An early sacrifice

Staring at the Sheep Pen, now reduced to piles of hay and specks of dung, Ryan frowned and said, "The Underground Altar was repaired so quickly?"

He suspected that the three sheep had been taken as a sacrifice.

"Those Evil God followers might possess some special abilities," Valentine replied with a look of disdain.

Listening to their discussion, Lumian suddenly recalled the faint bleating of a sheep he had heard last night.

Could that be the sound made when one of them was sacrificed? He shared this speculation with Ryan and Valentine.

"Unlikely," Ryan shook his head. "The Church is several hundred meters from your house, and the Altar is Underground."

He meant that even if the "Hunter" enhanced his hearing, there was absolutely no way he could receive the sound originating from Church Underground.

Lumian himself thought so too, but that didn't explain why he heard sheep bleating. At the same time, he felt a distinct burning sensation in his chest, and the Black Thorn Symbol was partially activated.

This can't be faked!

A burning sensation... Lumian's heart stirred, and he remembered something That One mysterious Lady had said:

Pray to yourself... the principle of proximity...

Recalling the Ritual of invoking the "Dancer's " power, and noticing the Black Thorn Symbol on his chest becoming more prominent, he suddenly had a new guess:

He could hear the bleating of sheep during sacrifices, a connection rooted in Mysticism!

In short, when the Parish Priest and others performed the Ritual and prayed to That One Hidden Being, due to the principle of proximity, they also pointed to the Corruption within Lumian's body, partially activating the Black Thorn Symbol. That's why Lumian was able to faintly hear a sheep's bleat from such a distance.

Since he did not respond, nor did he know how to respond, after all, the Corruption was sealed by the owner of the bluish-black pattern, the Parish Priest and his Ritual eventually "contacted" That One Hidden Being.

Once the Ritual was over, the burning sensation in Lumian's chest naturally subsided.

So it seems that no invisible or strange force invaded Aurora's room last night; it was simply that the abnormality in my body was partially triggered by the Ritual performed by the Parish Priest and his men... Lumian probably figured out the cause and effect.

At this moment, Ryan reminded his companions:

"It seems that our exploration of the Church Underground has created a strong sense of crisis for the Parish Priest, who have tried to repair the Altar and pray for power in advance."

"From now on, we must be extra careful and not think that the situation will only become dangerous as Lent Festival approaches."

"If it weren't for the fear of Reboot, we would have taken care of them long ago!" Valentine said with hatred in his voice.

Then, he added sullenly:

"Can you please stop calling that Evil God's servant, the Parish Priest, 'that's unworthy'?"

Why should someone as unworthy as him become the Parish Priest? Lumian didn't dare to voice his thoughts.

This time, he wasn't afraid; he mainly wanted to maintain his image in Valentine's eyes. After all, he might have to persuade this fanatical believer to do something later, such as using suicide to verify the nature of the Loop.

Ryan nodded:

"Let's hurry and visit Madame Pualis to replenish our food and water supplies, and then try not to go out unless absolutely necessary."

Without saying much, Lumian turned and left through the back door of the Shepherd Pierre Berri Family, heading towards the hill where the Castle was located.

Passing through the vibrant garden, the three arrived at a gate that was only partially open. They addressed the Men servant, dressed in a red coat and white trousers, saying, "We have something to discuss with Madame Pualis."

"Wait a moment." The servant glanced at Ryan and Valentine, then hurriedly turned and disappeared through the doorway.

Not long after, the "midwife" wearing a Gray-White Long Dress came out.

Compared to last time, her face was even more pale, and her eyes were so blank that it was chilling.

If Lumian hadn't told Ryan and Valentine beforehand that the "midwife" wasn't "dead," they would definitely be shocked right now.

They had seen quite a few cases of the dead turning into Living Corpse; the "Sun High Priest" was a specialist in dealing with such matters, and Valentine had purified at least several dozen, if not a hundred, of similar things. But for humans who had been chopped into pieces to reappear in their original form, and even resemble living people more than Corpse, was something they couldn't comprehend at their current level.

The midwife opened her mouth and said in a completely flat tone, "The lady does not wish to see you and wants you to go back."

"We have something very important to discuss." Lumian didn't mince words and asked directly, "Isn't Madame Pualis worried that That One Underground might ruin her plans?"

The midwife maintained the same tone as before:

"The lady said that wouldn't affect her."

Upon hearing this, Lumian felt a chill run through his body.

This means that they will find it difficult to obtain the help of Madame Pualis, a powerful figure, later on.

Lumian laughed, showing no sign of frustration or dejection. He looked at the "midwife" and said, "But we might explore that Tomb Chamber."

His implication was that, during the exploration process, if anything goes wrong, the Loop could Reboot prematurely.

The midwife's expression remained Change, still stiff and expressionless.

"You can try, but you'll only be disappointed."

