"Heh. Foolish Mondstadt folk. And they believe that bard's nonsense?"
Anastasia scoffed with disdain.
She was still bitter.
Yesterday, she thought she'd easily obtain the city's defense map, but was flat-out rejected.
Then Acting Grand Master Jean knocked her out and gave her a stern warning.
In the end, she was carried back in humiliation.
No doubt she'd lost face in front of Her Excellency, the Lady.
Luke nodded in agreement.
He also didn't buy any of it.
Getting real-world items from reading manga?
What kind of absurd fairy tale was that?
"Reading manga lets you gain items from the story…?"
The Lady frowned slightly.
Her first instinct was also skepticism.
Having lived over five centuries, she had seen far more than most people ever would.
But never anything like this.
Still, thinking back to Jean's sudden shift in power yesterday,
And Luke mentioning the reverence others showed the shopkeeper...
A flicker of doubt appeared in her mind.
"I'll see for myself."
She made her decision silently.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the bookstore.
Once inside, the Lady's sharp gaze scanned the store.
The decor was unique—unlike anything she'd seen before.
Five customers sat around, each with a manga in hand, reading intently.
But when she spotted Lisa and others from the Knights of Favonius, the Lady's eyes narrowed slightly.
Once might be a coincidence.
Twice—especially with four of them present—was not.
"This store definitely holds some kind of secret,"
She thought grimly.
"What's she doing here?"
Lisa also furrowed her brows slightly.
She had clearly noticed the Lady's arrival.
Was it because of yesterday's confrontation?
Or had she already caught wind of the manga shop's mysteries?
If it was the latter, then things could get troublesome.
If the Fatui also started gaining power from the manga here,
It might spell serious trouble for Mondstadt.
She'd need to discuss this with Jean later.
"Welcome. Here to read manga?"
Han Feng greeted with a calm smile, though he was slightly surprised.
He had anticipated the Fatui might take notice eventually,
But not this quickly.
Only yesterday afternoon had there been a confrontation—
And today, the Lady herself had shown up?
And not just anyone—one of the Eleven Harbingers!
Still, guest or not, he had no reason to turn anyone away.
Inside this manga shop?
Even if the Tsaritsa herself walked in,
Even if Celestia descended—
He could crush them like ants.
"I heard in your shop, reading manga grants you items from the story. Is that true?"
The Lady stared deep into the eyes of the black-haired young man behind the counter.
So this was the mysterious owner of the store?
He didn't look particularly impressive.
Just an ordinary young man.
Why would Jean show him so much respect?
Could it really be because of the manga?
The Lady's mind raced with questions.
"How much is it?"
"100,000 Mora per read. One per person, per day," Han Feng replied.
"Here."
She handed over the Mora without a single change in expression.
The Fatui ran the Northland Bank, after all.
Money was never an issue.
"Can I choose now?"
"Sorry, there are no extra copies available at the moment. You'll need to wait,"
Han Feng said evenly.
"…Wait?"
The Lady's brows furrowed slightly.
As one of the Fatui Harbingers, people were usually the ones waiting for her.
Now she was being asked to wait for manga?
If it were something truly important, she could accept it.
But this?
"Other readers need to finish first. That's the rule."
Han Feng's tone was firm.
"Wait for manga? Don't you know how valuable Lady's time is?"
Anastasia couldn't hold back.
This was a perfect chance to redeem herself in the Lady's eyes.
When she saw the Lady remaining silent, she assumed she had tacit approval.
Immediately, she turned her gaze toward the other readers—
Planning to snatch a manga for her Lady.
She immediately excluded Lisa's group.
They were all together—too risky.
Instead, her eyes landed on a lone girl nearby:
Fischl.
Just as Anastasia was about to snatch the manga, a calm voice rang out.
"Manga has its rules. No grabbing or stealing."
Han Feng gently put down his teacup.
In that instant—
An overwhelming pressure burst into existence, instantly filling the entire bookstore.
It was terrifying to the extreme, as if it could tear reality itself apart.
Everyone inside the manga shop felt a jolt in their hearts, instinctively swallowing hard.
They could feel how insignificant they were beneath this immense aura.
Their lives—even their souls—felt no longer their own.
It was as if everything was within Han Feng's grasp.
They had no ability to resist.
Was this... the true power of the bookstore owner?
As for the culprit herself—
Anastasia was struck by an invisible force, coughing up blood.
She was blasted out of the manga shop and collapsed on the ground, once again falling unconscious.
"You get one warning. Break the rules again, and it won't end so easily."
Han Feng's voice was indifferent, void of emotion.
Once he retracted his aura, the crushing pressure on everyone dissipated.
Even the Harbinger known as the Lady collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide in horror as she stared at Han Feng.
She had stayed silent earlier only to use Anastasia as a means to test the shopkeeper.
But then a horrifying pressure locked onto her, freezing her completely.
Under that pressure, she couldn't even speak.
It was like her entire being had been bound.
She felt like she had returned to being a powerless mortal.
Even though it had only lasted a few seconds—
To her, it felt like an eternity.
He looked so ordinary…
How could someone like that possess such terrifying power?!
Even the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya couldn't do something like this… could she?
Just who is this bookstore owner?
~~--------------------------------------
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