Chen Luo's Invitation to Temper the Heart in the Mortal World

"I don't know exactly what this bowl of noodles tastes like, but I know it must be the most important food in your heart."

"Now, please try it." Chen Luo gestured for him to try it.

That's right, this is Hua Chen Luo's 5 Primogem, a dish specially made with Mother's Taste, and of course, it's also Shenhe's special dish in the game - Heart-Connecting Noodles.

"It doesn't sound like a legitimate method; it sounds more like the method of a wild god who lives by faith in the mountains," Shenhe said, taking the chopsticks Chen Luo handed him.

"It's not that it's a wild god, but this tavern is indeed quite peculiar."

Since Chen Luo had offered the dish to the other party on his own initiative, the other party did not make any request. However, Chen Luo felt that if he could keep this customer, the five Primogem would be well spent.

Although everything happening before him made Shenhe wary, for some reason, he found the young man in front of him quite pleasing to the eye.

Moreover, Shenhe was confident in his own strength and judgment, and at least he did not see any malice in the eyes of the boy opposite him.

Under the boy's gaze, Shenhe reached out with his chopsticks to the bowl of noodles in front of him that looked both strange and familiar.

Staring at someone while they eat is somewhat impolite, but Shenhe didn't seem to mind Chen Luo staring at him; perhaps the other person didn't see anything shameful about it.

Chen Luo kept staring at the other person. Besides the fact that the other person was the only guest at the moment, the more important reason was that the other person's eating manner was comparable to that of Durandal, but with some differences.

If we were to use a rather inappropriate analogy, it would be like the feeling of an orphan who lost both parents at a young age eating a bowl of noodles from their memories.

Both the Mother's Taste" and "Void Wine," priced at only 5 Primogem, do not come with any special effects, but for some people, the recreated taste alone proves everything.

Nostalgia, disbelief, reluctance, melancholy, obsession, relief, and finally, it seems as if nothing was left behind.

A bowl of noodles reveals the myriad aspects of life.

Although Shenhe displayed a variety of emotions while eating the noodles, Chen Luo was somewhat relieved that he seemed to be quite satisfied with the dish.

Unfortunately, the only downside was that the other person only ate two bites of their bowl of noodles.

Even finishing 1/10 of it would be difficult.

"What's wrong? Is it not tasty enough?" Chen Luo asked with concern.

For Chen Luo, every guest is precious.

The bar originally only had Venti as a customer, yet it still managed to earn dozens of Primogem every day. Later, as the number of customers gradually increased, it wasn't impossible to earn 500 or even 1000 Primogem a day if there were enough clever tricks. Of course, this only applies to special circumstances.

Leaving aside cases like Venti bringing people along, Chen Luo discovered that everyone who came to the bar on their own was a high-quality customer.

For example, Yuyuko provides at least 100 or more Primogem every day.

A single run of Primogem may not yield many, but it can produce a significant number of Venti's.

Although she has little desire for it, Mona is someone who will be traded long-term...

For Chen Luo, keeping every customer who comes to the bar is the most important thing.

Chen Luo's intuition told him that Shenhe Chen Luo a very important guest.

We must keep her here.

Chapter 125 Chen Luo's Invitation to Refine One's Heart in the Mortal World

"This meal is delicious enough, but more importantly, it evokes a nostalgic taste and memories. From an ordinary person's perspective, it is absolutely an exquisite meal, but unfortunately, it's not for me," Shenhe said quite bluntly.

Shenhe is a very straightforward person; he either likes something or he doesn't like it.

If your stomach is growling with hunger, you can admit it quite directly if someone hears it.

Of course, if you want to teach someone a lesson, you certainly won't hold back.

For Shenhe, taking a roundabout approach was something incomprehensible.

"Oh, why do you say that?"

"This bowl of noodles is delicious and has a taste I miss, but I am ultimately a man of the mountains. I have tried to integrate into Liyue Harbor, but I always felt out of place in the world."

"I suppose I am destined to live in the mountains and fields. In the future, savoring the delicious food in the mountains and fields will only become an obstacle to my cultivation. So, I will just taste it and stop here, and just understand the flavor." Shenhe said calmly as he placed his chopsticks on the bowl.

Shenhe's expression remained almost unchanged as he entered the bar, perhaps a side effect of the Crimson Rope Soul Binding Method.

"Hmm, well said. Your understanding of the mortal world and cultivation is quite thorough. Thanks to a friend, I do know something about the immortals of Liyue. But in my opinion, Miss Shenhe, although you can be considered a cultivator and Immortal Sect Disciple, you are still not an immortal, are you?"

"Yes, that's right." Shenhe nodded.

"Even a simple person, even one from Immortal Sect Disciple, needs to engage in worldly cultivation and refine their mind in the mortal world. It's impossible to completely detach oneself from the mortal world. Your master should have told you this, right?" Chen Luo said.

Although Chen Luo didn't know much about cultivation, the basic books Yun Xia had given Chen Luo before, as well as the spiritual energy cultivation manual, contained descriptions of cultivators.

