MI19: Responsibility (Patreon)

"Your da-I mean, Lord Notos really gave you all of this...?"

Seeing the medium-sized chest a group of burly servants had brought to Paul's private quarters, Xiangling couldn't help staring in disbelief. It was far from the largest chest she had seen, but it was filled to the brim with neatly stacked Asura Gold Coins. She didn't know how deep each stack was, but there were thirty-five across and twenty wide.

Guessing what Xiangling was thinking, Paul explained, "There are 70,000 Asura Gold Coins within this chest. It was initially intended to be used as funds to furnish my annex, hire personnel, and purchase books. Now, my father has given it to me to spend as I please..."

Despite his relatively calm tone, Paul was staring at the contents of the chest with even greater bewilderment than Xiangling. 70,000 Asura Gold Coins were enough to bankroll 700 consecutive 10-Pulls. Even if he only acquired a new ally every 70 pulls, he would have ten more people in his entourage. The question was whether or not that was a good thing...

Noticing Paul's hesitation, it was Jean who asked, "What are you thinking about, Master Paul? If you talk with us, we may be able to help."

Adopting a wry smile, Paul closed the lid of the chest as he explained, "I was just wondering if it was a wise decision to sink all of this gold into the Intersection of Fate. While I'm eager to acquire new allies and help each of you get stronger, I feel like it will completely derail my original plans..."

Since he had only ever discussed such plans with Zhongli, Paul exhaled a sigh before turning in the direction of the three girls and adding, "I'm just going to be honest with you. Before I gained access to the Intersection of Fate, my intentions for this world weren't entirely pure. There are people I intended to track down, befriend, and if the opportunity presented itself..."

Averting his eyes from Xiangling in particular, Paul muttered, "I intended to sleep with them..."

Surprised by Paul's revelation, Jean looked to Zhongli, asking, "Were you aware of this?" in a calm yet forceful tone.

Nodding her head in affirmation, Zhongli answered, "Indeed. However, if you listened till the end, you would discover that Master Paul's intentions were not as impure as he makes them out to be. Our Master intended to track down the companions of his original self to ensure their fates were not worsened as a result of his presence in this world. Sleeping with them was never his primary objective; it was merely something our Master took into consideration when he was planning his future."

Exhaling a sigh of relief, Jean looked towards Paul, an sincerely apologetic expression on her face as she bowed her head and stated, "I owe you an apology. I should not have assumed the worst..."

Raising his hands, Paul shook his head and said, "No, you're not wrong. I mean, Zhongli isn't lying, but...well...it's complicated..."

Scratching the back of his head, Paul contemplated how best to convey his point. In his stead, Zhongli attempted to explain, "Our Master intends to track down six people, each an outcast in their respective tribes. The first is a woman named Ghislaine. Without-"

Raising his hand, Paul interrupted Zhongli's explanation, saying, "I have it all recorded in a journal. It's best not to discuss this type of thing aloud..."

As Zhongli adopted a faint smile and nodded her head, Paul regained a bit of composure, explaining, "All that really matters is that I intend to set out on a journey shortly after my twelfth birthday. If we acquire a lot of allies, I fear I may be too distracted with planning and other matters to focus on my training. I'm also concerned that certain people from your world might not be all that enthused about being summoned as a child..."

Though being summoned as children gave them more time to train, Paul couldn't imagine a female version of Diluc or Xiao being happy with such an arrangement. At the very least, Paul would hate having to go through puberty as a girl and experiencing what it was like to have a period...

Speaking out in the silence that followed Paul's statement, Zhongli stated, "While I can understand your apprehensions, I believe they are baseless. You seem to be under the impression you need to interact and get along with the people you summon through the Intersection of Fate personally. In actuality, you are free to travel, team up with, and generally do as you please. You appear to have forgotten this, but you have the authority to tell anyone that has accepted the Gods' Contract what to do. If you gave us the order to attack an enemy or venture to the other side of the world, we would have no choice but to comply."

Blinking in surprise, Paul could feel a nervous tremor building from his abdomen as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Squinting her eyes and crossing her arms, Zhongli's voice became even more resonant than usual as she said, "You are well aware of the meaning within my words. I suspect you have been since our first conversation."

Unable to meet the gazes of the three girls staring at him, Paul hung his head, his voice barely a whisper as he said, "It isn't right..."

As Zhongli had implied, Paul understood how much power he possessed ever since they first 'discussed terms.' Simply put, anyone he summoned through the Intersection of Fate had no choice but to obey him. It didn't matter if he ordered them to their deaths or commanded them to gratify him sexually. His orders were, very nearly, absolute.

Instead of refuting Paul's words, Zhongli nodded her head, saying, "That may be. However, for the sake of our restoring our world, each of us has agreed to obey the Champion. You need not make use of your authority, but you should not forget it exists. As for whether or not you should make use of the Intersection of Fate...well, let me ask you this. Do you think you can reach a level that exceeds even we Archons on your own...?"

