Lumine, Paimon, and Zhongli
entered Bubu Pharmacy together.
There were no patients in sight, nor any doctors.
The scents of various medicinal herbs wafted toward them.
And since most herbs needed to be stored in cool, shaded environments,
the atmosphere inside was rather eerie.
Paimon practically wanted to hide in Lumine's arms.
Lumine called toward the back of the shop.
"Excuse me— is the owner here?"
A voice came from behind the counter.
"Welcome."
With that atmosphere and a voice coming from who knew where,
Paimon immediately shrank behind Lumine.
"Did you guys... hear where that voice came from...?"
"Seems like it came from the counter."
Paimon tugged on Lumine's arm.
"Th-this... how about it, Lumine? You go take a look first?"
Lumine really couldn't stand how timid Paimon was being.
"What is there to be scared of in broad daylight?"
She swaggered over to the counter.
Then a small purple head suddenly popped up.
It scared her straight into a meme-worthy expression.
Lumine's expression is way too funny.
Is Lumine still putting on an act? Hahaha.
These two really are adorable.
She was just looking down on Paimon, and now she got scared too.
The person behind the counter stood on tiptoe again.
At last, they could see her head clearly.
Once Paimon saw her properly, she wasn't so afraid anymore.
"So you were here! You're not even as tall as the counter!"
Lumine changed the subject. "Actually, when it comes to height, Paimon is even more..."
Paimon protested, "I fly, so height doesn't matter!"
Qiqi, my little darling!
Guinaifen looked at the talisman stuck to that strange little head.
"Huh? Isn't this the five-star I got from one of my ten-pulls?"
Streamer pulls on the standard banner?
New here? You actually asked that question?
The streamer is absurdly lucky. Ask again and you'll get muted.
"Good luck, good luck. I got lucky thanks to Mu Yang. I topped up a little with the money he spent to become Governor."
Mu Yang: My devotion was misplaced.
Fine, fine, he donated so you could pull for Mu Yang, okay?
Guinaifen shamelessly played dumb.
"Just ten pity pulls. I couldn't clear the stage otherwise, guys."
"Who knew Qiqi would come from that ten-pull?"
If you're bad, practice more. I can still play with the starter trio.
So lucky. Unfollowed.
How many five-star characters does the streamer have?
"Not many, not many. Just a few."
Paimon looked at the talisman on her head.
"Could she be a zombie?"
Qiqi said, "Welcome to Bubu Pharmacy. I am Qiqi."
"Qiqi has already died once. Later, an adeptus saved Qiqi. So Qiqi is a zombie."
Qiqi's words opened Lumine's eyes.
"She stated something unbelievable so calmly. As expected of the 'land of gods.'"
Zhongli asked whether they had any Eternal Offering.
But Qiqi said they needed to bring a prescription.
Although Eternal Offering was merely a medicinal ingredient and didn't require a prescription,
only with one could the little zombie dispense the medicine. It was an order she had given herself.
Zhongli tried asking again.
"Little Qiqi. We do not have a prescription, but we hope you can help us obtain some Eternal Offering."
This time, Qiqi agreed.
In exchange, however, they needed to use the Guizhong Machine to hunt a Coconut Yaksha.
Only then would it be fair.
After all, Liyue was a nation of contracts.
Qiqi's condition was perfectly reasonable.
But none of the three present had ever heard of a "Coconut Yaksha."
Zhongli thought for a moment.
"The Guizhong Machine... I have heard of the thing she just mentioned."
"The Guizhong Machine is a type of ballista constructed atop Mt. Tianheng by ancient adepti. It is one product of mechanized arts."
"It is located amid the ruins of the ancient city walls and can independently engage enormous Demonic Beasts, defending against threats from beyond."
Why does Zhongli seem to know everything?
Just a little, just a little.
He knows a billionth of it.
Liyue's encyclopedia?
Even so, they still had no idea what a Coconut Yaksha was.
Qiqi gave them another hint.
"A Coconut Yaksha is a legendary, half-adeptus beast."
But that was all the hint she could offer.
