"That light probably refers to the light within human hearts—such as the yearning for beautiful things.
It's similar to the strong desire that gives birth to a Vision."
Seeing Venti's confusion, Zhongli explained calmly.
"So that's how it is!"
Venti immediately understood.
Since awakening the statue depended on that kind of light, then calling it a weapon of war wouldn't be appropriate.
The title 'Protector of Humanity' suited it much better.
"Hehe, old man, why don't you teach me too?"
Venti leaned closer with a grin.
He also wanted to try building such a statue.
That way, he could leave some power behind for Mondstadt.
And if another crisis came in the future, he could slack off in peace.
"I'm afraid that won't work. The knowledge exists only in my mind and cannot be expressed.
Besides, constructing such a statue would require a large amount of Mora…"
Zhongli shook his head slightly.
He knew very well how poor this old friend of his usually was.
Having even a little Mora on him was already rare.
So building such a statue was simply impossible for Venti.
Only he himself could manage it—after all, he had the Northland Bank backing him.
"You didn't have to say that last part…"
Venti's mouth twitched.
What was wrong with having no money?
Wasn't it because he had two "pets" to take care of?
As for the information being impossible to pass on, he wasn't surprised.
After observing the rewards from this shop for some time, Venti had noticed something:
Most rewards could only be used by the person who received them.
Only a small portion could be traded privately.
It was probably designed that way to prevent conflicts over powerful items.
"Forget it. I'll come read that comic tomorrow. It's called Ultraman Tiga, right?"
Venti sighed.
Since he couldn't obtain the method from outside, he would have to rely on the comic itself.
If Zhongli could get the statue manufacturing technology from it, then the comic must contain a complete statue.
Hehe—maybe if his luck was good, he could draw one directly.
That way, he wouldn't need to spend any effort and could get a statue for free.
Roughly speaking, that would be like earning tens of billions of Mora.
But right now, he had another important task:
Studying the melodica.
Otherwise, tomorrow's storytelling performance might fall flat.
With that thought, Venti bid farewell to Han Feng and left.
Zhongli Departs
"Boss Han, I also need to go study the statue. I'll take my leave as well."
Seeing Venti go, Zhongli smiled faintly.
His mood today was excellent.
Not only had he obtained the Ultraman statue manufacturing technology, he had also met a dear friend thought lost for centuries.
This trip had been well worth it.
"Come again anytime."
Han Feng nodded slightly.
Keqing Grows Curious
"Master, those two weren't ordinary people, were they?"
After Venti and Zhongli left, Keqing leaned close to Han Feng's ear and asked curiously.
She had some knowledge of them.
One was a famous bard from Mondstadt.
The other was a consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue.
That was what she used to believe.
But now—they clearly knew Raiden Makoto, the former Electro Archon.
That alone meant their identities were far from ordinary.
Her curiosity was piqued.
"You guess."
Han Feng smiled calmly.
He wasn't someone who liked to gossip.
Raiden Makoto's situation was special, so explaining it earlier had been acceptable.
But Zhongli and Venti had already "retired."
It was better to let them live their quiet lives.
Of course—if Keqing or someone else discovered their identities on their own, that would be a different matter.
"Hmph. Then I'll investigate it myself when I get back."
Keqing puffed up her cheeks in mild annoyance.
Her face became round and pouty, like a sulking child.
It looked incredibly cute.
So cute, in fact, that Han Feng couldn't resist reaching out and pinching her cheek.
Mm.
Great texture.
"D-Don't… don't do that. There are people here!"
Feeling the gentle touch on her face, Keqing lowered her head, blushing deeply.
"Ahem. I didn't see anything."
Seeing this, Noelle quickly turned her back.
This kind of situation was not something a maid should witness.
Not only should she not watch—she should stand guard for her boss.
"Now there's no one watching."
Han Feng smiled slightly and continued pinching her cheek.
Seeing Keqing's shy expression, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
That cat transformation ability was truly terrifying.
It had changed Keqing's personality so much.
Where was the decisive, capable Yuheng now?
This blushing, bashful, pouty look—
if word got out, people's jaws would drop.
Even Ningguang probably wouldn't expect this.
What Han Feng didn't know was:
When Keqing first transformed into her cat form, Ningguang had already witnessed it.
In fact, she had been the very first person to try petting her.
"Mmm…"
Keqing responded softly.
Under the influence of the cat transformation ability, she no longer had the instinct to refuse her "master."
So she simply stood there, face flushed red, allowing herself to be gently bullied.
Meanwhile — In the Discussion Area
Elsewhere, in the discussion zone, Chongyun had just finished reading his comic.
"This Master Jiu is truly a role model for people like me!"
After closing the book, Chongyun's face was filled with admiration.
In the comic, Master Jiu was upright and righteous, with powerful Taoist skills.
Even when facing dangerous ghosts and zombies, he could eliminate them with various techniques.
That was exactly the kind of person Chongyun aspired to become.
He didn't want to rely solely on his special constitution.
He wanted to prove himself through spells and swordsmanship.
One could say:
From Mr. Vampire,
Chongyun had found his idol.
"But I never expected ghosts to look like that."
Thinking back to the spirits in the comic, a trace of reflection appeared in his eyes.
It wasn't because the ghosts were attractive.
Rather—he had spent years exorcising evil, yet had never actually seen what a spirit looked like.
That had always been a small regret.
But now, seeing them in the comic had filled that gap.
"Now it should be time to go to the counter and collect my reward."
Chongyun thought to himself.
With that in mind, he prepared to find Xingqiu.
But when he turned around and saw his friend's current appearance,
he froze.
At that moment, the girl-version of Xingqiu sat clutching the comic, tears falling from the corners of her eyes.
She looked like a delicate flower in the rain.
Her face was filled with sorrow— so pitiful and moving that anyone who saw her would feel sympathy.
Chongyun's heart skipped a beat.
He immediately began repeating to himself internally:
That's not a beautiful girl.
That's a man who changed gender.
Don't be fooled by the cuteness.
—------------------------------
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