Everyone was thoroughly annoyed by this habit of cutting off the story halfway.
[Mona, also displeased: "This feeling is awful, like buying a fake astrology guide or realizing halfway through dinner that you forgot your wallet…"]
"Realizing halfway through dinner that you forgot your wallet…" Zhongli read in silence, feeling oddly targeted.
"Buying a fake astrology guide?" Lucian hadn't expected to be hit by this boomerang either.
Mona's peculiar metaphors were spot-on; everyone could relate to this terrible feeling.
In truth, Mona wasn't particularly gossipy. Having mastered astrology, she'd seen too many secrets to care about rumors anymore.
Her reaction stemmed mainly from hating the feeling of a story being left unfinished—especially when it was her best friend's "dark secrets"! She had to see it through!
But regarding the "fake astrology guide," Mona had something to say. Wasn't that aimed at Lucian!?
You said I could observe your predictions, practically inviting me to steal your techniques.
But why? Why can you see the future without even predicting!?
Your pen flows like it's divinely inspired, never pausing. How is that possible?
Is the future just naturally yours, stumbled upon by your deft hand?
No, how do you do it!?
Mona once again shot Lucian that resentful, almost "betrayed lover" glare.
You scoundrel! Fake goods! Shady merchant!
Lucian felt the pressure of her stare and knew exactly who it was.
He thought, I haven't done anything to wrong you, so why the intense staring?
Regardless, Lucian kept his head down, continuing to read.
[Paimon shouted: "Argh—!"]
[Mona shouted: "Argh—! This is so frustrating!"]
The illustration showed the two "roaring to the heavens," an unexpectedly synchronized moment. Truly, the line between genius and fool is thin.
[Kazuha said: "To be honest, I don't like reading books that get cut off either."]
[Xinyan chimed in: "Haha, who would? Alright, everyone, let's enter the illusion again!"]
It wasn't just them—no reader would enjoy this.
Digging a plot hole and leaving it unfilled, a total mess. But Fischl seemed immune to it.
The group in the story opened the book, hoping to re-enter the illusion, but nothing happened. The illusion didn't appear.
[Mona, exasperated: "Why! Is this book deliberately keeping us from finishing it? That's just cruel!"]
She loved calling people mean, her scolding almost sounding like whining. Mona's fans adored it even more, begging, "Scold me!"
In the story, Kazuha analyzed that there might be more than one book. They'd finished this one's contents, so to continue, they needed to find the others.
[Mona, hands on hips: "Darn it, I'm definitely seeing this through to the end."]
As the group fretted over the whereabouts of the next book, an unfamiliar voice interrupted their conversation.
[??? : "Oh, oh, the ending! Everyone loves a book's ending, don't they?"]
Following the voice, they saw a Night Raven statue.
[??? : "Oh, oh my, she saw me! Stand straight, stand straight!"]
["I am 'Arnold, Who Longs to Be Asked for Directions.'"]
He'd even written his purpose into his name—talk about being direct.
Even classic RPGs wouldn't name a character "Village Chief Who Longs to Give Quests."
And this Night Raven statue was quite principled. Call him just "Arnold," and he'd be displeased; it had to be "Arnold, Who Longs to Be Asked for Directions."
Luckily, Mona was used to playing along with Little Amy's games and naturally complied, asking him where the remaining books were.
From the Night Raven statue, they learned the book had three volumes, with the second volume at the top of the high tower.
Eager to see what happened next, the group set off without hesitation.
[Arnold shouted loudly: "Beautiful lady, don't you have any other questions for me? Like whether I have a girlfriend or my monthly income…"]
Mona's fans perked up, suddenly feeling this raven was up to no good.
Fischl, on the other hand, grew shy. If this dream was born from her inner thoughts, did that mean… her affection for Mona was about to be exposed?
Meanwhile, at the Fatui's Northland Bank, things were quite "harmonious."
"Hey, he's calling you," Tartaglia teased, looking at Signora.
The beautiful "lady" was right there, wasn't she?
"Want to fight? I'll indulge you!" Signora snapped, annoyed. "You think you're Lucian? That I'd go easy on you?"
"No fighting here." Arlecchino held her book with one hand, shielding her face, and turned a page. "Take it outside."
[Mona, blunt: "Nope, bye!"]
Cold-hearted Mona led the group away without looking back. Her heart was set on the book, not him. You had to believe her intentions were genuine.
Well, not quite—the illustration showed Mona glancing back, but only briefly, casting a cool, aloof look at Arnold.
How to put it… it was even more striking! That angle, that gaze! Her fans were thrilled, eating it up.
But the Immernachtreich gained one heartbroken Night Raven.
Nobody paid him any mind. The island had already undergone so many changes that exploring it would take effort.
Not to mention, Arnold said the high tower was at the island's center.
Watching the group leave, Arnold was probably screaming internally, "Mo-zi, Mo-zi! How can I live without you, Mo-zi!"
Honestly, he shouldn't be called "Arnold, Who Longs to Be Asked for Directions" but "Arnold, Who Longs to Be Loved by Mona."
But on second thought, something felt off. Wasn't this Fischl's dream world, reflecting her inner thoughts?
If this was also Fischl's inner desire, it seemed she really treasured Mona as a friend.
Fischl's little secret had been uncovered by the group.
As long as she didn't realize it herself, it was fine. Fischl, mimicking Lucian, played ostrich and buried her head in the book. Read, read.
In the story, as the group headed to the high tower, they encountered several Night Ravens performing little skits. Occasionally, a raven would forget its lines, which was both cute and amusing.
There was also a pair, Juliet Raven and Raven-eo, whom the Traveler gave a little nudge, playing Cupid for a moment.
Then there were some Night Ravens taking sand baths. If you pulled one out, it'd "thank" you for rescuing it, only to be clueless about how to bury itself again.
There was even a fishing Night Raven and one playing the fish—utterly absurd.
Even more outrageous, at the base of the high tower, the group met an apprentice knight raven, like Eula, pondering how to destroy all the training dummies at once.
Eula's brain froze as she read. This… was her? Oh my gosh, it was practically her!
And that classic line: "So that's how you solve it? That's amazing!"
Eula hadn't expected to have a place in Fischl's world.
Inside the tower, there was also a prophetic raven. Who could that be? So hard to guess.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Mona: About Arnold
"Ugh! So baffling! It's all that jerk Lucian's fault. He must be spreading some nonsense again! I've been getting tons of letters signed by Arnold lately!"