Chapter 628: Zhang Yang

Naporidisli? Lu Mi almost thought the devil with ice-blue eyes was joking with him.

But he quickly confirmed one detail:

When mentioning anything related to the "Love Spell," he had never once spoken the name Naporidisli!

This wasn't just out of fear that Naporidisli and the ice-blue-eyed devil were enemies—that naming it might provoke the other and bring unnecessary trouble—but also in obedience to the "Magician" lady's warning, choosing never to speak or write the name.

If so, why did the ice-blue-eyed devil call itself Naporidisli?

Could it be the real Naporidisli?

Then why did repeatedly chanting "Naporidisli" summon the other devil, not this ice-blue-eyed one?

Or were they the same? Did Naporidisli want someone else to kill it?

Amid his shock and confusion, Lu Mi's face broke into a smile:

"I wouldn't dare speak that name."

He was testing the ice-blue-eyed devil.

The ice-blue-eyed devil turned its head toward Lu Mi:

"You've heard of Naporidisli, and you know the danger hidden in uttering that name?"

"Yes." Lu Mi smiled in reply.

From the devil's reaction, it wasn't the one spreading the "Love Spell"… This was interesting… Lu Mi thought.

Though this might mean greater terror, deeper secrets, as a "Hunter," fear and fascination weren't contradictory—just as every soldier fears death, yet still gathers to fight.

The ice-blue-eyed devil nodded slowly:

"Here, inside the Mother Goddess's church, you needn't fear what happens if you speak Naporidisli's name."

"That's clearly not your usual name—why not tell me the real one?" Lu Mi didn't answer, but asked instead.

He always felt the other wanted to harm him.

If he hadn't already encountered the "Love Spell" and received the "Magician" lady's warning, after leaving the "Earth Mother" church today, he might have mentioned in some setting that the hidden devil of Hanter Island was named Naporidisli—then trouble would come!

The ice-blue-eyed devil fell silent for several seconds:

"The name I use in human society means nothing to you."

"And once you know the name 'Naporidisli' and have chanted it at least three times outside the church…"

Here, the devil, dressed in black formal wear with white hair, twitched its facial skin, its expression darkening with renewed pain:

"I can establish a connection with you. When I lose control again, I can choose to kill you. Killing an adventurer foolish enough to investigate the truth behind Hanter Island's legends brings me less guilt, less remorse, than killing an ordinary person."

The ice-blue-eyed devil gazed again at the "Sacred Symbol of Life," bowed its head, and began its confession:

"Merciful Mother, forgive my sin—I shouldn't have stirred malice again…"

Lu Mi heard this, his lips twitching slightly, his expression growing somber.

So it really does want to kill me?

Dealing with devils demands constant vigilance—even if it's a devil who worships the "Earth Mother."

And just a casual conversation planted a ticking bomb. Any other adventurer would've fallen for it—no wonder this is the "Criminal" Path, famed for high-intelligence crimes…

Cold, clever, malice openly displayed…

When the ice-blue-eyed devil calling itself Naporidisli finished its new round of confession, Lu Mi feigned nonchalance and smiled:

"When you truly can't control the urge to kill, go after pirates—that's justice."

The ice-blue-eyed devil's face remained grim:

"This is my prison—I cannot leave until I've atoned."

"If any pirates enter Hanter Port, I'll make them vanish in the forests beyond the city."

Lu Mi nodded, steering the conversation back on track:

"The 'Love Spell' I mentioned earlier—that's the name you just said. The devil who approached me for a deal also called itself Naporidisli."

The ice-blue-eyed devil with white hair stared at the "Sacred Symbol of Life" ahead, silent for a long while.

From it, Lu Mi sensed not anger or hatred, but surprise and confusion.

This… it can't pinpoint the true identity of that devil either? There's no direct hatred linking them? Lu Mi muttered to himself.

After a long pause, the ice-blue-eyed devil calling itself Naporidisli said:

"According to you, the 'Love Spell' has been secretly spreading for many years, yet I've never established a connection with any human outside Hanter Island."

"I'm equally puzzled—could someone intercept the target of the name, then steal your identity?" Lu Mi feigned the curiosity of an adventurer.

He believed, based on the "Magician" lady's fragmented words, that "The Fool" could do such a thing, and once, Amon could too—whether any devil could, he had no way of knowing.

The ice-blue-eyed devil fell silent again, then spoke in a low tone after a few seconds:

"Foreigner, you've asked enough. Stop here, or you'll die without realizing it."

