Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

526 Resolution

526 Resolution

The destination was Demon Warlock Burman’s next target!

Without waiting for Lumian’s response, the adventurer mumbled to himself in puzzlement, “Are you a Blessed of luck?”

No, a Blessed of calamity… Lumian replied inwardly.

As thoughts raced, Batna suddenly formulated a new hypothesis.

Could this be Demon Warlock Burman himself?

He had investigated the explosion scene, returning to flaunt his prowess at the crime scene and blindfolded himself to randomly choose the next victim!

Such an explanation seemed far more plausible than being blessed with luck!

Lumian glanced at Batna’s Batna’s tense expression and smiled.

“Don’t tell me you think I’m Burman? How long have I been in Port Farim?”

That’s exactly it. Something happened the night you first arrived in Port Farim… Batna didn’t dare vocalize it.

“When the Quartier des Black Pearls exploded, I was still praying in the cathedral,” Lumian said with amusement, providing an alibi.

Batna pondered for a moment and relaxed, but confusion still lingered on his face.

Lumian sighed and inquired, “Yesterday, I didn’t expect to encounter anything related to the Demon Warlock while walking blindfolded. I just found it fun.”

He spoke the truth.

However, he couldn’t shake the suspicion that the corruption caused by 0-01 might be more severe than he had imagined.

Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that Trier, a seal from the Fourth Epoch, had effectively suppressed the preexisting issues within him.

The excuse of finding it “fun” barely convinced Batna. He felt that Louis Berry was undoubtedly such a person.

Yet, the other party would sporadically set traps just for the amusement of it. Anyone treating him as an idiot would end up becoming one!

“Perhaps I was truly blessed by luck yesterday,” Lumian concluded.

Lumian’s reasoning convinced Batna that Demon Warlock Burman’s continuous evasion and access to resources stemmed from his close symbiotic relationship with Fidel, a prominent merchant. The subsequent tragedy likely resulted from the pressure exerted by the official Beyonders’ investigation, leading to internal strife.

“What a shame…” Batna sighed. “If I had sold the clues about the Demon Warlock’s close connection to Fidel to the authorities beforehand, I could’ve bagged a hefty bounty.”

It would’ve been at least 5,000 verl d’or!

Batna shook his head.

“No, without evidence, the authorities won’t buy it. Can’t tell them we stumbled on clues blindfolded, blessed by luck. They’d just cuff us for being fraudsters.”

A chuckle slipped from Lumian’s lips.

“Can’t you fabricate some evidence to back the clues?

“Say you spotted someone suspicious at Fidel’s back door, maybe the Demon Warlock. Let the official Beyonders confirm it themselves. They’ll uncover the truth in due time.”

“T-That’d work?” Batna’s mouth hung slightly agape.

“Why not?” Lumian grinned. “If you truly found the Demon Warlock, tell them not to sweat the details. Just ask if the clues are legit and if they helped capture the Demon Warlock. If they miss Burman, it’s a small scam at worst. Few days of hard labor for you.”

“Official Beyonders can take tips from adventurers without solid certainty, right? They’d miss genuine info otherwise.”

Lumian’s words left Batna silent momentarily before he blurted out, “Don’t tell me you’ve got Islander blood?”

Deception seemed to be his forte.

Lumian casually replied, “Knew an Islander in Trier, quite the con artist with rich experience and techniques.”

With a flicker of interest, Lumian raised his left hand, pinching his left eye socket.

Glancing at Batna, he asked, “How long have you been adventuring? Why still so green?”

“Over a year,” Batna defended himself. “It’s just that I stick to the rules with authorities. I’m more adaptable when dealing with pirates and others.”

“Adventurers slipping clues to authorities also dabble in deceit, right?” Lumian grinned. “They scam if they can.”

He suspected Batna’s strict adherence to rules came from a well-bred background, a notion confirmed by the other party’s attire and appearance.

Observing Batna’s silence, Lumian finished his remaining salted coffee and glanced back at the lively open-air market.

