<h4>Chapter 44: Viin Simtor, Ch 44</h4>


    "Where did this dolle from?" Lucas asked, feeling a bit frantic. "Could it have been stolen from Raiden Shogun''s stash?"


    [I figured she wasn''t using it anyway...]


    So it was stolen!


    This system is too sneaky! System rewards that are stolen? Did you pickpocket or something?


    [Rx, Raiden Shogun''s storage is filled with abandoned dolls. It probably won''t be noticed.]


    "''Probably won''t be noticed...''" Lucas mumbled, suddenly realizing something. He quickly started inspecting Raiden Mai''s body.


    [As expected of you, not even sparing a doll]


    "I knew it!" Lucas pushed aside Raiden Mai''s long hair, pointing to a serial number on the back of her neck. "Look, this doll is numbered. If Raiden Shogun ever decides to clean out her inventory, she''s definitely going to notice one is missing! System, what should I do?"


    [...Oh, hey, isn''t that our neighbor Duoshan? He''s gotten so tall since Ist saw him. Come here, let me hug you!]


    "You''re just a system! Don''t try to act like you''ve bumped into an old friend! Just send this thing back before Raiden Shogun notices!" Lucas smacked his forehead in frustration and squinted at the number on the back of Raiden Mai''s neck. "The serial number is... LD-0413?"


    The moment Lucas finished speaking, the doll suddenly sprang to life, flipping off the bed like a fish leaping out of water. In a mechanical voice, it spoke, "Serial number LD-0413, officially activated. Voice source confirmed. Owner recognition progress: 1%... 50%... 100%, ownership confirmed!"


    After saying this, Raiden Mai turned her gaze to Lucas and said, "Pleased to meet you, my master."


    A cold sweat began to trickle down Lucas''s forehead.


    He had thought that if the system returned the doll quickly enough, maybe it wouldn''t be a big deal.


    But now, it seemed this doll had already recognized him as its master.


    [Ownership confirmed. It seems there''s no going back now.]


    "Uh..." Lucas awkwardly said to Raiden Mai, "Can you... please do a factory reset?"


    "Thismand is not understood," Raiden Mai replied, expressionless. "Please give a more specificmand, Master."


    Looks like she can''t be reset. Of course, this is a doll, not a smartphone.


    "Never mind..." Lucas sighed. "Can you power down?"


    After all, suddenly having a living doll around wasn''t easy to manage. Now that the situation was set, the best option was to hide her somewhere no one would find.


    "Power down?" Raiden Mai tried to process the request. "Does Master wish for LD-0413 to initiate the self-destruct sequence?"


    "No, no, no!" Lucas quickly shook his head. "That''s not what I meant."


    [Tsk tsk, if she self-destructs, all your problems would be solved. You''re too soft-hearted.]


    It was true. If Raiden Mai self-destructed, there wouldn''t be any evidence left behind.


    But Lucas just couldn''t treat this doll, which looked so much like a real person, as a mere emotionless machine.


    "Wait!"


    An idea popped into Lucas''s mind. He stretched out his hand, and in his palm appeared a delicate "teapot," which quickly grewrger as it spun in his hand—it was the "Serenitea Pot," a reward he had received from a loot box earlier.


    The Serenitea Pot''s effect was that it provided an "independent space" outside of Teyvat. If Raiden Mai were "stored" here, she would have no chance of being discovered.


    This was the first time Lucas had used the Serenitea Pot since receiving it.


    "Enter the Serenitea Pot!"


    With Lucas''smand, both he and Raiden Mai were sucked into the pot together.


    The sensation was simr to entering immersive mode.


    Before him was a beautifulndscape,plete with grasnds, forests, mountains, hills, and streams... everything you could think of.


    In the game, the "Serenitea Pot Realm" was just a tform surrounded by unreachable boundaries.


    But here, it felt like a true miniature world.


    The sight brought back memories for Lucas of his time grinding to craft furniture and buildings in the game.


    Lucas instructed, "You can live here for now."


    "Understood," Raiden Mai responded mechanically, "Please give me a task, Master."


    "A task?" Lucas scratched his cheek. "There''s nothing I really need you to do..."


    At those words, a hint of disappointment seemed to flicker in Raiden Mai''s eyes.


