On the beach between Starfell Valley and the Whispering Woods in the Mondstadt region of Teyvat.
Logically speaking, this was the starting point, the place where travelers began their journeys.
Yet from the very beginning, everything had changed.
The identity of the Traveler still existed, but instead of the blonde-haired camera-holder, it had been taken over by an otherworldly traveler.
Guchen, an ordinary shut-in from the real world, had woken up to find himself transmigrated into this world, arriving right on this beach.
When he first got here, he hadn't realized this was Teyvat.
It was only after walking around and discovering two plants, Sweet Flowers and Sunsettias, that he understood where he had transmigrated.
Even more incredible was that the next morning, forced by hunger to try his hand at fishing, he reeled in a Paimon!
Since even Paimon had been fished up, his identity was naturally self-evident.
Being able to replace the blonde camera-holder to travel across this colorful world, righting certain tragedies and changing things to his satisfaction, was indeed a good thing.
However, why had he replaced the Traveler? Was there some hidden agenda behind it? Guchen wanted to figure it out.
And who better to ask... than the Paimon right in front of him?
After grabbing Paimon by the feet like a wet towel and shaking her vigorously upside down to clear the water from her stomach, Paimon woke up in a daze.
Once awake, communication became possible.
Facing the little creature, Guchen put on a solemn and serious expression, engaging her in a frank and open dialogue.
To show his sincerity, Guchen first explained his origins, telling Paimon the general situation of his original world, and even revealing that in his world, this one was merely a video game!
Upon hearing this, Paimon was extremely astonished.
After pondering for a moment, however, Paimon felt that this world probably wasn't fake.
The reason it was just a game in Guchen's original world was likely because certain information from Teyvat had been projected into that world and manifested in the form of a game.
Paimon's explanation was simply groundbreaking, making Guchen look at her in a whole new light and realizing that her identity was definitely not simple.
Therefore, he naturally seized the opportunity to ask about Paimon's origins.
Unfortunately, even after clutching her forehead and thinking for a long time, Paimon couldn't figure out what on earth she was, and could only say that Paimon was just Paimon.
During this time, Guchen kept his eyes fixed on Paimon.
He could tell that Paimon was not deceiving him; she genuinely had no idea.
Had she been sealed? Or had she lost most of her power and regressed to this state? Guchen couldn't figure it out either.
Just as Guchen was deep in thought, Paimon began to panic.
Since she couldn't even figure out what she was herself, she had no way to prove her identity.
How was she supposed to earn Guchen's trust like this?
Clearly, she ought to be Guchen's best companion!
Rack her brains as she might, Paimon could think of no other way, so she decided to demonstrate her power to Guchen.
Paimon's abilities were simple to describe, yet not so simple in practice.
She could control the flow of time, speeding it up or slowing it down, though she could not reverse it.
By controlling the flow of time, she could also influence space to a certain extent, since space and time are interconnected.
Additionally, she could influence human consciousness to a certain degree.
Whenever anyone looked at Paimon, they wouldn't feel curious about what species she belonged to, simply viewing her as an ordinary living being.
Hearing about these three abilities, and even watching Paimon demonstrate time slowing down on the spot, Guchen was astonished.
Wait... in the original story, Paimon had never confessed these three abilities to the blonde, had she?
Perhaps she had, but the original plot hadn't shown it.
Regardless of that, Paimon being so candid right off the bat still managed to deeply touch Guchen.
Seeing the little creature's nervous and uneasy expression, Guchen smiled and comforted her:
"Paimon, you don't need to worry. Even though you can't figure out your own origins, I am still willing to trust you and treat you as my best companion."
Paimon visibly breathed a sigh of relief, patting her small chest as she relaxed immensely:
"That's good, that's good! I was scared to death just now! I have no idea what's going on with me either. But I know my mission is to be your companion and your guide, to lead you in traveling across the entire world, and to accompany you to the very end!"
Guchen smiled and shook his head:
"No, not to accompany me to the end—to accompany me all the way forward!"
Paimon's eyes lit up, a touched expression crossing her face as she nodded vigorously:
"Mm, all the way forward!"
With that, little Paimon tentatively reached out a hand:
"Umm... should we pinky swear?"
Guchen smiled as well, reaching out his own pinky to hook Paimon's even smaller pinky, chanting as they intertwined their fingers:
"Pinky swear, no backing down, break the promise, to the glacier you're bound. Glaciers are freezing, snowfields are chill, liars' tongues will frost until!"
Hearing this, Paimon really couldn't keep her composure:
"Ugh... of all things... it's a cruel nursery rhyme from Snezhnaya! Guchen, don't tell me you learned this Snezhnayan nursery rhyme from the game information when you played it?"
Guchen smiled warmly:
"That's right, exactly."
Paimon clutched her head, feeling an inexplicable sense of grievance:
"Mmph... It seems you really do know everything about this world. But if that's the case, won't my role as your guide become completely dispensable?"
Seeing the little creature on the verge of a breakdown, Guchen quickly comforted her:
"What are you saying? What do you mean by dispensable? I don't care all that much about having a guide; what I care about is that you are my companion. Paimon, don't be sad. Come, come, let me show you a trick."
Coaxing her thus, Guchen extended his hand.
From the palm of his hand, warm and dazzling light gradually radiated!
Seeing this, Paimon's attention was diverted. She widened her eyes and leaned forward:
"Whoa! What is this?! Light?! How warm, how powerful! Among the seven elements in Teyvat, I've never heard of a Light Element!"
Guchen wore a mysterious smile.
Of course this wasn't the Light Element, nor was it some Realm of Light from Enkanomiya, but pure Light Energy.
The current Guchen was both human and light.
Perhaps he could be called... a Lifeform of Light!
With that phrase—both human and light—you can probably guess the source of Guchen's power, right?
That's right, it was the multiverse worldview of Ultraman!
Everything was thanks to Guchen's cheat-like system, which Guchen simply called "System."
The System had no other function besides drawing gacha prizes.
And the pool for these draws was the Ultraman multiverse worldview.
The System could pull any power, skill, or item from that universe!
I must say, the Ultraman multiverse worldview is every bit as vast as the universe of trees and seas here.
And any powers, skills, or items drawn from over there and placed into Teyvat would undoubtedly possess unimaginable might!
Even now, Guchen couldn't help thinking with a hint of smugness: If only the timeline wasn't so late—had he transmigrated during the Archon War, he surely would have managed to snag the title of the God of Light!