Chapter 778

This time, the "Ferryman" did not attack Lu Mian again, swaying as it rowed the gloomy little boat to the opposite bank.

After jumping onto the wilderness covered in withered blood-colored flowers, Lu Mian, whose spirituality was nearly bottomed out, trotted toward the high ground piled with skeletons and corpses.

After running for a few minutes, he saw brilliant, dreamlike starlight seeping out from the dim, murky sky.

Immediately following that, that patch of void was forcibly torn open, just like transparent paper.

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

Standing outside the gate was the "Magician" lady, who had changed into a loose, orange-yellow dress.

The "Magician" lady did not enter the Netherworld; she hovered in the void outside the gate, smiling as she looked at Lu Mian and the others.

"Lady 'Magician'..." Lu Mian had thought it would be another demigod of the Temperance Faction bringing a "Death" pathway Beyonder to open the Netherworld gate to receive him, Sharron, and Maric; he hadn't expected the one to come to be a Great Arcana card, Lady "Magician."

She could find the Netherworld?

She could tear through the barrier of the Netherworld and create a gate?

Lu Mian suppressed the doubts in his heart, took two steps to gain momentum, and jumped into that gate of starlight.

He first felt a wave of dizziness, his vision going black, and then he saw the clear, pure Lake Dalsh and felt the thin air of the plateau.

He reflexively took off the gold mask of the Augus family from his face, to avoid becoming a true undead creature from wearing it for too long.

During this process, the figures of the Temperance Faction demigod Sharron and "Knight of Swords" Maric both appeared in front of his side.

"Thank you." The "Knight of Swords" faced Lady "Magician" and politely offered his thanks.

Sharron, wearing a small black soft hat and a Gothic court dress, nodded gently without speaking.

"This is only right." Lady "Magician" replied with a smile, "It's a pity we didn't catch Oseto; it's truly a shame. The 'Great Mother's' gifted ones are all very vigilant and skilled at rebirth, making them very difficult to catch."

The "Knight of Swords" exchanged a few pleasantries and offered his farewells.

Before he and Sharron left, they nodded at Lu Mian, indicating their approval.

Although the promise the "Knight of Swords" required to be fulfilled was only to help find Oseto—which Lu Mian had long since over-fulfilled—chasing Oseto's premature infant to the Netherworld and eliminating it counted as additional help. However, the severely injured Sharron had also helped Lu Mian control the goat-faced devil, giving him the opportunity to "harvest" the enemy and take away half the body of the "Abscessed Hand," so neither owed the other anything, and there was no need to mention further rewards.

Of course, building a connection and deepening the friendship with the "Knight of Swords" was a bonus.

After Sharron and the "Knight of Swords" left, Lady "Magician" looked at Lu Mian and said playfully:

"Are you wondering why I could find the Netherworld?

"For high-ranking figures of the 'Apprentice' pathway, the Netherworld is just there; the question of whether it can be found doesn't exist. Even if it is hidden, we can easily locate it after observing the 'Gatekeeper' open the door a few times, and master the ability to summon a Netherworld gate. Of course, I didn't summon one; I just opened a door directly."

"Then why did you say before that I had to wait for an opportunity to enter the Netherworld?" Lu Mian asked subconsciously.

As a "Star Angel" of Mr. "Fool," couldn't you have just opened a door to the Netherworld for me directly?

What opportunity was there to wait for?

Lady "Magician" laughed:

"If I had sent you to the Netherworld at that time, would you have had the ability to obtain part of the 'Abscessed Hand's' body?"

"No..." Lu Mian replied in a low voice.

Not only could he not, but he might have died on the spot the moment he entered due to an illegal "teleportation."

But this time, with the guidance of the Temperance Faction and the help of a demigod, he had the opportunity to take the incomplete body of the "Abscessed Hand" from the goat-faced devil.

Of course, the additional risks had also increased significantly.

"I just had a premonition that such an opportunity would arise, which is why I made you wait." Lady "Magician" sighed sincerely, "Not every ability can be replicated; it's very difficult to change one's own state without using it directly."

Lu Mian didn't dwell on this matter and recounted his experiences in the Netherworld with Ms. Sharron and the "Knight of Swords" exactly as they happened.

Lady "Magician" listened very carefully without interrupting, occasionally revealing a thoughtful expression.

"What secret is hidden within that 'Harvest Goddess' from the Second Epoch?" At the end of his account, Lu Mian posed the question.

Lady "Magician" shook her head:

"I don't know either."

She paused and added:

"There are some things I hadn't planned on telling you so early; it's not a good thing for you. But since you have already fused with Omebella's bloodline and experienced these things in the Netherworld, I can tell you a little bit.

"Do you remember the Omebella remains I mentioned?"

"I remember." One of the reasons Lu Mian risked fusing with Omebella's bloodline was the thought of being able to briefly use the "Grade 0" sealed artifact formed from those remains in the future.

Lady "Magician" continued to ask:

"Do you know where it is?"

Without waiting for Lu Mian to shake his head, she provided the answer herself:

"It is in New Bai Yin City."

New Bai Yin City? Where the headquarters of the "Fool" Church is located? Lu Mian suddenly remembered those semi-giants who made him feel like a dwarf.

