Chapter 741 “Appraisal” |
741 “Appraisal”
"What else does it do?"
Lumian, seeing Ludwig pause as if he had concerns, pressed for an answer.
Ludwig stared at the piece of umbilical cord in front of Lumian and hesitated before replying, "It could somewhat alter your aura and lineage, making certain creatures without the necessary wisdom perceive you as a divine child of the ‘Great Mother."
Lumian's expression grew more solemn.
"So, you're saying it could actually integrate the Child of God's lineage into mine, even if it's almost negligible?"
And this would fool creatures of low intelligence or those acting purely on instinct?
"Yes." Ludwig nodded earnestly. "That bit of lineage won't change anything for you, and only creatures directly created by the ‘Great Mother’ or those who have received Her boons could sense it."
This doesn't sound very useful, but in special circumstances, it could be incredibly crucial.
Lumian weighed his words and asked, "What are the side effects?"
Could it change my gender? After all, the Great Mother's' Child of God, Omebella, seems to have been female.
Ludwig's greedy gaze shifted from the umbilical cord back to Lumian, and he said regretfully, “For someone else, it might cause the ‘Great Mother's’ Child of God to start developing inside them, but not for you. You just have to worry about the ‘Great Mother’ setting Her sights on you, really watching you."
Lumian was silent for a good twenty seconds before slowly stowing Omebella's umbilical cord remains back into his Traveler's Bag.
He wasn't in a hurry to have Ludwig use the remains to create food with special effects, planning instead to consult Madam Magician's opinion before deciding.
He was willing to take risks, but he wasn't reckless.
"Can I have it now?" Ludwig looked eagerly at the matte Deprivation Bullet.
"One last question." Lumian smiled again, pulling out another item from his Traveler's Bag.
It was a small glass vial containing ancient bloodstain powder.
This came from Demon Warlock Burman, who was guided by a visitor from Resurrection Island named Harrison. He summoned a spirit named Arden from the depths of death and easily killed it, collecting its blood for a future ritual. Lumian got some of this bloodstain powder from his room.
Previously, Lumian had Franca conduct an investigation using Magic Mirror Divination, confirming that it truly came from the depths of the spirit world but yielded no further insights. Now, he wanted the Gourmet to taste it, to see if he could glean more important information.
He remembered clearly; the people of Resurrection Island claimed they could die and revive repeatedly, never aging, and the secret was in their control over the markings from the depths of death.
This might truly be a way to revive the dead.
"Is it edible?" Lumian maintained his smile as he pushed the glass vial with the ancient bloodstain powder towards Ludwig.
Ludwig carefully examined the powder for a while and then opened the bottle cap, touching it a few times with his fingers.
"Yes," he replied, not too eagerly.
"Then eat half of it." Lumian watched expectantly as Ludwig sprinkled a small amount of the ancient bloodstain powder into his mouth, leaving just a bit behind.
Ludwig chewed and tasted it for a while before starting his "gourmet review’: “It has a rich aroma of death and eternal rest, originating from the depths of the spirit world.
“It comes from a man in his thirties, with traits of both the Mystery Pryer and Death pathways, in poor mental state, highly prone to emotional instability..."
Hearing this, Lumian raised an eyebrow.
This sounds like it's describing Demon Warlock Burman himself!
But this bloodstain powder is from the evil spirit Arden killed by Burman, right?
"From Intis's Winter Province?" Lumian confirmed his guess.
"Yes." Ludwig smacked his lips.
He shared other insights drawn from the bloodstain powder, each aligning with the Demon Warlock's situation.
This couldn't possibly mean that Burman summoned himself, killed himself, and then collected his own blood, could it? Lumian felt an eerie thrill.
The ancient bloodstain powder surely wasn't left by Burman due to some other issues, as both Franca and Ludwig had confirmed the blood was closely linked to death and the spirit world. Lumian had fought the Demon Warlock twice, believing him to still be alive at those times.
Using the method taught by Resurrection Island's Harrison, Burman summoned an evil spirit from the depths of death that was himself, er, his own marking?
He killed his own marking in the depths of death and found it very weak?
This is hard to believe...
What exactly does Harrison from Resurrection Island want, and what hidden truths lie behind the islanders' resurrections?
Lumian's thoughts raced, feeling that the mysteries of Resurrection Island were no less profound than the high-level events he had experienced before.
"Can you give it to me now?" Ludwig looked again at the Deprivation Bullet, very eagerly.
