Mushoku Impact

After an awkward yet comforting hug, Paul would be lying if he said he didn't feel a lot better. When Xinyan attempted to kiss him on the cheek, however, he politely refused, explaining, "I want to test whether or not you really are my lucky goddess. This time around, I'll roll without using my own luck..."
Though she felt a little awkward being refused after she had already puckered up her lips, Xinyan just smiled and winked as she said, "Sure. Just don't blame me if you end up regretting it."
Chuckling dryly, Paul placed his hands on the summoning dais and said, "Confirm..." with a bit of irresolution in his tone. He doubted she had done it deliberately, but he felt like Xinyan's words had just jinxed him.
Turning his eyes skyward, Paul watched as the meteor overhead retained its vibrant blue hue throughout its flight. When Xinyan saw this, a nervous chuckle emanated from her throat as she scratched the back of her head. At the same time, a rather potent blush spread through her cheeks as she seriously considered the possibility she was Paul's good luck charm.
Seeing nothing but 3-Star Weapons appear, Paul's expression morphed into a deadpan as he said, "Now's your chance to shine...if I get another 4-Star pull after this, I'll-"
Before Paul could finish speaking, Xinyan grabbed the sides of his head, saying, "Don't go making promises that will stress you out...". Then, with no discernible hesitation, she pulled his head closer as she leaned in to give him a much longer kiss than before. By the time she released him, nearly twenty seconds later, even Paul's face was beet red.
Though he didn't know what had caused it, Paul was now pretty fucking sure that Xinyan liked him. He suspected it had something to do with the Suspension Bridge Effect or Stockholm Syndrome, but that didn't change the fact that she was showing clear interest in him...
"What are you waiting for...?"
Seeing Paul staring at her with a completely blank expression on his face, Xinyan's blush spread through her ears. Her efforts to resist looking away caused her to gaze back at Paul with an upturned gaze, her amber eyes glistening with natural allure. Had she been a little older, Paul might have keeled over from such a look. Instead, he promptly averted his eyes, sat straight, and replied, "Right. Gotta get someone who can help take care of my mom..." in a dull yet audibly flummoxed tone.
While doing his best to ignore Jean and Ningguang staring at him, Paul placed his hands on the summoning dais. However, instead of shouting confirm, he offered a silent prayer to the RNG Gods, imploring them 'not' to give him a good roll. If Xinyan's kisses became any more intense, his brain might legitimately shortcircuit.
"Confirm..."
As if to spite Paul, the meteor in the sky immediately transitioned from blue to purple. To add insult to injury, the meteor promptly split apart to reveal two dazzling purple comets among an entourage of eight sky-blue trails of light.
Resisting the urge to facepalm and massage his temples, Paul waited patiently for the comets to impact the summoning platform. When they did, any doubts he had about Xinyan's effect on his luck were shattered as not one but two people appeared.
"Oh? Do I spy a half-pint Ningguang? How adorable."
Standing taller than the other girls present, a rather heroic-looking little girl with maroon-brown hair, red eyes, and a Maid outfit that more closely resembled a swordswoman's garb made her presence known. Compared to the petite and incredibly delicate-looking girl behind her, she was like a tiny yet indomitable mountain.
Before Ningguang could respond to the first girl's words, Jean interposed herself into the conversation, muttering, "Barbara...?" in reference to the dainty, twin-tailed girl standing behind.
Seeing her elder sister sitting next to Paul, a brief glimmer of frustration flashed across Barbara's eyes before she promptly adopted an incredibly radiant smile and said, "Sister Jean, I'm relieved to see you here. I was a little worried I wouldn't have anyone to talk to."
Exhibiting considerably less enthusiasm than her younger sister, Jean turned toward Paul and muttered, "Master Paul..." in an imploring tone.
Understanding Jean's concern, Paul answered, "Go ahead. I'll see you back at the estate."
With Paul's permission, Jean intended to take Barbara someplace they could talk in private. Barbara seemed to take exception to this, however, her face forming into a pout as she asserted, "Jean. It was my decision to accept the contract. I don't need you to protect me."
