Chapter 660: The Desire in the Heart

The merchant answered Guimauve's paraphrase with a hint of caution:

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

The 'Sun Festival' is a fixed holy day of the Eternal Sun Church, held on the day of the year with the longest daylight, when the sun reaches its highest point at noon.

In the Northern Continent, this occurs in mid- to late June; in the Southern Continent, due to reversed seasons, it takes place in mid- to late December.

The 'New Day Festival' is a holiday created by the Southern Continent's followers of the Eternal Sun, celebrated on the day of the year with the longest night and shortest daylight, to welcome the sun's return and anticipate 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 townspeople of Tizamo now observe only festivals related to the Eternal Sun, having abandoned their worship of the Death God.

He paused, then added:

"It's been this way for a long time—since my grandfather was born."

Matanibang, especially the port of Pailos and the gold-mining city of Devise, has been a colony of Intis for nearly a century; the indigenous people were forced to change their faith generations ago and became followers of the Eternal Sun—though this only applied to areas effectively controlled by the original colonial authorities.

When Lu Mi arrived in Pailos, one of his impressions was:

At the docks and in the core districts, it was no different from port cities in Intis proper—only the laborers had darker, browner skin; neighborhoods frequented by Intis and Fenepotians were sparsely populated, quiet, and clean; but beyond the Aurela Hotel, as you turned into other parts of Pailos, buildings with Westbailang characteristics suddenly rose up, pedestrians became bustling, and the sound of Dutan echoed everywhere.

Lu Mi asked a few more details, indirectly confirming the merchant's earlier statements, and the 'Interrogator' Guimauve detected no signs of deception.

"Since childhood, what events have left a deep impression on you, still lingering in your memory?" Lu Mi changed the subject.

The merchant recalled:

"Grand funerals… one coffin after another newly made…"

"The primitive tribes that clashed with us every year… the occasional screams at night, brought by them…"

"A people who are hardworking, peaceful, and well-mannered—we get angry, we get irritated, but we never argue on the spot or shout; instead, we seek out priests, officers, or judges to judge who is right and who is wrong…"

After translating the merchant's words to Lu Mi, Guimauve added his own commentary:

"It's true—I've been to Tizamo. The people there are very, very docile; even when treated unjustly, they rarely mount fierce resistance. The plantation owners around here love hiring them—it cuts down on slave-purchasing costs."

"Of course, they aren't emotionless or incapable of rebellion—they simply prefer to follow order and resolve issues through official channels. Isn't this, this the mark of an exemplary follower of the Eternal Sun?"

One of the Eternal Sun's honorific titles is "Incarnation of Order."

—As a member of the Fenepot royal branch family, Guimauve unquestionably worshipped the Earth Mother, and he knew Louis Berry came from the Intis Republic and was very likely a follower of the Eternal Sun.

Lu Mi stood up, smiling and opening his arms:

"Praise the Sun!"

"Praise the Sun!" The merchant quickly mimicked the gesture.

Lu Mi sat back down, thought for a few seconds, then asked:

"Have you ever had any strange dreams?"

The merchant first nodded, then shook his head:

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

That was true—dreams are beyond conscious control; sometimes they reflect spiritual revelations, sometimes suppressed desires, sometimes echoes of daytime events, sometimes a combination—wildly varied, anything could happen… I often have strange dreams too; when I was tainted by the devil, they became even stranger, more exaggerated… Lu Mi found the merchant's answer unproblematic.

If the man could accurately name a specific strange dream, he'd suspect:

Either the dream was so bizarre it left a lasting impression, or the merchant was abnormal and had prepared in advance.

After chatting about other matters, Lu Mi escorted the merchant out of the main bedroom.

The other two Tizamo people gave answers nearly identical to the merchant's, merely adding details visible from their own social level and personal experiences.

Lu Mi found no trace of the 'Dream Festival.'

"If the 'Dream Festival' truly relates to Tizamo, only one possibility remains: the townspeople, while asleep, enter a dream world to celebrate the festival, then forget everything upon waking…"

"No, there's another possibility—the 'Siso' prank in Tizamo involves two factions: the townspeople and the primitive tribes in the nearby jungle. Could the 'Dream Festival' be the tribe's festival?"

