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ArabicGenshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 17
Chapter 17: That Time I Found a Melusine in a Stationery Store
Lovia was sprawled half-flat on the wooden floorboards, her elbows throbbing with a sharp, stinging pain from the sudden impact. She could not care less about the bruises forming on her skin. She lifted her head in sheer terror, only to meet two pairs of eyes that were instantly blown wide with shock.
Chongyun gasped sharply, the sound cutting through the quiet shop. He instinctively took half a step back, his boots scraping against the floor. His hand flew to his waist, fingers pressing firmly against the exorcism talismans secured there. His face was painted with an unbelievable wariness.
“You… you are a… monster?!”
The instinctive reaction of his Pure Yang Spirit toward non-human entities had sent his body into an immediate, uncontrollable state of high alert. The surging yang energy in his veins practically screamed at the presence of an anomaly.
In stark contrast, although Xingqiu’s amber eyes were equally wide with shock, his composure returned in a heartbeat. He quickly raised his hand, gently but firmly pressing down on Chongyun’s wrist just as the exorcist was about to draw a yellow paper talisman.
Xingqiu’s gaze was entirely fixed on Lovia. He studied her slightly trembling antennae, the small section of folded wings, and the restlessly twitching tip of a tail that peeked through the disarrayed gaps of her oversized cloak.
After a brief, deathly silence that felt like an eternity to the panicked writer, the shock in Xingqiu’s eyes receded like the ocean tide. It was swiftly replaced by a deep incredulity that followed the initial surprise.
A smile reappeared on his face. It was still that perfectly polite, refined smile that made it entirely impossible to take offense.
“…A Melusine?” Xingqiu’s voice carried a rare hint of uncertainty, testing the word on his tongue. “A Melusine from Fontaine?”
Lovia’s mind went completely blank. A single, catastrophic thought echoed frantically through her skull.
‘Exposed! Completely exposed! My writing career! My peaceful life in seclusion! It is all over!”It is over, it is over, it is over! What kind of cursed Liyue urban legend opening is this?”Is the next scene going to be a Xenobiological Encyclopedia Collection or a Rare Creature Capture Project?’
She had even mentally drafted the light novel title for them: That Time I Found a Melusine in a Stationery Store!
She scrambled backward, her hands frantically pulling at her hood to cover her exposed features. In her blind panic, her fingers fumbled, failing several times to secure the heavy fabric. Those antennae, which were usually held high and proud, drooped pitifully against her head due to her overwhelming anxiety and fear. She looked incredibly distressed, like a cornered animal with nowhere left to run.
Seeing her miserable state, a distinct trace of apology flickered in Xingqiu’s eyes. He released Chongyun’s wrist and took a single step forward, yet he deliberately maintained a polite, non-threatening distance as he bowed slightly.
“Please do not be alarmed, we mean no harm. Chongyun was just… well, suffering from a professional habit.”
Chongyun finally realized his reaction had been wildly excessive. Looking down at the trembling creature before him, who seemed even younger than himself and was shaking like a leaf in the wind, his face burned a bright, embarrassed red. He quickly snatched his hand away from his talismans, looking entirely at a loss.
“S-Sorry! I thought you were… that is… I did not mean it! You… you are not hurt from the fall, are you?”
Lovia’s inner monologue was screaming at the top of its lungs.
‘Professional habit? Is he not a ghost hunter? How did he turn into a rare creature investigator? What is with this reaction that is even more exaggerated than seeing a Hilichurl! Do I look like an evil spirit that needs to be exorcised by a talisman?!’
Wrapped tightly in her readjusted hood, Lovia peered at them with lingering fear, her gaze lingering heavily on Xingqiu.
He actually knew about Melusines? How would a random youth in Liyue Harbor know about a niche race from the far-off nation of Fontaine?
‘Oh right, the Feiyun Commerce Guild must have international business connections…’
Xingqiu seemed to read the swirling confusion in her eyes and explained with a gentle, disarming smile.
“I once read about the Melusines of Fontaine in an extremely ancient foreign travelogue. Seeing one in person today, it is indeed exactly as described, perhaps even more wondrous than the dusty records suggest.”
His tone was full of sincere, scholarly admiration. His eyes were startlingly bright, as if he found her existence to be the most fascinating puzzle he had ever encountered.
But hearing his eloquent words, Lovia’s heart only began to drum more frantically against her ribs.
To her paranoid mind, the way Xingqiu’s eyes locked onto her was even more scorching than the blazing midday sun of Liyue. She was incredibly uncomfortable with being scrutinized like a rare exhibit.
Fortunately, it was not long before the perceptive young master noticed her distress. He quickly averted his intense gaze and offered a soft apology.
