Chapter 418
Chapter 419 Night Duty
Lucien left.
Benjamin dropped the soft expression. Something flickered behind his eyes-sly and calculating-but paired with his delicate, pretty-boy face, it came off less fox-like.
creepy
and more…
That evening.
Joanna returned to her palace after a full day of training.
The Gold Fortress naturally contained the Serpent of Greed’s palace. After Joanna’s renovations, it was luxurious-fit for human royalty.
The richer she got, the more she gravitated toward old-money aesthetics.
She collapsed onto the plush bed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
Since evolving her affinity into a Law-Tier power, Joanna had been studying new talents and skills. These were subsidies from Divine and Demonic Academy, compensating her for her top- student privileges from the second half of freshman year and the second half of sophomore
year.
That meant she currently had two talent slots and six extra skill slots.
But SSS-rank talents worth taking were painfully rare.
S-rank and SS-rank talents, on the other hand, could be discovered, evolved, or even self- created.
If a self-created skill got system-verified, there was a bonus.
Joanna planned to create one. The first idea that came to mind was an evil god’s ability.
“Immortal Seed p>
If she could create this talent, it would be a game-changer for all of humanity.
They say when you’re broke, you focus on keeping your own head above water, but when you strike it rich, with great power comes great responsibility.
Joanna had reached the “with great power comes great responsibility” stage.
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Finished
Next up: “Bestowal p>
Living forever alone was pointless. If everyone bonded to her could live forever, too-that was worth building.
This ability was essentially the reverse of Power Siphon. Instead of drawing power from her beasts, she’d push her own talents onto them. That way, every contract beast would gain Perfect Body (SSS Rank p>
It was absurdly overpowered.
The research difficulty was steep. Eight days in, “Immortal Seed” was still just a rough framework.
Still, rest was important. Outside of combat, she allowed herself downtime.
The palace doors cracke
open. A round, roly-poly little body bounced in, then
spun around
and bumped the door shut.
Joanna watched the bouncing figure, and her eyes lit up.
A human could close a door easily. A fluffy ball doing it? An entirely different level of adorable.
“Good boy p>
Joanna’s voice went up an octave.
“Benjamin, come here p>
She patted the bed.
The Celestial Hoard-Glider, barely half a yard tall and perfectly spherical, rolled over at top speed, then tilted its head and nuzzled Joanna’s hand.
Those enormous eyes glowed rose-gold pink, sparkling, filled with nothing but Joanna.
Then it rolled, begged for cuddles, rubbed and wriggled, all in one adorable combo.
Joanna made a noise that could only be described as feral.
“So cute p>
Benjamin’s heart settled.
Ha. Lucien, you fool. You have no idea what the Queen actually likes.
When it came to winning favor, Benjamin was a professional.
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After getting her fluffy fix, Joanna felt all the tension drain from her body. She draped her arms over the fur ball and drifted off.
Benjamin softened his metallic fur until it was plush, silky, and impossibly smooth. Perfect for petting.
Once Joanna was asleep, he shifted back to his human form-and pulled her into his arms instead.
His skin was soft enough that Joanna stayed completely comfortable. Surrounded by safety and deep in sleep, she didn’t notice a thing.
A few hours later.
Joanna woke to find a beautiful boy lying beside her. Flushed cheeks. Dewy lips. Looking for all the world like he was waiting to be kissed awake.
As Joanna opened her eyes, Benjamin opened his, too. He looked at her shyly.
God, she wanted to devour him.
“Joanna, I… I’m giving you a chance!” Benjamin whispered suddenly.
Joanna blinked.
“A chance for what p>
“Um… a chance to kiss me,” Benjamin murmured.
Joanna stared. Then, she burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! Baby, you’re adorable p>
She leaned in and kissed his cheek. But Benjamin turned his head at the last second. Soft lips brushed hers. A feather-light touch, there and gone.
Then, Benjamin put on a face of perfect shock, shyness, and secret delight.
Classic villain playing the victim.
“Joanna kissed me! So, I get to kiss. you back p>
He flipped the script completely.
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Twenty minutes later.
Lucien knocked.
“Joanna, time to head out p>
“Coming p>
Joanna thought to herself, Pretty faces really are going to be the death of me. Benjamin looked fragile, but the boy had the boldness of youth and surprising strength.
Ahem. Mainly because Joanna hadn’t exactly said no.
Between the cuteness and the youthful energy, Benjamin really was… heart-fluttering.
Without realizing it, Joanna had turned into a full-blown love hoarder. She loved each of her contract beasts a little and felt absolutely zero guilt about it.
She changed into the new transmog outfit Caspian had made for her, gathered the team, and activated Astral Step. Destination: The Decennial battlefield.
The moment she landed…
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