Chapter 264

Lu Mian had always thought the lizard-like sprite was a projection of some event or object within the dream, with its symbolic and metaphorical significance far outweighing its reality.

But now, he had truly seen that transparent, blurry, lizard-like creature!

It was real!

Furthermore, it had appeared within the "Other Shore World," in the deep pit left behind by the "Shadow Tree," and in this anomalous event involving high-level powers!

Could it be that the lizard crawling out of Aurora's mouth was something that had actually happened? What exactly did it represent, and what was its goal? Lu Mian frowned, his expression slightly twisted; he felt pained, shocked, confused, and detached all at once.

Stimulated by this, he felt he should be able to recover some memories to verify the truth and determine whether it was a symbolic manifestation within the dream or something that had truly existed in reality. But this time, unlike when he received psychological treatment or finished listening to Madame Pualis's words, no corresponding images flashed through his mind; what he remembered was still that dream.

Just at this moment, Termiboros's magnificent, overlapping voice rang in his ears:

"You don't really think that all the anomalies and misfortunes happening around you were caused by me, do you?"

"You don't think that just by relying on a sealed me and a you who only has the strength of a Sequence 7, you could successfully escape from Susanna Mattise, who is close to demigod status and possesses a backup plan, with a weapon that barely reaches the level of a Sequence 5, do you?"

"You don't think Susanna Mattise's failure was simply because she belongs to the evil spirits, is extreme, radical, impatient, and held the ritual without making sufficient preparations, with no other reason, do you?"

These words poured into Lu Mian's mind in an overlapping, resonant manner, allowing him to hear them clearly in a short amount of time.

Lu Mian was stunned for a moment, feeling as if he had come from early summer to winter and was slowly sinking into an unfrozen icy lake.

He blurted out:

"Then what exactly is it?"

Termiboros did not respond, seemingly having sensed something and understood a little.

In an instant, a feeling of ecstasy surged in Lu Mian's heart, and he felt the heavy boulder pressing on him disappear quite a bit:

"Does this mean Aurora was really controlled by that lizard-like, weird creature?"

"So, that's why when she was occasionally clear-headed, she didn't think there was anything wrong with her and sought help from the outside world with me?"

"No, she should have already sensed something was wrong at the time. The correct reading order of that letter is:"

"'We are becoming increasingly strange; the people around us need to get help as soon as possible!'"

At this time, Franca pushed Lu Mian:

"Why are you spacing out?"

"Quick, let's leave here immediately; the official Beyonders and clergy are coming in!"

Lu Mian came back to his senses, carrying the charred clothing stuck to his body and holding the tree trunk that came from the main body of the "Shadow Tree" rather than the one Susanna had manufactured later, and followed behind Franca, running toward the other end of the chaotic street.

During this process, he suddenly understood two more things:

"As an Angel of Fate, Termiboros also demonstrated the ability to gain insight into various problems just now. It's impossible that It couldn't have thought of the sacrificial method where Susanna Mattise used me as the main body, without unsealing the seal, and additionally sent It to the 'Mother Tree of Desire.' It is not a newcomer to the arcane world like me!"

"Therefore, It never thought from the beginning that It would wait for the outcome of the seal being opened by Susanna Mattise. The reason It said that was purely to bluff me by taking advantage of the situation, forcing me to seek Its help and agree to certain unequal conditions It proposed, creating an opportunity for It to truly break free."

"What It didn't expect was that I would choose to bluff Susanna Mattise, thereby forcing It to provide help on Its own based on the information provided by the other party. No, It must have thought of this possibility, but It wouldn't lose anything by trying. What if I hadn't had the corresponding quick wit at the time?"

"Damn, too insidious! One careless move and I would be deceived by It!"

"Similarly, Susanna Mattise is not an honest person either."

"Since she had sought revelation from the 'Mother Tree of Desire' and had also thought that I might have an angel sealed within me, how could she not consider the possibility that the angel could transmit some power through the seal? She did indeed pray for enough power to resist Termiboros's leaked influence later, or even stronger. I didn't even see it at the time, and I was still far away, yet I almost suffered contamination."

"If I hadn't left the inside of the 'Shadow Tree' in time, contamination would have been the inevitable outcome."

"Why didn't Susanna Mattise seek help from the beginning? Was it because that kind of contamination was also dangerous to her?"

"Hmm, in that ritual in Cordu Village, although there were accidents, the parish priest, as the host of the sacrifice, was protected by the power of fate and did not become a monster or part of the three-headed giant like the others, successfully escaping... Was Susanna Mattise also trying to use the protection of the sacrificial ritual to resist the contamination?"

"So, she had been stalling for time, waiting for the ritual's preliminary preparations to be completed!"

"She didn't target or control me from the beginning because she knew that if she pushed too hard, Termiboros would join the corresponding battle in advance, and there would be too many unknowns."

"Therefore, she always tried to give me the illusion that I could resist and had hope of escaping. It wasn't until I took the initiative to bring up the matter of the angel that she used a bunch of words that seemed to explain all the arrangements to stall for time, while hiding her true backup plan, waiting for me, who had obtained Termiboros's help, to make the wrong choice and step into the trap she had set."

"Although she didn't anticipate the attack of the Monsuri ghost, if it weren't for the changes in the outside world, and someone had used the gap created by the Monsuri ghost, I still wouldn't have been able to escape from the inside of the 'Shadow Tree,' and she was clearly about to officially start the ritual and obtain protection."

"Damn! A beautiful 'actress' really knows how to lie!"

After Lu Mian and Franca ran for a while, the scene before them suddenly became illusory, and various rich color blocks stacked together and various indescribable weird creatures appeared.

