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Xu Luo did not expect Ningguang to issue a commission seeking clues about the Second Creation live broadcast room so quickly. With the immense financial resources of the Tianquan, there must be a small army of adventurers already scouring every corner of Liyue for information. It was a pity for them that unless Xu Luo chose to expose himself, no one in Teyvat would ever discover he was the mastermind behind the screen.
Still, thinking about the price Ningguang was likely willing to pay, Xu Luo felt a sudden, fleeting urge to give up the hard work of a traveler and simply find a rich, beautiful woman to take care of him. After all, who wouldn't love a wealthy and powerful benefactor? However, as a traveler from another world, he felt it would be a bit embarrassing to just lie down and live off someone else. He had higher pursuits in mind, much like the legendary protagonists of his favorite stories who built their own legendary legacies and found themselves surrounded by beauty through their own merit.
"I'll take this one. The Second Miss of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce will surely be generous with the Mora." Xu Luo finally pointed to Xingqiu's commission. Although he had only been a minor web novel writer in his previous life with rather questionable skills, he had consumed an enormous amount of literature.
He could pick out a few popular tropes at random that were completely fresh to the people of Teyvat. He figured he could easily earn forty or fifty thousand Mora for a afternoon of chatting. In this world, Mora denominations were distinguished by size: the smallest coins were worth one, medium coins were worth ten, and the largest gold coins seen in the game represented a hundred Mora. Based on his observations, the purchasing power of a single Mora was roughly equivalent to one unit of currency from his old world.
After finalizing the paperwork for the commission, Xu Luo stepped out of the Adventurer's Association branch and made his way toward the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce located on the bustling main street. Behind the counter, Katheryne watched him walk away and whispered to herself with a confused tilt of her head.
"The Second Miss of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce? Isn't Xingqiu a young master?" She shook her head, her mechanical processing hitting a slight snag. "I don't understand. Could Master Xingqiu have been a lady in disguise this entire time? That sounds like a bit of a brain-burner."
The Feiyun Chamber of Commerce was one of the most influential economic entities in Liyue, holding a vital position in the nation's trade. Consequently, their headquarters sat in the very heart of the city, surrounded by constant activity.
They weren't just giants in the world of business; they were also known for their strong moral standing and support of the arts. Under normal circumstances, no petty thief or bandit would ever have the guts to lay a finger on goods marked with the Feiyun seal. When Xu Luo arrived at the grand entrance, he went straight to a familiar attendant named Xu.
"Hey there, Xu. I've accepted a commission from your Second Miss. I assume she's inside right now?" Xu Luo had handled several tasks for the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce before and was on friendly terms with the staff.
Xu looked at him with a dazed, blank expression. "Second Miss? Since when does our Feiyun Chamber of Commerce have a Second Miss?"
"You know, Xingqiu," Xu Luo replied with a straight face. "Isn't she the Second Miss of your prestigious family?"
The corner of Xu's mouth twitched violently upon hearing that description. "Master Xingqiu is the Second Young Master of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce, not the Second Young Lady. Please, Mr. Xu Luo, watch your tongue." The attendant was a bit dumbfounded and couldn't tell if Xu Luo was making a joke or was genuinely mistaken. Then again, considering how refined and handsome his young master was, it wasn't the first time a stranger had mistaken him for a girl at first glance.
Xu led Xu Luo up to the second floor of the building. They reached a private study where Xingqiu was currently hunched over a desk, looking quite distressed as he stared at a mountain of messy manuscripts. "Young Master, someone has arrived to answer your commission," Xu announced before stepping back.
Xingqiu looked up, his eyes immediately lighting up with excitement. He patted his forehead in realization as he stood up to greet his guest. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner? A traveler from a different world must have insights completely different from anything we have in Teyvat. You must be bursting with fresh ideas!" He hurriedly pulled a chair out and insisted Xu Luo sit down. Seeing the two were ready to work, Xu quietly retreated to the first floor.
Xingqiu's own writing style was actually quite popular in the literary world, particularly in Inazuma, but he felt he had hit a wall. He felt trapped within a rigid creative framework and desperately wanted to learn from the perspective of an outsider. "I can't wait to hear what kind of fascinating novel themes exist in your world, Mr. Xu Luo.
I imagine that different landscapes and histories would give birth to many unique stories." Xingqiu sat down, poised with a pen and a fresh stack of paper, looking exactly like an obedient, focused student ready to take notes. Although this was their first formal meeting, Xingqiu had heard plenty of rumors about the mysterious traveler who had arrived in Liyue on Beidou's ship.
"Ahem, well, if it's a discussion about the art of the novel you're looking for, then you've certainly found the right person." Xu Luo cleared his throat, leaning back and assuming a calm, authoritative air. "In my hometown, the writing industry is incredibly developed. It's reached a point where almost anyone can express their inner world through the power of the written word."
"While I wasn't a world-renowned author myself, I've spent my life exploring countless genres and styles," Xu Luo continued. "We have categories for everything: Urban drama, Immortal Cultivation, Epic Fantasy, Wuxia Martial Arts, Science Fiction, Magic-Tech, Isekai adventures, Time Travel, Historical Rebirth, Supernatural investigations... the list goes on. Honestly, the current state of literature in Teyvat is what we would consider to be in its absolute infancy."
Xingqiu's pen began to fly across the paper, his eyes widening with every new term. Xu Luo noted that while the sheer volume and variety of Teyvat's current books were somewhat barren compared to his home, the potential for growth was enormous.
He spent the next hour explaining the basic concepts of modern online fiction, describing how protagonists could grow in power or how a story could be driven by unique "systems" or past-life knowledge. Xingqiu scribbled down every detail, his mind clearly racing with the possibilities of how to incorporate these "super novel" ideas into his own work. He looked at Xu Luo with a newfound sense of reverence, convinced he had found a literary goldmine.