Leah and Valentine asked Ryan in unison, "How is it?"
Although they had already believed Lumian's words, it was inevitable for people to hope for luck. They still held onto the hope that perhaps the problem wasn't that serious because the kid wasn't knowledgeable enough to exaggerate.
Ryan looked around and saw that there was no one else around the elm tree. He spoke in a low voice, "I was afraid to ask too directly. I only know that the real date is already late April. I don't know the exact date."
Leah and Valentine fell silent.
They had indeed fallen into a strange time loop!
Judging from the various files and information, this was definitely not something the three of them should face or deal with.
They were seasoned Beyonders who had handled many Beyonder incidents. It was the first time they had encountered such a serious and abnormal situation.
Leah couldn't help but turn to look at Lumian. "What kind of place is Cordu?"
There were abnormalities everywhere, each more exaggerated than the last!
"I don't know either." Lumian had an "innocent" expression. "Before the loop, this place was beautiful and the people were simple. Everyone was normal and hospitable."
He didn't tell the three foreigners that the person standing before them was also one of the abnormalities.
Ryan sighed and said, "I've never encountered so many abnormalities at once, and every one of them is serious."
"This is the most dangerous situation I've ever faced," echoed Valentine.
Lumian was already a little numb to this. He sneered and said, "It's normal that you haven't encountered it before, because those who have encountered one are dead."
"…" Leah looked at him with a smile. "Don't say anything if you can't say something nice. People like you won't survive past childhood elsewhere."
"Killed in the cradle?" Lumian mocked himself and asked Ryan, "Did you get an answer about the deputy padre?"
Ryan nodded.
"In the past few years, similar legends have emerged in various places across the Northern and Southern Continents.
"Legend has it that Heaven banished a group of sinful elves to the ground. They can only reside within human bodies, hoping to redeem their sins and gain absolution before returning to Heaven.
"In some versions of the legend, these elves appear as translucent lizards.
"However, the elf I'm referring to is not the ancient elf race. It is more akin to a mixture of fairies and various spirits."
Again in recent years? Lumian recalled that the legend of Madame Night had only surfaced recently.
What was wrong with this world?
He pondered for a moment before asking, "Did they specify which deity's Heaven it is?"
Ryan shook his head.
"What's remarkable is that every person who claims to have seen an elf believes it is from the kingdom of their local deity."
The local deity referred to the orthodox gods of the local faith.
Heavens of different deities? Lumian gazed up at the azure sky.
Did that lizard-like elf come from the sky?
However, according to Aurore, beyond the sky lay the cosmos. Each star represented a world.
So, were these extraterrestrial beings?
Or were they from an astral plane beyond mysticism?
As Lumian's thoughts raced, he asked curiously, "In some versions of the legend, these elves appear as translucent lizards. What about the other details?"
Ryan shook his head once more.
"That's all they could uncover in a short period. They may need to communicate with headquarters for more information."
Leah pondered and spoke, "I am familiar with the legend of elves."
"I once met a native of Lenburg who shared that farmers in many regions of the south-central zone have reported mischievous fairies in recent years. These creatures known as Alpes would vandalize their homes and fields or play pranks on them."
The south-central zone referred to the area where Lenburg, Masin, Segar, and other small countries were located. It also included a few areas in the Intis Republic, the Loen Kingdom, and the Feynapotter Kingdom.
Most of them were located in the highlands, mountains, forests, areas filled with ruins and legends.
Lumian listened attentively and concluded, This is not an isolated phenomenon…
"Each elf seems to have their unique way of causing trouble," Ryan mused. "And the lizards that inhabit human bodies are perhaps the most malevolent. It is uncertain if they are the most dangerous. With so many abnormalities in Cordu, the parasitic elf shouldn't be an isolated phenomenon. Perhaps someone wants to use it to control the deputy padre."
Very clear line of thinking… Lumian looked at the villagers who were returning home after finishing their work and said to Leah and the others, "Meet me behind the hill where the administrator's castle is at 3:30 p.m.
"Will you join me to search for clues?"
"Of course," Ryan agreed.
Leah, however, called out to Lumian before he left, "Is that all? You should brief us on the situation in the castle, its inhabitants, and Madame Pualis' abnormality. We cannot explore and search without preparation."
Lumian did not want to recall Madame Pualis' matters, but he had to admit that Leah's request made sense. He had to endure the discomfort and tell them the entire story.
Ryan and the others were mentally prepared, but they still looked a little dull upon hearing the tale.
Leah lightened the mood with her tinkling laughter.
