Genshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 5

Chapter 5: You Can’t Bet All Your Hopes on One Manuscript!You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

Lovia dragged her famished body toward the city outskirts.

Food inside the city required Mora, and with her pockets entirely empty, she had no choice but to pin her survival on the wilderness. She remembered a specific Sunsettia tree that still held a few ripe fruits, and there was a clear stream just beyond the city gates. Perhaps she could catch a fish or two.

The setting sun cast her long, drooping shadow across the main road. Hunger gripped her stomach like an invisible vice, leaving her steps weak and unsteady.

Just as she passed the last scattered vendor stalls, a thick, sweet aroma drifted into her path. It was the rich scent of steamed black rice nests mingling with a hearty, boiling vegetable soup. Her pace slowed on its own. Her gaze locked onto a modest food stall set up by the roadside.

Behind the wooden counter stood a white-haired woman with a deeply lined, gentle face, leisurely wiping down a table with a cloth. Several bamboo steamers sat on the stove, holding plump, freshly made rice nests. Beside them, a large iron pot of thick soup bubbled away, releasing an enticing fragrance into the evening air.

Lovia stared at the steaming food as if magnetized. She swallowed hard. Her stomach betrayed her with a soft, embarrassing gurgle.

She knew she could not afford a single bite, yet the craving rooted her feet to the ground. She stood there in a daze, watching from a short distance.

The elderly woman soon noticed the young girl staring so intensely at her wares. Taking in Lovia’s pale face and exhausted posture, she offered an understanding smile.

‘Little girl,’her voice was gentle, carrying the soft warmth of a bygone era.’Hungry, aren’t you? It is getting late, and I am about to pack up for the night. If you do not mind these leftovers, take them to fill your stomach.’Lovia snapped back to reality. Heat rushed to her cheeks, flushing red at being caught staring.’Ah? N-no, it is alright, Granny, I…’

She tried to refuse out of reflex, but the hollow ache in her gut made her protest sound incredibly weak.

The woman had already grabbed a sheet of oiled paper, deftly wrapping up several rice nests. She ladled out a small, brimming bowl of the mixed vegetable soup and pressed it all toward Lovia without giving her a chance to argue.

‘Take it, child. You look like you are from out of town. Everyone faces difficulties when they are far from home. A full stomach gives you the strength to figure things out.’The heavy, substantial weight of the food settled into Lovia’s hands. The heat seeped through the oiled paper, warming her palms and melting the ice around her heart. Looking at the vendor’s affectionate smile, Lovia felt a sudden prickle behind her eyes. The sheer anxiety, unease, and gnawing starvation she had endured since her transmigration seemed to dissolve into that bowl of hot soup.’Th-thank you, Granny,’she whispered, her voice tight. This time, she did not push the gift away.’Eat up,’ the woman smiled, waving a hand as she went back to cleaning her stall.

Clutching her unexpected treasure, Lovia retreated to a large, flat rock by the roadside and sat down. She took a careful bite of the rice nest. It was soft, sticky, and perfectly sweet. She followed it with a sip of the hot soup. The savory broth was rich with tiny bits of minced meat and tender, slow-cooked vegetables.

In that moment, this simple roadside meal surpassed any luxury banquet.

She ate in small, deliberate bites, letting the energy and heat drive the lingering chill and weakness from her bones. Watching the old woman work, Lovia’s chest swelled with gratitude. Liyue Harbor certainly had its share of shrewd, calculating merchants like Shopkeeper Sun, but it also harbored incredibly kind, warm-hearted ordinary people.

With a full stomach, her strength returned, and the future suddenly felt a little less bleak. She carefully wiped down the oiled paper and the bowl, returning them to the stall. She offered to stay and help clean up, but the granny simply smiled and shooed her away.and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

Lovia’s steps were noticeably lighter as she finally left the stall and headed into the outskirts. Night had fully claimed the sky, though the faintest trace of a sunset glow still clung to the horizon. She glanced back at the twinkling lights of Liyue Harbor, resting a hand over her stomach. The warmth of the food still lingered there.

‘I need to figure out a stable source of Mora…’she thought, narrowing her eyes.’Or maybe, next time I should write something even more sensational?’

The idea made her eyes light up. The quill pen tucked into her pocket practically itched to move.

While the meal chased away the evening chill, it did nothing to solve the awkward reality of sleeping rough.

Lovia found a dry patch of earth hidden behind a thick cluster of bushes, well off the beaten path. She curled up tight, wrapping her miraculous hooded cloak around her small frame to fend off the cool Liyue night.

Sleep refused to come.

Hunger had retreated, but a chaotic storm of excitement, anxiety, and uncertainty took its place.

‘Will the owner of Sanyu Bookstore actually use that manuscript?’she whispered up at the scattered stars.’If he does, when will it be printed? Will it even sell? And the payment… will it be enough for a few decent meals? Enough to rent the absolute cheapest room?’Her tail twitched restlessly beneath the heavy fabric of the cloak. Her Melusine constitution made her far more sensitive to her environment than a normal human. She did not feel cold, but the hard, uneven ground made her ache for a soft bed.’No, I cannot bet all my hopes on one manuscript.’Lovia sat up abruptly, digging out her quill and small notebook.’I need to prepare a follow-up. If Shopkeeper Sun is not interested, I will still be penniless and foraging for berries. And if he is interested and demands the next chapter, I cannot just cram something together at the last second.’Her first piece had been relatively restrained, a safe bet to test the waters of the Liyue publishing scene. If the response was decent, then her next move… A bolder, far more reckless, and potentially highly lucrative plot began to take shape in her mind.’Record of Shi Po’s Wanderings could become a serialized novel. Each chapter could be a short story focusing on the sheer absurdity of Lord Jueyun Chili being completely out of touch with mortal affairs.’The more she brainstormed, the brighter her eyes gleamed in the dark.’For example… what if he has absolutely no concept of the market price for basic goods? What if he tries to use a priceless antique to pay for a single bundle of greens?”Pfft—’ She slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle at her own mental imagery, glancing around warily to make sure she was alone.’Or even better…’The tip of her pen began to scratch furiously against the paper.’He could go around critiquing the other adepti. He would use that utterly serious, deadpan tone to say something like, Streetward Rambler’s tunes have become increasingly lively of late, likely influenced by the worldly atmosphere of the market, quite interesting indeed…’Would writing this get her tracked down by an actual adeptus and squashed into a pancake? Lovia shrank her neck into her collar. Yet, the burning desire to create and the impulse to make a massive splash completely overshadowed her fear of divine retribution.’Whatever, I will just write it down for now.’ She scribbled at a frantic pace, capturing every fleeting, chaotic thought before it could vanish.

Thanks to her Melusine heritage and natural night vision, the darkness was hardly an obstacle.

Under the pale moonlight, the only sounds were the rapid scratching of her quill and her occasional, barely suppressed giggles.

It suddenly dawned on her that she had no idea what point in the timeline she had actually arrived in. Had the Geo Archon faked his death yet? Had the Traveler even set foot in Liyue?

Hmm… she could just go to the market tomorrow and ask. She would casually ask a passing local when this year’s Rite of Descension was scheduled to begin. That wouldn’t be suspicious at all.

Lovia continued to jot down her wild inspirations, letting her mind wander through the lore.

She wrote deep into the early hours of the morning. Only when sheer exhaustion finally overpowered her creative high did she carefully stow away her notebook and pen. Wrapping herself tightly in her cloak once more, she closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.