Chapter 655: Lumian

Francia stepped out of the shadows, relieved to see the silver full-body armor had vanished with Lumian's departure from the warehouse, and with no weak targets left here, the place had grown quiet again, no further attacks occurring.

She crept cautiously closer, avoiding the back of the "Armor of Pride," and arrived at its front.

The "Armor of Pride" remained utterly still.

Francia extended both hands, barely lifting the silver full-body armor, and shoved it back into her "Traveler's Satchel."

Only then did she relax, calling out to the surroundings:

"It's over, it's over."

Jianna's figure immediately emerged from another dark corner, while Anthony abruptly appeared at the warehouse entrance, poised to roll away at any moment.

Within seconds, Lumian flipped back in through the high window.

Francia chuckled:

"Fuck, we didn't have a problem fighting 'Siso,' and now we nearly got wiped out by our own sealed item—only because we all had substitutes; otherwise, we'd be dead or badly wounded."

"This could be a comic strip for 'Grim Face' magazine," Jianna coolly remarked.

After moving out of the Market District, she had gained considerable free time; though she still owed Francia a large sum, her supplies were enough to cover it, so while completing her "Tarot Society" missions and practicing roleplays, she could watch a play every week, buy magazines, newspapers, and books she'd once wanted but couldn't afford, and experience the department stores and certain restaurants she'd once longed for.

Francia gave a dry laugh:

"Who'd have thought this armor held such a grudge? Hey, what exactly did you do to it?"

She directed the question at Lumian.

Lumian spread his hands:

"I just stabbed it in the back."

"I thought once we broke contact and it calmed down, it'd be fine."

Francia nodded vigorously, taking the cue:

"Yeah, I thought the same."

"It's all the armor's fault! This isn't even like armor!"

After complaining, Francia paused and said:

"I don't know when it'll forget you stabbed it—better keep it with me for now."

"Mm." Lumian felt a pang of regret; such a useful sealed item was temporarily unusable.

He turned to the more severely damaged corpse of "Siso" and the unaffected Extraordinary Characteristic, retrieved them into his "Traveler's Satchel," and said seriously:

"I hope the operation against the Industrial Minister begins only after this sealed item is completed; though its negative effects are certainly severe, the 'Apostle of Desire' plus 'Wraith' will be extremely useful—even if we can only activate part of their abilities."

"Indeed," Francia said eagerly.

She turned to Lumian:

"'Siso' is dead—your goal in the South Continent has been achieved. Where to next? Come back to Trill with us?"

Lumian shook his head, as if he'd already considered the answer:

"I plan to stay in the South Continent a while longer."

"Why? To investigate Tizamuo Village and 'Siso's' item? That doesn't seem necessary," Jianna said, puzzled.

Lumian smiled:

"Isn't this the Hunter's paradise?"

Before Francia or the others could ask, Lumian explained seriously:

"After all this, I've gradually realized a problem: for a Hunter to roleplay well and digest faster, they must experience many events."

"I mean, the Hunter's roleplay is more direct and tangible than others—unlike the Witch, who must experience pleasure, endure pain, and ponder abstract, philosophical concepts, which are often complex."

"The Hunter only needs to be immersed in chaos and conflict, constantly fighting—that's roleplaying: combat is another word for hunting; chaos and conflict inevitably bring conspiracies, provocation serves to enable those conspiracies, arson ensures victory in battle, and the outcome of each event is a harvest: harvesting enemies' lives, harvesting the fruits of victory."

Seeing Francia, Jianna, and Anthony both confused and thoughtful, Lumian smiled:

"From Sequence 9 to now Sequence 5, it's taken me less than a year. Why?"

"Because I've been passively or actively drawn into a series of events, and through constant chaos, conflict, and combat, I've understood the roleplay rules and found opportunities to roleplay."

"Simply put, before high Sequences, the Hunter has no fancy roleplay requirements; though my own nature gives me some insights into fate, those still stem from determination and will—also part of combat."

"The Hunter is forged in blood and fire, grows amid chaos and conflict. If I want to grow stronger, I must chase these things—the South Continent can provide them all."

This way, Lumian could quickly begin digesting the "Harvester" elixir and attempt to accept Sequence 5, the "Fate Hunter."

Only by truly mastering some fate-related abilities could Lumian hope, next time he faced "Loki," to uncover the connection between him and that ancient castle.

According to Francia, to face a foe who can resurrect, you must find his resurrection point and wait there!

Of course, becoming a "Fate Hunter" would bring dangers too, for it meant—whether due to the Xieshenjuanzhe 's world-rejection-induced aggregation or the natural pull between fate powers—Lumian's probability of encountering "The One in the Ring," Vazan Sansong, would rise sharply.

