Gacha Hell: Furina Edition

Paimon: Is This Teyvat Right? It Feels So Unfamiliar!

The drone Amber was controlling measured a staggering thirty meters in length. Beneath its fuselage hung eight air-to-ground bombs and four air-to-air missiles, not to mention the drone's own weight—how could something so massive stay airborne? Its speed was almost unbelievable.

Though she didn't fully understand the mechanics, Amber thought this thing was incredibly useful!

Beep—

A warning tone sounded.

Military drones flying at altitudes of several thousand meters were enormous.

Amber didn't quite grasp how this thing stayed in the air. Rumor had it that each of those ground bombs weighed a ton!

"Wait, it really does?!"

Amber looked surprised.

"Captain Amber, should we proceed with the cleanup?" asked the young woman beside her.

After completing the necessary paperwork, Amber gripped the joystick-like controller.

On the monitor, the drone automatically locked onto the monster congregation based on its database.

Aside from three Hilichurl Berserkers, there were also two Mitachurls!

"Even though this area is a bit far from the main road, we can't let them multiply unchecked. Are there any civilians nearby?"

"None detected."

Amber tapped a few keys on the computer, and a printer nearby spat out a sheet of paper, the fresh ink still smelling pungent.

She quickly signed it and handed it to the young woman.

At this moment—

Target locked!

Bombs away!

The entire process was seamless.

Starfall Lake.

"That's the Statue of The Seven."

"Divine creations are scattered all across the land..."

Paimon pointed at the small lake in the distance from their elevated position. At the center of the lake was a patch of land, and there stood the unmistakable Statue of The Seven—an icon of the Anemo Archon's territory.

"Let's go take a look!" Paimon urged.

"Alright."

Lumine nodded. She was also curious about the divine statue.

Just as they were about to set off, Lumine suddenly froze, her gaze fixed on the distant sky.

Paimon followed her line of sight, puzzled.

The weather was clear today, with hardly any clouds.

High up in the sky, they could barely make out a tiny object moving.

It was too far and too high to see clearly, but it seemed to be dropping something.

"What is that?" Lumine asked Paimon.

Paimon scratched her head. "I... I don't know either."

"You don't know?"

Lumine was surprised.

If even Paimon didn't recognize it, it must be either an extremely rare creature or something entirely unheard of.

The objects dropped from that unidentified thing landed about ten kilometers away.

An explosion erupted.

Due to the terrain and obstructions, they could only see half of the fireball rising into the sky.

A few seconds later, the deafening roar of the explosion reached them, and the ground trembled faintly.

Lumine's expression stiffened for a moment.

What the hell was that?!

She had seen clearly—three objects had been dropped, each causing a massive explosion. Even from over ten kilometers away, the sheer destructive power was terrifying.

Thick plumes of smoke... debris and dirt sent flying... even tiny fragments were blasted high enough to be visible from this distance!

Paimon gulped nervously.

Her scalp tingled with fear.

She stared at the sky.

The object was now circling, as if assessing the damage it had just caused.

This...

Lumine opened her mouth but hesitated.

This world seemed far more dangerous than she had anticipated.

She silently calculated the scale of the attack. Three projectiles had likely obliterated everything within a kilometer.

If this had happened on flat terrain, the shockwave alone might have reached them.

The key question was—what was it targeting?

"It's leaving... heading back the way we came," Paimon said nervously, watching it retreat before sighing in relief. "With the Statue of The Seven nearby, it probably wouldn't dare attack randomly, right?"

Lumine didn't comment.

"Let's just head to the Statue first," Paimon suggested.

"Right, we should hurry," Lumine agreed.

The wilderness was far too dangerous!

Amber's Side

"Captain Amber, it really is the Traveler and Paimon!"

The young woman was astonished. "They've reached Starfall Lake. Are they about to awaken Anemo powers? How does that even work?"

"No idea," Amber shrugged.

The fact that the Traveler could resonate with the Statue of The Seven had become a hot topic online. Since when could ordinary people commune with divine statues?

