"Continue gathering intelligence."
"Especially anything concerning that black-haired young man."
"Dig up as much information as possible."
After coming back to his senses, Scaramouche instructed the Fatui officer before him.
There was only so much one person could accomplish.
He would still have to rely on the Fatui's intelligence network.
"Yes, Lord Scaramouche!"
The officer immediately nodded.
Scaramouche turned to leave, but as though remembering something, he looked back and added,
"You may also begin preparing the Delusion Factory on Yashiori Island."
"When I return, we'll head there directly."
Although he was very curious about the mysterious black-haired youth...
he hadn't forgotten why he had come to Inazuma.
To establish a Delusion Factory.
Then secretly distribute Delusions to the Resistance under the guise of aid,
using the resulting conflict to scheme for the Electro Gnosis.
This had originally been Signora's role in the game's storyline.
Scaramouche was merely taking over.
However...because of the manga shop's interference, Signora was still in Mondstadt.
After everything came full circle, the responsibility had ultimately fallen to Scaramouche.
Some things, it seemed...
were destined to happen.
"Don't worry, Lord Scaramouche."
"Our people have already begun making preparations."
The officer answered quietly.
"Excellent."
Scaramouche nodded leisurely.
As for the side effects caused by Delusions...
Heh.
In this fleeting world, human lives were little more than blades of grass.
Without Delusions, those Resistance soldiers would die anyway.
At least...a Delusion gave them a chance to fulfill their wishes.
If it had been the Scaramouche of long ago, perhaps he would still have felt some guilt.
But now...he carried no psychological burden whatsoever.
"Inazuma City..."
"It's been a long time since I last returned."
"A perfect opportunity to have a look around."
Adjusting the kasa hat on his head, Scaramouche's eyes gleamed with an unreadable expression.
Solace Book House
At that moment, an adorable catgirl entered the shop.
It wasn't Keqing.
It was Diona, the bartender from the Cat's Tail.
The moment she spotted Han Feng behind the counter, her eyes lit up as she happily skipped over.
"Boss!"
"I'm here to read manga again!"
"Welcome."
"How has the chewed wine been doing?"
Han Feng asked with a smile.
Paimon had previously mentioned that it had been well received by customers.
But quite some time had passed since then, so he was curious how things had developed.
"It's unbelievably popular."
"I seriously don't understand adults."
Mentioning the subject, Diona let out a deep sigh.
When the chewed wine had first been introduced, she'd assumed people were simply enjoying the novelty.
Surely the excitement would die down after a few days.
Instead...not only had the craze continued, it had spread even further through word of mouth.
Now the Cat's Tail was packed with customers every single day.
Business was booming.
The only victims...were the cats in the tavern.
They'd practically spat themselves dry.
The situation had become so bad that Diona had hurriedly fled.
If things kept going, she might end up being forced to chew the wine herself.
"The road to destroying Mondstadt's wine industry is still long."
"Take it one step at a time."
Han Feng smiled encouragingly.
It really wasn't Diona's fault.
Who could have predicted that this sort of wine would become so popular?
No matter how delicious it was...
it still contained saliva.
Cat saliva, no less.
All he could say was...
the people of Mondstadt certainly had unusual tastes.
"Yeah..."
Diona sighed again.
But then she suddenly remembered something.
Standing on tiptoe, she cautiously peeked around behind the counter.
"Looking for something?"
Watching her sneaky movements, Han Feng smiled over the rim of his teacup.
"Boss..."
"Where's that purple kitty from before?"
Diona asked curiously.
The first time she'd visited, she had seen an utterly shameless purple cat.
It had been curled up comfortably in the Boss's arms, looking completely content.
She'd secretly envied it for quite a while.
But this time...the cat was nowhere to be seen.
"She had something to do today and didn't come."
"What?"
"Thinking about making friends with her?"
Han Feng teased.
"N-No..."
"I just..."
Seeing the look in his eyes, Diona scratched the back of her head with one hand while hiding the other behind her back.
Her face reddened with embarrassment.
She couldn't exactly admit...that she'd wanted to experience what it felt like to be in that purple cat's place.
Despite being an exceptionally tsundere catgirl, whenever she was around Han Feng, she couldn't help becoming shy.
Sensing the conversation heading in a dangerous direction, she quickly changed the subject.
"Boss..."
"Could you recommend a manga for me?"
"I don't know which one to read."
"A recommendation?"
Han Feng pondered for a moment, running through the titles currently available in the shop.
Soon, one particular manga caught his attention.
Extending a hand, a volume flew off the bookshelf into his grasp.
"How about Tom and Jerry?"
"It's a very entertaining manga."
"And one of the main characters is a cat."
"Interested?"
Han Feng asked with a smile.
After all...what could possibly be more entertaining than having a cat read a manga about another cat?
"The main character is a cat?"
A spark of excitement flashed across Diona's eyes.
It was the first time she'd encountered a story like this.
Her curiosity was immediately piqued.
She wanted to know...what kind of cat appeared in the manga.
Was it also dedicated to destroying the wine industry?
If so, maybe she could even learn something useful from it.
Without another word, Diona took out a bag of Mora.
"Boss!"
"I'll read this one!"
Han Feng smiled as he handed her the manga.
Noticing that Diona was still standing awkwardly beside the counter, he asked curiously, "Is there something else?"
"Um..."
"Boss..."
"Could I sit beside you while I read?"
Holding Tom and Jerry in her arms,
Diona asked shyly.
"Of course."
"Come over."
Han Feng nodded with a smile.
A little kitten willingly walking into the trap...
How could he possibly refuse?
"Thank you, Boss!"
Delighted,
Diona hurried behind the counter and found herself a seat.
Deep down, she had already made up her mind.
While that purple cat isn't here...
I'll seize the opportunity!
Hmph.
I'm going to make sure the manga shop no longer has any place left for her!
Naturally,
Han Feng had no idea what Diona was plotting.
He simply took another leisurely sip of tea.
Even if he couldn't pet the little catgirl just yet...
having such an adorable sight sitting beside him
was already pleasant enough.
She wasn't going anywhere.
Before long, more and more customers entered the manga shop.
Visitors from Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma alike.
Seeing the growing crowd, Noelle quickly stepped forward to greet everyone.
Soon, the manga shop became lively once again.
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