    Unlike Raiden Shogun, she didn''t have much of her own consciousness. But for a "machine" like her, being idle for too long was a cruel fate.


    "Ahem," Lucas thought for a moment and then said, "Why don''t you build some houses here?"


    He wasn''t particrly keen on creating a vacation resort inside the pot, he just wanted to give Raiden Mai something to do so she wouldn''t get bored.


    "Understood!" Raiden Mai''s spirits seemed to lift at the new task. She turned around and approached arge tree. A de shot out from her smooth arm, and with a swift sh, she cut the tree clean in half.


    Then, she retracted the de, and from her other arm, a chainsaw emerged with a buzzing sound, and she began sawing the wood into pieces.


    Her movements were so fluid and skilled that Lucas couldn''t help but think of a master craftsman.


    Wow, this isn''t a doll, it''s a full-on Swiss army knife.


    Raiden Shogun really knows how to make advanced stuff—Inazuma''s tech is definitely the best in Teyvat.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over in Mondstadt, the Knights of Favonius had their own little incident.


    Though it waste at night, the light in the Acting Grand Master''s office was still on. For Jean, working through the night was nothing unusual.


    *Knock knock knock...*


    Suddenly, there was a light knock at the door.


    "Come in," Jean said, rubbing her tired eyes. "The door isn''t locked."


    The door opened softly, and standing there, looking a bit distraught, was Barbara.


    "Barbara?" Jean was surprised. "What brings you here sote?"


    "I... I had a strange dream," Barbara said, wiping away the tears still lingering in the corners of her eyes. "Tonight, can I sleep with you, Sister?"


    Unlike the storyline in the simtor, in reality, Jean and Barbara were still sisters. However, due to their parents'' differing views, they parted ways at a young age.


    Jean remained with the Gunnhildr family, receiving a traditional knight''s education. She exhibited impressive talent from an early age and was blessed with a Vision. Now, at a young age, she had already be the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.


    Meanwhile, Barbara followed their father, Seamus Pegg, and became a nun at the Church of Favonius.


    Despite being separated from a young age, the bond between the two sisters remained strong. Still, for various reasons, they usually refrained from calling each other sisters in public.


    Jean wanted to remind Barbara of this, but seeing her pitiful expression, she softened and gently asked, "Is it another nightmare about the Stormterror attacking Mondstadt?"


    No, that wasn''t it at all!


    Barbara wasn''t as fragile as she seemed. In the dream where she became an idol, her sister had been severely injured andy in aa. In the end, Barbara had to help her sister end her life.


    So, upon waking from the dream, the first thing Barbara thought of was rushing to see her sister. Only after confirming that Jean was safe and sound did Barbara finally feel relieved.


    However, the content of the dream was far too shameful to share, so she nodded and said, "Y-yes, it was about the Stormterror."


    "Don''t worry," Jeanforted her. "Miss Keqing from Liyue Harbor just sent a letter saying they are preparing to send weapons and equipment. When the timees, I will lead the Knights of Favonius, along with the warriors of the family, to defeat Stormterror and restore peace to Mondstadt."


    Recalling the events of her dream, where Jean was gravely injured in the battle against Stormterror, Barbara blurted out, "No, you can''t!"


    "W-why not?" Jean was surprised. Barbara was usually calm and gentle, and it was rare for her to react so emotionally.


    "It''s n-nothing," Barbara said, trying to calm herself. "I''m just afraid you might get hurt."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll be fine, and so will everyone else," Jean reassured her. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "By the way, I might be a bit busy over the next couple of days. Could you help receive the representativeing from Liyue?"


    "Of course!" Barbara nodded and smiled. "I''d be happy to help ease your workload, Sister."


    A representative from Liyue, huh?


    Barbara looked out at the bright moon shining through the window, curious. What kind of person would it be?


    ...


    The next morning.


    At dawn, Lucas set out with a convoy carrying the equipment from Liyue Harbor.


    If traveling alone on horseback at top speed, one could reach Mondstadt in a day. However, with the convoy, the journey would take much longer—at least two days.


    The trade route between Liyue and Mondstadt was generally safe, though asionally there were attacks by monsters or treasure hoarders.


    Recently, there had even been rumors of mutated monsters bing more aggressive. Some people imed to have encountered slimes ten times their usual size or Whopperflowers capable of extending vines to ensnare targets.


