章節 4: Ch4 (proof read)
"So, Weapons have the most immediate impact on a character's damage increase…" Lisa clicked on her character's weapon tab, and indeed, it wasn't even a good Catalyst. A one-star Apprentice's Note. She immediately clicked to replace it.
There weren't many Catalysts she could choose from so after looking at all her options she ended up selecting the three-star Catalyst, Magic Guide. Its stat and effect perfectly worked with her. " I will replace it with a stronger catalyst later~" Lisa was in a good mood as she had decided to focus on herself to be the most powerful character.
While her power remain restrained in reality, in the game, there were next to none. Moreover, in the future, she just knows that the enemies are definitely going to get stronger, and if she doesn't strengthen her character, she may not be able to progress in the later stages of the story.
After closing up the interface, the screen, then returned to the end of the Domain, there was a precious chest just ahead, and just as she opened it the story restarted, and then the game her character began to explain the current situation.
"Dragon of the East, Lion of the South, Wolf of the North, Falcon of the West…they are the Four Winds of Mondstadt, affiliated with Barbatos, The God of Anemo."
"The Dragon of the East, Stormterror... Its real name is Dvalin."
"Though most in Mondstadt seem to have forgotten that in all this "Stormterror" business."
"So now you know why Dvalin is only able to channel three of the Four Winds' power."
"Because it has been consuming itself from the beginning."
Then the Traveller was given a book to learn about the events that happened 100 years ago. Lisa naturally knew this history and did not need to confer to the game, but for others, who did not know these things, the game undoubtedly served as light education.
And that was just the tip of the iceberg in this entire game's content. Lisa had a hunch that there was a wealth of information that could be uncovered as the story progressed.
Glancing towards the clock, Lisa realised that another hour had silently passed. If it were work, she would find that even half an hour of continuous work boring and tiring. Yet, whenever she was playing this game, she felt no such fatigue. In fact, Lisa felt she could play for another two or three hours straight.
Setting the phone down, she stretched her slightly sore wrist and neck. The power of the three temples had already been cleared in-game, so the dark clouds surrounding Mondstadt should have dissipated by now, Of course, in reality, none of these things had even happened yet.
However, if this game has a plot that truly parallels reality, then at this point in time, Stormterror should be gathering the power of the three temples somewhere, and when gathered enough, it would then launch an attack on Mondstadt.
And in order to verify the authenticity of this information all she would need to do would be to go to the nearest Temple of the Four Winds, the Falcon of the West temple, enter it, and then check for any traces left behind by Stormterror.
Lisa then got up ready to share this critical information with Jean. Before that, however...
"It's been a pleasure, sir. By the way, what's your name?"
"Taylor"
'Oh, that's right Jean had mentioned his name. Can't believe I forgot.' Lisa thought feeling quite embarrassed.
"I guess there's no need for me to introduce myself then. You have re-created me so amazingly in-game that it seems like you know the Knights of Favonius quite intimately." Lisa then got closer to Taylor with a slight blush on her face, having never been this close to a stranger.
"Thank you," Taylor said with a faint smile.
Lisa, now almost standing at Taylor's side, held a gaze with her emerald green eyes, hidden under the wide brim of her hat.
"Showing such an intimate knowledge can be quite dangerous you know…"
Lisa said softly, while at the same time, gesturing with her hand behind her back. Purple lightning silently appeared behind Taylor like a snake stalking its prey, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
With a flash of lights, the lightning current directly moved to Taylor's back with him appearing completely unaware.
But in the next instant, that lightning current bypassed him, causing no harm whatsoever, and struck right back towards Lisa.
Lisa was stunned. This was the very first time she had ever found herself in such a situation. Taylor hadn't even blocked the lightning current with any movement, that would've still been with Lisa's expectations. He just outright ignored her attack's existence!!!
Due to her momentary shock, Lisa didn't even have time to evade, and the lightning current struck her in the belly, shocking her womb and causing a jolt of pleasure to permeate all throughout her body.
Normally her body would never be so defenceless when she was using her lightning, but she was completely unprepared for the strike to hit her back.
As Lisa failed to hide her face, which was red as a tomato, Taylor walked over to her and helped her back up with concern on his face.
"I do hope you're alright and don't worry, I do know how to both control my own strength and protect myself."
Taylor smiled at her with a look of reassurance.
...
