Chapter 92: Lu Mingze: I Will Embrace Bliss (4+1k)

Lu Mingze's words seemed to have stirred up Fuka Luosuo, the one who had been drinking heavily. The intoxicated girl unconsciously spread her legs, deeply prostrating herself on the counter, using one arm to shield most of her face while the other held a honey water bottle filled with the Life Water and poured it into her mouth with a series of glug glug glugs.

She was languid and surrendered, unwilling to argue with him.

"Why does it seem a bit off?" Fuka Luosuo murmured after taking another sip, belatedly realizing. She picked up the bottle to inspect it; no, the packaging was indeed that of the Life Water, but why had the liquid inside turned yellow? And the taste was sweet, lacking that intoxicating, spicy, and disorienting kick. Yet it did taste quite good?

"Heh."

Lu Mingze's face gradually curved into a playful smile as he made a judgment in his heart: someone like her, if she wanted to play the Water God, would probably only be fit for the final scene of judgment.

Otherwise, she would easily expose her true nature.

Unlike the devil born noble, Fuka Luosuo had originally been just an ordinary pure-color elf. She was weak and longed to become an ordinary human.

She lacked the power to roar across the world, and even saving Fontaine could only be achieved by sacrificing herself. From becoming the Water God to the moment before her death, her life had been nothing but tragedy. Death to her was not a curse but a gentle end.

If it truly came to that day, she might dance joyfully toward the death curtain.

"What is this?"

"Honey."

"Mm, it tastes sweet when drunk, quite delicious. Do you want to try a sip too?" Fuka Luosuo smiled, raising the bottle and slowly approaching Lu Mingze to inquire.

"No need, you drink it yourself."

Lu Mingze answered with a smile.

The posture after drinking was the most revealing of a person's true thoughts. Although Fuka Luosuo appeared somewhat dazed after drinking too much, her inner essence remained kind, making her a rather good person.

Moreover, to some extent, her plan was similar to mine—sacrificing herself to complete the other half and make them better.

It was precisely because of that that I found her somewhat approachable. But not entirely; our existences were similar yet opposite.

I was born noble, she was born ordinary.

I pointed my sword at the throne, she yearned for the mundane.

My heart was strong and arrogant.

Her heart was weak yet tenacious.

In my script, the brother would become the king who controlled the world through judgment of the rebels.

In her script, Furina would be the one who controlled freedom without her halo.

In the end, it was similar but reversed.

"Puff~ Puff~"

The girl's hand drooped weakly. The Life Water bottle filled with honey rolled away, then Lu Mingze picked it up. He looked at the gradually sleeping Fuka Luosuo, sighed helplessly, and said:

"May you have a sweet dream."

With that, he strolled alone through the dream world, gazing upon the Fontaine city of another realm. If this had been a dream world constructed by Lu Mingfei within his spiritual domain, maintaining it would naturally consume little. Yet the reality seemed otherwise.

Fuka Luosuo's words had nearly confirmed the existence of another world, Teyvat. His power could not easily expand the dream, and attempts to do so would be rapidly consumed, proving the connection successful.

This seemed to be the dream that linked to another world.

But if so, then far too many things were abnormal!

Why was his power consumption so slow in this dream of another world? Why could Lu Mingfei create this dream linking worlds?

Was it because Lu Mingfei was stronger than him?

Perhaps not. Yet Lu Mingfei's power must contain something special; otherwise he could not have created such a dream, which mere dragon power could not achieve. His power seemed to hide something profound.

"Expand."

Lu Mingze consumed vast amounts of spirit again, trying to extend this world through his power. However, the world's boundary appeared as endless void, and his power could only dissipate uselessly without expanding it.

Moreover,

The sensation earlier had been off!

When touching the dream's boundary, most of his power would vanish directly. Yet

Just now he had felt it!

After most power dissipated, something hidden beneath it lost its cover, revealing its abnormal essence!

That power was hidden extremely deep; normally he could not detect it. And that power might be the reason he survived the dream with near-zero consumption.

When had I acquired this power?

Moreover, that power's status was exceptionally high!

Lu Mingfei did not know what he was; how could I not know my own nature? I absolutely could not possess such power. Its level exceeded the Black King; used properly, it could easily destroy the world. It was not power I should have.

Damn it!

When had I been affected? What exactly was that power? Why had I noticed nothing?

"Puff~"

Lu Mingze sat on the long chair, fists clenched tightly, heart pounding with fear and chill racing down his spine. He took deep breaths repeatedly, reviewing everything he had experienced recently and carefully analyzing whether anything abnormal had occurred in his recent actions.

Wait...

Had I actually given up?

Had I aimed for pleasure as the main goal?

No, this was wrong! This was not right!

Although the explanation seemed reasonable, I was certain I would not do such a thing. My conduct style should not be like this. I should not be like this!

I had been influenced by that power!

