Ring of Fate

Chapter 764: Prayer Festival

Next to a section of the old city wall that was only of ornamental value, Lumian looked through the tall and short gray-white stone buildings and saw a magnificent temple standing on the side close to the mountains.

It is more than thirty meters high and consists of several towers, like a war fortress left over from ancient times.

At this time, affected by the mountains and clouds, the sunlight approaching noon took on a dim color after it fell, making the magnificent temple seem to be covered with a coat woven by dusk.

"The temple of the Church of the God of War?" Lumian asked the "Knight of the Sword" beside him without turning his head.

The Church of the God of War is the only state religion in the Feysac Empire, but the failure of the war a few years ago allowed other organizations such as the Church of the Goddess of Night to have certain missionary rights in the Feysac Empire, but the Church of the Goddess of Night does not seem to be keen on this matter.

The Sword Knight replied succinctly:

"church."

It's not a temple, but a church? As expected of the people of Feysac who have a giant worship disorder, and their aesthetic taste is very good... Lumian didn't know why, but he suddenly thought of a sentence he heard at the "Curly-haired Baboon Research Society":

More is beautiful, bigger is better.

He asked instead:
"Is this a colony of the Feysac people?"

"Yes." The Sword Knight said in a low voice, "But now, the people of Loen have the right to do business here."

Lumian nodded slightly, said nothing more, and walked along the road ahead into the city of Rakre.

Along the way, he could clearly distinguish people from different countries among the people passing by:

The people of Feysac were tall, with most men over 1.9 meters tall and many women close to 1.8 meters tall, which fit Lumian's stereotype of them - a country founded by the descendants of giants, with even many half-giants. These Feysac people dressed relatively casually, either without buttoning their formal clothes or not wearing formal clothes;

Most of the people in Loen have black hair and pay attention to their appearance. They always dress meticulously. Ladies like to wear round-brimmed veils and hold umbrellas for sun protection, while men have top hats and canes.

The local people of Lacre have dark skin and thin bodies. Most men wear canvas workers' clothes, and women also dress conveniently for work. Only a few wear brightly colored dresses and drive cattle, sheep and horses.

Lumian glanced at the ponies and long-haired cows passing by, and saw a local man in a dark red robe with a white skull on his head, and the skull was wearing a gray-white hat made of wool.

“Is this the death cult that remains in folklore that you mentioned?” Lumian did not deliberately choose a street, but moved forward purely on instinct.

The Sword Knight nodded slightly and said:

"Yes, people in the Lacre area will keep the skulls of their deceased relatives at home, believing that this can protect them, bring good luck, and help them fight against the dangers of the dark night. The more skulls a family keeps, the more prosperous the family is."

This is similar to the way the people in Koldu Village keep the hair and nails of deceased relatives at home... but the death worship here is more intense, so they chose skulls, which seems more exaggerated... Lumian suddenly felt a little sad.

The Sword Knight continued:
"Some people even make the skulls of deceased relatives into amulets and carry them with them all the time. What you just saw is the case. And every year during the blessing festival, all the locals in the Lacre area will bring the skulls of their families to the streets, dress them up carefully, and celebrate and pray together." (Note 1)

"Blessing Festival?" Lumian's heart moved and he asked solemnly.

After experiencing festivals such as Lent, the Sea Prayer Festival, and the "Dream Festival", he seemed to have gift trauma syndrome and developed a condition that gave him a headache whenever he heard about special festivals.

Osetto, the "Witch King" of the "Rose School" and an important believer of the "Original Moon", is staying in the Lacre area. Could it be that he is just here for the Blessing Festival?

The Sword Knight replied in a low voice:

"The Blessing Festival ended a long time ago. It was last November, more than a month before the 'Dream Festival'."

You know about the Dream Festival... Lumian breathed a sigh of relief, then asked worriedly:

"Did Osetto first appear in the Lacre area before or after the Blessing Festival?"

The Sword Knight thought for a moment and said:

"Before."

"That means he should also be in the Lacre area during the Blessing Festival?" Lumian frowned slightly.

"That should be the case." The "Sword Knight" answered restrainedly.

…………

Franka withdrew her gaze from the local woman with a colorful skull sewn on her shoulder, and said with a smile to the tall, blonde, and sparkling green-eyed Feysac woman in front of her:

"Excuse me, I have a female companion!"

Isn't the style of this Feysac man too straightforward?

Besides men, there were also beautiful women who approached and invited Janna and me!

The Feysac man chuckled and said:
"I don't mind if you come to my house together."

"I mind." Janna helped Franca express her feelings.

