Chapter 444

Seeing Franca appear before her in the image of Paulina, Jenna could not help but sigh in her heart at the magical nature of the "Lie" accessory.

This was many times stronger than the "Actor" transformation ability of the "Mother Tree of Desire" pathway; it was the most miraculous disguise she had ever seen.

Franca looked at "herself" in the full-length mirror, gently stroked her face, and laughed in a low voice:

"I quite like this style too."

"What don't you like?" Lu Mian mocked.

"This is called having an eye for beauty!" Franca opened Paulina's wardrobe, picked out a two-piece pajama set that could conceal quite a few items, and entered the master bedroom's bathroom to change.

Soon, "Mrs. Paulina" walked out. Given Jenna's understanding of Franca, she couldn't spot any problems for the moment, unable to distinguish whether it was real or fake.

Once Franca entered a state of "Invisibility," Lu Mian fed the unconscious Paulina some "Truth Serum."

He estimated the time, and only when he felt it was about right did he take out the occult smelling salts and bring them to Paulina's nose.

Amidst the "achoo, achoo" sounds, Lu Mian screwed the cap back on and retreated into the gap at the side of the wardrobe, not letting the waking Paulina see him.

Jenna drew her compact revolver from the dark brown belt at her waist, squatted down, pressed it against the center of Paulina's forehead, and prepared to pull the trigger.

As Paulina woke up, the first thing she saw was a face wearing a silver-white half-face mask.

Where the face was not covered, although the skin was not exactly fair and had some minor blemishes, and its texture was masked by cosmetics, the curves of the lines were quite beautiful, making even those of the same sex unable to help but take an extra look.

Immediately following this, Paulina felt the coldness of the muzzle and saw a revolver pointed at her head.

She instinctively tensed her body.

Jenna did not give her a chance to express confusion or beg bitterly, asking straight to the point:

"When will Bouvard Pomperol come?"

Paulina answered subconsciously:

"Just these two days..."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly closed her mouth, an expression of disbelief appearing on her face:

I, how did I say what was in my heart?

According to their prior preparations, Jenna asked the second question:

"In these two months, among those mysterious men who came to visit you under the cover of night, who is Bouvard Pomperol, or are they all?"

Paulina struggled for a few seconds before saying it anyway:

"No, only once a week is it Bouvard; the rest are people he found to confuse the trail. Moreover, he changes his image every two or three times; he, he has 'Transformation Art'."

Jenna asked with a hint of curiosity:

"Do the others Bouvard Pomperol finds sleep with you?"

Is it a disguise to the end, or only the preliminary part?

"No." Paulina swallowed her saliva and said, "Bouvard has a very strong possessiveness. Since I have become his lover, he does not allow me to have relations with other men. Those he finds only chat with me, have dinner together, turn around in the bedroom for a while, and then leave."

Very strong possessiveness... Lu Mian, listening from the shadows, had his thoughts racing, recalling the occult knowledge he had gained when he became a "Contractee."

Soon, he found the contract creature and corresponding ability that fit the criteria:

"Evil Shadow Black Beast," a Spirit Realm creature that inhabits biological shadows. The birth of its offspring requires stripping away a shadow as a carrier; a creature that loses its shadow will die on the spot...

One can obtain the "Shadow Replacement" ability from the "Evil Shadow Black Beast" by sacrificing the shadow of a human, and one's own possessiveness will significantly increase...

By relying on pre-controlling the target or making them submit, one can complete "Shadow Replacement" in battle, using another's shadow to take damage in one's stead, thereby escaping dangerous attacks. In this situation, the distance between the main body and the target cannot exceed twenty meters...

"I wonder what the pay for those actors is..." Jenna teased with a smile, then turned to ask, "What sequence Beyonder is Bouvard Pomperol equivalent to, and what contract abilities does he have?"

Paulina pursed her lips tightly, unwilling to answer.

After a few seconds, she could not control the desire to confide, opened her mouth, and said:

"Bouvard is a 'Penitent'. He said that 'Fate Hunter' is the most important sequence before the Fate pathway gains divinity, and one must make a great contribution to receive the corresponding gift. He is still quite far off.

"He once said that a 'Penitent' can have six contract abilities, but I don't know if this refers to general circumstances or special ones."

Lu Mian, leaning against the side of the wardrobe, immediately mocked in his heart:

"Termiboros, do you know?"

He did not ask out loud because he knew Termiboros definitely would not answer this type of question.

Paulina continued:

"He hasn't shown all his abilities in front of me. He always wears pajamas when we make love and doesn't expose his upper body.

"I have seen him walk out of shadows, and I know he keeps three little ghosts. He also suggested I choose the 'Danger Intuition' ability, thinking it is very useful."

