Chapter 94: Stripping Fate (Request Monthly Tickets)

Lu Mi didn’t understand what the illusory river he saw—or rather, sensed—represented; he could only guess it might symbolize fate, so he followed the “Fallen Mercury”’s instinct and lifted the blade’s tip to point toward a silver-mercury symbol within the river.

The moment he touched the river shimmering with mercury-light, scenes flashed through Lu Mi’s mind:

the “Noodle Man” dancing the mysterious ritual dance; the “Noodle Man” cowering to the ground, terrified by black-thorn symbols; the “Noodle Man” gathering scattered flesh from the ruins of dreams to fill his belly; the “Noodle Man” attempting to approach the “wall,” yet seemingly fearing something, always retreating after advancing only so far; the “Noodle Man” having his head chopped off by an axe…

Was this all of its “life” since the cycle began? Lu Mi suddenly understood, and tried to pierce the silver-mercury symbol representing the “Noodle Man”’s death—the river’s end—with the tip of the “Fallen Mercury.”

It was too vast, too heavy; he failed.

At that moment, the silver-mercury symbols began to fade; the illusory river gradually vanished, and the images in Lu Mi’s mind rapidly blurred.

Time-limited? Lu Mi dared not choose slowly; following the principle of proximity, he turned the silver-black, sinister short blade toward the fate segment where the “Noodle Man” was stunned by the black-thorn symbols.

The silver-mercury symbol, resembling a small river coiling upon itself, was pried loose, contracting and solidifying into a single drop that seeped into the blade’s body.

The next second, the illusory river vanished completely; Lu Mi could no longer see the “Noodle Man”’s fate.

He looked down at the “Fallen Mercury” and saw the Cengceng sinister symbols on its silver-black surface rippling like flowing water, as if endowed with some life.

Those symbols, already dizzying to behold, now grew even more sinister.

“Success…” Lu Mi murmured softly, feeling a quiet satisfaction.

Now the “Fallen Mercury” was truly complete.

From now on, as long as he wounded the flame monster with this sinister blade in battle, he could exchange the fate of “being stunned by black-thorn symbols” onto it.

After wrapping the blade’s body in black cloth and sheathing it back at his waist, Lu Mi briefly dealt with the “Noodle Man”’s corpse, dragging it into a half-collapsed building and destroying its final support, letting stones and timber crash down to bury everything within.

Having done this, Lu Mi circled back to the area where the flame monster appeared.

This time, he didn’t approach to observe; instead, he gathered footprints and other traces, spending time distinguishing between the target’s deliberate loops and its true path.

After nearly two hours, Lu Mi gradually grasped the flame monster’s daily range and movement patterns; a map of the hunt naturally formed in his mind.

He spent more time visiting all his pre-set battlefields, searching for natural traps he could exploit.

After an unknown length of time, Lu Mi rubbed his forehead and decided to press deeper into the ruins while he still had energy, to investigate the “wall” and gather intelligence for future exploration.

He didn’t grow careless; he danced the ritual again, half-activating the black-thorn symbols.

With this “amulet,” Lu Mi sped forward along his previous route.

Along the way, he encountered several monsters, but they either turned and fled the moment they prepared to attack, or vanished from afar; the deeper he went, the more frequent the latter became.

Finally, as the burning sensation in his chest from the second ritual dance faded, Lu Mi saw again the “wall” formed by the chaotic ruins of twisted houses.

He rested awhile, waiting for his spiritual energy to recover somewhat, then danced the ritual once more.

When the dance—sometimes clanging, sometimes soft—ended, Lu Mi advanced toward the direction where he’d found the “Fallen Mercury,” the black-thorn symbols glowing on his brow.

After passing through the room where the fire had long died, he slowed his pace, wary of sudden attacks.

After walking a while, Lu Mi noticed the light ahead had dimmed sharply—as if some colossal entity above blocked the falling radiance, or the sun now lay directly behind his position.

Lu Mi instinctively looked upward, but saw only thick fog.

Unable to find a reason, he drew the “Fallen Mercury” and cautiously entered the ahead area.

In an instant, it felt as if he had stepped from day into night.

Of course, this was an exaggeration; Lu Mi felt a more accurate description was moving from a foggy day to a sky choked with dark clouds.

Almost simultaneously, he involuntarily yawned; the fatigue already present surged violently.

“No, can’t sleep…” Lu Mi forced his eyes open and retreated from this dim, drowsy “mountain base” shadow.

His spirit recovered noticeably; though fatigue remained, it was now bearable.

