Chapter 26: The Traveler's Skills
Setting Alhaitham's situation aside for the moment, Natsume leaned forward, resting her hands on the table as she began to outline their next moves.
"First, Lisa, you should stay at the Beika Library for now," Natsume instructed, her tone shifting into a more serious, calculating register. "Keep a close eye on the Director's actions. We need to find out exactly where he is sourcing his drugs. I remember there being a major incident on Tsukikage Island in the near future that heavily involves narcotics. I suspect the Director might have a hidden connection to Tsukikage Island, or perhaps his supply is being shipped directly from there."
A heavy silence settled over the room. Although Natsume's overarching mission was to maintain a delicate balance of power between the Red and Black factions of this world, she knew the reality of the situation. Based on her memories of the anime from her past life, the Red faction possessed a massive advantage in terms of sheer numbers and plot armor. It was practically inevitable that she would have to lend a hand to the Black Organization down the line just to keep the scales from tipping completely.
However, Natsume's jaw tightened at the thought. She absolutely refused to cross certain moral lines. Drugs were at the very top of her blacklist—a vile poison she utterly detested. If she encountered any narcotics operations during her balancing act, she fully intended to dismantle them without mercy.
, she could not simply act as a crutch for the Black Organization. If they grew too powerful under her hidden influence, she would be forced to pivot and assist the Red faction to correct the imbalance. This delicate tightrope walk made the existence of a purely grey faction—an organization belonging to neither Red nor Black—absolutely essential. Teyvat would be that third pillar.
Lisa rested her chin on her hand, her emerald eyes studying Natsume's determined expression. Understanding the unspoken weight behind the young woman's words, the librarian offered a gentle, approving smile and nodded in agreement.
"What about me? Traveler, what do I need to do?" Xiangling suddenly chimed in, raising her hand high in the air and bouncing slightly on her heels.
Natsume turned to meet Xiangling's bright, expectant gaze. She paused, tapping her fingers against the wooden table as she considered the chef's role. "Xiangling... your main task for now is to get the restaurant up and running smoothly. Once the food draws a crowd and business picks up, the foot traffic will naturally increase. Where there are people, there is gossip. I need you to keep an ear out for what the customers discuss over their meals. You will be our primary intelligence gatherer on the ground."
Despite her confident instructions, a knot of worry tightened in Natsume's chest. Running a bustling restaurant entirely alone was a monumental task, even for someone as energetic as Xiangling. Natsume briefly considered hiring outside help, but the thought of allowing strangers into their private sanctuary made her skin crawl. She would have to shelve that idea for now, hoping the system would eventually grant her another suitable character to act as a sous-chef or waiter. If her luck failed her in the short term, she would have no choice but to risk hiring a civilian.
"Mhm, I understand! Leave the cooking and the listening to me!" Xiangling beamed, pumping a fist in the air.
"As for me," Natsume continued, her posture straightening, "my next step is to integrate myself with the main cast of this world. I need to trigger and complete as many missions as possible to stockpile Primogems. We need to pull more characters to our side. It is quite unseemly for a supposedly formidable syndicate to have a roster that can be counted on a single hand."
She let out a long, weary sigh, rubbing her temples. "I will adjust our long-term strategies once our ranks are a bit more fleshed out. Right now, our organization certainly does not lack funding, but we are desperately starved for manpower."
"Our Cutie is working so incredibly hard," Lisa purred, her voice dripping with affectionate teasing. "I always knew your organizational and execution skills were top-notch. Keep up the good work."
Xiangling nodded vigorously, her bells jingling with the motion. "Mhm! The Traveler is super impressive!"
A fierce blush crept up Natsume's neck. Hearing such earnest praise from them felt incredibly bizarre. Since the summoned characters were technically extensions of her own system, it felt dangerously close to listening to herself praise herself. She was cringing so hard her toes curled tightly enough to dig the foundation for a new house.
Paimon suddenly materialized in the air, crossing her tiny arms and puffing out her chest with exaggerated seriousness. "Ahem! Indeed, Traveler, you are doing quite well so far. Of course, there is still a bit of a gap compared to Paimon's greatness, and there is always room for improvement! You should consult Paimon more often in the future. I will give you the proper guidance."
Natsume's mouth twitched, her eyes dropping into flat, unimpressed half-moons. "Well, thank you very much, Paimon." She dragged out the words, dripping with dry sarcasm.
Completely oblivious to the hidden barb, Paimon flipped backward in the air, giggling happily. "Oh, no need to be so polite! I am the Traveler's best companion, after all. I will definitely help you out, haha!"