Are Omebella's remains a "Grade 0" sealed artifact belonging to New Bai Yin City and the "Fool" Church?

Lady "Magician" deliberated for a few seconds and said:

"First, you need to understand an occult fact: 'Marauders,' which are angels of the 'Error' pathway, can steal the identities and fates of others. In other words, the person whose identity and fate have been stolen, apart from their own self-awareness, will no longer be themselves; their parents won't recognize them, their spouse and children won't recognize them, and they will gradually be rejected by fate."

Lu Mian associated this with the "Substitution Art" of the "Fate" domain, which also involved a person's identity and fate.

Although this was very different from what the "Magician" described and clearly on a much lower level, the similarities helped Lu Mian understand Lady "Magician's" words relatively easily.

Seeing that he didn't ask any questions, Lady "Magician" went straight to the point:

"According to the secrets learned so far, I suspect that the 'Harvest Goddess' Omebella was once stolen of her identity and fate by a high-ranking figure of the 'Error' pathway, and then murdered by her own immediate family members who mistook her for an enemy.

"Up to this part, it sounds like there's no problem, just a terrifying conspiracy. But think about it: why would the remains of the 'Harvest Goddess,' who was killed by her immediate family and lost her own identity and fate, appear in the former Bai Yin City instead of silently falling in a corner of the battlefield?

"And what's even stranger is that the ancestors of Bai Yin City clearly knew these were Omebella's remains and knew her true identity. At that time, the theft effect must have still been in place!"

Lu Mian smelled something abnormal in this matter, and he frowned as he asked:

"What records and speculations does Bai Yin City have about this?

"Are there any Beyonder characteristics in Omebella's remains?"

"There are no Beyonder characteristics." Lady "Magician" replied very firmly, "Bai Yin City doesn't have many records of this either, because it also went through the Third Epoch ruled by the Ancient Sun God. But their ancestors mentioned that the 'Harvest Goddess' walked into Bai Yin City herself. Hehe, strange, right? As for the rest of the situation, read it when you are able to briefly borrow that 'Grade 0' sealed artifact; now is not the time."

This confirmed that there was a significant mystery surrounding Omebella... Lu Mian asked cautiously:

"What did the goat-faced devil mean when it said I privately occupied that egg?"

Lady "Magician" stared at Lu Mian for a moment and said:

"There are no changes in you, but whether that egg is there or not cannot be confirmed for the time being; it remains to be observed."

Lu Mian said "Mm" and turned to point at the clear, limpid Lake Dalsh:

"What is special about this lake? What connection does it have to the Netherworld?"

Lady "Magician" replied with amusement:

"The Temperance Faction once had Kings of Angels and angels who ruled here for over a thousand years, and they didn't figure out the secret of this lake. Why would I be able to discover it in such a short time?

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

"Judging from your trip to the Netherworld this time, perhaps Lake Dalsh became special even longer ago than when the ancestors of the Augus family became 'Death'."

"Is it related to the ancient Death, the Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace?" Lu Mian caught the hidden meaning in Lady "Magician's" words.

Thinking of the pitch-black giant egg beneath the corpse of the ancient Death, he felt this speculation could explain why Oseto wanted that bird-clawed monster infant to gestate and be born with the help of Lake Dalsh's special nature.

"Perhaps." Lady "Magician" could not be certain yet.

Lu Mian was silent for a few seconds and changed the subject:

"Lady 'Magician,' since I have already obtained that part of the 'Abscessed Hand's' body, I would like to go to Lenburg soon to find the 'City of Exiles,' Morora."

"You have a great sense of urgency, and you're very eager." Lady "Magician" sighed, "Relax for a few days first, ease your emotions, and then go. We will follow up on the matter of the vortex, and your companions will track down the 'Mirror Person' related matters. Hmm, you probably can't bring your companions into the 'City of Exiles.' Also, hurry up and learn the language. Once you have finished the business in the 'City of Exiles,' train your team well and prepare for advancement."

"Alright." Lu Mian also felt he should adjust his state.

Trier, Memorial Hall District, 9 Orosay Street, Apartment 702.

Lu Mian reunited with Franca, Jenna, and Anthony.

After he finished recounting his experiences in the Netherworld, Franca sighed sincerely:

"So the Netherworld is like this, so the River of Death really exists..."

After sighing, Franca suddenly let her face fall:

"Your 'Reaper' potion is already fully digested, but my 'Pleasure' is still a bit off..."

In this digestion, Lu Mian felt that 80% of the credit belonged to Ms. Sharron, 10% to the "Knight of Swords," and he only accounted for 10%, so he wasn't proud. After thinking for a moment, he said to Franca:

"Perhaps I have a way to help you digest 'Pleasure' as soon as possible."

"Uh..." Franca raised an eyebrow, while Jenna looked a bit bewildered.

Lu Mian explained with a smile:

"I have accumulated fragments of the fate of Morn Avigny's lust explosion. If we find a powerful Beyonder and transfer this fate to him, wouldn't that allow you to digest 'Pleasure' significantly again?

"Hmm, I think those pirate admirals on the sea would be very suitable."

(End of chapter)