Han Feng shot a surprised glance at little Paimon.
When did she become this bold?
Could it be that, after using the Transformation Art, since her face and voice weren't her own, she just let loose completely?
Han Feng felt that was probably the case.
It was like in his previous life—
some shy or socially anxious people would suddenly feel much more confident once they put on a mask.
While Han Feng pondered, Paimon fluttered back to Lumine with a pitiful look on her face.
"Alright, don't pull that again next time!" Lumine sighed helplessly.
She wasn't really that angry.
It was just… seeing "herself" clinging to Boss Han's arm made her feel way too embarrassed.
Especially since Boss Han hadn't even tried to stop it.
That alone was enough to send her heart into chaos.
She had no choice but to mask it all with a show of fake anger.
"Heehee, okay!" Paimon agreed quickly.
But behind Lumine's back, she sneakily flashed a victory sign toward Han Feng!
"H-Han Boss, we'll get going for today. We'll be back tomorrow," Lumine said, stepping forward a little awkwardly.
Even though it hadn't been her that touched him, she still felt unbelievably shy.
It was such a strange feeling.
"Looking forward to your next visit," Han Feng nodded.
With that, Lumine and Paimon left the manga shop.
"Paimon, where to now?" Lumine asked.
At this point, she felt like she didn't want to do anything besides reading manga.
"Let's hit the tavern for a drink—gotta celebrate our rewards!" Paimon suggested.
"That's a good idea!" Lumine nodded in agreement.
She'd been in Mondstadt this long and had never even stepped into a bar.
Might as well give it a try.
After deciding on their destination, the two made their way toward The Angel's Share, the tavern said to be run by Diluc.
But neither of them noticed the cloaked, masked man slipping inside after them…
Once the girls left, Venti finally closed the last page of his manga.
"Boss Han, you almost fooled me! So Devil Fruits are actually that nasty?"
Putting down the book, Venti let out a sigh of relief.
To think he'd once thought Diluc's fruit had looked delicious…
Turns out it was just nice on the outside.
"That's because you haven't eaten one yet. You'd know if you did," Han Feng replied smoothly, with that trust me, I'd never lie to you expression.
Venti: (⊙_⊙)
With all my years of scamming experience… yeah, you're definitely scamming me.
He was no stranger to Han Feng's silver tongue.
This guy's skills were at least on par with his own—if not worse, better.
So he didn't believe a single word.
"Ahh, you're not so easy to fool," Han Feng sighed.
Women really were better for this—
say anything, and they'd believe it.
Just then—
[Customer Venti has finished reading One Piece: East Blue Saga, and receives reward—West Sea Wine.]
[West Sea Wine: Brewed in the West Sea, homeland of Red-Haired Shanks, from 'water that stings the skin with joy.']
"Well, that's quite fitting for Venti," Han Feng smiled.
Even Whitebeard himself had praised this drink, so it had to be first-class.
Buzz—
A flash of light shimmered, and a wooden barrel appeared at Venti's feet.
"West Sea Wine. You'll like this one," Han Feng chuckled.
"Wine?!" Venti's face lit up with excitement.
He'd never tasted alcohol from another world before.
Without hesitation, he pried the barrel open.
Instantly, a rich fragrance wafted out.
"Good wine!" Venti exclaimed, eyes gleaming.
Yes… this needed to be savored.
He should share it with Dvalin.
It would be too cruel not to.
"Boss, I'll be off then," Venti said, and with his feline beast companion in tow, slipped away happily.
The manga shop fell silent again, leaving Han Feng alone.
He pulled up his system panel.
[Host: Han Feng]
[Manga: One Piece: East Blue, Cardcaptor Sakura, Digimon Adventure, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cooking Master Boy, Cautious Hero, Detective Conan, Journey to the West]
[Quest 1: Serve 10 customers to draw 1 manga. Progress: 2/10, Draws: 0]
[Quest 2: Serve 100 customers to earn an exclusive reward. Progress: 19/100]
"Nineteen customers by noon, not bad at all," Han Feng nodded in satisfaction.
In truth, more had come through earlier,
but with limited copies of manga, only so many could actually read.
Duplicating books was pointless—the system didn't recognize them.
Still, he was happy with the pace.
"Wonder if we'll break forty today?" Han Feng mused.
If so, he could hit the hundred by tomorrow and claim his next exclusive reward.
Last time he'd gotten Imagine Breaker. What would it be this time?
"Ah right, I totally forgot about that!"
Thinking of his ability, Han Feng smacked his forehead.
He'd meant to test it on Venti—
but had gotten too absorbed in cooking and lost track.
Next time, then.
With that, Han Feng leaned back and relaxed, waiting for the next batch of customers.
Outside Mondstadt, Wolvendom.
At that moment, Bennett was out on an adventure.
"Still unlucky as ever, huh…"
After rummaging through a chest only to find a handful of Mora, he sighed.
He'd been at it since morning,
but all he'd gathered was some food and maybe a few thousand Mora.
At least one good thing—
no monsters had bothered him so far.
Usually, he'd stumble into Hilichurl camps or get swarmed by Slimes.
His luck was that bad.
But today was different.
"Hey, but this time I've got a trump card!"
Thinking of the random skill card he'd gotten yesterday, Bennett's confidence swelled.
He'd already decided how to use it:
When facing a strong enemy, right at the moment he was about to black out—
he'd trigger the card.
"Yeah, that's gotta be the best way to unleash its power," he told himself.
"Anyway, no point overthinking. I've been wandering all morning without seeing a single monster. What, are they all saving themselves up for later? Hahaha—"
But the laugh died on his lips.
Because just ahead, a group of Slimes was bouncing straight toward him.
Bennett frowned.
Something felt off.
He turned—
only to see another group blocking the rear.
"Sigh, should've kept my mouth shut," he muttered bitterly.
Still, he wasn't too worried.
There were a lot of them, sure,
but regular Slimes were well within his ability.
And indeed, after a fight, he cleared most of them out—
except for two, each with strange horns sprouting from their heads.
Sensing the threat, the horned Slimes narrowed their eyes.
Then, like balloons filling with air, their bodies began to swell.
In the blink of an eye, two giant Slimes loomed before Bennett.
"You… you've got to be kidding me?!"
Bennett staggered back, stunned.
He'd only taken out a few regular Slimes—
and now these things?
This wasn't a game.
Giant Slimes weren't nearly so easy to handle.
And there were two of them.
Trouble.
But then he remembered the random skill card in his pocket.
Confidence returned.
"Alright then, bring it on!"
He charged with his sword.
Even so, the giants were fierce.
He barely managed to cut one down before the other smashed him away.
Bang!
He hit the ground hard, dazed, vision blurring.
"N-Now's the time!"
As the giant Slime closed in, Bennett pulled out the random skill card and flung it forward.
Fwoom!
The black card erupted in dazzling light—
so bright it shone even under the midday sun.
The giant Slime halted, instincts telling it to be cautious.
Bennett's heart raced.
"Yes, it worked—it's gotta be some amazing skill!"
Even through the haze in his mind, he was thrilled.
This meant his luck was turning around at last!
But then—
A crisp voice rang out from the light:
"Air Cannon!"
The glow condensed into a small shockwave that shot at the Slime.
Pop!
It made a neat little sound… and then vanished.
Bennett: (⊙⊙)
Giant Slimes: (⊙⊙)
~~--------------------------------------
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