"May I ask, who exactly is the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles?"
"If the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles is sustaining the Heavenly Principles, then what exactly are the 'Heavenly Principles'?"
Charlotte dropped these bombshell questions right away, leaving Lucian momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
To begin with, Lucian 's understanding of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles wasn't particularly deep. Even if he did know more, he couldn't just casually divulge such information.
Lucian was an outsider to this world, and his affairs would not be recorded on the Irminsul.
So, writing or speaking about these matters posed no issue for him—the Heavenly Principles would remain unaware.
But Charlotte was a native of Teyvat. Knowing too much would do her no good.
After some thought, Lucian replied, "Let's keep it under wraps for now. Otherwise, wouldn't that be spoiling things?"
Charlotte nodded in agreement.
Aside from being the nation of justice, Fontaine was also the nation of opera.
The people of this country loved watching operas, so they naturally understood how terrible spoilers could be.
What she didn't know was that while Lucian was now claiming he wouldn't spoil anything, his novel was about to drop a massive spoiler.
"Then, may I ask, where do the twins come from?"
"Contains spoilers."
"What exactly is the 'arrogation of humankind'?"
"Contains spoilers."
"What kind of creature is Paimon?"
"Contains spoilers."
"Has Lumine found her brother?"
"Contains spoilers."
"..."
"..."
Charlotte pouted.
In the end, she hadn't gotten anything out of him—every question was a potential spoiler.
Giving up, she stopped asking, put away her notebook, and picked up the book again to continue reading.
In the story, the protagonist Lumine and Paimon arrived before the Statue of The Seven.
With just a light touch, Lumine gained the power of Anemo.
Reading this, Charlotte couldn't help but sigh.
Fiction was fiction, after all—the protagonist's cheat ability was quite something. How nice it would be if she could do the same.
With that, she could have mastered all seven elements by now while traveling the world for interviews.
But Charlotte wasn't obsessed with power. After a brief moment of marveling at Lumine's "golden finger," she continued reading.
A giant dragon flew over the traveler's head, heading toward a distant forest.
When the traveler entered the forest, they saw a young boy soothing the dragon's emotions.
[The green-clad boy cupped his hands gently and said, "Don't be afraid, it's alright. I'm back."]
Lucian had deliberately kept his depiction of Venti vague.
After all, if the Anemo Archon's identity was guessed outright, where would the fun be?
"The dragon disaster in Mondstadt?"
Seeing the mention of Mondstadt and the dragon, Charlotte recalled the dragon crisis.
She had previously visited Mondstadt to cover the incident.
"It's been a while since it happened, right? Can it still be considered hot news now?"
For Fontaine, the novelty of Mondstadt's dragon disaster had long passed, and few still talked about it.
Would writing about it now in a novel even manage to ride the wave of its relevance?
"But this green-clad boy can actually communicate with the dragon... Who is he?"
As she read further, Charlotte's questions only multiplied instead of being resolved.
Just as she was about to continue, the cruise ship arrived at its destination.
"Attention, passengers—please mind your safety," Melusine reminded the disembarking crowd.
"We're here already? So soon?" Charlotte was stunned.
She had only just started reading!
Lucian, meanwhile, quipped from the side, "That's because you spent most of the time grilling me with questions."
"Oh right, the interview report! I need to hurry back to The Steambird to organize my materials."
With that, Charlotte handed the book back to Lucian.
"Shikikan-sensei, come with me—I'll take you to The Steambird."
She remembered that Lucian had mentioned wanting to submit his work there.
"This is your first time in Fontaine, right? Let me be your guide."
Worried that Lucian, being new and unfamiliar with the place, might get lost, Charlotte volunteered to lead the way.
Lucian had no objections. Fontaine was far larger than in the game, and he was genuinely concerned about losing his way here.
As they walked, Lucian said, "Miss Charlotte, I think we're familiar enough by now. You don't need to call me 'teacher' or use formal pronouns."
"Understood, Shikikan-sensei."
"I mean, could you just call me Shikikan? Or Lucian?"
"Of course, Shikikan-sensei."
"?"
Aren't we both speaking the language of Teyvat?
Is Fontaine's linguistic habit different from Liyue's, or did I fail to get my point across?
Why does it feel like this entire conversation was pointless?
[Emotional Value Obtained: 100]
[Source: Charlotte]
[Content: Why are you deliberately calling me 'Miss Charlotte'? That's not my surname!]
Charlotte pretended not to notice Lucian's bewildered expression.
Her responses were entirely intentional—payback for Lucian deliberately addressing her as "Miss Charlotte."
How mean!
But jokes aside, Charlotte still had serious matters to discuss with Lucian.
"Shikikan-sensei, I can't assess your market value right now."
"So, the fee for the interview will have to wait. How about I treat you to a meal instead?"
"Sure." Lucian didn't stand on ceremony.
He had already spent most of his savings on the journey here.
After arriving in Fontaine, he'd need to rent a place, and who knew when his manuscript fees would come through?
Charlotte's offer of a meal now was truly a timely rescue.
This might very well be the best meal Lucian would have in a while.
At least Charlotte had stopped using formal pronouns now.
Unaware of Lucian's thoughts, Charlotte quietly led the way.
"This is The Steambird. The editors are on the second floor, first three doors on the left—all part of the editorial department."
"Shikikan-sensei, you can go in and find an editor yourself. I need to return to my desk and organize my materials, so I can't accompany you."
After all, Charlotte had just returned from a news assignment.
Aside from Lucian's interview, she had other news materials to sort through.
"Once I've filed my materials, I'll come find you. Then we can get that meal and find you a place to stay."
With that, Charlotte dashed into The Steambird, waving as she spoke.
Fortunately, Lucian had sharp ears—otherwise, given Charlotte's sprinting speed, he might have missed her words entirely due to the distance.
"She's so fast... I didn't even get to say thanks..." Lucian couldn't help but marvel.
Is this what reporters are like? This speed is beyond ordinary.
Entering The Steambird, Lucian followed Charlotte's directions and found an editor.
It was an NPC he didn't recognize.
The conversation went smoothly. After reviewing the content and consulting with others, the editor agreed to publish Lucian's novel.
It would be trial-released in Fontaine and Mondstadt.
As for the fee, it would be a 50-50 split.
Hearing this, Lucian barely suppressed the urge to ask, "Who's the '50'?"
He forcefully pushed down the mischievous thought.
Exiting The Steambird, he saw Charlotte waiting at the entrance, waving at him.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Charlotte — About Lucian
"You mean Shikikan-sensei? He may tease a lot, but he's actually quite reliable. Most importantly, his novels always make for major headlines!"