Chapter 846: Changes in the Body

Lu Mian placed his hand on the mirror surface, activating the contract ability representing the "Mirror Mark."

He immediately sensed the multiple imprints he had left behind; some were clear, some blurred, and some were like the lingering light shining from the edge of the sky.

The clear ones came from the study of Moran Avigny and the apartment rented by Franca and Jenna. The blurry ones changed frequently, shifting positions, originating from the treasure vault of the "Blue Avenger." The others were like the residual light from the edge of the sky, giving Lu Mian a feeling of being separated by darkness, far away and untouchable. These were the marks Lu Mian had left on different mirrors in Morora.

At the same time, Lu Mian also felt a strong summons, feeling a strange, solid, and tight connection between himself and that "City of Exiles."

A pitch-black, illusory world and that mountain of corpses vaguely floated before his eyes. His nose smelled the stimulating odor of rust mixed with blood, and his forehead felt a slight sharp pain.

"As long as I'm willing, I can now use 'Black Tear,' walk into the mirror, and 'teleport' back to Morora..." Lu Mian suddenly had this realization.

Of course, such a "teleport" would inevitably pass through that special Mirror World. For Lu Mian, this was a very, very dangerous thing.

Lu Mian withdrew his attention and examined the changes in himself after becoming an agent of "0—01."

It didn't take long for him to reach a conclusion:

"If in Morora, '0—01' will help me share part of the damage, and I can change the weather in a similar direction, or make the current weather violent, becoming a disaster. I can also manufacture a small-scale Fog of War, utilizing abilities like 'War Cry' and 'War Song' to improve myself and my teammates, weakening the enemy...

"In addition, I can make myself equivalent to a Sequence 4 'Iron-Blooded Knight' for a certain period of time. Except for no divinity and no incomplete mythical creature form, everything else is possessed, just weaker than a real 'Iron-Blooded Knight.' Actually, this is a bit like obtaining a Sequence 4 gift, but high-level gifts also carry divinity...

"If I give up my self, I can even approach Sequence 3 for a short time...

"Hehe, the above must be realized in Morora. '0—01' is sealed. Once out of Morora, it can't exert influence.

"But the agent identity, or rather, the physical changes brought by this pollution, are real and exist, and won't regress.

"My physical resistance to blows has significantly improved. Although it still can't compare to the state of a Sequence 6 'Dawn Knight' of the 'Warrior' pathway after wearing that armor, it won't be like before, where being shot in the head once could lead to death on the spot. If the enemy doesn't target weaknesses and doesn't use 'Harvest,' it will take two or three shots to lift my skull...

"Strength, speed, reaction, physique, and agility are the same. The body has also changed in a more masculine and male direction. Hey, fortunately, I can shave with flames; otherwise, I'd be bearded in half a day, what would that look like?

"Spirituality has increased by about forty to fifty percent compared to before. If I accumulate and store it once more daily, I won't have spirituality deficiency anxiety...

"Hmm, according to the habitual terms of my sister and Franca, my flame resistance has also strengthened quite a bit. Flames without enough temperature can almost cause no damage to me. At least Sequence 5 searing white flames can have some effect. Hehe, later when using 'Devil's Whisper,' the damage and pain brought by that kind of sulfurous flame will be significantly lower... Wait, my height has grown by three or four centimeters..."

Lu Mian felt that he was now an extra-large, solidified "Harvester."

"Not in vain for me to study for so long..." He sighed, opened the bedroom door, and walked out.

Ludwig had been awake for a while, wearing a blue-bottomed yellow-star nightcap, drinking milk with high spirits.

Lu Mian looked at Lugano, who was busy in the kitchen, and asked his godson with a smile:

"What magical dish did you make with that 'Depriver' stomach yesterday, and how much is left?"

Ludwig paused for a second:

"I ate it all."

"..." Lu Mian raised his eyebrows.

"I thought you would leave some, make it into a dish with special effects, and share it with us."

Ludwig was silent for a few seconds, then said very honestly:

"I couldn't resist its temptation."

Lu Mian stared at this little boy until he lowered his head in guilt.

"This time it's forgotten. I can understand your craving, but if you know you're wrong, you must correct it, understand?" Lu Mian's expression became kind again.

He wasn't angry because the "Depriver" stomach was eaten by Ludwig and he didn't get a share. To him, missing such things was missing them; it was no big deal. The reason he showed a strict side was because this belonged to part of the education.

Whether as a godfather or the leader of a team, he had the responsibility to do so. Only in this way could he complete the ritual as early as possible and advance to "Iron-Blooded Knight."

"Yes, godfather." Ludwig answered in a low voice.

Lu Mian sat down and, while waiting for his breakfast, asked Ludwig:

"Have you advanced to 'Depriver' now?"

"Still a bit short, but I can use a small amount of 'Depriver' abilities." Ludwig drank milk again.

Lu Mian nodded lightly and didn't ask any more questions.

…………

Trier, Memorial Hall District, 9 Orosay Street, Apartment 702.

After breakfast, Lu Mian came to find Franca and Jenna.

He rang the doorbell very politely. After all, at this time, the two "Witches" might be disheveled or dressed revealingly.

—Since it was past midwinter, with the "Witch"'s resistance to cold, they could completely wear only a single layer of clothing inside the room.

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, Franca, wearing a lady's shirt, slim trousers, and a pair of furry slippers, opened the door.

She looked at Lu Mian with surprise and said:

"You're back from that 'City of Exiles'?"

