Escaping the library took only a few short strides, yet Victor Wang's heart pounded wildly. He couldn't tell if it was because a beautiful woman had just held his hand—or if they had simply been running too fast.
Even though Teyvat was full of stunning women, he had developed some resistance to charm.
But being single since birth, he had never held hands with a girl he didn't know well.
Back in school, both parents and teachers had repeatedly forbidden early romance. Then in college, he picked a major with few girls—effectively missing his last chance at campus love.
And once he entered society, the only people he met were either married or about to be.
What are you thinking? It was just handholding!
Victor Wang shook his head, half-wishing he could slap himself.
But it seemed Emma had something else in mind. Even though they had already slowed down, she was still tightly holding his hand. Only when Victor Wang shyly tried to pull away did she smile apologetically and let go.
"Mr. Dust, once we get the publication license, I'll have the press start printing immediately. Let's hold the launch signing event as early as possible—say, tomorrow morning at 9 AM, still at the Favonius Bookstore?"
"Sure."
"This time, I'll prepare more books. Five thousand might be too much for one day… Let's go with three thousand. We should finish by 6 PM."
Three thousand copies. If each one brought in a net profit of five hundred Mora, a full sellout would mean 1.5 million Mora.
They walked in silence up the stairs to the third floor.
"Mr. Dust?"
"Hmm?"
Lisa, Lisa… if you won't make a move, don't blame me for trying. Emma mustered her courage. "Do you… have a girlfriend?"
Victor Wang froze. "Why ask something like that all of a sudden?"
"I just… wanted to know more about you."
Victor Wang shook his head. Emma's heart leapt.
"Emma, how do you see me?"
"Eh? Let me think… Mysterious. Talented."
Talented, huh? Heh…
"You haven't even seen what I really look like."
Victor Wang pulled down his cloak hood—he didn't want the first girl who vaguely confessed to him to picture him as a shadowy figure.
Emma replied, "Now I need to add 'handsome.'"
"…But I'm still wearing a mask."
"That doesn't matter."
"…." Victor Wang shook his head and pulled the hood back on.
In school, he had chances but no emotional intelligence. Working life brought emotional intelligence but no chances.
And now? Now he was basically a monster.
That morning, Victor Wang had just finished sorting out the publication details for Alice in Wonderland with Emma. That afternoon, while training with Bennett at East Wind Plaza, he ran into an adventurer distributing flyers for the book's launch signing.
By the time he returned to the inn that evening, several nearby bookstores already had posters of Alice in Wonderland displayed, featuring the slogan: "Follow Alice to reclaim your lost imagination!"
This is way better than the DIY marketing for my first book! Victor Wang had to admire Emma's efficiency.
The signing event the next day was even grander and livelier than the first.
Red carpet stretched along the path where readers queued up, leading directly to the author's table. Balloons and confetti adorned the sides. The staff had doubled in number, keeping the crowd in smooth order.
One staff member called out toward the back, "This signing event only accepts Tales from the Box and Alice in Wonderland. Please show your books for verification. If you don't have either title, you must purchase one here or you'll be asked to leave."
A long table beside him was stacked high with Alice in Wonderland copies, with two staff members handling sales.
Victor Wang, as usual, arrived nearly twenty minutes early. As soon as he sat down, Emma emerged from the bookstore with flair, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Start early?"
"Mm."
The line began moving.
With his excellent memory, Victor Wang recognized many returning readers from Tales from the Box. To them, he added a special, "Thank you for supporting Tales from the Box."
Some were thrilled—amazed that Mr. Dust remembered them.
But to Victor Wang, it was just one extra sentence. Without these readers' support, as a rootless, low-powered Hilichurl, he would have had no decent way to earn money.
Their support was what allowed him to buy dandelions and Tail of Boreas.
Even Les Mill, the reader who had left a deep impression, showed up—still up to his antics: "Please write here: 'Dust ♡ Les Mill'."
As lunchtime neared, none of the Vision holders Victor Wang knew had shown up—only an unexpected troublemaker.
"King of Fairy Tales, Dust? I thought Tales from the Box was mediocre. This new book? Totally ruined your rep! What a mess! No depth, no logic!"
The guy looked average and had acted normal while waiting, but once in front of Victor, he started causing a scene.
Emma adjusted her glasses. "If you don't like it, don't buy it. No need to cause trouble."
