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ArabicGenshin Impact: A Guide to the Unofficial History of Teyvat — Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Payday!
For the next two days, Lovia lived in a perpetual state of nervous anticipation.
She didn’t dare step foot anywhere near Sanyu Bookstore, terrified that the shopkeeper might recognize her height or notice something amiss about her lingering presence. Instead, she relegated herself to the role of a highly suspicious passerby, pacing on the opposite side of the street and casting covert glances at the storefront from beneath her hood.
The first day crawled by without incident.
But on the afternoon of the second day, the atmosphere shifted. The entrance to the bookstore was noticeably busier than usual. Several customers were crowded around the front counter, chatting animatedly with Shopkeeper Sun. In their hands, they clutched thin, freshly bound booklets.
Lovia’s heart instantly leaped into her throat.
Has it been printed?
She fiercely suppressed the urge to sprint across the street and snatch a copy to check. Forcing herself to be patient, she waited until the evening shadows lengthened and the crowd finally thinned out. Only then did she pull her hood down a fraction more, pretending to browse a nearby roadside stall selling cheap trinkets while slowly edging closer to the bookstore to eavesdrop.
“…Shopkeeper, will there be a next issue of The Travels of Shi Po Chen?” a young man asked, a bright smile in his voice. “It’s written so interestingly!”
“Yes, yes, I completely agree,” a woman chimed in, her tone carrying a lingering aftertaste of enjoyment. “Even though I know it’s entirely fictional, the way this ‘Lord Shi Po’ carries himself… the more I think about it, the more vivid it feels. Doesn’t it?” She let out a soft, amused chuckle.
“Shh! Keep it down!” Shopkeeper Sun hissed. His voice was intentionally lowered, laced with a nervous energy that completely failed to mask his underlying pride. “There’s only this one piece for the current issue. As for the next… well, that depends entirely on whether Mr. Li Xin is willing to grace us with more of his writing, and when.”
“You can’t shortchange him on the manuscript fee, Shopkeeper!” the young man teased lightly. “We’re all waiting to see what other brilliant insights Lord Shi Po has in store for us!”
“Of course, of course…” Shopkeeper Sun responded, waving them off with vague assurances.
Listening from the shadows, Lovia felt her pulse hammer so wildly it threatened to crack her ribs.
It worked! It was actually printed! And the response… it’s actually good?!
She didn’t dare linger to hear any more. Forcing her legs to maintain a casual, unhurried pace, she walked away from the storefront. But the second she turned the corner into a deserted alleyway, her composure shattered. She almost couldn’t resist jumping for joy.
She stomped her feet silently against the cobblestones in a rapid, happy dance. Beneath the heavy fabric of her cloak, her Melusine tail was already wagging completely out of control, kicking up little clouds of dust from the alley floor.
But once the initial euphoria faded, the cold, hard reality of practical problems reared its head.
Remuneration.
Shopkeeper Sun had mentioned that the payment was being held at the bookstore. She had to go collect it. But how? Could she just let the ‘mysterious child messenger’ strike again? Would using the exact same excuse be too obvious?
She chewed on her lower lip, turning the problem over in her mind, and decided to wait until tomorrow. She needed a slightly different disguise.
On the morning of the third day, Lovia went out of her way to find a muddy puddle near the docks. She carefully dipped her fingers into the grime and smeared the dirt along the hem and cuffs of her cloak, focusing on the inconspicuous areas to create a travel-worn, exhausted appearance. She tugged her hood down even lower, ensuring that only the very tip of her chin was visible to the outside world.
Fully prepared, she marched back toward Sanyu Bookstore.
This time, a small wooden sign hung proudly beside the entrance. It read: New Arrival: ‘The Travels of Shi Po Chen · Part One’ — Limited Quantities Available.
Lovia took a deep, steadying breath and stepped over the threshold.
Shopkeeper Sun was in the middle of organizing a stack of papers. He glanced up, his eyes landing on the tiny figure standing before his counter—a child barely tall enough to see over the wood, draped in a mud-stained cloak. He froze for a split second before a look of dawning realization shifted his features.
“Little one, are you…” Shopkeeper Sun asked tentatively, leaning forward.
Lovia lowered her voice, forcing her naturally soft, childish tone to sound as flat and calm as possible. “Uncle, I’m here to collect the Mora… that Mr. Li Xin left here.”
A warm, brilliant smile instantly bloomed across the shopkeeper’s face. He looked at the tiny messenger of his ‘mysterious contributor’ as if she were made of solid gold. He even subconsciously craned his neck, peering out the door behind her as if expecting the elusive Mr. Li Xin to be standing in the street.
Naturally, he saw nothing but empty air.
Realizing the little messenger was still waiting, Shopkeeper Sun nodded hurriedly. “Right, right! Please, wait just a moment!”
He ducked behind the counter and quickly retrieved a bulging coin purse. It was significantly larger and heavier than Lovia had ever anticipated.
