My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 138 The Re-establishment of Cooperation

Before anyone knew it, Uriel had already grasped a gleaming dagger in his hand.

"My friend, why don't you show yourself so we can have a proper chat?"

He tried to keep his tone calm, but the evasive look in his eyes betrayed him.

Jules could tell that Uriel was starting to back down.

He naturally couldn't let the other person leave, so he just chuckled:
"Mr. Uriel, you really have a short memory. Have you forgotten our recent collaboration?"

Even if Uriel knew his identity, it didn't matter—at this moment, all he needed was to stall Uriel.

As for the truth, it all comes down to what he says.

After all, Uriel had never entered the Mirror World, so naturally he couldn't have heard the voice left behind by Father Arcmoon.

Uriel paused for a moment before realizing what was happening:
"You... are you the same person from before?"

At this moment, he finally connected the voice with Jules' face.

After figuring this out, his eyes flickered slightly:

"Was it you who broke the mirror earlier?"

Uriel still couldn't find Jules, so he didn't let his guard down for a second.

In his view, Jules was secretive and powerful, and it was not impossible for him to kill him on the spot if he were to act on a whim.

Although he wasn't afraid of the other party, he tried to avoid trouble as much as possible.

Jules' voice, tinged with a mocking laugh, echoed in the empty corridor:
"What do you think, Mr. Uriel? Perhaps the mirror in this monastery... never existed in the first place?"

Uriel frowned:
"what do you mean?"

Jules still didn't answer directly, but instead asked in return:

"You haven't been able to find me for so long, don't you feel something is wrong?"

At this point, Uriel also realized what was going on.

Indeed, he was never able to sense Jules's location. Apart from the moth being able to vaguely detect Jules's presence through its intuitive vision, he himself could hardly find any trace of him.

"Are you in a spirit state right now?" He immediately thought of the most likely guess.

Jules did not deny it, but simply chuckled and said:
"As expected of Mr. Uriel, you have truly discerning eyes."

He was not in a spiritual state, but merely existing in the space between the "mirror" and reality.

However, he didn't mind being misunderstood, as it wouldn't affect his next goal.

Hearing Jules' praise, Uriel's lips unconsciously curled into a smile, but he immediately realized the seriousness of the matter, his eyes darkening slightly as he snapped:

"You still haven't answered my question: did you break those mirrors?"

Jules's helpless sigh echoed around him:
“Mr. Uriel, don’t you believe me? Since you’ve already seen that I’m currently in a spiritual state, how can I possibly interfere with the waking world?”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Uriel said, not readily believing Jules’s one-sided account. “I know of more than one way that spirits can influence reality.”

Jules sighed again:

"In fact, I am currently unable to exert any interference with the outside world—if you don't believe me, then forget it, but that's the truth."

The content of his statement was complete nonsense, but his tone was quite natural.

Hearing Jules' tone, even Uriel became somewhat unsure of himself.

"you sure?"

Jules smiled faintly and said:
"You should know that this monastery is not simple, right? And it's common knowledge that the full moon is unusual."

Upon seeing Uriel nod subconsciously, he continued:
“On the night of the full moon, this monastery opens a passage connecting to the mirror world. It was by mistake that I entered it and ended up in this predicament.”

Jules' voice was very low, echoing slowly in the corridor, his words full of helplessness.

Of course, he was faking it.

Uriel's brows furrowed, and he instinctively gripped his dagger tighter, his eyes filled with suspicion.
"A world in a mirror? That sounds utterly absurd. Why should I believe you?"

That being said, his gaze became more cautious.

He had heard about the relevant information before, and even had a deep understanding of some of the methods used by the Crescent Moon Cult.

Therefore, after hearing what Jules said, he had no doubt whatsoever.

Moreover, they had practically turned the monastery upside down, yet they hadn't found a trace of the bronze mirror, which had already made him suspicious that there might be some hidden ritual within the monastery.