She didn't know what it looked like.
She didn't know where they were most common.
She didn't know their origins.
She knew absolutely nothing.
At this point, the three had no other choice.
They could only head to their sole clue—the Guizhong Machine—and take a look.
The three arrived at the Guizhong Machine and found that it had been damaged.
Fortunately, Zhongli knew "a little" about its principles.
After repairing the Guizhong Machine,
they learned that the Treasure Hoarders had damaged it for their own selfish gain.
Zhongli was angry.
He dealt with them handily.
Still, they learned nothing about the Coconut Yaksha.
"Standing here and thinking will not lead us to a solution."
"Let us return to Bubu Pharmacy, admit that we did not find the Coconut Yaksha, and make further plans."
The three returned to Bubu Pharmacy.
Their efforts didn't make Qiqi sympathize with them.
Her zombie face showed no expression.
But she still voiced her feelings aloud.
"Ah. Very disappointed. Though it is okay, very disappointed."
Those words made Paimon feel ashamed.
Lumine suddenly thought of something.
She asked Qiqi, "Qiqi, what do you want the Coconut Yaksha for?"
If they knew what it was for,
perhaps they could determine what the Coconut Yaksha actually was based on its effects.
"Mm... Coconut Yaksha milk tastes good. Better than ordinary goat milk. So they must be half-adeptus beasts."
"Sorry. Qiqi's memory is bad. So Qiqi wrote down the name of that milk... Qiqi will look..."
Qiqi opened a densely packed notebook.
Some entries said to do flexibility exercises on time.
Others detailed routes for gathering herbs in the mountains at night.
One page was filled with information about someone named Yaoyao.
"Ah, right, this is it. The tasty milk... is called Coconut Milk."
Silence filled Bubu Pharmacy tonight.
Hahaha, Coconut Milk, Coconut Yaksha.
I'm dying, Qiqi is way too cute.
You know, it actually makes some sense.
Little Cutie's train of thought is so bizarre.
Seeing everyone fall silent,
Qiqi realized she might have said something wrong.
Paimon didn't want to be the one to shatter a child's fantasy.
So she pushed Lumine forward.
Lumine crouched down and seriously explained things to little Qiqi.
"Qiqi, Coconut Milk doesn't come from Coconut Yakshas. It comes from coconut trees."
Qiqi's brain began operating at high speed. (BGM should be playing here.)
A man's voice came from behind them.
"Haha, what a meaningful life lesson. Thank you for taking care of my Qiqi."
Lumine stood and turned around.
The first thing she noticed was the snake coiled around the man's neck.
At that moment, Mu Yang stretched atop the roof.
"Ah—! It's finally my turn to appear."
"Boring. Too boring."
The system said, "Are you really okay?"
"You were the one who said you didn't dare see her, and you're also the one complaining that it's too boring."
Mu Yang ignored the system.
He twisted his body and did a few warm-up exercises.
Then he flipped down from the roof.
Just in time to hear a familiar voice speak.
"How pitiful. Qiqi is innocent enough already, yet there are victims even more innocent than Qiqi who got fooled."
How should he put it? Compared to the Medicine Master from before,
as Changheng, she seemed a little more lively.
Yet she was still the familiar her.
More than startling customers by speaking up, she couldn't stand someone treating her as medicinal material.
Baizhu introduced Changheng to Lumine and the others.
"Setting aside the matter of indulging Qiqi's antics... what business brought you here in the first place?"
Zhongli said, "Does your establishment have any Eternal Offering?"
Baizhu smiled and nodded.
"Oh, Eternal Offering? Of course we do, of course we do."
Paimon let out a long breath. After all that running around,
they had finally gained something.
Baizhu's smile widened. "Three million Mora, top quality."
"Three million?! You might as well rob the Golden House!"
The price left Lumine completely dumbfounded.
At that moment, Doctor Baizhu's smile looked more like that of a shady merchant about to get his way.
The white-haired youth gripped his sword.
He walked in through the doors of Bubu Pharmacy.
"Let me pay."
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