"Boss Han! Boss Han! We're back!"
Paimon's voice rang out as soon as the door opened.
Behind her, Venti followed quietly, his eyes scanning the shop interior.
The modern-style manga shop left a strong impression on him.
It was a far cry from any bookstore he had seen in Teyvat.
Warm lighting, cushy chairs, artfully arranged bookshelves...
Just being here made you feel relaxed.
But more importantly—
Venti's divine instincts were tingling.
There was something about this shop—something deep and mysterious.
It wasn't just the décor.
There was real power here.
Power that... could be dangerous if provoked.
"Welcome back."
Han Feng sipped his tea and smiled in greeting.
"Boss," Lumine asked, "we saw Barbara outside just now. She was carrying a small, fluffy creature—was that a manga reward?"
She had read One Piece: East Blue Saga, and didn't recall any creatures like that.
Could it be from Cardcaptor Sakura?
"Yeah, yeah! It was so cute!" Paimon added.
"No girl could resist that fluff... well, unless it's a caterpillar."
"That's YukimiBotamon," Han Feng explained as he set his teacup down.
"It's a baby-stage Digimon. Barbara got it as a reward for reading Digimon Adventure."
"Digimon Adventure?"
Lumine and Paimon's eyes lit up.
A new manga had been added already?!
They both felt an itch to grab the volume and start reading on the spot.
If it weren't for Han Feng's rule—one manga per person per day—they would've done exactly that.
Paimon sighed in disappointment.
But then, she glanced at Venti and got an idea.
Floating over to Han Feng, she put on her most pitiful expression.
"Boss... I brought you a new customer today! Can't you make an exception and let me read one more manga? Pretty please?
I'll even bring more customers next time!"
Lumine nodded quickly in support.
The stories were so good—it was torture to only get one per day!
But Han Feng's reply was instant and firm.
"Nope. Rules are rules."
As he spoke, he reached out and gently pinched Paimon's cheek.
Soft. Squishy. Very satisfying.
"Awwwww..."
Paimon pouted, but couldn't resist the cheek-pinch.
Han Feng ignored her protest and turned toward the third member of their group.
"Welcome to the shop, Mondstadt's most beloved bard—Venti."
Just now, Han Feng had noticed Venti inspecting the shop, but he didn't mind.
Inside this manga shop, he was the absolute, invincible presence.
There was nothing to fear from anyone causing trouble.
Besides, Venti wasn't that kind of person to begin with.
"Boss, I heard your manga are quite interesting, so I came by to check it out."
Venti greeted him with a smile.
Though inside, he was filled with curiosity.
The shopkeeper in front of him didn't have any trace of elemental energy—he looked just like an ordinary person.
No different from any other citizen of Mondstadt.
But could someone who owned such a mysterious manga shop, someone who gave out powers through reading manga, really be just an ordinary man?
Venti shook his head.
No way. It was impossible.
The only logical conclusion was that this shopkeeper's strength was beyond his understanding.
"We currently have three manga available: One Piece – East Blue Arc, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Digimon Adventure Season 1. 100,000 Mora per person. One read per day only."
Han Feng pointed toward the shelf as he explained.
He had to go over the same lines for every new customer.
It was getting a little repetitive.
"Should I put up a notice on the wall… or maybe hire a maid?"
Han Feng mused to himself.
"100… 100,000 Mora? And I can only read once?!"
Venti was dumbfounded by the price.
He had assumed there'd be a fee for reading manga, but not that much.
And Paimon hadn't mentioned this little detail back in the plaza either.
"This is bad…"
Venti was already feeling a headache come on.
Objectively speaking, if you could earn actual powers from reading, 100,000 Mora wasn't expensive at all—in fact, it was a bargain.
The real problem was himself!
Despite being the dignified Anemo Archon, Venti was perpetually broke.
Any Mora earned from busking usually ended up spent at the tavern right away.
But just walking away now felt like such a loss.
From what Paimon and Lumine had said, the manga's content sounded truly amazing.
And as a bard, Venti couldn't resist good stories.
Of course, the biggest temptation was still that Gourmet Tablecloth.
If he could get that item, he'd basically never need to spend Mora on food or drink again.
North, south, east, west—he could eat and drink whatever he wanted.
He wouldn't even need to visit Angel's Share anymore!
When he thought about it that way… 100,000 Mora for such a possibility was practically a steal.
"In that case… should I go busking to raise the money?"
Venti rested his chin on his hand, seriously considering it.
~~--------------------------------------
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