Past events

After the Waiter Men the corner table with the written menu, Lumian picked up his red, white, and blue Three-Color Liqueur, clinked glasses with Franca's, and took a sip.

Then, glancing to his left and right, he lowered his voice and recounted in detail the Fragment of Destiny that he had observed.

As Franca listened, her expression gradually Change.

She frowned her pretty brows and said, "The white, thin mist you described reminds me of something."

Does it also present a sense of constant Change?

Lumian thought about it carefully and said, "Yes."

Franca let out a soft sigh and said, "That's right. Didn't I tell you that when Jenna and I attended a Occult Gathering, we were followed by the Commissioner handled the case of the missing Deep Valley Monastery Gatekeeper, and a fight broke out?"

"When I communicated with that guy's spirit and asked him which organization he belonged to, his body and spirit suddenly exploded. My mirror and the book also shattered, but before they shattered, a constantly Change, thin, white mist filled the air."

Franca paused for a moment and said, "'007', based on the information I provided, also saw similar fog when he tracked it down to Deep Valley Town, and the name of Albert Goncourt, the leader of the ' Carbonari,' was also found at the scene."

"As you know, the ' Carbonari ' Acting a role in instigating the Riot in the ' Hostel Plan,' and the person in charge of this was another of their leaders, General Philip, who was active under a new identity."

Lumian quickly understood what Franca meant:

"You believe the ' Carbonari ' is collaborating with multiple Evil God Cult, that the white, thin, ever- Change mist is one of these organizations, and that Moran Avignon also has some connection to this organization. And that the encounter in the Xilongye Forest wasn't a coincidence?"

"Yes." Franca took a sip of Liqueur. "What exactly do the ' Person in the Mirror ' want? They certainly don't just want to replace the original owner."

The Gardner Martin in the mirror hasn't succeeded yet. It's understandable that he'd use the "Hostel Plan" to deal with the real Gardner Martin, but Moran Avignon, this "Person in the Mirror," has been living well for decades, even having an illegitimate daughter. Why would she still cooperate with the Evil God Cult?

Lumian smiled and said, "' The Person in the Mirror ' as a whole and as individuals certainly have different demands. What the former specifically is still under investigation. In Fourth Epoch Trier period, Gardner Martin in the mirror said that the That One they are loyal to and serve is the answer to everything. Knowing who it is should reveal the ultimate goal of the ' Person in the Mirror.'"

Franca hummed in agreement.

"We can do something in the direction of that Strange Mist. On one hand, our goal in dealing with Moran Avignon is to obtain more information about the ' Person in the Mirror,' and this is already a clue. On the other hand, the opportunity to capture Moran Avignon or communicate with spirits might be hidden here."

At this point, Franca smiled:

"We're going to have to trouble '007' again."

After discussing Moran Avignon, Lumian picked up a piece of toasted Bread and chewed it while recounting, in a casual manner, the Courtesan Perle he had just seen and the Coffee-Ground Divination.

"It shouldn't be a ' Witch '," Franca concluded, sounding slightly disappointed.

Based solely on Lumian's description of Perle's appearance and her reaction, she could determine that That One Courtesan was not a "Witch."

Unless someone deliberately tries to look ugly, the Charm of a "Witch" is undeniable; even men who are attracted to the same sex can't resist her allure and will take a second look.

"It's definitely not..." Lumian paused suddenly, as if remembering something.

He then started chatting casually:

Does Coffee-Ground Divination really have any Mysticism significance? Can it truly offer any insights?

Franca swallowed Bread bread she was eating, took a sip of her red, white, and blue Three-Color Liqueur, and replied with a smile, "Of course it has Mysticism significance."

Seeing that Lumian, who knew nothing about Divination and only knew how to read Destiny, was waiting for her to provide further explanation, Franca smiled smugly and said, "Actually, you don't need to think of Divination as too sacred or too difficult."

"Our Astral Body are constantly interacting with the Spirit World, receiving all sorts of information and certain revelations, which are reflected in reality in different forms."

"This applies to Beyonder as well as Ordinary Person, but those who are not good at Divination find it difficult to actively seek revelation or make effective interpretations."

"For example, if someone gets a fishbone stuck in their throat or chokes on fish meat while eating fish, Beyonder would quickly understand that this is a spiritual warning, containing a corresponding revelation that needs to be interpreted. But if Ordinary Person has a similar experience, they would just think that it is bad luck or that they were careless, and they would not pay enough attention to it or be able to interpret what it means."

"Of course, not every time you get a fishbone stuck in your throat, it's a spiritual warning. Most of the time, it's because you're not careful enough. Those skilled in Divination can keenly perceive which are revelations and which are not, while those who are not skilled in Divination are easily misled by falsehoods, scaring themselves and ignoring the real problems."

Franca, thinking about the fish she was going to eat later, used the example of getting a fish bone stuck in her throat and choking on the fish meat to illustrate her point.

Lumian listened and nodded slightly, gaining a deeper understanding of "Divination".

He said thoughtfully, "If there's no deliberate control over how you drink it or the Divination techniques, the form of the leftover coffee grounds might indeed reveal something, but the meaning interpreted by Ordinary Person might not be accurate?"

