Chapter 9

At night.

After dealing with the neighbors who came to borrow the oven, Lu Mian went up to the second floor and entered the room that served as a study.

—In Cordu village, many poor families don't have ovens or large stoves. When they need to bake bread or smoke meat, they can only borrow from others and use them on the spot.

On this matter, Aurora has always been open-minded and tolerant. Anyone can come to borrow, just pay the corresponding fuel costs, or bring your own coal, wood, etc.

At this time, she had changed into that white silk nightgown and was curled up in an armchair, reading the book in her hand under the bright desk lamp on the desk.

Lu Mian didn't disturb her and pulled a thinner book from the bookshelf, sitting in the chair in the corner.

"The Hidden Veil"... What kind of magazine is this? Lu Mian glanced at the cover full of strange symbols, and doubts arose in his heart.

He flipped through it quickly and was even more shocked as he read.

This magazine talks about the existence form of the human soul, talks about all things having spirits, and talks about communicating with different spirits through hidden ways to get different help...

Even if his faith wasn't pious at all, even if he just followed the crowd to pray in the "Eternal Blazing Sun" church and occasionally participated in mass, two words couldn't help but flash through Lu Mian's mind:

"Blasphemy!

"Taboo!"

Although it's normal for Aurora, as a witch who would definitely be caught and burned by the Inquisition if exposed, to have similar books at home, Lu Mian clearly saw that this magazine had a government publication permit!

Is this kind of thing something that can be published openly?

Isn't it said that publication censorship has always been very strict?

Or, this is a forged permit... Lu Mian raised his head and looked at Aurora, opening his mouth to ask:

"Is this a banned magazine?"

Aurora withdrew her gaze from the book, glanced at her brother's side, and said indifferently:

"It used to be, belonging to underground literature. Later, I don't know how it passed the censorship and was officially published. The 'Eternal Blazing Sun' church didn't even care and just tacitly approved it."

"Literature?" Lu Mian didn't quite understand his sister's choice of words.

"This is of course literature. You wouldn't take it seriously, would you?" Aurora laughed, "If what's written is true, do you think it could still be published? If you follow the methods above, besides making yourself mentally weak and becoming neurotic, you won't have any extra gains. Hmm... occasionally there's some real stuff, but without the corresponding ritual language, no matter how you try, it's all in vain."

This is the evaluation of a professional witch.

"Fine..." Lu Mian was disappointed, "I'm just surprised that this could actually be published."

Aurora puffed out her cheeks, as if thinking seriously:

"I don't know why either. It might be that in the past few years, supernatural phenomena involving extraordinary factors have become more and more frequent in various places, and they couldn't be completely hidden, bringing a certain trend of thought. The government wants everyone to know a little bit, so they relaxed the control over similar books. In Trier, the three magazines "Spiritism", "Lotus", and "Arcana" are more popular. I have them all on my bookshelf. If you are interested, you can find them to read, and you can make up stories better when you go to the tavern in the future."

"Hmm." Lu Mian was indeed very interested.

At the same time, he sighed in his heart again:

Aurora's collection of books is really rich and diverse!

It was precisely by relying on these books and Aurora's occasional explanations that he, a dropout youth, could have enough understanding of the world, the continent, and the country he lived in:

This world has two continents, north and south, separated by the Storm Sea, where hurricanes rage and navigation is difficult. As for the legendary Eastern Continent and Western Continent, no one has arrived there yet, and no one can confirm whether they exist or not.

The Intis Republic where Lu Mian and Aurora live is located in the middle of the Northern Continent, bordering the Fog Sea to the west, the Feysac Empire to the north, and facing the Loen Kingdom across the Hornacis Mountains to the east. The countries bordering to the south are the Feysac Kingdom, Lenburg, and Masik in order.

Between the Feysac Kingdom and the Loen Kingdom, there are small countries like Segar. They, along with Lenburg and Masik, are collectively known as the central and southern countries, and their common point is that they all believe in the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom".

The Southern Continent has been reduced to a colony of the countries of the Northern Continent. Whether it is the Balam Empire, the Pas Kingdom, the Hagati Kingdom, or other countries, they have all lost most of their autonomy. Of course, the wave of resistance against colonization has never ceased.

Besides the Storm Sea between the north and south continents, the Fog Sea to the west of the Intis Republic, the Sonia Sea to the east of the Loen Kingdom, the North Sea to the north of the Feysac Empire, and the Polar Sea to the south of the Southern Continent, they are collectively known as the "Five Seas".

And among the countries of the Northern Continent, the Loen Kingdom has the strongest comprehensive strength, followed by the Intis Republic. The Feysac Empire, which lost in the last war, fell to fourth place, the Feysac Kingdom rose to third, and among the central and southern countries, Lenburg is the most prosperous.

Compared to those villagers in Cordu who only know the Intis Republic, the Feysac Kingdom, and Lenburg, Lu Mian can be called a geographer.

Of course, this is also because the shepherds of Cordu village need to transhumance to the neighboring Feysac Kingdom and Lenburg, so they have a certain understanding of these two countries. If it were the people in the northern countryside of the Daliezh region, besides the surrounding villages, towns, and cities, they could only name big cities of their own country like Trier and Suchit.

Sometimes, Lu Mian is really confused, how can Aurora master so much knowledge?

