Chapter 12 Mrs. Pualis The blue sky is dotted with white clouds. The spring breeze, carrying the scent of trees, caresses people's cheeks. Beside the clear river flowing briskly, big white geese are eating grass with their heads down. A girl in a gray and white cloth skirt is holding a long stick, watching them closely. The girl's face was bathed in golden sunlight, revealing a light down, her long, soft brown hair was wrapped with a piece of white cloth on top, and her delicate facial features revealed an irrepressible youthful vigor. She looked at Lumian, who was sitting on the ground under a tree by the river, and frowned slightly. "Aren't we here to discuss which legend is easier to investigate? "How did it become a stone statue carved on the church?" This girl is Ava Lizier, the daughter of shoemaker Guillaume. She is one of the younger generation in the village who has a good relationship with Lumian and Raymond. "I'm just thinking about a question." Lumian didn't even raise his head, still staring at the white geese and the water waves. "What's the problem?" Raymond Craig, who was helping Ava look after the geese, asked curiously. Lumian seemed to be thinking: "If you encounter a thick-skinned beast that your weapons can't hurt, how would you deal with it?" "Of course we have to find a way to escape. There are so many wild animals in the mountains. We don't have to hunt it." Ava didn't think there was anything difficult about this.
Lumian said, “Hmm.” "Suppose the beast is so rare that the gentlemen of the town would be willing to pay a hundred louis d'or for its carcass?" "One hundred gold Louis, two thousand Ferdinand..." Raymond's breathing became heavy. He had never seen Louis d'Or and had never used it, so his instinct was to switch to Fergold first. With such a sum of money, he could go to Darège to do small business, so why would he learn shepherding? He thought quickly: "Looking to borrow a shotgun from someone?" “You can’t penetrate the hide of that beast,” Lumian denied directly. Although she knew that the prey was just an imaginary thing and it was impossible to exchange it for so much money, Ava couldn't help but join the discussion: “Is it powerful? Is it fierce?” Lumian thought for a moment and said: “About the same as me.” This is one of the reasons why he didn't give up. "That's good." Raymond breathed a sigh of relief. "Go back to the village and gather a group of people. Surround it, consume its energy, and finally knock it down and tie it up." He knew Lumian could fight, but he knew that was all. "In this case, you can only get ten gold Louis, or even less," Lumian reminded. "I've seen them hunting. Maybe we can dig a trap and make the beast fall into it and unable to get out..." Ava Lake's aqua blue eyes turned slightly as she spoke while recalling. “That’s one way.” Lumian nodded in agreement. Knowing that Ava and Raymond were limited in their knowledge and could not make any more suggestions, he brought the topic back on track: "Which legend do you think is suitable for the next target?" "Neither of them fits." Ava shook her head. "Either those things happened hundreds of years ago, or only one person saw them, and that person died long ago." Raymond echoed Ava: "Yes."
"How do you know there are no clues if you don't ask the relevant people?" Lumian chuckled, "You guys don't have perseverance in doing things. You want to give up when you encounter difficulties. Then you can only be a goose girl and a shepherd for the rest of your life." These words made Ava and Raymond feel furious. When it comes to irritating people, Lumian is definitely at the top of the list in Cordu Village. Ava blurted out: "I think none of them are suitable because there are better ones." “What is it?” Lumian’s eyes lit up. Ava regretted what she said as soon as she finished speaking, but she also intended to tell the relevant matter, but she didn't want to tell Lumian and Raymond so easily. After a few seconds of silence, she glared at Lumian: "There are real witches in the village." “Who?” Lumian’s heart tightened. You're not talking about Aurora, are you? If even Ava knew that Aurore was a wizard, then he and Aurore would have to flee Cordu Village and live somewhere else to avoid being "visited" by the Inquisition. Ava looked around subconsciously and said in a low voice: "Mrs. Pualis." The wife of the administrator, the mistress of the parish priest, Madame Puaris? Lumien was a little unconvinced: "real or fake?" If Puaris was really a witch, how could the priest not notice when he found out that the lady was having an affair with her? "No way?" Raymond was extremely surprised. Ava stood on tiptoe and looked towards the entrance of the village: "I'm not sure, it was Charlie, the administrator's manservant, who once let it slip and told me. "He said that Mrs. Pualis was a spirit messenger who could talk to the spirits of the dead and help them return home. He also said that Mrs. Pualis could make secret medicines and spells." Lumian listened carefully, but was still unsure whether it was true or false. In a situation where magazines such as "Psychic", "Lotus" and "Hidden Veil" could be published regularly, it was not too surprising that the administrator's wife knew some terminology and how to act in order to fool the servants and villagers. "Shall we go to the church and inform on others? That will earn us a lot of reward, right?" Raymond was both frightened and expectant. Lumian thought for a few seconds and said: "The administrator's male servants all know that Mrs. Pualis is a witch, so the administrator himself should know it too, right?" "Yes." Ava gave an affirmative answer. Lumian continued: "Mrs. Puaris is the priest's mistress. If we go to the church to report it, I'm afraid we will be sent directly to the administrator's house." "what?" "Madame Puaris is the Curé's mistress?" Ava and Raymond were shocked. "I saw it with my own eyes." Lumian chuckled, "You guys just pretend you don't know about this and don't tell anyone, or I'm afraid you'll disappear one day."
