After making his decision, Lu Heng immediately issued a command to the Civilization Core. The AI-equipped core would perfectly understand and execute the tasks assigned to it.
With that done, Lu Heng couldn't be bothered with the subsequent operations or other trivial matters. Creating a game was just a casual endeavor for him—aside from earning some Mora, it held no significant importance.
At this moment, Ningguang and the others, who hadn't left yet, were utterly shocked.
Lu Heng knows the future?!
Often, people can't even predict their own next steps. Even with careful planning, as the saying goes, "Plans can't keep up with changes, and accidents always come before tomorrow."
But Lu Heng could foresee all of it!
As long as he didn't interfere, it was like reading a script of how the world would unfold!
How terrifying was that?!
Even though they already knew Lu Heng's power was unfathomable, this revelation still left them deeply shaken.
Was this the feeling of a frog at the bottom of a well catching a glimpse of the world beyond?
"Sigh..."
Ningguang exhaled deeply.
It was better not to overthink things. Sometimes, the more you dwell, the more troubled you become.
Still, she couldn't help but feel curious.
She had some impression of Zhongli, the consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
But the other two—she didn't recognize them at all. In theory, she was familiar with most Vision holders in Liyue... Then, noticing the style of his Vision, Ningguang suddenly understood.
Ah, a Mondstadtian!
That little girl was also from Mondstadt!
These three seemed quite close to Lu Heng.
She wondered how they managed that.
As she pondered...
"Oi!"
Ningguang turned slightly and saw the Fatui's Eleventh Harbinger, Tartaglia.
Information about him was still lying on her desk, untouched.
There was no doubt—he was extremely powerful.
But...
Ningguang smiled faintly as she thought of the cards in her hand.
Even if the Geo Archon didn't intervene, she could still maintain order in Liyue.
Tartaglia greeted them before even entering the shop. Once inside, he asked, "Lunch at Xinyue Kiosk—what do you say?"
"Of course, I'm in!" Lu Heng was the first to respond.
Who would turn down a free meal, especially at such a high-end restaurant?
"And you guys?" Tartaglia looked at the others.
Zhongli and Venti had no objections.
Venti was flat broke.
Zhongli wasn't poor now, but he had to remember: save where you can, spend where you must.
"Alright, it's settled then—just us few later."
Tartaglia pulled up a chair and sat down, grinning excitedly at Lu Heng. "I got the money!"
Wait.
Why did that sound like he was saying, "I got the food!"?
Though it felt a bit odd, Lu Heng still replied, "Congratulations, then."
"Haha!"
Tartaglia was overjoyed.
Gacha was a visible path to power!
The warehouse door in the shop opened.
Klee's small, fair face was smudged with soot as she beamed cutely. "Klee's done!"
Last night, the adepti had gathered a lot of materials.
Of course, Klee hadn't used them all—she'd just filled her backpack!
Her mother had gifted her a backpack with a bit of spatial technology, making it easy to store bombs!
"All done?"
Zhongli smiled like a doting father and motioned for her to come over.
The little one scampered over, and Zhongli magically produced a wet wipe to clean her face before saying, "Perfect timing. Let's do some gacha."
"Huh?"
"But..."
Before Klee could say she had no Mora, Zhongli said solemnly, "Klee, Brother Zhongli is investing in you. Do you know what that means?"
"Klee doesn't know~"
Klee was an honest child. She shook her head, her big eyes filled with confusion.
Zhongli explained it to her and then asked, "So, do you want to accept Brother Zhongli's investment?"
Though he looked young, his tone carried a paternal warmth.
This "Brother Zhongli" thing... Honestly, Lu Heng found it a bit strange.
But it was fine—it kept everyone on the same generational level.
As for Alice? Kick her out of the group.
Venti had already guessed Zhongli's intentions the moment he spoke.
He wanted to use Mora to let Klee pull gacha and upgrade her equipment!
Once her equipment tier improved, Klee's abilities would grow stronger, allowing her to resolve Xiao's karma issue faster!
While Zhongli was relieved that Xiao's condition had improved, the fact that the karma wasn't completely cleansed still gnawed at him.
The same went for Venti.
At her current level, Klee could alleviate Dvalin's suffering but not cure it entirely.
To fully heal Dvalin now, how many bombs would the little one have to make? How many times would she have to work?
They couldn't bear to put her through that, so the only solution was to quickly raise her equipment tier, allowing her to achieve a complete cure in just a few attempts without exhausting herself.
