The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 10: Meditation

Madame Pualis didn't chat with Aurore for long. After about ten minutes, they both emerged from the study.

Lumian accompanied his sister and escorted Madame Pualis to the front door.

He then turned to Aurore and asked, "What did she ask you to help with?"

Aurore pursed her lips and replied, "She wanted me to lead the singing at the Praise Ceremony, but I refused."

In Cordu Village, Lent has three key events: first is the "Spring Elf" Blessing Parade, second is the Waterside Ritual, and third is the Praise Ceremony held inside the church, which mainly involves instrumental performances and choral singing.

In the Dallige region, the lead singer is usually someone from the church choir, but since Cordu Village lacks this, they have to find someone who's good at singing to take the role.

As for the instrumental part, the villagers have no worries. In villages with a shepherding tradition, music, or rather, musical instruments, are an essential part of daily life.

You see, shepherds often spend long periods outdoors, either staying in shacks or digging pits. Apart from their companions and sheep, the only thing they regularly interact with is the flute they carry with them.

Besides herding, playing cards, and chatting, almost every shepherd would play the flute to soothe their soul with music.

This is why a phrase describing a shepherd in a dire situation is, "He doesn't even have a flute."

With so many shepherds around, it's natural that the other villagers in Cordu would be influenced. When they gather in the square to chat, someone inevitably plays an instrument, and the melodious tunes echo through the air.

"Alright." Lumian felt a sense of relief seeing his sister's firm resolve.

Those celebrations are fun to watch, but being the center of attention not only wastes time but also invites unnecessary scrutiny.

To protect his eyesight, Lumian chose to wash up and go to bed after only reading for a short while under the dim light of an oil lamp. He carefully considered how to safely test what special abilities he might possess in the dream world.

That lady's repeated suggestions had been incredibly accurate, causing him to trust her words completely.

In the still of the night, Lumian once again entered the dream world and woke up there.

He patted his pockets out of habit, counting and confirming that his loot of 217 fils and 25 kopeks was still there.

With a sigh of relief, Lumian grabbed his ax and steel fork, clattered downstairs, and headed straight for the stove.

The fire had already gone out.

"When I'm not dreaming, the clock here keeps ticking..." Lumian frowned slightly.

In such a "real" dream, how could he have any special abilities?

— "The clock keeps ticking" is a saying in the Dallige region, meaning time never stops for humans; it keeps flowing forward.

Lumian returned to what he considered the safest bedroom, set down the ax and steel fork, and quickly stripped off his clothes.

Then, he stood in front of the full-length mirror attached to the wardrobe and meticulously examined his body, inch by inch, looking for any differences compared to reality.

There was nothing unusual.

"Mental abilities, perhaps?" Lumian didn't bother to put his clothes back on. Instead, he went straight to bed, sitting cross-legged as his sister had taught him.