Although luck was crucial when opening jars, and empty jars were possible, could it really be this bad?
Right now, Andrei, the manager of Northland Bank, held only three items in his hands: a piece of tattered leather, a stack of paper tags, and a white pill.
Ah, the white pill.
Seeing this pill, Childe paused.
His mind instantly went to the Eternal Youth Pill that Ningguang had pulled.
Only then did Childe pay attention to the white pill in Andrei's hand.
"What is the effect of this pill?"
Childe picked up the white pill from Andrei's hand, examining it while asking, "Is it an Eternal Youth Pill? Or something else? What does it do?"
As he spoke, there was a hint of anticipation in Childe's voice.
It seemed he was hoping to hear from Andrei that this was indeed an Eternal Youth Pill.
"It is not an Eternal Youth Pill."
Hearing Childe's expectant tone, Andrei shook his head. "The shopkeeper said it is a Shrinking Pill. Eating it will make you shrink for ten minutes. After ten minutes, you automatically return to normal."
"Is that so?"
Hearing Andrei's words, Childe's brows furrowed slightly, his earlier anticipation vanishing.
If that was the case, then it was useless.
What use was shrinking?
To him, it was completely worthless.
"What about these two?"
Childe pointed to the Explosive Tags and the tattered leather. "Surely these aren't useless too."
"The leather is just tattered leather, completely useless. The Explosive Tags have some use; they can be stuck to a specific spot and detonated by external force."
Northland Bank Manager Andrei replied respectfully. "Apart from these, there were no other tools. Besides a few empty jars, there were Experience Orbs for slashing and swinging a sword."
As he spoke, Andrei extended his hand to show Childe the calluses on his palm.
Seeing the calluses on Andrei's hand, Childe frowned.
Indeed, these were calluses that only appeared from years of wielding a sword. Andrei didn't have them before, and now he did, which clearly meant he had pulled an Experience Orb.
But spending one million Mora for ten jars and only getting these two usable things... it gave him a headache. It was all trash.
Was Andrei's luck really this bad?
He had been counting on Andrei to pull something good.
"How many empty jars did you get in total?"
Childe frowned. "Tell me from the first jar."
He still couldn't believe Andrei only got these three items.
But even if Andrei had the guts, he wouldn't dare lie to him or hide anything.
Besides, Andrei's clothes didn't have pockets large enough to hide much, so hoarding items seemed impossible.
So he felt Andrei wasn't hiding anything on his person.
Hearing Childe's question, Andrei answered honestly and respectfully, "My first jar was an Experience Orb for 1,000 sword slashes. Then I opened three jars: two were empty, and one contained the tattered leather."
"I continued with three more jars: two empty again, and the last was an Experience Orb for 1,000 sword swings."
"The last three jars were slightly better. Only one was empty. I got this stack of Explosive Tags and the Shrinking Pill."
"Is that so?"
Hearing Andrei's account, Childe frowned.
Andrei had actually pulled five empty jars, two Experience Orbs, and three items of little use. His luck was terrible.
Even Childe himself had pulled ink and rice balls back then.
Come to think of it, their luck was about the same.
Thinking this, Childe felt relieved.
If the luck was bad, so be it.
He would just go back and open jars himself next week.
"Since you've already opened your jars, go back."
Childe pocketed the Shrinking Pill and the Explosive Tags, then turned away without looking back. "Ekaterina hasn't opened jars yet. Go back and take over her work. I'll bring her here to open jars."
"Yes."
Hearing Childe's order, Andrei nodded respectfully, indicating he understood.
Expressionless, he followed Childe part of the way, then returned to Northland Bank.
Meanwhile.
At Wanmin Restaurant.
Wang Ming of the Crux Fleet was sitting with a bowl of instant noodles in his hands.
He picked up the noodles with his chopsticks and ate, his eyes full of delight.
This new delicacy from Wanmin Restaurant was indeed delicious.
No wonder so many people were lining up so early in the morning.
This instant noodle dish was truly tasty.
"I didn't come in vain. These instant noodles are really good. Better than plain vegetable noodles, and cheaper too."
"Yeah, mainly because the price is affordable. I didn't disappoint you, did I?"
"Haha, I have to thank you. If you hadn't brought me, I wouldn't have known Wanmin Restaurant had a new dish."
"You just got back, so you don't know the big events in Liyue. I'll take you around later. You have no idea—shocking things have happened in Liyue these past few days."
