"That's utterly unbelievable! How could the Gnosis possibly be in your hands? I remember you guys just came out and ran into me, right? When did you have time to chase after the Signora?" Venti blurted out.
But the moment Venti said this, he had a feeling something was wrong.
Sure enough, when Venti sneakily glanced at Chen Luo, Chen Luo was looking at him with a strange expression.
"Ahem, what I meant was, after you found me, you'd definitely wake me up and ask about the situation first, right? So you shouldn't have had time to chase the Signora." Venti pretended to cough twice before speaking.
"No need to explain. I'm not interested in how clever you are or aren't. I just want to know what reward you can give me for getting your Gnosis back for you." Chen Luo shot Venti a look and said.
Yeah, right. Tell that to the marines.
Venti's words are as reliable as a ghost's promises.
"Reward? But A'Luo, you usually don't... uh, A'Luo, did I... not issue a commission to retrieve the Gnosis?" Venti suddenly noticed something very important.
Based on the experience he had gathered, whenever someone's obsession reached a certain level or they desired something strongly, it would form a commission with Chen Luo.
And Chen Luo could obtain certain rewards from commissions, which was why he ran the bar for free without charging any money. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
But...
This time, he probably, maybe, perhaps, it seemed... really hadn't issued a commission related to the Gnosis.
What should he do about this?
This definitely couldn't be brushed past.
"Hmm, I'm also wondering about that. How could there be no commission for doing such an important thing? Could the bar be malfunctioning?" Chen Luo fiddled with the Anemo Gnosis formed by Void Archives in his hand as he spoke.
"A r-reward... of course there is. Here, this is for you." As he spoke, Venti threw the Gnosis in his hand to Chen Luo.
"I'm giving this to you. No need to thank me." After saying that, Venti picked up his wine glass.
Venti held the glass but didn't drink, just using it to hide his face.
"You... you really don't care about the Gnosis at all. Or is it that all you gods don't really care much about your own Gnoses?" Chen Luo caught Venti's Gnosis, feeling somewhat puzzled.
"Sigh, the Gnosis sounds all lofty, but in reality, it's just that. Even without the Gnosis, I can still live just fine. I'm giving it to you, so it's yours. Just don't give it back to me, do whatever you want with it."
Venti waved his hand somewhat impatiently. It seemed Chen Luo suddenly producing the Gnosis had indeed given Venti quite a shock.
"Good grief, giving away a Gnosis just like that... only you would do something like that. But since you put it that way, I'll accept this thing. If you ever change your mind, and I haven't fed it to something as material by then, remember to come ask for it back." After storing the Gnosis in his inventory, Chen Luo said directly.
"Feed it as material? Whatever, do whatever you want. But there is one thing I'm quite curious about: when did you manage to get the Gnosis back?" Venti still couldn't resist his curiosity.
Clearly, Chen Luo never had a chance to get the Gnosis back. How did it end up in Chen Luo's hands? It couldn't be that the Signora gave the Gnosis to Chen Luo, could it?
Unless Signora's brain was kicked by a wild boar, she shouldn't do something like that.
"Hmm, how should I put it? Or rather, I never actually returned the real Gnosis to you in the first place." Chen Luo stroked his chin.
Actually, if Venti had entered the Church and seen Chen Luo's methods with the Holy Lyre, he probably could have guessed what method Chen Luo used.
"What? What you returned to me back then wasn't the real Gnosis?" Venti was stunned.
"Of course not. Sigh, you're really an unreliable Anemo Archon. You couldn't even tell if your own Gnosis was real or fake." Chen Luo looked at Venti with disdain.
"How is that possible?" Venti's face was full of disbelief.
"How is it not possible? If you don't believe me, look." Chen Luo opened his hands and activated Void Archives' ability. Then, an exquisite chess piece slowly materialized in Chen Luo's hand.
Finally, it formed a piece identical to the Gnosis in Venti's memory.
"Eh, but what about the Anemo Archon's power? If it was just a chess piece like this, how could I have been fooled?" Venti still didn't believe it and suspected Chen Luo was treating him like a fool.
"For that, we have to thank this coin." Chen Luo took out the workhorse Mora again.
"Wow! Why is all the blessing and Anemo Archon power I attached to this Mora gone? Wait, don't tell me you transferred all the Anemo Archon power and blessings from this Mora onto that fake Gnosis?" Venti suddenly spotted the key point.
