When the system released the side quest to host the Lantern Rite Duel Tournament, it also unlocked the System Shop function. However, it would only open during the daily settlement.
Only then did Luya remember to check the System Shop~. He wanted to see if there were any goods that could be used for running duel tournaments and managing the shop.
So, Luya opened the System Shop. A blue transparent interface spread out before him.
There were very few goods, only four types for now.
Permanent Goods:
[Card-Draw Bread] 2000 Mora
[Starter Deck] 100,000 Mora
Lantern Rite Tournament Limited Goods:
[Star Gloves] Free
[Metal Star] Free
[Duel Disk Spray Paint] 5000 Mora
[Simplified Duel Disk] 50,000 Mora
At the bottom of the blue light screen, there was a note.
╵Note: The System Shop only opens during the nightly settlement.
After reading the goods and note, Luya began to think.
This System Shop only opened at night... In that case, his idea of making money while also stocking up at the same time was completely GG. He could only restock during the daily settlement and then sell the next day.
Luya looked over the goods and nodded. Although the variety was small... still! These were all items he could currently make use of.
For example, this [Card-Draw Bread]. It could be placed in his newly built convenience store as merchandise.
As the name implied, [Card-Draw Bread] contained a card inside the bread. Duelists often used it to test their luck by seeing if they could pull a rare card from it. Some superstitious duelists bought one every morning.
If they pulled a shiny card, it meant their luck was sky-high that day, their dueling strength soared, and they brimmed with confidence.
That said, if they pulled a bad card, they would be dejected, their combat strength plummeting...
In the System Shop, the [Card-Draw Bread] cost 2000 Mora. Luya could set a higher price to sell it. Buying and reselling meant easy profit! The money earned could then be used again to upgrade the shop.
Luya thought for a moment and came up with pricing. A 20,000 Mora card pack contained 5 cards, averaging 4000 Mora each. His purchase price for [Card-Draw Bread] was 2000 Mora. Since it contained one card, he needed to set the price at least above 4000 Mora to match the card pack value.
So, Luya decided to set the price of [Card-Draw Bread] at 4000 Mora. It would be like a promotion. At 4000 Mora each, he would still make double the cost. Every sale meant a 2000 Mora profit.
Also, the System Shop had items like the [Starter Deck]. For 100,000 Mora, one could purchase a pre-constructed deck!
Many people spent over a million Mora and still couldn't build a complete deck. And they often didn't know how to build, so their decks lacked synergy, which took away much of the dueling fun...
The [Starter Deck] solved this problem. A deck of 40 cards, 4000 Mora each, meant the base value alone was 160,000 Mora. Luya thought about it and decided to set the [Starter Deck] at 200,000 Mora. That way, for the price of 10 card packs, customers could get a full, competitive deck. This would allow people who normally couldn't afford Yu-Gi-Oh! to also enjoy the fun of dueling!
At the same time, it would make the Lantern Rite Duel Tournament even grander.
The [Starter Deck] was truly the light of the common folk! And those with money to buy tons of card packs wouldn't bother with it. Those without money weren't buying card packs anyway. So, the [Starter Deck] wouldn't affect card pack sales. Instead, it would help grow the player base.
The profit margin from selling [Starter Decks] and [Card-Draw Bread]... both were double!
Therefore, whether he restocked on [Starter Decks] or [Card-Draw Bread], the profit was unaffected.
Aside from those two permanent goods...
The System Shop also had tournament-limited goods.
There were [Star Gloves], [Metal Stars], and [Duel Disk Spray Paint].
[Duel Disk Spray Paint] wasn't very useful... but the [Star Gloves] and [Metal Stars] were extremely useful!
The [Star Gloves] were red half-finger gloves with a metal ring on the outside, which could hold up to 10 [Metal Stars].
And both [Star Gloves] and [Metal Stars] were free!
With this, the format of the first [Lantern Cup] Duel Tournament in Liyue Harbor could already be preliminarily decided.
It would be a tournament using the gloves and stars.
Each registered participant would be given 1 [Metal Star] and a pair of [Star Gloves].
Free matches would then be held, where the loser had to give the winner 1 star.
Only by collecting 10 [Metal Stars] could one enter the final tournament... In other words, only 1 out of every 10 people could make it!
In the final tournament, new rules would be set depending on the number of players to determine the champion.