Taken aback by her sister's words, Jean opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to speak. It didn't help that Barbara immediately folded her hands across her lap, bowing towards Paul as she said, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Paul. I may not be very strong, but I vow to do everything in my power to make your life more pleasant. If you need healing or any other services, please don't hesitate to ask. I am here to do my part to restore our world, not to be protected..."
Directing the final few words at her sister, Barbara made it clear she had no intention of letting Jean keep her 'protected' while everyone else was working hard. Jean had attempted to prevent her and several others from signing the Gods' contract back when they first arrived at the Intersection of Fate. Barbara both understood and appreciated her intentions, but she also hated how Jean always tried to carry everything herself.
Not wanting to see the two sisters fight, Paul thought about stepping in to try and mediate. Before he could, Jean surprised both him and Barbara by saying, "Very well...just...don't do anything you'll regret..."
"Jean..."
Expecting her older sister to put up much greater resistance, innumerable thoughts crossed Barbara's mind as she shifted her cerulean eyes to Paul. He was the only reason she could think of to explain her sister's swift and unexpected capitulation.
Realizing that Paul might not be the monster many of them expected him to be, a genuine smile developed across Barbara's face as she said, "You must be an incredible person to have my sister's trust..."
Feeling discomforted by the unexpected praise, Paul forced a smile as he scratched the back of his head and said, "Not really...compared to all the people I've summoned through the Intersection of Fate, I may as well be completely average..."
Instead of expressing concern or being put off by Paul's words, Barbara felt an almost immediate kinship with him. She was well acquainted with living in the unfathomably long shadows of superior people, so she could easily empathize with what he was saying.
Bringing the tips of her fingers together, Barbara's smile increased in size as she said, "Then we just need to work together. If we both do our best, I'm certain we can become much, much stronger."
Gaining a marginally more sincere smile of his own, Paul replied, "Sure. I look forward to working with you, Barbara."
As Barbara was about to return Paul's words, the heroic-looking woman standing next to her interjected, asking, "You two about done, or are you going to keep flirting all night?"
With Barbara silenced by a bout of bashfulness, the heroic-looking girl thumbed her chest, a fearless smile on her face as she met Paul's gaze and said, "The name's Beidou. Back in my world, I was Captain of The Crux Pir-I mean, The Crux Privateering Company. When it comes to sea travel, bootlegging, and exploration, I'm your girl. Of course, I'll need a fleet, crew, and plenty of booze if you want to see my true power."
Though Beidou was one of his favorite characters in Genshin Impact, Paul couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed. She was only six years old, but he could genuinely imagine her sailing into a storm with a dauntless smile and a jar of wine in hand.
Forcing a smile, Paul explained, "The Milbots Region is landlocked. There are plenty of rivers, but few are large enough to serve as shipping lanes."
Without losing even a fraction of her intensity, Beidou just shrugged her shoulders, saying, "Not like I could do much in this body. Just make sure to set aside funds for a few ships. Once I flesh out a bit, I'll journey East, beat a few people into shape, and take over a couple of ports."
Intervening before Beidou could give Paul an aneurysm, Ningguang said, "Beidou, you're troubling our Master. We'll address this matter at a later date. Understood?"
Wriggling her thin, swordlike eyebrows in response to Ningguang's words, Beidou maintained a fearless smile as she said, "Sure thing, Guangguang. Just don't leave me sitting on my ass for the next twenty years. I get stir crazy when I'm away from the sea for too long."
Well aware of the type of person Beidou was, Ningguang simply nodded her head, a faint smile on her face as she said, "Understood. Now, please remove yourself from the center platform. Master Paul is presently in the process of growing our numbers."
"Sure. Just give me one second..."
Before leaving the center of the summoning circle, Beidou attempted to pick up one of the higher quality claymores present. It was a lot heavier than she expected, but that didn't deter her from straining herself to pick it up place it on her shoulder. Then, with a wolfish grin on her face, she looked to Paul and asked, "Mind if I keep this one...?"
Though he was about to ask where she would keep a sword that was longer than she was tall, Paul recalled that Beidou possessed an Electro Vision. In other words, she was one of the few people present who could actually make use of her Vision.
