"Ahhh~ what a nice breeze!" Hu Tao cheered from the top of the steps. Her grandfather and I were slowly trailing from behind as we slowly reached the top of the road leading down to our destination: Liyue Harbor. It was a city protected by the gods and made by the people built upon a foundation of mutual trust and understanding through the concept of contracts. In the world of Genshin Impact, this was the most important city in Liyue.

"Careful, Hu Tao. If you slip, I will laugh at you," I warned her lightly. It was a long way down, but the slopes weren't too steep. Still, I couldn't help feeling worried about this little girl who was roughly around my body's age. Hu Tao, who had no fear for danger and was a thrill-seeker by default, merely laughed as she turned her back to Liyue Harbor.

"Well~ we both got our gliders right? How about we race down and see who's faster?" she challenged me in jest.

I scoffed at her little antics and shot back, "What's in it for me though? Do you have a prize in mind?"

"Winner asks the loser to do one thing!" Hu Tao declared boldly.

My little devious mind was instantly interested in this little race now. Making sure she didn't take back her words, I asked, "Are you sure? You might not be able to handle it."

In return, Hu Tao gave a cheeky reply: "We'll see about that! READY-SET-GO!"

Jumping backward, a pair of brown-feathered wings shot out and caught a timely gust of wind. Hu Tao skillfully turned around and started gliding down towards the entrance of Liyue Harbor down below. I let out some silly noise of shock, but that shock turned into laughter as I called the mischievous girl out for being a little cheat.

A feeling of warmth spread throughout my body. A sense of liberation filled me as I let go of my worries for this split moment in time to enjoy what I still could. Taking a step forward, I allowed the Mana within me to flow the same way my emotions did. Brown-feathered wings popped out from either side of me as I stepped off the ledge.

"Colt."

I turned upon hearing my name being called. The voice was softer than a gentle breeze and was easy to miss. However, perhaps due to the wind blowing towards my back, I was just able to hear some of the most important words of my new life. The words belonged to the only person behind me after all. It was the first time I had heard his voice, but I knew it couldn't have been anyone else except him. His tone was heavy, and the words that came with it were even heavier.

"Look after your sister."

As I fell back over the ledge, my eyes widened in shock. If my reflexes hadn't kicked in, I probably would have tumbled to the ground right there. Luckily, it wasn't that bad of a drop so long as I landed half decently, but somehow, I managed to catch enough air with my wing gliders to keep myself up. In the corner of my eye, I saw the old man chuckling to himself. His shoulders moved up and down ever so slightly. I sighed. It looks like Hu Tao's mischievous nature comes from her ancestors as expected.

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No accidents happened on the way down. Of course, given the late start, I lost the race and was now subject to whatever torment Hu Tao decided. We didn't decide on anything then and there though as Hu Tao was too excited to just stand around in front of the gates. According to her, her grandfather was going to meet up with a long-time family friend, so we were free to do as we pleased until dinner time. Lunch would be whatever we managed to get our hands onto with the money Hu Tao received before arriving.

Dragging me along by the arm, I couldn't help but think that Hu Tao was a little "too happy" - if that was even possible. Her positivity and brilliance were brighter than the sun, and her joyful nature was apparent to everyone who saw her. Many of the people we passed by would call out to her and engage in pleasantries, but none of them knew how this girl was suffering from within. Somehow, seeing her smile like this just made me even sadder.

As if sensing what I could feel, Hu Tao leaped at me while still holding my arm. If I hadn't instinctively figured that she was going to do that, I probably would have fallen on my rear, but I was able to hold firm. Hu Tao wasn't impressed though and remarked that I was acting like an old man. To which, she wasn't entirely wrong. My mental age was in my younger 20s after all. I could only sigh as the little girl embraced my arm and led me around the well-developed city.

Well developed for its setting at least. Of course, having played the game for at least a year, I was all too familiar with the scenery of Liyue Harbor. That still didn't stop me from enjoying the sights before me in person. There was something special about seeing the things that you could only envision in your fantasies being shown to you in real life. It's like materializing a dream. I was well aware that my new life here was anything but that, and I was forced to bring myself down to reality after remembering how arrogant and cocky I was to think I could prevent the natural laws of life and death.

Hu Tao's grandfather was going to die, and it couldn't be helped.

I shook off those negative thoughts. Dwelling on the inevitable was too unproductive. Remembering that person's words once again, I couldn't help recalling the warm feeling I had a little earlier. Hu Tao, who was ordering a grilled fish skewer, turned to ask me what I wanted to eat, but instead, she just poked at my face repeatedly in an annoying manner.

I shot at her with my grievances and asked, "Oi, what is it?"

"You're smiling!" Hu Tao cheerfully replied. "You hadn't smiled for real since a few days ago."

"W-what?"

Upon her pointing that out, I realized that I hadn't been controlling my emotions very well. Being reincarnated as a kid again, I should have known that my well-developed anti-society instincts and habits had disappeared. I had been smiling this entire time and didn't notice it at all, but for now, I believed it was fine to enjoy myself for the sake of my sister right next to me.

"Yeah, I'm finally happy that you decided on your order," I shot back in jest. "I was starving here."

In the end, I didn't think about my order that much and got the same thing Hu Tao did. Once again, I was amazed by the miraculous work of this world's inhabitants. Cooking was usually done simply by throwing ingredients into a wok and manifesting it in a heartbeat. Apparently, from my observations, that was just an automatic method of doing so. The professionals here had forgone making their food like it was a video game and dedicated themselves to manually crafting each dish by hand, one step at a time.

"Hey, do you think you can make a better version of this?" Hu Tao asked me out of the blue while eating her grilled fish in one hand while still holding onto my hand with the other.

"Hard to say. I think this is pretty tasty," I honestly told her. It was a simple grilled fish on a stick with minimal seasonings, but the chef must have had tons of experience in making this singular item. Frankly, my only beef with this food is the number of bones I had to dodge around, but that's just how fish are. Otherwise, it was extremely enjoyable and quite to my taste.

"I like your cooking, so now that we're home, you can cook for us every day right?" Hu Tao suggested. Considering that I made multiple snacks for a few days to test various things, Hu Tao had taken an interest in the tasty goods I made. Having spent time cooking and cleaning after myself as an adult, I knew the pains that came along with it. Of course, I will refuse. Every day was too much.

"Is that what you're going to ask me to do with your wish?" I questioned Hu Tao in a roundabout way. If she said yes to this, I would be pretty surprised, but from the time I spent with her, I felt that she wasn't the type of person to do that. It would have been more "fun" to hold an edge over me until she came up with an interesting idea.

"No, but it would be nice though," Hu Tao answered in passing.

As expected, she was looking for a way to torment her new sibling. I laughed nervously at the thought of what she was bound to put me through, but since she didn't say anything else about it, I didn't pursue the matter. The two of us scaled multiple steps leading up to a small district full of bright red buildings. At the top of the steps, there was a small plaza with two stone lions. Hu Tao let go of my arm and walked up to the lions to give them pats. I was confused at first and made eye contact with a Liyue guard who was standing nearby.

