Circle of Inevitability

With The Hanged Man present, Lumian didn't need to worry about an attack from the Armored Shadow. Instead, he followed a straightforward procedure: creating a protective wall of spirituality and summoning the Armored Shadow as if beckoning a messenger.

Before the candle's dark-green flame, an indistinct shadow silently hovered in midair, adorned in pitch-black armor adorned with golden fish scales.

The contorted faces on the scales twisted ferociously, wordlessly expressing their agony, which had transformed into a deep-seated hatred and malice toward all living beings around them.

The Hanged Man Alger, dressed as a sailor, took a step forward, and subtle silver lightning bolts crackled from the wall of spirituality.

In an instant, they materialized out of thin air, causing Lumian and Franca's skin to prickle.

Amidst the oppressive calm preceding the impending storm, the myriad transparent faces on the Armored Shadow returned to their silence, but their malevolent gazes persisted.

Lumian fixed his gaze on the six radiant gold bars on the altar, steadying himself. In Hermes, he spoke, "I offer a sacrifice. Please answer three questions."

The blurry faces on the Armored Shadow's form shifted their attention to the glowing gold, silently conveying their agreement to Lumian.

Lumian then nodded at The Hanged Man.

After a brief pause, The Hanged Man posed his first question, "Who are you?"

Lumian repeated the query in Hermes. As his contracted creature, the Armored Shadow would only engage in communication under these circumstances.

After a moment of silence, the Armored Shadow spoke in a language that only Franca could barely decipher.

"I am Chen Tu, the God of Ghost Suppression, imperially conferred by the Celestial Master."

Celestial Master… Franca paused, considering her words carefully.

"His last name is Chen and his first name is Tu; he holds the title of the God of Ghost Suppression, which was granted by the leader of Daoism. He is responsible for suppressing evil spirits."

"What is Daoism?" The Hanged Man inquired after some thought.

"What does 'imperially conferred' mean?" Lumian turned to Franca and asked in Intisian.

To him, referring to as an '-ism', regardless of the prefix, seemed no different from the Church of The Fool or the Eternal Blazing Sun Church.

Franca appeared troubled.

"It's a complex topic. We can discuss it later. I'm afraid the Armored Shadow may not have the patience to wait."

That's true… Lumian cast his gaze at Mr. Hanged Man.

The Hanged Man paused briefly before asking the second question, which Lumian translated into Hermes. "What makes the eastern sea so special?"

In a deep and solemn tone, the Armored Shadow replied, "In the East Sea, there's a long-lost immortal mountain known as Penglai."

Penglai… It's really my homeland… Franca was delighted by this revelation. Her translation speed increased as she continued, "On the eastern sea, there's a mountain peak inhabited by various powerful warlocks and unique deities. It has been lost to history, and its name is Penglai."

Both Lumian and The Hanged Man found these words to be straightforward and didn't raise any further questions.

After a brief pause, The Hanged Man Alger asked in a deliberate manner, "Have there been any unusual occurrences in the eastern sea in recent years?"

In recent years? How could the Armored Shadow be aware of recent events when he was suspected to have been killed by the Underworld Daoist, imprisoned by his side, and transported to the Yellow Springs millennia ago? It's a time when the Blood Emperor had just perished or recently perished. Franca quietly mused on this but refrained from correcting The Hanged Man.

Lumian repeated the question, and the Armored Shadow responded with a cold tone, "A corpse from Penglai floated over via the river…"

Franca was taken aback and quickly translated, "The mountain called Penglai has reappeared. A powerful warlock or special deity residing on it has perished, and their corpse drifted to a place that might be the River Styx! It's—it's the river where Blood Emperor Alista Tudor was suppressed by Underworld Daoist. It's the source of the Samaritan Women's Spring!"

Does this mean that the eastern sea of the world where the Armored Shadow resides has undergone an abnormality in recent years? The long-vanished divine mountain, Penglai, has reappeared, and powerful Beyonders residing there have perished? Has the mountain known as Penglai always stood tall in the East Sea, or does it only appear occasionally? Lumian yearned to inquire further, but he couldn't ask any more questions due to the rules pertaining to summoning.

The six gold bars on the altar disintegrated, turning into sparkling specks of light that merged with the pitch-black fish-scale armor.

This time, nearly one-fifth of the armor plates turned golden and radiant.

The Hanged Man observed as the Armored Shadow faded into the dark-green candle flame. He remained silent, lost in thought, his intentions unclear.

Lumian completed the ritual and swiftly tidied up the altar. Turning to Franca, he said, "You can explain the terms in the first answer."

You're killing me! Franca grumbled silently and pondered for a moment before saying, "An imperial conferment is equivalent to a boon. Yes, a boon!

