The scent of death

Normally, dark gray Eyes wouldn't be a particularly noteworthy detail; this eye color is rare in Intis, but not uncommon in places like the Kingdom of Loen. However, Franca keenly sensed that it Concealment some crucial information:

Moran Avignon is suspected to be the "Person in the Mirror," and the "Black Witch" Clarisse is investigating the "Person in the Mirror," who is Half-God of the "Witch" Pathway closely related to the "Mirror World." As it turns out, they both have dark gray eyes that are not common to the general public.

Isn't this just too much of a coincidence?

"What's wrong?" Jenna asked with concern when she saw Franca suddenly stop.

Franca hesitated for a few seconds before mentioning that the "Black Witch" had the same eye color as Moran Avignon, and then added, "None of the ' Person in the Mirror ' we've encountered before had this feature."

"Only special ' Person in the Mirror ' have this? Is the ' Black Witch ' also a ' Person in the Mirror '?" Jenna wondered, her thoughts wandering.

"Impossible," Franca instinctively denied. "She even asked me to investigate the ' Person in the Mirror '... Well, it's not impossible. Haven't we seen enough stories of thieves calling the police to catch a petty thief?"

Anthony thought for a moment and said, "Could it be a symbol of Corruption the ' Primordial Witch ' in the mirror? Special ' Person in the Mirror ' who have reached a certain level have this eye color, and ' Witch ' who have become Half-God and have been Corruption also have this?"

"No, Moran Avignon was originally supposed to have dark gray Eyes. The ' Person in the Mirror ' that replaced him couldn't have changed his eye color without arousing suspicion." Franca pondered, reasoning. "So, the ' Black Witch ' and the original Moran Avignon belong to the same family? I previously thought she was from the Sauron Family, an elder of Blanche Soren, otherwise she wouldn't have raised such a simple-minded Witch. Now it seems that's not the case..."

"Not necessarily," Franca and Jenna said in unison.

Everyone has paternal and maternal families. Being from the Sauron Family doesn't mean you're not from that family with dark gray Eyes!

Franca hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "It's been a long time since I reported the progress of the investigation into the ' Person in the Mirror ' to the ' Black Witch.' I'll visit her this week and talk to her about Moran Avignon."

"Be careful," Jenna warned.

Franca curled her lips into a bright smile and said, "Don't worry, she's the one who asked me to investigate ' The Person in the Mirror.' I should have some idea of what might happen. If she really has a deep connection with Moran Avignon, we might see something happen to That One Minister of Ministry of Industry. If not, we can ask her for help!"

On Hunt Island, Lumian strolled leisurely through the streets, the Sea Breeze having cooled down, as he returned to the "Berry."

With his hands in his pockets, his mind was racing as he organized the various legends and stories he had just collected, trying to find Spider Silk the Devil.

If Lady "Magician" hadn't specifically warned him to be careful, and if Naporidisli hadn't failed to fully reveal the name and identity of the so-called Descendants of the Devil, Lumian would have certainly used himself as Bait —in that case, he would have openly displayed his malice, devised a potentially successful plan, triggered the Devil's Danger Prediction, and made it come to eliminate the hidden threat, while what awaited it would be a trap in Concealment.

"It's Past a hundred or two hundred years, and quite a few adventurers have come to investigate the legend of the Devil. The Church the Earth Mother should also be trying its best to erase the remaining problems, but in the end, there are still no results. It's not realistic to find that Devil by conventional methods..."

"Think about it from another angle, why would the Devil have to Concealment on Hunt Island?"

"It has already been cleansed once by the Church of the Earth Mother, so why risk leaving it behind?"

"If it were me, I would have settled somewhere else long ago. As Devil, where can't I survive?"

"If you really think you're a high-IQ criminal, a true ' Criminal,' and have to resort to this kind of mockery of the Clergy of the ' Earth Mother ' Church, you must be tired of it by now..."

Is there some reason why it is stuck on Hunt Island?

"Is it sealed away to some extent? Or is something very important buried on the island that can't be moved?"

"That valley Burning with Sulfur Flames?"

"Furthermore, Devil can live for hundreds of years, while Ordinary Person cannot. If Devil were to hide in a human town, it would have to change its identity every few decades, which could leave clues."

"Hunt Island was one of the transit ports on the trade routes Southern and Northern Continent, and there were many settlers from outside. The Devil could easily fabricate a new identity, but how could the original identity naturally disappear?"

"The residents here are all believers of the ' Earth Mother,' and after death they will be sent to the Church to receive solace. Would a Devil have the audacity to feign death and receive the gaze of the ' Earth Mother ' and the cleansing of Holy Water?"

"Yes, disappearing is the best way to handle it. Whether it's going on a sea adventure or disappearing in the forest, it can effectively avoid the corresponding problems."

"Every year, people disappear in the forest outside the city... Did the Devil deliberately create some accidents to Concealment his own 'death' in the middle?" Lumian's mind raced, and he gradually formed some deductions and guesses.

