He changed Tiwat

"Everyone knows the principle that where there is light, there is shadow."

He raised his hands high, as if stroking the moon in the sky.

"And those who can control the light can also control the shadows."

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist and pulled out a deck of cards out of thin air.

"Sir Humphrey, please examine this deck of cards to make sure there are no special markings or mechanisms on it."

He handed the cards to Han Fulai.

"Many people suspect that magicians must have tampered with the things they use. But I want to prove to everyone that I can do things that seem impossible without doing anything."

Han Fulai took the deck of cards and easily opened it with a fan – such a small action was naturally nothing to him, who had mastered the "Wind-Slaying Sword" microscopic technique.

Linni's playing cards are all custom-made. Unlike the playing cards commonly used in casinos, Linni's cards do not have numbers on them. Instead, they are decorated with various images of him—there are chibi portraits of Linni himself, as well as portraits of his sister Lynette, and all sorts of small objects and animals, such as teacups, hats, and cats. They are unique and have no counterparts.

Han Fulai checked both sides and confirmed that these were just ordinary cards.

Of course, if Linni really did make some special markings on the card with invisible potion or something, he wouldn't be able to detect it with this kind of examination. But you can't blame him for not being able to detect it.

"Now, please shuffle this deck of cards however you like."

Han Fulai skillfully performed a "dovetail shuffle" followed by an "Indian shuffle"—that is, a cross-shuffle followed by a cut of the entire deck, a common technique used in card games in male dormitories.

"Please draw one card from this deck at random, but don't let me see it."

Han Fulai drew a card from the deck as instructed.

It was a picture of a cat peeking out from under a hat, grinning strangely. Linni named it "The Laughing Hat Cat".

"Please remember the pattern of that card. I'll turn around now, and you can hand me the rest of your cards. Then you can show that card to everyone in the audience so they can remember it too." He then made a "shh" gesture to the audience. "Please keep your mouths shut and don't reveal the secret card!"

Chapter 186 Shadow Imitation Technique

Linni turned his back, and Han Fulai did as he was told, placing the remaining cards in Linni's hand. Then, he walked half a circle around the table with the card in his hand, showing it to all the guests present.

"Have you memorized them all?" Linni still had his back turned, his hands supporting the deck behind him as if he had never moved.

"I've got it!" the audience answered in unison.

“Very well.” Linnie waved his hand behind his back. “Sir Humphrey, please insert that card into the deck where you like.”

Han Fulai cooperated by inserting the "Ghostly Cat with a Laughing Hat" card back into the middle of the deck.

Linnie turned around, held up the stack of cards, and said to the audience, “As you all have seen, Sir Humphrey has examined this stack of cards, and there are no tricks on them; he chose the cards, not me; you know what the card is, but I don’t—unless I have eyes in the back of my head… I don’t want that, having eyes in the back of my head is so ugly.”

Laughter erupted from the audience.

Linnie changed the subject: "Although I didn't see the card, I had a way of finding it from the deck—because my shadow saw it."

Upon hearing Lin Ni's words, everyone turned their gaze to the ground. In the cool moonlight, the shadows of Lin Ni and Han Fulai were both quite long. Even though he had turned his back just now, his shadow was still pointing in the direction of Han Fulai.

In other words... if shadows can really see things, Linni could indeed have seen the card Han Fulai just chose.

"Now, please enjoy my 'shadow imitation technique'."

Linni bent down, placed the stack of cards on the ground, and stepped back a few paces.

“As everyone knows, shadows mimic human movements. Wherever a person goes, their shadow goes too. How a person moves, their shadow moves too…” Linni said something everyone already knew.

Then he raised his hand again, and his shadow on the ground followed suit.

The shadowy hand enveloped both sides of the deck of cards, as if a black figure was holding the deck up with its hands.

This is nothing unusual; anyone can do it if they find the right angle.

"Shadow imitation," is that all? Some viewers were already wondering if this was just a comedy magic trick.

Linni's hand slowly stroked the deck of cards.

Then, something incredible happened.

"Hmm?" The first to notice the change was Han Fulai, who was standing not far from Lin Ni.

He noticed the cards seemed to tremble slightly—was it the wind?

No, it wasn't the wind, it was the shadow.

