"I suddenly feel that hiring you as my bartender is one of the best decisions I've made in the past few days," Chen Luo said, leaning lazily across the bar counter as he stared intently at Raven.
"Even if you're my boss now, could you not stare at me like that? Be careful, or I'll report you for workplace harassment."
After serving Bronya a glass of vodka—then upselling her to the "enhanced" version, and then again to an even more enhanced version—Raven couldn't help but look helplessly at Chen Luo.
"If it were me, I'd have just given Bronya the vodka she asked for. But you? You actually convinced her to order three times in a row. You're really… I'm growing fonder of you by the minute, Raven," Chen Luo said, unable to hide his admiration.
The original ten-Primogem profit had instantly jumped to thirty. Chen Luo couldn't help regretting that he hadn't brought Raven in sooner.
He'd only been running this bar for about ten days anyway. Besides, Chen Luo's true expertise lay in milking commissions, not in mixology.
Actually, both he and Raven had their own strengths in "farming commissions."
Raven excelled at coaxing customers into ordering the next, more expensive version of a drink—meeting their expectations while boosting sales. However, she lacked initiative; in other words, she wasn't great at actively milking customers but was excellent at chain-selling.
Chen Luo, on the other hand, was better at reading people's hearts and understanding their true desires. And since he already knew these anime and game characters inside out, he often scored massive profits from them.
Of course, there was another reason: Raven didn't have any achievements yet, so she lacked the passive bonuses they granted. When a new customer came in, they might just turn around and leave.
Even regulars could have their desire to spend affected.
Meanwhile, Chen Luo's achievements covered practically everything—in fact, they covered everyone. There wasn't a single being in this world whose favorability he couldn't raise.
And that, ultimately, was the core of the bar's success.
Chen Luo couldn't help but wonder if his talent panel had been inactive for two whole years just so it could wait for him to unlock the [Saint Chen] achievement.
If he and Raven joined forces to sell drinks, they could make an absolute fortune.
"..." Raven, who had been quietly polishing a glass, paused for a moment, then tugged the brim of her hat down.
"Was that workplace harassment?" she muttered.
"No, no, no, I'm just stating the truth. If possible, Raven, could you come work every night?"
"I'll come whenever I don't have missions or other things to handle." After a brief hesitation, Raven nodded.
After all, Chen Luo's bar was indeed a safe, easygoing place—you just needed to chat with guests.
And coincidentally, Raven was skilled at intelligence gathering and knowledgeable about alcohol. Calculated this way, the work-point income was high.
"Actually," Chen Luo added, "if you ever have missions or run into trouble, you can just use work points to call me for help. If it's to clear obstacles so you can work, I'll only charge a symbolic few points. Say you need to carry out a mission or something—call me. With me, a Herrscher of Dominance plus a Herrscher of Corruption, I can easily crush everything in the Honkai world for you. As long as you're not assassinating some world leader, it's fine."
"Why are you being so enthusiastic, really…" Raven sighed, exasperated.
"Hey, Raven, how about you resign from World Serpent?" Chen Luo suddenly said.
"Huh? Me, resign from World Serpent? Then what, you'll support me? And support Sora and the others too?" Raven gave him a sharp look.
"If I say I'll support you, then I will. As for Sora and the rest, that's simple. In my own world, I'm not all that influential—but in the Honkai world, saying I can do whatever I want might be a stretch, but saying I can act without restraint? That's no exaggeration." Chen Luo spoke with complete confidence.
His Honkai Terminator skill could solve ninety-nine percent of all combat problems.
Anyone deeply connected to Honkai energy might not be someone he could beat in a fair fight—but Honkai Terminator could still teach them a painful lesson.
And anyone not connected to Honkai energy? Honkai Terminator wouldn't even need to activate; Chen Luo could crush such people with one hand.
Meanwhile, his three Herrscher authorities—Dominance, Corruption, and Sentience—could solve ninety-nine percent of non-combat problems.
