'Hypocrite! You're such a hypocrite!'
Though Shenhe inwardly criticized Lucas, the cold Transmission Stone in her hand seed to radiate a warmth that reassured her.
"You..." Shenhe's expression was complex as she asked, "Why are you being so kind to ?"
Could this be part of your trap? A way to lure into your gentle snare, step by step?
"Though it may sound a bit embarrassing, I..." Lucas patted his chest and said, "I want to be an ally of justice!"
An ally of justice?
Hearing those words, Shenhe was montarily stunned. Then, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, "You're such... an idiot."
"Yeah, maybe I am a bit of an idiot," Lucas scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed. "But I have to say, you really are prettier when you smile."
"What, do I look ugly when I'm not smiling?" Shenhe imdiately stopped smiling.
"No, that's not what I ant!" Lucas quickly waved his hands. "In any case, if you ever run into any trouble, just contact right away. And rember, never do what you did earlier with anyone else. Got it?"
Only with you, then?
Shenhe nodded lightly.
"It's getting late; I should head out." Lucas gathered his belongings, seemingly unaware that Shenhe had already seen the photo of him and Ganyu. "Until we et again."
"Until... we et again."
As she watched Lucas leave, Shenhe felt a swirl of conflicting emotions.
The evil Lucas, the kind Lucas... Which one is real?
'It seems like I can't jump to any conclusions yet. I need to keep observing him, to see through his true nature. If he's truly as irredeemable as he was in the dream, then I'll be the one to end his sinful life... again.'
"But..." Shenhe subconsciously stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth, muttering to herself, "That strange taste... it's exactly the sa."
(AN: Shenhe so lewd)
...
anwhile, in Snezhnaya, far from Lucas's departure.
In the luxurious and solemn Queen's palace, a handso youth dressed in the style of Inazuma stood staring at the murals on the wall, his face showing a thoughtful expression as he murmured to himself:
"That strange dream... what on earth was that?"
Despite the youthful appearance, this was none other than Scaramouche, the Sixth Harbinger of the Fatui, a figure feared by many.
Behind his seemingly innocent appearance lay a cold, ruthless heart. One mont, he could be smiling at you, and the next, a blade might already be piercing your heart.
However, at this mont, Scaramouche wore a rather complex expression.
Sothing strange had happened recently—he had dreamt.
Yes, the content of the dream aside, the re fact that he, a "puppet," had dreamt at all was strange enough.
What made it even more bizarre was how long and realistic that dream had felt.
Unlike in the simulator, in the real world, Scaramouche didn't have a clear sense of his gender identity due to his unique existence.
"Yo, little pipsqueak, you're here early."
A voice from behind interrupted Scaramouche's thoughts, causing him to frown slightly.
Turning around, he saw a tall, cold woman with a sneering expression. "Do you always wear those Inazuma clothes because you think the geta make you look taller?"
"So, Signora," Scaramouche retorted, pinching his nose mockingly, "do you spray yourself with perfu every day because your body odor is so bad? Too bad my sense of sll is too sharp, even your perfu can't mask the stench."
Indeed, this platinum-blonde hair woman was La Signora, the Eighth Harbinger of the Fatui.
"You!" Signora glared at him with fury.
This guy is just as detestable as he was in the dream.
Yes, like Scaramouche, Signora had also been affected by the system, dreaming of the events from the simulator.
However, she only dreamt about her ti as "La Signora," and her mories of being "Rosalyn" were quite vague.
Because of their personalities, Signora and Scaramouche had never gotten along in reality, and now, after the events of their dream, they found each other even more unbearable.
But neither of them had any suspicions about the real-world "Doctor."
And the reason was simple...
"You two are still making such noise in the Queen's palace?" A crisp but arrogant voice interrupted them. "How... ungraceful."
A woman with short pale hair and an exaggerated outfit entered the room, hands on her hips. "You should learn from if you want to earn the Queen's favor."
The woman looked to be in her late twenties, with a fairly attractive face, but her exaggerated smile and cunning eyes made it hard for anyone to feel much warmth toward her.
This was the reason neither Scaramouche nor Signora associated the "Doctor" in reality with the one in the dream—the real-world Doctor was a woman.
Not only that, her personality was vastly different from the Doctor they had encountered in the dream. The dream Doctor was calm and composed, while the real Doctor was arrogant and self-centered.
More importantly, in terms of both technology and personal strength, the real Doctor was completely outclassed. While this Doctor was still conducting basic human experints, the Doctor in the dream had already built an army of undead.
No comparison, no harm.
With this in mind, both Signora and Scaramouche suddenly regarded the real Doctor with a subtle hint of disdain.
"What's with those looks?" The Doctor frowned. "It's really unpleasant."
"You'd better get used to it," Signora said coldly. "By the way, why has Her Majesty summoned just the three of us?"
"How should I know?" The Doctor shrugged. "But if I had to guess, it's probably to reward for my recent research achievents. Honestly, being so favored by Her Majesty makes feel both honored and humbled."
"Doctor," a maid suddenly appeared from the inner chamber, bowing slightly. "Her Majesty summons you."
"See? Only ," the Doctor said smugly, casting a proud glance at the other two. "Don't be too jealous now."
With that, she strode into the chamber, head held high, as if she had a tail wagging behind her.
But less than three minutes later, angry shouts echoed from within, and the Doctor, who had just been beaming with pride, returned with a face drained of color.
"Tsk tsk," Scaramouche sneered. "I wonder what grand reward Doctor received this ti?"
"I can't believe this..." the Doctor muttered, her face clouded with frustration. "Her Majesty scolded ... for no reason..."
Yes, after she had entered Tsaritsa's office, she was scolded for sothing trivial—because she stepped in with her left foot first.
