Golden Light and Transmigration

The cramped single-room rental in the city was lit only by a streetlamp at the corner of the building across the alley, its light filtering through the window and clothes that were rarely washed and hung out more than once every few days.

At the wood-colored desk that doubled as his dining table, Li Qiuzhi stared at the game running on his laptop screen.

In the dim room, the image cast a hazy glow across his face. It was the wish screen for the Lesser Lord Kusanali's banner.

He had not switched off the lights because of a power outage or to save electricity.

He had started wishing with his saved Primogems on the very first day the Lesser Lord Kusanali was released, only to lose the fifty-fifty again.

Li Qiuzhi had failed to get the featured new character on several fifty-fifties now. Another thirty-odd wishes afterward had produced nothing.

An ordinary vocational college graduate who had become unemployed the moment he graduated, Li Qiuzhi had no money to spend on the game. He could barely get by on what he earned from part-time work.

To avoid missing the Lesser Lord Kusanali, he had spent more than ten grueling days collecting oculi, grinding chests, and saving Primogems, making a wish whenever he scraped together enough for one Intertwined Fate. Now, just before her banner ended, he had finally reached guaranteed pity.

Li Qiuzhi knew the game's mechanics guaranteed that this wish would give him the Lesser Lord Kusanali. Thinking back on those miserable days, he switched off the room's lights and plunged himself into darkness, determined to let that golden glow blind him!

Such was the stubbornness of someone cursed with terrible luck.

His hand rested on the mouse as he slowly moved the cursor toward the banner. Even knowing that gold was guaranteed, he could not help feeling a little nervous until it actually appeared.

Click.

A crisp sound rang out as Li Qiuzhi confirmed the wish. The animation began, and a brilliant shooting star streaked down. He watched without moving, chanting inwardly, Gold. Gold. Gold!

Less than a second later, the shooting star blazed gold. There was no mistaking it-he had gotten her!

Li Qiuzhi was overjoyed, but he had no one to share it with. Since he was not in the habit of talking to himself, he could only keep that happiness inside.

One second, two seconds... Strangely, the golden shooting star on the screen kept growing larger. Why hasn't the animation ended? Is something wrong with the connection? Seriously? Now?

Playing in full screen made him dizzy, so he had the game in a small window. He could see on the taskbar that his phone's hotspot was still connected properly. It was not a signal problem.

As his anxiety grew, the golden shooting star showed no sign of stopping.

Don't tell me it can crash right out of the screen?

As though answering Li Qiuzhi's thoughts, the sound of shattering glass rang out. Spiderweb cracks spread across the screen, golden light spilling through them.

Li Qiuzhi's eyes widened. Before he could think, the entire screen shattered, and golden light swallowed him whole. His consciousness cut out, leaving only an empty room behind.

"...Puff... puff..."

It sounded like something small, soft, and springy bouncing about. Li Qiuzhi rolled over unconsciously. He felt itchy, as though he were sleeping on grass, the pointed blades brushing his skin.

Wait, wasn't I making a wish?!

As if realizing something, Li Qiuzhi recalled scattered fragments of memory, finally stopping at the moment the golden shooting star from the game struck him.

Just as he was about to open his eyes, a splash of water hit his face, waking him instantly.

Lying on his side in the grass, Li Qiuzhi could vaguely see a blue ball bouncing in front of him. He wiped the water from his face and propped his upper body up with his right hand, his vision gradually clearing.

"A Hydro Slime?! Wait, this is way too weird. What's going on?"

Li Qiuzhi spoke aloud in surprise.

Wasn't the cute little creature in front of him, all soft and bouncy, a Hydro Slime from the game? It looked exactly the same. Could it be real?

Had the golden light knocked him unconscious for decades? Could game companies now use biotechnology to create fantasy creatures from their games and sell them as merchandise?

While Li Qiuzhi was busy being astonished, the Hydro Slime was startled by his sudden voice. It angrily compressed its body, ready to spring.

Li Qiuzhi had seen this countless times in the game. Of course he knew what it was about to do.

"Hey, hey! Wait! Calm down!"

Li Qiuzhi shouted instinctively. He got up to run away, but he was a step too late. The Hydro Slime's springy body struck his backside just as he lifted it, and the tremendous impact sent him sprawling.

