After Xiao left the shop, Xingqiu led the way, clamoring to see the continuation of yesterday's Yu-Gi-Oh! manga.
It could be said that in the past, Young Master Xingqiu might still maintain a calm, refined demeanor when outside… But ever since he got into Yu-Gi-Oh!, his voice outdoors had become noticeably louder.
When he shouted "Draw—!" that presence was nothing short of majestic and confident, utterly different from the quiet, composed image he once had…
Yesterday, after Xingqiu and the other customers read through the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga volumes stacked in Luya's shop, they practically couldn't sleep all night! Xingqiu alone bought ten volumes to take home for collection, and even gifted one to Chongyun.
...
Seeing the eager crowd, Luya opened up the screening room he had prepared yesterday. This screening room used about 100 square meters of the shop, accommodating up to fifty people at once.
One person per episode, 500 Mora, with three episodes shown per hour… Inside, a massive screen stood on the central wall, its clarity far surpassing even the 4K screens back on Blue Star. The seats were arranged in a tiered formation, ensuring even those in the back row could clearly see the screen.
Looking at the equipment, though some customers didn't understand, everyone knew by now—Luya's shop couldn't be explained by normal logic. After all, if he could bring Duel Monsters into existence, then a few other strange devices weren't all that surprising.
At the moment, the screen hadn't been turned on yet, so the audience couldn't see anything and had no idea what it was.
"Shopkeeper, what is this thing?!"
"This huge black glass, can it really show Yu-Gi-Oh!?"
"Yeah… what's going on…"
Seeing their questions, Luya addressed the eager guests:
"Everyone, please take a seat. It holds fifty people in total."
"Each episode is twenty minutes. One episode costs 500 Mora."
"One hour of viewing is 1500 Mora."
Although many customers were curious about what exactly Luya meant by "episode," they all chose to trust him. Xingqiu immediately handed Luya 3000 Mora, then took Chongyun to find seats!
Though he had never seen a screen before, Xingqiu's sharp mind quickly deduced what it was. So he didn't choose the front row, but instead picked a central seat in the fifth or sixth row…
Chongyun asked curiously:
"Why aren't we sitting in the front row?!"
Xingqiu chuckled and shook his head:
"Hehe~ You'll see soon enough!"
Although Chongyun was still puzzled, since Xingqiu said so firmly, he had no objection. After all, Chongyun trusted Xingqiu completely… Otherwise, he wouldn't always be following Xingqiu's suggestions.
Perhaps… even if Xingqiu sold him off, Chongyun would willingly help him count the money. Even if Xingqiu were put on trial by Furina for human trafficking, Chongyun would claim it was voluntary!
Indeed, when it comes to novel things, people always need someone to take the lead before quickly accepting them. Those who were still hesitant, seeing the second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, Xingqiu, and the exorcist heir, Chongyun, take their seats, all scrambled to pay and sit down!
Some customers stared into the dim room, others grew impatient and asked:
"Shopkeeper~ is it ready yet?!"
"I can't wait any longer~"
Luya said:
"Just a moment, once the seats are filled, we'll start!"
About thirty seconds later, every seat was occupied… Seeing that the room was full, Luya called up the system interface in his mind, selected Yu-Gi-Oh! Episode 1, and began playback!
"Thank you for waiting, everyone. Now the show begins!"
As soon as he spoke, cheerful music rang out, and the black screen turned pure white. The white glow lit up the previously dark room.
"Wow this black glass actually lights up!"
"So amazing…"
"Indeed!"
"Though… even if it lights up, what about Yu-Gi-Oh!'s continuation…"
Next, seven elemental icons appeared on the white screen. After the music ended, bold black text appeared—not Genshin Impact… but Yu-Gi-Oh!
Just seeing those three words! The audience was already thrilled.
"This-this-this… Yu-Gi-Oh! is this big?!"
"And so clear~"
"Yes, yes!"
The words Yu-Gi-Oh! faded! Episode 1 officially began! The audience was filled with anticipation!
Then—the screen moved again.
Golden-brown eyes appeared in the center, with a golden chest reflected inside. As the screen shifted, a voice narrated:
"The history of games dates back to five thousand years ago, in the ancient kingdom of the Pharaohs."
"The games of antiquity were magical rituals used to foresee the future of man and king, to decide destiny."
"These were called the Shadow Games."
"Now, a boy who has solved the Millennium Puzzle and inherited the Shadow Games has appeared."
At this moment, the background music changed sharply. With a flash of golden light, a domineering man with hair of gold, blond, and black appeared suddenly.
"A boy with both light and darkness in his heart—people call him… Yu-Gi-Oh!"
Onscreen, the boy stood with hands in pockets, radiating the aura of a king.
The system not only translated the anime's dialogue into Teyvat's common tongue, but also enhanced the video quality to the utmost.
Seeing this… Xingqiu and Chongyun were dumbfounded. Thanks to Xingqiu's foresight, their seats were the perfect viewing spot, the most comfortable angle… The other customers were also stunned!
They thought it was just black-and-white manga… never expecting Luya to show full-color animation! With music and voice acting, too!?
The guests exclaimed:
"Wow! This…"
"This is incredible!"
"It matches the manga's story exactly."
