Chapter 824: The Wild

Nikila stared at Francia with rapt fascination:

"He must have felt the call of the Wild."

"The Wild?" Francia made no effort to hide her confusion.

Nikila explained with unusual enthusiasm and detail:

"In the Fourth Era, in Trill, inside the ruined palace of Aristar Tudo, beside His corpse—no, on His corpse—no, beneath His corpse—no, anyway, there lies a Wild."

"All 'Seekers' and 'Generalists' will ultimately return to that Wild."

All 'Seekers' and 'Generalists'… Isn't it the 'Archmage' who exerts profound influence over both paths? Earlier, the 'Professor' and 'Associate Professor' both had dreams about the Wild… Francia perked up and asked:

"What else do you know about that Wild?"

Nikila shook his head, slightly frustrated yet utterly candid:

"That's all I know. According to our leader, the higher the sequence on either the 'Seeker' or 'Generalist' path, the more easily one hears the Wild's call."

Hmm, the 'Hidden Sage' should be the highest-sequence 'Seeker'—so during the Lodge incident, when the seal of Fourth Era Trill was broken, the Wild's leakage greatly affected Him, driving Him further into madness? Could Kermelo have suffered similarly? After all, he was in Trill… Could the 'Steam and Machinery God' Church's half-god in Trill also be compromised? Francia swallowed hard and asked:

"Has Kermelo returned to the Wild?"

Nikila smiled, tender yet pained:

"Not yet. He's probably just deteriorating, unable to maintain his selfhood, resisting the call in some extreme way."

"If he returned to the Wild, he'd have to pass through our mirror world—our leader would know, and so would I."

For Trill, Kermelo's return to the Wild might not be a bad thing. According to Nikila—no, Griffith's description, Kermelo now resembles a massive bomb, ready to detonate at any moment… Francia considered carefully and asked:

"Do you know where he's hiding now?"

Nikila sighed:

"He hasn't contacted me in a while. Our last meeting was near the underground crypts."

Near the underground crypts… Francia shifted her question:

"Griffith, what was your purpose in replacing the original and infiltrating the 'Moss Ascetics'?"

Nikila solemnly emphasized:

"I am the original."

"Our goal is to gradually make the 'Moss Ascetics'' leadership aware of the Wild's existence, so they'll help us open the seal of Fourth Era Trill at the critical moment."

Francia understood and asked:

"Through your 'help,' has Kermelo, this 'Pillar,' now learned of the Wild's existence and its exact location?"

Is it because he knows too much—and possesses divinity—that Kermelo gradually lost control after the Lodge incident, becoming ever more unable to resist the Wild's call?

The 'Steam and Machinery God' Church hasn't reported anything similar—at least nothing this severe…

"Yes," Nikila shared his feelings with his dream lover. "So for me, this is both good and bad. I finally gained Kermelo's trust, subtly sparked his interest in the Wild, and obtained the relevant information—only for all my efforts to be wasted now. I must start over, figuring out how to win the trust of the next 'Pillar.'"

"Why is it good?" Francia was puzzled.

Nikila smiled:

"If Kermelo returns to the Wild, perhaps one day I'll obtain the 'Occultist's' unique essence."

"The 'Occultist' is Sequence 4 on the 'Seeker' path? Can your 'Mirror People' ascend by consuming elixirs?" Francia fired off two questions rapidly.

Nikila nodded:

"Yes, I can ascend to 'Occultist' by drinking elixirs. I am the original."

"Have you ever drunk an elixir before?" Francia glanced at Griffith's corpse, still lacking its unique essence.

"No," Nikila answered frankly.

Hmph, doesn't drop unique essence… Francia muttered a gaming term from her past life:

"Moran Avini has been dead for a while. Your leader can't break free of the seal to frequently receive your feedback or issue orders—so who's coordinating the 'Mirror People' in Trill and handling daily matters?"

"It's Palia. She received instructions from our leader and acquired the relevant information," Nikila replied, without elaborating as before.

The mineralogist Gassmin I'm tracking… No wonder, under current circumstances, she's been wanted yet appeared twice in underground Trill… Is she rebuilding the 'Mirror People'' communication network? Francia pressed on:

"Can you contact Palia?"

