Chapter 1: Starting with a life together with Mona & Acting Grand Master Jean

Part 1: Starting with a life together with Mona

The hard bed frame and straw-filled pillows made the night indescribably uncomfortable.

What could he do? Chen Huai’an was new to town and penniless.

He was lucky enough to have a place to stay. At least he wasn’t sleeping out where he could get ambushed by Hilichurls and Slimes. What more could he ask for?

It was all thanks to the enthusiastic Amber—the lively reconnaissance knight who wore tight shorts—who found him a place to stay yesterday.

Of course, since he had no money, he had to share a room with someone else. Living with a fellow tenant who wasn’t exactly rolling in cash meant splitting the rent, which took some of the pressure off.

「Daylight System loaded. The system is now at your service.」

Chen Huai'an, who was getting dressed, momentarily paused his movements. An involuntary smile spread across his face.

My cheat system, you've finally appeared! If you had showed up much earlier, I wouldn't have to experience frantically running away from Hilichurls with their sticks yesterday, making such a mess of myself.

「The Daylight System can help the host acquire some abilities from females with a Vision through the host's USB.」

「It will also award 1 to 100 points based on the USB transfer speed and reading time.」

「Points can be used in the shop to purchase combat skills and weapons to ensure the host's survival in this dangerous world.」

「Warning, warning, the host currently has zero combat skills. The host will be gifted 10,000,100 points.」

Then, a holographic projection of a shop appeared before my eyes.

Learnable character skills: None (requires USB to read and unlock)

Must-buy item — Vision that controls seven elements: 10,000,000 points

Weapons: Silver Sword 100 points... Mercenary Claymore 100 points... These points, this price for a Vision, it might as well be given directly to me.

In short, Chen Huai'an could only buy the Vision that controls the seven elements and one weapon. He had no other choices or can decide otherwise.

So he bought the Vision that controls the seven elements and a Hunter's Bow.

Facing Hilichurls directly was too dangerous. It was better to hide far away and shoot arrows from a distance.

As for the control of the seven elements, what he received was a colorless Vision. Approaching a statue of the seven would allow him to use the corresponding element.

This aspect was similar to the Traveler.

It's worth noting that there was no blonde Traveler here. Stormterror's rampage in Mondstadt had already been resolved solely by the Acting Grand Master Jean.

—Stormterror was torn apart by Jean.

Her strength was terrifying.

In any case, he now had to go find the statue of the seven located in Mondstadt to obtain the Anemo element.

He got dressed and left the room. He quickly washed up and went downstairs. What greeted his eyes were all sorts of astrological items.

A giant armillary sphere, astrolabes, surveying instruments, ancient books, and so on.

There was also a young maiden with delicate features and twin pigtails, slumped over a table.

This was Chen Huai'an's roommate, Mona.

Could she have fainted from hunger?

Chen Huai'an recalled the details of Mona's character, a young maiden so poor she couldn't afford food but still bought expensive astrological equipment.

When she couldn't afford food, she usually ate windwheel asters from outside, caught fish in the lake, or gathered wild fruits.

Fainting from forgetting to eat and sleep due to being engrossed in research was a common occurrence.

This lifestyle would lead to sudden death sooner or later.

Chen Huai'an couldn't help but worry. He gently shook her calling out, “Wake up, wake up.”

“Hmm?” Mona's eyelashes fluttered gently, and she slowly woke up, attempting to lift her hand but it fell weakly. In the end, she could only utter one word, “Hungry...”

“Do you have anything to eat here? Are there any ingredients left in the kitchen?”

“Mushrooms... Cabbage...”

Chen Huai'an went to the kitchen and, sure enough, there were only these two ingredients. The only seasoning was salt. They were truly dirt poor.

There was no choice but to chop up the cabbage and mushrooms, making a dish of boiled cabbage and Mushrooms. This became their breakfast...

“I'm alive!” Mona exclaimed after filling her stomach. “I almost thought I was going to die.”

“Does this happen often?”

“It's the first time. I used to live with an old woman, and she would nag me to cook and rest. I didn't expect that these past few days, because the new astrological equipment arrived, that I got so deep into research forgetting to eat and rest. Thanks to you, I really would have died otherwise.”

“You need to rest on time,” Chen Huai'an said. “Research is ultimately not as important as eating and resting.”

Speaking of which, Mona here was quite alluring. Although it wasn't the high-cut, low-neck bodysuit with black stockings like in the game, her small white top revealing her navel and tiny shorts perfectly showcased the young maiden's beauty.

He noticed the slightly bulging curves of her chest under the faint morning sunlight.

Using a USB to unlock character skills...

“Then I'll take care of Mona from now on. Make sure you eat on time so you don't faint from hunger again.”

“Huh? Really?” Mona excitedly propped herself up on the table and leaned closer. “My meals will be your responsibility from now on?”

“Yes, really,” Chen Huai'an smiled and nodded. Looking at the young maiden's widely opened collar as she leaned forward, my eyes noticed the bare whiteness of her mounds, swaying like a silicone pad used for ceramic printing machines.

And her silicone pads was just the right size enough to fit the soup bowls they had just eaten from, a size enough for the tip to leave a beautiful, light plum blossom imprint at the bottom of the bowl.

“Anyway, I live here to. Cooking for two is still cooking, and adding another set of utensils is no trouble.”

“Mhm, mhm,” Mona nodded in agreement, her soft silicone pads swaying more vigorously. “But I won't eat for free. I'll help provide the ingredients too.”

Chen Huai'an stole a few more glances, tidied his clothes, stood up from the chair, and said, “I'm going out. The dishes...”

“I'll clean them,” Mona interjected. “I have a Hydro Vision, it's very convenient.”

