Chapter 356: Palm (Seeking monthly votes at the start of the month)

Underground near the Opera House Arcade Street.

The man dressed as a wizard said to Franca in a sharp voice:

"Very simple. There are only three specific terms: first, you promise to go to the Deep Valley Quarry to blow open the secret door of the secret cave, creating a movement that can attract everyone around; second, I will pay you 50,000 verl d'or, with 20,000 paid in advance; third, what punishment should be received for failing to fulfill the promise. The binding force on both parties is the same, and the details can be discussed."

This man didn't intend to defraud the two Beyonders opposite him at all, but was preparing to use his own ability to modify the content of the task the moment the contract was established, making the other party have to sneak into the secret cave of the Deep Valley Quarry and take out the things and sufficient evidence he wanted.

This client had once used 1,000 verl d'or to buy a human soul by relying on this unique ability to tamper with transaction terms.

He believed this time wouldn't let him down either.

Watching Franca communicate with the man dressed as a wizard, Jenna, who was in the shadows, reached into the small money bag and touched the gold, silver, and copper coins inside aimlessly.

She was very sure that there was no seal in the money bag.

Or rather, Franca didn't have such a thing as a seal at all!

What exactly does she mean? Jenna's gaze cast toward the client who said the contract terms, feeling that this matter was quite weird.

To reach a deal, why not apply for notarization at the occult gathering just now?

If afraid of the content of the commission being known, one could completely go to the "conversation room," borrow the host's magical item, and there was no need to follow secretly and commission halfway!

This must have a problem!

Once Jenna thought of this, she understood what Franca meant by throwing the money bag to her:

Once something feels wrong, immediately use the "Ring of Discipline" to launch a surprise attack and control the scene!

Hu... Jenna let out a slow breath, took out the "Ring of Discipline" and put it on while relying on the shadows to pull the distance between herself and the client closer.

Franca glanced at the shadows not illuminated by the calcium carbide lamp, smiled at the wizard-dressed client, and said:

"Sounds reasonable, but I need to confirm whether you are lying and whether there is a problem with this matter."

While speaking, she gently threw the calcium carbide lamp in her hand in front of her, then took out a mirror from the dark pocket of her assassin suit and said with a smile:

"It just so happens that I am good at divination."

Hearing this sentence, the wizard-dressed client's pupils dilated instantly, and his whole person became abnormally tense.

He wasn't sure if "Magic Mirror Divination" could expose his trick!

Jenna, hiding in the shadows, discovered his abnormality and, without hesitation, raised her right hand, letting the iron-colored ring covered with tiny spikes light up with a faint glow.

At the same time, two dazzling "lightning bolts" seemed to shoot out from her eyes.

"Mental Pierce"!

…………

Where the "Samaritan Woman's Spring" was located.

Lu Mian and "Madame Lady Lady Hai La" were once again shocked by that terrifying intent, infected by pure madness, and stood frozen in place, trembling lightly.

While this made it difficult for them to move, it also "helped" them escape the state of nearing death; their cold bodies developed a burning heat, and their dormant thoughts boiled like water, fierce and tyrannical.

Of course, the purple-red corpse spots and several rotting traces on their bodies didn't show any relief and were still worsening.

Thick and deep darkness descended again. "Madame Lady Lady Hai La" used the black diamond ring on her right hand very reluctantly to appease the figures floating in the "Samaritan Woman's Spring," including the burning "Giant" wearing tattered armor and rotting in many places.

Lu Mian found his thoughts again and discovered that the escape of him and "Madame Lady Lady Hai La" just now wasn't without effect:

They were more than ten meters away from the spring water, and those rotting and dim figures couldn't leave the "Samaritan Woman's Spring" and crawl onto the shore, so they couldn't grab their legs and feet and drag them underwater.

These figures looked at the edge of the spring with empty eyes, or highly rotting or twisted and weird palms reached out of the water from time to time, only to be forcibly pulled back by inexplicable forces.

They roared silently, making the whole slope shake, making Lu Mian and "Madame Lady Lady Hai La" either feel sleepy or want to submit, having various adverse reactions.

But this was also affected by the madness that ignited the two people's thoughts and made them appear to have personality split symptoms, failing to achieve a good effect.

Around the "Samaritan Woman's Spring," only that wandering female figure and the black hair like water grass could approach Lu Mian. One reflected his figure with dull, icy blue eyes, and one extended over, trying to wrap around him.

Such a situation made Lu Mian feel a surge of joy. He felt that even if he failed to resist and was dragged toward the "Samaritan Woman's Spring" by the black hair and the blurry figure suspected to be a high-level Demoness, with ten meters to move, he would have a chance to hold on until the pale spring water defeated the huge figure with iron-black and red eyes and brought him back to the dark hole.

By then, Lu Mian could run out for another distance, and after two or three times, he could escape the area shrouded in grayish-white mist and return to the tomb above.

Afterward, he would send "Madame Lady Lady Hai La" in and wait for the other party to collect the "Samaritan Woman's Spring" water outside, so as to avoid the abnormal reaction brought by the blood ore and avoid that huge figure that was clearly stronger than other "water ghosts."

The next second, Lu Mian felt his body become abnormally stiff. It was an experience of being frozen.