He looked at Hu Tao once, sighed, and turned away from the little girl who was all over the statue in broad daylight. It looks like this wasn't the first time this happened. Though, the weirder thing was that Hu Tao was talking to these statues as if they were living beings. After whispering some stuff into their ears, she got down and slapped their paws before waving for me to come over. With nothing better to do, I walked over to the weirdo.

Hu Tao introduced me to the two lions, Whiskers and Mittens.

I stared blankly at the two lions. After thinking about it, I politely tapped their paws and gave my greetings without thinking about it. Hu Tao grinned once I did and told me she was just looking after them until they grew up. Then, as the spontaneous girl she was, Hu Tao ran off. I ran off to follow her. The moment I started running though, I heard two loud meows. One low pitched and one high pitched. However, when I turned around, I didn't see any cats. Figuring that I must have been hearing things, I went back to chase after Hu Tao.

There was just one problem: I lost track of where she went.

While I knew the layout of Liyue Harbor like the back of my hand despite my half-baked knowledge of the game, figuring out where a young girl with the chaotic energy of a chihuahua could be was another story entirely. Like finding a needle in a haystack, just going about it on a whim wouldn't do me any favors.

At times like this, I really wished I use some overly convenient magecraft spell by opening my phone and pressing Find My Hu Tao. The app doesn't exist, but the spells I had may as well work just as what I said. Of course, my phone only had two apps now after I reincarnated into Genshin Impact. One app was for checking my status in a game-like menu, and the other was purely for summoning. Then, my dumb ass realized that I could have my Servant help me. After moving to an isolated area, I summoned the Hero again.

"Saber," I called out quietly.

A gentle breeze seemed to blow by, tickling my ear as it brushed by my hair. Materializing before me was a beautiful maid with silver-white hair with a long, sheathed sword at the back of her waist. Gracefully, one leg stepped behind the other as the maid performed a picture-perfect show of eloquence and courtesy to greet me.

"Greetings, Master Colt," resounded Saber's gentle voice. "Being the one you Summoned, I am linked to you, and thus, I am aware of your thoughts and desires."

A perfect ten out of ten.
A stellar greeting and act of courtesy.
The perfect maid has arrived.

"Why thank you, Master," Saber replied immediately to my shameless thoughts.

Having experience as a Master before, I was quite shocked to see how interconnected my thoughts were with Saber. Normally, even if a Master and Servant were linked, not every thought and emotion could be conveyed unless there was a strong bond that was formed or a unique connection between individuals. I started to panic a little as I realized that I was essentially an open book for Saber to read. To which, she was probably being forced to read my thoughts since I'm her Master.

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"Putting that aside, Master, it has been nearly one week since you summoned me," Saber spoke while shifting my thoughts to the side.

"Yeah, that's my bad," I started, but I was cut off by Saber's next words.

"My sincerest apologies for not being worth your time," Saber grieved solemnly.

"I was unable to go out to clean up Master's enemies while he was resting at the inn. Furthermore, Master Colt didn't require my services for cooking or cleaning throughout that time. I have disgraced the Master by being unable to achieve anything, and now, all you want me to do is to go find a little girl."

Saber reached for her sword's handle with both hands. Her eyes seemed to become slightly empty as little tears started to form in the corner of her eyes. For some reason, I felt a sense of foreboding and dread as Saber reached for her sword. While my slow mind was processing all this, Saber made her ultimatum.

"Seeing that I am a Saber Servant who doesn't fit the Master's needs in the slightest, I will promptly dismiss myself to give the Master more leeway to summon another Hero. I'm sure the esteemed Master will find someone who suits your desires," Saber uttered briskly before grabbing hold of her sword handle. Realizing I was about to see real-life seppuku happen in front of me, I hastily ran up to the suicidal Saber to stop her from doing so.

"Wait! Neglecting you was a mistake on my part as a Master! I really need you!" I blurted out in a hurry. "I just didn't bring you out because my body still can't handle you at the moment. It's not because I don't need you or you don't suit my tastes! Besides, if we're talking about taste, you're definitely the one for me!"

"Really?" Saber softly asked.

"Seriously! I've only seen maids in manga and anime, and I was thinking that seeing the real deal would be amazing," I asserted with complete confidence. "You've already blown any expectations I had out of the waters with how wonderful you are!"

". . ."

". . ."

". . ."

The two of us remained in silence for a little bit. There's no way I would let such a beautiful girl off herself, and there was no way Saber was useless. I was glad I was able to stop her. Upon further thought, it must have been pretty weird for a 12ish-year-old boy to cling onto an older girl's skirt and compliment her like this, but if I was older, I probably would have done the same thing regardless. Besides, my mental age is probably around a good enough age range... wait what was I thinking?!

I looked up in worry and saw a faint lush of pink contrasting against Saber's pale white skin. Looking closely at her lips, I thought I saw a slight smile form as both sides seemed to curl up a little bit, but I was still too short to properly see her face. Saber sighed as she moved her hands away from the blade handle and gently removed me.

"I understand. I, Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami Fujiwara-no-Nobutsuna, will take care of your needs and clean up your enemies, Master Colt," Saber pledged. "Now, let us find-"

"Waaah~ Colt! Who's this?!"

An annoyingly friendly voice from above resounded in my ears as the girl that I was just looking for dropped in from above. Hu Tao's wing glider folded and disappeared in an instant. Leaving her landing up to gravity, she landed gracefully right next to Saber and me before grabbing my hand and standing in between the two of us.

"She looks like she could be someone from Liyue or Inazuma, but her dress looks like she's from Mondstadt," Hu Tao analyzed closely while looking over Saber from head to toe. "You were there too that night at the inn weren't you?"

"No, well... This is..." I caught myself before saying any more. I was about to say "Saber," but that clearly isn't a name to go by. Not to mention, Hu Tao probably already sensed that there was something off with Saber. She's a Heroic Spirit, after all, so Hu Tao probably noticed that she should have already been dead. Do I just explain that she's someone that I summoned?

"You may call me Miyako," Saber answered smoothly. "I am something like a Spirit who looks after Master Colt."

"Ah, yeah! I was getting attacked by bad spirits when this older sister and the Adeptus came to save me!" I quickly fibbed in coordination with what has been said already. Hu Tao gripped my hand tighter and asked, "So she's an older sister spirit? And she knows the adepti?"

"Kind of," I spoke hesitantly. It felt bad to lie, but it was also hard to deceive a girl as quick-witted as Hu Tao. Interacting with her frequently for the past couple of days was enough for me to realize how intelligent and sharp this young girl was.

Fortunately, our explanations- or rather, Hu Tao's assumptions- were enough to convince her. She then went on and showed us to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor- Hu Tao's home. There, the spontaneous girl said she had something to do and shooed us away after leading us to my room.

It was a simple room with a single bed tucked in the corner low to the ground. The bed was adjacent to a desk and window on one wall while bordering a closet on the other wall. At the center was a carpet that was colored by the unique design of the shadows left behind by the sunlight peeking through the windows.

Tired from all the traveling that was done, I called out to Saber once again. Saber, who had disappeared briefly at some point while Hu Tao brought us back, appeared once again while kneeling by my side politely with her hands crossed and resting on her lap.

"Will you not call me by my given name, Master?" Saber inquired politely.

"Would you prefer it that way?" I shot back with my own question.

"I will accept whatever you wish to address me as," Saber smartly replied. "Including older sister or any variation of such."