Seeing no reason to refuse, Paul answered, "Go ahead. However, I would suggest practicing with something smaller..."
Completely ignoring Paul's words, Beidou synchronized the Bloodstained Greatsword with her Vision, saying, "Neat." before making her way over to Zhongli, Ei, Xiangling, Yaoyao, and Diona.
After shaking his head in mock exasperation, Paul placed his hands on the summoning dais. Ningguang had dutifully slotted 100AGC into the groove while everyone else was distracted, so he just needed to initiate it.
"Forgetting something...?"
Hearing Xinyan's voice, Paul briefly startled before turning to her. Before he could even think to apologize, however, she grabbed the sides of his head and planted an even longer kiss on his lips. This caused Barbara to immediately cover her face, but if you looked closely, you could see her peeking between her fingers.
Releasing Paul's head nearly a minute later, Xinyan licked the remnant saliva from her lips before saying, "Good luck..." in a soft and noticeably sultry tone.
Recovering from his stupor several seconds later, Paul muttered, "Yeah..." before turning to the summoning dais. Xinyan had attempted to slip her tongue into his mouth towards the very end, but he managed to prevent it by pursing his lips and keeping his mouth shut. He felt like an insensitive twat for doing such a thing but acquitted himself on the grounds he and Xinyan currently resembled children.
Shaking stray thoughts from his mind, Paul placed his hands within the oversized prints and shouted, "Confirm...!". When the vibrant blue meteor immediately gained a purple hue, he wasn't even surprised. It likely had absolutely nothing to do with Xinyan, but every single pull following one of her kisses resulted in a hit...
Interrupting Paul's reverie, the nine blue and one purple comet impacted the center of the platform. From within, a petite girl with maroon hair, not all that dissimilar to Lilia's, emerged. It was just much shorter and had a wine-red streak running down her bangs. Her eyes were a shade of wine red with pink, cat-like irises, and her skin was a pale, nearly grey shade of purple.
Speaking out before anyone else could, Barbara covered her mouth in shock as she exclaimed, "Sister Rosaria...!" in a pleasantly surprised tone. In stark contrast to this, the sickly-looking little girl maintained a neutral expression as she gave herself a quick once-over and complained, "How troublesome..."
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With Rosaria not being very talkative, it wasn't long before Paul found himself preparing for his final pull. As far as he knew, he was guaranteed to get a 5-Star ally or weapon during his next summon. The only question was, which one?
Seeing through Paul's thoughts, Xinyan asked, "Who do you want to get?"
Shifting his attention to the kissing demon sitting behind him, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he answered, "My penultimate goal is to obtain someone who can treat my mother. To that end, I believe Albedo is the best possible option..."
Though she couldn't recall anyone named Albedo from the Intersection of Fate, that didn't prevent Xinyan from nodding her head and saying, "Got it. I'll do my best."
Fully embracing her status as Paul's lucky charm, Xinyan bounced to her feet before spreading her arms wide and saying, "Come on. I'll give you an extra special dose of good luck this time."
Resisting the urge to ask if she was serious, Paul exhaled a sigh before rising to his feet and opening his arms. In response, Xinyan adopted an awkward smile as she said, "I don't mind taking the lead, but I was kind of expecting you to do it..."
Blinking in surprise, Paul opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was strangely okay with Xinyan leaping into his arms, but the thought of doing the same just felt...wrong.
Adopting what could best be described as a sad smile, Xinyan dropped her arms and said, "Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away. I should have realized you wouldn't want to kiss me..."
Confused by the diminutive rockstar's words, Paul's brows furrowed as he asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Avoiding Paul's eyes, Xinyan became distinctly aware that everyone was staring at them. A combination of shame and guilt immediately washed over her, its wake leaving her feeling like a complete idiot.
Just as Xinyan was about to apologize for causing a misunderstanding, Paul grabbed her shoulders and said, "Let me make one thing clear. The only reason I have any apprehensions at all is because we currently look like children. If you were in your original form..."
With Paul's words trailing off, Xinyan turned her gaze to meet his, a fiery look in her eyes as she asked, "What would happen...?"
Though he felt like he was crossing a line he shouldn't, Paul's expression became severe as he repeated his usual, "I'm not a good person..." before lowering his voice and adding, "You know exactly what I would do..."
