Liliane wondered... What does this system want from them?
It connected them in the form of a chat group, but has not given them anything to do with it besides talking.
Though, it's refreshing... She can finally communicate with someone properly.
Liliane released a breath as she continued walking around her forest.
Yes, hers.
For some reason, for the past 2 years, aggression has become steadily scarce, especially in the vicinity of her home.
There are no monsters or any aggressive animals--there could be some, just hiding away somewhere, but as Liliane sees none, it will remain that way until it is proven otherwise.
It came to a point where she had to venture further and further just to encounter anything that would attack her.
Hunting became easier, though. As there is no one else to compete with, she gets ample supply, and sometimes there will even be a dead goose--no, not just goose, It might even be accurate to say that she has cooked every type of Avian native to Fontaine.
They are mostly dropped to the places she frequents.
Well, she's just on a stroll today, just walking around to possibly get a trigger quest.
*Ding--
Suddenly, a chime rang out directly in her mind.
===
**System Panel: Permanent Quest; Ascension--**
**Core Acquisition: Progress 90%--**
**Core Formation Eligible--**
**The individual Liliane is advised to halt all actions and proceed to an energy-rich location...**
===
The points that were just at the edge of advancing... finally did.
She heeded the System Panel's advice and stood still for a moment, for all of its ulterior motives, the System Panel wants them to grow; it wants what's good for them, and not listening to its advice would be plain stupidity.
How did she make progress while just wandering?
'Questions later...' Liliane thought, for now, she will just do as it says.
As she doesn't know any 'energy-rich location', and the System Panel certainly knows she doesn't, so she waited for it to show her where those locations could be through her map.
However, contrary to what she expected.
===
**System Panel: Permanent Quest; Ascension--**
**--Location has been changed to: Entity**
**Follow the light.**
===
A light suddenly beamed from the distance--
'That direction... The Court? No, farther...' She squinted her eyes, trying not to look at the light directly; squinting against the glare.
Seeing as she doesn't have an idea of exactly where it is, just a general direction, she just decided to run for it.
Time is limited, she doesn't know how she knew that. But when you don't understand something, It's easier to just blame the System Panel; It would be the likely culprit anyway.
Liliane sprinted, giving it her all.
In no time at all, she reached the waters.
And obviously, she had no choice but to "swim" if she wanted to reach that place faster.
The system stated that the Locations had been changed to an Entity, and her goal was energy, using something called common sense, it could only mean she had to somehow consume that Entity. Meaning, she had to beat the shit out of whatever it was before she could advance!
Liliane didn't swim--she forced the ocean to part around her.
The moment her body hit the water, it was as if a cannonball had been fired. A thunderous splash erupted behind her. Every stroke was a blow, and every kick was a violent detonation of raw muscle and fury.
Her sheer physicality bullied the water into submission.
Streamline? Hydrodynamic? Lol.
Refinement and elegance were nowhere to be found in this swimming.
The moment her feet slammed against a solid ground, the earth cracked beneath her soles, unable to handle the force of her "swimming".
She didn't waste a breath. With her head tilted up and eyes locked on the blazing light ahead, she bent her knees once--just once--and launched herself forward.
The air boomed in her wake as she shot into the sky, not like a jumper, but like a warhead breaking free from gravity. There was no buildup. No wind-up.
Just one explosive motion.
And with that inhuman leap, the distance between Liliane and the target Entity--
===
**System Panel: Permanent Quest; Ascension--**
**Core Acquisition: Establishment--**
**Required Action: Maintain possession of the Experimental Field Generator's core during the formation of Individual 'Liliane's' core.**
**Potential acquisition of 'Flight'.**
===
In Liliane's understanding.
Destroy.
***
Mondstadt.
One of the Statue of the Seven.
A further away from Springvale.
In-between Dawn Winery and Springvale.
"How's your part?" I asked, considering no one else can see the System Panel besides the few who were selected by it, I must've looked like a madman, some random guy talking to air.
[...I can't put it all the way in.]
Lost in the Glory of Holes initiated a face call in the Chat Group, and I couldn't help but chuckle, just a little, short, humorous, chuckle.
"HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA"
Ah~ It felt so good, to whoever granted my wish, to whichever archon favored me today! I dedicate this happiness to you, lord!
"Well~, I guess you have no choice but to find another one~"
[...]
---
Prior to Schulz's "revenge".
Mondstadt, Windrise.
Schulz could be seen thrusting a rod into the ground around one of the Statue of the Seven.
He had three rods, but it would seem that he had already placed the first two and now in his last one.
