A few minutes later, Childe lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, his posture reminiscent of a fallen king. Kevin glanced down at him with a mix of amusent and disdain.
"I thought you were supposed to be powerful," Kevin sneered. "Is this it? You're done before I even get serious? Pathetic."
But even as he mocked, his gaze lingered on Childe's armor. It was well-crafted, undeniably stylish. When he got back, he'd have to visit Yuri's shop and buy himself a set.
With that, Kevin called on Hu Tao and the others. No point wasting ti here—Wuwangpo sounded like a far more entertaining destination. He made up his mind: along the way, he'd get Hu Tao to teach him so ghost-catching techniques. And once they arrived... well, he'd finally get to test them.
"Heh, little ghosts," Kevin murmured to himself, grinning. "Here I co."
After Kevin and his group left, Childe struggled to his feet. His entire body ached.
"Why is Liyue full of monsters?" he muttered, shaking his head.
He prided himself on his strength, his martial prowess. Back ho, he was unmatched. But ever since he arrived in Liyue, he had been crushed—twice. Yesterday, he at least managed to take two strikes from that so-called immortal. Today? Completely overwheld. Even after activating his Demon King's Armor, he had been cut down in an instant by that man...Kevin....
A cold realization settled over him. If these people were this strong, then how powerful was the Geo Archon, the god of Liyue?
"I don't think I've offended Her Majesty..." he murmured uneasily. "So why did she send here to steal the Heart of God from the Rock King?"
Thinking of Liyue's strength, he suddenly doubted even his captain's chances.
"Damn it..."
He looked around at the battlefield. All his n—the debt collectors he'd brought—had been utterly defeated. None of them had stood a chance.
Two days later, inside Yuri's shop, the atmosphere buzzed with excitent. Nearly everyone who had ever purchased from Yuri had gathered for the lottery draw.
Among them were two girls, Topaz and Jade, who had arrived after consulting with Bronya. Jade had reported their findings to Diamond, who had imdiately issued an order: establish a friendly relationship with Yuri. Moreover, Diamond had quietly arranged for people to collect Stellar Jade in secret. If what Jade and Topaz claid was true, this could be an invaluable opportunity for their strategic investnt division.
As the shop filled with chatter, Kevin stood off to the side, shaking the ten lottery tickets he had bought.
"Alright, alright, this ti, I'm definitely winning!" he boasted. "Why are you all wasting ti discussing my abilities?"
March 7th huffed in irritation.
"Hmph! You don't know that for sure!" she shot back.
"That's right! I've always been super lucky!" Ying added confidently.
anwhile, Hu Tao stood to the side, uncharacteristically quiet, her brows furrowed in concern. Kevin noticed.
"Hu Tao, what's with you? Why so down?"
Hu Tao let out a dramatic sigh.
"I checked Wangsheng Hall's accounts yesterday. Business is terrible," she grumbled. "And to top it off, Zhongli is the worst guest ever! He's the Geo Archon, and yet he insists on paying for everything like a normal person! Damn it!"
Topaz, who had been listening, suddenly spoke up.
"Why not start a side business? You know, to bring in extra inco?"
Hu Tao hesitated. Wangsheng Hall had a long history of guiding souls to the afterlife. Would branching out be appropriate?
Zhongli, ever calm, chid in.
"Master, I believe Miss Topaz has a point. With our resources and manpower, we could open a side business. The additional funds could help promote Wangsheng Hall."
Hu Tao thought it over. It wasn't like she would abandon her core work—just use her free ti to earn so extra money.
"What kind of business should I start, though?" she mused, rubbing her chin.
Silver Wolf, who had been lazily playing a video ga, suddenly spoke up without looking away from her screen.
"Open an internet café. That'll make you a ton of money."
Hu Tao blinked.
"An internet café? What's that?"
Silver Wolf sighed. "It's a place where people rent computers to go online. Didn't your guest bring back a laptop? You charge people by the hour to use one."
Hu Tao's eyes sparkled. That actually sounded... genius.
"Alright, let's try it! I'll go find Yuri and buy so computers!"
Silver Wolf waved her off.
"No need. I've got you covered."
With a flick of her fingers, she used Ether Editing to open a portal. Monts later, ten computers materialized in front of them.
Hu Tao gaped. "Whoa! Silver Wolf, you're amazing!"
Feeling grateful, she pulled out 1,000 Stellar Jade and held it out.
"I don't know how much these cost, but is this enough?"
