---
Lu You looked at Hu Tao and Zhongli with delight.
As soon as he arrived, he met two of the most popular figures in Liyue.
However, judging from the usual habits of this "Rock Prince," it was likely that Zhongli hadn't brought any money with him again.
So… he wouldn't be earning anything this time either.
But Hu-Tao she must be loaded!
After all, she's the current Hall Master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Running such a place for generations must've built up quite the fortune.
It seemed like today was a good start the first day of opening.
Maybe he could make huge bread today, Thinking of this, Lu You couldn't help but laugh.
Hu Tao noticed Lu You's gentle smile and felt her cheeks warm up a bit.
She was still young yet already the Hall Master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Seeing Lu You, someone around her own age, managing such a large shop all by himself…
She couldn't help but feel a little sympathy.
Running such a big business alone it must be very tough.
In Lu You, Hu Tao seemed to see a reflection of her younger self.
Because of that, she felt a certain kind fondness for the young shopkeeper.
"The shopkeeper…"
"The Hall Master is quite curious…"
"Your store is called a 'Duel Monster Shop', right? So… where are the monsters?"
Hu Tao voiced the question everyone around them wanted to ask.
The onlookers stared, eyes wide, waiting for Lu You's answer, Hearing Hu Tao's question, Lu You set down the medium sized box in his hands and stepped forward to explain.
Calmly, he said.
"Duel Monsters are cards used in a kind of very competitive game."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hu Tao's curiosity grew even more.
She quickly asked,
"What kind of game is a duel game? I've never heard of it before!"
Even Zhongli, the ancient Geo Archon himself, seemed a little puzzled.
Having lived for thousands of years, he had seen countless things in Teyvat but even he had never heard of such a game.
Still, he remained patient and listened.
Lu You began to explain, grabbing the tv remote and turning on a large tv screen in the shop.
A bright light curtain appeared in front of everyone, and soon, the content on it began to play a Yu-Gi-Oh! Episode.
While the video was playing in the background, Lu You continued his explanation:
"The so-called duel game…"
"is a match where both players battle using decks of cards they've prepared in advance to decide the winner."
"In a standard duel, it's simply about victory or defeat nothing about life or death."
"When a duel begins, each side starts with 4000 Life Points."
"During the duel, both sides can freely use various cards Spell Cards, Trap Cards, Equipment Cards, and more."
"The one who loses all their Life Points first is considered the loser."
"The decks we use are built from the cards we personally bought."
As he spoke, Lu You casually pulled a card from his deck.
On it was a girl with long blonde hair and a blue magician's outfit. She held a staff and wore a shy expression.
[Dark Magician Girl]
[Level 6]
[ATK: 2000 | DEF: 1700]
[Effect: This card gains 500 ATK for each 'Dark Magician' or 'Magician of black chaos.' in the Graveyard.]
The sight of the card made the onlookers from Liyue stare in awe.
The craftsmanship was exquisite far beyond what any printing in Teyvat could achieve.
It was practically a work of art, worthy of being framed and displayed.
A plump man stepped forward, clearly a wealthy young master from his attire.
"Boss," he asked eagerly, "how much for that card?"
Lu You smiled faintly.
"This one's my personal treasure," he said.
"But if you want a chance to get it, you can buy a booster pack."
"One pack costs 20,000 Mora and includes five cards."
As soon as his words fell, the crowd gasped in shock.
"What kind of card costs that much?!"
"Four thousand Mora per card?! Nani?!"
"My monthly salary is only 100,000 Mora!"
"With that money, I could eat a hundred Teyvat omelettes at Wanmin Restaurant!"
"Exactly! An omelette's only 200 Mora! These cards prices are outrageous!"
"And there's no guarantee you'll even pull something good!"
Some of the onlookers who were interested clearly hesitated now.
Sure, the cards looked amazing but what good were they really? Expensive toilet paper?
Even Hu Tao, who wasn't short on money, found the price steep.
The Liyue crowd murmured among themselves, debating the worth of the cards.
Just then, the video on the store's display finally loaded.
On the screen, a man in a white trench coat with brown hair shouted fiercely-
"My turn! Draw! Come forth my most powerful servant… Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"