[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-860":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298829,4496,"Chapter 860: Initiative (Beginning of Month, Requesting Monthly Tickets)","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-860",860,"\u003Cp>Lu Mi once again stroked Jian Na’s hair:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, Franca going home isn’t necessarily a bad thing—if their world has no apocalypse and isn’t so dangerous, I can knock your brother out and let you take him and Franca there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na gazed into Lu Mi’s eyes with her crystalline blue eyes and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi fell silent for a moment, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll see how things go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na opened her mouth, then closed it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds, she didn’t press for details, but said seriously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On one hand, it’s to hold on, and on the other, I’m afraid Franca’s hopes will rise too high and she’ll shatter when she finally realizes she can’t return home—that’s extremely dangerous for a Mystic, the higher her Sequence, the more dangerous it becomes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She said, or maybe it was Emperor Rosel who said it—that a person is the sum of their social relations. Anthony also talked to me about how vital social relations are to an individual. I know he noticed I still have psychological issues and is trying to slowly heal me this way. Well, when you went to Su Qian and ‘Justice’ for treatment, they also stressed rebuilding social relations. For Franca, the most important social relations are you and me—the closer we are now, the more it’ll stabilize her state later; I alone might not be enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi withdrew his hand and studied Jian Na for several seconds:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After learning Franca’s true origin, have you been thinking a lot these past few days?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you think she might never return home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na’s eyes flickered, and she said with a hint of provocation:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She told me later that Emperor Rosel and she came from the same world, the same country. So I thought—Emperor Rosel is at least an Angel, maybe even close to becoming a True God, yet he still couldn’t cross back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you convinced this means hope is vanishingly slim—or even impossible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi sighed with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Franca and the others believe Rosel either hadn’t found a way back before an accident struck, or faked his death and already crossed over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na shook her head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It definitely isn’t the latter—if it were, Rosel would’ve destroyed his journals before crossing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re perceptive,” Lu Mi said carefully. “From the diary entries Franca told me, Rosel clearly suffered something terrifying in his later years. But what puzzles me is that he never once considered returning home. Also, he deeply valued his eldest daughter, and his eldest daughter, the ‘Mystic Queen’ Bernadette, is still active in our world. These are why I think Franca’s hopes are slim—they probably have similar thoughts too, they just refuse to believe them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Lu Mi’s voice suddenly grew low:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People must live with hope…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na smiled, tracing a pattern on Lu Mi’s bare chest exposed by the slipped blanket:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your state has improved a lot—you can say things like that now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Lu Mi could reply, she lifted her head and looked at him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s fulfill the promise today, okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can I do this alone?” Lu Mi smiled. “If she refuses, am I going to force her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na couldn’t help laughing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s inwardly willing, but after the emotional peak, she’s embarrassed and can’t let go—especially when facing you, her friend’s brother who knows her original state.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know her? When she’s impulsive, she dares try anything; when she calms down, she turns into an ostrich,” Lu Mi said, automatically teasing Franca.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be the one to take the first step—maybe she’s waiting for you to?” Jian Na realized her emotions were complicated: part of her felt a twinge of jealousy, another part eagerly anticipated what was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi spread his hands:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do I take the first step? I’ve never initiated anything like this—I can’t just say to Franca, ‘I’m here to fulfill our promise,’ can I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na’s eyes flickered as she thought, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Show her your guilt in front of her, help her with everything, then sweetly ask if she wants a massage for her head, shoulders, and back—if she doesn’t object, once there’s physical contact, slowly, slowly…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na trailed off, quickly finishing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve got a lot of experience?” Lu Mi chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na’s expression turned nostalgic:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I was a ‘Flamboyant Girl,’ I saw plenty. And Franca’s dancers loved reading novels about love and romantic interactions—books passed among dozens or even hundreds of people. Thanks to Emperor Rosel and the remaining public education, some of them could understand simple stories; the rest listened to others read aloud. It was one of the few rays of sunshine in their lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I read some too—I know how those playboys and Dandyists behave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi laughed, leaned closer to Jian Na, and placed both hands on her bare, smooth shoulders:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Jian Na immediately glared at him. “Only now do you think to massage me? I’m nearly falling apart—you were always reluctant at first, then…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na suddenly froze, her words stuck in her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi leaned in, grinning mischievously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s six in the morning…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na yanked the blanket over herself and leapt off the bed like a startled deer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wrapped in the blanket, she looked at Lu Mi and whispered with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go find Franca today—use your ‘Conspirator’ skills.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Lu Mi could reply, Jian Na grabbed her “Traveler’s Satchel” and vanished into the room’s shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi stared for two seconds, then sighed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least give me back the blanket.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a pause, the blanket flew out of the shadows and landed on Lu Mi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi shook his head with a smile and mimicked Franca’s tone inside his mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ascetic, activate!