Chapter 659: Tizamozhen

Looking at the two options listed by the "Magician" lady, Lu Mi fell into thought.

These are both excellent rewards!

Know that Sequence 4 is a pivotal node in the transformation of the extraordinary, granting divinity and enabling one to become a half-human, half-divine being—most extraordinary individuals will never have the chance to reach this level, which refers not only to becoming a half-god but also to obtaining or even witnessing related artifacts.

A Sequence 4 elixir formula is in most cases unbuyable with money!

Moreover, this is the Sequence 4 elixir formula of Lu Mi's own path.

As for the reward for helping to divine clues about the remaining parts of the "Pus-Swollen Severed Hand," it represents a promise and aid from an angel—ordinary extraordinary individuals have never even heard of such a thing, let alone acquired it; they can only read in the holy texts of major churches stories of an angel receiving the Lord's permission to answer a believer's prayer.

Besides, Lu Mi truly needs to resolve this issue.

After becoming Sequence 5's "Harvester," he must put finding the remaining parts of the "Pus-Swollen Severed Hand" body on his agenda; otherwise, if he acquires the formula, gathers the materials, completes the digestion, prepares the ritual, and encounters a crisis—but cannot advance to semi-godhood in time due to an unfulfilled promise and oath-bound restrictions—he won't even have a chance to regret it.

And relying solely on himself to search, Lu Mi currently has no leads whatsoever; the only idea he can think of is to imitate the incantation used to summon the "Pus-Swollen Severed Hand," design a new series of summoning incantations, and see if he can summon forth its legs, arms, body, or head.

But this is an extremely dangerous attempt; during dreams, when he received his sister's instruction, Lu Mi already knew that when a summoning incantation lacks clear direction and cannot include any restrictions, the entity summoned could be anything—perhaps a malevolent, semi-god-tier spiritual being that might kill the summoner on the spot.

—The direction cannot be precise because Lu Mi currently has no idea how fragmented the "Pus-Swollen Severed Hand" body's remaining parts are; it might be a relatively intact body missing only one hand, or it might be reduced to a pile of debris the size of peanuts, making accurate description impossible—he can only test repeatedly, narrowing the range each time, essentially using his life as an experiment.

More importantly, Lu Mi has already read through the entire catalog of common spiritual beings provided earlier by the "Magician" lady and found nothing resembling the remaining parts of the "Pus-Swollen Severed Hand."

Lu Mi wants the Sequence 4 "Ironblood Knight" elixir formula, and he also wants the clues to the remaining parts of the "Pus-Swollen Severed Hand" body.

This is why he is lost in thought and cannot decide.

He even considered teleporting back to Trier to ask Fu Lan Ka or Jianna to divine for him and see what his intuition might suggest.

In a flash of thought, Lu Mi made his decision:

Choose the second one!

This is because he remembered something: the reward granted by the "Hanged Man" gentleman had yet to be claimed—it was an opportunity to explore the "Azure Avenger." And this ghost ship was an inheritance of the Tudo Empire.

Considering that "Blood Emperor" Arista Tudo was once the true god of the "Hunter" path, the half-mad "Red Priest," it is entirely plausible that Tudo Empire's legacy contains the Sequence 4 elixir formula of the "Hunter" path, as well as extraordinary materials and traits.

Lu Mi immediately sat down and wrote a reply to the "Magician" lady, stating his choice and reporting that he would soon travel to Tizamozhen to investigate the "Xiso" inheritance.

…………

At four in the afternoon, Qiao Mi. Ka Si Di Ya of the patrol team knocked on the door of Suite 7 on the third basement level of the Aurela Hotel, accompanied by three dark-skinned South Continentals.

"They are all from Tizamozhen, born and raised there, only coming to Pailos Port to seek opportunities as adults," Qiao Mi introduced the two men and one woman in Intis language. "One is a supplier of 'Guadar' berries, one married a local citizen and works at the port, and one became a thief."

One is a relatively wealthy merchant, one a dockworker, one a thief—perfectly representing three distinct social strata, with both genders present… This will let me understand Tizamozhen as fully and comprehensively as possible… Qiao Mi is very professional in this regard; no wonder he was once a "Peacekeeper"… Lu Mi nodded slightly and addressed the three interviewees in his halting Dutan language:

"I am a folklorist, about to travel to Tizamozhen, and before I go, I hope to learn more about that small town. My Dutan is still not very good, but Mr. Qiao Mi will help translate."

"We follow Officer Qiao's lead," said the eldest merchant, smiling broadly; the other two quickly echoed him.