White frost constantly appeared on his body, and constantly withered and melted.

In the female figure's blue eyes, Lu Mian had already been covered by ice layers.

The black hair then wrapped around him circle by circle, dragging him toward the "Samaritan Woman's Spring."

"Madame Lady Lady Hai La" saw the blurry figure in the white robe and the black hair dealing with Lu Mian at the same time, while she herself was almost unaffected, and immediately aimed the black diamond ring on her right hand, which was constantly gushing pure darkness, at the unknown existence suspected to be the remnant spirit of a high-level Demoness.

"Night" turned into a curtain, wrapping the other party and forcing her to enter a state of slumber.

Lu Mian took the opportunity to "hum," letting the white light sprayed from his nose pass through the crystal-clear ice layer and fall on those black hairs like water grass.

The black hair wrapping him suddenly hung down, seemingly losing its power briefly.

Almost simultaneously, the "Night Curtain" that had turned into substance tightened violently, and there was nothing inside.

Not far away, the female figure in the white robe, holy and empty, appeared again, looking at Lu Mian once more.

Although he hadn't completely gotten rid of the danger, Lu Mian's heart was joyful. After surviving that round of attacks, he felt that even if he gave up resistance now, he could hold on until the pale spring water shrank back into the depths of the spring eye.

Just at this moment, that huge figure floating in the spring water had eyes that were increasingly crazy, and the rust-like red was as bright as blood.

He violently pulled the spring water, as if there were iron chains binding him.

Finally, amidst the earthquake-like movement, this figure wearing tattered, blood-stained armor and burning with colorless flames walked to the edge of the "Samaritan Woman's Spring" in one step.

Rumble!

The whole earth seemed to be trembling, and grayish-white dust fell from high above.

Lu Mian's brain buzzed, and he lost consciousness instantly.

After recovering from that state of black eyes and blank thoughts, he found that he had crossed a distance of more than ten meters and returned to the edge of the "Samaritan Woman's Spring"!

He also saw "Madame Lady Lady Hai La" running back a few steps, her eyes empty, stained with blood, like a puppet, like a corpse, or a soldier who absolutely obeyed orders.

Lu Mian could already imagine how he had returned to the edge of the "Samaritan Woman's Spring" after closing and opening his eyes. He had also run back himself in this empty, obedient state!

At this very moment, he, who had regained sobriety, could no longer run away, because behind him were the black hairs rolling back and the blurry figure suspected to be a high-level Demoness, and in front were those palms that were either highly rotting or twisted and disgusting.

They grabbed toward Lu Mian at the same time, wanting to drag him into the spring water, and the distance between him and the huge figure with blood-colored hair was only one step left.

Lu Mian gritted his teeth. Taking advantage of the fact that he still had a bit of personal freedom, he bit the bottom of the white candle and reached his left hand wearing the gauntlet into his pocket.

At this moment, he cursed angrily in his heart:

"You bunch of dog-shit evil gods, you've watched for so long, why haven't you sent anyone to harm me?

"Where are the dangerous creatures? Where are the dangerous creatures you promised?

"Are you afraid, not daring to come here, not daring to face that crazy figure?"

Lu Mian cursed, but didn't give up. He pulled out a short knife and was about to cut off his right palm, the right palm eroded by the Earth Blood Ore.

You want it, then take it!

As for whether the right hand would grow back after the reset at six o'clock every morning, he couldn't care about that anymore.

Just at this moment, along with the earth's trembling and shaking, a pale palm reached out from the depths of the pale spring water, from that dark hole.

That palm had slender fingers, and there were cracks on the back of the hand. Each crack either grew yellowish feathers stained with oil or dripped rotting yellowish pus, while the skin on both sides of the cracks was crystal clear like jade, but pale and dim.

As soon as this palm appeared, it crossed the barrier of the spring water and grabbed the right leg of that huge figure.

The figure wearing tattered, blood-stained armor and burning with colorless flames swayed, unable to control himself, and was dragged toward the dark hole in the depths of the pale spring water.

He struggled hard, resisted, while the backward trend of that weird palm remained steady. The only reactions were the falling of yellowish feathers, the pus staining the blood color, and the skin no longer being crystal clear, revealing black, living-like blood vessels.

Countless complex symbols—either pale, deep black, or dim—emerged, dragging that crazy and terrifying figure and shrinking rapidly toward the dark spring eye.

Lu Mian didn't see and couldn't see this scene. He only knew that the huge figure with a rotting face, blood-red hair, and iron-black eyes was moving away from him, and all those terrifying palms that had reached out stopped moving, as if frozen in time.

That terrifying and crazy figure let out a low roar, but was unable to get rid of the control. In just the blink of an eye, most of his body was dragged back into the depths of the spring eye.

Just as he was about to disappear completely there, the madness became like substance, and two points of dark red "rust" flew out from the iron-black eyes, shooting straight at Lu Mian.

Lu Mian instinctively raised his right hand to block, and those two "rust marks" passed through the "Torture" gauntlet and penetrated into his skin eroded by the Earth Blood Ore.

Splash!

The pale spring water retracted completely, taking all the figures floating in it into the dark hole.

The area around the spring eye suddenly became abnormally quiet.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 357 =====