"Alright, Xiao Ba, I'm going to work now. Play slowly at home, and don't destroy the house, understand?" After finishing the meal and washing the dishes, Chen Luo crouched in front of the little fox sitting on the sofa and spoke to it seriously.
"Ying!" The little fox let out a meaningless cry.
"Although I don't understand what you're saying, you probably agreed. Since that's the case, stay home obediently for now. I'll be back in a few hours." Chen Luo patted the little fox's head.
With the help of [100% Receive Gratitude from a Fox], Friend of Non-Humans, and Saint Chen, Chen Luo felt his intimacy with the little fox should be quite high by now, so it should be quite obedient.
"And also, you can freely use the cat tree, cat bed, cat toys, etc., over there." Chen Luo pointed to the cat toy area he had just set up.
Although a fox isn't a cat, it's not a big problem.
Even Xiao Qi could play happily in this cat toy area; there's no reason Xiao Ba can't. They're both foxes.
Looking at the little fox squinting its eyes and enjoying the petting, Chen Luo felt he had reached an agreement with it. Then, he entered the bar together with the Herrscher of Sentience.
Left alone, curled up on the sofa, the little fox played with its own tail for a while but soon lost interest. Then it turned its gaze towards the cat trees.
It gently jumped off the sofa, walked with a seductive gait towards the cat toy area.
Initially, the little fox was quite interested in the cat toy area, but when it got closer, its nose twitched slightly, as if it smelled something strange.
"Goo!!!" The little fox instantly looked warily at those cat toys, its fur almost standing on end.
When the little fox detected the scent of its own kind on these cat toys, it immediately refused to accept it.
Like poles repel each other, and so do members of the same species.
Especially when a pet smells the scent of other pets on you, it's like a wife smelling an unfamiliar perfume on her husband when he comes home.
If it doesn't bristle with anger, can it be called the rightful partner?
"Goo!" After pacing around the spot for quite a while, the little fox ultimately pounced on those cat toys and the nearby cat bed, baring its sharp fangs and claws, and began tearing into them.
There's no place for you in this house anymore!
The first target was naturally the luxurious, large cat bed with the strongest scent of its own kind. The cat bed's material was very soft, but that also meant it wasn't very tough. So, in no time, fluff was flying everywhere.
"Bar Owner Sir."
Unexpectedly, the first person to arrive today wasn't Venti or the somewhat hungry Mona, but a recent guest, Shenhe.
"Oh, you're here already? So early?" Although her early arrival was somewhat unexpected, it didn't prevent Chen Luo from receiving the guest.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat or drink?" Chen Luo asked.
"No." Shenhe shook her head.
"..." Chen Luo instantly fell silent.
This was the first guest Chen Luo found himself at a loss with. Others more or less had some appetite for food or desired drinks or alcohol, but Shenhe had none.
"What? Am I causing you trouble?" Seeing Chen Luo's somewhat confused expression, Shenhe asked.
"No, not at all. How about a cup of Qingxin Brew then?" Chen Luo shook his head.
"Qingxin Brew?" Because Chen Luo mentioned a word Shenhe cared deeply about, her expression changed slightly.
"It's wine brewed with Qingxin flowers, removing most of the Qingxin's bitterness and astringency while greatly preserving its fresh, clear fragrance." Chen Luo had really gone to great lengths to find out if Shenhe wanted anything to drink.
"Is that so? If possible, I'll have a cup." Shenhe nodded.
Because Shenhe had truly become interested in this.
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
"Alright." Chen Luo smiled, took out a glass of wine from under the counter, and handed it to Shenhe.
"A'Luo, who is this..." The Herrscher of Sentience looked curiously at Shenhe from the side.
The Herrscher of Sentience spent almost all her time with Chen Luo, so it was really rare to encounter someone Chen Luo knew but she didn't, especially a guest.
"A new guest who arrived today after I sent you off and revived Mona." Chen Luo said.
"Hello."
Only after the Herrscher of Sentience spoke did Shenhe turn her attention to her. She initially thought this was just an extra, but since this person was so familiar with the shopkeeper, should she also greet her?
"Oh, hello." The Herrscher of Sentience smiled and extended her hand.
If the Herrscher of Sentience wished, she could become the best psychologist in the world, or the most gentle and considerate person.
