation, I'd rather have a unique trait like yours. Even if it means facing numerous unknown dangers and challenges, at least I can retain my memory during the next cycle. I wouldn't need you to remind me, sparing many details."

She then looked out the darkened window.

"It's time to teach you how to activate Spirit Vision.

"Keep sitting and attempt Cogitation again. You don't have to enter a state where your thoughts are floating. Although that would be more conducive to activating your Spirit Vision, aren't there hidden entities watching you?"

"Yeah." Lumian leaned back in his chair, relaxing his body. He first envisioned the Sun in his mind, then swapped it out for the ball his sister had sketched haphazardly.

He didn't repeat the outlining process, stopping only when his body and mind were serene.

Aurore monitored his condition, offering a soothing voice.

"Lift your hands in your current state and place them in front of your eyes. You can open your eyes now."

Lumian kept his cool as he slowly opened his eyes. At some point, his sister had snuffed out the kerosene lamp, casting the first floor into darkness. The crimson moonlight outside the window was the only thing illuminating the outlines of objects.

Once his eyes adjusted, he could barely see his hands.

"Point your index fingers at each other without touching. Then, concentrate on the back of your hand, which can be the back of the opposite point," Aurore instructed. "After completing this step, slowly move your fingers to keep them facing each other without touching. And remember, they can't leave your sight."

Lumian followed her guidance, focusing his gaze on the empty space beyond his hands as he moved his fingers.

Despite repeating the process countless times, he saw no changes.

Soon after, he couldn't sustain the Cogitation state and snapped out of it.

"See anything?" Aurore asked.

Lumian shook his head.

"It's harder for Hunters. Don't stress. If it doesn't work now, it'll work later. If it doesn't happen today, it might happen tomorrow," Aurore consoled. "Don't fret. Regular folks with high spirituality can activate their Spirit Vision after professional training, let alone Beyonders. But the results vary."

If this loop fails, I can try again next time, but if that doesn't work, there may not be another chance…?Lumian thought to himself.

He was patient and resilient. After resting and regaining some strength, he tried again.

After multiple attempts, he finally saw a fiery red dot emerge from the void between his index fingers.

Success!?Lumian was thrilled. He turned to his sister.

But then he saw a red light radiating from Aurore's body, encompassing it entirely.

"Didn't you say you could see the different colors of the Ether Body?" Lumian asked, confused.

Aurore asked excitedly, "Did it work?"

Lumian nodded and recounted his experience.

"It's a success," Aurore breathed a sigh of relief. "You're impressive. It's probably due to your 'special' enhancement. Other Hunters would need at least two weeks of practice, and some might have to reach Sequence 8 before they can activate their Spirit Vision easily. You can only see a vague Ether Body. The red color means I'm healthy. You won't be able to see much else with your Soul Body's current strength as a Hunter."

She pulled out a tiny ink bottle and unscrewed the cap.

"Let's see if you can see White Paper."

Lumian focused and saw a transparent bubble emerge from the bottle.

It was similar to the bubbles he made while blowing soapy water, about the size of a fist and tinted red by the moonlight.

He could barely keep track of it and feared losing sight if he blinked.

The bubble floated towards Aurore's palm, which she scratched with her thumb, causing it to contract and expand.

Lumian composed himself and reported what he saw to his sister.

"It's blurry?" Aurore shook her head. "A Hunter's Spirit Vision is limited. You can only perceive basic Ether Body concepts and creatures like White Paper. Most things are invisible."

"It's better than nothing," Lumian replied with what his sister had just said.

Having never experienced a stronger Spirit Vision, he was rather content with his current situation.

Aurore instructed Lumian to use Cogitation to stop his Spirit Vision from deactivating and to establish simple activation and deactivation triggers.

...

Lumian practiced repeatedly until he mastered the method but never succeeded in the "express key" Aurore mentioned. He only vaguely understood the concept.

"Take a break. We'll monitor the deputy padre later for any anomalies," Aurore advised, noticing Lumian's pale face from depleted spirituality. She urged him to rest.

They ascended to the second floor and lit the lamp in the study. Lumian dozed off in a recliner while Aurore read, waiting for night to deepen.

Lumian quickly fell asleep in the recliner, while Aurore casually read her book, waiting for the night to get deeper.

Lumian eventually fell asleep and forced himself to remain sleeping instead of exploring the dream world.

Aurore woke him up shortly after.

"We can observe the deputy padre now."

"Okay." Lumian sat up and faced his sister.

Aurore opened a miniature ink bottle and stroked White Paper with her right hand, her eyes darkening.

With the aid of the contract, she recited in Hermes, "My contracted creature, bear the uniqueness of my eyes."

Lumian couldn't understand or see anything without his Spirit Vision. He waited patiently.

...

In mere seconds, Aurore withdrew her hand and sat down.

"White Paper is on its way to the deputy padre's house."

Lumian inspected the scene and noticed that his sister's eyes reflected trees swaying in the dark, not the study or himself.

The trees were left behind swiftly.

That's what White Paper sees??Lumian realized.

Aurore took out a mirror coated in mercury and sprinkled it with light white powder.

The powder quickly bloomed with light, covering the mirror with an aqueous layer.

In the water, the deputy padre, Michel Garrigue, appeared.

White Paper had reached the target's room and peered through a glass window.

Michel Garrigue slept soundly, his eyes closed and breathing steady.

Aurore and Lumian waited patiently, observing from all angles with White Paper.

Suddenly, Michel opened his mouth slightly, and a blurry, transparent figure emerged.

It was a lizard-like thing.

-x-X-x-

The thing that slithered out of Deputy Padre Michel Garrigue's mouth was slender and covered in scaly brownish-green skin, like a diaphanous and fuzzy lizard.

As soon as it left Michel's body, its dark green vertical eye darted left and right, vigilantly sizing up its surroundings.

While doing so, it even peered out the window but didn't detect White Paper. Instead, Lumian and Aurore sensed the coldness and indifference in its eyes.

