764 There’s Always a Corruption That Can Be Used
Lumian took off his glasses and whispered, “The target should have noticed something unusual about me, but Ludwig is right beside me, giving off the ‘mother’ aura from that corpse. With both of these factors together, the target will surely be highly suspicious and may seek assistance. Be prepared.”
If it were just the Omebella bloodline alone, Oxyto might think it was merely the law of convergence at work, bringing the blasphemer of the Child of God into her presence.
Similarly, if it were just the ‘mother’ aura from the corpse, she might become wary or suspect that the corpse’s return to the earth had contaminated the local water, leading to the corruption of certain individuals.
But put together, anyone who could sense these would immediately see there was a big problem.
This couldn’t just be a coincidence; there was clearly a dangerous trap!
Knight of Swords Maric’s voice seemed to come from farther away.
“We’re already ready.”
Sensing the hidden danger and preparing even before I thought through everything and issued a reminder? They have strong spiritual intuition and rich experience… Lumian mused as he noticed Lugano, startled by his movements and deep voice, also standing up.
Ludwig wasted no time in pulling the ice cream they had abandoned closer to him and happily ate away, completely unconcerned about what might happen next.
Lumian’s gaze swept over Lugano and Ludwig before moving to Franca and Jenna, who were enjoying their dessert.
He was now considering a critical question:
Should they act together, or separate like they did in the morning?
If the earlier speculations were broadly accurate, then the bait phase to lure out Oxyto should already be over. What lay ahead would likely be probing attacks from the Shaman King and her companions.
In that case, moving together would allow them to better receive protection from the temperance faction, without worrying that Oxyto might strike at a less guarded spot and capture one or two as hostages. But if the attack was fierce enough to force the temperance faction’s hidden forces into a defensive position, staying together could lead to total annihilation.
Which choice was safer and more reasonable in this environment was a decision the team leader needed to make.
Lumian walked slowly toward the restaurant’s entrance, mentally filtering through the questions and speculations he’d considered earlier.
He thought of his own description of the spirit realm in Raklev:
A rudimentary, localized Underworld.
Underworld… Lumian’s eyelids twitched, and he quietly asked again, “Can any of you see or sense the Underworld?”
He was asking whether Zombies and Wraiths could detect the Underworld.
Knight of Swords Maric quickly answered, “No, unless someone directly opens the door to the Underworld or is already from there. Otherwise, it can only be sensed through certain traces.
“Before the Underworld anomaly, it was possible.”
It was possible before the Underworld anomaly? Is this inferred from ancient records?
Lumian wasn’t particularly concerned about this; instead, he was more interested in something else: If Oxyto has indeed begun integrating the local spirit realm into her Paramita, does that mean her Paramita qualifies as a small-scale Underworld?
Moreover, it had to be a small-scale Underworld that was still bound to this region.
Otherwise, based on Lumian’s understanding of Paramita, Oxyto could have easily taken her Paramita away and left the area.
Of course, it’s also possible that she hadn’t achieved another goal yet.
A small-scale Underworld… Lumian muttered to himself and then walked toward Franca and Jenna, smiling as he said, “I heard Chaban Street is unique to this area. Would you two lovely ladies like to be my guides?”
Chaban Street was where Franca and Jenna had first noticed the temperature drop slightly, indicating that they might have encountered Oxyto there.
In the eyes of the nearby customers, Lumian’s invitation was a blatant attempt to arrange a date. However, Franca and Jenna exchanged a glance and understood that Lumian was suggesting they should act together, with Chaban Street as their destination.
“Sure.” Franca and Jenna smiled in unison and stood up.
This left those around them somewhat stunned:
Are they that easy to invite?
If I’d known, I would have plucked up the courage to ask!
Together, Lumian, Franca, Jenna, and the others strolled toward Chaban Street, exchanging relaxed remarks about their impressions of the city.
About fifteen minutes later, they reached the street predominantly occupied by locals.
Gray-white stone houses stood in rows, appearing rugged yet solid. Outside each house, strips of wool hung, adding a vibrant, exotic touch that distinguished it from the Star Highlands.
Compared to other streets in Raklev City, the locals here were more likely to wear traditional clothing: dark red woolen robes for men and brightly colored skirts for women.
