Besides Hu Tao and the others, some people had already gotten this book in advance.
The higher-ups in Liyue and Mondstadt were also reading the contents of the book at this time.
For them, it wasn't too difficult to get this book a few days earlier.
The Steam Bird Newspaper had to release the book on their territory, so they had to give them some face.
In Liyue, only Ningguang and Yelan were reading.
Ganyu and Keqing were too busy and had no time to read these books; perhaps they would make time to read when Liyue was mentioned.
Beidou was on her ship at this time, on her way to Inazuma.
She had already read the first act, and this trip to Inazuma was to smuggle some novels from the first act to sell to Yae Publishing House.
Kaedehara Kazuha was reading the book in his hand; this was already his second time reading it.
Selling the book in Inazuma was his idea.
The profit from smuggling books was not much compared to their original business, and Beidou only decided to bring some along out of consideration for him.
"I wonder if Inazuma will be mentioned? Can this book change Ei's view on eternity?"
Perhaps, but the story of Mondstadt alone wasn't enough; he could only hope that the author would write about Inazuma.
On the other side in Mondstadt, Acting Grand Master Jean, Lisa, and others were also gathered in Acting Grand Master Jean's office, reading the book.
The Traveler and Paimon were also present.
As a hero of Mondstadt and an Honorary Knight of Mondstadt, Lumine was also qualified to be there.
A group of Knights of Favonius higher-ups gathered together, not discussing work but reading, effectively turning the Acting Grand Master's office into a library.
Regarding the Fatui's actions, Liyue showed no particular reaction.
The Fatui in Liyue Harbor were not at all aggressive in their diplomacy.
But Mondstadt was somewhat indignant.
This story was written for all of Teyvat to read; wasn't this making the Knights of Favonius lose face worldwide?
Fortunately, Acting Grand Master Jean's attitude was still firm, and she did not make people feel that Mondstadt was weak.
"Acting Grand Master Jean, I think I should return to my post as soon as possible."
Eula was the first to lose patience.
She wanted to go back immediately to monitor the Fatui, then find some excuses to cause trouble.
If the Fatui insulted Lawrence, she could tolerate it.
But insulting Mondstadt, insulting the Four Winds, was unacceptable! This was Eula's aspiration.
"No hurry, little Eula, let's first see if any incidents requiring manpower will occur later," Lisa said with a smile.
Her expression was still smiling, but it was unclear how much anger was hidden beneath the smile.
"Lisa is right."
Acting Grand Master Jean nodded; the most important thing was to protect Mondstadt's safety.
Currently, the Knights of Favonius were short-staffed, and every bit of effort was precious.
Kaeya crossed his arms, thinking about how to trick the Fatui.
And his sworn brother, Diluc, had already thought of a way to trick the Fatui.
Diluc glanced at the drunken poet who was drinking heartily; this guy should be Barbatos, the Anemo Archon.
So, would the wine bottles he had drunk be considered to have Barbatos's aura?
What if all the wine bottles from the Angel's Share and the bottles he had drunk were mixed together and sold to the Fatui?
The wine bottles indeed carried Barbatos's aura, and if they were all mixed together, the Fatui wouldn't be able to determine which specific bottles had it and which didn't.
Wouldn't they have to buy them all then?
Venti didn't know what Diluc was plotting, he just kept chugging the wine Diluc gave him for free.
"Hehehe, so delicious."
Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, was unwittingly contributing to Mondstadt's economy.
Everyone continued reading. After the Fatui diplomat left, the Traveler arrived.
Acting Grand Master Jean revealed to the Traveler that the Fatui had always coveted Barbatos's power.
That's why they wanted to kill Dvalin, to steal the Anemo Archon's power from this Anemo Archon's familiar.
Speaking of the Anemo Archon's familiar's power, the Traveler recalled the red crystal she found in the forest.
It appeared after Dvalin left, and it might be related to Dvalin.
Lisa analyzed the red crystal.
She stated that she could only see some kind of contaminated impurities on the crystal, and further analysis would require some time.
The people of Mondstadt looked at Lumine.
"Red crystal? I don't remember picking up any crystal?" Lumine wondered.
No one doubted Lumine.
But it was still very strange; the book clearly stated that it was found in the forest, so Lumine should have picked it up by now, right?
Could it be that due to the change in the timeline, Lumine didn't pick it up this time?
At this moment, Amber spoke up: "It's that 'dragon egg'."
Dragon egg? What dragon egg? Everyone was curious.
"Oh, oh, so you mean that dragon egg," Lumine finally remembered.
She indeed hadn't picked up a red crystal, but she had picked up a red dragon egg.
Lumine took out the 'dragon egg'.
Everyone was speechless upon seeing it.
Isn't this the crystal written in the book? How could a teardrop shape be mistaken for a dragon egg?
Lumine stated that what if a dragon egg just looked like that?
"Mhm, indeed, it's full of foul aura," Lisa said.
It felt like the power of the Abyss, but it also seemed to be more than just the power of the Abyss.
Lisa was unsure, so it seemed she really needed to go to the restricted section to look it up.
"Do not touch it; the book says the impurities on it are mutually exclusive with a Vision," Acting Grand Master Jean reminded everyone.
Everyone watched from a distance; only Paimon and Lumine could touch it, as they did not have a Vision.
"It seems only the little darling can keep it for now."
Lumine nodded, unsure if she was confirming her safekeeping or confirming that she was the little darling.
According to the book, the Knights of Favonius should have granted Lumine the title of Honorary Knight at this time.
But because of Lumine's valiant fight during the battle with Dvalin in the city earlier, this title had already been given to Lumine, so it naturally wouldn't be mentioned again now.
Lumine had no complaints; although it wasn't obvious in the game, in reality, the title of Honorary Knight did bring Lumine considerable convenience.
Not to mention that Mondstadters became more accepting of her.
Just getting discounts when buying things, and even having people give her things when walking on the street, was quite good.
The small interlude did not affect everyone's reading.
Lumine in the book did not tell the Knights of Favonius one thing, which was that she also met a green-clad youth where she encountered the dragon.
The reason it wasn't mentioned in the book was that Lumine wanted to investigate it herself first.
In reality, Lumine didn't say anything because everyone already knew.
The book stated that a certain poet brazenly ran past under their gaze.
Paimon and Lumine were stunned for a while, not even reacting.
They just felt that the person seemed to be wearing clothes of the same color scheme as the person they saw before.
Acting Grand Master Jean couldn't help but rub her forehead; was it really okay to entrust the task to these two? Why were they so slow?
Ningguang also showed a hint of a smile; this Traveler was truly interesting and had caught Ningguang's attention.
"Such an Adventurer, I feel like they'll need the services of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor," Hu Tao said her daily auspicious words.
"Director..." Zhongli was helpless.
Was Director Hu Tao not paying attention? This Traveler is an outlander; she probably won't die even after I die.
Hu Tao had only been reading this book as a story before, so she hadn't read it too seriously, only focusing on the parts that interested her.
For example, when the Dragon Disaster struck Mondstadt.
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Character Voice Line · Lumine: About Dragon Tears
"Sigh, so it wasn't a dragon egg after all. So disappointing. Why didn't the boss drop a mount when defeated?"