Makoto paused her "teaching," looking at Ei with puzzlement. She had only explained the situation to Ei and hadn't mentioned a solution, yet Ei had come up with one on her own?
Her little sister had gotten smarter! Makoto was delighted, smiling gently at Ei.
Makoto laughed: "What did you understand?"
Ei, expressionless but with a confident tone, declared: "I'll teach Hiiragi Chisato martial arts. Once she masters them, she won't have to worry about these things."
"Leave it to me. Even if she knows no martial arts now, I'm confident."
Ei's dazed expression showed a faint, barely noticeable confident smile. When it came to martial arts, she had absolute certainty.
If even a rebellious disciple like Lucian could be turned into a cherished student by me, surely Hiiragi Chisato can't be more disobedient than Lucian, right?
Makoto: "..."
Perhaps she should consider Lucian's words. Makoto really wanted to use "Musou no Hitotachi" right now!
Ei's smile faded, replaced by confusion. Wasn't this a good plan? Why did her sister's smile disappear?
Ah, great, it's back… huh?
Not only did Makoto's smile vanish, but Mona's did too, because she had once again witnessed Lucian writing her story.
No divination techniques, no tools—just occasional moments of contemplation, as if thinking about something, then continuing to write.
What kind of prophetic method was this? What level of prophet was he?
Mona had thought that Lucian agreeing to let her "steal his techniques" would let her learn something, but she hadn't learned a thing!
No, that wasn't entirely true. Her writing skills seemed to have improved…
Besides that, she learned the "Earth dishes" Lucian had been cooking these past few days for Lumine and Paimon to change up their meals. They loved it.
Mona had been acting as Lucian's "maid" these days, so her cooking skills had grown, mastering Earth dishes.
"Let me see!" Mona wanted to read the story Lucian had just written—it was her story, after all.
Lucian pressed one hand on Mona's head, holding the freshly written story high with the other.
At home, Mona didn't wear her hat, so pressing her head didn't risk her "slipping away like a cicada."
"You can't see it. I only agreed to let you watch my prophecy process, not to let you read the content," Lucian said with a laugh.
"That's cheating! You're cheating!" Mona flailed her arms and legs.
They hadn't specified this back then—how could he play word games! Are you a fox too?
But Lucian wasn't fazed, firmly holding Mona's head.
"Don't rush, don't rush. You'll see it in a few days. This is your fate," Lucian said, adopting a mystic air, shaking his head dramatically.
Mona frowned, glaring at Lucian but helpless, forced to wait a few days.
Next time, I'll wear a hard hat. If you dare press my head, I'll stab you with the hat's pointy tip.
Over the next few days, Lucian went to Sumeru to bond with Nahida while keeping an eye on Scaramouche's progress.
Scaramouche hadn't appeared in a while because he had less time to read during the experiments.
Since Lucian struck a deal with the Fatui, Scaramouche had been in experiments for some time, and now it was nearing completion.
Dozens of days later, as Lucian predicted, the new book was released. This one was unprecedentedly thick, with far more content than previous stories.
An island story—equivalent to four characters' "Legendary Quests" in one go.
After the islands came Sumeru, and Lucian was already thinking about how to write Sumeru's story.
With Scaramouche's experiments wrapping up, it was time to start arranging Sumeru.
Unlike previous stories, which could be published as novels for people to read at their leisure, Sumeru's story should be experienced collectively.
The story of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata would be more meaningful with a collective experience and collective amnesia, heh heh heh.
Moreover, Sumeru's real-world progress was under Lucian's arrangements, making it easier to align with the story's release.
After some thought, Lucian decided to use the method from Arlecchino's story—a cinematic animation.
Time to assemble the team—my tool people, activate!
The first was Mona. Such a useful "maid" couldn't be let go.
Then grab Kazuha, Xinyan, and Fischl—they were protagonists of this story, killing two birds with one stone.
Gathering at Lucian's house to read the book was a rare social event.
Besides them, Lucian roped in plenty of others—anyone useful didn't escape.
Even Zhongli and Venti, the two slacking Archons, were dragged in to work.
Raiden Ei didn't escape either, though she wasn't much use. Her sister was the useful one, so Ei tagged along as family.
Itto was the same—pretty useless, but the people around him were useful, so he came too.
Lucian didn't invite Sumeru folks. They'd be useful, but he didn't want to spoil the story for them.
Before the busy work began, it was a rare gathering. Lucian's courtyard was massive, combining several yards, easily accommodating everyone.
A few tables were set up, cloths spread out, and people grouped in twos and threes.
Lucian deliberately put Kazuha, Xinyan, Mona, Fischl, and the Traveler together—they were the protagonist group this time.
Mona read intently, seemingly captivated by the newly released Chronicles of the Summer Isles.
But in truth, she just felt she had to read it thoroughly, having earned it by being a "maid."
The story began with the Traveler being stopped by Katheryne again, a routine occurrence that sparked no discussion.
What was unusual was that this time, it wasn't a commission but a verbal message.
[Katheryne: "'My beloved subject, may you perceive the silver threads of fate weaving around you. The great dream forest… hm? The eye of myriad phenomena… will gaze upon you…'"]
["'It will watch you step into the supreme royal city in the Pure Land of the Silent Night. Come quickly to pay homage, swear fealty in the name of sanctity, and journey with me to the bottom of the world.'"]
These words instantly clicked with readers—this was Fischl, wasn't it?
Mona also recognized it—this was little Amy, right?
Fischl: "The moment of this Prinzessin's destiny? Truly, it stirs anticipation."
As a novel enthusiast, Fischl was always excited, but this being her story made her even more so.
As for Fischl's words in the book, translated: Come to the plaza in front of the cathedral, and I'll take you to my hometown.
The Traveler arrived at the plaza, where Fischl had been waiting for some time. The great "Prinzessin der Verurteilung!!" and her court grand mage Mona were there.
Note: Fischl wasn't just "the Prinzessin der Verurteilung" but "the Prinzessin der Verurteilung!!"
Mona wasn't merely a court grand mage—she was also "the greatest astrologist," "the Traveler's mentor," "Lady Megistus," and "stylish, not slacking."
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Mona: About Lucian
"That jerk! He didn't teach me anything in the end, but… I can't say he lied to me either. Argh, I was a maid for nothing!"