The other 99 items Qingque pulled were, for the most part, common junk with dim, lackluster Entries. However, there were a few interesting things among them.
That's how it is when you pull one Star Jade at a time. The item you get is worth at least one Star Jade, so you never have to worry about taking a loss. Whether you can actually use any of it is another matter entirely.
At the very least, Qingque had proven to Chen Li that in 100 single pulls, the success rate for getting anything decent was less than 5%.
"Chen Li, do you buy these back?" After a long moment of dejection, Qingque looked at Chen Li as if he were her savior.
"Theoretically, they all have Entries, so I can indeed recycle them, but..."
"But what?"
"But using the Flame of Miracle to strengthen these Entries would be a criminal waste," Chen Li explained.
After all, increasing an Entry's brightness required Miracle Crystals, which couldn't be bought with money. On the other hand, brighter Entries could always be purchased if one was willing to spend. And while Chen Li didn't have money, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus certainly did.
"Then..."
"However, this Old Master Chen has a kind heart. Among the 100 items you pulled, three have decent brightness. I'll offer you 30 Star Jades for them. Over 50 of them, while not bright, look edible. I can buy those at half their cost. The rest... I wouldn't even want to put them in my mouth, so no deal," Chen Li said.
With his [Gourmet Cells], no item was a complete waste. Just because the Entries on these items weren't bright didn't mean the items themselves weren't valuable or rare; it just meant their "story" hadn't settled yet.
However, Chen Li was a picky eater. At the very least, his food needed to be clean. Just because he could eat something didn't mean he wanted to. Like that weather-beaten denim jacket lying nearby—Chen Li didn't even want to imagine what might be on it, so it was an absolute no-go.
"Yay! I've made back 55 Star Jades!" Qingque sighed in relief.
"Don't celebrate just yet."
"What's wrong?" Qingque's heart skipped a beat at his words.
"Because you're about to be even happier."
"Hmm?"
"This thing. I'll buy it for 100 Star Jades. Selling?" Chen Li asked, holding up the Electro Gnosis.
"Selling, selling, selling!" Qingque said in a flurry.
"Aren't you going to ask what it is? Aren't you afraid you're getting ripped off?" Chen Li deadpanned.
"If you wanted to rip me off, you would have just bundled everything together and taken it all just now. Besides, I don't see anything particularly divine about it," Qingque waved her hand dismissively.
"You... you're actually pretty smart. Whether this item is worth 100 Star Jades is debatable, but the Entries on it are exactly what I need." Chen Li tossed the Gnosis in his hand.
A Gnosis was a powerful thing, proof of one's status as one of the Seven Archons in Teyvat. But so what? Even if something this precious could be used normally in the Honkai world, its price wouldn't compare to the Amber of the Divine Body that Jing Yuan was gifting him. For the Interastral Peace Corporation, who revered Preservation, they would probably enshrine that amber. Heaven knows how Jing Yuan even got his hands on it.
In Chen Li's hands, the Gnosis's only value was in its Entries.
And one shouldn't underestimate the purchasing power of 100 Star Jades. Chen Li was confident that if he did a 100-Jade pull himself, the quality of the item wouldn't be much worse than a Gnosis, and there was even a chance it could be far superior. But he likely wouldn't be able to use the Entries on those items.
So he was willing to make an offer, but not a high one.
Besides, didn't he have the Xianzhou as a backer now? Chen Li was already pondering just how much he should charge for a Curio that could suppress the Mara. This deal with the Xianzhou was guaranteed to be profitable.
Default on the payment? Not a chance. The IPC might be shameless, but the Xianzhou definitely cared about its reputation. And if Chen Li could forge a Curio that suppressed the Mara, he could just as easily forge one that could instantly detonate the Mara in every single person on the Xianzhou.
As a smart man, Jing Yuan had clearly realized this, which was why he had already sent Chen Li the Amber of the Divine Body before he had even lifted a finger. The leaders of major factions might be crooked, but they were never stupid.
