A means of self-preservation

After taking a stroll around Mason Café in the Botanical Garden District as planned, Lumian returned to the "Golden Rooster Inn" in the Messy Street, went straight to the Third Floor, and arrived at room number 10 where the Madman lived.

Bang! Bang! Bang! He pounded on the door.

"I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" The murmurs inside the room suddenly became shrill.

"I'm fucking going to die too!" Lumian cursed expressionlessly.

The Madman seemed intimidated by his imposing manner and fell silent, offering no response whatsoever.

Lumian stopped knocking on the door, took out a small piece of wire he always carried, inserted it into the keyhole, and fiddled with it for a few moments.

With a click, the stained brown Wooden Door opened backward on its own.

Lumian then saw the Madman, still wearing the Linen Shirt and yellow trousers, kneeling on the ground, his thick black beard almost covering his eyes.

Lumian went inside, closed the door behind him, then squatted down in front of the Madman and said in a low voice, "I also encountered the Montsouris Ghosts."

The Madman visibly trembled, and his blue eyes, now filled with fear, showed signs of thawing.

After a few seconds, he took a breath and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure it's the Montsouris Ghosts?"

Have you entered the state of occasional lucidity that Charlie mentioned? Lumian smiled and said, "I don't know, so I'm asking you to confirm."

What did the Montsouris Ghosts you encountered look like?

The Madman replied, trembling, "A dark figure, like a lonely old man, a little hunched over, walking very slowly."

"After I noticed it, it disappeared into the darkness. At first, I didn't know it was the Montsouris Ghosts, until my parents, my wife, and my children died one by one..."

It looks just like the one I encountered... Lumian frowned, wondering if he had indeed met the Montsouris Ghosts.

He thought for a moment and asked, "How did your family members die? Were you attacked?"

The Madman shook his head rapidly:

"I, apart from often feeling that something is watching me in the dark, I haven't had any other experiences, otherwise, I wouldn't be alive now."

"My child was seriously ill and died in the hospital. We had just had him purified and buried in the Catacombs when my wife broke down and hanged herself in the room."

"It was only then that I remembered the legend of the Montsouris Ghosts, and I took my parents to the Church and asked the Priest there to protect us."

"The Church took it very seriously and sent three Clergy to live in my house. During that time, nothing happened, and I thought the Nightmare was Past."

"After the New Year, those Clergy left. Not long after, my father strangled my mother and ended his own life with a kitchen knife. After that, I don't remember many things. I only wake up occasionally to find myself here without knowing when..."

The Madman's blue Eyes revealed undisguised Pain, and his whole being gave Lumian the feeling of a spring stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

"Isn't it said that the Montsouris Ghosts would kill anyone who encountered him in the past year? It's already a new year." Lumian noticed that there was a significant difference between the Madman's account and the legend.

The Madman shook his head:

"I don't know why this happened. I thought the Nightmare was over, otherwise those three Clergy wouldn't have left..."

Curse with no end time, unless all targets are dead? Lumian has a new theory about the legend of the Montsouris Ghosts.

He stood up and said to the Madman:

"I think I encountered Montsouris Ghosts too. Let's see who survives longer."

"If I find a way to break this Curse, you can pay me to help you."

"A way, a way..." The Madman curled up the corners of his mouth, repeating Lumian's words while crying and laughing.

He immediately raised his hands and grabbed his hair:

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die!"

Lumian wanted to ask what the Madman's name was, so that he wouldn't be unable to have his name engraved when he sent him to the Cemetery or Catacombs. Seeing this, he could only shake his head, turn around, open the door, and walk out of Room 310.

Back in 207, Lumian on the edge of the bed, pondering how to break the Curse brought by the Montsouris Ghosts.

Although theoretically the Curse might not take effect until the end of the year, and there's no need to rush, Lumian can't pin his hopes on the Montsouris Ghosts having a procrastination problem.

Moreover, he has no immediate family, so he is most likely the first to die from the Curse, which may happen in the second half of the year, or even next week, or even tonight.

"Speaking of which, that guy might still be alive. If the Montsouris Ghosts can help me kill him, I should thank him..." As the thought crossed his mind, Lumian suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.

In his Dream, he told Ryan and the others that he had forgotten his original name, that he was lying to them, and that he simply didn't want to mention it or recall it anymore.

His family was relatively well-off during his childhood, but the man he called his father was a playboy who later became a gambler.

His mother was so angered that she died of illness, and his grandfather was driven into bankruptcy and moved to a slum with him, where he also passed away a few years later.

So, after being adopted by Aurora, he asked if he could take her surname and have a completely new name.

Lumian didn't know whether the guy who had simply contributed bodily fluids was alive or dead. If he was dead, that would undoubtedly be a good thing. If he wasn't, he hoped the Montsouris Ghosts would put in more effort.

