After the adepti took Shenhe in, Moon Carver personally performed a divination for the young girl.
The result...
Was anything but auspicious.
Her fate was marked by both the Lonely Star and Calamity Fiend.
Her murderous aura was extraordinarily heavy.
A fate of supreme misfortune, one seen perhaps only once in a thousand years.
A destiny that would harm both herself...
And everyone around her.
To ensure Shenhe could grow up safely without hurting innocent people...
Cloud Retainer and the other adepti cast the Red Cord Binding of the Soul upon her.
While it successfully restrained the baleful energy and murderous intent within her...
It also bound her human emotions.
Combined with years of secluded cultivation in the mountains...
And her minimal contact with the outside world...
The humanity within Shenhe gradually faded.
She became like a beautiful statue...
One devoid of the seven emotions and six desires.
Naturally...
This wasn't what the adepti had hoped for.
After all...
She was still human.
So after witnessing the wonders of Han Feng's manga shop...
Cloud Retainer brought Ganyu to find her.
In her opinion...
Perhaps only Boss Han's manga shop could help Shenhe change.
As for whether she had any other motives...
Only she herself knew.
Although Ganyu wasn't especially close to Shenhe...
After learning about her circumstances...
She was more than willing to help.
"Of course."
Ganyu smiled.
"It wasn't just me and Master Cloud Retainer."
"Even the Liyue Qixing..."
"And Rex Lapis himself..."
"Have visited."
"If even they came..."
Shenhe nodded thoughtfully.
"Then this place must truly be special."
Though she rarely left the mountains...
She certainly knew the names of the Qixing and Rex Lapis.
If people of such stature had come here...
Then this shop could not be ordinary.
"Oh, right."
Ganyu suddenly remembered something.
"This is for you."
She took out a white smartphone.
Previously...
Ningguang had given her two phones as thanks.
The spare one was perfect for Shenhe.
That way...
They could contact each other much more easily.
"What is this used for?"
Shenhe examined the white object in her hand.
"...Throwing at people?"
She frowned slightly.
It was so light.
Would it even be effective as a projectile?
"..."
Ganyu twitched at the corner of her mouth.
"Such a precious item..."
"And your first thought is using it as a weapon?"
Of course...
She knew Shenhe simply didn't understand what it was.
So she patiently taught her how to use it.
How to add friends and chat.
How to take photos.
How to record videos.
The functions weren't particularly complicated.
Before long...
Shenhe had grasped them all.
"This really is a convenient way to communicate."
If she'd had this earlier...
Cloud Retainer could have simply sent her a message.
There would've been no need to travel all the way to Jueyun Karst to find her.
"Exactly."
Ganyu nodded with a smile.
"Quite a lot of people in Mondstadt and Liyue have phones now."
"Communication has become much more convenient."
"Come."
"I'll take you to the manga shop."
"There are plenty more amazing things there."
"It definitely won't disappoint you."
"Mm."
Shenhe nodded gently.
After seeing something as miraculous as a smartphone...
She found herself...
Looking forward to what was next.
It was a subtle feeling.
But she didn't dislike it.
Following Ganyu's lead...
The two quickly entered the manga shop through the Liyue branch's teleportation.
"So..."
"This is what the inside of the manga shop looks like."
As soon as she entered...
Shenhe couldn't help surveying the surroundings.
The spacious interior.
The quiet atmosphere.
The strange posters decorating the walls.
The peculiar figurines displayed everywhere.
Everything gave her a feeling entirely different from the mountains.
"Let's read the manga first."
Ganyu smiled.
"You can admire the decorations later."
She led Shenhe toward the counter.
"Welcome."
Han Feng greeted them with a smile.
"Ganyu."
"And Miss Shenhe."
He wasn't particularly surprised to see Shenhe.
After all...
Cloud Retainer had mentioned yesterday that she'd be bringing her here.
"So..."
"This black-haired young man..."
"Is the mysterious owner of the manga shop?"
Shenhe quietly studied him.
Deep within her calm eyes...
A trace of curiosity appeared.
Who exactly was he?
What kind of existence was he?
To her...
He seemed wrapped in an impenetrable mist of mystery.
"Boss."
Ganyu placed a large bag of Mora on the counter.
"Here's one million Mora."
"This covers both Shenhe's and my reading fees for the next several days."
Cloud Retainer had already told Ganyu about some of Shenhe's peculiarities.
For example...
Shenhe had once spent an extremely long time wondering...
Why people had to pay for food.
To avoid an awkward situation like that...
Ganyu simply paid Shenhe's share herself.
She even prepaid several days in advance.
"Another one million?"
Han Feng raised an eyebrow at the bag of Mora.
After Alice...
This was only the second person to casually put down a million Mora.
He really hadn't expected it.
Ganyu...
Was secretly quite wealthy.
Then again...
It made perfect sense.
She was the secretary to the Liyue Qixing.
The administrator of the Yuehai Pavilion.
Doing the work of seven people by herself...
While working overtime every day.
Most importantly...
She'd been doing this for thousands of years.
With that much time...
Accumulating wealth was hardly surprising.
"Thank you, Boss."
Ganyu smiled softly.
Then, already familiar with the shop...
She led Shenhe toward the bookshelves.
"These are all the manga in the shop."
"Just choose one."
"Once you've finished reading..."
"You can return to the counter to receive your reward."
She briefly explained the shop's rules.
"I understand."
Shenhe nodded before carefully browsing the shelves.
Soon...
One particular cover caught her attention.
"Chibi Maruko-chan?"
She picked up the manga and flipped through a few pages.
Although the story looked simple...
It strangely piqued her interest.
...This one, then.
Ganyu had also made her choice.
She selected the new manga:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Unless someone had a specific goal in mind...
Most readers preferred starting with the newest releases.
Eula had.
Beidou had.
And Ganyu was no exception.
"Come."
Ganyu smiled.
"Let's head to the quiet reading area and enjoy our manga."
Both of them preferred peaceful surroundings.
The silent reading section suited them perfectly.
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