Ch 3

In the end, Lisa paid ten thousand Mora for one hour. After all, she knew nothing about this "mobile game," so diving in with a hundred thousand Mora upfront would be unwise.

With Jean's earlier description, Lisa had a general idea of what this "smartphone" thing was. However, when she got her hands on it for the first time, she couldn't help but be amazed.

As a genius witch known once in two centuries at the Sumeru Academia, Lisa was well-educated in various fields. Whether it was forbidden knowledge about wild creatures, methods of handling elemental components, or brewing techniques that reduced distillation processes to just two porcelain bowls, Lisa was a true master.

But this small glowing box with its detailed images and interactive features was truly something to behold. Lisa was even tempted to understand how it worked.

However, these thoughts were quickly set aside.

Under Takumi's guidance, she logged into the game using Jean's account.

"According to Jean, she experienced a battle with the Windborne Dragon and then invited the Traveler to meet at the Knights of Favonius headquarters."

Lisa quickly grasped the controls for the characters. She didn't rush to meet with the Knights; instead, she wandered through the virtual city of Mondstadt.

"Just as Jean said, many scenes have been perfectly reproduced."

Lisa also saw some familiar faces, like Sara from the Good Hunter restaurant and Blanche from Mondstadt General Goods. However, their stores had been simplified to mere facades. It seemed this mobile game couldn't fully replicate reality.

Due to the previous attack by the Windborne Dragon, the entire city of Mondstadt was shrouded in a swirling hurricane, with a grayish hue. Leaves were constantly blowing across the screen.

"Jean must have been inspired to develop a series of defense measures after seeing Mondstadt like this."

Lisa manipulated the Traveler and finally arrived at the Knights of Favonius.

Upon entering the Knights of Favonius, the screen shifted. It began with a close-up of a pair of long, slender legs adorned with white, close-fitting pants embellished with golden patterns. Then, the camera zoomed out to capture the upper half of a person. The slightly anxious Jean lifted her head, looking at the clock on the wall.

"Hehe, my Jean, you've been remarkably recreated in this mobile game," Lisa remarked. In her eyes, everything, from attire to expression, mirrored the real Jean.

Lisa even wondered if Jean had refrained from experiencing the game in person because she knew she would appear in it, avoiding a potentially awkward feeling.

However, Lisa's teasing mood lasted less than a second. The screen displayed herself! At this moment, she was holding a book, casually saying, "Jean, you're quite impatient. Didn't we agree to meet here?"

Lisa immediately looked at Takumi behind the bar. Was this owner doing it on purpose? Did he know she would come to experience the mobile game today, so he included her character in the game? No, the plan she discussed with Jean had just been confirmed. This owner couldn't have known in advance. That left only one possibility: she was already planned to appear in the original storyline.

"Boss, if you dare to tarnish my image, I will punish you!" Lisa thought to herself, continuing to watch the unfolding storyline.

"It seems that the Windborne Dragon is active outside the city. After seeing her, I want to..."

"No need to rush. I'll help later," the in-game Lisa interrupted. Compared to Jean's anxiety, she appeared much more composed and indifferent, giving off a feeling of being in control.

One couldn't deny that the owner did a good job in recreating her character! At least, Lisa, the person being portrayed, couldn't find any flaws.

Next, led by Amber and Kaeya, the Traveler arrived in the office. After introductions, Jean expressed her gratitude for the Traveler's assistance and then got down to business.

"Under Lisa's magical detection, the source of the storm shrouding Mondstadt has been exposed."

"So, what's the answer?" Kaeya inquired.

"The abandoned Four Winds temples," the in-game Lisa replied. "The Windborne Dragon can stir up storms of this magnitude by harnessing the remnants of their power."

Seeing this, Lisa displayed an intrigued expression. By reverse-engineering the elemental flow shrouding Mondstadt, she could indeed find the source of the Windborne Dragon's storm. But how did the owner of this establishment know all this?

Lisa was more interested in the owner of this mobile game hall than Jean's concern for the game's storyline. Despite his youthful appearance, he exuded an uncharacteristic depth and composure. The fact that he created such a richly detailed game indicated a profound understanding of Mondstadt and everyone living in the city.

In Lisa's view, perhaps the only people who could accomplish this were...

With suspicions about Takumi, Lisa continued to advance through the game's storyline. The next steps were straightforward: they needed to conquer the Four Winds Temples, the source of the Windborne Dragon's power.

"Do these characters have their own unique skills here?"

"By using Elemental Attacks to acquire Elemental Particles..."

Lisa absentmindedly stroked her chin, studying the combat mechanics within the game. Even though she could easily master even the most complex magical experiments, this game's combat system took some time to get used to, mainly because it was her first exposure to such a concept.

Before long, she not only understood the combat mechanics but also grasped elemental reactions.

The first mission involved infiltrating the Temple of the Falcon alongside the reconnaissance knight, Amber.

