Inside the shop.
Watching Hanachirusato complete her first card appraisal so smoothly, Lu Heng felt delighted.
It was like a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders now that he finally had someone to share the work with.
"From now on, card appraisal is in your hands," Lu Heng said, entrusting her with the task.
"Got it!" Hanachirusato answered happily, her face full of energy.
Having work to do meant she had value. If she spent every day doing nothing, life would feel unbearably empty. Seeing how eager she was made Lu Heng feel a little embarrassed. How could someone be this passionate about going to work?
After thinking about it, he realized maybe it was just him being too soft. If it were Zhongli, and he had an employee like Ganyu who loved work this much, he'd probably be laughing every day.
Still, Lu Heng decided to keep things humane. Hanachirusato's job only required about an hour each day. Aside from not having holidays, the work was ridiculously easy. No reason for guilt—he wasn't some capitalist boss squeezing his workers dry.
After giving her instructions, Lu Heng turned and noticed Yae Miko. That's when he remembered something.
He pressed a finger to his temple, and a glowing fragment of memory condensed into a bead. He placed it on the table.
Hanachirusato blinked curiously.
Moments later, the door opened.
A massive mechanical spider scuttled in, easily the size of a calf. It climbed onto the table and swallowed the memory bead in one gulp.
"Eh?!"
Hanachirusato jumped back, startled by its sheer presence. Its size alone was terrifying enough.
"Wow!" Paimon floated closer, studying it carefully. "So this is the Civilization Core? Doesn't it look a little… chubby?"
"?"
The spider-like machine lifted its head, as if confused by the comment.
Did technology even have concepts like being overweight? Well, maybe not for most things—but for the Civilization Core, it actually could.
"Don't be afraid. This is our first employee, the Civilization Core," Lu Heng said with a smile.
"Ohh, so that's what it is." Hanachirusato finally understood.
Phones and other electronics had all been created by it. Its abilities were incredible—it could literally eat garbage and produce advanced technology.
"Lu, what did you just feed it?" Paimon asked curiously.
"Just a memory," Lu Heng replied calmly.
The Civilization Core's abilities bordered on terrifying. By consuming his memories of Changli, it could instantly generate designs of her outfits and accessories.
Lu Heng summoned a glowing orb in his hand, which transformed into a shimmering ball of yarn. He tossed it to the spider.
"Use this to weave."
The Core picked it up, examined it with its multi-faceted eyes, then nodded. The energy thread had been condensed directly from Lu Heng's power, carrying extraordinary properties. Since this was for Yae Miko, there was no way he'd skimp on quality.
"You finished already?" Lu Heng asked Paimon.
Paimon shrugged. "What's there to finish? Just let the AI prepare the gift packs, record the addresses, and that's it. The only problem is delivery… Maybe we could ask Kirara?"
"Kirara, huh…" Lu Heng thought for a moment. "That works. She'd probably love it."
For Kirara, courier work wasn't just a job—it was her passion. The company she worked for often handled international deliveries, so she wasn't confined to just one region. Not only could she see the joy on people's faces when receiving packages, she also got to travel the world on company time. It was the perfect job.
Considering that Ying's livestream audience was global, Kirara would likely need to cross several nations. It would be hectic, with little time to enjoy the scenery.
"I'll contact her right away!" Paimon declared, then suddenly froze. "Wait, Lu, do you even have Kirara's number?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"…Then I'll have to put in an order at Komaniya Express later."
"You can make things easier by sorting the packages ahead of time," Lu Heng suggested. "Send Mondstadt's packages to the Mondstadt branch, Liyue's to Liyue, and so on. That way, whether customers pick them up themselves or Kirara delivers them, it'll all be much smoother."
"Oh, right!" Paimon smacked her forehead, then gave him a thumbs-up. "Lu, you're a genius. Hanachirusato, help me out!"
Hanachirusato glanced at Lu Heng.
"Go on. She can't carry much on her own anyway," he chuckled.
"Hehe!"
If anyone else had said that, Paimon would've snapped back. But since it was Lu Heng, she only grinned and said: "You're right, Lu!"
Yae Miko, meanwhile, was watching the Civilization Core. The mechanical spider was weaving with the energy yarn. The sight was bizarrely harmonious.
"What is it doing?" Ying asked, confused.
"Making me clothes," Yae Miko answered lightly.
"…Why you?" Ying looked baffled. With Yae's status, did she really need to make her own requests at Wanmin Hall?
"Because Lu prepared them for me," Yae said with a sly smile. "Want to know what kind of outfit?"
Ying froze, staring at both Yae and the spider. Her fists clenched. "What kind?" she asked stiffly.
"Of course, something proper to wear outside," Yae chuckled. "What did you think?"
Ying was speechless. She could only glare, feeling powerless. "Who taught you to talk like this?"
"No one. I'm self-taught," Yae answered sweetly.
"You're such a wicked woman!" Ying muttered, grinding her teeth.
"Don't wrong me. If this counts as wicked, what would Furcalors be?" Yae replied with a knowing smile.
"Furcalors… I've never met her, I don't know," Ying admitted.
"You will, sooner or later. Just… be careful."
"She's not dangerous, is she?" Ying frowned.
