(It is my goal to have this fanfiction be on the board of genshin fanfiction tags when you search the related fanfics up. So please review and drop more power stones. I'd really appreciate your efforts. đ
That's all for now, enjoy the story.)
....
"I see, so unlocking the statues mean that my potential increases meaning that I would master the Geo element faster..." Lars whispered.
"And conveniently my control over Geo also increases." He looked around him while picking his ear. He was surrounded by several dead Mitachurl who thought it was a good idea attacking a guy having a private moment with the Archon Statue.
"That's some pretty good fighting there." Lars turned to look at a female adventurer approaching him.
"Pretty creative usage of the Geo element, and your physical abilities are as true as the rumors say. And your Haki... Well could use some work, but all and all it's pretty good for someone who just unlocked it."
"And you are?" Lars raised an eyebrow at her.
"Lan. Branch Master of the Adventurers Guild in Liyue. I just happened to passed by." Lan introduced herself to him. Lars blinked.
'Ahhh. Now I remember.' Lars mused. He remembered Lan from the game vividly. A girl so obsessed with finding her late brother's sword that she unknowingly completed tons of dangerous missions and also two S-rank commissions solo, before subsequently become the Branch Master. If that isn't the definition of aura, then Lars didn't know what it was.
"I'm Lars. Though you probably heard about me before. Apparently it seems I'm still a hot topic in Liyue Harbor." Lan shrugged at his statement.
"Naturally. You can put them at fault. You show up out of nowhere. You're not a Liyue native. They say you're an Inazuman, but one of our guys deny that. And what you did isn't an everyday occurrence."
"Anyways, I didn't expect to meet you here, but I supposed my plans can be taken to action now sooner than expected." Lan crossed her arms.
"And what plan is that?"
"Before that, I must emphasize that what I'm assigning you is not a guild quest, but a personal commission, something I think a high caliber fighter like you can accomplish without a problem."
"Well I'm not sure about the high caliber fighter part but.... argh whatever just spit it out. It better be good." He crossed his arms, intrigued.
"Take out your map." Lars did what he was told.
" Your Commission, should you choose to accept it, is to defeat two Mitachurls who bear giant shields at this location right here southwest of Domain of Forsaken Ruins at Guili Plains..." Lan marked the location with a small pen.
"Their shields are infused with Geo energy. Not terribly dangerous, but you should still proceed carefully. All I need you to do is defeat them. Come and find me afterwards and you will be fairly compensated."
"That's it? All that for basically a B-rank quest?" Lan smirked a little.
"That's just the first step to my plan. But why should you complain? You're getting paid handsomely afterwards." Lan walked away.
"Oh, and if you come across anything sword-related, bring it back for me."
"It's your brother's sword, yes?" Lan stopped walking after hearing Lars' words.
"You know?"
"Who doesn't? The whole Guild pretty much knows you and your goal."
"Then you should have an idea of what plan I have for you. If you don't find anything, it doesn't matter. As long as you defeat the hilichurls you will receive your compensation. That's all. I will leave you to get ready now." As Lan walked away, Lars placed his hands on his waist.
"This woman... She could probably do this all by herself... Ahh wait... She's lazy... Understandable have a good day..."
...
Qiqi sat on top of the reception counter with a dull expression. Behind her, Katheryne was braiding her hair. Usually this would be Lars' job whenever her hair gets messy, but he wasn't back yet, which was strange.
"Katheryne, how many commissions did he take."
"He took three commissions of taking down Hilichurl camps, but for someone like him it should be light work. He should be back now at this point."
" Hm..." Qiqi hummed at Katheryne's words, watching the evening sky as the sun started to set. Just then, she noticed a man running towards the Post.
" Ah, he's back."
"Sorry, Qiqi. I must've worried you." Lars greeted Qiqi by hugging her gently. Qiqi smiled at the gesture and hugged him back.
"It's okay. But where did you go? Katheryne told me you took three commissions but she said it wouldn't take long. But it's almost nighttime now." Qiqi asked, her expression immediately becoming dull as the hug was over.
