"Apologies, but in my dictionary, the word 'impossible' does not exist," Lucas said as he drew a card. "I use the Equipment Card [AK-47]."
Lucas wasn't exactly a gun enthusiast, so his knowledge of guns was limited. However, even with his meager understanding, he knew of this world-renowned weapon, which had over a hundred million units distributed globally in the real world.
Of course, all cards in Genius Invokation TCG were based on things that existed within the world of Teyvat. In other words, an "AK-47," which did not belong to this dimension, theoretically shouldn't be possible to create as a card.
The only reason Lucas was able to summon this card was because he had used a skill he had obtained from the system earlier—[God of Gambling's Card Manipulation]. With this skill, he could alter any card into the one he needed.
Considering the massive number of cards in circulation for Genius Invokation TCG, along with the continuous release of new ones, as long as a card could be "read" by the game, it was considered an official card. Even the most seasoned players couldn't possibly recognize every single one.
As soon as he finished speaking, a uniquely designed "gun-lance" materialized in his hands.
That's right—though Teyvat didn't have an AK-47, it did have a similar type of weapon known as a "gun." So, from Bi Yan's perspective, it was only natural for her to assume that the weapon in Lucas's hands was just another variant of a gun. However, the guns of Teyvat were still at the level of matchlock guns, so she paid it no mind at all.
"You think you can hit me?!" Bi Yan laughed wildly. "There's no way that thing will ever land a shot at me! Come on, shoot it!!"
"I've never heard such a strange request before."
With that, Lucas pulled the trigger.
Under the effect of the talent [Nobita Nobi's Marksmanship], Lucas could effortlessly master any gun. Whether it was a pistol or a rifle, he could pick it up and use it as if he had trained with it for years. As Bi Yan rapidly closed in on him, Lucas remained completely calm and squeezed the trigger.
Bi Yan smirked coldly and tilted her body slightly, easily dodging the first bullet.
She knew very well that while guns were much more powerful and accurate than bows and crossbows, they had a major flaw—slow reload speed. Once Lucas fired his shot, he'd be at her mercy.
But then, a barrage of bullets instantly bloomed across her body.
One after another, the bullets struck Bi Yan's body and wings, and a series of [-50][-50] damage indicators popped up in the air.
In theory, the firepower of modern guns was immense, but to maintain game balance, the system applied certain damage adjustments.
Otherwise, in reality, even a single burst like that would have left Bi Yan in serious trouble.
Aside from the first bullet she dodged, the remaining 29 rounds found their mark. Nine hit her wings, while the other twenty struck her body directly, instantly shaving off 1,000 points from her health.
Not only that, but the continuous barrage shredded her [Phoenix Wings of Fire] into tatters, rendering them useless.
"W-What the hell is that?!" Bi Yan exclaimed in shock. "I've never seen a weapon like that before!"
"There are plenty of things you've never seen before." Lucas smoothly reloaded his weapon, smiling. "Today, you'll get an eyeful."
Bi Yan, though hot-tempered, wasn't brainless. She immediately realized that engaging in long-range combat against Lucas was a terrible idea, given the sheer power of his strange gun. Without hesitation, she changed her strategy and opted for close-quarters combat.
"Activating Effect Card [Flamethrower]!" A mass of blazing fire instantly formed in her hands, hurtling toward Lucas.
In Battle Mode, effect cards functioned almost like "skills."
However, even with the same card, different players could bring out different levels of power. Bi Yan's Bifang bloodline granted her a natural affinity for fire, making her even more proficient in using Fire-element cards.
"Summoning [Fire Slime]." With a casual wave of his hand, Lucas summoned a round, chubby red Slime in front of him. The flames from Bi Yan's attack engulfed it entirely, but above the Slime's head, the word [IMMUNE] appeared.
Any experienced player knew that elemental creatures couldn't be harmed by attacks of their own element. Even if the Geo Archon himself unleashed a "Planet Befall" on a Geo Slime, it wouldn't do a thing.
Of course, there were still some differences between reality and game mechanics. Elemental creatures might have resistance to their respective elements, but there was always a threshold. At the very least, there was no way a Geo Slime could be completely impervious to an attack from the Geo Archon.
However, this move, [Flamethrower], clearly hadn't reached that threshold. The Fire Slime that was hit not only remained unscathed but even wobbled a little, as if it quite enjoyed the sensation.