“Try not to go to the morgue, cemetery, or other places for the time being.”

Just as Batna was about to ask why, he instantly grasped the advice’s true meaning.

Without Fidel to provide resources, the Demon Warlock might feel compelled to take action!

…

Before long, his messenger, Penitent Baynfel, emerged from the void and handed him a letter.

Franca:

“Based on your latest account and my discussion with 007 last night, I suspect that Demon Warlock Burman had been compelled to switch Sequences.

“He was originally a Warlock, but to revive his wife, he switched to the neighboring Death pathway. He went half-mad, becoming half-human and half-monster.

“Though this could be explained as a Warlock receiving an evil god’s boon, your situation doesn’t align. No cases of Beyonder powers from two pathways fusing and mutating have been documented. This was evident in your clash with Burman. The Eye of Illusory you mentioned has the Eye of Mystery Prying, revealing the side of reality, but it also displays the Death pathway’s suppression of the Spirit Body or even enslavement.

“As far as I know, the Death pathway gains an Eye of Death ability at Sequence 8 Gravedigger. Did it fuse with the Eye of Mystery Prying, forming that distinctive Eye of Illusory?”

As Lumian read, he suddenly recalled the appearance of the Eye of Illusory.

Embedded vertically in his forehead, illusory and blurry, a deep purple bordering on black, with numerous pale-white patterns—undeniably a fusion of the Eye of Mystery Prying and the Death pathway’s abilities.

Lumian’s gaze shifted downward as he continued reading.

“White feather-like fur, decaying wounds, control over various undead creatures, unstable emotional states, and extreme actions—all indirectly confirming my hypothesis…

“The origins of the old blood are rather peculiar. I’ve conducted Magic Mirror Divination several times and consulted various entities, but all I’ve gleaned is that it stems from the depths of the spirit world. No further information. It seems the irreversible half-mad Burman had some other fortuitous encounter.”

Unstable emotions… Extreme actions… irreversible half-madness… Lumian mulled over the descriptions and let out an inaudible sigh.

How determined and desperate must Burman have been when he chose to consume the Death pathway potion?

Wild Beyonders didn’t know they could switch to neighboring pathways at a specific Sequence. They believed once a divine pathway was chosen, it couldn’t be altered. Forced consumption of potions from other pathways led to madness or death.

Moreover, Mystery Pryer and Death weren’t adjacent pathways that allowed switching.

Burman wouldn’t have drunk the Death pathway potion without a resolve bordering on death, all to revive his wife, even at the cost of his sanity.

Lumian sensed he might have made the same choice in such a situation, hence his conflicting emotions.

Franca’s letter ended with reassurance: “Don’t fret over the aftermath. Burman’s mental state will soon cause him to resurface without Fidel’s support and restraint. He might succeed once or twice in gathering materials for experiments, but it won’t last. Official Beyonders will eliminate him within weeks or even days.”

Lumian glanced at Penitent Baynfel, yet to depart.

“Help me deliver my reply to the sender.”

Swiftly, he penned a line: “I’ll kill Burman as soon as possible.”

Before long, Penitent Baynfel returned with Franca’s reply: “Why?”

Lumian wrote on the same piece of paper: “I wish to punish him for his crimes…”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “And end his pain.”

Folding the letter into a square, Lumian handed it to Baynfel and glanced at the messenger.

“Don’t you find it troublesome to send letters back and forth?”

It wasn’t concern but puzzlement.

After delivering the letter, Penitent Baynfel didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he waited for a potential reply.

This time, Baynfel didn’t remain silent. He replied in a deep voice, “Being busy makes me feel better. It’s better to have something to do than always watch the darkness.”

Lumian listened quietly without responding, watching Penitent Baynfel turn and walk into the void.

He empathized with those words.

Franca didn’t stop Lumian. Her reply was concise and forceful: “Be careful!”

Phew… Lumian exhaled and walked to the living room window, casting his gaze at Port Farim bathed in the blazing sunlight and the distant Andatna volcano.