"Divide the shield into many planes, each plane forming a stable triangle. Together they form a sphere. When struck, shift the shield's center of gravity and fully maintain the corresponding plane."
"Also, Noelle's shield truly carries the will to protect… Could it be that the elemental skills I've been using until now were just fakes, relying purely on quantity instead of essence?"
After asking Noelle for advice last night, Victor Wang couldn't help but doubt his own skills. The top priority now was to master the Jade Shield as quickly as possible. The stronger he became before facing the Raiden Shogun, the safer he would be.
Deng deng deng!
Having once been ambushed by Dainsleif knocking on his door, Victor Wang opened it from a distance with Anemo, only to see the front desk clerk from the Goth Grand Hotel standing outside.
"Ah, you're awake, sir. Here's the thing—I remember the guest next door is an acquaintance of yours, right?"
"…You could say that. What happened?"
"Well, the three days of prepaid rent he left yesterday already expired. He hasn't renewed or checked out. If it drags on another day, the deposit won't cover it. So… do you know what's going on?"
Dainsleif must have left with the Abyss Order through the portal at that 'Defiled Statue,' huh?
To be sure, Victor Wang asked, "Has the guest across from me already checked out?"
"Those two young ladies? They left the day before yesterday."
"I see. Then the one next door probably slipped away without saying goodbye."
"There's been no response after knocking, so we'll have to use the spare key to open the room. If your friend suddenly comes back, we'll need you to testify for us, okay?"
Seeing Victor Wang nod, the clerk pulled out a heavy key ring, searched briefly, then quickly unlocked Dainsleif's room.
Inside was empty, cold, and clean. Other than a fine bottle of Dandelion Wine and a book with a starry sky cover, nothing else was left behind.
"This is a vintage from Dawn Winery's last season—one bottle costs twenty thousand Mora! Enough for ten days at our inn… Are you sure your friend's gone?"
The clerk looked uneasy, but Victor Wang's attention had already been drawn to Tales from the Box. The book looked new, probably bought not long ago, but the complimentary bookmark was tucked right before the final story. It wasn't hard to imagine the reader spending two, maybe three nights here, devouring the book with hungry eyes.
The dilemma faced by long-lived ones—boredom.
Given enough time, anyone could see through the world. The sun rose and set as always, days passing as nothing more than days. The lifetimes of humans—ten times or dozens of times shorter—amounted to nothing more than one phase of their life, be it childhood or old age. It didn't matter.
In such circumstances, whether consciously or not, they longed for something new tomorrow. For example, a fresh, interesting story… Even if it wasn't truly interesting, freshness alone was enough, because for them, new things in this world were already rare.
Heh heh! Dainsleif, becoming my fan!
"Sir… sir?"
"Ah—oh! Just keep the wine and the book for now. If he doesn't come back to claim them in a few days, they're yours."
"Understood!"
Breaking free from that brief fantasy, Victor Wang sighed. If this world could be conquered simply by copying down a few dozen or hundred works… that would be impossible. Though the power of stories couldn't be underestimated, what truly mattered was one's own strength.
And to become stronger, it was time to ask his friends.
…
Bennett: "You're asking if emotion or will is tied to elemental skills? My skill's called Passion Overload. Just like its name—I pour in my passion!"
Fischl: "Me…? Hehe, O shadow, heed my words! I am Prinzessin der Verurteilung, sovereign of the Immernachtreich. With my left eye—the Eye of Condemnation that pierces cause and effect—I summon my familiar, Ozvaldo von Hrafnavines, to anchor himself in this world. Thus, my left eye forever reflects the realms beyond this one—the extinction of a thousand worlds."
Oz: "What my lady means is… our bond is rather unique. If one were to describe it as will, perhaps it would be a bond. It's not easy to imitate, but you could try the same with your sword spirit."
Amber: "Baron Bunny is just Baron Bunny! Every time, I make him with all my heart. Want to learn?"
Mona: "That's astrology used to divert misfortune."