"You're actually using a Slime as a shield?!" Bi Yan was both shocked and furious. "Do you even call yourself a man?"
"This is called strategy," Lucas replied shamelessly. "Game mechanics are like this—if you don't like it, don't play."
The resource cost of [Flamethrower] was significantly higher than that of summoning a [Fire Slime]. In this round, Lucas had once again gained the upper hand.
If Bi Yan could use her real strength, she naturally wouldn't be helpless against a mere Fire Slime. But unfortunately, her deck had no cards that could counter it.
"In truth, Fire Slimes have very low HP. Any other elemental skill could easily take it out, but…" Lucas chuckled. "I'm guessing your deck consists solely of Fire-element cards, right?"
A flash of nervousness passed through Bi Yan's eyes. "Y-You… how did you know?"
"Your personality reminds me of someone I know very well." Lucas's gaze shifted briefly to Shenhe, who was watching from the sidelines. "If I'm not mistaken, her deck probably only contains Cryo-element cards as well."
Shenhe instantly realized the implication of his words, and a faint blush crept onto her face.
Because Lucas was absolutely right—her deck did, in fact, contain only Cryo-element cards.
"Now, it's my turn to counterattack!" Lucas raised his AK-47 and began firing directly at Bi Yan. "Activating Effect Card [Suppressive Fire]!"
"That's just a normal attack!" Bi Yan complained while desperately dodging the barrage. However, in this duel, she couldn't unleash her usual speed and power. Before long, she had already taken over a dozen hits.
After emptying another thirty rounds, Lucas began reloading. Seeing this as her chance, Bi Yan immediately seized the opportunity. "[Flamethrower]!"
Flames erupted beneath her feet, generating a massive burst of force that propelled her toward Lucas like a rocket.
Using [Flamethrower] as a propulsion method?
This way, even if it was a physical attack, it wouldn't be absorbed by the Fire Slime.
As the Fire Slime stood in Lucas's path, a triumphant smile appeared on Bi Yan's face. "Using [Flamethrower] again!"
Once again, flames ignited beneath her feet. The same card could only be included up to three times in a deck, meaning this was her final charge—her all-or-nothing attempt to break through the Fire Slime and land a decisive hit on Lucas.
However, Lucas remained calm and composed. "Using Effect Card [Sticky Goo] on the Fire Slime!"
At that moment, the Fire Slime's round, bouncy body instantly turned into a gelatinous, glue-like mass, with a viscous liquid oozing from its surface.
Bi Yan, already in motion, had no time to change course. She crashed straight into the Fire Slime's body—only to realize, to her horror, that she hadn't broken through it as she expected. Instead, she was trapped, completely enveloped by the Slime's gelatinous form.
"For a reckless brain like yours to come up with such a strategy is indeed commendable," Lucas stood before her with a smile. "But I'd advise you to surrender now."
[Sticky Goo] was a special effect card designed specifically for the "Slime" race. In Genius Invokation TCG, it immobilized an opponent's summoned creature, preventing it from acting. In Battle Mode, however, the effect changed to directly trapping the target within the Slime's body.
Bi Yan, now trapped inside the Fire Slime, struggled desperately like a drowning person, but without any foothold to push against, she was completely unable to escape.
"Surrender? Dream on!" Bi Yan growled. "As long as I accumulate enough resources, I can use a card effect to break free!"
"But I'm afraid you don't have much time to wait," Lucas pointed at her and said, "Oh, I forgot to mention—while a Slime's mucus doesn't harm organic matter, it does dissolve clothing."
Bi Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately looked down. Sure enough, her clothes were gradually melting away under the Fire Slime's secretions.
Since the Fire Slime wasn't entirely transparent, the onlookers couldn't see any details from the outside. But Lucas, standing right in front of her, could see everything clearly. He smirked and taunted, "Right now, they can't see anything. But once your clothes completely melt and you break free from the Fire Slime, Lady Bi, your noble figure will be on full display for everyone."
From the very beginning, he had been using cunning tactics to mess with her. Bi Yan glared furiously at the man in front of her. She had dealt with plenty of scoundrels before, but she had never encountered someone so shameless. At this moment, she wished she could tear him apart!
Although the Fire Slime's mucus didn't corrode her body, her HP continued to tick down at [-10][-10].
At this rate, her clothes would be completely destroyed before her HP ran out.
