"Sorry, I can't accept this commission. I'm scared." Despite the allure of a 4-Star commission, Chen Luo shook his head and refused.
He wasn't sure what the odds were of remaining "himself" after lying on Mobius' operating table.
What if he grew a tail afterward?
Or cat ears?
"Don't reject so hastily. There's plenty of time, you might agree someday."
"Hmm... Doctor, could you lend me a scalpel?" Chen Luo stroked his chin before fixing his gaze on Mobius.
He wanted to study anatomy to gauge just how dangerous her experiments might be.
"Should I go back to the lab to get one?" Mobius blinked.
"Just give me one now. I'll return it after using it briefly." Chen Luo glanced at Mobius' exchange list.
"Who carries a scalpel around with them?" Mobius gave him a strange look.
"..." Chen Luo simply stared at her silently.
"Well, as a lab researcher, carrying a scalpel for self-defense is perfectly normal, right?" Under Chen Luo's knowing gaze, Mobius suspected he'd felt the scalpel on her during her drunken episode days ago.
As for why she'd bring a scalpel to an investors' banquet...
Isn't it normal for a delicate woman to carry one for protection?
Accepting the scalpel still warm from Mobius' body heat, Chen Luo fell into deep thought.
The moment he touched it, he temporarily mastered:
[Surgery Mastery]
[Anatomy Mastery]
[Meta-Morph Surgery Mastery]
[Human Modification Mastery]
Mobius... what exactly have you done with this scalpel?
But scalpels are disposable, right? Wait, the handle isn't; only the blade is.
Unless this scalpel was special because it was Mobius'?
At least it didn't grant [Assassination Mastery].
Chen Luo had borrowed it to assess medical risks, like whether she might dissect him.
Now he had his answer.
If you dared slice up an extremely rare, one-of-a-kind specimen... your advisor would bludgeon you to death with a spiked club.
But he never expected a scalpel to teach him Meta-Morph surgery. Who could've predicted that?
In some ways, Chen Luo and Mobius were now equals, her own Meta-Morph surgery skills were only at "Mastery" level too.
"Can I keep this scalpel? I can give you more Jashin flesh samples."
Since the techniques attached to this scalpel weren't universal, Chen Luo could only use them while holding it—like [Meta-Morph Surgery Mastery].
Touching certain items granted Chen Luo mastery—swords for swordsmanship, knives for blade skills.
Metaphorically, he was now proficient in "18 martial arts," but only at a basic level. He lacked any unique secret techniques.
Yet gripping this scalpel gave him exactly that.
Perhaps this was unique to the scalpel—after all, holding Kiana's weapons didn't grant him gun-kata.
"No need. I still have plenty of those samples. Keep the scalpel if you like it. Consider it a greeting gift." Mobius waved dismissively.
Post-Meta-Morph surgery, Mobius gained power, she no longer needed a scalpel for self-defense.
She'd only kept it out of habit.
[Ding! Obtained Favorability Gift (Mobius' Personal Scalpel)]
"Favorability gift..."
Another unfamiliar term.
"May I ask, is your lab short on assistants?" Chen Luo suddenly inquired.
He suspected Mobius' lab housed more "treasures" like this.
"Oh? Want to be my lab assistant? Of course you can." After a pause, Mobius readily agreed.
If I can lure him into my lab, obtaining samples will be effortless...
"...Your eagerness terrifies me. Never mind, I'll visit another time."
"What a shame." Mobius sighed inwardly.
Once, a priceless, unique specimen was within my grasp, yet I failed to cherish it...
"Since you won't let me study you, how about just giving me some samples? Bodily fluids, for instance."
"Specifically...?"
"Blood. Saliva. Sweat. And semen."
"..."
"My, my, lab rat, why so flustered?" Still leaning uncomfortably close, Mobius tilted Chen Luo's chin up with a finger.
"..." Though Chen Luo knew these were the four easiest fluids to collect, hearing Mobius list them so bluntly was overwhelming.
"Cat got your tongue, lab rat?" Whether due to post-surgery confidence or familiarity, Mobius' aggression had noticeably intensified.
[Ding! New commission received!]
"Ahem. Hard pass." Chen Luo rejected both the request and the commission outright.
How could I agree to this? Even for 500 Primogems.
He didn't trust Mobius enough, without supervision, who knew what she'd do with his genetic material?
"Still so cautious. You don't know me well enough. Anyone will tell you I'm a principled scientist. I'd never harm you..." Seeing his resolve, Mobius finally retreated to her seat.
"Principled scientist... sure." Chen Luo didn't want to argue about this with Mobius.
"So, have you acquired any new strange collections recently? Like more Jashin flesh?" Mobius asked.
