"Finally got that settled. One less thing to worry about." After leaving the top-floor room, Chen Luo didn't linger in the hospital to continue his volunteer work. Instead, he headed straight out of the main building.
Normally, after reading with Yun Lian'er, Chen Luo would spend the noon hours helping doctors and nurses—giving them time to eat lunch before they returned to relieve him. But this time, he didn't stay.
Mostly because he was worried about the Herrscher of Sentience.
Usually, Chen Luo would stay at the hospital for about four hours, but today, he left after just over two.
Even though his guardian privileges let him confirm she was still at home, behaving herself, he couldn't shake his concern.
Under the bewildered gaze of the security guard, Chen Luo retrieved his bike and waved goodbye.
It wasn't until he was cycling home that he finally had time to check Yun Lian'er's profile in his friend list.
He didn't have high expectations, but picking up some art or knowledge-based skills to expand his repertoire wouldn't hurt.
At a glance, Chen Luo could tell she was a top student. If he bought something like [English Proficiency], would that mean he could skip studying the language altogether?
Still, this friend system was ridiculous. Only registering someone as a friend after shaking hands? So dumb.
But when Chen Luo opened Yun Lian'er's panel, he nearly lost control of his bike.
Yun Lian'er
[Elemental Magician] (S-rank Talent): A mage capable of manipulating most common elements. Can advance to Seven Luminaries Magician.
Price: 6,500 Primogems (Original: 10,000)
[Witch's Body] (Constitution): Grants longevity and an extended lifespan at the cost of physical frailty.
Price: 1,625 Primogems (Original: 2,500)
[Grand Library] (Special Item): Records and imprints learned spells, allowing instant casting when needed.
Price: 1,300 Primogems (Original: 2,000)
[Piano Mastery], [Chess Mastery], [Calligraphy], [Painting]...
[Human Linguistics Mastery]: Automatically acquired upon mastering eight or more languages.
Price: 585 Primogems (Original: 900)
(Can be purchased separately—65 Primogems per language.)
...
Sure enough, [English Proficiency] was included under [Human Linguistics Mastery], but Chen Luo had lost all desire to buy it.
Not because he didn't have the 65 Primogems—but because of everything else.
"Holy crap, so there really are other people with talents in this world. I don't know if her awakening process was like mine, but there's no doubt—supernatural powers exist here."
"And who knows? Maybe there are even people who've cultivated abilities through training. Either way, this world's a lot deeper than I thought."
Faced with a chaotic list of skills totaling nearly 20,000 Primogems, Chen Luo felt a chill.
He'd never planned to exploit his abilities for personal gain—partly because he wasn't desperate for money. Now, that choice seemed even wiser.
"I've got to talk to Fu Hua. No more 'Justice.' If she runs into someone out of her league, it's over." Chen Luo murmured
Yesterday, the Herrscher hadn't encountered any other supernaturals. But that didn't mean today would be the same. Keep enacting justice, and something would go wrong.
Walk by the river enough, and your shoes will get wet.
"I should've shaken Sister Meng's hand too. Who knows what abilities she has?" Regret washed over him.
"Look at her. Look at you. Her talent's worth tens of thousands, with combat power off the charts. And what do you have? A traveler talent that still hasn't given you proper combat power." He scowled at his own status panel.
[Would you like to sell your EX-rank talent—Traveler?]
"Wait, I can sell it?!" Chen Luo gaped at the prompt.
[This talent is priced at 1,000,000 Primogems. Confirm sale?]
"Sell my ass! Even if I got the Primogems, I'd lose the talent then no more gacha! What good are Primogems then? Paperweights? Only an idiot would give this up."
Chen Luo never expected to argue with himself—or rather, his talent panel.
Then again, ever since getting it, he'd been bickering with it more and more.
"The more you know, the more dangerous the world gets." Sighing, he pedaled harder.
Now that he knew other supernaturals likely existed, he hesitated to even use his Anemo Vision.
…
"Ha! You rushed back just to tell me this?" The Herrscher of Sentience, who'd been guiltily eyeing the mess she'd made of the living room, burst out laughing.
"I'm serious! There are other people with powers in this world!" Chen Luo groaned.
"Obviously. Like you." She nodded.
"Besides me!"
"I knew that too. Forgot to mention—after I crossed into this world, I noticed there's no Honkai energy here. But there is another type of energy. Just as potent, but without the corrosive effects." Hearing Chen Luo's warnings, the Herrscher of Sentience seemed to remember this.
"YOU DIDN'T THINK TO SAY IT EARLIER?!" After a beat of silence, Chen Luo grabbed her ear and yelled.
"Ow! Let go! How's this my fault? You never asked!" After being grabbed by the ear, she twisted his wrist and slammed him onto the sofa in one fluid motion.
"???" Staring at the ceiling, Chen Luo had no idea how he'd ended up pinned.
…Well. That's a Grandmaster of Melee Combat for you.
"No dinner for you tonight," he declared after a long pause.
"I'm sorry! I was wrong!" She surrendered instantly.