Qingque: "It's easy to see that you both have a strange obsession with things like treasure chests."
Qingque: "It really feels like 'birds of a feather flock together'."
Stelle: "I only have two hobbies: one is digging through trash cans, and the second is opening all kinds of treasure chests!"
Lumine: "Uh… I don't actually have a hobby of digging through trash cans."
Lumine: "Come to think of it, aren't there that many trash cans in Teyvat?"
Stelle: "That's a real pity."
....
『 Hotaru continues to follow the navigation's guidance.
A moment later, she finally arrived at Madam Jade's room.
[ Welcome to the Bonajade Exchange, The Radiant Feldspar Branch. ]
[ How should I address you, dear lady? ]
Inside the room, Jade saw Hotaru arrive and spoke in welcome.
[ Just call me Samuel. ]
Hotaru said her fake name.
[ Samuel, a very good name. ]
[ Then, Miss Samuel, what do you want? ]
[ And what are you willing to pay for it? ]
Jade asked with a smile.
[ … ]
[ I want to live. ]
[ For this wish, I am willing to stake everything I have. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "Ah… this… this wish…"
Furina de Fontaine: "It's so heartbreaking!"
Hu Tao: "So Miss Hotaru went to the Bonajade Exchange to fulfill her wish to live?"
Hu Tao: "But… Madam Jade might not be able to do that, right?"
Qingque: "Whether she can or not, you have to try."
Qingque: "Miss Hotaru must have gone with that thought in mind."
Stelle: "Wuu wuu, my Hotaru-chan!"
Stelle: "How exactly can her illness be cured?"
March 7th: "I WANT TO KNOW TOO!!"
March 7th: "The universe is so big, could it be that there's no one who can cure Miss Hotaru?"
Stelle: "Bailu, do you have any way?"
Bailu: "No."
Bailu: "I haven't studied this Entropy Loss Syndrome before."
Bailu: "But hearing the symptoms, it doesn't sound like a common difficult disease."
Feixiao: "Jiaoqiu."
Feixiao: "What do you think?"
Jiaoqiu: "General, in my opinion, eating more hot pot won't help with this illness."
Jiaoqiu: "My suggestion is… just relax, eat when you should, drink when you should, and have fun when you should."
March 7th: "???"
March 7th: "What does hot pot have to do with this?"
Lingsha: "That's because he is also a healer."
Lingsha: "And he is skilled in dietary therapy."
Hu Tao: "Eh?"
Hu Tao: "Who is this Miss Lingsha?"
Hu Tao: "She hasn't appeared before, right?"
Lingsha: "That's right, I've been lurking until now."
Yunli: "Sister Lingsha, you're also a healer. Do you have any confidence in treating Miss Hotaru?"
Lingsha: "Unfortunately, I also know very little about this disease."
Paimon: "Ugh…. why is it like this…."
Paimon: "Everyone actually has no way to treat Miss Hotaru."
Hotaru: "It's okay, I already expected this."
Hotaru: "However, here at Madam Jade's place, perhaps I can gain something."
....
『 [ Everything you have? ]
Jade asked in surprise.
[ Yes, everything. ]
Hotaru nodded.
[ Miss Samuel, please go back. ]
[ I think you don't understand the definition of an exchange well enough. ]
Jade suddenly turned her back and told Hotaru to leave.
[ What do you mean? ]
Hotaru frowned slightly.
[ I mean exactly what I said. ]
[ I can feel your intense desire to survive; it's as scorching as a ball of fire. ]
[ But in contrast to that, you cannot produce any collateral of equal value. ]
Jade explained. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Huh? No collateral of equal value?"
Stelle: "Hotaru is a Stellaron Hunter, how could she not have good things on her?"
Stelle: "Silver Wolf, are you Stellaron Hunters that destitute?"
Silver Wolf: "What do you mean by 'destitute'?"
Silver Wolf: "Clearly, Jade is speaking in riddles."
Guinaifen: "Could it be that Madam Jade can't fulfill this wish, so she's deliberately making up an excuse?"
Qingque: "I think it's very likely."
Jade: "Hehe, this is not an excuse, but merely a statement of fact."
Jade: "Miss Hotaru's wish to survive is indeed very scorching."
Jade: "And she is indeed willing to mortgage everything she has."
Jade: "But the problem is, at present, she truly cannot produce collateral of equal value."
Hotaru: "Madam Jade, what do you mean by collateral of equal value?"
