“Where is this…
A spatial tunnel?” Ayin, floating in an unknown void, looked around and asked the lavender watch on his wrist, sounding somewhat puzzled.
“I suppose so.
The distance between the two places is simply too vast.
To keep your consciousness from getting lost, I had to slow down to ensure stability.” Following a sizzling crackle of electricity, Herta’s voice emanated from the watch.
“Fine, fine, I’ll just treat it as a vacation.
It’s also the perfect chance to hide from that crazy girl.” Ayin sighed, then seemingly struck by a thought, he continued to ask the watch, “By the way, since this is a consciousness, will I descend in my original appearance?”
“Not at all.
Your current state is, at best, a cluster of Remembrance…
or a consciousness cluster.
While you can utilize a portion of your original abilities, strictly speaking, you lack a physical body.”
“Once you arrive, the machine will automatically scan for the image of the most famous ordinary person during that specific timeframe and project it onto you…
As for who that might be, you should know better than I do.” Herta pondered for a few seconds before explaining matter-of-factly.
The most famous?
And it has to be an ordinary person?
Although he didn’t know the specific timeline of his arrival, in Ayin’s memory, there weren’t many ordinary people throughout history who could satisfy those conditions.
‘If it were during the God war era, then the youth Venti might count as one; if it were when the Traveler was present…
then there would likely be many candidates.’ Having nothing better to do, he listened to Herta’s explanation and began running through a mental slideshow, contemplating the possible candidates.
As he delved deeper into his thoughts, time passed by without him realizing it…
He didn’t know how much time had passed when a blinding white light suddenly flashed, forcing Ayin to close his eyes.
A few seconds later, feeling the light wane, he carefully opened his eyes, and the scene before him left him utterly stunned.
There were two celestial bodies…
or rather, one was a planet, and the other seemed more like a satellite?
Surrounding the main planet, a faint, blackish-purple mist permeated the space.
It was difficult to notice at a glance, but the palpable sense of repulsion was undeniable proof of the substance’s existence.
“Hello, hello?
Can you hear me?
My readings show you’ve approached the coordinates.
Any discoveries?” Just as Ayin was lost in thought, Herta’s voice instantly snapped him back to reality.
“I see a planet and a moon.
I’m transmitting the footage to you.” Having regained his focus, he tapped the watch screen a few times.
Instantly, a pulse of energy, much like a scanner, swept through the space around him, and the 3D footage recording the surrounding area was transmitted back.
After all, he was technically an employee now.
Although his tendency to slack off was maxed out, Herta had provided a Reward, so he had to at least go through the motions.
“Hmm…
A rare celestial structure.
It is as if this moon was intentionally placed here.
Furthermore, data indicates a peculiar energy fluctuation on the moon.” Not long after the footage was transmitted, Screwllum’s voice emanated from the watch.
Judging by his tone, this Mechanical King was clearly extremely interested in Teyvat.
“Indeed.
However, I’ve also detected similar fluctuations from the planet nearby, though they are quite faint…
You should investigate them when you have the chance.” Unlike Screwllum’s composure, Herta made no effort to suppress her interest and issued the instruction matter-of-factly.
“Yes Sir!”
Upon receiving the order, Ayin raised his right hand and performed a German military salute.
Although he knew this power was the Lunar-Rectangular Force, that didn’t stop him from playing dumb!
It’s just like when you’re at work and a supervisor assigns you a task you’ve already completed in advance.
Someone with low EQ would foolishly admit they’d already finished it, only to end up being assigned other tasks.
Meanwhile, someone with high EQ would simply play dumb, claiming they’ll work hard on it while actually gaining a few hours of free time to slack off.
Just as a certain slacker from the Divination Commission once said, work isn’t about striving for value; it’s just labor exchanged for a Reward.
Sneaking in some leisure time while working is the only way to strive for value for oneself!
“That’s the right attitude.
Alright, enough nonsense.
I’m sending you into this planet now…
It’s called Teyvat, right?
Whatever.
You might feel a bit dizzy in a moment, so remember to prepare yourself mentally.” Having received his affirmative response, Herta nodded in satisfaction and pressed the button beside her.
Instantly, a pulling sensation manifested around Ayin.
But compared to the tearing sensation he felt when he foolishly tried to trace an AI and it exploded, this was nothing more than child’s play.
Consequently, he remained completely conscious when he entered Teyvat.
The sensation was just like skydiving at the start of a certain game—realistic and thrilling.
“Looking down from this height, this architectural style…
it must be around the time the story begins.
I just wonder if the Traveler has emerged yet.” Ayin thought to himself while scouting for a landing spot.
Without realizing it, he had drifted quite a distance.
Because Herta’s device could only transport his consciousness and not dictate the exact landing point, Ayin regained full control of his body the moment he entered Teyvat.
Just as he was contemplating this, he suddenly noticed the sea level beneath him had risen significantly, as if the land had been elevated right where it stood.
“This is Fontaine?
Then I’ll start from here!”
Having decided on a landing spot, Ayin twisted his body and then plummeted rapidly in an almost vertical descent…
only to discover that he couldn’t control his body to slow down!
Consequently, not long after, Ayin slammed into the sea like a cannonball, sending up a massive splash.
And his soul form, in the instant before hitting the water, unconsciously underwent a transformation…
Splash~
“Damn it, why does this feel so real?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a consciousness projection?
How does it have collision physics?
Herta must be behind this, making me swallow several mouthfuls of seawater!”
First, there was the sound of someone breaking the surface of the water, followed by Ayin leaping onto the shore, grumbling and complaining.
“Ah!
You’re the Grand Sage!
Why are you here?!”
Just as he was secretly complaining about Herta, a familiar, sharp shriek suddenly rang in his ears.
Only then did he realize that this wasn’t just any shore; he was inside the port beneath Romaritime Harbor!
He looked around.
Not far away, he saw a cat-eared Damselette standing beside a youth wearing a magician’s hat, eyeing him with curiosity.
On the high platform behind them, a woman with heterochromatic eyes, dressed in a gorgeous blue evening gown, was looking at him with a gaze that held two parts confusion, five parts fear, and three parts forced composure.
As for the shout from earlier, it had come from the emergency…
the white-haired floating creature beside the blonde girl who had just come ashore behind him.
‘Damn, isn’t this the very beginning of the Fontaine storyline!
And from what Paimon said, I’ve become the Grand Sage?
No wonder I felt like my body smelled…
But, hehehe~’
After looking around, Ayin muttered a few words to himself.
His eyes darted around, and he immediately struck a high-and-mighty pose, flashing over to stand in front of Lumine.
He spread his arms and, in a tone that was manic yet carried a hint of something else, calmly declared, “In the name of [Knowledge], crossing the galaxy, we meet again, Descenders from beyond the sky~”