A/N: Hey all of you out there on the internet! It's story time! Now, before I get into the reviews, and boy have I had a few since my last update, I would like to make a blanket statement that covers Simon's actions, personality, and choices both past and future: Simon is based on myself. I am a Neutral-Good aligned person who often makes impulsive decisions that more often than not either make no sense or will screw me over in the future. I am psychologically damaged and enjoy partaking in every form of humor, but gravitate mainly towards memes, self-deprecating humor, and meta-humor. If you do not enjoy any of these characteristics in an MC, then you are free to leave as I will not hold you to this story by force. I'm just as guilty of abandoning reading a story because the MC doesn't match my ideals.
Also, just to let you guys know, I copy most of my descriptions of canon characters from the Genshin Impact Wiki so I won't be wrong. If the descriptions seem weird, blame my dependance on that site.
ONTO THE REVIEWS!
Everyone who just gave short compliments: Love you guys. You inspire me to write more.
Robot-x-Laserbeam - I don't plan on ending Ella's role in the story just yet. I just couldn't find a logical reason for Simon to not be momentarily detained when he displayed the ability to hide literally anything on his person. On the topic of the statement of the world being "Vanilla," I will be addressing that topic in one of the following replies. And, as for pairings, they are still up in the air because I have a lot of world building to do.
M2R – Yeah, it probably would've been cooler for Simon to speak more politely to the hilichurls, but as said above he is based on me and I have a slight cursing problem. However, with the power of skills that have mind-altering properties, anything is possible! I accept this as a suggestion for possible future interactions with enemies. Possibly with the Treasure Hoarders.
M.G – Your point of view is noted, but counterpoint: As stated above, I (And as an extension, Simon) am not good at making decisions on the spot and am very impulsive. Call me an idiot if you will.
Empyrean Asura – Good to hear your point of view again! I would like to make it known that I love the story of Genshin Impact so far and don't think it's boring at all. I am merely portraying the Administrators as how I would see end-game Gamers: they've seen so much shit that even the high-action plotlines of most anime and games fall short of the Reality-Destroying threats they have been through. So, they strive to make any world that doesn't live up to the insanity they've lived through more "interesting." On the note of Continuity, I'm going to be tiptoeing around anything canon until the storyline officially starts up.
DG2 – I will not tone down the system talking. It is a sentient being in my story and will have its own say whenever Simon reaches out to it.
ON WITH THE STORY!
Quest Received: [Show and Tell]
'This could either be very good, or very bad,' I thought as I followed Kaeya through the dimly lit streets, the tapping of our footsteps on the cobblestone road echoing in the silent night air.
The city was larger than it looked on the outside. There were so many building, winding alleys, inclines and declines that it would most likely be easy to get lost. Each house and store was made of stonework and wood, with a European architecture that appealed to my personal sense of aesthetics, and the main roads were illuminated by small street lamps that appeared to be powered by magic. All in all, it was a beautiful city which I definitely wouldn't mind setting up shop in.
[Show and Tell]
You have been "invited" to the HQ of the Knights of Favonius for interrogation! Use this opportunity to land a stable source of income!
Objective: Prove that you don't have any drugs, weapons, or illegal products in your inventory. (Which you don't…for now.)
Bonus 1: Sell 1 item during the interrogation.
Bonus 2: Sell 5 items during the interrogation.
Rewards: 100 Shop points, 10 EXP, 1 Gacha Token
Bonus Rewards: ? , ? , ? , ?
I loved how the System point-blank told me I was going to be interrogated. To be fair, if the looks I was given by the guards and Kaeya were anything to go by, pocket-dimensions weren't a natural phenomenon in this world. Or maybe it was just unnatural for a "normal" human to have one? It was all speculation for now, anyways.
"If you don't mind me asking," Kaeya piped up, giving me a side-look. "Where are you from? I don't recognize your clothes from anywhere in Teyvat."
"No, I guess you wouldn't. Let's just say that I'm from further away than most could travel. You've probably never heard of my home," I stated, giving the same answer as I did with Ella.
The captain was more persistent than her, though. "I've been to my fair share of far-off lands. As for the ones I've yet to visit, the library in the Knights of Favonius Headquarters has often served as a treasure trove of information on locations beyond my reach."
