759 Spiritual Intuition

Beside the Knight of Swords lay a boundless lake, its quiet crimson waters shimmering under the moonlight of the night, occasionally stirred by a breeze.

Lumian couldn't help but lift his head to gaze upward, feeling the night sky, hung with a crimson moon, seemed closer and much clearer than usual. Even the stars, obscured by the moonlight, were faintly visible, dense as if forming a brilliant, vast river.

A chilly wind blew past, and Lumian, dressed in a thick jacket, turned his attention back to the Knight of Swords and asked, "Aren't you cold?"

Although it was summer in the Southern Continent, their high altitude and thin air made it feel significantly colder, especially at night, with temperatures likely below 15 degrees Celsius.

Originally gazing at the highland lake, the Knight of Swords turned to Lumian and said, "For me, temperature has lost its meaning, and besides, the cold suits me better."

"Is that so? Then, extreme temperatures over 100 degrees Celsius or close to absolute zero don't affect you?" Lumian replied, his tone relaxed.

The Knight of Swords fell silent, his gaze dark, seemingly suppressing something, before Lumian steered the conversation back on track. "What exactly is the matter?"

Without asking the pale-faced, simply dressed men and women around him to leave, the Knight of Swords spoke in a low voice, "This is the Raklev area of the former Highlands Kingdom. I would like you to help find someone here."

The Highlands Kingdom, known for its mummies across the Northern and Southern Continents? Lumian did not hide his confusion. "What can you not find that I can?"

Having worked together before, Lumian knew that the Knight of Swords, a holder of a Minor Arcana card and a Sequence 5 Wraith of the Prisoner pathway-mainly controlled by the Rose School of Thought with its splinter group, the temperance faction, joining the Church of The Fool-must have his reasons.

Combining this information, Lumian guessed that the Knight of Swords was a member of the temperance faction, representing his faction within the Tarot Club, also serving Mr. Fool.

Moreover, having seen a temperance faction Angel suspected of being a messenger of Mr. Fool, Lumian knew this organization was not weak, but rather strong, especially in divination, endowed with potent spiritual intuition.

Considering these, if the Knight of Swords truly needed to find a person, it would be simpler to request assistance directly from the temperance faction.

Is he thinking that it's a waste of my promise if it's not used?

Or, like me, do you prefer to rely on your own abilities and the goodwill you've accumulated to complete tasks, as a way to hone yourself?

Ah, it's more likely you're relying on my mystical ability to attract evil god bestowed to locate the target...

While Lumian made these guesses, the Knight of Swords, his voice suppressing his emotions and desires, said, "Someone's spiritual intuition tells her that you can solve our current problem and provide the most effective help."

A Wraith becomes a charlatan after becoming skilled at divination? Lumian thought sarcastically but didn't inquire further. "What do you need me to do?"

The Knight of Swords took a few steps forward.

"Please allow me to introduce myself.

"My name is Maric, the 'Knight of Swords' of the Tarot Club's Minor Arcana, and also a member of the temperance faction of the Church of The Fool.

"You're aware of the origin of the temperance faction aren't you?"

Lumian nodded and pointed at himself. "Lumian Lee."

The Knight of Swords continued, "We are looking for an important member of the Primordial Moon faction within the indulgence faction."

We... Lumian's first reaction was to look around for any companions the Knight of Swords, Maric, might have.

But he found no one.

As for the pale-faced men and women, he didn't use his Eye of Calamity, simply observing their weaknesses and confirming they were all zombies.

Lumian retracted his gaze and frowned.

"The Primordial Moon faction?"

Wasn't the Rose School of Thought only known for the split between the indulgence and temperance factions? Where did the Primordial Moon faction come from?

Hmm, from the series of events involving Hisoka and the Dream Festival, perhaps there was also a Devil faction within the Rose School of Thought...

Is this something learned from the Tamara family? Infinitely divisible...

The Knight of Swords earnestly explained, "The Primordial Moon faction joined the indulgence faction later, originally a branch of the Life School of Thought; they grasp the Apothecary, which is also the Moon pathway. Later, guided by the Primordial Moon, they defected from the Life School of Thought and joined the Rose School of Thought.

Life School of Thought... Lumian's head throbbed.

Why does this keep getting more complicated?

And which secret organization is this now?

Seemingly sensing his thoughts, the Knight of Swords, Maric, spoke succinctly, "The Life School of Thought primarily follows the Fate pathway and is now an ally of the Tarot Club. This matter has nothing to do with our current search."