He pushed it across the polished wood toward her. “This is Mr. Li Xin’s remuneration. Please count it. The writing is truly… truly wonderful! I wonder, does Mr. Li Xin have any plans for the next piece? Regarding the payment, please tell him we can negotiate! We can absolutely negotiate!”
Lovia took the coin purse. The heavy heft of the metal made her small palm sink, and a wave of wild, unadulterated joy crashed through her chest.
Hehe, I finally have money!!
She fought a desperate internal battle to maintain her stoic facade, giving a slow shake of her head. “The gentleman only told me to come and get it. Anything else… I don’t know.”
“I understand, I understand!” Shopkeeper Sun nodded repeatedly, his expression full of deep respect for the eccentricities of a ‘mysterious expert’. “Then please, just pass along a message to Mr. Li Xin. Tell him our bookstore is eagerly awaiting his next great work! The price will definitely be favorable!”
“Mm,” Lovia responded vaguely. She gripped the coin purse tightly against her chest, turned on her heel, and walked out the door as quickly as her short legs could carry her.
She could practically feel Shopkeeper Sun’s eager, burning gaze tracking her back until she finally rounded the corner at the end of the street.
Isn’t this… a bit too much enthusiasm? Lovia grumbled internally, a drop of imaginary sweat sliding down her forehead. It’s just a silly story about the Geo Archon!
Only after she had put several streets between herself and the bookstore, ducking into a secluded, shadowy corner, did she finally allow her trembling fingers to loosen the drawstrings of the coin purse. Inside lay a pile of golden Mora, stacked neatly together. As she shifted the bag, the coins clinked against one another with a faint, heavenly sound.
It was a substantial amount. It would be more than enough to keep her fed for days, and perhaps even enough to rent a tiny roof over her head.
“I did it! I really did it!” Lovia hugged the heavy purse to her chest, her tail wagging so vigorously under her cloak that it threatened to throw her off balance.
She couldn’t resist plucking a single Mora from the pouch, holding it up to the sliver of sunlight filtering into the alley to admire the complex, clear patterns etched into the gold.
She had earned this through her own ability.
Knowledge is power! The ancients truly did not deceive me!
Once the initial rush of adrenaline began to fade, Lovia forced herself to calm down. This money was her startup capital. She couldn’t just sit around and eat her way through it until she was broke again.
“The next piece…” She tightened her grip on her imaginary quill pen, a bright, confident light shining in her eyes. “I have to write it as soon as possible! And it has to be better. More captivating!”
With actual Mora in her pockets, she wouldn’t have to sleep in the cold wilderness anymore. She could find a quiet, private place to focus entirely on her creation.
Perhaps… to save as much money as possible, she could rent that abandoned little shack she had overheard the dockworkers talking about. It was supposedly dirt cheap because it was rumored to be haunted.
I’m a Melusine anyway, she reasoned. Maybe the ghosts will be afraid of me?
But first things first. She was going to have a feast. This time, she wouldn’t have to scavenge. She could sit at a real table, hold her head high, and order a steaming hot bowl of noodles!
Lovia tucked the coin purse securely into an inner pocket, adjusted her hood, and walked with a light, bouncy step toward the bustling street where the thick aroma of cooked food wafted through the air.
Her fingers were already itching to write. What exactly should she plot out for The Travels of Shi Po Chen · Part Two?
Carrying the weight of her very first manuscript fee, Lovia felt as though her posture had naturally straightened. Following the fragmented directions she had gathered from eavesdropping, she handled to the very edge of Liyue Harbor, near the rocky foot of Mt. Tianheng, and found the legendary abandoned shack.
It was exactly as dilapidated as promised. The wooden door hung crookedly on rusted hinges, the paper windows were torn and drafty, and the interior boasted nothing but a rickety wooden bed frame and a broken, dust-caked table.
But the rent was so cheap it was practically non-existent. More, it was completely isolated. No one ever came out this far.
“Haunted?” Lovia muttered, looking up at the thick cobwebs clinging to the rotting beams. She curled her lip in disdain. “Compared to starving to death in an alley or having the Millelith expose my identity, what’s a ghost? Maybe it’ll even give me some writing inspiration.”
She walked over to the broken window, feeling a cool, salty breeze brush against her face. “Besides, it’s so close to the sea. How comfortable!”
As a Melusine, living near a large body of water made her feel fundamentally at ease. The rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the nearby rocks washed away her lingering anxiety.
She spent the next hour doing a simple sweep of the place. She found some flat stones outside to wedge under the uneven legs of the bed, then fetched a bucket of seawater to scrub the grime off the broken table. Finally, she unclasped her magical white cloak and spread it over the wooden bed boards to serve as a makeshift mattress. The fabric seemed to possess an innate enchantment, always remaining perfectly clean and maintaining a cozy, ambient temperature.
