Hearing the customer's question, Felix explained slowly, "It's a type of instant beef noodle with old altar pickled cabbage flavor."
"Instant noodles?"
The customer frowned. "Like the ones from Chef Mao at Wanmin Restaurant?"
If they were just normal instant noodles, he had made a huge loss.
This jar cost 100,000 Mora.
"Yes," Felix nodded. "Exactly the same. The only difference is the flavor. This is 'Old Altar Pickled Cabbage,' while Chef Mao's are made with bone broth and other seasonings. The noodles are the same, but the taste is different."
"Sigh."
The customer sighed heavily.
A total loss.
100,000 Mora for a packet of instant noodles with a different flavor. Painful.
He took his noodles and left dejectedly.
Watching him leave, Childe's eyelid twitched.
Is my luck bad today too?
Probably not.
Comforting himself, Childe smiled and handed the prepared bag of Mora to Felix. "Shopkeeper, here is one million Mora. I want to open ten jars."
"Mmh."
Felix took the money and nodded. "Choose away."
Childe turned his gaze to the shelves behind Felix and began to select his jars carefully.
He was going to take his time with these ten.
While Childe was picking jars...
Wanmin Restaurant.
Xiangling kept glancing toward a corner of the restaurant.
There, a beautiful young woman with long blue hair tied in a ponytail sat alone at a table.
On the table was a large hot pot.
The pot was filled to the brim with various vegetables and vegetarian meats—a mountain of food.
Ganyu was happily picking food with her chopsticks, her beautiful eyelashes curving into crescents of delight.
Thanks to the slimming digestion pills, she could finally experience the joy of binge-eating without worrying about getting fat.
The restaurant was quiet, so few people watched her.
Only Xiangling kept peeking, making Ganyu blush slightly.
But the thought of eating freely without gaining weight gave her the courage to ignore the embarrassment and continue feasting.
"Lady Ganyu... can really eat," Xiangling whispered in awe.
Ganyu had been eating for over half an hour.
It was impressive. Terrifying, even.
Whoever marries her in the future... won't they go bankrupt from food bills?
Wait, maybe only the Shopkeeper could afford to feed her.
Xiangling's mind wandered into strange territories.
"Xiangling! Xiangling! I brought a new friend for you to meet!"
A cheerful voice snapped Xiangling back to reality. She looked up in surprise. It was Hu Tao.
Hu Tao was dragging Yoimiya toward her, with Yanfei and the Charmeleon following behind.
"Eh?"
Xiangling looked at the girl Hu Tao was dragging.
At a glance, she sensed the dense Pyro energy radiating from her. A Pyro Vision bearer.
Beautiful blonde hair, unique clothing (revealing, like her own), and a warm, enthusiastic face.
Xiangling instantly felt a kinship with Yoimiya.
"Hello!" Xiangling extended her hand warmly. "I'm Xiangling, a chef at Wanmin Restaurant. Nice to meet you! Any friend of Hu Tao is a friend of mine!"
"I'm Yoimiya, from Inazuma City! I run a fireworks shop!"
Yoimiya liked this girl immediately. She seemed easy to talk to.
She shook Xiangling's hand enthusiastically. "I make great fireworks! Most of the fireworks for Liyue's Lantern Rite are imported from my family's shop—Naganohara Fireworks! I made them myself!"
"That amazing?!" Xiangling's eyes widened in shock.
The beautiful fireworks of the Lantern Rite were made by this girl?
"Mmh, mmh!" Yoimiya nodded proudly.
"Hehe, Lady Ningguang knows this too," Hu Tao added with a grin. "Yoimiya is telling the truth."
"Isn't Inazuma locked down?" Xiangling asked curiously. Everyone in Liyue knew about the Sakoku Decree because merchants couldn't trade there.
"Yeah, it is. That's why I'm stuck outside," Yoimiya explained briefly.
Xiangling nodded in understanding. "Have you guys eaten breakfast? My treat! No charge!"
"No, no, we ate already," Yanfei waved her hand. "We ate at the Shopkeeper's place before coming here."
"Oh, okay."
"Sister Ganyu!"
Yanfei suddenly spotted the familiar figure hunched over a hot pot in the corner. Her eyes lit up, and she trotted over.
To think she'd meet Ganyu here.
"Yanfei."
Ganyu looked up, blushing furiously. She had been discovered.
"Wow, Sister Ganyu, are you eating all this by yourself?" Yanfei stared at the massive pot of food.
So much food for breakfast? How could she fit it all?
Ganyu turned even redder. Being caught gluttonizing by the younger generation was embarrassing.
"I know, I know!" Hu Tao walked over with a smirk. "Sister Ganyu got a pill from the Jar Shop that lets her eat without getting fat. She's definitely using it right now."
"Mmh."
Ganyu nodded shyly, admitting it.
"No wonder," Xiangling realized. "I was wondering how Sister Ganyu could eat for so long. It's an item from the Shopkeeper."
"Speaking of which, I can open jars tomorrow!" Xiangling grinned. "The cooldown is a week. Tomorrow, I can buy ten more!"
She was excited just thinking about it.
"Me too!" Hu Tao cheered. "This Director's luck is always good! I'm buying ten tomorrow!"
She had memorized the date perfectly.
"That's great! We can go together!" Xiangling beamed.
"Sigh." Yanfei sighed. She still had to wait a few more days.
"Xiangling, wanna come hang out?" Hu Tao asked. "Yoimiya just arrived. We're showing her around Liyue and the surrounding areas."
"Um, sure!" Xiangling nodded. "My dad is here, so I can leave the kitchen."
"Go ahead, Xiangling. Have fun with Director Hu," Chef Mao called out from the back, smiling.
"Lu..."
Guoba ran out from the kitchen, looking eager.
"Not you."
Chef Mao grabbed Guoba seriously. "You stay and help me make instant noodles. And I need you to stir the coffee and tend the fire."
"Guoba, you stay home," Xiangling laughed. "I can't take you today. Sorry!"
She ran out the door.
"Roar."
Outside, the Charmeleon tilted its head at Guoba, then turned and followed its master.
As Guoba was dragged back into the kitchen by Chef Mao...
Back at the Jar Shop.
Childe had finished selecting his ten jars.
Looking at the jars in front of him, he smiled brilliantly.
Ten fresh jars. Wonderful.
I wonder what I'll get this time.
Bang.
He smashed the first jar. A black object fell out.
"Uh?"
Childe blinked.
A nose??
It looked like a nose. But not a human one—a dog's nose.
"Artificial Military Dog Nose."
Felix chuckled. "Attach this to your own nose, and your sense of smell will be greatly enhanced."
[Artificial Military Dog Nose]: A Doraemon gadget. Greatly enhances olfactory sensitivity and range.
Hearing the explanation, Childe's face darkened.
It's literally a dog nose.
He would never use this.
But... enhanced smell could be useful for tracking. Maybe he could give it to a subordinate.
Bang.
Putting away the dog nose, Childe smashed the second jar.
A thumb-sized bottle fell out. Inside were white granules that looked like MSG.
[Book Seasoning (Taste-Enhancing MSG)]: Sprinkle this on any boring book, and the reader will find it incredibly interesting and won't stop until they finish it.
"This is interesting," Felix raised an eyebrow.
His luck wasn't bad today. Two items in a row. Better than empty jars.
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