Amber was currently examining photos taken by the drone's surveillance feed.

When Lumine and Paimon had looked up at the drone earlier, it had snapped clear pictures of them—despite being thousands of meters in the air, the images were as crisp as if taken face-to-face.

Their stunned expressions were perfectly captured.

"They must've been startled by the bombs," Amber chuckled.

"Definitely. They've never seen a drone before," the young knight agreed.

Not just Lumine and Paimon—even they had been utterly awestruck when they first learned about this weapon.

Humans had created something that could devastate battlefields without ever setting foot on them!

"Alright, you stay here and keep an eye on them. I'll go greet them in person."

"Captain Amber, always so warm-hearted."

The young woman smiled.

"It's good to make friends early," Amber grinned. "I'll bring you lunch later!"

"Sure!"

Amber left the monitoring room, phone in hand.

After sending a message in the Knights' work group about spotting the Traveler, she headed to the Knights' parking lot.

Amber didn't own a car, but the Knights had purchased a fleet of off-road vehicles from the Civilization Core to improve operational efficiency.

Grabbing the keys, she set off.

Mondstadt's roads had once been narrow and winding, often just staircases. But now, with vehicles in use, many staircases had been replaced with ramps.

As she drove out, Amber waved at the guards on duty.

"Amber, drive carefully! Don't get your license revoked like your gliding permits," one teased.

"Ugh, don't remind me!" Amber's cheeks flushed. "The car's got a smart system—even if I'm a bad driver, it won't let me crash. See you later!"

The guard laughed.

Starfall Lake – Statue of The Seven

After touching the statue, Lumine unexpectedly resonated with Anemo energy!

Paimon was amazed and guided her through using elemental power.

After a few tries, Paimon said, "Now that you can wield elemental energy, traveling will be much safer!"

"Right."

Lumine wholeheartedly agreed.

Without elemental power, surviving in the wild had been a struggle. Finding food was hard enough, but avoiding monsters made it even worse.

Before, Lumine had mostly relied on running away. But now? Bring it on!

Hands on her hips, the newly empowered girl radiated confidence.

In Teyvat, having elemental power was a game-changer.

Most people without it clustered in cities, villages, or towns. But with it? Even the wilderness wasn't so daunting.

Can't win? Just run!

"Let's keep moving!" Paimon urged.

Just minutes after leaving the lake, they encountered Hydro Slimes blocking their path.

These creatures were weak.

With preparation, even ordinary people could handle them—though they could still pose a threat if caught off guard.

Thankfully, Lumine now had elemental power.

She easily dispatched the three slimes.

But then—

"What's that?!" Paimon pointed toward the forest.

A road cut through the trees.

Birds, previously startled by the explosion, had just settled back when they were disturbed again.

Something was moving through the forest.

Lumine tensed.

Though she'd just defeated three slimes, she was still weak.

Please don't be a powerful monster!

Soon, they saw it clearly.

A black, four-wheeled vehicle burst out of the forest, heading straight for them.

"What's that now?" Lumine asked.

"I... I don't know that either!" Paimon stammered.

"You don't?!"

Lumine was baffled.

Paimon had introduced herself as a guide with confidence.

But now? She didn't recognize things in the sky or on the ground?

What exactly does she know?

Lumine mentally facepalmed.

Still, Paimon was useful—she'd identified their location in Mondstadt, knew where Starfall Lake was, and could guide them to the city.

But if she knew all that... why didn't she recognize airborne and ground vehicles?

Lumine wasn't the only one confused. Paimon was utterly lost.

Is this even Teyvat?!

The Traveler had barely started her journey, and already, two completely unfamiliar things had appeared.

Are we still in the right world?

"Should we hide?" Lumine asked.

Paimon squinted, studying the vehicle.

Through the window, she could see a person inside.

"Let's just stay by the roadside," Paimon suggested.

Lumine agreed.

They stood by the road as the strange vehicle slowed and stopped in front of them.

