Lumine understood all too well that having unlimited stamina to farm Artifacts meant the drop rates would be abysmally low!
There were only two ways to solve this problem.
First, rely on sheer luck—wait for that miraculous moment when her luck would skyrocket, and she might even get two or three good pieces in one run.
Second, rely on grinding!
As long as she grinded hard enough, bread would come, milk would come—everything would come!
After some reflection, Lumine concluded that grinding was the answer!
Others had to train relentlessly to grow stronger, but all she needed was to boost her stats!
At the very least, she could see her progress clearly, knowing exactly where and how much she had improved.
She already had an advantage.
Now, all that was left was to make the most of it and fully embrace her inner grindlord.
And so—
By the hundredth run, Paimon was getting bored.
But she didn't say anything—she knew Lumine wanted to grow stronger.
Because of the existence of Genshin Impact, Lumine didn't even need to travel anymore.
No travel meant no danger, which meant strength wasn't an urgent necessity.
But Lumine wanted to prove herself.
She had said she didn't want to disappoint anyone again.
Though she didn't know why Lu Heng seemed a little disappointed, Lumine believed that as long as she was strong enough, the problem would be easily solved!
Paimon kept accompanying her through the runs.
The efficiency was high—both of them had the destructive power of Archon-tier characters at pity.
The moment enemies spawned, they were instantly obliterated. All that was left was sprinting to claim the rewards.
Each run took barely over ten seconds.
By the two-hundredth run, Paimon was visibly drowsy.
Even with such overwhelming power, their physical and mental limits hadn't changed much.
They still needed to eat, still needed sleep to recover—unless they had specific cards that could bypass these needs.
The more they farmed, the sleepier Paimon got.
Meanwhile, Lumine's expression was blank.
She was numb from the grind.
A thought even flashed through her mind:
Am I insane? Why am I even farming Artifacts?
But she immediately crushed that thought.
Ignoring the exhaustion, her eyes burned only with the desire for top-tier Artifacts.
Time passed slowly.
[Lumine]: Ever seen a domain before sunrise?
She posted a photo of the Valley of Remembrance along with her run count—1,500 runs!
Lumine looked down at her loot.
The Maiden Beloved set had healing bonuses, but since Artifact slots numbered ten, she could make do as long as the main stats were decent.
Her real focus was the Viridescent Venerer set.
She had gotten plenty of VV pieces, but the main stats were enough to make anyone weep.
After filtering, she was left with twenty VV pieces and over a hundred Maiden pieces.
Time to enhance!
"Give me something good!!"
Half an hour later…
Lumine stared in silence at a Maiden's flower with 49.8% Crit DMG and a VV feather with barely 30% Crit stats.
"Why?!"
"If only the sets were swapped!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got!
The angrier she got, the more frustrated she became!
"At least we got something decent…" Paimon scratched her head, unsure how to comfort her.
Lumine took a deep breath, then equipped both pieces.
Instantly, her stats changed.
The flower's main stat was HP.
Lumine watched as her health bar grew slightly longer.
Meanwhile, her ATK, Crit Rate, and Crit DMG all increased.
Thanks to the game mechanics, her real-world attacks could now benefit from Crit DMG—
Which was absolutely broken, enough to make anyone call it overpowered.
But that was the charm of the cards.
Cards never disappoint!
"Again!"
Lumine had tasted progress.
"Ugh…" Paimon groaned weakly. "Let me sleep a little…"
"Sleep at your age?"
Lumine frowned, exasperated. "How can you even think of sleeping? You should know—only hard work leads to greatness! Do you want to stay weak? Do you want to go back to being the Paimon who could barely fight one-fifth of a boar?!"
Paimon's eyes widened.
It was like she had been injected with adrenaline.
Her drowsiness vanished instantly.
She waved her hand—not in surrender, but as if to say, No need for words. Let's keep grinding!
Morning
Compared to Lu Heng's 180 cm frame, Furina looked petite.
Curled up in his arms, she was like a little heater.
Maybe she was exhausted—she was still fast asleep.
