It has been 2 days since Loki made a contract with Zhongli. During this time, he had removed the illusions and revealed his 'humble' store to the public.
(The name of his store is 'Pokemon Studio'.)
Currently, there was only 10 variety of berries for sale. The price of these berries ranged from 20000 mora to 80000 mora.
The otherwordly fruits quickly spread waves throughout Liyue. The fact that the store clerk was an otherwordly creature (Froslass) also helped the fame spread far and wide.
But, there was one big problem with his store. Even a single berry costed at least 20000 mora, so the ordinary people could not purchase from his store. His store instead became a gathering spot for curious neighbours and passerby.
The biggest customer of the store was unsurprisingly Xiangling. She knew a lot of merchants and vendors in Liyue, so the task of spreading the name of his store became even more simpler.
Of course, Xiangling was really curious about Froslass and a few other pokemon she saw around the store. She found Loki in the lounge, and he let her watch an introductory video about pokemon on the TV.
She then became curious about the TV and the gaming setup on his table. He made Rotom explain it to her.
2 days passed in this way.
In the late evening, as the sun was setting, Mismagius brought a tablet to Loki.
"Here. The list of pokemon who wants to come to Tevyat."
Loki took the tablet and scrolled through the list of names, which numbered in the thousands. There was a brief description below each name, containing their detailed information, but he was too lazy to read through them all.
"Are all the pokemon in this list below a year old?"
He instead opted to ask Mismagius. She seemed to have expected his question as she answered immediately.
"Yes. Though the others who were too old to enter the list were a bit dissatisfied. Looks like everyone wants to explore Tevyat."
She giggled as she remembered the events from the day.
"A few reckless among them even tried to enter the GATE but they were beaten back by Kon."
"Looks like I missed a good show." Loki was also amused but he didn't forget his responsibility.
"Have you explained to them that they can come to Tevyat when our world merge in a few months? I don't want any big conflict in Paradis."
"Of course. You don't have to worry. I have taken care of everything."
Mismagius reassured him with a confident smile. Loki nodded his head and looked at the list again.
Various thoughts began to emerge in his mind. Though half of them were the pranks he can create with these pokemon.
_____
(The Next Morning)
POV: Keqing
The Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, Keqing, wakes up early in the morning and devotes herself to work. That has been her daily routine since her enlightement about the delicate relationship between the people of Liyue and their God.
But today, Keqing made a diversion from her duty to investigate a certain store.
"Have you heard about the new store that opened near the harbor?"
"Apparently, they sell fruits from another world. The store clerk is also a creature from that world."
"Should we go there after we finish our work?"
"Of course. We should go."
She had been overhearing this kind of conversations since yesterday. And today, she was determined to investigate this otherwordly store that seemingly appeared out of thin air.
Keqing walked through the streets of Liyue for nearly an hour before she reached the aforementioned store.
When she looked at the building, she could not help but admire its exquisite design. The building didn't conform to the norm of Liyue, but it still managed to incorporate the culture of Liyue and the other world, and create a magnificient masterpiece.
She studied the intricate carving of dragons and phoenixes on the double door as she readied herself for the upcoming meeting. With a steady breath and calm demeanor, she opened the door and entered the store.
A bell rang as she opened the door. She looked up and her eyes widened when she noticed a strange chime hanging by the door.
Normal people will not notice anything wrong with this chime. But Keqing, with her keen eyesight, could see the small pair of eyes staring back at her.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed down and looked towards the counter. The infamous store clerk was behind the counter, looking at her.
'From the information gathered, her name should be Frost.' She thought as she looked at the otherwordly being.
Frost was 'wearing' what appeared to be clothes, resembling a white kimono. The upper half of her face was covered with a 'mask', with two holes for her eyes and a hole on her forehead. Her 'arms' were connected to the side of her head and two horns like ice crystals protuded from the top of her head. Her lower half was devoid of legs and she was instead floating in the air.
Keqing studied her entire appearance with a brief glance and walked up to her.
"Nice to meet you." She slightly bowed her head in greeting and the clerk reciprocated in kind.
"I would like to know about the fruits you are selling. Could you introduce them?"
The clerk nodded her head and floated towards the shelves. Keqing followed her a step behind.
"These are Oran Berry. They are-" The clerk gave a brief introduction to all of the 10 types of fruits in the store.
Her voice was soft and soothing for the listener. A cool and refreshing feeling filled Keqing as she listened to her. This feeling drove away all of her vigilance and suspicion for the otherwordly being.
