Seeing Phrolova's reaction like this, Lucian immediately understood in his heart.
She was still too inexperienced after all; Lucian licking her earlobe was just to make her relax.
But if there were no other intentions mixed in, that was certainly not the case; with a beauty in his arms, it was hard to remain unmoved.
Fortunately, Lucian could be considered battle-hardened and didn't immerse himself in her allure.
Phrolova feigned puzzlement: "...Who is Cristoforo?"
Cristoforo hadn't announced his full name just now, so Phrolova pretended not to know him.
Unfortunately, Lucian had already taken in her expression.
Lucian chuckled, pinching her chin: "It seems you really don't know him. What a pity."
Phrolova snorted coldly: "Now you can answer my question, right?"
Upon hearing this, Lucian blinked innocently: "Of course not!"
"You don't even know him; how does that count as answering my question?"
Phrolova's beautiful eyes widened: "...You!"
She felt like she had been toyed with by Lucian.
If not for the Immortal Binding Rope tying her up, she would definitely take Lucian for her own use.
This kind of ability that transcended the world's rules would be highly sought after anywhere.
Although Lucian's abilities in resonance weren't exactly top-tier, these bizarre abilities of his were ones that left people completely defenseless.
Phrolova really wanted to know how Lucian did it.
Especially now that she had already answered so many questions, yet still hadn't pried a single secret from Lucian's mouth—how could she be willing to accept that?
It was like a sunk cost; she had already invested, and if she couldn't recoup the cost, it obviously wouldn't be worth it.
But unfortunately, in most cases, when people have such thoughts, they often only invest more costs and fail to gain the corresponding returns.
Lucian chuckled: "So, how about it? Want to continue?"
"You can stop this game right now if you want."
Phrolova said coldly: "Continue, of course we continue."
Lucian chuckled: "Oh dear, let me think; what should I ask..."
"How about you tell me the story of that sacrificed saintess the man just mentioned?"
Phrolova decisively shook her head: "No."
"The value of this intelligence is far higher than the value of the question I asked."
Lucian suddenly realized; he hadn't expected her to refuse so outright.
But what value could a story from the past really have?
At most, it was just a tale, a legend.
Yet Phrolova rejected it on the spot; could there be some hidden story behind it?
Lucian amusingly probed: "Hiss— could it be that this saintess is still alive?"
As he spoke, Lucian kept observing Phrolova's expression.
He saw her face remain cold and indifferent, turning a deaf ear to Lucian's probing, staring unblinkingly at him without revealing the slightest flaw.
But it was precisely this kind of cover-up that was a certain affirmation of Lucian's guess.
This was called the observer effect.
When a person realizes they are being observed by others, their behavior or mental state changes because of this 'sense of being watched.'
For example, deliberately controlling emotions, adjusting speech and actions, or hiding true reactions, and so on.
Although it couldn't prove that Lucian's guess was correct, there was definitely a secret involved.
Lucian laughed: "Why make that expression?"
"Wasn't your reaction just now when I licked your ear quite cute?"
Upon hearing this, Phrolova immediately couldn't hold it together; her two delicate brows suddenly shot up. He still dared to mention it!?
Phrolova bared her teeth and headbutted forward again. Lucian chuckled as he caught her, then held her and sat down on a nearby long bench.
He placed her on his lap, but his hands were anything but honest, roaming all over her body as if he were touching everywhere.
Phrolova said in shame and anger: "...How long are you going to keep groping?"
How did this guy have no sense of shame at all?
In broad daylight, actually groping her all over.
If this got out, how could she ever face people again?
Lucian buried himself in the crook of her neck, lightly tasting the fragrance wafting from her body, then said with a serious expression upon hearing her:
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't be first."
"You still owe me a question, so consider this collecting some interest."
Phrolova was full of question marks. Owing a question wasn't owing money; how could there be interest?
And if you owe a question, then ask it; what's with all the groping?
She was anxious, truly anxious.
Phrolova felt he was just simply wanting to grope, having nothing to do with asking questions.
Lucian wrapped his arm around Phrolova's slender waist: "The value of this ability of mine isn't high if you say it is, nor low if you say it's not; it's really quite vexing..."
"But fortunately, I've thought of a question!"
Upon hearing this, Phrolova immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
But evidently, she had sighed too early, because Lucian's hands didn't stop moving.
Phrolova: "?"
"...Stop groping; hurry up and ask."
Upon hearing this, Lucian not only didn't stop but intensified it, gradually climbing from the smooth plain to the soft peaks.
Phrolova was just about to erupt when Lucian's question diverted her attention:
"Jinzhou's Threnodian is the Ovathrax representing war, so what does Rinascita's Threnodian represent?"
Although the Shorekeeper had said before that no Threnodian frequencies had been detected in Rinascita.
But why did Threnodians exist everywhere in the world except Rinascita?
This was obviously unreasonable.
Originally, Lucian's guess was that Rinascita's Sentinel was secretly eliminating Threnodians.
But after arriving in Ragunna, he learned that no one in all of Rinascita had ever seen the Sentinel.
Except for that Napoli II from before, but whether the Sentinel he saw was the real Sentinel was still in doubt.
If a Threnodian truly appeared in Rinascita, the Sentinel would naturally appear to suppress it.
Yet no one had ever seen the Sentinel.
It was hard not to suspect whether the Sentinel was now in the same state as Jue back then.
Jue at that time had been schemed against by Fractsidus and was indeed injured herself, so she was trapped.
Then, was Rinascita's Sentinel also trapped for some reason?
Lucian had previously thought it was Fractsidus meddling, and Phrolova's appearance in Ragunna was the best evidence.
Even if Fractsidus wasn't the mastermind, they were at least involved.
And combining the statement that Rinascita had no Threnodian frequencies, Lucian decided to first ask if it was due to the Threnodian.
Lucian didn't ask if Rinascita had a Threnodian but directly asked what it represented.
If the Threnodian truly existed, then Phrolova would naturally tell him the information about the Threnodian, confirming its existence.
If it really didn't exist, that would also be a good thing; at least there would be no need to fight Threnodians.
Phrolova was silent for a moment; regarding this, she naturally knew.
But should she refuse to answer like the previous question?
In truth, the value of this question in Phrolova's eyes was far below that of Fleurdelys.
If it was merely what the Threnodian represented... telling him wouldn't hurt.
Phrolova spoke softly: "'Plague'; Rinascita's Threnodian represents 'plague'."