"You ain't gonna find it on any maps or in any library," I chuckled.
"Oh? Try me."
"Suit yourself," I shrugged. "I was born and raised in the United States of America, or the USA as we often call it. Ring any bells?"
"No…I can't say it does." He raises a hand to hold his chin in contemplation. "What's the geography of it like?"
"It's divided into fifty provinces called states, and the landscapes of each can range from sweltering deserts, to muggy swamplands, all the way to frigid mountains. I'm personally from one of the latter regions."
That left the blue-themed man silent for a few minutes as he apparently pondered this new information. I didn't doubt that after our business had been concluded he would most likely scour all of his resources trying to find the country I spoke of. Too bad it was in another universe.
My attention was drawn to Qrow, who flew down to land on my shoulder. Sometime during my encounter with the guards, he'd flown off to do his own thing. I reached a hand up to stroke his head before focusing on the road again, content that the weight I'd become familiar with was back.
"That your bird?" Kaeya piped up.
I nodded. "Yeah, Qrow has been with me since I first started my journey." Technically not a lie, considering said "journey" just started today.
"You named it…Crow?"
"Qrow. It's spelled with a Q."
"A little odd, but okay," he commented good-naturedly.
"Funny that a talking blueberry is calling me odd," I responded in an equally-jesting tone.
That got a loud laugh out of him as we approached the first of the many staircases that led to the uppermost levels of the city. As we ascended, the buildings became larger and seemed to have more grand purposes. One looks like a hotel, a sign outside proclaiming its vacant rooms waiting to be rented. Another off to the left looked like a mansion, made from grey bricks and with a green tiled roof. We walked past all of them until we took a left turn at one of the many fountains that dotted the city.
The building we were headed for was more of a fort than anything else. It had the same grey brickwork as the mansion I previously mentioned, only this one lacked the tiled roof. The front doors stood atop yet another set of stairs, intricately designed with crossing gold lines over red painted metal and framed by an overhang supported by ornate white pillars. Two guards stood at the bottom of the stairs at attention next to identical blue banners held on lamp posts. The rest of the structure was similarly decorated with banners, these being red with a golden outline a bird at the bottom.
I whistled in appreciation. "Wow. I'm guessing this is your headquarters?"
"You'd be correct," he replied, not stopping our approach. "The Knights of Favonius HQ, the nerve center of Mondstadt's defensive and offensive military forces. I hope you'll excuse how dead it seems at the moment, considering that it is the middle of the night."
I took note of the fact that only two or three of the many windows the building sported showed any lights. "Of course. I'll even make sure Qrow keeps his voice down. You'll do that for me, right Qrow?" I asked my feathered friend.
He nodded and comically made a movement with his wing as if he was pulling a zipper over his lips. Or beak, as it were. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kaeya give an amused smile before heading up the steps to enter the fort. I, of course, followed closely behind.
He led me through the front hall, which was an immensely impressive area with white and tan checkered tiles, potted plants raised on pedestals, and generic shields with swords crossed behind them and paintings hanging from the walls. The same winged crest as was on the chest plates of the knights could be seen much larger and more detailed in the center of the tiled floor. Multiple doors lined both the left and right walls at long intervals, with two hallways branching off halfway to the end. A set of stairs leading up to a plat for that split into two more stairways to the upper floors at the end of the wide hall.
"I truly wonder what it is with this city and its obsessions with stairs," I grumbled as I was lead along.
Kaeya shrugged, taking the left branching hallway. "When your city is as small as ours when it comes to square-footage, the construction begins to take a more vertical theme in order to save space. The number of structures within the walls that have less than two floors can be counted on one hand."
"With a few fingers missing, I bet," I jested.
A few twists and turns later, and we had finally arrived at what I would deem as the "interrogation room." Upon entering, I was grateful that it appeared to be more civilized than the ones I'd seen on TV. It consisted of usual table, two chairs, and a lamp hanging over them. However, all three pieces of furniture were carved from wood and looked fancy, the lamp was ornately decorated, and instead of a two-way window for other people to stare at me through without seeing them there was a normal window that overlooked the city.
