Chapter 624: The Smell of Death

Under normal circumstances, deep gray eyes weren't noteworthy—this iris color was rare in Inti, but common in places like the Kingdom of Rune, yet Francia sensed hidden significance in it.

Morlan Avini was suspected to be the "Mirror Man," and the "Black Witch" Clarice was investigating the "Mirror Man," a semi-god of the Witch Path closely tied to the "Mirror World," and both shared this uncommon deep gray eye color.

That was far too coincidental.

"What's wrong?" Jian Na asked, noticing Francia had suddenly stopped.

After a few seconds of deliberation, Francia told her about the "Black Witch's" identical eye color to Morlan Avini, then added:

"None of the 'Mirror Men' we've encountered before had this trait."

"Only the more unusual 'Mirror Men' do? Is the 'Black Witch' also a 'Mirror Man'?" Jian Na speculated, letting her thoughts wander.

"Impossible," Francia instinctively denied. "She's the one who asked me to investigate the 'Mirror Man'… Hmm, then again, it's not impossible—haven't we seen enough stories of thieves reporting thieves to the police?"

Anthony thought for a moment and said:

"Could it be a symbol tainted by the 'Primordial Witch' in the Mirror World? Could special 'Mirror Men' who've reached a certain rank have this eye color, and so too would a Witch who became a semi-god and was later tainted?"

"No, Morlan Avini originally had deep gray eyes—the 'Mirror Man' who replaced him couldn't have changed his eye color without raising suspicion," Francia reasoned. "That means the 'Black Witch' and the original Morlan Avini belong to the same family? I thought she was from the Soren family, a senior of Bruns Soren—otherwise she wouldn't have raised such a foolish Witch. But now it seems she isn't…"

"Not necessarily," Francia and Jian Na said in unison.

Everyone has paternal and maternal lineages—being from the Soren family doesn't mean she isn't from the deep gray-eyed family too!

Francia hesitated for a few seconds, then said:

"I haven't reported progress on the 'Mirror Man' investigation to the 'Black Witch' in a long time. I'll visit her this week and bring up Morlan Avini."

"Be careful," Jian Na warned.

Francia smiled, her lips curving brightly:

"Don't worry—she's the one who assigned me to investigate the 'Mirror Man.' She must've anticipated possible developments. If she truly has deep ties to Morlan Avini, maybe we'll see some 'accident' happen to that Minister of Industry. If not, we can just ask her for help!"

………

On Hante Island, Lu Mi walked through the thick night, the sea breeze now cool and gentle, heading leisurely back to the "Berry."

Hands in his pockets, his mind was unusually active, organizing the legends and stories he'd gathered, trying to find traces of the devil.

If the "Magician" lady hadn't specifically warned him to be cautious, and if Naporedis Levi hadn't fully revealed the name and identity of the so-called devil's descendant, Lu Mi would've thrown himself out as bait—he'd have openly flaunted his malice, devised a viable plan, triggered the devil's dangerous precognition, and lured it to come eliminate the "threat," only to walk into a hidden trap.

"It's been a hundred or two hundred years—adventurers investigating devil legends aren't rare, and the Church of the Earth Mother should've done its best to erase the remnants, yet still found nothing. It's unrealistic to think the devil can be found by conventional means…"

"Think differently—why must the devil hide on Hante Island?"

"It was already cleansed once by the Church of the Earth Mother—why risk staying?"

"If it were me, I'd have moved elsewhere long ago. As a devil, where couldn't it survive?"

"If it truly sees itself as a high-intelligence criminal, a true 'criminal,' and insists on mocking the Church of the Earth Mother's clergy this way, it must've grown tired of it by now…"

"Is there some reason forcing it to remain on Hante Island?"

"Is it partially sealed? Or is something of immense importance buried here that can't be moved?"

"That valley burning with sulfurous flames?"

"And devils live for centuries—ordinary humans don't. If the devil hides among human towns, it must change identities every few decades, which could leave traces."

"Hante Island is one of the transit ports for trade routes between the northern and southern continents, with many foreign settlers—the devil could easily fabricate a new identity, but how would its original identity vanish naturally?"

"All residents here are followers of the Earth Mother—after death, they're taken to churches for comfort. Would a devil dare pretend to be dead and endure the Earth Mother's gaze and holy water's cleansing?"

"Ah, disappearance is the best solution—whether lost at sea or vanished in the forest, it effectively avoids all problems."

