Yoimiya had extreme confidence in her archery.
She knew she had hit the bullseye at 500 meters the moment she released the arrow.
"Too amazing."
"Is that blonde girl really that skilled? In all of Liyue, only Lady Ganyu can shoot that far."
"Yeah, Lady Ganyu's range is also around 500 meters. The Millelith archers usually train at a few dozen meters. The elites hit the bullseye at just over 100 meters."
"Where did this girl come from? Her skills rival Lady Ganyu's. If she competed against her, it would be quite a show. I'm actually looking forward to it."
"She's definitely not ordinary. To shoot that far with such accuracy... She must be a Vision bearer. That's the only explanation."
Watching Yoimiya casually land a shot on the 500-meter target, the onlookers gasped in amazement.
This young girl had exceeded all their expectations.
In Liyue, Ganyu was the pinnacle of archery. Though she rarely practiced publicly, the Millelith kept records of her feats. No one had ever broken them.
Yet this unknown blonde girl had just matched Ganyu's legendary range effortlessly.
The Millelith guards stationed at the range were equally shocked.
Who is she?
They patrolled Liyue daily and had never seen her. She was definitely an outsider.
"Um, Miss Yoimiya, would you be interested in becoming an archery instructor for the Millelith?" Wenqi asked eagerly. "The pay is excellent."
With her skills, she could easily train their troops.
"No time," Yoimiya shrugged. "If you need fireworks, I can make them. But being an instructor? I'll pass."
"Alright," the guard sighed, disappointed.
Losing such a master was a pity.
"Hm? Why are so many people gathering at the shooting range?"
Outside the range, Ningguang and Keqing were walking back to the cinema. Ningguang held a stick of candied haws in her hand.
They had taken a break for breakfast after getting hungry during the movie marathon. Now, fueled and ready, they were heading back to finish Journey to the West.
But the crowd at the range caught their attention.
"Is Ganyu practicing?" Keqing wondered. "That's the only reason so many people would gather."
"Ganyu is too shy. She couldn't perform with a crowd like that," Ningguang laughed. "She'd cover her face and run away. So it's not her."
"It's on the way. Let's take a look."
They approached the crowd.
"Amazing! That girl's archery rivals Lady Ganyu!"
"Where is she from? Mondstadt?"
"Doubt it. She's with Atsuko, right? Atsuko is from Inazuma. Maybe she's Inazuman too?"
"Impossible. Inazuma is locked down."
Hearing the chatter, Ningguang raised an eyebrow.
Rivals Ganyu?
Ganyu's archery was unmatched in Liyue. Even Ningguang couldn't compete in pure range.
Ningguang looked over the heads of the crowd. Keqing stood on a step to see.
They saw Hu Tao, Yanfei, Felix... and a blonde girl radiating Pyro energy.
Shopkeeper is here too?
And the girl... a Pyro Vision bearer. Definitely an outsider.
Ningguang scanned her memory of known Vision holders. Mondstadt had a Pyro archer—Outrider Amber. But Amber wore red and had a bunny ribbon. This girl was blonde and dressed differently.
When did Mondstadt get a blonde Pyro archer?
Then, Ningguang's gaze landed on the giant white robot next to Shenhe.
Her expression turned strange.
What is that thing?
It looked like a robot, but soft. And huge.
It must be another item from the Jar Shop.
As for Shenhe... Ningguang recognized her, though they had never met.
The white-haired adepti disciple of Jueyun Karst. The one rumored to save people in desperate situations.
So that is Shenhe.
"Hm?"
Sensing a gaze, Shenhe turned and saw Ningguang.
Her expression remained impassive.
She knew of the Tianquan. Her master, Cloud Retainer, had spoken of her: "Wealth is useless to me, but in Miss Ningguang's hands, it solves problems blades cannot. She masters the rules of the mortal world and understands the human heart—feats even adepti cannot achieve."
Shenhe respected that. Managing a city like Liyue was worthy of admiration.
"Your turn," Yoimiya said, looking at Felix.
The Shopkeeper had promised to shoot after her.
Felix smiled faintly. He raised the Infinite Ammo Sniper Rifle, bracing it against his shoulder.
Scope.
Aim.
Trigger.
All in one smooth motion.
BANG!
A loud crack echoed through the range. A bullet flew out at lightning speed, instantly striking the target 1,000 meters away.
"What was that?"
"I heard a bang. It was loud."
"I didn't see an arrow."
The crowd looked confused.
Yoimiya was also bewildered.
She saw Felix raise the weird black tube, heard a bang, and... nothing.
She looked at the 500-meter target. No new hole.
Did he miss?
"Go to the 1,000-meter mark and bring the target," Felix ordered Wenqi.
Wenqi froze.
Huh?
1,000 meters?
Wenqi looked skeptical. Can that thing even reach that far?
But he obeyed and ran down the range.
At the 1,000-meter mark, the guard stationed there was staring at the target next to him in shock.
He had heard a distant bang, and suddenly, a hole appeared in the center of the target.
These were specially reinforced targets. Iron arrows usually bounced off or stuck in shallowly. Nothing punched clean through like this.
Wenqi arrived, panting.
When he saw the clean hole in the center of the 1,000-meter target, his jaw dropped.
The Shopkeeper wasn't lying.
He grabbed the target and sprinted back.
"Huff, huff."
Wenqi ran the full kilometer back to the group, gasping for air but eyes shining with excitement.
He held up the target with the hole in the center.
"Shopkeeper! You... you shot through the 1,000-meter target!"
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