818 Instigation

Don't regret today's choice... Lumian watched Julie's back as she entered her room, and he could guess what she meant by her earlier words:

You'll regret not killing Wanak today!

Julie must really place a lot of weight on Wanak... Does she think he'll affect the outcome of the underground mausoleum raid? Lumian muttered to himself, closing the door and returning to his desk.

He understood Julie's concern about Wanak. Earlier, Wanak had demonstrated his unique ability to manipulate Morora's weather, creating a hurricane powerful enough to disperse the war fog covering the entire district. From Lumian's later observations, Wanak had even summoned terrifying lightning strikes.

Although Lumian wasn't sure if these abilities had limitations, possibly relying on the current weather and only being able to guide it to similar conditions without causing drastic changes, Wanak's display still proved he was, in some ways, akin to a demigod.

Most importantly, with Lumian's understanding of 0-01's sealing information, if Wanak had truly submitted to 0-01, he should have exhibited some special abilities yet to be seen.

I remember the night Wanak was ambushed by Albus and Gusain, the weather was clear, while tonight it's very cloudy, suitable for wind, rain, thunder, and lightning... Lumian held a book borrowed from the Church of Knowledge but didn't read it as attentively as before. Instead, he thought carefully about the hidden details in Wanak's behavior.

After a while, Lumian silently laughed at Julie.

In the Demoness's eyes, tonight was indeed the best chance to hunt Wanak-he was severely injured, the iron soldier had near-demigod strength to engage in direct combat, Gusain had undergone a terrifying mutation with unknown abilities, and with Julie, the Demoness of Affliction, and Lumian himself, they had a good chance to permanently take Wanak down in the ruins.

But the problem was, if Lumian hadn't teleported away, he might have become the primary target of Gusain and the iron soldier. In that case, Julie would likely see it as a great opportunity to kill her boss and choose to collaborate with Wanak, assisting Gusain and the iron soldier.

Do you really think I'm that foolish? If Wanak is killed, with Medici heavily wounded and Gusain and the iron soldier destined to be cleaned up by the enforcers or the Church of Knowledge, wouldn't the Demonesses become the sole dominant force? Then, facing their coercion or attacks, I wouldn't be able to find any temporary allies... Such a situation that could drastically change the power dynamics should wait until I finish reading the remaining books... Lumian muttered, adjusting the white flaming ball above his head so it wouldn't cast shadows on the pages.

After determining the whereabouts of the Abscessed Hand, he could focus more on his studies.

Before that, he thought about what Albus Medici and Julie intended to achieve in Morora.

With backing from gods or a King of Angels, they likely weren't just aiming to leave a mark on the terrifying Sealed Artifact, 0-01.

Internal and external coordination to directly steal 0-01? The Church of Knowledge is one of the seven major orthodox churches, it shouldn't be so easy to take their most important Grade 0 Sealed Artifact unless they intend to let it happen...

Relying solely on violent means is probably not feasible, or the Primordial Demoness and the Red Angel would have acted already...

Do they need 0-01 to undergo some change?

And while I have some clues on how to get close to 0-01, I have no idea how to leave a mark and gain its favor... Do I need to rely on the remnants of Alista Tudor's aura?

Or is it related to one of my previous speculations?

Lumian ended his thoughts and read for nearly another hour before lying down to sleep.

In Morora, he slept lightly, always on guard against potential attacks and the neighboring Demoness's "plague."

If he experienced symptoms like fever or cough, he would wake immediately and teleport to the Knowledge Cathedral to check his condition!

If it weren't for the accumulated negative effects of not sleeping for several days, he would rely on the automatic fatigue removal and spirituality restoration at six in the morning to stay up all night.

At the same time, this misled Julie and others-if they discovered he could stay energized without sleep, they might infer the changes occurring at six in the morning, preventing Lumian from utilizing this special refresh state to turn the tide at critical moments.

The next morning, Lumian deliberately lingered in bed for half an hour before waking up, brushing his teeth, washing up, and heading downstairs to enjoy the breakfast prepared by Lez.

Seven or eight minutes later, Julie returned from outside the bar.

