Fontaine movies were still in black and white.
Yet Liyue... Liyue already had color films?
And the realism... it was terrifying. It felt as if he had been physically transported into the scene, soaring through the clouds alongside that monkey.
Xavier was stupefied.
How could this be?
How could Liyue's film technology surpass Fontaine's? The very cameras Liyue used were imported from Fontaine! Liyue shouldn't even know what a movie is, let alone produce something this advanced.
From what he knew, Liyue's photography culture was still in its infancy. Most people treated cameras as novelties.
So where did this hyper-realistic, technicolor masterpiece come from?
Xavier walked out of the cinema in a daze, his mind reeling.
"That movie was incredible. I'm speechless."
"Right? And there's a sequel tomorrow! I heard there are over twenty parts!"
"Whoa, really? That long? So it'll take almost a month to finish the story?"
"Yeah. And that's if you watch every day without skipping. If you miss a day, you lose out. Of course, you could ask someone to explain the plot, but experiencing it yourself is way better."
"True. The current format is actually quite thoughtful. If they showed different clips every hour, it would be chaotic. Looping one segment all day allows everyone a chance to see it."
"I agree."
...
Around him, the excited chatter of the audience filled the air. They were all hooked, desperate to know what would happen after the Monkey King returned to Flower Fruit Mountain.
"I need to report this immediately."
Snapping out of his stupor, a single thought dominated Xavier's mind.
Fontaine needed to know.
Color film technology was a breakthrough of monumental proportions. It was a technological leap that Fontaine did not possess.
Xavier rushed over to Bai Xiao, one of Ningguang's secretaries stationed nearby. "Excuse me! May I take some photos inside?"
"Take photos?"
Bai Xiao blinked. It was the first time someone had made such a request. Usually, people just watched.
But photography wasn't prohibited. "Sure, go ahead."
"Thank you!"
Overjoyed, Xavier pulled out his camera and began snapping pictures of the cinema's interior, the massive screen, and even captured a few shots of the lingering colorful images on the screen as the next showing began.
Bai Xiao watched him blankly. She didn't understand why he was photographing the building, but it didn't matter. If it helped promote the cinema, good. Lady Ningguang wouldn't mind.
Satisfied, Xavier thanked her again and sprinted out.
He headed straight for the Liyue branch of the Steambird.
"Hello, I need to send an urgent message to Fontaine."
The Steambird representative looked at Xavier's Fontaine attire and nodded. "We have an express delivery service, but it's expensive."
"Money is no object."
Xavier slapped a bag of Mora on the counter. He had sold a few gemstones upon arriving in Liyue, knowing that raw ore fetched a high price here. He had plenty of funds.
He wrote a quick, frantic letter detailing his discovery. Then, he did something drastic—he packaged his camera along with the letter. He needed them to see the undeveloped film as proof.
Only after handing everything over did Xavier finally relax.
Rumble!
Suddenly, thunder rolled across the sky.
Crack! A bolt of lightning split the heavens.
"It's going to rain!"
Pedestrians scattered, running for cover or heading home to grab umbrellas.
Moments later, a torrential downpour began to wash over Liyue Harbor.
"Glad I came back early."
Inside the Jar Shop, Felix watched the rainstorm from his doorway. If he had stayed out any longer, he would have been soaked.
He sighed. With weather like this, no customers would be coming. Even the Fatui guards had left earlier and hadn't returned.
Felix moved his reclining chair to the doorway, content to watch the rain and enjoy a quiet afternoon.
Time passed peacefully.
Evening came, and the rain showed no sign of stopping.
While Felix enjoyed a leisurely dinner, chaos was erupting at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Despite the heavy rain, a massive crowd had gathered outside the parlor, staring in disbelief.
The building itself—the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—was twisting.
The walls warped and flexed like rubber, yet the structure remained intact.
"Well, I never expected to be able to speak one day," the building boomed. The voice was deep, ancient, and resonated from the very timber of the structure. "Oh dear, did I scare you? My apologies."
The Funeral Parlor had come alive.
"Holy crap! The parlor is talking?!"
"Can a house even do that?!"
"Is this one of Director Hu's pranks?"
"Impossible! Look at how the wood is bending! If it were a mechanism, it would have snapped by now. The house is literally alive!"
"I know Liyue has Adepti, but a talking house? That's definitely a ghost!"
The crowd was terrified. They had never seen anything like this.
"Haha, I am no ghost," the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor laughed heartily, causing the crowd to step back in fear.
Inside the parlor, Hu Tao stood frozen, staring blankly at her own establishment.
She was completely dumbfounded.
She had just tapped the wall with her Soul Staff.
Just a little tap.
She knew the staff could knock souls out of people—Supreme Ancient One had demonstrated that. But she hadn't expected it to give a soul to a building!
Hu Tao looked at the staff in her hand, her expression a mix of awe and confusion.
Why did it make the house talk?!
"Haha, little girl, don't be afraid," the house rumbled warmly. "Actually, I should thank you. If not for you, I wouldn't be able to speak. I've watched you grow up, you know. Think of me as an elder."
"I..."
Hu Tao's face went through a kaleidoscope of expressions.
She dealt with spirits, ghosts, and the border of life and death daily. But having her own headquarters call her "little girl"? That was a first.
"U-Undertaker Meng!"
Hu Tao gulped and turned to her trembling subordinate. "Go get Shopkeeper Felix! Quickly!"
"Y-Yes, Director!"
Undertaker Meng, face pale as a sheet, scrambled out the door. He literally crawled and rolled out of the entrance in his panic.
The parlor was talking. This was beyond his pay grade.
Director Hu had whacked the soul out of the building! Only the Shopkeeper could fix this madness!
"Old Meng! What's happening?"
"Yeah, why is the parlor talking?"
"My cousin told me the building spoke, and I slapped him for lying. Now I have to go ask him to slap me back!"
"Is this a prank?"
The crowd besieged Meng as he burst out.
"I don't know! I don't know!" Meng shouted, pushing through the rain-soaked mob. "Let me through! I need to find someone!"
He sprinted toward the Jar Shop.
The Director's staff came from the shop. The Shopkeeper was their only hope.
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