Mondstadt

[Defeated a powerful enemy. Gained 5 Experience.]

Li Qiuzhi knocked a Black-Backed Bass unconscious with a stone.

Catching fish was harder than he had imagined, especially for someone as inexperienced at it as Li Qiuzhi.

Without any tools, he had soaked himself from head to toe and caught only three fish. Each gave him just 5 Experience, for a total of 15-far less than the Slime.

Added to his original 32 points, that brought him to only 47. He still had some way to go before leveling up. He remembered that it had been nighttime before he crossed over. Some time had passed since his arrival, and judging by the sun's position and height, it should be morning now.

He could not build up his Experience Points all at once. It was time to head to Mondstadt City. If he failed to find somewhere to stay before nightfall, the wilderness would be far too dangerous, with both monsters and wild beasts roaming about.

He was still just an ordinary person, unable to handle any particularly powerful monsters.

Never mind a Hilichurl-even a single wolf might kill Li Qiuzhi, bringing his journey through Teyvat to an abrupt end.

That was not what Li Qiuzhi wanted. He had to remain cautious.

Starfell Lake was not too far from Mondstadt City. He remembered that on the game map, following the road through the Whispering Woods would bring the city into view. He wondered whether there would be any differences here.

He hoped there would not.

Li Qiuzhi walked along the dirt road through the wilderness, carrying three Black-Backed Bass tied together with vines.

He regretted getting his clothes wet for the sake of those fish. Every gust of wind sent a chill through him, and he worried he might catch a cold.

This was all because I was too eager to test the Character Panel. Li Qiuzhi, oh, Li Qiuzhi, you should be more composed. More cautious.

Though he had kept his excitement off his face, he had been absolutely thrilled to have a Character Panel. Only now had he begun to calm down a little.

The stretch between Starfell Lake and the Whispering Woods was unexpectedly long. It seemed the real world was much larger than the game. That was hardly surprising; the information provided by the game might be accurate, but it was incomplete.

Take this stretch of road, for example. In the game, he could make his character cover it in a few dozen seconds. Here, he had walked for over ten minutes before even catching sight of the forest.

Li Qiuzhi reminded himself that the information he had gained from the game could serve only as a reference. He could not blindly treat it as the standard. Reality was far more complicated than a game.

After walking a little farther, he entered the Whispering Woods. Dense leaves and branches blocked the sunlight, making his surroundings much dimmer.

Although monsters were not everywhere, there were still wild beasts in the forest. He needed to stay alert.

Still, he was on the main road through the woods, frequently traveled by adventurers and patrolling Knights of Favonius. Most wild beasts would not come near it.

The real question was, how would he find somewhere to stay once he reached Mondstadt City?

He had no Mora and nothing worth selling. Li Qiuzhi glanced at the Black-Backed Bass in his hand. Could I rely on these? How much Mora would they even fetch?

The thought left Li Qiuzhi a little worried.

Forget it. There's nothing else I can do but get to Mondstadt City first. Even sleeping on the street would be better than staying out in the wilderness.

Suddenly, a voice came from ahead:

"Huh? Are you an adventurer from Liyue? Why are you soaking wet?"

Li Qiuzhi looked toward the voice. First, he saw curious eyes and a fair face. Then the cute red bunny-ear bow on her head caught his attention. Goggles hung at her collar, and a familiar name sprang to mind.

-Amber, the little angel.

Li Qiuzhi was somewhat surprised. He had not expected to meet someone he knew so soon. He remembered how much more troublesome exploring the open world and solving puzzles had been without Amber in his party.

Li Qiuzhi remembered Amber's role in Mondstadt City very clearly. "Outrider Amber, reporting for duty!" Those words almost seemed to echo in his ears. And she thinks I'm an adventurer from Liyue?

That makes sense. Don't I look like someone from Liyue? But how should I answer? Should I say yes?

The Traveler had the strength to openly say they came from another world. He did not, and reality was far more complicated than a game.

Giving himself an otherworldly identity would be putting himself in the spotlight, would it not? A few ill-intentioned eyes on him could bring endless trouble.

But he was not an adventurer, either. As an entirely ordinary student, he could hardly imitate an adventurer's bearing, habits, or anything of the sort.

As his thoughts raced, Li Qiuzhi put on a dejected expression and said in a downcast voice:

"I am from Liyue, but I'm not an adventurer. I'm just an unlucky fellow who brought some local specialties to trade in Mondstadt, only to have the Treasure Hoarders rob me of everything."

That was a reasonable story. After all, local specialties could command vastly different prices in different regions. There were surely plenty of people who transported their region's goods elsewhere to sell.

