15. Mr. Zhongli Visited The Shop

While sitting on a chair in front of his shop, he opened the system after hearing several notifications in his head.

Upon opening the notification, he saw a log where he earned points from readers' appreciation.

[The host received appreciation from several readers:

Appreciation from Zhang Shun: 50 points (One Piece)

Appreciation from Atsuko: 50 points (One Piece)

Appreciation from Bibo: 50 points (One Piece)

Appreciation from Chongyun: 50 points (Dragon Ball)

Appreciation from Xingqiu: 50 points (One Piece)]

He saw the name Zhang Shun who was probably the first person to buy his manga. But unexpectedly there were 2 other people he didn't know giving him appreciation. It was likely that the two of them were people who knew Zhang Shun and happened to be reading along.

He wonders why he can get points from two people who don't buy his manga. However, it's likely that everyone who reads his manga will give him points even if they don't buy the manga. And that is an advantage for him.

"Atsuko? That's a Japanese name. That person is definitely from Inazuma."

After that, Ryūhei checked his accumulated points.

[Point limit:

Dragon Ball (50/250)

One Piece (200/250)]

The number 250 on the list is the points determined to unlock the second volume. And it looks like he only needs a few more points to open the second volume of the One Piece manga.

At that moment, he felt a strong energy from someone he had felt before. He lifted his face to look at the person.

He widened his eyes as he saw the man in his early 30s also look at him coincidentally. What was terrifying about that man was the immense energy within his body, which he believed already exceeded that of someone he knew at Inazuma, Yae Guuji.

"No doubt, that person is the one I felt from the something-Funeral Parlor. But I don't feel any negative feelings from around him."

Not sensing any malicious intent from the man, Ryūhei briefly calmed down.

Meanwhile, the man in his early 30s, who is about 185 cm tall, spotted a new shop near the Third-Round Knockout tavern. Out of curiosity, he changed direction and walked toward the new shop which had Manga Impact written on the large sign in front of the shop. The man was none other than Zhongli. The consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Seeing a youngster wearing sunglasses in front of the shop, Zhongli clasped his hands while asking.

"Good day. Are you a worker in this shop?"

Ryūhei clasped his hands as well to greet Zhongli back.

"Good day. I'm the owner of this place. What can I do for you, sir?"

Zhongli looked at the decorative posters. He felt the pictures on the posters were good, but a bit out of touch, as if they had not been hand-painted. Then, he read the writing on the standing board. After a moment, he asked.

"What is manga?"

"Manga is graphic novels. It's literally a novel, but told with pictures. If you want, you can read one of these. These are the first chapters of manga I drew." Ryūhei offered him to read One Piece or Dragon Ball to try.

"Oh. Then, let me see."

Zhongli read them all. He was captivated by the stories so far. The thing that made him impressed was the way Ryūhei implemented the power in the One Piece story, which was the Devil Fruit, the fruit that made MC's body flexible and could stretch like rubber.

After seeing Zhongli finish reading, he immediately asked.

"How is it, sir? Did you find it to your liking?"

"Interesting concepts. The first is the legendary item, Dragon Ball, the other is the legendary treasure, One Piece. And seeing how slow it started, I guess these two are going to be long stories. Alright, I'll take them all."

"Spot on! Oh right, please excuse me for a moment, sir." Ryūhei immediately went inside the shop, and after a moment, he brought 2 books wrapped in a plastic seal.

"I just opened my shop today, so I'll be giving 75% off to all of my customers. You can have each of them with just a thousand Mora." Ryūhei put a smile on his face while offering the manga to Zhongli.

But then, Zhongli seemed to have a difficult expression that showed on his face.

"Oh, Mora. Hmmm. I suppose I overlooked this particular aspect of the transaction."

Ryūhei was naturally stunned by his words. What did he mean by overlooking a particular aspect of the transaction? Is he a sort of big shot that never brings any Mora with him?

"Ugh. How do you not think about Mora when buying things!?" Ryūhei started to feel a headache. He felt more so when Zhongli replied to him.

"If one must always consider Mora before acting, then in all things one is bound by Mora."

"What the hell are you talking about, sir? In this kind of era, transactions are all about Mora, you know? I've never even seen a barter transaction. Why are your thoughts similar to people from the old era?"

"Because I'm old?"

Ryūhei was even speechless. He didn't know what kind of person he was dealing with. But someone like the one in front of him is really out of the world.

Because his voice was a bit loud, Xingqiu, who was inside reading manga, was curious about it. He took a peek and saw Zhongly seemed to annoy Ryūhei.

"Ah, Mr. Zhongli."

When Zhongli heard the voice, he turned to Xingqiu.

"Hmmm? You're the youngest lord of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, right? Are you here on some kind of business?"

"Yes. By the way, what happened?"

"Ah, Xingqiu. I don't know when he was born, but his thinking is so ancient. How come someone doesn't think of bringing Mora with them when making transactions?"

Hearing Ryūhei's explanation, Xingqiu elated inwardly after taking a glance in Zhongli's direction. "Hehe, looks like I accidentally dug up a secret about him."

But, he still kept his calm expression while saying to Ryūhei.

"Ryūhei, I'm good friends with the boss of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. So you can put them in your tab. I'll call her later."

"What?" Ryūhei felt a slight creep after hearing about the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Then, he whispered. "You know the boss of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? That crazy little girl?"

"Little girl? Hehehe. In fact, Hu Tao is older than you, you know." But, Xingqiu's answer was a bit loud, causing Zhongli to turn his head toward them.

"Seriously?" He remembered when he met her at that time. Of the girl's appearance, what impressed him the most were her blossom-shaped pupils in her crimson eyes. Regarding her appearance, except for her eyes and beautiful thighs, nothing could enter his eyes.

"Did you happen to meet her?"

Ryūhei looked at Zhongli. He didn't want to badmouth Hu Tao in front of the man who is the consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. But, Xingqiu's words already told Zhongli indirectly that Ryūhei was bad-mouthing Hu Tao.

When Zhongli met Ryūhei's gaze, Zhongli understood that Ryūhei seemed troubled by Hu Tao's antics. He cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Don't look at me. I can't deal with that child as well."

Ryūhei widened his eyes. It seemed Zhongli also couldn't handle her antics. And since Zhongli also had trouble with Hu Tao, Ryūhei was a little bit relieved and said,

"I met her when I arrived at Liyue Harbor for the first time. What irritated me at that time was how she offered me to buy a coffin as if she was cursing me to kiss the dirt immediately."

"Pfftt. Hahahaha. That's so like her."

"Seriously, bro. With that kind of approach, who would buy the coffin from the something-Funeral Parlor?"

Xingqiu patted Ryūhei's shoulder.

"It would be best not to underestimate someone as whimsical as her. You know, funeral ceremonies allow mortals to leave this world with dignity. As eccentric as she is, she earnestly does her job to send the spirit of death to the afterlife."

Even Zhongli nodded in agreement upon hearing Xingqiu's statement.

"What the youngest lord of the Feiyun Commerce Guild said is right. Her job is worthy of respect. A long time ago, Liyue Harbor was beset by disaster and plagues, it was caused by the lingering hatred of ancient gods defeated over the course of the Archon War. Coupled with the help, or you can say the spiritual sacrifice of the Stove God to keep the land revitalized, some people pioneered the new path to purify the air and spirit as well as burning infected corpses, then eventually founded the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. That's why you shouldn't underestimate the importance of such a job."

Ryūhei was astounded by the tale and the history of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. He didn't expect that the parlor had such an important role in making Liyue Harbor what it is today. Though, he wasn't sure if that story was true.