Becoming a Banner Character

(The typos in livestream rooms, comment sections, and bullet chats are mostly homophonic jokes.)

(For corrections to typos in the main text, please @ the author. Much appreciated.)

(Store your brain here and enjoy the fun.)

Teyvat Continent.

Liyue, Chenyu Vale.

The summit of Mingyuan Mountain.

Mu Yang stood before a glowing screen, talking to himself.

It all began a few hours earlier.

Mu Yang had originally planned to grind Genshin Impact on a weekend morning.

He wanted to max out Chenyu Vale's exploration progress.

Just as he was about to finish, his vision suddenly went black.

When he woke up again, he was atop Mingyuan Mountain.

Before him was nothing but an interface called the "Character Popularity System."

Mu Yang studied it for a moment.

Then he asked, "System, what can you do?"

An electronic female voice replied.

"This system is called the 'Character Popularity System.'"

"As the name implies, the host may freely set their background and skills."

"Become a Genshin Impact banner character and gain popularity among players."

"That popularity can be used to grow stronger, and this system's functions will also expand."

After hearing the system's explanation,

Mu Yang found it rather hard to process.

Other people got heaven-defying comprehension.

Or started out as some sort of Adeptus.

A Fatui Executive, something like that.

So why did he end up as this kind of interface?

He even had to make players pull for him before he could grow stronger...

And becoming a popular character

meant players would make all sorts of absurd fan creations about him.

He might even end up on some pink R18 app...

Still, he could accept all that.

What he found hardest to accept was the current point in time.

As someone who had started playing during the Inazuma version

and had played for two and a half years, Mu Yang

could still work this system well enough.

He remembered the story milestones and such.

But the place he was currently in was Chenyu Vale.

"System, did you bring me to the wrong place?"

"This is fucking Chenyu Vale! Chenyu Vale wasn't even released until Version 4.4!"

"The Lantern Rite has already ended by then, hasn't it? Where am I supposed to make an appearance?"

"Swim across to Fontaine and go to Chiori's Shop?"

The system understood what he meant.

It connected the interface to footage from Blue Planet.

Over there, a preview for Genshin Impact's launch was playing.

"This is Parallel Blue Planet. Genshin Impact has not launched yet."

So he could still start from Mondstadt.

That left far too much room to work with.

Mu Yang immediately grew excited.

"Hehehe, let me try being the blade for once!"

Although Mu Yang had started Genshin Impact during the Inazuma version,

by now, he had been stabbed by the story so many times he was numb to it.

At this moment, he could hardly wait to throw himself into the game

and give the players a truly vicious stabbing.

Mu Yang opened the system interface.

He made the following settings:

Name: Mu Yang

Vision: Cryo

Constellation: Seat of Solitude

Weapon Type: Sword

Affiliation: Chenyu Vale

Title: Oath of the Deep Sword

Normal Attack: Cloud Terrace Three Falls: Performs up to three consecutive normal attacks.

Charged Attack: Consumes Stamina to deal a circular unsheathing attack centered on himself.

When possessing at least one stack of Sword Intent, the Charged Attack consumes one stack of Sword Intent to increase the damage of this Charged Attack.

Plunging Attack: Plunges from midair to strike the ground, dealing AoE damage.

Elemental Skill: Azure Dragon Emerging from Water: A rapid forward thrust. An ice dragon deals damage to enemies along its path.

Gains an unreplaceable Cryo infusion for 12 seconds.

Cooldown: 8 seconds.

Elemental Burst: Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers: Mu Yang unleashes the pinnacle of his swordsmanship.

At extreme speed, he slashes forward with a sword aura capable of shattering mountains and rivers.

Enemies hit enter a Stasis state for 6 seconds.

While enemies are in Stasis,

an ice clone is summoned every second.

The clones use Mu Yang's sword techniques

to attack enemies struck by the sword aura. (Off-field)

Elemental Energy: 80.

Cooldown: 18 seconds.

Passive Talent 1: Sword Intent: Each Normal Attack hit grants one stack of Sword Intent.

Maximum 5 stacks. Each stack increases Cryo damage by 5%.

Each stack of Sword Intent lasts 15 seconds.

When gaining Sword Intent beyond five stacks, the duration of the stack with the least remaining time is refreshed.

