Chapter 684: Harvest

Amandina lost control of the dream, opened her eyes, and woke up.

Father Cali, lying beside her, also suddenly awakened, his human body once again growing faint and blurred.

He was instinctively, uncontrollably transforming into a Yuanhun, his skin sprouting clumps of stiff black hairs.

Father Cali's eyes reflected Lumian's figure—black-haired, green-eyed, wearing a golden straw hat, Louis Berry gripping a revolver in one hand, aiming it at his forehead.

Bang!

Lumian smiled as he pulled the trigger, sending a golden purification bullet flying from the barrel straight toward the pale smear on the Yuanhun 's forehead.

"Harvest!"

At the same time, Lumian's empty left hand waved toward Father Cali, as if saying:

"Goodbye, never again!"

The purification bullet exploded, golden flames instantly igniting the entire ethereal form of Father Cali.

Father Cali couldn't even scream; his agony took tangible form, becoming an invisible gale that swept outward.

Lumian felt that agony, smiling as he watched the man "burn to ash" under the purification power infused with "Harvest," turning into specks of dust that scattered to the ground.

At that moment, Lumian felt his "Harvester" elixir had digested a little more.

Harvesting an enemy's life with the "Harvest" ability is the most basic tenet of the "Harvester" role!

The higher the enemy's Sequence and the stronger their power, the better the role's effect.

And with "Harvest" added, the ordinary, common purification bullet ended a Yuanhun 's life in just two shots.

Seeing Father Cali truly reduced to ashes, Lumian found it oddly amusing:

Why do I always encounter fallen "Eternal Sun" priests, then cleanse and purify them?

Is this paying off debts from my past faith?

As the thought flashed through him, Lumian turned to Amandina, who had rolled over and risen, and asked with a smile:

"What did he say?"

Amandina's first reaction was to check her shoulder wound; she exclaimed:

"No trace left—it's completely healed?"

If not for her torn clothes and lingering ache in her shoulder, she wouldn't have believed she'd been injured.

Miss Amandina, don't act like you've never seen the world before. Though you're a believer of the "Eternal Sun," you wouldn't seek treatment from "Earth Mother" clergy unless severely ill, but there are many Fennepotians in Matani now—haven't you interacted with them? Lumian muttered inwardly, watching Amandina coldly without answering.

Lu Jianuo, however, seeing the beautiful girl's reaction, explained with a hint of pride:

"This is the 'Physician's' ability, from the 'Sower' Path."

Amandina thanked him warmly, rubbing her shoulder to ease the residual pain, then fully recounted her dream dialogue with Father Cali to Lumian, Camille, and Ria.

When she finished, Amandina spat toward the spot where Father Cali's dust had scattered:

"He truly became the devil's mouthpiece, using the devil's power to violate Robert and the others, controlling their minds and bodies.

"Thankfully, he prefers men—otherwise…"

Thinking of how often she had visited Saint Cien Church over the years, how once she'd been a naive girl far from adulthood, Amandina shuddered inwardly, feeling both sympathy for Robert and relief.

Lumian pondered another question:

Could "Siso's" Yuanhun Path power also originate from the "Dream Festival," from the cold corpse inside that strange black tomb, rather than direct blessing from the "Tree of Desire"?

This would better explain certain things.

As Lumian knew, Xieshen worshippers required rituals and offerings to petition for blessings—the higher the rank of the blessing sought, the greater the offering and the larger the ritual.

As a patrol officer in Pailos Port, "Siso" could conceal one or two sacrifices, but he couldn't suppress all of them—just as he'd only carried out one serial killing in Pailos Port.

Lumian had previously assumed he'd used the "Mad Woman's" help to carry out sacrifices in the more chaotic southern continent, but now it seemed unnecessary: he simply needed to touch the cold corpse once a year during the "Dream Festival."

"Siso" and Father Cali had both attended at least five "Dream Festivals," becoming Yuanhun for some time, yet neither had advanced further… Was it because the cold corpse could only grant blessings up to Sequence 5? Had "Siso" amassed vast gold and obtained something from the devil of the Nos family, all to await this year's "Dream Festival" and complete the ritual for a higher blessing? Lumian turned his head, glancing at Robert, who had been dragged nearby, and confirmed:

"He's a 'Medium'?"

"Yes," answered Amandina. "Father Cali told me Robert gained his supernatural power by touching that black, massive stone—but why am I a 'Nightmare' and he's a 'Medium'?"

