Chapter 792: Charm

Not only did Lu Mian not dare to look at the current Franca, but Jenna, Anthony, and the others also subconsciously turned their heads away, as if fleeing from some temptation that could pierce their souls.

"Damn, my clothes are almost burnt off!"

"I was just one step away from streaking!"

"Thank goodness, thank goodness..."

Franca's cursing voice reached the ears of Lu Mian and the others, making them feel a sense of familiarity, and the temptation from just a moment ago vanished instantly.

Franca then concealed her figure, took a set of clothes from her "Traveler's Bag," and found a nearby hidden corner to change.

Only then did she dispel her "Invisibility," tied her hair into a ponytail, and walked back to Lu Mian and the others.

"The beauty effect is really quite good..." Franca took out a mirror, examining herself while extending a finger to poke her cheek, seemingly feeling the elasticity and smoothness of her skin.

Lu Mian chuckled.

"Is that the only change the 'Pain' potion brought?"

Franca was about to speak when she suddenly remembered something; her lake-blue eyes shifted to look at Lugano.

Lugano immediately said,

"I need to go back and prepare dinner for Ludwig."

"Alright." Lu Mian nodded.

Once Lugano had left, Franca felt the changes in her body and spoke at a slow pace,

"The improvement in appearance, figure, and charm is only one aspect, and it's the least important one—no, that's not right, it's not unimportant, it just has nothing to do with becoming stronger. No, I remember someone saying that beauty is part of a woman's strength, just as being handsome is part of a man's strength. Eh, in short, just understand it that way."

"There are other changes. 'Charm' has become an ability that can be actively used, rather than a passive state of display."

As a fellow Beyonder of the "Witch" pathway, Jenna easily understood what Franca meant.

"Before, it was about displaying your appearance, figure, and temperament, letting those who saw you intuitively feel the charm of a 'Witch' that exceeded normal humans, naturally becoming charmed. Now, a glance, a gesture, a sentence can complete the charm?"

"Correct." Franca said with a smile, "But when paired with the display of one's own appearance, figure, and temperament, the effect of the active 'Charm' ability is even better. Enemies who are charmed will soften their hearts toward us, unable to bring themselves to strike hard or use their full strength. Some might even give up resistance just to get closer to us. And in daily interaction, if you repeatedly use charm on someone and maintain it long-term, they will truly fall in love with us."

Having said this, Franca deliberately let her gaze linger, glancing at Lu Mian.

She wanted to test the effect of "Charm" and also see who was stronger: her or the "Ascetic's" ability to endure.

Lu Mian suddenly felt that the color of Franca's lake-blue eyes had deepened, as if they held a thousand words, and her skin was fair and moist, seemingly ready to break if poked lightly.

An indescribable feeling surged in the depths of Lu Mian's heart, and he couldn't help but curse out loud,

"Damn! Don't experiment with your ability here!"

The "Charm" effect is actually quite good, being able to force an "Ascetic" to curse... Franca chuckled inwardly, but kept a straight face on the surface.

"Alright, I just advanced, the potion's power is still leaking a bit, and I can't control it freely, can I?"

"Do you think I believe you?" After retorting, Lu Mian realized he was feeling a bit agitated.

For a "Provocateur," this was abnormal behavior. The key to "Provocation" is to make others angry while remaining calm yourself.

Franca withdrew her gaze and continued to talk about the abilities of the "Pain" potion.

"The core is 'Disease.' I can create various pathogens and distribute them within a range of over thirty meters. Hmm, once I adapt to the 'Pain' potion and truly master its power, this range can expand; it should be able to exceed forty meters, and later, as the potion is digested, it will reach fifty meters."

"'Pain Witch' can not only create various pathogens but also accelerate their infection of organisms and speed up the outbreak of the illness. The first ten seconds are the incubation period, the next ten seconds will have some mild symptoms, like allergies, fever, coughing, sneezing, etc. After that, the condition will rapidly worsen, and the target will suffer from severe illnesses like pneumonia. Once two or three minutes pass, their disease will deteriorate to the point where it could cause sudden death or lead to the loss of mobility at any moment."

After finishing the explanation of "Disease," Franca happily began to fantasize.

"This goes perfectly with 'Assassin'."

"Sneak within dozens of meters of the target, quietly let the pathogens spread to cover the corresponding area. Once the target shows mild symptoms and notices, take advantage of their reduced strength and affected state—many abilities might be interrupted—then flank and backstab. If one strike doesn't land, immediately change position and keep trying to assassinate, dragging the target until they are severely ill."

"'Disease' should be something that 'Guardian' abilities cannot defend against. The invisible barriers they create don't seem to be able to block air circulation; the people they 'guard' can still breathe normally. What's uncertain is whether the invisible barriers created by 'Guardian' abilities have built-in antivirus and purification functions..."

