Dawn at Wangshu Inn awoke with vibrant golden sunbeams, filtering through the wooden window frame and illuminating Mei's small room. The familiar hustle and bustle from the lobby below reached her ears, gently rousing her from a lingering slumber. With a soft rub of her still-drowsy eyes, Mei sat up and glanced around the quiet room before her daily routine began.
After her usual morning rituals, Mei made her way to the bustling reception area, a small habit she adopted to find joy in her days of wandering. Her gaze swept across every face and every corner until it landed on a table hidden behind a pillar, where Diluc and Elzer were deep in a quiet conversation.
Diluc’s voice was low and serious, tinged with a hint of doubt.
- Diluc: So you're really going to burn it?
Sitting opposite him, Elzer's hands were tightly gripping an old, worn book, his knuckles white.
- Elzer: Yes! I’ve made up my mind this time. This thing… it's better off not existing.
His voice caught in his throat, and his eyes gazed at the book as if it were an object of defilement.
- Elzer: It’s the only thing I can do for him now…
His last words faded into the silent air, carrying a profound and unshakeable sadness.
Mei froze. Their words were like an invisible thread, pulling at her attention. But her eyes were completely captivated by the book in Elzer’s hands.
- Mei: Huh, that book looks so familiar. Could it be…
A vague sense of déjà vu rose in Mei’s heart, like a distant memory suddenly flickering to life. Unable to suppress her burgeoning curiosity, Mei unconsciously walked toward their table and greeted them as naturally as she could.
- Mei: Good morning, Diluc, Elzer.
Both Diluc and Elzer seemed a little surprised by Mei’s sudden appearance. Diluc gave a slight nod, his gaze briefly and coldly sweeping over her, while Elzer offered a small, strained smile.
- Mei (her eyes fixed on the book): May I ask, what is the name of that book?
Elzer lowered his head to look at the book, his finger tracing the worn and frayed cover.
- Elzer: This is ‘The Vanity of the Wind,’ a book that has been banned in Mondstadt.
- Mei (glancing at the cover, certain in her heart): I can’t be mistaken. A quest in Sumeru mentioned it.
- Mei: I’ve heard a little about it, I think. It was written by Khemusanta – a very famous author in Mondstadt, right?
A look of deep disgust crossed Elzer’s face as he stared at the book.
- Elzer: That's right, but in the end, he wrote such a piece of garbage... It’s nothing but mockery toward Mondstadt's history and the Anemo Archon, Barbatos.
- Elzer (his voice bitter): As a citizen of the Anemo Archon, he trampled on the very honor he had built for himself, all for a few lousy Mora.
- Elzer: But why... why did he write something like that?
- Mei (her voice full of curiosity): How do you know so much about Khemusanta?
Elzer fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly, his eyes heavy with sorrow.
- Elzer: …He was my father.
- Mei: Huh?!
Mei was stunned, her mouth agape, her eyes wide with disbelief. Internally, a chorus of unanswerable questions screamed in her head.
- Mei: What?! Elzer is Khemusanta’s son? The lore never mentioned that!
- Mei: That’s strange. What quest is this, anyway? There aren't any hints?
Diluc turned to look at Mei, his face retaining its usual composure. His voice was calm, but his sharp eyes were scrutinizing her every reaction.
- Diluc: This news seems to have come as quite a shock to her.
Elzer let out a small, contemptuous sneer.
- Elzer: It’s to be expected. Before he wrote that thing, he was beloved and admired by many.
- Mei (in agreement, thinking to herself): That’s true. Khemusanta didn’t appear directly in that quest, but he left a good impression on me as a character.
- Mei (thinking to herself): As for why Khemusanta wrote ‘The Vanity of the Wind’…
Mei's train of thought was interrupted by Elzer's gentle voice. He had regained his composure and gave her an apologetic smile.
- Elzer: My apologies, you had to hear such unpleasant things.
- Mei (quickly shaking her head with a bright smile): Haha, don’t be silly. I'm glad you shared your story.
- Mei (looking at Elzer with a serious expression): But, if I told you your father wasn't that kind of person... would you believe me?
At her question, Elzer's eyes fell, concealing a deep sorrow.
- Elzer: Isn't the truth already painfully obvious…?
- Mei (sighing to herself): Haizz, it's understandable he doesn't believe me. Khemusanta was the type of person who spoke little and acted a lot, after all.
- Mei (thinking to herself): As for that book… it's the key to this whole story.
-:Mei (a struggle within): But… should I tell them? What if it's like the poisoned wine incident from before?
Mei hesitated, her eyes flickering between curiosity and worry. She looked into Elzer’s eyes as he spoke of his father — a complicated gaze, filled with anger and contempt, but deep down, a sorrow he couldn't hide. Taking a deep breath, her eyes filled with resolve, she clenched her fists and spoke.
- Mei: Elzer! Can I borrow that book? I promise to return it to you tomorrow.
- Elzer (with a hint of suspicion, scrutinizing Mei): Why would you want to borrow it, Miss Mei? It’s not a good thing. You'd be better off reading a book on wine brewing.
- Mei (clasping her hands together, her voice sincere): It's okay, I can handle it. Please, let me borrow it, Elzer.
Elzer looked at Diluc, as if waiting for his master's approval. Diluc stared at Mei for a moment, his eyes unreadable, then gave a slight nod. Elzer was pensive for a moment, then finally spoke.
- Elzer: Alright. Though I don’t know why you want to borrow it so much… letting it exist for one more day won't hurt anything.
- Mei (cheering happily): Thank you! Well, I won't bother you any longer. I'll be going now.
Before she left, Mei turned back and looked Elzer straight in the eyes with a strange certainty.
