Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

If you have both a favor to someone and leverage over them, you won't have to worry about that person not obeying you.

However, the prerequisite is that I have to figure out a way to deal with this damned Originium Arts counter item.

Wayne was struggling to suppress his laughter, and seeing that Michael had finally stopped, he took a deep breath and tried to make his expression look as normal as possible.

But Miss Michael's gaze began to aggressively scrutinize Wayne from head to toe. Wayne's face tightened, unsure of what she was up to.

Why are you staring at me like that? Are you trying to eat me?

I admit you're quite my type, but what I, Wayne, love most is saying no to those who are arrogant. Don't think you can win me over with a smile or a cute act. You're not as cute as Vina, your smile isn't as stunning as Kal'tsit's, your figure isn't as good as Theresa's, your character isn't as good as Chen Huijie's, and your racial rarity isn't even as good as Mostima's, the fallen angel. What do you have that attracts me?

Wayne saw things very clearly. There were five people on top of him. If he dared to be eaten by Michael now, he would be torn apart by the five races when he returned.

Ahem... Not suitable for children, it's too gory and violent.

Michael was examining Wayne to see where he might be hiding a counter-tool.

Logically speaking, countermeasures are usually quite large and have a relatively obvious shape. A countermeasure the size of a button is practically impossible. However, Michael looked Wayne up and down repeatedly and found that Wayne was neither wearing a ring nor a brooch. Apart from the golden pendant bestowed by His Holiness the Pope around his neck, he could not be seen wearing anything else.

This doesn't make sense. The Pope's golden necklace couldn't possibly be a countermeasure. It's made of extremely rare materials, a special alloy sourced from ruins, possessing a certain degree of Originium energy conduction inertia. Simply put, spells would be weakened by this alloy. Furthermore, Originium arts of the mental type are notoriously complex and intricate; a countermeasure spell couldn't possibly be preserved within such an alloy.

Could it be somewhere I can't see?

Michael thought about it more and more and it seemed plausible. Although Wayne's character had flaws, he was still a clever man who had fooled Urbino. It wouldn't be surprising if he hid the countermeasure.

Michael looked up at Wayne, gave him a warm smile, and continued to flatter him, saying, "Your Highness Wayne is so handsome."

She noticed the wariness in Wayne's eyes. And this wariness was much more pronounced than the vague feeling she'd had before. This meant the countermeasure was failing. Soon, she would be able to officially begin the spellcasting.

She needed to reassure Wayne to prevent him from becoming suspicious and deciding to leave.

The method was simply to give praise, and Miss Saint instantly transformed into a praise person.

Wayne's smile remained unchanged, but he had already figured out the gist of it.

Sure enough, the itchy feeling on his head earlier wasn't an illusion; this saintess was indeed trying to probe his mind and memories. He had deliberately created an opening, feigning doubt, and sure enough, Michael immediately noticed the anomaly, raising his head and resuming his flattery.

Although I don't know why she's using this flattering tactic to stall for time, this girl is definitely a mental Originium Arts user with ulterior motives towards me, no doubt about it!

But what about peering into one's own mind?

Wayne smiled slightly. "Bring more, as much as you can."

Vayne isn't afraid of anything else, except for you Lateranos' sniping. With your map-wide sniping abilities, given Vayne's physique, he might actually be caught off guard and lose his life. Now you're planning a mental battle with me? Well, that's like a pillow coming to someone who's been waiting for a long time.

Wayne hadn't told the story of how he made the demon bark like a dog for ten minutes.

Chapter 103 Deception, and More Deception

Mostima had already warned Wayne about the difficulty of dealing with Saint Michael and the need for caution. In fact, to prevent any unforeseen events during the meeting, Wayne had specifically worn a suit of soft armor under his suit jacket and carried a short sword at his waist. This was to prevent the Lateran from choosing the negotiation location from pulling a fast one—like smashing a cup as a signal—and chopping him into pieces. Of course, a suit of soft armor and a short sword certainly wouldn't withstand a barrage of hundreds of axemen; it was merely to ensure that Wayne could at least survive a single moment's attack.

Give him just a word, and that's enough time for him to unleash his divine mandate and instantly reverse the situation.

