Pre-reading Notice:
[This story mainly follows a 14-year-old socially anxious Humanoid Melusina who transmigrated to Liyue to write unofficial histories. Some of these unofficial histories are abstract "rumor-mongering" stories, while others are a mix of various CPs (already written, and CPs only exist in the unofficial histories; there are no CPs in the main text, and the protagonist has no CP!). Some unofficial histories will be OOC, and some will be very outrageous. If you have any triggers, please evacuate immediately!]
[Mainly daily life + unofficial history!! Lighthearted, plot-driven, slow-burn!]
[The protagonist was a socially anxious Otaku before transmigrating, so even though she encounters familiar people (game acquaintances) and knows their personalities, her reactions will still be a bit jumpy (Key point: she will improve after making her first friend). In the early stages, the protagonist has just transmigrated and hasn't fully adapted to this new body; her mindset hasn't shifted yet. She will gradually become more Melusine-like later on! This includes the special Melusine sense of taste and vision, which will be gradually reflected.]
Lovia felt that if life—no, Melusine-life—had a reset button, she would definitely choose to "restart."
Transmigration... in online novels, it's written as something glamorous—you're either a noble or a chosen one, or at the very least, a normal person with all their limbs. How did it turn out that she became... uh, a Humanoid Melusina in Liyue Harbor on the continent of Teyvat?
She looked down at her reflection in the water. Those non-human traits were far more exquisite than they had seemed at first glance, and... even more disorienting.
First was her short, ice-blue hair. The strands were so fine they didn't look like ordinary human hair, but rather like the fur of some animal. Her face was small and delicate, but the most striking feature was those large, sapphire-like eyes, which gave her expression a sense of innocent and curious naivety. (Note: The character on the cover is not the protagonist; it's a stock image. The protagonist's illustration hasn't been drawn yet.)
What concerned her most, and what she needed to hide the most, were those more distinct Melusine features.
Those little wings weren't decorations.
They grew from just below her shoulder blades. Their structure was delicate, covered in a layer of soft ice-blue down that matched her hair color, feeling reassuringly warm and fine to the touch.
Right now, they were pressed anxiously against her spine, slightly retracted and trembling. Although they didn't seem to have the power to let her soar through the sky based on how they felt currently, they were likely important organs and were exceptionally sensitive.
And then there was that tail! A tail also covered in soft short fur, extending from the end of her spine, ice-blue and fading into a nearly snow-white color at the tip.
It wasn't long, but it was incredibly flexible. Currently, it was unconsciously swaying slightly from side to side due to its owner's unease, occasionally curling up gently with the fluctuations of her thoughts, completely beyond rational control.
Like other Melusines, Lovia also had a pair of antennae on her forehead. They weren't the rounded, insect-like kind, but the sharp and broad variety.
Her limbs were so slender they looked like they might snap at a touch. There was also the mysterious blue dress that came with her transmigration, and a white hooded cloak with a mysterious aura that seemed capable of blocking some forms of detection.
"Wait, a hooded cloak?" Lovia's eyes lit up. Almost instinctively, she quickly pulled up the hood. The wide brim instantly obscured most of her characteristic facial features and her non-human antennae, leaving only a small chin and a bit of her lips visible.
And that large cloak perfectly concealed her little wings and that cute little tail.
"Heaven is helping me! No, wait, Heaven screwed me over and then gave me a tiny bit of mercy?" she muttered.
This outfit was practically a custom-made disguise tool for an "abnormal existence" like her. A Melusine from Fontaine appearing mysteriously in Liyue—and a Humanoid Melusina at that—was simply too conspicuous.
Let alone in Liyue, even in Fontaine, Sigewinne is the only Humanoid Melusina.
Covering up with this hooded cloak would at least reduce the staring and questioning by ninety percent.
As for why she didn't go to the Melusine's homeland, Fontaine?
Lovia felt bitter inside.
When she transmigrated, she found herself standing in the wilderness not far from Liyue Harbor, without a single Mora on her.
