Dream divination
Inside the semi-subterranean two-story building, Lumian and Aurora ate their belated lunch in silence.
The mutton, which should have been tender and delicious, seemed to taste bland in their mouths.
Having barely filled her stomach, Lumian was about to clear away the dishes when she suddenly heard a clanging sound coming from afar.
"Lya and the others?" He turned around and looked toward the doorway.
Aurora noticed this as well, put down her knife and fork, and looked up at the door.
Not long after, their doorbell rang.
Without hesitation, Lumian got up, walked to the door, and peered through the peephole at the visitors outside.
Those were indeed Lya and the Three Foreigners.
Unlike when they parted, Valentine had finally changed his clothes—he had been affected by the aura of the "Sufferer" and had set himself on fire. Although his physical wounds had been healed by Madame Pualis, the burned clothes could not be restored to their original state.
Lumian opened the door and greeted her warmly, "My cabbages, you missed me so soon?"
"Oh, you can change clothes now?"
Valentine no longer wore a white vest with a blue tweed jacket, but instead Yellow Waistcoat with a black suit jacket, his trousers still dark; Lya's white cashmere dress had two white fabric flowers, one large and two small, on the abdomen and wrist, covering the tear, the repairs were quite good; as for Ryan, Lumian could neither tell that he had changed his clothes nor find any trace of his previous injury, suspecting that the guy had prepared at least two sets of the same clothes.
"We've gained something from both of those matters," Ryan replied calmly, gesturing for us to go inside and discuss further.
Lumian turned to consult her Older Sister before fully opening the door and inviting the three official investigators inside.
This was the first time Ryan and his group had met Aurora, and they greeted each other politely.
"The Zodiac are about to change, and the villagers will be blessed with good fortune. It's been preliminarily confirmed that the news was spread by someone hired by the Parish Priest priest." After sitting down at the table, Ryan didn't mince words and went straight to the point. "But I don't think it's that simple. This method and rhetoric are very much like the style of a village witch. The Parish Priest shouldn't normally be able to come up with this."
A rural witch refers to someone in a small town or village who makes a living by predicting good or bad fortune.
Aurora nodded thoughtfully:
"Was it influenced by That One dead Warlock?"
"Yes, this is a tactic to lure the villagers into secretly Evil God Worship."
"The villagers believed it so easily?" Valentine was furious.
He had an expression that said, "How could the people of Cordou Village be so stupid?"
It's because believing in the "Eternal Blazing Sun" can't lift them out of poverty, and they're constantly being oppressed by the Parish Priest and Administrator... Aurora didn't voice this complaint, afraid that Valentine would come after her.
She could even imagine that when some villagers were Temptation and began to do things that Evil God Worship, they would receive some benefits from the Parish Priest and his Followers. For example, they would have to give half the offerings to the "Eternal Blazing Sun," and they would not only be no longer bullied by Pons Béné, but they could also use the Villain's name to scare away their annoying neighbors. In short, they would genuinely feel that their "luck" had changed and that their lives had hope, and thus their faith would become even more Devout.
Of course, this doesn't make Aurora think the villagers did nothing wrong, since the government and the Church mainly want money, while the cult wants lives.
No one answered Valentine's question; only Lumian offered his "well-intentioned" advice:
"This requires you to personally ask them and conduct an in-depth investigation into why their beliefs change so easily."
"If you have truly found the answer through this, I think the Apostle will appreciate it."
The title "Apostolic" is used to address His Holiness the Pope of the Pope Church the Eternal Blazing Sun. Many other Church leaders can also be addressed as such. Lumian didn't know this at first, but he learned it after reading the reference materials that Aurora bought.
Valentine fell silent, a hint of interest creeping in.
Aurora looked at Ryan and changed the subject:
"Has the whereabouts of Sybil's husband, Jean Maurice, also been found?"
Ryan glanced at Lya, gesturing for her to speak.
Lya nodded and said, "We broke into Jean Mori Family and took one of his items."
"Using this item, I performed a Dream Divination."
Dream Divination... Aurora nodded slightly, not surprised at all.
Yesterday, as Lumian recounted the exploration of the Castle, she had already deduced the Pathway and approximate Sequence of the three official investigators based on their performance:
Clearly, Lya belongs to the more common "Seer" Pathway in Intis, and is not Sequence 9 "Seer" or Sequence 8 "Clown," but at least Sequence 7 "Magician," which can be inferred from her Extraordinary Ability such as "Paper Figurine Substitute" and "Damage Transfer," as well as her skill in Divination and her acrobatic-like acrobatic skills.
Aurora wasn't sure if Lya had reached Sequence 6, because she didn't know much about what happened after that Pathway.
Valentine belongs to the "Sun," the main Pathway controlled by the Church the Eternal Blazing Sun. Similarly, he is definitely not only Sequence 9 "Bard" and Sequence 8 "Light Suppliant." Aurora infers from "Summon Holy Light," "Create Holy Water," and "Sun Halo" that he is Sequence 7 "Sun High Priest" and should not be Sequence 6 "Notary," as he has not shown the corresponding abilities.
Ryan's Extraordinary Ability are not the type commonly seen in Intis; he should be considered a "Warrior."
