Chapter 26: The Informant

The lady was eating a croissant, and after a moment she said to Lu Mi:

“I know.”

She indeed knew… Lu Mi’s heart leapt; he carefully chose his words:

Can I pay a certain price to ask you for help with the problem in Kerdou?

He switched to a more respectful form of address.

In his view, this mysterious lady was far stronger than Lyra and the other three—vastly stronger. If she was willing to help, the problem in Kerdou Village would vanish, and he and his sister wouldn’t need to flee in danger. The only issue was whether he could afford the corresponding cost.

As for whether she would agree, Lu Mi had no confidence at all—he was, in fact, deeply pessimistic. But he felt that under the current circumstances, he had to try. Even if she refused, he’d only lose a little face, and he didn’t care about that.

The lady turned her head toward Lu Mi and spoke calmly:

“I can indeed solve the problem here, but the cost is the destruction of everything—including you.”

“To achieve a better outcome, you must rely on yourselves.”

Was the problem this severe? Lu Mi’s pupils dilated instantly; he strained to read her subtle expression, to see if she was joking.

He wasn’t surprised or disappointed that she refused to help; what stunned him was that the problem in Kerdou Village was far worse than he’d imagined—so much worse that it might lead to the village’s total destruction!

If she could solve it, why would that mean the entire village dies, while ordinary people and weak adepts like us might still secure a better outcome? Lu Mi was confused and terrified.

He decided that if he still hadn’t received a reply from Novel Weekly the day after tomorrow, he’d urge his sister to leave Kerdou Village immediately—even at great risk—there could be no more delay!

“What exactly is the problem?” Lu Mi, never one for appearances, pressed on.

The lady smiled:

“Whether I tell you or you discover it for yourself, the outcome will be entirely different.”

Lu Mi instinctively ground his teeth—he hated this kind of behavior: speaking only a little, always refusing to be clear.

For some reason, he felt the strange emotion in her eyes had become more pronounced.

“Alright.” Lu Mi thought for a moment, then changed the subject: “Do you know Madame Pualis? Is she also a witch? An adept?”

“Yes.” The lady lifted her coffee cup and took a sip.

So it was true… Lu Mi pressed further:

“What path? Which sequence?”

The next moment, he saw the lady’s expression grow slightly more serious:

“Not a normal path.”

“What do you mean, not a normal path?” Lu Mi pressed.

The lady smiled:

“You’ll find out later.”

I want to know now… Lu Mi struggled to control his expression.

He had been standing, ready to leave, when suddenly a crucial question occurred to him:

“Madam, how do I bring the auxiliary materials into the dream?”

Given the state of the dream ruins, the best I could find at home were red wine and basil—common spices in wealthy households. Red chestnut blossoms and white poplar leaves would need to be gathered in reality.

Though neither was hard to find—Lu Mi had even already decided where to “borrow” them—they’d be useless if I couldn’t transfer them into the dream.

The lady smiled:

“I’ll offer one more small favor, free of charge.”

“Find the materials in reality, place them on your bedroom table before sleep, and I’ll deliver them to your dream.”

She can send those things into my dream? Lu Mi was startled, then sighed in relief as the problem was solved.

He hadn’t expected that someone else could also “enter” his dream—something he’d always considered uniquely his.

Thinking that his own unusual access to the dream ruins likely stemmed from the strange symbols on his chest, he suspected the lady might be connected to those symbols—or to the eerie, terrifying voice.

Leaving the old tavern, Lu Mi planned to immediately gather red chestnut blossoms and white poplar leaves.

At that moment, he saw Ryan Cos, Lyra, and Valentine emerging from the narrow path leading to the tavern’s back door, still dressed as before, in similar attire.

Lu Mi’s heart stirred; he smiled and walked over:

“Good morning, my cabbages.”

Lyra tilted her head, laughing with a jingle of bells:

“You’re up early too.”

Lu Mi immediately put on a furtive air, glancing left and right before lowering his voice:

“I noticed something strange yesterday.”

Ryan’s expression turned serious; he exchanged glances with Valentine and Lyra before asking:

“What is it?”

Lu Mi spoke with a hint of fear:

“I suspect Narak’s death wasn’t natural—that woman whose funeral you all watched yesterday.”

Ryan gave him an encouraging nod to continue.

Lu Mi exhaled and said:

“Didn’t I tell you about the funeral customs in Dalié? After everyone went to the graveyard, Pons Benet entered Narak’s house—and the family didn’t object.”

“Isn’t that disrupting their constellation’s influence, stealing away good fortune?”

“There’s definitely something wrong!”

“Is Pons Benet the parish priest’s brother?” Ryan thought for a few seconds, then asked.

Lu Mi nodded firmly.

Thinking of the priest’s group’s oddities, and of how he and his sister were about to leave Kerdou Village—no longer fearing possible murder or retaliation—he said outright:

“The parish priest isn’t a good man!”

“Why say that?” Lyra asked with a smile.

She wasn’t surprised at all by Lu Mi’s accusation.

Lu Mi didn’t hold back—he recounted the story of a villager who had gone to Dalié to report something and then vanished, emphasizing the accusations against the parish priest.

He concluded:

“I really doubt whether he’s even a church official.”

