[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-102":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298071,4496,"Chapter 102","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-102",102,"\u003Cp>Tick, tick, tick, the second hand of the wall clock was clearly audible in the dark room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After what felt like an eternity, Lu Mi seemed to finally tear himself free from a nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hastily sat up, grabbed Aurora’s shoulders on either side, and shook her hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wake up! Wake up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept his voice low, afraid the three official investigators on night watch might hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora’s eyes remained tightly shut, her mouth slightly open; no matter how much Lu Mi shook her, she gave no response, like a living corpse devoid of a soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi’s shaking grew slower and slower until it finally stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at Aurora, seemingly asleep, motionless for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t understand why this had happened, didn’t know when the problem had begun, and felt as terrified and lost as he had on the night his grandfather died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that day, he began to wander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi’s hands clenched tighter and tighter, his body trembling slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he turned his body toward the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The transparent, blurry “lizard” had returned to the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi stepped off the bed in one motion, extended his right hand, and seized the monstrous creature, which had frozen in place upon seeing him awake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, he shoved the “lizard” into his own mouth, snarling with a twisted expression:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You love crawling into other people’s mouths, don’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on! I’m giving you the chance!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he forced the “lizard” down, he bit down wildly, his eyes blazing red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “lizard” seemed terrified and offered no resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a voice came from behind Lu Mi:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Aurora’s voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi froze instantly, slowly turning his body toward the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora had awakened sometime earlier, sitting up with her golden hair scattered, her pale blue eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi instinctively looked down and realized the “lizard” he had been holding had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, he couldn’t tell whether what he had seen and experienced had been a nightmare or reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?” Aurora frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi forced a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You had a nightmare and kicked me off the bed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?” Aurora studied her brother skeptically, sensing he was playing a trick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She recalled a moment and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did have a nightmare—I dreamed I was grabbed by a giant monster and shoved into its mouth. I struggled desperately and barely woke up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu Mi listened, his body grew cold, as if plunged into a mountain ice lake that had not yet fully melted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe… maybe I really did kick you…” Aurora looked slightly embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi closed his eyes and smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m joking. I woke up because of something else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then lowered his voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The mysterious lady appeared in the Dream Ruins, helped me separate the ‘Provocateur’s’ Extraordinary Trait, and gave me the correct potion formula.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you woke up thrilled, wanting to ask if I had the auxiliary ingredients?” Aurora realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi smiled broadly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have distilled honeysuckle essence, grapevine powder, and water fern powder?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled more naturally than before, though a faint glimmer seemed to flicker in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora thought for a moment:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have grapevine and water fern powder—one’s a ritual material, the other a spell medium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honeysuckle? We’ve always had some at home—I brew it for tea. Didn’t you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, she rummaged through the hidden pockets of her long home dress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s honeysuckle?” Lu Mi smiled deliberately as he watched his sister, “Why didn’t you ask if this help was free?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora pulled out a short segment of grapevine and smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grind it into powder yourself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She seemed not to have heard Lu Mi’s earlier question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine.” Lu Mi pretended he hadn’t asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then said to his sister:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘Provocateur’ potion also needs distilled alcohol—I’m going to the cellar now to get some, aiming to ascend to Sequence 8 tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Making distilled honeysuckle essence will take some time,” Aurora frowned slightly, “but auxiliary materials for low-sequence potions aren’t so strict—you can use whole honeysuckle flowers instead, as long as the Extraordinary Trait eventually dissolves, it’s safe to consume.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced at the open door and asked softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Going to the cellar for distilled alcohol at this hour—aren’t you afraid Ryan and the others will suspect something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his sister’s reaction, Lu Mi forced his smile not to stiffen:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a regular at the old tavern, waking up in the middle of the night craving a drink is perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alcohol has many, many downsides, but at least it helps relax my mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He meant to use the excuse: “The Lenten Festival ended, the mental pressure was too high, I couldn’t sleep, and needed strong liquor to unwind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine,” Aurora said without objection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi turned toward the door, his smile slowly fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands had remained clenched the entire time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the door, in the hallway, Lu Mi saw Ryan standing opposite him, wearing a brown tweed jacket and light yellow trousers, while Lyra and Valentine stood at either end of the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t sleep?” Ryan asked, holding a kerosene lamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Going to the cellar for a bottle of strong liquor. Want some? Relax a bit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t need it,” Ryan nodded. “You haven’t experienced anything like this before—your nerves are tense, your stress is high, and alcohol can indeed help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he carried the flickering, dim yellow flame of the kerosene lamp toward the staircase:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go with you. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright,” Lu Mi didn’t object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two descended the stairs, Lyra moved closer to Aurora’s bedroom to stand guard at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One step, two steps… Lu Mi and Ryan descended silently into the dark first floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the dim light illuminated half the stove, Ryan asked casually:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did something happen in the room just now? There was some noise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi opened his mouth, struggling to speak:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aurora… Aurora… something’s wrong… something crawled out of her mouth… that thing that looks like a little elf—a ‘lizard.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying the full sentence drained him completely, as if all his strength had been ripped away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds, he recounted the entire incident, but described waking up naturally and merely witnessing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan listened in silence, not rushing him. When Lu Mi finished, he spoke gently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You handled it well. Right now, you mustn’t let her know she’s showing abnormalities—I fear it might worsen things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep pretending nothing happened. At dawn, I’ll claim, ‘Kordu Village is contaminated—we need daily purification to prevent influence’—and have Valentine try to exorcise that ‘lizard.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright,” Lu Mi replied weakly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt the “lizard” had fused deeply with his sister’s soul—removing or purifying it wouldn’t be easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan glanced at him, then lightly patted his shoulder:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand how you feel—if my own family showed similar abnormalities, I couldn’t stay calm either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But remember: panic solves nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know Valentine’s purification might not work, but we have to try before we can be sure. That kind of abnormality is almost certainly tied to Kordu Village’s cycle—if we ultimately break the cycle, your sister should recover directly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes… this is also a kind of contamination. If I can recover all contamination when breaking the cycle, Aurora will be fine… Lu Mi’s eyes slowly brightened, regaining his drive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan was satisfied with his reaction and said gently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I must warn you: over the next few days, you must adapt to your sister’s changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She may, like the parish priest, gradually lose higher functions, acting only on instinct, memory, and strongest emotions, and respond to nothing else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi fell silent for a long while before saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I know Valentin’s purification may not work, but we have to try to be sure it won’t—yes, that anomaly is almost certainly tied to the cycle of Koldu Village; if we can ultimately break the cycle, your sister should recover directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes… this is also a kind of contamination; if I can reclaim all the contamination when breaking the cycle, Aurora will surely be fine… Lu Mi’s eyes gradually brightened, regaining his drive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan was quite satisfied with his reaction and said gently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I need to remind you that over the next few days, you must adapt to your sister’s changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She may, like the deputy parish priest, gradually retain only instinct, acting according to memory and strongest emotions while showing no response to anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi fell silent for a long while before saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ll get used to it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice grew quieter and quieter until it vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They went to the cellar, fetched the distilled liquor, and returned to the second floor, as if nothing had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the bedroom, Lu Mi resumed smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook the bottle in his hand toward Aurora and whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It worked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora smiled back and pointed to the desk:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The honeysuckle, grapevine, and water fern are all there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi nodded and placed the bottle on the desk as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, and pretended to fall asleep quickly so he could ascend in his dreams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t fall asleep at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t figure out when his sister had been corrupted, when that “lizard” had entered her body—during this time, they had been together every second, even when Aurora went to the bathroom, Lyra was with her, and vice versa—how had something gone wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it happened while they were sleeping, why wasn’t he affected? Lu Mi strained to recall, hoping to find the source—it might help resolve the anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he remembered something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the second-to-last cycle, the parish priest Guillaume Béne had said the Church might want to kill all the adults here and claim a ruin, adding that even if Aurora truly intended to confront them, he had other methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, he had still been an ordinary person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi had originally thought his safeguard was the shepherd Pierre Béry, but given the current situation, he had a theory—a mad theory:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps from the very beginning, most villagers had been parasitized by that creature resembling a “lizard,” including Aurora!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Twelfth Night drew nearer, the anomalies would grow more pronounced, and some would show signs earlier than others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself had escaped because of the bluish-black symbol on his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling how, in the latter half of the second-to-last cycle, Aurora had adopted a pattern of speaking without acting, Lu Mi felt his theory might be correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He involuntarily clenched his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Ryan was patrolling the corridor with a kerosene lamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His shadow on the wall beside him suddenly stretched out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost simultaneously, the silver bells on Lyra’s veil and boots rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt her shoulders grow unnaturally cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Please vote for monthly tickets~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1818,"2026-06-20T06:22:34.374Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d3ab576cc4fc06c02b68015babc4538db18d6fa1a23c49e6161d3de2f9c5262c","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-103","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-101",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]