MTLNOVEL Chapter 199: Chapter 199
Bailu took Diona and ran off to find Ye Yun, saying she wanted to look for Furina.
Seeing this, Ye Yun took out his phone and called Furina to ask her.
Furina was in the middle of a rehearsal and didn't have time—the performance that night was very important.
However, she had already made arrangements for Bailu.
She said, let the little ones go up and sing a song together tonight. Didn't they sing once before? The effect was great, wasn't it?
Ye Yun told Bailu that Furina was currently rehearsing and about the plan to sing with the seven little ones.
Hearing this, Bailu stopped making a fuss.
"Alright, then we'll go over later."
Ye Yun patted Bailu's little head with a smile.
"Come on, I'll take you to scoop goldfish. It's quite fun."
Bailu looked up at Ye Yun, reached out to hold his hand, and followed him to a nearby goldfish scooping stall.
Goldfish scooping is done using a paper scoop to catch goldfish from a pool.
As long as you can catch one, you can take it home—it requires patience and a gentle touch.
If the goldfish falls to the ground or back into the pool, it doesn't count and must be returned.
Klee, Hook, and Qiqi also came over.
Yeyun bought 700 scoops outright so Klee, Bailu, and the others could have fun.
Qiqi squatted by the pool, fully focused on the little goldfish swimming inside.
She slowly lowered the scoop and lifted it up—one goldfish lay quietly on it.
Qiqi just stared quietly at the goldfish and didn't put it into her own bowl.
Slowly, the paper scoop couldn't hold the weight, tore apart, and the goldfish fell back into the pool.
Qiqi watched the goldfish dart away, her little face full of confusion.
"Hmm~ little goldfish ran away."
Yaoyao came over and squatted beside Qiqi.
"Qiqi, here, do it like me."
Yaoyao took a scoop and taught Qiqi how to catch goldfish.
"Like this, once you scoop it up, you must quickly put it in your bowl, so the little goldfish won't escape~"
Qiqi looked enlightened.
"Oh~ Qiqi understands."
Qiqi took a new scoop, lowered it into the water, and lifted it up.
She looked at the empty scoop with a surprised expression.
"Oh~ Qiqi didn't catch it."
Yaoyao smiled warmly.
"It's okay~ Qiqi, we still have lots of scoops."
Qiqi nodded and continued scooping goldfish.
At the stall, the vendor was shocked watching Klee scoop goldfish one after another.
The air was filled with Klee's cheerful laughter—every time she dipped the scoop in, she caught several goldfish.
Klee scooped up another full bowl and placed the goldfish into her water bowl.
Then she turned to look at Ye Yun standing behind her.
"Ye Yun-nii~ Klee's bowl is full~ Klee wants a new bowl!"
Ye Yun smiled and asked the vendor for another bowl.
The vendor looked at the noticeably reduced number of goldfish in the pool and sighed silently.
How is this little girl so good at scooping goldfish? She catches several every time.
Luckily, Qiqi, Yaoyao, Bailu and the others are more average, and Ye Yun bought 700 scoops all at once.
Otherwise, he'd be taking a serious loss.
Klee was overjoyed with her new bowl and continued scooping happily.
Over half an hour later—
Clorinde brought over a large water tank and asked the kids to pour all the goldfish inside.
"Mr. Ye Yun, how about we keep the goldfish at Palace for now? You can take them back when you return."
Ye Yun smiled.
"No need for that trouble.
Arceus."
As soon as Ye Yun finished speaking, Arceus appeared next to them.
"What is it, Ye Yun?"
Ye Yun pointed at the fish tank.
"Do me a favor—these goldfish were caught by Klee and the others. Could you take them to the Rose Castle where they live?"
Klee, Bailu, and the other kids gathered around excitedly when they saw Pony.
"Arceus~ Arceus~ Can you help Klee?"
"Arceus, you've grown taller since we last saw you! Can you tell me the secret to growing taller?"
"Arceus, Qiqi wants to be lifted up!"
Arceus looked at the seven little ones hugging him and pulling on him and agreed.
"Mm-hmm, I can help you, Klee."
"Sayu, you'll naturally grow taller when you reach a certain age, no need to rush."
"Lift you up? Like this?"
After playing with the seven little ones for a while, Arceus left with the fish tank.
As he left, the children were reluctant to part—they loved playing with Arceus.
