Chapter 5: First Steps into Cordu
Watching the Celestial Worthy's silhouette slowly vanish, Ning Lu sat motionless for a while before rising, a swarm of thoughts surfacing in his mind.
"I can't trust everything the Celestial Worthy says—yet I can't just sit here and wait to die. Whatever happens, I have to escape."
"Compared to when I transmigrated into mystery world, the time-point of 'Circle of Inevitability' is far more dangerous… Outer Deities keep seeping into this world; take a few steps and you could run straight into their chosen."
"And then there's the Extraordinary Aggregation Principle… ugh, I'm still tightly bound to the Sefirah Castle. Who knows what kind of filth it'll draw in?"
The thought made Ning Lu's scalp tingle. Sitting atop the Sefirah Castle, he sifted through the feedback the surrounding grey mist offered, preparing to leverage the Castle's power to break the deadlock.
In Ning Lu's memory, at least five divine or affiliated powers were eyeing present-day Cordu Village: Circle of Inevitability, April Fools Day, Adam, the Tarot Club, and the Everlasting Sun Church.
On top of that, the Mother Goddess of Depravity seems to have stuck her fingers into the pie as well.
If it were only Fors, it wouldn't matter—but the problem is, the current Fool above the Tarot Club isn't just Klein Moretti; part of Him still belongs to the Celestial Worthy.
Who knows whether the Salty Fish I meet will be under the Celestial Worthy's influence?
Soon, though, Ning Lu found something useful in the feedback the grey mist provided.
"While on the Sefirah Castle, I can use my own Authority to force my way into someone else's dream? A high-level derivative of the Dream Stealer ability?"
"In that case, maybe I can try contacting the Mystical Trash Can…"
Ning Lu muttered inwardly, stirring the grey-mist energy until it brushed the dream at the heart of Cordu Village—tap-tap-tap!
Cordu Village, inside Lumian Lee's house.
Fresh from his dream, Lumian spotted an owl he'd once seen in Warlock legends, perched outside his window, staring straight at him—layering fresh dread onto his already shaken heart.
Earlier he had explored the dream-ruins for the first time, only to encounter a terrifying figure woven from grey mist and a classic Warlock robe and hat. The Monster instantly reminded him of the "Warlock legend" circulating in Cordu Village—the very focus of his recent investigations.
Now, after meeting that dream-creature seemingly linked to Warlocks, the very same owl from the legend had appeared in the waking world.
At that instant Lumian felt more terror than in the dream itself—partly because a tale had stepped into reality, partly out of fear for his sister Aurore.
At present Lumian only vaguely sensed something abnormal around him; exactly what it was remained a complete mystery.
Fortunately, after a tense standoff the owl flew away. Lumian calmed himself and resolved to tell Aurore everything, dream and reality alike, over breakfast—soft-yolk fried eggs, sugared pancakes, and jam-topped toast spread across the table.
"You!"
When he finished, Aurore rolled her eyes.
"I warned you: chasing Beyond power is dangerous. See? Trouble's here."
"I'll look into it for you…"
Aurore paused, then added,
"About the grey-mist figure in classic Warlock robes you met… I have a faint recollection. I'll need time to check and write to my pen-pals."
Speaking, Aurore's gaze flickered with hesitation. She finally said,
"I might have a guess…"
Those "pen-pals" are members of the Curly Baboon Research Society. Because their secrets touch on Transmigrators, Aurore has never told Lumian who they really are.
Partly she finds her own status hard to speak aloud; partly she doesn't want her brother pulled deeper into the Beyond.
Members of the Curly Baboon Research Society were old day remnants Klein released before becoming the Fool and confronting the Celestial Worthy—some even half-god level.
Knock-knock-knock!
A soft rap at the door snapped Lumian's already taut nerves. He sprang up and whispered toward Aurore at the table,
"I'll see who it is."
Realizing his tone sounded abrupt, he quickly added, "I'm afraid—uh—it might be trouble tied to the Warlock legend."
Aurore gave a slight nod.
"Go, but be careful. I'll watch your back."
Her words carried the subtext that she'd caught his hidden meaning.
Lumian crept to the door and peered through the "Peephole" Aurore had crafted—she called it "Kitty-Cat's Eye," a quirky phrase Lumian, fluent in Trier slang, inevitably misinterpreted.
Of course, for Aurore's name choice, Lumian Lee couldn't help but cock his head in puzzlement.
He pressed his eye to the hole—then jerked back as if electrocuted, turning hastily to Aurore.
"It's—it's the Grey-Mist Warlock from my dream!"
"He looks more… human."
At his words Aurore rose at once, fishing several materials from her pockets—clearly ready to cast.
But the next moment her gaze froze as two perfectly pronounced Chinese syllables rang beside her ear:
"Hello."
"I sensed some Beyond traces and only meant to observe—never imagined I'd meet a fellow countryman here."
Ning Lu's sincere tone reached Aurore as his silhouette appeared outside Lumian's window, regarding her with friendly eyes.
At the same time, amusement glimmered in his eyes; he drew a monocle from his coat and set it in place, turning his gaze toward Lumian's chest.
If he remembered right, Amon—the one who'd sneakily pilfered pineapple under the Fool's seal—was right there.