So, yesterday, after leaving the Jar Shop, Shenhe had departed Liyue and returned to Mt. Aocang to ask her master for money.
Her master had always said, "If you need anything, ask."
Although Shenhe had never actively asked for Mora before, Cloud Retainer would always give her a pouch of coins whenever sending her down the mountain.
Usually, that amount was barely enough, and Shenhe would spend it carefully. Since she mostly ate herbs and drank dew, her expenses were minimal. But once the money ran out, it was usually time to leave the city and return to the mountains anyway.
But yesterday, everything changed.
She had encountered the Jar Shop.
One jar cost 100,000 Mora. She was broke.
According to the Shopkeeper, she was allowed to buy nine more jars this week.
So she came back to Mt. Aocang to get the funds.
If she opened anything useful, she would just give it to her master. Her only hope was to open more celestial herbs from those magical jars.
Like a huge bundle of Qingxin.
As Shenhe stared expectantly at Cloud Retainer, the great crane flapped her wings.
A heavy pouch flew out from the back of the cave and landed in Shenhe's hand.
"One did not expect you to return so soon just to ask for money," Cloud Retainer chuckled, amusement coloring her voice. "Next time you descend the mountain, check your purse first. It saves you the trip. Liyue is a human city; spending money is inevitable."
Cloud Retainer was genuinely happy.
Shenhe had never asked her for money before.
The girl was fiercely independent. If she could do something herself, she would never trouble her master. It was a trait Cloud Retainer admired but also worried about.
Sometimes, the Adeptus wanted to intervene, to soften the child's solitary nature, but Shenhe was stubborn.
Considering Shenhe was human and would eventually need to reintegrate into society, this isolation was unhealthy. That was why Cloud Retainer forced her to take these "vacations" to Liyue.
For Shenhe to come back and actively ask for Mora was a huge breakthrough.
Sending her to Liyue was the right choice, Cloud Retainer thought smugly. She is finally learning to rely on others.
So, she gave Shenhe all the loose Mora she had lying around.
"Mn."
Shenhe nodded.
She opened the pouch and counted. Then, looking up with her pale, calm eyes, she said: "Master. It's not enough."
Cloud Retainer: "???"
The crane froze mid-nod.
Not enough?
Impossible.
Cloud Retainer lived in seclusion, but she knew the value of Mora.
The pouch contained over 200,000 Mora. Combined with the 100,000 she gave Shenhe before the trip, the child had over 300,000 Mora.
For a single person on a vacation in Liyue? That was a fortune.
Even with Liyue's high cost of living, 300,000 Mora could fund a life of luxury for weeks. Fine dining, the best hotels, opera tickets—it was more than enough.
And Shenhe wasn't a spender. She ate flowers.
How could it not be enough?
Cloud Retainer looked at her disciple awkwardly. "Not enough? How much are you short?"
The Adeptus realized with a start that she was actually out of cash.
She didn't use Mora. She didn't care about Mora. The only reason she had any was for Shenhe.
She had just given Shenhe the last of her stash.
If Shenhe needed more... this was embarrassing.
"700,000 Mora," Shenhe stated calmly.
She calculated quickly. She wanted nine more jars. That was 900,000 Mora. She had 200,000 in hand. The math was simple.
Cloud Retainer: "??????"
Her beak almost dropped open.
700,000?!
Plus the 300,000 she already has... that's a million Mora!
What is this child doing?!
Cloud Retainer didn't care about the value—money meant nothing to an immortal—but the sheer volume confused her.
What could Shenhe possibly need a million Mora for in three days?
Was she buying a house?
"Can you tell Master what you need this much Mora for?" Cloud Retainer asked, her voice tinged with confusion. "Are you purchasing something specific?"
Even rare herbs like Flaming Flower Stamens didn't cost a million Mora.
Was she being scammed? No, Shenhe wasn't stupid, and she was too strong to be extorted.
"Buying jars," Shenhe replied, her voice as cool as a mountain spring. "One jar is 100,000 Mora. I need nine jars. That is 900,000 Mora. The money Master gave me is only enough for two."
Cloud Retainer: "..."
Her eyes widened.
What kind of jar costs 100,000 Mora?!
Since when did inflation in the human world get this bad?
Is it an antique?
Cloud Retainer knew about antiques. But Shenhe didn't care about antiques. Shenhe broke antiques. The cave was littered with the shards of priceless vases Shenhe had accidentally shattered during training.
"Are you certain?" Cloud Retainer asked skeptically. "A jar? For 100,000?"
"Yes."
Shenhe nodded. "I opened one myself. The Shopkeeper said the limit is ten per week. If I don't buy the limit, I lose the opportunity."
Seeing Shenhe's serious nod, Cloud Retainer felt a headache coming on.
She didn't understand why a jar cost a fortune, but she had promised to provide for her disciple. And Shenhe rarely asked for anything. She couldn't disappoint her now.
But she had no Mora left.
Cloud Retainer looked around her abode.
"Master does not have that much Mora on hand," she admitted. "However, I have Cor Lapis. You can take these to the stone merchants in the city. They should fetch the price you need."
With a wave of her wing, a dozen glowing orange stones floated over to Shenhe.
Cor Lapis. The "Heart of Stone." Condensed Geo energy. Extremely rare and valuable.
Humans often climbed the mountains begging for these. Cloud Retainer usually ignored them.
But for Shenhe to buy her mysterious jars, she would part with them.
"Okay."
Shenhe nodded, pocketing the Cor Lapis without hesitation.
She turned and walked out of the cave.
Outside, the man at the stone table was gone. Shenhe didn't linger. She headed straight down the mountain.
Now that she had "money," she could return to the Jar Shop.
Inside the Abode.
"When did human pottery become so expensive?"
Cloud Retainer muttered to herself, pacing back and forth.
She couldn't wrap her head around it.
If it was an antique, Shenhe wouldn't care.
If it wasn't an antique, why was it 100,000 Mora?
And why did Shenhe want ten of them?
It defied logic.
Cloud Retainer flew out of her cave. She decided to consult her peers.
Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver usually kept up with human affairs better than she did. She would go ask them if they knew about these "100,000 Mora Jars."
And maybe... she should go down to Liyue herself to investigate.
She didn't think Shenhe was being scammed—the girl was sharp—but she was definitely being weird.
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