Aside from Hu Tao and her group, others had also obtained the book in advance.
High-ranking officials in Liyue and Mondstadt were currently reading its contents as well.
For them, acquiring the book a few days early wasn't particularly difficult.
The Steambird had to distribute the book in their territories, so giving them this courtesy was only natural.
In Liyue, only Ningguang and Yelan were reading it.
Ganyu and Keqing were far too busy and had no time for such books—perhaps they'd make time only when Liyue's part of the story was mentioned.
Beidou, meanwhile, was aboard her ship, en route to Inazuma.
She had already read the first act, and this trip was intended to smuggle copies of the first act's novel to Yae Publishing House.
Kaedehara Kazuha held the book in his hands, reading it for the second time.
It had been his idea to sell the books in Inazuma.
Compared to their usual trade, smuggling books wasn't particularly profitable, but Beidou had agreed to bring some along as a favor to him.
"Who knows if Inazuma will be mentioned? Can this book change the Shogun's views on [Eternity]?"
Perhaps it could, but the story of Mondstadt alone wouldn't be enough. They could only hope the author would write about Inazuma.
Over in Mondstadt, Jean, Lisa, and others had gathered in Jean's office to read the book.
The Traveler and Paimon were also present.
As Mondstadt's hero and Honorary Knight, Lumine had every right to be there.
A group of high-ranking Knights gathered together, not discussing work but reading a book, had effectively turned the Acting Grand Master's office into a library.
Regarding the Fatui's actions, Liyue hadn't made any particular remarks.
The Fatui in Liyue Harbor were far from assertive in diplomatic matters.
But Mondstadt was far less tolerant.
This story was written for all of Teyvat—wasn't this just humiliating the Knights of Favonius in front of the entire world?
Fortunately, Jean's stance was firm enough that no one could accuse Mondstadt of weakness.
"Acting Grand Master, I think I should return to my post as soon as possible."
Eula was the first to lose patience.
She wanted to go back immediately to monitor the Fatui and find some excuse to cause trouble for them.
If the Fatui insulted the Lawrence Clan, she could endure it.
But insulting Mondstadt? Insulting the Four Winds? Unacceptable! That was Eula's conviction.
"Not so fast, little Eula. Let's see if there are any incidents later that might require our attention," Lisa said with a smile.
Her expression remained cheerful, though no one could tell how much anger lay beneath that smile.
"Lisa is right."
Jean nodded. The most important thing was ensuring Mondstadt's safety.
Right now, the Knights were short-handed, and every bit of strength was precious.
Kaeya crossed his arms, pondering how to mess with the Fatui.
Meanwhile, his adoptive brother Diluc had already come up with a plan.
Diluc glanced at the drunken bard happily guzzling wine—this guy was probably Barbatos, the Anemo Archon.
So, wouldn't the bottles he drank from carry traces of the Anemo Archon's aura?
What if he mixed all the bottles from Angel's Share with the ones the bard had drunk from and sold them to the Fatui?
The bottles would indeed bear the Anemo Archon's presence, but if they were all jumbled together, the Fatui wouldn't be able to tell which was which.
Wouldn't they have to buy all of them?
Venti had no idea what Diluc was scheming, happily chugging the free wine Diluc had given him.
"Hehehe, so delicious~"
Unbeknownst to him, the Anemo Archon had just made an inadvertent contribution to Mondstadt's economy.
The group continued reading. After the Fatui diplomat left, the Traveler arrived.
Jean revealed to the Traveler that the Fatui had long coveted the power of the Anemo Archon.
That was why they sought to kill Dvalin—to steal the Anemo Archon's power from his familiar.
Speaking of the Anemo Archon's familiar, the Traveler recalled the red crystal they had found in the forest.
It had appeared after Dvalin left—perhaps it was connected to him.
Lisa analyzed the red crystal.
She could only determine that it contained some kind of corrupted impurity; further analysis would take time.
Everyone in Mondstadt turned their eyes to Lumine.
"Red crystal? I don't remember picking up any crystal…?" Lumine was puzzled.
No one doubted her, but it was still strange—the book clearly mentioned it being found in the forest, so she should have picked it up by now.
Had the timeline changed, causing her to miss it this time?
Then Amber spoke up: "You mean that 'dragon egg.'"
Dragon egg? What dragon egg? Everyone was curious.
"Ohhh, you mean that dragon egg!" Lumine finally remembered.
She hadn't picked up a red crystal, but she had found a red "dragon egg."
Lumine pulled out the "dragon egg."
Everyone else broke into a cold sweat.
Wasn't this just the crystal described in the book? How did a teardrop-shaped object get mistaken for a dragon egg?
Lumine, ever the optimist, insisted: "What if dragon eggs just look like this?"
"Mmm, it's definitely tainted with foul energy," Lisa remarked.
It felt like Abyssal power, but also something more.
Lisa wasn't sure—she'd need to consult the restricted section of the library.
"Don't touch it. The book says the corruption on it reacts adversely with [Visions]," Jean warned.
Everyone kept their distance, leaving only Paimon and Lumine able to handle it, as neither possessed a Vision.
"Guess our little cutie will have to hold onto it for now."
Lumine nodded, though it was unclear whether she was agreeing to keep it or acknowledging the "little cutie" remark.
According to the book, the Knights should have bestowed the title of Honorary Knight upon Lumine at this point.
But due to her valiant efforts during Dvalin's attack on the city, she had already received the title long ago, so there was no need to bring it up again.
Lumine didn't mind. Though the game didn't emphasize it, in reality, the Honorary Knight title had brought her many benefits.
Not only were the people of Mondstadt more accepting of her, but she also received discounts when shopping and even free gifts from strangers on the street.
The minor detour didn't disrupt the group's reading.
In the book, Lumine had kept one thing from the Knights—the green-clad youth she'd encountered where she saw the dragon.
Her reasoning in the book was that she wanted to investigate first.
In reality, she hadn't mentioned it because everyone already knew.
The book described how a certain poet had brazenly run past the duo right under their noses.
Paimon and Lumine had frozen for a moment, failing to react in time.
They'd only noticed that his clothes seemed to be the same color as the person they'd seen earlier.
Jean couldn't help but facepalm. Was it really a good idea to entrust these two with the mission? How could they be so oblivious?
Ningguang also allowed herself a faint smile. This Traveler was quite amusing—enough to catch her attention.
"An adventurer like this seems like she'd need the services of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor," Hu Tao cheerfully remarked.
"Director..." Zhongli sighed.
Had she not been paying attention? This Traveler was an outlander—she'd probably outlive even him.
Hu Tao had been treating the book as mere fiction and hadn't read it too seriously, focusing only on the parts that interested her.
Such as when the dragon disaster struck Mondstadt.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Lumine – About Dragon's Tears
"Sigh... So it wasn't a dragon egg after all. So disappointing. Why didn't the boss drop a taming rope?"