"Miss Shenhe! May I interview you?" Charlotte suddenly appeared.
She hadn't returned to Fontaine yet—after all, there were far too many hot topics in Liyue lately, and she had been swamped with work, compiling countless news reports to send back to The Steambird.
Just now, after finishing her coverage on the news about Rex Lapis in Liyue, she seized the chance to step out and buy some books. Unexpectedly, she ran into the protagonist of "Divine Damsel of Devastation."
"Let me treat you to a meal, alright?" Charlotte asked.
"Apologies, I need to buy books first," Shenhe replied flatly.
"What about after buying the books?"
"After buying the books, I must return. My junior brother is waiting for me."
Charlotte was dejected—her plan to treat someone had failed yet again...
Come to think of it, that meal she owed Lucian had also been plagued by misfortune. Originally, after the Rite of Descension concluded, she had set aside time to treat him, but then Childe swooped in and took him first.
After that came the breaking news of the century, and she had been too busy compiling reports to send back to The Steambird, never finding the right opportunity.
Though her plan to treat Shenhe failed, the two still stood in line together, and idle chatter was still possible.
Shenhe had declined the meal but didn't refuse the interview, so Charlotte seized the moment to gather some material.
===✧✦✧===
Meanwhile, in the ruins of Stormterror's Lair, Paimon was also engaging in idle chatter with Lumine.
Over the past few days, they had followed clues from the Temple of the Falcon all the way to the ruins.
Yet, contrary to what Lucian had said, they hadn't encountered Lumine's brother.
Of course they wouldn't—because the meeting Lucian spoke of was still yet to come.
"In the end, we didn't meet the person we wanted to see at all! Lucian, that liar!" Paimon grumbled.
Though there were many clues, they hadn't encountered any Abyss Heralds.
Lucian had clearly said they would—so if no Abyss Herald appeared, did that mean his prophecy was wrong? Would Lumine never see her brother again?
This was why Paimon was angry. She, too, wanted Lumine to reunite with her brother.
"When we get back, I'm going to 'set the sea's ablaze' right in Lucian's face!" Paimon waved her tiny fists.
"And I won't save you when that happens..." Lumine teased.
Last time you said that to him, your cheeks got pinched until they were out of shape. How have you not learned your lesson?
Lumine was also a little disheartened at not seeing her brother, but she still trusted Lucian's prophecy, believing the time simply hadn't come yet.
Then, suddenly, Lumine sensed something and sharply turned her head.
The mountaintop was empty, yet the feeling in her heart was overwhelming.
With a gust of wind at her feet, Lumine leaped up the cliff in a few bounds.
As expected, the cliff was deserted—no sign of the figure she had hoped to see.
"Huff— Wait for me, Traveler! Don't run so fast!" Paimon arrived belatedly, panting.
"What is it? Did you sense something familiar?" Dainsleif asked.
Lumine gave Dainsleif a strange look. How did he know? Could it be that the "companion" he spoke of was...?
No way... is this guy my brother's Paimon? This big? ...I mean, is he my brother's guide?
But Lumine didn't dwell on it too much, as her attention was drawn to a dandelion.
She reached out and touched it, and a flood of memories rushed into her mind.
It was her brother—he had truly been here... Could the reunion Lucian spoke of really be this one?
"Paimon, let's return to Liyue," Lumine said.
"Huh? So suddenly? What exactly happened?" Paimon was bewildered.
"Though I'd love to accompany you to meet the prophet, I believe I have other matters to attend to..." Dainsleif remarked, gazing at the footprints beside the dandelion.
"You're not planning to investigate alone, are you?" Paimon gasped, quick to react.
Dainsleif didn't answer directly. Instead, he said, "It's merely a temporary parting. Don't worry—we'll meet again."
With that, he turned and left without another word.
Paimon pouted, annoyed at how cryptic he was being.
"What's with that? Talking all mysteriously, just like Lucian!"
"Come on, let's go back to Liyue and complain to Lucian!" Paimon shook her fists.
Lumine nodded. She felt Lucian's prophecy wasn't so simple—their reunion shouldn't have ended like this.
===✧✦✧===
Meanwhile, the Lucian they were so eager to see was currently chatting with Charlotte.
As it turned out, after she and Shenhe finished buying books, they went their separate ways—one to find her junior brother, the other to find Lucian.
And so, the two reunited at Lucian's place. Turns out, they'd been looking for the same person all along.
"Shikikan-sensei, I never imagined you were actually Shenhe's junior brother," Charlotte marveled.
Few people knew that Lucian was Shenhe's junior brother, so even someone as well-informed as Charlotte had been unaware.
"Hmph. This adeptus does not consider him a disciple. We are merely friends who exchange knowledge," Cloud Retainer declared.
She said this not out of disdain for Lucian, but because she felt his identity shouldn't be reduced to that of an adeptus disciple—doing so would only diminish his standing.
However, her tsundere nature made it difficult for her to say so outright.
"Eh? You're kicking junior brother out of the sect?" Shenhe immediately pulled Lucian behind her protectively.
"Master, please don't."
Cloud Retainer sighed. "This master... did not mean it that way..."
Guizhong and Streetward Rambler stifled their laughter. Seeing their old friend flustered was truly amusing.
"Alright, let's read. The book even mentions you," Lucian said to Cloud Retainer.
"Oh? This adeptus is in it? Then this one must certainly take a look." Cloud Retainer grew interested and took the book from Shenhe's hands.
Shenhe hadn't bought just one book, so there was no need for everyone to crowd around a single copy.
Teyvat's Strange Tales: The Moonchase Festival
The story told of how Lumine and Paimon went to Wanmin Restaurant to find Xiangling and learned that the Moonchase Festival was just around the corner.
Each year, the festival had a different theme, and this year's was "Cuisine and the Land," so the Qixing had organized a cooking competition.
Xiangling wanted to hire the two as her culinary consultants to prepare for the Masterful Chefs' Contest.
Upon reading this, Ningguang smiled. She had only just settled on the four-word theme "Cuisine and the Land," and here was Lucian already writing about it.
Anyone unaware might think Ningguang had plagiarized Lucian's idea.
"The prophet truly is remarkable. But what's so special about this year's Moonchase Festival?" Ningguang mused to herself.
The Moonchase Festival had been celebrated in Liyue countless times—why had Lucian chosen to write about this one? Was something major going to happen?
Could it be that Osial's wife, Beisht, would attack during the festival?
Ningguang frowned in thought. She had already uncovered Beisht's existence and was now on high alert. She read the book carefully, hoping to find answers within.
In the story, Xiangling and the Traveler set out to seek inspiration.
The first person they consulted was Hu Tao—not because of her high poison resistance (well, not just that), but because her insights always offered a "fresh perspective."
Coincidentally, the real Hu Tao had also come looking for Lucian at that moment. In her opinion, reading a new book was always more fun with company.
As the characters in the story chatted about food, Guoba stood on a stone chair, gazing at the scenery—truly a picture of leisurely mortal life.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice-Over: Cloud Retainer – About Lucian · Sect
"Sigh. This adeptus does not believe herself qualified to be his master. Yet if this one does not take him as a disciple, Shenhe will not allow it. Truly, this one is in a dilemma."