75 Ad Astra Abyssosque!

"Ad Astra Abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild."

Though he had somewhat anticipated it, Paul couldn't help gawking at the dark-haired, blue-eyed woman greeting him with a perfectly professional smile on her face. Her green and white dress, reminiscent of a maid outfit, perfectly matched her ensemble from the game. The only difference was that, much like everyone else that had appeared in the Intersection of Fate, her appearance matched the aesthetic of Mushoku Tensei.

"Katheryne...?"

With her hands neatly folded over her abdomen, Katheryne performed a polite bow as she answered, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Paul."

Resisting the urge to ask the short-haired Receptionist if he could see the back of her neck, Paul took a moment to inspect the interior of the booth she was standing in. Numerous books and documents lined a series of shelves at Katheryne's back, but the thing that stood out the most was the wooden door that produced a shadow beneath its base despite open skies existing beyond it...

Tilting her body to obstruct Paul's view, Katheryne calmly inquired, "Are you curious? I would normally prohibit Adventurers from leaping over the counter, but I believe I can make an exception for the Champion."

Though he was tempted to do exactly that, Paul quickly shook his head, saying, "That can wait till later. For now, how about an explanation of how all of this works? Like, how do I increase my Adventurer Rank, and what effect does it have...?"

Nodding her head in understanding, Katheryne pulled out what appeared to be a compass, a runic pyramid, and a four-pronged scepter comprised of a bluish-white, gold, and a strange, watery blue crystal.

"I believe Master Paul has been apprised of his penultimate goal, correct? That being the 'harmonization' of this world and the world of Teyvat."

Seeing Paul nod in affirmation, Katheryne went on to explain, "While the production and dissemination of Elemental Energy are essential, there are several other conditions that must be fulfilled to ensure a stable bridge."

Pushing forward the strange pyramid and compass, Katheryne tapped the top of the former. In response, azure blue runes lit up along the pyramid's surface before the top half abruptly opened. When it did, what could best be described as a holographic projection of the Intersection of Fate, seen from above, formed into existence.

"This is a Lodestone. It needs Elemental Energy to function, but it allows you to map your surroundings. In the absence of Elemental Energy, it has an effective range of around 100m. With a steady supply, its range can be increased almost indefinitely. However, due to the square-cube law, it would require an exponentially increasing amount of Elemental Energy to map the entire planet."

Holding up the compass next, Katheryne explained, "This little device is a Compass. However, unlike an ordinary Compass, it always orients toward the nearest Lodestone. More importantly, so long as you are within range of the Lodestone, you can exhaust a fully charged Vision to teleport the remaining distance."

Raising his brows, Paul asked, "So if the range of the Lodestone covers the entire planet, I can effectively teleport wherever I want...?"

Though she nodded her head, Katheryne answered, "Yes. However, as I mentioned before, mapping the surface of an entire planet with a single Lodestone is virtually impossible. Even if the planet were fully saturated with Elemental Energy, it still wouldn't be enough. Fortunately, you aren't limited to a single Lodestone. More importantly, you have these..."

Holding up the scepter-like device, Katheryne explained, "This object is known as a Beacon. It requires a significant amount of Elemental Energy to power up but functions similarly to a radio tower. If you place it within the influence of a Lodestone, it can drastically enhance its range. As an additional bonus, Beacons function as Teleportation Waypoints so long as they're active. If you created a path linking two Lodestones across a vast distance, you could eventually teleport from one side of the world to the other. Additionally, you can also teleport to individual Beacons, so make sure to place them in convenient locations~!"

Punctuating her words with a friendly smile, Katheryne was somewhat surprised when Paul, with a grim expression on his face, asked, "What's the catch...?"

Fixing her expression and posture, Katheryne calmly explained, "The catch is that you must personally journey to the locations you want to install a Beacon or Lodestone. For the sake of the convergence, you will also need to travel to specific Labyrinths and Dungeons to replace their cores with Beacons. Once substituted, the Beacon will slowly convert the Dungeon into a Domain, a lesser bridge linking the world of Teyvat to this one."

Bobbing his head in understanding, Paul asked, "Let me guess...I increase my Adventure Rank by mapping this world and converting Dungeons into Domains. Is that about it...?"

Maintaining her business-like smile, Katheryne replied, "There are a few more steps, but that about summarizes the basics. The remaining steps include installing Statues of the Seven and distributing a certain number of Visions. However, as both of those require attaining Constellations, I would suggest focusing on exploration. To that end, your Adventure Rank effectively represents the percentage of the world you have explored and spread Elemental Energy to."

"So there aren't any Quests I need to complete...?"

Shaking her head, Katheryne clarified, "There are, but they include things like converting dungeons or eliminating specific threats. If you would like to learn more, please reach Adventure Rank 10. My programming does not allow me to provide information that may jeopardize your life."

Blinking in surprise, Paul remarked, "I'm surprised you actually admitted it. I expected you to pretend to be human or something..."

Adopting a somewhat hurt expression, Katheryne answered, "I can assure you that I am human...the circumstances of my birth, or, more accurately, my creation, are just a little different. You have met Albedo, correct? While our creators are different, we are much the same."