Luckily, the grass cushioned his fall enough to keep him from being badly hurt. He was now one hundred percent certain this Slime was real.

It was a monster, after all. Despite its cute appearance, once it decided Li Qiuzhi was an enemy, it refused to relent and prepared to attack again.

Li Qiuzhi quickly rolled aside, dodging another charge, then rose into a crouch, panting slightly.

What is going on?

Keeping an eye on the Hydro Slime, Li Qiuzhi spared some attention for his surroundings, trying to determine whether he really had come to Teyvat. Otherwise, how could something identical to a Hydro Slime exist here?!

The ground was covered in grass as green as fresh shoots. Overhead stretched a vast blue sky dotted with white clouds, a sight rarely seen in modern cities. A forest lay to his left, while to his right was a clear little lake. On an island at its center stood a Statue of the Seven!

The Hydro Slime gathered strength and charged again. Prepared this time, Li Qiuzhi narrowly dodged it.

This was not one of the large Hydro Slimes, and it was not particularly fast. Even an ordinary person like him could dodge it with enough warning.

Watching the Slime grow apparently angrier, Li Qiuzhi backed up two steps toward the Statue of the Seven.

The lake was shallow enough to wade across. As he approached the Statue of the Seven, he confirmed that it was indeed a statue of Barbatos, the Anemo Archon.

Comparing his surroundings with the game map he knew by heart, he concluded that this had to be Starfell Lake.

The scene before him, the splashing of startled fish darting through the water, the fresh scent of grass carried into his nostrils-everything he saw, heard, and smelled told him that this was another world!

This is... absolutely amazing!

Back on Earth, Li Qiuzhi had been nothing more than a laborer at the bottom of society. His life was stifling and hopeless, and only his family's expectations motivated him to keep working hard.

But hard work did not necessarily get you anywhere in that society. Otherwise, why did most people still struggle to amount to anything?

Li Qiuzhi would not say he was sick of it, but day after day of meaningless work had nearly extinguished all his enthusiasm.

Fortunately, Teyvat had been there to keep him company. It was one of the few places where he could find peace.

He had long yearned for Teyvat while playing the game. Who wasn't a child who loved to dream?

So when he suddenly found himself transported to Teyvat, he did not question it, doubt it, or refuse to believe it. He simply accepted the fact with joy.

It was not that he had no attachments on Earth. But since this had already happened, there had to be a way back if there was a way here. Teyvat had supernatural powers, after all. As long as he did not give up, an opportunity would come. Besides, like Lumine or Aether, he had come from beyond this world. Surely it would be normal to have some special ability, such as gaining control over the corresponding element by touching a Statue of the Seven?

Filled with anticipation, Li Qiuzhi touched the statue of Barbatos before him. As he pressed his palm against it, a cool breeze blew past, but nothing happened. His eyes widened. No, no! What happened to outlanders being able to switch between all seven elements?

Puff... puff... The Hydro Slime pursued him relentlessly from behind, completely unhindered by the lake water. Do you really have to hold such a grudge? It certainly lived up to being a monster.

Damn... there's really no reaction. He kept touching the statue for a long time, but it gave him no pleasant surprises.

It made sense. Lumine and Aether had already been capable of traveling between worlds. He was just an ordinary person; it would have been strange if the statue had reacted to him. This had only been wishful thinking.

Though disappointed that he had not gained abilities like Lumine or Aether, he now had no choice but to face the Hydro Slime.

In truth, Li Qiuzhi was not particularly frightened. He had defeated hundreds, if not thousands, of Slimes in the game. He had even beaten Shouki no Kami.

That was not to say he possessed that kind of strength. He simply was not completely ignorant of this unfamiliar world, and he knew an ordinary adult could handle a single small Hydro Slime. At the very least, it certainly could not catch him if he ran.

Still, Li Qiuzhi did not intend to flee. He wanted to find a way to defeat it. This was Teyvat, after all, and monsters filled the wilderness. Living here meant he would have to face them sooner or later.

Besides, if the game's information held true, defeated Slimes had a chance to drop Slime Condensate. Someone ought to need it, and selling it should earn him a decent amount of Mora, solving the problem of his being penniless in Teyvat.

