Options
Bookmark

Chapter 977: The Best Support

After Mr. Huang left the private room to take the call, Zaratulstra leaned towards the center of the window, as if trying to get a clearer view of the stage and the corresponding large screen.

At the same time, Mr. Ed and other Intis Group employees responsible for reception, as well as Zaratulstra's entourage, all heard their phones vibrate.

They instinctively picked up their phones, unlocked the screens, and saw a pop-up message.

This wasn't a text message or WeChat notification, nor was it an alert for an incoming call. It seemed to be just a simple dialog box that had taken over the screen.

The dialog box contained a brief line of text: "Please be quiet for one minute."

As Mr. Ed, the Intis Group employees, and Zaratulstra's entourage noticed this line of text, it jumped up one by one, directly out of the phone screens, transforming into an invisible, colorless stream of information carrying mystical power that entered the heads of the corresponding people.

Except for Mr. Huang, who was making a phone call outside the private room, and Zaratulstra, who was looking at the stage below, everyone present suddenly became dazed, their eyes vacant, their bodies frozen in their previous positions.

They had truly become quiet.

Zaratulstra sensed something amiss and turned his gaze back to the people in the private room.

As he did so, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his own reflection faintly appearing in the already open window.

His heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively pulled back his body, preventing the window from reflecting him anymore.

At this moment, behind the corresponding glass mirror surface, Lumian, in his Demoness of Despair form with disheveled black hair and wearing a dark T-shirt, quietly watched as Zaratulstra's ethereal figure appeared on the mirror and quickly moved towards the edge.

The normally invisible Spirit Body Threads on his body, upon touching the hard mirror surface, no longer extended as usual, but were drawn upwards by some force, disappearing into the deep, dark sky above.

This was Distortion's alteration of the Spirit Body Threads extension direction. This way, Zaratulstra wouldn't be able to detect in advance if someone was spying or lying in ambush behind the mirror by observing Spirit Body Threads.

The effect of Distortion came from the edge of the area behind the mirror, near the ghostly tunnel resembling a spider web, from a crown inlaid with numerous dark gems.

The crown floated silently in midair, with a tall, beautiful woman standing behind it.

This woman had tied her slightly curly chestnut hair into a bun, had straight eyebrows, blue eyes, and was wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt and light-colored trousers. She was none other than Miss Bernie Huang.

She held a phone in her hand, talking to Huang Tao.

Logically, there shouldn't be any signal in the mirror world, but Bernie Huang's words, after going through the phone, directly transformed into an invisible stream of information, drilling out of this place. The replies from Huang Tao were similarly affected by Beyonder powers, entering as pure information streams and being converted into sound by the phone.

Lumian glanced at Miss Huang, recalling what she had said before the operation: "I can provide help for you, but I can't directly participate in the battle.

"I've already been kicked out of this dream twice and am under certain restrictions. If Zaratulstra sees me as his enemy, I might be kicked out of the dream for the third time, and the problem with my father hasn't been resolved yet…

"I'll create opportunities for you, but killing Zaratulstra or kicking him out of the dream can only be done by yourselves…

"This item can't be lent to you, otherwise, before Zaratulstra dies, you'll die first…"

Lumian hesitated no longer and, looking at Zaratulstra's Mirror Projection that hadn't yet disappeared, raised his left hand.

On his wrist was a silver bracelet that lit up with a silver-white and black glow.

Circle Inhabitant!

Lumian seized the opportunity and used Circle Inhabitant on Zaratulstra's fading Mirror Projection!

Of course, this was also suppressed to the Sequence 7 level, unable to make the corresponding fate repeat, and could only be triggered twice at most.

The current implementation of Circle Inhabitant was to make similar scenes appear again in a short time through disturbances in fate.

In the private room, after Zaratulstra pulled back his body, preventing the glass window from reflecting him again, he suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing from the entrance of the hot pot restaurant.

Before he could check the status of the others at the table, he found the window being blown, moving towards closing.

This once again cast his reflection onto the corresponding glass.

In Zaratul's deep blue, almost pure black eyes, a dim light flashed, already sensing the presence of anomalies, not just simple vigilance.

He raised his right hand, using a Miracle Invoker's ability to influence the future.

He reduced the probability of his Mirror Projection being utilized by others!

In the mirror world, Lumian held an ice crystal thin sword wrapped in terrifying black flames in one hand, while touching the river of fate of Zaratulstra's Mirror Projection with the other, trying to magnify the fate tributary of his successful attack.

The two forces collided, with Zaratulstra's prevailing slightly, causing that fate tributary not only to fail to magnify but to shrink by one-tenth.

However, for Lumian, this was enough.

His use of the Magnified Fate ability wasn't to increase the probability of the curse succeeding, but to counteract the Miracle Invoker's interference with fate.

Being so close to Zaratulstra's Mirror Projection, as long as there was no interference from the Miracle Invoker, or as long as the Miracle Invoker's interference wasn't strong enough, his chances of achieving his goal were quite high.

Lumian's ice crystal thin sword darted out, striking the reappearing Mirror Projection of Zaratulstra.

The Fire of Destruction wrapped around the ice crystal thin sword instantly poured into that projection, igniting it from the inside out, placing it in pure, mad destruction.

This was a curse, a curse aimed at Zaratulstra!

The mystical principle behind many of a Demoness's curses was to utilize Mirror Projections, which was also a kind of Mirror Person, a temporary, short-lived Mirror Person with a very strong mystical connection to the original person!

