A record of strange encounters

Franca couldn't make out the figure's exact appearance, but she could vaguely see that there were exceptionally tall buildings standing around him, with lights twinkling like Stars reflected in the thin mist at night.

Further away, beams of light shone, accompanied by a faint beeping sound.

This... Franca's pupils dilated, her gaze fixed intently.

Her heart was filled with immense shock, leaving no room for the negative effects of Naporidisli's insane Curse.

Almost instinctively, she strained to see the figure, trying to penetrate the layers of Gray Fog to make out the person's face and clothing. But the thin fog grew increasingly blurry, and the images it created vanished along with it.

In just three or four seconds, the Mirror placed on the Altar returned to normal.

"What's wrong?" Lumian turned his head and glanced at Flores, who was still lingering in the remaining Gray Fog, and asked about Franca's condition.

Franca stared at the Mirror, remained silent for a few seconds, and then asked, "Did you see the scene reflected in the Mirror just now?"

"I see it," Lumian said after a moment's thought. "Perhaps it represents Mr. ' The Fool's ' Divine Kingdom."

They were just praying to Mr. The Fool, performing an "Ghost Exorcism," so the image displayed by the Mirror used to deceive Naporidisli, which actually had no effect, was most likely related to Mr. The Fool due to the influence of the Ritual.

Franca murmured, "But... but the background is so similar to mine. The city before your Older Sister and I Transmigration time was like that a few times when we encountered thick fog. Every building turned into a giant Monster Slumber in the fog, with countless eyes, glowing eyes."

Lumian could understand Franca's feelings, but he wasn't surprised by the corresponding street scene.

He reminded his companion:

Have you forgotten That One Celestial Worthy?

"He is closely connected to your Homeland, and He fights with Mr. ' The Fool ' in Dream. I think it's completely understandable that similar scenes would erode into reality through Ritual."

Franca remained silent for a long while before sighing and saying, "That's true..."

She then gave a self-deprecating laugh:

"You got excited for nothing."

Lumian calmed the negative influence of Naporidisli, extinguished the candles in order, and ended the Ritual.

Once Franca dispelled the "Spirit Wall," the howling Wind Sound swept away the last bit of thin Gray Fog, and Flores seemed to return to reality, no longer confused and unable to find a way out.

Upon seeing Lumian and Franca, his face grew Gray-White.

He was about to beg for mercy when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his body.

Flores instinctively lowered his head and discovered that black, almost ethereal sewage was seeping from his body. It seemed to be highly corrosive, rapidly dissolving his blood, flesh, and White Bone.

"No!"

"Help me!"

"Help me!"

Flores let out a bloodcurdling scream.

He shouted repeatedly, trying to get help, but Lumian watched with great interest, as if studying the price paid by Devil Trader.

In less than ten seconds, Flores ' body was corroded to the point that it could no longer support itself, collapsing and sinking into a near-illusory pool of black sewage.

Flores' head continued to howl and scream, the sound growing fainter and fainter.

After a while, he opened his eyes and stopped breathing.

The head, which was still relatively intact, quickly dissolved into the sewage.

The sewage receded, losing its illusory quality and Evil mystery; the remaining remains of the Corpse were nothing but foul-smelling, muddy filth.

"No one who makes a deal with the Devil ends up well..." Franca had just uttered this remark when she remembered her earlier infatuation.

She chuckled dryly twice, then said, "It's fortunate we didn't make a deal with that self-proclaimed ancient Devil, but we also lost an opportunity to eliminate the potential danger of using ' Powerful One’s Dark Box '."

Lumian chuckled and said, "Think about it again carefully."

"I remember the 'instructions' given by the ' Magician ' Lady emphasized that you might encounter a transaction with Evil creatures such as Devil."

"Do you remember? It's about encountering a transaction, not completing a transaction."

"You've already experienced it, you just haven't accepted it yet. That guy didn't force you."

Franca thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "You know what, it seems to be true..."

She clicked her tongue and looked at Lumian, saying, "Your choice of the ' Lawyer ' Pathway seems quite promising..."

"Actually, I think this is normal. ' The Power Broker’s Black Box ' is at most equivalent to Sequence 5. Once it's used, it's gone forever. How can the Negative Effect be making a deal with the Devil? As far as I know, ' the Devil ' is High-Sequence name for the ' Criminal ' Pathway. What does that represent? It represents Half-God!"

"Well, it's just an encounter, not a completed deal, so there's room for maneuver. However, it's also very dangerous. Devil and other Evil creatures aren't philanthropists. Why would they let you go temporarily if you don't make a deal with them? Besides, you can't predict when you'll encounter them, making it difficult to prepare in advance."

