After returning to the underground tunnels he had created, Carman lead Clervie to his workshop so he could see what had happened.
After doing a full scan of Clervie's body with his transfiguration table, he did not note any abnormal changes.
When he asked her what she had been thinking when the vision had gone inert, he soon put two and two together. Clervie's dream, the one that Barbatos, no, Celestia, had responded to, wasn't simply to live freely from her mother's plots. Her dream was to become powerful enough that she could change things back in the Hearth, powerful enough to sway Crucabena into becoming a true mother to the children there.
However, knowing what she did now, and experiencing first hand the lengths her Psychopathic egg donor had stooped to in order to achieve her dubious goals, she had finally given up on her and the dream of creating a full happy family in the Hearth that included her.
He was curious as he had never heard of such a thing happening before. Even when they were separated from their owners, Visions never went inert. The only circumstance that he knew that would cause them to lose their splendor and energy was when their owner passed away, like Kazuha's friend. Clervie was still very much alive, at least according to every test he could run.
Was it solely due to her giving up on the dream? Or was it because she had bypassed her fated end and Celestia no longer had a firm grasp on her and her destiny?
Asking Clervie for permission, Carman took her vision temporarily for testing purposes, leaving Clervie to her own devices as he went deeper into his workshop.
When he was out of eyeshot, Carman tossed the vision into his item storage, after all, he didn't have any clue how a vision operated, the best way to get to the bottom of the issue would be to see what description his system would give on it.
[Item: Anemo Vision (inactive)
Rarity: 4*
Description:
A Vision, successor to the Moonwheel, created after the fall of the three Moon sisters who had once cooperated with the Primordial One. This vision's once cyan core has dulled to misted gray. No Anemo flows through it, and yet an odd energy still lingers.
Unique Traits
Bound Pocket Dimension: Internal storage remains active. Only the owner (Clervie) can summon or return items within.
Soulbound: Should Clervie die, the Vision rejects all contents and becomes an inert relic, its storage collapsing and expelling anything held inside.
Renewal: Should Clervie form a new, resolute ambition, the Vision may re-connect with Celestia and reawaken its elemental channel.
Current Status:
Elemental Output: 0]
As he navigated his system gui, Carman noticed a notification, opening it, he saw a quest completion message.
[Congratulations. Host has completed Quest: Deny Fate (secret)
Generate Rewards?
{Yes/No} ]
At last the quest had been completed, this also meant that Clervie had likely fully escaped from her destined death and he would not have to worry about Bennett levels of unluck from the world trying to right itself by bumping her.
Clicking yes, he watched another window pop up
[Rewards: 1 Million Mora, 20 thousand system points, 1x Derivative Skill Ticket, [Alchemy Recipe: Transcended Water], Research Notes of Raiden Ei, 1x Mythical blank schematic, 50 standard gacha tickets]
'Is it just because I was reborn in the world of a gacha game? Cause this system is really trying to give me a gambling addiction…' thought Carman as he read the last entry.
As he pondered the reward he pulled the dull vision out of his storage and brought it back to Clervie.
"The storage function of your vision is still in operation, but it seems that letting go of the dream you had that created this vision has caused it to lose its ability to channel elemental energy." Said Carman.
"I figured as much, seeing as the times lined up." said Clervie. "So, what do we do now?
Carman sighed, "Now? Now is the difficult part, we wait, it is only a matter of time before Peruere ends your mother's reign as the Knave and gets carted off to Sneznyha."
"She will be fine right?" Asked Clervie, some worry in her voice for her friend.
"Yes, yes, as far as I've seen, while she does spend time in the slammer due to having killed one of their highest officers, they eventually release her and make her take your mother's place among their ranks." Said Carman, "but to be safe, we will follow them, that way you and her can see the Auroras up there together, like you promised you would."
"For now, we need to gather intel, during the last few months I shifted most of my attention to making sure the plan went smoothly, now we are at least a years worth of information behind on the happenings in the Fontaine underground, the Serial Disappearer, and the Synthe Dealers are crawling back out of the woodwork, Would you mind becoming Sylvain once more to take on the task of communicating with Ravenwatch?"
Clervie took a moment to contemplate, after all she was still reeling from her dance with death, a few seconds later, she shrugged, "sure, It beats just staying here dwelling on the fact I was supposed to die today, and contemplate the cascade of affects it could have on my best friend."
Taking her over to the circle, Carman realized something as he pulled out a Condescence Crystal, due to the loss of her vision's power, Clervie was unable to use Anemo Energy, meaning she would not be able to operate the circles used to enter the complex.
"Clervie, make sure to complete everything by the evening, I will wait for you by my father's shop, I am going to have to make something to allow you to pass through the doors now that you cannot manipulate elemental energy," he said.
"Sure, and thanks, I almost forgot about that problem." Said Clervie as she subconsciously rubbed the dull orb at the center of her vision, feeling the absence of the gentile feeling she had gotten used to over the past year.
When her appearance had once again become the guise she had taken for the past year, a smile appeared on her face, slipping into Silvain's distinct slang filled vocal mannerisms, "Al'righte there lil' bro, I'ma head off, got some work to be doin, don' get in too much trouble till I get back." she said as she set out after changing into a street boy outfit, and smearing some machine oil on her hands and chin.
As she left, Carman sighed again as he set Ryuzu to watch over Clervie in case she broke down. He knew the whole ordeal had likely had a deeper impact on her than she wanted to admit, but he did not know how to ask for her to confide in him, heck she may be against it as this was his plan to begin with. All he could do was offer something to distract herself with and have Ryuzu ensure her safety.
As he sat down, alone once more, he caved and opened his system's gacha panel, there wasn't anything to save up pulls for, especially on the standard banner, it only pulled from things and tech within the world he was in, if he could get materials to upgrade his gear he would not complain, but compared to the more broken materials he had received previously, he did not have many expectations for what was going to happen next.
Pressing the ( Pull x 10 ) button he got a variety of items ranging from enemy drops, to minerals, plants, and low tier weapons, it wasnt until his last ten pull that something interesting occurred.
As the system loaded the rewards, the panel change from it's usual color to bright gold.
[x20 Sweet Flower 1⭐
x25 Mint 1⭐
x15 Iron Chunk 2⭐
x10 Moonfall Silver 3⭐
x5 Rainbowdrop Crystal 3⭐
x5 Starconch 3⭐
x35 Slime Condensate 1⭐
x10 White Iron Chunk 3⭐
x17 Mint 1⭐
1x Memory of Dust 5⭐]
Reading the last item, the only one in bold letters in the panel, Carman wondered why the name seemed so familiar, like there was an itch at the back of his mind. Opening his item storage he read the description.
[
Item: Memory of Dust
Item type: weapon (elemental catalyst)
Rarity: 5 ⭐
Effect: amplifies the power of Geo Channeled into it, reinforces the elemental shields created by it's user. Attacking enemies while using this weapon increases damage with each consecutive hit, with a significant boost to damage when the user is within an elemental shield.
Description:
This weapon was made by the Goddess of Dust, Guizhong, a trusted and dear companion to the god of contracts, Rex Lapis who would later take on the position of Geo Archon and Emperor of Liyue. It is said that this "Dumbell" was the last gift the Goddess gave to her dear friend before her fall, that it stood as a testament to the contract that connected them, and that it stored all of her knowledge.
]
As Carman finished reading the description he swore he could feel a faint rumbling coming from somewhere in the south direction. Only two words filled his mind at that moment 'Well. shit.'
-To be continued