He remembered now.
The small Fire Dragon at Hu Tao's feet must have hatched from that egg.
It really was cute. He wanted to hold it.
"Wenqi, do you remember?"
Doyle whispered to his partner. "When Director Hu came to open jars, she left carrying a red egg, remember?"
"Mhm, I remember."
Wenqi nodded. "It must have hatched from that egg. But I don't think it looks like a Fire Dragon. What kind of dragon is this cute?"
"Exactly."
Wenqi nodded in agreement.
How could such an adorable creature be a dragon?
"Congratulations."
Inside the Jar Shop, Felix smiled at Hu Tao and the Charmander by her side. "Looks like it hatched successfully."
As he spoke, Felix studied Charmander.
He felt a strange sense of nostalgia seeing the Pokémon. It had just appeared... born into this world.
"Yeah! When I got back, I arrived just in time to see this little guy hatch."
Hu Tao walked in, her face slightly troubled. "Shopkeeper, are you sure this is a Fire Dragon? If it's a dragon, why doesn't it have wings? It only has a tail. It can't fly at all!"
Hu Tao loved the little creature, but she had serious doubts about its identity.
This cute thing didn't look like a dragon in the slightest.
"Of course."
Felix chuckled. "Right now, it's just in the first stage—Charmander. It has two more evolutionary stages: Charmeleon and Charizard. When it reaches the third stage, it will grow wings and be able to fly. Then Director Hu can ride on Charizard's back."
"I see!"
Hu Tao's eyes lit up with realization.
Three stages. The third stage would have wings and flight.
Just imagining it made her excited.
Nearby, Mona crouched down curiously, observing the little Charmander. It really was adorable.
From what Hu Tao said, it came from one of these jars?
Even she had never heard of a Fire Dragon.
Was this what a Fire Dragon looked like?
"Char."
Sensing Mona's gaze, Charmander let out a soft cry and instinctively backed away.
It sensed an uncomfortable aura from this woman. It didn't want to be near her.
Seeing Charmander's reaction, Mona studied it for a moment before turning to Felix. "Shopkeeper, did this little thing also come from one of your jars?"
"That's right."
Before Felix could answer, Hu Tao grinned and nodded. She looked at the girl in the wizard hat and introduced herself cheerfully. "Hi! I'm the 77th Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. My name is Hu Tao. The 'Hu' in Hu Tao is the 'Hu' from 'eating and drinking wildly,' but the 'Tao' is not the 'Tao' from 'mischief.'"
"Hello, Director Hu."
Mona smiled and extended her hand. "My name is Astrologist Mona Megistus. You can call me Mona."
"No wonder you dress so strangely—you're an astrologist!"
Hu Tao's eyes sparkled. "Then your astrology must be amazing, right?"
"Yes."
Mona nodded seriously. "I practice hydromancy—a form of divination that observes the reflection of the stars on water. By viewing the illusory sky reflected in water, I can glimpse the truth of the world."
"Sounds really mysterious."
Hu Tao tapped her head. Mona's explanation sounded incredibly profound.
Astrology fascinated her, but she didn't know what she would want to divine.
"Oh, Shopkeeper!"
Suddenly, Hu Tao remembered something and turned to Felix. "What should this little Fire Dragon eat? How do I help it grow to the second and third stages?"
Right now, Charmander was only in its first stage. She had brought it out not only to fill its belly, but also to ask Felix how to properly raise it.
"It can eat anything. Charmander is omnivorous. Whatever humans eat, it can eat."
Felix smiled. "As for reaching the second and third stages, you need to feed it fire-attribute energy foods."
"For example, Flaming Flowers contain fire energy. These types of items are highly beneficial for Charmander's growth and will provide the nutrition it needs."
"While feeding it fire-attribute foods, you must also train it. Only through training will it become proficient in battle when it reaches its final stage. It needs to become stronger and be able to protect you."
"Don't just keep stuffing it with fire foods without exercise. If it eats too much and doesn't train, it won't properly digest the energy."
In Charmander's original world, the best food was fire-type energy cubes—concentrated blocks made from various berries.
