"Mm, Miss Robin is indeed very clever. You guessed where to find the most suitable Entries right away," Chen Li said, not hesitating in the slightest with his praise.
According to Robin's personality, she should have responded to such a compliment with a reserved and elegant "thank you," but she was in no mood for that.
Dumbfounded, Robin felt Chen Li's fingers lightly touch her halo, and she couldn't help but wonder: is this Curio Forger really reliable?
Could he be a spy sent by the Masked Fools?
"An excellent combination of Entries. [Gorgeous], [Attractive], [Harmony], [Resonance]... all are very suitable for forging a microphone Curio. Alright, I'm done touching," Chen Li said, expressing his thanks to Robin with great satisfaction.
"Then... can the Entries on my halo be used to forge the Curio?" Robin asked, her heart pounding with anxiety.
"Of course not, what are you thinking? When a Curio Forger extracts Entries, it's equivalent to extracting the very origin of an item. If I were to extract the [Resonance] Entry from your halo, it would likely lose its ability to resonate with your kin. It would become a mere ornament."
"Eh? That won't do."
"Exactly. Although a new Curio I forge for you could inherit the resonance trait, it's never good to lose something. So, it's best we don't touch something as important as your halo."
"...Then what were you doing just now?"
"If I said I was just curious about your halo, would you hit me?" Chen Li asked after a moment of contemplation.
You couldn't blame Chen Li.
It was only human nature.
Not only did Chen Li want to touch the halo of a Halovian, but he also wanted to touch the tail of a Foxian and the fluffy ball on a Pepeshi's head.
Yes, human nature.
"..."
Seeing the complicated look on Robin's face, Chen Li took the hint and immediately pulled out a few Approbations of Sublime Morality.
One of the Merit Coins was tossed into the air by Chen Li, where it dissipated, and another was gifted to Robin.
"Here, a souvenir."
"Oh, thank you." The moment the gold coin touched her hand, Robin subconsciously felt that it was something very precious.
"This item can be used to avert disasters, but it can also be used for some... less than moral activities," Chen Li explained, detailing the function of the Merit Coin.
"For instance?"
For instance, touching your halo just now.
"For instance, if you're in disguise and want to go out and have fun like a normal girl, but you run into paparazzi trying to get a candid shot. You could beat him to his knees in public, then use one of these coins. Everyone will just ignore what you just did," Chen Li said.
Chen Li had at least proven that the Approbation of Sublime Morality could indeed be used for cleanup.
Through personal experience.
"Er..." Robin looked at the coin in her hand. The more she looked at it, the more it resembled a tool a Masked Fool would use for cleaning up their messes.
But on second thought, the Masked Fools' moral standards were nowhere near high enough to bother wasting energy on cleanup.
Oh, well then, never mind.
"Right, where were we?" Robin asked.
After asking, the question felt strangely familiar.
"We were talking about how, as one of your symbols, Miss Robin, the Entries on your halo are both precious and highly compatible with you. However, for the sake of your experience, let's use a different medium to provide the Entries. If the Entry brightness is a bit lower, so be it. I'll bear the loss myself," Chen Li said.
"Mr. Chen Li, you're truly a good person."
"No need to be so polite."
"In that case, Chen Li, which of these items do you think could serve as a source for the Entries?" Robin asked, taking out her treasure box and pointing to the various items inside.
"Before that, we need to discuss the specific effects you want for your Curio. Your brother told me he wants to customize a Curio for you that can transmit your voice, allow you to defend yourself, and permanently silence your anti-fans."
"The last one is quite unnecessary," Robin said quickly.
She felt that such a request was indeed very much in Sunday's style, but Robin, who had always been very tolerant, believed that haters were still fans.
The peak creates false supporters, while dusk witnesses the faithful followers!
Perhaps, as they continued to hate on her, they might even develop feelings.
It wasn't necessary to silence them forever.
"Do you have any other requests?" Chen Li asked.
"If possible, I hope my voice can soothe pain, dispel fear, and encourage people to walk out of the darkness," Robin said, a little embarrassed.
To erase misunderstanding and prejudice with music, to weave understanding and resonance with her voice.
To help the weak with her strength was a belief Robin had always held.
"Emm... what a noble ideal. Unlike me. I only know how to dispel gloom in a... physical sense," Chen Li remarked with a sigh.
"What... do you mean?"
"Nothing. In short, leave everything to me."
"You can fulfill all the requests? That's amazing."
