After obtaining the distribution certificate, a day later, the first batch of Tales from the Box had already been printed and stocked on the shelves of bookstores across Mondstadt.
Each copy of Tales from the Box was priced at 3,000 Mora. This amount would be split among the bookstore, transportation, publisher, printing house, and Victor Wang. Without delving into the specifics of the distribution, Victor Wang would ultimately receive 500 Mora per book sold.
However, the new book had little name recognition—nobody was buying it.
A fine wine fears not the depth of the alley, but it certainly fears the overpowering scents around it, or simply that people are too far away to catch the scent.
So, early in the morning, Victor Wang arrived at the fountain plaza directly facing the Mondstadt city gate. Standing before the fountain, he began to read aloud in a flat tone, using his Hilichurl voice that was raspy and sharp—not at all pleasant.
At first, a few passersby who had never seen such a scene stopped to watch. After quietly listening to a bit, they were drawn in. The onlookers attracted more onlookers, and so on, until three or four circles of people surrounded the fountain.
Those on the outer edges could no longer hear what was being said. Most of them shook their heads and left, but a few patient ones waited outside, hoping for space to open up inside.
After reading one fairy tale story, seeing the crowd had peaked, Victor Wang threw in a surprise.
"Everyone, please look at the book in my hand."
He raised the book above his head and walked a circle around the fountain.
"This is the latest work by the famous fairy tale master Dust, Tales from the Box. It has officially launched in Mondstadt bookstores today. If you're interested, feel free to purchase a copy."
"What the—turns out this whole thing was an ad?"
"Who's Dust? Never heard of 'em. Sounds like a scam to me."
"But the story was actually pretty fresh and interesting. I mean, even if it's an ad, it's not that bad."
"Not impressed."
"I'm buying a copy for my daughter."
The crowd buzzed with conversation.
Victor Wang was calm and confident. Now that the fragrance of the wine had reached their noses, the wine-lovers were bound to follow.
He gestured with both hands to quiet the crowd. "No need to rush, everyone. I'll be reading here all morning. Feel free to keep listening."
The crowd quieted down. Some people left, but new listeners took their places.
He glanced at the young man who had said he wasn't impressed—he was still there. Good.
Victor Wang flipped to The Little Mermaid, and without pause after finishing, he went right into The Little Match Girl.
Some listeners began to feel uneasy.
"Hey, hey, isn't this fairy tale a bit too dark?"
"You'll have to ask the original author about that. Personally, I think tragedy leaves a lasting impression. But if you can achieve the same effect without writing tragedy, that's even better." Victor Wang shrugged.
"You—" The unimpressed young man stomped off, muttering, "If I ever find that author, he's in for a beating."
Heh, if you can find the author, I'll admit defeat.
By lunchtime, as Victor Wang announced the end of the reading, the crowd dispersed.
He checked his account balance at the bank—tens of thousands of Mora had already been deposited. Victor Wang immediately issued a few commissions at the Adventurers' Guild, then began his equipment shopping spree.
First priority: a new outfit. One that covered him completely without restricting movement.
After selecting his clothes, he booked a room at the Gothic Little Hotel.
In Mondstadt, the Goth Grand Hotel stood in a class of its own, charging 3,000 Mora per night. Everyone knew it had been booked out by the Fatui.
Next was the tier that included the Gothic Little Hotel, which charged 2,000 Mora per night. Below that was a 1,000 Mora tier—decent enough in quality, just small rooms.
Victor Wang opted for the roomier Gothic Little Hotel.
Opening the door to his room, he found a double bed, a table, two chairs, a mirrored wardrobe, and a window facing the morning sun.
Victor Wang changed into his new outfit and stood before the mirror, examining himself. On top he wore a brown short-sleeved coat over a white long-sleeved shirt. On the bottom, simple brown pants. His gloves, belt, and boots were custom-made by the Adventurers' Guild. The belt had three pouches; the boots were waterproof.
Even though he had transformed into a Hilichurl, Victor Wang's foot size wasn't much different from a human's—no trouble fitting into shoes.
Looking like a proper human. Just missing the head. When will I be able to take off this cloak and remove the mask?
Shaking off the thought, Victor Wang threw his cloak back on and continued his shopping spree.
He arrived at the nearest clock shop and eyed the timepieces on display—grandfather clocks, wall clocks, pendulum clocks. None were particularly portable.
Then his gaze moved to the counter display of pocket watches. Among them, one simple silver watch caught his eye. No embellishments on the case, just plain digits on the dial—this was the one.
Victor Wang handed over 5,000 Mora. He'd checked every clock shop in town over the past few days. Perhaps due to the intricate craftsmanship, even the cheapest pocket watch cost 5,000 Mora. He couldn't afford to splurge too much right now.
Still, he didn't mind—as long as it worked.
"Boss, I'll take this pocket watch."
"Sure thing."
"Boss, has the time already been set on this watch?"
"Kid, you're joking, right? There are only two kinds of clocks in this world. Let's not talk about the ones that've stopped—any clock that's still ticking is always in sync. No such thing as one clock being faster or slower than another."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said." The shopkeeper gave Victor Wang a side-eye. "Have you ever seen a working clock that shows a different time from others? Don't try to mess with this old man."
Victor Wang paused. "Sorry."
The shopkeeper waved it off with a laugh. "No worries, I'm not offended."
Pocket watch in hand, Victor Wang left the store. So, if I intentionally set the time wrong, would it work? There's no way they'd stop me from adjusting the time, right? Could there be some mystical force at play?
If there was anything time-related in Teyvat, it would be the Archon of Time—but that was far too distant from Victor Wang's current reality. He made a mental note of it and didn't dwell further.
Next on the list: a dagger and a firestarter.
"Take your pick. I'm Wagner, and I don't make defective weapons."
Wagner's shop had two tiers of weapons: one plain, the other slightly decorated—just enough to make them less plain.
Victor Wang scanned the selection. All the standard weapons were present, including daggers. The first-tier weapons were uniformly priced at 3,000 Mora; the second-tier at 6,000 Mora.
"Adding a little decoration doubles the price?"
"Young man, you don't get it, do you? Weapons are like people. A weapon's decoration is like a person's clothing. Think about it—didn't your clothes cost extra?"
"So, these weapons are all naked? That's kinda weird." Victor Wang tried to humanize the weapons with his imagination but couldn't quite picture it.
Wagner looked at the weapons with a fond, almost loving gaze. "Hahaha, once you've spent enough time with them, you'll understand. So, what'll it be? Picked one yet?"
"I'll take a naked dagger."
He bought the plain dagger and strapped it to his belt. Then, he picked up a firestarter from a general store and headed toward the Adventurers' Guild.
"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild."
"Do you know how I can obtain a Wind Glider?"
"In Mondstadt, Wind Gliders are jointly managed by the Adventurers' Guild and the Knights of Favonius. You can purchase them here or directly from the Knights."
"How much Mora for one?"
"The most basic model costs 10,000 Mora."
"I'll take one."
Katheryne handed Victor Wang a standard gray-and-black Wind Glider, adding a reminder: "You don't have a flight license yet, so you may not fly within city limits. We suggest you take the flying exam held by the Knights of Favonius."
"Got it."
The wings of the Wind Glider could be folded inward and collapsed on both sides. Once fully folded, it barely took up any space.
Though he was an expert flier in the game, Victor Wang had never used a Wind Glider in real life. He would need to find a place to practice.