Victor Wang stepped into the Mondstadt Library and greeted Lisa with familiar ease.
With the royalties from Tales in the Box, Victor Wang didn't need a regular job. Besides honing his mental strength and refining his combat skills, he had plenty of free time—much of which he spent expanding his knowledge in the library.
He had set a small goal for himself: to read every single book in the entire library.
"You always come here to read, yet never check anything out."
"As long as I finish reading it here, there's no need to take it with me, right?"
"That's true."
Lisa flipped through the list of borrowed books, her brows slowly knitting together.
"A few books are overdue and haven't been returned, how troublesome..."
Victor Wang's interest was piqued. Could this be Lisa's story quest? A perfect chance to gain favor points. He stopped, not yet far from the front desk.
"Miss Lisa, is something wrong?"
"Sigh... troublesome work. I need to retrieve some overdue books."
"Someone dared to violate the Library Usage Regulations, 7th Edition? Can I come along and see who's got the guts?"
Her own rules being ignored was indeed a bit embarrassing for Lisa, but she didn't show it at all.
She let out a soft sigh. "There are always those who forget, and always first-time offenders. If you're curious, then come with me."
With that, Lisa expertly left the library in Victor Wang's company to begin the search.
The first stop was With Wind Comes Glory.
Lisa, unsurprisingly, didn't go straight to the book issue. "Miss Marjorie, do you have any interesting souvenirs in stock lately?"
Victor Wang stood silently to the side.
"Looking for souvenirs, huh? Don't worry, I've definitely got something Miss Lisa will love." Marjorie responded enthusiastically, then turned to Victor Wang. "And this is?"
A man and a woman shopping for souvenirs during work hours—Marjorie's gossip radar was activated.
"This is Dust, a friend I recently made."
Marjorie nudged teasingly. "Oh? How about letting Dust choose, for a more meaningful memento?"
Lisa felt slightly irritated. He's just here to watch the fun, and you want him to pick?
But before Lisa could reply, Victor spoke first. "Sure, sure! So, what are the options?"
"Let's see—pumpkin trousers, a tattered scroll, a stuffed doll, and a rusty greatsword. These are the newest arrivals."
"Wow, this doll is so cute."
Lisa crossed her arms, saying nothing, her expression caught between a smile and a smirk. Victor Wang could feel the concentration of Electro in the air rising slightly.
He continued unhurriedly, "But this doll looks like a voodoo doll. Legend says those who receive one are cursed with vile misfortune."
"R-Really?" Marjorie laughed awkwardly, quickly putting the doll away. "I don't really understand these things, but they're certainly rare items."
"It's fine… Let's go with this tattered scroll." Victor paid in Mora and handed the scroll to Lisa.
"Eh? Could this be a missing chapter from the Northern Winds Chronicle… To think it would be here." What had started as a casual errand turned into a pleasant surprise—Lisa's displeasure vanished instantly.
"You really have a sharp eye. This is excellent material for researching ancient understandings of elemental power. I'll gladly accept it."
Then Lisa turned to Marjorie. "Now then, Miss Marjorie, about the Legend of Vanessa—"
"You admire Lady Vanessa too, Miss Lisa? You should've told me sooner! I've got plenty of related souvenirs, like—"
Victor Wang interrupted her, unable to hold back. "Ahem, Miss Lisa was referring to the book you borrowed and haven't returned."
"Ah, that book's overdue? I've been carrying it around with me all this time, my apologies."
Victor had already spotted it—sitting right on the counter. It was clear Marjorie flipped through it whenever she had time, a true Vanessa fangirl.
"Sigh… Since you admire Lady Vanessa so much, please be sure to return books on time next time."
The next stop was Good Hunter restaurant.
"Welcome to Good Hunter. Will it be the two of you today?"
Victor checked the time—11:30 AM—just right for lunch. "Yes, we'll have two servings of the Radish Veggie Soup, please."
He turned to Lisa to explain, "If we do all the tiring stuff first, the good food won't taste as good. Let's eat first—my treat."
Lisa sat at the table a bit stiffly. Then she heard Victor say, "Vegetable soup requires careful selection of ingredients, precise cooking sequence, and strict control of heat. It's said that long ago, witches loved making soup. What do you think, Miss Lisa?"
"…I like it too, but I prefer having afternoon tea."
Lisa felt oddly off balance—whether it was the similarity in their thoughts, her favorite dish, or the fact that Victor Wang spoke with his back turned using a Jumpy Dumpty on his back.
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Victor explained, "Sorry, Miss Lisa, I have some special reasons that make it inconvenient to show my face."
"Everyone has secrets. I won't pry."
Though they had come to eat together, they sat at separate tables. Sara didn't understand it, but her job didn't require her to.
After finishing the soup, Lisa got down to business. "Thank you for the meal. Now, please return The Boar Princess."
"Oh, that book I borrowed last time? I didn't even have time to read it and it's already due? My bad, Miss Lisa. I'll bring it back myself after work."
"Alright then, make sure not to forget again."
The final stop was Flora's Flower Shop.
On the way there, Victor joked, "Miss Lisa's borrowing rules are intimidating, but you don't really enforce them."
"Sigh… They're just ordinary people. I can't actually zap them, can I?"
Though the shopkeeper was clearly on duty, Donna greeted them politely as they approached. "Looking for a particular flower? I can wrap it up for you."
Addicted to stealing Lisa's lines, Victor Wang held back a remark that probably should or shouldn't be said—and stayed silent.
Lisa glanced at him with interest. "Hmm… 'A date without flowers is devoid of romance'—which book was that from again?"
Victor hesitated, and Lisa felt a secret thrill—she'd won this round.
She followed up, "Why don't you pick a bouquet?"
Following Lisa's gaze, Donna also looked to Victor.
"Sure. Do you have any roses?"
"Ah, we have a bundle that we got recently from a traveling merchant. The shopkeeper thought someone might like them."
"I love roses. I really do."
"A hidden one-of-a-kind option, huh? Looks like you're destined for roses."
"Seems that way."
Lisa felt something strange, though she couldn't put it into words. Still, the rose brought back fond memories.
"Could it be you've heard the title 'Rose Witch'? Hmm... I thought I wouldn't get to see fresh roses again after returning to Mondstadt. This must be a good omen."
"As long as you like it."
"Alright, back to business. Miss Donna, do you know why we're here?"
"Business? I thought you were on a date?"
"Ahem… You really don't treat books seriously, do you? The White Princess and the Six Dwarves—remember that one?"
"Ah… that…" Donna looked nervous. "I lost that book."
"?"
"A while back, I realized the due date was coming and was about to return it, but then I couldn't find it anywhere. It's like someone stole it."
"If it was stolen, then the fault isn't yours. That debt lies with the thief—and they'll pay threefold, no—"
Victor jumped in, "Tenfold."
Lisa shot him a look, then continued, "I marked each book with specific elemental signatures. The thief will have left a trail. Dust, can you sense elemental traces?"
To Lisa, it was clear—someone who had earned Alice's favor and could use elemental power must surely have a Vision, even if she hadn't seen Victor Wang's yet.
"Leave it to me."
Victor activated his Elemental Sight and found a trace of purple elemental energy at the Mondstadt city gate. "Is this the mark? It looks pretty fresh."
Lisa nodded. "Judging by the trace, the book was almost certainly stolen. But it's not even from the restricted section—why steal it?"
"Restricted section?"
"It's just books not suitable for regular people to read. What matters now is recovering the book. Will you come with me?"
"Of course."