"What shocking things?"
"Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan of Liyue, opened the Liyue Bank. Residents can deposit and withdraw money without fees, and they keep it safe for free. The longer you deposit, the more interest you earn. And they give gifts too."
"Damn? Such a good thing exists? No wonder when I came back last night, I heard people talking about Liyue Bank. I didn't pay attention and thought Northland Bank was up to something again. Doesn't this mean Northland Bank is in trouble?"
"Exactly. Many people say Lady Ningguang opened Liyue Bank specifically to counter Northland Bank. Also, a mysterious Jar Shop has appeared."
"What Jar Shop?"
"Hehe, I won't say for now. I'll take you there later, and you'll see."
"Damn it, I hate when you speak only halfway."
...
As Wang Ming ate, the people around him discussed while eating, leaving Wang Ming stunned.
Jar Shop? What Jar Shop?
The next second, Wang Ming couldn't be bothered to think about it. He continued eating the noodles in front of him and quickly finished the bowl.
"So satisfying."
With a bowl of noodles in his stomach, Wang Ming felt incredibly refreshed.
By now, Wanmin Restaurant wasn't as crowded as when he first arrived.
Many people had finished eating and left, while others grabbed takeout for breakfast on their way to work.
So Chef Mao had some free time.
Wang Ming standing up immediately caught Chef Mao's attention.
"You haven't gone to buy your supplies yet. Go buy the other things first, then come back around noon. I should have everything packed for you by then."
Chef Mao looked at Wang Ming and smiled. "Also, I recommend buying some of these instant noodles."
Saying that, Chef Mao pointed to the few remaining blocks of instant noodles. "These are perfect for you sailors. Just soak them in boiling water for a few minutes, and they're ready to eat. As for the seasoning, I can pack it separately for you. You can just heat it up later."
"Soak for a few minutes?"
Hearing Chef Mao, Wang Ming was shocked. "No need to cook?"
Although he had just lined up and ordered a bowl, he had sat down immediately after ordering and hadn't paid attention to how Chef Mao prepared it.
He thought Chef Mao cooked it in a big pot.
He had been curious why the noodles were served so quickly but didn't think much of it at the time.
Now that he was full, he learned that these noodles only needed to be soaked for a while to eat?
And the people around him just now were discussing some Liyue Bank. He learned that Lady Ningguang had made such a big move. He had to bring this news back to Captain Beidou.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Hearing Wang Ming's question, black lines appeared on Chef Mao's forehead.
So this guy didn't watch me make the noodles just now.
"Didn't you notice your noodles came out very quickly? They weren't cooked; the noodle block was just soaked in my hot bone broth pot."
Chef Mao shook his head and explained, "These instant noodles can serve as dry rations. They have a long shelf life. You can eat them dry or soak them in boiling water. If you eat them dry, add some seasoning powder. If you soak them, pack the seasoning separately and heat it up later. In just over a minute, you can have a delicious bowl of noodles. I think your crew needs this."
"That sounds great."
Hearing Chef Mao's explanation, Wang Ming's eyes lit up.
These noodles really were convenient.
He had tasted how delicious they were, so he chuckled and said, "Then get me a few hundred blocks."
"What nonsense are you talking about..."
Hearing Wang Ming's request, Chef Mao looked speechless.
A few hundred blocks? He didn't have that kind of stock right now. Only after mass production began would he have that many.
"I only have these three blocks left right now. If you want them, I'll pack them for you. It's not much, but next time you come, you can buy in bulk. Wanmin Restaurant would love to supply the Crux Fleet."
"Deal."
Hearing Chef Mao, Wang Ming nodded readily. "Then I'll go buy the other things now. Please cook some of the usual dishes for me, and I'll come pick them up later."
With that, Wang Ming left.
Chef Mao got busy again, preparing the dishes Wang Ming ordered.
"Chef Mao."
Just as Chef Mao turned around, a crisp voice rang out.
A beautiful young girl with coral-colored waist-length hair and a red hat, holding a book in both hands, stood grinning at the entrance of Wanmin Restaurant.
"Yanfei."
Seeing the visitor, Chef Mao chuckled. "A rare guest. Are you here to see Xiangling?"
Yanfei and his daughter Xiangling were good friends, and she used to come here often.
But lately, perhaps due to being busy, she had seen his daughter less and visited Wanmin Restaurant less frequently.
But that didn't affect the friendship between Yanfei and Xiangling.
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