Lu Heng walked up to the counter and gestured for the two to sit before asking, "How much Mora have you prepared for the draws?"
Jean replied, "Five billion Mora."
Five billion Mora?
That was neither too much nor too little.
At first glance, it might seem surprising that the Knights of Favonius, an official organization, could only come up with five billion Mora for draws, as if they weren't particularly wealthy.
But this was just an initial sum.
Moreover, official organizations wouldn't pour all their Mora into draws.
Did they not need to sustain their daily operations?
Were there no regions left to develop?
Draws were undoubtedly a priority, but they couldn't sacrifice national economic development just for the sake of drawing cards.
By Lu Heng's estimate, it was already quite good if an organization could allocate half of its liquid assets to draws.
This way, they could strengthen the nation's power, maintain order, and use the remaining Mora to develop the region, reaping benefits in the following year.
After all, this was an official organization, not an ordinary merchant.
They had to take a long-term view of things.
Using a portion of the annual tax revenue for draws to maintain and steadily enhance the organization's strength, ensuring stability and order, was sufficient.
The key was sustainable and healthy development.
Especially since this wasn't wartime.
After the Knights of Favonius underwent changes, external pressures had lessened, making it even more important to consider a steady, long-term approach.
So Lu Heng wasn't particularly surprised to hear that they only had five billion Mora.
Even an economic powerhouse like Liyue couldn't casually throw out tens of billions of Mora for draws—that simply wasn't realistic.
After all, Teyvat's population was far too small.
...
"Five billion is still quite a lot," Lu Heng nodded slightly.
At the very least, it amounted to 500,000 draws.
There was no such thing as a "pity system" for draws in the shop.
But as long as luck was decent, five billion Mora could at least create a combat force at the level of a demon god—and at least a mid-tier one at that!
A mid-tier demon god was roughly equivalent to five billion Mora.
Due to the variability of luck, there were too many factors at play.
But describing it in such a straightforward way made it easier to grasp the sheer value of five billion Mora!
Five billion Mora spent on draws could absolutely yield returns hundreds or even thousands of times over!
Take Diluc, for example.
Would the Diluc of the past have been a match for the Fatui Harbingers?
Diluc was strong, but he truly wasn't a match for the Harbingers—even someone like Tartaglia could defeat him!
The reason was simple: Tartaglia might be young, but he had formal training, a Vision, a Delusion, and even his Foul Legacy transformation. How could Diluc compete with that?
And now?
If the current Diluc were transported back to the time of the Archon War, he might not be able to protect an entire nation, but he could certainly carve out a place for himself!
"Let's begin," Lu Heng raised his hand in invitation.
Jean took out the Mora.
The Mora was scattered, with only a small portion being large-denomination coins—the rest were smaller ones.
This was actually normal. If there were too many large-denomination coins, people wouldn't be able to make change for everyday purchases.
As the counter swallowed the pile of gleaming Mora, Lisa couldn't help but feel astonished.
The thought that this Mora could be exchanged for godlike power in the card shop was mind-boggling.
It was like spending a few bucks to buy a fully operational, battle-ready giant mech.
Wasn't that just pure fantasy?
How could anyone possibly acquire something so incredible for just a few Mora?
Yet, in this card shop, it was entirely possible!
Curious, Lisa shifted her gaze from the counter to Lu Heng.
Her emerald eyes sparkled with intrigue.
"Boss Lu, may I ask you a question?" Since Venti had mentioned that Lu Heng was quite lenient with beautiful girls, Lisa thought she'd give it a try.
Though she was no longer a "young" girl, she was only missing the "young" part.
She wanted to test the waters and see if she could engage Lu Heng in conversation.
"Go ahead," Lu Heng said. "Is there something you don't understand?"
"Exchanging Mora for unimaginable power—does this really not result in a loss for you?" Lisa was genuinely puzzled.
She firmly believed that everything came with a price.
Even knowledge was no exception.
The more you learned, the more you realized how little you knew.
Often, the cost was something you weren't even aware of.
"Oh, that's what you're asking about," Lu Heng chuckled.
Before opening the branch in Liyue, many people in Fontaine had already joked that Lu Heng was running a charity.
Lu Heng had neither confirmed nor denied it.
His true intention was simply to grow stronger through legitimate transactions using Mora.
He was already plenty strong, but strength was like money—no one ever thought they had enough.
Still, this wasn't something he'd openly admit.
He simply smiled and said, "You could say I couldn't stand Teyvat's original fate, so I'm giving everyone a chance to rewrite it."
"Is that so?" Lisa was slightly taken aback, feeling a twinge of emotion.
Her own fate had been influenced by the card shop.
With power beyond Teyvat's norms, many of the problems that once plagued Lisa were no longer insurmountable.
But knowledge was a circle—the larger it grew, the more it touched the unknown.
It was both a blessing and a curse.
Expanding one's understanding only deepened the awareness of one's ignorance.
The latter could easily lead to despair and helplessness.
Fortunately, a simple shift in perspective could lighten the burden.
As they spoke, Jean finished loading all the Mora.
Venti stood to the side, brimming with anticipation.
This was 500,000 draws!
The last time he'd seen such a grand spectacle was… well, the last time!
"Let's start with the draws," Lu Heng said.
"Alright."
Jean nodded, then turned to Lisa.
"You should do it yourself," Lisa declined, not wanting to take part in the draws.
She had only come along to accompany Jean.
Seeing this, Jean tapped the 100,000-draw option.
Instantly, golden light erupted.
"Yes! That's it, exactly!"
Venti immediately threw up two thumbs, grinning as he said to Lu Heng, "Boss Lu, ever since you introduced the 100,000-draw option, I've noticed it's way easier to get gold cards!"
"Isn't that normal?"
Lu Heng didn't find it particularly remarkable. "No matter how low the probability, with enough attempts, the chances naturally increase."
If a 100,000-draw didn't yield a single gold card, Lu Heng could only say that either the person was saving up for something big or they were just incredibly unlucky at that moment.
Luck fluctuated subtly from moment to moment, but under normal circumstances, these fluctuations were too minor to notice.
"Mr. Lu, please take a look," Jean handed the golden card to Lu Heng with both hands.
"Don't be so formal. This is part of my job," Lu Heng said with a smile.
"Relax a little~" Venti laughed.
Relax?
Easier said than done!
It was like standing in front of a high-ranking official who was friendly and approachable.
Even if they told you not to be nervous, could you really let go completely?
Lu Heng shook his head in amusement and focused on the card.
With a swipe of his hand, he completed the appraisal.
The card depicted a fully armored warrior, clad from head to toe, with even his face concealed, gripping a flagpole with both hands.
The flagpole resembled a spear, but the banner attached to it fluttered in the wind.
The tip of the spear gleamed with a chilling light!
[Fluttering Battle Standard]
[Tier]: 5-Star Gold
[Type]: [Equipment Card]
[Traits]: [Weapon], [Group Buff], [Inspiration Aura]
[Description]: "See this banner? It will grant you courage and strength. Now, I pass it to you. Hold it tight, and protect all that you wish to defend!"
"This is…?" Venti looked stunned.
Jean and Lisa exchanged glances, both seeing sheer astonishment in each other's eyes.
This card…
Just the information on its surface was already incredibly powerful!
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T/N:
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