"…"
Elric's mouth twitched. He looked down at the plain, unadorned Dull Blade in his hand, then looked at the Skyward Blade in Lumine's.
Its appearance was like a flawless sapphire—crystal-clear, shimmering with flowing light. Both the blade and hilt carried that pure, immaculate sky-blue, and it even gave off a faint glow, as if a gentle breeze were swirling across its surface.
In Lumine's grip, it radiated an unmistakable wuxia flair—like a wandering swordswoman roving the martial world.
No comparison, no damage.
Lumine, why are you holding the class monitor's Skyward Blade?!
Elric felt like a complete clown.
No. Where's my Mistsplitter? The Mistsplitter I pulled with a single ten-pull back then?!
Huh? How do you know I got only one gold in that ten-pull and it was Mistsplitter?
Lumine put on a sulky little "kitten face," flicking Elric a glance.
It practically said, Look at you, so uncultured.
And the thing was… he really hadn't seen a "divine weapon" in this world.
Skyward Blade absolutely counted as one. Insane.
Elric was green with envy. If she'd give him that sword, he'd be willing to marry Lumine on the spot—
"Alright. Now you've got a weapon that suits you. Anything else you want? Say it boldly."
Lumine didn't show off any more. She put the Skyward Blade away into her elemental space.
Then she planted her hands on her hips and looked at Elric with that smug, mischievous air.
She was very satisfied with his current expression. The earlier one had been… what even was that?
"…You call this suitable?"
Elric casually swung the Dull Blade a few times, raising an eyebrow.
Actually… it really wasn't bad, huh.
Could it be that Dull Blades in this world were just built different? The feel was surprisingly good.
A few doubts surfaced in Elric's mind.
"Hmph. Don't underestimate this Dull Blade. It accompanied me through half my journey. I've fought with it up to this point, and I've used who knows how many precious materials to strengthen it."
A trace of fondness showed in Lumine's eyes. She'd always thought this sword would be ruined in battle and become unusable… yet somehow it ended up being given to someone else.
Maybe it really was fate.
And for some reason, she always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity toward Elric.
Had they met before?
Lumine's brows knit slightly. She thought about it, then dismissed it.
Maybe she'd simply seen him somewhere once.
"Oh? Really?" Elric's interest flared instantly, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the Dull Blade in his hand.
Could this be the legendary beginner village, ultimate invincible treasure?
The kind blessed by the Anemo Archon, Geo Archon, Electro Archon, and Dendro Archon?
No wonder the Traveler could go from Mondstadt all the way to Fontaine with just a Dull Blade in the story.
So there was a reason!
"Mm… two-star perfected… half-step to three-star?" Lumine hesitated, answering uncertainly.
"?"
Elric looked utterly lost. Half-step to three-star? Was it the same "half-step" he was thinking of?
If he remembered correctly, Lion's Roar was a four-star weapon.
So what was this half-step three-star nonsense?
"Is it stronger than Lion's Roar?" Elric stared straight into Lumine's eyes as he asked.
"N-No…" Lumine answered guiltily.
Lion's Roar was currently in Keqing's hands. The last time Lumine borrowed it and swung it a few times, she'd been completely reluctant to give it back.
The Dull Blade couldn't even begin to compare.
"Then what about Amenoma Kageuchi?"
Elric pressed relentlessly.
"Uh… also n-no. Honestly, weapons mostly depend on the user's own ability. Relying too much on a weapon isn't good."
Lumine's gaze flickered away as she forced her voice to sound firm.
"Alright, then what exactly is special about this Dull Blade?"
Elric gave up. It seemed weapons in this world were genuinely hard to come by. Even someone who'd been traveling as long as Lumine only had one Skyward Blade.
"It is special! Its advantage is huge— it's hard enough."
Lumine lifted her chin proudly.
"Yeah, yeah! Back then, Lumine used this sword to block the Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi in Inazuma!"
Paimon hurriedly chimed in, sensing her moment.
"…Alright. Let's put the weapon aside." Elric sighed, accepting the explanation, then spoke with a serious expression.
"There is something I want to ask of you."
"What is it?"
As if affected by Elric's tone, Lumine and Paimon both turned serious too.
They stopped joking and listened carefully.
"I want you to protect me on my way back to Fontaine."
