Chapter 152: The Fallen Focalor

Focalors, oh Focalors, how have you fallen to such a state!

I still remember when I first met you: cautious, elegant, highly vigilant, with an abyss of bottomless sorrow hidden within your water-like gaze.

And look at you now!

Just look at what you've become!

"Hungry, want food, hee-hee~"

Focalors stroked her smooth, flat little belly, looked up at Lu Mingze with a silly smile, and said.

"We should be discussing how to solve the problem right now!"

Lu Mingze gave her a direct flick on the forehead.

"Ouch!"

Focalors winced in pain, instinctively covering her little head with her hand as she looked at Lu Mingze with a pitiful expression. "Then after Lu Mingfei pulls me into the dream, I'll just admit that I'm the one impersonating Lu Mingze. The excuse can be that after a certain Baku dream ended, I saw your figure and thus remembered this image."

"Huh?"

Lu Mingze looked at his own hand in confusion, unable to help thinking to himself: Can my forehead flick actually awaken one's intelligence?

Focalors's idea was actually quite good. Lu Mingfei had already guessed that he understood the affairs of Teyvat, so he could also deduce that he had interfered with the Baku. It was entirely reasonable for Focalors to have seen his figure from within the dream.

Moreover, she could also claim that precisely because she didn't know that person and he wasn't in Teyvat, she dared to wander around using Lu Mingze's image.

This answer was clearly brilliant!

"Although I might look a bit foolish, I'm actually quite smart," Focalors said, puffing out her chest as she noticed Lu Mingze's favorable reaction.

"Hmm."

Lu Mingze nodded slightly, his heart finally setting at ease.

He figured that Focalors was never unintelligent to begin with; it was just that her life had been going too well and she had been too happy lately, causing her to let go of herself and abandon all thinking. Such a carefree and joyful life was precisely what she yearned for.

Yet, there were still doubts to be had. Why did Focalors let go of herself like this even when she was wandering around Teyvat on her own? Even with him backing her up, her behavior was far too unrestricted.

Could she possibly be pretending?

A jolt of alarm went through Lu Mingze's heart. He looked down at Focalors and her pure gaze, and the panic and unease within him instantly vanished like smoke. With those eyes so full of wisdom, it was truly hard to overthink things; he even suspected that if he were to sell Focalors off, she would probably help him count the money.

"See how smart I am? Can I have an extra meal today then?" Focalors asked with burning anticipation in her eyes.

"..."

Lu Mingze fell silent. He looked at the eager Focalors and couldn't help thinking: This whole mess was clearly stirred up by you yourself, so why on earth should I give you an extra meal after helping you clean it up, hey!

However...

I've happened to be quite interested in cakes lately. Having eaten all kinds of cakes, I just happen to want to replicate them and practice my craft. Let's... use her as a test subject then. Just a test subject.

Inside the office, Neuvillette was still attending to official business with his usual meticulous care. He was exceptionally thorough when handling official matters; after all, with the Dottore currently in Fontaine, the arrangements he had made could very well be deeply intertwined with some hidden case, and the slightest negligence could bring tremendous losses and disaster to Fontaine.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

A series of knocks sounded at the door.

Neuvillette slowly raised his head, instinctively closing his official documents to prevent outsiders from seeing them, and then spoke with his habitual politeness, "Please come in."

The door swung open to reveal the Traveler and Paimon. Looking at the pair, a wave of puzzlement rose within him, and he asked, "Traveler? Is there an important matter that brings you to see me?"

"We're looking for the trial records from June 2nd, three years ago. That case might be related to the Dottore's criminal evidence. Could you let us look it over?" Paimon spoke up proactively, and the Traveler nodded along.

"June 2nd, three years ago..."

Neuvillette pondered for a moment before saying, "Are you referring to the unexplained disappearance case that occurred in Beryl Region's Poisson Village? That case indeed had many suspicious points, but I found no connection between it and any evidence of the Dottore's crimes. May I ask how you came to hear about this?"

"Wow, that's amazing! You remember that even now!"

Paimon couldn't help exclaiming in admiration.

The Traveler was equally astonished.

"As the Chief Justice of Fontaine, it is naturally my duty to keep records of these cases. Compared to that, however, I am now quite curious as to where you obtained this information. To pinpoint the date and the case with such precision—forgive me, but I cannot help but harbor certain suspicions," Neuvillette asked politely and solemnly.

