Chapter 679: Last Year

Amandina hesitated for a few seconds and said:

"You've blocked all my options—what choice do I have?"

As she spoke, a strange excitement and curiosity flickered in Amandina's eyes.

This made her earlier words sound more like:

I didn't want to! I didn't want to! You forced me to go to Saint Cien Church! Come on, let's go!

Lu Mi internally scoffed: Are you trying to broaden your horizons? But he didn't call her out.

He pointed to the house of "Xiso" and said:

"Before we go to Saint Cien Church, let's check this place first."

Amandina murmured, "Oh."

"You're looking for the source of the anomalies here?"

"Give up. I checked during the last 'Dream Festival' and just now—nothing."

As she spoke, she hurried beside Lu Mi, small steps quickening, eager to see what this seemingly formidable adventurer might uncover.

Lu Mi reached the second floor of the "Xiso" house; Giam and Ruya had already returned and were waiting.

As he scanned every corner, Lu Mi casually asked Amandina:

"Are you familiar with Tewanako?"

Amandina wasn't surprised by the question—since they were searching for the source of anomalies in Tewanako's residence, understanding him was unavoidable. She shook her head:

"Not at all. I only met him once or twice."

"When he lived in Tizamo Town, I was still a child, mostly studying at the Iris Grammar School in Pailos Port. Later, he returned to Tizamo only two or three times a year, each visit lasting about a week."

It was clear Amandina had quietly researched Tewanako—after all, she entered the special dream after sleeping in his house, and remained fully conscious throughout the "Dream Festival."

Before Lu Mi could ask another question, Amandina glanced at him and added:

"Tewanako returned every 'Dream Festival.'"

"Last year's 'Dream Festival,' when Rober and I returned from that large black stone, we saw someone approaching the same spot—we hid behind deeper trees along the narrow path and saw it was Tewanako."

Tewanako was indeed connected to the black stone—perhaps even leaving behind a trace of his image or extreme emotion and desire… Lu Mi turned his head toward Giam, who watched him and Amandina circling the second floor, and said:

"When exactly, in which month and time period, was Tewanako's house burned down and his entire family killed?"

Before Giam could answer, Amandina burst out excitedly:

"I know! I know!"

Yes, I asked you specifically—you think I don't know when Tewanako became a Crosser? Lu Mi smiled at Amandina, gesturing for her to answer.

He had precise, detailed knowledge of Tewanako's public life; he'd asked Giam just to draw out Amandina's response.

He wanted to see if she'd lie, or if she held deeper information.

Amandina spoke with clear pride:

"Late December—just a few days after the 'Dream Festival.'"

According to current understanding, Tewanako's family should have died during the "Dream Festival," and upon returning to reality, fate began to tighten, claiming them through fire. But why did this house retain anomalies? What exactly had Tewanako's family experienced—or done? As a Beneficiary of Fate, Lu Mi had coined a term steeped in fate's nature to describe how those who died in the "Dream Festival" perished one after another over the next three months:

Fate Tightening!

Of course, he couldn't yet confirm the absolute truth of the judgment that death in the "Dream Festival" meant death in reality—but from Amandina's expression and tone, Lu Mi believed she thought the same.

After searching the second floor and finding nothing different from reality, Lu Mi climbed the stairs to the third floor; Amandina followed closely, thrilled at finally having a chance to do something befitting a Transcendent.

Lu Mi glanced at her and asked casually:

"What memorable thing happened to you during last year's 'Dream Festival'?"

Amandina's hidden excitement darkened instantly, as if stirred by unpleasant memories.

She covered her mouth and nose, then said after a few seconds:

"Rober and I found many brutally murdered people throughout town, in every plantation—they'd all been slit open, their organs removed, faces twisted in agony, as if tortured to death…"

"A serial killer?" Giam blurted out, having listened intently to Louis Berry and Amandina's exchange.

It made him think of Tewanako.

Did this "Apostle of Desire" vent his killing urges during the "Dream Festival" to appear restrained the rest of the time?

So that's how it was… Lu Mi now understood roughly how "Xiso" completed his Ascension Ritual:

He followed the ritual, killing enough people in this sufficiently real dream, consuming their organs, then returned to reality—where those people died one after another. From fate's perspective, they truly died because of "Xiso's" killings, satisfying the ritual's core requirement. "Xiso" only needed to consume part of their organs again before burial to complete the ritual, ingest the elixir, and ascend to "Apostle of Desire."

