"No need to go to Mondstadt — there's already a branch here in Liyue. We can go directly."
Yanfei smiled.
"A branch? In Liyue?"
Both Cloud Retainer and Madame Ping were visibly astonished.
Because if what Yanfei said was true — that this manga shop could really grant such miraculous rewards — then there was no way such a place would remain unknown in Liyue.
Surely, it would already be the talk of the entire nation!
And indeed, in Mondstadt, that was exactly what had happened — thanks to Venti's promotion and the many people who testified to its wonders, the manga shop's fame had spread throughout the city.
But the Liyue branch had only just opened today.
And, as fate would have it, it was tucked away in a small, quiet alley.
So its reputation hadn't yet had time to spread.
"It only opened this morning," Yanfei explained with a grin.
"Ah, that makes sense,"
Madame Ping and Cloud Retainer nodded in understanding.
Otherwise, there was no way they could have never heard of it.
"Come on, I'll take you there!"
"Alright."
The elder and the adeptus nodded, and the three of them — one woman, one elder, and one crane — set out toward the shop.
With their abilities, the journey didn't take long.
"To think it would be located in such a remote area…"
Cloud Retainer's voice carried a note of surprise as she surveyed the modest storefront.
Although she had little understanding of mortal commerce, logic dictated that a shop should be in a busy area to thrive.
Could it be that the owner was too poor to afford better rent?
But that didn't seem right…
Someone capable of bestowing such miraculous rewards surely wouldn't be short on money.
Yanfei only shrugged — she didn't really understand either.
And the owner had such strange rules:
Only one manga per person per day.
If not for that, she would have moved in permanently by now.
"Let's go in and take a look!"
Curiosity getting the better of her, Cloud Retainer strode in first.
Madame Ping and Yanfei quickly followed.
A flash of light —and they found themselves inside the manga shop.
Yanfei, having been here before, was unfazed.
But the two elders were utterly intrigued.
As immortals, they rarely mingled with the mortal world.
The bright, cozy layout of this "manga shop" felt new and fascinating to them.
If not for their dignified composure, they might have wandered about exploring every corner.
"Welcome, Miss Yanfei — and this elderly lady, and this, uh…"
Noelle, standing at the counter, paused mid-sentence.
Because… she had no idea what this animal was.
After all, she wasn't from Liyue, and she'd never seen a crane adeptus before.
"This one is none other than Cloud Retainer," the crane declared proudly.
"Ah… hello. Would the two of you like to read manga?
It's 100,000 Mora per person — and only once per day," Noelle replied politely.
But inwardly, she was baffled.
An old lady wanting to read manga was understandable — maybe she'd heard of the shop's mysterious rewards.
But… a crane?
Coming in to read comics?!
That was something new — definitely the kind of thing that would stay in her mind for a whole year.
It seemed that as the shop's fame grew, its customer base was becoming increasingly… diverse.
"Here."
Neither Madame Ping nor Cloud Retainer showed surprise at the price.
After all, Yanfei had told them about the possible rewards — such power surely couldn't come cheap.
And with centuries of savings between them, a few hundred thousand Mora was nothing.
(Well, except perhaps for Zhongli — he was always the broke one.)
"The manga are over here," Noelle said, leading them to the bookshelf.
The two immortals didn't hesitate — they simply took the two volumes on top.
One was "Mr. Vampire",
the other "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime."
Then they headed toward the quiet reading area.
But when Cloud Retainer's sharp eyes noticed Ningguang and Ganyu nearby, her expression shifted slightly.
"Ganyu, that child, is here too? And the Tianheng Star as well?"
She hadn't expected to find the half-qilin secretary and the Liyue Qixing leader here of all places.
Yanfei hadn't mentioned that part.
"If even they've come, that proves the shop's rewards must be real,"
Madame Ping said with a knowing smile.
After all, with the Rite of Descension just around the corner, both women should have been incredibly busy.
The fact that they were here instead could only mean one thing — whatever could be gained here was worth it.
"Indeed. This one's curiosity about these 'manga' grows stronger,"
Cloud Retainer admitted with a laugh.
"Huh? Cloud Retainer? And even Madame Ping? They've come to read manga too?"
Keqing, noticing the new arrivals, couldn't help but blink in disbelief.
Were the immortals of Liyue… this idle nowadays?
Coming to a shop to read comics?
But upon spotting Yanfei, she understood immediately —
Yanfei must have told them about it.
Since the Qixing and the Adepti rarely mingled, they merely exchanged polite nods.
Then, Cloud Retainer and Madame Ping found a quiet corner and began reading.
"So this is a manga…"
Cloud Retainer tilted her head curiously, examining the unfamiliar format.
The one she had chosen was That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
With a flick of her feathers, the pages turned on their own, and she began to read seriously.
"This man… how pitiful. Killed just like that?"
"Oh? So he can reincarnate? How interesting.
But into a slime? Of all things?"
"Hmm… though, this slime is rather adorable.
Still—not quite as cute as Ganyu when she was a little chubby thing."
Cloud Retainer muttered to herself as she read, gradually losing herself in the story.
"Hmph… I must admit— this is quite enjoyable!"
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer