During her two days in Inazuma, Lumine's first priority was to get to know this unfamiliar city. She had also coincidentally met many interesting people and become friends with them—an oni who loved to shout about sumo wrestling, the gracious Lady Kamisato, and a talented fireworks shop owner.
Everyone was quite fascinating. Especially that oni named Arataki Itto—after becoming friends, he had given little Paimon a light novel published by Yae Publishing House as a travel pastime.
Unfortunately, Lumine had been too busy searching for her brother to have time for light novels.
Seeing the sky gradually darken, Lumine thought for a moment. "I've heard that the Shogun of Inazuma is the Electro Archon—the ruling archon of this land. Since we're in Inazuma, we should pay a visit to this nation's god. Paimon, let's go."
Paimon, who always followed Lumine as her little companion, flew beside her. "Do you think she'll see us if we just show up like this?"
Lumine hesitated. "She should. The people we met yesterday—Lady Kamisato, Lady Yoimiya—weren't they all very kind? The Raiden Shogun can't be that bad, right?"
Her goal was clear: to ask the Electro Archon for any clues about her brother. So after getting her bearings, she was eager to visit the Raiden Shogun as a traveler.
As they spoke, Lumine led her emergency food supply toward the Shogun's residence, following the directions she had gathered.
While Lumine admired the exotic architecture, Paimon, clutching the light novel, suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! There are stories about the Raiden Shogun here—and stories about Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, and Miss Shenhe, and Qiqi too!"
She flipped through the pages, her eyes wide with surprise. They hadn't yet met the Raiden Shogun, so they weren't familiar with her. But Barbatos, Shenhe, Qiqi, Bennett—these were all old friends from Mondstadt and Liyue Harbor. They had interacted with them many times.
So seeing their names in the light novel made Paimon gasp.
Hearing those familiar names, Lumine paused. "A light novel that brings together people from so many different nations? The author must be quite the genius."
But she was focused on finding her brother and had no interest in the novel.
Before long, Paimon suddenly shrieked. "Oh no—so that's how Qiqi became a zombie! Waaah—it's so sad!"
Lumine: "…"
Not interested. Nothing would stop her from searching for her brother.
As the sky grew darker, she quickened her pace, wanting to reach the Shogun's residence as soon as possible. Maybe she could get some information about her brother.
But just a few steps later, Paimon shrieked again. "Wait—so there's more than one Electro Archon? There's a sister, a brother, and even a puppet? Three Raiden Shoguns? Inazuma is way too powerful!"
From what Lumine and Paimon knew, both Mondstadt and Liyue had only one god each. But Inazuma had three? And they had all gone to Wangshu Inn to listen to storytelling? Strange—why hadn't they encountered any storytelling when they had visited Wangshu Inn?
Lumine said calmly, "Stay calm. They're just made-up stories. No need to get so worked up."
Paimon: "Eh—so Barbatos was originally a wisp of wind too? So that's how the name Venti came about."
Lumine remained composed.
Paimon continued, "Waaah—Miss Shenhe looks so ethereal and otherworldly, but she's been through so much too. I hope she can reunite with that boy."
Lumine grew more puzzled.
As Paimon's companion, she couldn't understand what Paimon was talking about at all.
Paimon flipped more pages. "Hah—so Xiao has always been this short for a thousand years! He hasn't grown at all!"
Lumine said seriously, "Don't let Xiao hear that, or he'll definitely teach you a lesson."
Though her impression of that stern Conqueror of Demons wasn't particularly deep, there was no doubt he was a powerful figure.
Paimon continued reading cheerfully, sighing, "Ah, Xiao is so strong, but he's really unlucky with his older brothers. Both of his big brothers died—he must be so sad."
Lumine grew more confused. "Paimon, what are you even talking about?"
Paimon didn't answer. Instead, she kept flipping pages, muttering to herself, "Bennett's so pitiful—he was adopted. Before meeting us, he was always adventuring alone."
Flying above Lumine's head, Paimon was completely absorbed in the light novel, muttering about its contents.
Lumine's curiosity finally got the better of her. "Give it here—let me see what this is all about!"
She reached up and snatched the novel from Paimon's hands.
Paimon looked dejected. "Hey, why did you take it? I haven't finished yet!"
Lumine said curiously, "Let's read it together. I want to see what's in there that's got you so hooked."
She opened the novel and started from the first story. She read about how the Raiden sisters became Electro Archons, how Qiqi became a zombie, the story of Barbatos and young Venti, and the tale of Durin and Dvalin, brothers forced to fight each other.
Each story was unlike anything she had ever heard. It was like opening a door to a new world. Through this light novel, she gained a deeper understanding of this unfamiliar land of Teyvat.
As she read, even Lumine, who had just picked up the novel, grew captivated. She forgot her original purpose—to visit the Raiden Shogun—and instead sat with Paimon on a bench at a crossroads, reading intently.
By the time they finished all the stories, even the usually strong Lumine had shed tears more than once, wiping them away with her sleeve.