"What's this?" Lumian asked.

Aurore shook her head.

"I don't know. It looks like a special spirit."

Lumian immediately judged, "It sure doesn't look like something good!"

Even through White Paper and the mirror, the lizard-like creature still made him feel uneasy, and his hair stood on end.

Aurore glanced at him and reminded, "This lizard seems to possess an ability that leads to a degree of mental corruption. Just looking at it from afar makes one feel uncomfortable. If you stare at it for too long, you might end up with mental problems. You must be careful. If the discomfort is serious, immediately close your eyes and try Cogitation. Get your mind right before looking again."

"It's fine for now," Lumian tersely acknowledged. "What about you? Don't you feel uncomfortable?"

Aurore smiled and replied, "As a Mystery Pryer, I've seen things more corrupting than this. My resistance is much higher than yours.

"Besides, don't I go crazy occasionally? It doesn't seem to matter even if I go crazier a little more intensely and frequently."

"I think it's necessary to check your mental state when you said that last sentence," Lumian said, half concerned and half joking.

Aurore chuckled. "That's called being self-deprecating.

"Sometimes, it's not as if I can stop looking just because I want to. The Mystery Pryer's eyes are special and can't be completely sealed. I can only barely prevent it from affecting my daily life."

As the siblings spoke, the blurry lizard-like creature crawled along the wall and floor at an extremely fast speed to the bottom floor of the house.

A few animal skulls hung on the wall opposite the door on the first floor. They were from wolves, deer, and wild boars. The deputy padre, Michel Garrigue, wasn't a Cordu native. He ought to have lived in the cathedral, but Guillaume Bénet had prevented him from doing so using an excuse. He could only rent a place from the hunter, Sabaté.

The lizard burrowed into the wolf's skull and kept entering and exiting the socket.

Not long after, it switched to the wild boar's skull and continued doing the same thing.

After coming out of the deer's pale-white skull, the "lizard" crawled out of the house at a speed several times faster than a galloping horse. White Paper quietly floated in the night sky and followed it.

The "lizard" crawled all the way out of the village and finally arrived at the square.

It circled around the cathedral and arrived at the cemetery before plunging into a grave.

Ten seconds later, it crawled out and entered another tomb with a tombstone.

Just like that, the strange lizard-like creature moved through different graves. Lumian could even imagine the scene of it entering and exiting different human skulls in the coffins.

That scene made Lumian's skin protrude with tiny goosebumps. He couldn't help but ask, "What is this guy doing?"

Incomprehensible!

Aurore slowly shook her head. "It's a blind spot in my knowledge."

After "touring" the cemetery, the lizard-like diaphanous creature returned the way it came and entered Michel Garrigue's room.

It burrowed into Michel's mouth and disappeared.

After 20 to 30 seconds, Michel Garrigue opened his eyes and sat up. He gulped down water from the cup on the bedside table, looking extremely parched.

He put down the cup, wiped his mouth, and fell back to sleep.

Aurore turned her head and looked at Lumian.

"How is it? There's indeed something wrong with him, right?"

"How is this a problem? This is a huge problem!" Lumian didn't hide his emotions in front of his sister. "Pierre Berry, who grazes humans, the padre who's key to the time loop, Madame Pualis, who makes men give birth, Naroka, who went to Paramita, an owl who has lived for countless years, and the deputy padre who has a lizard living in him. Aren't there too many extraordinary individuals in Cordu?"

During the loop, Lumian had griped about how little help Ryan, Leah, and Valentine, the three official investigators, had been. In hindsight, how could he blame them? The abnormalities in Cordu were truly exceptional!

They might have taken action, but the results were probably unsatisfactory.

Aurore glanced at her brother, half-warning and half-teasing, "You haven't mentioned the most remarkable person yet.

"The only one in the village who can remember the loop and possess a unique dream ruin."

"…" Lumian was speechless and felt a headache brewing.

Aurore turned to the mirror on the table, contemplating.

"I don't expect any significant changes with the deputy padre. Although I could examine his Astral Projection more thoroughly, it could be hazardous.

"It's fine if it endangers me because I'll be another living Warlock in the next cycle, but we need more information. We should wait until we have enough before prying deeper. Starting the loop prematurely would waste time explaining and communicating."

Lumian agreed, sharing her perspective.

Aurore then suggested, "I plan on having White Paper monitor the padre now."

"…" Lumian was taken aback. "Didn't you just say we shouldn't pry deeper to avoid triggering the abnormality prematurely?"

The padre was the linchpin to the mystery. Wasn't it reckless to rush in like that?

Aurore smiled at Lumian. "I'm sure what I'm doing is safe."

Noticing Lumian's confusion and worry, she elaborated, "You heard the padre and Pons Bénet's private conversation on April 1st during the previous cycle. The padre claimed to be an ordinary person, but he had a way to deal with me, a Beyonder.

"Based on the corresponding scene and the fact that there was no reason to lie to an ordinary person like you, I believe the padre was truly powerless before April 1st. Today is March 29th, and we haven't crossed midnight, so it's safe to spy on him."

Lumian felt relieved. "That makes sense."

Aurore continued, "From their conversation, I deduced that the padre found a way to quickly gain Beyonder powers on April 1st. If he senses danger, he can become a Beyonder instantly. Maybe he has an item that can deal with me.

"Additionally, the padre's strength at the Lent celebration didn't match that of a Sequence 9. I suspect he's taking a path beyond the divine paths the mysterious woman mentioned. He's probably praying to a certain entity for a blessing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have grown so powerful in just a few days without any noticeable inclination to losing control."

Lumian listened quietly and suddenly recalled something.

"On the morning of Lent during that cycle, I had just become a Hunter when I ran into Pons Bénet. I wanted to test myself by fighting him, but he ran away as if he knew I had become a Beyonder beforehand.

...

"Maybe he had also received a blessing and could sense danger…"

Lumian added another crucial point.

