Leaving the Palais Mermonia, Luo Qing strolled toward his residence while simultaneously immersing his consciousness in the Void Network.
Thanks to Furina’s unexpected success as a brand ambassador, the first batch of Void Terminals delivered by the Akademiya had nearly sold out. Consequently, Fontaine’s Void Network gained a number of new nodes as citizens eagerly connected their devices.
At this moment, Luo Qing could, if he desired, take control of the bodies of anyone who had purchased a Void Terminal. He could access their thoughts, memories, or even their perspective at will.
Of course, Luo Qing had no particular interest in invading the privacy of others. Unless absolutely necessary, he found such activities tiresome and pointless.
Sweeping through the network of new users, Luo Qing noticed a peculiar detail—there wasn’t a single Fatui agent among them.
Strange, he thought.
Given Arlecchino’s cautious nature, anything remotely suspicious or impactful would typically attract her investigation. Why hadn’t she or her subordinates bought a Void Terminal to analyze it?
Does she know about my abilities and refuse to take the bait?
“Well, if she won’t bite, nothing I can do about it.”
Luo Qing shook his head, a touch disappointed.
He had hoped that Arlecchino, or perhaps the sibling duo Lynette and Lyney, might slip up and wear a Terminal. With that, he could take control of them effortlessly through the Void Authority. The mental effort required for such control was far less than direct psychic manipulation. He could even maintain control for several months or brainwash them through dreamscapes, turning them into his allies.
Much like he had done with Rosalyne.
As Luo Qing walked, he muttered to himself.
“Maybe it’s time to take another shot at the prize pool.”
If he managed to draw another “Master Ball,” he could simply toss it at Arlecchino’s forehead, and all his problems would be solved.
Lately, though, his time had been consumed by keeping his various “wives” happy. Between maintaining and increasing their affection levels by day and “submitting assignments” by night, he hadn’t paid much attention to his accumulated Frustration Points.
During his time in Sumeru, he had earned a considerable number of points from broadcasting “healing” anime through his Dream of Truth ability, but the prize pool hadn’t changed since then. Without new rewards to look forward to, he had shelved the idea of using his points for now, waiting for the pool to update before making his move.
“Still…” Luo Qing frowned. “Is the slow update because I haven’t advanced the plot? Is it triggered by progress?”
Just as he was about to log out of the Void Network and assign new tasks to his subordinates, a soft green light appeared beside him.
“Nahida?”
The tiny figure of the Dendro Archon materialized, holding his hand with her small fingers. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, her expression as adorable as ever.
Luo Qing had been away in Fontaine for over half a year, and Nahida missed him dearly. After much effort, she finally extended the Void Network to Fontaine, just so she could visit him more often.
“What are you up to, Luo Qing?” she asked sweetly.
Luo Qing smiled and ruffled her hair affectionately.
“Just thinking about a few things. What’s up, Nahida? Did you need something?”
“Umm…” Nahida hesitated, her voice dropping to a soft murmur.
“The Dendro Archon… my… um, mother, and I miss you a little. When will you come back? Oh, and Ei and Makoto both told me to tell you to come back soon, too…”
“This…” Luo Qing couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Looking at Nahida, her eager gaze reminded him of a child longing for their father to come home.
“I’m sorry, Nahida,” Luo Qing said, patting her head. “Please ask everyone to wait just a little longer. It won’t be long before I’m back. Maybe I’ll even bring all of you to Fontaine for a visit.”
“Really?” Nahida’s eyes lit up before she nodded with a sweet smile. “Alright, we’ll wait for you in Sumeru.”
Her tone turned serious as she added, “If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know. With Mother’s guidance, I’ve gained much better control over the World Tree. If you need any information, I can find it for you!”
“Thank you, Nahida,” Luo Qing replied, touched by her sincerity. However, he shook his head.
“This mission was entrusted to me by Her Majesty the Tsaritsa. I’ll handle it myself.”
Although Nahida’s mastery over the World Tree would undoubtedly allow him to quickly pinpoint the location of the Hydro Archon’s Gnosis, involving her would also drag her into the Tsaritsa’s faction.
Given the unknown entities that might be observing them from the shadows, Luo Qing couldn’t risk exposing Nahida or her people to potential fallout.
“Alright,” Nahida agreed reluctantly, her expression softening into a smile. “We’ll wait for you to come back and take us to Fontaine!”
“Mm.”
Looking at her cheerful smile, Luo Qing felt a wave of warmth. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, lifting her up for a hug.
She really is like my daughter. So thoughtful and sweet.
After spending some time bonding with Nahida in the Void Network, Luo Qing returned home and withdrew his consciousness.
Natalia and her team, having sold all the Void Terminals, were already waiting for him.
“Are they all sold out?” Luo Qing asked as he lounged on the sofa, glancing at the transaction ledger.
He couldn’t help but feel satisfied. Even as a “mascot,” Furina’s divine influence remained undeniable. When a god endorsed a product, the sales figures were guaranteed to be sky-high.
“Everything’s sold out, my Lord,” Natalia confirmed with a nod. “The next shipment of Void Terminals is set to arrive next week. They’ve already been completely reserved by Fontaine’s citizens.”
“Excellent.” Luo Qing nodded approvingly.
“Keep the Mora we earned after giving the Akademiya their share. Consider it your reward.”
“Thank you, my Lord!”
Natalia and her team bowed respectfully.
“By the way, did Arlecchino or her people show up today?”
“No, my Lord. We kept an eye out, but neither Lady Arlecchino nor her subordinates were spotted.”
“Hmm…” Luo Qing mused, unsurprised.
As he scanned the group, he noticed someone was missing. Sergei, the muscle-bound but not-so-bright member of his team, was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Sergei?”
Natalia hesitated, her tone awkward as she explained.
“Well… following your instructions, he performed a naked dance in the plaza after the livestream. He attracted quite the crowd of Fontaine women, but then the Tribunal detained him for public indecency. They sentenced him to Meropide without trial for corrupting public morals.”
“…” Luo Qing blinked.
Fontaine really doesn’t mess around when it comes to justice.
“Fine,” he said, sighing. “Tell him I’ll be heading to Meropide eventually. He can gather intel while he’s there. Once he’s done, I’ll get him out.”
“Yes, my Lord!”
—
This is a fan translation of 原神：这个见习执行官太屑了 by 何一乐. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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