They had been wandering around the city of Lacre for nearly two hours. Although Franca did not actively release the charm of the "Witch of Joy" in order to avoid being suspected of deliberately fishing, the two carefully dressed "witches" were enough to attract a lot of attention with just their appearance, temperament and figure.

Among them, the people of Feysac were bold and direct, both men and women. The people of Loen were conservative and reserved, and always had to find a good reason before they dared to step forward. The locals basically only dared to watch from afar and follow quietly. Occasionally, a few of them mustered up the courage and talked to them as guides.

"Okay." The Feysac woman who was half a head taller than Franka waved her hand regretfully and turned to enter the cafe next door.

Franka and Janna are currently in the center of Lacre City, on a street with the architectural style of the Feysac people.

"It's almost noon, how about going to try some Feysac food?" Franka looked up at the sunlight that was not hot but dazzling.

She was pointing to the "Saint-Milon Restaurant" diagonally in front.

Saint Miron is the capital of the Feysac Empire, and using it as the name of the restaurant seems to be intended to show a sense of "authenticity".

"Okay." Janna nodded slightly.

When the two "witches" walked into the restaurant with grand decoration and exquisite details, Anthony sat on a sidewalk chair across the street and silently ate his lunch - a corn tortilla filled with beef and mutton and several spices.

…………

Lumian took Ludwig and Lugano all the way to the temple-like Holy Lake Church.

After they actually entered the city, "Sword Knight" Maric disappeared, but Lumian's intuition told him that the holder of the Minor Arcana card was still nearby.

"Any unusual sensations?" Lumian asked Ludwig.

"No." Ludwig shook his head.

Lumian looked at Lugano again:

"What about you?"

"Me?" Lugano looked confused.

Isn't it Ludwig who is looking for someone?

It's not my business?

"What unusual sensations do you have?" Lumian repeated the question calmly.

For some reason, Lugano felt that his employer had become more approachable during this period, so he answered honestly:
"No."

Gurgle, gurgle, a strange sound rang in his and Lumian's ears.

They both turned their eyes to Ludwig at the same time.

Ludwig touched his belly and said eagerly:

"It's time for lunch."

"Okay." Lumian agreed readily.

His philosophy is that no matter how hungry a child is, he must not let him starve. After all, a child will eat people if he is extremely hungry.

He looked around and pointed to a fairly busy street northwest of Holy Lake Square:

“There seem to be quite a few restaurants there.”

This time, Ludwig didn't need Lugano to hold his hand. He just moved his short legs and trotted over. Lumian quickened his pace and followed him leisurely, with Lugano following closely behind.

That street had very typical Feysac features, with street trees and benches, and it looked more like the streetscapes of the countries in the northern continent.

Lumian took a quick glance and pointed his chin at the nearby "Saint-Milon Restaurant" and said:

"Try Feysac cuisine."

"Okay." Ludwig wiped his mouth.

Suddenly, a hint of doubt appeared in his eager expression, and his head moved left and right subconsciously, as if he was looking for something.

Lumian noticed this unusual behavior.

"What's wrong? You want another ice cream?" he asked in a teasing tone.

Ludwig imitated Lugano's usual behavior and said in a low voice:
"I seem to have sensed the child behind the corpse, but it was very vague."

Sensing the bird-claw monster baby? Lumian looked around, but did not see any other children. The pedestrians coming and going were mostly Feysac people and locals, with Loen people interspersed among them.

There weren't even any pregnant women among them.

At this time, Ludwig added:
“I can’t sense it now.”

Out of the 30-meter range? Lumian looked away thoughtfully:
"If what we just encountered is really related to the bird-claw monster baby, then the Omibella bloodline in my body might have been sensed by them..."

Lumian nodded and smiled at Ludwig:
"Never mind, let's eat first. Nothing is more important than filling our stomachs."

"Yes!" For the first time, Ludwig felt that the Godfather's words touched his heart.

After entering the "Saint-Milon Restaurant", Lumian immediately saw Franca and Janna sitting in prominent positions.

The two carefully dressed "witches" made Lumian unable to help but stare at them for two more seconds.

At the same time, he sighed in his heart:

Is this the Law of Aggregation of Extraordinary Characteristics?

What a coincidence that we chose the same restaurant...

Franca and Janna noticed his gaze and looked back at him, one opened her mouth slightly in surprise, and the other laughed.

They immediately controlled their expressions and turned their attention back to the beet soup in front of them.

Led by the waiter, Lumian, Ludwig and Lugano sat in the corner.

"Sir, what would you like to order?" The waiter handed over a menu decorated to look like a book.

Lumian took a quick look and said directly without flipping through the pages:
"Except for the drinks, please give me one portion of everything else."

Note 1: Refer to the Bolivian Skull Blessing Festival
(End of this chapter)