Looking over the entire commission board, Victor Wang noted that the lowest-paying commissions offered 3,000 Mora, while the highest could be worth much more—but those typically involved combat. Non-combat tasks mostly fell in the 3,000–5,000 Mora range.
With 3,000 Mora, he could afford a stay at the cheapest inn he found in Mondstadt—1,000 Mora per night—and still have enough left over for two meals.
Back when he played the game, Victor Wang often wondered: With such high commission pay, why were there still Treasure Hoarders and Kairagi?
Now he understood—it was the distance.
Reaching places like Starsnatch Cliff or Windrise on foot meant at least a full day of nonstop travel. Running might cut the time in half, but the wilds teemed with monsters. Without the strength to defend oneself, such journeys were impossible.
With that in mind, it was no surprise people turned to banditry.
While scouting for a commission, Victor Wang also kept an eye on other adventurers nearby. From what he observed, real adventurers didn't operate solo like in the game—they formed teams.
Several adventurers were currently gathering, planning to depart together once they had enough people for commissions in similar areas. For combat missions, they needed even more members or someone with a Vision.
Most of them were Junior or Intermediate Adventurers. Since they could take two or three commissions at once, they helped each other out, saving time and increasing safety.
Good thing I don't plan on staying an adventurer forever, Victor Wang mused, watching the career he once envied turn out to be grueling and inefficient. Once I've got ID and startup funds, I'll move on.
Just then, Sara from Good Hunter arrived at the board to post a commission—delivering a meal to Springvale. The reward was one dish of the adventurer's choice and 3,000 Mora.
Victor Wang was keen to accept it. Most of the easy tasks had already been snapped up.
He flipped open his handbook to check the procedure:
'Commissions are categorized by limited/unlimited participants and limited/unlimited attempts. Limited-participant commissions allow the requester to remove the notice from the board. Unlimited ones cannot be taken down.
To accept a commission, you must record it with the Adventurers' Guild. Upon completion, rewards are disbursed by the Guild, as payment is usually submitted in advance by the client.
Some clients may deal directly with adventurers. If their payout differs from what was promised, the Guild can mediate disputes.
If materials are needed from the client, adventurers must present a Guild-issued claim voucher.'
Got it.
After thinking for 0.1 seconds—and not wanting to give anyone else a chance to take it—Victor Wang tore the Good Hunter commission from the board and had Katheryne register it. Then, he took the claim voucher to Sara to pick up the food.
"This meal is for Morro in Springvale. Be careful not to spill it," she said.
"Don't worry. You can count on me." Victor Wang patted his chest confidently and accepted the food with his right hand. First time on horseback—might as well go bold.
He tapped the horse's flanks gently with his calves to start it moving. Then, with more pressure, it began to speed up.
Just over forty minutes later, he arrived in Springvale, safe and sound.
He gently pulled the reins with one hand to slow the horse. Since he was holding the food with his right hand, dismounting was a challenge. He turned to the mustached man at the village entrance—Hopkins, who wore a wide-brimmed hat.
"Sir, could you hold this food for me?"
"Buy a bottle of holy water and I'll help."
"Then forget it. I'll find someone else."
Victor Wang nudged his horse forward slowly.
"Tch. Cheapskate."
That did it. Victor Wang stopped and turned back, smiling. "Actually, you have to help me."
"Go away. Don't get in my way."
"You wouldn't want people finding out that you're just bottling spring water and selling it as holy water, right?"
"You… How do you know that?" Hopkins looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Here, take it."
With his right hand free, Victor Wang dismounted and retrieved the delivery from Hopkins.
Lowering his voice, Hopkins muttered, "I helped you already. You'd better not tell anyone."
"Relax. It's our little secret."
Victor Wang pulled the commission slip from his cloak pocket to check Morro's address—but it only said Springvale.
No way I'm gonna make it in time searching house to house. The food delivery business in Teyvat clearly has room for improvement. Victor Wang was annoyed, but helpless.
Turning to Hopkins again, he asked, "Do you know where Morro lives?"
"Third street on the left, then second alley on the right—behind the big windmill."
"Thanks."
"No problem, no problem."
As Victor Wang led his horse away, Hopkins wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was way too close. Almost ruined my whole career. How the hell did that guy know?"
Victor Wang found Morro within the hour.
"What took you so long?"
Victor Wang bowed like a man of leisure. "Apologies for the delay." Then he turned back toward Mondstadt, riding hard and fast.
He handed the payment to Sara at Good Hunter.
"Looks good. Here's your reward: 3,000 Mora. And you may choose one dish from our menu—free of charge. What'll it be?"
Can such a small purse even hold 3,000 Mora? Victor Wang wondered.
"I'll take the Sweet Madame."
"Alright, please wait a moment."
"By the way—how do people in Springvale even order food from so far away?"
"Carrier pigeons, of course," Sara replied matter-of-factly.
"Ohhh—"
Flying really is faster than running.
Victor Wang picked a seat at an outdoor table. Since Good Hunter was right next to the Adventurers' Guild and in full view of the street, he chose a spot with his back to the crowd—just in case.
Then he opened the purse and found three Mora coins. One side matched the in-game design—three intersecting crescents, said to be based on the Celtic triquetra. The other side bore the number 1000.
So that's how it works—each coin isn't just worth one Mora.
That made his earlier thoughts seem a bit ridiculous. Not every purse is a magic teapot, after all.
Next, he pulled out his Adventurer's Certificate. It was formatted like a booklet. The first page listed his personal info, stamped with the Adventurers' Guild's seal. The following pages contained monster data and maps of Mondstadt.
Each time an adventurer reached a new region, the map would update—serving as a record of experience and travel.
"Your steak is ready."
"Bring it over quick—I can't wait."
Victor Wang hesitated for a moment, then removed only his mask—not the cloak's hood. Seeing no reactions from the passersby, he began devouring his meal with gusto.
Incredible. I wonder what I look like to others under this cloak.
Since Good Hunter was right beside the guild, Victor Wang remained seated afterward, observing adventurers coming and going.
In this world, the gap between those with and without Visions was massive.
Victor Wang had no intention of staying an ordinary person. If his exceptional memory—possibly his one cheat ability—was real, then he had to make the most of these 3,000 Mora.
Every transmigrator had one inherent trait: Stolen Wisdom.
There were countless forms of entertainment from Earth—like cards, mahjong, and board games—not yet seen in Teyvat. These could be monetized.
But after some thought, he gave up that idea. Just because they weren't in the game yet didn't mean future updates wouldn't add them. And it didn't mean this world didn't already have them. He'd need to confirm first.
Besides, as a regular guy, he didn't really know how to monetize creative ideas.
Hmm... Maybe I could beat the Akasha System to the punch and invent milk dumplings? Wonder how profitable that would be.
The most lucrative route was selling information. But the more valuable the info, the greater its impact on the main story—and it was a one-time sale. After that, the data became worthless.
Wasting his only advantage for quick cash? Not wise.
In the end, Victor Wang chose a low-cost, brain-powered path: writing books.
Writing required good prose and compelling plots—neither of which he had. But he could copy them.
"Farewell, cruel life of an adventurer," he sighed.