Lord of the Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

The sourness of lemon, the tenderness of fish, the burning aroma, the light sweet taste with a bit of fishy smell and grease, all burst into Lumian's mouth in rich layers, much better than he imagined.

He thought that this kind of dish would taste closer to the taste of potion, both unpalatable and stimulating, who knew it could be called a delicacy.

Given a choice, Ludwig really prefers delicious food and will not fool himself... Lumian chewed and swallowed the seven or eight pieces of fish into his stomach.

The slight burning sensation immediately spread from his throat to his stomach, making him feel as if he had drunk a glass of strong liquor.

The feeling quickly subsided and there was no abnormality.

"Is it effective now?" Lumian looked at Ludwig.

Ludwig shook his head:

"Wait another two to three minutes until your stomach absorbs it."

"So fast?" Franka asked in surprise.

It's not that she doesn't respect occultism. Having drunk potions before, she knows that potions take effect instantly. However, Ludwig's food clearly needs the stomach to digest and absorb, which is completely contrary to the working principle of the stomach.

Moreover, the stomach doesn't absorb everything!

Ludwig answered seriously:

"The chef's work can be quickly absorbed by the stomach."

Chef... Lumian nodded thoughtfully.

He remembered that Ludwig often commented on this and that in the tone of a gourmet.

Ludwig didn't explain any more, buried his face in the soup pot in front of him, and ate the pile of "ice lemon fish fillets" with a slurp.

Seeing this, Janna and others quickly ate the fish fillets on their plates.

After two minutes, Lumian felt that his body was getting hot all over, and his skin and flesh were slightly tingling.

This was a very weak effect for him, not to mention compared with the feeling when drinking potions, it was far less painful than the pain of burning himself with fire.

Soon, Lumian returned to normal, with no abnormality on the surface.

He looked at Franca, Janna and Anthony mischievously, waiting for the "Ice Lemon Fish Slice" to take effect.

About a minute later, Janna and others' faces suddenly turned red, as if they had eaten very spicy dishes in the highlands of the Kingdom of Feynaport.

"Hiss..." Lugano made a painful sound, feeling a burning sensation in his breath.

This came from his body, making it impossible for him to treat it.

A layer of frost floated on Franca's body surface, as if he wanted to reduce the stinging sensation of the skin and flesh in this way.

This was useless.

Janna and Anthony showed a certain amount of pain between their eyebrows, but they did not make any extra movements, enduring the discomfort, waiting for the "Ice Lemon Fish Slice" to complete the transformation of their bodies.

This lasted for more than ten or twenty seconds, and the expressions of the four people gradually relaxed.

"How do you feel?" Lumian asked with a smile.

Franka habitually recalled and said:

"Every inch of skin and flesh was like being burned by fire. Well, it's not that degree yet. It feels lighter..."

As she spoke, she took out a box of matches from the "traveler's bag", lit two of them very experimentally, and put them on the back of her left hand, maintaining it for a while.

Franka's expression gradually twisted, and her left hand withdrew after holding on for a while, shaking it.

The box of matches fell to the ground.

"It still hurts!" Franka reported the experimental results to Lumian and Jana with a grin.

Ludwig replied in a hurry:

"It won't reduce the pain."

"How is the wound?" Jana asked with concern.

Franka immediately looked at the back of her left hand and saw that there were only shallow burn marks on her fair skin, and the actual damage caused was very small.

"It does work, although the temperature of this kind of flame is not high..." Franka's expression relaxed.

Anthony on the other side of the table considered his words and said:

"I feel that I am a little more irritable than normal, but it is still within a reasonable range."

"I also have irritable emotions, but not much." Janna echoed.

Franca and Lugano successively confirmed the existence of this phenomenon.

"This is normal. If there is an effect, there will be pollution." Ludwig swallowed the "Ice Lemon Fish Slice" in his mouth and explained.

Janna and Franca simultaneously cast their eyes on Lumian.

Lumian spread his hands and said with a smile:

"I don't feel it."

The pollution of "Ice Lemon Fish Slice" is almost negligible to him.

Franca didn't know whether to envy or sympathize. After thinking for a few seconds, she said:

"This is a bit like a weakened version of the 'Bid', which bears certain negative effects in exchange for corresponding extraordinary traits. Well, the effect is obviously weaker, but it is mainly passive, and the negative effects are also smaller.

"In the future, when you get similar ingredients, you must ask clearly what the permanent effects and negative effects are. You can't eat them all at once. You have to make a choice, otherwise it is easy to go wrong. "

Lumian glanced at Ludwig and said:

"It depends on the person."

Perhaps the "Chef" or "Gourmet" pathway has a sequence that reduces the corresponding effects, just like "Mendicant Monk" and "Ascetic Monk" to "Bound Person".