"Well..."
"Lars, what took you so long?" They saw Lan approaching them. Lars laughed nervously.
"Well, I defeated the Mitachurls just like you told me to. But I kinda got off track and entered the domain you told me about."
"Huh?"
.....
A few hours ago, Lars just finished off the second shield wielding Mitachurl. He sighed as he patted the dirt off his outfit. "Well, time to get paid." He muttered before his eyes set on something new.
It was the domain Lan mentioned before. Lars couldn't help but step closer to the entrance as he admired at the gigantic ancient building before him. Suddenly, the entrance glowed blue before it opened automatically.
"Woah...." He whispered, noticing that the space it revealed was dark and endless. He reached his hand towards it.
" Hey! Wahh!!" He shouted as he was suddenly sucked into the space. The stone doors shut on it's own, letting silence return.
.....
"What I entered was like... a paradise enveloped by clouds and mist. Though it appears serene from the outside, there's peril to be found within."
"Then what happened? I assumed you cleared it?" Lan questioned Lars who nodded.
"Yup, sure did. The enemies were a tiny bit harder to defeat than the real-world enemies, but no biggie, still won anyways. But when I got out and tried entering it again, I couldn't. It's like it was deactivated or something." Lan nodded, already understanding what he meant.
"What you entered was a one-time domain. The Domain of Forsaken Ruins, alongside other one-time domains, opens only from time to time, and we can't predict when it will open again. It could take days, weeks, sometimes even years. But usually it only takes a few days before it opens again."
"I see. That's good to know. "
"Good job clearing it though, Lars. I've faced the enemies in that domain before, so I can say it is no easy feat." She then looked at Katheryne. "Katheryne?" She called out.
"Yes, Master Lan?"
"Promote him to a B-rank adventurer, he surely deserves it through his efforts though unintentional." Then she started grumbling. "And stop calling me master already."
"Right away, Master Lan." Katheryne started going through some documents as Lan continued to talk with him. Qiqi looked between the both of them.
'Wow, he's promoted already? I guess I need to step it up a notch.' She thought, face expressionless.
"As a B-rank adventurer, now you have more options to choose from. You can now clear camps that have harder opponents such as Samachurls, Mitachurls and Abyss Mages. You are now greenlighted to go clear out domains for artifacts."
" What for?" Lars questioned.
"Simple, to receive artifacts. Each domain earns you a specific artifact. The higher your strength, the higher the artifact's quality, which in turn mean a higher price when you sell the artifact. But..." Lan held up eight fingers.
"Eight times a day, that's the maximum limit you can enter a domain for each person. You can go to any domain you want, but once your eight chances of entry are up, you're essentially locked out from entering until the next day."
"So how much do these artifacts cost?"
"Well, as I said before strength is a factor of your artifact's quality. But prices usually start from 50 thousand Mora for the most basic artifact. Prices may change from time to time, you gotta see what that woman up there says." She said, pointing at the Jade Chamber. Lars looked at the Jade Chamber, and realized who she was talking about.
A mogul who shakes the very foundations of business circles, even a single sentence of Ningguang's business predictions can change the very structure of one's whole way of doing business.
'Scary woman that's for sure...She can probably buy the whole world if she wants to...' He thought.
" Oh I almost forgot. Delivery missions to neighboring nations such as Mondstadt and Sumeru are now available to you."
"That sounds fun." Lars smirked, excited at the prospect of exploring new areas.
"We only allow B-rank adventurers and above the privilege to do so, as it proves that one is trustworthy and competent enough. We don't need any international incidents after all. The last time someone caused it, well let's just say he won't touch alcohol for the rest of his life." She then handed him a large sack full of Mora.
"Here's your payment, it's a combination of my personal request and the commissions you took. Good work today, Lars. You're a breath of fresh air for the Guild, I'm definitely going to enjoy working with you."
Lars grabbed the sack and stared at it before looking at Qiqi.
"Qiqi, I think we need to open a bank account now...."
To be continued.....