Since she was looking at him, Paul seized the opportunity to plant a very chaste kiss on Xinyan's lips. He knew she was expecting something more explicit, but that would have to wait until much, much later...preferably in ten to fifteen years...
Leaving Xinyan in her momentary daze, Paul plopped down between Jean and Ningguang before promptly placing his hands on the summoning dais and shouting, "Confirm...!" in a resolute tone. At this point, he just wanted to get things over with so he could get to sleep.
Reinforcing the notion that Pity existed, the meteor that emerged quickly gained a magnificent golden hue. It was the type of color that stirred the dreams and aspirations of men and women alike, so much so that Paul found it hard to stay seated even with two budding beauties flanking his sides.
Expecting another Archon or something else completely ridiculous, Paul found his mouth and eyes widening when the person who emerged from the golden light was someone he had been trying to obtain since his very first summon. She had pale-blue hair, amethyst eyes, and was noticeably shorter than most of the other girls present. She was also a little chubby, but the traits that stood out the most were the red and black horns on her head and the large bell dangling from her collar.
Though he had ultimately failed to obtain Albedo, Paul couldn't prevent his body from shaking a little as he muttered, "I actually pulled Ganyu..." in an audibly excited tone.
Ever since Paul had completed Ganyu's story quest, she had become his absolute favorite character in Genshin Impact. He honestly preferred the design of characters like Jean and Eula, but Ganyu had such a wholesome and forlorn temperament that people couldn't help wanting to cherish and protect her.
"Oh my...Xinyan really might be your lucky star..."
Hearing Ningguang, Paul reluctantly tore his eyes away from the adorable Qilin girl, asking, "What do you mean?"
Nodding in the direction of Ganyu, Ningguang explained, "Ganyu is one of the Adepti most knowledgable about healing and medicines. She was the one who restored the Jiangshi named Qiqi to life. Unless your mother has an incurable disease endemic to this world, Ganyu should be able to treat her."
"Lady Tiangquan...?"
Recovering from the disorientation that came with being summoned and crashing into an immovable stone platform, the first person Ganyu took notice of was Ningguang. In response, Ningguang issued a soft chuckle before directing a side-long gaze at Paul and stating, "I believe there is someone else you should be greeting before me..."
After briefly startling, Ganyu immediately folded her hands over her lap before bowing nearly forty-five degrees as she softly stated, "Pardon my late introduction, Master Paul. My name is Ganyu, and it is my great honor to be of service to you."
Though he felt awkward having someone like Ganyu bowing to him, Paul couldn't help smiling as he attempted to offer a bow of his own. Before he could, Ningguang chimed in, an amused smile on her face as she squinted her eyes mused, "Oh~? It seems our Master has a particular fondness for Liyue's local Qilin..."
Tensing in response to Ningguang's accusation, Paul wanted to refute her but found himself unable, or maybe unwilling to do so. The Ganyu he was familiar with was a pitiful girl who felt lonely even when surrounded by a sea of people who respected and adored her. He didn't have the heart to say he didn't care about her.
Surprising nearly everyone present, especially those he knew him, Paul said, "You're right. Back when you all were just characters from a video game, Ganyu was my favorite character. I never managed to unlock her, but her story and event dialogue made her most endearing character in the entire game..."
"My goodness..."
Not expecting Paul to say such a thing, Ganyu wasn't quite sure how to feel. Her most prominent emotion was anxiety, but there was also a faint, fluttering sensation in her chest. She was the type of person who counted the individual beats of her heart, so even minute changes in her physical condition stood out like candles in a dark room.
Fearing he had been misunderstood, Paul raised his hands in a placating gesture as he said, "Don't misunderstand. I mean, you're adorable, don't get me wrong, but I see you more as someone I need to protect.? It's...it's difficult to explain..."
Realizing he was fucking up magnificently, Paul scratched the back of his head and said, "You know what? Just forget I said anything...welcome to the group, Ganyu..."
Returning a dazzling smile of her own, Ganyu supplied a courteous bow as she said, "Thank you for your kind words, Master Paul. If there is ever anything I can do for you, anything at all, please let me know."