Some audience members in the front row also noticed the subtle change in the cards... Linnie's shadow seemed to be moving the pile of cards on the ground?

Although it was only a tiny displacement, it added up, and soon even the most observant person noticed something was wrong—the top half of the deck of cards had separated from the bottom half!

Right before everyone's eyes, Linni used his shadow to divide a whole deck of cards into two!

Is it possible for someone to manipulate objects with shadows? Can magic really do that?

Some audience members had already started to gasp, but Linni just smiled.

“Don’t rush, my shadow tells me he’s going to find the card Sir Humphrey chose.”

As Linni said, the strange things didn't end there.

After Linni's shadow divided the deck into two piles, Linni clenched his fists, leaving only the index finger of his right hand sticking out.

The shadow on the ground also resembles an index finger.

Linni waved his arm, and the shadow's fingers moved accordingly.

A card was propelled high into the air from the deck by Linnie's shadowy finger!

The card flew straight towards Han Fulai, who was standing opposite him. Han Fulai nimbly reached out and caught the card.

"Sir Humphrey, please tell everyone whether my shadow has found the correct card?"

Han Fu took a look, and the card was indeed the "Laughing Cat" card he had chosen earlier!

Even though he was in the "VIP audience seat" closest to Lin Ni, Han Fulai had to admit that he couldn't figure out what method Lin Ni was using.

He certainly didn't believe that Linni knew the "Shadow Imitation Technique" from Naruto; it was probably just a coincidence of names. But Linni did indeed use shadows to manipulate the cards on the ground.

Manipulating cards with shadows is horrifying enough, but Linni also uses his shadow to find the card he chooses from the deck and makes it fly as if it were flicked away with a finger...

Even though he knew the magic was fake and that it was all a carefully designed trick, Han Fulai, who actually witnessed this scene, was still deeply impressed.

The rule at Ye Lan's teahouse on the rock is: "A con artist who isn't caught isn't considered a con artist."

The code of conduct for civil servants at Yuehaiting, including Han Fulai, also states: "It is not wrong to lie; it is wrong to lie and then be discovered."

Linni cleverly deceived everyone present without being discovered, so he truly deserves the title of magician.

He held the playing card high, showing it to all the audience members.

"That's the card! Mr. Linnie truly lives up to his reputation; he's the best magician I've ever seen!"

What he said was, of course, the only professional magician he had ever seen on the continent of Teyvat was Linni.

Moreover, Linni's performance was truly outstanding, and he believed that Linni deserved the highest praise.

As if echoing Han Fulai's words, Lin Ni bowed to the audience, then suddenly raised his hands high. His shadow on the ground also mimicked his action, raising its hands as well.

The deck of cards on the ground seemed to be lifted into the air by two hands, and then fell down like flowers scattered by a celestial maiden.

This move undoubtedly pushed the atmosphere to a fever pitch, with the audience spontaneously rising to their feet to cheer for Linni. As witnesses to this miracle, they'd certainly have something new to talk about at the reception—

"Have you ever seen that great magician Linni from Fontaine? Let me tell you, he can conjure the moon from his palm and even manipulate shadows to play cards with people!"

The great performance that took place tonight will surely spread throughout the entire city of Mondstadt very soon!

As the cards fell, the theater ceiling closed, the "moon" disappeared, and the spotlights came on again.

This should be considered a perfect farewell performance for tonight.

As Han Fulai clapped to greet Lin Ni, he prepared to leave the stage, but Lin Ni suddenly grabbed him.

"Sir Humphrey, to thank you for your help with my performance just now, I've decided to give you an impromptu magic show on the spot. I hope you'll be able to work with me again."

Chapter 187 All of Mondstadt Knows You're Engaged

"An impromptu encore!"

"We want to see!"

Linni's words naturally aroused the commotion among the audience.

Impromptu magic encores aren't something you see every time. Linni's most famous characteristic as a professional magician is his astonishing creativity. Whenever he performs impromptu magic, he consistently creates classic pieces that make countless of his peers envious.

This is probably the difference between geniuses and ordinary people.

At this moment, Lin Ni and Han Fulai were thinking remarkably similar things.

Han Fulai wanted to get to know Linni, an important figure from Fontaine who appeared in the game's promotional video, to build a connection for his future visit to establish a "Teyvat community of shared destiny." Cooperating with Linni would not only allow him to enjoy another spectacular magic show up close, but also forge a good relationship with Linni—why not?

