Stepping out of the Yan Shang Teahouse, John suddenly felt that the sky over Liyue had never been so blue, the air so fresh. It was as if he had been reborn.
The shackles that had weighed him down were gone. Like a bird freed from its cage, everything looked beautiful.
As John's mood shifted subtly, he felt a gentle warmth spreading across his chest.
He reached for the source of the warmth and discovered that the necklace his parents had left him had somehow transformed into a fiery red Vision. In the sunlight, it gleamed brilliantly.
So… was he being watched by the gods? A thought crossed John's mind.
A Vision, a unique artifact of Teyvat.
No one knew exactly how Visions were granted. Usually, the bearer received one unexpectedly.
A person with a Vision gains the ability to control a particular element. John's Vision, for instance, was a Pyro Vision.
This meant he could sense the elements in the air and manipulate fire.
"If I can use fire, surviving in the wild should be a lot easier," was John's first thought upon receiving the Vision.
But then he remembered: now he no longer carried the burden of debt. There was no need to struggle for survival in the wilderness as before.
He could even have his own weapons shop, a secure job (a literal iron rice bowl), and a kind, beautiful superior.
Wait… that didn't sound quite right.
John suddenly realized—if he were to open a weapons shop, where would his weapons come from?
Imports? He didn't know any blacksmiths, and the blacksmiths in Liyue City all had their own shops. They had no reason to give their weapons to John to sell.
So in the end… he still had to hunt slimes in the wild?
Was there no way to collect ores lying down, without venturing outside? Not smart at all!
While grumbling, John opened his backpack to inspect the few purple-grade weapons he had.
In fact, John had a point about not caring for the weapons Nightlan had confiscated. Compared with these special-effect weapons, those ordinary ones were insignificant.
Even selling one purple weapon at the auction could earn more than all the ordinary weapons combined.
Now, John pulled out a one-handed sword called "Dragon's Roar in the Box". He planned to give it to Keqing as a token of gratitude for her help in recent days.
It would also lay some groundwork for his future career, since maintaining a good relationship with a superior is always part of the job.
What's the meaning of social etiquette anyway! (hands on hips.jpg)
John recalled Nightlan's earlier words: his weapons shop would be finalized in a few workdays, and he needed to prepare—employees, weapon supply channels, and so on.
The supply channel wasn't a concern, since his only source of weapons was still pulling them from the in-game shop.
As long as slimes existed in Teyvat, his weapons shop would never fail!
Hunting slimes yielded condensed substances he could sell for money, and selling weapons added another income—a double win. John would profit twice!
Apart from a small investment in time and employee costs, he was almost guaranteed not to lose money.
The weapons required no purchase cost, and the shop would be directly transferred to him, so no rent either. If he still lost money, John thought he might as well just work for Keqing for life.
"I should ask Keqing if she has any reliable employee recommendations," John thought as he arrived at her home.