Though Paul's words and behavior had caught her off guard, Ganyu could tell he was a good person. She was only a half-qilin, but she had inherited many of the abilities associated with illuminated beasts. This included the ability to ascertain a person's true nature.
While it was impossible to say Paul was pure of heart and character, there was a breathtakingly beautiful light that radiated from the very core of his being. Like most humans, his essence was a chaotic muddle of self-doubt and other detrimental emotions, but his sense of purpose pierced through each of them like rays of sunlight after a terrible storm had passed...
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"Ningguang..."
"Yes, Master Paul~?"
"Remind me again how I ended up in this situation..."
"Why, certainly..."
Without raising her head from Paul's shoulder, Ningguang slowly traced her finger along his collarbone as she explained, "Even if everything went perfectly to plan, we would be stuck in this world for approximately thirty years. To prevent people from succumbing to things like depression and lack of purpose, it's important to strengthen the bonds between each of us..."
"Mmm...I see...however..."
"Hmm~? Is there something else you would like to ask, Master Paul~?"
Looking around at the half a dozen girls sharing his bed, three of which were sharing his body as a pillow, Paul's expression was a mask of calm as he said, "I feel like you're setting me up to become a criminal..."
As the person lying directly atop Paul, Ganyu blushed up to her ears as she asked, "Am I too heavy...?"
Forcing a smile, Paul answered, "No...but that is hardly the issue here..."
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Ganyu left Paul feeling at a loss for words as she smiled and said, "That's a relief..." before snuggling closer to him.
"..."
Taking advantage of Paul's silence, Ningguang appended, "Master Paul said it himself. There is 'absolutely no chance' of you taking liberties with us in our present forms. As laudable as that is, four-to-eleven years is a long time to abstain from physical intimacy..."
Since Xinyan was among the girls not present at the moment, Ningguang elected to use her as an example, explaining, "Take Xinyan as an example. Her skills as a warrior are lacking, and her talent as a musician is severely underappreciated in a world such a this. Even without conversing with her directly, I can tell she has been struggling with her sense of purpose. She wants to help but feels her talents are inconsequential compared to some of the more...capable members of our little group..."
Furrowing his brows, Paul asked, "What are you trying to say? That Xinyan developed a crush on me because she didn't have any other choice...?"
Shaking her head, Ningguang met Paul's gaze as she asserted, "Master Paul has is backward. Xinyan, much like the rest of us, made our choice long before you summoned us. Based on the information provided, most of us had the very realistic expectation that we would be treated as little more than slaves when we entered this world. Once someone has formed that kind of resolve, it creates a certain...disparity within their mind when things don't go as planned..."
Attempting to dumb things down a bit, Ningguang traced Paul's bottom lip as she explained, "Simply put, Xinyan came into this world fully expecting to sacrifice herself so that some of us would have a reasonable degree of freedom to act. Instead, she encountered a kind and sensible Master who contrasted every expectation she had..."
Adopting a faint smile, Ningguang appended, "In other words, she fell in love with you due to the quality of your character. Have more confidence in yourself...after all, for one reason or another, every girl presently within your bed chose to be here..."
"I might not have if I knew the two of you were going to keep talking all night..."
Sitting up from her position near the foot of Paul's bed, Diona rubbed her right eye as she grumbled, "Just go to sleep already, stupid Master. Even if you have the mind of an adult, you're still a kid. If you don't get plenty of rest while you're young, you'll end up stunting your growth..."
Seemingly finished with what she had to say, Diona laid down with her back touching Paul's left foot. She couldn't see a person's essence like an illuminated beast, but her intuition was comparable to the beast people in Mushoku Tensei. Paul gave off a 'completely harmless' aura, so while she would refuse if he asked to touch her tail, she might consider letting him pet her head if he brought his hands together and begged...
Taking advantage of Diona's interruption, Ningguang stopped tracing her finger around Paul's face and body, drawing closer to him as she quietly suggested, "Let's talk about this in the morning..."