When Lumian's Fire of Destruction ignited Zaratulstra's Mirror Projection, in the private room, Zaratulstra's eyes, nose, ears, mouth, skin pores, and other places erupted with violent black flames.

In an instant, this old man became a black torch, his body quickly thinning and shrinking, burning to ashes.

Paper Figurine Substitutes!

For an Angel like Zaratulstra, Paper Figurine Substitutes could long be used to transfer curses, but to escape a curse completed by a Demoness through a Mirror Projection, the main body still needed to hide in the fog of history in time.

After interfering with the development of fate using his Miracle Invoker ability, Zaratulstra didn't think the first wave of attacks would end there. He quickly used Paper Figurine Substitute, while he cautiously entered the fog of history, hiding in a crevice.

The scene of him burning into a paper figurine didn't attract the attention of those at the table.

Those people were still in a quiet state.

In the mirror world.

Near the illusory dark tunnel, Bernadette held a phone in one hand, while with the other, she made several dark gems on the crown in front of her light up with strange radiance.

Distortion!

She used Distortion again, swapping the spatial positions of Zaratulstra's main body plus Paper Figurine Substitute and his Mirror Projection.

Thus, Zaratulstra, who had hidden in the fog of history, and the Paper Figurine Substitute that had been burned to ashes, came to the mirror world.

This place was also connected to the spirit world, this place also had the fog of history.

Meanwhile, Zaratulstra's Mirror Projection sat by the hot pot table, quickly disappearing into nothingness amidst the madly growing black flames.

It vanished into the void along with these Flames of Destruction.

After completing this, Bernadette quickly put away the crown inlaid with dark gems, stepped back twice, and disappeared into the illusory, complex tunnel resembling a spider web.

Throughout this process, she maintained her call with Mr. Huang.

Lumian showed no emotional fluctuation at Bernadette's departure. According to their agreement, this princess was mainly responsible for three things:

First, to draw away Mr. Huang, who was suspected to be influenced by the mirrored Roselle;

Second, to use the Mystery Pryer pathway's control over the information world to "push" a message to the others in the private room that would make them "quiet", with the subsequent cleanup and erasure of traces to be done by the Information Shredder—Lumian still remembered that when Miss Huang saw the Information Shredder, her expression noticeably became more complex, as if seeing a natural enemy being artificially created;

Third, to help Lumian and the others hide their Spirit Body Threads, preventing Zaratulstra from discovering them in advance. If Lumian failed to assassinate successfully in the initial stage, she would help bring Zaratulstra into the mirror world, allowing them to change from assassination to forced killing, with the possibility of one more indirect assistance later depending on the situation.

This way, Lumian and the others wouldn't have to worry about their battle with Zaratulstra attracting the official forces of the dream city, being interrupted by them, or even hunted down.

Moreover, Zaratulstra would be separated from his marionettes.

Even if Zaratulstra could manipulate the Spirit Body Threads through the mirror, those marionettes, if they didn't possess the power to come to the mirror world, wouldn't be able to participate in this battle.

Cutting off the marionettes was the first step in dealing with high-level beings of the Seer pathway.

As the Paper Figurine Substitute was completely burned, Zaratulstra, at Sequence 7 and unable to stay in the fog of history for too long, returned to reality.

He saw that he was in the void dark area behind the mirror, and near the mirror surface stood a figure whose charm couldn't be concealed even by darkness.

Lumian smiled, making this area seem as if it was illuminated by clear moonlight.

Charm!

Zaratulstra's consciousness was momentarily stunned, all Worms of Spirit seemingly marveling at that heart-piercing beauty.

Almost simultaneously, the invisible spider silk that had long been spread throughout this place entangled him.

Lumian then drew the Sword of Courage and, from a distance of over ten meters, slashed towards Zaratulstra.

That iron-black straight sword created a highly compressed fire serpent, falling towards the old man dressed in a black formal suit from a distance.

At the edge of the area behind the mirror, Jenna emerged from her Invisible state, used the mirror in her hand to reflect Zaratulstra's figure, and smeared her other hand, covered in Demoness black flames, onto it.

Comments 30

  1. Offline
    Jack_Nat_Mikhail
    + 00 -
    Thanks for the chapter
    Read more
  2. Offline
    Srotoshinni
    + 60 -
    Istg if zeratul dies by lumian and co's charge he really should kill himself. An angel sequence 2 and previously sequence 1 him dying to sequence 4 and 5 even with restrictions
    Read more
  3. Offline
    reign_333
    + 30 -
    Harem.... ?
    Read more
  4. Offline
    AnomanderRake
    + 50 -
    Zaratul about to get a L again... Fraudatul indeed.
    Always amassing Ls
    Read more
  5. Offline
    (107) Chapter 991: Proactive Small Talk

    Suspicious that Zaratulstra replaced the instructors at Dream Tutoring Classes and Star Training School to target a figure that doesn't exist in the Dream City, Gehrman Sparrow, Lumian and his group discussed this at length but couldn't figure out the meaning or purpose behind such actions.

    They planned to write a letter, which Franca and Jenna would send tomorrow via the Star Training School, seeking input from the Major Arcana.

    As they were about to leave the rented room at Red Letter Residence, Franca suddenly remembered something and curiously asked Lumian:

    "Earlier, you mentioned that Li Keji was pregnant because Green recognized the Omebella bloodline in you, combined with the subconscious dominance of the Celestial Worthy brought about by the environment at Mushu Hospital. This resulted in a dream encounter with the child of 'Great Mother' Omebella, turning your casual remark 'He’s already pregnant' into reality. So, as the child of the goddess Omebella, can you now use the supernatural abilities of the Planter, Apothecary, or Villain pathways?"

