Before going to bed, pulling cards only has two outcomes.
Too unlucky to sleep, or too lucky to sleep.
Lu Heng felt like he might laugh himself awake tonight.
All three gold cards were effective!
Not only were they effective, but they were also cool—how could anyone stand that?
He wasn't sure how others felt, but as for him, his mood was downright cheerful.
...
The next morning, dawn.
Before the card shop's business hours had even begun, a long line had already formed outside.
Clever folks were selling breakfast along the queue, and judging by their bright smiles, business was good.
"Did you hear about what happened yesterday?"
"What happened?"
While waiting to pull cards, people chatted idly.
One of them said, "Looks like you haven't heard—people can really dissolve in water!"
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Did someone pull a skill card that lets them dissolve others?"
Someone reacted quickly, immediately connecting it to the card shop.
"No!"
The man shook his head. "It's about Fontaine's prophecy crisis—the one that's been around for centuries!"
"What?"
"No way, isn't that just a thousand-year-old rumor?"
"Are you serious? Don't mess with me!"
"Looks like you really don't know," the man chuckled. "My friend saw the commotion yesterday. According to him, the missing girls from the Serial Disappearance Case were all dissolved!"
"What?!"
"They were dissolved?"
People exchanged bewildered glances.
Some in the crowd were in the know, others weren't.
After some chaos, the gist of yesterday's events spread.
"People can dissolve—aren't you scared?"
"Why should I be? What's there to fear? If we're really going to dissolve, everyone will dissolve. There's no escaping it—what can you even do?"
"Feels a bit hopeless…"
"It's fine. Lady Furina will protect us."
"I hope I pull a good card… Lady Furina, bless me… If I could just get a card that resists dissolution, I wouldn't have to worry."
"That's a great idea!"
Lu Heng, who had just opened the shop, was taken aback after overhearing.
Could the prophecy crisis actually boost his sales?
But on second thought, it made sense for the people of Fontaine.
Most were ordinary folks with little power in the face of disaster.
But wasn't there a card shop now?!
If they could get their hands on a good card, they'd at least have some peace of mind, right?
Seeing their expressions, Lu Heng thought for a moment before advising, "Don't gamble too much. Make sure you save enough Mora for daily life."
"As expected of the great and generous Mr. Lu! Don't worry, Mr. Lu, it definitely won't affect our livelihoods!"
"Mr. Lu, bless me, Mr. Lu, bless me…"
Lu Heng: "…"
At this rate, he might actually start collecting believers.
He shook his head helplessly.
He'd done his part by warning them—the rest wasn't his concern.
Time passed.
With the latest issue of The Steambird released, panic indeed began to spread across the Court of Fontaine.
Fontaine was the nation of water—how could anyone not be scared upon hearing that people could dissolve in it?
But combined with Furina's confident expression and statements in the newspaper, the public temporarily settled down.
Their attention shifted from "dissolution" to the Sky-Touring Mirror.
You didn't realize it until someone pointed it out, but it was downright shocking.
Patrolling all of Fontaine's territory around the clock, monitoring illegal activities, with terrifying offensive capabilities and even time-reversal powers!
Was this something that could really exist in the real world?
A thought suddenly occurred to many: Am I dreaming?
Otherwise, how could such drastic changes happen in just two days?
But no matter how much they marveled at the Sky-Touring Mirror's power, the people had already grasped the growing importance of cards.
The Sky-Touring Mirror was an external equipment card!
If they were lucky, could they also obtain something just as powerful, or strength of that level?
If they became that strong, why fear dissolution?
"Don't stop me—I'm going to pull cards!"
"Pull what? You've only got a few thousand Mora to your name—you can't even afford a Card Device, let alone pull cards!"
"I… expletives."
The Court of Fontaine was the most prosperous city in the nation. In terms of average income, most lived comfortable, fulfilling lives.
But spending 10,000 Mora first on a Card Device, then another 10,000 per pull… for ordinary people, that was a massive financial burden.
Still, it wasn't entirely hopeless.
Common Tier-1 cards, though low in rank, had high utility.
The wealthy might scoff at them, but for ordinary folks, they were a godsend.
With slightly better luck, they could instantly leap social classes and become the Court of Fontaine's new elite.
Take the owner of the [Martial Arts Master] card, for example.
Originally planning to start his own school, he instead joined the Palais Mermonia as a martial arts instructor.
In the future, cards would undoubtedly become mainstream. But beyond Card Devices, there were other sources of power—like Visions, or the genetic optimization technology the Palais Mermonia was preparing to roll out!
Realizing that his skills alone weren't enough without physical enhancement, he made the smart choice.
By joining the Palais Mermonia, he secured an official position, access to suitable cards provided by the government, a salary, room and board, and higher social status… he'd never have to worry again!
Before this, he'd just been an ordinary person from an average family. Now, he was a shining example of how fate could change!
"But Teyvat's environment isn't entirely suitable for this genetic optimization technology."
Inside the Palais Mermonia, Neuvillette immersed himself in work.
The genetic optimization technology itself was Tier-5 in value, but realizing its full potential depended on many factors.
The most critical was materials.
Advanced civilizations with such technology surely had no shortage of materials—or the ability to synthesize them. But Teyvat's resources were limited.
Thus, Neuvillette felt the technology wasn't perfectly suited for Teyvat, as some materials couldn't be substituted.
That didn't mean it was useless, though.
It just meant Tier-5 genetic optimization serums couldn't be produced.
Neuvillette equipped the card—he now fully understood the technology and could manually craft genetic serums.
After calculations, he determined that the Palais Mermonia's capabilities were barely sufficient for Tier-4 serums, and resources couldn't support mass production. But two or three doses? Possible.
And Tier-4 in Teyvat was already a rarity—a strength second only to gods.
"Tier-3 serums also have some limitations, but a few hundred doses are feasible. Tier-2 is more common, and Tier-1 and Tier-2 won't strain the Palais Mermonia…"
"Begin gathering materials," Neuvillette ordered.
It was worth noting that genetic serums weren't some sinister technology—they had no side effects. The only downside? Possibly increased appetite.
But that was fine. The Palais Mermonia could afford it!
"Feels like the Palais Mermonia will be full of superhumans in the future," Clorinde mused.
"What if the Palais Mermonia's biggest future expense is food procurement?" Chevreuse asked.
Neuvillette paused. "…That's highly possible."
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T/N:
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