Chapter 49: Villain Simulator, Ch 49
He knew perfectly well that this was reality, not the simulator. Yet, the coldness and killing instinct honed in the simulator wouldn't just disappear because he was back in the real world.
If forced to choose between killing and being killed, Lucas would always choose the former without hesitation.
[Well done.]
The system's praise sounded more like a mockery.
"No big deal."
This time, Lucas didn't argue with the system, almost as if he was mocking himself.
However, upon returning to the camp, he found something unbelievable.
Zhang Luo, who had taken an arrow to the abdomen earlier, was now waving at Lucas as if nothing had happened.
"Brother Zhang, you... you're okay?" Lucas asked, bewildered.
"Ha, when you're out in the world, you have to be prepared," Zhang Luo replied, lifting his shirt to reveal an iron pot hidden beneath. The arrow had only pierced through the pot's bottom and hadn't harmed him. "I secretly hid it when I slipped away."
Lucas had to admit, while Zhang Luo's combat skills were average, his shrewd awareness of how to survive in an often hostile environment were impressive.
"It's my fault..." Lucas sighed. "If I hadn't fallen for the trap, you wouldn't have been captured."
"No worries. And didn't you save that little girl, anyway?" Zhang Luo seemed unfazed and chuckled. "Besides, these Hilichurls didn't harm us. It was just a close call."
"This was more than just a close call," Fischl, who had been silent until now, spoke with a complex expression. "I didn't expect this matter to involve the Fatui. You didn't leave any survivors, did you?"
"No," Lucas replied calmly.
"Good," Fischl sighed in relief. "If the Fatui found out what you did, it would've caused serious trouble."
Surprisingly, Fischl didn't seem to have any moral qualms about his recent killings. If anything, she appeared to approve.
"What is it?" Fischl seemed to notice Lucas's confusion and frowned. "Don't tell me you thought I, the Prinzessin, would be scared of a few corpses?"
Lucas didn't answer but nodded slightly.
"Don't think the job of an investigator is just traveling around, observing the movement of monsters," Fischl's eyes showed a hint of complexity. "Investigating missing adventurers is also part of the job. I've seen my share of bodies, whether they were smashed by Hilichurl berserkers or dissolved by Slime acid."
At that moment, Lucas realized he had oversimplified Teyvat.
This wasn't some sanitized 12+ game world, and the monsters were far from cute or harmless.
Every year, new adventurers eagerly filled out their registration forms, but most of them did not last more than three years.
They either retired due to severe injuries or quit because of the mental toll... Of course, many of them never returned from their adventures at all.
"Wait, they were really from the Fatui?" Zhang Luo's face paled with alarm. "We'd better leave before we get into more trouble."
Lucas searched Afriel's body and found a Fatui insignia hidden close to his skin. Frowning, he said, "He was a Fatui sergeant... Their mission records will be logged, and these insignias usually have tracking functions. It won't be long before someone comes looking for them."
"So... what do we do now?" Even the experienced Zhang Luo was momentarily at a loss. "First, we need to get rid of these bodies."
"Dispose of the bodies..." Lucas's eyes lit up. "Why didn't I think of that earlier?"
He summoned the Serenitea Pot. "We'll toss the bodies in here. That way, no one will ever find them."
"Throw the bodies... into a teapot?" Fischl looked puzzled.
"Wait, is this the Serenitea Pot?!" Zhang Luo's eyes gleamed with excitement. "This is an incredibly rare treasure... Was this something the young lady gave you?"
"Uh... yeah, sort of," Lucas nodded, playing it off casually.
He couldn't exactly tell them it was something he had exchanged from the system's store.
Zhang Luo, ever the shrewd observer, began to suspect that Lady Keqing saw Lucas as more than an ordinary servant. She had assigned him missions, given him precious items, and the sword in his hand must have been from her as well.
This whole escort mission seemed like an opportunity to polish up a future husband.
With that thought in mind, Zhang Luo's respect for Lucas deepened.
In no time, the three of them tossed the ten bodies into the Serenitea Pot. Afterward, Lucas noticed that Fischl was staring at him with an odd expression.
"Is there something wrong?" Lucas asked, perplexed.
"I've had a strange feeling ever since earlier..." Fischl narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why are you so familiar with the Fatui? You even managed to fool actual members of the Fatui. Who... are you really?"
Despite her eccentric, chūnibyō persona, Fischl was Mondstadt's top investigator. Her sharp observational skills were unparalleled.
She once organized a fan-fiction contest called "Fischl, Princess of Judgment: Tales of the Abyssal Night" using her own money. She rejected every single submission that didn't strictly adhere to the original lore. Any slight deviation in character or background settings was immediately spotted and disqualified.
