Chapter 18 - Welcome to Inazuma City

Over the next few minutes, Thoma and Ayaka whittled away at the Lawachurl using Overload, Superconduct, or Melt elemental reactions. They also interspersed melee attacks as counters to the beast's hulking jabs or tackles. 

Due to the previous conversation with Yae Miko, Ivan stopped watching temporarily to ask her, "By chance, since it sounds like you're at least aware of it, have you ever considered trying to remove the curse on them?"

"No. The scale is far beyond your curses which are already close to the limit of my ability to cleanse. There is simply no method I know of to remove their curse unless the one who placed it chooses to do so. Even the Archons would likely be helpless in this matter as far as I am aware."

"I see."

Having sated his curiosity, Ivan resumed watching the battle.

'Hm… It's taking them a while even though the Mitachurls didn't take long for Ayaka to beat at all. Those Hilichurls weren't very strong, either, so I wonder if World Level even has any effect here?'

While Ivan inwardly contemplated the ramifications of Teyvat not having a World Level to limit the strength of the monsters, he briefly checked his quest log since he had free time anyway. The moment he opened his constellation, he couldn't help looking at the surroundings that had frozen in time. Seeing Thoma suspended in mid-air surrounded by flames especially piqued his interest.

'I need to get a Kamera.'

Shaking his head and chuckling, he read through the quest updates. Aside from some progress in the ones he already knew about, he saw an additional main quest he had not seen before. It essentially boiled down to finding a way to get pulled into Euthymia ahead of schedule with or without the Traveler and end the Vision Hunt Decree earlier than the original timeline.

The quest rewards were quite juicy, too. Three of each type of fate, a million Mora, and Artifact strengthening materials? He almost couldn't believe his eyes. 

'The rewards might be juicy, but I should stay calm. Completing this quest might actually be pretty hard for a while. There are two optional hidden requirements that will supposedly make it easier, though. I wonder what they are. No hints, which makes it difficult. Extra rewards for completing them, though, so hopefully I can figure them out at some point.'

Sighing, he jumped through his other constellation icons to see if anything else had changed. One very noticeable change on his Character screen made his eyebrows jump with interest. In his 'Dicia' section, essentially his 'Talents' section, a new skill name entered his sight.

[*Ray of Remembrance*: Calls down a lightning strike on a target, dealing AOE Electro damage in a small radius. The remaining Electro element from the strike imbues your current weapon with Electro for the next several seconds and raises your strength and agility by a small margin.]

'Ray of Remembrance? Hm. Didn't realize it buffed me that much, but it makes sense. Guess this tab updates when I use a new skill, then.'

After closing his constellation, he watched the remainder of the battle. It did not take much longer. Ayaka and Thoma finished off the Lawachurl with a final burst of Melt. Both of them subsequently walked toward Ivan and Yae Miko. 

Along the way, Thoma wiped his brow while huffing tiredly. 

In contrast, Ayaka quietly sheathed her sword and let it float in the air behind her back. She then retrieved a handkerchief from a pouch at her waist and dabbed the sweat from her face. 

Together, the four of them regrouped to take a break, rest, and recover from the battle. Ivan and Thoma sat on a nearby boulder, but Ayaka and Yae Miko chose to remain standing.

Patting Thoma's shoulder, Ivan said, "Thanks again for the shield. I think I would have lost a foot to bad luck without it."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Thoma chuckled and replied, "Haha. No problem. That's a common tactic, anyway." Then, he mirrored Ivan by patting Ivan's shoulder in return and said, "Look at you, though! I didn't know you could fight like that. Good job."

"I've still got a ways to go before I can match you, though."

"That's still impressive. Maybe you'll overcome those curses of yours faster now."

"Hopefully," Ivan replied, briefly nodding. Then, he looked at Ayaka and said, "Thank you, too, Ayaka. Your ice aura made my end of the fight much easier."

Ayaka smiled, nodded, and said, "Mhm. You are welcome, Ivan."

As soon as Thoma and Ayaka felt they had rested long enough, the group set off toward the city again. Before long, they arrived at the outskirts of Inazuma City. Their unusually colorful group drew several curious stares or respectful bows due to the two famous people in it. However, Ivan barely noticed those reactions. Instead, he widened his eyes at the sprawling hillside city that looked far bigger than he remembered from the game. Although not on the scale of a metropolis by any means, he guessed at least a few thousand people lived here, if not more. 

'Well, I guess an actual world doesn't have all the limitations a game world would have. Gonna have to keep that in mind. Luckily, the city layout seems mostly the same, so I don't think I'll get lost despite the differences.'

"Is this your first time here, Ivan?" Ayaka asked. 

"...Yeah," Ivan answered after a thoughtful pause. At the very least, it was his first time here outside of the game.

"Then, allow me to welcome you to Inazuma City. Although the timing might not be the best, I hope you enjoy your time here."

"Thanks, Ayaka. I think I definitely will after being welcomed so kindly by a beautiful young lady."

"B- beautiful?" Ayaka mumbled, holding her cheeks. A rosy tint quickly painted her cheeks.

'Was that too forward? Since this is Inazuma, maybe it was. I'll tone it back a bit in the future.'

"Yes. Welcome to the city of Eternity, Ivan," Yae Miko suddenly spoke up next to him.

Raising a brow, Ivan turned his head to look at the shrine maiden. For some reason, she looked back at him with an expectant gaze, though her amused smirk belied other intentions.

Rolling his eyes a little, Ivan played along by saying, "Yeah, yeah. I am flattered to be welcomed personally by the wise and beautiful Yae Miko."

Yae Miko smiled and faced forward without reacting in any other way. 

"Huh. I didn't peg you for a flirt, Ivan. You sure you're not from Mondstadt?" Thoma jokingly commented.

Rolling his eyes, Ivan retorted, "I'm not. I'm just being friendly."

"...Friendly. Just… friendly," Ayaka whispered too quietly for others to hear. Her eyes quickly changed from lively to listless. Her heart that beat hotly due to the seemingly sincere compliment vaporized in an instant. 

In her mind, she chided herself, 'Ah! What am I thinking? I barely know him, yet here I am acting like a young commoner girl due to a simple pleasantry.'

Unbeknownst to the poor girl, Yae Miko happily amused herself by watching the show of youth in the young woman's various expressions.