Because of this, the Herrscher of Sentience could also understand Shenhe's current situation.
Her killing intent and murderous aura were sealed due to special reasons, but consequently, most of her emotions were also sealed off.
A very interesting technique.
But in the Herrscher of Sentience's view, it was still too immature and inefficient.
And sometimes, killing intent and murderous aura are also extremely delicious nourishment for heart demons.
So the Herrscher of Sentience didn't mind building a good relationship with her.
"Hello." Shenhe put down the iced Qingxin Brew in her hand and shook Senti's hand.
Chen Luo hadn't chilled this Qingxin Brew; she had iced it herself.
Shenhe's hand was slightly cool but pleasant to touch, though Senti didn't pay much attention to that.
Senti was more interested in Shenhe the person.
Blocking is not as good as releasing. Shenhe's technique blocked the leakage of her killing intent and murderous aura, but as a result, she lost most of her emotions.
And sometimes, if too much killing intent and murderous aura accumulate, and that technique fails, her murderous nature would become even greater.
Of course, there are solutions. For example, letting Senti devour the killing intent and murderous aura.
This is the growth path of a heart demon.
"Let me introduce, this is, umm, Fu Hua. She's a heart demon."
Chen Luo originally wanted to introduce Senti's relationship with him, but after thinking for a long time, Chen Luo couldn't find an appropriate term.
The most appropriate relationship would undoubtedly be father and daughter, but saying that might cause Senti to go berserk.
What if his head gets smashed then?
"Heart demon?" Shenhe, who had just shaken hands with the Herrscher of Sentience, was taken aback.
"We reside in different worlds, so we have different worldviews. Fu Hua isn't a heart demon in the true sense. More precisely, she is a talented individual who gained some of the heart demon's abilities after killing one." Chen Luo continued to explain.
"Is that so? What a magical existence." Out of trust in Chen Luo, Shenhe easily accepted this seemingly improbable setting.
"Young lady, you carry a heavy load of killing intent and murderous aura. Considering you're A'Luo's friend, would you like me to help remove some of it?" The Herrscher of Sentience suddenly asked.
"Killing intent and murderous aura? You can perceive it to that extent? But there's no need to worry. I have the Red Rope Soul-Binding technique specially passed down by my master, so there's no need for concern for now." Shenhe shook her head and declined the Herrscher of Sentience's good intentions.
"Ah, that's where you're mistaken. The Red Rope Soul-Binding technique you mentioned is indeed exquisite, but you must understand that blocking is not as good as releasing. If you keep suppressing it like this for a long time, your human emotions will become increasingly faint." The Herrscher of Sentience, who had somehow acquired a fan, suddenly opened it.
"Allow me to perform a divination for you." As soon as the Herrscher of Sentience said this, a steady and convincing aura emanated from her.
The Scammer Senti has made her entrance.
"You also practice the art of divination?"
"Naturally. Let me reintroduce myself. I am the Immortal Phoenix Fu Hua, a practitioner of Immortal techniques. Having walked the mortal world for a millennium, witnessing all its red dust, I am therefore quite proficient with divination techniques..."
"..." Chen Luo glanced at Senti, who had instantly transformed into a scammer, and remained silent.
To be honest, Senti wasn't exaggerating here; she was even downplaying it. After all, Senti probably thought saying she lived for 50,000 years wouldn't be believed, so she reduced it.
As for the Herrscher of Sentience, saying she is omnipotent might be an exaggeration. But when it comes to ancient traditions like divination, the Herrscher of Sentience is absolutely very familiar.
Who knows, maybe this divination method was created by the Herrscher of Sentience herself or one of her friends.
In mythology, the first to use divination was Fuxi, also known as Cang Xuan. Yes, the very one who created the Book of Fuxi.
It's just whether the Herrscher of Sentience's divination method can be trusted is indeed rather doubtful.
Compared to Fu Hua's dull, taciturn wooden head, the Herrscher of Sentience is much more eloquent. At least, that's the case when it comes to scamming.
As for practical use... let's recall Chen Luo's initial commission.
The Herrscher of Sentience, scammed by her 'mother'...
"Hmm?" The Herrscher of Sentience, who was eloquently persuading Shenhe and nearly fooling her completely, suddenly frowned and looked at Chen Luo.
