Chapter 59: Uh… Character Interaction? Progression?

Hmn… I fell asleep?

That's odd, I remember I lost the need to sleep ever since I ascended to godhood…

Could it be that I was affected by some kind of magic! The others could be in danger!

I quickly opened my still sleepy eyes only to see another pair of blue eyes with 'heart' pupils looking at me.

"FUCK!"

I jumped from the bed with adrenaline rush into my head and held the throwing knife with my right hand in a reverse grip.

"Eh? Tanya?" I identified the 'enemy' which turned out to be Tanya.

I am sure the person in front of me is Tanya because the appearance of the soul cannot be disguised.

"What are you doing, scaring me first thing in the morning, Tanya?" I dropped my stance and stood up while exhaled in relief nothing had happened.

Salter and Charlotte also appeared in the room after sensing the commotion.

"I should be asking you. Why did you look so shocked when seeing my face?" Tanya frowned and pouted before sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Nothing… I just thought someone made a move on me and put me under a spell." I shake my head lightly before greeting everyone.

Somehow, I still feel sleepy which is odd. I need to investigate this later.

"So, did anything happen during my sleep?"

Tanya and Salter shook their heads as nothing happened in the room. But, Charlotte has something to share. Something other than her experience becoming a ghost and terrorizing the people while sneaking away foods.

"I saw a few knights and people with masks around the inn, looking for someone. The person's description is very similar to master." Tanya recounted from her memory while snacking on a piece of toast.

"Anything else?"

"The red and blue haired boys Master saved also observing the inn but from far away." Charlotte added.

I fell into silence, digesting the information.

The knight kept a tab on him probably due to my suspicious appearance and probably the two men he saved as I remember seeing a few knights with their caravan. For the Fatui however… This could only be trouble.

"Char, I want you to follow the masked people and follow them. Find out about their intentions regarding me." I broke my silence and gave Charlotte her order.

"Gladly, master." Charlotte playfully saluted before returning to her ghostly form and disappeared into the Astral plane.

Then I look at the remaining two. I noticed Salter's default appearance with her armor is very eye-catching.

[Here]

"Saber. Can you change your armor to another less eye-catching outfit?" I asked while prepared to convince her before she could pull another 'A knight must always be prepared' on me.

Salter stared at me for a moment before nodding.

"Sure, Master."

She then did something which caused her armor to dematerialize into clouds of mana and reformed into a dress I remember fondly from the Heaven's Feel movie.

[Here]

"Wonderful. Now, two of you return into your sword and I will exit the city then enter again with both of you. Properly this time to avoid suspicion from the spying eyes." I explained my plan.

Tanya and Salter agreed as they returned to their sword and I wrapped them again and left the city.

By the gate, the knights had changed but none of them stopped me or asked my intention as I left. But, I did notice their stares which are wary instead of hostile. I dismissed it because they are just doing their task as the city guard. I never antagonize anyone for no reason to be offended by this.

After I left, I walked halfway to the cliff in the distance, west of the giant oak tree.

I wanted to kill some monster before returning as returning empty handed would look suspicious.

But before that, I release Tanya and Salter first.

"Are we going to kill those tribal creatures?" Tanya asked after spotting five Hilichurls around a campfire and a few wooden barrels.

"Yes, their mask can be used as proof of subjugation at the Adventurer's Guild to exchange into Mora." I explain before going into my reason why Mora is important.

"Actually, I tried to replicate Mora before but I can't. It seems that Mora contains something unique which prevents counterfeit from being created." I raised my shoulder and shrugged.

Considering our future plan, Mora is important to legally acquire a plot of land for creating a base of operation.

Earning it through slaughtering monsters is a big hassle and time consuming. Should I just go and rob some rich people?

"I see. Then allow me to take care of them, Master." Salter held her sword and eagerly rushed toward the Hilichurls while Tanya also joined the action with a pistol in her hand since her sword is too big to be wielded.

"Ya! Ika kundala!"

"Dala?"

The Hilichurls shouted once observed Salter charging towards them and quickly rose up and attacked with a wooden club and crude crossbow.

"HaAh!" Salter cut apart the club along with the Hilichurls with an upward slash.

Tanya shot two of the crossbow wielders on the back for Salter to wipe out the remaining two.

It was so easy that none of them felt even slightly difficult. But, suddenly. The atmosphere shifted which caused Salter and Ray to become alert. Yet, nothing happened.

