Chapter 778: Secrets

This time, the "Ferryman" did not attack Lu Mi, but slowly rowed the gloomy boat to the opposite shore.

After leaping onto the wasteland blanketed with withered blood flowers, Lu Mi, whose spiritual energy was nearly depleted, sprinted toward a high ground piled with bones and corpses.

After running for only a few minutes, he saw shimmering, dreamlike starlight seeping into the dim, hazy sky.

Immediately afterward, that stretch of void was forcibly torn open like transparent paper.

The tear merged with the starlight, solidifying into an open, illusory gate.

Outside the gate stood the "Magician" lady, now dressed in an orange-yellow loose long dress.

The "Magician" lady did not enter the Underworld; she hovered in the void beyond the gate, smiling at Lu Mi and the others.

"The 'Magician' lady…" Lu Mi had expected another half-god from the Temperance Faction, accompanied by a follower of the Death Path, to open the gate of the Underworld and meet him, Sharon, and Marich; he never imagined it would be the Major Arcana, the "Magician" lady.

Could she find the Underworld?

Could she tear through the barrier of the Underworld and create a gate?

Lu Mi suppressed his inner doubts, took two running steps, and leaped into the starlit gate.

He first felt dizzy, his vision darkening, then saw the clear, pure Dalsh Lake and sensed the thin air of the plateau.

He reflexively removed the golden mask of the Egges family, fearing prolonged wear might turn him into a true undead being.

During this process, the figures of Sharon, the half-god of the Temperance Faction, and the "Knight of Swords" Marich appeared before his side.

"Thank you." The "Knight of Swords" faced the "Magician" lady and politely expressed his gratitude.

Sharon, wearing a small black soft hat and a Gothic court gown, gave a slight nod but said nothing.

"It was only right." The "Magician" lady smiled in reply. "Pity we didn't catch Oseto. The Blessed of the 'Great Mother' are always vigilant, adept at rebirth—extremely hard to capture."

The "Knight of Swords" exchanged a few pleasantries, then took his leave.

Before departing, he and Sharon nodded to Lu Mi, acknowledging him.

Although the "Knight of Swords" had only promised to help locate Oseto, Lu Mi had long since exceeded that task—he had pursued Oseto's premature offspring into the Underworld and eliminated it, which counted as additional aid; yet wounded Sharon had also helped Lu Mi subdue the Ram-Faced Devil, giving him the chance to "harvest" the enemy and claim half the body of the "Pus-Broken Hand." Thus, neither owed the other anything, and no further reward needed to be mentioned.

Of course, building rapport and deepening his friendship with the "Knight of Swords" was an added bonus.

Once Sharon and the "Knight of Swords" had left, the "Magician" lady glanced at Lu Mi and teased:

"Weren't you going to ask me how I found the Underworld?"

"For a high-ranking follower of the 'Apprentice' Path, the Underworld is always there—it's not a matter of finding it or not. Even if hidden, observing the 'Gatekeeper' open the gate a few times lets us easily locate it and learn to summon a gate to it. Of course, I didn't summon one—I just opened a door directly."

"Then why did you tell me to wait for an opportunity to enter the Underworld?" Lu Mi asked instinctively.

As the "Star Angel" of Mr. Fool, couldn't you just open a gate to the Underworld for me directly?

Why wait for any opportunity at all?

The "Magician" lady chuckled:

"When I sent you to the Underworld then, could you have retrieved even part of the 'Pus-Broken Hand'?"

"No…" Lu Mi replied softly.

Not only could he not, he might have died instantly upon entry due to illegal "teleportation."

This time, with the Temperance Faction's guidance and the aid of a half-god, he had the chance to take the damaged body of the "Pus-Broken Hand" from the Ram-Faced Devil.

Of course, the additional risks had also increased significantly.

"I told you to wait because I foresaw this opportunity," the "Magician" lady said sincerely. "Not every ability can be replicated. It's hard to use one that doesn't directly alter your own state."

Lu Mi did not dwell on this; he recounted in full detail his experiences in the Underworld with Sharon and the "Knight of Swords."

The "Magician" lady listened intently, without interruption, occasionally showing a thoughtful expression.

"What secret did the Second Era's 'Goddess of Harvest' truly conceal?" Lu Mi asked at last.

The "Magician" lady shook her head:

"I don't know."

She paused, then added:

"There are things I hadn't planned to tell you so soon—it wouldn't be good for you. But since you've already fused Ommibela's bloodline and experienced these events in the Underworld, I can tell you a little."

"Do you remember the remains of Ommibela I mentioned?"

"Yes." Lu Mi had risked fusing Ommibela's bloodline partly to one day briefly use the "0"-class relic formed from those remains.

The "Magician" lady continued:

"Do you know where it is?"

Before Lu Mi could shake his head, she gave the answer herself:

"It's in New Silver City."

New Silver City? The headquarters of the Fool Church? Lu Mi suddenly remembered the half-giants that had made him feel like a dwarf.

