"Hey, Senti, can we talk about something?" After successfully threatening the Herrscher of Sentience with dinner privileges, Chen Luo settled onto the couch.
"Senti? What kind of weird nickname is that?"
"You don't like it?" Chen Luo tilted his head.
"It's not that I dislike it... It's just strange. But acceptable. Still better than 'Herrscher of Sentience.'" She nodded.
"Oh, right. What did you want to say?"
"Can you modify my consciousness?" Chen Luo asked bluntly.
"Hah?! You're asking me to alter your mind? What kind of bizarre fetish is this?" The Herrscher of Sentience stared at him, stunned.
"Wait—have you finally realized how peerlessly magnificent, beautiful, and dashing I am? Ready to worship this immortal even more?"
"Do you even believe that yourself? Look, besides my Vision, I have another ability called [Furniture Mastery]."
"Furniture Mastery? Like Jackie Chan? Could you beat Thanos in a furniture factory?" After hearing what Chen LUo said, her eyes lit up with interest.
"How is it possible? Of course, I haven't tried it either. Just listen to me first and don't interrupt. This ability lets me expertly control anything classified as a household item."
"Oooh, this ability is not bad, actually pretty good. At least your cooking would be amazing—wait, are kitchen utensils considered furniture?" Another question from the Herrscher of Sentience.
"Did you hear me? I said household items—anything usable in a home. Knives, frying pans, of course they count. How can they not be considered household items?" Chen Luo interrupted the Herrscher of Sentience's wonderful thoughts again.
"Fair point. That is impressive. No wonder your food's so good."
"Stop fixating on the cooking! That's not the point! The point is, I discovered yesterday that if I tweak my logic, I can extend [Furniture Mastery]. For example, since I own a bar now, the bar counts as 'home,' and everything inside becomes a 'household item'—so I instantly learned mixology."
"Whoa. Can you make me a cocktail?"
"Minors can't drink. And if you interrupt me one more time, no dinner!" Chen Luo threatened the Herrscher of Sentience.
God knew why this conversation required so many digressions.
"Mm-hmm." Sensing his resolve through her authority, the Herrscher of Sentience quickly nodded.
"So I was thinking—if I believed I came from a martial arts family, wouldn't weapons like swords, spears, staffs, and clubs count as 'household items'? Would that let me master them instantly? Same with my Vision—if I could think of it as a common household tool, maybe I'd gain full control." Chen Luo proposed the idea that he had already conceived in his mind.
"But the problem is, I can't convince myself. I can't pretend my Vision is a household object, or that I'm from a martial arts lineage. I can only adapt after something becomes fact—like how I only learned mixology after actually owning a bar." Chen Luo said with some distress.
"I get it. You want me to use the omnipotent Herrscher of Sentience's authority to make you believe you're from a martial arts family, so you can be proficient in using swords, spears, staffs and the like.." She caught on instantly.
"Exactly. So, please." Chen Luo met her gaze seriously.
"Pfft. Is that all? Don't worry—I'll do you one better. Instead of limiting you to 'martial arts household,' I'll tweak your consciousness to perceive everything as a household item while keeping your rationality intact. No loopholes. What if you encounter a cross? Or firearms? This way covers all bases."
"You can do that?" Chen Luo was stunned for a moment.
"Of course! Who do you think I am? I am The Herrscher of Sentience!" The Herrscher of Sentience laughed smugly.
"Here, I'll prove it. The Herrscher of Sentience has modified your consciousness—"
Cross-legged on the couch, she leaned forward, hands braced against the cushions, and stared into Chen Luo's.
A sharp, needle-like pain pricked Chen Luo's mind—no worse than an insect bite.
This time, he didn't use his guardian privileges to resist. He let her in.
...Though he did notice an extra "modification" slipped in alongside the agreed changes.
"Has the consciousness modification been successful now?" Since there was no special feeling, Chen Luo asked the Herrscher of Sentience.
"Yep! All set." She exhaled, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. It seems that modifying this level of consciousness without destroying common sense is also a bit difficult for the Herrscher of Sentience.
"But I feel like you added something... unauthorized." Chen Luo muttered
"!!!"
Did he notice the ["Herrscher of Sentience Never Does Dishes"] clause I sneakily inserted?!
The Herrscher of Sentience was shocked.
"That expression confirms it. You did add bloatware."
"You tricked me?!" The Herrscher of Consciousness was shocked again.
"Damn you, Herrscher of Sentience! Humanity will definitely defeat the Honkai!" Chen Luo declared dramatically.
"Ah, what does your victory over Honkai have to do with me? Also, why would you fight the Honkai? You're not a Valkyrie." She eyed him like he'd lost his mind.
"..."
A dangerous glint entered Chen Luo's eyes.
"W-What are you thinking now?!" A chill ran down her spine.
"You mentioned once that one of your forms is... a feather, right?"
"Yes, is there any problem?" The Herrscher of Sentience nodded.
"Funny thing. I now consider feathers 'household items.' So—"
"Wait. Wait. What are you doing!? Stay back! I'll beat you!" She scrambled off the couch, arms raised defensively.
"Don't be scared~ I just want to test something—" Chen Luo slowly approached the Herrscher of Sentience.
"NO TESTING!"
THUD. The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground was heard.
Chen Luo couldn't get up again…