Human joys and sorrows are not interconnected.
While Mondstadt was actively mobilizing, Lucian in Fontaine had just returned home after a party.
The manuscript for the second act of his novel had already been handed over to Charlotte.
After reading it, she would pass it to the editor for printing, which shouldn't take more than a few days.
"I wonder if the books have arrived yet?"
Lucian toyed with a Hydro construct as the thought crossed his mind.
He had previously mentioned to the editor that once the books were printed, a few copies should be sent to his friends in Liyue.
By his estimate, they should be arriving soon.
The palm-sized Hydro construct shifted between various forms in his hands.
By now, his control over Hydro had become much more proficient.
"I wonder how long it'll take to save up enough..." Lucian sighed.
His priority was to exchange for a Portable Waypoint. After all, when faced with the choice between a minuscule power boost and instant, cooldown-free teleportation, the decision was a no-brainer, right?
He had lived in Liyue for a long time, and working at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had allowed him to accumulate some Emotional Value.
The reason he had so little left when he came to Fontaine was because he had exchanged for a Portable Waypoint and placed it in his Liyue home.
The first Waypoint came with a discount—it was cheaper. A thousand Emotional Value wouldn't make Lucian significantly stronger, but a teleportation Waypoint could genuinely save his life.
If I can't beat you, can't I just run? Instant-cast a "Hearthstone" straight to Zhongli's side—how's that for a plan?
Fortunately, the Portable Waypoint provided by the system had no time limit. Otherwise, that would've been a scam.
However, neither the first nor the second act of the story had many emotionally gripping moments.
So, Lucian began considering writing about Legendary Quests instead.
"I'll name the Legendary Quest series Love and Teyvat."
With a flourish of his pen, Lucian wrote down the title: If You're Trapped in a Windless Land.
===✧✦✧===
The next day.
Lucian went to the Opera Epiclese to "watch a show." Unlike his leisurely activities, things in Mondstadt were tense with preparations.
Originally, the plan was to investigate the Temples of the Four Winds first, but the news of the Traveler's arrival made the Knights of Favonius pause their plans.
For now, they would focus on fortifying the city to defend against Stormterror.
One had to remember that Teyvat in reality was vast, and a trip to the Temples of the Four Winds wasn't something that could be done in a single day.
If Stormterror attacked while the Knights were away, that would be far from ideal.
Meanwhile, the Traveler and Paimon, the protagonists of this story, were still in the forest with Amber.
The forest was enormous, and it was teeming with monsters.
Even with Amber leading the way, it would take a while to get out—unless they flew.
"Wait, you're saying this book was just released yesterday?" Paimon said, flipping through the "prophecy book" in her hands.
The book was nearly half her size, making the scene particularly comical.
Just moments ago, Paimon and the Traveler had finished reading it. The Traveler remained relatively silent, but Paimon's little mouth hadn't stopped—alternating between gasps of "Wow!" and murmurs of "Huh?"
"Hold on, wasn't Amber at Starsnatch Cliff yesterday? How did she get the book?" Paimon spotted the inconsistency.
Given the distance between Starsnatch Cliff and Mondstadt City, even riding a magical beast wouldn't allow for a round trip in a single day—unless it was a dragon!
"Kaeya bought it for me and had a Falcon deliver it," Amber explained.
Falcons were magical beasts trained by Mondstadt specifically for delivering critical intelligence.
They were incredibly fast, possessed some combat ability, and could even identify allies based on Anemo energy.
And yet, Kaeya had used one of these creatures to deliver a book.
Not only had he sent one to Amber, but he'd also delivered a copy to Eula.
Though Eula was busy keeping an eye on the Fatui and didn't have time to read it yet.
"Kaeya?"
Paimon tilted her head in thought before suddenly "realizing" something.
"Ohhh! That guy who seemed kinda shady when he showed up?"
"That pirate," the Traveler added, remembering.
"Kaeya likes teasing people, pulling pranks, and occasionally causing trouble, but he's not a bad person! And he's not a pirate—he's the Cavalry Captain!"
"Eh? Not a pirate?" The Traveler sounded disappointed.
"But he wears an eyepatch, and his skin's pretty dark. Doesn't that automatically make him a pirate?"
"Mhm, and from how Amber described him, he does seem a little shady. Very pirate-like," Paimon agreed, nodding sagely.
Amber was almost convinced herself before sighing in defeat. "You two are impossible."
===✧✦✧===
Meanwhile, at the same time in Liyue, Hu Tao received a letter and a package.
The package contained Lucian's book, while the letter read:
"Dear Director,
If these words reach you, know that I am
still not dead."
"My, my~ Looks like the deluxe funeral I prepared for Little Lucian will have to wait a little longer."
Hu Tao giggled as she read the letter, carefully folding it and tucking it away.
Truthfully, she had been quite worried about Lucian.
After all, he was just an ordinary person without a Vision.
Traveling such a long distance was dangerous—just running into a magical beast could mean the end.
Now that she'd received this letter, her worries could finally be put to rest.
Zhongli sat nearby, holding his own letter and copy of the book from Lucian.
The contents of his letter were different, consisting of just one line:
"Brother Zhongli, my apologies!"
This left even the well-traveled Zhongli somewhat baffled.
Had Lucian done something to wrong him? Not that he could recall.
In fact, they had always gotten along quite well.
Of course, he had no idea that Lucian was preemptively apologizing for potentially exposing Zhongli's identity.
To Zhongli, Lucian was an intriguing individual—someone who could tell fascinating stories even he had never heard before.
One tale in particular that Zhongli enjoyed was about a monkey god who rebelled against Celestia.
After being sealed away for five hundred years and enduring countless trials, the monkey was eventually "recruited" by Celestia.
Though the ending wasn't exactly happy, Zhongli admired the spirit of resistance in the story.
Perhaps that bard would like it even more than I do.
"Director, generally speaking, Mr. Lucian is older than you," Zhongli remarked, sipping his tea.
"But I'm his boss! A little privilege isn't too much to ask, is it?"
Hu Tao leaned back in her chair, her neck resting against the backrest as she looked at Zhongli upside-down.
"...I suppose not," Zhongli conceded.
Still in that position, Hu Tao raised the book and mused,
"Who knew Little Lucian was writing books too? Do all people with 'Lucian' as their name have a talent for writing?"
"Consultant, if I took 'Hulu Tao' as a pen name, do you think I could write something good?"
"It'd have to work, right? This Director's already so eloquent—adding 'Lu' to my name would just be doubling down on talent!"
Her peach-blossom eyes sparkled with excitement.
"...I don't believe it has anything to do with one's name," Zhongli said helplessly.
In all his years, Hu Tao was the only one who left him feeling so thoroughly perplexed.
"It doesn't? What a shame."
"Then how about this—I'll tell Little Lucian about all the interesting things that happen to me, and he can write them down!"
Hu Tao's eyes lit up with another brilliant idea.
"This Director is very generous—he doesn't even need to credit me! Just throw in an ad for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Wouldn't that help us break into the international market?"
"Oh no, oh no—could it be that this Director is actually a business prodigy?" Hu Tao beamed.
Little did she know, in the future, Lucian would indeed write a story for her.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice-Over: Zhongli – About Hu Tao
"The current Director? Hmm... That child... I find her rather difficult to handle."