All the textbooks he studied were compiled by Aurora, all the test papers he practiced were written by Aurora, and for any questions he had about the books he read, Aurora could answer them!

More importantly, she also mastered fighting techniques of various schools.

This simply doesn't look like something a girl in her twenties could do. Some people haven't accumulated so much knowledge even after living for fifty or sixty years.

Could these be the basic conditions for being a real witch? Lu Mian raised his head again and looked at Aurora.

Aurora was tapping her face lightly with her fingers while reading, looking nothing like a scholar or a witch.

"What are you looking at?" Aurora noticed his gaze.

"You said last time that I have the knowledge reserve to participate in the university entrance exam?" Lu Mian changed the subject.

Aurora thought for a while and said:

"Theoretically, you can get into any university, but I haven't participated in that entrance exam, so I'm not sure about the specific scope of the questions.

"Roselle really caused a lot of harm. Hey, this is also a good thing..."

There is no doubt that the university entrance exam was created by Emperor Roselle during his reign and has continued until now.

Aurora suddenly remembered something, looked at Lu Mian, and asked with a smile:

"Why didn't you go to the tavern to make up stories today?"

"I'm not really an alcoholic." Lu Mian shook the magazine in his hand, "Reading at home is also a very good form of entertainment."

And it can also make my mind calm and my state relaxed... He muttered silently in his heart.

Aurora nodded, looking at the corner where Lu Mian was:

"Why sit so far away? Are you pretending to be pitiful, weak, and helpless?

"Come over. Reading at night requires good light, otherwise it will hurt your eyes."

Aurora's strange words are really many... Although I understand what "pitiful", "weak", and "helpless" mean separately, it's very strange when put together. It doesn't look like normal usage... Lu Mian had long been used to Aurora's performance like this and pulled the chair to the desk.

Under the bright desk lamp, he and Aurora were on the left and right, reading books quietly, chatting a few words from time to time.

The sound of breathing, the sound of pages turning, the night wind blowing past the window from time to time, soothing and peaceful.

After saying good night to Aurora, Lu Mian returned to his room.

He took off his coat and hung it on the back of the chair, not trying to bring the "Wands" card to the bed.

This was for fear of arousing Aurora's suspicion, after all, his sister said she would watch over him at all times.

Lu Mian was about to take a step toward the bed when he suddenly felt his heart stir and stopped.

His eyes turned, and he adjusted the chair that was usually placed at an angle to face the window directly.

Then, he got into bed and extinguished the kerosene lamp on the cabinet next to him.

After falling asleep normally, after an unknown amount of time, Lu Mian gave a jolt and regained clarity.

He saw the bedroom shrouded in faint gray fog again.

Lu Mian, who was already mentally prepared, looked around and discovered something:

The chair he had specifically straightened before going to bed was still placed at an angle in the dream, maintaining its usual appearance.

In other words, the bedroom in the dream didn't strictly correspond to reality; it might come from the impression in the deepest part of my subconscious... Although I don't know what this means, Lu Mian felt it was a point that needed to be remembered.

He came to the window, supported himself with both hands on the table, and looked outside.

That mountain peak composed of brownish-red stones and reddish-brown mud, and the circles of collapsed buildings surrounding it, entered his eyes again.

It was deathly quiet here.

Time passed quickly. After hesitating for a while, Lu Mian finally made up his mind:

Make a preliminary, certain exploration tonight!

His past stray life gave him a ruthless streak.

He didn't go downstairs immediately to enter the ruins but opened the wardrobe and started adding clothes.

This wasn't because he felt cold, but to increase his "defensive ability" in this way.

Putting on cotton clothes, cotton pants, and a leather jacket, Lu Mian moved his body and felt he couldn't add any more; adding more would obviously affect his own flexibility.

This was more important.

While adapting to the current state, a thought suddenly flashed through Lu Mian's mind:

This is my dream, so if I want something, won't it be there?

Holding a trial mentality, he started muttering in a low voice:

"I want a breastplate, a pistol... I want a breastplate, a pistol..."

The room shrouded in faint gray fog remained unchanged.

It seems it doesn't work... This dream is indeed special... Lu Mian calmed his disappointment, opened the bedroom door, and stepped into the corridor.

There was no light here, dim and dark.

Lu Mian opened the doors to Aurora's bedroom and study one after another. The layout inside was slightly different from reality, but generally consistent. The biggest difference was that neither of those scenes had Aurora, as if frozen in a piece of gray.

The first floor was the same.

Lu Mian began to search for weapons for self-defense. With his familiarity with the home, he quickly had two choices:

One was a fork nearly two meters long with a steel front. In Aurora's words, as long as the target didn't have long-range weapons, this thing was absolutely easy to use and the effect was absolutely outstanding.

The second was a relatively sharp iron-black hand axe.

An adult's answer is to have them all... Lu Mian suddenly remembered a sentence Aurora often said, but in the end, he didn't do so.

Because he was doing a preliminary exploration today, what he needed was concealment, caution, and near-stealth.

And bringing such a long weapon would definitely drag him down and make him easily exposed.

Lu Mian exhaled slowly, bent his waist and back, and picked up the axe.

He then straightened his body and walked toward the door step by step in the faint gray fog.

Silently, he pulled open the front door.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 10 =====