There was only one overland route from Mondstadt to Liyue.
Or rather, only one official overland route. If someone insisted on scaling the snowy mountains between Springvale and Windrise, then crossing the snow-covered road slanting across the entire Dragonspine to reach Mingyun Village—well, technically, that counted as a route too. But it was far more difficult.
Perhaps a few daring and highly skilled adventurers would take that path, but merchants certainly wouldn't go out of their way to suffer.
In Victor Wang's memory, the straight-line distance from the Stone Gate waypoint to the Temple of the Falcon of the West Wind was about 1,500 meters. Multiply that by 100 and you get 150,000 meters—or 150 kilometers.
At 60 kilometers per hour, a car could cover the distance in just 2.5 hours. His speed was slower, but still about 45 km/h. In theory, he should be able to complete it in around 3.4 hours.
Unfortunately, the straight-line distance wasn't the actual distance. He had set out early in the morning and ran non-stop until he reached Stone Gate—by then, it was already 12 PM.
That was thanks to his ability to travel light. Along the way, all the horses and hot air balloons dragging carriages full of people or cargo looked on enviously.
His gear included:
A dagger, a sword, a pouch of Mora, a spare mask, a pocket watch, a day pearl, his Adventurer's Certificate, a bank note, a full map of Teyvat, an unknown map, six vials of potion, Venti's letter, and a photo of Barbara.
It looked like a lot listed out, but all together it wasn't heavy and didn't take up much space.
The spare mask had been added after Patch's resupply trip—he'd bought two at once.
One item missing was a chunk of Shivada Jade Gemstone. It was simply too large and heavy to carry conveniently.
Giving the gemstone to Lumine would have been the best choice—she did have a 'backpack'—but Victor Wang hadn't considered how inconvenient it would be to lug around until the day before leaving Mondstadt.
He wasn't a Cryo user, nor a grand alchemist. At least for now, he had no use for it. After much thought, he decided to sell it—only to run into Ryan.
Ryan's exact words were: "This chunk of Shivada Jade is worth dozens of ordinary ones. Its value as a collectible has surpassed its use. Selling it would be a waste."
With the earnings from Tales from the Box and Alice in Wonderland, plus the exploration bounty for eliminating the wild boars and bringing back the extinct snowboars and the Snowboar King, Victor Wang wasn't exactly short on Mora.
So maybe… keep the Shivada Jade Gemstone and carve a figurine of the Cryo Archon after reuniting with all seven Archons?
And a Raiden figurine too—made from Vajrada Amethyst. It would definitely look more lifelike than that "Statue of Her Excellency, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder" statue.
And the Geo Archon? Maybe he could show Keqing what real craftsmanship looked like… Or better yet, make one figurine for each Archon using elemental boss drops. Maybe he could even make a living selling figurines!
That would require some time to learn carving… or maybe he could try shaping them in the alchemy realm. Though that sounded harder than sculpting. Earthlings modeled with computers; he'd model with his brain. Unbeatable!
…No use thinking too far ahead. He'd figure it out when the time came.
He handed the giant Shivada Jade Gemstone to Ryan for safekeeping, jokingly leaving a death flag: "If I never come back, it's yours."
Ryan just laughed. "What are you saying?"
Stone Gate.
The border between Mondstadt and Liyue.
From the western waypoint of Dawn Winery to the Stone Gate waypoint, the terrain was rugged—mountains and rivers everywhere. Even though people from both nations had carved paths through mountains and built bridges over water, the road leading to Stone Gate was flanked by mountains converging from both sides, almost like they wanted to pinch the path shut.
"Good thing there's a gap between them. Otherwise, no matter which way you came from, you'd have to climb the mountains… Or maybe someone did deliberately split them apart, anticipating this?"
In a land of gods, splitting mountains wasn't exactly hard to imagine.
Victor Wang had just passed through the narrowest part of the path—a plank road and wooden bridge clinging to the mountainside—but still wide enough to let four carriages pass side by side.
Once through, he had officially entered Liyue's territory.
Corresponding to the checkpoint behind him in Mondstadt, several watchtowers stood ahead, manned by patrolling Millelith—Liyue's border checkpoint.
