True to Chubby's word, fishing was actually possible in my Personal World. I don't quite know how—it wasn't as if there were any fishes swimming in the lake I was at—but it seemed my Genshin System didn't really care about feasibility. And as they said, the quality of the fish I would find were much higher than those I'd find in Teyvat.
Which also meant that they were harder to catch.
"Hup–!" I grit my teeth as I pulled as hard as I could. My halo shined brightly above my head, and yet my doubled Body wasn't enough to overpower whatever had latched onto the other end of my fishing line. But my efforts weren't enough, and I could feel my catch pulling away again. I doubted it'd be long before my line snapped.
"Perhaps it is time to use your other Talents, Fate Defiant." Chubby called out from behind me, looking entirely too smug in their floating teapot.
"How do you even-?" I shook my head as I continued to struggle. "And isn't that a bit too much? I'm just trying to fish!"
"We stand at the apex of this world's birth. Its vitality is incomparable." Chubby chuckled. "As of now, you can imagine yourself in a contest against a young adepti. It is only because they are humoring you that your fishing line remains unbroken."
I gaped at their words, before I quickly snapped to attention as my catch pulled away a little more. My [Hawk Eyes] could see how my fishing line was visibly straining now, and I couldn't let that happen. Like hell I'd let my [Imitation Fly] get lost to the waters!
Sharp winds bellowed around me, and a great strength filled me as all my Attributes were pushed to their current maximum. My breath came out as a pitched hiss as I dug my foot into the dirt, and gritting my teeth, I pulled my fishing pole back with all my might. And perhaps surprised by the sudden increase in force, my opponent only managed to struggle for a few more seconds before they broke past the water's surface.
And what flopped onto the dirt was a fish unlike any other. It was a long, oblong-shaped fish. Its scales were blood red, and there was a splash of yellow color around its eye that looked almost like a scar. The fish continued to glare at me as I let my wind dissipate, and I placed my [Wilderness Pole] down as I tapped it with my finger.
[Red Demon King 5★
A young adepti, born from the powerful energies of a world at its creation. Fierce and powerful, yet just as arrogant. Adeptal energies burns through their bodies, allowing them to turn so hot that even the waters they swim through scorch into steam.
When consumed, increases Energy and Elemental by 1 up to a maximum of 20
Continuous consumption slowly grants the consumer control over Pyro]
My eyes went wide as I read its description. Eating it will eventually give me control over Pyro!? That was incredible!
"Or you could sell it instead." Chubby chimed from behind me. I blinked as I turned to him, letting the Red Demon King fade into my Inventory. "Your [Shop] will easily provide 10 Million Mora for such a catch."
Hiss! 10,000,000 Mora!? That was five times more expensive than even the Ancient Golden Koi! If I converted that into Primogems, I'd have 1000 Primogems! Then again, considering it could grant anyone abilities similar to adepti if they ate enough of it, I suppose the price wasn't so outrageous.
…I wonder what people would be willing to spend if I sold this outside instead.
I shook the idea away. There was no way in hell I was selling this to other people—at least not openly. If people knew that something like this existed, the world would go insane, and I'd become a public target. People already assumed I was an adepti, there was no need to make that worse.
I considered what to do with my new catch, and I decided to just let it sit in my Inventory for the time being. As of now, my Energy and Elemental were two Attributes I could easily raise. I'd wait until I hit a bottleneck before I finally consumed the Red Demon King.
"Good choice." Chubby commented, and I sent them a tired glare. I still didn't know how they were reading my mind. "I am a being of many secrets." They added, and I rolled my eyes. "That aside, will you attempt another catch, perhaps?"
I shook my head. "I think I'll head back now." I said, pushing my fishing pole back into my Inventory.
In truth, I did want to continue fishing, but I was forced to stop. My [Hawk Eyes] allowed me to see that my fishing line was frayed in all sorts of places, and it'd snap if I tried to fish another adepti from the lake. But not only that, I could even see that my [Wilderness Pole] was beginning to struggle, and a few minute cracks had formed along the pole.
I smiled wryly. These 5★ catches were truly beasts from a different world. My fishing pole had held up quite well against the fledgling dragons I caught near Guili Assembly, but just one encounter against the Red Demon King and its durability was damaged to this extent.
