683 Dance

Hearing her companions words, the woman in the light-colored dresss expression turned solemn.

I had a similar feeling, but it wasnt as specific as yours.

The man in the dark-gray suit visibly calmed down and glanced back over his shoulder.

Lets hurry to our destination. There seem to be many abnormalities beyond our grasp here.

The woman in the light-colored dress gave a single nod of acknowledgment.

After ascertaining their direction, they quickened their pace and swiftly left the intersection behind them.

Lumian, wearing a golden straw hat, led Amandina, Robert, and the others back to the small square from the side of Saint-Sien Cathedral.

At that moment, Camus spotted figures lingering in the cemetery on the other side.

Startled, he focused his gaze and realized they were pale-white bones hung with tattered cloths and humanoid phantoms made of fine ashes. Many upright tombstones lay on the ground, and many graves had clearly suffered damage.

The awakened dead? Camus furrowed his brow and asked Amandina. The Dream Festival can also awaken bones and ashes?

Regardless of life or death, they had to celebrate the Dream Festival?

Amandina nodded nimbly.

Isnt that normal? Robert obtained superpowers from the Corpse Collector pathway during the Dream Festival. Thats the Death domain, so the Dream Festival itself has suchuh, characteristics.

Amandina was secretly pleased that her knowledge surpassed that of a seasoned patrol team member in this area. She consoled Camus, Dont worry. The bones and shadows in the cemetery are very peaceful. Theyre completely different from the humans at the Dream Festival. As long as you dont approach them, they wont attack you. Theyll only wander around their graves.

Of course theyre peaceful, Lumian, who was leading the way, chuckled. They usually dont have emotions or desires to suppress. They wont form an intense projection in this dream.

The dead were emotionless!

Of course, excluding those who had perished with resentment and hatred, those buried in Saint-Sien Cathedrals cemetery must have undergone purification.

Thats not funny. Amandina wanted to console her silent fiance, but she felt she didnt have the right after witnessing his indecency and being complicit in killing his lover. Everything she said seemed hypocritical, so she had no choice but to speak to Louis Berry instead.

She muttered inwardly, Hmph, as his fiancee notarized in the cathedral, its my legitimate right to punish my fiances lover. Its a little overboard, but in the face of the blasphemer, the demon who preyed on a minor, being a little overboard is a revelation from God!

The more she thought about it, the more right she felt.

Lumian walked swiftly along the shadows beside the road. After some thought, he said, Will those killed during the Dream Festival awaken and become undead?

Yes, but it takes a long time. Ive only encountered them near the end of the Dream Festival. Theyre cold and aggressive, Amandina recalled.

Seizing the opportunity, Rhea asked, When will the Dream Festival end?

Amandina replied with a smile, Havent you noticed? The wall clocks and pocket watches are still ticking. The Dream Festival ends just before dawn.

Is there a way to leave the Dream Festival early? Lugano was concerned over this question.

Amandina glanced at Robert, who remained silent.

Theres no way. We can usually escape by sleeping in Twanakus house and being stimulated at the edge of the dream. Once the Dream Festival begins, we can only wait for it to end naturally.

Lugano shut his mouth in disappointment and unconsciously took two steps closer to Lumian.

Camus observed Amandinas brisk strides and fell silent for a few seconds before asking, Arent you going back to Palm Manor to protect your parents? Arent you worried theyll die during the Dream Festival?

Amandina pursed her lips and said with a complicated smile, During last years Dream Festival, I rushed back to protect them. I didnt expect them to have a happy time and not be in any danger...

My mother prefers the lowest-class, filthiest, yet relatively muscular slaves to do the deed while she curses them. I dont know what mental issues that stems from or which areas that indulges, but this way, the male slaves definitely wont kill her. Instead, her jealous ladys maids and female slaves who get too close will be subdued and forced to join if they approach.