    Franca’s eyes sparkled, finding the whole situation somewhat intriguing.

    Of course, this "I" was merely a subconscious construct within the Dream.

    As long as the Dream’s subconscious believed something, it could happen!

    Lumian tried using the abilities of a Vampire, Harvest Priest, and Heretic Spellmaster, but all his attempts failed.

    “No,” he shook his head.

    Before Franca could respond, he added thoughtfully, “Perhaps it might work in Mushu Hospital.”

    Franca hummed in acknowledgment, and Jenna reminded Lumian:

    “If that's true, frequent visits to Mushu Hospital might make you more like Omebella, until you completely merge with her.”

    Lumian pondered for a few seconds and gravely agreed, “That's possible.”

    Franca let out an exaggerated gasp:

    “Why does the 'Great Mother' operate so insidiously? People get caught off guard, and sometimes, vigilance doesn’t help at all…”

    Then she answered her own question:

    “Maybe the name ‘Great Mother’ reflects the balance between 'Yin and Yang', with a leaning towards 'Yin'.”

    ***

    The next day, which was Sunday, Lumian took Ludwig back to Dream Tutoring Classes.

    While escorting the children to the classroom, he discreetly used the "Eye of Calamity" to observe the receptionist, each teacher he encountered, and Anderson Hood.

    Excluding Anderson Hood, everyone else's silvery fate lines eventually displayed traces of deathly blackness. Some black threads were faint, while others were clearer, flowing towards the Void River, becoming harder to detect.

    "They're all new beings..." Lumian didn’t engage with Anderson Hood, instead stepping back and sitting at his usual spot.

    While contemplating how to handle this matter, he suddenly saw Zhou Mingrui approaching, wearing a loose blue T-shirt.

    Such dedication! Even after witnessing Zaratulstra’s death by gunfire and observing Mr. Cui, Zhou Mingrui still diligently attended his English business classes... Lumian thought to himself, standing up to greet him.

    As fellow employees of Intis Group, it was common courtesy.

    Zhou Mingrui returned the greeting.

    Just when Lumian thought Zhou Mingrui would head straight to the classroom, he stopped and stood in front of him.

    Zhou Mingrui glanced around and asked, “Has Mr. Danitz resigned? I haven’t seen him the last few times I came here.”

    “You know Mr. Danitz?”

    “Yes, Danitz. It was from his flyers that I first learned about this academy,” Lumian answered simply.

    He hadn’t expected Zhou Mingrui to strike up a conversation and even ask about Oracle Danitz.

    Triggered by Zaratulstra’s death, Zhou Mingrui was becoming more curious about the anomalies around him and daring enough to interact with people like Lumian and Franca. As a result, he noticed Mr. Danitz’s recent absence from Dream Tutoring Classes. This was good! Though, it had its downside—if Zhou Mingrui continued probing, Lumian and his friends might be suddenly kicked out of the Dream, just like Mr. Cui… Lumian thought, coming to a rough conclusion.

    Before Zhou Mingrui could ask further, Lumian sighed and said, “Mr. Danitz didn’t resign; he passed away.”

    “Huh?” Zhou Mingrui’s eyes froze, shocked and surprised.

    It was the typical reaction of a regular person upon hearing such news.

    “When did this happen? What happened?” Zhou Mingrui didn’t hide his shock.

    Lumian glanced towards the receptionist:

    “I heard from Principal Ed that he encountered a psychopathic killer and was strangled to death.”

    “At first, Principal Ed and Mr. Anderson assumed he was missing, but as they had little faith in Mr. Danitz’s survival skills, they quickly alerted the police. Later, the police found Mr. Danitz’s body in the underground morgue of Mushu Hospital.”

    Lumian was relaying what Principal Ed had told him and what could be found on the internet, so he didn’t worry about being kicked out of the Dream for mentioning it again. Since re-entering the Dream, Lumian intended to lie low for a couple of days around Zhou Mingrui.

    “Killed…” Zhou Mingrui’s gaze flickered as he fell into deep thought.

    “Exactly, the body was discovered in the underground morgue of Mushu Hospital,” Lumian emphasized.

    He wanted to subtly direct Zhou Mingrui’s attention to the potential issues surrounding Mushu Hospital through this ordinary conversation.

    “The murderer deliberately moved Mr. Danitz’s body to the underground morgue?” Zhou Mingrui expressed his confusion.

    Lumian shook his head: “Not necessarily. It could have been a passerby who discovered the body and sent it there.”

    “How could that be? A passerby would report it to the police,” Zhou Mingrui remarked, increasingly sensing something strange.

    “Why would the killer take Mr. Danitz’s body to Mushu Hospital’s underground morgue? Did they believe hiding it there would ensure it wasn’t discovered? What made them think that?” Lumian posed these questions, emphasizing Mushu Hospital but not providing any answers.

    For him, revealing too much would be dangerous.

    Zhou Mingrui nodded thoughtfully and pointed toward the English business class.

    "I go to study."

    "Okay." Lumian sat down accordingly.

    He leaned against the classroom wall, his thoughts gradually drifting:

    "The issue with the teachers from Dream Tutoring Classes and Star Training School being secretly replaced isn't easily resolved.

