Chapter Ninety: The Passive Blue Skill

On the pedestrian path along Hailan Street, Lucy clung to Kyle’s arm as they strolled along like an ordinary young couple out for a leisurely walk.

Kyle had returned to his former disguise: trench coat, hat, and sunglasses, the full three-piece concealment. Before they left, Lucy had even pinned a scarf around his neck, hiding his appearance and build so thoroughly that he looked considerably bulkier all at once.

“Was what happened just now a coincidence, or did that so-called blessing from the spirit produce some subtle effect...” Kyle mused as he walked, his gaze slipping through the sunglasses and settling quietly on Lucy beside him.

In his and Venom’s perception, Lucy had only become much more lively and full of vitality because of the Life Card’s enhancement; apart from that, her body was still not much different from an ordinary person’s.

“Ah!” Lucy suddenly cried out, startled, and hurriedly hid behind Kyle. Kyle reacted at once and followed her gaze. Ahead, beside the road, in the yard of a nearby residence, he could vaguely make out a large, shaggy black dog darting about.

“That dog again?” Kyle asked.

“Yes. Every time I pass by here, it braces itself on the fence and growls at me.” Lucy knitted her delicate brows and, toward the dog’s direction, stuck out her pink tongue in a tiny, playful gesture. “But this time you’re here, so I’m not afraid of it.”

Something moved in Kyle’s heart. He led Lucy toward the yard and said coldly, “Come on. I’ll take you over there and teach it a lesson.”

“No, it’s fine,” Lucy said anxiously. Beneath her pure and kind nature, she was actually worrying about the big dog.

But Kyle’s attitude was firm. He brought her to the fence.

The moment they neared the outside of the enclosure, the vicious dog inside sensed them keenly. It barked furiously and charged over, its fangs bared in a snarling, ugly grimace.

“It’s coming!” Lucy cried in panic, shutting her eyes and throwing herself into Kyle’s arms. Just as the vicious dog was about to slam into the iron fence, it seemed to see something and abruptly halted.

Its beastly eyes were fixed on Lucy. The vicious, contorted face gradually softened in a strangely human way, and the barking fell away into a low murmur. At last, it even began wagging its slightly mangy tail with great effort.

“What just... happened?” Kyle said in confusion. In his sharp senses, the dog’s hostility had rapidly faded and then vanished, replaced by a fawning goodwill.

Lucy opened her beautiful eyes and, seeing the big black dog panting and wagging its tail through the fence, was equally astonished speechless.

After a moment, she hesitantly raised her left hand and reached it through the gaps in the iron fence.

“Lucy?” Kyle asked in surprise.

Then, to his astonishment, the dog showed not the slightest resistance at all. Instead, it lowered its head obediently and let Lucy stroke the fur on top of it.

“Incredible,” Lucy said, amazed. “I can feel from the bottom of my heart that it’s full of kindness toward me. It would never hurt me, and...” She drew a breath and said to the dog inside the fence, “Little Black, roll over.”

As though it had understood the command, the big black dog immediately lay down meekly on the grass of its own yard, rolled onto its back a few times with its belly exposed, then got up again and wagged its tail hard as if asking for praise.

Kyle: “...”

When had even a dog learned to read the room?

He focused his mind on Lucy, and only then suddenly realized that, at some point, a dim blue ability card had appeared hidden at the back of the girl’s head.

Natural Blessing: Possesses the favor and blessing of nature. Blue ability card.

Only creatures of pure and kind nature, after receiving the blessing of a mysterious spirit, may gain the favor and blessing of nature from the universe in which they exist.

The blessed one bears an affinity with nature; all lesser animals will feel friendly toward them, and may even obey their commands.

Passive trigger, “Nature’s Blessing”: no natural disaster can harm the blessed one. Cooldown: six hours.

Current status: bestowed card. Cannot be drawn. The card holder may destroy it voluntarily.

Destroy it?

“So that’s how it is,” Kyle murmured, and a satisfied smile flickered across his face.

A blue ability card or higher could be bestowed on the same person only once.

That was why he had not given Lucy the blue ability card Super Agent. After all, if he did, then even if he later drew a better ability card, he would never again be able to bestow it upon Lucy, who would have lost her eligibility.

He had never expected that the one-time spirit blessing creature card would be equivalent to summoning a spirit to grant a natural ability of blessing. It was an unexpected delight indeed.

After Lucy played with the dog for a while, she remembered they were on their way to lunch and tugged at Kyle’s arm. “Let’s hurry and go eat lunch.”

“Sure.” Kyle nodded and led Lucy on toward a hotel restaurant.

Originally, he had intended to ask Howard afterward to send bodyguards in secret specifically to protect Lucy’s safety. But now that Lucy had gained the passive ability from the spirit’s blessing, there was no need for that extra trouble.

Besides, the card space stored many creature cards. He could release some of them later and place them around the various districts and corners of Hailan Street.

Among them were deadly, highly dangerous creatures such as vicious dogs, poisonous snakes, and hornets.

Kyle believed that if anyone dared to harbor ill intentions toward Lucy, they would probably die a sudden, miserable death on the street the very next day, never even knowing how they died.

That was his ability, and his means.

When the three categories of cards in the card space, both in number and rank, reached a certain degree, Kyle might truly be able to call himself omnipotent.

In Brooklyn, New York, on the fifty-eighth floor of the Henry Hotel, the only five-star restaurant in the area.

Kyle and Lucy sat in a two-person seat by the window. Sheer curtains beside them blocked out the dazzling sunlight outside, while the warm lights cast by the restaurant’s ceiling felt gentle and inviting. Soft music drifted slowly through the luxurious interior.

Beneath the floor lay a red carpet strewn with rose petals; on the table, exquisite Western silverware was arranged in perfect order.

A meal here cost well over a hundred dollars at the very least, and the people who came to dine were generally the wealthy and well-born. Thus, although the dozen or so two-person tables were all occupied, everyone was very courteous and ate in quiet.

“Please, the two of you, order as you like,” said the beautiful waitress in elegant reception attire as she came to the table, glancing at Kyle, still dressed so thoroughly concealed, with some surprise.

Though the weather outside was still cool, this was the first time she had seen anyone dress so un-gentlemanly in such an upscale place.

When the waitress’s gaze fell upon Lucy in her white strapless long dress, even she could not help but be stunned by the sight. Afraid to stare too long, she quickly offered the menu with both hands and stood respectfully to the side, waiting.

“M-Mister, the dining here won’t be too expensive, will it?” Lucy asked worriedly as she looked at the menu, nearly slipping and calling him by his name.

Kyle lifted his sunglasses with a finger and glanced at the menu. The overall prices there were much cheaper than the place Howard had taken him before, so he said, “Expensive? It’s pretty cheap.”

The waitress beside them gave a slight shudder, and only one thought filled her mind:

What a mouth!