"Sorry about this happening to your business sir," Eula said with her heart full of sincere apologies as she saw the onlookers outside.
"It's alright, it wasn't your fault. My name is Taylor by the way."
Seeing that Taylor harboured no outward prejudice towards her identity as a Lawrence, and was even being polite, put a faint smile on her face. Even just thinking back to the blanket that had been placed over her while she had slept, Eula felt a surge of warmth in her heart.
"Well, my name is Eula. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Taylor."
"Oh umm... by the way, Taylor, I'm sorry I broke your… uh… glass case? How much is it worth? I'll be sure to compensate you."
"You're very kind. Let's see its cost price is about 200,000 Mora."
"Alright, 200,000 Mora… wait a minute!?" Eula's brain finally caught up with her and safe to say, she was shocked. Her monthly salary was only 150,000 Mora! She must be getting scammed.
With 200,000 Mora, you could cover almost two or three months' worth of living expenses alone.
"200,000 Mora? Mr. Taylor, are you serious about that price?"
"I'm sorry Eula, but that is the manufacturing price for the smartphone."
Eula took a breath to calm herself down.
"I'm sorry Mr. Taylor, but I don't have enough Mora on me right now, can I bring it over tomorrow?"
She needed to investigate this 'smartphone' and find out everything she could and hopefully understand why it was so expensive.
At this moment, she heard someone outside the store suddenly shout, "Grand Master Jean is here."
The crowd immediately started buzzing with whispers, seeing today's commotion was indeed a worthwhile viewing. For Grand Master Jean to come to the scene herself...
Jean walked straight to Taylor and gave a small nod which he acknowledged with a nod of his own.
"I'm sorry for all the commotion, Taylor. I will take full responsibility for not managing my subordinates better and causing you trouble and property damages."
The onlookers were slack-jawed, just who was this person? For the Acting Grand Master Jean to personally come to apologise.
"It's okay, it wasn't too bad, Eula helped stop them before it escalated any further. Hopefully, there won't be any more troublemakers coming."
Jean nodded and said, "I will give due punishment to the knights responsible for this incident as well as his companions."
She then turned over to Eula.
"While most of the blame lies with Duke, as a higher-ranked member of the Knights of Favonius, you also acted recklessly in someone else's shop, so you will need to bear some responsibility too."
"I understand Grand Master Jean"
Eula lowered her head, and both Eula and Jean then made their way back to the headquarters.
However, the impact of this incident was far from over.
"Hey did you hear, apparently 5 members of the Knights of Favonius had a showdown in a store and Grand Master Jean came personally to apologise to the owner."
"Just how influential is the enigmatic owner of the mobile game cafe?"
"What exactly are these things called mobile games?"
In the span of just half a day, news had exploded through word of mouth. The cafe becoming a topic of idle conversation for everyone over their meals and tea breaks.
Suddenly, Taylor's Mobile Game Cafe became an overnight sensation and is now a well-known store throughout all of Mondstadt.
However, facing the high cost of playing, most people chose only to watch from afar, reluctant to spend that much money, However, there were also some well-off young people who came to experience the game.
...
Early in the morning, Taylor's cafe already had three young people playing the mobile game. With Taylor's guidance, they smoothly entered the world of Teyvat within the game.
Never having played anything like this before, these young people were immediately captivated by the unique visuals and novel gameplay. Direct exclamations of astonishment and wonder could be heard from time to time.
Of course, their gaming skills were nowhere near Lisa's level but Lisa is a natural talent. Even after playing for over 10 minutes, they were still wandering around the beach. They didn't have a problem with that, because, after all, they were having a great time, their eyes filled with so much excitement.
They initially paid 10,000 Mora, but soon, when they started to get properly familiar with the game's controls and we were eager to start exploring, each of them immediately paid an additional 20,000 More.