"Chen Li, can I cash in those 100 Star Jades now?" Qingque suddenly asked.
"Sure, what's up? Wait, you're not planning to keep gambling, are you?"
"Ehehe... as long as you're willing to buy back the valuable stuff, I'm willing to keep gambling. See? I got a miracle on a single pull and made my money back, didn't I? Plus a clean profit of 55 Star Jades." Qingque shrugged.
This is a high-stakes gamble, my friend.
I can gamble one more time, my friend.
Why not go all in, my friend.
We've come this far, my friend.
"Whatever makes you happy. But I don't buy back just anything. And likewise, if I want to buy something, you don't have to sell it to me." Chen Li glanced at his Star Jade balance, which was over 5000. He wasn't worried in the slightest.
This was the confidence of the house.
Chen Li would never bet his 30 years of bachelorhood on a gacha pull, but Qingque was already sacrificing her next 100 years of singlehood.
You might win a little, but Chen Li would never lose. Star Jades were meant to be spent.
And Qingque hadn't lost her mind. To her, while Star Jades were precious, they couldn't be exchanged for money. Why not use them to gamble for the things she actually wanted?
As long as I, Qingque, remain sufficiently unambitious and free of lofty goals, I am invincible!
---o---
"By the way, when you get an item from the Star Sea Treasure, is it taken from the original owner, or is it a replica?" Chen Li wondered, looking at the Gnosis in his hand.
The Guide didn't specify, and he hadn't cared before. But now that he was holding a Gnosis, he started to get curious. After all, if the Raiden Shogun of Teyvat lost her Gnosis, then...
Then Scaramouche wouldn't be able to use it to become the Shouki no Kami?
That was a good thing!
Suddenly, Chen Li felt the question wasn't so important anymore.
"Yay, a good pull!" Qingque cheered from the side.
"What'd you get? What'd you get?" Chen Li instinctively looked over and saw her clutching a Celestial Jade tile, cheering.
Oh, just a tile. Never mind.
The tiles were of little use to him. However, the fact that Qingque could pull two of them so easily made Chen Li ponder the connection between the gambler and the prize.
Yes, "easily." Although he had established a miracle beacon in the Honkai universe, allowing him to set it as a "rate-up banner," the universe was vast. Pulling two non-duplicate items from the same series within 200 pulls was truly incredible.
And so, Chen Li passed the time by watching Qingque pull mountains of junk, eating said junk, and waiting for Medusa's reply.
Strange ores, poison needles that kill on contact, royal jelly that cures all illnesses after consumption...
Don't ask Chen Li if someone poisoned by the needle could survive by eating the royal jelly, because he didn't know either. All he knew was that it all tasted pretty good.
Attribute Points +1, +1, +1, +1...
Chen Li felt his current base combat power was almost one-tenth of a Jingliu.
Just half a month ago, he couldn't even defeat a Chariot-class Honkai beast. To have grown to one-tenth of a Jingliu without using his [Allocation] ability was all thanks to the [Gourmet Cells] raising his physical stats.
Though Jingliu was a slender woman, as the Sword Champion of the Xianzhou, she was a monster among monsters of the long-life species. Calling her a humanoid tyrannosaurus wouldn't even begin to describe one percent of her ferocity; she could pin Chen Li down with one hand.
But according to the simplest arithmetic, without using [Allocation], Chen Li could now trade a dozen of his lives for one of hers!
Congratulations, everyone!
Therefore... Chen Li decided that the next time he used a Trial Certificate, he would definitely choose a non-combat skill. Then, he would cash in the reward Jingliu had promised him and make her wear a black-stockinged maid outfit.
After Jingliu's killed me so many times, can't I enjoy myself for once?
As for settling who was the "man" in the relationship, that could wait until after he'd had his fill. With enough variety in his diet, surpassing Jingliu in three days was not a dream!
