Although Eula is considered a sinner in Mondstadt, she is still the captain of a reconnaissance company.
With Eula as his guarantor, Chen Luo could naturally enter Mondstadt.
Just like how Lumine was able to enter the city so smoothly back then—it was naturally because she was brought in by the Outrider Amber. Although Amber isn't the Outrider Captain, since the Knights of Favonius only have one Outrider, the distinction isn't significant.
However, there's one disadvantage—though not exactly a flaw—to entering with Eula: the way people look at them is just too strange.
Has Eula always endured this kind of gaze? It must be really hard for her. And most importantly, Chen Luo is only experiencing secondary pressure, while Eula bears the primary pressure.
No wonder Eula chose the position of reconnaissance company captain; fighting monsters is simpler than dealing with these city folk.
Chen Luo roughly understands that if he appears for the first time walking alongside Eula, it will inevitably make him feel like he can't move freely in Mondstadt—after all, first impressions are important.
But Chen Luo doesn't really care.
What's the point in trying to gain the favor of these Mondstadt man-children?
In Chen Luo's view, among the seven nations, the most suitable place for him to live is naturally Liyue. At least among the three nations currently accessible, that's the case.
It's not that Mondstadt is bad, but with most of Mondstadt's main forces having gone on the expedition with Grand Master Varka, it does feel a bit like a city of man-children now.
Even something like finding a cat needs to trouble Acting Grand Master Jean—you can imagine how absurd that is.
Of course, this could also be attributed to Jean's dedication and responsibility, and the strong atmosphere of mutual help within Mondstadt.
So it's still better than present-day Inazuma, at least.
In Inazuma, under the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree, the officials of the Tenryou Commission are viewed by the common people like predatory beasts.
So Mondstadt can't be considered the most lacking; there's still someone worse off than them.
This often makes Chen Luo wonder: if the protagonist had landed in Snezhnaya instead of Mondstadt, what would the protagonist's stance become?
"This is the Good Hunter restaurant. Before I entered your bar, it was the best restaurant in my heart, and of course, the only one open to me." Eula pointed to an open-air restaurant and introduced.
As mentioned before, there are three types of people around Eula: those who see her as an enemy, those who are her friends, and those who are half-friends.
Chen Luo belongs to the second category. Another person in the same category is the Outrider Amber. The vast majority of people belong to the first category.
Sara, the waitress at the Good Hunter restaurant, belongs to the third category—considered a half-friend.
"I'm glad to hear you praise my bar, but somehow this way of praising feels a bit strange." Chen Luo said somewhat awkwardly.
"Can't be helped. Who told me I'm a descendant of Mondstadt's sinners? This way of describing things is the simplest and easiest to understand. And on the way here, you should have truly experienced what it means to be a real Mondstadt sinner, right? Those strange looks... It's still not too late for you to go find that Honorary Knight now." Eula said once again.
"Hey, look at what you're saying. Am I the kind of person who abandons others after getting what he wants? Besides, didn't you notice that when walking with you, they look at me more than they look at you? That means I'm at least drawing most of the fire for you. So I do have some value." Chen Luo was quite proud of this point.
"You... ah, I give up." Eula sighed.
In Eula's view, Chen Luo is even more straightforward than Amber.
Of course, perhaps this is also because Chen Luo won't be staying in Mondstadt for long.
"Perhaps in the eyes of those people, it's already commonplace for the descendant of Mondstadt's sinners to come and go in the city. But having a fool willing to walk with her is even more peculiar. If I hadn't joined the Knights of Favonius, someone might have already reported to the Knights: 'Eula Lawrence is deceiving a foreign traveler...' or something like that." Eula mocked herself.
"Is it that extreme?"
"This isn't considered extreme at all." Eula shook her head and said with a smile.
Being with Chen Luo always makes it hard for one's mood to turn bad.
This is almost a consensus among all the bar's guests.
"By the way, what exactly did you come to Mondstadt for? Just because of Venti's commission?" Eula asked casually.
"No, no. Besides Venti's commission, I also wanted to see if I could find an opportunity at the Knights of Favonius to learn alchemy or something."