…
"Look. It's Stormterror"
One of them exclaimed in excitement that he had finally reached one of the Statues of the Seven. He continued the main storyline when he then saw a massive dragon flying overhead and couldn't help but cry out.
His voice immediately attracted the attention of the other two, and they felt their blood boil with excitement and anticipation. They couldn't wait to continue with the storyline. They then saw a young man in the game who was able to talk with the dragon, which further astonished them!
Taylor smiled with a look of remembrance. They acted in almost the same way he did when he first played Genshin Impact.
At this moment door was pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in.
"Hi~ Taylor..."
Lisa greeted Taylor with an unusual closeness.
"Welcome back Lisa, how many hours would you like to buy this time?"
"My dear Taylor, you mentioned there was a promotion event to recharge 100,000 Mora and get the value of 50,000 Mora as a bonus, so I'll go with that."
Lisa placed the heavy bag of Mora on the counter. Such a big spending immediately caught the attention of the three young people.
"It's the Head Librarian, Miss Lisa!"
"Miss Lisa, do you also play this mobile game?"
Lisa glanced at their screens to look at their progress. She then gave a slight smile and shook her head slightly.
"You three haven't reached Mondstadt yet? I've already saved Mondstadt and dealt with Stormterror's power sources."
Lisa casually teased, peaking the three's interest.
If they understood Lisa right. They would be able to confront Stormterror and save Mondstadt by following the storyline, which means anyone could be a hero. In the real world, most people are just ordinary folk living ordinary lives but now within this game, they might be able to fulfil their fantasies of being a hero.
The three young people gleamed in excitement as they eagerly moved forward with the storyline.
…
[Prologue, Act 2. For a Tomorrow Without Tears. Unlocked after reaching Adventure Rank 10.]
It appears that continuing to experience the Prologue Archon Quest was not that easy after all.
Currently, Lisa's Adventurer Rank is still at 7. After receiving some prompts, Lisa found out that she could increase her Adventure Rank by collecting Anemoculi, opening chests, completing World Quests and a few more activities. She wasn't able to gather much useful information on the plot but her enthusiasm remained unshaken. After all, she aimed to develop herself into the most powerful character.
During the process of raising her Adventurer Rank, any monsters that appeared within her line of sight were killed by Lisa's character, and dealt with by using her powerful Electro-elemental Attacks. The three young men noticed Lisa's situation and were immediately shocked to see that Lisa was a playable character in the game. They were then awed by her smooth manoeuvre, dodging attacks and performing well-timed combos. They even put down their own phones to stand around Lisa to learn from her techniques.
"Miss Lisa, why do you use Amber's aim shot on the monsters first?"
"Miss Lisa, your damage is so high."
"Head Librarian, please teach me how to get stronger in the game."
Lisa lightly tapped on the table and a surge of lightning flashed, startling the three. They dare not speak so loudly anymore for fear of incurring Lisa's ire.
After just quietly observing Lisa's actions, the three felt that they had gained valuable insights into how the game works. Returning to their chairs, they plan to continue the storyline and strive to acquire Lisa as soon as possible.
…
After doing some more World Quests, Lisa returned to Mondstadt, she briefly encountered some people at the blacksmith shop, the Adventures Guild, and the Good Hunter restaurant. Then she followed the map to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. Lisa also took a look at the Grand Master's Office, finding Jean not at her desk. Perhaps just like in the real world, she had already gone out to perform some plans.
After having a conversation with Kaeya a prompt appeared on the screen:
[Pavo Ocellus Chapter, Act 1. Secret Pirate Treasure.] (TN: Pavo Ocellus means peacock's eye in Latin)
"This must be Kaeya's personal quest."
As for why it was called Pavo Ocellus Chapter, there was probably a deeper meaning behind it, but that was still unknown for now. Including the Archon Quest and the Prologue, Lisa felt that this mobile game concealed a very significant amount of thought-provoking information within it.
