Next, Navia brought Clorinde before Lucian and introduced the two.
There was no need to introduce the others Clorinde naturally knew the members of the Security Patrol.
And as for Charlotte, who didn't know her?
Clorinde was surprised by Lucian's knowledge and abilities.
He even knew about her secret agreement with Callas this near-omniscient foresight.
Meanwhile, Lucian was astonished by Charlotte's social connections. Damn, she knew everyone!
You're the real social butterfly of Fontaine.
Is there anyone in Fontaine you don't know? At this point, the whole world knows you.
"Alright, Clorinde, no need to line up. I'll just give you a copy," Navia said cheerfully.
She had bought plenty of copies anyway, originally intending to distribute them to the members of the Spina di Rosula.
After taking the initiative to speak to Clorinde, she had taken that first step.
By now, the lingering resentment in her heart had mostly dissipated.
Clorinde, expressionless, silently raised two fingers in a 'V' sign.
Just as Lucian thought, This kind of cute gesture doesn't suit your character, Clorinde spoke up.
"Can I have two copies?"
Her face remained cold, her tone as cool as ever.
Originally, Clorinde had come to buy the book for Furina—she wasn't particularly interested in the novel herself.
But after meeting Lucian in person, she began to take an interest in it.
"Of course."
Navia didn't mind giving away one or two copies and even refused the money Clorinde offered.
"Thank you."
Clorinde stored the two books in her Vision.
(This book's setting: Visions have a small storage space where weapons are usually kept.)
(The protagonist's Vision doesn't provide elemental power but still has a small space, hence the 100-point exchange requirement.)
The group chatted and laughed as they headed to the restaurant.
Navia had reserved the entire place in advance, so no matter how rowdy they got, they wouldn't disturb anyone.
Upon arrival, the first thing they saw was a banner: Celebration for Mr. Lucian.
Lucian's face flushed this felt like something out of a Bocchi moment.
Melus and Silver stood on either side of the entrance, holding party poppers. They'd actually brought them.
Under the gaze of passersby, Lucian walked into the restaurant amidst a shower of confetti.
"Phew, freedom at last," Lucian muttered, slumping into his chair like a salted fish.
What kind of embarrassment play is this?
Meanwhile, as Lucian and the others celebrated, Marcel (Vacher) was staring at the bill in his hands, deep in thought.
Aside from party expenses, the bill also included book purchases, fortune-telling fees, and Lucian's salary—all jumbled together.
A few days earlier, Navia had visited him for a casual chat, as usual, talking about her investigation into the Serial Disappearances Case.
Then, she'd casually mentioned that a friend was celebrating a birthday and wanted to throw a party.
Marcel had immediately offered to cover the costs as her uncle.
He'd said it offhand—normally, Navia rarely asked him for personal expenses.
But this time, she'd agreed without hesitation.
"How strange," Marcel mused, puzzled.
He didn't dwell on it, though. Navia had played her part well, still acting as if she knew nothing about the Serial Disappearances Case.
It would never occur to him that Lucian knew so much—and had already spilled everything.
Elsewhere, sales in Mondstadt were winding down.
Thanks to Charlotte's advertising, Lucian's book had gained some recognition even in Mondstadt, with strong initial sales.
At that moment, the Outrider of the Knights of Favonius, the Pyro Puzzle-Solving Adeptus—Amber—was reading Lucian's masterpiece.
As an Outrider, she was often away from Mondstadt City.
During dull moments, novels and storybooks were her best pastime.
"I'm actually in this?" Amber was shocked.
She wasn't particularly famous, nor was she a high-ranking member of the Knights—and she didn't even know the author.
So seeing herself appear in the novel was genuinely surprising.
Reading how the book's version of her apologized to the Traveler after an awkward encounter—
"I offer my apologies... um... honored strangers."—Amber's cheeks flushed.
That was exactly something she'd do.
Now, who knew how many people would read this?
But the author seemed to know her too well. Was it someone she knew?
Kaeya? No, if he had written it, it would've been way more exaggerated.
As she read further, Amber found even more shocking details.
The book even described her current mission and the fact that Hilichurls were moving closer to Mondstadt City.
Later, even characters like Lin outside the city, Timmy on the bridge, and guard Lawrence made brief appearances.
This wasn't just familiarity—it went beyond that.
"This book...?"
Amber began to feel there was something unusual about it.
Her mindset shifted from casual relaxation to serious attention.
As Amber read on, the story progressed.
She led the Traveler into Mondstadt City and gifted them a glider.
Just as the two-and-a-half people (?) were chatting, the sky suddenly darkened.
The roar of a dragon echoed as multiple tornadoes began ravaging the city.
"What!? Stormterror will attack Mondstadt!?"
Amber was stunned. As an Outrider, she'd noticed Hilichurls approaching the city—
But she'd seen no signs of Stormterror preparing to assault Mondstadt.
The dragon crisis had plagued Mondstadt for a long time, but the destruction had always been outside the city.
Usually, it was trade routes and farmland that were ruined, with almost no casualties.
That was one reason the Knights had hesitated to kill Stormterror.
But if the dragon rampaged inside Mondstadt, it'd be a different story.
Given the city's population density, casualties would be inevitable.
At this point, Amber wanted to rush and report to Acting Grand Master Jean—but then she reconsidered.
Would anyone believe her based solely on a book's scenario? The events in the novel hadn't even happened yet.
Besides, even if the book's contents were true, they depicted the future—there was still time to prepare.
For now, Amber set aside the urge to report and kept reading, hoping to find a solution to the disaster in the book.
Meanwhile, back in Mondstadt City, Lisa was also reading the novel.
"How interesting. The author really understands Amber well," she murmured.
Lisa was reading slower than Amber—she'd taken time to catalog the book in the library's records after buying it.
But it didn't take long for her to reach the part about Stormterror's attack.
"...This could also be an opportunity," Lisa mused.
She'd been searching for the source of the Anemo Archon's power but had been stymied by chaotic ley lines.
If Dvalin did come to Mondstadt, she could sense its power up close and trace its origin.
Lisa was more inclined to believe the book's story.
As the librarian, she knew much of Teyvat's history was recorded in the form of tales.
So it wasn't impossible for someone to write Teyvat's future as a novel.
After all, the fate of Teyvat's people was predetermined, etched into the stars—though most couldn't decipher it.
"It seems I'll need to have a good talk with Jean."
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice – Lucian: About Charlotte
"I really envy Charlotte's social skills. Not like me—I'm so introverted.
What? You say I'm not introverted at all?
To borrow a phrase from a certain big bird: I'm outgoingly introverted."