The three points were in the shape of a triangle.
Just as he was about to finish, he felt something in the ground, his rod felt something, and he couldn't go any further.
It was solid, unyielding.
A rock.
"Fuuuuckkk..." He grumbled, his frustration evident.
---
There is an obvious remedy to her problem that I had forgotten to apply to myself earlier, but I want her to suffer a bit--
If she were to find a new location, the closest one she could go to is the one in Gandharva Ville.
Suffer my suffering~
Isn't that what friends are for?
[Sigh--guess I'd have to rotate it... If that doesn't work, I could just widen the triangle.]
"..."
[Anyway, just checking if you encountered the same problem. Fortunately! It's just me!]
"..."
"How kind of you..." I felt my brows twitched a bit, "Yes, fortunately, indeed."
[If it's you, you'd probably leave the place right away and try a different location--!]
"Is there anything else? I have to rush back to Mondstadt, I'm a productive guy, I'm a busy guy--"
[Yeah, busy doing errands. You can't even make farm tools properly.]
SYSTEM, PLEASE KICK THIS GIRL OUT OF THE CHAT GROUP!
I BEG YOU!
SHE'S DISTURBING THE HARMONY!
Okay, I get why she would say that. Getting irritated with my lack of enthusiasm for her considerations--Okay, yeah, sorry, that was an asshole move of me.
---
"I'm an apprentice, it's only natural that would be the case," Schulz muttered defensively.
But to Zhiqiong, his expression just looked like a scrunched-up mess.
"Anyway, just be done with yours quickly," Schulz urged Zhiqiong, "I want to see what would be unlocked this time." A bit of excitement could be discerned from his tone.
He sounded excited.
He wasn't.
Inside, his thoughts screamed:
'PLEASE CHANGE THE SUBJECT, PLEASE CHANGE THE SUBJECT, PLEASE CHANGE THE SUBJECT'
He's working on it, okay?
Nothing he did seemed to make his skills grow, even with all the system's advantages.
Maybe it was his mindset?
No. Definitely not that.
He wouldn't explain why--but it just wasn't that.
'I just need to learn more...'
Just as they were talking, a new message appeared on the group chat.
-=-
[Loudly Screaming Twig] has successfully formed a core.
-=-
Not a message--an announcement.
Their reactions couldn't have been more different.
"Wait, wait, you can progress?!"
"You can't truly have privacy with the System Panel, huh..."
They stared at each other through the Face Call.
"Are you retarded?" His face barely concealed his pity.
"How stupid can you be?" Her tone--unusually condescending.
No politeness. No restraint.
It was surprising how neither of them interrupted the other.
Schulz, genuinely flabbergasted that this girl, who housed a literal other consciousness (System) in her mind, hadn't figured out there would be no privacy.
Zhiqiong, equally baffled that this dumbass thought she was referring to that.
Yes, Liliane's progress was faster.
But that didn't mean theirs wasn't moving at all.
The only way you don't progress is by doing nothing the System values--namely, critical thinking.
Or, more precisely: understanding. Self-awareness.
Know yourself, inside and out--then you can begin to understand the world.
"You should get checked somewhere. Offer your rocks to, what was it--Adapter? Adoption? Or maybe visit that gay guy with the snake. He might fix you."
"Doesn't Mondstadt have the Favonius Cathedral? Is your intelligence as non-existent as that church's God? Was the wind Barbatos used to bless you just gas escaping his ass?"
And somehow, they still let each other finish.
-=-
[Loudly Screaming Twig] : It seems that 90% makes you eligible to form a core.
-=-
Attached: A video of Liliane floating two feet off the ground.
A second later, she realized they were on a Face Call.
She considered joining.
Then decided she'd rather sleep.
Liliane was tired today.
***
For Dantalion, who was currently doing nothing.
Watching both the Purple Archon and Kujou Sara absorbed in their task nearly lulled him into a sense of peace--almost.
No.
It only meant he wouldn't have to move for the next few minutes, until the two women reached a; Ah, yes, I felt satisfied with this for now.
He leaned back in his chair, its front legs lifting slightly off the ground, eyes drifting to the sky above.
'I didn't know they had the concept of 'naming' monsters here, too.' he mused.
It looked familiar. Strikingly so.
Carving a name into the soul. He'd once theorized it. Toyed with the Idea.
He still didn't know how naming work in Tensura. Name them aloud and--Bam--transformation?
Too convenient.
Let's keep it simple.
If you were to be stuck in the Medieval Era--Let's just say you were in the era of King Arthur, you time-traveled into the past along with your phone.