He hadn't even realised what had happened at all. He had no idea that Lisa would actually attack him from behind. Fortunately, the shop had a beginner protection system, making him completely invulnerable there.
Seeing Lisa's very flushed face though, it seems she had developed some feelings for him. Taylor sighed, not surprised. Indeed, he appeared to be very physically attractive in his new life so it was bound to attract some people. Hopefully, this won't happen every time in the future.
He still kept a subtle aloofness in his demeanour. After all, he still needs to appear friendly to his customers.
...
What Taylor failed to understand, was that in Lisa's eyes, his aloofness was interpreted in a fundamentally different way. His casual and semi-indifferent attitude seems to say to her, "Your attack is just too weak, so weak that it doesn't even register as something that exists."
Even Taylor's lack of care was interpreted by Lisa as a warning.
The next time, if she dared to attack him so recklessly, he would show a bit of his true power.
Lisa felt a tightness in her chest, her heart beating fast as she felt both fear and a slight attraction to this enigmatic man. Taylor was definitely someone who had a very mysterious past and immense strength.
After so many years, Lisa felt fear for a long time and for the first time in her life, she also fell in love. After having her eyes closed for a few moments, she opens them back up and accepts Taylor's hand in getting her back up. With slightly shaky steps, she slowly walks out of the shop.
Once she was onto the street, Lisa took a deep breath this time. In addition to reporting the information she got through the mobile game to Jean, she would also need to inform her of his power.
Even though Lisa may have fallen in love with this man, she also felt that, in all of Mondstadt, there are probably next to none who could match Taylor in power. She could not allow herself to act so recklessly again.
Lisa thought about her sneak attack attempt earlier and broke out a cold sweat at the very thought of it. Fortunately for her, Taylor had a very kindhearted attitude. Otherwise, she might not have been able to leave this shop relatively unscathed.
===
In the Knights of Favonius Headquarters Grand Master's Office, Lisa was sipping a cup of warm tea while waiting for Jean's return. It wasn't until about lunchtime that Jean finally returned.
"So Lisa, how did it go?"
After having some time to calm themself down while waiting for Jean, she was able to report with a calm tone.
"The information I obtained in the mobile game had been quite substantial. Firstly…"
Lisa recounted the storyline that she had experienced in the game's plot. The source of Stromterror's power — the Four Wind's temples — and the battle she had fought. Unfortunately, Much of Lisa's time's time had been focused on learning the game's mechanics and the effects of each stat.
"If that's the case, then we must send a team to clear the Four Wind's temples immediately!" Jean declared with staunch determination.
If they destroy the power source before Stormterror gathers its strength, they may be able to prevent the attack on Mondstadt altogether.
"We definitely should clear out the temples, but I suggest sending only a small team to the nearest temple, the Temple of the Falcon first."
Lisa spoke with no hesitation. Obviously, during her time waiting, she had also already thought about how to handle the situation.
"One reason is that our knights are currently severely understaffed, and in case this scene is fabricated by Taylor, would have left behind a significant security risk if we deplete the city forces for no apparent reason."
"Don't forget, the Fatui's diplomats are also watching closely."
Jean nodded in agreement, Lisa, as expected, always remained calm by her side in times like these. She was truly able to keep her at ease.
"Then, let's have Kaeya go investigate the Temple of the Falcon first."
After making this decision, Jean turned to Lisa and asked, "You mentioned, there was another piece of information you obtained. What is it?"
"It's about the owner of the mobile game café…"
...
At this moment, at the entrance to the Grand Master's Office, one of the knights had just finished patrolling the other areas of the headquarters and arrived at the office entrance to continue his guard duty.
His name is Duke, the son of a decently wealthy merchant in the city who helped solidify his current position in the knights with a bit of financial support here and there. However, Duke was not content with just being a guard, he aspired to achieve something truly significant and bring glory to his family name.
As Jean returned to the office in a bit of a hurry and only half closed the door, Duke managed to overhear part of the conversation between Jean and Lisa.
"How was that possible you couldn't even gauge the strength of his power?" Jean asked, quite surprised by this.
"It's probably because of the many restrictions I placed on myself. If I were to truly take action, holding nothing back, I might be able to gain some insight into his power, but that's not possible. Not only that, our knights have no reason to offend the owner of the game cafe." Lisa replied.
"I see... For now, let's wait for Kaeya's report. If it turns out to be the same as in the game, then the nature of this matter has changed."
