Ryan, speaking in clumsy common tongue, ran to various iconic locations he knew from the game, making a Holy Land pilgrimage.
He greeted the NPCs he was once familiar with, quite excited.
Some ignored him, while others were quite enthusiastic.
Upon seeing his attire, they mostly took him for a Liyue native stranded in Mondstadt.
However, during conversations, those who didn't speak Liyue language were completely bewildered.
It was a torturous mix of guessing and trying to understand.
During this time, many awkward jokes arose.
After circling around, he ran to the main gate of Mondstadt and first asked the Shopkeeper blacksmith on the left side.
"Hello, are you hiring apprentices here?"
"I think I'm very strong?"
Ryan felt that if he wanted to earn Mora, being a blacksmith was a good job; it was focused, didn't require too much interaction with people, and in the future, he could even forge weapons for himself.
Wagner glanced at Ryan, who was slender in appearance, neatly dressed, and seemed to have no muscle to speak of.
"I can speak Liyue language!"
"You say you're very strong? Come, try to move those large baskets of Ore inside!"
Seeing that the other party didn't refuse, Ryan was delighted, "Alright!"
The boxes filled with common iron Ore and white iron Ore were exceptionally heavy.
But for Ryan's current body, if it weren't for the lack of handles on the boxes, he could easily carry one in each hand.
He rolled up his sleeves and took the apron Wagner handed him.
In less than half an hour, he moved all twenty boxes of Ore that were piled to the side into the shop, without resting or catching his breath.
Wagner's eyes lit up.
"Your strength is indeed good, but I wonder if you can endure hardship!"
He began to explain the work of an apprentice and the techniques he would teach.
After listening, Ryan hesitated instead.
Blacksmithing is a profession that requires long-term learning and improvement of forging skills.
According to Wagner, in the early stage, one could only be an assistant, learning to identify Ore, pull bellows, change wastewater... It didn't include food or lodging, and he even had to pay tuition.
Ryan felt he had other options and politely declined.
Wagner was also straightforward.
Ryan had done the work, and Wagner paid him 2000 Mora, at a rate of 100 Mora per box of Ore moved.
A small bag of money was in hand.
Ryan felt good; perhaps he could come back to help next time.
He took off the apron and bid farewell to Wagner.
He ran to the right side of Mondstadt's main gate.
He asked about the price of Sunsettia at the fruit stand, wondering if he could go outside the city to pick and sell fruit.
However, he was quickly disappointed.
Picking fruit in the wilderness was dangerous, and the orchards near Mondstadt City were all leased out.
Any further, and the picked fruit wouldn't be fresh, making it completely uncompetitive.
"Alright!"
Ryan turned around and saw a Little Girl.
It was Flora, the Little Shopkeeper of the flower shop, with her "Hoo-hoo" verbal tic.
"Hoo-hoo, do you want to open a flower shop? If you don't know how to care for flowers, the ones you dig up will wither very quickly, hoo-hoo!"
"Hoo-hoo, do you want to buy flower fertilizer? It only costs a little Mora, hoo-hoo!"
Flora spread her fingers.
Ryan saw her cunning look and didn't even dare to ask if the unit behind it was hundreds or thousands.
He deeply felt that the Teyvat people's concept of prices was a bit different from his.
He continued walking, running for half a day, making a big turn to arrive at "Angel's Share."
He glanced at the various signs outside that he couldn't read, walked in, and immediately smelled a strong scent of alcohol.
This was Diluc's establishment.
Clearly, he wasn't there today.
Behind the counter, there was only the Bard Charles.
He had intended to order Mondstadt's signature dandelion wine and then ask if they were hiring.
He looked at the price.
He weighed his money bag; he still had to treat himself and Amber to an extra meal back home, thanking her for her Elysian care.
He was truly short on cash, not wealthy enough.
Ryan reluctantly gave up the idea of drinking; he would come back here to taste all the drinks and wines later when he had money, it wouldn't be too late.
