"The Jar Shop is protected by a formation?!"
Hearing Felix's words, the Millelith guard paused, surprised that the shop had such protections.
But on second thought, it made sense.
As the shopkeeper, Felix would know the shop's situation best. If it was protected by a formation, then they didn't need to worry.
That meant they wouldn't need to stand guard at night—only during the day to maintain order if the crowds got too large.
"Then, Shopkeeper, do you need a guide?"
The guard quickly asked. "If you haven't explored Liyue, we can act as guides and introduce you to the city."
"No need. I'm just going for a casual stroll."
Felix shook his head. "I'll be back after a short walk."
A Millelith guard as a tour guide wouldn't be much fun.
Liyue was too big to see everything in one night. He would just explore the immediate area for now.
Besides, he hadn't eaten dinner and was getting hungry.
The street next door was Chihu Rock, Liyue's famous food street. He could go and try some food there.
With that, Felix walked away leisurely with his hands behind his back.
"Oh, okay."
The two guards watched Felix leave and didn't follow. They exchanged a look.
"The shopkeeper closed up, so we can go off duty too. But should we report this to the higher-ups?"
"Let's mention it. Since the shop is protected by a formation, we don't need to guard it at night. We can just maintain order during the day."
"Right. Okay."
After a brief discussion, the two Millelith guards nodded and left.
"Hmm?"
After walking a few steps, Felix suddenly raised an eyebrow.
Even though he had only just acquired the Intangibility ability, his intuition had become incredibly sharp.
He realized that someone had started watching him the moment he left the shop.
"The Fatui from Northland Bank, or...?"
Felix mulled it over as he walked.
No one in Liyue had any reason to secretly tail him.
The Millelith had been openly assigned to guard his shop, and Ningguang was very polite. It made no sense for her to arrange a tail.
Only the Fatui from Northland Bank, specifically Childe (Tartaglia), had a motive.
But the problem was, after being intimidated in the shop last time, Childe shouldn't be so foolish as to provoke him again.
If it wasn't either of them, the only other possibility was an ordinary citizen of Liyue.
But why would a regular citizen tail him? There was no reason.
They knew he ran a shop selling magical jars. He was obviously not an ordinary person. They would show reverence and respect, not scheme against him.
Of the three possibilities, the Fatui from Northland Bank had the strongest motive.
While Childe wouldn't dare provoke him directly, that didn't stop him from sending someone to observe him from the shadows.
As Felix thought, he turned into a side street.
The next street over was Chihu Rock. To get there, he had to pass through a few alleys.
He casually turned a corner and entered an alley.
Once inside, he didn't continue forward. Instead, he walked toward the wall.
He activated his Intangibility.
His entire body passed straight through the wall. As he touched it, a ripple of spatial energy shimmered, and he vanished.
Not long after Felix disappeared, a man in a hat and plain clothes walked into the same alley.
The moment he entered, he froze.
Where did he go?
In front of him was an empty alley.
From where he stood, he could see the bustling stalls on the other side of the alley.
But there was no trace of Felix. Not a single person.
"Impossible. Is he that fast? He can't be."
The man frowned and muttered to himself. "I timed it perfectly."
According to his timing, he should have seen Felix walking down the alley, about to exit the other side, which would have been perfect for him to continue tailing.
But now, the man was gone.
In other words, he had lost his target.
The man's face twisted in frustration. How did I lose him?
As he stood there, annoyed, Felix watched from the roof of a nearby building.
With his hands behind his back, he looked down at the frustrated man in the alley below.
The man who had been tailing him.
He looked like an ordinary person.
The next second, the man turned and left, seemingly giving up after losing his target.
"A waste of time."
Felix shook his head, not bothering to watch any longer. He headed down another alley.
He was hungry and needed to eat. He couldn't be bothered with this tail.
It was pointless, anyway. The man couldn't follow him, and he wasn't interested in tracking down the person behind it.
Whoever was pulling the strings, as long as they had a brain, they wouldn't mess with him.
"Since Wanmin Restaurant pulled the instant noodle recipe, I might as well go there and try some."