"People vanish in the forest outside the city every year… Could the devil have deliberately caused some accidents, hiding its own 'death' among them?" Lu Mi's thoughts flashed rapidly, forming tentative deductions.

This was also a way to hone his "Conspirator" ability and digest his potion.

He now had a vague understanding of the whole matter:

"To find the devil hiding among humans, you must locate the mysterious valley burning with sulfurous flames deep in the forest. But to uncover the valley's secret, you must rely on the devil itself—these two things are likely linked and cannot be separated."

For tomorrow's investigation, Lu Mi had a rough plan:

"First, wander through the forest, use my 'Hunter' ability to find the remains of past missing persons. If I find one or two, and they still have edible tissue, bring them back to Ludwig and see who the dead last saw."

"During this, without alerting the Church of the Earth Mother's clergy, push deeper into the island to check for anomalies—and if there are any, what kind they are…"

As he strolled slowly, Lu Mi suddenly looked up and saw the stars above obscured by dark clouds.

Rain poured down in a sudden rush.

Drops splashed into mist before Lu Mi's face; without an umbrella, he stepped under the eaves of a three-story building, hiding outside a coffee shop long since dark, waiting for the storm to end without emotion.

The few pedestrians on the street all opened their umbrellas.

Lu Mi couldn't help but laugh, recalling the travel guide's common description of the Stormy Sea's islands:

"Extreme weather changes—remember to bring an umbrella or hat."

Clearly, Lu Mi had ignored this warning.

He wasn't in a hurry—leaning back against the wall between the coffee shop's two glass windows, he quietly watched the rain fall in lines, watched late-returning people trudge unevenly down different streets.

The roar of rain drowned all sound; white mist obscured most vision, making Lu Mi feel as if he'd entered another world.

Gazing at this scene, Lu Mi recalled his days as a vagrant:

Vagrants rarely predicted the weather and couldn't plan ahead to seek shelter in churches or elsewhere, so sometimes he'd huddle in a corner by the street, fearful, anxious, uneasy, and gloomy, watching the rain, praying no other vagrant would come to claim his temporary refuge.

Now, his feelings were entirely different.

Stormy Sea rain came fast and faded quickly—less than twenty minutes later, only puddles remained on the streets.

Lu Mi let out a quiet laugh, slipped his hands back into his pockets, and walked along the damp sidewalk toward the harbor, boarding the "Berry."

As he pushed open the door, Lu Mi saw Lu Jianuo drying Ludwig's still-dripping hair with a soft, dry towel—himself looking as if he'd fallen into the sea.

"Didn't bring an umbrella?" Lu Mi asked with a smile.

Lu Jianuo replied awkwardly:

"I thought I was a 'Farmer'—I could predict weather changes—so I didn't bring an umbrella and took Ludwig out for late-night snacks. He said he didn't want cake or cookies tonight. Who knew? I predicted rain, but it came down in seconds. I was about to grab Ludwig and sprint back to the ship before it started…"

Seeing this "Physician" blame himself instead of citing objective causes, Lu Mi kindly added:

"That's just the Stormy Sea's weather—even 'Farmers' can't predict it."

This was one reason why these Stormy Sea islands, though under the Church of the Earth Mother, didn't enjoy the consistent harvests of the Kingdom of Fenepot.

"Yes, yes, yes," Lu Jianuo sighed in relief.

Lu Mi turned to Ludwig, whose hair was no longer dripping, and asked casually:

"Did you smell anything?"

Was there a particularly tempting "food" nearby?

Ludwig bit into a corn cake and said:

"I smelled death."

Death? Lu Mi frowned slightly:

"Did someone die near the night market?"

Ludwig shook his head:

"During the rain, death was everywhere."

What did that mean? Lu Mi asked, voicing his confusion.

Ludwig answered honestly:

"I don't know. It disappeared afterward."

It was there during the rain, gone after—was this a natural trait of the Stormy Sea, or an anomaly triggered by its weather shifts? Lu Mi pondered briefly, deciding not to write the "Magician" lady yet.

This was his chance to digest—better not rely on higher powers unless absolutely necessary, to digest more effectively.

That night, Lu Mi slept with his thoughts heavy.

In a hazy dream, he saw many familiar yet strange things:

The pale "Fountain of the Samaritan Woman," the colossal, dripping yellow "lava" shadow of the "Blood Emperor," an unknown thing emerging from the spring…

The scene abruptly shifted—Lu Mi wandered alone in the deep, dark underground.

He felt as if he'd become the ghost of Monsury.

(End of Chapter)