At noon, Lin Yu ordered a Fisherman's Toast for delivery from the Good Hunter. Although he knew there were many other delicacies available there, he still had to look after the shop and couldn't leave.
It seemed that hiring a waitress was becoming an urgent matter.
As he was eating, the shop door was pushed open, and Eula, dressed in simple clothing, walked in.
Even without her "Spindrift Knight" uniform, this casual attire perfectly complemented her appearance, making her look like a true beauty with an air of elegance.
"Shopkeeper, I've come to compensate you... I'm very sorry about yesterday."
Eula took out a pouch and placed it on the counter.
"This is one hundred thousand Mora. I... I can't come up with any more for now. I'll pay you back the remaining one hundred thousand... as soon as I can."
Eula hesitated as she spoke, and it was clear she wasn't lying.
Lin Yu put down his Fisherman's Toast, weighed the pouch in his hand, then looked at Eula and asked, "Grand Master Jean punished you, didn't she?"
"Yes. I've been suspended from my duties for three months," Eula said with a calm expression.
At least, it looked calm on the surface.
"But Duke had it worse. He was stripped of his knighthood and is now under strict supervision by the Knights. I imagine he's regretting his actions right about now."
Eula was not surprised by her punishment.
Although Mondstadt was the City of Freedom, once you crossed a line, the punishment would be anything but light.
After all, there were historical precedents.
Eula had no complaints about the punishment, but there was one thing she was concerned about: the actual value of that so-called "mobile phone."
She had taken the opportunity to ask Grand Master Jean about it.
The answer she received had been utterly astonishing.
In Jean's opinion, she would have bought it without hesitation, not for two hundred thousand Mora, but even for two million!
The information within the mobile game was simply too critical, revealing a massive amount of intelligence at every turn, which held significant reference value for the future development of Mondstadt.
Moreover, Jean believed that the cost of creating a game of this caliber must have been astronomical.
That palm-sized phone surely held other secrets.
Learning this, Eula was stunned.
She never imagined the device was so valuable.
Lin Yu really hadn't been trying to cheat her.
So, Eula had taken out all her savings and come to sincerely apologize, hoping Lin Yu would grant her some leniency.
Lin Yu didn't immediately accept or refuse.
He smiled and said, "If I remember correctly, you broke off with your family a long time ago and have been renting a place on your own, right?"
A look of confusion crossed Eula's face.
"Shopkeeper... what... what do you mean...?"
"Living on your own, you have expenses for rent and daily necessities, don't you? If you give me all your money, how will you manage?"
"I still have a little money left. It's not much, but it should be enough."
"Don't forget, you're suspended for three months. I don't think the Knights will be paying your salary as usual."
Eula: "..."
It seemed she really hadn't considered that.
Seeing Eula's stunned silence, Lin Yu sighed and said in a "wise and caring" tone:
"Why don't you take this money back for now."
"After all, you only got into that conflict because of me. From both a sentimental and logical standpoint, I should help you out."
"So, for these next three months, why don't you work here for me?"
"Room and board will be covered, and I'll pay you a monthly salary of two hundred thousand Mora."
"After three months, the debt between us will be wiped clean... How does that sound?"
Eula was dumbfounded.
She never expected Lin Yu to make such an offer.
Not only did it solve the problem of her lack of income during her three-month suspension, but he had also promised to cancel her debt after the three months were up.
A monthly salary of two hundred thousand Mora was even higher than what she earned as a Captain.
To be honest, Eula was moved.
"No need to rush. You can go home and think it over," Lin Yu added thoughtfully.
For Eula, the most crucial issue was this:
As a Knight of Favonius, if she started working in someone else's shop, would people start gossiping again, saying she was tarnishing the honor of the Knights?
Then again, she was already the subject of so much prejudice.
Did she really need to care about one or two more rumors?
At this thought, Eula looked up.
A faint light shone in her eyes.
"There's no need to consider it, Shopkeeper. I'm willing to work here."
"Excellent. So, when can you start?" Lin Yu asked with a satisfied smile.
"I can start right now."
The sooner she paid off her debt, the sooner the weight would be lifted from her shoulders.
"Very good. As of now, you are an employee of the Mobile Game Experience Hall."
---o---
"Just like that, you collect the corresponding amount of Mora based on the time played. Understand?"
Eula nodded.
So far, the job seemed very simple.
Whoever paid a certain amount of Mora, she would just calculate the corresponding amount of time for them.
But what puzzled Eula was, what was so fun about this mobile game?
Why were these people willing to spend tens of thousands of Mora just to experience it?
And judging by their expressions, they were clearly enjoying themselves immensely.
As she walked back and forth, Eula began to get a rough idea of what this mobile game was.
The palm-sized box could actually display scenes of the Mondstadt region.
And inside were many people and things she recognized.
Amber, Kaeya, Grand Master Jean, Lisa...
You could actually control these characters and fight with them!
This novel form of entertainment sparked a flicker of curiosity even in Eula, the new waitress.
Just how did this young-looking shopkeeper design and develop such a miraculous game?
Eula glanced toward the counter. After teaching her how to take payments, Lin Yu had disappeared into a back room by himself. She didn't know if he was resting or doing something else.
To just hand the counter over to her like that... this shopkeeper was really trusting.
Wasn't he afraid she would take the money and run?
Of course, Eula would never do such a thing.
And in her mind, the image of Lin Yu was now shrouded in an unshakable aura of mystery.
[Author's Note]
Fourth update today. Can any of the big shots reading this make some noise? I feel like I'm playing a single-player game.