Genshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Truly Interesting

On this particular day, the sun hung bright and golden over Liyue Harbor. After wrapping up her morning affairs, Yelan arrived at the bustling perimeter of the Wanwen Bookhouse.

She did not stroll directly through the front entrance. Instead, relying on old habits, she claimed an inconspicuous alcove tucked in the nearby shadows, a perfect vantage point to observe the flow of foot traffic. Leaning lazily against the cool brick wall, her gaze swept across the storefront with practiced, apparent indifference.

The A Bite of Liyue series still occupied the most prominent display shelves, drawing a steady stream of customers who stopped to browse or purchase. Seeing the consistently high sales, a brief flicker of satisfaction passed through Yelan’s eyes.

She genuinely harbored a sense of appreciation for that little Melusine. Hiding behind the unassuming pseudonym of Stay-at-Home Cook, the girl was remarkably cautious and exceptionally hardworking.

Initially, Yelan’s attention had been drawn purely out of an intelligence officer’s professional curiosity. However, after sorting through the scattered clues and confirming that this mysterious author was almost certainly the hiding Melusine known as Lovia, her interest had gradually transformed into genuine respect and a quiet desire to protect her.

A little Melusine from Fontaine, relying entirely on her own observation and diligent study, had not only attempted to decipher the complex cultural mix of Liyue but had actually managed to pen such influential, widely beloved works. That kind of temperament and sheer capability made her entirely worthy of Yelan’s high regard., recent whispers from Ningguang’s intelligence network indicated that even the Iudex of Fontaine was actively searching for her. Whether for the sake of public duty or private amusement, Yelan felt she ought to take even better care of this highly unusual author.

Just as her thoughts settled, the idle, animated chatter of two young women standing near the bookstore entrance drifted faintly into her ears.

“Hey, have you read that new book For Whom the Love Trap is Set? It is so incredibly well-written!” a woman wearing a bright apricot-colored dress practically squealed to her companion.

“I have! It is the story of A-Lan and A-He, right? I honestly never expected the affection between two women to be written so movingly. I always used to think only people of the opposite sex could share something like that… That author named Hanabi is truly amazing.” Her companion, a woman wearing a blue hairband, nodded repeatedly, her tone bubbling with sheer excitement.

Then, she tilted her head, asking doubtfully, “But isn’t this an older book? It has been out for a while. I only heard about it two days ago.”

The woman in the apricot dress looked a bit surprised. “Really? I only saw it on the shelves today, so I assumed it was a brand new release. Even though it does not have any illustrations, the author brings Lord A-Lan’s mysterious laziness and Lord A-He’s cold, ethereal nature to life so perfectly.”

“I know, right? I really love Lord A-Lan. Mysterious and powerful, lazy yet elegant, always calculating every little thing, yet she ends up completely losing her heart to the worldly-naive A-He… Ah, the entire dynamic is just so perfect!” The blue-banded woman clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with romantic fantasy. “Do you think a woman like that actually exists in reality?”

The woman in apricot laughed, waving a hand dismissively. “How could there be such a coincidence? It is obviously all made up. But the author’s portrayal is incredibly vivid. That A-Lan, the book says she always wears deep blue clothes, with a coat draped precariously over her shoulders, and she uses glowing silk threads as her weapons… The details are depicted so sharply, it feels as if such a person truly walks among us.”

“Exactly! Especially the part where they first meet at the Jade Chamber and end up fighting side-by-side in the bamboo forest. The imagery in that scene is so strong!”

“And the part during the Lantern Rite where they exchange clothes and release sky lanterns together! Heavens, I can just imagine Lord A-Lan wearing those flowing Adepti robes. She must look absolutely stunning! It is such a massive shame the author did not include any illustrations!”

Deep blue clothes… a coat draped on the shoulders… silk thread weapons…

Yelan had only been listening to their conversation out of sheer habit, but those specific keywords struck her heart like a physical blow, instantly piquing her full attention. Her relaxed posture leaning against the wall did not shift a single inch, but her eyes suddenly sharpened into dangerous, narrow slits.

She calmly cast her gaze toward the distant, milling crowd, while her ears locked onto every single syllable dropping from the two women beside her.

“There is more,” the woman in apricot continued enthusiastically, completely unaware of the predator lurking in the shadows nearby. “The book says A-Lan is a direct subordinate of the Tianquan, Ningguang. Her movements are entirely unpredictable, her methods are extraordinary, and beneath her lazy exterior lies a mind of deep, terrifying calculation… Tsk tsk, such a high-ranking, secret-filled character is just too charming!”

Ningguang’s subordinate… unpredictable movements… extraordinary methods…

Yelan’s index finger began to unconsciously tap against her arm. This description was far too accurate. It was so precise that it crossed the line from flattering into the world of the utterly absurd.