In Chen Luo's main world, various cultivation systems exist, and demons run rampant. Relying on the millennium-long convergence of Spiritual Energy Revival, it is possible to glean some records about cultivators from the previous millennium.

In Chen Luo's view, the cultivation of immortality in this world is somewhat similar to that in Liyue.

This includes inner demons and the practice of cultivating one's mind in the mortal world.

"That's right. But I probably still can't reach that level. My connection with the mortal world is just like this." Shenhe sighed and said.

"Then why don't you treat my bar as a practice session before you begin your spiritual journey through the mortal world?"

"Practise?"

"That's right, practice. My bar has some unique features, as you already know. For example, once you come in, you can summon the bar by concentrating on it, whether you are in the mountains, on a mountaintop, or even in the Chasm."

"Because this bar connects to countless worlds, you could say that all sorts of people are here: a powerful bard with a hidden identity, a serpentine demon from the underworld who is so despicable that it makes you question life itself, a demon scientist who is extremely obsessed with infinity and transcendence... This is a miniature mortal world where everyone has an extremely special identity. So even someone as special as you is just an ordinary person here."

When you are surrounded by oddballs, you, as an oddball, naturally belong to the category of ordinary people.

"So, observe in this bar for a while longer before deciding whether to enter the world, how about that? You don't need to interact with the bar's customers; just sit quietly in a corner and observe," Chen Luo suggested to Shen He.

"Is that so...? That sounds feasible," Shenhe said, arms crossed.

Shenhe's master Cloud Retainer, always hoped that Shenhe could step back into the world. After all, mortals are mortals after all, and even Immortal Sect Disciple cannot stay in the mountains forever.

Therefore, having grown accustomed to his master's instructions Shenhe would not refuse this opportunity.

"Then how about you come to this bar every night after 8 or 9 pm, which is the time of Xu (7-9 pm)?"

"...Okay." Looking at the boy who was a complete stranger and who didn't seem to care about his money, Shenhe finally nodded.

"And even if you can't be involved in worldly affairs, you can still enjoy the delicious food in this bar to your heart's content, because even if you're wandering in the mountains and fields, you can easily come to the bar to sit down from time to time. As mortals, we can't avoid the desire for food and drink."

"Besides, if one's cultivation reaches a certain depth, one will not be hindered by worldly things, right? Your master must often taste various dishes from the mortal world, right?"

"So how about we eat the noodles first? They're getting cold," Chen Luo said, pointing to the bowl of noodles in front of Shenhe.

After hesitating for a moment, Shenhe picked up the chopsticks from the bowl in front of him.

As Chen Luo said, after cultivating to a profound level, one is indeed not hindered by worldly matters in their cultivation. For example, Shenhe's master often said, "Immortals are not hindered by worldly matters in their cultivation, so they can eat all kinds of dishes to their heart's content."

Of course, the reason for picking up chopsticks again may also include a bit of nostalgia for that taste from my memory.

Shenhe finished the entire bowl of noodles, leaving not even the toppings or soup, which shows how satisfied Shenhe was with the dish.

"Are you sure you don't need any money?" Shenhe asked again, somewhat hesitantly.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in Mora. Of course, if you insist on paying me, you can give me two ancient books to look at," Chen Luo said, stroking his chin.

Chen Luo now does have the basic spiritual energy cultivation manual that Yun Xia gave him, but he is very curious about the differences between the immortal techniques of Zhongli Chen Luo in the Teyvat Continent and those of the immortal techniques in the main world.

"Sure, I've collected quite a few ancient books from my frequent visits to immortal ruins. What kind of books would you like to read?" Shenhe readily agreed.

"Hmm, Mechanical Doll, or perhaps meditation to calm the mind," Chen Luo said after thinking for a moment.

Chen Luo suddenly remembered that Shenhe's master, that bird, seemed to have a lot of knowledge about immortal mechanisms.

He even improved the Guizhong Machine. Although Chen Luo didn't know what the Guizhong Machine was, it was normal for a puppeteer to be curious about this.

Chen Luo's Puppet Master's Code only records the most basic puppet types for each stage of cultivation: beginner puppet, proficient puppet, expert puppet, master puppet, and grandmaster puppet.

Each level of character is the most basic doll, but it can also be used to advance in various directions, serving as the basic form of other dolls.

Although this sounds like a lot of potential and a lot of awesomeness, it also means that Chen Luo will need to find more knowledge about puppets on his own to improve his puppeteer skills later on.

Feeding someone halfway through a meal—what kind of brain-dead professional manual is this?

Fortunately, although being a puppeteer sounds like a very rare profession, it's not impossible to find role models and learning opportunities.

For example, Alice Margatroid Gensokyo.

For example... Shenhe's master.

"No problem. I'll come back tonight as agreed." Shenhe nodded and then turned to leave.

Shenhe immediately had a target for the books he brought to Chen Luo.