The Herrscher of Sentience just felt like someone was speaking ill of her.
But after failing to detect anything, she took Shenhe to a corner and started talking at length again.
The reason for changing locations was that the Herrscher of Sentience was afraid someone might come later and disrupt her train of thought.
"Ding Ling!" Not long after the Herrscher of Sentience left, the doorbell rang.
"A'Luo! A'Luo!" Venti rushed in somewhat hurriedly.
"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Chen Luo rarely saw Venti in such a hurry.
"A'Luo, don't you want to do commissions? I'll give you a commission right now." Venti ran up to Chen Luo, grasped Chen Luo's right hand with both of his, and stared at Chen Luo with his big eyes.
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
[Dragon of the East]: Help Venti resolve the trouble Dvalin is currently facing, restoring him to normal.
Reward: 550 Primogems + Random Reward
"...Alright, alright, stop holding my hand. You can just issue the commission; why do you need to hold my hand? Do you have some misunderstanding about commissions?" When he received this commission, Chen Luo was momentarily stunned, then quickly shook off Venti's hand.
Chen Luo suspected this guy Venti had ulterior motives towards him.
Of course, while being disgusted with Venti, Chen Luo naturally accepted the commission.
"So, did you accept the commission? Can you do it?" Venti looked at Chen Luo expectantly.
"This... it's not that I can't do." After estimating the commission difficulty, Chen Luo nodded.
This commission wasn't difficult, or rather, it was very simple. At least for Chen Luo, it was very simple.
Forget about Chen Luo's various abilities and the two talents, Herrscher of Domination and Herrscher of Corruption.
The main reason Dvalin, the Stormterror, lost control was largely due to being corrupted by the poisonous blood of the dragon Durin.
This was similar to when Durandal was poisoned by Yuno.
The solution was simple: Chen Luo just needed to look at him.
Look at him, lock him in the War Domain, place a Waypoint, let him stay there for a few days, and he'd be fine.
If that really doesn't work, just beat him up, and it'll be fine.
But the problem with this commission isn't entirely about that. It also involves resolving the misunderstanding between Venti and Dvalin, and behind it all is the Abyss Order...
Overall, it's a troublesome, but not completely troublesome, commission.
"Really? You're sure you can complete this commission?" Venti asked.
"Why would I lie to you?" Chen Luo rolled his eyes at Venti.
"That's great." Venti breathed a sigh of relief.
"One cup of wine brewed with the Geo Archon!" Venti exclaimed.
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
Venti's voice also disturbed Shenhe sitting in the corner. After all, a disciple of the adepti would inevitably react upon hearing the name 'Geo Archon'.
"Ah, don't mind them. That's just the name of a wine." The Herrscher of Sentience said, then continued pulling Shenhe aside to expound on her theory.
Blocking is not as good as releasing.
"Helping you complete the commission is naturally possible. And given our relationship, even without a commission, I would definitely help. But..."
"But what?"
"But you need to try first. If you can't manage, then call me."
"Why?"
"Well, if you don't mind Dvalin missing an arm or a leg, I can go. I just acquired new powers; finding a practice target would be good too." Chen Luo said, stretching lazily.
Dvalin could serve as an opportunity for Chen Luo to test his new strength.
The Honkai world wouldn't do; Chen Luo's various special advantages completely counter everyone in the Honkai world, preventing him from exerting his normal level of strength.
"That won't do! Then, then I'll go first. I'll try first." Hearing Chen Luo's ferocious words, Venti was startled.
Venti just wanted to be lazy and have someone else run the errand; he couldn't let his old friend get beaten to death.
"But speaking of which, what's your relationship with Dvalin?" Chen Luo looked at Venti teasingly.
"If I remember correctly, Dvalin seems to be a familiar of the Anemo Archon Barbatos, right? And recalling how I obtained my Anemo Vision, and how you persistently refuse to drink wine brewed with the Anemo Archon..."
As Chen Luo's words came out one after another, the expression on Venti's face grew increasingly nervous.
"Could it be that you are Barbatos's... familiar?"
"...That's right. You might not believe it, but my real name is actually Vanessa." Hearing the final part, Venti secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Do something proper, Barbatos!" Chen Luo placed the wine brewed with the Geo Archon in front of Venti with a thud, then rolled his eyes at him.
"!!!"