And while transporting those goods, they had to watch out for not only monsters like Hilichurls, but also the Treasure Hoarders. Was that not exactly what those people did for a living? Blaming them was perfectly plausible.

"Have the Treasure Hoarders appeared near Mondstadt City again? Looks like I'll need to report this when I get back so we can step up patrols in the area."

Amber looked at the bedraggled Li Qiuzhi, with his dirty, wet clothes and the fish in his hand. She imagined him being robbed by the Treasure Hoarders and abandoned in the wilderness, then getting so hungry that he caught fish in a lake, only to find himself without a fire and unable to stomach them raw.

The warmhearted Amber looked at Li Qiuzhi with sympathy:

"Those Treasure Hoarders are awful! But don't worry. Now that you've met me, I won't leave you stranded out here. Come back to Mondstadt City with me first. You need to change those clothes, or you'll catch a chill and get sick."

Amber clearly recognized the young man from Liyue's predicament. Helping others was also a duty of the Knights of Favonius, so she offered him a hand without hesitation.

Hearing Amber's words, Li Qiuzhi felt genuinely reassured. He extended his right hand and said gratefully:

"Thank you. Thank you so much. My name is Li Qiuzhi. I'll definitely repay you someday."

Amber wore brown gloves. Without hesitation, she took one off, a sunny smile spreading across her fair face as she shook the young man's hand:

"I'm Amber, an Outrider with the Knights of Favonius!"

[Amber has developed affection for you. Gained 20 Friendship points. Current Friendship level: Lv.1 (20/100)]

Feeling the warmth of Amber's hand against his skin, Li Qiuzhi thought that even his soaked clothes no longer felt quite so cold.

He looked at the notification about gaining Friendship. Twenty points just for getting acquainted? Perhaps that had something to do with Amber's helpful nature. He still had a long way to go before reaching the maximum level.

Looking for chances to gain Amber's affection was another way to grow stronger. At the maximum level, he would receive a constellation blessing. With conditions so difficult to fulfill, surely the ability it granted would be good.

Well, I should have dreams. What if they come true?

With Amber, an Outrider and a Vision bearer, beside him, Li Qiuzhi no longer needed to worry about encountering danger in the Whispering Woods.

The forest was much larger than he had imagined. In the dim surroundings, he could sometimes see the blue-white glow of Small Lamp Grass. As he followed Amber toward Mondstadt City, Li Qiuzhi tried asking about the city.

For instance, he asked whether anything particularly serious had happened in Mondstadt City lately. It was an indirect way of finding out whether the Stormterror incident had occurred. Amber looked puzzled for a moment, then said that Mondstadt had been peaceful recently.

As they continued chatting, the information Amber casually let slip allowed Li Qiuzhi to be fairly certain that the Traveler—Lumine or Aether—had not yet arrived in Mondstadt City. The story probably had not begun, either.

That was good. Though the story had not shown it, the Stormterror Crisis had still caused considerable damage to Mondstadt City. He did not want to arrive completely unprepared and get caught in a dragon attack.

I wonder how many Experience Points I'd get for defeating Stormterror. No, that's too dangerous. It's not something I can get involved in while I'm this weak.

As those thoughts passed through his mind, Li Qiuzhi noticed his surroundings gradually growing brighter. They were finally about to leave the forest.

"Li Qiuzhi, hurry up! Look to the right—that's Mondstadt City!"

Amber suddenly broke into a light jog, her legs swinging gently in white over-the-knee boots. She ran onto the road outside the forest, then turned back and waved to Li Qiuzhi.

The gentle sunlight made her already fair face even more radiant. The red bunny-ear bow on her head bobbed slightly, making her look bright and adorable.

Finally here, then. Mondstadt City.

Li Qiuzhi quickened his pace and looked into the distance. Massive city walls came into view. Pedestrians streamed across the sole stone bridge, alongside horse-drawn wagons carrying goods.

"Well? Pretty impressive, right? Hehe." Amber asked with a smile.

"Yes. I've never seen such magnificent city walls before."

Li Qiuzhi chose a response that suited his assumed identity. After all, Liyue had no city walls.

As they walked farther, Li Qiuzhi spotted a Teleport Waypoint on the hill to their left. Amber noticed where he was looking and spoke without breaking stride:

"Those strange devices are pretty common. Nobody knows what they're for, so you don't need to worry about them."

"Yes, you see them often in Liyue, too."

Li Qiuzhi answered casually. He knew that Teyvat's Teleport Waypoints were not merely background lore. They were probably a technology that used ley lines for long-distance transport. For now, however, only the Traveler could use them, and he did not know why.

It would be great if I could use them, too. I should give it a try when I get the chance.