The mobile game cafe owner? Duke was taken aback. He felt like he had seen those words somewhere before. Then it clicked. It was the name of a shop at the end of the street that he had once passed by. He remembered feeling a little curious about the shop's name at the time.
From the way, Acting Grand Master Jean and Lisa had talked it seemed like this mobile game cafe owner was hiding some important secrets. If he could uncover all this, he gain some good merit with Acting Grand Master Jean and Lisa since they had some reservations. (TN: and for good bloody reasons)
Duke had no such reservations, however. (TN: like an arrogant idiotic, young master don't you think)
After his shift, he would call a few of his friends, and, with their help, probably get something out of this owner.
With a very self-assured smile, Duke began to eagerly anticipate his performance tonight.
…
In the Angel's Shares Tavern, a woman with short, icy blue hair sat in the corner, drinking a pint of alcohol one after another. A light flush appeared on her cheeks, but there was no sign of happiness. Instead, her brows were furrowed and worried.
After placing her payments on the table, the woman steadily made her way out towards the door.
"Isn't that Eula from the Lawrence clan… drinking like this, while being a member of the knights…"
"Why haven't the Knights of Favonius kicked her out yet…"
In the span of walking just a few measly meters, she had heard no less than three rude comments about her. Fortunately, she was already long accustomed to this kind of gossiping about her, and after leaving the tavern, she leisurely made her way back home.
The reason she was in such a foul mood today, to the point of seeking her solace in alcohol, was not because of the people's mocking, but because of what she discovered during a recent patrol outside the city.
She had found traces of a large number of monsters and even some extremely dangerous Abyss Mages near the Temple of the Lion.
She intended to report this to the Knights of Favonius in hopes of sending reinforcements to clear out the monster.
However, before she could enter the headquarters, she got stopped by a guard named Duke saying "Grand Master Jean is currently busy with work and is unable to see anyone."
To further try to stop her from giving her report to Jean, he then taunted her with comments like, "A Lawrence up to no good" and "Working as a spy within the Knights of Favonius."
In the end, she didn't go in, purely due to the fact that it was likely true that Jean was busy. After all, Duke couldn't stop her from entering if she used some force.
So, instead of venting out her frustration, she had gone into the tavern and ended up drinking more than originally intended. She still had limits of course. She would not allow herself to get completely drunk, and as she stumbled out of on the pathway, she noticed what appeared to be a new tavern nearby.
"What's this? A new tavern?"
It had quite an exquisite seating inside the store. Only a tavern was likely to have such a decor. Moreover, there was currently no one inside, which conveniently shielded her from the annoyance of being pointed and gossiped at by others.
She walked slowly, sitting on the chair inside.
"Sir, a glass of…um… fruit juice, please." She dared not to drink any more alcohol Eula needed a drink to help sober her up.
===
Taylor was deep in thought at the bar, deciding whether he should do some more promotions ever since Lisa left this morning. It had been a whole afternoon without a single person coming into his cafe with occasionally someone with a curious mind looking at the entrance before walking away after seeing the price.
While he was deep in his thought, a woman in a unique attire of the Knights of Favonius walked in and ordered a fruit juice. Taylor immediately recognises her. It was Eula!
Better yet, she was wearing her night uniform that highlighted her already very impressive figure. With her sculpted face and a figure born for sin, her short icy blue hair complemented her slightly flushed cheeks, she could be described as pure yet also captivating to him.
Taylor walked over and assisted Eula in setting her claymore down at her side and then prepared a simple glass of tropical juice using the Omniversal Beverage Maker. Eula took the glass, tipped her head back and drowned it in one go. She then handed the empty glass back to Taylor.
"Sir, another one please"
'Do the citizens of Mondstadt all have such a strong drinking culture?' Taylor was preparing to pour another glass when he saw Eula lying her head down on the bar top, seemingly asleep.
He grabbed a blanket and covered her with it. Taylor, then sat at the bar, admiring her beautiful face thinking that, even if there were no more customers today, it was still quite pleasant to just watch her sleep.
"Are you the owner of this place?" Four adult men entered with what he assumed with their leader, all glaring at Taylor as though he had a blood debt with them.
"The one and only."
"10,000 Mora per hour? Might as well just go rob people in the street." The leader of the four said after seeing the prices.
"I have everything clearly marked here. If you can't afford it, then just go elsewhere."
