As for the rest of the mushroom-beast tournament—
it proceeded just like the original in-game event.
With Ye Luo absent, everything quietly returned to the "official timeline."
The extra presence of Faruzan only resulted in her taking third place,
and Layla placed fourth.
Neither changed the final showdown.
As for Yae Miko… she didn't care about rankings at all.
She only cared about fun.
She clung to Ye Luo every day, relentlessly trying to squeeze out every creative idea he had to bring back to Yae Publishing House.
It annoyed Ye Luo so much that he finally tossed her a few ideas just to make her leave:
"Lady Raiden Wants Me to Confess ~ Brilliant Minds' Love Strategy War"
and
"The Funeral Song of the Hibiscus King".
Both were story genres that didn't exist in Inazuma.
Fresh, new, eye-catching titles.
Just the names alone could attract massive attention.
Especially The Funeral Song of the Hibiscus King.
For long-lived beings like Ei and Miko, reading it would definitely bring tears.
But strangely, Yae Miko wanted him to hurry up and actually write the first one.
As if.
I provide the ideas.
You do the writing.
We both know your real plan is to get me killed by Raiden Shogun.
No way he was letting himself get sliced in half.
Eventually, the event storyline wrapped up.
All the mushroom babies followed Haniyeh back into the forest, where specialized training areas had already been set up for them.
As for the two rogue scholars and the Fatui criminal—
they were handed over to the Matra.
A perfectly tidy ending.
Then, with some free time, Ye Luo suddenly thought of something.
The next major arc was Fontaine—
the Nation of Water.
If Fontaine was rich in anything, it was water.
Its oceans even had unique mechanics.
And Ye Luo, having spent time at the Fontaine Research Institute, had created many practical inventions…
including one that would be extremely useful for players exploring Fontaine.
Actually, not just Fontaine—
It worked everywhere.
A tool that increases stamina while swimming.
Players would no longer fear drowning mid-swim.
He just needed a reason to give this "gift" to players.
So he issued a commission to Lumine, saying the reward would be a "mysterious gift."
At the same time, in the real game, players also received "Ye Luo's Commission."
Its function was exactly what he designed—stamina boost while swimming—
and the players were ecstatic.
Sure, it only worked in water, but who would complain about more stamina?
As for the commission itself, he couldn't bear to make Lumine mine ores.
He already had Pal— no, mushroom beasts to do that.
So he chose a middle ground—just gathering materials.
And these valuable materials could be sold for a lot of Mora.
Everyone was happy.
Then, on a calm and quiet night,
Ye Luo slipped away with Lumine.
Partly because he hated emotional goodbyes.
Partly because he now had Teleport Waypoints—
coming back was trivial.
He planned to scare— no, surprise them later.
What he didn't know was that two silhouettes inside the house watched him leave silently.
"Right, I know a route that leads straight to Fontaine,"
Ye Luo said as he and Lumine arrived at a waypoint.
"Huh? Ye Luo, you're using a teleport waypoint? You can use those too?"
Paimon gasped.
Aside from Lumine and herself, she had never seen anyone else use them.
"What, is it that rare?"
Ye Luo lifted his chin proudly, putting on his signature I'm totally awesome face.
The only issue was that the direct route he spoke of lay beyond an unexplored region.
He wasn't sure if Lumine could be transported there.
If not, they could just find transport once they arrived.
This was much better than the original plot where they crossed the scorching desert on foot.
"Mmm… no. I need to go to Caravan Ribat first,"
Lumine suddenly refused.
"Oh, you've got business? Then we'll just head to Fontaine afterward,"
Ye Luo replied casually.
Early or late, Fontaine was the same.
He followed the Traveler, after all.
The world's will was with her, not him.
At this moment, Ye Luo had no idea how serious this decision was.
He simply followed Lumine happily as they activated the three-person teleport.
——————
Item: Secretary Ye Luo's Diary
April 22 —
First day arriving at Caravan Ribat with Lumine.
She said the last time she came here was the last time she came here.
She looked really happy.
Must have met an old friend.
April 23 —
Went shopping with Lumine. She said we needed to prepare supplies to cross the desert.
She wants to cross… by foot.
…Cross the desert? ON FOOT?!
Don't tell me she plans to bring me along?! I refuse!!!
April 24 —
I ended up being dragged along anyway.
Even though I said I'd pay for the travel expenses, she still refused.
We returned to Aaru Village; Candace asked why I was going through the desert again.
Hehe.
No way I'm telling her Lumine insists on dragging me into the desert.
April 25 —
First day crossing the desert.
The desert is dangerous.
The Eremites are scary.
But Lumine is here, so it's… less scary.
April 26 —
Lumine pulled out a whole stash of maps, saying they were her "collection."
Then she excitedly dragged me into ruins.
She said there was a lot of Mora inside.
I didn't want to go.
April 27 —
The ruin collapsed.
We barely escaped.
I strongly suspect Lumine is like Laura—the Ruin Destroyer.
Every ruin she visits collapses.
May 10 —
We reached the Flower God's ruins. Many hydro mimics live there.
I must've done something wrong—
They attacked us instantly.
May 29 —
After extreme hardship, we finally crossed the desert and reached the waterfall.
The sea was gentle.
A million times better than the desert.
Lumine was cute too.
Lumine brought me to many dangerous places in the desert.
I… kind of liked these adventures.
Traveling everywhere with Lumine—
I'm so happy.
Her hugs are warm.
I want to stay with Lumine forever.
Lumine is the best…
AHEM.
Like hell!
What kind of bodyguard drags their employer into every deadly location in the desert?!
I swear—
letting Lumine be my bodyguard is the worst decision of my life!
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614