[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-826":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298795,4496,"Chapter 826: The Changing Nightmare","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-826",826,"\u003Cp>Zhu Li saw her reflection in the mirror gradually stained with blood, her expression turning cold, her eyes gaining a touch of malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt no surprise at this; instead, she curled her lips into a mocking smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhu Li in the mirror instantly became agitated, grasping the glass with both hands, trying to claw open a crack with her nails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face twisted rapidly, the malice in her eyes seeming almost tangible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, another figure emerged behind her—a male figure with short brown hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man resembled Zhu Li by six or seven tenths, his face likewise caked in blood, dark and cruel, just like the Zhu Li in the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li rubbed the golden ring set with a blue gemstone with her thumb, watching as her female self and male self shrank and faded, revealing the environment they currently occupied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a deep, pitch-black world, nearly devoid of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside this world, countless light points—each representing a different mirror—were densely scattered in all directions, most of them affected by the Molarra seal, appearing blurred and unreachable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li’s gaze swiftly swept over the few still-clear light points, guided by the witch’s intuitive sense toward one particular mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within that mirror, a dark silhouette appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if sensing Zhu Li’s gaze, the silhouette suddenly recoiled, withdrawing from the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li immediately thrust her hand into the mirror, her entire body passing through with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She ignored the curses and furious shouts from her two reflections within the mirror, directly teleporting toward the mirror that had previously shown the dark shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stepped out from a small mirror, finding herself in a long-abandoned room, all traces erased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li turned toward the window beside the mirror, observing the outside environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before her eyes lay a cemetery bathed in crimson moonlight, the library-style church, and the clearly visible entrance to the underground mausoleum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief silence, Zhu Li whispered to herself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘Mirror Person’ has indeed entered…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second floor of the “Carnivore” bar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian leaned back in his chair, feet propped up, intently reading the book in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was still early—he could study a little longer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Zhu Li about the ‘Mirror Person’ to leverage the witch cult’s power to confirm and locate it; after all, as a ‘Hunter,’ he had no way to use the mirror world on his own, and the ‘Mirror Clasp,’ as an external object, could only be used twice more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Lumian recalled Archbishop Molarra’s warning and decided to end his study session, to sleep an extra two or three quarters of an hour tonight, someone knocked on his door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Zhu Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li gave Lumian a slight nod:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found a ‘Mirror Person’ spying on the underground mausoleum, but I didn’t catch him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only one?” Lumian asked, confirming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li murmured “Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, she turned around and walked to her room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian chuckled softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You didn’t catch him—and you didn’t even see what he looked like, did you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke in a low voice, as if muttering to himself, but just loud enough for Zhu Li to hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li turned her head slightly and sneered in reply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least I can spot a ‘Mirror Person’—unlike someone who can’t even detect their trail and needs me to confirm it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian feigned being speechless, retorting stubbornly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was just letting you use your pitiful, insignificant abilities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li ignored him, opened the door, and stepped into her room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian chuckled inwardly and closed the wooden door as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Zhu Li should be less wary of him using the mirror world, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a daze, Lumian saw a bloodstained earth, collapsed grand buildings, and towering iron-black pillars rising straight into the sky from various ruins—more than half of them already broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moving purely on instinct, Lumian walked forward, passing through blazing palaces, torrential rainfalls like waterfalls, and forests of lightning constantly striking the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped before a corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse was charred black, its face stripped of skin, leaving only a smoke-blackened skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind it lay one corpse after another, piling into a mountain over a hundred meters high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian’s gaze climbed along these corpses, occasionally meeting the pale or dark red flames burning within their eye sockets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he was nearing the summit of the “mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a powerful surge of fear and the overwhelming urge to abandon thought and obey orders flooded his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He jolted upright, eyes snapping open, gasping for breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another nightmare…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The images are becoming clearer, and the frequency is increasing…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian turned his gaze toward Molarra’s underground, instinctively extending his right hand as if to touch something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grasped only air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly calmed himself, whispering silently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Given the current situation and progression, if I finish reading the remaining books, these nightmares caused by contamination may truly undergo a qualitative change…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What will that bring me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the nightmares become even clearer, if the sensation grows even stronger, I might lose control directly within the dream—then, Aloysius, Zhu Li, Varnak, and the others might get their lucky chance to challenge an angel. No, the Church of Knowledge would eliminate the problem immediately; they wouldn’t mind sealing another after having sealed Ludwig.