"Nice. 10/10, would recommend this room to any criminals needing to be questioned," I stated as I took the chair facing the door.
"Glad to see that it lives up to your obviously-high standards," he bowed dramatically. "Now, I would like you to wait here for a while. As much as I would love to get this over with here and now, protocol states that the one who brings in the one being questioned needs two other knights of the same rank or higher than them to prevent any incidents that may arise."
"Am I a criminal? I thought we were getting along," I sagged my shoulders just as dramatically.
"No, you are not. At least, not yet. However, if I avoid the rules just because you came here of your own free will I will catch so much hell from the Grand Master. You might be waiting a while seeing as most of the building is asleep, so make yourself comfortable."
"Will do."
And like that, I was alone.
'So, System,' I thought, leaning back in my seat. 'Any suggestions for the coming interrogation?'
You do know that I'm mostly supposed to be a background aspect of this story and that I can't give you all of the answers you want, right?
'I will ignore that first part on principal seeing as it directly conflicts with my world view and just reply with yes for the second. I just need you to give me some pointers in this situation because I'm pretty sure that you know this world like the back of your hand while I'm in the dark.
That's not entirely correct. The game and world building for this universe were, and still are, slow in the making in the baseline universe. I know everything about everything that has been covered by the storylines and side quests, but nothing about anything that hasn't been expanded upon as of yet.
'So…you're telling me that the Administrators decided to put me in a world that hadn't even been finished back home?!'
Pretty much.
Thank god for the amount of self-control granted to me by the [Gamer's Mind] skill, because without it I would've put my head through the table at that point. 'We are barely one day into this and I already hate these assholes more than I have ever hated a single living being in my life.'
Considering who they are and what they do for fun, I do not blame you. Almost every beta tester gets screwed over in some way.
'Moving on before I give myself an aneurism…thoughts on the interrogation?' I was desperate to move onto something less rage-inducing.
Considering the fact that all of the people you are about to face will be impossible to lie to, considering you don't have a lying skill and even if you did you wouldn't be of high enough level or charisma to fool them, tell the truth as much as possible, but omit the whole "gamer" deal. I give them about an hour before they get here, so that gives us plenty of time to create a story that is both true and vague.
'Alright. Any other pointers.'
We need to come up with a way to explain the four legendary items in your inventory.
'Oh fuck! I just realized I have what amounts to four fast-passes to immortality on me and I'll have to show them if I want to get out of here!'
Yeah…let's prioritize that one and work forward from there
Just as the System had predicted, I had a full hour to get my story straight. I was just lucky that [Gamer's Mind] kept me calm enough to thoroughly memorize the sort-of-but-not-really-made-up backstory the System and I put together. I even had Qrow get in on it with some mental signals to him to get his opinion on whether some ideas were good or not.
When the door opened, in walked three people, as expected. The first was Kaeya, while the other two were women who really looked like they could use more sleep. Funnily enough, neither of them had a single hair out of place for someone who woke up within the last hour. Also, boy did they look unique!
One was a tall blond with her hair up in a ponytail and grey-blue eyes. She wore a white and black strapless shirt with gold linings and symbols; a short blue and gold cloak with a light blue inner lining attached to a white separate collar with black linings; white tights embroidered with a gold-diamond dot pattern; a pair of white high-heeled knee-high boots with gold patterns and black heels; and finally, to top it all off, a pair of blue gauntlets.
'Gonna need to add 'gold' to that list of things this city is obsessed with. Right up there with Stairs,' I thought idly as I shifted my gaze to the other female.
This one looked like she took the idea of being a witch and thought, "Hmm…not sexy enough." Seriously, the raw energy of the provocative variety she gave off even as her green eyes were drooping with drowsiness was unbelievable. Aside from the gold accents that I now was noticing were everywhere in this place, her clothes consisted of a purple and white dress, opened at the sides to show off her black lace stockings and high heels; a purple witch's hat that rested atop her curly, light honey-brown hair which was also tied in a ponytail to the side with a purple rose hair tie; a black belt with a gold rose; a gold necklace with a purple gem in the middle; and black gloves to cover her hands, one of which held a blue book.