"In that case, I'll risk it all," Bi Yan gritted her teeth. As her HP dropped below 2000, she suddenly pulled out a card and declared, "I pay half my HP to activate the effect card [Forced Bloodline Awakening]!"
[Forced Bloodline Awakening] could upgrade a four-star or lower summoned creature, summoning a new one of the same race, up to an eight-star limit.
In Battle Mode, however, the effect was different—it awakened the hidden bloodline within the user. For ordinary humans, this card had almost no effect. Even if their bloodline awakened, they were still just humans.
But Bi Yan was the descendant of the immortal beast Bifang, which meant…
The moment the card was activated, Bi Yan, still trapped within the Fire Slime, began to tremble. Suddenly, a pair of magnificent wings unfurled behind her, the feathers shimmering with flowing flames—far superior to the [Phoenix Wings of Fire] she had used earlier.
An intense surge of fire erupted from her body, flames so powerful that even the Fire Slime couldn't withstand them, melting into a puddle of Slime juice.
Bloodline Awakening didn't revert Bi Yan to the original form of her ancient ancestor, but it drastically increased the concentration of her bloodline. With this newfound strength, her power had multiplied several times over.
The onlookers gazed up at Bi Yan in the sky, exuding an overwhelming presence. Even though this was just a simulated effect generated by the Seven Saints Disc, it was enough to be awe-inspiring. One could only imagine the devastation such power could unleash in reality.
"You dare humiliate me like this?!" Bi Yan looked down from above, her gaze filled with wrath. "Today, I'll make you witness the true power of divine fire!"
As she spoke, she spread her wings. Instantly, countless streaks of flame rained down like a fiery storm.
These were no ordinary flames. Even after landing, they refused to dissipate.
"So… so hot!"
A reckless spectator accidentally stepped onto one of the flames. Even though the divine fire was a simulated construct without a physical form, the Bifang flames altered reality to some extent. The fire didn't actually burn him, but it still made him feel unbearable heat.
The other contestants and bystanders quickly realized something was wrong. The firestorm didn't cause direct harm, but the burning sensation was real. No longer in the mood to spectate, they fled in all directions.
One of the fireballs landed near Shenhe. She frowned slightly but didn't dodge. The moment the flames touched her, she felt an intense, inexplicable heat, making her extremely uncomfortable. As someone who had trained rigorously since childhood, her cultivation was far superior to that of ordinary mortals, yet even she found the heat difficult to endure.
That meant Lucas, now completely surrounded by the inferno, was in serious trouble.
[-100]
[-100]
[-100]
As expected, even though the flames hadn't directly touched him, the searing heat in the air continuously drained Lucas's HP. But more unbearable than the HP loss was the oppressive heat itself.
"To be honest, I have at least ten thousand ways to crush you instantly," Bi Yan declared arrogantly, now fully in control of the battle. "But instead, I'll let you suffer in this sea of flames until your HP reaches zero!"
Indeed, the entire battlefield had turned into an inferno. Amidst the raging flames, it seemed as if Lucas had no chance of turning the tables.
"Well, that's… unfortunate," Lucas said nonchalantly. Then, without hesitation, he pulled out a card. "I activate the Effect Card [Reutilization]."
[Reutilization] allowed the player to pay 1000 HP to copy any Effect Card the opponent had used in the current match.
"Are you stupid?" Bi Yan sneered. "Even if you copy [Flamethrower], it won't deal a single point of damage to me."
After all, aside from [Forced Bloodline Awakening], the only effect card Bi Yan had used this match was [Flamethrower]. But trying to harm a Bifang descendant with fire-elemental damage was beyond foolish.
"Who said I was copying [Flamethrower]?" Lucas smirked as the flames around him began to subside. "The card I'm copying is… [Forced Bloodline Awakening]."
"You've got to be kidding me." Bi Yan frowned. "You're just a regular human. What kind of bloodline could you possibly awaken?"
"You'll find out soon enough…"
As the card's effect activated, Lucas's entire body began to swell, his muscles bulging as if inflated. His shirt tore apart under the sheer force of his expanding frame. Two sharp fangs slowly extended from his mouth.
"You… what exactly… is that?" Bi Yan stared in shock at the "monster" before her, her face filled with disbelief.
A towering half-human, half-beast creature stood amidst the roaring flames. Its appearance was savage, radiating an invisible but oppressive aura of bloodlust.
That's right—Lucas had awakened the Gluttony bloodline, a reward he had previously obtained from the simulator.
