The lady was eating a croissant, and after a while she said to Lumian:
"Know."
She really knows... Lumian was delighted and said after considering his words:
"Can I ask you to help solve Cordu's problem for a certain price?"
He switched to honorifics again.
In his opinion, this mysterious lady was definitely stronger than the other three of Leah, and much stronger. If she was willing to help, the problem of Cordu Village would no longer be a problem, and he and his sister would not have to risk escaping. The only problem was that he might not be able to afford the corresponding price.
As for whether the other party would agree, Lumian was not sure at all, and could even be said to be very pessimistic. He just felt that it was necessary to try once under the current circumstances. Even if he was rejected, it would only be a loss of face, and he didn't care about that.
The lady turned her head to look at Lumian and said in a calm tone:
"I can indeed solve the problem here, but the price is that everything will be destroyed, including you.
"If you want to achieve a better result, you can only rely on yourself."
Is the problem so serious? Lumian's pupils dilated instantly, trying to see the other person's subtle expression to see if she was joking.
He was not surprised or disappointed that the lady refused to help. What shocked him was that the problems in Cordu Village that the lady described were many times more serious than he had expected, and might even lead to the destruction of the entire village!
If she could solve it, why did the whole village die, while ordinary people like us and Beyonders with less power could achieve a better result? Lumian was confused and horrified.
He decided that if he didn't receive a reply from "Novel Weekly" the day after tomorrow, he would urge his sister to leave Cordu Village immediately. Even if it required taking great risks, there was no time to delay!
“What’s the problem?” Lumian, who never cared about being polite, continued to ask.
The lady smiled:
"The results will be completely different if I tell you and if you investigate."
Lumian gritted his teeth instinctively. He really didn't like this kind of behavior of "only saying a little bit and never explaining clearly".
For some reason, he felt that the strange emotion in the other person's eyes became more obvious.
"Okay." Lumian thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you know Madam Pualis? Is she also a wizard, uh, a Beyonder?"
"Okay." The lady picked up the coffee cup and took a sip.
Indeed... Lumian asked further:
"What pathway, which sequence?"
The next second, he saw that the lady's expression became a little more serious:
“It’s not the normal way.”
"What do you mean it's not a normal way?" Lumian asked.
The lady smiled:
"You'll know later."
I want to know now... Lumian tried hard to control his expression.
He was standing there and was about to leave when he suddenly thought of a question, a very critical question:
"Ma'am, how do I bring those auxiliary materials into my dream?"
In the state of dream ruins, the most he could do was to find red wine and basil, spices that wealthy families would have at home. He would need to collect red chestnut flowers and poplar leaves in reality.
Although both were not difficult to find, and Lumian had even figured out where to "borrow" them, it was useless even if he got them, as they could not be transferred into his dreams at all.
The lady smiled and said:
"I'll offer a small favor for free.
"You find the materials in reality and place them on the table in your bedroom before going to bed. I will help you send them to your dream."
She can send those things to my dreams? Lumian was shocked at first, then he was relieved that the problem was solved.
He didn't expect that there was a second person who could "enter" the dream that he thought was so special.
Thinking that the special reason why he entered the dream ruins might be due to the strange symbols on his chest, he suspected that the lady in front of him also had some connection with those symbols, or the strange and terrifying voice.
After leaving the old tavern, Lumian planned to collect red chestnut flowers and poplar leaves immediately.
Just then, he saw Ryan, Leah and Valentine coming out of the path leading to the back door of the tavern, still wearing their previous clothes and dressed similarly.
Lumian's heart moved, and he went over with a smile:
"Good morning, my cabbages."
Leah tilted her head and smiled at Dingdang's voice:
"You're early too."
Lumian immediately pretended to be sneaky, looked around a few times before lowering his voice and saying:
"I noticed something unusual yesterday."
Ryan's expression straightened, and after looking at Valentine and Leah respectively, he said:
"What is it?"
Lumian said with a hint of fear:
"I suspect that Naroka's death was unnatural. She's the one whose funeral you watched yesterday."
Ryan gave an encouraging look to continue.
Lumian exhaled and said:
"Didn't I tell you about the funeral customs in the Darriege area? Later, after everyone went to the cemetery, Pons Bene entered Naroka's house, and the owner didn't object.
“Isn’t this destroying the influence of their family’s zodiac sign and taking away the corresponding good fortune
“There must be something wrong!”
"Pons Bene is the parish priest's brother?" Ryan thought for a few seconds and then asked.
Lumian nodded heavily.
Thinking of the abnormality of the parish priest and his gang, and that he and his sister were about to leave Cordu Village without having to worry about possible murder and subsequent retaliation, he said directly:
"The curé is not a good man!"
"Why do you say that?" Leah asked with a smile.
She was not at all surprised that Lumian accused the parish priest in this way.
Lumian did not hesitate to recount the incident of a villager who had gone to Dariege to report something and then disappeared, focusing on the accusations against the parish priest.
He concluded:
“I really doubt whether he is a clergyman of the church.
“Once, because I told a story that was too real and made some people uncomfortable, I had to temporarily hide in a church.
