"Name?"
"Ren Tsukasa."
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Occupation?"
"Just graduated from university."
As he answered, Ren Tsukasa curiously scanned the young male police officer sitting across from him, as well as the uniquely styled police station.
Amber was leaning against the counter, one hand tucked under her police helmet at her hip. Her crisp uniform highlighted her sharp, athletic silhouette, and she waved a hand casually at the officer.
"That should be enough, right? I've already done all the necessary checks. He's definitely an interdimensional drifter. His physical stats are perfectly average, and he's pretty clueless about how things work here. He's not a threat."
"Alright then."
The young officer behind the counter swiped his finger, closing the glowing blue holographic screen in front of him. He reached into a drawer, pulled out a brand-new bag, and set it in front of Ren Tsukasa.
"Inside here are the basic essentials you'll need in Mondstadt. We'll have a specialist show you around the city."
"No need, no need! I'm free this afternoon anyway. I'll take him myself—after all, I'm the one who found him!"
Amber stepped up, acting like a protective older sister. She patted Ren's shoulder heartily while still clutching her helmet under her arm.
"Uh, I guess that works..."
"Great! Then we're heading out. First stop: lunch!"
The energetic Amber grabbed his arm and led him straight toward the exit. Whether she was a Scout Knight or a patrol officer, that whirlwind speed of hers was unmistakable and oddly comforting.
Ren found himself stumbling along to keep up.
"Hey! Let's grab dinner tonight, Amber!" the young officer shouted from behind, barely able to keep pace with her exit.
"Maybe next time!"
What a cold, instant rejection.
However, as Ren stepped outside the station, he craned his neck, squinting against the light. Looking at the city before him, he couldn't help but let out a gasp of disbelief.
"Is this... is this really Mondstadt?"
"Of course it is!"
Amber replied with a grin, nudging him with her elbow. "Though I suppose it looks pretty foreign to someone whose memory is stuck hundreds of years in the past."
Ren didn't answer. He just stared.
Soaring skyscrapers stood before him, seemingly slicing the blue sky in two. Their glass walls stretched toward the horizon in a seamless grid, catching the bright sunlight and reflecting a blinding glare that towered over the shadows of the lower buildings.
Not far away, halfway up the high-rises, bright yellow mag-lev tracks wound through the forest of steel. Trains hung beneath the rails, gliding silently with a faint emerald glow, passing through the city without a sound.
"..."
You're telling me this is Mondstadt? This is Teyvat?!
He blinked his stinging eyes and turned to look at Amber. Officer Amber tilted her head back at him.
Long brown hair, golden eyes, and those—by his estimation—perfect proportions. It was definitely Amber.
But if this was Mondstadt...
"Amber? Why are you just standing at the entrance?"
Just as he was thinking thoughts that Officer Amber definitely shouldn't hear, another female voice called out from the side.
Both he and Amber turned.
Whoa. Another familiar face.
Ren marveled silently. Amber greeted the newcomer with a playful, teasing tone.
"Well, if it isn't our dear Captain Eula! Did you just wrap up some big case?"
Eula, with her signature ice-blue short hair, was walking at the head of a squad. She wore captain's epaulettes over a sleek, slightly form-fitting blue-and-white tactical uniform that was eye-catching in more ways than one.
"The Abyss Order has been stirring up trouble again. This is the third group we've brought in lately. You should be careful on your patrols," Eula replied steadily, waving a hand to the officers behind her. "Take them inside and process them."
"Yes, Ma'am!"
An entire squad of fully armed officers marched a group of disheveled suspects past them. Eula remained where she stood, looking cold, upright, and dignified.
She looks so cool... Ren thought to himself.
However, Eula's gaze suddenly shifted toward another direction.
"You've been watching for quite a while. Do you have something to say, Uncle?"
Huh?
Ren followed Eula's gaze. A middle-aged man in a sharp suit with a thin mustache was walking toward them with a fawning smile, speaking even before he reached them.
"Oh, my dear niece, there's no need for that tone with your uncle. I know I was in the wrong last time, and I've come specifically to offer my apologies."
Ren watched the drama unfold with curiosity. Amber, looking equally intrigued, leaned in and whispered reliably into his ear.
"Last time, Eula's uncle got into trouble for reckless driving. He tried to use his family name to bully people on the street, but Eula happened to be there and gave him a public dressing-down. I'm surprised to see him actually admitting fault—especially an elder apologizing to a junior. That's a rare sight for a Lawrence."
"I see," Ren whispered back, fascinated by the scene.
Faced with her uncle's direct apology, Eula's expression softened slightly.