Jade: "Hmm… that's for you to find the answer to yourself."
Jade: "I believe you will understand, Miss Hotaru."
....
『 [ Heh… is that so? ]
[ Sure enough, a pawnshop that grants wishes... I see. It's just a marketing gimmick. ]
A look of deep disappointment appeared on Hotaru's face.
[ That's a harsh accusation, but, normally, you don't understand. ]
[ But it doesn't matter, I will help you see clearly. ]
[ Go find these people; they have all patronized my exchange. ]
[ Use your own eyes to witness and see if their wishes have been fulfilled. ]
[ Then, come back to me, and I will make you understand what an exchange means, and also make you realize what you are still missing. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "Sure enough, Madam Jade's business has been open for a while."
Furina de Fontaine: "She has already received several clients."
Boothill: "Muddle-Fudging, such a place that's like a scam, and people actually patronize it?"
Qingque: "The way you put it, the more places like this there are, the more people go there, right?"
Qingque: "Even though many people know in their hearts that it's impractical."
Qingque: "But they definitely think in their hearts, 'what if it's real?'"
Jade: "Please do not lump my pawnshop in with ordinary scams."
Jade: "What I advocate here is exchange; you pay something, and I will give you a return."
Jade: "And, this is not omnipotent."
March 7th: "So, did Madam Jade really help those people fulfill their wishes?"
March 7th: "By what means?"
Stelle: "Tsk, just keep watching."
Stelle: "Hotaru-chan is about to go find them."
....
『 [ Rather than a shopkeeper of a pawnshop, that Madam Jade's temperament… is more like a moneylender. ]
[ Anyway, I have nothing else to do for now, I'll just look around as she said. ]
Hotaru walked out of Jade's room, ready to look for the people Jade mentioned.
A moment later, she walked from the corridor into the lobby, only to spot Stelle nearby once more.
At this moment, Stelle was with Dan Heng, in front of a pile of balloons.
[ Which one should I pop? ]
[ One, two, three, four, five… ]
[ Dan Heng and Voidranger jive... ]
Stelle was agonizing over it, muttering to herself.
[ Don't change the lyrics on your own. ]
Dan Heng rubbed his forehead speechlessly. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "Hahahahaha!"
March 7th: "One, two, three, four, five, Dan Heng and Voidranger jive?"
March 7th: "Hahaha, this is killing me!"
Dan Heng: "…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Pfft!"
Furina de Fontaine: "It really is funny!"
Stelle: "Aiya, I really am something!"
Stelle: "To think I could come up with such a smooth and coherent sentence!"
Stelle: "So… of these balloons, which one should I pop?"
Stelle: "So conflicted!"
Silver Wolf: "You've already chanted this. What are you conflicted about?"
Silver Wolf: "Whichever one it lands on, just pop it."
Stelle: "That makes sense."
Stelle: "Then I'll reluctantly pop them all!"
Lumine: "Hehe, that's what I was thinking too."
....
『 Hotaru still didn't go up to disturb Stelle this time.
She looked at Stelle's back and smiled knowingly, then turned to continue looking for the targets Jade mentioned.
A moment later, Hotaru arrived around the game machine.
Here, she saw one of the targets.
It was a girl named Stacy.
At this moment, Stacy was confronting a gambler across from her.
[ Hahaha! Overconfident little girl, here to give me money again? ]
The gambler opposite looked at Stacy and sneered.
[ Cut the crap, let's start. ]
[ One round to decide the winner… I'm betting all my possessions against you! ]
Stacy said firmly.
[ Ho ho, such big talk? ]
[ Fine, then let me see what you're capable of! ]
With that, the two opened the game machine next to them and started an online PK (Origami Bird Clash mode)! 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Hu Tao: "Why did this game machine become a tool for gambling?"
Hu Tao: "And these two are betting so much…"
Hu Tao: "All their possessions?"
Hu Tao: "She's really not afraid of going bankrupt!"
March 7th: "Isn't this the place where Stelle was just gambling for treasure chests with the robot?"
March 7th: "It seems that everyone on the ship uses this game machine as a place to bet."
Qingque: "Tsk tsk tsk, small bets are fun, big bets hurt the body!"
Qingque: "These young people, their self-control is still too poor."
Qingque: "Getting all red-faced and carried away after playing two rounds, that won't do."
