Just as Aether was lamenting his fate of suddenly being labeled a scumbag for no reason, the Interactive Q&A Live Stream Room abruptly sent him a private message.
[The following private message can only be viewed by you!] [Detected that the question has been successfully answered.
As compensation for the reputational damage suffered by the Traveler, the system is awarding the ability ‘God-Tier Visual Effects’ and a ‘Max Level Emblem of Severed Fate’ artifact set!] Upon seeing the max level Emblem of Severed Fate artifact set, Aether was instantly overjoyed.
As a loyal former Genshin Impact player, he certainly knew just how insanely powerful this artifact set was.
For Aether, who had just arrived in the ‘Beginner Area’ of Mondstadt, having a max level artifact set was equivalent to instantly graduating with a perfect build right at the start of the game.
Basically, he could strut around with his chest puffed out and do whatever he wanted in Teyvat.
Aether immediately checked the stats of the Emblem of Severed Fate artifact set.
He was utterly shocked to realize that the stats on these artifacts were absolutely perfect (god-rolls).
Every single sub-stat was rolled to the absolute maximum value!
With this power, if he swung his sword casually with the artifact buffs applied, even the most basic slash would deal at least a million damage.
One-shotting a Primo Geovishap was no longer an impossibility for him.
Even without any other additional buffs, the Traveler’s current combat prowess was already on par with the top-tier fighters in Teyvat, or perhaps even equal to The Seven (the Seven Archons) themselves.
[The ‘Max Level Emblem of Severed Fate’ artifact set is now being integrated into the involved party’s body!] Accompanied by a flash of light that enveloped his entire body, Aether suddenly felt all his physical attributes increase drastically in an instant.
It was at that moment he remembered the other reward.
Aether looked confused.
What in the world did this ‘God-Tier Visual Effects’ mean?
Originally, he wanted to ask the Live Stream Room system what exactly this thing was and when its effects would activate.
However, the only mechanical answer he received was: [The function of this ability is to provide ‘magical visual effects’ to the user!] Hearing an answer like that, Aether felt like dying from sheer frustration.
What kind of answer was that?
There was absolutely no difference between asking and not asking!
However, he gave it a second thought.
Considering he was already so much stronger now, the most important thing wasn’t figuring out what that ridiculous visual effect was for, but focusing on starting the Mondstadt main storyline as soon as possible.
Besides, as long as he obediently completed the storylines across the Seven Nations, he would obtain the Invincible Domain.
Within a hundred-meter radius of that domain, his existence would be absolutely unrivaled.
When that time came, no monster, demon, or god would be able to touch him.
Even though everyone in Teyvat currently considered him a scumbag, Aether believed that time would prove everything.
He was a genuine guy, absolutely not a two-timing playboy!
Furthermore, that video was just a fan-made parody fanfic from his world, not something that actually happened in reality.
His reputation had truly been ruined by this damn Live Stream Room!
Therefore, Aether was determined to earnestly complete the Seven Nations’ storylines and clear his ‘scumbag’ image in the eyes of everyone in Teyvat!
He would prove that he was the most loyal man, not a cheating playboy!
“As for this ‘God-Tier Visual Effects’…
I’ll just think about it later when I have some free time.” Aether glanced at the Live Stream Room screen and found that the video was no longer playing; even the comment section had completely disappeared.
There was only a single announcement message displayed there: [This Live Stream Room will hold a Q&A session once a day.
If no special events are triggered, all functions will be temporarily suspended until the new Q&A round tomorrow!] [Stay tuned!] Aether heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the announcement.
Good thing the system only asked questions once a day.
Otherwise, the people out there would definitely go crazy discussing his romantic scandals endlessly.
What’s more, he didn’t have a platform to defend himself.
Facing a public opinion that had already been swayed by such realistic visual broadcasts, his explanations would surely just fall on deaf ears.
The best outcome was to let this issue cool down over time.
It would help him tremendously if they weren’t given the facilities to keep discussing it.
It was at that moment that Paimon, who was floating nearby, suddenly blinked and stared at Aether with a strange expression.
In her eyes, for some reason, the Traveler suddenly looked countless times more handsome than before.
The young man’s entire body seemed to radiate a captivating golden charm, making it difficult for anyone who saw him to look away.
Even the innocent Paimon couldn’t help but feel her heart beat a little faster when she saw Aether’s current appearance.
Aether felt incredibly awkward being stared at so intensely.
He asked in resignation, “Paimon, what’s with that look?
Don’t tell me you also believe that I’m a scumbag?” Paimon recalled the video from just now.
Her face suddenly flushed red and she muttered hesitantly, “B-But…
that video was broadcasted publicly…” “Oh, come on, I just broke free from my seal, and I met you right after.
Where would I even find the time to date a goddess and become a scumbag?” Aether knew very well that Paimon would keep suspecting him day and night if he let this misunderstanding slide, so he had no choice but to try and explain himself.
“Besides, if I really were a scumbag who loved playing with girls, I would have eaten you right from the start!” Aether threatened, pretending to be fierce.
Hearing that, Paimon’s eyes actually sparkled with anticipation.
