Chapter 66

"How is it?" Leanne and Valentine asked in unison when they saw Raine.

Although they already believed Lumin's words, people always have a侥幸心理 (侥幸心理 means侥幸心理, but in this context, it can be translated as "a侥幸心理 of侥幸心理"), still hoping that the problem might not be as serious as the young man had exaggerated.

Raine looked around and, seeing no one else near the elm tree, said in a low voice:

"I didn't dare to ask too directly, but I know that the real date is already in late April, though I'm not sure of the exact day."

Leanne and Valentine fell silent simultaneously.

They indeed found themselves trapped in a strange time loop!

And based on various documents and data, this was absolutely not something they should face, nor something they could handle.

They were all experienced Beyonders who had dealt with many extraordinary events, but this was the first time they encountered such a severe and abnormal situation.

Leanne couldn't help but turn her head and look at Lumin:

"What kind of place is your Cordu village?"

Abnormalities are everywhere, each more exaggerated than the last!

"I don't know," Lumin said with an "innocent" look. "Before the loop, the environment was beautiful, the people were simple and kind, and everyone was very welcoming."

He didn't tell the three outsiders that the person standing before them was also one of the abnormalities.

Raine sighed and said:

"I've never encountered so many abnormalities at once, and each one is very serious."

"This is the most dangerous situation I've ever faced," Valentine added.

Lumin, who was already a bit numb to this, sneered:

"It's normal not to have encountered them before, because those who did are all dead."

"..." Leanne smiled at him, "If you can't speak, don't. People like you don't grow up in other places."

"Killed in the cradle, right?" Lumin said sarcastically, then turned to Raine, "Did you get an answer about the deputy chaplain?"

Raine nodded:

"They say that in recent years, similar legends have appeared in different places on the northern and southern continents.

"The legend goes that Heaven exiled a group of sinful little fairies, sending them to the earth. They can only inhabit human bodies, hoping to redeem their sins and be forgiven, eventually returning to Heaven.

"In some legends, these little fairies look like transparent lizards.

"By the way, the fairies I'm talking about are not the fairies of ancient times but are closer to the concept of sprites and various spirits."

Another recent phenomenon? Lumin remembered that the legends related to the "Lady of the Night" also appeared in recent years.

What's happening in this world?

He thought for a moment and asked:

"Is it said which deity's Heaven?"

Raine shook his head:

"Interestingly, each person who claims to have seen the little fairies believes they come from the realm of the local deity."

Local deities refer to the main deities of local beliefs.

Different deities' Heavens? Lumin lifted his head and looked at the blue sky.

Did the lizard-like fairy come from the sky?

But according to Orol's explanation, above the sky is the starry sky, with each star representing a world.

So, extraterrestrial beings?

Or, from the Astral Plane in mysticism?

With various thoughts swirling in his mind, Lumin asked curiously:

"In some legends, the little fairies are transparent lizards. What about the others?"

Raine shook his head again:

"In the short term, they could only find this much. The specific details might only be known after communicating with headquarters."

At this moment, Leanne said thoughtfully:

"I've heard a bit about the legends of little fairies.

"The last time I met a Lumburg person, he said that in recent years, many farmers in the central and southern regions believe in the existence of mischievous little fairies. They mess up homes and fields or play various pranks, and are called 'Clowns.'"

The central and southern regions refer to the areas where small countries like Lumburg, Marse, and Segal are located, including parts of the Intis Republic, the Loen Kingdom, and the Fennepot Kingdom.

Most of these areas are on plateaus, with many mountains, forests, ruins, and legends.

It's not an isolated phenomenon... Lumin listened very carefully.

"Different little fairies seem to have different behaviors," Raine said, as if thinking. "The 'lizards' inhabiting human bodies are probably the most bizarre, though it's not certain if they are the most dangerous. In the context of so many abnormalities in Cordu, the parasitism of the little fairies shouldn't be an isolated phenomenon. Perhaps someone is trying to use them to control the deputy chaplain."

Your thinking is very clear... Lumin looked at the villagers returning home after finishing their tasks and said to Leanne and the others:

"Meet at the hill behind the administrator's castle at 3:30 PM.

"Do you want to go with me to search for clues?"

"Sure," Raine agreed.

Seeing Lumin about to leave, Leanne quickly called him back:

"Is that it?

"At least tell us the state of the castle, who's inside, and the abnormalities shown by Mrs. Pualis. We can't explore and search without preparation."

Although Lumin didn't want to recall the events related to Mrs. Pualis, he had to admit that Leanne's request was reasonable. He had to suppress his discomfort and recount everything in detail.

