Chapter 739: Opinions

After summoning the messenger to send the letter, Lu Mi sat at his desk, gazing at the dark curtains stained with crimson moonlight, waiting patiently for the "Magician" lady to arrive.

After an unknown length of time, a speck of brilliant starlight emerged in the dark room, shaping into the figure of the "Magician."

She had changed into a thick cotton dress of brown-yellow with white accents.

"Good evening, 'Magician' lady," Lu Mi said, glancing around. "There's something important."

The "Magician" understood his meaning at once, causing the surrounding darkness to solidify into illusory glass, curling and contracting to block the crimson moonlight and external sounds.

"What's so important?" the "Magician" lady asked only after securing the secrecy.

Lu Mi conjured a ball of blazing white flame to serve as a lamp, then fell silent for several seconds before saying:

"I've confirmed the origin of the lizard-like sprite."

"Not from a heretical god beyond the barrier?" The "Magician" lady's expression turned thoughtful.

A slow smile curled at the corners of Lu Mi's mouth:

"It is a heretical god—but not one beyond the barrier."

The "Magician" frowned slightly and said:

"Explain in detail."

Lu Mi spoke in a low voice, beginning with his pact with the "Penitent" Bayinfei and the resulting negative effects, then describing how he had seen the statue of the "True Creator" and a lizard-like sprite inside a secret chapel of the "Aurora Society," along with an illusory scene resembling a divine realm.

The "Magician" lady did not interrupt; she listened intently until he finished, then sighed deeply:

"I actually suspected the lizard-like sprite might be connected to Him, but neither the mythic form of the 'Audience' path nor that of the 'Hanged Man' path resembled that sprite at all. Five or six years ago, nothing similar had appeared. Also, the two experts skilled in decryption and dream interpretation both leaned toward the sprite originating from a heretical god beyond the barrier—these reasons led me to abandon the hypothesis."

"Now it seems the disaster in Kerdou Village was something He had been involved in from the very beginning."

"That makes sense. Such a prolonged, large-scale event involving members of the Curly Baboon Research Society—how could He, who has always been listening and watching, have failed to notice? How could He not have seized the opportunity to act?"

"What exactly does He intend to do?" Lu Mi's expression twisted almost imperceptibly.

The "Magician" stared at Lu Mi for several seconds, then sighed:

"I can only confirm one of His goals: to create a Unique who can rapidly digest the Hunter path and ascend swiftly."

"Think about it: from the moment you became a Hunter until now, barely half a year has passed, yet you've already reached Sequence 5, and the Reaper Elixir has been largely digested. Perhaps in two or three more months, you'll be ready to push open the Door of Divinity and ascend to Sequence 4, becoming a demi-god."

"Along this journey, whether it was sealing the false angelic status brought by Thelmirapolis, the fate-path blessings you gained from it, or the meticulously arranged trials and digestion opportunities—all have contributed significantly to your growth."

"He wants a 'Red Priest'—and he's pushing the 'Red Priest' to fight the 'Primordial Witch.'"

"I used to worry your advancement was too smooth. Now I see: every gift from fate has already been marked with a price—and you've already paid the deposit."

Under the glow of the blazing white flame, Lu Mi spoke in a hoarse voice:

"I'd rather still be an ordinary person."

The "Magician" lady shook her head with a complex smile:

"With the end drawing near, given Aurora's origins and condition, even if Kerdou Village hadn't suffered this disaster, the next one—or the one after—would have been inevitable. Have you forgotten how helpless and pained you felt as an ordinary person during that disaster?"

Lu Mi's hands clenched unconsciously; he lowered his head slightly and said:

"I—I just don't want to gain power this way."

The "Magician" lady did not press further on the topic, instead shifting gears:

"He surely has other goals—for instance, your form as a living seal can effectively draw heretical god-blessed individuals to your side wherever you go, exposing their schemes early and giving us more time to respond."

Lu Mi remained silent, offering no reply to this.

The "Magician" lady glanced at him and asked, with obvious sorrow:

"What do you plan to do next?"

Lu Mi's body trembled slightly, as if barely holding back his inner emotions.

He spoke through gritted teeth:

"I want to punch Him!"

After uttering those words, Lu Mi's eyes took on a hue like blood and fire.

To be honest, he had never before entertained a firm thought of revenge against a god. His original plan had been to kill the core members of "April Fools'" and the Sansong family of the "Sinner" organization, then strive to become an angel, extract most of Thelmirapolis's power, and release the weakened Fate Angel to destroy Him.

