The figure was holding a strange blade, and it was wreathed in a terrifying Anemo element. Was that attack just now from this man? Albedo couldn't help but feel curious. When did Mondstadt produce such a master?
Su Han, after killing the three large Whopperflowers, deactivated the Demon Dragon Tessusaiga's state.
"Hello, Albedo."
"Mm, hello to you both. This gentleman is…?"
Eula greeted him, and Albedo responded politely, but his gaze never left Su Han. This man gave him the feeling of facing a ferocious beast; even the cells in his body were trembling.
"My name is Su Han. I am the National Treasure of Liyue, and also the Pope of Mondstadt's Church of Favonius."
"Pope? I don't recall the Church of Favonius having such a position!" Albedo looked at Eula with confusion.
The Church had the position of Cardinal, who was the leader of the entire church, but a "Pope" had never been born. After all, such a position held too much authority and could easily cause Mondstadt to lose its "freedom" again.
Seeing his look, Eula quickly explained, "This matter starts with Cardinal Calvin a few days ago…"
After her explanation, the genius alchemist finally understood the experiences of the man before him.
Sealing an Archon. Defeating Stormterror. Strengthening Liyue and Mondstadt. And receiving the high recognition of two Archons. All of these honors were concentrated in one man.
Albedo was shocked. "I never thought that in the time I was in Fontaine, so many changes would happen in both nations. And… thank you for taking care of Sucrose."
In his impression, that little assistant of his had always been very shy and somewhat self-deprecating. For her to become such a capable person in just over a month—this change was astonishing.
"We should be the ones thanking Sucrose. If it wasn't for her, who knows how long it would have taken for the train to be put into use. By the way, we've encountered a research topic recently. I wonder if you'd be interested in taking a look?" Su Han, seeing that the atmosphere was good, took the initiative to extend an olive branch.
With this alchemist, it would be much simpler to research and develop things in the future.
Albedo smiled. "Speak. If I can help, I will certainly do my best."
This person was Mondstadt's savior and also Sucrose's boss. He naturally had to give him this favor. At the same time, if he had a good relationship with him, it would be much easier for him to conduct his own experiments in the future.
"It's like this. Hu Tao summoned two murlocs from another world to dig for treasure at the bottom of the sea. But their stamina is just too poor. Although a potion made from Jiao-dragon blood can improve this problem, Sucrose said that the power of the potion cannot be passed on to the next generation."
After listening to Su Han's description, Albedo lowered his head in silence for a moment, then looked up. "This matter is indeed interesting. However, I'll have to study it in practice. It's difficult to make a judgment based on speculation alone."
"Mm, that's fine. I'll take you all to Liyue!"
"How do we get there?" Albedo asked, puzzled. If they walked, it would waste a lot of time.
"Naturally, we'll fly on my sword." Su Han chuckled, and the Tessusaiga grew in size. He took the three of them and flew towards Sucrose's laboratory in Liyue.
It was their first time flying at such a high altitude, and both Albedo and Eula found it very novel. After all, the effect of a wind glider was still very different from true flight.
An hour later, they arrived at the grotto-heaven in the Jade Chamber.
Seeing the three of them arrive, Sucrose quickly came forward to greet them.
"Mr. Albedo, Lord Su Han, and Miss Eula, hello! Lord Su Han said you had gone to Fontaine. I was wondering why none of my letters were being answered."
Looking at the young woman who was no longer shy, Albedo smiled. "I was at a research conference, so I was away for a while. By the way, let's get down to business. What problem did you encounter?"
"It's like this, Mr. Albedo…"
The two of them began a heated discussion. During this time, Albedo made many attempts. About two hours later, the genius finally gave his answer.
The root of the problem was not in the potion, but that the murlocs' genes could not withstand the power of the dragon's blood. To change this, they had to select murlocs with superior genes and then slowly change their race, one generation after another.
Therefore, the only thing to do now was to summon other murlocs and keep trying.
Hu Tao, having heard the news, ran over. "Sucrose, do we have to give up on these two murlocs?"
"Yes, Hu Tao. Dispel this summons and summon new ones." Although her heart ached for these two murlocs, for the sake of Liyue's benefit, she had to dispel them.
"This… alright." Since it was confirmed that the problem was with these two, she had no other choice.
Subsequently, the two of them got busy.
At this time, Albedo came and sat down in front of Su Han.
"I just heard from Sucrose about something called the 'Multiverse Mission Group.' May I ask what that is?"
"It's an ability of mine. It allows us to communicate even if we are thousands of miles apart. There are many people in it right now, including Klee and Jean, whom you know. You can even accept missions to travel to other worlds."
