Choices

Lumian had always believed that the other self in her dreams represented her own Dark Side, Mutated Personality resulting from the Corruption Fate.

But now it seems there's more to it than meets the eye.

The interpretation of "his" nature is correct, but does his and the Owl's furtive behavior of hiding in the Warlock's tomb also have a corresponding symbolic meaning?

Does this represent the mastermind behind the scenes, the owner of the Lizard- like creatures, or the true planner of the great sacrifice in Cordou Village?

And now, he's hiding in the shadows, trying to help Termiboros escape the seal?

Termiboros's attitude towards the Lizard- like creature didn't seem to be like that...

Lumian remained silent for several seconds, then, without hiding his guess, told the "Magician" Lady in detail.

The "Magician" listened quite attentively, pondered for a while, and said, "I originally thought that as long as you undergo psychological treatment in stages and gradually recall the things you've forgotten, the truth about Cordou Village will clearly appear before your eyes, and that should be no different from what I know."

"But after hearing what you said, I suspect that some of the symbols and metaphors in your dream conceal other secrets, deeper secrets."

"But no matter what, those symbols and metaphors are projections of my real experiences in my dreams. It's impossible that I can't interpret them after regaining my memories, right?" Lumian objected.

The "Magician" Lady smiled slightly and said, "That's not necessarily true."

Seeing Lumian's confusion, she explained simply, "On one hand, you may not have actually experienced it, but your spirituality or subconscious sensed the danger and abnormality and projected them into your dream as symbolic elements."

"On the other hand, Termiboros is sealed within you; your Destiny is intertwined with His, and your subconscious may have discovered something unusual from Him."

Lumian roughly understood what the "Magician" Lady meant, and after thinking for a moment, said, "After I complete all stages of psychotherapy, could Lady. Susie directly awaken my subconscious and inquire about the meanings of its different symbols?"

"This is very dangerous. We'll have to decide whether to try it based on the combined opinions of the two ' Psychiatrist '," the "Magician" Lady said thoughtfully. "That will have to wait a long time. In the meantime, I can help you find Beyonder skilled in Cryptology symbolic meanings to see if they can make a sufficiently accurate interpretation without going through your subconscious. Do you need that?"

"Okay," Lumian readily agreed.

Then, with a hint of worry, he asked, "What about the possible lurking Termiboros's allies around?"

The "Magician" Lady calmly stated, "Given that we've already sensed this possibility, I don't think he'd risk staying near you. Of course, I'll continue to observe."

She then asked, "Are you planning to continue the mission the Aurora Order gave you? Quite a few people must have seen you rushing towards the Shadow Tree, which will make Gardner Martin suspicious."

"If you don't want to take the risk, tell Mr. K about this. He should be very pleased that you killed a ' Fallen Dryad ' and ruined the ' Bliss Society's' plans, and then he will assign you a new task."

"If you want to continue, I'll have someone blur the memories of those who witnessed it. Anyway, in that kind of environment, it's normal that they didn't see your specific appearance and physical characteristics clearly."

Lumian hardly hesitated:

"I want to continue."

Gardner Martin is Sequence 6 or Sequence 5 of the "Hunter" Pathway and has a large number of "Hunter" around him. If you continue to contact him and join the organization called "Iron and Blood Cross Order", you will have a high chance of obtaining the Potion Formula and Main Ingredient for "The Pyromaniac".

After these events, Lumian gained a deeper understanding of the hierarchy of Sequence, the terror of the strong, and his own level. He developed an urgent desire to improve his strength, a stark contrast to his initial state when he arrived in Trier, where he was indifferent to everything and pursued hope in a somewhat dazed state.

Only by being strong enough can one fight against misfortune, find the truth about the Calamity in the dangerous Mysticism World, and discern whether various proposals using "Resurrection" as bait contain malice!

The "Magician" Lady nodded slightly, agreeing to Lumian's request.

Because of the previous topic, Lumian asked with slight curiosity, "Has the ' Shadow Tree ' been resolved?"

