"????"
Kairo stared at the suddenly appearing panel and text, a full-on question mark on his face.
What the hell was this?
Belobog?
The blue virtual panel's text kept scrolling.
[Amber Era 2158 — 25 Years Before: The Silvermane Iron Guard originally sent you to an orphanage, but because you were precocious and displayed genius-level ideas, with solid knowledge and a knack for being endearing, you still managed to stay with the Silvermane Iron Guard. Even when supplies were scarce, most of the Silvermane shared a bite with you. You peacefully absorbed the nutrition you needed; your athletic ability far exceeded kids your age. Knowing fate gave you the confidence and courage to resist — you asked the Silvermane Iron Guard to help you build a foundation from an early age.]
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 20 Years Before: As the Silvermane Iron Guard's situation worsened, they could no longer keep idlers. Since you chose to remain with them, as a ten-year-old you had to choose patrol duty. Luckily, the patrol route was near Belobog's walls. There you met a Silvermane named Gepard and asked him about the power of Paths. Gepard told you that Paths were not to be walked casually: only those with a strong guardian conviction could enter them. Do you truly wish to protect the people of Belobog?]
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 17 Years Before: To better step into the Preservation Path, you chose to lead from the front. In every battle you charged the line, making protecting the Silvermane Iron Guard your goal. Even after years of effort, you returned battered and still hadn't accessed the Preservation Path. Confused, you sought out Gepard. He only told you to persist; you didn't yet understand the meaning of preservation. Gepard brought you to his sister. You met Silva — she had just recently finished her doctorate and needed an assistant. She bluntly said you weren't suited for the Preservation Path, nor for being a Silvermane, but she could teach you repair skills so you'd never starve. There would be even greater chances to touch the Path than being a Silvermane. You chose to stay in order to try to touch the Path.]
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 14 Years Before: After three years in the workshop under Silva's tutelage, your work hours were almost entirely spent repairing and modifying all kinds of instruments. You became extremely proficient with many instruments; your talent made even Silva praise you endlessly, yet you still hadn't stepped into any Path. You asked Silva, and she asked you back: have you thought about what you truly want? You didn't want to know — without understanding this, you'd never step into a Path in your lifetime. You sank into confusion.]
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 12 Years Before: The High Guardian Kokoria planned to pull all troops from the lower district up for a major offensive. Kokoria and Silva were at total odds. Silva told you the lower district would be locked down and the upper district would not be peaceful. Retired Silvermane would be recalled, and conscription might happen. The lower district would be safer but hard; you might be stuck there your whole life. If you stayed in the upper district you'd likely be enlisted; if you went to the lower district she would introduce you to a Pathwalker Natasha who graduated from medical school and could teach you there. If you could, you might step into the Abundance Path — a Path far more meaningful than hers. You didn't hesitate and chose the lower district. Before you left, Silva asked the same question again: have you thought about what you truly want?]
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 10 Years Before: After meeting Natasha, she used Abundance Path power to heal you. Unfortunately, your body had suffered too much from earlier accumulation; many potentials were depleted. Natasha could only heal what was healable and diligently taught you how to be a doctor, occasionally showing you Abundance Path power. You studied hard, but after four years still hadn't entered the Path.]
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 6 Years Before: Rivet Town fell and a flood of refugees appeared; the Earthfire Organization emerged. As Natasha's assistant, to better try entering either Preservation or Abundance Path, you went to treat more refugees and helped Earthfire. Years later you still hadn't touched any Path, and you'd left yourself a wreck — your health worsened. Even when Natasha used Abundance Path power occasionally to clear your body, your energy was nowhere near what it used to be.]
[Amber Calendar 2158 — 1 Year Before: After nine years without touching any Path, you asked Natasha if there was still hope for you to enter a Path in this life. She said yes, but as a short-lived person half your life was already gone; your body had collapsed considerably. Even if you entered a Path you'd only be an ordinary Pathwalker, stuck in the lower district and unable to return to the upper district. Natasha asked you the same question Silva had: have you thought about what you truly want?]
Hearing Natasha's words, thirty-year-old you staggered out of the clinic, your mind filled with everything that had happened since you transmigrated: from Belobog's upper district to the lower, from struggling to survive to trying to step into a Path but failing despite a tenfold effort, your body exhausted. You wondered: if you hadn't chosen the lower district and had stayed in the upper district, would things have been better?
[Host, Kairo, Bengtie Comeback System loaded.]
[Do you… have the courage… to begin a comeback in this unconfirmed age of life?]
Kairo: "????"
Staring at those lines, Kairo's eyes went wide.
