Genshin Impact: I Opened Blind Boxes in Liyue

The slanting sunlight of the House of Daena stretched the shadows of the stained-glass windows long across the floor. Ling Feng crouched by the shelves, counting the newly arrived blind boxes, when the bell on the door jingled urgently. He looked up to see Cyno standing at the entrance, arms crossed, his purple cloak dusted with desert sand. His eyes, beneath the crown of King Deshret, scanned the shop like a prosecutor interrogating a criminal. 

"According to Article 37 of the *Akasha Terminal Commerce Management Regulations*," the General Mahamatra's voice was as cold as a tempered blade, "selling cross-dimensional goods without prior approval can result in a fine of up to 50 million Mora." 

Ling Feng nearly dropped the ledger in his hands. "Wait! This shop was personally approved by Lord Kusanali as a pilot project!" 

"Approval document number SD-2023-0428," Cyno pulled out a scroll of parchment without changing his expression, "but the supplementary clause requires operators to cooperate with random inspections by the Matra." He leaned forward suddenly, his shadow looming over the counter. "For example... checking whether the *Genius Invokation TCG* card inventory complies with regulations." 

Seeing the sudden gleam in Cyno's eyes, Ling Feng finally understood. Suppressing a laugh, he pulled out a gilded card box from under the counter. "Newly arrived 'Duelist's Lucky Bag,' guaranteed to contain a five-star card—" 

The moment Cyno's fingers touched the box, Kaveh's voice rang out from outside. "Boss! That *Animal Crossing* island designer from last time..." The blond architect rushed in with a roll of blueprints, freezing in place when he saw Cyno. "Uh, official business? I'll come back another time..." 

"Perfect timing," Cyno grabbed Kaveh's wrist like lightning. "According to the *Akademiya Academic Ethics Code*, scholars from the Kshahrewar Darshan are obligated to assist in inspecting dangerous items." With his other hand, he opened the card box. "Best of three. If you win, I'll issue you a safety certificate." 

Kaveh looked desperately at Ling Feng, who shrugged and pointed to the "No Professional Players Allowed" sign on the wall—now sporting a dagger hole courtesy of Cyno. 

When the bluish-white light burst from the card box, Ling Feng realized just how important the system's warning about "summoning items requiring outdoor use" was. The materialized Blue-Eyes White Dragon exploded through the ceiling, shattering the starry stained-glass dome of the House of Daena like a brittle biscuit. Several scholars from the Haravatat Darshan, studying King Deshret's pottery shards next door, were blown straight into the fountain. 

"Is this... the legendary Three Phantom Gods?" Kaveh trembled behind the overturned counter. "But the *Genius Invokation Rulebook* doesn't say anything about summoning living creatures!" 

Cyno's cloak billowed in the gale stirred by the dragon's wings, but the cards in his hand were steady as a rock. "Activate Quick-Play Spell Card—Elemental Burst: Judgment Thunder!" The Electro Vision on his back flared with intense light, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's breath attack transformed into a Superconduct-infused blast of purple lightning. 

"That's my roof! My blueprints!" Kaveh watched as the House of Daena's beams were scorched by the thunderstorm, his artist's soul weeping. "Cyno! Your 'judgment' should be directed at the dragon, not the architecture!" 

Ling Feng dug the *Yu-Gi-Oh!* rulebook out of the rubble and shouted, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon is unaffected by Spell Cards of a lower level! Use a Trap Card!" 

"Activate face-down Trap Card—" Cyno flung his last card, "Mirror Force!" 

The air twisted into a prism, refracting the dragon's breath toward the sky. Tighnari, who had been about to land on the House of Daena's roof to feed the pigeons, saw a bolt of lightning graze his ear, turning the Zaytun Peach in his hand into a caramelized treat. 

Three hours later, Alhaitham stood before the ruins, a brick-thick repair bill glowing coldly in the sunset. 

"According to the Akademiya's fixed asset management regulations," the scribe's glasses gleamed ominously, "repair costs are to be borne by the responsible parties, namely Mr. Cyno, Mr. Kaveh, and..." He glanced at Ling Feng, who was feeding the Blue-Eyes White Dragon date candies, "the proprietor of this illegal inter-dimensional goods shop." 

"Wait!" Ling Feng suddenly pulled out a pendant adorned with a magatama. "I request the activation of the 'Akasha Court Special Arbitration Procedure'!" 

Alhaitham raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get the Grand Sage's authority key?" 

"A student from the Akademiya used it to pay off a ten-pull debt yesterday." Ling Feng pressed the ruby at the center of the magatama, and the Akasha Terminal projected a holographic courtroom. Cyno's judge's bench, Kaveh's defendant's seat, and Alhaitham's plaintiff's seat materialized automatically. Even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was fitted with a virtual witness hood. 

"Objection!" Ling Feng slammed the table, imitating a certain lawyer. "According to the *Sumeru Construction Material Safety Standards*, the House of Daena's dome should have an impact resistance coefficient of 5.3 or higher!" He tossed out a stack of data sheets. "But the actual moonwood used came from a Withering-infected forest three months ago, reducing its load-bearing capacity by 37%!" 

Alhaitham pulled up the procurement records. "This project was approved by a sage from the Haravatat Darshan." 

"Objection!" Cyno suddenly joined the fray. "According to Matra archives, that sage was suspended last week for embezzling funds to purchase limited-edition *Genius Invokation* cards!" 

Kaveh stared blankly at the data stream on the electronic screen. "So... my design wasn't the problem? It was the substandard materials?" 

"Correct." Alhaitham closed the bill. "The repair costs will be covered by the Akademiya's special funds." As he turned to leave, he added, "By the way, Cyno, the energy signature of that 'Mirror Force' card you used matches the data from last week's House of Daena core defense array malfunction." 

The General Mahamatra froze, while Ling Feng quietly hung a "Free Date Candies Today" sign around the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's neck. 

As night fell, Cyno was still rummaging through the ruins for surviving cards. "This 'Dark Magician' has burnt edges..." His pained expression was more serious than when he investigated forbidden knowledge. 

"Stop looking," Ling Feng handed him a new card shimmering with dark gold. "'Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon,' specially made with the Akademiya's compensation funds." 

As Cyno took the card, his fingertips brushed against hidden raised patterns—beneath the "4500 ATK" number, faintly visible was a line of text: **"When this card and 'Staff of the Scarlet Sands' coexist, the Scales of Judgment may be summoned."** 

The General Mahamatra's crimson eyes narrowed slightly, but when he looked up, Ling Feng was gazing at the stars and humming as if nothing had happened. 

On the other side of the rubble, Kaveh was repairing the dome with *Minecraft* blocks. "Why am I using inter-dimensional tools to do the Akademiya's work?!" His wail startled a flock of sparrows. 

"Perhaps because," Alhaitham's voice came from the Akasha Terminal, "you lost thirty-two rounds of *Genius Invokation* last night, and the bet was free repair work?" 

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon let out a date-scented burp, and the new dome of the House of Daena shimmered with an eerie bluish-white hue under the moonlight.