'Is this one of the laws of anime at work,' I thought incredulously. 'One where all important men and women have to be attractive in some way? Am I actually smoking hot under all of these layers? Things to ponder later. Let's get this show on the road.'
"Welcome back! I'd begun to think you'd forgotten about me," I commented, leaning forward to rest my arms on the table.
Kaeya laughed lightheartedly. "Sorry to keep you, but I did say it might take a while due to these two being asleep. Allow me to introduce Dandelion Knight Jean Gunnhildr, and our Librarian, Lisa Minci."
I raised an eyebrow. "A librarian has the same or greater rank than yours?"
"Don't judge a book by its cover, darling," said the indicated purple librarian, somehow strutting inside despite her sleepy state. "I could probably put you down any day of the week."
"I one hundred percent believe that," I replied evenly. I'd seen enough anime and video games to know it's the ones who seem harmless that can always kick your ass.
The blond dandelion knight took the other corner within my line of sight. "I apologize for our late arrival. We don't receive many visitors at this time of night, and even less that require the attention of higher-ups."
I nodded as Kaeya took the seat across from me. "No need to worry. This came out of nowhere for all of us, so I don't see the point in griping."
"We also needed to gather the statement of the child you brought back," Kaeya mentioned. "The knight who took her home made it a point to ask her about how you two wound up traveling here together."
"And boy did she say some interesting things," Lisa interjected with a smile, a glint of intrigue in her eyes.
"Oh? Do tell. I'm simply shaking with anticipation here," I replied.
"Well." The conversation was once again commandeered by the resident wannabe-pirate. "She claimed that, alongside the odd extradimensional storage abilities you showed us earlier, you demonstrated the ability to summon a small flock of birds that decimated a small hunting party of hilichurls in the span of a few seconds from a combination of your arms and an odd trap that looked like a nest." All eyes idly drifted to Qrow. "It was also noted that when she asked you about your Vision, you claimed ignorance to what a Vision was."
Silence settled in the room before I let out a sigh. "I was hoping to keep that under wraps, but I guess the cat's out of the bad," I groaned. "Yeah, that's all true. She gave me a general idea of what Visions are, but I don't have one of those on me. Never have."
"Fascinating," Lisa mumbled out loud. "Can you show us how you cast your magic, then?"
"If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to not demonstrate a potentially deadly ability in an enclosed space in the middle of the night."
She pouted at me. "When you put it like that…"
"I'd be more than willing to showcase some of my powers for you in a more controlled environment at a later time or date," I conceded. "For now, though, I'd like to move onto the reason we are all here so all of us can get a good night's sleep."
"Right," Jean spoke up. "Magic is best handled with a clear head and an alert body."
Kaeya nodded. "It's decided. Now, the first order of business here is to ascertain your identity, origins, and intentions while you stay here in Mondstadt."
"And ascertain them you shall," I nodded. "My name is Simon. Just Simon, as I have no last name to call my own. I'm 17 years old and come from a nation called the United States of America, which I've already given you a description of."
"Seventeen?" Jean piped up. "Barely an adult and you're out traveling on your own?"
"It wasn't exactly my choice." My comment brought a concerned expression to her face. "I lived most of my life doing mostly nothing, and being nothing. I did so little and was so boring that I was chosen by the Administrators to take on a quest."
"Who would they be?" Kaeya questioned.
"Well…do you guys have gods here?"
Lisa answered. "Yes. We have the Seven Archons, who are deities that watch over the nations of Teyvat. Some nations have their Archons as an integral part of their society and ruling system, while others like Mondstadt are left to govern on our own. The Anemo Archon, Barbatos, is the Archon of Mondstadt and mostly left us alone for the last few hundred years due to his strong belief in freedom."
"That makes this much simpler, then. The Administrators are beings akin to gods. They can give power, take it away, and are entirely governed by their idea of what is 'fun' and 'cool.' In summary, they are assholes."
It was obvious that they never expected me to say anything like that, as the eyes of three of the four other occupants of the room (yes, I am counting Qrow as an occupant) shot wide open and their jaws would've dropped if they had any less self-control.