Similarly, many of them carried skull amulets of various designs, some mottled and brown with wool wigs, some painted purple, green, and red, and some holding caramel-colored tobacco from East Balam between their teeth. Others appeared as white as jade, with dark eye sockets and insects crawling in and out.
Standing at the entrance to Chaban Street, Lumian paused instead of moving forward, signaling Franca and Jenna to stay slightly behind him.
He then took something out of his Traveler’s Bag.
It was a golden mask, with the area around the eyes and the face painted in either black or white.
It was an Eggers family mask crafted by Death Himself!
Since this pure gold mask was initially designed to help the living sense and enter the Underworld and was directly created by the deity who ruled over death and the Underworld, wearing it might reveal something related to the Underworld within a certain range. In the Raklev region, the local spirit realm was akin to a small, rudimentary Underworld.
If the local spirit realm had really been integrated into Oxyto’s Paramita, seeing it would be equivalent to seeing that Paramita, revealing Shaman King Oxyto!
Without hesitation, Lumian donned the golden Eggers family mask.
His breath rapidly cooled, becoming increasingly still. His body went cold in an instant, losing the sensation of life, and his blood ceased to flow.
Through the golden mask, Lumian noticed the surroundings dimming slightly, with the colors fading and the temperature dropping a little.
Apart from that, everything appeared normal.
So, this is the world through the eyes of the undead? I can’t see any trace of that spirit realm… Is it hidden deeper due to being integrated into Paramita? Hmm, I can sense the spirit world directly but can’t detect the Underworld… No wonder one has to wait for an opportunity to enter the Underworld instead of simply locating it and teleporting there after wearing the Eggers family mask… Lumian muttered silently, not giving up on his original theory, and tried to stimulate the lingering aura of the Blood Emperor.
The purpose of activating Alista Tudor’s lingering aura was to highlight the seal left by the Underworld Daoist.
This powerful being from Franca’s world was clearly related to the pathways of Death, Darkness, and Warrior. According to Madam Magician, He might have also had contact with the deranged Death and made some agreements. His seals could potentially enhance the Eggers family’s masks.
As a slight pain pricked his right palm and the cold, rotten sensation spread, Lumian’s vision abruptly changed.
Along the entire Chaban Street, the fabric strips hanging from the walls lost their color and turned gray, while the people walking there became inexplicably blurry, as if shrouded in thick fog.
However, the skull amulets they wore remained unusually clear, their colors even more vivid by contrast.
Lumian also saw pale or dark red flames ignite in the hollow sockets of those human skulls, flickering and exuding an eerie chill of death.
In that instant, Lumian realized he was “seeing” the spirit realm of Raklev.
It overlapped with the entire Raklev area, where spirits wandered in the shadows while humans lived openly.
Standing on the edge of the spirit realm, Lumian didn’t attempt to step inside but instead searched from a distance for any signs of Paramita’s presence.
He saw a vast black cloud hanging over the sky in the direction of Lake Dalsh, saw some skulls floating mid-air on the streets with ghostly child-like figures flickering within their burning sockets, and saw how the wilderness below the mountains seemed to have encroached directly, blending into the city seamlessly.
As expected… Lumian immediately had a clear realization:
Oxyto is inside this Paramita, which has merged with the spirit realm!
With this understanding, the first thought that flashed through Lumian’s mind was: My mission ends here. Next, I’ll lend the Eggers family’s golden mask to the Knight of Swords and the temperance faction, leaving them to organize their forces to enter Paramita and fight Oxyto, while we return to Trier to avoid the potential danger.
But on second thought, Lumian realized that wouldn’t work.
Because if they only had the Eggers family’s golden mask and not the Underworld Daoist’s seal, even a Wraith wearing it wouldn’t be able to directly “see” Oxyto’s mutated Paramita!
A possibility vaguely came to Lumian’s mind.
He said in a low voice to the hidden Knight of Swords Maric, “I’ve found Oxyto’s Paramita. First, take the Two of Cups and the others to safety. Then, as Wraiths, attach yourselves to me, and I’ll lead all of you into Paramita!”
“Alright.” The Knight of Swords somewhat ethereal voice couldn’t conceal his joy and malice.
It was directed at Oxyto.
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