"That's amazing."
Beside them, Qianyan's eyes lit up. "This mission looks so simple. Just destroy ten pirate ships and bring ten pirates back to Liyue alive."
As she spoke, the floating text above the Mission Scroll faded, receding back onto the paper itself.
Only a radar-like projection screen remained, hovering in mid-air.
As long as the scroll was open, this radar screen would appear.
"But… Inazuma is currently under lockdown," Huixing frowned, her voice tinged with worry. "We can't just enter freely. If we approach without permission, we'll likely be attacked by the Shogunate forces."
"Hehe, with this Steam Battleship, are we scared of an attack?"
Furong grinned confidently. "We aren't going there to cause trouble. We're going to help Inazuma catch pirates! If anything, they should thank us."
"Besides, even if Inazuma wanted to stop us, what could they do? I seriously doubt they have a battleship like this."
"And most importantly—this scroll came from the Jar Shop. The reward is listed as 'Unknown.' Knowing the shop, the reward must be incredible. It's absolutely worth the risk."
This was the first Mission Scroll ever pulled from a jar. Just the way the mission appeared was mysterious enough. If they completed it, the payoff would surely be legendary.
"Agreed."
Beidou nodded firmly. "Furong is right. We must complete this mission. The time limit is generous—five days to complete once we start, but we have seven days to accept it."
She glanced at the countdown timer on the scroll.
"What about our original voyage plan?" Huixing asked hesitantly. "We have cargo to deliver."
"No conflict. It's on the way," Beidou laughed. "We'll smash those pirate ships near Inazuma en route. If we can't finish it quickly, we'll move on, complete our delivery, and clean up the rest on the way back. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this reward is."
...
Liyue Harbor
"I can't believe they're leaving already."
"A pity. I didn't get a chance to tour the battleship."
"Dude, seriously? It's been docked here for days, open all hours. You didn't go?"
"I was swamped with work! By the time I got free, the line was impossible."
"Hehe, don't worry. When Captain Beidou brings the Crux Fleet back, you can try again."
"Correction: It's the Crux Armada now."
"Right! Captain Beidou changed the name just two days ago. Armada sounds way cooler."
Crowds still gathered at the docks, watching the shrinking silhouette of the Steam Battleship on the horizon.
Those who had toured it were still buzzing with excitement.
"Honestly, I envy the crew. I saw the sleeping quarters yesterday… you guys won't believe me, but their cabins are nicer than my house."
"??? Wait, the interior was closed to the public! How did you see it?"
"Idiot. I looked through the glass windows."
"But you can only see the mess hall from the windows! I saw the mess hall—it was luxurious, sure—but I didn't see any bedrooms."
"Hehe, I got lucky. A crew member walked out of a cabin door just as I was peeking. Caught a glimpse. It was nice."
"Ah, that explains it. No wonder."
"I wonder when they'll be back. But more importantly… I wonder if our own Ship Bureau can build something like that."
"Definitely. Lady Ningguang poured a fortune into the project."
The citizens chattered happily, full of pride and anticipation. They believed it was only a matter of time before Liyue Harbor was filled with its own fleet of ironclads.
...
The Jar Shop
Felix watched the last customer leave.
"Felix, what do you want for lunch?" Hu Tao asked cheerfully. "I'm heading to Wanmin Restaurant to buy food."
Over the past few days, she had dropped the formal "Shopkeeper" title and started calling him by his name.
"No need to run to Wanmin Restaurant."
Felix smiled faintly. He walked over to the table, sat down, and spoke clearly into the air.
"Give me a Family-Sized Fried Chicken Bucket, a plate of Kung Pao Chicken, two bowls of rice, and a Tomato Egg Soup."
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
As soon as the words left his mouth, four dishes materialized on the table, which was covered by the Gourmet Tablecloth.
Instantly, white steam rose, and a rich, mouth-watering aroma filled the shop.
"Th-this…"
Hu Tao stared, dumbfounded.
One second, the table was empty. The next, five dishes sat there steaming hot.
"What just happened? Why did things appear when you talked?"
And the names… she knew Tomato Egg Soup and rice. But Fried Chicken Bucket? Kung Pao Chicken? She'd never heard of them.
Outside, the two Millelith guards, Wenqi and Doyle, sniffed the air.
"Damn it. That smell again. Coming from the shop."
"I'm starving. Let's go eat."
Their stomachs rumbled loudly. They took one look at the delicious spread through the window, gulped, and decided to take their lunch break early. Staying here was torture.
Inside, Felix looked at the bewildered Hu Tao. "Sit down and eat. Why are you staring?"
"Shopkeeper… how did you do that?"
Hu Tao sat down slowly, reaching out to touch the bucket. It was warm—hot, even. Like it just came out of a fryer.
She looked at Felix with wide eyes.
If he could conjure food from nothing, why did he let her buy lunch for the past few days?
"It's the Gourmet Tablecloth," Felix explained calmly. "Just tell the cloth what you want to eat, and it creates it. Creation from nothing."
He smiled. "Another item from a jar."
"That's magical!"
Hu Tao's plum-blossom eyes sparkled with wonder.
Infinite food? Creation from thin air?
Her expression shifted to excitement. "Is it unlimited?"
If it was, Xiangling would lose her mind.
"Yes," Felix nodded. "Unlimited."
Hu Tao had seen enough of his shop's miracles that there was no point hiding it. Besides, she had been bringing him meals every day; he owed her a feast.
"Incredible," Hu Tao sighed. "With this cloth, you could open a restaurant with zero food costs. Unlimited supply…"
She grinned mischievously. "Give me a Full Moon Egg from Xinyue Kiosk! A Golden Shrimp Balls from Liuli Pavilion! And Vegetarian Abalone from Wangshu Inn!"
Poof!
Three exquisite dishes appeared on the cloth, identical to the famous originals.
"They look exactly the same!"
Hu Tao sniffed them excitedly. "Even the smell is perfect!"
If Felix opened a restaurant, he could crush the competition. He could serve their signature dishes infinitely, for free.
"Are you sure you can finish all this?"
Felix raised an eyebrow, looking at the mountain of food now piling up on the table.
He eyed Hu Tao's slender frame seriously. "If you can't finish it later, I'm going to force-feed it to you. Even if I have to stuff it in."
Hu Tao's grin froze.
She looked at the spread—chicken, soup, rice, plus three heavy main courses.
She gulped. I definitely can't eat all this.
"Shopkeeper… if you give me that pill Ganyu got, I could definitely finish it!"
Her eyes lit up. "You know, the one that deletes calories?"
"I don't have any," Felix shrugged. "Ganyu got those from her jars. If you want some, buy more jars next week."
"Fine, fine."
Hu Tao picked up a piece of fried chicken.
She took a bite. Her eyes widened in delight.
"So good! I've never tasted this flavor before!"
Felix smiled, watching her enjoy the meal. The charm of fried chicken was universal.
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