However, this personal mission for Kaeya did not reveal any major secrets about Kaeya himself. To summarise, it was a story where Kaeya had conducted research to search for a treasure and use that as bait to capture a treasure hoarder Izzard. At the end of the quest, he then gifted the Traveler a sword, Harbinger of Dawn.
Lisa took a look and find this three-star weapon had excellent attributes. Unfortunately, it was a single-handed sword which she could not use, so she equipped it on the Traveler instead.
Previously, the Travelers name had been [Jean] but after Lisa found the name-changing function, she changed it to [purple rose]. After all, the accounts that had once been Jean's had been basically passed over to Lisa.
Two hours passed by very quickly during this time, and another three or four people entered to experience this mobile game. And similarly, once they immersed themselves in it, they couldn't bear to pull themselves away.
Outside the shop, more than 10 people had gathered, curiously peering in through the windows. Sometimes, some of them went in they. They would just have a brief experience and then come out to tell everyone what this 'mobile game' was all about.
They seemed to be like people possessed, sitting tightly to their seats, staring at the palm-sized glowing box, their faces filled with excitement or curiosity, leaving those outside utterly perplexed. If they hadn't seen Lisa inside as well, they may have suspected that the glowing boxes had some sort of sinister sorcery that could control people's minds.
When lunchtime had arrived, there were few people outside watching. Lisa also emerged out of the shop as she planned to go have lunch first, and then continue with the upcoming storyline after completing Kaeya's Story Quest and various miscellaneous World Quests so her Adventure Rank could finally reach Level 10, allowing her to continue the Archon Quest.
Lisa asked Taylor if he would like to have lunch with her. Unfortunately, he cannot leave the store while their customers are in, so he suggested she bring him back some lunch and they could eat together.
===
At noon, Lisa asked him if they could have lunch together, but he couldn't leave the store for two reasons.
One is that he has to watch over the customers that are here which is what he also told Lisa.
The second is that he didn't want to be outside the system protection that was in the store until he had some power to protect himself.
But he would like to be able to go out into the city, so clearly, he would need to start recruiting some service staff sooner rather than later.
...
While waiting for Lisa to return with lunch, the store door was open and Eula was dressed in a casual outfit that wasn't her usual attire, but it still highlighted her beauty as she walked in.
"Mr. Taylor, I have come to compensate you… for what happened last night. Once again, I'm really sorry." Eula said, she took a bag and placed it on the counter. "This is only 100,000 Mora. I can't come up with any more money than this right now. I'll be sure to return the rest of the Mora to you as soon as possible."
Although Eula hesitated, it was clear that she wasn't lying. Taylor put the bag of Mora on the table and then looked at Eula. "Did Acting Grand Master Jean punish you?"
"Yes... I've been here suspended for three months," Eula replied calmly or at least she seemed to be calm on the surface.
"But Duke got it far worse as he was directly stripped of his knighthood and is under close monitoring of the Knights of Favonius. He's probably feeling deep regret right now."
...
When she received her punishment, she wasn't all surprised about it. Mondstadt might be the City of Freedom, but punishments were still handed once you crossed the law. After all, there were precedents.
Eula had no complaints about her punishment, but what she cared about more was the value of the 'smartphone'. So. she took the opportunity to inquire about it from Acting Grand Master Jean.
And the response she received left her very surprised. Even if it were to be sold at 2 million Mora, she would buy it without hesitation because the information that could be accessed within the mobile games was vital. Grand Master Jean told her that the game could reveal significant details that could prove vital for Mondstadt's future. Furthermore, making this game of this calibre, in Jean's view, could not have come cheap in any way inside the palm-sized phone so there must be other mysteries.
When she learned this, Eula was genuinely astonished. She hadn't expected this item to be so valuable. She suspected that Taylor had been very forgiving and given her a cheap compensation.
So, Eula brought all her savings and came here to pay what she could, and hopefully receive Taylor's forgiveness. However, Taylor did not rush to accept or reject it.
