No Money, No Manga (Re-edit)

"It must be said, this photo album is really good. With it, I'm able to understand quite a few things," Lisa who loves research usually spends her free time in the lab. Now that she has this amazing album, she can learn about past events that many people are unaware of. Perhaps, she might even gain insights into the future.

"Mr. Owner, thank you for your reward."

"You pay for the comics, and the rewards you get from them are what you deserve, no need to thank me."

"I'm quite curious about you, Mr. Owner. Judging from your appearance, you seem to be from Liyue, so why are you in Mondstadt?"

"Lisa, everyone has their own secrets. I'm in Mondstadt just to do business." Takarou wouldn't tell them about his true identity, preferring to leave them guessing.

"Since Mr. Owner doesn't want to talk, I won't pry."

"Jean, let's go. Once we get back, I need to thoroughly research this."

"Alright, Mr. Owner, we'll take our leave now."

"Klee, come home with me."

"Mmm~ Goodbye, Brother Takarou." Regrettably, Klee had to follow Captain Jean and leave.

"From the information we know, this Mr. Owner is a businessman, and we've received rewards from his comic shop."

"Jean, you've received a Fairy-class digimon "Floral Fairy" from the comics. If more members of our Knights of Favonius read the comics, wouldn't that enhance our power?" On their way, Lisa was speaking while walking.

"For the Knights of Favonius, enhancing our strength could be greatly beneficial."

"But I worry, what if ordinary people also receive rewards from the comic shop? What then?" Jean frowned.

Naturally, it would be a lie to say she wasn't worried.

"We can only monitor this closely."

"Mr. Owner is a mysterious person. Since he has come to Mondstadt to do business, we shouldn't offend him."

"If we offend him and he decides to stop operating in Mondstadt and moves to Liyue, Inazuma, or other countries, that would be a huge loss for Mondstadt."

"Mmm, you're right."

Jean also understood that having Mr. Owner's shop in Mondstadt and receiving rewards from the comics made Takarou a very mysterious person.

"Klee, do you want to read comics too?"

"Klee wants to read, but Klee doesn't have much money." Most of Klee's money was held by Jean. She usually only carried about fifty Mora, which wouldn't be enough for comics.

"If Klee wants to read comics, you can ask Jean. She will give you money, but you can only use it to read comics, not for other experiments, understand?"

Klee was a child who loved to research bombs. As Klee's guardian, Jean naturally had to look after her.

"Mmm, Jean, I understand."

"Fairy sister, can you play with Klee?"

Regardless of who Klee was addressing, she always called them brother or sister. Although the Fairy Digimon looked much smaller than Klee, she still called it sister. The Fairy Digimon glanced at Klee, then flew to her face.

It was clear that the Fairy Digimon liked Klee too.

"So that sprite is called Floral Fairy, a reward from reading a comic in a comic shop."

In a corner, a green creature murmured to itself.

"I just don't know if the rewards they received from the comic shop are safe."

"It seems I have to check it out myself."

After saying this, Jean turned and headed towards Takarou's shop. Today, two more guests were entertained, bringing the total to three guests so far.

After serving ten guests, Takarou would be able to draw a reward. He wondered what the next reward would be. With no customers in the shop at the moment, Takarou lay leisurely on a chair.

"Hi, boss."

At this moment, a figure in green attire walked in from outside the shop. Seeing the lounging boss, he greeted him. With just one look, Takarou recognized the identity of this guy.

Venti. The wind god of Mondstadt, also known as Barbatos.

"Dear customer, are you here to read comics?"

"I wonder what comics the boss has in the store?"

"There are two in total, Doraemon and Digimon. If you want to read, it's ten thousand Mora per read, and you can only read once a day and only inside the shop."

Ten thousand Mora wasn't expensive.

"But boss, I currently don't have any money on hand. I wonder if I can owe it to you and pay you back when I have the money?"

Upon hearing Venti's words, Takarou gave him a disdainful look. He knew very well that this idle fellow had no money. Even if he had money, he would use it to buy wine at the Angel's Share next. As for why he didn't go to the Cat's Tail Tavern, that was because Venti was allergic to cats.

"I'm sorry, but we don't offer credit here. You have to pay to read the comics."

"Oh well..."

"Boss, how about I sing a song for you? I am the most popular bard on the Teyvat continent."

"No need, I know who you are, Venti, also known as Barbatos."

