The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 197: Path Change

The digestion of the "Arsonist" potion had progressed much more than Lumian had expected. This was likely because triggering the aura of "Blood Emperor" Alyssta Tudor without any protection was equivalent to setting a fire in Trier, and it was burning down Saint Viève Cathedral or even the main headquarters of the "God of Steam and Machinery" Church.

Hela watched the crimson flames devour the flesh and worms for a few seconds, then turned to Franca and said:

"Now, can you talk about the clues related to the crossing?"

Franca nodded and organized her thoughts before speaking:

"Charles had once attempted a special summoning ritual. Due to an accident, he ended up summoning a shadow that seemed to come from my and 'Muggle's' homeland and even made a pact with it.

After learning about this, I had Charles summon it again to try and communicate with the shadow.

"That shadow's language was indeed quite close to my homeland's. When we asked where it came from, it said, 'The Blood Emperor disturbs the Underworld, the Nether Daoist sacrifices himself to the River.'

Franca explained the latter sentence in Intisian.

Hela quietly listened and then turned her gaze to Lumian:

"A remnant of the 'Blood Emperor' Alyssta Tudor? The one pulling the sleeve back is the Nether Daoist?"

"We're guessing so," Lumian answered briefly, indicating that Franca already knew about the "Samaritan Woman's Spring" incident, so there was no need to be too vague.

"Nether Daoist..." Hela softly repeated the term.

Franca continued sharing their speculations, suspecting that the ethereal river behind the spring might be connected to the world where the members of their "Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society" originally came from.

Hela remained silent, her eyes, tinged with a dark hue, flickered with tiny sparks, as though a galaxy was hidden within them.

"That's pretty much it. Once we clear out the traitor within the Research Society, I'll share the information with everyone." Franca thought for a few seconds, then reminded Hela, "Besides the 'April Fool's,' Loki's allies might still be lurking in other groups, acting normal during regular activities, not causing trouble, but playing a key role at critical moments."

Hela lightly nodded and said:

"I'll discuss this matter with Gandalf and the others."

She then looked at Lumian:

"If there's nothing else, I'll take you back to the surface."

Lumian withdrew his gaze from the flames and exhaled, saying:

"I need to deal with this first."

He crouched down and placed his hands on the ground in front of Loki's corpse.

With a rumbling sound, accompanied by a dull explosion and the earth trembling slightly, the ground that held the flesh and worms suddenly collapsed, burying everything in a pile of mud and rocks.

Seeing this, Franca nodded in realization.

This way, the remaining contamination on Loki's body wouldn't be encountered by any cave explorers who might pass by later.

She helped move the bodies of the two puppets, hesitating whether or not to pull out the wraith's teeth and nails.

These were excellent spiritual materials, ideal for crafting extraordinary weapons.