"Lady Keqing is here..."
Unlike the "Childe" who had to rely on manipulating water elements to gently push the crowd away, the arrival of the Yuheng was met with spontaneous respect.
Upon hearing the name of one of the Liyue Qixing, the crowd parted like the sea before Moses, creating a wide passage. This showed that the Yuheng held great importance in the hearts of the people of Liyue Harbor and was highly respected for her tireless work ethic.
Tartaglia (Childe) looked slightly surprised and stopped in his tracks.
A girl with purple hair tied in twin-tails resembling cat ears and light purple eyes, dressed in a violet and white outfit with black tights, walked alone with a strong and serious demeanor.
"Your Excellency, the Yuheng."
Tartaglia greeted her with a bright, professional smile, though his eyes remained sharp.
Keqing hummed a cold acknowledgment and glanced at him unhappily.
Tartaglia, currently the true ambassador of Snezhnaya and the Fatui in handling diplomatic affairs in Liyue Harbor, had many small actions in private that annoyed the Qixing.
If Ningguang hadn't been worried about diplomatic fallout and repeatedly dissuaded her, Keqing would have long ago led a company of Millelith to encircle and suppress the secret intelligence bases of the Fatui, causing a delightful international incident.
Tartaglia behaved very gentlemanly. Outside of combat status, his handsome face and bright smile had no flaws at all.
"Please, after you."
Seeing Keqing go in first without hesitation, Tartaglia followed closely behind with Andrei.
Storefront Reception Area.
Hiroshi had just returned from hanging up the large advertising screen and was about to count the lottery results outside the Golden Legends. Unexpectedly, there was a pleasant ringing sound at the door.
Ding-a-ling.
"Welcome."
Hiroshi turned around to say hello.
"Holy cr... Keqing?"
Wait until you get a clear look at the majestic girl in the purple dress.
The sentence "The Golden Shrimp Balls are ready" almost blurted out of his mouth.
Why?
After realizing that something was wrong, he shut up quickly.
Hiroshi still couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Tears of the Times. Master Keqing. When the game first launched, she and Diluc were in the limelight. However, as version 3.0 approached, they were already called the 'Two Down-and-Out Heroes' of the standard banner.
But seeing her in person... the 'Cat Queen' aura is undeniable.
Ding-dong!
Another ringtone interrupted Hiroshi's reverie and successfully rescued him from Keqing's fierce, analyzing gaze.
Two more guests arrived.
Oh, haha.
Hiroshi raised his eyebrows.
Another famous character. It seemed that the news of the One Billion Mora purchase had really disturbed the eyes of the Vision holders in the Liyue area.
Well, to be precise, Hu Tao's 50 Million Mora was the preliminary chumming of the waters, while Ningguang's One Billion Mora was a master's baiting technique, which was enough to attract the attention of all the heavyweights in Liyue.
Sister Ningguang, I was wrong. I shouldn't have questioned your predictions and influence!
What does it mean to be a big shot who is stirring up trouble?
Broken sound, tactical retreat.jpg
"Welcome——" Hiroshi smiled at Tartaglia who came in after Keqing. "Is it possible that Your Excellency is... 'The Childe who doesn't feel weird about anything he does'?"
Tartaglia didn't expect the young Store Manager's greeting to be so... aggressive and oddly specific.
The corners of his mouth twitched subtly.
Phew—if you weren't more handsome than me and running a shop full of unknown monsters, do you think I, the "Childe", would swallow this sass?
For the sake of your appearance and my curiosity, this grievance...
No, it's a joke. Why did you suddenly think of Eula's catchphrase about vengeance?
My young master tolerated it anyway!
Tartaglia's inner monologue did not hinder his cheerful and straightforward personality.
"I heard that Lady Ningguang is spending a billion Mora here. It's not just me. The big shots in all of Liyue will come to take a look later."
There were two groups of high-profile guests, and Hiroshi planned to make a quick decision.
He was a little worried that the next wave of guests would come one after another, so it was necessary to improve the reception efficiency.
"I'm here to entertain Lady Keqing."
Hiroshi shouted to the depths of the store.
