The Weapon Master Shall Never Die Bare-Handed in Genshin Impact [106]

"Though I wonder if you’ll even be able to use it," Lisa teased, twirling the monocle in her fingers as she eyed Jia Changjiang with mild amusement. "Most adults can’t."

"Let me try!" Jia Changjiang said eagerly, grabbing the monocle. "How does it work? What does it do?"

Lisa explained, "It’s like a little scanner that lets you see people’s imaginary friends. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?"

She sighed wistfully. "Unfortunately, I can’t use it myself. What about you, Jax? See anything?"

"Imaginary friends?" Jia Changjiang muttered, adjusting the monocle and glancing around the library. But even as he scanned the room, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Imaginary friends are the companions that children imagine for themselves," Lisa said, her tone lighthearted. "They’re a reflection of boundless, innocent creativity. But judging by the way you’re squinting… it looks like you’re out of luck."

Lisa reclaimed the monocle with a smile. "Still, that bard seemed to have no trouble using it. You’re friends with Venti, aren’t you? Why not ask him about it?"

"Imaginary friends… companions from your imagination, huh? I’m twenty-eight—how am I supposed to remember what I imagined as a kid?" Jia Changjiang muttered, shaking his head. "Childlike innocence… who’s still got that at twenty-eight?"

He paused mid-sentence, suddenly struck by a thought.

Venti.

He might look like a boy, but his real age was measured in millennia. Why on Teyvat can Venti still see imaginary friends?

"Well, guess I’ll go ask Venti," Jia Changjiang said to Lisa. "Oh, by the way, Razor mentioned he wants to work on his elemental control. Could you help train him?"

"Razor? Of course," Lisa said with a knowing smile. "It’s the perfect chance to teach him something new…"

---

"Achoo!" Razor sneezed loudly, then shivered from the chill that ran down his spine.

He was starting to wonder if he should sneak off somewhere…

The people here were kind, but for days now, he had spent his mornings being pummeled by Jia Changjiang and his afternoons zapped by Lisa.

While he was undoubtedly getting stronger, the training was terrifying.

---

In Mondstadt’s Plaza…

Lumine and Paimon were strolling through the square when they noticed a little girl bouncing and chatting animatedly with empty air.

"Lumine, why is that kid talking to nothing? It’s creepy!" Paimon whispered nervously.

Lumine raised an eyebrow, tilting her head as if examining the scene. "What do you mean, ‘nothing’? Can’t you see? There’s another girl standing right next to her."

"What?! Traveler, don’t scare me like that!" Paimon squealed, glancing around wildly. When she saw the playful grin on Lumine’s face, she realized she’d been tricked and started punching Lumine’s shoulder with her tiny fists.

"That’s probably an imaginary friend," Lumine said with a chuckle. "Kids have them all the time. I used to have one myself!"

"You did? What was it like?" Paimon asked curiously.

Lumine shook her head. "It’s gone now. But my brother had an imaginary friend too."

"Huh… so does everyone have one as a kid?" Paimon wondered aloud, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "What do other people’s imaginary friends look like, then?"

"Well, imaginary friends are private, aren’t they?" Lumine said. "No one else is supposed to see them. But now that you mention it, I am curious…"

"What about people like Jean or Lisa? What kind of imaginary friends would they have?" Paimon speculated.

Lumine’s thoughts wandered elsewhere. "I wonder… what kind of imaginary friend someone like Jax would have…"

"Yo, Lumine, Paimon!"

Before they could continue their musings, Venti appeared out of nowhere. "Were you just talking about… imaginary friends?"

"It’s you, the bard!" Paimon exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I just borrowed something interesting from Lisa. It happens to be related to imaginary friends," Venti said, holding up the monocle with a mischievous grin. "Want to give it a try?"

"Is that… some kind of power level detector?" Lumine asked, tilting her head at the monocle. "Can it really let you see imaginary friends?"

"Of course! Though you’ll need a bit of childlike wonder—and maybe a dash of something else," Venti replied cheerfully. "So, want to give it a shot?"

"Sure!" Lumine took the monocle from Venti and put it on without hesitation.

The moment she donned it, her vision shifted. She saw the little girl from earlier and, next to her, a friend of similar age happily bouncing along.

"Whoa! I can really see them!" Lumine exclaimed, her excitement piquing Paimon’s curiosity.

"I wanna see too! Wait… this thing is way too big for me to wear," Paimon grumbled.

"Ha! I knew you’d be able to see them," Venti said, laughing. "How does it feel?"

"It’s fascinating," Lumine said, her voice tinged with wonder. "It’s like a whole new layer of the world just appeared in front of me."

Suddenly, Lumine’s gaze shifted.

"Huh? What’s wrong, Traveler? What do you see?" Paimon asked, intrigued.

"There’s so much…" Lumine murmured, her eyes darting around. "Dragons… windmills… wait, is that Dvalin?"

Through the monocle, Lumine could see the city filled with towering dragons as large as windmills, alongside dozens of massive imaginary windmills and other fantastical creations.

"Interesting, isn’t it?" Venti said softly, a gentle smile on his face. "All of these are the imaginary friends of Mondstadt’s children."

"Children’s imagination… it’s amazing," Lumine murmured. "I can see four Dvalins right now!"

She laughed, her voice filled with astonishment. "I don’t think I’d be surprised no matter what kind of imaginary friend I see next—wait, what is that?"

Her eyes locked onto a peculiar sight: a purple, malevolent-looking specter floating in midair. Before her eyes, it transformed into a childlike figure with a red sash and golden hoops, its hair styled into a topknot.

As she continued to watch, the figure shifted again—this time into seven small boys, each balancing a gourd on their heads.

Lumine blinked, utterly baffled. "What kind of imaginary friend is that? Why does it keep changing?!"

---

This is a fan translation of 武器大师在原神绝不死于徒手 by 徐人双 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!