There was no doubt that Lumine asked Estelle to wait a few more days not only because she had taken the girl's unstable mental state into consideration, but also because it conveniently bought Keqing some extra time to raise her Genshin level.
After all, Estelle was a high-stat Lv.5. With Wind Spirit active, she could even fight an ordinary Lv.6 head-on.
Of course, anyone who had stepped into the so-called Domain was never truly "ordinary."
Every one of them had their own trump cards for fighting above their level.
Unfortunately, Estelle's specialty lay entirely in being monster-specialized.
Because the skill did not work on humans.
This meant that in PvP, Estelle's strength would be significantly reduced.
But once she was facing monsters—or rather, enemies she recognized as monsters—her combat power would skyrocket to an absurd degree.
Even so, just a few weeks ago, she had been utterly defeated when facing the Scorpion's clone.
She had nearly lost her life.
In contrast, Durandal had defeated the far stronger Scorpion's true body in a direct confrontation.
That was precisely why Lumine believed Estelle stood absolutely no chance against the Strongest Valkyrie.
The gap between them was simply too vast.
Faced with such a chasm-like difference in strength, any kind of "sparring" would naturally have little to no training value.
No matter how much Durandal held back, it would make no difference.
Because of this consideration, the opponent Lumine arranged for Estelle wasn't even Ei.
After all, even if Ei's Genshin level were raised to just Lv.40, she would still be far beyond anything Estelle could reach.
Now that Renjiro possessed the Ten Rings of the Human King, it wasn't so easy for him to be completely "drained" anymore.
But… what if the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma suddenly got inspired and drew a blade from her chest?
"Ahem~"
The image was far too beautiful—in every possible sense. Truly not something one dared to imagine.
In short, even having Keqing face Estelle was already considered a challenge-level feat by Lumine.
Because she—and even Renjiro—believed that Keqing at Genshin Lv.40 might very well effortlessly crush Estelle, whose Falna Level was Lv.5.
Especially considering that once this Yuheng left Teyvat, she might reveal her true strength just like little Fischl had not long ago…
"Just thinking about it is kind of exciting!"
"Ah?"
On the 16th Floor of the Dungeon, when Renjiro heard Keqing mutter that sentence while she was off to the side hunting monsters to warm up, he suddenly felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.
She wouldn't… seriously injure Estelle, would she?
"Um, Miss Keqing."
Renjiro felt it necessary to clarify things properly.
"Please remember, the sparring match in a few days is just a friendly exchange, okay? Don't take it too seriously…"
"Why?"
Keqing flicked her wrist, the four-star one-handed sword Lion's Roar flashing in her grip. With lightning-fast movements, she casually cut down several Hellhounds charging in a pack. As she spun the blade into a clean flourish, she looked at Renjiro with clear confusion.
"Even in sparring, if you don't take it seriously, how much training value can it possibly have?"
"Don't worry. I know my limits."
That's exactly why I'm worried!
"Looks like I should invite Rex Lapis to be present when the time comes."
Sure enough, the more situations like this arose, the more reliable Zhongli felt.
The moment this plan crossed his mind, Renjiro immediately felt reassured.
And right then—
"Yo, Renjiro."
A familiar voice came from not far away on the same floor.
It was Aether, appearing together with a thoroughly exhausted Welf.
The former looked relaxed and refreshed, while the latter was covered in dust and clearly worse for wear. No need to think too hard—there must have been a Spartan-style training session along the way.
Welf had suffered greatly.
And he was mentally exhausted.
That said, the positive gains from such high-intensity real combat were also extremely obvious.
The red-haired young man who aspired to forge weapons surpassing magic swords had seen his personal combat strength skyrocket compared to before he met Aether.
Although Renjiro hadn't yet drawn Diluc and thus didn't know the specifics of the Tempered Sword, Razor's Steel Fang greatsword style had still given Welf plenty of inspiration.
At the very least, he no longer swung his weapon in a straight, brainless manner.
Now then—
"Let me introduce you two."
As Aether and Welf approached—just as Keqing, Xiangling, and Diona finished off the surrounding monsters with ease—Aether gestured casually toward his companion.
"This is Welf—Welf Crozzo. A smith from the Hephaestus Familia."
"And this is—"
"Higashikata Renjiro. I've heard a lot about you."
"Hah, same here. Aether's mentioned you more than once."
Welf was naturally outgoing.
While he was quick to clash with people he disliked, once interests aligned, he could get along with someone almost instantly.
And…
It wasn't just his imagination. He subconsciously felt a sense of familiarity coming from Renjiro.
As if they weren't meeting for the first time.
Because of that, the two hit it off almost immediately.
Suddenly—
"Fwoom!"
A Hellhound leapt out from around a corner and spat a fireball straight at them.
Welf was just about to retreat when he saw Renjiro raise a hand and instantly absorb the magical attack.
At the same moment—
"Shhk!"
A streak of violet lightning flashed past.
The Hellhound was already headless.
In its place, Keqing appeared in the distance, calmly sheathing her sword.
"So strong!"
Such clean swordsmanship, coupled with Renjiro's strange ability, left Welf genuinely stunned.
Then—
"You've got quite a few girls around you, Renjiro."
Despite having known each other for less than ten minutes, Welf leaned close and teased him quietly, feeling an unusual sense of closeness.
Hearing this—
"They're all reliable companions. We adventure together."
Renjiro replied with a perfectly serious expression.
Of course, they're all beautiful. And adorable.
The latter half was silently added in his heart.
"Indeed!"
Aether chimed in through the mental link.
Then—
"Heh~"
"Hehehe~"
The three scoundrels exchanged knowing smiles.
No words were needed. Silence spoke volumes.
As expected… we've found common ground.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
140+ advance chapters available on P@treon(.)com/Veltoria