“Once, because I told a story too realistically, it upset some people, so I hid temporarily in the church.”

“I was nearly asleep behind the altar when the parish priest entered with Madame Pualis. Right there, under the gaze of the divine, they did something filthy.”

“Afterward, during idle chat, the priest remarked to Madame Pualis: ‘Why can’t a man marry his own sister?’”

“Madame Pualis couldn’t accept it—she called it an abomination and urged him to repent.”

“But the priest replied: ‘Many good families lose vast wealth when daughters marry out and sons leave to form their own households, eventually collapsing. If a son could marry his sister, these problems would vanish. Too bad, the law and morality forbid it.’”

Hearing this, the cold Valentine turned pale and said:

“Is he a servant of God—or a servant of the devil?”

Ryan nodded slowly, as if deep in thought:

“No wonder Pons Benet has never been allowed to establish his own household, despite being married so long…”

Lyra studied Lu Mi for a moment, then smiled softly:

“You knew all along that Madame Pualis was having an affair with the priest. That day, you were trying to use us.”

Lu Mi first grinned awkwardly, then put on a righteous expression:

“As a believer of the Eternal Sun, I cannot tolerate such a man standing inside a church.”

The cold Valentine’s expression softened; he nodded approvingly:

“If there were more people like you in Kerdou Village, it would be better.”

More people like me? Lu Mi couldn’t imagine what Kerdou Village would become under such a scenario.

He added:

“That day, I also heard the priest tell Madame Pualis he was planning something that might draw the attention of the Inquisition, and warned her to be careful not to slip up.”

Ryan’s expression grew grave:

“Did he say what exactly?”

“No.” Lu Mi didn’t fabricate anything.

This much was enough. Say more, and the problem might explode tonight—he hadn’t even become an adept yet.

After parting with the three outsiders, Lu Mi spent considerable time gathering red chestnut blossoms and white poplar leaves.

Near noon, he reached the square and arrived before the two-story building where the administrator handled official business.

At this moment, most villagers had gathered here, waiting to select the “Spring Sprite.”

Tomorrow would begin part of the Lenten festival.

Lu Mi found Raymond, Ava, and others, and squeezed through the crowd.

“Is Ava on the list?” he asked.

Ava said nothing; her mood was clearly unsettled. Raymond shook his head:

“I don’t know.”

“Ava must be on it,” interjected Guillaume Berry beside them. “Among unmarried girls in the village, besides your sister, she’s the most beautiful—and your sister’s too old.”

He was the “Little Guillaume” Lu Mi and the others spoke of—a frequent playmate, with slightly curly brown hair, prominent freckles, and blue eyes that always seemed half-lidded from being too small.

Ava’s cousin Azema was also there—she was a smaller, plainer version of Ava.

She said nothing.

Lu Mi understood her feelings—she wanted to be the “Spring Sprite” too.

In the Dariji region, being chosen as the "Spring Sprite" is not only an acknowledgment of your appearance and character, but also brings some hidden benefits.

Hearing Xiao Jiayou’s words, Lu Mi smiled:

"If not, after the administrator finishes reading the list, I’ll shout loud: 'I choose Awa!'"

Awa immediately looked embarrassed:

"No need."

This was actually the normal procedure: after the administrator read the list of candidates for the "Spring Sprite," villagers could shout out their own choices on the spot to add them to the voting pool—though few had the nerve to do so, and Lu Mi was one of them.

He was completely at ease about it:

After all, it’s Awa who’ll be embarrassed, not me.

Not long after, a window on the second floor opened, and Administrator Beost appeared there.

In appearance, he was far superior to the parish priest: his neatly combed, powdered brown hair, pale blue eyes edged with black lines, straight nose, thin lips, and well-groomed mustaches gave him an impressive look, and his double-breasted flannel coat further underscored his status.

Beost gazed down at the crowd for several seconds:

"Ladies and gentlemen, time is up—those who arrive late will no longer have the right to vote.

"Now, I announce the candidate list for the 'Spring Sprite':

"Awa Liziye..."

Upon hearing this, Awa visibly exhaled in relief.

Without any surprise, in the show-of-hands vote, she received the approval of over eighty percent of the villagers.

After the voting ended, Lu Mi did not join his four companions to celebrate; he claimed he had matters at home and left the square immediately.

The moment he arrived home, he asked his sister:

"Any reply yet?"

If there was a reply, the telegraph operator would deliver it to the house and collect a small fee.

"Not yet," Aurora shook her head.

She added:

"Lately, tensions have been rising—you mustn’t slack off in your combat training. Hmm, I’ll spar with you this afternoon."

Lu Mi, still aching all over, silently hissed inwardly.

Suddenly, he felt a thought stir and deliberately grimaced:

"I wonder if I’ve been training too hard lately—I’m sore all over today. Aurora, uh, sister, could you give me a massage? You’re the most skilled!"

"Alright," Aurora nodded lightly.

…………

By nightfall, his sister’s stretching and massage, combined with ample rest, had largely restored Lu Mi’s body.

Before sleeping, he placed the three red chestnut flowers and the bottle of powdered white poplar leaves on the table by the window.

He gazed at them deeply, feeling both anticipation and nervousness as he slipped into bed.

(End of Chapter)