"Are…are you sure you should be calling them that?" Kaeya asked in shock. "From your first description, they sound like the kind to punish you for such blasphemy. Hell, half of the Archons would at least break the bones of any mortal who insulted them as such."
"HA!" I laughed forcefully. "Those assholes don't care about how much I drag their titles through the mud. As long as I give them a good show, they could care less about my personal feelings in the matter. Hell, they took me away from my nice and quiet life with neither my consent nor more than an hour's warning. All that matters is that they needed a guy who wouldn't be missed for their quest, and I fit the bill."
"Are they the source of your powers?" Lisa asked, apparently more interested now with the prospect of other gods outside of the ones known by this world.
"You could say that." I held out my left arm and turned it into the feathered hand/claw hybrid. "They gave me a set of abilities that would allow me to get stronger and protect myself, as well as acquire various other powers along my journey. One which I was able to get my hands on shortly after this all began was this one, aptly named [Murder of Crows.] It allows me to summon crows from my very flesh and order them to attack anyone or anything with a single thought. Also comes with this little guy here." I jerked my head to Qrow.
"You're awfully forthcoming about all of this," Jean pointed out, her tone showing how impressed she was at my honesty.
"Well, considering all three of you are military types who are most likely trained in spotting lies, I determined that it would be in my best interests to tell the truth. I don't like the idea of having my fingers broken, ya see?"
Kaeya smirked at my attempted humor. "We appreciate your cooperation. Before we get into the contents of your extradimensional pocket space, are there any other powers you have that you would like to share with us?"
"Other than the ability to use any weapon put into that space with a novice level of skill, despite never wielding any in my life, there is one." My gaze then sharpened to a degree that it could cut titanium. "However, it has certain ties to four of the items in my inventory. None of them are for sale, but I'm willing to show you them first under one condition."
The demeanors of the three knights became as serious as my own. "And what would that be?" the captain asked.
"Due to the nature of both the power I hold and its connection to these items, it is my utmost priority to keep them secret. Should any information on their properties be leaked to anyone, it could spell a lot of trouble on a scale greater than any of you can imagine. I'm talking plagues, mass killings, and disasters so great that entire cities have fallen to madness and despair. In light of these facts, I need the three of you to promise that none of the information I am about to give you is to be told to anybody. I will tell your superiors myself if I must, but outside of that, nobody hears a peep."
The gravity of my words weighed heavily on those in the room. I could see a bit of disbelief in the severity of my words, but one does not rise in the ranks of any military organization without an open mind. "What would you do if this information did spread?" Jean questioned.
"I would hunt down the one who spread it and subject them to a fate worse than death for the rest of their natural life," I plainly stated, thus deepening the foreboding atmosphere of the room.
"I agree to keep your secret," Lisa said, trading her flirting tone for one of pure business.
"As do I," Kaeya agreed.
"I will as well," Jean assented.
I nodded. "Okay. First, I need to ask a question"
"What do you know of the concept of Immortality?"
Once again, stunned silence settled over the room's inhabitants the moment I dropped the bomb. The only one to speak was Lisa, her voice a mix of serious and skeptical. "It is said that the Archons are the closest beings to immortals. They do not age and have immense stores of power, but they are still able to die by various means. No entity as of yet has been recorded as being truly undying."
"That does sound accurate," I nodded. "Immortality is a concept that covers the powers of being invulnerable and having eternal youth. In my time, I've come to categorize three different forms of immortality which exist, at least conceptually."
"The first is True Immortality, where the Immortal in question is both un-aging and undying. The second is Conditional Immortality, where the Immortal has one or both characteristics, but it is dependent on certain elements that, when removed, will either leave them mortal again or kill them outright. Finally, we come to Phoenix Immortality, in which the Immortal is capable of dying, yet they will always come back after death. Are you all following me so far?"
A round of nods was all I needed to continue. "I have never met one with the True Immortality, nor do I currently have a method of allowing it. I do, however, have four "Keys to Immortality" in my pocket dimension; two for Conditional Immortality, and two for Phoenix Immortality. All four have a price to pay for them and are incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands."
"Are you an immortal?" This serious question was once again asked by Lisa.
