Setting Alhaitham aside for the moment, Natsuyu laid out a simple plan for their next moves.
"First, Lisa will continue staying at the Beika Library. Keep an eye on the director's movements and find out where his drugs are coming from. I remember that there's also a case on Moon Shadow Island that's connected to narcotics. I suspect the director might be linked to that island—or that his drugs are being smuggled in from there."
Although Natsuyu's mission was to balance the power between the Red and Black factions, from her memories of her previous life's anime, the Red side would likely become overwhelmingly strong. That meant she would inevitably have to assist the Black side at times.
Even so, she refused to cross certain moral lines.
Especially drugs.
She despised them.
If she encountered them, she would do everything she could to eradicate them.
And she couldn't just help the Black side either. If they grew too powerful later on, she would have to support the Red side in return.
That was why a gray organization, belonging to neither Red nor Black, was absolutely necessary.
Lisa looked at Natsuyu, understanding her reasons, and gently agreed.
"What about me, Traveler? What should I do?" Xiangling raised her hand eagerly.
Natsuyu met Xiangling's curious, hopeful gaze and paused before answering.
"Xiangling… your main task is to run the restaurant well. Once business improves, more people will come—and where there are people, there is information. Pay attention to what your customers talk about and help gather intel."
She was a little worried that Xiangling would be too busy alone. She even considered hiring someone to help, but she didn't want outsiders staying in the house. For now, she could only set the idea aside—hopefully she would draw someone suitable later. If not, she would have no choice but to hire from outside.
"Mm-hmm, I understand," Xiangling nodded.
"As for me," Natsuyu continued, "I'll get closer to the protagonist group, complete as many tasks as possible, earn Primogems, and draw more characters to help us. A so-called organization that can be counted on one hand is just too pitiful."
"We'll adjust our future plans after I recruit more members. Right now, we're not lacking money—we're lacking people."
Lisa smiled. "You're really working hard, my little cutie. I knew you had great leadership and execution skills. Keep it up~"
Xiangling nodded vigorously. "Yes, Traveler is amazing."
Hearing them praise her, Natsuyu felt unbearably awkward—so embarrassed her toes were practically digging out a two-bedroom apartment in the floor. After all, in a sense, they were all parts of her. It felt like she was praising herself—way too narcissistic.
At that moment, Paimon popped out, pretending to be serious:
"Ahem. Indeed, Traveler, you've done fairly well so far. Of course, you're still a little behind Paimon, and there's room for improvement. From now on, you should consult Paimon more—I'll guide you properly."
Natsuyu's lips twitched, her eyes half-lidded.
'Then… thank you so much, Paimon,' she thought, emphasizing every word.
Paimon completely missed the sarcasm and continued happily:
"Not at all! No need to be so polite. I'm the Traveler's best partner, after all—I'll definitely help you! Haha!"
"By the way, little cutie," Lisa suddenly asked, cutting off their bickering, "have you tried this—can you use elemental power now?"
"Ah—" Natsuyu immediately slumped onto the table, looking miserable. "I tried. You already know, don't you? I tested it the moment I came to this world. I can't use elemental power."
The more she thought about it, the more unfair it felt. She straightened up and protested:
"This isn't fair! Why can everyone else use it except me? Is the Traveler being discriminated against?"
After drawing the Genshin role-playing system, she had secretly looked forward to wielding elemental powers herself. When she failed, she assumed it was because the Conan world was a detective setting without magic.
But later she learned that the characters she drew could use elemental power—only she couldn't.
That was when her heart truly broke.
She had tried not to think about it, comforting herself that having such enhanced physical abilities was already amazing. But hearing Lisa mention it again made her defenses collapse instantly.
Seeing Natsuyu's pout, Lisa didn't comfort her—instead, she burst out laughing.
Noticing Natsuyu's wounded glare, she quickly stopped.
"Sorry, sorry. I just thought you looked… very cute just now. Like a child."
"Lisa!" Natsuyu snapped, mortified.
"Ahem, back to the point," Lisa said, regaining her composure. "You probably haven't tried again since drawing new characters, right? Try now. Who knows—you might be able to!"
She remembered that the Traveler didn't need a Vision to use elemental power. There was no reason the drawn characters could use it while the real one couldn't. Perhaps there was a condition. Either way, there was nothing to lose by trying.
"Huh… that's true," Natsuyu realized. She really had only tried once in the beginning.
Hope flickered in her chest.
She stepped into an open space and began trying to resonate with the elements.
Suddenly, she felt something—faint, hazy, flowing all around her, everywhere at once.
She sensed that she could grasp a portion of it.
Raising her right hand, she reached out to communicate.
Whoosh.
A gentle breeze surged into her palm, softly swirling across her skin.
Anemo.
She could use the wind element.
Excited, she tried to resonate with the others. Aside from Anemo, only Geo and Dendro responded.
Though she couldn't use every element, the fact that she could use any at all made her overjoyed.
So this was what it felt like.
As if it were innate—once she resonated with an element, she instinctively knew how to use it. With a single thought, she could summon it.
She told Lisa and Xiangling what she discovered.
"Just as I thought," Lisa said thoughtfully. "You can use elemental power. Right now, you've drawn me, Xiangling, and Alhaitham—representing Mondstadt, Liyue, and Sumeru. And you can resonate with the Archons of those nations. It seems your resonance depends on the nations of the characters you draw. If you draw someone from Inazuma or Fontaine, you'll gain even more elements."
"That makes sense," Natsuyu agreed.
Lisa stepped forward and gently patted Natsuyu's head.
"Now I can finally feel more at ease. This world has far too many killers—and even guns. Just knowing martial arts isn't enough to keep you safe."
"Lisa…" Natsuyu stared at her, stunned. She hadn't expected her to say something like that and didn't know how to respond.
"Lisa, Xiangling,"—and Paimon, she added silently—
"I promise. I'll protect myself."
"I'm the Traveler, after all."