Chapter 843: The Mark

Jianna paused and said:

"Yes."

At first, they believed the special mirror world was a byproduct of the "War of the Four Emperors," created by the residual energy from fierce battles between the Primordial Witch, the Blood Emperor, and other Fourth Era deities. Later, after exploring the treasure vault of the "Azure Avenger," Lumian uncovered new information and suspected that the special mirror world had existed even before the "War of the Four Emperors," theorizing it was crafted by Aristar Tudo, the Blood Emperor, as a countermeasure against the Primordial Witch and as a backup resurrection method.

At the time, what puzzled them most was how Aristar Tudo, a deity of the "Hunter" Path, could create such a peculiar and extraordinary mirror world—did one of His high-ranking "Apprentice" Path followers assist Him?

Franca continued with a sigh:

"According to Lumian's account and our own experience, the 'Hunter' brings calamity, the 'Witch' brings calamity—so wouldn't a deity of the 'Hunter' Path combined with a deity of the 'Witch' Path equal the very concept of calamity? No wonder Trier in the Fourth Era ended up the way it did…"

"But how could neighboring Path deities cooperate so peacefully? Shouldn't they immediately clash upon meeting, driven by an irresistible urge to merge, determine supremacy, and decide life or death?"

This was also what Jianna wondered. She slightly tightened her lips, thought for a moment, then said:

"Is there a way to control that merging impulse?"

"That's beyond my knowledge. I'd need to become an Angel before I could access the corresponding occult knowledge, right?" Franca joked self-deprecatingly, then habitually drifted off in thought. "The Primordial Witch might be able to, but the Blood Emperor certainly couldn't. Based on what we know of Fourth Era history, He was just a violent, bloody, cruel madman—how could He control Himself? Unless someone helped Him—who could help?"

Jianna blinked, then said thoughtfully:

"The Tamara family…"

"Oh…" Franca's eyes brightened. "Yes—the Tamara family was already dominated by the 'Apprentice' Path back then, and high-ranking 'Apprentice' Path practitioners excel at sealing, controlling space, and even partially manipulating mirror worlds. That explains why the Tamara family appears in the history of the special mirror world."

One of the two special mirror world fragments in their possession came from the Tamara family's tomb.

Franca grew increasingly excited:

"The Tamara family must have been the bridge between the Blood Emperor and the Primordial Witch—this was a secret mission! And because they had long interacted with the Witch Cult, it's natural that some members of their family defected to the cult after the split."

"Moreover, since Ms. Krismana is a descendant of the Blood Emperor, her twin brother—the current 'Gray Witch'—must be too. For over a thousand years, the Tamara family's 'Apprentice' branch endured humiliation, willingly becoming women, all to continue serving the Blood Emperor's direct lineage. Such loyalty! Such loyalty!"

As she spoke, Franca mock-wiped a tear, pretending to be moved.

Jianna was long accustomed to this woman's boundless speculation and absurd jokes. She ignored her and voiced her own question:

"The Tamara family only had a Level 2 'Apprentice' Path Angel back then—could they really seal the Blood Emperor's merging impulse?"

"The Tamara family couldn't—but what about Mr. 'Door'? Lumian said He was the top noble of the Tudo Empire, and behind Him stood Amon, confirmed as a King of Angels—so He was likely one too. Could a King of Angels of the 'Apprentice' Path temporarily seal the Blood Emperor's merging impulse?" Franca grew serious, weighing her words. "Was Mr. 'Door' involved in the special mirror world?"

"Possible," Jianna agreed.

Normal mirror worlds are, by nature, a collective of the concept of "Door."

Franca's thoughts suddenly veered off. She chuckled softly:

"There's another possibility—the merging manifestation between the 'Hunter' Path deity and the 'Witch' Path deity differs from others. First, yin and yang attract, then they blend, and only at a certain threshold do they begin to devour each other to determine the final victor."

Jianna couldn't help but roll her eyes upward.

Franca was telling another crude joke.

Of course, for Jianna—who had once lived for years in the market district's bars and dance halls as the "Exaggerated Woman"—this level of crudeness was child's play.

Franca immediately suppressed her laughter:

"Now I truly understand what the 'Black Witch' meant. No wonder she asked me why I thought the Witch Cult didn't control the special mirror world, claiming it had been under the Primordial's control until the end of the 'War of the Four Emperors.'"

"But she also believes the special mirror world was originally created to oppose the Primordial—only later did the Primordial seize control… Is she unaware of the original secrets and the 'Gray Witch's' origins? Or is she simply lying to me, misleading me? Or perhaps the Blood Emperor truly intended to oppose the Primordial, but the Primordial seized control of the nascent mirror world and turned it into cooperation?"

"Or—or was the purpose of cooperation to oppose someone else?"

"Hmm… what goal were They trying to achieve by creating such a special mirror world?"

Jianna honestly shook her head:

"I don't know."

Franca scratched her ponytail, thinking aloud:

"The 'Black Witch' is both a descendant of the Primordial and carries Tamara blood. Her understanding of the special mirror world may be deeper than I imagined."

