Chapter 615: New Commission

Several days later, on the balcony of the suite, Lu Mi lay on a reclining chair, breathing the sea breeze, basking in sunlight, drinking Manzan wine undiluted, and pulled from "The Traveler's Satchel" the incomplete umbilical cord from Father Monserrat.

It was completely charred, devoid of any spiritual quality; after repeated confirmation by Lu Mi and divinations aided by Flanika and Jenna, they reached a conclusion:

After the "Exorcism Ritual," this umbilical cord lost all vitality entirely; since it inherently possessed no extraordinary properties, it could not be used as a magical item, nor as a primary material to craft talismans, potions, or weapons.

Its only remaining quality was its inherent uniqueness.

In other words, it resembled the mark left on Lu Mi by Arista Tudo, the Blood Emperor—possessing only rank, lacking power, and unable to manifest the terrifying aura of the "Great Mother's" divine child, making it useless for Lu Mi to scare or briefly intimidate specific targets.

Lu Mi believed it could only serve two purposes:

First, as a ritual material to amplify a specific spell far beyond its normal potency, or to help "Wizards" cast special spells otherwise inaccessible to them;

Second, as an auxiliary material added to the crafting of magical items, talismans, potions, or extraordinary weapons, granting the final product certain unique effects.

Of course, Lu Mi also believed that placing this umbilical remnant before a devotee of the "Great Mother" would surely trigger another effect—for instance, even without "Provocation," it could make those people direct their hatred toward him.

"Pity—the 'Witch' and 'Pyromaniac' paths are more alike: they can only wield the innate dark magics of their potions, unable to study or master new spells like Wizards do; and among those dark magics, only one can use an umbilical cord as a ritual material—'Bloodline Curse'—but the formless divine child has not yet been born into the real world, so the curse is useless against Him; and one certainly cannot use it to curse the 'Great Mother'—if one did, Flanika and Jenna would immediately give birth to several children…"

"Hmm, next time at the Curly Baboon Study Group or some other esoteric gathering, maybe I can acquire a magical item related to the 'Wizard' sequence, then collect powerful spells that use umbilical cords or high-rank objects as ritual materials… Wait, wouldn't that be overkill? According to Aurora, it's like raising a whole sheep just to shear a pinch of salt, then slaughtering it for roasted meat…"

"Lately, I haven't needed a 'Craftsman' to make magical items, nor do I have primary materials—what if I turned it into a time-limited extraordinary weapon?"

"No—low-rank 'Craftsmen' risk contamination using this as an auxiliary material; hiring a high-rank 'Craftsman' for such a powerless object isn't worth it…"

"Make it into a talisman or potion myself?"

Lu Mi stared at the charred, short umbilical cord for a long while, unable to decide, and shoved it back into "The Traveler's Satchel."

Then he patted his pocket, where a finger from Mr. K now rested.

These past two days, he had specifically returned to Trier to report to Mr. K about Father Monserrat and the formless divine child, receiving Mr. K's unreserved approval and praise.

The excitement and fervor in Mr. K's demeanor made Lu Mi suspect that the next second, Mr. K might cut off his own arm and give it to him.

A finger was no longer enough to express his feelings!

Mr. K was extremely pleased that Lu Mi had agreed to leave Trier to hunt his enemies, seeing it as a divine revelation, and praised Lu Mi for his extraordinary attraction to cultists and demonic events—he was a walking calamity to the fallen.

How could such an extraordinary individual remain confined to Trier? He must travel across the Northern and Southern Continents!

As for the ancient name "Oumibela," the "Goddess of Harvest," Mr. K showed no special reaction and did not seek a revelation from his deity; Lu Mi gained no answer and took his leave, turning instead to Flanika, Jenna, and Anthony to share the details of the surgery, human transmutation, and how Father Monserrat, a man, nearly became pregnant with the "Great Mother's" divine child.

Though Lu Mi had long understood the "Sower" path of the "Villain" sequence, the details surrounding Father Monserrat gave Flanika and Jenna the feeling of hearing a horror story, leaving them with psychological shadows regarding the "Great Mother's" devotees.

Anthony showed no outward reaction, yet unusually made an unnecessary gesture:

He unconsciously, gently touched his own abdomen.

After spreading his own feelings, Lu Mi returned contentedly to the ship, continuing southward toward the Kingdom of Feneport.

Knock knock knock.

Just as Lu Mi had flipped through his Dutan textbook for a few minutes, he heard a knock on the suite's wooden door.

Lu Jianuo, ever diligent and mindful of his role as a servant, walked to the door and peered through the peephole.

