Chapter 620: Divination Ritual (Wishing You All Health and Joy in the New Year)

For Franca's request, Naporedisli gently shook his head:

"You may invoke your deity as witness when signing the contract, but I do not wish any other presence."

Here, Naporedisli smiled:

"I am a devil; one must be cautious, lest one become another's prey."

The idea that one could recite a deity's name as witness during contract signing stirred both Franca and Lumian.

If they were ordinary Feifanzhe, worshipping the "Eternal Sun" or the "God of Steam and Machinery," merely reciting the deity's name would offer no real effect—only psychological comfort, for without proper ritual, true gods rarely turned their gaze toward reality, toward ordinary Feifanzhe, toward such trivial matters.

But Lumian and Franca, as minor Arcana of the "Tarot Club," followed the "Fool" Mr., a great being; even merely uttering his name would draw some measure of attention.

Franca's heart quickened, wondering whether to complete this deal with the devil under the "Fool" Mr. 's gaze, in exchange for benefits otherwise unattainable.

Naporedisli emphasized again:

"This is a fair transaction, no coercion—on your part, on mine. If you insist on a powerful witness present, I will withdraw."

Lumian was about to suggest they try it when, suddenly, Thelmiopolos's grand, layered voice echoed in his ear:

"You had best not agree.

"Not even a verbal false promise."

Lumian froze, surprised that Thelmiopolos, the Angel of Fate, would intervene on this matter.

He shuddered, setting aside thoughts of Thelmiopolos's motives, and instead filtered every action Naporedisli had taken since appearing, and every shift in his own mindset.

The more he thought, the more alarmed he became: initially, he and Franca had planned to immediately "teleport" away and seek help; then they'd settled on hearing Naporedisli out, looking for exploitable openings; gradually, they'd begun considering a transaction—but only with the powerful "Judge" lady as witness; now, they were willing to forgo even a witness, hoping only that reciting a deity's name might guarantee their safety.

One step back, then another… it mirrored exactly what Naporedisli had described: gradual descent, the soul slowly rotting, finally plunging into the abyss… He'd also said devils weren't just physical, but spiritual… Lumian snapped back to clarity, realizing he and Franca might have unconsciously been influenced by Naporedisli—much like the "Audience"'s guidance, detectable through the Antonian method of self-examination.

Seeing Franca still barely holding back her desire, glancing at him for alignment, Lumian's thoughts flashed—he slightly curled his lips and said to Naporedisli:

"We can forgo a witness, but I must first confirm one thing."

"What?" Naporedisli's demeanor was cold, yet his tone remained calm.

Lumian nodded to Franca, signaling she should leave the rest to him.

Franca silently nodded, indicating no issue.

Lumian then said to Naporedisli:

"I must confirm that the name you're using now—the one to be written into the contract—is your true name."

He deliberately avoided uttering "Naporedisli," to evade potential risks.

Naporedisli showed a thoughtful expression, then after several seconds replied:

"Agreed.

"As a devil, I dislike such caution—but I admire it."

Lumian kept his lips slightly curled:

"The method of confirmation is 'Magic Mirror Divination'—the full version. We will perform the ritual, seeking an answer from a hidden being.

"You know, my friend is the 'Witch'; she excels at this."

As he spoke, Lumian gestured toward Franca.

Indeed… they really should confirm whether "Naporedisli" was this devil's true name; otherwise, the deal was a joke… Franca suddenly became alert, realizing she'd been too eager to close the deal, overlooking many potentially problematic details.

Naporedisli thought a moment, then said:

"Fine, but I must observe from within the 'Wall of Spirituality' during the ritual.

"This is a devil's caution—we fear you might use the 'Magic Mirror Divination' to report our presence to some devil's enemies."

"No problem," Lumian said with a bright smile. "To complete the 'Magic Mirror Divination,' I'd like you to write your true name on this sticky note, and bring over the ancient notebook from the other room—both will serve as ritual media."

Naporedisli, well-versed in the full "Magic Mirror Divination," smiled in reply:

"No problem."

He rose from his seat, took the sticky note from Lumian's hand, and wrote a complex word—phonetically "Naporedisli," but of an unknown language—using the ink pen Flórez carried.

Then, the strange being calling himself a devil returned to Flórez's rented apartment and brought back the ancient notebook along with the slip of paper.

Lumian had already arranged the ritual: three candles and a mirror placed on the empty table.

Before Naporedisli returned, Franca leaned close to Lumian and whispered:

"Common targets for 'Magic Mirror Divination'?"

