Chapter 91

Aurora carried the plate with the lamb chops to the table, speaking as she walked.

"I'm not sure if a commanding approach would work in that situation. After all, I'm not a dancer and I don't have any knowledge of mysticism, but there's no harm in trying."

"Yes," Lumián took over the work at the stove, smiling. "At worst, we just sleep it off and maybe get a few cuts and bruises. As you said, what about that three-headed creature on the mountain peak?"

"What does that hidden existence have to do with the pollution in my body?"

Aurora set down the plate and turned around. "Are you overestimating your big sister? I've never encountered or even heard of such bizarre things."

Before Lumián could respond, she added thoughtfully, "However, in the legends of my hometown's guardian deities, there are many similar figures, with three heads and six arms, either divine or demonic."

She continued, "Based on our speculation, the ruins in the dream are closely related to the pollution in your body. The giant figure is likely a reflection of that hidden existence. You mentioned the revered name or description of that existence, which is different from the common ones, each segment containing a symbol of authority in one of three forms, corresponding to the three heads, much like a three-faced monster representing the three stages of human life."

"As for why it has six arms and why it sits on the blood-red mountain peak, we lack information, so I can't even guess."

"For now, focus on that wall. I feel like there are many useful clues to be found there."

"Okay," Lumián followed his sister's instructions, putting the sliced potatoes into the pan and frying them with oil.

Aurora, having finished talking about the ruins in the dream, said to Lumián, "While you were sleeping this afternoon, I thought about it seriously. I plan to invite those three outsiders to stay at our house!"

"Why?" Lumián was very puzzled.

Aurora looked at her brother's busy back and nodded. "I think we've been using the logic of normal people to predict the reactions of the parish priest and others. Don't forget that some of them have already received blessings, which, from another perspective, means they have been polluted."

"According to that mysterious woman, the influence of blessings mainly affects the body and mind. In other words, in addition to gaining abilities, their personalities also become somewhat distorted, and the more blessings they receive, the more pronounced and severe this transformation becomes when they can't bear it."

"Right," Lumián recalled the words of the mysterious woman. "She said that if the body can't withstand such a large amount of blessings, they either turn into monsters, become puppets of that existence, or transform into a different kind of person, treating things they once cherished with extreme coldness."

Aurora concluded, "So, the shepherds like Pierre and Damy, who received blessings early, have a significant chance of ignoring the bigger picture and seeking revenge crazily."

"Living together as five, we can watch out for each other and significantly increase our chances of surviving until the twelfth night."

After a moment of thought, Lumián agreed with his sister's suggestion but raised a practical question.

"Where will they stay? In the guest area? If they're not on the same floor, the effect of watching out for each other won't be as good." Aurora glanced at her brother, who was frying the potatoes. "You move into my room and leave your bedroom and the second-floor study to those two outsiders."

"Ah?" Lumián didn't expect his sister to make such an arrangement. "We'll be sharing a bed?"

Seeing his reaction, Aurora laughed. "What's the big deal? We're not bound by trivialities."

"Ah?" Lumián didn't understand his sister's last sentence.

Aurora chuckled. "I mean, given our situation, we shouldn't be fussing over such small issues."

"Do you want to share a bed with Reim, Valentine, or me with Lia?"

"We can't fully trust them yet," Lumián nodded.

Those three official investigators are only cooperating with us because they are also trapped in the loop. Who knows if they might take advantage of the opportunity to sleep together to make a move, ready to capture the two of us as wild Beyonders once the loop is broken.

Aurora immediately laughed. "If they don't trust us either, we can choose to share a room, and you can sleep in the other one."

"Still, it's better to be in one room." Lumián felt that with a wall between them, they wouldn't be as easily picked off one by one.

He added, "Remind me to replenish our supplies tomorrow. After Lent, the villagers will become increasingly strange, and we might have to hold out here or hide in the nearby highland meadow."

Then she called her brother to have dinner. As the sun had not yet set, Lumián left the semi-underground second-story building, preparing to invite Reim and the others to move in.

Seeing the old tavern in sight, Lumián encountered Bene, who was leading three Ponce thugs walking down the village's main road. Almost simultaneously, the black-haired, blue-eyed, muscular civilian saw Lumián.

