Chapter 664: That Phrase (Thank You to Patron 130704215050523)

Kolobo finally turned his body.

He removed his sunglasses and said wearily in Dutan:

"My instinct tells me not to look directly at them—no more than a quick glance or two."

"Why?" asked Raya, the wild-eyed hunter with the bow on her back.

"Instinct." Kolobo didn't know why himself—he simply believed it was true.

Voskian Loban wore a thoughtful expression.

"What are you thinking?" asked Meslo, his face painted white.

The three had worked together in Tizamo Town for a year and knew each other well; Meslo recognized Loban's look and knew he had recalled something.

Seeing the others' gazes turn to him, Loban chose his words carefully:

"During my adventures on the Five Seas, I once heard a saying:

'Do not look upon the gods.'"

"Do not look upon the gods…" Jamu's temple twitched as he whispered the phrase again.

As a scion of the Castilla family—even a collateral branch—he had access to more extensive esoteric knowledge than ordinary adepts.

Were Louis Berry and his godson both gods, then? That was why they couldn't be looked upon?

No, that couldn't be right—Kolobo dared not look directly at Tewanako either, yet he was merely an adept with the Level-5 powers of both the "Prisoner" and the "Criminal" pathways, not even a half-god!

"I've heard this phrase during sermons too—it's about showing reverence and worship to the gods, right?" Raya, a devout follower of the Eternal Sun, asked.

"No, it's not from any major church's holy texts. It's recorded in an esoteric book," Loban shook his head.

Meslo chuckled lowly:

"Surely the great adventurer isn't a god walking the earth?"

"Not necessarily a true god," Loban recalled. "The book's annotation said 'god' refers to mythic beings. I'm not sure what exactly that means, but since it uses the word 'god,' it must imply some divine nature. Could the great adventurer be a half-god?"

"He doesn't seem like one," Jamu slowly formed a new theory. "Perhaps the adventurer is a favored one of some deity, carrying a divine relic or aura granted by that god. So yes, you truly cannot look upon the god—but the 'god' here isn't him; it's something on him."

That explained Tewanako's case perfectly.

"You mean like the most famous great adventurer?" Loban, the Voskian, suddenly understood.

All adventurers, treasure hunters, pirates, and merchants on the Five Seas now knew Germain Sparrow was the "Fool's" divine messenger, later becoming an angel.

"Yes," Jamu nodded.

Meanwhile, he cursed inwardly:

Shit, why was I assigned to watch something involving a divine favored one?

This is incredibly dangerous—any slip could kill me!

Yesterday, Jamu had really wanted to refuse Deputy Captain Reyasa's order, but over the past five years, the man had pulled him back from death's edge three times—he simply couldn't refuse.

Otherwise, with the prefix "Tang" and the surname "Castilla," he could have easily refused his superior's command, quit the patrol team, and sought opportunities elsewhere. After all, he had already digested the Level-7 "Interrogator" elixir, and the money needed for his next advancement was nearly saved thanks to Louis Berry's two recent commissions. Even if he returned to his family, he would no longer be ignored or overlooked.

Out of obligation to repay Reyasa's past kindness, Jamu had reluctantly agreed to come to Tizamo Town to monitor Louis Berry's every move—and with resentment in his heart, he couldn't help but swear.

—As a devout and well-educated follower of the Earth Mother, Jamu never swore with phrases like "son of a sow," "son of a bitch," or "son of a whore." In his view, mothers were sacred; giving birth and raising children were equally vital, just as the Earth both gave birth to all things and nurtured their growth.

After discussing the great adventurer Louis Berry, the Voskian Loban turned to Jamu and Kolobo:

"When they assigned us to Tizamo Town, they said we'd only stay a year and wouldn't keep us here indefinitely. It's almost been a year now—you've arrived. Does that mean we can return to Pailos Port?"

You Voskian, you look tall, strong, rugged, and dim-witted—but you're actually quite shrewd… You've realized Louis Berry's case might be dangerous and want an excuse to leave early? Jamu sensed Loban's hidden motive and laughed, scolding:

"There's still a week left!

Don't even think about going back to Pailos Port early—we're not here to relieve you."

…………

Brieu Inn.

This was the favorite inn for gentlemen who came to Tizamo Town to hunt—though it couldn't compare to the Aurela Hotel, it was at least clean.

Lumian chose it for one reason only: it had suites.