Passive Talent 2: Traceless: After casting the Elemental Skill Azure Dragon Emerging from Water,

nearby characters gain interruption resistance.

They ignore the first instance of damage received and counterattack.

Passive Talent 3: Soaring Cloud

While out of combat, jumping is replaced by Lightness Skill.

This is canceled three seconds after entering combat.

Constellation 1: Swimming Dragon: Azure Dragon Emerging from Water gains one additional use.

Constellation 2: Shattering Arts: Enemies hit by Azure Dragon Emerging from Water have their casting interrupted, their movement speed reduced, and are disarmed for 3 seconds.

Constellation 3: Star Shift: Increases the level of Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.

Constellation 4: Falling Rain: Enemies hit by the first sword aura of Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers

have their DEF reduced by 40% for 10 seconds.

Subsequent clone damage increases by 10%.

Constellation 5: Chasing the Moon: Increases the level of Azure Dragon Emerging from Water by 3. Maximum upgrade level is 15.

Constellation 6: Misty Glow Fills the Sky: After casting Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers,

immediately gains 5 stacks of Sword Intent and 80 Energy.

Refreshes the cooldowns of Azure Dragon Emerging from Water and Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers.

Can trigger once every 60 seconds.

Mu Yang finished setting his skills according to his preferences.

A simple, straightforward primitive Cryo DPS.

As for why he chose the Cryo element,

naturally, it was because Cryo characters' backgrounds were easier to make something of.

Next came the character background settings.

The system reminded him

that background settings would alter Teyvat's perception of him.

He needed to personally travel there to simulate them,

and doing so would consume a large amount of Popularity Points.

Therefore, Mu Yang could only provide a rough description for now.

He would fill in the details once his popularity increased later.

Mu Yang could not help complaining to the system:

You can't even bear to give me a beginner's gift pack.

What a stingy bastard.

Background settings:

A mysterious swordsman of Chenyu Vale.

He guards a sword pool atop a snow-covered mountain.

Rumors say he is an Adeptus.

He carries an unknown past.

It seems to be connected to old events in Chenyu Vale.

After that came the choice of character art.

That part was quite convenient.

Mu Yang merely formed a rough image in his mind,

and the interface displayed the character art.

A silver-haired youth wore black-and-white ancient attire.

A Jade Pendant and a Cryo Vision hung at his waist.

In his right hand, he held a highly peculiar sword.

Its Sword Scabbard seemed to be entwined with white branches.

Three Soul Fragrance Flowers adorned the guard.

``` "That should be about right."

Mu Yang pressed confirm.

The settings began to take effect.

The grassy mountaintop began collapsing inward.

It then formed a lake covered in ice and snow.

The temperature around him plummeted, but Mu Yang did not feel cold.

Because the moment the settings were complete,

he became the bearer of a Cryo Vision.

His hair began to turn white.

He also changed into the clothes from the character art.

Mu Yang suddenly felt himself floating off the ground.

Scene after scene of memories appeared before his eyes.

Inside that small pavilion,

he, Fujin, Lingyuan, and Medicine Master

were drinking and making merry.

Then the scene flashed past.

Medicine Master was slashed into several pieces before him.

Mu Yang drew the sword from the character art--

Wither and Flourish: Thousand Mountains Covering Snow.

He charged toward that blurry figure of an enemy.

In an instant, all kinds of complicated emotions surged into his heart.

Anger, helplessness, loneliness, misunderstanding...

They all felt vividly real.

Mu Yang pressed his brow for a while before barely recovering.

The system said, "Tsk tsk, hurting the players before it's even begun and taking eight hundred damage yourself in the process—pretty damn impressive."

Mu Yang didn't think it was a big deal.

They were just simulated memories.

He could tell the difference.

He followed the mountain path toward Yilong Port.

Though it was clearly his first time walking it,

he navigated it with practiced ease.

It was as if he had lived in Chenyu Vale for many years.

In Mu Yang's setting,

his swordsmanship, when brought to its limit, could rival a god.

And his Signature Weapon—"Wither and Flourish: Thousand Mountains Covering Snow"—was the key object suppressing the god within the Sword Pool.

But the setting had not yet been fully developed.

Neither the sword nor the god was here yet.

There was no need for him to actually stand guard here.

Besides, it was time to stir up some trouble and gain some popularity.

"Aha! Happy time is about to begin!"