Although he didn't understand why those three cards were floating in the air, nor why that belt had suddenly appeared, Cyno knew one thing for sure—this must be one of the new card gameplay mechanics!
Just look at the effects described on those cards!
Cyno could barely contain his excitement.
I have to try this!
It looks incredibly fun, not to mention packed with cutting-edge technology!
"How do you play this?"
"Please, you have to explain it to me!"
Cyno spoke with utmost politeness, his tone carrying an undeniable urgency.
If he couldn't learn about this right away, it would be a massive regret.
As a seasoned card game enthusiast, he could tell at a glance that this thing must be all the rage in Fontaine's court!
After all, if even traveling merchants carried it around, its popularity must be through the roof!
"Play?"
The merchant was taken aback.
Cards… can be played?
Aren't they supposed to be for self-defense and dealing with enemies?
Using them for fun… Well, maybe if they were some kind of amusing skill cards or item cards.
But the ones he had equipped were two offensive skills and one defensive skill!
If he ever had to use them, it would mean he was already in serious danger!
"Wait, they're not for playing?" Cyno asked, confused.
"Not really."
The merchant shook his head. "If you want to compare tiers or card effects… sure, you could play around with them. But no sane person would actually use cards like that! Their real purpose is to protect yourself and take down enemies!"
"Huh?"
Cyno was utterly baffled.
What are you talking about?
Cards are for self-defense and eliminating enemies?
Every word was in Teyvat's common language, so why did it sound like complete nonsense to him?
"Friend, you didn't actually think these were for 'playing' cards, did you?" the other man asked with a strange expression.
"...Aren't they?"
"Definitely not!" Both men shook their heads.
"Fine, I'll just demonstrate it. Then you'll understand."
The merchant glanced around and asked, "This might get a little loud. Is there a safe, open space nearby?"
Cyno frowned. "You even need a specific location for this… Follow me."
He was starting to realize that something was off.
The two merchants weren't surprised.
If they were in Cyno's shoes, they wouldn't have known the true use of these cards either.
After all, before experiencing it firsthand, who would believe it?
Soon, Cyno led them to the shore not far from Port Ormos.
Pointing at the sea, Cyno asked, "Is this open enough? If you'd prefer land, we can go somewhere else. This area shouldn't affect the port."
"This'll do!"
The merchant surveyed the surroundings, then said, "Watch closely. This is how the cards are used!"
With that, the merchant activated [Explosive Combustion], a third-tier Pyro magic skill card!
The moment it was activated, Cyno noticed the edges of the card glowing more intensely, flashing briefly.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive fireball erupted out of thin air, engulfing a hundred-meter radius of the sea dozens of meters away.
Though the explosion lasted only an instant, the intense heat vaporized a significant amount of seawater, leaving the air visibly scorched!
Cyno's pupils contracted, and he instinctively reached for his weapon.
"Whoa, whoa! I was just demonstrating the card's skill! I'm not breaking any laws here, am I?" The merchant panicked.
Cyno slowly snapped back to reality.
Only now did he realize how wrong his assumptions had been!
His preconceived notions had led him to believe the belt and floating cards were some kind of high-tech gimmick—that the cards were just like Genius Invokation TCG, with fun gameplay mechanics.
But no!
You're telling me the effects described on the cards can actually be used in real life?!
Just look at that power!
A hundred-meter diameter—instantly engulfed in terrifying flames! If that were used against monsters… or even people…
Play?
How absurdly wrong could I be?!
"Pretty shocking, huh?" The merchant grinned.
Back when he first saw it, he had been just as stunned. Now, watching Cyno's reaction, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Ah, that dumbfounded caveman look… Yep, I must've had the same expression back then.
Cyno ignored the teasing and asked, "So, a hundred-meter range isn't its full power?"
"Nope!"
The merchant shrugged. "My current equipment is only first-tier, not even close to second-tier yet, so I can't fully unleash a third-tier card's potential. Otherwise… the range wouldn't be just a hundred meters. It'd probably be closer to two hundred."
Cyno: "…"
What the—
You mean a hundred-meter blast radius isn't even its max output?!
I must've played too much Genius Invokation…
Cyno fell into a long silence.
Meanwhile, the other man took out a card.
It transformed into a bird, which soared into the sky in the blink of an eye.
"And… this is?" Cyno's curiosity was piqued again.
He hadn't caught the effect of that card earlier.
"Simple."
"Shared vision."
"Whatever it sees from the sky, I see too. The detection range is about a ten-kilometer radius. It's a skill card, after all. If it were a pet card, there'd be no distance limit."
Cyno: "…"
If the earlier [Explosive Combustion] made him realize the terrifying offensive power of cards…
Then this one showed him their utility!
With something like this, tracking criminals would be a breeze—just lock onto their position, and no matter how far they ran, as long as they stayed within range, they'd never escape!
"Please, you must tell me where these cards come from!" Cyno said solemnly.
"No problem!"
The merchant laughed heartily, then gave Cyno a detailed rundown of the card shop.
"That store is unbelievable. I wonder if there's anything new since we left?" The merchant mused.
Back then, he'd spent a fortune on cards, then realized he needed to earn more Mora to grow stronger. So he immediately set off for Sumeru to do business.
He was among the earliest adopters—now, he didn't even have a phone!
If he did, he'd see just how much Fontaine's court had changed beyond recognition.
"A card shop, huh?"
Cyno committed it to memory.
There was no doubt—the existence of this shop had completely shattered his worldview.
Who could've imagined something like this was real?
But the [Explosive Combustion] and the scouting card had already proven their claims true!
And those were just second and third-tier cards!
What about fourth-tier… or even fifth-tier?!
Cyno fell silent.
He had come to Port Ormos from Sumeru City to apprehend someone. Before setting off, he hadn't heard a single thing about this.
That could only mean one thing—Sumeru was falling behind!
And that was not good news.
Then there was the way the merchants had looked at him earlier…
That gaze—like he was some primitive tribesman living in the Stone Age!
How could he stand that?!
Cyno's urgency skyrocketed.
Next step: catch the target, return to Sumeru City, and report this immediately!
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T/N:
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