MI117: Summoning Spree (3/?) (Patreon)

With Mona joining the growing group of people watching the summoning, Paul and Ganyu continued with ever-increasing efficiency. Their next set didn't net anything unique, but it did earn them a 4-Star Lithic Blade and Constellations for Diona, Lisa, Chongyun, Sucrose, and even Yoimiya.

Though there was a small event where Sucrose's brain practically short-circuited upon seeing her naked self appearing, she was eventually able to calm down after a few hushed words from Ningguang. 

Moving on to the next set of pulls, Paul's and Ganyu's luck appeared to run out as they got five misses and three weapon pulls. Fortunately, luck had little effect on Pity, so Paul was still in relatively high spirits when he activated the summoning circle a ninth time and eagerly anticipated the reveal.

And what a reveal it was.

Appearing from within the golden light was an ethereal beauty with a lithe figure, grey hair tinged with a hint of jade green, and jade-green eyes that exuded a sense of 'distance' despite seeming to be able to see through all things. Her maid attire was predominately green, borrowing the aesthetics of Liyue, but the features that stood out most prominently were the cut of her skirt, barely covering a third of her incredibly tempting thighs, and the large bell dangling from her hip.

Catching Paul staring, a strangely 'nostalgic' smile developed across the woman's face as she remarked, "My, how many millennia has it been since such a handsome young lad looked at me with such eyes? Perhaps being reborn isn't so bad."

As confusion marred Paul's face, everything became clear as Zhongli said, "Ah, Madame Ping. It's good to see you. With you-"

Interrupting Zhongli's words, Madame Ping adopted a squinty-eyed smile as she said, "Xia Ping. Calling me Madame makes me sound like an old woman, fufufufu..."

With Zhongli briefly taken aback and resisting the urge to point out that Xiao Ping was from the same generation as she was, the latter returned her penetrating gaze to Paul and said, "You must be Paul Notos Greyrat, Champion of the Intersection of Fate, and the Master I am contracted to serve. It's been quite some time since I pledged myself to another, but I will do my best to ensure you are never disappointed by my service..."

Though she found the notion of people being forced to serve someone they had never even met, Xiao Ping didn't resent Paul for being chosen as the Champion. He was as much a victim as the rest of them, so she would do her best to ensure he didn't stray down a dark path. She was, after all, an Adeptus. Guiding, serving, and protecting mortals toward the paths of prosperity and enlightenment was her duty...

After recovering from his brief shock, Paul asked, "Aren't you the person with the power to create spatial pockets and sub-dimensions...?"

Since Zhongli was present, Xiao Ping wasn't particularly surprised to hear that Paul had been informed of her unique ability. In response, she simply nodded her head and replied, "Indeed. However, this world and its Laws are foreign to me. Smaller pockets should be relatively simple, but it may take years before I can construct a realm capable of sustaining people and housing other living organisms. It ultimately comes down to whether or not this world has suitable materials to serve as a catalyst. However, even if it doesn't, I'm sure we can find a solution..."

With Xiao Ping shifting her gaze over to her, Zhongli nodded her head and elucidated, "As the concentration of Elemental Energy increases within a given area, it will gradually begin to influence people, plants, animals, and the minerals within the ground. With sufficient time and a bit of assistance from our Master, we should have no issues producing Smaragdus Jadeite and other necessary materials."

Understanding what Zhongli meant by 'assistance,' a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he said, "We'll talk about it later. For now, I still need to do more summons. Please join the others at the side, Xi-"

"Feel free to refer to me as Ping. As my Master, you are more than entitled to address me informally."

"Right...well, mind joining the others at the side, Ping? We're attempting to obtain one of the Archons."

Bowing slightly yet respectfully, Ping replied, "As you will." before moving over to Zhongli with graceful, eerily silent steps. It was like she produced absolutely no sounds while moving, her presence effortlessly mixing with her surroundings to the point she almost felt like an illusion...

Shaking away his wayward thoughts, Paul returned his attention to the task at hand. He was determined to acquire a new Archon even if he had to expend every last piece of Asura Gold in his possession. 

As if to slap him in the face, Paul's next two Pity rolls, literally occurring one after another, were Archons. Unfortunately, though it was inarguably a very, very good thing, they ended up being Constellations for Kusanali. She ended up bursting into laughter as a result, as, while it didn't make her more powerful than Zhongli or Ei, it meant she was the Archon with the greatest number of Constellations.

Fortunately, Paul's rolls didn't exclusively serve to inflate Kusanali's ego. He also obtained Constellations for Amber, Yun Jin, and Xingqiu. More importantly, though she was yet another loli, Paul was able to acquire a new ally, an adorable little Oni girl with short, maroon-brown hair, purple eyes, and a single red horn sticking out of her head. Her name was Kuku Shinobu, and, despite appearing to be from the same age group as Klee and Sayu, she was apparently sixteen years old. Paul seriously doubted this, but it was confirmed by both Yae and Kokomi, so all he could really do was hope a miracle occurred within the next two years.

Though he had overcome his inhibitions against 'youthful-looking' girls with the help of people like Roxy and Diona, Shionbu's height of 133cm made Paul more than a little uncomfortable...