Otherwise, he'd have to rent two adjacent rooms, use the "Hunter"'s precise knowledge of architecture to blast a door through the wall without compromising structural integrity, and then have Lu Jianuo rebuild the bricks and repair the wall when it was time to leave.

The ground floor of Brieu Inn was empty, supported by stone pillars, but its upper three stories bore clear Indistian style: the beige walls, recessed niches with statues, arched windows, and louvered curtains made Lumian feel as if he had returned to Trier.

When Lu Jianuo lit the mosquito-repelling candle, using its pungent scent to drive out insects and mosquitoes, it felt even more like home.

"This is just like how people in Trier use sulfur smell to chase away bedbugs…" Lumian recalled his early days in Trier.

He had once driven bedbugs into the next room with sulfur, only for the playwright Gabriel to light sulfur himself and drive them back—back and forth they went, until most fled to other rooms, leaving only a few lingering, later cleared away entirely by the "Doll" messenger.

Thinking of the confirmed-dead Gabriel, and of the tenants who had died at the Golden Rooster Inn, Lumian sighed silently.

He walked to the window and gazed down at the street below.

Gentlemen in hunting attire, accompanied by their unicorn-holding servants, moved among townsfolk with skin tones ranging from dark brown to light tan, like river tributaries flowing into Brieu Inn, the Jungle Restaurant, and other places.

Under the midday sun, Tizamo Town in this season was both hot and humid—unsuitable for outdoor activity.

On the second floor, Lumian focused his mind and observed the pedestrians directly below.

He tried to discern potential problems in Tizamo Town from their fortunes.

He prepared himself for backlash or contamination.

Their fortunes were all normal: one might have a romantic encounter, another would lose money, another might suffer a bloody misfortune—but not a severe one…

Lumian withdrew his gaze and said to Lu Jianuo:

"You stay with Ludwig and rest. I'll go out for a walk."

"Understood." After learning the Tizamo Town mission might be dangerous, Lu Jianuo had no desire to wander outside unless his boss ordered him to prepare food for Ludwig.

He had to go—if he didn't, he'd be the food!

Tizamo Town wasn't small—it had two streets running north-south and two east-west. Lumian walked slowly, hands in his pockets, wearing a golden straw hat.

He now wore the straw hat not to reinforce Louis Berry's image, but to shield himself from the sun—though he'd often done so even before.

This was due to the negative side effect of the "Shadow Transformation" contract: he feared sunlight more than ordinary people.

Though Lumian could endure it with the "Ascetic" ability, it still affected his condition to some degree. Why suffer unnecessarily when a straw hat solved the problem?

Moreover, by establishing Louis Berry's image as someone who wore a golden straw hat, enemies wouldn't suspect or target his fear of sunlight.

As his gaze drifted casually, Lumian spotted a young girl.

She was a typical Northern Continent woman: black hair cascading like a waterfall, adorned with several glittering butterfly clips, eyes dyed a vivid blue that complemented her straight, delicate nose, her brow radiating unmistakable youthful energy.

She wore a light, lace-trimmed white pleated dress—but instead of high heels, she had on brown leather boots. As she chatted with her companions, she gestured wildly, laughed like silver bells, seemingly unconcerned with the stares of passersby.

Lumian glanced at her a second time.

It wasn't because she was beautiful—though she was reasonably so. Neither her appearance nor her aura could compare to true beauties among witches or humans.

Lumian simply felt her personality differed from the women of Trier.

In Trier, respectable women of the middle and upper classes—even if privately liberal—still carefully maintained their public image and cared deeply about others' opinions; that was a sign of upbringing.

This girl radiated complete freedom: she laughed loudly when she wanted to, spun half-circles when she felt like it.

Yet she wasn't like women from the lower classes who lacked education—her clothing, speech, and demeanor all indicated she had received excellent upbringing and came from a fine family.

"Amandine, daughter of Sir Petit of Palm Grove, fiancée of Mr. Robert," Jamu appeared like a ghost beside Lumian, offering the introduction.

Palm Grove was a plantation near Tizamo Town.

A girl raised in the Southern Continent, well-educated, untouched by the norms of Trier's upper and middle classes… As Lumian formed this judgment, he thought of his sister Aurora.

Sometimes, Aurora showed this same side.

But the reasons were clearly different.

"Where are you going?" Jamu asked.

Lumian turned his gaze back and smiled:

"The church.

Are you coming with me to praise the Sun?"

PS: Thank you to patron 130704215050523 for the Silver Alliance donation~

(End of Chapter)