Went out again last night? The Demoness is really good at hiding her movements and whereabouts, it's impossible to track her or even know when she leaves her room... Lumian shifted his gaze back and sipped his milk.

Julie lightly went over to a high stool two seats away from Lumian and remained silent.

Lez glanced at her face, took out a small cake, and added some cream.

"Sweet food can help improve your mood," the Chef said simply, pushing the cream cake towards Julie.

Julie's expression twisted. "I don't need to improve my mood! I'm in a great mood!"

Oh, you're in a bad mood... Last night, you were in a good mood when you knocked on my door... Did something happen when you went out late at night? Lumian openly observed Julie for a few moments.

Lez said, "As a chef, I must accurately judge the current state of the ingredients to choose the most suitable cooking method."

Julie's eyes narrowed, losing any semblance of elegance.

She seemed ready to kill at any moment.

Based on previous observations, only Celeste, the other Demoness, can make Julie's state deteriorate rapidly and her emotions nearly lose control... Did the lovers have a fight? Hmm, my basic psychology knowledge tells me Julie seems more worried than sad. She didn't hide this... Worrying... Lumian placed his right hand on the Traveler's Bag, ready for the Demoness to lose control.

Almost simultaneously, he thought of a possibility.

As a member of the enforcers and a listed experimental subject, Celeste was sure to take shifts in the underground tomb or rotate to replace the puppet. For Celeste, who still retained some self-awareness, this was both an opportunity and a danger!

Julie went out to meet Celeste last night and learned that she would be entering the underground mausoleum soon, possibly returning as a fully controlled experimental subject without self-awareness? No wonder Julie is so worried, her mood deteriorating... Lumian chuckled with understanding.

"What are you laughing at?" Julie glared at him coldly.

Lumian smiled and sighed. "It might be fine this time, but what about next time, or the time after? If you don't solve the root of the problem, one day you'll face an outcome you don't want to accept."

Julie's eyes flickered as she stared at the cream cake, silent for a long time.

When Lumian wiped his mouth and prepared to leave, she frowned slightly and asked, "How much do you know?"

Lumian responded with a smile, "Why don't you take a guess? Maybe I know nothing, and your expression gave me the answer."

With that, Lumian climbed the stairs, leaving Julie staring blankly.

...

Trier, Avenue du Boulevard, 6 Rue Belfort.

In the four-story townhouse late at night, after Muggle left, Periodic Table and others circled back, reuniting with the Associate Professor couple in the living room.

Glancing at the darkness outside the window, Periodic Table sighed. "Is it really okay to put on such an act in front of Muggle?"

"We didn't deceive her; we just hoped to elicit her sympathy." Professor sighed. "The disappearance of Pillar Kmerolo, Nikila suspected of being the Mirror Person, and the increasingly erratic actions of the Hidden Sage have trapped us in a predicament, difficult to escape on our own.

After surviving the April Fool's plot, Muggle has become increasingly mysterious, clearly backed by a powerful force.

"Fortunately, she's still kind. Even though she might have noticed something off, she still informed us that divine power lingers in the underground catacombs and agreed to deal with Nikila."

Associate Professor patted his wife's shoulder to comfort her.

Casting a sweeping glance around, he said, "Not just for ourselves, but for those we care about, we must survive."

Periodic Table gave a self-mocking smile. "Half a year ago, I never thought we'd end up like this. How did the powerful and secretive Moses Ascetic Order end up in such a state?"

...

The next morning, Franca received a reply from Madam Judgment after breakfast.

"The operation against Nikila of the Moses Ascetic Order can commence as soon as possible.

"The high-ranking members of the Moses Ascetic Order are already aware of Kmerolos disappearance. Another Pillar will arrive in Trier soon to handle this, but it won't affect your mission against Nikila, if he is indeed the Mirror Person, Griffith."

The Moses Ascetic Order knows Kmerolo is missing? How did they find out so quickly? Was it because of my report or did they just notice something? Hmm, our Tarot Club's mole in the Moses Ascetic Order seems to be quite high-ranking, able to provide intel about the arrival of a Pillar and the judgment that it won't affect our mission against Nikila...

Such a certain judgment... Could that Pillar be one of our Tarot Club members? Hmm... Franca pondered, growing more curious the more she thought about it.