The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 76: Sound

When Lumian first acquired those pieces of esoteric knowledge, what he looked forward to the most was the "Ghost Exorcism Ritual." It seemed like the perfect solution for dealing with Susanna Mattis, assuming she hadn't already been completely eliminated by official Beyonders.

However, after thoroughly going through the "Ghost Exorcism Ritual," Lumian realized he'd been too optimistic.

This ritual magic can indeed drive away vengeful spirits and even malevolent entities, preventing them from lingering, but it comes with two prerequisites: first, knowing the ghost's true name and having an item they carried frequently during their life; and second, having enough time to perform the ritual.

The second prerequisite meant that the Ghost Exorcism Ritual couldn't be used in the heat of battle. It was more suitable for situations like Charles repeatedly dreaming about Susanna Mattis—being haunted by a vengeful spirit or malevolent entity, but not in immediate danger.

As of now, Lumian hadn't been significantly harmed by Susanna Mattis; at most, she seemed to have her eyes on him. The ritual had no target and, therefore, no ghost to exorcise.

When Susanna Mattis attacks again, she certainly won't treat Lumian gently, draining his energy through a series of dreams and gradually leading him to his death. Given her previous display of hatred and obsession, she will undoubtedly strike directly, using various supernatural abilities to ensure her target is killed on the spot.

In such a scenario, Lumian wouldn't have the time to perform the Ghost Exorcism Ritual unless someone helped him hold her off for a couple of minutes.

Should he involve the official Beyonders? But that would mean exposing himself to the authorities, leading to significant trouble later on...

"Or perhaps I could have Charles sacrifice himself, using sweet words to soothe Susanna Mattis and keep her occupied in the real world. The longer he can stall, the greater the chance I can complete the Ghost Exorcism Ritual.

But haha, this idea seems strange, like something out of an underground novel," Lumian muttered to himself.

Although the current Intis Republic claims to champion freedom, it's not all that free in reality.

On the one hand, they want to prevent Roselle worshippers from seeking a restoration, stop the Carbon Party from attempting to overthrow the current regime, and maintain the ruling party's authority. On the other hand, they are also under pressure from the relatively conservative Church of Steam and Machinery and the Eternal Blazing Sun Church. As a result, the Intis Republic has strict publishing censorship policies.

They even assign spies or recruit certain authors to monitor active creators, ensuring they don't promote content that undermines the ruling party's image, or include overly explicit material or harsh criticism of the church in their works.

Where there's prohibition, there's transgression. Trier has developed a thriving underground literature market, which has spread to other provinces.

Aurora once bought a few such books out of curiosity and prevented her brother from reading them, hiding them in the most secretive corner of the bookshelf. But where there's prohibition, there's transgression. Lumian secretly read one of them and was deeply shocked.

The book was a mix of church criticism, attacks on the clergy's lavish and decadent lifestyles, and erotic content. It was titled *The Monk Chasing the Dog*.

Lumian's idea of using Charles to seduce Susanna Mattis just now had the same flavor as some of this underground literature.

Moreover, without something Susanna Mattis carried frequently during her life as a medium, he could try to find out where her belongings were left in the coming days. Even if he couldn't ultimately use them, it's better to be prepared.