The devil, dressed in black formal wear and calling itself Naporidisli, slowly rose, feet slightly apart, raised its gloved black hands, and whispered:

"Praise the Earth, praise the Mother of All Things!"

Then it turned, picked up its cane, and walked with a limp toward the church door, toward the midday sun.

Lu Mi studied the ice-blue-eyed devil and saw it was not tall, slender, already withered and weak—completely like an elderly human, with no trace of a terrifying, powerful devil.

As he watched, Lu Mi faintly sensed beneath the thin human skin and aged flesh a black, openly displayed malice swelling and contracting, desperately restraining itself from tearing apart the fragile disguise.

The contrast between the terrifying core and frail exterior was stark, yet the overall aura remained aged, thin, ordinary.

It reminded him a little of Ludwig… one had a child's skin concealing an unknown monster, the other an old man's body housing a black devil… Lu Mi barely managed to suppress the urge to focus his spirit and observe the ice-blue-eyed devil's fate.

The white-haired man in black formal wear, cane in hand, slowly left the church.

Lu Mi didn't rush back to the "Berry," remaining seated in the front row, pondering the local devil legends—now clearer yet suddenly layered with new mysteries.

Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught a brown clerical robe.

That was the attire of the "Earth Mother" Church's clergy.

Lu Mi lifted his head, looking up, and saw the face of a middle-aged man: sharp features, well-proportioned, thick eyebrows, and a pair of bloodshot, pained ice-blue eyes.

Ice-blue eyes?

Shit! Lu Mi's body hairs stood on end, cursing silently.

The ice-blue-eyed clergyman sat beside Lu Mi—the very spot the devil had just occupied.

He smiled warmly:

"Don't provoke Bosaeli, and don't follow his advice—his self-control has weakened with age."

"Bosaeli? You mean the old man with ice-blue eyes just now?" Lu Mi feigned ignorance.

"Yes." The ice-blue-eyed clergyman nodded gently.

Lu Mi considered his words, then smiled:

"And you? How's your self-control?"

"Much better than his—I lose control only once every few years," the ice-blue-eyed clergyman answered frankly.

He's openly admitting he's a devil too? I didn't enter the "Earth Mother" church—I walked into a demon family's dining hall… Lu Mi felt a chill, couldn't help muttering inwardly.

He kept his expression calm and smiled:

"Are you close to him? Same family?"

The ice-blue-eyed clergyman thought a moment:

"We were both born in the Hanter Port monastery."

Born in a monastery? Lu Mi felt immediate dissonance at this description.

In other churches, producing children in a monastery was a grave sin—betraying divine teachings, succumbing to lust, desecrating faith.

Lu Mi reconsidered, then relaxed.

This was the "Earth Mother" Church—more children born in the monastery meant greater adherence to doctrine!

He instantly understood why the ice-blue-eyed clergyman and Bosaeli were both monastery-born.

It perfectly concealed their origins and identities, avoiding ties to ordinary families.

This shattered Lu Mi's earlier theories about local devils:

Devils didn't need to hide their corpses through disappearances—the "Earth Mother" Church would cover them up: replacing holy water with plain water during comfort rituals, later even providing new identities and legal backgrounds.

My earlier deductions assumed the "Earth Mother" Church and local devils weren't allies—no wonder I made so many mistakes… This is something to note when planning future schemes—if the premise is wrong, even the cleverest arrangements become meaningless… Now it seems the "Earth Mother" Church directly shelters these ice-blue-eyed devils—both resisting restrictions and cooperating in protection? Lu Mi reviewed his two days of investigation.

This reflection wouldn't help him digest the potion, but he felt it helped him more than fully digesting it.

Lu Mi looked at the ice-blue-eyed clergyman and smiled:

"Do you also go by the name Bosaeli just mentioned?"

The ice-blue-eyed clergyman returned a warm smile:

"Yes. I'm also Naporidisli."

Before Lu Mi could ask more, it considered its words:

"I don't know your background, but you may report Hanter Island's affairs to other True God churches—I believe they'll all warn you not to probe the truth behind devil legends."

"As Bosaeli said, foreigner—stop here. Leave Hanter Island."

Lu Mi nodded, stood, and walked out of the church.

Beneath the bright sunlight, he walked slowly down the street, his mind filled with pairs of ice-blue eyes and the name Naporidisli—feeling utterly confused.

PS: Normal updates resume tomorrow~

(End of Chapter)