When Chen Luo, after exchanging for the Herrscher of Sentience's Authority, met Venti again at the entrance of the Favonius Cathedral, he felt as if someone was targeting their group.
After acquiring the Herrscher of Sentience's Authority, Chen Luo became highly sensitive to others' mental probes, gazes, and observations.
Regarding this, Chen Luo could only say that the tracking skills of this stalker were truly excellent; before he exchanged for the Herrscher of Sentience's Authority, he hadn't detected them at all.
As for the identity of the stalker, it was naturally very easy to guess. Who else could it be but the Fatui?
Chen Luo reckoned that the Fatui Harbinger Signora, who had come to Mondstadt this time, should be quite familiar with Venti and might even know what Venti looks like.
In that case, with Venti singing under the statue of the Anemo Archon every day, if Chen Luo were to say that Signora hadn't noticed Venti, well, Chen Luo won't believe it.
Moreover, even if Signora didn't recognize Venti initially, with Venti singing those songs about Dvalin under the statue every day, wouldn't the Fatui who noticed this report it to Signora?
In the game, the protagonist was originally responsible for this theft, and just as the protagonist was about to succeed, they were indeed intercepted by the Fatui.
Therefore, after waiting for a while and confirming that Fatui were indeed following them, it's quite understandable that Chen Luo would frame the Fatui in advance, right?
Skulking behind Chen Luo so sneakily—if you said she didn't intend to screw Chen Luo over, Chen Luo wouldn't believe it even if you beat him to death. Moreover, the Herrscher of Sentience's Authority could already clearly sense the stalker's malice towards Chen Luo.
The Herrscher of Sentience's Authority is indeed useful. This couldn't help but make Chen Luo wonder: how exactly did the Herrscher of Sentience get scammed by Fu Hua through telecom fraud?
The Favonius Cathedral, as a place close to being the spiritual leader of Mondstadt, still has a certain level of protection even though most of its combat forces are on an expedition—at the very least, it has an alarm system. However, under the influence of the Herrscher of Sentience's Authority, the alarm system can't do anything about this aspect.
Because of this, the guards staying in the secret passage to protect the Holy Lyre der Himmel didn't receive any alarm at all. Combined with Chen Luo's no-joke, truly master-level infiltration skills...
I declare, you several dozen guards are now surrounded by me alone!
"Ah, what a perfect infiltration." Chen Luo clapped his hands and nodded in satisfaction, looking at all the guards lying on the ground.
As long as no one has seen my true face, even if discovered, it doesn't count as a failed infiltration!
"Next is the Holy Lyre der Himmel." After dealing with all the guards and putting them to sleep, Chen Luo walked to the sealed space where the Holy Lyre was stored but paused for a long time without entering.
"Who knows if it's because of the Great Expedition that Mondstadt's defenses have become weak, or if it's because the Holy Lyre der Himmel is just a precious cultural and spiritual item without much practical value, that they weren't even willing to install a railing." Looking at the Holy Lyre so close at hand, Chen Luo smiled, then stepped into that space, intending to take the Holy Lyre.
But just as Chen Luo was two meters away from the Holy Lyre, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed, and a figure immediately snatched the Holy Lyre into their arms.
"Fatui? An Electro Cicin Mage!" Chen Luo's expression turned grave as he assumed a defensive posture.
"Thank you for your contribution to the Fatui." Surprisingly, the Electro Cicin Mage bowed politely to Chen Luo.
And, to be honest, this Electro Cicin Mage's voice and figure were really good.
"You're welcome. And thank you for your contribution to the Midnight Bar." Chen Luo said while chewing on a chocolate stick, also bowing in return.
"Huh?" The Electro Cicin Mage frowned.
"Goodbye." For some reason, the Electro Cicin Mage felt a sense of crisis.
So, she decided to end the conversation. Purple lightning flickered into form again as the Electro Cicin Mage prepared to teleport away once more.
Snap!
Countless black-red threads gradually appeared within the small, sealed space. The Electro Cicin Mage realized that countless threads had already entangled her body, yet she strangely felt no weight or any sense of restraint.
Frowning, the Electro Cicin Mage decided to continue teleporting away. But when she tried to activate her power, a strange weakness instantly spread throughout her body, causing her to go limp.
