Chapter 855: Confession (Early Update for Guaranteed Monthly Tickets)

Looking at the glistening tears and smudged marks on Franca's face, Lu Mi suddenly remembered his sister Aurora, and the loneliness she radiated whenever she gazed at the stars from the rooftop.

He thought of the life he and Aurora had shared in Kerdou Village, of the bone-deep and soul-shattering pain when his sister died and Kerdou was destroyed, of his early days in Trill, consumed by self-destructive impulses, of how he gradually rebuilt his social ties by overcoming resistance—starting with Franca, with Jianna, with Charlie, and with many tenants of the Golden Rooster Inn.

There aren't many people left in this world whom I truly care about… Lu Mi let out a long sigh.

He hadn't sighed this much during his time in Morola, when he and Zhu Li, Abris Medici, and others betrayed each other, plotted schemes, and faced constant danger.

Sometimes he grew so frustrated he wanted to burn the whole world down.

Franca's words had struck straight at his heart; he already knew what his answer would be, but he still wanted to struggle a little longer.

He looked at Franca and smiled bitterly:

"Caring doesn't have to be shown through that kind of thing."

"Besides Aurora, you and Jianna are the two people I care about most."

Franca shook her head without hesitation:

"No! I'll feel resentful! I'll feel like an outsider!"

"You promised Jianna—you have to promise me too. Once you start, don't think you can take it back! You should've understood this when you made the decision: if a bowl full of water isn't held level, the water will spill out!"

"As the leader of a team, you must remember three things when treating each member:

"Fairness! Fairness! And damn it—fairness!"

"But this kind of thing…" Lu Mi replied instinctively, "you can't expect me to say yes just because Anthony wants to."

"You must say yes!" Franca stepped to the bed, looking down at Lu Mi seated there, and growled, "Who told you to sleep with Jianna first? Unless Anthony himself doesn't want it, or you think he's a replaceable, expendable teammate!"

Lu Mi rubbed his temples in pain:

What kind of strange logic is this…

Why does Franca always have so many bizarre rules…

Lu Mi looked at Franca and smiled bitterly:

"Is this how you digest the 'Seducer' potion?"

Before Franca could answer, he sighed again:

"I promise you."

He added quickly:

"But I'm only speaking for myself—you'll have to talk to Jianna yourself."

This referred to adding the clause.

Franca's body suddenly swayed, as if she'd briefly lost all strength.

Her expression slowly relaxed, and she chuckled:

"We'll talk about that later. All I want right now is your promise."

"And as for me and Jianna…" Lu Mi had meant to say their agreement ended after digesting the 'Pleasure' potion, but felt the moment wasn't right to say it.

Franca looked at him, her face weary, yet returning to that teasing expression:

"You haven't said which choice you're agreeing to. I'm more hoping you'll become the 'Despair Witch'… or I'll fuck you."

"The other choice," Lu Mi answered helplessly.

Franca exhaled deeply:

"Fine."

She seemed to have lost her hard outer shell, appearing utterly drained.

She waved her hand:

"I'll go rest now."

"I thought…" Lu Mi said, slightly surprised.

Franca rolled her eyes at him:

"What did you think? I've been through massive shock and trauma, suffered for so long, my emotions and state are all off—do you think I'm in the mood for that? You've already promised, so it's on record. I'll deal with it later when I've recovered."

My spirit and soul need time to recover too… Lu Mi sighed silently.

After watching Franca leap out the window and vanish into the night, Lu Mi walked to the bedroom door and opened it.

Jianna sat quietly in the darkness of the sofa area.

Lu Mi wasn't surprised by her presence—she'd been guarding Franca's door, and with Franca's intense emotions, it was impossible to leave unnoticed or untracked.

"I didn't expect it to turn out like this," Lu Mi sighed to Jianna.

Jianna stood up, smiling warmly:

"I didn't expect it either, but after thinking about it for a while, I think… I can accept it. Well, at least regarding you and her. It's far better than the worst outcome I imagined."

"What was your worst-case scenario?" Lu Mi breathed out quietly.

Jianna's eyes held sorrow, guilt, and pain as she said:

"Franca loses her mind and tries to kill us."

"I'd agree—but I'd also hide for a while, until I'd arranged Julian's future before seeing her again."

Lu Mi looked at Jianna for several seconds, then sighed:

"Since your mother passed, you've had a lot of self-destructive tendencies. We thought we'd fully resolved them, but some still lingered beneath."

Jianna gazed at Lu Mi with glistening eyes:

"Aren't you the same?"

Lu Mi met her gaze, then laughed after a two-second pause:

"Is this a support group for the mentally broken now?"

