"Chen Luo, look what you've done." Theresa grumpily slapped a document onto the bar counter, glaring at Chen Luo.
"Isn't this a letter from home? Why show it to me? Are you planning for me to marry into your family?" This document wasn't an ordinary file, but a letter.
"Marry into my family, my foot! Can't you read it carefully? Now my grandfather knows I'm acquainted with you, and he's asking me what's going on with you. How am I supposed to answer that?" Theresa took a large gulp of bitter melon juice before speaking.
"That's perfectly normal. In fact, it's quite considerate of Durandal to wait this long before reporting it to Otto. By the way, why hasn't Durandal come to the bar yet? Did she forget about it?" Chen Luo muttered.
"As for how to answer... just tell the truth. After all, all who come are guests. But if possible, could you delay informing Otto for a few more days?"
Durandal, oh Durandal, please come quickly. I can help you find your parents.
*The requirement isn't high; just give me a 3-star commission.*
*If that's really not possible, a 2-star one will do.*
*Considering our relationship, even a 1-star is acceptable.*
*Then, then... even a 0-star can be accepted. Just give me something, alright?*
It can't be less than a lollipop, can it?
"I can do that, but is that the main point? And what do you want Durandal to come here for? To fleece her?" Theresa looked at Chen Luo warily.
Although Theresa and Durandal aren't extremely close, they are still comrades-in-arms.
"Look at what you're saying. Let me ask you, when I used you to farm commissions, did you suffer any loss?" Chen Luo crossed his arms and asked.
"Uh, no loss." Theresa thought for a good while before saying.
After all, Chen Luo really provided her with delicious drinks and food, and even helped her find her niece.
"Perhaps A'Luo knows there might be some commission related to Durandal? Didn't A'Luo spend some time with Durandal? Maybe he noticed something." Raiden Mei, standing nearby, unconsciously started speaking up for Chen Luo.
"Mei is so clever. The secrets Durandal holds are no smaller than the ones you all have." Chen Luo pointed at Theresa, Himeko, Raiden Mei, Bronya, and Kiana one by one.
"Wait, I understand you saying Mei has secrets, but what secrets do I have?" Kiana looked puzzled.
"Kiana, don't underestimate yourself. Your secrets are no smaller than Mei's. By the way, your long hair looks great."
Today, Kiana unusually hadn't braided her hair, as she had just washed it.
"Really? Hehe, it's not that great..." Kiana said somewhat sheepishly.
"Hey, wait, Kiana, don't get lost in self-admiration yet. Chen Luo, you need to explain clearly. What secrets does Kiana have?" Ultimately, Kiana's aunt, Theresa, maintained her rationality.
After all, it wasn't Theresa being praised, so she wasn't happy about it.
"Well... it's a secret for now. It's not the right time to talk about it." Chen Luo shook his head.
Kiana's secret is truly enormous. And since Chen Luo said Kiana has a secret, it naturally means Chen Luo intends to address this matter.
The conflict between Kiana's personality and the Herrscher consciousness is really hard to describe.
It's not exactly heartbreaking, but it's ultimately somewhat complicated.
In short, it leaves one feeling somewhat dissatisfied.
But for the two of them, it seems like fate, almost unavoidable.
Kiana and Sirin are actually the same person, somewhat like a Herrscher consciousness, but their situation is different from Raiden Mei and her Herrscher consciousness.
By mentioning it now, Chen Luo indicates he already has half a solution.
The Herrscher consciousness remains submerged deep within Kiana's mind, occasionally causing trouble, which indeed poses a high potential risk.
Although Kiana did grow up through that series of events, the growth was heartbreaking, and the cost was somewhat high.
Kiana and Chen Luo are also friends, comrades who fought side by side. Even if there might be no Primogems, Chen Luo would still offer this bit of help.
Of course, it would be even better if a commission popped up during the process.
Just like how Chen Luo was willing to help Venti beat up Dvalin once even without a commission.
It's just a matter of convenience. If he can help, he will.
Of course, limited to throwing Dvalin into the War Domain.
"A'Luo, an ice cream, please." Kiana called out.
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
"Alrighty."
And look, with Kiana's personality, farming 20 Primogems a day is completely no problem, only more, not less.
Persist for 15 days, and that's 300 Primogems.
