As the two of them passed the alley entrance, a Millelith soldier smiled and greeted them.
"Doctor Baizhu, you're here to visit this bookstore as well?"
Because the Millelith frequently dealt with Bubu Pharmacy, they were very familiar with Baizhu.
"Yes, I brought Qiqi here to take a look."
Baizhu smiled and nodded, then asked curiously,
"You know about this bookstore too?"
In his view, the claim that one could obtain rewards just by reading manga was obviously fake.
If that were the case, then in Liyue, where contracts were held in the highest regard, the Millelith should have intervened long ago.
But judging from the situation—
Not only were they not intervening, they were actually… standing guard?
"Yes. Following Lady Ningguang's orders, we are to guard this place at all times."
The Millelith soldier continued,
"And we are to treat this bookstore with the same respect we would show the Geo Archon."
"If the shop owner has any requests, we must do our utmost to fulfill them.
If we cannot, we are to report directly to Lady Ningguang."
Since Baizhu had a good relationship with the Millelith, and this wasn't classified information, the soldier didn't bother hiding anything.
"T-Treat it… like the Geo Archon?!"
Baizhu sucked in a sharp breath.
If this had been said about someone else, he might not have been so shocked.
But having lived in Liyue for so long, he knew very well what the Geo Archon meant to the people here.
Calling him a second father to Liyue would not be an exaggeration.
And now—
The Liyue Qixing were instructing the Millelith to treat a bookstore owner with that level of respect?!
Baizhu didn't doubt the Millelith were lying.
The probability was practically zero.
"Could it be… that what the Traveler said is actually true?"
A thoughtful look flashed through Baizhu's eyes.
After a moment of contemplation, he asked,
"May I ask— is it true that reading manga here can grant rewards?"
Since the Millelith were guarding the place, they must have seen something, at least.
"Well, we're not exactly sure about the manga rewards,"
the soldier shook his head.
"But we have seen some strange things."
"For example— an umbrella that makes it rain when opened, a machine that can lend money…"
"Oh, and there was also something called a 'Death God constitution.'
Wherever that person goes, people die."
Baizhu: "..."
An umbrella that makes it rain when opened.
A machine that lends money.
A Death God constitution that kills wherever it goes.
Each one sounded more absurd than the last.
Especially the last one—
Are you sure that person wasn't arrested?!
"Strange as they are, one thing is clear—this manga shop truly has something extraordinary."
Baizhu thought silently.
If that was the case, what kind of background did this shop owner have?
Could he be… a god?
After all, only a god could make the Liyue Qixing order such treatment.
As this possibility surfaced, most of Baizhu's doubts faded away.
A sense of reverence quietly took root.
"If he really is a god, then for Qiqi, this might actually be a great opportunity."
Baizhu's expression turned excited.
Qiqi was adorable.
But due to her zombie constitution, her memory was extremely poor.
She often needed talismans just to act normally.
That made daily life very inconvenient for her.
If she could obtain a suitable reward here, it would be an incredible stroke of fortune.
"Come on, Qiqi. Let's go inside and take a look."
Baizhu smiled.
His mindset had completely changed.
"Okay."
Qiqi nodded obediently.
After bidding farewell to the Millelith, the two stepped into the manga shop.
As a flash of light passed before their eyes, they were smoothly transported inside.
"So this is what the inside looks like."
Baizhu surveyed the shop with interest.
Qiqi did the same.
Since being taken in by Bubu Pharmacy, aside from gathering herbs, she rarely went out.
Seeing the shop's decorations and layout, even her usually stiff expression showed curiosity.
"Welcome! Are you here to read manga?"
Noelle quickly stepped forward to greet them.
At a glance, she could tell they were newcomers.
Regulars would have already gone straight to the bookshelves.
"Yes. The Traveler said we could get rewards by reading manga here, so we came to take a look."
Baizhu nodded.
"Oh! So you're the Bubu Pharmacy owner and the little zombie that Miss Lumine mentioned!"
Noelle immediately understood.
Lumine had told them about this earlier.
She hadn't expected them to arrive so soon.
"She's already reading manga.
If you'd like to read too, please follow me."
"Thank you."
Baizhu thanked her and followed Noelle to the counter with Qiqi.
"Welcome, Doctor Baizhu—and Qiqi."
Seeing them arrive, Han Feng greeted them with a smile.
"We—"
Baizhu was just about to speak when Qiqi suddenly spoke first.
"Qiqi… wants Coconut Goat.
Someone said… it's here."
She spoke slowly, word by word.
But there was a clear look of longing in her eyes as she looked at Han Feng.
"Coconut Goat? What's that?"
Noelle looked confused.
She had never heard of such a thing in Mondstadt.
Was it some Liyue specialty?
"Coconut Goat, huh?"
Han Feng smiled faintly.
Of course he knew what she meant.
It was just coconut milk.
As for "Coconut Goat" or "Coconut Milk," those were simply things Qiqi imagined.
That said—
It was a good chance to tease a certain unnamed secretary.
With a wave of his hand, a glass of coconut juice appeared on the Gourmet Tablecloth.
He picked it up and handed it to Qiqi.
"This is for you."
"Thank you."
Qiqi's eyes lit up as she politely accepted it.
"Yes… this is the taste."
Feeling the familiar flavor, Qiqi's mood visibly improved.
They didn't lie to her.
Coconut Goat really could be found here.
"As expected."
Seeing Han Feng immediately understand what Qiqi wanted, Baizhu felt a sudden sense of clarity.
Most people were completely confused when Qiqi mentioned Coconut Goat.
But this black-haired young man understood instantly.
That alone proved how extraordinary he was.
It seemed—
They had truly come to the right place this time.
—------------------------------
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