Genshin, No sad stories

Lumine was taken aback by Jiang Chen's question.

Go to the next region?

"After you all return, I plan to head to The Chasm and Qiaoying Village first."

"I'll follow your advice—gather the other elements before going to Inazuma."

She calmly explained her plans.

This was already decided—she just hadn't told Jiang Chen yet.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen nodded.

"Good."

"Be careful out there."

"If you run into trouble, you can always call me."

"Worst case, I'll just go fight for you."

He grinned as he said this.

Lumine looked up at him, narrowing her eyes.

"Do you know something?"

"I feel like going to Inazuma might be dangerous?"*

She couldn't help but voice her suspicion.

This guy had been telling her to power up before heading to Inazuma.

Now he was saying she could call for help if things went wrong.

Wasn't that basically confirming something bad would happen there?

Why not just say it outright?

Lumine was tempted to punch him.

If it was that risky, maybe she should just skip Inazuma entirely.

Why stubbornly charge into danger?

If trouble's guaranteed, I'll just go somewhere else.*

She suddenly felt like a genius.

Faced with her question, Jiang Chen decided not to hide it.

Better she be prepared.*

"Yep."

"A lot of stuff will happen."

"For example, you might fight the Raiden Shogun at some point."

Lumine's face paled.

"Huh?!"

"Fight the Electro Archon?!"*

"Then I'm not going."*

Hell no.

The Raiden Shogun was not someone to mess with.

Fighting a god? Hard pass.

In that case, she'd just head straight to Sumeru!

Jiang Chen was speechless at her refusal.

Wow.

Really?

"The people of Inazuma are waiting for you to save them."

"There are also fox-eared girls there."

"Super cool."

"Sure, you might fight the Shogun, but with me around, what's there to fear?"

He rolled his eyes, not understanding why she was so cowardly.

Lumine scoffed.

"That's the Electro Archon we're talking about!"

"Easy for you to say."

"You're not the one fighting."

She glared at him.

The only god she'd met so far was that white-haired guy—

And even at her peak, she couldn't beat him.

Now that she was weakened, facing the Raiden Shogun would be suicidal.

"If you aren't the one risking your life, of course you don't care!"

Now Jiang Chen was genuinely stumped.

She's actually considering skipping Inazuma?

The people there are suffering, waiting for a savior!

And you're just bailing?

This wasn't a game where another Traveler could take over.

In this world, there was only one Lumine.

If she didn't go, who knew how long Inazuma's isolation would last?

For a moment, Jiang Chen didn't know how to respond.

Lumine, seeing his reaction, couldn't help but laugh.

"Hehe."

"Just kidding!"*

"Don't worry, I'll go after I get the other two elements."

"If you say it's dangerous, then I'll just have to get stronger first."

She dropped the act and revealed her real plan.

She would go to Inazuma—but only after powering up.

Like Jiang Chen said, she had nothing to fear.

With him around, why worry?

The Raiden Shogun?

"I'll clap her cheeks."

Time to show Teyvat what a fourth-dimensional being can do!

The only thing that disappointed her was that Jiang Chen couldn't travel with her.

If he could, she'd go anywhere without hesitation.

After all, he was ridiculously strong.

But at the same time, she felt a pang of unease.

What if, while she was gone, the other girls made a move on Jiang Chen?

Or worse—what if he couldn't resist?

The thought made her head spin.

Why did she feel like her blonde hair was about to turn green?*

No way.

She was the protagonist—she had to strike first!

But with Paimon always around, it was hard to make a move.

They even shared a room!

Hmph!

*Decision made—*she'd act first.

Jiang Chen, oblivious to her thoughts, was just relieved she'd eventually go to Inazuma.

"When are we returning to the Guili Plains?"

Lumine suddenly asked.

Jiang Chen blinked.

"In a few days."

"We'll be staying there for a while."

"Why do you ask?"

"Aren't you going to The Chasm?"*

He was confused—why would she care if she was leaving anyway?

"Oh."

"When I come back from The Chasm, I'll just head straight to the Guili Plains."

"We don't have long-distance communication, so I needed to know your plans."

She brushed it off casually.

Jiang Chen nodded in understanding.

Fair point.

"Wait for Albedo to finish his project."

"After we return, I'll visit Dragonspine to check on his progress."

"If he finishes in time, great."

"If not, we'll have to ask Cloud Retainer to make some long-range communication talismans."

If Lumine went to Inazuma and needed to contact him, they'd need a way to stay in touch.

"I can make those."

"I'll prepare some for you tomorrow."

Guizhong suddenly spoke up.

She knew how to craft what Jiang Chen described—no need to bother Cloud Retainer.

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up.

"Perfect!"

"Then there's no issue."

"Is it difficult to make?"

"If not, produce a lot."*

They could use these talismans like text messages.

Since only the adepti could make them, they were incredibly rare for ordinary people.

Even Ningguang had to ration her supply.

If Guizhong could mass-produce them, that would be amazing.

"Not difficult at all."

"Your earlier ideas gave me inspiration."*

"I can create a mechanized assembly line to produce them."

She winked at Jiang Chen.

She had learned the concept of mass production from him—along with efficiency optimization.

Jiang Chen grinned.

"Calculate the production cost."*

"Until we have proper comms, these things will sell for a fortune!"*

If they were cheap to make, this was basically a money printer.

An automated talisman factory? That's just free Mora!