Chapter 617: Descendants

Based on Anthony's feedback, Francia had long suspected that Delila was not the "Mirror Person," but had some connection to them—otherwise, she wouldn't have been completely ignorant yet reacted abnormally.

She raised this question during the "Magic Mirror Divination" solely to confirm, to guard against Delila having prepared in advance and actually not being hypnotized.

After a moment's hesitation, Francia posed her second question:

"Is the owner of these hairs a descendant of the Tamara family?"

From within the dark mirror, amid the rustling of water, a hoarse, aged voice replied:

"No."

Not a descendant of the Tamara family… Francia, using elimination, selected one of the pre-planned questions:

"Is the owner of these hairs a descendant of the 'Mirror Person'?"

The aged voice answered, calm and gravelly:

"Yes."

Yes… Francia and Jianna were both startled and delighted.

Though they had harbored similar suspicions moments before, actual confirmation brought a wave of shock and dread:

How long had the "Mirror Persons" been infiltrating Triel? How could they already have descendants over thirty years old?

And yet—they truly could marry, bear children, and produce offspring like ordinary people…

Aside from worshipping the "Primordial Witch" within the mirror and possessing more extreme personalities, naturally harboring resentment toward their mirror selves, what essential difference did they have from normal humans?

—Francia and the others still weren't certain whether most "Mirror Persons" dissolved into nothingness upon death, leaving behind "fragments of the Mirror World," or whether only a few special ones, like Gardner in the mirror, did so.

Combining Delila's biological father—Moran Avini, the current government's Minister of Industry—who had instructed her to watch for abnormal reactions, Francia could essentially conclude that the high-ranking official had been replaced by a "Mirror Person" many years ago.

"According to the intelligence gathered, the modifications to underground Triel decades ago—including the construction of subterranean tombs—were meant to address the sealing leak from the Fourth Era Triel. Before that, it was entirely understandable that 'Mirror Persons' had already replaced their originals and lived in Triel," Anthony said carefully. "The current issue is that 'Mirror Persons' can now produce offspring normally."

Jianna's eyes flickered as she added:

"One more point: Was the 'Mirror World Fragment' in the Tamara family tomb brought in by a recent descendant, or did some special 'Mirror Person' enter seeking something—and die inside?"

"Or perhaps, even before Fourth Era Triel sank beneath the earth and was sealed, 'Mirror Persons' were already active on this land?"

Francia hissed:

"Your latter guess is terrifying.

"Our original assumption was that the 'Special Mirror World' emerged from the 'War of the Four Emperors' that caused Fourth Era Triel's sinking, closely tied to the Primordial Witch's divine descent, the dying counterstrike of the Blood Emperor Arista Tudo, and the fall of the Disaster Witch Krismana. But if 'Mirror Persons' were already roaming Fourth Era Triel before that, the origin of this problem becomes even more mysterious and horrifying."

Fear of the unknown.

Here, Francia couldn't help but gaze at the compact mirror in her hand, addressing its dark, deep surface:

"Am I a descendant of the 'Mirror Person'?"

She didn't expect an answer—normally, "Magic Mirror Divination" allowed only three questions. She'd spoken on impulse, merely to conclude the divination.

The mirror fell silent for several seconds—then spoke again:

"Your ancestors had no connection to Triel."

Oh—so it means I could never be connected to the 'Mirror Person'? Wait… Francia suddenly exclaimed in delight:

"So you—you're not just a cold, emotionless answering machine, bound by rigid rules."

The dark, deep surface of the mirror swiftly receded; the aged voice never returned.

Francia fell silent.

Jianna leaned close to Anthony, whispering:

"Did you hear the resignation in that answer?"

Anthony glanced at Francia, giving a barely perceptible nod.

"Hey! Don't whisper behind my back—I can hear you!" Francia complained. "An assassin's hearing is quite good."

She immediately changed the subject:

"Thank goodness it was 'no.' If it had been 'yes,' that would've been terrifying.

"Hmm… neither your grandfather nor great-grandfather was from Triel, right?"

"I'm not even from Triel now," Anthony replied.

Jianna murmured:

"Both my father and mother came to Triel from their grandfather's generation."

Francia exhaled in relief:

"Now, the investigation direction is clear: the current Minister of Industry, Moran Avini!"

She hesitated—should she quietly investigate first to gather key intelligence, or immediately notify "007" and let the Eternal Sun Church handle it? Choosing the latter meant she'd likely be bound by secrecy rules and unable to obtain the details she wanted from "007."

…………

Whoosh!

Amid the ship's whistle, the vessel entered Colia Port, on the southernmost coastline of the Feneport Kingdom.

