[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-11":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},2297980,4496,"Chapter 11: Madame Poulais","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-11",11,"\u003Cp>The blue sky was dotted with white clouds, and the spring breeze, carrying the scent of trees, brushed against human cheeks; beside the clear, swiftly flowing river, white geese bowed their heads to graze on green grass, while a young girl in a gray-and-white cloth dress held a long staff, closely watching them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl’s face was bathed in golden sunlight, revealing a faint downy fuzz; her smooth brown hair was tied at the top with a white cloth, and her delicate features radiated an unmistakable youthful vigor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gazed at Lumian, seated on the ground beneath the riverside trees, and frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Weren’t we discussing which legend would be easier to investigate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did it turn into stone carvings on the church?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl was Ava Lizzie, daughter of the cobbler Guillaume, one of the few among the village’s younger generation who got along well with Lumian and Raymond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m thinking about a question,” Lumian said without looking up, still fixed on the white geese and the ripples of water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What question?” Raymond Kelaige , who was helping Ava watch the geese, asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian spoke as if pondering deeply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you encountered a wild beast with thick skin that your weapon can’t pierce, how would you deal with it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, you’d find a way to run away—there are so many wild beasts in the mountains; you don’t have to hunt every one,” Ava said, not seeing the difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian grunted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if that beast was extremely rare, and the city lords loved it enough to pay a hundred gold louis for its corpse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A hundred gold louis… two thousand fers…,” Raymond’s breath grew heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never seen or used gold louis, so instinctively he converted them into fers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that much money, he could start a small business in Dariel—why bother learning to herd sheep?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought quickly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Borrow a hunting rifle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It won’t pierce the beast’s hide,” Lumian dismissed outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he knew the creature was imaginary and could never fetch such a sum, Ava couldn’t help joining the discussion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it powerful? Fierce?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian thought for a moment:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About my level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was one reason he hadn’t given up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it’s fine,” Raymond exhaled in relief, “We gather a group from the village, surround it, wear it down, then tackle and tie it up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew Lumian could fight, but he also knew how far that went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you do that, you’ll get maybe ten gold louis—or even less,” Lumian warned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve seen them hunt—maybe we could dig a pit, make the beast fall in and not be able to climb out…” Ava’s lake-blue eyes flickered as she recalled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a good idea,” Lumian nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing Ava and Raymond’s limited experience and unlikely to offer more suggestions, he steered the conversation back on track:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which legend do you think is best as our next target?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None of them,” Ava shook her head. “They’re either centuries old, or only witnessed by one person—who’s long dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raymond echoed Ava:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can you know there are no clues unless you ask the people involved?” Lumian chuckled. “You two lack perseverance—once you hit a wall, you want to quit. You’ll spend your lives as goose herders and sheep herders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words ignited a surge of anger in both Ava and Raymond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In provoking anger, Lumian was unquestionably among the top in Keerducun .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ava blurted out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think none of them are suitable because there’s a better one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian’s eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ava immediately regretted speaking, but she had intended to mention this anyway—she’d just planned to wait before telling Lumian and Raymond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds of silence, she glared at Lumian:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a real witch in the village.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who?” Lumian’s heart tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not Aurora, surely?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If even Ava knew Aurora was a witch, then he and Aurora had to flee Keerducun  immediately—before the Holy Inquisition came knocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ava instinctively glanced left and right, lowering her voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Madame Poulais.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Viceroy’s wife, the parish priest’s mistress—Madame Poulais? Lumian found it hard to believe:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Madame Poulais were truly a witch, how could she not have noticed him spying on her and the parish priest?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way?” Raymond was utterly astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ava tiptoed and glanced toward the village entrance:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not sure—it was the Viceroy’s manservant, Charles, who accidentally let it slip to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He said Madame Poulais is a Soul Messenger, able to speak with the dead, help their spirits return home, and that she makes secret potions and talismans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian listened carefully, still uncertain whether it was true or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given that magazines like The Spirit Medium, The Lotus, and The Hidden Veil were legally published, it wasn’t strange for the Viceroy’s wife to know some terms and put on a convincing act to fool servants and villagers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should we report it to the church? That could earn us a good reward,” Raymond said, torn between fear and anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian paused for several seconds before replying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the Viceroy’s manservant knows Madame Poulais is a witch, doesn’t that mean the Viceroy himself knows too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Ava confirmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Madame Poulais is also the parish priest’s mistress. If we report to the church, we’ll likely be handed straight over to the Viceroy’s house.