Stelle: "Silver Wolf, can you give me a cheat plugin? I want to go to The Radiant Feldspar and become the Gambling King!"
Guinaifen: "The Gambling King?"
Guinaifen: "You're clearly just cheating, right?"
Stelle: "Aren't all the Gambling Kings in the movies masters of cheating techniques?"
Stelle: "I'm just fitting the persona!"
March 7th: "Stelle, you cannot get addicted to gambling!"
March 7th: "The Astral Express family rules do not allow it!"
Stelle: "Uh…"
Stelle: "It's just a game, PK(Origami Bird Clash mode), not real gambling…"
Stelle: "By the way, is this Stacy one of Madam Jade's clients from just now?"
Stelle: "What wish did she make?"
Stelle: "Could it be borrowing money to gamble?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Borrowing money to gamble is too much."
Furina de Fontaine: "She wouldn't be that stupid, right?"
Lumine: "I guess… the wish she wanted to fulfill might be 'always win when gambling'?"
Paimon: "Always win when gambling?"
Paimon: "Can such heaven-defying luck really exist…?"
....
『 The two competed fiercely on the game machine.
A moment later, Stacy won!
[ Won… won? ]
[ I… I actually won?! ]
Stacy, who won the match, found this result unbelievable.
[ This… this is impossible! ]
[ You clearly lost ten rounds in a row to me before… ]
[ How could I possibly slip up at such a critical moment?! ]
The gambler opposite had a pale face and looked dejected.
[ It's true… that Madam Jade is the real deal… ]
[ HA… HAHA… HAHAHAHA!! ]
[ Heaven never blocks all paths, the era of the Gambling Saint Stacy is finally coming! ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Charlotte: "Eh??"
Charlotte: "She really won without any effort?"
Charlotte: "Is it a coincidence?"
Zhongli: "Based on general rationality, I don't think it's a coincidence."
Zhongli: "Because this Miss Stacy had lost to the gambler opposite ten times in a row before."
Zhongli: "This shows that the gap between the techniques of the two sides is very large."
Zhongli: "And this time, despite such a huge gap, this Miss Stacy won cleanly and neatly."
Zhongli: "It can be seen that there are some external factors involved."
Collei: "So Madam Jade really has the ability to fulfill people's wishes?"
Collei: "Is it that magical?"
March 7th: "Uh… just looking at this one case, I don't think we can rule out the possibility of coincidence."
March 7th: "Let's see if the next person can also fulfill their wish."
....
『 After secretly witnessing Stacy's victory from the side, Hotaru was thoughtful and then continued to look for the next target.
A moment later, Hotaru found the next target.
It was a Pepeshi boy confessing to a Pepeshi girl.
His name was Dell.
And that girl's name was Dorothy.
Seeing this, Hotaru quietly approached and began to observe secretly.
[ Dorothy, I want to give you a gift. ]
[ Look. ]
Dell rummaged through his pockets and took out a beautiful necklace.
[ Wow… what a beautiful necklace! ]
[ Is it a cat's eye stone? It's so beautiful… ]
[ How did you know I like cat's eye jewelry? ]
[ It's even the purple hue, just like the one Dad gave to Mom when he was young… ]
[ I've never talked about this with anyone, Dell. How did you know? ]
Dorothy loved the necklace Dell gave her very much, and a bright smile appeared on her face.
[ Then… then… ]
[ Would you… Would you like to go out with me? ]
Dell struck while the iron was hot and stammered.
[ … ]
[ I… will! ]
After being silent for a while, Dorothy suddenly smiled and agreed to Dell's confession.
[ Ah?! ]
[ Re, really? ]
Dell couldn't believe it.
[ I didn't agree to you before because I felt you didn't know what I liked at all. ]
[ But this gift made me understand… ]
[ You have actually been observing silently, trying to understand everything related to me… ]
[ So, I will. ]
Dorothy nodded heavily!
[ Gre, great! ]
[ My… my wish has really come true! ]
[ Dorothy, let's go? ]
[ Let's go outside and see the scenery of the Twelve Hours together! ]
Dell said excitedly.
[ Okay, let's go! ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Qingque: "Oh my… it actually worked?"
Qingque: "Is it that effective?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Suddenly, I want a possibility…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Do you think Madam Jade's ability to fulfill other people's wishes is her Cornerstone's power?"
Hu Tao: "That makes sense!"
Hu Tao: "Otherwise, there's no way to explain Madam Jade's magical ability."
....