After mentally cursing the "senior" who had apparently claimed every possible advantage in this world, Ren Tsukasa finally decided to change his strategy.
Better focus on how to finish the System's mission first.
After all, if he had to compete with a predecessor who had already reshaped the world, this sketchy-looking System might be his only real edge.
Step one: Gather intelligence.
"That uncle of Eula's... does he have a high status in the Lawrence family? I mean, considering the trouble he caused before," he asked his guide.
Amber was as reliable as ever. "In terms of rank, not really. I hear he's always been a loafer—basically just a middle-aged spoiled brat. But he is a direct descendant of the Lawrence bloodline."
Amber looked at him, her expression becoming solemn as she began a formal introduction:
"The Lawrence family dates back to the Archon War. During the liberation of Old Mondstadt, the matriarch at the time, Vannilaie Lawrence, became the Priestess to the Primordial Archon. she provided crucial logistical support for the revolution. Later, during the founding of New Mondstadt, she served as the first Chairperson of the Merchant Guild, contributing immensely to the city's development. A century later, she stepped down to devote herself entirely to serving His Eminence.
"Today, the Lawrence family is one of the four pillars of Mondstadt—standing alongside the Knights of Favonius, the Church, and the Ragnvindr family. You can imagine the weight that the Lawrence name carries now, right?"
Ren's lip twitched violently.
"I think I get it..."
What kind of apocryphal history is this?! Hey, Mr. Predecessor, do you have no shame? Ren screamed internally.
Meanwhile, the group of women watching the "movie" from behind the scenes were howling with laughter.
"Do you think His Eminence realizes he's basically cursing himself?"
"I wonder if Vannilaie-姐姐 will be 'punished' by Lord Tsukasa later to vent his frustration~?"
Sitting among the crowd, the elegant and legendary first matriarch of the Lawrence family and Priestess of the Archon, Vannilaie, gave a beautiful, knowing smile.
"Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"Kyaa~!"
Back with Ren.
After his internal rant, he let out a helpless sigh.
With the Lawrence family holding such an absurdly high status, his options for dealing with the uncle had just narrowed significantly. It was a massive headache.
"Alright, enough talk—"
While Ren was distracted, Amber reached into the backpack he had received at the counter and pulled out a sleek, black sports-style bracelet. "Put this on first."
"What's this?"
He curiously snapped the bracelet onto his wrist, and a blue holographic screen immediately popped up.
Fine, I get it. High-tech Teyvat.
"This is your Personal Resident Terminal. You can handle basically anything you need to do in Mondstadt with this," Amber explained dutifully. She reached out and tapped the screen a few times, bringing up an interesting interface.
[ Personal Data ]
[ Physique: 9 ]
[ Elemental Power: None ]
[ Mental Power: 26 ]
"Whoa! I noticed it during the check-up, but your Mental Power really is high!" Amber exclaimed, leaning in to look at the screen.
A faint, clean fragrance wafted from Officer Amber's long hair as she leaned close.
Ren's expression turned odd. "Is this considered high? What does it even do?"
He had almost forgotten that Teyvat was a world where combat strength actually mattered.
"Of course! The average for an adult in both physical and mental stats is 10. Most people don't take care of their health, so they usually fall below that. Improving your physique is easy with training, but Mental Power is especially hard to increase—it requires long-term cultivation."
Amber looked him up and down with a cheeky grin. "Who knows? Maybe you're some kind of hidden genius."
If a normal person was a 10, then his 26 was indeed quite high.
Was I a genius all along?
The System chimed in: [ Actually— ]
I knew it! Every protagonist is born for greatness! Ren concluded.
[ —Never mind. ]
"But really, what is the point of having high Mental Power?" Ren asked, ignoring the System.
"Ah, well," Amber explained, "it helps you coordinate your body and elemental energy better. It enhances your perception and training efficiency. And most importantly—it increases your synchronization rate with the Second Void!"
"The... Second Void? What's that?"
Amber's expression turned proud again. "That was created by the Primordial Archon—"
"Stop. Don't say another word," Ren interrupted, raising a hand.
He didn't want to hear that name again!
"Hmph." Amber pouted, clearly annoyed at being cut off.
Ren turned his attention back to the System: 'Can I just sneak up and knock the uncle out with a brick?'
[ Unlikely, Host. As a direct descendant of the Lawrence family, the uncle likely has combat training. You'd probably lose in a fair fight~ ]
The System was recalibrating.
'Then how am I supposed to do this?!'
[ That's why you have me! As a Newbie Bonus, if you're willing to take out a small loan— ]
Ren: "Shut up."
System: [ ...? ]
Ren focused, catching a spark of inspiration. Amber had mentioned that Mental Power enhances "perception," right? Usually, in games or stories, high mental stats were tied to a "sixth sense."
So—!
"Ahem, Officer Amber."
Ren glanced around, then leaned in close to her ear. "When I was looking at Eula's uncle just now, I felt something... strange. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time, but since you mentioned my Mental Power is high, I'm starting to wonder if my gut feeling was actually a warning."
"Eh?"
Amber, who had been a bit flustered by his sudden closeness, suddenly turned serious. "Are you sure?"
"I'm not sure," Ren replied honestly. "But I have a bad feeling about that dinner. You're her friend, right? You wouldn't want Eula to get into trouble, would you?"
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