Diluc: "Why ask such a pointless question? It's merely… a simple fusion of elemental infusion and martial technique."
Kaeya: "You mean Frostgnaw? That's about the most common Cryo move out there, isn't it? Better to ask Diluc. Back when we were kids before joining the Knights, he'd shout things like: 'This sword stands for justice! This sword stands for courage! This sword stands for responsibility!' And look—his moves haven't changed one bit since then."
Lisa: "Now that you mention it, you don't have a Vision, do you? I'd actually prefer you tell me what you think instead."
…
It was complicated. Diona, Noelle, Bennett, and Diluc clearly poured will into their elemental skills. Jean and Barbara probably did too. I wonder if Barbara is still worrying about curing my illness… Best not show up and make her worry further.
Albedo and Sucrose used alchemy, Mona used astrology, Amber and Klee relied on external tools—all exceptions.
As for Fischl, it wasn't really a bond but rather her fantasy. Kaeya, unsurprisingly, hid his true power. He himself didn't consider Frostgnaw a true elemental skill. Lisa refused to answer… all rather ambiguous.
But overall, everyone's elemental skills did seem like extensions of their strongest desires at the moment they received their Visions.
"Without the shortcut of a Vision, I'll just have to push even harder…"
"Yo! Long time no see—you've changed a lot. How was your trip to Liyue?"
Unexpectedly, Victor Wang ran into Venti outside the Cat's Tail tavern.
"Thanks to your letter, I avoided a lot of trouble."
"It's not just Geo—you seem to have gained something else too." Venti gave him a thorough look. "Good, you've gotten one step closer to Celestia."
"…I've got a few questions."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I'd rather you buy me a drink. Just don't ask me those questions, alright? How about a glass, inside the Cat's Tail?"
"You're just like that… Forget it."
He wandered aimlessly down Mondstadt's main avenue until he stopped by the Adventurers' Guild commission board out of habit. A new coded message was posted: "Volunteers have returned with accurate news. Black cracks have appeared in the sky at Teyvat's borders, but please do not panic—this was anticipated."
"At the borders…"
Time passed uneventfully as Victor Wang continued exploring the link between will and elemental skills, until one day both Katheryne and Lisa each brought him a letter.
"In two weeks it'll be the Lantern Rite. Beidou will be back soon too. I promised to introduce you and Hu Tao to her. If you still want to, make sure you return within three days!"
That was Xiangling's letter, sent to the Adventurers' Guild since she didn't know Victor Wang's exact location.
Lisa's letter, however, came from Fontaine. For much the same reason, the sender had mailed it to the Mondstadt publishing house. Fortunately, Victor Wang was still in Mondstadt.
Unfortunately—or perhaps less fortunately for Victor Wang—the letter wasn't from Furina herself. Still, it carried her will.
It began with formal praise for Dust's earlier works, then mentioned how the recently published The Merchant of Fontaine had sparked heated debate in Fontaine. Everyone wanted to know whether justice of the heart or justice of the law was the true justice, and they eagerly awaited how the jury of the Opéra Épiclèse and the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale would judge Antonio.
Thus, with both public anticipation and the Hydro Archon's approval, the Opéra Épiclèse sought to acquire the stage adaptation rights to The Merchant of Fontaine.
"So," Lisa asked after Victor Wang finished reading, "a letter from Fontaine, sealed with the Opéra Épiclèse's crest—it's about that book, right?"
"Exactly."
"As curious as we are, the Fontainians are even more so. In a nation where even real trials are staged as theater, once given the chance, they'll absolutely bring The Merchant of Fontaine to life on the stage of the Opéra Épiclèse."
"I don't mind, but how am I supposed to grant them rights from so far away?"
"The attachments sent with the letter should be the contracts."
He turned his gaze to the package wrapped thickly like a wooden block. Tearing it open, he found stacks of contracts inside. Victor Wang carefully examined them, and when his eyes landed on the elegant, almost flamboyant signature "Furina de Fontaine," he smiled knowingly and signed his own name beside it.