It had subtly altered my personality while strengthening my power. Its method was incredibly subtle, as if designed by some carefully crafted existence. But this did not make sense; such a being should not exist in this world. My status was already high enough to design my own existence before it was born.

Was it a strong one from another world?

A high-level being in the Teyvat world?

No, the possibility was very low. At least the Seven Gods of Teyvat could not possibly do such a thing. Their status was below mine, and those above the Seven Gods had no sufficient reason to design me. They had not even contacted me or Lu Mingfei, and whether they could defeat us brothers remained a question.

"Damn it!"

Lu Mingze struck the long chair fiercely, shattering it in the dream world, thus completing in the void a certain woman's long-held dream.

I needed to carefully analyze this power and think carefully about what to do next.

In the afternoon, Fontaine Opera House

"Mm."

That Vitale slightly frowned, staring at the unresponsive Judgment Mechanism, then involuntarily turned her gaze to Furina and asked, "Cough cough, Furina lady, may I inquire whether the Judgment Mechanism has had some issue?"

"Ah? Something's wrong? How would I fix it!"

Furina panicked inwardly. But soon she recalled Fuka Luosuo's consciousness hidden within the Judgment Mechanism. So if the Judgment Mechanism had a problem, it meant Fuka Luosuo's consciousness was also in trouble. To repair the mechanism, one must first save Fuka Luosuo.

However,

She would not save others!

Even the attack-type Maboroshi like Lu Mingfei required Fuka Luosuo's assistance in targeting. Without her, how could her safety be ensured?

This was bad! It was over!

Yet although Furina was panicked, she remained incomparably calm and smiling as she said, "Oh, my dear citizens, the Judgment Mechanism should have had a minor issue, but it does not matter. I will fix it soon."

"Moreover, be glad, my citizens! This is the only problem to occur since the Judgment Mechanism's self-creation. You are its most fortunate witnesses in hundreds of years, and this is also the most historically significant moment."

With these words, the audience below the stage gradually relaxed. Only then did they realize the Judgment Mechanism had been running for several hundred years; a small fault was quite normal.

Conversely, the Judgment Mechanism had not malfunctioned in the previous centuries, which was something praiseworthy. As a pure machine, its operational capacity was truly extraordinary, stably judging for centuries while powering all of Fontaine. It was already very strong.

"Sigh~"

Vitale sighed helplessly, looking at Furina as she continued, "Then, regarding the judgment of this case, how shall we proceed?"

"Of course, it is up to our highest judge, Mr. Vitale, to issue instructions and deliver a reasonable verdict. If there is any issue, I will raise an objection as well," Furina replied.

"Mm, then I announce this trial."

Dream world

"Mm."

Fuka Luosuo had slept for an extremely long time. It had been far too long since she had slept so comfortably. Previously, her life had consisted only of nonstop work and accumulating energy; no one to confide in, she had borne everything alone.

She slowly rose, subconsciously looking around.

It was still the night in Fontaine within the dream world, and she lay upon a bed. The sensation of resting on it filled her with nostalgia—the soft and tender feel was like a dream to her.

Oh, I seem to really be in a dream?

"You woke up?"

A familiar voice sounded beside Fuka Luosuo's ear. In that instant, she suddenly remembered countless things, including the complete exposure of her hidden secret.

Forget it, I'll just continue sleeping!

Fuka Luosuo lay down once more and closed her eyes, hands resting on her chest, sleeping with utter peace.

But the moment she closed her eyes, she thought of the tasks she should perform inside the Fontaine Judgment Mechanism. The strong sense of duty made her unwillingly open her eyes again, looking at the boy with a playful smile beside her, and asked, "Um, how long has it been since we left? I shouldn't have slept for too long, should I?"

"Not long, just a few hours. You only slept such a short time after drinking, yet you woke quite quickly," Lu Mingze said with a smile, his expression exceptionally cheerful.

"Several hours?"

Fuka Luosuo's eyes instantly widened. If she remembered correctly, she still had to announce the judgment in the opera house this afternoon. If so much time had passed...

"Stop thinking about it, friend. Now it is already too late. Instead of worrying about that thing, you might as well sleep a bit more now. At least this way you can rest more fully and minimize the loss," Lu Mingze said earnestly with an incredibly caring expression.

"Ah?"

Fuka Luosuo instantly fell into despair. She looked at Lu Mingze with a blank and aggrieved gaze. Although she said nothing, that gaze alone was enough to evoke guilt.

Lu Mingze did not panic. He merely sat elegantly behind the bar, took out a black remote control from somewhere, and pressed it.

The screen not far away gradually brightened. Lu Mingze smiled and said, "Hey, don't look at me like that. Even if you go back now, you cannot do anything. It is already closing time; going back you cannot continue overtime, right? Why not watch Tom and Jerry with me? At least this happiness is real."

"Ah?"

Fuka Luosuo's gaze gradually became incredulous. She trembled, raising her hand to point at Lu Mingze and said, "Can you speak seriously? What time is it now, and you're still saying that? My heart is about to be scared out of me."

