"Yes, the injured little fox you bought at the market when you were in middle school. You raised it for an entire summer. It was white and adorable. Later, its owner came to take it back and gave our family a large sum of money. Recently, they said they had to go on a business trip and had no time to care for it, so they wanted you to look after it for a while. They'll pay you too. So, are you interested in taking it along on your trip?"
"Mom, do you have some misunderstanding about traveling? Who brings a fox on a trip?" Chen Luo said after a moment of silence.
"Besides, it's been years. It should have grown into a big fox by now, right? It'd be really inconvenient to bring along."
"Fine, fine. Since you're insisting, forget it. Oh, right, I'll transfer you some more money later. If it isn't enough, just ask me for more. Remember, don't mistreat yourself during your trip. Spend money where you should, and help out whenever you see someone in need," Chen Luo's mom rambled on.
"Got it, got it." Chen Luo nodded.
"All right, since you're traveling and won't be home, we won't be coming back this month either."
"Got it, Mom. By the way, have fun in the Arctic, and take a picture of a penguin for me."
"Got it, good son. Wait, no—there aren't any penguins in the Arctic!"
"Then after you're done exploring the Arctic, take a trip to Antarctica too."
"Huh?"
The point was, just don't come back.
After hanging up, Chen Luo turned and went up to the second floor, returning to his room to pack his necessities.
After all, if he was going to travel, he had to look like he was going to travel.
And why didn't traveling to a Different World count as traveling?
Besides, Chen Heng was going to the Honkai World tomorrow to fight Honkai Beasts, and he'd be fighting for several days. How could he not prepare properly?
That's right, Chen Luo intended to stay in the Honkai World for a while longer. Based on his deductions, those Militants and Honkai Beasts should count as enemies. And if they counted as enemies, killing them could drop Primogems. Since they could drop Primogems, Chen Luo wouldn't be blamed for showing no mercy.
Chen Luo planned to see what the returns were like. If they were worthwhile, he intended to spend the entire summer vacation in Changkong City.
Although Chen Luo didn't know Changkong City's permanent population, it was a major city, so naturally there wouldn't be a shortage of people.
At the very least, one person slaughtering for forty-five days might not necessarily clear out Changkong City. At least, that was the case for Chen Luo. After all, while killing Militants and Honkai Beasts, he also had to avoid the more powerful Honkai Beasts.
So he had to stock up on all kinds of supplies.
In short, as long as there were Primogems to earn, forget Changkong City—even the entire Honkai World, Chen Luo would fight his way through it.
And to keep up appearances, Chen Luo bought plenty of food, water, tents, and other things.
If he were really traveling, he could eat and sleep at the bar, but most of these things were just for show.
And in Changkong City, perhaps some food and water could save people who hadn't died in the Third Honkai Outbreak.
Of course, Chen Luo wasn't doing this solely to be a good person. At the brink of life and death, people could always produce their strongest wishes. In short, there were Primogems to be earned.
Come to think of it, would a city as big as Changkong City have gold shops?
Other people profited from war or national disasters. Chen Luo profited from the apocalypse.
In any case, he'd ask Theresa for a detailed map of Changkong City later.
As for the things he'd bought online that had cost him half his treasury, they would probably arrive tomorrow morning.
While thinking, Chen Luo began preparing dinner.
Although he could indeed directly buy ingredients or finished dishes in his bar, that still cost Primogems. Even if it was only 0.1 Primogems, weren't 0.1 Primogems still Primogems?
Besides, cooking and eating at home gave it more of a homey feeling.
Herrscher of Knowledge had strongly requested it.
"I'm back." Herrscher of Knowledge's voice sounded, followed by the sound of the door opening.
"Welcome back. You must be exhausted after a day of foraging. So, would you like to eat first, bathe first, or eat... me first?"
"??? Something's wrong with you."
"No, I'm perfectly normal."
"Then I'll choose to eat first." Looking at Chen Luo, who had somehow started acting up again, Herrscher of Knowledge decisively answered.
"Tch."
"What the hell are you tch-ing for?!"
"Theresa, remember to help me find a complete, highly detailed map of Changkong City. As the granddaughter of the Overseer of Schicksal, you should be able to manage something like that, right?" Chen Luo said as he handed Theresa a glass of bitter melon juice.
"What? Have you already started summer vacation? Are you going to help me find my grandniece? And how do you know she's in Changkong City?" Theresa fired off three soul-snatching questions in a row while drinking the bitter melon juice.
"Summer vacation just started. I'm going to look for your grandniece tomorrow. As for why Changkong City... sorry, trade secret. And it might not be Changkong City. It's just very likely," Chen Luo said, shaking his head.
"Oh." Theresa nodded.
Since he wanted a map, she could just give him one. Since he had promised to bring her niece back, she could let him go.
Although Theresa felt this would probably be a long-term job, it didn't cost her anything, so why not let him try?
Ding!
The sound of the door opening rang out, and Chen Luo sensed Venti's presence.
Though that sounded a little ambiguous, after fleecing Venti for so much, Chen Luo didn't know why, but he could vaguely sense Venti's presence.
The same was true for the other regular customers.
Simply put, it was the guidance of Primogems.
But Venti's arrival this time was clearly different from before. There was someone else with him.
As for how Chen Luo knew...
"Hey, bard, why did you bring me here? How could there possibly be alcohol here... There's actually a tavern? This... couldn't be some prank you and certain people cooked up together, could it? I'll remember this grudge!"
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Hearing that unmistakable statement, Chen Luo's hand, which had been pouring Venti a drink, paused. Then he raised his head and looked toward the entrance.
Venti's arrival itself didn't surprise Chen Luo at all. After all, he came every day. It was just that today, he seemed to have suddenly brought him a great gift.
