Late at night, countless spies from a major branch of the [Famiglia Venezia] mafia swarmed out like locusts upon receiving their orders, trying to find the whereabouts of the severely injured legendary assassin, [Vulpisfoglia].
To the other candidates in the [Famiglia Venezia] mafia, [Vulpisfoglia] was like a strategic weapon. Who knew if this elusive legendary assassin would pierce their chest in their sleep.
As for the candidate whom [Vulpisfoglia] served, there was no movement at all despite his strongest trump card being heavily injured. It was as if he had given up on her, or perhaps he was planning something else.
Everyone knew this balance couldn't last for long.
Before the current boss truly passed away, no one dared to tear off the mask of civility. They were all trying to weaken their opponents' trump cards, waiting for the final showdown.
And as soon as the current boss died, a true storm of blood and violence would engulf the entire [Famiglia Venezia].
This was all too normal for the major ruling mafia families of Siracusa. The current, terminally ill boss had also emerged victorious from a brutal competition among candidates back in the day.
Lucas Reeve and Lisa didn't know about the situation outside.
Or rather, even if Lucas Reeve did, he wouldn't care.
Siracusa was a proper third-world country on Terra.
It couldn't compare to Columbia or Ursus.
Any outdated weapon discarded by a retired Columbian soldier would be a rare new model in Siracusa. As for Ursus, forget an entire Army Group; sending just half an Army Group could flatten all of Siracusa if no other countries interfered.
Although Lucas Reeve had never personally witnessed a war between nations, he could imagine it. A war between great powers like Columbia would involve all sorts of long-range weapons constantly roaring, heavy drones carrying out bombing runs, and Emperor's Blades infiltrating deep behind enemy lines for decapitation strikes. As for Siracusa, it would probably be...
Axe-wielders hacking at each other, a contest of who has more men.
Lisa huddled timidly in the corner of the bed, looking at Lucas Reeve.
To be honest, she still didn't quite dare to believe Lucas Reeve's words.
Although Lucas Reeve had personally said he had a way to make her stronger, Lisa was very clear about her own physical condition.
She was very weak.
Her physical strength was even less than that of many of her peers from other races.
And as for the blue foxfire Originium Arts unique to the Nine-Tailed Fox race, she could only produce small flickers of flame, a far cry from her father who could conjure a wall of roaring flames with a casual wave of his hand...
Lucas Reeve, on the other hand, was very pleased.
Finally, a little girl had made a wish to be granted POWER.
This was the right way to do things.
Jessica's wish was to overcome her cowardice, Alina's was for everyone to have enough to eat, Ifrit's was to live happily with her family, and Zumama's was to become the legendary ultimate mecha master.
Only this gentle, cute, and helpless little girl had made such a simple and pure wish.
Seeing that Lucas Reeve wasn't speaking, Lisa thought he might be facing a dilemma.
After all, making someone as weak as her stronger would surely be impossible even for a great Yōkai or a god...
Just as Lisa's imagination was running wild, Lucas Reeve had already floated in front of her.
Even though she knew Lucas Reeve was summoned by her, with the Shikigami contract being useless, Lisa was still a little scared.
She reflexively wanted to move towards the corner.
But she realized she was already huddled against the corner, with nowhere else to hide.
Lisa was a little scared.
Her eyes were brimming with tears, a picture of adorable helplessness.
Seeing Lucas Reeve's hand reaching towards her, Lisa subconsciously closed her eyes and trembled all over.
However... after a while, she only felt a very comfortable touch. When that large hand rested on her head, it felt surprisingly reassuring, reminding Lisa of her father whom she hadn't seen in a long time. Her father also had a pair of well-defined, handsome hands, and whenever he patted her head, it always made her feel safe.
Her trembling body gradually calmed down.
Slowly, Lisa felt a strange warm current constantly flowing into her body.
This warm current seemed to possess a magical power.
Every cell in Lisa's body was gradually strengthened by the nourishment of this power.
The weakness in her body faded away.
In just a short while, Lisa felt as if her body was brimming with strength, as if she could kill a cow with a single punch.
That's about enough...
Lucas Reeve saw that he had injected enough and released his hand.
With Lisa's current state and physique, accepting 5000 units of Prayer Power was her limit. Any more, and her body probably wouldn't be able to take it. Lucas Reeve's current power might not be skilled in other things, but what he was best at was granting power to others.
His Prayer Power could permanently grant power to others without any side effects.
However, Prayer Power was an incredibly precious thing, something Lucas Reeve himself was in short supply of. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't do something so wasteful.
Moreover, this power wasn't a mindless enhancement.
Everyone's physical body and strength have their limits.
Lucas Reeve was just letting them skip the process, allowing them to reach their own limits in certain physical aspects more quickly. It was equivalent to a high-level battle record in a game, directly granting experience and skipping the process, but there was definitely a limit.
Everyone's talent is actually determined at birth.
Bloodline, physical condition, race—all these factors combine to create different tiers of talent.
And talent determines a person's upper limit; effort only determines their lower limit. If one's talent is not high, no amount of hard work will help. It's like a person born with atrophied thigh muscles; no matter how hard they train, they can never surpass an ordinary person who exercises only slightly. This is fate.
A person cannot break through the limits of their talent unless... they change it through special methods.
Take Ifrit, for example. The [Flame Demon Project] allowed her Originium Arts adaptability to break through its limits. Although her rating is Excellent, that's because the existing rating standard's highest level is Excellent. With Ifrit's talent, she is one hundred percent beyond Excellent.
After all, the Flame Demon belongs to the category of gods. The Flame Demon's upper limit determines Ifrit's upper limit.
