"Ah-choo~"
At the Central Plaza, Renjiro, Aether, and Lumine all sneezed at the same time.
"So weird… someone's definitely thinking about us, right?"
Renjiro rubbed his nose and couldn't help but complain through the mental link.
To which…
"It's perfectly normal for 'someone' to keep an eye on us lately!"
"Yeah, nothing to freak out over."
Aether shrugged helplessly, and Lumine voiced her own agreement.
By now, all three members of the Trinity—including Renjiro's main body—along with Paimon and several Genshin clones, had gradually grown used to switching between mental links and spoken conversation.
The general guideline: keep unimportant matters in verbal conversation in the real world.
After all, in this fantasy world currently in its god-touched era, there were no blue-haired, blue-eyed Migludia demons capable of telepathic communication.
Imagine a group standing together: everyone silent, glancing at each other, yet constantly conveying expressions… Even if the familias knew that Aether and Lumine had this ability, and that Renjiro could learn magic, the scene would still be incredibly bizarre.
As someonce once said—he who bites his tongue when casting spells, breathes underwater with gills, and occasionally scams people online—"The stranger you are, the more you must hide your differences to blend in."
It was with such considerations in mind that Renjiro asked:
"Lumine, you just returned from an expedition today. Are you still going to the First Graveyard?"
"Yes."
The slightly goofy little sister nodded. "I want to deliver flowers to Anju and the others."
Renjiro knew that Lumine, the Traveler, was his consciousness—the perfect feminine ideal in his mind. Yet, she was also a relatively independent individual.
"I know what you're thinking, so I won't say anything unnecessary."
He said directly: "In the next few days, let's find time to visit the Twilight Manor together."
"Also…"
He continued through the mental link: "You promised the Dea Saint of the Dian Cecht familia to discuss Genshin cuisine. Don't forget."
"Yes, I remember."
Lumine nodded, replying mentally: "Do you want to come along then?"
"You mean… I might use the chance to 'learn' Airmid-sama's magic, right?"
Seeing that Renjiro had guessed her intention, Lumine didn't deny it.
Then…
"Regarding me, it's the same as always: people I'm close to, those not hostile, or those worthy of respect, I let them know the general situation first."
"Next time you meet Airmid-sama, you can mention that I can learn all magic, see how she reacts."
That was Renjiro's little principle.
In short…
"Aside from certain disgusting scum… Airmid-sama… hmm."
"She's someone worth respecting, and I want to maintain a good relationship in the future. I won't let issues regarding the 'Crown of Insight' create unnecessary tension."
Lumine's topic was sealed with Renjiro's remark.
As for Aether…
"I need to team up with Welf these days."
The blonde-haired, golden-eyed boy spoke directly: "I promised to help him reach Level 2, but because of the Antares Incident, it was delayed… time to fulfill that promise."
"If you want to go to Twilight Manor, Lumine alone is enough."
"Fine." Renjiro nodded slightly, approving Aether's arrangement.
At this point…
"No need to wait."
Renjiro stood up from a small flowerbed, stretching his slightly stiff limbs, and said through the mental link: "I've been here for hours. Since the Rabbit Boy hasn't appeared, let's just go with the flow."
He had never intended to force things. Waiting here this long was already rare.
Though he had considered "intercepting" the boy's path, his true desire was to avoid interfering with someone else's life.
Even if the Rabbit Boy's trajectory had been altered by the butterfly effect, he wouldn't force him back onto the original path.
After all, the boy named Bell Cranel was a living, breathing person—not Renjiro's puppet.
Thus…
"Since Lumine is going to the First Graveyard, I'll go along too."
"Today's also a day off anyway."
Renjiro said, "After offering flowers and cleaning the graves, how about we grab a meal at the 'Hostess of Fertility'?"
Aether, who was technically Lumine's Animus consciousness, gave a slightly weird expression. "You just want to 'mooch a meal,' don't you?"
He hadn't forgotten that Frigg, to protect Renjiro (the main body), had set up all sorts of arrangements, while also creating the Frigg familia for fun, complete with a quirky "calculate with your real brother" rule.
This was why Renjiro had to "borrow" money from Aether and Lumine when preparing the highest-grade mithril 'Ten Rings of the Human King' skill medium.
Now…
"Hehe, what a candid truth~"
Renjiro linked arms with Aether: "This is called taking advantage of the rich, understand?"
"Can adventurer matters really count as 'mooching'?"
======
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
"The lodging fee is 800 Valis per night, meals extra."
"So expensive?"
The naive Rabbit Boy from the remote village, though dazzled by Orario's luxurious sights on his first day, hadn't completely lost himself in excitement.
First, he needed a hotel to stay at temporarily, then find a familia to join. That was his top priority.
He hadn't expected…
"Villagers said lodging in Orario is only 200–300 Valis per night… is this what a 'big city' is like?"
The boy frowned inwardly.
Seeing his troubled expression, the innkeeper said…
"If it's too expensive, you can go somewhere else."
The crafty merchant saw a country boy who couldn't even haggle—perfect prey.
A little negotiation was all it took:
"If you stay three consecutive nights, I'll charge you just 2,000 Valis."
"Ah, thank you so much!"
The Rabbit Boy quickly paid, smiling happily.
"I'll put my luggage down and head out now~"
Still full of excitement, he stepped forward with bright expectations for the future.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
140+ advance chapters available on P@treon(.)com/Veltoria