English
Indonesia
Chinese (Simp)
Japanese
Korean
Spanish
Portuguese
French
German
ArabicGenshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 18
Chapter 18: She Seems… Still Very Afraid of Us?
Xingqiu stepped aside, clearing a path to the paper counter with a graceful, sweeping gesture. The polite smile on his face carried a touch of genuine warmth. “Since we are kindred spirits, why be so alarmed? The Feiyun Commerce Guild has some influence here, and the shopkeeper is an acquaintance of mine. Perhaps he can recommend some high-quality paper and pens suitable for… well, long-term writing.”
He gestured toward the mess on the floor. “As for the knocked-over shelf, I will pay whatever compensation is due. How does that sound?”
Hearing Xingqiu’s gentle, measured words and seeing the absolute lack of hostility in his posture, the tight knot of panic in Lovia’s chest finally began to loosen. Her shoulders dropped a fraction of an inch.
She had definitely overreacted. Thinking back on it, Xingqiu was actually a genuinely good person in the game’s storyline. He certainly wouldn’t act like those deranged Fontaine scholars who wanted to snatch up wandering Melusines for anatomical research at the drop of a hat.
Lovia gave a small, hesitant nod. “…Thank you.”
It really was ridiculous. Back during her newbie phase as a player, she had relied heavily on Gaming and Xingqiu to brute-force her way through the Spiral Abyss. She had genuinely liked Xingqiu’s character design and personality. Who would have thought that the moment she actually met the real, breathing version of him, her first instinct would be to sprint in the opposite direction?
It was the classic case of claiming to love dragons until a real one actually showed up at your door.
Xingqiu’s smile deepened at her quiet acceptance. He turned and murmured a few instructions to the shopkeeper waiting behind the counter. The older man, clearly familiar with the second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, nodded repeatedly. He immediately bustled into the back room and returned with several stacks of fine-textured, obviously expensive paper, laying them out alongside a row of exquisite, high-grade writing brushes for Lovia to inspect.
Chongyun stood off to the side, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He looked incredibly awkward, clearly desperate to do something to make up for his earlier recklessness.
Seeing Lovia cautiously reach out to stroke the smooth edge of the premium paper, a thought struck him. He quickly dug into his bag, pulled out a small, neatly folded silk pouch, and held it out to her. “This is a Qingxin Talisman. Carrying it can calm the mind and soothe the spirit. Perhaps… perhaps it will be useful to you?”
He blinked, suddenly realizing his lack of manners. “Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Chongyun, and this is Xingqiu.”
A faint flush of embarrassment crept up his neck. He probably realized how strange it looked to offer her the exact same type of exorcism talisman he had nearly slapped onto her forehead just moments ago.
Wait, could this be some kind of tracking or positioning talisman? Alarm bells instantly began ringing in Lovia’s paranoid mind. But as she looked up into Chongyun’s bright blue eyes, she saw only earnest, unfiltered guilt. She was definitely overthinking things.
‘So this is the young exorcist with the Pure Yang Spirit?’she thought, studying his earnest expression.’He actually seems pretty cute…’
Lovia looked down at the yellow paper talisman. It emitted a faint, refreshing aura, smelling distantly of the high mountain peaks. After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and took it. The material felt slightly cool against her fingertips, and a gentle wave of calm immediately washed over her, sweeping away the last dregs of her adrenaline.
“…Thank you,” she whispered, clutching the small pouch.
By then, Xingqiu had already finished selecting a generous stack of top-tier paper, a set of durable brushes, and a small, heavy bottle of premium ink.
The shopkeeper skillfully wrapped the items into a neat bundle. Without missing a beat, Xingqiu pulled a heavy pouch of Mora from his sleeve and placed it on the counter to settle the bill.
“Th-this won’t do!” Lovia’s eyes widened at the clinking sound of coins. She hurriedly fumbled for her own worn coin purse. “I have money! I can pay for it myself!”
Xingqiu merely reached out and gently pushed her purse back toward her chest. His smile remained perfectly polite and unyielding. “I startled you earlier, so please consider this an apology—and an atonement for Chongyun’s recklessness. If you don’t accept it, I am afraid my friend here won’t be able to sleep tonight out of sheer guilt.”
He shot a pointed, teasing glance toward the young exorcist.
Chongyun immediately nodded with vigorous enthusiasm, his expression entirely serious.
