<h4>Chapter 36: Viin Simtor, Ch 36</h4>


    ''Hypocrite! You''re such a hypocrite!''


    Though Shenhe inwardly criticized Lucas, the cold Transmission Stone in her hand seemed to radiate a warmth that reassured her.


    "You..." Shenhe''s expression wasplex as she asked, "Why are you being so kind to me?"


    Could this be part of your trap? A way to lure me 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 momentarily stunned. Then, she couldn''t help but cover her mouth andugh, "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 immediately stopped smiling.


    "No, that''s not what I meant!" Lucas quickly waved his hands. "In any case, if you ever run into any trouble, just contact me right away. And remember, never do what you did earlier with anyone else. Got it?"


    Only with you, then?


    Shenhe nodded lightly.


    "It''s gettingte; I should head out." Lucas gathered his belongings, seemingly unaware that Shenhe had already seen the photo of him and Ganyu. "Until we meet again."


    "Until... we meet 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 same."


    (AN: Shenhe so lewd)


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Snezhnaya, far from Lucas''s departure.


    In the luxurious and solemn Queen''s pce, a handsome 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 appearancey a cold, ruthless heart. One moment, he could be smiling at you, and the next, a de might already be piercing your heart.


    However, at this moment, Scaramouche wore a ratherplex expression.


    Something strange had happened recently—he had dreamt.


    Yes, the content of the dream aside, the mere 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 simtor, 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 perfume every day because your body odor is so bad? Too bad my sense of smell is too sharp, even your perfume can''t mask the stench."


    Indeed, this tinum-blonde hair woman was La Signora, the Eighth Harbinger of the Fatui.


    "You!" Signora red 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 simtor.


    However, she only dreamt about her time as "La Signora," and her memories 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 pce?" 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 me if you want to earn the Queen''s favor."


    The woman looked to be in herte 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 andposed, while the real Doctor was arrogant and self-centered.


    More importantly, in terms of both technology and personal strength, the real Doctor waspletely outssed. While this Doctor was still conducting basic human experiments, the Doctor in the dream had already built an army of undead.


    Noparison, 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 me for my recent research achievements. Honestly, being so favored by Her Majesty makes me feel both honored and humbled."


    "Doctor," a maid suddenly appeared from the inner chamber, bowing slightly. "Her Majesty summons you."


    "See? Only me," the Doctor said smugly, casting a proud nce 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 minutester, 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 time?"


    "I can''t believe this..." the Doctor muttered, her face clouded with frustration. "Her Majesty scolded me... for no reason..."


    Yes, after she had entered Tsaritsa''s office, she was scolded for something 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''tugh 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 viin simtor, then Tsaritsa was undoubtedly the "final boss."


    While not all characters from the simtor 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 simtor, her dreams were vague. All she could remember 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 me for a crimemitted by Lucas, whom she had never even met.


    Perhaps due to Tsaritsa''s final moments of madness and brutality in the dream, both Scaramouche and Signora felt a bit nervous.


    Tsaritsa seemed 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 n'' 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 therge 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 simr mission."


    "What?" Signora and Scaramouche eximed in unison, their voices ovepping, "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, ring coldly. "You better not hold me back."


    "I''ll return the same words to you," Signora retorted haughtily, "This time, I won''t let you beat me to it!"


    As Signora gracefully walked away, Scaramouche frowned, puzzled.


    Strange... why did she say ''beat me 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 ce 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 ande to Liyue, it seems I should pay her a visit when I have the time."


    "More importantly, the issue of public order is significant," Lucasmented. "Those thugs might notmit any major crimes, 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 some good ideas. It seems hiring you was the right decision."


    "Thank you for thepliment, 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 became 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 time in the simtor.


    Given that life in Liyue Harbor had been a bit dulltely, 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 be more frequent, causing significant damage."


    Keqing took out a wooden box and ced 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 shipment 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 de was simple yet elegant, with a dragon-head design on the hilt. As he unsheathed it, the sword emitted a clear, melodious 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 elements by 20%.]


    The weapon''s effects were somewhat different from what he had encountered in the game.


    However, since only Vision holders could use elemental damage, this B-tier weapon, for Lucas, was merely 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