"It was probably April 3rd when I saw Pons Bénet enter Naroka's house during her funeral.

"If he had already received a blessing, he wouldn't have failed to detect spying from an ordinary person like me, considering his keenness on the morning of Lent."

Aurore nodded. "In other words, it's highly likely that the padre's group became Beyonders between Naroka's funeral and Lent." Between April 3rd and the morning of April 5th.

"Of course, we can't rule out the possibility of them receiving blessings in batches," Aurore added.

The situation became clearer after this discussion. Lumian smacked his forehead and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Aurore asked, confused.

Lumian praised her, "I should have discussed these things with you earlier. You're much better at analyzing than I am!"

Aurore chuckled. "You sure know how to praise me in various ways. You're inexperienced and lack knowledge, so you didn't think of it immediately. You would've discovered these details sooner or later."

Although she dismissed her brother's praise, her pleased expression was evident.

...

White Paper flew towards the Bénet residence at Aurore's command.

The Bénet residence was the tallest and most lavish in Cordu, aside from the cathedral and the castle's modified administrator's residence.

It was a grayish-blue three-story house with a chimney on top.

As the head of the Bénet family, the padre lived in a room on the top floor's east wing. The dark gray curtains were tightly drawn, and the master of the house appeared to be asleep.

This wasn't a problem for White Paper. It slipped through the wall and blended into the darkness in the corner.

In the room, Guillaume Bénet, who had finished his affair with Madame Pualis, was sitting in a recliner, staring at the curtain in front of the window, dressed in light-blue pajamas.

Aurore's eyes darkened, revealing Guillaume Bénet's aura.

The red, green, purple, and blue colors made Lumian dizzy.

Recalling his sister's teachings, he tried to differentiate between them and realized that the padre's body was relatively healthy except for his overzealous desires.

"What's he thinking about? Which mistress to meet tomorrow?" Lumian mocked him, even though the padre couldn't hear him.

At that moment, Guillaume Bénet stood up and punched the air in front of him.

"It's all your fault!"

-x-X-x-

"It's all your fault!

"It's all your fault!

"Damn it!

"Son of a bitch!"

Guillaume Bénet's fists continued to hit the air, his rage boiling over at a seemingly invisible creature.

His expression was twisted with hatred, and he didn't bother to suppress his emotions.

Aurore narrowed her eyes and gestured for White Paper to investigate the area.

But there was nothing there, just empty air.

Lumian clicked his tongue in annoyance. "He's been itching for a fight for a while now. Who's he blaming?"

Aurore shook her head and casually replied, "Maybe it's a bishop holding him back, stopping him from rising in rank and gaining extraordinary abilities. Or perhaps someone lured him into secretly worshiping a hidden entity, hoping to receive blessings and grow stronger…"

She considered that, as the sub-deacon of the Eternal Blazing Sun Church, a priest overseeing a rural cathedral, establishing contact with a concealed being wouldn't be easy on his own.

When it came to matters of supernatural power, he'd undoubtedly turn to the Dariège region's Church. The associated occult artifacts and sorcery grimoires would be handed over to the Inquisition for safekeeping or even sealing. They wouldn't be left at Cordu's cathedral. More importantly, it was impressive enough that he could command ancient Feysac. Languages capable of summoning supernatural forces like Hermes and Elvish weren't something a sub-deacon like him would encounter. And Aurore, through the Eye of Mystery Prying, had long determined he wasn't someone with innate spiritual prowess who could unintentionally attract malevolence.

Thus, without a certain someone's "guidance," how could the padre come into contact with a hidden existence?

Aurore considered the possibility that Guillaume Bénet had come into possession of a mysterious item without turning it over.

Lumian laughed at the idea.

"Can't the padre gripe over that hidden existence? He even dared to make Saint Sith feel aggrieved. It's not impossible for him to blame that hidden existence for enticing him."

After mocking Guillaume Bénet, Lumian analyzed seriously, "I've been thinking about why the padre suddenly fell into corruption. There are two suspects. The first is Madame Pualis. She's obviously very powerful. Whether it's Louis Lund, who gave birth in the castle, or the woman suspected to be her in the wilderness surrounded by the undead, it shows that she's not simple. She's involved with abnormal pathways and hidden existences. It's possible that she enticed the padre."

"By the way…"

Lumian smacked his head.

"What's wrong?" Aurore didn't know what her brother had realized.

Lumian replied solemnly, "Do you think the padre has ever given birth to Madame Pualis' child?"

"…" Aurore was filled with regret for believing her brother was on the brink of an important discovery.

She snapped, "Who told you that Louis Lund's child is Madame Pualis's?

"What if it's Administrator Béost's or a hidden existence's? No, no. If it was, you would have exploded and turned into a monster when you saw that scene."

"I just find Madame Pualis to be more dominant in her relationship with the administrator." Before the loop began, Lumian felt that the administrator, Béost, was a little weak. He couldn't keep the butler in check and couldn't keep an eye on his wife. When he appeared with Madame Pualis, he always tried to please the latter.

Lumian originally thought that the administrator loved his wife very much, but now, he had a new guess.

"Do you think the administrator is another fertility tool for Madame Pualis?"

"Perhaps." Aurore held her forehead. "The world of mysticism has really broadened my horizons. Many scenes that only exist in novels and imaginations have been realized… in some warped manner…"

After sighing, she muttered to herself, "There seem to be more than one or two children born in the castle. Where are they?"

Lumian thought for a moment and expressed that he had no idea.

Infiltrating the castle and conducting a search was out of the question. Not after what happened to Louis Lund and the events in the wilderness. Whatever it took, he wasn't about to cross paths with Madame Pualis again.

Aurore felt the same. After their run-in with Madame Pualis, the siblings wanted nothing more than to avoid her at all costs.

The padre grunted in frustration, downing a glass of red wine to take the edge off.

He let out a long breath, put down the tall glass, and walked to the bed.

