Chapter 40

Lumian thought for a moment and said:

"Is it because the body, mind, and spirit are drawn to the giver due to the imprint of the blessing's power?"

He made this inference based on the initial Creator and the previous owners of the Beyonder characteristics leaving behind spiritual remnants.

Although the blessing is pure power without characteristics, it should still be colored by the owner.

The lady holding the tarot card nodded in approval and said:

"Your logical ability is quite good.

"You should thank Orol for giving you a sufficient foundation in education."

I don't need you to remind me... Lumian muttered to himself.

The lady continued:

"Even if the giver does not intend to influence the recipient, it is difficult to avoid the recipient's body, mind, and spirit being drawn to the giver, because if the power given does not contain the will of the giver, it is hard for the recipient to control it and will quickly dissipate.

"Therefore, the blessings from the righteous gods in this aspect are generally temporary and controlled to a certain extent."

Do the evil gods not care what the recipients will become? Lumian nodded thoughtfully and asked curiously:

"Can Beyonder individuals, I mean, those with Beyonder characteristics, still receive blessings? Will the two conflict and lead to失控?"

The lady smiled at Lumian and shook her head:

"There will be some conflict, but not much.

"Think about it, the power given will make your body transform towards the giver, while your body is originally in a state adapted to your own Beyonder characteristics. Once there is a significant change, it will definitely conflict with the Beyonder characteristics until a new balance is found.

"Since this conflict does not involve the mind and spirit, it normally will not cause you to lose control, unless your mental state is already close to breaking during that period.

"The only issue is that you might have to learn to calmly watch yourself grow a third eye or a fourth hand.

"Of course, this is only if the power given remains in your body for a long time and the corresponding rank is high; otherwise, the slight changes in your body can be negligible."

Lumian responded with a "Hmm":

"What if the blessing comes from the same or adjacent paths?"

The lady nodded:

"Indeed, there will be no conflict."

She then smiled:

"But it doesn't mean there won't be any physical changes."

What do you mean? Lumian was about to ask, but the lady laughed and said:

"I thought you would be eager to ask about the time loop after learning about the people in the ring, but instead, you are focusing on knowledge that might not even be useful in the future.

"That's not like you!"

Lumian smiled self-deprecatingly:

"I originally wanted to ask if you could help us break the time loop, but I remembered some things you said before:

"You said that the cost of helping to solve the corresponding problem is the destruction of the entire Cordu village, and everyone will die. To achieve a better outcome, we can only rely on our own exploration.

"Before, I couldn't understand, but now I have a rough idea of the reason.

"Is it that, as someone not in the loop, you can only break the cycle by destroying it?"

The lady nodded in satisfaction:

"Indeed, that's the case."

"Why didn't you explain it clearly before?" Lumian couldn't help but ask.

This isn't something that would lead to destruction if said!

Or perhaps this lady is already accustomed to speaking in half-truths?

The lady laughed:

"At that time, would you have believed me if I told you the entire village was in a time loop?"

Lumian thought for a moment and said:

"No..."

Before experiencing it firsthand, who would believe such a bizarre and fantastical story?

"So," the lady smiled, "why should I explain it clearly? That way, I would have to spend a lot of time explaining to you."

"..." Lumian fell silent.

He took the opportunity to ask:

"Do you know the key to breaking this loop?

"In which direction should I focus my efforts?"

The lady shook her head again:

"Here, divining certain things is very dangerous."

"Huh?" Lumian didn't understand at first.

The lady had to add:

"If I knew the key, I would definitely tell you. Solving it sooner means I can end this journey sooner."

She then sighed:

"When can I travel without work..."

Work? Seeing that he couldn't get any "inspiration" from this mysterious lady, Lumian tentatively asked:

"Is it that as long as the parish priest is not killed, the time won't start looping?"

"No," the lady answered accurately, "the loop has multiple triggers, including the time reaching the twelfth night. The rest, you will have to explore on your own."

The twelfth night... There's still plenty of time to investigate... Lumian thought and said:

"Because I activated my special ability, I can retain my memory and Beyonder characteristics in each loop?"

Seeing the lady nod, he asked further:

"If that's the case, as long as I can survive and continuously investigate, I will eventually find the key to ending everything..."

This is an application of the "exhaustive method" that Orol mentioned.

"Theoretically, that's correct," the lady said, with an emotion in her eyes that Lumian found confusing and hard to discern, "but you should also have noticed that only the Cordu village and its surroundings are in the loop, while the outside world's time flows normally, and the dates are completely different.