He knew the true source of the Kerdou Village disaster was the entity calling itself Fate—but due to the vast gulf between them and his innate fear of gods, he had merely cursed occasionally, uttered a few threats, and never truly placed Him on his revenge list.

Now, he wanted every damned god to fall from heaven like meteors streaking across the night sky!

The "Magician" lady stared at Lu Mi and asked solemnly:

"Do you know what your last words meant?"

"I do," Lu Mi nodded slowly. "I waited a full day to come to you because I was seriously asking myself."

He had asked again and again—in anger, in sorrow, and again when he'd grown slightly calmer.

The "Magician" lady's gaze once again held that familiar pity.

This time, Lu Mi clearly understood what she pitied:

A human who dared to punch a god.

Lu Mi met her gaze, refusing to retreat even a fraction.

After a pause, the "Magician" gave a slight nod:

"You told me your goal because you hope I'll offer you useful advice—to make this idea slightly feasible?"

"Yes. My advice is: before the 'Fool' awakens in even a preliminary way, suppress your impulses and focus on strengthening yourself. Only when you become a demi-god, and the 'Fool' begins to stir, will you have a chance to sit at the table—though perhaps as a card or a chip. Don't be discouraged: you are like this, I am like this, all demi-gods are like this. At critical moments, our will and our choices matter just as much. We can still manipulate the players."

Lu Mi asked in a dull voice:

"Will the 'Fool' help me?"

The "Magician" lady nodded firmly:

"Yes."

Her eyes had grown unexpectedly bright:

"The 'Fool' will protect us."

"We are all willing to sacrifice for this world—but we cannot be sacrificed."

Lu Mi suddenly exhaled, as if all strength had drained from him, making him sway slightly as he stood.

He had suppressed it all—struggled to suppress it—until now.

The "Magician" lady looked at him, then said:

"I must remind you: He already knows your thoughts, because you showed unusual reactions before His statue."

"I'm not criticizing you—just stating a fact. Even a 'Jester' or an 'Audience' would struggle to control their emotions and expressions in such a situation—let alone you, who is merely a 'Penitent.'"

"I know…" Lu Mi replied with difficulty.

Before the "Magician" exposed it, he had secretly hoped for a stroke of luck.

The "Magician" smiled slightly:

"But this is also good. The fact that you're still alive proves you still serve His purpose, still hold value to Him, still owe Him more of fate's gifts. As long as you don't abandon yourself or interfere with His crucial plans, He will ignore your hatred—and even continue to let you encounter events and acquire things, until you reach the stage He has prepared for you."

"It's frustrating—but that's the truth. To a being like Him, you're now just a speck of dust. He can reduce you to dust at any moment. He doesn't even worry about your thoughts."

After a long silence, Lu Mi asked in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Are you saying that before the 'Fool' awakens, I should fully exploit His arrangements?"

The "Magician" gave a slight nod:

"Using your enemy's tools to strengthen yourself is also a form of revenge."

"Of course, this demands even greater caution and restraint. I said before: every gift from fate carries a hidden price. You must weigh whether you're willing—and able—to pay the cost later."

Lu Mi stared at the floor illuminated by the blazing white flame for a while, then said:

"Alright."

He changed the subject:

"When will the 'Fool' awaken in even a preliminary way?"

"No one knows," the "Magician" lady smiled. "But don't be discouraged by that answer. I foresee that we, the Tarot holders, will play a vital role in this. Let's work toward it together."

"How?" Lu Mi pressed.

The "Magician" lady considered carefully before replying:

"First, do your best. Then wait patiently for the right moment."

Moment? Lu Mi couldn't fathom how his pursuit of the Minor Arcana had anything to do with awakening the 'Fool.' He asked cautiously:

"Lady, was the 'Penitent' deliberately placed on your messenger list?"

Without Bayinfei's negative influence, he would never have seen the lizard-like sprite inside the hidden chapel of the "True Creator."

"Yes and no," the "Magician" lady answered. "I knew he had some connection to Him. I thought our cooperation with the 'Aurora Society' was fragile, and you were sent as a spy—not a true member. You might face problems later, and he might bring new possibilities. So I added him to the messenger list, to see if fate would lead you to choose him. I didn't expect it would uncover such a crucial mystery."

Lu Mi was already accustomed to the "Magician" lady's cryptic answers. He quickly filtered through her previous advice.

He said firmly:

"Lady, I plan to explore the 'Hanged Man's' 'Azure Avenger' soon."

(End of Chapter)