Chubby nodded slowly. "Then I shall wait for your return, Fate Defiant." They smiled. "Farewell now!"
I smiled back as my [Serenitea Pot] appeared in my hands, and a bright shot out of it as I opened the lid. A sense of weightlessness took me, and just a second later I reappeared in my room.
I glanced out the window. It was now the late afternoons, which meant time did indeed pass. That…was good, actually. If I ever brought people into my Personal World, it'd be awkward if time in Teyvat froze.
I sighed as I dropped onto my bed. I've gotten a little more used to using both 5★ Talents at the same time, but it still drained my energy like crazy. Hurt like hell too, though thankfully I didn't use it so much that my lungs imploded this time. Would've been pretty hard to explain that to Chubby if I suddenly began coughing my lungs out-
Wait, no. They could read my mind. They probably knew about that.
I frowned slightly. It still felt weird to know my head was completely open to someone else. But, more than that, I had a feeling Chubby knew about my Genshin System as well. They seemed to know a little too much about everything.
Was it because they were created inside the [Serenitea Pot]? I mean, I did buy it from the [Shop], so that was a possibility.
Or did they arrive into my Personal World because it was created through my Genshin System?
I pondered over it for a few minutes, before I discarded the thought and laid my head onto my pillow. They weren't questions I could find answers to at the moment, and that was fine. For now though, I was quite tired from using two 5★ Talents at the same time, and some sleep sounded wonderful.
I closed my eyes, and it didn't take long before I drifted to a dreamless sleep.
…
I awoke early the next day. So early that the sun hadn't even peaked from beyond the horizons. The air was chilly when I stepped out of my room, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Dressed in my gender-neutral robes and with little else to do in my dojo, I eventually decided to venture down to the streets of Liyue Harbor.
The streets were lit by gentle lantern lights, and I could see all sorts of people walking the streets just like I was. Some recognized me despite my attire, but I quickly placed a finger on my lips to quiet them. Thankfully, most quickly nodded before they resumed whatever they were doing, though I could still feel their gazes eventually returning to me.
I didn't have a set destination I was heading to. I just followed the roads, letting the winds take me to wherever it was heading.
And eventually, I walked down to the harbor. There were fewer people here; the usual fisherman and merchants were all asleep after a hard day at work. I gazed out at the moonlight ocean's surface, at the way it gently weaved and bobbed, glimmering like diamonds beneath the moon.
I remained there for quite some time, just watching the ocean and the starry skies above. It was still incredible to think that all it took was weeks before thousands of people were moved from one stronghold to another, that hardly anyone even suffered during that move. Such was the power of the gods, I suppose.
…Yeah. Such was the power of gods.
I took a tired breath. In a way, I felt both more relieved and stressed after everyone successfully migrated here to Liyue Harbor. It was less open here; defense would be much easier to handle now that there were mostly two areas where sieges could occur. And I should feel calmer about that, shouldn't I?
But I'm not. Because nothing was over yet. Many gods were still fighting one another, and I could feel something coming. Something big. Something perhaps related with that island floating ominously in the sky, considering the untold dread that filled me whenever I caught a glimpse of it.
I closed my eyes with a sigh. They were just conjectures, in the end. I was sure everyone understood that things were far from peaceful, even after all the celebrations. They'd lived on these lands for far longer than I have—they had a far better understanding of the chaos that had and would come.
"Venti?"
I blinked as I turned, and there I saw Morax. He carried his Vortex Vanquisher in his hands, and I could see the faint traces of blood on the edges of his robes. "Morax?" I whispered. He looked unharmed, so that blood was likely from some monster or god he just defeated before returning here. "You're back?"
He nodded. "The threat has been eliminated."
He said nothing else after that, and for a moment I found myself on the backfoot. Normally Guizhong would be here to help mediate our conversation, but she was likely still asleep at this point. We've never really talked with just the two of us. What should I even talk to him about?
I still couldn't find my words when he stopped next to me, gazing into the distance as if to watch for any potential enemies. But I wouldn't call it unpleasant. I understood that the blockhead was just unused to communicating, which was why he often let Guizhong handle Liyue Harbor while he was out fighting off any gods that wished to claim Liyue as their own.
So I don't attempt to. I just stood there with him, enjoying the silence as night gently drifted to day.
It would soon become a tradition between the two of us.