As for himself, Lumian dared not assume that the Montsouris Ghosts would not do anything to him just because he Corruption by the Evil God and had the seal of Great Ones on his body.

As long as you don't possess him, the other person can do anything!

According to the "Magician" Lady, Lumian believed that many Beyonder and Monster could easily kill him, but they would then have to deal with the Corruption that emanated from him.

"I'm not sure if this is Curse or not... but I can't just sit here and wait to die, I have to do something... Hmm, Aurora used to say that the strongest ability for the weak or minors is to 'find their parents'..." Thinking of this, Lumian's eyes lit up, she stood up abruptly, walked to the table, and pulled out Paper and Pen.

He planned to report the progress of the mission to the "Magician" Lady now, and mention that he had encountered the Montsouris Ghosts, and wondered if he had been Curse and how to solve the problem.

Although That One Lady codenamed "Magician" is not his parent, she is definitely his boss in the current situation, and it is perfectly reasonable to ask his boss for help when encountering difficulties!

Lumian considered for a moment, then wrote, "Dear ' Magician ' Lady:"

"I have done as you instructed, gained Aosta Roul's trust, and had him introduce me to the Occult Gathering convened by Mr. K..."

"On my way back from the Catacombs, I unfortunately encountered the legendary Montsouris Ghosts, though of course I can't be sure."

The specific legend goes like this...

"I want to know if I've been Curse by the Montsouris Ghosts, or some other influence, and how to deal with it?"

In closing, Lumian deliberately included the code name "Seven of Wands" to remind the other party not to forget that he was an outer member of their Secret Organization.

--This is what Lumian deduced from the fact that That One Lady used the Tarot Cards "The Magician" as her code name, while he himself received the Tarot Cards "Seven of Wands".

He suspected that That One "Magician" Lady might belong to a Concealment organization that used Tarot Cards as a symbol and worshipped That One Great Ones. The Major Arcana were the official members, each exceptionally powerful, while the Minor Arcana were the peripheral members, each undertaking different tasks.

After carefully folding the letter, Lumian meticulously cleaned the room, squashing and killing the Bedbug that had crawled over from next door, and throwing them into the Washroom trash can.

Only after doing all this did he light the Candle, creating a "Spirit Wall," and in his own name summon the Messenger of the "Magician" Lady.

Before long, the candlelight turned a deep blue color.

This time, the Messenger, who was about the height of a forearm, resembled Doll, and wore a light Golden dress, appeared directly at the top of the Flames and floated there.

Its unfocused, pale blue Eyes swept around, then it nodded slightly.

"Much better than last time."

The sound was ethereal and elusive, unlike anything a human could produce.

"Actually, I don't like those Bedbug either," Lumian chimed in.

The Doll Messenger revealed a slight smile:

"Right? No living thing likes those bugs!"

Lumian could tell that its attitude was fairly satisfactory, seemingly because "both sides" disliked the same thing.

After speaking, the Doll Messenger stretched out its Paleness, skinless hand, causing the letter to float up and drift upwards.

Lumian followed the trail and saw the "Doll" holding the letter burst and disappear like a bubble.

He exclaimed sincerely, "Having Messenger is so convenient..."

After the Ritual concluded and the Wooden Table was cleaned, Lumian sat back down on the bed, waiting for the Messenger to bring feedback.

Time ticked by, the night grew deeper, and songs drifted from the Underground Bar, but Lumian still hadn't received a reply from Lady "Magician."

This made him frown:

"Is Lady. ' Magician ' busy with other things and doesn't have time to read my letter right now?"

"We can't just keep waiting like this; we need to think of other ways to protect ourselves..."

Neither the Hunter nor the Provocateur has the ability to deal with Curse, so if it really is Curse...

Even being a ' Dancer ' won't work, unless you actually pray to That One Hidden Being after performing the Sacrificial Dance, but what's the difference between that and suicide?

"Well, if praying to That One Hidden Being won't work, I can seek out That One Great Ones!"

"I have His seal on me, and I even had His permission when Steal the ' Gift,' so I'm not afraid to ask Him again!"

"Yes, I pray that He will help me remove the Curse from my body."

Lumian acted on his idea immediately and quickly set up the Altar again.

Since the "Magician" Lady did not specifically mention the materials from the realm of That One Great Ones, Lumian believed that what was used should not affect the final result, as long as other Deity were not involved.

He still placed orange-yellow Candle made of citrus and lavender, two to represent the Deity and one to represent himself.

Having completed the preliminary preparations, Lumian stepped back, gazing at the three yellowish candlelight, and murmured in Hermetic: "The Fool not of this age, a mysterious Ruler Above the Gray Fog, the King of Yellow and Black who holds good fortune..."