Ordinarily, this bloodline did little more than give him an enormous appetite and allow him to absorb more energy from food.
But now that the bloodline had fully awakened, the monstrous aura of Gluttony—one of the Four Fiends—could no longer be concealed.
While Bi Yan possessed the bloodline of the divine bird Bifang, generations of interbreeding with humans had diluted it significantly. In contrast, Lucas's Gluttony bloodline, though deeply hidden, was remarkably pure.
To put it into perspective, even with her awakening, Bi Yan's bloodline only retained about 30% of her ancestral power. Lucas, however, had achieved 50%, with potential for even further growth.
"AWOOO!"
With a piercing, beastly howl, Lucas lunged forward like a starving wolf at midnight. He sprinted a dozen steps in an instant, then crouched low before launching himself into the air—soaring dozens of meters high in a single leap.
In the blink of an eye, he was face-to-face with Bi Yan in midair.
His movements were so ghostly fast that Bi Yan only registered a shadow flashing past before he was already upon her.
One of Lucas's hands suddenly transformed into a massive, black, clawed beast's paw, slashing downward toward Bi Yan's chest.
Bi Yan wasn't weak—her instincts kicked in before she could fully process the attack. In the last moment, she conjured a fire shield around herself.
Among the seven elements, each shield had unique properties. Geo shields were known for their impenetrable defense, while Pyro shields excelled in both offense and protection—anyone who broke through them would suffer searing counter-damage.
Yet, Lucas didn't seem to care at all.
His enormous black claw ripped straight through the blazing shield without hesitation. The Pyro flames clung to his hand, but he completely ignored them. Bi Yan couldn't react in time—his claws raked across her chest, leaving three deep black-red wounds.
Just like the divine fire of the Bifang, Lucas's attacks didn't inflict real injuries, but the pain was very real. In a way, their battle had become something akin to a Dark Duel.
"Damn it!" Bi Yan gritted her teeth. She had always prided herself on her strength, and now, with her bloodline fully awakened, she considered herself invincible.
Yet she had just been torn apart by this inexplicable opponent.
Enraged, she unleashed a fiery explosion, engulfing both of them in flames as they clashed in the air.
Though many spectators had fled from the earlier firestorm, they still observed the battle from afar.
Watching the gigantic inferno, they saw Bi Yan locked in combat with a monstrous beast in the sky.
Naturally, whispers erupted among them.
"What… what the hell is that thing?!"
"It's actually fighting a Bifang descendant on equal footing!"
"Wait… is that a summoned creature? How come I've never seen anything like it in Genius Invokation TCG?"
Although the sight was bizarre, most onlookers assumed Lucas's monstrous transformation was a special type of summoned beast.
After all, even in Battle Mode, the core objective was to deplete the opponent's HP. Using summoned creatures to fight on one's behalf was a valid strategy.
Despite taking the form of a fierce beast, Lucas had not lost his rationality. His brutal combat style merely reflected the natural instincts of the Taotie.
By nature, the Gluttony and the Bifang were both legendary beasts, and if they fought in their true forms, it would be difficult to determine a victor.
However, Bi Yan's diluted ancestral bloodline was far too weak.
Against Lucas, whose bloodline was pure and rapidly strengthening, she quickly fell into a disadvantage.
Her close-range attacks couldn't keep up with his relentless speed, and her flames either missed entirely or failed to deal any real damage.
As her HP continued to drain, Bi Yan suddenly pulled out a card.
"[Phoenix Wing Ascension]!"
Wait… why does that name sound so familiar?
Isn't that literally Ikki's Phoenix Wings from Saint Seiya?!
Although Bi Yan's move wasn't a perfect copy, it was still incredibly powerful.
She soared high into the sky, gaining distance from Lucas. Then, her entire body ignited, transforming into a massive, blazing phoenix that dove straight at Lucas.
The card [Phoenix Wing Ascension] could only be used if a Pyro-element summoned creature was present. It sacrificed the summoned creature to unleash massive damage, calculated as the creature's star level × 500.
Among Fire-element Effect Cards, this one was one of the most devastating.
Bi Yan had gone all in—she was betting everything on a single attack. If she could obliterate Lucas first, she could secure victory.
"FWOOOSH!"
The colossal flaming phoenix descended upon Lucas, its wings so vast that they covered the entire battlefield.
There was nowhere to run.
"You want to fight me head-on?"