Takarou waved his hand, revealing Venti's identity. Seeing his identity exposed, Venti gave an awkward laugh.

"Mr. Owner, I am not Barbatos, I am just the bard, Venti."

"Haha, I don't care who you really are. If you want to read the comics, you need to pay."

These were the rules of the shop, and even if Venti was Barbatos, he couldn't break them.

"Well, alright then."

"Boss, could I stay in your shop for a while and ask you some questions?"

"Sure, what would you like to talk about?"

"Is Mr. Owner a Liyue resident?"

"No, I am from another world."

In front of Barbatos, he didn't conceal this.

After all, if he claimed to be a native of Liyue, Barbatos would ask Zhongli and would find out he had been lied to.

"Oh, I didn't expect Mr. Owner to be from another world."

"So are these comics from your other world too?"

"Correct."

"I wonder, in the world where Mr. Owner comes from, are there gods?"

"In our world, there are no gods. It's an era governed by people."

"No gods, an era ruled by people?"

"Not only that, but our world has a lot of alcohol."

"Various types of alcohol."

Takarou smiled slightly. Before he transmigrated, there was indeed a wide variety of alcohol in his world.

"Oh, is that so? I wonder if Mr. Owner has any on hand. Could I possibly taste some alcohol from the other world?" The moment alcohol was mentioned, Venti became instantly interested.

"Of course, since Lord Barbatos is here today, I will let you have a taste."

Takarou gave a slight smile. He then stood up, went to the counter, and took out a bottle of liquor.

Maotai. He fetched two cups, opened the Maotai, and poured a little into Venti's cup, and his own.

"Would you like a taste?"

Venti picked up the cup of liquor and took a sniff. A rich aroma of liquor entered his nose. Although he hadn't tasted it yet, just from the scent, he knew it was good wine!

___________

For Venti, who loves alcohol, even though he hadn't tasted it yet, he knew that the taste of this wine would certainly not disappoint. He then lifted the glass. Took a sip. Comfortable, moisturizing, round, pure, full, rich, soft, and more. Combining all these qualities, Venti couldn't help but exclaim.

"Great wine!"

"The taste of this wine is excellent, isn't it?" Takarou smiled as he saw Venti's satisfied expression.

"Mr. Owner, it's not just good. This wine, I tasted it for the first time, and it has an incredible texture."

"Mr. Owner, how about another glass?"

"You want more? But you have to help me with something."

Takarou brought out the wine with the intention of getting Venti to help him with a task. Otherwise, why would he bring out the Maotai liquor?

"Huh? Mr. Owner, I'm just a bard. I usually sing songs, talk about Jean. What can I do to help you?"

"If you agree, I can give you all the bottles of wine, and I can also provide you with other types of wine in the future."

"Venti, don't you want to drink such fine wine again in the future?"

Takarou gently shook the Maotai liquor, tempting step by step.

Looking at the Maotai liquor in Takarou's hand, Venti had only tasted a small amount earlier. Naturally, he wanted to savor this exquisite wine properly.

For someone who loves alcohol, having the wine right in front of them but unable to drink it is extremely frustrating.

After hesitating for a moment, Venti looked at Takarou and said, "Then, Mr. Owner, what do you want me to do?"

"It's simple. I want you to help me attract customers to the store. For every five people with the Vision who come to my store to read manga, I will give you a bottle of wine. How about that?"

Although the store had been open for two days and had received two customers, Jean and Lisa, Takarou didn't want there to be no more people with Visions coming to read manga in the future. And Venti, as a bard in Mondstadt, was perfectly suited for this task. Venti often goes to Angel's Share and knows Amber, as well as Kaeya and others. As long as he says a word, Amber may be hesitant, but Kaeya would definitely come.

"Hehe..."

"Mr. Owner, how about this? I'll help you with advertising. For every person with a Vision I invite to your store to read manga, you give me a bottle of wine. How does that sound?" Takarou glanced at Venti.

He remained silent.

"Alright, Mr. Owner, I agree. So, what about this bottle of wine?"

"It's yours, after all, you are the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt."

"Boss, I'm just a bard in Mondstadt for now. Don't say such things lightly."

After saying that, Venti snatched the bottle of Maotai from Takarou's hand, afraid that he would regret it.

Then, he directly took a sip from the bottle.

Seeing Venti's expression, Takarou couldn't help but remember what Tartaglia once said.

