On the way back to Mt. Aocang, Shenhe asked,
"Junior Brother, do you think Liyue Harbor suits me?"
She had originally thought she had completely severed ties with the mortal world, but this experience gave her a long-lost feeling.
If her junior brother and master were both going to Liyue Harbor, should she go as well?
But she was already an outsider to the mortal world—could she still integrate into it?
"Whether you're an outsider or a guest in this world, if you wish it, then it suits you," Lucian replied.
Admittedly, Shenhe didn't understand human society well and lacked common sense, but if this was what she wanted, why not?
At any rate, with him keeping an eye on her, she wouldn't cause trouble for others. She could take her time to adapt.
When the two returned to Mt. Aocang, they found Cloud Retainer waiting for them.
Without even asking where they had been, Cloud Retainer said directly, "I didn't expect you to master Divine Striding so quickly. It seems I'll have to teach you something more challenging."
For Lucian, thanks to his excellent memory, he could mimic and replicate adeptal arts with relative ease, allowing him to learn quickly. However, true mastery was still difficult.
After practicing in the mountains for a while, Lucian descended and returned to Liyue Harbor.
He hadn't learned much in terms of adeptal arts yet, but the Rite of Descension was just two days away, and Lucian had to return to witness it.
Shenhe accompanied him, having decided to try living in Liyue Harbor.
Upon returning to Liyue Harbor, Lucian learned that the remaining two Legend Quests from Mondstadt had been released.
The two stories were "Princeps Cretaceus Chapter" and "Aphros Delos Chapter."
The "Princeps Cretaceus Chapter," Albedo's story, didn't garner much reaction. From start to finish, it was just Albedo conducting experiments—something most people couldn't understand.
Only a few alchemists and some scholars from Sumeru found it fascinating.
In contrast, Eula's "Aphros Delos Chapter" received a much better response.
"Aphros Delos Chapter: Act I - The Spindrift Shall Never Return to the Sea"
The story began with Jean assigning the Traveler a special mission: to investigate the connection between the Lawrence Clan and the Fatui.
Just this opening alone triggered the people of Mondstadt.
The Lawrences were the old aristocracy that once ruled over them, and the Fatui were the villains scheming for the Gnosis.
The two of them teaming up? That was like "trouble knocking on trouble's door"—nothing but trouble.
The Traveler found a member of the Lawrence Clan in the city.
["Hello, we're here to—"] Paimon politely greeted and tried to explain their purpose.
However, the Lawrence clansman immediately cut her off.
["Hello? Did I hear that correctly?"]
["Hmph, how rude and frivolous, to casually approach and greet someone like that."]
Schubert Lawrence was deeply dissatisfied with the Traveler's behavior.
["You should be humbly presenting your self-introduction and apologies right now—that's proper etiquette!"]
["Neglecting etiquette in front of nobility warrants at least a whipping."]
["These days, rules are abandoned, manners forgotten—utterly rotten to the core."]
Listening to Schubert Lawrence's words, Lumine simply remarked lightly:
["No wonder the old aristocracy fell."]
The citizens of Mondstadt had been grinding their teeth in frustration, but Lumine's words finally let them breathe a sigh of relief.
At this moment, the angriest person wasn't the citizens—it was Eula. She was absolutely furious.
She had been working so hard to restore the Lawrence Clan's image and earn everyone's recognition.
And here you were, clinging to the outdated habits of the old nobility, actively tarnishing the Lawrence name!
Why couldn't her uncle and clansmen see the situation for what it was?
Why, when they no longer held any real aristocratic power, couldn't they let go of aristocratic pretenses?
Did stepping on others really bring them that much satisfaction?
Eula didn't understand. She just wanted to be treated like an ordinary citizen of Mondstadt.
She wanted to drink without facing disdainful looks, to eat without people spitting at her.
She wanted to laugh freely like Amber, to be loved by everyone.
If someone was willing to talk to her, she seized every opportunity to present the best social image possible.
Getting to this point had been so hard... If she weren't a Knight of Favonius, taverns and restaurants wouldn't even let her inside.
Fortunately, Diluc and Sara didn't discriminate against her, giving her places to eat and drink.
In the story, the Traveler spoke with Amber about their failure to establish a good rapport and gather information.
Amber mentioned that she knew someone from the Lawrence Clan and could help the Traveler understand them.
Through Amber's introduction, the Traveler went to find Eula—only to end up encountering the Fatui instead.
As they fought the Fatui, a young woman wielding a greatsword appeared and helped the Traveler out.
[Young Woman: "Now all the credit goes to you. Is this what they call 'striking first'? Ugh, I'll remember this grudge."]
Even though Eula had been the one to defeat the Fatui in the end, she naturally attributed the credit to the Traveler.
After some conversation, the Traveler explained their purpose, and Eula expressed her support.
Back in Mondstadt, Eula began teaching the Traveler about "aristocratic etiquette."
[Eula: "Aristocrats place the highest importance on two aspects of etiquette—speech and bearing."]
["Let's start with speech. Even in everyday situations, nobles have a very unique way of conversing."]
Paimon declared that she had already mastered the special way of speaking—
[The little Paimon lifted her chin, placed her hands on her hips, and proclaimed: "I'll remember this grudge!"]
[Eula: "..."]
Venti: "This feeling of stealing someone else's lines is very familiar. Reminds me of someone."
"Indeed," Zhongli nodded.
Lucian felt his nose itch.
The two old men were sitting together, and Zhongli had actually joined Venti for a drink.
After reading Venti's story, Zhongli had decided to share a drink with him.
Last time, because there were children present, he hadn't indulged.
As for why Venti was with Zhongli—
Well, he had also read Liyue's story! The Geo Archon's suicide? Such a spectacle couldn't be missed by the bard.
He was here to witness it firsthand, then compose a ballad to sing across the world.
"Speaking of which, you're a millennia-old block of stone. What finally made you open up?" Venti asked curiously.
"Simply realizing that I've fulfilled my duty," Zhongli replied, taking a sip of the wine Venti had brought.
The turning point had been when he saw a boss at the harbor tell a worker: "You've done your duty. Now go rest."
Whether the worker took it to heart or not, Zhongli certainly did. He wanted to rest.
"Tomorrow's the Rite of Descension, right? Your plan's already been exposed—aren't you going to change it?" Venti asked.
Zhongli shook his head. He had long decided that no matter what future Lucian wrote, he wouldn't alter his course.
"Such a stubborn mind," Venti muttered under his breath.
It seems the only one who can stay a step ahead of the "prophet" is me, the Anemo Archon.
The other gods just can't keep up. Ehe.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice - Eula: About "Aphros Delos Chapter"
"Hmph, this author dared to write about the Lawrence Clan's shameful side. I'll remember this grudge!"