"Could 'Siso's' prank have disrupted the 'Dream Festival,' causing the primitive tribe to suddenly attack Tizamo, inflicting heavy casualties and masking the residual traces of his ritual to ascend to the Apostle of Desire?" Lu Mi pondered as he escorted Guimauve and the three Tizamo people to the door.

Returning to the main bedroom, he stood before the desk, gazing at the stone wall ahead, his eyes flickering with anticipation and unease.

His decision to stay in the Southern Continent and actively pursue 'Siso's' legacy was indeed to grow through blood and fire, chaos and conflict, to find more opportunities for role-playing and secure a swift opening of the 'Divine Gate' to ascend to Sequence 4.

And the reason he was so eager was:

He had glimpsed a glimmer of hope to resurrect his sister!

The state of the Naporedis on Hanter Island had shown him a glimmer of hope!

That hope was this: the high-ranking members of the Earth Mother Church can likely split another's soul and allow each soul fragment to grow anew into a relatively independent individual.

And within Lu Mi's body was sealed a soul fragment of Aurora.

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

Lu Mi didn't know if this idea could work, or whether it would truly be 'resurrection'—but it was the most plausible method he had encountered so far, and he would try it no matter what.

Of course, he couldn't directly use Aurora's soul fragment for testing—he planned to deliberately create some soul fragments during future harvests, then seek help from the Earth Mother Church to see if rebirth was possible, and whether the reborn would be the original person.

Only after all details were confirmed would he resurrect Aurora.

And for a matter of this level—cooperating with the Earth Mother Church—Lu Mi felt he currently lacked the standing; only as a half-god, backed by the secret organization 'Tarot Society,' could he gain the Church's attention and fulfill any conditions they might demand.

Therefore, Lu Mi was desperate to obtain divinity and ascend to Sequence 4.

Sometimes, Lu Mi wished his sister had been a favored of that Archon and had inherited that ancient castle—then she could be resurrected with ease.

"Hmm, to extract Aurora's soul fragment, I must first break the seal of the Fool. To break the Fool's seal, I must wait until Thelmirapolis grows extremely weak. To make Thelmirapolis extremely weak, I must continuously drain His power—higher-tier power. And to withstand higher-tier divine gifts, I myself must attain divinity and gradually elevate my rank…" Lu Mi's thoughts grew clear, and his longing for ascension became unprecedented.

…………

Trier, Memorial District, Aoluosaijie No. 9, Apartment 702.

Franca lay on the bed, covered by a velvet quilt, her cheeks still flushed, her eyes glistening, her expression profoundly complex.

Jianna lay beside her, under the same velvet quilt, fast asleep; her brow bore weariness, satisfaction, resistance, and lingering attachment—her outstretched arms and exposed pale skin still bore faint redness.

Franca stared at Jianna, then let out a quiet sigh.

The sensation had been better than she imagined—but her heart felt as if a piece were missing, as if something were gone.

It's wonderful now—but what will happen after the 'Pleasure' elixir is fully digested?

Will physical entanglement and spiritual distance occur simultaneously?

After ultimate pleasure, will sorrow follow? Will it be a torment so deep she refuses salvation?

Ah… Franca sighed again, softly.

She felt her 'Pleasure' elixir had digested significantly.

…………

Matanibang, Pailos Port.

After drinking a cup of 'Guadar' beverage, Lu Mi lifted his head and said to Lu Jianuo in the tone of discussing today's weather:

"We're going to Tizamo today—are you coming with me and Ludwig, or staying here to wait for us?"

"I'll warn you ahead of time—Tizamo might be dangerous."

Dangerous… Lu Jianuo instinctively wanted to say he'd wait in Pailos—but then he remembered Father Monserrat's matter.

He clenched his teeth and said:

"I'll go with you."

If danger strikes in Tizamo, I can still hope my boss will rescue me; if danger strikes here, I'm on my own!

Lu Mi gave a slight nod and said nothing more.

After checking out and stepping onto the street, he chuckled and said to Lu Jianuo and Ludwig:

"Shall we go to Tizamo in a coffin, or by carriage?"

Before Lu Jianuo and Ludwig could answer, a four-wheeled, four-seater carriage emerged from beneath the tree shade.

The driver was a young man, head bowed, avoiding sideways glances.

The carriage stopped, and Guimauve Castilla stepped out, offering Lu Mi a strained smile:

"Thank you for your help these past days—I'll take you to Tizamo."

(End of Chapter)