Even though the Doctor felt wronged, as a subordinate, there was no room for resistance, so she had to endure the scolding.
Seeing the smug expressions on Scaramouche and Signora's faces only added to her frustration. "Don't laugh too soon. Her Majesty is in a foul mood today. You'll be getting your share of scolding soon enough."
Sure enough, the maid quickly returned to summon Scaramouche and Signora.
Inside the office, Tsaritsa sat on her throne. Given that her current form was that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, she had to sit on a stack of books to raise her height.
As expected, the Queen, who was usually emotionless, now looked sullen, her brow furrowed.
If Signora and Scaramouche were the protagonists of Lucas's villain simulator, then Tsaritsa was undoubtedly the "final boss."
While not all characters from the simulator reflected into their dreams, those who interacted closely with the protagonist "Lucas" had a higher chance of having their experiences reflected in their dreams.
Thus, although Tsaritsa had also been affected by the simulator, her dreams were vague. All she could rember was being betrayed by the Doctor... and being turned into an tree...
As the ruler of a nation, Tsaritsa naturally couldn't deem her subordinates guilty based on a strange dream. However, that dream had still left her with a significant psychological shadow.
Thus, she summoned the Doctor, both to confirm if there was any connection between the dream and reality and also to find an excuse to vent her frustration.
Poor Doctor, who had no idea what was going on, ended up taking the bla for a cri committed by Lucas, whom she had never even t.
Perhaps due to Tsaritsa's final monts of madness and brutality in the dream, both Scaramouche and Signora felt a bit nervous.
Tsaritsa seed to sense their unease and softened her expression slightly, saying, "No need to be tense. The reason I've summoned you is different from why I called the Doctor. You're aware of the 'Gnosis Collection Plan' I've been working on, right?"
Indeed, whether in dreams or reality, Tsaritsa had never abandoned her goal.
Both Signora and Scaramouche exhaled in relief and nodded.
"Recently, I sent Tartaglia to Liyue to gather information on the Gnosis, but the progress has been too slow," Tsaritsa gestured to the large map of Teyvat on the wall behind her and continued, "So I've decided to send both of you to Mondstadt next to carry out a similar mission."
"What?" Signora and Scaramouche exclaid in unison, their voices overlapping, "With this narcissist/tiny runt?"
"That's right," Tsaritsa said sternly. "Snezhnaya has already established a foothold in Mondstadt, so your operations should proceed more smoothly. This mission allows no room for failure."
Upon exiting Tsaritsa's office, both Signora and Scaramouche looked even more displeased than the Doctor had earlier.
"This was supposed to be a task I could easily handle on my own, and now I have to drag along a deadweight," Scaramouche crossed his arms, glaring coldly. "You better not hold back."
"I'll return the sa words to you," Signora retorted haughtily, "This ti, I won't let you beat to it!"
As Signora gracefully walked away, Scaramouche frowned, puzzled.
Strange... why did she say 'beat to it "again"?
...
In Liyue Harbor, inside Keqing's office.
Lucas was recounting everything that had happened—how he delivered the letter to Yuehai Pavilion, helped Shenhe out of trouble, and assisted her in finding a place to stay.
Of course, he conveniently left out certain "small details".
"I didn't expect you to encounter so many things while running such a small errand," Keqing said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "Still, for the disciple of Cloud Retainer to descend from the mountains and co to Liyue, it seems I should pay her a visit when I have the ti."
"More importantly, the issue of public order is significant," Lucas comnted. "Those thugs might not commit any major cris, but they're causing quite a bit of trouble for the people."
"You make a good point," Keqing nodded with a smile. "You're efficient, and you seem to have so good ideas. It seems hiring you was the right decision."
"Thank you for the complint, Miss Keqing." Lucas chuckled. "I'll keep doing my best."
Wait, why am I praising him?
Keqing's mind churned. She wasn't entirely sure whether Lucas's nature was good or evil yet. Clearly, more tests were needed.
With this in mind, Keqing's expression beca serious. "In that case, I have another task that needs doing. You'll have to take a trip to Mondstadt. Travel expenses are covered, and there's a reward afterward. Are you interested?"
Mondstadt?
Though Lucas had never been to Mondstadt in reality, he had lived there for a ti in the simulator.
Given that life in Liyue Harbor had been a bit dull lately, a little trip sounded appealing.
"Of course, I'm willing," Lucas nodded. "What's the task?"
"You've probably heard about it—Mondstadt has been dealing with attacks from the Stormterror Dragon for centuries. In recent years, the attacks have beco more frequent, causing significant damage."
Keqing took out a wooden box and placed it on her desk. "To help defend against Stormterror, Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, ordered a batch of weapons from Liyue, crafted by our Keqing Manor. Your job is to escort the shipnt to Mondstadt tomorrow and ensure it arrives safely."
It sounded more like a paid vacation than a job.
Keqing opened the box, revealing a finely crafted sword inside.
"This sword is called 'Lion's Roar,' one of the finest in this batch," Keqing handed it to Lucas. "I noticed you don't have a weapon of your own, so consider this a gift."
Lucas drew the sword from its sheath. The blade was simple yet elegant, with a dragon-head design on the hilt. As he unsheathed it, the sword emitted a clear, lodious hum that lingered in the air.
"A fine sword" Even Lucas, who wasn't well-versed in weaponry, couldn't help but praise it.
[Lion's Roar]
[Grade: B]
[Effect: Increases damage dealt by Pyro and Electro elents by 20%.]
The weapon's effects were sowhat different from what he had encountered in the ga.
However, since only Vision holders could use elental damage, this B-tier weapon, for Lucas, was rely a sharp sword.
Despite that, Lucas was looking forward to his trip to Mondstadt. Unaware of what awaited him there.
...
Author's Note: Rip doctor.. Deserved tho, Bitch
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