"Cresselia, please come out and entertain Lord Tartaglia and Manager Andrei for me."
Cresselia?
Hearing this name, Tartaglia was curious. Is it a foreign shop clerk from outside the Liyue area?
However, when a beautiful and stunning Pokémon floated into the main store area...
Tartaglia's eyes froze in an instant.
"What a gorgeous figure!"
The news that Cresselia is a Legendary Beast was only known to the first few guests such as Hu Tao and Xiangling.
Keqing didn't even know about it yet. She had left the Jade Chamber at the speed of light to investigate before asking Ningguang for detailed information.
"Cresselia, say hello to the guests."
Suddenly, the sweet and soft female voice of the Lunar Pokémon resounded in everyone's hearts.
"Ah... this?!"
The handkerchief in Manager Andrei's hand, which was wiping sweat, fell to the ground.
Even Tartaglia couldn't hide his emotions; his face was shocked.
Cresselia had seen similar reactions from previous guests, so she didn't find it strange that these new arrivals were stunned silent.
At this time, Cresselia's smooth and elegant body still had a special white apron hanging on it. She had just come from doing housework in the kitchen when she was called out to receive guests.
Keqing's expression was serious, but the few drops of fragrant sweat on her forehead clearly expressed the Yuheng's surging emotions at the moment.
"Is this... a Pokémon?"
"Why can it speak human language?..."
"Moreover, is it transmitted directly to our minds? My ears didn't pick up a sound."
Hiroshi cleared his throat and said the lines that had been introduced several times before.
"This communication ability is called 'Telepathy' and can be mastered by many Psychic-type Pokémon. Of course, some powerful Legendary Pokémon do not need to be Psychic-type to master it."
Legendary Pokémon!
Tartaglia continued to be shocked and couldn't wait to ask:
"Could it be that the Tianquan Ningguang spent a billion Mora not long ago to buy a Legendary Pokémon?!"
After saying that, Tartaglia suddenly noticed that Hiroshi was looking at him like he was mentally retarded.
Tartaglia laughed dryly. "Uh... isn't it?"
Hiroshi was helpless.
"Think about it. On the continent of Teyvat, there used to be many Demon Gods (Archons/Gods), and they had their own domains and authority."
"For example, at the bottom of Liyue's Guyun Stone Forest, there was the sealed Overlord of the Vortex, Osial. In the past, he could disturb the ocean, create thousands of whirlpools, and destroy islands and cities..."
"Osial..." Zekrom's voice rumbled from the ceiling, causing the Fatui to tense up. "A creature of wet chaos. He had ambition, but lacked the spark of true ideals."
Hiroshi continued, ignoring the dragon for now.
"There is also such a powerful force among Pokémon. They can realize wishes, control the ocean, move continental plates, or protect the planet from the ozone layer high in the sky. Some maintain the ecological balance of the world itself."
"They are Legendary Pokémon or Mythical Pokémon. Of course, according to people's understanding here... they are Gods!"
Hearing this, there was a deathly silence in the store.
Tartaglia couldn't help but swallow, his throat moving visibly. He stared blankly at Cresselia, who was still wearing a white housework apron.
"Then she is..."
"Yes, Cresselia is the Legendary Pokémon that controls dreams. Wherever it appears, it can bring beautiful dreams to millions of people, so her alias is the 'Lunar Goddess'!"
Holy crap!!
Tartaglia almost knelt down.
A Legendary Pokémon worthy of the title of a God?
And she was here in person!
Even if the Seven Archons appeared in invisible and unintuitive forms, once their divine power was unleashed, mortals had to bow.
Andrei, the manager of Northland Bank, was dumbfounded.
Is the clerk a Legendary Pokémon? Crazy.
It's crazy!
Then what kind of person is this Store Manager? He can contract and control Pokémon of this level...
Help! He is definitely not human!
Andrei cast a look of awe and fear at Hiroshi.
The super devil is actually beside me?
"Let me ask you," Hiroshi said, leaning forward. "Can one billion Mora buy a God? Even the residue of a God's power is priceless."
Tartaglia shook his head fiercely. "No. It cannot."