"Cough, cough!"
Keqing cleared her throat lightly and calmly sat up straight on the sofa. After smoothing out her posture, she once again looked like the decisive and capable Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing.
"Xiangling, I didn't expect you to be here reading manga too," Keqing said with a faint smile, as if the girl lying on the sofa laughing uncontrollably earlier wasn't her at all.
Eula was secretly impressed.
As expected of the Yuheng! That composure was remarkable.
If it had been her or Amber in that situation, things would have gone one of two ways: either the atmosphere would've turned unbearably awkward, or they would've bolted on the spot—at most tossing out a petty "I'll remember this" before fleeing.
There was no way they could've recovered with Keqing's level of grace.
"Yes, Lady Keqing. I came here with Yanfei yesterday. She just returned to Liyue to report the existence of this manga shop to you, but who would've thought you'd already be here…"
At this, Xiangling couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Yanfei.
Her superior was right here in Mondstadt, and she'd rushed all the way back to Liyue for nothing.
"That's a long journey from Mondstadt back to Liyue. Yanfei really has it hard," Keqing sighed.
She could guess Yanfei had noticed the extraordinary nature of the shop and wanted to report it. But that meant poor Yanfei was making a pointless trip.
"Don't worry, Lady Keqing," Xiangling smiled. "She has a Bamboo-Copter. I'm sure she'll be back quickly."
"A Bamboo-Copter?" Keqing raised a brow, clearly intrigued. She had never heard of such a thing before. Was it some kind of magical tool?
"It's a flying device Yanfei got from Boss Han's manga shop last night. It can reach speeds up to 80 kilometers an hour and lasts for eight whole hours!" Xiangling's eyes lit up with excitement, as if she had been the one to obtain it.
"Such an incredible tool?!"
Keqing was visibly surprised. Eighty kilometers an hour! Eight hours of flight! With that, Yanfei could easily make a round trip between Mondstadt and Liyue in a single day.
If such tools could be equipped by the Millelith, their mobility would skyrocket. Disaster relief, arrests—everything would become vastly more efficient!
It was clear to Keqing that her thoughts were aligned with Eula's.
"And what about your reward?" Keqing asked with a smile.
"I got the recipe for a dish that glows. Once I return to Liyue, Lady Keqing, you're welcome to come taste it," Xiangling said, keeping a bit of mystery in her tone.
"A dish that glows?" Keqing's interest was piqued. To think such a wondrous food existed…
Seeing Keqing's curiosity, Xiangling shared everything she knew about the manga shop—including the miraculous rewards she'd seen the night before.
"Hisss…"
Hearing all this, Keqing drew in a sharp breath.
What kind of rewards were these?!
A mysterious medicine that could make someone young again!
Hairs that could transform into anything!
Yanfei's miraculous Bamboo-Copter!
So it was true—the maid's words about rewards from reading manga weren't lies!
"A shop like this actually exists in the world?!"
A chill ran through Keqing's heart.
She understood all too well the impact this manga shop would have on the entire continent of Teyvat.
It would surely be sought after by the common people and every major power alike.
Here, you didn't need to fight.
You didn't need to train relentlessly.
You didn't even need the favor of the gods or a Vision.
All you needed was Mora…
And a little bit of luck.
Then you could gain mysterious and powerful abilities.
Simply put—spend money, grow stronger.
And who wouldn't want that?
"I wonder… what sort of person is the shopkeeper behind this place—the black-haired young man?" Keqing's expression grew serious.
An Adeptus?
An ancient Archon?
Or some other unfathomable being?
She didn't know.
All she did know was that this shopkeeper was not someone they could afford to provoke.
Even though she hadn't exchanged a single word with Han Feng, he had already inspired in her a profound sense of awe.
While Keqing was deep in thought, Xiangling asked curiously,
"Lady Keqing, did you come all this way just for the manga shop?"
Keqing gave a wry smile and shook her head. "No, I came via a teleportation point from Liyue."
She went on to explain how she had discovered the Solace Book House in Liyue and ended up here in Mondstadt.
"Hissss! You mean you can go straight from Liyue to Mondstadt?!" Xiangling's jaw dropped.
How much power did it take to accomplish something like that?! Truly unfathomable!
It seemed Eula had been right—Boss Han was a man of immeasurable depth.
But this was good news. If one could travel directly between Liyue and Mondstadt, then Xiangling would never have to worry about running out of manga.
"So Boss Han has already opened his manga shop in Liyue," Eula realized immediately.
Not only did this confirm his immense power, but it also meant he was expanding his business. The fame of the manga shop would soon spread beyond Mondstadt.
"Exactly. So just now, I was reading manga only to verify the shop's authenticity!" Keqing said, her expression deadly serious.
Believe it or not, she would stick to that story.
Xiangling and Eula exchanged a glance. They both saw the doubt in each other's eyes.
Really just to verify? Not because you were completely absorbed and lost yourself?
But given Keqing's identity, the two wisely chose silence.
Besides—wasn't manga irresistible anyway?
As the three women chatted, seven or eight more customers arrived at the manga shop.
After the initial shock, and with Noelle's patient explanations, each and every one of them was left astonished.
Excitedly, they began reading manga, and soon the shop was bustling with life.
Han Feng, meanwhile, turned his attention to the system.
[Host: Han Feng]
[Manga: One Piece – East Blue Arc, Cardcaptor Sakura, Digimon Adventure Season 1, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cooking Master Boy, Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Detective Conan, Journey to the West, Tom and Jerry, Doraemon]
[Task 1: Receive 10 customers to draw a manga. Progress: 13/10 (1 draw available)]
[Task 2: Receive 100 customers to earn a special reward. Progress: 50/100]
"In just over a day, Task 2 is already halfway done. At this rate, I might complete it today," Han Feng said with a smile tugging at his lips.
Now it was time to draw another manga.
"System, start the draw!"
[Starting draw…]
[Manga Drawn — Mr. Vampire]
[Mr. Vampire: The wealthy squire Ren Fa once bribed and threatened to secure an auspicious burial site. Following the advice of a fengshui master, twenty years after the burial, the grave must be reopened and the remains relocated to bless his descendants. Ren Fa hires Taoist master Uncle Nine and his two disciples to handle the reburial, but to their shock, the corpse has transformed into a hopping vampire—sparking a fierce and terrifying battle.]
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