Unfortunately, Arceus always came and went like a ghost, and was rarely seen all day.
After Arceus left, Yeyun and Clorinde continued touring Fontaine with the little ones. The city was bustling these days, completely decorated for the festival.
Inside the New Opera Epiclese—
Ningguang, Keqing, and Ganyu were explaining products to visiting shoppers nonstop.
The goods on the counters in front of them were already running low—many items were sold out.
Thankfully, Ningguang had contacted Yelan in advance to deliver more stock.
Yelan quickly delivered five storage rings full of merchandise—enough to last the day.
After leaving the rings, Yelan turned and returned to Liyue.
With Ningguang, Keqing, and Ganyu all away, Liyue Harbor needed her to keep watch.
Even though many immortals were still there, the tasks of mortals still had to be handled by them.
Across from the Liyue booth was Nahida's stall.
Nahida stood on a footstool, smiling as she welcomed tourists.
Collei quickly got into the rhythm too, mimicking Nahida as she introduced the merchandise.
Likewise, their goods were selling quickly, and they had already sent Cyno to restock.
Cyno didn't rush back to Sumeru though—because he saw people playing Genius Invokation TCG!!!
Right outside the opera house, a special area had been set up.
It was filled with players playing Genius Invokation TCG.
Cyno couldn't resist and quickly got Nahida's permission.
"Of course, go ahead, have fun~"
After getting the green light, Cyno pulled out his deck and rushed in.
As for Mondstadt—their business was just so-so. They were mostly selling alcohol.
But during the day, with everyone out playing, who would drink?
Jean, Lisa, and Diluc were mentally prepared to reopen in the evening.
After all, alcohol shines most at night.
Surprisingly, Snezhnaya's booth was booming.
Why? Tsaritsa sold cheap goods—a pound of beef jerky cost only 99 credits.
Their strength was in being cheap, authentic, and tasty.
In New Teyvat, Snezhnaya wasn't especially cold anymore.
But back in old Teyvat, Snezhnaya was a frozen wasteland—never thawing year-round.
Back then, people from Snezhnaya loved turning all kinds of meat into jerky.
It was easy to store—just throw a few pieces into a pot for a bowl of soup.
The Fatui Lady frowned when she saw only one sack of jerky left.
"Why hasn't Childe come back yet? He's been gone so long."
Tsaritsa smiled.
"No rush. We can still hold out for a bit.
By the way, Lady, don't forget to message the Rich Man—tell him to build more ranches to raise long-haired cattle. This jerky sells really well."
The Lady nodded and sent a message on her phone.
At that moment—
Stelle, Hu Tao, and the others returned from the beach.
Hu Tao spotted Ningguang, Ganyu and the others, her eyes lighting up as she dashed over.
"Ningguang-Sis, Ganyu-Sis, Keqing, how's business?"
Ningguang had just finished helping a tourist when she looked over and saw Hu Tao leaning on the counter with a cheeky grin.
"Business is great. Many people followed our shop on Company Treasure today."
Hu Tao chuckled and pulled out an ad board.
"Hehe~ Then help me promote Wangsheng Funeral Parlor too~ Huohuo says business has been slow lately, and she hasn't had any practice."
Ningguang chuckled softly.
"You're sharp as ever. Put the sign on the counter. If it has a QR code, I'll let any interested visitors contact you."
Hu Tao beamed, rubbing her hands together, and placed her sign at the counter's edge.
"Thanks, Ningguang-Sis! I'll treat you to dinner sometime~ Hehe."
Meanwhile, Stelle and Firefly walked over to Nahida's stall.
"Nahida, we came to see you!"
Nahida looked at Stelle and greeted them with a smile.
"Stelle, Firefly, you're here. Did you have fun today?"
Stelle nodded.
"Of course. The beach was crowded. You should go check it out later."
Nahida smiled.
"Alright~ Do you want to buy something? I'll give you the biggest discount."
Stelle and Firefly looked at the items on the table.
Stelle saw the mushroom pig meat.
"Nahida, sell me a few little mushroom pigs~ I've only got one left in my pigpen."
Nahida responded,
"Sure, I'll have Alhaitham deliver them to the train a bit later."
Stelle nodded.
"Alright, I'll pay you now. We probably won't head back tonight—we're planning to play around here for a while.Just have him give the delivery to Pom-Pom. I'm afraid Jashin-chan might embezzle it."
