While the crowd gathered outside the jar shop, some spectators immediately ran to Wanmin Restaurant to report the news to Chef Mao.
Inside the shop, the representative from Xinyue Kiosk was the first to act. He pulled out 1,000,000 Mora and purchased ten jars.
Looking at the ceramic vessels lined up before him, his face was flushed with excitement.
Wanmin Restaurant's legendary Instant Noodle recipe had come from one of these. If he could pull something similar—a recipe or a magical ingredient—Xinyue Kiosk would secure its dominance forever.
Crash.
The first jar shattered. A strange, blue, fungus-like organism rolled out.
[Sea Ganoderma] — A special species that grows on islands in certain regions. though it looks like a fungus, it is actually a substance secreted by a soft-bodied organism.
"An ingredient from Inazuma?"
The Xinyue rep frowned. This wasn't ideal.
One hundred thousand Mora for a sea mushroom he could import? Not a great start.
He didn't hesitate. He smashed the next three jars in quick succession.
Crash. Crash. Crash.
Three more blue fungi tumbled onto the counter.
[Sea Ganoderma]
[Sea Ganoderma]
[Sea Ganoderma]
"Pfft."
Beside him, the representative from Liuli Pavilion couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Four jars, four Sea Ganodermas? That's 400,000 Mora down the drain! Your luck is terrible!"
Although they had temporarily united against Chef Mao, they were still bitter rivals. They had walked in hoping the other would fail. Now, seeing his competitor burn nearly half a million Mora on common ingredients, the Liuli rep was delighted.
The Xinyue rep's face darkened. Hearing the mockery made his blood boil.
Without a word, he smashed three more.
Crash. Crash. Crash.
Another Sea Ganoderma.
A red flower stamen that radiated heat.
And one empty jar—just air.
[Flaming Flower Stamen] — A fiery flower part that burns eternally.
"Hahahaha!"
The Liuli rep burst into full-blown laughter. "Seven jars! Five Ganodermas, one flower, and one dud! You call that luck?"
The Flaming Flower was rare, sure. But Sea Ganodermas? They were practically weeds in Inazuma.
700,000 Mora for weeds. It was a tragedy.
The Xinyue rep couldn't take it anymore.
"Shopkeeper," he snapped, glaring at Felix with a dark expression. "Are these jars rigged? Are you targeting me?"
He seriously suspected Felix had handed him the trash jars on purpose. How else could he pull seven pieces of garbage in a row?
"This shop does not target anyone," Felix replied calmly, shaking his head. "You picked the jars yourself. I merely handed you what you chose. To put it bluntly: it's a luck issue. If your luck is bad, no one can help you."
"Plenty of people have worse luck than you. Opening jars is a gamble—fortune and misfortune coexist."
Privately, Felix agreed the guy's luck was abysmal. Pulling five Sea Ganodermas was statistically impressive in the worst way possible. He seemed to have a destiny bonded with sea fungus.
Hearing Felix's rebuttal, the Xinyue rep gritted his teeth. His face black as thunder, he smashed the final three jars.
I don't believe it. There has to be something.
Crash. Crash. Crash.
A red can. A small packaged bread. A bottle of water.
[Coca-Cola] — A special carbonated beverage from another world. Refreshing.
[French Mini Bun] — A small, soft, convenient bread from another world. Tasty texture.
[Ice Dew Mineral Water] — A bottle of mineral water.
"Phew."
The Xinyue rep let out a long breath, relaxing slightly.
Thank the Archons. No more Sea Ganoderma. No more empty jars.
Three items he had never seen before. Finally, a harvest.
The Liuli rep narrowed his eyes, analyzing the items. One looked like food, the others drink.
"This is Cola. This is Mineral Water. Both are beverages," Felix explained, pointing at the items. "And that is a French Mini Bun. Ordinary food. Feel free to taste them."
"Do they have any special effects?" the Xinyue rep asked nervously.
Ordinary food? For 100,000 Mora a pop, surely they granted strength or immortality?
"No special effects," Felix shook his head. "Just food."
"Sigh."
The Xinyue rep slumped. He gathered his meager haul—two drinks, one bread, some mushrooms—and stepped back. He would take them to the kitchen and see if they could be reverse-engineered.
"Shopkeeper, give me ten jars."
The Liuli Pavilion rep stepped forward, grinning as he slammed his heavy purse onto the counter.
He shot a gloating look at his rival. That guy's luck was trash. Mine will definitely be better.
"I want this one, this one, and that one..."
He pointed confidently. Felix waved his hand, and the selected jars floated over.
"Hmph."
The Xinyue rep crossed his arms, waiting to see him fail.
Crash.
The first jar broke. A red berry rolled out.
[Valberry] — A plump, translucent berry with a fragrant scent. A symbol of hope for the storm-watchers of the past.
"Heh."
The Xinyue rep sneered immediately. "You have the nerve to laugh at me? That's just a Valberry from Mondstadt. You can pick those in the wild."
"Still better than your Sea Ganoderma," the Liuli rep shot back. "Sea Ganoderma is trash in Inazuma. Valberries are hard to find. Shut up."
He smashed the second jar.
Crash.
A blue Sea Ganoderma fell out.
The Liuli rep's face froze. Sea Ganoderma? Seriously?
Crash! Crash! Crash!
He angrily smashed three more.
Two cans of Cola rolled out. One jar was empty.
"Acceptable."
Three jars, two Colas, one dud. It wasn't great, but it beat the Xinyue rep's streak.
The Xinyue guy only got one drink to analyze. He had two! He could run twice as many tests!
His psychological balance restored, he continued.
Crash. Crash. Crash.
A mushroom. A flower. A small carton.
[Philanemo Mushroom] — A fungus that grows in the warm breeze.
[Windwheel Aster] — A plant that adores the wind.
[Banana Milk] — Milk infused with banana flavor. Smooth and silky.
"Bwahahahaha!"
The Xinyue rep roared with laughter. "And you mocked me?! Look at your haul! Windwheel Asters? Philanemo Mushrooms? Just common Mondstadt specialties! Their value is no better than my Sea Ganoderma!"
The tables had turned. Karma was instant.
"Hmph."
The Liuli rep snorted, refusing to engage. He smashed the final two jars.
Crash. Crash.
A burger wrapped in paper and a small rectangular packet fell out.
[Spicy Chicken Burger] — A burger featuring a spicy chicken filet.
[Taste-Sharing Gum] — Chew one half, give the other half to someone else. Whatever the other person eats, you will taste it too.
"Two more ordinary items," Felix observed. He paused on the gum. "A burger... and Taste-Sharing Gum. If you share this gum, you can taste whatever the other person is eating."
"Oh?"
The Liuli rep's eyes lit up.
That's interesting.
Overall, his ten items were definitely better than that Xinyue bastard's.
"Hehe."
Satisfied, the Liuli rep gathered his items. He had food samples to analyze and a weird magical gum. It was a win.
He hurried out of the shop. He needed to get these to his chefs immediately.
The Xinyue rep realized the danger. His rival had similar items—if Liuli Pavilion analyzed the Cola and bread first, Xinyue Kiosk would lose.
He bolted out the door, running even faster than before.
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