"That's odd. Did any of you feel that?" I asks with a wary tone while looking at the surroundings in anticipation, thinking perhaps is a god making their move. Maybe the Archon of Mondstadt or the Unknown God.

"Yeah, but nothing happened." Tanya replied while equally wary as Ray.

"Nothing happened to me either, Master." Salter affirmed.

After waiting for a bit longer and nothing really happened, we continued our walk further to hunt more. Trying to investigate the surroundings while earning extra Mora.

We soon found ourselves at another Hilichurls camp. But, this time with proper encampment and tents made of wood, cloths and leathers. Around the tents are wooden barrels, crates and campfires that have a dozen Hilichurls. One of them is twice as tall and very buff, wielding a giant axe.

"This one seems to be a boss. It is even able to wield elements from the look of it." Tanya analyzes the big Hilichurls with an intrigued tone.

"What should we do, Master?" Salter asked but from the way she already grip her sword, I can see that she is eager to fight.

I doubt this enemy would be very strong since it's very close to the city. The knight shouldn't tolerate such dangerous creatures within the surrounding of their city.

"Go ahead. If it's too strong then I will step in." I answered and signaled Tanya to also join.

'I need to devise a way for my companion to also rise in strength instead of only myself.' I reminded myself while observing them fighting this settlement of Hilichurls.

Tanya first shot her pistol at the crossbow user.

*Clink*

This time, the bullet didn't pierce the mask and stopped, which earned the ire of the resting Hilichurl Shooters.

*Fwish*x4

The Hilichurl Shooters retaliate with arrows toward Tanya but she blocks them with her Barrier that passively turns on upon receiving an attack.

She dismisses the pistol and conjures a rifle to immediately shoot Enhanced Bullets which pierced the mask this time, although barely. Then killed the Hilichurl Shooter.

While Tanya kept the long range one occupied, Salter already dashed into the battle and easily dispatched any Hilichurls that dared to attack with wooden clubs. But she noted an increased strength and durability from the similar enemies as previously.

I did too and wonder if this is simply a coincidence or was this a change caused by the previous strange occurrence.

Seeing its allies die one after another, the giant Hilichurl with a bigger mask and a crown of crimson horns on its head, snarled in anger and a red aura burst out of its body like a burning flame which caused its axe to glow like heated metal.

*Roar!*

It immediately rushed over to Salter and smashed its axe with brute force on her sword, causing Salter to wince a little and responded with a Mana Burst that blasted the axe away from her sword and slashed the monster's chest.

It seems this giant Hilichurl still cannot compete against Salter once she stops using only her physical strength.

Perhaps out of rage, the giant Hilichurl growled angrily and made four consecutive attacks on Salter but abandoned all defense in the process which exposed an opening for Salter to stab its heart and drag her sword to bisect its upper chest, then killed the giant Hilichurl.

Tanya also already wrapped up her part, even assisting Salter to dispatch a few Hilichurls she missed because of the giant Hilichurl.

"Alright, let's wrap up and return. The sun is starting to set." I reminded the two that look eager to fight more.

Tanya immediately looked disappointed which made me frown a little because I expected it would be Salter that might feel dissatisfied.

I walk over to them and pat Tanya on the head. "You've done well, let's collect the mask and return for now. We can fight more tomorrow if you want." Tanya bobs her head and looks genuinely happy being praised.

Salter at the side looked expectantly at Ray but he didn't spare her any glance, much to her disappointment.

I pick up the mask left behind after those Hilichurls disappeared into dark mist upon a certain amount of time after death.

Well, that saves me the need to touch any corpse if all enemies are like this.

———

"Halt!"

I gave them my adventurer's card before they could ask and my entry was permitted. But Tanya and Salter were stopped without any identification papers.

"Sir knight, she is my sister and she is my sister's friend. They came from my hometown to register as adventurers." I show my face when pointing at Tanya and then pointing at Salter.

The knights immediately told Tanya and Salter to fill a form and return to them to show their adventurer's card as proof or else they will be regarded as trespassers.

This didn't seem to be the first time such a case had happened. Doesn't seem to be the last either.

Quickly we walk straight ahead after the front gate and at our left is the Adventurer's Guild.

"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. My name is Katheryne, a receptionist of the Adventurers' Guild. What can I help you with?" A girl with black hair, a maid-like white headband, dress of green at the sides and white in the middle.

