Chapter 41

The next day arrived.

Yuri woke up early, had breakfast with the four little ones, and then went to the Herta Space Station.

This time, Yuri planned to ask Herta for help in building a small laboratory for Clara in the large storage room on the second floor of the train.

The four little ones had never been to the space station before and were quickly fascinated by its technological marvels all over.

"Wow~ It's so beautiful here! Look at that little thing—it can fly!" Hook pointed at an intelligent robot, eyes full of curiosity.

"Klee doesn't know. Does Bailu know?"

Bailu touched her chin, thinking. "This thing seems similar to Luofu's mechanical birds. They're used for deliveries."

Yuri glanced around. The Herta Laboratory was nearby, and right next to it was the Simulated Universe.

To be honest, Yuri had little interest in the Simulated Universe. It was something Herta, Ruan Mei, and the others had created to explore the mysteries of the Aeons. Since Kevin hadn't been around to continue the project, progress had stalled.

Just then, the doors of the laboratory opened.

Herta and Asta stepped out.

"Oh, it's you. I was wondering who tripped the alarm," Herta said, a bit surprised to see Yuri.

Yuri smiled. "Good morning, Herta, Asta."

Asta greeted him warmly. "Good morning, Mr. Yuri! I'm almost done gathering enough Stellar Jade. Is the battleship still available?"

Yuri nodded. "Yep, just visit the store when you're ready to buy."

"Got it!" Asta said happily.

Herta crossed her arms. "So, what brings you to my space station?"

Before Yuri could answer, Bailu tugged at his sleeve. "Yuri, we want to go explore!"

Yuri thought for a moment, then turned to Asta. "Asta, I've got something to do. Are you free? Can you take these four little ones to explore the station?"

Asta smiled. "Of course! Leave it to me."

She waved at the children. "Alright, kids, follow me. I'll show you around!"

The four little ones cheered and ran to Asta, excited for their adventure.

Once Asta left with the kids, Yuri turned back to Herta. "I need a favor."

Herta raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Go on."

"I want to build a small laboratory. I have a young girl who's learning mechanics, and I want to set up a space for her to experiment and study."

Herta looked unimpressed. "That's it? You're asking me for something so trivial?"

Yuri grinned. "Well, you're the expert. Sure, I could buy the equipment myself, but I don't know what's best. I figured it'd be smarter to ask a professional like you."

Herta smirked. "At least you know where to get real expertise. It's for mechanics, right?"

Yuri nodded.

Herta snapped her fingers, and a virtual screen appeared in front of her. She tapped rapidly, shifting through data until a detailed blueprint appeared.

With a flick of her hand, the screen's contents folded into a list, which she tossed toward Yuri. His communicator beeped as the file was sent to him.

"I'm not going with you—I have better things to do. That list contains all the best beginner-friendly mechanical equipment. Buy it yourself."

Yuri checked his device. "Got it. Thanks, Herta. I'll pick up Klee and the others later."

After saying goodbye, Yuri returned to the train.

Back on the train, Yuri headed straight to Himeko to get the key to the second-floor storage room. Himeko, curious, followed him.

Inside, the room was cluttered with old equipment and discarded materials.

"Yuri, what are you doing here?" Himeko asked.

Yuri pulled up the list Herta had sent him. "I asked Herta for a list of beginner-friendly mechanical equipment. I'm setting up a lab for Clara. Reading books is great, but she needs hands-on experience, right?"

Himeko was surprised. She knew Yuri doted on Clara, but going as far as building her a personal lab? That was unexpected.

She glanced over the list. The equipment wasn't cheap—it was all top-tier market technology.

"This is for beginners?" she muttered skeptically. Many researchers on the space station didn't even have access to equipment this good.

She thought for a moment. Maybe Herta had recommended gear based on what she had used when she was a beginner—an absurdly high standard.

Meanwhile, Yuri opened the system shop and started purchasing the equipment. 

A full set of 13 devices cost less than 10,000 Stellar Jade.

After securing the purchases, Yuri called down to Venti on the first floor. "Venti, I need a strong gust of wind to clear this room out."

With a flick of his fingers, Venti sent a whirlwind through the storage space, clearing away all the junk.

More than half an hour later, the transformation was complete.

The once-cluttered storage room was now a state-of-the-art laboratory.

Himeko looked around, thoroughly impressed. The equipment here was even better than what was available in the train's existing lab.

She smirked. "I might just come here to run my own experiments. This setup is incredible."

Yuri clapped his hands, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "Alright, time to get Clara."

Yuri found Clara in the library, engrossed in her Gundam model.

"Clara, grab your textbooks and models—I'm taking you somewhere special."

Clara quickly packed up and stood next to Yuri, looking up at him with curiosity. "Brother Yuri, where are we going?"

Yuri ruffled her hair. "It's a surprise. You'll see soon."

Clara, now even more curious, hurried after him.

When they reached the second floor, Clara's eyes widened in awe at the sight of the newly built lab.

"Is this… a laboratory?"

Yuri grinned. "Yep. From now on, this lab belongs to you. What do you think? Do you like it?"

Clara stared in disbelief. "Clara… can't…"

She was about to refuse, but Yuri cut her off. "It's settled. And don't think it's free—when you finish your Gundam model, you have to build one for me too. Deal?"

Seeing no other option, Clara nodded eagerly. "Okay! Clara will work hard!"

Yuri chuckled and patted her head. "Good. Now, go learn how to use the equipment with Himeko."

Himeko waved. "Come on, Clara. I'll show you around."

Clara eagerly followed Himeko, taking careful notes as she learned about each device's functions and safety precautions.