- Mei: Elzer, tomorrow I'm going to show you a truth that couldn't be more real. Get your mind ready.
Elzer watched Mei’s figure disappear beyond the door, his heart filled with doubt.
- Elzer: I don't understand what Mei is planning, but I will wait for her.
After Mei had left, Diluc finally broke the silence. His voice was low and deep, holding a trace of significant suspicion.
- Diluc: She always appears at moments like these. It's quite a coincidence.
Elzer stared thoughtfully at the spot where Mei had stood, a faint flicker of hope in his eyes.
- Elzer: But what she said… that my father wasn't that kind of person, and about the book… it gives me a little hope.
- Diluc (looking at Elzer, giving a small nod): And isn't that a good thing? What if the truth isn't what we've always believed?
Hearing Diluc's words, Elzer lowered his eyes, lost in a flurry of thoughts about a distant past. Diluc saw this, then stood up and said:
- Diluc: I'm going to my room to rest.
- Elzer (nodding slightly, his eyes not leaving the book): Understood.
After Diluc had left, Elzer remained sitting there, lost in questions with no answers.
- Elzer: Why, in the end, did my father write that book?
- Elzer: Were the things I’ve known for so many years… really the truth?
He was lost in reverie about the father he thought he knew so well, suddenly remembering a day from long ago…
---
"11 years ago – an old house in a small corner of Mondstadt…"
Elzer, then a young man, was diligently sweeping the yard. Suddenly, a familiar yet strange figure appeared before him. It was a man, thin and sickly, his face gaunt with hardship. His clothes were disheveled, his hair tangled, as if he hadn't cared for himself in a long time, making him look much older than he was.
- Elzer (shouting in anger, his voice filled with bitterness): Why did you come back, Father? And you wrote something like that? Everyone thinks you're a traitor... Aren't you ashamed?
His eyes were filled with fury and sadness as he looked straight at the man. Khemusanta simply sighed, a bitter trace of a smile on his haggard face.
- Khemusanta: I got the Mora anyway. I just wrote whatever they wanted.
His voice was calm to the point of coldness, as if he were talking about something completely unrelated to him. Hearing that, Elzer's voice broke, his nose stinging with emotion.
- Elzer: You abandoned me and Mother for four years! When you disappeared, she was so heartbroken she fell ill and died. You didn’t even show up for her funeral!
His voice shattered, and painful memories rushed back like a flood.
- Elzer: Now you’re talking as if everything is normal… How can you still have the audacity to come back?!
At this, Elzer’s eyes were red, hot tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. He remembered his mother, her gentle voice and warm gestures, and her choked-up words of comfort that his father would soon return…
He also remembered the nights she would lean tiredly against the window frame, her eyes distant, staring out into the quiet darkness, her lips softly whispering:
“Still not back yet…”
“Didn't you promise that our whole family would participate in the Windblume Festival like every year?”
- Khemusanta (sighing softly, his voice low): Elzer, listen to me. I loved her more than anything in the world. Both you and she are my priceless treasures…
- Elzer (cutting him off, his voice trembling): Enough! Don’t say another word! Mother is dead! What’s the point of saying this now?!
- Elzer (his voice catching in his throat): When I was a child… I used to admire you so much, I wanted to grow up to be an author just like you. Why did you have to do this?
- Khemusanta (taking a deep breath, his eyes looking off into the distance): Being an author… I'm done with it. I won’t do it anymore.
Hearing those words, Elzer was stunned for a moment, and all the pent-up emotions suddenly exploded.
- Elzer (his voice bitter, laced with anger and disappointment): I guess it’s a good thing you gave up being an author. A man who trades his honor and self-respect for Mora shouldn't be putting pen to paper anymore.
Khemusanta simply looked at him, smiling a sad smile, without a single word of explanation. The relationship between the two of them grew distant over the years, like a crack that could never be mended.
“9 years ago – a wooden house outside Mondstadt…”
Elzer gently brought a bowl of medicine to the bed for the man lying barely alive.
- Elzer (his voice hushed): This medicine is very good. It was prescribed by Master Baizhu himself. If you drink it regularly, there's a chance you'll recover.
Khemusanta lay on the bed, his frail body seeming to have been drained of all life force. He tried to sit up, his dry lips moving slightly. His voice was weak, but his eyes held a strange sense of tranquility.
- Khemusanta: My body… I know it best. Don't try to save me anymore, it's useless.
- Khemusanta: Perhaps… I'll soon be reunited with your mother…
- Elzer (quickly interrupting his father, his eyes red): Don't say such inauspicious things… This prescription will definitely work!
- Khemusanta (smiling faintly, his voice hoarse): Haha, in the end… I wrote the worst piece of garbage, didn't I?
- Elzer (sighing softly, his voice filled with a hint of reproach): What's the point of talking about that now, in this state?
- Elzer: Anyway… your reputation was completely destroyed after that came out.
---
Elzer’s flashback was interrupted by a polite greeting from behind him.
- ???: Haha, hello, Sir Elzer.
- Elzer (startled, turning his head slightly): Oh! Hello, sir.
- Huai’an (walking over, a cordial smile on his face): You've been sitting lost in thought for so long. Is something on your mind?
- Elzer (quickly smiling and shaking his head): Nothing at all. I was just reminiscing about some old memories.
- Elzer (skillfully changing the subject): Regarding the cooperation between the inn and the winery, have you and your wife come to a decision?
- Huai’an (answering, his smile never fading): We'll need a little more time to think about that.
- Elzer (waving his hand, showing no sense of urgency): Haha, there’s no need to rush. My master and I will await your answer.
After receiving his reply, Elzer excused himself to rest. Huai’an did not press him to stay, generously seeing him off.