Genshin Impact: I Opened Blind Boxes in Liyue

The night in Mondstadt was serene, with moonlight cascading over the statue of the Anemo Archon. A cool breeze swept through the city, carrying a hint of chill. Ling Feng's blind box shop had already closed for the day, but he was still busy organizing the day's inventory. Suddenly, the shop door creaked open, and a familiar figure slipped inside.

"Hehe, Mr. Ling, still not resting?" Venti walked in with a grin, holding a bottle of dandelion wine in his hand.

Ling Feng looked up and saw none other than Mondstadt's carefree Anemo Archon—Venti. He raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Well, well, if it isn't our slacking Anemo Archon. What brings you here today? Not busy playing your lyre or drinking wine?"

Venti waved the bottle of wine innocently. "Oh, Mr. Ling, don't be so cold. I heard your blind boxes can give you incredible things, so I came to try my luck."

Ling Feng snorted. "Come on, you're the Anemo Archon. What haven't you seen? My little shop can't handle your antics."

Venti blinked, feigning mystery. "Hehe, even an Archon can be curious. Besides, I brought wine. Let's drink and open some blind boxes. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Ling Feng glanced at the bottle of wine in Venti's hand and smirked. "Fine, but I'll warn you—there are risks to opening blind boxes. If you get something strange, don't blame me."

Venti waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, don't worry. I'm the Anemo Archon. I've seen it all."

Ling Feng's mind buzzed as the system's voice chimed in: *"Ding! High magical energy detected. Recommend deploying the 'Time-Space Blind Box' series."*

He pulled out a silver blind box from under the counter. The box was engraved with intricate time-space runes and emitted a faint glow.

"This is the 'Time-Space Blind Box.' It might contain something related to time," Ling Feng said, handing the box to Venti with a teasing tone. "Want to give it a try? But I'll warn you—if you get something weird, don't come crying to me."

Venti took the box, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "A Time-Space Blind Box? Sounds interesting!"

He gently opened the box, and a silver light burst forth, illuminating the entire shop. As the light faded, a delicate little machine lay inside.

The machine resembled a pocket watch, its surface adorned with intricate gears and runes.

"What's this?" Venti picked up the machine, examining it closely.

The system's voice chimed in Ling Feng's mind again: *"Ding! Venti has obtained the 'Steins;Gate' time machine. It allows the user to briefly alter the timeline."*

Ling Feng's heart skipped a beat. *"A time machine? This is trouble."*

He quickly explained, "Lord Venti, this is a time machine. It can take you back to the past and let you change certain events. But using it might cause timeline disruptions. I suggest you don't mess with it."

Venti's eyes sparkled with excitement. "A time machine? This is amazing! I've always wanted to try changing a few things."

Ling Feng rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Don't mess around. If you cause a disaster, I don't want to be blamed."

Venti waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, Mr. Ling. I just want to try it out. I won't cause any trouble."

Without hesitation, Venti pressed the button on the time machine. Instantly, a silver light enveloped his body, and his figure gradually faded from sight.

"This is bad..." Ling Feng sighed helplessly. "This is going to be a huge mess."

---

Venti opened his eyes and found himself standing in Mondstadt's plaza, but the surroundings felt unfamiliar.

"Is this... Mondstadt in the past?" Venti looked around and noticed that the statue of the Anemo Archon hadn't been built yet, and the city's architecture looked old and crude.

He grinned excitedly. "Perfect! I can finally change a few things!"

Venti decided to find a younger Jean, hoping to alter her fate. However, when he found her, she was deep in conversation with a man he didn't recognize.

"Jean, are you really going to join the Knights of Favonius? It's dangerous," the man said worriedly.

Jean nodded firmly. "Yes, I want to protect Mondstadt. It's my duty."

Venti froze. "Is that... Jean's father? So she joined the Knights to protect Mondstadt."

He realized that changing Jean's fate might affect Mondstadt's future. Reluctantly, he decided to leave her path unchanged and instead sought out a younger Diluc.

But when he found Diluc, he was in the middle of an argument with Kaeya.

"Why are you so stubborn? We could protect Mondstadt together!" Kaeya shouted angrily.

Diluc responded coldly, "I don't need your help. I can do it alone."

Venti sighed. "So their conflict started this early..."

He tried to mediate between them, but his efforts only deepened their rift.

"Seems like changing the past isn't as easy as I thought," Venti muttered, shaking his head.

Just as Venti was about to give up, the time machine let out a sharp alarm.

"Warning! Timeline collapse imminent. Return immediately!" the machine's voice echoed in Venti's ears.

Venti panicked. "What? Timeline collapse?"

He looked around and saw the surroundings distorting. The buildings of Mondstadt began to fade, replaced by a chaotic void.

"Oh no! I need to get back!" Venti frantically pressed the return button on the time machine, but it didn't respond.

"Warning! Timeline collapse. Return impossible!" the machine's voice repeated.

Venti was desperate. "This is bad!"

---

Meanwhile, back at the blind box shop, Ling Feng sensed something was wrong. The system's voice chimed in his mind: *"Ding! Timeline collapse detected. Immediate repair recommended."*

Ling Feng's heart sank. "Of course, it's Venti's fault!"

He quickly exchanged for a "Timeline Repair Scroll" from the system and activated the shop's "Time-Space Portal."

"Please let me make it in time!" Ling Feng rushed through the portal and arrived at the scene of the timeline collapse.

He saw Venti trapped in the chaotic void, the timeline crumbling around him.

"Lord Venti! Grab my hand!" Ling Feng shouted.

Venti saw Ling Feng and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. "Mr. Ling! Save me!"

Ling Feng threw the "Timeline Repair Scroll" into the air. The scroll unfurled, releasing a powerful surge of temporal energy that began to mend the collapsing timeline.

"Quick! Grab my hand!" Ling Feng reached out, and Venti grabbed it.

In an instant, both were enveloped in temporal energy and transported back to the blind box shop.

---

Back in the shop, Venti collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. "Phew... I made it back."

Ling Feng looked at him with a mix of exasperation and amusement. "Lord Venti, you really know how to have fun. You almost destroyed the timeline. Were you trying to ruin Mondstadt?"

Venti chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, Mr. Ling. I just wanted to see if I could change a few things."

Ling Feng snorted. "Yeah, right. How about you stick to playing your lyre and drinking wine? Don't come here and cause trouble again."

Venti stood up, brushing off his clothes, his eyes twinkling with curiosity. "But Mr. Ling, your blind box shop is truly amazing. Even a time machine can come out of it."

Ling Feng rolled his eyes. "Amazing? You almost tore my shop apart! Next time you come, I'm charging double the Mora."

Venti grinned and nodded. "Alright, alright. Next time, I'll bring enough Mora."