"Sigh, Stormterror's attacks have been far too frequent lately."
"You can say that again. Every time it attacks, it causes a huge commotion, severe losses for merchants, and immense damage to houses and such. We always have to help with the aftermath."
"If this continues, the Knights of Favonius will need to recruit more people, but there aren't many qualified individuals joining right now."
"Indeed, not many qualified people are joining. To this day, I still can't understand why that genius swordsman Lin Mo won't join our Knights of Favonius."
"Hey? He's here."
...Mondstadt City.
City Gate.
Three fully armored Knights of Favonius were leaning against the city gate, chatting idly.
As they chatted, someone suddenly looked at a handsome young man walking not far away.
The young man had a jade-like complexion and delicate features, a look that seemed out of place among the people of Mondstadt.
"Lin Mo, going out on a mission again?"
The Knights of Favonius stationed at the gate looked at the handsome young man walking out and greeted him with a chuckle: "What kind of mission is it? Is it difficult?"
"Some collection missions."
The young man, called Lin Mo, heard this and said gently: "Quite easy."
"Then go early and come back early. Recently, some extra Hilichurls have gathered near the city gate again. Be careful by yourself outside."
The Knights of Favonius stationed at the gate quickly added: "Many Fatui have also been moving around lately. Be careful if you encounter them; those guys are too arrogant."
"Mm."
Hearing this, Lin Mo nodded.
Then he walked through the city gate and headed towards the bridge on the other side.
"This child is only sixteen, right?"
"Yes, he has looks and swordsmanship, but it's a pity he doesn't have a Vision."
"It's said that the Lawrence family extended an olive branch to him, wanting to recruit him as a live-in son-in-law, but he wasn't willing."
"Those nobles want to hoard talent. A swordsmanship genius like Lin Mo can live a carefree life even on his own, much more comfortably than you or I."
"That's true. He's not married yet, and it's said he's saved a lot of money. He has no bad habits, doesn't smoke or drink. That's a genius."
"Too bad he didn't join the Knights of Favonius. If he had, he'd probably be my superior by now."
...As Lin Mo walked further away, intermittent praises still reached him, causing him to sigh softly in his heart.
Swordsmanship genius?
It was merely the result of his long-term persistence.
And only his swordsmanship was presentable.
As a transmigrator with memories from his previous life, even though he transmigrated, he developed intelligence from a young age.
In places unknown to others, the only thing he could train was his swordsmanship.
He knew that only through hard practice could he build the persona of a genius.
But in front of the Mondstadt nobles, it was still not enough.
Originally, having transmigrated to Teyvat, he thought he could make great strides, relying on his foreknowledge of the plot.
But his status as an orphan destined him to have a slow start.
He had diligently and precariously survived until now by relying on the Adventurers' Guild, and he was truly physically and mentally exhausted.
Originally, he wanted to use some commercial methods to achieve wealth, but the old nobles of Mondstadt, even though they had been suppressed by the Knights of Favonius, were still a huge mountain that ordinary people could not afford to provoke.
If he produced anything successful, it would be taken away immediately.
And not by gentle means.
He could only first ensure his survival while building his genius persona.
Then, upon reaching a certain age, he would join the Knights of Favonius, rise to the position of squad leader, and only then slowly free up his hands for commercial ventures.
The Knights of Favonius's external recruitment, besides requiring a certain age, also demanded certain skills or physical strength.
However, they had no threshold for geniuses.
But he had not joined the Knights of Favonius precisely because the Knights of Favonius were actually very troublesome.
Joining the Knights of Favonius was simple; leaving was not.
Moreover, after joining, he would not only need to maintain order within the city but also go out on missions to drive away monsters. While patrolling the city, he would also need to constantly lend a hand to the residents of Mondstadt.
During his leisure time, besides resting, he would also need to take on missions from the Adventurers' Guild.
It was far less relaxed than the Adventurers' Guild.
Most importantly, joining the Knights of Favonius meant he couldn't come into contact with Vision Holders.
If he had joined, he wouldn't have been able to interact with some Vision Holders.
Because those familiar Vision Holders were even more elusive.
Even if he occasionally saw them, they rarely looked at a child.
And many Vision Holders were even younger than him. When he was still a child, how could he find them?
