Chapter 65: Weapons (Requesting Monthly Votes)

In the form of a corpse?

Lu Mi’s heart sank slowly.

If Raymond’s corpse had been removed from the cycle due to sacrifice, he could no longer rely on the cycle to revive; once the anomaly in Cordu Village was resolved, he would be truly dead, not merely missing.

Although Lu Mi was reluctant to admit that Raymond, such a foolish fellow, was his friend, they had known each other for nearly five years, played together, pulled pranks together, and gone through many things—he couldn’t possibly treat him like a stranger.

Reflecting on the past, he realized that, aside from Aurora, Raymond was probably the person he had interacted with the most.

Didn’t Aurora always say, “The sillier the person, the luckier they are”? Why had this happened? Lu Mi couldn’t help retorting:

“Even as a corpse, there’s still a spirit—and it would still trigger the cycle.”

Aurora let out a soft sigh:

“What if the entity being sacrificed had no interest in the spirit, only in flesh and blood?”

“What if It didn’t want to trigger the cycle, took only the flesh and blood, left Raymond’s spirit behind in Cordu—or destroyed it outright?”

In that case, Raymond’s corpse would be nothing but pure matter without spirit, capable of leaving the cycle without causing a restart.

Hearing his sister’s questions, Lu Mi instantly replayed the possible events in his mind:

After they left the water’s edge, Raymond had swum farther out, when suddenly an invisible force seized his legs, clamped over his mouth, and dragged him into the river’s depths, drowning him there.

Afterwards, his spirit remained at the riverbed—or was destroyed—while his corpse drifted to some unknown place, becoming an offering…

Thinking of this, Lu Mi suddenly had an insight:

“Whether Raymond’s spirit was left behind or destroyed, once the cycle restarts, he should appear again—as a ghost.”

“Logically, that makes sense,” Aurora nodded as if thinking, “After dark, I’ll perform a séance to see if I can summon Raymond’s spirit. Ideally, we’ll need an object he used frequently as a medium.”

Lu Mi responded without hesitation:

“After we explore the castle this afternoon, I’ll go to Raymond’s house—his parents will want to ask me about his whereabouts anyway.”

With the Hunter’s skills and Lu Mi’s alertness, acquiring one of Raymond’s personal items won’t be hard.

“Fine,” Aurora did not object.

Lu Mi exhaled and asked:

“Aurora, uh, sister… you can still perform séances?”

“As a ‘Seeker of Secrets,’ I understand a little of everything,” Aurora gave a self-deprecating smile. “How did your talks with those three outsiders go?”

Lu Mi recounted in full his conversation with the mysterious woman and his discussions with Ryan, Lyra, and Valentine—though he omitted the woman’s prayer words.

Aurora listened in silence, then sighed deeply:

“Voluntarily enduring contamination is extremely dangerous, but to explore the Dream Ruins, uncover their secrets, and find the key to breaking the cycle, there’s no other choice. I’m sorry you have to bear this…”

“What’s there to be sorry about?” Lu Mi patted his chest. “I’m saving myself.”

Aurora nodded slightly:

“I can use my bottle of perfume for the gray amber; cloves are already in the house, and I have musk and candle-making materials too. Only the tulips need to be found elsewhere.”

“Hmm, I remember Madame Pauris’s garden has some—though I’m not sure if they’ve bloomed yet.”

“They have,” Lu Mi was certain.

During the last cycle, when he and Aurora went to the castle to borrow a carriage, he’d noticed many flowers in the garden were in full bloom—unusual for early spring in the mountains.

Aurora hummed:

“Since you’re going to explore the castle this afternoon, you might as well pick a few.”

“Then, will the mysterious woman deliver these items into the Dream Ruins?”

“Yes,” Lu Mi thought so too.

Aurora thought a moment longer and added:

“Before we leave this afternoon, I’ll give you the ‘Pin of Integrity.’ Madame Pauris’s castle is clearly corrupt—possibly even tied to the undead—and it will be extremely useful.”

“No need,” Lu Mi said quickly, seeing his sister still trying to persuade him. “Valentine is a fervent follower of the Eternal Sun. According to your description, as a Follower, he likely chose the ‘Sun’ Path—which is far more effective than the ‘Pin of Integrity.’”

Based on Aurora’s observations over the years, fervent followers of the Eternal Sun almost always chose the ‘Sun’ Path.

The reverse also held true: followers of the ‘Sun’ Path who were devoted to the Eternal Sun tended to grow increasingly fanatical—unless they had never truly believed in the True God to begin with.

“True,” Aurora relented and instructed, “You can practice the simplified method of opening your Spirit Sight. Then, take a nap at noon to restore your energy. Tonight, I’ll teach you the Ancient Hermes words and terms needed for the ritual.”

Hearing his sister’s words, Lu Mi suddenly remembered a phrase she often said when rushing to finish her manuscripts:

“Time is short, the task is heavy.”

…………

At 3:20 p.m., on the slope beside the Administrative Official’s Castle.