Lucas grinned, his fanged mouth stretching unnaturally wide—almost to his ears.
"Do you think you have what it takes?"
"Devour… HEAVEN AND EARTH!"
Lucas's body instantly expanded, his gigantic jaws stretching open like a serpent's to an impossible degree.
Bi Yan, now fully transformed into a flaming bird, realized something was wrong.
But it was too late.
She tried to swerve in midair, but before she could, the monstrous beast lunged forward.
Its gaping maw snapped shut—swallowing Bi Yan whole.
Bi Yan, of course, didn't go down without a fight.
Inside Lucas's mouth, she thrashed violently, her flames bursting out in an attempt to tear her way free.
From the outside, the grotesque scene looked almost comical—Lucas's enormous throat bulged in different places as Bi Yan struggled inside.
But after a few moments, the struggles ceased.
The monstrous Lucas gulped loudly.
To the horrified spectators, it looked as if he had actually devoured her alive.
And at that moment, Bi Yan's HP dropped to zero.
The duel officially ended.
Instantly, the virtual battlefield dissolved into nothingness, as the simulation from both players' Seven Saints Discs vanished.
Of course, Bi Yan hadn't actually been eaten.
Lying on the ground was the red-haired woman, her eyes closed, seemingly unconscious.
As the duel came to an end, the surrounding crowd hesitantly approached to get a closer look.
Among them was Bai Ye, who had come to the tournament alongside Bi Yan. She stepped forward and carefully examined Bi Yan, only relaxing once she confirmed that Bi Yan was not in any real danger.
"It seems that this duel was a bit too much for our dear Miss Bi," Lucas approached with a grin. "Are all you divine beast descendants this fragile?"
Unlike the hot-tempered Bi Yan, Bai Ye was far more composed. Throughout the entire duel, she had remained hidden, silently observing every moment.
As a descendant of the Bai Ze, Bai Ye possessed an innate ability to recognize all kinds of exotic beasts. Though she wasn't sure whether Lucas had transformed himself or merely summoned that monstrous creature, she had recognized its identity—it was none other than the fearsome Gluttony.
"Bi Yan was reckless. She only lost because of your underhanded tricks," Bai Ye said coolly. "That said, I have to admit, you're more capable than I expected. To think that you could control a beast as fearsome as the Gluttony so effortlessly."
So, even Bai Ye assumed the Gluttony was simply a creature summoned by Lucas.
"No need for more small talk," Lucas stretched out his hand toward her. "Since she's unconscious, I'll trouble you to hand over the wager for her."
Bai Ye frowned slightly. "Why don't you take it yourself?"
Lucas replied with a perfectly serious expression, "Miss Bi is a beautiful, innocent young lady. If I were to touch her here and there while retrieving my winnings, wouldn't that be improper?"
For a brief moment, Bai Ye was caught off guard. She had never expected this shameless trickster who deceived Ganyu and cheated Bi Yan out of victory to have such a gentlemanly side.
However, Lucas then continued, "If she woke up and falsely accused me, insisting that I had taken responsibility and must marry her, wouldn't that be an even bigger loss for me?"
Bai Ye's brief moment of admiration immediately soured. Yep, he's still a scoundrel.
With an irritated frown, she retrieved two Mora Tokens from Bi Yan's belongings and handed them to Lucas. "Which card do you want from her deck?"
"Forced Bloodline Awakening," Lucas answered without hesitation.
Bai Ye couldn't help but feel puzzled. Forced Bloodline Awakening was a decent card, but its applicability was quite limited. More importantly, Bi Yan had much rarer and stronger cards in her deck—especially Phoenix Wing Ascension, a core card for many Pyro-based decks that countless duelists would kill to obtain.
Nevertheless, Bai Ye pulled the Forced Bloodline Awakening card from Bi Yan's deck and handed it to Lucas. "Don't get too cocky. This round of the tournament is only just beginning."
Taking the bet winnings, Lucas casually remarked, "Honestly, I'm really curious—do you people hate me this much? To the point that you'd rather fight to the death than let Ganyu marry me?"
"You don't understand anything," Bai Ye replied calmly. "Tell me—what do you think of Bi Yan's strength?"
"The Bifang bloodline is impressive," Lucas admitted. "But ultimately, she's just stronger than an average human. I know plenty of Pyro Vision wielders whose strength isn't below hers."