Fortunately, you saved everything you could possibly need in such a situation! Your smartphone is crammed full of survival data, and instructions on how to build the early inventions humans had created to jumpstart technological advancements.
Unfortunately, your phone's at 5% Battery and has no way to charge it.
But let's add a saving grace, the being that made your time travel possible also included your charger!
Now, the only thing missing is a socket to plug it in!
But where are you going to find that?
Do you think that just because you watched Dr. Stone you now have the ability to invent electricity? Be for real, you even fucked up instant noodles, you ain't building shit.
It's like that, Dantalion knew about it but didn't know how it exactly functions. He has the knowledge, at the consumer level.
Conversely, Dantalion can test it by naming another being--though not exactly naming, in effect, it wouldn't really work, he had tried it with Kujou Sara before.
But that is to be expected, Kujou Sara wasn't part of Tensura's sphere of influence, thus it's inevitable.
Nevertheless, what if it was just Kujou Sara? Would the result be the same with others? Hence, he has done just that.
Multiple times.
While it all amounted to failures, but not fruitless, by experimenting with different races, Dantalion discovered that he could transform a being into what would resemble someone part of Tensura.
He just overloaded their bodies with magicules--by replacing everything that sustain the subject with magicules just like the monsters in Tensura.
Having said that, they would still need to eat, drink, sleep, or even breathe. Unless they become strong enough to absorb the energy in their environment and convert it into magicules then they would still be just like how they were before.
At any rate, they would get the benefit of being part of a stable evolutionary tree.
'I basically brute forced their potential to open.'
Dantalion thought, for a moment, his thoughts drifted back to the two women.
Particularly, to the Electro Archon.
"..."
Dantalion stared at her for no less than a second.
Then, abruptly, he asked, "Did that elf tell you about me?"
Words seemingly unrelated to his earlier thoughts, Dantalion finds it suspicious that the Electro Archon is acting this way.
His curiosity was gnawing at him to ask.
Ei, hearing him ask a particular question, unbothered, replied with her usual stoicism;
"Correct, she noticed a potent energy lying dormant inside Kujou Sara."
"I see. It was surprising that it wasn't you who noticed first."
"I did, it was just something I don't find particularly important."
"Nah~, I doubt that~"
For a moment, she felt like frowning, "...In fact, I was the first one to find Kujou Sara--"
"That's wrong, It was me."
Dantalion paused, he pointed to himself, and then to the ground beneath him.
To Ei, his implications were clear.
As being literally inside Kujou Sara, he was indeed the first one.
But she was telling the truth, she was indeed the first one to be informed about Kujou Sara, way before Kujou Sara was even a thought in this world.
However, that's not what's important, thus, feeling it was now the right time to say it.
He let out a soft sigh, "I would follow what you planned. In exchange, a stable connection to your energy pool, together with a puppet body just like the Shogun that I can put my will into. Additionally, I want to remain here, undisturbed."
Inside his head, he added, 'I refuse to go outside with my real body, I have the feeling something will happen to me if I do so...'
As for the plan he was talking about? Honestly, he is not so sure himself, he just knows that Ei needs something he has.
And now that she can't gauge him anymore, just as she has been doing from the start. This was his earlier suspicion resulted to.
As their battle prolonged, and after, he made the stalemate possible.
He became certain that Ei wanted something from him.
Dantalion is that unique, or so what he told himself.
"Remaining here is acceptable. However, the puppet will have to be refused. As for the energy, If the energy consumption reached a certain rate, I would have to be informed of what it was being used for."
He didn't flinch.
Expected.
"How about your knowledge of alchemy and engineering?"
"I am a warrior."
"You know what I'm talking about."
She paused and diverted her gaze from Kujou Sara to Dantalion who was still leaning backwards on his chair.
"No, now, once the time comes--No, I believe you will know."
Being stared at by Ei, Dantalion gave her a look--the kind you'd give someone who just said they wanted to major in liberal arts.
Or maybe like someone proudly saying, I enjoy my Gender and Society course. I hope they make more like it mandatory!
"You trust me enough for you to have that belief?"
Ridiculous, is what's inside Dantalion's head at this moment. No, not only because of her refusal, but also because she insisted he simply accept what was given.
"No, I trust that your large ego would make you sick enough to keep your word."
As there was nothing else to add, Dantalion just hummed and brought his gaze back to the skies.
He didn't ask for much, but--
As stated before, he had already lived his life in his previous life.
Dantalion doesn't have the desire to travel back in time to redo his life, nor does he want to do anything.