Fontaine? It sounded like the Melusine home, and might be safer? But looking at the map, it was thousands of miles away! She had nothing; how could she get there? Swim? With her small body, she'd probably be knocked out by a wave or turned into a snack for a big fish before she even reached the open sea.
Moreover, her knowledge of Fontaine was limited to a few scraps from the game. Who knew what the real Fontaine's attitude toward Melusines actually was?
What if there were more rules there, or some trouble she didn't know about?
Besides, because of the existence of the potion, she didn't dare blindly rush to Fontaine. What if that impartial and selfless fellow Neuvillette caught her and threw her in jail? After all, Sigewinne had drunk the potion unknowingly and was still sent to jail! (That potion was made from the dissolved liquid of Fontainians!)
She knew absolutely nothing about this body, let alone whether it was naturally humanoid or if the form was caused by a potion. Even if it were natural, would others believe her? With a precedent (Sigewinne) right there, people might just think she was making excuses... In contrast, the people of Liyue seemed used to non-human races (like the Adepti), so it might be easier to hide? At least they didn't know the taboos surrounding Humanoid Melusinas!
Whatever. Surviving here first is the priority. Hiding her identity and developing quietly is the way to go!
Most importantly, Melusines have the physique of children! So short! If she ran around in the wild, what if she was kidnapped as a child? Though she was quite short before transmigrating, too.
After all, she was only 14... Sigh, at least the hood could slightly modify her figure so she wouldn't look quite so juvenile... probably.
Are Melusines good-looking?
Objectively speaking, they are definitely exquisite and beautiful. But now, with the hood on, the rate of people turning their heads to look at her on the streets of Liyue had successfully dropped from three hundred percent to one hundred and fifty percent.
Why one hundred and fifty percent? Mainly because this outfit was a bit out of place in Liyue Harbor under the clear blue sky, piquing people's curiosity.
In Lovia's memory, Melusines had affinity and were exquisitely cute.
But what use was that?
Could it be eaten?
Obviously not.
Gurgle—
Her stomach protested for the Nth time, reminding Lovia of a cruel reality: she hadn't eaten for nearly a day.
Three days since transmigrating, penniless, and with a special "identity." Even with the hood disguise, her unusual aura and the occasionally unhidden antennae still easily raised suspicion. She kept hitting walls while looking for work.
She could only go to the wild to pick some fruit to get by, but this couldn't go on. After eating fruit for three days straight, Lovia felt like she was seeing stars.
But jobs weren't that easy to find, especially for a "child."
Move cargo at the docks? People looked at her thin arms and legs and her obvious child-like appearance—which couldn't be hidden even with the hood—and politely said, "Kid, stop joking around."
Work as a server in a teahouse? The owner looked at her strange hooded outfit, hesitated for a long time, and said, "The customers might... not be used to it."
There were even some bad people who tried to scam her! Luckily, she was sharp! As soon as she sensed something was wrong, she slipped away.
Just yesterday, she tried to help an auntie wash clothes, but it was forced to an end because she almost drank the soapberry liquid as a beverage out of curiosity.
This seemed related to the Melusine racial nature, giving her an investigative urge toward certain liquids. This further strengthened her resolve to hide her identity—it was too easy to be exposed!
"Where's the Melusine affinity? What about the promised racial Talents?" Lovia slumped weakly on the stone steps of a quiet alley entrance, pulling her hood down further. Looking at the deep blue sky of Liyue Harbor, she ranted wildly in her mind.
"Did all my talent points go into 'looking easy to scam,' 'looking like a child,' and 'getting hungry easily'?"
The sunlight was warm, but it couldn't dispel the desolation in her heart.
To think that in her past life, she was at least a somewhat famous internet Jokester and Fanfic writer (and a socially anxious Otaku). With a flourish of her keyboard, she could stir up a storm in any comment section. Now, she might become the first Melusine on the continent of Teyvat to starve to death.
If this news reached her original world, her readers would probably laugh their heads off.
"Sigh..." A long sigh merged into the breeze.