Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

The night sky of Liyue is like a magnificent brocade of deep blue and almost ink, adorned with countless stars and human lights, weaving together a breathtakingly beautiful picture.

Especially on the eve of the Lantern Festival, this beauty adds a unique charm to the upcoming festival.

The ships docked in the harbor were adorned with colorful lights, and festive decorations quietly appeared along the streets, filling the air with a warm and expectant atmosphere.

Since answering the call at the South Wharf that day, Famas, the Traveler, and Paimon have rediscovered their old rhythm of adventuring side by side.

With Famas joining them, the perils of the Traveler and Paimon's journey seemed to be smoothed out by an invisible hand.

Those treacherous ruins that once deterred travelers and Paimon, the secret realms teeming with powerful monsters, and the precious treasure chests guarded by fierce guardians, all became as fragile as paper in the face of Famas.

The boy often just casually waves his hand or releases a chilling aura, and the obstacles in his path crumble.

In just one week, the Traveler completed the quests with astonishing efficiency, and the quest fees flowed into their pockets like water. The Traveler and Paimon actually earned hundreds of thousands of Mora!
Such generous rewards led to a significant increase in their rank within the Adventurers' Guild. If the traveler hadn't known that Famas scoffed at the title of adventurer, he would have wanted to drag him to the guild to register immediately.

Such powerful external support is simply a godsend for completing quests.

However, even a powerful company like FAMAS could not withstand the passage of time and the constant travel.

When the three of them finished their last quest and returned to Liyue Harbor under the moonlight, the deep night had already enveloped the entire harbor.

"I'm starving!!"

As soon as Paimon entered the city, his stomach began to protest loudly.

The little one rubbed her flat belly and insisted on replenishing her energy immediately. So, under Paimon's "coercion," Famas and the traveler had no choice but to follow her to the brightly lit and bustling outer area of ​​the Hall of Ten Thousand People.

At this moment, the three of them sat around a small square table, on which were Wanmintang's signature late-night snacks.

The translucent lotus-shaped pastries exude a sweet aroma, the golden and glistening crab roe buns steam with wisps of heat, and there are also several plates of refreshing hawthorn cakes to cleanse the palate.

Paimon couldn't wait any longer. He picked up his chopsticks and poked at the juicy crab roe buns, eating until his cheeks were bulging and he was humming happily.

The traveler also picked up a pastry, silently watching Paimon smile, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation.

Only Famas, leaning back in his chair with a slightly languid posture, held a small lotus pastry in his fingers, but his gaze swept over Paimon's head and fell on the scattered fishing lights in the distant harbor and the heavy mountain shadows shrouded in a thin veil of night mist.

The myriad lights of Liyue Harbor flowed silently in his deep eyes, reflecting the outline of the grand festival that was about to begin the next day.

But soon, a conversation reached the ears of Famas and the others.

"Hey! Brother Li, have you heard?"

A voice from the next table tried to keep its voice down, but it couldn't suppress the excitement.

"Right now, even the most basic entry-level Lantern Festival ticket is being sold for nine million Mora!"

Another voice immediately rang out, filled with regret and lamentation: "Oh dear! I'm so regretful! I should have steeled myself and sold that old house at Chihu Rock to get a few dollars to hold onto!"

The discussion about the exorbitantly priced lantern tickets clearly reached the ears of Famas, the traveler, and Paimon, who were enjoying pastries.

Paimon, biting into half a crab roe bun, curiously pricked up his little ears, while the traveler picked up his teacup and glanced over discreetly. Even Famas, who had been staring blankly at the distant lights, turned his head slightly.

"Haha! Brother Wang, that's why I say you're still a bit short-sighted."

At the next table, a young man wearing a slightly worn but clean Liyue robe was carefully picking up a crispy fried shrimp ball with his chopsticks.

He tried hard to appear calm, but the smugness in his eyes and the barely suppressed smile on his lips were like steam rising from a freshly opened steamer.

The young man deliberately cleared his throat and said in a boastful yet regretful tone, "If only you had been as bold as me back then, and had all the savings that your family elders had worked so hard to accumulate, you could have bet it all on these lantern tickets..."

