Chapter 52

The Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society? If it weren't for his sister's not-so-good mood, Lumian would have burst out laughing.

But even though he managed to control his laughter, he couldn't help but say:

"Those who know understand that you're researching curly-haired baboons, but those who don't might think a group of curly-haired baboons is doing the research."

Of course, he was just joking, because the word "research" is in the passive voice.

Aurore rolled her eyes:

"We often tease ourselves, saying we're a group of curly-haired baboons being studied."

Seeing her sister's mood improve a bit, Lumian asked:

"Are all the members of your society Extraordinary Beings?"

"Not all of them," Aurore briefly replied, "but some gatherings are not open to ordinary people."

She didn't explain why they couldn't attend.

"Who is the president? How many vice-presidents are there?" Lumian pressed on.

"Are you checking the household register?" Aurore replied irritably.

"Huh?" Lumian was confused.

Actually, he had a rough idea that the "little book for recording family members" his sister referred to was the specific situation of the "Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society," meaning she didn't like him prying too much.

Aurore puffed out her cheeks and sighed:

"The president's code name is 'Gandalf,' and there are five vice-presidents.

"Alright, I'm going to summon the messenger of 'Hela.'"

Lumian nodded first, then became a bit puzzled:

"Aurore, uh, sister, didn't you say you only knew the code name 'Hela' and didn't know her real name? How can you summon her messenger?"

He remembered his sister saying that changing the last part of the summoning incantation to 'the messenger of a specific person' would very accurately target the desired creature, but now he didn't know who that specific person was.

"Very good," Aurore praised, "being able to spot issues is an excellent learning quality. When you sign a contract with a spirit, the name you use doesn't matter. The contract will automatically extract a bit of your true aura, creating a connection between both parties. However, remember, when you summon it again, you can only use the name you wrote during the contract. Changing it to your real name will be ineffective."

Lumian thought carefully and said:

"I understand. The key is the aura and the connection. The name used during the contract is just like a spell for subsequent summoning. It doesn't matter what you write."

"Right," Aurore nodded slightly.

Lumian suddenly laughed:

"Is there a situation where, hypothetically, you obtain the exact incantation, summon a messenger, and sign a contract with it using Aurore Li's name. Later, because you love your brother, me, you teach me the incantation, and I successfully summon another messenger. But when I sign the contract, I use Aurore Li's name for fun.

"Then the question is, which one would be summoned if I use the phrase 'the messenger of Aurore Li'?"

Aurore's face turned green:

"I don't have a messenger, how would I know!"

She took a deep breath, calmed down, and said thoughtfully:

"This actually falls under the category of name duplication causing confusion. Compared to ordinary contract creatures that only you can summon, messengers that others can summon are more prone to this issue. However, since I don't have a messenger, I'm not sure if there's a special mechanism to avoid such errors. I can only try to analyze it based on my knowledge:

"First, very few people have messengers, so the probability of name duplication is negligible.

"Second, if there is a name duplication, you can place an item with the messenger's owner's aura in the summoning ritual to precisely lock onto the target.

"Third, if you're really afraid of name duplication, you can make the name longer when signing the contract, like, Lumian Torres Alaran Los Arthur Gellerman Sparrow Li. That way, there shouldn't be any duplication."

"But I might forget the name right after signing the contract. It's too hard to remember," Lumian muttered, "And why add the names of pirate hunters and great adventurers?"

"Because I like them. Mrs. Forswall's adventure series are too classic," Aurore said confidently.

She turned her body, tidied up the altar, and prepared to formally perform the summoning ritual.

At this moment, Lumian thought of something and hurriedly shouted:

"Wait!"

"What's wrong?" Aurore turned around, looking puzzled.

Lumian asked seriously:

"Is the messenger considered an outsider?"

"..." Aurore was initially puzzled, not understanding her brother's meaning, but quickly figured out the issue.

She pondered and asked:

"Your point is, as an outsider, the messenger would get stuck in the loop after arriving in Cordu and never be able to leave?"

Without waiting for Lumian's response, Aurore had a new hypothesis:

"No, the situation would be worse. It's a contract creature, and after receiving the message, it would immediately go to 'Hela,' effectively leaving Cordu. That would restart the loop.

"After that, it would leave repeatedly due to instinct, and we would restart repeatedly, leaving no time to investigate the key to the loop."

Lumian couldn't help but imagine the scene his sister described:

He would open his eyes, see his familiar bedroom, then open his eyes again, see his familiar bedroom, and then open his eyes again, see his familiar bedroom... repeating this action countless times, with the root cause being a messenger eager to 'go home.'

