Chapter 28: Teyvat's First Traffic Jam

With the roads now in use and a handful of prototype cars successfully tested, Satoshi's dream of a modern Mondstadt was starting to take shape. But with innovation came new challenges—some of which no one had quite anticipated. Today was about to be one of those days. It was Mondstadt's first official traffic jam.

The morning began with Satoshi standing proudly at the plaza, watching the new vehicles travel along the freshly paved roads. The scene was bustling—cars glided along, motorbikes zoomed past, and a bus carried a handful of curious citizens to the outskirts of Mondstadt. Everything seemed to be running smoothly. Until it wasn't.

A loud honk echoed from somewhere down the road, followed by another, and then another. Satoshi frowned, craning his neck to see what was going on. A line of cars had formed near the market square, and it didn't take long for the entire road to become blocked. People were leaning out of their windows, waving their hands, and shouting in confusion.

Amber, who had just arrived on her motorbike, pulled up next to Satoshi, her eyebrows raised. "Uh, Satoshi? I think we've got a bit of a situation."

Satoshi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, it looks like it. Come on, let's go see what's going on."

The two made their way to the market square, where they were met by a chaotic scene. A cart pulled by a stubborn boar had somehow ended up in the middle of the road, blocking the way for the cars. The boar snorted defiantly, refusing to move, while its owner, a frazzled-looking merchant, tried unsuccessfully to coax it out of the way.

"This is... not ideal," Satoshi muttered, eyeing the growing line of cars. He turned to Amber. "We need to figure out a way to get this traffic moving again."

Amber grinned, her eyes lighting up with a spark of mischief. "Leave it to me! I know exactly who to call." She pulled out her mobile phone—a recent invention that was starting to become popular in Mondstadt—and dialed a number.

Within minutes, Bennett arrived, looking as eager as ever to help. He took one look at the scene and nodded determinedly. "Don't worry, Satoshi! I'll get that boar moving!"

Bennett approached the boar, trying to gently push it along, but the boar simply snorted and refused to budge. He tried coaxing it with some fruit, but the stubborn creature wasn't having any of it. As Bennett struggled, Sucrose timidly approached, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Um, maybe I could try using an alchemical concoction?" Sucrose suggested, holding up a small vial filled with a glowing liquid. "It's a calming elixir… it might help the boar relax."

Satoshi nodded, grateful for her help. "Give it a shot, Sucrose. At this point, anything's worth trying."

Sucrose carefully approached the boar, offering the elixir. The boar sniffed it suspiciously before taking a sip. Almost immediately, its eyes drooped, and it let out a contented snort before plopping down on the ground, sound asleep.

Amber blinked. "Uh, well… I guess that works? But now it's asleep in the middle of the road."

Venti, who had been lounging nearby, strumming his lyre, suddenly jumped to his feet, a mischievous grin on his face. "Sounds like a job for the Anemo Archon! Stand back, everyone!" He held out his hands, summoning a gentle gust of wind that lifted the snoozing boar and its cart just enough to move them off to the side of the road.

The crowd that had gathered erupted in applause, and Venti took a dramatic bow. "Thank you, thank you! Just another day of keeping Mondstadt's roads clear."

Satoshi let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head with a smile. "Thanks, Venti. That could've been a lot worse."

Jean arrived just in time to see the boar being moved off the road. She looked at Satoshi, her expression half-amused, half-serious. "It seems we might need to introduce some road rules and regulations if we're going to avoid this kind of chaos in the future."

Kaeya, who had been observing from the sidelines with his usual smirk, stepped forward. "Oh, I agree. Perhaps we could even introduce a 'Kaeya's Guide to Driving Etiquette.' I think I'd make an excellent instructor, don't you?"

Diluc, who had been passing by on his way to the market, shot Kaeya a withering look. "The last thing Mondstadt needs is you giving driving lessons. But Jean's right—we need to set some clear rules before things get out of hand."

Satoshi nodded, pulling out a notebook to jot down some ideas. "Road signs, speed limits, designated lanes… we can make this work. It's just going to take some time, and a lot of patience."

Amber grinned, giving Satoshi a thumbs-up. "Hey, if anyone can figure it out, it's you! Besides, this was kind of fun—in a chaotic, unpredictable sort of way."

---

Over the next few days, Satoshi worked closely with Jean, Kaeya, and Diluc to draft Mondstadt's first set of road rules. They held meetings at the community center, inviting townspeople to share their thoughts and concerns. There were lively debates about speed limits, who had the right of way, and whether or not Venti should be allowed to "assist" with traffic using his Anemo abilities.

Lisa, who had taken an interest in the project, offered to help design the road signs. She sketched out various symbols, from simple arrows indicating direction to humorous illustrations warning about "boar crossings." Sucrose, with her alchemical expertise, worked on creating durable materials for the signs, ensuring they could withstand Mondstadt's weather—and any curious hilichurls that might decide to tamper with them.

Bennett, of course, volunteered to help put up the signs, despite the group's mild apprehension about his luck. Surprisingly, things went smoothly—apart from one incident where a sign ended up upside-down, which Kaeya insisted was "a unique artistic statement." Bennett, for his part, was just happy to be contributing.

As the new road signs were installed and the rules were posted throughout the city, Satoshi felt a sense of accomplishment. This was another step forward for Mondstadt—not just in terms of technology, but in terms of learning to adapt to a new way of life.

One afternoon, as Satoshi was walking through the market square, he saw a familiar face—Mona, the astrologist, standing by one of the new road signs with a puzzled expression. She turned to Satoshi as he approached, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Satoshi, what exactly is this supposed to mean?" she asked, pointing at a sign depicting a car and a boar with a large "X" through the middle.

Satoshi laughed, scratching his head. "It means 'No boars on the road.' We had a bit of an incident the other day, so we figured it was best to make it clear."

Mona sighed, shaking her head. "Honestly, this new era of transportation is baffling. But I suppose it can't be helped—progress waits for no one, after all."

Venti appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, his lyre in hand. "Oh, come now, Mona! It's all part of the fun. Besides, imagine how much easier it will be to deliver your predictions when you can ride in style! Perhaps a 'Mona-Mobile'?"

Mona frowned, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "A 'Mona-Mobile'? You bards and your ridiculous ideas…"

Satoshi grinned, watching as Venti and Mona bantered. This was what he loved most about these projects—seeing how they brought people together, even in the face of challenges and unexpected chaos. Mondstadt was changing, growing, and adapting, and he was proud to be a part of it.

"Alright, Mondstadt," Satoshi thought to himself, looking at the bustling market square and the cars moving smoothly down the road. "Let's keep moving forward—one sign, one road, one dream at a time."