Lu Mi saw Madame Pauris, dressed in a slightly voluminous gray-blue elegant gown, her hair styled in a mature, refined updo, walking toward the village with her personal maid, Cassie.

Once their figures had faded into the distance, Lu Mi quickly turned and walked to the back of the hill.

Ryan, Lyra, and Valentine were already waiting there, still dressed exactly as before, showing no signs of preparation.

Lu Mi glanced at their empty hands and asked in surprise:

“No weapons?”

Ryan, wearing a brown tweed jacket, light-yellow trousers, black leather shoes, and a dark round hat, standing barely over 1.7 meters tall, smiled faintly:

“My weapon doesn’t need to be carried.”

Valentine, dressed in a white waistcoat and blue fine wool coat, followed:

“I don’t need a weapon.”

“My weapon is this,” Lyra, clad in a white pleatless cashmere bodysuit, a beige short coat, and Marcell boots, pulled out a pistol from nowhere.

The pistol was entirely silver-white, small and exquisitely crafted. Lyra removed the magazine and let Lu Mi see the different-colored bullets inside, each engraved with unique patterns and symbols, and casually explained:

“They each have different supernatural effects.”

*Click.* She snapped the magazine back in, hid the pistol, then smiled at Lu Mi:

“What weapon did you bring?”

You all either don’t need weapons, don’t carry them, or have such a beautiful, powerful pistol—you’re making me look like an idiot… Lu Mi silently turned, lifted his dark jacket, and revealed the iron-black axe strapped inside his belt.

Before Ryan or the others could speak, he sighed:

“You all really look like Followers. I look like a gang thug ready for a brawl.”

Lyra laughed merrily:

“You’ve got a good sense of self-mockery.”

“Self-mockery is better than being mocked by others,” Lu Mi pointed to the steep rear slope. “Let’s climb now—we can’t waste any more time.”

“Alright,” Lyra, in her tight dress, was the first to begin climbing.

Her movements were light and agile; her balance seemed exceptional. She easily scaled the hilltop using a few protruding rocks.

More astonishingly, the four silver bells tied to her veil and boots didn’t move a single bit—no sound at all.

Lu Mi followed closely behind. Though not as graceful or effortless, he used the Hunter’s potion-enhanced strength to grip stones and tree roots, swiftly climbing the hill he’d once been unable to scale.

Once steady, he looked down and saw Ryan grabbing Valentine’s shoulder and lifting him up.

Ryan leapt, landing directly on a protruding rock halfway up the hill.

Then he leapt again, carrying Valentine smoothly to Lu Mi and Lyra’s side.

Throughout the entire process, his physique seemed to have grown several sizes larger.

Lu Mi stared in shock:

The hill wasn’t tall, but leaping only twice to reach the top? That’s absurd.

The Hunter could never do that!

He snapped back to awareness, glanced at the deep-black castle with its two towers and the garden partially surrounding it, and said to the three outsiders:

“Let’s go around to the back door.”

“Wait,” Ryan stopped him, his gaze fixed on Lyra.

Lyra said nothing, stepping two paces toward the castle’s back door.

Her lips moved silently, murmuring something.

The next instant, the four silver bells on her veil and boots began jingling.

The sound was quiet but intense and rapid.

Lyra turned to Lu Mi and the others:

“This path is dangerous. The problem is severe.”

Then she stepped two paces toward the front gate.

The jingling didn’t stop—it grew even more intense and frantic.

“Going through the front gate will likely cause major trouble,” Lyra’s tone was serious, yet her face carried a faint smile.

“What about windows?” Ryan asked.

Lyra nodded, changing direction toward the garden.

This time, the bells rang—but softly, slowly.

“This path is acceptable,” Lyra exhaled with a smile.

Watching the entire process, Lu Mi was slightly bewildered—he didn’t understand what the three outsiders were doing.

Is this how Followers act? He recalled his sister’s teachings and asked:

“Is this divination for danger?”

“Yes,” Lyra nodded, then turned to Valentine. “I’ll scout ahead. You get ready.”

“Understood,” Valentine replied solemnly.

“Ready for what?” Lu Mi was still confused—when in doubt, he asked.

Lyra smiled:

“Prepare to create fire with divine arts.”

But before Lu Mi could ask why they needed to create fire, Lyra had stepped into the garden and walked along the path toward the castle’s side.

Soon, she reached a window and signaled with her hands that all was clear.

“Go,” Ryan Cos said briefly, quickly moving toward Lyra.

Lu Mi and Valentine hurried after him.

As they passed several tulips, Lu Mi reached out to pluck one, but Ryan blocked him with his forearm.

He didn’t ask why Lu Mi wanted to do that; instead, he said gently:

“No need to rush—wait until we’re out to pick them.”

“If picking flowers now causes any unexpected trouble, we’ll have to cancel the rest of our operation.”

That’s right… Lu Mi absorbed the lesson fully.

Soon, they arrived beside a row of windows on the castle’s side.

PS: Requesting monthly votes~

(End of chapter)