Chapter 324: Pleasure

"Does only death endure?"

Lu Mian and Jenna were both somewhat confused by the scene they had seen and the words they had heard, and they simultaneously turned their gazes toward Franca.

Seeing Salient finish his obeisance and prayer before leaving the basement entrance, Franca watched as the scene in the mirror returned to pitch black, ending the divination. She said thoughtfully:

"It seems to be someone from the 'Rose School of Thought'."

"Rose School of Thought"? Lu Mian had seen the name of this secret organization in Aurore's sorcery notes. He knew their origins lay with the royal family of the Southern Continent's Balam Empire and the ancient worshippers of the "God of Death." Their goal seemed to be to awaken or resurrect that "God of Death," drive away the colonists, and rebuild the Balam Empire.

Because Aurore's understanding of the "Rose School of Thought" was very broad and lacked details like prominent figures or prayer methods, Lu Mian didn't know anything else.

"'Rose School of Thought'?" Jenna did not hide her lack of knowledge in this area.

Franca briefly explained the situation of the "Rose School of Thought," which was generally consistent with what Lu Mian knew.

She added at the end:

"In the Southern Continent, the 'Rose School of Thought' has a status similar to the 'Order of the Rose,' but they rarely engage in blood sacrifices and seldom create terrorist incidents. My impression of them is alright. Of course, such secret organizations involving faith inevitably hold some rituals. The 'Rose School of Thought,' which attempts to resurrect the 'God of Death,' is no exception, and such rituals always require sacrifices.

"Hmm, the current leader of the 'Rose School of Thought' is a demigod nicknamed the 'Pale Empress'."

"Pale Empress"? If the "Rose School of Thought" and the "Order of the Rose" were similar in strength, the "Pale Empress" was likely an angel... Lu Mian raised his hand to rub his head; he had no energy for further analysis.

Jenna looked suspiciously toward the direction of the "Highland Secret Medicine" shop:

"That boss just now was an Intisian. Why would he join the 'Rose School of Thought'?"

The philosophy of the "Rose School of Thought" was to drive away colonists and rebuild the Balam Empire, and Intis was precisely one of the colonists occupying Western Balam.

If Salient were a commoner living in Trier like Jenna, without a clear concept of colonial interests, then joining the "Rose School of Thought" out of sympathy could be understood. But he had lived in the Southern Continent for over a decade and had gained countless conveniences and benefits through his identity as an Intisian; it was surprising he would oppose a situation that was advantageous to himself.

Franca muttered:

"Who knows? There are too many possibilities. For example, being captured and forced to convert, being controlled by mystical powers, or perhaps being lured by benefits, sinking deeper step by step until becoming a devout believer, or perhaps being saved by a kind-hearted 'God of Death' believer and gradually changing one's perception.

"Regardless, it's quite clever of the 'Rose School of Thought' to have a real Northern Continent person open a secret medicine shop on the Star Highlands, sell mummies, and act as an informant. At least they won't be easily suspected."

Seeing that Lu Mian already looked very exhausted, Franca didn't say anything more. She found a nearby hotel and opened a room.

When Lu Mian woke from his deep sleep, sunlight shone through the glass window onto the faces of Franca and Jenna at the table. The clouds in the high sky were like cotton, and the blue sky was clear.

Franca and Jenna were each eating a corn tortilla wrapped with spiced beef and lamb chunks, and one was using a fork to spear roasted onions, potatoes, corn, and various meats. In front of each of them sat a drink emitting the sweet fragrance of corn.

"You two are having a great time, aren't you?" Lu Mian rolled over and sat up, laughing.

Franca said vaguely with food in her mouth:

"It's rare to come to the Star Highlands once, and the business is done, so of course we have to relax.

"What is this called? This is called, this is called... damn it, forget it, just figure out what I mean yourself!"

She stammered for a long time without organizing the appropriate language, ultimately choosing to give up and focus on eating her tortilla.

Jenna pointed to her right side and said:

"We brought you lunch."

It was a portion of pan-fried beef strips sprinkled with red sauce, emitting a faint aroma of wine.

"I thought you would be worried about language barriers and wouldn't dare to go out." Lu Mian sat down and quickly filled his hungry stomach.

He had discovered last time that there were fewer locals who knew Intisian than those who didn't, and this "knowing" was often limited to barely understanding and simple communication.

Franca swallowed the tortilla in her mouth and drank a mouthful of hot corn juice:

"Body language is a universal language."

Jenna added with an amused expression:

"I can't even describe how good Franca is at gesturing. She even mimics pig, cow, and sheep sounds to tell those stall owners who don't understand Intisian which kind of meat she wants.

"However, the nobles here are different from what I imagined. Compared to their compatriots, they are more like Northern Continent people."

The three of them had a leisurely lunch, chatting about what they had seen, as if they were having a real vacation.

…………

Late at night, Honest Market District, Rist Wharf, inside the abandoned building that Lu Mian had burned down.

Worried that advancing within the apartment would bring abnormal changes and cause unnecessary reactions from nearby residents, Franca followed Lu Mian's suggestion and chose this uninhabited place.