"Yes," I answered, causing the others to draw in a deep breath. "One of the gifts given to me by my asshole gods was a form of Phoenix Immortality. I can die just like any of you, and even feel all the pain that goes along with it, but I will always come back. Thank heaven and hell I haven't had to go through any deaths yet, but in a world like this it is inevitable to come to someone as weak as I am at the moment." I intentionally left out the conditions of my revival being that my corpse had to go unobserved.
A long pause hung in the air as they digested that tidbit. I used that as an opportunity to remove the four legendary items from my inventory and set them out on the table. As you could guess, they were a black metallic cube, a slug in a glass jar filled with salt water, another smaller jar with the multi-limbed worm, and a vial of blood rolled in a page's worth of parchment. Such small objects, each able to be held with one hand, but three of them were capable of untold havoc.
"Here they are," I drew the knights' attention out of their thoughts to the table. "My four Keys of Immortality. These," I gestured to the first two. "grant conditional immortality, while these." Now the latter two. "Provide Phoenix immortality. Fair warning before I get into detail: only the black one is safe to touch."
I picked up said object. Funny thing about this one is that it greatly differed from its in-game counterpart, unlike the other three. It was only one difference, but that one change made this infinitely more important, in my opinion. "This is the Black Box. It is likely the most sophisticated piece of technology you will ever see in your lives. Once in its entire existence, it is capable of absorbing the soul of a dead or dying mortal and saving their consciousness within. Paired with an artificial body of high enough quality, the soul within will be granted new life, and so long as the Black Box remains intact, or another Black Box is able to save the soul again upon the original being destroyed, the person inhabiting it is effectively immortal and can be immune to sensations such as pain."
I set it back down, before gesturing to the grey slug with glowing spots. "The ADAM Slug. A creature capable of taking in organic material and changing it to a substance known as ADAM. ADAM is a genetic goo that allows the re-writing of a being's physical structure, even going so far as to regenerate lost limbs and give magic-like abilities. It can only be implanted in females, as their biology allows the perfect environment to house it, and requires the host to consume DNA rich substances, such as human blood, daily in order to keep it satisfied. As a result, the constant flow of ADAM through the host's body makes them immune to all forms of physical trauma, as they will heal in a matter of moments, as well as stop aging after puberty. Should the slug be removed improperly, the host will die. Now, while ADAM seems like a wonder substance, to those not properly conditioned for it the substance will mutate their bodies and minds over time, driving them insane"
Next, the worm. "This is the BOR Parasite, or Biological Organ Regenerator. This bad boy attaches itself to the heart of its host, be they living or dead before implantation, and gives them a mix of Phoenix and Conditional Immortality. This Revenant, as they are call, will reform in another location upon death as a result of the parasite deconstructing their body down to a cellular level and relocating it in order to ensure survival. Should the heart and parasite be destroyed, the Revenant will turn to ash. The major drawback of this one is that with each death, the host has a chance of losing memories, and should too many be lost the parasite will take over the whole host body and become what is called the Lost, a mindless killing machine that can never permanently die."
And finally, the contract. "This is the most enigmatic, yet also one of the most dangerous. Within this vial exists the blood of a Great One. Great Ones are Outer Gods whose very presence on the physical plane will warp it and drive those who witness their true forms mad. The blood has healing properties that rival ADAM, but when paired with the contract it gives the host the ability to come back an infinite number of times after death. The contract serves to mostly keep the Old Blood in check, but should the host lose their way on the path to become stronger, even the contract cannot save their minds from becoming drunk on both the blood and their own bloodlust."
I looked each of them dead in the eye. "Now you know the burdens I carry with me. Hopefully you now understand why the secrecy surrounding their existence is of the utmost importance."
As you can tell, I made sure to lay the drama on extremely thick.
"I…can certainly say that I understand," Jean stated, her expression a look of wonder, fear, and respect. "There is one thing you said that I would like to inquire about, though."
"I'll answer if I can."
"You mentioned the host of the ADAM Slug going through puberty. Does that mean…" she let the implied question hang in the air.