    "If this were in the real world, I'd find an opportunity to blow up the underground section of Mushu Hospital, completely cutting off the hidden threat. But in the Dream City, the underground section of Mushu Hospital serves as a psychological shadow of a great entity and a source of power for other great entities. I'm afraid even the person from Star Dream Provisions Store and Stiano wouldn't dare step foot there, even if they aren't restricted.

    "Could I use the 'Eye of Calamity' to identify the targets that are not marked as new people and kill off those who were replaced, like Huang Gia and Edwina?

    "If I kill one, I’m confident I can cover my tracks and not get caught. But if I kill that many, would the Dream City Police, and Director Yagates, just let it slide? That would be an open challenge to the Dream City's consciousness, and I'd probably be locked down the next day...

    "Moreover, since Huang Gia and the others are related to Gehrman Sparrow’s identity, if they all withdraw from the Dream City's stage, it might lead to unfavorable changes, or cause the next awakening plan to fail from the beginning.

    "Reporting this? With a lack of clues, it could end up like the earlier report about Zaratulstra—no response at all.

    "What clues can lead the police to start an investigation and realize something is wrong?

    "I hope the Major Arcana cards can provide better insights...

    "Hmm."

    As Lumian's thoughts drifted, he caught sight of Zhou Mingrui holding a phone and walking out of the classroom toward the bathroom.

    Lumian tilted his head, using his "Hunter's" hearing, to eavesdrop on what Zhou Mingrui was saying from a distance.

    He heard Zhou Mingrui asking in surprise:

    "Aren’t you planning to come on Monday? Why delay until Wednesday?"

    From the other end of the phone, a faint female voice reached Lumian’s ears:

    "I thought about it, you normally have work, and you won’t have time to hang out with me, so I decided to just go straight to deliver the news."

    Zhou Mingrui paused for a moment and said, "I’ve been pretending for many years."

    "It’s fine. We can hang out on the weekend." The female voice on the other end of the phone giggled.

    Zhou Mingrui sighed and said, "Alright, when’s your bus on Wednesday?"

    Hearing this, Lumian roughly understood what was going on:

    Based on the information from the Major Arcana cards, Zhou Mingrui’s younger sister, Zhou Sasa, had been accepted into Duong Do University and was coming here to study.

    On Wednesday, Zhou Sasa is coming to Duong Do? Being one of the closest connections to Zhou Mingrui’s dream form, what changes will her arrival trigger?

    Lumian raised his right hand, rubbing his temples, feeling like things were happening one after another without pause.

    ***

    Star Dream Provisions Store.

    Franca and Jenna took a cab to the dimly lit interior of the shop.

    Franca politely asked the shop owner if they could mail something, while Jenna lingered in the entrance area, carefully examining the antiques on the shelves and watching the situation outside.

    After getting the shop owner’s consent, Franca moved to a shelf and placed the letter in the silver-black mailbox.

    Her eyes swept across the area and noticed that the Pride Armor, which once belonged to her, still stood silently on the right side of the shelf near the edge.

    The silver-white armor was now stained with patches of dark red blood. Just looking at it made Franca feel like she was becoming weaker and being consumed by illness again.

    How strange... Franca didn’t dare to ask the shop owner what had happened to the Pride Armor and quickly averted her gaze, heading toward the entrance.

    At that moment, Jenna raised her hand and subtly pointed to a diagonal direction.

    On a branch by the roadside, a white pigeon was perched.

    Read more
    1. Offline
      Максим Довбняк
      + 430 -
      Lumian is so surprised that Klein leads a normal life after seeing Zaratul's death...

      Lumian, what are you talking about?) This man in reality photographed p0rn to prove cheating, and this was a few hours after he almost died from Rosago and heard the voice of the True Creator. And a day later he was already God over the gray fog and held a meeting of the Tarot Club.
      Read more
      1. Offline
        Spectator_d
        + 300 -
        Klein has a busy schedule.
        Read more
    2. Offline
      Spectator_d
      + 30 -
      Pigeon. Is the Spirit Worm watching closely?
      Read more
      1. Offline
        Error404
        + 30 -
        It should be Raven.
        Read more
        1. Offline
          alogran
          + 70 -
          Amon sometimes makes surprises. + Amon is not the only parasite. But you are right that the parasite is not the only option. mechanical doll, spirit world creature, zombie, puppet, possessed by a ghost..
          Read more
      2. Offline
        WD40
        + 20 -
        White pigeons symbolize peace, perhaps it’s Amon watching, but with good intentions towards Klein?
        Read more
      3. Offline
        purple_emperor
        + 20 -
        I wouldn't be surprised that Amon has once again changed his symbol to that of a pigeon. He was an owl back when went down to a Trojan of Destiny, he might as well be a pigeon as an Angel of Redemption ahaa
        Read more
    3. Offline
      WebnovelSlave
      + 60 -
      and then suddenly, it brandishes a monocle
      Read more
  6. Offline
    (106) Chapter 990: True Commonality

    Lumian initially felt that Li Keji had recognized the difference between Queen of Stars Cattleya and Huang Gia, but after thinking it through carefully, he dismissed this idea.

    Li Keji mentioned that his other colleagues had also transformed into different people, which made it highly unlikely that all of them had been taken over by some foreign consciousness or intent.

    "Why do you feel this way?" Lumian asked Li Keji.

    Li Keji stroked his stomach and said, "They used to eat the mushrooms I gave them, but now they don’t!"

    Now they don’t? Does that mean they've become different people? Lumian quickly reconsidered and carefully asked, "What about Huang Beibei? Have you seen her recently? Does she seem different from before?"