"Yes," Jianna pointed to the door. "I'll go talk to Franca. We'll discuss our conditions again in a couple days."

"Alright," Lu Mi nodded gently.

…………

Apartment 702, No. 9 Aoluosaijie.

Franca lay back in her rocking chair, eyes open, swaying gently as the chair moved.

Knock knock knock!

Only when she heard the knocking did she realize someone was outside.

In this state, I'm easy prey for an assassination… Franca reflected on herself, stood up, and walked to the door.

She could guess who was on the other side.

Sure enough, she saw Jianna, wearing vampire makeup.

She opened her mouth, unsure what to say, only stepped aside to let Jianna in.

After Jianna sat on the single sofa, she smiled at Franca, who had returned to her rocking chair:

"I heard everything you said to Lu Mi just now."

"..." Franca's pale face flushed rapidly.

Embarrassing!

So embarrassing!

Embarrassing enough to want to crawl into a crack in the floor!

Jianna whispered with a laugh:

"Actually, I was also more looking forward to the other two choices."

Franca could only chuckle awkwardly.

Jianna stared at her face and said seriously:

"I can tell there's something hidden beneath that last choice. Can you tell me what it is?"

Franca fell silent for a few seconds, then said:

"Lu Mi's definitely told you it ends after digesting the 'Pleasure' potion—I know him!"

As she spoke, Franca grew indignant on Jianna's behalf.

Then she sighed:

"If I join now, in this state, Lu Mi won't dare or even think to set a deadline—and then, for fairness's sake, he won't bring it up with you either."

Jianna closed her eyes, as if brushed by a sudden wind.

Her gaze toward Franca softened intensely, and she smiled bitterly:

"But that's just false fulfillment—I can't fool myself."

"False is better than nothing. If it lasts long enough, it might become real," Franca offered a self-deprecating smile. "For a long time, pretending is better. Knowing it's fake helps us digest the potions."

Looking at Jianna, Franca suddenly felt an emotional surge, words welling up inside her:

"I might be a coward. I've liked you for a long time, but I never dared to truly pursue you or express my feelings—I've always hesitated, always retreated, day after day."

In this moment, Franca realized saying "I like you" wasn't hard at all.

And that ease only made her sadder.

Jianna stared at Franca, showing no anger, saying nothing.

She sensed Franca's true words were still coming.

After a few seconds, Franca bit her lip and said:

"There's something I've hidden from you."

"I… I was originally a man."

"I know," Jianna replied calmly, her gaze encouraging. "The 'Witch' potion."

"You knew," Franca wasn't surprised. She gathered courage and continued: "There's another thing—I'm not from this world. I came from another dimension. I… I took over this body."

Jianna gasped in surprise:

"Another world?"

Suddenly, a thought struck her:

"The world of the 'Soul Daoist' and the 'Celestial Master'?"

Having worked together for so long, Franca often forgot whether she had ever told Jianna about these things, and sometimes accidentally let them slip—so Jianna had long known these terms, though she didn't understand what they truly meant, only viewing them as powerful high-ranking figures.

"Yes, and that Resurrection Island." After revealing this secret, Franca felt significantly lighter.

Jianna's expression cleared with sudden understanding:

"No wonder you were so excited after getting Harrison's intelligence…"

"So, do you understand why I've always wanted to summon the Armor Wraith?" Franca asked, slightly anxious, "You… you don't mind that I'm just someone who's taken over another person's body, do you?"

"Why would I mind? Unless the Franca I know has been replaced." Jianna replied with a smile, clearly expressing her stance.

Franca relaxed completely, nearly collapsing into the armchair.

Jianna thought for a moment, then asked tentatively:

"Lu Mi's sister, and those mystics with strange codenames—also from your world?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you anything beyond that. I can only speak of my own part," Franca sighed. "I used to dream of going home, of returning to my own world. Every time I felt the urge to take a step toward you, I'd ask myself: Can you bear the burden of her future? When the chance to return comes, will you stay for her? Is it too cruel to make her follow you into a strange world? Would she even want to go? Could she even go…"

"After asking myself these questions, I always pulled back…"

"I've been stuck in this conflict, never taking real action."

Jianna listened with gentle eyes, and only after Franca finished did she smile and say:

"You're one of the kindest souls I've ever met. I'm glad you were with me through my hardest times."

She looked at Franca, hesitated, then asked:

"Do you still think about going home?"

Franca fell silent. The crimson moonlight outside the window had somehow dimmed.

After a few seconds, Franca whispered:

"Yes…"

ps: Thank you to the 37 Great Demon King for the Baiyin Alliance reward.

ps2: Early update—requesting base monthly votes~

(End of Chapter)