While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

“Assistant.” Abedo said without turning his head, “I need someone to help me with some simple experimental materials, organize notes, and occasionally run errands.”

"Your identity as a visitor from another world and your unique physique have piqued my interest, and I would like to conduct some research on you."

"Of course, I will pay you."

Xu Chuan couldn't help but open his mouth.

I just escaped from the fake Abedo, and now I'm back in your hands.

You're really stuck being the guinea pig, aren't you?

You have the right to refuse.

Abedo paused, his tone becoming more meaningful.

“Kotivat is not the same as your hometown. This world is dangerous. If you were alone, you might still be in the same dangerous situation as you are today.”

Abedo's tone was very sincere, and his request was not unreasonable.

Perhaps the best choice would be to replace the original character with an ordinary transmigrator without any special abilities.

He settled down in Mondstadt as the chief alchemist's assistant to the Knights of Favonius.

Then, by understanding the plot, you can win over one of the wives you once liked and live a carefree and healthy life. That doesn't seem like a bad idea.

However, Xu Chuan remained clear-headed.

He understood that the most important thing right now was to buy time to strengthen himself.

Those beautiful things we once longed for can naturally be achieved through our own efforts.

Xu Chuan said earnestly, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Abedo. I am deeply honored to be an assistant to a great alchemist."

"However, I would like to add a few details."

"Of course, this is not a matter for one person alone."

"In Liyue's parlance, this is a contract between you and me. It's good to be more cautious about things that concern our vital interests."

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled.

If an ordinary person were to say these polite things to me, I would at most exchange polite words in return.

Xu Chuan felt completely at ease when facing Abedo.

"First, I can cooperate with your research, but on the condition that you do not harm my body in any way."

"Secondly, I can temporarily assume the role of Chief Alchemist's assistant, but I will not stay in Mondstadt indefinitely; I will choose to leave when necessary."

"Third, and most importantly."

Abedo's expression turned serious, signaling Xu Chuan to continue.

"Mr. Abedo, have we met before?"

"Meet?" Abedo looked puzzled.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure we met before Yura brought me here."

"I have a pretty good memory; there's almost no difference between the voice and the appearance."

"Oh, I almost forgot about that." Xu Chuan patted his head. "There are still some differences. You have a golden diamond-shaped mark on your neck."

Aberdo fell silent, a rare occurrence, his earlier composure gone.

Chapter Seven: The Butterfly Effect

Fake Aberdo, a failed creation of the Golden Rhinedot androids, should have perished in the belly of the dragon Durin.

Five hundred years later, this guy reappeared.

"Judging from your expression, the person I met that day wasn't you," Xu Chuan asked knowingly.

"Yes, it seems you've run into someone impersonating me."

"My title as chief alchemist is quite useful; you won't be at a disadvantage if you become my assistant."

"That's great! It seems my good days in Mondstadt are just around the corner."

Seeing that he was unwilling to continue the topic of the fake Abedo, Xu Chuan also took the opportunity to back down and stopped dwelling on it.

After all, everyone has their own little secrets.

As friends, we should just respect each other's choices.

And so, the two reached an agreement.

Xu Chuan transformed himself into the chief alchemist's assistant of the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt.

“Well then,” Abedo walked back to the workbench, took out an empty test tube, “let’s start with the blood sample.”

Xu Chuan: "..."

Your initiative is truly remarkable.

For the next few days, Xu Chuan lived a life of being "studied".

Aberdo showed great interest in his body.

Every day, blood is drawn, various data are measured, and a bunch of questions are asked.

Xu Chuan answered all the questions he could, and glossed over the ones he couldn't answer.

Aberdo didn't press for details, but simply noted down all the information and continued his research.

After a few days, Xu Chuan discovered something strange.

"My recovery seems to have really sped up." He stared at the wound on his leg that had begun to scab over. "It wasn't this good yesterday."

Abedo, who was organizing the data, looked up when he heard this.

“It’s not an illusion,” he said. “Your blood sample shows that your body is undergoing some kind of change.”

Xu Chuan was taken aback: "What change?"

“Adaptability.” Abedo walked over. “Look, this is your blood activity three days ago, and this is today. It’s clearly improved.”

