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

Standing at the entrance of the tea room, Urbino held a warm teacup, took a sip, and listened to the strange noises coming from inside. Whether he was marveling at the delicious tea or simply enjoying the company of the young people, he let out a long sigh.

"That's great!"

When he was young, girls were very conservative, especially nuns in Lateran. In every monastery or church, the boundaries between priests and nuns were very clear. It wasn't that clergy were explicitly forbidden from having romantic relationships, but if you really wanted to have an affair with a nun, you had to be prepared to get married at any time and spend the rest of your life with her, or to commit the seven sins and be excommunicated.

Urbino felt that his decision to abandon being a seasoned womanizer and a playboy in favor of pursuing power was not unrelated to the cumbersome rules and restrictions imposed upon him.

"Ah~ Ooh!"

A painful whimper came from inside the tea room. Urbino turned back warily to look at the door, reached out and placed his hand on it, wanting to open it, but stopped before turning the doorknob.

His sudden entry at this moment would probably have seemed rather awkward.

Urbino coughed lightly, then changed his hand gesture, knocking on the door as a reminder:

"Young people shouldn't go too far."

Inside the room, looking completely bewildered as Michael suddenly knelt down, Wayne quickly went over and helped her up.

"Why must you perform such a grand ceremony, young lady?"

Actually, he had just wanted to say, "Don't kneel, stand up." But Michael's condition did seem quite serious, and using the Mandate of Heaven's imperial power again would be too cruel, so he let it go.

Ignoring the old man's advice from outside the door, Wayne turned to Theresa and gave her a questioning look.

"What happened? I just told her not to run away, you heard it too, why did she suddenly explode?"

Wayne's mental strength was strong, but he knew nothing about the technical terms of magic. Rather than guessing here, he might as well ask the professionals next to him.

Theresa was clearly surprised by the situation. Looking at Wayne's innocent eyes, she blurted out, "You interfered with her mind?" Before Wayne could answer, she had already gotten the answer.

Vayne's spell [Heavenly Mandate] is not a continuous mental spell; its duration depends solely on how long Vayne's command takes to complete. If it's a simple command like telling Michael to sit down, the spell's effect will disappear once Michael completes the command. If it's telling Michael to "stand still," then as long as Vayne's mental strength can hold out, Michael will likely remain standing there until Vayne says "you can move," provided his mental strength can withstand it.

This spell is powerful and terrifying, but its weaknesses are also quite obvious. If Wayne's mental strength is insufficient, the commands he issues can be broken at any time. For example, when the North was fighting the demon, Wayne told the demon to "stop," but he only controlled the demon for half an hour.

Within the Empire of Consciousness, Wayne is invincible because his soul can remove all limitations. But the body is like a water pipe; no matter if the reservoir behind it holds an ocean or a galaxy, what ultimately erupts is only the maximum size the pipe can allow.

Based on this, it's highly likely that Wayne didn't cast any spells on Michael. If he had, Michael wouldn't have experienced this cognitive conflict and soul-tearing situation.

After all, if the spell was cast by Vayne, then Michael should be perfectly calm by now. A mere cognitive conflict could not possibly withstand the cognitive contamination of a demon, much less the divine imperial authority of Vayne, which could even overturn the cognitive contamination of a demon.

Thinking of this, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief.

If there was anything she feared most, it would be Wayne's unbridled use of the Mandate of Heaven to alter the consciousness of others. This spell, combined with Wayne's power, was terrifying. If Wayne truly lost control and reached that point, Theresa...

Theresa truly had no confidence that she could stop Wayne, even with all ten commandments activated and her life force burned. If that were the case, she would probably be the first to stand in front of Wayne, praying that she could exchange her life for a miracle.

"I'm glad you're alright."

Theresa murmured softly, stepped forward, and placed her hand on Michael's forehead. Unlike the black and red magic that Amiya used to read emotions and memories in Wayne's memory, Theresa's Originium Arts were bright, warm white, radiating a dazzling yet gentle light, giving people a warm and gentle first impression, just like herself.

A white magical light shone from Theresa's palm and slowly merged into Michael's mind. A moment later, Michael, who had just been whimpering in pain, finally loosened his clenched teeth, relaxed his brows, closed his eyes, and began to breathe in a deep sleep.

"My mental energy has been severely depleted, my soul is cracked, and my consciousness is a jumbled mess..."

Instead of Michael, Theresa frowned, a few beads of cold sweat trickling down her temples. She bit her lip and recited the terms that Wayne only vaguely understood.

