Four in the afternoon.
At the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, Amber clocked out an hour early thanks to a day off she had requested. Her mood was bright.
Although Collei had already spoken with her over video call about her health, Amber still needed to see her in person to be completely reassured. Traveling back and forth usually took quite a bit of time, and Amber couldn't just leave work whenever she wanted.
But today was different.
Boss Lu had just opened a semi-finished branch store in Sumeru!
That meant Amber could teleport straight to Sumeru City, then drive over to Gandharva Ville.
So when Lu Heng announced his new Sumeru branch, Amber had already made up her mind.
Stepping out of the office building, she thought about the terrain of Sumeru and chose an off-road motorcycle. She rode it to the Mondstadt store, packed away her trusty mount in the Mora Vault, and stepped through the portal to Sumeru.
The moment she pushed open the door, Amber felt the air itself was different.
Of course it was—Sumeru City was built on a giant tree, surrounded by lush nature.
Outside the shop, she saw a long line of locals waiting with excitement and amazement written on their faces as they queued for the new phones. The sight reminded Amber of when the Mondstadt branch first opened.
She smiled nostalgically, then pulled out her phone to navigate—only to spot Lu Heng and Tighnari walking toward her.
"Boss Lu!" Amber waved cheerfully.
"Amber?" Lu Heng blinked in surprise before quickly putting the pieces together. "So, coming to Sumeru today means you're heading to Gandharva Ville to see Collei?"
"Exactly!" Amber nodded enthusiastically, then turned to Tighnari. "I didn't tell her I was coming—I want it to be a surprise. She should be in Gandharva Ville right now, right?"
Tighnari smiled. "Since I was reassigned back to Sumeru City, Collei has been promoted from trainee to full forest ranger. At this time of day she might be out patrolling. Let me check for you."
"That would be great, thank you!" Amber said eagerly.
Tighnari sent a quick message, got a reply, and told her, "You're lucky. She's in Gandharva Ville right now."
"Perfect!" Amber grinned. "Then I'm heading out right away!"
"Be careful—the roads in the rainforest can be slick," Lu Heng reminded her.
"A scouting knight doesn't make rookie mistakes like that! Thanks though!" she giggled, then hopped back on her bike and sped off along the route marked on her phone.
Watching her go, Tighnari remarked, "It's really good for Collei to have such a lively friend."
"She's not as withdrawn as she used to be, is she?" Lu Heng raised a brow.
"Much better now," Tighnari admitted, though he rubbed his temples. "But with her being a ranger, I still can't help worrying. And there's her studies… though at least I can teach her online classes in the evenings."
"That's important," Lu Heng nodded. "Come on, let's head to the Liyue branch."
Tighnari had come with a mission.
Originally, Alhaitham planned to prepare thirty billion Mora for the project, but Tighnari managed to gather forty billion by working overtime. The Dendro Archon had approved his trip to deliver it to Lu Heng, to lay the foundation of a nationwide card system.
So far, only Mondstadt and Fontaine had managed to establish a national-level system.
Liyue hadn't, for two reasons: the transition of the Golden House, and their desire to make one massive investment later—hundreds of billions at once—instead of piecemeal.
As for Inazuma… well, they were still cleaning up their mess, and had little spare Mora.
Through the portal they arrived at the Liyue branch.
"Hard to say if it's the Archon's generosity or her faith in my luck," Tighnari joked. "If I pull badly, I'd feel like I'd let her down, and the whole nation with me."
"Feeling the pressure?" Lu Heng chuckled.
"Who wouldn't?" Tighnari sighed. He had been reluctant to come at first. One bad result and the guilt would eat him alive.
"Don't worry. Luck doesn't swing wildly in an instant," Lu Heng reassured him as he opened the warehouse door. "Here's the system."
Tighnari's eyes widened. "Even more advanced than the Akasha. And you're only selling it for ten billion? You're not losing money?"
"Not at all," Lu Heng shook his head. "Different tech levels mean different costs. A phone might cost twenty thousand to make in Sumeru, but only five thousand in Liyue. Selling to Sumeru at under twenty thousand is still fair."
"I see… It still amazes me how generous you are."
Lu Heng only smiled.
Tighnari deposited the forty billion Mora, transferred ten billion to Lu Heng, then bound himself as the temporary administrator and stored away the system.
"Over here," Lu Heng gestured toward the counter.
They converted thirty billion into draws. Even Tighnari felt his chest tighten—the pressure was immense. This wasn't his Mora, after all. He represented the Archon and the nation.
He steadied his breathing, then tapped for a hundred-thousand-pull.
A brilliant golden light flared, brighter than a normal five-star pull.
Relief washed over him. The brightness meant multiple gold cards. The slight reddish tint hinted at cards of extreme quality—close to the sixth tier, the absolute peak of the fifth.
