Weapons

In the form of Corpse?

Lumian's heart sank as he listened.

If Raymond's Corpse escaped the Loop through sacrifice, he would no longer be able to Resurrection through the Loop. Once the anomaly in Cordou Village is resolved, he would be truly dead rather than missing.

Although Lumian was reluctant to admit that Raymond, such a silly guy, was his friend, they had known each other for almost five years, played together, played pranks together, and been through a lot together. He couldn't possibly treat him as a complete stranger.

Looking back, he realized that besides Aurora, Raymond was probably the person he had the most contact with.

Didn't Aurora always say, "The dumber the person, the luckier they are"? Why is this? Lumian couldn't help but retort, "Even as a Corpse, a spirit still exists, and the Loop will still be triggered."

Aurora sighed softly:

"Perhaps That One being sacrificed wasn't interested in spirits, but only wanted flesh and blood?"

"Perhaps He didn't want to trigger the Loop, so He only took flesh and blood, not Raymond's spirit, leaving him in Cordu or destroying him outright?"

In that case, Raymond's Corpse would be nothing more than pure matter without any spirit, and could leave the Loop without causing Reboot.

Upon hearing her Older Sister's question, Lumian instantly recalled what might have happened at that time:

After everyone left the water's edge, Raymond swam further out when suddenly an invisible force grabbed his legs, covered his mouth, and dragged him into the Depths River Water, where he drowned.

Afterwards, his spirit remained at the bottom of the river or was destroyed, while his Corpse drifted to some unknown place, becoming Sacrifice...

Thinking of this, Lumian suddenly had an inspiration:

"Whether Raymond's spirit is preserved or destroyed, he should reappear once the Loop Reboot, in the form of Ghost."

"Logically, that's correct." Aurora nodded as if deep in thought. "After dark, I'll hold a Spiritism Ritual to see if I can summon Raymond's spirit. Hmm, it would be best to use one of his usual items as a medium."

Lumian replied without hesitation, "After exploring the Castle this afternoon, I'll go to Raymond's house. His parents want to know where he is."

With the "Hunter's" skills and Lumian's alertness, it won't be difficult to obtain one of the items Raymond used.

"Okay." Aurora did not object.

Lumian sighed, then asked, "Aurora, uh, Older Sister, you can Spiritism?"

"As a ' Mystery Pryer,' I know a little bit about everything," Aurora chuckled self-deprecatingly. "How did the talk with those Three Foreigners go?"

Lumian hurriedly recounted his conversation with That One mysterious Lady and his discussions with Ryan, Lya, and Valentine, omitting, of course, the That One's prayer.

Aurora listened quietly, then sighed softly.

"Willingly embracing Corruption is a very dangerous thing, but in order to explore the Dream Ruins, unravel its secrets, and find the key to breaking the Loop, we have no other choice. I'm sorry to trouble you..."

"What's there to feel aggrieved about?" Lumian patted his chest. "I'm just trying to save myself."

Aurora nodded slightly:

"I can use my perfume bottle for Gray Amber, I have Lilac at home, and I also have Musk and Candle- making materials. I'll have to find Tulip elsewhere and in a bookstore."

"Hmm, I remember Madame Pualis had some in her garden, but I don't know if they're blooming yet."

"It's open." Lumian was absolutely certain.

In the last Loop, when he and Aurora went to the Castle to borrow a carriage, they found that many flowers in the garden were in bloom, which didn't quite fit the early spring atmosphere in the mountains.

Aurora hummed in agreement.

"Since you're going to explore the Castle this afternoon, you can pick a few while you're at it."

"After that, was it That One Lady who delivered these things to the Dream Ruins?"

"Hmm." Lumian thought that should be the case.

Aurora thought for a moment and then said, "Before we leave this afternoon, I'll give you the ' Brooch of Integrity.' Madame Pualis's Castle is clearly filthy, and may even involve the Undead. It can be of great use."

"No need, you stay by my side to guard against Madame Pualis." Seeing that her Older Sister was about to persuade her further, Lumian quickly explained, "That Valentine is a fanatical follower of the ' Eternal Blazing Sun. ' According to you, as Beyonder, he should have chosen the ' Sun ' Pathway, which is much more effective than the ' Brooch of Integrity.'"

Based on Aurora's observations over the past few years, fervent followers of "Eternal Blazing Sun" often choose the "Sun" Pathway.

The reverse is also true: believers in the "Eternal Blazing Sun" who choose the "Sun" Pathway tend to become increasingly fanatical, unless they did not believe in this True God in the first place.

"Indeed." Aurora didn't insist, and instead instructed, "You can practice the simple method to activate your Spirit Vision now. Then, take a nap at noon to replenish your energy, and I'll teach you the Ancient Hermetic and Hermetic Vocabulary needed for the Ritual tonight."

Hearing her Older Sister's words, Lumian suddenly remembered a phrase she often used when rushing to meet deadlines:

"Time is tight and the task is heavy."