The winner, a work by "Little Amy," was criticized for being too focused on rigidly sticking to the lore, making it boring. While technically accurate, it was lifeless.
The lesson? No matter how detailed the lore is, what truly makes a story engaging is its ability to entertain. Overemphasizing accuracy at the expense of storytelling turns even the most detailed work into dull reading.
Faced with Fischl's question, Lucas suddenly realized that his behavior had indeed been suspicious.
Though the events in the simulator were virtual, he had grown so used to living as The Doctor that it had become second nature.
When he deceived the Fatui soldiers earlier, it wasn't just acting—it felt like he was drawing from his real experience.
As Lucas was considering how to craft a believable lie, Fischl suddenly smirked. "Even if you don't admit it, I've already figured it out. You're really a Fatui Harbinger, aren't you?"
Lucas froze.
How could she have known about his identity from the simulator?
"You were originally the Undead King of a necromantic kingdom. Your queen was the Empress of Flames. But one day, you were betrayed by your subjects, and during the rebellion, your queen sacrificed herself to protect you..."
Fischl pulled out a notebook and began writing feverishly. "Your grief turned into a burning rage, and you destroyed your entire kingdom. After losing your beloved queen, you wandered through countless realms like a walking corpse, eventually arriving in Teyvat—just like me."
"Wait, wait..." Lucas interrupted, realizing where this was going. "You're making all of this up, aren't you?"
"Don't interrupt me!"
Clearly inspired, Fischl continued her fantastical tale. "After five hundred years of wandering, you finally found someone in Snezhnaya who looked exactly like your lost queen. She was a Fatui Harbinger. To be close to her, you joined the Fatui and rose to become a Harbinger yourself."
Lucas knew that this was just Fischl's chūnibyō imagination at work, but he couldn't help feeling a bit startled. Her fictional story seemed to align oddly with the simulator's events.
"But eventually, you realized she wasn't your true love. Heartbroken, you left the Fatui, assumed a new identity, and settled in Liyue Harbor," Fischl snapped her notebook shut, pointing dramatically at Lucas. "But fate has decreed that you and I would meet! The Undead King from the Necromantic Realm is destined to become my vassal!"
For a moment, Lucas was speechless. Just then, a loud screech echoed from the sky, and a black raven swooped down, circling a few times before landing on Fischl's shoulder.
"Oz?" Fischl exclaimed in surprise. "Weren't you captured?"
"Miss, you're safe, thank goodness," the raven spoke in a surprisingly gentlemanly voice. "Those Hilichurls couldn't possibly catch me. After you were knocked unconscious and strung up, I couldn't use my power, so I went to find help. When I returned, you were gone, so I figured you'd escaped to rescue me. I followed your trail and found you here. Thank the heavens you're alright."
"Those lowly Hilichurls could never pose a threat to me!" Fischl replied, clearly trying to save face. "Of course, my other vassal helped a little. Oz, meet the Undead King from the Necromantic Realm. He's already sworn allegiance to me!"
To avoid arousing Fischl's suspicion further, Lucas reluctantly said, "Yes, I... am the Undead King."
Oz gave Lucas a sympathetic look. "A pleasure to meet you, Undead King. I am Oz, Miss Fischl's loyal retainer."
Ugh, this is mortifying.
If a five-year-old said they were Ultraman, people might think it was cute.
But a twenty-year-old saying something like this? People would think they are delusional.
Oz fluttered onto Lucas's shoulder, whispering, "I'm terribly sorry. By now, you've probably realized that our Miss... isn't quite like other people."
"It's fine," Lucas smiled. "Actually, I think she's quite charming."
"Thank you for indulging her. As for this 'Undead King' business, please don't take it to heart."
Oz paused for a moment before continuing. "A young astrologer told Miss Fischl not long ago that she would meet an Undead King from another world. I assume it was just meant to be a joke, but Miss Fischl took it seriously and even wrote an elaborate backstory."
A young astrologer? Lucas could only think of Mona.
But if Mona had said it, there might be something to it—her astrology was known to be quite accurate, and she never softened her predictions.
The "Undead King"... that was just an identity from the simulator. It had to be a coincidence.
"Oh, right," Fischl said, pointing to the unconscious Hilichurls. "What are you going to do with them? If we just leave, the Fatui will come back and capture them."
From the information he had gathered, Lucas had already deduced that these Hilichurls' transformation was linked to the Fatui, likely the result of one of The Doctor's experiments.
"I don't have much choice," Lucas sighed. "Looks like I'll have to take responsibility for this."
---
Half an hour later.
"Yawn..."