"My goodness… totally worth it!!!"
"Watching for just 1500 Mora an hour…"
"With this around—why would I ever go listen to storytellers or see plays again…"
"Doesn't this mean we'll get to see Blue-Eyes White Dragon?!"
"Damn, I can't wait to see Dark Magician, and Exodia the Forbidden One!"
After the opening ended, the audience stopped chattering and focused entirely on the screen.
The scene shifted to a school—Yugi Mutou and Joey Wheeler talking.
"A game where you battle by combining monster and spell cards appropriately."
"Cards have Attack and Defense."
"In duels, the one who reduces the opponent's Life Points to zero first wins."
The animation briefly explained the rules. Most viewers already understood, so there was no difficulty.
Seeing that the customers quickly adapted to this screening format, Luya left the room and didn't bother further. He only needed to turn it on and collect Mora… Luya was sure, after one episode, they'd keep watching all day!
Setting up the screening room and charging fees all took only about two minutes. Truly effortless profit!
Moreover… Luya could already predict that before long, many would come flocking here. Wanting to see the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime.
If the crowd grew too big… Luya even considered selling popcorn and soda.
However, soon dismissed it… This wasn't a cinema. Besides, he had no popcorn machine, nor the spare time to sell snacks.
Perhaps pulling Xiangling over to cook would be better… When customers grew hungry, they could eat her food. Eat, then continue watching… And a whole day would pass.
Luya returned to the counter, first handling most customers who wanted to duel, renting Duel Disks or opening Duel Stages. Along the way, he sold 700 card packs… Earning 14 million Mora in one go…
The daily cap for the screening room was only six to seven hundred thousand Mora… With a single screening room, accommodating 50 people, 500 Mora per episode, three episodes an hour… one hour maxed out at 75,000 Mora, so the daily limit was six to seven hundred thousand.
Meanwhile, selling card packs netted 60 million Mora! Clearly, real money came from card packs. The profit was a hundred times greater…
Still, the screening room helped spread Yu-Gi-Oh! It let newcomers quickly get hooked, understand, and fall in love with Yu-Gi-Oh! And then… buy card packs, bringing in big money~
Just like breakfast—you need both food and drink… food is usually more expensive than drink. Drinks make the food sell easier…
Speaking of breakfast, Luya hadn't eaten yet… Suddenly, he felt a little hungry.
Just as he finished with the customers, Luya heard a cheerful girl's singing:
"Hu Tao is Hu Tao~ awoo?"
"Hu Tao is not a peach~ awoo!"
"Hu-eat-and-drink Hu Tao, running around all day~"
"Wake up early, stay healthy? Awoo!"
"Sleep late, float away… awoo!"
"Eat full, drink full Hu Tao sends you off, safe travels, okay awoo~"
Hu Tao's classic tune, "Awoo."
Accompanied by her joyful voice, Hu Tao, Xiangling, and Zhongli arrived at the shop. Hu Tao looked around, noticed Keqing wasn't there, and nodded happily.
"This is some breakfast I brought you on the way~ You haven't eaten yet, right?!"
Luya nodded, taking the breakfast Hu Tao handed him.
"Thank you, Director Hu~"
Then, Hu Tao and Xiangling began dueling! The two were intent on settling the score~
At this moment, Guoba waved at Zhongli and said:
"?(ˊ?ˋ)~"
Zhongli smiled:
"So it's you. Long time no see, old friend."
Guoba: "?o??"
Guoba was once the Stove God, Marchosius. Bound by divine duty, he could not ignore disasters and illness across Liyue. He poured his divine power endlessly into the land to quell calamities and heal Liyue, shattered and scarred by the Archon War.
In the end, to restore the broken earth and save Liyue, he sacrificed and exhausted all his power, then entered slumber deep within the mountains.
Later… when Xiangling was out foraging, she entered a cave to take shelter from rain, finding a shrine inside. She offered preserved meat buns she carried with her.
At that moment, Marchosius, asleep upon the altar, awoke. Seeing the meat buns, he ate them. Though he no longer remembered they were his own creation, the familiar taste moved him. He decided to follow the young chef of Wanmin Restaurant, Master Mao's daughter, Xiangling.
And so, Xiangling met a new friend. Because he loved eating meat buns, Xiangling named the amnesiac Marchosius "Guoba."
Perhaps drawn by her cooking, he never left her side, always offering warmth, fire, and help. Like family, always with her.
Because he gave his all, Guoba's current form became that of a small raccoon-like creature… Forgetting his past… Though once a Demon God, he could no longer speak, his reason gone.
That said… whenever he saw Zhongli, he still happily waved.
Seeing Guoba greet him again, Xiangling laughed:
"Guoba… You're as fond of Mr. Zhongli as ever~"
Guoba twisted his belly, rubbed his ears, and bounced:
"??"
Though Xiangling didn't understand his words, she knew Guoba was truly happy.
After greeting Zhongli, Guoba went with Xiangling to duel Hu Tao on the stage.
Seeing the duel begin, Luya turned to Zhongli:
"Mr. Zhongli, regarding the Lock of the Mortal World… I've made a new discovery…"
Zhongli seized up at the words, his heartbeat faltering, then quickly said:
"Please, Shopkeeper, do enlighten me."
...
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