Chapter 46

Sure enough, it’s looping again… Upon hearing Aurore’s response, Lumiyan was not at all surprised.

So far, this is the third loop he can remember. Combining his own experiences with the hints from the mysterious lady, he had made an initial summary:

“The time limit for the loop is until the twelfth night;

“The spatial limit for the loop is the area around Cordu Village;

“The character limit for the loop is that the parish priest cannot be killed.

“These are the three key points of the loop…”

Thinking about this, Lumiyan looked at Aurore and asked thoughtfully,

“Sister, if you were to write a novel about a time loop, where would you place the key to breaking the loop?”

“Suddenly asking such a question and calling me sister so obediently…” Aurore looked Lumiyan up and down suspiciously, “Thinking of a new story to deceive someone?”

“Sort of,” Lumiyan answered sincerely.

Aurore frowned slightly and, after a moment of thought, said,

“From a novelist’s perspective, or from the standpoint of normal logic, the most critical part of the loop would definitely be the final scene. This is because it is both the end of the current loop and the beginning of the next, acting as the button that connects the end to the beginning. Without it, it would be impossible to turn the linear flow of time into a closed circle.

“Think about it, if you trace the loop back, there must have been a first time. Something must have happened at the last moment to cause the time to restart.”

The twelfth night? Lumiyan nodded in agreement with his sister’s hypothesis and then asked,

“Then why can’t the most critical part be the first day of the loop? Shouldn’t we ask why the loop starts from this point?”

Aurore smiled and said,

“Deceiving a few people with a short story is your forte, but this kind of content that requires rigorous logic and extensive knowledge is beyond you.

“The first day of the loop is the first day perhaps only because the force or energy causing the loop can only trace back to this day from the last day. It’s like how the loop is not the entire world but a specific place. It’s not that it doesn’t want to, but it can’t.”

Lumiyan had actually thought of this point, but he believed that his well-informed and knowledgeable sister might have a different answer.

Aurore thought for a moment and added,

“If the loop is not a completely closed circle and there is interaction between the inside and outside, such as information being passed out or outsiders coming in but not being able to leave, then the first day of the loop might be the day the outsider enters, to avoid them not having a ‘place’ in the next loop. Of course, the outsider could also be forced to start doing things from the first day, which they didn’t originally do. There are many ways to write such a story.”

Lumiyan’s eyes lit up, and he wanted to praise his sister loudly.

He suspected that Lya, Leon, and Valentine’s entry caused the loop to start on the afternoon of March 29th.

If that were the case, the twelfth night might have already become the tenth or ninth night, or it could have originally been the thirteenth night, which became the twelfth night due to the outsiders’ intrusion.

These were all possibilities that Lumiyan needed to verify.

He fully agreed with his sister’s reasoning and believed that something must have happened on the twelfth night to cause the loop. Only by understanding what happened could he find the key to breaking the loop.

Therefore, Lumiyan decided to avoid triggering any anomalies during this loop and find an excuse not to join the blessing procession for Lent, staying “quietly” until the twelfth night.

However, he couldn’t do nothing; time didn’t allow it.

Unless Lumiyan could break the loop after experiencing the twelfth night this time, he would have to act quickly in the next loop.

A complete loop lasts twelve days, and after this loop, the probability of the outside world noticing something strange in Cordu Village would increase dramatically. Lumiyan would have at most one complete loop to solve the problem, or even less.

To stop the anomaly in one loop, he needed to gather enough information and have a thorough understanding of the entire village.

He had to avoid triggering the anomaly while investigating the problem… Lumiyan couldn’t help but mock himself in his mind:

What’s the difference between this and a clown walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff?

Having both is not a good thing.

Seeing that he hadn’t spoken for several seconds, Aurore waved her hand and said,

“Almost forgot to make dinner!”

“Wait a moment.” Lumiyan looked at Aurore with a serious and solemn expression.

Aurore immediately clicked her tongue,

“I smell mischief.”

Lumiyan said straightforwardly,

“Aurore, uh, sister, we are actually in a loop.”

“Ha, using what you just learned on your sister?” Aurore was both amused and exasperated.

Sometimes, one needs a bit of credibility… Lumiyan sighed silently and said with a smile,

“At least listen to the story I’ve made up, okay?

“Why not give it a score?”

Aurore glanced at the still bright sky outside the window,

“Sure.”

Lumiyan started from his encounter with Lya and the other outsiders, outlining how he maintained his consciousness in a dream, entered a unique ruin, hunted monsters, obtained a Beyonder characteristic, and became a “Hunter.”

He didn’t hide the thorny ring pattern on his chest, as it might be key to the time loop—seeing the same symbol on the parish priest and killing him caused the time to restart prematurely.

