Speaking of which, from the first pull that got Xiao up until this three-roll session, Renjiro had already gone through 66 guaranteed pulls in the Genshin System.
In other words, it wasn't until the 69th pull that he finally got the long-anticipated Raiden Shogun.
Just one pull away from slipping into the dreaded "non-lucky" territory.
"That was close!"
Of course, getting Raiden Shogun right before departing for the Large Tree Labyrinth put Renjiro in a very good mood.
Before crossing over, how did that saying go again?
Ah, yes…
"Playing Genshin with Raiden Shogun versus without her is like night and day."
Granted, the freshly pulled Shogun was only Lv. 1, but leveling her up… was really not a problem.
All it took was a few more trips to the 49th floor with Xiao-sama.
Surely, Xiao-sama would be fine working overtime for his most respected old boss without complaint.
Then the rest was easy.
First…
"Second guaranteed pull."
Honestly, in real life, characters like Mona and Albedo, non-god five-star units, were extremely useful.
Mona's Teleport Ability and Albedo's Art into Reality skill could both provide huge advantages. Not to mention, Mona was a highly skilled astrologer capable of prophecy.
Now, with Renjiro (Aether) having the Purification growth ability, and the Traveler twins plus all Genshin avatars able to overlevel challenges, adding Mona…
"It's like gathering the three ultimate meta OPs in one go."
The advantages of Mona and Albedo could be discussed for days on end.
So…
"The second guaranteed pull is… Raiden Shogun."
Ahem.
Sorry, while Mona and Albedo are amazing, Shogun-sama… is just too good. In all ways. Ahem.
But seriously, prioritizing the Seven Archons was the proper strategy.
"Grass, Hydro, Pyro, Cryo Archons, and any potential 'Celestial Maintainers' in the general pool, I don't know about them."
"Yet this cursed guarantee system forces me to type in nicknames and names to confirm… damn."
Very annoying. But protesting was pointless.
As for Venti, his flight ability wasn't unique to the Anemo Archon, and his previous unreliable image in Renjiro's mind made him less of a priority.
If Raiden Shogun's AoE shield wasn't exclusive to her second constellation, Renjiro would have immediately given his second guarantee to her as well.
For now…
"Over the past five days, I also pulled [Diona], [Ningguang], the four-star bow [Royal Grimoire], and twelve three-star Genshin weapons."
Yes, Ningguang is now C1.
Her Constellation: Balance Instrument – Starfall Shard converts normal attacks into AoE damage, essentially making her Geo crystals explode like fragment grenades.
Even though in this world she only needs mana to replicate this, the constellation effect is zero-cost.
Imagine the Scorpions using swarms in the Large Tree Labyrinth, and our mage now has an infinite-firepower grenade launcher.
"Excellent!"
As for Diona…
Pulling her again meant she was now C2. Her Cat Claw Ice Shake at C2 boosts her Elemental Skill damage and shield strength, plus provides an AoE shield effect.
Even if her shield is weaker than Raiden Shogun's, this is another trump card in Renjiro's hand.
"Very good!"
The four-star bow Royal Grimoire belongs to Fischl, no questions, just equip her. With enough enhancement materials, it was immediately upgraded to Lv. 40.
And…
"I can craft a 'Refined Lv. 5' Black Tassel spear… hmm, until I get the Staff of Homa or other five-star polearms, Shogun will use this."
Renjiro thought to himself. Perhaps too excited, he forgot two critical facts:
In Teyvat, Raiden Shogun is a war god-level powerhouse, not a game-version shield specialist.
Based on point one… Raiden's affection level with Renjiro was maxed.
==========
After the gacha, with less than three hours until the scheduled meeting with Riveria, Renjiro obviously wouldn't go back to sleep.
So he (Aether) teleported with Lumine to the 50th floor, summoned Xiao-sama, and placed Raiden Shogun in the backline… working overtime.
To maximize experience gain, Renjiro only included Xiao and Raiden in the Genshin Summon Party.
They worked nonstop until 6:30 a.m.
"I really want Shogun to just throw a 'Musou Star' straight into the Goblet of Eonothem."
By then, Zhongli had reached Lv. 13, while Renjiro and Lumine were still around the 37th floor, not 49th.
"Currently, only Xiao can move freely on the 49th floor."
Raiden could theoretically do the same, even better, but her level was too low to spam mana-heavy moves.
And since Renjiro and Lumine don't have teleportation…
In the last two hours, the trio Traveler Twins + Xiao had once faced danger on the 49th floor, and the siblings immediately teleported to safety, practically a perfect escape.
Still, Xiao finished solo anyway.
Space-based teleportation really breaks the game.
"Looks like it's too early for Lumine and me to explore the Great Wilds."
"Farming XP on the 49th floor is more efficient with Xiao solo."
Thus, they moved to the 39th floor, steadily pushing up to the 37th.
Now, Lv. 4, they had the confidence to explore this level.
Meanwhile…
"Lumine, you'll go alone to Twilight Manor to meet Riveria."
"I'll stay here to grind monsters."
Clearly, his decision was twofold: not delay Raiden's leveling, and…
"As long as I stay here, the Starry Abyss mana regen buff stays above 16x."
This way, Xiao could permanently stay on the 49th floor to hunt Fomor Beast Tribes.
Combined with the twins' Statue of the Seven,
"If anything urgent happens, I can just teleport straight to you."
Also, if only one of the twins arrives, the Loki familia would naturally prefer the naive little sister.
"Even riding a tamed dragon, reaching the Large Tree Labyrinth edge from Orario takes quite some time."
Once Lumine teleported to Twilight Manor, Renjiro continued grinding alone.
His goal was simple:
"Not just to max Raiden's level, but to push her to the peak of her second growth stage."
Standing alone in the White Palace, Renjiro chuckled:
"This is a 'really can't rest yet' situation."
"Fine… adventurers should always be fully prepared, right?"
He twirled his sword, resolved:
"Push through now, and I'll face the monster."
No hesitation…
"CHARGE!!!"
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