It wasn't until the padre's breathing eased and he seemed to be asleep that Lumian mocked, "Look at him, crashing early. What, no late night rendezvous with his mistress? Oh, he doesn't smoke in private, either."

This was inferred from the absence of cigar cases, pipe, and other items in the bedroom.

Aurore chuckled and said, "He doesn't drink much alcohol either. Everyone says he's a pillar of propriety."

She dispatched White Paper to scout the bedroom. Finding nothing, it returned as instructed. Aurore turned to Lumian.

"You only mentioned one suspect. What about the other?"

"That sneaky owl. Always watching, never acting." Lumian voiced his guess. "It might have led the padre to the legendary Warlock's legacy."

"Mmm." Aurore felt that the possibility was quite high.

Lumian then suggested, "If that owl pays me another visit, we capture it and interrogate it."

"You sure you can take down an owl that has lived for centuries?" Aurore smirked.

"I've got you, haven't I?" Lumian flattered his sister.

Aurore scoffed. "Our chances aren't great, even with both of us."

"But we can't just sit around and do nothing. We need to find out what's going on before it's too late. As long as we don't interfere with the advent of the twelfth night, we'll be fine."

Lumian nodded heavily.

Aurore noticed his exhaustion and reached for White Paper, who had returned.

"You've been using your Spirit Vision too much today. Get some rest. We'll continue tomorrow."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "In the morning, I'll teach you the basics of the Hermes language. Then, in the afternoon, go see Pierre Berry and have a drink. I'll sneak into his sheep pen and see if I can get any useful information from his three sheep."

She thought this was the easiest route to investigate.

"Isn't that too risky?" Lumian asked, already on his feet.

Aurore reassured him with a smile.

"Don't worry, I won't pick a fight. I just need to talk to them in Highlander. It shouldn't raise any alarms. They might know something useful."

Lumian nodded.

...

"I'll head to Ol' Tavern tomorrow afternoon. I'll try to get to know the three foreigners. They could be valuable allies."

Of course, he had to be careful not to reveal their identities as Beyonders.

"Okay," Aurore agreed with her brother's plan.

...

Lumian woke up in his dream bedroom, shrouded in a faint gray fog.

As he expected, all the gold, silver, and copper coins, as well as the axe and pitchfork he had collected, were gone.

The cycle had reset the dream.

I have to gather them again…?Lumian muttered to himself as he left the bedroom and headed to the study.

He picked up the?livre bleu?from the table and flipped through it idly. Many of the words had been cut out.

Indeed, I was the one to send the request for help…?He no longer felt anything about being the one who had sent the request for help.

He suspected that Aurore had guided him in sending the request. After all, he had no knowledge of mysticism back then, so he would have relied on a reliable messenger or a postman.

...

Speaking of which, Lumian realized that the postman who came once a week wasn't in the loop.

He figured that the officials probably prevented ordinary people from entering Cordu after receiving the letter.

Lumian looked around for a box to store the letter, but he couldn't remember how many similar items Aurore had in her collection, so he gave up.

He got dressed in a way that didn't affect his movements, grabbed his iron-black axe, and headed out into the wilderness filled with crevices. He walked towards the ruins surrounding the dark red mountain peak.

Lumian easily dispatched the two familiar monsters. He slung the shotgun, cloth bag of lead rounds, and assortment of coins.

He moved forward cautiously, deliberately avoiding the path he had taken before, knowing that he was not prepared to face the three-faced monster.

As he made his way through the collapsed buildings and thin gray fog, the constantly alert him took a sniff.

He caught a whiff of blood.

After some thought, Lumian sneaked into the shadows and hid in a hidden space on the top of a half-collapsed house, peering through a gap between a few rocks.

In the distance, amidst the barren, rubble-filled wasteland, he saw a lump of flesh slowly wriggling towards a building.

The flesh was mixed with yellow fat, as if a creature had been crushed by a falling boulder.

Lumian pondered how to deal with such a monster.?Should I behead it? But it doesn't even have a head.

Suddenly, several dark-black, fleshy ropes appeared out of nowhere and bound the blob of flesh tightly.

-x-X-x-

Tentacles? Lumian was momentarily dumbstruck before recognizing the appendages that ensnared the fleshy mass.

He knew Aurore's novels well and had seen all the illustrations. Not only did he recall every melodramatic scene, but he also grasped concepts typically beyond his ken, such as monstrous tentacles.

Seven or eight inky tendrils enveloped the fleshy lump, dragging it towards the crumbled building.

A figure emerged from the chaos of strewn rubble.

The creature bore a humanoid form, its upper body and feet bare, clad only in black pants.

But it lacked a head, sporting only a remnant of a neck. A whirl of razor-sharp teeth filled the cross-section, and its crimson skin gleamed between them.

Lumian couldn't help but imagine a human whose head and half their neck had been replaced by some bizarre, gaping orifice. He shook his head, unable to locate a weak point for attack.

Seven or eight fleshy tentacles sprouted from the monster's maw, swiftly hauling the fleshy mass before it and hoisting it up.

The creature's neck-mouth blossomed open like a morning glory.

Its pearly, needle-like teeth clamped onto the flesh, swallowing it whole like a snake devouring its prey.

Lumian scoffed silently.

So, you still need to eat. Thought you guys could survive without food…

He then fell into deep thought.

Monsters should be common in these ruins. Food must be scarce…

So some monsters feed on others, like now. Or maybe, everyone's both hunter and prey…

Could I lure an unbeatable monster to others and exploit the chaos?

Theoretically, yes. But it's risky. They might just team up to kill me first…

As Lumian mulled it over, he noticed the monster's chest—heaving from the effort of digestion—was beginning to swell and contract, as though it was undergoing intense digestion.

This attracted Lumian's attention and made him realize that the monster's chest was anything but ordinary.

Three black, seal-like marks adorned its pectorals and base of the neck.

Wh— Lumian's pupils dilated instinctively, straining for a better look.

He'd seen something similar on the padre!