Her hair was slightly messy, but that one stubborn strand of hair stuck up defiantly.
"Furina?"
Lu Heng called softly a few times.
Furina mumbled something incoherent, then burrowed deeper under the blankets, pulling them over her head.
Clearly, she wasn't getting up.
Lu Heng knew she loved sleeping in.
He didn't push further—just kissed her forehead gently before getting up.
The living room was empty.
Archons didn't need sleep, but with nothing urgent to do, why not rest a little longer?
Lu Heng left breakfast for them, then headed to the Fontaine shop.
"Good morning, Mr. Lu!"
"Morning, Mr. Lu!"
"Have you eaten yet? I bought extra—care to share?"
Lu Heng smiled and nodded. "Good morning, everyone. Thanks, but I've already eaten."
After some small talk, he lounged on the sofa and browsed the internet.
The world had changed rapidly, leaving many feeling like ancient people suddenly thrust into modernity.
But humanity's adaptability was incredible.
Moreover, there would always be smart people—those who could seize opportunities in a new era.
Thus, the internet culture, though lacking in memes, was almost identical to Lu Heng's original world.
After all, technological progress here skipped the gradual evolution and went straight to the endgame.
The only thing Lu Heng found disappointing was the lack of… ahem, certain aesthetic content on short video platforms.
He wouldn't judge the motivations behind such videos.
He was just an appreciative viewer.
If someone was generous enough to share, the least he could do was leave a like.
Like right now—
His phone screen displayed a pair of fair, well-shaped legs.
Lu Heng studied them with academic focus.
Suddenly—
Tap.
A hand landed on his right shoulder.
Just as he turned, warm breath tickled his left ear.
"Eek! Old Lu, you're watching this kind of stuff in the morning?!"
Lu Heng turned to see Hu Tao leaning over the sofa, her right hand on his shoulder, her face peeking from the left.
Her crimson eyes sparkled with mischief.
Lu Heng felt the subtle embarrassment of being caught watching spicy content by a girl.
Casually, he set his phone down.
"Had breakfast yet, Boss?"
"Yep! Fontaine's cuisine has its own charm."
Hu Tao nodded, even offering a critique.
"Here on business?" Lu Heng asked.
"Yup!"
At the mention of work, Hu Tao perked up.
She patted his shoulder, her voice brimming with ambition.
"The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor shouldn't be limited to Liyue! It should serve all of Teyvat—humans, adepti, monsters, whatever! If they need our services, we'll be there!"
"Now that's the spirit!" Lu Heng gave a thumbs-up.
With such drive, who wouldn't succeed?
He studied Hu Tao.
Though energetic, there was a hint of fatigue in her eyes.
"Late night?"
"Mhm."
Hu Tao nodded. "Scouting Fontaine's terrain—feng shui matters, you know."
"Wow, that's thorough!"
"Of course!"
Lu Heng checked the time. "Heading back to rest?"
"Yep! Was about to return to Liyue when I saw you here!"
Hu Tao grinned, then leaned in conspiratorially.
"I watched for a bit—one video might be coincidence, but several in a row?"
Ah.
"Guess I got careless." Lu Heng sighed.
"It's fine!"
Hu Tao adopted a sage-like expression.
She patted his shoulder, speaking in a worldly tone.
"It's normal at your age—full of youthful vigor! I totally get it."
Wait, you get it?
What's with that knowing look?
Lu Heng massaged his temples, giving her a skeptical stare.
"Anyway!"
Hu Tao's face turned serious. "Take care of your health, alright?"
"Boss, you're quite the expert."
"Hehe, I've seen and heard it all! Last year, I even buried some young guy—skinny as a twig."
Hu Tao clicked her tongue.
She walked around and plopped beside him.
Lu Heng's gaze drifted downward.
Noticing, Hu Tao smirked and slapped her thigh.
"Like what you see?"
"Objectively speaking—very fair."
Whether in the game or real life, Hu Tao's legs were immaculate.
Hu Tao giggled, then asked with faux seriousness,
"Wanna touch?"
