Chapter 20

"What exactly is it?" Lumian listened, feeling both excited and a bit worried.

After taking a sip of the "Venus Holy Oil" special drink, the lady answered at a moderate pace:

"You need to ask yourself."

After saying this, she slightly lowered her head and focused on enjoying her breakfast, adopting a posture that indicated she was no longer interested in further conversation.

Really, why does she always say half and hide the other half... Wait until next time to answer? Isn't that a waste of everyone's time? At this moment, Lumian felt a bit frustrated that he couldn't match her in provoking anger.

He controlled his breathing, smiled, and got up to take his leave.

For the rest of the day, Lumian stayed at home, not going out.

This wasn't because he was so afraid of the owl that he didn't dare to go out during the day, nor was it because there was nothing to do. It was to put on a show for certain people.

He was very curious about the letter for help in Lya's hands and wanted to figure out what it specifically said and who wrote it. The best way to investigate was to find an opportunity to look through every little blue book in the village and find the one with the cut-out words. As a villager, Lumian was definitely more suitable for these tasks than Ryan, Lya, and Valentine. However, he was worried that if he started investigating right after talking to those three outsiders, it might draw attention and lead to unnecessary trouble.

This matter, which likely involved life and death, existence and annihilation, even with Aurore's protection, Lumian couldn't guarantee that the other party wouldn't take some risky actions against him.

In the past two years, he had become increasingly adept at grasping the appropriate degree of mischief.

This was due to his rich experience.

He planned to wait a few days, until the start of Lent, and then use the excuse of seeking out legends related to the festival to visit every household.

By the time it got dark, after dinner, Aurore returned to the bedroom to write a long-delayed manuscript.

Lumian, on the other hand, entered the study, intending to find some books related to "dreams" to read, hoping to gain some inspiration about his special abilities in dreams.

Since there was only one battery-powered desk lamp at home, which was now being used by Aurore, he could only light a kerosene lamp with a strong smell and poor lighting.

Holding the kerosene lamp, which emitted a dim yellow light, Lumian's other hand quickly ran over the spines of the books, occasionally pulling one out and tucking it under his arm.

After a while, he returned to the table with three selected books.

Just as he put down the books, Lumian saw the little blue book at home.

It was quietly placed in a corner of the desk as usual, with a gray-blue cover that seemed to have a bit of dust on it.

Seeing the little blue book, Lumian immediately thought of the one he had obtained in the dream ruins, the one with words cut out to form a letter for help.

He then reached out his hand, picked up the little blue book in front of him, and intended to flip through its contents to see which words were suitable to be cut out and could form useful sentences.

After flipping through a few pages, Lumian's gaze froze.

In the explanatory words attached to the current page of the calendar, there was a noticeable hole.

A word had been cut out!

"Can't be..." Lumian was extremely shocked.

He quickly flipped through the little blue book in his hand and found traces of dozens of words being cut out.

"Can't be..." Lumian murmured again, with a reaction almost identical to his previous one.

The little blue book that Ryan, Lya, Valentine, and others were looking for, which was used to form the letter for help, turned out to be the one in his own home!

Not to mention them, even Lumian himself had not expected such a development!

He had never even considered it!

In a complex mix of emotions, Lumian furrowed his brow:

"Could it be that Aurore wrote the letter for help?

"Why did she need to seek help, and why didn't she tell me?"

From Lya's and others' behavior, their tendency to consult the parish priest upon arrival, and other details, he initially judged that they were likely from the authorities, possibly from the government, or from the "Eternal Sun" Church or the "Steam and Machinery God" Church in Darije.

Lumian hesitated, his expression constantly changing.

Finally, he made up his mind, took the little blue book, and walked out of the study to Aurore's bedroom.

He planned to ask directly.

He chose to trust Aurore.

Knock, knock, knock. Lumian curled his fingers and knocked on the door.

"Please come in." Aurore's voice came from inside.

Lumian turned the handle and pushed the door open, seeing Aurore, dressed in a two-piece cotton nightgown, with her golden hair tied back by a headband, bent over writing a story under the bright light of the desk lamp.

"Did you cut these out?" Without waiting for his sister to ask, Lumian walked over directly.

"Huh?" Aurore turned around, her eyes confused and distant, as if still immersed in the story.

Lumian handed her the little blue book, which was opened to the relevant page, and stared into Aurore's eyes:

"Didn't you cut these out?"

Aurore carefully looked for a few seconds and then laughed:

"Would I be so boring and childish?

"My sister is steady, mature, and generous, unlike you."

Aurore's reaction was very natural... There was no surprise or panic at being caught, not at all... Lumian did not hide his confusion and asked:

"But who would cut out words from the little blue book?"

"Wasn't it you?" Aurore looked at her brother, "After reading my novel, you decided to imitate the content, cut out words from books and newspapers, and form a ransom note to play a big prank in the village, and before that, try to see if you could fool me? Are you testing my reasoning ability?"