"Hey, wait a minute." Chen Luo suddenly called out to Shenhe.

"What's wrong? Is there something you need?" Shenhe turned around and asked.

"Don't you have a master who cultivates on the same mountain as you? Now that you're full, why don't you bring something for your master? Wait half a minute, it'll be ready soon." After saying this to Shenhe, Chen Luo turned and walked into the small kitchen.

Chen Luo went all out to acquire the books about Mechanical Doll that he might be able to obtain, spending two Primogem to buy all sorts of snacks and delicacies from the materials shop.

Two Primogem are nothing, not even enough for a little girl's lollipop. This money was well spent.

So Shenhe left the bar carrying a bag of various snacks and food that was half his own size.

Shenhe is incredibly strong...

Chen Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief after Shenhe had completely left.

Although Chen Luo lost 7 Primogem this time and didn't make any money, Chen Luo had a feeling that he could at least get a customer this time. If he was lucky, he might even be able to bring the customer's master over as well. Although the customer's master wasn't even a human, there should be quite a few good things from the immortals.

The key is that the stronger the client is, the more Primogem they will receive for the same level of commission.

Although Chen Luo wouldn't refuse tasks like stealing lollipops from little girls, it would be even better if he could get more Primogem.

Earning Primogem is not shameful.

After Shenhe left, Chen Luo changed all the signs in the bar to "Open for Business" to avoid any potential losses if someone saw the sign today and didn't come to the bar that night.

"Let's go to Changkong City. Yae Sakura went to the St. Freya Academy, and Ling went to the Elysian Realm. That way, there's no one left in the survivor base. Although I've cleared out all the Honkai Beasts and Militants around the survivor base, and Raven taught them some basic survival skills, I'm still worried." Chen Luo sighed and said.

Chen Luo was extremely worried about these little girls. This was the only time in a long time that Chen Luo had taken the initiative to do something out of pure concern, not to complete a mission.

Of course, there was definitely a suspicion of trying to build up goodwill at the beginning, but haven't we built up enough goodwill now?

Now I'm more worried.

At least a large portion of those little girls and naughty kids were rescued by me. If I rescued them and then left them unattended, what's the difference between that and abandoning them?

Besides looking after these children, Chen Luo also needed to adjust to his newfound power.

There's no problem that Chen Luo is a born Herrscher of Domination, but Chen Luo isn't a born Herrscher of Corrosion. The Herrscher of Corrosion's power is plundered from others, so Chen Luo isn't proficient in using it, even after it's been fixed as a talent.

Talent requires practice. For example, Yun Xia wasn't born knowing how to use all the magic cards, and Yun Lian'er wasn't born knowing all the elemental magic.

Of course, there was another thing: Chen Luo wanted to know what his Herrscher's Body, which he had modified with 1,000 crystals, had become.

After pushing open the bar door, Chen Luo arrived at the place where he first used a thermobaric bomb.

This place isn't far from the survivor base, or rather, it's very close, so coming here is fine.

After emerging, he cast a Flight Spell on himself and then slowly landed on the ground.

The moment Chen Luo arrived in this world, Chen Luo felt his body cheering and leaping with joy.

"It seems that the Herrscher's Body is indeed more suitable for survival in this world." Feeling the Honkai energy around him subconsciously gathering towards him, Chen Luo nodded in satisfaction.

After being modified, Chen Luo's Herrscher's Body changed from its initial special constitution to a special blessing.

Similar to the physique titles in games, they do not affect the player but increase various attributes of the character.

In the criteria for Friend of the Non-Human, Herrscher are also not human. If you look closely at the Second Honkai manga, you will find that neither the Herrscher of Reason nor the Herrscher of Void wore anti-aircraft suits when they went to the moon. This means that after becoming Herrscher, their human body structure may not have changed, but their adaptability has definitely changed.

Of course, the modified Herrscher's Body n't all good. While it allows Chen Luo to Herrscher's Body like a normal person in his original world, the downside is that it grants fewer attribute points.

If initially the Herrscher's Body granted a +10 bonus to all attributes, now it's only a +5 bonus to all attributes.

Just a few minutes after Chen Luo appeared in this world and felt the changes in his Herrscher's Body, a faint sense of gaze focused on Chen Luo.

Although no one explained it to Chen Luo, he knew that this was the gaze of the Chen Luo Honkai Consciousness.

"Does this Honkai Consciousness have nothing better to do all day? Doesn't it have to work? Doesn't it have to do any chores? The moment I come out, you stare at me like a peeping tom." Feeling this gaze, Chen Luo started to complain wildly.

Of course, he didn't say this out loud, but kept it to himself, because although Chen Luo had some reservations about it, he still had to maintain his goodwill towards the Honkai Consciousness.

Although Chen Luo still doesn't understand what the point of raising the favorability of the Honkai Consciousness is, Chen Luo feels that raising the favorability level should bring some potential benefits.

Of course, even setting aside the unknown potential benefits, discounting the price is still quite good.