"How is that possible?" The "Magician" Lady scoffed. "Even if the two major Church prayed for Divine Descent, the ' Shadow Tree ' couldn't be resolved. Heh, it's not that there's no way, it's just that the price is too high for anyone to pay."

"What kind of price?" Lumian pressed.

The "Magician" Lady took two steps to the side of the hillside as if taking a leisurely stroll.

"After more than a thousand years of nurturing and influence, the ' Shadow Tree ' has long been integrated with Trier, becoming its Dark Side and its shadow. Unless the city is destroyed and everyone here is killed, even the True God cannot completely destroy it."

"Of course, we could move Trier to another place, relocate all the people, and then wait five or six years until the ' Shadow Tree,' deprived of its nourishment, becomes weak enough before uprooting it. But if we did that, the other dangers Underground Trier would be out of control."

"Are there other dangers?" Lumian frowned.

The Underground of Trier is just too amazing!

He then asked in bewilderment, "Why not destroy the ' Shadow Tree ' as soon as it was planted?"

The "Magician" woman and the _pictograph_scribe laughed:

"In this rush to build a city and fight off some Underground dangers, didn't you notice that someone secretly planted a ' Shadow Tree '?"

She didn't specify what other dangers were involved, seemingly not believing that Lumian should know at this point.

Lumian sensed this and kept quiet.

The "Magician" Lady looked at him and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Aren't you unhappy that I sent you directly to Trier, getting you involved in a series of dangerous things, without providing any corresponding help?"

"No." Lumian didn't understand why the "Magician" Lady would ask that question.

In his view, accepting tasks, completing Commission, and receiving rewards is fair enough, and in the process, the "Magician" Lady will also provide guidance through letters.

Aside from the years following his adoption, Lumian had long been accustomed to not relying entirely on others and to making full use of the various resources at his disposal to achieve his goals.

The "Magician" Lady smiled:

"Didn't you see the ' Two of Cups ' summon her Major Arcana? That's only because it happened to be in Trier; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy and effective."

She paused for a moment and said, "If I were to regard you as an extension of my eyes, an extension of my hands, as a true, selfless subordinate, I could provide you with sufficient assistance and ensure your safety most of the time by having you recite my name. But you chose the ' Hunter ' Pathway, a Pathway that requires combat and a strong sense of self."

"Flowers grown in a greenhouse can never become qualified ' Hunter.' A ' Hunter ' who always relies on a protector and fights in their comfort zone will find it difficult to attain Divinity and become Saint. In the end, it will take more time and a greater price to make up for the current deficiencies."

What kind of person do you want to be?

Lumian paused for two seconds before saying, "I want to be someone who makes those bastards tremble."

The answer is self-evident.

The "Magician" Lady nodded in satisfaction:

"Of course, this doesn't mean I'll abandon you. I'll still reply to your letters, offer advice, and even provide direct assistance based on your requests. But I don't want you to feel like you can be protected all the time."

Lumian nodded, indicating that he understood.

He recalled Suzanne Matisse's rapid recitation of certain words in supplication for help from High Sequence, and, combining this with the keywords the "Magician" Lady had just mentioned, he seemed to ponder as he said, "Can reciting the Honorific Name of a certain being gain His attention and request corresponding help?"

"Yes." The Magician nodded slightly. "But that requires the other party to have sufficient goodwill. When you reach a certain stage, I will also tell you my name. Hmm, you possess the Honorific Name of Mr. ' The Fool,' but without performing Ritual, simply reciting it will hardly obtain an effective response, and may even encounter negative effects. This is because Mr. ' The Fool ' is fighting against an ancient Deity, which concerns the fate of all of us and whether this world can survive the Apocalypse."

"The Fool"? The abbreviation for That One Great Ones is "The Fool"? So it really is a Concealment organization codenamed after Tarot Cards... When Lumian heard "The Fool" before, he automatically associated it with the Tarot Cards he encountered in daily life, rather than the "The Fool" in his Honorific Name, which was more like a description.