In moments, three golden cards materialized, alongside a pile of purples and an enormous stack of lesser cards.
"Not bad," Lu Heng said with a grin. "Want to keep going and check later?"
"Let's finish all the draws first," Tighnari decided.
He drew again—another three golden cards. His heart eased further.
At the final pull, the gold light deepened, tinged with red. Lu Heng raised a brow. That shimmer marked a card at the absolute limit of the fifth tier, teetering toward the sixth. The best example was Keqing's [Way of the Sword].
In short, the card would be a sovereign among fifth-tier powers.
"Congratulations," Lu Heng smiled.
Four golden cards appeared. One of them glowed with a faint red hue.
Tighnari's breath caught. "Please, don't let it be just a material card…"
"Let's see," Lu Heng said, flipping it over.
The card depicted a small bird, feathers just beginning to grow, with a tuft of hair-like fluff on its head. Behind it loomed the shadow of a massive bird, wings spread, three long tail-feathers trailing behind like fire.
The sight was oddly familiar.
Lu Heng used appraisal.
[Vermilion Bird – Juvenile]
[Tier]: Fifth – Gold (Potential: Fifth Tier Extreme)
[Type]: Pet Card
[Traits]: Soul Guide, Gift of Immortality, Power of the Stars, Southern Flame, Auspicious, Nirvana, Divine
[Description]: An ancient divine bird said to guide departed souls and grant eternal life. Legend has it that even if its body is destroyed, as long as fire still burns in the world, it can be reborn from the flames.
Lu Heng's eyes widened. The Vermilion Bird—one of the Four Sacred Beasts.
A whole list of divine traits… so this was the might of the ancients.
Though likely from a smaller world's version of the myth, it was still overwhelming.
He chuckled to himself, wondering: if fifth-tier pools could give this, could something like Pangu's Axe show up too?
Tighnari grew nervous at Lu Heng's silence. "This card… is it bad?"
"Not at all," Lu Heng laughed. "On the contrary, it's so powerful that within the fifth tier, it has almost no rival. You can relax."
"Wonderful!" Tighnari let out a deep breath, his face breaking into a smile. "Even just this card alone would be enough to complete my mission."
"Exactly. From its description alone, you can tell how valuable it is."
"It's still a juvenile… what does it eat?" Tighnari asked curiously.
Lu Heng thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Not sure. But divine beasts like this are usually born speaking. You can just ask it."
"Hopefully Sumeru's resources can raise it well," Tighnari muttered.
"It won't bankrupt a nation," Lu Heng chuckled. "And remember—it's still a card. You can feed it card experience instead."
"True enough."
They turned to the second card.
It depicted a whip, inscribed with glowing runes.
[God-Smashing Whip]
[Tier]: Fifth – Gold
[Type]: Equipment Card
[Traits]: God-Slaying, Weapon
[Description]: If a god refuses to obey, strike them down with this whip.
It wasn't the legendary whip from the myths, but a formidable weapon nonetheless, crafted to strike with added power against beings of divine rank.
"Not something Nahida would like," Lu Heng mused.
Tighnari looked awkward. "I think the little Archon is well-behaved enough…"
"Probably," Lu Heng admitted with a laugh.
They moved on to the third card.
Dots of light connected across the image.
[Synchronized Link]
[Tier]: Fifth – Gold
[Type]: Skill Card
[Traits]: Share Burden, Group Amplification
[Description]: Even thoughts can resonate in unison.
"This one's fascinating," Lu Heng explained. "Say three or five people link together. They share power, enhanced by the skill. Damage taken by one gets spread across the group. A fatal blow to one becomes serious injuries to all. And attacks launched together get amplified. Even their thoughts can synchronize."
Tighnari's eyes widened. "So if the Archon linked us all… would that make every Sumeran another Dendro Archon?"
"For a moment, yes," Lu Heng smiled.
"Only for a moment?"
"Could your mind withstand her full wisdom?" Lu Heng shook his head. "No mortal could hold it for long. A second or two, and your consciousness would collapse."
Tighnari thought for a while, then asked, "If several peak fourth-tiers linked together… could they defeat a fifty-first-floor champion of the Tower?"
"Possibly," Lu Heng said after some thought. "The leap between realms is steep, but the chance is there. Against someone just one or two levels higher, the odds improve greatly."
Tighnari nodded, satisfied. "Then this is a very strong card indeed."
"Agreed," Lu Heng said, flipping to the last.
It showed grains of sand, dark and faintly sparking with lightning.
[Purple Cloud Tribulation Sand]
Sand that had been struck repeatedly by heavenly lightning, infused with its aura. Strong, but with limited uses. Refining elixirs? Pointless. Forging weapons? Only under strict conditions. Cultivation aid? Only with the right methods.
Useless for most.
Lu Heng sighed, setting it aside. "Good material, but not practical."
And with that, the haul was done.
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T/N:
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