Lu Bu, the Thunder General, is my adoptive father in Genshin Impact.

Xiao Yi originally intended to destroy the strange thing, but considering that it was Sugar's hard work, he had no choice but to move the flowerpot to the doorway and then close the laboratory door tightly.

Back in the lab, Xiao Yi released an electric current, clearing away the remaining pollen in the air with wide-ranging yet incredibly precise movements. He then removed Sugar's glasses and, for the second time, splashed water on her face.

"Glasses, glasses..."

Xiao Yi handed the glasses to Sugar.

"Thank you..." the girl mumbled, "Captain Qin sent you to find me, right?"

After all that fuss, they finally got to the point. Xiao Yi took out a handkerchief stained with fake Yura's blood and handed it to Sugar to look at.

He had vaguely heard that the standard method of alchemy was observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. When obtaining an unfamiliar alchemical material, one should first observe the quality of the material through "observation"... It seemed that he remembered it wrong, there was no such saying at all.

You can't see anything from this unknown thing just by looking. Just as Xiao Yi was about to put the materials on the table and let Sugar analyze them with the experimental equipment, she suddenly became excited, and her two dog ears twitched as if they were jumping.

"This is the juice of a rare 'slippery flower'!" Sugar exclaimed excitedly. "Where did you get so much of it? I can only get a few milliliters even after extracting it for several days."

You actually saw it?!

"A rare 'Fake Flower'? A completely new version of the 'Fake Flower'?" Xiao Yi asked, puzzled. "Their sap is like blood?"

The alchemy apprentice was incredibly excited to see so much sap. The surge of adrenaline swept away the drowsiness caused by inhaling pollen. Although she was not good at socializing, she was very willing to answer Xiao Yi's questions in matters of expertise.

“The rare 'deceptive flower' isn’t actually a deceptive flower. It’s just another elemental plant with similar genes to the deceptive flower. The difference between them and the deceptive flower is greater than the difference between a bat and a bird.” Sugar began rummaging through drawers and cabinets to find something, while explaining, “In addition, they can exist in various forms. The large ones can disguise themselves as trees, and the small ones can disguise themselves as weeds and wildflowers.”

Xiao Yi could barely understand this, after all, an owl is not a cat, and a bear is not a dog.

As soon as she finished speaking, Sugar pulled out a delicate plant with white petals and asked shyly in a teacher's tone, "What kind of plant do you think this is?"

“Qingxin,” Xiao Yi replied without hesitation. “It’s a specialty of Liyue, and my wife loves to eat it.”

"Hmm, it's a specialty of Liyue. Recently, many Qingxin plants have been growing in Mondstadt, which is quite strange," Sugar said, staring at the plant in her hand. "So I've been studying it."

When the Hypnotic Flower was 852, I took the opportunity to study this peculiar phenomenon. This particular Qingxin plant was one I collected from Wangfeng Mountain.

Sugar broke off Qingxin's stem, and a red, viscous liquid flowed from the cut surface, exactly the same as the fake Yula blood on Xiao Yi's handkerchief.

“Actually, this sample is not Qingxin at all, but a Sweet Flower that has the rare Deceptive Flower gene and is disguised as Qingxin.” Sugar poured a clear liquid into the beaker and dropped the sample into it. “The disguise of the rare Deceptive Flower is more stable and realistic than that of the ordinary Deceptive Flower, but it will revert to its original appearance when it comes into contact with high concentrations of alcohol.”

The refreshing appearance, soaked in alcohol, gradually distorts and eventually transforms into a sweet flower with yellow petals.

Xiao Yi suddenly remembered what Gan Yu had said to him in the tavern a few hours earlier, and immediately realized that his wife wasn't just being cute back then; the refreshing drink she had put into the wine had really turned into a sweet flower.

I hope she didn't get an upset stomach.

Expanding on this idea, when the fake Yura forcibly took him away from the tavern, the patrons threw all sorts of things at her, but she didn't dodge them, only being particularly wary of the wine glasses... So that's what happened.

Now it can be confirmed that the fake Yura's true form is a high-level, rare deception flower, not a deception flower.

“However, logically speaking, naturally growing Sweetflowers shouldn’t have the genes of the rare Deception Flower, and they also can’t simulate the vastly different Pure Heart.” Sugar stared at the beaker and expressed his opinion. “Therefore, I believe that these Sweetflowers carrying the genes of the rare Deception Flower are not natural products, but artificially created through bio-alchemy.”

Thinking about it this way, all the doubts are answered. The guy behind the scenes first experimented on Sweetflower to create rare Wickflowers, but he didn't clean up the test subjects properly, causing them to grow all over Mondstadt. However, the experiment was ultimately successful, creating rare Wickflowers that resembled Yora.

Why would they do this? Was it aimed at Yura, or at themselves? Or perhaps they were targeting the Lawrence family...?