"Not exactly all of it. Let's say 99%. The remaining 0.1% was used to create an Anemo seed." Chen Luo thought for a moment and said.
"Oh, right, could you please bestow some more blessings on it? Or do you need to use this Gnosis first before applying the blessings?" Chen Luo placed the Mora on the bar counter, pushed it towards Venti, then thought again and took out the Gnosis he had just put away.
Sigh, after all, the wool comes from the sheep's back.
But wasn't Chen Luo using the Anemo Archon power on this Mora for Venti's sake every time?
So, it shouldn't be a problem for Venti to contribute a bit, right?
"You... I... Fine, I give up. I'm afraid of you. Even though I don't know how you foresaw that my Gnosis might be stolen, since you meant well, I'll recharge it for you once more."
"But speaking of which, when does that fake Gnosis you made expire?" Venti played with the Mora while channeling energy into it.
Venti really felt Chen Luo had found endless uses for this Mora. And the things he did seemingly were all related to him, but the problem was, he still ended up being the one to recharge it.
Simply unbelievable.
Venti wasn't worried about Signora discerning the Gnosis's authenticity. If even Venti himself hadn't realized the thing was fake, how could Signora, who personally ripped out his 'heart', tell?
Moreover, Venti suspected Signora had never even seen a Gnosis before, so naturally, she wouldn't have the ability to distinguish a real one.
"No need to worry about that. I spent a considerable amount of time making that thing properly. Its shelf life is at least three years, provided the Anemo Archon power on it isn't exhausted." Chen Luo could guarantee that much.
"That's good. The Anemo Archon power I attached to the coin should last three years, provided the Tsaritsa doesn't discover it. If the Tsaritsa really intends to use that Gnosis for something, then there's really no way to guarantee the Gnosis functions normally. After all, it's just a thing with an impressive appearance but no substance." Venti nodded and returned the recharged coin to Chen Luo.
How to put it? Chen Luo's forgery skills could even fool Venti himself, let alone the Tsaritsa.
One could only say Chen Luo was fully qualified to be the latest master forger.
But Venti was truly very curious: how on earth did Chen Luo know that his Gnosis might be given... snatched away?
Although Venti was very curious, considering this was Chen Luo's secret, he didn't ask further.
Even though Venti was feeling a bit troubled now, since he was troubled, shouldn't the most important thing be to drown his sorrows in drinks?
"Alright, since I've served you all your drinks, I should go to the Knights of Favonius to find Acting Grand Master Jean. I still don't know what she needs me for. If you get drunk later, there's a loft on the third floor; you can sleep there. There's a bed."
"Emmm, on second thought, you'd better not sleep on the bed. Just make a bed on the floor. I remember there's a bedroll next to that bed." Chen Luo thought for a moment and then said.
"Wow, that's so harsh! You won't even let me sleep on the bed? You're actually making me sleep on the floor? A'Luo, you're truly heartless." Venti said with a face full of grievance.
"It's good enough! Letting you go to the third-floor loft is already giving you face. Have you ever seen me let any other guest sleep in the third-floor loft? Even if it's just on the floor. That bed is the one I use to hold the bartender while sleeping; how can I let you use it?" Chen Luo said, fully justified.
"Ah, forget it. After finishing these 10 glasses of wine, I'll probably be dead drunk. How would I have the ability to climb to the third-floor loft? You're really making things difficult for me. I'll just sleep right here at the bar counter." Venti waved his hand.
Laughable. Climbing three flights of stairs while drunk? How is that possible?
"True. Since you say so, I won't grant you access to the 3rd floor then." Chen Luo nodded, deeply convinced.
"..."
Under Venti's rather speechless gaze, Chen Luo left the bar.
When Chen Luo reappeared after leaving the bar, he was still at the cathedral's side door. Luckily, no one saw him come out, and this place was quite secluded. Otherwise, Chen Luo would have had to use the Herrscher of Sentience's power to make the witness lose their memory.
Of course, if the witness was a potential customer, he could always try to develop them as a customer.
"Ah, the Gnosis... I didn't really want it in the first place." Chen Luo glanced at the Gnosis in his inventory, feeling a surge of mixed emotions.
Originally, Chen Luo just wanted to trick Signora, but he never expected to end up with a Gnosis for himself.
Although that was the plot development, no matter how you looked at it, the Signora stealing Venti's Gnosis couldn't be considered a righteous act. Since it wasn't righteous, then Chen Luo, as a champion of justice, had to intervene.
