Chapter 2: Mondstadt

[Defeated a Powerful Enemy, Obtained 5 Adventure EXP]

A black-back perch was knocked out by Nolan Walker with a rock.

Fishing was more difficult than he imagined, especially for a novice like Nolan.

Without any tools, his entire body was drenched before he managed to catch just 3 fish, each granting only 5 EXP for a total of 15 points. That was far less than what the slime had given.

Added to his original 32 points, he now had only 47. Still quite a way from leveling up. He recalled it was nighttime when he crossed over, and some time had passed since then. Judging by the sun's position and height, it should be early morning now.

Adventure EXP couldn't be rushed. He had to make it to Mondstadt city before night fell, otherwise being stuck outdoors with monsters and beasts roaming in the darkness would be too dangerous.

He was still just an ordinary person, and he couldn't deal with too powerful monsters.

Let alone Hilichurls, even a single wolf could easily finish him off, abruptly ending his Teyvat adventures.

That wasn't what Nolan wanted. He had to remain prudent.

Starfell Lake wasn't too far from Mondstadt. He remembered from the game's map that following the road through Whispering Woods would lead him there. Hopefully, there won't be any discrepancies.

It'd be best if things matched perfectly.

Nolan walked on the dirt wilderness road, carrying 3 tied-up black perch in his hands.

In his heart, he was a little regretful that he had gotten his clothes wet because of these fish. With the wind blowing over to cool him, he was worried that he would get a cold.

It was all due to his burning eagerness to test out the character panel. Ah, Nolan, you should have been more careful and restrained!

On the surface, he didn't show, but in fact, he was still super excited about having a character panel, and only now did he calm down a little.

The road from Starfell Lake to Whispering Woods was unexpectedly long. Reality seemed far vaster compared to the game. That wasn't too surprising though - the information provided in the game may be correct, but it is not complete.

Like right now, this stretch of road. In the game, it'd take just seconds of controlling the character to pass. But he'd already spent over 10 minutes walking and still only saw the first traces of the forest trees.

Nolan reminded himself that the prior game info could only serve as a reference. He absolutely could not blindly take it as the standard. The Reality was far more complex than any game.

After walking a bit more, he entered Whispering Woods. Due to the dense foliage and branches blocking sunlight, the environment was much dimmer.

Though monsters didn't litter the place, there were still wild beasts lurking in the forest that warranted extra caution.

However, he currently followed the main road where adventurers and Knights of Favonius on patrol often passed by, so regular beasts tended to avoid the area.

Soon he would reach Mondstadt City though - how would he find lodging there?

He had no Mora or sellable goods on hand. Nolan glanced at the black perch he carried. Rely on them? How much Mora could they fetch?

He felt somewhat worried over that.

Oh well, with no other options, he could only head to Mondstadt first and figure things out from there. Even sleeping on the streets was better than the wilderness.

Suddenly, a voice called out from up ahead:

"Huh? Are you an adventurer from Liyue? Why are you soaked all over?"

Following the voice, Nolan first saw a pair of curious eyes and a fair complexion, before his gaze was drawn to the cute red bunny ears above her head. He also spotted the goggles hanging around her neck. A familiar name surfaced to mind.

- Amber the Outrider!

Nolan was slightly surprised to meet a familiar face so quickly. He remembered during his initial explorations, taking Amber in his party saved quite a bit of trouble when solving world quests.

Nolan remembered Amber's identity in Mondstadt very clearly - "Outrider Amber, reporting for duty!" He could almost still hear those words ringing by his ears. And she thought I was an adventurer from Liyue?

Well, with his looks, it was understandable others would assume he was from Liyue. But how should he respond? Should he admit the truth?

The Traveler with their immense strength could proclaim being from another world, but he didn't have such capabilities. And the reality was far more complex than any game.

Claiming a foreign identity would just put him under the spotlight. If he drew even a hint of ill-will, that spelled nothing but trouble.

Yet he wasn't an adventurer either. A completely ordinary, average student like him could never fake that sort of bearing or habits.

As thoughts spun in his mind, Nolan's expression fell as he replied in a dejected tone:

"I am from Liyue, but not an adventurer, just a hapless fool bringing Liyue specialties hoping to trade them in Mondstadt, only to get robbed of everything by the Treasure Hoarders."

This excuse made a lot of sense. After all, large price differences did exist between regional specialties, so plenty of people transported goods from their hometowns to sell in other nations.