Seeing Venti also persuading her, Klee was soon dizzily convinced.
"I've got some too!"
Tartaglia pulled out a few million-Mora coins from his pocket.
"This is also an investment!"
Tartaglia meant it.
Klee's abilities were incredibly powerful. If he got injured in a fight later, he could always ask Klee to toss a few bombs his way!
Plus, Lu Heng clearly liked this kid.
Gotta get closer to her!
Don't think I, Tartaglia, am actually brainless!
And so, the thoroughly bamboozled Klee recharged eight million Mora.
If Venti had any Mora, he'd probably have "invested" too!
"Then Klee will start now!"
"Go for it!"
"May you obtain the cards you desire."
"Good luck, may the Anemo Archon bless you!"
Lu Heng also smiled. "Don't worry, just pull freely."
Klee tapped the 10x pull button.
Purple light flashed.
*Bomb-making materials +1*
Another 10x pull.
Purple light again!
*Bomb-making materials +2*
"Is this normal?" Venti whispered to Lu Heng.
I'd like to know too!
Lu Heng wasn't sure either.
Klee had incredible luck.
But she didn't pull the kinds of powerful cards everyone expected!
Instead, she tended to get things she genuinely loved—like bomb-making materials!
For an adult, the goal would be to obtain strong cards to arm themselves.
But Klee was different. Perhaps this was her innocence at work.
Several more 10x pulls later.
This round was average—only one purple card, and it wasn't bomb materials.
This reassured everyone. For a moment, they'd thought the God of Luck had descended.
Lu Heng began to understand.
Klee's luck gave her a slight advantage in gacha, but the boost wasn't massive.
Still, even this small edge set her far ahead of ordinary people.
The final 10x pull.
Another purple card.
"Giggle!"
Klee pointed at the card depicting a black, hole-riddled object and eagerly handed it to Lu Heng, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Lu Heng appraised it.
[Portable Magic Bomb Launcher]
[Tier]: 4-Star · Purple
[Type]: [Item Card]
[Trait]: [Magic Circle]
[Description]: "There are too few powerful archmages to defend the borders. Must we cede the empire's territory to those barbarians?!"
"Professor! The Royal Academy has just developed this. Perhaps you should take a look. Even a novice knight can carry it, using the power of micro magic circles to gather energy and launch magical bombs. This should ease the defensive pressure on the borders, no?"
After reading, Lu Heng declared, "This is great!"
He had Klee tear the card open.
A blue portable case appeared before her, etched with numerous magic circles.
"Try channeling elemental energy into it," Lu Heng suggested.
Klee fiddled with it for a moment and instinctively activated the magic circles, which began glowing faintly.
"Looks like it works!"
With this, she'd never run out of bombs again.
"First, upgrade the equipment, then test it out?"
"Okay~"
Last time, Venti had used his own cards to provide upgrade materials for Klee's equipment.
Lu Heng filtered through the cards, keeping the bomb materials and a few useful ones before dismantling the rest.
Klee's equipment tier rose to 2-Star · Bronze!
"Klee, give it a try," Zhongli said eagerly.
"Wait, the explosion might be pretty big."
Lu Heng opened a portal, placing Zhongli on a mountaintop in Guyun Stone Forest.
Klee was already a pro.
She was too small to lift the launcher, so she placed it on the ground, aiming at Zhongli.
The magic circles finished charging, and a high-density sphere of Pyro energy shot out.
It arced through the air, crossed the portal, and landed on Zhongli.
BOOM!
The explosion was as devastating as a missile strike!
While a single shot didn't reach 4-Star tier in damage, this was a rapid-fire weapon—its "ammo" was just elemental energy!
Zhongli stepped back through the portal, visibly excited. "Another tenfold increase! The effect on me isn't even weak anymore!"
"Gasp!"
Venti inhaled sharply.
Dvalin and Xiao weren't 5-Star entities!
If it was already this effective against Zhongli, then for those two...
"Can we attempt a full cure now?" Venti asked seriously.
"Should be possible. With this, Klee won't get tired," Zhongli nodded. "Your situation is more urgent—you go first?"
"Thanks!"
Venti nodded solemnly, then turned to Klee. "Klee..."
Before he could finish, Klee placed a small hand on her chest. "Klee is happy to help~"
"Great!"
"Then come with me to Mondstadt. Let's solve the dragon crisis!"
"Okay~"
Klee chirped brightly.
Helping the big brothers and resolving the dragon crisis for Acting Grand Master Jean?