    Both the Millelith and the Adventurers'' Guild had dispatched people to investigate, but no significant discoveries had been made.


    Some even spected that these rumors were spread by convoypanies to inte their prices.


    Indeed, Liyue had dedicated convoypanies responsible for transporting goods or protecting merchants. However, this time, Keqing hadn''t hired any mercenaries.


    First, she trusted Lucas''s abilities. Second, she had already nted several skilled individuals within the convoy, and on top of that, Zhang Luo, the man who had introduced Lucas to Keqing, was also apanying them. He had extensive experience inmerce and was more than capable of handling any emergencies that might arise.


    By noon, the convoy had already traveled dozens of miles.


    "Brother Lucas, I knew I wasn''t wrong about you," Zhang Luo said, riding beside him with a look of admiration. "You''ve gained Miss Keqing''s trust so quickly."


    "I''ve just been lucky," Lucas replied modestly with a smile. "Besides, if I hadn''t met you, I probably wouldn''t have this opportunity."


    "Well, Brother Lucas, when you make it big, don''t forget about me," Zhang Luoughed heartily. "At this pace, we should reach Mondstadt by tomorrow afternoon. When we get there, I''ll treat you to drinks at the Cat''s Tail."


    "Isn''t ''Angel''s Share'' the more famous tavern in Mondstadt?" Lucas asked curiously.


    "Master Diluc''s tavern does have excellent wine," Zhang Luo nodded, "but if you haven''t tried Miss Diona''s special cocktails, you''d regret it for the rest of your life."


    "Oh, by the way," Lucas suddenly asked, "what do you think of the recent rumors about ''monster mutations'' in the area?"


    "I haven''t seen anything like that myself," Zhang Luo stroked his chin, "but ording to my sources, there have been reports of strange Hilichurls in the area."


    "Strange Hilichurls?" Lucas frowned. "Aren''t all Hilichurls strange?"


    "No, I mean like female Hilichurls who look almost human," Zhang Luo said with a mysterious grin. "It''s said they knock out strong men with wooden clubs and carry them away. There have been more than a dozen cases of men disappearing around here."


    "Seriously?" Lucas felt a chill down his spine. "Why would they kidnap men?"


    "No one knows for sure. Some say it''s to kill them for food," Zhang Luo shook his head. "Others say they''re taken as ves. Who knows?"


    Lucas nodded thoughtfully, but he still couldn''t picture what a Hilichurl that looked like a human woman would be like.


    "Let''s take a break and grab a bite to eat here."


    The convoy halted beside ake, and Lucas ordered the group to rest for a while.


    However, just as he took a sip of water, a faint cry for help came from the nearby forest. "Help... help!"


    "Someone''s calling for help?" Lucas was startled. "Zhang Luo, did you hear that?"


    "Brother Lucas, it''s best not to get involved," Zhang Luo replied calmly, waving his hand. "In a ce like this, hearing someone suddenly cry for help is very suspicious, don''t you think?"


    Lucas was kind-hearted but not foolish. He quickly realized that Zhang Luo had a point.


    "As the saying goes, ''Don''t enter the forest, and don''t cross water,''" Zhang Luo continued. "There could be a trap set up in there."


    Lucas nodded, but the cries for help continued, growing weaker and more pitiful.


    Eventually, Lucas couldn''t suppress his instincts any longer. He stood up and said, "Brother Zhang, you stay here and rest. I''ll go check it out. Don''t worry, with my skills, even if I run into danger, I can handle myself."


    Lucas wasn''t bragging. Even though heckedbat experience, the rewards he had umted were more than enough to handle strong enemies.


    "Sigh."


    Zhang Luo shook his head with a wry smile. "Brother Lucas, you''re too kind-hearted for your own good. You''ll suffer for it one day. But fine, I can''t stop you. Just remember, if anything goes wrong, call for help immediately."


    Zhang Luo had faith in Lucas''s abilities. Besides, there were plenty of skilled fighters in the convoy, so even if Lucas left for a while, they could still fend off any threats.


    "Thanks!"


    With that, Lucas quickly headed into the forest.


    Though the cries were faint now, he followed the sound deeper into the woods.


    There, hanging upside down from the branch of arge tree, was a blonde girl!


    ----


    Author''s Note: Extra Chapter cuz why not :)


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