[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-84":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},2298053,4496,"Chapter 84: Dream Divination (Third Update—Thank You to All Previous Silver Patrons)","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-84",84,"\u003Cp>In the two-story building half-buried in the ground, Lu Mi and Aurora ate their late lunch in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lamb, which should have been tender, tasted bland in their mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After barely filling their stomachs, Lu Mi was about to clear the dishes when he heard a clinking sound approaching from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lyra and the others?” He turned his body and fixed his gaze on the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora also noticed it, set down her knife and fork, and looked up toward the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the doorbell of their home rang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Lu Mi rose from his seat, walked to the door, and peered through the peephole at the visitors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was indeed Lyra and the three outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike when they last parted, Valentine had finally changed his clothes—he had burned himself while affected by the “Sufferer’s” aura; although Madame Pualis had healed his wounds, his burnt garments could not be restored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi opened the door and smiled warmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My cabbages, you missed me already?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you changed your clothes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentine was no longer wearing a white vest with a blue tweed coat—he now wore a yellow vest with a black suit, his pants still dark; Lyra’s white cashmere dress now had white cloth flowers stitched onto its abdomen and wrists—one large, two small—hiding the tears, with surprisingly neat stitching; as for Ryan Cos, Lu Mi could not tell if he had changed clothes nor detect any trace of his earlier injuries—he suspected the fellow had at least two identical outfits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve made some progress on both matters,” Ryan Cos replied calmly, gesturing with his eyes to enter first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi turned to ask his sister’s opinion, then fully opened the door and invited the three official investigators inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time Ryan Cos and the others met Aurora; they exchanged polite greetings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The constellation is about to change, and the villagers will welcome good fortune,” Ryan Cos said without preamble as he sat beside the table. “This rumor was clearly spread by the parish priest. But I think it’s not that simple—this method and phrasing resemble a village witch’s style; the parish priest wouldn’t normally think of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A village witch referred to someone in towns or villages who additionally practiced fortune-telling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora nodded thoughtfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be influenced by the dead wizard?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, this is a tactic to lure villagers into secretly worshipping a dark god.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The villagers believed it so easily?” Valentine was furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wore the expression of a man asking how anyone in Kerdou Village could be so foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora didn’t voice her retort—that they believed because worshipping the “Eternal Sun” hadn’t lifted them from poverty, and they were constantly oppressed by the parish priest and the administrator… She feared Valentine would attack her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could even imagine how, once some villagers were swayed and began worshipping the dark god, they’d receive certain benefits from the parish priest and his followers—perhaps halving their offerings to the “Eternal Sun,” or no longer being bullied by Pons Benet, even using that brute’s name to scare off disliked neighbors—in short, they’d genuinely feel their luck had changed, that life held hope, and thus worshiped even more devoutly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this didn’t make Aurora think the villagers were right—after all, the government and church wanted money, while the cult wanted lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one answered Valentine’s question; only Lu Mi offered a “kind” suggestion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll need to ask them yourself—conduct a deep investigation into ‘Why Faith Changes So Easily.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you truly find the answer, I believe the Pontiff would appreciate you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pontiff” was a title for the Pope of the “Eternal Sun” Church; many churches used it for their supreme leaders. Lu Mi hadn’t known it until he read the reference materials Aurora bought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentine fell silent, his expression subtly swaying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora turned to Ryan Cos and changed the subject:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you found Jean Moreau, Sybil’s husband?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan Cos glanced at Lyra, signaling her to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyra nodded and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We broke into Jean Moreau’s home and took an item belonging to him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Using that item, I performed a dream divination.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dream divination… Aurora nodded slightly, unsurprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lu Mi described their castle exploration yesterday, she had already deduced their respective paths and approximate sequences from the three investigators’ behavior:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Lyra belonged to the “Diviner” path, common in Intis—she was not Sequence 9 “Diviner” or Sequence 8 “Jester,” but at least Sequence 7 “Magician,” as evidenced by her “paper doll substitute,” “damage transfer,” and her skill in divination and acrobatic movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora wasn’t certain whether Lyra had reached Sequence 6, as she knew little about the later stages of this path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentine belonged to the “Sun” path, the main one controlled by the “Eternal Sun” Church—he was certainly not Sequence 9 “Chanting Devotee” or Sequence 8 “Prayer of Light”; from his “summoning holy light,” “creating holy water,” and “sun halo,” Aurora deduced he was Sequence 7 “Sun Cleric,” and likely hadn’t reached Sequence 6 “Notary,” as he hadn’t displayed corresponding abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryan Cos’s abilities weren’t typical of Intis—he was a “Warrior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This path was primarily controlled by the “God of War” Church of the northern Fasak