The "Magician" Lady dropped the subject and glanced at the tree trunk in Lumian's hand:

"This is a good thing. Attacks that do not possess Divinity cannot damage it, and when it hits a target, it may even trigger some kind of desire in that target."

"If you acquire any more Beyonder Characteristic to match it, you can try to find a ' Artisan ' of Saint level to combine them together and make Mystical Item."

"You can't carry it with you all the time, otherwise your various desires will gradually Loss of Control, which is very dangerous for Beyonder have taken Potion."

Having just finished speaking, the "Magician" Lady tilted her head slightly, as if listening to something, and then said to Lumian, "That's all for today."

The next second, Lumian saw again a mixture of dense, mixed colors and those indescribable, transparent creatures.

A second later, he saw the Messy Street full of cracks.

The "Magician" Lady had vanished from his sight.

Lumian paused for a moment, then quickly put on the clothes and pants he was holding.

Immediately afterwards, he saw Franca not far away.

They both smiled at the same time.

Before they could even exchange their feelings about being in the same Concealment organization, they saw Jenna, wearing a long gray-blue Long Dress, dart out of the shadows in the alley.

Lumian and Franca instinctively became alert and increased their guard.

Jenna, clutching the wound on her ribs, exclaimed joyfully, "Damn! You guys are really alright!"

"It seems to be true..." Franca muttered, then went to meet her and asked with concern, "How did you get hurt?"

Jenna glanced around nervously, then said in a low voice, "I assassinated Hugh Artois and was shot."

"Holy crap! You succeeded? You even escaped?" Franca exclaimed in shock.

She felt she couldn't do it herself.

What do you call this? This is what you call a true Assassin!

Seeing that a few people were already walking around in the Messy Street, Lumian interrupted Jenna:

"We'll talk when we get to the Golden Rooster Inn. Then we'll remove the bullet and treat your wound."

"I still have half a bottle of Healing Potion," Franca added happily.

She helped Jenna up and led her back to the Golden Rooster Inn, following the shadows along the roadside.

As they neared their destination, they encountered Anthony Reid, an Information Broker.

Lumian laughed, saying sarcastically, "I thought you'd run away."

"I still have some things to do in the Market District," Anthony Reid replied vaguely.

The four walked a few more steps and saw the beige five-story building.

The Golden Rooster Inn was leaning slightly more than before, with some cracks on the walls and withering Vines and branches climbing up.

Because the remaining tenants had not yet returned, it exuded an indescribable sense of decay and desolation.

Some time has Past since that Calamity.

A simply dressed young man, carrying an old suitcase, followed the crowd off the Steam train, out of the station, and into the Messy Street.

He saw the five-story, beige building with more than a dozen bright red stripes painted on its surface.

"Golden Rooster Inn." He read the building's name aloud, feeling the Banknotes and Coins in his pocket, figuring he could afford it.

The Golden Rooster Inn was much cleaner than he had imagined. Although many places were covered with outdated newspapers and cheap pink Paper, there were no Bedbug, thick, disgusting phlegm, or all sorts of garbage.

After renting Room 302 for 15 Felkine, the young man carried his suitcase up the stairs, thinking happily, "It's cheaper than I expected. Such a clean hotel for only 15 Felkine a month..."

After putting his suitcase in the cramped room, he decided to use the money he had saved to buy himself a drink.

When you come to the City of Joy, you have to act like the City of Joy!

He made his way to the Underground Bar, and as soon as he entered, he felt the noise and bustle.

A guy in a shirt and bow tie, holding a beer, stood on a small round table, waving his rather short arms, and enthusiastically proclaiming something to the people around him. Some of the others were drinking, some were singing, and some were dancing; none of them would stay quiet.

A few Patron were sitting at the bar, where a strange Machine was placed.

The young man Past, examined the Machine's rubber hoses and glass jar, and asked curiously, "What's this?"

A handsome Patron with blond hair turned to the side and replied with a bright smile, "It's called Fool's Instrument.' It can test a person's intelligence index, or rather, their stupidity index."

(End of Volume Two)