Chapter 303: Demon

"Criminal" pathway... Lu Mian began to recall the content of Aurore's witchcraft notes:

Sequence 9 "Criminal," possesses a strong body, keen perception, and various criminal abilities, capable of skillfully using different weapons. Even if holding only a spoon, one can kill the target;

Sequence 8 "Cold-blooded," cold and inhuman, the body is further strengthened, mastering some class-spell abilities in the evil domain. In this regard, different "Cold-blooded" individuals have different strengths, and there are differences, so they cannot be dealt with in the same way;

Sequence 7 "Serial Killer," masters many knowledges and rituals involving demons, can summon projections of demons from the abyss, and likes to create special serial murder cases.

Lu Mian looked at Lady "Magician" thoughtfully and said:

"What are the Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 of the 'Criminal' pathway called?"

"Sequence 6 is called 'Demon,' and Sequence 5 is 'Apostle of Desire,'" Lady "Magician" didn't skimp on knowledge in this regard.

From worshipping demons to becoming a "Demon," no wonder it's also called the "Demon" pathway... "Apostle of Desire"... It sounds very normal for Beyonders of this sequence to worship the "Mother Tree of Desire," and it even gives people a feeling of being very well-matched... Why not just change the name to "Apostle of the Mother Tree of Desire"... Lu Mian analyzed while criticizing inwardly.

Lady "Magician" continued:

"The first node of qualitative change in the 'Criminal' pathway is Sequence 6 'Demon.' After the corresponding Beyonders briefly turn into demons, they not only bring comprehensive improvements in strength, speed, and defense, but also become immune to most toxins and are unafraid of curses and flames to a certain extent.

"More importantly, they also possess 'Malice Perception.' If an enemy can cause fatal harm to them in a very short time and begins to put it into practice, and both sides are within the effective range of the ability, they can directly sense it and perceive where the danger comes from and who it comes from, thereby specifically strangling and retaliating."

So strong... Lu Mian couldn't help but frown.

If people from demon families participate in the subsequent actions of the "Rose School of Thought," the danger level of the whole matter will rise in a straight line.

Of course, the "Zombies" and "Wraiths" of the "Prisoner" pathway are also terrifying.

Most importantly, after reaching a certain sequence, Beyonders of both pathways have strong defensive capabilities against flames.

Damn, is the "Pyro" too miserable? Lu Mian mocked himself with swear words infected by Franca and Jenna.

He thought and asked:

"How short is a very short time, and how large is the effective range of the ability?"

Lady "Magician" smiled and said:

"The 'Demon' pathway is very personalized. Demons of different races have different characteristics and possess their own unique abilities. And even demons derived from the same race will have certain differences due to individual differences. The reason is probably that this pathway needs to display malice, and the malice of every person and every creature is different.

"Personal will, unique mind, and inclined desire together create different demons.

"Back to your question, some 'Demons' can only sense malice a few minutes in advance, some can reach a few hours, or even more. And as the sequence increases, this will also continue to increase.

"The effective range of the ability might be a few kilometers, it might be the entire Market District, or it might include the city of Trier.

"In addition, 'Demons' also master a large number of spells, involving the three domains of flame, toxin, and filth."

The more Lu Mian listened, the more solemn he became. "Demons" are really strong, and like "Zombies," they are very restrictive to "Pyros" who mainly use flame spells and close combat.

After briefly introducing the abilities of "Apostle of Desire," Lady "Magician" smiled and comforted:

"You don't need to worry too much. Even if the 'Rose School of Thought' really has actions later, the main target should be Gardner Martin. You are incidental. And the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order,' as a secret organization, has enough ability to confront the 'Rose School of Thought,' even if demon families really send people to participate.

"If the 'Blessing Society' and the 'Rose School of Thought' have completed communication on intelligence, although you will also become a main target, they will not launch a fatal attack on you, fearing to release Termiboros, the angel of Fate. You just need to pay more attention to the abnormalities and suspected conspiracies around you, and you will have enough time and opportunity to ask for help."

Hearing this, Lu Mian blurted out a rebuttal:

"If the 'Rose School of Thought' directly descends an angel to catch me, how would I have time to ask for help?"

Lady "Magician" laughed:

"Do you think Trier is a public restroom? Descend if you want to descend, catch people if you want to catch people?

"Last time, if it weren't for the alien space brought by the 'Shadow Tree' and another layer of the 'Other Shore World' covered outside, that brainless 'God's Plague' wouldn't have been able to descend power at all.

"So, remember to try to avoid similar places and live in the sunlight of Trier."

Lu Mian breathed a sigh of relief and asked suspiciously:

"'God's Plague'?"

Is that the power summoned by Susanna Mattise?

Lady "Magician's" expression became a bit strange:

"Yes, 'God's Plague,' the child born of the 'Mother Tree of Desire' and the 'God of Binding' worshipped by the 'Rose School of Thought' originally, a Sequence 1 angel, and the current leader of the 'Rose School of Thought.'