"This Armored Shadow named Chen Tu was granted a position within the Church or a deity's kingdom. Through this role, he gained the corresponding powers to suppress evil spirits.

"It's not a direct gift from a deity but rather a ceremonial act performed by the leader of that school of thought, acting on behalf of the deity and bestowing a specific title."

Lumian listened attentively and started to grasp the concept of imperial conferment.

This more structured boon system not only linked the power of boons to a specific role but also emphasized the role of the deity's proxy.

Franca exhaled and said, "That's the basic idea. There are many more intricacies if you delve deeper into it. It's a complex topic that can't be fully explained in a short time. Terms like the Heavenly Court, the Netherworld, Ritual Protocols, Receiving Scriptures, and others are related, but I'm not well-versed in all of them. My knowledge is limited to individual terms."

Seeing Mr. Hanged Man and Lumian still staring at her, her heart skipped a beat.

"You really want me to explain all of it?"

The Hanged Man nodded slightly.

"I understand it might be challenging to explain on the spot, and there may be inaccuracies. You can take your time to recollect and organize the information when you return. It might be helpful to put it in writing and convey it to me through your Major Arcana card holder."

"Alright." Franca was relieved that The Hanged Man was understanding and accommodating. He seemed skilled at considering things from another person's perspective. She then grumbled silently,

Why did I agree so quickly…

The Hanged Man exuded a sense of dignity without arrogance as he smiled and said, "Once you've prepared the written information, you can think about what kind of compensation you'd like."

Franca had several desires, including a mystical item similar to the Spell of Harrumph, a Sealed Artifact that could enable teleportation, and the Sequence 5 Demoness of Affliction potion formula.

She found herself in a dilemma, as she had considered the reward in advance and had almost forgotten to explain the term "Daoism" until Lumian reminded her.

After careful consideration, Franca provided a succinct explanation, "Daoism is a school of thought that venerates the natural laws and the corresponding philosophy that shapes them into unique deities for worship. Their leader is called the Celestial Master, which essentially means a teacher who comprehends the world's operating laws and spreads that knowledge. The 'ways of heaven' refers to the operating laws and corresponding philosophy of the world I mentioned earlier."

Lumian attempted to distill the main point, asking, "So, Celestial Masters are akin to leaders like pontiffs, popes, chief shepherds, and matriarchs, with different titles depending on the denomination?"

Franca hesitated for a moment before confirming, "You could put it that way."

As long as one didn't contemplate joining Daoism, this simplified explanation was sufficient to understand the basic concept.

Lumian nodded.

"It seems like a Celestial Master and an Underworld Daoist are on a similar level."

"I agree," Franca agreed.

During their conversation, The Hanged Man, Alger, rarely interrupted. He mostly listened quietly, occasionally expressing his thoughts or asking questions, which allowed the conversation to flow smoothly. Lumian and Franca shared a lot of information in one go.

Finally, the Major Arcana card holder looked at Lumian and asked, "The Armored Shadow's three answers have been very helpful. What would you like as a reward?"

Very helpful? Apart from allowing us to gain a better understanding of that world and know that the missing Penglai divine mountain has reappeared, there's nothing of practical use… Lumian kept to Madam Magician's advice and said without hesitation, "I would like the opportunity to explore this ghost ship."

Franca was surprised by Lumian's request. Her initial shock was quickly replaced by excitement.

I want it too. I want the opportunity to pilot the ghost ship and study it!

The Hanged Man glanced at Lumian and remarked, "As I expected, you've already sensed the uniqueness of the Blue Avenger. It's one of the Tudor Empire's relics. Would you like to explore it now?"

Before Lumian could respond, the deep voice of Termiboros echoed in his mind, "Dangerous."n).(.(-(..--/1.-n

Danger… For real? Is Termiboros merely concerned about being implicated by me, so He warned me? Or is He afraid that I might gain something special during my exploration of the Blue Avenger, potentially disrupting Trier's potential catastrophe and foiling His scheme? Lumian was momentarily unsure if he should believe Termiboros's words.

Termiboros continued in a deep voice, "If you wish to resurrect Alista Tudor within your body, you can explore it now."

Lumian didn't pay much attention to Termiboros's words. He recalled Madam Magician's prior hint: I can decide when to begin the exploration…

Does this mean I should consider delaying it? Otherwise, why mention it at all? Just request the reward to be a chance of an exploration… Perhaps Aurore's philosophy of balance is at play here. My current negative effects are temporarily balanced, so there's no rush to strengthen the Blood Emperor's aura… As a Conspirer, Lumian quickly made a decision.

"Mr. Hanged Man, I'd like to explore the Blue Avenger at an opportune moment."

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