Silver Wolf glanced at the money and waved it away. "Nah, these are old models. Worthless, really. But they'll work fine for a 'classic' internet café." She smirked. "How about instead of money, you just bring als every day for a month?"
Hu Tao bead. "Deal! Let's add each other as friends so you can tell what you want to eat!"
With that settled, Silver Wolf also agreed to help set up the network and managent system. And so, the first internet café in Liyue was set to open.
anwhile, Yuri stepped behind the counter, drawing everyone's attention. It was ti for the lottery draw. The room fell silent as he reached into the counter and pulled out a numbered ball. Slowly, he turned it around for all to see.
Kevin dropped to his knees, wailing. "Noooo!" He had bought ten tickets—10,000 Stellar Jade—and still lost.
In contrast, Dan Heng calmly examined his single lottery ticket.
"Hm? Looks like I won."
March 7th gawked. "Wait, you actually bought a ticket?!"
Dan Heng nodded. "Mr. Welt and the others were buying, so I got one too."
As he handed over his ticket, a glowing scroll materialized and floated toward him. At Yuri's instruction, he tore it open.
In an instant, knowledge flooded his mind—how to use "Space Jump."
Testing it out, Dan Heng vanished from his spot, reappearing near the bar without leaving a trace.
March 7th hurried to his side. "Well?! How does it feel?"
Dan Heng nodded. "Very good."
March 7th sighed. "Can't you elaborate?"
Dan Heng considered for a mont. "It works very well."
March 7th facepald. "Forget it..."
Back at the shop, a new lottery prize appeared on the screen:
[Next Prize: Swordsmanship] [Value: 130,000 Stellar Jade] [Draw Countdown: 7 days, 23 hours]
This ti, Kevin only bought one ticket. He had finally learned the truth—luck mattered more than quantity.
anwhile, Hiko, Welt, and Pom checked the train. If all went well, they would set out for their next stop tomorrow.
Hu Tao and Silver Wolf found Yuri to open a portal, and the two traveled to Teyvat.
After arriving in the Clouds, Hu Tao walked toward the flying motorcycle she had parked earlier that morning.
Just as she was approaching, Hu Tao suddenly froze.
What she saw was... a large bird, disassembling her motorcycle. It was almost completely dismantled, with parts scattered all over the ground.
"What is this? I've never seen such a construction technique before," Hu Tao muttered in disbelief.
The large bird in question was none other than the true monarch, who stays in the clouds and borrows the wind—Liuyun.
Liuyun had just retreated after crafting a small object to prepare for a leisurely stroll outside. Upon leaving, he noticed the flying motorcycle parked near the entrance of his cave. Curiosity piqued, he couldn't resist and decided to take it apart to investigate.
Hu Tao sprinted toward the body of the jet bike, her hands trembling as she grabbed a handful of parts.
"Wow!! My poor jet bike! It's in pieces!" she cried out dramatically.
Liuyun, looking at Hu Tao, realized he might be in trouble. He had been so fascinated by the motorcycle that he forgot it wasn't his.
Glancing at the scattered parts, Liuyun shrugged.
"It's fine. I'll put it back together for you."
He straightened the motorcycle body and surveyed the ss of parts, only to freeze in place.
Hu Tao, watching Liuyun hold the bike, questioned, "Didn't you say you'd fix it for ?"
Liuyun was silent for a mont.
"It seems that this immortal has forgotten how to put it back together."
Hu Tao fainted on the spot.
What's going on!?
Liuyun, noticing Hu Tao collapsed on the ground with an utterly defeated expression, pondered for a mont.
"How much did this thing cost? I'll compensate you," he offered, trying to make ands.
Hu Tao slowly stood up and sized up Liuyun, her face still full of disbelief.
"Forget it. I'll find soone else who can fix it. You just stay here and keep an eye on the parts so they don't go missing."
Liuyun eagerly agreed.
"Don't worry. Even though this immortal doesn't know how to assemble it, I can certainly keep an eye on things!"
Hu Tao nodded and walked into the portal.
When she erged from the portal, Hu Tao scanned the store and found Venti enjoying a drink at the bar.
Running up to Venti, Hu Tao asked, "Venti, have you seen Mr. Welt or Hiko?"
Venti shook her head.
"Mu You~ What's going on? Can I help with sothing?"
Hu Tao sighed dramatically.
"My motorcycle got dismantled by a big bird fairy, and I need Mr. Welt or Hiko to help fix it."