"It does not matter to me. I might experience such a thing in the future. This is an opportunity that most men never encounter. You must cherish it."
However, Valentine ignored her joke and whispered with a cold expression, "All of this needs to be purified—purified!"
Lumian did not want to provoke Valentine and waved his hand.
"See you in the afternoon."
After taking a few steps, Lumian turned around to look at Ryan warily and asked, "Did Bertrand have any knowledge of the contents of your telegram?"
Bertrand was responsible for the telegraph, and if he knew about the date and the legend of the elves, it meant that the administrator knew as well. And if the administrator knew, Madame Pualis would know too.
"Don't worry," Ryan said reassuringly. "We have a secret code. He won't be able to decipher it."
Lumian breathed a sigh of relief only then and left the village square, heading back to his building.
As he walked a distance away, he spotted Ava Lizier herding a flock of white geese back home.
"Hey there, isn't this our Spring Elf?" Lumian tried to push the bloody and cruel scenes from the Lent celebration out of his mind and greeted Ava with his usual quip.
Ava seemed a little embarrassed.
"I haven't been chosen yet!"
Her exquisite facial features made her grayish-white dress look less rustic.
"That won't be a problem," Lumian said with a smile. "Reimund and I will help you campaign for votes."
Ava looked surprised. "You don't know?"
"What don't I know?" Lumian's heart skipped a beat.
Had something happened in the village that wasn't a part of the "historical" process?
Ava observed his expression and suspected that he was teasing her.
After a few seconds, the girl frowned in concern and said, "Reimund's missing. You didn't know?"
"Huh?" Lumian was so shocked that he couldn't hide his expression as usual.
In the previous, previous cycle, he and Reimund Greg had met almost every day from the second day of March 30th until April 5th, Lent.
Back then, they had followed the waterside ritual procedure to lift Reimund, who had thrown the last offering, and throw him into the river. Like the others in the past, Reimund swam further away and could only return home after leaving the ritual site. He wouldn't leave the house until night.
In the two cycles that followed, Lumian had too much to do and didn't have time to find Reimund.
But now, Ava was telling him that Reimund was missing today!
This was something that had never happened in the previous, previous cycle!
Upon seeing Lumian's expression, Ava's aqua-blue eyes cleared of confusion.
"You really have no idea… Reimund's father may come to you today to ask where Reimund has gone."
Lumian suppressed the tumultuous waves in his heart and asked, "When did Reimund disappear?"
Could it be that something happened because I didn't follow the historical process of finding him?
"Two days ago," Ava recalled. "It's said that he didn't return after leaving the house in the afternoon of the 29th. His family assumed he was at Ol' Tavern or chatting with the Greenwatchers. They only began searching for him last night. They should be asking you today…"
She paused and lowered her voice.
"They suspect Reimund of sneaking away because he doesn't want to learn how to shepherd."
They think I instigated him, and are questioning me later? Lumian roughly understood what had happened.
The afternoon of the 29th reminded him of the beginning of the cycle.
The last two cycles had started on the afternoon of the 29th!
In other words, Reimund disappeared from the beginning of the cycle? This means that perhaps no one deliberately changed the course of history because it was too late… Then why is there such an anomaly and difference? Lumian fell into deep thought.
Ava glanced at him and asked softly, "Do you know where Reimund went?"
"I haven't seen him in the past few days," Lumian said truthfully.
He began to suspect that Reimund's disappearance had something to do with being thrown into the river during the previous, previous cycle.
However, it was impossible for Reimund to leave Cordu because of this. That would trigger the loop.
After bidding farewell to Ava, Lumian forced himself to remain calm and returned home.
He couldn't be bothered to discuss anything else. Initially, he divulged Reimund's disappearance to Aurore.
Aurore's countenance turned solemn as she furrowed her brows and whispered, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten about this person…"
She donned a simple rose-red dress and paced back and forth. Lumian began to contemplate potential reasons.
After a while, Aurore gazed at her brother and uttered solemnly, "I recollect that the crux of the Lent Waterside ritual is to offer sacrifices to the concept of a water source symbolized by the river. Is it probable that Reimund, who was thrown into the water, was also regarded as a sacrifice and was taken away by a certain entity?
"Subsequently, as there was no corresponding tangible reward, the cycle portrayed his absence as a disappearance."
Lumian shook his head. "That will trigger the cycle."
Humans departing Cordu and the surrounding vicinity acted as a trigger.
Aurore asked in a profound voice, "What if it's in the form of a corpse?"
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