The door opened, and Amber hopped out, waving enthusiastically.

"Hey, Lumine! Paimon!"

"Huh?!"

Lumine and Paimon exchanged shocked glances.

"You know us?!"

Lumine grew wary.

Amber blinked, then laughed.

She could understand their reaction.

Arriving in a strange world, with even your companion barely familiar... and then someone enthusiastically greets you by name?

Who wouldn't be freaked out?

"Don't worry!" Amber quickly clarified. "It's just that everyone here has seen this world's original future, so we already know you and Paimon."

"Wait!"

Lumine raised a hand, her expression serious.

"What do you mean by 'this world's original future'?" She could understand each word, but the combination made no sense.

Paimon was even more lost, scratching her head.

Are you even speaking Teyvat's language?

Has the world changed so much I don't recognize it anymore?!

"Ah, it's like this!" Amber pulled out her phone.

What's that now?!

Lumine didn't even bother asking Paimon—her clueless expression said it all.

Amber opened Genshin Impact and showed them the screen.

There, an exact replica of Amber stood in Mondstadt's wilderness, with Paimon floating beside her and character portraits on the side.

"Wh-What is this?!" Paimon gasped.

Seeing their confusion, Amber tried to explain.

"I think I get it," Lumine said thoughtfully. "You're saying an incredibly powerful being took this world's original fate and turned it into a game, letting people experience what would've happened if nothing changed. Is that right?"

"Exactly!" Amber nodded approvingly. "Lumine, you're so quick!"

Lumine glanced at Paimon, who still looked lost, and felt a smug satisfaction.

But internally, she was reeling.

To observe an entire world's fate and turn it into a game...

Just studying a fraction wouldn't be enough—this being must have seen everything, down to the smallest detail.

The sheer power required was unimaginable.

Lumine took a deep breath.

"If this game follows my perspective... tell me, did I find my brother?"

That was her most urgent question. After all, her journey was solely to reunite with him.

"About that..."

Amber shook her head.

Lumine's heart sank—until Amber continued:

"I don't know. I had work today, so I didn't stay up late playing. I haven't even finished Mondstadt's main story yet!"

Most people weren't rushing through the game.

Since it was already out, they were taking their time enjoying the story and gameplay. Why hurry?

"So don't worry too much. Maybe you'll find clues as you progress?"

Lumine relaxed slightly.

If she'd only explored Mondstadt so far, it made sense she hadn't found anything yet. There were seven nations, after all.

Her brother might just not be in Mondstadt.

With that off her mind, she focused on other questions.

"So this 'phone' and 'car'... they're not from Teyvat, are they?"

"Nope."

Amber shook her head. "Including those, and the drone you saw earlier—all come from the Civilization Core. And the Civilization Core itself is the product of a card. Well, more like it could be a card, but Boss Lu used it directly to manufacture things."

Lumine and Paimon only half-understood.

"Anyway, none of that is the real treasure," Amber said firmly.

"For organizations, these things are essential. But what truly matters are—the cards!"

"Cards?"

"Watch this."

Amber's waist lit up as an equipment interface appeared.

Seven cards orbited her—three purple, three blue, and one white.

Normally, card details were hidden unless the wielder chose to reveal them.

Amber displayed them openly.

Lumine and Paimon stared, dumbfounded.

Wait...

You're saying a single card is more powerful than those three bombs combined?!

Is this really Teyvat?!

Lumine, who knew little about this world, was just confused.

But Paimon was completely mind-blown.

If not for recognizing Mondstadt, she'd have sworn they'd landed in another world.

In her entire life, she'd never experienced so many shocks in just half an hour!

"I don't get it!" Paimon tugged at her hair. "Why has the world changed so much?!"

"For small fries like us, it's definitely overwhelming," Amber said, having long since adjusted.

"But for someone like Boss Lu? Reshaping a world is as easy as breathing."

Lumine's lips twitched.

She didn't disagree with Amber—it's just that, based on her current understanding, she couldn't even imagine such power.

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T/N:

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