Nahida nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Amber, Eula, and Lumine arrived at the Mondstadt stall.
Seeing how quiet the stall was, the three were momentarily speechless.
Lisa smiled as she watched them stammer.
"Don't worry, our business really picks up at night.A lot of customers have already reserved spots for this evening.When the time comes, I'll need all three of you to help out."
Amber and Eula both nodded in agreement.
Lumine, however, looked confused.
"Why should I help? I'm not even from Mondstadt. Paimon, let's go—let's go find Stelle and the others."
Lisa chuckled.
"Are you sure? Don't forget, Lumine—you're an honorary member of the Knights of Favonius~"
Lumine blinked.
"Ha! I almost forgot! Since you reminded me—where's my salary? Knights of Favonius members all get paid!"
Jean looked confused.
"Wasn't it already paid? Paimon came to pick it up."
Lumine's eyes widened. She turned her head and saw Paimon trying to sneak away.
Paimon let out a nervous laugh.
"Uh… Lumine, let me explain—"
Lumine put on a "kind" smile and slowly approached her.
One minute later, a loud scream echoed from a nearby alley.
Milim glanced up but didn't intervene, focusing instead on the snacks in front of her.
On the train:
Pom-Pom was strolling through the compartments.
"Noelle is just too diligent—she even cleans our section. I've got nothing left to do as train conductor!"
Ever since Noelle boarded, her daily duties included customer reception and cleaning.
As for reception, most returning guests knew how to shop by now, so it didn't take much effort.
So Noelle mostly focused on cleaning.
Ye Yun's shop was small—she cleaned it in under an hour.
Not one to idle, Noelle decided to help clean the train compartments as well.
She skipped the unused ones in the back and made sure to clean all the active ones daily.
As Pom-Pom walked, he suddenly felt something block his view.
He looked up to see Alhaitham.
"It's you, Alhaitham! Long time no see. What brings you to the train?"
Alhaitham pointed to the large cage behind him.
"These are the mushroom pigs Stelle bought. She asked you to check the delivery."
Pom-Pom took the invoice he handed over—
Just as he did, a black paw snatched it away.
"Hehe! Black Hand—grabbed it!"
Elio suddenly appeared, snatching the invoice.
"Stupid bunny! Do you even know how to count? Don't mess it up—leave it to the great Elio!"
Pom-Pom's fur bristled.
"Dumb black cat! Give that back! Stelle told me to verify the delivery—not you!"
Elio snorted.
"Hmph! Stelle used to be with our Stellaron Hunters, what's wrong with me checking it? Let's see—ooh, mushroom pigs again. Looks tasty. Guess we're having a feast tonight!"
He extended a paw, about to stamp the invoice—
Suddenly, a round head flew through the air and slammed into his waist.
"Trailblazer Headbutt!!!"
Elio was sent flying, crashing to the ground and clutching his back in pain.
Pom-Pom caught the drifting invoice and patted it clean.
"Hmph! Stelle's part of the train crew now! Her delivery—I check it!"
Then, turning to Alhaitham, his tone shifted to polite and respectful.
"Thank you for making the trip. Let's start checking the goods."
The two began the verification.
After finishing, Alhaitham asked,
"Conductor Pom-Pom, I heard there's a library on board. May I read there?"
Pom-Pom nodded.
"Yes, it's in Ye Yun's shop. He said anyone can visit anytime.You seem like the scholarly type—try heading into the 'cave realm' to find Dan Heng and Sunday. You three might get along well."
Alhaitham nodded.
"Thank you for the suggestion. I'll head there now."
After saying goodbye, he made his way to Ye Yun's shop.
Once Alhaitham left, Pom-Pom tapped the cage. Inside, 20 tiny mushroom pigs were huddled together, trembling.
He opened the cage and pulled one out for a look.
The mushroom pig was small, only about two-thirds of Pom-Pom's size.
Pom-Pom lifted it, examined it, and gave it a pat.
"Mm~ mm~ good quality. Roasted piglet from this one would taste amazing."
He returned the pig to the cage and looked at Elio, still lying nearby.
"Stupid cat, still lying down? I know you—there's no way that headbutt actually hurt.Come on, help me carry this."
Elio laid on the ground, resting his head on one paw.