Though he would like to pretend like he had some kind of plot armor that would allow him to exceed even the Gods if he worked hard, Paul wasn't so naive. Even with the means to increase his Mana pool, the odds of him exceeding the Rank of King in Magic or Swordsmanship were slim. A mere week of training with Jean had proven that...

"So what? I sit back and let everyone else do all the heavy lifting while I indulge myself in carnal pleasure...?"

Losing her composure for the first time since Paul had known her, Zhongli exhaled a sigh, hand caressing her forehead as she groaned, "Our Master really knows how to see the worst in every situation..."

Shaking her head, Zhongli quickly regained her impassive expression as she answered, "The important thing is that you're doing what you 'want' to do, not what you think you 'need' to do. If you want to go on a journey, then do so. You need not dedicate your entire life to our cause. By merely staying alive and summoning us into this world, you are supplying us with the means to help ourselves. It is for that reason we serve you. If not for your efforts, we simply wouldn't exist."

Hanging his head a third time, Paul's expression revealed a deeply rooted melancholy. Before he could wallow in self-doubt or depression, however, Xiangling surprised him with a hug.

"Xiangling...?"

While squeezing Paul with as much strength as her slender arms could manage, Xiangling said, "You're a good person, Paul. Though I don't agree with all the things Zhongli said, there is one thing I do know. You deserve to be happy. Please stop making such a scary expression...okay?"

Since he couldn't see his own face, Paul could only assume his furrowed brows and pessimistic gaze appeared scary. Fortunately, Xiangling's hug made him feel a lot better. She was a lot softer than he expected, but the thing he noticed more than anything else was the warmth that seemed to radiate from the very core of her being.

Reciprocating the petite blunette's embrace, Paul's expression and tone softened as he muttered, "Sorry..." before following it with a sincere, "And thank you..."

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After calming down and discussing the matter with a less negative point of view, Paul ultimately reached a similar conclusion as Zhongli. While not exactly baseless, most of his concerns were rendered invalid by the many benefits that came from accessing the Intersection of Fate.

One of the things that had slipped Paul's mind was his mother's chronic illness. She wasn't bedridden, but she would generally spend upwards of ten hours a day resting in her room or in the garden his father had built for her.

If Paul were able to summon someone like Albedo or Sucrose, they would be able to treat his mother's illness with relative ease. If he told him what he knew about things like Penicillin, they might even be able to introduce Antibiotics into the world of Mushoku Tensei. Either way, Paul would only benefit from their presence.

For that, and several other reasons, Paul waited until nightfall before he, Zhongli, Xiangling, and Jean entered the Intersection of Fate. He had no intention of using all 70,000 Asura Gold Coins, but he figured he could at least roll until he had seven allies, a 5-Star Weapon, or achieved 'pity' at 90 consecutive rolls.

Starting things off, Paul was pleasantly surprised to see the first set of meteors transition into a deep shade of purple before splitting off. Even a 4-Star Weapon would be an absolute win in his book, so he was looking forward to seeing what popped out.

What Paul never expected was for Xinyan, one of the most beloved and hated characters in all of Genshin Impact, to appear.

"Alright~! Let's get this party started...!"

Though she currently resembled a six-year-old girl with a black, red, and white maid outfit, Xinyan struck a pose and held up her hand in the almost universal symbol for rock-and-roll. She had basically pioneered the genre back in her world, but what made her stand out was her dark skin and the overall 'wild' vibe she gave off due to her fiery amber eyes and her stylish yet flame-like twin-tails. 

Suppressing his shock, Paul adopted a friendly smile as he crossed his hand over his chest and said, "Welcome to the world of Mushoku Tensei, Xinyan. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Sizing Paul up, a somewhat 'scary' smile developed across Xinyan's face until she realized he wasn't the only one who looked like a child. 

"Well, that's no fun. Didn't think I'd plop into this world as a brat..."

Shaking away her disappointment, Xinyan returned her gaze to Paul, hand raised in a friendly gesture as she replied, "Yo. You must be Paul. Nice to meetcha. The name's Xinyan, but you apparently already knew that."

Maintaining his smile, albeit with a bit of difficulty, Paul nodded his head, explaining, "Back in my previous world, when I believed you were just a game character, I managed to get you to Max Constellation. I'm not sure how your particular style will mesh with this world, but I would be lying if I said it couldn't use a musical renaissance. Dancing to the same handful of tunes has gotten old..."

A little surprised by Paul's words, Xinyan remarked, "Wow, you must have really liked my character if you managed to awaken all my Constellations. You're making me blush."

Though her face didn't have so much as a hint of a blush, Xinyan cupped her cheeks and pretended like she was a bashful maiden. Paul's lack of a reaction made her lose interest, however, so she stopped and asked, "So? What now...?"

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