Thought chapter 10 was kinda garbage, so I redid it, mostly just to deal with the whole 180 stat point thing I forgot to do, and pick up a contract. Co-op dungeon isn't done yet. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, it's probably mostly maybe ignorable.
Hastily making sure I made a decent first impression, I triple check to make sure I look decent, and readied myself to meet the small group that's probably getting nearer every second.
Dude, you're a robot about to meet a chuuni. Why are you acting like a 16 year old kid trying to ask his crush out to prom?
Look, how did you react to meeting Eren or Historia?
Calmly and neutrally introduced myself to them?
…Okay, look, I just like chunnibyous, alright? Making sure I don't mess up the first time I meet someone from my favorite character archetype is a totally normal thing.
No, it's really not.
Show me the evidence, then!
"...Uh, Fischl, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Bennett asked with a confused look on his face.
"...I believe I am." Fischl responded with an equally confused look.
SHIT.
LMAOOOOOO
Quest received
Salvage the situation
Salvage this situation LMAOOOO
Reward: Idk lmao. You don't look like a dumbass? Oh wait how about 1 gacha token lmao.
FUCK YOU JAEGER.
Quickly improvising I said, "HELLO MY [#1 Trusted Main User]! MY NAME IS [CEREAL] AND I AM [IN DIRE NEED OF HELP]!" and Immediately regretted it.
The following silence was deafening.
"THIS IS THE PART WHERE YOU [Agree to Terms & Agreements]!" I experimentally said.
Fischl, Bennett, and Oz did not look convinced.
Desperately trying to salvage the situation, I tried to just tell them what I need instead of vaguely asking for help, "I NEED TO GO TO [Liyue]."
They all started to understand, and Bennett started first, "Oh! You should've just said so! We can help with that, but uh…"
Bennett looked a little hesitant, "What are you, exactly?"
I gave a small bow, "AN AUTOMATON, CREATED BY [Fabi Inc is the BESTEST company in the universe!]"
…Hold on, wasn't fabi the acronym for fair and balanced incorporated, so saying fabi is like…
Fischl then cut in with her own question, "Ahem, excuse my haphazardly interruption, however, we are not aware of this… Fabi Inc, would you kindly reveal the intentions of these creators of automatons?"
Yes, I can!
Oz tried to translate Fischl's words, but I already replied.
"[No.]"
Jaeger, please send a complaint.
Yeah sure.
Fischl seemed a bit dejected, but pressed on, ignoring Oz's sputters, "...Then, are you able to reveal the machinations behind your fated journey towards the land of contracts, Liyue?"
"BECAUSE I WANT TO [Be Free] AND [dO THE MAGIC DANCE]!." I answered, not knowing why teleporting equals magic dancing.
Bennett and Fischl looked at me oddly, then looked to Oz, who only answered, "I do not speak his language."
I laughed at the bluntness, "HAHA OF COURSE YOU DON'T YOU [#1 Translator!] BECAUSE IM [copyright protected.]"
Bennett then had a bright idea, "Uh, so, if you want us to help you go to Liyue… Then er, are we going to get a reward for this? Not that I don't want to help, of course! It's just that we were coming back from another commission and er…"
I pulled out a stack of mora, my workbench, and duplicated the mora, much to their surprise.
"YOUR [PRICE, DEAL, BARGAIN]?"
The 4 star crew immediately accepted for the cheap price of 'a lot.'
Oh wow you actually managed to salvage the situation… With money, but you know, details.
Quest completed.
Rewards: 1 gacha token.
Fuck you and thank you.
Np.
Bennett
Well, this was a pretty interesting day! He finished up the delivery commission with Fischl and Oz, got in a big tornado or something that somehow didn't wake up all of Springvale (How did that happen anyways?)
And then they met Cereal! He was apparently an… Automaton created by Fabi Inc, and he has no idea what an automaton was (according to Cereal, they're like cooler ruin guards?) and how Fabi created them (Fair and Balanced Incorporated? What's so fair and balanced?) but Cereal was a pretty cool guy!
And also a very rich person being able to make mora like that, and also our second commission of helping him get to Liyue, but you know, details!
…Although… He seems to like Fischl a lot more than me? He answers all of our questions, but it's like he tries to put more effort into hers than mine…
Eh, maybe it's because they both talk differently. Maybe it's like a talking thing? People who talk differently from normal attract each other, I mean.
…Maybe not.
While inside his mind, Fischl called out… If he remembers her terminology correctly, a group of hillichurls ahead?
Yeah, I think that was it.
But Cereal's answer was only, "LET THEM [Do] AND IF THEY [Do] THEN THEY [goo-goo-die]."
Which greatly unnerved both him and Fischl, but hey, if he doesn't want to fight, then he doesn't have to fight!
…I think that's what he meant, right?
Cereal
Fischl is great, Bennett is great, Oz is busy getting the short end of the stick because he's on scouting duty, but he's probably great too.
Overall, this walk over to Liyue has been just fine!
Yo, are you free for like the next 3 minutes?
Taking a look at Fischl and Bennett, who both seemed to be slightly sleepwalking due to them not likely sleeping for the past day, I decided that, yes, I do have 3 minutes to spare.
So, what's up?
I've been arguing with some clown on my system whether it should be species or races, and I just want your opinion on it.
Dude, context?
Oh yeah.
So, you're an automaton, right?
Taking a look at myself… Yes, I am.