She quickly created a "Wall of Spirituality" and then took out the mummy ashes produced by Lu Mian's burning.

Lu Mian and Jenna stood a little further away, watching Franca skillfully prepare the potion and drink it down.

After a brief stillness, Franca's face twisted as if she were in extreme pain.

Immediately after, her flaxen hair, tied into a ponytail, broke free from its restraints, floated up, supported by invisible power, and extended in all directions.

This hair became more numerous, denser, longer, and more ethereal, quickly filling the area enclosed by the "Wall of Spirituality," like a primeval forest made of fine threads.

Witnessing this scene, Jenna once again felt the magic and eeriness of the potion.

Obstructed by the hair, she and Lu Mian lost sight of Franca and could only wait patiently for the abnormality to subside.

Perhaps it was only a few dozen seconds, perhaps it exceeded two minutes; they finally saw the ethereal flaxen hair disappear, and the remainder retracted onto Franca's body.

Franca turned her body joyfully, looking at her two companions with lake-colored eyes:

"It went quite smoothly.

"It will be very troublesome and difficult to advance again later."

For some reason, Jenna felt for the first time that Franca's lady's shirt with floral decorations and the beige breeches she often wore suited her incomparably well, outlining a kind of beauty that was hard to describe in words, making her, a woman herself, feel her face flush and her ears heat up. Lu Mian, meanwhile, had some unnatural and unnecessary heat and reactions.

After Franca adapted to the power of the "Pleasure Witch" for a while, Lu Mian and Jenna finally calmed the palpitations in their hearts, feeling that their own sensations were much more normal.

Packing up their things and dispelling the "Wall of Spirituality," Franca walked to the two of them with a smile, her eyes bright like a lake reflecting light.

"What are the main improvements?" Lu Mian asked without avoiding suspicion.

One always needs to understand the rough situation to cooperate well later!

Franca rolled her eyes and said with a smile:

"Guess."

"I'm not a 'Witch,' how would I guess?" Lu Mian had just finished speaking when he suddenly frowned.

He felt his legs and body being wrapped layer by layer by something invisible!

With a *whoosh*, crimson flames erupted from Lu Mian's body, igniting those strange things.

Only then did he and Jenna see the invisible fine threads that had been passively stained crimson; they looked very much like transparent spider silk.

"Know now?" Franca chuckled, asking Lu Mian and Jenna with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Want to try something else?"

"No!"

"No need."

Jenna and Lu Mian both felt something strange and answered in unison.

Franca then laughed:

"Really don't want to try? I can let you experience true pleasure through simple contact."

"Damn it!" Jenna instinctively took a step back and cursed.

Lu Mian looked at Franca, unable to judge for a moment whether this person was teasing them or really had some thoughts.

"Hmm, the target should be Jianna... I also can't rule out the possibility that she's using a simple contact to make me embarrass myself..." As Lu Mian's thoughts turned, Fu Lanca's expression tightened, and she said quite seriously:

"Besides the two I just mentioned, my 'Black Flame,' 'Frost,' 'Curse' abilities, and 'Mirror Magic' have all been effectively enhanced, and they can be combined with each other. For example, using a mirror to lock onto a target and relying on 'Black Flame' to complete a curse. For example, besides 'Mirror Substitute' and 'Wand Substitute,' I now have sorcery that defends against fatal damage and provides preliminary recovery.

"The related abilities of 'Assassin' and 'Instigator' have also been improved."

She spoke very briefly, only mentioning the general situation without going into detail.

Lu Mian nodded, reviewing Franca's various performances just now, and asked thoughtfully:

"Are there any similar charm abilities?"

Franca smiled without answering.

After observing carefully for a while, Jenna had another gain. She pointed at Franca:

"You've become even more beautiful!"

There were no obvious flaws in her individual features or their overall combination, and there seemed to be radiance overflowing from her speech and behavior. It was a kind of atmospheric, flamboyant, and unreserved beauty.

"Really?" Franca was also quite pleasantly surprised by this.

Lu Mian couldn't help but raise his hand to touch his chin:

Will Ms. "Sleeve Sword" really choose "Iron-Blooded Knight" when she advances from Sequence 5 to Sequence 4?

Bidding farewell to Franca and Jenna, on the way back to the Golden Rooster Hotel, Lu Mian suddenly remembered one thing and asked in a low voice:

"Termiboros, what is the name of the next gift for the 'Contractee'?"

Termiboros remained silent and did not answer.

Lu Mian immediately sneered:

"It doesn't matter. When I find the parish priest, he will tell me."

Although he wasn't particularly confident about catching Guillaume Bénet, he had to appear confident enough at such a time.

…………

The day mentioned in the prophecy soon arrived.

Red Princess District, the intersection of City Wall Street and White Horse Street.

Lu Mian, wearing a white shirt, black vest, brown trousers, and slip-on leather shoes, jumped off the public carriage easily, raised his head, and cast his gaze toward the neighborhood ahead that seemed not yet awake.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 325 =====