The match ended, and everyone came to congratulate Mu Yang.
Mu Yang didn't hesitate — tonight, both [Muyu Snow City] and [Three Bowls Won't Cross the Harbor] would be free of charge.
[Boss is dead, boss is in good health] [Tonight's expenses are on Young Master Mu!]
The crowd dispersed and headed straight for [Three Bowls Won't Cross the Harbor]...
The two finalists also stepped down from the stage.
Although Hu Tao felt a little disappointed, there was nothing she could do.
"I never expected it. Even after using my trump card, the Director still couldn't beat Mu Yang."
Mu Yang humbly replied, "It was just good luck."
"Luck is also part of strength," Ningguang said as she walked over from afar. "Mr. Mu Yang has always had excellent luck when rolling dice."
Her words carried a slightly sarcastic tone, which actually helped Hu Tao feel relieved.
It was said that even Tianquan Star Lady Ningguang had suffered consecutive defeats at Mu Yang's hands.
She had only lost one match.
That was still acceptable.
Mu Yang did not respond to Ningguang. He couldn't possibly say it wasn't luck but cheating.
He chose to shift the topic to Charlotte.
"This must be Miss Charlotte."
Paimon chimed in, "That's right. She helped us a lot in Mondstadt."
Charlotte handed over a business card, "Hello, I'm Charlotte from The Steambird."
"Lady Tianquan has a sharp mind and brilliant insights. Mr. Mu Yang, who receives such high praise from her, must be an extraordinary person."
Mu Yang waved his hand, "I'm just a humble tavern merchant. Miss Ningguang is exaggerating."
[I only know a little bit] [The Great Yaksha is still the funniest, haha]
At this moment, Kaedehara Kazuha walked over.
He informed Mu Yang that they would set sail for Inazuma early tomorrow morning.
Just as he was about to leave after speaking, Charlotte stopped him.
"Wow, this must be Mr. Kaedehara Kazuha, right?"
Kazuha looked puzzled, "And you are, Miss...?"
Charlotte neatly handed him her business card again.
After introducing herself, she began to sigh with emotion.
"As expected, a great hero's friend is also a great hero! You even made the front page headline of The Steambird."
"[One Slash Without Thought from the Young Samurai], that topic was hot in Fontaine for quite a while."
Director Hu nodded secretly on the side, "I didn't expect the participants in the Genius Invokation TCG King Grand Prix to be so full of hidden talents."
[You with full constellations can also block one slash] [Carry a Qiqi with you and you can block another slash] [Mu Yang's Untraceable refreshes Untraceable, blocks two slashes] [Raiden Shogun: I woke up too early. My pinnacle of martial arts has become a unit of measurement]
Kazuha himself gave an answer befitting a wandering samurai.
"Those were just the reckless courage of the past. It's all over now. Meeting so many new friends in the present makes me much happier."
Ningguang spoke at the right moment, "Since today's meeting is fate, and the Crux sets sail only tomorrow, why don't we gather for a small get-together at the Jade Chamber later? What do you all think?"
No one refused.
Thus, aside from Cloud Retainer and Xiao, both sides' support groups went along.
[Unfortunately, we won't get to see Consultant Zhongli toasting] [Stealing bamboo shoots] [I bet the moment Xiao heard there would be dinner, he used Windwheel Twofold and went straight back to Wangshu Inn]
During the banquet, everyone exchanged information.
Aside from Mu Yang, who knew everything but said nothing, Ningguang knew the most.
"A new card back has recently appeared on the market. It's rare in quantity and features a treasure chest design."
"Some card players, hoping for good luck, are willing to pay high prices to acquire it. I casually investigated whether there was any commercial value in this."
As soon as Ningguang started her investigation, she received news.
All the treasure chest card backs in Liyue had been swept away almost within a single day.
She had originally thought it was just a merchant trying to hoard goods for profit.
Only now did she realize it was the Card Thief that Lumine and the others were looking for.
"Is there anything special about that card back?"
Ningguang said she had never obtained one herself and didn't know what mystery it hid.
She only knew that the craftsmanship was a private custom job and not particularly exquisite.
This was also why Ningguang chose to investigate first rather than act directly.
[Now Cyno is cleared. He only likes collecting limited editions] [Could it be the creator isn't satisfied and is taking them back?] [I still think there's a treasure map hidden behind these card backs]
Paimon stuffed her face with food while still complaining about the Card Thief.
"If he likes talking to himself so much, sooner or later he'll spill everything..."
After the meal, Hu Tao made several new friends through playing cards.
However, Mu Yang suspected her goal in approaching Beidou was to expand her business.
After all, the sailor profession was quite dangerous...
Before the banquet ended, Charlotte interviewed the three experts — Mu Yang, Kazuha, and Hu Tao.
Only then did she go to rest with satisfaction.
Ningguang was very pleased with this small gathering.
She was never a pedantic person and liked to follow trends.
But this time, she was very glad she preferred chess more.
Otherwise, if she had participated in this card game competition and run into Mu Yang, she would probably have lost to him in front of the public.
——————
The next day.
Mu Yang, Lumine, Paimon, and Charlotte arrived at the harbor of the Ritou islands.
Charlotte was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Mu Yang to personally investigate the case.
Yesterday, learning that Mu Yang was the investor behind the Genius Invokation TCG King Grand Prix had already shocked her enough.
Was this big boss really so free? He had already entrusted the task to Teyvat's great hero Lumine, yet he still wanted to come supervise in person.
Mu Yang didn't hide anything, "I'm also quite interested in the story behind these [treasure chest card backs]."
Paimon, charging ahead at the front, couldn't help complaining, "Wow, there are already so many promotional posters starting from the dock."
"Mu Yang, exactly how much money did you invest?"
"Just a little bit."
Lumine looked at the two figures on the promotional posters, "I'm getting more and more curious about the true identities of these two inventors."
As they walked, they recounted the legends about the inventors.
In the end, they even brought up Summoning King.
It was a story about:
A miraculous youth possessed by the [Crocodile King] who became a legendary card player.
Some people guessed that the author of Summoning King was the young card player in the story.
[Summoning King isn't actually Cyno's Story Quest Chapter II, right?] [Cyno's power actually comes from the TCG King?]
And the ones who invented Genius Invokation TCG were the legendary [Crocodile King] and [Ibis King].
The topic became more and more ridiculous, even Paimon started to have doubts.
Mu Yang explained that the original author looked like an ordinary scholar.
Charlotte also chimed in, "That's right, that original author came out to explain not long after."
"As a result, people discussed it even more intensely, and the book sold even faster."
Charlotte put her hands on her hips, "It cannot be denied that part of the reason Genius Invokation TCG became popular across Teyvat is thanks to that light novel Summoning King."
After she finished speaking, she seemed to feel something was off.
What had Mu Yang just said?
He had met the mysterious original author?!
Charlotte persistently pressed him.
Mu Yang kept his mouth tightly shut, only saying they had met once...