29 Continuous Hits

After an awkward yet comforting hug, Paul would be lying if he said he didn't feel a lot better. When Xinyan attempted to kiss him on the cheek, however, he politely refused, explaining, "I want to test whether or not you really are my lucky goddess. This time around, I'll roll without using my own luck..."

Though she felt a little awkward being refused after she had already puckered up her lips, Xinyan just smiled and winked as she said, "Sure. Just don't blame me if you end up regretting it."

Chuckling dryly, Paul placed his hands on the summoning dais and said, "Confirm..." with a bit of irresolution in his tone. He doubted she had done it deliberately, but he felt like Xinyan's words had just jinxed him.

Turning his eyes skyward, Paul watched as the meteor overhead retained its vibrant blue hue throughout its flight. When Xinyan saw this, a nervous chuckle emanated from her throat as she scratched the back of her head. At the same time, a rather potent blush spread through her cheeks as she seriously considered the possibility she was Paul's good luck charm.

Seeing nothing but 3-Star Weapons appear, Paul's expression morphed into a deadpan as he said, "Now's your chance to shine...if I get another 4-Star pull after this, I'll-"

Before Paul could finish speaking, Xinyan grabbed the sides of his head, saying, "Don't go making promises that will stress you out...". Then, with no discernible hesitation, she pulled his head closer as she leaned in to give him a much longer kiss than before. By the time she released him, nearly twenty seconds later, even Paul's face was beet red.

Though he didn't know what had caused it, Paul was now pretty fucking sure that Xinyan liked him. He suspected it had something to do with the Suspension Bridge Effect or Stockholm Syndrome, but that didn't change the fact that she was showing clear interest in him...

"What are you waiting for...?"

Seeing Paul staring at her with a completely blank expression on his face, Xinyan's blush spread through her ears. Her efforts to resist looking away caused her to gaze back at Paul with an upturned gaze, her amber eyes glistening with natural allure. Had she been a little older, Paul might have keeled over from such a look. Instead, he promptly averted his eyes, sat straight, and replied, "Right. Gotta get someone who can help take care of my mom..." in a dull yet audibly flummoxed tone.

While doing his best to ignore Jean and Ningguang staring at him, Paul placed his hands on the summoning dais. However, instead of shouting confirm, he offered a silent prayer to the RNG Gods, imploring them 'not' to give him a good roll. If Xinyan's kisses became any more intense, his brain might legitimately shortcircuit.

"Confirm..."

As if to spite Paul, the meteor in the sky immediately transitioned from blue to purple. To add insult to injury, the meteor promptly split apart to reveal two dazzling purple comets among an entourage of eight sky-blue trails of light.

Resisting the urge to facepalm and massage his temples, Paul waited patiently for the comets to impact the summoning platform. When they did, any doubts he had about Xinyan's effect on his luck were shattered as not one but two people appeared.

"Oh? Do I spy a half-pint Ningguang? How adorable."

Standing taller than the other girls present, a rather heroic-looking little girl with maroon-brown hair, red eyes, and a Maid outfit that more closely resembled a swordswoman's garb made her presence known. Compared to the petite and incredibly delicate-looking girl behind her, she was like a tiny yet indomitable mountain.

Before Ningguang could respond to the first girl's words, Jean interposed herself into the conversation, muttering, "Barbara...?" in reference to the dainty, twin-tailed girl standing behind.

Seeing her elder sister sitting next to Paul, a brief glimmer of frustration flashed across Barbara's eyes before she promptly adopted an incredibly radiant smile and said, "Sister Jean, I'm relieved to see you here. I was a little worried I wouldn't have anyone to talk to."

Exhibiting considerably less enthusiasm than her younger sister, Jean turned toward Paul and muttered, "Master Paul..." in an imploring tone.

Understanding Jean's concern, Paul answered, "Go ahead. I'll see you back at the estate."

With Paul's permission, Jean intended to take Barbara someplace they could talk in private. Barbara seemed to take exception to this, however, her face forming into a pout as she asserted, "Jean. It was my decision to accept the contract. I don't need you to protect me."

Taken aback by her sister's words, Jean opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to speak. It didn't help that Barbara immediately folded her hands across her lap, bowing towards Paul as she said, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Paul. I may not be very strong, but I vow to do everything in my power to make your life more pleasant. If you need healing or any other services, please don't hesitate to ask. I am here to do my part to restore our world, not to be protected..."

Directing the final few words at her sister, Barbara made it clear she had no intention of letting Jean keep her 'protected' while everyone else was working hard. Jean had attempted to prevent her and several others from signing the Gods' contract back when they first arrived at the Intersection of Fate. Barbara both understood and appreciated her intentions, but she also hated how Jean always tried to carry everything herself.

Not wanting to see the two sisters fight, Paul thought about stepping in to try and mediate. Before he could, Jean surprised both him and Barbara by saying, "Very well...just...don't do anything you'll regret..."

"Jean..."

Expecting her older sister to put up much greater resistance, innumerable thoughts crossed Barbara's mind as she shifted her cerulean eyes to Paul. He was the only reason she could think of to explain her sister's swift and unexpected capitulation.

