Lucian dives into the sea to search for Vacher's factory.
Meanwhile, the others begin reading another of his masterpieces—Love and Teyvat.
The first story features one of the "Big Three," Kaeya, in Pavo Ocellus Chapter: The Pirate's Secret Treasure.
Seeing this title, Lumine immediately makes an "I knew it" face.
So this guy really is a pirate! Just as expected!
Kaeya himself lets out a bitter smile.
It seems his plan to use the Traveler as bait is about to be exposed. He'll have to come up with a new strategy to catch thieves.
"Sigh, looks like I'll have to change my thief-catching plans. Now, even if I tell the Traveler about a treasure, she won't believe me, right?"
"Why don't you just handle it yourself?" Diluc says.
"Well, as long as the problem gets solved, why not use a method that's both easy and fun?" Kaeya replies with a grin.
"..." Diluc falls silent. He's always been efficiency-oriented, but his adoptive brother is the complete opposite—only caring about the result.
"This is exactly why I say the Knights of Favonius are sluggish." In the end, Diluc still manages to throw in a jab at the Knights.
The story of The Pirate's Secret Treasure is actually quite simple.
Kaeya tells the Traveler that his grandfather left behind a treasure map and asks her to go look for it.
["Actually, my grandfather was a pirate!"]
["See this eyepatch? It's an heirloom from him!"]
If Beidou weren't still in Inazuma and hadn't gotten her hands on this book yet,
she would've burst out laughing and invited Kaeya onto her ship to have a little chat about "inheritance."
Diluc glances at Kaeya indifferently and says in a flat tone:
"Your grandfather was a pirate? Since when?"
For once, Kaeya doesn't retort. Instead, he just smiles.
"Who knows? I never met him."
Diluc doesn't respond.
He knows Kaeya's secrets—knows that Kaeya is actually a deeply conflicted and self-blaming person. So, for once, he doesn't pick a fight.
Silently, he slides a bottle of wine in front of Kaeya. "Finish this and get to work. No slacking off."
Kaeya grins. The wine he failed to mooch last time has finally fallen into his lap.
Meanwhile, another person in the room stares wide-eyed—none other than the Anemo Archon Barbatos, a permanent fixture at the tavern.
"Huh!?" Venti is shocked. "You can just do that!?"
"Master Diluc, I've never met my grandfather either..." Venti hints.
"..."
That would be weirder if you had, wouldn't it?
In the book, Kaeya continues boasting about his grandfather's exploits—
claiming he slew the "Silver-Haired Serpent Demon," the "Eight-Headed Sea Serpent," and the "Abyssal Evil Dragon" with a single divine sword.
If Osial weren't still sealed away, one might even think Morax had a grandson.
After much embellishment, Kaeya finally reveals his true purpose:
["Lately, a group of Treasure Hoarders has been very active. Relics have gone missing from several ruins."]
["If they discover that divine sword..."]
As the saying goes, "The spectator sees most clearly." Reading this, Lumine finally understands.
The truth of the story isn't the point—the Treasure Hoarders are!
If she'd been talking to Kaeya face-to-face, she might've gotten hung up on the story's authenticity and overlooked the real issue.
Damn schemers and their dirty tricks!
Meanwhile, Paimon, standing beside her, still hasn't caught on—her reaction mirrors the one in the book.
["That won't do! If it's going to fall into the wrong hands, we should..." Paimon says.]
She wants to keep it for herself.
"Hehehe, that's so me."
Just like in the book, Paimon crosses her arms, proud of her own cleverness.
"Let's go ask Kaeya for the treasure map right now!" Paimon says eagerly.
"But, Paimon, this is obviously a trick," Lumine explains.
"What!? So it's all a lie!? The prophecy was fake!?" Paimon gasps.
"...I mean Kaeya's lying to you..." Lumine facepalms.
"Huh? So the divine sword isn't real...?" Paimon deflates.
She isn't angry about being tricked—just disappointed the sword doesn't exist.
In her mind, if the sword were real, Lumine's journey would be much safer.
(And, well, there's also the tiny little reason that if Lumine got stronger, she could earn more Mora to feed Paimon.)
In reality, Paimon is stopped by Lumine—but not in the story.
In the story, Paimon is enthusiastic. Though Lumine isn't as gullible as Paimon,
she mainly questions the story's authenticity rather than realizing she's being used as bait.
So, after Paimon's relentless pestering, Lumine finally agrees to investigate the ruins.
However, the moment they reach the Adventurers' Guild, Paimon immediately spills the secret.
["We're looking for a super, super, SUPER amazing divine sword!"]
["Mr. Cyrus, do you know where the Arcadian Ruins are?"]
["Never heard of it. But thanks for sharing the intel." Cyrus shakes his head.]
["Huh!? Sharing... intel...?"]
Both the Paimon in the story and the real Paimon are utterly confused. When did she share any intel?
Lumine sighs helplessly. With a guide like this, forget about keeping any treasure for themselves.
Unsurprisingly, the Treasure Hoarders overhear this information.
Back at the tavern, Kaeya nods in satisfaction.
As expected of the Traveler and Paimon's IQ—they leaked the secret so fast.
Seeing Kaeya's smug, scheming face, Diluc snatches the remaining wine away.
"On second thought, you're not getting any. Go work."
"Huh!?"
Kaeya protests his innocence—he hasn't even started this plan yet!
Besides, he was already planning to change tactics, so why is he being punished for something he hasn't done!?
That was my hard-earned bottle of wine!
Venti keeps his mouth shut, afraid of drawing attention, his eyes darting nervously.
Oh no. If Master Diluc finds out about my plans, will I never get free drinks again!?
If I throw my Gnosis in front of the Goth Hotel right now, is it too late!?
Author, please don't write about my original plan!
Embarrassment is one thing, but losing my wine is absolutely unacceptable!
[Emotional Value Obtained: 100]
[Source: Venti]
[Content: Author, please don't write about my original plan! My wine!]
The sudden notification catches Lucian off guard.
The last time he heard it was when Gotelinde was confessing to Venti—he didn't expect it to be Venti's turn now.
(Since it would disrupt the pacing, I didn't write about it last time, but now's a good chance to mention it.)
The second act didn't have many emotionally devastating moments—just some excitement from the nuns, whether about Lord Barbatos or the Holy Lyre der Himmel incident.
But what does his book have to do with Venti's wine?
Lucian doesn't get it. But if he can't figure it out, he won't dwell on it. He'll just keep writing as usual.
After all, he can't actually predict the future—what else can he do besides write normally?
Lucian stops overthinking and continues exploring the remaining areas.
Venti shudders, sensing that something unfortunate is about to happen.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Beidou – About the Eyepatch
"My eye? It's not injured. This isn't about inheritance or looking cool—it's about letting one eye adjust to darkness in advance. The weather at sea changes fast, and the lighting above and below deck varies a lot. I'll take you to experience it someday!"