Someone like Patriot, with his talent, would probably have six stats at Excellent. It might take a six-figure amount of Prayer Power to max him out and let him reach his limit.
But Lisa didn't need that much.
Lisa's talent was much stronger than an ordinary person's, but her limit was at the level of an Elite Operator.
Lucas Reeve had the ability to see through a person's talent by combining his view of their soul with the Transparent World.
According to Columbia's unified rating system, Lisa's other talents hovered between Normal and Standard, while her Originium Arts talent was Good.
Normal and Standard basically represent ordinary people, with Standard being slightly better than Normal. With diligent training, they might become decent operators.
Good is the dividing line for Elite Operators. Someone like Franka, a 'normal citizen,' had a physical assessment of four Goods and two Standards.
Apart from her Originium Arts, Lisa was very ordinary in everything else.
No matter how much Prayer Power Lucas Reeve injected, the limit of her body was only that of an ordinary Elite Operator. To improve further, she could only make up for it with combat experience.
The whole process lasted for five minutes.
For Lisa, these five minutes were incredibly comfortable.
She had never felt so refreshed in her entire life.
It felt as if every cell in her body had been renewed.
When Lucas Reeve's hand left her head, Lisa even felt a momentary sense of reluctance.
"Mr. Reeve! What is this?!"
Lisa was in disbelief. She stood up, feeling the changes in her body. The previous weakness had completely disappeared. Now, Lisa could only feel as if she had an endless supply of strength.
"I used my methods to elevate your power a bit. However, since you're still young, I can't raise it to your limit just yet. We'll leave it at this for now. Don't worry, there are no side effects. I'm not a demon; I don't need you to offer your soul to me. If you really want to thank me, just a sincere thought of gratitude in your heart will do."
Lucas Reeve waved his hand and explained.
His words, however, left Lisa feeling a bit confused.
"???"
It was so difficult for others to gain power, training day after day, yet Lucas Reeve just touched her head, and she...
Lisa's eyes widened, still unable to believe it.
But the changes in her body forced her to believe.
Lord God!!
Before, Lisa was still a bit skeptical.
But now, she believed!!
Mr. Reeve was definitely Lord God!!
Lisa had almost forgotten that Lucas Reeve was actually the Shikigami she herself had summoned.
"Mr. Reeve! With this power, can I protect my mom?"
Lisa was a little excited at the moment.
Previously, her strength and physical fitness were incredibly weak. Now that she had suddenly obtained this power, she had entered a peculiar phase, known as the beginner's high.
"Um...."
"Far from it...."
Lucas Reeve didn't want to dampen Lisa's enthusiasm, but sometimes it was best to be honest. After all, the truth, while hurtful, doesn't wound like a lie does.
To be honest, with Lisa's talent, it would still be difficult for her to truly protect her mother in Siracusa.
After all, Lisa's talent was not as good as Franka's.
And even Franka had almost died at the hands of the mafia, let alone Lisa. Therefore, Lucas Reeve was more inclined to recommend that Lisa use the power of machinery directly.
After all...
Flesh has its limits.
Not everyone is a Patriot or a Talulah. And although Siracusa is a third-world country, a single mafia family has so many people. It's basically impossible for one person to fight their way through, unless they possess top-tier power like Patriot.
In reality, both Lisa and Lucas Reeve had forgotten one key point.
For an Onmyōji, the greatest power is not their own magical ability, but the bond with their Shikigami. A Shikigami's power is, strictly speaking, also part of the Onmyōji's power.
"Oh~"
Although Lisa was disappointed, she didn't lose heart. Instead, she became more confident. She believed that as long as she trained hard, she would one day be able to protect her mother.
Suddenly, Lisa remembered something.
"Mr. Reeve, how is my mom? She seemed to be badly injured.... Mr. Reeve, as a god, is there anything you can do..."
"Don't worry, her life isn't in danger."
Lucas Reeve had already checked.
All he could say was that Lisa's mom's physical constitution was truly not that of an ordinary person, no weaker than Franka's. And while her injuries were severe, she had managed to avoid all vital areas.
Receiving Lucas Reeve's definitive answer, Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. As long as her life wasn't in danger...
Just as she was about to go to the kitchen to make a nutritious soup for her mom, suddenly!!
A beeping sound seemed to come from downstairs.
Someone's here?
Lucas Reeve wasn't surprised.
After being seriously injured, Lisa's mom was at her limit, both mentally and physically. When rushing to this unknown safe house, she would have inevitably left some clues, more or less. It was perfectly normal for the locust-like mafia to find them.
Lisa was just about to go downstairs when Lucas Reeve quickly grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back up.
The next second, the roar of an Originium bomb exploding came from the first floor. In an instant, the entire small villa seemed on the verge of collapse, shaking violently.
The sudden explosion startled Lisa. Looking at the collapsed staircase, she felt a lingering fear. If Lucas Reeve hadn't grabbed her just now, even if she had been lucky enough to survive the blast, she would have been severely injured.
"Lisa!!!"
A weak yet strong voice came from the other room, followed by the sound of a fall.
Lisa's mother, with great difficulty, forced herself to stand up and opened the door, wanting to protect her daughter in the next room.
She had never imagined that this safe house, so well hidden, could be found by these locust-like mafia members.
However~
As soon as she opened the door, Lisa's mother saw her daughter being held in the arms of a young man.
"!!!!"
"Mom!!!"
Lucas Reeve smiled faintly. As the sound of urgent footsteps came from downstairs, he said unhurriedly, "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am~"
"I'm your daughter's Shikigami."
"It seems your situation is not looking too good right now."
"You wouldn't want your daughter to get hurt, would you?"