Potion Shop always closed on time.
At five o'clock sharp, they stopped taking new customers. Once those already inside finished their purchases and left, the doors would be shut. Then everyone would clean the shop, tidy up the shelves, and finally clock out.
Noelle walked over and handed Eula her pay for the day's part-time shift.
"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Eula."
Hard work?
Eula looked at the heavy pouch of Mora in her hand, her expression odd.
Short hours, a pleasant environment, friendly coworkers, generous pay…
Honestly, this had to be the easiest and most enjoyable part-time job she'd ever had.
Her old aristocrat status always made things awkward. The people of Mondstadt didn't take kindly to her. Every time she went looking for work, she'd be subjected to strange looks from employers, sometimes even snide remarks.
Compared to that, she usually preferred taking commissions from the Adventurers' Guild—at least those were quiet and straightforward.
Noelle studied her. "Miss Eula, would you be interested in working here again tomorrow?"
Eula snapped out of her thoughts, lifted her head, and said, "Of course."
Noelle's smile widened. "That's great. Business has been booming lately—we're really short-handed. Finding someone as capable as you to help out hasn't been easy."
Eula glanced at the work schedule posted on the wall. "I'll be here on time tomorrow."
Noelle nodded. "And if something urgent comes up, you can call me with your phone."
"Phone…"
"Oh, right. You just got yours, so you're probably not used to it yet. I'll show you how to use it."
"All right."
--
After dinner and a short walk, Xia Zhi ran into Barbara at the entrance of the Church of Favonius.
She was waiting there, holding a magazine in her hands.
"Mr. Xia, this is the idol magazine I mentioned before."
"Thanks."
Xia Zhi accepted it, chatted with her briefly, and then stepped inside the church.
The air carried a faint trace of tobacco.
At the very last pew, Rosaria sat smoking slowly from her pipe.
When everyone entered, she turned her head. Her gaze immediately locked on the white cat in Diona's arms.
Through the thin haze of smoke, the cat meowed at her sweetly.
Rosaria narrowed her eyes slightly, then tore her gaze away from the cat to look at Xia Zhi—the one who'd taken it from her. Her eyes lingered on the magazine in his hands.
Wasn't he blind?
Then why was he holding a book?
When the group had all walked further inside, Rosaria finally drew back her gaze, deep in thought.
Footsteps approached.
Barbara coughed at the smoke, frowning. "I've told you so many times—don't smoke in the church!"
Rosaria gave her a flat look, then set the pipe down. She tapped its ash against the leg of the bench, stood, and walked off.
"Hey, don't just dump the ashes anywhere…"
Barbara sighed helplessly, fetching a broom to sweep the small pile away.
"Honestly… not nun-like at all…"
--
Fischl returned home.
"Little Amy's back! Dinner's almost ready."
"I already ate!"
"Really, Oz?"
The Night Raven on her shoulder spoke. "O sovereign of the Immernachtreich, the young lady indeed dined outside—two bowls, in fact."
"You don't have to say how much! …I'm going to my room!"
"Miss Amy…"
Back in her room, Fischl sprawled on her soft bed, staring blankly at the dim ceiling.
"Oz."
"Yes, my lady?"
"The Windblume Festival is almost over."
"Yes."
"Mr. Xia will be leaving Mondstadt."
"To Inazuma."
"I want to go too."
"The Kaiser and Kaiserin of the Immernachtreich would hardly approve of such a notion."
"Why not?"
"Perhaps they deem my lady still too immature."
"I'm already grown up! And I'm strong now! The Abyss Order—"
"But the Kaiser and Kaiserin know nothing of your deeds."
"…"
Fischl fell silent.
After a while, she spoke again.
"Oz."
"Yes, my lady?"
"I recall the Adventurers' Guild's mission board always has plenty of high-paying bounties."
"My lady's intention is…?"
"If I can complete those bounties, I can prove to Father and Mother that I'm strong now, right?"
"By common reason, yes."
Fischl touched the black eyepatch over her eye.
"Then tonight, let's not go out as Magical Girls. Save the transformation power for bounty hunting."
--
In his room, Xia Zhi set the idol magazine down on the table.
The cover was printed in Mondstadt script, but the publisher's name on the inside was foreign—not local.
He flipped through the magazine.
The idols pictured and their fashion styles were unfamiliar, unlike anyone from Teyvat.
He'd been reading extensively in the Library these days, but had never seen a magazine like this.
His fingers traced the paper. He could feel a mysterious force woven into the letters.
He carefully read the whole thing. The contents were perfectly ordinary—just introductions to idols and their activities.
Then he stored it in his inventory.
[Idol magazine]
Quality: Normal
Type: Book
Trait: None
Effect: A magazine imbued with magic
Hidden Effect: None
Not Recyclable
Xia Zhi studied the description, thoughtful.
The "magic" must've been that mysterious force over the text.
Or rather… magic left behind by Alice.
He pulled the magazine back out and cast [Advanced Dispel] on it.
A white light ring spread outward.
The mysterious force vanished.
The cover shifted.
What had been familiar Mondstadt letters now transformed into strange, unknown characters.
The inside text changed too.
Xia Zhi placed it on the table, then picked it back up.
Repeated it twice.
The system voice chimed in his mind:
"Trait [Erudition] activated. Unknown knowledge detected. Learn directly?"
"Yes."
A flood of alien knowledge entered his mind.
He instantly understood the strange script.
Looking over the magazine again, he realized the content barely differed from what he'd seen before—just an idol magazine.
He set it back down.
Now he understood.
This was something Alice had brought back from another world.
Because of cultural differences, she'd enchanted it so Barbara could read it in Mondstadt script.
Once he dispelled the magic, it reverted to its original form.
"So… Klee's mother, that witch Alice, must have the ability to travel freely between worlds. The Shop does sell items granting planar travel… but if I can learn it directly from Alice, I'll save a lot of points."