    "I’ve seen her, but I can’t tell if she’s changed. She never ate the mushrooms I gave," Li Keji responded frankly.

    In other words, Li Keji had no way of distinguishing between external consciousness and the representations in Dreamscape, nor did he have the ability to observe such differences. However, he could confirm whether someone had consumed the mushrooms he had created. Summing it up, it seemed like the individuals at Star Training Classesschoo, including Huang Gia, had previously eaten the mushrooms, leaving behind certain traces, but not recently. Had Huang Gia and the others been replaced? Lumian, initially surprised by Li Keji’s comment that Huang Gia and others seemed to have become different people, now felt a deeper sense of suspicion and alertness.

    At present, Lumian was inclined to believe Li Keji’s explanation, thinking that, despite being confined in a psychiatric ward and not yet having truly birthed the Mushroom King, Li Keji wasn’t entirely polluted and therefore unlikely to be hallucinating or developing a twisted personality prone to lying. Li Keji’s subconscious perception, shaped by Mr. Fool in the Dreamscape city, indeed held some special qualities and a reliable ability to detect abnormalities.

    Who replaced Huang Gia and the others? Why were they changed? Lumian pondered these questions.

    Suddenly, he thought of someone: Zaratulstra!

    Lumian’s first reaction, when Zaratulstra visited Star Training School, was that the angel was planning something against the Dreamscape representation of Madam Hermit. However, the subsequent events, including Li Keji's capture and confinement in the psychiatric ward, caused Lumian to dismiss his original suspicion and shift his focus elsewhere.

    Now, this new discovery made him reconsider that initial hypothesis.

    Zaratulstra liked to operate in both light and darkness, ostensibly helping "Great Mother" control Li Keji and eliminate the mushroom-born danger while secretly using the visit to Star Training School to act against Huang Gia and the instructors there, possibly replacing their Dreamscape representations. The advantage of this was that any disruption would be focused on Li Keji’s situation, diverting attention from Star Training School as a primary target. Lumian now realized that Zaratulstra’s scheme was far more complex than his team had originally analyzed.

    He now believed that the other party was more suited to follow the path of the "Conspirer" rather than that of the "Seer."

    Experience, knowledge, thinking, and style—all undeniably befitting a true angel. Lumian internally marveled and continued questioning Li Keji, seeking more details.

    However, apart from knowing whether or not his colleagues had eaten the mushrooms, Li Keji could only shake his head in ignorance at other inquiries.

    In the end, Lumian had no choice but to advise, "In the next two days, you must think of a good plan, or else the followers of the Evil God will target you again and accelerate the birth of the child."

    This was tied to the plan he and Grimm had devised to carry out another operation a week later to assist in the rapid development of the fetus inside Li Keji.

    "Okay," Li Keji replied, stroking his stomach.

    Lumian gave him a long look and had a new idea.

    Along with Grimm, he confirmed that Li Keji was indeed pregnant and utilized the resources of the hospital’s maternity ward to help the fetus gain developmental "momentum." Afterward, he could quietly return and carry out an abortion.

    Back at the rented room in Xin Hong Residence, Lumian's squad gathered again to discuss Li Keji's pregnancy and the suspicion that Huang Gia and others had been replaced.

    "If the culprit is indeed Zaratulstra or their associates, the replacements may extend beyond Star Training School," Jenna suggested. "Doesn't that make you think of anything else?"

    Franca's mind stirred. "The Oracle’s death?"

    "Exactly." Lumian had already connected the replacement of Huang Gia and others with the Oracle’s death. "If Anderson hadn’t interfered, and if we hadn’t discovered the Oracle’s body in time, it would have been sent to the morgue’s underground level for 'rebirth,' effectively replacing the original individual."

    "Did Huang Gia and the others experience something similar? Zaratulstra may have targeted not only Star Training School but also Dream Tutoring Classes?" Franca was increasingly shocked. "On the surface, Zaratulstra visited Dream Tutoring Classes to find an opportunity to interact with Zhou Mingrui, but secretly, they were replacing the instructors? How incredibly sinister!"

    At this point, Franca couldn't help but sigh. "Who knows what else Zaratulstra has been doing in the shadows? It’s a good thing we dealt with the hidden threat early, expelled Zaratulstra from Dreamscape, and killed their Dreamscape representation. Otherwise, once their open schemes and hidden plots were fully in motion, I can’t even imagine the outcome."

    "It could have all ended right there, with us suffering a total defeat," Franca added.

    "Now that Zaratulstra and Mr. Cui are gone, their subordinates will find it hard to manage everything. We have a chance to dismantle the threats step by step," Anthony agreed with Franca's sentiment.

    Lumian nodded and issued a serious reminder. "This is a good development but also a dangerous one.

    "As you’ve probably noticed, the 'Conspirer' prefers to operate in the shadows, directing the play without stepping into the spotlight. Zaratulstra initially needed to push events openly, gathering resources and making public contacts with Zhou Mingrui, so they couldn’t hide completely. Now, with their removal, we had an opportunity to trap them using Dreamscape’s rules.

    "But once Zaratulstra and Mr. Cui return with new identities, they will hide behind the scenes, advancing their plans covertly. At that point, we’ll become the prey. If we slip up even a little, they’ll discover our true intentions, and we’ll face a deadly counterattack. The best-case scenario will be getting expelled from Dreamscape, with our Dreamscape representations destroyed."

