The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 200: Human Blood Bread

Some of the Trier citizens watching were quite curious and started asking those around them about the event, while others watched with excitement, making it hard for Lumian to distinguish who was enjoying the spectacle of his prank and who was simply looking for some entertainment.

This was just the way of Trier. Lumian thought that even someone as skilled as Ms. Susie, a higher-ranked "Psychologist," wouldn't be able to figure out who among the rowdy crowd was stirring up trouble, mocking, or deliberately offering wrong suggestions, and who were genuine bystanders just going along with the mood.

Although Lumian had anticipated this situation, he couldn't help but sigh, "Ah, you Trier folk..."

No wonder the "April Fool's" group liked holding private gatherings here. It was like fish returning to water.

Giving up his observation, Lumian casually picked out a middle-aged man who was dipping a piece of rye bread into the blood left by the executed prisoners. Once the man started running toward one of the exits of the Rua Execution Grounds, Lumian silently followed.

They soon arrived at a quiet, secluded alley blocked by makeshift barricades. Lumian swiftly circled ahead of the man, cutting him off. The middle-aged man wore a worn linen shirt and had short black hair and a gaunt face.

Lumian raised his bandaged left hand and, with the intimidating posture of a gangster looking down on ordinary folk, asked, "What are you holding?"

The middle-aged man, visibly intimidated, hesitantly replied, "It's... it's bread dipped in the blood of the executed."

"What's it for?" Lumian feigned curiosity, playing the role of a passing gangster.

The man's fear became more apparent as he stammered, "It... it can cure diseases."

"Who told you that?" This was what Lumian really wanted to know.

The man answered blankly, "I heard it from Guillaume, a neighbor. He said one of his coworker's kids got better after eating this kind of human blood bread."

A neighbor's coworker's child... To Lumian, this sounded no different from a rumor. Tracing it back to its source would be no easy task.

Gazing at the man holding the blood-soaked bread, Lumian asked thoughtfully, "Is someone in your family sick?"

"Yes," the man instantly grew despondent, his face filled with pain.

He glanced at the bread in his hand, hope rekindling in his eyes.

After a few moments of silence, Lumian asked, "What did the doctor say?"

The man lowered his head slightly, staring at the bloodied bread, and muttered, "The doctor said there's no cure, and I don't have the money for treatment..."

Lumian didn't press him further. He quietly stepped aside, allowing the man to walk past the barricades and through the deserted alley, still clutching the blood-stained bread.

Lumian slowly returned to the Rua Execution Grounds and found that the "market" hadn't dispersed yet. Many citizens were taking the opportunity to picnic, sing, and dance, turning the area into an impromptu gathering.

He moved to the edge of the packed dirt square, hiding among the trees, sitting in the shadows, silently watching the comings and goings of the crowd.

As time passed, the "market" inside the execution grounds gradually thinned out, and the sun sank low, touching the horizon and casting the surroundings into a dim twilight.

Hidden in the shadows, Lumian watched as the last of the citizens and vendors left, but he saw no one suspicious.

When true darkness fell, and the Rua Execution Grounds was completely empty except for the crimson glow of the moon, Lumian slowly stood up, ready to leave.