The following days passed for Arthur like a slow, heavy dream. He sat in his small shack, staring at the mobile phone screen he had placed on an old wooden crate he used as a table. The progress bar crawled forward with agonizing slowness: 1%… 2%… Sometimes it froze for long minutes before inching forward again. He knew it would take a full 100 hours—more than four consecutive days without real sleep—but this wait was the first thing in his life for a very long time that actually carried real meaning.
During the day, he went to the fruit shop as usual: carrying crates, forcing a smile for customers, collecting the few meager coins, then hurrying back home. Hunger no longer gnawed at him with the same intensity; anticipation filled his stomach instead of food. At night he sat beneath the light of a cheap candle that melted slowly, watching the screen illuminate his gaunt face. Wind blew through the broken window, carrying the sounds of the city: children's laughter in the alley, the clatter of a horse-drawn cart on the distant main street, and occasionally the fleeting notes of a lyre drifting from one of the upper districts where the wealthy lived.
During those long hours, memories crept back into his mind once again. He remembered his previous life: the dark room, the computer screen, endless hours playing Genshin Impact. He had always dreamed of becoming an adventurer like the Traveler, of receiving a Vision, of fighting the Abyss, of seeing the entire world. And now here he was—in that very world—but he wasn't a hero… yet. Just a fruit shop worker, sleeping on a straw mat, carefully counting every Mora before spending it.
One night, when the progress had reached 47%, he heard a soft knock at the door. He opened it to find a little neighbor girl holding a piece of dry bread wrapped in cloth.
"Auntie said you don't eat well… take this."
Arthur managed a difficult smile, thanked her, closed the door, and returned to the phone. That small moment softened him a little; perhaps not everything in this world was harsh.
As the hours dragged on, he began talking to the phone as if it were a living thing.
"Come on… move a little… I'm waiting for you."
Sometimes he laughed at himself, feeling half-mad, yet happy. For the first time in years, he felt real hope.
Finally, after four days and three nights of unbroken anticipation, the download completed.
The screen lit up with a soft white glow, revealing exactly four app icons, neatly arranged as though they had been placed there as a deliberate gift:
- **First app**: Attribute Panel
Its icon was a strange tree with four main roots branching in intricate, mysterious patterns, almost as if it were pulsing with life. It looked like the World Tree itself—except this one seemed made just for him.
- **Second app**: World Language Comprehension
The icon showed an ancient open book, its pages filled with glowing symbols Arthur had never seen before. It didn't look like an ordinary book; it felt as though it held all the secrets of Teyvat.
- **Third app**: Storage
The icon resembled a massive iron-and-gold bank vault, sealed with an elaborate lock. Arthur instinctively felt that it contained countless treasures.
- **Fourth app**: Master of the Small World
The image was a tiny rotating planet wrapped in a faint blue halo, like a miniature world he could control.
Arthur stood frozen in awe. A wide smile spread across his face for the first time in weeks. He felt joyful tears welling up, but he didn't cry. Instead, he let out a soft, hope-filled laugh.
"Finally… the real story begins."
He sat down again, his hand trembling slightly as he reached toward the first app.
Suddenly the wind outside the shack blew harder, as though Barbatos himself were silently congratulating him.