Cong

Cong is a Vidyadhara NPC aboard The Xianzhou Luofu. He can be found in the Exalting Sanctum, in a seat across from the Seat of Divine Foresight's entrance.
==Profile==
Cong is a Vidyadhara man who currently works for the Artisanship Commission. He is known for being a skilled engineer, having created multiple ingenia such as Baroumbrella to aid him in writing poetry to win the heart of his love interest Jingzhai, who has rejected him on multiple occasions.
During the , it is revealed that unlike most Vidyadhara, who lose all of their memories after rebirth and retain no traces of their previous selves, Cong and his previous incarnations have always found Jingzhai and fallen in love with her. Cong's previous life was that of Guyu, Jingzhai's ex-boyfriend and a renowned poet who wrote the poetry book Drifting Clouds. In the life prior to Guyu, he was a Cloud Knight, and prior to that, a member of the Divination Commission who worked alongside Jingzhai.
==Location==
==Missions and Events==
==Voice Lines==
;(Version 1)
:: "Like willow leaves moving at a speed of knots... super duper love you lots?"
;(Version 2)
:: "Ugh, what will it take to write a decent poem?"
==Dialogue==
;(First interaction)
:Cong: Like willow leaves moving at a speed of knots, super duper love you lots.
:Cong: Autumn winds and moon rises on buildings glow, love can also move as slow.
:Cong: ...Writing poetry is so easy. Why doesn't she like me? What am I missing?
: I wouldn't like you either.
::Cong: It's pure emotion. Can't you hear that? I feel like I'm on equal grounds with the seven sacred poets of Xianzhou.
: This poem of yours is terrible...
::Cong: You don't like it...? Look, "knots" and 'lots"... it all rhymes... four lines of heptameter.
:Cong: ...Ah, forget about it. I'm not arguing with you. To be honest, I don't even really get what's so good about poetry, and can't really tell what's good poetry.
:Cong: You, however, seem to have unique insights into poetry. Tell me, other people pour out their love and emotion, and I'm here writing out my true feelings too. Where am I going wrong?
: It's missing the sense of culture and taste...
::Cong: Culture? Taste? What's that? Don't just invent new words to trick me.
::Cong: ...Maybe you aren't tricking me. *sigh* You're right. I'm lacking in culture and taste.
: I actually think you write with your own style!
::Cong: My own style... Thank you. Even though I can't really tell if this is meant as a compliment or consolation.
::Cong: But in the end, even if you do like it, SHE doesn't like it. So it's useless...
:Cong: *sigh* ...Anyways, do you need anything?
;(Continue onto dialogue options below)
----
;(Subsequent interactions)
;(Note: This dialogue is only available before completing Poetic Genius Ingenium.)
:Cong: The breeze and the moon... "poke" my heart? The breeze and the moon... "stomp" my heart? The breeze and the moon... "choke" my heart?
:Cong: Which word to pick... How can help you today?
:Cong: ...Writing poetry is so easy. Why doesn't she like me? What am I missing?
: I want to chat with you...
::Cong: Alright. It's not like I have any inspiration, is it... What are you after? Is it about artifex technology?
:: You know artifex technology?
:::Cong: Yeah, I'm an artisan at the Artisanship Commission, and I'm kind of a big deal. My boss loves me and he said, "Cong, if you just work on your EQ a little, you'll be a Master Artisan in another hundred years."
:::Cong: But honestly, I hate hearing that. In this day and era, why are there still stereotyped notions that engineers have high IQ and low EQ?
:::Cong: Ack... But that's all a load of bull. If only my poetry were half as good as my artifex skills, I wouldn't be so anxious right now.
::: Everyone's got their own strengths.
::::Cong: That may be true, but it doesn't fix my problem. *sigh*...
::: Artifex skills can also be used to write poetry.
::::Cong: To tell you the truth, that's what I think, too. I'm trying to find a way to do just that.
:: Why are you so obsessed with writing poetry?
:::Cong: Well, it's not for her... I don't really know you, so I don't want to say too much.
:::Cong: Anyway, I like this girl. But she doesn't like guys like me... The guys she likes use strange melodies to string together all these strange words, and they just recite them all from memory...
:::Cong: In short... this girl loves poets. However, as you can see, I'm slightly lacking when it comes to the poetry department.
:: Have you tried any other forms of literature?
:::Cong: Yeah, I tried some Xianzhou sonnets. What do you think about this one?
:::Cong: "Emerald mounts hold a love fledgling, but I'm way more handsome than Yanqing. So annoying, yet you make my heart sing, you pretty thing."
:::Cong: I feel like sonnets allow me to express myself more freely, and produce a more polished result than poetry. What do you think?
::: Beautifully written.
::::Cong: That means we have similar taste. I showed it to my boss, but he just told me to shred it up, swallow it, and never show it to anyone ever again.
