The sudden change and the frenzied aura that had affected Lumian instinctively made him withdraw his consciousness from the scar on his right palm.
The anomaly ceased, and everything returned to normal.
Lumian surveyed his surroundings, concerned that the aura might attract unwanted attention.
At that moment, the room fell unusually silent, and the surroundings dimmed slightly, as if a layer of dark-colored soundproof glass had been added.
Lumian relaxed and turned his gaze back to Madam Magician.
"What happened?"
"The trace carries the aura of Alista Tudor, but it has no practical effect. It can't intimidate others or make them submit." Madam Magician held a cup filled with Kirsch and smiled. "With the Niese Face, you can act as The Blood Emperor at Théâtre de l'Ancienne Cage à Pigeons."
It could only be used for acting or to frighten people under specific situations? Lumian nodded thoughtfully.
"What kind of negative effects will these traces have on me?"
Madam Magician chuckled.
"You'll become crazier, more ferocious, and more impulsive, but you're not lacking in those qualities already."
What she meant was that you have many similar negative effects. As long as they don't exceed the limit, there wouldn't be any problems. Or rather, you are already used to it, so it couldn't get any worse.
"That's good." Lumian heaved a sigh of relief.
Madam Magician took a sip of Kirsch and reminded him, "For now, you mainly rely on your perseverance and Alms Monk endurance to suppress the negative effects and maintain your normal state. However, when the time is right, you need to vent. It's like a reservoir. You can't keep accumulating water. You have to find an opportunity to release a portion. Otherwise, if you accumulate it day by day, it will either break the dam or spill out of the reservoir, leaving behind psychological problems."
That's true. While Alms Monk's subsequent advancement to Ascetic emphasizes endurance and accumulation, there's also an explosive aspect… Lumian understood Madam Magician's words.
Simultaneously, he thought of something.
After joining the Iron and Blood Cross Order, he would inevitably explore Underground Trier. Although he possessed the Blood Emperor's aura and had the qualifications to enter specific places and open certain treasures, would he trigger more abnormalities and encounter more danger?
Lumian expressed his concerns, and Madam Magician nodded slightly.
"This is a completely foreseeable discovery.
"Like, uh, as the saying goes, it's both a boon and a curse."
"If you don't want to take such a risk, pray to Mr. Fool again in two or three days and ask him to help you eliminate Alista Tudor's aura. Remember, you must specify that it's the aura of a high-level Beyonder of the Hunter pathway to prevent any misunderstandings of removing any unnecessary things during the surgery."
"Can't I clear it with my daily 6 a.m. reset?" Lumian asked out of habit.
Madam Magician shook her head.
"It can't reset an aura of this level."
Lumian fell into deep thought, contemplating whether to retain Alista Tudor's bloodline aura or use a ritual to remove it.
Recalling that entering the underground to search for the Fourth Epoch Trier would undoubtedly be a mission assigned by the Iron and Blood Cross Order, and triggering an abnormality was highly likely, he steeled his resolve and chose to keep the bright red scar on his right palm.
Unlike other members of the Iron and Blood Cross Order who had been corrupted by the building at 13 Alista, only Alista Tudor's bloodline aura could allow him to withstand the same underground "treatment" as the corrupted without losing his sanity.
As for the potential dangers, he was concerned, but he could only choose the option with fewer disadvantages.
In any case, searching for the entrance to the Fourth Epoch Trier wasn't his sole mission. When the time came, many members of the Iron and Blood Cross Order would undoubtedly join the effort. Gardner Martin might even lead the team. If the sky collapsed, they would all face it together!
Seeing that Lumian had made up his mind, Madam Magician didn't say anything else and quietly savored her Kirsch.
Lumian then inquired about something else.
"That group of Monette Islander swindlers, or rather, the people at Salle de Bal Unique? Could it be that they want me to obtain Alista Tudor's bloodline aura and open a treasure trove in the future? But why not obtain it themselves? They've already stolen the Earth Blood ore, and they can clearly enter the area around the Samaritan Women's Spring."
"Perhaps it's too dangerous for them, and they don't want to try it themselves. If you fail, it could unleash the Blood Emperor's remnant spirit. If you succeed, they just have to wait until you find the treasure," Madam Magician replied with a smile.
"Ushering in the Blood Emperor's remnant spirit?" Lumian expressed his puzzlement. "Back then, I felt that as long as I came into contact with the pale-white spring water, I would die immediately and completely. I probably can't become a vessel for the Blood Emperor's resurrection."
Madam Magician pondered for a moment and said, "Normally, that should be the case, but since you're a Hunter and possess Mr. Fool's seal and an angel from the Inevitability domain, once you're dragged into the spring and fused with the Blood Emperor's remnant spirit, it might trigger an unpredictable explosion, allowing Alista Tudor's figure to escape its restraints and prevent death from imprisoning Him."