"Ah...that makes you a Homunculus then? Sorry if I offended you before."

Surprised that Paul was familiar with the term, Katheryne inquired, "Has Master Paul studied alchemy?"

Shaking his head, Paul explained, "Not really. It was just part of the meta-knowledge of my world, something that occasionally popped up in various anime and movies. Back when I was exploring your world through a game, some scenes showed you possessing a keyhole on the back of your neck. There were also multiple Katheryne(s) spread around, so everyone in the Genshin community just assumed you were some gynoid or something..."

"I see..."

Though it was a bit disconcerting thinking about someone knowing her deepest secrets, Katheryne did her best not to let it bother her. Instead, she did her duty, explaining, "Your first Lodestone, Compass, and Beacon are provided as a courtesy. Additional Compasses and Beacons cost 100 and 1000 Asura Gold Coins each. As for Lodestones, there are three ways to acquire them. The simplest method is to increase your Adventure Rank. Every ten Ranks will reward you with an additional Lodestone and several other rewards. After that, the only way to acquire additional Lodestones is to construct Statues of the Seven or convert the specified Dungeons."

"Sounds about right..."

Recalling the principle of Equivalent Exchange that Zhongli had quoted on several occasions, Paul didn't bother questioning why the Gods in charge required their supposed Champion to pay for everything. Instead, he just picked up the three freebies before asking, "What about you? Do you stay in here, or can I let you out...?"

Adopting an ostensibly sincere smile, Katheryne answered, "That's what the door behind me is for. Once you have placed a Lodestone in a suitable location, I will emerge to construct a Guild Kiosk around it. After that, any in possession of a Vision will be able to use the teleportation network you have established."

Smiling wryly in response to Katheryne's words, Paul asked, "But I have to plant all the Lodestones and Beacons on my own...?"

Nodding her head in affirmation, Katheryne answered, "Indeed. You might not be aware of this, but Master Paul's status as the Champion makes him the only source of unaspected, better known as Void Elemental Energy. It is what allows you to access the Intersection of Fate and make use of the other seven Elements."

Though he recalled Zhongli and Kusanali mentioning something similar when they broached the subject of Seelie production, Paul hadn't been paying full attention at the time. Now that he heard Katheryne's calm and casual explanation, he couldn't help facepalming as he asked, "Don't tell me I'm supposed to replace Hitogami as the God of the Void...?"

Alleviating Paul's concerns, Katheryne shook her head, explaining, "As far as I am aware, it is Luciana who will replace Hitogami. However, that is so far in the future; I wouldn't concern myself with it. For now, I suggest you focus on increasing your Adventure Rank and simply enjoying life. Let the Gods worry about the more complicated stuff."

"Right..."

Dropping his hand, Paul stared into Katheryne's impeccably blue eyes as he said, "Well, I guess I'll see you around...?"

Cupping her hands over her abdomen, Katheryne responded to Paul's words with a polite bow, saying, "The Adventurers' Guild patiently awaits your return. Ad Astra abyssosque~!"

"..."

Feeling as though Katheryne was kicking him out of the Intersection of Fate, an awkward smile developed across Paul's face as he answered, "Yeah...ad Astra...abyss...?"

"Ad Astra abyssosque. It means 'To the Stars and the Abyss' in one of the most ancient tongues of Teyvat. It represents an Adventurer's willingness to travel to any destination, never ceasing in their pursuit of the truth."

Nodding his head, Paul replied with an off-sounding, "Ad Astra abyssque." He was pretty sure the language Katheryne was referring to was simply the Latin of his original world, but that didn't really help him speak it. Not after he had spent the last twelve and a half years speaking a variation of Japanese...

Returning what Paul interpreted as a slightly judgmental smile, Katheryne replied with a slower, properly enunciated, "Ad Astra abyssosque." before staring directly at him, clearly intending for him to keep trying until he got it right...

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Emerging from the Intersection of Fate, the first thing Paul noticed was the heavy aroma of sex on the air. After that, his eyes were drawn to the buxom, wavy-haired brunette sitting at a desk wearing nothing but a pale purple negligee.

Hearing the door open and close, Lisa exhaled a sensual chuckle before looking back and musing, "I was beginning to think you might never come out..."

Rolling his eyes, Paul began to unbutton his tunic and peel off his clothes as he said, "I'm not scared of you..." in a slightly subdued tone.

Adopting a squinty-eyed smile that came across as both captivating and uncanny, Lisa teased, "Excellent. I've only given you a small taste of what I'm truly capable of. It would have been heartbreaking if you got cold feet and scurried off..."

Accentuating her words, Lisa moved the fingers of her right hand with the finesse of a skilled pianist, Electro Energy dancing between her fingertips as she licked her lips in one of the most overtly sensual manners Paul had ever seen.

Though he convinced himself it was the result of the chill present within the room, Paul's body visibly shuddered in response to Lisa's words. She lacked the brutality most people would expect, but Paul was pretty sure that Lisa was a sadist. However, instead of feeling intimidated by her, a faint yet growing anticipation was brewing in his heart. After all, it wasn't for no reason that he permitted women like Ei and Eula to choke him with their thighs...

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