‘Is this just how wealthy young masters operate?!’Lovia’s heart wailed in a mix of awe and despair.’As expected, I’m the only broke one here!’
Seeing that she had absolutely no room to refuse, and secretly loving the beautifully packaged, high-quality stationery, Lovia finally relented. Her ears burned red beneath the shadow of her hood.
“…Then, thank you, big brothers.”
With her precious supplies secured, Lovia’s only remaining goal was to get back to her safe zone as quickly as possible. She hugged the heavy bundle of stationery to her chest, bowed her head in thanks one last time, and turned toward the exit.
Naturally, Xingqiu and Chongyun fell into step right behind her.
“By the way, I still don’t know how to address you,” Xingqiu asked casually, his tone light and conversational. “Where in Liyue Harbor do you live? Carrying all these items alone… is it inconvenient? If you don’t mind, we can walk you part of the way.”
Chongyun nodded in agreement. It clearly didn’t sit right with him to let a child—one who looked even younger and smaller than himself—carry such a heavy burden through the bustling streets alone.
Lovia’s heart, which had just finally settled down, instantly launched itself straight back into her throat.
Walk her home?! That would be an absolute disaster!
Wouldn’t her secret, messy little nest be completely exposed?
Absolutely not! Her apartment floor was currently carpeted with highly questionable, lore-breaking fanfiction manuscripts!
If these two saw that, she would definitely be invited for a polite cup of tea by the Millelith, followed by a complimentary year-long vacation in Liyue Prison. Even Zhongli himself might descend from the heavens to drop a meteor on her for slandering the Adepti!
Just imagining the Geo Archon’s glowing golden eyes—that piercing gaze that seemed to judge the very weight of a soul—made the tip of her little tail tremble in sheer terror.
She was still young! Her novel wasn’t finished, and she hadn’t earned nearly enough Mora to eat her way through Liyue’s high-end culinary scene!
“N-no need!” Lovia blurted out, her voice cracking slightly in panic. She squeezed the stationery bundle against her chest like a mother hen protecting her favorite chick. “I-I live very close! I can do it myself, really! Thank you very much! I… my name is Lovia! See you next time!”
She didn’t wait for a single word of response. Tapping into her full Melusine strength—which to a human eye merely looked like a very determined waddle—she spun on her heels. Her short little legs worked furiously as she scurried out of the shop doors, diving headfirst into the dense crowd on the street. Her agility was a stark, hilarious contrast to her clumsy fall from earlier.
Xingqiu and Chongyun stood frozen in the doorway, watching the small, hooded figure weave through the sea of pedestrians at breakneck speed until she vanished completely.
The two boys exchanged a long look.
Chongyun reached up and scratched the back of his head, his brow furrowed in utter confusion. “She seems… still very afraid of us?”
Xingqiu kept his gaze fixed on the spot where Lovia had disappeared. A thoughtful, calculating glint flickered in his amber eyes, though it was softened by a layer of genuine understanding.
With a flick of his wrist, his signature folding fan appeared. He snapped it open and chuckled softly. “After suffering such a fright just now, it is only natural to be cautious. Since she is so heavily guarded, she must have her own reasons.”
He paused, the rhythm of his fan slowing as he mused aloud. “A Melusine living in absolute seclusion in Liyue Harbor, requiring a massive amount of writing supplies while trying her best to hide her identity… perhaps she merely wishes to find a peaceful sanctuary to write in quiet. Chongyun, since we are kindred spirits of the literary world, we should respect that wish all the more.”
Hearing this logic, Chongyun nodded in deep agreement. “You’re right. Since she doesn’t want to be disturbed, we shouldn’t go looking for her. Besides, we already caused her enough trouble today.”
Xingqiu snapped his fan closed and tapped it lightly against his open palm. A small, knowing smile played on his lips. “Exactly. For those who love books, the true value lies in finding a kindred spirit through their words, but even more so in knowing when to give them space. If it is truly meant to be, perhaps we will read her inner thoughts in some future masterpiece. Wouldn’t that be far more wonderful than a brash intrusion?”
He was still intensely curious about this mysterious little writer, but he had successfully channeled that curiosity into anticipation for a potential new book, rather than a desire to pry into her private life.
Though, knowing Xingqiu’s nature, he would undoubtedly be keeping a very, very close eye on any new, uniquely styled anonymous manuscripts that happened to hit the Liyue market in the near future.