“Alright, I'll see you at noon then.”

“See you at noon,” Mona waved, watching Chen Huai'an leave. She couldn't help but stand on her tiptoes. How wonderful! Now someone would be responsible for providing food so she wouldn't go hungry.

Just then, Mona noticed something amiss. She stood on her tiptoes again, then pulled open her collar to peer inside. Then Mona's face turned red, just like the faces of the drunkards in the Mondstadt tavern, flushed and utterly adorable...

Chen Huai'an left the house he shared with Mona and walked straight down the street. The clanging of blacksmiths, the songs of bards, and at the intersection with the main road, he could turn his head and see the giant Anemo Archon statue.

This was Mondstadt, the city-state of freedom, wine, and poetry.

After taking in the scene for a bit, he turned and walked towards the city gate. The Knight on guard duty saluted him as he approached, saying, “Hello, is there anything the Knights of Favonius can do for you?”

Amber had told him today about this traveler, who seemed to be from Liyue, a poor soul who had been attacked by a gang of bandits during his journey, losing his belongings and even his memory.

“Excuse me, which direction is Windrise? I heard it's one of Mondstadt's most beautiful sights, and I'd like to visit there.”

Chen Huai'an didn't stand on ceremony. The difference between here and the game was quite significant, so it was better to ask for clarification just in case.

Part 2: Acting Grand Master Jean

Having learned the direction to Windrise from the Knight, he thanked him and continued his journey.

Stepping onto the stone bridge, plump pigeons, unafraid of people, watched him with interest, the kind that could easily become today's lunch if he just reached out.

These pigeons would be excellent for soup, or roasted. Using the beggar's chicken recipe would also work, wrapped in lotus leaves and with minimal seasoning, just salt and pepper.

Chen Huai'an, who had only eaten half a cabbage and some Mushrooms for breakfast, drooled uncontrollably.

These large, meaty pigeons seemed to sense Chen Huai'an's thoughts, flapping their wings and cooing as they flew away, leaving a few feathers behind.

Chen Huai'an had no choice but to retract his outstretched hand. What a pity.

But it didn't matter, they'll return after a while. Then he could secretly try to shoot one or two with his bow and arrows.

Speaking of food, the ducks by the lake were also excellent! Ducks that grew up eating fish and snails had tender, delicious meat, perfect for sweet and savory soup.

And the fish too, each one so plump looking like easy prey. Did people here not eat fish?

It was time for these fishes to be taught a lesson by human society.

Thinking this, Chen Huai'an began to gather materials to make a fish trap. He had watched many wilderness survival shows and knew the principle of a fish trap.

But knowing was one thing, making it was another. It was over an hour later when he finally finished a crude fish trap, baited it, and cast it into the lake.

He tied the vine connecting the fish trap to a tree, hoping to retrieve a fish for lunch when he returned.

Otherwise, he'd just have to apologize to Timmie.

In the game, Mondstadt City was not far from the giant tree planted by Vennessa, but walking there made him doubt if he was going the wrong way. Moreover, Mondstadt was a plain, with few trees to block the sun along the way, which made walking brutal under the intense heat.

Another half an hour of walking, and he finally saw the giant tree, standing like a lone mushroom in the grassland.

Majestic and sacred.

Chen Huai'an smiled, feeling as if his fatigue had been swept away.

He rested for a bit, picked a sunsettia from the tree to quench his thirst, and then continued on his way.

As he approached, he increasingly felt the sacredness of this giant tree. Luminescent crystalflies danced, and the rustling of leaves blown by the wind intertwined with the tinkling of the stream, creating a beautiful melody.

This was the towering giant tree planted by the legendary Vennessa, growing under the favor of a thousand winds and illuminated under countless suns and moons.

Chen Huai'an clasped his hands together in reverence, then approached the statue of the seven on the stone platform in front of the giant tree. He felt a strong Anemo aura here.

Wind can gently caress the grassland, violently uproot trees and gravel, or cut through everything like a blade.

The aura of Anemo condensed around him, and the colorless Vision in his pocket emitted a blue-green glow.

「As long as you do not lose your lofty ideals, the whole world will open up to you.」

A map of Mondstadt appeared in his mind, with greyed-out waypoints waiting to be unlocked.

Now he had a map and could teleport.

It made things much more convenient.

However, he still had to walk back the same way, as the Mondstadt City waypoint had not been unlocked yet.

In any case, he could now control the Anemo element, but to use it freely and turning it to combat power, he still needed to practice diligently, unless he used his USB to copy skills from others.

The only female characters in Mondstadt with an Anemo Vision were Acting Grand Master Jean and Sucrose.

Chen Huai'an leaned more towards Acting Grand Master Jean. A tall, mature woman, and that tight Knight's uniform that outlined her peach-shaped buttocks, she was a perfect candidate for his system.

Just as the saying goes, Acting Grand Master Jean's buttocks are the soul of the Knights of Favonius.

“Congratulations, traveler from afar.”

The sudden voice startled Chen Huai'an, almost making him jump. He turned his head and saw a mature woman with short blonde hair tied in a single ponytail, wearing a low-cut Knight's uniform, looking at him.

It was Jean!

It was the soul of the Knights of Favonius!

Chen Huai'an's gaze involuntarily dropped, taking in Jean's exaggerated waist, buttocks, and legs. Those buttocks, those legs, who could resist them?

“I apologize, I didn't mean to scare you,” Jean offered an apologetic smile. “I saw you immersed in the process of awakening your Vision just now, so I intentionally controlled my footsteps and breathing to avoid disturbing you.”

“It's fine,” Chen Huai'an returned the smile, withdrawing his impolite gaze and looking directly at the mature Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius before him.