::::Cong: He's so weird. We already have a shredder in the Artisanship Commission.
::: ...this word, "Yanqing", seems a little abrupt.
::::Cong: You have such a bad understanding of poetry, and you're trying to appraise poems?
::::Cong: I mention "Yanqing" here as a literary device. I'm saying here that I'm even more handsome, dashing, and graceful than the genius fighter...
::: Yeah? Why do I feel slightly disgusted?
::::Cong: ...
::::Cong: I feel attacked, but totally acceptable. Thank you for your honesty.
:: I think writing poetry requires some training.
:::Cong: I know what you mean. This is just the same as developing new artifex tech. Poetry has its rules and techniques. As long as I can solve these problems, then I'll have achieved that level of training.
:::Cong: The rules refer to the special rhythm upon which Xianzhou poetry relies. As long as all the different permutations that conform to the rhythm can be exhaustively listed out, then we can define the limits of this rule.
:::Cong: These rules are a piece of cake, and it's the techniques that're particularly hard. But no matter who I ask, they always come back to me with "you can't talk about technique with poetry. That's not romantic." But can't technology be romantic, too?
:::Cong: For example: "On the staff the goldsmith waves large profit obese, white paper flies stages to rescue the goose"... This is the most humanistic verse I've strung together out of the automated word-combination logarithms. I don't understand what it's trying to say, but can't you sense the elegance of technology here?
:::Cong: As for artisans at the Artisanship Commission, failure is a required step on the road to success. I'll try some other things out once I'm prepared.
:::Cong: I'll have to keep trying to write poetry on my own until I come up with a better way... *sigh* writing poems sure is difficult.
:: I have nothing else to ask.
:::Cong: So long. Catch you again later.
: I have nothing else to ask.
::Cong: So long. Catch you again later.
----
;(Subsequent interactions)
;(Note: This dialogue is only available after completing Poetic Genius Ingenium and replaces the previous set.)
:Cong: You're a sorrowful sigh at the end of the world, while I am just an insignificant screw. I'm at a loss, helpless in ways to mend your broken heart. Oh, Jingzhai...
:Cong: Oh, you're here. What brings you here?
: I want to chat with you...
::Cong: Alright. It's not like I have any inspiration... What are you after? Is it about artifex technology?
:: You know about artifex technology?
:::Cong: Yeah, I'm an artisan at the Artisanship Commission, and I'm kind of a big deal. My boss loves me and he said, "Cong, if you just work on your EQ a little, you'll be a Master Artisan in another hundred years."
:::Cong: Frankly speaking, I think he's right, as I really don't have a high EQ... But, I've heard them say that I've gotten better lately. If it's not sarcasm, it probably means I have improved.
:: Do you still write poems now?
:::Cong: I do, but I no longer rely on the Poetic Genius Ingenia. I prefer to write the poems myself.
:::Cong: It turns out that writing poems isn't as serious a business as I used to think... I've fallen in love with it.
:: What about those Poetic Genius Ingenia?
:::Cong: I talked to them about their thoughts and left them to pursue what they desired.
:::Cong: The Gloomy Poet is a quirky one. It told me that just the right amount of melancholy makes it feel safe, so it asked me to adjust its settings. You can still bump into it if you're lucky.
:::Cong: What exactly is melancholy then, you might ask? when you're experiencing the emotion, you'll be in agony. When you aren't, you'll miss it.
:: What about Jingzhai...
:::Cong: I know what she thinks, and I will leave her alone
:::Cong: However, it'll take a long time before I can convince myself to give up on her. Anyone who's been through this would understand.
:::Cong: Don't worry, I won't neglect my job at the Artisanship Commission.
:: I have nothing else to ask.
: I have nothing else to ask.
::Cong: So long. Catch you again later.
----
: The Ambrosial Arbor is growing again...
:;(Note: This dialogue option is available after having completed Wood Sprouts Anew, Fate Tilts Askew. It is available for clicking only once.)
::Cong: I composed a poem for this. Listen up. I'll chant it for you...
::Cong: Ahem... Scalegorge waters surge and flow; mighty tree you grow and grow; a sip for you, a sip for me; growing like a kebab tree.
::Cong: Huh? Do you like it? ...Uh, I can tell by your expression that you're not a fan... Forget it, I'll come up with another.
----
: The Ambrosial Arbor no longer sprouts...
:;(Note: This dialogue option is permanently available after having reached a certain point in the Xianzhou Luofu storyline.)
::Cong: Indeed, everything is finally over. By the way, I have written a poem with inspiration from the Ambrosial Arbor Crisis. Please listen...
::Cong: Nothing is certain when it comes to the growth of the tree, just like the dry hair strands of me. Alas, the environment must be to blame!
::Cong: I think it's quite well-written... Um, what's with your expression...
==Other Languages==
==Change History==