What does that mean? Lumian couldn't immediately understand what Madame Pualis was trying to express.

Did she mean that although we should explore, and she would provide some assistance at crucial moments, we probably wouldn't find any valuable clues? The more Lumian thought about it, the more he felt that Madame Pualis probably didn't mean what he had guessed, otherwise she wouldn't have directly refused the request to meet through the "midwife".

Before Lumian could consider other possibilities, Ryan asked cautiously, "Is Madame Pualis trying to tell us that the That One or those beings Tomb Chamber can easily control us and successfully prevent our investigation without triggering the Loop?"

"Yes." The midwife nodded slowly, turned around, and walked into the Depths of the Castle.

Lumian, Valentine, and Ryan exchanged glances and left, somewhat resigned.

Their next destination was the Old Tavern, where they could buy plenty of Ingredient and barrels of cheap wine.

Compared to water, which is prone to spoilage, alcohol is easier to store. As long as the alcohol content is not high, it can be used to replenish water later.

Upon entering the Old Tavern, Lumian immediately looked around but did not see That One mysterious Lady.

Slightly disappointed, he turned away and walked to the bar, telling the Boss, Maurice Béné, what he wanted to buy.

After Ryan and Valentine went to fetch the wine barrels, Lumian asked in a low voice, "Where is That One other Lady?"

Maurice Béné shook his head:

"I don't know. Maybe she's in her room, maybe she's gone somewhere else in the village, maybe she's gone to Dalege. Anyway, she paid her rent up to the 9th, so she can do whatever she wants."

Number 9? Twelfth Night? Lumian nodded thoughtfully.

April 9th was the so-called "Twelfth Night" that he and Aurora had calculated.

This also means that March 29th was indeed the first day of the Loop.

If Ryan and his two companions, these Three Foreigners, didn't happen to enter Cordou Village on the first day of a certain Loop, it means that as long as Outsider intrude into this area, the Loop will immediately Reboot, beginning on March 29th.

"Oh dear," Lumian slapped his forehead and said to the tavern Boss, Maurice Béné, "My stomach's not feeling well. I'm going to the Washroom. Tell them to wait for me."

Maurice Béné gave him a look that said, "What mischief are you up to now, kid?"

Don't cause trouble here!

The downside of a bad reputation is showing again... Lumian chuckled and said, "Don't worry, it really is just borrowing the Washroom!"

He waved as he spoke, and then quickly ran to the entrance of the stairs.

He did need to use the Washroom, but he wanted to use the one upstairs.

Maurice Béné glanced at his retreating figure and muttered, "Spring's here, and that bastard's in heat too..."

His voice was just loud enough for Lumian to hear.

Upon reaching the second floor, Lumian arrived at the opposite side of the Washroom and stood in front of That One mysterious Lady's room.

He knocked on the door.

No one responded.

Seeing that there was no "Do Not Disturb" sign on the Handle, Lumian knocked twice more, each time louder than the last.

Unfortunately, That One mysterious Lady never appeared.

Lumian thought for a moment, then took out a thin piece of wire and pried at the keyhole a few times.

The door creaked open, revealing an empty room where no one was.

The blankets on the Bed were neatly folded, as if no one had lived there for some time.

Lumian sighed silently, didn't try to go inside, and simply closed the door.

In the afternoon, under the pretext of teaching Lumian Hermes and urgently improving his strength, the siblings gathered in Aurora's bedroom.

Lumian lowered her voice and recounted the key points of her exploration of the Dream Ruins last night to her Older Sister, concluding with, "Do you have anything to add? About Hunting the Flame Monster?"

Even with all the preparations and the abilities of "Fallen Mercury" and "Invisibility," he still lacked confidence in hunting down the Flame Monster.

That's a Sequence that represents a qualitative leap in the "Hunter" Pathway!

Aurora laughed:

"You've considered everything. The only thing I can add is..."

She raised her hands, clenched them into fists, and gently shook them, saying, "Go for it!"

"..." Lumian was defeated by her Older Sister's ability to joke at a time like this.

But this also eased his inner tension considerably.

Aurora then added, "The rest is just some unoriginal talk:"

"Be careful, be careful, be very careful."

She then sighed:

"It's a pity that That One mysterious Lady isn't here, otherwise I could create some simple, auxiliary Charm, along with the ' Brooch of Integrity,' for you to take into your dreams."

"Yes." Lumian was disappointed, but not discouraged, and had no intention of giving up.

Around 9:50 p. m., Lumian left Aurora's bedroom and headed towards the Washroom.

He planned to empty his stomach before his night shift.

Under the Crimson Moonlight, the Washroom was dimly lit, with only the area around the toilet remaining relatively clear.

Lumian moved Past and unbuckled his belt.

Behind him, the shadow on the wall suddenly began to writhe, transforming into a figure raising an Axe!