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lumian rubbed his temple, increasingly convinced that Archbishop Molarra was right:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must not rush progress—he must maintain his physical health and mental state!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if contaminated, he must proceed gradually!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh… Lumian exhaled, believing that in five or six days, once he finished the borrowed books, his situation would surely change significantly—for the better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But can the current stability truly last until I complete my studies?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since his last injury, Aloysius hasn’t appeared for days—he’s doing something covert…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Varnak has regained control of Dardes Agricultural Company, but no longer has a fixed office or sleeping place…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sarist’s shift guarding the underground mausoleum is dangerous, but also an opportunity—she’s likely advanced the witch cult’s arrangements further; Zhu Li’s waiting moment may arrive soon…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will they let me focus on studying until I finish the remaining books?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Probably not…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lumian muttered inwardly, he felt Aloysius, Varnak, and one faction of the witch cult would soon make a major move—something involving the underground mausoleum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They may not know the importance of his studies or that he is seriously reading—but they must sense that further delay will only worsen their position!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do not underestimate the witch’s intuitive sense, nor the perceptions of the higher beings behind Aloysius and Varnak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trier, Memorial District, Aoluosaijie No. 9, Apartment 702.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca gloated triumphantly over successfully planning and executing an ambush against a formidable ‘Mirror Person.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It gave her more satisfaction than commanding team raids in games before her transmigration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pointed to the cash and scrolls on the coffee table:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s divide the spoils—you two go first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using ‘Magic Mirror Divination,’ the two witches had already determined the effects and incantations of several scrolls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was one ‘Sun’ scroll, one ‘Healing’ scroll, and one each of ‘Lightning Strike,’ ‘Burning,’ ‘Flash,’ ‘Gale,’ ‘Freeze,’ ‘Paralysis,’ and ‘Secret Voice.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony turned his body, signaling Jianna to choose first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna knew politeness was useless and only wasted time; after a few seconds of thought, she took the ‘Sun,’ ‘Lightning Strike,’ and ‘Flash’ scrolls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony selected the ‘Healing,’ ‘Paralysis,’ and ‘Freeze’ scrolls, leaving 460 Faeljin and the final three scrolls for Franca.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca picked up the ‘Secret Voice’ scroll and smiled sweetly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This one’s perfect—for someone directing operations. You two didn’t want it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Secret Voice’ scroll created a concealed channel linking three to five people, allowing voices to pass between them up to fifty meters apart, undetectable by outsiders or blocked by walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You don’t want it? Leave it for Lumian… Jianna thought silently, but couldn’t bring herself to say it and crush Franca’s joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the three spoke, the messenger of the ‘Judgment’ Lady delivered a reply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Moth Ascetic Order will handle the anomalous Kemo Luo—you need not follow up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a room in Trier, overturned chairs and scattered papers littered the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Hermit,’ one of the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot Circle that Franca and others had previously seen, now wore black-rimmed glasses and a deep black robe adorned with purple eye-shaped patterns, standing before a wall covered in meaningless lines, examining the faintly darkened blood and traces resembling dried tears and saliva on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before her, a nearly transparent, eyelashless, unnervingly indifferent eye watched silently, its pupil holding countless glittering stars, as if containing countless scenes ever witnessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, the ‘Hermit’ ignored the darkened blood, collecting a small amount of the powder seemingly stained by tears and saliva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately before her appeared a dreamlike carriage made of pumpkin; her appearance, demeanor, and figure subtly changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Hermit’ sat down calmly upon it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, a group of rats pulled the pumpkin carriage into a tunnel outside Trier’s underground catacombs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Hermit’ remained seated inside the pumpkin carriage, her hand forming a vivid, unreal woolen ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The holder of this Major Arcana card blended the previously collected powder into the woolen ball, then tossed it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball of yarn rolled swiftly into the depths of the dark tunnel, leaving behind a vivid strand of yarn on the ground to guide the way forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1558,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","36769b928151b4dfa17b7d78ebc35c5d20121bb184a6198b2b9d9943a1f42717","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-827","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-825",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]