At 3:20 PM, on the side of the hill where the Administrator's Castle is located.

Lumian saw Madame Pualis wearing a slightly fluffy, elegant gray-blue Long Dress, her hair styled in a mature and graceful updo, walking towards the village with her personal Maid, Cassie.

Once their figures were out of sight, Lumian quickly turned around and walked behind the hill.

Ryan, Lya, and Valentine were already waiting there, dressed in their usual attire, showing no signs of any preparation.

Lumian glanced at their empty hands and asked in surprise, "No weapons?"

Wearing a brown woolen coat, light yellow trousers, black leather shoes, and a dark bowler hat, Ryan, who was just over 1.7 meters tall, smiled slightly and said, "I don't need to carry my weapons with me."

Wearing a white vest and a blue tweed coat, Valentine continued, "I don't need weapons."

"This is my weapon." Wearing a white, pleated cashmere bodycon dress, Ivory jacket, and Maasiel Boots, Lya pulled out a Pistol from somewhere.

The Pistol was entirely Silver-White, small and exquisite. Lya even removed the magazine, showing Lumian the different colored bullets engraved with various patterns and symbols, and casually remarked, "They possess different extraordinary effects."

With a snap, she put the magazine back in, hid the Pistol, and then asked Lumian with a smile:

What weapons did you bring?

One of you doesn't need weapons, one doesn't need to carry weapons, and one has such a beautiful and powerful Pistol, making me look so stupid... Lumian turned around, lifted the back of his dark jacket, revealing a Iron-Black Axe tucked into his belt.

Before Ryan and the others could speak, he sighed and said, "You all certainly act like Beyonder, while I look like Villain Gang ready to fight."

Lya Dingdang laughed:

"You're really good at making fun of yourself."

"It's better to make fun of yourself than to be laughed at by others." Lumian pointed to the back of the somewhat steep hill. "Let's climb up now; we can't waste any more time."

"Okay." Lya, wearing a tight dress, was the first to start climbing.

She moved with agility and seemed to have exceptional balance, easily climbing to the top of the hill by using a few protrusions.

Even more surprisingly, the four Silver Bells on her body didn't move at all and didn't make a sound.

Lumian followed closely behind. Although he wasn't as graceful and agile, thanks to the enhancements provided by the "Hunter's " Potion, he quickly climbed the hill that he couldn't climb before, using rocks and tree roots as footholds.

After regaining his footing, he looked back and saw that Ryan had grabbed Valentine's shoulder and lifted him up.

Ryan leaped and landed directly on a protruding rock in the middle of the hill.

Then, with another leap, he carried Valentine steadily to Lumian and Lya's side.

Throughout the entire process, he seemed to have grown several times larger.

This left Lumian somewhat stunned.

This hill isn't very high, but it's an exaggeration to climb it in just two jumps!

Anyway, the "Hunter" definitely couldn't do it!

He quickly regained his composure, glanced at the dark Castle with its two Tower and the garden that partially surrounded it, and said to the Three Foreigners, "Let's go around to the back door."

"Wait a minute." Ryan stopped him and turned his gaze to Lya.

Lya didn't say anything, but took two steps toward the back door of the Castle- like building.

Her lips moved as if she were silently muttering something.

The next second, the four Silver Bells tied to her veil and boots jingled.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was intense and rapid.

Lya turned to Lumian and the others and said, "This road is very dangerous, and the problem is extremely serious."

Then, she took two more steps toward the front door.

The ringing didn't stop; instead, it became even more intense and urgent.

"Going through the main entrance will probably lead to big trouble." Lya's tone was serious, but she had a faint smile on her face.

"Climbing out the window?" Ryan asked.

Lya nodded, changed direction, and walked towards the garden.

This time, the bell rang, but very softly and slowly.

"This road is fine." Lya smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lumian, who witnessed the whole thing, looked somewhat bewildered, not quite understanding what these Three Foreigners were doing.

Is this Beyonder act? Recalling his Older Sister's teachings, he asked, "Is Divination dangerous?"

"Okay." Lya nodded, then turned to Valentine and said, "I'll scout ahead first; you get ready."

"Okay," Valentine replied seriously.

"What preparations?" Lumian was completely confused again, so he asked when he didn't understand.

Lya smiled:

"Prepare to create Flames using divine magic."

So, what was the purpose of creating the Flames? Before Lumian could ask, Lya had already entered the garden and headed along the path towards the side of the Castle.

Before long, she reached a window and gestured that there was no problem.

"Let's go." Ryan said simply as he quickly moved closer to Lya.

Lumian and Valentine hurried after him.

As Lumian passed by a few Tulip, he was about to reach out and pick one when Ryan stopped him with his forearm.

He didn't ask Lumian why he did this, but simply said gently, "No rush, wait until they come out to pick them."

"If picking flowers causes any unforeseen problems, we'll have to cancel our entire operation."

Indeed... Lumian is fully absorbing the experience.

Before long, they arrived at a row of windows on the side of the Castle.