Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

749 Conjugate Captain and Members

After her initial shock, Franca pondered thoughtfully, Maybe this idea isn't so bad after all...

Wasn't I originally aiming to becan Iron-blooded Knight? But then there's Jenna...

Seeing Franca silent, Lumian said with a meaningful smile, "There's no need to take sthings too seriously. We've all used Lie before and changed our appearances, adapting quite well, haven't we? I once even turned into a dog without any lingering trauma. As long as it's not permanent and you can change back, occasionally switching things up can actually be quite fun. Remember, you're just acting.”

Lumian knew Jenna was already aware that the Demoness pathway led to changes from male to female, whereas the Hunter's pathway did the opposite, occurring at Sequence 7 Witch and Sequence 4 Iron-blooded Knight.

He also knew Franca suspected Jenna was aware of this.

But since the Demoness of Pleasure wanted to continue deceiving herself, he didn't mind helping a bit by keeping his words vague.

"Temporarily... If the ritual of the Demoness of Unaging isn't evil, I can switch back... A

Demoness of Unaging doesn't sound so evil..." Jenna muttered to herself before saying, "!

think Lumian’s suggestion is worth considering.”

Franca nodded in agreement, on the verge of saying more but stopping herself.

Jenna chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I'm only at Sequence 7, just a Witch. Why am I even considering becoming a demigod and switching back and forth?

“Dammit, it feels like when I first becShowy Diva. Though I was always saving money topay off debts, it didn't stopfrom dreaming of becoming a famous actress, earning thousands of verl d'or a year, and wondering how I'd spend all that money..."

too,too,” Franca echoed, attempting to explore the feasibility, "If we switch, how do we complete the ritual for a thirty-person Iron-blooded Knight team?”

Lumian clicked his tongue and continued, “You'd better pray that by then I've becan lron-blooded Knight. Having an Iron-blooded Knight as a team member can significantly reduce the number of people required. Besides, we already work well together.”

"Is that possible?" Franca first instinctively felt there was a problem, then muttered to herself, "A ritual is just a ritual. After it's done, there's really no need to maintain the previous state, meaning the captain and team members could swap places and form anew team again. What do you call that? That's called recycling, sustainable development!"

The more Franca thought about it, the more excited she became.

“Once I also becan Iron-blooded Knight, Jenna will have two demigod teammates, plus Anthony and Lugano. She shouldn't need to look for anyone else.

“If Ludwig is still with us by then, not having broken his seal, things will be even simpler; we could be his godmothers!"

We'd be Ludwig's godmothers, and Lumian would be his godfather... Although this isn't anything amazing, there are many similar examples, but still.. Jenna glanced at Franca, wanting to remind her of something, but ultimately decided against it.

The more they discussed the details, the more awkward it got, so it was best to leave them be.

With a new strategy to avoid the Demoness of Despair's ritual, Franca and Jenna felt much better.

The former said to Lumian, "There's a mysticism gathering in a few days. Touch base with the Professor and others to probe whether any members of the Moses Ascetic Order are among them. It's not too urgent since Madam Judgement toldthat the Tarot Club has informants inside the Moses Ascetic Order who can provide the necessary information. But I'm not sure if that informant belongs to the Trier region and knows the local circumstances, while the Mirror Person, Griffith, is definitely in Trier.”

Lumian nodded and replied, "I also need to ask about the Harvest Priest potion formula and corresponding materials. Boosting the team's strength will help us complete the ritual later.

Jenna listened quietly for a while before interjecting, "Can you help sell that Dream Stealer Beyonder characteristic for me? The level of the mysticism gatherings I attend aren't high enough; nobody can afford an item of that Sequence."

She was thinking about the Demoness of Pleasure potion materials she was about to receive from the Eternal Blazing Sun Church. Franca's Pleasure was almost digested, and it wasn't too good to still owe her companion money. After all, she couldn't use the Dream Stealer Beyonder characteristic herself.

Lumian could probably guess Jenna's thoughts, subtly gesturing towards his Traveler's Bag.

His implication was clear: you've seen my Iron-blooded Knight and Demoness of Despair potion formulas; how cyou haven't thought about owinga substantial debt?

Lumian hoped this approach would make Jenna worry less about owing money, suggesting she borrow more and hire an Artisan to turn the Dream Stealer Beyonder characteristic into a mystical item for use.