That's why he still hadn't joined the Knights of Favonius.
Although he could join whenever he wanted.
"In this world without a Vision, even an Adventurer might not be able to escape if they encounter Hilichurls. It's too dangerous."
Thinking that he had transmigrated without a golden finger, Lin Mo felt an immense headache.
What good was his strong swordsmanship?
Against the arrows and some magic cast by Hilichurls, it was simply not enough.
He had personally witnessed some Adventurers from the Adventurers' Guild being easily killed by Hilichurls. If he hadn't run fast, he would have died long ago.
He had also thought of going to Liyue; compared to Mondstadt, Liyue was more prosperous.
However, the journey to Liyue was fraught with difficulties and dangers.
If he was lucky, he might encounter wild beasts and Hilichurls.
If he was unlucky, he would encounter monsters or other terrifying creatures.
Even merchant caravans did not frequently travel between Liyue and Mondstadt.
And even if he hitched a ride with a caravan, it would cost a lot of money.
Who wouldn't want to go to a prosperous place?
How could he, alone, have that much money?
So, to earn more money, he took on many missions at the Adventurers' Guild, but he could only try to take on some ordinary collection missions.
Even then, he had to constantly be aware of dangers in the wilderness.
He really had it tough.
Without a Vision, if he was lucky in this world, he could be a diligent Knights of Favonius and just get by.
If he was unlucky, he could only be an ordinary Adventurer living from hand to mouth.
Many people became Adventurers not because they loved adventure, but to survive.
After all, they could take on missions, get paid, and maybe even find treasure, get rich, and buy a fixed asset like a house.
Just being a Knights of Favonius, with that meager salary, he couldn't afford a house at all.
But there are also benefits; one can enjoy things provided by Alchemists in advance.
If injured, one can be treated by the priests of Favonius Cathedral, but that's all.
For ordinary people, it's also a very proud thing.
"A life where you can see the end from the beginning."
Thinking that his life might be spent this way, Lin Mo sighed repeatedly.
Familiar with the plot, he knew that without power, interfering would be useless, and he might lose his life if he wasn't careful.
Not to mention, most of the plot hasn't even appeared yet.
Thinking about it, he was truly unwilling.
And as someone with a Vision, his body would be strengthened by elemental power; even doing nothing, the subtle influence of elemental power being converted by his Vision every day would allow him to punch out an ordinary person with a single blow.
"I can't possibly join the Fatui, those guys."
Lin Mo thought of the Fatui, whose movements had become increasingly aggressive recently, and his eyelids twitched intensely.
It was true that the Fatui recruited people, but they only recruited cannon fodder.
Moreover, they would forcibly give people Delusions or other strange things; he himself knew of many who regretted joining the Fatui and then vanished without a trace.
While pondering his future, Lin Mo kept an eye on his surroundings, following the well-trodden Path towards the Whispering Woods.
"Roar!"
Just as Lin Mo had been walking for three or four hours, and had just reached the cliff Path above the Whispering Woods, a wolf howl suddenly came from not far away, instantly changing Lin Mo's expression and making him stop.
The next second, five or six wolves and several Hilichurls appeared at the edge of Lin Mo's Vision.
"How can there be wolves in broad daylight, and with Hilichurls? Should I abandon today's mission?"
Lin Mo frowned, thinking of the small lamp grass mission he had finally managed to snatch at the Adventurers' Guild.
The best way for an ordinary person to deal with wolves is to quickly escape, even if he is a sword-fighting genius.
Once caught by a pack of wolves, death is certain.
Unless one possesses a Vision, they can easily deal with them.
Or a fully armed, seasoned hunter.
Not to mention, there were also Hilichurls.
He was truly unwilling.
If he had a Vision, he could advance and retreat freely, reaching the pinnacle of life.
"Swish!"
Just then, a blue virtual panel appeared before him.
[Amber Era 2158, thirty years before the current epoch, you were born on Jarilo-VI. By picking up your Silvermane Guards and overhearing their conversation, you learned that you had transmigrated to Belobog and become a newborn child. At this time, the cold wave was extremely fierce, and even the Silvermane Guards were living precariously. You felt as if your entire world had collapsed.]