Chapter 8

The light rosé, indeed, a person from a big city... Lumian's gaze finally fell on the glass of wine in the lady's hand.

The light rosé is a distilled spirit made from sugar and pickled cherries, popular among women for its color and taste. Of course, other suitable fruits can be used instead of cherries, which would slightly alter the taste, but not significantly.

This is one of the few high-end wines that the old tavern in Cordu Village can offer. They keep it in stock because after Mrs. Poualis visited the provincial capital, Bigor, she fell in love with this light rosé.

Mrs. Poualis is the wife of the local administrative officer and territorial judge, Beost, whose ancestors were nobles but lost their titles during the reign of Emperor Roselle.

She is also one of the mistresses of the parish priest, Guillaume Bene, a fact known by only a few people in the village, including Lumian.

Lumian retracted his gaze and walked towards the bar.

There, a man in his forties sat, wearing a linen shirt and trousers of the same color. His brown hair was no longer lush and was quite messy, with wrinkles on his eyes, mouth, and forehead from years of hard work.

This was Raymond's father, Pierre Cleg.

Another Pierre.

That's why Lumian joked in front of Lya, Leon, and others that if you shouted "Pierre" in the bar, at least a third of the people would respond.

When the villagers talk about these Pierres and Guillaumes, they always add the family name to avoid confusion.

In many families, fathers and children share the same name, such as Pierre or Guillaume, and neighbors can only distinguish them by adding "old," "big," or "little."

"Father, why don't you go to the village square to chat with the others?" Raymond walked up to his father.

The men in the village love to gather under the elm trees in the square or at someone's house to play dice, cards, and chess, discussing various rumors—going to the tavern costs money.

Pierre Cleg held a glass of red wine and glanced at his second son.

"I'll go later. There shouldn't be many people at the square right now."

That's right, where did all the men in the village go? Lumian was suddenly puzzled.

Earlier, he hadn't seen a single person in the square.

"Uncle, I need to ask you something," Lumian said straightforwardly.

Pierre Cleg immediately became wary.

"Another prank?"

The story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" does have a basis in reality... Lumian turned his head, gesturing for Raymond to speak.

Raymond organized his thoughts and said:

"Father, how long ago did the wizard legend you told me about take place? The one where it took nine oxen to pull the coffin?"

Pierre Cleg took a sip of wine and said, puzzled:

"Why are you asking this?

"This is something your grandfather told me when I was a child."

Cordu Village is located in the province of Lester, which, along with the neighboring provinces of Aure and Sushite, is in the south of the Intis Republic, known for its vineyards. The wine here, especially the inferior quality, is very cheap, and in some years, people can even drink wine like water.

Raymond was disappointed because his grandfather had passed away long ago.

At that moment, Pierre Cleg added:

"Your grandfather said he saw it with his own eyes when he was a child. After that, he was afraid of owls, worried that they would take his soul away."

Lumian and Raymond's eyes lit up simultaneously.

There really is a clue!

The wizard legend was actually something someone experienced firsthand?

"Did your grandfather say where the wizard originally lived and where he was buried?" Raymond asked.

Pierre Cleg shook his head.

"Who cares about that?"

Seeing that Raymond wanted to ask more, Lumian patted him and said loudly:

"It's time to go to the river."

Raymond was about to follow Lumian when Pierre Cleg suddenly remembered something:

"Wait, Raymond, in a few days, you'll be a 'green watcher.' I need to tell you some things to watch out for."

A 'green watcher' is responsible for patrolling the nearby highland pastures and surrounding fields to prevent people from grazing during the ban period or allowing their livestock to damage the young crops.

Lumian didn't listen in and went to the tavern's attached washroom.

When he came out, he deliberately passed by the lady drinking the light rosé, whose age was hard to determine.

Although he wouldn't flirt, he wanted to observe and gather details in advance, which might come in handy when the time was right, just like how he used Leon, Lya, and others to catch the parish priest in the act.

He glanced a few times without being obvious and was about to go around the corner to wait for Raymond at the tavern entrance.

At that moment, the lady in the orange dress, with a lazy demeanor, lifted her head.

Lumian's gaze met hers before he could look away.

For a moment, even with his thick face, he felt awkward.

Various thoughts raced through his mind:

"Should I follow the example of the parish priest and the administrative officer, compliment her beauty, and turn the observation into a flirtation, or should I show my naivety and quickly turn away..."

He had just made up his mind when the lady smiled and said:

"Have you been having frequent dreams lately?"

Lumian felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his mind going numb, and all his thoughts freezing.

After a second or two, he forced a smile:

"Isn't dreaming a normal thing?"

The lady propped her chin on her hand, looking at Lumian, and chuckled:

"A dream in a thick fog."

