“Does the wizard still have any vital signs after the execution by fire?”

  In the town of Lemang,Probationary Constable Rudolph lowered his head,shining his flashlight on the“Execution by Fire Confirmation Form,”feeling that the question was rather superfluous...

  He raised his head,allowing the flashlight beam to scan up and down the charred corpse.It was no longer a matter of life or death;it was a question of how well-done the body was...

  After a moment of contemplation,Rudolph wrote very objectively:“The lower body is fully cooked,the torso is seven-tenths done,and the head...let's say five-tenths done.It is confirmed that the wizard has been completely extinguished by the fire.”

  Rudolph also added a considerate little suggestion:“It is recommended that the next execution by fire be conducted with the subject hanging upside down;this ensures a more thorough burning.”

  What does it matter if the feet are cooked or not?It is far more important that the head is thoroughly done.

  Cold gusts of wind blew around,creeping up Rudolph's trouser legs and causing him some unease.He scribbled hastily in the light of the flashlight,his writing becoming faster and faster.

  The full moon ceremony in Lemang had just concluded,and the crowd had dispersed,leaving the town square eerily quiet.

  Two lonely dark figures stood in the center of the empty square.

  The shorter one was Probationary Constable Rudolph.

  The taller one was the stake.A burned-to-death wizard was still attached to the stake,now inseparable from it.

  The poor criminal had been reduced to a charred corpse.Rudolph was equally pitiable,having to come so late at night to deal with the remains of the executed.

  The surrounding odor was far from pleasant.The bonfire had burned out,and the smell of ashes mingled with the scent of charred meat,making Rudolph feel somewhat nauseous.

  Rudolph forced himself to endure the discomfort and continued to fill out the“Execution by Fire Confirmation Form.”

  “Identity of the executed confirmed.”

  He raised his head,the flashlight beam accentuating the contours of the charred face.

  The protruding parts were cracked,pitch-black skin,while the hollows were the dark cavities of the mouth and eye sockets.

  The wizard had been tortured by the Tribunal before death.The Tribunal was an institution specifically targeting dangerous individuals,and they were very professional—perhaps overly so.The wizard's eyes were nowhere to be seen.

  Rudolph had only been in this world for half a month and was not accustomed to such a ghastly sight.

  Under the full moon's glow and the flashlight's beam,Rudolph quickly lowered his head and wrote on the paper:“The identity of the executed is correct,confirmed as the wizard captured two weeks ago during the witch-hunting operation.”

  Rudolph would never forget the features of this wizard,for he always appeared in his nightmares.It was also because of that witch-hunting operation that his original self had died,and Rudolph had come to this world,becoming the current Rudolph.

  Rudolph searched through the memories of his original self and discovered that he had been a 17-year-old probationary constable with a rather impulsive personality.

  How impulsive?The police station and the tribunal,with a witch-hunting squad of over 50 people,saw the original Rudolph charge so recklessly that he was the first to be killed by the wizard.He didn't even have time to say“Hands up”in front of the wizard.

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  It was getting late.After quickly filling out the form,Rudolph took out a large burlap sack and placed the wizard and the stake inside together.

  It was too difficult to separate the charred corpse from the stake,and Rudolph didn't want to be that meticulous.He picked up his truncheon and began to knock on the dry and brittle stake,preparing to take the stake and the wizard together.

  The square echoed with the crisp sound of thumping,occasionally interspersed with some noise,perhaps a leg of the charred corpse breaking off,either the left or the right.

  The presumably thoroughly dead wizard likely wouldn't care about such details...

  The stake,along with the charred corpse,was placed into the burlap sack and then thrown onto the cart by Rudolph.

  Rudolph drove the horse,heading towards the cemetery outside the town.It was late,and the buildings on either side of the road were mere silhouettes,slowly receding into the background.

  Upon arriving at the cemetery,Rudolph treaded cautiously among the standing tombstones,careful not to disturb any strange entities that might reside there.

  Dragging the sack along,Rudolph could hear the limbs of the charred corpse continuously breaking.

