In the districts of the City of Freedom, Mondstadt, where the free winds flow between ancient towers and cobblestone streets, Arthur was living a life marked by monotony and despair. Mondstadt—this vast city that far exceeded the boundaries of the game he had known in his previous life—appeared like a jewel from the Middle Ages, with its massive stone walls encircling wide expanses of bustling markets and green gardens where Windwheel Asters swayed gently in the warm breezes. The city was far larger than he had ever imagined, stretching into impoverished neighborhoods filled with dilapidated wooden shacks where the poor lived far from the gaze of nobles and knights. The scent of freshly baked bread mingled with the smell of damp earth after rain, and the whispers of the wind rustled through the trees, as though singing songs of freedom that never reached everyone.
Arthur, a young man who had just turned twenty, woke up one morning to strange memories flooding his mind like a storm. Before reincarnating into this world of Teyvat, he had lived another life in a modern world full of technology and video games, where he spent countless hours playing *Genshin Impact*. But this new world was completely different; it wasn't just a game—it was a harsh reality where one had to struggle to survive. Arthur had grown up in the city's orphanage since childhood, without family or real friends. He knew only his boss at the fruit shop—a fat man who ran the store with an iron fist—and the landlord who took 5,000 Mora from him each month in exchange for a tiny shack in the slums.
His days began at sunrise. He worked from dawn until dusk carrying heavy crates filled with red apples and fresh grapes, selling them to passersby in the market. After an entire month of grueling labor, he barely earned 30,000 Mora—an amount that was just enough for food and rent. There was no time for leisure, no grand dreams—only the fight to stay alive in a world that revolved solely around Mora as currency.
That evening, Arthur returned to his humble home—a rickety wooden shack located in a narrow alley littered with garbage and children playing with mud balls. The thin walls let in the cold wind, and the dirt floor was full of cracks. He looked around in despair, feeling the weight of reality pressing down on his chest. Closing his eyes in an attempt to hold back the tears that threatened to fall, he walked over to an old mirror he had picked up from a pile of trash in the market. In its reflection, he saw himself: a thin young man made gaunt by lack of food, jet-black hair falling over his forehead, and dark eyes reflecting deep sorrow. His frail body reminded him of every meal he had missed and every night he had gone to bed hungry.
Suddenly, he felt a faint pain in his right hand, as though something were moving beneath his skin. He raised his hand in surprise and saw a strange transparent bubble forming, slowly expanding. Inside it, something gleamed—a mobile phone that looked like an iPhone, a device he had never owned in his previous life because he preferred Android over iPhone. A surge of intense excitement flooded his heart as he tried to pull it out. With a single thought, the phone slipped into his hand—cold and shiny.
The phone's screen suddenly lit up, displaying the words:
"Loading… Rules for this mobile device are being adapted to the laws of this world."
A progress bar began to advance—very slowly. After a full hour, it had reached only 1%. Arthur thought with deep sadness: "This is going to take about 100 hours…" That much was clear from the estimated time shown on the screen—the only thing visible at the moment. He sat on the floor, staring at the device, wondering what this discovery would bring him in the mysterious world of Teyvat. Was it the key to changing his fate, or just another illusion in a life filled with disappointments?
Outside the window, the wind blew stronger, as if heralding the arrival of an adventure to come.