How does she know... Lumian's pupils dilated, and his expression showed a hint of fear.

Although he had experienced many things, he was still young and couldn't control his expression for a moment.

Calm down, calm down... Lumian calmed himself, relaxed his facial muscles, and asked:

"Did you hear the story I told those three strangers last night?"

The lady didn't answer but took out a deck of cards from her orange handbag.

She looked at Lumian again and smiled:

"Draw a card, it might help you uncover the secret hidden in your dream."

This... Lumian was both surprised and suspicious.

He was both excited and highly alert.

He glanced at the deck of cards and frowned:

"Tarot?"

It looks like the Tarot cards invented by Emperor Roselle for divination.

The lady looked down and chuckled self-deprecatingly:

"Sorry, I picked up the wrong one."

She put the twenty-two Tarot cards back into her medium-sized handbag and took out another deck.

"These are also Tarot cards, but they belong to the Minor Arcana. You're not qualified to draw from the Major Arcana, and I'm not qualified to let you draw from them..."

The Minor Arcana consists of fifty-six cards, divided into four suits: Cups, Wands, Swords, and Coins.

What is she talking about... Lumian was confused.

This lady looks beautiful and elegant, but her behavior seems a bit abnormal, as if she has some mental issues.

"Draw a card." The lady from the big city shook the Minor Arcana cards and smiled, "It's free, try it without spending money, and it might solve your dream problem."

Lumian chuckled:

"My sister said, 'The free things are the most expensive.'"

"That statement does have some truth to it," the lady thought for a moment and said.

She placed the Minor Arcana cards next to the glass of light rosé and continued:

"But as long as you don't pay, what can I, a stranger, do to force you to pay in Cordu Village?"

That's true... Drawing a card won't hurt... It's a rare clue about the dream, how can I not try... But could it involve a wizard's curse... Should I ask Aurore for help? Lumian's mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't make up his mind.

The lady didn't rush him.

After a few seconds, Lumian slowly leaned down, extended his right hand, scattered the Minor Arcana cards, and drew one from the middle.

"Seven of Wands," the lady with the lazy demeanor looked at the card.

The card showed a man with a determined face, dressed in green, standing on a mountain top, holding a wand, facing six wands coming from the enemy below.

"What does it mean?" Lumian asked.

The lady smiled:

"Interpret it based on the image: crisis, challenge, confrontation, courage, and so on.

"Of course, these are not important. What's important is that this card is now yours, and when fate comes, you will discover its true meaning."

"Mine?" Lumian was even more puzzled.

Is this card really cursed?

The lady put away the remaining Minor Arcana cards, picked up her glass, and finished the little rosé.

Ignoring Lumian's question, she walked to the stairs on one side of the old tavern and went upstairs.

Clearly, she was staying there.

Lumian wanted to follow but stopped after taking a step, his thoughts in turmoil:

Is this really just an ordinary card?

By giving me this card, isn't the deck permanently missing one card and unusable?

Aurore should be able to see the problem...

At that moment, Raymond found him:

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, that stranger is quite good-looking," Lumian said casually.

"I think your sister Aurore is even prettier," Raymond lowered his voice, "Lumian, what do we do next? My grandfather has been dead for a long time."

Lumian, eager to go home, thought for a moment and said:

"First, find elderly people around your grandfather's age who are still alive and ask them. Second, check the church records, but let's consider that last."

Thinking about how he had just ruined the parish priest's good time, Lumian decided not to go to the church unless necessary.

In a village like Cordu, where there is only one church, the church also serves some government functions, such as recording deaths and marriages, due to the limited number of administrative officers' subordinates.

Before Raymond could ask more, Lumian added:

"Let's divide the task and see which elderly people fit the criteria, and we'll ask them tomorrow."

"Okay," Raymond agreed immediately.

...

...

In a semi-underground two-story building.

After listening to Lumian's story, Aurore carefully examined the "Wands" card and said:

"It's indeed a very ordinary card. I don't sense any curses or other anomalies."

"Aurore, uh, sister, what do you think the stranger wants? Why does she know about my dream?" Lumian asked.

Aurore shook her head:

"Since she has revealed herself, it's relatively better.

"I'll 'observe' her closely over the next few days.

"Um... keep this card for now. There might be some changes. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on it."

"Okay," Lumian tried to relax.

...

...

At night.

Lumian put the "Wands" card in his clothes hanging on the back of a chair, got into bed, and closed his eyes to sleep.

After a while, he seemed to see the gray fog again in his drowsy state.

Suddenly, he shivered and "woke up" in his dream.

He felt he had regained his clarity and reason.

The dream filled with gray fog still existed.

PS: Thank you, livy37, for the silver alliance donation.