Chapter 4

'Now, what do I do with these?'

Before him were the 2 skill books and bottle of Experience that he got from the Quest to defeat Lumine. Should he use all of them right away, or save them for later? After some time of weighing his options, he decided to use them right away.

[You have obtained the skill "Martial Arts Mastery"!]

[You have obtained the unique skill "Imitate"!]

[You have obtained 50000 exp from the XXL Experience Potion. Your level is now 75.]

[+8 points to all stats.]

[+20 unallocated stat points.]

He decided to add all the 30 unallocated stat points to his Perception stat.

Host: Aether
Level: 75
HP: 38125/38125
Mana: 46250/46250
Stamina: 2775/2775
Weapon: Skyward Blade
Elements: Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, Electro, Geo, Anemo, Dendro
Titles: The Traveler, Honorary Knight.
Stat:
Strength: 265
Stamina: 220
Dexterity: 194
Agility: 247
Perception: 332
Mana: 508
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Skills:
1. Basic Healing [E-Rank] [61.72% proficiency]:
Heals injuries like scratches or bruises instantly. Can be applied to another being by touching the wound. There is a 20% chance that it will leave scars after healing.
2. Inspection [C-Rank] [100% proficiency]:
Allows user to look into the information of all living beings and items. More information will be displayed when the proficiency rises. However, the host can only see brief information if the person/creature being inspected is higher in level.
3. Storage [SS-Rank] [32.84% proficiency]:
Allows user to create a storage space. The higher the proficiency, the bigger the space.
4. Weapon Mastery [S-Rank] [5.34% proficiency]:
Easily use any weapon. The higher the proficiency, the easier it is to use them.
5. Teleportation [SSS-Rank] [20.45% proficiency]:
Allows user to teleport to anywhere that have been travelled. The higher the proficiency, the farther they can travel. Consume 30 stamina per use.
6. Elemental Mastery [SSS-Rank] [9.03% proficiency]:
Allows user to wield any elements. The higher the proficiency, the faster the casting time. Power also increases with proficiency. Consume 300 mana every time the host use an element.
7. Elemental Sight [S-Rank] [39.13% proficiency]:
Allows user to track the recent use of any element. Consume 200 mana every 5 seconds.
8. Martial Arts Mastery [S-Rank] [0.00% proficiency]:
Easily learn any martial arts. The higher the proficiency, the easier it is to learn them.
Unique Skills:
1. Imitate [SSS-Rank] [0.00% proficiency]:
Copy any sound and face of any human. The higher the proficiency, the better the imitation. At some point, when proficiency is high enough, the host can even copy the target's behavior.
Ultimate Imposter: [Locked] [Unlock at 100.00% proficiency]
- [Locked] -
- [Locked] -
- [Locked] -
Unique Titles:
1. Beloved Child of Mana [SSS-Rank]:
The title holder is favoured by the natural mana. Allows the holder to use the mana already existing in the air, which reduce the mana cost of all mana-consuming skills by half. Also reduce the time of being affected by abnormal conditions and reduce the damage.
_

'Good. Since I'm pretty free now, probably should work on the Martial Arts and Weapon Mastery skills. They would be indispensible in battles in the future. I could ask Keqing to teach me Yunlai Swordsmanship, but about other weapons… I'm not really sure. Martial Arts is even harder. I don't really know anyone that doesn't use a weapon. Using just your fist to combat is not really a thing now when you have a Vision I guess.'

Suddenly, he remembered about the people of Mondstadt.

'Oh yeah, I forgot. I must check on them first.'

After teleporting there, it seemed that everyone was still fine. Aether sighed in relief. Lumine did stay true to her words.

But what was it that she was looking for though?

'She said that it was a book that was buried by a fallen god? What if it was a skill book?'

Aether was tempted to find out. Having more skills is something that will be life-or-death for him. They are possible life-savers, afterall. And if it was left behind by a god, there might be a chance that it was a skill book just like the one he found under the Tenshukaku.

'Maybe I should start from the library.'

And to the library he went. On the way, he met Kaeya chatting with Amber enthusiastically. It seemed that no one really remembered anything about being trapped in the Void. He also saw Albedo and Sucrose talking to Timaeus.

