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ArabicGenshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Change (Part 2)
, human food hadn’t been completely banished from her menu, but its status had certainly plummeted.
The charred, smoky aroma of her once-favorite Grilled Tiger Fish now assaulted her senses, the heavy spices completely overpowering the natural sweetness of the catch. The fiery chili oil of the Black-Back Perch Stew she used to whip up for herself, which she once found incredibly spicy and satisfying, now just left her parched. She would have to gulp down several consecutive glasses of water afterward, her very biology protesting the aggressive stimulation.
By now, the taste of these former delicacies had become somewhat frightening to her. The flavors were simply too intense, sometimes even churning her stomach into knots of nausea.
As for pastries and desserts… they were so cloyingly sweet that the delicate tips of her wings curled up in sheer distress. A single bite was enough to make her gag. Melusines were perfectly capable of eating desserts, but before her transmigration, she had never been much of a sweet tooth anyway, finding most cakes sickly and overbearing. Now, trapped in this new body, her tolerance for sugar had dropped into the negative digits.
She had cautiously sampled a few other human staples, like freshly squeezed fruit juice and lightly steamed fish, and found they didn’t taste entirely repulsive. In fact, they were quite delicious. She couldn’t quite figure out the exact science behind her new palate, but she lacked the courage to test every dish in the city one by one, terrified of stumbling upon a culinary landmine that would ruin her day.
“I’m in Liyue! Liyue, the culinary capital of Teyvat!” Lovia wailed, dramatically throwing her hands up at her kitchen, which was currently stocked with nothing but squirming fresh seafood and a heavy sack of high-quality ore sitting in the corner.
“Potstickers, Soup Dumplings, Spicy Meat Buns… wait for me, I swear I still love you!”
Alas, the body was always honest.
Whenever the pressure of meeting her writing deadlines peaked, the thing that comforted her frayed nerves was no longer a normal plate of snacks. Instead, it was a bowl of bouncy, smooth live shrimp, or a small, elegant plate of crispy… well, crushed ore.
She finally understood why a Melusine would look at a beautifully frosted human cake and feel utterly underwhelmed, yet light up with joy at the sight of a simple basket of live fish or shiny rocks.
“Sigh, it really is hard to go from luxury to frugality…” Lovia muttered. Resigning herself to her fate, she reached into the bowl and picked up a fresh, still-twitching shrimp. Without even bothering to peel the shell, she popped the live crustacean directly into her mouth.
As her teeth clamped down, the shell crunched crisply, and an ultimate, refreshing sweetness melted across her tongue.
Lovia narrowed her eyes in absolute bliss, the small wings on her back swaying gently in a rhythm of pure comfort.
To hell with cooked gourmet food. Raw, high-element ingredients were the absolute best!
Her human soul? Her soul had long since surrendered the high ground, throwing its hands up and happily joining the primal feast.
Of course, the absolute prerequisite for all of this was that she could never, under any circumstances, let a single soul in Liyue Harbor discover she was snacking on raw meat and literal stones.
That expensive little stove she had specifically purchased upon moving in? It had long since been demoted to a dedicated water-boiling device. Drinking hot water was a survival instinct etched deep into the DNA of her transmigrated soul, after all.
Now, resting right beside the sky-high priced, premium stationery sponsored by her wealthy patron Xingqiu, there was often a delicate porcelain bowl filled with fresh raspberries mixed with crushed ore. She liked to call it the ‘High-End Afternoon Tea of an Isekai Writer.’
Beyond her bizarre new diet, the most amazing change was her perception. For some inexplicable reason, her sensory skills had maxed out completely.
She could predict an incoming rainstorm with far more accuracy than any seasoned sailor’s weather forecast, and she could pick up on hushed conversations from streets away. Conveniently, this eavesdropping ability came with a selective deafness feature, allowing her to tune out the bustling noise of the harbor when she needed to focus.
“Is this just a racial talent that came free with the transmigration package?” Lovia mumbled around a mouthful of fresh sashimi. “It’s not exactly a combat skill, but it’s more than enough for running away and gathering gossip.”
Her daily routine had settled into a comfortable, predictable rhythm. During the day, she huddled in her cozy little nest, writing frantically with the god-tier stationery sponsored by her boss. When night fell, she slipped out of the harbor and dove into the dark seabed, swimming and playing to her heart’s content.
Her mandatory daily ritual involved crouching by the docks, dipping her fingers into the cool seawater, and dramatically declaring she was ‘absorbing energy from her hometown.’ Meanwhile, her inner monologue couldn’t help but note how strangely familiar and comforting the ocean currents felt against her skin.