His legs involuntarily trembled, seemingly recalling some terrible pain. He stared at Lumián, who was not far away, and fell into a daze.

He wanted to take revenge but was afraid of encountering the same situation again and being picked off one by one.

As Ponce Bene hesitated, Lumián already showed a bright smile.

"Hey, isn't that my rebellious son?" He strode towards the thug who had drowned Raymond and his three thugs, adopting a stance as if he was about to beat them up.

Seeing this, Ponce Bene no longer hesitated and signaled the three thugs to step up.

The three thugs immediately ran towards Lumián, each wielding a short club or iron rod.

Lumián also sped up. Just as he was about to collide with the three thugs, he suddenly jumped, leaping over one of them. The three thugs all missed, and Lumián seized one of their shoulders, flipping in mid-air.

At that moment, his waist and back seemed to become a highly flexible spring, helping him forcefully grab the enemy and complete the subsequent roll, performing a graceful and agile forward flip.

Lumián threw the enemy to the ground.

With a thud, the thug was thrown into a daze, his body aching and unable to get up immediately.

At this moment, Lumián landed behind the other two, about seven or eight steps away from Ponce Bene.

He slightly crouched and charged at the thug.

Ponce Bene hurriedly dodged and shouted, "Quick, quick! Stop him!"

The remaining two thugs quickly turned around and chased after Lumián. Ponce Bene also adjusted his mindset and bravely faced the brat, preparing to hold him back and complete the encirclement.

Just as the two thugs were about to catch up to Lumián, he suddenly braked and squatted down. The friction sound made the two thugs not only miss their target but also lose balance and fall due to their inability to stop in time.

Ponce Bene fell to the ground with the thugs. Lumián pounced like a tiger, grabbing the necks of the two thugs, lifting them up, and smashing their heads together.

Bang!

The two thugs' foreheads instantly swelled and they fainted on the spot.

Lumián then threw the thugs aside, using his feet to slide around to Ponce Bene's back, who had just gotten up. He immediately grabbed Ponce Bene's arms and twisted them backward with a snap, causing Ponce Bene to let out an extremely painful scream.

"How does it feel? Pretty good, right?" Lumián laughed, asking the curled-up Ponce Bene while dragging him out of the village.

Soon, he reached the river and grabbed Ponce Bene's head, forcefully pressing it underwater.

Bubbles emerged for a while, and Lumián lifted Ponce Bene's head, turning his face and smiling. "Was it fun to bully others?"

Ponce Bene's face was covered in water, his expression extremely painful, with snot and saliva streaming down, unable to answer.

"Was it fun?" Lumián's voice suddenly grew louder, grabbing the thug's head and smashing it into the water, hitting the pebbles.

Fresh blood spread in the water, and Ponce Bene's legs struggled but couldn't lift his head.

Bubbles continued to emerge, and as time passed, the struggle grew weaker. Lumián finally lifted him up.

Extending his left hand, he patted Ponce Bene's face. "I'm asking you, was it fun to bully others?"

Ponce Bene's eyes were filled with fear, unsure how to respond.

At that moment, a figure walked to the riverbank. It was Pierre Berry.

He looked at the pitiful Ponce and said gently to Lumián, "We're from the same village. This is enough. Do you want to kill him?"

Lumián immediately released Ponce Bene's head, stood up, and laughed. "I'll listen to you. Remember to tell this pig's son not to bully others anymore."

Without waiting for Pierre Berry's response, he walked past the shepherd to the old tavern and went to Reim's room on the second floor, telling the three official investigators about his sister's idea. Reim nodded after exchanging glances with Lia and Valentine.

"Great suggestion. In this situation, being scattered means being weak and easily targeted."

"We can move to your house now, with our luggage." On the way home, Lia asked Lumián, "What do you plan to do with the secret room?"

"Plan?" Lumián sneered. "Do you think I can handle it?"

"It seems you're still cautious, which reassures me," Lia said with a smile.

Reim added, "We mean that if the things in the secret room are really important, they must be key to the loop, and they will definitely play a role in the twelfth night's ritual. If they have nothing to do with the source of the loop, why take the risk to explore?"

"In short, wait patiently until the twelfth night?" Lumián asked, understanding.