Chapter 660: Deep-seated Desires

The merchant answered Camus's relayed question with a hint of wariness:

"Officer, we really don't have any special folk festivals. We only celebrate two holidays each year: the 'Sun Festival' in December and the 'New Day Festival' in June."

The "Sun Festival" is the fixed holiday of the Eternal Blazing Sun Church, held on the day with the longest daylight of the year, which is also when the sun reaches its highest point at noon.

In the Northern Continent, this falls in mid-to-late June, while in the Southern Continent, because the seasons are reversed, it is held in mid-to-late December.

The "New Day Festival," however, is a holiday created by the Southern Continent's followers of the Eternal Blazing Sun themselves. They hold celebrations when the nights are longest and the days are shortest, welcoming the return of the sun and looking forward to increasing light and warmer weather.

This overlaps with the New Year in many parts of the Southern Continent, and the two have gradually merged.

The merchant meant that the residents of Tizamo Town now only celebrate holidays related to the Eternal Blazing Sun, having abandoned their pursuit of the "God of Death."

He thought for a moment and added:

"It has been this way for a long time; it was like this when my grandfather was born."

Matani State, especially Port Pylos and the gold-mining city of Devis, has been an Intis colony for nearly a century. The indigenous people were forced to change their faith several generations ago, becoming followers of the Eternal Blazing Sun. Of course, this was limited to areas that the original colonial institutions could effectively manage.

When Lu Mian arrived at Port Pylos, one of his impressions was:

At the docks and in the core districts, it was not much different from port cities in Intis proper, except that the people working busily had darker, browner skin. In the districts where Intis and Feynapotter people were present, the population was smaller, quiet, and clean. Once past the Aurella Hotel and turning into other areas of Port Pylos, various buildings with West Balam characteristics suddenly rose up, the passing pedestrians became bustling, and the Dutan language echoed everywhere.

Lu Mian asked a few more details, which corroborated the merchant's earlier words from the side, and the "Interrogator" Camus found no signs that the man was lying.

"From childhood to adulthood, what things left a deep impression on you, to the point that you still recall them from time to time?" Lu Mian changed the subject.

The merchant recalled and said:

"Grand funerals... one new coffin after another...

"The primitive tribes that clashed with us every year... the screams that occasionally rang out at night because of them...

"Everyone is very hardworking, peaceful, and well-mannered. We get angry, we get annoyed, but we don't argue on the spot, we don't shout loudly; we choose to find a priest, a policeman, or a judge to judge who is right and who is wrong..."

After Camus translated the merchant's words for Lu Mian, he added a few comments of his own:

"It is indeed like this. I have been to Tizamo Town; the people there are all very, very docile. Even when treated unfairly, they rarely show that kind of intense resistance. The plantation owners in the surrounding area love to hire them, which reduces their expenses for buying slaves.

"Of course, it's not that they have no emotions or won't resist, but rather they tend to follow order and go through official channels to resolve problems. This, this can be considered excellent believers of the Eternal Blazing Sun, right?"

The honorific of the "Eternal Blazing Sun" contains the description "Incarnation of Order."

—As a member of a branch family of the Feynapotter royal family, Camus undoubtedly believed in the "Mother Goddess of Earth," and he knew that Louis Berry came from the Republic of Intis and was very likely a believer of the "Eternal Blazing Sun."

Lu Mian stood up, smiling as he opened his arms:

"Praise the Sun!"

"Praise the Sun!" The merchant hurriedly made the same gesture.

Lu Mian sat back down, thought for a few seconds, and said:

"Have you ever had any strange dreams?"

The merchant first nodded, then shook his head:

"Too many, but I've forgotten them all now. Don't you have strange dreams?"

That is true. Dreams are not controlled by one's own consciousness. Sometimes they reflect revelations obtained by spirituality, sometimes they are the manifestation of suppressed desires, sometimes they are mappings of certain things from the day, and sometimes they are a combination of these—bizarre and strange, any situation is possible... I also often have strange dreams. When I was previously affected by the devil's corruption, they were even stranger and more exaggerated... Lu Mian felt there was no problem with the merchant's answer.

If the other party could accurately state which strange dream it was, he would instead be suspicious:

This would either mean the dream was too strange and left a deep impression, making it unforgettable, or the merchant was abnormal and had come prepared.

After chatting about other situations, Lu Mian sent the merchant out of the master bedroom.

The answers of the other two Tizamo people were much the same as the merchant's, only adding those things they could see from their own social strata and their own unique encounters.

Lu Mian found no traces of the "Dream Festival."

"If the 'Dream Festival' is really related to Tizamo Town, then there is only one possibility left: after the townspeople fall asleep, they enter a dream world to celebrate the holiday, and wake up having forgotten everything...

"No, there is another possibility. The prank in Tizamo Town by 'Siso' includes two camps: one is the townspeople of Tizamo, and the other is the primitive tribe in the nearby jungle. Could the 'Dream Festival' be the holiday of that primitive tribe?

