Harlan Flint sat quietly at his corner table in the Deer Hunter restaurant, enjoying his fried pork with carrots in honey sauce. Two familiar figures, Scout Knight Amber and Wave Knight Eula—names and faces he knew from countless hours of gaming—had joined him by chance, a twist of fate he hadn't expected.
"Thanks for sharing the table!" Amber chirped, giving him a grateful smile before nudging Eula to sit and starting to chat. Harlan kept to himself, content to eat in silence, his ears only perking up when their conversation turned to his shop.
"Hey, Eula, have you heard about a place in Mondstadt called Galehaven Comics?" Amber asked, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. Harlan's fork paused mid-bite, his pulse quickening—his shop's name on their lips was important.
Eula tilted her head, her cool blue gaze narrowing. "No—why bring up a bookstore out of nowhere? Are you planning to start reading?" She never thought of Amber as a bookworm; her friend's energy seemed more suited for scouting than reading.
"It's not just any bookstore—it's full of comic books, these illustrated stories with wild adventures," Amber explained, waving her hands to describe it.
Eula raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "So, books with more drawings—how is that different from Liyue's fancy tales or Inazuma's scrolls?" She had read Mondstadt's books and others, finding their art beautiful but the stories boring—like that absurd Reincarnated as Thunder General, Invincible she had once struggled through.
Amber leaned in, her grin widening. "It's much more than that—after you read these comics, you get rewards directly from their pages!" She added, her eyes gleaming with excitement, "Skills, creatures, raw power—it's real, not just ink and paper."
Eula's expression remained flat, skepticism clearly visible. "That's ridiculous—are you sure you're not daydreaming again?" Power from reading sounded like a fairy tale—why practice with a sword daily if comics could just give her strength? She would sooner trust Barbatos to run a tavern than believe this story without proof.
"Don't scoff yet—you know Lumine, the Traveler, right?" Amber pressed, undeterred by Eula's doubt. Eula nodded—everyone knew the blonde traveler who had faced Stormterror head-on. "That wind-manipulating trick she used to push back the dragon? It's the Wind-Wind Fruit from a comic called One Piece," Amber revealed. She added, full of awe, "And Barbara's fluffy Snowballmon? That's from another comic—as real as you or me."
Harlan chewed slowly, hiding a nod—his shop's wonders were spreading faster than he had hoped.
Eula frowned, her certainty wavering. "You're saying those came from comics?" She had seen Lumine's cyan dragon form, a sight that chilled her during Stormterror's rampage. And Barbara's Snowballmon—which she had seen during a mission handover—had puzzled her with its unfamiliar, cuddly charm. If both came from comics, her understanding of the world was shaken by this bizarre truth.
Amber smirked, enjoying Eula's shock. "Oh, and get this—Captain Jean went to the shop today, confirmed everything, and came out with some serious power." She added, with secondhand pride, "She even used it on the Fatui, gave them a beating they won't forget." Harlan's lips twitched—Jean's Haki debut was already creating ripples, promising a flood of curious Knights tomorrow.
"Jean gained strength and humbled the Fatui?" Eula repeated, her doubt softening into intrigue. In her eyes, Jean was a reliable person—honest, steadfast—never one to talk nonsense or act recklessly. For the usually cautious Grand Master to strike at the Fatui, she must have gained something formidable, likely connected to this shop.
"What a peculiar place," Eula murmured, her interest growing despite her usual reserved nature. If Amber was telling the truth, reading comics could grant her own reward—a chance too tempting to ignore.
"Let's check it out tomorrow if you're free," Amber urged, seizing on Eula's flicker of curiosity.
Eula tilted her head, a rare hint of teasing in her voice. "You're very eager—are you smitten with this shop already?"
"Absolutely!" Amber shot back, her enthusiasm open. "Imagine getting comic powers—beyond even a Vision's reach, things the Archons couldn't dream up!" She gushed, her longing clear, "It's a miracle wrapped in pages, and the owner? Must be some mysterious powerhouse—I'd consider myself lucky to meet him."
Harlan swallowed his last bite, a quiet thrill stirring—he was that owner, and tomorrow, his tablemates might just find out.
This encounter has certainly piqued Amber and Eula's interest in Galehaven Comics. Given Eula's skepticism and Amber's enthusiasm, how do you think their first visit to the shop will go?