Walking down the shopping district
Mondstadt's commercial street wasn't as busy as Liyue Harbor, but plenty of people still came to shop. Most of them were adventurers and mercenaries.
They usually came to buy supplies for their adventures and medical items for treatment.
The goods sold by foreign merchants in Mondstadt were very different from those in Liyue Harbor.
They sold interesting toys and functional gadgets, all of which looked practical and fun. As for the quality of these items, you would only know after using them.
The local merchants, of course, sold local specialties or goods exported from other places.
In Liyue Harbor, most items were expensive stones or materials. There were other things too, but not many.
People came to Liyue Harbor for big business. Few bothered with trinkets that only sold for a few Mora.
"How boring. I've already bought all these things." Bonanus walked slowly through the crowd with her arms crossed, carefully examining the goods around her.
She had already bought everything that interested her a few days ago and stored them in her space. So none of these items caught her attention.
Why did these shops feel the same as a few days ago? Couldn't they restock with something new?
"I thought I'd buy a few more things, but I guess I was overthinking it." Bonanus pouted and looked away from the goods.
Feeling very bored, she walked over to a pine tree. The people of Mondstadt had planted it in the city long ago.
It provided shade and a place to lean against and rest.
"Right here. Time to rest." Bonanus muttered to herself. She casually sat down on the grass and leaned her back against the tall pine tree.
Today's shopping trip was a bust. Noelle had gone to invite people, so she had no one to keep her company.
She didn't know what kind of entertainment Mondstadt had, so she could only sit here and space out.
She plucked a blade of grass, put it in her mouth, leaned back against the tree, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the breeze.
Come to think of it, when would the letter she wrote to Xiao arrive? It would probably take a long time to get there.
She wondered what kind of vehicle Mondstadt's mail carriers used. Maybe a carriage, maybe a Slime transport cart, or maybe they traveled by boat.
She really hoped her letter would reach Xiao soon. Otherwise, she might return before the letter even arrived. That would be awkward.
Did Teyvat have something like sound transmission talismans? Like in cultivation stories, where you could write a talisman and send your voice through it.
But recalling certain scenes from the Genshin Impact game, such talismans probably didn't exist. When Rex Lapis was assassinated, the adepti made the Traveler run all over the place.
If they had such talismans, they would have used them. They wouldn't have troubled the Traveler.
Thinking about things related to the adepti, she couldn't help but think of Bosacius and Menogias, especially her big brother Bosacius, who always laughed with his teeth showing.
He was basically Liyue's version of Arataki Itto. She would never forget that infectious laugh.
"What is everyone doing? And that unfamiliar second brother..." Bonanus whispered to herself.
She had only seen her second brother when he was mad from karmic debt. She had never seen him in his right mind. She was curious.
At least her normal second brother would be more reliable than her purple skinned big brother. Definitely more reliable when it came to taking care of people.
But thinking about these things now was useless. She was in Mondstadt, not Liyue Harbor. She could worry about all that after she returned.
When she got back, she would see for herself.
Shaking her head, she pushed these useless thoughts out of her mind and spoke to the system.
[System, how is the investigation into those nightmares going?] Bonanus propped her head on her hand. It had been so long. There should be an answer by now.
[System online. Answering host's question. The system has gathered a lot of data. Most of it points to psychological issues. The host does not need to worry too much.]
Hearing the system's answer, Bonanus rubbed her forehead. So after all that research, that's all you found?
[Isn't there any other information?] Bonanus asked in her mind, hoping for a different answer.
[Please trust the system. The system guarantees that those nightmares will not affect the host. You can rest assured.]
The system spoke seriously. Even though its voice was mechanical, Bonanus could hear the sincerity in it.
[Alright...] Bonanus nodded. She didn't understand these things anyway. Experts were experts.
At least she had the system to keep her alive. Nothing too bad should happen.
[Does the host have any other questions?] the system asked calmly. If there was nothing else, it would log off.
[No. Go ahead.] Bonanus sighed. She slowly opened her eyes and got ready to stand up and find Noelle.
Sitting here alone was boring. She might as well be with Noelle. At least then someone would talk to her.
With that thought, she immediately acted. But just as she stood up, Noelle's familiar figure appeared before her.
"Sister, what are you doing sitting here?" Noelle had finally found Bonanus after inviting everyone. She looked at her sister, who had been spacing out, and asked curiously.
Bonanus: ...
She found it very surreal that Noelle had appeared just as she was thinking about her. It felt like everything was arranged. Whenever she wanted to see someone, that person would show up without fail.
What a strange feeling.
Wait a minute. Every transmigrator seemed to have some kind of author behind them. She wondered who was writing her story.
She shook her head and dismissed the thought. Impossible. Everything she did was according to her own will. There was no author.
"I had nothing to do. I was bored, so I sat here to get out of the sun." Bonanus put her hands on her hips and answered Noelle's question.
She smiled helplessly. She should have bought less stuff a few days ago. Then she would still have some novelty left.
"Huh? Didn't you go shopping, Sister?" Noelle tilted her head and looked at the stalls. Was the quality of the goods bad?
"That's right, but I already bought everything that interested me a few days ago. I could buy more, but it would be useless." Bonanus shook her head.
"By the way, let me ask you something. Why don't these stalls ever restock with new items?" Bonanus asked Noelle, confused.
Noelle shook her head helplessly, scratched her head, and covered her mouth with a light laugh.
"Is it possible that you bought everything too quickly, Sister, and the merchants haven't had time to bring in new goods?"
Hearing this, Bonanus had an epiphany. That made sense. Even though she had bought out every stall in one day, the merchants' existing stock hadn't sold out yet.
If their current goods didn't sell, they couldn't bring in new ones. Their stalls weren't that big. She had just been too impatient.
"So that's how it is." Bonanus rubbed her forehead awkwardly.
"Hehe. So, Sister, can you come with me to the bookshop now?" Noelle smiled.