The Electro Cicin Mage couldn't even summon lightning now.
"My little Electro Cicin, so eager to rush into the spider's web. Aren't you afraid the web will bind you forever, never allowing you to escape?" Chen Luo leisurely and unhurriedly walked towards the Electro Cicin Mage.
The threads materialized by Chen Luo's Herrscher of Dominance Authority in the world of Honkai Impact 3 had the characteristic of absorbing Honkai energy.
Chen Luo wasn't sure if his Authority could originally absorb any type of energy or if it was due to modification by his talent, but after arriving in this world, his Herrscher of Dominance threads gained the ability to absorb the unique energies of this world.
Therefore, Chen Luo, possessing the Herrscher of Dominance's Authority, wasn't following the path of those crude warriors. What he was actually better at was lying in wait.
Otherwise, why did he pause for so long in front of this room? Wasn't it precisely to let his threads silently spread throughout the entire space?
After all, fireflies are also on the spider's menu.
After walking over, looking at the Electro Cicin Mage, who was slightly shorter than him and completely bound, Chen Luo subconsciously leaned close to her, took out his phone, and took a selfie.
"Cheese!"
"Ah, this trip was truly worthwhile. This Electro Cicin Mage cosplay is so realistic." Chen Luo couldn't help but praise.
If he took this back to his main world, just this one selfie would make countless people envious.
Have you ever seen such an accurate Electro Cicin Mage cosplayer? No, you haven't. But I have.
[Ding! Check-in successful. Obtained 30 Primogems.]
Well, that's right. Checking in at the place where the Holy Lyre der Himmel is stored in the Favonius Cathedral can yield rewards. Normally, it should be 20 Primogems, but if both the Holy Lyre and an Electro Cicin Mage are present, it becomes 30 Primogems.
It can be said to be quite user-friendly.
"You... what did you do to me?" Feeling her power being continuously drained, the Electro Cicin Mage asked weakly.
"Ah, don't worry, I won't do anything to you. I'm just here to retrieve the Holy Lyre. Rest assured, I'm not a murderous person." As Chen Luo spoke, he took the Holy Lyre from the Electro Cicin Mage's hands, which she hadn't let go of.
Laughable, if you die, who will take the blame?
And it's not exactly framing her; in a way, it really was the Electro Cicin Mage who took the Holy Lyre from the platform where it was stored. Chen Luo is just a concerned citizen who acted bravely to stop the Fatui from seizing the Holy Lyre.
Well, that's assuming you ignore all the nuns and guards in the entire cathedral that Chen Luo knocked out.
"Although I'd really like to take off your eyepatch to see what you actually look like, what if Snezhnaya has some tradition where seeing someone's face means you have to marry them? Better not." Chen Luo curiously tugged on the two upright, ear-like decorations on her hat before taking a step back.
Secret room, underground, tied up, weakened...
"Em... why do I feel like the villain here?" Chen Luo pondered, stroking his chin.
"Oh, right, gotta add mind control to the list." Having just stepped away from the Electro Cicin Mage, Chen Luo moved close again and touched her cheek with his hand.
"When you escape later, don't use teleportation until after you've left the Favonius Cathedral." Chen Luo gave the Electro Cicin Mage this suggestion.
"Alright, everything is ready, all we need is the east wind. Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. These threads will release automatically after about a minute." After storing the Holy Lyre in his inventory, Chen Luo spoke to her.
"And although I absorbed a lot of your power, about three-fourths remains, which should be enough for you to escape this cathedral."
"We, the Fatui, will remember your actions." The Electro Cicin Mage, whose face had been touched and who was still bound, said through gritted teeth.
"Hey, come on, why would you remember me? You can't even clearly remember what my face looks like, can you? Besides, are you allowed to frame me, but I'm not allowed to frame you?" Chen Luo shrugged helplessly.
"Your appearance..." the Electro Cicin Mage murmured these words, then she was startled to realize she truly couldn't remember Chen Luo's face.
"Right, you're missing a prop. Take this." Chen Luo carefully examined the bound Electro Cicin Mage, thought for a moment, and then gradually constructed a Holy Lyre in his hand.
This lyre had the appearance of the Holy Lyre but lacked its unique power.