At the end of the Lent celebration, the padre's body had swelled, tearing his clothes to reveal a black mark!

Upon closer inspection, Lumian confirmed that the three black seals on the monster matched the padre's.

Composed of cryptic words and symbols, they seemed to connect with an ineffable realm.

The difference? The padre bore at least 11 or 12 marks, whereas the monster had only three.

What's the deal with these marks? Are they bestowed by a hidden power? And the more you have, the greater the boon? Lumian wondered, perplexed.

He tried in vain to memorize the markings but couldn't in such a short time. Without pen or paper, he couldn't reproduce them either.

The monster finished digesting the fleshy mass. It swung its arm, shaking the fleshy tentacles beside its mouth-orifice.

The mark beneath its neck glimmered, and a low hum emanated from its chest.

The sound swelled, evoking a maelstrom of air tearing through a beehive, whistling in and out of countless tunnels.

The trumpet-like orifice gaped wide, amplifying the maddening drone.

The cacophony grated on Lumian's nerves, making him itch to pummel the beast.

Your noise is unbearable, you know that?

As rage coursed through his veins, Lumian acted on impulse, leaping from the partially collapsed rooftop, shotgun in hand.

Bang!

Lumian hit the ground hard, his eyes locking onto the monster's gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth.

He was about to rip the other party a new one for being a stubborn old pig, but serenity gripped him like a vice. He felt helpless, like a bystander who had been thrust onto the stage of a deadly play.

The monster's blood-red mouth was trained on him, and it made no sound.

"Can I say that I'm sorry, that it's a misunderstanding?" he muttered, his voice barely audible.

He suspected that there was something wrong with the noise just now, causing him to lose his mind. He jumped out of his hiding spot and tried to attack!

But it was too late for apologies. He had to make a choice: fight or flee.

With his experience, Lumian knew that running was not an option. The monster was unscathed and ready, its eight tentacles raised and poised for attack.

Therefore, if he really wanted to escape, he had to fight before finding an opportunity!

If he wanted to survive, he had to fight. Without hesitation, Lumian raised the shotgun in his hand, loaded with lead bullets.

Bang!

The monster was caught off guard by Lumian's speed and decisiveness. It had no idea what the shotgun was and didn't stand a chance as it was pelted with lead bullets.

"Ah!"

it howled in pain, its mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth opening instinctively. Its chest was a bloody mess, including the black mark on its right side,

However, the black mark seemed to be engraved in his blood and flesh. It was still clearly visible and remained unharmed.

Lumian didn't revel in the monster's screams. He quickly repositioned himself and pulled out a new round from his bag.

But before he could take aim again, the black mark on the creature's left side glowed, and it vanished into thin air.

Just like that, it disappeared in front of Lumian!

Had it escaped or turned invisible? He racked his brain for answers from the various novels Aurore had written and the mysticism knowledge she had taught.

...

Lumian searched frantically for any sign of it, but it was gone.

This scene and difficulty that he had never faced before made Lumian panic. He wanted to take the opportunity to escape and subconsciously take a few steps back.

Lumian's ankles were suddenly yanked, and he lost his balance, flipping over and hanging upside down.

Dark, fleshy tentacles appeared out of nowhere, wrapping tightly around Lumian's legs and hoisting him up.

The monster was right in front of him, its black mark glowing on its right side. The vortex-shaped mouth filled with white, razor-sharp teeth widened to reveal a blood-red interior.

The stench was overwhelming, and Lumian felt dizzy as he hung upside down.

He could see the blood-colored skin of the monster's mouth and countless teeth.

Thinking quickly, he grabbed one of the tentacles and wrapped it tightly around his arm. In his hanging state, he aimed his shotgun at the monster's mouth and fired.

Bang!

The monster screamed as flesh and blood spewed from its mouth.

It flung Lumian away, and its body turned transparent before vanishing once again.

...

Lumian hit the ground and rolled before getting back up, determined to find his target.

Suddenly, he caught a whiff of blood approaching him.

Without hesitation, he leaped in the opposite direction.

Dark tentacles emerged from the air where he had been standing, but they missed their mark.

The monster reappeared three to four meters away, its vortex-shaped mouth wide open, ready to strike.

Lumian loaded his shotgun with lead rounds, but the black mark on the monster's left side glowed, and it vanished again.

Invisibility. It's indeed invisibility! Lumian instantly made a judgment.

Coupled with his previous encounter, he believed that this invisibility could not hide his scent and would lose its effect once he entered an attack state.

After figuring it out, Lumian calmed down and mocked inwardly,

How can you be invisible if you can't even hide your scent?

Capturing traces was a Hunter's forte.

Lumian regained his composure and calmly surveyed his surroundings as he circled the area.

Soon, he spotted the monster's footprints and caught the scent of blood and its unmistakable stench.

Using these clues, he dodged the monster's attacks and fired his shotgun, but it seemed to have no vital points. The creature only grew weaker after being hit multiple times.

With the lead rounds running low, Lumian quickly thought of a solution.

In just a few seconds, he had an answer.

He had scouted the area beforehand and found several natural traps that could be used, including one that would be perfect for this monster.

As two faint footprints appeared in the distance, Lumian turned and ran, narrowly avoiding the dark, fleshy tentacle that missed its target.

He kept running, occasionally looking back to make sure the monster was still chasing him and to dodge any attacks.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

The monster's "noise" only fueled Lumian's anger, making him want to turn around and attack with his axe. But he reminded himself that his goal was to kill the creature, not just vent his frustration.

Fortunately, he remembered that his goal in running was to kill that guy. At the moment, he wasn't really running away. Anger and frustration didn't change his plan. It only made him more motivated.

Thud thud thud!

Finally, he spotted the half-collapsed building and rushed inside, stopping at the edge and pretending to lie in ambush.

Soon, he heard the shallow footprints of the monster approaching, along with its stench and blood.