The little one was thrilled. Jean would definitely praise her!
Hehe~
"What about lunch..." Tartaglia scratched his head.
"Perfect timing. Why don't we all go see the results in action?" Lu Heng suggested.
"If we teleport, we'll have plenty of time."
Tartaglia checked his watch—it was only 10:30.
Lu Heng informed the people waiting in line outside the shop.
Then, glancing at a map of Mondstadt, he opened a portal.
Fontaine, Court of Fontaine.
Astrologist Mona Megistus.
The name was a mouthful.
A refined translation: The Great Astrologist Mona.
A crude translation: The Badass Astrologist Mona.
Abbreviated: Mona.
Mona had brought her latest astrological research to the Court of Fontaine.
She collaborated with The Steambird, running an astrology column that was quite popular, providing her with a steady income.
Normally, Mona didn't need to visit Fontaine in person.
She could just mail her research to The Steambird for publication.
But!
Fontaine had the most advanced astrological instruments!
So, Mona had come this time to submit her manuscript and check out the latest equipment.
Mona didn't enter the Court of Fontaine conventionally.
Instead, she traveled via Phantom Flow—transforming into a stream of water to move faster.
Because as she neared the Court, her stomach was growling!
She desperately needed her manuscript fee to eat!
So, she didn't hesitate!
But when she arrived near The Steambird and emerged from the water, Mona froze.
Standing on the streets of the Court of Fontaine, she stared at the pedestrians.
They walked while staring at small rectangles in their hands.
Mona was baffled.
She took a step forward.
Beep beep beep—
A sharp sound came from nearby.
Startled, Mona quickly pulled her foot back.
A strange vehicle zoomed past her at considerable speed.
What was that?
Four wheels, made of metal, with glass at the front?
Mona looked up in confusion.
Then, she saw a massive screen hanging from a tall building.
Was that a projection?
The screen was large enough to be clearly visible from a distance.
It displayed scrolling text.
It didn't seem to emit sound, but she could hear it nearby.
Mona turned and saw a smaller version attached to a lamppost, playing the same content as the big screen.
It emitted a soft sound, audible up close.
On the screen was a pink-haired girl in a red hat, holding something odd and speaking to the camera.
"The notorious thief, evading capture for years, was arrested today. Reports indicate he altered his appearance and forcibly changed his habits... Next, we interview the officer in charge of the arrest. Officer, hello! I'm Charlotte from The Steambird. Could you describe the arrest process..."
Mona blinked.
She heard a faint noise and looked up.
An oval-shaped object, sleek in design with glass windows, floated past. Inside, a lavishly dressed nobleman chatted and laughed with his companion as he piloted it downward.
Huh?
Is this still Fontaine?!
Did I take a wrong turn?!
"My mechanical arm is super strong—it can even fire lasers!"
"Hey, why not cover it with synthetic skin? Wouldn't that look more like real flesh?"
"You think I'd feel ashamed for being disabled and having a mechanical arm? This thing's awesome! It shoots lasers and is bulletproof!"
Two men walked past Mona, chatting.
She turned to look.
One of them was proudly showing off his fully mechanical arm.
It was incredibly intricate!
It moved as fluidly as a real human hand!
Mona glanced back at everything she'd seen.
She felt dizzy.
She didn't know if it was from hunger or her worldview being shattered.
Her vision darkened, and she collapsed on the spot.
"Hey! Someone fainted here!" a voice shouted.
An automated construct quickly approached, its eyes scanning Mona with a beam of light.
"Scan complete."
"Subject is in a state of extreme starvation. Immediate nutrient therapy required."
The AI-controlled construct helped Mona sit up and retrieved a first-aid kit.
It pulled out a multi-purpose emergency injector.
Then, it administered a shot to Mona's arm.
Half a minute later, Mona groggily woke up.
Her eyes focused on the emotionless mechanical face staring down at her.
Before she could react, the construct spoke in a synthetic voice.
"Madam, you are not a registered citizen of the Court of Fontaine and are ineligible for medical subsidies."
"Please proceed to the Palais Mermonia, Mermonia Hall, Window C6, to pay 20,000 Mora for the multi-purpose emergency injector."
"Note: Your unpaid bill has been recorded. Please settle it promptly, or you will be listed as a delinquent in Fontaine."
Mona: "..."
She roughly understood what was happening.
But she wanted to cry.
I haven't even gotten my manuscript fee yet, and now I owe 20,000 Mora?!
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T/N:
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