Sleep Deprived Xingxi

Read up to 15 chapters ahead!

https://pa treon.com/StickSwinger

Chill with us!

https://discord.gg/qpDTvSj3TC

***

Early into the morning, Yomite was taking a walk through the streets of Liyue looking into shop windows and debating whether to try buying things in them later or not.

His desire to find something special outweighed his caution towards going to high price establishments.

"Something for today's date would be nice. Then again, it shouldn't be normal to buy expensive things for your girl on each and every date, right? Or is it?"

He recalled the expensive gift he bought Fischl last time.

Thinking back on how warm her smile was when she received the gift, he realized that he loved to make people around him happy.

That was something worth mentioning.

(Yeah i should probably buy something after all...But what could I buy...maybe a necklace this time?)

He began an important debate in his head when he spotted a charming shop selling curiosities.

Their name immediately drew his attention: Mingxing Jewelry & Antiques. He ought to be able to get a gift for Fischl in there.

It was a four story building, although the main area for shopping appeared to be an open ground outside store.

A black haired clerk beauty in her early twenties was resting her tired head on the counter, eyes half open.

She looked completely worn out and slumped over ever so slightly.

He could sympathize with her. The heat in Liyue was unbearable.

Even today, all he did was walk around a bit and sweat dripped down his back profusely.

His clothes clung to him uncomfortably and he was sure he would take a shower before going on the date, just to feel fresh again.

At the sound of his entrance, the clerk looked up and appraised him thoroughly.

Something about her assessment caused Yomite to feel uneasy.

The clerk noticed his golden gaze dwell over her and she stiffened slightly upon seeing it.

"...Welcome to Mingxing Jewelry. What would you like? We are well established within the industry, even if we are only taking advance orders on artifacts and gems right now. We do have some other items in stock however. Other than gems, a few odds and ends. Are you a traveler? Perhaps we have something that could be of use for you on your adventures... "

Her bored tone most likely implied this was her daily routine of throwing boring questions at new potential customers in order to fill some sort of quota.

Her name was Xingxi. She was the owner of Mingxing Jewelry & Antiques.

From how out of it she looked at this point, one would think it had been weeks instead of mere hours since her shift started. Judging from her haggard face and hoarse voice, her workload definitely couldn't be light.

"Uh…" Yomite stared at the woman in silence, unsure of what to say.

"Ah, no...I am an adventurer, but right now I'm just looking around to buy a present for my girlfriend. I'll tell you if something catches my eyes." he responded politely.

"A girlfriend? Ugh, what a normie..." The girl groaned, her fatigue giving away she was in a state of deep depression.

"...What?"

He thought he heard wrong, and he turned to look at her.

"Sheeeeit…" The girl sighed harshly, leaning closer to the counter, "Pardon my words, please go on and look around the shop." a fake smile graced her face in reply.

There was an underlying hint of dislike evident in her voice.

"..."

(This woman is a weirdo...how does she even know a term like 'normie'? Is that something a woman in her twenties should say?) Yomite wondered silently.

As he began browsing the store, he found himself captivated by the variety of rings, necklaces and bracelets in different shapes and designs and colors.

Each piece was exquisitely made and beautifully decorated, ranging in size and price.

Many were elegant, containing fine gemstones such as silver or gold and diamonds.

He also found a number that contained unusual material he'd never seen before, similar to sapphire or emerald.

However, none of them shone in a green light, meaning none of the items present were artifacts.

They were all just for show items with no real purpose other than being aesthetically pleasing.

His ability, The Tempus Of The Heart was able to pick up on anything infused with special quality or properties by sensing the existence of magic.

These old jewelry pieces didn't contain any. Therefore, he would never be able to find anything useful in here...

"I have a question. Do you only take advanced orders on gems and nothing else? Does that mean I can buy normal jewelry without a problem?"

"Of course, jewelry isn't a problem, but gems are not possible. I apologize for the inconvenience. We often find ourselves unable to meet the demand for our goods here at Mingxing Jewelry...Trade routes closed down, and the mining place in the Chasm was also closed down..." Xingxi sighed, stretching once more and rolling her bloodshot eyes irritably.

These past few months were like a hell to her in terms of inventory turnover, and she knew this was why they were having a difficult time finding buyers lately.

Yomite stared blankly at the speaker as she spoke in her sleep-deprived tone.

(...Now that I am here, I might as well ask about 'that' thing...People in Mondstadt weren't able to help, but maybe someone in Liyue might be able to...) He thought to himself.

'I want to know.'

———————

Name: Shivada Jade Gemstone

Rarity: 5*

Description: Gemstone dropped by an adult Cryo Regisvine. Could be grinded into powder and consumed to increase the potency of a Cryo Vision Avatar.

Also contains a message on the back of the Jade - Sorry...██████████████████

███████ my bitter cold ███████████ ██████ burn away ████ world ██████

———————