"So, these temples are made into separate spaces," Lisa commented. She was unaware of the concept of "dungeons." In reality, the Temple of the Falcon was a large area in Mondstadt, though it had long been deserted and rarely visited. In the game, it was accessed through a portal called the Secret Realm Gate.

"Well then, let's give it a try," Lisa eagerly anticipated the upcoming battle.

In the tavern, Takumi was playing with the freshly acquired ten thousand Mora. These golden and weighty coins were strikingly similar to actual gold and had a substantial, almost magical feel to them. Besides being a currency in circulation on the continent, they were also magical catalysts, a delight to hold.

However, Takumi didn't intend to save these Mora; instead, he was preparing to try the system's lottery function. As good as Mora was, there would be plenty of income in the future.

Up to this point, Takumi hadn't yet tried this function within the system. He wondered what kind of goodies he could get. Ten thousand Mora for a basic-tier lottery? That was not cheap.

"Whoosh..."

"Obtained the 'Universal Beverage Maker.' Would you like to extract it immediately?"

"Extract."

Next to the bar, a machine resembling a refrigerator appeared. At the same time, a translucent interface appeared in front of Takumi, displaying various types of beverages, such as coffee, cocktails, fruit tea, and milk tea, among others. There were even soft drinks like cola and Sprite. All that was required was to purchase the basic ingredients as listed.

However, for Takumi at the moment, this item was just an addition. It could potentially serve as an expansion of the mobile game hall's business in the future.

He poured a glass of warm water and approached Lisa, who was in the middle of battling hilichurls in the secret realm. Her control over the game was far from clumsy; she knew to use Amber to apply fire to the monsters before utilizing the Windborne character's elemental burst for AoE damage.

For someone experiencing "Genshin Impact" for the first time, her understanding and operation of the game could only be described as gaming genius.

Sensing Takumi's gaze, Lisa proudly said, "How about that? It seems I have a knack for this, sister."

Takumi nodded in agreement. "Indeed, not bad."

Before long, Lisa had cleared the secret realm and reached its end as planned. According to their strategy, they destroyed the nodes where the Windborne Dragon's power was concentrated.

Lisa was usually someone who found mundane tasks bothersome. She preferred sipping afternoon tea in the library rather than going outside to deal with hilichurls. However, completing a secret realm's battle in this mobile game gave her an unexplainable sense of achievement and left her addicted.

Amber appeared in the storyline and said, "Now, the Windborne Dragon has directly attacked Mondstadt..."

"The winds have changed, and our strategy will change accordingly," responded Lisa. "That's something Lisa likes to say."

"Oh, by the way, regarding the topic of the 'Four Winds Protectors' we discussed earlier, if you want to know the history, you can ask Lisa."

Lisa smiled knowingly. It seemed that in the game's setting, she was still a knowledgeable librarian. The fact that the game's owner not only didn't tarnish her image but also revealed her intellect in the storyline pleased Lisa.

After leaving, following the guidance of the mini-map, they headed to the next location: the Temple of the Wolf in the north. From a distance, they could see Kaeya standing at the entrance to the temple.

Upon entering this secret realm, the team gained a new member, Kaeya. Lisa wasn't particularly familiar with this cavalry captain, having only met him a few times. She could sense that he might not be as simple as he appeared, despite having dealt with various troublesome matters as the captain of the cavalry. However, she had never had a chance to witness his true power.

Now, Kaeya had become one of the controllable characters in this game. Perhaps through his Elemental Skills and Elemental Burst, she could catch a glimpse of his true strength.

Upon entering the secret realm, Lisa immediately used Kaeya in battle, but the result left her somewhat disappointed. His Elemental Skill fired a blast of icy air forward, while his Elemental Burst summoned three spinning ice shards around him. These abilities seemed quite ordinary and could be matched by other Cryo Vision holders.

Perhaps more secrets would be revealed as the storyline progressed, she thought.

As it turned out, Lisa's intuition was correct. After completing this secret realm, a hidden storyline began to unfold.

After the traveler left, Kaeya's expression suddenly turned cold and sharp. His gaze fell upon a pillar, and he spoke indifferently, "I was thinking, with the intelligence of the hilichurls, how could they plan such a premeditated ambush?"

"So, it was you pulling the strings from behind."

With these words, accompanied by an evil laughter, a Hydro Abyss Mage emerged from the shadows. Then, he chanted an ancient incantation, gathering water elemental energy around him.

Just then, several surging flames swept in!

With a swift strike of his massive sword, a red-haired man knocked the Hydro Abyss Mage to the ground within just a few moves. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

After completing these actions, the red-haired man spoke indifferently, "The Knights of Favonius are quite inefficient."

"No matter. Since you've also been drawn into this, things have become more interesting," Kaeya said with a meaningful expression.

At this point, the storyline abruptly ended, and Lisa's expression deepened.

Indeed, as Kaeya had said, things were becoming more interesting. After herself and Jean had made appearances in the game, even Diluc had shown up. According to Lisa, if that person knew that his image had been recreated in a game and it involved some hidden plot, he would surely investigate it personally. At that time, young proprietor, how would you respond?

