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ArabicGenshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Do You Want to Be Punished by Cleaning the Mining Tunnels of The Chasm?
A few days later.
The relentless hustle and bustle of Liyue Harbor, along with the heated debates echoing through its streets, were temporarily shut out by the thin wooden walls of a small, unassuming shack.
Lovia—or rather, the mastermind currently shaking the city under the pen name ‘Li Xin’—sat cross-legged on the creaking floorboards with absolutely zero regard for her image.
A dozen sheets of rough scrap paper lay scattered across the low table in front of her, completely covered in frantic revisions, crossed-out paragraphs, and random doodles. One particular sketch featured a chibi-style, two-headed Rex Lapis. One head was labeled ‘Mora’, the other ‘Kex’, and they were depicted aggressively arguing with each other. Right next to them sat a tiny, deflated coin pouch marked with a massive ‘X’.
“Hmm… Record of Shi Po’s Wanderings, part two…” She chewed on the end of her pen, her brows knitting together in deep concentration. Her free hand unconsciously twirled a shiny Mora coin, letting the gold flip nimbly back and forth across her slender knuckles. “What should I write next? Should I just keep milking Rex Lapis… uh, I mean, Lord Jueyun Chili’s awkward habit of forgetting his wallet? The readers absolutely eat that up… but won’t they get bored if I just repeat the same punchline every chapter?”
Her gaze drifted toward the corner of the room. The canvas Mora bag sitting there was noticeably more swollen than it had been a week ago.
She immediately shook her head, her twin appendages flopping with the motion. “No way! As long as Shopkeeper Sun is counting money until his hands cramp, I can definitely squeeze out another batch of the exact same trope!”
Still, as an author with a self-proclaimed sense of literary integrity, Lovia wanted to sprinkle in at least a little something new.
“Maybe… I should dive into the tragic backstory of ‘Mora’and’Kex’?” Her eyes sparkled for a brief second before she slumped forward, pressing her cheek against the cool wood of the low table. “But how do I even fake those details? Make it sickeningly sweet? Pure tragedy? Or bittersweet? Ugh, humans are completely obsessed with bittersweet angst…”
Her stomach gave a tiny rumble, reminding her of the freshly grilled tiger fish she had devoured for lunch. The rich, savory aroma of the charred fat still seemed to linger on her lips.
Suddenly, inspiration struck her like a bolt of electro energy.
“Right! Food! How can a sweeping romance possibly lack food!” She bolted upright, nearly knocking over her inkwell, and grabbed her pen. The nib scratched furiously against the parchment. “I can write that ‘Mora’was actually a massive glutton who adored Liyue’s local delicacies, especially grilled tiger fish! That perfectly explains why Lord’Jueyun Chili’ is always loitering around Wanmin Restaurant. He isn’t just there to stare blankly at the wall—he’s there to taste his lost lover’s favorite flavors!”
“Absolute perfection.” Lovia nodded to herself, immensely satisfied with a plot twist that simultaneously deepened the lore and padded out her word count. “I can dedicate at least three pages just to describing the food. Who knows, maybe it’ll even boost the local sales of grilled tiger fish.”
She paused, tapping the pen against her chin. “Oh, right! I should definitely write in a scene about rice buns. That’ll help drive some business to that nice old woman from the docks!”
“Wait, no, this draft doesn’t really fit the tone of the Record of Shi Po’s Wanderings series. I’ll save this angle for the next standalone update. For now, I need to get back to Rex Lapis spending money like a complete lunatic…”
Lovia plunged entirely into her own little creative universe. She spent the next hour alternating between writing at breakneck speed, gnawing on her fingernails in deep thought, and letting out the occasional sinister, self-satisfied chuckle. She was completely oblivious to the fact that the public discourse surrounding her ‘works’ had reached a fever pitch outside her door. She was even more oblivious to the fact that a certain tall, impeccably dressed consultant from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had already committed her pen name to memory.
When the cramp in her wrist finally forced her to stop, she let out a long stretch. Shuffling over to the window in her soft slippers, she pushed the wooden shutters open just a crack and pressed her ear to the gap, eager to eavesdrop on the street traffic below.
“…So, Rex Lapis really hasn’t had it easy all these years!”
“Have you read Synthesized God yet? That scene near the ending… tsk, tsk. The author is ridiculously bold!”
“I read it twice! This Mr. ‘Li Xin’ is truly a fascinating scholar. I just wonder which hidden master of the literary arts he actually is?”
“I heard even the clerks over at the Ministry of Civil Affairs are secretly passing copies around during their lunch breaks…”
Listening to the citizens of Liyue dissect her fanfiction with such genuine shock and reverence, Lovia had to slap both hands over her mouth to muffle her giggles. A massive wave of mischievous triumph washed over her, feeding her vanity until she felt like she was floating.
“Hehe… the hidden master, Mr. ‘Li Xin’…” She repeated the title in a whisper, her mood soaring so high she felt the tip of her tail practically vibrating with joy.
Just as she was basking in her secret glory, the heavy, rhythmic clanking of armor approached. The conversation of two patrolling Millelith drifted clearly through the crack in the window. Lovia instantly pricked up her ears, leaning in so close that the hood of her outfit slipped completely off her head.
Technically, no one could blame her for ‘eavesdropping’. A Melusine’s hearing was simply far too sensitive by nature. It wasn’t her fault the world was so loud!
Without a single shred of guilt, she focused entirely on the guards.
