Mummy Ashes

The "Magician" Lady didn't say anything more, but asked again, "Are you going back to Breeze Ballroom now, or staying here until noon?"

Lumian had never left Intis, let alone come to the Southern Continent. Since he had nothing else to do, he nodded and said, "I'd like to take a look around."

The "Magician" Lady nodded slightly and disappeared before his eyes.

Almost simultaneously, a biting wind swept through the crowd and blew onto Lumian.

Having just come from Trier in the summer, he couldn't help but shudder.

Accompanied by the cold wind, the distant clamor of the market, which seemed to be only a few hundred meters away, entered Lumian's ears, giving him a feeling of truly entering this world.

Considering that the "Magician" Lady's appearance and disappearance went unnoticed by those around her, Lumian quickly made a guess:

Did it quickly create a "Spirit Wall," or pull me into a non-independent Alternate Dimension?

In a flash, Lumian noticed that the men and women passing by were looking at him with a mixture of wariness, suspicion, and confusion, as he wore only a thin shirt, Black Waistcoat, and thin trousers in the frigid season of the plateau.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen someone trying to look cool?" Lumian muttered, and with the patience of a "Mendicant Friar," he nonchalantly walked into the market.

The aroma of fresh animal manure, the rich sweetness of corn, and the smoky scent of Grilled Meat sprinkled with spices wafted into his nostrils.

Lumian looked around and saw many stalls selling corn-based foods. There were whole ears of corn simply boiled, grilled corn smeared with red sauce, corn cut into chunks and added to thick soup, corn wrapped around chunks of beef, mutton, onions, and potatoes, corn ground into powder and cooked into a paste with different kinds of meat, and corn spread into rough flatbreads sprinkled with toppings...

After a moment's thought, Lumian walked through the path that the people at the market had "made way" for him and arrived at a stall.

The stall owner was a man in his thirties with dark, ruddy skin, a thin face, high cheekbones, Deep Brown Eyes, and long, greasy black hair.

He wore a black felt hat and a dark red Robe made of wool and other materials.

Lumian pointed to the yellow cornmeal porridge cooking in the large iron pot and asked in Intis language, "How much?"

He had just observed that some of the people here could understand Intis language, and they used various metal currencies, including Felkine, for transactions.

The stall owner, fearful and somewhat ingratiating, replied in broken Intis language:

"5 Kopek 1 cup."

"1 Rick, that's pretty cheap..." Lumian glanced at the cornmeal porridge with chunks of beef and mutton floating on it, and took out a Brass-Colored Coins with the Hornacis Mountains pattern on the front.

The stall owner quietly breathed a sigh of relief, then deftly took out a paper cup that didn't quite match the market's style and technological level, scooped it full, and even added a few extra pieces of meat.

As soon as Lumian received it, he immediately felt a warm sensation spread through his body.

For someone enduring the biting cold wind, this is a wonderful experience.

An even better experience is when the warm corn porridge flows from your mouth into your esophagus, fills your Stomach, and spreads warmth to every corner of your body.

Its base flavor is mildly sweet, mixed with a touch of spiciness and a hint of heat, which perfectly neutralizes the gamey smell of the beef and mutton chunks, allowing the beauty of the meat to fully bloom on the taste buds of the tongue, resulting in a unique and appetizing taste.

Amidst the defensive and evasive reactions of the Lady in brightly colored robes, and the fearful and hateful gazes of the Men herding cattle and sheep, in the thinning air of Trier, Lumian walked towards the end of the market while sipping his corn porridge.

Before long, he entered the "White City" of Rhaps and saw the golden "Eternal Blazing Sun" Church and the "God of Steam and Machinery" Church, which was carved with various industrial Parts. He saw the white-based buildings, shops selling cow and sheep Leather and various textiles, Signboard for "Highland Import and Export Company" and "Rhaps Mining Association," carriages pulled by long-haired cattle and medium-sized horses, and a large number of locals, mainly wearing robes, and a few Outsider in formal attire.

Lumian chose a shop called "Highland Secret Potions" and went inside as a tourist.

The shop Boss was an Intis man, around forty years old, with typical black hair and blue eyes, wearing a white shirt with floral embellishments, thick cashmere clothing, and a dark blue coat with Golden trim.

Upon seeing Lumian, he greeted him with delight:

Good morning, dear compatriots.

After saying that, he looked Lumian up and down by his clothes and asked with concern, "Did you encounter any robbers?"

"I just arrived in Rhaps; there was a little accident on the way," Lumian replied with a smile in Trier accent.

The Boss sold the secret medicine nodded in deep understanding:

"The Southern Continent is not as wonderful as the newspapers portray it, but it is indeed a paradise for adventurers."

"I arrived in West Balam fifteen years ago, searching for opportunities in various cities across the Southern Continent, but my life only began to Change for the better after I entered this ' White City,' Steam above!"

As he sighed, he drew Triangular Holy Emblem on his chest.