This is also a Temperance one's "Conspirer" abilities and a method of digesting the Potion.

He had a rather vague understanding of the whole matter:

"To find the Devil hiding among humans, we must find the Mysterious Valley Depths the forest where Sulfur Flames Burning; but to uncover the valley's secrets, we must rely on that Devil. These two things are likely interconnected and cannot be viewed separately."

Lumian had a rough plan for tomorrow's investigation:

"First, take a walk in the forest and use the ' Hunter ' ability to find the remains of those who went missing before. If you can find one or two bodies that still have some edible tissue, bring them back to Ludwig and see who the deceased saw last."

"During this process, without alerting the Clergy of the ' Earth Mother ' Church, venture Depths into the island to observe for any anomalies, and if so, what kind of anomalies they may be..."

During a leisurely stroll, Lumian suddenly looked up and saw that the Stars in the sky were obscured by dark clouds.

The torrential Torrential Rain began to fall in an instant.

Raindrops splashed in front of Lumian, creating a mist. Without an umbrella, he had no choice but to dodge under the eaves of a three-story building on the street, hiding outside a Café that had long since turned off its lights, and waited for the Torrential Rain to end without much emotional fluctuation.

The few pedestrians on the street all opened their umbrellas.

Lumian couldn't help but chuckle, recalling the common descriptions of the islands in the Berserk Sea in the travel guide:

The climate Change drastically, so remember to bring an umbrella or hat when you go out.

Clearly, Lumian did not heed this warning.

He wasn't in a hurry. He just leaned against the wall between the two Glass Window of the Café, quietly watching the raindrops fall in lines, watching the people returning home late walk unsteadily down different streets.

The sound of the pouring rain masked all other sounds, and the white mist obscured most of the view, making Lumian feel as if he were in another world.

Looking at this scene, Lumian recalled his past as a wanderer:

Homeless people often can't predict what the weather will be like, so they can't go to places like Church to take shelter in advance. So, sometimes he'll huddle in a corner on the street where he can avoid the rain, looking at the rain with fear, worry, unease, and depression, praying that no other Vagrant will come to compete for his temporary shelter.

But now, his feelings are completely different.

The torrential rain from the Berserk Sea came quickly and receded just as fast; in less than a quarter of an hour, only the remaining puddles remained on the streets.

Lumian chuckled softly, put his hands back in his pockets, and walked along the barely damp street toward the harbor, boarding the "Berry."

As soon as Lumian pushed open the door, he saw Lugano using a dry, soft towel to wipe Ludwig's still dripping hair, while Lugano himself looked as if he had fallen into the water.

"Didn't bring an umbrella?" Lumian asked with a smile.

Lugano replied awkwardly, "I thought I was a ' Planter ' who could predict the Change, so I took Ludwig to the street to buy supper without an umbrella. He said he didn't want any more cake and cookies tonight. Alas, I did predict Torrential Rain, but Torrential Rain only lasted a few dozen seconds. I even thought of grabbing Ludwig and rushing back to the ship before the rain started..."

Seeing that this "Doctor" wasn't looking for objective reasons but only complaining about his own incompetence, Lumian added, "That's just the weather in the Berserk Sea; even the ' Planter ' can't predict it."

This is also one of the reasons why these islands in the Berserk Sea, despite being under the rule of the "Earth Mother" Church, do not always have bountiful harvests like the Kingdom of Feynapotter itself.

"Yes, yes, yes." Lugano breathed a sigh of relief.

Lumian turned to look at Ludwig, whose hair was no longer dripping wet, and casually asked, "Can you smell anything?"

Are there any particularly tempting "food" hidden nearby?

Ludwig took a bite of a tortilla and said, "There's an aura of death about it."

The scent of death? Lumian frowned slightly:

Someone died near the night market?

Ludwig shook his head:

"When it rains, the air is thick with the scent of death."

What... what does this mean? Lumian asked, voicing his doubts.

Ludwig answered frankly:

"I don't know, it stopped happening later."

It rains occasionally, but not after it rains... Is this inherent to the Berserk Sea, or is it an anomaly on the island triggered by the weather Mutation in the Berserk Sea? Lumian pondered for a moment, not in a hurry to write a letter to ask the "Magician" Lady.

This is his chance to process things, and he feels that he should avoid relying on the power of those in High-Ranking Being unless it is absolutely necessary, so that he can process things more effectively.

That night, Lumian Past.

In his hazy dream, he saw many things that were both familiar and strange:

There is the Paleness "Samaritan Woman Spring," the Mountain Peak, yellowish "Magma" dripping from the "Blood Emperor's " afterimage, and unknown objects emerging from the spring's source...

The scene suddenly shifts, Lumian is found wandering alone in the deep darkness of the Underground.

He seemed to have become the Montsouris Ghosts.