"I can't believe even Master Albedo admits defeat… so amazing!" Inside the alchemy workshop, Sucrose, who had spent the entire day listening to their conversation, looked at Su Mo with sparkling eyes. As Albedo's assistant and a passionate alchemist herself, this was the first time she'd seen anyone who could match Albedo in knowledge.
On the other side, Timaeus was mumbling to himself, trying to process Su Mo and Albedo's earlier discussion. "One is all, elemental conversion, equivalent exchange…" But as someone who didn't understand at all, his mind was spinning in confusion.
Albedo glanced at him and couldn't help but advise, "Su Mo's alchemical theory belongs to a different system. It's too soon for you to dive into that now. Focus on mastering our current system first. Once you're comfortable with that, learning other frameworks will be much easier."
For beginners, it was best not to overreach. Although Timaeus was considered skilled within Mondstadt, Albedo viewed him as barely at the beginner stage. He wasn't ready to delve into other systems yet. Hearing the advice, Timaeus nodded awkwardly. "Understood."
What embarrassed him even more was that both Albedo and Su Mo were younger than him, yet their expertise left him in the dust. He couldn't even understand enough to follow along as they spoke.
"I noticed that you seem particularly interested in bio-alchemy," Albedo said thoughtfully. "I have plenty of research notes on that subject. If you're interested, you're welcome to study them."
True to his open-minded approach to knowledge sharing, Albedo hauled out a large stack of materials from his lab. These were all detailed records of his research into life creation. Since Su Mo's interests aligned with his own, there was no shortage of relevant data.
"Thank you." Su Mo's eyes lit up. Although he'd grasped the basics of bio-transmutation, having comprehensive data would obviously be of immense help. Without hesitation, he accepted the offer. To Albedo, Su Mo's unique alchemical framework was itself a priceless treasure. Having gained so much from Su Mo, Albedo saw no reason to withhold anything in return. He shared nearly all of his research notes.
Their exchange had proven mutually beneficial. Just as Su Mo was about to leave, Sucrose shyly approached him, fidgeting slightly as she spoke.
"Mr. Su Mo… you seem really interested in life transmutation. Um… actually, I've got a lot of research notes too… If you don't mind, you're welcome to take a look." Unlike Timaeus, who enjoyed using alchemy for practical fixes, Sucrose's research also centered around life—but in a different direction from Albedo's. While Albedo specialized in creating life itself, Sucrose's focus was modifying existing lifeforms.
From enlarging Sweet Flowers to increasing Sunsettia harvests, and even creating miniature wind spirits from elemental lifeforms, she excelled in her niche. In fact, many of her skills in the game revolved around bio-created creatures made through alchemy. So, hearing that Su Mo was interested in this field…
Sucrose eagerly volunteered herself, though she felt nervous that Su Mo, given his evident strength, might not value her research. Still, she worked up the courage to offer. Hearing her hesitantly spoken words, Su Mo naturally had no reason to refuse.
"Thank you. I really do need materials in this area." Whether it was life creation or life modification, both fell within the scope of what Su Mo now sought to master. Seeing that Su Mo genuinely accepted her research, Sucrose beamed with happiness. She quickly ran off and returned with a stack of carefully selected documents—her core research materials, covering nearly all the key points of biological modification.
What started as a casual exchange ended up giving Su Mo far more than he expected. He'd arrived empty-handed. By the time he left, an entire box of alchemical research was loaded up. After saying his goodbyes to Albedo, Su Mo left the alchemy workshop carrying a heavy load of knowledge, eventually arriving at the Adventurers' Guild.
"Su Mo! You're finally back!" As soon as he stepped inside, Paimon, who had been waiting impatiently, flew straight at him. Since Su Mo and Albedo had discussed alchemy for far too long, Paimon and Lumine had grown bored and left to explore Mondstadt, agreeing to meet back at the Guild.
"Why are you carrying so many books? Weren't you just discussing alchemy?" Seeing the box of documents Su Mo was holding, Paimon felt dizzy just looking at it.
"Albedo and Sucrose gave me all these alchemical materials," Su Mo explained as he handed the box over. "Here, hold onto them for now."
"All of this… is research material?!" Paimon was stunned by the sheer volume. Still, she reached out her tiny hand, touched the box, and stored it safely in her inventory.
