Once again, Lin En woke up close to noon. He stretched lazily.
He hadn't slept so comfortably in a long time. The last time he had slept this soundly was the last time.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the vines on the balcony, casting patches of light and shadow across the wooden floor.
Ronava was no longer in the room. She had left a note on the table with two lines written on it: Went shopping. Be back soon.
Lin En rubbed his eyes, got up, washed, and changed his clothes.
There was a small market downstairs from the inn. Thinking Ronava might have gone there, he decided to go downstairs and look for her.
He had just reached the mouth of the alley when he heard a lively clamor nearby.
He followed the sound and found several tents set up in Sumeru City's plaza. Rows of long tables stood beneath them, with Genius Invokation TCG playmats and dice laid out on top.
A large banner hung above the tents, reading: "Genius Invokation TCG Open Tournament: Champion's prize, one million Mora."
Lin En's eyes lit up.
He had been an expert at Genius Invokation TCG in the game, too. Although he hadn't touched it in a long time since arriving in Teyvat, he remembered the rules clearly. Maybe he could try his luck. What if he won?
He had already spent nearly half the Mora the system had given him, and he had also entrusted a good deal to Ronava for safekeeping. His personal stash was running low. Winning a million Mora would be just the thing to replenish it.
He looked around but didn't see Ronava. Figuring she wouldn't go far anyway, he decided to play a round first.
There were more than a dozen people in the registration line, mostly Sumeru scholars and young students.
After registering, Lin En was assigned to the third group.
He sat down at his assigned place, spread out his deck on the table, and familiarized himself with the cards. The deck had been provided at the venue.
Lin En won the first and second rounds fairly easily. One opponent was a Sumeru student, and the other was a Mondstadt merchant visiting Sumeru. Both played fairly conventional strategies, and he won by relying on his memory.
In the third round, his opponent was a man wearing a jackal-headed hat.
The man sitting across from him was not particularly tall. A pair of sharp eyes showed beneath his hat, and his skin was dark, as though he lived in the desert.
It was none other than the Great General Mahamatra, Cyno.
The corner of Lin En's mouth twitched. Just sitting down, Cyno had lowered the temperature of the air around him by a few degrees.
"Achoo... I don't think it's winter yet. Why is it so cold?"
He rubbed his hands together and breathed on them.
"Hello, I'm Cyno."
"Lin En."
He glanced at Cyno's face, then looked around and noticed that there were considerably more spectators than before. Some had even brought chairs to sit and watch.
Cyno was clearly well known in Sumeru City, and the Genius Invokation TCG crowd probably all knew how good he was.
"Let's have a good match."
Cyno reached out and shook Lin En's hand.
"Let's have a good match."
During the dice roll, Lin En had good luck and got the first move.
The two began their match.
Cyno played skillfully. He didn't rush to attack, instead carefully watching the cards Lin En played.
In the sixth round, Lin En made a huge mistake.
Cyno didn't hesitate. He unleashed a burst of attacks and took out one of Lin En's characters, throwing off his rhythm.
From then on, the match was one-sided. Cyno's deck was like a precision machine, every card played at just the right moment and every die allocated flawlessly.
Lin En tried to turn things around with his remaining dice, but the cards in his hand couldn't keep up. In the end, Cyno swept him away in a single flurry in the tenth round.
"Good game."
Cyno stood and put away the cards on the playmat. He glanced at Lin En and gave a slight nod.
"Do you know who has the worst back in Teyvat?"
"Uh, I don't want to know."
"Barbara, because she always makes a dazzling entrance."
Lin En gave a wry laugh and nodded. Although Cyno was right, and that move really had cost him a good position, there was no need to tell a lame joke.
The temperature around them dropped another few degrees.
"Thanks for the lesson."
With that, Lin En hurriedly turned and fled.
"Don't go! The top three all get prizes..."
Cyno shouted after him, but Lin En paid him no attention.
Lin En sat down on a public bench and sighed. The million Mora was gone, but losing to Cyno was hardly disgraceful. He had known about the Great General Mahamatra's reputation in Genius Invokation TCG from the game.
Just as he was about to leave, he spotted a familiar silver figure standing outside the Genius Invokation TCG tent.
Ronava was leaning against one of the tent poles with her arms folded, holding a paper bag filled with freshly bought provisions and fruit.
Her gaze also fell on Lin En, the afternoon sunlight reflected in her golden eyes.
"How long have you been here?"
Lin En walked over.
"I started watching in the third round."
"Then you saw me lose?"
"Mm."
Ronava handed him the paper bag.
"You really shouldn't have made that move."
"You know how to play Genius Invokation TCG too?"
"I know a little."
Lin En took the paper bag, fished out a piece of fruit, and bit into it. It was sweet. He chewed twice and turned to look at Ronava.
"Want to learn? Genius Invokation TCG is a good way to pass the time."
"No need."
"All right, looks like you're not interested. It's pretty fun, though."
Ronava's impression now was that everyone who played Genius Invokation TCG liked telling lame jokes. She had met two players, Lin En and Cyno just now, and the chill had made her think the Cryo Archon had caught up with her.
The two started on their way back. Lin En walked beside her and took another bite of his fruit.
"Cyno really is better than me, but next time I run into him, I just won't play him."
As he walked, he felt rather clever. If he couldn't beat him, he could just avoid playing, and then he wouldn't lose.
"Next time?"
"Hm? No... there won't be a next time."
Ronava turned to glance at him, a smile touching the corners of her mouth.
"What about the million Mora?"
"Forget it. Cyno's too good. Is this talent?"
"The look on your face when you lost just now was hilarious."
"So you really did stand there watching on purpose."
The two walked back along the streets of Sumeru City. The afternoon sunlight was just right for a game of Genius Invokation TCG.
Lin En carried the paper bag, chewing his fruit and occasionally turning to glance at Ronava's profile. When she caught him, he blushed and asked, "Are we leaving tomorrow?"
"Mm."
"Is Mount Damavand far?"
"Two days on foot."
Lin En nodded. They would be heading to the desert tomorrow, to the last nail. He looked at the ingredients in the bag he was holding, then at Ronava.
"What are we having for lunch today?"
"I'll cook for you."
"You... are you sure you can?"
"Of course."
Lin En thought of the sweet porridge Ronava had made on the snowy mountain. Maybe she had done it on purpose. Could she actually cook?
The two entered the inn and went upstairs. Lin En put the paper bag on the table, and Ronava began checking its contents.
"Tomatoes, eggs, potatoes, beef, hmm..."
Ronava thought carefully.
"I can make stir-fried tomatoes and beef, and stew the eggs with the potatoes."
Hearing this, Lin En nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He hadn't expected those four ingredients could be combined that way. Perhaps he needed to give her a hint.
"Don't you think tomatoes and eggs go well together?"
Hearing Lin En's words, Ronava thought for a moment.
"Really? Then I'll make stir-fried tomatoes and potatoes, and stew the eggs with the beef instead."