"Oh, this lady, do not say that. I am a very serious person. If you say that, I will be sad."

Lu Mingze sighed and continued, "If it were some other brainless fool here, perhaps he would suggest you go back to check the situation immediately. But I am different. I am very smart, very intelligent, so I will not suggest that."

"Think it over carefully. You are a spiritual body, and moreover one that others do not know about. In their eyes, the Judgment Mechanism being broken is just that. The Judgment Mechanism has been running for hundreds of years; a little damage is normal, nothing to worry about."

"And even if you go back now, you cannot do anything useful, because you are merely a spiritual body that no one knows about. After you return, you can only watch anxiously, feel uncomfortable, and self-consume. This will not improve the situation but will make you worse. Is that good? Is that really good?"

"Oh, my friend, Fuka Luosuo. Since reality has become like this and cannot be changed, why rush back to feel pain and worsen your state? This is obviously a very foolish thing, what fools would do."

"Ah?"

A string of hypnotic words entered Fuka Luosuo's ears. She knew it was wrong, yet inexplicably felt it reasonable. It seemed that watching Tom and Jerry with Lu Mingze was the correct choice now.

Should I watch Tom and Jerry here?

Although I feel I should go back, what he said was also right. I am just a spiritual body; even if I go back, others do not know, I can only watch the situation there anxiously.

No, no, no!

How could I think like this!

"No, I have to go back quickly. If I do not go back to notify Furina, she will definitely worry. I cannot only think about myself!"

Fuka Luosuo said anxiously.

"Hiss, you can actually think of this. Are you really a genius?" Lu Mingze showed an incredulous expression and asked with incomparable surprise.

"Just say if I can leave or not!"

"Of course, I will not stop you. I am merely giving you a suggestion," Lu Mingze said kindly.

"Really?"

Fuka Luosuo expressed serious doubt.

Soon, a pitch-black door appeared before her. Lu Mingze made a gesture of invitation and said, "I will keep your secret for you, but in return, I hope you do not mention my existence to Furina and them, do not let them know I came here, all right?"

"Because you are sneaking in?"

Fuka Luosuo's face gradually showed a smile.

"Yes."

"Then I will not leave now."

"?"

"Give me another cup of Blue Hawaii. Let me drink it before I leave. Hehe, otherwise I will spill all your little secrets." Fuka Luosuo said with a smile.

"Can't take you seriously."

Lu Mingze said helplessly with a smile.

This kind of sneaking secret, compared to Fuka Luosuo's five-hundred-year grand plan, was fundamentally incomparable. Fuka Luosuo's open threat now would only make him feel very entertaining.

And this entertainment, this feeling of joy could further grow the hidden power in his body. That was the power of joy, beyond logic.

At first Lu Mingze thought he might have been calculated by some being, but then he carefully considered it and found it unlikely. Because that power's status was far higher than the Nidhogg of this world, beings of that level had no need to calculate him.

It seemed more like a seed; as long as Lu Mingze nurtured it carefully, it could grow into a towering tree. If left untouched, it would remain a seed.

Moreover,

Lu Mingze's dragon-type spiritual power originated from his main body. Under Kuganel's suppression, his spirit could not appear externally for long. But now it was different. As long as he did not exhaust the original power, he could remain fine even without returning. The power of joy would replace the consumption, with a nearly zero consumption ratio.

He even suspected that even if he severed the connection to his main body, the spiritual body would not be greatly affected. This was the mighty power derived from joy.

Actually, at first Lu Mingze had rejected it, but the more he analyzed, the more he could not reject it.

Joy, it gave too much!

Moreover, from the principle of the birth of the joy power, the being who completely controlled it was probably not a serious person. Serious people could not control this power to the extreme, so it was probably safe and controllable.

"Done."

Not long after, Lu Mingze adjusted the wine and pushed the glass to Fuka Luosuo.

"Can I add some honey water? I feel that also tastes quite good?" Fuka Luosuo asked with a mischievous smile.

In her view, Lu Mingze's wine-mixing process seemed to mix various things together and compose something drinkable. If so, adding something she liked did not seem impossible?

"Of course no problem."

The little devil unhesitatingly poured the honey water into the Blue Hawaii, and the smile on his face gradually intensified. After all, it was not something he drank; Fuka Luosuo could add whatever she wanted. It was really interesting.

When he raised his head again, Fuka Luosuo had already walked away. She stood before the black door, waving vigorously while saying, "Thank you for accompanying me for so long. I'll treat you to this glass of wine. Haha, don't be polite, bye~"

With that, she left.

Lu Mingze blankly blinked his eyes, then lowered his head to look at the unknown liquid in his hand. After a brief hesitation, he suddenly burst into laughter and drained the unknown liquid in one gulp, dryly retching and saying, "Ah hahaha, this is really too much fun."

(The chapter ends)