Chapter 630: The Terrifying Dream

In the dim distance, Lu Mi saw bubbles rising sluggishly from the pitch-black liquid that submerged most of the blood-colored devil's body, glowing a muddy brown-green, like clusters of tree knots.

The bubbles burst instantly, flashing brilliant colors before dissolving into the dark liquid.

Lu Mi felt something was wrong, instinctively wanting to shut his eyes and avoid these details—but he was in a dream, unable to control himself.

Deep within the pitch-black liquid, a shadow seemed to lurk, its head slightly lifted, gazing at the blood-colored devil.

On the surface of this figure, countless wet, brown-green or light-brown tree knots protruded, reminding Lu Mi of Su Shanna Ma Disi in her "Fallen Tree Spirit" state.

But unlike Su Shanna Ma Disi, whose tree knots, branches, and buds grew organically from her body as one with her flesh, these knots on the current figure jutted straight out from within the flesh and organs, stained with blood, wild and unrestrained.

In the dream, Lu Mi unconsciously raised his right hand to wipe his eye corner—and found his palm smeared crimson.

His eyes had begun bleeding without his notice, filling his vision with a vast blur of red.

Through the haze, the full silhouette of the figure emerged.

It appeared fused to a massive brown-green tree, pierced by branches, corroded by tree knots, covered in blooming buds, oozing thick fluid.

A searing burn suddenly flared in Lu Mi's chest, forcing him to shut his eyes instinctively—even in the dream.

But it was too late.

Boom!

Lu Mi's eyes exploded, agony surging into his mind.

He finally woke, curling up in pain, raising both hands to cover his eyes.

His fingers met flat, sticky, wet surfaces, the air thick with the stench of blood.

As a "Penitent Monk" with years of severe injury experience, Lu Mi took several minutes to recover from the pain that threatened to plunge him into unconsciousness.

He groped his way upright, his eyes opening naturally.

Total darkness.

No crimson moonlight. No outlines of furniture in the bedroom.

He could see nothing.

Lu Mi raised his hand again, gently touching his eye sockets—and found both eyeballs had caved inward, clearly shattered.

"Did I see something I shouldn't have, and my eyes blew out?" Lu Mi chuckled bitterly.

And it happened in a dream. And I didn't even choose to look!

He recalled briefly: had his "Fool" Master's seal not reacted instinctively—or been triggered by T'er-mi-bo-luo-si—he might have closed his eyes just in time. Otherwise, it might not have been just his eyes that exploded.

Lu Mi wiped his nose—and as expected, felt dampness, smelled the metallic tang of blood.

He chuckled softly, his mood surprisingly calm:

"Good. At least it's only blood. No brain matter."

It was relief—relief at surviving disaster.

Compared to the horror of his head, his body suffered almost no injury—only exhaustion.

Leaning on the bedframe, he stood, and despite blindness and near-loss of smell, relied on his "Hunter" mastery of his surroundings and his mental map to sidestep the chair, open the bedroom door, enter the living room, and knock on the servant's quarters.

"W-what is it?" Lu Jianuo, startled, burst out in his cotton shirt and pants, hastily opening the wooden door.

He feared another Montserrat priest incident.

The next second, under the crimson moonlight, he saw Lu Mi's blood-caked face, the hollow, shattered eye sockets stuffed with fragments.

"W-what happened?" Lu Jianuo stammered.

Who had done this to his employer?

Who could even do this to him?

Shouldn't we just "teleport" away first?

Lu Mi calmly pointed to his eyes:

"Heal me."

"O-okay," Lu Jianuo replied automatically, then hesitated. "Your eyeballs are destroyed. Nothing can restore them. You'd need new ones transplanted."

Lu Mi, enduring the pain, spoke calmly:

"No need. Just stop the bleeding and numb the pain."

"Alright," Lu Jianuo dared not argue, obeying his employer's order, extending his left palm, faintly glowing.

As his palm made contact and a simple surgical motion followed, coolness spread over Lu Mi's eye sockets—the pain no longer unbearable.

Of course, he still saw nothing.

"You can go back to sleep," Lu Mi waved his hand, as if blind, one hand in his pocket, stepping over the Duitan textbook scattered on the rug by Ludwig, walking slowly to the armchair and lying down, gently swaying.

Lu Jianuo watched, confused and tense, then returned to bed—but couldn't sleep a wink.

When morning sunlight touched the sea's edge, the "Physician" bolted upright, deciding to brew coffee for alertness.

As he stepped out, he saw his employer stretching, his green eyes bright, unharmed.

"Y-you're fine?" Lu Jianuo froze.

Lu Mi smiled brilliantly:

"Yes."