Persist for a month, and that's 600 Primogems.
So, those who always treat commissions and Primogems as everything are definitely not qualified Travelers.
Why must the world always be dark, deep, and cruel? Isn't everyday life good?
"Kiana, you're eating ice cream again? You've already had two servings today; you can't have any more."
"Hey, Auntie, I've only had two servings." Kiana looked somewhat wronged at Theresa.
"Theresa, you've already drunk two glasses of bitter melon juice today; you can't have any more." Chen Luo said coldly.
"Hey, I've only had two glasses." Theresa looked somewhat wronged at Chen Luo.
"I was joking."
"Yay! Another glass!"
"Ah..." Raiden Mei couldn't help but facepalm beside them.
"By the way, Banya[1] how has life been at St. Freya Academy these past few days?" Chen Luo asked Bronya in a tone like a parent checking on a child.
After all, soon, Cocolia might become his puppet, so naturally, Chen Luo would be of the same generation as Cocolia, or even a generation above. So using this tone is completely no problem, right?
"What did you just call me?" Bronya's gaze suddenly turned sharp.
"Banya?" Chen Luo asked strangely.
"..." Bronya scrutinized Chen Luo but couldn't find anything wrong.
He just spoke a bit fast, but...
"Very good, thank you for your concern." Bronya downed the glass of vodka in her hand.
"Then... do you think Theresa, Himeko, Kiana, and Mei treat you well?" Chen Luo asked with a smile.
"If you remove Kiana, then they are all very good." Bronya hesitated for a moment before saying.
"Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean 'remove me'? Don't I treat you well?" Kiana became dissatisfied.
"Do you like your current life?" Both Chen Luo and Bronya tacitly ignored Kiana.
"Yes. But it would be even better with Seele. So, when will you complete the commission?" Bronya asked.
"Uh, don't be in such a hurry. That's not the main point right now. The main point is, if... if Cocolia wants to destroy your current life?" Chen Luo said the last sentence close to Bronya's ear, so no one else could hear.
"!!!" Bronya's pupils trembled slightly.
"No..."
"Don't say it's impossible. You know it's very possible." Before Bronya could finish speaking, Chen Luo interrupted her.
"..." Bronya didn't speak further because she knew Chen Luo was telling the truth.
Bronya knew Cocolia all too well.
During this period of living together with everyone in the same house, Bronya had felt a long-lost sense of being touched.
The lazy yet exceptionally responsible Murata Himeko.
The gentle, considerate Raiden Mei who cared for her.
The serious, idiotic, yet joy-bringing Kiana.
The mascot-like Theresa.
If Seele could come to her side, that would be a truly perfect and flawless life.
And to be honest, having been at the Midnight Bar for so long, Bronya felt that having Chen Luo take her to bring Seele out of the Sea of Quanta was much more reliable than Cocolia doing it.
If he can travel between different worlds, how hard could going to the Sea of Quanta be?
"So, do you need my help or not?" Chen Luo pressed his advantage while the iron was hot.
"Hmm?" Bronya looked up at Chen Luo.
Is this guy planning to use me to farm commissions?
That was Bronya's first reaction, but she didn't feel disgusted.
After all, who wouldn't like someone being able to help them, especially for free?
And based on Bronya's guess, what Chen Luo collected was probably just the desire, hope, longing, etc., generated when she wanted to resolve this matter.
But this kind of thing was completely useless to Bronya.
To give an analogy, this thing was even less valuable to Bronya than the gold coins earned in a game.
If you could use Mora earned in Genshin Impact to have someone fulfill your wish, wouldn't you be willing?
"Speaking of which, have I told you all what kind of Herrscher I am?" Chen Luo suddenly remembered this matter.
"Oh right, Chen Luo, you became a Herrscher, right? What kind of Herrscher?" Theresa remembered this.
"The Herrscher of Corruption. And coincidentally, the Herrscher of Corruption is quite adept at dealing with bio-chips. So..." Chen Luo winked at Bronya, his meaning already quite clear.
He wouldn't mention the Herrscher of Domination to them; it was useless to say it. The important one now was the Herrscher of Corruption.
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
Good, she took the bait!
Chen Luo looked approvingly at Bronya.
This person is smart. She's reliable.
"Let's go, Bronya. Come upstairs with me." After saying this, Chen Luo walked out from behind the bar and headed towards the second floor.