Lumian shook his head—no—and softly uttered a single word:

"Him."

A simple masculine pronoun.

Franca's pupils dilated instantly; she understood, without words, whom Lumian meant.

The implication was obvious.

When Naporedisli handed the ancient notebook to her, Franca smiled brightly:

"Devils are higher-order divine beings; I dare not be careless. I intend to seek an answer from a particularly unique entity. The ritual will inevitably require my companion's assistance. I hope you understand what you may witness—if you refuse, we will abandon this deal."

She didn't sound too firm, making "abandon the deal" seem more like a negotiation tactic.

Naporedisli laughed:

"No problem. I've seen too many unusual rituals."

His unspoken meaning: if your ritual has any flaw, I'll spot it immediately.

Franca sanctified the ritual silver dagger, forming the "Wall of Spirituality." Lumian placed the ancient notebook and the sticky note bearing the true name before the lit candles and mirror, then traced several complex, bizarre symbols using a small amount of sentient Gardner Martin's blood.

Naporedisli, standing several meters away, stared at the symbols and murmured:

"Seeking fate's guidance… questioning an entity of this domain?"

Lumian turned his body and asked:

"How can we break Sara's obsession with Flórez?"

Naporedisli smiled meaningfully:

"Either both die, or you gain my consent."

After completing the ritual's preparatory steps, Franca stepped back two paces, gazing at the three burning candles and the palm-sized mirror, and recited the honorific in Ancient Hemisi:

"The Fool, not of this age…"

Upon hearing this, Naporedisli's expression changed instantly.

His face darkened with coldness; his eyes revealed unmasked chill and cruelty.

His pupils began to reflect Lumian and Franca's forms, ready to ignite their desires and emotions—when thin gray mist spread around, blurring the two targets, making them hard to lock onto.

Lumian grasped Franca's forearm.

In occultism, this signified the two ritual participants were one.

Of course, only if the original ritual master did not resist.

Lumian took over as ritual master and recited the next two lines:

"Mysterious Sovereign above the Gray Mist, King of Yellow and Black, Master of Fortune…"

The gray mist surged more visibly; Naporedisli, controlling Flórez's body, grew even more sinister.

He tried to break out of the altar, shatter the "Wall of Spirituality"—but the mist blocked him.

Lumian stepped forward two paces, brought the sticky note bearing the true name close to the candle representing the ritual master, lit it, waved it thrice, and scattered the ashes onto the ancient notebook.

After completing these preparations, Lumian spoke solemnly:

"I beseech your aid;

"I beseech you to expel the entity named Naporedisli…"

The Naporedisli controlling Flórez's body opened its mouth and emitted a piercing shriek.

Simultaneously, Lumian and Franca's ears filled with filthy, corrupt, and alien whispers—each word seemed capable of damaging their minds, mutating their bodies, rotting their souls.

Yet under the ritual's protection of the host, and the layered barrier of gray mist, the words sounded distant—even if Lumian and Franca strained to listen, they heard no concrete meaning.

Amid the faint shrieking, black vapor rose from Flórez's body, rapidly fading.

The black vapor's surface bore countless human faces, mouths opening and closing wildly, cursing Lumian and Franca—but ultimately dissolving irreversibly into the gray mist.

Within seconds, the black vapor vanished entirely; Flórez's face and aura returned to normal.

"Exorcism Technique!"

Just days later, Lumian used the "Exorcism Technique" again!

In his view, Naporedisli, whose true body remained hidden, subtly infiltrating and controlling Flórez's body, was no different from a vengeful spirit possessing another.

What surprised him most was that the name "Naporedisli" actually worked!

Of course, had it not been the true name, or had the "Exorcism Technique" failed against Naporedisli, after reciting the full honorific of the "Fool" Mr., Lumian could still have frightened the devil away with the spreading gray mist and the great being's gaze.

This time, the response came not from the "Fool" Mr. 's seal on his chest—but directly from the great being himself!

Lumian forced a smile and said to Franca:

"This thing is weaker than the Formless Son of the 'Great Mother.'"

Though Naporedisli's final, frenzied curses still affected his desires and emotions, forcing him to endure them with his "Ascetic" ability, they still couldn't pierce the gray mist's protection like the Formless Son's, which could repeatedly inflict "mental piercing."

Franca said nothing, staring blankly at the makeup mirror serving as decoration.

Inside the mirror, thin mist drifted, and a faint figure approached from afar.

PS: Happy Lunar New Year—wishing you all health and joy in the new year!

(End of Chapter)