He handed back the small glass vial with the remaining bit of ancient bloodstain powder to Lumian.
"Yes." Lumian tossed the Deprivation Bullet to Ludwig.
Ludwig caught it, and stuffed the matte bullet into his mouth.
"Eating it directly?" Lumian asked with a chuckle, "Aren't you going to cook it first? Maybe mix a cocktail?"
Ludwig replied with a muffled voice, "No need for that, I can absorb it directly."
As he spoke, he sucked on the Deprivation Bullet like it was an ice pop, pulling it from his mouth again.
Compared to before, the bullet's matte metal casing had noticeably thinned, the intricate symbols etched into its surface now pitted and marked with teeth impressions.
Ludwig sucked on it three times, then finally, when the inside gunpowder was vaguely visible, he put the bullet in his mouth, chewed it with a crackling sound, and swallowed.
Lumian watched with a grimace, gaining a deeper understanding of the various changes hunger could bring.
After eating the Deprivation Bullet, Ludwig closed his eyes, savoring the taste and longing for more.
Lumian felt a pang of regret for the extraordinary bullet he had obtained from Jebus.
The Weakening Bullet, Deprivation Bullet, and Implosion Bullet had not served their intended purposes, while the Poison Bullet, Putrid Bullet, and Impregnating Bullet had been given to Franca.
"How do you feel?" Lumian inquired.
"Delicious, a familiar taste," Ludwig responded, half-closing his eyes.
After reflecting for a moment, he snapped his eyes open, their gaze sharp and alert.
"G-Godfather, can you quickly find out who made that bullet?”
You little rascal, that's the cult following your deity... But I can't blame you, you're brainless now.. And for an evil god, sacrificing any number of bestowed is worthwhile if it frees an angel from its bonds, returning to an Angel's belly is like returning to the deity’s heaven...
Lumian muttered silently to himself, nodded slightly in agreement, and slowly stood up, heading back to his bedroom.
Lying in bed, he stared at the dark ceiling adorned with a chandelier, feeling no trace of sleepiness despite the lingering scent of absinthe.
After staring silently for who knows how long, Lumian chuckled self-deprecatingly, trying to use Cogitation to help himself fall asleep.
He slowly visualized a crossed-out sphere that grew an eye in his mind.
His state settled, and drowsiness began to creep up.
Just then, Lumian was taken aback.
Cogitation was taught by his sister, and the Cogitation pattern was also casually drawn by her...
Lumian laughed softly to himself, his laughter shaking.
Minutes later, he indulged in reminiscing about his life in Cordu, including those interactions in the dream.
Even those, now looking back, carried a certain indescribable warmth.
As his thoughts wandered, Lumian remembered his sister's contracted creature, White Paper.
I wonder what state White Paper is in...
Strictly speaking, Aurore isn't completely dead, so her contract with White Paper should still exist...
Pity, contract creatures aren't messengers, only the contractee can summon them, otherwise, I'd summon White Paper to see its condition...
Using Aurore's words, seeing something left behind makes you think of that person? Or, liking someone so much you even like their pets?
Eh, it's not that I can't summon, since the Termiboros sealed inside me and I are one, Aurore's soul shard must be too, my summoning is as if Aurore is doing it... Thinking this, Lumian abruptly sat up.
In the darkness, he set up an altar and chanted the spell in the appropriate language: "I!
“I summon in my name: "The spirit that wanders about the unfounded, a friendly creature that can be subordinated, the weak ball that can telepathically connect with me..."
As the incantation echoed, the candlelight flickered gently, but nothing happened.
With Spirit Vision active, Lumian didn't see White Paper that had appeared in his dreams.
Sigh... He lay back down, disappointed.
As time ticked by, the sleepless Lumian suddenly became alert, feeling not the slightest fatigue.
It was six in the morning.
Lumian got up silently and began to clean up the altar.
Just then, a “doll" messenger in a light-gold dress emerged from the void, dropping a dark coin pouch and a folded square letter onto the table.
Is this the reward from Miss Magician? One of them is a Traveler's Bag? Lumian perked up, grabbing the dark coin pouch.
The "doll" messenger glanced at him, pinched her nose and said, "Drunkard! Your clothes stink!"
Uh... Lumian, who hadn't bathed or changed clothes last night, cleared his throat awkwardly in embarrassment and thanked her.
After the "doll" messenger left, he continued to check the rewards.
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