    "Yes, when that time comes, the enemy will be hidden, and we’ll be exposed, making the situation much more dangerous," Franca agreed.

    Because of her close relationship with Luo Shan, once Zaratulstra returned and started investigating why Zhou Mingrui visited the hotpot restaurant that day, she could easily be traced. That’s why she emphasized being "exposed."

    Lumian smiled. "Of course, this is also an opportunity. You continue working in the administrative department of Intis Group. When Zaratulstra returns, we can see if we can set a trap for them. If not, you can quickly resign and go underground."

    "At the same time, we must use the period before Zaratulstra returns to our advantage."

    While talking, Lumian picked up his mobile phone and sent a WeChat message to "A name that leaves a deep impression on you":

    "How have you been lately? Are you enjoying your classes?" Very quickly, "A name that leaves a deep impression on you" replied:

    "Do you want to check what time it is?

    "If you're bored with nothing to do, I suggest you go for a run."

    Lumian calmly responded:

    "Have you recently felt the world to be more illusory, as if the people around you exist with frighteningly fake details?"

    After a few seconds, Anderson Hood replied: "More fake than before."

    "Like what?" Lumian inquired.

    Anderson Hood sent a "contemptuous" emoji:

    "For example, Edwina and the teachers of the review centers all seem faker, not quite the same as before."

    As expected... Lumian confirmed his team's suspicions.

    He responded with a "laughing" emoji and asked:

    "What about you? Have you become faker too?"

    Anderson Hood sent a "dog biting its own tail" emoji:

    "I might be next.

    "But recently, I saw some news saying a foreign guest was shot and killed."

    Good "Hunters" must learn to gather information from public news... Lumian put down his phone and said to Franca, Jenna, and the others:

    "Most of the teachers at the Dream Tutoring Classes have also been replaced."

    "What does this replacement signify? That all the Dream images are now controlled by the Celestial Worthy, using this to achieve victory in the battle of consciousness?" Franca questioned.

    Lumian didn’t reply. He formed a block of ice and stuck a piece of paper on it.

    Each piece of paper listed a current suspect who might have been replaced in the Dream, along with their corresponding real-life character.

    Lumian stood before the ice board, focusing intently for a while, and then asked Franca, Jenna, and Anthony:

    "Do you see any similarities?"

    "They’re all pirates, or were pirates once?" Jenna tentatively answered.

    Lumian shook his head:

    "That's only a surface-level similarity.

    "There's another hidden similarity beneath the surface." He leaned his body slightly and said to his companions: "These are all characters from the 'Great Adventurer' series of novels.

    "In other words, they all participated in or witnessed Gehrman Sparrow's life!"

    Upon hearing this conclusion, Franca suddenly thought of the movie 'Great Pirate 3,' the reason why Gehrman Sparrow was cast aside by Zaratulstra, and the predetermined actor for Gehrman Sparrow, now the comatose An Xiaotian.

    "Is the crux of the fight over Gehrman Sparrow's identity? This also fits with the prophecy 'The World awakens, the Fool returns.'" Franca mused aloud.

    Lumian gently nodded and said:

    "So far, it seems like that. Therefore, everyone related to Gehrman Sparrow has been replaced.

    "The death of the Oracle is the beginning, not the end."

    Read more
    1. Offline
      Shuhmen
      + 70 -
      So, maybe CW is trying to replace World throw people around him? This is strange theory, because phrase about Word awakes and Fool awakes was told by Klein-Fool. When it became rule? Fool is not only World, it is only one of his identities. But conceptualy it is good competition: the one, who awakes in the World, is the one, who won. Also Danitz was first ally of World, and he was killed first
      Read more
      1. Offline
        Максим Довбняк
        + 180 -
        I'm not sure that Mr. Fool meant Mr. World, maybe World means Dreamscape (the inhabitants of the city). Seers always predict unclear, others do not understand them and consider them eccentric, this was said in the first book. In addition, the Fool's path does not mean authority over fate, this is only a small part of it. You can't rely on predictions 100%.

        But of course we'll see, it's impossible to guess here, I have a lot of theories, but I myself have refuted each one.
        Read more
        1. Offline
          LazyVillain
          + 00 -
          Why not both though? By replacing these specific people (world) different Gherman (The World) would be awoken. Hence the different Fool
          About Klein-Fool point: can above mentioned ritual be used as a means to "fool" the prediction?
          Read more
    2. Offline
      Error404
      + 90 -
      It's look like Zaratual is also trying to make a movie, but CW in Gherman position, this Seers are really trying to create a Grand Performance.
      Read more
    3. Offline
      WebnovelSlave
      + 100 -
      amidst all these conspiracies, a certain golden bearded fellow and a monocle enthusiast car-napper are plotting even deeper behind the scenes
      Read more
      1. Offline
        Spectator_d
        + 70 -
        And somewhere the police chief is looking for a way to escape from the City of Dreams.
        Read more
        1. Offline
          Scut
          + 00 -
          Думаю будь он из пути ошибки у него было бы больше возможностей сбежать
          Read more
  7. Offline
    unknown007
    + 70 -
    Sword of Courage
    Ability: make the wielder gigachad
    Read more
  8. Offline
    Chapters 987-988 in comments to chapter 975.
    (105) Chapter 989: Bloodline

    "Pregnant?" Upon hearing this word, Lumian's scalp immediately tingled.

    Li Keji is pregnant? Wake up, you're a man!

    How can you be pregnant? Who did it? When?