"We want to register as an adventurer." Tanya said and pointed with her thumb at Salter who nodded when mentioned.

"Most certainly!" The receptionist said.

I felt something odd about the receptionist. I checked and confirmed. This thing didn't have soul… what the fuck? Could it be a robot? Or sophisticated android? She looks very human too!

Maybe there is much more hidden under the veil that I have yet to uncover.

After waiting for a while, Tanya and Salter finished registering and registered to be in a similar team as me.

Then I take out the masks to be verified by the receptionist to be granted a reward in exchange.

"16 Hilichurl masks 2000 Mora each and a Mitachurl mask for 20,000 Mora. The total rewards are 52,000 Mora. After accounting for companion benefits, the total reward is 156,000 Mora." Katheryne counted the reward.

"Huh? Companion benefits?" I sounded confused that the benefit literally tripled my total earning.

"Companion benefits are made to support adventurers that have a team. Normal earnings are usually insufficient for a team after splitting between members and causing many adventurers to prefer going alone. This causes a high mortality rate and many difficult commissions cannot be completed. The Adventurers' Guild recently introduced these benefits to encourage more teaming up."

"Does it limit how many team members are eligible for these benefits?" I asked immediately to confirm my guess.

"Yes, only for four members. Having more than four members will not increase the reward further." Katheryne responded with a polite nod.

"Of course, no way such a ludicrous money making method exists." I sighed and already had my hopes high to make a team of hundred or thousand members and let the reward be multiplied to a ridiculous amount.

After taking the Mora, Katheryne bid us goodbye and Tanya and Salter went to show the guards their Adventurer's card before we went to grab a meal. Salter hadn't eaten since yesterday and miraculously didn't make any fuss about it.

———

"20th..." I stared at the piling plates and winced while checking my pouch.

'Fuck! She's gonna be the death of me.' I groaned mentally and regretted not bringing supplies dedicated for Salter.

Turning my head to the right, Salter devoured another plate of steak, a dish named 'Pile Em' Up'. Then the waitress named Sara carried two more of the dish in a tray.

"That's another 2400 Mora…" I stared helplessly as my own ability, the Devil's Contract that became my own undoing.

"As if I am feeding a dragon. Wait, she is a dragon. Welp…" I laughed silently at my own bad humor.

Tanya sitting opposite of me, just staring at me, wincing everytime another order arrived. She tried to reassure me but unfamiliar with the way of this place to offer any advice on earning more Mora on an even bigger scale to not only buy a plot of land, but also feeding the black hole that keeps inhaling food without a sign of stopping anytime soon, next to me.

Suddenly, a man stopped near us and looked at me strangely.

"Oh! Ray! I thought you had died or something, disappearing for a whole year without any news." The man greeted me with a very familiar tone and even tapped my back.

I guess this guy is a friend of the body's previous owner.

"Yo, Ray. Let's go and hit the pub as usual. I am sure the others will be happy to see your face again."

"Ray?" The man noticed my weird stare and retracted his hand from my shoulder.

"Ray, you remember me right? Your drinking buddy, Keith." The man asked after seeing that I act unfamiliar with him.

I quickly make a copy of some of his memory and absorb it.

"Of course, Keith. It's just, the place isn't suitable. Let's talk somewhere else." I eyed my other companions before pointing at the alley.

I left my money pouch and signaled Tanya to look after Salter before walking away with Keith.

"Are they your new girlfriends?" Keith asked but I never intended to converse with him and put my hand on his head.

"Ray? What's wrong wi-"

I hypnotized him and fully copied his memory starting from his encounter with the previous owner of this body until now.

"Interesting… the people on the caravan attacked by the drake was Crepus Ragnvindr and the two men is Diluc Ragnvindr and Kaeya Alberich."

"The father is an unfortunate victim of the attack which was slayed by a high ranking knight, named Eroch and rewarded with 10 Million Mora!"

"Bullshit! I should have kept the corpse myself if I knew better." I vent my anger and punched the wall in an attempt to release my anger on myself to let others take credit for my own doing.

'Master?' I heard Charlotte's voice calling for my name before a tear from the Astral plane appeared and she walked out of it.

'Master, I completed my task and returned to report.' Charlotte fumbled a little in a fit of clumsiness before eagerly recounted the information she acquired using telepathy.

'A person the masked men called Harbinger ordered them to capture you because he is interested in master. They also have people inside the Favonius Knight including Eroch that received orders from the Harbinger to capture master, dead or alive, as a material for his experiments.'

