Chapter 30: Lenten Festival Begins

The lady tilted her head and glanced out the window of the old tavern:

"Time is almost up. Let me tell you one last bit of common knowledge."

"Based on the Law of Indestructibility of Beyonder Characteristics, we know that humans combining with Beyonder characteristics become Beyonders, and living things combining with Beyonder characteristics become supernatural creatures. What about objects combining with Beyonder characteristics?"

She didn't give Lu Mi a chance to answer and said directly:

"That is called a Magical Artifact."

"Because the object itself does not have concepts like will, spirit, or self-control, combined with the joint action of other factors, after they combine with Beyonder characteristics, besides exhibiting corresponding special abilities, they will also bring very strong negative effects. Major churches tend to seal them up and use appropriate methods to open them when needed."

"This also leads to Magical Artifacts being called Sealed Artifacts."

"And Magical Artifacts that have been sealed by major churches all have their own numbers, divided into four grades: 3, 2, 1, and 0. The smaller the prefix number, the higher the danger. Among them, Grade 1 and Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts are limited in number and extremely harmful. The numbering is common to major churches and will not be repeated."

"Grade 0 Sealed Artifact..." Lu Mi whispered this phrase.

He had a very deep impression of the fact that Sequence 0 equals a True God, and thus had certain associations, so he asked:

"Are these Sealed Artifacts formed by those gods who fell in the past or evil gods who were destroyed?"

According to the fact that all twenty-two pathways have Sequence 0, corresponding to a True God, the number of current gods is clearly insufficient.

Of course, Lu Mi also admitted that this might be caused by his lack of understanding of evil gods and hidden existences.

"Not all of them." The lady thought for a moment and said, "The vast majority are of angel rank, and only a small number possess the ability to kill gods."

Lu Mi nodded:

"I understand. I won't underestimate the items in other people's hands."

The lady added:

"You also cannot underestimate the negative effects of Sealed Artifacts. In the future, you will inevitably possess your own Sealed Artifact."

"Um, in the field of mysticism, there exists another type of item called Beyonder Items. They are made by Beyonders of corresponding sequences using their own abilities, spirituality, or by borrowing from the Spirit Realm or gods. They do not contain Beyonder characteristics but possess certain supernatural manifestations. It's just that the power will gradually dissipate over time. Among them, charms, potions, etc., can only be used once."

"Relatively speaking, Beyonder weapons are more stable, and many can be used for years."

"As a 'Hunter,' you lack the ability to deal with spirit/ghost-type creatures before Sequence 7. Later, if you have the opportunity, consider acquiring corresponding Sealed Artifacts or Beyonder Items."

Lu Mi listened carefully and asked inquisitively:

"Spirit Realm?"

He had seen this term in "Hidden Veil" magazine, but hadn't obtained a sufficient explanation.

The lady spoke at a slightly faster pace:

"From the perspective of mysticism, this world is divided into three layers: first is the real world, second is the Spirit Realm, and third is the Astral World. Others are formed by attaching to one of these three, for example, the Netherworld."

"I don't need to explain the real world; you are very clear about it yourself. The Spirit Realm is the world where spirits live. There, many concepts of reality do not exist, and you will gradually understand later. The Astral World originally referred to the world of gods, but now it needs to include the entire starry sky."

Lu Mi had only asked casually, and after obtaining the preliminary answer, he immediately returned to the topic just now:

"Can a 'Hunter' make Beyonder Items?"

He felt that a "Witch" should be able to.

The lady first shook her head, then said:

"'Hunter' cannot rely on the sequence itself, but because spirituality has been improved, you can learn ritual magic, pray to a certain god or hidden existence, and borrow their response to make charms, weapons, and other Beyonder Items."

"But I want to remind you that the vast majority of hidden existences are very dangerous. It is best not to try to pray to them; otherwise, death is considered the best outcome. And the seven True Gods basically won't respond to you unless you join the corresponding church and become an official Beyonder."

"Simply put, it's completely impossible for a 'Hunter' to make Beyonder Items?" Lu Mi was quite disappointed.

The lady laughed:

"Not necessarily. On one hand, you can use the blood, saliva, etc., of certain supernatural creatures to make poisonous weapons. In a sense, this also counts as Beyonder Items. On the other hand, after you solve the secret of the dream, I will tell you the honorific name of a great existence, and you can pray to Him."

Great existence? This was the first time she had used "great" as an adjective. She hadn't used it for the "Eternal Blazing Sun" or the "Hidden Sage" before... Who could it be? Is there no danger in praying to Him? Lu Mi's gaze narrowed, both surprised and suspicious.

The more he understood, the more he felt the poverty of his mystical knowledge.

Lu Mi gave an "um" and, with the attitude of asking wouldn't hurt, said:

"What is the Sequence 8 corresponding to 'Hunter'? And Sequence 7?"