Jules chuckled, his laughter carrying an undeniable air of authority:

“Mr. Uriel, think about it, if it weren’t for such an illogical reason, how could I, with my abilities, be trapped here and unable to influence the real world we inhabit?”

He paused deliberately, giving Uriel time to think, before continuing:

“Look, the mirrors in this monastery are breaking one after another. It seems like someone did it on purpose, but could it be the power of the mirrors at work?”

Uriel fell into deep thought, seemingly hesitant.

Jules astutely detected his wavering and pressed his advantage:

"Mr. Uriel, is the antique you're looking for some kind of mirror?"

A dangerous glint flashed in Uriel's eyes:
"I think I haven't told you that."

"Heh, well, what can you do? It's your own fault for hiring those two adventurers who were too reckless," Jules said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Uriel's lips twitched involuntarily.

It is indeed very possible...

He was even regretting it now, wondering why he had chosen those two good-for-nothings.

After a long silence, Uriel finally spoke:
"So, what do you want to say?"

His voice was dry, clearly indicating that he had been somewhat persuaded by Jules.

"If you can help me out of this predicament, I will do my best to explore the secrets of the mirror with you."

Jules' words were resolute and showed his utmost sincerity.

"Think about it, having an assistant like me who understands the unusual aspects of this monastery is much better than you figuring it out on your own and running into obstacles everywhere, isn't it?"

At that moment, a cold wind howled past, making Uriel's clothes flutter and the flame of his lantern flicker violently, as if it might go out at any moment.

Uriel instinctively gripped the lantern tighter, his gaze flickering in the darkness as he struggled internally.

Jules did not urge him, but waited quietly for his reply.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

After a while, Uriel took a deep breath and said:

"Alright, I can be frank with you. The antique I'm looking for is a mirror, but I haven't been able to find it yet."

At this moment, he finally placed Jules on the same level as himself, or even slightly above him.

He had to admit that he had somewhat lost out in his verbal exchange with Jules.

The previously planned scheme of murder, plunder, and taking all the credit was aborted before it even began.

Although he felt that Jules was dangerous and likely had ill intentions, there was currently no clue whatsoever about the bronze mirror.

If he goes back empty-handed, his master will definitely not treat him well.

Therefore, he had to find a way to find that bronze mirror!
Having made up his mind, Uriel stared at the empty corridor in front of him and said calmly:
"Then, can I trust you that after I rescue you, you won't just leave, or try to take the artifacts I need for yourself and abscond with them?"

He didn't know where Jules was, but he knew Jules could hear him.

“You can rest assured about that,” Jules Lang chuckled. “Didn’t I say I wanted to meet your master? It would be beneficial for both of us.”

He was actually prepared to have a complete falling out with Uriel—but since the other party didn't seem to want to fight, he was happy to enjoy the hard-won "peace." Regardless of what either of them was thinking, he did indeed want to meet the "master" behind Uriel.

Of course, the mirror still needs to be stolen.

Uriel breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Jules's requirements remained the same.

"That's good."

After discussing for a while, the two finalized some details of the cooperation.

Uriel is tasked with finding a way to rescue Jules, while Jules is obligated to share with Uriel the secrets he discovered in the monastery without reservation.

After the collaborative exchange concluded, Uriel walked quite a distance before remembering something—

So... who broke that mirror?
"Perhaps it's a wandering spirit..."

……

"You've got the mirror?"

“Got it,” Ram chuckled, throwing the mirror he was holding onto the ground with a clatter. “To be honest, because of debt, I worked as a thief for a while, so I’m quite familiar with this line of work.”

Jules nodded in satisfaction:

"These should be all the remaining mirrors, right?"

“That’s right. Uriel’s beggars searched the entire monastery, so it saved us the trouble of running around.”

Upon hearing this, Jules' gaze fell upon the mirrors, and his tone became somewhat somber:
"Let's see what happens after all the mirrors are broken."

He had a hunch that this would lead to the monastery's deepest secret.

