Chapter 46: Champs-Élysées

Kidnapping Jane went surprisingly smoothly, perhaps because it was dinner time, and French cuisine always takes a great deal of time.

Therefore, when Huasheng and Mieying cast a spell on Jane and pushed her out of the "Talent" campus of the Klin Magic School, they only encountered a few magic school students far away in the distance.

Huasheng pulled the brim of his hat down, and Mieying simply transformed back into Xiao Qi, revealing her golden-brown hair similar to that of the French. The two of them openly sandwiched Jane and walked outward.

To Jane's dismay, along the way she didn't encounter anyone she could turn to for help. They brought her out of the "anti-space" just like that and arrived at the Louvre Museum.

By this time, the sun was setting over Paris, and the streetlights along the road had already been turned on.

The three of them walked down the streets of Paris for a while, and pedestrians began to increase.

Mieying, as Xiao Qi, said, "You barbaric and ugly wench, this young lady has cast a celestial spell on you. Your hand is bound to mine, and you cannot go beyond a hundred paces. This young lady is tired of dragging you, so now that I've let go, you better behave yourself. Otherwise, I'll make all your hair disappear!"

Though unwilling and resentful, Jane finally nodded.

After threatening Jane, Mieying released her wrist. Jane rubbed her swollen hands with a reluctant expression.

Mieying snapped harshly, "Move! Quickly take us to Nice! We don't have time to waste on you."

Jane said, "I remember telling you it's a thousand kilometers away?"

Huasheng walked with a limp, clutching his crotch, and said, "No, no! I can't walk anymore. My injury hasn't healed yet. I can't take large strides..."

"Serves you right! Whoever kicked you should heal you." Mieying sounded somewhat displeased, though for no apparent reason.

Huasheng turned his head and asked, "Jane, can your magic heal this place?"

Jane glared at him and spat, "Get lost! I regret I didn't kick you to death!"

Huasheng followed a few steps and said, "Are we really going to walk there? Shouldn't you magicians fly? That way, after visiting the angel you mentioned, we might even be able to grab a late-night snack nearby."

Jane snorted and said, "All my magical treasures were left at the magic school; I can't fly."

Hearing this, Huasheng immediately opened his backpack and said, "Look, I brought your Kangxi Dictionary and your magic wand for you!"

"This isn't called any Kangxi Dictionary, it's called the Codex of Starlight!"

"Understood. So can we fly now?"

Jane still shook her head. "Magicians fly on magic brooms! I didn't bring that out."

"Why is this so troublesome? Your magical artifacts have such single functions and are too backward!" Huasheng pointed at the white-haired Mieying and said, "Look at our magical artifact, the Universal Ring—not only can it subdue demons and devils, but usually it can also be used as..."

With a crisp slap, Huasheng took a blow to the face from Mieying!

Jane was taken aback by this sudden scene, paused for a moment, and said, "You two actually fight each other? They always say you Easterners love internal strife and lack unity, that two people can have three different minds. Now it really looks true!"

Mieying was somewhat impatient with this remark: "Shut your mouth! We'll use the cloud-riding technique!"

"Then carry me on your back."

"I am certainly not carrying you! I don't even want you barbaric people sitting on my pretty cloud!"

Huasheng suggested, "Then how about I pilot the cloud, and you come along, Jane?"

Mieying stamped her foot and said, "No! Huasheng, how dare you let this woman sit on your cloud?"

"It's better than making me walk, isn't it?" Rather than delving into the question of whether to share a cloud with Jane, Huasheng had even less desire to keep walking.

To his surprise, Jane objected as well: "I don't want to squeeze in with this pervert!"

Huasheng grew displeased upon hearing this and retorted, "Who's a pervert? Do you French women think every man in the world is interested in you?"

"Just like that guy Xiao Jun in your academy, you Eastern men only know how to ask girls for their contact information every day!"

"Aren't you generalizing an entire boatload of people? You can't put it that way."

"In short, I won't do it!" Jane remained firm.

A brief silence ensued.

Huasheng still couldn't help speaking up: "Silence is fine and all, but the two of you don't have to walk so fast! Right now I feel like a mermaid just washed ashore, every step is like stepping on the tip of a knife. Exactly how are we supposed to get to the city of Nice now?"

Jane suddenly stopped in her tracks, pointed at a car showroom across the street, and said, "We'll drive there!"

Huasheng glanced across the road to find a luxuriously decorated sports car dealership and said, "None of us have a driver's license. Can you even drive?"

Jane replied, "I can. But I don't have a license!"

"You're still so righteous without a license? Isn't that driving without one?"

Jane argued, "Driving just means holding the steering wheel and stepping on the gas pedal. If I only step on the gas pedal and don't hold the steering wheel, isn't that fine?"

"Not holding the steering wheel is even more dangerous!"

"Magic will prevent anything from happening. And look at my figure; how could the police ever guess that I'm only fourteen years old?"

Huasheng drew a sharp breath. "You're only fourteen?"

Jane said with a firm tone, "This has nothing to do with age. Driving is the fastest way. If we drive a bit faster, we'll arrive in Nice tonight."

"Alright then. Looks like we have to use counterfeit money again." Huasheng sighed, looking at the English letters on the car showroom across the street. "What kind of car is this? F-e-r-r-a-r-i."

Jane said, "If you don't know how to pronounce it, don't try! It's read Ferrari! Don't you all call it a Ferrari?"

"You really know how to pick a car!" Huasheng's jaw dropped.

Thirty minutes later, following a spell of charm and bewilderment.

Jane, Huasheng, and Mieying boarded a brand-new red Ferrari convertible and drove onto the Champs-Élysées.

Jane held the steering wheel and said with satisfaction, "How is this car? Zero to a hundred kilometers in three seconds, and top speed can exceed 320 kilometers."

"Too slow... What's there to boast about?" Mieying sat in the back seat and sighed. "And what kind of piece of junk is this? It's louder than a carriage from a thousand years ago, it's driving this young lady crazy with noise."

Huasheng, sitting in the passenger seat, chimed in, "The suspension on this car is too stiff, my butt is going numb."

Night descended upon the Champs-Élysées, and the display windows on both sides shone with dazzling lights.

The crystal-clear street-side shop windows were gorgeously decorated, showcasing wonderful arrangements of luxury goods enhanced by spotlight effects. A mere glance was enough to dazzle and mesmerize passersby.

Mieying sat in the back, leaning against the car window and exclaiming, "Hey? The bags in these glass windows are so pretty!"

Driving the car, Jane replied, "Those are Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès..."

"Oh... the sparkly ones are all so pretty!"

Mieying suddenly reached her hand out of the window, pointing at the street side, and said, "Stop the car quickly! This young lady wants to go buy that thing called... A-A-Hermès! And that other Hermès, this young lady wants to buy that too!"

Huasheng yelled at the top of his lungs, "Mieying, pull your hand back inside, it's dangerous! Besides, this is a main road and you can't park here!"

He turned his head to urge Jane: "Drive, Jane, drive! She's already been brainwashed by Paris Fashion Week! Go, go, go! This car is too small to hold those useless bags!"

Seeing that Huasheng refused to stop, Mieying could only pout her lips against the window glass, sighing at the designer bags in the display window.

"Goodbye! Pretty bags, you must be good and stay here, this young lady will definitely come back to take you all home next time..."

Jane glanced at the rearview mirror and said to Mieying, "Stop pressing your face against the glass, it's all fogged up, I can barely see the cars behind us!"