As night faded, the morning crowds in Liyue Harbor bustled endlessly.
Today was the Lantern Rite, held every year on the night of the first full moon. During the Lantern Rite, thousands of Xiao Lanterns would rise into the night sky, an unmissable spectacle for anyone visiting Liyue.
People would write their wishes on the lanterns before releasing them, symbolizing the fulfillment of their hopes. At the same time, a grand Lantern Festival would be held, where people could admire all kinds of exquisite lanterns.
However... compared to past Lantern Rites, this year's was exceptionally different. Many were eagerly awaiting this day, especially those who had registered for the Lantern Cup Duel Tournament.
Yesterday, about 200 people signed up for the tournament, yet more than 500 Duel Disks had been preordered. Quite a few had bought Duel Disks but hadn't signed up—most believed their Decks were too weak, and joining would only end in humiliation. Not wanting to lose face, they simply didn't register.
Some customers had even purchased more than one Duel Disk, either to recruit others into the game or for collection purposes. These reasons overlapped, resulting in the number of Duel Disks sold far surpassing the number of tournament participants.
Despite that, Luya thought that more people would come to sign up this morning, and more Duel Disks would surely be sold.
Currently, "210" had a total of 1,000 Duel Disks in stock.
Luya had spent 50 million Mora to redeem them from the System Store. The store price there was 50,000 Mora each, while Luya sold them at 100,000 Mora. Even at double the price, customers still thought it was cheap. Subtracting the 500 already presold, 500 more remained for sale. If sold out, that would be a net profit of 25 million Mora.
Besides the Duel Disks, Luya had also prepared 500 Starter Decks, which were today's main source of profit. They cost 100,000 Mora each, but sold for 200,000 Mora. Selling them all would yield a net profit of 50 million Mora.
On top of that, the System had automatically generated 5,500 card packs, which, if sold out, would bring in 110 million Mora. And if 10,000 Card-Draw Breads were also sold... the profits would only rise further.
Plus, with the System's rewarded vending machines for drinks and snacks—capable of auto-restocking—the Lantern Rite's massive crowds would bring even more traffic into the store.
Even if these customers didn't buy cards or Decks, they'd still eat and drink. The vending machines perfectly filled the gap for food and drinks in the card shop. And since the machines auto-restocked, the profits came at zero cost!
After all, being able to watch Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and live duels while munching snacks and sipping drinks—what could be better?
With the snack and drink issue solved, business at Luya's shop was bound to soar. No other shop had such things!
So even those who didn't duel or buy cards would still end up spending their Mora here.
...
Having made all the preparations, Luya took a deep breath. He pushed open the shop doors, officially beginning today's business!
As he did, the surrounding customers exclaimed:
"What the!?"
"How come the shop opened so early today?"
"Yeah... the shopkeeper finally figured it out!?"
"Exactly, wouldn't it be better to always open this early?"
"Though honestly, I'm not used to it opening this early..."
"I thought I'd still have to wait another hour or more..."
"At the usual time, it would've been quite a wait."
"Didn't expect the shop to open so soon today... completely caught me off guard."
"Hurry! Give me my Duel Disk, shopkeeper!!"
"Yes, yes, the Duel Disk!"
"That's the most important thing, I can't wait anymore!"
"I preordered six or seven of them yesterday. I'm here to collect them!"
The customers all shouted, calling for their preordered Duel Disks.
Keqing, in her violet dress and with her elegant cat-ear-styled hair, stood before Luya with a smile. She maintained order while speaking warmly to the customers:
"Don't worry, everyone, there's enough for all. Please line up with the numbers you received yesterday."
Then she gave Luya a sidelong glance and whispered, "Are the Duel Disks ready?"
Luya nodded, pointing to the neatly stacked 500 Duel Disks behind the counter. These were all prepaid orders, and also the equipment needed for the upcoming tournament. He still had another 500 neatly stored in the System Inventory.
Keqing followed his gesture, looked, and nodded in satisfaction.
Luya thanked her: "Thank you very much for your help, Miss Keqing~"
Keqing smiled. "It's all for the prosperity of Liyue Harbor—it's part of my duty, haha."
With that, she and Ganyu began handing out the preordered Duel Disks. Those who received them were delighted, eager to try dueling in the streets and alleys of Liyue Harbor.