Righty, and you're a player/gamer/whatever you see yourself as, right?
…I only know the term player, but yes?
So, do you think that the players are the species and automatons, humans, slimes and whatever are races, or do you think players are just a large culture or something with a ton of species?
Uhh…
Huh, that's an interesting question for someone who's been a player for like… 5 days.
Species is the term you guys use, right?
Yeah.
Hm..
On one hand, players being the species with a lot of races sound easy and simple…
On the other hand, you can't tell me how a rat and some kind of leviathan creature could be possibly related.
Yeah, that's our entire argument!
Alright… I've made my decision.
I'm with the 1 species many races side.
WTF DUDE
Races sound easier to say, honestly.
Bruh I can't believe I'm stuck with you.
Suck it, coper.
I can't imagine how it feels to be wrong.
Says you?!
I WAS RIGHT.
nO?!
As I kept bickering with Jaeger over ultimately meaningless shit, I briefly thought to myself…
Damn, this is the good life.
SHUT YOUR DAMN THOUGHTS AND LET'S THROW HANDS.
AND HOW DO YOU WANT TO THROW HANDS?!
GACHA TOKEN. EPIC OR LOWER, I'M RIGHT.
YOU'RE ON BITCH.
Swiftly taking out my gacha token and crushing it in my hands in the ultimate hope that Jaeger is proven wrong…
[Mountain King's Shield - Mythical - A shield left by the mountain king upon his death. Many warriors have died failing to pierce it. Blocks all attacks lower than all of your stats combined and tripled.
I'll see you all in Valhalla!]
SON OF A BI-
"HAH! SUCK MY [!#$] HOT [%*%*] JAEGER!" I shouted out in joy.
Fischl and Bennett violently woke up from their daydreams.
Venti
Venti, munching on an apple while casually eavesdropping the group's conversations for a few hours, finally feels at ease.
So, Cereal WASN'T some kind of celestia reject or some khaenri'ah survivor!
Or at least, with that kind of attitude, he probably wasn't.
Ah, he did kind of feel bad for blasting him with wind for an hour… But those were some really strong winds! Even he's surprised Cereal withhold against it!
And it just so happened to bring 2 adventurers that, for some reason, Cereal really liked and divulged a lot of information to them!
Fate really does like me sometimes!
…Only sometimes.
Still though, that still did lead to questions like 'What's Fair and Balanced Incorporated actually?' or 'Who's Jaeger?' or 'Why is he here?' or 'No, seriously, what is Fair and Balanced Incorporated?!'
Ah… Well, at least I should give a heads up to Morax that killing him doesn't seem necessary anymore.
Hm, if Cereal does make it to Liyue, maybe he'll be more open to Morax? He's not fully sure if Cereal likes him or not…
Finishing his apple, he decided to put that aside for later, and make his merry way to Morax.
…And hopefully avoid the whole getting hit by a rock thing. (It's been years! Forgive me!)
Cereal
After trying to calm down my companions and got them to ignore the new shield in my hand, I analyze the shield a bit more.
…And by that, I mean I'm asking Jaeger to explain it for me.
Bro, read.
I don't wanna.
You're the worst. Basically, it's a shield that if the damage is lower than all of your stats times 3, completely negates it. Probably a pretty good shield based on your species alone.
Uh huh…
I don't want it.
You don't what?
Dude, my endurance is already pretty high, I don't need a shield, I haven't even fought a single- correction, fought a single real world enemy aside from my first dungeon.
…
Oh.
Well you could trade it to someone while in your co-op dungeon…
I can do that?
Well, yeah. There's no rules saying you can't trade with other players while in a co-op dungeon.
The best trade I've heard that's happened in there was, I think, someone pawning off a summoning stone for Mickey Mouse for a staff that did triple hydro damage.
…Mickey Mouse?
Our Mickey Mouse, the capitalist bastard.
I… Am not going to question that.
But yeah, seems like a good idea if I can find someone.
Sure, let me just…
Quest obtained.
Co-op trading.
Trade off your Mountain King's Shield.
Reward: 2,000 Exp, Volume 1 of AoT
…Volume 1 of AoT?
Reread, heretic.
Oh fuck off.
An:
Okay, I may or may not be getting the slight feelings of a burn out on this for some reason (I'm physically incapable of coming up with ideas.)
Do not fear, however. The traveller arc will fix everything!
And if that doesn't work, the Liyue arc will fix everything!
And if that doesn't work either and we're somehow still going, the Inazuma arc will fix everything!
I'm also relearning on why Zavvox's speech was a bitch to do. I like to read chuunis. I hate writing them.
Kind of the same for Cereal's words too tbh. Easier to do but it made all the conversations seem really out of place… Which is the job of the modifier, I guess.
Man, I'm so good at screwing myself over, it's like a talent.
[I've been reading Mirlnir's PTGD:R and I'm really tempted to do the idea of the gamer just being another regular person before getting the gamer ability. But I don't know if doing a 3rd longfic is a good idea or not, or what world I'd put the gamer on. Give a review if you have any thoughts on that.]
[As always, my pacing is glacially slow. 11 chapters in and the traveller hasn't even appeared yet, it's not even been a week in universe, haven't been to Liyue, and literally nothing important or even interesting to the plot has happened. This is a serious problem I need to work on lmao. Maybe try to shoot for longer chapters? Or just try cutting out unnecessary junk, idk.]
