"Whether it's true or not, Miss Keqing, you'll know once you try."
Noelle kept her gentle smile.
She was long accustomed to this sort of reaction.
Most first-time visitors were exactly like this— shocked, doubtful, even incredulous.
But once they experienced the rewards for themselves,
their skepticism vanished, replaced instead with admiration and even devotion toward the manga shop.
Noelle was certain Keqing would be no exception.
Even if she was one of the exalted Liyue Qixing.
"This manga shop really has such miraculous effects?!"
Keqing drew in a deep breath, steadying the surge of emotion in her heart.
The whole thing sounded absurd.
Normally, she would have turned around and left without a second thought.
But what she had experienced just moments ago—the instant transportation to another land— proved there was something extraordinary here.
If this place could transfer her from Liyue to Mondstadt without her noticing, then surely there was no need to lie about such a thing.
And besides— practice is the only standard for testing truth.
If she wanted to know if it was real, all she had to do was try.
Thus resolved, Keqing produced a pouch of Mora.
"This is one hundred thousand Mora. Where are the manga?"
"On the bookshelf over there."
Noelle accepted the Mora and pointed her toward it.
"Thank you."
Keqing gave a polite nod and walked toward the shelves.
As she passed the counter, she allowed herself a sidelong glance at the black-haired young man seated there.
"That must be the owner of this manga shop…" she thought to herself.
She had seen how respectfully the maid addressed him.
Outwardly he seemed like nothing more than an ordinary youth,
but Keqing trusted her instincts— his true identity was anything but simple.
She decided she would speak with him after she'd finished her trial reading.
With that, Keqing approached the shelves.
Since Lumine and Paimon were sharing one book, there were ten volumes available at the moment.
For Keqing, that posed a small problem— she had no idea which to choose.
"…Forget it, I'll just take this one."
At last she picked the volume on the outer edge, then, under Noelle's guidance, walked into the Silent Reading Zone.
"Tom and Jerry? Of all things, I never imagined you'd choose that, Keqing!"
Seeing the book in her hands, Han Feng's expression turned a little odd.
To select that title at random… It seemed her fate with cats ran deeper than she realized.
Could it be that in her past life she'd been a cat-eared girl?
Han Feng chuckled inwardly at the thought.
Keqing, of course, had no idea the shop owner was speculating about her reincarnation.
Finding a comfortable seat in the quiet zone, she studied the book curiously.
"I wonder what this Tom and Jerry is about?"
she murmured as she opened it.
"So this is manga!"
Her amethyst eyes lit up as she examined the panels, the speech bubbles, the illustrations.
Compared to pure text, it was far more direct— far less effort to grasp.
Interest sparked, Keqing began to read in earnest.
"Oh, it's about a cat named Tom and a mouse called Jerry!"
"This cat is so ridiculous, getting played around like that by a mouse?!"
"Haha! Jerry is shameless, he's just toying with him every time!"
The comedic scenes drew peals of laughter from her lips.
But almost instantly she snapped the book shut, her head whipping around warily.
"Thank goodness… no one saw."
Relief washed over her when she found herself unobserved.
She was one of the Qixing of Liyue.
If word spread that she had laughed so unreservedly at a mere book, the gossip would never end.
"…Well, since no one noticed, I suppose I can read a little longer."
She quickly soothed her own conscience.
This wasn't indulgence— it was reconnaissance.
She was investigating the truth of the manga shop!
Convinced by her own reasoning, Keqing opened the manga once more.
And soon, the sound of her silvery laughter rang out again, hidden safely within the walls of the Silent Reading Zone.
But when more guests came later… well, that would be another matter.
Meanwhile, outside Mondstadt.
On the bridge, Eula and Xiangling were seeing Yanfei off.
"Report to Lady Keqing quickly and hurry back, otherwise you might miss manga today."
Xiangling smiled.
"Don't worry. With this Bamboo-Copter, I'll be back in no time."
Yanfei's voice brimmed with confidence.
According to Boss Han, the device could fly at speeds of up to eighty kilometers per hour, and maintain flight for eight hours straight.
Plenty of time for a round trip.
Most importantly— flying from Mondstadt to Liyue meant a straight line, far shorter than the winding paths they'd walked before.
Faster speed, shorter distance— no matter how she calculated it, it wouldn't take long.
"Hehe, then we won't wait. We'll go read manga first."
Eula grinned.
"Ugh, you're cruel! I want to read manga too!"
Yanfei pouted, frustrated.
After last night's experience, she found she could hardly bear to part with manga even for a moment.
If not for the urgent need to report back to Keqing, she would have stayed without hesitation.
Impatient, she placed the bamboo propeller on her head, took to the skies, and flew off in the direction of Liyue.
"Yanfei really has it rough—just arrived yesterday, and already rushing back today."
Xiangling sighed.
"But it shows how important the manga shop really is."
Though Eula felt for her friend, she understood.
A place that granted rewards through manga— that was no trivial curiosity.
It was something that could shift the balance of all seven nations.
If their positions were reversed, she herself would have done the same.
"Come on, let's head over and read first. We can wait for Yanfei there."
Eula suggested with a smile.
"Hehe, I've been dying to go."
Xiangling's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
If not for the daily reading limit, she would have devoured every single manga in one sitting.
They were simply too much fun!
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