"Hey! I just want everyone to see what kind of hack Dust really is! This so-called Alice in Wonderland is complete trash!" He raised his book dramatically and shouted at the readers behind him.
"Guards!"
Two Knights of Favonius soldiers removed the man from the signing area. But soon, more hecklers started popping up like mushrooms after rain. One even hurled slurs at Victor and Emma—calling them illicit lovers. Emma responded by knocking him out cold with a fierce high kick.
"I swear, if I don't get angry, people think I'm a pushover!" She brushed her pants off and shot a sharp glare at the crowd—scaring away a few would-be agitators.
By late afternoon, the line had finally shortened.
Amber showed up, followed by Lumine and Paimon.
As Victor signed Amber's book, he wondered whether the staff had counted Paimon as her own person or bundled her with Lumine.
Turned out, they each brought a book—Lumine had Tales from the Box, and Paimon had Alice in Wonderland.
"I can't believe you're the author of Tales from the Box! Lumine and I love that book!"
["Hmph! Bow before my master's brilliance!"]
Emma looked surprised. "Who said that?"
Victor Wang coughed and slapped the hilt of his sword. "Probably your imagination. Paimon, what would you like me to write?"
"Hmm… Just 'To Lumine and Paimon — Dust' will do."
After sending the trio off, more familiar faces appeared.
"I meant to give you copies after the release, but the publisher insisted on a launch signing…" Victor Wang rubbed his nose sheepishly.
"No problem. It wasn't expensive. Think of it as our way of showing support." Albedo, with his usual calm demeanor, admired the illustrations. The subtle smile in his eyes and lips might've revealed satisfaction—but no one could be sure.
Sucrose and Klee were much more visibly excited.
To Sucrose, a signing event was like alchemy. Results mattered, but the process was just as important. Getting a signed copy in person from a favorite author meant more than just being handed one later.
Klee was thrilled to own a beloved storybook—and even happier knowing her artwork was seen by so many.
Then came Fischl. She had originally planned to ask the author how to boost her imagination, but seeing that the author was Victor Wang made her break character.
"Ahahaha! Shadow, I should've known—who else could craft such a fantastical masterpiece? As expected!"
"Oh, honored ruler of the Immernachtreich, Prinzessin der Verurteilung, is there anything I may do for you?"
"Hehe~ Then I shall graciously permit you to inscribe my full noble title: Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort!" Fischl was elated.
Emma: "???"
As the event neared its end, someone Victor Wang hadn't expected showed up.
"Excuse me, is there any kind of cookie, potion, or mushroom that makes people hate alcohol?" asked a pink-haired, cat-eared girl.
Knowing exactly what she meant, Victor Wang shook his head. "Sorry. Fairy tales are just stories. Things like that don't exist in real life."
"I see… I figured as much…"
Hope crushed again, Diona's tail drooped. But she quickly perked up—after all, she had failed so many times trying to brew bad-tasting alcohol. She was used to it.
Just as she was about to leave with her book, a voice piped up:
["Wow! This girl has been blessed by the pure water sprite with the 'can brew delicious wine no matter what' talent! I've been in Teyvat for centuries and barely seen that!"]
Victor Wang's face turned pale. He didn't expect Little Wen to see that—much less blurt it out. Thankfully, Emma had walked off, and only he and Diona were within earshot.
"What blessing?!" Diona had clearly heard.
"Ahaha… maybe, possibly, probably the 'no matter what you make, it'll taste amazing' blessing?" he fumbled.
Having such a blessing was likely a good thing—but knowing Diona, she'd want to break it. He didn't want to get involved in that decision.
"Seriously… So that's it. Then—do you know how to remove it?"
"Sorry. I don't. But isn't that kind of blessing great? Why would you want to undo it?"
Diona briefly explained her grand ambition to destroy Mondstadt's wine industry—and how the blessing was her biggest obstacle.
Victor Wang sighed dramatically. "I see… What a shame there's no way to break the blessing…"
["There is! I know how to undo it!"]
"Shut up!"
Diona glanced suspiciously at Victor Wang's waist. "Who's talking?"
"It's just your imagination. It's only us here."
Diona wasn't convinced. She leaned toward the Wentian Sword beneath Victor's cloak. "Can you tell me how to remove the blessing?"
The Wentian Sword began to tremble—so much that Victor needed both hands to restrain it.
["Aaah! Sorry, Master! I just can't say no to cute girls—I have to help her!"]
"??? So much for loyal to the end—it's worthless when a cute girl's involved, huh?"