That Ais would engage in a serious, no-holds-barred simulated battle against a powerful opponent personally arranged by Lumine was something both sides had agreed on several days ago.
Naturally, over the past few days, the news had already spread like wildfire within the Loki Familia.
So, when Finn and the others returned to their rooms to organize their equipment, they once again—without any suspense—drew the attention of even more people.
Among them were one of the "Three Pillars," the old veteran Gareth, as well as the werewolf adventurer Bete Loga.
It was also worth mentioning that Loki herself seemed to have some important business today. Early in the morning, she had left the base together with Alicia and Anakitty, and still hadn't returned.
Otherwise, that squinty-eyed goddess of chaos would definitely have been shouting about tagging along as well.
And it was entirely predictable that once she learned about this later, she would wear an expression of "missing out on a billion valis," then throw a tantrum for quite a while.
But, well…
"This has nothing to do with us~"
"Yeah, let Finn and the others worry about it themselves. Hehe~"
Renjiro and Lumine exchanged equally mischievous smiles.
Speaking of which…
There were undoubtedly many members who wanted to go watch the simulated battle in person.
But after all the back-and-forth, only the six executives above Lv.5—excluding Ais herself—along with Lefiya, who barely possessed Lv.5-level combat power, were permitted by Finn to accompany them as spectators.
The rest, though deeply regretful, could only sigh helplessly and obey the order once the captain had spoken.
Thus…
"Please try to stand a bit closer together."
When everyone gathered in the open indoor space near the entrance of the first-floor grand hall, at the very least, those who couldn't accompany them were still granted the privilege of witnessing the process of a Mass Teleportation spell with their own eyes.
Finn and Riveria had thought this through carefully. They believed Mona's ability shouldn't be casually exposed, which was why they hadn't chosen to teleport from the courtyard.
At this moment…
"Thank you for your help."
Lumine had already summoned Mona into the world. While waiting for everyone to gather earlier, the astrologer had even exchanged a brief conversation with Riveria.
What made the surrounding members—especially Lefiya—utterly dumbfounded was that Riveria had actually spoken with a consultative attitude toward Mona.
It could only be said: a true master always retains the heart of a student.
Having once witnessed the overwhelming might of the [Empress] and [Silence], Riveria would never believe that her current self truly deserved the title of "the strongest mage in the city."
As the two certain individuals observed the brief exchange between Riveria and Mona…
"If we can summon [Lisa] in the future, I feel like she would have a lot to talk about with Riveria,"
Renjiro remarked through their mental link.
Hearing this…
"I'm actually more excited about the scene where [Shenhe] meets Riveria,"
came Lumine's reply.
Renjiro fell silent for a moment. "You're addicted to voice-actor jokes now, aren't you?"¹
"Ehe~"
The cheeky Lumine tried to play it cute and dodge the issue.
And right at that moment, Mona began activating the mass teleportation spell.
From an originally empty space, a ring of astral glyphs appeared beneath Mona's feet and rapidly expanded outward with her as the center, until it enveloped everyone who would be traveling together…
"We're departing."
A curtain of water rose like a reverse-spinning vortex, forming a hemispherical dome in just two short seconds.
The water wasn't transparent, instead taking on a deep, dark azure hue.
At this point, the many members of the Loki Familia outside could no longer see anything within.
The next instant—
"Plop~"
Like a bursting bubble, the hemispherical water dome scattered away… yet not a single drop splashed onto the ground.
At the same time—
"Whoosh~"
The water curtain fell, and the scenery shifted.
That immensely eye-catching structure—the Big Wall of Grief—now stood directly before them.
At this moment, Renjiro was the first to speak.
"A few days ago, the recently hatched floor boss, the 'Goliath,' was already defeated by me, Aether, and a friend working together. So there's no need to worry about some 'big guy' suddenly jumping out of the wall."
"Oh?"
Finn smiled faintly, his words carrying deeper meaning.
"You dared to participate in a floor boss subjugation with such a small group while only Lv.2… as expected, anyone acknowledged by the [Twin Stars] is anything but ordinary."
Hearing this evaluation…
"According to Mr. Finn's logic, our friend was even more outrageous,"
Renjiro said with a sigh.
"He was only Lv.1 at the time."
"However, after that battle, he's already advanced to Lv.2."
"After all, when facing a Goliath with potential strength reaching Lv.4, he took one full punch head-on. His entire body suffered comminuted fractures."
"But at that cost, he still managed to sever one of Goliath's Achilles tendons, breaking through his own limits."
After hearing all this…
"I see."
Finn had effectively discovered—or rather, had been deliberately informed by Renjiro—of an extremely valuable piece of information.
Namely: if one could invite the [Twin Stars] or Renjiro to assist, allowing members in urgent need of leveling up to form a party with them, it would not only drastically increase survival rates but also make it far easier for mentally prepared adventurers to achieve rapid level-ups.
After all, just analyzing the astonishing abilities displayed one after another by the various Genshin during the previous "Antares Incident" was enough to make it clear…
"The support provided by the Genshin isn't limited to combat power—it's a comprehensive enhancement in every aspect."
With such a prerequisite, Finn could be certain that even if the [Twin Stars] were to start from scratch, they would still possess a growth environment of unparalleled quality—one that even large Familias couldn't compare to.
And now, Renjiro himself was a living example of that.
Which meant…
"As expected, we should cultivate a good relationship with this young man."
At this moment, as the captain of the Loki Familia, Finn felt his resolve strengthen further.
And it was right then…
"Ais, are you ready?"
"Mm."
The blonde girl, holding the Sword of Despair, had already stepped forward to stand before the Big Wall of Grief.
Her expression was solemn.
"Please, Lumine."
"No problem."
Lumine narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Then you'd better be careful next~"
[Stars, gather here—]
As the brief incantation ended…
"Shua~"
A purple-haired had only just materialized when she instantly transformed into a streak of violet lightning, charging straight toward Ais with sword in hand.
Her speed was astonishing—clearly surpassing Ais's.
"CLANG~"
Almost purely on instinct, Ais raised her blade to block.
The sharp sound of metal colliding rang out as the Sword of Despair sparked violently against the purple-haired girl's weapon—Lion's Roar.
Seizing that very moment…
"I am Keqing, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing."
The purple-haired spoke with a serious expression.
"I've been looking forward to this battle."
"Please—enlighten me!"
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
140+ advance chapters available on P@treon(.)com/Veltoria