In reality, committing a serial murder and stealing organs from corpses were two entirely different levels of difficulty!

Lu Mi couldn't understand why, according to *Demonology*, this Ascension Ritual required each killing to be spaced three days apart—otherwise, loss of control was likely—and no more than nine days, or the ritual reset.

"Xiso" clearly completed all killings in a single night of the "Dream Festival." When reality returned and the primitive tribe attacked, all those "meant to die" perished that same day, none lingering into the next month. Lu Mi believed this was due to the "April Fools'" prank—their chaos allowed them to send all unclaimed corpses from the primitive tribe into Hell, corroborated by statements from several peripheral members of "April Fools'."

So the nine-day limit was met, but the three-day minimum? Lu Mi didn't know how "Xiso" achieved that.

Did he exploit the dream's nature—that dreams remain dreams—to bypass the three-day interval? Killing in the dream hadn't yet fed back to reality, so control wasn't easily lost? As Lu Mi pondered "Xiso's" Ascension Ritual, he wandered through each room on the third floor.

After searching Tewanako's bedroom, he smiled at Amandina:

"Besides the serial killings, what else did you encounter?"

Amandina bit her lip, frowned, struggled a moment, then complained:

"I've been so cooperative—will I get a medal when we return to reality?"

Her father, Petit, had received the Honor Legion Medal of Intis, hence the title of Sir.

Before Lu Mi could reply, Amandina continued:

"I met a woman who was insane."

"I'd planned to visit the Brieu Inn, to observe how the gentlemen and ladies hunting in Tizamo behaved in this dream—I was eager to see their hidden sides."

"I reached the door of one room and heard several people singing a strange song. Then, that insane woman appeared behind Rober and me—she was also fully conscious."

"She was quite beautiful, but utterly mad. And I, like a child with a new toy, wanted to test my abilities—I thought with Rober's help, we could easily handle most Transcendents: one controls, one attacks."

"But… we were captured. Rober was knocked unconscious, stripped naked, and hung from the bell tower, surrounded by swarms of insects. I—I was hung over the latrine pit, slowly, slowly sinking down…"

At this, Amandina looked as if she might vomit.

In Tizamo Town, apart from the Brieu Inn, Saint Cien Church, and the Police Headquarters, no one used flush toilets.

Giam imagined the scene and couldn't help feeling sympathy for Amandina.

"The madwoman?" Were those singing people peripheral members of "April Fools'" participating in Tizamo's prank? Lu Mi finished touring all rooms on the third floor and smiled at Amandina:

"And then?"

Amandina took a steadying breath:

"She asked me why I was still conscious. After I told her about Rober and Father Cali, she happily ran off to Saint Cien Church and completely forgot about me. Later, I managed to free myself."

Lu Mi nodded slightly and said:

"Let's go. Now to Saint Cien Church."

He planned to gather more information from Father Cali and Rober before deciding whether to use the "Eye of Secrets" or "Eye of Truth" inside the dream version of "Xiso's" house.

"Alright," Amandina forced herself to sound unexcited.

She truly wanted to see how her fiancé Rober interacted with Father Cali.

The five of them left "Xiso's" house and headed toward Saint Cien Church; Lu Mi didn't use "Teleportation," as he didn't want to waste spiritual energy, and his Flame Spear Form couldn't carry others.

Fortunately, Tizamo Town wasn't large. Soon, they followed the shadows along the road, amid shouts and cries, returning to the intersection where the Brieu Inn stood.

Lu Mi pointed to the Brieu Inn and warned Amandina:

"Never go to the second floor of the Brieu Inn. Trust me—it'll be far worse than what that madwoman did to you."

Amandina's gaze sharpened:

"Understood."

The five turned onto another street, quickly passing the Buniya Coffeehouse, the Police Headquarters, and the small square, arriving outside Saint Cien Church.

Lu Mi didn't rush in. He circled to the side, pried open a stained-glass window, and peered inside.

What he saw made him and Amandina, who leaned beside him, nearly go blind.

In the church hall, before the Altar of the Eternal Sun, knelt five or six naked men—all from the Northern Continent, including Amandina's fiancé, Rober.

Father Cali was also naked, holding an open holy scripture, pacing excitedly among them, chanting:

"He walks in light, He sheds warmth, He illuminates the world…"

Each line of preaching seemed to heighten his excitement—on every level.

(End of Chapter)