As for my father, he relied on his career in the Southern Continent to obtain the Legion of Honor medal. When awake, hes always afraid of attacks and slave riots. He built several bunkers in the manor and stockpiled food and weapons. He constantly practices combat, shooting, and military tactics. Even during the Dream Festival, it would be very difficult for the servants and slaves to take him down. Theyd have to break through layers of defenses until he retreats to a bunker.

Unless a Beyonder deliberately goes after them, theyll be very safe. If I stayed to protect them, it might be more dangerousI mean Im more dangerous. I might not tolerate the love of those men or the jealousy of those women. I dont wish to kill too many people either.

Could it be that shes more afraid of sensing the malice hidden in her family and friends hearts during the unconstrained Dream Festival? Shed rather gallivant outside and see others dark sides than experience that herself? Lumian could understand Amandinas rationale.

He dropped the subject and turned to the silent Robert. How different is your spirit channeling during the Dream Festival from usual? Will those spirits become more violent and difficult to communicate with?

Robert, now in a white shirt and black pants, was silent for a few seconds before saying, Its no different.

Could the excessive emotions and desires of the special dream exclusively target living creatures, leaving spirits unaffected by their typical lack of self-control? Or is the spirit world and its denizens fakepart of the dream aligning with Roberts imagination? Its likely the latter possibility. Spirit Mediums dont just connect with local spirits to borrow power. Robert didnt say some channeling was impossible in the dream... As Lumians thoughts raced, he made a speculation.

Lumian led Camus and the others through the intersection, quickly returning to Twanakus house.

He had asked about spirit channeling because it closely related to what he planned to do.

Standing on the second floor of Hisokas house, Lumian said to the cold and slightly effeminate Robert, Have you ever completed a spirit channeling here?

Ive tried. I can establish connections with surrounding spirits, but theres nothing special about it, Robert replied honestly.

Amandina chimed in, He tried it in reality, in the dream, and during the Dream Festival.

Were all curious about this places uniqueness and want to figure out the reason, but those spirits dont know anything about it.

Lumian nodded, took out his golden pocket watch, glanced at it, and said, Come up to me in two minutes and help me with a designated spirit channeling. All of you can come up.

Robert breathed a relieved sigh, realizing he wouldnt face this alone.

On the third floor, in Hisokas bedroom, Lumian spread his arms and performed the Dancers Summoning Dance once more.

Previously, using the Mystery Prying Glasses in the real world, he realized this place had a mysterious connection to the black boulder. Just now, Padre Cali had mentioned that the black boulder was actually an ancient tombthe source of his, Roberts, Amandinas, and even Hisoka Twanakus superpowers, as well as the Dream Festival itself.

In that case, performing the Summoning Dance in Hisokas house might attract special, strange items connected to the black ancient tomb. Perhaps he could obtain important information about the tomb or the corpse inside.

It was much safer than using the Mystery Prying Glasses or dancing after reaching the tomb.

Furthermore, Lumian had no intention of directly attaching any summoned entity to himself. He had enlisted Roberts help to ensure safer, more effective spirit channeling.

A Spirit Medium could communicate with surrounding spirits or through specific directions and descriptions. However, they couldnt rely on the Summoning Dance and a locations uniqueness to attract more distant, hidden spirits like a Dancer could. A Spirit Medium could borrow spirits power to achieve supernatural effects and communicate with them in detail. A Dancer could choose to obtain a trait, ability, or limited memory fragment.

Amidst Lumians contorted, sonorous, bizarre dance, his spirituality combined with the environments unique power, spreading in all directions. As the intense dance neared its climax, something finally emerged from underground and condensed on the glass-enclosed window.

A human-like shadow wore a black robe, strikingly resembling the tomb keeper Lumian encountered at the dreams edge, yet with differences.

The hooded face seemed fixated on Lumian, eager yet sensing The Fools seal and the Blood Emperors residual aura, not daring to truly possess him.

Lumian didnt force orders. He continued the Summoning Dance until Robert and the others arrived, then slowed to a halt.

During this, he pointed at the black-robed figure and told Robert, Hurry up and communicate with it.

Robert nodded slightly, retrieving a bottle of Full Moon Essence Oil from his pocket.