To put it bluntly, these rewards were things that required slow accumulation to be of any use.
"Shopkeeper, may I ask... what exactly did I just obtain?" Ekaterina asked softly.
She didn't recognize the items floating before her and knew she needed Felix to interpret them. Both she and her Harbinger, Lord Tartaglia, were keen to understand their value.
As she asked, Yanfei and Xiangling, standing nearby, leaned in for a closer look.
"Two Experience Orbs," Felix explained, pointing to the glowing spheres. "One contains the experience of a Lumberjack, and the other contains the experience of a Pig Farmer."
Upon hearing Felix's explanation, Ekaterina's face instantly darkened.
She had assumed they were combat-related or at least practical skills. But pig farming?
She was an elite member of the Fatui, a receptionist for the prestigious Northland Bank. The idea of fusing her mind with the memories of raising swine filled her with intense resistance.
Beside her, Childe's mouth twitched. Even he hadn't expected the rewards to be so... rustic. Even something basic like 'Sword Swinging'—heck, even swinging a sword ten thousand times—would have been infinitely more useful than this.
"Pfft."
Yanfei couldn't help it. A sharp stifle of laughter escaped her lips, sounding exceptionally loud in the quiet shop.
"Sorry, sorry! Pfft—" Yanfei quickly covered her mouth with both hands, but as she tried to apologize, another giggle leaked out.
Xiangling hurriedly covered her own mouth as well, her eyes crinkling with suppressed mirth.
The dignified receptionist of the Northland Bank, an elite of the Fatui, had pulled Pig Farming and Woodcutting mastery. It was too much for the girls to handle.
Ekaterina, whose expression was already dark, looked as though she had swallowed a fly. Hearing the giggles of the two young girls made her face turn the color of a burnt pot bottom.
Even though Yanfei and Xiangling were Vision holders, in Ekaterina's eyes, they were just little girls. Their laughter felt particularly piercing.
Forcing down her anger, Ekaterina took a deep breath and looked at Felix, her voice low. "Shopkeeper, what about the scroll?"
"This is a training scroll for elemental energy. It allows you to condense energy near the ground and fire a short-range elemental beam forward," Felix explained casually. "Only those with a Vision—or similar internal energy—can use it. However, it's honestly quite mediocre. It might serve as a decent guide for a novice just awakening their Vision, but that's about it."
He gestured to the last item. "As for the bottle of water, it has no special effects. It is simply mineral water."
"So, one must possess elemental power to use the scroll?" Ekaterina frowned.
That made it useless to her. She didn't possess a Vision; she was merely a human trained in Snezhnayan combat techniques. Compared to a Vision holder, she couldn't compete in raw elemental manipulation.
What a pity. If it had been combat experience—swordsmanship or dagger techniques—it would have been a massive help.
Beside her, Childe, who had been slightly expectant, furrowed his brow. He wasn't impressed either. Based on the Shopkeeper's description, this so-called 'Elemental Training Scroll' was practically junk. A casual wave of his hydro blades could produce an attack far stronger than what the scroll described.
As the Liyue saying went: Tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away.
Five jars opened. Four items revealed. All of them effectively useless. The only one with any tangible application was... the Pig Farming experience. After all, farming skills were practical, solid knowledge.
"Fuse them," Childe said calmly. "It's just a temporary run of bad luck. You still have five jars left."
Hearing her superior's command, Ekaterina looked pained. However, she had no choice but to obey. Suppressing the revulsion in her heart, she reached out and chose to fuse the two white Experience Orbs.
"Ugh..."
The moment the orbs merged with her, Ekaterina dry heaved. As the knowledge fully absorbed and digested in her mind, her complexion turned a sickly shade of green.
The knowledge was... disgusting. The smells, the muck... it was all too vivid.
Felix: "..."
Xiangling: "..."
Yanfei: "..."
Seeing the elite Fatui member gagging, a look of schadenfreude appeared on Yanfei's face. She was silently celebrating that she hadn't pulled such a cursed item. Xiangling looked equally relieved, trembling slightly at the thought. If she had been forced to learn how to manage a pigsty... just thinking about the smell made her shudder.
Crash!
Ekaterina's face was iron-gray. Perhaps to vent her frustration, she swung her sword heavily, instantly shattering the remaining five jars in one go.
As the clay shards fell away, four items dropped onto the counter.
Once again, there were two white light orbs. Next to them lay a small, thumb-sized vial filled with a glowing green liquid, and finally, a blue, fungal-looking plant.
Ekaterina raised an eyebrow at the last item. She recognized it instantly. Sea Ganoderma. It was a specialty usually found only in the waters near Inazuma.