"Not dangerous, no. But she'll embarrass you until you want to crawl into the ground."
Even Yae sometimes had to read Furcalors's messages alone. They were too much to look at in front of others.
"Then I'm doomed." Ying sighed in despair.
"Will you help me when that day comes, Lady Yae?" Ying clasped her hands together, almost praying.
"We'll see~" Yae teased with a smile.
Just then, Lu Heng came over. "We're heading to Komaniya Express. You coming?"
"To see the kitty?" Yae asked, amused.
"Paimon has business, but yes, I wouldn't mind seeing her too. A two-tailed cat sounds interesting. Last time I touched Diona's tail, the feel was unforgettable."
"You like tails that much?" Yae's expression turned playful.
"Of course!"
She leaned in close, whispering in his ear: "Then… would you like Changli with a long, fluffy fox tail?"
Lu Heng's eyes widened. That… sounded amazing.
He grabbed Yae's hand, his expression solemn. "Lady Yae, I'm counting on you!"
"Leave it to me~" Yae replied, turning with a sly look at Ying, as if to say: See? This is how easily men fall into my hands.
Ying could only stare in awe. At her age, to feel like such a rookie before Yae… it was humiliating. She had to learn.
"Let's go," Lu Heng said with a smile.
They stepped through the shop's portal and arrived at the Inazuma branch.
"I'll lead the way," Yae offered. She knew every notable youkai in the city.
Before long, they arrived at Komaniya Express. The place was bustling, couriers sorting packages everywhere.
"Lady Guuji?" The boss froze when he saw Yae.
"No need to be nervous. We're here to see Kirara," Yae said kindly.
"Oh! Kirara! Lady Guuji is here for you!"
"Coming!" A lively voice rang out, and soon the cheerful girl bounded over.
"Lady Guuji!"
Kirara always held deep respect for Yae. For a young nekomata like her, Yae was a figure of awe. Yet Yae had been nothing but kind, teaching her how to adapt to human society. Thanks to Yae's guidance, she had blended in smoothly.
So every time she saw Yae, Kirara was full of enthusiasm.
"This time, we need your help," Yae explained with a smile.
"My help?" Kirara tilted her head, then quickly nodded. "Of course! If I can help, leave it to me!"
She turned her head—and froze.
"Mr. Lu?!"
Kirara's eyes widened. His reputation in Inazuma had grown quickly. The common belief was clear: this man was even more powerful than the Raiden Shogun herself. Definitely not someone to offend.
"H-Hello!" she greeted nervously, her twin tails twitching.
"Hello," Lu Heng said warmly. "This is the Traveler Ying, this is Paimon, and this is Hanachirusato. We came to ask for your help."
"Nice to meet you all!" Kirara greeted politely. "What do you need?"
"Deliveries!" Paimon said brightly. "Lots of international ones!"
"My job is to deliver packages across nations?!" Kirara's eyes lit up, her tails swaying excitedly.
Because of the sakoku decree, she hadn't delivered abroad in ages. Now that Inazuma was open again, she'd been hoping for new opportunities—but nothing had come yet. And now, here was an enormous order, right in front of her!
"Don't worry, the pay's generous," Paimon grinned.
"Then I'll take it!" Kirara said firmly. "What's the deadline?"
"We've thought of that already," Lu Heng assured her. "The packages will be sent to each branch. You can deliver them region by region at your own pace. Even if it takes longer, customers will understand."
"Right~" Paimon added. "There are over ten thousand packages, so don't stress too much."
"T-Ten thousand?!" Kirara almost fainted. A month might not even be enough.
"Don't be scared," Lu Heng said with a mischievous smile. "Times have changed. Who says you have to rely only on your legs? Let me introduce you to a transport helicopter—payload fifteen tons, max speed 280 kilometers per hour!"
Everyone blinked. Weren't they just here to pet the cat? Now he was pitching sales?
"What's a helicopter?" Kirara asked curiously.
"Here." Lu Heng pulled out his phone and played a video.
Kirara leaned closer, her eyes widening in amazement. A machine that could carry tons of cargo across vast distances in hours?!
"The fuel cost must be crazy," Paimon muttered.
"Not if the client pays extra for speed," Lu Heng said confidently.
In his old world, these cost billions. Here, with the Civilization Core producing them, the cost was little more than scraps. He could sell one for a reasonable price and still make a fortune.
Kirara's eyes sparkled, but then she looked at her wallet and wilted.
Seeing her longing, Yae Miko chuckled. "One tail-touch, one million mora discount."
"?" Kirara froze.
"That's right," Paimon said with a wicked grin. "Pet her tails a hundred times, and it's free!"
Kirara's face burned red. She looked at the helicopter, then at her swishing tails. The temptation was real.
Even the boss of Komaniya Express opened his mouth, but one look from Yae silenced him. He understood now—this group came here for the cat's tails!
"Think it over," Ying said seriously. "With this, you could deliver ten tons of grain in no time, with no risk of being late. And you'd be enjoying music while flying, stress-free."
"And the view from the skies," Yae added with a sly smile.
"Ahh…" Kirara's tails stood straight up. She wanted it even more now.
Hanachirusato stayed silent, watching them all shamelessly con a poor innocent cat.
Was this really okay?
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T/N:
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