But miracles weren't just about simple fighting...
Medusa: Thank you for the Curio you forged for me. These glasses are very useful. I no longer need to wear a paper bag when I go out.
Chen Li's wait was not in vain. It didn't take long for Medusa to send her feedback. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the message. He had confidence in his work, but it was because of that confidence that he worried. For example, would the suppression effect be so strong it would render her blind?
Fortunately, when using [Allocation] to fine-tune the [Suppression] Entry, he had put all the points into "limiting the trigger effect."
Single-Entry Curios were always nerve-wracking.
But they were cheap. No matter how many flaws they had, a single advantage was enough.
Chen Li: What about the thing you promised me?
He had specifically used a Compulsory Transaction Gold Coin to seal the contract with Medusa, so he wasn't worried about her bailing. He was only worried that her world might not have the items he wanted.
Medusa: I've already placed the order in the Netherworld. It should arrive by courier in a couple of days. But about that second Curio...
Chen Li: I can give it a try. And since you've already agreed to let me visit your world, I can go with you now to check on that friend of yours.
Medusa: No problem, but about keeping it a secret...
Chen Li: Don't worry, my lips are famously sealed! No one can pry them open unless a beautiful girl does it with her own "lips"!
Medusa: Then I'm relieved. I'm ready. Are you coming now?
Chen Li: One moment, be right there.
"Hey, Qingque, stop pulling." Chen Li tapped the shoulder of the gacha-addicted Diviner.
"What is it? Something up?" Qingque, who was about to crush another Star Jade, turned to look at him.
"I'm heading out for a bit. Remember to spread the word in the Friends Circle about making Star Jades the official currency, and leave a good review while you're at it. Also, I need you to do me one more favor."
"What is it?"
"Interested in throwing your weight around?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Jing Yuan probably figured out my Genius Society identity from the clues I intentionally left behind, and he wants to gift me that Amber of the Divine Body. But I have to go out... how about you wear these glasses, swagger into the General's residence, eat and drink your fill, and grab the amber for me on your way out?" Chen Li took off his [Disguise Glasses] and placed them in her hand. The glasses would prevent anyone from recognizing her, and he would notify Jing Yuan in advance.
"Huh? Me?"
"That's right, you. Wear these glasses, go into the General's residence, and as long as you don't start riding on the General's head, no one will dare to stop you," Chen Li guaranteed.
Whether a normal Genius Society member could get away with it was debatable, but a Genius Society member who could forge a Curio that suppressed the Mara absolutely had that privilege.
"Really?"
"Of course. And Fu Xuan might go looking for the General. If you're lucky enough to run into her, you can even ride on her head and act tyrannically."
"I'm afraid the Lady Diviner will divine that I'm the mole and whip me until I spin like a top," Qingque shook her head.
"Oh, and this." Chen Li took out a Star Jade, crushed it in his fist, and sprinkled the dust over her head. "This will help you briefly confuse fate. There, you can go make the delivery now."
"Delivery?"
"Help me deliver something."
"Oh, you scared me. I thought you were telling me to go deliver myself to my death. But aren't I picking something up?"
"Slip of the tongue."
"But why don't you just have General Jing Yuan use the Friends Circle to send the item over?"
"Because the delivery fee is very expensive."
"Makes sense... wait, does that mean I'm free?" Qingque paused.
"You've got nothing better to do anyway, right? Just tell me, do you want the experience of being able to act tyrannically in the General's residence or not?"
"Ermm... I do!"
Watching Qingque finally stop her gacha pulls and prepare to leave the archives to wreak havoc in the General's residence, Chen Li tossed the [Elation's 20-Sided Die] in his hand, feeling a bit troubled.
His Elation Points were overflowing again.
Life truly is full of amusement.
Regardless of whether Qingque got exposed in the end, it would be highly entertaining. It was a bit unscrupulous, but if anything went wrong, he could just smooth it over with the Approbation of Sublime Morality.
---o---