After finishing dinner at Good Hunter, Klee hugged her newly borrowed storybook and returned to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Shen Qin and Sucrose walked toward the alchemy workshop.
"This afternoon, when I was reading those alchemy masters' notes, I suddenly realized that the alchemy created hundreds of years ago is still not outdated today. Doesn't that mean the entire alchemical system of Teyvat hasn't made much progress all these years?" Sucrose said gloomily.
Hearing her words, the first thing that popped into Shen Qin's mind was Earth's two industrial revolutions. Ever since the first one, Earth's technological development had been on fast-forward, with new inventions springing up like mushrooms. Even before he arrived in Teyvat, that speed hadn't slowed.
So why did Teyvat's alchemical path diverge so drastically from Earth's technological development?
He pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "Actually, you've misunderstood something. Teyvat's alchemy hasn't been developing—it's been reviving the Khaenri'ah alchemical system from 500 years ago. Development is progressing from backward to advanced, while revival is about restoring from scarcity to abundance. So the first alchemical techniques to be revived are still the most advanced ones today."
"Is that so?" Sucrose's eyes lit up. She murmured to herself; it was a perspective she'd never considered before.
"Then let me ask you another question. Why is Khaenri'ah still the most advanced in alchemy, and not the seven nations under the rule of the Seven Archons?" Shen Qin asked with growing interest.
"Is it... because of the gods?" Sucrose made a bold guess, then instantly clamped her hands over her mouth in panic.
Shen Qin didn't mind and said calmly, "That's right. The elemental power represented by the gods and the alchemy represented by mortals are two inherently conflicting systems. Khaenri'ah didn't believe in any god, which is why its alchemy could develop rapidly. Its downfall was partly due to how developed its alchemy was. The reason alchemy hasn't progressed much in Teyvat today is because it's being suppressed by the elemental system."
"Heh... You truly are knowledgeable, to say something so shocking. As expected of the most talented alchemist of the past six months."
"Who's there!" Sucrose instantly turned vigilant, stepping protectively in front of Shen Qin as her Vision emitted a soft cyan glow. Shen Qin also activated the defense mode on his smart wristband.
"Whoa, whoa—easy there. I mean no harm." A masked figure dressed in black stepped out of the shadows of a nearby alley. He raised his hands and stopped about five meters away. "I just want to have a few words with Mr. Shen. Is that alright?"
"I'll say it again—leave immediately, or when the Knights get here, you won't be able to leave," Sucrose warned him, unmoved.
She would not allow Shen Qin to be in any danger.
"Can you speak for Mr. Shen? What gives you the right to decide for him?" the masked man sneered at her before turning to Shen Qin. "Mr. Shen, just a quick chat?"
Shen Qin frowned. The man's tone was certainly irritating, but it also reminded him of a notorious organization in Teyvat—the Fatui.
So he asked, "You're from Snezhnaya?"
"Bingo," the masked man clapped a few times. "Yes, I'm from Snezhnaya. I've come to invite you to serve the Tsaritsa. What do you say—interested?"
"Shen, don't listen to him. He must be plotting something!" Sucrose anxiously warned him not to be deceived.
"You—"
Just as the masked man was about to retort, Shen Qin cut him off sharply, "Shut it! If you keep that attitude, I'm leaving right now."
"Alright, alright." The man shrugged. "You're our esteemed guest—I'll respect your wishes."
Shen Qin glanced up at the star-filled night sky and muttered, "If I'm such a valued guest, why meet me at this ridiculous hour? Is this how you treat guests? Or is late-night ambush your Snezhnayan tradition?"
"Haha. This is just an early heads-up, to give you time to think it over," the masked man replied. "There'll be an official envoy contacting you later. Don't worry—we won't try anything now. With the Knights protecting you, we wouldn't succeed anyway." He looked meaningfully at Sucrose and the nearby Klee. "Well, I won't keep you from enjoying your lovely evening. Goodbye, Mr. Shen."
With that, the man turned and left cleanly—maybe he really did just come to deliver a message.
"...Sucrose, do you know what kind of protection the Knights are actually giving me?" Shen Qin asked, a little troubled by the masked man's final remark.
Sucrose stuck out her tongue and whispered, "Not much, really. After you finished the smart wristband, Captain Jean did tell Klee and me to stay alert whenever we're with you."
Shen Qin nodded and said no more.
After returning to the alchemy workshop, he lay in bed, thinking things over. This wasn't going to work.
Was he supposed to just activate his shield and fly away every time he got ambushed? Or wait for the Knights to rescue him?
That was way too passive.
As the saying goes: The best defense is a good offense.
Since he already had the high mobility from the hoverboard and high defense from the energy shield, it was time to enhance his offensive power.
Right now, he still had two random blueprint draws and one custom blueprint ticket.
Should he draw once to "pad" the odds or go straight for the custom blueprint?
Shen Qin didn't hesitate—he picked custom.
Honestly, he didn't trust his luck. Every time he pulled for characters, he always lost the 50/50 to standard characters on soft pity, and weapons? He always needed full pity with fate points.
A true anti-luck king.
"System, hit me with some plasma tech!"
『 Knowledge Unlocked: Plasma Weapon Principles and Technical Implementation 』
Shen Qin closed his eyes to absorb the knowledge transferred by the system.
Plasma weapons, also known as energy weapons, fire bullets made of plasma—energy matter at millions to tens of millions of degrees Celsius. Technically, fire is a type of plasma too, so flamethrowers count, but what the system provided was far more advanced.
Plasma is inherently unstable. Its internal particles are constantly moving irregularly, so containing it in a focused direction and launching it at high speed is a major technical challenge.
But no worries—the system had accounted for all of that. Everything he needed to know about plasma weapons had been neatly packed and loaded into his brain.
"Alright… this will do. Tomorrow morning, I'll start designing my plasma weapon."