At the center of the vortex
Lumian, also waiting for the abandoned "April Fool's Day" group members to recall useful details, nodded and said, "Okay."
The "Magician" Lady looked at him for a few seconds, as if pondering, and said, "In the future, if any task I give you is clearly wrong, you can refuse to accept it, or agree to it in person and contact other Major Arcana privately."
"Why?" Lumian was a little confused.
Doesn't "Magician"Lady mean she herself might have problems?
The "Magician" chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"Because I am a high-risk person, a high-risk person who is easily influenced by the Celestial Worthy."
"The Celestial Worthy Venerable occupies the top of the three Pathway: ' Seer,' ' Thief, ' and ' Apprentice.' The higher Beyonder Sequence, the easier it is to be influenced by Him. After all, everyone has an ' Primordial One ' within them. And, well, you need to understand that as High-Ranking Being in the ' Apprentice ' Pathway and a follower of Mr. ' The Fool,' it's quite normal for me to be occasionally misled, Fooling, or Deceit the Celestial Worthy."
"Of course, Mr. ' The Fool ' is also at the top of these three Pathway, which is why he opposes the Celestial Worthy. So you don't need to worry about me. Most of the time, I am influenced by Mr. ' The Fool,' and my condition is fine, only occasionally showing abnormalities."
It's like if I pray without performing Ritual or use Honorific Name outside of those three descriptions, I might be noticed by the Celestial Worthy Being, receive His response, and sow the seeds of future problems... Those at High-Ranking Being in the three Pathway of "Seer," "Thief," and "Apprentice" are closer to the Celestial Worthy and Mr. "The Fool," and even if all actions follow the normal procedure, there is still a chance of problems arising... Lumian first understood Lady "Magician's" instructions, and then discovered that her words revealed some information that contradicted common sense in Mysticism.
Mr. The Fool and Mr. Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth actually managed to occupy the top of all three Pathway!
Normally, if a Pathway leads to Sequence 0 at the end, it represents True God. So what is the one who occupies the top of the three Pathway called? Great Ones?
For the first time, Lumian realized more clearly that the status of "The Fool" and "Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth" might be higher than that of True God such as "Eternal Blazing Sun".
Similarly, Amon's father, That One "Ancient Sun God," should also be at this level, since half of his legacy created the That One the "Aurora Order" now worships.
Soon, Lumian recalled that the "Magician" Lady had given different descriptions of different Deity:
Some Deity, even if their existence is known and their Honorific Name are understood, can still be Corruption, undergo Mutation, or encounter danger.
Some Deity can be mentioned casually, but as long as one doesn't utter their Honorific Name in three or more verses using supernatural language, they won't be noticed.
This is probably the division of the Deity levels... Mr. The Fool and the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth occupy three adjacent and interchangeable Pathway. Is this the hidden condition for mastering the composite Pathway? Lumian dared not think too deeply about it, afraid that knowing too much would cause some problems.
He had anticipated the information that Lady "Magician" was on the "Apprentice" Pathway, because Aurora's Witchcraft Notes mentioned that the Sequence 9 "Apprentice" of this Pathway was good at opening doors, while Sequence 7 was called "Astrologer," which matched Lady "Magician's" daily behavior and the words "Astrology," "Divination," and "Destiny" that she would occasionally utter.
"I understand." Lumian then brought up the matter of how he hoped to be transferred out of the Market District through the internal procedures of the Iron and Blood Cross Order if he failed to completely kill "Loki" within two months, and how to cover up the marks of the seal on his body.
The Magician understood perfectly:
"No problem. Although you can write to me and use yourself as bait, Loki might have the patience to wait a few more months, and I can't stay around you all the time."
"As for the issue of the seal marks, if you don't actively activate them, then those Beyonder Celestial Worthy —Pathway ' Seer,' ' Apprentice,' and ' Thief' —can directly sense them, which is different from the uncontrollable aura of the Celestial Worthy Venerable."
"If you have a need in the short term, you can either pray to Mr. The Fool for the Protection of Angel, or you can write to me and I will make you a secret Charm."
"For now, this is the only way to deal with the Celestial Worthy aura emanating from ' The Two of Cups.' Fortunately, Evil God like the ' Mother Tree of Desire ' are no longer paying special attention to people like them."
Lumian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "May I tell ' Two of Cups ' the information you just shared about the Celestial Worthy Venerable?"
"Her Major Arcana will offer her a simple explanation, but not as clearly as I just said, and she herself doesn't know it all." Lady Magician dismissed Lumian's idea. "If you were to tell the Two of Cups everything I said in full, it would be dangerous for her."
Lumian stopped asking questions, watching as the "Magician" Lady created a dreamlike gate with starlight, stepped inside, and disappeared.
