"Rosalyne... Easy now... You're hurting me..."
"What are you screaming about?"
The Fair Lady, Rosalyne, stopped and gave Jams a stern look with her lilac-colored eyes. She said in an annoyed tone, "I simply followed your request and lightly held your hand."
"And you call that a light hold?"
Jams looked at the red mark on the back of his hand, his expression frustrated.
"Perhaps I used about seventy to eighty percent of my strength." Rosalyne shrugged her shoulders, finding Jams' deflated look quite amusing.
"Seventy to eighty percent of your strength? Are you serious?"
Jams' eyes flickered slightly as he mentally noted her words.
Through this handshake, he had somewhat gauged Rosalyne's strength, giving him a vague idea. It would provide him with more confidence when dealing with her in the future.
"Do you think it's necessary for me to lie to you?"
Rosalyne's delicate, snow-white chin lifted slightly, displaying her elegant and proud demeanor.
With her status and strength, she had no need to lie. If she claimed to have used seventy to eighty percent of her strength, then it must be true.
Moreover, her true trump cards were the powers of ice and fire. The knowledge of her physical strength wouldn't make a difference even if Jams figured it out.
"Then let's assume it's true."
While rubbing his slightly reddened hand, Jams chuckled and said, "Since you're so honest with me, I'll share a little secret with you. When we shook hands just now, I only used ten percent of my strength. Heh."
"Hmph, full of nonsense."
Rosalyne crossed her hands in front of her chest and gave him a seductive eye-roll, her lips curling into an elegant yet polite fake smile.
She didn't believe for a second that Jams hadn't used any force.
Throughout the handshake, she consistently felt a faint yet powerful energy in Jams' hand, as if it was on the verge of erupting at any moment.
If that was just ten percent of Jams' strength, she couldn't fathom how terrifying his physical abilities truly were.
"If you don't believe it, then so be it."
Jams shrugged, still smiling, without further explanation.
Now was not the time to make a move against Rosalyne. It was best to keep his true strength hidden until the end and catch this alluring woman off guard!
With that said, he resumed his usual fishing session with little Klee.
Sitting under a parasol, gazing at the clear Fruit Wine Lake, Jean felt incredibly relaxed.
"To ease worries, only fishing will do."
His love for fishing had nothing to do with the system.
He simply enjoyed this tranquil and peaceful time, with the gentle breeze brushing against his face.
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
Klee leaned against Jean's side and soon fell asleep.
With one hand clutching Jean's clothes and the other holding her tiny fishing rod, her little head bobbed up and down.
"Do you really like fishing?"
Rosalyne had been following Jean silently, observing his every move. It was only now that she asked softly.
Her voice was clear and cold, with an air of arrogance as a superior, yet still retaining the charm of a mature woman. In short, it was very pleasant to listen to.
"I enjoy angling... Eh? What has blinded my eyes!"
Sitting on a small stool, Jean intended to look up and speak, but upon seeing Rosalyne's tall figure, he couldn't help but blush.
Rosalyne had an exceptional figure. Her low-cut dress showcased her ample curves to the fullest, giving the impression that they were on the verge of bursting out at any moment.
Even someone as pure as Jean had the urge to reach out and support those soft mounds, as they seemed quite weighty and potentially capable of causing harm if they were to fall.
To make matters worse, from his lower angle, Jean couldn't see the other person's face at all.
All he could see was softness...!
"Rosalyne, either keep your distance from me or sit down and talk. Your ample bosom is too distracting."
Jean rubbed his nose and said seriously.
"You..."
Rosalyne was momentarily taken aback, then took a few steps back, protecting her chest. Her lilac eyes were filled with embarrassment.
If it were someone else making such advances, Rosalyne would surely have eliminated them on the spot!
However, she had come here this time to win over Jean and didn't want to engage in conflict with him.
"Hmph! I thought you were a man with depth, but it seems you're nothing more than this."
"Tsk."
Jean wiped his nosebleed, trying to sound confident and assertive. "Whether I have depth or not is hard to say, but one thing's for sure, Rosalyne, you certainly have depth in your bosom... No, I mean the abyss."
"Have you ever heard this saying? When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
"..."
Rosalyne was dumbfounded, unsure whether to ponder over this profound statement or simply use her high heels to kick Jean's backside.
"You smooth-talking rascal, do you intend to keep gazing into my abyss?"
Rosalyne bit her lip, no longer concealing herself and directly sat beside Jean, proudly displaying her perfect curves.
She was well aware of the allure her body held for men, but it belonged to her alone, a treasure that no man could possess.
Humph, no matter how much you drool, you can't touch it! Cry your heart out~
"Cough, I was just taking a casual look. Let's talk about business. Where did we leave off?"
Jean rubbed his somewhat sore eyes, shifting his gaze with difficulty and looking at the beautiful lake surface.
"This lake is so vast and pure..."
"Hmph."
Rosalyne pretended not to understand Jean's muttering and said coolly, "Earlier, I asked if you liked fishing, and you said you enjoyed 'angling.' What's the difference between fishing and angling?"
"There is and isn't."
Jams always had a confident smile on his face when he mentioned fishing.
"Fishing is just an activity targeting fish, but angling doesn't require a specific goal. I sit here quietly, waiting."
Jams turned his head to look at Rosalyne, not gazing into her "abyss" but focusing on her lilac eyes.
"Sometimes fish take the bait, sometimes people take the bait, and sometimes even gods take the bait... How about that? Isn't it interesting?"
"..."
Rosalyne nodded, then shook her head, seemingly understanding yet not quite grasping it.
"So, am I your target?"
"Not yet, at least not now."
Jams replied honestly.
Until Rosalyne snatched away Venti's Gnosis, Jams wouldn't invest any unnecessary thoughts in her.
But when the time was right, Rosalyne would become Jams' determined "big catch"!
Rosalyne caught onto his meaning and couldn't help but snort lightly. "I'm not your target now, but I might become your target in the future, right?"
"Heh, who knows about the future? It's hard to say."
Splash!
Mid-conversation, Jams suddenly exerted force on his fishing rod. A snow-white big fish leaped out of the water, its smooth scales shining brightly under the sunlight.
[You've caught an adult Silverback Perch. Charisma +20, Physical Fitness +15, Hydro Resistance +5]
[Detected that you're in multiplayer mode with teammate Klee. Extra attribute bonus: Charisma +20, Physical Fitness +15, Pyro Resistance +5]
The first two system prompts didn't pique Jams' interest.
However, when the third system prompt appeared before him, an expression of surprise couldn't help but emerge on Jams' handsome face.
[Detected that Rosalyne wants to fish with you. Do you want to invite her to join your party?]