Though he longed for such an encounter, he knew he wasn't ready to face a half-god, lacked the power to do so; after all, the high-ranking allies he could summon couldn't watch him constantly, and when such a meeting occurred was beyond control.

After hearing Lumian's explanation, Francia looked envious.

If the Witch's roleplay were this simple…

The earlier "Assassin" and "Instigator" were straightforward enough, but the later ones grew increasingly troublesome.

Sigh, when I met Lumian, I was higher in Sequence and stronger—he's surpassed me in less than a year… Francia felt a pang of sorrow, and a touch of impulsiveness.

After seeing Francia, Jianna, and Anthony off to Trill, Lumian entered Suite 7 on the third basement level of the Aurela Hotel and signaled Lu Jianuo to step out first.

Then he dragged "Siso's" corpse from his "Traveler's Satchel," placed it before Ludwig, and smiled:

"I promised you—can you eat it?"

Ludwig, holding silver child's knife and fork, with a steak before him, jumped off his chair, stared at the bloodied, partially demonic corpse, and his face showed clear desire mixed with hesitation.

Clearly, he wanted to—but wasn't quite brave enough.

After fifteen seconds, Ludwig gently moved his child's knife and fork, as if making a decision:

"I can eat a little."

Before Lumian could respond, he crouched down, extending the child's fork toward Siso's unsealed, flaxen eyes.

With a cutting sound, he lifted the two eyeballs—each with faint demonic traits—one on the fork, one on the knife tip.

Then he poured himself a glass of orange-yellow "Guad'er" drink with one hand.

"This has caffeine—kids shouldn't drink it," Lumian remarked casually.

Ludwig glanced at the enticing drink, then at the eyeballs on his child's utensils and the half-demonic corpse on the floor, and fell silent.

Lumian fell silent too.

After a few seconds, Ludwig dropped the two eyeballs into the orange-yellow "Guad'er," then deliberately poked more holes with the fork, letting the liquid seep out.

Then he picked up the cup, crouched beside Siso's corpse, and brought it close to the spot where a few drops of blood still dripped.

Plop. Plop. Plop. Three drops of sulfur-scented blood fell into the now-fading orange drink, instantly staining it with blood-red.

Ludwig shook the cup, then gulped it down.

Lumian watched him finish, noticed his spirits visibly lift, and asked curiously:

"What effect does this have?"

Ludwig licked his lips:

"Permanently increases some spirituality, enhances sensitivity to Abyssal aura, allows control of a few lower-rank undead."

"Only the first cup does this—drinking similar things later only temporarily boosts perception and restores a bit of spirituality."

When speaking of such matters, Ludwig's tone unconsciously grew mature.

Feels pretty good… but only you'd dare eat such bizarre stuff… Lumian muttered inwardly, retrieved Siso's corpse, returned to his bedroom, and began writing a letter to the "Magician" lady—mainly reporting Siso's public identity, his own theories, and the Tizamuo Village issue, proposing the reward for these unexpected gains be turning Siso's Extraordinary Characteristic into a sealed item.

Neatly folding the letter, Lumian took out the wild, flamboyant black crystal cluster, set up the ritual, and summoned the "Magician" lady's "Doll" messenger.

The "Doll" messenger emerged and immediately made a disgusted noise, pinching its nose.

It pointed at Siso's Extraordinary Characteristic, its voice sharp:

"Put it in a box! Put it in a box! It's filthy!"

Lumian rummaged through his "Traveler's Satchel" and pulled out a small paper box, stuffing the black crystal cluster inside.

"Tie it up."

"Put it in another box."

"Then put another box over them."

The "Doll" messenger kept adding demands.

Finally, it reluctantly picked up the nested boxes and carried off the letter.

…………

Patrol Corps of Pailos Port.

Lei Yasa said to Jiamu:

"All problematic officers have been removed; the rest are undergoing sequential review—you're next."

"How's Kolobo?" Jiamu asked anxiously.

"He's fine—we specifically summoned a 'Physician' from the Earth Mother Church," Lei Yasa replied calmly. "The biggest issue now is we haven't caught Tewanako yet—and we've confirmed he's both a 'Wraith' and an 'Apostle of Desire.'"

"How? That's too powerful!" Jiamu trembled at the thought of Tewanako's future revenge.

At that moment, a patrol officer entered the office and said to Lei Yasa and Jiamu:

"Captain Lei Yasa, boss—the guy in the straw hat is back!"

PS: Recommend a book: Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Synopsis: After being transported to a chaotic world filled with bizarre artifacts, Qiu Tu discovers he's slept with a powerful figure's mistress.

Since he's been found out, might as well go with the flow?

Catastrophe abilities and bizarre artifacts include: orpiment that erases your presence from others' memories; a beast's head that summons storms when kissed; reversal potion that increases affection when you hit someone.

(End of Chapter)