"Uncle, if you truly realized your mistake, you should be apologizing to the victims you injured, not to me."
"Oh, I've already been there, of course! I personally delivered the compensation and apologized. They were kind enough to forgive me. But since I've realized the error of my ways, I remembered I said some pretty heated things to you that day. I felt I really ought to apologize to you properly as well."
The uncle spoke with such sincerity and helplessness that even Ren was shocked.
How much has Teyvat changed? Even Eula's uncle is turning over a new leaf and becoming a good person?
The uncle continued, looking earnestly at Eula. "I've prepared a special dinner for tonight. Just the two of us, a nice family meal. Won't you give your uncle a chance to make it up to you?"
"This..." Eula hesitated.
The uncle sighed. "I've come all this way to apologize in front of all these people. Surely you aren't so cold-hearted as to refuse, Eula?"
Eula glanced at Ren and Amber, then at the other bystanders who were starting to pay attention.
They were standing right in front of the police station headquarters. It was a very public setting, and many eyes were on them.
Finally, Eula nodded. "Fine. Just contact me when the time comes, Uncle."
"Excellent! I'll call you tonight!"
The uncle seemed overjoyed. It made sense—getting forgiveness from a niece he had wronged was a big deal. Some people in the crowd even started clapping.
There's no greater virtue than correcting one's mistakes!
But Ren's expression suddenly turned very strange.
A line of glowing, shimmering text had appeared before his eyes, and a cheerful, melodic female voice rang in his ears:
[ Ta-da! Your System is now online! The 'repentant' uncle standing in front of you actually just received a shipment of 'special' illegal drugs yesterday through back-alley channels. He can't wait to start his wicked plan today! ]
[ If you let Eula go to that dinner, this beautiful girl is going to walk straight into a lion's den! Time to step up and take action. Complete your first mission! ]
So... I really do have a system after all?
Even though the system seemed a bit mischievous, the voice was pleasant enough. It probably wasn't a problem, right?
Still...
'Is there a reward for completing the mission?' he asked expectantly in his mind.
[ Of course there is! ]
The "System-chan" voice was quite charming.
[ Mission Reward 1: Anemo Essence. Can be used to unlock Anemo elemental powers! ]
Ooh, that's the good stuff!
[ Mission Reward 2: 'The Uncle' Character Card. Can be used to unlock Eula's romance route! ]
Ooh, that's also good stuff!
He wasn't sure why an "Uncle" card was needed to start Eula's route, but a reward was a reward!
"Hey! Earth to Ren!"
His arm was nudged. He turned to see Officer Amber looking at him with a mischievous smirk. "Smitten already? I admit Eula is very attractive, but she's the Captain of the Assault Squad in the Major Crimes Division."
"Not only is she a Master Knight in terms of combat ability, but she's always on the front lines. She's made plenty of hardened criminals cry for their mothers. Plus, she's from the Lawrence family—you wouldn't believe their history. If you want to pursue Eula, you'd better have some serious skills."
"Uh, that's not exactly what I was thinking..."
He tried to explain, but Amber puffed out her chest—which was notably more modest than Eula's—and pouted. "Besides, with a beautiful girl like me standing right here, don't you think it's a bit rude to keep staring at someone else?"
"Right, sorry. My mistake."
Ren apologized sincerely. Then, he pointed toward two massive statues in the distance to change the subject. "I've been meaning to ask... isn't Mondstadt the city that worships the Anemo Archon, Barbatos? Why are there two different statues over there?"
In the distance stood two giant monuments. He recognized one—it was identical to the Statue of the Seven he remembered. But the one directly facing it was completely foreign to him. This was bizarre.
Given Barbatos's status in Mondstadt, any statue built to the same scale and placed directly opposite his own had to represent someone incredibly important.
Yet, Ren had no idea who it was.
"Ah, see? I told you that you were clueless," Amber said, lifting a slender index finger like a teacher.
"Mondstadt went through a massive upheaval during the Archon War. Back then, Lord Barbatos was still weak, but he received help from the 'Primordial Archon.' It was thanks to His Eminence that Mondstadt was liberated. Afterward, with the Primordial Archon's constant guidance, Mondstadt was able to develop into the metropolis it is today. So—"
"The Primordial Archon holds a position of extreme reverence here in Mondstadt!"
Ren stood there, jaw-dropped.
The Primordial Archon? Who the hell is that? I've never heard of him!
He felt like he had finally found the root of why this world was so strange. Don't tell me I didn't just transmigrate—did someone else transmigrate here before me?
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