But he really didn't expect that someone would dare to dance on the minefield and directly use a mental Originium Arts on Wayne.

That's interesting.

Wayne pondered for a moment, neither rushing to expose Miss Michael's little tricks nor hastily launching a mental counterattack or anti-intrusion. Instead, he leisurely began his own disguise. He methodically shrank his easily manipulated mental energy sun, retracting all his outward-projecting mental energy. Step by step, he guided Michael's fly-like mental energy to contact his outer layer of mental energy. Each touch caused Wayne's mental energy to retreat an inch. After this happened more than ten times, Wayne's mental energy seemed to be exhausted, beginning to flicker weakly.

At the same time, Wayne pretended to yawn involuntarily, waved his hand wearily, and said:

"Stop talking, stop talking. I hear the same things dozens of times every day. I finally get a break, so there's no need to keep spouting these blunt truths. If you keep going, I'm getting sleepy."

Michael wore an awkward but polite smile, while secretly feeling smug.

You weren't just sleepy from listening.

Mental strength directly determines a person's energy level. Those with strong mental strength, such as Kal'tsit and Theresa, can stay up for days on end without affecting their basic logical thinking abilities. In the original storyline, Kal'tsit even performed a highly precise Oripathy suppression surgery for three consecutive days and nights, snatching a dying patient back from the brink of death. And this wasn't an isolated incident; Kal'tsit has done similar things countless times on Terra. The mental strength of a thousand-year-old lynx and ten-thousand-year-old Kal'tsit is truly remarkable.

Theresa, or rather the Demon King, is an outstanding figure in terms of mental strength. Apart from Wayne, who is on a completely different level, the Demon King is undoubtedly among the top three in mental strength in Terra, and is very likely to be number one.

Michael knew that Wayne's condition was due to interference with his mind, the breach in his original protection, and the damage caused by the backlash of his mental energy, resulting in his drowsy state.

This kind of backlash is common for psychic casters. It's like playing with fire—it can be dangerous, or even a skilled swimmer can drown. While psychic Originium casters possess unpredictable and difficult-to-defend methods, they also suffer extremely severe consequences if their spells backfire. At best, their mental energy is damaged, leading to drowsiness or even coma. At worst, their mental energy shatters, their brains become filled with Originium crystals, resulting in instant death, or they are transformed into a mentally impaired girl.

It seems the psychic Originium Arts user who created the countermeasure for Wayne wasn't that strong; he only needed to exert a little effort to break through the Originium Arts' defenses. The backlash wasn't severe either, only making Wayne feel a bit tired.

However, to prevent the Originium mage from noticing anything and issuing a warning to Wayne or the Victoria royal family, which could cause the plan to fall apart and lead to unforeseen complications, Michael abandoned his plan to wait cautiously and observe Wayne's condition further. Instead, he said directly, "In that case, let's get straight to the point."

Miss Michael said earnestly:

"Latran is not incapable of continuing to provide assistance to Prince Wayne; in fact, we can offer even greater and more extensive aid, not limited to monetary assistance. The prerequisite is that Prince Wayne agrees..."

A flash of silver light appeared in her wine-red eyes, as if a silver cross had materialized in the center of her pupils. Wayne's image was reflected in her eyes, like a victim placed on a cross, about to be punished and disciplined, possibly to be burned alive by the raging flames and martyred. "Mental Originium Art—[Divine Guidance] activated!" Michael slowly spoke:

"The prerequisite is that, Your Highness Wayne, you must learn to repay kindness."

Wayne's brow furrowed involuntarily. For a fleeting moment, he seemed to think that what Michael said made a lot of sense.

But on second thought, it does make a lot of sense. If Wayne is an absolutely fair and just good person, then repaying kindness is indeed a virtue he should have.

But the key point is, he's not a very good person.

He quickly realized that his momentary goodwill stemmed from Michael's sudden use of Originium Arts, employing a single sentence as a cue for a mental attack. But such an attack was utterly ineffective against Wayne. Even now, deliberately limiting his power and suppressing his mental intensity to the bare minimum, completing the operation that covered an entire block a few nights ago would be effortless. The only difference was that he had to speak to concentrate, rather than casting a spell silently.