Of course, Chen Luo doesn't plan to become too proficient in alchemy. In his view, puppetry already requires dedicating most of his energy to develop this class; where would he find the time to master alchemy too?
Oh wait, that's not right—mastery isn't a problem. With Furniture Mastery there, reaching mastery in alchemy isn't difficult.
Although Chen Luo's Furniture Mastery is powerful—touching something grants mastery over the corresponding item and skill—it also has a drawback: it can't grant mastery out of thin air.
When Chen Luo picks up a sword, he can gain Sword Mastery. But if Chen Luo has never touched a sword before, even with Furniture Mastery, he cannot acquire Sword Mastery out of thin air.
However, after Chen Luo has come into contact with a sword, even if he isn't holding one but just a branch, he can use the branch to employ Sword Mastery.
"...If you had stated your purpose earlier, I would never have accompanied you. After all, wanting to learn alchemy while walking with me automatically increases the difficulty. The challenge for a strange traveler wanting to learn alchemy is different from that for a friend of a Mondstadt sinner's descendant wanting to learn alchemy." Upon hearing Chen Luo's words, Eula massaged her forehead, somewhat troubled.
Eula originally thought Chen Luo just came for a visit, completed a commission, and that was it. She didn't expect he also had intentions of studying.
Wouldn't walking with her just hinder him then?
Is this guy truly unaware of this, or is he pretending not to know?
Eula stared intently at Chen Luo, who was looking around Mondstadt, trying to discern something.
"Hey, don't worry. Although Mondstadt's alchemy is strong, one can learn alchemy in other places too. Compared to alchemy, friends are more important." Chen Luo waved his hand casually.
"And if an alchemist really hides their knowledge or is unwilling to teach me just because I walk with you, then that means they aren't a sufficiently excellent alchemist anyway. So in a way, you're actually doing me a big favor." Chen Luo tried to use another theory to alleviate Eula's sense of guilt.
"...What are you looking for?" Eula no longer wanted to continue this topic with Chen Luo, because this level of kindness, which could be called unbelievable, felt somewhat too extravagant for Eula.
So Eula could only escape.
After all, if she got used to it, she truly wouldn't be able to stay in Mondstadt.
However, Eula also thought to herself that if Chen Luo really couldn't find a suitable alchemy teacher because of her, then she would swallow her pride and go find Sucrose, or even Albedo.
After all, among the alchemists Eula knows, only these two can be considered not enemies.
"Found it!" Chen Luo suddenly shouted, startling Eula.
"Found what? Hey, wait, don't run off randomly! You'll get lost!" Seeing Chen Luo heading in a certain direction, Eula quickly chased after him.
When Eula caught up with Chen Luo, she found he had stopped in front of an alchemy crafting bench.
Standing beside the crafting bench was an alchemist whom Eula somewhat remembered; he seemed to be named Timaeus.
"Um, may I touch this crafting bench?" Chen Luo stood in front of the man and asked cautiously.
Ever since Eula pointed out the Good Hunter restaurant earlier, Chen Luo had been looking for this crafting bench, and now he had finally found it.
Reality is different from the game; in reality, Mondstadt couldn't possibly be so small that you could explore the entire city in a short run. Therefore, although in the game the crafting bench and the Good Hunter restaurant are almost opposite each other, it still took Chen Luo some effort to find it.
"Are you also interested in alchemy?" the man standing by the crafting bench asked.
"Alchemy... are you an alchemist?" Chen Luo paused before asking.
"No, no, I can only say I'm an alchemy scholar for now. Alchemy is a technique passed down from ancient times. Its rules are mysterious and wondrous, completely different from the principles of creating objects as we know them. I am just an obscure alchemy scholar on the path of alchemy."
"It sounds quite complicated..."
"It's alright, at least using it isn't complicated. If you're interested, I can teach you the most basic parts. Someone who uses a Wind Glider doesn't need to know how it's made; the same principle applies to alchemy." Timaeus shook his head and said.
Timaeus also noticed Eula following behind Chen Luo but didn't pay it much mind.
Timaeus also knew that Eula was from the Lawrence clan, and he didn't have much fondness for the Lawrence clan either, but that didn't mean he held any particular malice.
