At that moment, Guizhong, who had been strolling through Liyue, suddenly stopped in front of a small shop.
Morax had already walked several steps ahead before realizing she was no longer beside him. He turned back and looked at the same shop.
It wasn't large—quiet and almost hidden among the lively food stalls nearby. The things it sold, too, were completely different from the rest.
Inside were hand-carved craft toys made from wood, stone, and minerals. Ordinary materials had been shaped by human hands into lifelike, intricate works of art.
Guizhong's eyes lit up with fascination.
"Come on, let's go take a look." Morax spoke, instinctively taking her hand as they stepped into the shop.
"Welcome! Feel free to look around. Everything here is handmade," the shopkeeper greeted them kindly.
The shelves were lined from end to end with all sorts of small carvings.
Guizhong examined each piece carefully, studying them as if trying to understand the method behind their making.
"What's this...?" Morax picked up a square box from one of the shelves. Its lid was beautifully engraved with delicate cherry blossom patterns.
He looked at it in confusion, a faint sense of familiarity stirring within him.
It felt as if... he had seen it somewhere before.
"Morax, can I see that one?" Guizhong's voice came from beside him.
"Of course." He handed her the ornate wooden box.
Guizhong turned it over in her hands again and again, her eyes shining like stars—she was clearly enamored by it.
"What a beautiful box..." she murmured, reluctant to put it down.
Hearing her words, Morax smiled softly and walked over to the shopkeeper. "Excuse me, how much Mora would it cost to buy everything here?"
"Huh?" The shopkeeper froze, utterly stunned.
He hadn't expected anyone to actually buy these things. He made them simply for his own satisfaction and had never decided on a price.
Just moments ago, he had been wondering how much to charge for a single piece—then Morax suddenly wanted to buy them all.
The question left him completely bewildered.
"No, Morax, that's too much. Just this one is enough—we don't need the rest."
Guizhong, having overheard, quickly came over and whispered to him anxiously.
"But you like them all, don't you? We rarely come out together—why not just get everything you like?" Morax didn't lack money. He could create as much Mora as he wished.
"No, no, we can't." Guizhong pulled him aside, lowering her voice. "Even if you can produce Mora endlessly, you shouldn't waste it like that. It wouldn't be fair to the other shops."
"And what if others hear about this and all start selling the same kind of goods?"
"Look at Liyue—so many people, yet this shop is so quiet. If everyone copies him and we don't visit their stores, they won't sell a thing. They might even go hungry."
"Just this one, okay? Let's not take the rest~"
She tugged lightly at Morax's hand, her tone soft and a little playful.
Morax thought for a moment, then nodded. Her reasoning made sense.
"That's great. Thank you." Guizhong's face brightened with a happy smile.
"Shopkeeper, we'll take this one. How much mora for it?" Morax asked, holding up the little wooden box.
"Ah, well... to be honest, I never decided on a price. I'm not really sure how much these are worth," the shopkeeper admitted, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Why don't you just pay whatever you think it's worth?"
It was, admittedly, a bit odd for a shopkeeper not to know the value of his own goods—but he had never expected anyone to buy them. Opening the shop had simply been a way to share his craftsmanship with others.
His words surprised both Morax and Guizhong. They exchanged a glance, uncertain what to say.
It was their first time seeing something like this—they had no idea how to gauge its price.
"Shopkeeper, did you make all of these yourself?" Guizhong asked.
"Yes, all by hand. I carve them slowly in my spare time."
"How long did this one take you?"
"This box?" The shopkeeper took it from her and looked it over carefully. "About three or four months, I think. Can't quite remember. The fastest one here took me at least a month. The slowest one... I'm still working on it. It's been five or six years already."
"Three or four months..." Guizhong and Morax both fell silent, thoughtful.
Without any information about its market value, measuring it by the time and effort spent seemed the most reasonable way.
After all, throwing out a random number didn't feel right—they needed some kind of reference.
"How about... one thousand moras?" Morax suggested, holding up a single finger.