A mosquito bite like that on Michael is so light that it can't even break his skin, so what impact could it have?

My skin is as thick as the corner of the Great Wall, absolutely impenetrable. As for repaying kindness, you've shown me such a favor that you've offered yourself to me. I might consider treating you well.

However, Wayne had already made up his mind to cooperate with Miss Michael's performance.

Making some money is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather than relying on strength and lacking any technical skill to make money through the Heavenly Mandate and Imperial Power, Wayne prefers this method of making money by outsmarting others.

He obediently glanced at Michael for a fleeting moment, then, as if realizing his lapse, blushed slightly, looked away, and nodded.

“What you say makes sense. But Laterano has done me no favors, so I have nothing to repay them with. Perhaps Laterano should repay my favors first?”

Michael's satisfied smile froze slightly. Looking at Wayne, whose face was filled with righteous indignation mixed with a hint of grievance, he was somewhat puzzled.

Judging from Wayne's performance just now, he was indeed hit by his own spell.

The process of being affected by Originium Arts of the psychic type is generally quite slow, after all, the exploration and modification of the mental realm has always been the most unexplored area in Originium magic. However, her [Divine Guidance] is a very rare instant-cast spell. By the time the dazed expression ended, the person had already changed somewhat without even realizing it. From the moment they made eye contact to the moment they looked away, only two or three seconds had passed, but Vayne's expression perfectly matched the fragments of her spell's effect in Michael's mind.

Logically speaking, what Wayne is saying now should be the truth.

Unless Wayne is also a master of mental arts, and a master of instantaneous mental Originium Arts, and has prior knowledge of his own identity and spells, only if all three conditions are met can he know how to react in this situation and deceive himself.

Is this possible? No, it's impossible.

Even if the Pope were to look at it from the perspective of the Pope, this would be impossible.

Michael dismissed his doubts, his confidence in his abilities taking over completely. Since Wayne had said such things, he must have had his reasons. Wayne was now "one of us," and Michael didn't mind listening to his side of the story. He would compensate where necessary, appease where needed, and ensure that Laterano and Wayne could have a fair and just "transactional" and "pleasant cooperation"!

She sat up straight solemnly, adopting the most dignified posture, and said:

"【No lying allowed】Oh, Your Highness Wayne, tell me, what does Lateran owe you? As the Holy Maiden of the Holy See and your special envoy, I will certainly make a fair and just judgment and provide compensation, I swear to God!"

Chapter 104 This is not evil

"Waaaaah, waaaaah, waaaaah~"

"Don't cry, don't cry. Sister, don't cry, you seem more aggrieved than I am."

Faced with Miss Michael, who was crying uncontrollably, Wayne hurriedly tried to comfort her.

He just couldn't understand it. All he did was take those classic palace drama scenes from his past life and retell them using the template of the King of the North, Wayne, and Reed. How could you, a dignified saintess, have such a weak mental fortitude and break down like that?

Is it that the mental fortitude of time travelers in our Celestial Empire is generally too strong, or is your defense too weak, Miss Saint? Wayne remembered that when he read those stories, he felt no emotion whatsoever, and even felt a little amused. Although there were indeed one or two classic scenes that were somewhat touching, Wayne thought it shouldn't be enough to make you cry so bitterly.

Am I not the one who personally experienced all of this?

I'll ask you again, why do you look even more aggrieved than I am?

Oh, no, I haven't personally experienced any palace intrigue either. The "Nine Princes' Struggle" or anything like that doesn't exist in the Aslan royal family, at least not in the current Aslan royal family. They only have one man and one woman left, barely enough men to go around, almost extinct. They have no time for palace intrigue; internal strife is more like it.

"But...but...you've suffered so much, and I can't help you...I..."

Miss Michael opened her mouth and murmured hesitantly, as if answering Wayne's question, or perhaps talking to herself.

She was born and raised in Laterano, a place then free from internal turmoil and external threats, wielding immense influence. The Papacy's tax revenue alone ensured its citizens enjoyed top-tier education and generous welfare benefits. Michael, having displayed her spiritual Originium Arts abilities from a young age, was brought into the Papal Palace and became a unique saintess, living in a world vastly different from that of Vayne.