Empire, but over the past five to six years, many nations had seen an increase in “Warrior” path adepts and supernatural beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several members of the Curly Baboon Research Society had chosen this path, willingly or unwillingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Aurora, this was also called the “Giant” path: Sequence 9 was “Warrior,” Sequence 8 was “Martial Artist,” Sequence 7 was “Weapon Master,” Sequence 6 was a qualitative leap called “Dawn Knight,” who possessed giant-like strength and could generate “dawn” within a surrounding area, dispelling illusions and negative or evil energies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could also manifest a full-body armor called “Dawn” and weapons they specialized in; the most powerful was the “Dawn Sword,” a two-handed greatsword, which allowed them to unleash their sequence’s strongest attack—the “Storm of Light”—capable of destroying bodies, annihilating vengeful spirits, and wounding evil entities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on Ryan Cos’s performance, Aurora believed he was Sequence 6 “Dawn Knight,” but likely hadn’t become Sequence 5 “Guardian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora had always felt these three official investigators were no weaker than herself; now she realized each was stronger than the last—alone, she couldn’t defeat any one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In official classifications, Sequences 9 and 8 were considered low sequences—merely ordinary people with minor special abilities, but with obvious flaws; Sequences 7 to 5 were mid-sequences, beginning to wield power beyond the mundane; Sequences 4 and above belonged to the demigod realm, true high sequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to certain members of the Curly Baboon Research Society embedded in official organizations, ordinary supernatural incidents were typically handled by a three-person team: one mid-sequence agent leading two low-sequence agents for initial investigation, with higher-tier forces deployed later as needed. Yet here, facing the anomaly in Kerdou Village, the Intis authorities had sent three mid-sequence agents at once—unprecedented attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even this joint investigation team seemed insufficient for Kerdou Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora had already shared all this with Lu Mi; now the siblings listened quietly as Lyra continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the dream divination, I saw the shepherd Pierre Berri holding several fingernails wrapped in hair, stuffing them into a haystack.” Lyra described the vision in the briefest terms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haystack… fingernails and hair… Lu Mi instantly recalled his own discovery under the guidance of the three sheep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He too had found fingernails wrapped in hair inside the haystack of Berri’s sheep pen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These are Jean Moreau’s fingernails and hair?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He was murdered by the shepherd Pierre Berri—at Berri’s house?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurora nodded in agreement:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normally, burying fingernails and hair outside the home to avoid affecting family constellations and luck was reserved for family members with terrible reputations, suicides, or those murdered by relatives—but since Jean Moreau was killed at the shepherd’s home, Pierre Berri carefully cut his nails and took some hair, hiding them outside in the haystack?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder we found… that was probably the previous victim’s. How many people have they secretly killed?” Lu Mi suddenly sneered. “Even after all this, they still worry about their own constellations and luck?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Foolish!” Valentine cursed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, Ryan Cos, and Lyra had already received Lu Mi’s earlier report and knew about the three sheep, the haystack, and the folk custom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After further discussion, they agreed to make no further attempts for now, observing the parish priest’s reaction, then Lyra and the others bid farewell to Lu Mi and Aurora and returned to the old tavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The siblings didn’t mention their noon hypothesis—they feared it might undermine the official investigators’ will to break the cycle from within, since they might merely be influenced and could still be freed by external aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After clearing the table and washing the dishes, Lu Mi returned to his room and lay on his bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind was tangled and restless; he couldn’t sleep for a long time, only gradually calming through preliminary meditation before falling into deep slumber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a room filled with faint gray mist, Lu Mi opened his eyes and sat up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked down at his chest, his gaze seeming to pierce through the gray-white cotton shirt and flesh, revealing the black thorn symbol and the cyan-black pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this the origin and cause of the cycle? Lu Mi whispered silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black thorn symbol was the root of the problem; the cyan-black pattern brought the protection of that great being, leaving Kerdou Village a chance for salvation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of this could be traced back nearly six years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi remembered clearly—he was still wandering then, barely surviving by exploiting his youth and ruthlessness beyond his years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, one day, he met a dying old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps he had just accumulated a little, and felt inflated; perhaps the old man reminded him of his only relative, his grandfather, who had raised him until he was over ten before dying—Lu Mi chose to offer some help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he ultimately couldn’t save the old man, Lu Mi still took him to the crematorium and buried him in a free public cemetery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cyan-black symbol was discovered on the old man’s corpse during this process; since then, he had frequently dreamed of vast gray mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His luck grew worse—he could no longer find enough food, but soon after, he met Aurora.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ps: Third update, thanks to all the Silver Patrons who tipped before, and please request monthly tickets~ Also, the first update of tomorrow will be at 00:05.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1748,"2026-06-20T06:22:34.374Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","49b01746784fb6a845ed1fb3016296595d8273cdb93e530ba0bff6f267da801c","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-85","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-83",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]