Without realizing it, Lumine, who had initially shown little interest in the light novel, had been moved to tears several times by the stories. One sleeve was already soaked through. But a question arose in her mind: were the events described in this light novel truly real? Were there really three Raiden Shoguns? Were the Anemo Archon, the Electro Archon, and the Geo Archon truly all at Wangshu Inn listening to stories?
Though she was deeply moved, she still subconsciously regarded the light novel as something fabricated by Yae Publishing House's editor. She couldn't be sure of its authenticity.
Just then, Paimon, flying above her head, suddenly said, "Oh, I remember now—Yae Publishing House sounds really familiar. Isn't it right here in Inazuma City? If we want to know if it's real, we could just go visit the editor in person."
Lumine's eyes lit up. "That's right. I really should visit Yae Publishing House sometime and see who could write such moving stories."
But then she gasped, remembering her true purpose for the day. She was supposed to visit the Raiden Shogun to find clues about her brother—not sit here reading light novels and wasting time.
"Oh no—we were supposed to visit the Raiden Shogun! Paimon, let's hurry!"
But the moment she stood up and put away the light novel, she froze. It was already dark. Even the Raiden Shogun, as a god, would surely be resting by now. Visiting her at this hour would not only fail to secure an audience but might even get them thrown out.
Lumine said dejectedly, "This is all your fault, Paimon. If we hadn't been reading that light novel, we might have already met the Raiden Shogun and gotten clues about my brother."
Paimon protested, "But—it wasn't just me reading it. You cried too."
Lumine: "…"
There was nothing she could do. She sighed helplessly. "Fine, we'll put off the visit until tomorrow. I'll visit her then and bring this light novel along. I'd love to see her expression when she reads these stories."
What Lumine didn't know was that the Raiden Shogun she planned to visit had already left Inazuma and was currently in Liyue, listening to the very same stories at Wangshu Inn. The tales Lumine had just read had already been heard by the Shogun long ago.
A smile returned to Lumine's face. "Paimon, let's go back to the inn. After dinner, we can re-read this light novel."
She had become intrigued by this remarkable book. Clutching it, she headed toward the inn, planning to eat and then read it again.
...
Meanwhile, in the distant, icy land of Snezhnaya, Pantalone, the Ninth Harbinger known as "Regrator," sat at the headquarters of the Northland Bank, reviewing the latest financial statements. But among the many documents and papers, he noticed the name "Tartaglia."
"Tartaglia—wasn't he sent by Her Majesty to Liyue on an important mission? How did he accumulate so many bills?"
Perplexed, he picked up a stack of receipts. Twenty thousand Mora. Ten thousand. Thirty thousand. Eighty thousand. Though each individual bill was small—a trivial amount to a banker like him—the thick stack added up to a staggering sum. Ultimately, it would fall to Pantalone to cover Tartaglia's expenses.
Though the amount was insignificant to him, Pantalone's Mora hadn't come from nowhere. He had earned it through risky dealings and cunning schemes across multiple nations—and now Tartaglia was squandering it.
"Someone, calculate these miscellaneous expenses. And send someone to the Liyue branch to investigate exactly what these charges are for."
Pantalone was suspicious. How could Tartaglia alone have generated so many scattered bills? He wondered if someone was fraudulently using Tartaglia's name to make purchases.
"That Tartaglia—always so carefree. And with La Signora beside him this time, surely even he wouldn't dare neglect Her Majesty's mission."
Clearly, Pantalone still had his doubts about the young, carefree Tartaglia. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to write a letter to both La Signora and Tartaglia, reminding Tartaglia not to indulge in food and drink, to heed La Signora's counsel, and above all, not to forget Her Majesty's mission. The mission came first.
At the end of the letter, Pantalone specially warned Tartaglia not to have too much contact with the gods of Liyue, Mondstadt, or Inazuma, nor to be deceived by their amiable exteriors—or he would surely suffer for it.
After finishing the letter, he handed it to a subordinate to deliver to Liyue as quickly as possible to reach Tartaglia and La Signora.
...
While the Traveler Lumine, delayed by the light novel, had to return to her inn and the Harbinger Pantalone received that thick stack of bills, at Wangshu Inn in Liyue, though Li Mo wanted to continue, he glanced outside and saw that night had fallen. Today's storytelling had to end.
He spoke slowly: "That's all for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
Tired from the day's work, he wanted to stop. But the captivated audience wouldn't have it.
"Storyteller, don't stop—"
"Even if you can't continue today, at least tell us what the twelfth reincarnation will be. Surely it's about Rex Lapis?"
"Rex Lapis is out bird-watching every day—don't you get the hint?"
"That's right. He's running out of patience."
The audience buzzed with discussion. As locals of Liyue, they naturally wanted to hear the heroic deeds of Rex Lapis.
But Li Mo spoke slowly, "In the next life, Rostam, who sacrificed himself to protect Mondstadt, will be reincarnated once again in Mondstadt."