"Oh, not quite. I can only do my best to meet your requests. As for what kind of miracle will ultimately emerge, it's hard to say," Chen Li said with a shrug.
That's just how Curios were; you never knew until you forged them.
Curios were like a wig maker styling a wig—you tell him to make it go one way, and it insists on going the other.
The principle of forging commissions was the same. The Guide to Forging Curios was only responsible for establishing the connection; it neither guaranteed the product would match the description nor that the forger wouldn't beat up the client.
In short, as long as a miracle happened in the end, that's all that mattered.
It didn't care what kind of miracle it was.
"Oh. Do you need a special venue?"
"No need. If the Entries are prepared, we can start forging right here."
"Isn't that a bit rushed? Are there enough Entries?"
"More or less... enough," Chen Li said, looking at the performance equipment Robin had laid out all over the floor.
As a qualified cosmic superstar, even if it was inappropriate to forge a Curio from her halo, many of her personal performance items could still provide the relevant Entries.
"For example, this microphone has the [Resonance] and [Inspiration] Entries. This shows that your singing has indeed inspired many people and resonated with them," Chen Li said, walking over to a microphone, picking up the stand, and giving it a swing.
"Is that so..." Robin was very pleased to learn that her singing had indeed achieved what she had hoped for.
"Here, Robin. Give this mic stand a swing, see if it feels right in your hands," Chen Li said, handing the stand to her.
"Feels right... what do you mean?" Robin asked, looking at the microphone stand in her hand with some confusion.
"If you're talking about the feel of it for performing, don't worry. I've been using this microphone and stand for a long time. I'm very used to them," Robin added.
"As long as it feels right. By the way, Robin, do you have an agent or manager?"
"I do, why?"
"Are they responsible for driving away overly enthusiastic fans?"
"They are."
"Excellent. Then we have a source for the [Dispel] Entry. It might be used to dispel some negative emotions and statuses. What's commonly known as cleansing debuffs," Chen Li nodded with satisfaction.
"Are those two 'dispels' the same thing?" Robin tilted her head. In contrast to her usual elegant demeanor, she looked a bit dazed and cute.
"Don't worry about how it dispels, as long as it gets dispelled," Chen Li said with a wave of his hand.
Resonance, Inspiration, Dispel...
"We're still missing [Heavy] or [Weight]. [Knockback] would also work... How about this, Robin, can you give me those three little sequins you have on your face?" Chen Li asked after a moment of thought.
"Eh, these? Of course." Although Robin didn't understand why Chen Li wanted them, she went to her vanity mirror and removed the small decorations from her face.
However, as she handed them to Chen Li, she still found it a bit strange.
Could something like this really be used to forge a Curio?
"Hmm... it's barely usable, but the Entry brightness isn't high enough," Chen Li said, shaking his head as he looked at the three small sequins.
"Then what should we do?"
"Can you give me the accessory you're wearing around your neck?" Chen Li made another request that seemed quite brazen.
"...I can." After a moment's hesitation, Robin removed the ornament from her neck.
Just as Robin was thinking about what to use to cover the scar on her neck, she noticed Chen Li staring intently at a pair of sunglasses.
It was the disguise Robin usually wore to avoid being followed by paparazzi.
Put on a wig, change her makeup, and add a pair of glasses, and she could basically pass for another person.
At least in Robin's eyes, this routine could fool 90% of the paparazzi.
"Is it difficult to wear a choker all the time to hide the scar?" Chen Li suddenly asked, just as Robin had put on a new neck accessory and placed the still-warm one in his hand.
"You saw it?" Robin was a little surprised.
"No," Chen Li shook his head.
He just knew the relevant information.
"I got this injury during a tour on a war-torn planet while providing support for the Corporation's relief supply convoy. I was hit in the neck by a stray bullet. Fortunately, it didn't hit anything vital," Robin said, gently stroking the scar hidden by the elaborate choker.
Although the stray bullet hadn't hit a vital artery, it had left a permanent scar. For the sake of her future image, Robin had to wear elaborate chokers frequently.
Public figures always had so much to worry about.
"I can treat it," Chen Li said.
"Are you also a part-time doctor?" Robin asked, surprised.
"You could say that. Anyway, how about this: I heal you, and you give me these sunglasses?" Chen Li asked, holding up the pair of sunglasses.
Chen Li was very interested in the Entries on these sunglasses.
"...Alright. I'll have to trouble you, then," Robin said, quite tempted.