Chapter 28: Laws

The owl’s brownish-yellow sclera and black pupils seemed to glow faintly in the night, gazing down at Lu Mi with an air of superiority.

Lu Mi was no longer as terrified as he had been the previous two times; he growled lowly:

“What are you staring at?”

“If you’ve got the guts, speak up!”

He didn’t particularly want to offend the owl—rather, he hoped to provoke it into revealing its true intent; otherwise, its nightly visits, just watching him like this, were deeply unsettling.

The owl remained silent, not even uttering a call.

After a few seconds, it spread its wings and flew into the depths of the night.

“Psychopath!” Lu Mi cursed, yet his mind remained tense, not daring to relax for an instant.

He continued staring intently outside, carefully distinguishing every shadow in the darkness.

He remembered clearly: after the owl had appeared last time, he had seen Nuo Ka’s figure—and by dawn, he’d heard the news of her death.

Would something similar happen this time…? Lu Mi observed meticulously but detected no anomalies.

Only then did he exhale, pull the curtains shut, and return to his bed.

In the deep darkness, Lu Mi lay with his eyes open, contemplating his next plan:

“I wonder what this owl really wants… Its behavior is so strange, so mysterious—it can’t be anything good…”

“Forget it. Given the village’s condition, I have to get Aurora out quickly. After that, I don’t believe it can follow us to Trill!”

“If I don’t get a reply by tomorrow, I must force our escape from Kordu the day after tomorrow…”

“If I do get a reply, Aurora and I will leave the village openly via the usual downhill path. If not… tomorrow is Lent, and the next day everyone will still be celebrating; they won’t pay much attention. So let Aurora borrow a pony from Mrs. Pualis for a trip to the nearby highland pasture—it won’t look like we’re fleeing Kordu, so the investigators won’t suspect. Then we can use a dangerous narrow trail there to leave the mountains…”

“It’s barely a path—several sections are broken. Even shepherds don’t think you can descend via it. But with my current abilities, I can cross it easily. And Aurora can use witchcraft to fly a distance—she’ll find it even easier than I do…”

“There’s a good chance we can fool the investigators…”

Since becoming a “Hunter,” many things once impossible were now within his reach, giving Lu Mi immense confidence and allowing him to devise his plan swiftly.

His inner resolve solidified; he grew calmer, and his sleep that night was deep and undisturbed.

…………

The next morning, Lu Mi rose early and busied himself in the kitchen.

Thinking of his new status as a Follower and of soon leaving the aberrant village of Kordu with his sister, his mood lifted considerably—he even felt like humming.

When Aurora came downstairs, two bowls of meat sauce noodles were already on the table.

“How did you know I was about to wake up?” she asked, pleased.

Lu Mi smiled:

“I heard movement in the washroom, so I started cooking.”

At the same time, he muttered inwardly:

You’re just like always—after waking, you stay dazed for a while. You didn’t even think of that.

Aurora nodded, sat at the table, and asked casually:

“Did that owl come again last night?”

“Yes.” Lu Mi knew she’d noticed him staring out the window late at night.

Fortunately, the owl’s appearance gave him a ready excuse—he hadn’t known how else to explain it.

He couldn’t say he was too excited after becoming a Follower, could he?

That would’ve invited another lecture from his sister.

But Lu Mi didn’t intend to hide this from her for long—it would affect her decisions on many matters.

He planned to tell her the truth when they forced their escape from Kordu the day after tomorrow, so she wouldn’t have to worry about him.

At that point, under pressure, she’d have no time to scold him.

“Strange owl…” Aurora frowned slightly, puzzled.

She couldn’t figure out what the owl wanted—it only ever came to watch.

Lu Mi slurped his noodles, and only when he’d nearly finished did he say to Aurora:

“If we get a reply, we leave Kordu tonight via the usual downhill path.”

“If we don’t, you go to Mrs. Pualis tomorrow morning to borrow the pony. We’ll go to the nearest highland pasture—I know a narrow trail there that leads down, and the investigators won’t know about it.”

Aurora played with a strand of her hair, thinking carefully.

After a moment, she smiled:

“Fine. This plan has a very high chance of success.”

She then clicked her tongue:

“My idiot brother’s grown up.”

Lu Mi felt a surge of delight, thoroughly pleased.

…………

After breakfast, he claimed he was going to check whether Ava was ready for the “Spring Sprite” blessing procession, left the half-buried two-story house, and headed straight for the old tavern.

Since becoming a Follower, he desperately wanted to learn more common knowledge.

And that lady had said she’d tell him!

As Lu Mi neared the old tavern, he spotted an acquaintance approaching.

It was Pons Bené, wearing a cotton shirt and a dark blue short coat—the parish priest’s younger brother.