"Huh? Bronya, what do you want to do now?" Theresa asked curiously.
Theresa was used to situations like this. It must be that Bronya issued a commission, and Chen Luo accepted it.
But if they didn't say it out loud, onlookers like Theresa and the others would have no way of knowing the transaction's content.
"Nothing much. Wait for me; I'll be right down." Bronya shook her head and didn't tell the truth.
After all, Bronya didn't want to destroy the current atmosphere.
She would confess later, but not now.
After Bronya followed Chen Luo to the second floor, she found Chen Luo still hadn't stopped but was heading towards the never-before-opened third floor.
"What do you want to do? Where are you taking me?" Bronya's tone carried a trace of wariness, but she didn't stop walking.
True 'tsundere' behavior.
"Of course, to the attic, where I rest. I could perform the treatment on you anywhere, but I'm afraid you might not be comfortable. Because I've never modified a bio-chip on a person before, I'm not sure if there will be any special sensations. What if you make noise? That would be a huge misunderstanding, especially since Mei and the others are still downstairs." Chen Luo said while opening the attic and walking up.
"Huh? It might involve making noise?" Bronya suddenly felt Chen Luo was unreliable.
Is this treatment really proper?
"Don't ask me; I've never tried it myself. I only know it's possible." Chen Luo said innocently.
Laughable. Would the Herrscher of Corruption from the previous era care if the person whose bio-chip was being invaded felt pain? She wished she could kill everyone.
"Wait, you've never performed this type of 'surgery' on anyone before?" Even someone as acquired expressionless as Bronya expressed deep doubt and distrust at this point.
"Don't worry. Inside this bar, no matter what you do, I can't harm you. So, feel free to receive treatment with peace of mind inside this bar."
"And you're the first person besides me to come to my third-floor attic. Aren't you curious to go inside and take a look?" Chen Luo asked, standing on the pulled-down ladder.
"..." One had to admit, Bronya was tempted.
Bronya was genuinely curious.
* * *
"Hey, Bronya, what's wrong? Why do you look like you've been deceived?" When Bronya came back downstairs, her face was completely expressionless.
But there are differences between expressionless and expressionless.
"And why is your face so red?"
Although Bronya's face was expressionless, it gave off the feeling that she had just done strenuous exercise.
"Nothing. Just overly disappointed."
"What? Didn't Chen Luo complete your commission?"
"He did."
"Then why are you disappointed?" Kiana looked at Bronya as if she were an idiot.
"..."
The result wasn't disappointing, but the process was.
Damn it, the entire attic only had one bed. So much for mystery.
Wasted my emotions.
* * *
"Today's expenditure: 36 Primogems. Income: 405 Primogems, plus two ancient books that need to be returned." Chen Luo looked at the two ancient books placed nearby.
Those two ancient books were what Shenhe gave Chen Luo.
Rather than ancient books, they were more like notes. Chen Luo casually flipped through them and felt they were indeed somewhat interesting.
Hmm, Bronya's commission and Yakumo Yukari's commission aren't counted here.
Primogem balance: 6364
"Hmm, not bad. That's 39 pulls. But being a gambling addict has no future. Better to keep them for emergencies and saving my life."
For example, if he encountered a situation like the Herrscher Personality incident last time, and if Chen Luo couldn't even come up with 10 Crystals then, he would have been in trouble.
"Let's go, heading home." Chen Luo called out to the Herrscher of Sentience.
"Okay."
The Herrscher of Sentience obediently walked over.
But when Chen Luo pushed open the bar door and entered his living room, he was utterly stunned.
The entire living room was covered in floating cotton fluff everywhere. The cat toy area was completely torn up, unrecognizable from its original form.
Most critically, the obvious culprit was standing proudly on top of the cat tree, looking utterly pleased with itself.
"...You have three seconds to come down and apologize, or I'll shave all your fur off." Chen Luo said with a cold face to the little fox.
Chen Luo didn't care if it understood or not. If it didn't understand, even better—that would give him a reason to shave all its fur off!!!
TL Note:
[1]: Banya-板鸭 is salted or preserved duck. The CN community call Bronya "Duck" because the "Ya" part of her name sound like duck, so Banya is just a way to call Bronya a Duck since it sounds like Bronya