  Poor wizard...

  Soon,Rudolph reached the edge of the cemetery,close to the wall.A wizard did not deserve a good grave;a corner was sufficient.

  To Rudolph's relief,the gravedigger had already dug the grave.

  Rudolph remembered the sheriff's instructions:the sack was a valuable asset of the police station,having sent off one full moon sacrifice after another.He would have to return the sack tomorrow.

  Lifting the sack,whole and fragmented,black and gray pieces were all poured into the grave together.

  After covering the grave with soil,Rudolph let out a long sigh of relief.If there were no further mishaps,today's work would be considered done.

  As Rudolph hurried back,he folded the sack neatly on the cart.

  As a meticulous individual,Rudolph would return a sack that was folded into a perfect square.

  Suddenly,Rudolph paused.

  He felt a hard object,about the length of a finger,inside the sack.Had the sack not been emptied properly just now?

  This unfortunate wizard—could it be that some part of him was left inside the sack?

  Stopping the cart,Rudolph quickly opened the sack,lifted its bottom,and prepared to dump the wizard's remains by the roadside.

  A slender object fell from the bottom of the sack,and to Rudolph's astonishment,this finger-like item was emitting a faint blue glow.

  A wizard is a wizard;even his burnt remains were so sophisticated that they could glow...

  Rudolph bent down for a closer look,and his heart settled.This did not seem to be a part of a human body but rather a piece of stone.

  When he picked up the stone,he suddenly recognized it as a starstone related to the wizard.Before participating in the witch-hunting operation,the police station had organized a training session where such stones were discussed.

  The moment Rudolph touched the starstone,the world spun around him.

  The moon and stars swiftly passed before his eyes,and his occiput struck the ground,bouncing up and down with a certain elasticity.

  Ignoring the pain in the back of his head,he rubbed his eyes.

  The stars in the sky appeared as double images.How could a simple fall result in such a blurring of vision?

  He quickly closed his eyes,intending to give them a moment to recover.However,unexpectedly,he saw another starry sky within his mind.

  The starry sky in his mind had a strong sense of unreality,resembling an abstract oil painting.It was more like a star map than an actual sky.

  The luminous starstone he had just picked up seemed to act as some kind of switch,allowing Rudolph to touch something mysterious.

  Unlike the real starry sky,this star map was so dim.The moon,planets,and stars all appeared in a dark gray hue,as if hidden behind frosted glass.

  As Rudolph was still puzzled,the starstone in his hand suddenly vanished.

  In the star map within his mind,a bright meteor streaked across the dim starry sky and struck the dull moon hanging in the center of the star map.

  Subsequently,the moon in the star map was no longer in a dim state but began to emit a soft glow like the real moon.

  The stars remained dim,which made the moon appear even brighter in contrast.

  When the meteor struck the moon,a fleeting burst of dazzling light radiated from around the moon.Specks of starlight slowly fell from the moon and eventually hovered above the ground of the star map.

  Rudolph's consciousness approached these specks of starlight and discovered that they were three tiny,hovering stars.

  In the glow of the stars,some phrases could be faintly discerned:"Full Moon Murmurs,""Moon's Calamity,"and"Night's Enchantment."

  What were these?A golden finger from another world?Some kind of lottery system?

  The entire sky of stars was in a dim state.Could it be that all the stars needed to be lit up?What kind of prodigy would be required to accomplish such a monumental task?

  Rudolph stopped paying attention to the star map and focused on the three hovering stars.

  "Night's Enchantment"?It seemed like something a woman would use,not suitable for him.

  "Moon's Calamity"?It sounded rather inauspicious,so he dismissed that option as well.

  "Full Moon Murmurs"?This seemed slightly better than the other two.

  As Rudolph's consciousness touched the hovering star representing"Full Moon Murmurs,"his mind suddenly exploded.

  “Blood is so sweet...”

  “Break free,my little darlings...”

  “Let me out...”

  Countless murmurs rushed into Rudolph's ears.He covered his ears,but it was to no avail.

  After a long while,Rudolph finally managed to get