Higher-tier, composite power… Just as the "Great Mother" could bestow three distinct powers—'Pharmacist,' 'Sower,' and 'Villain'—Lumian found this unsurprising; Camille and Ria, like Amandina, remained confused.

Lumian had no patience to explain this complex, high-level issue. He half-turned to Ria and said:

"Your dream projection should still exist—be careful from now on.

"The question now is: if your dream projection dies, will it affect your life?"

Ria nodded, her expression thoughtful.

Lumian turned his gaze back to Robert, thinking of the devil who aided Father Cali:

"That must be the Nos family devil who connected with 'Siso'…"

"Devils never do 'good deeds' without reason—whether forming a bond with 'Siso' or responding to Father Cali's ritual, they must have their own goals. Though watching a fallen 'Eternal Sun' priest might be amusing and worthy of praise, that alone isn't enough reason for such close involvement…

"What does it want from the 'Dream Festival'?"

"The cold corpse in that black tomb grants blessings of the 'Prisoner' Path, and the 'Prisoner' Path is adjacent to the 'Criminal' Path where devils reside…"

Lumian grasped part of the pattern, murmuring to himself:

"Now, a crucial question: where were the tomb guardians during the 'Dream Festival,' and why did they stop protecting that black tomb?"

No one could answer him.

Seeing him stare at the unconscious Robert, Amandina hesitated, then spoke:

"Can you spare him? Don't kill him—he's a victim too."

Do you think I'm a murderer? Lumian laughed in reply:

"As long as Robert doesn't seek revenge after waking, or kill me to avenge Father Cali, I won't waste spiritual energy on him."

Phew… Amandina visibly relaxed, rubbing her shoulder again and muttering:

"You're so cold. I just thought you'd kill me too to get rid of Father Cali.

"That bullet really hurt!"

Lumian scoffed:

"Between being possessed by a Yuanhun until death or taking a bullet in the shoulder—which would you choose?

"I don't care how you see me, or what sacrifices are made—I only make the right choice. At least you're alive, aren't you?"

Amandina had only been playfully complaining, but hearing Lumian's reply, she curiously countered:

"So, to help someone important, you're willing to sacrifice much and make the right choice?"

"If—I mean, if—I were driven by the devil's desire, desperate to release it or become a monster, would you sacrifice yourself for me?"

Lumian chuckled:

"Do you have some unnecessary expectations of me?"

"Don't worry—I'll find someone willing to sacrifice for you."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Camille, then Lu Jianuo, then the still-unconscious Robert.

"Boring…" Amandina muttered under her breath.

Camille sighed inwardly, realizing he'd already escaped that imagined fantasy.

Lumian looked again at Robert and said to Amandina:

"Wake him up. Talk to him—I need his help."

If he refuses, Camille here specializes in interrogation.

"Understood," Amandina replied crisply, quickly waking Robert and explaining his current situation to her fiancé.

She deliberately omitted that Father Cali had been killed, creating the illusion that the Yuanhun might have escaped the area.

"If I help, you'll let me go?" Robert struggled to his feet.

Lumian pointed to Camille and Ria:

"Don't trust me—don't you trust the patrol?"

Robert fell silent for several seconds, then asked:

"What help?"

Lumian smiled:

"Go to Tewanako's house and do something."

…………

Briu Inn, second floor.

The man in dark gray formal wear and the woman with a feathered hat heard a faint chewing sound from deep in the corridor—utterly different from the shouts, screams, and moans echoing through the inn, as if it didn't belong to the "Dream Festival."

Suddenly, the chewing stopped.

Almost instantly, the man in dark gray formal wear jerked upright as if a red-hot iron rod had been thrust into his waist.

His face taut, sweat pouring from his forehead, he sprinted down the stairs—covering the entire flight in a blink.

He ran out of Briu Inn, reached the intersection, then stopped, his face filled with terror and relief.

"What happened?" A woman in a light-colored long dress appeared beside him, her tone half-confused, half-serious.

The man in dark gray formal wear gasped for breath:

"Pant, pant, pant—didn't you feel it? That terrible malice!

"My heart was ripped out, my tongue torn off, my brain churned into soup."

PS: The physical edition of "The Circle of Fate 1" will open pre-orders tomorrow at 8: 0 PM. Details on my Weibo~

(End of Chapter)