The night had deepened over Mondstadt, cloaking the city in a velvet shroud of indigo, its stars winking through wisps of cloud as a cool breeze swept down from the cliffs, rustling the lanterns that swayed along the cobblestone streets. The faint hum of the windmill creaked in the distance, blending with the soft clatter of hooves on stone and the muted laughter spilling from the Angel's Share, where late-night patrons toasted under Diluc's stern gaze. Within Galehaven Comics, the shop glowed with a cozy warmth, its narrow confines bathed in the flicker of a single lantern hanging from the ceiling, its golden light dancing across the hardwood floor and spilling over the cluttered shelves. The air thrummed with a lingering vitality—the earthy scent of aged paper, the faint floral steam of dandelion tea cooling on Harlan Flint's stove, and the sharp, numbing spice of Mapo Tofu, a ghost of Klee's feast that clung to the walls like a taunting memory.
Harlan leaned against the counter, his dark jacket slung over his chair, a half-empty teacup cradled in his hands as he watched the scene unfold, his hazel eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and curiosity. The Abyss Mage hovered on a worn sofa, its blue robes shimmering with Hydro's gleam, its staff propped beside it as it carefully lifted its mask, revealing a void where a face should be—a faceless curse of Kanria's fall, its humanity stripped yet its hunger intact. Before it sat Shao'an's Mapo Tofu—red and glistening, its steam curling upward in tendrils of spice and warmth, its aroma a siren call that had silenced the shop's hum. "No glow, huh?" Jean murmured, her blonde ponytail swaying as she stood near the counter, her blue eyes narrowing with a knight's scrutiny, her Anemo Vision dimming at her hip.
Harlan's grin widened, his hazel eyes flickering with mischief as he set his tea down, his tone a gentle tease—"Different chef, different magic. Klee's was Liu Maoxing's—protagonist, genius, golden glow stuff. This? Shao'an's—solid cook, no frills." Jean's lips parted, a faint flush creeping up her cheeks as she glanced at him, her voice a soft stammer—"Oh… right, that's it!" Her mind snagged on Barbara's gushing—"Golden tofu, Qin—so happy!"—and the four-leaf clover pendant from that afternoon, its twin hearts a secret that burned in her chest, her knightly calm fraying under Harlan's gaze.
The Mage ignored them, its bubble shimmering as it dipped an invisible spoon into the tofu, its void-face somehow consuming it—a paradox that drew gasps from the sofa's edge. Amber's green eyes widened, her red bow twitching as she clutched her bow, her voice a rasp of awe—"It… eats? No face, but—how?!" Eula's silver hair glinted as she crossed her arms, her Cryo Vision pulsing at her hip, her tone a dry marvel—"Grotesque—and enviable." The tofu vanished bite by bite, the Mage's bubble settling as it sighed—"Delicious—elastic, rich!"—its mask snapping back with a contented hum, its 100,000 Mora a bargain for this fleeting joy.
"Shame it's not Liu Maoxing's," it mused, its voice a husky lament as it rose, its staff trembling with renewed purpose—"Next time, I'll drag Her Highness here." Its mission flared—Blue-Eyed Ultimate Dragon, a titan to reclaim Kanria's dream—but tofu had softened its edge, a human echo it couldn't shake. It drifted to Harlan, its bubble shimmering with hope—"Boss—got that Blue-Eyes comic? Need it now." Jean's brows furrowed, her blue eyes glinting with confusion—"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon?"—her absence during Eula's fusion a gap Lisa hadn't filled, her knightly mind racing to catch up.
Amber and Eula exchanged a glance, their capes rustling as they leaned closer, their voices a hushed duet—"That's why it's here?" Eula murmured, her tone a puzzled hum as she pictured her dragon—three heads roaring, a hologram of might. "Thinks it's real—wants to control it, like Twalin," Amber whispered, her green eyes glinting with a scout's glee, her bow tapping her knee as she imagined the Mage's folly—a virtual beast bent to Abyss will. Eula's lips quirked, a rare laugh escaping—"Hilarious—chasing a toy for conquest."