For example, Diluc, the owner of Dawn Winery and his sworn brother, wouldn't necessarily lose to her.
"It wasn't always like this," Bai Ye sighed. "In the past, Bi Yan's father, grandfather, and ancestors were all exceptionally talented and incredibly powerful. But with each passing generation, as their bloodline became increasingly diluted, their strength weakened."
This wasn't just a problem for the Bifang lineage—it was an issue for all of Liyue's mixed-blooded immortal beast descendants.
Bai Ye gave Lucas a pointed look. "If Ganyu were to marry one of us, her bloodline's advantages could be preserved for future generations. She is the hope for the revival of all half-immortal bloodlines in Liyue. How could we allow her lineage to be 'tainted' by human blood?"
"First of all," Lucas's voice turned cold, "Ganyu is not some kind of breeding machine."
"Secondly, as mixed-blood descendants, I'm sure that somewhere in your family lineage, your parents or grandparents were human, weren't they? Using the word 'tainted' seems rather inappropriate. The human bloodline is not necessarily inferior to that of immortal beasts."
Bai Ye's expression remained unchanged. She cradled the unconscious Bi Yan in her arms and said, "Different perspectives lead to different conclusions. But I'll give you a warning."
Lucas smirked. "I'm all ears."
"If you stay with Ganyu, your enemy won't just be me or Bi Yan," Bai Ye said, turning away. "It will be the entire community of mixed-blood immortal descendants in Liyue."
"Ganyu possesses the purest immortal bloodline, and they will never allow a mere human to 'stain' it," she continued. "Tell me—don't you find it strange that, in Liyue's thousands of years of history, not a single person has ever pursued Ganyu?"
Bai Ye didn't elaborate further.
But Lucas understood exactly what she was implying.
It wasn't that no one had ever pursued Ganyu.
It was just that… every single one of them had been "dealt with" by these half-immortal clans.
Whether that meant warnings, threats, or outright elimination… was unclear.
Ganyu wasn't the only half-immortal in Liyue. Even Yanfei was a mixed-blood descendant—her father was a purebred Xiezhi.
However, not all immortal beasts were considered equal. The Qilin were at the top of the hierarchy, revered among the immortal clans.
If a family could claim Ganyu as their own, they wouldn't just revive their bloodline—they would also secure dominance over all other immortal beast descendants in Liyue.
"So what you're saying is…" Lucas grinned mischievously. "I'd better hurry up and have five, six, seven, or even eight kids with Ganyu."
"I wonder what kind of faces they'll make when that happens?" he chuckled.
Bai Ye shook her head wordlessly and walked away with Bi Yan in her arms.
For the first time, Lucas realized that he might have stirred up a serious problem.
"Hey!"
Just then, a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Do you feel… strange anywhere?"
Lucas turned to see Shenhe, her brows furrowed as she scrutinized him.
He laughed. "Why would I? My body feels just fine."
"Idiot," Shenhe snapped, her frown deepening. "You just… ate something really weird."
She clearly hadn't forgotten the events in the simulator—Lucas had once been the child of a Gluttony.
Which meant that she also knew the truth—the monstrous Gluttony from earlier wasn't some summoned creature.
It was Lucas himself.
"Huh?"
Lucas was momentarily stunned and asked curiously, "How did you know that the giant beast earlier was actually me?"
Under normal circumstances, anyone would have assumed it was a summoned creature.
Shenhe, who was always straightforward, had blurted out the truth without thinking. Now realizing that her words had been a slip, she hurriedly explained, "I was watching the duel from the sidelines just now. I saw you transform with my own eyes."
"The firestorm earlier was so intense that everyone else ran away. Why didn't you?" Lucas smirked mischievously. "Could it be that you were so worried about your dear brother-in-law's safety that you forced yourself to stay and watch?"
"W-Who was worried about you?!" Shenhe huffed and turned her face away. "I was just worried that if you lost, Sister Ganyu would really have to marry those strange people."
"That wouldn't do at all," Lucas laughed. "If that happened, you'd end up as someone else's sister-in-law. I wouldn't be able to bear it."
Shenhe's face flushed slightly. She shot him a glare and muttered, "Shameless… how could you just say something like that outright?"
"Besides," Lucas stroked his chin, grinning. "Even if I had lost… I bet you would've given me one of your Mora Tokens, right?"
"As if," Shenhe crossed her arms. "Becoming the Tianshu is my master's mission for me. I won't give it up so easily."