Charmander needed energy to grow. As long as it had enough energy, digested it properly, and trained regularly, it would continue to get stronger.
In Teyvat, Flaming Flowers and similar items would serve the same purpose.
"I see!"
Hu Tao nodded in understanding.
If it could eat anything, that was easy.
As for fire-attribute energy foods, she could just visit the Blazing Valley. That area was full of plants saturated with fire energy—a perfect habitat for fire-attribute creatures.
"Mhm."
After explaining Charmander's care, Felix turned back to Mona. "Miss Mona, let's return to your situation. As I was saying before we were interrupted—you understand constellations, correct?"
He had been about to suggest a way for her to make money before Hu Tao arrived.
"Hm?"
Mona tilted her head. Right, Felix had asked if she knew about constellations. She had been a bit confused.
"Miss Mona is hesitant to open a jar because she's worried that if she gets nothing, she'll have no money left for food, lodging, or travel expenses to Mondstadt."
Felix spoke slowly. "Miss Mona refuses to use her hydromancy to earn Mora, but she is an expert in astrology. Why not consider writing articles? You can earn manuscript fees for your work."
"Uh, writing?"
Mona blinked.
"That's right. Writing."
Felix smiled. "Here in Liyue, we receive The Steambird—a newspaper from Fontaine. It has a constellation column. You can use your knowledge to write articles and earn payment."
"The Steambird is Fontaine's mainstream newspaper. It covers everything from the Seven Nations' intelligence to gossip news. One of its sections is called 'Constellation Counseling'—a column for astrology enthusiasts and professionals."
"Miss Mona, with your deep understanding of constellations, writing articles should be easy for you. This is far more convenient than running errands or foraging in the wilderness, and the pay is much better."
"You wouldn't need to use hydromancy at all. Just write with pen and paper. You'd earn manuscript fees and gain a fanbase."
"Uh."
Mona's eyes suddenly lit up.
Right! Felix was absolutely right.
She could leverage her astrology knowledge to write articles and earn fees.
She hadn't even thought of that until he mentioned it.
"But..."
Her expression faltered. "If I open a jar and get nothing tonight, I'll have to sleep on the streets."
If she spent her money now and failed, she'd be homeless tonight.
And writing articles took time. Getting paid also took time.
"You don't have a place to stay?"
Hu Tao, who had been listening, suddenly grinned. "Why don't you come to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? We have empty rooms. I won't charge you!"
"What?!"
Mona's jaw dropped. "You won't charge me?"
"Nope!"
Hu Tao nodded. "The rooms are sitting empty anyway. You're my new friend—a real astrologist! I can give you a free place to stay. Since you're going to write articles, you can pay me back later if you feel bad about it."
"Better yet, you could become a guest consultant for Wangsheng! If you agree, I'll even give you a monthly stipend—room and board included!"
An astrologist like Mona was incredibly rare.
Liyue didn't have any, not even the Adventurers' Guild.
If Hu Tao could recruit her as a guest consultant, that would be amazing.
Wangsheng already had one consultant, but nothing stopped her from having two.
Even if Mona didn't want the title, she could still live there.
Plus, if Hu Tao befriended Mona, she could ask for divinations whenever she needed!
Befriending an astrologist had only benefits, no downsides!
"Eh?"
Seeing Hu Tao's enthusiastic invitation, Mona's face lit up. "Then... thank you so much, Director Hu! I won't freeload. Once I earn manuscript fees, I'll pay rent. I'm also fine with being a guest consultant—but you don't need to pay me. Just don't restrict my freedom."
"Being a consultant just means you're affiliated with us. It's super relaxed, and there's no restriction on freedom."
Hu Tao beamed. "Wangsheng doesn't have business every day. It's very chill. Zhongli's been off somewhere lately, but when he gets back, I'll introduce you two."
"Mhm."
Mona nodded excitedly. "Thank you so much, Director Hu!"
Just like that, her housing and job problems were solved!
With newfound confidence, Mona carefully pulled out a small coin pouch from her waist and handed it to Felix.
"Shopkeeper, I'll take one jar."
Read ahead with 100+ chapters now with daily updates!
@patreon.com/Zefyrus