"Boss, I know your tricks." Lu Heng smirked.
No psychic powers needed—he could predict her next move.
The moment he reached out, she'd jump back dramatically:
"Huh?! You actually did it?!"
"Hehe, you saw through me!"
Hu Tao stood up. "Alright, enough teasing—I really should get some sleep. Got places to scout tonight."
"Hmm? Why not just crash here? Plenty of rooms."
Lu Heng gestured upstairs.
Hu Tao didn't refuse.
"Then I'll pick a room. Night!"
"Go ahead."
Once she was gone, Lu Heng resumed his video browsing.
So what if he got caught? They were close enough—no need to pretend to be a saint.
He never considered himself a paragon of virtue.
Just average.
Like he had told Lumine:
Don't live by others' expectations.
10:10 AM
Arlecchino messaged Lu Heng, asking when he'd be free.
"Money's here already?"
Instead of replying immediately, Lu Heng checked his Serenitea Pot.
Focalors had just woken up and was brushing her teeth.
"Arlecchino's coming soon for the Gnosis trade."
"That fast?"
Focalors wiped her mouth. "Thought it'd take longer. Is Furina up? Bring her—the Gnosis concerns her too."
Lu Heng returned to the bedroom.
Without him around, Furina's sleeping posture went wild.
She was sprawled out like a starfish.
Ah, so that's why she's so small.
He called her name twice—no response.
Tried everything—Furina just whimpered and rolled over.
Finally, he played his trump card:
"Someone's bringing you money."
Instantly, Furina shot up, eyes wide.
"Who?!"
"Arlecchino."
"Oh! The mushroom-eye lady!"
Furina remembered now.
She stretched, the blankets slipping—the chill making her even more awake.
Glancing down, she remained unfazed.
"But the Gnosis is Focalors', not mine, right?"
"She said you get a cut."
"Wha—?!"
Furina scrambled for her clothes. "Honey, stop staring—help me get dressed!"
"Wouldn't wake up earlier, now suddenly in a rush."
But since this dummy was his wife, he had no choice but to spoil her.
Once dressed, Furina rushed to freshen up.
Twenty Minutes Later
At the Fontaine shop, Lu Heng's family had just arrived when Arlecchino entered with Lyney and Lynette.
"Good morning, Mr. Lu. I hope I'm not interrupting."
Furina beamed at Arlecchino.
This woman had once intimidated her, but now?
The more she looked, the more she liked her.
What a great person!
"No need for formalities."
Lu Heng smiled. "Everything go smoothly?"
"As expected."
Arlecchino nodded. "Shall we proceed?"
Lu Heng glanced at Focalors and Furina.
"No objections." Furina shook her head.
Focalors handed the Gnosis to Arlecchino with a smile.
Arlecchino accepted it, and Lyney signaled outside.
Fatui agents carried in several heavy chests, placing them on the floor.
When opened, the glittering Mora was impossible to miss.
"We've already counted. Feel free to verify."
"We trust each other—no need." Focalors declined.
The Fatui wouldn't make such a basic mistake.
"Appreciate the trust."
Arlecchino was pleased.
She didn't grovel before the strong, but she wasn't foolish enough to provoke them either.
This was a mutually beneficial exchange—a step toward friendship.
As Furina and Focalors discussed how to use the money, Lu Heng turned to Arlecchino.
"Gacha?"
"Naturally."
Free Mora was meant to be spent.
Gacha was an investment—always profitable, just varying in returns.
Unlike her predecessor, Arlecchino didn't believe in pitting the House of the Hearth's children against each other.
Competition was fine, but never violence between family.
And in this changing world, intelligence gathering had grown harder.
The solution? More gacha.
"This way."
At the counter, Arlecchino loaded 500 million Mora, then added 100 million of her own.
As a high-ranking Harbinger, money was no issue.
Had she lacked principles, she could've easily amassed over a billion in days.
Lu Heng sat nearby, pouring tea.
With two 5-star gold cards, Arlecchino was already formidable.
Would she get lucky this time?
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T/N:
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