Venti imdiately realized who the "big bird fairy" was. There was no doubt—it had to be Liuyun, who, driven by curiosity, dismantled Hu Tao's motorcycle for research.
Venti gestured to Clara, who was quietly studying in the corner.
"Why don't you ask Clara? She might be able to help."
Hu Tao brightened at the suggestion and hurried over to Clara.
"Clara, are you free?"
Clara looked up and smiled warmly when she saw Hu Tao.
"Hu Tao~ What can I do for you?"
Hu Tao sighed, looking at the scattered parts. "My jet bike is in pieces. Can you help fix it?"
Clara looked at the ss, eyes wide, but without hesitation, she crouched down to start sorting through the parts.
After a quick assessnt, Clara smiled. "The parts are all intact. No damage. The only issue is putting it back together. It'll take so ti, but it's doable."
The Silver Wolf, who had been watching quietly, took out a ga console and began playing.
Liuyun, anwhile, observed Clara working, initially skeptical about a little girl being able to handle it. But as she started assembling the parts, his doubt began to fade.
A mont passed.
Huh, this little girl knows what she's doing. I can't believe it.
Another mont.
Wait a minute—she's almost finished?!
Liuyun stared in disbelief. No way! This little girl is amazing! She actually managed to put it all back together!
Clara, now finishing the final touches, ran a quick test of the bike's smart system.
At that mont, Liuyun grabbed Clara's hand and announced, "This son has a fairy fate! From now on, you shall be my disciple. Co, let take you to my cave and show you my treasures."
Clara, caught off guard, didn't have ti to react before Liuyun pulled her toward the cave.
Hu Tao, completely stunned, blinked in confusion. What is this big bird doing?
She quickly realized that the "immortal" was trying to take Clara away and rushed forward to stop him. But it was too late.
Clara had already been whisked away.
"Stop! No! You're an immortal! How can you do this?" Hu Tao shouted in vain.
She ran to the cave entrance, but when she tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge.
Silver Wolf, observing Hu Tao's distress, raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Zhongli your boss here? Why don't you ask him for help?"
It clicked for Hu Tao, and she imdiately ran to find Zhongli and Yuri, hoping they could help her rescue Clara.
She burst into the reception room, gasping for breath.
"Zhongli! Oh no! Clara's been abducted!" she cried.
Zhongli and Yuri both stood up, frowning in concern.
"Didn't Clara go with you to the Clouds just now? What happened?" Zhongli asked, his voice steady.
Hu Tao explained, out of breath, "A big bird fairy took Clara as a disciple and dragged her off to the cave!"
Yuri and Zhongli exchanged a look. They both understood exactly who was behind this—Xianyun.
"Xianyun... picking up children as disciples. That's just her style," Zhongli said, shaking his head.
They quickly followed Hu Tao to the cave, where Zhongli confronted Xianyun, forcing him to release Clara.
Xianyun stood sullenly, watching Clara walk through the portal back to safety.
"Humph!" Xianyun grumbled, clearly upset that her plans had been thwarted. "I finally found a disciple who could inherit my teachings, and the Emperor won't let keep her!"
Zhongli, staring at the immortal, couldn't help but chuckle. It was a peculiar situation, but Xianyun's antics were well-known.
Back in Liyue Harbor, Hu Tao and Silver Wolf were busy cleaning out a room near the gate for the new Internet café.
"We can get rid of this, and this one's not needed," Hu Tao instructed, directing the staff from the Afterlife.
The staff worked quickly, and soon the room was ready. Silver Wolf, however, was already ahead of her, setting up 10 computers on the table.
"Where's the small satellite Hiko gave you?" Silver Wolf asked.
Hu Tao handed over a small round satellite, which Hiko had gifted her for the café. Silver Wolf set it down on the ground, and monts later, the satellite launched into the sky, covering all of Liyue Harbor.
With the satellite set up, Silver Wolf began configuring the Internet café system, installing necessary software and gas.
After about an hour of hard work, Silver Wolf was done. "All set," he said with satisfaction.
Hu Tao, having returned from getting food, passed it to Silver Wolf. "You worked hard. Eat sothing first. I picked up so dishes from Wanmin Hall."
Silver Wolf gratefully accepted the al and ate, while Hu Tao familiarized herself with the new system.
Afterward, Silver Wolf provided so tips on running the café.
"Get a fridge. Ask March 7th or Kevin to buy drinks online, and stock up on snacks and instant noodles. That'll help bring in so money."
With everything ready, Hu Tao's new Internet café was almost set to open.
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