Of course, there was also the feeling that Venti getting his heart ripped out was just pitiful.
Signora wanted to steal the Gnosis; Chen Luo stopped her. That couldn't be considered wrong, could it?
After all, whenever the word "steal" is involved, it has nothing to do with justice.
It's just that Chen Luo really miscalculated. He stayed too long inside the Church, resulting in him missing the scene of Venti getting his heart ripped out. What a huge loss.
Chen Luo didn't know what use the Tsaritsa had for stealing the Gnoses, nor did he want to understand or know. Because no matter how urgent it was, you still shouldn't steal.
If it were an exchange by contract like the one between the Signora and the Geo Archon Morax, Chen Luo wouldn't idly interfere with their exchange. An exchange with mutual consent is fine, but stealing is wrong.
As for the Tsaritsa possibly wanting to steal the Gnoses to oppose the Heavenly Principles or save the world or something, Chen Luo didn't care.
Because who the hell knows right now if that Tsaritsa is a righteous faction or a villainous one?
Maybe she wants to destroy the world?
But Chen Luo wouldn't mind helping out.
The prerequisite is that the Tsaritsa's obsession is strong enough and the reward she offers is sufficient.
Chen Luo isn't asking for a 6-star reward commission; a 5-star commission would do. Of course, if there's no 5-star commission, a 4-star one is barely acceptable too. It surely couldn't be just a 3-star commission, right?
As long as the Primogems are sufficient, even the Heavenly Principles can be shattered.
Ever heard of 'Override Authority'?
How about 'Herrscher Personification'?
If it really doesn't work, if he can't win, then he just won't fight. He'll try again in a few years.
If we're really talking about growth speed, Chen Luo feels that generally, no one can outpace him.
Just watch me clear Honkai Impact 3rd in one summer vacation.
Seven punches to smash the Sea of Quanta, three slashes to cut down the Imaginary Tree.
"Holy crap, hahaha, who blackened Venti's face with soot?" When Chen Luo passed through Mondstadt Plaza on his way to the Knights of Favonius headquarters, he happened to glance over and laughed for a long time.
The original Anemo Archon statue was pure white and flawless... well, not exactly flawless, but the stone was quite white. But someone, for some reason, had done something that made the Anemo Archon statue look as if it had been blackened by fire.
"Hahaha... Ha... Ha... Wait, the Anemo Archon statue?" Chen Luo suddenly remembered something. If he remembered correctly, before entering the bar, he remembered the Herrscher of Sentience saying she wanted to go have fun on the Anemo Archon statue...
"..."
It couldn't really be the Herrscher of Sentience who set it on fire, could it?
* * *
"I'm sorry, truly sorry. I didn't keep a close enough eye on my child. This is my fault." Chen Luo stood inside the Acting Grand Master's office at the Knights of Favonius headquarters, apologizing repeatedly to Jean.
Chen Luo never expected it really was the Herrscher of Sentience who did it. Chen Luo still hadn't figured out how the Herrscher of Sentience even had something like fire.
"Ah, this, well... This time it's not entirely Fu Hua's fault. Well, Klee is also partly to blame. I don't know how the two of them ended up together."
"But fortunately, the Anemo Archon statue was only blackened by the explosion; the bomb's power didn't actually damage the statue. We can have it cleaned later; it's not a big problem."
"Considering Miss Fu Hua helped capture the Abyss Mage and participated in resolving the Dvalin incident, we won't pursue the matter further."
"Thank you so much for that." Chen Luo bowed again.
Although Chen Luo felt that even Barbatos himself probably wouldn't mind, it was, after all, a mess caused by the Herrscher of Sentience.
What parent can remain fully justified after their child causes trouble?
"Oh, right, and where is Fu Hua now?"
"The confinement room." Jean said.
"... And that Klee you mentioned earlier, Acting Grand Master Jean..." Chen Luo asked cautiously.
"She's a knight of the Knights of Favonius, the Spark Knight. But she's still a minor and likes playing with things like bombs. I don't know how she ended up with Miss Fu Hua. She's also staying obediently in the confinement room now." Jean replied.
The Herrscher of Sentience and Fu Hua were indeed a bit of a headache, but the good news was that they both could go to the confinement room obediently.
"Bad news, Acting Grand Master! According to the knight guarding the confinement room, Fu Hua and Klee have escaped!" A knight Chen Luo didn't recognize ran in and reported.
"..."
Well, retract that previous statement.