Chapter 401: Enhancement and Faith

After Pan Ni woke up, she used the brass spirit-testing orb again.

The black crystal shard displayed—【193 Ke】.

"Oh!"

Luo De was also taken aback.

It surged directly by fifteen Ke, nearly matching Tally's 198 Ke.

Clearly.

The passive skill bonuses are counted directly by the spirit-testing orb.

The girls' acquired passive skills are still relatively few.

【Negative Energy Constitution】 counts as one.

Tally's 【Grand Duke Bloodline】 counts too.

But Tally, to avoid the sulfur smell, outright abandoned the core skill 【Demon Body】.

Otherwise, her value should have exceeded 200 Ke.

But if you think Pan Ni can defeat Tally, that's unlikely.

With shadow magic closing in, a single +8 【Painful Lash】 would likely kill the ghoul.

The succubus has buffs on all her skills; her combat power in early seventh-rank is terrifying.

Pan Ni, however, has playability limits—her body is somewhat stiff, lacking flexibility and elasticity.

Luo De only seeks her out when he wants something new, so he's infused little 【Growth Spirit】 into her.

"Why can't I just add some to myself?"

Luo De shook his head and didn't dwell on it.

He cut off one of the ghoul's fingers as a reward, also testing his own 【Regeneration Ability】.

Pan Ni went wild with joy, her grin never fading; she held the bloody finger in both hands like a precious treasure.

She nearly knelt right there before her master.

【Pan Ni's obedience to you +5, current obedience: 56】

Pan Ni's method of improvement is equally clear.

This thing just wants to eat Luo De's flesh.

That's the ghoul's nature; there's no helping it.

But feeding her daily to max out obedience within a month? Impossible.

She might improve in the first few days, but once she gets used to it, gains vanish entirely.

It's just draining the pond to catch fish—then you'd have to find new methods, annoying.

What's hard-won is cherished; slow and steady wins the race.

After dinner, the two didn't rush back.

They strolled along Xin Lanke Street to digest their meal.

Yellow dwarf lanterns lined up in a row, hung neatly over each storefront.

Colorful logos on neon signs flickered under the lights—ordinary sights on Earth, yet deeply romantic to the people of Shi Ying Town and the Spirit Continent.

In the dim night, many couples walked hand in hand.

This was already Shi Ying Town's most popular commercial street.

Aside from bed, Pan Ni had rarely spent private time alone with her master; she was slightly excited.

After receiving permission, she imitated passing couples and successfully linked arms with Luo De.

She instinctively leaned close, pressing his arm tightly against her chest, walking along with a silly grin.

Her obedience rose slightly because of it.

As they walked.

A strangely familiar figure ahead made Luo De stop.

"Demiya?"

The girl, clutching a yellow paper bag and bowing her head, froze.

She lifted her face, revealing a round, babyish smile with a tiny, adorable canine tooth peeking out.

It was indeed the witch Demiya.

She wasn't wearing her usual strapless, revealing mage robe and wide-brimmed hat.

Instead, she wore a solid brown-red woolen long dress, with two layers of pale yellow embroidery along the cuffs and collar. A brown belt cinched her waist, and though she'd tried not to tighten it, it still accentuated her ample chest.

Her thick golden hair had inexplicably turned the most common brown, braided into two pigtails resting on either shoulder blade.

A large, bulky knitted cap covered most of her cute, pretty face.

She looked like a completely different person.

If not for Luo De's sharp memory for beautiful girls, he'd never have recognized her.

Luo De smiled: "New outfit? What's this for? Up to something shady?"

"H-How could that be, h-haha."

Demiya glanced at Pan Ni beside him, then looked away awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

She instinctively hugged the yellow paper bag tighter against her chest, making the brown-red dress bulge outward.

Seeing her embarrassment, Luo De was about to change the subject.

"It's not what you think."

"I didn't think anything. Could it be erotic novels? Hahaha."

She couldn't laugh anymore.

The witch's face flushed red, tinged with humiliation and resentment.

"Uh."

Luckily, the ghoul beside him was still grinning dumbly, staring at passersby and muttering things like "Their complexion is good, their lungs must taste delicious."

Luo De stepped forward and whispered to explain for her: "Reference material for a novel, right?"

"Huh? Yes! Yes, it's for novel research!"

From your reaction, it doesn't seem like it.

Could it be you just want to read them yourself?

Didn't the dog-girl Sharon say her friend loved sneaking into bed to read lewd novels during her studies?

Luo De wouldn't comment on someone else's tastes.

This kind of awkward moment with a friend? Let it blow away with the wind.

"We're off then."

"Wait a moment… It seems Tally hasn't told you about today's matter yet."

Demiya suddenly grew serious; her shyness vanished, clearly shifting to business.

Earlier that day, Luo De had slipped out of the town hall and secretly made Tally impersonate him at the meeting.

He insisted:

"I know."

Demiya couldn't help a soft laugh, her cheeks jiggling.

"Tally didn't act like you at all—she fell asleep not long after starting, and even talked in her sleep with your face."

"Uh, fine. So what was today's meeting about?"

Luo De didn't care.

Town hall meetings meant nothing to him.

"Shortly after you left, a letter arrived from Stormwind City—they announced the end of Rosalia's temporary assignment and demanded we organize merchants and all available forces to relocate into Stormwind City, consolidating strength to face future crises."

Luo De finally frowned.

"They want to abandon Shi Ying Town?"

"After the Argyle family withdrew, the temporary administrator, Rams Baroness—Daphne's cousin—is a spineless widow who spent her life compromising, swayed by the whisperings of her useless courtiers; two dragons would terrify her into submission."

Demiya's tone turned cold.

"I was directly under the Argyle family, transferred to Shi Ying Town through proper procedure; fending off her claim as acting mayor is easy—Shi Ying Town has a guardian array, which holds significance in the Kingdom of Aithelon and can be justified."

But Rosalia can't stay—she's Rams Baroness's own appointee; securing that connection was hard. She'll leave now."

(End of Chapter)