About five minutes later, she finally released her hand from Michael's forehead. Wayne then helped her, who looked somewhat weak, and helped both Michael and Theresa to the sofa.

They couldn't sit in a chair; there were no armrests, and Wayne was afraid that the two of them might fall to the ground if they disagreed.

However, Theresa's condition seemed much better than Michael's. Compared to Michael's actual pain, Theresa only experienced phantom pain from empathy during the magical connection. She could have chosen to isolate this pain or break the link, but that would have led to omissions and errors in diagnosis. So, Theresa, with the utmost responsibility, gritted her teeth and endured it all.

Wayne was unaware of all this; if he had, he probably would have just helplessly shrugged.

This is Theresa; Kal'tsit can't persuade her, the Doctor can't persuade her, and even Wayne can't persuade her. If Theresa were to change this self-sacrificing and dedicated personality, she wouldn't be Theresa anymore.

He could only rely on his intuition to quickly extend a mental tentacle to Theresa, hoping to help her share the burden and relax.

"I only understood part of what you just said."

Wayne paused, then said seriously,

Is it serious?

With Wayne's help, Theresa recovered quickly from the discomfort caused by excessive mental exertion. After taking the opportunity to stroke the big cat's "fur" a little longer, Theresa nodded:

"It's quite serious, even though you didn't use any magic on her. But she just used magic on you, right?"

Wayne didn't hide anything and nodded. He had sensed the spell just now; it was a suicidal attack, like a moth drawn to a flame, but Wayne wasn't affected at all.

Theresa revealed an expression of "I knew it," and said:

"The magic has reversed."

Wayne nodded seriously, but Theresa could tell he didn't understand at all, so she could only explain:

“Mr. Bruce, to give you an analogy, imagine you and this Sakta are two separate water tanks, both full, with yours holding more water than hers. Now, she unilaterally places a pipe between you and tries to fill your tank. What would happen?1”

"The answer isn't that her water will flow into you, but rather that it will flow back into her. That just happened. Your mental strength is too strong, automatically blocking all her spells and reflecting them back. This caused a magical reversal."

Theresa paused, waiting for Wayne to process what she had just learned, before continuing:

"The result is that the spell she just cast on you is now entirely affecting herself. And because your mental energy was involved, her spell has automatically acquired the characteristics of your Heavenly Mandate. What was originally just a simple thought suggestion has now become thought...thought..."

Theresa thought for a long time but couldn't find a suitable adjective.

Wayne, with a strange expression, added for her:

"Mind Imprint?"

"Yes, yes, 'mind imprint' is a very good term. It's very comprehensive."

Theresa agreed.

Wayne's expression immediately became even more complicated.

Chapter 108 Receiving the Blessing of White Light

The water is highly poisonous.

Wayne really wanted to say that and see how Miss Michael would react. But considering Theresa's serious expression and Miss Michael's life, health, and safety for the rest of her life, he suppressed his curiosity.

The water might not be highly poisonous. But Miss Michael is truly cracked now.

It's hard for ordinary people to understand her current feelings; it's as if two different consciousnesses are fiercely battling within her mind. One seriously tells her, "You're normal. Prince Wayne is right. That demon is normal. You should listen to her and let her help you without hesitation. Don't doubt her." The other earnestly advises her, "Demons are not to be trusted. Prince Wayne has only been bewitched by her. I've heard that there's a shameful race among demons called succubi, and this Sarkaz woman is definitely a succubus! You should immediately take Prince Wayne and escape, then return to Laterano to request His Majesty's help."

Although Your Majesty does not possess spiritual Originium Arts, the Papal Palace has a deep foundation and can still produce one or two weapons and treasures that counter magic. If one is not enough, ten will suffice, enough to withstand the effects of Theresa's magic.

Michael admitted she had failed today, but at least she had successfully achieved her initial goal: confirming Wayne's loyalty and giving him the "Divine Guidance." Now, her immediate priority was to save her own life and get Wayne away safely, without letting this terrifying "Demon King" discover her actions against Wayne.

But...it hurts!

Michael clutched her head in agony, the tearing sensation in her consciousness growing more intense. What was originally a conflict between two thoughts in her brain gradually transformed into two independent consciousnesses. Michael was now even somewhat unable to distinguish which thought was currently dominating her mind.

She collapsed to her knees in agony, clutching her head and wishing she could slam her fair forehead against the wooden floor of the tea room. But just then, a gentle white light suddenly appeared before her eyes.

