Chapter 12

After leaving the old tavern, Lu Mian began to hide and dodge again.

He approached the road he often took to get home in this state.

Sure enough, he found one of Pons Bénet's subordinates crouching behind a green tree by the road, observing the passersby.

The parish priest really doesn't stop until he achieves his goal... Lu Mian couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

And most importantly, he still couldn't make an effective counterattack.

This was because, first, his personal ability was limited, and second, if the parish priest really had an accident, it would inevitably alarm the "Eternal Blazing Sun" Church in the Daliege region. At that time, there would definitely be people from the Inquisition coming to investigate, which was a very dangerous thing for Aurora.

Unless he was forced into a corner and had already decided to give up this place and move elsewhere, Lu Mian could only mess with the parish priest's privacy and see if he could get him transferred to some monastery to "retire" through the exposure of scandals.

Moreover, exposing scandals also required skill, just like letting the outsiders stumble upon the parish priest and Madame Pualis having an affair earlier.

The reason Lu Mian didn't widely publicize this matter was that he didn't want to put himself in a conspicuous position. According to his observations, the administrator and territory judge, Béost, was a person who cared very much about his face. If he exposed Madame Pualis's affair, he definitely wouldn't get Béost's gratitude; it would most likely be hatred and hostility.

In that case, facing the double blow of the parish priest and the administrator, Lu Mian would definitely have to flee Cordu Village.

He carefully bypassed it to another road sandwiched between several houses.

Along the way, Lu Mian constantly used walls, doors, trees, and the like to hide his figure. As he approached the "exit," he suddenly heard voices.

"Guillaume, why not just go to Aurora's house at night to catch that kid? Doing this all day, searching for him everywhere and ambushing him, won't have any effect at all; it's purely a waste of our time. He's as cunning as a wild wolf in the mountains." Pons Bénet's familiar, rough voice reached Lu Mian's ears. "I know Aurora can fight, but we have so many people, and we can go to the city to find helpers."

Guillaume... The parish priest is here too... Lu Mian stopped, shrank into a corner of the wall, and intended to listen to how the parish priest would answer and what arrangements he would make regarding his affairs.

Guillaume Bénet's voice carried a bit of magnetism:

"You don't think Aurora only has the ability she's shown, do you?

"She very likely possesses extraordinary powers that I don't have."

"Ah..." Pons Bénet was clearly somewhat surprised. "Is she a witch? Guillaume, then why don't you go to Daliege and find people from the Inquisition? If you can catch a real witch, the Church will definitely reward you. At that time, you'll very likely obtain the extraordinary power you've longed for for a long time."

"Fool." Guillaume Bénet directly scolded his younger brother. "What the situation in the village is like now, don't you know? The people from the Inquisition have noses like dogs; they won't let go of any abnormality. At that time, the trouble will be huge.

"Even if Aurora really wants to deal with us, it's not like I don't have other ways. Don't alarm the people from the Inquisition until the very end."

So, what is the situation in the village now? Lu Mian attached great importance and curiosity to this point.

Combined with some abnormal phenomena he had noticed earlier, he suspected that something bad was brewing and developing in the village, like a surging undercurrent beneath a calm sea.

To his disappointment, Pons Bénet didn't expand on this topic and focused more on another point:

"What way do you have to deal with a witch?"

"You don't need to know." The parish priest, Guillaume Bénet, said in a deep voice. "Next, the matter of dealing with Lu Mian can be put aside, but we still have to play the part on the surface; we can't let people suspect my will to retaliate. This would make those few outsiders associate it with certain aspects and produce bad influences. What you need to do now is to warn the relevant people one by one and scare those bumpkins who might have noticed something, so they don't let anything slip in front of those outsiders."

"Guillaume, do you mean those outsiders are here to investigate that matter?" Pons Bénet was clearly somewhat afraid and worried.

Look at you, all muscle and no brain, not as steady and calm as your brother, born to be a leader... Lu Mian mocked Pons Bénet in his heart.

Although he hated the parish priest and felt this guy was simply a stud, vulgar and greedy, not at all like a member of the clergy, in the countryside, a rough, barbaric, aggressive, and direct style of doing things was more convincing. Coupled with status, power, wealth, a clear head, sufficient wisdom, and good eloquence, even Lu Mian had to admit that this guy did have some charm and easily made the people around him worship and rely on him.

Guillaume Bénet sneered:

"Don't worry, as long as those outsiders can't get real evidence, I'll still be the parish priest of Cordu Village.