"-and that is all. Do you want me to explain them again?"
Keqing shook her head with a calm expression. "Thank you for explaining." She then looked at the various berries before her and she could not stop her curiosity.
"Can I try one? I will pay for it."
"Of course. And you don't have to pay. It is our policy to let our new customers sample our berries."
With the permission granted, Keqing chose a Leppa Berry, which should give her energy, according to the clerk.
As soon as she bit on the berry, she felt a faint rush of energy in her body. Her eyes sparkled as she confirmed the information she got.
"Amazing." She exclaimed before finishing the rest of the berry. She relished the spicy aftertaste, which reminded her of the spices used in Liyue. She then turned back to the clerk who was patiently waiting beside her.
"I would like to buy 20 berries of each."
Keqing directly made a huge order. She was intending to share these berries with her friends and coworkers. With her status and fortune, mora was not a problem.
"Of course."
The clerk spoke. Her blue eyes then glowed and 200 berries floated in the air at the same time. Then 10 jute bags floated from the counter and the berries entered the bags in order.
In a matter of seconds, there were 10 bags full of berries placed on the counter.
Keqing was amazed as she looked at the unknown power the clerk just used.
"Thank you." She bowed in gratitude and walked towards the counter. The clerk floated beside her and came to the counter as well.
'This is...' Keqing finally realized a crucial problem as she faced the 10 large bags. She did not have enough hands to carry all of them.
Also, she didn't have any mora on hand. She was intending to write a check for the Liyue Bank but, was a check even accepted in this store?
"How much do I have to pay?"
"You total price is 9,460,000 mora."
"Do you accept checks in this store?"
"Unfortunately, we do not."
Keqing nodded her head with a calm expression. This was indeed her mistake. She should have asked this question before purchasing such a bulk amount.
The clerk regarded her with her deep blue eyes and offered her a solution.
"There is no need for immediate payment. You can write down your name and address and take the berries with you. Just remember to pay the mora you owe within a week."
Keqing smiled brightly at those words. "Thank you. I will do that." She then wrote her name and address on the paper the clerk gave her.
After finsihing her purchase, Keqing finally decided to breach the most important topic.
"Could I meet the owner of this store by any chance?"
The clerk tilted her head. She then turned to the back of the store where a closed wooden door seemlessly aligned with the wall.
A few seconds passed and the door opened. A man with wavy white hair, ending with purple tips, walked out from the door and approached the counter.
"It is an honor to meet one of the Liyue Qixing. My name is Loki. I am the owner of this humble store."
The man spoke in a carefree manner. Keqing regarded him for a while and confirmed him to be a human like her.
"My name is Keqing. Nice to meet you as well, Loki."
Loki nodded his head in acknowledgement. He then skipped the pleasantries and went straight for the conclusion.
"So, Keqing. What did you want to talk about?"
Keqing raised her eyebrows at his direct way of speaking. But she ignored it and raised her question.
"I wanted to know about your appearance in this world, as well as your intentions going forward."
Loki smiled mysteriously at her question. He silently turned back and walked towards the back of the store. The clerk followed after him.
After opening the door, he stopped and looked back. He waved his hands and gestured for her to follow him.
"What are you waiting for? Didn't you want your answer?"
Keqing heard him and quickly followed him through the door, unaware of the rollercoaster of emotions waiting for her.
_____
"This.. this is..."
Keqing felt a chill in her heart as she looked at four otherwordly creatures (Gengar, Mismagius, Dusknoir, and Typhlosion), scattered throughout the room.
All of them seemed dangerous, especially the gray creature relaxing on the sofa and the weasel like creature laying on the floor. They were looking at her as if she was a lamb meat presented to a hungry tiger.
"Don't worry. All of them are my family. They mean no harm."
Loki stood besides her and reassured her with a pat on the back. She took a deep breath to calm down and stared at this mysterious owner of the Pokemon Store with a renewed determination.
"So can you tell me about your world and your intentions for the future?"
Loki smirked and looked at a smooth glass screen embedded on the wall. This glass lit up with flashing images.
The seamless transition of drawings showed a huge nine tailed fox raging a village. Loud noises of despair and cries of misery were coming from the two devices beside it.
"Charge, it is your turn."
The images immediately stilled at his words. The screen was soon overwhelmed with a bright white light.
A moment later, despairing cries and angry howls filled the room.
"NOOOOO!!!"