Both sides conducted routine inspections, mostly to maintain order and keep the roads clear.
Because of the narrower road and the checkpoint's presence, the area just beyond the border was far livelier than in the game. Tea stands, restaurants, and inns offered necessary services to travelers.
After half a day of running, Victor Wang stopped here for lunch. The moment he entered Liyue, the culinary style changed entirely—it resembled the cuisine of his pre-reincarnation homeland, Shenzhou, which gave him a sense of familiarity.
It was said that Liyue was modeled after Shenzhou. Judging by its in-game culture, that seemed accurate.
As someone from Shenzhou, Liyue naturally held a special place in his heart—like… a hometown in another world?
"Liyue, I'm back!"
No matter how emotional he felt, his feet couldn't stop. After resting, he continued southward and encountered his first Geo Statue of The Seven.
It depicted a cloaked, bare-chested man seated on a throne made of runic bricks, holding a square object in his hand.
If the statue was carved in the Archon's actual likeness… he had no idea which era this Geo Archon represented. It looked wild—quite unlike Zhongli's image.
Victor Wang touched the crumbling cylindrical base with mixed emotions.
Once upon a time, he had touched the Anemo Statue like this, hoping the Archon would grant him Anemo power. But things were never that easy. He still had no idea how Lumine had done it.
'Heh… as long as I don't lose my nobility, the world will truly open to me.'
He turned and strode toward Wangshu Inn.
"Go seek the relics of Khaenri'ah."
He glanced around, startled, then quickly confirmed the voice. Once certain it was her, he asked mentally, "Can you tell me who you are? Why are you helping me?"
"Go seek the relics of Khaenri'ah."
Just like their first encounter, the voice merely repeated her words, ignoring his questions entirely.
"What are the relics of Khaenri'ah?"
No response.
Victor Wang closed his eyes, deep in thought, gently knocking his forehead with a clenched fist.
That voice had first appeared after his initial contact with the Anemo Statue. Back then, she'd said, "If you want to become human again, seek the help of the Seven." That had become a lifeline—his compass in Teyvat.
Now, after touching the Geo Statue, she was saying, "Go seek the relics of Khaenri'ah." But if returning to humanity only required the Seven's help, what role did Khaenri'ah's relics play?
Were they even more important than the help of the Seven?
Or was it just a throwaway line?
What exactly did "Relics of Khaenri'ah" mean?
Artifacts related to Khaenri'ah… there were the Pale Flame set linked to the Jester, the Nymph's Dream from the Red King's desert, and… the Heart of Naberius mentioned in Albedo's lore.
If it referred to the first two—those were ordinary artifact sets anyone could farm with enough power. Were they really that special?
But if it was the last one… that was unique. Though to get it, he'd need to take it from Gold—Rhinedottir. And that was assuming he could even find her, let alone defeat her.
He had once suspected the voice belonged to Nicole, the "Guide Who Will Never Get Lost." But if it really was the Heart of Naberius, wouldn't that mean he had to go after her witch friend?
Did they have a falling out? Or was he just wrong about everything?
"Ahhh! My brain's vibrating!"
"Forget it. I'll keep an eye out while handling the main quest." Victor Wang gave up thinking.
Before night fell, long before leaving Dihua Marsh, he could already see Wangshu Inn from a distance.
The inn was tall and grand, built into a funnel-shaped mountain. The narrowest part in the middle made one's heart clench, as if the upper portion might collapse at any moment.
He passed under the wooden archway facing Stone Gate and stepped onto the wooden bridge. Wangshu Inn loomed before him. Were this not another world, Victor Wang would never dare step into a building so precarious—who knew when it might fall?
But the people of Teyvat thought differently.
At this hour, Wangshu Inn was bustling. Carts and carriages filled the entrance; travelers crowded inside.
Most of the outdoor dining tables were occupied. A waterwheel-powered elevator was lifting a few guests upward—suggesting the upper floors were just as busy.
Several of the caravans he'd passed at Stone Gate had chosen to rest here. It would still take more than half a day to reach Liyue Harbor—far too exhausting to press on.