Despite her words, Shenhe had remained on the sidelines precisely to prepare for that possibility. If Lucas had lost, she had intended to give him one of her own Mora Tokens to prevent him from being eliminated.
"Well, if you were the one losing…" Lucas suddenly softened his tone. "I'd definitely give you half of mine."
Shenhe bit her lip, a subtle warmth welling up in her heart. Trying to change the subject, she said, "Enough nonsense. I've wasted too much time talking. I need to go collect some Mora Tokens."
"Sure," Lucas suddenly became interested. "I'd love to see how you go about collecting them."
Considering Shenhe's personality, her dueling style probably wasn't much different from Bi Yan's.
Shenhe scanned the crowd, then strode directly to a middle-aged man. Without hesitation, she asked coldly, "You're a contestant in this round, right? How many Mora Tokens do you have?"
The man, intimidated by the sheer killing intent emanating from Shenhe, stammered, "T-Two…"
Since the tournament had only just begun, most participants hadn't started dueling yet. Naturally, everyone still had their original two tokens.
"Good." Shenhe extended her hand. "Give them to me."
The middle-aged man hesitated. "B-But…"
Shenhe's brows furrowed. "But what?"
"N-Nothing!" The man, thoroughly terrified, hastily pulled out his two Mora Tokens and handed them to her, stammering, "P-Please spare me, Lady Hero!"
"Good," Shenhe weighed the "spoils of war" in her hand. "I've won two—"
Smack!
Before she could finish, Lucas flicked her forehead, then grabbed the two tokens and handed them back to the middle-aged man. "This isn't winning—this is just robbery!"
The man, recovering his tokens, immediately bolted in fear. Shenhe, unfazed, rubbed her forehead and said flatly, "Does it matter? I still got them. Besides, a guy that cowardly isn't fit to be the Tianshu anyway."
"Extortion and intimidation—if the organizers find out, you'll be disqualified on the spot," Lucas sighed. "If you want to get through this round, you have to win through honest duels."
"Well said," a polite voice suddenly interjected behind them. "To win the tournament, one must rely on fair and honorable duels."
Lucas and Shenhe turned around to see a blue-haired youth in fine attire, smiling elegantly at them.
"Second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild… Xingqiu," Lucas muttered, recognizing him immediately.
This short-shorts, dangling earring, and fancy leg wraps—there wasn't another young man in all of Liyue this flamboyant.
"You actually recognize me? I'm honored," Xingqiu chuckled. "In fact, I am also a participant in this round of the tournament."
"Perfect," Shenhe cracked her knuckles. "You—be my opponent."
Lucas, however, felt uneasy.
If it were a head-on battle, Xingqiu wouldn't be Shenhe's match. But this guy was clever and calculating—if they fought under the rules of the tournament, Shenhe's straightforward nature would make her easy prey for his tricks.
"Let's not be hasty," Xingqiu glanced at Lucas, a sly glint in his eye. "I'm actually more interested… in playing a match with this gentleman first."
"You want to duel me?" Lucas asked, surprised. "You watched the last match, didn't you? Do you think I'm weak?"
"Not at all. You're very strong," Xingqiu shook his head. "But dueling strong opponents is what makes things exciting. After all, in the best stories, the protagonist never picks on the weak, right?"
Ah. Right.
Lucas suddenly remembered—in the game's lore, this guy was a total bookworm.
He had no idea what Xingqiu was planning, but since he now had four Mora Tokens, he had nothing to lose.
"Fine, I accept your—ugh!"
Suddenly, a sharp heat flared in his stomach, and Lucas clutched his abdomen, his expression twisting. "Ugh… I feel… weird… I need a bathroom…"
"I knew it. You ate something weird, didn't you?" Shenhe muttered. Despite her words, she looked genuinely worried. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine… Just… I really need to go!" Lucas's face contorted in embarrassment as he clutched his stomach. "Xingqiu, if you don't mind, c-could you… wait a minute?"
Without another word, he hurried off.
Xingqiu watched him go, then smirked. "I say… do you think he's just making excuses to avoid dueling me?"
"Ridiculous! He wouldn't be afraid of you," Shenhe glared at him. For some reason, she already didn't like this refined young noble. Seeing him try to mock Lucas only irritated her more.
Crossing her arms, she said, "If you're looking for a match, why don't you duel me first?"
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Author's Note: Have a nice sunday! :)