Lumian pondered Madam Magician's words and felt that the more he thought about it, the more questions arose, making him feel more terrified.
Madam Magician gently swirled her glass.
"That was just my guess. The true motives of those at Salle de Bal Unique remain to be confirmed. It might even be a prank that could endanger your life to interfere with our judgment of other matters.
"In short, you have to be vigilant. Don't relax just because you feel that the other party has achieved their goal."
Lumian tersely acknowledged, indicating that he wouldn't let his guard down.
In fact, even if Madam Magician hadn't mentioned it, he would have taken precautions against the Islander swindler who always appeared underground at critical moments.
This guy was close to traumatizing him.
"Should we report the anomaly at Salle de Bal Unique to the two Churches?" Lumian inquired.
Madam Magician wore a peculiar expression as she replied, "I've been observing the dance hall for some time and realized that most of the people wearing monocles in their right eyes are normal. Only a few are problematic, and the few who are problematic are irregular. It's difficult to lock onto them as they can be one thing today and something else tomorrow.
"Furthermore, no one knows if He is among those who don't wear monocles with their right eye. To completely eliminate Him, we might have to apprehend everyone on that street and those who have visited the dance hall, either destroying or purifying them.
"However, this won't truly finish Him. It will only force Him into the shadows.
"Mr. Fool's Angel of Time is keeping an eye on this matter, hoping to find His most important avatars. Only then can we inflict pain and keep Him in check for a while."
Lumian was abnormally confused. Puzzled, he asked, "What do you mean if He is among those?"
Madam Magician spoke as if the abnormal ones were the same person.
Madam Magician pondered for a few seconds and said, "He has already interacted with you several times. It's necessary for you to understand Him to a certain extent.
"He is the great noble of the Fourth Epoch's Tudor Empire, Amon. He is also the child of the Ancient Sun God, who ruled the entire world in the Third Epoch."
"He's Amon?" Lumian recalled that the Islander swindler, Monette, had crawled out of the tomb of a member of the Amon family.
The person behind him was an ancient angel!
It's no wonder he knows so much about the Fourth Epoch tombs!
Madam Magician nodded.
"He was once a King of Angels and ascended the throne of a deity, but He was defeated by Mr. Fool. Now, He is an ordinary angel.
"He belongs to the Marauder pathway. High-ranking individuals of this pathway have a special ability called Parasitism. It is the separation of a portion of themselves and parasitize the bodies of others. There are shallow levels of Parasitism and deep levels of Parasitism. The latter can allow the host to become an avatar.
"The higher the Sequence, the more targets they can parasitize."
Lumian was alarmed and afraid as he blurted out, "Island swindler Monette has been parasitized by him?"
He was actually a formidable figure who had once fought Mr. Fool!
Madam Magician agreed with Lumian's guess.
"That's right. Every member of the Fourth Epoch Amon family is Amon. The abnormal ones in Salle de Bal Unique are also Amon. The ones who haven't shown any abnormalities are potential Amons, or potential believers of Amon."
Lumian was rendered speechless.
He found it fitting to describe those wearing monocles with their right eyes as bedbugs in Auberge du Coq Doré and cockroaches from the trash.
It was too similar!
Monette had, in a way, risen from his own grave.
"How many avatars does He have?" Lumian inquired after a brief pause.
Madam Magician shook her head and replied, "Since the Fourth Epoch, He has been hunting Beyonders of the Marauder pathway for ages, gathering many characteristics. No one knows how many avatars there are. What you need to remember is that when you encounter an Amon, there are already many Amon lurking around. They can be rats, bedbugs, or even smaller creatures."
"Isn't this perfect for monitoring others?" Lumian's hair stood on end.
He roughly understood why Amon knew he had the Earth Blood ore and could grasp his movements. He also understood why he had felt that something was amiss when he prayed for the boon the last time—the "illusion" of someone watching him.
"What's the approximate Sequence of Amon's avatar?" Lumian asked with lingering fear, recalling his desire to eliminate Monette in the fourth-level tomb.
Madam Magician finished the remaining Kirsch and tossed the glass back into the void.
"He has a way to weaken His avatar, but He's still an angel. You can't underestimate His avatar because of this. Yes, it's similar to a special scene on the third level of the tomb and below. You can determine and treat it according to the specific situation."
Lumian rubbed his temples, feeling a headache brewing. Without a clear understanding of Amon's intentions, every venture into the depths of Underground Trier was risky.
He changed the subject.
"What's the purpose of the Samaritan Women's Spring?"