Lu Mi stepped aside and spoke to Lu Jianuo:

"I'll take one to the master bedroom for conversation; you entertain the other two."

"Understood," Lu Jianuo hurried over.

In the master bedroom, Lu Mi politely invited the merchant to sit in the armchair, then retreated to the edge of the bed and spoke in Intis language:

"What does Tizamozhen primarily produce?"

Qiao Mi, translating, felt puzzled:

Is Louis Berry really going to Tizamozhen for tourism?

He's clearly chasing traces of Tewanako!

Qiao Mi adopted the demeanor of an "Interrogator," looking down at the seated merchant, and relayed Lu Mi's question.

The merchant answered nervously:

"Officer, we mainly grow 'Guadar' berries, spices, and jungle fruits; there are several plantations nearby. We often hunt in the jungle, selling meat and furs, and we cut down trees to make coffins.

"Only these, and then we grow some corn and potatoes for our own consumption…"

Lu Mi listened to himself, then corrected his grasp of Dutan based on Qiao Mi's translation.

He began chatting casually, asking about the townspeople's favorite foods, income levels, and daily pastimes.

Based on the merchant's answers, he began constructing a preliminary image of Tizamozhen in his mind:

Most residents are locals; outsiders consist only of plantation owners from surrounding areas and some slaves they bought from unknown places. Thanks to providing hunting services for the gentlemen of Pailos Port, Tizamozhen is neither isolated nor conservative, and has considerable awareness of external affairs.

The worship of the Death God has been eradicated in Tizamozhen; the townspeople now primarily revere the "Eternal Sun," yet traces of Death God worship remain clearly visible in daily life: frequent visits to graveyards, burial of children who die young without coffins, every adult must prepare their own coffin in advance, and the most desired mode of travel is lying in a coffin.

Lu Mi finished this topic with interest and then asked:

"Do you know Tewanako Tupian?"

Finally getting to the key part… Qiao Mi exhaled quietly and relayed the question to the merchant.

The merchant's face lit up with a clear smile:

"I know him!

"He's famous in town."

"Why?" Qiao Mi asked.

The merchant smiled apologetically:

"Officer, he's probably your colleague—he was the first person from Tizamozhen to join the patrol team, and his rank kept rising; he's our pride."

Lu Mi chuckled:

"I'm curious what Tewanako was like before."

The merchant's expression shifted slightly; he glanced around and said:

"Officers, has Tewanako committed some crime? Has he joined those Death God-worshipping cults?"

Quite sharp… Lu Mi muttered, while Qiao Mi growled:

"Who's asking questions here—me or you? Answer properly!"

Under the psychological pressure of the "Interrogator," the dark-skinned merchant trembled and replied:

"I've known since early on that this young man, Tewanako, would become extraordinary—but I also knew he would one day walk the path of sacrilege."

Seeing Qiao Mi and Lu Mi waiting for more, the merchant gathered his thoughts:

"Tewanako's family once suffered a fire; all his relatives died, but he survived. In our customs, someone who survives such a disaster is blessed by the gods, spared death—and such people always accomplish great things."

The "blessing of the gods" here refers to the Death God, right? Surviving means receiving the Death God's favor? Lu Mi interrupted thoughtfully:

"Did the fire happen over six years ago?"

"How do you know?" The merchant first asked in shock, then slapped his forehead. "I'm foolish—you must have already investigated."

So the fire must have resurrected Tewanako and turned him into "Xiso"… Lu Mi nodded:

"Continue."

The merchant recalled:

"After that, Tewanako became silent, as if traumatized, and stopped attending mass, stopped entering the churches of the gods.

"Later, he left Tizamozhen and went to Pailos Port."

Why wasn't Tewanako worried about being investigated? He didn't even bother with simple pretense of faith? "Xiso" had already become a practitioner of the "Demon" path—how could he possibly attend the "Eternal Sun" Church's mass? Where did his first elixir come from? After hearing Qiao Mi's translation, Lu Mi pondered and asked:

"Does Tewanako frequently return to Tizamozhen?"

"He returns every year, but I don't know exactly how many times or how long he stays," the merchant answered honestly.

"Where does he stay when he returns to Tizamozhen?" Lu Mi pressed further.

The merchant replied smoothly:

"At his own home—he rebuilt the burned house after joining the patrol team and becoming wealthy."

Rebuilt the house destroyed in that fire… Lu Mi pondered for a few seconds and asked:

"Are there any special folk festivals in Tizamozhen?"

(End of Chapter)