"I was about to fall asleep behind the altar when the curé came in with Mrs. Puaris, and the two of them did some dirty things in front of the gods.
"In the casual chat after the meeting, the parish priest also said to Mrs. Pualis, 'Why can't a man marry his sister
"Mrs. Puaris could not accept this sentence. She thought it was extremely sinful and asked the parish priest to confess quickly.
"But the parish priest said, 'Many good families lost a lot of property and eventually fell into ruin because their daughters got married and their other sons went out to start families. If the son could marry his sister, these problems would no longer be a problem. Unfortunately, neither the law nor morality allows it.'..."
Hearing this, the cold Valentine said with a sullen face:
“Is he a servant of God or a servant of the devil?”
Ryan nodded as if he was thinking:
"No wonder Pons Bene has not been allowed to start a family on his own after being married for so many years..."
Leah looked at Lumian and smiled softly:
"You knew beforehand that Mrs. Pualis was having an affair with the parish priest, and you wanted to take advantage of us that day."
Lumian smiled awkwardly at first, then said righteously:
"As a believer of the Eternal Sun, I cannot tolerate such a person standing in the church."
The cold Valentine's expression softened and he nodded approvingly:
"It would be nice if there were more people like you in Koldu Village."
A few more of me? Lumian couldn't imagine what the Cordu Village would become under such circumstances.
He then added:
"That time, I also heard the parish priest tell Mrs. Pualis that he was planning something and might be targeted by the people of the Inquisition, so Mrs. Pualis should be careful not to let anything slip."
Ryan's expression became solemn:
"Did you mention anything specific?"
“No.” Lumian didn’t make up a story.
That’s all I have to say. If I say any more, the problem might break out completely tonight, and he won’t even have the chance to become an Extraordinary.
After bidding farewell to the three strangers, Lumian spent a lot of time collecting red chestnut flowers and poplar leaves.
He arrived at the square near noon and approached the two-story building where the administrator conducted official business.
At this time, most of the villagers have gathered here, waiting to select the "Spring Elf".
Tomorrow we begin part of the Lenten celebrations.
Lumian found Raymond, Ava and others and squeezed over.
"Is Ava on the list?" he asked.
Ava didn't say anything, and was obviously upset. Raymond shook his head:
"have no idea."
"Ava must be one of them. She is the most beautiful unmarried woman in the village except for your sister, and your sister is not of the right age." Guillaume Berry, who was standing nearby, interrupted.
He was the little Guillaume that Lumian and the others mentioned. He was one of their frequent playmates, with slightly curly brown hair, obvious freckles on his face, and blue eyes that were always squinted because they were not big enough.
Ava's cousin Azema is also here. She looks like a smaller and more mediocre version of Ava.
At this time, she didn't speak.
Lumian understood her feelings because she also wanted to be a "Spring Elf".
In the Darriege region, being chosen as a "Spring Elf" is not only a recognition of your appearance and character, but also brings some hidden benefits.
Hearing what little Guillaume said, Lumian smiled and said:
"If not, I will shout out loud, 'I vote for Ava!'"
Ava was a little embarrassed:
"Need not."
This is actually the normal process. After the administrator reads out the candidate list of "Spring Elves", if the villagers have their own candidates, they can shout them out on the spot and join the voting. However, there are not many people who are thick-skinned enough to do so, and Lumian is one of them.
He was very open about this:
Anyway, it's Ava who is embarrassed, not me.
Not long after, a window on the second floor opened and administrator Beiost appeared there.
In terms of appearance, he was much better than the parish priest. His neatly combed and powdered brown hair, light blue eyes with black lines, straight nose, thin lips, and well-groomed moustache made him look quite good, and the double-breasted flannel jacket further demonstrated his status.
Beiost looked down at everyone for a few seconds:
“Ladies and gentlemen, the time is up and those who arrive late will no longer have the right to vote.
"Now, I will read out the shortlist of candidates for 'Spring Fairy':
"Ava Lizier..."
Hearing this, Ava was visibly relieved.
Not surprisingly, she received approval from more than 80 percent of the villagers in the show of hands vote.
After the vote, Lumian did not celebrate with his four companions. He left the square directly, using the excuse that he had something to do at home.
As soon as he got home, he asked his sister:
“Did you call back?”
If there was a return call, the telegraph operator would deliver it to the house and take a small fee for it.
"Not yet." Aurore shook her head.
She then said:
"The situation is very tense recently. You can't relax in your fighting practice. Well, I will practice with you this afternoon."
Lumian was aching all over and hissed inwardly when he heard that.
Suddenly, his heart moved slightly, and he said with a deliberately bitter face:
"I don't know if it's because I've been practicing too hard lately, but my whole body aches today. Aurora, uh, sister, can you give me a massage? You're the best!"
"That's fine." Aurora nodded slightly.
… …
By the evening, Lumian's body had basically recovered after his sister's stretching massage and sufficient rest.
Before going to bed, he placed three red chestnut flowers and a bottle of poplar leaf powder on the table by the window.
After taking a deep look at them, Lumian crawled into bed with anticipation and a little nervousness.