Naganohara Fireworks.
Naganohara Ryuunosuke was attending to customers in the shop when he suddenly saw his daughter, Yoimiya, dash out from the workshop behind the store.
"Hey, kid," he called out. "Where are you off to?"
Yoimiya raised her voice as she answered, "Some friends came to look for me! I'm going out to meet them!"
A short while later, after the customer placed their order and left, Naganohara Ryuunosuke saw his daughter return—this time with a bright, attractive young woman about Yoimiya's age, along with three adorable little girls.
Charlotte smiled openly and greeted him, "Hello, Uncle."
"Huh?" Naganohara Ryuunosuke scratched his head in confusion.
Yoimiya said awkwardly, "My dad's hearing isn't so great… Dad! My friend just said hello to you!"
Realization dawned on him. "Oh! Hello there—welcome, welcome!"
The three girls stepped closer and called out loudly in unison, "Hello, Uncle!"
This time he heard them clearly, and the smile on his face softened even further. "Hello, kids."
"Dad," Yoimiya said, "I'm taking everyone to see the workshop out back!"
He nodded. "Go on."
Behind the shop was an open clearing, and beyond that stood the workshop itself, looking somewhat isolated in the distance.
As they walked, Yoimiya explained, "Fireworks are flammable and explosive, so they have to be kept a certain distance away from living spaces."
Charlotte asked curiously, "Has there ever been a fire here before?"
Yoimiya scratched her head, lowering her voice. "A few times, actually. But luckily, every incident was contained quickly, so nothing serious ever happened."
"So being a fireworks artisan is pretty dangerous, huh."
"Not really, as long as you strictly follow the rules and take proper safety precautions," Yoimiya said. "Plus, the Tenryou Commission sends people over regularly to inspect our fire safety."
"I see."
Charlotte took out her Kamera and carefully snapped several photos of the workshop's exterior before turning back to Yoimiya.
"Yoimiya, how about we do a proper interview?"
"An interview?"
"Yeah. I'm a reporter for the Liyue Daily, and right now I'm in charge of the travel section—introducing the things I see along my journey. Scenic spots, local shops, that kind of thing."
"Wow, that sounds amazing!"
"It is," Charlotte said with a grin. "Our paper sells really well in Liyue. Lots of people buy a copy every day. So—interested in letting the people of Liyue hear about the name of Naganohara Fireworks?"
"Of course..."
Yoimiya's eyes lit up.
Naganohara Fireworks was well-known within Inazuma, but beyond its borders, its reputation was… modest, at best.
Every year, Big Sister Beidou shipped large quantities of fireworks back to Liyue for celebrations. Yet when Yoimiya had been chatting with Mr. Xia a couple of days ago, he hadn't even realized that those fireworks all came from Naganohara Fireworks until Yoimiya mentioned it herself.
If she could use this opportunity to spread the name of Naganohara Fireworks across all of Teyvat…
Then she'd probably go down as the most impressive shop owner in the family's history, right?
Yoimiya cleared her throat, immediately straightening up and adopting a professional tone.
"Let me start by telling you a bit about the history of our fireworks shop. Have you ever heard of the meteor that flies in reverse?"
"A meteor that flies in reverse?"
"Meteors are brilliant things that fall from the sky," Yoimiya explained. "Fireworks are the opposite, brilliance that rises from the ground and soars into the heavens. That's why they're called reverse-flying meteors. It's also the name of one of our signature fireworks."
She smiled, her voice softening slightly.
"Legend says that long, long ago, one of the Naganohara ancestors witnessed a breathtaking meteor shower. That sight inspired a brand-new idea for fireworks."
"That's such a romantic story," Charlotte said warmly.
---
Yoimiya led everyone into the workshop, introducing the various pieces of equipment and raw materials.
Klee watched, her eyes beginning to sparkle.
Back home in Mondstadt, she had a workshop of her own.
It was a gift her mother, Alice, had given her when she was little.
Of course, that workshop's original purpose hadn't been making toys or fireworks.
It had been for bombs.
Although Klee had recently learned how to make fireworks from Cloud Retainer, the equipment she had access to still couldn't compare to how fully stocked Yoimiya's workshop was.
Unable to help herself, Klee reached out and tugged gently at Yoimiya's sleeve.
Yoimiya looked down at her in mild confusion. "Hm? What's wrong, Klee?"
Klee gazed up at her with pleading eyes. "Big Sister Yoimiya… Klee really wants to make fireworks here!"
Yoimiya froze for a moment. "Make fireworks?"
Klee nodded vigorously. "Mhm!"
Yoimiya hesitated. "But making fireworks isn't something simple…"
"I can do it!" Klee blurted out. "Klee's made fireworks before! Big Sister Charlotte can vouch for me!"
Yoimiya instinctively looked over at Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded. "She really has. She set them off during the Windblume Festival, actually. They were beautiful."
Yoimiya blinked in surprise.
No wonder Klee had insisted on buying fireworks from the shop last time.
After thinking it over for a moment, Yoimiya smiled. "Alright, then. Let's make them together. That way, I can also properly introduce the entire process of making fireworks."
"Yay!"
---
Feiyun Slope.
