Dihua State, Wangshu Inn.
On the top floor of the inn with a great view, three men were sitting together.
The leader was a serious young man with black hair, long pigtails, and golden pupils. The second was a man about 1.6 meters tall with green hair and floral-patterned arms. The last one was a young man with prematurely white hair.
These three were Zhongli, Xiao, and our protagonist, Takumi.
"So, Zhongli, give me the Eye of God."
"Look at me, I have white hair. Shouldn't you give me the Eye of God with the Geo attribute?"
Takumi pointed to his white hair, smiling as he looked at Zhongli.
It had been three days since he arrived in this world.
Originally, Takumi was an ordinary young man from Earth, one of the so-called 'Five Good Youths.' His hobby was collecting various knives from miHoYo. Somehow, he had ended up in the world of Teyvat.
He had first appeared in a place swarming with Hilichurls. Had he not been saved by a passing Yaksha, he might have become their meal.
However, the first thing Takumi said after being rescued almost got him killed.
"It's you, looking up but never looking down at the True Monarch."
This f*ck—if you want to say he's short, just say it!
At that moment, Xiao's polearm was only a millimeter away from Takumi's neck. Fortunately, under Xiao's murderous glare, Takumi quickly admitted his mistake. Otherwise, he might not have lived to see another day.
As for why Zhongli was here now, it was because Takumi had directly revealed his identity.
Teyvat was unlike other worlds; people here were already accustomed to visitors from other realms. The term "traveler" had long since become commonplace. Upon learning that Takumi was an Otherworld traveler, Xiao initially had no interest in dealing with him. After all, travelers were rare, but not unheard of. And considering Takumi had just called him short, he had been more than happy to let him fend for himself.
However, what Takumi said next had caught Xiao off guard. It even made him consider feeding Takumi to the sea beasts.
"Is the Geo Archon dead?"
For someone loyal to the Archon, hearing such words was enough to make them want to stab the speaker on the spot. The only reason Xiao hadn't done so was sheer restraint.
After a conversation, Xiao realized that Takumi knew quite a bit about Teyvat. Reluctantly, he had taken Takumi back to Wangshu Inn. Eventually, he went to Liyue Harbor and brought Zhongli over. That was how the three of them ended up sitting together now.
By this point, Zhongli had grasped Takumi's origins. Though it was unbelievable, it made a strange sort of sense.
But now, this young man was outright asking him for the Eye of God?
"The Eye of God... I do not issue them," Zhongli replied.
Then, he looked at Takumi curiously. "And why do you think only someone with white hair can receive a Geo Vision?"
"Well... even if you can't issue them, you should be able to influence the process, right?" Takumi said, shrugging. "I know quite a bit about these things."
Though Zhongli might not be able to grant an Eye of God directly, surely he could interfere in some way?
"In theory, that is possible," Zhongli admitted. "However, you lack a strong enough desire. Even I cannot override the mechanisms of Celestia."
Takumi scratched his white hair, sighing. "I figured as much. What a pity."
Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. He had hoped he could obtain an Eye of God, especially since coming to this world had turned his once-black hair white. Though, in a way, this transformation had made him look even more handsome.
Zhongli studied Takumi for a moment before speaking again.
"Traveler from Another World, can you tell me about your homeland? I would like to hear about it."
Hearing this, Takumi glanced at Zhongli and smirked. "You're planning to retire, aren't you? Now you want to understand Otherworlds to decide if you should step down."
Zhongli was momentarily stunned but did not deny it. Xiao had already told him that Takumi seemed to know a great deal about Teyvat. That alone had piqued his curiosity. But what intrigued him even more was how Takumi knew exactly what he was thinking. He had never spoken about retirement to anyone before.
Noticing Zhongli's curiosity, Takumi thought for a moment before responding.
"How do I explain my world? It's an ordinary place, but many other worlds converge there in unique ways. Information about various realms appears in our world as novels, animations, movies, and so on. That includes details about Teyvat. That's why I know so much."
"But there are no gods in our world. It is a world built entirely by people."
A people-oriented world.
Hearing this, Zhongli's eyes flickered with surprise. "Oh? Tell me more."
Takumi coughed slightly. "The country I came from is actually very similar to Liyue. Liyue resembles the ancient era of my homeland. However, in our history, there were no elemental powers, no Visions, no deities. Gods existed only in temples, and everything depended on human effort alone. We never placed our hopes in the hands of unseen deities."
Saying this, Takumi sighed.
Zhongli found himself deeply drawn into the conversation. So, in that world, gods remained only as figures in temples? He pondered this for a long moment.
It aligned with some of his own beliefs.
His gaze fell upon Takumi once more. Perhaps this young man's arrival could bring a better future to Liyue?
Thinking this, Zhongli made a decision.
"Will you be staying in Liyue?" he asked.
Takumi blinked in surprise. "Stay in Liyue? I have nowhere else to go."
At that moment, he felt truly lost. Arriving in Teyvat, he had no special abilities, no "golden finger" cheats. Was he supposed to live as an ordinary person here?
No way. That would be way too humiliating for a transmigrator.