"Do something useful! Barbados!"

"Remember what you promised me. If you can't fulfill it, then there won't be this kind of wine for you in the future."

"Mr. Owner, don't worry. I promise you, I will fulfill my end of the deal."

"Well, then I'll take my leave."

Watching Venti happily leave the manga store with the Maotai liquor in hand, Takarou shook his head helplessly and lay back on the recliner.

In the following days, neither Jean nor Lisa, nor Klee, came to the manga store.

On the fifth day, which was also the fifth day since Takarou's manga store opened, Takarou stood at the entrance and looked at the weather.

Today was the day when Aether or Lumine would appear below Starfell Valley. At that time, Paimon would be lured out of the water by her.

Then the two of them would set off and go to Mondstadt. However, in the Whispering Woods, Venti and Tartaglia could be encountered. So, it was also today that Lumine or Aether arrived in Mondstadt, and then Tartaglia would appear.

Time passed by, minute by minute. It was around 10 o'clock in the morning when Takarou saw Amber entering Mondstadt with a blonde girl and emergency rations.

"I didn't expect it to be Lumine."

"So, the Abyss Order's prince is Aether."

"Lumine, this is Mondstadt."

Amber brought Lumine to Mondstadt and introduced her to the city.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!"

"We finally arrived in a city."

Paimon flew in the air, her eyes sparkling as she looked around. Being in the city meant they didn't have to sleep in the wilderness anymore.

Lumine also breathed a sigh of relief. Tonight, she wouldn't have to wander around; she could rent a nice house, rest well, and take a good bath. As a girl, Lumine naturally valued cleanliness.

"Lumine, let's go. I'll take you to the Knights of Favonius and introduce you to Acting Grand Master Jean."

"Alright, Amber, thank you."

After saying that, Lumine followed Amber and Paimon up the steps.

They hadn't walked for long when they arrived at the Hunter's Gathering restaurant on Mondstadt's Central Avenue. Suddenly, the sky darkened, followed by a roar of a dragon.

Tornadoes swept through Mondstadt. The Windborne Dragon, Dvalin, had appeared!

"Ah, it's the Windborne Dragon! Lumine, Paimon, follow me!"

Amber's face changed as soon as she saw the Windborne Dragon. She quickly shouted to Lumine and Paimon. Lumine tried to catch up, but she was directly swept up into the sky by the tornado.

Next, as the protagonist of this world, Lumine naturally repelled the Windborne Dragon.

"Acting Grand Master Jean, it's the Windborne Dragon!"

At that moment, Acting Grand Master Jean and Kaeya walked out of the Knights of Favonius.

"We received news a few days ago, but we didn't expect the Windborne Dragon to appear today."

Jean looked at the tornadoes surrounding Mondstadt and the panicked people, her face filled with anxiety.

"Chirp~"

Feeling the change in her owner's emotions and seeing the frightened people running away, the Anemo Archon's bird flew into the air.

The Anemo Archon's bird! When Acting Grand Master Jean saw the Anemo Archon's bird flying into the air, her expression changed.

Although she learned from Mr. Owner that the Anemo Archon's had exceptional power, this was the Windborne Dragon, a powerful entity comparable to an ancient god.

In the sky, Lumine was attacking the Windborne Dragon with the help of a mysterious individual.

At that moment, she caught a glimpse of a small creature similar to Paimon flying in the air, which surprised her.

Could it be that there were spirits similar to Paimon in the continent of Teyvat?

However, she didn't have time to think about it. Repelling the Windborne Dragon was the most important task at hand.

"Floral Cannon!"

Just then, the Anemo Archon's bird suddenly emitted a voice similar to a little girl. Then, it extended its arms forward, using the flower petals on its wrists as gun muzzles, and fired an energy blast called "Floral Cannon."

Floral Cannon: Fires the cannon four times, dealing 45% damage each time, and has a 50% chance to inflict the target with Poison, causing continuous HP loss for 3 turns.

Roar!

The Windborne Dragon, already under attack by Lumine, was further assisted by the Anemo Archon's bird. It instantly felt the pain.

Flapping its wings, it flew far away.

Seeing the Windborne Dragon retreat, Lumine had no intention of chasing after it. After all, she didn't defeat the Windborne Dragon entirely on her own. It was thanks to the help of the mysterious individual and the creature resembling Paimon that she managed to repel the dragon.