"Finally, the release day is here."
In the days that followed, nothing much happened. Lin Qiu stuck to his daily routine: heading to the Opera Epiclese, writing his novel, exercising, and bullying Puffball Beasts.
It was worth noting that Lin Qiu could now do more than just bully Puffball Beasts. Even Slimes were no match for him anymore.
As for Hilichurls, Lin Qiu had no intention of provoking them for the time being. After all, they always traveled in groups. What if he accidentally stirred up a hornet's nest?
With his current strength, he could handle bullying small Hilichurls, but if he ran into big Hilichurls or Hilichurl Kings, he'd have no choice but to run.
You couldn't expect someone with a modern person's physique to beat a muscle-bound big Hilichurl after just two weeks of training.
The only noteworthy event in those two weeks was Navia's visit.
It wasn't anything major. She just came to chat with Lin Qiu and hear some stories from him.
Considering her mafia-like background, Lin Qiu told her the tale of "Home Tutor," swapping the Seven Flames for the Seven Elements. It was straightforward to follow.
Navia loved it and even considered starting a branch named "Vongola."
But gathering Vision holders of all seven elements was no easy feat.
Setting aside that little side story, two weeks had now passed, and Lin Qiu's novel was officially going on sale today.
Lin Qiu stood by the sales point, observing. He was still unknown, so no one realized the author was right there.
Due to his lack of fame, there was only one initial sales point each in Fontaine and Mondstadt, with a limited first print run.
To Lin Qiu's surprise, however, there were plenty of people buying books. Some were even lining up already.
"Qiu... Lin Qiu." Charlotte's voice rang out as she waved at him.
She had nearly called him Teacher Qiu Cheng, but voicing his pen name in front of others would give him away.
"Charlotte? You here to buy a book too?" Lin Qiu asked.
"No, actually I got my copy ages ago," Charlotte said with a smile.
Lin Qiu then remembered that as a well-known reporter for The Steambird, Charlotte had her privileges.
What Lin Qiu didn't know was that Charlotte hadn't bought it today. She had snagged the very first reprinted copy as soon as it was available.
The reason so many people were buying today was because Charlotte had found it interesting after reading and gave Lin Qiu a little promotion. She was here now to check the results.
Lin Qiu had no idea Charlotte had lent him a hand, since he hadn't picked up a copy of The Steambird.
Charlotte had no intention of bragging about it either. She genuinely believed Lin Qiu's book deserved the recommendation, not just out of personal favor.
The two chatted amiably. Though they hadn't known each other long and rarely met, their conversations were always pleasant.
"I've been swamped lately, but I'm free today. Let me treat you to a meal," Charlotte said.
"I get it, but shouldn't I be treating you? It's the release celebration!" Lin Qiu nodded.
He knew Charlotte had been busy these past few days, which was why he'd rather set up his stall than mooch meals off her.
After all, she'd returned with news in hand, so she had articles to write during this time.
"Hmph, I can't just ignore that. For a friend's book release, the celebration party should be on Spina di Rosula, right?"
"The young lady is right," Myles chimed in.
"Confetti cannons and banners, I've got them," Silver said expressionlessly. He was cradling a stack of books in his arms. Looked like Navia had bought more than one.
"Navia?" Charlotte hadn't expected Lin Qiu to befriend Navia already. Just two weeks in, and he was this well-connected?
Spina di Rosula might not be what it once was, but a skinny camel was still bigger than a horse. It remained Fontaine's largest civilian organization.
Lin Qiu had befriended the local heavyweight in just two weeks?
But... why was everyone always fighting to foot the bill? How long was she going to owe this meal?
Lin Qiu wasn't surprised by Navia's arrival. After all, he'd joked with her back then: "Want to know the secrets of this world? Crave the truth? If you do, go buy it. I've written everything inside."
"Miss Charlotte, let Spina di Rosula treat this time?" Navia said with a charming smile.
"Alright, alright, but next time I get to treat," Charlotte replied with a smile of her own.
The two of them got along great.
Lin Qiu had no objections, of course. Navia was his boss, after all. What was he going to say?
He was a member of Spina di Rosula anyway. Was there really a difference between them treating and him treating?
"Everyone's here?" Xie Ni and Freyris showed up too.
"Mr. Lin Qiu, my senior and I specially took time off to support you."
Before Lin Qiu could respond, Navia beat him to it.
"Is that so? Then as Lin Qiu's boss, I must show my appreciation. Miss Xie Ni and Mr. Freyris, please join our party too."
Truth be told, Xie Ni had hoped to use the occasion for a proper date with her senior. But group gatherings like this were rare, so after a moment's thought, they agreed.
Now, among the people Lin Qiu knew, only Chiori was missing. That made sense, since he wasn't close to her yet, and she had no idea he was writing a novel.
Before leaving, Lin Qiu glanced at the queue one more time and spotted a familiar figure: Clorinde. She was lining up too.
Forget the issue of inviting guests; Lin Qiu didn't even know her personally, so he couldn't just speak up even if he noticed.
Instead, he grabbed Navia's wrist and nodded toward Clorinde with his eyes.
Navia didn't pull away from Lin Qiu's grip. She followed his gaze.
"Clorinde..." Navia's tone was complicated.
Thanks to Lin Qiu, she now knew Clorinde had been silently protecting her all along. Still, some distance lingered in her heart.
She glanced at Lin Qiu's encouraging look and reflected on how she'd always treated the other woman coldly.
Navia made up her mind and walked toward Clorinde.
Lin Qiu nodded in satisfaction. Now my wife can reconcile with her ol... bah, now my wife can reconcile with my other wife.
"Clorinde."
Clorinde heard someone call her name and turned to see Navia approaching, smiling Navia at that!
"Navia? I never thought I'd see you smile at me." A hint of a smile softened Clorinde's cool expression.
Hearing that, Navia's heart stirred. She sighed, "It's all thanks to Lin Qiu."
"Lin Qiu? Who's that?" Clorinde asked, utterly puzzled.