"Pons, you must remember, ruling a place cannot rely entirely on deterrence, terror, and suppression; that way, you will never get peace and won't get the desired effect. Does the Church hope to get a ruin, a place that cannot pay taxes? Since it's impossible to kill all the adults here, we need some friends, some followers, and for this, we can give them some protection.

"The Church lets us lead the affairs here instead of sending people from outside because we are locals, have relatives, have friends, and have followers, and can help them control this place better without making a mess. Therefore, as long as there is no sufficient evidence, the higher-ups will definitely choose to continue believing in me.

"Alright, I'm going back to the church."

It sounds very reasonable and can bewitch people, but parish priest, your knowledge and vision are still limited to the Daliege region... I heard Aurora say that in other places, when facing some villages severely polluted by evil gods, the Church chooses complete destruction, turning the corresponding places into ruins. At that time, not only all the adults but even the children will be killed... Lu Mian had almost been "persuaded" by Guillaume Bénet just now, but fortunately, Aurora often told him about the horrors of the "Eternal Blazing Sun" Church and the "God of Steam and Machinery" Church.

After the parish priest left, Lu Mian changed his route again and successfully returned home.

Beside the oven, Aurora, wearing a white apron, was busy.

"What are you doing?" Lu Mian asked curiously.

It was still more than two hours until lunch.

Aurora tucked her golden hair behind her ears and said with a smile:

"Trying to make a new flavor of toast, rice toast."

"You don't have to go to so much trouble..." Lu Mian was immediately somewhat moved.

He thought Aurora was doing it to let him eat better.

Aurora giggled:

"What are you thinking? Don't be so narcissistic, okay?

"For me, cooking and making bread is a form of entertainment, an effective way to pass the time, understand?"

"Then why don't you like going out? There's more entertainment outside." Lu Mian had always felt that Aurora was too worried about the danger her witch identity might bring, which was why she often locked herself at home.

Aurora turned her head and glared at him:

"Drinking and playing cards?

"Remember, I am the world; I don't seek anything outside."

Lu Mian could understand the first half, but the second half left him bewildered:

"Ah?

"Can you explain what that means?"

Aurora shot him a glance:

"Simply put, it means your sister here is a social anxiety patient most of the time!"

"What do you mean by 'most of the time'?" Lu Mian asked suspiciously.

"Humans are a complex of contradictions." Aurora turned her gaze back to the oven. "Don't you remember? Sometimes I'm particularly talkative, particularly willing to go out and listen to the old ladies tell gossip, then tease the children and tell them stories. Sometimes I even go crazy, borrow Madame Pualis's pony to ride, wander around in the mountains, gallop wantonly, and shout loudly."

At those times, you are as bright as a rose bathed in morning dew, attracting people to approach, yet you can also prick them... Lu Mian couldn't help but mutter in his heart.

Because Madame Pualis was mentioned, Lu Mian directly changed the topic:

"Aurora, uh, sister, I just heard a rumor about Madame Pualis."

"What?" Aurora didn't hide her curiosity.

"She's a witch and can communicate with the souls of the dead..." Lu Mian told his sister what Ava had said, and also talked about the abnormalities he had noticed and the words of the parish priest, Guillaume Bénet.

Aurora interrupted her work and listened carefully to her brother's account.

Her expression was clearly a bit more solemn.

After Lu Mian finished speaking, Aurora smiled and comforted her brother:

"Don't worry too much; those three outsiders should be here for something the parish priest and his people are doing privately, which is very likely related to Madame Pualis.

"Don't go provoke Madame Pualis for now; I'll keep an eye on them.

"You should wander around the village more, interact more with those outsiders, and see if you can figure out what's going on. Hehe, by comparison, the lady who gave you the 'Scepter' card is more worthy of our attention.

"If the situation is indeed deteriorating, we'll have to consider leaving Cordu Village. Hmm, we can start making some preparations now."

"Okay." Lu Mian deeply agreed with his sister's response.

After a pause, he asked with slight curiosity:

"Aurora, if we really have to leave Cordu Village, where do you plan to settle?"

"Go to Trier!" Aurora said without hesitation.

Trier was the capital of the Republic of Intis and the center of culture and art for the entire continent.

"Why?" Although Lu Mian himself was thinking of Trier, he still asked casually.

—Every Intisian wants to go to Trier.

And in the eyes of Trier people, Intis only has Trier people and provincials.

Aurora said with longing:

"A prophet once said:

"'As long as Trier remains, joy will last forever in the world.'" (Note 1)

Note 1: Adapted from Nostradamus, "Les Prophéties"

(End of chapter)