Lumian nodded, signaling the Knight of Swords to stick to the main issue.

Aurore once said, "Do not add unnecessarily entities; if irrelevant, best leave it be to save energy."

Glancing at the pristine, boundless lake, the Knight of Swords, Maric, said, "The member of the 'Primordial Moon' faction we're looking for possesses a very important item-that is our target."

"How are you so sure they are in, uh, the Raklev area?" Lumian engaged more seriously now.

The Knight of Swords paused for a few seconds before responding, "Two incidents here and some residual traces point to him, but we haven't found him yet. Meanwhile, another event occurred that proves he's still here, possibly right in Raklev City."

"Is he from the Apothecary pathway?" Lumian asked cautiously.

The Knight of Swords gave a slight nod. "Yes."

"Which evil god is their Primordial Moon?" Lumian didn't rush to ask about the incidents and the traces left behind.

The Knight of Swords' expression turned grave for a moment.

"It's likely an incarnation of the Great Mother, sometimes also known as the Mother Tree of Desire."

"The Great Mother..." Lumian's eyelids twitched, "Has the Primordial Moon's important follower received a boon from the Primordial Moon, or should I say, the Great Mother?"

"Possibly." The Knight of Swords wasn't too certain.

A follower of the Great Mother receiving Her blessing would mean they could sense my Child of God lineage within a certain distance... The Knight of Swords hadn't thought of asking for my help before; I had only recently received the lineage of Omebella, and his companion then had a strong spiritual intuition... Are they trying to lure out the target using my Child of God lineage? Lumian's understanding of the situation became instantly clear.

That person's spiritual intuition is spot on!

The Knight of Swords regained his composure.

"That person is named Oxyto, a Sequence 4 Shaman King of the Apothecary pathway, a demigod. Don't worry, we will discreetly provide you with protection."

While speaking, the Minor Arcana card holder bent down to pick up an oil painting from the ground, depicting a handsome young man in his twenties, his skin pale as if he hadn't been exposed to sunlight for a long time, with deep features and slightly curly black hair cascading to his shoulders.

"This is a portrait of Oxyto," the Knight of Swords briefly introduced.

"If there's a boon, the target's current appearance and gender might be uncertain..." Lumian pondered aloud, "Tell me about the incidents that occurred in the Raklev area and the significant traces left behind."

The Knight of Swords pulled out a stack of papers from under his vest and handed them to Lumian, saying, "We first heard from some merchants about several occurrences of a full moon in Raklev City at times it shouldn't appear...

"At the edge of Lake Dalsh, we discovered a buried ritual site where dozens of humans had become nourishment for the earth. Their abdomens had been torn open, and it seemed something had crawled out, but no related traces were found at the scene..."

Hearing this, Lumian suddenly recalled several scenes he had seen in Madame Pualis's castle.

He grimaced as he asked, "Were these humans both men and women?"

"Yes," the Knight of Swords seemed to anticipate his question and added proactively, "The males' abdomens were also torn open."

He then pointed to the stack of papers in Lumian's hands.

"More detailed information is in the documents."

Lumian hummed in acknowledgment, pondering for a moment.

"I might need my companions to assist me, can you protect them too?"

"No problem, as long as you all stay within five kilometers of each other," the Knight of Swords assured.

Lumian smiled.

"Then I'll go back first to study the materials and make some preparations."

...

In the Quartier de la Cathdrale Commmorative, Apartment 702 on 9 Rue Orosai.

After listening to the Knight of Swords' request, Franca scratched her head, puzzled.

"Forget the risk of searching for a demigod for a moment; I think you alone should be able to handle it. There's limited help we can provide, as we don't have the lineage of Omebella."

Anthony, who had been called over, thought for a moment and said, "I could help cover up traces of the investigation, making those questioned forget they were ever asked."

Jenna glanced at Lumian and said, "I think your real purpose isn't to get our help."

Hearing this, Franca realized.

"You want to use this opportunity to train the team? You want to prepare this early?"

"Not too shabby." Lumian chuckled, "The earlier you prepare for these things, the better, in case I'm forced to advance earlier than planned."

Franca thoughtfully said, "Then I'll pass Jenna's messenger summoning method to 007. When there are Mirror People clues, we'll go back to Trier to follow up. And don't forget the most important team member."

"How could I forget?" Lumian laughed.

Ludwig, who was enjoying a late-night snack, saw his godfather enter the room and sit down across the dining table, flashing a smile at him.

Suddenly, the bread in his hands didn't taste as good anymore.