The white light was so dazzling that it easily dispelled the gloom surrounding her. Even the two opposing ideas that had been arguing in her mind suddenly fell silent, as if they had met their parents with feather dusters and seven wolves.

Michael instinctively sensed something amiss with the sudden appearance of the white light permeating her mind. As a master of Originium Arts specializing in mental manipulation, she considered herself second to none in the world in terms of mental control, second only to the Demon King. Her mental domain should be an indisputably peaceful and tranquil place, where nothing should be able to intrude rashly.

But now, the Demon King is right in front of her, and the only spiritual master who can theoretically affect her is standing beside her. This sudden white light is very likely the bait the Demon King is using to fish. It looks delicious and tempting, like a timely gift to calm the suffering Michael, but in reality, it is a sharp hook inside. Once he bites into it, his spirit may no longer belong to him.

But in extreme pain, the body's subconscious reaction is always faster than the mind's. While Michael was still hesitating, her consciousness had already touched the white light. When the land symbolizing her consciousness empire was completely enveloped in the white light, Michael suddenly realized that her suddenly clear thinking, which was able to analyze logic, had only been restored after she swallowed this mouthful of white light.

For someone who is about to die, even if they know that the medicine in front of them may be poison disguised as sugar, what does it matter? They are going to die anyway, so they have to take it anyway.

Michael, as if resigned to his fate, lowered his guard and accepted the white light.

The light gradually permeated Michael's spirit, enveloping the land that had split into two pieces.

Theresa's face was covered in fine beads of sweat, her brows were slightly furrowed, and she looked somewhat strained.

Her power was insufficient to heal the rift that tore through his entire spirit, and Wayne was not skilled in such delicate mental manipulation. The Mandate of Heaven was the emperor, but Wayne was not called Apocalypse; he neither knew nor intended to learn this kind of refined craft.

After numerous failed attempts to reunite the two completely shattered spirits, Theresa could only wearily release her hand from Michael's forehead, let out a long sigh, and sway slightly, unsteady on her feet. Fortunately, Wayne was nearby and caught her in time, preventing her from falling.

"The imprint of thought. This summary is very apt."

Theresa said,

"If nothing unexpected happens, Miss Michael's loyalty is probably not a concern. She will likely follow her own orders and become a grateful and virtuous person?"

Wayne noticed the hesitation in Theresa's words and asked:

Why is it a question?

Theresa lowered her head helplessly: "Because of my limitations, her mind still shattered. Although I tried my best to maintain the stability of both consciousnesses, as for mending them... I'm simply not up to the task..."

It's cracked?

The Holy Maiden of Lateran, after coming to Lungmen and meeting me, has completely shattered my spirit?

How am I supposed to explain this to the Pope? What if he refuses to pay me? I was originally planning to make fun of Michael so she could go back and continue fooling the Pope...

Wayne felt that his current thoughts were indeed a bit despicable, but there was nothing he could do. He really didn't have any good feelings towards Michael, and the only remaining good feelings he had for her, "this girl is so pretty," vanished when she used her mental Originium Arts on him.

Wayne wasn't so magnanimous as to smile at someone who wanted to manipulate him, arrange for him to betray his family, friends, and even his country. Tricking him out of money in return was already the greatest act of mercy he could show.

"Then wouldn't the mind imprint also be cracked?" he asked curiously. If this thing is cracked, can it still work? Will it only work halfway, or will it shatter and disappear?

Theresa shook her head. Wayne asked her who she should ask.

This was beyond her knowledge. The Demon King had passed down the lineage for so many generations. She had seen magic reversal and mind control, but she had never seen magic reversal directly imprint the caster's mind with a steel mark and even shatter their spirit, turning them into a manually schizophrenic being.

"We'll only know the answer when Miss Michael wakes up."

"That's what Theresa said."

"What if she doesn't wake up?"

"Vayne said. Theresa stared intently at Vayne, saying nothing, but everything was understood without being said.

If he doesn't wake up, it means Theresa's protective measures have failed. In that case, Michael's soul will probably annihilate each other in the collision of two opposing consciousnesses.

Wayne has already witnessed what it would be like if a person's consciousness empire collapsed.

Wayne glanced at Michael, who was lying unconscious on the sofa, and knew that he probably wouldn't remember this thing. He could only nod, move a chair over, and sit down.

Let's wait and see. When Miss Michael wakes up, everything will become clear.

To be fair, Wayne doesn't want anyone to repeat Fiona's mistakes.

Chapter 109 Creator, God, Father, Dad?