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Upon returning to the knight regiment, Jean picked up Klee, who had just escaped, and escorted her back into the confinement room.
"Klee, you should read more books. I've bought you a smartphone; it has plenty of reading material!" Jean handed the red phone to Klee as she spoke.
"Klee... Klee doesn't want to read books. Reading is like peeling crabs, too tedious. Klee wants to go play outside!" Klee pleaded with a pitiful look, waving her hands fervently.
"Listen, there are games on here too!" Jean, long immune to Klee's cuteness tactics, patiently taught her how to use the device.
Klee started playing "Plants vs. Zombies," breezing through levels effortlessly but quickly finding it uninteresting. Bored out of her mind, she aimlessly tapped around the screen. Little did she know, this casual action would inadvertently open Pandora's box for her.
"'Explosive Genius: From Beginner to Master!'", Klee slowly read the book title, her eyes gradually lighting up with excitement.
"Wonder if reading this can help Klee create even better Jumpy Dumpties? Hehe!"
Jean opened the confinement room door, observing Klee engrossed in reading. Satisfied, she nodded approvingly. Inwardly, she rejoiced, thinking that if only smartphones had been available earlier, those fish at Cider Lake might have...
Meanwhile, Lin Feng gleefully purchased a small stool and sat down on the bridge near Mondstadt's city gate.
"You scared away my pigeons!" Timmie glared fiercely at Lin Feng.
"Here, take this Mora, I'm staying here for the afternoon!" Lin Feng tossed a Mora to Timmie, displaying his knack for bullying the weak but fearing those stronger than him.
"Wahh, I'll tell my mom!" Wiping tears from his eyes, Timmie rushed towards the city.
Seated on his stool, Lin Feng began happily counting the Mora Jean had given him. However, after tallying everything twice and thoroughly searching the money pouch, he found not a single extra coin.
He thought it through - subtracting the two hundred Mora spent on food, he was left with only four thousand eight hundred Mora. So, did Jean really give him just five thousand Mora?
Feeling slightly angry, Lin Feng acknowledged that while he could generously gift his phone to Jean, he wouldn't tolerate being deceived without standing up for himself. Determined, he stood up, ready to confront the knight regiment for an explanation.
"If you're seeking death, then by all means, go ahead!" The System's voice echoed in Lin Feng's mind.
"System, do you have any suggestions? I can't let this injustice stand!" Despite sometimes taking advantage of the weaker ones, Lin Feng possessed a fiery temperament!
His thoughts were already racing, contemplating how to use modern weaponry to teach Jean a lesson!
"By the way, have you considered the Mora debt you owe me?" The System's voice chimed in again. Lin Feng was momentarily taken aback; truth be told, he hadn't given it much thought, as he had no intention of repaying it!
"Fucking hell! You sneaky bastard, you old Biden! I've worked my ass off through rain and snow, earning every penny with blood, sweat, and tears, and now you're trying to rip me off!" Lin Feng immediately unleashed a torrent of curses at the System. Why couldn't his system be more like others instead of acting like this damn nuisance?!
"Zzzt... Zzzt..." The System responded only with static, refusing to speak further.
"Fine, I won't hold grudges against small-minded entities. This time, I'll forgive you, almost mistaking a good guy for something else!" Lin Feng scratched his head awkwardly, truly frustrated by this crappy System's harmful antics.
"Hey, give me five more phones, and I'll owe you the Mora later!" Lin Feng mentally communicated with the System.
Swiftly, five differently colored smartphones appeared in his hands. Lin Feng turned on one of them and cranked up the volume.
"Bust out, bust out! Mondstadt's largest smartphone factory has gone bankrupt. Original prices were ten million, twenty million Mora, but now everything is massively discounted! Just 10,000 Mora, 10,000 Mora, all for merely 10,000 Mora..."
The sound echoed throughout Mondstadt, instantly drawing curious bystanders. After all, they had never heard such enchanting melodies before.
"What's this? A new music box?"
"It sounds amazing, even better than Miss Barbara's songs!"
"Seriously? Miss Barbara's singing isn't that good; you should donate your ears to someone who appreciates it."
"Heh heh, I heard someone mention Miss Barbara earlier!" Lin Feng pointed at one of the onlookers and asked with a grin, "Tell me, do you think Miss Barbara's songs sound great?"
"Absolutely! Everyone knows Miss Barbara has the best voice in all of Mondstadt!" The passerby nodded proudly.
"That's perfect, now listen again!" Lin Feng's lips curved slightly as he played the recording from earlier.
"...of course, who doesn't know, Miss Barbara..."
The phrase repeated continuously, ensuring everyone truly knew by now.
The passerby was dumbfounded, covering his mouth with disbelief. "I didn't say that! You're mimicking my voice!"
"No, no, no, it's this!" As Lin Feng spoke, he held up his phone and pressed play once more.
"...I didn't say that! You're mimicking my voice!"
The crowd marveled at this spectacle - something that could mimic human speech seemed truly magical!
"Now imagine this: every time Miss Barbara sings, you record it on your phone and listen to it privately at night. Wouldn't that make her feel like yours alone...?"
Seeing their interest piqued, Lin Feng intensified his sales pitch. Who could resist a portable version of Barbara? He just had to apologize to her for exploiting her image.
"Moreover, these phones have many other features, such as taking photographs..."
"I'll take one! I want one too!" The crowd no longer cared about further explanations; they saw the phone as if it were Barbara herself. Buying Barbara's voice for ten thousand Mora seemed like an absolute steal.
Lin Feng handed out phones, receiving Mora in return. There was barely enough time to count the money before the next person eagerly offered theirs.
"Don't rush, everyone! Please form a queue, there's plenty for all!" A smile spread across Lin Feng's face as he started purchasing more phones from the System, disregarding the 1,000 Mora transaction fee.
Soon, the crowd began dispersing, but the number of people entering the church significantly increased. They held boxes of various colors, unsure of what to do with them.
"Excuse me, let through! Is Miss Barbara here?"
"Can we request Miss Barbara to sing a song?"
"Mr. Albert, please stop pushing forward!"
Inside the church, Barbara was praying, "Almighty Lord Barbatos, what mischief are you up to now? May all be well with you!"
Suddenly, the commotion outside startled those within the church. Fearfully, Barbara peeked out the window. She felt overwhelmed, unsure how to handle such enthusiastic fans.
Usually, Sister Victoria would manage these situations, but since Timmie had arrived at the church crying and Sister Grace wasn't available, Victoria had gone with Timmie to confront his bullies.
"Oh right, I can ask the Traveler for help!" An idea struck Barbara; typically, Victoria also sought assistance from the Traveler in such scenarios.