Harlan's grin softened, his hazel eyes tracking the Mage as he nodded—"You mean Yu-Gi-Oh!—Blue-Eyes is there." The Mage's bubble flared, its voice a chirp of triumph—"That's it!"—its night of sneaking and fleeing crowned by this find, Sora's plan a spark in its cursed heart. "Get that dragon—Her Highness wins, Kanria rises," it thought, its staff pulsing with visions of glory. But Harlan's next words doused it cold—"One comic a day, pal—come back tomorrow." The Mage froze, its bubble wavering as it rasped—"A… rule?!"—its dismay a thunderclap, its tofu detour a blunder it hadn't foreseen.
"Didn't I mention?" Harlan said, his grin widening as he scratched his head, his tone a mock apology—"My bad." Amber's laugh burst free, her rabbit ears bouncing as she clutched her sides—"Everyone knows—except you!" Eula's smirk sharpened, her silver hair glinting as she chimed—"Clueless—perfect." The Mage's staff trembled, its voice a desperate plea—"Boss—bend it? Urgent stuff!" Harlan's grin didn't falter, his silence a wall as the Mage pivoted—"Fine—I'll stay 'til morning!" Laughter erupted—Jean's soft chuckle, Amber's guffaw, Eula's dry snort—its audacity a spark in the shop's glow.
"Shop's closing—out you go," Harlan said, his tone a gentle shove as he waved a hand, an invisible force—whoosh—lifting the Mage, its bubble flailing as it sailed through the door, crashing into the alley's gloom with a muffled thud. "No comics—no shelter?!" it wailed, its staff clattering as it scrambled upright, its Hydro runes flickering with panic. The night air bit cold, the cobblestones slick with dew, the alley a shadowed maze of crates and barrels under Mondstadt's looming walls. "Safe inside—now what?" it thought, its masked gaze darting as footsteps echoed—Amber and Eula emerging, their capes a storm of red and navy, their eyes glinting with retribution.
"Run!" the Mage yelped, its bubble flaring as it bolted skyward—splash—a Hydro burst trailing its flight, its staff slashing the air with desperate arcs. Amber's bow snapped up, her Pyro Vision blazing as she loosed an arrow—hiss—its fiery tail grazing the bubble, steam rising as the Mage veered. "Not this time!" she snarled, her green eyes locked on its form, her scout's shame a fuel for this chase. Eula's blade rasped free, her Cryo Vision pulsing as she leapt—crack—ice spiking the stones where the Mage dodged, her voice a cold vow—"Vengeance—served."
But Jean stepped forth, her cape swirling as she raised a hand—whoosh—an Anemo shockwave erupted, its invisible force slamming the Mage earthward—boom—its bubble bursting, its staff skittering across the stones. "Done," it groaned, its robes a heap as it trembled, its Kanrian dream crushed by Mondstadt's might. "Take it to the Knights—I'll follow," Jean said, her blue eyes glinting with a knight's resolve, her voice a quiet thunder as Amber and Eula advanced, their grins wicked—"My turn," Amber chirped; "Grudges repaid," Eula hissed—the Mage's whimpers a lament for its comic-soaked folly.
Jean lingered, her boots scuffing the hardwood as she turned to Harlan, her voice a soft murmur—"Boss… I'm off." Harlan nodded, his grin softening as he leaned back—"Safe trip"—but a spark flared—"Oh, Barbara asked your reward—I spilled. Four-leaf clover pendant." Jean froze, her blue eyes widening as a flush burned her cheeks—"You… told her?!"—her knightly calm shattering, her mind racing—Barbara's giggles, Lisa's smirks, a pact unmasked. "Trouble—Lisa'll tease me 'til dawn," she thought, her Anemo soul wilting at the prospect, her pendant a secret now bared.
"Problem?" Harlan asked, his hazel eyes narrowing with a shopkeeper's curiosity, the pendant's weight a mystery to him—cute, not cursed, why the panic? Jean stammered—"N-No… fine, gotta go!"—her cape a blur as she fled, her blush a beacon in the night, her footsteps a frantic echo down the alley. Harlan watched, his grin tilting—"Likes someone—bet it's that," he mused, his hazel eyes glinting with a silent wager, her flustered exit a puzzle he'd shelve for now.
The shop fell silent, the system flaring—[Task 2 Complete: 30/30 customers—Exclusive Reward Unlocked]. Harlan straightened, his grin sharpening as he set his tea down, his voice a quiet thrill—"Finally—let's see it." The night stretched on, Mondstadt's chaos a backdrop to Galehaven's glow, a reward poised to shift its whimsical tide.
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