"This isn't bragging—it's an analysis based on personal experience. Like those scholars from Sumeru, except the subject of the analysis happens to be me."
Childe's tone was casual, without the slightest embarrassment. "Let's get back on topic. Try bringing the flames in your hand closer to that plant."
Gu Sanqiu focused his energy, extracting a thread of black-and-red flames from his palm and moving it toward a blade of grass.
Sizzle—
The grass withered at a speed visible to the naked eye. If Gu Sanqiu hadn't retracted the flame in time, the withering effect might have spread outward uncontrollably.
"Wait a second. The flames in my hand seem... a bit stronger?"
Initially, the flame in his palm had the thickness of a single hair strand. Now, it had tripled in size.
"So, this thing really can devour life force?"
Gu Sanqiu turned to Childe. "No wonder you don't look like you're aging, despite fighting with a Delusion."
"Exactly. That's one of its features—it consumes life force and feeds it back to the user. If a Delusion falls into the hands of someone truly dangerous, it could lead to disaster."
"Then why does activating it require sacrificing your own life force? Isn't that counterproductive?"
"Strictly speaking, not all Delusions require such a large amount of life force to activate," Childe explained.
"But the Delusions you and I hold are different. Using life force to activate them is more like a certification process."
"According to the Doctor, what we have are 'Sublime Eye.' The downgraded versions of these are what people commonly refer to as Delusions."
"As for why they were designed this way, I'm not entirely sure. Maybe even the designer couldn't avoid including this activation step."
"It's like the Delusion needs to prove itself to... something. There's definitely an unsettling feeling about it."
Gu Sanqiu nodded thoughtfully. He genuinely found the whole concept odd, like some sort of pact with a demon.
Using life force as fuel doesn't make it much different from making a deal with the devil, does it?
"It's not just life force. A Delusion can even devour elemental energy, and the resulting power is absurdly potent."
"And as an 'Sublime Eye,' the amount of life force it absorbs—if quantified by ordinary human standards—would be enough to drive someone to despair."
A soft glow emanated from Childe's bow as he gathered a small orb of Hydro energy. The water floated over to Gu Sanqiu like a dandelion, instantly restoring some of his stamina.
"Whoa, healing powers?"
Gu Sanqiu stared at Childe. "That's a level of recovery even I can clearly feel. You? A guy with such sharp features and a battle-hardened reputation, pulling off something like this?"
Childe smirked. "Well, sometimes supply lines aren't reliable. In those cases, you have to fend for yourself."
"Got it. Still, you're quite the genius, huh? Mastering something so unrelated to combat and excelling at it, too."
"If I could, I'd focus solely on refining my combat techniques, but reality doesn't always cooperate."
"Speaking of experiments, have you ever tried dismantling a Delusion?"
"I'd love to take one apart and see how it's constructed, but I know I don't have the talent for that."
Childe shrugged. "Even if I managed to dismantle one without destroying it, I'd have to deal with that lunatic of a Doctor afterward, and I'm not eager for that."
"Got it. Sounds like the Doctor doesn't have the best reputation," Gu Sanqiu remarked.
"By the way, during our last sparring match, that Thunder-Water combo you used—was that an advanced form of fighting that combines a Delusion and a Vision?"
"More or less. But it also depends on what element your Vision is."
"For us Harbingers, Delusions are usually assigned based on basic elemental reactions. Mine, for example, is Electro and Hydro."
Childe gave Gu Sanqiu a side glance. "That's why I say the Doctor was surprisingly generous to you. Giving you a Pyro Delusion, of all things."
"If you can fully master it, you might even optimize Geo elemental reactions with crystallization, and that would be a headache for me."
Gu Sanqiu fell into thought. The issue seemed solvable. When Geo combines with Electro, Pyro, or Hydro, crystallization occurs. While this reaction might seem straightforward, it wasn't necessarily an unchangeable rule.
Liyue's territory is home to creatures like Geovishaps, which leave behind pure Geo crystals as they move.
In other words, crystallization as a reaction might not be the only possible outcome—it could just be part of a broader natural principle.
If manipulated under the right conditions, Geo and Pyro might produce entirely different results.
Take a simple example: he could lock himself in his home, head to the nearest geothermal river, and experiment to see if he could develop magma-based techniques.
Fire + Geo = Lava.
Gu Sanqiu smiled to himself. Could it be? The true Hero of Justice is... me?
"Are there even more advanced fighting styles?"
Childe rolled his eyes. "Just coordinating two elements is already challenging enough. Even I struggle with it sometimes."
"After all, you're merging two distinct systems. Combining them in combat already gives you an edge. What grand plans do you have?"
Listening to Childe's explanation, Gu Sanqiu suddenly remembered something he'd seen before.
First image: Hydro Bow, Dual Electro Daggers, Demon King Armament.
Second image: Hydro Bow.
The truth of the product vs. the advertising.
"Well, I'm glad I dragged you out here today. It turned out to be quite productive."
Gu Sanqiu patted Childe on the shoulder. "By the way, based on what you've said, it sounds like the Fatui are planning something big in Liyue, huh?"
"Since you've already spilled so much, could you maybe..."
"Will you stop right there, you bastard!"
"Oh, so that's classified, is it?"
"Of course, it is, you idiot! I'm not a traitor!"
"Wow, how boring."
Veins popped on Childe's forehead. "Are you trying to pick a fight?"
"Really?"
Gu Sanqiu perked up. "How about we set some rules? Only Delusions allowed for attacking. That'll help me get used to mine."
"Stop playing word games! You'll use your Delusion to attack, but still defend with your Vision, won't you?"
Childe couldn't help but recall the dark memory from Mondstadt when he used all his visible powers, only to barely scratch this guy's shield.
---
Greetings, esteemed reader.
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