He smiled and said to her, "If my information is correct, you have already severed ties with your family, and have been living on your own right?"
The question puzzled her. "Yes I have, but what has that got to do with anything?"
"You're still living on your own. You still have your livelihood expenses, rent and daily purchases. If you give me all your money, what are you going to do?"
"I still have a bit of money left, not much, but should be enough to get through."
"Don't forget, you still got a three-month suspension, and I doubt the knights will still be paying you your usual monthly salary."
Eula fell silent. She hadn't considered this situation at all.
Seeing her fall into a deep thought, Taylor sighed. "Take the money back for now. You got into this whole conflict because you were here when they were coming to try and cause trouble with me. How about this, I will help you pay off your debt by working here for at least three months. During this time, you'll get housing, three meals a day and a monthly salary of 200,000 Mora. After that, the debt between us is settled, how does that sound?"
...
She hadn't expected Taylor to propose such an idea, not only would it solve her financial problem for the next three months but he also promised to help clear the debt between them along with a monthly salary of 200,000 Mora. It was even more than what she was earning as the captain of the Reconnaissance Company. It was a very offer tempting to her.
"No need to rush you can take your time and think about it." Taylor kindly said to her.
For her, the most critical issue was whether working in someone else's store as one of the Knights of Favonius would lead to people criticising her for compromising her dignity as a knight. She quickly realizes, however, that she already has biases against her because of her ancestry. Did she care about a few more comments at this point?
With this in mind, she looked to Taylor. "No need to think about it, sir. I'll be happy to work here."
"Wonderful when can you start working?" Taylor asked wearing a satisfied smile.
"how about now?"
Clearing out, her debt sooner would greatly help lighten her burden.
"Very well. From now on, you're officially an employee of my mobile game cafe."
…
"...and like this, you charge an equivalent amount based on time. Do you understand now what all your job requires?"
Eula nodded.
For now, her job seemed pretty simple, calculate how long each person had paid for, and once that time ran out, either they paid for more time or they left. What puzzled her the most was what made this game so enjoyable that made these people willing to spend tens of thousands of Mora just to experience it. Judging by their expressions, they were clearly having a great time.
When she got a rough idea of what this mobile game was all about, that palm-sized box could display the entire landscape of Mondstadt and there were many places and familiar faces, such as Amber, Kaeya, Acting Grand Master Jean, Lisa…
It's absolutely unbelievable that you can control these characters inside the game.
How did Taylor, a young man who looked to be no older than his early 20s, design and develop such a magical game?
Eula looked at the bar counter. Since Taylor told her how to handle payments, he's gone into one of the other rooms, either to rest or do something else. He was really trusting in her not to take all the money and run away? Of course Eula would never actually do such a thing.
As she sat there, her mind was still occupied with the mystery that is Taylor.
===
The store that Taylor bought for his mobile game cafe was actually quite large. The main lobby, where the players played the mobile games, took up only a third of the total area, there were two lounges on the first floor and four rooms on the second floor. One of the rooms on the second floor was designed by Taylor as his office. The window was half open facing Cider Lake over the wall.
Taylor also designed a system similar to an internet cafe membership to help calculate the time they were playing for as manual calculations were always prone to human error. The system was not too complex to create and it took Taylor just over 20 minutes to create it. After testing it and confirming there was no issue he could try and implement it into use tonight.
Taylor could already foresee the explosion of customers in the near future. The gaming areas in the lobby may not be big enough to accommodate enough people in the future. Maybe some renovation is needed when he has enough Mora.
Heading downstairs. Taylor happened to see Lisa talking with Eula. "Jean seems to have been A little harsh on punishment with you. But it's good that you can work in this place while you're on suspension. After all, this mobile game cafe and Taylor seem to hide some pretty mysterious secrets. Perhaps you can uncover some of these while working here."
Taylor walked behind Lisa with a smile. "My my Lisa, it seems you were talking about me behind my back."
