Chapter 82 Broken, Screwed Up

[12 years old: Due to your frequent visits to the clinic, you encountered many challenging diseases that you had never seen before, which greatly improved your medical skills. However, you began to feel increasingly dissatisfied with only visiting the villages around your home. You longed to go to Mondstadt to learn more advanced medical knowledge.]

[However, your parents firmly rejected your request because Mondstadt is currently not peaceful.]

[According to your father, Mondstadt is under the cruel rule of the Lawrence family. The people of Mondstadt, especially within the city, are suffering immensely, living lives worse than death under their rule.]

[Hearing this, you abandoned your plan to go to Mondstadt, but your desire to study did not diminish. Instead, you began to consider leaving Mondstadt in the future to study medicine in the vast and prosperous neighboring nation of Liyue.]

[However, you also knew that your parents would never allow you to go to Liyue at your age, so you buried this desire deep within your heart.]

[13 years old: This year, your mother contracted dysentery and became extremely weak, bedridden for most of the time. The herbs needed to treat dysentery are expensive and can only be purchased in Mondstadt. However, due to your father's lame leg, he could not go himself, so...]

My chance has come! Tsumugi Kujo thought silently, feeling a surge of determination.

The scenery around her shifted, and within seconds, she found herself in a small wooden house. A woman lay coughing in bed, while a man gently patted her back.

Memories from this simulated life flooded into Tsumugi Kujo's mind, and she quickly recognized the people before her as her parents in this life.

"I'll go to Mondstadt to buy medicine for Mother!" Tsumugi Kujo raised her hand.

"No! Mondstadt is too dangerous. We can ask the neighbors to help us buy it. There's no need for you to go," the man sitting beside the bed said sternly.

In this life, Tsumugi Kujo's parents were well-known healers who had saved many lives. They were highly respected by the people, so much so that if they asked someone to buy medicine for them, or even do something more drastic, there would be many willing to help.

"No need, I'll go!" Tsumugi Kujo insisted. What if this trip to buy medicine is a side quest? she thought anxiously.

She grabbed a pouch of Mora and a dagger from the nearby table for self-defense. "That's it. I'm leaving."

Ignoring her parents' protests, Tsumugi Kujo hurried out of the house.

On the way to Mondstadt, she began to digest the memories she had just acquired. This is a rare opportunity to understand Mondstadt a thousand years ago...

In this life, Tsumugi Kujo's family was among the more affluent commoners in Mondstadt. But even so, their staple food was just black bread, and most of their meals were vegetarian, with meat only served during festivals.

As for the ordinary civilians, it was considered fortunate if they could have black bread every day and save a little food each year.

And for the poorer people... it was enough if they didn't starve.

This is far worse than Mondstadt a thousand years later...

However, as she recalled the interior of her home, she noticed that despite her parents being healers, the house had many medical books, furniture, candles, and bookshelves—things that were not much different from what ordinary people had in Mondstadt a thousand years later.

Does that mean the people of Mondstadt have only managed to solve their food and clothing problems in a thousand years, without any Mora left for decorating their homes?

But something doesn't add up...

Without the oppression of the Lawrence family, why is Mondstadt's economic development so slow?

I don't understand...

While lost in thought, Tsumugi Kujo saw a man staggering along the road toward Mondstadt. There was a bloody wound on his left calf, from which blood dripped.

Seeing this, Tsumugi Kujo rushed to the man's side, supporting his trembling body.

"You're injured. Stay here and don't move. I'll treat you."

Tsumugi Kujo hadn't brought any herbs from home, but hemostatic herbs were common in Mondstadt. In less than ten minutes, she had gathered a handful of them. Without a grinding trough, she had to chew the herbs herself before applying them to the wound.

"Thank you."

The man sincerely thanked her once she finished the treatment.

"How did you get hurt?" Tsumugi Kujo asked.

"I was attacked by a wild boar while I was sleeping," the man said, slightly embarrassed, scratching his head with a reddened face.

"I see." Tsumugi Kujo nodded.

They chatted for a while, and she learned that the man was a musician and bard, part of an orchestra touring around the continent of Teyvat. After arriving in Mondstadt, they went their separate ways to rest. The musician had ventured alone into the wilderness to find inspiration but unknowingly wandered into a wild boar's territory and was attacked while sleeping, resulting in his injury.

"Miss, would you like to hear my latest song?"

The musician shook his short orange curly hair coquettishly.

"Forget it, I'm in a hurry, so I'll leave first," Tsumugi Kujo replied, shaking her head and leaving without looking back.

"Hey, wait! It's not safe to travel alone. I can protect you on the road!" the musician shouted after her, but Tsumugi Kujo ignored him and continued on her way.

After a day's travel, she finally arrived in Mondstadt.

If there was any difference between Mondstadt under Lawrence's rule and a thousand years later... it was that the kind-hearted little boy who offered free poultry to passing travelers on the stone bridge was gone. The two Knights of Favonius on duty at the gate had been replaced by two thuggish-looking men, but everything else was the same.

"Stop."

As Tsumugi Kujo was about to enter the city, one of the thugs at the gate called out to her.

"You haven't paid the entrance fee yet."

"Sorry, I forgot." Tsumugi Kujo was momentarily stunned before handing over 30,000 Mora to the two thugs. If she could avoid a fight, she'd prefer to handle things peacefully.

"It's just over 10,000 Mora. Are you trying to pass off a beggar's offering?" Although one of the thugs said this, he pocketed the Mora and waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you in. But remember, the entrance fee is 50,000 Mora next time, got it?"

"Understood."

Tsumugi Kujo replied calmly.