‘Dissection research? Being stuffed and made into a museum specimen? What exactly do humans do to unusual creatures they find on the streets?’The terrifying, gruesome plots from the dark adventure novels she had read came rushing to the forefront of her mind all at once.’Is the Teyvat Unusual Creature Records about to add a brand new chapter titled The Humanoid Melusine of Liyue Harbor?”Would the front-page headline of the next issue of The Steambird read: Shocking! Humanoid Melusine Lurks in Liyue Harbor, the Reason Behind It Is Heartwarming?”This is so heartwarming… NOT!’
“I-I am not… I am just…” Lovia stammered, her words completely incoherent. As her nerves frayed further, her voice took on a distinct, pitiful sob.
Her small body tried to shrink back into the shadows, but she only managed to bump hard into the wooden display rack she had previously knocked over. The collision caused another sharp clatter, making her flinch violently and curl into herself.
Seeing her looking so utterly terrified that she was practically curling into a tiny ball, Chongyun’s face instantly turned a brilliant shade of crimson. He was completely overwhelmed by a crushing wave of guilt. He hurriedly stuffed his remaining talismans deep into his belt, waving his hands frantically in the air as he explained with urgent desperation.
“I am sorry! Truly sorry! I did not mean to scare you! My constitution… it just reacts easily to… uh, non-human entities, and my body moved on instinct…”
His voice grew quieter and quieter, trailing off into a miserable whisper. Looking at the other party’s fragile form, which was even smaller than a human child, and her tearful, terrified expression, he felt like his act of drawing a weapon was practically the equivalent of bullying a helpless kid in an alleyway.
Xingqiu quickly took a step back, maintaining more than enough distance to ease the suffocating pressure on her and avoid startling her fragile nerves again.
He bowed slightly, his tone remaining perfectly gentle and sincere.
“Do not be afraid. Whether human or another intelligent being, as long as one abides by the laws of Liyue, they will not come to any harm. My companion was simply reckless just now; I apologize on his behalf.”
His observant gaze fell on Lovia’s small hands, which were gripping the edges of her hood so tightly that her knuckles had turned completely white. His voice softened even further, taking on a comforting cadence.
“also, regarding Melusines, I did not learn of them from any dangerous or sinister records. The author of that particular travelogue called your kind the Spirits of the Limpid Lake, a race that loves peace and lives in perfect harmony with nature. The book was full of nothing but high praise and genuine curiosity for your people.”
‘Spirits of the Limpid Lake? What kind of embarrassingly cringey, overly poetic title is that?’
However… Xingqiu’s calming words did manage to slightly dampen the overwhelming panic thrashing in Lovia’s chest. She slowly looked up, carefully observing the two boys through the narrow gap in her hood.
Chongyun looked completely full of regret and awkwardness. His hands were kept far away from his talismans, and he shifted his weight from foot to foot, seemingly not even knowing where to put his arms anymore. As for Xingqiu… his eyes were bright, filled with genuine concern and apology rather than any dark malice.
‘It seems… they really do not intend to catch me in a net?”I am a Humanoid Melusine, after all!’
Lovia’s tense tail tip finally relaxed just a tiny fraction, lowering toward the floorboards, but her voice was still a little shaky when she spoke.
“…Really? You will not tell anyone about me?”
“Never,” Xingqiu answered decisively. He offered a gentle smile, trying his absolute best to convey his goodwill. “We can even make a formal contract if it puts your mind at ease. Besides, what happened today was purely an accident; we will keep our lips tightly sealed.”
He cast a sidelong glance at Chongyun, who immediately nodded his head so vigorously it looked like it might snap off. The exorcist’s expression was as solemn as if he were taking a sacred oath before Rex Lapis himself.
Xingqiu added, his tone carrying a well-placed, elegant hint of surprise. “It was simply unexpected to meet a Melusine who has traveled all the way across the ocean to Liyue Harbor. This is truly a wondrous twist of fate.”
His sharp gaze inadvertently swept over the high-quality paper section Lovia had been desperately trying to reach, and then down to the small, heavy pouch of manuscript fees she was clutching tightly in her hand. She had not let go of the Mora even at the height of her panic.
A Melusine from Fontaine, appearing entirely alone in a Liyue stationery store, nervously wanting to buy premium paper and pens, and appearing absolutely terrified of being discovered by the public…
‘Could she be a little author?’
Xingqiu asked tentatively, his voice laced with polite curiosity. “Miss…? Were you perhaps looking to purchase paper and pens for writing just now?”
Lovia blanked for a moment, her otaku brain short-circuiting at the sudden shift in topic, before she instinctively nodded her head.