Chapter 749: Mystical Experience (Final Day: Requesting Double Moon Tickets)

Ding ling ling.

The vehicle resembling a steam train sped past Lu Mi.

Although the mist stained with deep black still clung thickly, Lu Mi could barely make out a few details:

Both carriages were blue, seemingly packed with passengers, all facing the street, their expressions blurred, their bodies lacking clear contours.

More than what I saw in the Fourth Era's Trill… not steam-powered… Lu Mi had just flashed these thoughts when he spotted a figure at the other end of the street, bent over, pulling a small black two-wheeled cart with a canopy.

Inside the covered cart sat a lady holding a round fan, dressed in a long gown; the thick mist obscured her and the driver's precise outlines and clothing details.

Lu Mi unconsciously stared, watching the black cart draw nearer.

At that moment, the lady inside the covered cart lifted her round fan, shielding her face, then slowly turned her head to look back at Lu Mi.

In that instant, the mist seemed to thin slightly, and Lu Mi clearly saw the back of the lady's hand holding the fan:

Swollen to a glossy sheen, covered in dark blue blotches.

The driver, with a towel around his neck, stopped. The lady, her face hidden behind the floral fan, seemed ready to step down from the strange cart and approach Lu Mi.

Lu Mi suddenly felt a wave of fear, instinctively rejecting any contact with the woman.

He then heard a panicked whisper.

It came from himself!

But he had not thought that at all!

The version of him standing at the street's edge, engulfed in deep black mist, watching it all, did not fully align with his true self!

Lu Mi's heart tightened abruptly; he tried to step backward.

He instantly floated upward, soaring into the air.

He saw, at the core of the thick mist, in some part of the vast city, a towering structure with a bizarre silhouette—merely a shadow—standing, beneath which lay unspeakable, indescribable terror and gloom.

He involuntarily flew toward that direction.

Almost simultaneously, specks of starlight appeared before his eyes.

Lu Mi snapped out of his meditative state; "before" him, the city shrouded in deep black mist and the tower, the two-carriage train and the lady with the floral fan, were gone.

He opened his eyes and saw the "Magician" Lady and the "Hanged Man" Mr.

"Your state was abnormal just now—you showed signs of loss of control. I had to forcibly wake you." The "Magician" gave a brief explanation.

Lu Mi thanked her, extinguished the corpse-oil candle emitting its alluring dark fragrance, then recounted in detail every scene and figure he had seen during meditation.

The "Magician" Lady nodded slightly and said:

"It resembles the effect of a Mystical Rite.

"It established a connection between you and some unknown entity, gradually aligning you with it—but unlike true Mysticism, the object of a Mystical Rite is a deity, an angel, a devil, a malevolent spirit, a being with spiritual substance, whereas the entity you've mystically aligned with appears to be a city.

"Had I not interrupted the process early, you might have gained certain higher-level knowledge or power through this mystical experience. But it's highly unlikely to be beneficial."

Lu Mi was no longer a novice in the occult; he understood the essence and effects of Mystical Rites well. He pondered, then asked:

"So the city in the mist is real, closely tied to the Fourth Era's Trill, highly unusual—I used this corpse-oil candle to establish alignment with it across vast distances and multiple seals?"

"Yes, it's not an illusion." The "Magician" Lady turned her gaze to the pale yellow-and-red candle inside the glass vial. "This candle contains not only the corpse-oil of the 'Ironblood Knight' and the 'Despair Witch,' but also some other special materials whose origin and nature I don't know. Hmm, compared to here, the other two locations are far more suitable for this candle's function—they'd let you see more, experience more. But that's too dangerous. You already showed signs of loss of control. I don't recommend attempting it now."

"The other two locations…" Lu Mi's mind stirred. "One of them is the Fourth Era's Trill?"

In the Fourth Era's Trill itself, one could directly glimpse parts of the mist-shrouded city; if one lit the corpse-oil candle and entered meditation, one would surely see and experience even more!

"Yes." The "Magician" confirmed Lu Mi's guess.

"Where's the other place?" Lu Mi asked curiously.

Unless the "Truth School's" Vortex Plan targeted the Fourth Era's Trill and could open its seals, he wouldn't be able to re-enter that Fourth Era Trill for a long time.

The "Magician" studied Lu Mi for several seconds, then replied simply:

"Bansy."

Bansy… Bansy Port? That port destroyed by the Storm Church due to some contamination, with no survivors? It had once been the ancestral home of the "Red Angel" Medich… Lu Mi gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Combining the "Red Angel's" gains in the Fourth Era's Trill with His own Path, Lu Mi had no doubt whatsoever that Bansy Port possessed a uniqueness akin to the Fourth Era's Trill.

"Of course, it must be a specific location within Bansy Port, not just anywhere." The "Magician" added, then continued, "There's another place—I'm uncertain whether the corpse-oil candle would work there either."

"Where?" Lu Mi asked, then a flash of insight struck him: "The 'Exiled City' Morala?"