"Wait."

Just as she was about to leave, the other thug stopped her.

He looked her up and down, his eyes filled with undisguised lust.

Ugh... why does such a clichéd plot have to happen to me?

Seeing the look in the thug's eyes, Tsumugi Kujo sighed inwardly, slipping a hand into her pocket to grasp the dagger's handle. If the thug dared to make a move, her dagger would find its mark first.

"Hey, you two!" A voice called out from a distance. A knight wearing armor emblazoned with the Lawrence family's crest approached the city gate. "Are you two extorting people again?"

"Haha, isn't this Sir Knight Leggenfind? Here are our presents for you," the thug who had been so aggressive moments ago suddenly turned into a sycophantic lackey at the sight of the knight. He handed over Tsumugi Kujo's entrance fee and then quickly fled.

"Those two..." Leggenfind sighed as the thugs ran away, then turned to look around. "Miss, where did you... Hey? Where did she go?"

But Tsumugi Kujo had already vanished.

How could I encounter such a bloody scene just by entering the city?

On the other side, Tsumugi Kujo, who had slipped into the city while the three men at the gate were distracted, also sighed.

I just came to Mondstadt to buy some medicine... please don't let any more trouble find me...

However, Tsumugi Kujo's trip to buy medicine was not destined to be peaceful. As she exited the pharmacy after purchasing the medicine, she ran into a pot-bellied noble, who immediately took notice of her.

"Her! It's decided!" The noble pointed a finger at Tsumugi Kujo, and the knights behind him immediately surrounded her.

"Don't be afraid, we just want you to participate in the badminton toss," said the leading knight.

Badminton toss? Tsumugi Kujo began recalling information about it.

The badminton toss was the most important part of Mondstadt's festival. A chosen girl would toss a badminton that symbolized the Wind God Barbatos. The first person to catch it would receive a generous reward and good luck for a year.

However, under the now-corrupt Lawrence family, the festival was monopolized by them. They would directly choose the girl, keep the badminton for themselves, and later take the unfortunate girl back to their home... Realizing this, Tsumugi Kujo's face darkened.

I just went out to buy some medicine... Who did I offend?!

The next moment, Calamity Queller materialized in Tsumugi Kujo's hands. The rich Geo element, tainted with her anger, fluctuated violently in the air. In the sky, dozens of spears formed from Geo energy appeared, their tips pointing directly at the noble and the knights below.

"Wait... don't be rash... We can talk it out..." The noble, realizing the danger, immediately began begging for mercy. He had heard stories of the Lawrence family's downfall and feared he might be the next to suffer the same fate.

Without giving the other party a chance to beg for mercy, the spears in the sky plunged straight down, turning the noble and the surrounding knights into pincushions.

The people on the street were all stunned after witnessing this scene. Once they understood what had happened, they immediately fled back to their homes, locking doors and windows in fear.

Tsumugi Kujo quickly retracted her violent aura and fled Mondstadt before the nobles could react.

"Mondstadt under the rule of the Lawrence family is so disgusting!" Tsumugi Kujo spat, then exited the immersive mode.

[Because you killed a noble, you were extremely anxious and immediately fled back home to tell your parents about it.]

[Upon hearing this, your parents frowned, exchanged a glance, and quickly made a decision—they began packing your belongings, preparing to run away.]

[Your father, with his difficulty walking, and your mother, now unable to move for long periods of time, decided that rather than fleeing with you and becoming a burden, it would be better for you to leave alone. This way, no matter where you end up, your life should be easier.]

[Of course, your parents didn't tell you the full truth. They only said that if you left, the noble knights would eventually stop searching. You should stay in another country for a few years and return to Mondstadt once the storm has passed. Then, the family could be reunited.]

Ah...

Great, I've completely messed up this rare start in the mortal world...

Tsumugi Kujo turned her gaze away guiltily.

[Convinced by your parents' lies, you left home the next day and began your journey as a traveling doctor.]

[You decided to head to Liyue first, as your father had told you that Liyue is vast and rich in resources and the medical practices there are quite different from those in Mondstadt. To improve your medical skills, you planned to go to Liyue.]

[After half a month of traveling, you arrived in Liyue but felt unsure about where to go next. According to what you had heard on the road, there is a famous doctor in Qingce Village in the west, and you really wanted to visit him.]

[However, you also heard about a plague in Mingyun Village in the east, and you felt a moral obligation to help those affected.]

[But you also wanted to go to Liyue Harbor. It is said to be a port with thousands of ships, and settling there could greatly benefit your future medical career. After much thought, you decided...]

[1. Go to Qingce Village.]

[2. Go to Mingyun Village.]

[3. Go to Liyue Harbor.]

Do I even need to think about it? Of course, I'll choose 3!

Tsumugi Kujo decisively chose the third option. I don't want to be a traveling doctor, so why even consider the first two?

[After careful consideration, you decided to head to Liyue Harbor first, settle down there, and then visit the famous doctor in Qingce Village. As for the plague in Mingyun Village... you looked at your belongings. Aside from Mora and clothes, the only items you had were a few hemostatic herbs you gathered along the way. Realizing that you had no real medicine with you, you concluded that even if you rushed to Mingyun Village, you wouldn't be able to save anyone. Silently, you apologized in your heart.]

[You passed through Dihua Marsh and marveled at the giant tree several hundred meters high. In Guili Plains, you gazed at the ancient ruins and sighed.]

[Continuing south, a mountain finally appeared in your sight. You had already heard about it; this was Tianheng Mountain. Liyue Harbor lies behind it. Seeing the mountain meant that Liyue Harbor was not far away.]