The feeling of having dark, soundproof glass installed in the room faded away, and Crimson Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the table with the Carbide Lamp.
Lumian sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the moonlight, his mind racing with thoughts, constantly recalling Loki's description of Aurora's murder.
He took another deep breath, and had a very clear idea of what he was going to do next:
Digest the "Pyromaniac" Potion!
Botanical Garden District, Rue Pasteur.
As dawn broke, Franca and Jenna walked back to the Market District along this street.
She hadn't figured out how to tell Jenna about the dangerous situation last night, so she made an excuse that Jenna was home and she was worried that he would overhear, so she postponed the matter until tonight.
Back on Market Avenue, Jenna waved and headed toward the Old Dovecage Theater.
Before she even entered the renovated three-story brick-red building, she saw several graffiti-like marks on the corner of the wall, as if children were playing.
This is a sign from the "Purifier" requesting an urgent meeting, along with information on the time and location.
Jenna naturally withdrew her gaze and walked into the Old Dovecage Theater.
Fifteen minutes later, she, as the Boss's "Lover," left through the back door without any hindrance and went to a quiet alley near Saint Robles Church.
Not long after, Valentine and Imre appeared.
Without mincing words, the former asked directly, "What information did you receive regarding the terrifying aura last night?"
Jenna was quite bewildered:
What terrifying aura is that?
"You didn't sense anything?" Imre had some Southern Continent blood, asked with a frown. "And you didn't have Nightmare either?"
Jenna shook her head:
"I wasn't in the Market District last night; I went home to visit my brother."
"I see..." Imre carefully observed Jenna's expression and concluded that she was not lying.
She truly knew nothing about that terrifying aura.
The two "Purifier" briefly explained the terrifying and violent aura that suddenly appeared on White Coat Street last night, and advised Jenna to pay close attention to anyone behaving abnormally recently.
Jenna agreed, then asked curiously, "Was that aura very obvious? Why were you able to sense it in the Church?"
"It's impossible to describe clearly; you'll understand when you have the chance to experience it yourself." Imre himself wasn't sure just how far the terrifying aura affected.
On her way back to the Old Dovecage Theater after saying goodbye to the two Purifier, Jenna suddenly realized that Franca was the one who acted most strangely last night.
He mysteriously told me there was danger and that I should go home and hide for a while, but then he came back Late Night to squeeze into my bed, saying something had happened on White Coat Street and he couldn't go back...
That terrifying aura originated on White Coat Street... Jenna nodded, seemingly guessing.
At this moment, Franca finished her coffee and returned to the White Coat Street, which had returned to normal.
As soon as she opened the door to Apartment 601, she discovered that the invisible "Spider Silk" she had hidden in the crack of the door had fallen down.
This means someone has been here!
The next second, she saw someone sitting in her Armchair.
That was Gardner Martin, with deep-set features, reddish-brown Eyes, a friendly demeanor, and a few gray hairs at his temples.
"What are you doing here?" Franca asked, startled.
She was extremely glad that she hadn't come back with Lumian.
Gardner Martin asked thoughtfully, "What are your thoughts on that smell from last night?"
"What kind of aura is that?" Franca asked, looking completely bewildered.
Gardner Martin, dressed in a suit but without a bow tie, looked at Franca's face and further explained, "A terrifying aura, permeated with the smell of blood and rust."
"When did this happen?" Franca thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I was visiting Jenna's house last night, not in the Market District."
Gardner Martin nodded slowly and smiled:
No wonder you didn't sense it.
Besides me, Charles, and Lady Hella dealing with Loki, what else happened last night? Franca walked to the Coffee Table, picked up her cup, and gulped down some water. "What exactly happened?"
Gardner Martin stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the White Coat Street:
"Late last Late Night, a violent and terrifying aura emanated from building number 6 on this street, lasting for nearly ten seconds."
Number 6... Number 6? Franca almost choked on her own saliva.
Isn't this the Safe House she rented through a Loen merchant who has now left Trier?
Isn't this the place where I fought "Loki" last night?
Could it be Lady Hella or Loki caused this commotion?
Or perhaps, Charles?
While Gardner Martin was not turning around, Franca quickly composed herself.
She felt that because she had Past unconscious, she had missed many crucial details.
Messy Street, Golden Rooster Inn.
Lumian, having just changed his clothes after returning from his morning exercise, walked into the lobby on the first floor and saw Anthony Reid, who had recently been focusing on investigating General Philip's Widow and children.
The "Psychiatrist" glanced at Lumian and said, "What happened in the Market District last night? Why are so many people trying to buy information from me?"
Lumian laughed:
"It's possible that a strange aura has erupted from the White Coat Street area."