    Lumian, relying on the endurance granted by the "Ascetic" power, maintained an outwardly calm demeanor, his voice heavy as he inquired:

    "Are you sure?"

    "Definitely pregnant." Li Keji’s voice echoed from behind the iron door. "I was a doctor before, and later became a biologist. If I can’t tell if someone’s pregnant, who can?"

    Really pregnant... Lumian's entire body felt numb.

    The ability to make a man pregnant, from everything he knew about extraordinary paths, only the one connected to the "Great Mother" could do such a thing!

    Did Grimm and the others hide this from me, secretly taking Li Keji to the Crimson Moon Hospital to spread the influence of that type? That can't be right. With something this significant, they wouldn't neglect to inform the Child of God. Besides, he said that in the Dream City, I'm the only one with divinity, capable of facilitating both Li Keji’s pregnancy and the rapid growth of the fetus. And this still had to rely on the forces of the obstetrics department at Mushu Hospital... Lumian's first reaction was to suspect that Grimm and someone connected to the "Great Mother" were behind it, but the information he had wasn't enough to support this theory.

    Suddenly, a possibility crossed his mind:

    Zhou Mingrui experienced intense stimulation, causing some changes in the Dream that none of them had yet detected, and the "Great Mother" might have granted a divine gift to a select few.

    Only one day, and the resulting issue has already exploded. Could it really happen this quickly?

    Moreover, Grimm believes that I already caused Li Keji to become pregnant, so there’s no need for it to happen again...

    I caused Li Keji to become pregnant...

    As Lumian's brain rapidly processed these thoughts, an unthinkable speculation emerged:

    Could the child in Li Keji's womb be mine?

    After his initial shock, Lumian followed this train of thought and pieced things together:

    Last week, I shook hands with Li Keji in the mental ward at Mushu Hospital. At that time, I pretended to make him pregnant to deceive Grimm and avoid suspicion about my identity as the Child of God.

    Could it be that this very contact actually made him pregnant?

    But I only have a trace of Omebella’s bloodline and none of the abilities of Planter pathway.

    No, I don’t have enough power in reality, but this is the Dream...

    As long as the subconscious mind of the Dream believes it, then no matter how unnatural or absurd something may seem, it can still happen...

    At that moment, when I shook hands with Li Keji, Grimm saw me as the true Child of God, Omebella, and I indeed carry Omebella’s bloodline. This allowed the Dream's subconscious to perceive me as the real Child of God. Could this have equated me to the real thing in the Dream's mind? And if the Child of God can make Li Keji pregnant...

    Moreover, the most crucial part is that when I shook hands with Li Keji and said, "He's already pregnant," it was in Mushu Hospital—a place of great influence under the "Great Mother." The Dream’s subconscious, muddled by the environment and Grimm’s perception, accepted me as the Child of God and allowed Li Keji to conceive silently after our contact.

    Yes, there's something else!

    Lumian’s pupils suddenly dilated.

    They had overlooked a key point, unconsciously equating the Dream's subconscious with that of the Mr. Fool.

    But in reality, the Dream's subconscious should be a mix of Mr. Fool’s subconscious and that of the Celestial Worthy.

    Under such conditions, the Dream's subconscious wouldn’t always favor Lumian and his companions!

    Thus, the characters in Dream City, including Luo Shan, Edwina, Dunn, and others, cannot simply be seen as figures created solely from the Mr. Fool's perception. In some cases, the Celestial Worthy’s influence has been subtly added to them. So they shouldn't be analyzed or treated as a single entity.

    In that case, the environment at Mushu Hospital, along with Grimm's perception and the fact that I do have Omebella's bloodline, led the Dream's subconscious to choose to "believe" I am the Child of God. As a result, Li Keji quietly became pregnant after we shook hands, and the child is Omebella’s direct descendant, linked to the "Great Mother." When born, Li Keji would be completely polluted by the "Great Mother." The more Lumian thought about it, the more horrified he became.

    He even envisioned an even more terrifying outcome:

    If Mr. Fool is in a position of absolute weakness, and the Celestial Worthy becomes the ruler of Dream City, then He could entirely confuse reality with illusion, causing Lumian’s status as "Child of God" to be fully activated in the real world, making it true.

    At that point, the true Omebella could use Lumian’s body to resurrect.

    I almost got caught without realizing it... Cold sweat drenched Lumian’s back.

    He remembered a joke he had seen online recently and couldn’t help but laugh at himself:

    "Touching hands really can lead to pregnancy..."

    "What did you say?" Li Keji asked, puzzled from inside the hospital room.

    Shaken by fear and emotion, Lumian calmed down and asked:

    "When did you get pregnant?" He still wanted to struggle a bit. Li Keji answered straightforwardly:

    "At first, I thought it was due to the spores and fungi I created from my own flesh and spirit after you suggested it, and they implanted themselves in my body, particularly in my belly. Yes, I experimented with that after your suggestion."

    "But upon closer inspection, the pregnancy clearly happened earlier."

    Lumian was silent for two seconds before asking, "May I come in and confirm for myself?"

    "You may." Li Keji didn’t refuse.

    Lumian took a step forward, his figure suddenly vanishing from the hallway and reappearing in Li Keji’s hospital room.

    At a glance, he didn’t see any mushrooms, which surprised him.

    Logically speaking, Li Keji’s residence should be filled with various new mushrooms under the bed, in the corners, and behind the doors.

    But now, the room was as clean as someone else’s home.

