Hearing Wanakâs question, Lumian, who was already a bit irritated from having his study interrupted, laughed out loud. âCan you find them?â
âNo,â Wanak admitted frankly.
Unlike Lumian and Wanak, who had fixed residences, Gusian and Medici moved around in secrecy, making it hard to pinpoint their exact locations.
Wanak continued, âBut I can use myself as bait to lure them out.â
Lure them out? What kind of Hunter path is this? It sounds more like the path of a Fishing Master⊠Lumian mocked both Wanak and himself internally, gradually calming down.
He looked at the man with iron-black eyes, chiseled face, and suspected 0-01 corruption who had tried to kill him at their first meeting, and sneered.
âBait? If you dare to wander the streets of Morora, Albus and Gusian would likely think itâs a trap and not make a move.
âOf course, they might send someone to test if youâre bluffing, but that wonât help you ambush them.â
Wanakâs eyes remained sharp as he replied in a metallic tone, âI wonât treat them as fools. Iâll leave some traces, give them clues, let them find my hiding place on their own. They must act within these few days. They canât wait for me to recover, or itâll be a headache for them.â
Lumian, using a Hunterâs tone, laughed. âConfident, arenât you? Why not wait until youâre fully healed to seek revenge one by one? Why take the risk now and set traps, even choosing to cooperate with me?â
âIn five days, if they donât find me, those two rats will scurry back into the sewers and hide. I can kill any one of them, but finding them is still difficult,â Wanak said, his tone full of murderous intent.
Lumian didnât ask more questions, pondering a few things.
This most dangerous figure in Morora, who seemed to have submitted to 0-01 and gained boons along with the corruption, has the power of a pseudo-demigod.
Does his current attitude imply 0-01 dislikes Red Angel Medici and the Iron and Blood Cross Order?
Or does 0-01 resist anyone trying to control it, as evidenced by Wanakâs initial hostility towards me? But under current circumstances, he wants to target Albus and Gusian first and is willing to temporarily cooperate with the weaker side?
Wanak has pseudo-demigod strength and is in his home turf of Morora, yet he was severely wounded by Albus, Gusian, and a few Iron and Blood Cross Order members, forcing him to fleeâŠ
Albus is indeed not simple, and Gusian must be formidable too. It was right not to go all out and ambush them earlierâŠ
0-01 has some connection to that special mirror world, allowing Wanak to traverse through mirrorsâŠ
Lumian looked at Wanak, who was patiently waiting for his answer, and smiled. âWhy me?â
Since arriving in Morora, he hadnât gone all out or used any powerful items.
âWeâre the same kind of people,â Wanak said, his iron-black eyes cold.
âAnd I can clearly sense youâre not simple.â
Of course, Iâm not simple, with so much corruption and so many things mixed together. Simple would be strange⊠Lumian raised his right hand, rubbing his chin, and asked, âArenât you worried Iâll take this chance to eliminate you, Albus, and Gusian together? You should always be wary of others.â
âYou donât have the capability,â Wanak stated bluntly. âAnd in Morora, truly killing me isnât easy.â
Lumian leaned back in his chair, half-closing his eyes. After a few seconds, he said, âTime and place.â
âThe timing is uncertain. It depends on Albus and Gusianâs investigation progress. Iâll inform you of the approximate time and location in advance,â Wanak, his sharp, chiseled face showing a rare smile, said.
Lumian opened his eyes and sat up straight.
âWith your strength, you were severely wounded by them. What special abilities did they show in battle?â
âNot severely wounded, just nearly,â Wanak emphasized. âThat Albus has special powers or items that can create war fog, a high-rank Hunter ability⊠Gusian, besides being a powerful Hunter, has some Demoness pathway abilities and can utilize the mirror world to some extentâŠâ
Lumian listened intently, his smile gradually widening. âPleasure working with you.â
Wanak nodded slightly, his figure gradually fading in the rippling mirror.
Lumian sat quietly in his chair, muttering to himself, Is this a trap?
Wanak, Albus, and Gusian are using people as pawns in a drama to ambush me?
Or is Wanak using this chance to eliminate Albus, Gusian, and me together?
âŠ
Lumian thought about many things, until his head hurt.
Forget it, Iâll think about these conspiracies in a few days. Facing Hunters is troublesome. For now, focus on reading⊠Lumian turned his attention back to âExamples of Mausoleum Construction.â
After another hour, he closed the book, satisfied.