"The three investigators send telegrams to the outside world at regular intervals, describing their own and the village's conditions. Once they mention the date, the Intis authorities will notice the anomaly.

"Even if the investigators don't have time to send telegrams or mention the date in each loop, over time, the authorities will definitely notice the problem. At that point, what do you think they will do to solve the loop in Cordu village?"

Lumian fell silent for a while before saying:

"They will likely destroy it, as in your alternative plan."

"This can effectively prevent the anomaly from spreading and affecting others," the lady said with a sigh, "If you have the chance to go to the Sunya Sea in the future, you can inquire about Bansi Port. It was destroyed by the Storm Church due to some pollution, and no one escaped."

This statement further solidified Lumian's determination to find the key to the loop on his own.

He laughed at himself again:

"It seems I don't have much time left."

At most, there are only three or four more loops, and he can't let each loop reach the twelfth night.

The lady stood up and said calmly:

"At least you still have a chance to save yourself; some people don't even have that."

...

After leaving the old tavern, Lumian stood on the road, looking at the not-so-many pedestrians and the houses around him. He felt that everything in Cordu village was normal, with people experiencing joy, anger, desire, and emotion, just like in other places.

But this village, which seems peaceful and noisy at the same time, hides a terrifying secret. The time and every person here are trapped in a loop, living the same few days over and over again.

Apart from the parish priest Guillaume Bene, the shepherd Pierre Berry, Ponce Bene, and Ava Lizier, Lumian couldn't yet determine who was abnormal and who was innocent.

Even Raymond Cleg, who usually seemed silly and naive, couldn't be confirmed to be completely normal.

The abnormal behavior of most young people at the end of Lent might have been influenced by the parish priest's Beyonder abilities on the spot, rather than being abnormal beforehand.

For a moment, Lumian felt that Cordu village was like a primeval forest, full of danger, and he couldn't tell who was the prey and who was the hunter.

Caution and patience are the first essentials for survival in such an environment, with abilities, courage, wisdom, and experience taking a back seat.

This is somewhat similar to a nomadic life but also has clear differences.

As these thoughts surfaced, Lumian felt that the "Hunter" potion was showing signs of digestion.

"Is this the first step of the 'Acting Method'?

"Pretty fast, I thought it would take one or two months to get started..."

Thinking about this, Lumian suddenly became excited:

Can I digest the "Hunter" potion in one or two loops?

At that time, combined with hunting in the dream ruins, I might quickly become a Sequence 8 "Provocateur," gaining more powerful abilities and increasing the chances of solving the time loop problem.

Lumian thought as he walked, soon reaching the village square.

His current plan was to chat with the parish priest, probing him to see if he could find any abnormalities or clues.

At that moment, he saw a figure walking towards the church.

The figure was wearing a deep brown hooded cloak, a rope around the waist, and a pair of soft, new leather shoes. It was the shepherd Pierre Berry.

He... Lumian quickly approached and asked deliberately:

"Pierre, why are you back?"

At this moment, Pierre Berry's black hair was still greasy and curly, and his beard hadn't been shaved for a long time.

Hearing Lumian's question, he answered happily:

"Isn't Lent coming soon? I haven't participated for several years, and I can't miss it this year..."

His blue eyes were filled with a gentle smile, very different from the shepherd who left a deep impression and even a shadow on Lumian.

Well, changing the place and the person to ask, the answer is somewhat different from the previous loop, although the essence remains the same, but some words are different... Lumian listened carefully, looked down at Pierre's new shoes, and said with a smile:

"Got rich?"

"Not really, just that this employer was good and gave me a lot of things." Pierre was very happy, "I'll treat you to drinks tonight."

"Sure." Lumian agreed, pointing at the church, "Are you going to pray?"

"Yes, it's been too long since I last prayed in the church." Pierre sighed.

This statement was not unusual, but the current Lumian felt it was not quite right.

Shepherding is not completely away from human settlements; there are many villages around the plains and pastures. The high mountain pastures are desolate, but shepherds go down the mountain regularly to replenish supplies. How could they not find a church?

Of course, if Pierre Berry had moved to Feneport or Lunbourg, he wouldn't find a "Eternal Sun" church, but Lumian was already biased, thinking that every word Pierre Berry said was problematic.

Pierre Berry then asked:

"Are you going to the church?"

"No." Lumian shook his head, "I thought there would be people chatting in the square, but no one came."

He then waved his hand:

"I'm going home first."

"See you tonight." Pierre Berry waved back.

After watching the shepherd walk towards the church, Lumian returned to the village.

He changed his mind about chatting with the parish priest and decided to go to:

Pierre Berry's house!