Chapter 56: Bride of the Moon

Kujo Tsumugi unconsciously rolled her eyes at Baoer after hearing her words. She had just said that Rosalia was useless and would be abandoned, but the moment she got her Vision, Baoer started fawning over her.

However, Kujo Tsumugi chose to stay silent. It might be a good idea to use this chance to get closer to Baoer.

[Mission: The Choice of Fate Completed.]

[The immersion mode has ended. The rewards for this immersion mode are being calculated...]

[You have obtained Rosaria's exclusive bond. The reward will be increased by one at the end of this simulation.]

[You successfully survived this side mission. Reward: You can continue the simulation.]

"What are the uses of these characters' exclusive bonds?"

Kujo Tsumugi couldn't help but complain. For now, these character bonds seem useless.

"I'll tell you," the system unexpectedly replied to Kujo Tsumugi's question, "After establishing a bond with a character, unless you do something that angers them, the real character will generally take actions and make decisions that continue the relationship with the host."

So if I hadn't obtained Rosalyne's exclusive bond before, even if the Lady remembered her memories from the Rosalyne period, she might not have continued her relationship with me and instead would have continued as a Fatui Harbinger?

"Correct."

I see. In that case, a character's exclusive bond is more like insurance.

Kujo Tsumugi nodded, finally understanding the function of this bond, then looked at the system interface in front of her and continued her simulated life.

[Knowing that Rosaria has lived in Sumeru since she was a child, you and Baoer naturally start asking her about Sumeru.]

[Rosalia explains that the situation of the Treasure Hoarders in Sumeru is dire because there is a mercenary organization called the Eremites. This organization has no bottom line; as long as they are paid, they are willing to do anything. Their methods are quite cruel—they often cut off people's hands and feet, and sometimes even raid villages. Compared to them, the Treasure Hoarders seem like a charity organization. After all, the Treasure Hoarders mainly rob money without hurting people. The danger they pose is much lower than that of the Eremites.]

[It is precisely because of this that Sumeru's Treasure Hoarders have very few members. Those without skills have gone to other countries, and those who are skilled in combat have mostly joined the Eremites.]

Heh, this situation is somewhat similar to Inazuma.

Inazuma's Treasure Hoarders also aren't very numerous, as the large number of Nobushi with high martial arts skills has squeezed their living space.

Kujo Tsumugi had tried to solve the problem of the Nobushi, but after several decrees were implemented with no significant effect, she simply let the hunters kill the Nobushi while dealing with the Fatui. This made the Nobushi quiet down, though from time to time, people killed by the Nobushi and destroyed carriages could still be seen on the roadside. Kujo Tsumugi felt powerless—after all, she couldn't have the Tenryou Commission and the hunters patrol 24 hours a day.

[Moreover, the Eremites are just an ordinary mercenary organization with considerable power on the surface, so the old officials in Sumeru's Akademiya don't want to take the risk of officially going to war with them. This has led to the Eremites becoming more rampant. In other words, to some extent, the Eremites are protected by the Sumeru government.]

[After hearing about Sumeru's dire situation, you and Baoer both frown deeply. After some discussion, the three of you decide to find a way to leave Sumeru and go to another country to make a living. However, you and Baoer disagree on which country to go to.]

[Baoer thinks Liyue is a vast land with abundant resources. As long as you can get to Liyue Harbor, you can live a wealthy life whether by doing odd jobs, joining a Treasure Hoarders group, or starting a small business. If all else fails, you can rob one or two caravans and become rich overnight. Doesn't that sound wonderful?]

[You, on the other hand, think you should go to Mondstadt. First, you are more familiar with the environment there. Second, while Liyue is vast and rich in resources, it also has many monsters. In Mondstadt, as long as you don't go deep into the wilderness, you generally won't encounter monsters. Even if you do, you can escape. The chance of surviving in the wild is much higher in Mondstadt than in Liyue.]

[However, just as you and Baoer were arguing, Rosaria cleared her throat and told you something.]

["To go from Sumeru to Mondstadt, you have to pass through Liyue."]

[Rosalia did not refute your words, but her statement clearly agreed with Baoer's point of view. You could only watch as Baoer smugly pranced around in front of you.]

[But at this moment, Rosaria's next words silenced Baoer as well.]

["We are currently near the Lokapala Jungle in Ashavan Realm," Rosaria said, looking up at the towering trees hundreds of meters tall. "To reach Liyue, we have to cross almost the entirety of Sumeru."]

[Baoer was silent for a moment, then tugged on Rosalia's clothes like a pitiful little rabbit. Her sincere eyes expressed one clear meaning: Boss, please take me with you.]

[Seeing the meaning in Baoer's eyes, Rosaria sighed and continued, "However, in the center of Sumeru, there is a city called Vimara Village, where you can rent a boat to go to Liyue Harbor. Now we have two problems."]

["First, I don't have the confidence to protect you two all the way to Vimara Village. Second, even if we get to Vimara Village, we don't have the Mora to rent a boat."]

[After listening to Rosalia's words, you and Baoer fell into a dead silence. You didn't expect that after escaping from the traffickers with great difficulty, you would still have nowhere to go.]

["Well… we can't just stay here and wait to die…" After a long silence, you said, "No matter what, let's head towards Vimara Village."]

[The other two nodded, agreeing with your point of view, so you decided to head east of the Lokapala Jungle. Although Rosaria said that going north would get you to Vimara Village faster, going north would mean crossing the entire Lokapala Jungle. Who knows what dangers are hidden in that jungle? You and Baoer would rather take the longer route to the east.]

[Along the way, you also got to know them better.]

[Baoer is 7 years old this year. She was originally the daughter of a merchant in Liyue. However, her father's business failed, and the family went bankrupt. Her father borrowed a large amount of high-interest loans that he couldn't repay. One day, while Baoer was playing outside, she was kidnapped by a group of people and brought here.]

[Rosalia is 8 years old this year. She grew up in Sumeru's Treasure Hoarders group. Not long ago, her group's camp was attacked by the Eremites. She witnessed the members of the group, whom she regarded as her parents, being tortured to death one by one. That's why she was so hostile when you first met her.]

"Wait, she's 8 years old?!"

Kujo Tsumugi was shocked when she saw Rosalia's age. I had previously estimated that she was eleven or twelve years old.

"Ahhh! I get it. I'm the only malnourished, flat-chested dwarf in the world!"

Kujo Tsumugi shouted in despair.

In fact, Kujo Tsumugi's height is average among women, but her chest is relatively small. However, the women who usually surround her are either taller than her (like Hisaki Shinobu), older than her (too many examples to list), or both taller and older than her (again, too many examples). This has always made Kujo Tsumugi feel a bit insecure about her figure.

I'll go find Klee when I have time to boost my confidence. But I haven't seen Klee in Mondstadt for so long. Has Jean locked her up in a dark room for this long? Or has she gone to Mondstadt to fry fish again?

If possible, Kujo Tsumugi actually wanted to meet Klee's mother, Alice. Kujo Tsumugi had once considered capturing the Hilichurls and using them as laborers, teaching them skills such as growing watermelons or cotton. However, after half a year of unsuccessful efforts to tame the Hilichurls, she finally had to abandon this plan.

Kujo Tsumugi felt that Alice and she would have a lot in common, but unfortunately, Inazuma was a remote little place. Alice traveled all over Teyvat but had never been to Inazuma, which made Kujo Tsumugi feel very disappointed.

But now, with this simulation system, even if Kujo Tsumugi doesn't go find Alice, it's possible to establish a bond with her, which has to be said to be a good thing.

While Kujo Tsumugi was lost in her thoughts, the plot in the simulation continued to progress.

In the plot, Kujo Tsumugi also explained to the other two that she was adopted by an old thief and became a member of the Treasure Hoarders in Mondstadt, but she didn't mention that she was adopted by Frederica.