"Lady Ningguang! Lady Ningguang! Something's happened!"
In Liyue, high above the harbor, floated the Jade Chamber—the private palace of Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing.
On this day, the tranquility of the Jade Chamber was shattered.
Baishi, one of the Tianquan's three trusted secretaries, ran frantically into the main hall.
"You're not a child anymore. Can't you be more composed?"
Ningguang, who had been attending to her documents, frowned as she watched Baishi rush in shouting. "What is so urgent that it has you in such a state?"
Baishi had been with her for a long time and had handled countless matters with a steady hand. Today was an anomaly. If it were a true crisis threatening Liyue, she would have been notified through official channels long ago.
"Lady Ningguang, this is bad."
Baishi gasped for breath, her voice ragged and hurried. "On the street near Chihu Rock, someone has opened a jar shop."
"A jar shop? How is that a major incident?"
Ningguang's brow furrowed. It was just a new shop. What was the fuss about?
"It's a major incident because someone opened a Vision from one of the jars they purchased!"
Baishi rushed to explain. "The jars are filled with items. Customers pay, smash the jar, and get what's inside. One customer bought a jar and received a Vision!"
"What!"
The news struck Ningguang with the force of a physical blow. Her face was a mask of astonishment.
How could someone get a Vision from a jar?
And through a transaction, no less.
Visions were not items that could be acquired so easily. Those who possessed them could channel elemental power, their abilities defined by the Vision's elemental affinity.
When faced with insurmountable odds, a mortal's ambition might burn so brightly that it attracts the gaze of a god. That was a Vision—an external magical organ granted by the divine, a tool to channel the elements.
She had a Vision herself. Though she didn't obsess over it, she knew its profound importance.
In all of Liyue, there were only a handful of Vision holders. They were exceedingly rare. A Vision was something countless people could chase their entire lives and never obtain. It was said that every Vision holder had the potential to ascend to godhood, a belief that only added to their legendary status.
Yet, no one could explain how Visions were born. They always appeared out of thin air, leaving the unchosen to search in vain.
And now, Baishi was telling her that someone in Liyue had opened a shop, sold a jar, and that jar had contained a Vision?
Ningguang took a deep breath, her expression turning serious.
She looked at Baishi, her voice low and firm. "Tell me everything. Who was the one who received the Vision? Have you identified them?"
In Liyue, a new, uncontrolled Vision holder could cause immense destruction and chaos.
"The person who got it is a well-known gambler."
Seeing Ningguang's intense focus, Baishi didn't dare hesitate. "He opened the jar in front of a large crowd and immediately unleashed its Pyro power, burning down a market stall. It alerted the Millelith. The situation has already caused a massive uproar."
Ningguang's pupils constricted. Without another word, she stood and strode towards the exit.
"Lady Ningguang!"
Baishi called out, surprised by her abrupt departure. "Are you going there now? The Millelith are already on site. We can have them bring the person who caused the damage here."
"That won't be necessary. I'm going to see the shopkeeper myself."
Ningguang didn't slow down, leaving her documents behind. "The problem isn't the buyer," she said, not looking back. "The key to this entire affair is the owner of that shop. I must see him with my own eyes."
The idea of a Vision coming from a jar was beyond belief. She was more interested in the master behind these jars. If one jar could contain a Vision, what about the others? The shopkeeper couldn't have sold only one.
But the most critical, most unbelievable part was that the Vision could actually be used by the buyer.
Visions were meant to appear from nothing, and once they did, they were bound to their chosen one. They couldn't be discarded, they couldn't be destroyed, and they certainly couldn't be traded. If they could, she would have sold her own long ago.
Yet now, her subordinate was telling her that a tradable Vision had appeared in Liyue. How could she not be shocked? A Vision was like a product that couldn't be resold once opened. But the news today shattered her understanding of the world.
Visions... can be traded?
Where did the Vision in the jar come from? The shop's owner must have put it there. And how did this owner manage to transfer the Vision and allow the buyer to successfully wield its elemental power?
She had to go to the scene and find out for herself.
While Ningguang hurried from the Jade Chamber, a large crowd had gathered around a small shop with a simple sign near Chihu Rock. Everyone stared, their faces filled with utter shock.
"No way, is it true? You can get a Vision from this shop? I just got here, can someone tell me what's going on?"
"It has to be fake. How can a mortal get a Vision just by buying something? Aren't they bound to a person? You can't sell them!"
"Yeah, even the great Lady Tianquan tried to sell her Vision and couldn't. It's impossible."
"Hmph, you all arrived too late to see it. I saw it with my own eyes. The guy who got it was Zhang from the east district. He opened a Vision from a jar right here, and in front of all of us, he used it. A burst of fire shot out and burned down that stall over there. Look, you can still see the scorch marks. If the Millelith hadn't shown up, it would have started a huge fire."