Gacha Hell: Furina Edition

After getting into the car, everything inside was a novelty to Paimon. She sniffed around excitedly, peering at every little detail.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Amber asked with a smile.

"Yeah!" Paimon nodded enthusiastically, then suddenly felt a bit embarrassed under the judging gazes of the others in the car.

She glanced over at Lumine, who looked similarly curious—though not as overly enthusiastic as Paimon.

"When I first saw it, I thought it was amazing too. It's totally normal," Amber said, understanding Paimon's excitement.

It was like suddenly encountering alien technology. When faced with something completely unfamiliar, curiosity was only natural.

"Hold on tight, we're heading back to Mondstadt now!" Amber called out as she stepped on the accelerator.

The powerful engine roared to life, and the off-road vehicle began moving.

The road conditions weren't the best, especially through the Whispering Woods. Fortunately, the car's performance was more than up to the task.

With the windows down, the scent of grass and earth filled the air as the wheels rolled over the uneven terrain.

Because of the rough road, Amber drove at a moderate pace.

Paimon sighed wistfully. "If only we had a car like this! Traveling would be so much easier, and we could even sleep in it at night. Definitely more comfortable than camping in the wild!"

Lumine nodded in agreement.

During their travels over the past few days, Lumine had learned that this world's currency was called Mora.

She asked Amber curiously, "How much does a car like this cost?"

"A car?" Amber thought for a moment. "We bought these in bulk. I think one was around 200,000 Mora?"

"Only" 200,000 Mora?

Paimon and Lumine exchanged glances.

Paimon had some understanding of prices, and she immediately scratched her head in dismay.

Two hundred thousand?!

An average family in Teyvat couldn't even save up that much in a year!

"Uh… I take back what I just said," Paimon coughed awkwardly, putting on a serious face. "Lumine, I think sleeping in the grass is actually pretty nice. It's… uh… getting closer to nature! Yeah!"

Lumine nodded solemnly.

Two hundred thousand for a car?

Where was she supposed to get that kind of money?

She asked, "Amber, do you know anything about me?"

"Most people who've played the game know a bit about the Traveler," Amber replied. "But your circumstances are a bit different now, right?"

"If I wanted to earn Mora, do you have any suggestions?" Lumine asked.

Amber had already explained the card shop's mechanics—using Mora to exchange for powerful abilities. Lumine was intrigued.

After all, without strength, traveling was dangerous.

The past few days had made that abundantly clear.

If she had power, would life still be this hard?

So, a seed of determination had taken root in Lumine's heart.

She had to make money.

Travel and earn Mora at the same time!

If she could grow stronger and make her journey easier, why not?

But the question was—how?

"Advice on making money…" Amber thought for a moment. "Honestly, I don't have any great ideas. If you just need enough to get by, that's easy."

Most people dreamed of hitting the jackpot at the card shop—pulling a powerful card that would change their lives.

But that was just a fantasy. The odds were astronomically low.

So, aside from the occasional gacha pull when they had spare Mora, people's lives weren't much different from before.

Surviving in this environment with Paimon wouldn't be too hard.

But making big money?

That was a different story.

It was tough before—now it was even tougher.

Any money-making idea Lumine could think of, someone else had already tried.

And those with power and influence would always have the advantage.

"Unless you have some unique skill that can create a whole new industry, or some special connections…"

Amber sighed. "I'd still recommend joining the Adventurers' Guild like in the original story. At least you can earn some hard-earned Mora there and see if any opportunities come up later."

"Alright, thanks," Lumine said, nodding.

This was tough. Really tough.

She was already in unfamiliar territory.

Well, technically, everyone seemed to know her now—but what did that matter?

Was anyone just going to hand her free Mora?

Lumine resigned herself to a life of ordinary struggles.

She glanced at Paimon.

"You're looking at me… uh…" Paimon took a deep breath. "I'll help as much as I can!"

"Speaking of which, Paimon eats a lot…" Amber chuckled.

Lumine suddenly remembered.

During their time in the wild, Paimon's appetite was insane.

Her stomach was tiny, but she could eat more than Lumine!

The two had been through life-and-death situations together, and Lumine couldn't just let Paimon starve.