Otherwise, never mind finding a way home-even staying alive would be a problem.

During Li Qiuzhi's brief deliberation, the Hydro Slime bounced closer on its springy body. He used the Statue of the Seven as cover, keeping it between himself and the Slime.

When the Hydro Slime hopped a little to the left, Li Qiuzhi moved a little to the right. When it hopped right, he moved back the other way, repeating this to keep its line of attack blocked.

The Slime finally ran out of patience. With its limited intelligence, it decided to smash the pillar in front of it as well. It gathered strength and leaped. Puff. It did no damage whatsoever to the Statue of the Seven, bouncing back and rolling across the grass.

Because of its species' traits, the Hydro Slime temporarily lost control of its body while rolling.

Now's my chance!

Li Qiuzhi lunged forward and unleashed a flurry of blows on the small Hydro Slime. Punching its body felt like hitting jelly, soft and springy enough not to hurt him in return. Using both fists and feet, he took over a minute to defeat it, reducing it to a puddle of Hydro energy on the grass.

Unfortunately, it did not condense into Slime Condensate, leaving Li Qiuzhi somewhat disappointed.

Just then, an emotionless voice sounded in his mind:

[Defeated a powerful enemy. Gained 32 Experience Points.]

Wh-what? Li Qiuzhi froze, then looked at the familiar interface that had appeared on his retina at the same time:

Name: Li Qiuzhi

Level: Lv.1 (0/100)

Race: Human

Title: None

Innate Talent: Intertwined Affection

Skills: None

Specialty: [Descender]

Experience Points: 32

Wasn't this the little Teyvat fan game that had recently become popular online? Li Qiuzhi had downloaded and played it too. Players earned Experience Points by defeating enemies, then used those points to improve their level or skills.

Each player received a random Innate Talent. Titles such as [Honorary Knight], [Gliding Champion], and [Unbestowed Flower] granted special effects. Unfortunately, Li Qiuzhi currently had none.

Skills had to be acquired through study and training, while specialties came from experiences during adventures. The more extraordinary the experience, the greater the chance of gaining a specialty.

He had never expected this fan game to cross worlds along with him. Just moments ago, he had been worrying about surviving in Teyvat without any abilities. Wasn't this a turn of fortune? The luck he had accumulated by losing all those fifty-fifties really had amounted to something.

Only Li Qiuzhi could see this panel. He tapped the description of his Innate Talent, [Intertwined Affection], with a finger to see what it did, hoping it was a good one. That was very important for a player.

[You were struck by the golden light of an Intertwined Fate, awakening this talent. Making contact with a character unlocks their corresponding Friendship level. Upon reaching the maximum level of 10, you will receive an ability enhancement from their Constellation. Eligible "characters" are limited to members of the opposite sex.]

Judging by the Innate Talent's description, it seemed similar to the Friendship system in Genshin Impact, except reaching the maximum level did not award a namecard.

Instead, it granted a special enhancement from a Constellation, though he did not know exactly what effects that would have.

It clearly would not be easy to fulfill the conditions. Maximum Friendship meant someone trusted him completely, which would only be possible after spending a long time together. He could only let things take their course.

Li Qiuzhi next opened the [Descender] specialty. It was much as he had guessed.

It essentially stated that he was someone from outside this world. Teyvat had no record of him, and his existence could not be found in Irminsul, just like the Traveler. Beyond that, it had no other effects.

His current 32 Experience Points had come from defeating the Hydro Slime. The only thing he could improve was his level, but he lacked the required 100 points to reach level 2, so he could only leave them for now.

Whatever the case, he was no longer entirely empty-handed in Teyvat. The days ahead were worth looking forward to.

"Phew..." The character panel from the fan game that had unexpectedly traveled with him left Li Qiuzhi feeling much more relaxed.

Now he only needed to find ways to earn Experience Points and raise his level. Eventually, he would establish himself in Teyvat and explore this magnificent world of fantasy!

With that, Li Qiuzhi turned his gaze to the fish in Starfell Lake. If he remembered correctly, the character panel counted them as sources of Experience Points too.

A new author with a new book. Thank you for your support!