Harlan Flint looked up from his tea as three unfamiliar faces stepped into Galehaven Comics, a flicker of surprise crossing his features at the sight of new blood in his shop. "Welcome—are you three here to read some comics?"
It wasn't often strangers wandered in—most of his clientele so far had been Knights or Fatui, not everyday Mondstadters drawn by word of mouth.
The trio swarmed him before he could blink, their voices overlapping with eager energy as they peppered him with questions. "Boss, got any Digimon in stock? That bard in the plaza said you get rewards for reading—is that legit? Can I pick an Agumon if it is?"
Their excitement crackled like static, eyes wide with hope, clearly hooked by whatever spiel Wendy had spun in the square earlier that day.
Harlan's lips twitched with faint amusement, a glint of realization in his gaze. "So Wendy's hype train finally pulled in some passengers—his bardic bluster's paying off better than I thought."
Lisa had tipped him off about the buzz, but seeing it bear fruit so soon—a trio of curious locals—was a promising sign for Galehaven's future.
"The comics are over there on the shelf—100,000 Mora per read, one book a day," he said, his tone calm and practiced as he gestured toward the display.
"Here!" one of them barked, a wiry guy with quick hands, slapping a pouch of Mora onto the counter without a second's hesitation.
Money wasn't an issue for these three—anyone bold enough to chase rumors to this tucked-away alley likely had coin to spare and curiosity to burn.
They hustled to the bookshelf, eyes scanning the titles—Digimon: First Frontier, One Piece: East Sea Saga, Yu-Gi-Oh—a modest lineup, but enough to spark their interest.
"There's Digimon—it's real!" the tallest of the group crowed, snatching the book with a grin that said he cared more for the story than any reward.
He didn't fully buy the prize pitch—he was here for the tale's next chapter—but he plopped onto a sofa anyway, diving in with relish.
The other two exchanged a glance, shrugged, and each grabbed a comic—One Piece for one, Yu-Gi-Oh for the other—settling in with the same eager vibe.
"Whoa, look at all these pictures—comics beat novels hands down; way more thrilling!" one exclaimed, flipping through One Piece with wide-eyed wonder.
"The eighth kid's Taichi's sister? How'd I miss that twist?" the Digimon reader muttered, hooked by the reveal as pages turned faster.
"This Devil Fruit stuff—it's like an Eye of God on steroids!" the Yu-Gi-Oh guy chimed in, awestruck by the East Sea's wild powers.
Their gasps and shouts bounced around the shop, a lively hum of discovery that drowned out the Lady's quiet focus in her corner with Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!.
Meanwhile, across Mondstadt in the Lawrence family estate, Eula sat at a desk, her quill scratching across parchment as she penned a letter to Yanfei.
As one of her rare close friends, Yanfei deserved to hear about Galehaven Comics—a place this extraordinary shouldn't stay a Mondstadt secret.
She poured her excitement into the words, detailing the Duel Disk, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the sheer magic of it all—Yanfei had to see it for herself.
"There—done," Eula murmured, setting the quill down after a final read-through, satisfied she'd captured the shop's allure in ink.
She sealed the envelope, stepped outside her room, and handed it off to a servant with instructions to mail it to Liyue, her mind already drifting elsewhere.
With no missions on her plate, this was her downtime—a stretch usually spent honing her swordplay or strolling with Amber to unwind.
Those had been her only outlets, her life a rhythm of duty and discipline, but now a new spark gleamed on her horizon.
Her gaze fell to the Duel Disk resting on her table, its sleek blue-and-white curves catching the light, and a soft smile curved her lips.
This reward from Yu-Gi-Oh—summoning monsters like Black Magician Girl and Blue-Eyes White Dragon—had hooked her in a way she hadn't expected.
Sure, she was the only one with it so far, no duels to be had, but the sheer novelty of it kept her fingers itching to tinker with it more.
"Wait a sec—what else is in this deck?" she wondered aloud, a sudden curiosity flaring as she reached for the card pack Harlan had described as forty random pulls.
She'd only seen two so far—Black Magician Girl and Blue-Eyes White Dragon—but the rest remained a mystery, a treasure chest begging to be cracked open.
What if it held the sealed Exodia pieces—Right Leg, Left Leg, Right Arm, Left Arm, and the head—cards that could summon the unstoppable Dark Archmage?
She still pictured that iconic Yu-Gi-Oh moment: Kaiba's trio of Blue-Eyes White Dragons bearing down, only for Yugi to assemble Exodia and wipe them out in one glorious blow.
That scene—cool, clutch, commanding—had stuck with her, and now she wanted to peek at her own deck's potential.
Eula spread the cards across her desk, inspecting each one with care, her touch gentle as if they were fragile relics of some lost art.
"Here's Black Magician Girl, then Monster Reborn, and this one's Fusion, I think," she murmured, cataloging them with a dancer's precision.
She flipped through the stack—trap cards, spell cards, more monsters—her focus sharpening until she hit the jackpot, her breath catching in her throat.
Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons stared back at her, their silver scales glinting on the cards, a trio of titans nestled in her modest deck.
"Holy—am I Kaiba now?" Eula blurted, half-stunned, half-delighted as she laid the three cards side by side, their presence almost mocking her disbelief.
If Harlan were here, he'd have razzed her mercilessly—three Blue-Eyes, each a collector's dream worth millions in some circles, nabbed for a measly 100,000 Mora.
She'd struck gold, a Luck Goddess in the making, turning a random draw into a haul that'd make any duelist green with envy.
"Didn't Kaiba fuse these three into something even bigger in the comic?" she mused, a fuzzy memory of a triple-dragon fusion stirring her pulse.
The idea hit her like a gust—summoning one Blue-Eyes had been jaw-dropping; merging all three could be downright legendary.
Her heart raced, excitement surging past her usual calm—outside swordplay, nothing had gripped her like this, a rush she couldn't ignore.
"Let's do it—I've got to try this now!" Eula decided, scooping up the Duel Disk and deck as she bolted outside, her mind alight with anticipation.
***
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