“R-Really?!” Aether could only sigh in despair at his little companion’s unexpected reaction.
He immediately ruffled Paimon’s hair and pinched her chubby cheeks.
“Of course it’s a lie!
You’re just a tiny little girl.
Besides, I’m a highly educated man, I would never prey on a child like you!” “Then…
is it okay when I grow up?” Paimon asked, blushing slightly.
Aether put on a serious face and pinched Paimon’s soft, chubby cheeks again.
“Wait until you’re grown up before we talk about romance like this.
Right now, this topic is way too early for you!” “The most important thing right now is figuring out how to get out of this forest and head to Mondstadt.
We’ve been stuck here for quite a while now, haven’t we?
From here on out, I’m leaving everything to you, our greatest guide in Teyvat, Paimon!” Aether started baiting her.
For some reason, their journey felt incredibly slow and they still hadn’t arrived in Mondstadt.
Sure enough, after receiving a little praise, Paimon instantly puffed out her chest with pride!
“Hehe, just leave it all to me, your most reliable tour guide!” After that, she observed the surroundings and found a dirt path ahead of them.
She was confident that if they followed that path, they would definitely reach Mondstadt.
Paimon then led the Traveler and started walking.
However, just a few steps down the path, a giant dragon suddenly appeared, tearing through the sky.
Carrying a terrifying vortex of Anemo elemental power, the giant dragon soared toward Mondstadt, then quickly disappeared behind the trees from both of their sights.
Paimon stared in awe, her jaw dropping.
“What a huge dragon!
I wonder…
does dragon meat taste good?” Aether was too lazy to respond to the tiny creature’s gluttonous habits.
The moment he saw the giant dragon, he immediately knew that it was Stormterror, aka Dvalin, the Anemo Dragon, one of the guardian Four Winds of Mondstadt!
Aether smiled happily.
He knew very well that this encounter with Stormterror signaled that the Mondstadt storyline had finally truly begun.
He quickly pulled Paimon along, running enthusiastically in the direction the dragon went, ready to witness the Stormterror incident firsthand!
…
Not long after, Traveler Aether, who was following the trail of the storm, arrived in the Whispering Woods area.
Deep within the dense forest, the figure of Venti the Bard could be seen trying to soothe the agitated Stormterror.
However, as if ordained by fate, when Paimon peeked at the scene, she accidentally made a sound.
That small noise instantly made Stormterror wary and go berserk once again.
Aether, on the other hand, felt incredibly happy watching this scene from behind a tree.
He was relieved because everything was still playing out exactly like the game’s storyline; nothing had changed significantly!
It seemed the Q&A live stream session earlier really didn’t have a massive impact on the timeline.
This could be considered a blessing in disguise amidst his bad luck.
If the plot continued straightforwardly like this, it wouldn’t be long before he could surely complete the stories of the Seven Nations, obtain the Invincible Domain, and become an absolute existence in Teyvat!
Just as Aether was happily daydreaming about that bright future, Venti suddenly turned toward him, staring at the Traveler with an expression of pure, unadulterated shock.
“The Scumbag?!
What are you doing in Mondstadt?!” Aether: “???” Hearing Venti’s panicked exclamation, the Anemo Dragon, Dvalin, immediately whipped his head in the same direction.
The moment he laid eyes on Traveler Aether, the giant dragon was struck by absolute terror.
Although he was a guardian dragon currently being corrupted by poisonous blood, the fact was he had still been able to watch the live stream in his head earlier.
When Dvalin saw how Traveler Aether was able to fight evenly with and even intimately kiss the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles in that broadcast, he knew perfectly well that this tiny blonde human was not an existence to be trifled with.
Feeling his life threatened by being near such an anomaly, Dvalin frantically flapped his giant wings, then fled the forest and soared high into the sky at lightning speed.
Seeing the usually formidable Dvalin now running away in a panic, Venti’s courage also began to shrink at the thought of having to face the Traveler alone.
First, this man was proven to be insanely strong, and Venti had absolutely no idea what his true motive for coming here was.
Second, this guy did look quite charming in the video earlier.
But now, seeing him up close in person, for some reason his aura felt a hundred times more captivating and dangerous.
Third, and most importantly, Venti was well aware that his own current appearance was very sweet and cute.
What if he ended up being targeted by this ravenous, merciless scumbag?!
Thinking of that worst-case scenario, Venti instantly transformed himself into a vortex of Anemo energy and hurriedly vanished from the spot without even stopping to say hello.
Witnessing this chaos, instead of getting mad, Aether actually clenched his fists in enthusiasm.
Good!
Very good!
The storyline was very similar to the one in the game!
This proved that the parody video exposing him earlier really didn’t affect the structure of the story much.
Even though Venti suddenly called him a ‘scumbag’ and then ran away, that wasn’t a big deal at all!
Now that the first encounter incident with Venti and Dvalin was over, the next step in the plotline was simply to go meet Amber!
Meanwhile, at that exact same moment, Amber, who was completely clueless about this grand conspiracy, was still sitting silently on a hill in the middle of nowhere.
The Outrider girl was waiting patiently for her fellow Knights of Favonius to come and rescue her from the weird, embarrassing punishment.