He paused, basking in the mixed look of astonishment and envy in his companion's eyes, and raised his voice a few decibels:
"Now, you should be sitting here like me, a well-known billionaire!"

The man put down his chopsticks, straightened his back, as if he were already in a more upscale place, and surveyed his two companions and the slightly noisy surroundings. His tone carried the air of a declaration of impending liberation from misery. "Today, right here in Wanmin Hall, is the last time I, Zhang, will dine here. From now on, when you see me again, it will either be at Yuehai Pavilion, where we'll be drinking and chatting, or in the elegant seating area of ​​Xinyue Pavilion!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, even clenching his fists and forcefully swinging them, as if trying to sweep away the ordinary lives before him, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism.
"If this trend continues, hehe, let alone Xinyuexuan, even buying the feng shui treasure land of Yujingtai would not be a pipe dream!"

The two companions beside the man no longer showed the initial regret on their faces, but only pure amazement and admiration.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Brother Zhang's eye for talent is truly... truly amazing!"

"Who would have thought, who would have thought!"

The clamor and aspirations of the common people who suddenly became rich were like a pebble thrown into calm water, creating small ripples in the dimly lit area outside the Wanmin Hall.

Famas, the Traveler, and Paimon, who were sitting closest, certainly heard the conversation at the next table, but their reactions were quite different from the fervor or regret of the people at the next table.

They knew perfectly well that the lantern tickets were nothing more than a carefully woven bubble by Pantalone that would burst sooner or later.

The traveler remained calm, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his eyes revealed a clear understanding of the true nature of things.

Famas didn't even raise an eyebrow, as if he had heard the most boring gossip in the marketplace, and turned his gaze back to the distant lights with a hint of indifference.

But after the prince took off his outer jacket, Famas's nose twitched.

If he wasn't mistaken, this man had a very faint scent of cedar on him.

People in Liyue also use incense, but it's mostly soft floral and woody scents. A sharp, cedar scent like this is only used most often in one country.

That is the winter solstice.

The three reacted differently, but Paimon's reaction was the most intense. The little guy acted as if he had been burned, throwing the half-eaten, still steaming crab roe bun into the plate with a thud.

"Traveler!"

Paimon lowered his voice, his tone filled with anxiety and urgency, almost whispering in the traveler's ear.

"That big bastard Pantalone! Hasn't he given us the signal to close the net yet? Why haven't we heard anything?!"

What made her nervous was not anything else, but the thin paper voucher named "Eternal Glory of the Sky" that was lying quietly in the pocket of the traveler's white dress.

The price of this night light ticket, which the traveler originally bought for two million Mora, skyrocketed in just a few days, like a kite being blown up by a whirlwind, and has now climbed to an astonishing nine million Mora!
Despite the warnings issued by scholars in Liyue Harbor who were well-versed in economics, attempting to awaken the people blinded by exorbitant profits and remind them to view this illusory prosperity rationally, the voice of reason seemed so pale and powerless in the face of an astonishing rate of return approaching 400%.

The game of musical chairs continued, with everyone harboring the same hopeful thought:

"Why not just toss this hot potato of a coupon to the next sucker before the drums stop and the bubbles burst?"

"I certainly won't be so unlucky as to be the last fool clutching a piece of trash, right?"

"Paimon."

The traveler sighed helplessly, looked at the little one's anxious expression, and reached out to pat her head reassuringly.

"We've been practically inseparable these past few days. You should know better than me whether there's been any news from Pantalone."

As the girl spoke, she subconsciously touched the pocket on the side of her skirt, where the valuable paper coupon was located.

As the price of the lantern tickets skyrocketed, the traveler felt no joy, only a growing heaviness and burning sensation in his pocket.

Every time she hears news of prices hitting new highs, she can't help but feel a strong urge.

That is, to quickly sell the voucher before Pantalone sends the message.

Otherwise, if this financial illusion orchestrated by the Fools' executives suddenly shatters, their hard-earned two million Mora will likely vanish completely along with this false bubble. (End of Chapter)