"We bought the information from a passerby friend using Mora, so we just wanted to come and confirm if it's true. May I ask if we could review the documents from that time?" Paimon requested.

"Hmm... very well."

After a brief moment of thought, Neuvillette agreed. He glanced over at the archive shelves nearby and said, "The files you are looking for are right over there. I hope the intelligence you purchased is genuine and reliable. If you truly manage to find evidence of the Dottore's crimes, then on behalf of the Court of Fontaine, I will grant you a generous reward."

"A generous reward!"

The Traveler's eyes instantly lit up. Having momentarily forgotten how to speak just a moment ago, she instantly regained her voice.

"How generous?"

Little Paimon chimed in with a question.

"One million Mora," Neuvillette stated solemnly.

In Teyvat, the most common currency was Mora. An ordinary month's salary for a guard was two hundred thousand Mora, while little Paimon's monthly food expense was three hundred thousand Mora.

From this, it could be seen that although Paimon was small, she consumed quite a lot. Even so, one million Mora was enough to cover Paimon's food for three months, making the reward of one million Mora by no means a small sum.

However...

I want Primogems!

The Traveler's fervent gaze instantly cooled. Still, getting two thousand Primogems from Furina was already pretty good; Neuvillette's one million Mora could just be treated as a complimentary bonus.

Sigh, Mora isn't entirely useless either; at least it can buy Paimon some snacks... But I still want Primogems so badly...

Next, under Neuvillette's watchful eye, the Traveler and Paimon reviewed the dossiers related to that case, and after noting down the specific location, they promptly departed.

Watching the retreating figures of the two, Neuvillette couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt. Could it be... that one million Mora is truly so worthless in their eyes? Does the wandering Traveler view money like dirt, or does she simply not lack this small sum of wealth?

Yet this was already the highest-tier bounty within my authority to grant. I do hope I haven't made a fool of myself before the Traveler.

Outside the window, a gentle drizzle began to fall...

Beijing City.

Lu Mingfei and his companions stepped out of the Maybach. They hadn't encountered any danger along the entire journey; even with the Maybach's accidental calamity-buffing properties, Odin still refused to take the bait—perhaps he was simply afraid by now.

"What a pity, no accidents at all."

Nortons sighed as he spoke.

He, a Dragon King, had been working odd jobs as a servant for others in the United States—an experience he would never forget for the rest of his life. Even more terrifyingly, the money he had worked so hard to earn for a long time had almost been conned away by that fellow Odin! Gone! That was his money, after all!

Norton could never forget how broken down he had felt that day. If people from Kassel College hadn't come to the rescue, Norton, having no money to find his younger brother, might truly have shrieked and roared in sorrow and despair.

Because of this, his hostility toward Odin was currently immense, and he desperately wanted to engage in a righteous group-beating of Odin. That way, not only could he beat up Odin, but he could also logically knock Chen Moqun unconscious. After all, a battle between Dragon Kings shouldn't be witnessed by a half-breed like her, lest it cause major trouble.

To think that fellow actually called herself Nono—how detestable!

"No accidents is actually quite good. After all, our target is the Niðhoggr's domain in Beijing, not Odin. If we get bogged down by Odin, then who is going to control the domain here?" Constantine said with a gentle and refined smile.

Although he didn't think Odin possessed the ability to hold the few of them down, Chen Moqun was still present after all, and certain polite facades still needed to be maintained by someone.

"This is fine too. Let's stay in Beijing for a while and wait for Caesar to arrive," Chen Moqun said.

To be honest, while she was driving, she really felt her heartbeat speeding up just a little bit. But this quickening wasn't because she was panicked; rather, it was because she was thrilled and excited. Deep down, she actually kind of hoped Odin would ambush their Maybach.

After all, she now possessed a Vision, and there were three alchemy grandmasters in the car with her. Whether Odin could even stand a chance if he attacked was a serious question.

Yingxing, the strongest alchemist of the younger generation in Huaxia, and Ronald Tang, the strongest alchemist of the younger generation in the United States. When the two strongest alchemists from their respective countries met, coupled with the legendary alchemy prodigy Lu Mingfei, Nono truly felt a profound sense of security inside.

Yet, she always felt that perhaps it was because there were simply too many big shots in the car, instilling in her an instinctive, intangible pressure—it genuinely felt like being surrounded by a group of Dragon Kings.

How could that even be possible?

If Lu Mingfei and the others were all Dragon Kings, then what would Kassel College, which had recruited them, even be called? Instead of a dragon-slaying academy, they might as well call it a Dragon King Breeding Academy.

