Chapter 28

Lumian entered the old tavern and was surprised to find that the woman had already gotten up and was enjoying breakfast at her usual corner table.

She had changed her clothes again, and the brown long dress with a high collar and lace trim, paired with the dark velvet hat placed beside her, made her look as if she had just returned from a salon in high society.

"So early?" Lumian composed himself and walked over.

The woman lifted her head and glanced at him.

"Is there a possibility that I didn't sleep all night?"

"Maybe." Lumian was not unfamiliar with such a situation, as his sister Aurore often stayed up late when a deadline was approaching. He was just curious why this mysterious woman would suddenly mention this.

He glanced at her "table" and noticed that the food included a cream soufflé sprinkled with nuts, a very tempting pancake, a croissant, a cup of dark coffee, and a cat's tongue cookie.

She has quite an appetite... But these things don't seem like something Cordu can provide. Apart from Aurore, perhaps only the chef in the administrator's house would make them... Lumian sat down and casually said:

"All sweets."

The woman nodded seriously:

"The sweets in Intis are indeed delicious, and there are many varieties. You can have different ones every day for a month without repeating."

After saying this, she took a bite of the cat's tongue cookie, half-closed her eyes, and said after a moment:

"This is one of the meanings of travel."

"Are you not from Intis?" Lumian took the opportunity to ask.

The woman smiled:

"I come from Loen, but in the current situation, that doesn't matter."

The Loen that has only steam machinery, factories, large armies, and can only count armchairs, mint sauce, fried fish with potatoes, and pure snake fruit beer as specialties? As a pure Intis person, Lumian immediately recalled the usual ridicule of the Loen Kingdom.

He "hmm"ed and then said:

"I dealt with that monster with a hunting rifle."

The woman took a sip of coffee and praised quite calmly:

"Good."

For some reason, Lumian always felt that there was a strange emotion in her eyes.

In previous conversations, he had also had a similar feeling, thinking that there was a certain emotion hidden behind her amusement and amusement, but he couldn't figure out what it represented.

He continued:

"I obtained a strange dark red object from that monster. Holding it makes me irritable and full of hostility.

"I think it must be something involving extraordinary power, but it didn't come with me to reality."

The woman smiled:

"After so many times of entering and exiting, haven't you noticed that, apart from your own state, nothing else can be brought over?"

"You said that extraordinary things are an exception..." Lumian stopped mid-sentence.

He thought of the soreness in his body, the injuries he sustained in the dream, and the memories that didn't disappear when he returned to reality.

After some thought, he carefully said:

"Your point is that by obtaining extraordinary power through that dark red object and becoming an extraordinary person, the corresponding, abnormal state can be brought to reality?"

"Fairly smart." The woman didn't look up and continued to enjoy her cream soufflé.

"But wouldn't the corresponding power weaken?" Lumian frowned and asked, "The injuries I sustained in the dream were much lighter in reality."

"The state changes brought by extraordinary characteristics won't." The woman raised her head and looked at Lumian, "That's why I said extraordinary things are an exception."

"Extraordinary characteristics..." Lumian pondered the term.

He thought of the "extraordinary person" his sister mentioned.

By obtaining extraordinary characteristics, one can become an extraordinary person? Lumian roughly understood.

Based on the woman's explanation, he had a deeper guess about the special nature of the dream:

The ruins are actually real, or were originally in a certain place in reality, and later fell into the depths of a great person's dream, so they have been developing naturally, and my dream is essentially a special passage, a special passage influenced by the symbols on my chest, connecting to those ruins?

According to this speculation, my home appearing there is equivalent to a mark left by the interaction of my dream, a reflection of the place I subconsciously consider the safest, so it doesn't seem to belong to the same world as the surrounding wilderness and ruins...

The monsters can't come in because they can't, they are in the real ruins, and my "home" is a product of the fusion of the dream and "reality," and people without the special mark can't cross the corresponding barrier...

The special mark only affects me, and the state I possess will be recorded and brought back to reality, and at such times, things not involving extraordinary factors will decay, while those involving them remain unchanged, and death should also be...

If that's the case, there shouldn't be any terrifying things in the dream home, but the origin of the symbols on my chest and the source of that terrifying voice also symbolize something terrifying...

Lumian was silent for a while, and the woman leisurely enjoyed her breakfast, not minding at all.