I paused before saying anything else. Perhaps this was a good way to get closer to Saber. Not only that, but it was also convenient to have something else to call her by in public besides "Saber". Now that I think about it, I often referred to Hector, my previous Servant, as "partner" or "Lancer" most of the time. I don't think I've ever called him by name throughout our time together for the Grail War. Even in private.

Shocked by my anti-social tendencies, I gathered some willpower to call out to Saber by anything but Saber. However, upon making eye contact with her, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed upon seeing some level of expectation in her eyes. For some reason, I felt blood rushing as my cheeks grew warm like a pre-hormonal teenage boy who was developing his first crush. I opened my mouth, but I couldn't squeeze out any words. Hastily trying to overcompensate for my failed attempt, I pretended to enter a serious tone and changed the topic as an excuse.

"Saber, let's head out and do some investigation," I said stiffly.

"As you please, Master Colt," Saber replied without missing a beat. "I will remain in my spiritual form to preserve your Mana."

Since Hu Tao was busy, this allowed me to act independently. Of course, this was just simple business to go around and gather information. After heading out, I held a mental conversation with Saber about various important matters. The first was that normally summoning a Hero on a whim shouldn't have been possible under these circumstances. This was due to the nature and purpose of summoning in the first place.

Long story short, the origins of summoning Heroes of the past was in order to conduct a ritual to accumulate a massive amount of Mana for a wish-granting ritual. The summoned Heroes would be generally forced to be obedient to their summoners; hence, they were called Servants rather than just Heroes before. Not only were Servants essentially slaves to their Master but they were also chained to the system which summoned them. As foreign entities that normally shouldn't exist, they can only appear in the present reality through their Master's Mana.

After magecraft and technology further developed, summoning systems became more sophisticated so that these rituals weren't required anymore, but needless to say, it was still necessary to have one in the first place. It was like trying to run a program without a CPU to open and execute the start of it in the first place. That's why summoning Saber shouldn't have been possible in the first place.

As for the next matter, I had mentioned it to Saber earlier. It was quite embarrassing, but Saber made sure to remind me that I was currently struggling to provide the Mana required for her. While I was confident in my Mana Capacity and Magic Circuits in my previous life, after being reincarnated as a child, I had no clue how either of these would translate into the world of Teyvat.

After all, Genshin Impact had a vastly different system of magic compared to my original world. As such, I didn't realize that I would have the issue of not having enough Mana for Saber until after I summoned her, and we would need to find a solution for this problem if we wanted to be able to engage in combat efficiently. I also needed to make sure to be able to call upon her frequently, or else she would kill herself faster than my lack of Mana would.

The third problem at hand was a rather shocking one.

Saber unsheathed her blade for me to see once more, but the sword itself was broken. Confused, I asked what happened to it. Turns out, Saber had broken the sword while warding off Xiao on that fateful night I summoned her. Due to her monstrous strength and institution, any normal sword Saber used while attacking would break apart.

Of course, it was a swordswoman's job to make sure to utilize any given blade properly, but when it comes to striking down at an enemy, Saber was borderline incapable of doing so. On the bright side, it looks like she can use swords defensively as long as she doesn't have to attack back. To summarize as Saber put it, attacking will be possible if she has enough swords to break, but otherwise, it's out of the question.

From there, Saber talked about herself - Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami Fujiwara-no-Nobutsuna. She was a Sengoku-period samurai and government official who was well known for establishing the Shinkage-ryū school of combat. One of her feats was being able to hold Minowa Castle against a siege of over 10,000 soldiers.

However, due to her lord committing suicide, morale fell and the castle would soon fall as well. Through brute force, like a demon on the battlefield, the samurai of the Shinkage-ryū school managed to fight her way out of the castle. She was invited to become an official shortly after. From this story Saber told me, I could understand where some of her insecurities came from despite how strong she was.

Saber and I continued to talk as we familiarized ourselves with Liyue Harbor. Quite frankly, the city itself wasn't that big compared to normal cities on Earth. It would have taken only about half an hour to casually walk from one side of the harbor to the next. Soon enough, Saber and I ended up near Chibi Rock - the general plaza of Southern Liyue Harbor.

A wave of nostalgia and wonder hit me as I quietly took a moment to take in the view before me. Having played the game Genshin Impact for so long, I had teleported to this area countless times. Although I would usually run off to fulfill some daily commission or some odd quest, slowing down and actually being at the location was a different sort of feeling. Saber, who was able to peek into my thoughts as my Hero, said nothing of the matter. She left me to my own devices until she noticed a familiar figure.

"Master Colt, your esteemed grandfather is waving at you."

I turned around stupidly and saw nothing. I heard Saber sigh as she gently told me the correct direction where Hu Tao's grandfather was. He was sitting at an outdoor eatery at the corner of the block along with another person. Having seen me much earlier, grandpa was waving at me to come over. I complied and made my way over, but the moment I saw who the other person was, I nearly had a heart attack.

"Osmanthus wine tastes the same as I remember."

NO!

SHUT UP!

THAT'S TEA DAMN IT!

"But where are those who share the memory?"

One of the iconic characters of Genshin Impact, the God of Contracts who oversees Liyue, and the lord of the earth and all down under was casually sitting right by me drinking tea like it's nobody's business. I was shocked, but at the same time, seeing this nonchalant God of Contracts made me think that this was a good opportunity.

"Grandpa," I started. "Who is this man?"

Unfortunately, I never learned how to communicate with Hu Tao's grandfather the way she normally does. If it was lip reading, I could have managed, but I can't even see his lips moving. Now that I think about it, how am I supposed to communicate with him?! While I was in the middle of my childish dilemma, the God of Contracts spoke instead.

"You should know who I am," he stated in a patronizing manner.

No, I shouldn't. Besides, aren't you in incognito mode? Rex Lapis? God of Liyue? CEO of GEO?

My internal knowledge of the game and my instinctive reactions were in conflict, but I ignored them and decided to introduce myself instead. The God sipped his tea quietly after my short introduction and merely remarked "I know already."

Well, geez thanks. Not knowing what else to do, I remained quiet.

"You may refer to this form as Zhongli," said the God of Contracts while breaking the silence once more. Grandpa over in the corner seemed to be amused as his lips seemed to curve upwards a little, but that may be a hallucination on my part. Seeing how I was struggling in this position, Zhongli spoke once more.

"If you want to continue being a part of your family, you should learn the language of the spirits immediately. It should not pose you, a summoner, much of a problem."

"Sorry, what's the language of the spirits?" I asked.

This was something that didn't exist in the game after all.

However, Zhongli shook his head before telling me in a roundabout way to figure it out myself. The more I listened to this guy, the more I felt slightly inclined to punch him. Was this guy always like this in the game? Unfortunately, I never got Zhongli through the gacha, so my knowledge was only based on the short story bits that Hoyoverse provided. Seeing that I was slowly getting impatient, Zhongli sipped his tea before talking to me once more.

"If you wish to acquire something, you must be ready to have something to give, Reincarnator."

". . how did you know?" I cautiously questioned.

"Your constitution and your soul. Not to mention, the summoned spirit who hovers by you. Not to mention, your adoptive grandfather had already noticed you were different since the beginning. He sought my advice for this reason."

