Not long after, Kamisato Ayaka finished her demonstration. Her pretty cheeks were slightly flushed, though it was unclear whether it was from the physical activity or something else.
She calmed her inner emotions and, with a gentle smile, said to the group, "Good morning, all the acting agents of the Shogunate Commission. I'll be relying on everyone from now on to help maintain order in Inazuma."
Hearing her words, everyone snapped back to their senses and enthusiastically expressed that they had no problem with that. Their spirits were high, each person eager to show off in front of Ayaka.
However, Zeyan didn't act that way. He felt such behavior was far too common. Kamisato Ayaka wouldn't think more highly of someone just for that.
After offering a few more words of encouragement, Ayaka took her leave.
Thoma then led everyone to morning training. While the Shogunate Commission didn't primarily deal with combat, having no skills at all was unacceptable.
Normally, recruiting for the Commission wasn't this casual, but Ayaka's special status meant no one objected to her decisions, resulting in this unusual situation.
Thoma could only rely on his experience to guide everyone through various training routines to improve their abilities.
On the spacious training ground, Zeyan swung a practice sword issued by the Commission. He refrained from using the Kamisato-style swordsmanship he'd mastered in the dungeon, lest it draw too much attention, and simply imitated what the others were doing.
Through this routine, Zeyan confirmed he had indeed retained his abilities from the dungeon.
However...
"Hm, this is strange. Back in the dungeon, I would always have bursts of insight while training, and my progress was obvious. But now, I'm not feeling that effect at all?" Zeyan muttered to himself.
"Pffft... The dungeon had a perception-boosting buff. Outside of it, there isn't one."
The system's mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his mind, accompanied by a crackle of static.
Startled, Zeyan quickly whispered, "System? You're alive? I have so many questions for you, like..."
He fired off several questions in a row, but the system didn't respond again. Only static remained, which soon faded away.
Was that just the system's dying gasp?
Zeyan was exasperated. With such a pitiful system, what more could he say? In the novels he wrote, systems were never this unreliable.
Still, the system's brief message gave him some answers.
"Looks like I can still train outside the dungeon—just at a slower pace. From genius to ordinary, huh? I'll need to participate in more dungeons. Even if I don't pick up new skills, I can at least keep honing the Kamisato-style swordsmanship to reach Ayaka's level."
But speaking of dungeons... Zeyan hesitated. He had no idea when the next one would appear, and judging by how unreliable the system had become, maybe it wouldn't show up at all.
Shrugging that thought off, Zeyan decided not to worry. Whether dungeons appeared or not, he now had a personal goal: to become someone of status in Inazuma—and then marry Kamisato Ayaka.
"My wife, wait for me to come and get you," Zeyan murmured.
"My wife? You have a wife? Who is she?" a voice came from the side.
Startled, Zeyan turned and saw Thoma—the blond-haired, green-eyed youth from Mondstadt. Relieved, he exhaled.
"Not you," Zeyan replied.
"Of course it's not me, I'm a guy," Thoma said, inexplicably feeling a shiver.
"Uh... Mr. Thoma, what brings you here?" Zeyan asked, embarrassed.
"Oh, right. The lady plans to go out and needs people to accompany her. She picked you," Thoma said, finally remembering his task.
"She picked me?" Zeyan looked surprised.
"Heh, don't overthink it. She just chose a few of the new recruits, and you happened to be one of them," Thoma said, shrugging.
"Alright then."
Zeyan's excitement quickly faded. Of course, Ayaka didn't remember their life-and-death bond from before. This wasn't special treatment—just coincidence.
Still, it was the kind of luck he liked!
"Where is Lady Kamisato?" Zeyan asked.
"Follow me," Thoma said, turning to lead the way.
As they walked, Thoma couldn't help but ask, "Hey Zeyan, earlier you said you had a wife, right? Is she from Liyue too?"
That question turned Zeyan's face green. "No, I don't! I'm single! Don't spread rumors!"
Thoma: ...
Zeyan firmly corrected him. If Thoma spread such talk and Ayaka heard it, his entire life goal would be ruined!
"I'm single, I'm single, I'm single..." Zeyan kept muttering like a mantra.
"Alright, alright, I get it. You're single," Thoma said, rubbing his temples. He was starting to think Zeyan might be a handful and decided to keep a respectful distance in the future.
Before long, they arrived, and Zeyan saw the always-elegant Kamisato Ayaka. A few other new Commission recruits were also present, all looking thrilled to be chosen for this trip with her.
Ayaka glanced briefly at Zeyan before looking away. She didn't want anyone to notice her special interest in him. Everything had to proceed slowly. As they say in Liyue, "You can't eat hot tofu if you're in a hurry."
"Now that everyone is here, let's depart," Ayaka said softly. "We're going into Inazuma City for some matters. You don't need to do anything—just follow me."
"No problem, Lady Kamisato," the group answered eagerly.
Ayaka stole one more glance at Zeyan before setting off.
Graceful and ladylike on the outside, she was actually feeling quite giddy inside.
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Need More Chapters
Every 300 Power Stones
2 Bonus chapter
Every 500 Power Stones
4 Bonus chapter.
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Try Other Fics I Have
•SAO: I replaced him?
•Anime: I Want Harem
•DxD: I am Kanda Sorata
•Anime: Curse Of Immortality
•Genshin Impact: I have Broken System