"Hehe, if I meet 'Admiral Deep Sea' again, I won't have to worry about that octopus mask of his. It seems it can only protect the spirit body and mind, and perhaps include making the physical body sturdier and more elastic."

"It is indeed very suitable for assassination and entanglement." Lu Mian evaluated from the perspective of a "Hunter."

He thought for a moment and asked cautiously,

"Does the infection and outbreak time of the disease differ depending on the target's constitution? Will the pathogens you create be burned away by a 'Hunter's' flames?"

He was reminded of his battle with the "Rose School of Thought" gift-receiver.

"There's definitely a difference. For example, undead creatures won't be infected unless I become a 'Despair Witch'." Franca self-reflected, "I'm not sure yet if the pathogens will be burned away by a 'Hunter's' flames. Shall we try?"

"Sure." Lu Mian also wanted to confirm this.

This could serve as a reference for encountering a "Pain Witch" in the future.

Jenna and Anthony immediately increased the distance between themselves and the two, standing at the edge of the Rue de la Paix execution ground.

Under the night sky of early winter, streams of scorching white flames suddenly erupted from Lu Mian's body, flowing outward and burning the air within a range of seven or eight meters.

Franca stood more than ten meters away, her lake-blue eyes becoming a bit deeper.

Amidst the crackling sound of jumping flames, time passed second by second. Lu Mian gradually felt his throat becoming uncomfortable, as if he had swallowed a foreign object and wanted to cough it out; his nose also became sore and itchy.

Franca stopped the experiment and stated the conclusion.

"The burning of a 'Hunter's' flames can indeed kill many of the pathogens created by a 'Pain Witch' and reduce the impact of the disease. It took me almost a minute just now to make you have some mild symptoms."

Lu Mian sneezed and coughed twice, causing the surrounding scorching white flames to dissipate rapidly.

Once Jenna and Anthony returned, Franca continued,

"The Witch's spider silk has also been significantly enhanced. When I was a 'Pleasure Witch,' I could only roughly control them, letting them entangle and bind targets, unable to perform more precise operations. Now, they are like my own arms, capable of completing more tasks, for example..."

Franca suddenly smiled.

"Tickling you!"

As she spoke, Lu Mian and Jenna both felt their waists being scratched by soft, invisible objects, sparking a wave of itchiness.

"Childish, haven't you grown up yet?" Lu Mian mocked, then added, "This is very useful in combat."

Franca retracted the invisible spider silk with satisfaction and pulled off the thin string tying her ponytail.

Her flaxen hair did not fall down because of this; it floated up on its own, every strand distinct, all of them defiant.

"Now, my hair is also a weapon." Franca declared proudly, "It can not only pierce skin and inject black flames, but also cause a certain stiffness in the parts of the target that come into contact with my hair. It can have miraculous effects in close-quarters combat."

After letting her hair fall and tying it back up, Franca took out a mirror and said,

"My curses have also become stronger and more targeted. For example, before, I had to use a mirror to reflect the target's complete figure before I could curse them by covering them with Witch black flames; this was holistic. Now, I can reflect only a part of the target's body, and the impact on that part will be reflected on the corresponding part of the target."

"The other abilities I obtained before have also been improved and expanded, including black magic and mirror magic."

Jenna listened quietly and sighed sincerely,

"Compared to 'Pleasure Witch,' this is a huge improvement."

"After all, it's Sequence 5." Franca was in a very pleasant mood at this moment.

Seeing this, Lu Mian nodded gently.

"I won't participate in the investigation of the 'Mirror Person' for the time being. I plan to set off for Lenburg tomorrow."

To find the "City of Exiles," Morora!

He had been learning Lenburgian during this time and discovered that it was actually equivalent to the Highland language of the Feynapotter Kingdom, just with more dialectal color—Lenburg had only split from Feynapotter after the "War of Oath-Breaking" in the Fifth Era.

Therefore, Lu Mian, who had already learned the Highland language, basically mastered Lenburgian in just a few days.

"So fast? Well, you've digested the 'Reaper' potion, you have to consider the matter of advancing to a demigod." Franca suddenly felt a bit sentimental.

Lu Mian glanced outside the Rue de la Paix execution ground and said to Franca, Jenna, and Anthony,

"Help me take care of Ludwig, and also, keep an eye on Lugano."

According to the data description of "0-01" and the hint from Madam "Magician," it was best for him to go to Morora, this "City of Exiles," alone.

Lu Mian had initially wanted to bring Ludwig, his godson, but considering that his essence was an angel with divinity, it was very likely to trigger unnecessary terrifying changes in Morora, so he gave up on that plan.

In comparison, Termiboros, who was sealed by Mr. "Fool," could be ignored for the time being; theoretically, he wouldn't trigger "0-01."

"Alright." Franca and the others responded to Lu Mian.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 793 =====