"I see. I'm sorry for hiding it grandpa," I apologized in earnest.

Looks like Hu Tao wasn't just unnaturally sharp. Her family was too.

"I won't bother with any more information unless there is something to exchange with," Zhongli spoke. "After all, that's how adults do business here. Contracts determine the give and take in the transaction."

Seeing how Zhongli was acting, it looks like playing off as a kid wouldn't do me favors.

Not to mention, he seems oddly aware of my situation.

If this guy wasn't going to go easy on me, I guess I should step it up too.

"In that case, there is something I want, Mr. Zhongli," I carefully professed.

"Are you certain you can provide something of equivalent value?" Zhongli doubted as he sipped his tea once more in a dismissive manner.

"I can back it up," I answered with confidence before bringing out Saber to stand by me. Saber, upon being materialized, made eye contact with Zhongli for a brief moment before performing a small curtsey. A 10/10 as always. Zhongli himself took one look at the maid. After sighing, he put down his cup of tea.

"I suppose you should be able to manage. Speak, Reincarnator."

I looked at grandpa for some validation. Hu Tao's grandfather seemed to have a mischievous expression on his face. He was probably curious about what I was going to ask the God of Contracts. Considering that I wasn't just some ordinary kid who was magically found on a hill full of spiritual activity, things could turn out to be interesting. Unfortunately, I had other plans.

"Work for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and watch over Hu Tao."

That was what I wanted. I don't know how long I will be in Liyue, but I know I will eventually go off on a journey. In roughly 2 or 3 years, I will head out to Mondstadt to prepare for the arrival of the Traveler. According to my estimations, based on Hu Tao's age, I had about 5 years until the Traveler arrives. As for how long I would be away, I had no clue.

I just wanted to make sure Hu Tao wasn't alone while I was gone.

Zhongli didn't pick up his tea and closed his eyes. He seemed to be contemplating my request. While thinking about his answer, he asked the all-important question: why? I told him without hiding anything that I planned on leaving Liyue after seeing through and helping Hu Tao here. I knew her grandfather's time was near and wanted to be there for her as family, but I couldn't always be there for her. As such, having another person around would do her wonders. Nodding after hearing my reply, Zhongli asked one more question.

"Do you care for that girl?"

"Of course."

"Then I will agree to your conditions if you are able to fulfill my own."

The God of Contracts opened his eyes and stared at me. For a moment, it felt like the earth itself was shifting as Zhongli looked ready to burn holes into my head with how he was staring at me. I felt a bit nervous at the request that Zhongli would have, but Saber, who was still there by my side, placed her hand on my shoulder. Due to still being a preteen, her hand felt large. The warmth from her hand made me feel secure, which in turn, allowed me to gather my resolve. Slowly breathing out, I nodded to Zhongli.

"Recently, the Abyss Order has been active near the Chasm," Zhongli started. "I want you to investigate what they've been up to. You do not need to fight, just report what they have been doing. I will be here every day at this time."

I looked over at grandpa, but he wasn't smiling anymore. I couldn't read his expression too, but either way, I was going to accept this contract. Upon expressing my agreement, Zhongli nodded before getting up to leave. There was no time limit on this, but I wanted to handle this as soon as possible. The next day, Saber and I left to go to the Chasm.

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"Is it fine for us to leave without saying anything, Master?" Saber questioned.

"It's fine. Grandpa knows that I was going to head out anyways. I'll have to ask you to clean up these guys though," I replied as both of us dodged a flying knife from an enemy. Saber disappeared in a blink of an eye. In the next instant, she appeared right behind a bandit who attacked us and knocked him out with a quick chop from the back. Her eyes sharpened as she proceeded to hurl up and throw down enemies with her bare hands.

"It's still basic courtesy to at least say you're heading out," Saber told me while wiping the floor with the people who attacked us.

"I can't afford to. Hu Tao would start throwing questions at me if I said I was going to head out," I explained casually.

Meanwhile, I was handling my own opponent. Dancing in the air, the polearm in my hands rapidly spun before crashing into the head of a rogue before his kick could even reach me. My arms and legs kept moving with the flow of my body as I dropped down and swept my leg across while swinging the Beginner's Protector to strike at the other leg holding up the bandit to make him collapse, but my strength was lacking.

In return, the bandit was able to recover back onto both of his feet. With no hesitation, he went for a frontal kick to sweep me up from the ground. I jumped back after dematerializing my spear. In the next instant, I performed a palm strike despite my short reach and the distance between the opponent and myself. Of course, I was too far, and my arms were too short. So, I missed it. Seeing the opening, the rogue charged at me while screaming.

"You cocky little brat!"

With a shovel in both hands, the bandit was ready to perform a large, downwards swing at me, but before anything else could happen, I thrust my palm towards him once more. A glowing blue light took shape of a long weapon and appeared right in front of my open palm the same moment I struck forward.

In the next instant, a spear manifested itself out of the blue and accelerated towards the rogue once more. With both hands up in the air, the thief was unable to defend himself as he ran into the attack I launched. Wounded from the final jab of the spear and his own momentum, the bandit yelled a series of curses and raised his hand up in the air. I knew what he was trying to do. It was a smokescreen, but I couldn't stop it from happening.

All of a sudden, a pebble was shot right at the thief's forehead - knocking him out cold.

"Phew, nice one. Saber."

"Please avoid using such a sloppy method of fighting in the future. You should remember that you're still a child," Saber warned as she started collecting loot from the people who attacked us. While on our way to the Chasm, I was concerned about finding a weapon for Saber, but that problem solved itself when we were ambushed by a group of Treasure Hoarders - one of the enemies in Genshin Impact.

In the game, Treasure Hoarders would normally run away by using a smokescreen before mysteriously disappearing once they are defeated, but in person, it looks like none of them were able to escape Saber. Major props to her efforts. Sadly, we were unable to procure a sword as desired, but Saber made sure to stock up on the many throwing knives they had. Mora and some insignias were also liberated from them. Saber and I continued to walk and talk.

"Roughly 5600 Mora acquired... these guys are seriously broke," I despaired.

Well, I was broke too.

I empathize with my broke brethren.

Saber gave a light sigh and shook her head.

"Now that I am armed, Master, let us continue onwards. After we deal with this group of Treasure Hoarders."

Another trio of Treasure Hoarders came across our paths. Two of them were ogling my Hero while the other was sizing us up. In the end, they chose to attack us just like the first group. Saber handled two of them effortlessly without having to use the throwing knives she had. Her skirt fluttered with each kick, and her movements were so graceful that even the dirt beneath her feet seemed to form an elegant pattern without being kicked up into the air indiscriminately.

Once again, I handled one of the Treasure Hoarders myself. This was in order to train my immature body for the future. Not to mention, I was still trying to utilize one of my most effective cheats available to me - the Inventory. Manifesting and utilizing the items I had from the subspace allowed for more flexibility in combat, like when I managed to strike a spear with the palm of my hand to maximize the spear's lengthiness for an attack.

The thief, underestimating my abilities due to my age, attempted to grapple with me. Most likely, the man assumed that he would be able to take me as a hostage, but I managed to escape his grasp by sliding between his legs. Opening up my dimensional subspace once more, I grabbed hold of my Beginner's Protector and thrust the polearm at the bandit's most vulnerable spot from behind - his rear end. Needless to say, he would be experiencing quite a bit of pain when visiting the bathroom for a long time to come.