These past days, he had not heard the infant's cries again; his suspended heart had finally settled.

This incident made him even more grateful he had chosen to stay by his employer's side rather than return to Trier.

He felt that if the root of the problem lay in Tan Ke's leftover extraordinary materials, then even if he hadn't boarded this ship, he would inevitably encounter something similar in the future—within a year, perhaps even half a year—and without Lu Mi Li's strength to assist him, his fate would be obvious.

Seeing it was Captain Pedro outside, Lu Jianuo turned and called to Lu Mi on the balcony:

"Boss, the captain's here for you!"

Why is the captain looking for me? Shouldn't we have silently pretended none of that ever happened? Lu Mi closed his Dutan textbook and walked back into the living room under the bright sunlight.

Pedro, with his handsome brown beard, entered the suite, exchanged a few pleasantries, cleared his throat, and said:

"Mr. Berry, would you be interested in taking on a commission? A simple one, won't take much of your time."

Simple? After giving it to me, it probably won't be simple anymore… After everything he'd been through, Lu Mi now had a clear understanding of his own peculiar "nature":

As an extraordinary of the "Hunter" path, he bore sealed within him a demon angel, and carried residual traces of the Blood Emperor—he naturally attracted calamities, causing many hidden problems to erupt prematurely.

How a simple commission might ultimately unfold, Lu Mi himself could not predict.

Sitting on the single armchair, Lu Mi smiled and said:

"What commission? Let me hear the details before deciding whether to accept."

Pedro sighed and said:

"Our destination, Colia Port, is my hometown—my wife and children live there.

"At the beginning of the year, my favorite eldest daughter, Sara, fell in love with a young man, obsessively, determined to marry him.

"You know, in Feneport, marriage and family are sacred; we must enter marriage cautiously and maintain it responsibly—we can't just pick anyone and rush to the church."

"Does this young man displease you and your grandmother? Are you hiring me to quietly kill him?" Lu Mi joked. "Actually, no need for such trouble—you, as a captain, have plenty of ways to deal with inexperienced youths—for instance, offer him an opportunity, a temptation, to go to sea for trade, and then he'll never return."

Pedro chuckled dryly:

"I'm a law-abiding citizen—I wouldn't do such a thing."

A captain who spends his life at sea and possesses extraordinary abilities is a law-abiding citizen? Don't tell such a terrible joke… Lu Mi silently mocked, smiling at Pedro, waiting for him to continue.

"I probed the young man and found something off—certain things didn't add up. I hired adventurers to investigate him, but those two adventurers never returned." Pedro spoke earnestly. "This instinctively warned me of danger—I can't let my child be with someone like him. It's too unsafe."

Lu Mi nodded slightly:

"So you came to me?"

"Yes." Pedro forced a smile. "To you, this is a small matter; to me, it's vital. I'll pay twenty thousand Jin Lisuo as a reward—all proceeds are yours."

Twenty thousand Jin Lisuo—being a captain really pays well… Lu Mi thought for a moment and said:

"Are you an extraordinary of the 'Sower' or 'Pharmacist' path?"

"Is there an extraordinary of either path in your family?"

What kind of question is this… Pedro blinked, then replied:

"No."

"Why didn't you seek help from the Church?" Lu Mi asked his second question.

Pedro's expression darkened; after a few seconds, he sighed:

"You're clearly an experienced adventurer."

"I didn't go to the Church because my daughter Sara has also shown strange symptoms—her love for that young man is too intense, too all-consuming, like she's possessed by a demon. The Church could solve the problem, but it might also bring terrible consequences for Sara."

Lu Mi nodded thoughtfully:

"You suspect Sara is possessed by some unknown entity, or affected by something similar?"

"Yes." Pedro looked deeply worried.

Lu Mi asked a few more questions, thought for a while, then said:

"Alright, I accept this commission."

He needed to keep seeking events, striving to digest the "Conspirator" potion enough to hold his advancement ritual by the time he reached West Bailang in the Southern Continent.

Of course, saving extra meals for Ludwig was also a reason.

………

Several days later, at ten p. m., Trier, Memorial District, Aoluosaijie No. 9, Apartment 702.

Flanika and Jenna looked at Anthony, who had knocked and entered, and asked in confusion:

"What's so urgent at this hour?"

Anthony nodded:

"I found that woman."

Huh? Jenna first froze, then asked:

"The woman who appeared in the 'Magic Mirror Divination'?"

The woman who caused my 'Fragment of the Mirror World' to tremble slightly?

Anthony replied with absolute certainty:

"Yes."

(End of Chapter)