After entering the library, he was greeted by Lisa. "Oh, it's you. Can I help you with anything?"

Aether shook his head to decline. She then told him to call her if he ever needed anything, then proceed to continue reading the book she was holding.

Looking around, he absentmindedly chose the bookshelf right next to the door and started searching.

It had been 3 hours, and Aether still couldn't find anything that might be related to any "hidden treasure" or "fallen god's legacy". The best he could find were books about Barbatos or the Archons.

'I have searched through half of this library, but where could that be!?'

Maybe it didn't exist. That should be the reason why. His sister couldn't find it with all those helpers with her, so how could he?

'Maybe I should check a few more books. If I still can't find any, I'll stop.'

Crouching down to pick a book from the bottom row, Aether noticed that there was a hole that could fit his fist behind the book he grabbed. He put his hand inside and then pulled out a rusty key and a scroll.

'This must be it! Maybe this is the clue to the whereabouts of the book!'

He excitedly opened the scroll to read its contents. There was only "Thousand Winds Temple" written on it. Maybe there's some sort of secret contraption there.

'There doesn't seem to be any keyholes here. Where could it be?'

There was nothing around but rubbles. Aether had already turned over all the stones he could see, but there was not a single hole that might resembled a keyhole.

Sighing, he sat down on a rock to drink some water. Feeling the cold liquid running down his throat, he continued drinking until the bottle ran out.

After that, he stood up and continued searching. Maybe the trees?

"Clang."

The sound of metal from a tree. Finally.

Looking closely, he could see lines that was similar to that of a lid. Using his hands to feel the cold metal under disguise, he found a small hole. He inserted the key in and when he rotated it, the tree started shaking.

Aether took a step back. In the place that was once the keyhole, there appeared a small button. He pressed it, and the tree started decending. After a while, there was a pit in front of Aether. He could only see darkness.

'Let's just jump down.'

Using Anemo to slow down his fall, it took some time to finally reach solid ground. Suddenly, the torches on the wall lit up, illuminating the whole place.

'This place… it's a lab.'

It reminded him of Albedo's lab on Dragonspine.

Since what he was looking for a book, maybe he should start with the shelves.

Thinking that, Aether began flipping through the books avaiable. However, there didn't seem to be anything notable. Not even a diary.

'Maybe it is hidden.'

He went on with the other stuff. He found nothing except for a glowing branch inside a glass box. The thing was floating while emanating a green aura.

He used his skill to inspect the branch.

Item: Branch of the [World Tree] [SSS-Rarity]
Description: A branch that came off from the [World Tree], Yggdrasil. It seemed to still hold a part of the tree's power. Maybe something will happen if it comes into contact with another living being.

'It's the World Tree that Lumine told me!'

He couldn't find the book, but he ended up finding something even more valuable. The description clearly said this branch had a part of the tree's power.

Aether suddenly heard someone clapping behind him. He turned around, only to see a person in peculiar clothes. He was wearing a black and white mask that covered all of his face except for his right cheek and half of his mouth. What stood out to Aether was his blood red eyes, and the seemingly never-ending smile on the man's face.

How did he not hear anything? He had more than 300 points on his Perception stat!

[Answer: The other person is simply too powerful, so it is only expected that the host couldn't hear anything.]

The "system" Paimon spoke up to explain to him.

Who could this person be?

Aether put the glassbox with the branch inside his storage space in case of any potential danger. This branch is too precious to be left in the wrong hands.

The mysterious man laughed.

"What was that black thing just now? Was that a storage ability?"

'How did he know?'

"Who are you?" Aether eyed him cautiously. "How did you find this place?"

"Oh," The man pulled out a small device. "I just used this tracker. I put the chip on you through one of my people, then I tracked you here. Quite a big catch you just found; wouldn't you say?"

He was tracked the whole time unknowingly. Just the thought of it sent a chill down his spine. How come he never noticed?

"Who are you? You didn't answer my question." Aether spoke up again, this time with his sword already materialized.

"Me? You might already know me from Childe, but I'm one of Eleven Fatui Harbingers. People call me 'Il Dottore'."

His smile widened when he saw Aether's face going pale.