Saber was promptly dodging the second of the two thieves she had to handle. It looked like he had a dangerous fire potion in hand, but before he could throw it, Saber kicked his wrist and knocked up the item into the air. Her kicking leg dropped to the ground and became a pivotal point as she then performed a spin kick using her other leg to land a clean blow to the head of the attacker. The sight must have been amazing to see on the other side.

The Treasure Hoarder I poked from behind recovered and angrily threw a throwing knife at my legs. It was clear that he wasn't aiming to kill me, so it was easy enough to handle him. I, on the other hand, had no issues with killing him, but I focused on developing my combat ability with my smaller frame and regaining my instincts for fighting. As someone who lived in a peaceful world, it was easy for me to get carried away and become too lax in any situation.

Coincidentally, just as I was thinking about that, I was nearly hit by a kick from the opponent in front of me. Saber reprimanded my carelessness. I was getting a little too carried away with my inner monologuing, so I spun my polearm to strike out a few more times at my attacker. While I was still lacking in power, my skill was able to allow me to more or less subdue the man after repeatedly thwacking him a dozen or so times. Saber, after beating down the other two bandits, came over while dragging them in the dirt.

"Who are you guys?! Why are you doing this to us?" the poor remaining bandit asked us.

"The Phantom Thieves. We're the best Thieves in the job," I answered while posing.

"Master, I'm a Hero, not a Persona," Saber responded seriously before finishing the job.

After Saber dispatched the Treasure Hoarders, we eventually had them lead us towards an abandoned hideout where we acquired two Dull Blades for Saber to use. However, since Saber didn't have a sheath, I held onto both of them for now. Out of kindness, we didn't liberate the thieves out of their Mora and continued on our way to the Chasm - after taking everything else we could. From there, Saber proceeded to return to her spiritual form to preserve Mana while I trekked the rest of the way to our destination.

"Mana conservation is pretty brutal... not to mention my Mana Circuits are just about average," I noted while walking by myself. Saber, who remained in her invisible spiritual form, spoke to me in my mind. One's magic circuits couldn't be changed since it was something predetermined upon birth, but it was always possible to unlock their limits. There were many times in my world where hidden geniuses were found due to them being able to utilize their Mana Circuits to the fullest, but there were also cases where mages would fall into despair due to a lack of "talent".

"If I may, Master," Saber called out to me. "If you could condense my data as a Hero, you would be able to preserve more Mana."

Condensing data wasn't anything new to me. In fact, it would have been easily manageable - if I had a fucking computer to work with! I was stuck with this virtually useless smartphone that could barely alter the data or even look into the data of my Hero. It didn't even have a calculator option! Just what was this hunk of junk?! Of course, I didn't think of it that way, and I was sure my precious phone-turned-Catalyst would be useful in the future. Right now though, I couldn't enact upon Saber's suggestion with just my phone. It was a good idea though. Regardless, we killed time by talking and eventually made it to the Chasm.

The Chasm was a massive sinkhole-like environment that served as a humongous mining sector for Liyue Harbor. Frankly, it looked more like a crater left behind after a meteorite crash. Considering how Hoyoverse loves their space shenanigans and big, downwards smashing attacks, it was most likely the case. It was a long way from Liyue Harbor even if Saber and I took a few detours to get here. Having left the moment the sun came out, it still took us roughly 5 hours to get here. Not going to lie, I was already a little tired. We haven't even gotten inside yet.

Luckily, teleporting was an option. A part of Genshin Impact's culture involved teleportation through various points stationed across the lands, but it required the individual to have traveled to each point in person first. Not to mention, teleporting large objects didn't seem to be possible yet, so businesses were still required to transport goods through vehicles and other means. I have yet to try teleporting myself, but there was a first time for everything.

Just in case, I went to find the nearest teleport point to my knowledge, but a lot of the workers in the area seemed to be busy running around. Since I didn't care what they were up to, I continued to mind my own business to find a teleport point. Alas, one of the workers ran over to me and told me to go home instead of hanging around here. Naturally, I asked why with my cute child-like voice. The answer I got was a surprisingly good lead.

"The Hilachurls have been gathering here a lot recently. They've already caused some damage to the outside mining facilities. Be a good kid and go home for today, okay?"

"Okay~!" I responded the way a good kid would as I activated the teleport point.

Honestly speaking, I was more focused on activating the teleport point than the conversation itself, but it was good that I didn't tune him out. The Abyss Order was getting active around here for some reason. I suppose the God of Geo couldn't just appear and wipe them out but was it such a big deal? Liyue's military force, the Millelith, should have been able to handle Hilachurls easily.

At least, that's what I thought until a thundering explosion was heard.

The miners at the Chasm started to evacuate the area. Many passerby miners who noticed me told me to get away from the mines, but frankly, I had always been bad at playing follow the leader. Usually, it was because I was never in the spot where I had to. Like the good child I was, my feet started carrying me towards the predetermined destination. Of course, I wasn't heading home like I promised the kind people who told me to head back.

"If I may, Master Colt, there's no need to venture towards danger to fulfill the request," Saber voiced out her concerns.

I thought about it for a second before saying, "But we both can agree that this is probably what that guy wanted us to look into, right?"

Saber sighed.

"I will remind Master that we should avoid fighting. Specifically fights where I would need to intervene."

"We should be able to fight for at least 25 minutes if I rest up and avoid fighting for another hour..."

"As expected, your Mana restoration rate is pitiful, Master."

"Hey! I didn't ask to be reincarnated like this!"

Saber and I continued to chat as we made our way deeper toward the epicenter of the Chasm. Luckily, I took a detour route to avoid encountering most people who were moving in the opposite direction of me. It'd look weird for a kid to be heading straight for where the explosions were after all. It'd also look weird if that kid was talking out loud to the air.

I was surprised by the number of people who were coming out of the mines. Not only were there miners, but from the looks of it, even foreign travelers seemed to have been previously in the Chasm. Compared to my knowledge of the game, the only people who should have been in this area were the Treasure Hoarders, abandoned Fatui Agents, and of course the miners. I didn't get a good look at the foreigners coming out, but I didn't care that much anyway.

On second thought, maybe I should have turned back until a better day came.

"Are you backing out now, Master?"

"Maybe. Just thinking that this might not be the best idea."

Hesitation filled my mind slowly. Now that I think about it, Zhongli was kind of messed up to request a 12ish-year-old kid to look into the activities of Genshin's big bad. Okay, yeah, I'm like 20 years old mentally, but is that going to stop me from complaining? No, no it isn't. Not to mention, I'm still not used to this body, and there's no due date on this thing-

"What if there's something vital going on right now?"

Saber, who can read me like an open book, started cutting to the chase.

"What if there's someone who needs help?"

And just like that, with those magic words, I came to a decision.

Something was Rising, and it wasn't the Shield Hero.

In my mind, I cursed at myself, but in the end, I realized Saber just sped up the inevitable.