Franca understood what Lumian meant and continued excitedly:

"Dishes and cocktails that no longer have permanent effects are similar to the various potions of the 'Pharmacist' pathway.

"I have always envied the 'contracted person' and wanted to be able to freely combine abilities and create a unique character model. Now, without accepting the gift of the evil god, I finally have the chance, although it is a weakened version."

Janna's heart was moved by what she said, and the two witches looked at Ludwig with bright eyes.

In their eyes, this is no longer the monster child who eats a lot in Lumian's mouth, but an extraordinary little chef who deserves love and care.

Ludwig ate the remaining "Ice Lemon Fish Fillet" with concentration, without any extra reaction.

…………

In a quarry hole in Trier, underground.

Franca, Janna and Anthony stood outside the "Spiritual Wall" and watched Lumian perform a ceremony to prepare to obtain new contract abilities.

Because he had read the spiritual creature information provided by the "magician" lady in full, and had the knowledge of strange creatures that came with the gift of power, Lumian quickly selected two contract targets that might have the ability to shuttle through the mirror:

One is a spiritual creature called "Bloody Jack". According to the information, in the southern part of the Kingdom of Loen, some occult enthusiasts and folklorists were playing a divination game and found a man holding a giant axe, dripping with blood, and with a blurred face in the mirror. This man would walk out of the mirror, attack everyone present, and kill them all;

The other is the "Dalatra Diamond Worm" mentioned in the occult knowledge of the "contracted person", which can provide the ability of "shuttling through the mirror". A crystallized meteorite needs to be sacrificed to sign the contract. The negative impact is that the body density increases and the stature becomes shorter.

The one Lumian wants to summon now is undoubtedly the first one, but he is not sure that "Bloody Jack" must have the ability similar to "shuttling through the mirror".

Looking at the three burning candles, Lumian took two steps back and said in ancient Hermetic language:

"The Fool who does not belong to this era;

"You are the mysterious master above the gray fog;

"You are the yellow and black king who controls good luck.

"I pray for your favor;

"I pray for your attention;

"I!

"I summon in the name of the great Fool:

"Strange creatures wandering in the void, the killer hidden in the mirror, Jack from the bloody world..."

The blue-black candlelight expanded instantly, forming an illusory door covered with mysterious patterns in the diffuse, unsettling light gray fog.

The door slowly opened, and darkness rushed out, covering the mirror that Lumian had placed on the altar.

The mirror suddenly floated up and pointed vertically towards Lumian, reflecting a man wearing an old jacket and flowing A blurry man covered in blood and dragging a giant axe.

Lumian opened his mouth, letting his throat and chest resonate, and uttered the "secret language of fate".

One by one, silver-white and black words like symbols were outlined out of thin air and fell on the imitation parchment at the edge of the altar, forming a short and evil contract.

As soon as the contract was formed, Lumian established a connection with "Bloody Jack", mastered its abilities and characteristics, and "heard" its requirements.

"Bloody Jack" has three abilities and characteristics related to mirrors. Lumian They are named "Mirror Mark", "Hide in the Mirror" and "Shuttle in the Mirror".

"Mirror Mark" can leave a mark on a mirror that is inverted from reality and cannot be perceived by others, so as to locate the target; "Hide in the Mirror" can help the user hide somewhere in those dark tunnels, so as not to be sucked directly to another mirror by the terrifying suction force; "Shuttle in the Mirror" is the ability to quickly pass through those illusory tunnels.

"Bloody Jack" requires ninety-nine living people as sacrifices.

Lumi An thought for a moment and thought that he should choose "Mirror Mark" because what he needed most at the moment was positioning, and "Mirror Shuttle" could be replaced by "Spiritual Shuttle", without the need for fast travel, and could arrive directly.

His eyes suddenly turned silver-black, reflecting the fate of "Bloody Jack".

He was not looking for the other party's information, but confirming something under the protective effect of the ritual.

After a brief gaze, Lumian changed to ancient Hermes and asked "Bloody Jack":

"Can I change my request? ”

He didn’t know if Bloody Jack could understand or respond, but there was nothing to lose by trying. Otherwise, he would have to write to ask the Magician if there were other suitable creatures in the mirror.

After asking, Lumian immediately entered the state of using the ability of “magnifying fate” and saw more clearly the fate of Bloody Jack in the next ten seconds.

He pretended to be nervous and wanted to touch his face, so that his right hand quietly made a forward-touching motion.

He magnified a branch of fate!

That is, two or three seconds later, Bloody Jack’s thoughts were transmitted to Lumian through the connection established by the “Secret Words of Fate”:

“Drag me out of the mirror!”

Lumian raised his eyebrows, took two steps forward, and stretched out his right hand towards the mirror floating on the altar.

As soon as his fingers touched the glass mirror, he felt that it became empty and without substance.

When Lumian put his palm completely into the mirror, a cold, wet, and obviously sticky hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.