Upon hearing this, Furina's heterochromatic eyes instantly lit up!
Brilliant!
Having King watch over Paimon!
This was simply a stroke of genius!
Not only did it solve the problem of Paimon's placement, but there would be absolutely no need to worry about the 'criminal' escaping or being broken out of 'prison'!
Moreover, it was also a show of trust in Mr. Su Ze's abilities!
"Hmm! The Iudex's proposal is extremely fair and far-sighted!"
Furina immediately made the decision. "It's settled then! The unauthorized flying object, Paimon, will be under the full supervision of my guard—King—for the next month!"
"What?!"
Paimon and Lumine exclaimed simultaneously.
Paimon's small face was even paler than before, almost transparent from fright:
"No! Paimon will be eaten by him!"
"That man looks at Paimon as if he's looking at emergency food!"
"Wuwuwu X﹏X..."
Lumine's expression also changed, and she quickly said, "Lady Hydro Archon, isn't this punishment too severe? After all, Paimon only flew a little; it's not a capital offense!"
"Hmm?"
Furina raised her chin slightly, hands on her hips: "Traveler, are you questioning a ruling made jointly by the Iudex and the God of Fontaine?"
"Or would you prefer to follow the original plan, where Mr. Su Ze personally 'instructs' you on the rules of Fontaine?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "instructs" and gestured with her eyes towards the direction King had left.
Lumine was instantly speechless. The thought of that 'King Engine' descending like a natural disaster made her courage to protest vanish instantly.
Between Paimon being eaten by that man and herself being beaten to death by that man, how should she choose?
After 0.0000000001 seconds—
Lumine looked at Paimon "guiltily" and whispered:
"Paimon... farewell."
"I'll visit you every day and burn lots and lots of delicious food for you."
"Wuwah! Lumine, you big dummy! Paimon hates you!"
Paimon furiously tumbled in the air but was ultimately defeated by the cruel reality, drooping her head like a frost-bitten eggplant... In King's luxurious suite in the Opera Epiclese.
King had just returned to his room after walking for a while, and before he could even breathe a sigh of relief for having bluffed his way through again, there was a knock on his door.
Outside the door was a rushing Clorinde, and beside her, a floating Paimon, chained and looking utterly resigned to her fate.
"Lord King, by order of Lady Furina, the unauthorized flying object 'Paimon' is to be placed under your supervision for a detention period of one month. Here are the relevant documents."
King: "..."
Have him watch over this chatterbox emergency food?
What a joke!
He needed to maintain his strong persona to earn Emotion Points. If he had a little guy who could "leak military secrets" at any moment, wouldn't he be exposed in minutes?
Refuse, he must refuse.
Thinking this, King's expression became even fiercer out of reluctance, his gaze heavy as it fell upon Paimon.
To Paimon, that look was no different from a butcher eyeing meat on a chopping block!
Paimon was scared out of her wits by his "death stare," feeling her heart almost stop beating.
She even started seeing her life flash before her eyes—
It was the happy time she and Lumine spent feasting at the Good Hunter restaurant... "Eek!"
Paimon let out a wail, her eyes rolled back, and she actually fainted from fright, collapsing limply onto Clorinde's head like a dried small salted fish.
[Ding! Detected super fear emotion from Paimon. Emotion Points +100,000.]
The system prompt sounding in his mind made the words King was about to use to refuse catch in his throat.
How... how much?
One hundred thousand?!
King's pupils dilated in shock, and a monstrous wave surged in his heart.
He fiercely looked at the unconscious small figure, his gaze completely changed.
Before, Neuvillette and Lumine were scared like that by the King Engine, and it was only 10,000 Emotion Points.
You know, they were an incomplete Dragon Sovereign and a sealed Descender!
Why could this emergency food, whose combat power was roughly equivalent to one-fifth of a wild boar, produce ten times their emotional outburst in one go?
"System, I ask you, why does a mere Paimon have so many Emotion Points? Is there a bug?"
[System self-checking...]
[Ding! No system bug detected. Please note: Emotion Point acquisition is linked to emotional intensity and target's strength/potential.]
Strength? Potential?
King's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Paimon, his gaze becoming incredibly profound.
He had long known that Paimon's origins were not simple; as the Traveler's mysterious guide, she could never be just ordinary emergency food.
But he never expected this little guy's "potential" or "essence" to be so high?
One extreme fear could extract one hundred thousand Emotion Points?
This was no longer something that could be described as "not simple origins."
What exactly was the background of this floating object?
The Heavenly Principles' alt account?
King, who had been extremely unwilling just moments ago, now had a complete change of heart.
King looked at the unconscious Paimon, his eyes burning with fervor, as if gazing at a treasure containing infinite possibilities.
One hundred thousand Emotion Points!
And this was just from one instance of fear.
What if he kept Paimon by his side, letting her watch him show off every day... wouldn't the Emotion Points flow like a mighty river, ceaselessly?
"!!!"
Lock her up, she must be locked up.
He must personally detain her.
Paimon, from now on, we will be the best "partners."
Countless thoughts flashed through King's mind instantly, his expression becoming even more intimidating.
He didn't take the documents Clorinde offered, merely nodded slightly, and with a firm tone, uttered two words:
"Alright!"
Clorinde sensed the seriousness in King's words and couldn't help but silently mourn for Paimon for a moment.
She handed the Paimon on her head to King:
"Then, Lord King, the criminal is entrusted to you. The detention period is one month."
"I understand."
King reached out and took Paimon.
Clorinde said no more, bowed, and turned to leave, thoughtfully closing the door for King.
Only King and the unconscious Paimon remained in the room.
King casually placed Paimon on the soft, large bed, while he sat back in his previous recliner, closing his eyes to rest, but in reality, he was furiously calculating.
Furina had previously contributed 5,000 Emotion Points, and Lumine and Paimon contributed 110,000 Emotion Points!
Now he possessed a huge sum of 115,000 Emotion Points!
He could draw B-rank eleven times!
Or gamble on an A-rank draw?
An A-rank skill should yield something good, right?
Perhaps he could draw the Water Dragon's "Underworld Body Fist" or Fubuki's "Psychokinesis."
Just as his heart swelled with excitement, preparing to gamble on an A-rank draw—