Even if most of the people seemed to have escaped, I still couldn't leave alone that small chance that maybe. Just maybe someone hadn't managed to escape. If it was just me in the equation, things would have been so much easier, but if I left right now and heard there was an accident the next day, I would be haunted by my guilty conscience for quite the time to come. Taking a quick look shouldn't hurt, right?

In the end, all Saber did was call out the inner voices I tried to ignore.

Sorry, Saber, you're stuck with a whimsical Master like me.

"Master reminds me of some people that I knew in my past life."

Are you saying that you're used to dealing with troublesome people?

"Perhaps."

I laughed out loud after hearing Saber's response in my head. Looking down at the pit before me, it somehow didn't seem as daunting as before. Not only that, but I've been noticing that there was some strange energy flowing into the Chasm mines. I was vaguely able to see it since it was so condensed. Golden trickling waves of something akin to Mana were pouring down into the hole leading deep into the mines.

Figuring that I may as well investigate the issue at its source, I prepared to jump down.

I had wing gliders anyways.

What did I have to lose?

With that logic, I jumped.

As I did so, I spotted a group of people being carried out on a lift.

"Master, I'm sensing a Servant-"

Huh?

"WAIT!" I screamed. "SAY THAT SHIT SOONER!"

It was too late though as I dropped like a rock down to the mines.

I hate it already.

I can understand why they wanted to seal up this place.

"Regretting your decisions yet, Master?"

No, not really.

If I was, you'd say that it'd be a lesson for the future wouldn't you?

Saber and I continued our meaningless exchange as I jumped once more into the cave. It was vastly empty due to the evacuations. It was even emptier than how it was in the game. Not even a single thief or monster was to be seen at the moment. Perhaps this was for the better. At some point, I stopped talking to Saber and focused solely on going through the cavern.

My in-game knowledge helped, but it was also a curse. There were many routes that had yet to reveal themselves and many tools that I was lacking. It was dark down here, but I was just barely able to get by with the minimal amount of light sources around me. I felt uncomfortable walking around in the darkness, but somehow, I felt reassured. For one, I was just following the flow of Mana. As for the other reason...

I heard someone lightly laugh.

Turning around, I didn't see anyone, but I soon figured out who it was.

Good thing it was dark in here, my face was probably as red as a tomato right now.

The mines only went deeper as I found myself entering a tunnel while following the traces of golden Mana. At this point, I wasn't even sure if the stuff was Mana, but I had no clue how else to describe this energy. It felt like some fictional source of energy that shouldn't exist that simultaneously occupied space like an odd Schrodinger's Cat of sorts. I asked Saber, but all I got was "just a hunch" from her.

From the sounds of it, she was certainly familiar with the energy, but she didn't know for sure. I didn't blame her since she came from the age and land of samurai. Even with knowledge about the world imparted upon her when summoned, there should be some things she wouldn't know about magic. Little did I know how wrong I was about this. Not only that, but I would be wrong about many other things to come.

I don't know how long I was venturing around in the cavern, but I knew that the darkness was messing with my perception of time. Not to mention I was on edge the entire time. I was fully expecting to be ambushed by monsters or enemies at any given moment. While my mental fortitude was firm, my endurance was a lot weaker than I thought it was. It didn't come to my attention until Saber called out to me.

"Master Colt, let us take a break here."

Let's move ahead for a bit longer. We're almost by the next point up ahead.

"This is the fourth time you said that, Master."

I hadn't realized it, but I didn't even have enough energy to talk out loud. It took more effort than I thought to consciously reply to Saber in my head. Perhaps I was pushing this too far, but it shouldn't be that bad. I continued to trudge along while following the golden trail of magic. Considering how Saber was looking after my well-being, I slowed down my pace and changed the topic.

"I won't answer your question, Master."

I intended on asking about her past life, but I suppose that was too insensitive of me. Now that I think about it, Saber had been calling me "Master" or "Master Colt" this entire time.

"I will change how I address the Master if he would like to."

Keep it at Colt then. No need to be so polite.

"Will you change how you address me then?"

. . . I'll think about it.

Maybe when we get back I will. I thought about Hu Tao and Grandpa for a moment. All of a sudden, I felt lucky to be able to join their family. Our time was short, but it was also sweet. It's not like I was an abused and neglected child or anything. It's just that I never had a strong attachment to my parents. Both of them were often at work and only came home for dinner before heading out the next morning.

My only impressions of them were from my childhood. Being told to do well and to find something I want to do in life over and over was basically all I remembered. Having moved out and graduated to become a mage specializing in summoning, I eventually abandoned everything to live an average life after experiencing enlightenment. I wonder how my parents would have thought of me then. Their expectations and my achievements were on a level scale that I threw out the window for my own desires.

I wonder if Saber had anything similar to that.

"Families back then were a lot heavier than just expectations."

Saber and I continued to chat away.

Thanks to the conversation, I was able to relax a little while maintaining my momentum. My legs were pretty tired from moving constantly, but I made sure to adjust my pace to account for that. Time went on as Saber and I talked about families and the like before finally stumbling upon our final destination.

It was a dreadful location with oppressive energy. All around the base of the cavern was this grotesque and rancid purple muck that seemed to have a life of its own. However, perhaps the weirdest aspect of the cave was the upside-down, castle-like ruins hanging from the ceiling. Normally, this place would have been sealed off by a wall of purple mud, but it looks like that hasn't happened yet.

"Miya... Saber."

"Is calling my name difficult, Colt?"

"It's a work in progress."

At my calling, Saber manifested herself. I pointed up at the ruins hanging off the ceiling.

"Take us up real quick. I sure hope that I'm wrong about all this."

Saber picked me up easily. Not only was her physical strength as a Hero many times greater than mine, but I was also still in the body of a twelve-year-old. This made it easy for Saber to carry me as she performed a single jump from where we were right through the open gaps of the ruins. Carefully, we made our way to the top... well, technically it was the bottom of the city. Regardless, we soon stumbled upon the Abyss Order that Zhongli, the God of Contracts, was so curious about. Standing under a fountain planted on the ceiling, three dwarfed monsters were chanting a spell around an altar in the middle of a magic circle.

The fountain itself was a significant feature of the story of Genshin Impact, but I wasn't that shocked by that. Instead, I was more terrified and confused by the magic circle in the middle. My eyes wouldn't have mistaken it for anything else in a million years. It was a summoning circle. Specifically, it was the same kind of summoning circle that was drawn to summon Servants and Heroes just like me. Taking half a step back, I would have nearly fallen had Saber not caught me like a guardian angel.

"Saber, we need to investigate this."

"I advise against it. While I would be able to break two of their shields, three would be pushing it. It wouldn't be impossible, but failure would put you at risk, Colt."

"Were you planning to break the shields with the Dull Blades?"

"Yes. In the worst-case scenario, I would need one sword per shield."

"Could you get all three with just one?"

"If these enemies can teleport, it would be highly unlikely."

Saber had looked into my mind and called upon my knowledge of the enemies before us. In Genshin Impact, they were one of the more elite monsters that posed a challenge to beginners due to their mechanics that required specific elemental counters to defeat it.

They were the Abyss Mages - arcane experts of the Abyss Order that protected themselves with shields made of an element of their specialty. Their attacks are swift and precise, but the main problem is their shield and annoying ability to teleport.

For the most part at least.

