Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

Liyue Harbor, a sparsely populated street.

Mr. White, a notorious conman in Liyue, is trying to sell martial arts manuals to a lone traveler.

"Judging from your extraordinary physique and bearing, you are clearly a promising candidate for cultivation. It is fate that we have met. I would like to give you this manual."

Mr. Bai took out a secret manual he had just compiled the night before and handed it to the traveler. The wrinkled marks on it were also from the previous day's aging process.

The traveler thought to himself that this guy must have seen that he didn't look like a local, and that his clothes weren't cheap, making him look like a wealthy person, so he wanted to make a big profit.

"I'm sorry, I can't read," the traveler said dismissively, trying to leave this troublesome place.

Why didn't I encounter this kind of thing when I was a traveler?

Sigh, back then, aside from being killed by plot devices, nobody could beat us, right...?

Two burly men emerged from the alley and stopped her.

I never imagined that someone would do something like this in a safe place like Liyue.

"Look at you, girl, it's free. Where else can you find such a good deal?" The burly man with a thick beard pressed closer.

"I think you're trying to force me to buy or sell," the traveler said, revealing the truth.

They're just small fry; these low-level monsters can be taken down in one hit, and the battle can be over in five seconds.

The traveler reached for his sword at his side...

Oh! Right, I'm not a traveler now! I'm an unarmed "otherworldly traveler." And they don't have health bars either...

However, with the Thousand Rock Army patrolling everywhere in Liyue Harbor, would they dare to do anything to me?

"If the young lady doesn't give us face, then we can't treat her with courtesy either." Mr. Bai revealed his ruthless true colors and ordered his men to restrain the traveler.

"How about letting me take a look at this good book?" A cold yet authoritative female voice rang out, and everyone present turned to look at the source of the voice.

Ye Lan emerged from the dark corner, the clatter of her heels against the stone slabs growing louder as she approached, each step making Mr. Bai's face paler.

"You...you are!" Mr. Bai clearly knew Ye Lan.

"What? You can only give it to this young lady but not to me?" Ye Lan slowly took out a transparent thread of unknown material and wrapped it around her hand.

Seeing her demeanor, the three-person fraud gang retreated repeatedly.

"Girl, step back." Ye Lan shielded the traveler behind her, pulling the thread taut with both hands.

In an instant, space was divided into several parts by lines.

No, it was a visual illusion created by the sunlight revealing the threads that had been laid out at some unknown time and were being guided by her.

A moment later, dozens of threads bound the three of them together like a rice dumpling.

"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding..." Mr. Bai hurriedly explained, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Stop pretending. I have solid evidence of your fraud. The rest is up to the Thousand Rock Army." Ye Lan waved her finger, and a dozen or so Thousand Rock Army soldiers carrying spears walked out from the corner.

The traveler glanced towards the corner, wondering if it was some kind of infinitely spawning spawn point. Why were so many people coming out of it?

“Young lady, you don’t seem to be a local… You haven’t introduced yourself yet. I am Ye Lan. May I ask your name?” Ye Lan walked gracefully to the traveler, her smile sending a chill down his spine.

The traveler couldn't help but be on guard.

"Thank you for saving me, Miss Yelan... I don't live here. Do you know Zhongli of the Hall of Rebirth? I'm a distant relative of his. My name is... Traveler."

The traveler had promised Zhongli not to tell Yelan that he came from another world. Being cautious, he first told Yelan that he was Zhongli's relative and not someone of unknown origin.

Ye Lan is Ning Guang's subordinate and an intelligence expert; it wouldn't be good to be targeted by her.

“Lu Ren? That’s an interesting name.” Ye Lan said seemingly absentmindedly, but she had already become suspicious.

Only a suspicious person can be competent for her current position.

"Then... I'll be going now?" The traveler turned to flee.

Does Yelan in the game really have that much of an imposing presence? She's definitely a female CEO…

“You’ve just been frightened, let me take you,” Ye Lan suggested.

The traveler guessed that she wanted to confirm her identity with Zhongli.

"Okay, thank you for your help, Miss Yelan."

The traveler didn't refuse; refusing would only increase suspicion. No matter how much he tried to conceal it, he couldn't escape her eyes. It was better to let the cunning old man deal with her directly.

However, I can't figure out why Ye Lan would come looking for me.

The office of the Rebirth Hall.

Zhongli and Hu Tao were talking behind the counter, the only two people in the entire hall. The receptionist who greeted guests at the door was also nowhere to be seen.

"Excuse me, Master Hu." Ye Lan led the traveler through the door.

"Miss Yelan, what brings you here? Is there a big business opportunity to introduce to our Wangsheng Hall?" Hu Tao stepped forward to greet the guest.

