Thanks to the new products, the customers were extremely enthusiastic. In just ten minutes, the 100 [Starter Decks] and 800 Card-Draw Bread Luya had purchased from the System Shop yesterday were completely sold out. During that time, he also sold over 500 card packs. The shop had barely opened, and he had already netted about 23.2 million Mora in profit.
Luya regretted not stocking more Starter Decks—they were insanely popular! Even more than he had expected. He hadn't imagined that wealthy players would buy them in bulk… He resolved to stock up on more Starter Decks tonight. He definitely wouldn't lose money; he could always sell them slowly, since there would always be new players. Even if he bought too many, if they didn't sell out in Liyue, he would eventually sell them in other nations. It was impossible to lose!
From there, there wasn't anything major left to do—just selling card packs and using the Card Furnace to craft cards as usual.
Approaching the Card Furnace, Luya remembered that yesterday he had set it to craft [Kuusei Fuchin – Scaramouche]. By midnight, it should have been finished! Sure enough, the card was complete.
[Kuusei Fuchin – Scaramouche] Level 6│WIND│Machine│1500 ATK/1500 DEF
╵When summoning a Demon God/Divine-class monster, this card can be treated as 3 Tributes
On the artwork, Scaramouche had short, ear-length hair, the same purple eyes as his maker, and wore a dark-violet hat, a white water-patterned robe with a light-violet outer garment. A golden feather from Ei was tied at his chest with black and red cords.
Luya added [Kuusei Fuchin – Scaramouche] to his Genshin Deck.
Meanwhile, Chongyun had pieced together a Starter Deck with Xingqiu's help, though it wasn't much yet. Eager, he turned to Xingqiu.
"Let's duel!"
Xingqiu, of course, was unafraid. "Then let's! But since you're using Yugi Muto's deck, and your knowledge of dueling rules comes from the anime, why don't we use the [Bluff Duel Stage]?"
Chongyun agreed immediately—he didn't know the official rules well, so using the same Duel Stage as in the anime made him happy. For his debut duel, he was excited. "Alright!!"
Anyhow, when Hu Tao, who had been keeping order in the shop, heard they were about to use the [Bluff Duel Stage], she wasn't pleased… Since most customers had already registered and the order was restored, she rushed over.
"Hey!! I already agreed with the shopkeeper—we're supposed to duel on the [Bluff Duel Stage]!"
Xingqiu shook his head and chuckled. "Hahaha, the shopkeeper said he'd duel you when he's free. Right now, he's busy… So, hehe, Chongyun and I will go first!"
Luya was indeed busy—managing small tasks like opening Duel Stages for customers, collecting fees for the screening room, and selling Card-Draw Bread. Not hectic, though still requiring his presence. Though he wanted to duel Hu Tao and test his Genshin Deck, he couldn't step away yet.
Then Zhongli walked over with a smile. His mood had clearly improved lately—Xiao had lightened his karmic debt, he had spoken with Bosacius, and soon Guizhong would return. He even looked forward to calling Guoba, Madame Ping, and Cloud Retainer for drinks, just like a thousand years ago. How could he not be happy? Even his steps seemed lighter.
Smiling, Zhongli said to Luya, "Shopkeeper, let me handle selling card packs and opening Duel Stages. I can also operate the Card Furnace. Leave today's tasks to me, and you can accompany the Hall Master in a duel. As long as she's happy, that's enough."
With Zhongli insisting, Luya had no reason to refuse. Zhongli really was like Hu Tao's father figure… "Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Zhongli."
Taking over, Zhongli freed Luya. Hu Tao was overjoyed, laughing loudly: "Zhongli! You're the best! When we get back, I'll make sure to reward you well~"
She then turned to Xingqiu with a grin. "Cough, cough~ A guest raised for a thousand days, to be used in one moment. So, the shopkeeper and I will duel now—oh ho!"
Chongyun sighed, and Xingqiu looked dejected.
Regardless, they couldn't object—Hu Tao had already agreed with Luya. With Zhongli covering the work, the condition of 'free time' had been fulfilled, and the verbal contract of 'duel Hu Tao when free' was binding.
Seeing them troubled, Luya had a flash of inspiration. Why not a 2v2? A Tag Duel would solve everything!
He stepped over and said, "What's the problem? We'll just have a Tag Duel. I'll team with Hall Master Hu, and you two will be the other team. Easy."
The three of them lit up with joy. Xingqiu nodded eagerly. "Good! Let's do it!"
This thrilled him—he could team up with his best brother, Chongyun, and duel against Hu Tao. While he couldn't match her in wordplay, the duel itself was another story! He believed in the bond with his deck—it was like a part of his soul, filled with limitless strength.
"But… what are the rules of a Tag Duel?" he asked.
Luya explained: "Tag Duels are simple. Think of it as two players sharing the same field and Life Points. You still use your own decks. Don't worry too much about the details—since we're using the [Bluff Duel Stage], as long as you can play it out, it works. Just like the anime's tag duels."
The three nodded, only half-understanding, but it didn't matter. Just like in the anime—it was fine. That was the fun of bluffing: as long as you could spin it and make it convincing, it worked.
"Alright then, let's begin the duel!"
...
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