Was it just a coincidence? There were countless talented individuals residing in Liyue Harbor, and people sharing similar traits were not entirely unheard of. But to concentrate all of these highly specific, classified traits so heavily into a single fictional character, and then have that character involved in a passionate romance…

“The absolute best part is the ending!” the blue-banded woman lowered her voice, entirely unable to hide her giddy excitement. “During the Lantern Rite, A-Lan personally released a massive sky lantern for A-He, beautifully painted with patterns of the two of them together. On the lantern, she wrote, ‘My heart delights in you, I wish to stay with you forever’… Heavens, just imagine that scene. Under a sky filled with ten thousand lanterns, the A-Lan who always calculated everything actually set a trap named Love, just for one single person!”

Hearing this, the lingering suspicion in Yelan’s heart settled heavily, like dust falling onto a quiet floor. Her face remained perfectly expressionless, and even the faint, ambiguous smile at the corner of her lips persisted without a twitch, but her eyes had darkened into a deep, abyssal shade of blue.

A-Lan… A-He…

She quickly searched through her vast mental archives. A-He. Shenhe?

That human disciple of the Adepti, raised in the mountains by Cloud Retainer. White hair, red strings binding her soul, an incredibly cold temperament, and exceptionally skilled with a polearm… The traits perfectly matched the A-He these women were squealing over.

Yet she, Yelan, and that Shenhe had clearly never even met face-to-face. What Yelan knew of the white-haired woman was strictly limited to a few dry lines in official intelligence reports and a handful of distant glimpses of that ethereal figure standing on the mountain peaks. They were two non-intersecting parallel lines, living and operating in completely different worlds.

So, where exactly did this book For Whom the Love Trap is Set come from? A book that carefully depicted how A-Lan, a character highly overlapping with Yelan’s own classified traits, step-by-step led A-He, a character highly overlapping with Shenhe’s traits, to fall helplessly into the trap of love.

Just who was this author named Hanabi?

Was it some wandering writer who had accidentally glimpsed Yelan’s covert actions, happened to know of Shenhe’s isolated existence, and thus created a romantic match out of thin air? Or… was it someone with ulterior motives, trying to use this highly obscure, public method to convey a hidden message or test her reaction?

Either possibility made Yelan feel a distinct, creeping discomfort. Naturally, it was not simply because she was being written about in a romance novel, but because things were rapidly spinning out of her control.

She was the one accustomed to hiding behind the mist. She was the one who controlled the situation, pulled the strings, and laid the traps for others to fall into. Since when had she herself become a mere character, depicted, arranged, and even handed an emotional romantic destination by someone else’s pen?

This bizarre feeling was akin to discovering that her own shadow had suddenly escaped her control and was now dancing a grotesque, mocking jig on the wall.

She looked at the two women who were still heatedly discussing the romantic plot. They were completely immersed in that fictional fantasy, knowing absolutely nothing of the dangerous reality that might be hidden behind the story, and even less likely to ever imagine that one of the prototypes they were currently swooning over was standing quietly in the shadows just a few feet away.

Her rigorous training as a top intelligence officer allowed her to quickly cool her rising temper. She let out a very soft, measured breath, suppressing the surging doubts and the slight, burning displeasure of a situation slipping from her grasp.

Yelan looked toward the Wanwen Bookhouse once more, but her gaze no longer lingered on the display for A Bite of Liyue.

It seemed that, in addition to keeping a protective eye on that little Melusine author, she needed to personally purchase, read, and thoroughly study this book For Whom the Love Trap is Set.

, she had suddenly developed a very keen, dangerous interest in this author using the pen name Hanabi.

Truly interesting. Ever since the author Li Xin appeared, Liyue’s literary world had begun to become increasingly bizarre and grotesque.

Yelan’s thoughts spread out rapidly, weaving together like the invisible, glowing silk threads she commanded at her fingertips.

She had only recently come to the Wanwen Bookhouse to investigate Li Xin’s true identity. Shortly after that, this For Whom the Love Trap is Set had suddenly appeared on the market. The pen name was not Li Xin, but Hanabi. Yet the timing was far too coincidental, and the writing style, which similarly focused on taking specific, real-world figures and subjecting them to bold, dramatic re-creation, made it incredibly hard not to link the two together.

Could Hanabi simply be another pen name used by Li Xin?

Yelan straightened her body, peeling herself away from the brick wall. The last lingering trace of lazy nonchalance in her eyes vanished completely, instantly replaced by the cold sharpness and absolute prudence of Liyue’s top intelligence officer.

She only needed one simple confirmation.

An author’s core writing style is fixed. Once established, the subtle habits and phrasing are incredibly difficult to change or hide. Therefore, she only needed to buy the book and read it to find out the truth.

She wanted to see exactly what else was written in this absurd story that forcibly shipped her and Shenhe together. She would determine if this Hanabi was truly Li Xin.

And, more, she would find out exactly what kind of trap this really was.

She gave a soft, dry snort, her fingers casually toying with a six-sided die that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, as she stepped out of the shadows and walked directly toward the entrance of the Wanwen Bookhouse.