Aside from Hilichurls or other monsters, transports also faced danger from the Treasure Hoarders, who specialized in this business. Blaming them was perfectly reasonable.

"Treasure Hoarders near Mondstadt again huh? Looks like I'll need to report back and increase patrols around the area."

Seeing the somewhat miserable state of the dirt and dampness on Nolan's clothes, as well as the fish he carried, Amber imagined him getting mugged and dumped in the wilderness by the Hoarders. Starving, he caught some fish from the lake but was unable to build a fire, and he could not swallow the raw fish.

Kindhearted Amber gazed at Nolan with sympathy:

"Treasure Hoarders are detestable but don't worry. Now that you've met me, I won't let you wander destitute outside. Come with me to Mondstadt first. You must change out of those clothes, otherwise, you'll get sick from the cold."

Amber immediately perceived the difficulties faced by the Liyue youth before her eyes. Providing aid to others was a knight's duty. She extended her helping hand without hesitation.

Hearing Amber's words, Nolan sincerely felt warmth and security in his heart. He stretched out his right hand and expressed gratefully:

"Thank you, thank you very much. My name is Nolan, And I will definitely repay you in the future."

Amber had been wearing brown gloves, but now she swiftly removed them, revealing a bright sunny smile on her fair face as she shook the youth's hand.

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

[Amber has developed good feelings towards you. Obtained 20 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.1 (20/100)]

Feeling the warmth transmitted from Amber's palm, Nolan suddenly didn't feel as cold despite his soaked clothing.

Seeing the affection points notification, just becoming acquainted gave 20 points? Probably related to Amber's helpful nature. There is still a long way to go to get to max level.

He should seize any chance to gain Amber's Affection - it was another way to improve himself. The Archon empowerment from reaching max level couldn't be weak with such harsh requirements right?

Well, it was good to have dreams. What if they actually came true?

With Amber the Outrider by his side, the owner of a Vision no less, Nolan no longer needed to worry about danger in Whispering Woods.

The forest was larger than he expected. Amidst the gloom, he could occasionally spot the pale blue-white glow emitted by Lamp Grass.

As he followed Amber towards Mondstadt City, Nolan tried asking about the situation there. For example, whether any major incidents had occurred recently in Mondstadt - this was his indirect attempt at finding out if the Stormterror crisis had happened yet. Amber seemed puzzled and said everything had been peaceful in Mondstadt lately.

Through their casual chat, based on information she unintentionally revealed, Nolan could roughly ascertain that the Traveler, Lumine or Aether, had not arrived in Mondstadt yet, so the main storyline probably hadn't kicked off either.

That was good news. Although unseen in-game, he knew the dragon calamity had caused considerable damage to Mondstadt. He preferred not facing it entirely unprepared.

Though he wondered how much Adventure EXP defeating Stormterror would grant...no, too dangerous. That was beyond what his current weak self could participate in.

As thoughts spun in his mind, Nolan noticed the surroundings gradually brightening. They were finally about to leave the forest.

"Nolan, hurry up and look right - that's Mondstadt city!"

Amber suddenly broke into a jog, her white over-knee boots lightly stepping across the road outside the forest, before turning back and waving at Nolan.

The not-too-intense sunlight illuminated her already fair face even more dazzlingly. The red bunny ears on her head swayed slightly, appearing oh so sunny and cute.

They were finally arriving, at Mondstadt city.

Nolan quickened his pace to catch up. Gazing afar, what entered his vision were the solid city walls, the single stone bridge filled with pedestrians, horse carts transporting goods passing by.

"How is it? Spectacular, right? Hehe." Amber smiled and asked.

"Well, it's the first time I've seen such magnificent city walls."

Nolan chose words befitting his identity. After all, Liyue Harbor lacked walls.

Walking further ahead, from the corner of his eyes Nolan spotted a Teleport Waypoint on a nearby hill. Noticing his gaze, Amber didn't stop and simply said:

"These strange devices are pretty common huh? No one knows what they do, just ignore them."

"Mm, they can be frequently seen in Liyue too."

Nolan casually replied. Of course, he knew Teyvat's Waypoints weren't just for show. They should utilize ley lines for long-distance transfers, though currently only the Traveler can use them for some reason.

If he could utilize them too that'd be great. He should test it out when possible.

(End of Chapter)

To be continued...