The two of them then headed over to where Lumine was waiting. At that moment, Lumine was chatting with Fischl, whom they'd met briefly before. Due to her eccentric, chuuni personality, Fischl was usually avoided by the more typical adventurers. However, thanks to Oz being an excellent scout, Fischl was actually quite popular within the Adventurers' Guild—though many referred to her behind her back as the "Oz Launcher," much to her frustration.
As a result, both Su Mo and Lumine, who accepted her personality without hesitation, made Fischl feel surprisingly close to them. The moment she noticed Su Mo approaching, she jumped up excitedly.
"O Harbinger of the End! Fate decrees our reunion!"
"The Prinzessin der Verurteilung greets thee!"
She still remembered Su Mo's chuuni introduction from before and had taken it completely to heart. The moment those words left her mouth, the entire guild hall fell silent, all eyes turning towards them with odd expressions. Yep. Confirmed. Weirdos. Su Mo, of course, didn't care about their reactions. Was chuuni syndrome not adorable? Especially when it was coming from Fischl—such a cute girl. Anyone who distanced themselves from her for that was clearly the fool here.
"Good afternoon," he greeted Fischl casually, taking a seat beside her. Oz, who usually translated Fischl's strange speech for others, decided not to bother this time. Clearly, he felt Su Mo and Fischl could communicate perfectly without assistance.
"Did you learn anything new today, Su Mo?" Lumine asked curiously from across the table. Though she knew Su Mo had awakened alchemical powers, she hadn't expected him to take it so seriously—discussing the topic for an entire day. Honestly, she was glad she'd left early; otherwise, she might have fallen asleep listening to all that theory.
"I did gain quite a lot." Su Mo smiled with satisfaction. "I've developed some initial ideas regarding bio-transmutation."
"And I'm planning to test it soon. Actually, since Fischl's here, it works out perfectly." Having spoken at length with Albedo and Sucrose, Su Mo now had a rough framework in mind.
"Test?" Lumine tilted her head in curiosity. "Did you come up with a new technique?"
Fischl also looked intrigued. "The Prinzessin der Verurteilung shall never refuse a request from her allies. However, I am currently sealed, unable to unleash my full power." In her delusional backstory, the cosmos was fated for destruction, and as the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, she would become the last life remaining in the world. Thus, Su Mo, whom she regarded as the Harbinger of the End, naturally became an ally of fate. She addressed him as such, though she wasn't sure if she could be of any actual help.
Su Mo, however, had full confidence. "If it's Fischl, there won't be any problem."
"For this new technique, I plan to use Teyvat's ultimate measure of strength to evaluate it."
"Teyvat's… ultimate measure of strength?"
Hearing that, Fischl's eyes sparkled. "What might that be?" Anything that sounded grand and mysterious immediately piqued her interest.
"You'll see when we get there." Su Mo simply smiled, deliberately keeping them in suspense. A few minutes later, Su Mo, Fischl, Lumine, and their emergency food arrived atop Mondstadt's city walls.
"Behold! Though this land may appear to be Mondstadt, it is but a humble garden compared to my true dominion! How delightful!" Standing atop the battlements, Fischl overlooked Mondstadt and, after delivering her dramatic monologue, turned curiously towards Su Mo. Paimon also took this chance to ask, "Hey, that ultimate measure of strength you mentioned—where is it, exactly?"
She scratched her head, puzzled. "All I can see is Mondstadt… and Cider Lake." Lumine, too, looked confused. Seeing their blank faces, Su Mo finally revealed the answer.
"Teyvat's ultimate strength measure… is right over there." He pointed towards a child standing on the bridge, feeding pigeons.
"It's those pigeons." In the world of Genshin Impact, a proper main DPS didn't need incredible multipliers or absurd damage numbers. There was only one real criterion for identifying a true powerhouse: the ability to wipe out all the pigeons on the bridge in a single move. That was the one and only benchmark for strength.
(By the way, it's worth noting that even Keqing's skills struggled to achieve this, unless you leapt over and used a plunging attack… Not that Su Mo was trying to imply anything.)
"…What kind of standard is that?!" Paimon couldn't help but shout in exasperation.
"Doesn't that mean I qualify?" Lumine's eyes lit up as she suddenly recalled her own pigeon-slaying experience.