Linni, on the other hand, had personally experienced the aura emanating from Han Fulai. He had been operating in Fontaine for a long time and had extensive connections, knowing almost everyone from all walks of life, but he had never heard of this "Sir Humphrey of Fontaine." Han Fulai's demeanor was very similar to that of an important figure his "father" had mentioned… so he was also interested in getting to know him.

"How could I refuse such a rare opportunity?" Han Fulai agreed with a smile.

Linnie called out her sister's name loudly: "Linette, please prepare tables and chairs for us."

A magician's "improvisational performance" is usually the result of hundreds of sleepless nights of rehearsal.

As people know, magic is not magic; all amazing magical effects rely on preparation beforehand. If a magician wants to conjure a Mora out of thin air, the only way he can do it is to prepare a Mora beforehand.

Linnie's mentor, the magician Cesar, once taught him: "Prepare in advance, and with unwavering patience, wait for the best and most incredible moment to perform magic."

For example, César's fame came from an unexpected encounter in a salon.

Years ago, César entered an entertainment salon, ordered a drink, and played a guessing game with some customers at the bar.

He borrowed a lady's hat, tossed a Mora, covered it with the hat, and asked, "Heads or tails?"

It doesn't matter what the other person's guess is.

Because when he picks up his hat, a large block of ice will be placed on Mora. Nobody knows where that block of ice came from.

For this performance, Cesar carried a piece of ice with him every day for a whole month, hoping to perform the miracle of "ice appearing under his hat" in some unpredictable encounter.

So whenever Linni performs the final magic trick, it appears as a miracle to bewildered onlookers.

Lynette brought tables and chairs from backstage.

An ordinary small wooden table, and two ordinary chairs placed opposite each other.

At first glance, there are no hidden mechanisms—in fact, even if the most professional craftsmen were to disassemble the table and chairs with all their tools and inspect them, they would come to the same conclusion—there are no hidden mechanisms inside either the table or the chairs.

Because they are just ordinary tables and chairs.

But both Han Fulai himself and the audience were speculating about what secrets Lynette had hidden in the table and chairs she brought up.

Here's the thing: if a magician brings out a table and chairs, people's first reaction is always, "There must be some kind of trick in the table and chairs." So, tables and chairs without any tricks are often more misleading than those full of tricks.

Therefore, Linnie and Lynette always went to great lengths to bring these ordinary props with them when they joined the group. No matter how ordinary something is, as long as it's related to a magician, it will always be shrouded in mystery.

Linni invited Han Fulai to sit in one of the chairs.

Han Fulai noticed an empty vase in the center of the table.

At the same time, he noticed that Linni did not intend to sit opposite him, but instead looked towards the audience.

He suddenly realized what Linni was planning to do.

Linni had already spoken up: "May I have the honor of inviting that beautiful lady to join me on stage?"

The person he invited, of course, was Yura.

Yura’s first reaction was to pull her hat brim down again, but she soon found that it was no use; everyone’s eyes were on her—including her uncle Schubert.

Since it can't be hidden, I might as well take this opportunity to show it to my uncle openly... Anyway, I'll have to tell Schubert sooner or later.

Yura gracefully walked onto the stage, lifting her skirt, and sat down opposite Han Fulai.

"May I ask your name?" Linni asked Yura politely.

“Yura Lawrence,” Yura said, revealing her full name without any hesitation.

Upon hearing the name "Lawrence," a murmur immediately broke out in the room.

The Lawrence family is very famous, and so is Yura from the Lawrence family.

More importantly, the people of Mondstadt may be seeing Yola dressed up like this for the first time, without a cold face and glaring eyes while shouting "I hold a grudge," and even with slightly flushed cheeks and a hint of shyness.

Even if you hate the Lawrence family in history, you have to admit that Yora is beautiful now.

—This is the first time in a thousand years that a member of the Lawrence family has given people the impression of being “beautiful” rather than “disgusting.”

“Well then, I’d like to ask Mr. Humphrey and Miss Yura a question… I believe it’s a question that all the audience members here are also interested in…” Linnie smiled, “Are you two a couple?”

Despite having prepared herself mentally, Yura felt the blood rush to her face when Linni asked her such a direct question.