Lisa was curious about what would happen in the future, but for now, she needed to focus on the game at hand. Next was the final temple of the Four Winds Protectors. In the upper left corner, the mission guide indicated: "Meet Lisa at the temple's entrance." Finally, it was time for her debut. Lisa was quite aware of her own abilities. She hoped that the game's owner wouldn't make her too weak in this game.

===

After a journey, they finally arrived at the Temple of the South Wind Lion. As expected, her in-game character was waiting at the temple's entrance. "Oh, my dear," she said, "You've come to help with something so dangerous. It's truly touching. If you have any questions during this time, feel free to ask your big sister."

Indeed, it was the way she would speak. Lisa felt as though she were looking into a mirror, with no sense of incongruity. After entering the secret realm, "herself" naturally joined the team without any surprise. Using herself in battle was, of course, the most immersive experience.

Lisa was about to try out what abilities her in-game character had been given when Takumi approached and reminded her, "I'm sorry, Miss Lisa, but your game time has ended."

Lisa glanced at the clock and realized that an hour had indeed passed. However, at this crucial moment when she could finally test her in-game combat abilities, how could she give up? Without hesitation, she pulled out another 10,000 Mora and purchased another hour.

Once Takumi left, she couldn't wait to control herself in battle.

"This is... a punishment!" Lightning flickered in her hand, and a large area of light appeared at her feet. Simultaneously, the surroundings darkened, and when the condensation was complete, all the Pyro Slimes within the light were struck by a bolt of lightning.

"Buzz!" Lisa saw the purple number 103 appear above the Slimes' heads, representing the instant damage they took from the Electro element. Previously, whether it was Amber or Kaeya, the highest damage they could deal was in the twenties or thirties. However, Lisa could inflict over a hundred damage with just one blow, and it targeted a group!

Although there was a relatively long cooldown after using the Elemental Skill, Lisa was quite satisfied with this effect. "In that case, among the four characters currently available, I am undoubtedly the strongest."

Lisa's lips curled into a faint smile. Everyone had vanity, and she was no exception. Moreover, this powerful skill was only her Elemental Skill; she hadn't even used her more potent Elemental Burst yet. "Surrender quickly."

During the third battle, after accumulating enough Elemental Energy, Lisa used her Elemental Burst. A rose-shaped thunderlight was summoned around her, taking on the form of a lantern. Although the damage wasn't very high, she didn't even need to lift a finger; it automatically attacked the surrounding enemies. During this time, she could also switch to other characters to join the battle. Ah, this was the "Witch of Purple Roses," after all—aloof, elegant, and didn't even need to act personally.

Overall, Lisa was quite satisfied with her performance in this game. Of course, she had more abilities than just these. If she were to use her true power, it would be far more dazzling than just "a little spark."

It seemed that this owner had some understanding of Mondstadt and even some Vision holders, but it wasn't omniscient. At least, her hidden powers had yet to be fully revealed in this game.

After a few battles, Lisa successfully reached the end of the secret realm and destroyed the node where the Windborne Dragon's power had gathered. She had a feeling that she hadn't fully enjoyed herself. Perhaps due to her natural affinity with herself, her control over "Lisa" in the game had become more proficient and intuitive.

However, these hilichurls and slimes didn't provide much of a challenge. They fell with just a few hits. During the battles, Lisa also noticed a problem. The catalyst she used was just an extremely ordinary magic book. How could this match her identity? She recalled opening quite a few weapons from chests earlier. She wondered if there was a suitable catalyst among them to serve as her new weapon. But... where could she change her weapon?

Takumi happened to walk over, and Lisa asked him this question. "In the upper right corner, there's a character's portrait. Click on it to access the character panel." "Character panel?" Lisa clicked and instantly discovered a new world. Traveler, Amber, Kaeya, and herself—Lisa—all appeared here with various detailed data. Most people would feel overwhelmed when seeing so many numbers for the first time, but Lisa was different. She was skilled at researching intricate and complex knowledge and always pinpointed the key details in the shortest time.

Now, she was like a thirsty sponge, diligently studying each piece of data related to her character. "Attack determines the damage a character can deal, but it's influenced by critical hit rate and critical hit damage... Elemental reactions can also amplify the damage for this instance..." The more Lisa delved into it, the more she realized that the damage numbers in this game were not simple and involved many influencing factors. Besides her own values, there were the enemy's defense, elemental resistance, shields, and more.

"What an interesting design, breaking down the strength of elemental power into such detailed data," Lisa couldn't help but praise. After spending some time, she gained a certain understanding of the game's damage values. Then, Lisa clicked on her own avatar. Her full-body image appeared on the screen and could be viewed from any angle with a touch of her finger.

Lisa was quite confident about her figure. She thought that when more people became familiar with this game, maybe someone would open her character panel and sneak a peek from unconventional angles.