Ava and Raymond agreed at the same time, with extremely serious expressions. They were all very afraid of the parish priest, and there was a witch involved in this matter. "If we can confirm that Mrs. Puaris is a witch, we will find a way to go to Darriege and tell the bishop during the high mass." Lumian comforted the two. "Yeah." Raymond nodded vigorously. This must be confirmed before reporting it, otherwise if the investigation finds out that there is nothing wrong with Mrs. Pualis, they will be finished. After discussing these things, Lumian, who was unwilling to waste time, stood up and said to Ava and Raymond: “I’m going back to study, or Aurore will come after me with a stick. "You two should herd the geese well." "Okay." Raymond was excited when he thought that he and Ava would be the only ones here for the next period of time. Ava was a little unhappy. ………… As they approached Cordu Village, Lumian began to hide his whereabouts, always keeping an eye out for anyone nearby. He was worried that the parish priest and his people would not let him go and were still waiting for an opportunity. According to his observation, the parish priest Guillaume Bennet was a very determined man, and he would definitely take revenge if he suffered a wrong. While hiding, Lumian headed towards the old tavern. Suddenly, he heard a tinkling sound. Lumian turned his head and saw that in the left fork in the road, three foreigners, Ryan, Leah, and Valentine, were walking towards Naroka and others who were catching lice from each other. The clear and melodious jingling sounds came from the four small silver bells on Leah's veil and boots. They have been wandering around the village these past two days, chatting with people, asking this and that, and no one knows what they want to do... Lumian is a little confused and a little wary. Thinking of the deserted village square on a certain day before, and of the shepherd Pierre Berry who had come back from afar specially to participate in Lent, he had a bad feeling and felt something was strange. What will happen in the village? Lumian decided to tell Aurore about these situations later and let this well-informed, knowledgeable and wise sister make the judgment. Soon, he successfully entered the old tavern and saw the woman who gave him the tarot cards sitting in her old seat in the corner, eating. Lumian moved closer and took a look: “Fat fried eggs? “Will it be too greasy?” In the Darriege area, this dish is the first choice for ordinary families to entertain guests, but Lumian feels that it may be too oily and greasy for women from big cities. The lady took a bite of the golden egg slowly and closed her eyes to feel it for a while: “Very good, with local characteristics and very fragrant.” “Having lunch so early?” Lumian sat down opposite him. The lady's light blue eyes showed a little tiredness, and she smiled and said: "This is breakfast."
What time is it...Lumian didn't dare to say this out loud. He looked around the old tavern which had few customers and lowered his voice: "I saw a ruin in my dream and encountered a monster." “Oh.” The lady was not surprised at all, and there was even a hint of amusement in her expression that Lumian couldn’t understand. Lumian calmed down and told his story in detail. Finally, he said: "How to deal with this monster?" The lady smiled and asked: "Is it dead or alive?" "It must be alive. I can't kill it..." Lumian stopped his subconscious answer. He thought seriously for a while, then slowed down his speech and said: "I can feel its breath, it should still be alive." "Since it's alive, try more. This time chop off its head, next time pour oil on it and burn it directly, and next time bury it alive. Maybe it will die then?" The lady suggested casually while enjoying her breakfast. "Come to me when you have tried so many methods and it still doesn't work. I'm not your babysitter. I can't help you with every little thing. You have to learn to find a solution yourself first." Quite friendly... Lumian didn't feel lost or frustrated at all, because the other party seemed to mean that if he really encountered a particularly great danger, he could come to her again and she would provide some help. But this kind of monster now was really not worth mentioning. But her insignificance is a real big trouble to me...Lumian immediately felt a headache again. He decided to do as the lady said and first try beheading, burning, burying alive and other methods to see if they would work. PS: Thanks to Guolu Chengzi for the reward to Silver Alliance. (End of this chapter)