Realizing that Paul might not be the monster many of them expected him to be, a genuine smile developed across Barbara's face as she said, "You must be an incredible person to have my sister's trust..."

Feeling discomforted by the unexpected praise, Paul forced a smile as he scratched the back of his head and said, "Not really...compared to all the people I've summoned through the Intersection of Fate, I may as well be completely average..."

Instead of expressing concern or being put off by Paul's words, Barbara felt an almost immediate kinship with him. She was well acquainted with living in the unfathomably long shadows of superior people, so she could easily empathize with what he was saying.

Bringing the tips of her fingers together, Barbara's smile increased in size as she said, "Then we just need to work together. If we both do our best, I'm certain we can become much, much stronger."

Gaining a marginally more sincere smile of his own, Paul replied, "Sure. I look forward to working with you, Barbara."

As Barbara was about to return Paul's words, the heroic-looking woman standing next to her interjected, asking, "You two about done, or are you going to keep flirting all night?"

With Barbara silenced by a bout of bashfulness, the heroic-looking girl thumbed her chest, a fearless smile on her face as she met Paul's gaze and said, "The name's Beidou. Back in my world, I was Captain of The Crux Pir-I mean, The Crux Privateering Company. When it comes to sea travel, bootlegging, and exploration, I'm your girl. Of course, I'll need a fleet, crew, and plenty of booze if you want to see my true power."

Though Beidou was one of his favorite characters in Genshin Impact, Paul couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed. She was only six years old, but he could genuinely imagine her sailing into a storm with a dauntless smile and a jar of wine in hand.

Forcing a smile, Paul explained, "The Milbots Region is landlocked. There are plenty of rivers, but few are large enough to serve as shipping lanes."

Without losing even a fraction of her intensity, Beidou just shrugged her shoulders, saying, "Not like I could do much in this body. Just make sure to set aside funds for a few ships. Once I flesh out a bit, I'll journey East, beat a few people into shape, and take over a couple of ports."

Intervening before Beidou could give Paul an aneurysm, Ningguang said, "Beidou, you're troubling our Master. We'll address this matter at a later date. Understood?"

Wriggling her thin, swordlike eyebrows in response to Ningguang's words, Beidou maintained a fearless smile as she said, "Sure thing, Guangguang. Just don't leave me sitting on my ass for the next twenty years. I get stir crazy when I'm away from the sea for too long."

Well aware of the type of person Beidou was, Ningguang simply nodded her head, a faint smile on her face as she said, "Understood. Now, please remove yourself from the center platform. Master Paul is presently in the process of growing our numbers."

"Sure. Just give me one second..."

Before leaving the center of the summoning circle, Beidou attempted to pick up one of the higher quality claymores present. It was a lot heavier than she expected, but that didn't deter her from straining herself to pick it up place it on her shoulder. Then, with a wolfish grin on her face, she looked to Paul and asked, "Mind if I keep this one...?"

Though he was about to ask where she would keep a sword that was longer than she was tall, Paul recalled that Beidou possessed an Electro Vision. In other words, she was one of the few people present who could actually make use of her Vision.

Seeing no reason to refuse, Paul answered, "Go ahead. However, I would suggest practicing with something smaller..."

Completely ignoring Paul's words, Beidou synchronized the Bloodstained Greatsword with her Vision, saying, "Neat." before making her way over to Zhongli, Ei, Xiangling, Yaoyao, and Diona.

After shaking his head in mock exasperation, Paul placed his hands on the summoning dais. Ningguang had dutifully slotted 100AGC into the groove while everyone else was distracted, so he just needed to initiate it.

"Forgetting something...?"

Hearing Xinyan's voice, Paul briefly startled before turning to her. Before he could even think to apologize, however, she grabbed the sides of his head and planted an even longer kiss on his lips. This caused Barbara to immediately cover her face, but if you looked closely, you could see her peeking between her fingers.

Releasing Paul's head nearly a minute later, Xinyan licked the remnant saliva from her lips before saying, "Good luck..." in a soft and noticeably sultry tone.

Recovering from his stupor several seconds later, Paul muttered, "Yeah..." before turning to the summoning dais. Xinyan had attempted to slip her tongue into his mouth towards the very end, but he managed to prevent it by pursing his lips and keeping his mouth shut. He felt like an insensitive twat for doing such a thing but acquitted himself on the grounds he and Xinyan currently resembled children.

Shaking stray thoughts from his mind, Paul placed his hands within the oversized prints and shouted, "Confirm...!". When the vibrant blue meteor immediately gained a purple hue, he wasn't even surprised. It likely had absolutely nothing to do with Xinyan, but every single pull following one of her kisses resulted in a hit...

Interrupting Paul's reverie, the nine blue and one purple comet impacted the center of the platform. From within, a petite girl with maroon hair, not all that dissimilar to Lilia's, emerged. It was just much shorter and had a wine-red streak running down her bangs. Her eyes were a shade of wine red with pink, cat-like irises, and her skin was a pale, nearly grey shade of purple.

Speaking out before anyone else could, Barbara covered her mouth in shock as she exclaimed, "Sister Rosaria...!" in a pleasantly surprised tone. In stark contrast to this, the sickly-looking little girl maintained a neutral expression as she gave herself a quick once-over and complained, "How troublesome..."

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