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Madame Poulais is the parish priest’s mistress?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Ava and Raymond were stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw it with my own eyes,” Lumian chuckled. “Pretend you don’t know. Don’t tell anyone—or I’m afraid you’ll vanish one day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ava and Raymond both nodded solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were deeply afraid of the parish priest, and now this involved a witch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we can confirm Madame Poulais is truly a witch, we’ll find a chance to go to Dariel and tell the bishop during High Mass,” Lumian reassured them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Raymond nodded vigorously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had to confirm it before reporting—otherwise, if Madame Poulais turned out innocent, they were finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After discussing this, Lumian, unwilling to waste more time, stood up and said to Ava and Raymond:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going back to study—otherwise Aurora will chase me with a stick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two keep watching the geese.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay,” Raymond felt a surge of excitement at the thought of being alone with Ava for the next stretch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ava, however, was displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lumian neared Keerducun , he began hiding his movements, constantly watching for anyone nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feared the parish priest’s people hadn’t given up on him and were still waiting for an opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his observations, the parish priest, Guillaume Béné, was a man of great persistence—and once wronged, he always sought revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moving cautiously, Lumian headed toward the old tavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he heard a jingling sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian turned his head and saw Ryan, Lyra, and Valentine—the three outsiders—walking toward Narakar and the others, who were picking lice off each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clear, pleasant jingling came from the four small silver bells on Lyra’s veil and boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past two days, they’d been wandering the village, chatting with people, asking questions—no one knew what they wanted… Lumian felt puzzled and wary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the empty village square from a few days ago, and of the shepherd Pierre Béry who had returned from afar just for Lent, he had a bad feeling—something felt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was going to happen in the village? Lumian decided to tell Aurora about this later—let this well-traveled, knowledgeable, wise sister make the judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, he slipped into the old tavern and saw the woman who had given him the Tarot cards sitting in her usual corner seat, eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian approached and glanced:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fried pork with eggs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that too greasy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Dariel region, this dish was the top choice for hosting honored guests, but Lumian thought it might be overly oily and heavy for a woman from the big city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman slowly bit into the golden egg, closed her eyes, and savored it:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent. It has local flavor—very fragrant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Having lunch so early?” Lumian sat down across from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s pale blue eyes held a hint of weariness as she smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s breakfast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What time is it… Lumian dared not voice the thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced around the nearly empty tavern and lowered his voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In my dream, I saw a ruin and encountered a monster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh.” The lady showed no surprise at all; her expression even carried a hint of amusement that Lu Mi couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi steadied his mind and recounted his experience in full, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do I deal with this kind of monster?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lady smiled and asked in return:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it dead or alive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s definitely alive—I can’t kill it…” Lu Mi stopped his instinctive reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought carefully for a while, then spoke more slowly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can feel its breath—it must still be alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it’s alive, then try more methods: this time cut off its head, next time pour oil and set it on fire, the time after that bury it alive—who knows, maybe it’ll die?” The lady suggested casually while enjoying her breakfast. “Come back to me only after you’ve tried every method and still failed. I’m not your nanny—I can’t help with every little thing. Learn to figure things out yourself first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quite friendly… Lu Mi felt no disappointment or despair, because her tone implied that she would offer help only if he truly faced a grave danger—and this monster, for her, was truly insignificant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what she called insignificant was a very real nightmare for me… Lu Mi immediately felt a headache coming on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided to follow the lady’s advice and first try cutting off its head, burning it with fire, and burying it alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thank you to the passing Chengzi  for the Bai Yin alliance donation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1624,"2026-06-20T06:22:34.374Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1cf56561f951d6f29bbe03fdd56f4683884ca92dabde1654fff0d10f04eb15b4","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-12","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-10",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]