Though there was still a lot he wanted to say, Paul remained silent for several seconds before replying, "Right..." in a quiet, somewhat subdued tone. Then, while doing his best to ignore the flowery aroma and softness of Ganyu's body, Paul closed his eyes in a vain attempt to force himself to sleep...
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Before completely recovering from his stupor, Paul remarked, "I think I'm going to have another aneurysm..."
Surprised by Paul's words, Ningguang's eyes briefly widened before the smile on her face revealed a hint of amusement.
"I see our presence here hasn't provided you the satisfaction and peace of mind it was intended to. Please forgive me if my question was a little too forward..."
After blinking in surprise, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he asked, "Peace of mind? Satisfaction? You're kidding me, right...?"
"Hmm..."
Rising to her feet, Ningguang briefly cast a glance towards Zhongli before turning her wine-red eyes to Paul and saying, "With your consent, I would like to confer with Lady Zhongli. I feel I am lacking too much context and do not wish to offend you further."
Confused by Ningguang's words, Paul parroted, "Offend me...?" before promptly shaking his head and saying, "You're mistaken. I'm just a little shaken by your sudden appearance. As for my opinion on marriage...I'm not entirely sure what you mean?"
Though he had an idea, Xinyan's behavior left Paul unwilling to jump to conclusions. Trying to figure out women was like trying to solve a Rubix Cube without colored vision. You could eventually work it out, but it took a combination of luck, perseverance, and, more often than not, external assistance.
"I see..."
Adopting her characteristic cross-armed stance, Ningguang brought the back of her left index finger to her lips, a pensive expression on her face as she considered the simplest way to explain things. When she believed she had, a faint smile developed across her face as she said, "Simply put, I wish to become the Lady of House Notos. According to the knowledge I have received, the Lady and Chamberlain of the House are the ones who manage the affairs of the Estate. While I am fairly confident I could work something out if granted autonomy, a union with you would save decades of effort."
Seeing Paul's helplessly dumbfounded expression, Ningguang couldn't help squinting her eyes as the smile on her face became marginally more prominent. She was half tempted to reach forward and caress Paul's chin. Instead, she placed her hand over her chest and said, "To put it another way, I desire everything you possess...in exchange, I offer you my heart, not just my body..."
With Ningguang confirming his suspicions, Paul momentarily deflated. If the mature form of Ningguang had asked him such a question, he might not have hesitated in the slightest. However, because she and everyone currently resembled children, Paul couldn't help feeling a combination of exasperation and anger...
Feeling something 'snap' within his mind, Paul's expression morphed into an angry yet resolute expression as he threw up his hands and said, "You know what? Fuck it. You want to get married? Sure, why not? I genuinely don't care at this point."
"Paul...?"
Worried that Paul may have 'broken', Jean tentatively approached with a concerned expression on her face. The anger in Paul's briefly waned, but only for a brief moment before he furrowed his brows and asked, "What? Did you want to get married as well?"
Instead of immediately responding to Paul's words, Jean sat down next to him, a deeply concerned look on her face as she gently grasped his hand and whispered, "It's going to be okay..."
"..."
Averting his eyes from Jean's, a profound wave of guilt washed over Paul. Unfortunately, while it caused his anger to wane, it did little to counteract the frustration that seemed to permeate his entire being. He couldn't help feeling as though the Intersection of Fate and the Gods that governed the boundaries were fucking with him...
Worried that Paul might do something he would regret, Jean suggested, "Maybe we should end things here for today? It's getting late, and we just returned from a long journey. You need to rest..."
Shaking his head, a touch of resolution returned to Paul's face as he said, "No. I need to obtain someone that can heal or at least help take care of my mother. I'm also only seven rolls away from Pity. Each 5-Star summon is a powerful weapon, ally, or Archon. For you and everyone to be able to use your Visions, we need to obtain each of the Seven..."
Before he had finished speaking, Paul began slotting gold coins into the groove above the oversized handprints. Jean still had a worried look on her face, but instead of trying to convince him to rest, she joined him in sacrificing gold to the summoning circle.
Realizing she may be in the way, Ningguang gave Jean a calculative look before stepping out of the summoning circle, kneeling on the other side of Paul, and saying, "Pardon me..." as she grabbed a stack of gold coins and began feeding them into the platform. This caused Paul's brows to furrow, but he was honestly too fed up to care, much less complain. He was tired of being the only one that seemed to give a shit...
