Chapter 29

The lady was eating a croissant, and after a while, she said to Lumian:

"I know."

She really does know... Lumian felt a surge of joy in his heart, carefully choosing his words:

"Can I pay a certain price for your help in solving the problem in Cordu?"

He switched to a more formal address.

In his view, this mysterious lady was undoubtedly much more powerful than Lya and the others. If she were willing to help, the problem in Cordu Village would no longer be a problem, and he and his sister wouldn't have to risk fleeing. The only issue was whether he could afford the corresponding price.

As for whether she would agree, Lumian had no confidence at all, even holding a very pessimistic attitude. He just felt that it was necessary to try under the current circumstances. Even if he was refused, he would only lose a bit of face, which he didn't care about.

The lady turned her head to look at Lumian and said in a calm tone:

"I can indeed solve the problem here, but the corresponding price is the destruction of everything, including you.

"To achieve a better outcome, you will have to rely on yourselves."

So serious? Lumian's pupils instantly dilated, trying to read the subtle expressions on her face to see if she was joking.

He wasn't surprised that the lady refused to offer help; he wasn't even disappointed. What shocked him was that the problem in Cordu Village was much more severe than he had imagined, possibly leading to the destruction of the entire village!

If she can solve it, why would the whole village die, while we ordinary people and less powerful Beyonders can strive for a better outcome? Lumian was both puzzled and terrified.

He decided that if he didn't receive a reply from the "Novel Weekly" by the day after tomorrow, he would urge his sister to leave Cordu Village immediately, even if it meant taking a great risk, they couldn't afford to delay any longer!

"What is the problem?" Lumian, who never cared about his dignity, continued to ask.

The lady smiled:

"The result would be completely different if I told you or if you investigated it yourself."

Lumian instinctively ground his teeth; he really disliked this "speaking only a little, never clearly" behavior.

For some reason, he felt that the strange emotion in her eyes had become more obvious.

"Alright." Lumian thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you know Mrs. Pouly? Is she a Mage, uh, a BeYonder?"

"Sort of." The lady picked up her coffee cup and took a sip.

Indeed... Lumian asked further:

"Which pathway, which sequence?"

The next second, he saw the lady's expression become a bit more serious:

"Not a normal pathway."

"What does that mean?" Lumian pressed.

The lady smiled:

"You'll know in the future."

I want to know now... Lumian struggled to control his expression.

He was about to leave when he suddenly thought of a crucial question:

"Lady, how do I bring the auxiliary materials into the dream?"

Given the state of the dream ruins, he could at most find red wine and basil at home, which were common in affluent households, but he would need to collect red chestnut flowers and white poplar leaves in reality.

Although they weren't hard to find, Lumian had already thought of where to "borrow" them, but even if he got them, he couldn't transfer them to the dream.

The lady smiled and said:

"Let me provide a small, free help.

"Find those materials in reality, place them on your bedside table before you sleep, and I will help you bring them into the dream."

She can bring those things into my dream? Lumian was first surprised, then relieved that his problem was solved.

He hadn't expected that someone else could "enter" his dream, which he thought was very special.

Thinking that his entry into the dream ruins might be due to the strange symbols on his chest, he suspected that the lady in front of him might also be related to those symbols, or to that eerie, terrifying voice.

Leaving the old tavern, Lumian planned to immediately gather red chestnut flowers and white poplar leaves.

At that moment, he saw Ryan, Lya, and Valentine coming out from the path leading to the tavern's back door, still wearing the same clothes and similar attire.

Lumian's heart stirred, and he smiled as he approached them:

"Good morning, my cabbages."

Lya turned her head and laughed with a tinkling sound:

"You're up early too."

Lumian immediately put on a sneaky look, looking around before lowering his voice:

"I discovered something unusual yesterday."

Ryan's expression turned serious, and after exchanging glances with Valentine and Lya, he asked:

"What is it?"

Lumian said, somewhat fearfully:

"I suspect that Naroca's death was not normal, the one whose funeral you attended yesterday."

Ryan gave an encouraging look for him to continue.

Lumian took a breath and said:

"Didn't I tell you about the funeral customs in Darije? Later, after everyone went to the cemetery, Ponce Benne entered Naroca's house, and the owner didn't object.

"Isn't that breaking the family's constellation influence and taking away the corresponding good luck?

"There must be something wrong!"

"Is Ponce Benne the brother of the parish priest?" Ryan asked after a few seconds of thought.

Lumian nodded vigorously.

Thinking about the abnormalities of the parish priest and his group, and knowing that he and his sister were about to leave Cordu Village, he didn't have to worry about possible silencing or retaliation, he said directly:

"The parish priest is not a good person!"

"Why do you say that?" Lya asked with a smile.

She wasn't surprised at all by Lumian's accusation of the parish priest.

Lumian didn't hold back, recounting the story of a villager who went to Darije to inform on someone and then disappeared, focusing on the accusations against the parish priest.

He concluded:

"I really doubt he is a church clergyman.