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apartment 702, No. 9 Aoluosaijie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Franca opened the door and saw Lu Mi, she suddenly felt uneasy—she wanted to slam the door in his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she turned toward her armchair, she asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t Jian Na come with you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She went back to rest,” Lu Mi said carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca suddenly understood, her expression turning complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stood before the armchair, momentarily forgetting to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi glanced at her and asked deliberately:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has your ‘Pain’ Elixir digested a bit more?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it!” Franca instantly clenched her teeth, summoning multiple crystalline ice spikes and hurling them at Lu Mi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi easily dodged, walked to the sofa area, and watched Franca’s lively, angry eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>See? Now she’s forgotten her discomfort and can chat properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her reaction was still too strong—she really needs to make the promise real soon, or she’ll spiral back into doubt…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi put on a pleading smile and said to Franca:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just my habit—habitual teasing. You know how ‘Hunter’ mouths are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca snorted and sat down in the armchair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today she wore a fitted white shirt with ruffled cuffs and lace flowers at the collar, paired with beige trousers and her usual fluffy slippers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the teachings of the veteran actor-apprentice Cherie Belle, Lu Mi feigned guilt and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s your ‘Pain’ Elixir digestion going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca puffed out her cheeks and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About a third.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm. You’ve processed the pain within yourself, but causing pain in others still lacks,” Lu Mi said cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he poured her a glass of water and asked with a smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Want a shoulder and leg massage? You’ve been running around searching for Harrison’s clues—you must be tired.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Massage?” Franca froze, then snapped alert, eyeing Lu Mi suspiciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few glances, she took the glass, gulped it down, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No thanks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This... great theorist of romantic interaction, master of armchair strategizing, Cherie Belle—your method doesn't work... I'll have to improvise myself... rely on the 'Conspirator'... Lu Mi's thoughts flashed as he sat down on the single sofa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it, expression neutral, and pulled the “Black Tear” headpiece from his “Traveler’s Satchel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca instantly understood—Lu Mi was checking whether the “Black Witch” was watching through the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh… perfect… She’d been about to say she wanted to send the Elixir formula and materials for Amadina through the Mirror World—when she saw Lu Mi quickly hide the “Black Tear” and wink at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh… the “Black Witch” is watching… Franca swallowed her words immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, she saw Lu Mi stand up, walk toward her, and squeeze onto the armchair with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh… huh huh huh! Franca was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her first instinct was to punish this intruder, but instantly she realized Lu Mi’s intent:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To the ‘Black Witch,’ Franca and Lu Mi are lovers—if we never show intimacy, it’ll seem suspicious…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… play along.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca immediately felt Lu Mi’s arm wrap around her waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her body stiffened, then she forced herself to relax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned her toward him, revealing his deep-blue, lake-like eyes and sharply defined face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m here to fulfill my promise,” Lu Mi winked at Franca again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled softly and slowly lowered his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca’s eyes widened further and further:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hey! You’re serious?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She instinctively tried to pull away, but remembered the Black Witch was watching in the mirror, and Lu Mi’s earlier glance had hinted as much—telling her to play along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You little brat, are you taking advantage of me?” Franca thought bitterly at first, then recalled their prior arrangement, sighing inwardly, “Never mind, never mind—it was agreed upon anyway, just a little earlier. It had to happen eventually, it had to happen eventually...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as her eyes slowly closed, her body gradually growing limp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she felt Lu Mi’s lips—hot, insistent—forcing open her defenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half-dazed, Franca suddenly thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no! The Black Witch is still watching!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How embarrassing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost simultaneously, she heard Lu Mi’s hoarse voice whispering beside her ear:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go to the bedroom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… you’re surprisingly considerate… phew, once we’re in the bedroom, wrapped in the blanket, the Black Witch won’t see anything—and it’ll confirm we’re lovers…” Franca nodded drowsily, then suddenly felt herself lifted off the ground in a swift motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the warm, intimate bedroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca, her cheeks still flushed, turned her body toward Lu Mi and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just remembered I need to tell you something, uh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She questioned Lu Mi with her eyes: Has the Black Witch left yet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi chuckled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Black Witch left long ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Franca froze, then noticed something odd amid her still-clouded thoughts:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You didn’t even check—how do you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi gave her an earnest expression:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Black Witch never came today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...” Franca went utterly still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She quickly understood what had happened, furious and humiliated, she lunged onto Lu Mi and pounded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You tricked me! You tricked me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t trick your teammate over something like this, do you understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, I’ll believe you one more time—but no next time! What if next time I think you’re lying, and the Black Witch actually shows up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, I’ll trust you once more—no next time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No next time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Beginning of the month—please vote for monthly tickets~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1852,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","822e77c5b2aa88c2bc550b5d93a27cfa229c4d5afd90e39a3e03326b9fbc2e23","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-861","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-859",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]