With ten Acquaint Fates appearing around the summoning platform, Paul surprised Xinyan by looking back and asking, "Round two?" in a level tone.
"Uh...sure?"
Though it felt incredibly awkward with Jean and Ningguang flanking him, Xinyan made her way over and planted a kiss on Paul's cheek. When she pulled away, even the tips of her ears were glowing a faint shade of red as she forced a smile and asked, rather than saying, "Good luck...?"
Chuckling dryly, Paul placed his palms on the summoning dais and said, "Confirm..." in a calmer than usual tone. He wasn't really feeling it at the moment, but that changed pretty quickly when he saw the meteor gain a vibrant shade of purple.
"Holy shit, Xinyan. You really might be my lucky goddess..."
With Ningguang directing a curious look towards her, an awkward laugh emanated from Xinyan's throat. She had never been good at accepting compliments, so it made her feel all kinds of discombobulated hearing Paul continually referring to her as a goddess.
Observing the meteor split and crash into the summoning platform, Paul's eyes widened as the illusory and very naked figure of Xiangling appeared from within the purple light. Then, before anyone could make sense of the situation, she locked eyes with her far more corporeal counterpart. At that exact moment, her body burst into motes of ruby-red light that sped past Paul and the others before sinking into the original Xiangling's body.
Though she was more than a little surprised by the strange phenomenon, Xiangling's panic dissipated almost immediately as she placed her hand over her heart and said, "I just got a lot stronger...I can feel it..."
Nodding her head in affirmation, Zhongli explained, "That was the Stella Fortuna, the Manifested Essence of a Constellation. Each time you obtain one, your physical parameters, mana capacity, and inherent talents will strengthen by around 15%. Congratulations on being the first to obtain a Constellation, Xiangling."
Feeling a little sheepish, a self-deprecating smile marred Xiangling's face as she rubbed the back of her head and said, "Too bad it wasn't someone with more power...hahaha..."
"Xiangling..."
Worried about her friend and 'senior', Yaoyao gave Xiangling's shoulder a gentle squeeze as she added, "You deserve it..."
Before Xiangling could refute the chestnut-haired girl's words, Paul spoke out, asserting, "Yaoyao's right, Xiangling. You've been working hard since the moment we first met. Now that you've obtained a Constellation, I've no doubt you'll work even harder."
Though she still felt the Constellation was wasted on someone who spent most of the day cooking or lost in their own thoughts, Xiangling managed a sincere smile as she replied, "Thank you, Paul. That means a lot coming from you..."
Raising his brows, Paul was tempted to ask what she meant but quickly decided against it. Instead, he adopted a smile of his own before turning his attention back to the summoning circle and loudly saying, "Right. Let's get on with the next summon." in a marginally more enthused tone.
With the help of Ningguang and Jean, it took less than a minute for Paul to fill each of the hemispherical slots reserved for Fates. Then, without him needing to ask, Xinyan subsequently grabbed his hand and planted a wet kiss on his cheek, saying, "Good luck..." with an awkward smile on her face.
Feeling his own cheeks beginning to tinge, Paul replied with a subdued, "Right..." before placing his hands on the summoning dais and shouting, "Confirm...!" with renewed enthusiasm.
Shifting his gaze skyward, an enthused yet mildly incredulous laugh emanated from Paul's throat as the meteor shifted from blue to purple. When Xinyan witnessed this, even she couldn't quite believe Paul's luck, muttering, "Are you serious...?" to no one in particular.
Hearing Xinyan's utterance, Paul was briefly tempted to respond with a teasing remark. Instead, he followed the meteor until it split into a series of nine blue, one purple, comets. He was curious to see what would come out, never in his wildest dreams expecting it to be another illusory version of Xiangling.
"Seriously...?"
Without responding to Paul's words, the illusory Xiangling zeroed in on her corporeal counterpart before repeating the same actions as her previous incarnation.
Though she felt even more powerful, so much so that she was seized by a sudden and intense urge to move around, Xiangling lowered her head and muttered, "Sorry..." before following it with an even softer, "And thanks..."