But now, their already struggling situation felt even worse.

"Paimon…"

"I get it! I'll eat less from now on!"

Paimon looked heartbroken. "I'll stick to cheap but filling food…"

Times are really hard…

Amber sighed internally.

If she weren't a Knight of Favonius, she'd probably be just as broke.

Thinking about her own meager savings, Amber almost laughed.

But this was exactly why having a stable job was a blessing.

As long as you worked hard, the organization would reward you.

All these cars? Not hers, but she could still use them whenever she wanted!

Amber suddenly felt much better.

Favonius Headquarters, Acting Grand Master's Office.

Jean had already heard that Amber had picked up the Traveler duo.

She was considering a problem.

In the original timeline, the Traveler became an Honorary Knight of Favonius.

But now, the future had changed drastically. Dvalin had already been purified by Venti.

In other words, the Traveler wouldn't be involved in Mondstadt's major events anymore.

But did that mean the Traveler and the Knights of Favonius had no further connection?

Not necessarily.

The Traveler had helped the Knights greatly in the original timeline. Even if those events wouldn't happen now, the Knights still owed her recognition.

Ignoring it wasn't an option.

But the question was—how to acknowledge her contribution?

Too little would seem stingy; too much would be excessive.

Jean rubbed her temples.

This wasn't something that could be resolved with just a meal. If word got out, people might think the Knights were broke.

"How about giving her the title of Honorary Knight and a monetary reward?" Lisa suggested.

"How much?" Jean asked.

"Hmm… 500,000 Mora?"

Lisa mused. "It's not too little, but not excessive either."

"I still feel like 500,000 Mora is a bit… underwhelming," Jean said.

For an ordinary family, it was a fortune. But for someone like the Traveler, it was just decent.

Lisa nodded. "Then how about adding some additional benefits? Right now, the Traveler has plenty of worries. The Knights can help her out in other ways."

Jean thought for a moment. "Let's make it one million Mora, plus solving their lodging and food issues for now."

"Works for me," Lisa agreed.

Jean finalized the decision and began signing the documents.

Lisa sat nearby, scrolling through her phone.

Genshin Impact was a pretty fun game.

"Wait, my skill set is only 4-star?"

Lisa blinked, then shrugged. "Maybe Mr. Lu has some deeper meaning behind it?"

"Maybe~"

She didn't dwell on it.

After finishing the paperwork, Jean sent a message to Ningguang.

She had a feeling the Traveler would eventually get involved in major events in Liyue—maybe even play a key role.

So, Mondstadt's treatment of the Traveler would set a precedent for Liyue to follow.

Liyue, Yuehai Pavilion.

The Qixing had gathered early in the morning for one reason—Genshin Impact's sudden release last night.

They were discussing Liyue's future.

One thing was certain now: Rex Lapis would retire.

But the Geo Archon hadn't specified how he would step down.

Ganyu was the most curious, having stayed up all night playing the game.

Now, her phone projected onto a screen, showing one of the most iconic scenes.

"The Geo Archon has been slain! Seal the exits!"

Ningguang: "…"

The Tianquan, a woman of high status and dignity, wore a complicated expression.

A giant golden dragon plummeted from the sky, smashing into the Jade Chamber…

The manner of death was absurd.

"This is…"

Keqing covered her mouth, trying not to laugh in this serious setting.

Knowing that Rex Lapis intended to retire, no one was worried about his "death"—just amused by how ridiculous it was.

The whole sequence was designed to catch them off guard.

As outsiders looking in, the Qixing could immediately tell this was a test of their crisis management skills.

But the method…

Well, he is the Geo Archon after all.

Ding.

Ningguang's phone vibrated silently.

She checked it and announced, "The Traveler has appeared in Mondstadt."

"That's interesting."

"From the looks of it, the Traveler will be involved in this 'test.' Even though we know it's a test now, in the original timeline, we wouldn't have…"

"So, how should we treat this traveler?"

Tianxing, the elder Tianquan, asked Ningguang, "What is Mondstadt's approach?"

"They're providing the Traveler with equipment and a phone, granting her the title of Honorary Knight, offering some conveniences within Mondstadt—but no major privileges—and a cash reward of one million Mora," Ningguang explained.