Still, if the problem was having to use one too many swords for attacking, this can be resolved. All I had to do was group them up a bit, right? Surely, these guys would underestimate me because of my outward appearance. Saber, having understood what I intended on doing, blatantly refused to put me in danger like that. According to her judgment, I wouldn't be able to handle all three opponents at once. Especially because I was tired from all the traveling.

I readily agreed.

This meant that Saber would be the one grouping them up, and somehow, I would have to break the shields myself. Either that or Saber would have to group up the enemies and break the shields all by herself. Considering that the Abyss Mages were intelligent and could cooperate with each other- on top of being able to teleport- this made me realize this wouldn't be as simple as I thought.

Fortunately, there was still a way to do it, albeit it was just using brute force.

"I'll use a Command Seal, Saber."

"Understood."

Command Spells, also known as Command Seals, were a crystalized form of greater magecraft that was created alongside the Servant Summoning System in order to ensure absolute obedience from the Servants. Usually coming in a package of three, the Command Spells will be engraved on the Master's body upon summoning a Hero and will allow the Master to force the Hero to listen to at least 3 of their commands without fail.

Of course, there were plenty of exceptions and technicalities, but I'll skip that.

The most important thing about Command Seals was that the "order" given can also be used to bestow and call upon greater strength from the Heroes involved. The strength would be doubled even if the Hero in question agrees with the Master. In the past Grail Wars, it was said that using a Command Seal with the Master and Servant cooperating with one another could create a miracle infinitely close to True Magic, but that's another story.

Normally, these things were limited in amount considering how powerful they were, but after further development, the system was adjusted for Masters to recover 1 of their Command Seals with each set period of time. From the amount of energy within the Command Spells I had, I estimated that it would be about a month before it would return, but it's not like I would need to use them all any time soon anyway.

Giving my silent prayers to the Abyss Mages who didn't know what was about to come, I activated my Command Seal.

"By my Command Seal - lead them to their end, Miyako."

Red sparks flew from the insignia that was carved on my body. It felt hot as it was being used up, but I didn't wince at all as I watched Saber's lips curve upwards ever so slightly. Opening my Inventory, I tossed her the two Dull Blades that had lived a short life in my care. Saber, without even looking, caught both blades with one hand. Her eyes sharpened and locked onto the enemy. The unfortunate souls were already dead.

This battle would have been a lot harder due to my lack of Mana and options for combat. Especially because of those shields, many of my parlor tricks wouldn't work for the most part. Even if I could magically manifest a weapon from within their shield, it'd be hard to say if I could do much damage to them. I'd probably be turned into a popsicle before I could get close enough in the first place. There was no need to rack my brain over it any longer though.

"Consider it done, Colt."

I felt embarrassed by Saber's words. If I was a little more capable, we wouldn't need to resort to this. It was a little overkill if I was being honest. The moment Saber dashed off, she completely vanished from my eyes. Only a small pebble was kicked up from where she originally was. That little pebble dropped down and rolled over to the Abyss Mages.

Noticing the oddity, the three arcanists turned towards me.

That was a fatal mistake. Had they been half a second slower, all three of them would have been skewered by Saber who appeared behind them like a demon craving blood. Her sword pierced through the small frame of the furthest Abyss Mage - making it croak feebly as it breathed its last. Since they were caught off guard, they had no time to put up their shields. The others immediately noticed and teleported.

Without hesitation, Saber threw one Dull Blade right at me before bouncing off the walls to change her direction rapidly. With a single kick, she dented the stone walls with the amount of force she put into it and accelerated beyond my eyes' capability. I heard two cracking sounds just as the sword whizzed past me. In that split second, Saber predicted and chased down one of the Abyss Mages while breaking the shield of the one that attempted to take me hostage.

I must say, I had a moment of deja vu here.

I didn't need to look at how Saber was faring with the unfortunate opponent she chased down as I grabbed hold of the Beginner's Protector from my Inventory. Turning around, I saw a disorientated and shell-shocked Abyss Mage right behind me. A sword was resting nearby it. Curious, I touched the sword to pick it up, but it disintegrated into golden dust upon contact. This girl really does break every sword she uses when she attacks.

Sighing, I stared down at the dizzy enemy in front of me. Originally, these guys posed a threat to beginners, but I wasn't a beginner. Not to mention, I was being hard carried by Saber, but since I summoned her, technically she's a part of my combat strength, right? After deluding myself into thinking I was strong, I stabbed the Abyss Mage with my spear to swiftly end it with a lethal blow before meeting up with Saber again.

"Good work, Saber," I complimented her while taking a quick look at her work.

Scarily, there was nothing left to look at. Just a broken sword on the ground.

She really did clean them up. Maids can be scary.

Saber simply smiled at me in return.

Sighing, I soon started investigating the summoning circle. According to Saber, she had sensed the presence of another Hero while we were on the way down. Considering the flow of energy leading into this place, I wasn't even surprised that summoning a Servant was even possible here. Though, that meant there definitely was a "system" in play.

Just what was the meaning of all this?

As I sorted through the possibilities, I felt the air around me change. Looking around, it didn't look like anything was off, but it felt unsettling. Given how Saber had yet to react, I assumed it wasn't dangerous at all, but in the end, I ultimately stopped looking into the summoning circle due to how distracted I was.

". . . who's there?" I called out.

Stepping out from the shadows of the ruins, a familiar figure slowly made his way toward me. Instinctively, I was on guard. More Abyss Mages were dancing around him. What got to me the most was the aura he was producing. It was a lot different from the traditional murderous auras that I've seen plenty of times. If anything, this was a lot more charismatic than anything.

It was then that I realized that this wasn't the friendly Traveler who was going to venture through Teyvat. This was Aether, the Prince of the Abyss. Even if we had met just briefly, this was the other sibling of the Traveler who sided with the Abyss Order for reasons unknown until this day.

I have yet to complete Genshin Impact myself since it hadn't finished yet, but from what I knew, the Prince of the Abyss Order had already been around Teyvat for 500 years - around the time of Khaenre'ah. However, there was one stark difference between the person in front of me now and the person in my recent memories.

"Hey there God, long time no see," I greeted him casually.

That's right, after getting hit by an obligatory traffic accident and being sent to not-Heaven, I met this guy. At least, we said hi before he dipped and left me to deal with the Unknown God. From the way he fled, it was like he was running away from his ex-girlfriend or something. Regardless, hearing him introduce himself as God played a pretty big impact on my perception of him.

Was he always like this?

"I knew you would come here eventually, so I waited for you. Only took 500 years," Aether casually commented.

"Damn, for real?"

Color me impressed. We only faced each other for like half a second, but he was able to predict and figure out that I would come to the Chasm to investigate the Abyss Order. Maybe the summoning circle here was also something he had arranged. If that was the case, it's hard to see how many things he planned and what other things he had in store. While I was still in awe of Aether's capabilities, Saber brought me back down to reality.

"Colt, don't be fooled. All he did was strategically place his minions so that they would know our movements," Saber explained logically. "He's just trying to impress you."

"Hey, don't expose me like that!" Aether complained.

Suddenly, the picture of this charismatic guy who seemed to be planning things 500 years ahead of time just fell to pieces. Sighing, Aether knew his facade was broken and had the Abyss Mages teleport away to give us some privacy.

