Chapter 828: Entering

Lu Mi directly activated the black mark on his right shoulder, "teleporting" into that boundless graveyard, "teleporting" to the entrance of the underground mausoleum.

It seemed as if the entrance had been carved into the mouth of some colossal beast, gray-white stone steps extending from its jaws deep into the black, yawning throat.

Lu Mi suspected Zhu Li had already entered the underground mausoleum.

No matter what the Witch Cult's plan was, it would inevitably circle back to the sealed "0—01" deep within the underground mausoleum!

Lu Mi sampled the scents near the entrance—only the smell of grass, trees, and damp earth after rain; he detected no trace of Zhu Li's fragrance.

At the same time, he scrutinized the gray-white stone steps below, swallowed by darkness, searching for fresh footprints—the rain had just raged with thunder and lightning.

"No sign Zhu Li came here…" Lu Mi shifted his body, becoming a spear of blazing white flame, zipping over a hundred meters to land beside the Church of Knowledge.

He didn't take the long way; he shattered the nearest stained-glass window and leapt inside, sprinting up the stairs to stand before Hera Beg, draped in a plain white robe edged with golden copper thread.

"Your Grace, do you know which room Sallyst lives in?" Lu Mi's breath remained steady, but his words came fast.

Archbishop Hera Beg smiled in reply:

"Third floor. The room closest to the graveyard, with a view of the mausoleum entrance."

Lu Mi paused, stunned:

Uh, you knew that already…

He wasted no time asking more; his body ignited again in blazing white flame, trailing a brilliant glow as he shot upward into the staircase.

After several turns, Lu Mi arrived before Sallyst's room—the room of the "Witch."

He grasped the cast copper handle, turned it gently, and pushed open the wooden door.

The room was neatly kept, devoid of excess items: only a single bed, a desk, a chair, and a shelf holding books and trinkets—exuding a monastic austerity.

"So Sallyst is gone too…" Lu Mi confirmed his suspicion.

He did not step inside immediately; he felt the room was thick with invisible, pathogen-laden webs, like the nest of a deadly spider.

As he prepared to burn away the unseen filth, he continued his observation.

He realized Sallyst, perhaps to play the role of an experiment subject contaminated by something, had kept nothing in the room beyond essentials; now that she was gone, even her spare black robe had vanished—everything was empty, the most striking object being a mirror placed near the window on the desk.

The mirror was a common vanity mirror, perfectly reasonable for a "Witch" to own.

But Lu Mi made a connection:

"Did Sallyst leave through the Mirror World?"

"The Enforcement Squad enters and exits in groups; she wouldn't risk the Church of Knowledge letting her slip out openly…

"Did she and Zhu Li plan to meet somewhere in the Mirror World?"

"Could Zhu Li and Sallyst have used the Mirror World to reach the underground mausoleum—that's why there's no trace at the entrance?"

As these thoughts converged, Lu Mi's mind once again formed a web of information and disparate ideas.

He swiftly made a guess:

"When Sallyst previously patrolled the underground mausoleum under the guise of an experiment subject, replacing the soldier dolls, was she placing mirrors—or similar reflective objects—at key nodes?"

"When I used the 'Mirror Clasp,' I couldn't determine which mirrors were inside the mausoleum, nor tell if any concealed danger…"

"Is this the Witch Cult's preparation? And now, Sallyst has mastered the world formed by those mirrors—she's ready to act?"

"Why didn't she begin immediately after her last shift?"

"Did she need days to make other preparations?"

Thoughts surged; Lu Mi lowered his voice:

"Thermipolos, should I enter the underground mausoleum now—or keep learning, hoping Zhu Li and Sallyst fail?"

Before Thermipolos could answer, Lu Mi chuckled to himself:

"I won't pin my hopes on others failing."

He had made his decision.

He would enter the underground mausoleum to sabotage and halt the Witch Cult's plan—to buy a few more days!

The only problem: once inside, he'd have to blindfold himself; he couldn't read books or continue learning during downtime.

Was there a way to convert text into sound…? Aurora's wizard notes recorded theories and preliminary experiments on this—but I'm not a "Wizard"… Lu Mi sighed inwardly, when Thermipolos, silent for so long, spoke with a grand, layered voice:

"That is extremely dangerous."

So you actually answered me… Is this kindness—or a trap? He merely pointed out the danger, offered no strong warning… Doesn't matter. Whether Thermipolos opposes me or tries to lure me in, I'm going… Lu Mi calmed his mind swiftly and laughed:

"Perhaps both of us will become puppets of '0—01.'"