"Shadow Burial," "Keeping Little Ghosts," "Danger Intuition," "Shadow Replacement," "Transformation Art"... that's five contract abilities in total... If Bouvard Pomperol has nothing special, then there should only be one unknown contract ability. Even if he is stronger than a typical "Penitent," the total number of abilities is highly unlikely to exceed eight... Lu Mian quickly formed a relatively clear understanding.

The cost of "Shadow Burial" is one's own normal dreams, and the negative effect is becoming relatively extreme and paranoid; the cost of "Keeping Little Ghosts" is three infant corpses that died before birth, and the negative effect is needing to feed the little ghosts with one's own life force, with the possibility of being backlashed, the specific way being the growth of flesh tumors resembling lactation; "Danger Intuition" is sacrificing one's own fertility, becoming neurasthenic from then on...

The abilities of a "Contractee" are truly strange... After becoming a "Witch" and deeply participating in the affairs of the "Sinner" organization, Jenna already knew the relevant intelligence on Fate sequences like "Contractee," "Mendicant Monk," and "Penitent," and knew why Lu Mian had abilities like "Hum-Ha Technique" and "Spirit Realm Travel."

She thought for a moment and asked further:

"Besides contract abilities, does Bouvard Pomperol have any magical artifacts, Beyonder weapons, or other things on him?"

Paulina shivered inexplicably:

"He, he has two pockets on him that he absolutely won't let me touch. He chooses pajamas that have shirt pockets or pants pockets."

So he carries some items... I wonder what abilities they have... but at least there won't be no spoils of war... Lu Mian let his thoughts wander on their own.

Jenna, according to the pre-planned rhythm and the gains from the conversation, asked Paulina about her various expressions when facing Bouvard Pomperol, her posture and tone when interacting with the butler and servants in this building, and her own abilities and assets.

It was not until Lu Mian tossed the sedative originating from the "Joyful Society" backhanded that Jenna stopped questioning and caught it with her left hand, which was not holding the gun.

Then, Paulina fell unconscious once again.

"She has a 'Regeneration' ability, very similar to the self-healing constitution of 'Vampires.' The effect of the sedative will definitely be discounted and won't be able to last too long." Jenna raised a question, "Why not just finish her off?"

Lu Mian glanced at this newly promoted "Witch" and chuckled:

"You are actually such a ruthless person."

"Not being ruthless to followers of evil gods is harming innocent citizens." Jenna pursed her lips and said.

"Exactly!" Franca, wearing Paulina's appearance, ended her "Invisibility" state and expressed agreement.

The more she looked at the "Witch" Jenna, the more she liked her. Although the other party had deliberately applied ugly makeup and wore a half-face mask, she had a pair of eyes skilled at discovering beauty.

Lu Mian sneered and said:

"Did neither of you hear that Bouvard Pomperol is suspected of having 'Danger Intuition' type abilities? Although you can perform anti-divination, if Paulina dies now, the gifted power returns to the mother body. Do you think Bouvard will receive a warning from fate?

"There is still some time now; we can let Anthony in. He won't participate in direct combat, but he will be very useful for this conspiracy of mine."

Lu Mian not only wanted to capture Bouvard Pomperol, but also wanted to take this opportunity to play the "Conspirator"!

"I know that." Franca widened her eyes, "I was just agreeing with the statement that one should be more ruthless to followers of evil gods."

As she spoke, she took off the "Lie" silver pendant from her chest and threw it to Jenna, while Lu Mian began to signal Anthony Reid to infiltrate this building from the outer wall of the master bedroom.

…………

A light rain fell into the night, and the gas street lamps on both sides of the street emitted a hazy glow.

At 20 Terrace Street, a man wearing a silk top hat, dressed in a black formal suit, and wearing a dark bow tie rang the doorbell.

His face was ordinary, his eyebrows short and thick, his blue eyes relatively deep; walking in a place like the bustling Arcade Street would not attract anyone's attention.

The one who opened the door was the butler of this house. He glanced at the visitor and made a gesture covertly.

The man returned the gesture of holding both hands together to form a circle and asked:

"Where is Paulina?"

"The lady is waiting for you in the bedroom," the butler replied respectfully.

The man nodded, walked through the living room, went up the stairs, and arrived outside the master bedroom.

He did not knock, turned the handle directly, and walked in.

Inside the spacious and warm master bedroom, the wall lamps were all off, the candlelight was dim and yellow, floating with a hint of pink aura, and flowing with a fragrance that made one's blood boil.

The man looked at Paulina, who was lying on her side on the bed, and said with a smile:

"Why does it feel more ambiguous than usual?"

"A special mood prepared just for you," Paulina said in a soft, whispering voice.

The man looked at the infinitely beautiful curves, his blood surging upward and downward, and he laughed in a low voice:

"Why does it feel like you are more charming than usual?"

"Dressed up just for you." Paulina, wearing the two-piece pajamas, seemed unable to bear the shyness, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes closed.

The man swallowed his saliva, his heart having a hint of vigilance due to this difference, yet his body couldn't help but move forward.

(End of chapter)