"But I can't neglect my work either."
As Ganyu spoke, her body shimmered faintly, and a perfect duplicate of herself appeared by her side.
"You can return to Yuehai Pavilion and handle today's tasks.
I'll stay here and accompany Cloud Retainer."
"Understood."
The clone nodded politely, then walked out of the manga shop.
"Having a clone is just too convenient…"
Keqing couldn't help sighing in admiration.
Not only could it multiply productivity, but it also allowed one person to handle multiple matters at once— a true blessing for workaholics like them.
"That manga was Journey to the West, right? You can read it tomorrow."
Ganyu smiled gently.
"Looks like I have to."
Keqing sighed.
She had actually planned to read Doraemon tomorrow— since Ningguang mentioned that it featured many amazing gadgets:
a Time Machine that traveled through eras, a "What-If" Phone Booth that could rewrite reality itself…
She really wanted to see those!
But after witnessing Ganyu's Clone Technique, she suddenly wanted to read Journey to the West instead.
Not to mention, Han Feng might release new manga at any time.
How was she supposed to keep up?
Keqing rubbed her temples.
Her schedule was officially doomed.
After that, the two went their separate ways—
Keqing returning to work, and Ganyu heading off to meet Cloud Retainer.
Meanwhile…
Childe (Tartaglia) had also finished reading Iron Kid Kabutoborg.
"Didn't expect the ending to be like that…"
His expression was a little complicated.
At first, when he learned about the concept of the Peace Star, he'd been excited by the idea— collect all thirteen, and a grand wish to bless all humanity could be granted.
He had eagerly followed the heroes' journey, waiting to see what kind of noble wish they'd make.
But in the end, once the Peace Stars were gathered, what appeared was not a benevolent entity— but the Guardian of the Peace Star, who rebuked humanity for its greed and sins, declaring that humans no longer deserved peace.
It took everything the heroes had to stop the Guardian's plan of annihilation.
That ending left Childe… uneasy.
Because, in a way, the story reminded him of Snezhnaya.
In the manga, the heroes gathered the Peace Stars to "create a better world for all humanity."
And his own Tsaritsa was gathering the Gnosis to defy the heavens and "save mankind" from the laws of the world.
But what if, when that goal was finally reached— it wasn't salvation that awaited them, but destruction, just like in the manga?
Childe frowned deeply.
He knew a little about the Tsaritsa's past— how everything had begun five hundred years ago, during the cataclysm that destroyed Khaenri'ah.
He didn't know why Celestia decreed that calamity.
He only knew that the Tsaritsa was never the same again afterward.
And thus, the Fatui Harbingers were born.
"Forget it. A small fry like me doesn't need to think about such grand things."
Childe chuckled bitterly and shook his head.
"Let the gods worry about destiny.
I'll just focus on doing my job well."
He straightened his coat and took a deep breath.
"Alright then! Time to see what reward I got from Boss Han!"
Excitement returned to his eyes as he walked toward the counter.
The system's interface flashed before Han Feng's eyes.
[Customer: Childe]
[Manga Read: Iron Kid Kabutoborg]
[Reward: Fake Peace Star (1 piece)]
[Fake Peace Star: While the true Peace Stars slumber across Blue Star,
their power influences surrounding stones,
granting some of them similar—but lesser—abilities.
These are known as Fake Peace Stars.
When attached to an object, they can greatly enhance its properties.]
[Note: Handle carefully—it has a tendency to run away.]
"A Fake Peace Star?"
Han Feng raised a brow.
Well, that actually made sense.
In the anime, fake ones appeared fairly often.
And while not as powerful as the real thing, even a Fake Peace Star possessed a portion of that mysterious strength.
Depending on what it fused with, the results could be quite remarkable.
Still… that last note gave him pause.
"'Has a tendency to run away'?
…Wait, it can move on its own?"
Han Feng blinked, suddenly uneasy.
A radiant beam of light descended, enveloping Childe.
Moments later, it faded— and a small, shining blue gem appeared in his hand.
"Th-this is… the Peace Star?!"
Childe's voice trembled with excitement.
Even his hands shook slightly.
After all—
according to the manga, the Peace Star could grant wishes!
He had actually received one!
This was incredible!
He could already think of so many things he wanted to wish for:
—to help the Tsaritsa fulfill her dream of defying the heavens,
—to build a massive toy factory for his little brother Teucer,
—or to find a truly powerful rival to challenge him!
Too many dreams… too few Peace Stars.
"Wait—if I just wish for more wishes, that should solve it, right?"
Childe grinned, proud of his "genius."
But then—
"Fake."
A calm voice interrupted his daydream.
"Huh? What's fake?"
Childe blinked.
"That Peace Star in your hand," Han Feng said flatly, "it's a fake one."
"Wha—?! No way! It can't be!"
Childe's face froze in disbelief.
"Impossible! This is definitely the real—!"
But one look at Han Feng's deadpan expression told him all he needed to know.
The memory of the manga's "Fake Peace Stars" suddenly resurfaced.
His excitement deflated instantly.
"Ah… so I got that one…"
He looked crushed.
"Pfft—"
Beside them, Noelle couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter.
It was just too funny— this man had gotten so worked up over his "wish-granting gem," only to find out it was a counterfeit.
Realizing her laughter was rude, she quickly covered her mouth, her shoulders still trembling.
"Boss Han, this Peace Star… wait—
WHAT THE—why is it flying?!"
Childe yelped mid-sentence.
Before anyone could react, the glowing blue gem slipped free from his grasp, rose into the air, and began spinning above the shop like a shooting star.
It circled the ceiling once— as if looking for something— then suddenly darted toward the door.
With a faint whoosh, the Fake Peace Star shot out of the manga shop and vanished into the streets of Liyue.
Childe: (⊙_⊙)
"…"
His jaw hung open.
Even the fake one had ditched him.
—------------------------------
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