"By the way, Cutie, have you tried something recently?" Lisa asked, her sudden question cutting through the banter. "Can you still use elemental power in this world?"
Natsume instantly deflated, slumping forward until her forehead hit the table with a soft thud. "I've tried," she mumbled into the wood, sounding utterly dejected. "You should know this. I tried the very second I arrived in this world. I can't use any elemental power at all."
The more Natsume thought about her powerlessness, the more a bitter sense of injustice bubbled up in her chest. She pushed herself upright, throwing her hands in the air. "It is completely unfair! Why can all of you use your Visions, but I can't do a single thing? Is this blatant discrimination against the Traveler?"
Ever since she realized she was bound to the Genshin Impact Role-Playing System, Natsume had harbored a secret, burning excitement at the prospect of wielding elemental magic. When her initial attempts failed, she logically assumed it was because the Detective Conan universe was a grounded mystery setting devoid of supernatural elements.
But then she summoned her companions, and every single one of them could summon fire, wind, and lightning without breaking a sweat. The sheer imbalance of it drove her crazy. She had spent days trying to suppress this depressing reality, comforting herself with the fact that her enhanced physical fitness was a decent consolation prize. Hearing Lisa casually bring it up tore the old wound right open.
Instead of offering a comforting shoulder, Lisa let out a melodic laugh. Seeing Natsume shoot her a deeply resentful glare, the librarian quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth, though her eyes still danced with amusement. "I am so sorry, I just couldn't help it. Your reaction just now was incredibly cute, just like a child throwing a tantrum."
"Lisa!" Natsume snapped, her cheeks burning with a mixture of embarrassment and indignation.
"Ahem, alright, alright, back to business," Lisa said, composing herself. "Cutie, you haven't actually tried to channel the elements again since you started pulling characters, have you? Try it right now. It might just work!"
Lisa's logic was sound. She remembered clearly that the Traveler possessed the unique ability to manipulate elemental energy without the need for a Vision. There was no logical reason why the summoned characters could freely use their powers while their anchor to this world could not. Perhaps there were hidden prerequisites. Either way, trying would cost them nothing.
Natsume blinked, her anger evaporating into sudden realization. "Wait... you're right. I really only tried that one time on my first day here."
A spark of anticipation ignited in her chest. Pushing her chair back, Natsume stepped away from the table, moving into the open space of the living room. She closed her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath, and reached out with her senses, attempting to attune to the world around her.
Silence stretched for a heartbeat. Then, she felt it.
Faint, hazy traces of energy drifted through the air, omnipresent and alive. Natsume raised her right hand, opening her palm, and silently asked the energy to answer her call.
A gentle, playful breeze suddenly swirled into her palm, lifting the edges of her hair and cooling her skin. Anemo! She could actually control the wind.
Eagerly, she reached out for the other traces she could feel hovering in the atmosphere. A heavy, grounded hum answered her next, solidifying around her fingers—Geo. Then, a vibrant, pulsing warmth bloomed in her chest—Dendro. She could not grasp the fiery spark of Pyro or the crackling bite of Electro, but it did not matter. The sheer elation of holding raw elemental power was overwhelming.
It felt entirely innate. After connecting with the elemental energy, she naturally knew exactly how to wield it. With a mere thought, she could summon the corresponding element to her fingertips.
Opening her eyes, Natsume eagerly shared her success with the room.
"Just as I suspected," Lisa murmured, her eyes tracking the invisible currents of energy swirling around Natsume. "Currently, you have brought me, Xiangling, and Alhaitham into this world. We hail from Mondstadt, Liyue, and Sumeru, respectively. It seems you can channel the specific elements governed by the gods of those nations. If you were to bring in allies from Inazuma or Fontaine, you would likely unlock their corresponding elements as well."
"That makes perfect sense," Natsume agreed, clenching her fist and feeling the Anemo breeze dissipate into the air.
Lisa stepped forward, her heels clicking softly against the floor, and gently patted the top of Natsume's head. The teasing glint in her eyes had melted into genuine warmth. "This makes me feel much better. There are far too many murderers running loose in this world, and a frightening number of them carry firearms. Relying on martial arts alone simply isn't safe enough for our Cutie."
Natsume blinked, looking up at the librarian. The sudden, earnest display of affection caught her completely off guard, leaving her momentarily speechless.
She looked at Lisa, then at Xiangling's encouraging smile, and finally thought of the floating emergency food hovering nearby.
'And Paimon,' Natsume added silently in her heart.
"Don't worry," Natsume said, her voice steadying as a confident smile broke across her face. "I will absolutely protect myself. I am the Traveler, after all!"
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