Chapter 2: Prank

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it would be like this," Ryan politely apologized to Lumian.

Lumian chuckled:

"Does this count as another 'Green Fairy'?"

Before Ryan could answer, he changed the subject:

"Foreigners, what are you doing in Kordu? Buying wool and leather?"

Many residents of Kordu raise sheep.

Ryan silently exhaled, seizing the opportunity to say:

"We came to visit Father Guillaume Béne of the Eternal Sun Church here, but he’s neither at home nor at the church."

"You don’t need to specify which church—Kordu has only one," Pierre, who had drunk Ryan’s free absinthe, kindly reminded him.

The other locals around the bar sipped their drinks in silence, none answering Ryan’s question—as if the name carried some taboo or authority too sacred to mention.

Lumian took a sip of his drink, thought for a few seconds, then said:

"I can guess where the parish priest is. Should I show you the way?"

"Then thank you," Lyra didn’t hesitate.

Ryan nodded in agreement:

"Wait until you finish this one."

"Alright," Lumian lifted his glass and gulped down the pale green liquid.

He set the glass down and stood up:

"Let’s go."

"Thank you so much," Ryan said, urging Valentine and Lyra to rise as he bowed to Lumian.

Lumian smiled:

"No problem—you listened to my story, I drank your liquor, we’re friends now, right?"

"Yes," Ryan nodded slightly.

Lumian’s smile widened as he opened his arms, as if to embrace them.

At the same time, he warmly said:

"Pleased to meet you, my cabbages."

Ryan, who had been ready for a hug, froze:

"Cabbages?"

His expression was both bewildered and awkward.

Valentine and Lyra looked the same.

"It’s our affectionate term for friends—everyone in Dariège knows it, has been that way for centuries," Lumian explained innocently. "Believe me, my cabbages."

Lyra couldn’t help glancing around, making her silver bells chime.

Pierre and the others nodded one by one, confirming Lumian wasn’t lying—but their smiles seemed to say they were delighted to see outsiders flustered by such a familiar term.

Lumian rubbed his chin:

"Don’t like it?"

"Then I’ll pick another—also used for friends."

"My rabbits, my chicks, my ducks, my lambs—which do you prefer?"

Ryan’s face grew even stiffer; Valentine frowned.

Lyra answered, half-annoyed, half-amused:

"Stick with cabbages. At least it sounds normal."

Phew, Ryan quietly exhaled, nudged Valentine’s elbow, and nodded slightly:

"They all sound like precious things at home."

Before Lumian could reply, he turned to the bartender:

"Check, please."

"Two fering," the bartender glanced at the empty glasses on the bar.

As Ryan paid, Lyra changed the subject:

"Lumian is an unusual name."

"At least better than Pierre or Guillaume," Lumian laughed. "If you shout 'Pierre' here, at least a third of people will answer; shout 'Guillaume,' another third answer; and this one—"

He pointed at the thin middle-aged man drinking free absinthe:

"His full name is Pierre Guillaume."

Lyra smiled appropriately, letting the cabbage topic fade.

Just before leaving the tavern, Lumian glanced back around.

"What’s wrong?" Lyra asked curiously.

Lumian replied thoughtfully:

"You three aren’t the only foreigners who came to the tavern today. Someone else came earlier—but left sometime ago."

"What did he look like?" Ryan’s expression turned serious.

Lumian thought back:

"A woman, elegant, clearly from a big city. I can’t describe her face—should I draw her for you?"

"You can draw?" Lyra, now familiar with Lumian’s nature, asked warily.

Lumian laughed:

"No."

"Then let’s find the parish priest first," Ryan cut off the topic.

Kordu village had no streetlights, yet it wasn’t pitch black—the stars above shimmered with quiet light, and the faint yellow glow from some windows along the path let the four walk steadily.

Soon, they reached the Eternal Sun Church beside the village square.

In the dark night, the village’s grandest building seemed to melt into the shadows, hazy and indistinct.

"We’ve been here before—no one was inside," Valentine, who had remained cold and silent, frowned.

Lumian smiled:

"No one at the front door doesn’t mean no one’s elsewhere."

As he spoke, he led Ryan and the others around the church’s front to the area near the graveyard.

There stood a deep brown wooden door.

Before Ryan could knock, Lumian reached out and fiddled with the lock.

With a creak, he opened the side door.

"Isn’t that impolite?" Ryan frowned.

Lyra chimed in:

"We’re here to visit the parish priest, not to break into his house."

"Fair enough," Lumian accepted criticism easily.

He pulled the door shut and knocked gently.

"Hey, anyone home? If you don’t answer, I’m coming in," he whispered low, as if muttering to himself in the night.

Silence inside the church.

The next second, Lumian pushed the door open again and pointed inside:

"Go in."

Ryan had wanted to refuse, but staring into the deep darkness beyond the threshold, he paused, then exchanged glances with his companions.