This Pathway is mainly controlled by the "God of Combat" Church of the Feysac Empire in the north, but in the last five or six years, many Beyonder and superhuman beings of the "Warrior" Pathway have appeared in various countries.
Several members of the Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society have chosen this Pathway, either voluntarily or involuntarily.
As far as Aurora knows, this is also called the "Giant" Pathway. Sequence 9 is "Warrior", Sequence 8 is "Pugilist", Sequence 7 is "Weapon Master", Sequence 6 is a rank that brings about a qualitative change compared to the previous ones, called "Dawn Paladin". They possess the power of Giant and can create "Dawn" in a certain area around them, eliminating illusions and negative or evil energies.
They can also condense Full-Body Armor called "Dawn" on their bodies and their preferred weapons. The most powerful of these is the two-handed greatsword "Dawn Sword." With "Dawn Sword," they can unleash the most powerful attack in their Sequence— "Storm of Light," which can destroy the human body, annihilate Wraith, and even wound Evil Spirit.
Based on Ryan's performance, Aurora believes he is Sequence 6 "Dawn Paladin," but probably hasn't become Sequence 5 "Guardian" yet.
Aurora had always felt that these three official investigators were no less capable than herself, but now she realized that each one of them was more formidable than the last. Without proper preparation, she wouldn't be able to defeat any of them in a one-on-one fight.
It's important to know that in the official classification, Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 are considered Low-Sequence, possessing only some special abilities compared to Ordinary Person, but with obvious drawbacks. Sequence 7 to Sequence 5 are Mid-Sequence, beginning to possess power beyond the ordinary. Sequence 4 and above belong to the Half-God realm, truly High-Sequence.
According to some members of the Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society who are lurking in Official Organization, dealing with ordinary Paranormal Event usually involves a three-person team consisting of one Mid-Sequence and two Low-Sequence to conduct the first wave of investigation, followed by the deployment of higher-level forces as needed. However, in this case, in the face of the anomaly in Cordou Village, the Intis government immediately dispatched three Mid-Sequence, which shows that they attach great importance to it.
Even such Joint Investigation Team seemed insufficient in the Cordou Village.
Aurora had already shared this information with Lumian, and now the siblings listened quietly as Lya continued her story.
"In my Dream Divination, I saw the Shepherd Pierre Berri, who came out with several pieces of fingernails Entanglement his hair and stuffed them into a haystack," Lya described the scene she saw in the simplest terms.
Haystacks... fingernails and strands of hair... Lumian was instantly reminded of the discovery he had made, guided by the three sheep.
He also found some fingernails Entanglement hair in the haystack inside the Berri Family's Sheep Pen.
He frowned and said, "Those are Hetsushu Jean Maurice's fingernails and hair?"
"He was murdered by the Shepherd Pierre Berri, right there at the Berri Family?"
Aurora nodded in agreement.
"Originally, this custom of hiding fingernails and hair outside to avoid affecting the family's Zodiac and luck was limited to family members with a bad reputation, those who committed suicide, or those who were murdered by relatives. However, because Jean Maurice was killed in Shepherd's house, Pierre Berri carefully cut off his fingernails and took some hair, hiding them in the haystack outside the house."
"No wonder there were... that was probably the previous victim. Just how many people have they secretly killed?" Lumian suddenly sneered. "Even after all this, they still think about not affecting their own Zodiac and luck?"
"Ignorance!" Valentine cursed.
He, Ryan, and Lya had previously learned about the three sheep, the haystack, and the corresponding folk customs from Lumian.
After discussing for a while, they decided not to make any other attempts for the time being and to observe the reactions of the Parish Priest. Then, Lya and the others bid farewell to Lumian and Aurora and returned to the Old Tavern.
The siblings didn't mention their speculation from noon, fearing it might affect the official investigators' resolve to break the Loop from within, since they might only be affected and could potentially escape with external help.
After tidying up the table and washing the dishes, Lumian returned to her room and lay down on her bed.
Feeling conflicted and overwhelmed with thoughts, he couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Only after doing some initial Meditation did he gradually calm down and drift into a deep sleep.
In the room filled with a faint Gray Fog, Lumian opened his eyes and sat up.
He looked down at his chest, his gaze seemingly piercing through the cotton, Gray-White shirt and the barrier of flesh, to see the Black Thorn Symbol and the bluish-black pattern.
"Is this the Source and cause of the Loop?" Lumian murmured to himself.
The Black Thorn Symbol is the root of the problem, while the bluish-black pattern brings the Protection of That One Great Ones, giving Cordou Village a chance to be saved.
All of this dates back to nearly six years ago.
Lumian remembers clearly that at that time, he was still a wanderer, barely surviving by being underestimated because of his young age and by being ruthless beyond his years.
Then, one day, he met that dying old man.
Perhaps he had just accumulated some wealth and became arrogant, or perhaps the old man reminded him of his only relative, his grandfather who raised him until he was a little over 10 years old but unfortunately passed away. Lumian chose to offer some help.
Although they ultimately couldn't save the old man's life, Lumian still took him to the Crematorium and buried him in a free Cemetery.
The bluish-black symbol was what he found on the old man's Corpse during the process of dealing with the book. Ever since then, he has often dreamed of a large Gray Fog.
His luck was getting worse and worse, and he started to run out of food. Fortunately, not long after, he met Aurora.