"Beg me."
Pom-Pom rolled his eyes.
"Fine, don't help. But don't blame me if I go tattling to Stelle about you."
Elio perked up immediately.
"You're threatening me?! You wicked bunny!"
Ultimately, he relented and helped.
The cat and the bunny lifted the cage and wobbled toward the cave realm.
Inside the cave:
Sunday and Dan Heng saw them carrying the cage in.
"Pom-Pom?"
"Train crew?"
They quickly stepped forward and helped take the cage.
Dan Heng asked,
"What's this?"
Pom-Pom dusted off his hands.
"Mushroom pigs Stelle bought from Sumeru. She's still playing in Fontaine, so I'm handling delivery."
The two carried the cage to the pigpen and let the 20 mushroom pigs inside.
The pigpen instantly came alive.
The previous batch had only one left—now, with 20 new ones, it got noisy fast.
Dan Heng and Sunday tossed in a huge cabbage leaf.
All 21 pigs circled around and began munching together.
Sunday looked at the pigpen and said to Dan Heng,
"Should we raise more animals? Ye Yun probably has plenty of valuable species worth researching."
Dan Heng thought for a moment and agreed.
"Sounds good. Let's go check it out."
The two turned and walked toward Ye Yun's shop.
Meanwhile, Pom-Pom and Elio looked at the nearby green meadow—and started roughhousing again.
"Final Flying Kick 2.0!"
"Trailblazer Headbutt 2.0!"
"Ultimate Undersea Fish Scoop! Kitty Peach Pluck!"
"You filthy cat! Sneaking in from below?! Eat my Trailblazer Suplex!"
It was more like playfighting than a real brawl. They were clearly holding back.
Inside Yeyun's shop's library:
Alhaitham picked out a book titled Star Chart of Trailblazers.
The book recorded all the star maps gathered since the train's inception.
It marked the planets the train had visited and the routes between them.
Alhaitham found it fascinating—a vivid guide to the layout of the universe.
Book in hand, he sat on a nearby couch and quietly began reading.
Just then, Dan Heng and Sunday walked in.
Dan Heng greeted him—they'd seen each other before.
"Alhaitham? What brings you to the train?"
"I came to deliver goods, and decided to visit the library while I was here."
Dan Heng nodded.
"Oh, right. Pom-Pom mentioned it just now.Let me introduce—this is Sunday, our newest train crew member."
Sunday smiled and introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Alhaitham. I'm Sunday, the junior of the train crew."
***
Alhaitham nodded politely to Sunday.
"Hello, Mr. Sunday. I'm Alhaitham. I heard that Lady Furina is performing in Fontaine today—Stelle, Mr. Welt, and the others have all gone to watch. Aren't the two of you going as well?"
Sunday smiled and shook his head.
"We're not going. Today, we're planning to set up a preliminary ranch to raise some rather unusual animals."
Alhaitham was immediately intrigued.
"Oh? Is that so? Sounds quite interesting. May I participate as well?"
Dan Heng nodded.
"Sure, we could use an extra pair of hands."
Alhaitham nodded.
"Great. Just give me a moment to put this book back."
Dan Heng replied,
"No need—you can take it with you. Just return it when you're done and leave a notice in the group chat."
Upon hearing that, Alhaitham took a photo with his phone and posted it in the group.
Then, he followed Dan Heng and Sunday to a small bar where they picked out exotic animals for research.
In the end, the three of them selected 20 different creatures from across the multiverse.
However, they didn't buy them yet—they needed to build the ranch first.
The trio purchased materials and returned to the cave realm, where they started building a basic ranch next to the farmland.
The ranch was designed somewhat like a calculator—The upper part was a large grass field,While the lower part was divided into 20 small enclosures.
With construction robots assisting, the whole build took just over ten minutes.
Alhaitham showed keen interest in the construction robots.
Dan Heng noticed and said:
"These are available at Herta's Space Station. You can ask Asta about them. If you don't know her personally, maybe your Dendro Archon can help—she knows Asta."
Alhaitham nodded thoughtfully. That did seem like a worthwhile investment—Kaveh would probably love this kind of thing.
"Got it. Let's go move in the animals now."
The trio then transferred their chosen creatures into the ranch.
In the Court of Fontaine:
Theresa, Mei, Durandal, Cecilia, and Kiana were all anxiously searching for someone.