Thinking of the recipe Wanmin had pulled from a jar, Felix suddenly craved instant noodles.
He hadn't eaten them in a long time. He felt a bit nostalgic.
"It smells so good! So this is Chihu Rock? I love it!"
"This city is amazing. Even at night, it's so lively. You'd never see this in Mondstadt."
"Hehe, you must be new to Liyue. Just the other day, Lady Ningguang created a 'paper snow' event and established the Liyue Bank. She's encouraging citizens to save money. No fees for deposits or withdrawals, and you even get interest!"
"Huh? Is that true? Isn't that just a money-losing business? Is the Tianquan of Liyue really that rich? My goodness."
"Hehe, you don't know, do you? The reason Lady Ningguang did this is because of a certain Jar Shop."
"Jar Shop? What do you mean?"
"It's a shop opened by a mysterious owner. They sell jars for 100,000 Mora each. Inside are all sorts of strange things. Someone from Liyue even pulled a Vision from one!"
"What? A Vision? Are you serious? Don't all shops aim to make a profit? Is this some kind of gambling? How could there be a Vision?"
"Why would I lie? It's true! If you don't believe me, you can ask any local. They all know. You can even ask the patrolling Millelith guards. They'll confirm it."
"Where is this Jar Shop? I... have a friend who's interested."
"A 'friend,' you say? You're not even trying to hide it!"
As Felix walked through Chihu Rock, he overheard the chatter of passersby and smiled faintly.
His Jar Shop was gradually becoming famous.
Meanwhile, at Northland Bank.
In a back room, Childe sat on a chair.
Beside him stood Andrei, the bank manager, holding a stack of bills.
Opposite him was a man in a hat.
"Lord Harbinger, I lost him."
The man in the hat lowered his head, his voice filled with self-reproach. "You ordered me to monitor the shopkeeper. Today, he closed the shop and went out, as if to tour Liyue. Even the two Millelith guards left."
"I followed him, but I lost him immediately. So I rushed back to report."
"You lost him? It's fine. He's not an ordinary person."
Hearing this, Childe waved his hand, unconcerned.
As he spoke, a hint of lingering fear flashed in his eyes.
The feeling of being suppressed in the shop was still fresh in his mind. He knew the shopkeeper was anything but ordinary.
Though he didn't dare provoke him, that didn't stop him from sending someone to observe.
"Didn't I tell you to watch the people who opened jars?"
Childe frowned. "Even though each person can only buy ten jars, that shouldn't stop you from buying the items from them with Mora. Not everyone is unwilling to sell. We can acquire some useful things that way."
"You've been watching for a whole day. You haven't bought a single thing? I approved a large amount of Mora for you. It's impossible that you couldn't find anyone willing to trade."
Looking at the agent's expression, it was clear he hadn't made a single purchase.
Childe had experienced opening jars firsthand and knew the rules—ten jars per person per week.
He didn't know why the mysterious shopkeeper imposed a limit, but it didn't stop him from using another method: buying items directly from those who pulled them.
Many of the items were useless to ordinary people.
Like the book Ningguang supposedly pulled—the one that allowed her to establish Liyue Bank. An ordinary person would have no use for it.
Liyue was full of ordinary people, and they had ordinary needs.
Food, housing, money—they needed Mora for everything.
Take Ningguang's Eternal Youth Pill, for example. It was very useful for a woman, but if an average person pulled it, it wouldn't be that helpful.
For them, Mora was more useful. It could bring them a better life.
A pill that froze their appearance wasn't as practical as cold, hard cash.
"I've been watching, but not many people came out with items."
The agent smiled bitterly. "This afternoon, I went to stand guard as you ordered, Lord Harbinger. A few ordinary people came out empty-handed. Then, the ones who opened jars were from Wanmin Restaurant."
"When Chef Mao and his daughter came out, they were holding some items, but I didn't dare approach them. I knew they wouldn't trade."
"At night, I saw the Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor come out with two things. I didn't approach her either."
"Then the shop closed, and the owner came out. I followed him, lost him, and immediately came back to report to you."
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