"Alright, alright, I'll come to the bar often, okay? But let me tell you something—bosses who act too humble end up being taken advantage of. Their employees either quit or start demanding raises." Raven finally agreed, though not without offering some advice.
"That's good. Raven, my dear Raven…"
Chen Luo felt he was getting closer and closer to achieving his "sleeping-with-the-bartender-in-the-loft" goal.
Ahem—just kidding.
Still, Raven really was an excellent bartender.
Chen Luo had been thinking for a while about finding a bartender, waiter, or something similar for the bar.
Naturally, his first thought was of famous mixologists from anime and games.
For example, Diona from Genshin Impact was an excellent bartender—but Chen Luo rejected the idea immediately.
Even a total novice, after receiving the bar's blessing, could make delicious drinks. So, technical mixology wasn't the key—the real art lay in how much you could milk the guests.
And with Diona's hatred for drunkards, she'd probably drive every customer away.
Then Chen Luo considered using puppets as stand-ins. That idea was quite good, but so far, there weren't any qualified candidates.
Still, today's sudden inspiration had unexpectedly brought him a perfect bartender.
Of course, Raven wasn't without flaws.
Her bartending and cooking skills were, frankly, pretty bad—barely above beginner level, and only recently approaching "proficient."
Even with the bar's blessing, they could only rise to Master level at best—still far below what Chen Luo himself could make.
Because of that, whenever Raven worked behind the bar, Chen Luo still had to remain nearby, serving as the bar's "template" for automatic drink and food production.
"By the way, Raven, do you have any work uniforms? That outfit of yours is fine for a mercenary, but as a bartender, it's a bit…" Chen Luo said tactfully, giving her a once-over.
"I do have one. I can wear it, but…"
"But what?"
"It'll cost extra."
"…No problem. If you wear the uniform while working, I'll give you an extra two work points per day," Chen Luo said after a brief pause, then nodded.
After all, work points meant nothing to him.
If Raven wanted to spend them to make wishes, it would naturally generate corresponding commissions—which benefited Chen Luo anyway.
And as for the $100 cash bonus he paid her, that was even easier.
Without even touching his gold reserves, Chen Luo could simply use the Herrscher of Corruption's authority to skim a little "dirty money" from a few shady businessmen or politicians, launder it through several layers, and transfer it right into Raven's account.
With Raven handling all the upselling at the bar, Chen Luo only needed to watch for potential missed commissions. That greatly reduced how much he needed to stay mentally active—and helped him better resist the murderous intent and chaotic energy constantly gnawing at his mind.
Moreover, even when Chen Luo wasn't fighting against the killing intent and malignant energy flooding his mind, he could still focus on carving his puppets—saving himself plenty of time in the process.
"By the way, Chen Luo, when are you heading to World Serpent? Tomorrow's already the fifth day."
Seeing that there were no customers around and that Chen Luo looked half-asleep, Raven suddenly spoke up.
"Huh? It's the fifth day already? That fast?"
Chen Luo, who had been using the killing intent and malignant energy to sharpen his mental power, was momentarily stunned.
"Of course. Why would I lie to you?"
"..." Chen Luo fell silent for a moment, then glanced up at the countdown timer for his 10% discount on the talent panel.
"Raven, even if my brain's half-dead right now, I'm not actually brain-dead. Tomorrow's obviously the fourth day, okay?" Chen Luo sighed helplessly.
"Ah, really? Guess I remembered wrong then. So, when are you going?" Raven paused, glass still in hand.
Technically, the bar's glasses and dishes didn't need cleaning—the system recycled them automatically.
But Raven, being used to real bar work, had a habit of wiping down glasses out of instinct.
After all, you can't exactly sit around cleaning guns in a bar, can you?
"The day after tomorrow. How about that?" Chen Luo said after a brief thought.
Honestly, if Raven hadn't reminded him, he probably would've forgotten the appointment altogether.
Chen Luo had actually been avoiding getting involved with people from the Elysian Realm.
Because he wasn't sure—did those Flame-Chasers remember him? How much did they know?
If they saw him again, would that affect the things he did 50,000 years ago?