"'Siso's' prank affected that 'Dream Festival,' which caused the people of that primitive tribe to suddenly attack Tizamo Town, causing significant casualties and covering up the traces left by his ritual to advance to 'Apostle of Desires'?" Lu Mian thought as he sent Camus and the three Tizamo people to the door.

After returning to the master bedroom, he stood in front of the desk, gazing at the stone wall in front of him, his eyes flickering with both anticipation and trepidation.

He chose to stay in the Southern Continent and actively pursue "Siso's" legacy, indeed to grow in blood and fire, chaos and strife, find more opportunities for acting, and strive to open the "Gate of Divinity" as soon as possible to advance to Sequence 4.

And the reason he was so impatient was:

He saw a glimmer of hope for resurrecting his sister!

The state of the Napo-Redislis on Hunt Island gave him a glimmer of hope!

This hope is that high-ranking members of the "Mother Goddess of Earth" Church can likely split other people's souls and allow each soul fragment to grow into a relatively separate individual through rebirth.

And inside Lu Mian's body, Aurora's soul fragment was sealed.

Perhaps, high-ranking members of the "Mother Goddess of Earth" Church could use one or several such soul fragments to allow Aurora to return through rebirth!

Lu Mian did not know if such a vision could be realized, or if it was a "resurrection" in the true sense, but this was the most likely method he had come into contact with so far, and he had to try it no matter what.

Of course, he couldn't directly use Aurora's soul fragment to test it. He planned to deliberately create some soul fragments in his subsequent harvests and then find the "Mother Goddess of Earth" Church for help to see if rebirth was possible, and whether the person who returned through rebirth was the original person.

Once all the details were confirmed to be correct, he would then resurrect Aurora.

And as for wanting to cooperate with the "Mother Goddess of Earth" Church on such a level, Lu Mian felt that he was not yet qualified. Only by becoming a demigod and having the secret organization "Tarot Club" as his backing could he gain the attention of the "Mother Goddess of Earth" Church and have the ability to fulfill the transaction conditions proposed by the other side.

For this reason, Lu Mian was impatient to obtain divinity and advance to Sequence 4.

Sometimes, Lu Mian wished his sister was also a Blessed of that Celestial Worthy and had inherited that ancient castle, so that she could be resurrected very simply.

"Hmm, if I want to take out Aurora's soul fragment, I have to break Mr. 'Fool's' seal. To break Mr. 'Fool's' seal, I must wait for Termiboros to become very weak. If I want Termiboros to become very weak, I have to constantly extract His power, higher-level power. And if I want to withstand higher-level gift power, I myself must possess divinity and improve my level step by step..." Lu Mian's thoughts gradually became clear, and he longed for advancement as never before.

…………

Trier, Memorial District, 9 Orosai Street, Apartment 702.

Franca was covered by a velvet quilt, lying on the bed, her cheeks still flushed, her eyes moist and shimmering, while her expression was unusually complex.

Jenna was lying beside her, covered by the same velvet quilt, already fast asleep. Between her brows was exhaustion, satisfaction, resistance, and lingering attachment. Her outstretched arms and the fair skin exposed outside still had a flush that had not yet faded.

Franca gazed at Jenna like this and suddenly sighed faintly.

The feeling just now was more wonderful than she had imagined, but her heart felt as if a piece was missing, as if something was lacking.

It is wonderful now, but what will happen after the "Pleasure" potion is digested?

Will physical entanglement and spiritual estrangement happen at the same time?

After extreme pleasure, will there be sadness, or the pain of sinking and not wanting to be saved?

Sigh... Franca sighed again in a low voice.

She felt that her "Pleasure" potion had been digested a lot all at once.

…………

Matani State, Port Pylos.

Lu Mian, who had drunk a glass of "Guadal" beverage, raised his head and said to Lugano in a tone of discussing today's weather:

"We are going to Tizamo Town today. Are you coming with me and Ludwig, or staying here to wait for us?

"I'll tell you in advance, the matter in Tizamo Town might be very dangerous."

Very dangerous... Lugano subconsciously wanted to say that he would wait in Port Pylos, but then he remembered the matter regarding Father Montserrat.

He gritted his teeth and said:

"I'll go with you."

If he encountered danger in Tizamo Town, he could still look forward to his boss saving him; if he encountered danger here, he could only rely on himself!

Lu Mian nodded slightly and didn't say anything more.

After checking out and arriving on the street, he laughed and said to Lugano and Ludwig:

"Are we going to Tizamo in a coffin, or by carriage?"

Before Lugano and Ludwig could answer, a four-wheeled, four-seater carriage drove over from under the shade of the trees.

The person driving the carriage was a young man, head lowered, not daring to look to the side.

The carriage stopped, and Camus Castilla walked out of the carriage, his smile quite strained as he said to Lu Mian:

"Thank you for your help these past few days. Let me take you to Tizamo Town."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 661 =====