"So, you're saying that if I complete the mission, my sister will live, right?!"
In a vast, white space, a girl with twin pigtails seemed to be talking to herself.
"Yes, Host. You only need to collect as much emotional feedback as possible. Sufficient emotional feedback will not only heal your sister but also allow you to revive and return to the real world."
A mechanical voice, devoid of emotion, echoed. The girl's chest heaved violently, her heart pounding with turmoil.
"But what if my sister can't hold on while I'm completing the mission?"
"Rest assured, Host. During your mission, the time flow in your original world will be drastically slowed. Furthermore, the System will ensure the vital signs of all mission-related personnel remain stable."
Hearing the System's assurance, the girl took a deep breath. Her beautiful, wide eyes shifted, as if steeling herself for a great resolve.
"Alright, I accept!" she declared firmly, her voice ringing with conviction.
The moment she agreed, a holographic screen materialized before her, displaying a rough outline of a right hand in bold white lines.
"Please sign and affix your mark, Host."
Sign and affix my mark?
The girl pressed her slender, pale hand against the screen. After a slight tremor, the screen vanished.
Suddenly, the girl felt like she had sold herself.
No, not just a feeling.
She had actually sold herself...
Well, what's done is done.I've already died once; having this chance is already the greatest stroke of luck imaginable!
The girl's name was Jiang Mumu. At twenty years old, she was of average height and unremarkable in every way except for her pretty, cute looks.
She had a younger sister, Jiang Wanling, who was a year younger.
Unlike Jiang Mumu, Jiang Wanling was tall, with a strikingly mature figure and a strong personality.
Compared to Jiang Mumu, she seemed more like the older sister.
A few months earlier, Jiang Wanling had been diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer.
A bolt from the blue!
This devastating news piled more misery onto their already struggling family. Father and Mother Jiang frantically borrowed money and took out loans, their hair turning white within days.
Jiang Mumu took on multiple jobs, neglecting her studies and working around the clock. She collapsed while delivering food.
When Jiang Mumu regained consciousness, she found herself in a vast, white space. A being calling itself "System" demanded she complete missions, promising that upon completion, her sister's illness would be cured and she would be resurrected and returned to the real world.
How could Jiang Mumu possibly refuse?!
After communicating with the System, Jiang Mumu learned the specifics of her mission.
In essence, she had to enter a game world, become an NPC, and frantically collect emotional feedback from both in-game characters and players outside the game—the more, the better!
"Host, please select a game world."
Jiang Mumu jolted upright, her gaze sweeping solemnly over the games presented by the System. Without much hesitation, she chose Genshin Impact.
She chose Genshin Impact because it was the only game she had ever played, and also her absolute favorite.
Before her sister was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, Jiang Mumu had been a veritable "grind god."
She had achieved 100% exploration across the entire map, reached the maximum level of 60 as an "old timer," and had even planned to reincarnate for a fresh start—a plan that never came to fruition.
Jiang Mumu was intimately familiar with the Genshin Impact storyline, having progressed the main questline all the way to Natlan, up to the scene where the Pyro Archon shattered the False Sky with a single punch.
Realizing her mission and connecting it to reality, Jiang Mumu couldn't think of a more suitable game than Genshin Impact!
["Host, would you like to open the Beginner's Gift Pack?"]
A Beginner's Gift Pack?
Jiang Mumu mentally commanded, "Open."
["Seven avatars are ready for deployment. Please select each avatar's nation and identity. Please customize each avatar's appearance. Please choose each avatar's gender. Please define each avatar's personality. Please..."]
A torrent of system prompts flooded her mind, leaving Jiang Mumu stunned for a long moment before she could react.
Avatars?
After carefully reviewing the system's explanation, Jiang Mumu quickly straightened her face, her expression turning serious.
This meant... she, no, her avatars, would truly descend upon the Teyvat Continent, becoming genuine residents of Teyvat!
Starting from birth, no less!
Jiang Mumu's breathing quickened. Wasn't this getting a bit too intense right from the start?
And that thing about controlling seven avatars simultaneously... could she really manage that?!
Countless questions swirled through Jiang Mumu's mind.
After a long while, Jiang Mumu finally snapped out of her daze and began meticulously studying the gift pack provided by the System.
These were the seven clones.
It wasn't until Jiang Mumu began fleshing out the clones' genders, appearances, and personalities that she truly understood the meaning of "all things are difficult in their beginnings." She never imagined that the very first step of her mission would prove so challenging.
Two days later.
After consulting references from other games and anime, Jiang Mumu finally completed the designs for her seven clones.
Gazing at her masterpiece, she nodded, immensely satisfied.
If not for this space where she felt no hunger, sleepiness, or fatigue, Jiang Mumu would never have been able to finish the designs so quickly.
These were just basic sketches, outlining the general traits and ensuring each clone's attractiveness and personality. Even so, the task had consumed so much of her time.
Whether the clones would ultimately align with Jiang Mumu's designs would depend on their development on Teyvat.
According to the System, if a clone failed to thrive in Teyvat, it might even fail to obtain a Vision...
In that case, the clone's utility would be severely limited.
"Host, are you ready to enter the game world?"
Jiang Mumu reviewed the seven clones one last time, confirming their accuracy before declaring, "Confirm entry!"
-
Teyvat.
Five golden and two purple beams of light descended from the heavens, striking various locations across Teyvat.
The beams arrived silently, undetected even by the Seven Archons.
-
Mondstadt.
Following Diluc, Master Crepus, the Mondstadt wine magnate, welcomed another daughter into the world. Overjoyed, Crepus named his precious daughter Rola, her full name being Rola Ragnvindr.
-
Liyue.
On the same day, an ordinary couple welcomed a baby girl into the world. The father named her Qingge, meaning "fresh and natural, a song of the seasons."
-
Inazuma.
The ancient lineage of miko welcomed another baby girl.
Sumeru...
Fontaine...
Natlan...
Snezhnaya. On this night, a baby girl was born into a large family, with several older brothers and sisters. Her father named her Angie, his second child after his son Ajax!
-
The moment her clones set foot on Teyvat, Jiang Mumu felt a tearing pain in her consciousness, as if her very mind was being ripped apart.
"System, quick! Think of something! I'm dying! I'm dying!" she screamed internally, enduring the agonizing mental torment.
Fortunately, the reliable System intervened just in time, reinforcing Jiang Mumu's mental fortitude and preventing her imminent collapse.
The System's timely assistance, arriving just before her mind shattered, instantly alleviated ninety-nine percent of her mental strain.
With the System's support, Jiang Mumu gradually mastered controlling her clones.
Though the seven clones possessed distinct personalities, they were all, fundamentally, Jiang Mumu herself.
As the clones matured, Jiang Mumu began to feel increasingly drained. Each clone led their own separate life, making it impossible for her to personally manage them all.
By the time the clones reached one and a half years old, Jiang Mumu had begun to relinquish control. She no longer micromanaged each clone, knowing they would continue to live according to the personalities she had initially designed for them, regardless of her interference.
Alternating between experiencing the lives of her clones, Jiang Mumu grew to enjoy this lifestyle.
At times, she even wondered if this existence wasn't so bad after all—far better than her previous life as a wage slave.
Whenever such thoughts arose, Jiang Mumu would remind herself of her parents and younger sister, still struggling to survive in the real world. This strengthened her resolve and renewed her determination.
Seventeen years passed in the blink of an eye.
-
Spy-Ready for some Peak... Tragedy?
A mass release a little different from how I normally upload fics, but I thought people would like to binge a bit more so maybe I adopt it in the future depending on reception.