Rita had disappeared!
She vanished just as they were buying ice cream!
Theresa was already feeling numb.
"Rita! Is Melusine really that tempting to you?!"
Cecilia spoke up,
"Theresa, we should call Mr. Neuvillette and ask him to keep Melusines safe."
Theresa quickly took out her phone and dialed Neuvillette.
Upon receiving the report, Neuvillette immediately ordered Clorinde to head to Melusine Avenue.
Meanwhile, not far from that very street, a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened from within a trash bin.
Rita was hiding inside, currently being wheeled toward Melusine Avenue by sanitation workers.
She peeked out through a tiny slit in the lid, catching a glimpse of the patrol unit outside and sneering.
"Heh… You can't stop me! Daring to separate me from the beautiful Melusines—how cruel can you be?!"
Just as Rita was reveling in her success, she suddenly noticed the bin had stopped moving.
A guard shouted something about an inspection and began walking over to check the trash bins.
Rita broke into a cold sweat.
"Not good! I'm about to be discovered! Looks like I'll have to break out by force—Angel squad, I'm coming!"
She drew her weapon, ready to burst out—
But then a familiar voice called out.
Rita looked up and saw Clorinde approaching with a squad of guards.
Clorinde's eyes immediately locked onto the bin Rita was hiding in.
She turned to the sanitation worker.
"Melusine Avenue is under lockdown. Return these trash bins—bring them back tomorrow."
"Yes, Lady Clorinde," the worker responded, pushing the bin back the way they came.
At the landfill, the workers gathered in groups, having finished their shift.
"We got lucky today. Melusine Avenue lockdown means we get to leave early."
"Right? Since Lady Furina has a performance tonight, why don't we drop by the Opera Epiclese?"
"Sounds good! I'll bring the wife and kids—we haven't been yet."
"Let's clock out, then!"
Once the workers had all gone, Rita quietly lifted the lid and peeked around.
Seeing no one, she slipped out of the bin.
Just as she landed, a voice spoke nearby:
"Spray this. It'll get rid of the smell."
Rita immediately tensed up and looked toward the source—It was Clorinde, holding a bottle of perfume.
Seeing it was Clorinde, Rita put away her scythe, took the bottle, and gave herself a spritz.
"Thanks… for not exposing me earlier."
Clorinde nodded slightly.
"Why are you so obsessed with Melusines?"
Rita replied,
"Because I love children—feeding them, dressing them in cute dresses, brushing their hair, taking care of them. But sadly, children always grow up. Melusines, though… they're cute, kind, and they never grow up. Of course I'd love them."
Clorinde was speechless for a moment. Oh yeah… she'd seen this term online before…
Loli-con.
"…Let's go. You're not getting in—Melusine Avenue is completely locked down. Theresa, Kiana, and the others are all looking for you."
Rita felt quite disheartened upon hearing that.
"…Alright."
After that, Clorinde took Rita to see Theresa.
As expected, Rita got scolded.
But she didn't really care. Today, she had been just one step away from victory!
Next time! Next time she would definitely reach paradise!
I—Rita—will be back!
Rita made up her mind: she had to enter paradise again—no, ten thousand times!
Theresa sighed helplessly as she looked at Rita, who admitted her mistake but had no intention of correcting it. In the end, she could only choose to bring Rita to the Opera Epiclese.
Theresa had originally planned to stroll around the Court of Fontaine today, but it seemed she'd be stuck in a private box at the opera house with Rita for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, Cecilia, Kiana, Mei, and Durandal continued shopping.
They passed by many clothing shops and decided to go in and buy a few outfits.
After Rita was brought into the opera box, Neuvillette finally breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the lockdown lifted, allowing the Melusines to head out again.
In no time—
The Melusines, thrilled by the news, eagerly rushed outside to play.
Their appearance brought joyful surprise to the tourists.
"Oh my gosh! What are these? How can such cute little creatures exist?!"
"Everyone, check your phones—the official Fontaine account just sent out a message."
"Ooh~ these are Melusines! A species that coexists with the people of Fontaine.
They're friendly to humans and take pride in their work!"
"Wow, so that's it! Miss Furina's homeland really has such adorable creatures—this trip was so worth it!"
"Totally! I feel bad for the folks who couldn't make it here."