Taylor could tell immediately that these people had clearly come here just to intentionally cause some trouble so he didn't bother to entertain them any further.
As soon as the leader heard him, his face immediately soured. He then slammed his hand down on the table hard.
Smack!
"There's never been anyone like you in Mondstadt so tell me, what is your intention for coming to Mondstadt." (TN: yeah, cause that's not immediately going against the Knights of Favonius handbook)
However, the sudden commotion worked in waking up the sleeping Eula. She opened up her eyes and saw a very familiar figure in front of her.
...
"Duke…?!"
Realizing who it was, Eula's head, which was still slightly heavy, cleared up in an instant.
"Duke, what are you doing here?"
Eula remembered that she had come to what appeared to be a newly open Tavern, had a glass of fruit juice and then fallen asleep. The thoughtful owner had even prepared a blanket for her. Seeing Duke shouting at the owner, Eula naturally wasn't going to let this stand.
"Oh, so it is a person from the treacherous Lawrence Family!"
"If you're here, then the evidence is already conclusive."
"The owner must be conspiring with the old aristocrats of the Lawrence clan to rebel against Mondstadt."
Eula's expression immediately turned cold, she put the blanket down and stared at Duke. "Don't spread such ridiculous rumours. I have no connection to the owner here. Don't try and defame good people!"
"People with connections usually don't admit it… otherwise, how do you explain why you're here alone in this store so late at night."
"You…!"
Dukes then signals with his hands to his three companions.
"Get him!"
Of course, they wouldn't dare try to fight Eula. She was not only a member of the Knights of Favonius but also outranks them significantly. The owner was a very different story however as he was Duke's true target.
However, believing that this situation had risen purely because of her, Eula couldn't just stand there and do nothing. She stepped in front of Taylor and intercepted the four people.
"As expected, you really are connected!"
"Arbitrarily arresting people with absolutely no evidence. Are you even a member of the Knights of Favonius?" Eula questioned.
"Your protection of him is the strongest evidence against him!" (TN: which goes to show you just how strong a bias is)
The argument had lost all logical meaning and the four people swarmed in intending to try and subdue Eula first so they could then capture Taylor.
As the primary target in this farce of a battle, Taylor showed no signs of anxiety or distress. On the contrary, there is a hint of an Eureka moment in his eyes. Just a short while ago, he had been thinking about how to do some advertising, and now, free publicity had come to him.
Perhaps because Eula had just woken up from a drunken slumber, but her attacks were unsteady and slightly inaccurate.
Both sides refrained from using their weapons. This resulted in the four wrongdoers being treated as sandbags, getting pummelled by Eula's fist.
Seeing that the situation was unfavourable, Duke drew his weapon and yelled as he swung at Eula. The other three also drew their weapons and joined in Eula.
Eula gaze immediately sharpened, as she quickly retrieved her greatsword that was but a step away from her. With her greatsword now in hand, she tried to block the incoming attacks.
Of course, this couldn't really be called a fair fight as facing the pressure from four people, regardless of how less skilled they are than her, will always be difficult.
Duke and his group only intended to drive Eula away and had no true intention of harming her. After all, this was Mondstadt and causing such a big scene here would not be good for anyone involved.
"If you don't take a step back, we will hurt you!" Duke threatened at this moment.
However, Eula's expression remains steady. A faint white highlight seemed to shimmer around her golden irises and the temperature in the surrounding area suddenly plummeted several degrees with her great sword now shrouded in a layer of ice.
With a hum, the Cryo element exploded, and the four individuals were immediately blasted away while covered in a layer of frost.
Eula, with only one hand holding her great sword, looked at them coldly, making the four shivers. Picking up their weapons from the floor, without a single word, they ran away.
Outside the store, due to the commotion from inside, several people had already gathered around. They were all pointing and talking about her which she could easily ignore it. However, because it just used her elemental power, she accidentally overturned one of the tables just nearby.
...
Taylor walked over, picking up the phone from the floor. Sadly, the screen was shattered.
"I'm very sorry sir. I'll be sure to compensate you." Eula said with sincerity when she noticed. She also helped him rearrange the tables and chairs. Cleaning off any dirt on it.
Seeing her service skills and very serious demeanour, Taylor had an idea. It seemed like the shop was currently lacking some wait staff.
Only one question though, how to make people willingly come to a cafe that Eula worked at?
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票