With her first real lab, Clara's journey into mechanics had truly begun.

Liyue Harbor, inside the Northland Bank.

La Signora arrived with her subordinates.

"Where is Childe? Why don't I see him?"

One of Childe's subordinates quickly answered, "The young master went to the Wangsheng Hall Internet Café to play."

La Signora frowned. Play? He still had the mind to play? Our plan had yet to be realized, and he dared to waste time gaming!

"Take me to him!"

The subordinate hurriedly led La Signora toward the Wangsheng Hall Internet Café.

About half an hour later, they arrived at the entrance.

The once-quiet Wangsheng Hall was now bustling, with people coming and going—most of them heading inside to surf the web.

The ceremonial officer at the door saw La Signora and her entourage and hurried forward to greet them. "Esteemed guest, are you here to use the internet or conduct funeral business at Wangsheng Hall?"

La Signora ignored the officer and arrogantly walked straight inside.

Scanning the courtyard, she quickly identified the internet café—easily the most crowded area.

Stepping inside, she spotted Childe near the entrance, playing Meteor Butterfly Sword with intense focus.

"Take this! Finally, my revenge is complete!"

Childe was engrossed, his expression filled with satisfaction. A game like this—tailored for martial arts enthusiasts—was perfect for him.

While Childe was having the time of his life, La Signora was seething.

She stormed over and ordered the person sitting next to him to move. "You, get up."

The player turned, frowning. "Who are you? If you want to play, go line up. Get lost and don't bother me."

La Signora's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, she delivered a slap imbued with ice energy.

The unfortunate player was sent flying, crashing into a wall. His computer shattered into pieces upon impact.

Childe immediately removed his headphones, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Seeing La Signora's furious expression, he knew this wasn't good.

Damn it! This is Liyue! He had learned the hard way—after getting beaten up twice—that this wasn't a place where the Fatui could throw their weight around.

He hurriedly grabbed La Signora's wrist. "We need to go! You're causing trouble!"

She yanked her arm free. "Trouble? What trouble? What's there to be afraid of? We are Fatui Harbingers! I want to see exactly what these people can do to me!"

Childe sighed, recognizing his past arrogance in her current behavior.

At that moment, Hu Tao and Silver Wolf emerged from the back, having been working on a new set of computers.

Seeing the wreckage, Hu Tao's face darkened. "What's going on? Who's making trouble here?"

Silver Wolf scanned the room and locked onto the culprit. "Hu Tao, it's her."

Hu Tao turned to face La Signora. "Who are you? My Wangsheng Hall hasn't done anything to offend you, so why are you causing trouble here?"

La Signora scoffed. "Tell me, how much for the damage? I'll pay."

Hu Tao's eyes twitched in frustration. She had caused the mess, yet she was acting like the victim?

"Oh? You think money solves everything? You waltz into my Wangsheng Hall and break things? Well, I'm going to show you exactly how we handle things around here!"

Hu Tao grabbed her Staff of Homa and lunged at La Signora.

La Signora dodged swiftly, retreating outside.

The two began fighting in the open courtyard.

Hu Tao wasn't just some ordinary funeral director—she was one of Liyue's top martial artists. After all, she had trained under Zhongli himself, the God of War of Teyvat.

For all her power, La Signora found herself struggling against Hu Tao's relentless attacks. She was forced into a defensive stance, retreating step by step.

Childe sighed. They may be colleagues, but if I don't step in now, it'll be embarrassing.

Just as he was about to intervene, a calm voice stopped him.

"I think you'd be better off standing right there and watching. Don't you agree?"

Childe turned and saw Silver Wolf, casually chewing gum while holding her handheld console.

Her tone was light, but Childe sensed a heavy threat in her words.

His instincts screamed at him—if he tried to interfere, Silver Wolf would take him down in an instant.

A quick glance at the ongoing fight convinced him: Yeah… I'll just stay put.

La Signora, realizing she was losing, gritted her teeth in frustration. Impossible! How could she be overpowered by this little girl?!

Consumed by fury, she activated her Pyro Delusion, transforming into a burning moth of flames.

"Die!!!"

Hu Tao barely had time to react. Unable to dodge, she braced herself for impact.

Just as La Signora was about to strike, a cold voice rang out.

"Freeze."

La Signora's body locked up mid-air, completely immobilized.

Silver Wolf snapped her fingers, and a virtual keyboard appeared in front of her.

"Alright, alright. This farce has gone on long enough."

Her fingers danced over the keys, and a beam of ether energy blasted La Signora to the ground.

The impact created a deep crater.

Childe gulped hard as he watched Silver Wolf take her down effortlessly.

Thank Archons I didn't get involved… He could already picture himself lying in a similar crater if he had tried.

Silver Wolf casually strolled over to Hu Tao, blowing a bubble with her gum before glancing at the unconscious La Signora.

"That's it? And she thought she could cause trouble?"

She turned to Childe. "Hey, come pick her up. And don't forget to pay for the computer and the damage to the floor."

Childe quickly nodded and signaled his men to carry La Signora away.

After he left, Silver Wolf and Hu Tao took a short break before returning to their work assembling new computers.

Late that night, La Signora slowly regained consciousness in the Northland Bank.

The moment she tried to move, pain shot through her body.

"Hiss! Damn it, that hurts!"

Childe, sitting nearby, shook his head. "I told you to leave. But no, you had to be stubborn. And now look at you—beaten into submission."

"Damn you..." La Signora muttered in disbelief.

Childe chuckled at her stunned expression.

"Next time...You should be a little more patient with me...or you might just freeze..."