"They're regretting it like crazy. Tons of people are livestreaming, and others in the chats are just crying, haha!"
"Some are even begging Fontaine to let more people in. So funny."
"Speaking of which, the security on this planet Teyvat really is tight—without a ticket, there's no getting in!"
"Of course, Teyvat is closely allied with the company."
"Right, I heard there are lots of powerful people in Teyvat."
"Who cares? We're here to have fun. Let's enjoy ourselves."
"Exactly. Come on, let's go check out the resort island—the beach over there looks even nicer."
The arrival of the Melusines pushed the celebration's atmosphere to a whole new level.
Many tourists took photos with them, and the Melusines were happy to interact.
However, most Melusines didn't idle for long—they soon returned to their posts, eager to get back to work.
Pictures of them started circulating online, and people who saw them were smitten by their cuteness, sparking a wave of interest in visiting Fontaine.
Suddenly, a Fontaine tourism craze swept the net—though not massive in scale, it still involved a few million people.
Time flew by, and soon it was noon.
On the train—
Xiangling, Little Evil God, and Guoba were packing lunches to deliver to those touring Fontaine.
Xiangling had prepared six extra portions, five of which she brought to the realm.
She looked over at Pom-Pom and Elio, still brawling on the grass, and called out:
"Pom-Pom, Elio—lunch time!"
Both stopped briefly and replied in unison:
"Okay, just put it there. We'll eat later."
Then they immediately resumed fighting.
Xiangling gave an awkward laugh and took the remaining three meals to the ranch, handing them to Dan Heng, Sunday, and Alhaitham.
Twenty minutes later—
Xiangling, Little Evil God, and Guoba pushed a small cart into the Opera Epiclese.
Stelle and Firefly immediately ran over.
"Wow~ Xiangling, Jashin-chan, you're finally here—I'm starving!
Let me see what we've got for lunch today!"
Xiangling chuckled.
"Don't rush. Go find a place to sit. I'll serve you in a bit—gotta deliver to Ningguang and Nahida first."
Hearing that, Stelle and Firefly nodded and ran off to find seats.
Xiangling and her team pushed the cart to Liyue's stall.
"Ningguang-Sis, Ganyu-Sis, Keqing—lunch time!"
Ningguang smiled when she saw it was Xiangling.
"Thank you, Xiangling, for bringing us food."
Xiangling smiled in return.
"No problem! Today's menu: boiled beef slices, homestyle tofu, mushroom chicken stew, stir-fried lettuce. Ningguang-Sis, what would you like? I'll dish it out for you."
She held up a bowl and shook it at her.
Ningguang smiled.
"I'll take a bit of everything—your cooking is always delicious."
Little Evil God chimed in.
"No no no! I made that mushroom chicken stew!"
Ningguang smiled again.
"Ah, my mistake. You both have great cooking skills."
Little Evil God nodded in satisfaction.
Ganyu only wanted the lettuce—Xiangling had specially used a light amount of canola oil for it.
When it was Keqing's turn, she raised a question:
"Why do you and Hu Tao call them 'Sister,' but call me just by name?"
Xiangling responded seriously:
"Because you're about the same age as us."
That line hit Ningguang and Ganyu hard.
Oh dear. So that's the reason. Age—always a sore point for girls.
Keqing was pleased with the explanation.
"Alright, then just keep calling me by name. After all, we're~ the~ same~ age~"
She said while glancing smugly at Ningguang.
Ningguang quietly ate her meal, not wanting to comment.
Next, the trio brought food to Nahida and Collei.
"Nahida—lunchtime~"
Nahida responded:
"Thanks, Xiangling. Sorry to trouble you."
Xiangling smiled.
"No trouble at all. Tell me what you'd like."
After accepting their boxes and offering thanks, Nahida and Collei crouched behind the counter to eat.
At the Inazuma booth, Miko teased Xiangling a bit, making her blush bright red.
After making the rounds, Xiangling's team sat down at the Mondstadt booth.
Since they were selling alcohol, Mondstadt had plenty of wooden tables and chairs.
Stelle, Firefly, and the seven little ones that Ye Yun brought were all there.
The kids were doing homework during this break.
Today's classes were biology and calligraphy—fairly easy.
One assignment was to write a report on observing small animals, the other was calligraphy practice.
Jean stood behind Klee, happily watching her write carefully.