"Yes," Franca said enthusiastically, "In the most rational environment, Coffee-Ground Divination, which has been popular for over a decade or two, can actually be extremely close to the truth because the standard answer can be revised with each Divination until the revelation corresponding to each type of coffee grounds is completely fixed, and even Ordinary Person can make relatively accurate interpretations based on it."

"But unfortunately, reality isn't an absolutely rational world. Those who believe in Coffee-Ground Divination, after receiving Error interpretation, will subconsciously engage with that Error answer, allowing it to gradually become reality. Those who don't believe will find that the revelations they receive are completely inaccurate. In short, the interplay of multiple contradictory situations makes it impossible to revise the standard answer, ultimately turning it into just a game."

As the two chatted, the Waiter, following procedure, brought out different dishes and cleared away the previous plates.

Pan-fried Fielt Fish, served as the main course, was brought out later in the meal.

Lumian Cutting a piece, put it in his mouth, and found the fish to be tender, with a wonderful blend of caramelized and oily aromas, and the pepper and salt flavors just right.

"Not bad," Franca exclaimed from across the table. "Not only does it taste good, but it also warms me up."

Lumian also felt a warm current rise through his body after the Fielt Fish entered his stomach.

"This is indeed a somewhat special Ingredient," he concluded judiciously, then jokingly added to Franca, "Don't eat so fast, or you might choke on a fish bone."

"You think you can trap me with just a few thorns?" Franca chuckled.

She glanced around and, seeing that the Waiter had already left as instructed, asked with considerable curiosity, "I've been thinking about this for the past two days, but I still can't figure out the difference between influencing a target's Future Destiny through Ritual and Curse and directly Push Destiny."

"I can understand Ritual; they rely on the target's blood, immediate family, specific items, and contact that meets Mysticism requirements to change their Future Destiny. But isn't that tantamount to Curse?"

Lumian organized his thoughts and said, "In the Mysticism knowledge related to ' Fate Hunter,' Curse are Curse of Destiny. Compared to Ritual, they are simpler and require fewer conditions to be met, but the effects they can ultimately achieve are very limited, and they cannot accomplish anything too outrageous."

Many Gifted of Fate like to call this Curse "Amplifying Destiny."

"It can only target the Fate Branch within the next ten seconds of the target, and it must conform to the current environment and what is happening. These are prerequisites and necessary conditions for achieving the Destiny Curse. The Fate Branch that can be amplified must also have a certain, not too low, probability of becoming a reality, otherwise the success rate will be very low."

Simply put, it means first using or changing the environment to make certain things possible, and then amplifying that possibility, provided that the possibility isn't extremely low-probability.

At this point, Lumian looked at Franca, raised his right palm, and, while gesturing, gave a mischievous example:

"For example, if you're eating fish right now, I can amplify the possibility of you getting a fishbone stuck in your throat through Curse, but I can't amplify the possibility of your chair suddenly collapsing and splinters getting into your body."

As soon as he finished speaking, Franca suddenly froze.

She made two gurgling sounds, and some movement appeared on the surface of her throat.

A few seconds later, Franca spat out a fish bone with a little blood on it.

"You actually came?" Franca complained. "Luckily, my current Sequence gives me strong control over my throat, so I handled it myself, uh..."

Franca suddenly paused, and after several seconds said, "Otherwise, we'd have to call Doctor, which would be so embarrassing!"

Lumian laughed:

"I can help you retrieve it, and amplify the Fate Branch that you successfully retrieved."

Franca was speechless for a moment.

After eating another piece of Fielt Fish, she nodded gently and said, "Now I understand the difference between the three."

"Curse, or amplification, are used in combat. Their main purpose is to interfere with and influence the enemy, and they cannot accomplish anything too exaggerated."

"The Ritual is performed in advance, and with corresponding items in place, it can greatly influence the Destiny of the target to develop in the direction one desires."

"But this direction is rather general and cannot be specified precisely," Lumian added. "For example, I can make someone have Bad Luck, but I can't specify how they will be unlucky."

Franca nodded:

"Is 'Push Destiny' a simplified version of Ritual that can be used in actual combat without diminishing its effectiveness?"

"The effect is even stronger and more precise," Lumian said after a moment's thought. "Moreover, because many abilities undergo certain Change when the ' Fate Hunter ' and ' Reaper ' are combined, and there are even corresponding Mysticism knowledge involved, I can't completely distinguish which ones were originally possessed and which ones are unique to me. I'm only certain that ' Eye of Calamity ' and ' Push Destiny ' are special abilities brought about by the ' Reaper.'"

The two then enjoyed their lunch together.

When it was all over, Lumian pointed to the half-eaten Fielt Fish that had been deliberately left and said to the Waiter, "Pack it up for me."

The Waiter didn't ask why and respectfully did as he was told, while Franca chuckled and teased, "You're so frugal!"

Lumian chuckled softly and said, "That's the Godfather's self-cultivation."

"Furthermore, I'd also like to know what's so special about this fish."