Nikila shook his head again:

"She contacts us unilaterally."

"That way, if any one of us is exposed, it won't affect the others."

"As previously agreed, Palia contacts me once a week through the mirror world—usually Sunday evening, eight to ten o'clock—to confirm my status and exchange new information."

Don't you find this inconvenient? Of course, the security is high… Francia grumbled internally, then noticed Nikila's figure growing fainter—he'd vanish soon—so she rushed to ask her final question:

"Besides connecting Fourth Era Trill and current Trill, where else can your mirror world link to?"

This question came from Lu Mi's letter.

He confirmed that Morola's information exchange with the outside world occurred through that special mirror world.

Nikila recalled and said:

"A strange place, similar to Fourth Era Trill, also sealed—apparently filled with many living people, but we can't enter."

The 'Mirror People' can't directly reach Morola through the special mirror world… Francia gave a barely perceptible nod:

"Did one or more of your companions go to Lunbao to find that sealed, strange place?"

"Yes. Though we can't enter directly, if we can access it by normal means, we can use the power of our mirror world…" Nikila trailed off as he realized he could no longer maintain his soul's integrity.

He gazed at Francia, lingeringly, painfully scanning her exquisite face.

Francia's skin instantly broke out in goosebumps.

Watching Nikila—the 'Mirror Person' Griffith—vanish completely from the mirror, Francia sighed inwardly:

"The effect of short-term, high-intensity, high-frequency 'Enchantment' can last this long? It might take one or two days to fade…"

"Repeated 'Enchantment' in daily life, sustained long-term—apparently it really can make someone fall in love with me, deeply and irrevocably… I don't yet know how long this love will last after the supernatural influence fades. A year should be fine; whether it can overcome the seven-year itch is uncertain…"

"Heh, 'Hunters' can form teams, but 'Witches' can too—and team loyalty and synergy with a 'Witch' will be significantly higher. The only problem is, team members rarely cooperate sincerely—they're more likely to hate each other. What a bloody mess..."

Francia put away the mirror and said to Jianna and Anthony:

"No need to wait—he has no unique essence."

At this point, Jianna had already gathered the spoils: 460 Faelkin and nine scrolls from Nikila.

The exact functions and incantations of these scrolls remain to be determined via 'Magic Mirror Divination.'

Anthony glanced at Nikila's corpse and the nine scrolls, then said carefully:

"Should we send someone to impersonate Nikila using 'Lies,' and wait for Palia the 'Mirror Person' to contact us?"

"Possible, but unlikely," Francia considered. "We can bury the corpse and attempt anti-divination and anti-prophecy measures, but there are still many days until Sunday. The 'Mirror Person' leader will likely sense something amiss. Still, trying won't hurt."

After preparing anti-divination and anti-prophecy measures, once Nikila's corpse had crumbled into broken mirror shards, Jianna frowned slightly:

"Still no trace of that special mirror-world fragment."

Moran Avini's corpse left none either.

—Jianna and Francia currently possess two fragments: one from Gardner Martin's mirror, the other from the Tamara family's crypt.

"What kind of 'Mirror Person' leaves behind these special mirror-world fragments? What made that fake Martin so special? Next time we capture a 'Mirror Person,' we must ask this question properly…" Francia murmured to herself.

The three swiftly cleaned up the scene. Francia activated the 'Ice Talisman' and 'Teleported' to the fixed exit of that mirror world.

During this process, Francia used the lingering power of the 'Ice Talisman' to send Lu Mi a report on the operation's results.

…………

Morola, second floor of the 'Carnivore' Bar.

Lu Mi, comfortably reading a book, turned his gaze to the mirror in the room and saw water shimmering, forming lines of Intisian words.

As he read, Lu Mi suddenly froze.

He realized he'd overlooked something.

Could the 'Mirror Person' dispatched to Lunbao to investigate the '0—01'' whereabouts have also infiltrated Morola?

And unlike the 'Mirror Person' accidentally created in the underground mausoleum, they can use that special mirror world!

(End of Chapter)