Chương 20: 20. A Storybook Called Manga
Elsewhere, when Ryūhei was just starting his daily commissions, there were two little boys who were at the Wanwen Bookhouse, a place where one could buy all kinds of books, from history to fiction. Of course, novels are being sold over there as well.
The two little boys were wearing cheongsams along with shorts and shoes. One of them was called Mu Chen, a boy with short brown hair, glasses, and a blue cheongsam. And the other one was called Gao Fei, a boy with light brown hair who had a hair model similar to Xingqiu and wore a brown cheongsam.
The two boys are a little disappointed that their favorite sci-fi novel hasn't been continued. And in the end, they plan to spend time in the shipyard. Because from there, they can imagine what the structure of the Super Armored Mechanoid looks like if they give additional functions of amphibious transportation and flight.
Mu Chen and Gao Fei ran through the boulevard at Feiyun Slope toward the main plaza of Chihu Rock.
*Thud*
Because Mu Chen wasn't paying attention to the road ahead, he accidentally bumped into a man who was about to turn toward the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. The man didn't falter at all which made Mu Chen fall backward.
"Oh, are you alright?" The man turned his gaze at the boy with a deadpan expression. And that man is none other than Zhongli who just visited Manga Impact.
"Ah, Mr. Zhongli. I'm sorry." Mu Chen knew the man in front of him very well. And almost all the citizens of Liyue knew the man by the name Zhongli because he was knowledgeable in various subjects. No wonder Zhongli is respected and admired by many people for his good looks, elegance, courtesy, and knowledge. Even an 11-year-old kid like Mu Chen knew how famous this man named Zhongli was.
On the other hand, Gao Fei noticed something that Zhongli was carrying in his left hand. Especially after a glance at the cover that was similar to a novel. Intrigued by that, he couldn't help but ask.
"Mr. Zhongli, what is the thing you are carrying?"
Zhongli turned to Gao Fei, then looked at the manga he was carrying.
"Oh, this? It's called manga."
Mu Chen and Gao Fei tilted their heads. The two of them stared at each other, and neither seemed to know what manga was.
Seeing their expressions, Zhongli continued, "A manga, you could say it's some kind of storybook."
"Storybook? Is it a novel? Can I ask where it is sold?"
Zhongli pointed out where they could see a building that was none other than the newly opened manga shop, Manga Impact.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhongli."
In a flash, the two of them dashed toward where Zhongli pointed. Meanwhile, Zhongli himself returned to his workplace.
Actually, Zhongli himself was also curious about the manga Ryūhei was drawing. Especially One Piece, where the main character has the strength to stretch his entire body like rubber. And that was caused by the main character eating a mysterious fruit.
Meanwhile.
"Aunty, this shop sells storybooks called manga, right? Are there any sci-fi genre stories?"
A young woman felt a little weak when she was called aunt considering she was still young. What's more, she didn't seem to understand genres.
She didn't know what to say. But then, she shook her head before showing them something.
"Little brothers, the owner of this shop drew these to let everyone know what manga is. And the owner only drew 2 titles of manga. Currently, except for these two, there are no more titles. You can read these first."
Mu Chen picked up the first chapter of the Dragon Ball manga. He flipped through a few pages boredly. However, the more he flipped, the more interesting the story became. And as soon as he saw a girl with a vehicle he had never seen before, he became even more interested.
Besides him, Gao Fei also lit his eyes after the manga he read was a story about pirates.
"Aunty, I want to buy the Dragon Ball manga."
"Aunty, I want to buy the One Piece manga."
Mu Chen and Gao Fei exclaimed simultaneously. And then they looked at each other.
"Gao Fei, was the story you read interesting?" Mu Chen knew what Gao Fei was reading was a different manga than the one he was reading, so he was a little curious why Gao Fei looked interested.
"You know, this is the story about pirates. Just like Captain Beidou."
"Eh, really?"
"Yup. What about yours?"
"Hehe, I'm sure this story is in the sci-fi genre because I saw a transportation object I've never seen before." Mu Chen triumphantly declared his discovery.
"Then, let's buy one of them each. You buy Dragon Ball, I buy One Piece. With that, we can take turns reading them." Gao Fei suggested.
"Granted. I like your idea."
And then, both of them bought each of the manga.
— — — —
Inside Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, precisely in Zhongli's room which he used as a place to consult with patrons. Since there weren't many customers lately, he used the space to read manga at a leisurely pace.
"This so-called Devil Fruit turns out to be like a contract. This mysterious fruit will give a certain power depending on the fruit to those who eat it. In exchange for that power, the eater will lose the ability to swim and strength when in the water. However, the background of this story is the sea, just like the archipelago nation, Inazuma. Maybe Niwa Ryūhei took that inspiration from where he came from."
"Surprisingly, a leader and son of a group that is similar to a military force that is supposed to protect the public actually does the opposite. This story seems to tell the state of the country controlled by people who should not. Does Niwa Ryūhei intend to tell a story that reeks of corruption?"
Zhongli was quite impressed with the One Piece manga. And he also felt that the story would be very long. Moreover, from the way the main character acts, he seemed to pursue freedom by sailing as a pirate. Knowing the casual and laid-back personality of the main character, it reminded him of his old friend from Mondstadt. When he remembered his friends in Mondstadt, he also reminisced about the five other friends as his fellow Archons before they passed away.
"Sigh. Every journey has its final day eventually. Even though the five of you are gone, you will continue to shine like gold in my memories."
While Zhongli was recollecting old memories of his friends, he heard the sound of footsteps before someone appeared by opening the door.
"Oya? Mr. Zhongli, what are you reading?"
A twin-tailed girl with bright scarlet eyes and white blossom-shaped pupils appeared before him. The girl was none other than Hu Tao, Zhongli's boss at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Oh, Director. It's called the manga I bought from the new shop near the Third-Round Knockout tavern." Zhongli showed the One Piece manga to Hu Tao.
Hu Tao became suspicious after hearing that.
"You "bought"? Did I mishear?"
"Right, I forgot to pay. Can you help me to pay these, Director?"
Hu Tao was speechless. She wondered if Zhongli did that purposely.
"I told so many times before, Mr. Zhongli. Can you take some Mora with you if you're going out? Isn't your memory so good? How come you can't remember to bring Mora? And this doesn't happen just once!"
"Well, you ended up paying for me. So, it doesn't matter." Zhongli replied nonchalantly.
Veins popped up on Hu Tao's head. He's right. But, if he brought some Mora, Hu Tao didn't need to pay for him every time he bought something.
"Ahhhh!!! Suit yourself! Talking to you makes me want to slap you with my little ghost."
"Ok!" Zhongli nodded.
His reply made Hu Tao become more irritated. But, knowing that Zhongli's identity is an Adeptus, she calmed herself before asking.
"So, how much is the thing called manga?"
"A thousand per manga."
After asking the price of the manga, Hu Tao immediately went to the new shop near the Third-Round Knockout to pay for it.
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