Once the system finished distributing the rewards, Luya checked them over.
As before, the number of card packs generated and Duel Stages had both increased. Such infrastructure rewards didn't surprise Luya too much.
The ten electronic Duel Monsters arcade machines, like the previously rewarded Duel Disks and manga volumes, counted as items and were stored in Luya's inventory.
The ten arcade machines, Luya could freely place in the shop,
and even earn Mora from customers… After all, some socially anxious customers owned decks but had never dueled against others.
This daily settlement also gave Luya a reward of 200 square meters of shop space.
Adding in the 50 square meters provided by each Duel Stage, the shop area increased by a total of 400 square meters!
With the system's distribution, the shop's interior visibly expanded by half.
From the outside, though, it looked unchanged—like entering the Serenitea Pot.
Conveniently, the extra space could be used to build a screening area, so customers who finished reading the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and wanted to know the story's continuation could watch the rest.
At the same time, Luya could charge a fee and gain extra income.
Next, Luya's task was to upgrade the shop.
He summoned the system's light screen, just as before.
A 3D map of Teyvat appeared, and Luya selected his shop in Liyue.
⌈Shop Level: 3 (Upgradeable)⌋
╵Normal Duel Stages: 16
╵Area: 1100 square meters
╵Daily Automatic Card Pack Generation: 2400
╵Portable Duel Disk stock: 8
╵Card Furnace: 1 (Available for Purchase)
╵Electronic Duel Machines: 10
╵Other Products: Yu-Gi-Oh! manga x400
╵Available Mora: 70 million
Luya focused his consciousness on the shop upgrade option.
He selected [Confirm].
With a flash of blue light!
The shop interior shook…
The interior space automatically began remodeling.
The shop level rose from 3 to 4!
At the same time, Luya's Mora balance instantly dropped by 40 million, while the shop's stats increased.
⌈Shop Level: 4 (Not Upgradeable)⌋
╵Normal Duel Stages: 16+(4)
╵Area: 1100 square meters+(200)
╵Daily Automatic Card Pack Generation: 2400+(600)
╵Card Furnace: 1 (Available for Purchase)
╵Electronic Duel Machines: 10
╵Other Products: Yu-Gi-Oh! manga x400
╵Available Mora: 30 million
This upgrade had cost Luya 40 million Mora, double the last time.
The next upgrade would require 80 million Mora.
But… the daily card pack output had already reached 3000 packs. At 20,000 Mora profit per pack, selling out would bring 60 million Mora.
Adding the remaining 30 million Mora, he could easily reach the 80 million needed for the next upgrade!
After finishing the upgrade, Luya opened the shop renovation interface.
Spending 10 million Mora, he purchased five Card Furnaces.
After all, just one Furnace was too slow at crafting cards and inefficient.
Moreover, Luya now had many other materials, so he prepared to… try synthesizing other cards!
Since the recipe for [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao] required three Ghostly Embers and one Vayuda Turquoise Fragment, and Xiao was Anemo… the Vayuda Turquoise Fragment also carried an Anemo attribute…
Then… if he replaced the Vayuda Turquoise Fragment representing Anemo with an Electro [Vajrada Amethyst Fragment] or a Pyro [Agnidus Agate Fragment], would it… create a different elemental Xiao?!
Luya wanted to try right away.
Unfortunately, he had no [Vajrada Amethyst Fragment] or any other elemental fragments, so he couldn't experiment yet.
However… Luya did have the [Vajrada Amethyst] Xiao had given him.
This high-grade [Vajrada Amethyst] was worth a hundred times more than a Fragment!
What's more, Xiao had obtained it through battle—truly priceless. If wasted, it would be a huge loss!
After some thought, Luya realized, "Materials are meant to be used…"
"Unused, they'll never multiply!"
So, he placed the Electro [Vajrada Amethyst] and three Ghostly Embers into the Card Furnace.
The [Vajrada Amethyst] and three Embers filled the Furnace with violet light.
The reaction was intense!
Watching the process, Luya couldn't help but anticipate what kind of card would emerge from such premium materials.
After attempting this new synthesis, Luya sat on the sofa, watching the Furnace at work.
That was when he remembered!
Today's rewards included not only the usual items and infrastructure, but also, because he had obtained the [Lock of the Mortal World] from Zhongli, he had unlocked the synthesis recipe for [Goddess of Dust – Guizhong]!
His first thought was, 'This is a Demon God card recipe… What kind of materials will it require?'
He quickly opened his inventory and found the option with a gray-haired girl's icon.
[Goddess of Dust – Guizhong (Synthesis Recipe)]
"Unlock!"
With the recipe unlocked!
In his unlocked synthesis list,
[Goddess of Dust – Guizhong] lit up.
A gray-haired girl floated above the Guili Plains, full of wild Glaze Lilies, overlooking the people.
[Goddess of Dust – Guizhong] required materials:
╵Demon God's Flesh x1
╵Lock of the Mortal World x1
╵Wild Glaze Lily x100
With the recipe unlocked,
Luya's shop seemed filled with dust; the whole place was enveloped in a haze…
For a moment,
he couldn't even see a meter around him!
Then, suddenly, the haze cleared.
Inside the shop… it had become a field of blooming Glaze Lilies. A girl smiled gently, her wide sleeves sweeping as she picked the flowers.
Petite, with gray-blue hair tied in a low ponytail by a blue hairpin…
Two long locks framed her cheeks. Tassels hung from hexagonal ornaments. She wore a blue-and-white short dress, with hexagonal anklets.
The girl was none other than Zhongli's old friend—Goddess of Dust – Guizhong!
Guizhong was the Goddess of Dust, adept at controlling "dust." When unleashed, it could veil thousands of miles of sky.
But such a power…
lacked combat ability. Thus, Guizhong ranked weak among Demon Gods, unable to protect her people by force.
So she chose to form a contract with Zhongli, the God of War.
Though not skilled in battle, Guizhong excelled in wisdom and mechanics.
She achieved great accomplishments in the field of mechanisms.
Her invention, the "Guizhong Ballista," safeguarded Mt. Tianheng. After Cloud Retainer modified it, it became the Guizhong Ballista still standing today, capable of striking giant monsters.
In the end…
Guizhong perished in the Archon War, dissolving into dust before Zhongli's eyes.
Her final words to him were: It seems I cannot walk this road with you after all. As for that lock… forget it…
Suddenly—
A gust of wind blew, and Guizhong vanished.
Before Luya, there remained only a pile of wild Glaze Lilies.
Over thirty blossoms…
When Luya tried to store them in his inventory, he found he couldn't. They simply grew in his shop, straight and vibrant despite no soil.
The Glaze Lilies seemed as if waiting for someone.
So Luya left them alone, letting them remain in the shop until the one they awaited arrived…
Though [Goddess of Dust – Guizhong] was now unlocked…
synthesizing it required the Lock of the Mortal World, Demon God's Flesh, and wild Glaze Lilies…
Wild Glaze Lilies were rare but could still be found with effort.
The Lock of the Mortal World belonged to Zhongli. Luya wouldn't dare use it without permission, though Zhongli would likely agree to the synthesis.
Still, without consent, he wouldn't touch another's possession…
Moreover… crafting [Goddess of Dust – Guizhong] also required Demon God's Flesh. That would be up to Zhongli—perhaps he could provide it himself.
So Luya decided the decision to create [Goddess of Dust – Guizhong] should rest with Zhongli.
After all, the recipe involved the Lock of the Mortal World, Zhongli's companion for millennia, and Guizhong was his dear friend.
Thus, the matter would have to wait until Zhongli visited the shop tomorrow, when they could discuss it together.
...
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