“Enter and immediately feel sleepy? The deeper you go, the more you want to sleep?” Lu Mi muttered silently, turned, and walked in another direction.

After replenishing the ritual once more, he arrived at an unfamiliar region.

To his right stood a “wall” of piled doors and windows; to his left stretched barren land connecting to a ring of ruin; ahead rose rows of brown trees.

In this ruin where not a single blade of grass grew, the trees displayed extraordinary flexibility, intertwining and embracing each other to form a wooden wall five to six meters high.

This wooden wall bristled with lush green leaves, vibrant and dense, starkly contrasting the surrounding deathly desolation.

Had it not blocked the path to the other side of the “wall,” Lu Mi might have praised it as “resilient life”; now, he could only express his irritation with a vulgar gesture: two middle fingers raised.

He could have chosen to detour, entering the dream ruins from the other side—but he knew nothing of that area, and his spiritual energy was nearly spent; no need to risk it.

He yawned openly, the burning sensation still in his chest, and began retracing his steps.

…………

When Lu Mi awoke, faint dawn light had pierced the thick curtains at the window, outlining the room’s desk, chair, and wardrobe in clearer contours.

“Still early…” he murmured silently, turning his head toward Aurora beside him.

Aurora’s golden hair was scattered across the white pillow, her eyes tightly shut, deeply asleep.

Her right hand gripped the top of the blanket, occasionally twitching as if to roll over, yet instinctively restraining herself; her brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed again.

Lu Mi roughly understood why his sister exhibited such behavior:

Her home robe concealed too many bottles and jars, prepared for any possible emergency; if she slept on her side or stomach, they would inevitably dig into her.

“How hard she works…” Lu Mi sighed wordlessly, his expression soft, his heart calm.

After watching a while longer, he withdrew his gaze, slipped quietly from bed, and stepped out of the bedroom.

He went to the side balcony that led to the roof, facing the distant crimson glow, stretching his body.

Less than a minute later, Valentine emerged from his room, stood in the hallway, and gazed at him:

“You’re greeting the sun too?”

His gaze softened; his usually cold expression radiated approval.

Could I say no? Lu Mi smiled:

“Yes.”

Valentine nodded in satisfaction, stepped onto the balcony, stood straight, facing the rising sun.

He then spread his arms, tilted his head slightly, and whispered:

“Praise the Sun!”

“Praise the Sun!” Lu Mi had no choice but to mimic the same gesture.

Valentine lowered his arms, crossed them over his chest, prayed silently for a moment, then opened his eyes and said to Lu Mi:

“If we can successfully break the cycle, I’ll introduce you to the bishop of the Dariji region—or would you prefer Bigor?”

“I’d rather go to Trill,” Lu Mi replied with a smile. “But where I go doesn’t depend on me—it depends on my sister.”

Valentine nodded, dropped the subject, turned, and began patrolling the hallway.

Until eight o’clock, nothing happened; the two went downstairs and prepared breakfast together.

Soon, Ryan came down to help; by nearly nine, Lyra woke up—only Aurora still slept.

“What’s the plan today?” Ryan bit into his toast and asked Lu Mi.

Lu Mi thought a moment and said:

“One person must stay home; we can’t leave Aurora alone in case of attack.

“The other two and I will go out to restock food, fetch a few buckets of water—ha, we’re holding out until the twelfth night.”

The village of Kordu had no running water; when Aurora repaired this house, she installed a water tank on the roof; as long as it was regularly refilled and disinfected, it functioned like running water.

“Yes, all this must be done before Lent,” Ryan agreed.

Lu Mi immediately beamed:

“By the way, we need to visit Lady Pualis and see if we can persuade her to investigate the dead wizard and owl in the tomb.”

As expected, Lu Mi saw Valentine frown and Ryan’s smile stiffen slightly.

Lyra took a sip of water and smiled:

“I’ll stay here and keep Aurora company.”

“Fine,” Lu Mi answered for Ryan and Valentine.

At this point, the two men had no choice but to agree to visit the administrative officer’s residence in the morning.

After breakfast, the three left the semi-subterranean two-story building and headed toward the old tavern.

Along the way, they passed Pierre Berry the shepherd’s house.

Lu Mi’s mind stirred; he said to Ryan and Valentine:

“Let’s check on those three sheep.”

He remembered the sheep’s cry he’d heard last night.

Ryan and Valentine understood his meaning and didn’t object.

After circling a small portion of the path, the three arrived behind Berry’s house—but what met their eyes was an empty sheep pen.

The three sheep were gone.

ps: Mid-month, please vote for monthly tickets~

(End of Chapter)