I sighed with a frown. "If you're asking what I think you are, then yes. If the slug is implanted in an adult woman or a teenager who is already undergoing or has undergone puberty, then it will die due to not being capable of bonding with its host properly. Only girls age seven to twelve may host an ADAM slug. Yet, as for all of my Keys of Immortality, I will only implant it should it be in the interest of saving a life."
Kaeya smiled at that. "That's very noble of you."
"Now, would you mind if I were to put them away again? The less they are present in the physical world, the better."
"You may."
With that, I touched each one and stored them back in my inventory. If I had my way, they wouldn't see the light of day until I absolutely needed them.
"Moving on to less dangerous matters, I'm sure you would like to see the rest of my stock?" After receiving a nod, I proceeded to empty my inventory. "Got a selection of good things for sale," I quoted for effect.
Over the next few minutes, every inch of the table was covered by the stock I was willing to sell. I made sure to divide them into categories so their purposes weren't up for speculation, consisting of healing items, food & drink, metals, and crafting materials. There was also a clear divide made between the Common-rank items, of which I had plenty, and the higher-rarity ones of which I only had one of each. I made this clear to my potential customers as I was setting everything out.
"What are these metals?" Kaeya asked, picking up a shard of Titanite.
"That right there is Titanite, the so-called 'Metal of the Gods.' Two shards of it are more than enough to reinforce most weapons and armor beyond what their base material ever could. Unfortunately, I only can only sell shards until the Administrators deem me successful enough to sell the rarer varieties. Beside that –" I motioned to the glowing ingots beside the shards and chunks of Titanite. "-you'll see Queen's Iron, a metal made with the help of the most powerful Revenant in history. It has similar properties to Titanite in its ability to enhance equipment, as well as having higher-quality variants that I don't have enough of to put a price on as of yet."
Inspecting the shard further, Kaeya glanced up at me with intent I could recognize. "How much for one Queen's Iron and two Titanite shards?"
A grin stretched across my lips, not that they could see behind the mask. "Ah, I see what you're doing. Buying just enough to test if my words hold their weight? You can't be too careful when purchasing never-before-seen materials, after all. As for the price? I'd say five hundred Mora for each, so that comes out to fifteen hundred for the lot."
I took those numbers directly from my [Appraise] skill. Sounds like a lot, but due to the fact that the average jug of milk cost 100 Mora, it wasn't really much. I wasn't too salty about it, though, due to the fact that I would also gain five Store Points for each sale. That tidbit of knowledge was provided to me by the system on my trek from the woods to the city when I pointed out the fact that it had informed me at the beginning that I would receive Store Points for sales, but never told me how much, and neither did my [Appraisal.] It kindly gave me this chart:
Common – 5 Points
Uncommon – 25 Points
Rare – 50 Points
Mythic – 100 Points
Legendary – 500 Points
Unique - Varies
So…yeah. Slow start with the Common items, but it scales with the rarer items. All the more reason to level up my [Infinitory]. How do I do that, you ask? Well, the condition that I found for leveling it up to Uncommon was that I needed to add one hundred uncommon items to my inventory, and the ones that were put there by the [Fictional Adaptation] didn't count. So far it was at 1/100 due to having previously purchased [Murder of Crows].
Why couldn't I just be like other gamers and have everything work normally?
Luckily, I was brought out of my tangent shortly before it could spiral into a hate-filled rant by Kaeya. "I'll take them," he smiled, followed by him digging through his pocket and pulling out fifteen 100-Mora coins.
I took them and, after counting to make sure they were all there, made them vanish into the System. "Heheheh, thank you," I chuckled.
You have earned 15 Store Points
Lisa was the next to speak, having been previously looking through the crafting materials like a child in a toy store. "These components are simply amazing! Would you allow me to study some of them?" Her voice dipped into the flirty tone that would make most men do whatever she wanted in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately for her, I was mentally protected from such empty temptations. "Sorry, but I don't offer free samples. You buy something, or it doesn't leave with you."
She pouted. "It was worth a try."
"Each of those costs around one hundred Mora, so I can give you one of each for five thousand," I offered.
"That sounds fair," she mumbled. "But wait, there are sixty-eight individual pieces here. Wouldn't sixty-eight hundred be more accurate?"
"It would, but here's the thing: I said no free samples. I didn't say anything about discounts."
