After Jia Changjiang left, Jean sat behind her desk and took two more sips of coffee.
"…Agreeing to that challenge shouldn't cause any problems, right?"
A trace of unease flickered through her mind, but she quickly buried it and returned to the mountain of reports left behind by the dragon crisis.
At the entrance of the Knights of Favonius headquarters, however, a man with blue hair, slightly tanned skin, and an eyepatch stood watching Jia Changjiang's departing figure with a thoughtful expression.
Then, Kaeya called out to a red-clad figure nearby.
"Amber, could I trouble you with something?"
Jia Changjiang, having just left the Knights of Favonius, was completely unaware of the gaze following him.
After thinking about combat, he now had to think about something far more pressing—
Daily life.
Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
Clothes could wait; he could manage with what he was wearing. Walking was fine for now.
But food and lodging?
Those required Mora.
Thankfully, he still had some Mora he'd looted from Hilichurls along the way.
At the very least, before that ran out, he needed to find a way to earn a living.
He absolutely could not starve to death in Mondstadt before even getting the chance to fight Jean.
"Not just Jean…" Jia Changjiang muttered, resting a hand on the haft of his axe.
"I remember Mondstadt has quite a few strong people. Plenty besides her…"
Then he shook his head.
"No. No rush."
"Jean was right—I don't have a Vision, so I can't control elemental power."
"…Huh."
After a moment's thought, his eyes lit up.
"Why don't I register at the Adventurers' Guild and become an adventurer?"
He clapped his hands together.
"I can go outside the city, fight to adapt, and earn Mora. Perfect!"
Decision made, Jia Changjiang hurried toward the Adventurers' Guild booth, where Katheryne stood.
He'd seen her shortly after entering the city.
As he made his way through the lower district, a red figure quietly followed him from a distance.
After running around for quite some time, Jia Changjiang finally reached Katheryne.
Adventurers came and went in an orderly fashion—some accepting commissions, others turning them in.
"Katheryne, is it possible to register as an adventurer here right now?" Jia Changjiang asked, seizing a brief lull.
"Of course," Katheryne replied with her standard, practiced smile.
"You may register as an adventurer with the Adventurers' Guild at any time."
"That's great! I'll register right now!"
There was no unnecessary chatter. Before long, Jia Changjiang officially became a brand-new adventurer.
"Katheryne, do you know if there are any inns nearby?"
With work temporarily sorted out, he immediately asked about lodging.
"If you're looking for short-term accommodations," Katheryne answered,
"there are many inns to the east. If you plan to stay long-term, I can also help introduce available residences."
"I'll go with short-term for now. Thank you, Katheryne."
After thanking her, Jia Changjiang headed east as directed.
Once he entered the inn, the red figure that had been tailing him finally stopped and withdrew.
Not long after, at the Knights of Favonius headquarters—
"So, Kaeya," Amber asked skeptically after giving her report,
"is that guy really as suspicious as you said?"
This was Kaeya, after all. He might just be messing with her again.
"Of course," Kaeya replied calmly, arms folded against the wall.
"He challenged Jean the moment he entered the city."
"And you saw the axe he was carrying, didn't you? A weapon like that doesn't come from a few casual skirmishes."
"Even if he isn't a bad person," Kaeya continued, smiling,
"keeping an eye on someone like that is simply the Knights' duty."
Amber hesitated, then nodded.
"…Mm. I guess you're right."
Kaeya chuckled softly.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Amber. Keep an eye on him until he challenges the Acting Grand Master again."
"Fine—but when this is over, you're buying me a Sticky Honey Roast!"
"Deal."
Inside the inn room, Jia Changjiang sat on the bed, carefully counting the Mora in his possession.
He couldn't help but feel relieved—if he hadn't run into so many Hilichurls over the past two days and taken their Mora, he probably wouldn't even be able to afford a room.
Still, this amount clearly wouldn't last long.
He'd need to start taking commissions soon to earn enough to survive.
Damn it.
Back in the game, he'd been the kind of guy who charged around thinking, "I don't know where I am, I don't know who I am, I just want to fight."
So why, after transmigrating, did he have to struggle for basic food and shelter?
Tossing the Mora pouch aside, Jia Changjiang picked up a single Mora and flipped it between his fingers before lying back on the bed.
"System," he called lazily. "I've got time now. Come out and let me take a proper look at you."
[Welcome.]
With a sound like a device powering on, a clean, simple interface appeared before his eyes.
"So… for something called a system, all I've seen so far is that Stormterror quest."
Jia Changjiang examined the interface.
"No other functions?"
He swiped around idly—then noticed an option.
"Identification: ON?"
Curious, he toggled it.
The next moment, a line of small text appeared in his vision, right over the Mora in his hand.
[Mora: A Geo-element construct created by Morax. Can be used as currency or alchemical material. Can be thrown to cause a small Geo-elemental explosion.]
"…?"
Jia Changjiang stared.
Then he sat bolt upright.
"What the hell is this?"
"Mora… can be used as a weapon?!"
"The Genshin version of all or nothing? Money darts?!"
An image formed in his mind—him throwing handfuls of Mora like grenades.
"Heaven-shaking strike—All or Nothing!"
At that moment, Jia Changjiang suddenly realized—
The potential of his Weapon Master ability might be far broader than he'd ever imagined.
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