Lumian smiled:

"If you can't predict the future, try the opposite approach. After using the ' Power Broker’s Black Box,' immediately prepare and proactively create an opportunity to make a deal with Evil creatures like the Devil, keeping the pace and risks under your control. For example, 'invite' the Devil to the Saint Viève Church to discuss a deal."

The Church the Eternal Blazing Sun is located in the Archbishop's Bishop's Cathedral of Trier, the Saint Viève Church!

Franca chuckled:

"The Devil isn't some brainless Living Corpse; why would he go to Saint Viève Church to die..."

At this point, Franca suddenly stopped:

The Saint Viève Church is definitely out of the question, but we have several similar, secluded venues under our control, so it might be possible.

For example, the Sacrificial Plaza on the Third Layer of the Catacombs, and the Chrismona Night Pillar...

"Not bad." Franca Lumian, "We always passively endured and waited when we encountered the negative effects of Mystical Item before, never thinking of actively triggering them. The ' Hunter ' style is quite distinctive."

"Proactive" means being able to prepare in advance and minimize the level of danger.

Of course, being "proactive" doesn't guarantee a successful trigger, but this kind of thinking is essential.

Lumian raised his head and glanced out the window:

Flores ' screams seemed to have attracted the attention of the surrounding guests, and someone called the police. Let's leave here first, and then look at this notebook.

As he spoke, he put away the ancient notebooks, Candle, and other items that were on the dining table.

"Okay." Franca looked around and caused black Flames to rise in different parts of the room.

As the Flames burned silently, Lumian "Teleportation" away with Franca, returning to the guest room of Captain Pedro's five-story house.

"Take a look through the notebook and see if there's a way to break the ' Love Incantation.' I'll check on Sara's condition and tell Pedro about Flores's problem and fate, so he can deal with the ' Earth Mother ' Church and the local Police." Lumian tossed the ancient notebook to Franca, opened the door, and went out into the corridor.

Franca settled comfortably into her Armchair and opened the notebook.

Suddenly, she muttered to herself, "Something's not right. Given Lumian's style, shouldn't she have immediately flipped through her notes to find a way to break the ' Love Incantation ' as soon as the Ritual was over? Why did she chat with me about other things for so long, only leaving in a hurry when the Police arrived?"

"He shouldn't be unable to distinguish what's important right now..."

In a flash, Franca suddenly had a realization:

Naporidisli's terrifying ramblings and insane Curse did have some effect on Lumian, causing significant fluctuations in his desires and emotions. Although he endured it thanks to his "Ascetic" abilities, some outward manifestations were still inevitable.

Thinking of this, Franca's eyes flickered, and she chuckled, a "hehe" sound playing on her lips.

Lumian met Pedro in the small living room on the first floor.

Before he could explain Flores ' situation, That One captain spoke up with a look of surprise, "Mr. Berri, Sara came to me a few minutes ago, crying with fear and Pain, saying that she had a dream about falling in love with Flores and couldn't wake up from it, but she suddenly woke up tonight and felt it was Nightmare. She hopes to break off the engagement."

How did you do that?

Pedro unconsciously switched to using honorifics.

"Awake? Because Flores is dead? No, it's more likely because Naporidisli was exorcised, so those affected by the ' Ghost Exorcism Evil Ghost ' in this incident naturally returned to normal..." Lumian smiled knowingly and said, "Flores is dead."

"You killed him?" Pedro was clearly not averse to killing, but more curious that Flores ' death had actually brought his daughter to her senses.

"The Devil killed him." Lumian briefly recounted what had happened, without directly mentioning the name of Naporidisli, but instead handed Pedro a note containing the "Love Incantation" tucked inside the ancient notebook for a few glances.

He concluded by saying, "You handle the rest."

"It would be best to have Sara stay at Church or Monastery for the next month or two. I don't know if that Devil will come back to see his former victim once he recovers."

"Fine." Pedro's expression shifted between clenching his teeth and a serious one.

After receiving the 20,000 Gold Riso bounty, Lumian returned to his room.

Franca, holding the ancient notebook, frowned and said, "This isn't the notebook of Evil Warlock; it's more like the travelogue of a mortician, recording various Demon and Devil legends from the Southern and Northern Continent over thousands of years. The last Recording should be from over a hundred years ago."

"Hmm... there are some strange, seemingly fabricated Incantation mixed in with it."

One of them mentions a legend of Devil on Hunt Island in the Berserk Sea.

Lumian immediately understood what Franca was concerned about:

Naporidisli mentioned that the Devil Descendants he wanted to kill lived somewhere in the Berserk Sea!