Compared to them, the college's current focus remained on Chu Zihang and Xia Mi.

Half a day later, evening.

Caesar finally arrived in Beijing and rendezvoused with the others at a restaurant. Looking at the high-spirited Chen Moqun, he smiled and said, "You look to be in great spirits lately. Has something good happened?"

"Yeah, I got my hands on a fun little gadget. Big Brother Lu made it for me," Chen Moqun replied with a smile.

"Big Brother Lu, huh."

The smile on Caesar's face stiffened for a fraction of a second, though it quickly returned to normal. To be honest, he didn't quite like his girlfriend calling someone else 'Big Brother,' but given his magnanimity, he wasn't about to make a fuss over it.

After all, he was also an alchemy master, and had even forged the Flame Lance—a breathtaking marvel that even the Vice Principal couldn't analyze. If calling someone 'Big Brother' was all it took to acquire top-tier alchemy gear, it was understandable why Chen Moqun would call him that.

However, understanding did not equal acceptance.

"Caesar, look at this."

Chen Moqun snapped her fingers with a smile, and a brilliant spark of flame ignited at her fingertips.

The fiery glow reflected in Caesar's eyes. He stared blankly at the wisp of flame, a trace of genuine surprise washing over him as he asked, "An alchemy creation that can be used as a lighter?"

"Its power can be expanded, raised to the level of Chu Zihang's *Kuroyan*, or even higher. Moreover, I can precisely control the output intensity of the flames," Chen Moqun continued.

"..."

Caesar fell silent. The functions of the Vision genuinely subverted his worldview. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Then what are the restrictions on using this alchemy item? And up until now, I haven't seemed to notice any such item on you—where have you been hiding it?"

"Right here."

Chen Moqun pointed to her waist, where a crimson Vision hung. It was small and convenient; an ordinary person wouldn't even pay attention to it.

"Such a tiny thing?"

Caesar found it even harder to believe.

"Small size represents superb alchemy. Weaving complex alchemical circuits into something so compact is precisely what showcases an alchemist's supreme level of craftsmanship," Lu Mingfei said proudly as he took a sip of his cola.

"Not only that, but using it to cast Spirit Resonance only consumes mental energy and doesn't place any heavy burden on me. At worst, it just leads to mental exhaustion. It's super useful," Chen Moqun added, her smile growing increasingly proud.

There was simply no help for it!

The people she had been hanging around with lately were Norton, Constantine, and Lu Mingfei. Could she possibly show off to them? Would showing off bring her any sense of achievement?

No, absolutely no sense of achievement!

So right now, she genuinely needed a normal person like Caesar to give her positive feedback from a normal person's perspective—that would make her feel truly happy. If she shared this joy with Norton, Norton would only tell her: Is a tiny toy like this even worth being happy about?

If she shared it with Constantine, he would probably just flash that polite and gentle smile of his once more, right?

It wasn't that Chen Moqun didn't like him, nor did she think there was anything wrong with Constantine; it was just that Constantine was far too polite, and his goodwill was far too obvious. Instead, that made her feel like a little girl begging for praise.

It was... just a bit weird.

Therefore, she didn't want to talk about it with Constantine. As for Lu Mingfei, needless to say, the Vision was made by him in the first place—she wasn't feeble-minded enough to show off a Vision right in front of Lu Mingfei.

After much deliberation, the only person left who had a good relationship with her and with whom she could chat and show off seemed to be Caesar. Thus, upon acquiring the Vision, Chen Moqun was currently at her happiest and most fulfilled.

"What on earth is the actual function of this thing? Does it directly grant a half-breed the ability to control fire, rather than a specific Spirit Resonance?" Caesar couldn't help confirming once again.

"From a general, rational perspective, yes."

Chen Moqun nodded with a smile.

"And it has unlimited usage, high power, convenient control, and only consumes mental energy? The form of the attack is entirely up to the user's will?"

Caesar was already beginning to find it hard to sit still. He couldn't help asking with lingering suspicion, "You aren't pulling my leg, are you? How about... you let me borrow it to try out?"

"No can do. Visions are soul-bound; no one else can use them except me. But if you want to verify it, we can find a place to have a sparring match and test its authenticity," Chen Moqun said, looking at Caesar with a beaming smile that grew increasingly radiant, as if she could already picture the scene of him roaring frantically during their combat.

Lu Mingfei: `(๑>◡<๑)` How interesting! Fight! Fight!