[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-108":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},2298077,4496,"Chapter 108: Ritual Commences (Requesting Monthly Tickets)","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-108",108,"\u003Cp>Lu Mi saw that the black-robed figure had a face identical to his own, yet with subtle differences:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within the other’s pale blue eyes, there was a faint hint of silver-black; his facial skin, whether due to the hood’s shadow or naturally so, was slightly darker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you!” Lu Mi gasped in shock, but the cloth stuffed in his mouth muffled his voice into indistinct murmurs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed figure smiled, offered no introduction, turned his body, and walked toward the position where the parish priest stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi tried to chase after him, desperate to understand who this man was, why he had come, and how he had appeared earlier inside the dead wizard’s tomb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To him, this was vital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that the parish priest retained memories within the loop, though shocking and utterly unexpected, fit within Lu Mi’s various theories about the loop’s nature—it was explainable, consistent, and not contradictory at all, especially given the precedent of Madame Poulis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the black-robed figure’s appearance was utterly abrupt—not because his existence itself was strange, for Lu Mi had always known that, besides the owl and the corpse in the coffin, another person lurked in the wizard’s tomb, suspected as the mastermind behind the anomalies in Kerdou Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The abruptness lay in the fact that this black-robed figure looked exactly like Lu Mi—as if he were another version of himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was something Lu Mi’s theories about the loop’s nature could not explain, could not accommodate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There must be something wrong here! Lu Mi strained forward, but the ropes bound him, and he crashed onto the altar with a thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fall made his congealed nosebleed flow again, and his swollen, purpling wounds became even more pronounced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi did not give up; even without the use of his hands or feet, he relied on the extraordinary flexibility granted by the “Dancer,” twisting like a snake to crawl toward the black-robed figure, struggling with immense difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind was filled with only a few similar thoughts:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must find out who this black-robed figure was, and why he was here!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This must be some manifestation of the loop’s true nature; once this secret was unraveled, there would be hope to use the loop to escape his current predicament and ultimately resolve the anomalies of Kerdou Village!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drip, drip. Blood from Lu Mi’s face fell drop by drop onto the ground, leaving bright red stains, and his writhing body smeared the color everywhere, creating a bloody, chaotic mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struggled desperately to draw closer to the black-robed figure, yet could not utter a sound, his face twisted by pain and urgency into something horrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed figure, whose face matched Lu Mi’s exactly, looked down at the ground and said to Parish Priest Guillaume Béne:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Begin the ritual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright,” Guillaume Béne said to the shepherd Pierre Béry beside the altar, “lift Lu Mi onto the altar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre Béry walked over, seized Lu Mi under the armpits, and lifted him up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No! Lu Mi struggled with all his strength, like a fish just pulled from water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was so slippery that Shepherd Pierre Béry nearly lost his grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warmth in Pierre’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by cruel, violent intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His strength surged—he forcibly restrained Lu Mi’s body and hurled him onto the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Pierre Béry looked down at Lu Mi and whispered with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’d better hope you die outright during the ritual, rather than survive until the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I guarantee you’ll regret it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this a response to my earlier “provocation”? Lu Mi had just flashed this thought when he saw Aurora, clad in a simple white robe, step beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned against the altar piled high with lilacs and tulips, her gaze hollow as she stared at her brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the villagers in the church surged toward this spot, half-surrounding the altar area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The parish priest then took out two gray-white candles and placed them respectively at the positions corresponding to Aurora and Lu Mi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he placed a third identical candle beneath his own feet, forming a two-high, one-low arrangement with those on the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds, the parish priest ignited all three candles with his spiritual energy, following the order from top to bottom, left to right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint sweetness slowly drifted into Lu Mi’s nostrils, making him suddenly dazed, as if this scene felt strangely familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan Cos, Lyra, and Valentine crept toward the side of the “Eternal Sun” church, carrying the brownish-yellow suitcase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hid in the shadows, peering through the stained glass, seeing how the altar of the “Eternal Sun” had changed its form, seeing Lu Mi bound and placed on the left, Aurora standing on the right, seeing the parish priest facing the siblings, his feet resting on lit gray-white candles, with the faceless black-robed figure and Pierre Béry standing on either side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Witnessing this, Valentine clenched his fist, golden light flickering within his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyra glanced at him, worried that this companion might lose control from rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Valentine was an experienced “Purifier,” well aware of what to do—and what not to do—now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan pulled his gaze away and whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We circle around to a spot closer to the altar, smash through the glass, launch a surprise attack, and try to rescue Lu Mi and Aurora within one minute, then retreat beyond the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we fail to achieve our goal within one minute, abandon this operation and flee to the river, triggering the loop deliberately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood,” Valentine replied in a low tone, while Lyra nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan added quickly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Valentine, prepare ‘Sunlight.’ We can’t hold back anymore—we must use ‘2—217’ now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem,” Valentine responded, as Lyra pulled out a box of matches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She controlled the silver bells on her veil and boots, sprinting at high speed around the square of Kerdou Village, tossing matches to various locations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was to pre-establish escape routes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Magician” never performs without preparation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Lyra finished, the three official investigators carefully circled to the stained glass beside the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentine looked up into the church and said to Ryan:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ritual is about to begin—we must act immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan was also observing the interior of the church, frowning as he asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you noticed anything strange?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyra quickly replayed the scene she had seen and answered urgently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t hear any sound from inside!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were now less than three meters from the nearest villagers, yet heard no noise from within, while those villagers clearly were speaking loudly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan’s eyes narrowed instantly—he had a sudden suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up, disregarding the risk of being spotted by the cultists inside, and slammed into the stained glass window ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crash echoed—but the fragile glass remained intact, and the villagers inside showed no awareness of the commotion outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ryan formed his “Dawn Armor” and “Dawn Sword,” Lyra began running in circles outside the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, none of the silver bells, uncontrolled, rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Lyra’s interpretation, this meant no danger—but how could there be no danger, given the scene inside the church?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, she concluded the correct answer was:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Extreme danger!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So dangerous that the silver bell, as a sealed artifact, had been completely disrupted—or dared not react at all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light-formed “Dawn Sword” struck a stained glass pane, producing no effect whatsoever—the entire church seemed wrapped in an invisible, terrifying force, preventing any outsider from entering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pure column of flame-wreathed light descended as Valentine opened his arms—but instead of appearing inside the church, it struck only the outer surface of the stained glass, rippling like water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside and outside were now utterly severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan made an immediate decision:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Try that sealed artifact—if it fails too, we retreat to the village outskirts and trigger the loop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan did not suggest immediate withdrawal because he suspected that once the ritual truly began, the loop might be affected—rendering them unable to leave Kerdou Village, and unable to restart its events.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentine wasted no time—he summoned the phantom golden flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snap, snap. Ryan opened the suitcase and pulled out the “Tanaago Straw Man,” whose lower half was already covered in skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed its front against the stained glass, then untied the thick black cloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a pair of eyes—resembling human eyes—appeared on “2—217”’s face, embedded within the brown-green straw, devoid of any emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two eyes turned, fixing on Pons Béne standing at the altar’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villain froze, then spun and sprinted toward the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he ran, his body vanished—his clothes fluttered down gently, covering his shoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A patch of flesh covered in skin appeared on the Straw Man’s neck, merging seamlessly with the straw beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It works!” Joy surged in Ryan and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant the church could be breached—that the altar’s protection could be broken!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The constellations are changing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s finally coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the villagers’ heated chatter, amidst the scents of ambergris, lilac, musk, and tulips, Lu Mi, burdened by a strange sense of déjà vu, forced his upper body upright using the “Dancer”’s flexibility, despite being bound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, he saw the parish priest open his mouth and chant in Ancient Hermes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great ‘Cycle of Fate’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the name left his lips, the church plunged into darkness, and the villagers fell utterly silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The orange flames atop the three candles shrank to the size of peppercorns, all dyed silver-black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi’s mind rang sharply, and a familiar heat flared in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His vision twisted strangely—the gilded dome above, Aurora beside him with her hollow gaze, the parish priest ahead with his solemn expression, and the hooded black-robed figure—all appeared layered, overlapping in his sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp pain surged in his head; it felt as if something deep within his memory was being dragged outward, eerily similar to the scene before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Déjà vu surged again in Lu Mi’s heart—stronger by dozens, even hundreds of times than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud, thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He heard the sound of his own heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Please vote for monthly tickets~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1680,"2026-06-20T06:22:34.374Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a527d5376adab736c09e26cc1885e8106413f8fbbff6af259d5cd3c972fe465a","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-109","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-107",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]