Ability Breakthrough, Target Stellaron?

Not long after, Jing Yan and the Astral Express crew met up at the Goethe Hotel as a matter of course.

The reason he hadn't used his abilities to help them clear the checkpoint earlier was primarily because the trio's appearances were a bit too conspicuous. While his powers were indeed capable of manipulating the Eros of others, they weren't quite at the level where he could turn people completely blind.

Attempting to exert greater power would have required controlling far more people, which seemed like overkill for a situation like this.

"You, you, you..."

March 7th pointed a finger at Jing Yan, her expression somewhat displeased.

If they hadn't realized that the name "Cocolia" was likely significant, and if they hadn't been careful enough to avoid saying anything rude after entering the city, they might have been sitting in a jail cell right now instead of being treated as honored guests and put up in the Goethe Hotel.

"What's wrong? You look a bit anxious."

Jing Yan smiled.

At this moment, he had successfully claimed his sign-in gift: a Curio.

This Curio was the [Galactic Lottery], a prize-type item similar to a scratch-off ticket.

[Description: Once scratched, you may receive a grand prize, or you may be hit with a massive penalty!]

Jing Yan chuckled and scratched it off without a second thought.

[Galactic Lottery Reward: The degree of fusion between the Host and the Path of the Aeon has increased!]

Jing Yan checked his "Eros" Aeon ability and found that while there wasn't much change in terms of raw quantity, his level of comprehension had improved once again.

So much so that he instantly gained a fourth ability, following [Manipulate Eros of Others], [Enchant Objects], and [Imbue Objects with Eros Power].

[Verbal Domination]

This ability was somewhat like an upgraded version of [Manipulate Eros of Others].

If manipulating the Eros of others was merely about stirring up specific desires, then [Verbal Domination] dealt with far more complex emotions.

It was akin to a feeling of absolute worship and submission.

Of course, during this process, those subjected to [Verbal Domination] would enter a state similar to a deep sleep, with little to no conscious awareness.

Furthermore, as his resonance with his Path grew, his other abilities also saw a boost.

Specifically, he could now manipulate the Eros of others for a longer duration. If used to enchant or strengthen objects, their durability was significantly higher than before. Likewise, if he imbued an item with an effect meant to influence someone's Eros, that effect would be much more pronounced, and he could deepen the impact based on his specific needs.

For instance, if he wanted an item to have a wider range of emotional infection, he could precisely control the radius down to the centimeter.

Naturally, the further one moved from the object, the weaker the influence would become.

Additionally, if he wanted to target a specific individual with a certain Eros-based power, he could ensure that others remained unaffected when coming into contact with items like an "Emotion Stone."

At this very moment, he was already capable of bringing the Astral Express trio into Belobog without the guards noticing them, though Jing Yan naturally wouldn't tell the trio that.

Beyond the rewards from the [Galactic Lottery], Jing Yan had also unlocked new optional "romance" missions.

As long as the target was someone he knew, they could be counted as a target for these missions.

Likewise, through the system, he could check the target's favorability toward him and choose to "work on multiple lines" simultaneously.

"Alright, alright," Jing Yan said with a smile, looking at March 7th's slightly angry face.

"Wasn't that just a test for you all earlier?"

"You didn't really think I'd push you into a pit of fire, did you?"

Hearing this, the three were left speechless.

"I think you're a follower of 'Elation'," March 7th remarked.

"Not at all," Jing Yan replied with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Stelle also seemed skeptical.

In her view, if Jing Yan wasn't a follower of "Elation," why would he be so fond of seeking amusement?

"Alright, no more jokes. Let's talk about something useful." Jing Yan's expression gradually turned serious.

"I wonder, when you met Cocolia just now, did you get the feeling that her gaze wasn't fixed on you, but rather on something behind you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all three were stunned.

"How did you know?"

Stelle asked.

Because she had felt exactly that.

Although Cocolia had treated them with courtesy just now, her words seemed as if they weren't entirely directed at them, but rather at some unseen presence.

"That's because Cocolia has already been bewitched by the Stellaron," Jing Yan said casually.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the three grew even more solemn.

If that were truly the case, it did seem to make sense.

However, they were still hesitant to believe it.

It didn't seem right to jump to conspiracy theories just because they felt the woman's behavior was odd when they met her.

After all, the very suite in the Goethe Hotel they were currently in had been provided by Cocolia herself.

Furthermore, among the people they met today, besides Cocolia, there was also Bronya; it was this adopted daughter of the Supreme Guardian who had brought them to meet her.

If not for Bronya's presence, they might never have had the opportunity to meet with Cocolia.

From Bronya, they sensed a level of upbringing and etiquette that left them with a rather favorable impression.

Therefore...

They found it difficult to believe that Cocolia was truly in league with the Stellaron.

"By the way, Mr. Jing Yan, why are you so knowledgeable about Cocolia and the Stellaron?" Dan Heng asked.

"Of course, because... if I said I was just curious, would you believe me?" Jing Yan said with a smile.

"Not a chance," March 7th said, hands on her hips.

"It's good that you don't."

"Then what if I said I wanted to see if I could devour that thing?" Jing Yan said.

As soon as these words were spoken, the three of them were stunned.

However, Jing Yan had already waved his hand and turned to walk toward a room.

His words just now were not spoken on a whim, but because he wanted to attempt to devour and integrate the power of the "Stellaron."

Logically speaking, his own power existed independently of the Paths of the eighteen Aeons.

Furthermore, if his divine power could enchant weapons to break the elemental weaknesses of any monster, then theoretically, he might also be able to devour the power of other Aeons for his own use.

Even if the Path of "Destruction" Nanook seemed to have no obvious connection to his own.

However...

Since Herta of the Genius Society could seal a Stellaron, the people of the Astral Express could do the same, and the Stellaron Hunters even possessed the technology to place a Stellaron into an Artificial Body, there was no reason he couldn't handle this divine power in another way.

The more divine power he possessed, the greater his chances of victory when facing danger!