Hearing Hu Tao's excited exclamations, the surrounding customers grew curious too.
They noticed the shop had grown larger and now featured a Card Furnace.
"The shop really did expand again!"
"If Hall Master Hu hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have realized..."
"Cards can actually be produced with a furnace?"
"That's incredible!!!"
"Is this some kind of alchemy?!"
The customers chatted in awe, all fascinated by the sudden addition of the Card Furnace.
Faced with Hu Tao's enthusiastic offer to gather materials, Luya nodded. He began explaining the materials needed to craft [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao].
"Right now... we need Ghostly Embers and Vayuda Turquoise Fragments."
Upon hearing the materials required, Hu Tao laughed proudly.
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had no shortage of Ghostly Embers.
"Ghostly Embers? We have plenty at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!"
"As for Vayuda Turquoise Fragments, we don't have those. Still, the Hall Master can easily buy some!"
"Timing is the only question..."
"If all else fails~ I'll drag Zhongli along and we'll take down a few Anemo Hypostases to farm some Turquoise!"
Seeing Hu Tao so eager to help warmed Luya's heart.
Since the first day the shop opened...
Hu Tao had always been there to lend a hand, maintaining order whenever the store grew chaotic.
And now she was willing to help gather materials too.
"Haha, thank you, Hall Master Hu~"
Just as Hu Tao prepared to leave in search of Vayuda Turquoise,
a merchant from Snezhnaya wearing a gray-white coat and carrying a pack stepped forward.
"I have some, bought this morning for 8,000 Mora a piece."
"If the shopkeeper wants them, I can resell at cost."
"I've got about thirty."
Though Luya knew the merchant had surely marked up the price, he didn't bother haggling.
He simply wanted to test whether the Card Furnace could truly create a card.
"Alright, I'll take them all..."
Zhongli, still reading manga, felt a vague sense of offense at that declaration of "I'll take them all..."
Hu Tao, too, suspected a markup but understood Luya's decision.
Luya turned and prepared to hand over 240,000 Mora to purchase the thirty Vayuda Turquoise Fragments.
The Snezhnayan merchant said, "Shopkeeper, just trade me card packs instead—I came here to buy packs!"
Luya nodded, took twelve packs from the box, and handed them over.
Seeing that Luya intended to demonstrate the Card Furnace in action, the other customers held off on buying more packs, eager to watch the process.
With the Vayuda Turquoise problem solved for now,
Hu Tao quickly said:
"There's no shortage of Ghostly Embers at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I can fetch them right now!"
She turned to leave, but Luya stopped her, "No rush, Hall Master Hu. I already have Ghostly Embers here."
"Bring more tomorrow if you like. After all... you'll be back to play, won't you?"
Hu Tao nodded with a grin.
"Hehe~"
"Unless something unexpected happens, the Hall Master will be here every day!"
Then, before the eyes of Hu Tao, Keqing, Xiangling, and the gathered customers, Luya followed the recipe for [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao], placing [Ghostly Ember x3] and [Vayuda Turquoise Fragment x1] into the Card Furnace.
The Ghostly Embers glimmered faintly black, like translucent dark sand.
The Vayuda Turquoise Fragment shone with green light, exuding a gentle Anemo energy.
Would this truly produce a card in a single try?
Luya wasn't sure. He'd only just acquired the materials and had never attempted this before.
No telling what the success rate might be...
The customers watched intently as Luya worked the Card Furnace.
As the Ghostly Embers and Vayuda Turquoise Fragment combined, they shone as if undergoing an elemental reaction. The dazzling lights thrilled the crowd, like onlookers gathered to watch a street vendor pop popcorn.
Customers exclaimed:
"Wow! Such gorgeous lights!"
"That thing is ridiculously bright!"
"The furnace isn't going to explode like fireworks, is it~"
"Can those materials really become a card?!"
"Who knows..."
"It looks less like making a card and more like alchemy!"
"Regardless, it sure is fascinating."
"Ghostly Embers and Turquoise Fragments—what kind of card will that make... these don't even sound like card materials..."
"Now I'm really curious..."
Hu Tao, Keqing, and Xiangling stared at the Card Furnace, their excitement mounting.
For Keqing, witnessing card creation was witnessing the power of human technology!
It was exhilarating!
Believing firmly that humanity, not the gods, held Liyue's future, Keqing couldn't help but grab Luya's sleeve, silently cheering him on, hoping the attempt would succeed...
As a breeze swept through, the Card Furnace's light suddenly dimmed.
A single card slid out of the furnace's slot.
Luya picked it up...
[Conqueror of Demons – Xiao]
Against the night backdrop, a young man with teal hair streaked in green wore a white, cloud-patterned short coat and wide sleeves that swayed like rippling waves in the breeze.
He donned a fearsome Yaksha mask, eyes sharp as blades, and held a long spear whose tip glowed green, exuding a formidable presence and utter confidence.
The young man was depicted battling evil spirits, guarding the countless lights of Liyue Harbor.
Upon seeing the card, a middle-aged man couldn't help but cry out in astonishment:
"Ah! It's actually him!?"
...
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