What the hell.
Thirty-year-old him?
A Comeback System?
"I'm in Teyvat, not on the Stellar Rail!!"
What the heck, a system can be on the wrong setting?
Staring at the panel line: Do you… have the courage… to begin a comeback in this unconfirmed age of life?
In an instant, Kairo's mind flickered between yes and no.
"Is it sentient?"
After a pause, Kairo said slowly, "I'm in Teyvat, not in Bengtie."
[Bengtie World]
The moment those words dropped, four characters appeared on the panel.
Kairo: "..."
"How old do you think I am?"
Kairo sighed, asked again.
[Thirty]
Kairo: "...."
For goodness' sake.
He glanced around; he felt a toothache.
This idiotic system was unbelievable.
"Whatever — I've come this far, I want to see how you help me make a comeback in Teyvat."
Kairo chose "Yes" with a face of exasperation.
In an instant the panel vanished.
In its place, a rush of memories flooded Kairo's mind.
Immediately he felt knowledge of medicine, combat techniques of the Silvermane Iron Guard, and past training experiences fuse into his brain.
"Not without benefits, after all."
Feeling the change and the power growing, Kairo narrowed his eyes and looked at his palm.
There were no calluses, but he could sense that his body had absorbed a lot of practiced skill — including grappling and killing maneuvers.
Choosing "Yes" had given him the physical experience of thirty years from the Bengtie world.
"This change makes these wolves nothing."
The next second, Kairo looked toward the pack of wolves and the Hilichurls that hadn't left yet and instantly felt they weren't a threat.
Compared to the powerful creatures outside Belobog, these wolves and Hilichurls were child's play.
Without hesitation, Kairo walked forward.
"Roar."
When Kairo approached, the Hilichurls and wolf pack immediately noticed him and hungrily surrounded him with feral eyes.
Kairo put his hand on the sword at his waist.
"Clack, clack, clack."
At that moment, a small red figure ran out of the forest.
The crisp footsteps were accompanied by a slightly childish voice: "Eh?"
A cute little girl appeared, carrying a somewhat bulky backpack; strange bells dangled from it and tinkled as she ran.
She stopped, panting, her small face flushed from the sprint.
Kairo's eyelids twitched.
That was Klee.
The wolf pack and Hilichurls, as if suddenly smelling a new prey, turned their attention to her.
They let out low snarls and abandoned the surrounding of Kairo, instead homing in on the red-clothed Klee.
Some wolves bared their white fangs and hunched low, creeping closer.
The Hilichurls made strange guttural noises and raised their crude weapons.
But Klee's bright eyes showed no fear — only annoyance.
"Not enough bombs."
She glanced at the surrounding wolves and Hilichurls, then looked into her backpack with a troubled expression.
"Eh? Big brother, you should leave quickly."
Suddenly Klee noticed Kairo and hurriedly said, "Don't worry about Klee."
Kairo, of course, believed her.
She had a Pyro Vision and carried bombs, but he'd heard her muttering.
Just then, the blue screen popped up again.
Accompanying it were lines of text.
[Having left Rivet Town, you suddenly spot in the snowy field ahead a barefoot white-haired girl in a red dress. You recognize her as Clara, the wandering girl who lives with machines in the mechanical settlement. She's been surrounded by Earthfire Organizations while collecting mechanical parts. You choose...]
[Option 1: Turn a blind eye. Clara, being from the mechanical enclave, is likely to have self-destruct automata that will automatically come to her aid at any time; she doesn't need your help. Anything you do is pointless and will only put you in danger. (Reward: Clara's red coat — a coat tainted with Path aura. Wearing it might give you a chance to step onto a Path.)]
[Option 2: Draw your sword to help. Vagabonds dare to bully a barefoot little girl? You, who helped found the Earthfire Organization and hate bullies, will hit hard. Scum don't deserve to live. (Reward: Automaton Warhound 1.0 — an automaton unit pieced together from relics of the Old World, resembling some kind of vehicle whose original use people have long forgotten. It obeys its master's commands and is ready to self-destruct at any time.)]
[Option 3: Clean them up on the way. You've been under a lot of stress lately and have been itching to stretch your limbs. These Earthfire Organizations have walked right into a trap, and with a grateful little Clara, you'd gain the mechanical settlement's friendship — what a bargain! You calmly draw your weapon: "Two birds with one stone? No — one sword, two wins!" (Reward: Clara's Path Resonance Branch Skill — "I Want to Help Too!". Upon use you can temporarily imbue any item with a destructive Path power, enhancing the item's original potency.)]