"Can we replicate that?" Keqing asked.

Tianxing pondered. "I think so. For the equipment and such, we can convert it into Mora—let's say 1.2 million?"

"Does that seem a bit… cheap?" another Qixing member questioned.

The room fell silent.

Tianxing replied, "That depends on how others perceive it."

After all, the world's fate had already changed.

He added, "We should also offer the Traveler some conveniences."

"Agreed. But I must remind everyone—we can't just throw money at her. We need to show genuine respect."

"Absolutely. I support this."

It was almost 11 a.m. when Lu Heng finally woke up.

As for the two "defeated warriors" from last night…

Well, if you're bad, just practice more.

Entering the living room, he saw the small figure of the Dendro Archon, the Great Lord Rukkhadevata, sitting on a stool playing Genshin Impact.

She already knew the broad strokes of Sumeru's story from Lu Heng's spoilers, but the other nations' plots were still new to her.

Experiencing an alternate timeline's future through a game was a fresh concept.

Lu Heng peeked at her screen.

Her in-game avatar was her adult form—white hair, elf-like ears…

Honestly, that's just unfair.

It was impossible not to find that appealing.

"Hm?"

"You're awake," Rukkhadevata said, looking up.

"Just woke up."

Lu Heng grinned. "Stand up, let me see."

"Eh?"

Confused, she stood.

Lu Heng had to crouch slightly to meet her at eye level.

As he studied her, Rukkhadevata tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Pretty good. Just a bit slow on the map—running to the next point takes forever," Lu Heng joked.

"You grew five millimeters taller," he declared confidently.

Rukkhadevata did some quick math. "That sounds about right?"

"Don't worry, my eyes are precise. Not a millimeter more, not a millimeter less."

Lu Heng sat down beside her. "How's the game?"

Notably, the Civilization Core had made the game more realistic.

The Traveler's stamina was manageable, but they still needed to eat and rest.

Of course, meals and sleep could be skipped—equivalent to fast-forwarding a few hours or days in-game.

Traveling was simplified too. Just mark a destination, and the Traveler would automatically move there, with occasional random encounters (like hilichurls blocking the path) requiring manual input.

The whole system was more engaging than expected, without being too tedious.

Aside from the setting and main story being the same, Lu Heng felt like this was practically a new Genshin.

Hearing Rukkhadevata's positive feedback, he decided to reward the Civilization Core with some premium oil later.

Rukkhadevata set the game aside.

Seeing Lu Heng pull out his phone, she hesitated.

Noticing her expression, Lu Heng raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Um… that…"

She fidgeted before whispering, "You should take care of your health."

Lu Heng blinked, then waved it off. "Don't worry, I'm in great shape."

"Really?"

Rukkhadevata looked serious. "Even the strongest bodies follow certain biological rules. If an ordinary human weakens by 30% after certain activities, a stronger body would weaken proportionally too. Very few beings can ignore this."

Lu Heng found her logic sound.

But unfortunately—

Lu Heng loved breaking the rules.

"Relax, I'll be fine," he assured her.

"Okay."

Rukkhadevata seemed relieved.

At least she didn't have to worry about her savior becoming exhausted too young.

Checking his phone, Lu Heng saw a message from Zhongli an hour ago—Hu Tao was returning today, and he wanted to know if she could skip the line.

Lu Heng replied affirmatively, then told Rukkhadevata, "Keep playing. There's a stack of cards in the kitchen—help yourself if you're hungry. Make yourself at home. I'm heading to Liyue for a bit."

"Got it."

Make yourself at home…

After being teased by Furina so many times, Rukkhadevata had accepted her fate.

This place would be her home soon enough.

Shortly after Lu Heng left, Furina woke up.

She found Rukkhadevata lost in thought, cheeks slightly flushed.

"What's on your mind?" Furina asked.

Rukkhadevata snapped out of it, her face turning even redder.

"...What that feels like."

"Oh?"

"The future harem member is already getting curious?" Furina grinned.

"Can't you phrase it… better?" Rukkhadevata sighed.

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T/N:

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