Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
It was early afternoon.
Warm, gentle sunlight poured down across Liyue, and the surface of the sea shimmered and sparkled.
"Coo, coo, coo."
Aboard The Alcor, docked at Liyue Harbor, a pigeon perched on the ship's rigging alongside the seabirds and let out a call.
The surrounding gulls tilted their heads and stared at the traitor in their midst with obvious suspicion.
The sailors of The Alcor had finished their meal and were sprawled out on the deck, sunbathing.
Inside a teahouse in Liyue Harbor, Fang Qiu and Bai Qing were seated by the window. They had been chatting for quite a while.
"By the way, Fang Qiu — how's the planning for your next book coming along?" Bai Qing asked, shifting the conversation.
"Don't worry. I've already started brainstorming," Fang Qiu said with a smile.
"Alright then. I've got other things to take care of, so I'll head off. If anything comes up, feel free to stop by the editorial office."
Bai Qing smiled, pushing back her chair and rising to her feet.
"Of course. Thank you for your hard work, Sister Bai."
Fang Qiu finished looking over the sales figures Bai Qing had slid across the table and smiled warmly.
"It's all part of the job," Bai Qing said, giving a light laugh and shaking her head. "See you next time."
"See you next time."
After settling the bill, the two of them left the teahouse together. Fang Qiu smiled and gave a little wave, seeing Bai Qing off.
Then she turned her attention to the sales report in her hands.
Your Name was doing reasonably well.
Not quite on the level of Sword and Fairy, but it had firmly established itself as a top-tier bestseller. Combined with her previous books, she had made somewhere in the neighborhood of eight hundred thousand Mora in total.
Not a small number, and yet somehow it didn't feel like all that much either...
She wondered if Mora was subject to inflation. If it was, leaving it all sitting in a bank account would be a terrible waste.
The question was — what in Liyue could she invest in? Something to make her Mora work for her.
For instance: she could put some into the tunnel Keqing was currently excavating. Once it was operational, she could collect tolls from the merchants passing through.
That would mean lying back and collecting dividends without lifting a finger.
Though, realistically speaking, a large-scale public works project like that probably wouldn't be open to private investment from ordinary citizens. The Liyue authorities would never allow it.
What a shame.
She supposed she could always stop by the Feiyun Commerce Guild and ask around — maybe they'd know of something worth putting money into.
The problem was, she knew absolutely nothing about business...
What if she got swindled?
Hmm... She vaguely recalled hearing that there was a fairly well-regarded law firm run by a certain Miss Yanfei here in Liyue Harbor. Perhaps she could drop in for a consultation first.
Aside from that, she had also asked Bai Qing about Xingqiu.
Bai Qing, however, said she had no idea what Xingqiu had been up to lately — he hadn't submitted any manuscripts in a while and hadn't been seen at the Liyue Publishing House either.
Probably writer's block.
Fang Qiu strolled all the way to the dessert shop. She had just finished picking out a few of her usual snacks when she spotted two familiar figures walking down the street.
The woman in front was tall, with a voluptuous figure, her dark hair falling loose behind her — with an eyepatch over one eye.
Behind her followed a dark-skinned girl with black hair.
The two of them were none other than Beidou and Xinyan.
"Sister Beidou, if it weren't for you, my concert application would never have gone through so smoothly."
"A small thing."
The two were deep in conversation and hadn't noticed her yet. Fang Qiu was in the middle of hurrying to pay for her snacks so she could go say hello, when she heard Xinyan continue:
"Speaking of which, Sister Beidou — that thing you mentioned before, about having Lady Ningguang develop Miss Fang Qiu — how's that been going?"
Fang Qiu's hand, halfway through passing over the Mora, went slightly stiff. The smile on her face froze in place.
What?
Develop?
Develop what?
Develop how?
Why did that sound so strange?
Scared.jpg.
For a moment, Fang Qiu's mind went completely blank.
"That woman and I don't exactly get along, but I'll grudgingly acknowledge her capabilities — she wouldn't have climbed to where she is otherwise. As for not having made any move yet, I'm sure she has her own calculations," Beidou said, her tone unhurried.
"Fair enough."
Xinyan nodded — and just as she was about to continue, she suddenly caught sight of Fang Qiu standing there, dessert bag in hand, frozen mid-payment.
Beidou followed Xinyan's gaze and spotted her too.
"Well, if it isn't little Miss Fang Qiu!"
Beidou laughed and walked over with Xinyan, her grin easy and bright.
"Sister Beidou, Xinyan — good afternoon."
Fang Qiu's expression was a touch strained, but she managed a smile. She hastily finished paying and held the dessert bag out toward them.
"Would you like some?"
"Don't mind if I do."
Beidou laughed and reached in, helping herself to a piece.
Xinyan followed suit and took one as well.
Fang Qiu had been about to bring up the business about Ningguang "developing" her and ask what on earth they had meant — but Xinyan got there first.
"Oh, right — I have a concert coming up in a few days. It's at the dedicated performance venue set up here in Liyue Harbor. You, Hu Tao, and Xiangling should all come and watch."
"Sure, of course — I'll definitely be there to cheer you on," Fang Qiu said with a smile and a nod.
They chatted for a little while longer before Beidou and Xinyan said they had things to attend to, said their goodbyes, and left together.
Leaving Fang Qiu standing there alone, slightly dazed.
She never did get the chance to ask what they had been talking about.
Sorrowful.
Then again — she was Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, after all. Surely she had just misunderstood something.
Fang Qiu gave a small nod, picked up her desserts, and headed home.
Once inside, she put the desserts away and walked over to her writing desk.
Several books were arranged on the surface: Stranded on a Deserted Island After a Shipwreck Despite Having a Pyro Vision, Reborn as Lady Guuji Yae, Reincarnated as a Hilichurl — Just Eat Sunsettias to Keep Getting Stronger, and others of the same type — novels whose entire premise could be gleaned from the title alone.
She had bought these at Wanwen Bookhouse a few days ago, purely for light entertainment.
"It's a shame the third volume of the Teyvat Travel Guide isn't out yet. I wonder which country Alice will cover next."
Fang Qiu settled onto the Jumpy Dumpty, gathered up the books, and then set a blank sheet of paper on the desk.
"Hmm..."
She hesitated.
These past few days she had done absolutely nothing — just drifted aimlessly, wandering around, enjoying the idle life, with no idea whatsoever what her next book should be about.
Maybe she should just slack off a little longer?
There was no urgent need to rush back to work.
Just as Fang Qiu was debating whether to embrace the spirit of lying flat right then and there, a knock sounded at the door.
"Hmm?"
Fang Qiu blinked.
Who would be coming to find her at this hour?
Hu Tao?
She set down her pen, rose from the Jumpy Dumpty, and walked to the door, pulling it open.
Standing on the other side was a young girl dressed in the uniform of a Yuehai Pavilion secretary.
Hmm?
Was Lady Ganyu looking for her about something?
Before Fang Qiu could finish puzzling it over, the girl spoke.
"Excuse me — are you Miss Fang Qiu?"
"Yes, that's me," Fang Qiu said honestly, giving a small nod. She tilted her head slightly. "Is something the matter?"
The girl nodded.
"Tianquan requests your presence."
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