A ceremony that has lasted for centuries without success will come to an end here.

After saying that, he squatted down, placed his hands on a mirror, and looked determined.

Ram stood to the side, nervously watching his surroundings, afraid of being overheard by outsiders.

An eerie stillness permeated the monastery, as if even the air itself was waiting for what was about to happen.

Jules took a deep breath, exerted his strength, and the mirror shattered under his hand, the crisp sound of breaking particularly jarring in the silence.

Of course, it was much quieter than smashing it directly on the ground before, since it was cut open directly using the ability of Sharp Words.

Moreover, because they deliberately chose a soundproof location away from the main entrance, no outsiders could hear the noise from here.

One side, two sides, three sides...

As mirrors shattered one by one, Jules felt that the boundary between himself and reality was becoming increasingly blurred.

But there always seemed to be an insurmountable chasm between him and reality, preventing him from completely escaping the world in the mirror.

boom--

The final sound of a mirror shattering rang out.

There wasn't a single intact mirror left in the room.

However, that sense of alienation has not disappeared.

“…Strange.” Jules sensed it carefully for a while, then his brows furrowed.

Previously, when those mirrors were broken, he did have a subtle change in his senses, but why did nothing change after all the mirrors were broken?
"Are you sure all the mirrors have been stolen?"

“I’m sure,” Ram nodded. “If you don’t believe me, we can check again.”

……

It's not difficult to confirm that all the mirrors have been found.

Before long, Jules was forced to accept this fact.

Inside the monastery, all the mirrors were broken, yet nothing changed.

But the sense of alienation was so distinct that Jules was certain of one thing: this "ritual" was definitely not completed!

Destroying all the mirrors is part of the ritual, and the fact that the ritual was not completed likely only means that the mirrors were not completely broken!

"Where exactly is the mirror missing..."

Jules closed his eyes and began to think.

For some reason, the image of the statue in the chapel suddenly appeared in his mind.

"It's Him?!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with a sharp light.

How come I've been ignoring that statue all this time?

In fact, the statue in this monastery was the first to show signs of abnormality!
Moreover, the mirror-like finish carved from the marble itself reveals a fact—

It can be considered a mirror in itself!
"Let's go to the chapel."

Jules' tone suddenly became very firm, without the slightest hesitation, which almost startled Ram.

"Could it be... that statue?" Ram asked in confusion.

He hadn't forgotten the anomaly he'd seen when Jules studied the statue.

As a qualified adventurer, paying attention to any clues is an essential skill.

"Maybe," Jules said with a slight smirk, "we'll just have to play it safe, whether we have the chance or not."

"What kind of dates?"

"...When there is little cost but great benefit in doing something, it is worth giving it a try."

……

Logan and Cliff were terrified, kneeling on the ground, not even daring to look up at Uriel's gloomy face.

"Are you saying that some unknown entity just brazenly took away all the mirrors right in front of you?"

Cliff swallowed hard and whispered:

"Actually, they were stolen when we weren't looking. Those mirrors seem to be tied to this monastery, so we put them in a room inside. But when we went to check on them again..."

Logan also added at the opportune moment:

"We all suspect that it was done by wandering spirits."

After listening, Uriel remained noncommittal, closed his eyes briefly, and said:
"I know, get out of here."

The two felt as if they had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the room.

After a long while, Uriel opened his eyes again.

This time, however, his eyes held a hint of indifference.

"A wandering spirit...the world in the mirror..."

He let out a long breath, the lingering anger on his face gradually fading, returning to an unusual calm.

"Whether it was that mysterious person who broke the mirror, a wandering spirit, or something else, as long as we can get the bronze mirror..."

He turned around and rummaged through the drawer, pulling out a yellowed parchment scroll.

As he stroked the object, a hint of heartache even appeared on his face.

"This should be enough to help that mysterious person escape..."

At this moment, Uriel was completely unaware that he had been sold out and was still helping the seller count the money.

(End of this chapter)