Inazuma City, Naganohara Fireworks.
The sky was just beginning to lighten as Yoimiya gently knocked on the bedroom door, her voice soft. "Su Xuan, are you awake?"
She waited a long time but got no response.
Yoimiya pushed the door open directly, only to find the tidy room completely empty.
"Where is he?" Yoimiya's expression froze.
Yesterday evening, someone had knocked on the door of Naganohara Fireworks.
When Yoimiya opened it, she saw a black-haired, black-eyed young man standing there. He introduced himself as Su Xuan.
He had no Mora on him and was starving, so he asked to stay at her place for the night.
Yoimiya could tell at a glance that Su Xuan wasn't from Inazuma. With the Vision Hunt Decree and Sakoku Decree in full effect, life was truly tough for outsiders.
She didn't think twice and let him stay the night.
But now...
"How could he just vanish first thing in the morning?" Yoimiya felt a twinge of worry.
Inazuma wasn't the same as it used to be.
The people of Inazuma might not say it out loud, but everyone knew outsiders had it rough here.
Without a local to accompany them, they'd be questioned everywhere and hit with steep fees just to get residency papers.
"He doesn't even have half a Mora to his name. If he runs into checks from the Kanjou Commission or Tenryou Commission, he'll be thrown in jail for illegal entry!"
Anxious, Yoimiya was about to rush out to look for him.
Sunlight streamed into the room, catching a golden glint that drew her eye.
Following the shine, she saw a thick stack of Mora on the table.
Under the Mora was a note.
[Fireworks may fade in an instant, but their brilliant light and shadow linger forever in people's hearts. Thank you for your shelter, Queen of the Summer Festival. May we meet again by fate.]
"Mm!" Yoimiya's cheeks flushed red.
Fireworks were both fleeting and eternal.
That was Yoimiya's own understanding of eternity.
Su Xuan's note left her stunned for a moment. It had struck right at her heart.
But she quickly snapped out of it, staring in shock at the pile of gleaming Mora.
"Didn't he say he had no Mora?"
"What's with all this Mora?!"
"Huh, and what's this..."
In her fluster, Yoimiya spotted a gold-edged notebook behind the Mora.
The notebook gave off a faint, ethereal glow.
Engraved on the cover in dazzling script were the words:
[Su Xuan Travel Diary Replica (Yoimiya Exclusive)]
Haah! A glowing diary? This was straight out of a dream.
Yoimiya rubbed her eyes hard. When she opened them again, the diary still shimmered faintly.
"Yoimiya Exclusive... does that mean it's specially for me?"
"So, I can open it and read it?"
Yoimiya knew diaries were private. Peeking was rude and immoral.
But the [Yoimiya Exclusive] on the cover seemed to say this diary had some special connection to her.
It was okay for her to look.
"Just a quick peek?" she thought, carefully flipping it open.
The first page wasn't Su Xuan's travel log. Instead, a line of text appeared like a warning.
It basically reminded the replica's holder that no matter what methods they used, they couldn't reveal the diary's contents to anyone except Su Xuan and other holders.
And besides Su Xuan himself and other holders, no one else could even detect the diary's existence.
"So I'm not the only holder?"
"Who exactly is Su Xuan? Why is he handing out his diary to so many people?"
Yoimiya's curiosity burned brighter. She flipped further.
Finally, Su Xuan's entries appeared.
[Traversed, and to the Teyvat Continent no less.]
[Unfortunately, I landed in Inazuma, right in the thick of the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree.]
[But luckily, I appeared not far from a kind person's home.]
[Before the Shogunate Patrol could spot me, I knocked on her door.]
[The kind girl was just as I imagined. When she heard I was a penniless outsider, she warmly took me in.]
[And even made me a hearty dinner.]
"Traverser, landing..."
"Is this like that novel 'Reborn as the Raiden Shogun, Then Invincible'?"
"Su Xuan crossed over from another world to the Teyvat Continent?"
Yoimiya's mind was overheating.
People on the Teyvat Continent knew concepts like [traversal] and [rebirth] from stories.
But concepts were just that. No one had ever actually met a real traverser.
Her first encounter with one had Yoimiya thrilled.
"So he's a traverser."
"And Su Xuan seems to know me..."
Remembering how he'd called her [kind], [warm], [good-hearted], Yoimiya blushed shyly.
"No wonder he came straight to my door. He knew I'd take him in."
[The room the kind girl prepared for me was cozy.]
[But thinking about how the Teyvat Continent was a dangerous world of supernatural powers left me lost about my future. I tossed and turned in that comfy bed, anxious and sleepless.]
[Until around midnight, with a soft "ding," my heart finally settled.]
[I unlocked a power from beyond this world. And I knew this was just the beginning.]
[As time passes, I'll unlock more powers. I'll grow stronger and stronger.]
Yoimiya: "????"
"A random "ding," and he gets power from beyond the world?"
"This feels easier than "Reborn as a Hilichurl, Get Stronger by Eating Sunsettias"!"
"Is Su Xuan just bragging?"
[To gain more power, I decided to embark on my own journey.]
[But before leaving, I wanted to thank the kind girl for her hospitality.]
[And conveniently, starting my travels requires Mora.]
[The two needs aligned perfectly. I didn't hesitate long before making up my mind.]
[So, under the cover of a moonless, windy night, I robbed the Yanguo Supervisory Office.]
Yoimiya: "!?"