Regret for his major life changes is something that doesn't exist for him. Even if he were to truly travel back in time, Dantalion would make the same choices, exactly as he did before.
Every mistake, every single choice of words.
He is truly purposeless now.
Maybe this could also be part of the Electro Archon's plan, to make him approach her just as he has yet to have any strong commitment to anything.
'It was written in the game, while I don't have the exact details...'
'And the fact that the past, present, and future is happening all at once...'
In Dantalion's face, a smile gradually appeared on his face.
"Haha... I was right, just as I expected. I would have 'loved' your sister if she were here instead of you."
The Archon of Inazuma.
Sure is infuriating when she's not on your side.
---
As Kujou Sara opened her eyes, she felt a soft vibration, hum-like, zapping into her very soul.
She observed her body, how now it perceives the world around her, and the way her mind processes said information.
"It was nothing special." She said aloud,
She was right, there was nothing special, just as she finished performing it, the changes had yet fully occurred to her.
And, she's fully aware of that.
She just wants to piss on a certain guy.
"That is correct. For someone of your strength, such rituals do not offer much."
Meanwhile, it would seem that her Archon didn't discern it the way Kujou Sara had intended.
Hesitatingly, as to cover up what she said, Kujou Sara added,
"Your Excellency, will there be any changes at all?"
At that, Ei thought for a moment. "Some, there should be some. Even I, long ago, performed it despite already being capable of slaying gods and great yokais."
"The next morning, I--No, I suppose, the best description would be when you experience it for yourself."
"Nonetheless, it is still nothing special."
Kujou Sara, hearing what the Electro Archon told her. Before she could speak;
"How can it be just that, Your Excellency?" Dantalion interjected, "You were explaining it like it was a one-of-a-kind experience."
'Yes, like it would be a shame if I were to miss such thrill... how can that be a "Nothing Special" thing? I-is, the Shogun embarrassed? Haha, that's cute...' Still, Kujou Sara can't say that out loud, that would remain in her own heart, possibly for eternity.
"See, look at Kujou Sara's face! Look at her HAHA--"
"He's sowing discord, Your Excellency."
Ei, seemingly done with his antics, finally addressed the deeper reason behind this conversation.
It wasn't just the accelerating poles he could send out.
In one of his earlier, desperate, failed attempts to get out, Dantalion had briefly extended his Illusionary Manipulation over every single living being Inazuma.
A psychic fog, subtle and unseen, brushed over the archipelago like a forgotten dream. No one would notice anything as the changes were indistinguishable from reality.
Fortunately, she had severed that connection.
But the aftertaste lingered.
He still hadn't let go of her people.
Somehow, some way, he was still reaching out.
A sigh escaped her lips.
"Heed this final warning. Whether you play your part in what's to come or you perish here bears no consequences for me."
"Yo... Are you for real? Aren't you overreacting a bit?"
"I am fully aware of what you want, however, you would make do with what I have given. Now, you have two choices, remove your influence from my subjects, or perish because of your hubris."
In Kujou Sara's eyes, the table, the chair Dantalion was sitting on, and even Dantalion himself slowly warped, swaying, dissipated like smoke, blown by the wind.
What appeared after that was Dantalion, in a completely different location, just standing there.
As Ei stated earlier, Dantalion had his attempts fail multiple times, but, there was one that wasn't really a failure, at least, to him.
His failures had, and will always, be ahead of the success of others.
He doesn't have the luxury to fail.
Even back in his previous life.
He will--regardless of his age, his young, or his just 3 years before approaching 30--Always have the attitude that his back's against the wall.
His failures are considered failures because they differed from how he expected them to end.
It's a failed conquest because it didn't meet his standard!
Truly, gods are amazing.
Unknowingly, he had created an expectation of what a god should be based on the Archon of Inazuma.
"The moment that happens would also be the moment you find everything you, your sister, and your now dead friends had built together be destroyed."
"The very island they are standing on, the very air they breathe, the very mind they protect and nurture."
[Extra Skill: Solitude]
A passive skill he had since the moment he arrived in this world.
"Were you even listening earlier? Like the ignorant child, I'll get what I want--whether you like it or not, as the adult here, adjust to a way this child would be satisfied--"
A dull, muted sound interrupted him--
The sound of something getting cut, like a metal wire, full of tension, suddenly snapping.
He just lost his connection to the outside world entirely.
"So be it, prove your worth."
[All-Seeing Eye] | [Thought Acceleration] | [Attribute absorption] | [Mana Perception]
These four skills, almost seemingly becoming like a passive skill at this point for him.
"Haha... You truly are blind."
***
-Chapter END-