“Hey, have you heard the rumors? About that new book… Stone Amber’s Leisurely Travelogue.” The voice belonged to a younger recruit, his tone lowered and laced with disbelief.
“Shh! Keep your voice down, we’re on active duty!” an older, much steadier voice snapped. A second later, the veteran cleared his throat. “…I read it. It’s completely scandalous! How dare anyone fabricate such outrageous lies about Rex Lapis!”
The younger recruit sounded unconvinced. “But… the way Lord ‘Jueyun Chili’ always forgets to bring his coin pouch in the story… I don’t know, I think it’s actually quite relatable? It makes Rex Lapis feel a little less unreachable, you know?”
“Relatable or not, it is a blatant disrespect to the Lord of Geo. What do you think is going to happen if the higher-ups catch wind of this?” The veteran sounded deeply conflicted—clearly hooked on the plot, yet desperately trying to maintain his professional integrity.
“Hehe, I’m just curious what Mr. ‘Li Xin’is going to publish next. Did you read Synthesized God? Do you think Rex Lapis actually has a tragic’white moonlight’romance named’Mora’?”
“Shut your mouth! Do you want to be punished by cleaning the mining tunnels of The Chasm?!”
Lovia froze.
Hearing that the Millelith—the very people responsible for maintaining martial law in Liyue—were secretly reviewing her smutty little manuscripts was one thing. But hearing them casually drop the words ‘cleaning the mining tunnels of The Chasm’ was entirely another.
Startled out of her wits, she jerked her head back and slammed the window shut with a soft bang. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs.
On one hand, the sheer cultural impact of her writing had vastly exceeded her wildest dreams. On the other hand, being directly mentioned by the authorities triggered a massive, suffocating sense of impending doom.
“The… The Chasm’s mining tunnels…” She pictured the pitch-black, suffocating depths of the underground mines, crawling with monsters and toxic mud. A violent shudder wracked her small frame. “Surely… surely it wouldn’t come to that, right? I just wrote some silly little stories for people to read on the toilet…”
She shook her head violently, trying to physically dislodge the creeping paranoia. It didn’t matter right now. Her stomach was growling loud enough to rival a Geovishap.
Creating high-stakes literature was an incredibly calorie-draining profession.
Lovia’s contract with the bookstore was simple: her royalties were split based on the exact number of physical copies sold. Shopkeeper Sun carefully tracked the inventory, meaning she only had to drop by every few weeks to collect the accumulated funds.
The heavy, clinking bag of Mora sitting in the corner was obvious proof that her previous batch of manuscripts had sold like absolute wildfire.
She walked over and patted the canvas bag, feeling the dense weight of the coins. Her terror of The Chasm instantly evaporated, replaced by a warm, fuzzy sense of financial security.
Before she started writing, she would never have dared to splurge on extra meals. But now?
“I’ve raked in a fortune these past few days. I am going to reward myself with a massive bowl of Black-Back Perch Stew! Extra numb, and extra spicy!”
Having made her grand executive decision, she tossed her pen onto the table, grabbed a handful of coins from the bag, and practically skipped out the front door, making a beeline for the bustling market district.
As she handled the crowded streets, her sensitive ears easily picked out the whispers of ‘Rex Lapis’s secret lover’ echoing from tea stands and merchant stalls. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face, but her heart felt as sweet as spun sugar.
As she approached the seafood stalls, a familiar fishmonger spotted her and waved, a wide grin on his weathered face. “Yo, little Lovia! You’re looking awfully cheerful today. Did you hear the news? Sanyu Bookstore just stocked a fresh batch of Mr. Li Xin’s books, and people are buying them by the crate. Have you gone to check it out yet?”
Lovia’s heart skipped a beat, but her face remained a mask of perfect, wide-eyed innocence. “Huh? What books? I’m way too busy working odd jobs to make ends meet. I haven’t really paid attention to any of that stuff.”
Internally, she was doing backflips. If the latest batch was already selling out, she could march right back to Shopkeeper Sun in two days and collect another massive payout!
She quickly pivoted the conversation. “Anyway, Uncle, give me the absolute freshest black-back bass you have!”
Carrying the freshly gutted fish and a large bundle of vibrant Jueyun Chilis she picked up along the way, Lovia strolled back toward her shack, her mind already mapping out her next literary masterpiece.
“I need to finish Record of Shi Po’s Wanderings part two tonight. And if I have time, maybe I can draft a direct sequel to Synthesized God?”
The lingering memory of the Millelith guards made her slightly nervous… but with this level of market demand, refusing to write would be a crime against Mora itself.
Muttering plot outlines under her breath, she finally arrived back at her little shack.
Lovia skillfully prepped the ingredients and coaxed the stove to life. Within minutes, the violent, eye-watering, utterly intoxicating aroma of boiling chili oil and tender fish filled the cramped room.
She sat back down at her low table, eating the piping hot Black-Back Perch Stew right out of the bowl. She hissed as the spice numbed her lips, her free hand furiously scribbling new paragraphs onto the parchment. Every so often, she would pause to sniffle from the heat, or nod proudly at a particularly devastating line of dialogue she had just invented.
Whatever lingering anxiety she had about the Ministry of Civil Affairs was completely buried under the holy trinity of good food, heavy Mora, and the burning passion of creation.
Lovia took another bite of the tender fish. Being able to transmigrate to Liyue, never going hungry, earning her own keep, and writing whatever unhinged stories she wanted—even if they were technically borderline treason—was a life truly blessed by Morax.
Wait, no. It was just a wonderful life.
As for the consequences?
The future could worry about itself!