The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 81: Morbidity

Austa never doubted that Charles could handle the water monster, but what surprised him was how easily Charles did it and how brutally he behaved, like an adult beating a child.

The question that had arisen in Austa's mind before came up again: What pathway and sequence does Charles belong to? Why is he not only so strong in combat but also seems to possess powerful divination abilities?

In the area covered with dark red and pale yellow stains, Lumian squatted down, drew out the ritual silver dagger, inserted it into the gaping wound, and began cutting off chunks of the water monster's flesh, placing them into the pre-prepared empty wooden boxes one by one.

After filling two boxes and collecting the scales that emitted a faint blue glow, he took out a small metal bottle and began collecting the monster's blood that continued to flow.

Seeing this, Austa cautiously approached the water monster step by step and waited nearby.

Before long, Lumian stood up, turned around, and began walking back along the path they had come.

Austa Truell quickly squatted down and started gathering blood, scales, and organs that he believed were rich in spirituality.

From time to time, he glanced at Lumian, noticing that the distance between them was increasing and that Lumian had no intention of stopping to wait for him.

This made Austa nervous and flustered. After all, based on the earlier performance, the water monster that Charles had easily dealt with could probably have easily dealt with him as well. If he were to be left alone on the banks of the underground river in the dark and encountered another monster attracted by the scent of blood, it would spell big trouble!

Hurriedly packing the materials he had cut, Austa didn't dare stay any longer. He painfully abandoned the remaining ninety percent of the water monster's corpse and quickly followed Lumian.

Once the light from their carbide lamps disappeared down the road, the area returned to darkness, with only the sound of water endlessly echoing.

No one knows how much time passed before a few university students, seeking thrills in the underground, passed by carrying kerosene lamps.

They saw the slightly damaged stone wall, noticed the mess on the road with many broken fragments, but aside from that, everything was as quiet and peaceful as ever—no water monster's corpse, no bloodstains.

After saying goodbye to Austa Truell, Lumian took a public horse cart back to the market district.

After retrieving other materials from Room 207 at the "Golden Rooster Inn," he carried the carbide lamp and re-entered the underground world.

His destination was the cavernous quarry where he had held the ritual last time. He needed to make the mysterious potion required for the "Prophecy Ritual" before nightfall, so that he could visit the nearest hospital and find a freshly deceased corpse in the morgue.

As he continued descending deeper into the layer that roughly replicated the surface layout, Lumian suddenly slowed down.

By the light of the carbide lamp, he noticed some fresh, relatively distinct footprints on the slightly damp road.

"Heavy footprints..." Lumian observed for a moment, silently muttering to himself in confusion.

Based on the footprints alone, he estimated that the person who had just passed weighed over 100 kilograms or was carrying something heavy.

"Who could it be? What are they doing underground? A smuggler?" Lumian speculated but had no intention of tracking them.

The underground world of Trier was always busy with people coming and going. If he paid attention to every footprint, he'd exhaust himself.