Of course, it wasn't as if Beidou's luck had been bad.
Just drawing the Steam Battleship and the Zanpakutō alone was, in her eyes, worth more than any Seelie treasure. A Seelie hoard likely wouldn't hand over a warship, after all. If someone offered to trade her ship and sword for a treasure map, she'd laugh in their face.
Still, watching Ganyu open jars… the adeptus truly had incredible fortune.
Crash.
Ganyu broke open another jar.
From the ninth jar, a long cylindrical tube rolled out.
"Another weird gadget," Hu Tao exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the unfamiliar object. "Seriously, Ganyu-sis, your luck is absurd."
Even Hu Tao, who had pulled her share of interesting items, had also pulled plenty of duds. But Ganyu? Nine jars in a row, and every single one was either a magical tool or a treasure map. Not a single miss.
"It's nothing special, really," Ganyu murmured, cheeks tinting pink again. She had heard from Lady Ningguang that empty jars were common here, yet she hadn't encountered one. Perhaps she really was lucky.
Still blushing, she looked to Felix, waiting for his explanation.
[Rainbow Cannon] — Press the button to launch a beautiful, harmless rainbow.
Felix glanced at the tube and smiled. "It's a toy for creating rainbows. Press the button, and it shoots out a scenic rainbow arc. Purely for decoration and amusement."
"Oh!" Ganyu nodded, enlightened. That sounded lovely.
She turned to the tenth and final jar.
Crash.
Glass shattered, revealing a small vial of clear liquid.
[Invisible Eye Drops] — Apply to eyes to induce temporary blindness. Makes the user unable to see anything for a short duration.
"Invisible Eye Drops," Felix read the label with a faint smile. "Drip this into your eyes, and you'll go blind for a while. Useful if you want to experience what it's like to be blind."
"So… you could use it to blind someone else?" Beidou mused, rubbing her chin. "Does it have to be applied directly? Sounds like a decent way to punish a unruly prisoner."
"Yes, it has to be dripped into the eyes," Felix confirmed. "It's eye drops, after all."
He looked at Ganyu warmly. "Overall, Miss Ganyu, your luck today was excellent. Everything you pulled is interesting or valuable. And most importantly—you didn't get a single empty jar."
A perfect ten-for-ten streak.
"P-please, just call me Ganyu," she stammered, looking down.
Felix fought the urge to pinch her cheek or poke her horns. She was entirely too cute.
"Phew."
Ganyu took a deep breath to steady her racing heart. She looked up at Felix, face still slightly flushed. "Shopkeeper, do you have a bag? I… I can't carry all of this."
She had pulled too many items—maps, machines, headphones, bottles. Her hands were full.
"Certainly."
Felix nodded. It was the first time someone had actually needed a bag. Usually, customers carried their one or two items easily, but Ganyu had cleaned house.
He pulled a sturdy sack from under the counter and handed it to her.
"Thank you."
Ganyu bowed slightly, packed her new treasures away, and hugged the bag to her chest.
"Well then, Shopkeeper, we'll be off," Beidou announced with a hearty grin. "I'll be back next week!"
"Sure thing." Felix nodded, watching them head for the door.
"Sister Beidou, take this scroll," Qianyan said as they stepped outside, handing over the B-Rank Mission Scroll she had pulled earlier. "I can't use it—I'm not strong enough. But you are. Whatever the mission is, you can handle it. Just give me a small cut of the reward later!"
She knew her limits. A mysterious mission from the jar shop might be dangerous. Better to let the Captain handle it than risk failing.
"No problem," Beidou accepted it readily. She didn't stand on ceremony with her crew.
As they walked toward the harbor, the streets were buzzing with chatter.
"That Steam Battleship is magnificent! I took so many photos. Haha, I'm going to sell prints in Mondstadt—let the city of freedom see what real power looks like!"
"Damn, brother, that's smart. Selling pictures? Why didn't I think of that?"
"We really have to thank Captain Beidou. If not for her, we'd never see such a thing."
"Hehe, I can't wait to see what the Liyue Ship Bureau comes up with now. Lady Ningguang threw a fortune at them, and I heard the engineers pulled an all-nighter."
"I heard even Vision holders are joining the research team."
"Just imagine… Liyue dominating the seas of Teyvat. It's going to be glorious."
The excitement in the air was palpable.
"Sister Beidou, looks like the Crux Fleet is famous all over again," Qianyan giggled. "I wonder how long it'll take the Bureau to make their own ships. We're setting sail in a few days, right?"
"Won't take long," Beidou replied confidently. "When Liyue really starts turning its gears, nothing stops it. With Ningguang's Mora and the city's talent pool, they'll have prototypes soon. Maybe not a match for the Battleship immediately, but advanced steam vessels? Definitely."
Liyue was the heart of commerce. Alchemists, engineers, craftsmen—they were all here. Once mobilized, their speed would be terrifying.
...
Back in the shop.
"Uhm, Shopkeeper… I-I'll be going now," Ganyu said softly, clutching her bag. She felt shy every time his gaze landed on her.
"Goodbye, Ganyu," Felix smiled. "I look forward to seeing you next week."
"Mhm." She nodded obediently and slipped out the door.
With the Qilin gone, only Hu Tao and Felix remained.
"What?" Felix asked, noticing Hu Tao staring at him with her plum-blossom pupils. "Is there something on my face?"
"Nope." Hu Tao shook her head, grinning mischievously. "Just noticed you couldn't take your eyes off Ganyu today."
"She's the Qixing's secretary," Felix defended himself, returning to his breakfast. "She's usually locked away in Yujing Terrace. I didn't expect her to show up here, that's all."
"She's not that invisible," Hu Tao teased. "I hear she likes to stand by the docks at dawn and stare at the ocean."
"True." Felix nodded.
Few knew that the legendary secretary enjoyed eating breakfast alone on the pier at sunrise. It was a quiet solitude he respected.
"Anyway, breakfast."
He sat down to finish his meal. Once he was done, he had a shiny new Exclusive Jar to open.
Hu Tao went back to playing with her Charmander.
...
Meanwhile, on the streets of Liyue.
Ningguang and Keqing were walking toward the Bank when a Millelith guard rushed up to them, breathless.
"Lady Ningguang!"
"What is it?" Ningguang asked calmly. "Has something happened?"
"It's about the Northland Bank," the guard reported, pointing toward the Snezhnayan building. "Last night, there was a disturbance. The walls of their staff quarters were smashed open. Lord Tartaglia claims a thief broke in—there are signs of a fight, and significant property damage."
"He says the bank will pay for repairs, but he wants us to catch the intruder. But…" The guard frowned. "Our patrols didn't see any thief. We suspect the Fatui might be lying, but we don't know why."
Ningguang's eyes narrowed. A thief at the Northland Bank? Or something else?
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