This is too fast, right?

When they last contacted, he was still studying!

Lu Mian walked into the apartment from Franca's side and said with a smile:

"Your 'Mirror Buckle' was used up by me."

"It's nothing." Franca, who already possessed the "Ice Amulet," waved her hand quite generously.

Lu Mian was about to speak when he suddenly saw Jenna standing at the dining table, discovering that the skin on this "Witch"'s face looked like it had been cleaned deeply, both clean and delicate. Her crystal-clear eyes were like autumn water, hiding thousands of emotions and ten thousand words, making people unable to help but sink into them. The simple-styled light-colored waist-cinching dress on her outlined a perfect but never exaggerated figure, and the skin exposed outside had indescribable charm.

Lu Mian's throat suddenly tightened, and his body uncontrollably produced a sense of dryness and heat.

It took him a few seconds to shift his gaze, and he said thoughtfully to Jenna:

"You advanced to 'Pleasure'?"

"Yes." Jenna smiled mischievously, "It seems that potion wasn't fake."

Lu Mian "heh"ed:

"Were you displaying your charm just now?"

"No." Jenna said softly with a smile, "Maybe just advanced, the power of the potion is still a bit overflowing, but, your self-control isn't as good as I imagined."

Uh... Lu Mian also felt that his reaction just now was a bit unlike a "Ascetic." He suspected that after using "Devil's Whisper," malice remained, and it would take a period of time to completely dissipate. And there was the "Black Tear" forehead ornament in the "Traveler's Bag"—although this Grade 1 Sealed Artifact was isolated, the "Traveler's Bag" couldn't completely isolate the influence, and there would always be a little negative effect overflowing.

This was the reason he had to burn the occult pathogens in that independent space regularly... He found an excuse for himself and sneered:

"This is because I'm still relatively weak now, and the fluctuations of emotions and desires are relatively obvious."

Watching the interaction between the two, Franca felt a bit sour for some reason. She took the initiative to change the topic and shared excitedly:

"You went to Morora, the gains in 'Hunter' are not much, just becoming an agent of '0—01.' But you got quite a lot of things in the 'Witch' pathway, the Beyonder characteristic of the 'Witch of Pain,' the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact equivalent to the Beyonder characteristic of the 'Despair Witch'..."

"What are you implying?" Lu Mian asked back with a smile.

Franca chuckled:

"I don't need it, I should be able to get it from the Witch Sect. The only thing to worry about is how to complete the ritual. Hey, I wish I could go to Morora. That place is simply too suitable for holding the ritual of the 'Despair Witch.' There won't be any guilt. Just listening to a few cases you told, I know that place is full of talents, criminal talents, talents who explore the lower limits of human sin!

"I mean, Jenna's Beyonder characteristic to Sequence 4 is all ready. You don't plan to sell it, right?"

Jenna subconsciously said:

"But I haven't even saved enough money for the Beyonder characteristic of the 'Witch of Pain,' still missing tens of thousands of Felkin..."

Lu Mian laughed and said:

"Don't worry. From now on, you are officially members of my team. As the leader of the team, I will give different rewards based on the contributions you make, which can be money or items."

He hinted very clearly—these things were prepared for you, Jenna. It's impossible for me to consume them myself, right? But since it's a team, rewards and punishments must be clear, and they can't be given away for no reason.

Even giving the "Depriver" stomach to Ludwig, he did it in the name of a gift brought by the godfather for his godson after a long trip.

Jenna's expression relaxed, and she teased with a smile in her eyes:

"Should we call you captain then?"

"No need. A good team can call each other by name or nickname." Lu Mian cast his gaze toward Franca and brought up the old matter again:

"I used up your 'Mirror Buckle.' What compensation do you want?"

"Do you have to be so polite?" Franca, who already had the "Ice Amulet," waved her hand generously. "If I need to use 'Black Tear' or the 'Sword of Courage' later, I will also borrow them from you. Rest assured, I have a thick skin and definitely won't be embarrassed."

She said while taking out the "Liar" ear clip and throwing it back to Lu Mian:

"Keep this thing with you. I'm afraid I won't be able to resist adjusting and solidifying my face and figure, and then I'll be addicted to lies."

Lu Mian knew Franca wasn't pretending to be generous. He caught "Liar" and reminded her instead:

"You must be more careful when facing the 'Black Witch' later. She should know very soon that I participated in the '0—01' battle in Morora and am suspected to be the one who persisted until the end."

"Hmm." Franca nodded solemnly.

Jenna's eyes flickered, and she said thoughtfully:

"Then should I move out for a period of time?"

Seeing Franca cast a puzzled gaze, and Lu Mian nodding in approval, Jenna carefully chose her words and explained to Franca:

"The 'Black Witch' is very likely to monitor you in the dark to grasp Lu Mian's situation and movements. If I still live with you, I will inevitably be noticed by her. And facing the long-term observation of a high-level 'Witch,' I don't think my secrets can be hidden from her.

"Think about it, I now have the charm of a 'Pleasure Witch.' This is different from the beauty of a vampire's appearance and temperament. The 'Black Witch' can find something wrong after looking at it a few more times. And if I live in another place, I can cover up this charm through makeup, 'Liar,' etc., before coming to find you."

"Liar" can't be worn all the time, and if she keeps makeup on even while sleeping, the "Black Witch" will also be suspicious!

"Alright." Franca was convinced by Jenna.

She glared at Lu Mian and thought quite resentfully:

You really bring trouble.