Aurore raised her hand to cover her forehead:

"I can't even imagine what changes would occur then..."

After sighing, she analyzed seriously:

"From the current situation, living things leaving Cordu and the surrounding area cause the loop to restart, while non-living things don't trigger the restriction. The telegram and the letter we sent are proof.

"If that's the case, spirits probably can't leave either. It seems we can't summon the messenger."

Hearing this, Lumian suddenly understood why the little blue book could maintain its state with the cut-out words.

The cut-out paper left Cordu, breaking free from the loop and no longer being affected, so it wouldn't return, and the little blue book couldn't revert to its original state!

He shared this hypothesis with his sister and concluded:

"The problem with the little blue book is solved, but how was the letter sent?

"During the loop, it definitely couldn't be sent. The person delivering the letter would cause a restart upon leaving Cordu. And if it was before the loop, I have no memory of it. What about you?"

"I don't either," Aurore thought for a few seconds and laughed, "You idiot, you almost led me astray. Sending the letter during the loop is actually quite simple!"

"Huh?" Lumian looked at his smart sister.

Aurore smiled:

"Sending the letter doesn't require a postman or a hired messenger.

"When we notice something abnormal and don't want to alert those who might be involved, the best option is to find a wooden box, place the rescue letter inside, seal it well, and throw it into the river outside the village. Let it naturally drift downstream, and people from other villages or Dali will pick it up and deliver it to the authorities.

"You said that the last loop confirmed that the river is part of the loop, so it can reach the destination."

"Right!" Lumian clapped his hands together.

He thought of another issue:

"Would the fish in the river cause a restart?"

"Probably not," Aurore thought for a moment, "These creatures with little intelligence are very sensitive to the intangible restrictions, or rather, more easily influenced by them. They would likely instinctively avoid areas that could cause a restart."

"What about your 'White Paper'? It has to leave the real world after twelve hours." Lumian felt this would also cause a restart.

Aurore looked around and said thoughtfully:

"I suspect the loop not only includes Cordu and the surrounding mountains but also the corresponding area in the spirit world.

"You might not know, but the natural interaction between the spirit world and reality is quite frequent. If the corresponding spirit world wasn't included, the loop might restart frequently. But the current situation is clearly not like that.

"The 'White Paper,' as my contract creature, has a direct connection to Cordu, so the area of the spirit world it roams is likely included in the loop."

I still don't know enough about mysticism... Lumian didn't ask any more questions.

Aurore demonstrated the ritual magic process again and removed the spiritual wall.

In the sudden gust of intangible wind, she said to Lumian:

"It's completely dark now. I'll teach you the true method of meditation and how to activate spiritual vision."

"Okay," Lumian indicated he was listening attentively.

Aurore explained:

"You've already mastered the first half of meditation. We'll start with the second half.

"When you imagine the sun, focus your mind, and enter a relatively calm state, let your mind be slightly empty and sketch something that doesn't exist in reality to replace the sun. Keep sketching and repeating until you feel a sense of peace in your body and mind, and your thoughts start to feel like they're floating."

"Something that doesn't exist in reality?" Lumian didn't quite understand.

Aurore took out paper and pen and drew a few abstract shapes:

"Look, do you see anything like this in reality?"

The paper showed very abstract shapes, like a circle with eyes and a cross on its face.

"But you drew it, so it exists, right? This is in reality," Lumian felt his sister's explanation was off.

"Drawings and imaginations don't count as reality," Aurore rolled her eyes.

Being a teacher to her brother often meant enduring such frustrations.

Lumian said, "Oh,"

"I'll try using your drawing."

He pulled over a chair, sat down, leaned back, and focused his mind.

The crimson sun quickly formed in his mind, making him gradually calm down.

After a while, since it was in reality, he didn't hear the terrifying, mysterious voice and could calmly use the drawing his sister had made to replace the sun in his meditation.

The circle with eyes and a cross quickly appeared in Lumian's mind.

As he repeatedly sketched it, his body and mind became increasingly peaceful, and his thoughts began to feel like they were floating.

He "saw" a faint gray mist around him, some indescribable, non-existent things, and a mix of intense colors. In the high sky, or perhaps the depths, there were beams of clear light.

"Don't rush, the probability of a 'Hunter' successfully meditating the first time is very low," Aurore comforted her brother.

Lumian was about to report to his sister that he had successfully entered the meditative state when he suddenly felt something in the depths of the faint gray mist and the infinitely high place was watching him!

It seemed like an illusion, but it made him break out in cold sweat, feel inexplicable fear, and immediately break out of the meditative state.