"This is already the second person without Mora. I wonder if this kind of situation will keep happening in the future."
Watching Mona already deeply absorbed in her manga, Paimon couldn't help but sigh.
Though Boss Han's manga was amazing and worth every coin, money was still the hard gate. Without Mora, you didn't even have the chance to read.
If Mona hadn't run into her and Lumine today, she'd probably just be standing around pitifully watching.
"There'll definitely be more."
Han Feng smiled knowingly.
He was well aware that there were many like her in Teyvat.
Take little Klee, for example. She didn't have much Mora of her own. The only reason she could come read here was because Jean had given her some in advance.
And over in Liyue—there was the Geo Archon himself, Rex Lapis, who had absolutely no concept of money.
Not to mention that shut-in in Inazuma, Raiden Ei, who lived in her plane of consciousness and never carried Mora on her.
These two alone proved it—once Solace Book store expanded into Liyue and Inazuma, the scenes were bound to be entertaining. Han Feng was honestly looking forward to it.
"Right, I should be able to draw a new manga now?"
Han Feng suddenly remembered.
Previously, Task 1 was just short one customer. And with Mona arriving, the requirement had been met.
"System, draw a new manga."
[Drawing…]
[Manga Drawn: Journey to the West]
[Journey to the West: Tells the tale of Sun Wukong, born from stone and later wreaking havoc in Heaven. After his defeat, he meets Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon Horse. Together, they journey west to retrieve sacred scriptures, battling demons and surviving eighty-one tribulations before finally reaching the Buddha in the West, where the five companions attain enlightenment.]
"Well, this one will be interesting."
Han Feng grinned.
Journey to the West was one of the most timeless classics.
Other works like Romance of the Three Kingdoms could feel a bit heavy, but not this one.
It was truly for all ages—something grandparents and children alike could enjoy.
Especially the thrilling battles between immortals, demons, and the iconic eighty-one tribulations the party endured. Pure brilliance.
The TV series adaptation had even been rebroadcast over 3,000 times, dominating every summer and winter break.
Han Feng had no doubt his customers would love it.
A flash of light later, the manga Journey to the West appeared on the counter.
Glancing at Lumine and Paimon, who looked a little bored now, Han Feng chuckled.
"A new manga just arrived. Want to take a look?"
"Huh? Already? Is it Doraemon?"
Paimon's eyes widened in excitement.
"Nope, this one's called Journey to the West. It's every bit as exciting though."
Han Feng pulled out the newly manifested manga.
"Journey to the West? What a weird name…"
Paimon scratched her head.
But when she saw the fierce, majestic Sun Wukong on the cover, her eyes lit up instantly.
"I wanna read it!"
She happily accepted the manga. As for the Cooking Master Boy she'd been eyeing, that could wait for next time. Lunchtime was almost here anyway—Boss Han's cooking was something she couldn't miss.
Seeing her interest, Lumine also handed over 200,000 Mora.
"Hey, Lumine, let's read it together! That way we can discuss the story!"
Paimon suggested eagerly.
So far, the two of them had only read one manga in common. Afterward, they couldn't talk much about the plot without risking spoilers, which killed a lot of fun.
But if they read together, it'd be perfect.
"Alright."
Lumine agreed after a moment's thought.
There weren't other new titles anyway, so she might as well join Paimon.
The two found a corner, happily opened the book, and were instantly sucked in.
"Huh?! A monkey just jumped out of a rock?!"
"See? Even the heavens shook! That monkey's definitely the protagonist."
"Whoa, he even became the Monkey King!"
"So what? He's still gonna face danger."
"Ah, so he's going overseas… Bet he'll learn immortality and become invincible!"
The two read while commenting nonstop, completely hooked.
Listening to them, Han Feng felt nostalgic.
When he first read Journey to the West in his previous life, he'd thought the same—once the Monkey King mastered his arts, he'd be unstoppable.
But destiny had other plans.
After his rampage in Heaven, Sun Wukong was crushed under Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years. Later, he had to escort a monk to the West, never regaining his former glory as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Still, as a pure adventure tale, it remained brilliant.
"Almost lunchtime."
Han Feng checked the time.
He figured there wouldn't be more customers for now. Once today's batch finished up, he could start cooking.
With the special chef's skills from Cooking Master Boy, he was already itching to get into the kitchen.
Ruins of the Wind Dragon.
After Lumine and her companions had lifted the curse on Dvalin, the dragon hadn't returned. The Abyss Order still occupied the ruins.
A battered blue Abyss Mage stumbled back to the site, looking utterly miserable.
"Waaah, I finally made it back… that was too much…"
It sobbed pitifully.
Those two women were ruthless!
Just for reading a manga and eating a little food—did they really have to torture it like that?!
But when it remembered the taste of last night's Mapo Tofu, its mouth watered again. That flavor was unforgettable. If only it could taste it again…
Still, the report came first. The prince had to know.
It hurried along and soon found Aether.
"Y-you… what happened to you?"
Aether froze at the sight. His subordinate was covered in lumps and bruises, completely unlike the normally clean and meticulous Abyss Mages—especially the Hydro ones, who prided themselves on neatness.
"Your Highness… it's a long story. Here's what happened…"
The mage recounted its entire ordeal, especially the mysterious "Solace Book House." It spared no detail, heaping endless praise on the place.
"You mean to say… that shop gives out rewards just by reading manga?!"
Aether's eyes widened in disbelief.
He had traveled across worlds himself, yet he had never encountered anything like this.
"Yes, Your Highness. And I heard that your own blood relative… even her Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon—the three-headed silver dragon—was a reward from there."
It shared what it had overheard. At first, it hadn't believed it either.
But after tasting that Mapo Tofu, it was convinced—the young shopkeeper was no ordinary man.
"Lumine's power… and that dragon, both from there?"
Aether's heart trembled.
Reading manga to gain such impossible rewards… even the Archons couldn't achieve something like that!
Maybe not even Celestia itself.
Thinking of the recent chain of events—
The failure of the Stormterror plan,
Mondstadt's leaders suddenly growing stronger,
And the appearance of a massive dragon—
Aether felt the unbelievable might just be real.
"…Looks like I'll need to find a chance to visit that place myself."
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