"Steam above!" Lumian returned the same greeting.

The Boss's smile grew even more friendly:

"Hey buddy, wanna get some Mummy Powder? Real Mummy powder!"

Lumian looked around the small shop and said with a smile, "Why don't you put the Mummy in the window to prove the authenticity of the ashes?"

The Boss chuckled awkwardly, "This will provoke those barbarians."

"Although some of them do buy Mummy Powder, the vast majority still cannot accept Mummy as a commodity."

Lumian deliberately said, "When I left Trier, Mummy Powder was in extremely high demand and demand, and prices were skyrocketing. Didn't you ever think about shipping the Mummy back to Trier to sell?"

"Maritime trade is too dangerous. If I go through import/export companies, they'll drive down my prices and charge me taxes—those damned Hyena!" The Boss glanced at Lumian and tentatively said, "If you're willing to take the corresponding risks, we could cooperate."

"How many Mummy can you provide?" Lumian asked with a distrustful expression.

The Boss smiled:

"It depends on how much you want; I have plenty of channels."

"I can have as many as I want? Did you dig up the family tomb of some great Nobles in the Highland Kingdom? Or are you just going to find some Corpse or living people to make them on the spot?" Lumian chatted with the Boss of "Highland Secret Potions" for a few minutes, and after learning that the other party's name was "Salent Empaia", he left the shop under the pretext that he needed to think about it.

After walking for a while, Lumian saw a large number of locals flocking into a magnificent, solemn-looking three-story white building by the roadside.

Curious, he Past and found several Intis soldiers guarding the entrance, wearing black tricorn hats, blue coats with gold trim, white trousers, and Black Leather Boots.

Sure enough, Rhaps was a colonial city of Intis... Lumian's gaze swept across the area, finally settling on the Golden Vocabulary above the main entrance of the white building:

"Rhaps Special Court"

Lumian followed the crowd into a Judgement, sat in a quiet corner, and listened to the trial.

The defendants are two Intis soldiers accused of intercepting a newlywed couple on a night more than a month ago in the suburbs, brutally murdering the husband, and then gang-raping the wife.

The latter survived, and with numerous eyewitnesses and sufficient evidence, the whole case appears very clear.

After a lengthy deliberation, the Judge, who was presiding over the three hearings for the two Criminal, delivered the final Verdict:

If found guilty, they were immediately expelled from the highlands, and upon their return to Intis, they would be subject to further Punishment by a military court.

This ruling sparked widespread discontent, with locals in the audience standing up and protesting loudly. However, the Judge did not compromise and had bailiffs and soldiers, who were already prepared, forcibly remove them from the courthouse.

Sitting in the corner Lumian watched the faces filled with agitation, anger, Pain, and resentment until they were all forced to leave. Only then did she slowly rise and walk out of the courthouse.

As he passed through the Square outside the "Eternal Blazing Sun" Church, he encountered several Clergy wearing white robes with gold trim.

They maintained a safe distance from those around them, speaking in hushed tones as they walked toward the Church.

Lumian tilted his head slightly, relying on the "Hunter's" ears to listen carefully to the words of these Clergy.

Because the distance was too great, he could only barely make out two phrases:

"The power of Evernight... invades this place..."

What does this mean? The Church the "Goddess of Evernight" of the Kingdom of Loen has extended its reach into the Stars Plateau? Lumian pondered for a while, then continued his leisurely stroll.

At 12:30 p. m. Trier Time, Lumian was taken back to the Breeze Ballroom by the "Magician" Lady and appeared in his bedroom.

He sat down at the Wooden Table and began to organize the Mr. Poet's interpretation of the Symbolic Elements of Dream.

In the midst of his busy work, he heard familiar footsteps and an impolite knock on the door.

Lumian put down his Fountain Pen, stood up, and looked towards the door:

"Come in."

The person who opened the door was Franca. As usual, she wore Lady’s shirt, beige breeches, and red boots, but this time she wore a light-colored pleated Long Dress around her waist.

"It's strange," Lumian said frankly.

Franca sighed, a mixture of joy and melancholy:

"I'm not used to wearing skirts yet, so I'll just make do with this for now."

"This is to welcome ' Pleasure '."

"Pleasure?" Lumian didn't quite understand why this word would appear here.

Franca closed the door behind her and said with a complicated expression, "Since you have joined the ' Iron and Blood Cross Order,' my mission can be considered to be initially completed. Next, I will see if I can join as well, while cooperating with your actions."

"Now that the mission has been initially completed, there must be a reward. The next Sequence for ' Witch ' is ' Pleasure Witch '."

"Well, with what I collected before, I now have all the Main Ingredient and most of the Auxiliary Ingredient. All I'm missing is a real Mummy Ashes. I came to you to ask you to keep an eye out for real mummy ashes at your Occult Gathering. Damn it, none of the Mummy Ashes sold in those stores are real!"