After dealing with the Abyss Mage, the group continued reading.
At the end of the story, there was a small extra tale titled ["The Night the Sun Ran Away"].
[Klee: "Traveler, I'll tell you a secret!"]
[ "Actually, at night in Mondstadt, there are devils lurking around!"]
[ "Shh! Keep it down!"]
[ "I'm telling you, but don't tell anyone else!"]
[ "After everyone goes to sleep, they emerge from the darkness, disguise themselves as Knights of Favonius, and go around tricking people!"]
[ "You can even hear their footsteps in the confinement room..."]
[ "So, I went 'Boom!' and blew up the door to chase those bad guys away for Mondstadt!"]
[ "But later, the Acting Grand Master Jean who showed up and arrested me was the real one. So weird, huh?"]
[ "You absolutely mustn't tell anyone else!"]
[ "The thing about the devils was something Big Brother Kaeya told me—and he only told me!"]
Kaeya cleared his throat lightly. "Ahem, I can explain."
"You'd better," Diluc said expressionlessly, though there was a rare hint of amusement in his tone.
With the story finished, Lucian and Ganyu arrived at Jueyun Karst.
Ganyu had used adeptal arts along the way, so the two arrived very quickly.
To be honest, Lucian was a little disappointed. When he saw Ganyu casting a spell, he had thought she would transform into her true form and carry him.
What a shame—he had been looking forward to riding a qilin for once. Who wouldn't want to ride such a divine beast at least once?
If Zhongli hadn't objected, Lucian might have even tried riding the old man's dragon form.
You had to admit, Liyue was great—divine birds, divine stags, qilins, dragons—all rideable.
Now compare that to Inazuma: fish, foxes, cats, dogs… not a single one you could ride.
At Jueyun Karst, Mount Aocang—Lucian and Ganyu reached the mountaintop.
"Cloud Retainer," Ganyu called softly.
But the one who emerged wasn't Cloud Retainer—it was Shenhe.
Shenhe glanced expressionlessly at Ganyu before locking eyes with Lucian.
'Who is this person?' she wondered.
She knew who Shikikan was and had wanted to meet them.
But having never read any news or magazines, she naturally had no idea who Lucian was.
"Senior Sister," Shenhe said calmly.
"Junior Sister, let me introduce you—this is Mr. Lucian," Ganyu said.
Shenhe nodded slightly, acknowledging Lucian.
Mr. Lucian? She didn't recognize him—likely not one of the adepti.
Having cultivated in these mountains with the adepti, this was her first time interacting with a mortal.
Though she had saved mortals who came seeking the adepti before, she had never formed any connections with them.
But why does he look at me as if he knows me? Do I know him?
Shenhe, ever straightforward, asked, "Do you know me?"
Lucian nodded. Of course I know you—it's just that you don't know me.
Shenhe grew even more puzzled. She didn't recall having any bonds with this person in the mortal world. Perhaps I should return to my old home and see...
But whether he was a bond from her past or not, she ought to sever such ties now.
The fate of the Lonely Star and Calamitous Eclipse—she should not grow close to mortals...
With that thought, Shenhe stopped engaging with Lucian, fearing her cursed fate might affect him.
Yet for some reason, a premonition lingered in her heart, telling her that this person was different.
What she didn't know was that this was the uniqueness of an outlander—someone entirely unaffected by her cursed destiny.
"Where is Cloud Retainer?" Ganyu asked.
I clearly called for Master just now—why did Junior Sister come out instead?
"Cloud Retainer is working on an invention inside the abode," Shenhe replied.
So the "I Love Inventions" adeptus, having learned that Rex Lapis wasn't actually dead, had set her mind at ease and was now tinkering with her creations again.
The three waited for a while. Both Ganyu and Shenhe were reserved by nature, so neither spoke.
After a stretch of silence, Ganyu said, "I'll go call for Cloud Retainer."
Shenhe nodded in agreement. In her view, Cloud Retainer was excellent at conversation—she should be the one handling this situation.
Once Ganyu left, only Shenhe and Lucian remained, staring awkwardly at each other.
Lucian couldn't take the silence anymore and started making conversation.
He kept trying to engage Shenhe, and while she responded each time, her replies were always just a few words.
Lucian talked about food—Shenhe didn't understand, as she only ate herbs like Qingxin.
Lucian talked about adventure—Shenhe didn't understand, as she had rarely left these mountains.
Though Shenhe didn't fully grasp what he was saying, she found herself enjoying the act of conversing with someone.
After years of solitary cultivation in the mountains, the adepti never spoke to her about things like food or adventures.
So while she listened with interest to Lucian's stories, her expression gave nothing away.
Lucian, unaware that Shenhe was enjoying the conversation, began to wonder if he was bringing up the wrong topics. How can we talk if she doesn't know about any of this?
The best conversations happen when both parties share common ground—but what does Shenhe know about?
The taste of Qingxin? I wouldn't know about that...
The "music" of the mountains? I'm not that detached from worldly pleasures...
Ah—Shenhe knows about the adepti! Then maybe...
"Let me tell you a story about Ganyu when she was little," Lucian said mysteriously, as if sharing a great secret.
"Senior Sister's story?" Shenhe's eyes seemed to widen slightly, a hint of anticipation in her gaze.
"You want to hear about Ganyu's childhood? I know all about it! Ganyu, she—" Cloud Retainer suddenly appeared.
"Cloud Retainer! Mr. Lucian!" Ganyu's face flushed red, her usually soft voice carrying an uncharacteristic firmness.
She hadn't expected that not only did Cloud Retainer know about her childhood embarrassments, but even Lucian knew!
If it were just Cloud Retainer, fine—but how did he know too?! Ahhh, this is so humiliating—no, so unbefitting of an Adeptus!
The tip of the great bird's wing curled up like a fist, resting near her beak as she cleared her throat.
"Ahem. This one emerged only to hear Lucian speaking of Ganyu's stories and couldn't help herself..."
"Very well. Even if we don't speak of Ganyu's childhood, this one is quite skilled at conversation." The "Skilled at Conversation" Adeptus declared confidently.
"Hello, Skilled at Conversation Adeptus," Lucian said.
"Outrageous! This one is named Cloud Retainer!" Cloud Retainer retorted.
Wait, that's not right—you wrote about me in your book, so you know my name!
"Hmph, don't mock this one," Cloud Retainer sniffed.
With a flick, Cloud Retainer transformed into her human form and sat on a stone chair. "This one has prepared tea. Please, sit."
Lucian obediently took a seat, curious about why Cloud Retainer had summoned him.
Cloud Retainer already knew about Rex Lapis' survival—though when she had asked Ganyu to bring Lucian, she hadn't known yet.
Originally, she had wanted to question Lucian about Rex Lapis' affairs.
But now that she knew the Geo Archon was alive, she naturally wouldn't press further.
Rex Lapis had his own plans—no doubt with profound intentions. There was no need to pry.
"You two, sit as well," Cloud Retainer said, noticing Ganyu trying to excuse herself.
Everyone took their seats, and Cloud Retainer began.
"Should this one address you as Lucian... or Shikikan?"
"Lucian is fine."
Hearing their exchange, Shenhe finally realized—this was the Shikikan she had wanted to meet.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice – Ganyu: About Lucian – Part 1
"He knows all about my childhood… He wouldn't write about it in his books, right? …Right?"