[1,000 Sword Strikes Experience]: Muscle memory from a sword master of an unknown world, containing the experience of one thousand practice swings.
[Lockpicking Master Experience]: Skills from a locksmith of another world. Grants mastery over various lock-picking techniques.
[Sea Ganoderma]: A plant species that grows only in specific ocean regions and on islands. Though it looks like a fungus, it is actually a substance secreted by soft-bodied organisms.
[Vial of Life Water]: Spring water from an unknown world teeming with vitality. Do not underestimate its small size; consuming it extends one's lifespan by ten days.
"Hmm?" Felix raised an eyebrow when he saw the small vial. "Now that... that has some value."
"The lockpicking experience is decent as well," Felix continued, pointing to the items. "I assume you know what the Sea Ganoderma is, so I won't explain that. The two orbs are Sword Swinging Experience and Lockpicking Experience."
He tapped the counter near the green vial. "But this last one is Life Water. Drinking it will extend a person's lifespan by ten days. Its effects are best utilized on someone who is on the verge of death."
"Life Water!"
Hearing this, Ekaterina, who had been bracing herself for more trash, felt her pupils contract in shock. Surprise washed over her face.
Water that could extend life by ten days? To an ordinary human, this was a treasure.
"Tch. What's there to be surprised about? There are plenty of things that can extend life," Yanfei muttered from the sidelines, her lips curling in disdain.
It's only ten days. Big deal.
She thought the receptionist of the Northland Bank would have seen more of the world than this.
Childe, however, frowned slightly. He was reasonably satisfied with the Life Water, but when he considered the total haul... he was disappointed. Ekaterina had opened ten jars, and this was the result? The overall value was low.
Ekaterina, on the other hand, ignored the commentary and happily touched the two Experience Orbs.
Instantly, invisible experience flowed into her mind and body. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, a genuine smile on her face. These two orbs were actually useful. She felt the muscle memory of the sword swings settle in, sharpening her stance.
She carefully collected the mineral water and the small Vial of Life Water, stowing them away safely in her coat.
"Alright, the jars are finished. We can go."
Seeing Ekaterina secure the items, Childe gave the order. He turned to Felix, his expression shifting back to a polite smile. "Shopkeeper, I'll be taking my leave. I will return next week."
He wanted to build a good relationship with Felix, but since the man was an enigma, Childe decided to start with basic etiquette and respect.
With that, he led Ekaterina out of the shop.
"Finally... now I can open my jars," Yanfei let out a long breath as the Fatui duo disappeared. "I still have five left."
"Haha, their luck really was terrible," Xiangling giggled. "Aside from that Life Water, they didn't get anything good."
"The Pig Farming experience wasn't bad," Yanfei snickered. Thinking of Ekaterina's retching face brought a fresh wave of amusement.
She stepped up and tapped the remaining jars in front of her.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Three jars shattered. Two items fell out.
One red flower, one blue flower.
"Eh? Not bad! That's a Mist Flower Corolla and a Flaming Flower Stamen!" Xiangling identified them immediately.
In Liyue, these elemental plants were considered rare reagents and gathered treasures.
"Mm." Yanfei nodded, pleased. She had opened three jars, got one empty, and two valuable flowers. Good odds.
Feeling lucky, she smashed the final two jars.
Bang! Bang!
Two red, metallic cylinders dropped onto the counter.
"What is this?" Yanfei looked at the packaging with confusion. "It looks like a beverage container?"
"It's Coke!"
Xiangling's eyes lit up when she saw the red cans. "It's a really delicious drink! I pulled one yesterday!"
Just mentioning it made Xiangling crave the taste again. That fizzy burn was addictive.
"Oh, really?" Yanfei trusted Xiangling's taste implicitly. She picked them up and handed one to her friend. "Here. I got two, so take one."
"Yanfei, you're the best!" Xiangling hugged Yanfei happily, beaming.
"Well, who asked you to be my best friend?" Yanfei grinned.
Felix watched the scene with a faint smile. Yanfei and Xiangling were both disciples of Madame Ping, so their close bond was only natural.
"Mm, it's almost noon. I should get going," Yanfei said, checking the time. "Xiangling, I'll walk you back to Wanmin Restaurant, then I have to go meet a client."
"Okay!" Xiangling nodded.
Yanfei turned to Felix, her expression grateful. "Shopkeeper, thanks for the jars."
"Your luck was quite good. You should thank your luck," Felix replied with a slight smile.
And it was true. Compared to the disastrous haul Ekaterina just walked away with, Yanfei had done very well.
Read ahead with 100+ chapters now with daily updates!
@patreon.com/Zefyrus