Hearing Wayne recount his stories of the "King in the North who doesn't understand human nature," the "favored reed," and the "unloved, disrespected, and always being ordered around," an overwhelming sense of sympathy welled up within her.

She didn't think Wayne was lying; Wayne was under his spell, and he wouldn't lie about that.

However, this boy, who had experienced such a painful childhood, had to face the cruel life of royalty at a young age, and whose hard-won throne was taken away by the suddenly appearing Vina, was ultimately doubted, hated, and abandoned by Laterano, whom he regarded as his "only friend".

Recalling the despair and grief that Wayne conveyed through the mental link Michael extended when he said those words, Michael felt waves of heartache that made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

Now, he shamelessly stepped forward and said to Wayne, "Latland has given you so much help, you should repay the kindness."

Where does her arrogance come from?

Michael had also looked into Lateran's official aid to Vayne, which mainly focused on the period from Vayne's formal ascension to the throne to Vina's usurpation of it, followed by the outbreak of the Reformation and the expulsion of Lateran's forces from Victoria.

In other words, Laterano had not helped Vayne before he seized the throne from Reed, the "favored son of heaven." Only after becoming heir did Laterano begin to value Vayne, supporting and courting him, feigning friendship. However, after Vayne's failed coronation and Vina's usurpation of the throne, Laterano quickly ceased his support. The reason is well-known—Laterano considered Vayne a traitor, a view shared by Urbino.

The deeper reason is that the cardinals unanimously believe that with Lateran's influence already swept out of Victoria and Victoria's political situation now as stable as ever, it is pointless to continue spending large sums of money to support a figurehead prince controlled by Vina.

Simply put, Wayne has no "usefulness" anymore.

What kind of kindness is this? It's just taking advantage of a desperate boy's longing for friendship, weaving a lie, using him, and then discarding him.

Michael didn't even dare to empathize, afraid of being overwhelmed by the uncontrollable emotional turmoil within Wayne. Those waves, rising like the ocean tide, seemingly endless, required an unimaginable amount of despair to cultivate. Michael couldn't even fathom it.

Michael studied politics with the Pope from a young age, learning the ruthlessness and decisiveness a leader should possess, and understanding the importance of a broad perspective. However, knowing and doing are two different things. No one can achieve unity of knowledge and action the first time they try something; it requires a long process of adjustment and transformation.

So, even though she knew the cardinals' ideas were not wrong, when she actually met Wayne and heard the truth from Wayne, who was "incapable of lying," she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt and heartache that was unique to a young girl.

Michael was someone who had unwavering confidence in his abilities. People can lie, but abilities cannot. Her gleanings from Urbino regarding Wayne's betrayal were ultimately just that—speculation, lacking logical rigor and sufficient evidence. However, the information she obtained from Wayne was a genuine account from the person involved, and this person had spoken under the influence of his abilities, expressing "Latland's indebtedness to him"—this couldn't be a lie.

She naturally believed in Wayne! She believed in the despair, grief, and deep loneliness buried beneath the spiritual connection that came through them.

Michael wanted to do something, but she suddenly realized that she couldn't do anything.

"I am here on behalf of the Vatican to have discussions with Mr. Wei Yanwu..."

Michael apologized to Wayne with deep remorse. Her excuse for accompanying Urbino out of the Papal Palace was indeed this; as for Wayne's matter, that was an additional task she planned to undertake after dealing with Wei Yanwu's affair. Before this, she had never imagined that Lateran would owe a "traitor"!

Therefore, she couldn't offer any substantial compensation; she couldn't give Wayne money, treasures, or items. She could only give him a hollow verbal promise.

"However, rest assured, I already know the truth. Once I return, I will immediately initiate efforts to exonerate the cardinals and clear their names. Your assistance..."

"Exonerated? As expected, you all think I'm a traitor. I knew it, I'm used to it." Wayne showed a perfectly appropriate expression of surprise, which quickly turned into a deep weariness of utter despair. He pursed his lips, his teeth seemingly biting them so hard they bled.