"Alright," he stepped forward, slow but resolute.

Lyra and Valentine followed.

At that moment, none of the four silver bells tied to Lyra’s boots or veil emitted a sound.

In the dim, gloomy interior, the four moved forward.

Suddenly, Ryan stopped, whispering:

"Do you hear something?"

"Yes," Lumian agreed wholeheartedly.

No sooner had he spoken than he shoved sideways—bang!—another door flew open.

It was the church’s confessional booth; faint starlight spilled in, revealing a simple low bed and a naked, muscular man.

The man was pressing down on a pale, bare female body.

For an instant, everyone froze—including the man and the woman beneath him.

Seconds later, the man turned his head and roared at Ryan and the others:

"You bastards, you’ve ruined the Holy Church’s sacred act!"

Amid the echoing roar, Lumian—who had already slipped behind Ryan and the others—waved his hand and laughed rapidly:

"Found the parish priest! My cabbages, see you tomorrow!"

Mid-sentence, he turned and sprinted for the side door; the last words drifted away on the wind, fading fast.

In that moment, Lyra, Ryan, and Valentine all thought the same thing.

The words spoken by the middle-aged man named Pierre Guillaume:

"That kid’s the village’s biggest prankster—you must keep far away from him..."

…………

Under the starlight pouring from high above, Lumian whistled.

Hands in his pockets, he strolled leisurely along the country road.

“The parish priest is indeed having an affair with Madame Pualis.”

“These outsiders clearly have some status—the priest won’t dare do anything to them. He must pay a heavy price to stop rumors of his trysts in the church from spreading, right?”

“Hmph, who told him to keep eyeing Aurora? I’ve been waiting for this chance for a long time…”

Muttering to himself, Lumian returned to his home at the village’s edge.

It was a two-story semi-subterranean house; the first floor served as both kitchen and living room, equipped with an oven and a large stove.

“Aurora! Aurora!” Lumian called out as he climbed the stairs.

No one answered him.

The second floor had three rooms and a washroom, all doors wide open.

Lumian glanced through them one by one but saw no sign of his sister.

He thought for a moment, then went to the end of the hallway and climbed up the ladder placed there to the roof.

The orange-red roof was wrapped in the spreading night; at its center sat a figure, hugging her knees, silently gazing at the starry sky.

She was an exceptionally beautiful woman, with long, thick golden hair, pale blue eyes, and striking features.

At this moment, her gaze was fixed on the heavens, on the twinkling points of light, her expression serene, like a statue.

Lumian said nothing, moved beside her, and sat down as well.

He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the distant forest, hearing the wind rustle through the trees.

After some time, the woman raised her arms and stretched lazily, with no grace at all.

“Aurora, I don’t understand what’s so appealing about this view that you keep coming up here,” Lumian spoke up.

“Call me sister!” Aurora curled her finger and tapped Lumian’s head lightly.

Then she sighed, her expression darkening:

“Once, a philosopher said there are only two things worthy of awe in this world: one is the morality within the heart, the other is the starry sky above.”

Lumian glanced at his sister’s slightly melancholy face and deliberately laughed:

“I know the answer to that—it’s what Emperor Luo Saier said!”

“Pfft…” Aurora burst into laughter.

Immediately, she sniffed, her beautiful golden eyebrows lifting:

“You’ve been drinking again!”

“That’s called socializing,” Lumian went on, recounting what had just happened. “I met three outsiders…”

Aurora couldn’t help laughing:

“I’m afraid the parish priest will have a heart attack.”

The next moment, her expression turned serious:

“Lumian, stop provoking the parish priest. He won’t do anything to me. Replacing him with someone new would only cause trouble.”

“But I just can’t stand him…” Lumian began, but Aurora was already standing up.

She looked down at her brother and smiled:

“Alright, time to sleep, my drunkard brother.”

As she spoke, Aurora casually tossed a handful of silver dust into the air.

Then her entire body floated upward, like a small bird, slowly descending from the roof and slipping through the second-floor window.

Lumian watched silently, then cried out urgently:

“What about me?”

“Climb down yourself!” Aurora’s voice came back, unyielding, from inside the house.

Lumian scowled, his smile slowly fading.

He stared at the silver specks rapidly extinguishing in the night, sighed softly, and muttered to himself:

“I wonder when I’ll ever gain such extraordinary power…”

PS: Thank you to RenzaiWutongxia for the Gold Alliance donation; thank you to sfqk, Mu Bai Jin Yu, Jia Lan Xue, Qing Ling Xu San, Vera0205, Lu Ren orzz, Hu Wei De Bi, Di Guo | Qin Shang, You Zai Da Wang Xiang Mo Yu, Gu Yi Chuan, and Fei Hui He Du Yi for the Silver Alliance donations; thank you to all my friends who donated these past few days.

Also, the Gold Alliance bonus chapters will be released upon official launch, in addition to the regular bonus chapters.

(End of Chapter)