An employee at one of the Liyue Bank branch offices gestured toward a large cardboard box placed beside them.
There was a small opening at the top—just big enough to fit an arm through.
"For every one thousand Consumption Points spent," the employee explained, "you may draw one Raffle Ticket from this box. Each ticket has a unique number printed on it."
Still smiling, the employee pointed to a poster on the wall.
"As you can see, the Grand Prize number in this box is 8888."
"So that means," Fujin asked, "as long as we draw a ticket with the number 8888, we win the Grand Prize?"
"That's correct," the employee replied. "As long as your luck is good enough, you'll receive a Seaview Villa on Yujing Terrace."
Fujin tilted her head, curiosity piqued. "I've heard that every branch office has its own raffle. If someone draws the Grand Prize here, what happens to the Grand Prize tickets in the other branches? Are they invalidated?"
The employee shook her head gently. "No. Each branch has its own independent prize pool, with numbers ranging from 1111 to 9999."
Fujin fell silent, thinking.
"Nine Grand Prizes…" she murmured. "That means there are currently nine Liyue Bank branches running this event. Just the villas total value must already exceed one hundred million Mora. Lady Ningguang is truly bold…"
Lowering her gaze, Fujin studied the box closely.
She could tell immediately that this was no ordinary cardboard box. A strange, subtle restriction had been placed upon it.
Without a doubt, these were safeguards set up by the organizers to prevent cheating.
Fujin found it intriguing.
She had no intention of cheating to win the prize but her curiosity stirred nonetheless. She wanted to test the skill of whoever had placed these restrictions.
Without drawing attention to herself, she released a thin strand of Adeptal Energy, probing the inside of the box.
The result stunned her.
That sliver of energy vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.
…Huh?
Were Liyue's practitioners really this formidable now?
To think that even someone like her couldn't easily break through the restriction…
A spark of admiration rose in Fujin's heart for the person who had set it.
No wonder Lady Ningguang dared to create such a massive prize pool. With people like this working under her, there was no fear of anyone exploiting loopholes.
Lingyuan stared, equally astonished. "They're just… giving away nine Seaview Villas?"
The employee's expression remained unchanged, clearly used to such reactions. "Yes. And three of the Grand Prizes have already been claimed by lucky customers. If you're interested in a Seaview Villa, I'd recommend joining the event soon. Otherwise, another guest might beat you to it."
Hearing that, Lingyuan immediately said, "I want to participate!"
"Certainly. Please hand me your card."
"Here."
The moment the employee saw the card's design, her expression flickered in surprise.
Then, subtly, her demeanor shifted, becoming noticeably more respectful.
"We've already checked for you. You currently have 2,700 Consumption Points, which allows you to participate twice. Would you like to redeem both chances at once?"
"Yes!"
The staff member deducted two thousand points from the card, then returned it with both hands.
"Please keep your card safe, ma'am."
"Can I draw now?"
"Of course. Please go ahead."
Under the watchful gazes of several staff members nearby, Lingyuan reached into the box and pulled out a folded Raffle Ticket.
She unfolded it, a little nervously.
A striking number appeared before everyone's eyes.
[8888].
The staff froze for a split second—then broke into applause, voices rising in unison with congratulations.
"Congratulations to this lucky guest! You've won the special Grand Prize of this event... a Seaview Villa!"
A delighted smile spread across Lingyuan's face.
She'd always known her luck was good.
"You still have one more chance to draw a ticket."
"Oh!"
Lingyuan drew again.
[8886].
This one was a First Prize.
A luxury gift box worth over a million Mora, containing a selection of high-end products sold under the Tianquan's name.
"Ma'am, you're incredibly lucky!"
"Not bad"
She turned to Fujin and whispered, "Quick... take a photo of me! Post it to your… what was it called… Moments!"
"You're unbelievable," Fujin muttered. "When I tried to take photos of you before, you looked like you wanted to die."
"Just hurry up! They're going to take the tickets back in a second!"
"Alright, alright."
Fujin took out her phone and snapped several photos of Lingyuan, making sure to get close-ups of the two tickets clenched in her fingers.
Once that was done, Lingyuan handed the tickets over to the staff and received a standard contract in return.
"Please review this property contract first," the staff member said politely. "If the terms look fine to you, you can sign at the back. After that, the Seaview Villa will officially be yours."
Lingyuan stared at the document in her hands, her expression turning troubled.
She really didn't understand these human rules and clauses at all.
"Fujin…"
"Give it here. I'll take a look for you."
"Thanks!"
Fujin skimmed through it quickly. There didn't seem to be any issues.
Given Ningguang's reputation, there was no way this contract hid any traps.
And even if there were, what did two Adepti have to fear?
"Go ahead and sign."
"Okay!"
After Lingyuan signed her name, the staff brought out an enormous gift box as well.
She accepted it with visible satisfaction.
Fujin looked at her. "Alright, let's go."
Lingyuan blinked. "Huh? You're not drawing any tickets?"
Fujin gave her a look like she was staring at an idiot. "The Grand Prize at this branch is already gone—thanks to you. What's the point? Of course I'm switching to another one."
"Oh. Right."
----
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