Lumian estimated the distance of the tentacle and took a couple of steps back. With a swing of his axe, he struck a stone pillar that was about to collapse, and then kicked it hard, using the reaction force to roll back.

The half-collapsed building couldn't withstand the impact and crumbled, a cascade of heavy rocks filling the passage. Boom!

The monster, hiding and ready to attack, let out a fierce scream that lasted only a second before it was silenced forever.

-x-X-x-

Lumian rolled away before springing back to his feet.

The sudden scream and its abrupt end brought him a sense of relief.

Still, he remained vigilant. Shotgun slung and axe in hand, he cautiously approached the collapsed building.

Dust swirled in the air where bricks and wooden beams once stood, lingering on.

!!

Outside, Lumian couldn't spot the monster's corpse. It must be buried beneath the rubble. His sense of smell was compromised in the dusty environment. He raised a hand to shield his nose from the irritants.

Given the situation, Lumian retreated several steps, maintaining a safe distance as he patiently waited for the dust to settle.

As he stood watch, he scrutinized his surroundings, on alert for any subtle signs of movement or scent.

Finally, the air cleared, and his vision returned.

Lumian neared the wreckage once more, tracking the scent of blood to find the monster crushed beneath heavy stones.

With no need to rush, he employed his Hunter expertise to methodically remove the rocks, avoiding any secondary collapse.

Simultaneously, he kept his guard up against the monster, which might still be alive and awaiting an opportunity to strike.

He pulled away another massive stone, revealing the twisted creature, its head-neck a mangled vortex.

Its maw faced the sky, crushed into a gory mess. Its chest was flattened, and its sharp mouth impaled on a jagged stone pillar. Several dark, fleshy tentacles had snapped.

If not for its distinct features, Lumian wouldn't have recognized the semi-solid mass as his target.

The trap had worked better than he'd anticipated!

After confirming the monster's demise, Lumian noticed the three black markings on its chest, still clearly visible despite the carnage.

It's so odd… This can't be common, even in mysticism, right? Despite going through his sister's crash course, Lumian still had much to learn. He relied on his intuition for judgment.

He had planned to use his knife to remove the skin with the black mark, but the creature's chest was too mangled to salvage anything.

After pondering for a moment, he tore a piece of cloth from his linen shirt, using it as makeshift paper.

Next, he wrapped another strip around his finger, staining it with the monster's blood. Whether it sufficiently isolated potential contamination or poison, he couldn't be sure. If anything happened, he'd have to leave the dream quickly, minimizing any damage to reality. He should recover within hours or half a day.

Using the blood as ink, Lumian copied the three black marks.

As he drew, dizziness struck, and a swelling pain pulsed in his forehead.

Lumian surmised from his sister's teachings that his spirituality was nearly depleted.

Just copying these marks almost drained me entirely?

He was astonished by the bizarre markings and the meager spiritual capacity of a Hunter, which he suspected was only slightly greater than a spiritually gifted person.

After resting briefly, Lumian continued copying. It took three intermittent attempts before completion, his head throbbing.

In his current state, further exploration was impossible. He pocketed the cloth, hoisted his axe, and headed back across the wilderness towards home.

Emerging from the ruins, he felt a sense of accomplishment, as if he had absorbed a significant portion of the Hunter potion.

Looks like it was a successful hunt, Lumian mused.

His unsorted experiences bubbled to the surface.

Staying calm is crucial… When faced with unexpected prey and no time to prepare, calmness is even more vital.

Always observe your surroundings and exploit opportunities.

With his thoughts racing, Lumian made his way home, ascended to the second floor, and entered the bedroom.

He forced himself to memorize the marks for a while before collapsing on the bed in exhaustion.

...

The next morning, when Lumian woke up, his temples were still throbbing a bit. That was a sign his spirituality had been drained in the dream ruins.

He shook his head and left the room to splash his face in the bathroom.

When he went downstairs, he realized his sister had already made breakfast—toast with jam, sliced sausages, and strong black coffee.

"So early?" Lumian blurted out in surprise.

His sister rarely woke up early.

Aurore replied grumpily, "Realizing we're stuck in a time loop, and the people around us are getting weirder and creepier, how can you sleep well? Not me."

"I've got no choice." Lumian comforted his sister. "At least you can really sleep. I've got stuff to do in my dreams."

"That's true." Aurore picked up the coffee laced with half a packet of sugar and took a swig.

After her brother sat down and wolfed most of the toast and sausage, she asked, "What did you get out of exploring the dream ruins?"

Lumian recounted his run-in with the monster and said, "Aurore, uh, Grande Soeur, help me figure out what those three black marks mean. At the end of Lent, the priest had something similar on him, but even more."

Aurore nodded and took out a fountain pen and a note from a hidden pocket in her beige dress.

Lumian began sketching, but he couldn't accurately replicate the black marks.

Soon, he handed the note to his sister and "introduced," "I only memorized it a few times. I can't be sure if some of it's right or wrong, but some of it must be. Here, here, and here are spot on."

Just replicating part of the mark had drained a lot of his spirituality.

Aurore placed the note on the dining table in front of her and focused on it for a while.

"These words aren't any I know. The symbols that go with them are more warped than those commonly seen in mysticism too."

Lumian was a little disappointed when Aurore added, "Judging by the influence of transcendent words and symbols on the surroundings and the leverage the marks have on natural power, I suspect this is the outward manifestation of a special contract."

As she spoke, she tapped the note with her index finger.

"Contract?" Lumian asked.

...

Aurore nodded.

"Paired with your battle with that monster, each black mark should represent a special contract.

"The effect of this contract is likely helping it gain a superpower from certain spirit world creatures, creatures from other dimensions, or extraterrestrial creatures. So, the black mark on its left chest emits light and grants invisibility. The one below its neck corresponds to a voice that makes people frustrated, resentful, and lose their minds. The one on its right chest didn't show anything. I suspect it has something to do with its mouth orifice, tentacles, or digestion."