"Once, I told a story so realistically that it made some people uncomfortable, and I had to temporarily hide in the church.

"Right before I fell asleep behind the altar, the parish priest came in with Mrs. Pouly. They did some dirty things under the gaze of the divine.

"Afterward, in their idle chat, the parish priest lamented to Mrs. Pouly, 'Why can't a man marry his sister?'

"This statement was so sinful that even Mrs. Pouly couldn't accept it and urged the parish priest to repent.

"The parish priest, however, said, 'Many good families have lost a lot of property because their daughters married and their other sons left to start their own families, leading to their decline. If sons could marry their sisters, these problems would no longer exist. Unfortunately, the law and morality do not allow it.'"

Valentine, who had been cold, turned pale and said:

"Is he a servant of God or a servant of the devil?"

Ryan nodded thoughtfully:

"No wonder Ponce Benne has never been allowed to establish his own household despite being married for so many years..."

Lya looked at Lumian for a moment and said with a soft laugh:

"You knew about Mrs. Pouly's affair with the parish priest beforehand, and you were trying to use us that day."

Lumian first gave an awkward smile, then said with a righteous look:

"As a believer in the 'Eternal Sun,' I cannot tolerate such a person standing in the church."

Valentine's cold expression softened, and he nodded approvingly:

"Cordu Village would be better with more people like you."

More people like me? Lumian couldn't imagine what Cordu Village would be like in that case.

He added:

"That time, I also heard the parish priest tell Mrs. Pouly that he was planning something and might be watched by the Inquisition, so he asked Mrs. Pouly to be careful and not slip up."

Ryan's expression became serious:

"Did he mention what he was planning?"

"No." Lumian didn't make anything up.

It was enough to say this much; if he said more, the problem might explode tonight, and he hadn't even become a BeYonder yet.

After bidding farewell to the three outsiders, Lumian spent a lot of time gathering red chestnut flowers and white poplar leaves.

Near noon, he arrived at the square and approached the two-story building where the administrator handled official business.

At this time, most of the villagers had gathered there, waiting to select the "Spring Sprite."

The celebrations for the Lenten season were about to begin the next day.

Lumian found Raymond, Ava, and others and squeezed over.

"Is Ava on the list?" he asked.

Ava didn't speak, clearly very uneasy, and Raymond shook his head:

"I don't know."

"Of course Ava is on the list. Among the unmarried women in the village, she is the most beautiful, except for your sister, who is too old," Guillaume Berry, who was standing nearby, interjected.

He was the little Guillaume that Lumian and the others often referred to, one of their regular playmates, with wavy brown hair, freckles on his face, and blue eyes that seemed to be always squinting.

Ava's cousin, Azema, was also there, looking like a smaller, less striking version of Ava.

She didn't speak.

Lumian understood her feelings; she also wanted to be the "Spring Sprite."

In the Darije region, being selected as the "Spring Sprite" was not only a recognition of one's beauty and character but also brought some hidden benefits.

Hearing little Guillaume's words, Lumian smiled:

"If she's not on the list, I'll shout, 'I choose Ava!' after the administrator reads the names."

Ava immediately felt a bit embarrassed:

"That's not necessary."

This was actually a normal procedure. After the administrator read the list of "Spring Sprite" candidates, villagers could shout out their own choices to join the voting, though not many people were thick-skinned enough to do so, and Lumian was one of them.

He was very open about it:

After all, it's Ava who will be embarrassed, not me.

Soon, a window on the second floor opened, and Administrator Beust appeared.

From his appearance, he was much better-looking than the parish priest, with neatly combed brown hair, light blue eyes outlined in black, a straight nose, thin lips, and well-groomed mustaches, making him quite presentable. His double-breasted flannel coat further highlighted his status.

Beust looked down at the crowd for a few seconds:

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time. Those who are late will not have the right to vote.

"Next, I will read the list of 'Spring Sprite' candidates:

'Ava Lachize...'

Hearing this, Ava visibly relaxed.

There were no surprises. In the vote, she received over eighty percent of the villagers' approval.

After the voting, Lumian didn't go to celebrate with his four friends, using the excuse of having something to do at home, and left the square directly.

As soon as he got home, he asked his sister:

"Have we received a reply?"

If there was a reply, the telegraph operator would deliver it to their home and collect a fee.

"Not yet." Aurore shook her head.

She then said:

"Recent events are turbulent, so you must not slack off in your combat training. In the afternoon, I'll practice with you."

Lumian, who was already sore, inwardly winced.

Suddenly, he had an idea and deliberately put on a pained face:

"I don't know if it's because I've been training too much recently, but I'm in pain all over today, Aurore, uh, sister, can you massage me? You're the best at it!"

"Sure." Aurore nodded lightly.

...

By evening, the stretching massage from his sister and a good rest had mostly restored Lumian's body.

Before going to bed, he placed three red chestnut flowers and a bottle of white poplar leaf powder on the table by the window.

He took a deep look at them, feeling both excited and a bit nervous as he climbed into bed.