Directly displaying all your abilities? Chen Xuan couldn't help but laugh, isn't that a bit too honest?
He looked up at Joan and noticed a change in her expression. Her eyes were now bright like stars, filled with devout sincerity.
"Everything I have is a gift from the Lord, and my sole mission is to save my country... So I am willing to give my all for victory."
Joan said each word clearly, "Divine Envoy, please help me defeat the enemy!"
The soldiers who heard this couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"What did the commander just say?"
"He said this person is the Lord's envoy..."
"Are you sure you heard right?"
"You saw it too, the effect of that potion..."
Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow and didn't bother to correct them. After all, it wasn't a bad thing for the transaction.
His attention was now mostly drawn to the abilities displayed by the other party, which included not only white and green abilities but even one golden ability!
"Liberty Leading the People" Level 1.
—Freedom doesn't require real-name registration, but leading people does, otherwise how will the people cry out your name? You are often a darling of the era, and whatever you do, it's easier to gain the people's trust. If water can carry a boat, then you are the wave.
The golden mark was defined as "hero level" in the manual, second in rarity only to legendary status, and was an extremely rare ability!
If it were Liu Shuyue, she certainly wouldn't display such an ability.
The other three were all highly related to Joan's experiences.
They were "Swordsmanship," "Holy Banner," and "Blessed Holy Maiden." The latter two were green-ranked; one uplifted the banner to heal wounds and boost morale, the other was vulnerable to flames but impervious to darkness and curses, and the holder was locked to be female...
Of course, Chen Xuan could trade them all, but he chose not to.
It wasn't because his conscience was awakened.
If he took all the abilities at once, how could a stripped-bare Joan, without swordsmanship and command capabilities, achieve victory?
He wasn't going to make a shortsighted decision just for a bit of performance.
"Is there anything else? Let me see them all," Chen Xuan said.
Joan closed her eyes, probably contemplating how to display other abilities. Before long, three items in the box changed to "Strategist," "Voice of Trust," and "Pure Faith."
Indeed, she had more than four abilities.
"Voice of Trust" Level 5.
—Can discern whether someone is approaching with good or ill intent by their voice alone. Note: Lies can't be detected; benevolent lies are still lies, yet you may like them.
"Pure Faith" Level 3.
—In a narrow sense, faith is a shackle, while broadly it's a shield for the soul. Amusingly, life will wage bloody battles over either kind.
As for the white-ranked Strategist, Chen Xuan simply ignored it.
After a brief assessment, he finally chose "Liberty Leading the People" and "Voice of Trust." Needless to say, one mustn't miss a golden ability, and given Joan's current high esteem, losing it wouldn't unseat her position as commander. The latter ability was probably why she trusted him so much upon first hearing him speak, a significant asset despite being unable to discern lies.
The other abilities closely related to warfare were left for her.
Joan would naturally have no objections.
The transaction was completed smoothly.
At this moment, a cavalryman arrived with urgent news, increasing the tension, "Report, Commander! The Burgundians have caught up! Their vanguard is less than ten miles away; I just engaged with their scouts."
"They're faster than I expected..." Joan muttered, "They're well-trained warriors too."
"It seems it's time for us to part," Chen Xuan said reassuringly. "Night tracking is reliant on scouts. Silently eliminating them makes it impossible for the enemy's main force to find you in the dark of night. With Spirit Sword Technique now, you should accomplish this easily..."
"No, Divine Envoy, we're not going anywhere," she shook her head. "Since I am destined to win, why not start from here?"
"What do you plan to do?"
"Thank you for dispelling my doubts..." Joan saluted him with her hand over her heart. "I did feel a bit lost before, but now I see those suspicions were trivial. As long as I pursue greater strength, all obstacles are mere illusions, eventually fading under the glory of the Lord. I ask you to witness the upcoming events on behalf of the Lord."
With that, she turned to her soldiers, drew her sword, and shouted, "Everyone! For years I've listened to the Lord's voice, fighting on His behalf. From Orleans to Reims City, we've been invincible, and the enemy has fled before us!"
"For a long period afterward, during the ongoing attempts to recover Paris, I lost the Lord's gospel. I won't hide it from you, today's failure even led me to question whether I'd been abandoned. But I was wrong, the Lord has favored me again, and this sword is proof!"
She lifted her sword high, and a bright white light erupted from the blade, piercing straight into the sky! Instantly, the darkness of night receded slightly, and the clouds overhead parted under the sword's beam!
Chen Xuan was stunned.
Was this the Spirit Sword Technique? Why was it not like this when I used it?
I'd believe it if you told me it was a thousand-megawatt laser sword!
The ground was illuminated by the sword's light, casting long shadows of all the men and trees.
The girl bathed in light seemed like a sacred statue, divine and untouchable.
The enemy's reinforcements drew nearer.
Chen Xuan couldn't see them but could hear the thunderous hooves—a sound coming from all directions, echoing across the hills with the ground subtly trembling.
"Bring my banner!" Joan shouted.
A soldier immediately handed over the battle flag embroidered with a crown and fleur-de-lis, which she took with her left hand, pointing to the rear of the formation, "Tonight victory will be ours! Charge with me, long live France!"
Another green light spread out from her center.
Chen Xuan, enveloped by this light, suddenly felt invigorated, as if his strength had tremendously increased.
Was this the effect of the "Holy Banner"?
He thought raising morale was purely spiritual... not expecting it to have physical efficacy!
Enveloped in the green glow, everyone was encouraged by Joan; the scattered torches quickly arranged themselves into a straight formation like an arrow. The once despondent troops were now transformed, gripping their weapons tightly, watching their commander, shouting in unison.
"Long live France!"
"Long live Joan!"
As the enemy's war cries grew deafening, Joan swung her sword, charging at the enemy's forces head-on! Everyone followed closely, and soon, two streams of torches clashed fiercely like stars in the night!
...
...
In a pitch-dark room, a red warning light suddenly started flashing relentlessly. Below it, a computer screen lit up, and an email popped up automatically.
"Warning: Detected C-level anomaly in historical contamination!"
"Searching for infiltration point..."
"Recommend immediate correction."