The Abyss Mage was a little confused.
What exactly was this human doing?
Putting on a show?
But what was so hard about answering a call?
As the most loyal servant of His Highness the Prince, how could he possibly fail at something so trivial?
If he refused to reply, wouldn't the enemy think he was a coward?
"As if I would—"
Before he could even finish, his face twisted in shock.
A tremendous suction suddenly surged forth, as if it would drag him into some mysterious void.
"What's happening?!"
Tracing the source of the pull, he finally realized it—
It was that strange object in the human girl's hand!
"Damn it, despicab—"
He didn't even get to finish his threat before the Abyss Mage was sucked straight into the gourd.
"Heh, that'll teach you to run your mouth. Inside you go."
Paimon smugly tapped the Mini Golden Gourd with a knuckle, grinning from ear to ear.
"That thing… it can actually seal a person inside?!"
Dainsleif's expression turned grim.
In all his travels, he had never seen something so terrifying.
Only in rumors from Liyue had he heard of the adepti wielding such mystical arts.
Could this be one of their relics?
Lumine only smiled faintly, saying nothing.
This gourd was her hidden trump card—its true secret could never be revealed so easily.
"Let's finish off the rest of these monsters first."
Dainsleif, more or less guessing the truth, didn't press further.
No doubt this miraculous item also came from that mysterious manga shop.
When he visited later, he might learn the answer himself.
Soon after, they began clearing the remaining hilichurls.
With the gourd in her possession, Lumine simply called out to them—
The dim-witted creatures would answer instinctively.
And one by one, they were sucked neatly into the gourd.
High on the cliff, Aether watched the entire scene unfold, his shock still lingering.
"So Lumine actually possesses such an incredible artifact?!"
If it could absorb Abyss Mages and hilichurls…
Wouldn't it also work against stronger foes?
Vision holders, perhaps?
Or even the Archons themselves?!
Aether frowned.
His sister's fortune was extraordinary—
First gaining a powerful wind-controlling ability,
Now acquiring such a miraculous treasure.
"This too… must have come from that manga shop."
His gaze darkened as the thought formed.
And the floating companion's transformation power, no doubt the same.
Only that place could bestow such impossible wonders.
Before, hearing reports from Abyss Mages, he'd been skeptical.
But seeing it with his own eyes, and from his sister no less—
There was no longer room for doubt.
"I'll need to find a chance to visit myself."
He couldn't delay any longer.
If he hesitated, the shop's fame would spread, drawing in more and more factions.
And then it would no longer be so simple for him.
Turning away, Aether left at once, already planning his next steps.
Below, Lumine suddenly sensed something and looked toward the cliffside.
"What is it, Lumine?" Paimon asked, noticing her unusual reaction.
"I felt… a familiar presence over there." Lumine frowned.
"A familiar presence?" Dainsleif replied. "Could be a person, could be a monster you've encountered before."
"…Forget it. Maybe I was mistaken." Lumine shook her head.
All those she knew were in Mondstadt City.
It couldn't possibly be her brother.
If it was, he would never just leave without speaking to her.
Dainsleif then pulled out a pouch of Mora and handed it over.
"Here's your payment. For now, let's part ways here."
"You're leaving already?" Paimon asked curiously.
"Mm. We didn't find an Abyss Herald, but it still counts as a success. I plan to visit that manga shop you mentioned."
With such wonders to be gained, it would be foolish not to.
"I'm sure you'll come away with something worthwhile." Lumine smiled as she accepted the payment.
"…I hope so."
With that, they bid farewell and went their separate ways.
Lumine and Paimon headed off to check on Mona,
While Dainsleif made his way back to Mondstadt—toward that mysterious manga shop.
Mondstadt City.
Solace Book Store.
As another satisfied customer departed, Han Feng's face was all smiles.
"Business this afternoon has been excellent."
After Venti left, seven or eight more customers had come in, all drawn by the fame of his comics.
The prizes they received were as strange as ever—
Chocolate, lingerie, cosmetics…
Nothing too powerful, but enough to leave the customers delighted.
Most who came weren't short on Mora.
Simply getting a reward was already more than enough.
"Looks like I can draw for a new comic now."
Han Feng turned to the system.
[Host: Han Feng]
[Current Manga: One Piece – East Blue Arc, Cardcaptor Sakura, Digimon Adventure, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cooking Master Boy, Cautious Hero, Detective Conan, Journey to the West]
[Mission 1: Receive 10 customers → Draw a new manga (Progress: 10/10 ✔)]
[Mission 2: Receive 100 customers → Unlock an exclusive reward (Progress: 27/100)]
"Perfect timing. Exactly ten."
A smile tugged at his lips.
"System, draw me a new manga!"
[Drawing…]
[New Manga Unlocked — Tom and Jerry]
[Tom and Jerry: Depicts the endless feud between a cat (Tom) and a mouse (Jerry).
Tom constantly devises elaborate schemes to catch Jerry, but Jerry always finds clever ways to turn Tom's tricks against him, escaping and even retaliating.]
"This one… truly a classic among classics."
Han Feng couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Just like Journey to the West, Tom and Jerry was a work for all ages.
And unlike most, it transcended language and culture—
One only needed to watch Tom and Jerry's chaotic antics to be entertained.
And Tom wasn't just any cat.
Besides failing to catch mice, he was practically a renaissance man.
Acrobatics, piano playing, even piloting airplanes—he did it all.
Most of all, he embodied the concept of "a cat is liquid"—
Shifting into every imaginable form,
From tables and springs to bowling pins and beyond.
A truly magical cat.
Perhaps only a certain wolf king from the plains could compare.
"This one will probably be as popular as Journey to the West."
Han Feng placed the comic on the shelf, then returned to his counter.
Just then, Bennett walked in with Razor.
"Boss, I'm back! This time I brought my friend too."
Bennett greeted cheerfully while introducing his companion.
"Razor, this is the manga shop I told you about. The comics here are amazing."
Razor glanced around curiously.
Having lived in Wolvendom all his life, he rarely visited the city.
A shop like this was a novelty to him.
"Welcome, adventurer Bennett, and wolf boy Razor.
Would you like to read manga?
One person, 100,000 Mora. Only once a day."
Han Feng smiled warmly.
Excellent.
Not only did customers return daily, they even brought friends.
Especially that little Paimon—she was the best promoter of all,
Convincing several customers to come.
He'd have to give her a little bonus soon,
Otherwise, how would she keep luring people in?
"Mm."
Razor nodded, handing over 100,000 Mora.
Bennett had already explained the rules on the way here,
So he wasn't too surprised.
"The comics are over there on the shelf," Han Feng said, pointing the way.
"Thanks, boss."
Razor nodded and walked over.
The shelf was full, and he didn't know which to pick—
So he simply chose the one on the edge.
It was none other than the freshly drawn Tom and Jerry.
Settling into a sofa with curiosity, he began to read.
Moments later, bursts of laughter escaped his lips.
"Haha! This Tom—so funny!"
"Jerry, amazing. Always escapes Tom's chase!"
"Why… cat breaks into pieces, but still okay?"
"He falls from sky, splits tree in half… not hurt?!"
The more he read, the more astonished Razor became.
Was there really such a powerful cat in the world?!
~~--------------------------------------
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