Before long, Yanfei and the others arrived at Solace Book House.
"So this is the manga shop you mentioned?"
Xingqiu looked around curiously.
When he noticed the various figurines displayed around the shop, he asked,
"What are those little figures of different sizes?"
"They're called figurines. They're characters from the manga."
Yanfei explained casually. As a returning customer, she was already familiar with them.
"Alright, we can look at the figurines later. Let's go read manga first."
The three walked up to the counter.
"Hehe, Boss Han! Xiangling and I are here to read manga again. We even brought a newcomer!"
"A new guest?"
Han Feng opened his eyes and was slightly surprised.
He hadn't expected it to be that second young master.
"Boss, do you have any martial arts manga here?"
Xingqiu stepped forward and asked eagerly.
He had once written a wuxia novel titled Records of Sinking Autumn and Gathering Swords, based on his own experiences, hoping to publish it in Liyue Harbor.
Unfortunately, the publisher rejected it, claiming the setting was "too outrageous" and the plot "unexpectedly cliché—no one would like it."
Refusing to give up, Xingqiu secretly printed a few copies and placed them at Solace Bookhouse.
But indeed—no one read them.
It had been quite a blow.
Since Yanfei said the manga here was excellent, he hoped to find some martial arts inspiration.
"Currently, we don't have any wuxia manga. You'll have to wait."
Han Feng shook his head.
Though at the current rate of unlocking titles, something like Jin Yong classics might appear soon.
Seeing Xingqiu's disappointed look, Han Feng added:
"Although there's no martial arts genre yet, we have adventure, comedy, and many other types. And after finishing a manga, you may obtain rewards from within it. Interested?"
"So rewards truly come from the manga itself?"
Xingqiu suddenly understood.
That meant Xiangling's recipe must have come from a cooking manga.
Now he was even more intrigued.
"How much?"
"100,000 Mora per person. One manga per day."
"100,000 Mora? That's not expensive at all."
Xingqiu nodded.
For a chance at such miraculous rewards, that price was nothing.
As the second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild—
money was merely a number.
He placed a pouch of Mora on the counter.
"The manga are on the shelf over there."
"Thank you, Boss."
Xingqiu headed toward the bookshelf.
"There are quite a lot!"
He browsed with fascination.
Stories about cats.
Zombies.
Pirates.
Even someone reincarnated as a slime.
He felt his horizons expanding.
"I heard Inazuma has novels about reincarnating as the Raiden Shogun. And here you go and reincarnate as a slime…"
He couldn't help muttering,
"Why not reincarnate as Rex Lapis instead? Or even me, Xingqiu?"
Still, he continued browsing.
Then—
he stopped at one particular title.
"Steins;Gate?"
He picked it up instinctively, as if drawn by some mysterious force.
"Boss, what is this manga about?"
Han Feng replied concisely:
"A chunibyou teenager accidentally invents a time machine. Through it, he changes the past and ultimately saves the world."
"Time machine? Changing the past?"
Xingqiu's eyes lit up.
What an interesting concept!
Even without reading, he already felt the urge.
"Oh, by the way," Han Feng added with a mysterious smile, "some parts of this manga are rather difficult to understand. Pay close attention. And remember—"
"Everything is the choice of Steins Gate."
"Everything is the choice of Steins Gate…"
Xingqiu repeated it softly.
He didn't understand it—
but somehow, it felt profound.
"Thank you, Boss."
He bowed slightly and walked deeper into the shop.
After he left, Yanfei looked at Han Feng curiously.
"Boss Han, what did that phrase mean? It sounded mysterious."
"Cannot be spoken."
Han Feng smiled faintly.
"Hmph. Then I'll just read it myself tomorrow."
Yanfei rolled her eyes playfully and placed her Mora on the counter.
Xiangling did the same with a smile.
At the bookshelf—
"Wow! There are so many new manga!"
Yanfei felt both delighted and distressed.
Delighted because there were always new stories.
Distressed because she could only read one per day.
It felt endless.
"Forget it. I'll take this one."
She picked up Your Name, drawn by its beautiful cover.
"It should be good."
"Xiangling, what's wrong?"
Seeing Xiangling hesitate, Yanfei asked.
"I want to read Cooking Master Boy for cooking rewards… but I also want to read a new manga."
Too many good choices.
Perhaps this was the burden of happiness.
"Read the new one. Let Chef Mao read Cooking Master Boy. Problem solved."
Yanfei suggested cleverly.
"Right!"
Xiangling's eyes brightened.
That way—
Wanmin Restaurant could still gain culinary rewards—
and she could enjoy new stories.
A perfect win-win.
"Then I'll choose… this one!"
After a moment of thought, Xiangling selected Runeterra.
The two walked happily into the reading area—
while elsewhere in the shop, Xingqiu was already opening Steins;Gate.
Unaware that soon—
he would truly experience what it meant for something to be
"the choice of Steins Gate."
—------------------------------
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