Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability
chapter-812

812 Strange Test Script

Hearing Wanak's question, Lumian, who was already a bit irritated from having his study interrupted, laughed out loud. "Can you find them?"

"No," Wanak admitted frankly.

Unlike Lumian and Wanak, who had fixed residences, Gusian and Medici moved around in secrecy, making it hard to pinpoint their exact locations.

Wanak continued, "But I can use myself as bait to lure them out."

Lure them out? What kind of Hunter path is this? It sounds more like the path of a Fishing Master... Lumian mocked both Wanak and himself internally, gradually calming down.

He looked at the man with iron-black eyes, chiseled face, and suspected 0-01 corruption who had tried to kill him at their first meeting, and sneered.

"Bait? If you dare to wander the streets of Morora, Albus and Gusian would likely think it's a trap and not make a move.

"Of course, they might send someone to test if you're bluffing, but that won't help you ambush them."

Wanak's eyes remained sharp as he replied in a metallic tone, "I won't treat them as fools. I'll leave some traces, give them clues, let them find my hiding place on their own. They must act within these few days. They can't wait for me to recover, or it'll be a headache for them."

Lumian, using a Hunter's tone, laughed. "Confident, aren't you? Why not wait until you're fully healed to seek revenge one by one? Why take the risk now and set traps, even choosing to cooperate with me?"

"In five days, if they don't find me, those two rats will scurry back into the sewers and hide. I can kill any one of them, but finding them is still difficult," Wanak said, his tone full of murderous intent.

Lumian didn't ask more questions, pondering a few things.

This most dangerous figure in Morora, who seemed to have submitted to 0-01 and gained boons along with the corruption, has the power of a pseudo-demigod.

Does his current attitude imply 0-01 dislikes Red Angel Medici and the Iron and Blood Cross Order?

Or does 0-01 resist anyone trying to control it, as evidenced by Wanak's initial hostility towards me? But under current circumstances, he wants to target Albus and Gusian first and is willing to temporarily cooperate with the weaker side?

Wanak has pseudo-demigod strength and is in his home turf of Morora, yet he was severely wounded by Albus, Gusian, and a few Iron and Blood Cross Order members, forcing him to flee...

Albus is indeed not simple, and Gusian must be formidable too. It was right not to go all out and ambush them earlier...

0-01 has some connection to that special mirror world, allowing Wanak to traverse through mirrors...

Lumian looked at Wanak, who was patiently waiting for his answer, and smiled. "Why me?"

Since arriving in Morora, he hadn't gone all out or used any powerful items.

"We're the same kind of people," Wanak said, his iron-black eyes cold.

"And I can clearly sense you're not simple."

Of course, I'm not simple, with so much corruption and so many things mixed together. Simple would be strange... Lumian raised his right hand, rubbing his chin, and asked, "Aren't you worried I'll take this chance to eliminate you, Albus, and Gusian together? You should always be wary of others."

"You don't have the capability," Wanak stated bluntly. "And in Morora, truly killing me isn't easy."

Lumian leaned back in his chair, half-closing his eyes. After a few seconds, he said, "Time and place."

"The timing is uncertain. It depends on Albus and Gusian's investigation progress. I'll inform you of the approximate time and location in advance," Wanak, his sharp, chiseled face showing a rare smile, said.

Lumian opened his eyes and sat up straight.

"With your strength, you were severely wounded by them. What special abilities did they show in battle?"

"Not severely wounded, just nearly," Wanak emphasized. "That Albus has special powers or items that can create war fog, a high-rank Hunter ability... Gusian, besides being a powerful Hunter, has some Demoness pathway abilities and can utilize the mirror world to some extent..."

Lumian listened intently, his smile gradually widening. "Pleasure working with you."

Wanak nodded slightly, his figure gradually fading in the rippling mirror.

Lumian sat quietly in his chair, muttering to himself, Is this a trap?

Wanak, Albus, and Gusian are using people as pawns in a drama to ambush me?

Or is Wanak using this chance to eliminate Albus, Gusian, and me together?

...

Lumian thought about many things, until his head hurt.

Forget it, I'll think about these conspiracies in a few days. Facing Hunters is troublesome. For now, focus on reading... Lumian turned his attention back to "Examples of Mausoleum Construction."