"Precisely. You're beginning to clearly perceive connections between things." The "Magician" Lady complimented him, then sternly warned, "If you truly intend to risk using the corpse-oil candle in those places to aid meditation and achieve mystic alignment, it's not impossible—but you must ensure someone is beside you at all times, monitoring your state, ready to forcibly wake you the moment anything goes wrong."

"I'll remember." Lu Mi solemnly promised.

The "Magician" Lady gestured for Lu Mi to put away the corpse-oil candle, then paused and said:

"Keep the 'Sword of Courage' as a sealed item for now. When you need to brew the 'Ironblood Knight' elixir, I'll help you restore it to its supernatural property."

"Hmm, the sealed item made from the 'Siso' supernatural property should be finished in a few days."

"Thank you, 'Magician' Lady." Lu Mi sincerely thanked her.

Although receiving the main ingredient for the 'Ironblood Knight' so quickly and easily felt unreal, he remembered how the residual aura of the 'Blood Emperor' had come to be, who had played a key role in between, and the issue of the ' Mingdaoren ''s seal—he realized this was far from "easy."

Lu Mi then turned to discuss the remnants of Oumibela's umbilical cord and Ludwig's three methods of handling it, concluding:

"Can I eat the umbilical cord remnant to gain a trace of the 'Great Mother's' divine offspring bloodline?"

The "Magician" Lady's expression grew slightly odd. She glanced at the "Hanged Man," Alje, as if seeking his opinion.

The "Hanged Man" looked at Lu Mi and asked seriously:

"This will indeed bring you certain opportunities, but also corresponding dangers. We can assist you, but we cannot be with you every moment. You must carefully consider whether you're willing to take this risk—and whether it's worth it."

The "Magician" Lady added:

"Though the 'Great Mother's' gaze may sound abstract, unreal, seemingly incapable of directly affecting you—and you already endure the gaze of the entity known as Fate—it might seem trivial to add one more. But remember: the 'Great Mother's' interference and infiltration into our world far surpass that of the entity known as Fate. If you truly consume Oumibela's umbilical cord remnant, you may unknowingly suffer unknown influences or attract the attention of special enemies."

"Of course, this is merely a possible risk—not certain."

Lu Mi cared more about another point:

"'Magician' Lady, 'Hanged Man' Mr. you both clearly know that consuming Oumibela's umbilical cord remnant will bring certain opportunities?"

And these are likely highly useful opportunities; otherwise, the "Magician" Lady's expression wouldn't have turned odd, nor would she have consulted the "Hanged Man."

If it were purely harmful, she'd simply reject it outright. Only when a thing carries both great risk and great benefit would the "Magician" Lady hesitate!

The "Magician" Lady considered carefully, then said:

"The Vortex Plan may involve a place contaminated by the 'Great Mother's' power, filled with monsters born from that corruption. If you possess the bloodline of the 'Great Mother's' divine offspring, you theoretically needn't fear their attacks—and could even command them simply."

"That's one aspect. Another is: once you meet two additional prerequisites, you should be able to touch and briefly use a Class '0' sealed item."

Class '0' sealed item… Extremely dangerous, unmentionable, untransmittable, indescribable, unobservable—capable of destroying a nation or even the entire world… Lu Mi's spirits lifted sharply.

So far, he had indirectly encountered two Class '0' sealed items: '0—01' and '0—05'.

"What's the number of that Class '0' sealed item?" Lu Mi asked curiously. "Why would possessing the 'Great Mother's' divine offspring bloodline allow you to touch and briefly use it?"

The "Magician" Lady glanced at Lu Mi and said:

"I can't reveal its details yet. The only thing I can say is: it's not the 'Great Mother's' divine offspring bloodline that lets you touch it—it's the fusion between Oumibela's umbilical cord remnant and you that enables you to access it without enduring great danger, because it was formed from Oumibela's remains."

Oumibela's remains… Oumibela had remains before being born? No, that's normal—He had an umbilical cord remnant even before birth… Wait, is this about the same-named one? No, clearly it's more than just a shared name… Lu Mi pondered and asked:

"The remains of the ancient 'Goddess of Harvest'?"

PS: Last day for double moon tickets~ Everyone should know: I'm doing a book signing in Guangzhou tomorrow, traveling back and forth, needing to stockpile drafts to sustain me. So if there's an extra chapter, it'll be posted next weekend—please understand. Tomorrow's update will be normal.

PS2: Today's journey was insane. Heavy rain in Hangzhou. I left half an hour earlier than planned, but traffic control blocked the elevated road—I missed my high-speed train by ten minutes.

First, I bought a morning flight ticket for tomorrow, then five minutes later was told the flight was canceled due to Guangzhou weather. Other flights didn't fit my afternoon event. I anxiously refreshed 12306, searching for alternatives: since tickets to Guangzhou were gone, I thought of transferring via Nanchang—only to discover all Nanchang trains departed from Hangzhou East, and I was already near Hangzhou West.

Just as I was about to despair, I noticed 12306 hadn't warned me that my high-speed train was about to depart or delayed—as it always did. I looked closer: oh, you're late too, and you're delayed by three hours!

So now, I'm not worried about missing my train—I'm waiting for the delayed one.

(End of Chapter)