The Hilichurl chieftain stretched and opened her eyes, only to find herself in unfamiliar surroundings.
The environment was pleasant, with several wooden huts standing around her. Though simple, they were sturdy.
This was, of course, the world inside the Serenitea Pot, and the huts had been constructed by Raiden Mai.
Lucas had given her the task of building houses just to keep her occupied, but to his surprise, she had built an entire village.
As the chieftain woke, the other Hilichurls began to stir as well, all of them astonished by their new surroundings.
"You're all finally awake," Lucas said as he stepped forward. "Everyone, look at me. I've got an announcement. I'm... ahem, your new chieftain."
Hilichurls had a simple social structure, and in most tribes, the strongest individual became the leader.
Lucas didn't particularly care about being their chieftain, just as humans wouldn't aspire to become a king of monkeys.
Instead of explaining the complicated situation, it was easier to have them submit and follow orders.
The Hilichurls were confused and turned to their original chieftain.
Surprisingly, she removed her mask, the symbol of leadership, and handed it to Lucas. Smiling, she said, "You are strong, stronger than me. You be chieftain!"
With their former leader's approval, the other Hilichurls didn't hesitate and all began chanting "chieftain."
"Since I'm now your chieftain, you'll all have to follow my orders," Lucas nodded. "From today, you'll live here. There are no humans here, so you can roam freely."
Hearing this, the Hilichurls were overjoyed.
After all, while they were stronger than humans, their numbers were small, which forced them to hide their camps in remote, hidden locations to avoid human detection.
Living without the threat of humans meant they could live freely.
"So, when do we... start reproducing?" The Hilichurl chieftain grabbed Lucas's arm again. "I've been waiting!"
"Not yet!" Lucas had anticipated this and already had a plan in mind. "You're not strong enough yet. You don't have the right to bear my offspring."
"You make a good point," the chieftain nodded seriously. "So what do we need to do to earn the right?"
"Simple," Lucas pointed to Raiden Mai, who was busy with carpentry nearby. "Just defeat her."
The chieftain hadn't expected that earning the right to reproduce would be so "simple." Without a second thought, she grabbed a wooden club and charged at Raiden Mai, shouting enthusiastically, "Long live reproduction!"
However, despite the chieftain's aggressive approach, Raiden Mai remained perfectly calm. Like a machine, she muttered to herself, "Hostile target detected. Estimated threat level: low. Adjusting combat mode to: suppression. Additional directive: do not cause fatal harm."
In an instant, Raiden Mai extended a sharp blade from her arm, slicing the chieftain's wooden club in half. She then delivered a seemingly effortless palm strike to the chieftain's chest, sending her flying several meters through the air.
Raiden Mai, after all, was created by Raiden Ei as a backup puppet to take her place, even though she wasn't ultimately chosen. Among all the "backups," her quality was exceptional. Even without specific training from Raiden Ei, Raiden Mai possessed high level strength. Dealing with a mutated Hilichurl was an easy task for her.
Of course, the non-lethal directive had been set by Lucas in advance. Without it, Raiden Mai, with her lack of restraint, might have easily killed the chieftain.
These Hilichurls, being simple-minded and revering strength, now gazed at Raiden Mai with newfound respect.
"I'll leave the management of these Hilichurls to you," Lucas said, patting Raiden Mai on the shoulder. "But they'll need something to do."
In the Serenitea Pot realm, the Hilichurls no longer needed to worry about survival, which would leave them with a lot of free time. Rather than letting them grow lazy and idle, it was better to find something productive for them to do.
They couldn't keep building houses forever. At Raiden Mai's current rate, they'd have an entire neighborhood constructed in a few days, but it would be useless—no one was going to come here to buy homes anyway.
Lucas didn't seem to realize why he was thinking this way. Perhaps it was a lingering influence from the last simulation, where he had lived the mindset of a capitalist.
He had to extract every bit of value from these Hilichurls!
Raiden Mai appeared to understand Lucas's intent. She scanned him up and down before her gaze settled on the sword at his waist. "Master, may I borrow your sword for a moment?"
"My sword?" Lucas didn't think much of it and handed over the Lion's Roar at his waist. "If you like it, I'll get you one someday. This one was a gift from Keqing, so I can't give it to you."
Raiden Mai carefully held the sword, and from her eyes, beams of light emerged to scan the Lion's Roar. She muttered to herself, "Authentic craftsmanship, quality verified. Material analysis complete. Replication and forging possible."
----
Author's Note: Fischl's imagination is indeed scary... You think Mona is aware of him? 👀
Also I know I haven't posted the extra chaps.. I'll do it tomorrow! Keep sending stones for more extra chapters!
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