Chapter 259: Affection

Tally stomped her foot in a huff.

Luo De asked curiously, "Does whether it includes affection affect your absorption of spiritual essence?"

"It won't, but Tally will be happier and more comfortable."

"Then that's settled, little Tally—your current mission is to advance to seventh tier immediately. After that, I'll definitely love you properly—biting your earlobes, pinching your spots, anything you like."

"Really?"

"Of course, I love Tally the most."

Luo De smiled as he pulled out a loaf of bread bought from Shi Ying's shop.

It was a long loaf called Markalov, somewhat like the baguettes from his past life on Earth.

And just as hard.

Made with only four basic ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast—no sugar, milk powder, or oil added.

Paired with a small jar of jam, it was the miners' standard afternoon snack.

Luo De had good teeth and quite liked the faint saltiness of the Markalov bread.

Tally came over to the table.

Luo De raised an eyebrow.

Tally looked up, her small face wearing a sultry, mischievous grin.

A silent, unspoken meal from table to bed ended quickly.

No.

From the table to the bed, they kept going until midday.

The whole room was thick with sensual warmth.

Only when Tally was utterly spent and lost consciousness did they stop.

Luo De pulled up his pants.

"Good. Next, it's Pan Ni's turn."

He used 【Tree Walker】 to reach the forest's edge.

Henry's farm was open and treeless—he had to walk there.

Speaking of which.

Over this period, Pan Ni's obedience had risen, successfully breaking past fifty and unlocking the ghoul's first shared skill.

Still, he'd never been too impressed by ghoul shared skills.

Either rotting, eating meat, plague, or burrowing.

This one was slightly better:

【Shared Skill: Paralyzing Claw Strike】

【Details: The ghoul's claws carry paralyzing toxins; each attack inflicts strong paralysis. Each hit stacks paralysis. If stacked beyond ten layers, there's a chance to trigger instant death. Note: This skill can be manually triggered early—paralysis effects won't activate until triggered.】

The skill name was simple and plain.

"Stack beyond ten layers, chance of instant death"—that was indeed tempting.

Luo De was, after all, a veteran of 【Eseron's Flash】. Hitting ten times in a second? No problem.

He'd already named it: 【Eseron's Flash of Paralyzing Claw Strike】.

From now on, I'll just stab—eighth and ninth tiers too, I'll paralyze them all.

But dreams are sweet, reality is skeletal.

The claw version of 【Eseron's Flash】 struck too fast, completing almost instantly, causing judgment issues.

After testing, whether you hit three times or ten times, 【Triple Flash】 to 【Ten Flash】 counted as only one stack.

Like a game bug—utterly broken.

"Hm?"

As he arrived at Henry's farm, he ran straight into the elf Kali.

"Good afternoon, teacher."

Luo De smiled.

Since that day they wiped out the ratmen, Kali had held two classes per week.

She gathered the Death Maiden, Female Orc, Rat Girl, Pony Girl, and him together for lessons.

She clearly had experience—though each student's content and progress differed, she handled them all skillfully.

Besides that,

During this time, whenever Luo De had free moments, he followed her around the forest to set up tree-advancement arrays.

Kali would then work while adding supplementary magical knowledge not covered in class.

"I heard that succubus's cries from outside the forest."

The elf gave him a cold, sidelong glance.

Luo De remained calm, shrugging: "You know, succubi require vast amounts of essence to advance."

"So now, a month has passed—where's the result?"

At this,

He actually froze.

A month ago, Tally had reached peak sixth tier from digesting the Molar Earring's spiritual essence. Now, a month later,

Not to mention breaking through to seventh tier—

At least the spiritual accumulation should've increased significantly, yet Tally's levels remained sluggish, showing no major fluctuation.

Remember, not only was Tally, as a succubus, naturally able to convert essence into spiritual energy, but Luo De himself constantly channeled 【Ellibert's Secret of Loving】.

Kali sighed.

"I don't know what goes on in your room, but succubi are, after all, offshoots of demons—emotional consumption plays a major role. How long has it been since you were affected by her 【Seductive Fluids】?"

It felt like asking a married couple how long it had been since they'd had sex.

"I used to actively resist it with my constitution because I was too wild. Lately, Tally's been saying I don't love her enough—like she's handing in homework."

Damn.

The more he talked, the more it sounded like a midlife crisis between spouses!

Still, talking about this with an elf felt weird.

"Handing in homework?" Kali was speechless.

Her gaze remained cold, but a faint blush crept up her long elf ears.

"As lovers, this kind of interaction should be more emotionally invested, more focused on the process. You—you should pay more attention to how she feels, like catering to her preferences."

"Rare to hear you defending Tally."

"Heh. For a month, you've been going at it day and night, turning the forest into a mess. Even Xiao Ke won't go near there anymore! Just get her to seventh tier already."

Luo De smiled.

"By the way, the forest's advancement ritual should be nearly complete—when are you advancing to seventh tier?"

"None of your business."

"That won't do. I heard advancing to seventh tier as a mage carries some danger—I'd worry."

Kali turned her face away awkwardly.

Her throat moved slightly: "I'll notify you when the time comes."

"Good."

At that moment, a murky yet familiar aura approached from afar.

Both sensed it and turned their heads.

A slender figure slowly descended the slope.

Drooping dog ears, a tail faintly swaying behind her rump.

"Sharon?"

(End of Chapter)