...
Xingqiu entered and immediately noticed the newly added vending machines for drinks and snacks. He stared at the strange contraptions with curiosity. Pointing at the vending machine, he asked:
"Shopkeeper... what are these?"
Others turned as well, equally curious. Inside what looked like a cabinet were colorful bottles and cans, and bags in bright wrappers. None could guess what they were.
Luya explained:
"These are called [Vending Machine (Drinks)] and [Vending Machine (Snacks)]. Just insert Mora into this slot, and you can purchase the items inside."
As soon as he explained, Hu Tao tossed 2,000 Mora into the drinks machine. She pressed randomly a few times... and out came a bottle of Sprite from Blue Star.
Hu Tao eyed the bottle suspiciously. But since Luya had said it was a drink, she didn't overthink it. She twisted off the yellow cap—hiss!—a fizz escaped, startling her.
"Hahaha, go on, Master Hu!"
"That's Sprite. Sweet, refreshing, truly uplifting—'clear and cool, lifting your soul,' that's the idea."
Hu Tao sniffed the sharp aroma and hesitated. "This... really drinkable?"
Luya reassured her. "Just go for it, Master Hu! You've got this!!"
Encouraged, Hu Tao tilted it straight into her mouth. The fizzy sweetness danced on her tongue, tickling her mouth. She gulped down several big swigs. And since it was chilled Sprite, the taste was superb. She finished the bottle in no time, then quickly inserted more Mora to try another.
Seeing this, Xingqiu caught on and hurried to the other drinks machine, dropping coins in. He got two bottles: Jasmine Honey Tea and Jasmine Green Tea. He handed one to Chongyun. Opening his own, unlike Hu Tao's fizzy hiss, there was no sound. Reading the label and seeing the clear tea inside, Xingqiu drank half in one go. The chilled tea slid down his throat into his stomach—so satisfying. This was even better than the tea at Third-Round Knockout! And so convenient—just twist the cap and drink.
Chongyun, too, was impressed, downing his bottle in just a few gulps.
Soon, others followed their lead. For the moment, they forgot about dueling or buying cards, all lining up to spend Mora on snacks and drinks. They stuffed themselves before thinking about play.
Luya was both amused and exasperated. No one was buying card packs... they were all just eating and drinking.
...
About ten minutes later, many had collected their Duel Disks and began asking about the tournament details.
Luya had everything ready. He brought out the Metal Stars and Star Gloves he had exchanged from the System Store. Seeing them, most already understood how the competition worked.
Luya announced:
"All registered participants, please gather here! Come collect your free Metal Star and Star Gloves. You'll also receive two free card packs just for signing up!"
At the word 'free,' the participants rushed over. Luya quickly distributed the Gloves and Stars. In no time, 100 gloves and 100 stars were handed out. Over 210 had registered—200 yesterday, plus more this morning.
With the 10-to-1 advancement system Luya had set, about 20 would reach the finals. That way, the Lantern Rite's single day would be enough: qualifiers in the morning, finals in the afternoon!
That was why Luya had opened so early—to give players more time to collect Metal Stars.
Soon, all 200+ participants had their gear. Once everyone was assembled, Luya addressed them:
"Contestants! Now! The 1.4th Lantern Rite Duel Tournament has officially begun! Rules are as follows..."
"Each participant starts with one Metal Star. Star Gloves can hold up to ten Metal Stars. When you collect ten, you qualify for the finals—and win 50 card packs! The final winner will earn the title of Lantern Duel King! Please complete your star collecting by 4 p.m. today! Now... Duelists, go forth!!"
With Luya's declaration, the 200+ participants set out, scattering to find open spaces for dueling. The shop couldn't hold them all, so they needed to take their Duel Disks outside to battle.
Zhongli, Hu Tao, Xingqiu, Chongyun, and others headed out as well. Hu Tao laughed loudly as she exited.
"This Hall Master will be the first to collect ten stars! Who wants to duel me first!?"
Chongyun cautioned her: "Don't be overconfident, Master Hu... be careful not to get eliminated first thing."
Zhongli stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Our strengths are similar. It's best not to fight among ourselves. I suggest we duel others instead."
His words made the others exclaim:
"Good idea! Mr. Zhongli, what a remarkable man!"
...
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