"Other worlds? Th-then, I wonder if I can join?"
Hearing that he could travel to other worlds, Albedo's tone was a little excited. He had been studying the things of Teyvat for many years, but he had rarely encountered things from other worlds. As an alchemist, to be able to travel to other worlds was like a dream come true.
Su Han smiled. "Of course you can. But there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. You'll have to work for me, just like Sucrose. For example, if we run into a problem like today's, you'll have to prioritize handling it."
"Mm, that's no problem at all!" Albedo agreed without a second thought.
"Alright then. Congratulations on joining our organization, Albedo." Su Han then sent him an invitation, pulling the genius into the Multiverse Mission Group.
However, at this moment, Albedo had a difficult expression on his face. He looked at Su Han and said, "Thank you, Lord Pope. But I have a question I'd like to ask you. I wonder if you can help me resolve my confusion?"
"Go ahead," Su Han agreed readily.
Albedo looked at the coffee in his hand and said softly, "I am a homunculus. You must have known this for a long time. I've heard from Sucrose that there are few things in the world of Teyvat that can be hidden from you. I have always been asking myself, what is the difference between an artificial creation and a real human? Why do I always feel that I don't fit in? I'm even afraid that one day I will lose control and become an existence like the dragon, Durin. Can you tell me the answer?"
Faced with Albedo's plea for help, Su Han said calmly, "With me here, you don't need to worry about losing control. And at the same time, whether it's an artificial life or a real human, as long as it has a soul, it is a unique existence. Albedo, rather than living alone on a snowy mountain, why don't you come among the people and experience the joys and sorrows of the mortal world?"
His words made the genius fall into deep thought.
But that one sentence, "With me here, you won't lose control," put Albedo very much at ease.
At the same time, he had always been perplexed by his identity as a homunculus. Now, after listening to Su Han's words, he had an epiphany. So what if I'm artificial? I am a special existence, one of a kind.
While Su Han was helping Albedo resolve his inner conflict, Hu Tao and Sucrose, on the other side, had been very lucky and had found two suitable murlocs.
After injecting them with the dragon's blood potion, the two half-meter-tall murlocs underwent an astonishing change.
First, the fine scales on their bodies were replaced by dark, greenish-black scales. Secondly, their bodies also became stronger and more powerful. Just by looking at them, they were very different from the previous murlocs.
Albedo was surprised. "So this is the power of dragon's blood? How magical."
"How about we go out to sea and try them out?" Su Han suggested. Since the experiment was a success, it was best to verify it with a test.
Soon, the Going Merry was once again in the Sea of Clouds.
At Hu Tao's command, the two murlocs vigorously swam towards the bottom of the sea. Their speed had increased by a full fifty times, and in less than a few seconds, they had reached the seabed.
"Wow, this speed is so fast! It's so different from those weaklings before! Ah Da, go and search for treasure nearby! Ah Er, you go in the other direction!"
The two murlocs swam quickly. In Hu Tao's vision, the murloc Ah Da saw a patch of blue things, similar to stones, but also like a mineral vein. In the sea, this kind of deep blue thing was very conspicuous.
"Don't tell me this is an underwater ore vein? Is my luck this good? I just got in the water and I've already seen it! Come on, Ah Da, dig it out for me!"
Hu Tao commanded the murloc, and it soon brought up a ten-kilogram piece of ore.
Albedo studied it for a moment. "This is Magical Crystal Ore. It's very suitable for forging weapons! And it seems the price is not cheap. The refined crystal should be about two thousand Mora per kilogram!"
"My heavens! It's that valuable?! Then what are we waiting for? Ah Da, Ah Er, go and dig for me!" When Hu Tao heard "two thousand Mora," her eyes went wide!
Ah Er wasn't looking for treasure anymore, either, and immediately started digging for ore with Ah Da.
As it turned out, when the surface layer of the seabed was broken, a deep blue light was revealed to Hu Tao. It was all Magical Crystal Ore!
"Heavens! Su Han, I feel like I'm about to become a little rich woman in Liyue!" Through the murlocs' vision, Hu Tao felt that this vein of Magical Crystal Ore was at least over a hundred square meters! And who knew what it was like even further down?
However, although the two murlocs could break the ore, their collection speed was still very slow. In the end, they only brought back about two tons of the raw ore, because the Going Merry couldn't carry any more.
After returning to the city and making some inquiries, they learned that those two tons of raw Magical Crystal Ore were actually worth two hundred thousand Mora.
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