Chapter 760: Demon

It really does favor the concept of harvest... If I could obtain seeds of miraculous plants, or find myself in an environment dominated by miraculous flora and special insects, the "Harvest Priest"'s mystical combat abilities wouldn't be too weak—perhaps even yield surprising results...

Directly catalyzing plants to unleash their full vitality is a profoundly imaginative supernatural ability, but alas, the "Harvest Priest"'s direct combat power is limited. If Lu Jianuo were a sealed object and I were to use it, it would be entirely different...

As Lu Mi's thoughts churned, he looked at Lu Jianuo and said:

"How about your physical condition? Any improvement?"

"Some, but not much," Lu Jianuo answered honestly.

Lu Mi nodded, pulled out the letter sent by the "Magician" lady via the "Siso" sealed object from his pant pocket, and read it under the floating sphere of brilliant white light:

"Temporary name: Demon's Whisper.

"Positive effects:

"One, 'Demon's Arm':

"To minimize negative effects and allow you to use it without excessive hassle, the supernatural ability of this bone ring has been weakened. Originally, 'Demonization' affected the entire body; now it is limited only to the arm wearing 'Demon's Whisper'.

"It causes that arm to swell and enlarge, darken to a deep black, and grow strange patterns, as if covered in thick armor. Flesh and muscle become highly elastic and resistant, reducing damage from attacks.

"That arm becomes immune to most toxins, unaffected by curses and fire within certain limits, and gains greatly increased strength.

"Two, 'Malice Perception':

"For the same reason as above, the 'Malice Perception' granted by this bone ring can only detect whether those around you harbor malice toward you—it cannot alert you to dangers in the making. Make do with it.

"Three, 'Embodiment of Desire':

"This is a power I specifically demanded the 'Artisan' emphasize, sacrificing the chance to gain other powerful effects. To ensure its full manifestation, I agreed to slightly increase the ring's negative influence.

"It can transform your body into a phantom black liquid formed from various emotions and desires, helping you evade harm, conceal your movements, and influence enemies.

"Does that sound decent? But not worth the special request I made to the 'Artisan'? You'll understand why once you use it."

Seeing this, Lu Mi muttered silently:

"So, by suppressing the weakened positive effects, the negative influence has been partially returned through the 'Embodiment of Desire' ability?

"What makes this so special to the 'Magician' lady?"

Lu Mi did not rush to test it, and continued reading:

"Four, 'Soul's Wail':

"By rubbing the demon statue on the ring's surface and emitting a loud sound, you can produce an effect similar to 'Soul's Wail'—it pierces the eardrums of living beings and damages their spiritual forms. The closer they are to you, the stronger the effect.

"Negative effects:

"After wearing it, your malice will gradually intensify. If you fail to control yourself and indulge in malice, you will slowly slip into the abyss, eventually being fully controlled by the ring's malice—meaning, indulging in malice while wearing it turns you into its puppet, with the ring as the true master and you as the tool.

"It's not that indulging in malice once will immediately control you, but humans who taste the sweet pleasure of indulging in malice find it hard to stop.

"According to my estimate, the amplified malice combined with the existing negative effects of the pact will cancel out all your endurance from the 'Penitent' and your own willpower, leaving you unable to withstand further emotional and desire-based stimuli.

"Additionally, whether worn or not, merely carrying it will cause your body to be burned by brimstone fire, affecting both inside and out. Storing it in the 'Traveler's Satchel' effectively avoids this. As a Rank 5 'Pyromaniac,' you can endure the burning longer, but be cautious of brimstone poisoning and treat it promptly.

"Everyone within a hundred meters of you, including yourself, will be subtly influenced by 'Demon's Whisper,' becoming more prone to malicious thoughts and impulsive actions. This effect can also be reduced by storing it in the 'Traveler's Satchel.'"

Everything else was manageable, but wearing 'Demon's Whisper' would make my emotions and desires my greatest weakness... Lu Mi evaluated this sealed object from "Siso."

Its sealing was simple—only spatial isolation was needed. Combined with Lu Mi's own strong endurance, he could treat it as a miraculous item without issue.

Lu Mi took the black bone ring, wrapped in a dark transparent barrier, from his other pant pocket, pressed his hand onto the sphere, and slowly pushed inward.

His right hand moved as if through thick swamp, struggling until he finally grasped the ring.

Simultaneously, the dark sphere silently shattered and unfolded, merging with the surrounding void.

Lu Mi then slipped 'Demon's Whisper' onto the forefinger of his left hand.

His body instantly liquefied, becoming insubstantial.

