Renjiro's knuckle-dusters… no, the Ten Rings of the Human King skill, was a new ability he awakened after defeating Sirius and Scorpius.
Judging solely from its description, this skill not only possessed anti-magic and mana absorption/storage capabilities, but it could also massively expand the combat summoning capacity of the Genshin Summon magic.
However, according to the system this skill was at most an external module, so in terms of overall functionality, it was slightly inferior to the original slots of Genshin Summon.
Broadly speaking, the difference was as follows:
"My current Falna Level is Lv.2. Before accumulating enough mana to reach Lv.3, the maximum number of slots for simultaneously manifested characters under Genshin Summon is 6."
"The Ten Rings of the Human King, however, allows up to 20 manifesting slots."
"The catch is, unlike the former's flexible, freely switchable slots, the latter is more like a simple familiar summoning system—remote switching between characters isn't possible."
It was easy to understand.
Hmm, let's use an example:
Take Barbara and Diona.
If these two were within the six default Genshin Summon slots, when Barbara left the battlefield, Diona could immediately manifest in Barbara's spot.
Even with just a one-second cooldown interval, they could switch back and forth, greatly expanding tactical options.
But if they were in the extra slots provided by the Ten Rings of the Human King, this wouldn't be possible.
Simply put: in such cases, the characters were effectively operating as independent units.
They could still use mental links and communicate in real time, teleport via anchor points, or use the Statue of the Seven skill to instantly reach Renjiro and the Twin Stars, but the "switching in and out of combat" tactic was impossible.
Moreover…
"This skill massively expands my 'influence' and strength, but it's insanely expensive to use."
Yes—expensive.
First, crafting ten top-grade Mythril rings… okay, 30 million Valis. For the Twin Stars, it was a trivial amount.
But the skill required fuel.
Even with Renjiro's Stellar Abyss skill and rapid mana recovery, he couldn't sustain twenty Genshin at once.
This was where magic stones came in.
For example, right now…
"Kakaka~"
In a rarely-traveled alley, after placing the ten Mythril rings on his fingers, Renjiro pulled a magic stone from his pocket—one he had deliberately saved.
Undoubtedly, it contained a huge amount of mana.
Otherwise, Orario wouldn't have been able to build an entire magic stone technology infrastructure, turning it into a major economic resource.
Renjiro, using the absorb→store function of the Ten Rings, pulverized the magic stone into dust.
Waving his right hand, he dispersed the useless ashes, a small smirk forming… somehow he looked like a classic villain.
"Heh heh heh… delightful, delightful."
He thought to himself: "A single magic stone from the Minotaur barely fills even 1% of a ring's energy reserve."
More expensive?
No.
The more mana the Ten Rings could store, the more freely Renjiro could draw from it.
At present…
[Using the current Genshin Summon 'total manifestation time' calculation, one ring could sustain a single Genshin manifestation for a full day.]
[And this duration can still grow.]
[In other words…]
"The Ten Rings also have growth attributes similar to the Hestia Blade, right?"
Renjiro received the system's analysis.
Now he understood why, before, the Genshin system's Q&A feature was so inconsistent—whether it replied was pure luck.
Turns out, the system had been busy stabilizing the Teyvat-world bubble anchored inside him.
Even the "ultimate AI Holy Sword" herself couldn't handle that workload easily.
It was like a 007-level operation.
So when the system occasionally appeared online, it was because she had stolen a moment to rest.
Considering how hard she worked, a little attitude now and then was understandable.
Frankly, if it had been him doing 007-level work for years, he would've gone on strike long ago.
Now…
"With the Mythril rings safely in hand, all that's left is to grind monsters for magic stones."
"But it's late, better return to the 'base' first."
Deciding this, Renjiro headed toward the Third District.
Yes, the familia base he was returning to wasn't the Freya familia's Battlefield Expanse.
It was the Frigg familia's humble hideout.
Its name? Well… it didn't have one.
It was simply a modest, unregistered orphanage.
======
Daedalus Street
This area had been designed centuries ago by the eccentric who had led the construction of the Babel.
The streets were intricate, without signs—if you weren't a local, it was easy to get lost.
During Antares invasion, this area became a battlefield and was largely destroyed.
Now, repairs were underway, funded jointly by multiple familias, including the Freya and Hephaestus familias, barely allowing the impoverished locals to survive.
As for the "base" Renjiro mentioned…
Though called an orphanage, it was really an abandoned church.
Over the years, a kind woman named Maria Martyr had taken in abandoned children, forming a family with them.
Now, Renjiro and his goddess, Frigg, had joined this family.
Strictly speaking, the Frigg familia had been recently established here after Syr Flova, a girl who frequently helped at the orphanage, revealed her goddess identity.
Renjiro muttered to himself: "I used to lie that the Frigg familia was from outside Orario… I guess faking intel still depends on big sis's performance."
Arriving at the abandoned church, he saw twenty or so children playing near a completely dried-up fountain, gathered around a gray-haired girl.
Seeing him approach…
"It's Renjiro-kun!"
"Renjiro-kun's back!"
"Did you go to a dungeon today?"
"Tell us an adventurer story~"
The children swarmed around him, chattering.
Honestly, before transmigrating, Renjiro had been reluctant to interact with young children.
His relatives often had unruly kids who tested his patience relentlessly—breaking the router for fun, moving all the good food to themselves, jumping onto beds with greasy hands…
But here, he realized not all children were difficult.
The troublesome ones were just a few spoiled brats.
These kids, though, were genuinely adorable.
"Renjiro-kun, teach me sword techniques today too~"
"What's a dungeon really like?"
"What title should I choose for the next 'Gods' Assembly'?"
"Did it turn back into a human?"
Before showing such affection, the children had already helped Maria with chores—otherwise, a single human woman couldn't manage over twenty kids.
With Renjiro and Syr now present, life at the orphanage improved greatly in just a few days.
"Renjiro-kun, you're back~"
A little demi-human girl smiled, stepping forward. "I'll go work for Mama Mia soon, you watch over Rei and the others~"
"We'll update the [Stats] later tonight."
"No problem."
Renjiro squatted slightly, patting a small child's head. "Today, I've invited Sister Xiangling to help cook dinner, how about that?"
"Yay~"
The children laughed joyfully.
Then…
"Eh? Renjiro-kun, what are these on your hands?"
A brown-haired human boy leaned in, eyes wide with curiosity. "Knuckle-dusters?"
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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