Jianna hummed, rubbing her temple:

"Regardless, we must report this information immediately."

Franca glanced at Jianna, cleared her throat, and said:

"You should go back and rest properly—adjust to the changes the potion has made to your body."

…………

At the foot of the Bone Peak, Lumian sat with his eyes closed, leaning against corpses and skeletons, attentively listening to the monotonous voice from his brass earplugs.

He was completing his study.

He no longer needed to listen to all remaining books—mastering this one was likely enough—but even so, it would still take over ten hours.

Time passed second by second. Lumian's strength faded; even leaning against the corpses and bones, he could no longer sit upright, relying entirely on external support to keep from collapsing.

His spirituality was also rapidly evaporating, rendering him unable to use "Teleport."

Fortunately, he had earlier stored away the item left by Shalister. The airborne occult pathogens had been neutralized by the activation of "0—01," leaving no trace—his condition had not deteriorated to the point of a failing heart or spiritual disintegration, allowing him to barely hold on.

After an indeterminate time, Lumian suddenly felt energized—his body regained strength, his spirituality refilled.

The sixth hour of the morning, according to Kerdou Village time, had arrived.

Lumian, now reset and no longer ill, sat up straight and resumed the final portion of his study.

After nearly three-quarters of an hour, he murmured a word in Ancient Hermes:

"Stop!"

He felt the contamination had reached its limit—he could not accumulate any more!

As soon as the brass talisman ceased transmitting knowledge, Lumian's mind grew hazy.

Faintly, he "saw" the black flag, covered in dangerous blood spots, enveloped in thick darkness, gently swaying.

He "saw" the ground littered with corpses, "saw" vast armies, "saw" blood-soaked earth, "saw" countless severed arms and limbs…

A strong stench of blood and rust pierced his nostrils—as if it came from within himself.

Lumian felt a summons—not only from the black flag, but from the dense darkness surrounding it.

The heat and cold in his right palm grew sharper.

They originated from the Blood Emperor's residual aura and the seal left by the "Mingdao Man."

In that moment, Lumian suddenly understood another, deeper purpose behind the Aurora Society's arrangement of the "Dream Festival":

"Only with the 'Mingdao Man's' seal do I truly share occult similarity with '0—01'…"

"'0—01' once belonged to Aristar Tudo, the Blood Emperor, then fell under the control of the 'Death God,' contaminated by the 'Death God' Path's power. The latter was later exploited by the Knowledge Church to seal '0—01' itself. Now, I carry the Blood Emperor's residual aura and the seal left by the 'Mingdao Man'—who embodied the powers of the 'Death God,' 'Night,' and 'Warrior' Paths…"

In a flash of thought, Lumian combined the knowledge he had learned with the behaviors of Aenis and Zhu Li. Amid the strange, dangerous summons, he stood and "Teleported" to the peak of the Bone Peak.

He did not open his eyes. In the silent, icy darkness, even if he opened them, he would see nothing.

As he drew closer, a sharp pain formed on his forehead—his blood, or something else, seemed to want to seep out through his pores and skin fissures.

Lumian offered no resistance, enduring the pain.

Finally, a drop of liquid resembling blood tore from his forehead and flew toward the location of "0—01."

A sharp *pop* echoed. The Blood Emperor's residual aura within Lumian surged violently—it became a raging river of flame, ravaging his spiritual body, organs, and flesh.

The cold, rotting sensation in his palm intensified, restraining the river of flame from tearing his entire body free from the seal.

Lumian soon suffered to the brink of unconsciousness. Only when the Blood Emperor's residual aura gradually calmed did he slowly regain his thoughts.

He exhaled slowly, whispering to himself:

"I must be the designated agent of '0—01'…"

"Without the 'Mingdao Man's' seal, I would have become another Vanack—no, not another Vanack, but Aristar Tudo himself. The Blood Emperor would have used my body to return."

Lumian dared not linger near "0—01," fearing the artifact would detect a flaw in its new agent: his lingering self-will.

Lumian also knew that, with his current status and power, he could never remove "0—01" from Mogang—even if the Knowledge Church permitted it, it would only lead to his own destruction.

"Huh. Leaving a mark as an agent has completed this mission satisfactorily. Too bad—'0—01' is tightly sealed; the agent's special abilities only fully manifest within Mogang…" Lumian muttered, then "Teleported" back to the wilderness.

He immediately sensed a patrol of undead soldiers and steel automatons moving silently through the darkness, endlessly circling.

Lumian suddenly had a thought:

The bond between Qiyuezhe told him—the leader was the "Pus-Weeping Hand"!

This mysterious creature, after suffering divine descent, had slowly regrown bone and flesh—but seemed to have been conquered by "0—01," becoming its guardian.

Is the Hand's trait immortality? Lumian shifted his body, letting the "Pus-Weeping Hand" and its puppets pass by.

Suddenly, the "Pus-Weeping Hand" stopped—right before Lumian—and spoke in a low voice:

"Oumibera…"

(End of Chapter)