Although the mysteries are piling up, Xiao Yi has also learned an important piece of information: alcohol can remove the disguise of the rare Deceitful Flower.

Since that's the case, I'll carry a bottle of strong liquor with me from now on. Whenever I see Yura, I'll give her a few big gulps so I can quickly distinguish between the real and the fake.

“Miss Sugar, your research results have been a great help to me.” Xiao Yi handed the handkerchief to her without hesitation. “More rare Slime Flower sap can be stuck to Yura’s clothes. You can borrow her clothes and wring out a whole basinful.”

“Miss Yura… I’m a little hesitant.” Sugar took Xiao Yi’s handkerchief and murmured shyly, “She still remembers my grudge!”

"Don't be afraid. Yura is good at deceiving people and imitating things. It would be strange if she didn't hold a grudge one day." Xiao Yi patted the girl with animal ears on the shoulder. "Go ahead and do it boldly and without worry—or do you want to ask me to go and get Miss Yura's clothes? I'll get slapped."

Sugar was still shy and changed the subject, saying, "Um, what about my 8052 Hypnotic Flower? It's the plant that made me fall asleep twice."

Xiao Yi pointed to the lab door: "It's at the door. You'd better be careful from now on, don't fall asleep like before. Safety measures must be in place, and the room must be well-ventilated..."

Sugar nodded honestly and replied, "That's what I did at first. This time I just wanted to test the effects of the hypnotic flower, but the result exceeded my expectations."

"By the way, do all alchemists do this? Naming their creations with numbers." Xiao Yi curled his lips in disbelief. "Of course, I don't mean to criticize, but it feels a bit impersonal to name the hard work and effort put into creating something with cold numbers."

“The numbering is for easy identification, and I think it’s a good thing.” Sugar hesitated for a moment, glanced at the handkerchief she was holding, and said, “If you want to name it, that’s fine too.”

"Let's call him Qi Jiela," Xiao Yi said with a mischievous grin. "Not a bad name, right?"

The girl with animal ears, of course, didn't know what the name meant. She just thought "Zijera" sounded pretty good, so she immediately nodded in agreement to the other party's naming.

Xiao Yi bid farewell to Sugar, saying that he needed to return to the Knights' headquarters to explain the situation to the Grand Master.

Sugar politely escorted Xiao Yi to the laboratory door. When the door was opened, a wonderful scene immediately came into view.

The flowerpots filled with small flowers were placed tightly on the ground, and several people lay scattered in front of them, including knights from the Knights of the Order. It seemed that someone had fainted nearby first, and others who came to help them also fainted, and so on...

"Miss Sugar, I think if you use this thing to fall asleep, you might close your eyes and never open them again. You should kill it as soon as possible."

The girl with animal ears nodded weakly.

Chapter 164 Let's Fencing, Miss Yura

Looking at the unconscious crowd on the ground, Sugar said firmly, "As long as the pollen is diluted, it can be used as a very effective medicine. However, the first generation of Zigela is still too dangerous. I will improve its properties and develop a second generation with less potent effects as soon as possible..."

After all, such efficient plants are prone to accidents when used in production. If they accidentally leak out of the factory and cause an invasion of species, it would be even more troublesome.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sugar lost consciousness again and leaned back towards Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi caught the beast-eared girl and complained helplessly, "After you make the second generation, please manually exterminate this thing immediately."

If it were to cover the entire city of Mondstadt, the disaster it would bring would probably be even more severe than that caused by Stormterror.

Faced with this mess, he couldn't immediately return to the Knights' headquarters to report the situation. Xiao Yi first put the sugar on the ground, returned to the laboratory, found a transparent film similar to a plastic bag, and tightly wrapped the flower and flowerpot together on the laboratory table.

Then return to the entrance and release an electric current to eliminate any remaining pollen in the air, so that the pollen will not be carried far away by the free winds of Mondstadt and react with the stamens of other plants, causing this scourge to grow all over the wilds of Mondstadt.

After confirming that the pollen from the Zigela had been removed, Xiao Yi sprayed water on each of the unconscious people to wake them up and explained the reason for their unconsciousness. Strangely, the expressions of the awakened unconscious people were unexpectedly comfortable, as if these few minutes of sleep could be equivalent to a whole night.

After all the "victims" left, he woke up the unconscious Sugar, took the dazed beast-eared girl back to the laboratory, and placed her on a chair.

"I'm leaving now. Commander Qin and Yura are still waiting for me." Xiao Yi said goodbye and gave her a word of advice, "You must be careful and don't let it cause any more trouble."

Sugar took out a test tube filled with yellow liquid and handed it to Xiao Yi.

“Thank you for your help. This potion is a thank-you gift, a concentrated flower extract from the first generation of Zigela,” Sugar explained. “If an ordinary person took it, they might be in a deep sleep for several days, but you seem to have an immunity to it, so it should only help you have a good dream.”

