The City of Contracts

Sai slumped to the ground butt-first as all threats disappeared from sight. A few slow pushes were enough to help him reach a tree, in which he laid his back.

That was certainly the worst day of his life. If it weren't for his positivity about the new world and the opportunities it presented he might have been cursing whatever or whoever brought him there (which so far he had no clue about).

Many things crossed his mind in a short amount of time, from Lisa, to Diluc, Amber, the Fatui, the player and finally to his current situation. Recent events have slightly enlightened him for a different mindset, one more adapted to this world.

"It really feels like the law of jungle around here, and it probably is…" That thought reaffirmed his ambition to quickly become stronger.

…

Not long after Noelle and Aether disappeared, Sai was again summoned. This time, it couldn't be more obvious where he was.

A city that was bustling even at this hour. People everywhere you could look, shops for each and every need marketing their goods, lanterns lit in the air. Decorations were put on street lamps and on the city architecture, giving the place a very festive atmosphere. It resembled the ancient China one could see on movies.

It was Liyue.

"So this is what Liyue is like…" Sai was definitely impressed.

Compared to the game, the real Liyue had a much greater abundance of people and commerce, but emphasise the people part. In this early night—— that for some reason wasn't dark like Earth's—— all types of characters could be seen going for their own businesses or just having fun. It was as bustling as the midday Mondstadt.

Looking around, Sai didn't spot anyone he knew, not even Aether or Noelle. Some people saw him appear out of midair and were shocked, but soon resumed with their lives while avoiding eye contact. In fact, it was like Sai had the plague: the crowd created a circle around him almost instinctively.

As he didn't see anywhere to go, Sai simply waited on the spot for another possible invocation or something. After waiting for about five minutes, he started to think that that was it for the day, so he let out a tired sigh and made his way to a thick tree he saw nearby.

As he got closer, he recognised it as the tree behind the alchemical worktable (or Crafting Bench) in the Teleport Waypoint closest to the Adventures' Guild of Liyue. Although he didn't see the pond, he caught a glimpse of the Waypoint's blue light in the distance. He was sure of where he was.

He laid against it to rest. When he finally decided that he had nothing to lose and was nodding off to sleep, someone called out for him.

"Hey there, friend. You're not from around here, yes?"

Sai slowly opened his eyes and glared at the man in front of him. Shaking a bit of his sleepiness off, Sai immediately got suspicious. He eyed the man up and down, and felt that the he brought danger to him.

"So?"

The stranger dressed like the majority of the people around, in something that looked like a robe. It was plain and grey, with dirty spots throughout. Although somewhat ragged, it still looked better than Sai's torn linen clothes.

Despite Sai's utterly unwelcoming stance, the man smiled and cautiously proceeded:

"I'm Chen, just a small merchant of Liyue, not a threat to sir at all. I was just passing by, and sir caught my eye. I couldn't help but think that uh… you, ahem, sir, might be able to make use of my humble abilities in exchange of a spare coin."

Sai suddenly felt silly that he thought a small merchant would be dangerous. Due to his current state, he didn't reflect on why the man behaved with fear-like respect. He was about to shoo Chen away when something crossed his mind.

"Hmmm… yes. I think I could, indeed. Help me up, here." Sai extended his hand.

"Oh, yes."

As Sai stood up, he felt a bit guilty of what he was going to do, although he was sure it would bring the man great fortune in the future.

"I am very tired right now. I need you to find me a safe place to sleep, preferably quiet, and once I wake up, I can tell you how to get rich!"

Chen immediately frowned and thought: 'Before telling me that, maybe try making enough money to buy yourself some decent clothes!' But on the outside, he made a deprecating smile and said:

"Sir, you must have misunderstood me. I don't want to be rich, I just want a few coins in order to feed my family, is all."

Sai raised a brow and thought 'So he doesn't believe me, huh… I wouldn't either, given how I'm dressed.'

"Chen, although I look like this on the exterior, on the inside I am a person of great value! Have you heard of how real state leasing is the real money-maker when dealing with burger shops?"

"Huh??" Chen understood almost every word separately, but when joined together they didn't make any sense to him.

"Uh… then how about… 'Understanding how the economy works can help you set a direction for your future investments.'" Sai looked at him but the man was still a bit troubled.

"Wait. What if I told you that even with very little investment, you could sell any product twice the price you are doing today?"

Sai had previously revised everything he knew about the modern world's market and thought of ways to use them to help him make money here. It just so happened that a poor merchant like Chen was the main 'ingredient' that he had been lacking.

Although Mora in this world didn't literally mean power, it could be traded for power under the right conditions. For someone as weak as the current Sai, that might be his only choice for his envisioned life. Besides, he couldn't simply depend on the knights for money, he needed to become independent.