It was mid-November; Triel had entered its cold winter, and Sangta Port's temperature had dropped to the point where a thick coat was needed—but here, the weather remained warm, and passersby wore colorful short-sleeved shirts and loose pants exposing their ankles.

Colia Port differed from Sangta Port—it had no custom of carrying swords or daggers—but according to Lu Mi, its people were still fiercely martial, with frequent large-scale brawls.

Unlike Sangta Port, which relied on pastures, plains, and mountain mines, Colia Port had little arable land and even fewer grasslands; its original inhabitants survived by the sea.

Thanks to generations of improvements by the Church of the Earth Mother in land, seeds, and livestock, Colia Port today was far better than in ancient times, with food largely self-sufficient—but the fierce local character remained.

Of course, Colia Port still imported vast quantities of grain, for it was one of Feneport Kingdom's primary trade ports to the Southern Continent, hosting too many foreigners and serving as one of the main bases for the "Harvest Fleet."

Captain Pedro stood beside Lu Mi, watching the bustling harbor teeming with ships:

"It's the dry season now—weather isn't too hot, rain is scarce—this is the most comfortable time in Colia Port. Welcome to visit."

It was polite small talk.

Lu Mi leaned against the ship's rail, gazing at the distant ocean, as if shrouded in clouds:

"That's the Storm Sea?"

The Storm Sea divided the two continents; only after Emperor Rosel discovered a safe passage could the nations of the Northern Continent cross it to reach the Southern Continent.

"Yes," Pedro sighed. "Without a captain or sailor familiar with that sea, ships get swallowed by its unpredictable, violent weather. Every year, people die in shipwrecks here."

Once most passengers had disembarked, Lu Mi, accompanied by Ludwig and Lu Jianuo, followed Captain Pedro to his home.

He wanted to first observe his eldest daughter Sara and her lover's condition before deciding on his next move.

Lu Jianuo carried the suitcase, holding Ludwig's hand, walking closely behind his employer.

Only after leaving the dock did he suddenly realize something:

His employer and the captain were speaking Highland tongue!

Since leaving Sangta Port, his employer had spoken Highland tongue with nearly everyone aboard!

When had he learned Highland tongue? When had he become fluent in it?

Lu Jianuo stared at his employer's back, listening to the reasonably fluent Highland tongue, sinking into long silence.

Colia Port, White Shark Street No. 7, Pedro's residence.

It was a five-story detached house with a green lawn in front and a beautiful garden behind, housing a large family of twenty to thirty people led by Pedro's mother.

As Lu Mi passed through the iron gate, he saw a man and woman walking hand in hand across the lawn.

Both were young; the woman was in her early twenties, with brown hair and hazel eyes, her skin a light tone with a deeper undertone, her features naturally alluring—she was striking, but to Lu Mi, who frequently interacted with "Witches" and had an exceptionally beautiful sister, she was merely pleasant.

The man looked twenty-four or twenty-five, with single eyelids, small eyes, ordinary features, light brown wavy hair, dressed in a white shirt and thin dark gray trousers. In appearance and demeanor, he was the kind you'd never spot quickly in a crowd.

"Sara, let me introduce you—this is the famed adventurer Louis Berry, whose legendary exploits will soon reach Colia," Pedro announced cheerfully, showing no trace of gloom.

Sara, holding a thin sunshade hat, stepped closer, curious:

"What kind of legendary exploits?"

"Is earning 300,000 Jin Lisuo from a single contract enough?" Pedro answered for Lu Mi with a smile.

"300,000 Jin Lisuo?" Sara gasped.

To most Feneportians, this was a fortune.

Lu Mi smiled as he watched the father-daughter exchange, his peripheral vision catching Sara's lover's gaze darken slightly—he looked unhappy.

Jealousy? Suspicion? Fear? If he truly had a major problem, he should be more confident… Lu Mi thought, keeping his expression neutral.

Pedro introduced Sara's lover:

"Flores, Sara's fiancé. They met in Feneport City."

Feneport City, the capital of the Feneport Kingdom, sat atop the highlands; Sara met Flores while studying there, but Flores came from an ordinary family, had low education—only completed elementary grammar school—and later opened a small general store near the Highland University.

"Hello," Lu Mi gave a slight nod, maintaining the arrogance of a great adventurer.

After the welcome banquet, Flores left Pedro's home.

He entered his favorite, atmospheric bar and sat glumly at the counter.

As he glanced around, he noticed a woman seated two or three seats away.

Her flaxen hair was loosely tied, her lake-blue eyes shimmered with delicate light, her nose was high, her lips full and red—just her profile was breathtakingly beautiful.

(End of Chapter)