After nearly a week of effort, he had finally finished the first batch of books specified by Heraberg, and could take the exam at the Knowledge Cathedral tomorrow!
Lumian lay back on his bed and fell asleep.
In a hazy state, he saw an army.
The soldiers were clad in iron-black armor, marching across a reddish plain, with something drifting in the distance.
Sensing Lumianâs gaze, they turned their heads simultaneously, their eyes piercing.
Lumian saw their faces: Under the iron-black helmets, their skin was pale and shriveled, like all moisture and flesh had been drained, tightly clinging to their skulls. Dark red flames burned in their eye sockets.
MummiesâŠ
An army of undead?
As this realization dawned on Lumian, immense fear surged from his heart, urging him to submit to some unknown entity.
He struggled against this feeling, finally waking up.
He opened his eyes to find it was just a dream. Outside, the sky was dim, with no sign of dawn.
Too much knowledge about 0-01 might be increasing the corruption? Lumian pondered for a few seconds, then forced himself to sleep a bit more until six in the morning.
Julie hadnât returned overnight. After breakfast, Lumian packed the books into his Travelerâs Bag and headed straight to the Knowledge Cathedral.
Heraberg, in a white robe lined with brass, was explaining things to a group of new exiles. Lumian waited until the new exiles left the cathedral, then smiled and presented the books to Heraberg. âYour Grace, Iâve finished reading these books.â
âAdding âYour Graceâ this time?â Heraberg teased with a smile, taking the books and pointing to the corresponding brass bookshelf. âGo there and pick a paper to do.â
Prepared for this, Lumian walked to the bookshelf and randomly picked a paper.
As he searched for a table and chair, he glanced at the questions on the paper.
Suddenly, his gaze froze.
The first question was: âHave you had any nightmares recently?â
The second question was: âPlease describe the content of the nightmare in detail.â
Is this an exam on knowledge points? Doesnât seem like it⊠more like those psychological test questions Anthony brought back from the Psychiatrist Guild⊠Lumian thought, writing his answers on the brass bookshelfâs protrusions.
He answered the entire paper truthfully.
âDone.â Lumian felt like he was back in Cordu, reporting to his sister that heâd finished his test.
âLet me see.â Heraberg extended his right hand.
After reviewing Lumianâs answers from start to finish, he nodded slightly.
âYou donât need to read all the books on these three shelves. Just this, this, and thisâŠâ
Heraberg pointed out eight books with a smile. âFinish these, and thatâll be enough.â
Huh? Donât need to read all three shelves? Just these eight books?
Lumian was momentarily puzzled, not understanding the basis for Herabergâs judgment.
Were the remaining books on those shelves suddenly unimportant?
Thinking about the test paperâs content, Lumian had some guesses.
He thoughtfully responded to Heraberg, âAlright, Your Grace.â
As he placed the books into the Travelerâs Bag, Lumian roughly estimated the time needed.
If he focused without any interruptions, he could finish one book a day, but that would be suspicious.
About two weeks, maybe a bit more⊠But according to Heraberg, finishing these is enough, much better than my initial plan of taking six months to read all three shelves⊠Lumian quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much better.
He mimicked his sister Aurora and Francaâs occasional crazy talk, thinking with a smile.
Albus, Julie, Gusian, and Wanak, wait two weeks. Once Iâm done studying, Iâll kill you all!
Hmm, for now, Iâll take advantage of Wanakâs âinvitationâ to find clues from Albus about Hand Broâs headâŠ
And gather intelligence on the Demoness as wellâŠ
Franca looked at Jenna, who had naturally moved into the guest room after returning from Port LeSeur, and didnât ask why. Feeling a bit upset, she said, âYou donât seem very happy. Is Julien insisting on returning to Trier?â
âYes, heâs so stubborn.â Jenna sighed deeply.
Actually, so are you, and your mother too⊠Franca muttered internally, saying, âDonât worry, thereâs still about a month to figure something out.â
âYeah.â Jenna glanced at Franca, who had changed into a warlockâs cloak. âAre you filling in for Lumian at that mysticism gathering?â
âYes.â Franca tossed the silver Lie earring into the air and caught it again.
Compared to her initial reluctance and anxiety, now she felt more anticipation.