He turned into a viscous black liquid. Lu Jianuo, standing beside him, glanced once and froze, shivering uncontrollably, as if confronted with the most sinister, hidden desires and emotions buried deep within the human heart.

The newly promoted "Harvest Priest," unconsciously becoming impulsive and tinged with brutality, asked Lu Mi, now returned to human form:

"When can we return to the surface?"

Lu Mi glanced at him, eyes cold, the depths of his blue irises holding a darkness no light could reach.

Lu Jianuo shuddered violently, regaining his familiar fear, and stammered:

"I—I was just asking."

Lu Mi offered a slightly mad smile, slowly removed 'Demon's Whisper,' and returned it to the 'Traveler's Satchel.'

He now understood why the 'Magician' lady had specifically requested this ability:

Because his desires and emotions were not entirely his own!

A small portion of his emotions and desires originated from Thelmipolos's fate-link, from the residual corruption of the 'Blood Emperor,' and from Oumibera's bloodline—normally affecting only himself. But by using 'Embodiment of Desire,' these emotions and desires became manifest and could now influence the outside world and enemies.

"If I fully envelop a Rank 4 Saint in 'Embodiment of Desire,' even that half-god would likely suffer emotional and desire-based corruption... But this attack means I abandon evasion and face the inevitable counterstrike..." Lu Mi briefly assessed it, and found the sealed object acceptable.

When facing a half-god, evasion is sometimes useless—better to gamble!

And 'Sword of Courage' and 'Demon's Whisper' gave him that chance.

………

When true night fell, Lu Mi arrived at the headquarters of the 'Spiritualist' magazine, located at 19 Sheer Street, Grove Avenue District, and met Mr. K in the basement.

Mr. K, wearing a wide hooded cloak, spoke warmly:

"Let us first pray to the Lord."

Lu Mi nodded slightly and closed his eyes.

His thoughts tightly wrapped inward, not spilling outward.

After a while, both he and Mr. K opened their eyes.

Mr. K spoke in a hoarse, fervent voice:

"Congratulations—you are now a Yubeishenshi."

"This is the greatest reward—to draw closer to the Lord is the greatest reward to us!"

"From now on, wherever you go, you may contact local Shenshi, 'Aurora Society' members, or the Lord's faithful through me, and request their aid."

"If no Saint or Shenshi exists in the area, you have the authority to command all local resources—personnel, money, intelligence, and supplies."

So this was the 'Aurora Society's' reward—elevating my permissions and status? Lu Mi made the sign of the cross over his chest and said in a hoarse voice:

"Praise you, praise you who created all things, praise you who bear the sins of the world!"

Mr. K nodded in satisfaction:

"No other rewards for now. Next, we continue investigating the vortex."

"Understood." Lu Mi quietly exhaled.

If Mr. K had offered material rewards, he would have hesitated whether to accept them.

It wasn't that he feared the items themselves might be tainted or marked by that one—he was already watched, so one more mark didn't matter. He simply had a psychological barrier.

Lu Mi thought for a moment and told Mr. K:

"I may return to the Southern Continent soon to wrap up previous matters—I'm unsure how long it will take."

"Fine," Mr. K nodded slightly. "Which specific region?"

"I don't know yet," Lu Mi answered honestly.

He truly didn't know.

Mr. K didn't press further:

"We have Saints and Shenshi on the Southern Continent, and many of the Lord's faithful operate covertly there. Once you determine the exact location, I can connect you with the person responsible for that area."

"Thank you, Mr. K," Lu Mi said.

Mr. K corrected him:

"Use 'you.' We are both Shenshi now—using 'you' respectfully is an insult to the Lord."

Lu Mi fell silent.

He feigned casualness and asked:

"Mr. K, what significance does the church you took me to last time hold within our 'Aurora Society'?"

Mr. K replied with fervor:

"It is the first church our 'Aurora Society' ever built."

Does that relate to Bayinfeier? Lu Mi asked a few more indirect questions, then took his leave.

Returning to the Memorial District, Lu Mi informed Furanca and Jianna of the 'Sword Knight' matter, then activated the black mark on his right shoulder to initiate 'Teleportation.'

He traveled through layers of pure color blocks and incomprehensible strange creatures, and after an indeterminate time, finally arrived at the location marked on the 'Sword Knight's' letter.

First to catch Lu Mi's eye were pale-faced men and women, like bodyguards, scattered around the 'Sword Knight'—a man with messy brown hair, suppressed eyes, wearing a white shirt and black vest.

PS: Thank you to Zhuri Yiran for the Silver Alliance reward again~

PS2: Last day of double moon ticket period—don't let yours go to waste~

(End of Chapter)