"How could it be? I'm telling you, this tavern has an excellent atmosphere. The customers and owner inside are all so pleasant to talk to. I absolutely love this place, and I think you'll like it too," Venti said as he led the other person into the tavern.
"Hmm, why does this tavern look so much like Angel's Share?" The visitor's very first sentence stabbed straight into Chen Luo's heart.
With a knife.
Her short blue hair was adorned with a black lace headband, secured by a metallic four-leaf ornament on the left side of her head.
She wore a neat knightly outfit that exuded elegance, with a black one-piece bodysuit whose central strip of fabric was relatively sheer, and a short white-trimmed jacket fastened to her body with a chest strap.
Her forearms beneath the double-layered bell sleeves were protected by metal armor, and she wore a pair of black gloves with blue palms.
A double-layered cape draped over her right shoulder. The inner layer was white fading into yellow, while the outer layer was blue.
A Cryo Vision was pinned to the feather ornament on the cape at her front shoulder.
She wore thigh-high heeled boots, reinforced with black straps along the inner thighs, with silver spurs on the heels.
She was both a descendant of the sinful Lawrence family, the poisonous remnant of the old nobility, and one of Mondstadt's finest swordswomen.
The Gale Knight, Eula, joins the battle!
To carry on the Lawrence bloodline was our unshirkable duty!
Ahem...
"It just has a somewhat similar atmosphere. The actual decor is still quite different. At least, don't say that while the owner is around, or he'll be sad," Venti merely smiled at Eula's words instead of refuting them.
Because Venti felt the same way.
"A-Luo, one Dandelion Wine." After speaking to Eula, Venti turned directly to call out to Chen Luo.
Ding! You have a new commission!
"I already had it prepared. And what would this young lady like?" Chen Luo asked the new customer.
Chen Luo wasn't entirely unfamiliar with this new customer. After all, the first time he became familiar with Angel's Share was because of this sneezing woman.
"You're pretending not to recognize me. Are you trying to use this friendly attitude to make me like this tavern more, so I'll spend more money here? You almost succeeded. Hmm, I'll remember this grudge!" Eula gave Chen Luo, the "bartender," a strange look.
Eula had a fairly clear idea of just how famous she was in Mondstadt City.
Even if it was infamy.
"Still, give me a Dandelion Wine too. Thank you." Eula walked up to the counter and said to Chen Luo.
Ding! You have a new commission!
Eula found Chen Luo's attempt to express goodwill rather novel, so she wasn't opposed to it.
Eula rarely felt goodwill from others in Mondstadt City. Although she looked disgusted on the surface, she would return goodwill in kind.
She just didn't know how long this goodwill would last, much less whether it was sincere.
There were few people who approached her with ill intentions, but there weren't none.
"All right, your drink." Chen Luo noticed Eula's wariness, but he didn't mind.
Wariness was the most normal reaction, especially given her terrible family circumstances. Chen Luo could understand that. Besides, wariness was one thing—as long as she gave him Primogems, that was enough.
As long as she gave him Primogems, forget being wary. Even if someone told Chen Luo to smash up all of Mondstadt, he could do it.
Emmm, better not. Chen Luo probably couldn't bring himself to do that.
But if it was beating up everyone who looked down on Eula, Chen Luo could do that. After all, it was just a beating.
Provided there were Primogems.
Without Primogems, Chen Luo was still willing to offer one or two services for free out of friendship, but only one or two.
Many drinks in the bar didn't need mixing and could be taken straight away, such as the Dandelion Wine she had ordered.
So Chen Luo quickly served it and placed it on the bar counter.
Only after seeing that Chen Luo hadn't tampered with the drink at all did Eula take it into her hands.
One could never be too cautious, especially for someone of her status. When buying things, she had to be extra careful.
After taking the glass, Eula finally had time to inspect the tavern more closely and consider where she should sit.
The three stools in front of the bar were out of the question. Seats like those were generally for people close to the owner or bartender, or for those who had something to discuss.
Eula knew full well what it meant to bear the identity of a sinner.
It was already difficult enough for the other party to sell her alcohol so amicably.
When she looked elsewhere, Eula realized that the tavern was astonishingly empty. Even at this hour, including herself, there were only four customers.
Although it felt somewhat unfair to the owner to say so, this quiet atmosphere suited her rather well. After all, for her, the livelier the tavern, the worse the drinking experience was likely to be.
She could come sit here more often in the future, but the tavern's location was simply too remote.
No wonder there were so few customers.
"Miss, if you don't mind, how about sitting here and chatting? I can give you some snacks to go with your drink for free." Chen Luo pointed at the two "golden" seats beside Venti.
"Hmm? You're asking me to sit here? Are you trying to get close to me and extract information from me? I'll remember this grudge. But since you've invited me, I'd like to hear what you want to say."
Eula was clearly taken aback, but at the bard's nod of encouragement, she sat down in that seat.
This tavern was truly strange.
And the white-haired girl beside her was dressed rather strangely too. She looked somewhat like a nun, but not entirely. Were there nuns this young in Mondstadt City? Or was that a homemade nun's outfit?
As for the gray-haired girl opposite the white-haired child, Eula couldn't make much of her. She only felt that the girl was probably very strong.
"What kind of dish would you like, then? Anything is fine." Chen Heng tapped the table, interrupting Eula's wandering thoughts.
"Anything?"
"That's right. Only in this tavern can I make anything." Chen Luo nodded proudly.
At least within this tavern, both Chen Luo's bartending mastery and culinary mastery had been elevated by the tavern into top-tier abilities.
Even if someone wanted a clear-stewed Stormterror, Chen Luo could make it—as long as the price was high enough. And if special bonuses were required, the ingredients had to be provided by the customer.
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