The labyrinth city of Orario had everything!
Wealth, power, fame, strength… Not to mention, whether it was beautiful elves, cute beastgirls, or goddesses with stunning figures… once you went there, you had a chance to encounter them in fateful, life-changing ways.
"That's why I always say—everything has two sides. You can't just listen to others praising the good."
"If you get tricked by those deliberately created illusions, one day some scheming, malicious person might sell you off as 'merchandise'."
"Or worse… stab you in the back."
"I'm right, aren't I… Miss Liliruca Arde?"
…
The scene was a dim alley in the Sixth District of the city.
It was now the seventh day after the Lantern Rite Festival.
At this moment, a very petite girl—barely 1.1 meters tall, with curly brown hair—was being blocked by a black-haired youth.
The latter, of course, was Renjiro.
The situation was obvious…
"P-please don't misunderstand, Renjiro-sama."
The tiny girl instinctively stepped back, her tone tense. "Lili just… couldn't find you earlier, so… so…"
"So you ran straight to the trading zone?"
Renjiro scratched his head with his right hand and sighed helplessly. "From the day after the Lantern Rite Festival, when we first met, until I officially hired you… a whole week has passed."
"In these seven days, I won't even mention the times you pocketed money on your own or repeatedly broke the contract."
He pointed at the box the girl was clutching. "The value of that alone amounts to thirty million Valis—a magical item I commissioned by borrowing a huge loan from a 'friend.' And of course, I need to repay that debt."
"Now, if you just take it away, take something that isn't yours, have you considered how I'm supposed to pay off this enormous debt?"
The petite girl lowered her head.
Her expression shifted constantly.
Surprise… She hadn't expected that her little schemes had been seen through long ago.
And… strong disgust.
Not just toward Renjiro, but toward herself.
"So… Renjiro-sama knew everything I did from the start, and just didn't say anything, wanting to watch me struggle like a fool, thinking I was smart?"
Her tone suddenly became sharp and aggressive.
Renjiro calmly replied…
"I just thought, you're not inherently bad. If today you hadn't taken my 'goods' without permission, and instead considered my situation and handed them over properly, then if you faced any difficulty, I'd help you figure it out."
"But now, it doesn't matter anymore."
He extended his right hand. "Give me the items. Our employment relationship ends here."
"After this, we parted ways."
Seeing him like this…
"Oh? The merciful adventurer has decided to let Lili go?"
The girl frowned. "Am I supposed to be grateful for this and indulge your hypocrisy…?"
"Think whatever you want."
Renjiro's voice was calm. "Also, stubborn words won't hide your guilt. If you truly feel your conscience pricked and wanted to provoke me to receive punishment… forget it."
"I have no habit of torturing for no reason."
"Besides, punishment only has meaning if it helps one reform. Otherwise… that's just self-satisfaction."
At this, the girl realized—she had no way to argue.
No way to refute him.
She had been completely seen through.
In truth, Renjiro could be reasonable at times.
He knew exactly who this little kobold girl was.
In the original timeline, she would act as the strategist following a certain red-eyed rabbit boy, helping him avoid mistakes.
Honestly, for someone not inherently bad and capable of reform, Renjiro didn't mind being magnanimous.
Right now, a simple "I'm sorry" could have resolved the situation and bridged most of the gap between them.
But…
"Still a hypocrite, huh?"
The girl threw the black box at Renjiro, clearly not trusting him. The moment he took it, she spun around and ran.
Renjiro didn't watch her retreat.
"Even a hypocrite is still… good."
He sighed softly.
Then he stopped paying attention to her, focusing instead on the box, checking that the items were intact.
Luckily…
The girl had run so quickly that she didn't have time to swap anything. Renjiro had caught up.
Now, the 'goods' were perfectly safe.
Satisfied, Renjiro no longer thought about her, turning his attention to his own affairs.
"Good."
A small smile tugged at his lips. "From now on, day or night, the number of Genshin duplicates I can permanently maintain in the real world will greatly increase."
Looking into the box…
Ten pure black rings lay silently.
No gems, no decorations—just rings.
They were pure black because they were crafted from top-grade Mythril.
Yes, the same Mythril used for the Two Hundred Million Valis.
A few days ago, Renjiro visited the ancient Goibniu Familia, had the artisans measure his fingers, and placed the order.
And today, he finally received them.
As for their purpose…
They were mediums for a new skill.
The skill: The Ten Rings of the Human King (Second Solomon)
A super-class skill for transforming, absorbing, and storing magical energy.
Can forcibly reverse any formed magic within a 7-meter radius into raw mana for absorption.
The total absorbed and stored mana depends initially on the medium's material, and grows alongside the user.
Assists the Genshin Summon magic to allow individual manifestation.
Each ring corresponds to an individual manifestation slot, independent of the original Genshin summon limits, and linked to the user's Falna Level (currently: 2).
Maximum consecutive manifestation time depends on the medium's material and growth.
This new skill was undeniably overpowered.
And…
The amount of information it provided was massive.