"Oooh. Can I expect more discounts in the future?"
"No. If I'm being honest, this is mainly just to get you hooked on them so you'll buy more of everything in the future."
"Quite the business man, aren't you?" she teased, pulling out the amount of Mora and handing it over.
"I need to be in this kind of world." I completed the transaction.
You have earned 340 Shop points.
'Oh yeah. The moment I'm out of here, [Return to Sender] is mine!'
"What about that coin?" Jean asked, pointing to the Gacha token I'd set at the corner of the table.
Grabbing it, I held it up for them to see. "This is also not for sale, and for good reason. You can think of this as a blessing from the Administrators. If I flip it in the air, it will undergo a transformation into a random item or ability to help or hinder me on my journey. "
"Why would it hinder you?" Questioned Kaeya.
"Do you remember when I told you that my gods were assholes?" I deadpanned. "While the flip is supposed to be random, I wouldn't put it past them to mess with the odds and giving me something that will poison me, stab me, or explode upon contact when it lands in my hand. It's just a risk I'm willing to take."
"Right," the Knight Captain trailed off. "I will have to bring your presence up with Grand Master Varkas in the morning, and possibly arrange for a meeting for you to show him your 'Sensitive Wares.' Aside from that, everything else seems to be in order. Unless either Lisa or Jean object, I'd like to welcome you officially to Mondstadt."
I smiled pleasantly when the other two remained silent. "Glad to be here. Now, do you have any ideas of where I might be able to stay?"
Quest complete: [Show and Tell]
Objectives Completed: [Prove that you don't have any drugs, weapons, or illegal products in your inventory. (Which you don't…for now.)] , [Sell 1 item during the interrogation] , [Sell 5 items during the interrogation]
Rewards: 100 Shop points, 10 EXP, 1 Gacha Token
Bonus Rewards: 100 Shop points, 2 Gacha Tokens, 10 XP
[STATUS]
Name -Simon
Title - [None]
Class – Merchant [LOCKED]
Age - 17
Level – 3
EXP – 0/40
HP - 110/110
SLT – 120/120
STR - 17
DEX - 12
VIT - 12
INT – 13
CHA – 18
LCK – 13
Stat points - 15
Currency: 3000 Mora
Shop Points: 855
[SKILLS]
Gamer's Mind [Level: MAX] – Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows a peaceful state of mind. Grants immunity to psychological status effects.
Appraise [Level: 1/87 %] – Replaces the [Observe] skill found in other Gamer Systems. Allows the user to determine the Rarity, origin, stats, and approximate price for any item. Capable of appraising living beings at later levels.
What's Mine is Mine [Level: Novice 0%] – Allows the user to use any weapon or tool in their inventory with a Novice level of proficiency.
Murder of Crows [Level: 2/20 35%] Cost: 40 SLT - Active Effects: Allows the summoning of crows in order to attack an enemy, as well as the ability to leave a Nest Trap. Number of summoned crows is 3 x (Skill Level).
Passive Effects: Allows user to have an autonomous crow familiar. The crow familiar is an extension of the user and is capable of sharing senses for reconnaissance. Further abilities will be unlocked as skill levels up.
I briefly looked over my stats and skills before I hit the hay. I had paid five thousand Mora for a night's stay at one of the cheaper hotels in the city, and it would cost me the same amount for each following night as well. Hopefully, Kaeya and Lisa would find the materials I sold them to be useful enough for bulk purchases.
I briefly considered flipping my four Gacha tokens and buying [Return to Sender], but decided to do so in the morning, seeing as I was dead tired by now. Crawling into the one bed in the large room, I sent my coat and mask into my inventory and fell asleep.
A/N: And that's all! Real talk time: I've had this typed up for the last week and have just been playing Genshin Impact and reading other fanfictions too much to read it over for typos. Might look into getting a Beta reader in the future. If you feel you'd be a good one, PM me. If you feel you'd be a bad one, PM me anyway because I have a feeling even a bad Beta reader would be better than none at all.
Don't forget to leave a review with what you think! As you can see by the first Author's Note at the top of this chapter, I take most ideas into consideration and have no problem with replying to criticism.