The Bard was a bit busy, chatting with several drunk Adventurers at the same time.
But he still took the time to answer Ryan's inquiry.
Bartending required work experience, and being a wine taster also required a sensitive tongue and knowledge of Mondstadt's various specialties and brewing methods.
Simple cleaning jobs were already taken.
Being a Bard or sitting aside, using one's talent to tell stories from another world to entertain guests, that was possible.
Here came the problem!
Ryan had only studied for one evening; his common tongue and Mondstadtian were too poor.
Ordinary Adventurers didn't have very rich experiences; more often, they were just getting by through adventuring. Making them understand Liyue language and comprehend the stories within the language was truly a bit difficult.
After translation, the charm of the story would be destroyed.
Moreover, stories could easily be imitated, plagiarized, and learned.
Others had better eloquence, accompanied by singing-like tones and harps in their hands, completely crushing Ryan.
For an outsider to succeed here, they would need to tell one new story every day, without repetition, with each story earning applause and building a reputation.
"If only I had Transmigration to Liyue at the start! The requirements for a street storyteller aren't that high!"
"Being a literary plagiarist and writing novels is also a way out."
He frustratingly scratched his hair, why didn't heaven give him a chance to show off.
He told the Bard the Mondstadt-style beginning of King Arthur there and asked him to evaluate whether it suited the Mondstadter's interest.
The Bard gave a high evaluation.
"The story is good! It ends here, making me itch with anticipation, but if you spoke common tongue instead of Liyue language, you would definitely be popular."
"We are willing to pay one hundred thousand Mora to buy this story!"
Ryan was shocked on the spot; they had good taste.
But in the future, if I tell it myself, won't I earn more than one hundred thousand Mora?
Conflicted and reluctant, he left the tavern.
He really wanted to sell it!
One hundred thousand Mora, that could last him a month or two, right?
Nearby, a Bard, with ears perked, who had traveled many nations and was ready to plagiarize stories, pounded his chest and stamped his feet, wanting to catch up and cooperate.
But he found that Ryan had run off and disappeared.
After walking back to the fountain square in the Lower City, Ryan came to his senses. Just as he realized the hidden danger of plagiarism, stories were actually not worth much.
What was important was the ability to make others only able to hear the story there, and for others not to dare to copy it.
With Diluc's influence, this could be achieved.
As an outsider, he feared he would instantly become a tool for others to gather material.
"Either I go back after mastering the language, then cooperation or selling are both options. Or..."
There was a gleam in his eyes, "Wait until I become famous in Mondstadt!"
"For example, by solving the Dragon Calamity, with my fists and sword, with true strength, I will gain people's trust!"
"At that time, who would dare to plagiarize! Every word I speak would be worth a thousand gold, not just one hundred thousand Mora."
Teyvat is not a safe world; monsters, Gods, Fatui... are all causing destruction. One's own strength is perhaps the most important thing.
Mora is a medium for upgrading power; the means of acquiring it need to be flexible.
He kept his grand ambitions in his heart and continued to walk to the next shop.
Mondstadt Department Store by the fountain.
In the game, it was a small shop that only sold salt, pepper, onions... In reality, located in a bustling area, it was huge, like a comprehensive supermarket, with everything.
He went up and asked about work.
While he was at it, he replenished some supplies for himself to use outdoors.
After the saleswoman Blanche finished checking out, she looked at this Liyue native who was about to take her job.
After consulting the Shopkeeper, she informed him.
Selling goods required fluent Teyvat language and Mondstadtian, and excellent language sales skills.
Ryan's Liyue language...
If it were before, the Shopkeeper would have been willing to hire a Liyue native as a salesperson, specifically to serve Liyue customers.
But now, the Dragon Calamity had affected trade routes, and there were hardly any Liyue people coming to Mondstadt for business.
"You can wait!"
"Come back and try after the Dragon Calamity ends."