She'd been so busy lately and couldn't look after Klee much. Luckily, Ye Yun had been taking good care of her.
Xiangling served everyone lunch, and they began to eat.
Stelle and Firefly dug in the fastest—after playing in the sea all morning, they were starving.
As Stelle chewed her food, she looked around.
At noon, most tourists had gone to eat, and the Opera Epiclese was closed for an hour.
Stelle thought for a moment and looked at Firefly and Hu Tao.
"How about we set up a stall too?"
Firefly replied:
"Sure, but what would we sell?"
The group fell into thought.
That really was the issue—what to sell?
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Stelle's head.
"I got it! Let's sell signed photos of Furina!"
Firefly considered it.
"That could work. But is Furina free right now?"
Stelle chuckled slyly and pulled out her phone to call her.
At that moment—
Furina was having lunch with Robin in a tea room.
Their meal was exquisite, specially prepared by Fontaine's top chef.
"Robin, try this—it's from my favorite chef!"
Robin smiled and took a bite of steak.
The rich fat melted in her mouth—the beef was incredibly tender.
"Mmm~ delicious."
Furina smiled.
"By the way, after the concert tonight, Focalors said there'll be a celebration party. Let's go together—heehee~"
Robin smiled.
"Alright. Last time Mr. Neuvillette lost a game and didn't drink—he still owes us. This time, we have to make him pay up."
Furina gave a thumbs-up.
"Exactly!"
Just then, her phone rang.
She glanced at it.
"It's Stelle. Let me see what she wants."
She explained to Robin and answered the call.
"Hello? Stelle? What's up?"
Stelle replied:
"Where are you? Are you free?"
Furina looked puzzled.
"I'm having lunch with Robin. Why?"
Stelle replied:
"Give me some signed photos of yours—we're setting up a little stall."
Furina laughed.
"No problem. I'll send someone over with a few hundred."
Robin overheard and smiled.
"Furina, ask her if she wants mine too."
Furina relayed the question.
"Stelle, Robin wants to know if you want hers too."
Stelle's eyes lit up—an unexpected bonus!
"Of course! Thank her for me!"
After the call ended—
Soon, a staff member delivered a small wooden box.
Stelle opened it to find signed photos of both Furina and Robin inside.
She snapped her fingers.
"Done! Let's eat—after that, we go set up shop!"
Hearing this, Firefly and Hu Tao hurried up their eating.
At the Snezhnaya booth—
Tartaglia took a bite of food and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Mmm~ Xiangling's cooking really is the best. This stuff is amazing.
Too bad we're not in Liyue—it's hard to find food this good elsewhere."
The Lady glared at him.
"What? Are you saying Snezhnaya's food is bad?"
Tartaglia quickly shook his head.
"No no, I'm just making a comment."
Tsaritsa spoke up.
"I think Tartaglia's right—Xiangling's skills are incredible. Our chefs back in Snezhnaya really don't measure up.
No point making excuses—we need to improve. Lady, when we get back, pick a few chefs and have them develop some signature Snezhnayan dishes."
The Lady respectfully agreed.
The three continued eating.
As the lunch break neared its end, Xiangling, Little Evil God, and Guoba cleaned up the dishes and pushed their cart away.
Everyone, now refreshed, resumed their work and welcomed back the visitors.
Stelle, Firefly, and the others spread out a sheet on the ground and displayed Furina and Robin's signed photos.
Tourists began returning to the Opera Epiclese.
Soon, one spotted their stall.
"Are these Miss Furina's and Miss Robin's signed photos? Are they real?"
Stelle patted her chest.
"Of course! Don't you see where we are?
You think I could sell fakes here?"
The tourist thought about it—it was the Opera Epiclese, after all. Furina was performing here tonight.
There's no way fake merch could be sold openly here.
"So, how much?"
Stelle held up two fingers.
"200,000 per photo! Or 350,000 for both!"
The tourist didn't hesitate—he bought both.
Furina and Robin, one each.
Stelle happily pocketed 350,000 credits.
Nearby, the Lady, who witnessed it all, was stunned.
Seriously? And I've been selling beef jerky for 98 credits a pound…
***
Yoo... Here's the new chapter! I've noticed that lately my work schedule has been a complete mess. Because of that, I haven't been able to keep translating this novel every day. But don't worry—I'll keep working on it whenever I have some free time like this.