"Eroch? Isn't that the same bastard that stole my reward?"

"Damnit." I cursed and accidentally kicked Keith in a small burst of anger.

Now I have even more reason to gut this guy named Eroch, alive.

"Great job, Char." I have a habit of giving head rubs when praising my own people.

"You can return to my mindscape for now. I will deal with your identification paper later." I recalled her into my mindscape instead of my shadow because I couldn't communicate with her once she entered my shadow.

I traced my steps back to Good Hunter, unaware of a pale skinned 'nun' spying on me from afar and managed to hear me talking with the air and making odd gestures to someone that didn't exist.

"Must report this to Grand Master Varka… the water around Mondstadt becomes turbulent with the involvement of Fatui. Now, another unknown party." The nun said in a grim tone with a touch of worry before she left.

———

"The total bill is 60,000 Mora." Sara, the waitress announced with a wide and sheepish smile.

On one hand, she pity Ray for having a companion with such a big appetite. On another side, she is happy that business is booming and the black dressed lady does seem like a new loyal customer of Good Hunter.

Ray put a big stack of Mora on the countertop before leaving with a depressed expression.

"Please come again, dear adventurers." Sara waved them goodbye and put away the Mora.

Few minutes later.

(Ray PoV)

Everyone went around the shops to take a look at what could interest them while Tanya being the only one studying the economy of Mondstadt and found it quite lackluster compared to the modern world.

There are only two restaurants and two taverns in the city. A blacksmith that caters mainly towards the knights and adventurers. A souvenir shop. A flower shop run by a little girl and few peddlers here and there selling some exotic merchandise from another region.

There isn't much on other lifestyle oriented needs like clothes etc. Perhaps because people are still at a medieval level of technology and lack the ability to make them affordable.

"Perhaps there is a way for us to easily acquire Mora." Tanya suddenly mumbled which instead caught my attention to snap my head at her.

"How?"

"Monopolizing the untapped market." Tanya said before explaining the lack of products that are available readily in the modern world but didn't exist for the world of Teyvat.

"That's smart! I didn't even think of it before and immediately leaned into slaying monsters as a way to earn quick Mora." I marveled at Tanya's brilliant idea.

"As expected of the one incharge of the businesses of Einzbern. I can't even manage a company properly while you could manage the empire of businesses owned by the Einzbern." I praised Tanya with genuine awe for her capability which made her ears turn rosy although her facial expression remained indifferent.

Seeing this, I sighed helplessly at Tanya's habit of hiding away her true feelings in front of others. It's not noticeable till now. But, it annoys me somehow to see her like this even when we are spending our time enjoying each other's companionship.

"You should smile more and enjoy the world in front of you, Tanya. There's a time when you need to hide your real feelings but this isn't the time for it and making it a habit is doing you more harm than good. So, smile more. Especially when we are enjoying our time together." I said while pinching her cheek to stretch out a smile from her lips.

Salter at the side, being forgotten, purposely took a few foods she fancied and left the bills to Ray before drowning her feelings of bitterness with delicious foods.

It's strange to her that she would feel this bitterness toward her ladyship she had sworn to. She sometimes felt bouts of covetous or envious feeling when being left aside while her Master poured his affection towards another woman. However, she also knew this feeling wasn't her's. It was her instinct, what was the source of her strength which doubled as her source of dismay.

Dragons are always known to acknowledge only the stronger one. As for the female dragon's, they seek strong mates. Only those they deem worthy can enter their eyes and having one they acknowledge as a superior one made their instinct to flare up and desire a kin.

Perhaps, it was an irony, a joke from the higher power. But, the only thing stopping her is the Contract she forged between the male she acknowledged and agreed that she couldn't harm him, which includes physically forcing herself upon her. It's reassuring to know there is a shackle that can keep her instinct at bay. But, suppressing it only delays the inevitable outburst. Salter herself knew it.

Perhaps another week? Months? Year?

Who knows. But, for now. Her self-restraint is still held strong without sign of wavering. Yet, it's undeniable that the chain is rattling, straining itself slowly but surely, stretching itself out to reach the breaking point.

The RAYs can never escape the curse of their existence regardless of the odds. Not even the cause of their existence can escape the very curse he gave to his creation.

(Reap what you sow. A broken hip pale in comparison to figuratively and literally being wrung dry of essence by greedy dragons. *Hint* *Hint*)

—————