Aurore initially found the story creative, but as she listened, her expression grew serious because much of the knowledge should not have been within Lumiyan’s grasp.

When Lumiyan mentioned becoming a Beyonder, she finally moved, raising her right hand to pinch her temples.

Her light blue eyes became deep, but reflected no image.

She looked at Lumiyan for a while and nodded lightly,

“Your Etheric Body has changed significantly, with life energy and physical condition far exceeding that of an ordinary person.

“The Astral Body has changed somewhat but not much…

“Indeed, a ‘Hunter’ more adept at physical combat than spellcasting…

“I can’t see the symbol or the related changes, nor do I dare to delve deeper…”

Aurore puffed her cheeks and asked with some doubt,

“Are you making up this outrageous story to get me to accept that you’ve become a Beyonder?”

This was typical Lumiyan.

Lumiyan didn’t explain but began to recount the esoteric knowledge imparted by the lady.

Of course, he only mentioned the names briefly without going into detail.

This wasn’t because he was moral and principled, not telling his sister without the lady’s permission, but because the lady was clearly very powerful. If he leaked precious knowledge and angered her, the time loop might be resolved, but he would be dead.

“The Law of Immortality… The Law of Aggregation… The Method of Enactment…” Aurore was completely stunned.

Her esoteric-illiterate brother had actually mastered such invaluable knowledge!

She had been a Beyonder for over five years, initially relying on Emperor Roselle’s diary, then joining an organization, and occasionally being pursued by knowledge due to her pathway’s symbolic representation in the esoteric field. She had only then mastered the “Method of Enactment,” the “Law of Immortality of Beyonder Characteristics,” and the “Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics,” the three cornerstones of the Beyonder world. She considered herself a Beyonder with shallow experience but extensive knowledge, far surpassing most of her peers.

Now, her brother, who had never been exposed to esoteric knowledge, could talk about these things and even mention the “Law of Aggregation” that she didn’t know!

This ruled out the possibility that Lumiyan had peeked at her magical notes.

As a “Secret Seer” Beyonder, Aurore suppressed her curiosity about the “Law of Aggregation” and looked at her brother with a mix of doubt, surprise, and concern,

“What did you pay to have the lady teach you this knowledge?”

The potion formulas were given for free!

She examined Lumiyan from head to toe, trying to find what was missing from him.

“Nothing.” Lumiyan laughed self-deprecatingly, “That’s what’s scary. I don’t know what I’ll have to pay in the future. I suspect it’s related to the symbol on my chest and the dream ruin. The lady probably wants me to uncover the corresponding secrets.”

Aurore nodded,

“Continue.”

She waited with a very serious attitude for the rest of the “story.”

Lumiyan talked about the owl, the anomalies during Lent, the experiences of the second loop, and how the loop restarted as soon as they tried to leave Cordu Village.

Aurore listened intently and said in disbelief,

“Either I was hypnotized and told you everything, or time is really looping…”

She began to believe Lumiyan because the name of her “Integrity Brooch” was something she had chosen herself and never recorded anywhere. Lumiyan couldn’t have known unless she had told him, which she had no memory of.

Lumiyan pressed on,

“I can also predict that the three outsiders will appear at the old tavern tonight, that the parish priest is having an affair with Mrs. Pouali, and that the shepherd Pierre Berry has returned to the village with three problematic sheep…”

Aurore’s expression grew increasingly serious, and after a while, she said,

“The three outsiders entered the village in the afternoon, and you and I were practicing combat, then resting, and never went out.

“Yes, in the afternoon combat class, you were still an ordinary person…”

She accepted Lumiyan’s theory that time was looping.

If it were anyone else, Lumiyan would have laughed and said, “You believe it! You actually believe such an outrageous story,” but with Aurore, he was very restrained.

He then suggested,

“I’ll go around the village to gather more information.”

Aurore nodded,

“I’ll use my ‘eyes’ to look around, but there are significant limitations and it’s very dangerous. I’m not sure if I’ll have any results.”

Lumiyan waved his hand, indicating he understood, and walked towards the door.

After a few steps, he turned to look at Aurore standing in the kitchen, suddenly recalling the scene where she had pushed him to safety amidst countless undead, feeling a pang of separation.

He asked instinctively,

“Sister, why did you adopt me?”

Aurore replied irritably,

“I didn’t want to!

“I just gave you some food out of kindness, and you kept following me, impossible to shake off, and obediently helped me with everything. I got soft-hearted and… Who knew you’d grow up to be like this!

“Do you know how hard it was for me, a young girl, to take care of you?”

After hearing Aurore’s response, Lumiyan wanted to say thank you and praise his sister, but the words stuck in his throat, as if they were about to well up in his eyes and nose.

He turned and walked towards the village.