His head suddenly became dizzy, and his vision blurred.

When he regained his vision, the front was no longer the chaotic street, no longer the rich color blocks.

He was standing on a grassy hillside, and opposite him was the "Magician" lady wearing an orange dress.

She came too... Lu Mian looked left and right, but didn't see Franca's figure.

Seemingly sensing Lu Mian's question, the "Magician" lady smiled and said:

"'The Hierophant' followed her Major Arcana card to discuss some things."

"'The Hierophant'?" Lu Mian looked confused.

"That's Franca. She is also a member of ours. Her codename is 'The Hierophant,' just as you are 'The Chariot.'" The "Magician" lady explained casually, "You are now officially a member of ours. You can talk more with 'The Hierophant' later and let her introduce the situation of our organization. I won't say much more."

Franca is not only a member of the "Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society" but also a member of that secret organization codenamed after Tarot cards? Lu Mian was surprised and even a little happy.

This meant that he and Franca were teammates in the true sense.

The "Magician" lady carefully examined Lu Mian's face, which still had charred remains, and his body, which was stuck with pieces of debris. She didn't know where she took out a somewhat simple brown men's suit and threw it over:

"Change into it later. Although it's not big news for Trier people to run on the street naked, one cannot be completely assimilated by the environment. One must know how to persist in being oneself. Only in this way can one resist the erosion of the potion and stay away from the risk of losing control as much as possible."

After Lu Mian caught the clothes, the "Magician" lady said thoughtfully:

"Tell me in detail about what happened recently. Although I knew you would encounter evil god believers and get entangled with them, I didn't foresee that you would be directly involved in things of this level."

Lu Mian started from the time he first arrived in Trier and used the "Dance of Incitement" to attract Susanna Mattise, and picked the important points to talk about the ritual just now, and talked about Termiboros's performance and that lizard-like weird creature.

The "Magician" lady listened, and her expression became somewhat solemn. After Lu Mian finished speaking, she nodded slightly and said:

"Very abnormal."

"Whether it's Termiboros or that 'sprite,' it's not normal."

She looked at Lu Mian and said in a flat, straightforward tone:

"Inside the 'Shadow Tree,' it wasn't Termiboros who helped you improve the ability of 'Fallen Mercury' and made the Monsuri ghost arrive early."

"Not It?" Lu Mian had guessed where the "Magician" lady would find problems just now, but he never thought that the first thing she proposed was such a clear and simple matter.

In that situation at the time, who else could it be besides Termiboros?

Moreover, it was indeed after that Angel of Fate compromised that there were subsequent changes.

"I don't know either." The "Magician" lady shook her head slowly, "What I can be sure of is that the seal of that great existence cannot allow Termiboros to permeate power of such a high level. If It could, It would have already controlled you to help It break the seal."

Seeing that Lu Mian was both confused and bewildered, the "Magician" lady further said:

"Termiboros can only influence your judgment and choices. After all, It is sealed in your body, and your fates are connected to a certain extent."

"Simply put, in the matter of Charlie, Termiboros couldn't make Susanna Mattise recover in advance, and couldn't decide when and in what way she intended to find Charlie. It could only use this matter to make you have the intention of using the 'Luck-Turning Technique' to help Charlie change his fate, increasing the corresponding tendency."

"From this perspective, do you think It has the ability to improve the ability of 'Fallen Mercury' and make the Monsuri ghost arrive in time?"

"Helping you bear the past scenes of the 'Shadow Tree' is possible."

"Therefore, I have always said that in matters that are both critical and dangerous, consult my opinion in advance instead of making decisions on your own."

Lu Mian listened, his heart surging like the sea, rising and falling constantly.

He recalled the matter of Charlie being taken to the underground by Lentas, and found that it was indeed as the "Magician" lady said:

Charlie's bloody disaster and death fate came from two aspects: one was the danger given by the "Blessed Society" through Lentas, and the other was Lu Mian's own choice at the node of fate. Therefore, after Lentas was killed by them, Charlie's fortune only improved a little. It wasn't until Lu Mian made the right decision that it completely returned to normal, without any traces of Termiboros exerting more influence.

If It could influence Charlie like It influenced the Monsuri ghost, Lu Mian would probably have been fooled long ago.

"Moreover, Susanna Mattise knew that Termiboros could exert a certain influence, so after she left the inside of the 'Shadow Tree,' why did she still think of capturing me alive when I had an angel indirectly helping me in such a weak state?"

"Unless, after the battle inside the 'Shadow Tree,' Susanna Mattise, who had possessed some divinity with the help of the 'Shadow Tree,' had already discovered that Termiboros could not exert influence and was perfectly sealed, and the problem had another source! And the source didn't follow her out!"

"Damn! I thought at the time that even if my judgment was wrong or the exchange of fate took a long time, Termiboros would not let Susanna Mattise capture me alive, as that would make It a sacrifice. Who knew, It had no ability at all..." Lu Mian substituted the speculation into what happened just now and got a more reasonable explanation.

"What exactly is going on?" He asked with a little pain and anger.

The "Magician" lady thought for a few seconds and said:

"Combined with those misfortunes, I suspect that Termiboros has a helper in the outside world. That is to say, there may be a Beyonder who can influence fate lurking around you. He secretly completed some things based on the thoughts transmitted by Termiboros, but not too excessively, or it would be discovered."

A word suddenly flashed in Lu Mian's mind:

"'Sufferer'!"

In his dream, after he and Ryan's team broke into the underground altar, he had been contaminated with the aura of a "Sufferer"!

And the owl in the wizard's tomb and the other "him" always gave him the feeling of being the source of the problem and the mastermind behind the scenes before being exposed.

Are these also symbols?

(End of chapter)