Were Ommibela's remains a "0"-class relic belonging to New Silver City and the Fool Church?

The "Magician" lady considered for several seconds before saying:

"First, you need to understand a piece of occult knowledge: the 'Thief,' or the higher-tier being of the 'Error' Path, can steal another's identity and fate. In other words, the person whose identity and fate are stolen—aside from their own self-awareness—ceases to be themselves. Their parents won't recognize them, their spouse and children won't recognize them, and they'll gradually be rejected by fate."

Lu Mi thought of the "Substitution Art" of the "Fate" domain, which also involved identity and fate.

Though vastly different and clearly lower in level, the similarities helped Lu Mi understand the "Magician" lady's words more easily.

Seeing that Lu Mi asked no questions, the "Magician" lady moved straight to the point:

"Based on the hidden knowledge currently known, I suspect the 'Goddess of Harvest,' Ommibela, once had her identity and fate stolen by a high-tier being of the 'Error' Path, then was slain by her own direct relatives."

"So far, this sounds unremarkable—just a horrifying conspiracy—but think: why did the corpse of the 'Goddess of Harvest,' stripped of her identity and fate, appear in ancient Silver City, rather than lying silently in some battlefield corner?"

"And even stranger: the ancestors of Silver City clearly knew these were Ommibela's remains and knew her true identity—even though the theft effect must still have been active at the time!"

Lu Mi sensed something abnormal in this. He frowned and asked:

"What records or speculations does Silver City have on this?"

"Does Ommibela's corpse contain a transcendental characteristic?"

"No transcendental characteristic." The "Magician" lady answered firmly. "Silver City's records on this are sparse, due to the intervening Third Era ruled by the Ancient Sun God. But their ancestors noted that the 'Goddess of Harvest' walked to Silver City herself. Hmm, strange, isn't it? The rest of the details—you'll read them when you can briefly borrow that '0'-class relic. Now is not the time."

This confirmed that Ommibela carried great mysteries… Lu Mi asked cautiously:

"What did the Ram-Faced Devil mean when he said I stole that egg?"

The "Magician" lady stared at Lu Mi for a moment before saying:

"You yourself show no change, but whether the egg has changed remains unconfirmed—for now, we must observe."

Lu Mi grunted, then pointed toward the clear, tranquil Dalsh Lake:

"What's special about this lake? What connection does it have with the Underworld?"

The "Magician" lady replied with a wry smile:

"The Temperance Faction once had an Angel-King and Angels who ruled here for over a thousand years—and still never uncovered the lake's secret. Why should I be able to discover it in such a short time?"

"According to several direct descendants of the Egges family, they also don't know why Dalsh Lake is special."

"From your journey into the Underworld, perhaps Dalsh Lake became special even earlier than the Egges ancestors became the 'Death God.'"

"Is it connected to the Ancient Death God, the Primordial Phoenix Greagali?" Lu Mi caught the hidden implication in the "Magician" lady's words.

Thinking of the black giant egg beneath the Ancient Death God's corpse, he felt this guess could explain why Oseto had wanted the bird-clawed infant to use Dalsh Lake's uniqueness to gestate and be born.

"Maybe." The "Magician" lady could not yet confirm.

Lu Mi fell silent for a few seconds, then changed the subject:

"'Magician' lady, now that I've obtained that part of the 'Pus-Broken Hand,' I plan to go to Lunbao soon to search for the 'City of Exile,' Morola."

"You're full of urgency—and impatience," the "Magician" lady remarked. "Relax for a few days, calm your emotions, then go. We'll follow up on the vortex. Your companions will investigate matters related to the 'Man in the Mirror.' Hmm, you probably can't bring your companions into the 'City of Exile.' Also, hurry up and learn the language. After resolving the 'City of Exile' matter, thoroughly train your team in preparation for advancement."

"Understood." Lu Mi also felt he needed to adjust his state.

…………

Terril, Memorial District, Aoluosaijie No. 9, Apartment 702.

Lu Mi reunited with Furanka, Jianna, and Antoni.

After he finished recounting his experiences in the Underworld, Furanka sighed deeply:

"So the Underworld is like this… so the River of the Dead truly exists…"

After her sigh, Furanka's face suddenly drooped:

"You've fully digested your 'Harvester' potion, but I'm still short of completing my 'Pleasure'…"

In this digestion, Lu Mi felt eighty percent of the credit belonged to Lady Sharon, ten percent to the "Knight of Swords," and only ten percent to himself—so he felt no pride. After a moment's thought, he said to Furanka:

"Perhaps I have a way to help you digest your 'Pleasure' faster."

"Huh…" Furanka raised an eyebrow; Jianna looked slightly confused.

Lu Mi smiled and explained:

"I carry fragments of Morlan Avini's lust-driven fate. If I find a powerful transcendentalist and swap this fate fragment with him, won't that let you digest 'Pleasure' again, significantly?"

"Hmm, I think pirate admirals on the open sea would be perfect."

(End of Chapter)