The lady answered nonchalantly:

"Sequence 8 of the 'Hunter' pathway is called 'Provoker,' and Sequence 7 is 'Pyromaniac'."

"Alright, let's stop here for today."

She then stood up and walked toward the entrance to the second floor.

After a few steps, she stopped and looked back:

"Forgot to remind you."

"Remember, you are only acting."

Only acting... Lu Mi chewed on this sentence and asked thoughtfully:

"What if I take the role I'm acting as seriously?"

"You will become less and less like yourself, until one day..." The lady smiled and closed her mouth.

She turned her body, walked to the stairs, and disappeared there.

Not finishing her words again... Lu Mi muttered silently.

He could feel that if he didn't remember that he was only acting, the consequences would likely be very serious.

Lu Mi didn't rush to leave the old tavern. He sat quietly in the corner and recalled all the common knowledge the lady had just told him completely, to avoid forgetting anything.

The more he pondered, the more he could appreciate the importance of the two laws and one method:

"They are like the main framework of this building of mysticism, and everything else is born attached to them..."

"I don't know if Aurora understands..."

"After leaving Cordu, I'll communicate with her about this problem..."

"Uh, I don't know if that lady allows me to tell Aurora directly..."

After leaving the old tavern, Lu Mi looked back and muttered silently:

"Why haven't those three outsiders taken action yet? It's already the Lenten festival today..."

He went to the village square while pondering.

After he finished asking if there was a reply, he saw Ava, Raymond, and the others arrive here.

Ava had changed into a pure white long skirt, wearing a circular headpiece made of branches and flowers on her head, a giant necklace of similar style around her neck, and brown branches and green leaves as decorations on her back, arms, waist, and legs, making her look like a fairy in the forest.

This was the protagonist of the Lenten festival, the "Spring Elf."

Raymond and other young people surrounded Ava, each carrying a basket woven from branches, filled with grass, soil, stones, leaves, etc.

"Lu Mi, the blessing parade is about to start!" Ava's water-blue eyes turned and saw Lu Mi.

Her face was full of joy.

Raymond and the others were also full of happiness:

"Quick, let's go get the offerings together!"

Because there was no reply from "Novel Weekly," Lu Mi had nothing to do for the time being, so he simply joined the blessing parade team.

These young people sang loudly, surrounded Ava, and walked out of the square.

After only ten meters, they stopped in front of the first building.

Lu Mi walked to the door and clapped his hands on the door:

"The 'Spring Elf' is here!"

The door creaked open, and Naara Aiza appeared before the crowd.

She was another female head of a household in the village with the name "Na," over forty years old, with black hair pulled up and blue eyes with a smile.

Seeing the door open, Ava stepped forward, spread her hands, and sang:

"I am the Spring Elf"

"My face is dear and beautiful"

"..."

"Sing, dance"

"Only then can we have a harvest..."

After singing a section, Ava took a piece of soil from the basket Raymond was carrying and handed it to Naara Aiza.

"Thanks to the 'Spring Elf'." Naara Aiza took it with a smile and handed a piece of fabric she was holding to Ava:

"Harvest! Harvest!" Lu Mi and the other young people responded in unison.

This was a blessing ritual: the "Spring Elf" blessed the villagers with a harvest this year by singing and giving natural things like soil, grass, and stones, while the villagers needed to give feedback, which was to make a certain offering; otherwise, the blessing would turn into a curse.

After Raymond beside him accepted the fabric, Ava sang another section enthusiastically.

They then said goodbye to Naara Aiza and walked toward the next household.

—Part of the offerings received in the blessing parade would be thrown into the river in the waterside ritual, and the rest would be placed in the final ritual. After the Lenten festival passed, the girl who acted as the incarnation of the "Spring Elf" had the right to choose some to take away.

This was a considerable income.

And if Cordu village really had a harvest this year, Ava, who acted as the incarnation of the "Spring Elf," would be widely considered to have received the love of the elf and the blessing of spring. Whoever married her would be equivalent to having a long-term harvest.

In that way, she really had hope of marrying someone with a good family background.

The blessing parade team sang and walked, arriving at Lu Mi's house.

The one who opened the door was naturally Aurora, who had also changed into relatively formal clothing—a light-colored stand-up collar long skirt with ruffled edges and pulled-up golden hair.

Ava greeted her and sang the same song again:

"I am the Spring Elf..."

Aurora listened with a smile. While taking a leaf, she took out a small ceramic jar and handed it to Ava:

"Thanks to the 'Spring Elf'."

Animal fat divided from a large jar? Lu Mi glanced at it and felt his sister was too generous.

Aside from a very small vegetable plot behind the house, their family didn't have any fields at all, so there was no need to care about the harvest.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 31 =====