"What's that? Looks pretty nice."
Venti's eyes lit up with curiosity when he saw the couple charms in Jean's hand.
"Cough, cough… just a normal accessory."
Jean hurriedly tucked the charms away, flustered.
This wasn't something she could let others see.
Seeing Venti's suspicious look, Jean quickly changed the subject.
"Klee might have gotten into trouble today. I should head back."
"Boss Han, I… I'll come back tomorrow."
She stammered out a farewell to Han Feng and hurriedly left,
As though something here made her too nervous to stay.
She left behind a group of confused onlookers.
"Phew!"
Once outside the manga shop, Jean let out a long breath of relief.
Looking around to make sure no one was there,
She found herself taking out the four-leaf clover charms again.
Under the warm afternoon sun,
The charms gleamed with a unique beauty.
No woman could resist something so lovely.
Jean was no exception.
She stood there, staring, momentarily entranced.
That's when a surprised voice snapped her out of it—
"Captain Jean, you really are here!"
Her reaction was quick.
She swiftly hid the charms behind her back and turned toward the voice.
"You're… Bennett, right?"
Seeing the boy with goggles before her, Jean quickly remembered him.
As Acting Grand Master, she often dealt with the Adventurers' Guild,
And she had heard of this "well-known" adventurer before.
"That's me! I didn't expect Captain Jean to actually know me!"
Bennett's face lit up, then he asked with barely contained anticipation,
"Captain Jean, is this manga shop really that amazing?"
Since she was here herself, he figured asking her directly would be best.
Anything Captain Jean said couldn't possibly be a lie.
Seeing the unease in Bennett's eyes, Jean understood immediately.
She had heard about his reputation before—
An adventurer plagued by terrible luck,
Running into misfortune whether in daily life or out in the wild.
He'd probably come here hoping for a way to change his fortune.
But… could he even get a reward with his luck?
Jean had her doubts.
After a moment's thought, she decided to be straightforward.
"The shop's rewards are real.
They range from ordinary items to incredible power."
Before Bennett could get too excited,
She quickly added,
"But earning a reward might require a bit of luck. So… be prepared."
Bennett froze on the spot.
So rewards depended on luck?
With his cursed fortune, could he even draw something good?
He'd thought he'd found a way to solve his problem—
Only to discover the path might be blocked from the start.
To get a good reward, he needed good luck.
But he didn't have any.
Without good luck, he couldn't get a good reward.
It was a vicious cycle.
Still, having endured so much bad luck over the years,
Bennett had developed a strong heart.
In no time, he steadied himself again.
"No matter the outcome, this is my only shot!"
Bennett made up his mind.
If once wasn't enough, he'd try twice.
If twice failed, he'd try three times.
There's no way he could be unlucky forever… right?
Decision made, he bid Jean farewell and headed for the Solace Book House.
"I hope you can change your fate."
Watching him disappear inside, Jean sighed.
Then, as if reminded of something,
She took out the clover charms again for another look.
"If it's Boss Han… maybe that's not so bad?"
A small smile curled her lips.
Feeling oddly cheerful, she left the alley and headed back to the Knights of Favonius.
"So this is the mysterious manga shop Paimon talked about?"
Stepping inside the Solace Book House, Bennett looked around curiously.
He had never seen décor quite like this.
Spotting Diluc and Venti also inside made him blink in surprise.
"As expected, Mr. Diluc is here too… and that bard as well."
Finally, his gaze landed on the counter,
Where a black-haired young man with a gentle demeanor was smiling at him.
"Welcome, young adventurer—Mr. Bennett."
"Boss… you know me?"
Bennett looked puzzled.
He was certain he'd never met this man before.
So how did the shop owner know his name?
This boss really was mysterious.
Han Feng, of course, knew him—
After all, Bennett was practically the unluckiest person in all of Teyvat.
Yet there was something unusual about him.
Most people would be dead after a single bout of bad luck.
But Bennett had survived countless disasters and was still kicking.
In a way, that was a kind of luck too.
Even more strangely,
His "bad luck" seemed controllable—
When he was unconscious, everything went back to normal.
Like that time in the game,
When he and the Traveler were trapped in a cave—
The moment he fainted after eating a delicious meal,
The Adventurers' Guild arrived to rescue them.
It was bizarre.
Han Feng wasn't worried about Bennett's misfortune affecting him.
To him, every visitor was a guest.
"Want to read a manga? 100,000 Mora per person.
You can only read once a day."
Bennett nodded and reluctantly pulled out the money.
Even though he'd already made up his mind,
Handing it over still stung—
This was his savings from many years!
After accepting the payment, Han Feng pointed to a nearby bookshelf.
"The manga's over there. I hope you have good luck."
"Thanks, boss!"
Bennett nodded quickly and walked over.
There were four books at the moment—
Cardcaptor Sakura, Digimon Adventure, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, and Cooking Master Boy.
The only one he recognized was Digimon Adventure—
The same one Venti had mentioned in the plaza.
He didn't know the full story,
But he knew it was about adventures.
That alone was enough to draw in a fellow adventurer like him.
"This one, then!"
Bennett picked his choice and found a seat.
"So this is a manga? Looks interesting."
"Hiss… these kids actually traveled to another world? That's thrilling!"
"They even have Digimon partners?! If only I had one too!"
Before long, Bennett was completely absorbed in the story.
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