The stronger you are, the easier it is to repay debts!

Sitting on the sofa, Jenna scoffed at Franca, gesturing towards Lumian.

Her message was clear: when I need to use those two potion formulas to advance, I'll pay you back!

"I'll keep an eye out," Franca said, unaware of the silent conversation between Lumian and Jenna.

She then said, "We can start gathering ssupplementary ingredients for Iron-blooded Knight and Demoness of Despair now, like the mud soaked with soldiers’ blood from a major battlefield and the blood of seven victims of the plague, just to be prepared in case we're short on tlater. Who knows, by then, we might find another way to bypass the plague ritual. Let's get ready now."

Hearing about the preparations for the potion, Lumian nodded and then remembered something.

He then activated the contract ability from Bloody Jack, sensing the mirror imprints he had left behind.

Soon, Lumian used the mirror and its otherworldly connection to detect two imprints from afar—one clear and one blurry.

The clear one belonged to the full-length mirror in Moran Avigny's study, while the blurry one changed on its own, shifting positions and making it hard to track.

I can sense it... That must be the imprint on the mirror inside the Blue Avenger's vault... Using the link between the imprint and myself, no matter how it blurs or shifts, I can teleport directly to it, as long as I can step through the mirror, Lumian pondered for a while but decided not to borrow Franca’s Mirror Cufflink for an experiment.

This was because his spiritual intuition and a warning from fate told him that if he teleported to that imprint now, he might never return, or he might return as Alista Tudor.

Withdrawing his hand, Lumian shared the results of his attempt with Franca and Jenna.

Afterward, Jenna left to visit various hospital morgues. This was both to look for opportunities to act as a Witch and to see if there were any bodies that had died from severe contagious diseases.

With the Order of All Extinction and the Sick Church not yet eradicated in Trier, there definitely were deaths from the plague, just not many that could cause a widespread outbreak.

Standing by the window, Lumian saw Jenna appear on the street and turned to Franca, saying, “You might have to beca Demoness of Despair, so it would be good to think about how to find an alternative to that ritual.”

“Why must I?" Franca responded, clearly astonished.

Lumian chuckled. "Have you noticed that all the high-ranking members of the Demoness Sect are Demonesses? Do you think it's because they can't get their hands on the lron-blooded Knight potion formula and Beyonder characteristics?”

“But the Demoness Sect doesn't prohibit Demonesses from switching to the Hunter pathway..."

"That's indeed a contradiction," Lumian speculated. "I suspect that those angelic-tier Demonesses can't find higher Sequence Hunter pathway Beyonder characteristics to change back into men, so they're not keen on seeing their subordinates regain themselves.

It has becan unspoken rule. You know, most of the high-ranking Demonesses are twisted in spirit, psychopathic, and enjoy seeing others in pain while hating to see them happy."

According to the intelligence Lumian and Franca received from Madam Magician and Madam Judgement, starting from Sequence 4, Hunters and Demonesses could switch pathways, with gender determined by the highest Sequence attained, and consuming potions of the sSequence but from neighboring pathways to enhance one's strength could cause significant problems.

Franca was silent for a long moment before saying, "If I digest the Affliction potion and still haven't found an alternative to the Despair ritual, I'll request to end my mission with the Demoness Sect from Madam Judgement. She should understand and wouldn't allowto carry out something like spreading a horrific plague.”

After saying this, Franca relaxed and muttered, "Besides, wouldn't it be odd if Jenna becomes an Iron-blooded Knight and I remain a Demoness by then?"

“Life is short, why not give it a try?” Lumian jested.

Before Franca could react, Lumian leaped over the sofa with a stride and headed out the door.

Bursts of black flames shot through the wooden door, chasing after Lumian’s back but gradually veering off target and dissipating into the air.

Franca's curse still rang clear in Lumian’s ears, "If you have what it takes, try it yourself!"

With a grin, Lumian stepped out into the street.

Watching Ludwig eat, he pulled up a chair opposite him and casually asked, "What ingredients or spices are needed for the third method of cooking those umbilical remains?"

By the side, Lugano was taken aback. "What umbilical remains?"

Lumian smiled. "The umbilical remnant of the Child of God that Father Montserrat was carrying."

Lugano's expression froze.