After Hu Tao and Qiqi left, Albedo and Sucrose walked over.
"Finished reading?"
Han Feng asked with a smile.
"It was an excellent manga."
Albedo's face was filled with admiration.
Many of the concepts explored in Steins;Gate had opened his eyes.
For example, the various inventions created by the Future Gadget Laboratory greatly intrigued him.
Even though most of them weren't particularly useful.
The discussions about world lines and timelines also fascinated him.
"Glad you enjoyed it. Feel free to come back often."
Han Feng nodded with a smile before looking at the system panel.
The information had already refreshed.
[Customer Albedo has finished reading Steins;Gate and obtained the reward — Bamboo-Copter Camera.]
[Bamboo-Copter Camera: A camera is installed inside the shaft of a Bamboo-Copter, allowing aerial photography without any external power source. However, due to the rapid rotation during flight, watching the recorded footage for too long may cause dizziness and nausea.]
[Customer Sucrose has finished reading Mighty Express and obtained the reward — Train Driving Expertise.]
"She actually got it!"
A hint of surprise flashed through Han Feng's eyes.
It seemed this bespectacled alchemist had quite good luck.
As for the Bamboo-Copter Camera, Han Feng remembered it as one of the Future Gadget Laboratory's inventions.
While it wasn't especially practical,
it was still a fairly remarkable item by the standards of this era.
Buzz—
Buzz—
Two dazzling beams of light descended, enveloping Albedo and Sucrose.
Moments later, the lights faded.
A Bamboo-Copter-shaped device appeared in Albedo's hand.
Meanwhile, Sucrose stood with her eyes closed,
clearly absorbing a flood of information.
"You received a Bamboo-Copter Camera. There's a camera hidden inside the shaft, allowing aerial photography without external power. The downside is that the footage spins rapidly, so watching it too long can make you dizzy."
Seeing Albedo curiously examining the item, Han Feng explained.
"A device capable of taking photographs from the sky?"
Albedo became interested.
Since it belonged to him now, he could dismantle it later and study its structure.
He was quite curious about how it worked.
Not long afterward,
Sucrose slowly opened her eyes.
The excitement on her face made it obvious she'd received something valuable.
"Sucrose, what reward did you get?"
Albedo asked.
"Train driving expertise!"
Sucrose replied excitedly.
Earlier, when she had entered the locomotive's control room,
she hadn't understood anything.
She couldn't even tell what the buttons were for.
But after absorbing the knowledge, everything suddenly made sense.
Not only did she know the function of every control, she also understood the operational procedures and safety precautions.
If a train were placed in front of her right now, she could operate it immediately.
"If Acting Grand Master Jean hears this, she'll be thrilled."
Albedo smiled.
From the urgency with which Jean had summoned them earlier, it was obvious how much importance she placed on that train.
Now that Sucrose possessed the necessary expertise, Jean could finally breathe easy.
Then Albedo seemed to remember something.
"By the way, you won't need to continue working as my assistant for now. Go report to Acting Grand Master Jean instead."
"Teacher... why?"
Sucrose immediately became nervous.
Had she done something wrong?
"Don't worry. It's because you've gained train-driving expertise. There are bigger opportunities waiting for you now."
Albedo smiled reassuringly.
Alchemists could always be trained.
But train operators?
At the moment, they were practically nonexistent.
The true value of trains hadn't been fully demonstrated yet, but Albedo could already see their future significance.
One day, they would play an important role not only in Mondstadt, but throughout all of Teyvat.
Since that was the case, allowing Sucrose to develop in that field might offer her even greater prospects than alchemy.
Besides, he wasn't expelling her.
If she ever grew tired of trains, she could always return to research.
"So that's what you meant. Thank you, Teacher."
Sucrose sighed in relief.
She had thought she'd made some mistake and was being dismissed.
Naturally, she didn't reject his suggestion.
After all, she was genuinely fascinated by trains now.
And in the future, she could even travel around Teyvat by rail while collecting research materials and plants.
It sounded like a wonderful job.
Just thinking about trains filled her with excitement.
"Teacher, then let's return and tell Acting Grand Master Jean immediately!"
"Agreed."
Albedo nodded.
As for himself, he planned to establish a Future Gadget Research Institute.
A facility dedicated to studying the rewards obtained from the manga shop.
If he could truly understand the principles behind these inventions, he believed his alchemy would reach entirely new heights.
"Boss, we'll take our leave now."
After saying goodbye to Han Feng, the pair departed enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, Kamisato Ayaka had also finished reading her manga.
"This shop actually has manga this amazing. It's even better than the novels published by Yae Publishing House."
After closing the book, Ayaka remained immersed in the experience.
For a refined young lady like her, such stories held tremendous appeal.
If there hadn't been a one-manga-per-day limit, she would have wanted to finish the entire collection immediately.
"As for the wish-granting power the boss mentioned... he must have been referring to the Dragon Balls."
Ayaka thought to herself.
The manga's plot clearly explained it.
Gather all seven Dragon Balls, summon Shenron, and then make a wish.
If that were truly possible, then as long as she could collect all seven Dragon Balls, couldn't she solve Inazuma's crisis?
The thought made her heart race.
The method would certainly be difficult.
But at present, it seemed to be the best option available to her.
After all, she could not directly oppose the Shogun's will.
The only path left was to seek an alternative solution.
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