At the Far East Commercial Street, Koji and the others were browsing through clothing stores.
"This outfit really suits you. But Lumine, haven't you basically been wearing the same clothes this whole time?"
Lumine had changed into a women's casual outfit. It looked fresh and natural, enough to make one's eyes light up. Her usual outfit was not ugly, but seeing it every single day would naturally make people a little visually tired of it.
Koji used his magenta camera to take a photo of Lumine and record the moment.
"That outfit is special. It doesn't get dirty easily, so it's very suitable for traveling," Lumine said casually.
In a normal modern city, changing clothes often would not be a problem. But when traveling, clothes that resisted dirt were obviously better.
Besides, these clothes looked pretty good, but they were not as comfortable as the outfit she always wore.
"You're one to talk. Don't you also wear the same outfit all the time?"
A white short-sleeved shirt, an orange jacket with a white hood, light blue casual pants, and a magenta camera hanging around his neck.
"That just proves we're of one heart and mind. This is the outfit I was wearing when I arrived in Teyvat, so naturally, it carries special feelings for me," Koji said with a faint smile.
He had added a few Blessings to his clothes. If they got dirty, they cleaned themselves automatically. If they were damaged, they repaired themselves automatically.
"Eula, that outfit looks really good on you."
"It's just a little tight. Do they have a size bigger?"
Eula touched her chest and said with a flushed face. The feeling of being overly restricted made it hard for her to breathe.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I really envy your figure, Eula."
Lumine poked Eula's chest. That soft feeling made her want to have a figure like Eula's too.
"Don't touch me randomly!"
Eula blushed and slapped away Lumine's grabby hand. She had no sense of boundaries at all.
The clothes in this world were a little uncomfortable. The material did not feel very good.
One could not blame her for thinking that way. The clothes she wore in Teyvat were high-end goods. Although the Lawrence Clan was treated like rats crossing the street, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse.
In a city like this, good-quality clothes were not easy to find. Even in high-end clothing stores, the clothes being sold might still turn out to be subpar goods passed off as quality products.
Going shopping with someone he liked was still fine for a man at first, but very quickly, the boredom began to show.
"What else do we need to buy?"
Koji said weakly. He clearly had the power of Blessings, so logically speaking, he should feel full of energy at every moment. And yet now, an inexplicable sense of exhaustion was rising in him.
Especially because he was carrying the bags. That made the exhaustion even worse.
"It's time to eat. Dear, what do you want to eat?" Lumine looked at the time. They had bought everything they needed, and there was nothing else she particularly wanted to buy.
"Let's find a proper hole-in-the-wall place. Big portions, filling, and delicious," Koji said without even thinking.
As for big hotels, the food was all the same, and the taste was usually average. A hole-in-the-wall restaurant might not have an environment comparable to a big hotel, but when it came to flavor, there was nothing to criticize.
Lumine and the others nodded. They had no objections. As for the environment, who among them had never eaten outdoors before? As long as it was not truly filthy and chaotic, a little old and run-down did not matter.
...
"Huh? Natasha, why are you here?" Koji said in surprise.
"I'm human, so of course I need to eat. This place tastes pretty good. You can give it a try. The location is quite suitable."
At this hour, it had not yet reached the time when office workers got off work, so there were not many people in the restaurant.
"Natasha, does World Serpent work nine to five?" Koji asked curiously.
"It depends. Cadres like us only need to show up when there's a mission. Normal personnel have regular working hours," Raven said casually.
Here, she was neither a World Serpent cadre nor a mercenary. She was just a customer eating a meal.
Although her island had disappeared because of Schicksal, she had looked into Schicksal's employee benefits before. There was nothing to say about them. In the end, it was a massive organization with deep pockets.
"As long as Otto doesn't fall, a colossal organization like Schicksal won't have any problems," Raven evaluated.
Schicksal was maintained by Otto. If it were anyone else, it would be very easy to run that organization straight into the ground.
"What do you think of Theresa as his successor?" Koji asked with a smile.
"I think Theresa is fine as an academy principal. But as Overseer, she isn't very suited for that position," Lumine said.
The position of Overseer required more than just ability. Political acumen and methods were the important part.
Theresa was not as ruthless as Otto, nor did she act without regard for the means she used. Because of that, she would not be able to suppress those monsters hiding in the dark.
It would be fine at first, but once those people became familiar with Theresa's way of thinking, they would definitely strike back. If things went badly, it might even cause Schicksal to split.
"Indeed. If Theresa inherited the position of Schicksal Overseer, Schicksal would undergo a major period of turbulence," Raven nodded.
"The one who can keep those people under control is Otto Apocalis. If Otto stopped managing things completely, Theresa's situation would become very difficult. But nothing unexpected would happen either. Otto's name still carries weight."
"A split is unlikely. Monsters like S-rank Valkyries are held in the Overseer's hands. No country would dare make too large a move."
It was not an exaggeration to say that even if various countries wanted to divide Schicksal among themselves, they would not be able to do it. Ordinary Valkyrie troops already surpassed many armies, let alone S-rank Valkyries, who were qualified to fight Herrschers.
"A fair assessment."
In the game's story, although Theresa had always been acting as the Schicksal Overseer, Schicksal was no longer the same Schicksal it had once been. It was no longer a one-man organization ruled entirely by the Overseer's word. Especially after humanity overcame the Honkai, no one wanted to see Schicksal continue being the sole dominant power. Every country wanted a share of the pie.
It was only because there were Valkyries holding the line, as well as Kiana, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, up on the moon.
If anyone truly intended to split Schicksal apart and harm Theresa and the others, then Kiana would not be that merciful. No one could shake the Authority of Finality.
"This is so complicated." Paimon felt her head ache. This was one of the kinds of plot she was least good at.
"It's not that complicated. Whoever has the bigger fist is the one whose words become reason," Koji said with a smile.
"Just look at Teyvat. The Knights of Favonius, the Liyue Qixing, and Inazuma's Tri-Commission may have very high authority, but once a god personally steps onto the stage, there basically won't be any other voices left."
"St. Freya Academy has so many Herrschers. If Theresa takes the position, there won't be too much of a problem either." Raven almost wanted to laugh.
Quite a few World Serpent members had been questioning what exactly St. Freya Academy was made of. A Valkyrie academy having that many Herrschers—no matter how one looked at it, it felt strange.
"That's true. But Theresa still doesn't have that kind of desire for power."
Koji found it funny. After all, Theresa had no succession struggle at all. As long as Otto had the thought of stepping down, she could very easily become the Schicksal Overseer.
To be honest, if it were him, he would not have that kind of ambition either. With an elder who was a major figure like the Schicksal Overseer, he could completely lie flat without any problems. Why would he go looking for work?
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]