"Not me." Thermipolos replied with a deep, resonant voice.

Is that so? Lu Mi transformed again into a flame spear and shot back to the church's main hall.

He stood before Hera Beg, holding out three books, forcing a smile:

"Your Grace, I still have two and a half books left unread. Can you convert the remaining knowledge into sound, so I can learn while exploring the underground mausoleum?"

Hera Beg's wrinkles softened; his eyes grew gentler:

"Good, good, excellent attitude toward learning."

He pulled out a thin copper sheet, took the books from Lu Mi's hands.

Instantly, his amber eyes swirled with countless symbols and characters.

Lu Mi saw tiny glimmers rise from the three books, dense as rain, converging into rivers that surged into the copper sheet.

What sorcery is this…? Lu Mi stared, stunned.

Before coming to Lunbao, he'd gathered detailed intelligence on the Church of Knowledge from every source—including partial information on the "Reader" Path.

He knew the Sequence 5 of the "Reader" Path was "Arcane Tutor," capable of inventing unique spells.

Soon, the glimmers vanished; the copper sheet grew lustrous, its symbols and patterns more three-dimensional.

Snap. Snap. Hera Beg broke off two corners of the copper sheet and molded them into cylindrical shapes.

Lu Mi's mouth slowly opened:

Without fire, I couldn't even break off two pieces of copper with my bare hands—let alone pinch them like clay…

Your Grace, are all "Readers" this violent—or are you just special as a puppet? Your fingers could grind my bones to dust…

Or is this an effect of the arcane technique?

"Stick them in your ears. The activation word is the Ancient Hymnos word for 'hear'—I know you only know that language, not yet well enough in Giant or Elven. The deactivation word is 'stop.'" Hera Beg handed Lu Mi the copper sheet and the two copper earplugs.

Lu Mi instinctively protested:

"I know Hymnos too."

He understood Hera Beg meant the languages capable of manipulating supernatural forces.

"Hymnos?" Hera Beg chuckled.

From his tone and expression, Lu Mi sensed contempt—for Hymnos.

Time was short; Lu Mi asked no more. He slipped one copper earplug into his ear, tucked away the rest, then transformed into a blazing spear of white flame and shot through the open stained-glass window to the entrance of the underground mausoleum.

Lu Mi steadied his breath, pulled out an acetylene lamp and white bandages from "The Traveler's Satchel."

After lighting the lamp, he wrapped the bandages tightly around his head, blindfolding himself.

His vision plunged into utter blackness.

For a "Hunter" who relied heavily on sight, this was far from pleasant.

Lu Mi groped for the acetylene lamp and carefully descended the gray-white stone steps, one step at a time.

He struggled to maintain balance, fearing he might slip and roll like a wheel into the depths of the mausoleum.

He wasn't afraid of injury—he feared the lamp would go out.

"Being blind is awful…" Lu Mi muttered, constructing a three-dimensional map in his mind.

The map drew mostly from the sealed data on "0—01" and the book *Examples of Underground Mausoleum Construction*, with minor details from nightmares over the past two days.

Relying on his mental map and his superior hearing, smell, and bodily control, Lu Mi gradually adapted to the total darkness, descending more steadily.

Finally, he reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the underground mausoleum.

He felt the darkness surge around him like a tide, seeping into his skin, bringing a chilling cold and a slow drain of vitality.

Almost instantly, the palm of his right hand turned icy.

The unnatural loss of vitality vanished.

"Did the 'Mourner's Mark' activate?" Lu Mi murmured silently, "Under these conditions, even without the lamp, I shouldn't be harmed by the darkness here. Heh. Later, if I meet Zhu Li and Sallyst, I could try using the 'Hunter's' influence over flame to snuff out their lanterns—but Zhu Li has something special, and Sallyst likely does too—they won't be easily swallowed by darkness…"

Blindfolded, Lu Mi turned his head, using the half-activated black mark on his right shoulder to sense the location of the "Pus-Soaked Severed Hand's" head.

He planned to find it first, then stop Zhu Li and Sallyst.

Once he did, he could reunite the scattered corpse pieces of the "Pus-Soaked Severed Hand" and see what strange transformation occurred—give his enemies a "surprise."

Perhaps because they were all within the underground mausoleum, Lu Mi soon sensed the corpse's call and the peculiar connection.

It was nearby!

(End of Chapter)