With Shinobu moving over to join the group consisting of Kokomi and Sayu, Paul and Ganyu resumed their gacha spree. Paul was thinking about calling it quits after obtaining the Constellations for Kusanali, but he was glad he didn't as the next series of rolls gave him the fourth Constellation for Hina, the third for Amber, and the second for Razor. He was also able to fulfill Ganyu's request, as, from within the luminous golden light of his Pity summoning, a slender but surprisingly full-chested girl with a serious expression and long, purple pigtails popped out.

After observing her surroundings, the violet-eyed woman briefly narrowed her eyes at Ganyu before shifting her gaze to Paul and allowing him to get a good look at her peculiar, diamond-shaped pupils as she asked, "You're my Master...?" in an almost offended-sounding tone. In actuality, that was just the way the overly serious woman spoke to people.

Answering in Paul's stead, Ningguang adopted a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she warned, "Mind your tone, Keqing. You're welcome to draw your own conclusion, but Paul has managed to earn the respect of myself and nearly everyone he has summoned through the IOF. Keep that in mind as you choose your next words."

Looking towards Ningguang, Keqing's fair complexion became noticeably paler despite narrowing her eyes as she replied, "I understand." before shifting her attention back to Paul and adding, "My name is Keqing. Back in my previous world, I was known as Yuheng, the member of the Qixing tasked with overseeing land rights and the development of infrastructure. Please keep that in mind as you assign my duties and responsibilities..." 

Though he wasn't particularly fond of Keqing's tone, Paul maintained a casual smile as he replied, "Sure thing. For now, why don't you head over and join Ningguang? I'm sure the two of you have things to discuss."

Expecting Paul to be a little more 'authoritative,' Keqing was a little taken aback by his casual response and demeanor. However, instead of saying anything about it, she nodded and replied, "You're right..." before casting one final glance toward Ganyu and making her way over to Ningguang.

Following the purple-haired beauty movements, Paul narrowed his eyes as he resisted the urge to ask what the fuck her problem was. The look she gave Ganyu was similar to the looks unhinged feminists and racists reserved for men and people of other ethnicities. If Klee and Sayu hadn't been present, he may have given her a piece of his mind and spanked the shit out of her catty little ass.

Fortunately for Keqing, Paul was beginning to grow a little weary of the mass summoning. Ganyu had also given his hand a gentle squeeze, so he shelved the matter of Keqing's apparent bigotry and decided to focus on the task at hand.

Worsening Paul's mood to a near-critical level, the following seven sets of 10-Pulls were all misses. By the time of the eighth, his face had morphed into an expressionless deadpan that could even give Saitama a run for his money. 

As a result of Paul's waning enthusiasm, he was pretty sure his mind was playing tricks on him when the meteor produced by the eighth pull gained a luminous golden hue. He had yet to acquire a single 5-Star without Pity, so, for a brief moment, he just stared blankly as the meteor split into ten lights, eight blue, one purple, and a gold.

Just as Paul's excitement was beginning to build again, his world came crashing down along with the comets. While he was more than happy to have obtained a 5-Star on his eighth pull, the figures that appeared from within the luminous golden light were Kay and Klee. Paul didn't mind the former in the slightest but seeing a naked Klee appear caused his newly acquired smile to cramp.

Luckily for Paul, Klee happened to be enjoying Yae's lap pillow at the time of her Constellation's appearance. She was immediately awoken when the illusory figure rushed into her body, but she wasn't awake to actually see it appear. 

As Yae coaxed the confused Klee back to sleep, Paul steeled himself to continue summoning. This was likely the last major spree he would go on in the next 3-5 years, so a look of resolution appeared on his face as he internally swore, ("I swear, if another Constellation for Kusanli shows up, I'm fucking her for three days straight...")

Fortunately for both Paul and Kusanali, his next series of pulls weren't a bunch of misses. He managed to acquire four duplicate 4-Star Weapons, and, upon reaching Pity, a new ally revealed herself in the form of one of the most beautiful women Paul had ever laid eyes on. Curiously enough, she was also someone he recognized, not from the game but the catalog Katheryne had given him.

Standing at 166cm tall and possessing silvery-grey hair that extended well past her perfectly sculpted ass, the full-breasted woman possessed an allure that could rival Ganyu's. Both gave off an aura as if they were completely detached from the rest of the world, like the moon hanging in the sky or an impossibly beautiful flower perched beneath a cliff, visible at a distance but nearly impossible to obtain.

Meeting Paul's gaze, the silver-haired woman's face revealed absolutely no trace of emotion as she coldly asserted, "It would appear my time has come. Shenhe, Disciple of the Adepti, at your service..."

As if his previous anger and frustration had been illusions, Paul adopted an appreciative smile as he uttered a near-instinctual, "Nice." He usually wasn't very interested in cold and 'emotionless' beauties, but his mastery in the Water God Style allowed him to peer through Shenhe's facade. She hid it very, very well, but he was able to detect a burst of killing intent the moment their eyes met. This would be a put-off for most people, but Paul had developed a particular fondness for peeling back the facades of ice-cold beauties and making them a little more honest...

Recalling the outfit he had seen Shenhe wearing the catalog, Paul would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to purchase it on the spot. Instead, he adp[ted a friendly smile and said, "Welcome to the world of Mushoku Tensei, Shenhe. Glad to have you with us."

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