Even with mental preparation, Raine and the others, who already knew the general situation, were still shocked, their expressions becoming somewhat呆滞 (呆滞 means呆滞, but in this context, it can be translated as "stunned").

Soon, Leanne laughed with a tinkling sound:

"I'm fine, as I'll likely experience such things in the future. As for you, this is an opportunity that most men never encounter, so cherish it."

Valentine ignored her joke, his expression stern as he muttered:

"All of this should be purified, should be purified!"

Lumin didn't want to provoke him, waved his hand, and said:

"See you in the afternoon."

After walking a few steps, he turned to Raine and asked cautiously:

"Was the content of your telegram known by Bertrand?"

Bertrand was the telegraph operator responsible for the relevant affairs. If he knew the date and the legend of the little fairies, it meant the administrator knew, and if the administrator knew, it meant Mrs. Pualis knew.

"Relax," Raine said gently. "We have a code, and he can't understand it."

Lumin breathed a sigh of relief, left the village square, and returned to his house.

After walking for a while, he saw Avali driving a flock of white geese home.

"Hey, isn't that our 'Spring Fairy'?" Lumin tried to forget the bloody and cruel scene at the end of the Lenten Festival and greeted Avali with his usual joke.

Avali blushed a bit:

"Not yet!"

Her delicate features made the gray-white dress look less rustic.

"Definitely no problem," Lumin said with a smile. "Raymond and I will help you get votes."

Avali immediately looked surprised:

"You don't know?"

"Know what?" Lumin's heart skipped a beat.

Did something happen in the village that wasn't part of the "historical" process?

Avali observed his expression, suspecting he was teasing her.

After a few seconds, the young girl frowned with concern:

"Raymond is missing, you didn't know?"

"Ah?" Lumin was too shocked to hide his expression as usual.

In the previous loop, he and Raymond Cleg met almost every day from the second day, March 30, until April 5, the Lenten Festival.

At that time, they followed the water ritual, and after throwing the last offering, they lifted Raymond and threw him into the river. Raymond, like the others, swam to a farther place and didn't come out until night.

Since then, in the next two loops, Lumin had too many things to do and didn't have time to play with Raymond.

Who knew that today, Avali suddenly told him that Raymond was missing!

This was something that didn't happen in the previous loop!

Seeing Lumin's expression, Avali's blue eyes lost their confusion:

"You really didn't know...

"Raymond's father might come to ask you where Raymond went today."

Lumin suppressed the shock in his heart and asked:

"When did Raymond go missing?"

Could it be because I didn't follow the "historical" process to find him, so something happened?

"Two days ago," Avali recalled. "He left home on the afternoon of the 29th and never came back. His family thought he was drunk at the old tavern or chatting with the 'watchmen' and only started searching last night. They should come to ask you today..."

She paused and lowered her voice:

"They suspect Raymond ran away because he didn't want to learn sheep herding."

Thinking I incited him, and they will come to question me? Lumin roughly understood the situation.

The time of 29th afternoon immediately reminded him of the start of the loop.

The last two loops both started on the afternoon of the 29th!

In other words, Raymond went missing at the beginning of the loop? This means that perhaps no one deliberately changed the "historical" process, as there was no time... So why did such a change and difference occur? Lumin fell into deep thought.

Avali looked at him and asked softly:

"Do you know where Raymond went?"

"I haven't seen him these few days," Lumin said truthfully.

He began to suspect that Raymond's disappearance was related to being thrown into the river in the previous loop.

But Raymond couldn't leave Cordu village, as it would trigger the loop.

After saying goodbye to Avali, Lumin maintained a calm demeanor and returned home.

He couldn't wait to tell Orol about Raymond's disappearance.

Orol's expression turned serious, and she frowned, saying softly:

"I almost forgot about this person..."

She wore a simple rose-colored dress and paced back and forth, while Lumin also began to think about the possible reasons.

After a while, Orol looked at her brother and said seriously:

"I remember that the essence of the Lenten Festival water ritual is to offer sacrifices to the 'water source' represented by the river. Is it possible that Raymond, who was thrown into the water, was also a sacrifice and was taken by some entity?

"Later, because there was no corresponding material, the loop manifested as a disappearance."

Lumin shook his head:

"That would trigger the loop."

Humans leaving the area around Cordu village should trigger the loop.

Orol asked in a low voice:

"What if it was in the form of a corpse?"

Note: In Swiss folklore, a type of fairy is called "Clown."

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