Meanwhile, in the Bronx, apartments.
In the living room, Damian bowed devoutly before the black-and-white portrait of Dawei Qiu, muttering to himself:
"Brother Dawei, love endures through all hardships. Can you grant me a role? True love exists in this world—it's no surprise you've given me one. Beautiful women are everywhere… It's wonderful that you've given me a role…"
After finishing his prayer, Damian immersed his consciousness into the glowing orb in his mind.
Rough Stone: 70
Seeing the extra 70 Rough Stones, Damian couldn't help but smile.
This orb had refreshed last night after he'd told Pepper Potts about Obadiah Stane's conspiracy.
That gave him a hypothesis: the acquisition of Rough Stones was positively correlated with his influence on the timeline.
Whether positive or negative influence yielded more stones remained unclear—he'd need further experiments to determine that.
But none of that mattered right now. The most important thing was drawing cards!
Damian took a deep breath, threw all 70 precious Rough Stones into the gacha pool, and closed his eyes.
Swish!
The sound of a card draw echoed in his ears. After a long moment, he reluctantly opened his eyes to see the results.
Rewards:
- Sweet Flower ×5
- Character Card ×1
- Item Card ×1
---
Item: [Sweet Flower]
Description: This plant emits a rich, sweet aroma so potent that its blossoms can be located even in total darkness by following the scent. Commonly used in sugar production.
Effect: None.
---
Character Card: [Fischl]
Vision: Electro
Constellation: Corvus
Introduction:
Fischl, full name Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort, real name Amy, hails from Mondstadt. Her parents were renowned adventurers who spent most of their time away on expeditions, leaving her lonely from a young age. She found solace in fantasy novels from the city library—especially The Night Tales of Princess Fischl—and gradually began identifying with the story's heroine, adopting an elaborate, theatrical persona.
On her fourteenth birthday, after being mocked by her peers, she tearfully sought comfort from her parents—only to be told to "grow out of her childish fantasies." Heartbroken, she fled to the library, where she accidentally awakened an Electro Vision and summoned the Night Raven, Oz—full name Ozvaldo Hrafnavins. From that moment on, she truly became the "Princess of Judgment."
Oz serves not only as her loyal combat partner but also as her interpreter, translating her grandiose "royal speech" into plain language for the Adventurers' Guild.
Though Fischl's words are dramatic and ornate, she is kind-hearted and deeply yearns for understanding and companionship. She despises Sweet Flower–Stuffed Chicken—the sight of a trussed whole chicken reminds her of the birthday she felt abandoned.
Within the Adventurers' Guild, she leverages Oz's reconnaissance skills to excel as an investigator, forming close bonds with Bennett, the Traveler, and others. Adventurers even circulate an unofficial "Fischl Dictionary" to decode her flowery speech—e.g., "The servant who bears the name of judgment shall deliver the verdict" simply means, "I'll investigate and report back immediately."
---
Item: [Canned Knowledge]
Description: A knowledge-storage technology unique to Sumeru, developed from the Akasha system created by the late Dendro Archon, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata (the Great Compassionate Tree King).
In Sumeru, knowledge is treated as a precious commodity, tightly regulated by the Akademiya. Nevertheless, black-market dealers—such as Dori—illegally trade rare Canned Knowledge at exorbitant prices.
These capsules allow users to instantly acquire specialized or combat-related knowledge without years of study. However, excessive reliance on Canned Knowledge may impair independent thinking and lead to cognitive rigidity.
---
Damian grinned.
"Brother Dawei! From now on, I'll call you 'Dad,' and you can call me 'Brother.' We'll each go our separate ways!"
Looking at the portrait of little Amy, Damian immediately knelt down—not in reverence, but in disgust—at the portrait of Dawei Qiu.
As one of the so-called "Four Mythical Gods" of the early-game meta, Damian had essentially been carried through his rookie days by Fischl and Bennett.
The sentiment was self-evident!
Moreover, despite not being the strongest in terms of raw combat power, Fischl was far from weak in the game's storyline.
In her character story, she once single-handedly defeated an evil dragon named "Taslak"—likely a symbolic representation of some monstrous or fantastical threat—showcasing her remarkable combat prowess.
Beyond that, Fischl also excelled at reconnaissance. In fact, she was considered one of the top investigators in the Mondstadt Adventurers' Guild.
Though her archaic and theatrical speech was often obscure and difficult to understand, her intelligence was so consistently accurate that her fellow guild members even compiled the "Fischl Dictionary" to translate her "Imperial Tongue."
And now, Damian only had Diluc—a melee character—in his lineup. Against mages or snipers who specialized in long-range attacks, he'd be easily killed.
Fischl's arrival filled that critical gap almost perfectly.
It was just… using a slingshot with Amy? He seemed a bit aggrieved by it.
"It's okay!" Damian declared. "Once I've saved up enough Primogems, I'll pull for Thundering Pulse for you!"
After sketching out this grand plan, he turned his attention to the "Canned Knowledge" he'd just obtained.
The item resembled a translucent glass vial, filled with a luminous, swirling energy that glowed a soft green.
Its exterior was cradled in an intricate metal frame—likely brass or gold-plated—with ornate patterns reminiscent of Sumeru's academic motifs.
Damian sank back into the living room sofa, cradling the Canned Knowledge in his hands, muttering to himself:
"Is this really what they call 'knowledge'…?"
He ran his fingertips gently over its surface, searching for seams, buttons, or any hint of a mechanism—but it looked more like a high-end decorative piece than a functional item.
Holding it up to the light, he watched as the glow within cast a faint, rippling halo, as if something alive were swimming inside.
"How do you even use this…?"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, something strange happened.
The Canned Knowledge suddenly erupted with a blinding green light. The radiance poured out like liquid, flooding the entire living room in an instant.
Before Damian could react, the light slithered down his arms and neck like living tendrils—and surged straight into his forehead!
"Ah—!"
He groaned, his body jerking backward against the sofa.
His vision dissolved into endless streams of emerald data. Countless fragments of information—formulas, theories, experimental logs, procedural manuals—flooded his mind like a tidal wave.
Yet the knowledge wasn't chaotic. It integrated seamlessly into his memory, organized in a way he couldn't consciously grasp but intuitively understood.
For a moment, he felt as though he stood in an infinite library, where every book opened on its own, imprinting its contents directly into his consciousness.
Time lost meaning. When the last wisp of green light finally faded, Damian's brow was slick with sweat.
He slowly opened his eyes. The living room was calm again—as if the whole episode had been a dream.
But when he looked down at his hand, the once-brilliant vial was now dull and gray, covered in fine cracks, as though every drop of its essence had been drained.
"…So it's a one-time consumable," he murmured with a hint of regret, setting it aside on the coffee table.