This was her real purpose for visiting. She never expected Chen Luo to agree to being studied immediately.
"How could such rare items be so easily obtained? Nothing new for now," Chen Luo shook his head.
"In that case, I'll take my leave. But remember to save any interesting finds for me next time." Mobius stood decisively.
"Wait." Chen Luo suddenly stopped her.
"What now?" Mobius turned back.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"Hmm, now that you mention it..." Mobius nodded after brief consideration.
"Give me thirty seconds."
Without waiting for her response, Chen Luo strode into the kitchen. While he could purchase items from the store, takeout required proper packaging.
Exactly half a minute later, he emerged carrying two identical meal bags.
"Take these for dinner—spicy lobster instant noodles and red bean pearl coconut milk tea. One for you, one for Klein." Chen Luo placed them before Mobius.
"Instant noodles? Sounds good." Mobius accepted the bags.
Truthfully, she rather enjoyed instant noodles.
"If you're working late but it's before 2 AM, you can come here for meals. This place isn't just a bar, it's a restaurant too," Chen Luo added thoughtfully.
No Primogems charged this time. But after tasting these ultra-delicious spicy lobster noodles, you'll definitely come back, and then I'll start charging.
Chen Luo never missed an opportunity to earn Primogems.
You have to bait the hook to catch the fish, a principle he understood well.
"Noted." Mobius studied him intently.
Did he remember Klein's milk tea preference from last time? Remarkably observant.
* * *
"Seriously, A'Luo? She didn't even ask, yet you gave her free food? This is blatant favoritism!" Venti protested from the bar counter after Mobius left.
"Exactly. I've never received such preferential treatment. Vengeance will be mine," Eula chimed in.
"What do you two know? She's a scientific treasure. We can't let such valuable minds go hungry."
"By that logic, I'm Teyvat's greatest bard!" Venti complained.
"But you're starvation-proof."
You don't even need to eat, you literally can't starve.
"And I'm the Reconnaissance Company Captain, safeguarding Mondstadt's security," Eula added. Frequent visits had lightened her mood—here, no one cared about her "sinner" status.
"Fair point. How about a chilled tomato meatloaf omelet then?" Chen Luo offered.
"Wait, really?" Eula blinked.
She'd only been joking.
"You're on field duty, right? Perfect time for a proper meal."
"I suppose..." The sudden kindness left Eula slightly flustered.
"Hey! What about—" Venti's protest died as a plate landed before him.
"Your apple pie, sir."
"Oh ho! A'Luo, you truly understand me." For an apple enthusiast like Venti, this was perfect.
"But why the sudden generosity?"
"Let's call it... giving back to society."
After all his relentless fleeceing, some reciprocity was due.
The wool comes from the sheep's own back.
"Enjoy your meals. Time for me to play cat-and-mouse." After retrieving another meal box from the kitchen, Chen Luo exited the bar.
* * *
He reappeared in an unknown family restaurant.
The infected owner had already been dispatched with a single sword stroke—earning Chen Luo 5 Crystals, not Primogems.
Placing the 0.1-Primogem-purchased dishes on a table, Chen Luo lit a candle meant for romantic dinners and left a note:
"Schicksal Valkyrie~ Catch me if you can~ ♪"
"Little Senti, think she'll smash this upon seeing it?" Chen Luo asked
"Durandal? She'll scan for poison but won't eat it. Guaranteed," the Herrscher of Sentience answered.
"Makes sense." Chen Luo nodded.
"Hmm? She's within 3 kilometers. Time to move." Sensing the tracking talisman's activation, Chen Luo fired a double-bang firework outside before re-entering the bar.
Under Venti and Eula's puzzled gazes, he immediately exited again, this time reappearing atop the TV tower.
He had already set the top of the TV tower as a fixed anchor point; he could always reset it later if he wanted, so it wouldn't be a problem.
With another leap, he soared in the opposite direction of the restaurant.
As long as he had the tracking talisman, Durandal would never get within 3 kilometers of him.
"Let's visit Nagazora's largest jewelry store." Chen Luo said to Little Senti, while consulting his in-system city map, Chen Luo adjusted his flight path.
In this apocalyptic wasteland, money meant nothing anymore.
And wasn't looting abandoned stores standard procedure in survival games?
* * *
When Durandal cautiously approached the restaurant following the firework trail, she found only a burning candle, steaming food, and a note nearby.
After thorough scans confirmed no ambushes or thermal signatures, she approached and picked up the note.
True to Little Senti's prediction, her first act was testing for explosives, then running toxin analysis.
Even after confirming the meal's safety, she ignored it, opting for a nutrient bar instead.
Even Valkyries need fuel during long pursuits.