    Lumian immediately looked at Li Keji, sitting on the bed, and saw that his belly had indeed swollen slightly.

    One second later, his "Demoness of Despair" intuition confirmed that the child in Li Keji’s womb shared a bloodline connection with him.

    But it wasn't linked to Lumian or Lumina; it was connected to Omebella!

    So it really is me... Just as Lumian was about to speak, he suddenly sensed countless nearly invisible threads swaying around him.

    Fungal threads? Instinctively, he raised his head and looked toward the ceiling, finally spotting a mushroom.

    The mushroom was faintly visible, attached to the ceiling light, its many fungal threads hanging down like jellyfish tentacles.

    "Is this the semi-finished product you mentioned?" Lumian inquired.

    Bearded and unkempt, Li Keji nodded slightly, "Yes."

    "And the failed products?" Lumian pressed further.

    Li Keji answered seriously, "They were all absorbed by it."

    While talking, he waved his hand, and the jellyfish-like fungus drifted down, brushing against his palm.

    For some reason, Lumian was reminded of the image of a juvenile horse-faced creature rubbing against a breeder.

    “Where are the mushrooms that used to be in the room?” Lumian asked, probing.

    “They were absorbed by it as well,” Li Keji replied with a hint of anticipation.

    Lumian was silent for a moment before saying, “I can help you with the abortion.”

    “Perhaps, perhaps it really is my child,” Li Keji hesitated in his response.

    He seemed to have gained some maternal instinct.

    Lumian’s mouth twitched slightly as he continued, “No, it’s not your child; it’s a child of the Evil God.

    “Haven’t you always wondered why you were captured? It’s because the Evil God targeted you, having his followers fabricate accusations to imprison you in a mental asylum.

    “Think about it: you’re a man. How could you possibly become pregnant?”

    “A woman can become pregnant, so why can’t a man? Even mushrooms can!” Li Keji argued back.

    Lumian did not give up and continued, “But how can you become pregnant without doing anything? It just happens by itself?”

    “Indeed…” Li Keji finally felt that something was unusual about this situation.

    Lumian sighed and said, “This is the Evil God inducing a pregnancy in your dreams.”

    Lumian felt that if he hadn’t finished digesting the “Instigator” potion, assisting Li Keji with the abortion would have been enough to complete the role. Unfortunately, he didn’t need to exceed the standard consumption of the “Instigator” potion.

    — After completing an assassination mission for Zaratulstra and for Mr. Cui, Lumian had finished digesting the “Assassin” potion. Currently, only the “Witch” role needed to be performed. He decided that if Li Keji chose to have an abortion, he would make the situation as mysterious and terrifying as possible, using the “Witch” identity to deal with the “Great Mother” child.

    “If you don’t terminate the child in your womb, it will absorb your blood, flesh, and spiritual essence, growing rapidly within two to three weeks. By the time it’s born, you’ll become a corpse, unable to conduct more mushroom experiments, and unable to fulfill your dreams,” Lumian warned, explaining the possible consequences.

    Hearing that he wouldn’t be able to conduct more mushroom experiments, Li Keji made a decision: “Alright, please help me.”

    Without waiting for Lumian’s response, he added, “If the Evil God’s child is mixed with the mushrooms, there might be some special changes…”

    Evil God’s child… mixed… Forget about the mushrooms… Lumian didn’t want to deal with a mushroom chasing him around calling him “Mother.”

    At this point, Li Keji’s eyes lit up: “I’ll think of a plan and let you help me with the abortion. This will take one to two days.”

    Lumian didn’t dare to force Li Keji, considering that in the Mr. Fool’s subconscious awareness, dealing with this situation might result in horrifying events if he made an enemy of him and forcibly aborted the child.

    “No problem,” Lumian responded.

    He secretly decided that when the time came, he would ensure that the Evil God’s descendant in Li Keji’s womb would be gone, making it difficult to mix with the mushrooms.

    Lumian also advised, “Don’t tell anyone else about the Evil God’s matter for now, or disasters might occur.”

    “I won’t,” Li Keji shook his head. “Recently, I haven’t dared to discuss the mushroom matter with Principal Jia or other colleagues, they seem to have become different people.”

    “Different people?” Lumian’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
    Read more
    1. Offline
      Error404
      + 180 -
      Fills like we are back to Volume 1 of LoTM, time to do some Evil God fetus abortions.
      Read more
      1. Offline
        Максим Довбняк
        + 200 -
        I'm just rereading it now. Those were great times 💔
        I hope Frank doesn't reach Megose condition...
        Read more
        1. Offline
          Spectator_d
          + 70 -
          He is a puppet. Amon gave birth without problems.
          Read more
          1. Offline
            Максим Довбняк
            + 140 -
            Dream can not only reflect but also influence reality, so corrupted Frank in the Dream can bring trouble in reality. Amon was the God of two paths (if we are talking about the Klein`s Apotheosis Ritual), incomparable things, considering that these paths are Error and Door.

            But it is clear that this will not happen, it was just a comparison.
            Read more
            1. Offline
              God Almighty
              + 00 -
              Tbh it's a bit esoteric and dramatic. I prefer if cuttlefish fish went back to intis and focused on the nobility etc like the detective from vol 2
              Read more
    2. Offline
      TempestUknow
      + 90 -
      Just when I thought we had seen it all

      treat treat
      Read more
    3. Offline
      purple_emperor
      + 30 -
      Welp I didn't think my ingenious thoughts would have precisely predicted that, he really got pregnant by fooling the dream cheerful
      Read more