Luya had already roughly formed the outline of the first [Lantern Cup] Duel Tournament in Liyue Harbor.
Once the tournament problem was solved, Luya immediately felt a great sense of relief.
Next came stocking up!
Luya still had 14.21 million Mora available.
Among the goods he could purchase were [Starter Decks] and [Card-Draw Bread].
After some thought, Luya decided to use the leftover 4.21 million Mora to buy only [Card-Draw Bread].
Each [Card-Draw Bread] cost 2000 Mora. With a flash of light, 2105 [Card-Draw Bread] appeared on the shelves of Luya's convenience store.
Luya then had 10 million Mora left.
He used it all to buy [Starter Decks].
At 100,000 Mora per deck, as soon as his balance reached zero, 100 [Starter Decks] instantly appeared on his counter.
Looking at his clean, spacious shop, Luya felt delighted, full of anticipation for tomorrow.
This card shop grew bigger and bigger every day, with more and more goods... and more and more Mora earned!
After finishing today's business, Luya had spent every last Mora... all on upgrades and stocking up.
Only then did he remember he hadn't eaten dinner, and he had no Mora left on him.
His stomach growled a little...
After thinking for a moment, he walked to the shop entrance.
Luya shouted into the night:
"Xiao, appear!"
After all, Xiao's catchphrase was...
"If you face calamity in the wild, calamity from thieves, calamity from fire and war, calamity from demons and poison…
"If you face calamity from beasts and venomous creatures, calamity from enemies and villains—just call my name.
"The Three-Eyed, Five-Manifested Adeptus Xiao will answer the summons to protect you."
Since Luya had no money for food, that counted as facing calamity...
In an instant, Xiao appeared on the rooftop of the shop next door.
Indeed... the title of "True Lord Who Comes When Called" was not without reason. Seeing that the caller was Luya, Xiao smiled with delight.
"Shopkeeper, what do you need me to help with?!"
These past few days, Xiao had encountered many joys. First, his karmic debt had lessened. Then he was reunited with his fellow Yaksha, Bosacius. Even Zhongli's erosion had diminished as a result. And not only that! Soon, he would even be able to meet the long-deceased Goddess of Dust, Guizhong, once more.
So now, Xiao was more cheerful than ever.
He didn't know why Luya had summoned him. In terms of strength, Luya didn't need protection. And as for money, Luya shouldn't be lacking either—he was running such a large shop, earning tens of millions of Mora in a single day...
Xiao couldn't imagine what Luya needed from him.
Luya grinned. "Lend me some Mora. I don't have money for food~"
Xiao was stunned by Luya's words.
"This... you... Shopkeeper, you're joking, right? How could you not have money for food?!"
Luya immediately replied:
"I really don't."
Hearing this, Xiao thought seriously for a moment, then smiled.
"I don't have Mora either... but... I know a place where the food is free!"
Xiao, now like a bright, cheerful young man, made Luya smile. Watching from a distance while sipping tea, Zhongli also felt happy. After a sip, he turned away, still holding his cup.
"Drinking tea before bed... Mr. Zhongli truly is a man of refined taste!?"
Stepping outside, Luya spotted Zhongli. But knowing Zhongli never paid for things, Luya didn't bother asking him for money. After all, only Zhongli saw others as wallets.
Xiao followed Luya's gaze and saw Zhongli drinking tea. He called out to him:
"Emperor... why don't you join us for a midnight snack?"
Hearing Xiao call Zhongli "Emperor," Hongyi of the Millelith, who was patrolling Feiyun Slope, immediately looked toward Zhongli...
"This..."
Zhongli once again told Xiao, "Just call me Zhongli." At this moment, Venti also stumbled over with two bottles of wine.
"Ehe~ I heard there's a place where you can eat for free?"
"Friend! Count me in~"
So, Luya, Xiao, Zhongli, and Venti headed to Wangshu Inn—the place Xiao had mentioned where one could eat without paying.
Venti laughed. "I really like it here. Not only is the food free, you can even pack it to go... hic~"
After a hearty meal, Luya bid farewell to everyone and returned to the shop to rest... as Liyue Harbor entered the night.
Xiao, after eating his beloved Almond Tofu, went back on patrol. Venti and Zhongli slipped away too.
No one paid. In the end, it was only the owner of Wangshu Inn who suffered in this world...
...
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