In short, the current Lovia perfectly embodied the struggle of a shocked human mind trapped inside a very happy, very honest body.
In the constant tug-of-war between her lingering human sensibilities and her physical comfort, she gradually found a subtle balance. She even began to pay careful attention to the unique biological features this new form provided.
The most obvious change was her growing attachment to her pair of exquisite little wings, her highly flexible tail, and those long, incredibly sensitive antennae.
At first, she had treated them as mere decorative accessories, standard issue for any Melusine. But she quickly learned that these appendages were not only dense with sensory nerves, but they also demanded a high-maintenance beauty routine.
Her wings, in particular, were a handful. Though small, they contained a complex, wonderful network of nerves and required a very specific balance of humidity and cleanliness. While the damp, salty air of Liyue Harbor was generally comfortable, the occasional sweep of city dust always left the base of her wings itching madly.
Her antennae had also become exceptionally sensitive. A sudden touch—even if she accidentally brushed them herself—would send a violent shudder of discomfort rippling through her entire body.
She treated them with the utmost caution now. Unless absolutely necessary, she kept her hands far away from her head. If she had to adjust them, her touches were feather-light.
This made going out in disguise a nightmare. Whenever she pulled her heavy hood up to hide her identity, the coarse fabric constantly rubbed against her antennae, driving her crazy with sensory overload. It was the main reason she tried to minimize her time outdoors as much as possible.
Out of necessity, Lovia soon taught herself a strict maintenance routine. She dropped a small fortune commissioning a traveling merchant to import specialized maintenance essential oils all the way from Fontaine. It was supposedly the exact brand favored by the Melusines of the Court of Fontaine, carrying a faint, soothing scent of deep-sea kelp that she instantly fell in love with.
Every night, during her scheduled breaks from writing, Lovia would carefully uncap the bottle. She would take a single, precious drop of the oil, warm it between her fingertips, and gently massage it into her wings and antennae. Reaching the awkward angles of her back to coat her wings was a physical struggle, but since she had no one else to help her, she just had to grit her teeth and stretch.
The grueling process was always worth it. The cool, slick touch of the oil and its unique aquatic fragrance instantly melted away her anxiety, leaving her feeling as though she had just indulged in a luxurious deep-sea spa treatment.
Her tail required just as much attention. That fluffy, soft fur had to be groomed regularly, or it would tangle into a matted disaster.
She had purchased the finest bristle brush available in the harbor. She would put on some light, instrumental music and slowly, methodically brush through the fur. Once the grooming was complete, watching the tail return to a smooth, glossy shine gave her an unspeakable sense of satisfaction.
As for the actual practical use of her wings and antennae?
Lovia quickly realized they were physical extensions of her emotions, completely bypassing her rational control. Whenever her mood shifted, her appendages would immediately betray her.
When she was deeply immersed in her writing, the words flowing effortlessly onto the page, her wings would unconsciously flap in a gentle, rhythmic motion, and her antennae would sway happily.
When she ate something particularly delicious, her wings would vibrate at a high frequency, buzzing with joy, while her antennae perked straight up, making her look exactly like a highly satisfied honeybee.
When she felt embarrassed or wanted to hide from the world, her wings would instinctively fold flat, tucking in so tightly against her back that they became almost invisible.
Occasionally, when she encountered a pleasant surprise or a sudden burst of happiness, her wings would give a sharp little flutter, unfolding slightly to catch the air.
Even during her late-night swims, her wings and antennae proved very useful. They could keenly perceive the direction, temperature, and strength of the underwater currents, allowing her to adjust her posture and glide through the water with incredible flexibility.
Her wings were basically a Melusine’s natural diving fins.
She also discovered that these wings were abnormally sensitive to the flow of elemental energy. Whenever the Hydro element in the air was dense and abundant, the delicate edges of her wings would glow with a faint, barely visible crystalline blue luster, wrapping her in a blanket of comfort. But if she wandered too close to an open fire source, the wings would instantly heat up, emitting a low, warning hum that urged her to step back immediately.
It was an excellent, built-in environmental early warning system.
Nowadays, oiling her wings, brushing her tail, and carefully cleaning the soft fluff on her antennae had become daily rituals, just as vital to her survival as eating and writing.
She would often stand in front of her mirror, striking a pose and sighing in admiration. “As expected, Melusines really are built different. So cute! This ridiculous maintenance cost… it’s entirely worth it!”
And so, as the days quietly slipped by, this eccentric Melusine writer continued to live in seclusion within the bustling heart of Liyue Harbor. Hidden away in her own little paradise, she fully accepted her new identity, happily churning out scandalous fanfiction and stirring up endless trouble across Teyvat.