Xu Chuan stared at the densely packed data and charts on the paper, completely bewildered.

Speak like a human.

Abedo glanced at him: "Simply put, your body is adapting to this world."

"Including adapting to elemental forces, low temperatures, and various environmental pressures, this rate of adaptation far exceeds that of normal people."

Xu Chuan was stunned.

"You mean... I'm getting stronger?"

"So far, yes," Abedo said. "Although the increase is small, it is indeed getting stronger."

"If this trend continues, in time you may have stronger physical abilities than the average person, and perhaps even..."

He paused.

"What could it be?"

“You might awaken some kind of ability,” Abedo said. “Not the kind of power bestowed by an external force like the Eye of God, but an ability that arises within you and belongs to you.”

Xu Chuan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but look forward to it.

A few days later, an uninvited guest arrived at the camp.

“Ah, Mr. Abedo…”

A timid voice came from the cave entrance.

Xu Chuan turned his head and saw a girl wearing round-framed glasses.

She had short, light green hair tied in a low ponytail, with golden pupils peeking out from between her hair. The girl stood there, holding a pile of books in her hands, her face flushed red.

granulated sugar.

A student of Abedo, a genius bio-alchemist who is extremely shy.

"Sugar." Abedo put down the test tube. "What brings you here?"

"I...I have some alchemy questions I'd like to ask you..." Sugar said, her head bowed, her voice barely audible. "If you're busy, I...I'll come back another day..."

“No rush,” Abedo said. “Come in.”

Sugar walked in cautiously and was taken aback when she saw Xu Chuan leaning against the wall.

"This, who is this person is..."

“My new assistant,” Abedo said succinctly, “is here to recover from his injuries for now.”

Sugar said "Oh," and dared not ask any more questions. She obediently walked to Abedo's side, opened her book, and began to ask questions.

Xu Chuan was happy to have some peace and quiet, leaning against the side and listening to the conversation between the two.

Sugar asked very technical questions, such as "the stability of gene sequences in bioalchemy".

"The influence of elemental forces on plant growth".

Xu Chuan was completely confused, so he simply cleared his mind and started thinking about his own things.

After Sugar finished asking his questions, Abedo suddenly said, "I need to go away for a few days."

Xu Chuan was taken aback: "Where to?"

"I need to take care of something." Abedo didn't say it explicitly, but Xu Chuan could tell something from his eyes.

Fake Aberdo.

He's going to deal with that imposter.

“Sugar will stay and take care of you,” Abedo continued. “Just tell her if you need anything.”

Upon hearing this, Sugar blushed again: "I... I will try my best..."

Xu Chuan nodded without asking any further questions.

He knew that Aberdo didn't want to mention that "thing" in front of him.

After all, everyone has their own secrets.

Abelardo is gone.

He disappeared into the snow and wind on the mountain, carrying his sword.

Only Xu Chuan and Sugar remained in the camp.

Sugar was very shy and didn't dare to talk to Xu Chuan at first.

But Xu Chuan had one advantage: he was very outgoing. He took the initiative to chat with Sugar, asking her about Mondstadt, about alchemy, and about those lovely Sweetflowers and Deceitful Flowers.

Gradually, the amount of sugar was increased.

"Mondstadt... things haven't been peaceful lately," Sugar whispered. "Stormterror appears frequently, and everyone in the city is terrified..."

"Stormterror?" Xu Chuan's heart skipped a beat. "Dvalin?"

"You...you know?" Sugar looked at him in surprise.

"I've heard of it," Xu Chuan said vaguely. "Anything else?"

“And…and…” Sugar thought for a moment, “The Fools have also arrived, and they’ve booked the Goethe Hotel. It seems they’re plotting something…but I don’t know the specifics…”

Xu Chuan's mind raced.

Stormterror has appeared, but the Traveler and Paimon have not yet arrived.

The Fools are stationed in Mondstadt, and the Lady is also operating in secret.

The storyline... hasn't officially started yet.

But it will be soon.

A few days later, Aberdo returned.

The moment Xu Chuan saw him, his gaze instinctively went down to his neck.

The diamond-shaped mark is still there.

However, the first thing he did upon returning from Abedo was to have Sugar take him to Mondstadt to make some inferences.