Having a place to stay—even one this run-down—finally gave Lovia a sense of security. The four walls and a roof, combined with the soothing lullaby of the ocean, made her Melusine instincts purr with contentment. This place might be a nightmare for a normal human, but for her, it was a perfect sanctuary.
She carefully arranged her precious quill pen and her remaining blank manuscript paper on the freshly wiped table. Then, she hid her heavy purse of Mora in the darkest, most secure corner beneath her makeshift cloak-bed.
The moment the chores were done, a massive, crushing wave of exhaustion and hunger finally caught up with her. She had been running on pure adrenaline and otaku excitement for hours. Now that she was safe, her stomach let out a thunderous, demanding growl.
“Food! Right now!”
Unable to hold out a second longer, Lovia readjusted her hood, ensured her disguise was flawless, and charged back toward the city with a singular, burning objective.
This time, she didn’t have to hide in the shadows of an alley, staring longingly at the steam rising from the woks. She didn’t have to retreat to the wilderness to gnaw on bitter sunsettias. She marched straight up to a bustling noodle stall she had scouted days ago and claimed a small wooden stool in the furthest corner.
“Boss, a bowl of… a bowl of Dragon Beard Noodles!” she called out, trying to force the timidity out of her voice. The moment the words left her mouth, she subconsciously reached up and tugged her hood lower.
“Coming right up! Just a moment, little customer!” the stall owner responded with a booming, cheerful laugh.
She had memorized the menu board long ago. A bowl of Dragon Beard Noodles cost exactly twenty Mora.
Surrounded by the rich, savory scents of the food stall, the wait felt agonizingly long. Thick white steam billowed from the massive iron boiler, carrying the heavy, comforting aroma of wheat and the deep, mellow richness of simmering bone broth. The scent washed over Lovia in waves, forcing her to close her eyes and take deep, greedy breaths.
It was the scent of warmth. The earthy fragrance of mushrooms mixed with the sharp, savory bite of cured ham. To a stomach that had been empty for days, it was the ultimate temptation.
Lovia’s thoughts drifted back to her first few days in Liyue. Back then, she would huddle in the freezing dampness of the docks, watching steaming bowls of noodles being served to laughing merchants and tired sailors. She would watch them slurp the noodles with deep satisfaction, her own tail wagging slightly in phantom anticipation, before wrapping her arms tightly around her aching stomach. To a penniless Melusine, a twenty-Mora bowl of noodles was an unattainable luxury. She had survived by digging up raw shellfish on the beach and scavenging wild fruit.
But everything was different now. The purse hidden back in her shack was heavy enough to buy a mountain of Dragon Beard Noodles. She had earned this meal with her own words.
A loud thunk snapped her back to reality. A massive, steaming porcelain bowl was set down on the wooden table right in front of her.
“Customer, your noodles. Enjoy!” the stall owner announced before turning back to his boiling pots.
The clear, golden broth bubbled gently. The Dragon Beard Noodles, pulled as thin as hair and as white as spun silver, rested perfectly beneath the surface. The dish was garnished with a scattering of bright green scallions and two thin, perfectly pink slices of tender meat.
The aroma hit her like a physical force.
“Th-thank you…” Lovia whispered.
She grabbed the wooden chopsticks provided on the table and clumsily pinched a bundle of the noodles. They were incredibly thin and slippery, threatening to slide right back into the broth, but she didn’t care about table manners anymore. She blew on them frantically for a second before shoving them into her mouth.
Slurp—
The noodles were impossibly soft, sliding down her throat in an instant. They carried the rich, savory explosion of the bone broth and the comforting, earthy taste of wheat. The warmth bloomed in her mouth and cascaded down her esophagus, settling into her stomach like a glowing ember. In a single bite, the lingering cold, hunger, and anxiety of the past few days were completely incinerated.
Delicious!
So delicious!!
This was, without a doubt, the greatest thing she had ever tasted in her entire life. It was the first real, hot meal she had eaten since arriving in Liyue Harbor.
The hot soup warmed her from the inside out, bringing a flushed, comfortable pink to her cheeks hidden beneath the hood. Lovia ate with a fierce, single-minded focus, completely oblivious to the fact that the tip of her tail was happily sweeping back and forth across the dirt floor beneath her stool. She didn’t stop until she had lifted the heavy bowl to her lips and drained every last drop of the savory broth.
When she finally set the empty bowl down, she let out a soft sigh. She felt entirely reborn—warm, full, and brimming with energy.
She carefully counted out twenty Mora from her pocket and placed them on the wooden table. They landed with a crisp, satisfying clink.
“Boss, the money is here,” Lovia called out as she stood up. Her voice carried a newfound confidence.
“Alright! Thanks for your patronage! Come again!” the stall owner waved with a grin.
Having eaten her fill, Lovia didn’t linger in the city. She turned and headed straight back toward her seaside sanctuary.
The next task was of vital importance.
It was time to write.