After another hour, he closed the book, satisfied.

After nearly a week of effort, he had finally finished the first batch of books specified by Heraberg, and could take the exam at the Knowledge Cathedral tomorrow!

Lumian lay back on his bed and fell asleep.

In a hazy state, he saw an army.

The soldiers were clad in iron-black armor, marching across a reddish plain, with something drifting in the distance.

Sensing Lumian's gaze, they turned their heads simultaneously, their eyes piercing.

Lumian saw their faces: Under the iron-black helmets, their skin was pale and shriveled, like all moisture and flesh had been drained, tightly clinging to their skulls. Dark red flames burned in their eye sockets.

Mummies...

An army of undead?

As this realization dawned on Lumian, immense fear surged from his heart, urging him to submit to some unknown entity.

He struggled against this feeling, finally waking up.

He opened his eyes to find it was just a dream. Outside, the sky was dim, with no sign of dawn.

Too much knowledge about 0-01 might be increasing the corruption? Lumian pondered for a few seconds, then forced himself to sleep a bit more until six in the morning.

Julie hadn't returned overnight. After breakfast, Lumian packed the books into his Traveler's Bag and headed straight to the Knowledge Cathedral.

Heraberg, in a white robe lined with brass, was explaining things to a group of new exiles. Lumian waited until the new exiles left the cathedral, then smiled and presented the books to Heraberg. "Your Grace, I've finished reading these books."

"Adding 'Your Grace' this time?" Heraberg teased with a smile, taking the books and pointing to the corresponding brass bookshelf. "Go there and pick a paper to do."

Prepared for this, Lumian walked to the bookshelf and randomly picked a paper.

As he searched for a table and chair, he glanced at the questions on the paper.

Suddenly, his gaze froze.

The first question was: "Have you had any nightmares recently?"

The second question was: "Please describe the content of the nightmare in detail."

Is this an exam on knowledge points? Doesn't seem like it... more like those psychological test questions Anthony brought back from the Psychiatrist Guild... Lumian thought, writing his answers on the brass bookshelf's protrusions.

He answered the entire paper truthfully.

"Done." Lumian felt like he was back in Cordu, reporting to his sister that he'd finished his test.

"Let me see." Heraberg extended his right hand.

After reviewing Lumian's answers from start to finish, he nodded slightly.

"You don't need to read all the books on these three shelves. Just this, this, and this..."

Heraberg pointed out eight books with a smile. "Finish these, and that'll be enough."

Huh? Don't need to read all three shelves? Just these eight books?

Lumian was momentarily puzzled, not understanding the basis for Heraberg's judgment.

Were the remaining books on those shelves suddenly unimportant?

Thinking about the test paper's content, Lumian had some guesses.

He thoughtfully responded to Heraberg, "Alright, Your Grace."

As he placed the books into the Traveler's Bag, Lumian roughly estimated the time needed.

If he focused without any interruptions, he could finish one book a day, but that would be suspicious.

About two weeks, maybe a bit more... But according to Heraberg, finishing these is enough, much better than my initial plan of taking six months to read all three shelves... Lumian quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much better.

He mimicked his sister Aurora and Franca's occasional crazy talk, thinking with a smile.

Albus, Julie, Gusian, and Wanak, wait two weeks. Once I'm done studying, I'll kill you all!

Hmm, for now, I'll take advantage of Wanak's "invitation" to find clues from Albus about Hand Bro's head...

And gather intelligence on the Demoness as well...

...

Saturday night, Trier, Quartier de la Cathédrale Commémorative.

Franca looked at Jenna, who had naturally moved into the guest room after returning from Port LeSeur, and didn't ask why. Feeling a bit upset, she said, "You don't seem very happy. Is Julien insisting on returning to Trier?"

"Yes, he's so stubborn." Jenna sighed deeply.

Actually, so are you, and your mother too... Franca muttered internally, saying, "Don't worry, there's still about a month to figure something out."

"Yeah." Jenna glanced at Franca, who had changed into a warlock's cloak. "Are you filling in for Lumian at that mysticism gathering?"

"Yes." Franca tossed the silver Lie earring into the air and caught it again.

Compared to her initial reluctance and anxiety, now she felt more anticipation.

It's quite exciting, isn't it?