“Just one person…” Lu Mi recalled how Pons Bené had once chased him halfway across the village with thugs, and a bright grin spread across his face.

Having just gained supernatural power, he was eager to test it out.

“Hey, my bastard,” Lu Mi greeted. “Without my permission, how dare you go out alone?”

He intended to provoke Pons Bené into attacking first, preventing him from fleeing.

Pons Bené turned at the sound, saw him,

and his face changed instantly—he spun around and bolted away.

Thump-thump-thump… Lu Mi stared blankly as the man vanished around the nearby corner.

“He runs fast…”

“Pretty sharp, huh…”

Lu Mi sighed inwardly.

Even before becoming a Follower, he’d believed he could easily defeat Pons Bené one-on-one—but Pons Bené likely thought the same, since they’d never truly fought; both had been confident. Who knew that today, the moment Pons Bené saw him, he chose to flee—as if he’d encountered a beast?

He couldn’t possibly know I secretly became a Follower last night… Could this idiot, so stupid he has no brain, have developed animal instinct—some primal sense of danger? Lu Mi mentally cursed Pons Bené.

He didn’t pursue, for the moment he’d greeted him, he regretted it:

The village was full of anomalies, the situation dangerous. Before escaping, fewer complications were better!

If he beat up Pons Bené and triggered the parish priest’s group to act prematurely, jeopardizing his and Aurora’s escape, Lu Mi would have no tears left to cry.

Besides, the parish priest’s group was mysterious—Pons Bené might have strange traits. If Lu Mi truly fought him, he might expose his Follower status, and that would bring trouble.

“Becoming a Follower has made me too proud, too reckless—I couldn’t control myself…” Lu Mi deeply reflected on himself, then entered the old tavern.

He’d planned to head straight upstairs, but saw the lady sitting in the corner.

Today she wore a pearl-gray long dress with a light-colored lady’s hat; no food sat before her.

“Had breakfast?” Lu Mi walked over and sat across from her.

“Not yet,” she replied casually. “I’m meeting someone. Still waiting for her.”

Her? Not me… Lu Mi glanced around—except for the tavern owner, no one else was visible.

He turned back to the lady and said earnestly:

“I’ve become a ‘Hunter.’”

You must keep your promise and tell me more about common knowledge.

The lady showed no surprise; she smiled faintly:

“Your condition is good.”

She paused, her voice slightly ethereal:

“You need to learn two laws and one method.”

Sounds like physics class… Lu Mi stayed silent.

The lady continued:

“For most Followers, this knowledge is extraordinarily precious—worth trading everything for. But you—since fate has arranged it—I’ll tell you for free.”

Free is the most expensive—where will I pay the price? Lu Mi felt an inexplicable heaviness.

Since becoming a “Hunter,” his intuition and observational ability had sharply improved; now he clearly sensed the same indescribable emotion in the lady’s eyes—stronger than ever—but he still couldn’t identify what it was.

The lady sat up slightly:

“The source of all supernatural power traces back to the original Creator. You’re a believer of the Eternal Sun—you should know how His eyes became the sun.”

“Yes,” Lu Mi had heard the parish priest’s sermons.

“This is merely a symbolic description,” the lady explained simply. “In short, the original Creator created this world, fashioned many deities, then ultimately shattered Himself, splitting into different Follower Paths.”

“So that’s why they’re called ‘God Paths’?” Lu Mi suddenly understood.

The lady nodded lightly:

“Yes. Each Path’s Sequence 0 is a true god—for example, the Sequence 0 of the ‘Singer’ Path is the ‘Sun,’ the very ‘Eternal Sun’ you worship.”

Every Follower can become a god in the end? Lu Mi was utterly stunned.

Simultaneously, he felt joy—and yet inexplicable fear.

If he were a devout believer of the Eternal Sun, he would now be accusing the lady of blasphemy—but unfortunately, he wasn’t—he was merely one of those who believed when others did, and didn’t care otherwise.

He even asked:

“What is the Sequence 0 of the ‘Hunter’ path? And what about the ‘Watcher’ path?”

“Didn’t I already tell you? The ‘Red Priest’—that position is still vacant,” the lady laughed and shook her head. “The Sequence 0 of the ‘Watcher’ path is the ‘Hermit,’ currently occupied by a dark god. He is called the ‘Hidden Sage,’ and he greatly enjoys imparting knowledge to other followers of the same path—professionally termed ‘knowledge chasing people.’ Much of your sister’s problem stems from this.”

“I see…” Lu Mi began to resent the “Hidden Sage.”

The lady steered the topic back on track:

“Precisely because all extraordinary characteristics originate from the primordial Creator, they never vanish or increase—only transform from one form to another, shifting from one object to another.”

“This is called the Law of Indestructible Extraordinary Characteristics.”

(End of Chapter)