"You're still as sharp as ever, Miyako," he said while holding his forehead with his hand.

"Of course, I was always glad to be of service," Miyako replied with a cold smile.

"Why does it seem like you're spiting me? Can't you be nicer to your old boss?"

"Whatever do you mean? Right now, I'm just a maid."

I felt like some vital information was just casually exchanged, but Aether soon changed the topic before I could process it. With a business-like tone, he immediately pointed down at me with an authoritative voice and explained everything in a short nutshell.

"Listen here pal," Aether spoke solemnly. "Because of you, this world is now having a Holy Grail War. A worldwide one at that."

"Wait, all I did was use my phone to summon," I explained.

"That's exactly it. Kia- ahem - that Unknown God was taking a gamble letting you summon Heroes from the Throne in this world. You should have known that if there's a 'system' then there's a 'purpose' for it," Aether explained while shaking his head.

"Well, too late now," I said after thinking about it. I mean, what can I do now? Not like I can time travel to the past and prevent myself from summoning Saber. All I can do is face the consequences head-on.

"First of all, my Sister will be coming in 5 years," Aether continued. "I don't want her to get involved with this Holy Grail War, so it'll be your job to make sure to handle that."

Saber muttered "Siscon" under her breath.

"Second, this isn't your ordinary Grail War. Every nation will have at least 1 Master and Servant pairing. It will officially begin around the same time my Sister starts her journey."

"What makes it so different from what I know?" I asked.

"As you know," Aether clarified. "There's the 7 Original Classes."

Servants were divided up into Classes that allowed them to utilize their specialties. For instance, a Hero who wielded a sword would be a Saber Class Servant while a projectile-using Hero would likely be an Archer. Among the 7 original classes, they were as follows: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker.

"There will also be 6 Extra Classes apart from the Ruler Class managed by the Church," Aether followed up shortly.

The Extra Classes were more miscellaneous and diverse Classes with varying degrees of extremities. Oftentimes, when a Hero's personality and origin were skewed in a certain direction, the World would enable them to qualify for these unique Classes. Said Classes were Shielder, Ruler, Avenger, Alter Ego, Foreigner, Moon Cancer, and Pretender.

As for the Ruler Class being managed by the Church, it was for the sake of having an "Overseer" for the War. At times, unpredictable events may occur, so it was the role of the Ruler to return balance and order to the Grail War before letting it resume. That was their original duty, but in Modern Times, Rulers have seen less action on that aspect due to newer methods of management.

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked Aether. Of course, he cared for his sister, but just in case, I wanted to be sure. It felt like there was something deeper than all this at play. Considering the Unknown God, the unknown storyline of Khaenri'ah, and the blank gaps in my mind about how the game will end, this was already starting to be blown out of proportion. Seeing my confusion, Aether smirked.

"I just don't want these Chess pieces getting tangled up with my precious Sister," Aether confidently replied.

Bullshit.

But I'll believe it.

After all, my number 1 favorite character in Genshin Impact was none other than Lumine.

Of course, I can't say that to her brother's face.

Regardless, I didn't want her to get wrapped up in this either.

Besides, I want to see how this game would end.

"Since I'm feeling nice about it, give me your phone real quick. I'll give it an upgrade," the Prince of the Abyss said nonchalantly while extending his hand.

Having nothing to lose, I handed over my phone.

"This is the second time I'm modding this phone," Aether dryly commented. "By the way, there's a Rider Servant in Liyue Harbor. Just thought that you should know."

"Good to know," I replied while I watched Aether work his magic. Honestly, I wasn't surprised that he could tamper with my phone so easily. Forget a 6-digit number lock, he just used his hands of Jesus to open it up.

Considering that the Prince of the Abyss was also the lord of Khaenri'ah, an ancient city that boasted of magical technology way ahead of its time, there wasn't much to question about how he was able to comprehend and break down the programs in front of him. However, it was quite unnerving to see how knowledgeable he was.

This guy was going to be an end-game boss? He could end me right now! I don't even know what he wants! The paranoia didn't kick in since Saber seemed to be calm about the whole ordeal. While Aether was tinkering with my phone, he continued to disclose information to me as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Since the Servant is a Rider, you'll be at a disadvantage right off the bat. They'll be right at home at the Harbor, so it would be dangerous if you fought there," he advised. "You should also be careful of the butterfly effect. Well, you've already made things go crazy just by existing, but you're aware of what that is right?"

Of course. Since the events of Genshin Impact hadn't started yet, things in the future can drastically differ from my in-game knowledge if I altercate too many things in the past. Being Hu Tao's brother was already a lapse of judgment on my part, but as long as I was cautious, I don't think I would create that many issues.

"Whatever, it seems like you know about that at least," Aether replied and tossed back my phone. Catching it carefully with two hands, I saw that the Hero Summoning App was updated. After pressing on it, I found a more sophisticated U.I that wasn't just "Summon Hero" and allowed me to look into my Heros' information. Of course, there were more options, but I put it away for now and gave my thanks.

"I appreciate it," I said.

"One last bit of advice while I'm still nice," Aether answered with a foreboding tone. "Figure out your feelings now before you get confused by them later on."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Figure it out yourself. This isn't the little game that you're used to playing. Being a Hero won't solve everything," Aether warned before abruptly summoning the Abyss Mages once more. With a little song and dance, the Abyss Mages teleported Aether out of the Chasm - leaving Saber and me alone in the upside-down ruins. I sighed as I slowly processed the information in my head.

Another Holy Grail War.

I had been in one before as a part of my final exam. My previous partner, the Lancer of Troy, was average compared to most other Servants, but I still managed to win. At that time, I had two major advantages. Firstly, I dedicated a lot of time to programming my own spells for combat so that I could hold my own - even against an enemy Servant for a short amount of time. Not only that, but I had Lancer teach me some combat skills to better hone my techniques.

Secondly, the most vital aspect of any war was information.

Getting the free information from Aether already helped me out a ton. Not to mention, if there was a chance to end the war before it even began, I'd take it. I didn't want to be too reckless, but I wanted to confront the Master of the Rider Servant as soon as possible to see what kind of person they were. If possible, it would be good to see how strong their Servant was too.

Saber, realizing that I was only going to get lost in deeper thought, tapped my shoulder. I knowingly sighed before telling her, "Let's go home, Miyako."

"Yes, Colt."

Somehow, I felt like things were only going to get more complicated. Not only was Zhongli more calculative than what I remembered from in-game, but Aether seemed to be a lot more than meets the eye besides a blank, self-insert-type protagonist that the players would control. Perhaps it was due to him being... alive?

I thought back to Aether's warning.

"...This isn't the little game that you're used to playing..."

No kidding about that.

With that in mind, I teleported back to Liyue Harbor with Saber.

When I got home, it was already night. Hu Tao was up in arms and ready to throw a riot. According to her, I was spotted heading out of town, and she was mad that I didn't take her with me. Considering how she was procrastinating on the work she had to do for the Funeral Parlor, it was probably for the better that I didn't bring her. Grandpa seemed to be in a good mood upon seeing me return safe, but before I could say anything, I ran straight for the bathroom and violently released the small amounts of food I had that day.

Note: Teleporting sucks and causes intense nausea.