Regaining his senses, Lumian asked:

"How do I use that dark red object? Is it the extraordinary characteristic you mentioned?"

At a critical moment, he couldn't help but use a respectful tone.

The woman put down her coffee and looked at him:

"I can give you a potion recipe, just follow it."

The generous gift made Lumian somewhat uneasy:

"Why are you helping me like this?"

The woman laughed:

"If I say it's fate, do you believe it?"

No... Lumian subconsciously answered in his mind.

The village's anomalies, the pressure of an impending storm, and the desire for extraordinary power suppressed his inner unease, and he said in a deep voice:

"I believe."

Once an opportunity appears, one must be extremely decisive in making attempts and strive to grasp it, without any hesitation or overthinking!

The woman smiled, and the emotion in her eyes that Lumian couldn't describe seemed even stronger.

She took out a stack of notepaper and a silver-plated fountain pen from her black lady's handbag and started writing.

Soon, she stopped writing, tore off the top sheet of notepaper, and handed it to Lumian.

Lumian quickly took it and read it:

"Hunter Potion Recipe:

"Main ingredient: One Hunter extraordinary characteristic;

"Secondary ingredients: 80 ml of red wine, one red chestnut flower (can be a specimen or 10 drops of corresponding essential oil), 5 grams of poplar leaf powder, 10 grams of basil;

"Usage: Drink directly."

Lumian firmly memorized the content and then folded the notepaper, putting it in the inner pocket of his brown jacket.

After doing this, he curiously asked:

"What does 'Hunter' mean?"

A hunter in the extraordinary sense?

"It's the name of the corresponding sequence." The woman sipped her coffee again, "I know you don't know much about mysticism, so let me give you a brief explanation. The common extraordinary powers in our world are divided into twenty-two paths, obtained by mixing potions with materials containing the corresponding extraordinary characteristics. Each path has 10 sequences, from Sequence 9 to Sequence 0, with smaller numbers indicating higher ranks and stronger abilities.

"The extraordinary characteristic you obtained belongs to the 'Red Priest' path and can only be used to mix the corresponding Sequence 9 'Hunter'."

Lumian listened very attentively and blurted out:

"What path and sequence does my sister Aurore belong to?"

"She is a Sequence 7 'Wizard' on the 'Seer' path." The woman answered indifferently.

She didn't mention how she knew.

Aurore is already Sequence 7? Yes, she has had extraordinary power for several years... After I take the potion, I will only be Sequence 9, quite a bit behind her... I just hope I won't be a burden when we escape Cordu... Lumian couldn't help but ask:

"Can you directly drink a higher sequence potion, or drink Sequence 9 today and Sequence 8 tomorrow?"

"Theoretically, yes." The woman added after seeing the joy on Lumian's face, "But most people who do this end up dead or as monsters. One in ten million might succeed."

"Turn into a monster?" Lumian was startled.

The woman chuckled:

"Hasn't your sister told you that the path of the extraordinary is very dangerous?

"After drinking the potion, if you can't control that power, you either die from physical collapse or mutate into a monster. Do you think the one you encountered was human by chance?"

No wonder... Lumian finally understood what his sister meant by danger.

But he was willing to face it.

"Is there no way to reduce this danger?" he asked.

The woman looked at him for two seconds and said:

"Yes, a strong will, good physical condition, and not too bad luck. As for the rest, you don't need to know now because this is your first potion."

"Good physical condition..." Lumian frowned, originally planning to go back and rest before drinking the potion.

He was still in a state of injury in the dream.

The woman nodded gently:

"Don't rush. Wait until evening, until the soreness in your body has mostly subsided, then go to the dream."

"Uh..." Lumian asked thoughtfully, "As long as my body in reality is mostly healed, the injuries in the dream will be completely recovered?"

After all, his body in reality was just sore, not equivalent to the injuries in the dream!

"Yes." The woman confirmed Lumian's guess.

She continued:

"There are many common knowledge points about potions and the paths of the gods. I'll tell you more after you drink the potion and become a 'Hunter'."

The paths of the gods... Lumian asked in confusion:

"Why not tell me now?"

The woman laughed:

"If you die or become a monster after drinking the potion, wouldn't it be a waste of my time to tell you so much now?"

"..." Lumian was speechless.

He stood up and bid farewell.

Before leaving, he asked one more question:

"Do you know about the anomalies in the village?"