For those pursuing alchemy, meaningless likes and dislikes are rather foolish behaviors.
So in a way, Chen Luo was right: an alchemist who rejects Chen Luo simply for walking with Eula isn't an excellent alchemist.
"Um, you're the first alchemist I've ever met, so could I shake your hand? I've always thought alchemy is a marvelous technique." Chen Luo suddenly said, looking at Timaeus with admiring eyes.
"Ah, oh, sure." Timaeus was somewhat flattered by this.
As Timaeus said, he isn't a prominent alchemist in Mondstadt; the most famous are Albedo and his sole assistant, Sucrose.
For an obscure alchemy scholar, admiration from foreigners is often something they find hardest to refuse.
So this handshake was a relatively solemn matter for both parties.
Timaeus
Alchemy (Proficient)
Crafting Bench Usage (Master)
Emmm...
After just two seconds of thought, Chen Luo removed Timaeus from his friend list.
Please, friend lists have slot limits too.
Ahem, of course, this isn't to say Chen Luo looks down on Timaeus; it's mainly that Timaeus's level is a bit low.
That Alchemy (Proficient) goes without saying—the other might not have broken through from the Proficient level to the Master level yet, making it quite redundant for Chen Luo.
How to put it? For Chen Luo, all the skills he encounters now share a common issue: he doesn't want to buy the cheap ones, and he can't afford the expensive ones.
The expensive ones, like Senti's Close Combat Grand Master and Cold Weapons Grand Master—if they weren't included as favorability gifts, Chen Luo would have agonized for a long time over whether to spend Crystals to buy them.
The skills are good, yes, but they're truly expensive.
The cheap ones, like this Timaeus's Alchemy (Proficient).
If only Chen Luo could get his hands on an alchemy book or a grimoire, his alchemy skill would probably be higher than Timaeus's.
Chen Luo's Furniture Mastery means he would never spend money to buy skills below the Master level.
But skills at the Master level and above are all outrageously expensive, leading to a very conflicted situation.
Doesn't want to buy the cheap ones, can't afford the expensive ones.
And as for that Crafting Bench Usage (Master)...
"Mr. Timaeus, although I'd like to discuss basic alchemy with you further, I've made an appointment with friends at the Favonius Cathedral, so let's meet again next time." Chen Luo said somewhat regretfully with a sigh.
"Ah, oh, alright then. Goodbye." Timaeus nodded, watching Chen Luo leave with reluctance in his eyes.
Crafting Bench Usage (Master) get.
While shaking hands with Timaeus earlier, Chen Luo's left hand lightly touched the crafting bench.
What made Chen Luo somewhat regretful was that touching the crafting bench didn't grant him Alchemy Mastery, but rather Crafting Bench Usage Mastery. Of course, he should have been prepared for this after seeing Timaeus's skill set.
"By the way, Eula, where in Mondstadt can I buy alchemy books?" Chen Luo turned and asked Eula.
"What's wrong? Do you want to buy alchemy books?" Eula asked.
"Yes, I do want to buy one." Chen Luo nodded.
"Alchemy books... such things aren't easy to buy. But don't worry, as a return gift for freeloading for so long, I'll buy you an alchemy book."
Although Mondstadt doesn't have official channels for selling alchemy books, and other sources are hard to find, it's not like the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt are completely without alchemists.
"No need, I'll buy it myself."
"But do you have Mora?"
"Uh..." Eula's single question stumped Chen Luo.
Chen Luo indeed doesn't have Mora, but he can barter, right?
An otherworldly high-definition camera—wouldn't you like to learn more about it?
"Alright, I said I'll buy it, so I'll buy it. Won't you even give me this much face? Vengeance will be mine." Eula crossed her arms, looking coldly at Chen Luo.
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
[Compensation and Repayment]: Spindrift Knight Eula Lawrence, feeling that walking with her has made it harder for you to get by in Mondstadt, and also deeply moved by your companionship along the way, wants to buy you an alchemy book as compensation and repayment.
Reward: 50 Primogems
Difficulty: 2-Stars
(Note: Isn't this just doing your part to continue the Lawrence family bloodline?)
"Ah, this..." Chen Luo was stunned.
Because Chen Luo had never received such a commission before.