"Dear Taylor, you must've misheard it," Lisa said playfully. She then took a seat by the bar and sat down so they could have lunch together.
"Well Eula, I'm gonna have to trust the store to you for awhile while I clock out to have my lunch. You're gonna be alright with that?"
"Don't worry Taylor, I'm sure I can handle it. You enjoy your lunch without worry."
With that, Taylor walked over to the bar and sat down having lunch with Lisa as they talked about themselves. Taylor learned many things about Lisa, such as her friends in Sumeru's Akademiya, and some of her travel stories before she became the Head Librarian, her relationship with her family.
She, in turn, learned many things about Taylor. She even asked about where he was from. Obviously, Taylor couldn't quite tell her that he came from a different world, so right now he told her he would rather not talk about his home, but they still enjoyed lunch together.
After having lunch, Taylor returned behind the bar area and Lisa returned to her gaming area.
…
After completing some more World Quest, Lisa's Adventure Rank finally reached level 10, meaning she could continue the Archon Quest. Lisa controlled her character and returned to Mondstadt. On her way to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, she happened to run into Jean who was conversing with one of the Fatui diplomats.
"… which is what has brought us to this point in the first place"
"If you are unable to promptly deal with the Stormterror threat, then leave the defence of Mondstadt to the Fatui."
"We can put an end to Mondstadt's dragon issues. All we need to do is bring that monster to the—"
It seems this Fatui diplomat had a fair bit of arrogance to her.
"Monster?"
Jean was clearly angered upon hearing that.
And to be honest, it also irritated Lisa somewhat.
"Yes. What's your point?"
"Ah…"
"I'd expect a more professional attitude from your diplomats."
Yet here you are saying you want to " put an end" to one of The Four Winds of Mondstadt?"
"I won't have any of this nonsense in front of the Knights of Favonius."
In the face of Jean's ire, The Fatui diplomat showed no signs of restraint and burst into a series of laughter.
"Heh… Hehehe… It's not as crazy as you make it sound."
"Fine, that's enough negotiation for today. At this stage it simply… an amicable exchange of constructive opinions no?"
"I'll be sure to make… thorough notes…"
The Fatui was clearly pressuring Jean to make a decision. In reality, there were already signs of a similar situation, but they hadn't reached this level yet. It was probably due to the game storyline depicting the Stormterror attack on Mondstadt that caused the attitudes to shift. If Jean were to witness this scene, she would definitely understand.
After talking with Jean and getting a brief explanation of the Fatui, the interface displayed a prompt indicating the start of the next storyline:
[Prologue, Act 2. For a Tomorrow Without Tears. Started]
Upon arriving at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, the Traveler took out the dark red crystal that they had discovered during their first encounter with Stormterror. The primary goal now was to confirm whether there was a possibility of saving Stormterror.
Facing pressure from all sides, Jean had to make a decision as quickly as possible, even if it meant killing Stormterror which is, of course, the last resort that none of the Knights of Favonius wanted to use.
This crystal might be able to provide some clues, but Lisa couldn't determine its origin at the moment. She only realised after touching it that it contained a corruptive power that repelled elemental energy and entangled with it. Therefore, they decide to leave it in the Traveller's hands for safekeeping.
Lisa stops playing for a moment. By this point of the story, with all the evidence she gathered so far, she had an inkling of why Stormterror become aggressive towards Mondstadt. 'Could it be that Stormterror became so violent because it is infected with corruptive power…'
It seemed the truth behind Stormterror's betrayal of Mondstadt was starting to become clearer.
With that, she continued playing the game, fully intent on finding the truth of Stormterror's betrayal.
Leaving the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, the Traveler and Paimon spot a green figure running below the street in front of the fountain. After confirming that this was the "green person" who had been conversing with Stormterror in Whispering Woods a few days ago, they immediately began tracking this person with Elemental Sight, following them all the way from the Knights of Favonius Headquarters to the church's square.