And if those past actions changed, would it have a huge impact on this world?
Sometimes, knowing your own fate ahead of time isn't a blessing—it's a curse.
Still, World Serpent wasn't quite the same as the Elysian Realm, so it wasn't too big a deal.
Though that reasoning sounded a little timid, Chen Luo—who now felt like the fate of the entire world rested on his shoulders—couldn't help thinking that way.
In quiet moments, he sometimes wondered: if he had met Mobius first instead of the Herrscher of Sentience, would he have rushed to save the Previous Era without hesitation?
Or—if he'd never met Theresa, never taken the commission to find Kiana, never met Mei or the others, never known Raven or Sora, and had been completely cut off from the world of Honkai Impact 3rd...
Would he have thrown himself wholeheartedly into saving the Previous Era instead?
Having to choose between two worlds was exhausting.
After all, if he wanted to, Chen Luo really did have a chance—however slim—of killing the Final Herrscher.
"The day after tomorrow, huh? Fine. But what about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow's tight. I've got to save the world," Chen Luo said with a sigh.
"'Save the world'? If you don't want to go, just say so. You don't need an excuse that lame." Raven shot him a side glance.
"Alright, fine, I'll be honest. I'm planning to slay a dragon—and then drag a certain Prince of the Abyss out for a beating." Chen Luo said, completely straight-faced.
This time, he wasn't lying. That was genuinely his plan.
"Really?" Raven looked at him suspiciously.
She figured Chen Luo probably couldn't tell two lies in a row.
"Why would I lie to you? Interested in coming along? I can take you with me," Chen Luo offered.
"Is there payment?"
"...No."
"Then forget it." Raven shook her head.
Who in their right mind would work for free?
"Hey, A'Luo! A'Luo! Gimme a few more of those black chocolate bars!"
The Herrscher of Sentience suddenly dashed over and slapped Chen Luo on the shoulder.
"Didn't I just give you six hundred?" Chen Luo stared at her, dumbfounded.
Did she really eat them that fast? One bar every ten minutes—that'd mean six hundred bars in less than an hour!
"What are you thinking? Of course I didn't finish them all. I've still got five hundred and twenty-one left," the Herrscher of Sentience said with a grin.
"Then... eat those," Chen Luo replied, confused.
"..."
Thump!
The Herrscher of Sentience gave him a swift chop to the head.
"Just give me three more bars, now," she said coldly.
Was this guy's brain broken?
Or was it completely filled with nothing but Primogems?
"What do you even need three more for?" Chen Luo asked, though he obediently handed them over—better than taking another hit.
"Mei and the others said they were curious about the taste, so I'm letting them try." The Herrscher of Sentience's grin turned sly.
"Hmm... that doesn't sound like something Mei would say. More like something Kiana would."
"Yep, you guessed right." The Herrscher of Sentience nodded approvingly.
"I hope they like those chocolate bars." She almost burst out laughing as she said it.
"Senti, I should remind you—those things are very expensive," Chen Luo whispered.
"Ah, I know, just put it on my tab," the Herrscher of Sentience waved casually.
"Tab? What tab?" Chen Luo froze.
He didn't remember keeping any tab—especially not one for her.
"How should I know?"
"...If you don't know, then why bring it up? Do we even need a tab between us? And besides, tabs have to be paid back." Chen Luo rubbed his temples.
"Fine, fine—worst case, I'll pay with myself, okay? When the tab's full, just let me know. Anyway, I'm heading upstairs." The Herrscher of Sentience said airily.
"This girl really loves to joke," Chen Luo said with a small smile, not taking it seriously.
Then, with a sigh, he added "3 black chocolate bars" to the notes section of his talent panel.
He couldn't help but wonder—when that tab did fill up, what kind of excuse would the Herrscher of Sentience come up with?
Or... what would she actually do?
As for Senti's "price"...
Let's just estimate it at +∞ for now.
Still—considering how fast she went through those chocolate bars—Chen Luo wasn't sure if he could really afford to keep her fed.