"..." Lu Jianuo had no words.

How had his employer regrown his eyeballs?

What kind of monster is this...

Am I just here to stop bleeding and numb pain?

Lu Mi ignored his servant's inner turmoil, returned to the master bedroom, pulled open the curtains, spread out paper, and picked up a deep-black fountain pen.

"I wasn't careful enough..." he sighed suddenly.

After accepting the warning from the two ice-blue-eyed devils and deciding to leave Hanter Island aboard the "Berry," he thought he was safe, so he delayed writing to the "Magician" Lady, planning to observe first, then write once fully clear of the port.

Who knew he'd have such a terrifying, dangerous dream last night!

Lu Mi first suspected one of the ice-blue-eyed devils had suddenly lost control and subtly influenced him; then he thought he'd been covertly contaminated when he used the "Eye of Secrets" to gaze upon the blood-colored devil and the black liquid—only for it to erupt fully in sleep.

Calming his thoughts, he wrote down everything he'd seen and heard on Hanter Island as words, replacing "Naporedisli" with the phrase "Love Spell."

At the end of the letter, Lu Mi wrote sincerely:

"I've encountered too many devils lately. I feel my contamination has built up—I'd like to receive treatment."

Immediately after, Lu Mi performed the ritual and summoned the "Doll" messenger, handing it the folded square of paper.

As the "Doll" messenger extended its right hand to take the letter, it covered its nose with its left palm:

"You stepped on the stinkiest thing in the world!

"So foul! So foul!

"So filthy!"

Pinching the letter between two fingers, the "Doll" messenger vanished instantly from the room.

Lu Mi waited a while. When the "Magician" Lady didn't reply immediately, he decided to visit elsewhere—perhaps find some "treatment" there.

It was the main cathedral of the "Mother Earth" Church in Hanter Port, which he'd visited yesterday.

At dawn, before work began, many believers gathered to listen to the sermon.

The preacher was the same ice-blue-eyed, middle-aged clergyman from yesterday.

He was interpreting a doctrine from the holy text, elaborating on the unity of good and evil, their inseparability, and the virtue of promoting good while suppressing evil.

Isn't it strange for a devil to preach this? Lu Mi muttered inwardly, sitting in the front row, listening idly.

He soon sensed the church pulsed with vibrant life—plants grew lush, mushrooms sprouted unseen, the scent of wheat and milk soothed the soul.

Unconsciously, Lu Mi felt his own vitality strengthen.

Each major divine church has its own strengths... he thought silently.

After five or six minutes, the ice-blue-eyed clergyman finished his sermon and approached him, smiling gently:

"Young ones who heed advice always have bright futures.

"Praise the Earth! Praise the Mother of All!"

Is he hinting he's pleased I stopped asking questions, stopped exploring the forest, stopped searching for ice-blue-eyed figures since noon yesterday? Lu Mi watched the clergyman lower his raised hands, then said:

"But last night, I had a terrifying dream—I nearly died."

"What dream?" the ice-blue-eyed clergyman asked warmly.

"Father, what's your name?" Lu Mi replied with a question.

"Newman," the ice-blue-eyed clergyman said, giving his human name.

Lu Mi briefly described the blood-colored devil, the black liquid, the shadowy figure, and the tree knots and branches—omitting his own injuries.

Bishop Newman listened silently, then stared at Lu Mi for several seconds:

"Would you like to hear me preach?"

"Yes," Lu Mi replied—he wanted to hear how this ice-blue-eyed devil would explain it.

Newman opened the holy text, his voice rich and resonant:

"There are two abysses: one material, its entrance somewhere in the real world; one spiritual, its entrance deep within every soul.

"Sometimes these two abysses are separate; often, they are one.

"Kindness and malice arise from the same source. We inevitably feel envy, hatred, destruction, greed, harm, pride—this is normal, not sin.

"But if you kill from envy, kill from hatred, kill from greed, commit evil from pride, your soul will slowly sink into the abyss within.

"Then, only repentance to the Mother can save you—just as you do now.

"Merciful Mother, I have fallen into the abyss of evil..."

Lu Mi listened quietly, understanding what Bishop Newman meant:

I erred through arrogance.

Having repeatedly taken risks before without encountering major problems, he had come to underestimate the hidden dangers of higher-level things.

He stood up and raised his hands high:

"I understand."

"Praise the Earth, praise the mother of all things!"

Newman nodded in satisfaction.

Back on the "Berry," Lu Mi saw a folded reply letter.

The letter contained a spirit realm coordinate and a single sentence:

"The matter on Hante Island is concluded. Go there at your convenience to receive treatment."

(End of Chapter)