"No wonder…" Lumian immediately understood some of the details of the previous battle.

He then laughed and said, "The padre signed more than ten contracts with different creatures?

"What does this mean? Everyone can be his daddy!"

"What a strange way to put it," Aurore muttered. "From the looks of it, the priest who fought you at the end of Lent didn't even show a tenth of his strength. He probably only used one ability he got through the contract. His body and mind went out of whack for no reason, and he was at your mercy."

Lumian didn't get the previous two cycles, but he clearly knew it was luck back then.

He eagerly asked, "Can I copy the contract obtained from the monster and contact the corresponding creature?"

He was very envious of that "invisibility" ability.

"A contract is a contract, and a ritual is a ritual. Do you know how to conduct a ritual?" Aurore doused his enthusiasm. "Even if you master the ritual, do you know what the price of such a special contract is? The padre might have only completed it with the blessing of a hidden existence…"

...

Aurore paused for a second and muttered to herself, "Why does the monster in your dream ruin have such a black mark… Did it also receive the blessing of that entity?"

As she spoke, Aurore cast her gaze at Lumian's left chest.

"Could it be related to the black thorn symbol sealing your heart?

"The padre had one too. Hmm… Maybe the thorn symbol represents a hidden existence that created the dream ruin. The key to breaking the cycle might be hidden there. Or, maybe reality can only solve the problem by doing something simultaneously with the dream ruin…"

"It's possible," Lumian thought, realizing that this could explain why the monster had a black mark and why the mysterious lady wanted him to explore the dream ruins.

He let out an emotional sigh.

"Aurore, uh, Grande Soeur, your imagination is indeed much richer than mine."

"That's what an author should be like," Aurore replied with a smile.

After breakfast, Aurore brought Lumian to the study to teach him Hermes.

They ended the lesson around three or four in the afternoon, only stopping to grab a quick bite to eat.

"Alright, you can go out and drink with Pierre Berry now," Aurore said, realizing it was time and that no one would suspect them.

Lumian acknowledged her instruction briefly and expressed his concern.

"You must be careful."

Aurore was going to take the risk of coming into contact with the three sheep to gather information.

...

Lumian arrived at the dilapidated two-story house where Shepherd Pierre Berry lived and looked around before asking the old woman, "Where's Pierre?"

The old woman, Pierre Berry's mother, Martie, appeared to be in her early fifties but had many wrinkles due to overexertion from work. Her skin was freckled, and her black hair had turned gray. She looked almost as old as Naroka.

"He went to the cathedral," Martie replied.

Lumian was alarmed. He went to the cathedral again?

-x-X-x-

If Lumian remembered correctly, Pierre Berry would undoubtedly visit the cathedral to offer his prayers past noon of March 30th. He and Reimund had crossed paths with him during the previous cycle, and Lumian had also encountered him at the village square at a similar hour.

However, it was already three or four in the afternoon!

"When did he leave?" Lumian inquired.

Martie pondered for a moment and responded, "Around the time taken to cover a mile."

In the countryside, except for a handful of people, hardly anyone owned a timepiece. Time was generally conveyed through specific activities and indications such as grape harvesting season, the duration of a mile's walk, and so forth.

Obviously, if the timeframe was brief enough for people to perceive it more distinctly, "a few minutes" and "15 minutes" would be employed in verbal expressions.

A mile? That isn't too far… Lumian speculated that Pierre Berry had already gone to the cathedral around noon and had yet to return.

One mile in Cordu was equivalent to one kilometer in the Intisian metric system.

After bidding farewell to Pierre's mother, Martie, Lumian departed from the Berry residence and proceeded towards the village square.

He was unsure whether Pierre Berry had visited the cathedral at noon and returned again in the afternoon, or if something had cropped up, delaying his return.

If it was the former scenario, Lumian could sense something brewing. It was highly unusual for Pierre Berry to frequently visit the cathedral to meet the padre. Something dreadful was certainly afoot.

If it was the latter scenario, it would be a massive problem!

Before Lumian, who retained his memories, and Aurore, who already knew the cycle, made an attempt, the history should remain unaltered!

If there were any deviations, it could indicate that the siblings had not completely comprehended the pattern of the cycles, or that there were others who could retain their memories.

With this in mind, Lumian heaved a sigh and raised his hand to strike his face.

He was so startled that he forgot to inquire if Pierre had visited the cathedral at noon.

That was crucial.

It was far too suspicious to turn back and ask now. Lumian could only obtain some information from Pierre when they drank together later. He quickly suppressed his frustration and strode towards the square.

Upon entering the cathedral of the Eternal Blazing Sun, he saw the padre, Guillaume Bénet, standing in front of the altar with several sunflowers. He was conversing with a few individuals seated in the front pew.

As soon as Lumian entered, Guillaume Bénet ceased speaking and glanced over.

Some plot? Lumian smiled as he approached the altar, observing the individuals listening to the padre's 'sermon.'

He spotted Shepherd Pierre Berry, the thug Pons Bénet, and a few of his henchmen. He also saw the padre's mistress, Madonna Bénet, and Sybil Berry. He was surprised to see a man here but also found it reasonable—Arnault André, Naroka's youngest son, a farmer in his forties.

"Hello, Pierre…" Lumian greeted him with a smile, but he halted midway.

The second half of his sentence was meant to be, "Aren't you buying drinks? Why are you here?" However, he suddenly became vigilant and remembered that this arrangement had yet to occur in this cycle.

This was something that had only transpired in the previous cycle. This was the first time Lumian had encountered Shepherd Pierre Berry in this cycle.

As Cordu's Prankster King, Lumian's reflexes were lightning-quick. He promptly altered his posture and extended his arms towards the altar.

"Praise the Sun!"

Keeping up the facade, his thoughts raced as he conjured up a fresh alibi.

After paying homage to the Sun and receiving a response from the priest, Lumian pivoted and addressed Pierre Berry, who sat at the front row's edge, gazing at him with bewilderment.