"Is it really okay for me to receive something like this? Does it violate any lab rules or anything?" Xiao Yi asked cautiously.

He suddenly realized that although the girl herself didn't realize it, she was actually using him as a clinical sample.

Sugar intended to use this opportunity to test the effects of Xiao Yi's tolerant constitution on drinking the pure concentrated liquid.

Xiao Yi added, "Besides, can you guarantee that after I drink this stuff, the dreams I have will be pleasant dreams?"

Sugar nodded firmly, her green dog ears bobbing up and down: "No problem. I've researched it and experienced it myself. Pollen can relieve fatigue and provide people with wonderful dreams, and dreams that are tailor-made according to that person's desires."

No wonder the person who was unconscious at the door looked so happy after waking up. It relieves mental fatigue and provides users with happiness that is unattainable in reality. Anyone would be happy in that situation.

But if you use this thing too much, won't it be addictive?

Xiao Yi didn't need it. Money was readily available to him, he had a beautiful wife, a position second only to Daoqi, and formidable power. He preferred experiencing reality to daydreaming.

Nevertheless, he still reached out and took the test tube containing the sugar.

If you ever encounter a situation where you can't use violence but still need to calm someone down, just pour the liquid from this test tube onto their face. It should be much more effective than electrocuting them with lightning.

Sugar said shyly, "If you use it, please come back and tell me about your experience, thank you."

"Definitely." Xiao Yi turned and walked out of the laboratory.

Of course, this is on the premise that it has been used.

……

Upon returning to the Knights' headquarters, the Grand Master had changed out of the formal attire he wore to welcome his adopted son and was now back in his usual work clothes. Yura had also changed out of her blood-stained clothes.

In the captain's office, Xiao Yi explained the existence of the rare Phantom Flower to the two of them. The fake Yura was a rare Phantom Flower disguised as a human.

"Then what about her weapon?" Jean asked, "Yura's greatsword is not an ordinary weapon, but a treasure that is like an antique."

Its name is, "When the sound of pine trees is heard".

Xiao Yi recalled, "And the fake Yola's sword not only looked very similar, but it could also fight against the real Yola, which was indeed quite bizarre."

“We’ll find out once we try it,” Yura said.

Although the fake Yura was already dead, her weapons were stored in the Knights' warehouse when she was captured.

The captain ordered the knight to bring the fake Yura's weapon to the office and place it on the desk, while Yura also placed her own sword flat on the desk.

They are not exactly alike, but rather identical.

However, while the Deception Flower can forge Yura's body, it cannot forge Yura's weapon, let alone a divine weapon. This fake pine dagger must have been issued to Yura No. 1 by her creator, with the purpose of making her more convincing as the real thing.

The fact that it's so similar to the fake weapon and of such high quality proves that the manufacturer has a high level of technical skill. The materials used in the weapon can reveal a lot of information. If we can find clues from the fake weapon, we might be able to find out who the perpetrator is.

Xiao Yi thought to himself: Why not ask Inazuma, the military enthusiast, the amazing Balzeb?

(Note: It's not a samurai sword or spear, and the material isn't Inazuma steel, so I don't know.)

Another excellent answer.

"Both swords have a pretty good feel to them. Even if they were secretly switched, it would be impossible to tell them apart in a short time," Qin said with a sigh. She then added, "As a knight, although I am proficient in weapons, I am definitely not as good as a blacksmith in terms of analyzing their structure."

“It seems we need to find a professional,” Yura said.

Xiao Yi rejected their opinion and said confidently, "There's no need for that. A fake sword is definitely not as hard as a real sword, that's for sure. The fact that the real and fake Miss Yura were evenly matched when they clashed swords before was probably because they didn't have enough strength."

He raised the fake greatsword, held it horizontally in front of his chest, and smiled, "Miss Yura, let's fencing."

Yura: "???"

Qin: "???"

Xiao Yi's expression turned serious, proving that he was not joking. He said, "I will hold the fake greatsword firmly. You use the real greatsword to attack the weak part of the fake sword. After a few times, you will definitely be able to break the crack. At that time, you can judge the material of the fake from the cross-section."

Yura hesitated. She had fought so fiercely with the imposter yesterday, yet the counterfeit sword hadn't changed at all. If things continued like this, it would take forever.

Xiao Yi, however, appeared very confident, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying, "It's okay, if I can't break it, I'll just use a little force to snap it in half."

Yura thought this guy was a bit off. If it were a rapier or a sword, it would be understandable to break it with bare hands, but to break a greatsword was either too funny or too presumptuous.

But she clearly remembered that yesterday, Xiao Yi used impossible agility to break into her fierce battle with the fake Yura and knocked them both unconscious almost simultaneously.

Maybe this guy really can do it.

"Aren't you afraid of the vibration?" Yura asked finally.