"I won't tell you His true name. This guy is full of curses. If you recite His true name often, maybe one day you will turn into a frog that needs a prince's kiss to recover, or even worse."

"Why is it a prince?" Lu Mian had read the "Intis Fairy Tale Collection" published in the previous two years and remembered that the protagonist of the story was a princess.

"Otherwise, how can it be called a curse?" Lady "Magician" looked like it was a matter of course.

Lu Mian was speechless and turned to ask:

"The offspring of the 'Mother Tree of Desire' is directly an angel and is already walking in our world, while the child of the 'Great Mother' still needs to use a ritual to descend. Is the former more special?"

"Equally special," Lady "Magician's" expression became a bit stranger again. "The key to this matter is that the one who gave birth to 'God's Plague' was not the 'Mother Tree of Desire,' but the high-level existence of our world, the 'God of Binding'."

Lu Mian thought of Louis Lund, thought of Administrative Officer Béost and his manservants, and the shadow in his heart surged again.

"Can the 'Mother Tree of Desire' also make creatures of all races and all genders pregnant across the barrier?" he asked with a hint of fear.

Lady "Magician" shook her head:

"She doesn't have the authority in this regard; that belongs to the 'Great Mother.'

"But if you are seduced by Her and have a relationship with the power She descended or the aura that penetrated into our world, She has plenty of ways to make you pregnant. Moreover, the pathway of the 'God of Binding,' which is the 'Prisoner' pathway, is relatively special and has a very close connection with the 'Mother Tree of Desire.'

"If it weren't for Mr. Fool's protection, in the last year or two, members of the 'Temperance Faction' would have been more or less affected by Her."

Lu Mian nodded and took the opportunity to talk about the problem of the "Indulgence Faction" and the "Temperance Faction":

"I think the philosophy of the 'Temperance Faction' is correct, but why can the 'Indulgence Faction' still develop and grow, possessing such strong strength? Because I'm crazy, so I'm not afraid of losing control?"

Lady "Magician" laughed lightly:

"The philosophy of the 'Temperance Faction' is indeed correct, but this doesn't mean the views of the 'Indulgence Faction' are necessarily wrong.

"You must remember that acting based on the name of the 'potion' is like Tarot cards, which have positive and reverse positions. And even if everyone performs positive acting, the acting rules summarized by different people will have certain differences due to their unique minds and experiences. After all, we are only acting, and the purpose is to deceive the spiritual imprint left by that person, digesting the potion bit by bit. If you really become exactly the same as Him, that's the big trouble."

Lu Mian nodded with realization:

"'Remember you are only acting'—this sentence is not only to let us not lose ourselves to avoid mental problems, but also to avoid problems in this regard?"

"Exactly," Lady "Magician" gave an affirmative answer.

Lu Mian pulled the topic back to matters related to the "Mother Tree of Desire":

"Mr. Poet said there are multiple organizations worshipping the 'Mother Tree of Desire'?"

"Poet..." Lady "Magician's" mouth curled slightly. "They are all relatively small organizations and have not yet formed large sects, far less powerful than the 'Rose School of Thought' and several demon families, but relatively more secretive. Currently, we have mastered three: one is the 'Blessing Society,' the second is the 'Celestial Sect,' and the third is the 'Tree Worshipping Sect'."

After asking for advice on this topic for a while, Lu Mian talked about making magical artifacts with "Shadow Branches":

"Lady, after I get the reward from Mr. K, I want to ask you to help find a 'Craftsman' at the saint level to make a magical artifact. I don't know what price I need to pay?"

Lady "Magician" smiled and said:

"I haven't given a reward for your successful joining of the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order.' How about using this as a substitute?"

"No problem," Lu Mian responded happily.

Getting three rewards for one mission is simply one of the most beautiful things in the world.

Lady "Magician" nodded slightly:

"A relative of a friend of mine knows a 'Craftsman' at the demigod level. I'll ask for you first, and if it doesn't work, I'll find someone else."

Speaking of this, she smiled and said:

"Whether it's that 'Lucky One' or the reward Mr. K might give, they should still be a distance away from the level of the 'Shadow Branches.' Do you really intend to use one of them to make a magical artifact?"

Lu Mian answered very affirmatively:

"I won't regret it."

His style has always been that the resources in his hands must be utilized as soon as possible.

You know, when the assistant priest left Cordu Village, he was already a gifted person equivalent to Sequence 5, and now he might have taken a potion. Relying only on Lu Mian himself to deal with him is no less than suicide.

He must improve himself in a short time by all means and find more allies to increase the probability of success!

—In the early days of his wandering life, Lu Mian once found a wild apple tree bearing fruit. He wanted to wait for a period of time, until the fruit became larger and not so sour, before finding a way to pick them. Who knew that after only a few days, those small and sour apples were picked clean by others.

This matter left a very deep impression on Lu Mian and had a significant impact on his style of doing things.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 304 =====