"I heard you had returned to the village, so I went to your dwelling to seek you out. Lo and behold, you're here in the cathedral."

He didn't specify who had informed him, knowing that Pierre Berry would have been spotted en route to the cathedral.

With no witnesses to his lie, Lumian had a fallback option—Ava's father, the cobbler Guillaume Lizier.

"Why are you looking for me?" Pierre Berry rose to his feet, clad in a dark-brown robe, his blue eyes brimming with gentle amusement and perplexity.

Lumian had already prepared a plausible excuse. He grinned and responded, "I yearn to hear your tales while tending to your flock. Diverse countries, varied hamlets, and sundry locales. They must be enthralling."

In the past, he had frequently conversed with newly-returned shepherds to enrich his knowledge.

Without waiting for Pierre Berry's reply, Lumian shifted his gaze from his disheveled and greasy black hair to his brand-new leather shoes.

"Did you make it rich?"

"My current employer was more generous this time and bestowed upon me quite a few things," Pierre Berry replied with a smile. "I'll treat you to a drink later."

"Alright." This was precisely what Lumian had been angling for.

He even inquired, "When will you be heading there?"

This displayed the panache of a regular patron of Ol' Tavern. He was unashamed when it came to cadging a glass of wine.

Pierre Berry glanced at Guillaume Bénet, the priest, and received a corresponding hint.

"How about after dinner?" he suggested.

"Agreed," Lumian assented readily.

Thereafter, under the scrutiny of the shepherd, priest, Pons Bénet, and company, he seated himself in the second pew closest to him.

"…" Pierre Berry was momentarily taken aback. "Aren't you going back?"

Lumian beamed.

"I haven't prayed in ages. I'll seize this opportunity to pray, lest the deity thinks I'm not devout enough."

"Carry on, carry on. Pretend I'm not here."

Saying so, he closed his eyes, lowered his head slightly, and crossed his arms over his chest.

Pierre Berry, Guillaume Bénet, Pons Bénet, and the rest exchanged glances, at a loss for words.

After patiently waiting for an extended period and observing Lumian still engrossed in prayer, the priest turned to Pierre Berry, gesturing for him to inquire.

Pierre Berry approached Lumian's side and patted his shoulder.

"How long do you intend to pray?"

...

Lumian opened his eyes and stated gravely, "I plan to pray until dinnertime. Since there's nothing else to do, I can make a confession later."

Guillaume Bénet's forehead twitched upon hearing this.

Gazing at Madonna, Sybil, Pons, Arnault, and the others waiting for him, he exhaled slowly. He signaled to Pierre Berry and gestured towards the door.

Pierre Berry comprehended the priest's unspoken message and hastily informed Lumian, "I'm done praying. Shall we proceed to Ol' Tavern now?"

"Absolutely!" Lumian stood up, grinning from ear to ear. There was nary a hint of solemnity or piety in his demeanor.

Previously, he had discerned that his arrival had impeded the padre and his accomplices' machinations. In a mischievous attempt to play a prank, he feigned interest and lingered until Pierre Berry was required to depart prematurely.

He surmised that the padre saw through his act, but what use was being the Prankster King of Cordu if he didn't create a bit of mischief in such circumstances?

He had to maintain his persona to avoid arousing suspicion!

Lumian lamented his sister's probable departure to Berry's abode to confer with the three sheep. Had she been present, he could have dispatched White Paper to the cathedral to clandestinely overhear the padre's scheme and glean valuable intelligence.

Perhaps I can undertake this in the next cycle, but would Pierre detect our surveillance? Pierre is no simpleton. He is certainly more capable than an ordinary person like the padre… Lumian's thoughts raced as he trailed Pierre out of the cathedral and towards the Ol' Tavern.

...

...

In the sheep pen behind the Berry household.

Aurore, donned in a white gown, circumnavigated the woods and vaulted the wooden fence.

As an alluring woman seldom seen in the village, she had to choose this relatively secluded path. Otherwise, she would be subjected to small talk or worse, suspicion.

When will I learn the spells of invisibility and shadow concealment? Aurore ruminated wistfully as she advanced towards the three sheep that had huddled beside a haystack.

Speaking in Highlander, she said, "Do not fret. I am the adversary of Shepherd Pierre Berry."

The eyes of the three sheep, whose coats were besmirched with filth, underwent a rapid transformation. Their initial vigilance and apprehension gave way to hope and perplexity.

Despite their initial reservations, they did not retreat and permitted Aurore to approach.

Aurore continued, "I discovered your peculiarities through certain means. You were once human, were you not?"

The eyes of the three sheep were suddenly imbued with shock, elation, hope, and skepticism. They instinctually bleated.

Aurore surveyed them.

"You cannot speak, but you can write, can you not?"

One of the sheep was stupefied for a moment before hastily inscribing on the ground.

It scribbled a simple Highlander word: "Yes."

The sheep was confirming that they were once human.

"What transpired? Why were you transformed into sheep?" Aurore pondered briefly before adding, "Write the beginning, middle, and end separately to save time."

The three sheep divided the task and inscribed different portions of the narrative on the surface of the soil using their hooves.

Before long, they had each completed a sentence.

"We were caught."

"A ritual was conducted."

"Swaddled in sheepskin and metamorphosed into sheep."

A ritualistic sorcery that can convert a human into a sheep using sheepskin? Hmph. That is decidedly easier than transfiguring a person into a sheep. The only question is, which deity was the ritual invoking? Aurore queried as her mind raced, "Did Pierre Berry capture you? Is he alone?"

She wished to ascertain Pierre Berry's current strength.

"Yes." One of the sheep responded.

The other sheep added more: "He has an accomplice. They were both exceedingly formidable."

Pierre Berry was already immensely powerful before his return to the village? Aurore suddenly detected something amiss.

Why did Pierre Berry appear to be under the sway of Guillaume Bénet, the padre?

Guillaume Bénet was still an ordinary person!

-x-X-x-