Elric looked at them steadily. He already half-knew they would agree, but he still couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
"Senior Brother…"
Hearing that, Layla instinctively looked at Elric.
She knew he would leave one day, but she hadn't expected that day to come so soon.
"Oh, that's easy."
Paimon let out a relieved breath and smiled.
"Lumine and I were planning to go to Fontaine anyway. Don't worry! We even seriously learned how to be excellent bodyguards from Dehya~"
Once they realized that was all he wanted, both Lumine and Paimon relaxed.
Compared to the earlier request, this was simple to the point of being laughable.
"But Lumine and I want to enter the competition here first. Can it be a bit later?"
Paimon scratched her head, embarrassed.
Once they finished this job, she and Lumine would have enough Mora.
Not doing it just didn't feel secure.
"It's fine. My junior, Layla, is also participating."
Elric patted Layla lightly on the shoulder and said gently, "I'm just going back to my hometown for a look. It's not like I'm never coming back."
"Okay…"
Layla answered softly, a little shy.
On the way back, a scholar suddenly appeared in front of them. He tightly grabbed Elric's sleeve, staring at him with fervent eyes.
"Teacher, there's something I want to consult you about. Are you free right now?"
"Ah!" Paimon jumped from the sudden appearance and complained, "Don't scare people like that! People can die of fright!"
At the same time, she and Lumine watched the two with curious eyes. They both wanted to know why so many people kept seeking Elric out for "consultations."
"Ask away, ask away." Elric shrugged casually. He was idle anyway.
"Teacher, what's your opinion of Kshahrewar?"
The scholar asked urgently.
"Kshahrewar…" Elric took a deep breath, his expression gradually turning solemn.
"In my hometown, Kshahrewar has a more common, everyday name."
"I-Is that… what?" Seeing Elric so serious, the scholar involuntarily tensed up too.
"It's called… civil engineering."
Elric looked toward a construction site in the distance and spoke slowly.
"Pouring concrete. Do you understand what pouring concrete means?"
He stepped closer, patted the scholar's shoulder, and asked in a grave tone.
Before the man could answer, Elric continued.
"If you choose Kshahrewar, you're destined to spend your whole life pouring concrete, kid."
"When I was young and reckless, I chose Rtawahist. After graduating, I could only stay with my junior sister—boring as hell. I really envy the big brothers in Kshahrewar. They're the real men. They give you that… thoroughly satisfying feeling."
Elric seemed to sigh with emotion as he glanced at the group beside him, giving the kind of look that all men understood.
The man noticed Layla and Lumine nearby, and a hint of envy surfaced in his eyes.
"But the Kshahrewar seniors are all amazing—especially Senior Kaveh."
The moment Kaveh was mentioned, admiration lit up in the man's gaze.
As Kshahrewar's representative, Kaveh had even created the breathtaking Palace of Alcazarzaray.
In recent years, Kaveh's popularity in Sumeru had been rising steadily.
Many people who admired Kaveh had joined Kshahrewar.
"You're only seeing the very top of this major." Elric spoke earnestly. "There's an old saying: one general's success is built on ten thousand bones. Beneath Kaveh, who knows how many ordinary Kshahrewar scholars live in hardship, struggling even to feed themselves."
"Can you pour concrete while doing academic research at the same time? While also studying for certifications?"
Elric spoke with weight. He was telling the truth.
Of course, Teyvat wasn't as brutal as his previous life—here, you could operate machines instead.
But he wasn't fearmongering either. Competition in every Darshan was ruthless, and Elric wanted them to understand that first.
"So let me ask you—have you considered the possibility that your Senior Kaveh… might also be on the verge of not having food to eat?"
A faint smile appeared on Elric's face, his tone carrying a hint of mystery.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
The man answered firmly. As a representative figure of Kshahrewar, Senior Kaveh could never be that down and out!
"But if you're looking for stable work, studying Kshahrewar isn't a bad choice. Desert development needs talent like you."
Elric didn't argue. Instead, he smoothly changed tack, spreading his hands in helplessness.
"All of this is just reference. The choice is yours."
He didn't want to become a sinner. In the end, everyone's path was their own decision.
Finally, he said something profound and unfathomable:
"As long as you can keep up with Senior Elric's pace… you're set. Everything's set."
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