Not long after, Hu Tao arrived at the manga shop, bringing along Old Meng and several Wangsheng Funeral Parlor employees.
"Hall Master, can we really find a way to expand our business here?"
Old Meng looked around the store, his expression full of doubt.
After their earlier failed attempts at marketing the funeral parlor's services, they'd just returned when Hu Tao dragged them right back out again— saying there was a manga shop where reading could earn you rewards, and maybe that would somehow help them revitalize Wangsheng Hall.
The employees were skeptical.
How could simply reading a comic book possibly bring real results?
Instead of putting hope in something so vague and mysterious, wouldn't it make more sense to just promote their services directly to the customers here?
There were plenty of people inside, after all.
"Trust your Hall Master! I'm never wrong!"
Hu Tao stood proudly, hands on her hips.
Only those who'd experienced it themselves could truly understand how magical this place was.
"I'll cover the cost! You all just read properly— the fate of Wangsheng Hall rests on your shoulders!"
Old Meng and the others exchanged helpless looks.
Since the Hall Master insisted, they had no choice but to comply.
Before long, Hu Tao led her group to the counter.
"Hehe~ Boss, I've come to support your business again!"
She grinned and placed 400,000 Mora on the counter.
"The manga are over there on the bookshelf," Han Feng said, pointing casually.
Then he conjured up a glass of lemon water with his Gourmet Tablecloth.
"You brought so many people today—here's a little something for your effort."
"Oh? There are perks too?"
Hu Tao's eyes lit up.
She grabbed the lemon water, took a big sip—
"Mmm! Delicious! Sour and sweet, just perfect!"
"Thanks, Boss!"
She waved happily, then led her employees toward the bookshelf.
There were exactly four mangas left—just enough for all of them.
Meanwhile, in Liyue, on a quiet mountain road, Yanfei was pedaling her beloved little bicycle toward her grandma's home.
She'd already mentioned the manga shop to Madame Ping, but at the time, both of them thought it was just a joke Eula had made up.
Now that Yanfei had confirmed the store was real, she had to tell her grandmother in person.
Before long, she arrived at Madame Ping's courtyard.
"Grandma, I'm here!"
She pushed open the door, wheeling her bicycle inside— only to see her grandma receiving a rather unusual guest:
a crane!
"Yanfei? You're back already?"
Madame Ping looked surprised.
Didn't her granddaughter just leave for Mondstadt yesterday with Xiangling?
Why was she back so soon?
Had something happened?
But since there was a guest, she simply made introductions.
Yanfei quickly understood— the elegant crane before her was her grandmother's old friend, one of Liyue's Adepti: Cloud Retainer.
She greeted the immortal respectfully, then explained why she had come.
"Grandma, that manga shop Eula told me about—it's real!
I went myself and experienced it!"
"It's real?"
Madame Ping's eyes widened.
She remembered that shop well—
Yanfei had mentioned it before, but she had assumed it was just an excuse Eula made up.
After all, the claim that you could read manga and receive rewards sounded far too absurd to believe.
But this time, it was Yanfei herself saying it— and Madame Ping knew her granddaughter's character.
She wasn't one to lie or exaggerate.
And the fact that she'd rushed all the way back just to tell her… spoke volumes.
"Could there really be such a miraculous store?"
Madame Ping mused to herself.
"What shop are you two talking about?"
Cloud Retainer tilted her head curiously.
Judging from her friend's shocked expression, it clearly wasn't just an ordinary place.
"It's a manga shop in Mondstadt," Yanfei explained.
"When you read there, you receive rewards— they might be ordinary items, special skills, or even great power."
"Hmm. This one has fought alongside the Geo Lord for many years, yet never has such a thing been heard of.
You are sure you have not been deceived?"
Cloud Retainer's long neck swayed slightly, skeptical.
"It's real! Look—that bicycle outside is one of my rewards."
Yanfei proudly pointed at her little bike parked in the yard.
"This device I have not seen before… but indeed, its craftsmanship appears quite clever."
Cloud Retainer examined it for a moment, her mechanical curiosity piqued.
Still, she was confident in her own engineering prowess— given a little time, she could certainly reproduce such a contraption herself.
"That's just a simple item. I also got something far more amazing— the Bamboo-Copter!
You wear it on your head and it lets you fly!
Its top speed is 80 kilometers per hour, and it can fly continuously for 8 hours!
I lent mine to Xiangling, otherwise I'd show you right now!"
Yanfei even gestured with her hands, imitating the spinning propeller.
"Such a marvelous device truly exists?"
Now even Cloud Retainer was astonished.
She herself could fly faster, of course— but that wasn't the point.
The fact that such speed could be achieved with just a small mechanical gadget was astounding!
What kind of intricate mechanism could make that possible?!
Could it be… that this manga shop truly existed?
And yet— why had she, one of the oldest Adepti, never heard of it before?
"If you're interested, I can take you there right now," Yanfei offered with a grin.
She was eager for her grandmother—and Cloud Retainer—to see this incredible place with their own eyes.
"Very well," Madame Ping nodded.
"We have nothing pressing today anyway. A trip to Mondstadt could be refreshing."
After all, staying cooped up in her courtyard day after day was getting dull.
"This one is of the same mind!"
Cloud Retainer bobbed her head in agreement.
If such a wondrous shop truly existed, then seeing it firsthand would be most enlightening indeed.
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