After all, Chen Luo had only held the real Holy Lyre for a short while. Being able to use Void Archives to construct its appearance was already quite an achievement for him.
But it was enough.
"Hold this lyre and don't throw it away for the next ten minutes." Chen Luo stuffed the lyre into the Electro Cicin Mage's hands and instructed her.
As for after ten minutes... after ten minutes, the lyre will disappear.
The consumables constructed by the upgraded Void Archives cannot last forever.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" The Electro Cicin Mage was completely baffled by Chen Luo's series of bizarre actions.
"Alright, just wait here for about a minute. Oh, right, I forgot to remind you, the guards and nuns outside will wake up in about a minute too." Chen Luo didn't explain anything. After exiting the room, he suddenly popped his head back in and said to the Electro Cicin Mage.
"!!!" The masked Electro Cicin Mage's face wasn't visible, but her eyes were certainly wide open.
Chen Luo's move was truly adding insult to injury.
Actually, during the time Chen Luo was wasting words, the one-minute mark was slowly approaching. When Chen Luo opened the bar door in a place no one could see, he could sense the gradually awakening minds of the sleeping guards.
This meant the guards were about to wake up.
"Bye bye now." Chen Luo took a step back, entered the Midnight Bar, and closed the door.
When Chen Luo reappeared, he was back at the square corner where he had discussed with Venti and the others who would steal the Holy Lyre.
After retrieving the Teleport Waypoint left here, Chen Luo unhurriedly walked into the square and placed a Teleport Waypoint under the Statue of the Anemo Archon.
After placing the Teleport Waypoint, Chen Luo's keen hearing faintly picked up the growing commotion coming from inside the cathedral.
"Well, I hope that little Electro Cicin can escape. She still has about three-fourths of her power, and the guards aren't that strong now. She should be able to get away, especially since I didn't even trigger the alarm system." Chen Luo stood in the square in front of the cathedral, observing the activity.
Chen Luo hadn't triggered the alarm for two reasons: First, if the alarm sounded, the Electro Cicin Mage might encounter layered blockades and be unable to escape.
That wouldn't do. Since the Electro Cicin Mage didn't have the real Holy Lyre, she absolutely had to escape so the Fatui could firmly take the blame.
Second, Chen Luo didn't want the situation to escalate.
If only the guards and nuns in the cathedral knew an Electro Cicin Mage stole the Holy Lyre, it would just lead to disputes between the Knights of Favonius and the Fatui, and the situation wouldn't intensify.
But if the ordinary citizens of Mondstadt learned the Fatui stole the Holy Lyre, public opinion and righteousness would pressure the Knights of Favonius into a large-scale confrontation with the Fatui.
Although the Fatui's intention to steal the Gnosis is indeed inexcusable, with most of Mondstadt's combat strength away on the expedition, now is not the time for a large-scale war with the Fatui.
In its current semi-crippled state, Mondstadt would likely get thoroughly beaten if it tried to confront powerful Snezhnaya.
Chen Luo wants to mess with the Fatui, not Mondstadt.
So the degree of involvement needs to be carefully managed.
"You know, the Herrscher of Sentience's Authority is truly a terrifying power. Creating false witnesses, fake evidence, inciting chaos or even war between nations... Tsk tsk. None of these Herrscher Authorities are weak, but the Herrschers themselves never use their brains for proper work." Chen Luo mused.
The Herrschers who try to do proper work lack brains, like Sirin.
The ones with brains don't do proper work, like the first Herrscher.
The Will of Honkai: ***
As the commotion from the Favonius Cathedral grew louder, the citizens lingering in the square gradually turned their attention towards the cathedral. Before long, they saw a purple figure burst through the doors.
Following that figure, numerous guards poured out in pursuit.
"Grab her! Don't let her get away!" The guards' chaotic shouts echoed afterwards.
The slender purple figure looked around and then chose the relatively high sheer wall next to the Favonius Cathedral, leaping directly down. Mid-fall, a purple light flashed, and the figure instantly vanished.
By that point, she was already outside the Favonius Cathedral. Freed from Chen Luo's mental interference, she naturally used teleportation.
"Sigh, it's time to head to the Angel's Share tavern. I wonder if that tavern sells non-alcoholic drinks." Muttering to himself, Chen Luo left the scene before the guards could reach the square.