Chapter 2

Hu Tao's eyes lit up when she saw the Pokémon in the illustrated book.

"It's quite cute~"

After she finished speaking, she noticed that the manager, Takumi, who handed her the illustrated book, suddenly looked at her with a surprised expression.

"What's wrong, Boss? You look surprised?"

Takumi was genuinely surprised. Girl, you truly have some incredible luck.

If it were an average passerby, Takumi might worry about whether they could afford it if they were lucky enough to draw such a Pokémon. But Hu Tao was different—she belonged to the group of hidden wealthy individuals in Liyue.

"This is Gible, and its final evolved form is Garchomp."

"The key is that it has pseudo-legendary status!"

"In other words, except for those legendary Pokémon and mythical Pokémon who hold divine powers—whom ordinary people cannot tame or even find—pseudo-legendaries are already at the top of the food chain among earthbound creatures."

Hearing this, Hu Tao blinked.

Pseudo-legendary...

Manager Takumi had mentioned before that legendary Pokémon are special beings who hold great power.

And beneath those gods are the strongest—pseudo-legendaries. Legendary Pokémon!

Amazing! Hu Tao, who had now grasped the meaning of Gible's status, suddenly found herself short of breath.

Owning a power comparable to the seven earthly rulers of Teyvat...

She couldn't even fathom it.

If it was true that this Pokémon was one of the strongest below the gods, and she could cultivate it with various resources...

"I, Hu Tao, the 77th Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, could really use a powerful helper!"

The ceremony attendants and ferrymen in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, though numerous, including Zhongli and Keqing who spent their time idly drinking tea and playing with birds, could not help her in combat.

As such, Hu Tao, who was fed up with venturing into the wild alone to gather spirits, felt her heart racing.

"Store manager, how much does this Gible cost?"

Takumi pondered for a moment: "Fifty million Mora..."

"What?!"

Hu Tao was slightly taken aback.

Although Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had been passed down for 77 generations and her family was wealthy, spending fifty million on a pet she had never heard of seemed outrageous. If outsiders heard of it, they might laugh at her. As someone who worked in sales at Liyue Harbor, she never imagined she would one day fall for a salesperson's pitch.

The economy of Liyue and all of Teyvat was indeed quite extraordinary.

For example, a meal for two recommended by Xiangling at Wanmin Restaurant was priced at 4,000 Mora—and you must know that Wanmin Restaurant was famous for its affordability.

Therefore, the purchasing power of those 4,000 Mora could be compared to dozens of dollars. In that way, the minimum monthly salary standard in Liyue Harbor would not be less than 300,000 Mora.

However, even if an ordinary worker could earn this much in a month, fifty million for a pseudo-legendary Pokémon was enough to scare most Liyue Harbor workers to death.

Rounded up, it would take 167 months of working without eating or drinking to save this much money, or about fourteen years.

Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was officially recognized as overseeing funeral affairs in Liyue Harbor, a specialized and respected organization.

As is well known, the funeral industry has never lacked funds, let alone a national franchise.

Therefore, for Hu Tao, who ran a large business, fifty million Mora was at most a small loss.

She was just surprised that a pet could cost so much!

"Do you think it's unreasonable?"

Takumi, who had anticipated Hu Tao's reaction, shook his head.

"Let me declare in advance that our store operates with integrity, does not engage in fraud, and has obtained sales licenses from Yuehai Pavilion and the Millelith. If, in the future, you find our store has committed any fraud against customers, you are welcome to report it to the Millelith."

Hearing Takumi's definitive assurance, Hu Tao fell silent again. Indeed, in Liyue, where contracts and laws were strictly upheld, selling counterfeit and shoddy goods was a serious crime.

"In addition, among the 905 types of Pokémon in the illustrated book, only a handful have pseudo-legendary or legendary status."

"So, Master Hu Tao, think about it: the probability of drawing a pseudo-legendary Pokémon in a single draw is very low."

"If you don't seize the opportunity granted by fate and the blessing of the goddess of luck, the next time you draw a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, the price will only go up."

"Double, triple, or even more!"

For this first sale of the newly opened store, Takumi spoke sincerely and persistently, knowing that it was related to the store's mission.

If he could sell an expensive pseudo-legendary Pokémon, it would be a good start, and a successful business with tens of millions in sales could not be accomplished just by relying on luck.

"Will the price go up, double or triple?"

Hu Tao looked shocked.

"Why?!"

Takumi spread his hands.

"Each trainer can have up to six Pokémon in their main team, which means that if you engage in formal competitive battles, you can use up to six main Pokémon."

"The initial Pokémon are the partners of every trainer at the start, so our store will sell them at the lowest possible discount and as a preferential price for newcomers."

"But the price for the second, third, and fifth Pokémon will double. Of course..."

Here, Takumi paused deliberately.

He smiled meaningfully at the bewildered Hu Tao.

"If a large group of wild Pokémon appears in Teyvat in the future, after you become a trainer, you can also use Poké Balls to capture wild Pokémon yourself."

"Our store includes the sale of Poké Balls."

Regardless of what a "Poké Ball" was, Hu Tao suddenly interrupted Takumi with a serious expression:

"Store Manager, can I take a look at this Gible first?"

Takumi, confident that this sale was as good as secured, nodded.

"Of course. The trainer chooses the Pokémon, and at the same time, the Pokémon also chooses the trainer. So before delivery, we also check whether the Pokémon is willing to follow the customer."

A few minutes later, Takumi held a chubby Pokémon with short arms and legs and placed it in front of Hu Tao.

"Is this Gible?"

Different from the illustrated book, this Gible just sat on the ground, raising its head and opening its big, round, dark eyes, staring at Hu Tao with a look full of spirit and intimacy.

Suddenly, Hu Tao felt like an arrow had been shot into her heart.

So cute!

That's it!

Buy it!

It was as if a devil were whispering in her ears.