"'Weapons' have the most direct impact on a character's damage output..."
Lisa tapped on her own weapon slot.
As she suspected...
It wasn't even a proper magic tome, but a one-star 'Apprentice's Notes'.
She tapped 'replace'.
There weren't many weapons to choose from.
After a quick look, Lisa settled on a three-star weapon—the 'Magic Guide'.
Its stats were a perfect fit for her combat style.
"When I get a more powerful catalyst in the future, I'll be sure to equip it~"
Lisa was in a good mood. She had already decided to build her in-game self into the strongest character.
Reality came with many inconveniences, but in the game, there were far fewer restraints.
Besides, the enemies were sure to get stronger later on. If she didn't make herself more powerful, she probably wouldn't be able to get through the future story quests.
She closed the interface, and the screen returned to the end of the domain.
Ahead of her was a Precious Chest.
The moment she opened it, a new cutscene began.
Her in-game self started to explain the current situation.
"The Dragon of the East, the Lion of the South, the Wolf of the North, and the Falcon of the West..."
"They are the guardians of Mondstadt's Four Winds, and also the former companions of the Anemo Archon, Barbatos."
"Dvalin—that is Stormterror's name."
"Before he was known as a monster, he was once one of the Four Winds—the Dragon of the East."
"This is why, of the power of the Four Winds, Dvalin can only borrow the strength of three..."
The game then gave the traveler a 'Book of Dvalin's History', allowing them to learn about the events of a hundred years ago.
Lisa, of course, was already aware of this history and had no need to review it in the game.
But for others who were unaware, the game was undoubtedly serving an "educational" purpose.
And this was merely the tip of the iceberg of the game's total content.
She had a premonition that there was a vast amount of information that could be unearthed from it.
She glanced at the clock. Another hour had passed without her realizing it.
If this had been work, she would have been yawning from boredom after just half an hour, let alone two consecutive hours without a break.
But while playing this game, she hadn't felt the slightest bit of fatigue.
In fact, Lisa felt she could easily play for another two hours.
She put the phone down, stretching her slightly sore wrists and neck.
The power from the three temples had been cleared. In that case, the hurricane surrounding Mondstadt should have dissipated.
In reality, none of this had happened yet.
But if the game's plot was truly a reflection of reality, then at this very moment, the real Stormterror should be somewhere gathering the power of the three temples.
Once it had accumulated enough strength, it would launch its attack on Mondstadt.
Verifying the authenticity of this intelligence was simple.
She just needed to go to the nearest temple, the Temple of the Falcon, and check its deepest chamber for any traces left by Stormterror.
Lisa stood up, preparing to report this crucial information to Jean.
But before that, there was one more thing she had to do.
"Shopkeeper, I still don't know your name."
"Lin Yu."
"My name... I don't think I need to introduce myself. You've already recreated 'me' so perfectly in your game. It seems you know quite a lot about us Knights of Favonius."
"I know a thing or two."
Lin Yu smiled faintly.
Lisa, however, took another step forward, bringing herself almost right next to him.
Beneath the brim of her wide hat, her emerald eyes held a meaningful glint.
"Don't you know that doing this can be very dangerous..." Lisa whispered.
As she spoke, she subtly curled a finger behind her back.
A bolt of purple lightning materialized silently, appearing behind Lin Yu like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
With a flash of light, the bolt shot directly toward Lin Yu's back.
Lin Yu seemed completely unaware.
But in the next instant, the bolt of lightning didn't harm Lin Yu in the slightest. It passed right through him and shot back toward her.
Lisa froze for a fraction of a second.
This was the first time something like this had ever happened.
Even if Lin Yu had raised a hand to block the attack, it would have been within her expectations. But he hadn't made a single extra movement.
He had completely ignored her attack!
Because of that brief moment of shock, Lisa failed to dodge in time. The electric current struck her in the abdomen.
Lisa's expression changed instantly.
The tingling, numbing sensation was incredibly unpleasant, even for her.
"Don't worry, I know my limits."
Lin Yu just smiled casually and turned to start wiping a glass at the counter.
The truth was,
in that split second, he had no idea what had happened. He never imagined Lisa would launch a sneak attack on him.
This shop was under the system's novice protection. Here, Lin Yu was invincible to all enemies and had no need for any defenses.
Therefore, Lisa's attack had done no damage to him and was instead reflected back to its caster.
Seeing Lisa's face flush slightly, her eyes seemingly filled with a tender longing, Lin Yu sighed internally.
As expected, I'm just too handsome.
They had only just met, and already Lisa was this "lovestruck." If she came a few more times, wouldn't he win her over completely?
Still, Lin Yu deliberately maintained a cool and reserved demeanor, so Lisa wouldn't underestimate him.
Which high-ranking official could withstand such a trial?
He never expected that, in Lisa's eyes, his actions were being interpreted in a completely different way.
That casual, indifferent attitude was as if to say: Your attack is too weak, so weak it's not even enough to pique my interest.
Even the meaningful look in Lin Yu's eyes was interpreted by Lisa as a warning.
If you dare to make such a rash move against me again, I will use my true power.
Lisa felt a tightness in her chest.
Based solely on the way he had neutralized her attack, she could be certain.
This man named Lin Yu was definitely from an extraordinary background, and his power was unfathomably deep!
In all these years, this was the first time Lisa had ever felt such pressure.
Her eyelids drooped slightly. Forcing her numbed body to move, she slowly walked out of the shop.
Once on the street, Lisa took a deep breath.
This time, in addition to relaying the intelligence from the game to Jean, she also had to inform her about the shopkeeper's strength.
If even she found him to be unfathomable, then in all of Mondstadt, there were probably very few who could be Lin Yu's match.
They could absolutely not act rashly again.
Thinking back to her sneak attack, Lisa broke out in a cold sweat.
She was lucky Lin Yu was magnanimous. Otherwise, whether or not she could have walked out of that shop on her own two feet would have been a serious question.
[Author's Note]
The stats are a bit rough, I'm kind of thinking of giving up.