"Here's what happened. This young lady was being harassed by a group of swindlers. Luckily, I happened to be passing by and rescued her. I heard she was a distant relative of one of your guests at the Hall of Rebirth. I saw she was frightened, so I brought her here to you," Ye Lan said.

“Zhongli’s relative? Let me see, let me see!” Hu Tao leaned closer to the traveler, looking him over from left to right: “Doesn’t seem like it.”

"Because they are distant relatives," Zhongli said, trying to smooth things over for the traveler.

"Traveler, are you alright?" he asked in a low voice.

"No..." The traveler gave Zhongli a wink, letting him know that Yelan suspected her. Zhongli looked at her and immediately understood what she meant.

"Please come in, please come in. Since you're a relative of our guest, please don't stand on ceremony," Hu Tao greeted me warmly.

"Miss Yelan, is there anything else you wish to tell me?" Zhongli seemed to be telling her to leave: "My relative was frightened, and as the host, I should fulfill my responsibility, so I won't see you off."

“There is indeed something else. Things have been rather unsettled in Liyue recently, and Liyue Harbor is currently under lockdown. If you two see anyone suspicious, please report it to the General Affairs Department,” Yelan explained.

What happened in Liyue this time?

The traveler hid behind Zhongli, deep in thought.

"Of course, Miss Yelan always thinks of helping our business when she has time." Hu Tao saw Yelan off.

"What happened in Liyue?" the traveler asked, puzzled.

Why was it suddenly locked down?

In the game's storyline, the player is at the center, obtaining crucial intelligence. However, a time traveler can only obtain this intelligence through their own efforts.

"Sigh... who can argue with that? You're related to the guest minister, so I won't hide it from you. I was summoned by the General Affairs Department late last night. They said a demon god has appeared on Wuwang Slope."

“Wuwangpo is a business that our Wangshengtang is responsible for, so I had no choice but to go there. On the way, we encountered an earthquake, and I fell hard, bruising my buttocks.”

"When I got to Wuwangpo, there was nothing there. What a wasted trip! I wonder if the general affairs office can reimburse me for my work injury." Hu Tao told the traveler everything in one go.

"A demon god?" The traveler thought of his experience that night and exchanged a glance with Zhongli.

"The earthquake was accidental, and the so-called demon god might just be a misinterpretation by Qianyan Army," Zhongli briefly analyzed, trying to mislead the two girls in front of him.

"I think so too," Hu Tao agreed first.

The traveler nodded in agreement.

My years of experience playing games tell me that things can't be that simple.

“This…is a relative of the guest minister…” Hu Tao stared at the traveler as if he were looking at prey.

"Please speak." The traveler tensed up, instinctively crossing his hands over his chest to create distance between them.

Did Hu Tao discover something?

"Your name is Lü Ren, right?" Hu Tao asked.

"Right?" The traveler was unsure whether he should agree.

"Where are you working now?" Hu Tao's plum blossom eyes shone even brighter.

"I'm unemployed and looking for a job..." The traveler was stumped by the question.

Why is Master Hu asking such detailed questions?

"You know how hard it is to find a job these days," Hu Tao said, shaking her head with a worried expression.

"Yeah..." Just like in reality. The traveler thought to himself.

"It just so happens that one of our funeral officiants at the Rebirth Hall went back to his hometown to get married, leaving a vacancy. Isn't that a perfect opportunity? Why don't you come and work as a funeral officiant at our Rebirth Hall?" Hu Tao's demeanor was just like that of the swindler Mr. Bai.

The traveler didn't agree immediately, but glanced at Zhongli beside him for his opinion.

“Yes. What you say is absolutely right, Hall Master.” Zhongli made eye contact with the traveler as he spoke, indicating that Hall Master Hu’s suggestion was feasible.

Seeing his words, the traveler agreed.

"Okay. I'm short on money too."

Since the traveler hasn't learned to control elemental forces yet, they naturally can't earn money by running errands from Catherine like the traveler in the game.

"You've come to the right place. The benefits at the Hall of Rebirth are among the best in Liyue Harbor. Four days on, three days off, triple pay for overtime, double pay for night shifts. All travel expenses are reimbursed. The monthly base salary is this much." Hu Tao held up two fingers.

"This number refers to..." the traveler pressed.

“Let me tell you something…” Walnut whispered a string of numbers in the traveler’s ear in a mysterious way.

Upon hearing the salary, the traveler was astonished, thinking: This is much more lucrative than working for the Adventurers' Guild! No wonder Zhongli worked at the Hall of Rebirth!

"I'll sign the contract right now!" The traveler joined the company at lightning speed.