"Having Angewomon fire an Arrow of Light at Barbara?"
Han Feng raised an eyebrow.
Well... that's quite the leap in logic.
Venti really had come up with something unexpected.
Still...
He seriously considered whether the idea was actually feasible.
Under normal reasoning...
It shouldn't work.
After all, becoming an Ultraman should logically require an Ultraman's Light Gene.
However...
The system description never explicitly specified that.
If that was the case...
Then perhaps the Arrow of Light granted by Angewomon really could count.
To be certain, Han Feng decided to ask the system directly.
"System, would this method work?"
A mechanical voice immediately echoed in his mind.
"Yes, Host. The item has been modified by the system. As long as the target possesses a Gene of Light, it satisfies the activation requirement."
"Then there's no problem."
Han Feng nodded.
At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Barbara would probably never imagine...
That her Digimon partner...
Could one day serve such an important purpose.
"Boss Han..."
"Will that actually work?"
Seeing Han Feng deep in thought, Venti asked nervously.
If it worked...
Then everyone would be happy.
It would also mean he had successfully left behind a powerful safeguard for Mondstadt.
If it didn't...
He'd have to search for a suitable candidate himself.
Which meant...
Far less time for slacking off.
"Yes."
Han Feng smiled and nodded.
"It'll work."
"However..."
"Barbara's Digimon is still a very long way from evolving into Angewomon."
"So you'll have to be patient."
"That's fine."
"As long as the method works."
Venti let out a long sigh of relief.
His face immediately brightened with happiness.
Problem solved.
Now all that remained...
Was to discuss everything with Jean and the others.
Before then, however...
He suddenly remembered something.
Turning toward Zhongli, he grinned.
"Old man."
"I'll drop by your place later."
"I want to take a look at your Ultraman statue."
"Very well."
Zhongli nodded without objection.
With Venti's issue settled...
Zhongli finally turned his attention to his own reward.
He examined it for quite a while.
Yet...
He still couldn't figure out what the strange object before him actually was.
"It's a Virtual Pod."
Han Feng explained.
"Lie inside it..."
"And your consciousness will enter a virtual world."
"As for what exists in that world..."
"You'll have to discover it yourself."
"So..."
"It's somewhat similar to the headset in Ready Player One."
Zhongli nodded thoughtfully.
"It's more advanced than that."
Han Feng smiled.
"And it's bound exclusively to its owner."
"The only inconvenience is that it's not particularly portable."
"But I doubt that'll be an issue for you."
"...A fascinating reward."
Now that he understood what it was...
Interest filled Zhongli's eyes.
He genuinely wanted to experience it.
To see just how different a virtual world was from reality.
With that thought, he bid Han Feng farewell.
"Boss Han."
"I'll be taking my leave."
"I'm off too!"
"I'll be back next time!"
Seeing Zhongli leaving, Venti hurried after him.
Watching the two retired Archons depart, Han Feng smiled.
"Liyue already has an Ultraman."
"Mondstadt will soon have one too."
"I wonder..."
"Will Inazuma eventually create one as well?"
If that happened...
Things would become rather interesting.
Three nations.
Three Ultramen.
"...Though, considering the Raiden Shogun's obsession with Eternity..."
"The chances probably aren't very high."
Shaking his head, Han Feng stopped thinking about it and quietly sipped his tea.
Not long after the two retired gods left...
Ganyu and Shenhe arrived at the counter.
Han Feng glanced at the system panel.
The latest notifications appeared.
Customer Ganyu has finished reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Reward: One Owl.
Owl: A magical creature from Hogwarts. Highly intelligent and spiritual.
Customer Shenhe has finished reading Chibi Maruko-chan.
Reward: Chibi Maruko-chan Animated Series.
Note: The system has detected that the customer owns a smartphone, so the reward has been delivered directly to the device.
"These two rewards are much more... ordinary."
Han Feng nodded slightly.
Owls were practically one of the signature symbols of the Harry Potter world.
There was even a saying.
If an owl flies to your house before the school year begins...
Congratulations.
You've probably just received your Hogwarts acceptance letter.
Besides...
These owls were remarkably intelligent.
They made excellent couriers.
As for Shenhe's reward...
That surprised Han Feng slightly.
This was the first time someone had received an anime as a reward.
It was somewhat similar to the Xianjian (Chinese Paladin) game Eula had received before.
Buzz—
Buzz—
Two beams of brilliant light descended over Ganyu and Shenhe.
Moments later...
The light faded.
A snow-white owl appeared out of thin air...
And gently landed on Ganyu's shoulder.
"...An owl?"
Seeing her reward, Ganyu's eyes sparkled with delight.
When reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone...
Aside from being fascinated by the magical world itself...
The creatures that had left the deepest impression on her...
Were the owls.
Although Dragonspine also had owls...
The ones in the manga were far more extraordinary.
They could deliver letters.
Carry parcels.
They were astonishingly intelligent.
When she'd read those scenes...
She'd secretly envied them.
She had never expected...
To receive one herself.
"That's right."
Han Feng smiled.
"It's a magical creature from Hogwarts."
"It's very intelligent."
"You can have it deliver things for you in the future."
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
Ganyu smiled and nodded.
She already had a smartphone for communication.
So she didn't need an owl to send messages.
But...
Documents and physical items still had to be delivered regularly.
For example...
The paperwork exchanged with the Jade Chamber.
Having an owl would make all of that much more convenient.
"Since you're my companion now..."
"I'll call you Xiaoyu."
Ganyu gently stroked the owl while happily giving it a name.
With this little companion beside her...
She wouldn't feel quite so lonely anymore.
"Cheep! Cheep!"
Xiaoyu seemed to love the name.
It affectionately rubbed its head against Ganyu's cheek.
Making Ganyu smile even more brightly.
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