Voicing the thought that had just crossed Paul's mind, Xinyan humorously replied, "Are you sure Xiangling isn't your lucky star? There are were like a hundred of us in the Intersection of Fate, yet you've summoned her three times? If that isn't luck, I don't know what is..."
Raising his brows, Paul was tempted to ask for the identities of everyone in the Intersection of Fate but ultimately decided against it. Some things were better off not knowing.
"Right. Let's speed things along a bit. There are a lot of things we need to talk about, and I don't want to be here all night."
Making things much easier for Paul, Jean and Ningguang had already started slotting in gold coins immediately following the second illusory Xiangling's appearance. By the time his interplay with Xiangling and Xinyan had ended, they had already managed to manifest nine Fates.
Instead of thanking the two girls, Paul just smiled awkwardly before turning to face Xinyan. In response, she adopted a smile of her own, but instead of planting a kiss on his cheek, she grabbed the sides of his face and gave him a chaste yet lingering kiss on the lips before pulling away, averting her eyes, and muttering, "For extra luck..."
"..."
Without saying anything, Paul mechanically shifted his attention to the stone dais before placing his palms against its surface and muttering, "Confirm..."
Leaving Paul even more muddleheaded, the meteor in the sky shifted from blue to purple for the fourth consecutive time in a row. He didn't know what the actual odds of this were, but it wasn't an exaggeration to say he had been abnormally fortunate since Xinyan started kissing him...
Breaking Paul from his reverie, the purple comet impacted the center of the platform before dissipating to reveal an adorable girl with pink hair, teardrop eyebrows, and luminous aquamarine eyes. However, her most notable features were undoubtedly her calico-like tail and ears.
"Diona...?"
Hearing Paul say her name, a fretful expression developed across Diona's face as she asked, "Are you the person who's supposed to be my Master? But you're just a little kid..."
Furrowing his brows, Paul was about to point out the fact that Diona was much younger than him, but she beat him to the punch, exhaling a sigh as she touched her fingers to her large forehead and muttered, "Whatever...I just need to do my job, and you'll help restore our world, right? Just don't go getting handsy if you get drunk. It's one thing if your sober, but I hate, hate, hate people who treat alcohol as if it gives them a license to act like perverted idiots!"
Though he was a little annoyed by Diona's insinuation, Paul did his best not to let it bother him. Even Diona's original self was only around 12-13 years old, so he wasn't going to let her fluster him. Instead, he adopted what he hoped to be a friendly smile as he replied, "Sure thing." before gesturing toward Xiangling and Yaoyo, adding, "Mind waiting over there for a bit? We're in the middle of performing a mass summoning."
Nodding her head in affirmation, Diona briefly exchanged glances with Jean before 'prancing' over to Xiangling and Yaoyao. She had a lot more bounce to her step than the average person; a point made all the clearer by her long and surprisingly thick cat tail. It curled upwards in a snaking manner, but it bobbed each time she took a springy step forward.
"Where are you looking...?"
Tilting her head to obscure Paul's vision, Xinyan had a curious and slightly 'threatening' look on her face. In response, Paul lightly furrowed his brows before plainly stating, "I was just staring at her tail. It's different from the Beast People in this world, so I was worried she might stand out. Why...?"
Raising her brows, Xinyan adopted her characteristically playful smile as she asked, "Remember what I said about taking everything seriously? If it wasn't obvious, I was messing with you. Man, you really are helpless, you know that...?"
Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Paul resisted the almost overwhelming urge to tell Xinyan to fuck off. Instead, he tiredly replied, "There is a time and a place for everything..." before shaking his head and adding, "Forget it. I'm just a little stressed out."
Seemingly empathizing with Paul's words, Xinyan gave him a support pat on the back. Paul smiled in response to this, but it quickly cramped when Xinyan suddenly asked, "Want another kiss? Or maybe a hug...?"
Exhaling a sigh, Paul hung his head for a moment. Xinyan immediately felt regret upon seeing this, but before she could find the words to apologize, Paul surprised her by answering, "A hug would be nice..."
...
..
.

Chapter 29: MI29: Continuous Hits