It really doesn't seem like something Aurore would do... Lumian's gaze remained fixed on Aurore's face, not missing any subtle changes in her expression, and his sister showed no signs of any issues.

"It wasn't me." Lumian frowned, "Who could have done it?"

Aurore laughed:

"Play your reasoning game first, I still need to finish my manuscript.

"Tomorrow, if I have time, I'll help you uncover the truth."

Using extraordinary means? Lumian nodded and did not disturb his sister's writing.

He took the little blue book and returned to his unlit room, sitting in the chair behind the desk.

"Who could it be?"

Under the red moonlight, Lumian muttered to himself again.

He tried to reason:

"There are only two people in our house, and Aurore is a wizard with extraordinary abilities, she wouldn't let anyone mess around in the house...

"If it really wasn't her, according to her logic, eliminating all impossibilities, the remaining one, no matter how unbelievable, is the truth.

"So, in a two-choice situation, did I actually do it?"

For a moment, Lumian found it absurd and amusing.

So the "criminal" is me?

How did I not know?

He couldn't help but turn his body and look at the full-length mirror on the wardrobe.

In the crimson moonlight, the Lumian in the mirror wore a linen shirt and brown trousers, his handsome features devoid of any smile, his expression unusually heavy.

He was very sure he had not cut out the content of the little blue book.

To confirm, he even recalled his experiences over the past month.

Although many details were already blurry, he was still very certain about the general things he had done.

Bathed in the red moonlight seeping in from the window, Lumian whispered to himself:

"Could I have done it when I wasn't fully awake?

"Could I have sleepwalked while having that dream?

"No, that's impossible. Aurore said she would watch over me, and if I had sleepwalked and cut out the little blue book, she would have pointed it out just now. Besides, the letter was definitely sent during the day, and I was very clear-headed at those times."

Lumian ruled himself out and considered other possibilities:

"Maybe it was someone else who came to our house?"

Although they didn't have many guests, it didn't mean they had none.

First, there would be poorer neighbors coming to borrow the stove or oven to smoke meat or bake bread;

Second, Lumian's friends would occasionally come to his house to find some simple novels to read in the study or listen to his stories;

Finally, a few ladies like Nala Izza and Mrs. Pualis would occasionally visit to chat with Aurore. Among them, Mrs. Pualis came the most often and even lent a small horse to Aurore, allowing her to gallop freely in the mountains, and their relationship was quite good.

After all, in a rural village like Cordu, only a writer like Aurore was worth Mrs. Pualis's friendship.

However, Mrs. Pualis was very approachable on the surface, often sitting with other women like Naloka to chat and even help them catch lice, and she had a good reputation in the village.

Although Mrs. Pualis and Aurore could be considered friends, Lumian didn't like her at all because she often introduced Aurore to her relatives, encouraging her to marry and have children soon.

If Mrs. Pualis's relatives were decent, it would be fine, but every time Lumian went to Darije to inquire, he found that the targets were either of poor character or had no ability, almost falling into the poverty class, and none of them were good.

One time might be a coincidence, but every time made Lumian resent Mrs. Pualis.

"Those who come to smoke meat or bake bread definitely couldn't have done it; someone always watches them, and they don't go upstairs... Raymond, Ava, and the others couldn't have done it either; I was with them the whole time... Mrs. Pualis and Nala Izza had some opportunities; every time they came, Aurore would leave them in the study to read books while she prepared snacks...

"If Mrs. Pualis is really a witch, her need to seek help from the authorities while hiding her identity makes sense, and she was cautious enough to use someone else's little blue book to avoid being traced...

"Did she discover something while having an affair with the parish priest, and had to protect herself this way?"

The more Lumian thought, the more excited he became, feeling like he was about to lock onto the suspect.

He stood up, paced a few steps, and suddenly went downstairs.

He wasn't going to question Mrs. Pualis or spy on her right away, but he planned to find Raymond or little Guillaume from the Beri family, borrow their little blue books to compare, and see which words were cut out and what sentences they could form.

This way, Lumian could likely reconstruct the specific content of the letter for help.

He stomped down the stairs, passed through the kitchen, and opened the front door.

The crimson darkness outside rushed in, making him instantly calm down.

"Uh, sister said not to go out after dark until we figure out the situation with the owl..." Lumian muttered, took two steps back, and closed the door.

Borrowing the little blue book wasn't urgent, and it would be more natural to do it tomorrow.

He stretched his body and walked towards the stairs.

Ding, ding, ding, ding.

The doorbell rang, the sound echoing.

"Who is it?" Lumian turned around, walked to the door, and asked, puzzled.

A slightly magnetic, soft female voice came from outside the door:

"It's me, Pualis de Rokfor."